Good day, dear readers! Here's what I consider the housewarming party, part 1. I didn't originally intend to split it up like this, but some changes happened along the way, and it simply would've been too long all together. Hopefully you all will enjoy it, in any case. Anyway, as usual, thank you for reading, and without further ado, on with the chapter!
47. Homeward Bound
"You're sure they're coming?"
"For the last time, Kiba, yes! Iruka's bringing them back here in just a few minutes. Now hurry up and get into position."
The sound of shattering glass filled the room. Naruto sighed in exasperation.
"What was that?"
"Umm… nothing, Naruto."
"Choji, did you drop your glass?" Silence. "I told you to wait till the lights were on…"
"But I was thirsty!"
"Leave him alone, Shika. We have to time clean it all up, right?"
"So troublesome…"
"Kiba, hit the lights again, will you?"
Suddenly, the dark entryway of Sasuke and Kakashi's house lit up, revealing a room full of teenagers. Choji stood in the middle of a puddle of soda and broken glass. Kiba stood near the light switch at the entrance. Naruto was in the middle of the room, directing Gaara and Lee to the kitchen while Shikamaru and Temari rushed to the bathroom for towels.
Ten minutes before the housewarming party had even begun, it was looking like a total disaster.
Aside from the broken glass and spilled soda, there was the fact that the party store had mixed up their order. Instead of receiving several dozen multicolored balloons and a banner reading "Welcome Home," they instead had black balloons and an "Over the Hill" sign. Kiba had insisted that they use the supplies anyway, since, for one, they were free, and two, they were better than nothing. Then there was Lee, who had somehow gotten the impression that this was a costume party, despite Gaara's insistence to the contrary. Cleaning up the glass by Choji's feet, he was dressed as a 1960s version of Robin, complete with a red shirt, black cape, domino mask, and a green Speedo. Despite the fact that he was the only one dressed up, Lee insisted on staying in costume and, as well as he could, in character.
"Holy Spillage, Batman!"
"Not now, Lee," Naruto said, shaking his head at the sight.
As bad as it looks right now, I'm still amazed we were able to throw this together so quickly. We only started planning this thing last Saturday, and here we are, a week later. Not terrible, all in all.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Everyone in the room froze as they heard Kakashi's voice come from the other side of the door.
"Why'd you ring? We're right here, Iruka."
"Ah, you're right. How silly of me… haha…"
Turning to the others, Naruto began issuing orders in a hushed voice. "Hurry! To your positions, everyone!"
Once the others had rushed to their positions beneath the banner, Kiba flicked off the light and darted over to the group. The only problem was, in the dark, he couldn't see the group all too well, and he wound up crashing into them instead. Thus, when Sasuke, Kakashi, and Iruka entered the house and turned on the lights, they found only a tangled mass of limbs amidst the decorations. After a few moments of silence, it was finally Sasuke who eloquently voiced the others' thoughts.
"What the hell?"
"Umm… surprise?" Naruto offered with a sheepish grin before being inadvertently kicked in the face by Lee.
Shaking his head, Iruka ran a hand through his hair and looked over to Kakashi with an amused smile. "Well, we were trying to surprise the two of you with a housewarming party. That's why I kept you guys out all afternoon."
"I'm relieved," Kakashi replied, glancing up at the 'Over the Hill' banner. "I didn't think I'd aged that quickly."
After the pile of teens slowly clambered off one another, Naruto stood and attempted to get the party back on track. "So, would you like to join us in the kitchen? We have all kinds of goodies for you."
"Holy presents, Batman!"
Sasuke gave Lee a confused look before shrugging his shoulders. It was for the best not to ask. "All right – let's go."
With that, the group processed into the kitchen, which was covered with sheets, half the wall having been painted white, the other still bubblegum pink. As soon as Kakashi and Sasuke turned the corner, however, they were astonished by the group of presents sitting on the table. While it was certainly not the mountain of presents Sasuke was used to receiving on his birthday, Naruto could tell that the Uchiha was touched. After all, these weren't just gifts from Itachi – they were presents from his friends and family, bought using their hard earned money, and not their ludicrous inheritance.
"Iruka… you shouldn't have done this," Kakashi said in a hushed tone.
