Did you know it's scientifically impossible to just work on one thing instead of jumping from ship to ship..? Me neither.
TW: bad grasp of the original lore
hint NR1: [Raido's a tokubetsu, fire based; Genma's an ANBU, poison master]
From the first moment after waking up, Raido knew this was going to be a difficult day.
At first he couldn't even pinpoint what woke him up, but then he heard the quiet knocking again, someone tapping a knuckle against his window. One look told him that it was half past four, two hours earlier than he would normally bother to wake up.
With a sigh Raido hauled himself up, wrapping a blanket around himself, because it looked like it was pretty damn cold outside. And also because he slept naked when he wasn't on a mission. Sue him, if anyone sneaked in it was their own fault if they got an eyeful.
He crossed the room and opened the window, still blinking sleep out of his eyes when a scroll got thrust into his face. A mission, then. The ANBU delivering his orders was long gone by the time Raido got his bearings and so he shut the window, belatedly shivering at the frosty air from outside. Fuck, it was that wet kind of winter where the temperature might not get very far beneath zero, but the moisture got under everyone's clothes and chilled them to the bones. And he was supposed to go on a mission in that.
For now Raido only read the time of his summons - in an hour by East gate - and then tossed the scroll away in favour of making himself strong ginger tea. Gross as many of his friends found it, it would warm him up pretty easily.
A simple find and destroy mission, he even got to go with a team for it, Raido figured out, huddled by his coffee table with the scroll in one hand and his tea in the other. Under Ibiki's command, he was sure they'll be done in no time. It seemed they will have to go through enemy territory, though, so that might make those three planned nights a bit unpleasant. Well, he wasn't that bothered by cold if he was expecting it. The feeling of something bad about to happen refused to leave, though, so he braced himself for more surprises to come.
Forty minutes later he was warmed up, packed and striding down to meet the rest of his team. The fog setting around the town was annoying as it seemed the water droplets were half frozen and the ground was slippery with ice. Every exhale was visible in the cool air. Hopefully once the sun raises, at least the ice will be taken care of. He didn't fancy slipping off a branch and snapping his neck; and using chakra to stick to the trees those whole three days would be a pain.
He walked briskly and expected to be the first one there, so he was pleasantly surprised to see three figures huddled together by the gate, one easily recognizable as Morino Ibiki. They were chatting with the gate guard on duty, but as soon as Raido arrived they all stepped to meet him.
"Good morning." Raido gave a small wave with his glove covered hand, turning his attention to the two unknown shinobi. Ibiki helpfully shoved them both forward by their shoulders- and honestly what the fuck, they both put together had about half of the man's body mass.
"Mitarashi Anko, my student." Ibiki patted a shoulder of the girl, her purple hair poking from beneath a woollen hat. She was about as tall as Raido sitting down and looked like a wind would break her in half. She also gave him a sharp grin, more teeth in the gesture than completely necessary.
Then Ibiki shoved forward the guy, "And this is-"
"Shiranui Genma, yoroshiku." the guy drawled, his smile more a smirk, slightly tilted to one side and disfigured by a senbon sticking from between his lips. He looked even younger than Mitarashi, though Raido was glad to see he at least came almost up to his shoulders. Though he seemed just as thin, bones and skin. He was slightly hunched against the cold and his arms were wrapped around his jacket, hair covered by a thin bandana. Raido kind of dreaded that smirk already.
"Namiashi Radio. Pleased to meet you both." Raido replied politely, though his voice was a bit stiff. He hadn't expected half of their team to be made of children- in this kind of weather, they'll be lucky to get back with all their limbs intact.
As Ibiki ushered them all out of the city and lead them toward the beginning of a tree-tops path, Raido at least realized his bad feeling was starting to make sense.
Some six hours later, Raido heard the tell-tale sniffle again and he turned his head, staring. Genma was a leap behind him, still but he looked pale. His forehead was sweaty and there were red spots on his cheeks, "Are you sick?" he asked incredulously, because not only did they have two damn kids with them, but one of them was also sick. He was still harbouring hope that Genma was at least a Chuunin, but honestly, the running nose made him look like he was twelve at best.
