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Bring the Game	By : ClaireBear Category: Naruto Crossovers > General Views: 1343 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not make any money from publishing this fic. This story idea inspired by yaoi_is_my_antidrug

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Chapter 11 – Incidental Contact (Laguna / Neji)

A forty-five minute drive brought them to the outskirts of the city and along a sparse stretch of highway framed by undeveloped land and untended foliage. The verdant landscape was a stark contrast to the concrete jungle they’d left behind them and the dark, protruding hills against the backdrop of the moonlit sky told him that they were not too far from the countryside. Neji took it all in, only wishing that it had been daylight when Laguna took him on his cross-country cruise so he could truly appreciate the majestic terrain.

Laguna had long since finished his canned beverage and was now humming along with the songs that played on the radio. Neji had hoped to use this time to talk some more with Mr. Loire but he seemed to be enjoying the… what was the term the D.J used? Honkey-Tonk? He’d never heard of that genre before but it sounded an awful lot like country music to him and had that southern ‘twang’ to it. Laguna’s voice was strong and clear, he was actually quite a good singer and listening to him as he surveyed the dark scenery had an oddly calming effect. The young student sighed and tried to pay more attention to the lyrics so that he could at least sing along with the chorus but speaking proper English was challenging enough without having to mimic a thick, Southern drawl so he reserved himself to simply bobbing his head and tapping his fingers against his knees.

Not a full minute of that passed before Neji started feeling restless and he became irritated with the man sitting next to him. Why was he ignoring him? Neji understood a certain amount of concentration was mandatory when driving but not once did he acknowledge him after he’d said he was taking him to see some special place. It wasn’t as if he wanted to spoil the surprise, their destination could be anywhere on the planet - anywhere except the Hyuuga estate - and Neji wouldn’t give a crap. He just wanted Laguna-san to say something to him, to assure him that everything was going to be alright. He wanted him to lavish that same attention he’d given him in front of the café just a short while ago.

Neji sighed again, feeling a little guilty because of his thoughts. Maybe Laguna-san was right. Maybe he was a spoiled, selfish brat.

“Almost there,” Laguna piqued up, sensing that his passenger had become bored.

“Where is ‘almost there’, exactly?” It was a little late to be asking that but he couldn’t help but become curious when they turned off the main road and onto a dirt track, somewhat concealed by overgrown shrubbery.

Laguna turned to flash him a bright smile and Neji’s breath hitched in his throat. “Wait, not yet,” he said with what sounded like a subdued giggle and the child-like exuberance on his face would have looked ridiculous on any other adult male. On Laguna, it was natural, as natural as the trees and dense underbrush that surrounded them. He possessed a youthful charm with a guileless sense of humor to compliment it, and the handsome lines that decorated the corners of his eyes and framed his lips were carved, not from age, but from the many laughs he’d shared throughout his years.

They came to a make-shift barricade of planks of wood shoddily hammered together with a warning in white ‘Do Not Enter’ painted across the middle. It was obviously meant to be intimidating but only appeared just as laughable as the construct, and the last few letters were squashed together near the end as if the painter realized they were running out of room. Despite its trashy appearance, Laguna didn’t seem to take the road-block as seriously as Neji did and he stopped the vehicle before it to slip out of his seat-belt so he could get out and remove it.

“You know how to drive don’t you?” asked the elder man and he laughed at himself even as Neji blinked and opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. “Of course you do. All men are born with the innate ability to operate any machinery on four wheels. Just take this as far as you can, I’ll be with you in a bit,” and before Neji could protest, he’d hopped out of his Highlander and was already dragging the decrepit hurdle off to one side.

There was not much else the young man could do but slide into the driver’s seat and familiarize himself with the bulky console. He was used to smaller cars, owned one back home actually, so maneuvering this behemoth would be quite a challenge. Neji adjusted the seat to accommodate his shorter height. Laguna was much taller than he was and he felt like a little kid stretching his legs to reach the pedals on the floor. His lips were drawn into a tight line and his brows furrowed with deep concentration as he gingerly tapped the accelerator with the toe of his sneaker. The vehicle was eagerly responsive, a little too much for his liking, and lunged forward a few inches, almost slamming his chest into the steering wheel. Laguna dared to laugh and Neji fought hard against the urge to run him over with his own jeep.

The young man calmed himself and drove past the still chuckling coach, hoping he’d get a few splinters as he dragged the wooden structure back into place. He continued along the cart road, implicitly following Laguna’s instructions to take the vehicle as far out as he could but after venturing many yards and losing sight of the other man in the rear-view mirror, he stopped in the middle of the path and tried not to think about cheesy, slasher movies where masked men with chainsaws jumped out of the shadows and attacked hapless teenagers making out in the backseats of their cars.

An involuntary shiver crept up the Hyuuga’s spine and he made sure all the doors were locked.

A soft rap against the window moments later startled him and he forced the most nonchalant expression he could muster to the grinning man outside. Either Laguna hadn’t sensed his fear or he chose not to tease him about it, either way, Neji was grateful and voluntarily slipped back into the passenger seat after unlocking the door for him.

“There’s still a-ways to go, why didn’t you continue?”

“I didn’t want to leave you too far behind,” Neji admitted half-truthfully. Willingly accompanying a complete stranger into a dark forest, in the middle of night, in a foreign country was the text-book definition of stupid, and Neji found himself in that exact situation so, undoubtedly he was scared shitless.

