Chapter 32

-Matsuri's POV-

Even my ears felt hot as I pulled away from Temari to spin the bottle. I just had my first kiss yesterday and now I also kissed my boyfriend's sister. The only reason I haven't fainted or fled the scene yet was because I'd taken a few shots of whiskey on an empty stomach so it hadn't taken long for me to feel a bit tipsy.

Today was my first time drinking alcohol in my entire life and Kankuro promised that I'd like it, only to laugh loudly at my disgusted face upon taking the first shot of it with him and Gaara. He was right, though, that after the first one went down it was easier to repeat the process.

The bottle spun and the excited chatter in the room dropped into a dead silence when it pointed at Kankuro. My heart dropped and I let out an unfiltered groan.

Naruto laughed loudly, pumping a fist in the air as he encouraged me and broke the tense silence, "Do it so you can tell him how bad of a kisser he is!"

Ino and Sakura cheered in agreement, "Yeah! Kiss him!"

I turned to face the man in question, only for my face to get somehow hotter when I saw he was sitting there with an expectant look. He was undoubtedly going to make me kiss him rather than meet me halfway as a way to torture me.

My eyes narrowed and I threatened him, "If you try anything funny, I'll kill you."

He chuckled with an amused grin, "This is just a game, Matsu."

I gingerly placed my hands on his shoulders and leaned forward to lightly press my lips against his before quickly pulling away and facing the center of the circle with a blazing hot face and humiliation coursing through my veins.

With that, I'd officially kissed all three Subaku siblings. Of course, only Gaara and I knew that, but the knowledge itself was bad enough. I glanced over at the redhead in question as Kankuro moved to spin the bottle and take his turn. He met my eye and I wordlessly sensed that he wasn't upset or anything, so I let out a sigh of relief and focused back on the game.

The group busted out in chaos when the bottle landed on Kiba and the two men looked at one another in disbelief. I couldn't hold back my laughter, covering my mouth when the elder Subaku brother glanced over to shoot me a glare. Sakura and Ino, who I suddenly realized were at least as tipsy as I was right now, cheered the two on and they eventually kissed before parting ways and simultaneously making disgusted noises.

Kiba then kissed Hinata, Hinata kissed Sasuke, Sasuke kissed Ino, Ino kissed Sakura, and then the room got silent again when Sakura's bottle landed on Gaara.

My eyes danced between the two of them and I felt extremely concerned. It's not like I was jealous because this was just a party game and we're all close enough by now that none of this was to be taken seriously, but the two involved in this turn have a rocky history.

Not only was everyone still incredibly nervous around Gaara, but he'd ruthlessly beat her during physical training the day Karin was killed. While I got the sense that Sakura wasn't holding a grudge against him and that he's come to regret how cruel he'd been, the aura of the room still became intense.

To my, and everyone else's, surprise, Sakura and Gaara met halfway to kiss and she even laughed quietly to herself as she retreated back to her spot.

A small smile rose to my lips when Ino whispered something to her and the two erupted into a fit of giggles as Gaara spun the bottle. Not a single person here, minus maybe Konohamaru, was unaware of the fact that for whatever reason, Sakura's uncomfortable around men. The fact that she felt relaxed enough to both relax and get drunk around us made my heart warm.

Calloused fingers firmly grabbed my jaw and pulled my face to the side before lips were pressed firmly against mine. My eyes widened in surprise and a small squeak got caught in my throat as I realized it was Gaara.

Tenten laughed loudly when he pulled away, "Matsuri's collecting Subakus for her harem!"

My eyes squeezed shut and I shook my head to try and clear the embarrassed haze that'd risen, only to reopen so I could spin the bottle again. It landed on Naruto and I didn't feel quite as nervous to kiss him as I had Kankuro or Temari. Someone like Hinata, who's nearly as timid as me, enjoys his company and I already knew what a wholesome person he was.

