Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
A/N: Who's back? Yes, me! Now, i know you all want to kill me, and i am very sorry for such a horrendous wait- i never thought i would ever become one of these people! I admit that the first few weeks of uni, i didnt write at all, but i am serious in saying i have been writing this chapter since the start of November. I had hoped to get it up by christmas, but then i got ill so... And whoever said uni was all play and no work should be killed. They obviously never did a science degree. However, i am going to put a great effort into writing faster- i have so much i want to share. So, i hope you can enjoy this much belated chapter- which even in the last few minutes of uplaod has proved a struggle. What is up with ? I had to export a previous chapter to get this baby up. Bah! That said, here we go.
Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to my beta, for many things :)
Warnings: LEMON! oF THE KAKAIRU KIND. If you do not wish to read, don't read! Or just skip that bit- its gets pretty obvious- HOT NIGHT. Oh, and swearing, and Yaoi and fluff..
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Night had truly fallen by the time Sasuke managed to free himself from his deep musing's, and he was forced to stir from his vague bliss.
If he was going to meet this contact, then he would have to leave now. His tail flicked sharply into the air as he stared down at Naruto's still-sleeping face. The blonde's mouth was slightly open, and a small trail of drool was seeping down, and he had a small little crease of lines between his eyebrows which would twitch every so often.
Sasuke frowned, as his hold tightened imperceptibly on his mate.
Naruto was dead asleep, and Sasuke was well tempted not to wake him- Naruto needed his rest, and when unconscious, he couldn't make a fuss about being disallowed to accompany him.
On the other hand though, Sasuke wouldn't feel right just leaving him there in the middle of the forest, all by himself. Not only would the blond be out for the count, but he also didn't want the blond to wake up while he was gone, and possibly become confused and worried to find his mate 'missing'.
Even worse, Naruto could get angry instead, and try to find him.
Sasuke restrained a sigh as imagination began to run riot on all the horrible possibilities that could happen to his dear idiot, and he resigned himself to waking the contrary fox up.
It took several pokes, of increasing intensity, for blue eyes, dark with sleep, to crack open.
Naruto looked around blearily for a few moments, and Sasuke felt a renewed bout of remorse for waking him, until the blind focussed on Sasuke and gave him a rare, very soft smile.
He felt his heart thump heavily once more, and Sasuke was sure he was developing a serious problem.
"Hey," whispered Naruto, voice thick and husky as he stirred and sat up, letting Sasuke's arms fall to pool around his waist.
"Hey", muttered back Sasuke just as softly, covertly pressing his lips against the tan skin of his temple as Naruto yawned obliviously.
"Was' the matter?" slurred Naruto, stretching his spine.
Sasuke inwardly braced himself.
"It's time to go meet our contact."
Sasuke cursed himself for being ambiguous as Naruto dully nodded and pushed himself up to standing in a lazy manner, still only half awake. Sasuke jumped to stand up as well, his tenseness a great contrast to Naruto's lethargic stance.
Sasuke stared at Naruto from under his lashes, watching as he slowly came to awareness as the cat said nothing. He watched as the blonde's brow creased in slight annoyance and he inwardly winced.
Silence stretched between them strangely.
"Well, where is it?" Naruto asked annoyed, rubbing one eye when it became clear that Sasuke wouldn't act without prompting.
Oddly, Sasuke didn't respond to his question, and as the long seconds ticked by, he began to feel a strange apprehension. Naruto turned to look at Sasuke properly, and his wariness grew. With squinted eyes, he could clearly see that the Uchiha was being suspicious.
"What?" Naruto growled out. He was feeling irritatingly hot all of a sudden, despite the cool night air licking at his bare arms, and irrationally tetchy, in a really quite uncomfortable, itchy way.
He would later realise it was likely because of the baby causing an influx of multiple hormones through his system.
But for now, he just knew he didn't want Sasuke being suspicious.
Sasuke pursed his lips together tightly when Naruto began to glare at him, for really no real reason, and he put his best blank-do-as-I-say face on. Naruto tended to ignore it, but it made him feel better.
"I'll be going to meet this Dosu-san, you'll be staying here," he commanded in his best monotone, steeling himself to tie the stupid fox up if he had to. He'd bent on things for Naruto before, but this was not something that he was going to compromise on.
Blue eyes narrowed to slits, and Sasuke could feel the hostility, but unlike years ago, Naruto did not shout and demand whys and question him. He'd learnt another way to deal with this.
"So, where is it?"
Which was to completely ignore it and storm his way through regardless. His stubbornness usually got him through it.
Not this time though.
Sasuke was an Uchiha on a mission.
And that mission was to make Naruto understand that he couldn't do whatever he wanted to anymore.
"Naruto," said Sasuke sternly, hoping that Naruto would understand that he really meant it this time.
He was trying not to make this into a fight, as Naruto would then go against anything he said on mere principle.
"Sasuke," mocked Naruto back.
This was....an argument.
"Naruto," snapped Sasuke, "I'm serious, and don't you pretend you don't know what I mean."
The blond made a disgruntled sound, and did seem a little caught off guard, but rallied with a jeer.
"I'm not an invalid Sasuke! This isn't even dangerous, you're being ridiculous!"
Their voices were low hisses, sharp words meant to cut through the other's opinion like threads.
"You don't know that- you are well aware that this could be a trap, and normally, we would be prepared and go on ahead anyway, but you can't do that anymore Naruto. You just- can't. Don't be selfish about this!"
The last seemed to hit a nerve.
"Selfish?! I'm hardly being selfish. I don't- I can't. I won't let you see me as some...weakling that you need to coddle! I've managed to stop you doing this before, it's no different now! You're the one being selfish here!"
