Disclaimer: I own nothing…except a freakishly expansive knowledge about motor vehicles.

Service with a Smile

Chapter One: Shop Talk

X

"Ha! Like hell you have a chance with her, moron!" Kiba laughed off mock-cruelly to his blonde and equally obnoxious co-worker as the grinning brunette continued to wipe at his grease-smeared hands with a small, red rag, "Besides, she's way too uptight for you…always snapping at you and shit; gruesome."

"Ugh…I know, but I think it just makes her look cuter…feistier," Naruto replied back cockily with a lop-sided grin, his arms raised over his head as he finished tightening the last of the tiny, metal fasteners running along the bottom of the clutch master cylinder of the pristine, cherry red BMW M3 coupe that he and his tattooed friend had been working on that day.

Kiba Inuzuka rolled his eyes at his friend as he tucked the dirtied shop rag into one of his back pockets adorning his thick, dark-blue coveralls where he had his long sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the name of the automobile repair company patched onto a shoulder, and his first name sewn over his left breast pocket.

Casual chats about life, love, and oftentimes, more nonsensical topics were normal to take place around Uchiha Parts and Service, where all the employees were well-versed in auto mechanics and could perform their work quickly and accurately, and were also personal friends with one another, making for a light-hearted and easy-going working environment.

Kiba had been working at the simple car repair shop for three years, having started just filling out invoices and performing administrative tasks and light repairs, but now was one of the top-valued mechanics in the business for his diligent attention to detail and motivation to get their jobs done no matter what the circumstances provided.

The owner, Madara Uchiha, had taken notice to Kiba's persistence to learn and had placed within the young man a certain level of authority over all the other mechanics and shop-hands, which gave the brunette a larger responsibility over the vehicles that the company saw to and had to deal with, but also with the added perk of being able to tell certain loud-mouthed blondes to finish tightening up bolts and fittings when he simply did not want to any more.

"I swear, I don't understand you," Kiba commented to his fluid-smudged co-worker as Naruto also finished his tasks and joined the brunette in stepping away from the lifted, expensive vehicle, "…you practically let her beat the snot out of you…and you think it's cute?! I think you need to have your head examined, man. The girl you're going to be with needs to be soft, gentle… more like…like…"

"Like that?" Naruto interrupted as he was obviously eyeing someone from over Kiba's shoulder towards the main, part-decorated entrance of the shop where the customers could approach the front desk or shop their selection of parts and tools, "…hey, isn't that the owner of the Beamer? I bet it is; you can tell that guy's got money!"

Kiba turned around to view the person in question, puzzled by Naruto's strange interruption, but immediately widened his eyes as his whole body became momentarily rigid while he forgot how to breathe, how to think.

He had never seen such long, dark-brown hair before that fell so freely around a pale, angelic face and square shoulders as the man cast his stunning, crystal-lavender gaze this way and that as he sought out someone with which to speak.

Kiba forced his throat to swallow as he blinked at the heavenly sight, snapping out of his brief reverie, as he only took a moment more to notice that the devastatingly beautiful young man was wearing a cream-colored sweater over a light-blue, long-sleeved dress shirt where the bottom hem stuck out from underneath that complimented his regular blue jeans nicely, before deciding that he needed to approach the customer.

Kiba cleared his throat, intentionally gaining the long-haired young man's attention to let him know that he was on his way to him, as the Inuzuka heard Naruto press the appropriate buttons on the lift controls to lower the BMW down to the ground, and quickly muttered an almost inaudible 'I'll handle this…' to his blonde co-worker.

Kiba smiled in the friendliest manner he could as he crossed over into the main room from the shop floor, noticing straight away that he was slightly taller and bulkier than the customer was, and how said customer's entrancing eyes never wavered as they watched the unruly-looking mechanic approach him and immediately go to the other side of the counter to be of service and speak with him.

