Author's Notes

- Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed :)! Ya'll are the reason I keep on trucking!

- Thank you to Fuyu! You are the best and this wouldn't have been posted without you, my lovely!

- Also check out Fuyu no Akegata's ' Between the Journey and the Rest' and ' Me In Honey' and all her other fics on here and her LJ. Excellent reads!

- Thanks to everyone who reads this mess XD!!!

Story Notes

- This occurs several months after the events of Show and Tell. For anyone trying to keep track, it's late summer/early fall, the begnning of the school year. And a few months before Fuyu's " Between the Journey and the Rest".

Warnings: Coarse language, malexmale sexual dialogue, biseinen-ai, mortal embarrassment of a prepubescent boy, etc.

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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Odd Admiration

Chapter 6

" Man to man?"

The Inuzuka dogs snored.

Loudly.

Like small bears in the depths of winter hibernation.

How the hell can anyone else sleep in here? Kakashi lay perfectly still, as he had been trained to do, breathing shallow and even in flawless imitation of slumber. His pack raised his head and shoulders up enough that he had a good view of the gym, his hands lay comfortably on his stomach, ankles crossed. Perfect position of repose. He had given up on keeping his one eye closed, however. It wasn't like anyone was paying attention to him, sensei and students were all in their own little dream worlds, oblivious to the tired and cranky jounin. He wished he was closer to Iruka so he could at least sneak a touch here and there, but the chuunin was bedded down on the other side of the kiddies in typical mission style- senior shinobi flanking the weaker members of the team. Silver hair waved in the breeze caused by a deep sigh.

Kakashi stared out the windows and resigned himself to spending the few hours until wake-up call playing out various fantasies involving a dolphin and several varieties of feathers. Oooooh, he would look so hot with peacock feathers against that golden skin...

As he pictured the delicious chuunin splayed on their bed, accented in key spots by brilliant cerulean, ebony and gold, Kakashi became aware of smaller noises just under the low rumbling of doggie snores. Faint groans, rustling fabric, incoherent mumblings. Kakashi rolled his eye to the left where all the students were sleeping in something like a circle around the flashlight campfire, gaze falling on each bundle in turn to find the culprit. Hmmm, they divided themselves up, boys on one side, girls on the other. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Rinmei and the other young girls were laying side by side by side, piles of fashion magazines and the Inuzuka pups scattered between their sleeping bags. Kenshin was sleeping sitting up against the pile of training dummies that Kakashi had been hiding behind earlier. Two boys were laid head to head, stacks of trading cards by their pillows. Akinori and the rest of the males were sprawled in various clumps, some sleeping on top of their bags, some literally cocooned in the thick cloth sacks. Which leaves...

Closest to Iruka on the far side of the pretend fire ring lay Genji and Toranoko. When the kids had settled down for ghost stories right before bed time, the little girl had dragged her sleeping bag over to the older boy's side and immediately set up camp. She rested her head on his stomach and fell asleep before Akinori had even begun his tale of the shinobi with a hook for a hand. Iruka had let them alone after Genji said it was fine, the boy explaining that he was accustomed to being used as a pillow, everyone in the Namiashi household just naturally tactile and cuddly.

When Kakashi had stretched out that evening, the two had been in the same pose; the boy flat on his back, the girl's scarred cheek pressed to his belly. Over the time that the jounin had been trying to sleep ( bent on ignoring the general noisiness of the group) Toranoko had worked her way further up Genji's body so that she was now lying half atop him. Kakashi could see her head moving as the boy's chest rose and fell, her mouth opening and closing though nothing came out. Okay, she's not the one I'm hearing. Then another low moan slipped between the snores and Kakashi could see Genji beginning to twitch in his sleep. The scene was all too familiar to the older man, having suffered his share of erotic dreams, most intentionally brought on, but some had been entirely on the fly. Genji was muttering something, as well, but it was too jumbled for Kakashi to make out. The mutterings turned into a small gasp.

That sounds like a very good dream. So the twelve year old gets to have sexy dreams about whatever big boobed bimbo he's snuck a peek at in his father's porno collection and I have to lay a mere nine meters away from my own living wet dream without even so much as a kiss goodnight ?! Kakashi sighed heavily, closing his eye. This is unfair on so many levels.

A muffled thumping echoed in the darkness.

The gray eye snapped open to find Genji sitting up, breathing heavily. Iruka was kneeling next to Ko-chan, arms wrapped around her little body. Ko-chan was beating one fist against the thick sparring mat.