“Nah, don’t worry about me. I know this area like the back of my hand,” he boasted, but the Hyuuga wasn’t at all concerned about him, he cared more about himself and whether he would live to see his next sunrise. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so safe with this man anymore and he would have asked him to turn the vehicle around if he didn’t want him to think he was growing suspicious of him. He could tell him he was starting to feel very tired and wanted to turn in early to catch his flight tomorrow just to see how he reacted to that, but before he could open his mouth, the left side of the SUV dipped into a pot-hole and a strong arm whipped out to press Neji firmly against his seat. “Shit, forgot about that. Sorry.”

Neji nodded, his arms wrapped tightly around the one against his chest for support. It was warm, powerfully sinewed, and provided a sense of security he hadn’t been familiar with in a long time, the kind of protection a parent offered to their child; firm, yet caring, and Neji didn’t want to let go.

Laguna noticed the sullen expression on his smooth features and he would have reached up to give him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder but his arm was latched onto fast and he would have let him hang onto it as long as he wanted to… if he didn’t need it right now. “Erm, you alright? You’re not hurt or anything?”

Neji snapped out of his morose trance and immediately freed the other man’s arm. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he turned his head to gaze out his window and hoped the driver couldn’t see his blush reflected there. “Do you-,” Neji paused to clear his tight throat. “Do you come here often?”

Laguna slowly brought his limb back to the steering wheel, his skin tingling where the other boy had been wrapped so tightly around it. “Not as often as I should,” he admitted with a penitent sigh. Neji turned to give him a questioning gaze but he noticed that Laguna's was curiously afflicted, as if he were having second thoughts about coming here.

This was a special place for Laguna. A long time ago this place was to be the foundation for which he would lay his future. It was the place where his most fertile dreams were to take root and blossom into his happily-ever-after.   When he enlisted, Laguna was forced to postpone his plans and he'd hoped that, upon his return, he could just continue where he left off, as if the war never happened.

But life seldom ever worked out the way he wanted...

'Death always visits a family in threes', his father used to tell him, and the passing of his hero, the man he revered so highly, struck the first knell. The mother of his child, the woman he cherished more than his very breath, and the one he'd once called 'soulmate' left him on the second tolling of the bell. But it was the loss of his son that closed the seal of Death's trinity, and yet, while Squall still lived, he'd made it clear he wanted nothing to do with his biological father. In Laguna's heart, he may as well have lost his son to Death's hands.

The SUV was put to park in a small clearing, framed by cypress and oaks, and Laguna exited the vehicle and moved around to the trunk to retrieve his gym bag and brown, leather holdall. Neji stalled for as long as he could, slowly unhooking his seat-belt, while peering into the night, trying to make out any distinctive landmarks. Thick, black clouds obscured the high half-moon, casting weak light upon the silhouetted landscape and, aside from the tall forestry and distant mountain tops, the only other noticeable features were the large, inky lake and the wooden cottage wrapped with crawling vines.

Another sharp tap at his window nearly sent him flying out of his skin and Laguna offered an apologetic grin while the boy struggled to calm his erratic heartbeat. Neji unlocked his door and drew his face into a flat visage, giving no indication that he'd, once again, been scared out of his wits, but his expression melted when a chivalrous hand reached out to take his and provide support as he stepped out of the jeep.   Neji accepted even though he didn't need the help and, had it been anyone else, he probably would have slapped the offensive hand away or tell him where to shove it; but Laguna-san was so jaunty and gallant he couldn't dare refuse. He kept his head low and his eyes trained to the mulchy ground. If the prickling heat on his cheeks was any indication then Neji knew he was blushing and he would die if the older man happened to notice. Not that he would anyway, it was far too dark out.

Laguna released him and Neji fought hard against the urge to grab his hand, opting instead to cross his arms over his chest in an attempt to feign cold in the nippy, night air. Noticing this, Laguna wrapped a muscular arm around the smaller male's shoulders and Neji shivered this time with delight. It couldn't have worked out any better if he'd planned it that way.

"It gets a little chilly at the lake," Laguna explained, the deep timbre of his voice reverberating close to Neji's ear. "It's the wind though. You'd think with all the trees that wouldn't be the case, but the lake's pretty big and they cleared a huge lot on the other side to build some condominiums." Their pace slowed and Laguna chuckled wryly and allowed himself to reminisce on happier, more simpler times.

Once upon a time his family would drive up to their secluded cottage by the lake. Dad would teach him how to fish while Mama showed him how to debone and filet the meat. They spent the days hiking along their 'special' path and the nights curled up in front of the fireplace telling jokes and scary stories.

Long before the war, and even longer still before the new proposed developments, this place used to be their treasured family secret. A sanctuary among untouched, virgin nature where they came to seek privacy from the rest of the world and strengthen the bond between them. When his Mama died, Dad passed on the keys to the cottage to his son. It was far too painful for the old man to visit the place that held so many precious memories of the woman he loved, but he encouraged Laguna to make use of the lodgings as it was, after all, part of their family heritage. It remained so in Laguna's heart, that special place exclusive to just his family, so much so that he never brought another living soul to step foot on this land, not even the woman he planned on one day marrying.

'When we're man and wife,'he often promised himself, 'I'll bring her here for the honeymoon.'

But life seldom ever worked out the way he wanted...

She deserved recompense and Laguna vowed to honour her loyalty and dedication to him by, one day, bringing Squall here and creating new memories to complement the old ones. He dreamed of spending lazy summers at the lake in the company of his son. He'd teach him how to fish, how to set a camp and pass on the vast resources of knowledge taught by his father who learned from his father before.

Now, that was all they could ever be. Just dreams.

He'd thought about selling it, but the property had been in his family for generations and it felt as if he would be betraying his legacy. His father had never come right out and told him, but there was always the insinuation that he would, one day, pass the keys onto his children. He wasn't that old, and it was never too late for a man to have offspring, but Laguna was too tired to start all over, and too stubborn to give up on Squall.

