PIVOT!

Aw, everyone! Shoutouts to: I Can Hear the Sea, fanofthisfiction, jazzberryjuice, and Giada Luna for their fantastic reviews.

(Disclaimer: I don't own either of these franchises, and would like to say that even though I'm in uni myself, I have no idea how the system works in the big USA so if I'm wrong please excuse me because this is fictional and therefore uni works how I want it to!)

the one with the party

Naruto swears that he has never gotten up before or at sunrise. He makes a point of sleeping past noon on weekends and 9am on weekdays, if he's feeling super active and motivated. And he isn't lazy, okay? He works out with Lee on Tuesdays and Saturdays (those two days specifically, because his body needs to recuperate for two to three days before he's ready) so that has to surmount to some semblance of proactivity.

And for the record, Naruto finds great joy in jogging in the afternoons, when the streets reach that temporal threshold between empty and supersaturated, so he can run with his fitbitted wrists flying out beside him and the wind streaming through his hair. Occasionally, there are people who yell at him for being a lunatic and to not squeeze his eyelids shut when he runs, but he lives with Neji Hyuga so there's nothing that scares him these days.

Except for unemployability.

He's an actor, so by all means he is as dirt-poor and stereotypical as it gets. Most of his days are spent running from audition to audition, some of which score him a minor role in a TV commercial or someone's stunt double, but he's predominantly jobless when he doesn't have shifts at Ichiraku's. The man is practically a saint for hiring him and paying him a stable salary of twenty-per-hour, even going as far as forgiving him when he doesn't show up to work because of an audition.

He's not proud of his job status, but he is proud that he's in a place in his life where he's doing what he loves, even though it's a hard and unforgiving business. The struggle to find a substantial role has been going on for the past five years, during which he's been knocked down more times than he can even remember. Jiraiya, great agent though he is, can only help pick him up so many times before Naruto's despondency truly catches up. He hasn't been doing anything outside of minor roles in plays (on good days) for a year and a half.

His parents call in from Boston every two weeks, a huge improvement from Kushina Uzumaki's daily rate, and subtly prod at him to enrol into the Police Academy that their close friends own and run in the Big Apple. Which is how Naruto had ended up there in the first place - fresh out of Art school and clutching the enrolment forms with a scowl that could make Fugaku Uchiha cower. Probably. He'd made a deal back then to at least try to become a policeman before being so resolute about acting - his dad had even given Naruto the business card of an agent he knew, should Naruto make up his mind.

And incidentally, that day was the day he'd received his first kiss...from Sasuke. It happened when he was storming to the front desk, all irate and tunnel vision-y in the way his entire family is prone to do, thereby unaware of Sasuke striding towards the receptionist with the same aura. Long story short, they'd both been there for similar (parents, tch) and different reasons. While Naruto was there to apply for his parents' reassurance and in spite of his dreams and aspirations, Sasuke had been there to spitefully prove his father wrong. And then they'd collided at light speed before sharing a shockingly lip-splitting kiss.

Ironically, he hadn't known that Sasuke was the son of the very same best friends of his parents, or that he may well have been the person who almost got Naruto kicked out of the Academy before he could even apply. Not that that even matters, because after he'd finished arguing with Sasuke, he tore up his application, pulled out the card, and clamoured into Jiraiya's office with a gigantic grin.

It was, completely coincidentally, another two weeks until he would become Neji's new roommate and the bane of Tenten's culinary existence, and a week after that for him to reunite with his first kiss. Needless to say, Sasuke had been noticeably uncomfortably and even pulled Naruto aside for blatant bribery.

On occasion, when Naruto thinks about what would happen if they all found out about his and Sasuke's real first meeting, a shudder runs down his spine and he gets a migraine.

Naruto loves them all, truly, which is why he breaks his One Cardinal Rule and declares this piece of news at 6am:

"I GOT A GIG!"

Neji is violently shaken out of his bed by Naruto jumping up and down several times and in succession. He comes to when he realises he's no longer lying in a cloud of memory-foam and hears Naruto screeching at him like banshee on record - that is when his eyes snap open, but Naruto's already running out and banging on the door of Tenten's apartment. Promptly concluding that Tenten's going to be the one to throw knives at him for this, he returns to his mattress and allows himself to reorient himself perpendicular to the bedframe before he hears Naruto running back in and screaming bloody murder.

