Warning 17+ only: Yaoi (Boy x Boy) - Homophobic readers please hit the back button NOW. Not appropriate for young readers.

Disclaimer - Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Sasuke would dispute that claim. Either way I make no money on this.

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed... I was so surprised, and it made me want to post the next chapter faster (this is one of the last ones I had written up in advance, except for two that come much later in the story). Special thanks for BriEva for her many encouraging PMs that dragged me out from under my pillow where I was hyperventilating about the fact that I haven't thought this story all the way through. I have issues. Anyway, we all remember the ground rules of this story right? Thin plot, fun messing with Naruto and Sasuke who are young and foolish, making them do stupid things until they figure themselves out and have hot monkey sex with each other? Good. Now I'm going to go get Naruto drunk. That will end up happening a lot. Sorry. Part of the 'plot'.

ALSO, I want to remind my younger readers (who should totally not be reading this, by the way) that over-indulging in alcohol and drugs is not a good idea. You can seriously wind up naked in bed with Orochimaru. Eeeewww.

-xXx-

Naruto walked into his suite and set his backpack down on the kitchen floor. Chouji was the only one in the living room, and he looked up with surprise to see the blond.

"Hey, long time no see, Naruto! I was beginning to wonder if you moved out. You haven't been here in almost a week. Did you get a girlfriend or something?" Chouji was setting up an Xbox 360, reading the instructions while plugging in a set of colored cables to their TV.

"Nah... I was just hanging out at my friend's dorm... its closer to all my classes. And doesn't have as much night traffic, so I can actually study and sleep."

Chouji laughed. "You should come back. It's been quiet here since you've been gone."

Naruto was about to ask if it was quiet because Chouji thought Naruto was noisy, or if he meant Sasuke no longer banging a chick a night. But just then, Sasuke walked out of the bedroom and headed into the kitchen, barely sparing a glance at Naruto. So Naruto decided to drop the topic and just shrugged.

"I just need to do laundry. But I'll help you set that up if you want. Do you have a Live account?"

"Yeah, my mom got it for me. She wants me to try to distract myself from snacking all the time. I gained almost fifteen pounds so far this semester. You play?"

Naruto looked at the games that had come with it. "Yeah. Used to play a lot. Nothing like the gratuitous violence of first-person shooter games to make you forget about food."

Naruto hadn't played since he and Sasuke had stopped hanging out. He didn't have enough money for the console, and somehow it had seemed... not as fun to play at his other friends' houses. It had always been one of his and Sasuke's 'things'. But that had been a long time ago. Naruto shot a glace over his shoulder towards his roommate. Maybe Sasuke would play, too.

"Hey, Sasuke. Chouji has four controllers... wanna play?"

Sasuke hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm just taking a quick study break."

Naruto turned back to setting up the game so Sasuke wouldn't see the flash of disappointment in his eyes. "Whatever."

Naruto sat down next to Chouji as they selected their characters and weapons. "Have you played before?"

Chouji nodded, "Yeah, with my friends back home. But it's been a while."

Naruto laughed. "No excuses! Let's join a game and kick some ass."

They heard a derisive snort from the kitchen.

"Fuck off, Sasuke. Just because you've shoved that stick up your ass so far you can't even play anymore doesn't mean the rest of us can't still have fun."

Naruto didn't need to look back to feel the death glare directed at him, but he had become immune long ago so he just continued to play. Chouji was a pretty conservative player, especially compared to Sasuke, but Naruto tried to stop comparing and just have fun.

"I'm going to go check out that building. I bet its crawling with bad guys. You coming, Chouji?"

Chouji looked a little hesitant. "Well, you can't see what's inside from here. Maybe we should try something else."

"What's the fun in that? I'm going in. Get in position and cover me!"

"Are you crazy? You're just going to get killed... Naruto what are you -"

"Get 'em, Chouji! Here they come! Shoot the bastards!"