Kakashi was there in less than an eye blink, silent as a ghost and apparently just as effective considering the situation. The kids appeared to still be half asleep, the chuunin the only one with fully opened eyes and the light of recognition in them. Iruka pulled Ko-chan away from Genji as he gave him quiet reassurances, hauling her into his lap, rocking her in place. Kakashi took note of how his lover kept the girl's hands tightly pinned.

" Nightmares. " Iruka gave the one word explanation understood by parents and shinobi everywhere.

This has obviously happened before. The jounin glanced over the other child, looking for any senbon that may have been accidentally thrust into his body while the girl had her sleep terrors. There didn't seem to be any weapons, no tell tale signs of injury or anything else amiss, except...

" 'Kashi, will you take Genji-kun to the locker room?" Iruka's soft voice whispered over the dark head before continuing its stream of near silent comforts in the small ear. Tears shone bright on her cheeks.

Genji finally seemed to come to his senses, jerking up his pack and fleeing towards the exit doors at the other end of the gymnasium. But Kakashi had already seen the growing wet spot on the front of the boy's pants.

I guess it was a very very good dream.

He nodded at his lover and stood, eye sweeping over the rest of their brood, looking for any other disturbances. Canines and children alike seemed unaffected. Only Kenshin had raised his head, watching the scene for a moment before deciding it was being taken care of and letting his chin dip forward once more. Kakashi strode past him.

The brighter light of the hallway was harsh in comparison to the pre twilight that filled the gym. Kakashi squinted in the merciless white illumination and made a sharp right turn to enter the men's locker room. A pair of trousers hung over the door of the last toilet stall. I am so not capable of handling this.

Wandering along the row of sinks, the silver headed shinobi stopped a few stalls away from the one currently occupied and leaned his hip against a porcelain edge. A few muffled sniffs reached his ears. Awww, poor kid. My first time wasn't exactly a great experience either, though I did have Namikaze-sensei to talk me out of the panic. Of course sensei's presence was one of the reasons for the panic. Kakashi shook the memories loose. " Genji-kun... are you okay?"

An angry " Yeah." was mumbled in reply. There was a large amount of rustling and thudding from inside the cubicle.

Kakashi struggled to remember the words his sensei used. " Genji-kun... it's a natural occurrence, it happens to all males at some time or another. " His voice dropped, not even sure if it was heard over the thundering silence in the tiled room. " Unfortunately tonight was your night."

The air was thick, the tension palpable and causing the battle hardened jounin to squirm. Cripes, I haven't been this unnerved by silence since Iruka stared me down for the last pocky stick.

The pants were pulled from the stall door and the ugly paint scarred rectangle opened to reveal a boy the color of an overripe tomato. Genji stalked to the nearest sink, head down, and turned the hot water faucet to full blast. Steam quickly began to fog up the wall mirror.

Okay, I owe it to Iruka to try. " Would you like to talk about it?" How did sensei say it? " Man to man?"

" I know what happened. We have health class." The boy piled liquid soap into his palm and smashed his hands together, building up a ridiculous lather.

" You know what happened physically. That doesn't make you emotionally ready to deal with the fact, Genji-kun. And health class deals with basics, not practicalities." Kakashi cringed with embarrassment, almost as much as Genji. Yeah, they neglect to tell you what to do when you shoot your wad while you're on a mission, or when your best friend is sleeping next to you.

Genji didn't answer, rinsing his hands for the third time under the scalding water.

" I think your hands are clean now. " His voice wry, eye brow quirked. Kakashi decided to try another route. " How often does your uncle tell you stories about Genma?"

Genji stopped wringing his hands under the water and spun the tap. He continued to avoid making eye contact. " A lot." A string of paper towels was ripped from the dispenser.

" Has he ever told you about Genma's first mission to Mist? The one where he was posing as a ladies' maid for a week?" Kakashi smiled slightly, remembering the day Raidou and Iruka had brought up that particular incident in the tokujo's career. " He was just barely a chuunin, still very delicate looking."

The pre-teen buffed his hands dry with unnecessary force, ambling towards a bench and flopping onto the wooden seat. His pack was dumped beside him. " A little. Rai-ojisan has some pictures. "

" Did you know that five days into the week he spent living in the women's quarters, Genma had a little dream episode himself? "

Genji finally looked up, his cocoa colored eyes growing large.

The jounin gave a mental sigh of relief and broadened his grin. " It was all down the front of his yukatta, from what I heard."

" What did he do?"

" Thankfully, he is a prankster of the first order, and thinks very quickly on his feet. He henge'd a pillow into a bowl of yogurt, so he got off with just a warning from the Mistress about bringing dessert to his futon before bed." The jounin chuckled.

Genji nodded, soaking up the anecdote. His thumbs were twiddling in his lap, a small part of his overall fidgety state, 'subtly' adjusting his crotch every few seconds. " Do- do uh, you uhm... I mean..."