"Welcome to Uchiha Parts and Service. I'm Kiba; how may I help you?" Kiba stated coolly, his features remaining pleasant and warm despite how quickly his heart was pounding inside of his chest from being so close to someone who had already succeeded in taking his breath away from sheer beauty and poise.

"Yes. I am Neji Hyuuga, here to pick up the M3 over there," Neji provided naturally as he quickly brought his gaze over to his red BMW that he could see inside the shop area from where he was standing before setting his lovely, milky gaze back onto the tattooed, dark-skinned mechanic before him.

Kiba swallowed hard again, realizing that not only was this man's face was bordering on absolute perfection from up close, but his voice sounded like impossibly sweet, rich honey in the way that it was so collected and sophisticated in its appealing register.

"Oh, well…I have some updates about your car…"Kiba began before fishing out the BMW's repair information sheet from inside the counter's inner shelving to bring up for the eloquently-spoken customer to view while he explained, "The first thing we checked regarding the clutch sticking was the hydraulic pressure inside the clutch master cylinder. We also took a look at the manual steering box, but everything there was in top shape. While we did need to add some fluid in the cylinder, we discovered that it's actually the engine flywheel that was not locking properly when you try to switch gears."

Kiba lifted his gaze from his own finger that was pointing towards all the messily scrawled words on the document that he was stating in narrative form for the customer as he sensed Neji's tension as the latter shifted his weight on his feet and moved his tongue inside his mouth.

"So, you're telling me that it's a bigger problem than what we all first thought," Neji reiterated plainly, obviously distraught with this development over his new, valuable automobile that had quickly become very precious to him, "…great. So, then when will it be ready?"

Kiba straightened his spine from hunching over the form in between them on top of the counter as he answered, "We should have it done it a few days. Since it was brought in only a few hours before closing time today, and it is a difficult job since it's dealing with a heavy replacement on the engine, we can probably have it done a few days from now."

Neji sighed thoughtfully, perhaps defeated, as he did notice that the hour was getting quite late and that the shop was starting to close down as he could hear the other employees in the back already telling others good-bye, followed by the sounds of closing doors, clinking metal, and loud footsteps.

"Well, whatever the fee is, just place it on this card, please," Neji suddenly chimed, although a bit haughtily, as the pale, long-haired man retrieved his black leather wallet and pulled out one of many credit cards that the tri-folded accessory housed.

Kiba accepted the credit card good-naturedly and turned towards the company computer on his left, but could not help but cock his head over towards Neji's direction, a sly smile on his face and an upbeat glint in his slit-pupil eyes as he did so.

"You know…I just remembered that today just so happens to be the one and only day that we are running a special…specifically for red BMWs," Kiba commented cheerily, playfully as he kept his charming smile in place as he swiped the card into their system and began to punch in numbers, already seeing Neji's features substantially relax as pleasant surprise overtook him, "…so let me just…make sure you get that discount here."

"Oh, uh…thank you," Neji said, too stunned to speak with his usual finesse as he had not expected the tanned young man who looked around his age to have made such an obscure offer that was clearly made up on the spot and only so because he had wanted to do that for him.

"No problem," Kiba stated positively with a smile as he turned back towards his baffled but grateful customer and handed his credit card back to him, "This is your first time doing business with us, after all, so we want to make sure that your experience with us was a good one."

Neji nodded understandingly, appreciatively as he took his little, plastic card from the mechanic's rough-looking and slightly permanently stained hand before simply sliding it inside a pocket versus putting it back inside his wallet.

"Oh, and uh…how were you able to get here to the shop, if I may ask?" Kiba piped up suddenly, his thin, light-brown eyebrows rising as the Inuzuka clearly had some other point to make with the Hyuuga.

"I had a taxi bring me here. Why?" Neji answered calmly before tossing back another question towards Kiba who blinked and quirked up an eyebrow at him before replying.

