Disclaimer: If Naruto belonged to me... Kabuto would have died a loooong-ass time ago, Itachi wouldn't be a fucking zombie, and Naruto and Sasuke would have already fucked. However, none of this has happened, so as you can see, Naruto still belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. I also do not own Wicked, Gackt,or Vampire Knight (if you can spot the reference, you get brownie points).
Warnings: Mild Sakura-bashing. Fluff.
A/N: Fuck, I'm sorry... This update is too late for words. *embarrassed* There are a multitude of things contributing to the lateness of this chapter. First, it seems as though it is plot-bunny mating season. I seem to get a new plot idea every couple of days, so I have this story, plus four more in the works. I also have... let's see... I wanna say three plots currently in the brainstorming process. I will-if I haven't already, by the time this is posted-be putting a poll on my profile (if I can figure out how...) to determine which story will be the next to be written and posted. Not sure if I wanna start another multi-chapter fic just yet... And also, I have discovered the beauty of... Netflix. I've been watching Lie To Me for the past few days. And we just finished Soul Eater (fabulous anime!). AND, my roommate bought the second season of Vampire Knight, so we finished that (go fucking WATCH that shit. Zero is so fucking yummy.). So, hopefully you're not too pissed. Here's the chappie!
Mood Music: Neji's song - "Over You" by Daughtry (Hooray! He's finally moving on! Oh, and I know, I give Neji a song for quite a few chapters. He's ridiculously easy to pick out a song for.)
-OoOoOoO-
It was rare, Sasuke knew, for Naruto to have the entire weekend off work. For some reason, this weekend-the weekend of the move-was one such weekend. They slept in much later than anticipated, and when they did finally roll out of bed, it was well past noon. They hadn't bothered with a shower the previous night, opting instead to go a few more rounds before finally collapsing, exhausted, in the tangled sheets. Sasuke topped every time, and had positively loved it. Naruto hadn't complained either; rather, he screamed and shouted and moaned in bliss all night long. He would definitely be paying for it this morning. That was for sure.
"Owwww," Naruto whined as he got out of bed. Then he squeezed his eyes shut. "Ew! Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!"
"What the hell is wrong with you, dobe?" Sasuke sighed.
"It's..." Naruto gulped. "It's fucking running down my leg! Fucking gross. I need a shower. Now!"
Sasuke watched in amusement as a very naked blond hobbled as best he could to the en suite bathroom and turned the shower on. He carefully stepped inside, and Sasuke stepped in right behind him. Naruto had his face tilted up toward the spray of hot water, but he didn't seem very steady on his feet. His knees were trembling slightly, and he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"You okay?" Sasuke asked gently, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist and lightly tracing his fingers over the blond's chisled abdominals.
"I'm fine," Naruto replied as he leaned into the gentle touch. "I'm just sore. In retrospect, maybe we should have called it quits after one time. It was my first time, after all."
Sasuke kissed a blazing trail up Naruto's neck, and brought his hands up Naruto's torso, stopping to lightly pinch a nipple. Sasuke didn't forget how his dobe had reacted to that same touch last night, and his reaction today was no different.
Sasuke nibbled Naruto's earlobe, and whispered huskily in his ear, "Come on, dobe. Just one more time?" He slid his hand down Naruto's body and wrapped his fingers around his rapidly-growing arousal.
"Teme," Naruto purred, "if we're going to have sex again, I'm taking you. I really don't think I can handle it again."
Sasuke spun Naruto around to face him, then turned himself around and bent at the waist, bracing his hands on the tiled wall. He glanced back at Naruto and smirked at him.
"Fine by me," he said quietly, licking his lips. "Fuck me, Naruto."
"Gladly," Naruto grinned.
By the time they finished, the water in the shower was ice-cold.
"In retrospect," Naruto repeated, "that probably could have waited."
"Agreed," Sasuke said, his teeth chattering from the cold.
After bathing in the freezing water, they stepped out of the shower together and toweled off. Sasuke was just pulling his pants off when the doorbell rang.
"Goddammit, Itachi," he growled. "He needs to start calling before just stopping by."
"You should have known this would happen," Naruto laughed as Sasuke left the bedroom.
Sasuke opened the front door, expecting to see Itachi, but what he saw instead made Sasuke wish he had put on a shirt. Standing on his doorstep was a woman with pink hair and wide, sea-foam green eyes. Beside her was a man with a pretty, almost feminine face and a ridiculous belly-baring shirt. The woman was holding some sort of covered dish. Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow at the newcomers.
"Oh, wow," the woman began, her eyes unashamedly raking over Sasuke's bare torso. He suddenly felt the need to hide himself from this new eye-rapist. "I mean-hi. My name's Sakura," she continued, "and this is my husband, Sai. We live next door, and we just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the neighborhood. I made some of my famous curry for you. Here!"
He hesitantly took the covered dish as his mind tried to process this new information. Husband? There was no way in hell this guy was straight. And they lived next door... Fabulous. Sasuke wondered just how often this woman would undress him with her eyes. And she made her "famous curry"? This poor woman didn't look like she could fry an egg, let alone make curry that was "famous". Rather than saying so, however, he forced a smile.
"Thank you."
Sasuke was relieved when he felt Naruto's strong arms wrap around his waist, and he looked back at him to see a look of shock on his lover's face.
"Sai?" he asked. "What the hell, man? Are you stalking me?"
"You guys know each other?" Sasuke and Sakura asked in unison. Sasuke winced. That was fucking weird.
"Yes," Sai answered monotonously. "Naruto and I had many of the same art classes in college. Isn't that right... Dickless?"
"For the love of God, Sai," Naruto gritted out. "How many fucking times have I told you not to call me that? I am not fucking dickless. I think that my boyfriend-" he spat the word at Sakura, who was still looking at Sasuke with hungry eyes, "-can attest to that. Who is this girl, Sai? Your beard?" (1)
"She's my wife," he said simply. "Naruto, meet Sakura."
