Matriculate This >.

**EDIT** whoops (blushes like a motherfucker) so i fucked up the chapter a little, but i fixed it, so so so so srry 0.0


=================================================================================

Sasuke stared out the window of the room Itachi had set up for him at the Tokyo apartment. It was his brother's really, and he tried not to spend any time here, because he didn't really like the city, and he didn't like being alone with Itachi. It did things to him, like made him have sex on airplanes, and god, he'd been a more than willing participant in it. It made him shudder a little, thinking of it now. He felt almost nauseous. That was why he'd closed himself in his little room here, and opened the window.

He'd told Itachi that the plane ride had made him feel a little sick to his stomach, but he could tell his brother didn't really believe him. He left him alone though. He had other things to do, he had a band to coordinate, and a caterer to check on, and of course he had to stock the bar.

Sasuke planned to get to drunk to stand up straight If he passed out in some corner he wouldn't have to deal with this stupid party, or his brother, and he knew Itachi was too protective, too possessive, to let anything happen to him. It was a win win situation. Besides, he had a sneaking suspicion that Gaara would be there, and he'd seen the boy with Naruto all week, hanging on him like they were best friends, hell they were probably lovers by now, with the amount of restraint the boy was capable of. That would be exactly none, when he knew what he wanted he got it, and nothing stood in his way.

There really wasn't anything he could do now, he'd all but given up really. He sighed, and watched the clear blue skies outside. If he had anything to do with the weather, it would be raining, hell it would be storming like the end of time. If he could he would pull down a flood to wash all of this away, and start over again. Of course, if he could pull down that sort of righteous flood he'd be dead too, because he was guilty of entirely too much himself.

He sighed, heavily, with all the impotent teenage angst he could muster. Things could be worse really, he didn't have that much to complain about. As long as he held on a couple more years and graduated he could do whatever he damn well pleased. Itachi wouldn't let him leave the family, he was tethered too close himself, so Sasuke would always be looked after to a degree. It didn't matter what he did with his life really. There wasn't much expectation from his parents, they didn't even care if he went that far. But Itachi did, and Itachi could rally their parents behind any cause he wanted, so he stayed. They weren't involved.

Hell, he hadn't even really seen his parents but in passing in a long while. They were busy, important people. Thats what boarding schools and household staff were for. And Itachi of course, perfect fucking Itachi. Sasuke sighed again. He didn't move for a long while.

X

Itachi answered the doorbell on the first ring, smiling warmly at the pair on the other side of it. Deidara smiled broadly over the crate of bottles he carried, and they tinkled together loudly as he shifted them to walk inside. He had given Dei and Sasori the task of gathering the alcohol to stock the bar, given Sasori's good taste in those sorts of things. He hadn't been disappointed either. They were good brands, and hard liquor. He wasn't planning on drinking much, but most people were another story. As long as they cleared out in the morning though, itachi didn't give a shit. Whatever kept them coming, whatever kept his face on the society pages of the chicer magazines of Japan.

This was important for his image after all, and while he didn't really worry about these things per say, Itachi didn't really worry about anything, he did keep them in mind. He was raised to since birth, he was the first son, the one who would take over everything. He had an image to uphold after all, and he had to make it look effortless. For the most part it was. He was young and hot and he was seen in all the right places. Hell, he created the right places. This, tonight, was going to be one of those right places.

He moved aside to let his friends inside. Deidara carried the crate of hard liquor in, while Sasori trailed after him with a hand truck of assorted bottled beverages. He had to have everything on hand after all. None of this really mattered to him though. he was busy trying to puzzle out Sasuke's behavior. He had thought he'd taken care of this on the plane, showing the boy who was in charge. Sasuke had been thinking of him this time, and that had satisfied him to no end. He was the one who got his little brother hot and bothered in public places, and he was the one to take care of it. things were as they should be.

Only Sasuke was being more than his usual angsty self, something was bothering him, and while Itachi didn't really care what it was, as it was undoubtedly some trivial little thing in the end, it was ruining his mood. The boy had shut himself away in the little room upstairs and he'd been silently cloistered there since their arrival, begging an upset stomach or some such nonsense.

He would have to take care of that tonight, while the party was acting as his shield. He would have to be around for some of it, but it wouldn't do for him to be too available really. Besides, there were other, more enjoyable things to do at such events. He smiled, planning out the evening in his head, with plenty of time to deal with Sasuke's problem quite thoroughly, and then time left over to screw his brother senseless in the new whirlpool tub in his room. He smiled absently at he watched Dei set up the bar i the corner. It would undoubtedly be an enjoyable night.

