Third Time Lucky   von Khaosprinz
================================================================================
                                  Kapitel 4: 
                                  -----------


A few months later, everything was back to normal again. The awkward moments
when Naruto and Kakashi met were long since gone, and they even went on missions
together again. In addition to that, they resumed their Suiton training. The
only difference was that where Naruto had been eager for a relationship before,
he was now hesitant and decided to stay single for now.
 
On this particular evening, he was being dragged by Ino to a bar on the far side
of the village.
"Oh, come now! You haven't been to a party in ages, and today even Kankurō and
Temari are there! They'll leave again tomorrow, so you have to come!"
"Okay, okay..." It wasn't like he really had a choice, now did he? "Geez, let go
now, I can walk on my own, you know?"
"Not so sure about that...", she replied but removed her hand from his collar
nonetheless.
"Who else is going to be there?"
"Everyone from our class back then; Lee, Neji and Tenten, Kankurō and Temari of
course, like I said, Sai, Genma, Izumo, Kotetsu, Kakashi-sensei and
Kurenai-sensei, and I think that's it..."
"Why not Gekimayu-sensei?" Naruto inquired, even though he was unsure about him
being there. Gejimayu[11] would certainly spread enough 'youthfulness' for the
both of them.
"He's not in the village, thank gods... And you'll have to help me ensure that
Lee doesn't drink any alcohol. It took me hours to convince the owner of that
bar to let us use it tonight." She sighed deeply. Naruto groaned.
"Damn, you're right... Why did you invite him anyway?"
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Not doing so would've have been mean... Besides, if he heard about it
somewhere, he'd have come anyway."
"Yeah, you're right..."
 
                                                    
                                                    
 
A few hours later, the party had reached its peak and Naruto had learned some
interesting, and slightly disturbing, things about some of his friends. For
example that Tenten was a scary drunk. She acted all normal most of the time,
but whenever you said something to her she didn't like... well, the various
weapons scattered over the place were self-explanatory. Or that Shino became
quite talkative, and Shikamaru... was oddly depressed. He currently sat next to
him, head on his arms and muttering about how everyone shamelessly took
advantage of his brain, and that some people even came to him for the easiest
things.
Naruto absently patted his shoulder, not really paying attention. Another thing
he had discovered was that Kankurō, acting as the DJ, had a strange taste in
music.
"Just what is this...? 'I just had sex and it felt so good'? I mean...
seriously?!", he asked Chōji who sat in front of him, swaying on his chair and
shoving some snacks against his cheeks. Some of the other songs he'd heard were
strange as well... Something about sweat dropping from a ceiling, or someone
creaming his pants because of eating a grape... The other male shrugged before
standing up.
"I better go home now", he gripped onto the table to steady himself again, "I'll
take Shikamaru with me. Good luck for the night", he added, slinging his
friend's arm over his shoulder before they both staggered out of the bar.
Naruto looked after them, a bit tipsy himself, but probably still one of the
most sober ones.
 
He looked around. Sasuke was playing a card game with Genma, Kotetsu and Izumo,
seemingly enjoying himself considering the smug grin on his lips, and Ino,
Tenten, Temari and Sakura sat in a corner, heads together, giggling like the
girls they were. Lee was with them with one of his Kage Bunshins making sure he
wouldn't even sniff at a bottle of sake.
A new song he didn't know boomed out of the speakers and the blond shot a look
at Kankurō. The puppeteer had gotten rid of his hood some time ago, and now the
zipper of his jacket was pulled down as well. Where the hell did he get this
music...? He nipped at his sake, only to throw the cup away when suddenly a
white blur ran past him and hid behind his back.
"Naruto, help me... Tenten wants me to... to do things...", a disturbed and
dishevelled Neji pleaded into his ear. Naruto blinked.
"Things...?" He wasn't so sure he wanted to know.
Said female appeared in front of him and tried to grab the Hyūga's sleeve.
"Oh, come on now, Neji! It's not so bad!
"No!"
Naruto decided to interfere before his bottle of sake followed his cup to the
floor.
"Tenten... I have no idea what all this is about, but if Neji doesn't want to do
it you shouldn't force him." He raised his finger in a teacher like fashion. The
young woman in front of him huffed.
"It's not like I want to rape him... I just want him to dance!" Naruto blinked
again, but the distressed sound next to his ear made him shake his head.
"No, Tenten... And I won't dance, either", he added, when her gaze shifted to
him. He prepared himself to fend off incoming weaponry, but to his surprise,
nothing came.
"Fine... Party-poopers..." And with that she left, knocking a few chairs over on
her way.
 
