It was rushed; tangled limbs and kisses with too much teeth. It was sharp hip bones, sweat-slick skin and desperate hands.

It was a melody of the sounds they made together—the frantic breathing, skin on skin, and the rustle of sheets. The sighs and moans he swallowed from those kiss-swollen lips.

Their rhythm was too fast to last long, and they raced together to finish.

XXX

Sasuke woke up to a dizzying heat and a pounding headache. The sheets were tangled around him, and he was suffocating.

His eyelids were heavy, and a dull, disorienting throb had settled behind his eyes, sending waves of nausea into the pit of his stomach.

He forced his eyes open slowly, his vision swimming.

Too bright. Everything was too bright–

He had left the curtains open last night.

The curtains…

His gaze drifted over to the windows. Another, more violent throb hit his temples.

The curtains looked different; a familiar solemn shade of blue, but with small leaf-like patterns in them.

Disoriented, Sasuke turned his gaze towards the wall, taking in the wallpaper.

It wasn't the deep shade of beige from his hotel room. Instead, there were patterns there, too—distantly familiar; uninspiring and dull.

He had seen the wallpaper before.

But the room... It was not his.

The dread settled in deeper, the nausea coiling in his stomach.

Sasuke could remember the dinner—or at least some of it; the steak he ate, the wine, the business talk, and how the whiskey had tasted on his tongue.

He remembered lips against his, and his pale hands against tanned skin, and–

No, that was not it. That hadn't happened.

—Fragments of a dream, surely.

The bounding in his head grew worse and Sasuke closed his eyes.

It wasn't the first time he'd had a dream like that, but this one was almost tangible. There were hazy details he couldn't really grasp anymore while fully awake, but he remembered the curve of a tanned back and the press of his fingers against narrow hips.

Sasuke struggled to a more upright position, drenched in cold sweat. He leaned his elbows to his knees, hissing quietly. The world swayed like he was back on the scenic cruise.

Then something—someone—next to him moved, and Sasuke opened his eyes.

He glanced over, the cold wave of panic hitting him.

There, tangled in the same sheets as him, was Naruto—his blond hair ruffled against the pillow, eyes peacefully closed, and too much tanned skin on display.

Sasuke tried to move away, but his head pounded in protest and the room kept spinning. He swallowed around the panic crawling in his throat.

Naruto rolled onto his back with a quiet whimper, his eyelids stirring, and Sasuke sat there frozen, holding his breath for a long moment.

The seconds ticked away while Sasuke waited, but Naruto did not wake up. Still, it was just a matter of time—and Sasuke panicked.

He had to get out of there. He had to get up, gather his clothes from the floor, get dressed—and then, silently, slip out the door.

Sasuke freed one leg from the tangled sheets, careful not to jostle the bed. The mattress, however, dipped slightly when he leaned his weight to the side, and Naruto stirred again.

Sasuke watched in silent horror as Naruto opened his eyes, slowly but surely. The room was bright with the morning sun, and it took a few seconds for Naruto's eyes to focus on him.

Confusion flickered in Naruto's gaze, and Sasuke could do nothing but stare back helplessly.

Naruto pieced it all together quickly, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh shit", Naruto said, his voice hoarse.

Sasuke stayed silent, his hangover momentarily overshadowed by shame.

"You", Naruto breathed. He sat up properly, wincing a bit. "What the fuck happened?"

Sasuke wished he had a proper answer, or even something half-coherent to say; anything to fill the silence. "I–", he tried, but the words caught in his throat.

There was nothing he could say to make the situation less awkward for them.

Naruto stared at him intently. "You're naked", he stated. Then, an apparent realization hit him. "I'm…naked. Why am I naked?"

Naruto's observation was admittedly accurate. They were both very naked. Sasuke swallowed dryly. "I, uh...", he tried again, but there was nothing he could have said without making things worse. He was certain his throat was going to close up.

"We…", Naruto croaked, "did we, uh… We didn't, right?" He stopped and swallowed. "I mean of course we didn't, but I'm naked and you are…"

Apparently, Naruto's memories were as scattered as Sasuke's. Their nakedness, however, was as good a clue as any. Sasuke could only try to fit the fragments of his memories together piece by piece, but that was all he had—mere speculations.