X

Naruto had fussed and complained, and fought tooth and nail, but in the end Gaara still dressed him up for what he had now come to call this stupid fucking party. He was starting to regret agreeing to come. Kankuro had pretty much left them alone here, taking off early that morning to go do something, he hadn't said what. Gaara had slept late, really late, but from the moment he rolled out of bed he had been getting ready. If by getting ready you meant planning how he was going to trick out his roommate.

In the end, Naruto had to admit he looked good, if he did feel a little foolish. The boy had gotten him into a fishnet shirt, the sleeves longer than his arms, but they looped over his fingers at the ends so he supposed they were supposed to be. He had had a black t-shirt to go over it at one point, but he couldn't find it now, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Gaara had hidden it somewhere. He had also been coaxed into the tightest pair of black jeans he'd ever worn, widened a little at the bottom to go over the boots the red-head had dug up. His hair had been whisked up with some sort of weird wax stuff so it stuck out in odd directions, and fell forwards into his face.

The thing he'd fought most though was the eyeliner. He didn't care if Gaara wore it, he thought it was girly and weird. But he'd been threatened into it in the end, and he had to admit grudgingly that it looked good. It made the blue of his eyes pop, almost like they were glowing. He liked the effect, but wasn't about to tell anyone that, even inside his head it sounded hopelessly girly.

Now he was loitering by the door, watching Gaara fiddle with his hair, and change out the little captive ball rings in his ears. The normal silver ones were packed away, and he'd put in these acrylic ones that almost glowed, some insanely florescent shade of green white. He was just waiting to leave at this point, all of this preparation and he was just ready to get there and get it all over with.

He was tired, and he didn't really want to hear about all the people who were and weren't going to show up. Kankuro had arrived back a little bit ago and he was sitting on the other side of his brother, sipping a cold bottle of something alcoholic, grilling his brother on the guest list, or what details of it he had gotten from Itachi. It almost made Naruto nervous when he heard about the photographers, he didn't want his picture taken, so it could show up in some magazine, but he was almost comforted by his outfit then, thinking no one would recognize him like this really, he could pass it off as someone else.

By the time Gaara finally settled his appearance he was slightly nervous again though. He couldn't stop thinking about how Itachi was Sasuke's brother, and how that brought his mind back to the reason he had been depressed all week. It wasn't fair at all, that this was all happening, not now. he had things to do, he didn't have time to worry about some guy he'd fallen for but obviously didn't really care for him much, if their recent contact was any indication. He sighed. Maybe this would be good for him, give him a chance to forget things for awhile.

X

The party was already well started by the time Sasori was sent to dig Sasuke out of his room. The older boy had smiled at him, and the younger Uchiha had sighed, and stood to follow him out. At least Sasori was nice about it, he knew if he refused Deidara would be next, followed by someone else, one of Itachi's friends, before Itachi himself came. And if he put it off that long things would get rapidly and immediately ugly for him, for all of the foreseeable future.

He followed Sasori out like a good boy though, already dressed in his usual party clothes. They were tight and black, Itachi picked them out for him. He said they highlighted his skin tone, and made his eyes look nice. Sasuke thought his brother just liked the way they made his ass look. He wasn't the only one either, he noticed Sasori's eyes dart down to it when he turned around to put down the book he'd been pretending to read. This was small consolation really, but it was something.

He kept his eyes down for the most part, there were already people everywhere. He recognized some of them, but had no desire to speak to them whatsoever. He didn't like these people, not that Sasuke liked a lot of people really. Still, he let his eyes dart up every once and awhile, scanning the knots of people as he passed, weaving through the crowd behind the older boy. He couldn't say what he was looking for exactly, but whatever it was he didn't find it and he kept his eyes on Sasori's boots in front of him for the most part, idly enjoying the way they always seemed to step in tune with the quiet pulsing bass of whatever random underground techno group Itachi had set on the speaker system wired into the walls.

He swore silently when he caught a glimpse of lurid purple paint on a pale face in the corner. That would be Kankuro, which made him sickening sure that Gaara was around here somewhere. He had rather hoped that if they came, they'd at least be unfashionably late and he could be dead to the world or otherwise occupied at that point. He was entirely too sober and tired to deal with the red head, and Itachi would hand him his ass if he made any sort of unplanned scene.

