Iruka filed his incident report along with the kunai. Simple enough, except the chunin manning the desk had been a member of his own academy class and his team had passed the chunin exam on their first try. Iruka knew they had been rubbing that in Mizuki's face for years, but he hadn't had any contact with them himself. He resented being included in petty grudges like that. If the man was that proud to have made chunin so quickly he should at least behave like a chunin. The man sneered at him and asked how it felt to have the shoe on the other foot. As if Iruka had ever injured anyone aside from himself during his own pregenin incidents. At most he had caused some property damage, but those had been honest accidents. That had never stopped his name from being included on the reports, and it certainly hadn't stopped the substitutes from using him as an example for the rest of the class. He ignored the taunt, refusing to rise to the bait, and stalked out. The two people in line behind him shot him wary and curious looks. He ignored that, too. Some people just had far too much time on their hands. He didn't.
Kotetsu caught him a few blocks later, eager to tell him all about his meeting with the boy's father. The weapons were his, but they hadn't been stolen. He had given them to his son so he and his friends could get some 'real training' in before their exam. Of all the reckless and pointless things to do. Iruka was disgusted. Kotetsu was amused by his reaction, but he refused to tell him the man's name so Iruka could go in person to explain the flaw in that logic.
"I told him," said Kotetsu. "The weight is all wrong. Practicing with those is just going to mess them up when they have to use the practice weapons during the test. He said what he does with his son is his business. He also demanded to be compensated for the loss of the kunai."
"He didn't," Iruka murmured dangerously.
Kotetsu nodded solemnly, and then he grinned and grabbed Iruka's shoulder before he could do anything he would regret later. "You are so scary when you're mad. Damn, Iruka. How have you been hiding that? I don't think Genma really believed me when I told him-" Iruka shot him a sharp glare and he winced, his smile fading. "Sorry. Anyway, the guy was an ass about it but I explained to him that not having his kid's name on the report is worth losing a kunai. I also pointed out that most people wouldn't have left the name off the report, so it could have ended up on his son's permanent record." He gave a sly smile, "I also might have mentioned that I could easily file my own report with his name on it since he admitted right out that he had armed pregenin with real weapons. That shut him up. He'll probably keep arming them till it bites them on the ass during their test, but at least he'll keep them closer to home from now on."
"That isn't good enough."
"No, but at least he's mad at me and not the kids. He didn't even ask who had been injured, so you're in the clear. He has another kid and a few nieces who might end up in a class of yours someday, if you're still planning on that. Are you?"
"Yes," Iruka sighed. "And, yes, I know," he muttered, when Kotetsu raised an eyebrow at him, "I'll have to learn to deal with parents like that eventually. Somehow. At the moment I think you should report him."
"But you understand why I won't," said Kotetsu. "He'd get a slap on the wrist. Then he'd get your name and be biased against you for the rest of your life. No one needs that kind of drama."
No one should have time for that sort of drama. He wanted to work at the Academy and was confident he would do well with the students, and hopefully the other teachers. But the parents? He was dreading that far too much. Night shifts at the mission desk might help, forcing him to interact with shinobi who were impatient and demanding and convinced they were right. It was something to consider while he was in the village for training. Interacting with difficult jounin would be some serious training for him.
He thanked Kotetsu for his help and left him with a promise to put in that good word with Izumo tomorrow. Hopefully he could get a spar out of him while he was at it. Izumo was faster and better at taijutsu than Kotetsu, he just need a little encouragement. Those two really did complement each other well.
The moment he opened the door to his apartment, something swept past him and inside. He froze for a moment, and then scowled at the woman now hiding just inside his door. "What-"
Anko pressed a finger over her lips and waved for him to come in.
Iruka ignored that. "What are you doing?"
She grabbed his wrist, dragging him in and shutting the door. Then she put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Do you not know what 'shh' means? I'm trying to be sneaky here."
"Why?"
"Because Genma is saying you have a thing for me and I don't want anyone convinced it's mutual."
Iruka winced. "I'm sorry. I told him we just had a mission together. I don't know why he would start a rumor like that."