"I never blackout", Naruto said, his voice tentative.

"Hn", Sasuke said, trying to at least acknowledge Naruto's words.

It was silent for a long while after that.

Naruto's skin was marred with purple bitemarks on his shoulders and neck, and Sasuke turned his gaze away. It was too much to take in.

Generally, Sasuke wasn't the kind of person to go overboard and leave marks. It was unlike him to lose control—no matter how much alcohol was involved. But the evidence was there, etched onto Naruto's skin and–

"Did we really sleep together?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence.

"It would seem so", Sasuke said, meeting Naruto's gaze. This wasn't the kind of thing he could avoid by looking elsewhere.

Naruto stared back at him, his eyes uncertain. "I don't remember", he said, "like, at all. I remember the dining room and the parlour, but–"

Sasuke averted his gaze.

"You", Naruto said, shocked. "You kissed me."

"Yes", Sasuke nodded, because it was hard to deny that. "You kissed me first, though", he added, as if it would have mattered.

Naruto laughed, the sound sharp with a nervous edge. "I kissed you?"

Sasuke lifted his gaze back up to Naruto. "You did", he said, although he knew it didn't make a difference. It didn't matter who had initiated it. They had both been too drunk, and the whole scenario left a sour taste in Sasuke's mouth.

"What else do you remember?" Naruto asked, his cheeks red.

"Not a lot", Sasuke admitted. "Just bits and pieces, really."

Naruto nodded, straightening his posture. He winced, suddenly, and a flustered expression settled on his face. "Oh my god", he said. His throat bobbed when he swallowed.

Sasuke stared back at him, alarmed. "What–"

"I can't believe this", Naruto breathed. The blush had reached the tips of his ears. "You…you fucked me, didn't you?"

"I", Sasuke stammered, his brain short-circuiting at the crude expression, "I don't… I don't remember, I–"

"We're both naked and my ass is definitely sore", Naruto said, the disbelief clear in his voice. "You do the math."

Sasuke felt heat crawl up his neck, his stomach twisting with guilt. It was hard believe that he would ever be so reckless and inconsiderate, but–

They had been so drunk, and Naruto had kissed him–

Sasuke screwed his eyes shut.

Naruto had been drunk enough to kiss him. And Sasuke had taken advantage of that.

Sasuke's memories—as scattered and flickering as they were—did support Naruto's earlier assessment of the situation. Still, there were too many gaps, and it was terrifying to not remember. Had they used protection? Had he pressured Naruto to–

"I can't believe this." Naruto said again. His voice was a bit strangled, but he forced out a laugh. "We had sex and I don't even remember it."

Sasuke pressed the palms of his hands on his face. "I'm sorry", he said. Too little, a bit too late.

"I, uh… That's–", Naruto tried, but the words died on his lips, and the silence swallowed the room.

Sasuke's head was still spinning, the hangover hitting him with a new wave of nausea. The silence hung over them, heavy and cold, until Naruto cleared his throat. "I'm… I'm going to take a shower."

"Sure", Sasuke answered, turning away so his back was now facing Naruto. He wanted to give Naruto a little privacy to detangle himself from the sheets with some dignity.

In an attempt to find something else to think about, Sasuke glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. His stomach dropped.

"Fuck", Sasuke croaked.

"What?"

Sasuke jumped out of the bed, almost falling to the floor in his hurry. "It's ten past eleven."

"What does that–?"

"The time! We're late. The contract with Mr. Igleheart–"

"Oh shit", Naruto said.

Sasuke tried to gather his clothes from the floor, ignoring his current state of nakedness. His head was throbbing with every move, and he couldn't find his trousers. He was starting to freak out. "This", he snapped, "is entirely your fault."

"What? How can you even–!"

"Did it even cross your mind to set an alarm?"

"What are you–" Naruto sounded exasperated. "How about your alarm?"

"I had ordered a wake-up call to my room", Sasuke snarled, finally locating his trousers on the other side of the room. "Too bad I wasn't there to hear it."

"How is that my fault? Wasn't it you who–"

"You told me to relax", Sasuke argued, illogical and childish.

"I didn't tell you to get drunk and have sex with someone!" Naruto voice was growing louder. He sighed, in an apparent effort to try and calm down. "Listen, I–"

Sasuke shook his head, struggling to get dressed. He shimmied his trousers on, sparing a hesitant glance towards Naruto. "What?"

