The Choices Between Friends
Invitation
Chapter 3
Naruto took hold of his hand and led him back the way they had come. It felt a little odd, holding another man's hand in the open. Neji had always been careful to keep his private wants, private. His uncle knew he didn't like women sexually. He'd flat out told the man to stop setting him up on dates with his business associates daughters, but as an unspoken compromise he had been careful to keep his preferences in the shadows.
Neji decided he liked the feeling and closed his hand around the blonds. He usually didn't get this kind of simple contact. Usually he was with men who were like him, so their public interactions were always reserved. In the bedroom, in private, things were less inhibited. He found himself wondering what this man's bedroom demeanor was. He was so open and uninhibited, what would sex be like with someone who was this unrestrained in public?
His thoughts took another tact as they neared the three men that Naruto had been with in the diner. He began evaluating them carefully. Watching their reactions to gauge just how this might all go. Naruto still held his hand as he led Neji towards the three waiting men. He'd seen them before, even marked their features with a critical eye, but he hadn't really tried to determine what might lurk beneath the surface of those features. They slowed as they drew closer, not because the blond, Naruto pulling him had slowed, but because Neji leaned back a bit pulling against the other's head long rush, just enough to indicate he wished to walk slower. Naruto got the message and the slowed to an ambling stroll. He smiled brightly at his friends standing under the lamplight. The slightly predator glint in his eyes was enough to get the point across, but he added a wink just to be sure.
"This is Neji." He announced as they came to a halt, just inside the lamplight. He did not relinquish Neji's hand. Neji couldn't help it, one beautiful dark chocolate eyebrow quirked at the way Naruto announced his name and the side of his mouth twitched. The way the blond had said it gave Neji a mental image of a big game hunter carrying a lion on his back, one he'd killed with his bare hands. He was hard pressed not to laugh at the images. Instead, he tried to focus on the other men. Naruto was not introducing them as he'd expected. It annoyed him a bit. You introduced people, that's just what you did. Instead, they all knew his name and he didn't know their's. They just stood there appraising him for a moment.
The one with the short spiky ponytail was leaning against the light pole, his eyes were quick and intelligent even though he gave off a lethargic air. He had five piercings in each ear. They marched up the delicate shell of each ear, drawing attention to them in a sensual way. Neji thought about the pain some of them must have caused and realized he found it far more interesting than he should. He couldn't get pierced. His uncle would have a coronary. The lazy looking one had several tattoos on his forearms and one on his neck that would just barely be covered by a collared shirt. Neji wanted to look at them closer, he loved tattoos. He couldn't get tattooed either. So far, Naruto's friends were interesting. Did the blond have any tattoos that weren't visible??
"So, Neji. Just what'cha doin' with our little friend here?" Kiba couldn't help but be challenging, it was how he handled all new people. He gave his standard 'I'm the big dog' grin and waited for Neji to respond.
Neji was used to confrontation veiled in politeness, so this was rather refreshing. He smiled a true smile and Kiba's heart stopped beating for a moment. "I believe one of you is in possession of the portrait I drew. Naruto has asked me to sign it." Kiba had no quick response, his heart was still trying to find a normal rhythm.
The pony tailed one gestured to the last member of the group, an auburn haired man. "Cho." Was all he said. This other man was stout. He reminded Neji of the football players he saw on television. The man was solid muscle, but square built, so he would look chubby to anyone who wasn't paying attention. That could be a very dangerous mistake. Neji thought as he turned his attention to the man.
The man produced an old album from under his arm, but didn't hand it to Neji, he handed it to Naruto. Naruto took it and blushed. Oh, well that's nice. Neji couldn't help but smile. The blonds blush spread warmth throughout Neji's body, some of which settled in his groin as a pleasant tingling sensation. Naruto carefully slid the picture from the album case and handed it to Neji. Neji smiled at the care and thought the blond had put into protecting it. It meant a lot to Neji that Naruto appreciated it. The blond couldn't know that he was the first person Neji had ever shared his work with before, so it pleased him that it meant something to the handsome young man without that knowledge.
Neji reached into his satchel and removed a piece of charcoal. He held out his hand for the album case. Naruto handed it to him with a puzzled look. Neji smiled as he took it in his hand and walked right up to Kiba, invading the man's personal space. "You wouldn't mind if I borrowed your back, now would you?" It came out as a purr and it was exactly as Neji meant it. Kiba gave him an odd look and turned his back on Neji. Neji smiled in triumph and knew that the other two men saw it. The one called Cho coughed a little. The one with the ponytail appeared to be re-calculating, adjusting his estimation of Neji. Naruto had missed most of the exchange, since he was standing behind Neji. Neji took his time. He carefully positioned the album on the strong back, then he positioned the portrait on the album. The pony tailed man was smirking now. "Hey, how long you gonna take?" The spiky haired brunette asked gruffly, obviously uncomfortable.
Neji resisted the urge to graze a nail along his back at the edge of the album, just to see what reaction he'd get. No, that would be rude. He wasn't actually here with the blond, but he wanted to be, so provoking his friends just for the fun of it would be wrong. This man and his confrontational attitude provoked that desire from Neji. He itched to 'one up' the man whose back was twitching beneath the album. "Well, if you could be still, it would be over quickly." The man huffed for a moment and then stilled. Neji signed his first name only with a flourish. No point in adding THAT to the situation.
He stepped away from the man with a simple. "Thank you." When he handed the album and portrait back to the blond, he held the blue eyes for a moment as his free hand slid along the man's hip in a casual caress. Neji was playing. If he chose to, he would never see these men again and that gave him a freedom that he had chosen to enjoy.
