A/N: Yes, I love writing about the Konoha 11's bar adventures. Some strong language ahead, you've been warned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

It was a usual Friday night at the bar for the Konoha 11; drinking, reminiscing, making crude jokes at the expense of one another. The only remotely unusual aspect of this particular Friday night was the additional presence of the Sand Siblings, who were in town for an upcoming Five Kage meeting.

Suna always knew how to have a good time, and whenever the Kazekage and his ever-loyal guard came to the Leaf, the party seemed to crank up a notch. Maybe it was Kankuro's scarily exhaustive knowledge of drinking games and even scarier ability to handle his alcohol; maybe it was Temari's hedonistic confidence that was only heightened by loud music and three rounds of shots; or perhaps it was Gaara…no, it had nothing to do with Gaara. Whatever the case, it was a far cry from the Chunin Exams where the then-Shukaku host tried to obliterate the village. Now, rather than an atmosphere of fear and hatred, there was warmth and camaraderie.

"Right, kids," Kankuro began, setting his glass down on the table. "I say we go back to basics and play a good ol' round of Truth or Dare."

Apprehensive glances were exchanged initially before everyone broke into grins and giggles. "Lay down the rules, puppet boy," Kiba barked.

Ordinarily the hooded man would take issue with the nickname, but intoxication levels were running high already among the group, him included. "Here's how I like to play," he smirked, taking one of the beer bottles strewn across the table and placing it on its side in the centre. "Person A spins the bottle. Whomever it lands on has to answer a question or do a dare Person A sets. If they fail to do so or chicken out, they take a shot. Once their turn is completed, they spin the bottle and the cycle repeats. Got it?"

Everyone around the table nodded.

"Great. I'll start."

He gave the body of the bottle a quick flick between his fingers and it rotated for what seemed like an endless number of revolutions before it slowed to a standstill in front of Ino.

He grinned. "Ino, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you ever fucked, or considered fucking, anyone in this room?"

She slapped a hand to her mouth in shocked amusement. "Getting straight to it, are we?"

"You're avoiding the question…"

"Fine. Kiba and I did it. Once. A long time ago."

Jaws audibly dropped around the table. Kiba merely shrugged. "What can I say, she couldn't keep her hands off me."

"I was upset and lonely!"

"You keep telling yourself that, princess."

"I can't believe it," Sakura said, staring blankly at her best friend. "Kiba?! Really?"

"I second that," Shino added, not that anyone noticed his contribution.

"I was in a bad place, we ran into each other! It was stupid, I wasn't thinking."

"Ouch," Shikamaru laughed, taking a swig of beer.

"As for other candidates…" Ino mused. "Shikamaru."

He nearly choked on his drink. "Eh?!"

"It was a short-lived crush, okay? And Sasuke had been an S-rank criminal for a while."

"Either way, that was something I would rather not have known," he muttered.

"Who else…you, too, Kankuro…"

Rather than being even mildly surprised, the man who posed the question simply chuckled, "Sai, you're not even a little concerned about how many of us your girlfriend drooled over?"

"Please don't put it that way," Shikamaru grumbled.

"I'm not too familiar with how relationships work, since this one is my first," the pale-skinned man responded plainly. "But from my understanding, Ino's past is none of my business."

"He's a keeper," Tenten grinned.

"Aw, Sai…" Ino blushed as she moved in to kiss him.

"Gross," Naruto teased, pulling a disgusted face.

"Agreed," Kankuro added. "Let's get back to the game, shall we?"

Ino rolled her eyes and spun the bottle. It conveniently landed on her shell-shocked teammate.

"Shikamaru, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Typical," Temari muttered across the table from him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey! I'm supposed to be asking the questions here, Shikamaru," Ino snapped.

"You'd never agree to a dare, because in the end, you're just a big crybaby, aren't you?" she mocked, her facial expressions dramatic thanks to a few drinks.

"Tch," he snorted. "Dares are too troublesome, that's all."

"Whatever you say," she said, unconvinced. "Ino, go ahead, ask him a question."

Her fellow blonde complied. "Shikamaru, when are you gonna ask Temari out already?"

That caught them both off guard. "Like I'd ever go on a date with someone as troublesome as her," he exhaled.

"Psht, he wishes he had a shot," Temari said defiantly.

"Shikamaru-kun, I think 'truth or dare' calls for you to be completely honest," Lee interjected.

"I am!" he insisted. "It was never something that crossed my mind."

"Shikamaru…" Choji eyed his best friend. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Shikamaru said through gritted teeth. "Can we move on?"

"Whatever, whatever," Kankuro shrugged. "Spin."