It was never the same feeling, coming here by himself, no matter how much he enjoyed the peace and solitude, yet he figured that, while he still had breath in his lungs, he should make the most of it. He made annual visits to assess the cottage's upkeep and perform any maintenance as was necessary. He broke tradition by inviting Ward and Kiros to spend a weekend sometime, just the guys, and, although they never quite got around to synchronizing their vacations, Laguna felt this was a positive step, a sort of therapy that allowed him to let go of the past and, at the very least, help him overcome his depressing loneliness.

And, so far, Neji was the first guest, that wasn't a Loire, the cottage had ever seen.

"Make yourself comfortable," Laguna encouraged after flipping on the lights and washing the cozy interior with a moody, orange glow.

Neji gaped in awe at his pristine surroundings. It was everything he'd expected based on the idyllic cabins and lodges he'd seen on TV. He'd lived in the lap of luxury his entire life; his family fortune and inheritance ensured that he could afford to live in the most extravagant houses until the day he died. The main Hyuuga compound itself could be described in no other term than a mansion and, as a Hyuuga heir, he was used to nothing less. He was sure his Uncle would turn his nose up at such a 'dingy, little hut' and probably develop an ulcer if he knew his nephew had set foot inside one.

The integrity of the wooden structure was surprisingly reliable despite its aged appearance and Neji noticed that the floorboards didn't creak beneath each tentative step he took. The furnishings and fixtures were all carefully chosen pieces that created a rustic environment, and the upholstery was tinted with vibrant greens and yellows, adding colour to the muted browns and oranges. The aroma of treated pine was overwhelming, and was the first thing that greeted him when Laguna opened the door, but it added to the cabin's Arcadian authenticity, so much so that it looked like something directly out of a Grizzly Adams storybook; right down to the taxidermic buck's head mounted above the mantle, and the brown bear-skin rug by the hearth.

"Can I get you anything?" Laguna offered after tossing his bags into a remote corner and making his way over to the bar near the kitchen. "I should warn you though, there's only drinks and frozen dinners here. And by drinks, I mean bottled water and alcohol."

"I'm not very hungry." The restless churning in his stomach would not be accommodating to anything solid, but perhaps a strong beverage would help settle his nerves. "Wh- what's the strongest drink you have?"

"Ah, that would be my personal favourite, Absolut Vodka," he grinned, grabbing a glass and washing it at the sink. "I can make any cocktail perfectly, as long as it has Vodka in it. You, my friend, look like you could use a Screaming Orgasm. Want me to give you one?"

Neji gaped, wide-eyed and loose-jawed after doing a double-take, and Laguna laughed heartily at his flabbergasted expression. "I'm sorry, that was bad mixology humour," he waved his hand dismissively. "That joke never goes over well but I just love to watch everyone's expression when I tell it."

An inexplicable surge of eager expectation tore through Neji's body, warming his insides, but was quickly cooled when an insurmountable wave of disappointment washed over him. Yet, he managed to keep his shoulders high and forced a good-natured smile upon his lips before approaching the bar and settling onto one of the stools. "You're very good at that," he observed as practiced hands poured a mixture of beverages into the washed glass.

"Hm? Oh, thanks. My old man taught me everything I know," Laguna proudly confessed. "He used to work as a bartender when he was in college to help supplement his student budget, and he had a real knack for it." A colourful cocktail umbrella was added for decoration along with a spiral straw and Laguna presented his finished work to his gracious guest. "Dad liked the occasional drink, not like his Dad, my grandfather, whose body was made up of eighty-percent gin," Laguna laughed. "Mixing drinks was more like an art to him. He enjoyed it. Mixing, blending, shaking... making drinks in as little time as possible with as little spillage as possible. It was like a challenge.

I always asked him to let me play bartender when I was little," he continued, while idly wiping water droplets off the bar with a rag. "But the only thing I was interested in was having my first taste of alcohol as a minor. When I turned eighteen, Dad finally let me have a go at it. The next morning I had the worst hangover ever," and Neji chuckled along with him. "Still, he was pretty cool about it," Laguna shrugged and tossed the wet rag in the sink. "After I learned the Bartender's Bible cover to cover, Dad and I started working together on a new mix."

A long pause interrupted the flow of the story and Neji patiently wondered if Laguna intended on sharing the rest of his anecdote. His features sagged and the soulful light that illuminated his sea-blue eyes became dull and grey, making him look years older.

"We never got the chance to perfect it."

Grief chilled Neji's blood and an eerily familiar sense of loss caused goosebumps to rise on his flesh. He could relate, all too easily to the lack of closure, to the things left undone and the words gone unsaid. Time was a privilege, taken for granted that it would always be around when needed, until the harsh realization struck that it was as mercurial as the changing of the wind, and that it too came to its inevitable end.

"Ah well," and, just like that, the melancholy fog was lifted with Laguna's optimism and he knocked the dreary emotions down his chest with a hefty swig of Vodka. After recovering from the reeling effects of the alcohol, he noticed that Neji had not even touched his drink. "Go on, try it," he urged with an encouraging wag of his hand.

Neji brought the glass to his lips and sipped daintily from the straw, trying his hardest not to blush beneath the other man's suspenseful gaze. It was sweet and creamy, like warm, honeyed milk, and Neji offered his tribute with a pleased smile. "I like it... very much. It tastes really nice and... the texture... it feels... umm... good," he stammered.

A cheeky grin split Laguna's face and he said with a wink, "Now you know how it got its name."