Naruto and Chouji frantically pressed the buttons on the control pads in their attempt to wipe out the enemy group that Naruto's character had charged then somehow led into a narrow alley.

"How did you not die?" Chouji was still staring at the screen as Naruto's character went through the bodies and looked for better weapons and ammo.

"It's a gift," Naruto grinned.

"Pfft," Sasuke snorted from behind the sofa, where he was standing drinking his tea and watching them play.

"Why didn't you cover me, man? We could have taken them all out. More than half of them got away. Now we have to find them again."

"I didn't know you were going to be completely insane and just charge into the bunker. Who does that?" Chouji's stomach growled. "Man, I need a snack. Hey, Sasuke, can you take over for me for a few minutes?"

Sasuke stiffened, clearly wanting to say no, but then took the controller from Chouji's hand. "Hn." He walked and sat at the far edge of the couch, as far away from Naruto as possible.

It turned out that Chouji's idea of a snack was cooking a full meal, but Sasuke and Naruto had completely immersed themselves in the game, sliding back into the old familiarity of their past friendship, and didn't notice the time passing.

"Sasuke, you bitch, I was going to take that rifle!"

"Too slow, Usuratonkachi."

"Whatever. Just don't miss with it. Snipers at 3 o'clock."

"Hn."

"Shit, there's a nest of them. Here I go!"

Chouji watched in fascinated amazement as his two roommates, who seemed to never actually talk to each other, engaged in almost telepathic teamwork during the game, with Naruto charging in and flushing out the enemy, and Sasuke methodically taking them out as they chased after Naruto's character.

"You two are amazing. Naruto, you're a complete lunatic, and Sasuke, you're a complete sadist. But as a team you guys rock," Chouji said between mouthfuls of food.

Naruto cackled, and Sasuke's lips quirked.

"I'm sliding in!" Naruto yelled, his character running full speed then rolling under a low fence and into another patch of enemy. Fully immersed in the game, Naruto lay down as his character did, holding his controller like his weapon, and his head ended up in Sasuke's lap.

"Shit, here they come! Get your ass over here and help me, bastard! Faster, Sasuke! I'm not going to be able to hold out much more. Faster, faster! Sasuke! Shit!"

Naruto felt the muscles in Sasuke's thighs tense beneath his cheek, and realized suddenly the way the words he was shouting sounded... a little similar to what he heard coming through the door of their bedroom sometimes. He started to think about the proximity of his face to Sasuke's... 'lap', and felt a coil of heat in his stomach that was not embarrassment, but would lead to it quite quickly if he didn't get his face out of its current location. He realized he could smell the familiar scent of Sasuke... his body wash and the subtle scent that was just Sasuke.

Naruto sat up abruptly. "Ummm..."

His phone chose that minute to save his soul and go off. "Hey, Chouji - quit stuffing your face and take over for me. I have to take this."

He threw the controller at his suitemate and launched himself off the couch to his room. He noticed the uncomfortable flush on Sasuke's face as he left. Shit. He totally knows what I was thinking. Fuck, fuck, fuck. We finally were having a normal kind of interaction and I had to blow it by almost getting a fucking hard-on.

Naruto finished his laundry without further interaction with his roommates, then headed back over to Sora's. They had a writing assignment to work on. Plus it didn't help that Sasuke had retreated back to icy silence after what had happened, clearly uncomfortable with the physical contact that Naruto had accidentally initiated. Naruto finally had to admit it to himself. Sasuke knew that Naruto was attracted to him, and it made Sasuke uncomfortable. It was the reason why he had pulled back from their friendship.

Naruto had been sort of hoping that Sasuke had just been mad about the kiss and suddenly, belatedly hit puberty when it came to girls. But the reaction on the couch had been really clear. Sasuke had been uncomfortable and embarrassed, and then had avoided him. The chance of them being able to be friends again looked slim, unless Naruto could somehow just get over his attraction to Sasuke. Maybe I just need to get him out of my system somehow. He decided that now was as good a time as any to test the waters with Sora, and see which way he swung.

