AN: The revisions have begun. The overall story won't change, I'm just fixing any leftover grammar errors I found as well as awkward sentences. I'm still not perfect, but whatever. Enjoy!

Naruto was seriously irritated. He'd been talked into hanging out at the local bar, the Akatsuki, by his best friend, Kiba. Now, normally, Naruto liked going to the bar. Ok, let's be honest, he loved going out. It meant he could hit on as many girls as he wanted – and he was pretty lucky in the numbers department – and drink however much he desired with a damn near guarantee he'd get a taxi home or…wherever.

But tonight, they came for one reason; to play pool. Naruto sucked at playing pool. And if there's one thing the blond didn't enjoy, it was sucking at something. He wasn't used to it. In high school he'd been team captain – or co-captain – for every sport he'd done. The term "you suck" was never used against him when it came to anything physical. Except pool.

There was something about the combination of physics, geometry, and subtle movements that didn't suit him. Not only did he suck at the sciences – he was really more of a liberal arts guy – but there was also nothing subtle about Uzumaki Naruto. His favorite color, after all, was orange. Bright, eye-burning orange – though Kiba had talked him out of it and forced him into some lighter jeans and a white button up for the night. Then there were his muscles. Hey, a guy this hot had to take care of his body.

He shook his head and focused back on the table before him. He could see Shikamaru's bored stare, and Kiba was obviously getting irritated with waiting this long for the blond to make his move. He bent forward, sticking his ass out just a little – for the group of girls starting at him – and struck the white ball. It hit the triangle just off where he was aiming and…nothing. Not a single ball went into a goddammed hole. He scowled. The girls were giggling at him.

"Dammit, Naruto can you do anything right?" Kiba laughed at him.

"Shut it, dog breath. I told you I was bad at this game." It was his own fault for inviting Naruto to play in the first place.

"Aw, I'm just teasing. Besides, it would've defeated the purpose if you were good at it."

"What?!"

"You're too loud," Shikamaru cut it, taking his turn. Perfect shot. How did he do that?

Kiba took his shot. "Sometimes beating 'the great Naruto' at something is fun." He grinned when several of the pool balls found their way into the table.

"Har har. You're such a dick sometimes."

"Language, Naruto. There are ladies present." They turned to welcome the newcomers. Ino, blonde with a banging body, arrived followed by her latest conquest: heavyweight college boxing champion, Chouji. It was a mystery to Naruto why someone as hot as Ino was dating someone as…off as Chouji. But he knew better than to ask her; last time he questioned her taste in men he'd ended up with a black eye for a week. Kiba had laughed his ass off at that.

He grinned easily. "Ladies? Where?"

Ino smacked his head.

"Tactful as ever, idiot. Are you going to make your move or do you give up already?" The voice of his best friend brought Naruto back to the present.

"Calm your tits, dog-boy. I'm still playing." He focused, leaned over, and took his shot. Yes! One of them went into a hole! Wait. Shit. It was the white ball.

"I think you should just give up. You really suck at this game," Ino said wisely.

"Shut up! Don't you know who I am? I am the great Uzumaki Naruto! I never give up!"

"God, Naruto, you're so loud." He immediately straightened up and wiped the scowl off his face. His one true love was here.

He spun around to greet the gorgeous girl. "Sakura! Hey! I didn't know you were coming." The last comment was directed angrily toward Kiba, who shrugged as if to say 'nobody told me either.' Whatever.

Sakura was wearing a pink halter top and white mini skirt with pink frills at the bottom. Her hair was down, matching pink for pink. She looked gorgeous, as usual. "It was a last minute decision. Ino talked me into it."

Now, Naruto was notorious for not being the smartest person in the world, but he could read people better than some of them could read themselves. So when he saw the sad smile pass between the two girls, he knew something was up. But given the situation, he knew he couldn't ask them now. He made a mental note to approach Ino next time she walked over to get alcohol. Which was right about…now.

"You guys want anything? I'm gonna get a drink."

"I'll come!" He dropped his stick and made to follow her.

"Oy! Are you planning on quitting?" Kiba's angry growl followed him.