"Most of them aren't from me. Naruto and his friends insisted on bringing them," Iruka responded, picking up the nearest box. It was covered in a ball of tissue paper and taped together haphazardly. Kakashi didn't even need to read the tag to know whom it was from, which was good, since there was no name to be found.
"I take it this is yours, Shikamaru?" Kakashi asked taking a seat by the table as he studied the package. Sasuke soon joined him, chuckling.
"Of course it is. Just open it, Kakashi."
"Actually, Temari helped pick it out," Shikamaru said, flinching as his girlfriend ruffled his hair.
"What do you mean 'helped'? You just stood there looking bored while I went through the whole store."
"The whole mall's more like it…" Shikamaru muttered, only to flinch more visibly as Temari's playful ruffling upgraded to an all-out noogie.
"Let's see what it is, then," Kakashi concluded as he tore off the tissue paper. There, he and Sasuke found a stainless steel gravy boat, which caused them both to raise their eyebrows in confusion.
"See, Shika! They're speechless!" Temari exclaimed as she threw her arms around the lazy genius's neck, strangling him in her embrace.
"That's one way of putting it." Shikamaru eked out before gasping for breath.
"Thank you, you two," Kakashi said, forcing a smile as he set the gravy boat on the table. "That was very thoughtful. Oh! Let's see… what do we have here?"
They continued in this manner for a few minutes, going through the presents one by one. Kiba had bought them a knife rack in the shape of a human, with various slots in the head, torso, and limbs for knives. Gaara and Lee had decided on a doormat reading, quite cleverly, "Welcome." Choji had bought them a box of chocolate – actually, two boxes, but only one of them made it to the party intact. Iruka's several gifts included scented candles, some high thread-count sheets, bath beads, and a dimmer switch. Naruto felt the urge to vomit when he realized just what his dad was planning with those particular gifts.
As for Naruto himself, he had spent most of the week trying to find the perfect gift. He wanted something to commemorate Sasuke and Kakashi's new life together, something that summed up their new relationship succinctly. After visiting many stores throughout the city, though, he hadn't found a thing. So, it was with a feeling of failure that he had settled on a lava lamp, which almost made him cringe as he watched Sasuke unwrap it.
"Holy 70s nostalgia, Batman!"
"Give it a rest, Lee," Gaara muttered, shaking his head in a mixture of irritation and embarrassment.
Sasuke examined the lamp for a moment and smiled. "I've always wanted one of these. How'd you know?"
Naruto was stunned. "I… umm… lucky guess?"
He's really into that kind of thing? Maybe he likes it for mood lighting…
Realizing that he was unconsciously licking his lips, Naruto hurriedly turned his head to the side and started towards the basement. "All right! Since the presents are all opened, let's head downstairs!"
"You kids go on ahead. I'm going to give Iruka a tour here," Kakashi replied, waving dismissively at the teens as he gathered up Iruka's presents. Not one to be so easily fooled, Sasuke made sure to get the last word in before disappearing through the door to the basement.
"Go get him, tiger."
Although Naruto could begin to hear Kakashi's protests from above, they were silenced the moment Sasuke slammed the door shut. Descending the stairs, the blond glanced back to see a very satisfied smirk on his boyfriend's face.
Maybe this won't be such a disaster after all…
Turning the corner to face the open area of the basement, Naruto was surprised by what awaited them. Although Sasuke and Kakashi had only been in the house for a week, they had already set up transformed the once vacant basement into a rumpus room. In the corner of the basement was a small door leading to the laundry room – otherwise, the entire foundation was devoted to recreation. Naruto couldn't say that this was too shocking – after all, the Uchiha mansion had an entire entertainment wing – but he was still astounded that they had set this up so quickly.
A pool table sat in the middle of the basement, a rack of billiard balls resting in its center. Along the back wall was Sasuke's big-screen television, one of the few things he had insisted they keep in their move from the mansion. To Naruto's left was a bar, with both alcoholic beverages (all locked away) and various sodas, while on the other side was a stereo with a library of CDs. The only thing that Naruto could tell hadn't been changed was the paintjob, as he knew Sasuke would never allow fuchsia to adorn his walls.
