"What's this all about?" Sasuke picked up the piece of paper from Naruto's coffee table and read it quickly, his eyes hovering over huge bolded letters that read Bacchanalia. "What, are you going to a cult meeting or something?"

Naruto's computer chair squeaked as he leaned back in it, grinning at Sasuke the way he always did when met with his best friend's unending sarcasm. "If 'cult meeting' means 'place with lots of booze and happy endings' then sure," he replied, his eyes darting back to his computer screen. "Wanna help me pick out a costume for the party?"

Sasuke didn't even look back at the flier before dropping it back onto the table. "Naruto, is this really what you do every weekend?"

"What, have fun like a normal person my age?" Naruto's chair squeaked again as he leaned forward, scrolling through pictures on Google. When Sasuke cleared his throat, Naruto glanced up at him, unaffected by his friend's obvious disapproval. "Come on, dude. You need to get out more. Going to school in the city's jammed a stick up your ass."

"A stick called responsibility," Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto snorted and then frowned. "I'm responsible," he defended. "I pass all of my classes and get laid. You're just lame."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sasuke allowed his expression to fall flat. Naruto's ugly brown couch ("But Sasuke, it's SO comfy!") caught him as he collapsed onto it and he once again looked down at the wrinkled advertisement clasped in his fingers. "So, what, you're going to buy a toga, go and get wasted in the name of Dionysus, find some random girl to—"

"Dio—who?" Naruto interrupted, wrinkling his nose. "Look, it's just a party. I'm gonna dress up in a sheet like the Roman dudes in that movie 300—"

"Those were Spartans, you moron," Sasuke groaned. He sank back into the couch, trying not to look as comfortable as he felt, especially because he made fun of Naruto for owning the thing every chance he got.

"Spartans, Romanians, same difference -"

"Romanians?" Sasuke queried, which only resulted in Naruto not only continuing, but raising his voice.

"Look, I'm preparing to get plastered while wearing nothing but a sheet, and you're trying to give me a history lesson?" Naruto flung a leg onto his desk and pulled his hands behind his head in a leisurely stretch. Cutting off whatever retort Sasuke was about to say, Naruto asked, "What will you be doing tonight?"

There were obviously no exciting events scheduled for Sasuke's Saturday night, as he had driven all the way to Naruto's dorm in an effort to be the ever spontaneous best friend that he was, only to have it backfire with Naruto's pre-made plans of drunken revelry. After a long period of silence and Naruto's slowly raising eyebrow of judgment, Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe I should go with you."

Sasuke watched as Naruto's bright blue eyes widened, and jumped when Naruto laughed so loud the motion caused his desk to wobble. "Oh, man. That was a good one. Whew," Naruto wiped tears from his eyes, and dragged his hand back through his messy blond hair. "You're too much, Sasuke."

"I'm being serious."

At this, Naruto's smile faded into raw amusement. "No, you're not. You hate partying and sex."

"I don't hate sex," Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"Have you even had sex?" Naruto accused.

"Of course I have!" Sasuke shouted back, close to fuming. "Why can't I go with you?"

"Sasuke," there were few moments in Naruto's life where he looked completely serious, and it always caught Sasuke off guard. "You don't have to prove anything to me. This party isn't your thing. Like, it really isn't your thing. Trust me."

"How would you know?" Sasuke countered. "We've barely hung out since high school. It's always me driving up here and you always having better things to do."

Naruto's eyebrows scrunched together. "That's not true! Do you really think that?"

It wasn't entirely true, but at this point, Sasuke was dead set on going since Naruto was trying so hard to ween him off the idea. He simply stated, "I want to go."

Naruto puckered his lips in a way that meant heavy contemplation. After a moment, he said, "It's not that I don't want you to come. It's just…you're not wild, Sasuke. Not like this party will be."

Sasuke stared, unconvinced and slightly hurt, masking his feelings with vague indifference. Naruto, of course, saw right through it.

"It's, um…how to say this…" Naruto avoided eye contact, which made Sasuke raise an eyebrow. "It's not just a guys 'n girls party."

Sasuke blinked. "What else is there?"

"No! I mean, uh…" Naruto cleared his throat before throwing caution to the wind. "It's a sex party. Guys and girls, girls and guys, guys and guys, girls and girls…" his voice faded but his attention lingered, watching for Sasuke's reaction like he was prepared at any moment to do damage control.

Shockingly enough for him, Sasuke merely shook his head and said, "So?"

"So, that's pretty gay," Naruto admitted. "And you're telling me you'd be cool with that?"

Sasuke had to bite his tongue. Of course, it made sense that Naruto would need to ask him, because he had always made such a big deal about it. He'd been pretty as a kid and had grown up into an even prettier college student, even if his face had filled out and he'd worked out to get some muscles filled in. But Sasuke had always made a conscious effort to convince Naruto he was as straight as an arrow, fearing the day when Naruto would finally realize that Sasuke had been a sad and lonely pining lunatic for the vast majority of his young life, crushing on his best friend.

But it wasn't like he could admit that to Naruto now; in fact, he was dying to go to a sex party with Naruto because he hadn't seen him with his shirt off since 11th grade.

"I'm disappointed in you," Sasuke replied coolly. "I'll have you know I'm a registered democrat."

Naruto was quiet, searching for the meaning behind those words.

"It means I'm pretty liberal," Sasuke said dismally.

Naruto stared at him strangely. "You are?"

"Of course," Sasuke shrugged. "Look at my low standards for a best friend."