"Just have Chouji play till I get back!" He shouted back to them. And he could swear he heard Shikamaru mutter "troublesome" before he disappeared into the crowd after the blonde girl.

"Wait up. Sheesh." He finally caught up to her. The crowd around the bar was ridiculous. They would have to fight to get to the front if they were serious about drinks. But Ino didn't seem to be in a rush. As soon as they were stopped, she turned to him.

"Spit it out, Naruto."

"Spit what out?"

"I know you, Uzumaki. You wanted to talk about something. You were practically begging me to come over here."

"I didn't say anything!"

She shrugged. "Don't have to. I can read you."

It was true; she could read him. She read him so well it was scary. Naruto assumed it stemmed from the time they dated freshman year of college. They found out they were incompatible as far as a relationship went but got along really well as friends. They continued to sleep together for a bit after the break up. What could he say? The sex was great.

"I saw the look you gave Sakura. What was that all about?"

She sighed. "I figured it was that." She fixed him with a glare before speaking again. "Don't get your hopes up. Ok? She's having a hard time."

"Wait. Did they break up?"

"Perceptive. What gave it away?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

He ignored it. "So she finally saw what a bastard he was and dumped his ass. Good riddance."

"You can be such an insensitive jerk sometimes."

"What?"

"She didn't dump him, you idiot. He dumped her."

"What a dick!"

"What can I get you guys to drink?" They both looked around in surprise; they'd been so focused on the conversation, they hadn't even noticed the crowd had pushed them right against the bar.

"Long Island ice tea, for me," Ino said.

"And I'll have a beer!" Naruto yelled after the disappearing bartender. He was so obvious about only helping the hot girls. Honestly. If Naruto didn't get his drink he'd jump over the bar and get it himself. And then punch the guy in the face.

Lucky for him, the bartender returned with both their drinks. They grabbed them and made their way slowly back to the pool area.

"So why'd he end it?" He couldn't contain his curiosity.

"I'm not really sure. I don't know if Sakura knows either. She mentioned something about him being into someone else, but I doubt that. I mean it is Sasuke we're talking about. All the girls want him, and he's just never…interested."

"It's because he's a bastard with a perpetual stick up his ass."

"Ha ha. So funny." She rolled her eyes.

They made it back to their friends. One look at the table revealed that Chouji was kicking both Kiba and Shikamaru's ass. Who knew? Ino immediately jumped over to him and began cheering him on.

Naruto, deciding pool was no longer worth it, sat next to Sakura. She was staring at the game as if not seeing it, holding her still full rum and Coke in her hands.

"Hey," he said by way of greeting. She looked over at him, as if surprised to see him there.

"Naruto."

"That's my name. Don't wear it out. Or do. I really don't mind."

"You're such a flirt," she said dully. It was their usual encounter, but she'd lost her fire.

He wasn't sure if he should bring it up. After a moment he decided he could go for the comforting angle. If it were a secret, Ino wouldn't have told him; she knew he could never keep his mouth shut.

"Look, Sakura. I heard what happened. I'm really sorry." She blinked at him, her eyes revealing some of the hurt she must've been feeling. But she didn't offer anything, so he continued. "And if you ever need anything, you know I'm always here for you."

If Sakura were a weaker woman, Naruto would swear she'd be crying by now. As it was, she looked close to tears. She opened her mouth to say something, but Naruto interrupted her, suspecting what she was going to say, but not wanting to hear it.

"Don't say anything. Just drink. It'll make you feel better." He was stretching the truth, and they both knew it; drinking didn't make anyone feel any better. But it would hopefully loosen her up enough that she would be more willing to join in with the group.

"Thanks Naruto," she muttered, taking a large sip from her drink.

An hour or so later, the bar was more crowded than it had been before. Naruto was on his third or fourth beer, he wasn't really sure. At some point, Ino had thought it was a great idea to order a round of vodka shots, and he'd had enough to feel pleasantly light headed. He knew it was a shitty idea to mix beer and liquor, but Naruto had a strong stomach; this wasn't his first rodeo.