"Is that DDR I see over there?" Kiba asked, eyeing the game systems by the television hungrily.
"Yeah. Go ahead and play – it's all plugged in," Sasuke offered as he hopped on a stool beside the bar.
"All right! Come on, Choji! I'll take you on!"
"I wouldn't underestimate him, Kiba. He lost twenty pounds playing that game last summer," Shikamaru warned, grabbing a cue stick off the wall. "Who's up for a game?"
"Holy balls, Batman!" Lee exclaimed as he grabbed another stick. He paused immediately after realizing what he'd said. "Umm… maybe I should stop that."
"Please do," Gaara said as he stepped behind the bar. He set a few glasses out before looking to Naruto and Sasuke expectantly. "So, what'll it be?"
"You're gonna serve us?" Naruto asked somewhat guiltily.
"This party was my idea, right? Leave it to me."
"I'll have a virgin strawberry daiquiri," Sasuke said with a smirk after a moment's thought.
"Coke it is," Gaara replied in a monotone. "And for you, Naruto?"
"Orange soda."
"Way to surprise us there, blondie," Temari said, tugging on Naruto's orange shirt as she sidled up to the bar. "Put me down for lemonade there, Gaara."
Mumbling to himself, Gaara busied himself behind the bar for a moment before presenting the requested drinks. He then looked to the others, who were busy playing pool and DDR, asking, "Anything for you guys?"
"Not for me, thanks," Shikamaru responded, glancing up before knocking the 9-ball into the corner pocket.
"Yeah, I'm fine, too," Lee said, frowning as he realized he was far behind in the game.
Neither Choji nor Kiba seemed to hear Gaara, as they were far too focused in their game, their feet moving spastically to the rhythm of the music. Satisfied, Gaara poured himself a glass of water and joined the others on the other side of the bar.
"So, how do you like your new house, Sasuke?" Temari asked before sipping her lemonade.
"It's different, that's for sure," Sasuke said, looking distastefully at the fuchsia walls. "I think I'll like it here, though… once we get it all organized how we like it."
"Do you and Kakashi agree on that kind of thing?" Naruto asked, remembering how Iruka had objected to his suggestion of decorating their living room with a stuffed fox.
"For the most part, yes. We have different ideas with our personal space, but in neutral territory we pretty much see eye to eye."
Naruto tilted his head to the side as he considered this. "What do you mean with your personal space? He doesn't want to use unicorn wallpaper or anything like that, does he?"
Sasuke nearly snorted soda out of his nose at the thought. The fizz burned, but he was laughing too hard to care, and by the time he had recovered, the pain had subsided. "No, no… I just mean, just on an aesthetic level. I like to have a few posters, he wants things to be more plain. But, since we're not planning on sleeping in each other's rooms, that won't be much of an issue."
"What about you, Naruto?" Gaara interrupted suddenly, causing the other three to look at him in surprise. "How do you like the new house?"
"Well… it's nice, I guess. Not that my opinion really matters, of course," Naruto said with a sheepish laugh.
"Sure it does. You do plan on staying here from time to time, right?" Gaara asked before looking to his sister. "Didn't you tell me they had sex?"
Over by the pool table, Shikamaru missed the cue ball completely as his ears perked up. Lee turned towards his boyfriend, shocked by the question. Temari slapped a hand to her face, while Naruto and Sasuke exchanged mortified glances.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Gaara," Temari lied through her teeth.
"Oh, come on. You said that the day after Sasuke left, Shikamaru got a call while the two of you were still in bed…"
Shikamaru's eyes flashed with irritation, while Temari shot her brother a warning look. Gaara apparently missed this warning entirely, as he continued undeterred.
"You told me that it was Naruto, and that he told Shikamaru that Sasuke disappeared after they had sex. Isn't that right?"
Shikamaru appeared to feel betrayed by this revelation, but he didn't say a word, instead choosing to monitor his girlfriend's actions. Temari, meanwhile, decided it was best to bite the bullet and confess. "Fine, Gaara! Yes, I said that. I also told you that it was a secret, remember?"
Gaara rolled his eyes. "What's the big deal? It's not like we didn't know they were dating – it was bound to happen sooner or later."