Standing up, Naruto stuck out his tongue. "Ha ha. Very funny. Well, I mean…if you're okay seeing me hook up with other guys, then I guess it's cool…"

"What?!" Sasuke barked.

Naruto pointed at him. "See! I told you it wasn't your thing!"

Sasuke growled. "I just wasn't expecting you—"

"Look, you can either come or stay behind. But I mean, seriously Sasuke, only come if you think you'll have sex." Naruto stared at him resolutely.

Offended, Sasuke let his jaw drop. "You think I can't get sex?"

"No!" Naruto threw his arms in the air. "Damnit, stop twisting my words! Lots of people are gonna want to have sex with you and hell, if I—ugh, never mind. You go to parties like this to get laid. So, if you go, you're getting laid!"

Sasuke clamped his lips closed. A thousand thoughts raged through his mind. Was it safe, how wild would it be, how he would get home…but in the end, he only saw the sudden invitation as a challenge; something Naruto thought he couldn't do.

"Fine. Give me a sheet."

***

"I still can't believe you knew how to make such awesome togas from sheets." Naruto was staring at Sasuke in a way that made Sasuke feel oddly vulnerable.

"I still can't believe we're going to a party where the dress code is a sheet." Sasuke stepped up onto the curb of the sidewalk preceding the house. It wasn't a frat house, like Sasuke had expected. It was the mansion of a student that Naruto knew, whose parents were apparently out of town. Well, a couple of students that Naruto knew - Neji, and his cousin Hinata. Both attractive, Naruto promised, and the way he went on about Hinata's sweet and innocent demeanor made Sasuke want to gag.

How Naruto had ended up involved in these type of parties, Sasuke couldn't guess. Well, he could, and it mostly had to do with the fact that Naruto was no longer an awkward and annoying brat with a toothy grin, terrifying the neighborhood with pranks and boyish shenanigans. He was a real charmer now, complete with a modest tan that made his hair look a shade brighter than dirty blond, and eyes that were normally brilliantly bright, but that darkened when he was serious. That was usually how Sasuke read him. And now, dressed in a toga that hung low in the back and just barely long enough in the front, Naruto looked every part the Adonis he was striving to portray.

Sasuke sighed, wondering why life was such a tease.

"I'll introduce you to the people that I know and try to warn you about the people you don't want to know…other than that, you're on your own. Unless you cave and decide you need a wingman, heh."

Sasuke didn't deem that comment worthy of a response. In silence, they both ascended the stairs and Naruto gently rapped on the door. When it opened, Naruto smirked.

"Heya, Neji," he said, and Sasuke looked at him when he realized Naruto's tone had dropped a little, somehow making him sound a bit more manly and less like a frat boy dressed like a 'roman dude from 300'.

"Naruto," the boy greeted. He had long hair tied in a loose ponytail, and a fitted toga that was obviously store-bought. He was staring at Sasuke when he asked, "And you are?"

"This is Sasuke!" Naruto introduced, and Neji gave him a strange look, as though he'd heard the name. "You know, my friend from high school?"

"Oh," Neji answered, casting Sasuke a calculating glance. "It's nice to meet you."

Where Sasuke expected a hand to come out and greet his, none came. He decided that if everyone was here looking for sex, a handshake was probably a little too formal. He began wondering if, to get into parties like this one, some secret phallic bro-fisting was involved, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Neji stepped aside to allow them both in.

"This is the most classy frat party I have ever been to." Sasuke stared at the insides of the house, which were as intricately decorated as the outside advertised. "Aren't you afraid someone's going to get drunk and break a vase or something?"

The question was meant for Neji, but Naruto laughed and answered instead. "Well, this isn't really a frat party. It's by invitation only. And you're kind of invited by association. So please don't get drunk and break a vase."

Sasuke's lips pursed.

"Naruto!"

Bolting down the stairs was a boy that emanated fraternity, complete with a rugged look that spoke of abandoned textbooks and cheesy pick-up lines. He had untamed brown hair and amber eyes that were mischievous enough to be enticing, and Sasuke stopped, caught off guard by the amount of come hither exuded simply from a gaze.

"Kiba!" Naruto greeted amiably, and without hesitation, pointed to beside him. "This is Sasuke."

Sasuke had already grabbed Kiba's attention, and by the time Kiba made it to the base of the stairwell, it was obvious he liked what he saw.

"It's a pleasure," he confided.

"I'm sure," Sasuke intoned.

Kiba raised an eyebrow, and Naruto, sensing an awkward silence, clapped his hands together and pointed straight ahead. "Kiba, my good man, I believe we would both like drinks."

"Need drinks," Sasuke edited, just low enough for Kiba to toss him a sideways glance. Naruto shot Sasuke a dirty look, and Sasuke rebutted with one of pure innocence.

"Right. So I'm sure Neji told you." Kiba let them into a kitchen that belonged in a homeowners magazine, and plucked two beers from the fridge. One he handed to Naruto and the other he kept for himself. "Oh, what would you like, Sasuke?"

"Something stronger than a beer," Sasuke admitted. Not only was he feeling entirely too cynical about the entire occasion, it was also starting to dawn on him that everyone who planned on being at this party knew each other intimately. No pun intended.

Kiba looked devious. "You nervous or something?"

Sasuke smirked in return. "Trust me, I'm not the skittish type."

"Okay," Kiba bit, watching Sasuke with an obvious interest. "What type are you?"

Quick to interject, Naruto backtracked their conversation. "What were you saying? About Neji?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Was Naruto cockblocking?

