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If I don't laugh I'd cry
Chapter 8
"Naruto."
"Mmm, Uchiha-teme, not here, it's wrong!"
"…..What!"
My eyes snapped open when I recognized that impatient tone in the other person's voice.
"Shi-Shikamaru?" My eyes now widened as I gazed up at him, he was standing over my bed looking a little more annoyed than worried. "Uh- ummm-" I struggled for words (I was kind of still half asleep, not to mention dumbfounded) but Shikamaru interrupted.
"Stop. I don't want to know."
I grinned at him as I sat up, "Cool, good morning."
"It's four in the afternoon." He told me as he watched me yawn and itch at my bed head.
"True, but it's a Saturday so whenever I wake up today it's officially pronounce morning."
Right. C'mon, let's get this over with."
"Huh. Get what over with?" I asked him and Shikamaru sighed.
"Should have known this would happen," he muttered to himself, "Better break it down slowly so that he'd understand. Naruto, what did you get on your last math quiz?"
"Ummmm- a C minus."
"And what did you beg me to do after you bitched about it all goddamn day?"
"Uhhhh…."
"Troublesome, I'm leaving."
"Wait! I remember, I asked you to go through the corrections with me on the quiz!"
"Too late I'm already out the door." Shikamaru told me as he walked out of my room and I jumped out of bed and ran after him.
"Wait! I'm up now!"
Shikamaru only agreed to stay after I promised not to ask him to do anything for month (probably won't last a week) and a few hours later we were almost done in my living room.
"Not that it's any of my business or anything," he said suddenly, "but did something happen yesterday?"
"Huh?" I looked up at him from my work.
"You seem even more cheerful than usual, I want to know what you're trying to make up for." He told me and I thought of how I sometimes hate how well my friends understand me.
I just shook my head and smiled at him, "It's nothing."
"Naru, I'm going!" I suddenly heard dad call out from behind and I turned around in time to see him flash passed the living room doorway heading towards the front door.
"H-hey, wait a minute!" I got up and called him back, what the hell was that? By the time I got to the front door he was already in the car.
"Where are you going?" I called out to him and dad gave me a very awkward looking smile.
"Ah- the office, i-it's an emergency, I might be there a while so don't wait up okay."
I narrowed my eyes wondering if he really expected me to believe that, but then an idea struck me and I grinned back at dad as I waved.
"Okay, sure, see you later dad, be careful!" I told him as he started the engine and before he could drive off I ran inside heading for the closet to get my hoodie.
"C'MON SHIKAMARU!" I screamed as I passed the living room and he jumped.
"What the hell Naruto?"
I ran back to the living room with the house keys in my mouth and my coat half on. "Let's go!"
"Go where?" Shikamaru asked irritably, "And calm down, what are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"We're going to spy on my dad. C'mon, we're using your car."
Shikamaru looked very reluctant, "And why do we have to spy on your father?" he asked though he sounded like he really didn't want to know. I was bouncing on my heels now from impatience, dad was probably half way down the street by now, if we don't go soon we'll lose him!
"Argh! Cause he's been acting really strange lately and Kiba said that it's probably because he's 'getting some' and I want to prove him wrong cause I know dad wouldn't do anything like that behind my back!" I said in one breath then gestured frantically to the door with eager, pleading eyes but Shikamaru didn't budge. "OH C'MON MAN!"
"If you know that your dad would never hide stuff like that from you then why do you need to prove Kiba wrong? Why can't you just ignore him and trust in Minato?"
Damn Shikamaru! Why must he be all analytical at times like this! "I don't know, cause I guess it won't hurt to know for sure? Please Shika, I won't ask you to do anything for the rest of the year."
Shikamaru seemed interested now, "…...*sigh* I'm going to regret this."
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"See! Now we've lost him!" I exclaimed as I surveyed the well lit road before us, we were heading into one of the more active parts in town but I still hadn't found Dad yet.
"Will you calm down and stop shouting; I'm right next to you." Shikamaru growled.
"Where are you going?" I asked him when Shikamaru suddenly took an unexpected turn.
"I'm going to the University, you know, where he said he was going in first place."
I was about to protest some more but then I just gave up, maybe he's right, Dad hasn't lied to me since my goldfish died when I was six and Kiba can be-
"STOP!" I shouted.
"Why?"
"Over there!" I pointed at a Hotel that we were passing by to my left, in the row of cars that were parked in front of the tall lavish building waiting for the valet, was dad's car. "He's inside- a hotel?" I looked back at Shikamaru, his eyes were a little troubled, but he shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll find a parking spot."