He's a total seme. Shikamaru thought as he watched the way Neji toyed with Kiba. Kiba's personality swung to seme when there wasn't a stronger one around, but put him in the same room with a true seme and Kiba became a confused uke. Shikamaru knew the signs and knew that Kiba's responses were instinctive and very reliable.
Naruto shivered noticeably at Neji's touch and intense gaze. Shikamaru was starting to worry that this man might be more than they could handle. He could probably make the three of them do just about anything and like it if he was so inclined. Thank Kami Chouji's here, but still, we need a new setting, I think. "So, we going to the new Alt. club or not?" He asked in a bored voice. Naruto's head jerked at his voice as if he hadn't realized the others were even there. Yeah, we definitely need some other distractions before Nar jumps him in the street. Not that I'd blame him or anything.
"Um, well," Naruto looked past Neji to Kiba, who had just turned around. Please help me. His eyes were pleading and he hoped Neji wouldn't notice. He did and was waiting to see how this would happen. He could have saved them some trouble and asked 'What club' or something like that, but he really wanted to learn more about the group dynamic and this was a good way to watch that play out.
Kiba looked at the back of Neji's head and decided he not only wanted to help Naruto, but also wanted to regain his footing. If the long haired brunette left now, that might never happen. "Yeah, lets get out'a here. So Neji, you gotta go home or what?" He asked cockily, not actually saying it, but the meaning was there 'is it past your bed time pretty boy'.
Neji gave Kiba a sinister smile. "No, I don't have classes on Saturday and have no other commitments. Why?" He was going to make them ask.
Naruto saw the look on Kiba's face. It was a mixture of confusion and anger. Oh no, we don't need this right now. He thought desperately. Why was Kiba getting so irritated anyway? "Well, if you don't have anyplace to be, maybe you'd wanna come hang out with us. We haven't been there yet, but it's supposed to be a good place." He didn't actually look Neji in the eye as he asked, he focused on a spot just below those long thick lashes.
Neji smiled softly at Naruto's invitation. "Sure. It sounds like it might be interesting." The gorgeous man said and it rankled all four of them. 'interesting'? What the hell did that mean?
Kiba was already irritated with the way Neji had been toying with him.
Shikamaru was concerned that Neji might toy with Naruto in a similar way and that would set the normally peaceful Nara off.
Naruto felt like he'd just given something away that he hadn't meant to. Was Neji toying with them? Was he some kind of snob, 'slumming' like Kiba had said?
Neji felt the mood shift and was a little puzzled. He cocked his head to the side and regarded the blond thoughtfully. "Did I say something wrong? You did want me to say 'yes', didn't you?" Naruto blushed again.
"Well, yeah. It just was a strange way to word it, that's all."
"I find you interesting. That's strange?" Neji understood now, but couldn't resist seeing the blush again. He got what he wanted. Naruto blushed and looked helplessly at Shikamaru for rescue. So, the spiky brunette is the mouth, the big one is the muscle, and ponytail is the brains. Naruto was the pet. He was the one all the others looked out for and took care of, so if Neji was interested in Naruto, then the other three could be a real problem. He would have to step carefully if he wanted to obtain something more from the blond than the kiss he'd stolen.
Shikamaru was disinclined to help his friend. If Neji wanted to be in the group, even as an extra, he needed to learn a few of Naruto's 'quirks'. One, his low self-esteem and Shikamaru wanted to see his face when he figured it out. If he was the kind of man to use that against his friend, Shikamaru wanted to figure that out quick, so he could end this.
Naruto saw no rescue in sight and squirmed. "Well, it's just....well, um......I don't know!" He threw his free hand up as he turned and started away from them. "Can we just go already?!" He was half stomping, it was almost as if he were throwing a temper tantrum. He sure felt immature.
Neji watched him until he stopped and waited for them. Naruto had one hand in a pocket and the other one was holding the album. His shoulders were hunched and his head turned, so that he might be able to see them out of the corner of his eye as they came closer. The artist in him memorized the pose, certain he would draw it later. Then he moved toward the blond, not waiting for the other three to move. He stopped just behind Naruto, where he was sure the man could see him.
"I need to put my satchel in my car." His said it in a soft soothing voice. The voice lessons really had paid off. His uncle had been right when he'd told Neji that voice lessons could be useful in everyday life. Of course Hiashi had intended Neji to use this skill to get ahead in school and business, but Neji had found other uses as well. Naruto half turned to him. He's breathtaking. Neji knew beautiful men, but this one was absolutely breathtaking.
"You could leave it at Nara's place, if it's closer." Almost everything down here was withing walking distance and there were very few places to park a vehicle. Most of the people who lived down here walked or used the bus system to get where they needed to be. Neji had to park three blocks from the music shop when he came here. It was still another two blocks from where he was standing to his car and that was in the opposite direction the blond seemed to be headed.
Neji nodded slightly and gestured behind him. "It's that way."
The other three came up behind them at that point. "Well, guess we're runnin' past my apartment then, 'cause I am not walking all the way back there and then to the club. That's just dumb." Well now at least Neji had another name. The big guy was Cho. Ponytail was Nara. So now all he needed was the spiky brunette's name.
Naruto was chuckling softly. "He's Kiba. Guess I skipped the introductions. Sorry." He was full out laughing when he reached the sorry.
Neji shrugged. Kiba glared and Shikamaru and Chouji just started off toward the Nara's apartment. Naruto continued to giggle as he stepped in between Kiba and Neji and they too started toward the old apartment building. ~TBC...