It was past midnight, and Umino Iruka was stomping around his kitchen making tea. This was quite out of character for him, but he couldn't sleep and he was very grumpy about it. He wanted nothing more than to be unconscious, so that when he woke up he could work at the Academy for half a day, maybe squeeze in lunch with Naruto, and then visit Genma before his date. But his mind wouldn't turn off, no matter what meditation methods or relaxing techniques he tried. Sighing, he turned his stove off and abandoned the tea, which he didn't really want anyway.
Instead he found himself getting dressed and running around the village for a bit. He pretty much only used the teleportation jutsu for dramatic exits and emergencies, preferring the actual sensation of real physical exertion, and taking in the sights along the way as well. Finally he found himself at the door to Genma's house. Shrugging, he decided he might as well drop in on his friend now and tell his story, instead of waiting for later. If Genma were asleep, he could always just leave, after all. Making up his mind, Iruka dug into his pocket for the key, put it in the lock, and sent a pulse of chakra out as he turned the key in the lock. The traps recognized Iruka's chakra just like he had designed them to, and he stepped into the entryway unhindered.
Genma's house was big and old, one of the first houses built in Konoha. Exactly how he wound up with this dwelling was one of those mysteries everyone had a different story for, but whatever the reason, it was a nice place. Genma loved it, and kept it lavishly decorated in antique styles, as well as enjoying always having extra space for friends needing a place to stay. Iruka remembered when he had lived there himself, and smiled softly. Iruka's senses told him that Genma wasn't asleep at all, and he followed his instincts to a large room at the back of the house. From the doorway, he could see Genma sitting in the middle of the floor on a cushion, wearing nothing but a pair of old flannel pajama pants, the floor around him littered with scrolls and files. For a moment, Iruka just took in the scene, Genma's brown hair falling free without his bandana to contain it, those heavy-lidded eyes focused intently, the lithe muscles under smooth light skin. Then Genma looked up, and flicked his senbon in Iruka's direction, and the spell was broken. "See something you want, Ruka?" he leered.
Iruka grinned, moved further into the room, and cleared a space to sit next to his friend. "Bringing your work home with you, I see?" he asked.
Genma nodded, then sighed. "To be brutally honest, Hokage-sama thinks I've been slacking a little too much lately. I've been caught up in personal stuff, and I haven't been focusing enough. So I'm trying to get caught up, before she decides to dump my spy ass back in ANBU full-time and get me back to doing real work." Genma made a face.
"Hey, at least you don't teach hordes of mini-ninjas!" said Iruka with a grin.
"Mmm, that's a point," said Genma, grinning back. "I swear, I don't know how you do it!"
Iruka shrugged. "I don't either, but apparently it works for me. They love me, and I'm pretty fond of the little punks too." Then he remembered the reason for his visit, and grabbed the file Genma was reading out of his hands. "I came here to tell you something, though!"
Genma looked… about as interested as Genma ever looks. Iruka was about to start his story when he remembered the recent poisoning incident, and reached over to take Genma's senbon, which he placed in his own mouth carefully. Determined to play it up once it was there, he slouched a bit and gave his best heavy-lidded smirk. "Trust me, you wouldn't be able to hold onto that when you heard my story, so I'm saving you some trouble," he said. Then he started telling Genma about the events of the evening.
"You what? And he? And… what the fuck?" was Genma's initial response.
Iruka flicked the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other and nodded slowly. "I know, can you believe it? This guy isn't exactly a blushing virgin, hells, if I remember right you've even been with him, right?"
Genma nodded. "Casually, yeah. Party or something. One night, you know. As far as I knew, one night is about all anyone gets from him, which is why I was kind of uncomfortable when he started asking questions about you. But this… I would never have imagined Kakashi to think that way, and to be honest, I'm kind of impressed. I mean, I think he really likes you, and he's trying to do the right thing or whatever."
Iruka groaned. "But 'the right thing' isn't any fun, Gen-chan! I mean, I pounced the man and shoved my tongue down his throat, and then started grinding against him. I can't believe he turned me down!" He pulled the senbon out of his mouth and returned it to its owner, leaving his mouth free to pout.
Genma rolled his eyes and put the senbon back in his mouth, thrilling a bit at the fact that it now tasted like Iruka, and hoping Iruka didn't notice. "Sorry, Ruka, but I think I'm on his side on this one. He wants to date you, and the first-date-sex would probably have turned into one-night-stand-sex if he'd led you fuck him then and there." He paused, then gave his best leer. "Not that I would have been able to resist you if it were me." He snaked an arm around Iruka and leaned over so that his head rested on the man's shoulder, their cheeks nearly touching. He half expected Iruka to shrug him off, but he didn't, and they sat like that for a while.
