Viva Forever

Viva Forever
Artists / Band – Spice Girls

Note: From the title you can probably guess where I got the inspiration for this fic. It's not as long as the others and I wrote it just to flex the creative muscle a bit while I wait for the next chapter of An Indecent Affair to be beta'd and while I try to figure out what to do next in Inbred (all other fics are on the back burner for now, sorry).

Also, there is no sex in this story until the very end, so if you're looking for hot, steamy man-on-man action you won't find it here. This one's pretty fluffy but also laden with sappy drama and if you hate to see grown men cry then this fic isn't for you either.

It's also Alternate Universe and Sasuke / Neji.

I hope you enjoy it.


~ Chapter 1 ~

“Hors d’ourves?” the young lady in the black and white catering uniform asked as she presented a large, silver tray creatively adorned with a delectable assortment of biscuits, cheeses and kebabs.

“No thank you,” Sasuke declined politely with a wave of his hand. His stomach was already tied together in tight, anxious knots and he didn’t think it was capable of digesting anything right now. The woman gave him a brilliant smile and continued her plotted course through the mass of aristocrats and Sasuke took another glance at his watch and sighed loudly when he realized that he still had at least another hour before he could leave early without appearing rude.

At high-class gatherings such as these, it was expected that everyone remain until the host was ready to call it a night. The reason being that they had spent quite a bit of money putting the entire thing together and wanted to get the most out of it, and the only excuse one could possibly have for needing to go before then was: a life or death emergency or a very important business meeting that needed to be attended early the next day. Sasuke was going with the latter and as much as he hated lying, he hated parties even more. He could have gotten away with the former suggestion too since he planned on killing Naruto for bailing on him at the last minute, but he couldn’t blame his friend. He lucked out by having to do a music video shoot and by then it was too late to give anyone his extra invitation.

Not that there was anyone else Sasuke would rather take, besides his brother, because Sasuke Uchiha lived a very secluded and unsociable life.

But it hadn’t always been like that.

“Red wine or white?” this time a male caterer with a plastic smile asked as he held up a tray of glasses.

“No thanks, I’m fine,” he sighed, trying to hide his exasperation. The caterer nodded and turned to serve someone else but not before making a face at the other man’s attitude once his back was turned to him. However, he hadn’t turned completely and Sasuke barely caught the shift in his facial features and if it were another time and he were in a different mood he would have confronted him about it, but he didn’t want to start an altercation. He just wanted to leave and he checked his watch again then growled when it appeared as if the second hand hadn’t even moved so he tapped hard against the glass with a fingernail.

Maybe he needed a new watch?

Poor etiquette or not, he couldn’t stand being there another minute and he vowed that the next time he got an invitation like this he was going to burn it immediately and claimed it probably got lost in the mail. “Excuse me…Pardon me,” he said gruffly as he slipped through groups of minglers clad in expensive tuxedos and elegant gowns while praying no one called out to him to engage in idle conversation.

He was a little too rough as he barged through the crowd and a woman shrieked in dismay when he accidentally knocked her glass from her hand and spilled her brandy all over her twelve thousand dollar, Oscar de la Renta dress.

‘Shit,’ he swore mentally and began stammering a sincere apology, but the woman didn’t want to hear it and he doubt she could anyway over her hysterical shrieking. An ‘I’m terribly sorry’ would not remove the stain or the humiliation she felt right now, and she was sure her peers would be giggling about this behind her back for weeks to come. Her husband quickly dabbed at the mess with his handkerchief and the woman proceeded to throw a theatrical, hissy fit and burst into crocodile tears in hopes it would garner her some sort of sympathy before storming out of the grand ball room and towards the hotel elevator. Her husband tried to fight back a grin and ran after her while promising to buy her three more dresses just like it since he was ecstatically glad that he now had an excuse to leave early.

After being made to feel like the main villain in a movie with many pairs of eyes on him, Sasuke was now more determined than ever to return to his own assigned suite and he took a few robotic steps backward to make his escape, but his progress was halted once more when he slammed into another person.

‘What now?’ he groaned to himself and the knots in his stomach drew tighter. Sasuke turned around to offer his apologies to the slightly shorter gentleman and he opened his mouth to do so, but when the stranger turned to face him as well, his words became lodged in his throat and the Uchiha stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the man before him.

It couldn’t be… could it?

‘No, it’s too much of a coincidence,’ Sasuke assured himself with a mental shake. Besides, he was dead, there was no way that he could be standing, right there in front of him, just within arms reach after he had been out of touch for so many years. He had to be seeing a ghost and as he stared at the familiar person as if he were some spectral apparition, the young man grew uncomfortable under the other’s stupefied gaze.

“N- Neji?”

His voice was barely above a whisper and he was sure the other man hadn’t heard him correctly, if at all, but when he nodded in acknowledgement of his own name, Sasuke suppressed the spark of hope that threatened to ignite within his chest.

He had to be absolutely sure.

“Neji… Hyuuga?”

