Chapter 12

The owner of Aquarius was obsessed with money, Sasuke had figured that much. His name was Kakuzu, and he was middle-aged, tall and broad-shouldered, pretty normal features with long dark brown hair. He only hired really hot guys to be bartenders, to attract more clientele.

Also, as he explained to Sasuke when he arrived on Friday evening, the drinks were more expensive on the weekend, to ensure profit. On top of that, there would be a few sexy male dancers later, hired to dance on some cubes throughout the dance floor—also very efficient to attract and please customers.

Most of the time, Kakuzu stayed in his office, but he had cameras installed everywhere so he would know if the employees were slacking off. Orochimaru was the bartender in charge of Sasuke. He was kind of obsessed with the nineteen year old—well of course he didn't know his real age. Everyone here thought Sasuke as twenty two. Orochimaru had been attracted to Sasuke from the moment he'd met him, that one night he'd gotten lost and ended up here. So he had helped Sasuke to get the job. Now he was giving him his training and everything. Not that Sasuke really needed training anymore. He'd pretty much gotten the hang of it during the rush hour last night. Now he was ready for an even crazier night, or so he hoped anyway.

Orochimaru was a twenty six year old guy, tall and thin with long black hair and pale brown, almost yellow eyes. He had a nice face but sometimes his flirtatious smile was kind of creepy, in Sasuke's opinion. Tonight he wore flashy white jeans with a tight black tank top, matching vest, and finally a white tie to complete the look. There would be two other bartenders later, but for now, since it was still early, Orochimaru and Sasuke were alone behind the bar counter. They were getting everything ready while Orochimaru gave Sasuke some last minute instructions and advice.

"It can get pretty crowded on Friday nights," Orochimaru was saying with a little smile as he brought some bottles of liquor from the back room to fill in the glass shelves behind the counter. "You just have to make sure you spot who gets here first. You keep in mind in what order they came up to the bar. Cause if you mess it up some people end up waiting way too long and they get bitchy and leave no tip, which would suck for you."

"I'll try," Sasuke nodded as he helped him place some bottles of juice in the fridges below the counter.

The bar counter itself was sleek and black, and the rest of the bar was decorated in black and blue. Sasuke thought it was pretty cool. There were a few black round tables surrounded by blue velvet chairs. But most of the space was for dancing of course. There was also a small stage for when they invited bands or singers, but that was rare, from what Sasuke had been told.

The two other bartenders came in at ten o'clock and so did the dj who worked tonight. They were followed by a few busboys, and two dancers—easy to recognize with their athletic bodies, perfectly styled hair and lovely tan skin. Sasuke couldn't help but think that Naruto—whose physique was similar to those beautiful boys—would have every chance of getting hired for a job as a dancer here.

The club officially opened at ten, but the doormen kept people waiting outside for a little while in order to form a line—again, Kakuzu's instructions, because apparently the fact that there was a line in front of the bar would attract even more people.

"You look really good." Orochimaru's creepy yellow eyes raked him up and down for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Sasuke ran his fingers through his long-ish raven locks as he looked down at his outfit; sneakers, army print skinny jeans and open neck black top. This was nothing special, he thought. He actually felt underdressed. Orochimaru and the two other bartenders had fancier clothes on.

"I'm supposed to wear a different outfit every time huh?" He asked and made a face as Orochimaru nodded.

"Kakuzu wants us to anyway."

"Yeah," Sasuke sighed.

The dj started the night with an intense electro mix of a French pop song. Sasuke had never heard it before. It was good, kinda refreshing. The lights dimmed and started flickering just a little, with some artificial smoke too and of course this meant people were being let inside. They were mostly young guys. Some of them looked even younger than Sasuke. Maybe they had fake IDs too. Other than that well there were a few older men of course, and even fewer girls—some of them straight and accompanying their gay friends, and some others most likely bisexual or lesbian.

The music was hot, and the drinks were soon flowing as all the customers stopped by the bar counter. Smiles were flashed, and the sexy bartenders were given good tips. Sasuke liked the atmosphere of the place. He also enjoyed the safety of being behind the counter; as he had told Naruto, at least no one could touch him. The raven was getting pretty good at making drinks already. He had gained a lot of speed last night, and he was practically as productive as the other bartenders at this point.

Kakuzu came to check up on things a few times, and then returned in his office. People weren't dancing yet, even though the music was excellent and catchy. Really, Sasuke would have to meet and compliment this dj person at some point. It was still early though so most people just sat or stood with their drinks, talking or flirting or even making out.