"He just left," the mechanic informed the Hyuuga who immediately spun around in place to face the large, glass door to the shop so he may peer outside and confirm that his means for returning back home had, in fact, departed without him.

Kiba had noticed Neji's panic the moment those translucent, lavender eyes widened before the young man brashly turned around to seek out his disappeared taxi; the next thing to say to the troubled Hyuuga already hot on his tongue and making him smirk subtly.

"If you need a ride, I'm sure I could give you one," Kiba offered gentlemanly, sincerely but not without a handsome smirk gracing his features and making him bare one of his pearly white fangs towards the beautiful, interesting customer that he truly did want to spend a little more time with.

"No, I couldn't impose. You've already done enough for me, so it's quite alright…"Neji tried to counter respectfully even though Kiba was already waving off his polite words.

"Really, it's no trouble. Just wait for me to get cleaned up and changed and I'll meet you outside, okay?" Kiba reasoned fairly, chivalrously pushing his idea so that Neji would have no choice but to accept his terms.

Neji visibly shifted his gaze to the tiled floor for a moment to think over his situation and absorb everything that the kind, good-natured mechanic had just instructed him to do, before snapping his attention back to the patient Inuzuka and saying, "Alright, then. I'll be outside."

Kiba's smile grew across his face as he nodded and said, "Got it. I'll hurry."

Kiba watched as Neji exited the main area through the glass door before breathing easier, happier as he quickly filed away the document he had brought out and then turned off the computer.

With hurried footsteps, Kiba dashed back into the shop area where he saw that every car on a lift had been successfully lowered, tools had been put away, and that general equipment and machines were back in their places around the perimeter of the concrete work space.

"Kiba, I went ahead and locked the back door," a tall man with horridly directionally-challenged orange hair stated to his superior as he walked across the length of the shop opposite where the brunette was so he may exit, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Juugo. You did good work today," Kiba exclaimed to his impossibly strong yet strangely docile co-worker as he watched the tall, impassive man stride to the front to leave first, "…see you later, man."

Just as Kiba turned back towards his destination of entering the back rooms where the restrooms and personal lockers were, he was met with a hurrying rush of bright, bouncing blonde hair and a smile that could throw off airplane courses.

"Hey, how did it go with Mr. Moneybags? Was he pissed when you told him about the engine problem?" Naruto asked enthusiastically, conversationally as he was already laughing at his own implications and assumptions.

Kiba rolled his neck, stretching out the tense muscles there with a dramatic half-groan, half-sigh that was meant to tell Naruto that he was tired and sort of in a hurry.

"His name is Neji, and no…he's totally cool," Kiba informed his blonde co-worker in a non-committing manner as he started walking past him, "…hell, he already paid for everything."

"Ha! I knew it," Naruto commented with a pseudo-suspicious look on his whiskered face before calling to his walking friend's back, "…hey why are you in such rush, Kiba?"

"I'm taking him home," Kiba answered cockily just before disappearing into the back rooms, unable to see Naruto's face completely blank before the blonde started laughing and wiping tears from his eyes.

"I hope you don't get tossed in the castle dungeon for touching their princess, pal!" Naruto shouted to the closed door in good spirits, forever loving his and Kiba's understood game of giving the other as much grief and hard times as possible, as the blonde chuckled his way out of the shop.

Inside the brightly illuminated and highly sanitized restroom, Kiba could not remember the last time he had washed up so hastily as the dog loving, car mechanic scrubbed his blackened hands with special de-greaser soap and hot water, cleaned underneath his fingernails, and then promptly washed his face with a gentler cleanser.

Satisfied that he had gotten as much grit and grime off of his hands before he could take a proper shower at home, the Inuzuka abandoned the small but useful, brown and white-decorated bathroom and rounded the corner to where all the grey-metal, employee lockers were.

