Series: Naruto
Pairings: NaruHina
Author: Lynns
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi
Type: Alternate Universe/Romance
Sparks Fly
Side Story #2
Four Months till The Wedding . . .
Even though it was the last night of the shift, the Akatsuki Bar was quieter than usual.
Technically speaking that is.
While the occupancy level was lower, the rowdiness coming from the Hyuuga Electric table was so loud that you would think half the bar was full.
Not only was it home day tomorrow, but it was the last shift for the remainder of the year. While they all had unfortunately worked through the Christmas holiday, the electricians on the Front Shift would be home to celebrate the New Year.
Naruto tipped his head back and downed the rest of his beer before slamming it onto the table; his co-workers mimicking his action with their own alcoholic beverages.
"Fuck me this shift was terrible. I was bending over backwards for that Konoha Energy Operator prick these 9 days; I swear nothing made that guy happy!" Shikamaru cracked open another beer and once again started downing his drink.
The entire table stared at the QA/QC Lead with wide eyes. Not only was their friend not prone to swearing, but drinking this heavily was new, too.
"Uh . . . you going to be okay there Nara? What would Temari say if she saw you like this?" Chouji asked hesitantly.
Shikamaru pulled the bottle away from his lips briefly before giving his friend and co-worker an annoyed look, "She would be passing me another beer and then asking if I would like an angry fuck in our bed, that's what."
The entire table erupted with laughter with Kiba almost spitting out his drink and Naruto nearly dropping his beer.
"TMI man! We did not need to know that!" hissed Kiba.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "You guys were the ones insisting that I come to drink with you lot, and now you get to suffer the consequences."
Naruto couldn't help but grin at his friend's unfiltered words. While he was usually a bubbly idiot when consuming alcohol, Shikamaru was harsh and realistic.
Still smiling, Naruto asked, "Think you'll put a ring on Temari's finger sooner than later?"
Finishing his drink in record time, Shikamaru let out an annoyed sigh, "Don't ask me that man. I know your wedding is coming up soon, but this weekend I'm having dinner with her father and brothers. I've only met Kankuro a handful of times, and he seems like such a fucking joy."
The blonde-haired Foreman chuckled softly before whispering under his breath, "You have no idea. . ."
For a moment, the table became quiet as the electricians either took a second to enjoy their drink or glanced at one of the TVs to see what sports were being played tonight.
"Getting stressed for the big day Naruto?" Chouji asked, with a hint of teasing in his voice.
Perhaps some grooms-to-be would be nervous or anxious with their big day approaching, however, Naruto had to admit that he was feeling quite the opposite.
"Nah, not at all really. Hinata's got everything organized and planned out. She asks for my opinion on the odd thing, but for the most part, I'd say we are just sailing along." Naruto said quite confidently.
Kiba smirked, "Oh you act all smug right now, but just so you know, I'll be there filming the moment when you bawl like a baby when you see Hinata walking down the aisle."
Naruto lightly jabbed his friend, "Just don't share it with the rest of the crew right away; at least give me a week before you post the viral video."
"I make no promises! But in all seriousness, the last time I talked to Hinata about it, you wanted to have the wedding catered by that ramen place you like downtown. Ichiraku Ramen, or something like that. Please tell me you aren't going to do something as tackey as that and book an actual caterer."
After taking a sip of his beer, Naruto shook his head, "Of course, I wouldn't do that to Hinata! In fact, during these days off we are going to go test some food at the local catering businesses."
All of his co-workers nodded with relief, but then he added, "But I did manage to convince Hinata and her family to let Ichiraku Ramen do our midnight supper!"
A soft chuckle went around the table, along with Kiba playfully attempting to kick him in the shins, but then, everyone went back to discussing their New Year's plans. It was then that Naruto suddenly started missing the presence of two people that he normally had by his side.
While they had extended an invitation to his best friend, Sasuke had politely declined. His Best Man had a bunch of extra work that needed to get done before the end of the shift, but he had promised Naruto that tomorrow they could catch a drink on their way home from the airport.
The other, obviously being his fiancé, Hinata.
However, her absence was more explanatory since this gathering could be more seen as a boy's night out. And while he certainly did enjoy spending time with his male friends, it was also bittersweet as well.
This is her last shift up here . . . and then she returns back to the Hyuuga Main Office. . .
Their time spent up north felt almost like a fleeting memory.
The last year had gone by so fast. One moment it seemed she had just arrived back at Konoha Energy, but now, she would be gone for an extended period.