At 11 pm it was a lot more crowded already. Sasuke was working hard, trying to remember in what order people had arrived to his corner of the bar, like Orochimaru had advised earlier. He had to lean close to listen to people's orders, so he could hear them over the loud music. He smiled, nodded, gave away beer, wine, shots of strong liquor or fancy cocktails he prepared to the best of his abilities. No one complained though, rather, they always thanked him with a smile and gave him good tips. Sasuke was grateful for this, perhaps he would be able to repay Naruto properly for everything that he had done.

Great, now he was thinking about Naruto. Well, nothing much he could do about that. He thought about him way too often. And every time he felt this annoying tightening in his chest.

"What can I get you?" he asked the two girls directly in front of him, pushing away other thoughts and focusing on work.

"Two tequila shots!"

"Coming right up."

In between two orders he spotted Suigetsu making his way through the crowd. He wore bright violet skinny jeans with a black short sleeved button down shirt. He had a shiny black and silver belt at his hips and he looked quite good, Sasuke had to admit. Suigetsu grinned when he saw the newbie bartender.

He came to stand right in front of him, leaning his forearms across the counter. "What's up?" He practically yelled to be heard. The wandering spotlights made his violet eyes gleam.

"Well you know, working. I'll get back to you. Can't really talk right now."

His boss Kakuzu, with that permanent scowl on his face, was peeking from the back room. Sasuke didn't want to be caught chatting with a friend instead of serving customers. Once he'd served everybody else who'd been waiting, he allowed himself to exchange a few words with Suigetsu.

"I was really excited about tonight," Suigetsu smiled, a devilish glint in his eyes, "I really wanted to see you working."

"Hope I delivered."

"Oh you did." Suigetsu bit his lip as he looked him up and down. "Damn how can you always look so good? Should be a crime. I did like your leather pants better though I think."

"I'm supposed to wear a different outfit everyday. Man this is bullshit clothes are so expensive." He really had no idea how he would pull this off.

"Ha! I have way too many clothes! If you want to borrow cute outfits I'm your man! I'm warning you though. There's a lot of purple."

He arched an eyebrow. "I'll take what I can get. So did you want to drink anything or are you just gonna stand there sober all night?"

"Is it free for me?"

"Nope, sorry." Sasuke almost shuddered as he remembered Kakuzu's threat to fire his ass if he was ever caught giving away a drink for free.

Suigetsu pouted. "Aw… okay well, surprise me."

"I learned this cool drink." Sasuke picked up both bottles of tequila and rum. "If you wanna get drunk really fast." He smiled mischievously.

Suigetsu grinned. "Interesting."

As Sasuke made the drink he noticed from the corner of his eye a lot more people coming in; again, mostly just young guys that looked to be in their late teens or in their twenties. Some of them were pretty hot. But Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke hoped he wouldn't ditch. He really wanted to see him tonight.

"Thanks cutie," said Suigetsu.

Sasuke pointed at him threateningly. "Don't call me that I'm not your boyfriend." Then he went to take care of some other orders.

Something like thirty minutes later the talented dj played an interesting remix of some really popular dance song, so a few boys started dancing. They started a movement. After that practically everyone went on the dance floor and started moving their bodies like crazy. Some guys were dancing in couples already, some were even making out. Not losing any time were they? Sasuke thought with a small smile. This reminded him of when he had danced with Naruto… Fuck it had felt good. Sasuke had been drunk but not enough to forget thankfully. That wasn't a memory he wanted to lose. Naruto had actually danced with him back then, with his arms around his waist so tightly.

Sasuke shook his thoughts clear as he prepared a series of forty percent liquor shots for a group of young men. A few of them were tipsy already and they smiled flirtatiously at Sasuke.

"Here," one of them paid with a generous amount, "keep the change."

Will do, Sasuke thought. He turned back to Suigetsu; his friend had been waiting to get a second drink for a while now.

"Make it less strong though," Suigetsu said. Sasuke nodded.

He did it almost as strong anyway, but Suigetsu didn't complain. He paid and then grabbed Sasuke's hand.

"Holy shit. Look."

Sasuke was confused for a moment but then he realized Suigetsu was staring at the entrance of the club, so he followed his glance. And then his dark eyes widened considerably as he took in the sight of Naruto, wearing Sasuke's black leather pants. Not only that, but he wore hot black boots, and a black t-shirt that was way too short. Sasuke let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Suigetsu let go of his arm but he still couldn't move.

As Naruto walked he made heads turn. He made a small smile and massaged the back of his neck, looking just a little shy but it made him all the more attractive. His long golden blonde bangs fell into his eyes as he leaned in to talk to the man beside him. Sasuke noticed him at last, and he supposed this was Naruto's colleague from work, Sai. He also wore a crop top. Sasuke didn't know much about this Sai individual, but he couldn't believe Naruto was wearing that.

Naruto and his colleague finally saw him and made their way through the crowd, and over to Sasuke's bar section. They stood next to Suigetsu.