The boy in front of him stopped, but Sasuke wasn't exactly paying close attention anymore and he ran right into Sasori's solid back, stumbling a second before a strong pale arm caught him, winding around his waist. He blushed at his brother's smirk, as Itachi pulled him close, pressing Sasuke's back to his own chest.

"Be careful, Otouto. Wouldn't want you to get hut or anything, especially not this early in the night." He blushed a deeper red at the shiver his brother's voice sent down his spine from this close, and almost let out a squeak as Itachi's hand crept down from where it had gripped him around the waist, fingers ghosting over the fly of his tight black jeans before coming to rest on his hip, thumb rubbing up under his shirt, right above the waistband idly. He could tell Itachi was watching the crowd, looking for anyone important, but it was early enough in the night that none of them would be here yet.

Sasuke let himself do he same, although he tried not to meet anyone's eyes. His breath caught in his throat when he got halfway though. There stood Gaara, decked out as usual, a bottle in his hand, deep in some animated discussion with some stick thin girl he didn't recognize. That wasn't what did it though, that was normal. The one that made his heart skip slightly was next to him. Naruto, Naruto was here, though he looked about as comfortable as Sasuke felt. He was still breathtaking though, bright hair falling wildly around his face, fishnet taught over tanned skin, tight black pants riding low on his hips, a relatively untouched bottle in his hand. Gaara had one finger hooked through the blond's belt loop, holding him close in, but the red head didn't look like he was actually paying attention to him beyond that, and Naruto stood slightly to one side of his roommate's conversation, swaying to the beat slightly, but looking thoroughly nervous.

He didn't notice he was staring at the boy until he felt a sharp pinch to his bare side, by the time he turned his head back Itachi was already rubbing the spot again in slow, soothing circles. He was smirking.

"I see you're eyeing Gaara's new toy over there. He is quite cute after all. I invited him last weekend, didn't think he'd actually show up though, hangs out with those other idiots too much." Sasuke scowled, and opened his mouth to deny it but was interrupted by insistent hands pushing him forwards, towards the pair across the room. He almost panicked, not at all ready to go over and talk to them together like that.

But Itachi still urged him forwards. He'd put a few things together in his head and he'd figured out that this kid was the one distracting his little brother. He felt oddly at peace with that though, the boy was awfully attractive after all, and he really wouldn't mind...

Itachi let that though trail off unfinished. He had to hold off on any of that stuff until later, he had to stay around until his real guests arrived, and it was all to tempting already to just drag Sasuke upstairs to that new whirlpool tub, or maybe out onto the balcony. He shivered a little himself, shifting around a growing problem in his pants. He smiled widely as he reached the pair of boys across the room, pulling a reluctant Sasuke along behind him.

"Gaara, it's nice to see you made it out, and early to! So unlike you." The red head shifted almost languidly to face them, his grin growing into an evil looking smirk when his eyes fell on Sasuke.

"Yeah, I had a guest over this time, and there really wasn't anything to do at our apartment so we figured why not head out." He pulled the blond in closer, setting the divot on the front of his own hip against the outside of Naruto's. The blond was silent though, shifting nervously more so now than before. He took a long draft from the bottle in his hand as a distraction, and Sasuke couldn't help but watch his throat pulse as he swallowed. The Uchiha's mouth was suddenly very dry. He looked away quickly when he felt Itachi's chuckle rumble against his back.

"And I see you brought the new kid with you. Naruto, right?" He smiled, speaking to the blond directly. Naruto smiled weakly back.

"Yeah. Its a nice party, but I don't really do these kinds of things often, not used to this many people, I lived on a compound in the middle of nowhere for most of my life. It's a little intense." Itachi laughed, shifting so his hips were cocked comfortably to one side.

"Well, you should come out more often then. i'll be sure to invite you next time I have a get together. You know, there are some people at school I could introduce you to who plan parties like this all the time, it's a pretty good business actually. You can get a lot of extra cash like that." He paused with a smile, leaning in a little, holding those sharp blue eyes with his own. "Not that anyone at the Institute needs extra money really, but it's a good racket nonetheless."

Naruto laughed nervously, but he relaxed a little, talking to Itachi. He had assumed by the way he'd seen the brothers interact at school that they really didn't get along that well, so he hadn't expected Sasuke to be here. He was almost regretting coming out now, as he couldn't quite look the boy in the eye. He could talk to Itachi though, Itachi's voice was calming and smooth, and his eyes were like Sasuke's, only different, though he wasn't sure what it was. He assumed it had something to do with the little could of angst the boy was always surrounded by, but he could be wrong. The thought made him smile.