Sakura had finished her first rum and coke, declined the shots – Naruto took hers when nobody was looking – and was working on her second. She wasn't the world's heaviest weight, but she could handle two of those; he'd seen it before. With some encouragement from their friends, she'd even joined in cheering on the pool games. Naruto had somehow been convinced to try again, and he seemed to get even worse after a few drinks, if that were possible.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as the stupid white ball of torture – as he'd dubbed it – flew right off the table, and rolled over just to be stopped by someone's shoe. His eyes followed the shoe up the dark jeans, over the black shirt to the man's face. Well, fuck.

The raven-haired man bent over and picked up the offending ball. He brought it over to the table and dropped it. Everyone in the group had grown quiet. Somewhere behind him, Naruto was positive Sakura was chugging the rest of her rum and coke like her life depended on it.

"Loser, you seem to have dropped your ball." And then he smirked. Naruto flushed at the obvious implication.

"Bastard!"

"Oh, how original." He was still smirking.

"Sasuke. What are you doing here?" Kiba challenged with a glare. By this time, everyone knew about him and Sakura no longer being an 'us'. And, as expected of Naruto's group, they sided with Sakura. They didn't even need to know the story.

"I can't come play pool with my friends?" He indicated to the group behind him. His usual posse of Neji, Karin, and Suigetsu were standing there. Naruto had no problem with the group in general; it was just the arrogant bastard he hated.

"No. You can't," Ino said bluntly, standing almost protectively in front of Sakura. It seemed like Sasuke just noticed his recent ex, because his eyes widened slightly. Just as Naruto was sure he'd imagined it, the look was gone. The bastard opened his eyes to say something, but a soft voice came from behind the Uzumaki.

"It's fine. I was just leaving anyway." Sakura brushed past Naruto, holding an empty glass. She was flushed, whether from the alcohol or anger, he wasn't sure. Either way, he knew he couldn't just let her walk away.

"Here, I'll get you a cab, Sakura."

If he'd been paying more attention, he might've noticed the brief look of anger that flashed across Sasuke's face. Instead, he ignored it completely. Sakura tried to shake him off, but he wasn't having it. He wasn't going to just let her walk away when she was obviously upset and under the influence. As if sensing his urgency, Ino jumped to his aid.

"We're actually headed out too. Come on Chouji."

The guy grumbled a bit, but followed his girlfriend and Naruto as they chased after Sakura. They finally caught up to her outside the building. Ino called for a taxi, and Chouji snacked on some peanuts he'd stolen from the counter. That left Naruto alone with Sakura.

"I can always come home with you. Just to make sure you're ok." He wasn't going to try anything with her; he was just genuinely concerned. She'd been obsessed with Sasuke since high school and he'd finally given her a chance this year. To be let down like this must've been torture.

"Thanks Naruto, but I'd really prefer to be alone right now."

"Ok, but just promise me that if you need anything –"

"Naruto!" She shouted, her face so pink it almost matched her hair. "I don't need you to babysit me!"

Ino and Chouji were now staring at them, as well as the people walking by on the sidewalk.

"Ok. Ok. I'm sorry." Why was he apologizing? She'd just yelled at him.

"Look, Naruto," she was looking at him with that same expression she'd had on earlier when he'd interrupted her. A feeling of foreboding settled in his stomach. "I'm sorry. I know you mean well and all. And I know you've been into me since high school."

"It's fine. You don't have to say it…"

"No, but I do. You're a great guy. Really, you are. I couldn't imagine having a better friend than you. But that's all you'll ever be to me; a friend. I don't think of you like that, Naruto."

His stomach sank. It wasn't like he didn't know, after all the times he'd been rejected by her in the past. But hearing it out loud made it more real, more final. And then she pounded the final nail into the coffin.

"You're like a brother to me, and I will never be able to have romantic feelings for my brother." Suddenly he felt like he was the one who was going to cry. Instead, he did what he always did when someone delivered world-shattering news to him; he smiled. It was the fakest smile he had.

"Ha. Yeah. Brother. Ha." He was spared anymore pain when the cab finally pulled up. Still trying to play the part of the gentleman, he opened the door for her and their friends. After they all piled in and he'd closed the door, Sakura looked out the half open window.

"Naruto, I'm sorry."

She needed to stop talking or his mask was going to fall off completely.

