THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY
-GAARA'S POV-
It took everything in me not to cringe when Sasori kissed Sakura right in front of us all. Instead, I forced myself to look away.
Something about him seems off and I don't think it's just because I'm jealous he gets to be so close to the girl I like, but I also don't know what it is. The only thing keeping my anxiety about it in check was the fact that Tenten was the one who introduced them and I know she'd never knowingly put Sakura in a bad situation.
She and Ino tore her away from him and the three of them joined the group of strangers dancing nearby in the living room area. An awkward aura fell over her boyfriend and me as we were left alone for the first time. I grit my teeth and turned to pour myself a drink only to notice he was looking at me and met his gaze.
He didn't say anything, but I could sense he was considering threatening me to watch myself around his girlfriend. Before he managed to, a tall guy with silvery-blonde hair and purple eyes came over to pour himself a drink. I returned my attention to my own cup and did the same, feeling even more awkward now that a stranger was standing between us.
The tall new arrival turned to stand with his back to the table at the same time as me and gave us both a big grin, "Lots to choose from here, huh boys?" Sasori gave him a nonchalant shrug and kept his dull gaze on the people dancing, but I chose not to respond and took a drink instead.
I felt them both look at me suddenly and wordlessly gave them a look of acknowledgement, raising my glass slightly before taking another drink. If I have to play along with their odd way of male-bonding in order to keep the peace, then I will.
Out of nowhere, I got a better look at the newcomer's face and froze mid-sip. Something about him was incredibly familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on where I'd seen him before. When he noticed me looking at him, he grabbed my free hand and shook it, "The name's Hidan, bro. I'm in Akatsuki. Looks like we'll be working together soon, huh?"
I nodded, "Gaara. Nice to meet you." Hidan was being friendly so there wasn't any reason to be rude to him, especially if we're supposed to go on a tour together next year. It'd be extremely awkward if one or more of us don't get along.
"Where's the other chick in your group? The Hyuuga girl. She's hot as hell. Do you think she'll put out? I'd go for the pink one, but Sasori here'd kick my ass."
My eyes darted over to the man he'd referenced, expecting him to say something to his so-called friend for talking about Sakura and Hinata that way, but he just rolled his eyes and continued to sip his drink. I opened my mouth to say something myself, only for the girls, Sasuke, and Aiko (his current fling) to return to the table.
"Shots! Let's take shots!" Ino flung an arm around my and Hidan's shoulders, cheering Tenten on as she began pouring them.
The Akatsuki member pulled his phone out and I noticed a woman was calling him by the photo on the caller ID, but he declined it and put the device back in his pocket before accepting a shot glass from Ino who'd begun passing them out. I begrudgingly accepted one and shot it back with a frown.
Sasori kissed Sakura again and I intended to avert my gaze like before, only to notice he was staring at me while he did it, like it was his intention to taunt me. The move succeeded in bringing anger into my blood and I clenched my teeth together before forcefully removing my gaze from their direction.
I don't like him at all.
An hour or so passed and the party was still in full swing. Somehow I'd managed to milk that one drink so Tenten and Ino didn't try to get me drunk, but it was still incredibly hot in that dorm so I went downstairs with the intention of using the back entrance to step outside for a few minutes. Just as my hand reached for the door handle, I heard Hidan's voice come from the other side. He was obviously talking to someone on the phone.
"That's what I said! I told him he needs to stop wasting time and just do it. She's never gonna give it up easily and it won't be worth all the work he's putting in anyway."
Feeling a bit guilty for eavesdropping, I moved to open the door and make my presence known, but froze again when Hidan continued after a long pause, "Because Sakura's a virgin, bro, that's why. He said he's too close to give up now. I think he should just get it over with while she's drunk tonight so he can move on and get back with Matsuri like he wants to, but who the fuck am I to tell him what to do, right?"
A fire shot through my veins as I listened to that and I could feel the familiar heat that I only get before blacking out and losing my temper rising to my chest. Fists at my sides, I took a deep breath and multiple steps back. I can't lose my cool like I did after our debut. That mistake nearly cost me all three of my bandmates' good opinions and I couldn't let it happen again.
To my surprise, the door flung open and I swiftly tried to play it off as though I'd just arrived. Hidan's eyes locked onto mine, wide with shock, before narrowing, but he remained grinning, "You scared the fuck out of me, man. What's up?"
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, "I need to call someone. I can go somewhere else."
He held the door open so I could pass, "No worries. I'm headed back up anyway." I nodded in thanks as I stepped outside and waited for the door to latch as it closed behind him before immediately texting Sakura and asking her to meet me so I could tell her what I'd just overheard.
Ten entire minutes passed as I waited for a response before I realized it wasn't going to come. My grip on my phone tightened and I glared at the grass as I sat on the bottom step.
