Chapter 3: Mercilessly Beaten
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"Wow, ah, sensei, you got…curtains?" the question was not enthusiastic. Iruka beamed anyways. Shikamaru smirked; Iruka didn't want to know what his genius brain had already figured out.
"Oh, you noticed? Yes, I thought they would look good in here. I got some for my classroom as well." No more surprises. Don't worry now; this was all part of the plan. He needed to be sure. And this was the perfect way. They were a thick, lightless maroon, impossible for even the sharpest eyes to penetrate. And he would start working in the inner workroom; the one without windows.
If…if he came inside, that meant that Iruka could go out on a limb and allow himself to like this man. If not, then he would have nothing to do with the young jounin any longer. It was as simple as that. Yes or no. He liked him for real or not.
The tan teacher said his 'later' with a cordial wave as he headed off for his classroom. It was time to begin. He'd been waiting for this day for a few weeks: the first Monday of the month. He would never admit his palms were sweating. They weren't…humph.
He turned to the red cheeked, bleary little faces of his class and was filled, like almost every morning, with the spreading warmth of the love he held for his profession. To so influence the youth for good was a rare opportunity not afforded to many.
So, would… would it affect them negatively to see their teacher change? To see him accept all of a sudden that which he was always to adamant against?
Or would it be good for them?
These mutinous thoughts plagued the simple teacher as he worked, and it drove him to teach more passionately, more desperate to attend to the needs of each individual child, as he worked out the issue in his mind. So preoccupied, he jumped a foot when the afternoon releasing bell rung.
The day was over.
No one had come.
He should have been expecting that.
He wasn't hurt. Not one bit. He wasn't disappointed, either. No. Not at all. Iruka gathered his things. He would visit the Hokage though; no messenger had come to summon him at all. He would just see if everything was alright. But he wouldn't ask after him. No, he wouldn't. He wasn't even curious.
After all, Hatake Kakashi was a jounin, and thus had many important things to occupy his precious time. He obviously didn't have all day to pester some Academy teacher.
Maybe he lost interest.
Good. That was a good thing. Right? Yes. Yes, it was. Iruka shook his aching head and knocked at Tsunade's beaten door. When he heard a muffled 'enter', he steeled his resolve and came in.
And there he was, somehow gloriously backlit by streams of halogen sunlight, covered in dirt and dripping blood in small, steady streams to the floor.
Iruka's heart stopped. Then picked up in overdrive.
"Kakashi! Wha- what happened to you? You need a hospital!" In the midst of rushing to the man, Iruka noticed his overwhelmingly concerned expression, his tangible worry, and his sudden proximity to the lean jounin. Oh, and he'd completely forgotten to address the Hokage in the room.
Snapping his gaping jaw shut, he collected himself and banished the flood of embarrassed blood to his cheeks. Clearing his throat, he ignored Kakashi's first surprised, then impishly flattered smirk and turned to greet Tsunade's knowing leer.
Shit. No, dang, dang, dang! He'd been slowly turning into a potty mouth of late.
"Eh-hem. Tsunade-sama, I didn't receive a messenger from your office today. However, I've still collected the report." He dropped the thick file onto the Hokage's desk, trying desperately to ignore her glittering eyes, and bowed to run out and hide under a rock. He'd been wanting to do that a lot, too.
"Iruka-sensei." Her tone stopped him in his tracks. "Yes, Hokage-sama?" He tried pleading with her through his eyes. She was, of course, merciless.
"I forgot to send you that messenger this morning," her face said the opposite, she knew, damn it, she planned it, "Kakashi here just got back from a mission and seems to be bleeding out on my carpet. Could you escort him to the Hospital, please?"
Her hazel eyes curved into those familiar half-moons of trouble-making intent that he'd seen so many times on the children, and on Kakashi. Maybe she was in on it.
Did that mean he was more than just interested?
Or was it simply another branch of some sickly elaborate plan to get Iruka out in the open, to be further pranked?
He paused to show his hesitation, and bowed respectfully. He was still, after all, under her command. Of course, Kakashi was more than capable of getting himself to the hospital. But that wasn't the point.
"Yes, Tsunade-hime."
On the way out of her office, Iruka looked everywhere he could but at the jounin. Kakashi, however, had other plans. Once out of the bright red door, the grey-haired man seemed to lose full function of his legs, and had to lean heavily on Iruka, muscled arm around his shoulders and his grey-haired head resting uncomfortably close to Iruka's .
The tan teacher tried his hardest not to think about how Kakashi's small waist rippled with muscle under his supportive arm, and how his breath, undeniably and strangely sweet, ruffled his hair, brushed his lips. Iruka swallowed.