The game continued afterwards, but I was distracted by Kankuro handing Gaara and I another shot of whiskey. I drank it eagerly, wanting to lessen the unbearable humiliation plaguing me. Spin The Bottle got old after a bit and we switched to Truth or Dare after night fell. My anxiety faded as the night carried on and soon that game also ended. Rather than find a third party game to play, everyone just kind of stood or sat around like this was just another party.

"Another shot, you guys?" Gaara, Kankuro, and I were standing with Neji and Tenten near the dining table and we all turned to see Temari approaching with a drunken blush on his face.

Her older brother wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a laugh, "You'd better slow down, Sis. We both know you can't handle your liquor."

Tenten wordlessly poured everyone another shot before handing them out as the two elder Subaku siblings bickered drunkenly. I threw it back, barely even noticing the awful taste anymore. That made…six? Maybe seven shots for me and I decided, even in my inebriated state, that I'd better refrain from drinking anything else for a bit to make sure I didn't get sick.

As everyone was entertained by Temari and Kankuro's playful argument, I excused myself to walk drunkenly down the hall under the stairs to relieve my bladder.

My steps weren't staggered or anything, but I felt like once that shot I just took sets in it'd be hard to not stumble. My blood felt warm in my body, especially in my chest and face. If I turned my head too swiftly or moved at a quicker speed, a sensation similar to that of when you get dizzy on a spinning carnival ride would tickle my insides and it became hard not to giggle to myself.

Once I did my business and washed my hands, I stepped out of the bathroom into the dark hall, only for someone to grab my wrist and pull me slightly to the side so my back could press against the wall. Once my eyes adjusted and I realized it was just Gaara, I relaxed and grinned easily at him, feeling giddy that he was so close, "Hello."

The only thing that gave away that he'd also been drinking was the smell of whiskey on his breath. His cheeks weren't flushed and he seemed physically stable, unlike me.

"I'm going to kiss you."

My heart leapt in my chest as he did exactly that without waiting for me to respond. I told him that he didn't have to ask and he was taking that statement to heart. His hands were on the wall on either side of my head.

Yesterday, when we kissed, I was hesitant to touch anything but his face in fear that the amount of physical contact would overwhelm him. As I stood drunkenly before him, though, I couldn't help myself from running a hand up the back of his neck to wrap my fingers in his hair. He pulled back, eyes nearly glowing as he looked down at me.

My words rolled off my tongue more heavily than usual as I tried to whisper, "Is this okay?"

He didn't say anything, but kissed me once more, meaning that it was. Both of us were new to anything related to kissing or other things couples do, so I wasn't sure how to naturally get him to make out with me rather than kiss me separately, over and over. However, if there was a time to try it, it'd be now since I wasn't likely to get as bashful as I usually do.

I gently wrapped a couple fingers in his belt loop and gave him a soft tug so he'd come a bit closer and although it took him a moment to understand what I wanted, he did. This time, when he went to pull away from our kiss, I slightly tightened my hold on the back of his neck and moved my lips against his in a way that felt natural.

He froze for a few moments and I pulled back, feeling guilty, "I'm sorry. I should've asked first."

Gaara didn't respond vocally, as usual, but searched my face for a few moments before hesitantly leaning back in. My brow furrowed when, after a couple seconds, he mirrored what I'd just done to him. A thick wave of attraction washed over me and I instinctively pulled him more firmly against me, my chest pressing against his torso.

For a minute or two, we figured out what to do and then simply enjoyed the feeling of it. The closer he and I got, the better it felt and before long I started to get a bit antsy because his hands remained on the wall on either side of my head.

He pulled back when I made a small sound and I panted slightly for breath. I didn't know drinking would make it so hard to suppress my impure thoughts. Gaara stared down at me, slightly breathless himself, as he waited for me to say what I wanted to say. My entire body felt hot with arousal, embarrassment, and inebriation.