Kiba was frowning when he answered. "Oh, yeah. No girls tonight."

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction as he glanced over to Sasuke, and Sasuke felt like he needed that drink now, more than ever.

"You okay, dude?" Kiba asked. Obviously Naruto didn't look like a deer caught in headlights often around these people.

"Um…" Naruto was staring at Sasuke like a kid trying to do Jedi mind tricks. Sasuke imagined his train of thought.

These are not the genitalia you're looking for.

Sasuke let out a sigh. "It's fine."

"What?" Naruto asked, again with the wide eyes.

"I said it's fine," Sasuke replied. Before sobriety became a thing of the past, Sasuke decided that now was probably the best time to tell Naruto that he'd been secretly attracted to boys all these years. "To be honest with you, I'm—"

"Available?" a new voice chimed in. "Please tell me you're available."

"And this is Sai," Naruto looked like Vana White as he held out his hand to display the slim figure that had entered the kitchen much like a ghost, pale and unnoticed. Sasuke eyed him with trepidation, mostly because he was wearing the least clothing out of all of them.

"You know what skirts do to me," Kiba groaned, obviously entranced by the sparse amount of cloth Sai had tucked around his waist. Sai glanced up at Naruto and summoned an expression that Sasuke wasn't sure he approved of. "Like it?"

It was an obvious come on, and Sasuke, not wanting to hear Naruto's response, cut in. "It's hot," he granted, and he allowed himself to smile - one of those simple smirks that seemed secretive and alluring. It did the trick, and earned him a playful wink.

Naruto was the only person unimpressed, and was staring at him in horror. He turned to Kiba, who was wrestling with the tequila bottle and snagged a couple of glasses from the counter. When Kiba freed the alcohol from its fermented domain, he held them out to be filled.

At this, Sasuke was amused.

Excitement brought more life to Kiba's brown eyes. "Oh, I love tequila. It's my baby." He poured the glasses happily.

"I thought your baby was your car?" Neji entered the room from behind, his slim thighs disappearing teasingly beneath his short costume. Sasuke had never been one for role playing, but damn if the room wasn't full of a lot of guys he'd kill to meet at a bar and have a fling with.

It was also too bad the one man he'd kill to have a life with was there, too.

"I can have more than one baby," Kiba pointed out. "I could have tequila in the car, and then the gates of heaven would—"

"This is why we always hide his car keys," Naruto pointed out, handing Sasuke his drink. Sasuke downed it in one shot, grimaced at the taste, and held out his cup for another round.

For what seemed like the umpteenth time during this particular day, the whites of Naruto's eyes took up more space than the blue.

"Will you please stop looking at me that way?" Sasuke asked as he pulled his glass back towards him, now that it was full for the second time.

Naruto gave Sasuke his serious face. "Sasuke, you never drink. You're going to get sick," he whispered.

Sasuke felt a tingle of warmth in his mind and acted on the light and airy feeling just barely beginning to flutter through him. He leaned forward and whispered into Naruto's ear, "You really don't know as much about me as you think you do, Naruto."

With that, he downed the second glass, hissed, and set it on the kitchen counter, ignoring the way the other boys in the room looked impressed. "And for the record, I said I didn't party, not that I didn't drink."

Naruto looked at him as though he didn't know the difference. He also looked worried.

"So Gaara skipped out, but Dei's on his way, so we should be even, right?" Neji seemed to be doing the math in his head. Sasuke realized they were planning on dividing into pairs. He wondered how he managed to figure that out. The two straight shots of tequila were definitely giving him a buzz, and the chocolate chip cookies on the countertop looked delicious.

Sai caught him licking his lips while staring one down and pushed the plate towards him.

"Sasuke doesn't like sweets," Naruto proffered, but it seemed almost illogical when Sasuke was practically scarfing a cookie down, a gooey chocolate chip caught on the corner of his lip.

"He doesn't?" Kiba smirked, and Naruto shrugged.

"I guess they've grown on him." He downed a shot of tequila himself.

Neji leaned over the countertop, allowing his toga to ride up and reveal the creamy expanse of his upper thigh. "As soon as Dei gets here, I think we should start the games."

This comment undoubtedly brought Sasuke's attention away from his cookie. "Games?"

"Games," Kiba confirmed. Sai nodded and Neji continued. "Tonight's theme is ancient Rome. We'll play a game called 21 to loosen up, have our deciding chariot races, and then…whatever you want to do with your partner is your own business."

Sasuke frowned. "A chariot race?"

His comment went unanswered as a voice sifted through the entryway. The front door closed, and Neji leaned back, looking a bit sour when a tall man with long blond hair stepped into the kitchen and held out a grocery bag full of what appeared to be snacks.

"You're late," Neji reprimanded, though Sasuke couldn't tell if he was really upset or not.

Naruto laughed and took the bag from the newly arrived partier, who Sasuke assumed was the Dei everyone had been expecting. "Easy tiger! Dude's got our food."

"Yeah, what he said," Deidara stuck out his tongue and looked around the room, his attention pausing on Sasuke. "You're new."

"Actually, I'm Sasuke," he rebutted. He licked his lips to erase any evidence of chocolate chips, but didn't do a good enough job. He was slightly startled when Dei leaned forward and lightly thumbed at his lip, only to draw it back to his own mouth and lick the small smudge of chocolate that existed there.

From across the room, Naruto was staring at them.