He did blush then and Laguna only made it worse by drawing attention to it. "Sorry, I couldn't help it," he smirked when Neji's discomfort reached the point where his complexion nearly resembled that of a cooked lobster. "You're cute when you blush though."

Neji brought a hand to his warm cheek just to make sure his skin hadn't melted off his skull. "Uhm, thanks."

Laguna took another swig of Vodka and savoured the long burn. "Finish that up. I've got another cocktail you might like."

For the next two hours Laguna served Neji from the list of his personal favourites while they laughed giddily, sharing both sad and fond memories of the important men they lost in their lives. The last few dregs of the bottle he served straight and they clinked their glasses together in toast.

"To fathers!"

Neji nodded and sipped slowly from his glass, washing down the thick lump lodged at the back of his tongue, making it difficult to speak.

Laguna tossed his back after raising it slightly in silent prayer as if to say 'This one's for you, Dad,' and Neji had to marvel at his constitution. Between the two of them they'd polished off an entire bottle of Absolut, with Laguna ingesting the glutton's share. Neji was quickly reaching his limit and another round would have him running around naked with his boxers over his head, pledging his allegiance to the pink elephant army. Laguna, on the other hand, looked like he was about ready to crack open another bottle and administer it to his system via intravenous tubes.

He did stumble a bit as he came out from behind the bar and took Neji by the elbow, who was only too grateful for his sturdy support. "Easy now," Laguna chuckled when the smaller boy nearly toppled off his perch on the bar stool and he reached out to steady him with a firm hand upon his hip. "You alright?"

"Yuh huh," Hyuuga swallowed, trying not to predicate too deeply on the warm hand upon his waist. He knew the gesture was completely innocent and there was no innuendo behind it, but a part of him wished that there was even the slightest hint of attraction and he'd done so as an excuse just to touch him. Neji wasn't sure which he found more unsettling, the fact that he wanted</i> this man to seduce him or the fact that he wasn't turned-off by the thought of being seduced by someone much older than he was.

Neji would never label himself as bisexual, in fact, he had always found the opposite sex much more appealing. He did, however, know how to appreciate another man's beauty without worrying about catching 'the gay' and Laguna-san was a very handsome and dashing gentleman. Yet, he was certainly strange and had an... interesting personality, but Neji admired his youthful spontaneity and the freedom he possessed to do as he pleased most of all.

But was this attraction unrequited? Was there a possibility that Laguna felt the same way he did?

There was no doubt in Neji's mind that he was physically attractive and, all vanity aside, he had received many compliments on his looks from both males and females. His rare Hyuuga genetics were an exotic trait, especially in this part of the world. He could thank his mother for his satin-smooth skin and carefully sculpted lips; his father was kind enough to pass on a lean yet muscular body and a high-metabolic rate that helped maintain his athletic physique. The long, chocolate-brown hair and uniquely colored irises he got from generations of propitious breeding were all part-and-parcel of what made him quite a catch. But being veritable eye-candy would not work to his benefit in this instance if Laguna was only attracted to women, and did he not mention earlier a significant other in his life? He'd had a child with her for God's sake.

His shoulders dropped with his hopes when he realized now that he had no chance and, thinking that it was his inebriation causing his slumped stature, Laguna drew him upright and closer to his body.

"I better sober you up before I take you back to your group," he said with some seriousness. "I don't think Kakashi would appreciate me liquoring up one of his wards when he's supposed to be the one responsible for your care." He gently set his load onto the settee and Neji practically sank into its soft cushions. When Laguna saw this his levity returned and he smirked as he watched the youth teeter almost comically before collapsing onto his side. "I'm such a bad influence," he joked to himself.

Suddenly feeling miserable, Neji watched through moist eyes as Laguna turned his back and left him alone on the couch to light the fireplace. It wasn't long before lively flames saturated the room with their cozy warmth and, by the time Laguna flicked off the overhead light and returned to the sofa, Neji had dozed off.

He was actually quite cute, Laguna noted as he watched him rest. Silken tendrils of hair lay upon his shoulders and face, obscuring the discernible masculinity of his face, the long, thick lashes resting upon his high cheekbones and plump, pink lips gave him an effeminate innocence, a vast difference to the rude brat that had cussed him out in the street hours earlier. The flickering flames caressed his soft face with sensual light, the subtle hint of tears glittering like tiny diamonds.

Laguna frowned. He should not have been so selfishly inconsiderate. He'd had many years to mourn and his maturity gave him the wisdom and peace to accept the loss and carry on. Neji was still yet young and he was uncertain how long he had been without his father now, and here he was going on about how great Dads were and how much he missed his. The wound may still be raw and he'd just rubbed salt in it.

But damn, it'd felt good to talk about that codger again. Reminiscing on his old man with Neji was oddly therapeutic and, for the briefest moment, he had felt as if his spirit was in the room, laughing right along with them.

After convincing himself that it was the alcohol that caused the hallucination and not his waning sanity, Laguna went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. As much as he hated disturbing the sleeping boy, Laguna reluctantly roused him to offer a heavy mug of Folgers and Neji graciously accepted with one hand while wearily wiping his eyes with the other.

"I'm sorry," Laguna settled into the space next to him on an apologetic sigh. "I'm sorry I kidnapped you, drowned you with liquor and made you relive all those painful memories of your Dad. I don't know why I'm always going on about him. I guess I'm not completely over it... I still miss him sometimes."

"What was he like? Your father?"

That question surprised him, he'd assumed that this conversation was the last one Neji would want to be having right now.

Laguna smiled as he gazed dreamily into the fire. "He was the best Dad in the whole world."