Upon locating his own locker on the right side of the room, Kiba routinely stripped off his oily, dirty coveralls and tossed the heavy, dark-blue garment into the pile of others that were for their contracted laundry agency to pick up and clean for them, before the brunette hurriedly pulled out his own jeans from his grey storage space and stepped into them.

"Hello there, slave," came a highly-amused and well-meaning voice from across the simple room, the joke instantly making Kiba smile and laugh as he zipped up and his pants and reached back inside his locker to retrieve his plain, white T-shirt, "…how did everything go today? I see the shop is still standing, so that's a good sign…"

"We got a few new customers today; one was an engine problem, but the guy was cool about how it's going to take a couple of days to fix," Kiba informed his joke-making, always friendly boss as he slipped his arms through his waist-length leather jacket before closing his locker and turning around to face said man that he could not help but respect, "…other than that, Juugo finished the oil change on that older-model Audi, and…yeah. Everything went really well today."

Madara Uchiha nodded understandingly at his valued employee and personal apprentice's report, the older man's long, asymmetrically-styled black hair held in a high pony-tail as he wore a long, grey overcoat with his hands in his pockets.

"Sounds like my faithful slaves are working hard," Madara commented humorously, sarcastically before adding, "…oh, and my meeting with the parts people up north went well. I think one of their CEOs likes me, so I'm sure we have their business."

"Ha! Don't be too sure of yourself, fearless leader," Kiba shot back with a smirk as he watched Madara feign being hurt by Kiba's words, "It's a well-known fact that the people of Akatsuki Corporation don't extend their business to just anyone. It's mainly racing organizations that they team up with…"

"You have no faith in my abilities, I swear. She was really pretty, though. I think her name was Konan or something…smoking hot, I tell you…and it makes her even hotter that she co-runs an auto parts company," Madara explained casually as he made to exit the room, his voice laced with loaded but cheerful humor that amused the Inuzuka to no end as the latter shook his head and watched his jovial boss wave at him from behind as he approached the door.

"Oh, and Kiba…don't forget to shut off all the lights and lock up and all that crap; you know the drill," the Uchiha added mock-sweetly as the door swung shut behind him, leaving Kiba alone to finish up getting ready to leave with Madara's comical conversation still buzzing in his head and making him smile.

"Jeeze…crazy old man…" Kiba commented aloud to no one in particular as he adjusted his leather jacket one last time before deciding that he needed to lock up these back rooms first before he made his way towards the front of the shop.

In no time, Kiba exited the main, glass door and locked it shut behind him with the master set of keys that Madara had long entrusted with him, before hugging his leather jacket a little tighter around his strong, tall form and turning around to face the parking lot.

Catching his attention from his immediate right, Kiba saw Neji push himself off from his leaning position against one of the large, glass windows at the front of the shop so he may approach the Inuzuka, a neutral expression adorning his lovely, porcelain face as he did.

"Hey. I hope I didn't make you wait too long…?" Kiba posed as a question almost bashfully as he slipped his hands inside his jacket pockets and deftly pulled out his car keys in his right hand, figuring that he and Neji probably needed to go right away.

"No, not at all; I was alright out here. It actually…gave me some time to think about some things," Neji answered coolly yet quizzically as he and Kiba began walking out into the almost bare parking lot where only a few cars still remained.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Kiba pried before he could stop himself, his steps directing a closely-following Neji towards his jet black 1971 Dodge Charger 383 Magnum with custom grey and black-designed interior, polished factory wheels, and perfectly restored B-body style with a 'Ramcharger' hood scoop.

"Is…is this your car?" Neji stammered as he asked his question, unable to hide his perplexity as he completely missed Kiba's question to him in favor of simply ogling the fine piece of classic automotive machinery in front of him, Kiba already jamming his key into the driver's side lock and unlocking his precious baby.

"Ha ha…no, we're stealing it right now. Of course it's my car. I restored it myself…well, me and a few others," Kiba answered his charmingly shocked passenger playfully as he slipped inside his powerful, beautiful car, reached over, and manually unlocked Neji's door for him.