"Oh," Anko waved, "I know why he started it. I know he's wrong, too. Don't worry about that. When he gets it wrong, he gets it very wrong." She scoffed. "He still thinks you and Mizuki were a couple. I knew that was bullshit the first time Mizuki hosted one of Montarou's little bondage parties right under my head. No way someone like you would be a part of that scene. The last time I went down to shut them up they had a-"
"I don't want to know the details," Iruka said quickly. Just thinking about the things Tari was into made him feel sick. Different people liked different things and so long as it was all consensual it was none of his business. He knew that. But the first time he had seen the rope burns on Mizuki's arms he had stupidly tried to intervene, as if he could talk him into not liking that sort of thing. That had been as pointless as Mizuki's attempts to talk him into trying it out for himself.
"No," Anko agreed, "of course you don't want to know. That's why you're here and he's wherever the hell he is now. I got my money, by the way. Thanks for passing my message along."
"He paid you?" Iruka couldn't hide his shock.
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Of course he didn't. Montarou paid me on his behalf so I wouldn't report him. Not that I would have reported him, but they don't need to know that. The important thing is that the debt is all cleared up. Water under the bridge. So," she said, walking off into the kitchen, "you got anything to drink? I brought my tin if you don't. I figured I could return the favor. My mission coffee is smoother than yours. I cut it with mint, nuts, whatever I run across. You should try that."
Iruka served her a cup of normal coffee in exchange for a cup of hers. Hers was still strong but not as bitter as his own ration coffee. He waited for her to explain why she had come by. Surely she hadn't come just to tell him that Mizuki's debt had been repaid.
"Not bad," she said, setting her mug down. "I'm surprised you'd splurge on something like coffee, though. To hear Mizuki talk, you're a miser of the worst sort. A miser of my sort," she said sharply, flashing a toothy grin. "Yet you haven't stolen one of my breezes in days. What happened? You get spooked?"
"Yes, I did," Iruka admitted. "I got spooked badly. I decided to take a week off to train."
"What sort of training?"
Iruka sighed and set down his own mug. "What brings you here, Anko?"
"What?" She scoffed at him. "No small talk for me? And here people have been telling me you're so polite and proper and boring as hell. Of course, they also say you want to marry me and make me pop out a few dozen kids so you can play daddy to an entire academy class of your own." She nodded when Iruka winced painfully at that. "Right? People say a lot of things that aren't true. What have they said to you about me?"
"I try not to listen to rumors," Iruka told her, "especially about things that are none of my business."
She gave a playful wince. "Oh, you really are proper. You need to work on that. You also need to work on your wards. I've been watching your place all day. I was tempted to let myself in and nap on your couch. You wouldn't have even known I was in here. Some chakra sensors would fix that."
"Why were you watching my apartment?"
"Does it make you nervous?" she asked, with a smile that was actually a bit worrisome.
"Yes," Iruka said frankly, "a little." Mostly he was concerned that Genma's rumor really had bothered her.
"And you're honest. You're just a nice guy, huh? Maybe that explains it." She waved at his shoulder. "Who bled you?"
Iruka winced. He had completely forgotten his vest. He needed to scrub that out quickly. "Stray kunai."
"Interesting," she smiled. "Give me another cup of your luxury coffee and I'll tell you what brought me to your place."
"Help yourself," Iruka sighed. "I'm going to set my vest to soak. I'll be right back."
"And you're trusting?" she called after him. "You have so much work to do, Iruka. You're lucky I'm here."
She had topped off his coffee by the time he returned, mixing some of his into her own. The flavor really was interesting. She took a sip and then leaned back in the chair to eye him soberly.
"So, I was woken up this morning by Montarou. He gave me my money, told me to keep my mouth shut, and warned me to stay away from Mizuki. All to be expected. But then he also warned me to stay away from you. Why would he do that?"
Iruka winced. "Mizuki probably asked him to. I'm sorry. He didn't appreciate the lecture I gave him." A lecture that hadn't made a dent, because nothing he said to Mizuki ever did. He dropped his eyes to stare into his mug. His stomach clenched with guilt, for her and for Mizuki. "I know you've been paid back, but you should still report him. There is no excuse for what he did."