"You're a lifesaver...", Neji murmured and sat on the chair next to him. Naruto
shrugged.
"Don't mention it... But why didn't you do it? I mean, back then with
Gekimayu-sensei and Kirābī you-"
"Nooo, don't remind me...", the Hyūga groaned and grabbed the sake, not caring
about a cup, bringing it straightly to his lips. The Jinchūriki chuckled at the
reaction, but didn't say anything more.[C]
He suddenly heard a loud crash and shouting from the other side of the room.
"That sounds like... Oh shit, where's Sasuke?", he cursed and jumped to his
feet, hectically searching for his best friend. And there he was, standing next
to an upside-down table, grabbing a frantic Genma at his collar and glaring at
him in the middle of what once was their card game.
"Fuck!", Naruto cursed again and dashed off to save some more lives tonight.
Neji just stared after him, not even pretending to know what was going on and
drank some more sake. A few moments later, the blond returned, a thrashing
Sasuke draped over his shoulder. The Hyūga tilted his head curiously.
"What was that about?"
Naruto let his friend down again and tried to make him sit on a chair.
"You see- no, Sasuke, stay here! Nii-chan here is- damnit, sit!" He forcefully
pushed the raven's shoulders down.
"But-!"
"No buts, just sit!"
Neji blinked rather interested at the display. Sasuke struggled some more, until
his shoulders suddenly slumped down and he started mumbling incoherent things.
He then looked at Naruto, who shook his head, ran his fingers through his hair,
and plopped down on a chair. He wordlessly handed over the sake bottle, and the
blond gratefully took it.
"Well?", Neji enquired, and the other shook his head again.
"Sasuke... is drunk. And he's a strange drunk. First he gets all violent, like
you just saw, then he gets all depressed for a reason I do not know
and then he gets clingy... I'm the only one who can handle him when he's like
that-"
"You're the only one who can handle him at all", Neji murmured but was swiftly
ignored.
"So I usually take care he doesn't drink too much or that he's near me when he
does. Didn't work this time, so I just had to save Genma's ass."
Neji nodded in understanding though he didn't actually. And he didn't
particularly care, either.
"So that's when he's depressed?", he asked and nodded towards the Uchiha who
just sat there, murmuring and glaring at the table. Naruto shot his
brother-in-everything-but-blood a look and sighed.
"Yup."
"Interesting."
 
They started a casual conversation about unimportant things ("Hey, how was your
last mission? I heard you were in Kusa." "Not bad, and yours in Iwa?" "Good."),
all the while sharing the bottle of sake (cups had become unimportant ever since
they lost theirs and didn't feel like getting new one's) until they suddenly
heard some shouting and clapping. Naruto jumped to his feet.
"Oh shit, where's Sasuke?!", he asked panicked. Neji blinked at him owlishly
and raised his eyebrows.
"Right next to you."
The blond whipped around, and indeed, the man in question sat there, head on his
arm and drawing patterns on the table, still mumbling. He stared a moment and
then sat down again.
"Oh... Right." He patted the Uchiha's shoulder, but another wave of shouts and
clapping made him look at the group of people gathering in the middle of the
room again.
"What's happening there?"
Neji shrugged, but activated his Byakugan to take a closer look. His eyes
widened.
"What in the...", he breathed, rather disturbed and deactivated his kekkei
genkai. He looked at Naruto again.
"I thank you so much for saving me earlier...", he simply said and took a
large gulp of sake.
The blond, even more curious than before, stood up again and jumped on Sasuke's
back to see over the other people's head, successfully smashing his friends face
into the table. His blue eyes widened at what he saw.
Ino, Tenten and Temari were there, dancing (if you could call it that), with
Kiba, Lee and... Shino (What the FUCK?!) lying between their legs and doing
something that vaguely resembled push-ups. He wasn't even mad when Sasuke shoved
him off his back again, making him fall hard onto the ground. He picked himself
up from the floor and sat on his chair again.
"That's..." He couldn't find the words, but the long haired male in front of him
seemed to understand nonetheless.
"Yes. Yes it is." And with that, two new bottles of sake appeared in his hand,
seemingly out of nowhere, and he gave one to the blond.
 