I know her family will not be complaining in the slightest. They've been wanting her to come back for quite some time now. I'm even surprised they let her come back this . . .
"I bet both Kakashi and Gaara are pulling out their hair trying to figure out the vacation requests for that week. You not only invited the both of them, but almost a quarter of the whole front shift crew." Lee said before reaching across the table to take a chip from their tray of nachos.
Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah . . . I felt bad about that. However, both Project Managers told me not to worry about it. They said they would try and shuffle things around with the backshift, and that way hopefully everyone can come. If not, then I'm not sure how they will figure out in deciding who can come and who can't."
A moment of silence fell over the table but it was quickly interrupted when Kiba slapped him on the back, "Ah quit being a Debbie Downer. Have some faith in those schmucks and it will all work out."
Naruto grumbled slightly but perked up when the waitress brought over their main orders of Pizza, Burgers and Wings; not to mention another round of drinks for them all as well.
As Naruto cracked open his fourth beer, Chouji suddenly caught his attention as he said, "You know, if you had told me eight years ago that Naruto would be marrying Hinata, I would have thought you'd have lost your mind."
While everyone else lightly laughed, the groom-to-be couldn't help but frown, "Alright alright, I get it. I know she was completely out of my league, even back then."
Shikamaru shook his head. "That's not even a bullet point on the list of why we thought that. You were just so head over heels in love with Sakura, that we didn't think any other woman would catch your eye; especially Hinata. Those first two years that she was up here working with us, not a single bad rumor or a hush of gossip was going on about her. Just that the boss's niece was coming up and that she was possibly going to be acting like a princess, but we were all proven wrong there.
"Even though she was, and is still a damn hard good worker, chit-chattering sure picked up after that second year when she started dressing more flattering amongst each crew. I swear, it was hard to keep up with all the gossip going around and most of the rumors started to blend in together."
Everyone nodded in agreement, but Naruto could only shift uncomfortably in his chair. "W-well I certainly didn't hear anything back then."
Kiba shrugged, "You never were one to pay attention to any of the gossip going around the site. However, most of the things being said were just nonsense."
"Like what?" Naruto asked with curiosity.
The other four men quickly glanced at each other.
"It doesn't matter, Naruto. "Kiba started, "None of it was true. We all know how Hinata is, and the rumors that went around were so wild that it made reality TV shows seem plausible."
The blonde-haired Foreman leaned forward with a scowl, "Kiba, what were the speculations going on about Hinata?"
Everyone was silent, but then Shikamaru let out a frustrated sigh, "What the hell does it matter, Uzumaki? You weren't even paying attention to her or even interested. But for the record, it was just a bunch of assholes claiming that they had been sleeping with Hinata. Some claimed they did it with her at camp, while others said they nailed her out in the field where no one could see them."
Naruto's cheeks immediately flushed red, but whether it was from embarrassment or anger, he couldn't tell. But before he could comment, Shikamaru continued.
"I think the only plausible rumor we ever heard was that possibly Sasuke and Hinata were becoming an item. He was always requesting to work with her, would always pick her as a partner for any pool games, and as far as I'm aware of, she's the only female Sasuke ever felt comfortable being alone with."
Any words that he had been about to say slipped off Naruto's tongue and onto the floor; the only thing he could do was sit there and blink.
"Well, that's not quite entirely true. Shino and I knew that Hinata only had eyes for him, "Kiba remarked while jabbing a thumb in Naruto's direction, "But I can see why everyone started to think that. Especially when we were on Heat Trace Duty. Anytime Kakashi asked Sasuke who he wanted to work with, he always picked Hinata."
"A-and you guys just never thought that was weird?" questioned Naruto with a high-pitched voice.
Lee and Chouji shrugged, Kiba was preoccupied with opening his next bottle of beer, but Shikamaru was looking at him with an annoyed expression.
"Are you more bothered by the fact that you didn't notice until we told you all this? Or perhaps you're just realizing that maybe your best friend had the hots for your fiancé?"
Naruto clenched his teeth for a moment before retorting, "He has not nor ever had the hots for my fiancé! He's only ever had eyes on . . . on . . ."
He paused and realized that what he had been about to say was a complete lie.
The only one that Sasuke has ever been interested in is Sakura, but, even I know that's not true. Not even close. It wasn't until after we got our Journeyman tickets did he start to see her in a different light. So, is it possible that he . . .?
Naruto closed his mouth and silently sat back in his seat.
While the rest of his friends took this as a sign that the conversation was over, he on the other hand was racking through his memories from their early apprenticeship days.