"Hey Naruto," said Suigetsu, checking him out, "you look quite incredibly gay tonight. Well done."

"Shut up Suigetsu." Naruto was trying to sound casual but he seemed somewhat shy. He was hugging his waist with one arm, and he dropped the other across the counter, leaning toward Sasuke. "Hey."

"Hey," Sasuke said back. He couldn't help but smile. He leaned close so Naruto would hear him. "Matching outfits, huh? Did you and your friend call each other then?"

Naruto smiled back humorlessly. "I know; I look ridiculous."

For a moment there, Sasuke forgot that there were other customers around. The night club was crowded but he was only aware of Naruto. He smelled really nice, like always—subtle but masculine and sweet and clean. As he bent over the bar counter his butt was sticking out a bit.

"Well yeah the shirt looks stupid but I wouldn't say you look ridiculous."

"My eyes are up here, Sasuke," Naruto teased.

Sasuke nodded slowly, a small smile lingering on his lips. He deserved that one. He absentmindedly grabbed a hand towel and cleaned a random section of the counter just to give his hands something to do. As his eyes wandered around a bit, he noticed he wasn't the only person staring at Naruto's body. Sasuke couldn't blame them. But he did feel a little possessive. Naruto was so oblivious.

"So can I have a beer Mister bartender?"

"Sure." He noticed Naruto's smile was a little… different. And his words were kind of slurred. "You're already drunk aren't you?" He remembered Naruto had bought some beer from a convenience store recently.

"No…" he tilted his head, and his blue eyes were lidded. "Maybe a little. Just a little."

Sasuke got him a beer from the fridge, opening it for him. Naruto paid and Sasuke gave back his change but he shook his head.

"For you."

"You moron I'll give it back to you when I repay you."

"Stop it with that! You don't owe me anything!"

Sasuke decided they should probably have this conversation when Naruto was sober. Every time they were together, they were sort of in their own little world and everybody else stopped existing. Next to Naruto, Suigetsu and Sai had introduced each other, seeing that Naruto was nowhere near doing so. As for Orochimaru, he was approaching quickly, and he touched Sasuke's shoulder, leaning close to him.

"Kakuzu's coming, be careful…" With that said Orochimaru got back to work.

Nervous, Sasuke threw a quick, "Be right back," at Naruto and went back to work as well. There were a few people waiting to get their drinks.

Naruto seemed understanding enough, and he drank his beer while joining Sai and Suigetsu's conversation.

The owner did come behind the counter to talk with none other than Sasuke. But he didn't want to scold him or anything.

"Two dancers called in sick," he said urgently, "I don't know what to do. I only have two dancers right now and I was wondering if you'd do me a favor. That's a very important feature of my club on weekend nights, like I explained to you before."

"Wait, wait, wait." Sasuke's heart started beating faster and he felt nervous. "No way, I don't… I'm not doing that…"

Kakuzu's expression hardened and he didn't look too happy with Sasuke's response. But Orochimaru stepped in, nudging Sasuke's arm and laughing pleasantly.

"Hey boss, don't worry, he's just a little shy but he'll do it, right Sasuke?"

"Can't you do it?" Sasuke looked up at his co-worker.

"I need him at the bar," Kakuzu replied before Orochimaru could open his mouth. "Besides you're cuter, Sasuke. Kinda too skinny but you'll be fine. Now go get changed!"

"I'm wounded." Orochimaru brought a slender hand to his chest. His white tie was so bright that it almost glowed in the dark.

Sasuke couldn't believe what was happening right now.

"But he's right," Orochimaru nudged him again, "you'll be just fine. Just go."

Fuck. Were they going to force him to dance in his underwear or something? He wasn't some tan, ripped guy like the other dancers. His skin was almost as pale as snow and he had a very obvious scar on his chest. He didn't exactly fit the criteria. What was the boss thinking?

Apparently he wasn't thinking. Before he knew it, Kakuzu had dragged Sasuke to the back room. Sasuke hadn't even had time to tell his friends what was happening. He felt so embarrassed right now. Just what the hell was going on here? They couldn't do that.

But a few minutes later, Sasuke was left in just his black boxer briefs, just like the two other young men.

"I don't think I should—"

"You'll be fine," Kakuzu insisted, "they'll love you I can tell." And he disappeared in his office. He'd probably be watching everything on the cameras, that sick pervert. Sasuke hated him.

"You need to hide this?" The dancer guy with the bleached hair was kind enough to pick up some pale concealer from one of the mirror desks, and offered it to Sasuke. "This should do."

"Yeah, I guess so." Sasuke sighed and smeared a lot of the product across his chest to hide the light pink scar.

"I like your eyes," the other guy smiled, most likely referring to the eyeliner, "looks hot."