"Nice to meet you," he mumbled to her, then the weight of what Sai said seemed to hit him, and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "Wait, 'wife'? You know your husband's gay, right, honey?"
"Bisexual," Sai corrected him, and Naruto laughed.
"That's not what you said in college."
Sai just shrugged.
"I hadn't met Sakura yet," he said. "The heart wants what the heart wants."
He put his arm comfortably around her waist and pulled her close. Sakura bit her bottom lip and giggled, kissing his cheek and making him smile just the tiniest bit.
"This is weird," Naruto remarked, narrowing his eyes. "Teme, we need to, uh, get ready for when Itachi stops by."
Naruto was giving Sasuke a pointed look that clearly said, "Get rid of them. Now."
"Right," Sasuke replied. "Well, Sakura, Sai. Thank you for the curry. We'll... we'll see you later."
"Okay!" Sakura exclaimed, clearly unperturbed by his and Naruto's rudeness. Maybe she was stupid, Sasuke reasoned. "You're welcome. But... I didn't catch your name."
"Sasuke," he told her. "My name is Sasuke."
"Well," Sakura blushed, "see you later, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke cringed as he closed the door. It felt like high school all over again, when he had all those fangirls following him around everywhere he went and calling him "Sasuke-kun" like they knew anything about him at all. Silly little girls. That's why Sasuke had always preferred the company of men. Women were a hassle.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" Naruto teasingly called from the kitchen.
"Shut the hell up, dobe," Sasuke snapped. "You know I've always hated being called that."
"Well it would appear you have a new fangirl," Naruto said as he got out a frying pan and ingredients for omelets. "You want one?" he asked.
"Sure," Sasuke responded, putting the curry in the fridge and sitting on one of the barstools at the island counter in their new-much more spacious-kitchen. He smirked. "Just don't burn them this time. So tell me about your history with Sai."
Naruto sighed.
"He... had a thing for me," Naruto said, slowly, seemingly trying to choose his words carefully. "All through college. And then, in our third year, we had an art project together. I was with Fumioki at the time-obviously. Sai suggested that we talk about our project at that bar down the road from campus. Remember that one?" Sasuke acknowledged that he did. "Well, I agreed. Sai got me drunk, took me back to his dorm room, and tried to take advantage of me. It didn't work. I screamed at him and left. Then I convinced our professor to give me a new partner. I haven't spoken to the bastard since. How did he even find us?"
"Apparently," Sasuke sighed, "he and that... wife of his live next door."
"Shit."
"'Shit' indeed," Sasuke smirked.
A little later, after they'd eaten and Sasuke had washed the dishes, Itachi did call andasked if they were decent for company. Sasuke told him they were and invited his brother to come over. He hung up the phone and walked into the living room, heading toward the couch to take a seat next to his blond. Naruto pulled him into his lap instead, brushing Sasuke's bangs out of his face and lightly kissing his forehead.
"You need a haircut," Naruto commented.
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"I'll get right on that."
"So Itachi's coming over?" Sasuke nodded. "What for?"
"Probably to quiz us about last night," Sasuke replied. "You know how he gets with gossip."
"Are we going to tell him everything?" Naruto asked. "Or are we going to leave some stuff out?"
"Like what?" Sasuke wondered.
"Like... y'know... starting a family?"
Sasuke smiled. He'd almost forgotten that they had talked about that.
"We can trust him, Naruto," Sasuke said gently. "We can tell him."
Just then, the doorbell rang, and Sasuke kissed the top of his dobe's head before standing up to answer the door yet again. He swung the front door open, and was standing face to face with his brother.
"I couldn't help but notice you met Sakura today," he drawled as Sasuke stepped aside to allow his visitor entry.
"Have you been spying on me, you gossip-whore?" Sasuke chuckled.
Itachi raised a brow.
"Hardly..." he said at length. "I was walking past my front window and saw that godawful mop of pink. It's difficult to miss."
"She's very..." Sasuke trailed off to search for the appropriate word.
"Annoying?" Itachi supplied for him, showcasing a rare smile.
"Is she like that with you, too?"
"She turns into a blushing, stuttering mess whenever I'm around," his brother answered. "All that pink is obnoxious. You know how much I despise that color. Anyway," he sighed, waving his hand dismissively, "enough about her. You know why I'm here."
"I do," Sasuke agreed. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, leading Itachi to the living room.
"Please," Itachi said. "Tea."
Sasuke walked through the living room and into the kitchen, filling the kettle up with water and setting it on the stove. He clicked on the burner and waited, pulling three mugs and the tea from the cabinet. The kettle whistled, and Sasuke poured the steaming water in the mugs. He put two cubes of sugar in Naruto's and carefully carried the tea to the living room, placing the mugs on the coffee table and taking his seat beside Naruto.
"Well?" Itachi asked at last, looking from Naruto to Sasuke and back again. "Did you do it?"
"Yes," Sasuke responded, trying to suppress a grin. Itachi was way too excited about this.
A beat.
"And?" Itachi prodded, picking up his mug and blowing on the tea.
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a look.
"It was great," Naruto answered. "We both loved it. Enough to do it three times in one night."
"There's something you're not telling me," Itachi accused.
"You're right," Sasuke admitted. "Last night, Naruto and I made a very important decision regarding out future."
This, apparently, was enough to grant them Itachi's undivided attention.
"...Oh?" Itachi said. "And what decision is that?"
Sasuke took Naruto's hand in his, and they smiled sweetly at each other.
"We're going to adopt a child," Sasuke told his brother, and Itachi's jaw dropped in a very uncharacteristic moment of shock. "A baby, specifically. I'll be calling adoption agencies tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Itachi asked. "This is a very big decision. Parenthood is not a game. It's a lifelong commitment."
"We're sure," Naruto assured him. "We understand that it's not a game, and that we will both be giving up a lot in order to start a family. Your mom wants grandchildren, and you're sure as hell not going to give her any. We want a family."
