Chapter 3, "Meeting the family"

The next morning, Naruto woke up to a sweet smell. He smiled, still in bed. Sasuke's sheet felt as if made of angel feathers. How the light entered the room… It might have been a piece of heaven. The blond sighed; sometimes he saw things more beautiful than they actually were. That was who he was.

He got up, following the smell, with a smile on his face. He stood by the door of the kitchen and watched as Sasuke whisked the pinkish cream. It was hard to imagine Sasuke didn't like baking and cooking. To Naruto, he looked like he fit right in. For a second there, Naruto could have sworn he had seen a fleeting smile on Sasuke's face.

"What are you doing?" He rested his head against the wall.

"Baking," Sasuke looked up. "Do you enjoy asking obvious questions?"

"You said you don't bake at home?"

"Well, I was thinking; I haven't told anyone at work I was getting married, so it wouldn't make sense if I drop in one day and ask them to cater my wedding."

"You will have to tell them one day."

"I'm quitting soon."

"So, what? You're going to prepare all the food for the wedding alone?"

"I do it for others. Why not me? Plus, we only have a few people coming so it won't-" Sasuke froze when he noticed the expression on Naruto's face. "You remembered to invite people, right?"

"I did," the blond smiled nervously. "How many do you mean by a few?"

"Why? How many did you invite?" Sasuke lowered the bowl onto the table, and stared at Naruto suspiciously.

"How many did you want me to invite?"

"No more than ten or so."

The Uzumaki gulped, "I might have invited a few more."

"How many more?"

Naruto started to walk away, "I don't know for sure. I sort of wrote it as a status."

Sasuke bit his bottom lip, "And you didn't think of warning me! I made a reservation for fifteen people Naruto!"

"You didn't tell me there was a limit!" Naruto entered the bathroom quickly, being followed by Sasuke.

"I told you to invite a few close friends."

"I have a lot of close friends. What can I do?! Plus, no one would believe I got married without a bang."

"How many friends on facebook do you have?"

"…"

Sasuke knocked on the bathroom room.

"Maybe two thousand."

"Two-How do you even find time to work?"

"I make very little money!"

Sasuke took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "You are an idiot."

"It's already done! Get over it," Naruto turned on the shower.

"Surely not all of them will show. Probably only thirty will see the status, and even less will show up."

The door suddenly opened, Naruto peeking out, "There might be more than thirty. I've never missed an occasion for anyone." He paused for a second before whispering, "I'm sorry. I know it's a business deal for you, but…"

Naruto hated apologizing, but he was feeling guilty. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he did it. He had known it would be an issue, and he had gone through with it anyway. It wasn't like him to blind sight someone like that, but he hadn't been himself lately after all. It was difficult to get married, even if pretend, without having his friends around him.

Sasuke hissed, "Fine. I'll handle it."

A few minutes later, Sasuke passed by the bathroom again, knocking on the door. "Update your status. We are moving it to 133 central Konoha street. I already called an acquaintance of mine, and she'll handle the decorations. She's a wedding planner so she should know what she's doing."

The groom opened the bathroom door, hair drizzly, with a few blond hairs sticking to his neck. "Sasuke…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a second. He admired a person who could show gratitude and admit remorse even when he hated it. After all, Sasuke knew he would never have it in him to do such a thing. "It's my wedding too."

"…"

"I have some cupcakes ready-"

"I'll have some!" The blond darted towards the kitchen.

He recovers fast, Sasuke thought.

"They're pink!" Naruto bit into the first, his nose immediately covered in icing. "So good! You are a cupcake genius!"

"I'll take a shower. Get dressed," Sasuke commented.

"Can we take some of these for the road?"

"Why? Are you going to be stuffing your face while you are reading your vows?"

It wasn't until later that day when walking to the lawyers' office that Sasuke realized why Naruto wanted to bring the cupcakes along. He walked brooding, as Naruto danced with earphones on his head. As the vein on Sasuke's forehead debated if it should pop or not, the blond raised one hand in the air, and swung around, smiling at others as if everyone else was hearing the same rhythm. Every time he'd pass by someone, he'd offer him or her a cupcake with a wide grin. "We are getting married today. Support gay marriage!"

Sasuke hauled the earphones, "You look demented."

"Nonsense. I'm cheering everyone up."

"You. Look. Demented. Like a crazy person. People are filming you with their mobile phones."