A short while later, Naruto felt someone latching onto his arm. He slowly turned
his head and tried to focus on the dark mop of hair at his shoulder.
"I guess now the clinging starts?", Neji asked, interested, slurring a bit. He
nodded and drank some more sake. A pale hand reached up and took the bottle from
him. He blinked again when Sasuke drank out of it before shifting closer with
his chair. The Hyūga found it somehow astounding that Naruto didn't seem to
mind. They continued their conversation, Sasuke all the while getting closer and
closer to the blond, and it wasn't until he was practically hanging from him,
that Naruto had enough.
"Teme, I think it's time for you to go home."
He got no response apart from the grip on his arm tightening. He rolled his eyes
before freeing his hand and weaving a sign.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Another Naruto appeared next to him and he passed Sasuke over.
"Take him home, stay with him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.
Dispel when you think he won't kill himself."
"Aye!"
And with that, his clone slung one of the raven's arms around his neck and
slowly walked out of the bar. Mostly because he wasn't completely stable either.
Neji nodded, something akin to appreciation on his face.
"Those Bunshins sure come in handy, huh?"
Naruto nodded, blissfully smiling when a certain memory flashed through his
head.
"You have no idea..." The Hyūga raised his eyebrows at that, something he
couldn't quite name flashing through his eyes.
"Ohhh? Well, then give me an idea."
The Jinchūriki's smile widened before he leaned over the table and whispered
loudly:
"Let's just say Kakashi-sensei and I found some new merits about them when we
were a couple."
Neji's eyes widened when images flashed through his head and he couldn't help
the small blush that crept up his face. He didn't even care about Naruto's
uncharacteristic giggle, because damn...
"And your clone with Sasuke...?"
The blond shook his head, still grinning.
"Nah. They'll be good. The teme will use him as a teddy bear until he finally
passes out, that's all."
"Huh...", the raven breathed, the pinkish colour slowly disappearing from his
cheeks. He took another sip of sake, eyes shifting to the people gathered in the
middle of the room. There were less now, some gone and some occupying the tables
nearby, partially passed out from the alcohol. He shook his head when he spotted
Tenten among them, a bit disappointed that they didn't know their limits. Okay,
he definitely wasn't sober himself, but he wasn't completely wasted. Like Kiba
for example, who drooled on the table he was laying on and occasionally grunted
when a giggling Sakura poked him in the ribs. He wondered who else apart from
himself and probably Naruto still knew what they were doing.
 
​                                                  
                                                   
  
 
Exactly 87 minutes later, Neji wasn't quite where he was, what was happening
and why it was happening. All he knew was that the glass at his exposed back
was really, really cold. And the person between his legs, kissing him harshly
and thrusting into him, pressing him against the window, was really, really
warm. His alcohol-fogged mind didn't quite comprehend what had happened which
made them ended up like this, but it did understand however that this felt
fucking good. A low grown escaped him and he dug his fingers into the shoulders
beneath them, drawing blood. The grip around his thighs hardened, the pace
increased and he let out a noise he couldn't quite decipher when Naruto bit on
his neck, hard. He tilted his spinning head to make more room for this sickly
hot mouth that was breaking his skin and he soon felt his release coming closer.
He felt he was being shifted and- ohgoddothatagain! He now gripped the window
frame with one hand to better keep his balance, and his knuckles turned white.
They were both panting harshly now, his long hair sticking to his sweat-covered
skin. The blond lost all rhythm now, simply slamming into him, and when Neji
climaxed with a violent shudder mere seconds later, he actually ripped a part of
the wooden window frame out. Naruto followed closely and pulled his shrinking
member out.
They stayed like that for a moment, forehead against forehead, eyes closed and
panting harshly. When Naruto had the feeling his legs wouldn't carry him
anymore, he slowly sank down on the ground, all the while still holding onto his
partner. His vision blurred and his mind spun when the adrenalin disappeard and
the boozed state he had been in before returned. He slowly opened his eyes and
met pale ones, veiled with lust, hunger and satisfaction. He felt himself
getting hard again, and considering something was poking into his stomach, he
assumed the other felt the same way. He scrambled to his feet, pulling the raven
up with him, and simply murmured "We better take this to the bedroom...". All he
got in return was a dazed nod.
 