In the few months they had attended school each year, to working out in the field in pairs, Naruto was having a hard time remembering working alongside his best friend. While it did happen the odd time, usually Kakashi had kept them separate since he didn't want them goofing off and not getting any work done.
I was either with Shikamaru or Lee a lot of the time. There was the odd task I got to work with Sasuke or even Sakura. But Hinata . . .
Blue eyes widened in realization.
Four years of being an electrician apprentice, and he could only count on one hand the number of times he had worked with his fiancé back then.
Naruto took a slow sip of his beer while robotically taking a slice of pizza and munching on it.
I don't think I ever asked Sasuke if he liked anyone on site back then. Sakura and Ino were so head over heels in love with him; I just assumed that maybe he liked one of them.
While he was lost in his own thoughts, Naruto didn't notice the uneasy look that Shikamaru was giving him.
As the Hyuuga Electric Truck pulled into the parking lot of the Konoha Energy Camp, Naruto stifled another yawn and tried to keep his eyes open. He certainly wasn't the only one trying to stay awake, as both Chouji and Kiba kept swaying beside him in the back seat with heavy eyes.
Lee, their designated driver, pulled right up to the boot room doors to drop everyone off.
"Thanks for doing this, buddy. We greatly appreciate it." Shikamaru said with a heavy yawn and a stretch.
"Don't mention it! Are you guys going to be okay getting back to your rooms? I don't think any of the security guards will give you a hard time."
Kiba gently smacked himself in the face a few times, "Nah man we should be good to go. We can wait for you in the boot room if you like?"
Lee kindly refused the offer and said he would be fine to walk back by himself.
As the doors opened, everyone was suddenly wide awake from the bitter winter wind. All of them made a 'B' line for the main entrance and waved a final goodbye to Lee as he went to park the truck for the evening.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief when they stepped inside the warm boot room; each of them going their separate ways to find their indoor shoes amongst the many rows of boot racks.
While it was only 10:30 pm, Naruto felt like it was way past midnight, for how tired he felt. However, he knew that was from both the alcohol and the mental gymnastics his brain had been doing for the last few hours.
After finding his slip-on shoes, Naruto started to head towards his room while bidding Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru goodnight. While his friends gave him a small farewell wave, he knew they were also a bit bothered by him for ruining the mood at the bar.
While they hadn't talked about it anymore, his joyous disposition had turned sour after discussing Hinata and Sasuke working together so much. Countless times throughout the evening, his friends tried to bring the cheerful atmosphere back to the table, but when he chose not to participate in the topic, it died down quickly to silence.
As Naruto neared the hallway to his accommodations, his pace slowed considerably.
Have I really been a true friend to him? I mean, I know a lot about his family, childhood and career goals, but I never inquired about his romantic life. Maybe he really did like Sakura back then, but because I was annoying her all the time, he didn't want to interfere. Maybe I've thought that we are best friends, but really, I'm just the shittiest person he's ever . . .
His hand reached into his hoody pocket to pull out his room key, but because he was so lost in his own inner turmoil, Naruto almost cried out when the door to his hallway suddenly opened.
Standing in front of him was none other than the man plaguing his thoughts. Sasuke had a rather annoyed and neutral expression as he slowly opened the door wider for him. "You alright there? Shikamaru asked if I could make sure you got back to your room safe and sound. Did you really have that much to drink?"
Naruto didn't think he would be quite this speechless to see the Uchiha so soon, but since he couldn't seem to muster any words, he simply shook his head; blue eyes shifting from Sasuke's face to the floor.
As he stepped inside the small corridor that led to both the first and second floor, he was expecting Sasuke to escort him to his room like a toddler, however, the dark-haired Foreman didn't move.
After a few moments, his eyes finally met Sasuke's, who was looking even more annoyed now.
His friend sighed and crossed his arms, "Also, Shikamaru mentioned that you might be a bit miffed at me. Not sure what you guys were talking about at the bar, but were my ears supposed to be burning?"
"Oh for crying out. . ." Naruto breathed before clenching his jaw slightly. "He didn't need to bother you like that. Everything is fine and no we weren't really talking about you."
Sasuke's eyebrow arched in suspicion. "Really? Because the way you're avoiding eye contact with me says otherwise."
Naruto wanted to retort, but while he technically wasn't lying, it wasn't one hundred percent truthful either.