"Well, it's good to see that everyone's getting along," Sai clapped his hands together. The comment was met with a silence that only seemed awkward for Sasuke, considering all of the eyes in the room were suddenly on him.

"Game time!" Naruto declared, and he made his way back over to Sasuke with a plate full of chips and miniature sandwich triangles. Sasuke glanced up to see his expression, but Naruto's attention was focused on Neji.

"Pray tell," Kiba leaned across the table and snatched a couple of Naruto's chips, and earned a playful slap on his wrist in return. "How do we play the drinking game, oh host of all great parties?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," was Neji's reply. "Only your knowledge of roman numerals. We start with the first person, and they say I, and then move to the side, and that person says II, and so on so forth, until we get to 21. You mess up, you take a shot, and we have to start over. If we make it to 21, that person takes a shot."

Sai looked thoughtful. "So we're basically counting to 21?" His tone implied the game sounded a bit too easy. Neji flashed him a glare. "If you know them, say them," he challenged.

Sai frowned. "I, II, III, IX, X—"

"V," Sasuke interjected, and sipped at his new glass of tequila. Naruto was looking down at him again, and as soon as Sasuke looked up and caught his eyes, Naruto quickly looked away.

"Yeah, isn't X ten?" Kiba was frowning and staring at the ceiling, as if trying to remember.

"This is exactly why we're playing this game," Neji concluded, and Dei laughed.

"We're all going to be so drunk."

"Well, maybe except for him," Sai nodded towards Sasuke, who was hardly paying attention. Drinking was good, especially since he knew this night was bringing sex. And since it wasn't going to be sex with the guy he always fantasized about, he wanted to drink enough to forget the night before it even started.

Naruto's fingers wrapped around his glass and pulled it away from his lips and down to the table. While everyone followed Neji out to his living room, Naruto whispered to Sasuke, "Stop drinking."

"Why?" Sasuke felt hot. While he did drink, it usually wasn't tequila, much less three shots of it in a row. "I'm fine."

Naruto's eyes were dark, so Sasuke knew he was being serious. He sighed. "Really, I'm fine."

"We can leave," Naruto said to him. "I mean…this is so not your thing that I'm kind of wigged out that you're going along with it."

"You don't know what my thing is," Sasuke stood up and felt his head spin just slightly, and played it off without Naruto noticing. "I'm fine, really."

Naruto didn't believe him, and Sasuke felt his tequila fever cool a little when he recognized guilt in Naruto's eyes. He decided to think about what that meant later.

"I think they're waiting," Sasuke motioned towards the circle of friends, and started forward, Naruto trailing behind him a moment after.

"Alright, everyone has a shot glass, right?" Neji glanced around while everyone nodded, and Sasuke and Naruto took their seats on the plush carpeting. "Who wants to start?"

"I will," Kiba said, and Naruto reclaimed a bit of his vibrant personality by slapping his friend on the back. Kiba grinned. "I."

"II," Naruto countered.

"III," Sasuke said, and Sai countered with, "VI."

Sasuke's skin tingled at the mistake and he said, "IV."

Neji had a small chart on the floor below him, and he flipped it over to double check.

"You don't need a chart with Sasuke here," Naruto explained. "He could probably count to one thousand, or do the alphabet backwards, or even do his multiplication tables out of pure instinct."

Sasuke was tipsy enough to take the bait. "Sure. What can you do from pure instinct?"

Sai almost spit out the shot he was attempting to down, and Kiba burst out laughing, and Naruto, apparently shelving his worry for Sasuke's odd behavior, rebelliously took on the challenge.

"A lot of things. If you're lucky, you might find out tonight."

Whether it was the alcohol or not, Sasuke wasn't sure, but he felt his face flush. A sudden burst of fireworks in his chest simmered down to smoldering ashes when Naruto looked away too quickly, his words more playful than promising.

"So wait, you two haven't…?" Kiba was glancing between them, making no effort to hide his curiosity.

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, but Naruto was quick to beat him. "We're best friends."

It wasn't the answer Sasuke would have expected.

Dei was chuckling. "And since when has friendship ever stopped you from fucking someone senseless?" The entire room seemed to find this comment hilarious, and even Naruto was smirking.

Sasuke wondered how many men Naruto had been with while Sasuke had been under the illusion that he liked girls. He downed his shot of tequila and let the heat settle at the back of his skull.

"Hey! No drinking unless you mess up!" Naruto swiped his glass away and held it out to Dei, who poured some more liquor into it. Sasuke watched Naruto babysit it for him, and the game started up again. It took two tries to make it to fifteen, and on the third, Kiba messed up. He downed his shot, and again, the game started.

A half hour later they made it to 21, and for the majority of them, the world was a buzz of contentment. Naruto had been the one to name the final 21, and had downed the small remainder of the bottle they had brought out as the finale.

"I guess….it's the chariot races," Neji pushed himself up and leaned back against the couch. "Three teams, one 'chariot', one 'rider' in each. It's a race. One lap around the house, starting from the front doorway. The winning team gets first dibs on who they want for the night."

This seemed to spark the interest of everyone, and would have succeeded in making Sasuke feel anxious, except he was so pleasantly tipsy that the game sounded like fun.

"I call Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, raising his hand. "Since he hasn't played these games with us before. I don't want you Neanderthals to break him."

Sasuke smirked. "Okay, but I get to ride you."

Naruto blinked while everyone else seemed amused. "You should get drunk more often," he recommended.

"If it means I get to ride you," Sasuke suggested, and as he reached for a half full glass of leftover tequila on the coffee table, Naruto tugged him away.