" Yeah, it still happens to me occasionally." The gray eye curved in a bashful smile, his face tinged pink under the mask. " But there are things that can help with it, keep it from happening too often. " Crap! I am not teaching this kid how to whack off! " I'm sure your father, or your uncle, can talk to you about it." Raidou's brother-in-law is still on a mission, damnit. I almost forgot about that. Well, Raidou can give him the basics ( Yeah, but you're here right now, with him wanting answers!) " Do you need me to explain-"

" NO." Genji blushed even brighter and hid his face in his hands, hunching over to plant his elbows on spread knees. " They discussed all that stuff in class. I know what's involved. "

Whew! Wait a minute... they teach the kids to whack off in class?! Where was this class when I was in the academy?! ( You graduated when you were five. And they were telling the kids about meditation and cold showers, you dunce. Focus, Hatake!) " Oh, okay. " Kakashi waited, knowing there was something else bothering the boy, something other than the normal embarrassment of public wet dreams. He decided to go out on a limb. " I don't think it had anything to do with Ko-chan's nightmares. " Maybe he thinks squirming around triggered her dream. " Pretty sure that was just a coincidence."

" I know that. She never remembers anything when she wakes up from those, anyway. " The pre-genin's voice was slightly hindered by his palms pressed over his mouth. " But I wish I had been able to help her back to sleep this time, instead of... this. "

Ahh, I figured it was a common occurrence. That will have to be addressed before she goes on any field missions. The jounin shifted his weight to his other foot, opposite hip tilted onto another sink ledge. He crossed his arms over his chest in a casual manner.

He could hear Genji swallow before he spoke up. " Do, uhm, are you dreaming... about someone... when- when it happens?" The kid looked as though his head was going to combust, his ears were flaming a crimson that rivaled even Iruka's most flamboyant blushes.

" Uh, not always, but most of the time, yes." The silver haired man began to feel his own blush beginning to grow, cheeks heating up at the thought of his own erotic inspiration. Let's see, the last one was a few months ago when he went on a mission and I dreamed that he was wearing nothing but combat boots and he was twisting my nipp- " Yeah, I'm usually thinking of a particular person." Kakashi shifted again to ease the slight growth spurt in his pants.

Genji shifted, as well, bringing his knees together , heels splayed and toes pointing inwards. " Does that person know?" They both knew who the other was speaking of, of course. Raidou never hid his love from his family and Genma was incapable of hiding his preferences, hence Genji's full knowledge of their relationship, along with an understanding of Iruka's and Kakashi's as well. But discretion was always a valued trait within the shinobi community.

" Well, yes. " Gray hazed over as the jounin thought of the last time he had cummed the sheets with Iruka laying right beside him. I had thought he'd worn me out completely after the fifth time, but then I woke up with sticky covers and a pouty chuunin. " He usually scolds me for not waking up sooner and wasting it. "

" Oh kami." Genji's eyes practically bugged from his head, the whites rolling behind the protective fence of his spread fingers, his mouth gaping. His little call to the divine let the older man know that his last comment had been more information than the child needed; or wanted.

Guess knowing what his sensei and me do in our off time is different from 'knowing' what we do in our off time. Wow. I haven't seen that shade of red before. I think I might have actually traumatized him. " But anyway, yes, he knows and he doesn't mind. "

The boy's face returned to a more benign red tinge, his eyes closing in relief; or maybe in an effort to block out the mental image the older man had unwittingly bestowed. Genji was nodding absently, though the jounin was unsure whether it was in agreement with what he had said or something in the kid's own head. " Is that what happened with you ?"

A small nod.

" Well, that's sometimes easier to deal with. What kind of relationship do you have with this person? "

" Uhm, actually it was... " Genji shuddered, a tremor running from his toes to the tips of his dark hair. " two people..." He looked as though he could die of shame at any second.

It was Kakashi's turn to gawk. Two! Sounds like he's related to Genma instead of Raidou. " Two? Well, that's not unheard of... " He trailed off, much as Genji had, wondering if it was two at once, or maybe one actually engaged in the act and the other watching or- You know, I'm probably better off not knowing the kinks of this younger generation. But curiosity got the better of Kakashi, as usual. " Who was it?"

" I was dreaming about sparring... " One frightened brown eye peeked out between the parted fingers " with Iruka-sensei. " The eye squeezed shut and Genji drew in on himself, as if expecting a physical blow. " And I was get-getting all hot."

And Kakashi automatically answered before thinking about his audience. " That is somewhat understandable. He does have a very nice looking body, especially when he spars. And when he takes his shirt off, so the sweat just rolls down that golden skin, trailing over the little dips and swells of his- "

" He wasn't naked and we were just sparring !"