"Just a cold." Genma answered sheepishly, still following behind from a branch to a branch with easy grace of someone comfortable in his skin. "Be fine come morning."
Raido would have loved to trust him on it, but he made a note to keep an eye on him, just in case.
Ibiki landed by them, changing positions with Anko that had been searching ahead, probably to have her try the rear-guard duties for a bit. In passing, the man gave them a searching look, "You're coming off a new batch?" he asked, obviously aiming the question at Genma, since Raido had no idea what that even meant.
"Kiri. It's the last one. I didn't expect the mission." Genma shrugged in an answer and Raido watched him grin around the senbon between his lips, teeth clicking against the metal. Ibiki nodded like that actually explained anything and patted Genma's thigh, ushering him forward to take over the front.
They travelled fast and by dawn they were at the borders. They would probably be able to get further, but this was the last semi-safe place they will encounter, the last place where they can actually start a fire. Raido signalled a stop at the base of small mountain complex, changing their path to where the forest gave into a clearing. The mountains offered cover from wind and rain and the woods were thick enough for their fire to not be easily visible. Of course, with how clear the night sky was, they were still taking chances about smoke and Raido was contemplating just giving up on the fire all together.
"Oh thanks fuck." Genma landed next to him and Raido saw him stumble, reaching a hand to steady him. It wasn't necessary, the kid finding his balance easily now when he got used to the stillness of the ground. Raido studied him for a bit longer, noting the exhaustion on his face, the subtle droop or his shoulders, the small shake of his long limbs. Fever, possibly. The cool air must feel like freezing to him.
Ibiki landed down as well and set down both his and Anko's backpack, the girl already carrying an armful of dry logs when she joined then. "We can't risk fire." Ibiki shook his head, saying the exact opposite of what Raido had been thinking; they had to risk a fire, they needed a fire.
"Hope you're ready for my cold feet, then." Genma reacted without as much as a second to think, that already somehow familiar grin overtaking his face. Raido hated himself for liking that grin, for wanting to swipe his thumb over it and find out if it felt as devious as it looked.
"We'll hunker down, keep warm through the night." Ibiki agreed with a slight shake of his head. He crouched down and picked up the logs, tossing them back towards the edge of the forest. Raido moved to help and so did Anko, but Genma just looked in on them with that slightly detached gaze of someone using all of his willpower not to keel over.
Once they were done Ibiki slipped off to check their surroundings, probably lay down some basic traps as well. Anko fished the blankets from her and Ibiki's backpacks, so Raido took that example, first guiding Genma to sit down. The kid felt way too warm under his palm, the subtle shake of his body all the more worrying.
"Hey, Shiranui." Anko called out towards them, crouched and spreading the blankets. Raido tossed her his own and Genma's, too, but didn't move away. It was both heaven and hell, just crouching down on the cool ground with a sick kid leaning more and more into his side. At her call Genma jerked up, putting more distance between them, and turned around to raise a questioning eyebrow at her. "You're not gonna throw up all over us, right?"
That was answered with a snort, "Nah. I'm not allowed to throw up anymore. You see, my old sensei forbid it after I ruined her favourite shoes." It was probably a joke and Anko actually did chuckle quietly, but Raido couldn't. He was more fixated on the off-hand mention of Genma's sensei- up till that point, if asked, he would have guessed Ibiki was the guy's teacher, but.. He couldn't even remember which one of the kunoichi had a team at the moment, to be honest. Kurenai, maybe? No, he didn't really think so. He felt a warm head lean against his shoulder and shook himself from the thoughts; now was not the time.
"Yeah, c'mon." Raido murmured, more for the sake of talking than anything else. Genma was really in no state to be going anywhere and Raido had to practically haul him up into standing position. Even then the kid stayed leaned into him, a line of heat against Raido's side and the faint smell of pine-trees, metal and sweat. Raido led him towards the make-shift bed and Genma let himself be guided to the middle, surprisingly pliant and unresisting. It should be worrying for someone with so much bite as Genma, but at the moment it was a blessing.
