Disclaimer - Don't own
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Iruka woke almost an hour later. He felt warm… safe… he kept his eyes closed, and snuggled closer to the source of the warmth. If this was a dream, it was the first good one he'd had in ages. It was rejuvenating, as his senses slowly cleared from the sleeps fog, he could make out a warm weight, draped across his stomach, and a steady b-bmp… like that of a heart beat. Something traced soft, soothing circles on the back of his shoulder, and he could feel the gentle rising and falling of the chest he was snuggled against. Wait… chest!? Chest! Heart-beat! Arm! His eyes snapped open, KAKASHI!?!?!!!
"Yo." The jonin smiled, He's blushing! He's blushing! Iruka's blushing! The copy-nin almost leapt off the couch.
"Ka… Kakashi!?" Iruka squeaked, trying to sit up, but the jonin held him fast
"Did you sleep well?"
"Fine… thank you…If... umm…you'll excuse me." He wiggled away and rushed to the bathroom.
Kakashi grinned, and slipped his mask back up over his face.
He probably should have yelled at me for embarrassing him like that… But he's blushing again! That's a start!
Iruka's blush remained as he made breakfast, and the constant glances he threw in Kakashi's direction were not lost on the happily humming jonin seated at his table.
Iruka served breakfast, but then spent most of the meal staring absently out the window.
"Naruto stopped by."
"He's back?" the chunin brightened momentarily at the mention of his favorite hellion
"Yeah, says he's taking us to dinner. Ramen. His treat."
"Is that so?" Iruka had slipped back into his funk and was staring out the window again.
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Kakashi was bored. This new Iruka wasn't as much fun as the old Iruka. He spent the day trying to get Iruka to blush again. But failed miserably, as every time he attempted to get close to the chunin, Iruka would move away.
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A loud knocking came on the door and before either nin could move to open it, it swung open and Naruto bounded inside.
"Iruka-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!" the boy hollered, throwing himself at his two seated sensei's and knocking the couch over backwards. He flinched as he waited for the smack he knew was coming. Slowly he opened his eyes, staring at Iruka, Kakashi was staring at him too. As Naruto hopped off, the three nin righted the couch. Then he pulled Kakashi into the bedroom, and shut the door.
"Why didn't Iruka-sensei hit me? He ALWAYS hits me… He didn't even yell at me for being hard on the furniture!?!"
Kakashi sighed and shook his head,
"I've been trying to get him to yell at me for four days now…"
Naruto's jaw dropped
"Four days! Iruka-sensei hasn't yelled in four days!"
"Longer than that…" Kakashi shook his head.
Iruka was sitting on the couch again. When he noticed Kakashi and Naruto peeking out the bedroom door at him, he gave a polite smile, then went back to staring off into space.
"Jiraiya says we'll only be here for 3 or 4 days, while he does 'research'" Naruto rolled his eyes, then looked serious again "We have to get Iruka-sensei back to normal before then." His mischievous mind set to ticking.
"He blushed this morning." Kakashi offered helpfully,
"Iruka-sensei blushes all the time. Watch." Naruto marched into the living room until he was standing directly in front of Iruka. "Sexy no jutsu!" he yelled, transforming. His feminine pigtailed self blew a seductive kiss at Iruka, who seemed to be staring straight through him.
Nothing.
Naruto slumped back to Kakashi, defeated. "That always works! But he didn't do anything! Didn't even call me an idiot!"
Kakashi nodded. Naruto's sexy-no-jutsu was certainly a force to be reckoned with.
"How'd YOU get him to blush Kakashi-sensei?"
"This morning when he woke up and found himself where you'd put him… he blushed then."
"Hmm…" Naruto's mind set to work.
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Dinner at Ichiraku's Ramen Bar saw a collaboration of efforts on the part of Naruto and Kakashi. Behavior that got them no reaction from Iruka, but eventually got them kicked out of Ichiraku's.
Kakashi's head was spinning, and not just from the rice wine.
How could Iruka NOT notice how drunk he'd gotten!? Or the fact that he'd been slipping Naruto sake the entire time!? He hadn't even reacted when the two had burst into "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall". On that note, Kakashi was SURE there was something between 87 and 49, but he couldn't remember what.
"S'not… S'not like him at all!" Naruto whined as they staggered out into the street.
Kakashi nodded, then instantly regretted it, as the world tilted wildly, he steadied himself on a nearby wall.
Stumbling and cursing, Kakashi and Naruto trailed Iruka back to his apartment and followed him inside.
"I get th'… th'… th' couch!" Naruto slurred staggering over and flopping down face first into the space between the couch and the coffee table…
Kakashi burst into laughter and moved to pick his former student off the floor. Iruka sat down in the chair.