They both glared, both feeling the argument as one that was old and stale.
When they'd first left the city, newly mated and still so young, Sasuke had done his very best to keep Naruto out of danger. He felt it was his responsibility; that was what the husband did, wasn't it? And Naruto, who'd lived a life of independency for a lot longer than Sasuke, and was remembering it well now that he was back in his 'element' was more than displeased.
It felt to him that Sasuke didn't respect him, didn't see him as a person capable to think and do things for himself, that he could not be trusted.
Sasuke was confused at first by Naruto acting out against his protection, and as a result, had only tried to tighten his hold on the blond even more.
It was a horrible clash; Sasuke with limited ideas of what it meant to be married to someone, about how to actually go about it as his experience had been restricted to that of his own parents, who in his memory were very direct about these things. And Naruto, who despite everything, was still a man, and one who greatly valued his own self worth (it'd taken a long time to build), which he felt Sasuke was distinctly undermining.
They'd eventually had a big blowout over it, but it actually took a couple of years for them to sort it out and fall into a routine both accepted. There had been a lot of these in the first few years; the love was always strong, but the relationship clumsy. Such was to be expected when young people jump quickly with little experience.
Not that either regretted mating so early, but it did come with its drawbacks.
They'd come all the stronger on the other side, but now a very old argument was back again, only with new medium.
And in his irrationally bad mood, Naruto was likely to do something stupid.
Sasuke chewed on the words exchanged bitterly for a few moments, before backing down his hackles.
This needed to be talked about, not argued.
He took a few steps towards Naruto, feeling weary, and gently grabbed his limp hands.
Naruto stared at him in surprise, but didn't immediately try to get a word in.
"Look Naruto, I know you can look after yourself, okay? I know," he added as he saw Naruto open his mouth to interrupt, "you can get stabbed, lose buckets of blood, smash bones to bits, and still be able to recover perfectly."
Sasuke breathed deep, and made sure to lock those blue eyes with his own.
"You can survive those things fine, but you've got to think- the baby can't."
Naruto gripped Sasuke's hands in his own, squeezing. Sasuke squeezed back and carried on in a soft voice.
"It's so small, and delicate, and little; it's going to need us to protect it for years and years, and right now it's growing inside you, when it's most weak. If something bad happens to you, something bad happens to the baby- something you can survive fine, it might not. You understand that right?"
Any anger had disappeared, and instead Naruto just looked downright miserable, tears leaking in the corner's of his eyes. His mood had obviously swung again.
He turned his head away, but still whispered a scratchy,
"Yeah, I know."
The thought of losing the baby...
Sasuke turned his grip into a full out hug, letting a drained Naruto rest his head on his shoulder.
"...I was thinking selfishly, wasn't I? It's not really a big deal, and I already know that I'm not even going to be at full strength anymore- and that's its only going to get worse..."
The soft whispers were drowned somewhat by Sasuke's shirt front, but the cat heard them all anyway.
"You weren't being selfish Naruto," he sighed, adjusting his hold so he could look the blond in the face, "You're just used to being able to throw your weight around however you want. Dobe."
He gave Naruto a soft knock on the cheek with his knuckles and knew things were good again when Naruto scowled back at him on reflex.
"Still," muttered Naruto, pulling back and suddenly feeling embarrassed, "it sucks that I have to stay here bored, while you get all the fun."
Knowing that this was as good as Naruto admitting he was right (something Naruto hated to do on fear that his dear mate's ego might explode), Sasuke allowed a secretly smug smile adorn his face.
"I'll be sure to make it up to you later," he said amused, more than satisfied with his success at reasoning with Naruto.
The time was growing short however, and he really did need to go.
He took a few steps back, making his intention to leave known.
He levelled Naruto a sharp look.
"You- stay here. No following, no leaving and no getting attacked by mysterious foes while I'm gone, got it?"
His tone much lighter than before, Naruto fed off it and nodded seriously, though his eyes were gleaming as he stood unnaturally still where he stood.
"Good."
Sasuke nodded and turned to leave, but only managed a few steps before Naruto called out to him.
"Sasuke!"
The cat turned over his shoulder, an eye brow raised as he saw Naruto stare determinedly away from him, cheeks flushed a little, and scratching his cheek idly.
"Just...you know...don't do anything stupid. 'Coz I'm not there. Or something."
Sasuke blinked, before smirking.
"I'll be careful," he drawled teasingly before disappearing through the darkness of the trees.
He didn't have to hear to know that Naruto cursed at his back.
As it turned out, the fuss had all been about nothing; no insidious plot was sprung, and Dosu had no information of real value that Sasuke didn't already know.
Usually, Sasuke would have been hissing mad about the months of wasted trip, and been in a bad mood for days after wasting his precious time all for nothing. However, with things as they were, Sasuke was merely glad no more drama kicked up, and that he and Naruto could go straight back to Tokyo.
Though that again, would take a few weeks; Sasuke was hesitant to make Naruto walk so far, but rides were few and far between; he'd have to amend the time period for them to arrive back in the city to mid way through August.
An extra six weeks, but at least they would get to see Iruka and Kakashi before the summer holiday season was over.
Sasuke would repeat a much loved phrase of an old friend.
"Troublesome."
It was a hot night.
It had been scorching through the entire day; another one in a long line, the heat wave giving no indication of easing.
Windows had been thrown open, to tempt a non-existent breeze, and fans had been going non-stop ever since the air conditioning broke down.
The plants were wilting in their sills, desperate for a drop of rain after two weeks of nothing but clear skies and blazing blue.
The air was stiff and suffocating, and the onset of night brought no relief, even as a blue, gibbous moon hung low in the sky.