The way Hidan made it sound, Sasori was only with Sakura for sex and the notion made me want to be sick. How could he treat anyone like that, much less someone as wonderful as Sakura? She's been nothing less than smitten with that asshole since they first met and he's repaying her by treating her like a piece of meat?
Red was seeping into my vision and my pulse was quick.
I don't want her to be with anyone except for me, but that's not my decision. It's hers. I respect that, too, because if I didn't I'd be no better than Sasori or Hidan. However, the guy that's lucky enough to receive her affection better treat her with the respect and care that she deserves.
It took a few minutes for me to simmer my anger down before I was able to think more logically. I'll just go upstairs, make sure nothing bad happens to her tonight, and talk to her about what I heard tomorrow. She was already incredibly drunk when I came down here, so it's likely she wouldn't be able to properly process the news anyway.
With a frown, I went upstairs and re-entered her and Hinata's dorm. I looked everywhere for her only to fail before suddenly realizing Sasori was also missing. My eyes turned onto her closed bedroom door and my heart sank into my stomach. Before I could realize what I was doing, my feet took me to it and all the air in my lungs left me when I saw what was going on.
Sakura was beyond trashed, I could tell by the dazed look on her face as she stared at the ceiling. Sasori was taking advantage of that. Her shirt was up so her bra was visible. He froze with his fingers beneath the hem of her shorts like he was about to pull them off of her and looked at me.
In a blink, I was using every bit of my strength to stop myself from beating him to a pulp and instead threatened him. Sakura was way too close for me to lose my temper and start a fight. She'd be in danger of getting caught in the crossfire and I refused to let that happen.
"Get away from her right now."
Sasori climbed off of her before shoving me back with a hand on either of my shoulders. My hands gripped the front of his shirt and we glared at one another, "Back off, kid."
Sakura sat up with a confused look on her face, "What the...?"
My arm was suddenly grabbed and so was his. We both looked over to see an enraged Tenten. She dragged us through the unsuspecting crowd and out into the hallway. Once the door to the dorm was shut, she let us go. To this day, I've never seen her truly upset about anything, so the murderous expression on her face was off-putting to say the least.
She poked Sasori's chest angrily, "What the hell do you think you're doing with her while she's that drunk? I could kill you! And you!" Her finger was pointing at me now, but I considered myself lucky that she didn't poke me like she had him, "Stop rushing into things without getting help! You're lucky I saw your face when opened that door or you two would've beaten the hell out of one another. Now-"
Sasori's glare was on me again and I met it with my own, but she put a hand on either of our chests to keep us at bay, "Sasori, I suggest you get out of here this instant before I chop your dick off. If you ever try something like this again, I'll report you to Kakashi, do you understand me?" His eyes widened in surprise.
She pointed to the elevator, "I'm going to believe that you were too drunk to know what you were doing, but I won't do so a second time. I'm dead serious." The man gave me one last glare before turning to walk towards the elevator and follow her orders.
Once he was gone, Tenten pushed her hair behind her ears and turned her glare on me with crossed arms. I frowned, "He was going to-"
"I know and I'm glad you were there to stop it from happening, but you can't keep getting into trouble like this. If I hadn't stopped you, Kakashi would've ended up finding out you got into another fight and that we had this party. We'd all be fucked, but especially you."
My teeth grit and I felt my gaze harden, "If I find out he tries something like that again, don't stop me."
The angry expression on her face melted into understanding, "I know you care about her, Gaara. Just don't do anything that's going to make her hate you, okay?" She stared at me for a moment, but I didn't respond. There wasn't anything else to say.
"Get your ass to bed and pray that Sakura doesn't remember all this." I nodded in defeat and turned to head for my dorm. Disobeying her now would be a very real threat to my physical well-being.
-Tenten's POV-
While I was telling off the two redheads, my phone was vibrating in my back pocket. After going back into the party to verify that Sakura was alright, I came back out to the hall to check it.
Excitement and concern rose in my throat when I saw Neji's name on my missed calls list. He hasn't texted or called me since the day he told me he just wanted to be friends and I've been too humiliated to initiate any conversations either. It's nearly eleven at night, so his calling me made me nervous that something bad had happened to someone in Hinata's family and perhaps he couldn't get ahold of her and had resorted to contacting me instead.
Luckily, he answered when I called back. The line remained quiet for a long moment when he did, though. I nervously broke the silence, "Sorry I missed your call. Is everything alright?"
The pause continued on his end of the line and I began to wonder if he was even there. Just before I was about to ask, he finally spoke in his deep and charming voice, "I shouldn't have called you. I'm sorry."
I leaned against the wall, "No, it's alright. Did something happen? What's going on?"
There was another long moment of silence before he responded and changed the topic, "What is that noise?"
A groan nearly managed to escape my lips. He's going to be even angrier with me than he already is when I tell him I let a party break out in his underage cousin's dorm, whether she's here or not. "About that...Sakura and Ino are kind of throwing an impromptu get together."