Still horrified that his sex life had become the topic of conversation, Naruto shook his head. Once again, the party was heading towards a train wreck.
I know Gaara's just trying to fit in, but he obviously hasn't gotten used to usual social interactions yet. I just hope Sasuke knows to be patient…
Sneaking a peak at his boyfriend, Naruto was chagrined to find that he was gritting his teeth, fighting back the urge to give Gaara a good tongue-lashing. Not knowing what else to do, Naruto placed his hand atop Sasuke's, catching the raven-haired teen's attention before mouthing, 'It's okay.'
Meanwhile, Temari was also trying her best to control her anger towards her brother. "The big deal, Gaara, is that most people consider that topic to be private. We may be friends, but we don't really need to know who's hooking up with who, all right?"
"But we do know who's hooking up with who. You and Shikamaru have been going out for over a month now, same thing with me and Lee, and of course Naruto and Sasuke. I just thought, since they're together, Naruto might want to share his opinion on the house. Would you want to spend the night at Shikamaru's apartment if you didn't like how it looked?"
"Gaara!" Temari began in an elevated tone, only to stop herself by taking a deep breath. She paused before correcting herself in a calmer, but still irritated, voice. "Okay, fine. Naruto, do you like the house?"
"Yes," Naruto answered hurriedly, wishing to end this conversation.
"There's your answer, Gaara. Satisfied?" Temari asked with an exasperated sigh.
"Almost," Gaara responded before turning back to Naruto. "So, were you on top or bottom, Naruto? Because when Lee and I…"
"I know! Who wants to play a game?" Naruto exclaimed, placing a hand over Sasuke's mouth before the Uchiha could let out his planned string of expletives.
"A game, huh? Yeah, that sounds like fun," Temari observed with a playful smirk. "Anyone have a deck of cards?"
"We have some around here somewhere, yeah," Sasuke replied, pushing Naruto's hand out of his face. "Why? What did you have in mind?"
"How about a game of poker?"
"Umm… I didn't bring my wallet," Lee said, setting down his pool cue as Shikamaru sank the last ball in the side pocket. He snapped the waistband of his Speedo to emphasize his lack of pockets.
"Oh, that's all right. You won't need it," Temari continued in her vaguely suggestive manner.
"So… we're playing with chips?" the mop-topped teen asked, failing to read between the lines.
"No, Lee," the tetra-ponytailed teen said, dropping the act, "I'm saying we should play strip poker."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he set his own cue stick back on the rack. "You're just trying to humiliate me in front of my friends again, aren't you?"
"Who, me? Never. Oh, come on – don't tell me the boy genius is afraid of a little luck?"
Biting his lip, Shikamaru stared into Temari's taunting gaze for a moment before crumbling. "Fine! I'm in."
"How about you two? Care to join us?" Temari asked, setting her sights on Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto turned to Sasuke for approval. "Well… it sounds fun to me."
Sasuke shrugged. "Fine, I'll play. It's not like I'm going to lose, after all."
"Okay, that's four. Hey! Choji! Kiba!" Temari shouted over the noise of DDR. "Want to play some poker?"
"What? Do I want to try parkour?" Kiba asked, his legs practically a blur.
"No! Do you want to play poker?"
"Sure, you can use it!" Choji called back, gasping for breath as they neared the end of the song.
"I SAID, DO YOU WANT TO PLAY POKER?" Temari roared just as the music faded out, leaving the room almost completely silent save for her booming voice. She looked somewhat embarrassed as the whole room stared at her. "Umm… sorry."
"Sure, I'll play," Kiba said with a grin. "I'm assuming we're playing strip poker, right? It's the only way to go."
"That's the spirit! How about you, Choji?"
"Umm… is everyone else playing?" the chubby teen asked embarrassedly.
"Yeah, why not. We'll play too," Lee said, patting Gaara on the shoulder. "It's no fun if we just sit out."
"There you have it! So are you in?" Temari asked as the others all turned to Choji expectantly.
Under all his friends' stares, it was only a matter of seconds before Choji caved in. "All right, I guess I'll play."
"Great! Everyone grab a stool – we'll use the pool table. Sasuke, you get the cards," Temari said, ordering the guys around as if she were directing traffic.