. . . . .

"It totally sucks," Naruto was telling Sora. "We used to be best friends. For like six years. I was always over at his house, or he was at mine. We knew everything about each other. And I started getting interested in girls, but he didn't seem to be, so I thought maybe he just... didn't like girls. So I kissed him, just... so he could see what it was like to kiss a guy-"

"Wait, wait. You thought that your roommate, this Sasuke guy that is getting laid by any hot girl that comes within fifty meters of him, was GAY?"

"Look, it didn't used to be like that. I mean, the girls were always after him. He's... really good looking and rich and all that. But he never used to be interested at all. So I thought that I'd, you know, let him experiment. Because we were best friends, and who cares about whether someone likes girls or guys. If you're friends, it shouldn't matter, right?"

Naruto watched Sora's reaction to the question carefully. The guy just nodded, seemingly in complete agreement. There was no disgust or judgment in his expression. Naruto relaxed fractionally. "So I kissed him. But... it wasn't like I thought it would be. I really..."

"You liked it."

"I liked it a lot. And the worst part is, I guess he noticed. And ever since then, he has been really uncomfortable being alone with me, and we just... stopped hanging out."

"And he started getting with girls."

"Pretty much. I guess it had opposite effects on us. It made me realize I liked guys, and it made him realize he liked girls."

Sora looked at Naruto, thoughtfully. "So, are you gay, or you still like girls, too?"

"I still like girls. I guess... I like both."

Sora smiled slowly. "That's very interesting."

-xXx-

He couldn't decide if he was lucky or unlucky. All of his midterms had fallen on the first two days of exam week. So the past five days had been absolute hell. He had never been so stressed and exhausted in his life. And right now, he was seriously pissed off. It was the night before his first midterm, which was scheduled for seven in the fucking morning. Sora's roommate had moved back into their room for midterms, since both he and his girlfriend had to get studying done, so that meant Naruto had to move back to his.

Naruto had told Sasuke, had explained that of all nights, he needed to be able to get some decent sleep tonight. He had said that if Sasuke absolutely had to hook up tonight, he needed to do it somewhere else. But there they were, with the door locked.

"Ooooohhhh, Sasuke.." bang, bang, bang... Naruto could hear that damn headboard hitting the wall AGAIN. "Baby, yes, yes... faster, Sasuke mmmmmm..."

Naruto was beyond pissed. And he didn't care if he embarrassed the hell out of Sasuke or the girl he was with. He stalked up to the door and banged on it. "Sasuke... Sasuke you bastard, do you hear me? Sasuke!"

Naruto heard a low groan. He realized with a bit of a start that it was actually the first time he had heard Sasuke making any of the noises during all the 'episodes' he'd been forced to listen to. "Oi, Sasuke! Sasuke hurry up and finish and let me get to sleep. Sasuke! I told you I needed to get to sleep tonight, you fucking prick."

Naruto heard a muffled female voice, then Sasuke's voice groaning, "Ungh, Naruto!" He heard another groan from Sasuke, then, "Naruto... we'll be... out in a minute."

Naruto felt his face blush. The first time Sasuke had shouted his name, it had sounded like Sasuke was... cumming. Naruto decided he'd take his shower while they were 'finishing up'. He really didn't want to know.

. . .

Monday and Tuesday passed in a haze of stress, but then he was DONE. He slept through the entire Wednesday while his roommates were frantically studying for their remaining tests, and was fully recovered and completely free by Thursday. Which was his birthday.

October 10th. Every year, since they had met, he and Sasuke had celebrated their birthdays together. Both having no parents to celebrate it with, it had been a big deal. Even more for Naruto, who didn't have a brother like Sasuke did. Sasuke was his family. Had been.

But for Sasuke's birthday this past June, the ritual had been broken.