In one apartment, a relatively cosy suite on the fifth floor, the heat showed no sign of abating. But to the two occupants, the weather was the last things on their minds, sweat slowly rolling down their bodies due to a much different cause.
The window in the bedroom was thrown open like all the others, but the thin white gossamer curtains fluttered in the updrafts on the edges.
Blue light fell in through the hole, landing in thick stripes across a bare, pale back, illuminating the skin as it bulged and flexed, undulating with strong, deliberate movement.
It also cast a shadow on a pair of hands, tan in colour, that were clenched white as they gripped the white bed sheets tightly.
"Ah!"
Iruka threw his head back and cried out feebly as Kakashi drove home inside him once more with that steady, poignant rhythm. Legs trembling against the stimulation, he managed to wrap his legs around the man's waist, hooking his ankles on the other side, drawing their bodies even closer together.
With every thrust, he could feel Kakashi's chest slide against his own, slickened with sweat, and hot; boiling hot. A searing mouth was suckling on his neck, silver grey hair smashed against his cheek as Kakashi buried his head in the crook of his neck.
"Uh..."
Iruka tired to keep his eyes open, unaware of the deep dark chocolate colour they presented in his aroused state, and gently pushed back into Kakashi's body, desperate to feel that warm, familiar heat, to feel the wild heart beat that mirrored his own.
Large hands crept up to his shoulders, and Iruka had to bit his lip to retain the whimper that bubbled up in his throat when the throbbing length inside of him pressed hard against his prostate, sending white flashes through both his body and his mind.
There was no teasing chuckle from above him as usual, but instead Kakashi only sucked a little harder on the skin he had taken hostage with his tongue, and Iruka resigned his aching heart to one of those nights.
The nights that made Iruka remember just what wrong he did to this man; one he loved so very much.
Nights when Kakashi made love to him.
Iruka couldn't contain his whimper this time, as the pleasure ground up to a new level, and in order to stop himself ripping the sheets in his hands, he removed them; placing them instead on the pale, yet sizzling back of his lover.
He pressed hard, letting his palms rub deep into the skin, up against the shoulder blades, moving in time to the rhythm of their movements.
They were moving completely in sync, and despite the burn in his belly, Iruka made no move to try to speed up their coupling, letting Kakashi sweetly torture him with the slow yet hard pace.
It ached, and burned, and filled Iruka with such energy as Kakashi impaled with an unspoken tenderness; every move was thought of, enriched with pure feeling, as he held himself back, and melded their bodies together.
They were joined at every point, and easily moved as one being, instead of two.
Iruka felt a tremble in Kakashi's back, that resonated throughout his entire frame, and squeezed his eyes shut as another wave enveloped him.
He tightened his thighs around Kakashi's body, pulling him ever closer, so tight it was almost painful.
Kakashi bit down on the flesh in his mouth, nibbling with such tenacity, yet not allowing a single drop of blood to spill from the fragile neck. He gave slow, languid little kisses to the area around his chosen spot, but always returned to that one place, worshipping it with his lips.
The spot where Kakashi had marked him, a very long time ago.
He could still remember the pain, the piercing raw agony from Kakashi's jaws.
Being human, he had received no pleasure from it, but once healed, it still represented the bond between them, and had become a favoured spot to the both of them.
But right now, Iruka quivered like a leaf underneath his lover, gripping as tightly as possible onto his body, pressing up against him to relieve the pain as Kakashi bit down once more and gave a harder thrust into him.
Not his own pain, but Kakashi's.
Iruka breathed heavily, the sound falling onto Kakashi's ear in little whisps of air, and a hollow, wet gasp soon followed after as Kakashi began to lose some of his composure, pushing in deeper, harder, into Iruka's tight heat.
"Fuck..." the youkai muttered into chocolate strands, Iruka's hair splayed all over the whiteness of the pillow.
Iruka shuddered at the low, muttered voice, hearing it quiver dangerously.
Iruka's eyes began to sting, though not entirely from sadness, even as the heat tightened and wound deeper into his stomach, signalling he was getting closer.
The long, hard thrusts seemed to become more jerky, and Iruka pushed as hard as he could back into Kakashi.
The heat was starting to blind him, his eyes could see no ceiling above him, and even the grey of Kakashi's hair seem to blur and swirl in his vision.
He'd done such a wrong, he'd left, he'd left for so long...
"Fuck-"
Iruka bit his lip at the agony of his ecstasy.
"Fuck I need you."
Soft words were muttered against his ear, nearly broken from their source buried in his neck.
A tear, in fierce rebellion, slipped free and slid down his temple and into his hair, causing Iruka to blink rapidly.
He didn't mind the pain at all as Kakashi dug his claws into his hips in a furious desperation, and moved his body in sync as much as he was able to with the rough, now haphazard motion of Kakashi inside him.
The whiteness was tight, and Kakashi-Kakashi-Kakashi...
He came with something between a sob and a gasp, his entire body jerking with his orgasm.
"Ugh..."
He scrambled with his hands on Kakashi's back to find some purchase, and the youkai thrust into him several more times before cumming himself, filling him awash with hot seed, while he also bit down on his neck, over that one mark.
Overwhelmed by sensation, by feeling, Iruka could only cling to Kakashi as he came back down to earth, sated all the way to the soul.
The only sounds in the still air of the bedroom were their heavy, laboured breathing.
Sweat clung to every pore, and was rapidly cooling on their bodies, leaving a stickiness neither cared about.
Kakashi let out a deep, content sigh, collapsing to the side, his heavy body limp as he stared at his mate through heavy lidded eyes.