Sasuke stood quietly to one side, all too aware of the hand on his hip still. He was trying to seem interested in the interaction, but he really didn't want to watch Itachi sinking his fangs into the only person Sasuke wanted right now, besides him of course, but that wasn't something Sasuke would admit. He flicked his eyes over to see Gaara watching him intently, while the other two conversed quietly. His smile made Sasuke nervous, he was definitely planning something, and he was sure it wasn't something he would like, not if it brought Gaara such glee.

X

Sasuke had used the first available opportunity to slip away from his brother, who had remained engrossed in conversation with the blond he was trying hard not to think about right now. He'd snagged himself a couple of ice cold bottle of some fruity malt thing and had gone out on the roof deck. There were always people out here, but ti was quieter, and he knew this was not the first place Itachi would look for him. He had proceeded to implement his earlier escape plan in full force, with this new motivation in place.

He'd crawled up into one of the raised be gardens, careful not to ruin any of Itachi's carefully placed foliage. Up here no one would bother him, and he was for the most part well hidden. It wasn't the warmest night though, and as the wind picked up he heard most of the people outside trickle back in to the warmth of the party. He sighed, looking up. You couldn't see the starts here, there was too much light pollution from Tokyo.

That was one of the things he did like about Konoha. It was up in the mountains, a reasonable distance from any real city. You could lay out on the grass at night and really see the stars up above you. It was calming for him, it reminded him that he was really small, especially now. Sasuke tended to get philosophical when he was drunk, and right now he was well on the way to being drunk. He didn't drink often really, so a little bit went a long way for him.

He hugged his arms around himself, shivering slightly from a particularly vicious gust of wind. Maybe I should go back inside soon, it's getting cold, and it's probably late enough that Itachi will be looking for an excuse to escape, and that usually means me. It wasn't that he really wanted to have some probably violent and embarrassing sexual encounter with his brother right now, Gaara's wicked smile had killed any remaining embers of that mood on contact. He just didn't really want to provoke Itachi any more than he had to. His brother was a vengeful motherfucker, but that ran in the family. He didn't register the relative silence until it was broken by a familiar voice.

"Aaaahhh, it's so much cooler out here, there's air. It was too too hot in there." It was Naruto's voice, only slower, a little bit slurred around the edges. He couldn't resist shimmying forwards to peer out at the scene before him. Gaara was standing quite close behind the blond, one hand resting firmly on the boy's hip. He was clinging to the railing of the deck like it was the only thing holding him upright, though the way he was leaning a little made Sasuke suspicious that the redhead had something to do with making sure he wasn't falling over.

Sasuke's chest was tight. He didn't want to see this, not the boy he wanted but couldn't have with the boy who hated him for no good reason. Shit, shit shit. He contemplated getting up now and going back inside, but then they'd see him, or at least Gaara would, Gaara always did, and he didn't want to face the red haired boy, not right now. He was tired and drunk and he didn't think he would be able to control his emotions. He sat back a little, shivering from more than just the cold now.

He heard a throaty chuckle, but he'd crawled back out of view. He didn't want to watch this. There was erie silence for a moment, then an indignant squawk followed by a hum. He wished he were anywhere else right now. Then he heard Naruto's voice, low and slurred.

"Ah, Gaara stop it. I can't do this right now, I'm too messed up. I told you before I didn't, -ah." The moan cut off whatever it was that Naruto was going to say. Sasuke winced slightly. He couldn't help sitting forwards again though. He wanted to watch the boy while he still could, no matter how much it hurt. He still winced when he saw Gaara pressed against the boy's back, holding him to the railing, lips hovering over the blond's neck. They came into contact with the skin gently, one of Gaara's hands under the fishnet shirt, the other curled around the boy's hip tightly, holding him in place.

"I said st-aaah." He trailed off into another moan when Gaara's lips came down, sucking at the skin, raising a little red mark on it. Naruto jerked a little, trying to pull away, but Gaara's fingers wouldn't let go. He stumbled then, obviously more drunk than Sasuke had thought, before Gaara caught him, one hand brushing over the front of the boy's pants unnecessarily while helping him back up. Naruto tried to break his grip again.

"No, I'm drunk and I'm in someone else's house. Besides, I don't want to do that with you, I don't want to ruin the friendship we have. It would be too awkward." Gaara growled low in his throat, wrenching the boy back to the railing, pushing him up against it harshly.