He spoke with the conviction of a young child, boasting to his peers, and his absent stare and far-away smile indicated a regression to a period long ago when he may have made that very same claim. "He was old-fashioned and a strict disciplinarian, but he was also fair and always valued my opinions. He was a great listener... I could always tell him anything without fear of judgment and whenever I wanted to do something stupid he'd always give me this look, with his head tilted a little to the side and his eyebrow raised and say: 'You sure you wanna do that?'."

Both men chuckled softly.

"He'd always say it as if I had a choice, y'know, like I could do whatever, but I knew that if I went ahead and did it anyway I'd get the belt. Still, every time I got in trouble, he was always there for me..."

The room became eerily quiet, save for the crackling of the log fire and Laguna's mirth wilted into one of despondence. "I just wish I could be there for him."

Neji frowned and set his mug to cool on the coffee table. "It's not your fault, Laguna-san," he offered, assuming he was still talking about his deceased father.

The older man shook his head and lifted one corner of his mouth wryly. "I guess... So, tell me, what was your Dad like?" he asked.

Neji leaned his head against the back of the sofa, as if deep in thought, but the alcohol sloshed around inside his brain, distorting his equilibrium so he rolled his head down until his chin rested on his chest until the vertigo passed. "Otou... my father, was the best father in the entire universe," he teased, to which Laguna laughed, and Neji liked the sound of it.

"He did anything to make me happy. He said that it was his job to make me happy and my smiles were his salary. It was cute when I was younger but, as I got older, it was so corny... I'd do anything to hear him say it one more ti- me no matter- how stupid it sounds." The tears flowed freely then and Neji broke into loud, distraught sobs.

It was the liquor that diminished his composure. Under any other circumstance his steely resolve would have prevented him from bawling like a baby. He thought he was over this, he thought he had no more tears to shed, but it felt as if a dam had burst, releasing a reservoir of grief and loneliness that he'd kept bottled up inside.

Why did he have to go? How could he leave him like this? There was still so much he wanted to do, so much that he never had the chance to say. He missed the time they spent together and craved just even a minute of his presence. He missed their long talks over dinner and yearned to hear the sound of his voice just once more. He missed the feel of his comforting arms around him, soothing him, stroking his back, petting his hair...

"It's okay, Neji. I understand." Laguna pulled him closer and planted a paternal kiss upon the top of his head and Neji came out of his grief-stricken haze to recognize that the man holding him was not the one he thought it was.

He was a good replacement none-the-less.

"Laguna-san, it's not fair," the young male hiccupped.

"Life seldom is."

His sagacious words were a bitter pill to swallow but he accepted them as truth and burrowed his face into the damp spot he'd made on Laguna's shirt as the last of his tears fell. Surprisingly, Neji felt relieved after that long cry. His mourning was not over, but there was a comfort now that had never existed before, and Neji knew that, given enough time, he would develop the courage to look through his old photo albums again. He felt suddenly light, as if a weight had been cast from his shoulders, though, to be fair, it could be the alcohol.

Laguna continued to console him and Neji faked a few sniffles so he wouldn't let him go just yet. "I'm sorry I did this to you," Laguna said with regret in his voice. "It's kinda nice to know someone who's been through the same ordeal. I don't feel so alone in this anymore, but I was being selfish and you weren't ready. But thanks for putting up with this self-seeking, insensitive prick of an old-man. I really appreciate it."

He felt the heat sting his cheeks and Neji coyly rubbed his face into the crook of Laguna's shoulder. "Laguna-san... I have to confess... I- um, I like you very much."

Touched, the older man cooed and snuggled the smaller form in his arms. "Aww, I like you too, Neji."

Laguna felt him stiffen and he wondered if he'd said something wrong, then he looked up at him with a previously suppressed longing, slipped his arms around his neck and pressed his lips against his in a needy kiss, and Laguna wondered what it was that he'd said, exactly, that elicited this reaction.

He was uncertain how to respond to this and was much too shocked to even blink. One minute he was drying this kid's tears and the next he was trying to shove his tongue down his throat!

When Neji realized that his crush was not kissing back he pulled away slowly and dreaded to find a look of abject confusion on the other man's face. Had he misunderstood Laguna's confession of love?

It was then that he realized his faux pas and Neji hated himself for making such an amateur and erroneous translation. "L- Laguna-san, I'm so sorry I thought... I thought..."

"Erm, It's okay?" he stammered, uncertain what to do or even say in this situation. Obviously there had been a misunderstanding of sorts and it wasn't easy to place who was at fault here. Not that the boy had done anything wrong. While he was... surprised by the kiss, Laguna couldn't say he'd hated it. In fact, he was quite an accomplished kisser and Laguna wondered where exactly he'd learned to do such things with his tongue.

Relief kept Neji from bolting out of the room and into the dark woods where, hopefully, a feral bear or pack of rabid wolves would tear him limb from limb. He was embarrassed through to his very soul but at least Laguna was kind enough not to push him away in disgust. In fact, aside from his initial bewilderment, Laguna-san showed no other emotion, least of all repugnance.

"Wait a second," and Neji watched as the gears in Laguna's brain started to whir. "You thought I said I loved you? Was that it?"

There was no need for verbal verification, Neji's rapidly reddening skin was all the confirmation he needed. "I'm sorry, Neji. I should be more careful when choosing my words. It's just that you speak English so eloquently I didn't think there would be any language barriers."

"No," he quickly amended. "It was my mistake," and he pulled out of Laguna's embrace to hang his head shamefully. "I... I said I loved you... or rather, I meant to say it... but..."

Laguna nodded. Now he understood. "Well I...," he gestured with one hand while trying to articulate a reply. "I'm flattered actually?"