Sasuke was surprised. He and Naruto hadn't actually discussed it quite to that extent the night before, but it seemed that they really did have the same views on this whole situation after all. Maybe parenthood wouldn't be the challenge he had originally assumed; at least not with Naruto by his side.
The remainder of the day was spent relaxing, and when Itachi left, Sasuke and Naruto made love a few times. They decided against the coin flip they had talked about the night before, and instead just allowed their lovemaking to naturally progress. They made love four times that night, and switched every time. After they were both fully sated, Naruto and Sasuke lay in bed and kissed and held each other for a long time.
"So you're going to call adoption agencies tomorrow?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Yes," Sasuke confirmed. "But I don't want to tell anyone else about this yet. We should wait until we know for sure that we'll actually be able to adopt."
"Why wouldn't we?" Naruto wondered.
"Some adoption agencies aren't exactly... gay-friendly," Sasuke explained.
"I see," Naruto sighed.
"Don't dwell on it too much, dobe. Go to sleep."
Sasuke slipped out of bed early the next morning. He didn't want to wake Naruto, and he needed to get to the office as early as possible. They didn't have Internet access at the house yet, and researching adoption agencies was best done online. He showered and dressed silently before kissing his blond softly on the forehead and heading to the office.
Three hours and a massive headache later, Sasuke had fourteen phone numbers written down. He figured he would call a little later; right now he just needed to nurse the pounding in his head. The work day had officially begun, and Itachi had already come by Sasuke's office to check up on him. Sasuke was just swallowing the last of the aspirin he kept in his desk drawer, thinking that he should pick some more up, when he heard his cell phone begin to ring. He pried it out of his pocket and answered his dobe's call.
"Good morning, dobe," he said. "How did you sleep?"
"Teme," Naruto whined in return, "my car died."
Sasuke sighed.
"Did you ever get that oil change I reminded you about?"
"No," Naruto admitted quietly.
"Naruto," Sasuke scolded, flipping through his desk calendar, "That was two months ago. You need to start taking better care of your things. I'll send Itachi. Where are you?"
"Uhm," Naruto said, and Sasuke could hear shuffling, "I don't really know... I see a school, and a playground across the street."
Thankfully, Naruto wasn't lost. Sasuke knew exactly where Naruto was, and it wouldn't take Itachi long to get there and get the blond to work.
"Stay put," Sasuke ordered. "Itachi will be there to pick you up soon."
"Thanks," Naruto sighed.
"This better not happen again."
With that, Sasuke disconnected the call. He walked out of his office and across the building to Itachi's. He caught a glimpse of Neji, and chuckled inwardly at the bruising around his eyes and the tell-tale bandage on his nose. So I did break his nose, Sasuke thought smugly, and continued his trek toward his brother's office. Sasuke pushed open the door and stepped inside, immediately regretting his decision not to knock.
Itachi was standing behind his desk with his slacks pooled around his ankles, holding a pair of long, slender legs over his shoulder and licking a shiny latex boot. Deidara was laying across the desk, his long, blond hair falling off the edge. The leather micro-mini skirt Deidara was wearing did nothing to hide his obvious excitement, and he was making these noises that sounded strangely like a cat in heat. Itachi stopped mid-thrust and simply looked at his brother.
"Can I help you, otouto?"
"I'll be standing right outside your office," Sasuke said cautiously. "Let me know when you're... finished."
Sasuke strode back out of Itachi's office and closed the door behind him. He stood at the door for a good twenty minutes, unable to shake the image he walked in on from his mind. He was doing everything in his power not to gag. He'd never caught anybody in the act before, and to think he caught his brother... It was just too much to handle.
Deidara poked his head out of the office a few minutes later, his face flushed, and ushered Sasuke inside. He was still wearing that ridiculous ensemble, and Itachi was still fastening his belt.
"What did you need?" Itachi asked.
"Naruto's car broke down," Sasuke explained. "His engine is probably blown. He was supposed to get an oil change two months ago, but neglected to do it. He's sitting outside Cross Academy as we speak, waiting for you to go pick him up."
"I'll go," Deidara offered. "I was going to head home anyway. I'll check his engine and see if it's salvageable, and then I'll drop him off at the shop."
-OoOoOoO-
Naruto was bored. And hot. He'd been sitting outside this massive school for what seemed like hours now, and he was beginning to get a little concerned. Was Sasuke punishing him for not getting the oil in his car changed? The sweltering summer sun was beating down on his car, and he couldn't get the engine to turn over so he could turn on the air conditioning. Naruto pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a text to Sasuke.
What's taking so long? Is Itachi on his way or not?
After five minutes of waiting for a reply, Naruto was just about to give up and call the shop to let them know he wouldn't be in today. Then, his text tone went off.
Walked in on my brother and Deidara fucking in Itachi's office. I'm a little traumatized. But Deidara should be there any time. Just to warn you: he's wearing a skirt.
Gross, Naruto typed back. See you after work?
Always.
Deidara's car came into view shortly after that, and he pulled up alongside Naruto. He stepped out of his car and walked to Naruto's, telling him to pop the hood. Naruto had to admit, Deidara definitely looked good in a skirt. He briefly wondered how Sasuke would react if Naruto bought him a skirt. No, he decided. That cat ears were good enough. Better not push my luck. Deidara made a tsk-ing noise while he inspected Naruto's engine. That couldn't be good.
"What's the diagnosis, doc?" Naruto asked hesitantly.
"See this?" Deidara asked, holding up a chunk of metal that barely fit in his palm. "That's a piece of your engine, un. This hunk of junk is officially deceased. On the bright side," Deidara grinned, "you are now in the market for a new car. I'll bet if you ask Sasuke nicely, he'll get you one."
"I doubt it," Naruto grumbled, kicking the stones on the side of the road. "He'll probably make me pay for one myself, since it's my fault this one died."
Deidara nodded sympathetically.