"Alright, the princess here has had enough liquor. Off to the horse races," he declared. Kiba snagged Neji to be his rider, and Dei did the same with Sai, and they all piled by the door, all of the 'chariots' sinking to all fours.

Neji straddled Kiba's lower back and held up a wavering finger. "And you're disqualified if you fall off."

Sai pressed his chest tight to Dei's back and linked his arms around the other man's torso. He looked as though he had every intention of winning. His toga was loose to the point of looking scandalous, and the thought caused Sasuke to look down and examine his own outfit halfheartedly.

Naruto looked up at him, grinning. "What's up? I thought you said you were gonna ride me."

Sasuke's attention drifted to Naruto's low hanging toga, and the fact he was on his hands and knees. Toned muscle and smooth skin erupted from every opening of the fashioned sheet, and Sasuke felt the beginnings of arousal spark, fueled by an on-and-off spell of fever left over from all the tequila he had downed.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's grin had turned to worry, and Sasuke huffed.

"Well, if you're going to beg for it." He ignored the dirtier thoughts of his inebriated mind as he took a seat on his golden-haired stallion. Naruto wriggled a bit beneath him, and Sasuke leaned forward, looking for a good place to hold on.

"Don't fall off, okay?" Naruto instructed. "Hold on tight. And then, when we win, you can choose whoever you want."

Sasuke wondered if he'd have the balls to choose Naruto, or if he'd need another shot first.

"Don't give him false hope," Kiba feigned a whinny from beside them. "You know I'm gonna win."

Neji kicked his heels against Kiba's thighs. "You mean we're going to win."

From the other side of Kiba, Dei was pouting. "What are we? Chopped liver?"

Naruto cracked up. "I'm sure you guys will win one day."

"I heard that," Sai spoke, his voice muffled against Dei's back.

"Alright!" Neji sounded, and Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck, and buried his forehead against Naruto's upper back.

"Go!"

It was a chorus of chaos and scrambling and fake horse sounds, and also grunting and groaning and, 'Go that way!'s.

Sasuke clung tight to Naruto as he scrambled forward, and in a distant part of Sasuke's mind he thought, I can't believe I'm doing this. At what other point in your life did you find yourself metaphorically riding your best friend around a house, half drunk, half expecting good sex as a prize?

"Hold on!" Naruto scrambled to whip around a corner, and Sasuke peered out at their competition. The hallways were fairly wide, but the kitchen wouldn't be, and in seconds, they were going to be sliding across tiles, fighting to be the first ones through.

"We won't make it," Sasuke thought out loud.

Kiba and Dei met at an impasse, both trying to squeeze past each other around the island. Naruto halted and sat back a little, and twisted his arms underneath Sasuke's thighs.

"Hold on," he laughed, and he stood up. "No one ever said anything about not being able to stand," he tiptoed over the other two teams and skipped around the remainder of the island, falling back onto all fours when there was carpet to brace his fall.

"Ugh, my knees," he groaned, and Sasuke smirked.

"That was clever."

"I try," Naruto was still grimacing as he edged forward, and from behind them, Kiba yelled, "You're a cheating whore!"

Sasuke laughed, and the sound caught Naruto completely off guard, because he jolted to a stop, thinking Sasuke was hurt. The sudden halt caused Sasuke to lose his balance, and as he slid to the side, he scrambled to wrap his arms around Naruto, to keep hold of him. He managed to clasp his arms around Naruto's neck as he fell, hanging beneath Naruto, his thighs clinging tight to Naruto's hips.

Naruto cursed.

"Why did you stop?" Sasuke fretted.

"You made a noise—"

"Yeah, it was me laughing at you—"

"You don't even know how to laugh—"

"See ya, suckers!" Kiba galloped by and Dei raged behind him, and Sai stuck out his tongue. "Cheaters never win!"

Whether it was a sudden rush of booze that impaired his judgment, or if he genuinely thought the moment was incredibly hilarious, Sasuke broke out into a fit of laughter. He was shaking so much that he let go of Naruto and fell to the floor beneath him, pulling his arm over his eyes as he struggled to get rid of the humor bug that was making him laugh hysterically. Because Naruto was right; there were few days where he genuinely just smiled.

"Are you okay?" Naruto was hovering over him, hands flat against the carpet on either side of Sasuke's head.

Between a couple of laughs, Sasuke nodded.

"Are you crying?"

Sasuke moved his arm away from his eyes and his chuckling faded to an amused confusion. "What? No! I'm laughing! This is what I look like when I laugh."

Naruto looked relieved, and then he burst out laughing himself. "Oh man, the look on your face…"

"On my face?" Sasuke chuckled. "You were the one that cheated. Hahaha!"

Naruto leaned down closer to him, still chuckling. "I swear, I've never seen you laugh this hard before."

"It's because I'm drunk and riding you around some stranger's house," Sasuke explained as he took a few calming breaths. "I think I'm going crazy."

"Or maybe you're just loosening up?"

Naruto's words came with an unexpected effect; suddenly Sasuke was very aware of himself. When he had fallen to the floor, his legs had unhooked themselves from Naruto's hips and were now spread, held apart by Naruto's thighs. He moved his leg slightly, feeling Naruto's warm muscles move against his own, and he looked up suddenly, causing their eyes to meet.

Naruto's gaze lingered. The humor that had been there had faded, and now, there was something else. They were alone, and Sasuke's toga was riding up enough to reveal a bit too much for comfort, from his thighs to his black briefs, to the pale flesh of his lower abdomen.