His best friend moved slightly so that his back was against the wall. "Well, let's hear it. What's got your drunken mind all confused and jumbled this time? Can't say I'm thrilled that Shikamaru contacted me this late, but you know how he is. The guy absolutely hates conflict and likes to nip any disagreements in the butt asap."
Even though he wasn't completely drunk, Naruto was still feeling a bit tipsy from the beers he had consumed. A part of him just wanted to drop the subject, but there was another part that wanted to discuss the topic with Sasuke too.
Using what little strength he had left from the day; Naruto took two steps forward and took a seat on the stairs close by. "Honestly, it's not that big of a deal Sasuke. We were just talking about tasks we did back when we were apprentices."
"Oh? You're going to have to elaborate more than that I'm afraid. Are you upset because of the odd time I called you an idiot? It's not my fault you weren't very good at reading labels back then."
Naruto flinched slightly, realizing what his friend was talking about. "Hey! Those two heat traces were so similar in numbers anyone could have gotten them mixed up! But it sure did suck when we had to uninstall it off the pipe and then have to straighten it all out again."
Sasuke chuckled softly at the memory, "I think that was one of the few times Kakashi let us do heat trace together back then."
Hearing his friend bring up the memory, almost made it too easy for Naruto to ask his next question, "Speaking of working together, how come you were always asking to work with Hinata?"
The youngest Uchiha suddenly went stiff and glanced at him with a confused look. "Say what now?"
Naruto sighed, "It never even really crossed my mind until Shikamaru brought it up, but then again, I was never one to listen in on gossip amongst the crew. However, looking back, you did work with Hinata a lot. I know why you always wanted to pick her as your partner when playing pool, but anytime Kakashi would ask you if you preferred anyone as your partner, you usually picked her."
A deafening silence fell over the corridor.
He waited patiently for his friend to say anything, heck, he half expected Sasuke to call him an idiot again and drop the subject entirely. But, when Naruto peeled his eyes off his feet to look up at Sasuke, the other electrician was merely staring at the wall with a blank expression.
Feeling that he needed to explain himself more, Naruto continued. "And then that got me thinking that maybe I really haven't been that great of a friend to you. Sure, I know a lot about you and most of the people in your life, but I never did ask you if there were any girls that you were interested in. You were pretty much the site-wide heartthrob, and almost any female here would want to be with you. But I never thought to ask what your thoughts were or . . ."
Sasuke suddenly interrupted him, "What are you, my therapist?"
Naruto flinched slightly. "Well, no but . . ."
"Look is this a jealousy thing or something? Are you upset that I was working with your fiancé? Even though you only had eyes for Sakura back then, suddenly you're upset that I was picky with whom I chose to work with?"
He attempted to stand up so the two of them could be face to face, but his hand slipped on the railing. "N-no that's not what I'm trying to say at all! I just thought maybe that back then you liked her, or some other girl for all I know! I'm more so throwing myself under the bus here, Sasuke. I thought you and I were great friends, but then I . . ."
"We are. So, what's the problem?"
"Sasuke, you know what I mean."
His friend sighed in frustration. "So basically, you're all sad and miserable because I didn't tell you everything I was thinking or doing? You do realize that I never asked you about your love life, right? Or asked you why you always wanted to work with Sakura when given the choice?"
Naruto paused, his eyes once again falling to the floor.
That is true . . . he never did ask, but that's not fair! It's quite obvious who I liked back then!
"Y-yeah I guess, but I just assumed you weren't interested in Sakura! You always treated her so . . . so . . ."
"Poorly." Sasuke sighed, finishing his sentence.
Once again, the corridor became silent, but only for a brief moment before his best friend kneeled in front of him. While Sasuke didn't look angry, Naruto could tell that he was beyond annoyed with his drunken shenanigans.
"Look, if I answer all of your questions, will you let this go? It feels weird that you are so hung up about something that happened almost eight years ago. But if it will get your butt into bed and you never bring this up again, I will enlighten you with this heart-to-heart session that you so desperately want."
Naruto was completely shocked that his best friend was willing to talk about what was troubling him. Usually, he would only give short, truthful answers that were to the point. And while he did appreciate Sasuke's willingness to share, a part of him also felt guilty for forcing his friend to talk about something that clearly he didn't want to.
However, before he could even respond . . .
"You're right, I used to ask to work with Hinata a lot. She was the only female on our crew that I could stand and, I was surprised to learn how much of a hard worker Hinata is. I thought her being the niece of Hizashi would give her this sort of Princess entitlement, but I was immediately proven wrong. She busted her butt out there just like the rest of us.