Naruto had shown up the morning of Sasuke's birthday to spend the day with his friend and Itachi, despite all the awkwardness. I mean, they were still family, right? You don't bail on your best friend's birthday, even if you are not getting along perfectly. But thirty minutes later, Sakura had shown up as well. And all Sasuke's attention had been on her. Naruto stayed for an hour, then left. It was clear he wasn't needed anymore. Sasuke had formed new attachments now, and rather than just adding to his existing bonds, Sasuke had evidently chosen to break the old ones and replace them. Itachi caught up with Naruto in the driveway.

"Naruto - don't leave. He really wants you here. He was worried you weren't going to come."

Naruto laughed, and he could hear the bitterness in his own voice. "Yeah, I can tell how glad he is to fucking see me. This is stupid. He doesn't have time for me anymore. I don't even know why I came."

"Naruto -"

Just then a city bus pulled up at the stop in front of the Uchiha mansion. Naruto took off towards it at a run. "Sorry, Itachi. This is my bus." He knew is voice sounded upset up, but he couldn't control it. At least he had his face turned away. He was too old to be hurt because he 'didn't get enough attention'. He was such an idiot for coming.

He hadn't even looked to see where the bus was going, and spent the next two hours just riding around the city.

An hour or so later, Sasuke texted him and asked where he was, but Naruto had just ignored it. He knew Sasuke didn't really care. He probably had his tongue down Sakura's throat by then, anyway.

Itachi texted him later in the day and told him to come back at least for dinner. Naruto had always loved to sing happy birthday in as loud and annoying a way possible to his friend when it was time for the cake that Sasuke never ate, but Itachi always baked for him. But what was the point? What was the point of trying so hard to be Sasuke's friend when he didn't even register Naruto's existence anymore. Plus Sakura would be there. And while Naruto had no problem making a fool of himself in front of Itachi and Sasuke, he was not going to sing like an idiot in front of Sakura. So he texted back saying he was sorry, but wouldn't make it, and he hoped Sasuke had a great time with Sakura.

Naruto sighed, the memory still stinging. Before he had met Sasuke, Naruto had hated his birthdays. The foster homes he had been in had sucked, and most of the time no one remembered. And even when they did remember, it still felt so half-hearted that Naruto would rather have just pretended he didn't have a birthday. Sasuke had made it special. When he celebrated his birthdays with Sasuke, he had felt as though someone really WAS happy that he had been born. That he really did matter, and belong to someone. He was dreading today. He didn't do depression. He knew that Sasuke and he weren't going to do anything together for his birthday. Sasuke had left for a midterm before Naruto had even woken up. They hadn't spoken a single word about Naruto's birthday in the days prior. He supposed Sasuke either didn't remember with all the pressures of midterms, or Sasuke figured that their friendship was too far gone to care anymore. It hurt, but it wasn't surprising. It would be the first birthday in six years that he didn't celebrate it with his best friend. He told himself it didn't matter. Just another little nail in the coffin of their friendship.

Sora had found out that it was Naruto's birthday, and he had invited Naruto out to a party he said he knew the organizer for who would get them in despite being still underage. Things had been going slowly between them, and Naruto knew it was actually his own fault. He liked Sora, and thought Sora was attractive, but... he wasn't Sasuke. Sasuke and Naruto had so much shared history that, even with all the time he spent with Sora, the relationship just felt superficial. But even aside from that, to Naruto, Sora just wasn't as interesting. Sasuke had so many complicated quirks and layers. Getting to know him was a challenge. Sora was interesting, too, but just... not as much. So they had kissed a little, but mostly just hung out. Naruto kept hoping that when he got to know Sora better, he'd be more attracted to him.

But it was fine for now, and it meant he wouldn't spend his birthday alone. The party was going to be in a warehouse just off campus. Naruto had never been to a college party yet... he had been trying to get used to the increased workload of college, keeping his grades up enough to keep the partial scholarship he had, and spent most of his down time working out or hanging with his friends in their rooms. He hadn't really taken on the whole party scene. But this seemed like a good opportunity. After all, everyone said that college was the place to do all your experimenting. Naruto had never been drunk before. So he figured, what the hell? He didn't have to worry about being placed in foster care now that he was over eighteen if the party got raided. And it's not like the Perv would be 'so disappointed with him' if he received a report from school that he was drunk and disorderly at a party. Naruto snickered at the high five he was likely to get instead.

