Disclaimer: Don't own.

Warnings: Yaoi. KakaIru. Don't like, don't read. Simple. Probably a little AU.

A/N: Hopefully this chapter is a bit more captivating than the first. I'm really sorry about that, it was garbage, and I know it. And holy crap is this LATE! I'm so sorry! My life sucked for awhile there, and my deepest apologies! I didn't mean to make you guys wait! I'm so sorry!


Thinking tended to get him in trouble, especially where Iruka was concerned, so he avoided it, instead picking out shapes in the shadows that danced across his ceiling, cast by the trees just outside his window. Yes, definitely better than thinking…

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Iruka approached Kakashi's apartment at a slow pace, noting that the sun had almost set. They day was ending more quickly than he had realized. It was a good thing he had all weekend to get his work done, he'd need it. He thought back to the bags of work he had dumped back at his apartment and cringed. With a sigh, he knocked on the door in front of him, and waited for an answer.

He heard Kakashi move, but the man didn't come to the door, he'd simply moved. Iruka gave the door a confused look and raised his hand to knock again, but before he had the chance, it was opened and Kakashi was standing in the doorway looking confused and embarrassed. Iruka honestly had no idea what to think of the situation at all, so he simply stood quietly and waited for Kakashi to say something.

"Uh… Hey, Iruka-sensei. Um, sorry about that, I kinda fell asleep." The older man said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and smiling. How long had he been waiting anyway? As a second thought, he stepped aside and invited the chuunin inside. Iruka stepped in, and toed off his sandals.

"Um, is there any place special you wanted to eat?" Iruka asked, not bothering to comment on the fact that places were going to start closing rather rapidly, and unless Kakashi intended to eat at a bar, they had better pick a place quickly.

"Oh, I already made dinner…" Kakashi smiled sheepishly once again. "But I was wondering if you'd go out for a drink with me after dinner. Genma and Raidou invited me out, and you really could use a break."

Iruka shrugged noncommittally, and changed the subject. "What'd you make for dinner?" There was a genuine eagerness in his voice.

"Domburi." Kakashi answered simply, leading the way to the kitchen, idly wondering if the food was even still remotely warm. They sat and ate, making casual conversation, Iruka politely turned at an angle away from Kakashi's face, a favor the jounin had not asked for, but greatly appreciated. Kakashi finished first, pulling up his mask, Iruka's cue to turn and face him so they could talk more properly. The conversation was light, and full of laughter. When Iruka finally finished, they both set to work cleaning the mess and continued chatting about nothing in particular.

"Oi, Iruka-sensei, you gonna join me for a drink?" Kakashi asked again finally, hoping his companion would give him a more direct answer.

The chuunin gave a small smile. "Sure." He said plainly, and the jounin wasn't exactly sure what to make of that reaction. He knew Iruka wasn't much of a drinker, so the lack of emotion might have just been a slight apprehension for the drink and not the company; not to mention, it was getting pretty late, and Iruka had work to do. It was hard to say exactly what seemed to be holding the chuunin back, but Kakashi opted not to push the subject, lest he change Iruka's mind.

Kakashi nodded and walked to the door, slipping on his sandals, and Iruka followed suit. They left without further conversation, and Iruka followed Kakashi to a bar on the outskirts of town. The walk was quiet and comfortable but there was a looming nervousness that both men felt, though neither addressed it. They had never been particularly public about their new friendship, and as far as anyone could tell, the only reason they even associated with one another was because of their students. Their relationship wasn't really something they had intended to keep secret, it just sort of happened that way, and neither man was exactly sure how others around the village would take the news. They were an unlikely pair. They seemed opposites in every way. Kakashi was lazy, perverted, secretive, and seemed to always be trying to improve. Iruka was hardworking, prudent, open, and content with the way his life was. Their lack of compatibility was beyond obvious; it was staggering, and yet somehow they had become friends and though they didn't voice their fears, both men worried that exposing that newfound friendship would only bring about trouble. Yet here they were, sitting in some bar with Genma and Raidou obviously they had come together, and now the rumors were bound to start flying.

