Disclaimer: I don't own nor have I contributed to Naruto in any way! Nope! None!
2nd Disclaimer: I don't own any songs mentioned in this fic!
Sky-eyed Kitsune: -I uh…really dun have an excuse for being so lazy with my updates…
Gomi-kun: For once no excuses.
Sky-eyed Kitsune: I don't know why, but lately I've been making all my fics take some really depressing turns. X( I so cruel…
Reviewer Replies
To Scapegrace: You deserved the dedication for such a lovely review! And thank you very much. My writing has kind of a weird flow…but I like it! :D Ah, that is the question: when will they hook up? Definitely not in this chapter! X(
To shadowphoenix143: I would throw a rebellion…but I have nothing to rebel over! Lol! You gotta love jealous Sasuke, and punk!Naruto is hot!
To Joni-Lee: Wa! Arigatou! I can't believe that people think I write well! It's so great to hear!
To knute314: I think you might be disappointed in this chappie if you were searching for some refreshing lemonade…T.T But there's a nice hearty plate of angst for you there instead!
To Dreamergirl667: Yes, we must punish Ino with a smexy make out scene!! Wa! Happy (very) belated birthday dreamer-san! flings cake
To cluelessninja65: Oi, poor Naruto having to hear his director and Sasu's bro go at it…ewwwwww…….but from a fangirl side it's hot, ne? And drunk Shika is always a nice spin since he's so calm and collected! ;3
To RavenToriBlack and lightdark54: Thanks very much!
To SangoStar: Well before I wrote this I had ready fics with Sasuke as the rich, famous, and stuck up one, but why not Naru!? REVOLT!! :grabs pitchfork:
To mad hatter 1712: Well you know what they say, you can't have just one drink! ;3
To The LightsShadow: :huggles back: sorry for the wait! And thanks, I'm feeling better. I actually broke up with my boyfriend on Valentine's Day, and it was very emotional. T.T Since then I've been going out with this new guy named Kuro, for a couple months, but somethin just doesn't feel right, y'know? Wa! Look at my blabbering…gomen! And thank ye for teh loverly review!
To SakuraKissy: You're asking me? Oh wait, I'm the author…:s Er…who wants muffins!?
To prideandprejudice: Thanks! I wanted an uncommon couple tat wasn't totally bogus either, so shikagaa doesn't seem to bad, ne?
To moonlit dew: Actually I thought that make out scenes were my weak point, but I guess not! Thanks as always for the lovely review moonlit-chan! ;3
To RuByMoOn17: Indeed! XD
To no name: Thank you very much! I wasn't gonna include Itachi before, but I though oh what the hell!
To Stoic-Genius: Thanks very much!! Gaara said that at the end about deducting Naruto's pay because Shikamaru drank all of his expensive prized wine! XD
To IOnlyHaveYou: I think you'll be surprised!
To Dizzykins: Here you are! Sorry for the delay!
To Second Storey Stairwell: Thanks Stairwell-san! And keep it up with 'Letters' too! It's getting better and better! ;3
To Sayo124: Sayo-san! O.o Looong review…I LUV IT!! Dei-kun, I loves him so much! Un! I actually just recently got into itadei, so I threw it in with the story for some extra smexy goodness! Aw, thank you so much! My fic enjoys being huggled cause everyone huggles me instead of it. T.T Poor fic…:pats fic: I know, I LUV punk Naru. So hott… X) I like the song Paralyzer…un…huggles to you for your lovely review! (Zomg, that rhymed! O.o)
Chapter Dedication: So many lovely, lovely, lovely reviewers! This one is for Joni-Lee, Stoic-Genius, and Dreamergirl667! Luv you all! You keep my will to write smexy yaoiness alive!! :huggles all reviewers: Yosh!
Chapter Ten: Thorns without a Rose
Naruto grinned as the wind whipped over his skin and chilled his body, the adrenaline rushing through him coinciding with the warmth that radiated around his arms.
He laughed and hugged Sasuke's middle more tightly as the raven maneuvered his motorcycle around a particularly sharp turn.
Sasuke felt a blush rise to his cheeks, and he couldn't help but smile at Naruto's laughing. A real laugh, not a fake, acted out one for the cameras. It was a genuine laugh.
And it was just for him.
Naruto frowned as the Cocoloco came into view and Sasuke swung into a parking space.