He had gone over to Sora's house before Sasuke got back from his midterm. Sora had told Naruto to leave his phone and wallet behind, so they wouldn't get lost or stolen at the party. Naruto was wearing a black tank top and a pair of skinny jeans that Ino had talked him into, which had passed Sora's fashion test. Naruto wondered how it was that all his friends seemed to have strong opinions on what he wore. But he didn't care. He was going to go and have a good time tonight. They had gone out to dinner with some of Sora's friends, and hung out until it was time to go to the party. Sora had told him his plan was to get Naruto wasted and laid for his birthday, and Naruto had just shrugged. Maybe he'd hook up, though he dreaded the thought of bringing someone back to his room. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto wasn't comfortable having sex with other people around.

They got to the warehouse and could already hear the music pumping out from the darkened windows. When he opened the door, the beat of the music was so loud it literally knocked Naruto back a step. He followed Sora inside, and felt like he had stepped inside another world. He had never seen anything like this. The room was dark, with the only light being strobe lights that flashed out freeze framed images of sweaty, scantily clad bodies writhing together en masse on the dance floor. Most of the people looked to be in their twenties, making Naruto and Sora likely the youngest in the room. Of course, they were under aged so that shouldn't surprise Naruto, but he had the feeling this wasn't exactly just a college party like Sora had described it. The music itself was a pulsating force, even without lyrics it evoked images of pounding sex. Naruto heard a laugh, and turned to see Sora watching him, a highly amused expression on his face.

"What, they didn't party like this where you grew up?" He shouted to Naruto over the music.

Naruto just shook his head mutely. Somehow he was quite sure that even Kiba's parties had been tame compared to this. This was a big city party, and Konoha had been just a medium sized town. A girl came up to Naruto. She had what appeared to be glowsticks encircling her breasts, with a pasty over each nipple. Her body was shiny with sweat, and her eyes glazed and unfocused. She rubbed herself against Naruto, sliding her hands up his arms.

"You're hot. Dance with me," she said, pulling him into the crowd. Naruto threw a panicked glance at Sora, but the boy was just laughing again.

"I'll get us some drinks," he shouted to Naruto, then he disappeared.

Naruto just stood there for a moment on the dance floor. He really felt uncomfortable dancing... he didn't know what to do and didn't want to look like an idiot. Plus the girl in front of him, while really hot, was a little... too much. I mean, she was practically naked and rubbing herself on some stranger. What kind of girl did that? Naruto felt very out of place. But the darkness helped. The pitch black was alleviated only by the flash of the strobe, and there must be some kind of fog machine set up somewhere that was adding to the low visibility. No one seemed to notice that he was just standing like an idiot, slightly shifting his feet in time with the music. Even 'Naked Girl' (as he was coming to think of her) didn't seem to mind as she basically just used him as a stripper pole.

"Are you a virgin?" the older girl asked him. Past the point of being shocked, Naruto shook his head, and she smiled. "Then move your hips like you're having sex with me to the beat of the music." She grabbed Naruto's hips and they started grinding together, their bodies locked tightly. The music was so loud that it sent vibrations through his body, adding to the sexual feel of the dancing he was engaged in.

"Slide your hands over my body," the older girl said, now grabbing Naruto's wrists and moving his hands up and down her body in time with the music as she continued his crash course in drunken dancing. Naruto could feel the sweat from the girl's skin slip along his hands, and smelled the heavy scent of alcohol from her breath. He decided he was way too sober for this, just as Sora appeared in front of him. He handed Naruto a large plastic cup filled up with what looked in the poor lighting to be beer. Naruto took a large swallow and almost choked. Nope. Not beer. Naked Girl moved on to a partner who was more interested, and less sober. Naruto breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Fuck, Sora. What is this?" It felt like it was ripping out his throat.

