A/N: Merry birthday! I have updated. Hurray!

Disclaimer: I have nothing. I own nothing. I am not being paid.

Sai Shimura stared blankly at his twittering, slap-happy date. He had known the moment he asked Sakura to accompany him to the Uchiha banquet that he was making a very large and unfixable mistake. If things went wrong on this night, the Uchiha male would have his head.

If Sakura's annoying chatter did not kill him first.

Every year since Sasuke had taken formal control of his company, the prominent families in Konoha were invited to a posh evening of dinner, dancing, and hobnobbing. Under duress, Sasuke composed the guest at the behest of the board of directors, but used the event to double as a birthday celebration for Naruto, to the chagrin of most of the attendees. On an ordinary day, most of them would not deign to be in the presence of the Uzumaki male; however, knowing that the blond was close - though just how close escaped the attention of most - to Sasuke Uchiha, none of them would miss the party if they could help it.

As usual, Sai's invitation was hand-delivered by Karin, Sasuke's loyal secretary. Being the adopted son of the well-known deceased government agent, Danzo Shimura, gave Sai an automatic "in" in Konoha's high society. Sai, however, could care less about his alleged status. He'd never liked the man who adopted him, after all. Danzo was cold, cruel, and power hungry - everything that Sai hoped to not be.

Sadly, on this year, Sakura happened to open the door for Karin. She squealed when she realized the heavy, dark blue envelope was the annual invite to the Uchiha shindig, and she followed Sai around the house, making hopeful, starry eyes at the paper. Against his better judgement, Sai asked Sakura if she wanted to go, as he was allowed to bring a guest. With a squeal that would put pigs to shame, the woman immediately accepted and ran out to buy a dress that very day.

Sai glanced longingly at the small group of friends in one corner of the room: Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara and his girlfriend Ino Yamanaka, and few other familiar faces. He tried to nudge Sakura in that direction, but the strawberry blonde haired female was too busy naming celebrities and striking poses, hoping that one of them would pay attention to her.

Curiously, Neji Hyuuga was, while in attendance, not with the rest of his family. He hovered near the staircase, glancing up every time someone made an appearance, and looking away in disappointment each time it was someone he did not want to see. Glancing around the crowded hall, Sai realized who he didn't see: Lee Rock. A shock of red hair caught his eye, and he frowned.

"Gaara's here," he muttered, breaking the flow of Sakura's inane chatter.

"Gaara?" she chirped, following her housemate's line of sight. "Oh, Gaara! Lee's friend, right? Should we go say hi?"

"Absolutely not," Sai immediately vetoed the idea. "Besides, it looks like he's busy." Sai and Sakura watched as Gaara elbowed his way through the crowd, making a beeline for Neji.

Movement from the corner made Sai adjust his attention. Sasuke and Naruto were excusing themselves from their friends and moving hastily to the Hyuuga heir's side. Dark eyebrows rose swiftly; Sai wanted to be a fly on the wall for that conversation, but he already had his hands full with Her Royal Nosiness.

"Hey, does Gaara know Neji, too?" Sakura had noticed the convergence of males, though she was blissfully unaware of the thick tension. Even from where he stood, Sai could feel it.

"I am not sure," Sai hedged. "Look, a distraction!"

"What?"

Sai sighed. "Nevermind. Would you like some champagne?" he asked his date.

"I'd love some!" she replied.

"Great," Sai said, "the bar is that way. Begone."

Neji Hyuuga smoothed the crisp, white jacket of his suit and glanced at his watch for what had to be the twentieth in as many minutes. Sasuke and Naruto and reassured him that Lee would attend the evening's festivities, but the hour was growing late and the athletic male had yet to make an appearance.

Neji had to admit that, days later, he was still sceptical of the Uchiha's plan. He thought back to the conversation he'd had with Sasuke the morning after everything had begun to fall apart.

"Why do you expect Lee to attend your fancy dinner party, Uchiha? This is Lee we're talking about."

Sasuke smirked. "Lee usually attends, Hyuuga; I may be forced to hold the banquet, but I control what actually happens there. I choose to have it this time of year because of Naruto's birthday." His lips turned slightly upward, giving the appearance of a smile. "He's been through so much much crap in this city..I like to do what I can to make things easier and happier for him."

Neji pretended to gag, though, inside, he felt his heart aching. "When did you become so soft, Sasuke?"

"I love Naruto, but this isn't about me. You claim you love Lee. Then you must prove it, not just to him, but to the world." Sasuke thought for a moment. "Do you still have access to your accounts?"

"Of course I do," Neji bragged, ignoring the small seed of doubt that had begun to sprout. "And even if I did not, I have my own personal funds, the inheritance from my father, plus the college fund I never actually used. What of it?"

"We're going shopping, Hyuuga. You're going to buy your lover a new dress for the ball."

Neji's brow wrinkled in distaste. "I'm not really going to buy him a dress, am I, Uchiha?"

The expression on Sasuke's face gave him a sudden a chill.