Naruto was a bit apprehensive about Temari's idea, but he decided to go along with it anyway. Even though the last thing he had planned that day was to see all his friends stripped to their skivvies, he thought it was at least a way for everyone to get involved. And besides, it wasn't much worse than the last party they had – that one had only accidentally resulted in them all being half-naked. At least this time they knew what they were getting themselves into.
Thus, in a few quick moments, they were all seated around the pool table, where Temari began to shuffle the deck like a pro. As she dealt out the cards, she explained the rules in greater detail.
"Okay, we're playing five-card draw. Shoes and socks are worth one apiece, shirts and shorts are worth two, underwear is worth three," Temari said as she finished dealing. "The winner determines what to do with the losers' clothes."
"What? No way," Shikamaru objected, eyeing his girlfriend suspiciously.
"I thought you were planning on winning, Shika. If you're so confident, just pick up your cards and play," Temari said, glancing at her cards. She turned to her left and nodded. "Okay, Lee – your bet."
"Umm… I bet a shoe."
"I fold," Gaara mumbled.
Shikamaru tossed in a shoe as well, while Choji folded quickly. Kiba added his shoe to the pile, as did Sasuke. Naruto stared down at his cards nervously. He had a pair of kings – not half bad. Seeing Temari's poker face was quite intimidating, though.
Better play it safe…
"One shoe," he said, tossing the article onto the pile.
"One bra," Temari said immediately, pulling her arms inside her shirt. After fumbling for a moment, she pulled forth a lacy black bra and delicately placed it on top. "That's worth three. Your move, Lee."
"Fold," Lee said, tossing his cards towards the center of the table.
Without any hesitation, Shikamaru peeled off his mesh shirt and added it to the pile. "There, I'll see your bra."
"I'm sure you will," Temari replied with a playful laugh.
Kiba stripped off his remaining shoe and a sock to stay in, while Sasuke folded. Naruto glanced at his hand again before stripping off his orange shirt. Satisfied, Temari turned to Shikamaru, holding the deck expectantly.
"Well, Shika. How many will it be?"
"Two."
After dealing out the cards, Temari continued down the line. Kiba asked for three, as did Naruto. The blond glanced at his new cards. He still had his pair of kings, but the rest of his hand was garbage. To make things worse, Shikamaru had started a bidding war by tossing in his other shoe and both socks. Kiba realizing he'd have to take off both his shirt and his shorts to stay in, opted to fold. With a sigh, Naruto tossed in his cards as well. It was down to Temari and Shikamaru, and she called by slipping off two shoes and a sock.
"All right, Shika. Let's see what you have."
"Two pair. Queens and 9s," Shikamaru said with a confident smile, laying down his cards. "And you?"
"Three 8s. I win," she said before raking the clothes towards her. "Better luck next time."
Lee took the deck and proceeded to deal out the next hand while Shikamaru grumbled at his loss. No sooner had they looked at their hands, though, than Gaara immediately tossed in his shirt. "I raise."
Shikamaru folded shortly afterward, while Choji took a bit more time looking at his cards before adding his shirt to the pile as well. "I'll play this hand, sure."
Kiba folded next, and while Sasuke bet his shoe and a sock. Glancing at his pathetic hand, Naruto folded quickly, as did Temari, while Lee tossed in his shirt as well, leaving him only in his green Speedo.
Gaara and Sasuke opted not to take any cards, while Lee asked for two, and Choji asked for just one. With no further bets, they laid down their cards. Gaara had a flush, while Sasuke had, appropriately enough, a full house, Lee had an ace high, while Choji was one card away from a straight. Without a word, Sasuke dragged his winnings towards him and smiled triumphantly.
Shivering slightly in his shirtless state, Gaara took the cards and began to deal out the next hand. "I'll get you next time, Uchiha."
"Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something Gaara? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my winnings," Sasuke responded, holding up the redhead's shirt.
After everyone had received their cards, Shikamaru hesitated and studied his hand, biting his lower lip in thought. He finally set down his cards and stood up, undoing the button on his shorts.
Trying to look as dignified as possible, the Nara removed his shorts and set them on the table, leaving him in his gray boxerbriefs. "I bet my shorts."