"Well," he chirped, "until you get a new car, you and I can carpool to work, un! Get in. You're already," Deidara checked the time on his phone, "half an hour late."
Naruto slid into the passenger seat of Deidara's car and hooked his seat belt, and Deidara hopped in the driver's side.
"Nice skirt," Naruto teased.
"Thanks," Deidara grinned. "'Tachi likes it."
"Yeah, I'll bet."
Deidara fiddled with his iPod for a few minutes, decided on a song, and they took off. After only a few bars of music, Naruto recognized what they were listening to, and smiled.
"Showtunes?" he chuckled. "I didn't know you listened to Wicked. Do you even understand English?"
"Yes, showtunes," Deidara said. "Wicked is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine. And of course I understand English. I vacationed a lot in the States when I was a kid, un. Why, don't you understand it?"
"Not all of it," Naruto confessed. "Foreign language was never really my thing."
"Wait," Deidara said suspiciously. "How do you know Wicked?"
"My mom," Naruto answered. "She really enjoys American musicals. I'm changing the music."
"Fine," Deidara sighed.
Naruto searched Deidara's extensive playlists, and finally settled on Gackt. Naruto just loved the sound of his voice. Deidara was humming along quietly while he drove, and in no time at all, the little blue car pulled up in front of Akatsuki. Naruto thanked Deidara and walked in to work, dodging a look from Yahiko and hastily explaining what happened.
-OoOoOoO-
Over the next few months, riding to work with Deidara got frustrating. The other blond had a bad case of "steering wheel karaoke", and would sing at the top of his lungs to whatever song was playing. He had a ton of music on his iPod, and they never listened to the same song twice. However, Deidara's wealth of music knowledge surprised Naruto. He literally listened to everything, from popular Japanese rock to underground American rap. Naruto wasn't sure how long he could take it.
So he was saving up for a new car. Part of his paycheck every week was going in to a special savings account specifically for his purchase. He knew he wouldn't be able to save up enough for a car like Sasuke's, but at this point, anything would be better than listening to a tone-deaf Deidara sing his heart out every morning.
-OoOoOoO-
The first thing Naruto noticed when he slowly woke was his favorite smell. He'd know the smell of Hokage's ramen anywhere. The next thing he noticed was warmth and moisture encircling his morning erection. What a way to be woken up! He lifted the comforter and glanced underneath. A pale hand was holding the base of his shaft as a head of midnight black hair was bobbing up and down on him.
"Good morning, Sasuke," he said sleepily. "What's the occasion?"
Sasuke lifted his head up just enough to lock eyes with Naruto and gave him his best "Are you fucking stupid?" look before plunging back down. Naruto gasped and threw his head back on the pillow.
"Oh, that's right," he recalled, grinning. "It's my birthday."
When Sasuke finished, he pushed the covers off of them and came up to Naruto to give him a kiss.
"Good morning, dobe," he said. "Happy birthday."
Sasuke crawled out of bed and turned to the bedside table. He picked up a tray holding a large bowl on it and ordered Naruto to sit up. He did, and Sasuke placed the tray on his lap. Naruto took a deep breath and inhaled the wonderful scent of his favorite ramen chef's (and the only one he trusted, quite frankly) most delicious masterpiece. Old man Teuchi was a genius when it came to ramen. He used to own a ramen shop called Ichiraku's when Naruto was a kid, but when Minato discovered that his son would rather buy ramen from Teuchi than go to Hokage for ramen, he had made Teuchi an offer he couldn't refuse. Teuchi was paid better than any ramen chef in the city, and all of his ingredients were top quality. Naruto ate his birthday breakfast quickly, while Sasuke smirked at him from beside the bed.
"Damn," Naruto said between slurps. "Woken up with a blowjob, breakfast in bed... You're way too good to me, teme."
"You haven't even seen your birthday present yet," Sasuke remarked. "And, yes, I am too good to you. However, you gave me exactly what I wanted for my birthday, so I figured yours should be just as epic."
When the ramen bowl was empty, Sasuke took the tray away and Naruto got out of bed. Sasuke told him to get dressed and meet him downstairs for his present. Naruto pulled on his favorite tee-shirt and jeans and raced down the stairs. Sasuke caught him as he started making his way to the living room and swiftly put his hands over his eyes.
"I will lead you to the living room," Sasuke whispered in his ear. "I don't want you to see your gift until I say it's okay."
They shuffled to the living room together, and Sasuke flopped Naruto down on one of the couches. He took a seat next to him and held out a small, flat, unwrapped black box. Naruto eyed the box quizzically. Surely this wasn't his gift. What's so epic about something so tiny? He carefully pulled the lid off the box and took out the object inside. This had to be a joke. Sasuke wouldn't...
"A... key...?" Naruto asked. "A key to... what, exactly?"
"Stand up and turn around," Sasuke told him.
So Naruto stood up and slowly turned around, looking out the large bay windows to the driveway outside. He had to be hallucinating. What he saw sitting in the driveway could not actually be there. He leapt over the back of the couch and raced to the window, rubbing his eyes to clear the hallucination away. But the orange beauty was still there. Naruto nearly pissed his pants.
"Sasuke," he breathed, "is that what I think it is?"
"Yes," Sasuke replied. "That is a custom 1976 Pontiac Trans Am. I bought it a month ago from some American who was selling it online. Itachi went on a 'business trip' around the same time, and brought the car back. It went to a customization shop, where it was painted orange and that stupid... bird on the hood was covered with... something else instead. Would you like to go see it?"
"Yes!" Naruto said gleefully. He bolted out the front door and ran to the car. It was beautiful. It was painted orange, and on the hood, like Sasuke said, where the phoenix was usually painted, was the Nine-tailed Fox from the legends Minato told him when he was a kid. This was incredible. "You fucking bought me a car!"
Naruto spun around and pulled Sasuke into a tight, bone-crushing hug. "I love you!" Naruto shouted. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! This car is, like..."
