“Alright!” Ino said, standing on the coffee table. You were at a party at her house while her parents were away, and she had made sure that people knew she was the one running the night. “Let’s play a game.” The other dozen of you crammed into the living area stared at her, waiting to see what crazy game she’d come up with now. She took a last chug of her beer bottle, holding it up dramatically. “Spin the bottle!”
A few of the partygoers groaned, and you felt your boyfriend Naruto squeeze your side protectively. You were perched on his lap -- since the couches in the living room were too full for comfort -- and he had slung an arm around you, holding you steady so you didn’t fall over on Rock Lee, who was sitting next to you. You smiled at Naruto reassuringly and squeezed his shoulder. You knew he got jealous easily, but you hoped he would realize it was all just a game and would remain calm.
“Alright, get in a circle,” Ino commanded, hopping off the table and placing her empty beer bottle in the middle of it. A few guests complained and grumbled, but Ino shot them a dirty look, and they obliged.
Rock Lee moved off the couch to sit on the floor at its side. “Here, Y/n, take my seat so you have your own spot in the circle, too.” You felt Naruto glaring at him, but you slid off his lap anyway, taking Lee’s spot and giving him a grateful smile. You reached for Naruto’s hand, giving it a squeeze. You were a bit nervous about the game, but thought it might be funny to see some of the pairs, so you didn’t protest.
Once everyone was in place, Ino reached in and gave the bottle a spin, grinning mischievously. You felt the gazes of everyone in the room fixated on the bottle, watching as it spun in a fast circle, beginning to slow. You could practically feel everyone holding their breath as it slowed, eventually landing on Shikamaru. The other players, including yourself, breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“What a drag,” Shikamaru complained as Ino walked over with a sultry grin and kissed him full on the lips, leaning in and grabbing onto his shirt. She’s basically making out with him, you thought with a cringe. Shikamaru sat still for a moment, but you could see his hands gripping his knees with white knuckles as if to hold himself back. Interesting. After an uncomfortably long moment, Ino broke off the kiss, smiling at him playfully as she sauntered off into the middle of the circle.
“Alright, who’s next?” she said, looking around at all the nervous players. After a moment of silence, Kiba cleared his throat.
“I’ll go,” he said, winking at Ino. She grinned and walked over to swap spots with him, taking his seat on the floor. Kiba stood in front of the bottle, cracked his knuckles once, and then spun it. Again, everyone in the room was breathlessly fixated on the bottle; it seemed to spin much longer than it had on Ino’s turn, and you felt adrenaline coursing through your body from the anxiety of the situation. The bottle slowed its path, giving one last slow circle before landing on you. You felt your face grow hot. Shit.
Naruto squeezed your hand so hard you thought it would break, and you looked at him, trying to reassure him it was fine. You pulled your hand away, smiling at him, and turned to look at Kiba, who was standing in front of you. He leaned in and pressed his lips to yours in a brief, chaste kiss, then pulled away. You could tell in his eyes that he was nervous about what Naruto might do, and he quickly walked away to the middle of the circle, putting distance between himself and your boyfriend.
“Aw boo, that was lame!” Ino yelled. “No tongue or anything?”
“You used tongue?” Tenten said, staring at Ino in disbelief. Shikamaru turned slightly pink, and you raised your eyebrows. But before anyone could question the two of them further, you felt Naruto stand up next to you, stomping off and up the stairs.
“Naruto, wait--” you said, but he was already out of earshot, and you quickly stood up, running after him. I knew he’d get jealous, you thought, but this is not good. You took the stairs two at a time and walked to Ino’s bedroom, the only door in the hallway that was wide open. You entered her room and saw the porch door was open, too, and knew he had gone outside. You walked out the door, closing it gently behind you, and climbed the ladder to the roof, finding Naruto laid out, staring at the sky. You could tell by the movement of his chest he was breathing heavily, obviously very upset about what just went down.
“Naruto,” you said, crawling across the roof to lay next to him. You placed a hand on his cheek, warm with anger, and gently turned his head to look at yours. A fire burned behind his blue eyes, but you saw a hint of hurt in them, too. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told Ino I didn’t want to play that stupid game.” He pressed his lips together in a thin line before speaking.
“Was it a good kiss?” You were taken aback.
“Absolutely not,” you said, a small laugh escaping your lips. “I would’ve enjoyed kissing Akamaru more.” Naruto grinned, and you felt his breathing calm down, returning to normal. “Trust me, Naruto, you’re the only guy I ever want to kiss. And I’ll never play a dumb game like that again, okay?”
He nodded, and leaned in to kiss you himself. This kiss was good, soft and sweet and familiar. You kissed him for a moment, letting it grow deeper, until Naruto pulled away, pressing his forehead to yours.
“I’m sorry I get so jealous,” he said quietly. “I just don’t want you to leave me.” You stared at him, your heart aching at his sad words, and you placed a hand on his cheek, his face still hovering over yours.
“I won’t ever leave you, Naruto,” you said, staring into his eyes. “Ever. I’m in love with you, and you alone.” He smiled and kissed you again before sitting back up.
“Guess we should go back to the party, huh?” he said sheepishly. You grinned.
“As long as we can just sit and watch all the drama, I’m down.” He smiled at you.
“Sounds perfect.” The two of you made your way down the ladder, and you grabbed the handle of Ino’s door, pulling and realizing that you locked yourselves out. You laughed lightly, turning to Naruto, who seemed confused.
“We’re locked out.”
He laughed. “Guess we’ll just have to stay up here then.” You nodded, following him back up the ladder. The two of you spent a long while laying on the roof and staring at the stars, until eventually Ino appeared on the porch.
“Well, there you are!” she said, hands on her hips. “You guys didn’t do anything weird up here, right?” You and Naruto laughed, shaking your heads. “Well, come down. The party’s over.” You climbed down from the roof and headed back inside through Ino’s room, saying goodbye to Ino and Shikamaru, who was perched on her bed awkwardly, and heading home for the night, walking together under a starlit sky.