Kakashi ordered his first drink, and again Iruka followed suit. Genma and Raidou had been their when the other two arrived, and the fact that they had begun drinking early was extremely evident. Genma was leering and Raidou with so much lust, Iruka found himself blushing. Raidou seemed oblivious giggling drunkenly about nothing in particular. Kakashi and Iruka sighed in unison, and set to work getting themselves good and drunk as well.

It wasn't until about an hour later than anyone even commented on the fact that Kakashi and Iruka had arrived together, and by that time all of them were so drunk that any apprehension that would have made itself apparent was nowhere to be seen.

Raidou gave Iruka a curious look, as though just noticing the chuunin's presence. "He come here with you, 'Kashi-san?"

Kakashi glared at the nickname and poured himself another drink. "Yeah. You're just noticing?"

Raidou thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I guess so." He laughed and gave Iruka a pat on the back. "He's been so quiet." Iruka simply smiled and blushed, looking down at his half empty cup, and finishing it off in a single deep swallow.

"Oi, Iruka-sensei, everything okay?" Kakashi asked quietly, leaning over Iruka's shoulder and attempting to whisper in his ear. It came out as more of a breathy inquiry than a whisper. Iruka shuddered slightly at the hot breath caressing his neck and ear, and blushed a slightly deeper red.

"I-I'm fine." Iruka stuttered.

Genma watched the exchange in amusement, giggling quietly at Iruka's blushing and Kakashi's behavior. The blonde knew his friend wasn't purposely being flirtatious. He had seen Kakashi's flirting and he knew well enough that had that been the case he and Iruka would have left by now, and would probably be more than a little occupied for the night. No, this was something different and not even Genma was sure what it was. With a mental shrug, Genma decided to watch the scene play out, between his wonton glaring at Raidou, anyway.

Iruka tried to hide his embarrassment by grabbing for the bottle of sake that he and Kakashi had been sharing, hoping that perhaps a few more drinks would help him forget the feeling of that breath ghosting across the sensitive skin of his neck. As he reached for the bottle, however, his hand brushed against Kakashi's as the jounin hadn't let go of the bottle after he poured his last drink. There was an awkward moment as their fingers lingered over each other touching, caressing. Iruka was sure it was an accident; Kakashi hadn't meant anything by it, probably didn't even notice the contact at all, but Iruka couldn't help his deepening blush, and Genma watched the entire encounter in amusement while Raidou remained oblivious to everything around him.

Once Iruka finally had the bottle in his hand, he fumbled with, unsure of what exactly he had been doing in the first place. After a moment of hesitation he shrugged, and downed the rest of the bottle in a single drink. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and Raidou applauded and continued his giggling. Iruka looked down intently at the table, trying to hide his blush, but Kakashi reached out a half gloved hand, and touched a finger to the younger man's chin, tilting Iruka's head up, and toward.

"You sure you're alright?" Kakashi asked, concern evident in his voice, his single grayish blue eye was fixed on the chuunin, and while the vague gloss of alcohol was present there, his emotions were displayed in that single eye with startling clarity. Iruka could see the concern, could nearly read Kakashi's thoughts just looking into his eye. He saw the anger threatening to take hold if either Genma or Raidou had made him uncomfortable; it was sweet really.

"I… uh… I'm fine." Iruka attempted to smile, but it was clearly forced. The anger that had been present in Kakashi's eye before was quickly becoming prominent. The glare Kakashi shot Genma was enough the steal the amusement out of the blonde's face completely. In fact, the senbon sucker looked prepared to die right there in that bar. "No, Kakashi, really, I'm fine…" Iruka assured, looking at Genma with pity, though he couldn't help but wonder what Kakashi would have done to the blonde man.

The silver haired man turned to Iruka, as though he was trying to assess the truth in the younger man's statement. "Are you sure?" Kakashi asked slowly, again leaning in just a little bit too close.

Iruka closed his eyes and nodded, taking a deep shaky breath to calm himself. Kakashi was just drunk, he wasn't flirting; he was just drunk. The chuunin managed a smile and cast a look at the empty bottle of sake. One more bottle wouldn't hurt anything would it? He waved a server over, and ordered another bottle. Raidou gave him another round of applause, giggling an idiot. It was truly amazing how Raidou could be oblivious to everything except the consumption or ordering of alcohol. Iruka gave a long sigh, deciding he might as well join in the conversation.

