Title: Animal Instincts

Meaning: N/A
Pairing: KibaNaru (hinted and actual)
Type: Drabbles
Rating: PG

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Drabble Five - Word Count: 461

Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Hyuuga Neji occupied three chairs of a table set for seven. Uchiha Sasuke also occupied a chair, his arms crossed in a typical gesture and his face a picture of pure disinterest in what was going on around him. But he also kept himself at the end of the table opposite of Shikamaru, which meant, in Shikamaru's opinion, that he was separate from the group. The only reason he was there at all was because this was Naruto's birthday, and Sasuke being there would make Naruto happy - though the kami only knew why. Absent from their seats were Rock Lee, Inuzuka Kiba, and the blonde whose birthday they were supposed to be celebrating. Judging from the faint blush on Neji's cheeks and the resigned way Chouji stared at the door, all present were thinking of the same reason for Kiba's and Naruto's absence.
Suddenly a figure, clad in a color other than green for once, burst through the restaurant door and jogged over to the table.
"Sumimasen!" Lee said, slightly out of breath and looking apologetic. He took his seat between Neji and Sasuke, and Shikamaru had to note that Neji looked distinctly more relaxed than he had. "I had to explain my way out of why I wasn't spending tonight training."
Shikamaru waved off the apology bored-ly, saying, "Just say it's too bothersome to train every night. You won't be lying."
"Ah - but Gai-sensei would worry. It's unlike me," Lee said. He blinked at the two empty seats across the table, "Oh. Kiba and Naruto-kun aren't here yet."
"Are you surprised?" the lazy Jounin asked, lifting an eyebrow ever-so-slightly.
Lee looked down the table, peering quizzically at Shikamaru, "What do you mean, Shikamaru-kun? Naruto-kun is rarely late for anything that involves free food; especially when there is the possibility of ramen."
"Tcha ... perhaps," Shikamaru, the eyebrow lowering, "But Naruto's also a troublesome guy - and Kiba's worse. They're both so annoyingly stuck onto each other they start forgetting others and keep us waiting."
"You mean ..." Lee trailed off, pondering that, and suddenly he was blushing.
Neji's own cheeks turned a darker shade of red - Shikamaru swore he saw the tiniest bit of blood drop from the Hyuuga's nose. Chouji was trying not to look too interested, but his best friend knew better. Sasuke's eyes hardened and his fingers tightened around his upper arms until his knuckles were white. Shikamaru smirked; let the bastard be jealous.
Lee finally spoke again, "So you really think they're ..."
"Probably," the pony-tailed boy nodded.
"Oh," the slightly odd boy murmured, thoughtfully. He never had fully grasped that Kiba and Naruto were boyfriends.
The topic was dropped for a while, each boy lost in their own thoughts. Then, piercing the silence, Lee finally asked, "How do you think they choose who's on top?"

Beware a possible spoiler.








Author's Notes: This drabble quite happily ignores what has actually happened in both the manga and anime of Naruto and pretends that Naruto dragged Sasuke back kicking and screaming to Konoha. Therefore, Shikamaru can still hate him and call him a bastard - and he said himself that he never particularly liked Sasuke, anyway.