Naruto glanced downwards, but Sasuke couldn't see his expression as he took in the sight. When Naruto's eyes came back to meet his own, all of the vivid blue had changed to cobalt, and Sasuke was finding it hard to simply breathe.

"Hey, you guys have already lost, so…oh," Kiba had turned the corner to retrieve them, bottle of vodka in hand, but stopped short at the sight.

Sasuke's head turned to view him, and he realized that he suddenly felt completely sober. Kiba's eyes only lingered on him momentarily before drifting up to meet Naruto's, but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to turn his attention back. He felt like his heart was going to pound straight out of his chest.

Naruto was moving off him in an instant, and Sasuke realized that the moment had disappeared.

"We lost?" Naruto was asking, although the answer was obvious. He turned to help Sasuke up, extending his hand, his eyes glittering and bright, back to normal.

"Yeah, and you deserved to lose," Kiba shook a finger in reprimand. "And, just as promised, I won. So if you have any last requests…" Kiba glanced to Sasuke and then back to Naruto, and Sasuke felt awkward at the implication, mostly because his mind briefly wondered if Naruto would take him up on the offer.

"Nope. Choose who you want, dude. You won."

Sasuke adjusted his toga, and Kiba shrugged. "Alrighty then. Sasuke, it's you and me."

Sasuke felt his eyes widen as his attention whipped up. Kiba was leaning back against the doorframe of the room with an obvious appeal that any normal person would have to be stupid not to recognize. But with Naruto standing next to him, there was clearly no competition.

It was too bad he didn't seem to have a choice.

"Looks like you didn't need a wingman after all," Naruto said, and something inside of Sasuke snapped.

"Yeah, I guess I didn't, did I?"

Kiba glanced between them and Sasuke finally stepped away from Naruto, not bothering to glance back. "Where to?"

"Bedroom?" Kiba asked, and Sasuke nodded shortly, but not before Naruto's fingers curled around his arm. Sasuke looked back at him, and Naruto cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You good?"

Sasuke paused, and then nodded. And then Naruto walked out of the room in search of the others.

"So, you two have been friends a while, right?"

Kiba's voice brought Sasuke's attention back to him, and he slowly nodded. "Yeah, a long time."

"And you've really never…?"

Sasuke frowned as he followed Kiba upstairs. "No."

Kiba twisted on the stairs and held forward the bottle of tequila he had been carrying. "I brought you a present," he joked. "Since you seem to be a fan."

Sasuke took the bottle and drank a swig straight from it, and then handed it back, and Kiba did the same. Sasuke felt it melt into him like fire and he gave Kiba a compromising look.

"You better not be insinuating that I'm skittish again," he scolded. "Because, if you are, I'll have to prove you wrong."

Sasuke imagined what Naruto's expression would be if he had said that to him instead. There would probably be surprise, and then Naruto would play along with the challenge. Kiba, on the other hand, merely smirked, took Sasuke's hand, and led him to what was most likely a guest bedroom.

It was classy, but Sasuke hardly noticed. His thoughts kept skipping between what he was about to do, and the fact Naruto would probably be doing the same thing with someone else in a room nearby. He wasn't even sure why he cared. He'd had sex plenty of times while crushing on his childhood best friend. Thinking about it now made his mood sour, because plain and simple, Naruto had given him up to Kiba.

"Naruto's an idiot," Kiba's lips came down onto Sasuke's before he had an opportunity to protest. They moved expertly, and he moved Sasuke back until his legs met the foot of the bed. He fell backwards, and Kiba followed, crawling over him while their mouths worked against each other. Kiba's hips met his and Sasuke couldn't help but gasp; after all, they weren't wearing much and there was a very obvious arousal probing his own growing one.

Warm hands collided with the fabric on his chest as practiced fingers sought out Sasuke's skin. A tongue traced his jawline, then his ear. When Sasuke felt Kiba's palm press against his erection, he jolted. "Stop."

"What?"

"I'm going to be sick." Sasuke pushed Kiba off of him and rolled off the bed, disappearing into the bathroom connected to the room. He slid the door shut behind him and sank to the floor, his head pounding.

"I can't do it," he said to himself. All he could think of were Naruto's eyes after he'd fallen beneath him, when his laughing fit had been doused with whatever emotion that had turned Naruto's eyes so dusky.

From outside, Kiba knocked lightly. "Are you okay?"

Somehow, hiding in the bathroom and feigning illness was ten times more embarrassing then riding friends horseback-style around a house. He let his head fall back against the door with a thunk, and realized that he really was drunk. He could feel the wooziness beginning to surface again.

"I'm fine," he replied as calmly as he could.

There was no response, except for the sound of feet moving away from the door.

"I'm such an idiot," he told himself.

A few minutes later, he cursed as someone pounded on the door. "Sasuke? Are you okay?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes when he recognized Naruto's voice. "I'm fine."

"Sasuke, open the door. Are you sick?" Naruto sounded genuinely worried, and Sasuke didn't reply. Naruto nagged, "Look, everyone else is doing their own thing. It's just me, so quit being such a fucking girl and open the door. Did Kiba do something to you?"

Sasuke groaned. "Of course not! I'm fine! Go away."

"Sasuke." Naruto's voice was stone cold. "Open the door. Or I'll go tell Kiba the truth."

This time, Sasuke twisted his head around, irritable. He spoke through the door. "The truth about what?"

"That it's your first time with a guy and you're scared shitless."