"Don't be a prude. It's our wedding day. Cheer up."

"I can't see how."

"Who cares if you disagree? You are not me! Who made you king of anything?" Naruto sang out loud, before giggling and unexpectedly attacking Sasuke with the earphones. "Listen to it. Listen."

Sasuke pulled it away from his ears, before glaring at Naruto.

"Just listen to the song," the blond grinned. "It would be the soundtrack if my life was in a movie."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes, "You are as excitable as a puppy with ADHD."

"Do you like the song?"

"It's loud, but it's true; it's like you."

"Thank you."

Sasuke sighed; It wasn't a complement. He lowered the cupcake boxes onto the ground, "Why couldn't we have just taken my car?"

"It is just a thirty minute walk."

"It's a five minute drive."

"Just slow down and enjoy the view. People nowadays are in a hurry all the time. They missing out on all the fun, because they are too fixated on the destination rather than the ride."

"You are on acid right now, aren't you?"

"I'm not."

"You are giving people cupcakes in the street, dancing, and talking nonsense."

"If I was I would be eating the cupcakes instead of giving them away. Trust me. I don't get trippy, I get hungry."

"Great, so you are a drug addict as well."

"I'm not a drug addict. I tried a few things when I was younger. Didn't everyone?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto as if he was talking in tongues, "No."

"Whatever. I was never into it anyway."

"Great, I'm marrying a crazy druggy cartoon-freak who will probably be fat in two years."

The blond stomped on the others foot. "Bastard!"

"That's a Amedeo Testoni shoes. Do you know how much they cost, dobe?!"

"Enough to feed a village in Africa."

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"I'm in a good mood, so stop raining on my parade, ok?! Plus, not everyone who is not a copy of you crazy. I'm not overweight, cause I have the metabolism of a God. But if I were, fuck you, I'm awesome anyway! And if you call anime, cartoons one more time, I will 'one thousand years of pain' you."

"You understand that you don't make sense except to yourself, right?"

"Just listen to the song!"

"Whatever," Sasuke tossed the headphones at Naruto's face, still somewhat irritated at the other. "We have to come up with a cover story for how we met."

"I was drunk and you knock me up, and now I have to marry you."

"Are you joking?"

"How can I explain suddenly marrying the same type of guy I despise? Except for the baking." Naruto spoke somewhat faster, as the residue of agitation still bumped in his veins.

The raven frowned. Despise was a strong word, not that he minded if Naruto despised him. He could see Naruto was still somewhat upset about his earlier comment.

"How about something simple? We met at a bar, you spilled your drink on me, we fought at first, but by the end of the night we clicked because we…" Sasuke sighed. "We infuriate each other in all the right ways."

"It's too boring," Naruto stated, now more calm. "You came into my shop-"

"I would never go to a sex shop."

"It's true. People can buy everything online nowadays. Business hasn't been doing well lately…"

"Focus."

"I went to pick up Shouji one day, and I met you. You were mean to him, so to get back at you I drew a penis on the side of your car. You caught me and lectured me about how expensive your car is. I argued that you shouldn't treat your workers as slaves, so you threatened to press charges."

"You are making me sound like an ass."

"We have to keep it realistic."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"People call you Hitler. I'm justified! You can't suddenly turn into an angel."

"Hn."

"Fine, you told me you won't press charges if I clean the car, so I did. I was hungry afterwards so you gave me a banana cupcake, because it was after midnight, and you didn't want me fainting and creating a hassle for you. The next day I drew another penis on your car-"

"Why would you do that?"

"I really liked the cupcake."

"Then buy a cupcake like a normal human being. Don't ruin my car."

"I knew you'd be condescending if you saw me walking into your store the next day like a kicked puppy begging for cupcakes."

"So instead you commit vandalism," Sasuke mocked. "For a cupcake."

"What can I say; your cupcakes are that good."

"Fine, then I called the police."

"You seriously called the police on me!"

"You kept vandalizing my car."

"Its because all the fighting was turning me on, especially that you are bossy and you sort of remind me of a teacher I had a crush on when I was in the eight grade."

"That's screwed up. Lets just go back to the bar story."

"You hung up before asking them to come over."

"Why would I hang up? I wouldn't hang up. I'd get them to arrest you."

"Because I kissed you."

"Out of the blue?"

"Yes."

"You would attack a person just like that?"

"Yeah, you kissed me back."