They didn't get far, however, because after two steps he was being turned around
and attacked. Or rather his mouth was attacked. He tried to say something, but
since only incoherent noises came out, he stopped and simply obeyed the
demanding lips. He stumbled backwards, pulling Neji with him and he blindly
tried to reach at least the couch in his living room. He couldn't do another
session standing, not now. When the back of his knees hit something soft, he
swiftly turned them around and pushed the raven down on the cushiony surface,
all the while not breaking the kiss. He placed himself between pale legs and
pushed two fingers in again, more for the messed up foreplay rather than
preparation. That was unnecessary right now. He licked at the half-hard member
in front of him, tasting it, and looked at his companion who had an arm draped
over his face and took a shuddering breath. He added another finger and stroked
himself as well, even if it wasn't particularly needed. He shifted after some
more seconds and pushed himself in again. It was amazing, just like the last
time. And his head was astoundingly clear, he thought, but he somehow had the
feeling that wouldn't last for long.
He started moving, a bit slower than the last time, but he wasn't even able to
settle for a steady pace until a hand gripped his hair and pulled him up to meet
pale eyes only few inches afar.
"Move", the Hyūga growled in a deep, husky voice, and Naruto had to shudder,
but he obeyed.
It soon became just as raw and wild as before, the only difference being the new
angle for Neji. The raven gripped his shoulders so hard there were big, ugly
bruises left, and when he came the blond was sure he could hear his bones crack
under the strangled whimper-moan-hiss his partner let out. He released after a
few more thrusts as well, sinking down on the arching body beneath him. He had
trouble breathing normally and the whole room was spinning around him.
Damn... Bunny sex and alcohol do not mix well together..., he thought and closed
his eyes.
 
Neji on the other hand was collecting his thoughts. Sure, he was satisfied
indeed, but a small little bit of his pride demanded him to change the fact that
he had been submissive... Twice. And being the quick learner he was, he had to
do something about it. Good thing he too was a victim of his hormones, and with
a bit more... attention he was sure he could go for another round. And
Naruto... Well, he'd see about that, right now, his pride was screaming at him
to do something. And with that, he swiftly moved from under the blond and stood,
pulling the other up with him.
"Bedroom. Where?", he asked, massaging the other's manhood and grinning smugly
when he felt it hardening. But before he could get an answer, he engaged the
blond in a bruising kiss. He felt he was being pushed backwards and he took a
step back. He was being led into the bedroom, but not without bumping into a few
things on the way. He too was hard again, and he buried one of his hands in
blond locks to pull those intoxicating lips even closer. Where was that damn
bed? He wanted some action, now.
His hip suddenly met something hard and he was pushed flat on his back. He
opened his eyes. The table.
Where the hell does this idiot have his bed...? Oh screw it, he thought, freed
himself and reversed their positions.
Naruto looked up at him dazed and slightly confused, not really comprehending at
all until slender fingers gave him the answer. He bit back a moan before
propping himself up on his elbows.
"'You sure?", he asked and tried to focus on the other male leaning down on him
between his thighs. He failed and fell back onto the table with a moan. He heard
light chuckling.
"I'm a fast learner."
Indeed he was, as Naruto found out a couple of minutes later when he was being
thoroughly screwed into his own table. I didn't expect this..., he managed to
think, but then again I didn't really expect any of this to happen... He was
writhing and clawing at the wood beneath him, leaving deep scratches the
surface. He reached up and grabbed a fistful off of sweat-dampened hair that was
tickling his stomach, yanking its owner down to him to engage him in another
heated kiss. He soon came with a strangled cry, though there was barely any
sperm covering his stomach. Neji followed closely, biting down hard on the
other's lips. He stayed where he was, far too tired and still drunk to do
anything else, but no matter how boneless they both felt, this was
uncomfortable.
"Bed...", he murmured once again with closed eyes. He felt fuzzy. A few seconds
passed before he got a groggy answer.
"Left."
He slowly blinked, and as soon as he fully progressed that answer, he got up and
looked around. Indeed, there it was, about two feet left of him. Huh.
He slowly separated himself from the hot body beneath him and stumbled over to
the soft mattress, collapsing on it as soon as it was in reach. The blond
followed a moment later.
 