"I guess that means you're sharing the bed with me." He grinned at Iruka. "But first!" he slammed down the mostly full bottle of sake on the coffee table. "You haven't had anything to drink!"
"I'm fine. Thank you." Iruka said quietly, eyeing Naruto with the mild concern that a stranger might eye a crying child who's mother was already running to its side.
Well, at least he's finally noticed the poor kid. Kakashi thought.
He was frustrated… And Drunk…
Frustrated and drunk and with bottle in hand he clambered into Iruka's lap and forced the bottle between the surprised chunin's lips.
Iruka choked and sputtered, prompting Kakashi stopped dumping perfectly good sake down his face.
"Drink." The grey eyed jonin ordered, shoving the bottle into Iruka's face.
Iruka sighed and took the bottle.
Somewhere in the back of Kakashi's mind he thought, Good sake is meant to be sipped… not downed like this… but what the hell!
"Drink more!" Kakashi ordered, tipping the bottle up and the draining it down Iruka's throat.
The chunin coughed a few more times, and after several minutes his face had flushed a brilliant crimson.
Lightweight eh? Kakashi smiled, there was something unbelievably endearing about a man who turned into a tomato after half a bottle of sake.
Iruka coughed again, and gently pushed Kakashi off his lap, the jonin rolled and came to rest sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked, as he watched Iruka stagger towards the kitchen.
"Pill… sleep…"
"Oh right… Good idea…" He nodded.
Iruka held the counter for support and reached for the pills. Somewhere in the alcohol induced fog of Kakashi's brain, warning signals started going off.
"Iruka! Stop!" Instantly sober, Kakashi was across the room in a heartbeat. He smacked the small medicine bottle from Iruka's hand and into the sink.
The two nin watched dismally as Tsunade's sleep remedy spiraled down the drain.
Kakashi sighed in relief.
Iruka just sighed.
Then sat down on the floor, and began to cry.
Dear Kami... he's a lightweight…And an overly-emotional drunk. He sighed, remembering what Naruto had taught him that morning. He slid down next to Iruka, sliding an arm around the now sobbing chunin, pulling him tightly against him.
"Ruka…" he said softly, "Ruka what's wrong?"
"I… I won't be able to sleep now! And…" Tears streamed down his flushed cheeks
"And what?" Kakashi prodded gently, his thumb gently rubbing small circles on the back of Iruka's shoulder.
"And… I keep having nightmares! Every night! I keep seeing Mi… Mizuki… and… Naruto and!" he buried his face in Kakashi's shirt. Kakashi's arms tightened around him, he rested his pale cheek on the dark hair.
"Iruka! It's okay. I'm here! So's Naruto! Everything's fine!"
"No it's not!" Iruka wailed
"Yes it is! We'll catch Mizuki… He won't hurt you again." He'll never get the chance to… Kakashi swore to himself, "Everything's fine."
"It isn't!"
"What's not fine?"
"I… I'm…" Iruka's tear-filled eyes looked up at him
Kakashi waited
"I'm going to throw up."
Kakashi barely managed to haul the tanned chunin to his feet and lean him over the sink.
After Iruka had finished emptying the contents of his stomach, Kakashi handed him a glass of water and then led him to the bathroom. He pulled his soiled shirt off his head and pushed him into the shower. Iruka offered no resistance as Kakashi turned on the water and, after stripping, stepped in beside him.
"Kashi…" Iruka mumbled, his head still muddled, "why are you naked?"
"You will be too." Kakashi muttered, and tugged Iruka's pants down to his ankles. "Step." He ordered. Iruka nearly fell over, and only Kakashi's quick reflexes kept him from crashing headfirst out of the tub.
Satisfied that any remnants of vomit had been washed from both of them, Kakashi led a staggering Iruka to the bedroom, and pushed him to the mattress.
"Kashi?"
"Sleep Iruka you need it." Hell, I need it. He thought ruefully. His eye glanced over Iruka's still dripping body, and he swallowed hard as the heat formed in his gut. Chocolate brown eyes attempted to focus on his face. Dammit! If I was still drunk it wouldn't be taking advantage of him! Kakashi buried his face in a pillow.
"I'm cold…" Iruka shivered.
Kami give me self-control!!
Kakashi reached down and pulled the sheets over both of them before curling his arm around Iruka and pulling him close against his chest. Within seconds, Iruka was fast asleep. Kakashi on the other hand… lay awake for hours before finally drifting off.
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Kakashi woke the next morning with a tanned hand clamped around his throat and a livid chunin glaring down from on top of him.
"KAKASHI!" Iruka roared "WHY AM I NAKED!!"
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I had a roommate who was an "emotional drunk"
Personally, I can't see a reason for getting smashed if it's only going to depress you.
Ah well, This chapter was fun to write anyway. Especially the Naruto bits. ^w^