Which is how he'd found himself sneaking into Lee's bedroom, leaving a huge, gift-wrapped box which contained a suit, shirt, shoes, and anything else he could think of, including a handwritten letter of apology, and a special item, on Lee's bed. Neji placed the invitation on top of the package, and slipped back out. Hopefully, when the other male arrived home from work, he would see the gift and call Naruto, as the handwritten addendum to the engraved invite instructed.

After making his delivery, Neji collected his belongings, threw them in the trunk of his car, and returned to the Uchiha mansion, giving Lee the space he requested. He spent the next few days hiding from his family, compulsively checking his cell phone for messages, and using his nervous energy to bake a slew of desserts in the Uchiha's kitchen. He also pumped Sasuke for information on Gaara, and Lee's accident; the Uchiha male refused to speak on those subjects, insisting they were not his stories to tell.

On the morning of the party, Naruto stumbled into the mansion, informed Neji that Lee would be there, and collapsed from lack of sleep into Sasuke's arms. Neji worriedly sprang into action, checking for a pulse and fever, but Sasuke shooed the Hyuuga male away. Lovingly, gently, he carried his boyfriend to bed, leaving Neji to worry about the immediate future all by himself.

The future that was now the present, and meant that Lee was late.

Neji shifted, feeling his hopes plummet every single time the door at the top of the staircase opened and the arriving party was not Lee Rock. He felt many sets of eyes boring into his back, namely those of his uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga, but ignored them valiantly. His eyes were only for one person.

Who was not there.

As Neji was about to check his wrist for the time again, a low, rasping, disturbingly familiar voice broke into his thoughts.

"Neji Hyuuga, I presume," he stated.

The Hyuuga male narrowed his pale eyes and turned slowly to face his foe. "And you must be Gaara."

"How very astute of you."

"May I ask what you're doing here?" Neji questioned the other male through clenched teeth.

Gaara snorted. "I was invited."

Neji narrowed his eyes, taking in the ludicrous kanji tattooed on Gaara's forehead, the unruly, bright red hair, the dark, heavy eyeliner that ringed his eyes, and ran his tongue across his teeth. This was his competition?

"Gaara Sabaku," Sasuke's smooth voice broke in, "of Suna Sabaku Industries. How nice of you to attend this year. I was expecting your sister, as usual."

Annoyance flashed in Gaara's luminous green eyes. "Temari is busy," he offered flatly. "Since I was already here, in the city, I offered to take her place. Is that a problem, Uchiha?"

"Not at all," Sasuke responded after a short silence. "Unless you plan to harass my other guests?"

"Hyuuga and I were just talking, weren't we, Hyuuga? Or can you not speak for yourself?"

"Gaara," Naruto interjected smoothly, "you never finished telling me about time Kankuro got tangled up in the strings of puppet he was using."

"Perhaps another time, Naruto. Hyuuga and I have business to attend to."

"No, Gaara," Naruto said firmly. "I'd really like to hear that story now." He stressed the last word of his sentence, hoping to hint to the redhead that he needed to step away from Neji before some disastrous event happened.

Suspicion crept into Gaara's luminous green eyes as he flicked his gaze between the trio of males. His teeth clacked together audibly as he snapped his jaws together. Balling his hands into fists, he asked, through clenched teeth, "So I'm the bad guy?"

Naruto stepped forward and slapped the male noisily on the back. 'Of course not, Gaara! We're all friends here, right, guys?" A chorus of "Hn" answered him. His face fell. "Really, guys? Really?" He turned to his lover. "Sasuke!"

The black haired man raised an eyebrow. "Hn?"

"Oh, you bastard," the blond grumbled. "Plan on sleeping alone tonight."

Sasuke choked and forced a smile onto his face. "We're all friends. No worries. Right, Hyuuga?"

Neji parted his lips to reply in the negative, but the murderous aura seeping from the Uchiha male's pores made him change his mind quickly. He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I am fated to be a peaceful man," he said, with no trace of irony. "I have no issue with Gaara. In fact," he said, turning to the slightly shorter man, "I have been led to believe that I must offer you my gratitude for being there for Lee when I could not."

"You have no idea," said Gaara.

Neji sighed. "I am really tired of people telling me that." His eye twitching, he was preparing to withdraw his offer of a truce when movement at the top of the staircase caught his attention.

Lee Rock had arrived.

Neji swallowed to moisten his suddenly dry mouth. He turned to face the stairs completely, not wanting to miss a moment of Lee's entrance and descent into the room. His heart stuttered in his chest when he noticed that Lee had, not only worn the dark green suit and tie that he's picked out for him, but was also wearing the special item. The earring.

Lee was wearing the earring, a teardrop emerald wrapped in silver wire, that was twin to Neji's own. Neji felt his eyes well up as his hand flew to his ear to fondle the jewelry. He'd purchased the set on a whim during his shopping trip, and included one in his package to Lee, expressing his hope in the letter that Lee would wear it, and allow Neji a chance to prove himself. Catching the male's eye, Neji offered a shy smile.

Lee did not smile back.

He, instead, began to descend the staircase, his eyes locked on Neji's.