"You're filthy." He said, more venomously than intended. It was a desperate out-lash to distract from his wandering thoughts. But Kakashi only used it to fuel his smirk, "Oh, yes, Iruka-sensei. The dirtiest."
Iruka bit his lip and ignored how Kakashi caressed his name, how he whispered hotly in his ear. Of course he would turn it around like that. But… the fact was that Kakashi really was bleeding out, and despite his inner battle, despite his loathing for the man who had so mercilessly stirred up these unwelcome feelings within the teacher, Iruka couldn't hide his genuine concern. Not even behind feigned disgust.
"What…what happened to you?" Kakashi raised a brow at his tone. He was giving too much away!
"The same that happens on most dangerous missions. I was attacked." He shrugged, and Iruka pouted.
"Are you actually worried, sensei?"
The tan man whirled to face Kakashi, "Of course! Who wouldn't be? You're bleeding everywhere!" Kakashi blinked, frozen momentarily and snapped from his feigned over-injury, he stood on his own.
"Even though you can still walk for yourself, you're injured." Iruka backed himself in an arguably quieter tone. So what if he was concerned, that was human, right?
"No one's ever really been worried about me." Kakashi admitted shrugging nonchalantly, and the small confession twisted something within Iruka.
"Well, people say I worry too much, anyway." That would get him off his scent.
Instead, it did the opposite. The taller jounin took the excuse to heavily lean on the teacher again, really practically laying on him, and…was that a nuzzle at his neck? Iruka gulped. He couldn't stand much more of this. His nerves were over-sensitive after so little use for so long.
"Maa, sensei-" before Iruka could control himself, he pinched Kakashi's side, "Stop calling me sensei!"
Oh, damn. He just pinched a jounin! Like he would some vagrant child! He flooded bright red, maybe he could cover it, "I'm not your teacher or your superior, Kakashi-san." He wasn't even his equal in the ninja-skill hierarchy. The thought stabbed something dark in Iruka's heart of gold.
He looked at the road, rather than face Kakashi's shocked grey eye.
Instead of some offense at being so casually treated, however, Iruka felt the low vibrations of Kakashi's chuckles, "Did you just pinch me?"
Of course he would call him out.
"Uh, yes. It was a knee-jerk reaction. But you deserved it!" Kakashi grinned impishly at him, "Oh? How is that?"
Iruka cleared his throat. "You were being… inappropriate…" after a moments hesitation, he continued, "You're always so… inappropriate with me."
Kakashi, to Iruka's dismay, pulled him in impossibly, breathtakingly closer. He was so…warm. The warmth spread all over Iruka's body, followed by delicious- no! Terrible, uncomfortable tingles.
"I seem," he whispered hotly, again caressing his ear, "to have a habit of being… inappropriate."
Before Iruka could respond venomously, they reached the Hospital. Instead, he quickly left Kakashi to lean on empty air as he opened the door, nearly pushed the surprised jounin inside, and with a farewell and a quick, "get better." Was running home; tail between his legs.
Oh, the shame. He'd run like some coward, rather than face the overbearing salaciousness that was Hatake Kakashi any longer. His heart simply couldn't take his company any longer.
That thought, that blaspheme he'd uttered that night into his pillow: it was an impossible imagination. Never to be brought to light again.
He'd bury it deep inside, and never allow it out. Never, ever. It would just stay his deepest unconsciousness' dirtiest secret. Yes, that would do it. He would just get over it.
Another month passed, and with each day Iruka forced himself to ignore his buzzing brain. Waking up, making breakfast, sitting down to eat; Iruka dropped his spoon into the same cereal he ate every morning, pushing it away. His head met the countertop.
The truth was, he felt like a zombie.
He hated that damn cereal.
But what, he ate it anyway. Why? For what? The sad part was that he had to remind himself every day why he stuck to routine. And every subsequent day he would again forget. His mind, his body would rebel, he would find himself yearning after all that he'd once worked so hard to ignore. He pressed his wrist to his neck, then to his forehead.
He had a fever. And hadn't even noticed. No wonder he felt so crappy.
No winder he had such strange thoughts. He was just sick, that was all. Ha. Ha, ha. He found himself chortling, then chucking, then laughing wildly at himself, alone in his tiny kitchen at seven am.
He was hysterical.
Maybe it was better he didn't go to work today. The thought itself was shocking; Iruka hadn't missed a day of work since…since before he could remember right now. Quickly, before his logos could get him out of it, he scrawled a quick message to the school and sent it off.