Iruka's brown eyes stared back at him, looking as if they were melting, his tan cheeks alive with a red hue, and parted swollen lips through which he gasped for air. His fine hair tumbled down his cheeks in a waterfall, a few strands falling across his face to get in his eyes.
God, he was irresistible.
With a gentle finger, Kakashi reached out to brush those stubborn errant strands, and he drank in the sight as those eyes fluttered closed at the touch.
He let his finger linger, moving to trail it down a flushed cheek.
"I love you," came a soft whisper.
Coffee eyes were open once more, and it took a moment to realise it was Iruka who had spoken.
A small, pleased smile tilted his lips.
"Yeah, I know," he whispered back just as softly, though now with a bit of old humour creeping into his voice.
Without further ado, Kakashi pulled a gently smiling Iruka to lay flush against him, wrapping arms and entwining legs together.
It was much too hot for it, of course, but neither made to move away until the next morning.
It was quite the shame really, that their peaceful lives were about to be stamped upon by their wayward children, perhaps even later that very day.
But for now, they slept blissfully, oblivious.
When the knock came, it was very lucky they were awake.
It was late at night, passed the witching hour, and Kakashi had been sitting in his pajama's on the newly bought second-hand-sofa of comfiness, reading that day's newspaper he hadn't got round to reading.
Iruka was finishing up the cleaning of the kitchen after a late, cosy dinner of fish, the left over's of that morning's rice and a few odd plums. He was pretty much ready for bed as well, his custom hair tie already slowly slipping free in anticipation and he rolled his sleeves up as he finally closed the tiny dishwasher.
Most of the lights were out, and the pair were happily expecting a night of well-earned sleep after a long day.
Iruka was just straightening up as the door to their flat was banged upon, just twice, but with enough force to rattle the hinges.
A frown instantly marred the skin of Iruka's forehead, and he quickly stuck his head round the kitchen door to glance into the living room towards Kakashi.
"Who on earth could that be at this hour?" he asked, caught between annoyed and bewilderingly curious.
Kakashi's nose twitched a little and Iruka watched in fascination as the youkai tensed, and then sprung off the couch. He put his newspaper down slowly though, and merely ambled to the door, despite his spritely actions.
Iruka hesitantly stepped a few more paces into the living room proper, and Kakashi halted in front of the door. He only paused for a second or two, but the time it took seemed heavy and slow.
The silver haired man felt his lips twitch as he finally opened the door to see who lay on the other side.
He only managed a brief vision of the pair standing on the doorstep; full of weathered, dirty clothes and weary faces, along with the smell of old leather and mud, and a mirage of soft smiles.
"Kakashi-pervert!"
Came the excited cry, before a fox bounced in, blinding with the grin on his face and his blond hair glinting gold under the soft lights.
"Umph!"
Was all Kakashi could get out in reply as he was literally smothered in a bear-hug, vision full of that golden hair.
Luckily, he knew this person.
His eyes instantly darted over Naruto's shoulder, locking with amused black ones that bored into him from over the threshold.
Kakashi couldn't help but let out an inaudible sigh of relief, to see their boys again, alive and well.
Naruto was still hanging onto him like a leach, though not for long.
"Naruto?" questioned a small whisper.
"Iruka!!" Naruto positively squealed in his excitement, and Kakashi felt air rush into his lungs as the blond jumped off him to tackle Iruka. Shock and bemusement filled brown eyes, but they promptly welled up as he realised that Naruto, his Naruto, was hugging him.
"You're back," whispered Iruka softly, voice starting to wet with tears already, as he brought his arms up to hug his son just as fiercely around the middle, feeling as if he might disappear again any second.
"Yeah," muttered Naruto back into brown hair, already set off by Iruka, his voice cracking, no intention of letting go of one of his most precious people.
A man who had as good as raised him, who he hadn't' seen in years.
Their hold was tight and they even started to sway a little in the dim yellowy light that shone from the single lamp.
Naruto let his eyes slip closed, breathing deeply; Iruka smelt of lemony soap and fresh wood, and it was such a familiar scent that he almost wanted to bury himself in it. The slight smell of Kakashi on the man made him want to smile.
He could feel Iruka tighten his hold even further, scrunching the back of his thick, coarsely woven shirt, and he put a hand gently on top of the other man's head, letting his finger's glide through the soft strands.
They both sighed imperceptibly.
They didn't even break apart as the door shut with a soft click, though the two did look up to see Sasuke and Kakashi standing nearby.
Iruka smiled watery.
"Sasuke," he said in acknowledgement, and Sasuke didn't doubt he would get a hug later- even if Iruka was always, even now, still a little suspicious of him, the man took seriously to the idea that Sasuke was his son-in-law. It was somewhat amusing, though Sasuke still found it a little baffling.
Still, he happily watched the two reunite, feeling very content at the image, happy that Naruto was so happy.
And...he supposed...it was nice for him to see them again too.
It had been awhile.
And during his childhood he'd become accustomed to having Kakashi hanging around.
He was caught off guard a moment as Kakashi first sighed from beside him and then suddenly crushed the poor cat in a hug of his own.
Naturally, it was a much more manly hug, but both men's eyes glimmered a little before they broke apart rapidly.
Iruka still hadn't let Naruto go, and the blond seemed happy to let him. He turned slightly in the hold though so he could look at everyone, smiling happily at them all.
"So, you're back I see," stated Kakashi dryly, even though he couldn't quite pull off the disinterested tone as well as normal.
"Hmmhmm!" piped up Naruto, an indulgent smile taking across his face, and a strange glint in his eye as Iruka suddenly let go of him, only to grab his shoulders and force him a few steps back, so the man could look over the blond with a clear view and roving eyes.
Sasuke snorted.
"Yes," he stated, "though later than we had first anticipated."