"Your dream car," Sasuke finished for him. "I know. This was the exact car you talked about all through high school."
Naruto inspected the car, pulling the driver's side door open. The interior was flawless black leather, and the stereo was brand new, with a five-disc CD player and an iPod hookup. It was a five-speed, as Naruto expected, and Naruto was practically salivating as he slipped into the driver's seat. The seat was-somehow-already set in the exact position he would need it in when he drove(2), the steering wheel was at the perfect height, and-
Oh, God I'm still holding the key, Naruto thought, and he felt goosebumps crawl up his skin as he realized, I can start it...
He took a deep breath as he reached his arm forward and slid the key seamlessly into the ignition. He put his foot on the clutch and put a slight pressure on it, and turned the key. The engine roared to life, and the only thing he could think was, Oh my God, this is real. There was no other sound on the planet that was as beautiful as that. A sudden image flashed in Naruto's head of Sasuke underneath him, and he could almost hear Sasuke's voice screaming his name. Okay, so maybe there was one sound more beautiful than the car...
His eyes darted toward the driveway, and Sasuke was standing at the hood of Naruto's car, just smiling at him. It wasn't a smirk, it was an honest smile. Naruto could count on one hand the number of times Sasuke looked at him like that. Everything in that smile screamed admiration and pride. The last time Sasuke looked at him like that was when the two of them had blown out the candles on Sasuke's birthday cake this year. And he was... so beautiful. And he bought Naruto this amazing car, and he knew Naruto well enough to know exactly what Naruto wanted for his birthday, down to every fucking detail. There was only one thing missing.
"Get in," Naruto demanded, grinning.
"Why?" Sasuke asked, still smiling.
"I wanna take it around the block a few times," Naruto said. "With you."
"Okay."
Naruto hooked his seat belt as Sasuke opened the passenger door and ducked inside. He put his seat belt on and Naruto put the car in gear. He backed out of the driveway slowly, keeping a watchful eye out for any parked cars (he had a tendency to... accidentally nudge parked cars as he backed out of driveways and parking spaces). When Naruto was out of the driveway, he switched gears and sped off down the street.
"The ride is so smooth," Naruto gushed, flicking on his turn signal as he approached the end of the block. He made a left-hand turn and accelerated, reveling in the feel of the smooth leather gear shift beneath his fingers. This car was sin with wheels. "I fucking love you so much, teme," he continued as he made another turn. "How the fuck did you know exactly what I wanted for my birthday? I mean, everything. You waking me up with... that, and then the ramen, and now this. And how in the fuck did you get my seat and steering wheel perfect? Oh my God, this is the best birthday of my life."
"I knew what you wanted because I know you," Sasuke answered. "Sometimes I feel like I know you better than I know myself. And I knew how you like your seat and steering wheel because, again, I know you. I've driven your car enough times to know how your seat is usually positioned. It's not rocket science, dobe."
Naruto rolled his eyes and slowly pulled back into the driveway. He turned the car off and unhooked his seat belt, turning to Sasuke and hugging him again.
"This is perfect, Sasuke," he said quietly. "Really, thank you. And after work, we put the car in the garage and I fuck you senseless in the back seat."
"I would expect nothing less," Sasuke smirked.
Naruto got out of the car and saw Itachi and Deidara standing in their driveway. He grinned at them and motioned to his birthday gift.
"Sasuke got me a car!"
"Way to state the obvious, dobe," Sasuke chuckled, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Naruto," Itachi said.
"Thanks," Naruto smiled. "So, Deidara, now it's my turn to take you to work!"
"You're damn right it is, un," Deidara scoffed. "I let Itachi go to America on a fake business trip for a week to pick this car up. So you'd better let me ride in it as much as I want. Plus, Sasuke getting you a car for your birthday was technically my idea. I didn't know what extent he would take it to, but I was the one who planted the seed."
"Well, that was a good fucking seed to plant," Naruto said. "Thanks."
Sasuke leaned over and whispered in Naruto's ear, "I was already toying with this idea before Deidara said anything. I thought of it the day your car broke down."
Way to try and save your own ass, teme, Naruto silently retorted.
"Okay, Deidara," Naruto said. "We leave here in exactly an hour. Be ready."
-OoOoOoO-
Work was going way too fucking slow. It was only 3 o'clock. Sasuke couldn't leave Uchiha Corp until five, and Naruto couldn't leave Akatsuki until 8. So Sasuke still had over five hours before he could be naked in Naruto's car. Damn. The second hand of the clock on Sasuke's office wall was taunting him with that incessant ticking. So Sasuke closed his eyes and let his mind wander. He thought back a few weeks, when Naruto and Sasuke had met with the adoption agency.
*Flasback
"Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Uzumaki, please have a seat," the man said, motioning to the seats before his desk.
Sasuke and Naruto sat. Sasuke was nervous. Out of the fourteen adoption agencies he had called, this had been the only one that was gay-friendly. They needed to make a really good impression today. This would pretty much be their only chance if they wanted to start a family.
"My name is Umino Iruka," the man introduced himself. "I run this adoption agency. I understand your position. My partner and I struggled to adopt for many years, but were unable to find an adoption agency that would speak to us. We were turned away by countless people on countless occasions, so I became inspired. I wanted to open a business that strictly catered to same-sex couples looking to adopt. You have come to the right place. I will warn you, the process is long and tedious. It may take a number of years for the two of you to have a child. So I ask you, how bad do you want this?"
"We're willing to wait," Naruto answered immediately. "We don't care how long it takes. We're still young. If we're thirty before we become parents, it's okay. But the sooner we get the process started, the sooner that'll happen. We'll do whatever it takes."
"Mr. Uchiha?" Umino Iruka prompted.
"I agree with Naruto," he said simply. "Anything it takes."
Umino Iruka smiled.
"Good," he said. "Fill this application out." He handed each of them a piece of paper and a pen. "Be sure to include your e-mail address so I can send you the rest of the paperwork. When you complete the paperwork, e-mail it back to me, and you will officially be on the list of adopters. And then, we play the waiting game."