Somehow, the image of Kiba inside such a classic, sleek automobile was wholly fitting in Neji's keen eyes as he sat down next to the attractively scruffy, level-headed mechanic in the comfortable bucket seat before both men closed their heavy doors.

Neji watched with admittedly piqued interest as Kiba placed the appropriate key inside the ignition, turned it, and then smiled happily once they both were suddenly surrounded by the almost vicious rumbling of such a large, extraordinary engine that made the whole car roar with massive life and vigor.

"Got a nice purr, doesn't she?" Kiba commented teasingly over to Neji as the Hyuuga licked his lips before replying, tugging his seat belt over across his torso in the process as he spoke.

"Oh…um, yes," Neji answered awkwardly, noticing how Kiba did not make any effort to wear his own seat belt before putting the car into gear and slowly maneuvering out of the parking lot and onto the somewhat busy street; the Hyuuga's mind quickly remembering something outstanding Kiba had only briefly mentioned while they had still been outside, "…so, you said that you and some other people restored…her?"

"Yep," Kiba confirmed warmly to his passenger as he slowed down his striking, midnight black vehicle to a comfortable stop at the red light before them, "It was actually Madara, my boss at the shop, who helped me put her back together. Sometimes, some of the other guys would pitch in on their days off, too, and before I knew it, I had a perfectly restored Charger sitting at home. It was hard work, but we pulled it off."

"That…sounds really nice," Neji said, his voice dropping a little as he considered Kiba's nostalgic, heart-felt words that spoke of resilient friendship, long-standing bonds, and understood trust amongst others, before hurriedly adding "Make a left up here and take the highway towards east 82nd street."

"Got it," Kiba chimed, following his directions as he expertly switched over into the left lane so he could make the appropriate turn, Neji unconsciously using the opportunity to let his lovely eyes covertly roam over his mechanic and temporary chauffeur while Kiba had stretched his rugged body to look over his left shoulder before easily veering the car in that direction.

Lines and grooves were raised over the sleeves of Kiba's extended, driving arm as the leather of his jacket was pulled tight across his longer, bigger form while he kept a single hand placed on top of the steering wheel while his posture remained rather relaxed and carefree as he drove – Neji finding himself unable to not take note about how it appeared that Kiba was only wearing a simple white shirt underneath his black jacket, making for a traditional and appealing contrast for the Hyuuga to shamelessly notice.

"So, tell me some stuff about you. What do you do for a living?" Kiba asked kindly, not noticing Neji's slight frown once he had heard Kiba's curious inquiries about him, his gaze watching the darkened, night-laden road out ahead of them both with almost a certain sadness riddling his pale, smooth features.

"I'm in business with my uncle," Neji offered simply, hoping he could get away with saying only that at first, but then decided to obligingly add, "…with Hyuuga Enterprises Incorporated."

"Holy crap, your last name is Hyuuga, isn't it?" Kiba exclaimed, suddenly feeling a bit jittery and nervous upon realizing that he was, in fact, currently driving around a member of the elite Hyuuga powerhouse of a family that owned and operated numerous successful property ventures, "…so does this mean that you like…own part of that company or something?"

"Yes," Neji answered truthfully yet still unable to pry his lowered, troubled eyes away from the navy-blue scenery that they sped by as fresh nighttime was vastly upon them and blanketing everything within its somber, cooling hue, "My uncle is the CEO; I participate with the Board of Directors from time to time, but it's…not what I really want to do."

"We're on 82nd street; what now?" Kiba had to ask before he did or said anything else, his narrow, black eyes squinting at the impressive lay-out before him where large, gated houses were dotted here and there on top of shadowed but well-kept hills of earth and stone – the many, varying windows adorning the architecturally staggering houses provided tiny, glowing shapes of gold and white that speckled against the black of night on either side of Neji and Kiba as they slowly drove on.