The motor rumbled to a stop and the raven removed his helmet and placed his foot down on the ground as a makeshift kickstand, still sitting atop the bike.
"Dobe, we're here," Sasuke said when Naruto didn't move.
Naruto whined a bit and gripped his arms around Sasuke more tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck.
Sasuke felt the blood rush to his face, and he swore he felt a pair of lips press against his skin.
"Naruto?" he said, and regretted speaking almost immediately as Naruto hopped off of the motorcycle and the blond's warmth left Sasuke immediately.
"Sorry," Naruto said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I was kind of in a daze, y'know?"
Sasuke nodded and swung his leg over and off his vehicle.
"Naruto! What're you doin' here?"
Naruto grinned as he approached Genma, tugging Sasuke with him to the front of the line of what must have been two hundred people.
"Just here to shake off a little stress," Naruto said, flashing his million dollar smile at the brunette.
"Whatever will make you come visit us more!" Genma said. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed Sasuke behind the blond.
"Who's the stalker?" he asked, and Sasuke bristled.
"This is Sasuke," Naruto said.
"Hmm, Sasuke….Sasuke…" Genma said, flipping the toothpick in his mouth left and right as his eyes searched his clipboard.
"Nope! No Sasuke! Sorry Naru but your date is gonna have to wait outside!" he said, a sarcastic grin on his lips.
"H-he's not my date!" Naruto sputtered, a blush reaching under his whiskered cheeks.
"Dobe," Sasuke said, and Naruto grew redder.
"Teme!"
"Whoa, whoa, easy there love birds," Genma said as he unclipped the velvet rope to the club, ignoring Naruto's cursing. "Go on, get your asses outta here."
Naruto huffed as he grabbed Sasuke's wrist and tugged him into the club with him.
"Have fun with your boyfriend Naru-chaaaan!" Genma cooed after.
He chuckled as Naruto flipped him off.
"Please don't stop the music."
Sasuke placed a hand over his eyes as the strobe lights blinded him and music banged through his ears.
"Please don't stop the music."
He gripped Naruto's hand tightly as they entered the swarm of swaying bodies thick with sweat and hot with pleasure.
"It's gettin' late. I'm making my way over to my favorite place. I gotta get my body movin' shake the stress away."
Naruto looked back at Sasuke and grinned as he tugged him forward up a set of stairs littered with dancing people.
"I wasn't' looking for nobody when you looked my way. Possible candidate, yea."
They reached the second floor and Sasuke thought he would suffocate from the mass of perspiring bodies closing in around him.
"Who knew that you'd be up in here lookin' like you do."
Naruto glanced back at Sasuke, grinned, and Sasuke saw his lips move but no sound seemed to come out over the roaring music.
Sasuke decided that some response was better than none, and he nodded dumbly to the blond who lead him forward.
"Do you know what you started? I just came here to party, and now we're rockin' on the dance floor acting naughty. Your hands around my waist, just let the music play."
Naruto guided Sasuke up yet another set of stairs, arms flailing and hips swaying this way and that. But this time at the top of the steps was what looked like an opening to an elevator. Beside it to the left was a card slot, above it on a small screen were the words, "Insert ID".
Naruto rummaged in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took his driver's license out from the right pocket. He slid it into the machine, and the screen flickered. A moment later Naruto's license was spit back out, and the screen flashed, "Welcome Naruto-sama".
Naruto grabbed his ID as the doors slid open, revealing not an elevator but another dance floor with a bar at the back. It was less crowded and loud, but just as wild with dancers.
"Dobe, where are we?" Sasuke said.
Naruto tipped his head back and grinned, the neon lights illuminating his golden locks against his form fitting black tee-shirt and ripped skinny jeans. (The only outfit he had with him before sneaking out to the club.) Around his waist his silver studded belt glistened, a thin line of delectable tan skin revealed just above it, unhindered by the snug shirt.
Sasuke couldn't deny that the dobe was beautiful inside and out.
"This is a special section of the club," Naruto said. "Basically celebrities only. It's not as suffocating and you won't get manhandled and groped like crazy up here. Plus no one will gripe at me for autographs here."
Sasuke looked around at the plush couches in the corner, lavish bar to the back, and the glowing dance floor populated with celebrities drunk off dancing.