Laughing, Choji quickly folded and sat back to watch the spectacle unfold. Meanwhile, from his position a few seats away, Naruto could see a greedy glint in Kiba's eye as he stared at his cards. Obviously, the dog-boy's poker face was not his strongest feature. With a grin, he rose and dropped trou, tossing his shorts into the pile while standing in his black briefs. The others were quick to harass him once more about his skimpy underwear, but only shrugged it off.
"You guys are just jealous you can't pull them off, that's all," Kiba said as he took his seat.
"Whatever you say, Kiba," Sasuke responded, shaking his head as he stared at his cards. "Well, I fold."
"Same here," Naruto added, tossing in his cards.
Glancing at her pile of winnings, Temari daintily picked up three socks and added them to the pot. "I raise you boys one sock, then."
Naruto could see the irritation in Shikamaru's face as the significance of Temari's bet dawned on him. He had only his underwear left, meaning if he was going to keep playing, he'd have to bare it all, at least for the remainder of the hand. It was a very sadistic move on Temari's part, but Naruto was sure he would've done the same thing in her position – it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
"If that's how it's going to be, then fine," Shikamaru said calmly as he stood up again. Before anyone was at all prepared, he slipped off his boxerbriefs and added it to the pile, covering his goods with one hand. Everyone around the table looked at Shikamaru with a combination of amusement and admiration for the teen's courage.
Taking a close look at his hand, Kiba shook his head before tossing in his cards. "Sorry, I can't do it. I'm out."
"Well, then, I'll see your raise, Shika. Now, how many cards do you want?" Temari asked, holding the deck in anticipation.
"One," the genius responded coolly.
"All right – I only want one myself," she replied, slapping the cards down. "So, what do you have?"
"Full house!" he announced, reaching for the pile of clothes.
"Hold on there, nature boy. I have four 3s. I win," Temari said as she dragged the clothes towards her.
Shikamaru's jaw dropped. He'd been tricked badly. His shock only grew worse, however, when Temari glanced at her watch in mock surprise.
"Oh my, would you look at the time? It's almost ten o'clock already. We'd better get going, Shika," she concluded as she scooped up her winnings.
"Get going? Where?" Shikamaru asked, in a near panic.
"Why, back to my house, of course. We have that… thing to do tonight," Temari responded as she sorted through the clothes. "Now, let's see… these were yours, Naruto. And this was yours… and that's yours, Kiba…"
One by one, she returned her winnings to their respective owners, with the exception of Shikamaru. She held on to his clothes, tucking them under one arm while seizing her boyfriend's arm with the other. "All right, let's go."
"What? At least give me back my clothes first!" he protested, covering up with his free hand as he as dragged towards the stairs.
"You heard the rules before we started – the winner gets to decide what to do with the clothes. I decided you should come back home just the way you are," Temari said with a mischievous grin. "Besides, this look suits you."
Shikamaru's protests continued all the way up the stairs before they were too muffled to understand. As soon as they heard the front door to the house slam shut and Temari's car start outside, all the guys left below burst into a fit of laughter. Kiba literally fell off his stool, while Gaara's admittedly more subdued laughs forced him to wipe away a tear.
"That poor guy can't win, can he?" Naruto asked, gasping for breath as he leaned on the pool table.
"No, I'm pretty sure he's going to win tonight, if you catch my drift," Gaara replied knowingly.
"And you're okay with that?" Sasuke asked, remembering Gaara's overprotectiveness.
Gaara shrugged. "He's willing to put up with her – I think that's enough to pass the boyfriend test."
"Just as long as they don't get pulled over on the way home," Choji chimed in, causing them all to laugh aloud once more.
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Can you imagine? 'Umm… hot night, huh, officer?"
"Wouldn't be any worse than that time the two of you went for a swim at Lake Konoha, right?" Kiba added, pointing to Naruto and Sasuke. "They probably still have a notice about you two over there: 'Wanted for Indecent Exposure,' haha!"
Lee suddenly looked concerned. "You don't really think they'll get in trouble, do you?"
Gaara rolled his eyes as he picked up the deck of cards. "No, Lee. It's pitch black outside. The only thing Shikamaru has to worry about is shrinkage from the cold air. So, are you all up for another game, or should we call it a night?"