Iruka spared a moment to give him a sharp glance, making a noise in his throat a little like an angry goose.
"Oh, you two," he said maligned, "if only you would actually tell us when you were coming back- so we could see you- no idea what we could be doing- oh I mean..." his voice gave up halfway through the sentence, and Iruka resumed his inspection of Naruto.
Sasuke sighed.
"You know we can't."
Iruka's mouth tightened, even though he didn't look over to him again, and Kakashi gave a weary sigh.
"I almost hate to ask," Kakashi said, "but when are you leaving again?"
"Kakashi!" exclaimed Naruto softly, "we've been here barely five minutes, not even a proper chance to say hi again and you're already asking when we're leaving?!"
Kakashi blinked once, before the eye curled upwards and a hand was raised in warning.
"Maa, maa, Naruto-chan, you know I didn't mean it like that...."
Blue eyes narrowed in a way Kakashi thought was far too reminiscent of Iruka for his liking, but was saved surprisingly by Sasuke, who chose to speak up.
"Well then, nice to know you don't want to get rid of us that quickly."
"Sasuke! You know that's not-" Iruka interjected.
Sasuke shook his head good naturedly.
"Then you should also be glad to hear we're not going back."
Both older men froze for a moment.
"Not going back? To the countryside? Ever?" whispered Iruka sharply, eyes darting back and forth from Naruto to Sasuke.
The blond smiled cheekily at him and shook his head in confirmation.
"Oh! That's wonderful!" cried Iruka, giving in to his urge to hug his beloved Naruto to his chest once again, unmindful to the dirty cloths and dry caked mud transferring from Naruto to himself in the process.
Kakashi was a little more restrained with his jubilance, as he raised an eyebrow dubiously.
"Oh? And what's caused this then?"
Sasuke sent him an exasperated look; the poor Uchiha must be tired- and spoke.
"Don't start that; it always been planned this way- and now it's time."
Kakashi's eyebrow didn't move.
"Well," he said, "nice to clear that up then."
Sasuke ignored the dry sarcasm, too tired to deal with quick-minded youaki right that moment.
He glanced towards Iruka and Naruto, and was a little disappointed to see them still glued together.
"Iruka," started Sasuke a little uncomfortably, "sorry to cut the reunion short," here Iruka clutched Naruto with not a little horror, probably thinking that they were to take their leave once again, "but would you mind releasing Naruto and I? We could....really do with a shower."
Sasuke muttered plainly.
Iruka blinked, then pushed Naruto away again to stare at him once more.
He then glanced over to Sasuke.
From both their skin and clothes, dried mud was gently flaking to the floor, bits of grass stuck in odd places. Old, weathered boots were encrusted with dirt and their hair was matted with what could only be grime and sweat.
His tan face rapidly screwed up in disgust.
"My god, you two are filthy! What have you two been doing?! Don't you ever wash?"
Naruto and Sasuke both gave non-committal grunts that couldn't be deciphered at this and simply stood there.
To be truthful, both were well and truly exhausted. The last leg of the latest part of their non-stop journey had involved some rather desperate hitch-hiking in the back of grimy trucks with no suspension and on mostly unpaved, bump filled roads.
They'd been little sleep for them, and their bodies ached all over. It had been a trail to drag their bodies up the staircases to reach the apartment, and their brief spurt of energy at seeing Iruka and Kakashi once again was rapidly leaving the both of them.
Sasuke was especially eager to get his mate clean, preferably fed, and then into a comfy bed where the blond could sleep uninterrupted on soft sheets for a few days.
Though, to be honest, Sasuke was ready to kill for some home-comforts himself at this point. His back burned with aches and pains all along his spine, his limbs were heavy like lead and lack of his sleep was making his head blurry and slow. Dirt and grunge stuck into his pores like a sickening second skin, ingrained into the worn fabric of his clothes with near impossible tenacity. His skin felt rancid and he longed to get himself clean.
The first few weeks of the journey back to Tokyo had been fine enough, but the last few bits became increasingly difficult. Naruto hadn't let on just how much he was rapidly starting to struggle with the pace, and the first thing Sasuke knew about it, the blond collapsed.
He hadn't lost consciousness thankfully, but those few moments where he'd had to just watch Naruto crumple like paper in a fist, a new, feverish terror had gripped him in its vice.
Sasuke had been pretty sure he'd experienced all types of fear in his young life before, but it seemed life could still find new ways to try to give him a heart attack.
Naruto had been gasping for air, head between his knees as Sasuke held him close, trying somehow to pass on his own energy into his mate. Anything to make the blond better.
Naruto had quickly recovered after a few minutes, with a sheepish smile and an innocent face- only to be thoroughly yelled at by Sasuke for his pretence. He'd been so angry....
Naruto had stared at him with wide eyes, and as soon as he could, spewed an apology, that he wouldn't do it again, and would Sasuke please calm down so he could help him....
It was a very non-Naruto sort of thing to do, and Sasuke was still convinced that it was a handy mood swing of the blonde's with good timing.
But the point was, the child Naruto carried was rapidly draining him of his strength; bad rest, scorching weather, dehydration and constant trekking had thoroughly worn the blond out, with no chance to recover as the baby hoarded more and more of its parent's chakra by the day.
Sasuke had refused to make Naruto walk any further, while Naruto had point-blank refused to be carried the entire way (the blonds' compromising quota for the day already shot apparently).
They'd ended up doing a mix of walking slower- and at night when it was cooler, and Sasuke carrying a grumpy blond on his back- this being the most dignified position, according to Naruto, for someone needing to be carried. Sasuke ignored him, and when they could, they hitch hiked.
Though Sasuke wondered if it was really worth it when he cricked his neck for the nth time.