That was it. Sasuke stood up and yanked the door open, surprised to see Naruto hold his hands up in defense. Sasuke knew he was glaring, but he didn't realize it looked that frightening.

"It's not," Sasuke snapped.

"I won't tell Kiba—"

"It's not my first time with a guy!" Sasuke shouted.

Naruto stopped talking and did a double take. "What?"

Sasuke didn't repeat what he had said. Naruto was at a loss for words, which was so rare it was scary. "But you're straight."

"I've never been straight."

"But you told me you were straight."

"Because you told me that you were!"

Silence stretched between them, filled by various other noises in the house. A clock ticking somewhere in the room, laughter from downstairs, something much naughtier from upstairs. Also air conditioning, and Sasuke could swear his heartbeat sounded like a timpani as he raged.

Naruto stalked over to the bedroom door and closed it. When he turned around, he looked angry, which was the last emotion Sasuke had guessed would come from him.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"I didn't know I had an obligation to," Sasuke snapped back.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Sasuke didn't answer that either, and Naruto's expression softened. He walked back up to Sasuke, and when Sasuke looked away, he moved so that his face was in the direction Sasuke was looking.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Why do you think I'm hiding something from you?"

Naruto snorted. "Because now you have a track record."

Sasuke crossed his arms over him chest and refused to make eye contact.

"I don't care that you're gay, Sasuke," Naruto stated. "I care that it took this," he waved his arm around the room, "for you to tell me."

Sasuke frowned and felt the world tilt. He stepped forward to catch his balance and his palm landed on Naruto's chest as he blinked back some clarity. Naruto's fingers gripped his arm, and while his frustration didn't vanish, worry freckled his words. "Are you okay?"

"I hate you."

Naruto was surprised, and Sasuke shoved him hard in the chest, with enough force that Naruto stumbled against the bed to the point that he was nearly sitting on it.

Sasuke stalked after him and whispered, "I like you, and I hate you."

And then Sasuke kissed him.

Naruto's eyes were wide as Sasuke melted into him, grasping his shoulders, fighting to touch skin, slipping fingers beneath the makeshift toga he had helped create. He was standing between Naruto's legs, pushing forward, teeth scraping against teeth as he tried to take as much as he could, selfish and needy and desperate.

When his pace slowed and Sasuke was forced to take a shaky breath, Naruto nudged him back, putting the tiniest amount of space between them, all while gazing at him with concern.

"Sasuke, you're drunk."

"I finally make a move and that's what you tell me?" Sasuke forced Naruto backwards, until he landed with an oomph against the bedding, and crawled on top of him so that they could look each other in the eye.

"I hate you," he repeated.

Naruto frowned, and seemed to be doing everything he could to keep his eyes glued to Sasuke's, and not the fact that both of their togas had slipped open, allowing skin to brush skin. "No, you don't," he breathed.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, frustrated. "How would you know what I'm feeling?"

"I just do," Naruto remedied, and it took a moment for Sasuke to realize that he was practically straddling Naruto, with evidence quite to the contrary pressed to Naruto's hips. His breath hitched at the realization and he suddenly felt self-conscious. He felt his face go hot and he found something incredibly interesting to stare at on the wall - so long as it meant avoiding Naruto's gaze.

"You don't have to be embarrassed…"

"I'm not!" Sasuke defended, and brought his eyes back to Naruto's. He attempted to shift, but his body was all fire, and he let out a slow breath, one that had Naruto pushing up onto his elbows and kissing the corner of his mouth. It was too much of an invitation, and Sasuke took it, raking his hands through Naruto's hair as he squeezed his thighs tight to Naruto's hips and moaned, causing Naruto to draw back and lick his lips.

"Again," Naruto urged. "Make that sound again."

Sasuke frowned and shook his head. "It doesn't work like th—aah—" He arched his back as Naruto tugged the upper part of his toga to the side and licked and sucked at his now-exposed nipple. Sasuke rocked his hips forward, feeling delicious friction, and sucked in a couple of deep breaths through his nose.

Naruto's hands found his waist, his thumbs dipping beneath the waistline of Sasuke's briefs, and - Sasuke panicked. It could have been the booze, or the fact that it had suddenly hit him, like a train, that he was here, now, about to have sex with the guy he'd fantasized about for years.

And to that guy - to Naruto - it was just for fun. A fling, a game - a toga party with a happy ending.

Bowing down to rest his forehead on Naruto's shoulder, Sasuke took a few deep breaths, his stomach queasy.

"Hey," Naruto's hands withdrew immediately, and sought out his shoulders instead. Touching him lightly, Naruto asked, "You okay?"

"I feel sick," Sasuke admitted, and Naruto was quiet a moment before Sasuke was forced to say, "I drank too much."

Naruto made a sound. "Eh, you're not going to throw up on me, are you?"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke pushed himself up and off of Naruto, damning himself as he did so. He was finally where he wanted to be, and it wasn't what he wanted at all.

"I'll go get you some water," Naruto twisted to get up, but Sasuke grabbed his wrist, fighting the fear that if he let Naruto leave, he wouldn't come back.

He felt ridiculous as he looked Naruto head on and stated, "I'm fine."

And then, suddenly, he wasn't. "Why are you even at a party like this?"

Naruto blinked at him. "What?"

Sasuke stared at him, knowing he'd heard the question.

"Are you seriously asking why I'm here? Like, where there's tequila, and friends, and -"

"Sex, yeah, I get it," Sasuke waved it off, following his train of thought even though he was buzzing. "I mean, aren't you dating anybody?"

