Title:Talk By meleth78
Genre: Angst/Humor/Romance
Characters: Kakashi, Iruka
Rating: PG
Status: One shot
Comments: Er...no real spoilers I think.
Disclaimer: They want to be mine, but they are not. No one cares how THEY feel.
A/N: After a really long hiatus, I'm trying to regain the feel of these two characters. I've forgotten how hard it is towrite them 'right'. Thank you to everyone who has continued to offer me support, encouragement and who have continued to read my stories. Please let me know what you think!
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'Hey'
Kakashi crouched at the open window ledge of Iruka's apartment and waited for the young sensei to respond. It was late in the evening and the air was starting to slowly cool to an uncomfortable temperature. The tips and lobes of his ears were starting to ache slightly, and at the same time, were becoming more than a little numb. Particularly his left lobe. Distractedly, the jounin blew onto his half-gloved fingertips and reached up to rub at his left ear.
There was no response from Iruka as the younger man continued to grade his scrolls while seated stiffly on his threadbare green couch.
'Hey' Kakashi repeated, scratching irritably on his left ear now. No wonder. The dry, chilly air was aggravating the rather deep nick he had unknowingly received on his left ear after his last mission. The newly formed scab was starting to harden and flake. The constant scratching wasn't helping either. He should really have gotten it stitched up. Death by ear-lobe, what an utterly embarrassing way for a jounin of his repute to perish. Gai would never let him live it down.
Again no response.
'I said hey.' Repeated the pale man. In a single, fluid movement, he launched himself from the ledge unto the couch next to the seemingly engrossed sensei. The sudden dip in the half-sunken sofa as he landed caused Iruka's red marker to jerk abruptly and streak crimson ink across the scroll he was grading.
'Fuc—Kakashi!' scowled the young teacher finally turning to glower at the unrepentant jounin lounging next to him. 'What do you want?' Asked the sensei in what could only be described as a frosty manner.
'My ear itches.' Retorted the jounin and he reiterated his point by tugging on his left ear lobe. Warm dampness. It was bleeding again. Uncaring, the jounin wiped his fingers on his pant leg. What was another blood stain anyway.
'Put some cream on it.' Came the roll-eyed reply. 'In your own apartment.'
'You concern is over-whelming sensei.' Drawled the pale man reaching out to lift and prod curiously at the sheets of paper littered over the coffee-table in-front of the dark green sofa.
'Stop that.' Snapped Iruka, batting the offending hand away. 'Go away. I'm busy.'
And then there was silence. Only the soft scratching of Kakashi's blunt nails against his ear and the rustling of the jounin's uniform could be heard as the older man continued to fidget. When he started to pick at the scab Iruka finally could not take it any longer.
'For god's sake don't pick at it! You'll make it bleed even more.' Exhaling sharply, the sensei stood up and stalked to the bathroom medicine cabinet.
'But it ITCHES' Whined the older man, the petulant pout in his voice apparent even if his pale lips were still covered by his dark, thin mask.
'Fine. Scratch. Peel. Get infected. Get blood poisoning. Die for all I care.' In a violent motion Iruka yanked the cabinet door open, pulled out a blue tube of cream and threw it at the offending jounin.
'Help me rub it on?' asked said offending jounin wincing slightly as the metal tube bounced off his taut, shirt covered stomach. Maybe he shouldn't have removed his vest before coming over after all.
'NO! Go away!' Yelled the clearly frustrated chuunin.
Kakashi sighed.
'But I can't see where it is Ruka-'
'OH FOR GOD'S-' Iruka snatched the tube from the jounin, snapped it open, squeezed then roughly applied a liberal amount of the slave onto the taller man's injured ear. The wound was deeper than the sensei had originally thought. Blood was starting to ooze slightly from where Kakashi had been picking. Serves the bastard right.
'Oww! Oww! Oww!' yelped the pale man, flinching from the sharp sting of the anti-septic cream. He scrambled away from the already short-tempered sensei to plaster himself against the wall next to the window he had earlier entered from.
'Where are you- Stop being a baby!'
'Stings!' Cried the older man his usually smooth forehead crinkled in deep consternation which was at the moment, fully directed at the chuunin still seated on the worn sofa.
'Get back here!' Yelled Iruka his already short fuse rapidly igniting even further.
'No way!' Yelled the jounin raising both hands up to cup protectively at his ears.