​                                                  
                                                   
  
 
Naruto awoke the next morning far too early due to memories of Sasuke vomiting
all over him flashing into his mind. Add that to the excruciating pain in his
head, and he felt like throwing up as well. He slowly sat up groaning, and
blinked warily at the pale legs in front of him. He blinked some more.
Pale legs...? He followed them with bloodshot eyes until they disappeared under
his blanket, leading to a lump beneath it. He then noticed his own legs lying
beneath them, and the arm around his hip. He slowly lifted the covers to see who
owned the limbs all around him, and when he saw one Hyūga Neji curled up at his
side, sleeping peacefully, more memories flooded him. He dropped the covers
again and groaned.
"Oh god..."
He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, not only because of his throbbing
head, but to calm himself as well. Come to think of it, why was he hungover at
all? What was that stupid fox doing now?
Carefully entangling himself from the other male he climbed out of the bed. He
needed a shower, badly. He saw Neji frowning in his sleep, tugging at the
blanket and curling up even more at the loss of the warmth, and if it weren't
for him feeling like shit right now, he'd be chuckling at the fact that his
stoic friend was a cuddly sleeper.
 
He slouched over to his dresser and grabbed some random clothes before entering
his bathroom and getting under the shower. He leaned against the tiles behind
him and closed his eyes, entering his mindscape.
Naruto looked at the giant fox lying in his cell and looking at him with bare
hidden amusement.
"Seems like you had some fun last night."
The blond groaned again.
"I don't want to think about that right now...", he winced at the volume of his
own voice, "What's with the headache?"
"That, my dear container, is what you humans call a hangover."
Naruto briefly thought about banging his head against a wall, but then decided
against it.
"I know. Why do I have one? You usually take care of it."
He wasn't sure if foxes could actually snicker, but the noise his partner made
surely sounded like it.
"For my entertainment. You've been awfully boring the last weeks. You wouldn't
even play with me."
Naruto whined. "Kuram-OW!"
He winced when his voice echoed through the room and his head felt like it was
melting. He heard another chuckle.
"Fine, fine. Give me twenty minutes, but you'll let me out and have some fun on
your next mission."
And with that, Naruto found himself standing in his shower again. He waited some
minutes before he moved until the pain in his head started disappearing, and
when it did, he cleaned himself up.
True to his word, Kurama had taken care of his pain in simply twenty minutes and
Naruto felt wonderful. Apart from the dread in his stomach about the upcoming
conversation with the person in his bed, that is.
He got dressed and re-entered his living room, looking at the scattered clothes
that partly weren't his own. Picking them up and folding them, he thought about
what he was going to say.
I guess we were both pretty drunk... The question is, if Neji remembers the last
evening as well, though I think he does. Didn't drink more than I did, and I
remember everything, even if some things are a bit blurry. What's this chunk of
wood doing here...? His thoughts stopped for a moment until his gaze fell onto
the damaged window frame. … Right...
 
