The Three Words
It began innocently enough.
He would make sure to visit the mission room when that Chuunin with the expressive brown eyes was on staff.
A slyly suggestive comment infallibly caused the pink color to rise in the brown-haired man's cheeks.
Eventually, though, he wanted more.
He began to follow him home, just to watch his nightly routine of katas and meditation.
The schoolteacher never noticed the silver head outside his window.
But alas, the secret outings were not enough.
The Jounin needed more.
He invited the younger man over, with deeper intentions, to discuss their mutual students.
The elite ninja, being the seductive man he is, had his mouth attached to the teacher's no more than an hour after greeting him outside the apartment.
And for a while, that satisfied the beast within him.
However, after some time, the kisses, the groping, the incredible lovemaking grew into something more.
More than lust, more than the need for a physical release now and then.
When he saw the sweet face shining with pleasure below him and heard the frenzied gasps, his frozen, tormented and mangled heart managed to thaw and knit itself back together.
He had almost managed to become a human being again, yet morning always came and he knew that it wouldn't be long before the Chuunin tired of his body and moved on.
Then, it happened.
As they lay together in the intense afterglow, long, sweaty limbs entangled and chests heaving breathlessly, he heard the three words whispered spoken softly, tenderly.
And he answered truthfully, with his entire heart.
"I love you most."
And his heart was whole.