Still, they'd managed to finally reach the outskirts of Tokyo early that morning, when the ground was covered in a fine mist that was scalded gold with the sunlight, only to be burnt away within minutes.
They'd spent the rest of the day trying to get across the city as inconspicuously as possible.
Sasuke knew he was seriously tired when it took him nearly fifteen minutes to work out where they were going on the train map.
But, finally, they'd made it.
But the joy at seeing Iruka and Kakashi which gave them a brief reprieve was quickly being defeated in the face of tiredness. And Sasuke was determined to make sure Naruto was nice and comfy within another half hour.
Iruka sighed, as his question went unanswered, and his eyes quickly softened at the obviously quite bleary youkai. Even Naruto, who had been bouncy and cheerful at arrival, was blinking a little too much to be normal.
Iruka felt his instincts as a host and parent kick in.
"It's late- you two must be exhausted," he said in understanding tone that would normally annoy the Uchiha, "you two go have a shower, and I'll go prepare the guest room, we can talk and catch up on everything tomorrow morning."
Naruto nodded to this, rapidly dipping in his energy.
Kakashi sent Sasuke a mild look, "Would you like some food first, or straight to bed?"
"Bed," mumbled Naruto.
"No, food first, then bed," said Sasuke sternly with a glance towards his mate.
Naruto gave him a rather soft, feeble glare, as an understanding passed between them unspoken.
"Mph," Naruto pouted and let his head loll a little.
This action seemed to alarm Iruka a little as he rapidly ushered the blond to towards the bathroom.
Prompted to finally move from his place beside Kakashi, Sasuke stalked quickly after them. Just as Iruka was pushing Naruto into the bathroom, Sasuke replaced Iruka's guiding hand with his own.
Startled brown eyes darted upwards.
"I'll take him."
Iruka reluctantly let the Uchiha take his son into the bathroom and watched as the door closed and then heard the lock catch.
He sighed, tired himself and turned away to get out the spare sheets for the single guest room.
Sasuke closed the bathroom door with a sigh, turning the lock. Glancing behind him he saw Naruto standing dumbly in the middle of the small room, dirty boots smearing the gleaming white tile with mud.
Sasuke walked over to him and cupped his face gently, bringing tired blue eyes up to meet his.
"You alright?" he questioned softly, letting his touch linger in reassurance. Naruto's eyelids fluttered but he gave a small nod, bringing his arms up stiffly to start untying the strap of his bag.
"Yeah, just....really tired, you know?"
The blond gave a tiny smile and Sasuke removed his hands to help his mate remove his clothing, fingers numb and clumsy with exhaustion.
"Yeah...." he muttered softly, frowning as he let Naruto hold onto him as he struggled to get his boots off, teetering with the effort.
They fell off with a dull thud.
"We'll shower, eat and then go to bed- no need to get up anytime soon, right?"
Naruto nodded once more, this time with a yawn, and started to shrug off his shirt, half-watching as Sasuke began to remove his own clothes, peeling off the encrusted fabric with a look of distaste.
Naruto chuckled under his breath and let his top fall to the ground and stepped out of the last until he was completely naked.
It was more than a simple relief; he felt like he'd been living in those clothes forever.
He heard Sasuke grunt in the background, but he didn't bother to turn around and check, he instead went over to the shower, determined to wash the grime off his body as soon as possible.
On his way he passed the floor length mirror and wouldn't have paused, except that the swirl of colour he glimpsed out of the corner of his eye didn't seem quite right.
Dazed, he paused to look at himself, and for a moment he couldn't see what was the difference. Apart from all the dirt anyways.
Squinting, he turned to the side.
"....oh..." he breathed.
Sasuke looked up at the exhalation, only to see his mate nude, standing in front of a mirror and a hand grasping his stomach.
Slowly, Naruto turned horrified eyes towards him; though if he'd been more aware he might have seen the slight mischievous gleam as well.
"Sasuke..." he wailed ominously, "I've...."
"What?"
Naruto drew a deep breath.
"I've gotten fat!"
".....What?"
Naruto's brows furrowed.
"No, here, look!"
Feeling somewhat surreal, and sceptical, Sasuke dutifully padded over, kicking away the odd errant piece of clothing, and stood in front of the frowning blond.
Naruto stared expectantly, and Sasuke refused to roll his eyes as he was forced to grab and pull Naruto's tan hand away from his stomach.
He blinked, staring.
Naruto was right, or rather....
He placed his own hand over the slight slanting swell, letting his fingers spread as a fierce, animalistic pride swelled in his chest.
The tan skin was warm and almost taut, and was most definitely firm. It was a small thing, mostly unnoticeable, even with his clothes off, but it was a start.
Sasuke felt a purr rumble, unleashed, in the back of his throat and flicked his eyes down to match Naruto's who stared back almost challengingly.
A smirk tugged at his pale face.
"You're right," he commented lightly, "I told you all that ramen would come back to you one of these days."
He tried to keep his face straight as possible, delighting as the blond gaped at him, spluttering a little as Sasuke buried his nose in Naruto's soft hair.
"You...you bastard! Don't you dare call me fat! And what's wrong with ramen anyways?!"
Sasuke couldn't help but break down and laugh at the indignant little blond, which just seemed to make Naruto all the more angry.
Sasuke didn't really notice what he was squawking about though and instead silenced by pressing his lips against his in a chaste, but wet kiss.
Naruto was quiet and blushing when he pulled away.
He couldn't help but smile at him as he wrapped his arms about his waist, entrapping him in a tight embrace.
"You're starting to show," he muttered in a conciliatory tone against the blonde's ear.
"Yeah," Naruto muttered back with a pout.