"Just shut up, Naruto-chan. Stop being such a girl. It will feel real nice, I promise." He leaned in again, trying to place his lips on Naruto's but the blond turned his head to the side, making a desperate little noise.

Sasuke felt something inside of him rush with cold, and he didn't care if they saw him anymore, anything if it would stop this. He jumped down to the pavement of the deck gracefully, making sure to make enough noise to alert them to his presence. Gaara ignored him, reaching out a hand to grab the blond's face, barely wrapping his fingers around it when he felt Sasuke's grip on his wrist.

"Stop it Gaara. He said no, besides, he's too drunk for this." Gaara scowled up at him before cocking his other arm back, untangling it from Naruto's body before punching him straight in the jaw. Sasuke stumbled backwards, stunned. He looked over at the red head in disbelief, but he was smiling that damn creepy smile again.

"I think he was just drunk enough really, if you hadn't stuck your pretty nose out where it didn't belong." He turned back to the blond, deeming his conversation with the Uchiha over. Sasuke rushed right back though, pulling Gaara off Naruto again, gripping the back of his collar tightly. The boy growled, and hit him again, a strong uppercut to the jaw. Sasuke staggered backwards, his feet slipping out from under him, and he was suddenly on his back on the deck, Gaara looking livid above him, drawing back his foot as if to deliver a kick to his ribs. A cool yet commanding voice from the doorway froze them both in place.

"And what exactly is going on out here now?" Itachi closed the door quietly behind them, eyeing Gaara with a displeased look. The red head opened his mouth to shout something but thought better of it, snapping it closed with a snarl and turning to the boy behind him. Naruto was on the ground, leaning against the railing, looking only half awake. Gaara extended an arm to pick him up but a strong pale hand caught his wrist rather more tightly than necessary.

"Leave him here, I'll deal with both of them. You look like you've had quite enough to drink, and I think you might want to head home." Itachi's voice was even and low, it carried a note of ultimate authority, more so than his usual tone. Gaara yanked his arm from the older boy's grasp, sneering a little.

"I was on my way out anyways, but I have to take Naruto home. He did come with me after all." Itachi didn't move an inch, looking Gaara square in the eyes, his face a firm impassive mask.

"I will make sure that Naruto-kun gets home safe and sound by monday. I think you would do better to worry about yourself right now." His voice was laden with ice now, his dark eyes narrowing. Gaara snarled once more before stomping to the door.

Sasuke still sat on the ground where he had fallen. he could taste blood in his mouth from the punch, but it wasn't a bad cut or anything, and he didn't feel any other injuries. He was however quite shocked at his brother's behavior.

He looked over at Naruto, and saw the boy was smiling tiredly. Sasuke shot his brother a thankful but curious glance before moving to kneel by the blond. He wanted to make sure Naruto was alright before he did anything else. He seemed to be fine, if more than a little drunk, but it never hurt to check really.

"Naruto? You okay?" The boy smiled and nodded.

"Just ... tired." Sasuke frowned. There had to be more than alcohol involved, alcohol just didn't do that to people. He sighed, standing and helping the blond to his feet, looping one tanned arm over his own shoulder to keep the boy balanced. Itachi looked at them for a moment before sighing.

"Why don't you go put him in your room, it's the only room with no one in it at the moment I believe." Sasuke nodded in response, steering a teetering Naruto towards the doors, bringing him back into the chaos of the party room. It was still early enough that it was packed, and navigating it was rather difficult, especially with the weight and form of another person hanging from your shoulder.

He was glad when he could drop the other boy onto his futon, breathing a little harder than normal. Naruto looked even groggier now, his eyes fluttering a little bit. The Uchiha sighed, turning to open the door and slip out,

"Sa-sasuke?" The boy turned back around, looking at Naruto over his shoulder. Naruto was blushing a little. "I want to see something, okay?"

Sasuke was curious at to what he wanted to know, so he stepped closer. Naruto caught his wrist in one tanned hand and pulled him closer. He looked in the boy's dark eyes and swallowed before pulling Sasuke slightly, their lips touching for one moment before he fell backwards. Sasuke was shocked, but it seemed like Naruto had passed out then. He had so many questions running around his brain, he didn't know what to think now. He sighed and backed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.


=================================================================================

A/N: so tell me what you think. i wrote this chapter three times before this, and different things happened every time, but i wasn't going for angst so there isn't any bleeding or date rape ^.^ like it? good? bad? ugly? read, review, and let me know!!