"I wouldn't have."

"You would, and you did. And then you fucked me on the floor of your store."

"That's unhygienic. That would get me in trouble with the health department."

"The next day, I drew another penis on your car. So we did it again, and it was kinky."

Sasuke glared at the other man, "Your imagination is running loose."

"The next day, I came over, but I didn't do anything to your car. And the next, and the next. That's why people didn't see us together. We were always seeing each other late at night, and it was all about crazy passionate sex."

Sasuke rubbed his face, bending over and picking up the cupcake boxes, "We should get going."

Naruto held him back by the arm, "At first we would only exchange insults. But whenever a day came when we didn't meet, we couldn't stop thinking about each other." He leaned closer to Sasuke. "I would think about your lips, and your fingers on me…"

Sasuke gulped, "And?"

"And last week you proposed."

"Just like that?"

"The sex; its mind blowing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"But I wouldn't marry someone just for the physical part."

"That's why our marriage is going to crumble, and we will get a divorce in three years."

"Hn," the raven nodded looking away. "We'll have to tell this story to our parents."

"My perve of a grand pa wouldn't mind."

"How about my parents?"

Naruto bit his bottom lip, "Fine, lets just go with the bar story."

"My father is not stupid. He will know it's a shame regardless of how well we prepare our story."

"Oh, by the way, your brother lives in Konoha, right?"

"Yes. What about him?"

"He can't own his own business except if he's a citizen, married to one, or has a partner who is a citizen, right?"

"He's married."

"To a man, a woman?"

"A man."

"And…"

"What are you fishing for?"

"More details."

"Why are you fixated on him?"

"Because you are, and I'm getting married to you in exactly two hours. I'm curious."

"He has been married since he was twenty-one. Can we not talk about him for the rest of the day?"

"Fine." The blond looked up at the mirror covered skyscraper, "Is that the lawyers' office?"

"Yes," Sasuke began walking forward, before noticing Naruto was standing still. "What's wrong?"

"Lets wait until Shikamaru shows up."

"I'm not going to con you. The documents are straight forward."

"I don't have anything that makes me worth being scammed, but you have super expensive lawyers on your side. I'd like to have my friend on mine."

Sasuke pursed his lips, before walking over, and leaning against one of the cars. "He's late."

"He'll be here soon."

"He has five minutes, before we go up."

"You can't let five minutes pass without saying something that makes you sound like a jerk," Naruto whispered. Somehow, it felt as if fighting was the punctuation to their sentences. One minute the atmosphere would be serene, and the next they would be cussing at each other. Seconds later, the atmosphere would calm down again. Like bumpy ride, he wondered if he could be able to tolerate it for long.

"You got icing on your shirt."

Naruto looked down at his sleeve, "Ah. Should I just lick it?"

"It has pink dye in it. It might stain."

"If anyone asks, I'll say I got up when I attacked you with kisses this morning as you iced the cakes."

Sasuke smiled, but turned it into a smirk midway. "If that is the kind of thing you'd say to others if you were in a real relationship, then I guess you should. But don't do it to prove our relationship is the real thing. People might notice you being different because you are trying to over-compensate."

Naruto opened his mouth to talk, but closed it quickly.

"What did you want to say?" The raven asked.

"It is the sort of thing I'd say to my friends."

"Ok."

"I also don't mind PDAs."

"Yes?"

"I usually cling to my boyfriends, kiss them, and… You would probably be uncomfortable with this amount of touching in public, right? Should I tone it down, or-"

"I will pretend to be uncomfortable with the public aspect of it. This is what people who know me expect. You just do what people expect from you."

"So our gameplay is; we are too blinded by lust and totally oblivious to the fact that we are wrong for each other. People will see it, but we won't. You will be aloof as usual, and I'll be my loveable self. In a couple of month, we will start complaining about each other. And in three years, our relationship will have completely fallen apart. Great," Naruto smiled.

"You are getting used to lying."

"If I had known I was this good at it, I would have gotten used to it a long time ago," Naruto smiled before waving his hand in the air. "Not really. But some things have to be done. For grand pa's sake, I will put my morals aside."

"Great," Sasuke nodded, before glancing at his watch. "Your friend is late. I'm going in."

XXXXXXX

Naruto closed his eyes as he walked into the room. No one had asked him to, but he had decided to surprise himself. He peeked out, at the white decorations, and the lovely deserts on the side. He smiled. It all looked so real.