"C'mon teme!"
Before Sasuke knew what had happened he found himself thrown on the dance floor, the blond swaying to the music in front of him.
Sasuke blink a few times before letting his body take over, and he too began to fall under the contagious rhythm.
Naruto watched how Sasuke's hair flowed around his pale, almost porcelain like face, painting the air around him with black brushes of locks shining blue against the lights. His body moved smoothly in his tight black jeans and navy button up, flowing with the melody that played.
The beat picked up as a new song began, and Naruto bit his lip as his mind grew brave.
Sasuke gasped as something gripped his waist, and he felt himself clash with another body. He got over the shock quickly to realize that it was Naruto that had pulled them against each other.
"Dob-"
Sasuke stopped in mid-insult as Naruto pressed his hips against his own and moved them in slow, dragged out circles.
He almost groaned as Naruto's movements took up the beat of the song, grinding their hips together faster.
Sasuke placed his hands on Naruto's hips as he threw caution out the window and also began to move.
Naruto rested his arms on Sasuke's shoulders as the raven quickened his pace to match the blond's until they were perfectly in sync with the music, their hips meshing and grinding against each other erotically.
They bent their knees and swayed a bit as their skin instantly became hotter, eyes locked.
A small smirk played upon Sasuke's lips as he mouthed the first words of the song now playing.
"I ain't got no money. I ain't got no car to take you on a date. I can't even buy you flowers, but together we'd be the perfect soul mates."
Sasuke leaned his lips down to Naruto's ear.
"Talk to me…"
Naruto almost lost all of his sanity as Sasuke's lips brushed against his ear, and he was amazed that he could keep his hips oscillating.
He grinned as Sasuke pulled away and maintained his movements against the blond.
Sasuke wanted to get brave, did he?
Game on.
Naruto lip sang the next part of the lyrics.
"Oh baby, it's all right now you ain't gotta flaunt for me. Even if we go Dutch, you can still touch my love, it's free. We can work without the perks just you and me. Thug it out 'til we get it right."
Naruto pressed against Sasuke's groin to the point of almost thrusting as he continued.
"Baby if you strip you can get a tip 'cause I like you just the way you are."
Sasuke swallowed all surprise and met Naruto's thrusts at full force as he moved his lips to the lyrics.
"I'm about to strip and I'm well equipped. Can you handle me the way I are?"
Naruto moved a hand down from Sasuke's neck to the hem of his jeans, and he hooked one thumb on its inside.
"I don't need the cheese or the car keys boy, I like you just the way you are."
Sasuke leaned his face in close to Naruto's as they both mouthed the song together this time.
"Let me see you strip, you could get a tip, cause I like you just the way you are."
Sasuke lost himself in the sky blue expanse of Naruto's eyes lit up in the darkness, and he felt himself draw closer to the blond as his lips hovered over the superstar's.
Naruto felt his eyes drop to half mast, not even realizing that his and Sasuke's bodies had stopped moving though the song continued, captivated by Sasuke's cool onyx eyes.
Sasuke dipped his head down at the smallest incline, and he felt his lips brush against Naruto's.
"Naruto…" he breathed. "I-"
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke blinked and realized that Naruto was no longer in front of him.
He turned and looked around through the river of swaying bodies, hoping to catch a glimpse of a bright blond shock of hair.
Gaara sighed as Shikamaru emptied his last bottle of champagne imported from Peru, setting the bottle on the table clumsily with a hiccup.
"Well now that you've finished desecrating my wine cabinet and are successfully smashed to high heaven, how about you go home?" Gaara said, moving from the couch to sit at his desk.
Shikamaru picked himself up halfway from the sofa and looked over at the redhead as he sifted through the papers scattered haphazardly over his mahogany desk.
Gaara gasped as his chair was suddenly spun around and he found himself face-to-face with Shikamaru, his lips actively captured between the brunette's.
Shikamaru kissed Gaara fervently, tasting as much of him as he could before he was shoved off.
And sure enough, ten seconds later, Garra pushed Shikamaru away.
"Stop," Gaara said sternly though a pink blush dusted his pale cheeks. "You can't keep doing this. You're drunk. If you want to tell me how you feel, then say it to my face when you're sober."
Shikamaru sighed and leaned against the back of the couch.
"I can't," he said.
Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow.
"I'm too scared."