Just his luck, the bottle landed on the troublesome woman across from him.

He sighed. "Temari, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Interesting," Shikamaru murmured. "I would've pegged you for dares all the way."

"I like to surprise people, Nara," she smiled. "I'm not as predictable as you."

"You really know how to hurt a man's pride, don't you?" he said dryly. He pondered what to ask her for a moment, realising that ultimately, there were many things he didn't know about her, many things that he was curious about. And as much as he didn't want to sound like he gave a damn about her or her personal life, this was prime opportunity to get some answers, especially since she probably wouldn't remember this night anyway. "So, Temari…out of all the guys here, who would you kiss?"

"You're basically asking a lamer version of my question, Nara," Kankuro mentioned.

"Didn't see a rule that said I couldn't."

"Who says I want to kiss a guy?" Temari countered. "All the men I've ever met have either been idiots or assholes."

"So what, you'd kiss a girl?"

"Sure, why not?"

"B-because…" he stuttered, realising he couldn't logically argue with her otherwise he'd look like a homophobic jackass and therefore prove her point. This was not the time to play the men-and-women card.

"Is there something wrong with kissing a girl, Nara?"

"N-no…"

"Good," she said, satisfied.

"Have you kissed a girl before?" he wondered.

"One question per turn, idiot."

"I'll allow it," Kankuro opposed.

She glared at her brother, but obliged nonetheless. "Yeah, I have."

"So you wouldn't have a problem with kissing any girl in this bar?"

"No."

"Why don't you show us, then?"

"You don't get two truths and a dare, Shikamaru."

"I'll allow it," Kankuro repeated.

"Dude, that's your sister," Naruto reminded him. "Doesn't it weird you out at all?"

"Shut up, idiot! Why are you trying to question the good man?" Kiba hissed.

"Mm, Kankuro, are you sure we should be putting our sister up like this?" Gaara asked innocently.

"Hell, I'm drunk," Kankuro cheered. "I don't know what I'm sure of anymore."

"God, if it really means that much to you…" Temari rolled her eyes, pushing back her chair and stalking over to the nearest female specimen that looked single and ready to mingle. After a few introductions were exchanged, Temari made sure they were in full view and – locking eyes with him briefly – proceeded to make out with her new acquaintance, in a manner far more intense than the darer initially expected. Whoops and cheers were heard from the guys around the bar; when Temari pulled away, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and returned to the table, muttering, "Idiots and assholes, I swear."

The other girls were simply gaping at her audacity; poor Hinata looked like she might pass out. Shikamaru was also stunned, but in a different way: he felt heat flow through his body and settle mostly in his face and his groin; his breathing had picked up a few paces; and as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. She never failed to surprise him.

"Earth to Nara," she grinned as she sat back down.

The Kazekage was visibly uncomfortable, having just witnessed his sister passionately kiss a stranger. He quickly indicated the bottle to his sister and said, "Your turn to spin."

She did as instructed, but she did not expect it to point towards him.

"I-I shouldn't get picked twice…" Shikamaru mumbled.

"I'll allow it," Kankuro smirked for the third time.

Temari folded her arms and leaned forward on the table in satisfaction. "Shikamaru, truth or dare?"

He recomposed himself and stared straight into her eyes. "Dare."

She raised an eyebrow. "Inspired to be a little more spontaneous, I see."

"Just get on with it, will you?"

"Hm…" she thought, looking around the room. Then her eyes landed on a target. "I dare you to chat up that guy over there. No, I want you to kiss him as well."

His eyes bugged momentarily but he quickly relaxed. "And if I do?"

"Then your dare is done, what else?"

"If I get him to…make out with me, you need to take two shots," he smirked. "Let's up the ante a little."

"Ah, now the true Shikamaru emerges," Temari smiled. "You're on."

Without another word, the spiky-haired jonin rose from the table and sauntered over to the bar where a handsome man, seemingly their age, was talking to the bartender.

"Do you think he'll pull it off?" Choji whispered anxiously.

"Nah," Kiba dismissed the idea. "My gaydar is on, and that man over there? 100% straight."

"What's to say he won't want a little fun?" Ino suggested, giggling a little.

"I believe even if our society is becoming more progressive, two men engaging in a prolonged public display of affection will not go down well in a bar," Shino commented. "One that's not LGBT for that matter."

"That's stupid," Temari groaned. "I can hook up with some random woman and be perversely applauded for it by the dumb male minds of Konoha, but two men and it's taboo? That almost makes me want to root for him, and he's the one I'm supposed to be betting against."