"Um… thanks."

He noticed these guys had been drinking the whole time. Maybe one of the busboys had been bringing them drinks. As if on cue an employee brought some shots in through the back room.

"Thank god!" They both exclaimed and Sasuke was looking at them pleadingly.

"You can have some," the bleached guy reassured him. "No way we're gonna do this sober right?"

"Yeah…" He drank shot after shot—it was tequila—ending up drinking a lot more than the other two. But they'd had pre-drinks unlike him so it was fair.

Kakuzu soon yelled from his office. "It's midnight! Guys! I don't pay you to get drunk! Just go! And remember! No breaks! If you feel sick just take five, but not at the same time you got it?"

"Got it," the blonde and brunette said at once. Sasuke swallowed.

Was he supposed to dance in his underwear until three o'clock in the morning? And he wasn't even drunk. Those shots would barely make him tipsy.

"Are we allowed to drink while we're up there?" he asked the brown-haired guy.

"Yeah," he answered in a low voice, "you're not supposed to accept drinks but we do it anyway. Kakuzu tolerates as long as people are having fun so try to think things through and just make sure you don't get too drunk."

They wore flip flops to make their way back in the night club because the floor was dirty and sticky and there could be glass on there. They had to remove them when they started dancing though. Sasuke tried to hide behind the two other guys. Some bouncer guy he hadn't even noticed before stayed close to them as they walked, surrounded by a crazy cheering crowd. Sasuke's heart was beating fast and he had never felt more exposed in his life. He had never done anything like this before. The fact that there were so many people watching was what stressed him out the most.

"Just go to that one over there," the bleached guy indicated a cube in the back, next to a giant speaker and where the crowd was a little less dense. Sasuke nodded and made his way over there. His two colleagues also parted ways and reached cubes at opposite ends of the dance floor.

As the trio started dancing simultaneously a really good party song was on and everybody cheered. Sasuke had no idea what he was doing. He tried to keep an expressionless face and hide his fears, which was usually easy for him, so it wasn't so bad. He imitated the two other more skilled dancers at first, and then just did his own thing. He tried to cut himself off from the crowd watching him. The artificial smoke filling the air over the dance floor and the flashing lights helped a lot.

Those tequila shots got to his head a little which wasn't a bad thing at all in this situation. As the music changed he moved his hips to the slightly slower beat. He ran his fingers through his hair as he danced, messing it up a bit. There were definitely some boys dancing nearby watching him with quite lustful gazes. Sasuke tried to ignore them and just keep doing his thing. He improvised some moves; lowering himself, brushing the floor with his hand, turning around, getting back up. Tilting his head back he looked at the spotlights and they made him feel a bit dizzy.

At some point Sasuke mustered the courage to actually look at them. And somewhere among all the strangers he saw Naruto, Suigetsu and that other guy watching him. Sasuke found himself thinking that he wished Naruto could be up here with him. Was he imagining it, or was Naruto returning his gaze with equal desire?

Naruto was smiling as he held his beer, looking undeniably hot in those tight and revealing black clothes. He'd look better without that shirt though. Anyway, Sasuke wanted him close. It wasn't even just physical attraction. Sasuke needed this guy so badly, in every possible way. It was such an intense feeling that he had trouble dealing with it. But there it was, nagging at him, filling his entire body with something electric and warm. A tingling sensation. That thing people liked to call butterflies, he supposed.

Strangely, Sasuke's mind suddenly wandered back to high school. Some girls used to ask him out back then. They would write to him or just tell him how they felt to his face, and it seemed to take all the courage they had. They told him their heart started beating faster whenever they saw him. They told him they wanted to be with him so badly, and all the time. He had thought it was so silly of them. Now he kind of got it, after all those years.

He finally returned Naruto's smile. Naruto was pushing away at some other boys, saying, "Sorry, sorry…" He was stepping closer to where Sasuke was dancing. Sasuke really liked the music playing. It was entrancing and seemed to pound through his entire body. It made it easier to dance to. Also he tried to pretend he was dancing for Naruto only. That helped, too.

Naruto was looking up at him now. He wasn't dancing much. He just looked fascinated by Sasuke. That made him laugh. He bent over without thinking and offered his hand. "Come on up."

"You can do that?"

He shrugged. "I don't care. Come on I want to dance with you."

The boys cheered as they watched. Naruto couldn't say no now, could he? So he put his empty beer on the floor and took Sasuke's hand and let himself be lifted up. His hands held onto Sasuke for balance as they both stood; one at his hip and the other at his waist. It felt amazing just having him close. But there was something Sasuke needed to do first.