"Don't worry about it!" Anyone could tell he was faking it by the way his voice broke when he shouted. "See ya later!" And he walked away before his heart could break anymore.

It was scary how quickly he was able to collect himself in the alley. It was something he'd learned after years of being viewed as a 'freak' and having his friends slowly taken away from him. Feeling slightly better, though not sure why, he stood up and walked back to the bar.

The bouncers knew him pretty well by now, but he still flashed his I.D. at them; proof he was over 21. As expected, his friends were still playing pool, but Sasuke and his posse had joined them. Naruto decided that he'd feel even better after kicking Sasuke's ass at pool. And hell, if he couldn't, then he'd just beat him with the stick.

"Mind if I rejoin?" He asked when he got back, plastering a grin on his face. Sasuke gave him a strange look, as if the grin weren't fooling him. Kiba, on the other hand, mirrored Naruto and tossed him a stick.

"You're just a glutton for punishment, dude."

"Nah. I just want to kick the bastard's ass."

"As if you could, loser." The strange look on Sasuke's face disappeared and was replaced with a cocky smirk. He held his pool stick like he was made for it, and it was starting to get the attention of a lot of the girls in the bar.

"You'll be eating your words then, asshole." And with that, Naruto grabbed a pool stick and succeeded in failing at his shot.

By now, they were getting a crowd of admirers. Most of the girls were eyeing Sasuke with a look Naruto knew all too well, but he and his group had their admirers as well. He wasn't sure what a lot of the girls saw in the bastard in the first place. Sure, he was usually Naruto's co-captain back in high school, and they were both varsity athletes in college now, so he wasn't in bad shape. He was slightly taller than Naruto too, by maybe an inch or two – Naruto blamed Sasuke's slightly better basketball skills on this, but never out loud. But other than that, he wasn't all that.

Ok, so yeah, he had flawless skin. And his eyes had this dark mystery to them. And the way his stomach was slightly bared by how he was leaning was definitely attractive. Not to mention – stop. Uchiha Sasuke was not attractive. Plus, Naruto was definitely into Sakura.

At the thought of the pink haired girl's name, he instantly felt his mood drop again. He didn't put any effort into his next attempt, and it showed. He didn't really notice Sasuke walk over to him until he was standing right there.

"Loser."

"What?" Naruto was immediately back on the defensive, glaring up at the Uchiha defiantly.

"If you're not even going to put in an attempt, then I don't want to play you."

The blond flushed at those words. "Shut up," was the brilliant response he came up with.

"You're not even holding it right." He ripped the pool stick out of Naruto's hands.

"Hey! That's mine!" Of course, the bastard ignored him.

Resting one hand on the green table before him, he leaned over, gripping the pool stick gently in his other hand. Naruto swallowed; Sasuke's shirt had revealed some of the Uchiha's back and he was having a hard time concentrating on anything but the way the muscles were tightening as he moved his arm back and –

"Are you even paying attention?"

The blond forced his eyes up to meet the raven's face. To his embarrassment, he found he was blushing. Apparently, the other noticed it as well, because he raised one eyebrow in response.

"Uh," he swallowed again. What was wrong with him? This was Sasuke. And he was a guy for god's sake! "Yeah."

A ringing brought them out of the awkward tension that had just built. Kiba reached into his pocket and answered his phone.

"Sup?" Pause. "Oh hey, Hinata!" Momentarily forgetting the situation, Naruto rolled his eyes. Kiba's voice always did something weird whenever his girlfriend called. He made a mental note to give him shit for it later. Kiba hung up.

"What's up with the missus?"

"Can it, idiot."

Naruto stuck his tongue out in response. Really mature, he knew.

"She wants me home."

"Actually Temari just texted me too. I'm gonna head out."

"Guyyyyyyys," Naruto whined. He hated these small reminders that he was still the only single guy in the group.

"As much as I'd love to stay and see what the fan girls make of you and Sasuke's little pool lesson, I really have to go."

"Dog breath…" Naruto growled threateningly.

"See ya later!" They left! They left him alone with the bastard and his posse! Wait a second… Naruto looked around. His cousin and the rest of Sasuke's select group of friends had already disappeared. He looked questioningly back at the Uchiha, who shrugged.