"Why am I surprised?" Anko sighed. "You're a stickler for the rules. They told me that, too. You're as messed up as the rest of us, but in a totally different way. You think being reported will help Mizuki change for the better? It won't. It'll just teach him not to get caught next time. But reporting him would hurt me." She waved a hand when Iruka looked up sharply. "He's not the first person to bail on me. Why do you think I go after the breezes when I could be doing A Ranks instead? You don't have to listen to rumors to hear them. I know you know about me. Mizuki would have told you, even if no one else would talk about it. The one good thing he ever did was keep you away from people like me, and those friends of his. Word has it he's been guarding you like a bone since the academy. But Mizuki-kun is off doing his own thing now and I'm not taking orders from his Tari-chan." She grinned viciously. "The second I was warned to stay away from you, I headed straight here."
"Why?" asked Iruka. "Do you want my help with another mission? I won't be available until Saturday. I really do need to get some training in."
"In that case you should really start with some chakra sensors. What you have isn't bad, but it won't stop a jounin. Or a special jounin trained in seals, for that matter. I can show you how to set some sensors up in exchange for a meal, if you have more than fancy coffee stocked now that you're sticking around the village for a while."
Iruka smiled. "I am stocked up at the moment, and that's a more than fair trade. I actually do know how to make chakra sensors, but I haven't learned how to tie them into other seals."
"I'm surprised you know as many seals as you do," Anko admitted. "Like I said, what you have here isn't bad. Pretty damn good for someone who supposedly is aiming for the Academy. Is that rumor true or is it a front?"
A front for what? Iruka shook his head at her. "My goal is to teach at the Academy. That's true. But I don't know how long it will take me to have a class of my own, so right now I'm focused on making money through missions. Sensors could be very useful for that."
"They would be useful if you used them to set up fall-backs," said Anko. "But I know you're not doing that. There is no way you'd be finishing breezes as fast as you are if you were doing it the safe way. You're pushing straight through. That's fine, if you have the stamina for it, right up until you hit something you can't handle on your own and don't have anyone or anyplace safe to fall back to. It's no wonder you got spooked. I'll show you how it's done."
"Why would you do that?" asked Iruka. His smile was teasing rather than suspicious. "Are you hoping I'll be content with ten percent?"
"Don't worry, I'm not that cheap. Remember, I offered to split it before you talked me down. Then you decided to be a nice guy and settle for ten of a B instead of an A? That's on you." She smiled in amusement. "All I need is a roof over my head and I'm good. Money is just a matter of principle, fair share of the pay for a fair share of the work. For this mission you'll get a third, half if there's trouble. The reason I'm willing to teach you how to set up fall-back points is because I need you to set up mine. And you'll need to learn it by Saturday." Her smile widened into a devious grin. "I don't know what kind of training you were hoping to get during this break of yours, but some of it will be very useful for both of us. And why not? If people are going to put our names together we might as well give them something to talk about."
"I don't want people getting the wrong idea," Iruka winced, "about either of us."
"That's because you're honest," she said dismissively. "You don't know how to make rumors work for you. You'll learn. The idea that someone nice and normal like you would be interested in me makes me look like less of a threat. That's to my benefit. And it makes it look like there's more to you than just a nice and normal guy who's content to fade into the background. That's to your benefit. Yeah, I know, you probably like being invisible. That would be very useful if you were aiming for T&I. But you say your goal is the academy, right? Trust me, having everyone talk about how nice and normal you are just makes you sound like a pansy. Who wants a pansy teaching their kids how to kill people? No, this rumor isn't going to hurt either of us. Besides, I need someone I can rely on and you need to learn a few things about working solo. You show up when you're supposed to so I don't get spooked and I'll make sure you have safe places to hide on your solo missions so you don't get spooked. And you'll get some A Ranks on your record. That should put you way ahead of anyone else insane enough to want to work at the Academy."
She was assuming he had the skills needed to back her up. If not, maybe he could at least help her find someone who did. "Tell me about this mission for Saturday. I'll start on some food. Are you a picky eater?"