My fingers released his belt loop and I ran my hand up to his chest as I looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, "You don't have to keep your hands on the wall."

He hesitated before responding in a raspier-than-usual voice, "You want me to touch you?"

I nodded, admitting in a slurred voice, "Yeah. Touch me, okay?" Then I pulled him back down to kiss again.

He seemed stunned by my forwardness, but in the moment I was too drunk and excited to get bashful. After a moment, he reacted with a bit more vigor than before, probably reassured that it was okay because I was the one who initiated it. I got so lost in his kiss that I nearly jolted in shock when one of his hands, trembling slightly, brushed my hair behind my ear before cupping under my jaw to angle his lips against mine more deeply.

My brow furrowed when I felt the unmistakable feeling of his tongue pushing softly against my lips. I parted them slightly to let him in and a soft sigh leaked from my chest at the wonderful sensation of his tongue swirling with mine brought butterflies to my stomach.

His other hand came to hold my hip, his thumb brushing against my hip bone every so often. The hand against his chest traveled down to slide under his shirt so I could feel the warm skin of his abdomen against my fingers.

"Oh shit!"

We were apart in a fraction of a second and I panted for air with the back of my hand over my lips as I turned to see a flushed Neji standing there with a drunken Tenten on his back, piggy-back style. The girl was the one who'd spoken and was looking at us with an excited grin.

I leaned on the wall to keep from wobbling drunkenly and wasn't able to contain my giggles as I put a finger to my lips. She giggled back and mirrored my gesture. When I met Neji's eye, he nodded to confirm he wouldn't say anything either before bending his legs slightly so the drunk girl on his back could get to her feet. Tenten staggered into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, giggling loudly the entire time.

Normally, I'd be mortified at being caught in such a heated act, but I was too drunk and only cared about when I'd be able to kiss Gaara again. I wasn't so unaware that I'd go right back to it, though, and motioned for the redhead to follow me back out into the dining room. He wordlessly obeyed, running a hand through his messy hair with an annoyed expression.

Things had gotten crazy, for lack of a better word, while he and I were away.

Ino and Sakura were talking excitedly about something while the Uchiha brothers listened. Konohamaru was asleep across three dining chairs pushed together while Naruto and Kiba drew on his face. Hinata was watching them with a hand over her mouth as she tried to contain her laughter. Shikamaru and Temari were missing and it wasn't hard to guess where they'd gone.

That left one person missing.

Before I could figure out in my drunken stupor who it was, I was being hugged into someone tall's chest. A strangled sound of surprise left my lips and I gingerly patted whoever they were on the back, giving Gaara a confused look. Before the redhead could react, the person pulled away and my face fell when I realized it was an incredibly drunk Kankuro.

His words were slurred and he could barely stand upright, "Matsu! Where were you, Babe? I missed you so much!"

I swatted at his arms when he tried to hug me again and he wobbled on his feet. Gaara and I somehow ended up on either side of him with one of his arms over each of our shoulders as we helped him upstairs so he could go to bed. I was almost as drunk as Kankuro, so I wasn't much help. As soon as he fell onto the bed, I stumbled and had to catch myself with a hand on the nightstand as giggles poured from my lips.

"Help me…"

I struggled upright once more and saw the older brother was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt so he could get ready for bed. Gaara, who finally seemed to have had enough, complained in an irritated voice, "You're unbearable."

My eyes danced over to the redhead, who was coming around the bed, likely to help his brother. The memory of how amazing it felt to kiss him just minutes ago came to mind and before I realized anything had happened, I was sitting atop his hips and pressing my lips to his eagerly.

He was stunned, hands raised slightly as though he wasn't sure if he should touch me or not.

"Woah, Matsuri…"

Realization struck me and I sat up on top of Gaara, eyes wide as I looked over at Kankuro. His eyes were half-lidded with inebriation as he struggled to sit up, "That was so sexy. You should do that to me."

Then, I passed out.