He became bashful and was almost uncertain whether he should answer that question at all but he nodded again and gave a cautious, “Umm…yes.”

His shock melted into pure bliss and Sasuke couldn’t stop himself from smiling like a retard and he was sure he’d damaged a few facial muscles by suddenly making an expression he hadn’t produced since he’d been an adolescent. In his twenty-one years in life, he didn’t think he’d ever been this happy and for the first time in fifteen years, he laughed and Sasuke Uchiha actually hugged another human being. “Neji! Oh, thank God. I’m so glad to see you. It’s been so long. I’ve missed you so much,” he blurted out, uncaring who around them heard or saw.

It was Neji’s turn to be in shock now and his body stiffened as this stranger threw his arms around his neck and began muttering gibberish in his hair. He frowned when he realized that they had quite an audience now and he buried his rapidly, reddening face into the man’s shoulder to ask in a low voice so only he could hear. “I’m sorry but, do I know you?”

Sasuke’s body froze and he felt a cold chill settle on his skin. This was Neji, right? His Neji? He didn’t think there were that many Neji Hyuuga doppelgangers in existence and there was no mistaking those eyes. Those lovely, lavender eyes that used to bring him so much joy but only ended up haunting his childhood dreams. Sasuke gripped his shoulders and held him at an arm’s length, unwilling to let him go after he’d held him in his embrace again. “Neji, it’s me. Sasuke,” and he searched his face for the tiniest hint of recognition but when he saw none his spirit dampened and he tried again. “Don’t you remember me, Neji? I’m Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha... your husband.”

He was given a look that was a mixture of abhorrence and outrage before his large hands were swatted off of an expensive, silk shirt. “I don’t appreciate that kind of humor,” the Hyuuga glowered, incensed that anyone would have the gall to play a practical joke such as this. Relaxed, social gathering or not.

His angry words stung Sasuke’s already brittle heart and the pain threatened to cripple him as he watched his beloved shy away from him. “What humor?” he asked in response, his latent ire coming through in his voice. How could he think he was kidding about something this serious? Did Neji really not remember him? But how could have damn well forgotten?

“How could you forget?” Sasuke finally snapped, relaying his inner thoughts. “How could you forget the promises we made? The vows we made? How could you forget how much we meant to each other? How could you forget that you belong to me? That you are my wife!”

Something about the way this man spoke and the way he was glaring at him so heatedly tipped off to the astute Hyuuga that maybe he wasn’t playing a nasty joke on him but he was still too hard-pressed to believe that he should be taken seriously. More importantly, the spectators watching this little drama unfold had nearly doubled and Neji’s embarrassment had grown five times as large. He would have to humor this man for now to avoid gossip getting back to his family so he reluctantly took the crazed lunatic by his elbow and escorted him through the double doors and into the hall.

The long, broad hallway, papered in faux gold-leaf design was illuminated with rows of elegantly carved light fixtures and Neji led him along the plushy, carpeted path and away from the trolleys of food and caterers that guarded them while waiting for their turn to go in.

He would be damned if he took this nut back to his own room for the sake of a private conversation. There was no telling what a person in his mental state was capable of. He wanted to go somewhere where no one else could easily eavesdrop but was still within ear-shot just in case he needed to scream for his life. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to find such a place because as soon as they turned a corner he was shoved roughly against the wall and an aggressive mouth came crashing down upon his own.

He tried to yell once his deepest fears had come to pass but it came out as a smothered ‘Mmmph!’ and the sound was quickly lost in Sasuke’s throat. He tried to break the kiss by turning his head to one side but it was already pinned hard against the wall and he could do nothing more than moan his muffled protests as the stranger assaulted his lips. He then brought his hands up to press them against the broad chest before him but Sasuke wrapped his much stronger arms around Neji’s lean waist and yanked him flush against his body.

The shorter brunette gasped in shock and to fill his lungs with much needed air but he sputtered when a rough, inexperienced tongue thrust deep inside his moist warmth and threatened to choke him.

‘This can’t be happening,’ he thought in a panic as he writhed desperately and beat against hard shoulders. “St- stop it,” he managed on a sharp whisper once those lips moved to explore the smooth column of his neck and as much as he wanted to use the opportunity to scream for help, he didn’t want anyone to come and find them like this.

He was suddenly jerked wildly as he was grabbed by his shoulders and pushed away, and as grateful as he was for the reprieve, Neji wished he hadn’t shaken him so hard.

“Are you a virgin?”

That question disoriented him just as much as his actions did and as he was about to ask him to repeat himself long fingers dug into his flesh, tightening their grip and making him wince.

“Are you still a virgin?” Sasuke asked again, but this time through clenched teeth.

“No,” he answered truthfully, hoping that the madman would assume he was taken and leave him alone but the response only seemed to piss him off further and his scowl darkened significantly.