Naruto was torn from his thoughts when he heard a pained groan from inside his
bedroom, followed by some shuffling. Gulping, he mentally prepared himself for
the following confrontation, but before he went into his kitchen. Filling a
glass with some water and getting his painkillers, he went back into his
bedroom.
Neji sat on the edge of his bed, blanket covering his lap and head in his hands,
a pained expression on his features. Pale eyes opened and looked at him when the
blond stepped into the room, and after a moment they widened. Naruto inwardly
winced. He silently held out the glass and the pills and, after a moment, the
items were taken from his hands.
He sat down on a chair and observed his friend, noting the way his usually neat
hair was a mess and stuck out in all directions. After a few moments the blond
got up and left the room, only to return with a handful of clothes a moment
later. He was just planning on leaving them on the table and walking out once
more, when he noticed some stains on the wood.
Feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks, he instead put them on a chair and went
to get something to clean the table up. And the window as well... He hoped no
one had seen them, that'd be way too embarrassing.
When he returned a few minutes later, Neji looked a bit better than before and
observed his every movement, looking bewildered. Naruto gulped and interrupted
the awkward silence.
"If you want to shower, it is the door on the right in the living room. You
probably need it as badly as I did, it's, uh... even in your hair..."
The raven stared at him for a moment, before his pale eyes fell onto the strands
of hair dangling in front of his face. And indeed, some of the strands were
glued together by a sticky, milky white substance that looked an awful lot
like...
"Oh god...", he groaned, jumped to his feet and disappeared into the bathroom in
mere seconds. Naruto looked after him, not sure what to do, but then he simply
grabbed the clothes he had previously left on one of his chairs and put them on
the shelf next to the door to the bathroom. The shower was already on. He
carefully knocked.
"I put your clothes next to the door."
"Yes, thank you..."
He turned around and looked out of the window, only to find himself blushing
again when the memories of last night's activities came back to his mind. He
quickly turned around and went to change the sheets of his bed, even if nothing
had happened in there. His lips twitched with twisted amusement, and if this
wouldn't be such a serious matter, he'd be laughing at the fact that they did it
three times last evening, only to fall asleep as soon as they actually reached
the bed.
 
Half an hour later, a fully clothed Neji including hitai-ate with dripping, but
thankfully clean, hair that was hiding the bite mark on his neck sat in front of
him at his kitchen table. Neither of the two was speaking, and they carefully
avoided each other's gaze for various reasons.
One was of course the embarrassment, but in Neji's case it was some sort of
humiliation as well. He couldn't believe he had acted like he did the last
evening, even if he had been fairly drunk. To lose it like that... He had
behaved like a horny teenager!
He looked up when he heard Naruto speaking.
"Look, uh... What happened, happened, right?" Blue eyes locked with his own and
he winced, but nodded.
"Yeah, and we can't undo it now, so no point in whining over it." Gods, this is
awkward..., the blond thought.
Neji stayed silent for a moment before he spoke up.
"What now?"
"Uh..."
Naruto thought. They could act like this never happened, as strange as it was,
or act on it... Summoning all of his bravery (or stupidity), he voiced his
thoughts.
"We could, uh... go out sometime. Like, on a date or something."
Neji raised his eyebrows.
"... Did you plan to do this?"
"No! I just thought, uhm..." Now how should he say this?
"You thought?"
"... Seize the day? Or moment? I mean, this already happened, and I guess we
could give it a try... If you want to, that is."
Neji pondered for a moment, thinking through the options. He finally shrugged;
there wasn't much he could lose now.
"... Fine. But no word about tonight to anyone."
Naruto smiled at him nervously before nodding and scratching the back of his
head.
"Fair enough. How about... Now? I'm starving, and I don't have much here."
The raven looked at him again before he sighed. Somehow he had the feeling that
this was all happening a little too fast, but he still nodded.
"I need to change first, though." His current clothes may be clean, but more
than a bit rumpled.
Naruto nodded and got up, left the kitchen and returned with a complete set of
Jōnin gear.
"These should fit you, they're Sasuke's. You're about the same height, they
might be a bit tight though, you're broader than him."
"... Why do you have his clothes?", Neji asked, eyeing the clothes before taking
them. He didn't care about the fact that the Uchiha might not want him wearing
his clothes. He wasn't afraid of him.
"He stays over sometimes."
"Hm", was all the raven said when he left the room to get changed. A few minutes
later, he returned, looking perfectly normal apart from his freely flowing hair.
"Do you know where my hair tie is?"
Naruto shook his head, looking embarrassed again.
"No, sorry, I couldn't find it. The part between the bar and... is a bit blurry.
It was already gone when we arrived here."
"...Okay."
There was an awkward moment again, before Naruto suddenly chuckled. Neji raised
his eyebrows.
"What's so funny?"
The blond waved and looked at him mischievously.
"Nothing, just thought about something I said to Chōji last night after hearing
one of Kankurō's strange songs. The guy sang something like 'I ain't your Mr.
Nice Guy, more like the meet-you-take-you-home-and-fuck-you-twice-guy' and I
said that I'd take it slower in my next attempt for a relationship." He stood up
and grabbed Neji's wrist, pulling him out of the apartment. The raven's lips
twitched.
"So much for that..." He could very well just go with the flow, he concluded. It
couldn't get any worse, after all.
 