"Flattered?" Neji echoed. Not that he didn't understand the meaning but because that was not the sentiment he'd expected.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, you're a young, really cute guy. Nice hair and you've got pretty eyes. You could have anyone you wanted. Me, I'm waaay past my prime," the forty year old laughed heartily, crinkling the faint lines at the corners of his eyes.

"I think you're very handsome," was his coy compliment.

It was Laguna's turn to blush and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Gee, thanks. You usually don't hear that kinda stuff from other guys though."

"Am I the first?"

"Yeah, actually."

"I also like your eyes," Neji leaned in closer and, despite his greatest efforts, Laguna couldn't stop himself from shirking away. "They're blue, like the sky, and have so much kindness and wisdom. Kirei-na hitomidane."

"Wh- what does that mean?" he shifted nervously.

A small, sensuous smile touched Neji's lips. "It means I like your eyes."

Laguna frowned, knowing where this would end up if he let it continue. "Neji, I'll be honest with you. I don't think I can give you what you want."

The young man understood completely. The vast age gap aside, there was no possibility a long, meaningful relationship between the two of them could last. Even if they managed to stay committed to a long distance fling, the Hyuuga head would have a conniption fit if he ever found out his nephew was involved with a man. A much, much</i> older man.

Laguna had his own plate full, trying to find stability in his topsy-turvy life. He was desperately seeking his muse, hoping that it would manifest itself in time for him to complete his latest book and generate royalties as soon as possible. He didn't write for the money. Literature was his passion! However, it did put food in his stomach and keep a roof over his head so he would be naive if he saw his vocation as merely a hobby.

Then there was Squall. He already had the entirety of his consideration focused on earning the attention of one young man, he didn't think he could spare enough to give Neji the loyal dedication he deserved.

Knowing this didn't stop the persistent young adult, however, who pursued what he wanted with voracious intent and slipped his arms seductively around the trunk of Laguna's neck. "Then, let's just have tonight."

He kissed him again, this time more languorous than the first, as if they had time until eternity. As if this moment could last forever.

Laguna hesitated. His fingers itched to touch him back, to caress his face the same way Neji was stroking his. He wanted to feel the smooth warmth of his heated skin against his fingertips and the silken texture of his glossy locks. As loving kisses rained across his rugged jaw, the temptation became too great to resist and he lightly gripped the smaller man's waist. A soft, encouraging moan slipped past Neji's lips and down Laguna's throat and he rolled his hips enticingly.

A moist mouth teased the sensitive flesh of his earlobe and the grip he had around Neji's hips became so tight he felt he could crush the bones. There was no further doubt in Laguna's mind that the boy was skilled in the art of seduction. The tiny nibbling and quick flicks of his tongue left him craving more attention from that talented mouth and flared his libido to a fever pitch he'd never experienced with another woman. Then again, he had never shared intimacy with a partner this extroverted with their sexuality before and tended to gravitate more towards the types one would bring home to meet the parents.

Sharp teeth latched onto the secluded area of skin where his ear met his neck and began to suckle tenderly, and he was rewarded for his efforts when Laguna slipped his hands around his back to pull him closer. Neji smirked triumphantly at the other man's surrender. Up until this point he was still uncertain whether Laguna wanted to go through with this or not, but there was no denying the restless hands stroking his back and the obvious arousal growing between his legs. He had found the 'jackpot', as they said, and Neji intended to exploit this treasure to get exactly what he wanted.

Two minutes of molesting his G-spot left Laguna a quivering mess and he was so weakened by needy desire that he could scarcely fight the mischievous hands that descended his chest and abdomen, busily working to remove his belt and open his fly.

"Neji," he whispered his name breathlessly.

"Yeah?" he responded, his voice equally husky.

"You sure you wanna do this?"

The Hyuuga smiled and met the smoky lust of his blue eyes with the cheeky glint of his own. "Are you going to spank me if I do?"

Laguna groaned, the erotic imagery wreaking further havoc on his resolve. Honestly, he had never fantasized about such kinky behavior before, but now, with the opportunity presented to him on a silver platter, he wasn't sure he could refuse. "I- I've never even put my hand on my own kid," he stammered, unable to give his tone that sexy inflection Neji's had.

"You might want to reconsider with me," and he leaned in to whisper seductively against his ear: "All my friends say that the reason I'm so bad</i> is because I need a father's correction."

The way he purred those two words and the innuendo behind it all sent delightful shivers along Laguna's spine. "I dunno, you're kinda big for me to throw over my knee."

Neji smirked impishly and, for a minute there, Laguna believed he actually would do it, but, instead of laying across his knees, he crouched between them and wasted no further time divesting him of his pants and boxers, Laguna lifting his hips slightly to expedite the process.

For the first time in his life Neji was presented with a real adult's manhood. Large and thick, with a weighty sac hanging heavily beneath it. It stood out in comparison to the other guys he'd experimented with as one that had reached its full maturity. He suddenly felt inadequate, as if his limited experience would not be enough to satisfy this titan, but he would damn sure try.

Little did he know he wouldn't need to put that much effort into the task because, for someone who had never received a blow job, he had no prior experiences to compare this one to. For all Laguna knew it couldn't get any better than this and, when Neji greedily took him into his mouth, he very well believed that was true.