"Turn right, here," Neji instructed, Kiba instantly obeying and turning onto a private road where there was a single, white house that was tucked back behind a giant, black gate and a few, towering trees that lined the driveway until it formed a large roundabout at the base of the main entrance.

"Oh my God, this is where you live?!" Kiba gawked at the enormous mansion on his right as he parked his car right outside of the gate and simply marveled at the sheer size of such an expensive, impressive home – the outside of the house illuminated with subtle blue lights that shone across the pristine white walls that seemed to seamlessly transition from one spacious room to the next from how well-organized yet elegant the abode appeared to be.

"Thanks for the ride. By the way, where do you happen to live? It's gotten quite late and I know you have to drive back…"Neji asked curiously, just now noticing that Kiba still had to somehow navigate back to his own home now that they had arrived at the Hyuuga's house.

Kiba freed his hands from the steering wheel so he may bring one up to tousle through his short, light-brown locks bashfully for a moment, a grin on his face, before he replied painfully honestly, "…on the other side of town, but anyways…what did you mean before…about how that's not what you want to do for the company?"

Neji dropped his gaze to his lap, the very personal yet burdening answer as clear as day inside his mind as he had thought about the very same thing countless times, he just did not know how to tell this information to someone else…someone thankfully unbiased in this situation, but someone other than his own thought process nonetheless.

"You see, I went to school to major in accounting. I want…to be in that department, but my uncle…says that I'm a Hyuuga and shouldn't be doing lowly work like that," Neji explained surprisingly easily, as if the usually weighty words just seemed to roll off his tongue, making the Hyuuga ultimately realize that all this time, Kiba had been rather easy to talk to and confide in.

Kiba nodded in understanding for a moment before parting his lips and lifting both of his eyebrows as the Inuzuka already had something to say to the downtrodden Hyuuga beside him, his own answer as clear as day as it was extremely close to something that he had had to tell himself over and over again at one time or another.

"Neji," Kiba said with a certain degree of firmness in order to gain the Hyuuga's undivided attention, his tone still kind towards the young, handsome man next to him although his words could cleanly cut through glass with how much experience and sincerity there was within them, "…I think…that you need to do whatever makes you happy. Listening to you explain that to me just now, I could tell how upset you are about it. Why kill yourself over something you don't even enjoy doing? You're good with numbers? Awesome. Go be an accountant…and finally be proud of your work."

Suddenly, taking both men by complete surprise, Neji lunged forward, capturing Kiba's slightly grinning lips with his own in a hasty, blind kiss that immediately spoke to the Inuzuka of the Hyuuga's deep appreciation for what he had just said to him, basically fortifying all the inner ambitions that Neji had long kept quite and unspoken even thought they meant so much to him.

The mechanic simply could not move a muscle at first, his initial shock being far too large and stifling upon him to react straight away, before he forced his confusion to subside as he practically melted back down to earth and kissed Neji back, his large, rough hands coming up to gently take hold of each of Neji's smooth, rounded cheeks.

The simple, meaningful kiss ended naturally by both men, Kiba still a little frightened to even breath hard for fear that he would wake up from his dream and have it all end right there, as Neji quickly ran his tongue over his own lips before speaking to the Inuzuka only mere inches away from him – Kiba's hands carefully moving from either side of Neji's angelic face to both of his small, slender shoulders.

"Why did you give me that discount today?" Neji asked, his voice nothing but a soft whisper of air across Kiba's throat, but his words were clearly digging at something much deeper, much more significant for the unabashed and life-loving mechanic to scratch at.

Kiba looked over to a side for a moment, Neji patiently watching his tanned, tattooed face while he obviously tried to piece together something intelligent to say back to the lovely, pale-eyed man that his hands were still lightly touching, as if he needed some kind of constant reassurance that Neji was real and truly before him as well as how they might need some room to breathe and think before rushing into anything again.