"Tequila. About 5 or 6 shots. Drink up... it will help. You're going to get destroyed tonight."

Naruto and Sora danced a bit while Naruto drank. They weren't touching... Sora seemed to have taken the message earlier that Naruto was a little interested, but not ready for too much yet. Another girl moved in. She was pretty, with light brown hair pulled into a knot at the top of her head and wisps of hair hanging down. He couldn't tell her eye color in the dim lighting. She had on a white tank top with a black bra clearly visible underneath, and a short jeans skirt. She turned around and began twirking against Naruto's groin, and Naruto noticed the top part of a black thong clearly visible over the hem of her low rise skirt. The room was spinning slightly, and Naruto felt less uncomfortable with this girl. At least she was wearing clothes. The alcohol was also helping. Sora had moved on to dance with a black-haired girl and a brown-haired guy a little bit away, and soon Naruto lost sight of his friend altogether. 'Thong Girl' had turned back to face Naruto and they were now latched together, hips fused. The alcohol now pumping through his system seemed to greatly improve his dancing skills, and he found himself sinking into the music and the press of bodies around him.

He had never been drunk before. Why the hell had he waited? He didn't have to be such a good boy anymore. No one was watching here. He was away from his conservative little town, and out from under the thumb of social services. It was liberating. He breathed out a laugh. His body felt light, his brain fuzzy. He was in a pulsating mass of bodies, moving rhythmically to the heady beat of the music. Girls, boys, all grinding together. He'd had several people rub up against him, grabbing his ass... groping his crotch. He didn't care. It felt... exhilarating. He felt attractive, and free to act on that. He wasn't in a relationship with anyone. He only sexual experience had been a one night stand. Periodically, Sora would show up with another drink. His brain was too sloshed to focus on any memories of why his birthdays sucked or worry about what grades he pulled on his midterms. His body was starting to feel hot, and he felt energy pumping into him like he had just drunk a gallon of coffee. The room was tilting wildly, and the flickering of the lights somehow seemed fascinating. The faces of the people around him started to blur and blend, and the hands that were touching him seemed more fevered. He stumbled a little when the girl he was dancing with started to pull him towards the back of the room. He was vaguely aware that there were several people around him having sex. It didn't bother him. He felt her hand slide along his cock and let his head fall back. The room was spinning and tilting and somehow his jeans were unzipped and they were leaning against the wall, her legs wrapped around him.

The rest of the night faded into a blur, but he had a vague memory of Sora kneeling in front of him, his head bobbing as Naruto tried to keep the room from upending him on the floor, and his orgasm hitting him hard.

The next thing he knew he was fumbling with the key to his dorm room, not exactly sure how he got back to his dorm. Why didn't the thing seem to fit in the lock? He foggily wondered if his roommates had changed the locks for some reason. Finally the key went in. Naruto unlocked the door and staggered into the hallway, surprised to see the lights still on in the shared living area. He had thought everyone would be asleep and he'd need to be quiet. He looked in and saw Neji and Sasuke sitting in two of the chairs. Actually, he saw two Sasukes and two Nejis. He found that hilarious and started to snicker. Whatever they had been talking about, their conversation ended abruptly at Naruto's entrance. They took in his appearance... his tank top was inside out and backwards, and the fly of his jeans was half unbuttoned.

"Heeeeeyyy," Naruto stumbled into the room, his voice loud and slightly slurred. "What're you guys still doin' up? It's like..." Naruto looked at his empty wrist, as if expecting a watch to magically appear there. He frowned slightly when one didn't do so. "It's gotta be like four in the fuckin' morning."

Sasuke looked frozen. Neji looked at Naruto with amusement, raising one eyebrow. "Did you have a good time, then, Naruto?"