Rest; that was all he needed. Just a good long rest. Getting up, not even bothering for once to keep his otherwise immaculate kitchen that way by cleaning his dishes, he strode to his bed and dove under the covers. He closed his eyes, the dawn sunlight settling wonderfully warm over his face. And dozed.
Something tickled his nose.
Deep in the fog of sleep, Iruka scrunched his face and fell back into sleep. Then again: his nose twitched and he swatted blindly around his face. He fell once more. Then, damnnit, again! This time Iruka's half-asleep brain in frustration over-compensated; he smacked himself awake: only to be greeted by none other than that dreaded, maddening grey eye.
Oh, dang. Iruka took a deep breath, calming himself before he said or did something regrettable.
"Good-morning, sensei!" The jounin crooned.
"Kakashi-san, why are you in my home?" He couldn't keep all of the indignant aggravation from his tone, and for once didn't bother trying to bring himself to care.
Kakashi only grinned under that accursed mask, "You weren't at the Academy today."
The teacher sighed wearily, "I had a fever this morning," Thanks to you, he decided to leave out, "And so decided to stay home and rest." He did add, hoping the jounin would, with his super-sonic skills, get the hint.
Of course, he didn't. He used it, as always, as an excuse to make Iruka further uncomfortable by leaning dangerously close and pressing a suddenly gloveless hand to Iruka's neck.
"Maa, it's true."
Iruka had never quite noticed how long and almost…graceful Kakashi's fingers were.
"You didn't answer my question, Kakashi-san. Why are you in my house?"
Kakashi shrugged, "I decided to investigate. It's so…unlike you to skip work." Iruka glowered, "I'm not skipping, I'm sick." There's a difference. And, that's no reason to break in. Kakashi waved him off dismissively.
"Worry not, Iruka-sensei! I shall nurse you carefully back to health." Oh, no. Iruka didn't like that gleam in the tall jounin's eye; there was no-good written all over that look.
How to get him out? The tan man thought rapidly; he couldn't handle all this while sick and still bleary from sleep, "Don't you have a mission? Or some errands? Really, you don't have to-"
"Nah-ah," Kakashi cut him off, "You'll not squirm your way out of this one. I have you now," He grinned hugely, and Iruka gulped.
"Well, maybe if you squirm…" Kakashi trailed off has he headed for the door. Warm brown eyes unwittingly followed his easy gait, noticing that Kakashi was in regular civilian clothes; and still heavily bandaged.
"Shouldn't you still be in the Hospital?" Iruka grasped at straws, yelling after the man. Kakashi, of course, ignored him.
Dang. Dang, dang, dang, crap, crap, crap. What to do now, with the root of all Iruka's problems unwilling to get out of his house? He put his head in his hands. Then, in a sudden inspiration, released himself from the covers and ran after Kakashi; only to be halted forcefully at his doorway.
"Sensei," Iruka swallowed thickly at the Kakashi's sultry tone, "You belong in bed. I'll get you everything you need." The teacher couldn't dwell on how Kakashi said that first 'bed' part, instead putting his fists to his hips, "I can get up if I want."
Kakashi chuckled, leaning in closer, "I don't think you understand. Bed." He mouthed the word slowly. Too slowly. Iruka's fragile nerves cracked further. His heart beat too loudly; surely Kakashi's renowned hearing would pick up on it. And at the look on his face, he did. Iruka involuntarily flooded red. Shit.
Ah! No, dang it!
More to save himself from further embarrassment, Iruka glared at Kakashi and sulked back to his bed.
"Don't worry," Kakashi said, drawing the blankets back over Iruka's twitching form, "You'll find you love it in my bed."
What? Iruka blanched. "Wha-…what did you say?"
Could he have heard him correctly?
"I said you'll find you love it in bed." The jounin smiled innocently.
Huh… That must've been it. The other thing…that was impossible. Just his overactive imagination…
"Now, be a good sensei and stay there. I'll get your soup." Soup?
"It's seven am, Kakashi-san."
The tall man wagged a playful finger at him, "Remember, it's just Kakashi. It's actually eight am. And sick people require soup. I read that."
Where, in his dirty Icha-Icha books? Humph! Iruka snorted, but didn't say anything as Kakashi disappeared again. Then, not surprisingly, he soon heard a resounding crash.
Oh, what was he into now?
Iruka flung himself out of bed, this time with Kakashi preoccupied with the mess he'd made, Iruka made it to the kitchen; in time to see Kakashi stooped over a huge flood of what looked like once-boiling water, not seeming to notice how red his beautiful hands became as he mopped it up with only a soaked paper towel.
