Morgan brought the group another round of shots while they tore up the dance floor. The DJ was still playing the pop punk playlist that Sierra recommended. It appeared to be a massive hit with the party people. Everyone was dancing clumsily and singing along to every word.

Shel was finally at a point of intoxication overconfidence. He sang along passionately with Sierra, but he couldn't tear his eyes from Niko. Amethyst noticed his gaze and beckoned Sierra away, twirling her into an intense sing-off. Shel beamed at Niko and slinked towards him. He stood on his toes to reach Niko's ear.

"Dance with me?" He asked loudly.

Niko nodded dramatically on beat with the song. He lessened the space between them, but not enough for them to touch. Niko wanted to maintain some control over his actions tonight, as difficult as it was.

"We're going down, down," Shel sang. "Inaearlierround," he mumbled the incoherent lyrics while laughing.

Niko bit his lip with a smile, thoroughly enjoying Shel's singing and dancing. As goofy as he looked, the way he stared at Niko was magnetizing. Niko cautiously reached his hands towards Shel's waist. He pulled him closer when Shel did not protest the touch. Shel wrapped his arms around Niko's neck and swayed his hips.

The boys danced like this for several songs. Niko came dangerously close to kissing Shel, but resisted the urge. Shel was simply too engrossed in the music to realize how he might be affecting Niko.

Sierra danced over to Shel and Niko; she wrapped them both in a sloppy hug.

"Gio is doing a beer pong tournament outside, he wants you on his team, Shel," she pulled the boys by the wrists towards the back door.

They followed, Shel still bouncing to the music. Gio was setting up red solo cups in a triangular formation on one side of a foldable table. He was tall and muscular, but a major softie at heart. His girlfriend, Marlena, was on the other side of the table, her cups already set up. She played with the necklace around her neck.

"Let the tournament begin!" Sierra shrieked.

"It's not a tournament, ding dong," Gio rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Ping pong," Sierra picked up one of the ping pong balls and bounced it off his head. Amethyst pulled her to the side and distracted her with more dancing.

"Tall guy," Gio motioned to Niko. "Get over on that side with Marlena. Shel, you're with me."

"You never want to play on my team!" Marlena whined.

"Because you suck; Shel stands a chance to score me a point," Gio explained without remorse.

"Oh, you're a beer pong pro?" Niko asked with raised eyebrows.

"I've been known to handle balls well," Shel said with a dramatic open-mouthed wink that was met with an eye roll from Niko.

Gio guided Shel by the shoulders to the central shooting position. Niko felt a surge in his chest and watched the movement carefully.

"Shorties go first," he handed Shel a ping pong ball.

Gio stood to the side and crossed his arms over his bulky chest. Niko crossed his own arms over his chest and stood directly in Shel's line of sight.

Shel stumbled slightly while focusing his shot. He narrowed his eyes on the forward-most cup, but his eyes flicked upward to Niko's forearms. He shook his head to clear away thoughts of being held by those arms. The ball left Shel's hand in a perfect arc and landed with a plop! in the front cup.

"Hell yeah!" Gio clapped Shel on the back, "And that's why they say bros before hoes."

"Ugh, you're such a douche, Gio," Marlena rolled her eyes.

"I'll drink this time," Niko removed the ball from the cup and drank the beer.

Gio let out a booming laugh, "You'll be drinking all of them since Marlena doesn't drink beer."

"Ooooh, big fat L," Shel jeered and stuck out his tongue.

Niko finished the cup quickly and set it to the side. He narrowed his eyes at Shel deviously.

"How about you drink for every shot I land?" Niko proposed ominously.

"Deal," Shel accepted confidently.

"Aww, and you can drink for my shots, babe," Marlena crooned as she fubmled her shot. The ball bounced off the table into the grass.

"Guess I'm not drinking," Gio said dejectedly. He retrieved the ball and casually shot it into a cup, which Niko drank from.

Niko lined up his shot and sank the ball into the front cup, just as Shel did.

"Lucky shot," Shel pouted and drank from the cup.

The game went back and forth like this. Shel and Gio landed almost every shot. Marlena only landed one. Niko tried to keep up, but it was basically two versus one. There was one cup left on Niko and Marlena's side and the ball was in Shel's hand. Gio gripped Shel's shoulders like he was about to enter a wrestling ring.

"You got this, buddy," he coached. "Focus on the angle."

Shel stuck out his tongue and aimed the ball. He shot it decisively. It circled around the inner rim and plopped inside the cup. Niko's vision was spinning, but he drank the last beer without hesitation.

"Let's gooooo," Gio cheered. "Beer pong champs right here!"

"Good game, guys," Niko clapped.