Sasuke filled out the application quickly, and handed it back. Naruto followed shortly after. Umino looked over the completed applications and smiled at them.
"Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Uzumaki, congratulations. You've just taken your first step on the journey to parenthood."
Sasuke was on cloud nine as they drove home. He couldn't stop thinking about how well that had gone. He hadn't had any reason to be nervous. He and Naruto, someday, would be parents. Naruto was jabbering on and on about Umino Iruka. He recognized him, he said, but he couldn't figure out where from. Sasuke sighed.
"He's Kakashi-sensei's partner," Sasuke provided.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "You mean our high school gym teacher? The one that made us do that thing with the bells?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
"He used to come visit Kakashi-sensei at school," Sasuke said. "I recognized him immediately."
"Your memory is insane," Naruto commented, shaking his head.
*End flashback
Someone cleared their throat, bringing Sasuke back to the present. He looked up at his brother and blinked a few times.
"You seem distracted today," Itachi noted, crossing his arms.
"I'll say," Sasuke returned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what's gotten into me. My brain has been mush all day long."
"Well get your head out of your ass," Itachi demanded. "We have an afternoon meeting."
"A meeting?" Sasuke was confused. Itachi sighed.
"Father wanted this deal with Byakugan Industries closed last week," Itachi explained, pushing a file under Sasuke's nose. "And you have been too childish and stubborn and stuck on the past to even schedule this meeting. So I did. Go over this file and be in the board room in..." he checked his watch, "twenty minutes."
"Who do you think you are?" Sasuke spat. "In case you have forgotten, I'm your boss, not the other way around."
"And my boss is acting like a foolish child," Itachi shot back. "You will have to deal with the Hyuugas, otouto. We do business with them. And as you've already pointed out, you're the boss. Bosses sometimes have to do things they are uncomfortable with. Grow a pair."
Itachi strode out of Sasuke's office and shut the door before Sasuke had a chance to respond. "Grow a pair"? That wasn't the issue here. The issue was that last time Sasuke had seen Neji, when he left Uchiha Corp. that last day, Neji had promised to make Sasuke's professional life a living hell. And now he was working for Byakugan Industries. And while Sasuke knew what this file Itachi gave him held inside, and what the deal he was supposed to be closing entailed, he had no fucking clue how he was going to talk Byakugan Industries into practically giving Uchiha Corp. the Haruno Pharmaceuticals takeover. Both companies had been negotiating with Haruno Pharmaceuticals for over a year now, and it seemed as though their CEO, a woman by the name of Sakura, was still on the fence about which multi-billion Yen company to sell to.
Sasuke opened the file to reacquaint himself with the details, and nearly dropped the folder when he saw the picture that was staring back at him. It was Haruno Pharmaceuticals' CEO, and Sasuke would recognize that pink disaster anywhere. He quickly picked up his desk phone and dialed Itachi's office. His brother answered right away with a drawled, "Yes, little brother?"
"Why didn't you tell me that my neighbor is the CEO of the company we are fighting Byakugan Industries for?" Sasuke demanded.
"I didn't think it was relevant," Itachi answered, and Sasuke could practically see that condescending Uchiha-trademarked smirk on his face.
"Of course it's relevant!" Sasuke exploded. "We could have bought Haruno Pharmaceuticals months ago! She's infatuated with the both of us. All it would take is a little flirting."
"You're so naive," Itachi said simply. "Don't you think I've tried that? She just likes to look. I'm sure we could offer her a date with the both of us and it still wouldn't help. Byakugan is offering her more money, but we are offering her company better benefits. This meeting today with Byakugan Industries is basically just us telling them to back the fuck off; this takeover is ours. You'll do fine."
The line went dead. It was time to make an executive decision. His father put him in charge, and it was high time for Sasuke to start acting like the CEO he was. He would offer Haruno Pharmaceuticals the same amount of money Byakugan was offering, and he would still include all the benefits Uchiha Corp. had already offered. But now what was he going to say to the Hyuuga CEO? He had only dealt with Hyuuga Hiashi one other time, and the man was almost as stubborn as the Uchiha patriarch.
Sasuke sighed and closed the file. This was going to be a nightmare.
As Sasuke walked into the board room, three pairs of silver eyes watched him intently while he made his way to the head of the table. He spotted Neji immediately; the death glare was hard to miss. Beside him was Hinata, and on her other side was her father, Hiashi. Sasuke bowed-out of respect, nothing more-to the Hyuugas and took his place at the head of the table. Itachi came in not thirty seconds later and seated himself beside Sasuke. And then the meeting was underway. Surprisingly, Hinata did most of the talking. Her stutter was all but gone, and she was very knowledgeable about her father's business and the Haruno takeover. She spoke politely and professionally, but her eyes and the curl in her lip held a different emotion: contempt. It seemed Neji wasn't the only Hyuuga who was bitter.
"I'm going to stop you there," Sasuke interjected as Hinata began her proposal for both companies buying out Haruno Pharmaceuticals and owning shares with the company. Ugh, women should not run Fortune 500 companies, Sasuke thought bitterly. "Uchiha Corp. will be taking Haruno Pharmaceuticals for itself. We plan to offer 30 million Yen and all the benefits we were previously offering."
Hinata's face fell and she looked toward her father. There was no emotion on the man's face at all.
"Fine," he said shortly. "We will withdraw our offer. Haruno Pharmaceuticals is yours."
Well, that was easy.
The trio got up to leave, but Hinata stopped at the door.
"Can I have a private word with you, Uchiha-sama?" she asked, her voice full of malice.
"Of course," Sasuke answered. "Come to my office."
She followed Sasuke into his office and shut the door tightly behind her. And then, Hyuuga Hinata snapped.