He grabbed Naruto's shirt and forced him to take it off. "There you go." Sasuke threw the shirt at Sai and Suigetsu, and didn't even wait to see if they'd caught it. He just glanced back at Naruto. "Much better."

Sasuke couldn't resist. He dragged his pale hands up Naruto's abs and chest. He was simply gorgeous. Naruto laughed—in that raspy, masculine voice Sasuke liked so much—and turned him around in his arms so he would face the crowd. Sasuke danced, feeling entranced by the music but also by the fact that Naruto was dancing right behind him now, his hands hovering close to his hips. His movements were more limited now but he didn't care. He felt safe, invincible even, with Naruto up here with him.

Naruto's moves were good. He matched Sasuke's rhythm perfectly well. This was actually a lot of fun. Was Sasuke being paid to do this? If so, then it was amazing. From the corner of his eye he saw that the dancer with bleached hair had imitated him and pulled a friend up from the crowd. Maybe it was okay to do this then. Sasuke told himself not to worry about a thing. He just wanted to have fun.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, warm, soft hands inched closer to his waist. When finally Naruto touched him and started dancing closer to him, Sasuke tilted his head back and a moan escaped his lips. Thankfully the music was loud enough that no one heard. Well, no one except Naruto.

"I want you so bad right now," he said in his ear.

Startled, Sasuke turned around. He tried really hard to keep dancing like normal but he was face to face with Naruto now and it was quite distracting. Those flashing lights made his eyes look so blue. And his hair was all messy.

"Did you really just say that?"

Naruto just nodded. A small teasing smile twitched the corners of his lips. Sasuke quickly glanced away.

"How many more beers have you had? How drunk are you?" Sasuke was asking.

"I'm not that drunk. I'm just tired of denying it," he whispered—again, in Sasuke's ear. His breathing against his neck was making him crazy.

"We can't really talk about this right now."

Now Naruto shook his head. "That's okay. I don't want to talk." It was his turn now to slide his hands up Sasuke's chest, like he wanted to touch and explore his body. They locked eyes, and then without a warning Naruto crashed their lips together. It was so perfect and desperate at the same time. Sasuke held on to him and kissed him like it was the first and the last time. Their tongues touched and Sasuke smiled before latching onto Naruto's lips again. He heard cheers from the crowd but he didn't care. He didn't care if the entire world was watching. He wanted this moment right here, right now, to last as long as possible. Naruto had a hand tangled in his black hair. Sasuke had his hands at Naruto's hips, touching the hem of the leather pants that looked so delicious on him. Naruto's skin was so impossibly warm. It made Sasuke lose control. Pulling away from his lips he kissed his chiseled jaw—Naruto always said Sasuke was a good model from an artist's point of view but Naruto himself had quite handsome traits. Then Sasuke kissed his neck, messy and spiky blonde hair tickling his nose. His breathing was loud and his heartbeat fast. Naruto's skin tasted salty.

"I want to do this even when we're not drunk," Naruto said.

"You say that now… but tomorrow you'll be awkward again, and you won't want me anymore." Sasuke shook his head, and looked away.

But Naruto brought him close and kissed him again. It was softer this time, but still needy and intense.

"I'll always want you."

He wished Naruto hadn't said that. Sasuke had often felt broken inside—most of his life, actually. But right now he was just terrified. Because Naruto was mending him, but he knew that words were only words and everything was so fragile. He could break him again whenever he wanted.

But then—thank God—Naruto lightened the mood.

"Except right now, cause I've got to go to the bathroom."

"Don't leave me alone here," Sasuke protested, but he let him pull away.

"Heh, beer will do that to a guy. I'll be right back though I promise."

"You better."

"You'll wait for me?"

Sasuke spread his arms. "I'm stuck here 'til 3 am."

Naruto just smiled and his hand lingered at Sasuke's waist before he took a step and jumped off the cube.

Sasuke looked at the crowd. The flickering lights made people's movements seem jolty. Everyone was having fun. Sasuke couldn't see Suigetsu anymore. There were more dancers than before. The music—leaning more toward hip-hop now—was so loud, and the bass pounded through Sasuke's body. He was dancing without even having to think about it. He swayed his hips from side to side and bent his knees as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. He brought his hands up in the air, tucking some of his hair behind his ears.

"Nice piercings!"

Sasuke spun on his heel to see who had said that. Some guy was climbing next to Sasuke without any sort of invitation, and now apparently he was expecting to dance with him. He was rather sweaty and he kept clenching and unclenching his jaw. His pupils were dilated; this guy was definitely on something.

He touched Sasuke's arm. "Your skin is so soft," he said.

Sasuke stepped away from him but he couldn't go very far.

"Hey sorry man but I'm gonna have to ask you to back off."