"Kakashi!" Iruka sighed, running over to draw the stupid jounin away from the over-heated water, "Can't you see you're burning yourself?" The tall man only looked blankly at him, and Iruka hung his head. Of course he wouldn't notice. Gathering up those long-fingered, cherry red hands in his own, Iruka stood and drew him to run them under cool water.
"They should feel better soon; it doesn't look like you burned them too badly." He shook his head, "What happened?"
Kakashi explored his face solemnly, "I forgot to use oven mitts."
Iruka 'tsked', clucking his disapproval. It was such an elementary mistake. As he busied himself looking over the man's hands, then finding some soothing salve, he barely noticed Kakashi creep ever closer. Soon, he was looming barely an inch from the man as Iruka smoothed the cream over Kakashi's abused fingers, making extra sure to rub the cream in well. No blisters were welcome here!
When he was done, he beamed at the taller man, "All better!" Kakashi gave a small, slow smile.
"Thank you, Iruka." His voice was a rough, low tenor melody.
Iruka's heart stopped.
He blinked.
Then smiled, "Of course."
He ignored the terrible pounding of his heart. Just Iruka…? No 'sensei' this time. He glowed internally.
But interrupted himself. He was thinking…inappropriately. "I'll grab a mop." Turning, Iruka didn't get more than a foot away before long, muscled arms wrapped around his waist, and a warm, and was it bare? Mouth whispered hotly in his ear. "I'll get it. You still belong in bed." Yes. Iruka shuddered into Kakashi's warm embrace; those were real lips he felt at his ear. No mask.
Temptation fluttered in his heart. But he wouldn't. Instead, He gulped, nodded, blushing furiously, and started back to the room.
Only to be stopped again; but this time Kakashi whirled the teacher around, connecting their lips before Iruka could even gather what was happening. Thus surprised, Iruka found himself utterly and completely melting in Kakashi's arms. Their tongues met exultantly; and in that paralyzing, breath-taking moment; Iruka realized what was happening.
He pushed with all his might; and Kakashi, the Hatake Kakashi, stumbled backwards a few feet.
He gasped for breath.
He'd caught a glimpse of his face.
Oh, it was beautiful.
Already as red as he could possibly be, Iruka gasped for a moment more at Kakashi's frozen figure before turning and practically running back to his bed. No, no, no, no, no! His heart was thumping somewhere up his throat, and Iruka buried himself deep under his covers. He mourned for his life as he'd once known it.
Whether he wanted it to or definitely not, his life would now change. He couldn't go back. Not after a kiss like that. Mind-bending, world shattering, blinding, oh. He was so screwed. Mercilessly beaten.
If this really was all just a cruel joke, he would be bed-ridden for at least a full day. He wouldn't be able to kiss another without painful memories of the best kiss he'd ever gotten, ever.
But how could he be sure? He couldn't, not yet. There had to be a way.
Why was he playing with him like this?
But first, he had to face the world sometime. Turning his face towards the light, Iruka sat up in bed, deciding this time to wait patiently until Kakashi came back. He heard faint whistling, then humming coming from the kitchen. It felt like he waited for forever. But then- footsteps. Iruka made a conscious effort to control his heart's wild beating.
"Iruka-sensei!" The man called; so it was back to 'sensei', then. Maybe that meant it really was all a joke. Ah! He would go crazy before he ever figured it out. Kakashi sauntered back into the room, and Iruka had to consciously snap his jaw shut. Somehow, in the last few minutes, Kakashi had gone out and bought soup.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Ano, I messed up the last one, so I got you some Ichiraku's." He grinned. Iruka's chest stuttered. That was sweet…right? Once more unbalancing Iruka's delicate nervous system, Kakashi sat carefully on the bed, too close once more to the tan, flustered man and, removing his mask where Iruka would have to crane to see him, He pressed his cheek against Iruka's flushed one.
"Yup. Still feverish," The jounin concluded, and Iruka darkened further. "Actually, sensei, I think you may be getting worse." Iruka sighed, and rolled his eyes. If he was getting worse, it was all Kakashi's fault.
Kakashi smiled, and Iruka could swear he knew. He knew his effect, and he knew Iruka's monster blush was the reason he was getting worse.
He was playing with him; like a mischievous cat playing with a witless mouse.
Iruka was the mouse.
"Say 'Ah'!" Kakashi crooned, attempting to spoon some of the soup into Iruka's sealed lips.
He sighed heavily, utterly resigned to his fate. He would be eaten, surely.
"Ahh."
It was delicious. But of course, he'd always loved Ichiraku's.