Kakashi hastened to calm the overexcited boy. " Oi, I didn't say he was naked. I said he was shirtless and his well defined golden muscles are like- ahhh ok. " He promptly shut his mouth when he realized that Genji looked to be on the verge of a complete mental meltdown. And the imagery was beginning to have its own affect on a certain portion of his anatomy. Kakashi crossed one ankle over the other, causing his pants' crotch to bulge and crease, masking the natural bulge underneath. " Sorry about that, but you know that sparring and exercise often causes... erections... so all the activity yesterday could have helped to bring this on." 'Erection' sounds so clinical, ugh. Maybe I should've used ' Boner'. Hmmm, I'll use it next time. " Were you sparring with the other person in your dream, too? "

Kakashi almost couldn't hear Genji's mumbled reply. " No."

" No? Okay, what were you doing?"

Several labored breaths passed before Genji's rushed voice spilled words onto the cold tiled floor like antique china. " Sensei and I finished sparring and then the dream changed and I w-was laying on my back in the grass looking at clouds and th-then I rolled over and h-h-hugged the person laying next to me."

The jounin waited patiently as the boy sucked in a lungful of air. I really hope he isn't going to say that he was hugging me.

" I-I was hugging Ko-chan." Genji's voice was nearly nonexistent. " And then IT happened." The heels of his hands had moved up to press into his eyes, his fingernails digging into his scalp. " I'm such a perv!"

Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... okay, I get it now. Kakashi inhaled and steadied himself after the rush of anticipation had worn off. " You're not a perv, Genji-kun. You're twelve. You have to be at least fourteen or fifteen before you can be called a pervert." When Genji groaned in distress, Kakashi changed his 'humorous' tactics. He pushed off of the sink and shuffled to the bench, sitting on the edge, half an arm's length away from the young man. " Genji-kun, wet dreams don't have any rhyme or reason. It could have happened if you were dreaming about ice cream and homework. "

" But I dreamed of her, and hugging her and she was pressed against me and- " Genji dropped his hands, exposing the panicked look on his rounded face. " I-I think I said her name."

" I was awake, you didn't say anything that could be understood. And I'm telling you that plenty of guys have wet dreams about their best friends." The jounin slumped back, leaning against the stark white wall. " Your brain just picks random images or images of people that you're comfortable with or have strong feelings for, even if it's not sexual. " But I'm willing to bet over the next six years your perspective towards Ko-chan is going to change and those wet dreams about her are going to take a decided twist towards the mature. " Then your body does what it needs to do. "

Genji looked less panicked, yet still decidedly miserable.

Stormy gray swerved to watch the boy, his back and a bit of profile in his view. Kakashi let the swell of memories wash over him for a brief instant, pulling what he needed from them before clamping down on the flow. I woke up in the tent with Sensei, stained shorts and the image of his blue eyes burned into my dream hazed mind. I never told him that I'd dreamed of him that night, when I blew my wad all over my new uniform pants. He studied the hunched form next to him, dejected, scared. Too afraid of him being disgusted with me, of him hating me... of losing him.

" Genji-kun, " A gloved hand haltingly raised, hesitating twice, then settling on the shoulder that was just beginning to show signs of broadening. " you've been good friends for almost two years. Iruka-sensei says you're best friends. Even if she knew this happened, and you said she wouldn't remember anything because of the nightmare, she's taken the same health classes you have. I'm sure she understands the mechanics behind it. AND... even if she somehow found out that you had been dreaming about her when it happened, she doesn't strike me as the type of person to be upset over it, to end a friendship over it. " Kakashi squeezed firmly, comfortingly. " It's okay, Genji-kun. You're not going to lose her over a quirk of biology."

Dark hair, so like his uncle's, bobbed with his head.

" It's all just a part of growing up."

" You won't tell her, right?"

" I'd never dream of it. "

Genji's breathing steadied, the effort to pull himself together highly visible. " Okay, okay... okay. " He ran his hands over the bleary eyes once more, then down his thighs several times. He grabbed his pack and stood up.

" You okay, now?" Kakashi had to ask; the kid still looked a little ashen under the dying blush.

" Yeah, yeah. I'm okay." Genji's voice was much more composed than his appearance.

Good little shinobi. The jounin stood, as well, falling into his normal slouch, hands in pockets. He put one foot in front of the other, calling over his shoulder. " C'mon. I'm sure Iruka-sensei has Ko-chan almost rocked back to sleep and she'll be wanting her human pillow. " Kakashi smiled at the light footsteps following in his wake and humored his own hopes of being a human pillow for a certain chuunin sensei.

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tbc...