"Not to mention, it was nice having down-to-earth short conversations with someone who wasn't acting like a moron. Anytime I got stuck with either Ino or Sakura, it was always about how amazing or smart I was and how much of an idiot my best friend was."
Naruto's eyes widened and he looked up to meet Sasuke's dark ones.
"Do you have any idea how fucking annoying it is, having those girls talk shit about your best friend like that? It irritated me so much, that I asked Kakashi not to pair me up with them unless it was absolutely necessary. Then you have Hinata, who I could talk to about work, possible openings in the company, or hell, she even gave me tips when it came to marital arts.
"And then for when we were in school, of course, I wanted her as my lab partner. She was smart and a quick thinker. I wanted to make sure all my assignments were correct after all! Which I don't know why you would be complaining about that all since she helped you lots during school too."
Sasuke paused for a moment, his eyes shifting down to the floor.
"If you must know, there was a brief time that I was interested in her. She is a kind person, always seeing people for whom they are inside and anytime I had to work with her, I honestly looked forward to it, because I knew the task would be done properly and on time.
"But. The only part that I found slightly annoying about her, was all the questions she would ask me about you. It was obvious from day one that she only had eyes for your dumb ass, but you were just too blind to see it. It also didn't help that she was too shy to approach you."
Naruto sighed, "Y-yeah I know I was rather idiotic and obliviously back then."
Sasuke smirked and lightly gave him a jab with his elbow. "Back then? What are you talking about? You still are!"
He returned the smile and tried to jab his friend back but stopped when Sasuke continued talking.
"And if I'm being truthfully honest, none of the girls on site ever really caught my interest. I never asked you about it because you're practically an open book. Sometime in our third year, you gave up on Sakura but still bugged her for dates. I never asked about it because I assumed that was just your coping mechanism for getting over her.
"Not to mention, after that one Christmas Party, Hinata started dressing differently and your attitude towards her changed a little bit. I just assumed either she was starting to be a closer friend to you, or maybe you were seeing her differently. Regardless though, it wasn't any of my business."
Naruto sighed again and closed his eyes.
He's right. He's completely right about everything.
"And . . . let's be real here. You always can tell when something is troubling me; whether I like to admit it or not, you've got a keen sense for that kind of bullshit. Which is why I'm assuming you know the real reason why I suddenly gave Sakura a chance and we started dating?"
Behind his closed eyes, Naruto almost immediately wanted to respond with a funny comeback and say something along the lines of 'Because your life flashed before your eyes, and you suddenly realized that you were in love with her!'. However, as Sasuke said, even though it was something they had never ever discussed before, he knew the man so well that he had been able to piece it together.
With confidence, Naruto replied, "If I had to guess, I would say it happened sometime when you were in the hospital after that Arc Flash incident. I assumed that Sakura felt really guilty for not doing her job with one hundred percent accuracy and that she had an honest talk with you; not acting like a silly girl around her crush."
Sasuke smirked, "See? My point exactly. Granted, I also agreed to go on a date because I was getting a free meal out of it. She offered to pay as an apology for what happened, but then after that . . . things just fell into place."
The corridor was quiet once again, but this time it was a calm, comfortable silence as the two friends took a moment to gather just how close they really were with each other.
He really is my best friend. I'm also so glad I chose him as my Best Man.
After a few more moments of peace, Sasuke stretched out his hand, "So we good now? Can we get to bed and start looking forward to home day tomorrow?"
Naruto grasped the offered hand and got back on his feet, "Yeah, sounds good."
As the two quietly walked into the long hallway, Naruto whispered, "So when are you going to be popping the question to Sakura?"
Sasuke glanced at him confusingly at first, but then gave him a knowing smile, "Heh, soon, or at least I hope to in the next little bit here while we are on days off."
"Well, so long as you don't do it at SAIT in our old classroom, that's mine and Hinata's special spot," Naruto whispered smugly.
His best friend smirked, "You mean for proposing or fucking her?"
Instantly, Naruto's face became beat red, "Wait, what? How did you know?"
Sasuke's grin was now a mile wide, "I didn't. But you just confirmed my suspicions."
End
Writers Note: Once again, a little snippet that just wouldn't leave me alone until I typed it out. I was attempting to work on another one that I had been thinking about since the summer months, but I just haven't gotten it to sound right when typing it out. I was stuck on that one for so long that other plots were building up in my head. With that being said, now that I've got this out of my system, the other one that I've been contemplating about a lot longer will be easier to write because it sort of ties in with this one.