"I just…really wanted to do that for you, you know? You just looked so down that I thought 'I wonder if I could get this great guy to smile for me.'" Kiba confessed positively as he mindfully retracted his large hands from Neji's shoulders so the latter may have more room and personal space as they talked – Kiba unconsciously squeezing the fingers of his right hand together before stretching them out as he placed both of his hands on top of his own, jean-clad thighs.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Neji suddenly asked, already sliding his own pale, slender fingers along the top of Kiba's right hand before picking it up and turning it palm-side up for his own inspection – the Hyuuga only then moving completely back into his own seat as he held Kiba's slightly stained hand in his own.

"Oh…well, I'm constantly using my hands all day at the shop, so they tend to get pretty sore afterwards," Kiba explained shyly but truthfully as he could not help but watch as Neji treated his rough, calloused hand like something invaluable and precious to him as he had listened to the mechanic's logic.

Knowingly, Neji pressed his thumbs hard into Kiba's palm, moving them slowly across the toughened flesh as he watched how the Inuzuka's head instantly fell back against the seat's headrest as he let out a surprised, throaty noise of approval from the ministration.

"Does this help?" Neji asking cheekily but still with honey-sweet words that only added to Kiba's satisfaction as he felt the long-haired young man use the tips of his fingers to knead the over-worked muscles by his thumb before squeezing his palm once more.

"Oh, sweet Lord, yes…I can't remember the last time anyone's massaged my hands for me," Kiba said light-heartedly, his head still against the headrest as he hummed in his throat to let Neji know that he was greatly appreciative of the gesture, a lop-sided grin on his face as he relished in the soothing, relaxing ministrations that were succeeding in taking his dull pain away.

Slowly, Neji lowered Kiba's larger hand down to rest comfortably in his own lap as the Hyuuga cast his stirring, lavender eyes upon Kiba once more before he spoke the words that had instantly riddled through him the moment he had heard the Inuzuka's heart-warming explanation to him in full – Kiba turning his head towards his passenger upon feeling his hand being lowered and the ministrations cease.

"You know…it worked; I did smile because of what you did today," Neji stated evenly to the tanned, handsome man by his side, "…in my line of work, discounts are just a way for us to try to rob someone later on down the line, so I…was really impressed with what you did. Your friends are very lucky."

"Oh come on, Neji…I'm sure your friends would say the same thing about you, and…"Kiba started but was quietly cut off as Neji's soft voice spoke words that cut right into the mechanic's easy-going heart and soul, piercing it with jagged-edged feelings that made the Inuzuka's chest tighten uncomfortably.

"I don't have any friends…"Neji said simply, controlled pain still visible in his heart-breaking words and schooled features as he released Kiba's hand and continued to avoid eye contact with his driver.

"We could be friends," Kiba offered after a silent, thoughtful moment, his tone brightening up considerably as he ran with his idea gladly and extended out the same hand that Neji had just massaged for him, "…yeah, in fact, I know this is going to seem really strange but just go with it. Hi, I'm Kiba Inuzuka; pleased to meet you."

Kiba gleefully watched Neji look at him squarely in his face, possibly to see if there were any tricks or catches to Kiba's proposal, then focused on his hand, before the Hyuuga slowly gave into the pleasant smirk tugging at his lips before he almost professionally placed his smaller, paler hand inside Kiba's in acceptance of the Inuzuka's endearing antics and the meanings behind them.

"Neji Hyuuga…"Neji stated solidly before adding with a bit more softness that did not go un-noticed by the smiling mechanic politely shaking his hand, "…how do you do?"

"I'd be honored to be your friend, Neji. Besides…you give the most amazing hand massages…"Kiba said with a positive chuckle, letting go of Neji's hand and noticing a slight pink blush start to make its way onto the long-haired man's porcelain cheeks before Neji quickly turned towards his door in a gesture that signified he was ready to exit the vehicle as well as dodge his embarrassment.