The Uchiha smiled against the fox's temple, breathing in the scent heavily.
"Iruka will go absolutely mad," said Sasuke lightly, finally pulling away to tug at Naruto's arm towards the shower.
The blond frowned as he stepped in after him.
"Good mad, or bad mad?"
A shrug and a sudden spray of water was his answer.
"Who knows?"
Naruto snorted under his breath, but didn't otherwise retort, instead reaching out to grab the bottle of shampoo; it felt heavy in his hand and he was glad it was nearly full- they'd most definitely need it.
The warm spray of the water was comforting, and Naruto happily filled his hands with the squelching shampoo before reaching up and dumping it in Sasuke's dark hair, which was always plastered endearingly to his white skin when wet.
He relished in making a lather and rubbing it in; more for the fact he knew he was getting rid of the dirt more than anything else. He jerked in shock as he felt cool hands, despite the water, touch his sides.
He glanced down and relaxed when he saw it was just Sasuke cleaning his body with a good amount of body wash. It smelt appropriately fruity and fresh.
Naruto hummed a little and got back to his task of scrubbing the poor Uchiha's head once, twice and even three times.
There was a lot of dirt and sweat to get out there.
He couldn't help but pause though as Sasuke got to his abdomen.
His mate always took great care when washing him, almost sensually, even when that was the last thing on their minds, but he slowed so much here, his hands so gentle as they moved over his newly formed bump, he couldn't prevent his breath from hitching.
Swirling dark eyes glanced up at him.
"What?"
His eye's softened and he felt his heart melt just a little more, but shook his head and made a grab for a bit of conditioner to work out the many tangles.
Sasuke, he thought, despite all evidence to the contrary, was abominably sweet.
The rest of the time spent in the shower was done in complete silence, and Naruto nearly stumbled out by the time it was over. Sasuke made sure to keep a strong grip on his arm.
They piled their clothes in a heap, but otherwise made do covering themselves in Iruka's white fluffy towels as they sat in the duly light kitchen. Sasuke ended up spending most of the time watching to make sure that Naruto ate then eating himself, and then it was one last stumble off to the guestroom.
As Naruto fell on top of the soft, cool covers in a heap of slightly damp bath towels, he couldn't help but feel relief flow through every pore of his being, and he could confess that at this point in time- this part of his life- he was completely happy.
That morning, Iruka couldn't help humming to himself, bright fresh light streaming into the kitchen through the window, making the counter tops shine and the sink sparkle. It was a beautiful day, with birds chirping, and despite the fierce heat, the odd hopeful fluffy cloud drifting up in the sky.
Iruka was beaming with content, happily drying the dishes, as he pattered about the kitchen with a delightful energy. Nothing could bring down his mood that morning.
Naruto was back!
Alive, well and in his room sleeping peacefully, and in just a little while he'd be awake to greet him with those dear glistening blue eyes of summer, loud and cheerful, and then he'd stuff his face with rice and the rest of Iruka's cooking.
The brown haired sensei sighed in deep contentment, staring a little dazed out the window.
It'd been such a long time since he'd had his son in the house- and he was going to make the best of it. He didn't even care if Naruto made a mess, like usual. Iruka was sure he could even clean Naruto's three-month-old dirty laundry from the floor and still be smiling.
Today was just such a good day!
Iruka smiled, blushing into the plate he'd just dried before gently placing it on the rack, just in time to jump in the air as sneaking arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed.
"Kakashi!" he yelled in surprise, though it contained a laugh as well.
"Put me down!"
"Aw, but I'm so jealous- my lovely Iruka-koi smiling like that at tableware- I didn't know you liked that sort of thing!"
"Oh hush it you!" said Iruka, fondly batting at his lover's grey hair, his feet being slowly put back onto the squeaky clean floor tiles.
"I need to check on breakfast," he commented, picking up a spatula. Kakashi, however, didn't release the grip on his waist and instead he peaked over Iruka's shoulder, to see several pots bubbling away.
"Wah, someone's eager this morning....I think I'm jealous again."
Iruka simply smiled and hit Kakashi's creeping hands with the spatula a few times till he let go. Turning, he further used his weapon to enunciate his words.
"Now you- I'm in a very good mood today, since Naruto here's, so I don't want you ruining it, understand? No silly comments this morning or I'll gut you," Iruka's scary face morphed into a dazed look, "I want everything to be perfect!"
Kakashi watched, blinking, as his mate flounced away, humming again, and he shook his head warmly.
It was lovely to see his Iruka-chan looking so genuinely happy and not worrying for once. It was at those times that he really shone his brightest, and it warmed his heart to see.
"Maa, I don't know why you made breakfast though- those two probably won't be up until this evening."
Iruka shot him a look over his shoulder.
"I know my Naruto- he can't resist good food for long."
Kakashi wasn't too sure what to say to that, still convinced that they wouldn't be seeing hide nor hair of the younger little demons until much later; they'd been exhausted last night. But Kakashi said nothing more, not wanting to disturb Iruka in his zen moments. Instead, he simply sat down at the table, propping his chin on one hand and quietly watching Iruka's gentle yet precise movements above the stove. It was so soothing, he happily zoned out, thoughts drifting wherever they wanted.
Though, despite the peace, his mind kept getting snagged on something. It'd nagged him last night too, when Naruto, and Sasuke, had barged through the door. There was just a little something he couldn't quite pinpoint, but it was itching his brain. He absent mindedly scratched his head, tilting the silver strands.
It was something about Naruto- maybe the both of them. But when he tried to think of it, it seemed to just slip away. He thought Naruto smelt a bit....odd. It could have been all the mud of course but....
Ah well, it'd come to him. Maybe he would even ask about it later.