"Sorry, not me. Temari was right, it is getting kind of late," Choji said, standing up and stretching. "Besides, me and Kiba still have to walk across town to the apartments tonight."
"He's got a point. I have to catch up on my reading, too. Apparently we're supposed to have The Odyssey read by Monday, and I… haven't bought it, yet," Kiba said, scratching his head sheepishly as he got dressed. "Thanks for having us over, though, Sasuke. The house looks great."
"Yeah, thanks a lot," Choji agreed, slipping on his shoes.
"Any time, you guys. It was fun," Sasuke replied, waving goodbye with the others as Choji and Kiba disappeared up the stairs.
Naruto turned towards the remaining guests, leaning forward on the table. "So, what about you guys? Do you need to take off, or do you want to stick around for a little while?"
"I'm up for another game," Gaara replied as he dealt out the cards. "Let's make this a bit interesting though. How about instead of clothes, we bet truths?"
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. "You apparently already know about our sex lives, what else could you possibly want to know?"
"If you're afraid to play, Uchiha, all you have to do is say so," the redhead challenged as he laid down the final cards.
Naruto looked back and forth between Sasuke and Gaara, feeling anxious at the growing tension in the room. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea, you guys…"
"No, Naruto – it's fine. Let's play," Sasuke responded as he examined his hand. "So, how does this work, Gaara?"
"It's simple. Instead of betting clothes, you can bet a truth. The winner then gets to ask a question, which you must answer. Simply enough?"
Sasuke smiled, sitting upright in his stool. "All right, then. I bet a truth."
Lee, clearly just as nervous about the whole situation as Naruto, gulped. "Umm… I guess I bid one, too."
Naruto set his cards down. "I fold. Look, I really think we should just end this…"
"I bet a truth, too," Gaara said, ignoring Naruto's protests. The redhead then handed out the desired cards to the remaining players. "All right, Uchiha – what do you have?"
"A pair of kings."
Lee frowned. "What's an ace, a ten, a seven, a two, and a jack?"
"Nothing," Gaara replied as he laid down his own cards. "As for me, I have a straight. That means I get to ask both of you a question."
"Oh! Me first!" Lee exclaimed excitedly, raising his arm high over his head.
The redhead sighed before pausing a moment, trying to think of an appropriate question. "All right, Lee – tell me how much you love me."
Without any hesitation, Lee leaned over and planted a kiss on his boyfriend's lips, leaving them there momentarily before pulling back with a smile. "How's that for an answer?"
"Just perfect," Gaara replied, though he seemed distracted – by what, Naruto could not tell. When he turned to Sasuke once again, though, things became clearer, as Gaara immediately had a question prepared. "All right, Uchiha, your turn. Tell me – why did you run away that night?"
Naruto rose from his stool, his eyes narrowed. "Gaara, that's out of line…"
"It wasn't the sex, if that's what you're wondering," Sasuke responded with what almost looked like a smirk. "Naruto was great – that was the problem. It's something I'd been struggling with for a while. I was in love with him, but I couldn't get past my fear of losing what I had. I needed to clear my head for a bit – that's why I left."
"That's interesting," Gaara continued, setting his cards to the side. "Because when you woke up in the hospital room, you seemed to be dealing with that issue still. Or did you not tell Naruto that?"
Tell me what?
Lee tugged on his boyfriend's shirt, seeing the bitterness growing in Sasuke's eyes. "Gaara, maybe we should go…"
Naruto realized that he was the only one out of the loop. Lee was concerned by what was to come, while Gaara and Sasuke were exchanging cold stares. He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, causing the Uchiha to turn towards him. Immediately, Sasuke's face softened as he saw the concern in the blond's eyes. "What's he talking about, Sasuke?"
"So you haven't told him, have you? You couldn't tell him about your greatest fear, the thing that almost got you killed," Gaara said in an accusatory tone
Sasuke sighed – the words hurt more than he let on. "That's not true… I wanted to tell him, but I didn't want to worry him…"
"Then you haven't learned anything from what happened. You may be able to say that you love him, but it's all an act – you still can't make the leap to actually trust him," the redhead continued, growing increasingly hostile as he spoke.