"Ow! Kami, what's wrong with y-"

"What's wrong with me?" He listens to Tenten screaming expletives with a smug smile. "What's wrong with you? It's six! AM! In the morning! Have you not heard of beauty sleep?"

Naruto briefly pauses his whining and snorts. "You, beauty?" The sound of a punch resounds throughout the living room.

"Okay, that hurt."

Sakura's the next to rush in, sleeping robes secured around her waist with a green sash. "I heard a punch. What's going on?"

Naruto physically perks up when he remembers his big news and runs over to Sakura for a hug. "I got a gig!"

She screams in excitement when Tenten's expression morphs into one of pure delight. "Atta boy! Congratulations!" She joins in with their group hug and pulls a sulking, emerging Neji into it despite his protests. When they break apart, Naruto is practically glowing.

"So after I did that Days of Our Lives audition I went to Ichiraku's-"

"Of course," Neji says, with a hint of dry amusement.

"-And I got hideously drunk, which is why I didn't see this text from Jiraiya telling me to call him. So I woke up this morning with a hangover and when I checked my phone for the time-"

"Naruto," Tenten interrupts him gently, "I am so excited and happy for you, but please get to the point."

He takes in a deep breath, holds his hands up in the air dramatically, and then enunciates each word clearly as he approaches them. "You are looking at the new Dr Drake Ramoray!"

Tenten and Sakura squeal in a high enough pitch to break an entire army's eardrums, and then squish him into hugs with Neji, who proudly pats Naruto on the back and says something along the lines of 'celebrate'. Naruto doesn't remember much of the next few hours, but apparently Neji and Tenten took the day off work to move the celebration into Tenten's apartment while Sakura rushed to make calls for a party that same night.

He has the best friends ever.

It's in full swing by the time Gai and Lee hand-step through the door with Naruto's gift poised on the soles of their shoes. Even that and the added presence of Itachi aren't enough to spoil Sasuke's good mood. He gives Naruto a happy, macho man-hug the moment he arrives and congratulates him on his job as Itachi hands Naruto what appears to be an Xbox.

"Don't pay me back for this," Itachi says with a smile, "You deserve it."

"Hey, thanks man!" Naruto sets it down on the table and gives the elder Uchiha a back-breaking hug. "Make yourself at home - Tenten made ramen!"

"That does sound like my home," Itachi laughs nostalgically and immediately moves into the kitchen.

"So, what's your role?" Sasuke pops open a bottle of beer and sits down next to a chattering Sakura.

"Dr Drake Ramoray on Days of Our Lives," Naruto says happily, "It's no big. Just my big break." He throws himself back into the couch and sighs, content. One and a half years of hard work and it's finally starting to pay off.

"You did well," Sasuke says emphatically, which Naruto takes as the highest order of Sasucomplimenting and gives him a hug for.

"Group hug!" He hears Sakura yell out, before a pile of bodies jump on the both of them. Sasuke finds himself uncomfortably squeezed between Naruto and what smells like and strawberries and feels like silk, and then realises it's Sakura's face and her hair pressing against his nose. On top of them is Tenten, Neji and Lee, followed by Gai and Itachi, then Jiraiya, and someone who is possibly Hinata. He wouldn't know, he's near the bottom and silently overwhelmed by Sakura being physically close to him so for all he cared Santa could be there and he wouldn't be any wiser.

Naruto starts to eke out something that sounds like 'can't breathe', so they all jump apart and gasp for air. Sasuke finds himself reminiscing about the air he was breathing before, realises he's being creepy, and then walks off to retrieve a brand-new drink.

"Oh," he says, seeing a complete stranger standing in his sister's kitchen, "I don't know if you got the memo, but you're not supposed to be here."

The woman, beer in one hand and phone in the other, looks at him in utter shock. "W-what? I was invited."

"Oh," he says again, flipping through his brain for any knowledge of a new guest (read, new addition to their incredibly tight-knit group) and comes up with a blank. "Who?"

"Neji invited me," she sticks a thumb out at the accused man, who's in the midst of talking to his cousin, and smiles sweetly, "I met him a few weeks ago at work and he invited me here because our date tonight was cancelled."

"Ah," Sasuke nods.

"I'm Kin." Kin holds out a hand, the tips of her fingers pointing towards the ground as though she's expecting him to kiss it like he's from the 1800's, or something. Sasuke just nods again and gives her a brief thumbs-up.

"Sasuke. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she retracts her hand awkwardly. Sasuke would feel guilty for being an ass, and being the ass he'd been for the past year, but considering that he doesn't, and that she's obviously here for Neji and not Naruto, he returns her smile with a forced one and walks away.