Naruto looked lost, standing there in the bright morning sun. He had covered himself up with a blanket. His eyes were dark and he was worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. "Look", he said, carefully, "this wasn't exactly my plan either, but…"

Sasuke stared, remorse setting in again. Something ached in his chest, the cavity of his ribcage oddly hollow. "I know", he finally said.

Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to another. "We should probably talk about–"

"There's no time", Sasuke said, shaking his head again. "Go take a shower. I'll handle Igleheart."

"But–"

"There's no time", Sasuke repeated, gathering the rest of his garments from the floor. Then he paused for a moment, the ache in his chest getting harder to ignore. He almost glanced back at Naruto, but instead he took a deep, steadying breath, and hurried to the door.

"I'm sorry", he said once more, before stepping out into the hallway.

XXX

Sasuke finished getting dressed in the hallway, ignoring the scandalized look an innocent passer-by gave him. He tied his shoelaces haphazardly and tried to straighten the suit the best he could—not that it made any difference; the suit still looked utterly crumpled.

He had no time to wait for the elevator, and he was forced to rush down the stairs—the countless steps that were created just to make him suffer. His head pounded with every step, and his heartrate was picking up, struggling to keep up with him. Cold sweat was running down his forehead and Sasuke worried that he would throw up. He would have given his whole fortune for some Aspirin.

Still, Sasuke reached the lobby in what must have been a record time. He was disoriented and out of breath, and positively surprised that he hadn't managed to fall down the stairs and break his neck—a small victory amidst all the chaos, but it did nothing to brighten his mood.

The lobby was almost empty. The lunch rush hadn't started yet, and other guests had either checked out or were still enjoying various leisure activities on the grounds. Sasuke's gaze searched the lobby, trying to locate the familiar face of Mr. Igleheart or Kakashi, but they were nowhere to be found. Three middle-aged women seated on the couch spared him a disapproving glance instead.

Sasuke suppressed the urge to glare at the women. He straightened his jacket and walked up to the front desk. His head was still spinning and the dehydration made his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He hadn't had any time to look in the mirror, but he was certain that he looked like a mess.

The receptionist looked up from the computer and smiled brightly. "Good day, sir. How may I help you?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, still a bit out of breath from running down several flights of stairs. He tried to offer a, what he hoped to be, polite smile. "I had a meeting scheduled for earlier with Mr. Igleheart", he said. "I don't know if, uh…"

"Oh", the receptionist smiled shortly. "I'm afraid he has already checked out."

"I see", Sasuke said, his throat tight.

"He asked me to give you this", the receptionist said, handing a small envelope over to Sasuke. "Here you go, sir. The checkout is at 12:00pm. If you wish to extend your stay…"

"There's no need for that", Sasuke said. "Thank you."

"We hope you enjoyed your stay", the receptionist wished.

Sasuke nodded curtly and walked away, staggering towards the closest vacant armchair.

There was one piece of paper inside the envelope. The paper was folded in half, and had only two lines written on it. The handwriting was messy, the letters wonky.

I got tired of waiting and have other places to be.

- A. Igleheart

Sasuke stared at the letter, dumbfounded.

Mr. Igleheart had left without signing the contract.

The deal was off.

It would have been very satisfying to tear the letter into pieces right then and there; to throw the pieces into a trashcan and light the whole thing on fire. Instead, Sasuke folded the paper neatly, placing the letter in his pocket—mechanical, numb. He leaned back in his seat, still drenched in cold sweat from the hangover, disappointment and frustration setting in.

He had truly, royally, fucked up.

A momentarily lapse in judgement, and because of that they had lost the deal.

Sasuke leaned his head in his hands, the magnitude of it all beginning to dawn on him. He had singlehandedly butchered the deal.

Well, not singlehandedly, but together with Naruto. And to make the matters worse, they had slept together.

Sasuke raked his finger through his hair, his hands shaking. The damage to his career would surely be irreversible. First of all, losing a prolific deal with an investor was a sure way to get fired. Second of all, his reputation would pretty much be ruined if the word got out that he had gotten shit-faced and ended up sleeping with a co-worker—and that wasn't even the worst of it.