Inside the hotel lobby was very busy. The vast room hummed loudly from a blend of excited talking, people were just hanging out or walking by in groups heading for the bar or the restaurant or maybe the underground club that the hotel boasted.
"Umm- something's up here." I said as I noticed two other things, one, almost nobody was carrying luggage or any other forms of tourist-like accessories, and two, almost every person I could see was a guy. "Think it's a conference or something?" I asked Shikamaru.
A group of chatting friends passed us just then and their eyes one by one fell on me and didn't leave, I inched closer to Shikamaru, I don't know but their stars made me feel really bare and uncomfortable. They smiled at me like I had just done something cute.
"Awww, don't keep him to yourself," one said to Shikamaru, "Let me get a taste of your cute blonde?"
WHAT!
I paled, "Sh-Shikamru," I squeaked, "What's going on?"
"It's Gay Night." Shikamaru told me bluntly, unlike me he seemed pretty calm about the group of guys winking and eyeing us like we were a good meal- actually, what am I saying, they want ME not him!
"What are you talking about?"
"Over there." he nodded at the guarded door that lead to the club, besides it was a poster welcoming all the 'LGBT' visitors.
"The hell?"
I felt someone pass behind me, WAY TOO CLOSE! Then a whisper in my ear, their hot breath brushing down my neck, "Hey sexy, save me a dance later okay."
"AHHH!" I screamed and clamped down on Shikamaru digging my fingers into his shoulders.
"OW! Naruto!" he shouted angrily and now everyone in the lobby was staring. The group of guys from before were giggling and saying 'how cute!'
I was panting as I tried to regain control of my racing heart; I clung closer to Shikamaru as I apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm really vulnerable right now." And I really was. That conversation with Uchiha-teme, the thing I had been trying to forget all day, was tormenting me right now. You're gay. You're gay. You're gay, the memory echoed in my head. My lips warmed as my stomach fluttered and I gulped.
I hate that damn English teacher! Even when he's not here he makes my life hell!
"Naruto let go of me."
"Why? I need you to protect me." I told Shikamaru in a little, helpless voice.
"You clinging to me is not making your straightness very convincing and they're not going to attack you."
"How do you know that?" I said.
Shikamaru sighed in an attempted to gather his patience, "We're here to find your dad right? So let's do that so we can leave and I can go home and ignore you for the rest of the year." Right, I remembered, I have to figure out what my lying father is up to.
"Do you think he checked into a room?" I asked Shikamaru and he contemplated the idea.
"He could have, and if he did then we might as well give up now cause there's no way they'd tell us which room. But he could have also gone to the restaurant or the bar."
"Well let's go in there!" I said and began to pull Shikamaru into that direction but he stopped me.
"Wait! We can't go in there, we're under age."
"Then what do we do?"
"Just peek in or something, that's all we can do." And that's what we did. I stood at the open door of the restaurant but saw no heads of bright blonde hair anywhere. Next was the bar, it was pretty dark in there but it was a smaller area to survey and sure enough I saw him immediately. Dad was sitting at a table facing me, though there was no way he could see me watching him at the entrance. The person that sat opposite him, not facing me, had long dark hair; it fell pass her shoulders and no matter how hard I wished it she wouldn't turn around. I watched them talking for a while, Dad was smiling pleasantly as he listened, he doesn't smile at any of his friends like that, in fact I'm pretty sure if she was a friend they wouldn't be catching up in a classy hotel bar (knowing my dad they'd probably be at his lab or a physics expo) not to mention he wouldn't have hid it.
"I don't get." I said loud enough for Shikamaru to hear, "Why would he hide having a girlfriend from me? Did he think I wouldn't be happy for him?"
"Parents are just troublesome, it'd be better not to waste your energy trying to figure it out because I'm sure he doesn't plan to keep it a secret forever, at some point I guess she'd want to meet you."
"Hn, that's if he's even told her about me, he's probably lying to her too." I turned away from the scene suddenly, "C'mon Shikamaru, let's go. And thanks for the help."
"No prob."
When I got home it wasn't a surprise that I couldn't sleep. It was past eleven and Dad wasn't home yet (not that I cared, he could do whatever he wants! *pout*). But things are really starting to pile up: Hinata, the entire school, that demon English teacher, the whole you're gay thing (which I'm not!) and now dad. I need to work these things out. I figured that Hinata and the people who want to kill me should be left alone for a while (at least until things settle bit), but Uchiha-teme and his false accusations I'll have to deal with as soon as possible. But before I prove him wrong I need to prove it to myself first that I'm not what he thinks I am, I'm a perfectly normal teenage guy.
The end of chap 8
Thanks for reading and please give me feedback, reviews really help this fic along motivation wise ^^
Next chap: a little experiment and Shino is back!