He let it go without effort, despite the itch, and tuned back in his vision to see Iruka begin pilling an unholy amount of white, fluffy rice into a bowl, the steam making the counter hazy and Kakashi blink rapidly.
He sighed and watched as Iruka set out a veritable feast on to the table, making it practically groan by the time he'd finished. Kakashi felt a little drop of sweat drip down the back of his head; Iruka never made this much for him- and even for guests, surely this was a little much?
But Iruka was again beaming in satisfaction and- and he was wearing an apron and- and he was still holding that spatula, so he didn't say a word.
He leaned back in his seat and scratched a cheek furtively.
Iruka gave a little clap of his hands and went to get cutlery. Feeling a little awkward, Kakashi made a stab at it.
"Ah, Iruka-koi, this all looks so lovely! It's been a while since you, er, went through so much exercise in the kitchen! A-ha-haaa..."
Iruka didn't seem to be listening to him. In fact, he was back to humming again.
"Ah...." mumbled Kakashi.
He sighed internally, slightly wounded, but decided to make the best of it, reaching to pick up his chopsticks. Can't let all this good food go to waste, nah?
"Thwaa-aack!"
Kakashi stared, wide eyed and frozen with his hair fluttering, as his chopsticks flew through the air and clattered onto the floor with a tinkling sound. Iruka had whacked them with his spatula.
His temple was twitching a little.
"No starting until Naruto is here."
"Uh...." Kakashi nodded.
Maaa, Iruka was scary. Especially with the spatula. He gazed forlornly to the closed white door where Naruto and Sasuke had slept last night. It was ominously quiet.
Silence descended on the kitchen, food bowls steaming and wafting their divine scent all around the room, Iruka standing back with a smile on his face, and Kakashi slumped in his seat feeling a little dejected. He understood that Iruka was really happy and all that Naruto was back; he was happy to see him too- and Sasuke. But still, surely Iruka was being a bit unfair? He bit back any grumbles though and went for the peaceful route. Silence.
They remained that way for a couple of minutes before Kakashi decided to try attempting to wheedle some leeway out of his lover, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by a loud crash, sounding as if it came from the guest room.
Both men whipped their heads around to stare at the closed door, and were soon rewarded as the still air was once more split with some rather dubious noises.
There was another crashing sound, followed by a rolling thud, as if someone fell out of bed. Then there was some brief, echoing silence before a keening whine seeped out from under the door.
Kakashi and Iruka briefly traded looks, before continuing to stare. There was now odd muffled sounds. Talking?
Both men flinched at another crash, and then the white door was flung open, the doorknob slamming into the wall, revealing Naruto standing in the middle of it in all his bright glory.
He was wearing a large t-shirt and some boxers, and that was it, and he looked somewhat smug, and very-very awake. Clutched in his left hand was a pale wrist, and Kakashi felt some pity as realised that Naruto was dragging a half dead Sasuke behind him.
Naruto, for his part, didn't really seem to notice.
"Na, na! What smells so good?!"
Iruka clapped his hands together again.
"Ah, Naruto, I made breakfast for you this morning- I thought you could do with a proper home cooked meal for once."
Naruto's face split in two with his signature grin, stretching his whisker marks and making him look more like a fox than ever. His intense eyes were gleaming mistily.
"Suuugggoi!" He whooped, and dashed over to the table, ignoring the thuds against the floor where he dragged Sasuke's prone form. He completely let the half-standing half-crawling Uchiha go as he reached the table, and Kakashi watched in bemusement as his dark head immediately slammed into the floor with the rest of him.
"Urngh....."
Naruto once again paid no attention to the pain of his mate, and instead rammed out a chair and sat down, immediately grabbing up some chopsticks to start in on the feast before him, rice already sticking to his cheeks, and flecking it on the table, the floor and everywhere.
Iruka just stood over him and smiled warmly, eyes crinkling and sighing in fondness.
"Uh..."
A pale hand slapped itself onto the table, and Sasuke pushed himself into an adjacent seat, hunching and with bags under his eyes that would impress a corpse. He had about the brain power outage as a zombie as well, patting his hand around for a mug, hoping for coffee.
Sasuke no work in morning without caffeine.
He made a few more indistinguishable grunting noises before pale fingers finally curled around a cup handle. That seemed as far as he could go however, before Sasuke short circuited again and his head dipped. He'd get going again in a few minutes. And if that failed, you could always poke him.
Kakashi felt himself smile a little as well, and deeming it safe, picked up his chopsticks once more.
The food did look really good.
Still, he was a bit amazed that Naruto could look so rejuvenated in just a few hours of good sleep. Sasuke looked a lot more than what he thought. But he probably shouldn't be surprised. Naruto had always been the hyper sort, and probably had just benefitted from a comfy bed and some decent food to lure him out.
"Na~ Iruka, you're a really good cook! Have you got better since last time?"
Iruka laughed and ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Oh Naruto....still, I could teach you if you like? I never got round to it before- and I don't think ramen counts."
"Nurgh....." agreed Sasuke.
Naruto pouted. But it only lasted a moment before he shoved some loaded chop sticks back into his mouth.
It really was an idyllic sort of morning...
It sort of felt surreal, coated with a warm, honey aura.
Naruto eating, Iruka laughing, Sasuke...well, breathing. It was all very nostalgic. Despite the heat, Kakashi felt himself warm for the first time in quite a while.
This was....nice.
Kakashi smiled a little, unnoticed and basked.
Yeah...
This was....good.
A/N: I hope it was good- and there was plenty of fluff. More action will happen next chapter- which unless disaster should be less than five months away this time!
Hope you enjoyed and let me know what you thought!