"I'm amazed he agreed to it, even upped the challenge," Sakura said. "He's the last person I expected, what with his old-fashioned way of thinking."

"But he's also the least fussy person you'll ever meet," Choji argued. "So in a way, you can see why he might not care at all about that sort of thing. People are people. Simple as."

"Well, it's a dare," Kankuro shrugged. "We'll see if he follows through with it."

They all turned to see Shikamaru sitting next to the soon-to-be unfortunate victim of his affections, apparently already engaged in conversation.

"So, what are you doing at the bar alone?" Shikamaru enquired.

"Can't a man enjoy a beer from time-to-time without people thinking he's drunk and depressed?" the other man smirked at him.

"Escaping the girlfriend for a night?" Shikamaru pressed, raising an eyebrow.

"If I had one, probably."

"Single, huh," Shikamaru mused. "Who'd've thought?"

"What does that mean?"

"Well, an attractive young man like you must surely be fighting off women all the time."

"I could say the same for you."

He thinks I'm attractive, Shikamaru noted. This may be easier than I thought.

Shikamaru rested his elbow on the counter and deflected his eyes to his jeans. "Women bore me these days," he said nonchalantly. "All the same, always coming on to me. At this rate, I'd rather just settle for a man. They're far less troublesome."

His companion laughed. "That's not a bad idea."

Shikamaru moved in a little closer, now making eye contact, offering his full attention. "That said, I'm not one to settle. But I see no harm in having a little fun."

The man seemed to understand his intentions. "Here? Now?"

"I'm game if you are," Shikamaru smirked. "Otherwise-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was stopped by a pair of lips pressed against his own, much to his surprise. He thought he'd be the one initiating it, but if anything, this was better – there would be no questioning of his victory. He relaxed into the kiss and soon it heated up more than he imagined it would. Eventually, they were snapped out of it by the bartender.

"Hey! Get a room, this is a public place."

"Sorry," Shikamaru grinned, his eyes turning to the man in front of him. "Guess I'm a little more drunk than I thought."

"Ditto," the man responded, chuckling.

"I've gotta get back to my friends," Shikamaru explained. "But it was lovely to meet you, uh…"

"It doesn't matter," the man brushed it off. "Thanks for the 'fun'."

When Shikamaru returned to the rest of the gang, they were visibly shocked. He simply sat back down and grinned at Temari. "Bottoms up."

She didn't argue with that.

A few rounds later, the bottle was back on Shikamaru.

"Dare," he answered, swaying a little.

"I dare you to kiss the prettiest girl at this table," Kiba grinned.

Ino glanced up expectantly, then her glare fell on the poser of the question. "Some of us are in relationships, dog breath."

"It's just a little fun, right?" Sai smiled.

"Yeah, and who said he was going to pick you, pig?" Sakura said indignantly.

Whilst they were drunkenly squabbling among themselves, Shikamaru stood up slightly, leaned across the table and pulled Temari's face towards his into a liplock. Her eyes widened in surprise at first, but soon she found herself kissing him back. And a kiss that was only supposed to last for a second ended up involving their tongues and his fingers in her hair and her arms around his neck.

"Make it stop!" Gaara covered his eyes.

"Nara, get the hell off my sister!" Kankuro snapped, though he was too far gone to do anything about it.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled against Temari's lips, lingering for a moment before pulling away and sitting back down.

Temari's face was completely flushed, and not just because of the alcohol. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said quickly, excusing herself.

"Me too," Shikamaru said, clearly lacking subtlety. They both rose and headed for the back.

"Oh God, they're going to have sex on a toilet and now I will never be able to get that image out of my head," Kankuro complained miserably.

As they stood in the small corridor outside the male and female restrooms, Temari rounded on him.

"What was that for?" she asked, exasperated.

"Just doing as I was told," Shikamaru shrugged.

"Flattering, but by anyone's standards, I was definitely not the prettiest girl at that table."

"Maybe," Shikamaru considered. "Or maybe I just really wanted to kiss you."

She blushed a little, but quickly regained her composure. "Charming."

"Either way, I wouldn't call you pretty," Shikamaru continued. "Pretty is what you call a doll, or someone's makeup. But you…you're beautiful."

She felt her face turn bright red. She avoided his gaze.

"So 'prettiest' wasn't the superlative I would've used," he said. "But it was close enough, and I needed an excuse to kiss you."

She smiled and shook her head. "You didn't need an excuse."

He raised an eyebrow and propped his arm up on the wall beside her, leaning in slightly. "I didn't?"

"If you'd made a move, I would've let you."

He smirked. "Good to know," he said, bending down to connect their lips once more.