'GET BACK HERE!' Shouted the sensei. His dark eyes were spitting molten fire, full lips compressed severely. Iruka stabbed at the recently vacated position next to him that Kakashi had so speedily leaped out of.
'Make me.' Came the swift reply.
Belligerent. The pale bastard had the nerve to be belligerent.
'Son of a-'
'Hey! Watch the language sensei!'
Abruptly Iruka bapth-ed out of sight and bapth-ed in again right in front of the offending jounin.
'Hey, no fai-'
But before he could complete his protest Kakashi found himself being kissed. Being very thoroughly kissed. Very, very thoroughly indeed. Iruka had pressed himself against the jounin, mouth moving urgently, warmly, wet and slick against the taller man's. Arching up on his toes even further, the young sensei slid his right hand deep into the silvered head so close to his and tugged on it, nuzzling Kakashi's open lips even closer to his probing mouth.
Tongues tangled. Smooth, damp, warm…so warm.
Someone moaned. It ached to be this close after so long. Kissing shouldn't hurt but it did anyway.
Kakashi groan. The jounin couldn't help the sigh that escaped him as he breathed into Iruka's mouth. He slid his fingers into the sensei's dark hair, urging the younger man even close, giving him more access.
It hurt.
'OWWW!' he yelped 'OWW! OWW! OWW!' The jounin abruptly shoved Iruka away from him and clutched at his wounded left ear. 'You fuck!'
Iruka smirked.
'That hurt damn it!'
'It'll have hurt more if you had to cut it off.' The sensei paused, his devilish smirk turning into a I'm-so-please-with-my-hot-self smile. 'I can't believe you fell for that.' Laughed the grinning chuunin. 'Moron.'
'Yeah well, it's only because you have such a delectable body.' Leered Kakashi. 'And you taste really good too. That's distracting as hell.'
The sensei couldn't quite stop the faint blush that spread across his tanned cheekbones so he quickly turned and returned to his former position on the couch.
'Your ear's fine. Just keep it dry and stop picking and it'll heal in a few days.' Iruka picked up his red marker again and began to methodically go through the homework scroll in front of him.
'I'd better stay here so that you can make sure I do all that.' Replied the pale jounin sauntering back as well. Sitting down and leaning back on the couch, he propped his feet up on top of the mass of open scrolls on the sensei's coffee table. This of course earned the pale man a reprimanding smack and shove from the disgruntled chuunin.
'Hey! I'm injured'
'Feet off!' growled Iruka, glaring.
Kakashi huffed and muttered choice swear words darkly under his breath but did as instructed. After all, when in someone's house, it paid to be polite. Plus Iruka was scary when truly riled. The jounin reached up to scratch his ear yet again but froze immediately at the dark glare he couldn't see but you definitely FEEL coming from the man at his side. He slouched and stayed silent despite the protest that was on the tip of his tongue. He even tried to stay still in case he disturbed Iruka from his marking but Kakashi, being Kakashi couldn't stay too quiet for long.
'You didn't do anything wrong you know.' Said the jounin suddenly, sitting up straighter then leaning over as he bent to pick up the scrolls that had tumbled off the table.
'Of course I didn't. You're just enough of a moron to let your ear rot and fall off.'
'I meant about Mizuki.' Continued the jounin, he fixed his single, exposed eye on the younger man from his bent over position, silently gauging the chuunin's reaction. The scrolls remained in his grasp, unmoving.
'I-I don't want to talk about it.'
'It wasn't your fault.'
'SERIOUSLY.' Iruka's voice rose harshly, rattling the stilted silence that had befallen the room. 'Not now.'
That said the younger man twisted awkwardly to squeeze at the back of his neck with his free hand. Uncomfortable. Disconcerted. Hurt. He then crouched over to stare at his scrolls once again, fingers shifting from his neck to rub jerkily at his forehead.
'Ok.' Murmured the jounin. 'Ok.' Later was ok too. He could do later.
Kakashi gently placed the fallen scrolls back onto the table top and leaned back against the green sofa. Then shifting his body about, the jounin angled himself so that his head was lying in Iruka's lap as he sprawled out on the couch, blatantly ignoring the disgruntled sound emanating from the sensei. Eye falling close, the jounin continued,
'I'll be around when you want to talk. Anyway, later is probably better since, you know, my ear is injured and all.'
THE END