"'M fine." Genma smiled slightly and batted his hands away when Raido reached to help him unstrap his vest and yeah, that was probably over the top. Somehow Genma just woke up that instinct in him. Raido knelt back and watched as Genma did a quick work on the straps, shaking out of his vest to fold it under his head. "What is this, a strip show?" the kid grumbled and Raido took the hint, leaving him to it and stalking to the edge of their make-shift camp. He followed the chakra signature to know where Ibiki was, but couldn't even make out as much as a shape in the quickly falling darkness. Instead, he gathered some of the dried leaves and twigs, returning with an armful to dump it to the edge of the blankets. They will be covered from above by a convenient rock, but the wind was still chilly and unpleasant; he piled an armful after armful to the very edge, creating a small barrier between them and the elements.
"You're handy." Genma said after a moment and Raido startled, looking at him to smile into the gentle eyes. He hadn't realized he had been watched, not that he minded that much. Genma was still up, stripped into trousers and undershirt and a blanket wrapped around him. His hair was messy after he took off the bandana and it really shouldn't look so endearing. "Warm, too." the kid added with a slow grin, raising one meaningful eyebrow and yeah, Raido got that hint, too. But there was still work to do.
"I'll join you in a bit." he promised. It was the logical thing to do, too; he mostly stuck to fire, he ran warm even in the middle of winter. And if there was anything Genma desperately needed at the moment, it was a bit of warmth. "As soon as Morino gets back here. You should eat something."
Genma made a face, all scrunched nose and narrowed eyes, and Raido almost chuckled. "I won't perish until morning, Namiashi-san." he said in that warm, soft voice that felt like dripping honey and Raido almost melted on spot. He would cut off his arm and leg to hear him say his first name in that voice, but god, the kid was like twelve. Kami-sama, Raido was going insane, he honestly needed to get a grip and get it fast.
Instead of struggling to find some other words Raido stood up and went to get a bit more of the leaves, busying himself. Genma and Anko were whispering to each other and when Ibiki finally emerged from the forest, they were both stretched diagonally on the rest of the blankets, watching stars in the small space between rock and trees.
"First watch's mine." Morino announced, moving to fold himself down by the edge of their makeshift bed, in between them and the forest. "Namiashi, last one's yours. Get us up so we can start moving with dawn." Raido nodded his understanding, quickly stripping down to his undershirt as well.
When he looked up he saw Genma watching him, shuffled all the way under the slight cover of rocks; good against dew, rain and fog, but not very practical if he was prone to startling into sitting up. Raido decided not to say anything, instead making his way towards the two that were already ready to sleep.
At first he was about to stretch down next to Mitarashi, but then Genma leaned towards the girl, whispering, and she shuffled to make space in between them. Raido tried not to think about it too much, but he did wonder what had made her snicker like that.
"Here." Raido announced, the only warning before he dropped his vest onto Shiranui's head. The kid could use a bit more warmth, and at least he got to get away from Genma's intense eyes for a second.
The kid spluttered, but did stuff the fabric underneath himself to get another layer between him and the frozen ground. "Asshole." Genma muttered, that I-dare-you smirk gone from his face. Good, too, because Raido had no idea what he was daring him to do.. and yet, he was pretty sure he would have done it, no second thoughts. Raido climbed into the space freed for him and stretched on his back, but not before handing a protein bar to either of the kids. He unwrapped his own and ate it in two large bites, pocketing the wrapper.
"You really should eat that." Raido spoke up again after a moment, having seen Genma stuff the whole bar into his vest. The kid rolled onto his side and gave a small smile, way too close for Raido's heart not to skip a beat. After a full day of smirks and grins, the smile looked sweet and genuine.
"I'm not hungry, Namiashi-san." Genma answered just as quietly, inching even closer, no regard for Raido's existential crisis. It really shouldn't be that comfortable to have a leg thrown over his own, a forehead knocked against his shoulder.
Raido wracked his mind for something to change his mind, but it didn't matter that much if Genma just kept the food for the morning. He had a feeling the kid had a way of always getting what he wanted, too. The only logical thing to do would be.. to give in.