The four men talked and drank for a few more hours. Genma seemed to be making passes at Raidou with every comment, and Raidou remained oblivious, giggling, and encouraging everyone to drink. Kakashi made comments every so often, but was overall rather quiet, observing. Iruka spoke when spoken to, which pretty much meant that he was talking to Kakashi, and Iruka found that he couldn't stop blushing. No matter how many times he told himself that Kakashi was just drunk and unaware of personal boundaries, he couldn't help the shy blush the crept onto his cheeks every time Kakashi leaned over to whisper something.

By the end of the night they were all stumbling out of the bar mumbling and giggling. Genma had somehow managed to convince Raidou to let him support the brunette, wrapping an arm around his waist, and helping him walk, though the blonde was stumbling around like a drunken hobo as well, and the two of them really just looked idiotic.

Iruka didn't really remember much after that. He had walked with Kakashi somewhere, but he wasn't really sure where they went or what they had done when he woke the next morning. He was sure his head hurt, felt as though it might actually, and he was tempted to just lie wherever he was for the rest of the day, or at least until someone moved him, but when he heard someone moving around in another room, he knew he had to get up. Still, reluctant Iruka reached out with his chakra, hoping he had ended up at home and Izumo had come to raid is fridge. Sure, it was unlikely, but it had happened before. It was also the only option that meant he'd get to stay in bed. Izumo, however, was not who he found.

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Genma leaned his head back against the couch in his apartment, the effects of his night out drinking. He closed his eyes, hoping without the bright light to assault his eyes, his migraine might lessen at least. He was wrong, there was no change. He groaned loudly, and heard Raidou giggling next to him. At least his whole night hadn't been terrible.

"You know, giggling really doesn't suit you." Genma commented dully, trying to will his headache away. Raidou responded with muffled giggles. "How are you not sick? You drank more than any of us!" Genma was clearly unhappy with the injustice of the situation.

"I dunno. It's a gift." Raidou offered, with a shrug Genma didn't see.

There was a long silence between the two as Raidou calmed his giggling, and Genma forced himself to think about something other than how he was feeling.

"Oi, did you think Kakashi-san was acting strangely last night?" Genma asked, his mind finally finding something interesting enough to distract him from his own suffering.

"No, not really. He seemed just the same as always to me. Bored, quiet and lazy." Raidou managed to sound both entertained and disinterested in a way that was strictly Raidou.

"Yeah, but with Iruka. They seemed… weird." Genma said, trying to put his finger on what exactly seemed so strange about their behavior, but the details were too fuzzy in his mind to pinpoint what exactly seemed so strange.

Raidout thought about it for a minute, but couldn't really recall anything out of place. "They seemed normal to me, just a bit more friendly than usual. But they were drunk, and after Naruto left they started spending a bit more time together, so it's not really that surprising. What are you getting at Gengen?"

Genma turned and opened one eye to glare out Raidou before the pain became more annoying than the pet name had been. "Gengen? No. Don't do that… ever." Raidou started his giggling again. "There was more to it than that, though."

"Like what? Clearly you noticed something I didn't." Raidou said, still giggling quietly.

"I don't really know what it was. It was mostly just Kakashi-san. Iruka's always been shy, especially around Kakashi-san, so I guess that's not too strange."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Raidou said with a sigh. He put an arm around Genma's shoulders and squeezed.

Genma sighed. "I was drunk, maybe I was imagining things, but they seemed weird." He shrugged and dropped the topic, but couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. He'd have to ask Anko if she'd heard anything about those two lately.


A/N: Okay, sorry about the late update. I was planning to have this up about a week ago, but I had a fun trip to the hospital when I cut my toe open and saw the innermost workings of my tiny little appendage… And then my car broke… which was a barrel of fun since I was about five miles from any town, and my phone has been broken for about a month now. And then my boyfriend and I had a cute little break up, and well… it's been interesting. Anyway… I'm really sorry about the delay, and I'm sorry if this seemed a little rushed, I really felt bad about not getting it up sooner…