"Come on let's have some fun." He had big brown eyes and paler brown hair, and he wore tight blue jeans—and that was it. A lot of guys had their shirts off inside the club. At least Sasuke didn't stand out too much. He just wished he had pants on, too.

The guy was a couple of inches shorter than Sasuke. He reached up with a hand to touch his hair. Sasuke wanted to push him away but he didn't want to cause a scene.

"You're so beautiful. Are you on something tonight?"

"What the—? No! I'm working!"

"I can hook you up if you want."

That guy was out of his mind. Also he was very high, Sasuke could tell. He looked around, trying to locate that bouncer guy from before. Where the hell was he now?

The beat dropped before picking up again, and people danced with renewed energy. Sasuke wasn't really into it right now though.

"No I don't want you to hook me up…" Sasuke was trying to reason with his unwanted dance partner but it wasn't really working.

Actually, the guy still had a hand on his shoulder, and Sasuke thought he heard him say a couple more times that his skin was really soft. And then he tried to kiss him; he just went for it. Their lips almost touched. Sasuke was so surprised and, well, pissed off that for a moment he forgot he was standing on that cube thingy. He took a few quick steps backwards and lost his balance and fell like an idiot.

"Hey watch it!" A stranger's voice shouted.

But Naruto was the one who caught him. He'd been coming back at just the right moment. He didn't exactly catch him actually; it was more like Sasuke fell on him. Naruto closed his arms around him and tried to keep him from hitting the floor. It was messy and the crazed dancers barely gave them any room to get back up. Sasuke couldn't be sure but he thought he heard Naruto make a noise of pain as his back hit the floor.

"Are you okay?" Worried, he pushed himself off to let Naruto breathe. He offered a hand and Naruto took it.

"Yeah," Naruto said slowly, circling one arm around Sasuke protectively. "Are you?"

Sasuke nodded, but he realized his heart was racing. That had been kinda scary, for a moment. There could have been glass on the floor. Thankfully none of them seemed hurt.

Naruto seemed to be thinking the same thing. He found those flip flops Sasuke had been wearing earlier and tossed them next to his feet.

"Thanks." He put them on silently and then let Naruto guide him through the crowd. He realized he was bringing them to the back, behind the bar counter.

"I think you should put your clothes back on," Naruto said. "This isn't right."

Orochimaru eyed them curiously but said nothing. He just kept on serving drinks to some cute boys. Then Kakuzu showed up, blocking the door on which 'staff only' was printed in big letters.

"You're not allowed back here," he barked at Naruto.

"I don't care."

"Naruto it's fine." Sasuke pulled away from him and shivered a bit even though it wasn't cold at all in the club. He just shivered from losing Naruto's warmth. Well he was almost naked after all. Naruto was right. He ought to put his clothes back on.

"What do you think you're doing?" The boss asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "You should be dancing."

"Look," Sasuke sighed, "I tried, but I don't like it. I'm not really good at dealing with people." And Naruto wasn't always gonna be there, he mentally added. "I just want to be a bartender," he told his boss.

"Well I need you to be dancing tonight. So suck it up and get up there."

"No," Naruto shook his head.

Kakuzu's brown eyes raked Naruto up and down harshly. "And who're you? His boyfriend? How sweet. Do you want to lose your job Sasuke? I thought you said you needed money."

"I do," he sighed again. He licked his lips and glanced toward Orochimaru, hoping for some back up maybe. But Orochimaru just shrugged and went back to work, his long hair tucked behind his ears neatly.

"You can find another job, Sasuke. Just go get dressed and I'll take you home," Naruto said.

He walked past Kakuzu and made his way to his pile of clothes on one of the chairs in the dressing room. After putting his jeans on he caught a glimpse of himself in a tall mirror. Some of the concealer had come off—probably when Naruto had been touching his chest—and his scar was slightly visible now. He felt kind of anxious at being so exposed. Trying to shake it off, and telling himself that surely no one had noticed out there, he threw on his top and grabbed his slim black jacket.

Kakuzu was blocking his path as he turned around. His boss was really good at doing that.

"Just let me go. You're going to fire me anyway, aren't you?"

"No," he growled, his tone contradicting his words. "You're not fired. Go home tonight but come back tomorrow. It'll be your last chance."

"And I'll be working—?"

"At the bar," Kakuzu finished.

"All right," Sasuke said dryly, "I'll be there." He stalked past his boss and went to push the door open.

"And I'm not paying you for tonight!"

Asshole.

Sasuke found Naruto waiting for him next to the bar counter.

"Come on," Naruto said simply. He took his hand so they wouldn't lose each other in the thick crowd.

Sasuke didn't mind. He wasn't really good with crowds, and he was glad Naruto led the way. There really were too many people in the relatively small night club. But Naruto was good at pushing his way through. At some point he looked over his shoulder and saw that Sasuke was barely following. He reached out and circled his arm around Sasuke's waist as he'd done before. This way they were really close to each other and it was easier for Naruto to lead them toward the exit.

