1Dental Dilemma

"Ow!" The dark-skinned Shinobi pulled away from the giant, luscious, chocolate-dipped strawberry, whimpering and clutching his right cheek. The owner of the extended hand that was holding the offending fruit sighed and dropped his arm. The two men were draped around each other, unmasked and un-ponytailed in silk bathrobes. They were lying on the latter's crimson comforter covered bed, surrounded by soft candlelight and bathed in the silvery glow from the moonlight spilling into the room.

"Dammit, Iruka, just go to the dentist already!" Kakashi burst out, exasperated. The Jounin had reason to be upset. He had been away on a diplomatic mission in Suna for the past three weeks, and the only thing that kept him going was the thought of celebrating his and Iruka's eight month anniversary when he returned. However, Iruka had been complaining of a toothache since he got back two days ago, and said toothache did not mesh well with his romantic plans for the night. Every time Iruka tried to bite into the delectable treat, searing pain shot through his jaw and stars exploded in front of his eyes.

Iruka sat up sharply, pushing Kakashi off of him while his dark brown eyes darted from side to side nervously. They were now at an even level, facing each other as long, muscled legs entangled their bodies and kept them close.

"No, Kashi, you don't understand. I-I can't go to the dentist. I've had... bad experiences..." The silver-headed man softened at the look of fear on his lover's pretty face. To be honest, he was quite intrigued that a Shinobi, who may be alive one day, bound and tortured the next day, and dead on the third, would have such a profound fear of something as simple as going to the dentist. He had been trying to convince Iruka to go since he returned, but the teacher simply brushed it off as "no big deal". Now it seemed that the obviously terrible truth would be revealed.

"Okay, Ruka-chan, tell me about it and maybe we can work something out." Kakashi said gently, using a pet name to encourage the feeling of safety and security. Iruka gazed into the mismatched eyes, decided that they were sincere, and began his story.

"When I was young, my mother took me to get my teeth cleaned. She said it would be fun; when it was finished I would be allowed to pick out a toy from a basket and she would take me out to get ice cream. That was the first and only time my mother lied to me, but I never fully trusted her again after that incident." Iruka paused, gathering up the courage to relive such horrible memories. Kakashi was holding his breath when Iruka continued.

"It was exciting, at first. My mother came and took me out of school early. We walked into the brick building holding hands. There was a large fish tank full of exotic, beautiful sea creatures and she explained to me what each of them were, where they came from, what they ate. It was... really nice to be spending time with her like that. After a half hour, a woman in a colorful uniform walked out and called my name. My mother started to follow me into the back rooms, but I told her to wait in the lobby. 'I'm a Ninja, you know.' Ah, I was just like Naruto back then, so proud and fearless."

Iruka shifted uncomfortably here, suddenly missing the blond, obnoxious boy and their frequent jaunts to Ichiraku. He went on.

"The hygienist led me to what appeared at first glance to be a child's room. The walls were decorated with dinosaur paper and mobiles hung from the ceiling. In the center was a large chair, designed to imitate a pterodactyl in flight. She had me lay back in the chair while she cleaned my teeth. It was surprisingly pleasant; she turned on some music and chatted freely as she worked. Before long, she finished and brought the seat up so I was sitting straight. The woman smiled warmly at me, saying what a good patient I was. 'The doctor will be right in to make sure everything is okay,' she told me, and waved as she exited the room. I felt so proud of myself and couldn't wait to tell my mother what she said! I sat patiently to wait for the doctor."

The tan Chuunin started to get very antsy. Kakashi noticed and laid back against the headboard, motioning for Iruka to lay against his much paler chest and circled his arms around the front of his lover. Iruka relaxed in Kakashi's lean arms, snuggling his silky head under the white jaw.

"The door opened slowly, and I could hear heavy footfalls. A small hand flicked on the light above my face and leaned me back in the chair. When my eyes finally adjusted to the brightness, I looked at the doctor and almost screamed."

By now, Iruka was shaking freely and Kakashi could feel his heart breaking over the obviously distraught state the younger man was in. Kakashi squeezed Iruka tightly and laid gentle kisses on the top of his brown head.

"His eyes-oh, God, his eyes- it was the most horrible thing I'd ever seen. One of them looked into my own while the other one wandered, unseeing and cloudy. I closed my eyes and tried to think about something else. He studied my mouth for what seemed like ages, then declared in a high, rasping voice that my teeth were in excellent shape and I was free to go. I ran out to the lobby to my mother and began sobbing uncontrollably. I can't remember what went on for the rest of the day, but I haven't been back for a check-up since."

Iruka turned around, burying his face in Kakashi's warm chest. Kakashi could only stare blankly. He blinked a few times, barked with laughter, and said, "That was it?"

Oops. Wrong response. Iruka sat up straight, now shaking with indignant fury.

"Kakashi! I just bared my soul to you! How can you be so callous? I was a child!" He turned around to stare at the wall, holding in embarrassed tears, and hiding his brightly flushed face. Kakashi held out his hand to stroke Iruka's tense back, but the school-teacher slid away.

"Iruka, I'm sorry for laughing. That must have been a very frightening experience for you. But I can help you find a better dentist. Maybe a young woman?" Kakashi truly regretted taking his lover's fear so lightly and wanted to make it up to him. He reached his hand out once more, but this time when contact was made, Iruka stayed put. The Jounin began rubbing his slender hands over the strong brown back. Iruka sighed and leaned into the massage.

"No, you're right," Iruka said quietly. "It's time for me to get over my silly phobia. We can make an appointment tomorrow. But for now, let's enjoy ourselves and each other." He climbed over Kakashi's long body and straddled his hips. They leaned together and lips met for the first time that night. Kakashi entwined his fingers with Iruka's and said huskily, "I bought whipped cream, too"

-----------

Okay, that's the end of that. Kind of a weird little pointless story here, but that was my mom's childhood experience and it always makes me laugh when she talks about the dentist. Ah, my mommy...