It was hard to believe that he wasn't, and Naruto puckered his lips out, as if to think about it.

"Uh, nope, not really. None of these guys are my type, if that's what you're getting at?" Naruto seemed confused, which seemed to incense Sasuke further.

"Well, your type is pretty obvious," he rambled, wondering if he was speaking as articulately as he hoped. "You know, someone you can trust, who's quiet…"

Naruto stared at him, and as Sasuke continued, the air in the room grew heavier between them. Still, Sasuke continued.

"They'd be smart, and they'd, you know, get you, and maybe they'd have dark hair…" Sasuke paused, because Naruto's eyes had widened with realization.

Slowly, he nodded. "You're right…"

Sasuke felt his chest tighten.

"I should totally ask Hinata out."

Sasuke grabbed a pillow and chucked it in Naruto's direction. "Oh my god, how dense can you be?!"

Naruto burst out laughing and barely managed to defend himself. If Sasuke had looked at him, really looked at him, he would have seen the knowing glint in Naruto's eyes.

"Sasuke -" he started, but was interrupted.

"It's me!" Sasuke shouted, and then he pointed at himself, as if saying it wasn't enough. And then he collapsed backwards onto the bed and draped his arms over his face, mumbling, with anger and a touch of resignation, "Me, you idiot."

After a moment, Naruto climbed on top of him, the bed dipping under his weight. He attempted to pry an arm from Sasuke's face, but Sasuke squirmed beneath him and shook his head, too embarrassed and outraged to look out at the world.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto articulated, his tone cautious. "Do you really like me?" His breath ghosted the skin of Sasuke's arm, sending chills down his spine.

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Hey," Naruto poked him, "look at me."

Shaking his head no, Sasuke welcomed a long whine from his friend.

"Sasukeeee." Naruto shook him and he didn't move.

"Sasukeeeeeeeee," Naruto crooned again, and then he was shifting, and Sasuke froze, knowing exactly what was coming.

Naruto's fingers found his waist in an effort to prove Sasuke's ticklishness, and Sasuke shot up, his hands flying out to find Naruto's and stop him before he did any damage.

"Don't you dare," Sasuke warned him, but he stopped short of saying anything else, because the look in Naruto's eyes was so intense.

"Do you really like me, or is that the tequila talking?"

Sasuke stared at him, suddenly terrified into sobriety. He'd never really planned on telling Naruto. Keeping his feelings a secret had become second nature, a habit.

His silence seemed to speak for itself, and Naruto sat back, thoughtful.

"Really?" he asked. "But I'm…I'm me. I eat cup ramen and wear obnoxious orange shirts, and I'm…I'm impatient and I kind of suck at the academics thing, and I…I guess I should tell you that I was the one that prank-called Pizza Hut last year and ordered those ten pizzas to your brother's condo. But it's your fault! You left your address book at my place!"

Sasuke stared at him. And then glowered. "I knew it was you! Do you know how much trouble I got into?"

Naruto held up his hands in defense. "I didn't think they'd blame you!"

"Ugh," Sasuke plucked up another pillow and swung it at Naruto, though Naruto caught it easily and wrestled it easily from his grasp. And then they were looking at each other again.

"You like me," Naruto said, as if still awed by the admission.

Sasuke deadpanned. "Is it that big of a surprise?"

"Can I kiss you again?"

That caught Sasuke off guard. He scowled to hide his surprise. "What, you're asking permission now?"

"You're drunk," Naruto pointed out. "I don't take advantage, contrary to whatever you seem to believe."

Sasuke didn't care about what Naruto thought he did and didn't believe about his promiscuity - so he leaned onto the pillow between them and said, "Yeah, you can kiss me."

Naruto leaned forward and their lips met with more purpose this time - their kiss was less frenzied, more languorous. Sasuke was drawn to Naruto's rhythm, chasing his lips whenever they threatened to pull away, stammering through needy breaths as they occasionally broke for air, only to be drawn back together, at least until Naruto cupped Sasuke's chin and drew them apart.

Blue eyes closed, lips parted just enough to return ragged breathing to normal, Naruto murmured, "Wow."

Sasuke didn't want to admit that for him, it felt like that, times one billion. His heart was a mess, stumbling over itself as he waited for Naruto to say something else. Anything.

"I really wish you weren't drunk," Naruto finally looked at him, his darkened gaze sincere. And then he frowned. "You'd better remember this in the morning."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke allowed himself to flop backwards onto the bed, stunned when a sudden wave of exhaustion hit. He attempted to ignore it, and countered with, "If I forget, will you help me remember?"

Naruto laughed and slid from the bed, which had Sasuke seeking him out, following his movements to the doorway.

"Where are you going?"

The lights flipped out, as if to answer his question, and then Naruto padded back, and crawled into the bed next to Sasuke.

"Lights always make my hangovers worse."

Sasuke could hear the undertone of, I told you that you shouldn't have had so much to drink.

"For your information," Sasuke said sleepily, "I do drink."

"Okay," Naruto mused, and Sasuke tested a glare on him.

"I do. I drink wine. Every Christmas."

Naruto's cheeks puffed, as if he was stifling a laugh. Sasuke didn't even have the energy to smack him.

"I hate you," he said.

"Do you really?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke was falling asleep, and so all he could do was murmur. "No…"

"Good," Naruto whispered, "because I don't hate you either."

"Mm," Sasuke murmured.