For his part, Lee felt his gut twisting itself into knots. His scars throbbed, his head pounded, and his heart threatened to crawl up his throat and leap out of his mouth. He was shaken at the emotion that was conveyed in Neji's letter; the suit of beautiful clothes and jewelry swayed him more than he wished to admit. He'd called Naruto, as instructed, and demanded an explanation.

"There must be some miscommunication, a most unyouthful mistake! Neji cannot possibly have meant to leave these things for me," he barked into his phone.

Naruto, sighed, and answered tiredly, "Give the man a chance, Lee. He really wants to make it up to you. He was an idiot, and he knows this. Just put on the suit, and come to the party, okay? It'll be fun, I promise."

"Naruto, my friend, I-I cannot-"

"Lee! Geez!" The sound of slurping came over the speaker; Lee guessed that his bubbly blond friend was eating ramen again. "Just hear him out. You don't have to stay if you don't want to, but at least show up and see what he says."

It was Lee's turn to sigh. "He-Neji..he is..was..is my best friend-"

"And Sasuke is mine." Naruto's tone turned serious. "Lee, look, I know you still love him-"

"I do not-"

"And," Naruto rushed forward, "I believe he loves you, too. Always has. Yeah, he's stupid when it comes to figuring out how people feel, and he's a pompous ass sometimes, but really! He went against Hiashi for you, Sasuke said."

"He..he really..?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, "he did. He told Hiashi he's leave the family if he couldn't be with you."

"But.. Naruto, listen, my friend. I feel that I must confide in you. The night after I met Neji again, he requested that I pretend to be his lover."

"Did he now?" Naruto hmphed. "Okay, I knew that already. But I was there, Lee, when you threw him out, when he called you and talked to Gaara. He really cares about you. Just give him a chance. Come to the party. For me? Please?"

Lee said quietly, "For you, my friend. Just for you."

Lee allowed Naruto to give him directions to Sasuke's usual stylist. He went there and, to his shock, found that the Uchiha had made arrangements for him to be taken care of. His shaggy hair was washed, cut, styled. He was shaved, buffed, massaged, and dolled up. It was refreshing to be pampered, but the knowledge of what he was possibly walking into made him unable to relax. A car met him at the entrance; the driver stating that she had instructions to return to his apartment, see him dressed, and deliver him to the Uchiha banquet when he was ready.

Lee drew the line at her actually helping him dress, though he did require her assistance with the skinny, silk necktie. The suit itself was dark green, with a houndstooth pattern. The jacket was fitted, as were the pants. The shirt was black, with buttons that matched the suit's pattern. Neji had included boxer briefs, dress socks, even a black handkerchief to tuck into the breast pocket of the jacket. He opened the small box, and gasped loudly when he saw the lovely earring. His eyes strayed to the envelope, which he had deliberately left for last; he found himself ripping it open, searching for an explanation of the expensive jewel. His driver for the night politely cleared her throat, tapping her watch. Lee swiped at his eyes, and tried to put in his earring. His hands were shaking so badly that it took him three tries before he gave up. He took that as a sign that he should not bother with it, but the driver took matters into her own hands. Swiftly, she snatched up the ear jewel, poked the post through the hole in his lobe, and fastened the clasp on the back. She gave him the once over, eyeing him critically. He must have passed muster; she strode to the door and held it open, bowing slightly at the waist. Lee carefully folded Neji's letter, placed it in his pants pocket, patted himself down, checking for wallet and keys, then exited his apartment, and left the building.

Now, he kept his eyes trained on the emotions playing across Neji's face as he neared the Hyuuga male. He stopped directly in front of his friend, and swallowed hard. Guests at the party could feel the rising tension, and conversation ceased as everyone waited to see what would happen.

Hiashi Hyuuga snarled softly, shoved his wine glass at a passing servant, and stomped his way toward his nephew. Hinata meeped and tried to grab her father's arm.

"Fa-Father," she tried. Hiashi shook her off effortlessly and continued on his way. Helplessly, Hinata caught Naruto's eye by waving her hand. He smiled at her, and shook his head slowly. Still apprehensive, the Hyuuga heir dropped her arm, snagged a full wine glass from the nearest tray, and slammed the contents back.

Hiashi arrived at the small knot of young males in time to hear Lee and Neji exchange greetings.

"Lee," Neji said, nervously smoothing the lapels of his suit. "you..you came."

"I did," Lee agreed. He searched his friends eyes for any hint of deceit. Finding none, he took a deep breath, and held out his hand. Surprised, Neji's fingers twitched, and he looked at Lee for confirmation.

"You..?"

"I have failed to welcome you back properly, haven't I, my dearest friend? That was most unbecoming of me." Lee closed the distance between them, and lifted his hand. Using his thumb, he gently traced the shape of Neji's lips.

Trembling, Neji tried to speak. "Lee-"

"Shh," Lee said. Feeling bold, he stepped closer. "Welcome back, my friend..my love." He pressed his lips softly against Neji's, then pulled away, as if embarrassed. With a soft smile, he turned away to greet the rest of his friends, and, instead, ran right into Hiashi Hyuuga's fist.