​                                                  
                                                   
  
 
Sixty minutes later he was proven wrong. He and Naruto had gone to a small café
that was still blissfully empty due to the early hour and had eaten a nice
breakfast while having a nice conversation. And while they were drinking their
fourth cup of coffee, someone shouted the blond's name.
"Naruto!"
Said male looked up and paled lightly, but still smiled.
"Oh, hey Sakura-chan..."
Neji discreetly moved his hand through his hair, making it fall over his
shoulder and cover the mark on his neck. He nodded in greeting to the girl who
sat down next to them, wearing sunglasses.
"Neji-san, hello. What are you two doing here?", she asked.
"I, uh, was just having breakfast when Neji came along and joined me...", Naruto
improvised and smiled nervously, "What's with the sunglasses?"
The pinkette smiled sheepishly.
"I got rid of my headache, but my eyes still hurt when it's too bright, so...
some sort of hangover, I guess. Sometimes I really envy your healing."
The blond laughed and rubbed his neck, lifting his coffee to his lips. Sakura
suddenly leaned over and nudged his shoulder.
"Soo, who's your new girlfriend from yesterday?"
 
Neji froze and Naruto spit his coffee out again.
"HUH?"
She winked at him, grinning.
"Don't play dumb now, I saw the two of you!"
She blushed when he looked at her incredulously. She quickly lifted her hands in
a pacifying manner.
"I actually just wanted to check on you, you seemed rather drunk. But then I saw
you and her in the window and, uh…" She blushed even more. Yesterday evening
had been even more embarrassing. She hadn't seen much, only tons of dark hair
and Naruto busy with her neck... She didn't notice Neji discreetly brushing his
fingers through his hair, making it fall even more over his shoulder to hide the
bite mark. Damn, why didn't that Uchiha wear bigger collars, like he did when he
was younger?!
Naruto sputtered, his face an interesting shade of red.
"You, eh, you don't know her. Civilian", he added, hiding his face in his cup.
She pouted, clearly not believing him. She hadn't seen much, but that muscular
figure didn't look civilian to her.
"I know you're lying. Why won't you tell me? She looked kind of familiar...",
she mused, tapping her chin with her finger. Neji had to summon up all of his
willpower to not say anything at being taken for a girl... Just because he had
long hair? Seriously?
Naruto decided to stay silent and stubbornly looked at his coffee. The young
woman stared at him before she huffed and suddenly turned to the Hyūga.
"And how are you, Neji-san?"
"I'm fine, thank you", he answered casually, tilting his head inconspicuously,
making even more hair fall over his shoulder.
"If you have a hangover, I could take care of it", she offered and smiled at
him. He shook his head.
"I'm fine", he repeated. Her green eyes fell on the dark strands that were
uncharacteristically untied.
"Letting them free today, huh?", she asked, a tiny hint of jealousy in her
voice. His hair looked softer than hers.
"...Yes, I thought I'd try something else today."
She suddenly put her elbow on the table and propped her head on her palm,
looking at him with a strange expression in her eyes he could barely make out
behind the sunglasses.
"You sure have pretty hair, Neji-san... Most of the girls I know envy you for
it", she sighed. He looked at her disbelievingly, but not showing it, with a
twitching eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he should feel flattered or insulted that
his hair was 'pretty'. He liked it, yes he did, but still...
"... Is that so?", he enquired instead and watched her nodding enthusiastically.
"May I?", she looked at him interestedly.
"May you what?"
But instead of answering she simply reached over and brushed her fingers through
his hair. He froze again.
"You have to tell me what you do to make it so healthy...", she muttered,
lifting a few strands and letting them fall from her fingers like a waterfall.
She couldn't feel a single split end. But then her gaze fell down on his pale
neck and the red spotting on it. She stared at the mark for a moment, slowly
putting the pieces together and then realization hit her like a brick.
 