Naruto burst out laughing, and almost fell over with the force of it. "It was fuckin' AWESOME. I've never been drunk before but I feel amazing. If the room wasn't spinning, I could run a fuckin' marathon. My skin is on fire, though. And I'm dying of thirst. He staggered into the kitchen area, and stuck his head under the sink to drink, missing twice. "I had... sex with at least two people tonight. I think. It was... so crazy. But I feel kind of gross now... really un-.. un-... unhygienic," he finally managed to get the word out. "Sasuke, man. I don't know how you do it."

Neji walked over to Naruto and grabbed his chin, looking into his eyes. "The fuck, Neji," Naruto jerked his head away.

"How much did you take?" Neji asked.

"How much did I drink?" Naruto squinted, trying to remember. "I dunno... maybe..."

"No. How much X did you take. How many pills."

"What? I didn't do drugs. I just went to a party with my friend..." Naruto burst out laughing again, "Who it turned out totally just wanted to get into my pants, can you believe that? Gave me the best blowjob of my life for my birthday, and I'm not totally sure if we..."

"Idiot," Sasuke stood up and walked over, finally realizing what Neji was talking about. "Your pupils are the size of quarters, and your skin is burning hot. Someone slipped some Ecstasy in your drink. Why the hell did you go out partying with some girl you don't even know for your birthday anyway? I thought you'd come back to the room and we could have dinner or something. Didn't you get any of my texts?"

Naruto fumbled in his pocket for his phone, then remembered he didn't have it on him.

In his inebriated state, Naruto didn't have much of a filter on his actions. He grabbed Sasuke by the back of the neck and rubbed his cheek against his friend's pale one. "Sorry, Sas. I didn't know you still cared." Naruto started laughing as he stumbled forward, and used the opportunity to slide his hand along Sasuke's ass. Sasuke tensed and jerked back, pulling Naruto upright, but at arms length.

Naruto sighed at the rejection, but even through the alcohol haze knew he should drop it. He pushed himself unsteadily away from Sasuke and walked towards the bathroom, which kept changing location on him. "Seriously, though, I just wanted to have fun on my birthday. I mean, I know you think your god's gift to women and all, Sasuke, but listening to you fuck all night long is not really my idea of a good time. So I went out with my friends. That's what people do on their birthdays, right Nej?"

Neji decided to be generous and ignore the annoying nickname Naruto had just used. "I guess," he said. Being completely sober, he didn't miss the anguished expression in Sasuke's eyes at Naruto's words. He wondered what the history was between these two. He knew they had come from the same high school, and sometimes seemed like they were friends. Sometimes seemed like they couldn't stand each other, and sometimes... it had looked like Naruto had grabbed Sasuke's ass, but since the drunken blond had been stumbling, it was a little hard to tell if it had been intentional.

He had been surprised at how upset Sasuke had been as the evening wore on and there was no sign of Naruto. He had stayed up to keep the younger man company, and to see how it would play out when Naruto returned. But watching the two together, he was no closer to understanding the situation.

Naruto managed to not fall over in the shower, then simply staggered to his bed passed out, still wearing just his towel. Sasuke and Neji looked down at him, glad at least he hadn't puked all over anything. It seemed that he could hold his liquor at least a bit.

"When he wakes up, make sure he drinks something. He's probably severely dehydrated. It looks like whoever took him to the party just wanted to get him strung out, but they didn't take care to keep him hydrated. X is dangerous that way... you can actually die of heat stroke or end up hospitalized from dehydration if you're not careful. And the downs are rough. He's going to be a wreck tomorrow," Neji said, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto and sighed. He sat on the edge of Naruto's bed, disturbed more than he wanted to admit by the memory of the dilated and unfocused eyes of his friend. He slowly ran his fingers through the blond hair like he used to when Naruto would fall asleep on his bed when they were watching a movie. Back before everything had fallen apart. "Usuratonkachi. What did you do to yourself?"

-xXx-

to be continued

so... did you catch what Sasuke was up to with his ladies? yup. :-) We'll hear more from him in a bit.