Finally, Iruka broke the silence. "So, you think this might be a good thing for me? I'm seeing him again tonight already, and I feel like he's good for me, but he's Kakashi! Can you really imagine, me and Kakashi, together?"
Genma opened his mouth to say something lewd, and then closed it again, knowing it wasn't the right moment. "I don't know, Iruka. A few days ago I would have said 'no' but now I'm really starting to change my mind. Look at you. Look at this, you're sitting here with me, like old times, not worrying about anything. Part of that was me, our friendship, getting back to where it was. But you can't say that part of your willingness to get involved with people again wasn't Kakashi's doing, now can you?"
Iruka leaned back further against his friend and closed his eyes. "I can't. I want to say it was all you, but it wasn't. He's been good for me, mostly, and now he seems to have really figured out how to keep being good for me."
Genma smiled and reached his free arm up to remove his senbon, sticking it carelessly into one of the scrolls nearby, pinning it to the floor. His mouth now free, he kissed Iruka's cheek softly. When he spoke, his breath tickled Iruka's face. "I think you should give him a chance, Iruka. I think you'll be happier, and you know that makes me happy. Of course I'm only looking out for myself by saying this, of course."
Iruka laughed, and then freed himself reluctantly from Genma's embrace, standing. "Thank you, Gen-chan. I think I can sleep now, and so I should go before I'm out of time to do so."
Genma sighed. "Use me and leave me, I see what kind of man you are," he lamented dramatically, but he was smiling.
Iruka leaned down and kissed him, softly, chastely, and said "I am the man you have taught me to be, my dear friend, and so you have no right to complain." Then he was off, casually letting himself out as if he still lived in that home that hadn't been his for several years now.
Iruka's visit with Genma might have cleared his mind so he could sleep, but it did the opposite for Genma. First, there was the taste of Iruka on his senbon, and then that kiss, however well-intentioned and friendly it had been meant to be. Next to that his mind placed the imagined image of Iruka pouncing Kakashi… and it made for a very distracted Genma. Sighing, he pushed all his work out of the way and simply flopped back onto the floor.
It wasn't that he wanted Iruka, not now, not after all they'd been through. He didn't want to go there again, deal with the drama that had been their love life. But this thing with Kakashi had brought up memories, and he couldn't get them to go away.
The first time Iruka fucked Genma, they'd been together for months already. Their relationship was still going strong, passionate but still with the steadiness of their friendship intertwined. There had only been rare glimmers of the destructive tendency to over-empathize between them, so far, and things were good. They had spent the afternoon goofing off with some of the other young shinobi, enjoying warm weather and a brief lull in activity, and just come home to Genma's big house to relax. Genma barely got in the door when Iruka had him up against the wall, kissing him roughly and tearing at his clothes. This wasn't normal behavior for his younger lover, and Genma wasn't sure whether to argue with him or just go with it. His libido made the decision for him when Iruka growled, "Let me take you, Gen-chan. I want to possess you. I want to know that it feels like for you when you invade me and take me over and leave me breathless. I want to do that to you." Genma could do nothing but nod, and Iruka dragged him off to bed, managing to scatter their clothing everywhere on the way.
That night was like nothing Genma had ever experienced. He'd bottomed before, for others before Iruka, but this was different. One moment Iruka was completely in control, kissing, licking, teasing, soothing Genma with soft strokes and long slow thrusts, and then the next moment he was biting, pounding, holding Genma down and ravaging him. It was exhilarating and terrifying, never knowing what was coming next, never quite prepared for that next moment, and Genma knew he would never get enough. Those strong tan hands explored every inch of Genma's body, and something about that touch made him feel both possessed and worshipped. When Genma finally came, he screamed Iruka's name, and thought he was going to die at the whispered, "Did I do okay, Gen-chan?"
Over the next few years, Genma would find that Iruka had just as many sides in bed as out of it, and not only could he be unpredictable, he could be achingly gentle and amazingly loving. Before that first time Iruka took control, Genma had just assumed he was always on top because he was older and more experienced, and afterwards he almost expected Iruka to take control every time. But the very next day, Iruka smiled at him drowsily and said, "Your turn this time, Gen-chan!" and after that they had easily explored each other sexually without limitations or preconceived notions about who should do what. Genma had never had another lover who was as willing to try anything, compromise, and just plain have fun in bed like Iruka, before or since.
Genma sighed and jumped to his feet, deciding a warm shower and a bit of self-love was definitely in order. After all, he'd just told the guy he was currently fantasizing about he should give someone else a chance, so he wasn't exactly going to get any loving from that angle. And while picking up someone else and bringing them home when he would really think about Iruka the whole time wasn't beyond Genma's morality, it just plain seemed like too much effort.