He had taken advantage of Naruto.

There was no way around it. Naruto had been drunk—too drunk to be making rational decisions, and certainly drunk enough to kiss him. And instead of stopping him, Sasuke had pressed for more.

Sasuke wondered if it would have been possible to avoid all this, if he had been more in touch with his feelings from the start. In hindsight it was clear that he should have known better; he should have realized that the situation was getting out of hand. He should have sorted out his feelings sooner. He should have been more mindful about keeping his distance.

Sasuke took a deep breath, desperate to clear his head. He had been avoiding his feelings; fighting them, ignoring the signs—until it all had boiled down to this.

He had lost all reason the moment Naruto's lips had touched his. It wasn't an excuse, but it was a fact—the kiss had caught him by surprise, and in his drunken state he could do nothing but react. Because he had wanted it—had been craving it. For a long time, he supposed.

But he should have stopped. He should have known better.

This, Sasuke thought, should have never happened.

With yet another sigh Sasuke stood up, straightening his suit jacket, wiping non-existent dust off his lapels. His legs were still a bit numb—whether from the hangover and all the running or just from the emotional stress, he couldn't really tell. Nevertheless, he couldn't just loiter in the lobby. He should go pack his bags and get ready to head home.

Sasuke walked up the stairs slowly, each step heavy with shame, disappointment and frustration. His head was still pounding, and he wished that he would throw up; maybe it would sober him up enough so that he could come up with a solution to this mess.

Sasuke had to walk past Naruto's room, and for a moment he wondered if he should have knocked. It would have been fair to tell him about the letter face to face, but the mere idea of seeing him now was too much. What could Sasuke possibly say to make things better? Wouldn't talking about it right now just make everything worse? Naruto was probably still in the shower anyway, and it wouldn't be wise to disturb him.

With that Sasuke more or less tiptoed back to his own room. He slumped onto the bed, not bothering to take off his jacket. The suit was completely wrinkled anyway, there was no need to be careful with it now. In any case, he would have to start packing soon if he didn't want to miss the check-out.

Sasuke patted down his jacket, and found his phone in the breast pocket; a small miracle, since he couldn't remember when he'd last had it.

He had ten new WhatsApp messages in his family's group chat—his mother asking when Sasuke could come visit, and, surprisingly, Sasuke's older brother answering instead and announcing that he would be coming home after a two-year work commission in China. The announcement was followed by his parents fussing over his brother. Sasuke didn't have any energy left to participate in the conversation right now, but he made a mental note to call his brother later.

Sasuke opened the chat with Naruto. Neither of them had ever been all that active in initiating a conversation, and the chat was mostly dead. They had shared some work-related reminders, but there was rarely any real conversation between the two of them. There were a couple of viral videos Naruto had sent to him, but all in all it was an impersonal and matter-of-fact way to communicate—and it would have to do now.

With a deep sigh Sasuke typed out a quick message to Naruto, stating bluntly that Mr. Igleheart had already left and the deal was off.

After some consideration, Sasuke felt it was appropriate to also remind Naruto that the check-out was in twenty minutes. Missing the check-out would result in extra charges, and they didn't need any additional reasons to anger their boss further.

After typing out the message Sasuke stared blankly at his phone for a moment, his thoughts a blur. He felt like he should have said something more; to address the bigger issue, or perhaps just to apologize one more time. That, however, was no longer an option; he saw that Naruto was already typing a reply. And Sasuke panicked—

And he blocked Naruto's number.

It was a cowardly thing to do, and certainly unfair, but Sasuke couldn't handle the thought of having to have that conversation right now—and especially via WhatsApp. It would be more civilized to talk face to face, but first he should decide what he was going to say, and how he was going to say it.

The nausea was back and Sasuke was sure that he would throw up soon. The hangover was certainly getting worse. He should get something to drink—and to eat. But first he needed to contact their boss.

Sasuke sent a short text message to Mr. Sowenger, telling him what had happened, but leaving out all the gruesome details about getting drunk and sleeping with Naruto.

Briefly, Sasuke considered also blocking Mr. Sowenger's number, but that would have been going a bit too far. Instead, he set his phone on silent. He would handle the situation later—when he wasn't feeling so fragile.

For the first time ever, Sasuke truly, deeply, dreaded going back to work.