He elbowed Sasuke softly, "Your friend is really good at her job. How did she manage to do all that in a couple of hours?"

Sasuke smirked, "I only deal with the best."

"People are going to start showing up soon, honey," Naruto giggled at the last word. "Doesn't suit you."

"Are you worried?"

"I can handle myself."

"Stop smiling like a dope. Do you have a crush on me or something?"

"Shut up! It's my wedding day. I should smile. You should be smiling too."

"I am."

"You're smirking."

"So?"

"It's different," Naruto shook his shoulders. "So what are you going to call me?"

"Hn. Naruto," Sasuke grinned, before leaning towards Naruto's ears. "Don't embarrass me today, dobe."

Naruto suddenly nipped at the other's face, Sasuke jolting back in shock. Naruto laughed out loud, "I startled you!"

"You are an idiot."

"You are a bastard," Naruto walked closer to Sasuke, until their noses touched. He gulped, feeling Sasuke's breath against his lips, before turning around quickly blushing and giggling.

"Seriously? I thought you were into PDAs." Sasuke mocked.

"It's harder when I'm not used to the person," Naruto whined. "I'll try again."

He leaned towards Sasuke, before chuckling at the other's face. Sasuke wiped away the spit he had on his face, glaring at Naruto as if he was about to de-throat him. "Is that how you are going to act for the rest of the day?"

"It's hard!" He chuckled again, before pressing his hand against his mouth in attempts to calm himself down. "Okay. Okay. I'm calm. I won't laugh this time around."

Once he leaned towards Sasuke, he burst into laughter again. The raven rolled his eyes, "Today is going to be a disaster. I can tell."

"Grand pa!" Naruto suddenly began waving at the longhaired man coming from across the room.

"Naruto," the man whispered.

Naruto smiled at Jiraiya, "I'm getting married."

The man was usually a cheerful one, but today was different. Naruto couldn't fool him. He knew what the boy was sacrificing for his sake and for his mistakes, and it left a burden on his shoulders he felt he could never lift.

"Grand pa… Aren't you going to congratulate me?" Naruto whispered, his voice fading.

The man suddenly pulled the boy into an embrace, tapping against his back emotionally, and watching as Sasuke looked away uncomfortable with the scene.

"You don't have to pay for my mistakes."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto smiled.

"Brat, I know why you are marrying him."

"Because I love him," the blond faked a smile, eyes burning from the tears. He grasped Naruto's hand into his, pushing his shoulder near Sasuke's.

"You've always been a bad liar," the old geezer stated. "It is my fault. I taught you to endure no matter what gets thrown at you. But this is not-"

"I'm not lying!" he hugged Sasuke's arm. "This is what I want. You said you'd support me whatever way I go."

The old man glanced at Sasuke before dragging Naruto by the hand to the corner of the room, "Don't do it. He looks as stiff and uptight as a blow up doll. Believe me, he'll end up being boring in bed. You're a lover by nature like your grand pa. It runs in your blood. He doesn't suit you."

The raven glared at the two men's back, hear their chat clearly. He had been tuning down his overbearing nature with Naruto in order to make things work, but he was approaching the end of his patience.

"Just tell me you sampled him," Jiraiya insisted.

"He's very good," Naruto stated.

"He doesn't look it."

"He is-"

"How big is he?"

"Pervert!"

"Do not settle for the cocktail-size when you could have a big thick-"

Sasuke snapped, smacking Naruto on the back of the head. The blond turned around rubbing the sore patch, "I was defending you!"

The raven just glared back.

"He looks abusive," Jiraiya glared at Sasuke as well. "What kind of intentions do you have for my grand son?"

"You know why this is happening," Sasuke gritted his teeth. "So stop trying to persuade him out of it even though you know your ugly habits are the only reason he is stuck sacrificing the next three years of his life."

"Hey! Don't talk to my grand pa like that!" Naruto's expression changed completely, anger suddenly occupying every crease in his face.

"People are starting to show up," Shikamaru stated as he walked closer to the men, trying to get them to calm down. "And it's done. The marriage has already been registered, so lets just let this party pass by peacefully."

Shouji suddenly appeared, patting Naruto on to the back. "Do you want something to eat to calm you down?"

"No," Naruto stated, eyes still fixated on Sasuke. "I need a minute alone."

- To be continued-

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Just kidding… But seriously, please review.