Gio ran to embrace Marlena and ruffle her curly hair. She smiled while he praised her and gushed over her performance. Shel jokingly gagged at their loving display as Niko walked over to him.

"I didn't expect you to be such a pro; you only missed one shot," Niko leaned on the table next to Shel.

"You didn't do so bad either," Shel paused to yawn. "You landed, what? Six shots?"

"Tired already?" Niko gently tousled Shel's soft hair.

"Ugh, yeah. Beer makes me so sleepy," Shel rubbed his eyes.

"I'm down to head home, but-" Niko's eyes darted to the side. "You know what that means."

Confused, Shel followed Niko's gaze; realization fell on his face.

"The fucking pool," Shel groaned.

"Morgan is over there," Niko motioned to a poolside table.

Morgan was sitting at a poolside table with Amethyst and Sierra.

"Let's get this over with," Shel said while peeling off his shirt and marching towards the group. Niko followed after him and picked up his shirt off the ground.

"Naked!" Sierra gasped when she noticed Shel striding towards their table.

Shel slipped off his shoes and socks and began unbuttoning his jeans.

"Poor Shel has undressed so many times tonight," Amethyst remarked.

"And poor Niko has had to witness it all," Morgan added sarcastically.

Niko stood a few paces behind Shel, unable to tear his eyes away from his ass. He was frozen in place gripping the discarded t-shirt. Shel kicked his jeans to the side and approached the edge of the pool. He dipped a toe in and shivered.

"Watch this, you demon," Shel hissed at Morgan.

Shel braced himself and leapt into the pool. He sank to the bottom and breathed out. The cold water penetrated him to his core. He pushed himself up and breached the surface. His friends cheered and clapped loudly.

"Gio, bring us a towel!" Sierra called.

Shel pushed his hair out of his face and wiped the water from his eyes. When he opened them he saw Niko crouched by the side of the pool, arm outstretched.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

"It's taking everything in me to not pull you in here," Shel admitted as he grabbed Niko's hand.

"You couldn't, even if you tried," he laughed and helped Shel out of the pool.

A devious smile grew on Shel's face. He wrapped his arms around Niko's torso and hugged him tightly. The moisture from his body soaked into Niko's clothing. Niko couldn't help but return the hug, even if it meant getting more wet.

"This is the best I can do," Shel snickered.

"Sorry to interrupt again," Sierra giggled as she draped a towel over Shel's shoulders.

Shel broke from the hug and wrapped the towel around himself tightly. He danced in place trying to warm his body from within.

"I think I need another shot to get my blood pumping," Shel said through chattering teeth.

"Leave it to meeee," Sierra sang as she dashed away.

She returned momentarily with a nearly empty bottle of vodka. She took a swig straight from the bottle and passed it to Shel. He did the same and winced at the strong flavor.

"Disgusting!" he proclaimed. "But effective," he tied the towel around his neck like a superhero cape.

Niko's eyes fell downward to Shel's mostly exposed body. His boxer briefs clung with moisture and left nothing to the imagination. Niko was not easily flustered, but Shel's toned body slick with water did the trick.

"I'm, uh-" Niko stammered. "Going." He turned around and walked away before anyone could reply.

Shel was in the middle of a second sip of vodka. He coughed violently and passed the bottle back to Sierra.

"What the fuck," Shel scrambled to put his jeans on. "Wait!" he called out while running and putting on his shirt.

Niko weaved through the crowd towards the front door, but Shel easily spotted him. He shoved through the people and stumbled through the door after Niko. He was sitting on the front step, running his fingers through his hair.

"Niko..." Shel said quietly.

"Shit, hey," Niko croaked, jumping at the sound of his voice.

"I thought you left," Shel sat down close next to him.

"I just needed some fresh air," Niko lied.

"Um, we were outside," Shel raised an eyebrow.

"Fresher air..." Niko averted his eyes. His head was already pounding from the excessive drinking. There was a killer hangover in his future.

"So..." Shel thought he could feel himself sobering up. "Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?" his voice was small.

This is not how Niko wanted to reveal his feelings to Shel. He imagined a more romantic setting with roses, candles, and a beautiful sunset. On the other hand, he wondered if they were feelings, or just sparks of attraction. He figured there was no need for a candlelit dinner to tell someone they have a hot body and gorgeous face.

"You're hot," Niko shrugged casually. He tried to regain control of the situation, but his resilience was wavering.

"Oh," Shel's face burned and he turned from Niko. "I guess I knew that."

They sat on the porch in silence for several minutes. Eventually, their friends emerged from the house. Morgan offered to drive everyone home. The car ride was quiet as they were all exhausted from the party. Shel and Niko returned to their respective units without another word to each other.