"I figured they'd head out. This isn't really their scene."

Which meant he was alone with the goddammed bastard. And all the fan girls, who – like Kiba had suggested – looked far too eager to have them continue where they left off. Sasuke was apparently a little too willing to oblige, as he moved directly behind Naruto.

The blond felt his mouth go dry again. Dammit. A touch on his shoulder made his blush reappear. He must be really drunk if he was feeling like this around Sasuke. He ignored the lack of haziness that usually accompanied having one too many drinks and shook his head; he was still convinced he was drunk.

"You hold it like this," a breath flew by his ear, causing Naruto to feel a sudden twitch in his pants. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He was not getting a hard on from the bastard. No way. Without thinking, he leaned over the way he'd seen Sasuke do it moments before and heard a slight gasp behind him. His ass hit something hard behind him, and he realized he wasn't the only one with this 'little' problem. Something was seriously wrong with the pair of them.

With Sasuke's guidance, he brought his arm back and smoothly moved the pool stick forward, between their entwined fingers. To his great surprise, they managed to actually get a few to go where they were supposed to.

"Yes!" Naruto jumped up and out of Sasuke's hold and spun around, celebrating. He just stood there, arms crossed with a bored expression on his face. Typical bastard behavior.

"Did you see that? I totally scored!"

A chorus of giggles followed Naruto's outburst and brought him back to reality. He looked around at all the girls surrounding them. Some of them actually had their phones out and were obviously taking pictures of him and Sasuke. They were probably sending the pictures to their friends too. Or posting it on the internet. Dammit. He was never going to get the girls' numbers if they thought he was gay!

Feeling suddenly like he wanted to not be the center of every yaoi fan-girl's fantasies, he dropped the pool stick on the table.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving." He drained the remainder of his beer and slammed it on the table as well.

"Idiot."

Not deigning to respond, Naruto walked out of the bar. He was in desperate need of some fresh air. His face still felt flushed and the parts of his body Sasuke had touched were burning. He shook his head; he needed to catch a cab and leave.

"Loser." Uh oh.

"What do you want, bastard?"

"You left."

Naruto snorted. "And you call me an idiot."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I said I was leaving. God you're such a tight ass."

"At least I'm not the loser who struck out tonight."

Naruto saw red. Before he knew it, he had the bastard's shirt balled in his left fist while his right was pulled back, ready to be released. Just as he was about to punch the dick right in his smug face, something grabbed his arm. He looked around to see who the hell was stopping him from exacting revenge. It was the bouncer. Oh.

"Not in front of the bar. Take it down there if you want to fight." He nodded toward a nearby alley. Naruto shrugged him off irritatingly and dropped Sasuke. Then without a word, he stalked toward the alley. When he didn't hear footsteps behind him he turned.

"You coming?"

The bastard didn't respond. Instead he just followed. About damn time too. Naruto was sick of letting him get away with everything just because Sakura was into him. That was all over now; he could let loose. And what better location than a dark abandoned alley behind a bar? Seemed fitting.

He turned back to the Uchiha, fists bared. They were far enough into the area that there were no street lights. Nobody would be able to see them. Perfect. Without waiting for an invitation, the blond charged and punched Sasuke. His fist made a satisfying connection with the other's stomach before he felt a returned blow somewhere by his ribs. Dammit, he'd forgotten Sasuke could hit. Hard.

The next punch knocked the wind from him, but he was still able to get a solid hit to the other's right cheek. He grinned in satisfaction, but it was immediately wiped from his face when he was thrown into the nearby brick wall. The bastard pinned his arms by his head. Naruto struggled for a moment, before realizing the futility of his actions. So instead he settled on glaring.

"Go ahead. Hit me again." He taunted.

Sasuke didn't respond.

"I mean it's not as if you didn't get the girl in the end."

Still nothing.

Naruto laughed bitterly. "And then you dumped her. What was that about? Just to prove to me you could always win out in the end?"

The bastard didn't say anything. He just let the blond go and moved away from the wall. Naruto used the opportunity to wipe the area under his nose with his sleeve. He checked it. No blood.

"You know you didn't have to be a dick about it. I always knew Sakura was into you. Hell, everyone knew."