Laguna rested his head against the back of the sofa and committed himself to just enjoying the pleasure, thrusting his cock deep into that welcoming mouth and running shaky hands through the boy's soft hair. Neji was a generous lover and, as much as he loved giving head, he never could quite stomach the taste and, in some cases, the smell. He knew not to expect sweetened nectar or fresh-cut flowers but he was certain some of them had an aversion to washing their privates with soap and water. Laguna's musk was heady yet decidedly masculine, a potent aroma of sweat, glycerin and pheromones, and his taste, while not too bitter or too salty, was tolerable. Neji lapped the veiny underside of his shaft with his tongue while bobbing his head, carefully folding his lips over the ridges of his teeth to prevent any scraping. He kept one hand fisted tightly around the thick base of his cock and pumped it to match the tempo of his head, with the other he palmed Laguna's testicles and fondled his perineum with curious fingers, loving the way his balls clenched, lifted, then fell back into his hand.

"Oh yeah, that's good," the older man sighed blissfully and combed his fingers through Neji's glorious mane, cupping his face and brushing the rims of his ears with broad, flat thumbs. The stimulation there both tickled him and turned him on immensely but knowing that Laguna-san was having just as much fun as he was emboldened him and Neji dared to attempt deep-throating for the first time.

He'd never tried this before and if he wanted to be ambitious then he should have practiced on someone much smaller first. Much, much</i> smaller.

"Neji, are you okay?"

He nodded between coughs, trying to control his gag reflex and avoid further embarrassing himself by throwing up. At least Laguna wasn't disgusted and he was touched by the calming hand rubbing large circles on his back. Through the corner of his eye he noticed that Laguna-san was still erect. He wasn't as hard as he was before, his concern slightly withering his arousal, but, if he went back to work he could return him to full rigidity.

"Easy there, tiger," the coach laughed when the eager player tried to get back into the game, and he took him by the shoulders and pushed him to a safe distance.

"Ngh! Laguna-san, I'm fine," he forced through a throat congested with partially swallowed saliva. He was a trooper, he would push through this, he just didn't want this to come to an end.

Laguna also didn't want to have to cancel their one-night stand but he wasn't a bully in the bedroom. Neji needed some time to recover so, in the meanwhile, he would take charge.

He rose from the couch and led the boy over to the bear-skin rug where they could get more comfortable and that adorable blush returned to Neji's face when they settled into their romantic setting. Laguna beamed broadly, his teeth gleaming against the firelight, hoping he was at least charming because he had no blessed clue what he was supposed to do next. He assumed that intercourse with a member of the same sex would be comparable to the heterosexual variety to a point. Wasn't the ultimate goal to make sure that both parties reached orgasm?

The observant youth noticed that he was feeling somewhat anxious and struggling beneath immense pressure. "Uhh, I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here," Laguna chuckled nervously.

Neji cupped his face and gave him an encouraging smile. "Laguna-san, I'm honoured to take your virginity."

He bristled at that comment, his pride challenged. "I'm not a virgin, Neji," he said with a small frown.

The boy giggled and kissed the tiny pout on the other man's lips. "You've never been with another man, correct?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then, technically, you're a virgin in this instance."

He laughed at the situation he now found himself in. "The guys would never let me live this down if they found out I lost my 'virginity' to someone young enough to be my son."

Neji busied his fingers with unbuttoning Laguna's shirt. "My friends would be envious if I told them I took the virginity of someone old enough to be my dad."

Faint goosebumps rose on his skin caused by the soft hands slowly caressing his pectorals and abdomen. Laguna swallowed, and Neji leaned in to kiss his prominent Adam's apple. "If they could see us now, they'd be so jealous," he whispered against his neck.

A guttural moan bubbled in Laguna's throat when Neji's fingers lightly pinched his hardened nipples. "I'm not too sure how comfortable I would be with voyeurs."

"So I guess a naked picture of you would be out of the question?" the youth teased, to which Laguna concurred earnestly.

"Your friends will just have to take your word for it."

Neji lay his head on his shoulder, his soft hair splaying across the older man's chest. "I'm going to miss you."

"So am I," he admitted with raw honesty. "We can still keep in contact."

Neji smiled then. "I'd like that." He pushed himself from Laguna's body so he could gaze up at him. "Okay, time for me to take your virginity now."

Their kiss was passionate and ardent, leaving them both breathless and panting heavily. Restless hands explored every hard angle of Laguna's developed body while Laguna's patient own committed every curve of Neji's lean frame to memory. Neji leaned back against the plush rug, pulling Laguna down on top of him, chest to chest, hip to hip.

At his young lover's behest, Launa undressed him, slowly, carefully, taking his time and relishing each inch of milky, white flesh revealed to him. But Neji became impatient and he writhed and whimpered, urging him to hurry.

"We have all night," Laguna's warm breath wafted across a dusty, pink nipple before a firm, wet tongue darted out to taste it.

Neji gasped and his hips thrust reflexively, grinding his clothed erection against Laguna's naked own. He suddenly empathized with the young boy, knowing all too well the discomfort he was experiencing. That didn't stop him from playfully tormenting Neji, however, and he cupped his flaring hard-on through his jeans and fondled it with a large hand. Neji bucked wildly against him and made the sweetest sounds that made Laguna's legs turn to warm butter, and he was glad that he was already on the floor.

Neji could wait no longer and he slipped shaking hands between their bodies to fumble desperately with his fly. Taking pity on his plight, Laguna offered assistance tugging his pants over his slender hips, freeing his straining erection. His curiosity got the better of him and, feeling adventurous, dipped his head to take Neji's penis into his mouth.

A loud curse reached the ceiling, slow undulations of his torso pushed him deeper into that untrained mouth. Laguna accommodated him easily since he was not quite large and his savoury taste titillated his tastebuds.