"You're really good at this," Sasuke said.

"I've been in mosh pits before," Naruto answered, laughing. "This is nothing." He stopped by coat check to grab his jacket. Finally the door opened and a wave of fresh air welcomed them as they hit the sidewalk. They could still hear the music, but the other sounds were kinda refreshing; the cars driving by, the people chatting and smoking and bustling about. Naruto pulled away from Sasuke so he could put on his jacket, and they started walking side by side. "I used to go to concerts with Kiba and some other friends when I was younger. We always wanted to be as close to the stage as possible, even if that meant being squashed by other people and possibly stomped to death."

"Well I'm glad you never got stomped to death." He could still feel Naruto's warm hand holding his waist really tightly. That had been kinda nice. He shivered as the wind picked up and ruffled his hair. Hurriedly he shrugged his jacket on.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked. Naruto wasn't wearing anything under his jacket after all.

"I'm fine," he replied.

"I still can't believe you showed up in a crop top." He shook his head, a strand of black hair falling into his eyes.

Naruto laughed. "Sai made me wear that. He also gave me those boots." He looked down.

"That guy probably likes you," Sasuke mused.

He was taking them to where he had parked Naruto's car, in a small public parking lot just a few minutes away. Sasuke looked up at the sky as he thought he had felt a rain drop on his cheek. It was hard to see anything with the city lights; hard to tell if the sky was cloudy or starry tonight. This wasn't like Kyoto. He never saw any stars at all here. But the city lights weren't all that bad. They were so colorful and made him feel so alive, like he was in the middle of something exciting.

"I don't care," Naruto shrugged. "I don't want to date him. If I ever date a guy it'll be you."

"Yeah?" Sasuke held his breath.

"Yeah."

Sasuke stopped walking. They were next to the chain link fence surrounding the parking lot. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it but he thought the cold wind was beginning to get more intense. He looked up into Naruto's eyes, dark blue in the night.

"You shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not?"

"Because you've been drinking. And you're probably tired, and you don't know what you're saying," he said stubbornly.

Naruto held his gaze. He seemed to be searching Sasuke's eyes for answers. But no one was going to give him the answers he sought; he needed to find those for himself.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Sasuke nodded, already walking away, toward the car. He felt a tinge of disappointment spreading across his chest like a cold wave. He'd hoped Naruto would say something different.

But then Naruto came after him. He grabbed his arm, turned him around and pulled him close. They were alone in the small parking lot. Their breaths were white puffs of smoke in the cold.

"I'm sorry cause I can't stop," he said and then he kissed him.

It was different than when they were in the club. More intimate. The silence of their immediate surroundings made the moment feel precious and fleeting. Sasuke slowly lifted his hands and pressed them against Naruto's back, underneath his jacket. He felt Naruto tense in his arms.

"Your hands are cold," he smiled against his cheek.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

They kissed again, softly at first, then deeper and harder. Sasuke's eyes were closed tightly and he lost himself in the moment. He felt it in his entire body. He felt it in his fingertips. He never wanted it to stop. He wasn't sure the quickening heartbeat he felt was his, or Naruto's, or both.

But then Sasuke had to stop. His fingers had touched something liquid and warm trickling down Naruto's back. He pushed him away softly and examined his hands. In the yellow light of the parking lot's street lamp he saw red on there.

"You're bleeding." His eyes widened. "You must have fallen on some glass earlier. We've got to take you to the hospital."

Naruto shook his head, frowning. "No, no, I'm fine. Let's just go home I have a first aid kit. It doesn't even hurt so I'm sure it's nothing."

"All right well let's get you in the car at least."

They walked up to the orange eclipse and Naruto hoisted himself up in the passenger seat while Sasuke sat behind the wheel. Both doors were closed and Sasuke reached up to flick on the light in the car. There was a box of tissues on the floor so Sasuke grabbed a couple. He lifted Naruto's jacket and saw that it wasn't that bad, thankfully. It was just a little lower than his shoulder blades. It didn't need stitches. But still it was bleeding, so Sasuke pressed the tissues on the injury.

"Can you hold it there for me?"

Naruto nodded and did as he was told. On the meantime Sasuke fired up the engine and turned on the heat full blast. He had noticed Naruto had goose bumps all over his skin; he'd been lying earlier about not being cold. After a while Naruto just kept the tissues there but leaned back into the seat instead of holding them, since it wasn't really comfortable for him to do so.

Sasuke put the car in gear and drove off.

"You're already so good at driving," Naruto commented.