"I do trust him!"
"No! You only think you do, but when was the last time you told him about your fears? What about your hopes and dreams? Do you really think that little project you did was enough to truly understand him? You think love is just telling the other person that you care about him, but it's not that simple, Uchiha! He doesn't even know about your fear that you're cursed, does he?"
Cursed…?
"Sasuke… just tell me what's going on," Naruto pleaded, holding his boyfriend's hand, which had gone cold.
The Uchiha was not about to give in, however. Clearly, Gaara had crossed the line – this was war. "So, I'm just a hypocrite, huh? Well, what about you, Gaara? Are you being completely honest with yourself? Or with Lee, for that matter?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Gaara replied defensively as he shifted uncomfortably in his stool.
"Is that so? Because I think you do. I think you know how you've been watching Naruto all night – you were practically drooling when he took his shirt off a few minutes ago," Sasuke continued venomously.
Gaara didn't say a word, though Naruto was quick to try and silence his boyfriend. "Sasuke! That's enough!"
"Face it, Gaara – you're still in love with him, aren't you? And it's tearing you up inside. That's why you were so angry with me in the hospital there – you didn't think I was worthy of Naruto's love. And you know what? I think you were right," Sasuke said, ignoring his boyfriend as he stared down the redhead like prey. "I wasn't worthy of Naruto's love, but that didn't matter. The fact is, love isn't logical like that. The same thing applies to you and Lee."
"You bastard..." Gaara muttered, his hand closing into a fist.
"He loves you with all his heart, Gaara, and nothing you do can change that. You realize that, don't you? But you can't return those feelings, because a part of you will always long for Naruto. You aren't worthy of his love, but you get it anyway," Sasuke said almost sadistically, seeing the redhead's mounting anger. "We're a lot more alike than you'd like to admit, Gaara."
"SASUKE!" Naruto exclaimed, causing the other three teens to turn towards him in surprise. Of course, it shocked Naruto a bit how loud his voice had become, but it was the first time in a while that he had been this angry with his boyfriend, and he was determined to make that anger known. "Why are you doing this? What do you have to gain? Do you have to make Gaara feel like he's lost more than he already has? Don't you think he's suffering already?"
"I… I…"
"You know what, I don't care what your reasoning is," Naruto said, waving his hand before Sasuke could speak. "You honestly think we didn't know that about Gaara? I would be shocked if he could forget his feelings for me just like that. That would be like expecting Kakashi to forget about Obito – you told him yourself that wasn't possible! But it's supposed to be different with Gaara, because he's in love with me? I'm disappointed in you, Sasuke. I never thought you could be so petty."
Still clearly angry, Naruto then set his sights on Gaara, who was looking smug at seeing the Uchiha scolded. "And as for you – what were you trying to do? Drive a wedge between me and Sasuke? I thought I made it clear that I was in love with him – and you have a boyfriend now! Just think what you've put Lee through with all of this! He's not even involved in this little rivalry of yours…"
Gritting his teeth, Naruto turned towards the stairs, where he paused only to wave to Lee, who looked stunned and confused. "Sorry about this, Lee. I'll see you later, all right?"
"Umm… yeah… okay," Lee responded with a slow nod.
With that, the blond hurried up the stairs and out of the house. As he rushed out into the cool, autumn night, he realized Sasuke wasn't following him. That was good, though – he needed time to clear his head. If the Uchiha even tried to show his face around Naruto at that moment, there was no telling what the blond would do.
And so it was that the four couples found themselves in place for the night ahead. Kakashi and Iruka were busy lighting the candles in the master bedroom. Temari was driving a naked Shikamaru through town to her house. Gaara and Lee were awkwardly saying their goodbyes to Sasuke, who, once again, was alone.
And, there you have it! The next chapter will take a closer look at each of the four couples mentioned, along with another little twist at the end. Yes, I am a sadistic jerk - Sasuke and I would get along just fine. What's going to happen with Sasuke and Naruto after this little fight? And what about Gaara and Lee, now that Gaara's lingering feelings for Naruto have been made known? All this and more will be revealed next time in For Naruto, Whenever I May Find Him!