"Yes…um, thanks," Neji said, pulling the door handle and swinging open the large, heavy, black door and already draping a leg onto the cool pavement beside the car before Kiba's words next to him stopped any further movement on his part.

"Here, take this," Kiba stated as he efficiently fished out a small, white business card from an inside pocket of his leather jacket and extending it out to the Hyuuga who had turned his torso back to look upon Kiba once more, "…it really was nice meeting you, Neji….and hey, I'll see you around, right?"

Neji accepted the card with his nearest hand, looked the small, thick piece of formal parchment over, noticing Kiba's personal number, work number, and official title as head mechanic at Uchiha's, before lifting his milky, lavender gaze back up to Kiba's happily grinning face and quickly leaning towards him one final time for the night.

As quick as lightening, Neji pressed his luscious lips to Kiba's once more in a light, hurried kiss, pulling away only after a second but still lingering close to the mechanic as he replied regarding the Inuzuka's genuine offer of becoming close friends with him, "Thank you, Kiba."

Kiba shivered upon hearing how Neji had practically purred his name to him, but within the next moment, Neji had exited his classic Charger with a loud close of his passenger door, which prompted Kiba to immediately relax and drop his tense shoulders with a sigh of relief.

Looking through his windshield with almost disbelief poking at his better senses, Kiba watched as Neji approached the main gate, slipped through the swirled, black-iron bars with relative ease, and then began ascending the darkly-paved driveway towards his house, the mechanic's own business card still being held securely inside one of Neji's hands the whole time.

Kiba literally had to shake his head for a brief moment to clear his thoughts and get a grip back on reality, his hands coming up to the steering wheel and taking hold of the familiar, comforting texture that he squeezed tight for tangible reassurance and gravity.

Kiba felt positively electric, weightless even, as countless, random questions were already rattling off inside his mind about this Neji Hyuuga, someone so startling perfect and beautiful, witty and intelligent, interesting and intriguing whom he had just given a ride to his house and obtained his friendship.

"Why did he kiss me like that? I'm sure he was happy that I offered to be his friend and all that, but…and so easily, too…like he had wanted to do that for a while...?" Kiba could not help but mentally ponder before attempting to start his car up again and take his leave of the classy, expensive neighborhood, "…strange guy, but…I know I definitely like him. How could I not, when he's just so damn...wow..."

Kiba started his car, his thoughts finally having subsided long enough for him to calm down and somewhat remember which roads he needed to take in order to get back on the highway and towards his side of town…before…

"What if he wants to be more than friends!? I mean, that's got to be why he kissed me, right?" Kiba said aloud to no one, for these very thoughts had been far too astonishing and heavy for him not to voice out loud before considering them further as the Inuzuka successfully, carefully pulled back onto the main road and navigated back the same way he had come.

"…but…I've never been with a guy before…"Kiba thought down-heartedly, already succumbing to a bit of despair as his mind continued to ruthlessly go through the motions of outright joy, self-doubt, and then sound actualization, "…oh, shut up, Kiba! What if you're looking at this all wrong and he really only does want to be your friend? Jeeze…however…if he did want more, if Neji really did want more between us…because it'd be Neji…I'd be okay with it; only because it'd be Neji Hyuuga…"

With that thought, Kiba could not help but sigh thoughtfully, contently through his nose as he turned the steering wheel and made another right turn amidst such night-fallen but peacefully desolate city streets as he neared his apartment complex, already accepting that tonight as he tried to get some sleep, he would be dreaming about entrancing, lavender eyes, skin as pure as freshly-fallen snow underneath his fingertips, and lips as soft as pink satin as they called his name and breathed against him.

X

Author's Note: I'm super sorry if this chapter was hard to follow at any point, but I do hope that everyone is enjoying thus far, yes? XD Please send reviews and thoughts because I'm actually really clueless about where I am going to take this lol. THANKS!!!