"Tell me again when I've taken you home in one piece." He glanced left and right before driving out of the small parking lot. They rode in silence for a while, with just some rock alternative music playing low. It was a nice change from the club remixes. Sasuke kept stealing glances at Naruto. He looked a bit pale.

"I feel like I'm always thanking you, but thanks for catching me back there. I could've hit my head or something. Though now I feel guilty cause you got hurt." He sighed, holding the wheel tightly with one hand, and shifting with the other as he changed lanes. Then he stopped at a red light. It really had started raining now. Actually it looked like a mix of snow and rain.

"You don't have to thank me. If you fall, I will catch you. Like the song."

"What song?"

"I don't know. There's a song that says that."

Sasuke laughed softly. "Okay…"

"Before that happened though, we were having fun."

Sasuke kept his eyes on the road. "Yes, we were."

Nothing more was said. Naruto seemed lost in his thoughts as he gazed outside the window at nothing in particular. Sasuke wanted to know what he was thinking really badly, but he didn't ask.

At home Naruto ended up almost passed out, lying face down on his bed, in the master bedroom. Sasuke had gotten the first aid kit and he had finished cleaning Naruto's cut. Now he was applying the band-aid.

"There you go," he said softly, "all done."

He wasn't sure Naruto was still awake. His eyes were closed and he loosely clutched the pillow with a fist. The bedside table lamp cast a feeble glow inside the room. As he sat next to Naruto's legs, Sasuke softly touched the skin around the band-aid. It was a little red.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, wondering if he'd get a reaction from him.

There was only silence for a short while, and Sasuke was about to withdraw his fingers. But then Naruto let out a moan. He didn't sound like he was in pain at all. The opposite actually.

Sasuke laughed. "Do you… like it?"

"Yeah…"

He put the first aid kit on the bedside table and shifted closer to Naruto's hips, swinging his legs to a more comfortable position, rustling the messy sheets as he did so. He dropped both hands on Naruto's back and slid them up his shoulder blades. He started massaging the back of his neck and his shoulders.

"That feels so good," Naruto whispered.

"Yeah well I'm experienced."

Blue eyes snapped open suddenly, and Naruto leaned on his elbow so he could turn and look up at him. Sasuke interrupted his movements.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to remind you of… bad memories." Concern was etched all over his features. He looked kind of silly actually, with his hair flat on one side and ruffled on the other. He looked tired and awake at the same time.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's fine. I didn't mean it like that. I'm not fragile Naruto. I won't break down in pieces whenever I'm reminded of crappy stuff that happened in my past."

Naruto folded his leather clad legs so he could sit right next to Sasuke in the middle of the bed.

"Sometimes I feel like that though. I feel like you're fragile."

"I wish you wouldn't." He spoke in a low, even voice.

Naruto shook his head. He lifted his hand as though he wanted to reach for Sasuke, but then seemed to think better of it and ran it through his hair instead, messing it up even more. It didn't look that bad though; Sasuke always liked how Naruto's unkempt light hair framed his face so nicely.

"I can't help it."

"I think you should sleep." Sasuke was eager to put an end to this conversation. "I remember you said you had a long week at work. You're probably tired."

Naruto smiled and shrugged helplessly. "It's always like this before Christmas. The manga artists need all the help they can get to meet their deadlines."

"I'll let you sleep." Sasuke got up from the bed and reached the doorframe when Naruto caught up to him.

"No I—it doesn't matter if I'm tired. I like talking to you. Can't you stay? I'm injured." He pointed at his back with his thumb. "And it's your fault. You have to nurse me back to health."

Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to laugh at Naruto's teasing. He just leaned against the doorframe, looking past Naruto at the mess that was his bedroom; the sheets and covers were all over the place, and there were clothes and random things—including sketchbooks and loose sheets of paper—thrown across the floor. The two bedside tables, one of them overloaded with Naruto's stuff and the other completely empty and unused, were a constant reminder that there used to be two people using this bedroom.

"What do you want, Naruto?"

"I don't know."

"And that," Sasuke said, "is the problem."

Before he could leave, Naruto touched his arm. He didn't grab him or anything. He wasn't being forceful at all. His fingers merely brushed the skin of Sasuke's arm.

"Look at me," he said, and Sasuke did. "You're asking me what I want in the long term, right?" Naruto took a deep breath. "I don't know. But what I want right now? I want us to pick up where we left off at the club, when we were dancing. Why don't you put on some music?"

Naruto was trying to sound casual, but he was clearly nervous. Sasuke could almost feel his heart beating really fast, and there was color on his cheeks that wasn't normally there. Sasuke could also tell that Naruto wasn't that drunk. That was partly why he decided to stay.

He went to open up Naruto's laptop on the desk, casting aside some notes and sketches that were in the way.

"I can do that."