"Of what?"
"You turnin' me down."
Gaara sighed.
"Do you really think I would reject you if I'm the one who actually told you to confess to me when you're sober?"
Shikamaru blinked as he stared at Gaara, his mouth agape a bit. Gaara turned his eyes down to the floor, blushing a bit.
"Then…I have something to tell you," Shikamaru said.
Gaara watched as he leaned down on his hands and knees and placed a hand under the couch, and swept it forward.
Gaara's eyes widened as he saw at least eleven bottles of the imported wine from his cabinet roll out from under the sofa, still full and unopened.
"The truth is…I'm not really drunk," Shikamaru said, standing up. "While you went to the bathroom I slipped them under the couch."
"But…what about the Peruvian bottle I saw you finish?" Gaara said, his mind spinning.
"I only had the few sips that you saw. Let's just say that while you weren't looking that fern of yours in the corner was watered very well."
Gaara didn't blink as Shikamaru walked towards him and cupped one side of his face with his palm gently, meeting his jade eyes with his own.
"You want me to say it when I'm sober? Ok," the brunette said, and he leaned in close to Gaara's ear.
"I'm in love with you," he whispered.
Gaara felt his heart hammer in his chest as his lips were captured by Shikamaru's, kissing him softly and slowly. He felt his resolve break as milliseconds passed, and all too soon he felt Shikamaru's lips pull away.
"I know that your work is important to you, and that you may feel like this will distract you from it…" Shikamaru said. "So I'm only going to go as far as you want to. And if this is all we can do…then it's ok."
Gaara let Shikamaru kiss him again gently as thoughts raced through his head at a mile a minute, and he finally closed his eyes.
Shikamaru's eyes widened a bit as Gaara suddenly gripped his hair and pulled the brunette down forcefully, crashing their lips together more.
He could taste Gaara's passion, his need, and his waiting.
He had been waiting for this but had always let the company control his life.
But not tonight.
Shikamaru kissed back with equal fervor, placing a hand at the back of Gaara's neck to deepen their kiss even further if possible, and used the other to work at the buttons on the redhead's shirt.
Gaara whimpered a bit as Shikamaru entered his mouth, rolling his tongue around inside it erotically and massaging the redhead's tongue against his own.
He quivered as Shikamaru fully unbuttoned his shirt and ran a hand over his bare, pale shoulder, moving the fabric down and off of the rest of his arm.
Naruto tried to pull away as he was tugged through the sea of bodies and away from Sasuke.
He gasped a bit when he found himself turned around abruptly, and then he growled as he recognized the face looking at him in the neon lights of the club.
"Kiba!?" Naruto said. He threw Kiba's hand from his wrist. "How the hell did you get in here?!"
"Not important," Kiba said. "What is important though is why you were dancing with that guy."
"W-what!? Why should you even care who I dance with?"
"I'm not wasting my second chance to get you back!" Kiba said forcefully, his eyes intense and determined.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Listen, I just want a dance, ok?" he said.
"I can't blow off Sasu-"
"We'll be done by the time he finds you," Kiba said, leading Naruto to the floor as a slow song started.
"I didn't mean it when I said I didn't love you so. I should have held on tight I never shoulda let you go. I didn't know nothing, I was stupid, I was foolish, I was lying to myself."
Naruto looked down to the floor as his hands rested on Kiba's shoulders awkwardly, the sparks that had once emitted from the brunette when he touched him gone.
"The feeling that I'm feeling now that I don't hear your voice, or have your touch and kiss your lips cause I don't have a choice. Oh what I wouldn't give to have you lying by my side right here, cause baby, we belong together."
Kiba rested his palms on Naruto's slender hips gently, swaying back and forth with him to the motion of the song.
He felt his spirit soar with the sensation of touching the blond again and being together with him once more.
Sasuke pushed his way through the crowd, breaking up many slow dancing couples in the process and receiving some insults as he passed.
He growled a bit as the once bright neon lights dimmed to deep blue and subtle maroon to match the cadence of the song, making it harder to see.
Naruto gasped a bit as Kiba hugged his arms around his middle and brought them close together as they swayed gently.
"I'm feeling all out of my element, I'm throwing things, crying, trying to figure out where the hell I went wrong.The pain reflected in this song, it ain't even half of what I'm feeling inside I need you, need you back in my life, baby…"
Naruto swallowed as he withstood the close proximity, closing his eyes tightly as he repeated a mantra in his head.