Sakura sank back on her chair, staring at the two males in front of her in utter
disbelief. Naruto tried to shrink as much as he could, grimacing, while Neji put
a hand over his face in embarrassment, feeling himself blushing for the first
time in years. No wait, he did yesterday...
"Oh my god... You were her- I mean him... Oh. My. God. I didn't know you two
were..." Her jaw hit the ground when they shifted uncomfortably and blood rushed
to her face.
"You weren't... So that was- OH GOD!", she suddenly squealed, jumped to her feet
and dashed away, just as ashamed as the two males she left behind.
When she disappeared from their sight, Naruto broke the silence.
"So much for keeping it low for now..." At least she didn't know the juicy
details. He sighed. Karma was being a bitch again, but then again, when wasn't
it?
"I think that's out of the question now", Neji stated, the red finally
disappearing from his face. The blond nodded and emptied his cup.
"Might as well just go along with it, it was only a matter of time until someone
caught on, anyway." The Jinchūriki waved a waitress over and ordered another
refill. "We're in a village full of shinobi, after all."
The raven nodded his agreement and brushed his hair back in place to cover his
neck.
"True... So, what were you saying about Sai-san and his nicknames?"
Naruto's eyes lit up and a grin spread over his face. They continued their
previous conversation before Sakura had interrupted them, and after some time in
which mostly the blond did the talking with an interested Hyūga listening and
commenting, he came to a conclusion. This just might work out..., he thought,
but of course he knew better than to get his hopes up. He didn't need a
repetition of his last break up. And when he mused about his previous two
flings, he suddenly realized something, and this, my dear readers, was the third
time in his life, that Uzumaki Naruto was completely and utterly terrified. Even
if it was just for a moment.
 
He faltered in his speech and stared a moment at the male in front of him, who
frowned and looked back.
"Is something wrong?"
Naruto continued to stare for a moment, before he smiled brightly and shook his
head.
"Nah, just realized something."
Neji raised his eyebrows questioningly. He blinked in surprise when the blond
poked his nose.
"That you fit exactly into the pattern of my previous 'preys'."
The Hyūga blinked again, and an amused smile tugged at his lips.
"'Preys'? What're you gonna do, chop my head off and hang it on your wall? Or
rather the usual procedure of displaying my underwear on a shelf and showing it
to all your friends?"
Naruto laughed out loud, shaking his head. He calmed down when the waitress came
with two new cups of coffee, putting them on the table in front of him, and he
snorted once more before he answered, his blue eyes sparkling.
"Nah, I'll leave your pretty head alone, no worries." Neji's eyebrow twitched.
There was that 'pretty' again.
"And I'm not enough of a pervert for a shelf like that."
Now the raven snorted.
"Says the man who was student to two of the most well-known perverts from this
village, and who has inherited their love for a certain series of pornographic
novels."
The blond raised his shoulders, a crooked smirk on his features.
"Okay, okay, point taken. And it's not porn, it's highly inspiring erotica."
Neji wondered about the inspiring part, but decided to ask about that later.
Something whipped through his mind.
"Whatever you say... But tell me more about this 'pattern' you mentioned."
Naruto mused, smiling.
"Well... Let's just say all three of you are smart, silent and considered
geniuses."
Three? The Hyūga pondered for a moment.
"... You were with the Uchiha?", he asked, torn between 'I didn't see that
coming' and 'Why doesn't that surprise me at all?'. The other male simply
grinned at him and winked.
"See? Smart." Neji's eyebrow twitched at the unsatisfying answer.
"And you all seem to have a twitchy eyebrow", the blond added as an afterthought
with a small frown. It twitched again.
​                                                  
                                                   
  
Fin.

Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)