“How could you disregard our marriage like this?” he yelled into Neji’s face and giving him another quick shake. “How could you betray me and sleep with another? I’ve never cheated on you and I remained faithful to you after all these years. I saved myself for you, Neji. Why couldn’t you do the same for me?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Neji screeched just as loudly while trying to break free of his crushing grasp.

“I’m talking about chastity and respect for the wedding vows we made when we were six years old-” he broke off when Neji stopped struggling and his head snapped up to meet his gaze. “Do you remember now, Neji?” he asked hopefully.

Was this guy serious?

He would have laughed hysterically in the stranger’s face if he wasn’t still a little apprehensive but he shot him a rather scornful look instead as if he’d finally confirmed that he was certifiably insane. “Six years old?” the shorter one sputtered. “How the hell do you expect me to remember something that happened over fifteen years ago?”

“I remembered,” Sasuke argued.

Neji shook his head and tried to apply reason in hopes that it would at least console him enough to stop squeezing so hard. “But… we were just children,” he said. “We were probably just playing a game.”

“A game?” Sasuke barked on a wry laugh. “It wasn’t a damned, children’s game, Neji. It was real, to both of us. We meant those vows because we loved each other,” and he drew him closer again until their noses were almost touching so he could search deep within his wide, frightened eyes. “Can you look at me in the eye and say you didn’t love me then… that you don’t love me now.”

“How can I love you? I don’t even know you.”

“How could you forget me? I never forgot you.”

“STOP IT! WOULD YOU JUST STOP IT?” Neji screamed at the top of his lungs. This was too much; he’d had enough of this and he’d be damned if he stayed here and listened to the ramblings of this idiot any longer. “Look, I don’t know how you know my name, and I don’t give a rat’s ass. All I know is that whatever asylum it is you broke out of, I advise you get back there right now before I call the cops, and get your filthy hands off me. You’re hurting me,” he screeched hysterically while thrashing madly against him.

He was released immediately and Neji slapped at the unwanted hands for good measure before smoothing out the wrinkles on his shirt and brushing his hair back in place. Once he was immaculate and had composed himself by catching his breath, he turned his attention back to his assailant to give him a stern talking to, but the expression on his face knocked all words out of his mouth and Neji bit hard on his lower lip.

He’d expected the man would become even more violent and try to assault him again or worse, drag him into a dark, secluded corner somewhere. He even expected he would have turned and stormed off in a huff after realizing it wasn’t the ‘happy reunion’ he was looking forward to but Neji never would have expected that this impossibly, brutish man would stand there and cry and this, for some reason, made him more uncomfortable than the way he’d man-handled him earlier.

“I hurt you?” Sasuke scoffed. “That pain was nothing compared to the pain you caused me over all those years,” he grated out through a tight throat as angry tears brimmed within piercing, black eyes and Neji could see his broken heart reflected within their tortured depths. “The last time I saw you Neji… I never would have imagined that would be the last time I would ever see you again and if I had known, I would never have let you out of my life, but when you got into that car, and as I watched you leave, you promised you would never forget me.”

Sasuke’s voice broke and it became more difficult to speak with each word, became more difficult to see with each tear that ran down his chin and the face he saw from behind them became just as blurred as it was in his pubescent memories.

“I was sad that you had to go but you left hope in my heart with your promise, but days passed, months and then years and I never heard from you. I could not allow myself to believe that you did not want to talk to me anymore, so the only plausible explanation I entertained was that you had died. That had to be the only reason why you never called or wrote.”

Neji shrunk back and wrapped his arms around himself. He didn’t want to hear any more of this. It wasn’t true, it just couldn’t be!

“You made me fall in love with you, Neji,” he continued while clenching his hands tightly at his sides and fighting the urge to reach out and touch that lovely face of his one last time. “Everything I did, I did because you wanted it, because you loved me and I wanted nothing more than to make you happy. But for you to forget everything that we had… how much we meant to each other… I’d rather continue believing that you were dead.”

Neji’s breath caught in his throat and he stood there, utterly stunned as the dark stranger turned on his heel and walked off. He had never seen such raw emotion in another person’s eyes before, had never had another human bare their soul to him so openly like that. The stranger’s confession… the things he said to him… no words had ever been spoken that affected him so deeply and for the first time in his life, Neji Hyuuga was at a loss of ‘what to do next’.

But why was he letting this affect him so? Why couldn’t he just brush this off and pretend it never occurred? It wasn’t his fault this man held on to a childhood promise that was probably taken in jest. It wasn’t his fault that he held onto a childhood dream for the majority of his adult life, and it certainly wasn’t his fault that this man took the vows of a childhood marriage seriously and expected he would have done the same.

None of it was his fault and if anyone was to blame then it should be this ‘Sasuke’ who should have the common sense to realize that it was time he moved on and stopped holding onto the past.

A sense of dread crept over him then making him suddenly cold and Neji tightened his hold around himself.

If he was not to blame for the ruination of that man’s happiness as he wanted to believe then why were any of his excuses not strong enough to convince his conscience otherwise? And why did he feel so guilty?