"It'll be worth it when I'm with Sasuke again uninterrupted. It'll be worth it when I'm with Sasuke again uninterrupted. It'll be-!"
Naruto's thoughts were immediately halted and left dangling as he felt a pair of lips press upon his own.
His eyes flew open as Kiba kissed him softly, cupping one side of his face with his hand.
Sasuke was getting aggravated.
This was supposed to be the slow dance he was sharing with Naruto!
Who else am I gon' lean on when times get rough? Who's gonna talk to me on the phone till the sun comes up? Who's gonna take your place?There ain't nobody better."
He swore that he had weaved through the whole dance floor and was about to reach into his pocket and call Naruto's cell when a fleck of bright golden locks came across his line of sight.
"Oh, baby baby, we belong together…"
Why couldn't he move? Move, dammmit!
Naruto struggled to move his arms but suddenly found them frozen in shock.
"When you left I lost a part of me. It's still so hard to believe. Come back baby please, 'cause we belong together."
Naruto's eyes suddenly widened as in this immobile state he saw Sasuke standing like a statue seven feet behind Kiba, his face nothing short of astonishment.
Sasuke felt his heart accelerate and his breathing stop instantly as he saw Naruto's lips locked with a brunette on the dance floor, his arms around Naruto's middle indicating that they were slow dancing.
Sasuke swallowed, hoping that what he saw would dissipate into the air like a mirage created by the heat of the swaying bodies around him.
But it didn't.
Naruto watched, utterly helpless as Sasuke's expression changed from being stunned, to heartbroken, to angry, and he turned and walked away, instantly lost in the crowd.
This shock seemed to have finally hit Naruto's senses as he sensed movement returning to his numb arms, and he shoved Kiba away.
"Sasuke!" he shouted, propelling himself through the crowd as fast as he could.
Sasuke felt the cold outside bite at his uncovered cheeks, and he gripped the front of his shirt tightly between his elegant fingers.
His chest felt like it was suffocating, constricting him from breathing as the image of Naruto being held and kissed by the brunette in the club replayed over and over in his mind.
In his overpowering state he thought he heard his name being called, but ignored it as he brought his leg over his motorcycle and revved it forcefully.
It let out a satisfyingly loud growl, and backing out from the parking space, Sasuke sped off down the road.
"SASUKE!" Naruto cried as loudly as he could as he saw the young Uchiha revving his vehicle.
"Sasuke!" he shouted again, but the motorcycle's rumble easily overpowered his voice.
Naruto ran forward, urging his legs to move faster as his eyes stung anf he saw Sasuke back out.
"SASUKE!!"
Naruto's final cry went unheard as Sasuke zipped down the road, his following shouts swallowed up by the wind.
Shikamaru groaned a bit and shifted, burying his face into his pillow.
He reached for the warm body that he knew lay bare and beautiful beside him in his bed, and his brows furrowed when he was met with sheets instead.
He reached farther, and when he encountered nothing but the covers again, he opened his eyes and turned on the light beside him.
Shikamaru sat up abruptly as he saw that the space beside him was empty.
He felt his heartbeat quicken and he looked around his room, hoping to see a certain pale redhead walk in from getting a glass of water or simply going to the bathroom.
But instead he was graced with seeing the small slip of paper resting on his bedside table next to his clock.
He picked it up carefully and his heart dropped through his body, through his bed, and into the floorboards as he read.
Shikamaru-
See you tomorrow for Naruto's business meeting with Sungakure Modeling Studios.
-Gaara
Shikamaru kept the note in his hand for the next five minutes, just staring at it blankly, no emotion whatsoever crossing over his façade.
He finally sighed and folded it, laying the paper back where he found it.
He turned off the light sitting on his table, and crawled to the space next to him where the writer of the note had oh so previously lay.
Shikamaru curled up and brought the covers up to wind them tightly around his body.
He could still feel Gaara's warmth lingering in the folds of the sheets.
TT.TT
So sad….:sigh:
Oh! Btw, Gomi-kun and I are now available as Betas! ;3 Check out our beta profile and send us a PM if you want our services!
Sky-eyed Kitsune
Translated by Gomi-kun
Kyu kyu!