As he faced that accursed cat's half-moon eye, Iruka was suddenly filled with a righteous indignation. Now he was a simple mouse? No way! He was the educator of the next genius generations of ninja in Konoha, the greatest ninja village of all. How could he just roll over like that?
He would be setting a bad example.
And that thought was what clicked the 'on' switch within Iruka. This was now above himself; it would be selfish to continue letting Kakashi toy with him like this. He had to do something. He had to turn it around on the damn cat.
Iruka narrowed warm brown eyes, a plan suddenly filling him.
He knew what he needed to do. Now it was just a matter of going through with it. He gulped down his fears. He would just prank Kakashi right back.
Begin!
Iruka turned on Kakashi's leering face, coming at him with another spoonful of soup, and grabbed the incoming hand; caressing it and bringing it to his pouted mouth.
He could do this. Kakashi's wide, entranced eye hardened his confidence.
Slowly, intimately, staring sultrily into Kakashi's stormy grey eye, Iruka brought the spoon to his mouth and enveloped it, making sure to drag his lips along the shining metal.
"Mm," He moaned, "this soup is orgasmic."
Kakashi's mouth popped open.
It was all Iruka could do not to start laughing. Instead, he focused his energies on pulling the shell-shocked Kakashi so he could whisper hotly in his ear, "More." In his most seductive voice.
Kakashi, still partially paralyzed, raised another spoonful to his lips. Again, Iruka moaned headily as he suggestively licked the spoon clean. "That was amazing." This was kind of…fun.
Finally, the jounin blinked, and seemed to snap out of his shock. But then that grey eye turned dangerous. Oh, no. His genius plan may have backfired. Or did it? All of a sudden, a dark air seemed to shroud the tall man, and he nearly purred. "Oh, sensei, I know how much you love this soup, but I think you look tense."
"Tense?" Surprise made the teacher forget his plan momentarily.
"Oh, yes." Kakashi clucked, shaking his head and moving in, "So tense. Not healthy. Here, Let me…take care of you." He grinned predatorily. Iruka blinked, and before he could violently protest, Kakashi was positioned behind him, long legs nearly wrapped around him.
Iruka shivered at the heat he knew was coming from Kakashi's inside, and flushed as he realized exactly what part of the jounin was pressed dangerously tight against his butt. He took deep breaths, willing his eyes not to roll back in his head.
"Ka-Kakashi, this is—" The jounin cut him off, "Shh," Oh, those were his lips, so soft against the curve of his ear. Those long, strong fingers, once a burned red ran in delicious circles up and down Iruka's back and sides, and the tan man found himself fighting his own body. No, his mind screamed as his body reacted to the heat, the proximity and those damned hands; no he would absolutely not get hard right now.
Kakashi purposefully panted in his ear, oh-so cruel. Then, just as Iruka was becoming sure it couldn't get any worse, Kakashi whipped his shirt over his head.
What?!
"Kakashi! Now that's just, just—" Iruka started to squirm away, after his discarded shirt, but then those magic fingers happened. Perfectly firm yet supple, Kakashi rubbed him just the right way; releasing years of pent-up stress in a matter of seconds. Before he could stop himself and entirely involuntary, Iruka released a real, deep throated moan. Oh, my. Behind him, Kakashi seemed to growl in response. The way he moved—Iruka soon found himself losing conscious thought; he gripped Kakashi's thighs, still pressed around him, and rolled his head.
"Ah, wow, Kakashi," He mumbled when he finally gathered his fleeing thoughts. His fingers released his pleasure, gripping and nearly massaging Kakashi's muscled thighs.
And then.
Something poked his butt; right between the cheeks.
All that tension he'd released came back in a heart-stopping second.
Was…was that…?
Kakashi bit his shoulder gently, but hard enough to get a rise out of the man; Iruka looked down and nearly fainted. He was completely and irreprehensibly hard, fully erect and staring them both in the face.
They were both hard: Iruka straight up in the air and Kakashi digging into the space between his butt cheeks.
And Kakashi took that glorious moment to nip at his flushed, feverish earlobe and whisper some lame excuse into his ear. Something about leaving the water running at home.
"I'll take care of this," he, swoon, stroked Iruka's clothed girth, "Later. Ja."
And 'poofed' away.
Iruka could've cried.
He was, once more, mercilessly beaten.
Hey. So it's been a few years, (sorry!) but I'm finally finishing up this story.
:D don't be mad, get glad (seriously, sorry)
One more chappie to go!
However, after this one, because of my own insatiability, I'll be changing the rating to M.
Just a warning.
Review!
Entice me to update faster C; You must be seductive, now.
(heh)
Love,
Bright Eyed