"All I'm saying," Tenten downs a glass of wine and rests her head on the couch as Itachi, Sasuke and Sakura sit around her with their own drinks. "Is that I'm completely okay, okay? He's a high-flying, corporate man and she's a high-flying woman and they're like this little jigsaw puzzle, you know? And he hasn't had an official girlfriend in years so I'm happy for them! They even look the same - stupid sleek, black hair. Good for you, Neji! You're perfectly free to date cows."

Itachi meets Sasuke's eye and does this weird, twitching motion with his head. Sasuke gets up to join him at the kitchen as Sakura delicately prompts Tenten to keep talking in her drunken haze.

"What's up?" Sasuke crosses his arms over his chest and stares at his brother inquisitively.

"I talked to Neji last night. He honestly seemed like a good man."

"He is."

"That's not what I'm seeing here. It looks like she-"

"She doesn't know what she's doing," Sasuke says lightly. "Believe me, I've been watching them dance around for years and nothing's come out of it. Just leave them be and they'll figure it out."

Itachi sighs before turning around to look at Tenten sadly. "If you say so. That brings me to another point - have you chosen the name of your child yet? I've been getting daily, detailed texts of names and their meanings from our parents since you broke it to them last week. Please tell me you've made a decision."

There's a pause. "I haven't...yet." Itachi's head drops. "But Temari's willing to compromise on name and surname, so I have time."

"Good, it's for your child, after all."

Sasuke stares at him pointedly. "What's your preference?"

"Sarada," he says at once. "After your beloved big brother."

He rolls his eyes. "I'll think about it."

"Don't think - do," he smiles at him pleasantly and gives a now-sleeping Tenten a kiss on the cheek before shrugging his coat on. "I'm off - remember what we talked about." Sasuke leads him to the door and is caught off guard by the finger jabbing at his forehead. "I'll send you a memo. Ciao."

"Bye."

Sakura's haphazardly throwing a blanket over Tenten's body when he turns around, tucking her in gently. The pinkette stands up and catches sight of him standing at the entrance as she dusts off her pants. "It's been a long day."

"It has," he exhales and tucks a strand of Tenten's hair behind her ear. His next words make him feel like he's just conquered Mt Everest. "How've you been? We haven't had many opportunities to talk."

"I've been great - still job-searching, out of money now that I've cut myself off, but I'm happy," she beams up at him (he valiantly represses every heart beat), "I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off my chest, you know? No more marriage, no more Sai, no more society dinners," her hands are waving around in the air as she talks. He finds it both endearing and heartwarming to see the girl he'd been halfway-in-love with since high-school stepping away from her silver-spooned lifestyle and loving it. "I'm in a place in my life where everything is decided by me," Sakura pauses for a split-second. "And also, occasionally, the Bank, but everything else is me."

He sits down on the adjacent couch and watches her fret over his sister. "I think that sounds perfect."

She sends him a quick smile. "It's so perfect. I'm thinking of doing something - more like, coming back to it, but I'm not too sure and haven't told anyone yet."

Sasuke leans forward slightly, ears attentive. "What is it?"

"I'm considering going back to studying. And before you say anything like that's ridiculous, you're too old now, or you can't because you don't have the money-"

"It's a great idea," he agrees adamantly. Sakura grins.

"Isn't it? I mean, I finished my pre-med degree a few years ago, so I might be able to do something with that at least. Right? I made sure my grades were high enough for med before...well - marriage."

"Of course," he holds a hand out to punctuate his point, "You could absolutely become a doctor - it'll take a decade, but you can do it easily."

"Really?" Sakura blushes and stands up in excitement. "I'll start applying - it shouldn't be too late, right?"

"Of course not," he replies, not really sure himself, "Go for it."

She almost jolts Tenten out of her sleep when she lands back on the cushions, then stays silent for a few seconds. "I think I'm going to do it," Sakura swivels around to look at him, "I'm doing it. I'm applying for uni again. I'm going to school again!" Sakura grabs her wine glass and downs it before grabbing Sasuke by the shoulders and pressing kisses to both of his cheeks. "Thank you so much!"

Something he replies with makes her giggle uncontrollably, possibly because she's drunk out of her mind, but then she's repeating the same phrase over and over and he finds himself...happy. Happy because other people are happy.

And suddenly, he really likes that feeling.

-misspandalily