"Laguna-san, don't," Neji pleaded, his fingers curled against his skull. It wasn't like him to lose his control so easily but it had been a while since he'd been with another person. He was under so much pressure from his Uncle and the basketball play-offs that he was too tense to even masturbate. Now, the finals were over, his Uncle was thousands of miles away, and he was with the sweetest, most handsome man he'd ever met and Neji was so close to losing it.

Laguna pulled away and Neji sighed with relief, tightly pinching the base of his cock with one hand and slowly counting to ten.

"Did I do something wrong?"

He shook his head and flashed him a brilliant smile. "No, you did great for a newbie."

"Heh, I think you're enjoying this 'me being a virgin' thing a little too much."

The cutest laugh he'd ever heard came from Neji's mouth and Laguna found it hard to resist leaning over and silencing him with a languid kiss. They rolled together without breaking their embrace, until Laguna was on his back and Neji was straddled atop him. "Laguna-san, do you have any lubricant?"

It was hard to think clearly through the fog of lust but he nodded when remembering the bottle of baby oil he kept in his gym bag. Neji climbed off to allow him to search through the bag and, by the time he returned to the rug by the fire, Neji had removed the remainder of his clothing.

"No! leave it on," Neji ordered when Laguna started to remove his. "You look sexy like that." His disheveled appearance was very hot. The unbuttoned shirt hanging off his shoulders, exposing his cut chest and rippled abdomen made him look like an underwear model. Minus the underwear, of course.

Neji took the bottle of oil and poured a generous amount into his palm, but the naughty Hyuuga grabbed his cock with his lubricated hand just as his lover was getting down on his knees, causing him to collapse and double over with pleasured cramps.

"Oh Go-d," Laguna groaned, thrusting into the slick hand wrapped around him. His thumb lazily grazed his weeping slit, mixing his pre-ejaculate with the oil and Laguna grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him onto his back. Neji quickly prepared himself with two fingers and gave the other man invitation in the form of a lubricious come-hither stare.

He had underestimated Laguna's immense size and Neji wished he had invested a little more time stretching himself. Fortunately, the oil was more effective than he anticipated but the initial pain did not go unnoticed by Laguna who retreated almost immediately.

"Laguna-san, don't leave me," Neji gasped and he threw his legs about the trunk of the older man's waist in a vice grip. He felt the coarse shudder that rippled through his frame and Neji watched the emotional conflict play out on his expressive face as he fought between control and wild abandon. It had never been quite like this before. So delectably hot, so incredibly tight, and Laguna knew that sex from this point on would never be the same. "Laguna-san, why have you stopped?" he purred against his ear, the seductive tone of his voice vibrating along his spine.

"I- I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't worry about me," the young boy smiled rather seductively. "I don't mind a little pain. Actually, I like it rough."

"Sorry Neji, but I'm not a sadist," he grunted. The urge to just hammer relentlessly into him now that he had permission to do so was becoming too strong to overcome.

"Maah, Laguna-san, you're so noble," Neji cooed. "You're like the dashing prince off on adventures to fight monsters, slay dragons and rescue damsels-in-distress."

Laguna couldn't explain why, but that sappy fantasy made him laugh, and Neji got what he wanted when he moved slightly inside him.   "You have the makings of a romance novelist," teased the older man and and Neji smirked at that, slipping his arms about his neck to pull him closer.

"I could write your story, you know?"

An intrigued eyebrow lifted high. "Oh really?"

"I'd be the helpless maiden, imprisoned in a tall tower, and you would be the brave hero who rescued me from my evil Uncle."

"Hmm, I think you picked up that uncanny trait of saying sappy things from your old man."

Both men laughed, staring deeply into the warmth of each other's eyes. Whether Laguna dipped his head first or Neji raised his, neither man knew, only that their lips were now interlocked in the most ardent kiss either had ever shared. Laguna moved slowly and carefully, thrusting deeply, as deep as anyone had ever been inside Neji and the young man reeled with exhilaration at the new sensations within him. Laguna rolled them onto their sides without breaking the kiss and Neji's hips rolled lewdly now that he had more freedom. The heat of the crackling fire, the molten liquor flowing through their veins and the friction of the soft, bear skin rug against their humid skin added to the erotic stimulation. Neji could endure the pleasurable torment no longer and filled the room with his throaty cries, his climax causing his innards to spasm ever so nicely around Laguna's thick rod and he was brought to his peak only seconds later.

They lay contentedly in each other's arms, completely drained but pleasantly satiated. All their anxieties, doubts, fears and concerns were forgotten in this moment where just the two of them existed. Neji soon fell asleep, too spent to continue staring up at the man he cared for with reverent adoration and Laguna couldn't remember a time when anyone had ever looked at him quite like that and he wished he could be blessed with such adulation every day for the rest of his life. Laguna stroked Neji's silken cheek with longing, even though he knew this would be the last time he would have the opportunity.

This was the problem with one-night stands, he didn't want to say goodbye forever. He didn't want to say good-bye at all.

A despondent sigh wrenched itself from his chest and Laguna untangled their limbs so he could retrieve the notebook he kept in his carry-all. Lying next to Neji, wishing for the impossible and denying the inevitable was too depressing and, while he should be making the most of what meager time they had left, all Laguna felt like doing was writing. He didn't know what it would prove, he was still trapped within the prison of writer's block but, the second he touched his pen to paper the words miraculously flowed, as if the walls had come crumbling down beneath the powerful force of a tsunami.

The seasoned author chuckled wryly and a slanted smile graced Laguna's lips as he turned to gaze over at the young boy laying peacefully just at an arm's length.

He'd found his muse.

***

Wow, this was long. But, no surprise since Neji and Laguna are both my favourite characters. :)
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