I was three shots in and on my second beer when it hit me—I felt good.
I remembered I was still in my training gear from earlier, so I decided to change into something more comfortable.
I steadied myself on the coffee table, swaying a little as I stood up.
Asuma snickered from across the room.
"Is the baby struggling to hold her liquor?" he teased.
Yeah, right.
He knew just as well as I did that I could handle more than this on any given day.
"I'm not a baby," I said, rolling my eyes and heading toward my bedroom.
They all laughed, turning their conversation to some girl they saw working at Ramen Ichiraku.
Typical. All of them—perverts.
Even Iruka, who usually wasn't like that.
The thought made me giggle, but it could've just been the alcohol talking.
After I changed into my black sports bra, biker shorts, and a zip-up hoodie, I glanced at myself in the mirror. I brushed through my long, straight black hair and pulled it into a high ponytail, leaving my side bangs to swoop over my forehead.
I walked back into the living room, grabbed the bottle of Patron from the counter, and plopped down on the floor, next to the guys who were deep in their card game.
Asuma and Iruka sat on opposite ends of the couch, while Kakashi sat cross-legged, leaning on the coffee table facing them.
I slid next to Kakashi and leaned into him, trying to sneak a peek at his cards.
"Hell no," he said, turning his cards away from me. "Every time you drink, you help Asuma cheat, Ami."
Guilty as charged.
"She does that crap when she's sober too," Iruka chimed in, lightly kicking my leg.
"It goes faster that way. Besides, Asuma wins no matter what."
Asuma howled with laughter, and Kakashi scoffed, shaking his head.
I stretched out on my back on the rug, watching them play.
Asuma suddenly stood, dropping his cards on the table.
"Ami! When the hell did you pierce your belly button?"
Ah, here we go.
I propped myself up on my elbows and gave him a sweet, innocent smile. "Asuma, I've had this for a while."
I kept my voice calm, knowing how overprotective he could get.
All of them were in their own way.
Iruka was staring at my belly button, his eyes narrowing, but not saying a word. I could feel Kakashi holding back a laugh next to me.
He was always more lenient with me on stuff like this.
"You can't just stick things like that in your body!" Asuma said, his face flushed with frustration.
I rolled my eyes. "Why not? It's my body."
"Your body? You're seventeen!" Asuma snapped.
I felt a surge of anger wash over me. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe not. Either way, I wasn't having it tonight.
"You don't like my piercing? Wait until you find out about my other ones."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Shit.
I definitely didn't want them to know about my nipple piercings.
Asuma turned crimson, like he might explode on the spot. Kakashi's face was blank, but I could see the wheels turning in his head.
"You're lying," Kakashi said, eyes narrowing as he reached out to grab my shoulder.
He pushed me back slightly and tried to glance down at my chest, as though he could see through my sports bra.
"Ugh, what the hell?" I pulled away from his grasp and sat up, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Can you not look at my boobs?" I zipped my hoodie up to my neck and shot him a look.
Kakashi flushed deeply, and Iruka just shook his head, muttering to himself as he returned to his cards.
Asuma flopped back down on the couch, running a hand through his hair. He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a long drag.
"Seriously, Ami, keep that stuff to yourself. I don't need to picture you with piercings in... that area."
I glared at him. "Then stop thinking about it, pervert."
Kakashi burst out laughing, which made me giggle too, while Asuma couldn't help but crack a smile.
"So, did it hurt?" Iruka asked, still looking intrigued.
"You have no idea," I said dramatically, grabbing my chest and flopping back on the rug.
We all laughed, the tension fading.
I rolled onto my side and propped my head up with my hand.
"Shikamaru definitely liked them," I teased.
Shikamaru hadn't been shy the last time we were together, practically unable to stop touching them.
"Ugh, for the last time, Ami—could you please leave my students out of this?" Asuma groaned, rubbing his temples.
I laughed to myself, pulling out my phone. The alcohol had definitely loosened me up, and thinking about Shikamaru made me want to invite him over.
"Shit, it's 2 AM!" I exclaimed, sitting up fast, though I almost immediately regretted the sudden movement.
Asuma glanced at his phone.
"Guess I'm out. I've got a date with the girl from Ramen Ichiraku," he said, standing up and tossing on his hoodie over his muscle tank.
His sweatpants left little to the imagination, and I caught myself staring before anyone could say anything.
Damn alcohol.
"Mind if I crash on the couch tonight?" Kakashi asked, looking tired.
"Of course," I nodded. "I'm exhausted too."
Iruka stood up with a big smile. "I'll head out too. No date, but I'm wiped."
I grabbed some empty bottles and walked into the kitchen to toss them. I said my goodbyes as Asuma and Iruka left.
Kakashi went over to the linen closet and grabbed a blanket. He never liked the guest room—always the couch.
I finished cleaning up the kitchen as Kakashi picked up the living room a little. I lit a candle on the kitchen counter and another on the coffee table, dimming the overhead lights.
Kakashi had changed into black sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. He flopped back onto the couch, glancing over at me.
"Goodnight, Ami. Sorry you couldn't invite Shikamaru over."
He winked.
So he stayed on purpose, huh?
"Goodnight, cockblock," I retorted, turning on my heel and heading to my room.
As I closed my bedroom door behind me, I heard him laughing quietly.
Once inside, I realized just how tired I really was. I slipped off my clothes, threw on some black cheeky panties, and pulled on an oversized white t-shirt.
I collapsed onto my silky pink sheets, and within moments, I drifted off to sleep.