I really should be working on my NaNoWrimo novel instead of this. The muses are saying otherwise. Ah well, as long as I get some of it written today, I'll be happy. This is my first try at writing Izumo and Kotetsu. While I've read the manga parts they were in as well as watching the anime, not a lot is known about them.

Poor Kotetsu got picked on in this.

Only borrowing them. Kishimoto will get them back in one piece, more or less.

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"What are you doing?"

Looking up, Kotetsu meets his best friend's amused yet wary gaze with a grin of his own. "Sewing, what does it look like."

Izumo picks up one of the many needles and eyes the spiky haired chuunin on the other side of the table. "That much is obvious, Kotetsu. span style"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" Why /span are you sewing?"

"I made a bet with Genma-sempai. Gotta make five of these things before the end of the week. Or I'm going to owe him 500 ryu and going to have to do all his cooking and cleaning until Raidou-sempai returns."

"Raidou-sempai won't be back for at least two weeks." Placing it back down, Izumo frowns at his partner. "That's only three days from now. You only have one done." Pointing out that to Kotetsu, he pauses as he looks at the mess littering the table before staring at the lump of material that has a vague humanoid shape. "Whatever 'it' is."

"It's a plushie." Kotetsu's grin brightens as he keeps stitching up the side of his second 'plushie.'

"A plushie." Repeating his words, he tries to figure out how that thing could ever been a plushie. "Aren't plushies suppose to look human?"

"Yep."

"You have a problem, in that case. These aren't even human shaped. I don't think Genma-sempai is going to accept shoddy workmanship." He drops the needle and pokes at the so-called plushie before giving up and turns his attention back to Kotetsu. "Kotetsu?"

"Izumo?" Glancing up from his work, he looks at his friend curiously.

Pulling the chair out, Izumo drops down in it and rests his cheek on a palm, silently staring at him for a long moment. "What possessed you to make a bet with span style"font-style: italic;" Shiranui Genma? /span Only Hatake-san would be worse to have a bet with."

"Oh. That. I was bored." Waves off his lover's concern, he holds up the second plushie with a look of triumph. "Two down. Three to go."

Dark eyes follow the path of the mutant as Kotetsu puts it down and shakes his head. "Ko, I'm telling you, Genma-sempai isn't going to accept them if they look like this." Watches as the thing's head flops loosely against the stitches holding its' head on.

"What, you offering to help?"

"No. This is your bet. You dug your grave, Kotetsu." Rests his hands on the table and rises from the chair, pushing it back under the table. "Clean up when you finish and don't stay up to late." Turns and walks away.

"Hey! What about dinner?" He shouts after his lover's retreating back, hands stilling their movements.

Izumo's voice float back from the direction of their bedroom. "Already ate."

Looking down, he mutters about bastards who skip their turn to cook and goes back to work. Stabbing himself with a needle, he sticks his finger in his mouth and glares.

"Ouch."

br style"font-style: italic;" / span style"font-style: italic;" Three days later /span

Genma idly turns one of the plushies over in his hands, studying it silently as Kotetsu waits. "Sorry, can't accept this."

"What?!"

"I said: I can't accept this."

"I heard you the first time, Genma-sempai but the rules of the bet said I had to make five plushies and have them to you before the mission room closed for the evening."

"Hmm." Genman nods as he shifts and balances on the railing, senbon twitching. "I know. But they also said that the plushies had to resemble the five people I selected. This doesn't look anything like Iruka." Holds up the plushie that is suppose to be Iruka and shakes it side to side. His eyes drop when the head comes off and tumbles to the floor. "The shoddiest workmanship I ever saw, Kotetsu. I expected better then this." A grin spreads across his face as he looks at the chuunin. "You know what this means."

Sullenly, he nods knowing that he's now under Genma's beck and call for until Raidou returns from his mission.

"Good. You can start tonight. Hope you don't have any plans." Stresses that last word before straightening and smirks. "You can drop by around seven." Genma vanishes in a swirl of smoke, leaving Kotetsu alone on on the roof.

span style"font-style: italic;" Later that night /span

Dragging his feet, Kotetsu curses the jounin, having been running all over Konoha on Genma's slightest whim and finally, at one in the morning, just getting home. He wonders what Izumo will say when he sees the ridiculous outfit he's been forced into. Unlocking the door, he automatically disables the traps and shuts it behind him, muttering. "I'm home."

"What in the hell are you wearing?!" Izumo's voice floats out of the darkness as a lamp flickers on revealing him standing by the couch, a glass in one hand and the television on.

Automatically, he looks down at the short leather skirt and slinky silk shirt clinging to his upper body. Boots completing the look. "Genma-sempai stoled my clothing." Offers as a way of explaining but knows that it's not what Izumo wants to hear when the other's eyes narrow. "I was cleaning his tub and got soaked. He offered to give me something to change into and had already took off with my uniform before I saw exactly what he gave me." To his relief, Izumo seems to accept that.

"Kotetsu, I told you that he wouldn't accept those plushies. You should have known better then to think that." Sounding far to amused for Kotetsu's comfort, Izumo rakes his eyes up and down his lover's body and whistles, grinning. "At least Genma-sempai had good taste."

"Izumo!" Face flaming, he glowers and stalks towards their room slamming the door shut behind him, Izumo's laughter following him. "Damn bastards. I'll never live this down."

"No, you won't."

The flash and words catch him off guard and he spins, just as another flash goes off and when the spots start fading, he sees Izumo standing there with the camera, smirking at him.

"IZUMO!"

Loud, wild laughter startles a passerby who pauses to stare at the house thoughtfully before continuing on his way. Raidou shakes his head, just wanting to get home to surprise his lover.