"Do you get some sort of sick pleasure in taking things away from my family?" She demanded. "First, you destroy my hopes of ever being with Naruto. And then, Uchiha Corp. steals Neji from Byakugan Industries. Then you completely destroy Neji's life-"
"I didn't destroy his life," Sasuke cut in. "He brought all of that on himself."
"He was your friend!" Hinata shouted. "And you betrayed him. He fell in love, and you ripped his boyfriend and his job right out from under him. You are selfish, Uchiha Sasuke, and you've turned Naruto into a selfish bastard, too! And now... now, you take away my chance of becoming CEO. This Haruno deal was the only thing standing in my way. Seriously," she warned, narrowing her eyes, "you had better pray to whatever god will listen to your sorry ass that I never run Byakugan Industries, because if I do take over, my first order of business will be turning this 'friendly rivalry' into an all out war. I will destroy you, just like you destroyed Neji. Have a nice fucking day."
Hinata stormed out after that.Sasuke sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. Silly, naive little girl... She was right about one thing, though. This time last year, he and Neji had been friends. They'd been good friends. Funny how drastically things can change. Itachi popped his head in the door.
"Five o'clock," he said. "You ready?"
"Absolutely," Sasuke answered, shutting his desktop computer down and packing up his briefcase.
They made their way out of Uchiha Corp. together, and Sasuke told his brother what Hinata said.
"Don't be ashamed," Itachi said. "You did what was right for you. You were in love with Naruto long before Neji was, and it just took you seeing him with someone else to put you on the right path. Neji knew how the two of you felt about each other. If anything, he was being selfish. Okay, yes, so were you and Naruto. Neji wasn't completely innocent in all this, though. As a matter of fact, he was the one who went nuts after the break-up. And don't worry about Hinata. She can't do a damn thing."
"Oh, believe me, I am not afraid of some silly little girl," Sasuke assured him. "Bring it on, Hyuuga."
When Sasuke and Itachi walked into Akatsuki, Naruto was gathering his messenger bag up and heading toward the door.
"C'mon," Naruto grinned. "Yahiko said when you got here I could leave. Happy birthday to me!"
He pulled Sasuke out the door and to his car. Naruto stood back for a moment and sighed, just gazing at his car.
"Okay," Naruto chirped. "Get in, let's go home."
-OoOoOoO-
Sasuke was panting and moaning beneath him while his hands gripped the leather seats of the car, and Naruto was on cloud fucking nine. He'd never had a birthday quite like this one before, and he knew that nothing else would ever be able to compare. The entire day had been utter perfection, and this was the icing on the cake. There was literally nothing missing.
So why was he thinking about Neji?
No matter how many times Naruto pushed the thought from his mind, his brain kept replaying the images of making love in the Mustang. Tonight, when he and Sasuke had gotten home, Sasuke had attempted to strip Naruto and ride him, much like Neji had done in the Mustang. Instead of telling Sasuke the reason he didn't want to do it like that, Naruto had simply taken control and pinned his lover to the seat.
Sasuke was starting to lose it now, chanting Naruto's name over and over again. It wouldn't be long now. They would both reach a blinding climax at any time, and Naruto would be able to stop agonizing over his thoughts of Neji while Sasuke was beneath him.
This would never happen again, Naruto decided. Car sex was obviously something he would always associate with his relationship with Neji, and it wasn't fair to Sasuke for him to be thinking of someone else at a time like this. For the first time since they finally got together, Naruto found himself wanting to get this lovemaking session over with as quickly as possible, for both their sakes.
At long last, Naruto came with a long, drawn-out sigh as Sasuke's muscles clenched around him, signaling his own release.
"Happy birthday, dobe. I love you."
"I love you too, teme."
Naruto felt like an asshole.
-OoOoOoO-
Neji was sitting on his couch, staring intently at the phone in his hand. It was a bad idea to call, that much he knew (especially after what had happened last time he'd tried to get in touch with him; Neji rubbed his nose at the memory), but he almost couldn't help himself. The name just stared back at him on the screen, almost daring Neji to call. He took a deep, shaky breath, and went to push send. It's his birthday, Neji consoled himself. What's wrong with wanting to call someone to wish them a happy birthday? His thumb hovered over the send button for a while longer, and his mind seemed to be declaring war on itself. Was this really a good idea? Sasuke would kill him if he found out he'd called Naruto. His decision was made for him as the newest addition to Neji's life walked out of the bathroom and eyed him suspiciously as he toweled off his hair.
"Neji," he said, "don't you dare."
The redhead took Neji's phone away from him and turned it off.
"I will confiscate your phone for the rest of the night," he warned.
"It's his birthday," Neji argued. "What's wrong with wanting to wish someone a happy birthday?"
"When that person is your ex whose boyfriend has already broken your nose once?" Gaara asked. "Everything is wrong with wanting to call him-even if it is just to wish him a happy birthday."
Gaara took a seat next to Neji on the couch and put a comforting arm around him.
"You've been doing well, Neji," the redhead assured him. "Don't screw up all your hard work just because it's Naruto's birthday."
Gaara was right. Neji had been doing really well lately. About a week after the incident at Naruto and Sasuke's house when they first moved in, Gaara had found Neji at a bar. He was already half in the bag, and was working on getting shitfaced. Yet again. It had become a vicious cycle. Every night since the breakup, Neji had found himself seated at a bar, drinking until he could barely stand, and then going home and creeping Naruto's Facebook and Twitter accounts. He felt like a stalker, but it wasn't quite enough to make him stop.
When Gaara found him, he was already on his fourth gin and tonic (by that time, he'd found he could literally drink anything, despite the taste), and he was nursing his newly broken nose. His entire face was bruised, and he knew he looked like total shit. Gaara had hesitantly sat down on the barstool next to Neji and ordered him another drink. They had sat in comfortable silence for some time, and then, when Gaara finally asked how Neji was holding up, the flood gates opened. Neji told him everything: intimate details about his and Naruto's relationship,how he'd felt the day of the breakup, the mistake he'd made that same night, and most recently, how he'd made an ass of himself by showing up at Naruto and Sasuke's new house. Gaara just listened and consoled. He didn't apologize for telling Sasuke about their deal; he didn't need to, in Neji's eyes. Just knowing that Gaara was there, listening to his woes (and buying him drinks) was enough for Neji.