"Shut up." Ah, so he could talk still. Apparently he didn't like hearing about his recent fuck up. Good.

"What were you even dating her for in the first place? It was obvious you were never really as into her as she was into you."

"I said shut up."

But Uzumakis didn't shut up. They kept talking until they were done.

"Was it really just some kind of sick competition between us? You knew I liked her so you decided to take her?"

"SHUT UP!" Wow. The Uchiha had broken composure. That was a rare occurrence.

"Or was it just to hide the fact you're ga–"

Naruto was not prepared for the next attack, mostly because this one was directed toward the one part of his body he never expected the Uchiha to attack. His eyes went wide as Sasuke's lips slammed into his own. He found himself shoved against the wall once again, only this time he didn't struggle; he was too shocked.

Sasuke's lips were working desperately against his own, and almost without thinking Naruto opened his mouth. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd intended to do or say, but whatever it was, was squashed by the feeling of the other man's tongue in his mouth. Not one to be easily dominated at anything, Naruto fought back with his. His eyes closed automatically, and he didn't notice his arms wrap around the Uchiha. He couldn't even feel the raven hair in his hands as he fisted it.

All he noticed was the new taste in his mouth. Sasuke tasted like a combination of alcohol, spices and something else Naruto couldn't quite place. But God, was it heavenly. A thigh forced its way between Naruto's legs causing him to bite down on Sasuke's tongue. Holy shit, he was aroused. And it was only made worse by the moan released from the other's mouth. He didn't want it to stop, he didn't –! But the need for air broke them apart.

They stood there panting for a moment, gazing at each other. Sasuke's eyes were half lidded in a way that was – Naruto had to admit it – damn sexy. The blond wouldn't be surprised if his hair were sticking out in an interesting way like the Uchiha's now was. Far from looking ridiculous, though, Naruto found it…attractive.

What the hell?

The thought brought him out of his reverie, and he shoved Sasuke away suddenly. What was he thinking? He wasn't gay. No way! He was Uzumaki Naruto, lady-killer extraordinaire! And hot pieces of ass like him did not go for dark haired bastards. Especially if they were dudes.

So lost in his own thoughts was the blond, that he didn't notice the strange look Sasuke now wore. When he finally saw it, he snapped again.

"What?" He snarled.

"Nothing." The guy turned away. Arrogant bastard.

"Fine," Naruto agreed uncharacteristically. Nothing happened. That was right. He was straight and one drunken – he was drunk dammit! – make-out session with his rival was not going to change that. He pushed past the Uchiha and walked away toward the street where cabs were hopefully waiting to pick up people. It was bound to be close to last call by now.

To his surprise, Sasuke was next to him when they emerged. He glanced sideways at the guy and couldn't help but feel smug over the bruise that was obviously forming on the Uchiha's cheek. He knew he would be in about the same shape the next day, but he didn't care at the moment. Plus, fight scars were dashing – though Ino argued passionately against facial bruising's.

"See something you like?" The bastard had the nerve to sound bored when he said that.

"No," Naruto huffed childishly. He completed the look by crossing his arms and looking decidedly away from Sasuke.

A cab rolled up. Finally. He walked toward it, somewhat surprised he wasn't followed. He stopped just before getting in the taxi, not sure if he should offer the guy a ride home or what…

"I'll be fine." The Uchiha responded, as if reading his mind.

"What?"

"Besides, we live on opposite sides of town from here." Another taxi rolled up and Sasuke walked toward it, waving goodbye before getting in.

"In or out buddy. I've got other good paying customers I could be driving around." The driver broke him from his reverie.

"Yeah, yeah. Chill." He got in the car, gave the guy directions to his apartment and sat back in his seat, gazing out the window into the night.

The feeling of Sasuke's lips on his was still there. He poked them, as if to check that only his lips were attached to his face. Damn bastard. Who attacks someone like that? He sighed and leaned his forehead against his reflection in the mirror. He didn't even like guys. Why was he still hung up on this?

"Buddy, if you're gonna puke, I'm going to charge extra."

"I'll be fine," he muttered irritably in response.

After all, he wasn't even drunk.