"A party." I made a nondescript sound of confirmation.
The line went quiet yet again and my nerves rose until I started babbling, "I know it's not really your scene, but you're welcome to stop by. I mean, only if you want to, though. You don't have to. It's not that I don't want you to, but I don't want you to-"
"I'm coming over." His blunt answer cut through my rambling, "What?"
He sighed, "It'll take me about an hour, but I'm on my way." The Hyuuga man hung up without waiting for my response.
My mouth hung open in disbelief. He's coming over! I wanted to dance with glee, but also forced myself to keep in mind he's likely only doing so to verify his cousin is alright. Clamping my mouth shut, I flitted into my room to freshen up.
Later on, when I returned to the party, Sasuke informed me that Hinata and Kiba had arrived, drank a bit, and then slipped into her room. If it was anyone but Hinata, I'd assume they were hooking up in there, but they likely just cuddled and went to sleep.
A proud feeling rose in my chest as I glanced at the closed door to her bedroom. Over the past two months, she's gotten so much more comfortable physically getting close with others, male or female alike. At first, she'd jump and shake nervously if anyone so much as came within a foot of her, but now she honestly seemed to like physical affection. That's great considering literally all of us, minus maybe the boys, are big on dishing it out.
Just when I was starting to think Neji was standing me up, he came through the front door. It was my first time seeing him in casual clothing rather than a business suit and the difference was jarring, but he was still drop dead gorgeous. He had on jeans and a dark green t-shirt, very basic clothing. That didn't surprise me at all. He found me quickly and stood at my side in the kitchen as we leaned against the counter, accepting a drink as I wordlessly handed it to him. I badly wanted to look over at his face, but forced my gaze to stay on the cup in my hand.
It was silent for a long moment before he spoke above the music, "Where's my cousin?"
A twinge of hurt rose in my chest, but I choked it back, "She went to bed already."
He went silent again for a long time. I surveyed the dorm with a red face, beginning to regret inviting him. If I'd known it'd be this awkward, I wouldn't have brought it up at all. My hand was suddenly grabbed and I looked down at it in shock to see Neji had grabbed it, looking up at his face then. He studied me for a moment before pulling me along with him as he left the dorm and entered the hallway, "Which room is yours?"
My face got warmer and I took the lead, pulling him into my dorm and shutting the door behind us before releasing his hand. Feeling apprehensive, I turned to face him, "What's wrong? Did you want to talk about something?"
He sat his cup down and I mirrored the action on impulse, studying his face cautiously. "I shouldn't have called you earlier."
He repeated his statement of regret and my brow furrowed. "Then why did you?"
Long fingers twitched at his side, distracting me from the unreadable expression on his face, "I can't stop thinking about that night."
My eyes shot up to his, wide with disbelief. "Neji, you said you didn't want to get involved like that. What are you doing?"
He closed his eyes and sighed, "I know what I said. That's why it was wrong to call you."
Blush warmed my face and ears as I looked over his attractive appearance. Neji wasn't the only one who couldn't forget that night. I haven't been able to even look at another man in that way since then, leading me to become more sexually frustrated by the day. Feeling like I may come to regret it, I softly made an offer, "If you're okay with it, we can do it again."
Silver eyes opened to meet mine and his jaw flexed, "This has to be the last time." He took a step forward as he spoke, gaze drifting down my body. I nodded, taking a step toward him as well.
It happened like a whirlwind and it was just as breathtaking and wonderful as the first time. Then we returned to the party like we hadn't just had a feverish hook up.
Just like we agreed, we went back to just being friends. It was kind of nice to hang out with him casually. I still felt awful about myself, though. The fact that he didn't want to take my feelings seriously was a hard pill to swallow. I shouldn't have offered to sleep with him again. Either way, we drank and danced a bit.
Before I knew it, I was waking up. I didn't even recall falling asleep, but immediately realized I was laying on top of someone. That someone smelled an awful lot like Neji. My eyes slowly crept open, scared that he'd be glaring at me for overstepping his newly placed boundaries. Thankfully, he was still asleep.
Our hair was tangled and my head had been resting beneath his chin. His arms were loosely around me. I glanced around at all the young adults sleeping on the floor and smiled. We'd struck gold by falling asleep on the sofa. As I returned my gaze to Neji's sleeping face, however, the grin faded. No matter how badly I wanted to stay and continue to enjoy cuddling him, I knew I should get up before he wakes.
I tested moving a few inches, but his arms tightened around my waist and pulled me back down against him. My palms pressed against his chest and I tried to look up at his face in shock. One of his eyes cracked open and he rumbled out in a voice that sounded like he wasn't completely awake, "Just stay."
I nodded slowly, relaxing my tense muscles. My face was burning hot as he rubbed a few small circles into the small of my back before seeming to fall asleep again. My lips tugged into a small smile as I gave in to my desires and snuggled closer into his chest before falling asleep again myself.