Over the next few weeks, they started seeing each other more often, going out to dinner or staying in and cooking together. It became apparent to Neji in those few short weeks that, despite everything, he and Gaara were perfectly matched. They were similarly jaded, both chock-full of Mommy and Daddy issues, and they had both experienced similar heartbreak in their lives. Gaara had slowly talked Neji into getting sober (he could definitely admit that, after the breakup, his drinking had become a problem-it had always been like that for Neji; when life got tough, he would just drink his problems away), and he accompanied Neji to the 12-step meetings (3) that Neji himself still wasn't completely comfortable attending alone. Gaara had also given Neji the number for his therapist, and Neji was now attending bi-weekly therapy sessions that seemed to be somewhat helping.
So, slowly but surely, Neji was moving on with his life. It had been a rough couple of months, but he could definitely say he was doing... better. Not well, really, but better. He finally deleted Naruto from his Facebook, and he was no longer follwing him on Twitter. He wasn't haunted by him anymore, really. This last obstacle, however, was proving extremely difficult to overcome. He just couldn't seem to delete Naruto's humber from his phone. He still got a little choked up over it when he thought about it. It would be like... deleting Naruto from existence, and he could not handle that.
And then today happened. When he woke up this morning, his very first thought had been, It's Naruto's birthday today. And then he got to work and Hinata called him in to her office. As her assistant, preparing her for her CEO takeover, he attended every meeting she went to. This morning, he'd received some disturbing news from his pseudo-boss: They would be going to Uchiha Corp. for a meeting at 4:30. Neji had been dreading it all day. And then when they went, and Sasuke had been so... superior, about every little thing. He had looked at Neji like he was the bug on the bottom of his shoe, and he had talked to Hinata like she was a joke. But then she owned him in his office. Neji had been listening just outside Sasuke's office door, and he was incredibly proud of his clinically shy little cousin. As they walked out of Uchiha Corp. this afternoon, Hinata had made him a promise:
"I will destroy his fucking life. And I will get you your man back. That bastard doesn't deserve him."
Neji had been touched by her promise, he really had, but he didn't feel that it was particularly necessary. In fact, he didn't really want her to keep that promise. He had loved Naruto, true, but Naruto loved Sasuke. And he knew that, to Naruto, Neji never had and never would live up to Sasuke. Neji was beginning to accept that now. He missed Naruto, but he could live without him.
Besides, he had Gaara who was, if nothing else, an amazing friend.
Little by little, Gaara was saving him. Neji was still very guarded, not willing to get hurt again, and Gaara was very understanding. They were taking... whatever this was... very slow. Their physical relationship had progressed past kissing yet, and even that didn't happen very often. They were both weirdly okay with it. They had discussed things, and while they agreed that they were attracted to one another, they also agreed that now wasn't the time for Neji to be considering another relationship when the last one had broken him as badly as it had. But when Neji was truly ready to move on, they would try the dating thing. After all, they both remembered a certain deal that still needed to be closed. Gaara had joked (badly) that Neji should have included "helping get over the heartbreak" in the original deal. Neji had warned that letting go of Naruto would take some time, and Gaara had understood.
"You're better off without him," Gaara said suddenly, running his fingers through Neji's hair.
"Yeah, I know," Neji replied honestly. "Moving on isn't easy. But it is easier when you have help." He took Gaara's hand in his. "Thank you."
Gaara smiled and leaned forward to lightly brush their lips together.
"You're welcome," he said. "Now go get dressed. I seem to remember that we have a six o'clock dinner reservation at that fancy French restaurant Hinata has been raving about. Your treat this week, if I'm not mistaken."
"Right," Neji agreed. He snuck another kiss, then retreated to his room to get ready for dinner.
Gaara was right, he decided as he fingered a 4x6 he had printed out of the picture Naruto had taken while they were on vacation. He was still very fond of this picture. He figured he always would be. Up until that point, that had been the happiest moment of his life. And being with Naruto had been the best three months of his entire life. He also knew that someday, he would feel that same elation again. And when that happened, he would be able to look at this picture without feeling pain anymore. He was glad that he had Gaara to help him through this dark point in his life. And somewhere deep down, he secretly hoped that Gaara would be the one to make him feel loved again. Gaara was almost like... Neji's silver lining.
Neji rolled his eyes and chuckled at the corniness of his thoughts, and put the picture away.
-OoOoOoO-
A/N: Whew! That was the toughest chapter I've had to do for this story. Seriously, you guys, I am so sorry it took this long. But like I said, other plots just keep coming and coming and coming. I have seven notebooks containing new material. Most are one or two-shots (long ones). But I would like to ask my readers: Would you guys read a (semi) canon ItaDei one-shot if I wrote one? I have a pretty good plot so far, and I absolutely love them as a pairing (if you didn't notice by my constant mention of them in this story). I really want to write it, and definitely will, but the only issue is whether or not to post it. Anyway, please let me know. Oh, and if there were any grammar/spelling mistakes or typos, sorry. Proof reading was almost nonexistant for this chapter. Now, about those end notes...
(1) In the gay community, someone's "beard" is their cover relationship.
(2) I don't know about anyone else, but when I drive, my seat and my steering wheel have to be perfect before I can drive comfortably. I'm severely anal-retentive (haha, anal...) about it, so I decided Naruto should be, too.
(3) Honestly, I have no idea if they have 12-step meetings in Japan, and I don't care. In my story, 12-step meetings are everywhere. For those of you who don't know, 12-step meetings (like Alcoholics Anonymous) help addicts and their families work through their addictions with the help of other recovering addicts and families of addicts. I grew up around 12-step meetings and have a lot of faith that they work.