"Alright." Raido murmured, moving that one arm up a bit and then around Shiranui's narrow shoulders, drawing him into his bubble of warmth.
Genma shivered in an answer, cursing under his breath before he melted into his side, head finding its way onto Raido's shoulder. "You're really warm." he whispered, something like wonder in his voice.
That was good. He needed all the warmth he could get, even if Raido had his doubts about the kid's condition really being just a common cold. Just as he was about to reply in that sense, Ibiki's voice interrupted him,
"Enough chatter. We get up early, Shiranui shut your trap, you can flirt tomorrow."
Raido more felt than heard Genma laugh and then the kid shook his head, obviously swallowing a comment with sheer force of will. It was endearing and Raido hated himself for wanting to kiss the crown of his head.
It was probably around 2 in the morning when Anko woke him up from restless sleep with a palm on his shoulders. At first he couldn't quite place what was the weight on his chest, but then he looked down and found Genma's eyes, half open and looking at him. Raido automatically reached to push the kid's hair away from his face, noticing even in the poor light of the moon that his pupils were dilated. He was also shivering slightly, no matter that he was practically glued to Raido.
"Damn. Are you okay..?" he asked, moving to half sit up so he could see him better, but Genma just smiled and shifted off of him.
"Almost done with the being sick thing." he assured in a whisper, looking somewhere behind Raido's shoulder and- yeah, Raido had forgotten Anko was there. She probably hadn't woken him up just so they could both watch Genma sweat through a fever.
Raido shuffled out of the cocoon of the covers, his heart doing something complicated when Genma immediately moved onto the freed spot. God, what was he going to do about this thing?
Anko joined him and Ibiki to get some more rest as well and in under a minute her and Genma were tangled together, both probably seeking warmth and completely unbothered by lack of personal space.
That looked more like it should be; at least they were the same age. That thought didn't sooth him as much as he would have expected it to.
Raido finished his round and noiselessly returned to their spot, moving to sit down in the same spot Ibiki had, at first.
"C'mere instead." Genma whispered from somewhere behind him and at first Raido wanted to pretend he hadn't heard him, but.. Kami-sama, he was already wrapped around that tiny finger, wasn't he.
"How're you feeling, really." Raido whispered when he instead sat down by Genma's head, making sure to speak quiet enough to not wake either of the other two.
Genma decided to take it as an invitation and shuffled higher, pillowing his head on Raido's thigh. "Like I might throw up anyway." Genma answered with some amusement in his voice, only slightly ruined by the shakiness of it. Raido stroked a hand through his hair, wishing there was more he could do.
"You can lay down, if you don't fall asleep, can't you? Just for a minute.." the kid continued wheedling and Raido found himself powerless.
"I'll have to get up in a bit again, Genma." he said his token protest, even though he was already shifting to stretch next to him. Once again he tugged the kid close and once again his stupid heart clenched at the little shiver. He rubbed a soothing hand up and down Genma's spine and didn't even have to fight to stay awake; he was too busy cursing himself to even consider falling asleep.
Genma, it seemed, didn't share his issues and slowly fell into fitful sleep. His breath was too warm on Raido's neck and his body still gave the occasional shudder, but it was good that he got some sleep at last.
Half an hour passed way too quickly and Raido had to stop the soothing motion of his hand, gently moving Genma off of him. He wrapped the kid properly in his blanket and quietly stood up, needing to circle their camp to make sure all traps were still functional.
When he returned, Genma was awake and quiet, but it was obvious what he wanted just by the way his eyes followed every Raido's step. Just as wordlessly Raido climbed back in next to him and then they were flush together again.
It went like that the whole length of Raido's watch. He would try to get up without waking him and then come back to shiny brown eyes, waiting expectantly. At some point Genma finally stopped shivering and fell into deeper sleep, the tension from his shoulders evaporating completely.
Then dawn came way too early and their little bubble burst, revealing a whole world beyond the bundle of their blankets. Raido wasn't sure if he should thank the gods for that.. or curse them.
Come yell at me.
hint NR2: [this is not an age-difference kinda thing, Raido's just bad at guessing people's age]