"Hell, no. If it's edible I'll eat it. And if it's warm and fresh and doesn't taste like shit, I'll thank you for it, too."
.-.
"Nothing?" Kakashi repeated. "No mention of me at all?"
Finding Asuma had been too easy. The man had been loitering near the little restaurant Kurenai often took lunch at. Just a coincidence, of course. Not like Asuma had been planning to run into her or anything. No, of course not. He was quick to follow Kakashi off to a quieter spot and Kakashi pretended he didn't notice the look Asuma sent back over his shoulder. Those two had been dancing around each other for so long it was almost an open joke. Almost. But not quite because he was convinced they had never so much as kissed. He didn't know what they were waiting for. For their sake he hoped they didn't wait too long.
"It's the chunin bar," said Asuma. "The moment you sat down at his table they closed ranks. There's plenty of talk about him, but you're just the nameless jounin who tried to pick him up and failed. They're not going to link your name to his. He would have all sorts sniffing after him if they did. They like him too much for that."
That was what Kakashi had been worried about, having the wrong 'sorts' sniffing after Iruka. But if the rumors weren't naming him then only the people who had been in the bar would link them. As Asuma had pointed out, it was a chunin bar and he had very little interaction with chunin. That meant it was unlikely what had happened to Iruka had anything to do with him. So it really was a coincidence? Accidents? He just couldn't accept that.
"You want to tell me what happened?" asked Asuma.
"Weren't you there?" Kakashi drawled in amusement.
"Yeah, I was. I saw his face after you left. I felt so bad for not discouraging you, I asked around about him." Actually, he had asked Kurenai to look into him, but Kakashi didn't need to know that. "He doesn't sound like the sort of person you'd bother insulting just because you changed your mind. And it must have been quite an insult to make him look like that."
Kakashi remembered how Iruka had looked in the alley. He hoped it was only the anger that Asuma had glimpsed, and not the frustrated tears that had followed. "I didn't insult him. It was a misunderstanding on his part."
"Some misunderstanding," Asuma said skeptically. "He looked ready to kill someone. I would never have believed someone so painfully shy could get that angry, that quickly. The stinky resident barfly grabbed him on his way out-"
"What?"
Kakashi almost groaned at the silence that ensued, and the way Asuma stared at him. The possessive outrage in his own voice was undeniable. Any hope that Asuma would continue believing he had changed his mind about picking up Iruka had just flown out the window. He glared when Asuma's lips quirked.
"It was a misunderstanding, huh?" Asuma drawled.
Kakashi sighed. "Just tell me what happened after I left."
"Do you want to know what happened, or what the rumors say happened? Two completely different things."
"Both," Kakashi muttered.
Asuma smiled in amusement. "The barfly grabbed him and whispered something. Then he let him go and he walked out. A few seconds later the bar stunk a whole lot worse. That cute blushing chunin you were trying to pick up made him piss himself with just a look. That must have been one major misunderstanding to have made him that angry. What did you say to him? And why? I know you're clumsy when it comes to-"
"What do the rumors say happened?" asked Kakashi. He wasn't in the mood to be lectured or teased.
"Nonsense," Asuma shrugged. "One rumor says he got caught having sex with that slob in the alley just outside. That rumor isn't getting off the ground. Kurenai says he's popular with the chunin, a real nice guy. One of those 'give you the shirt off his back' types. Anyone who knows him is shutting that rumor down the second it pops up."
They had better be. The thought of that slob touching Iruka and then spreading lies about him was infuriating. But even worse was knowing that Iruka had actually considered having sex with that man, because Iruka had honestly believed he couldn't do any better. If Iruka was popular among the chunin, enough for them to close ranks in order to protect his good name, how could he think that about himself? Kakashi wanted that filthy bastard's name. Then he wanted the names of everyone Iruka had slept with. Once he had the names he could kill them. He took a long slow breath. It didn't help.
"Kakashi?"
"Forget it," said Kakashi. "I heard there was a rumor going around that I had been snubbed by a mere chunin. If they're not mentioning me by name, it doesn't concern me."
Quietly disposing of a few people the village could do without wouldn't change the past, and he would have difficulty justifying his actions to Ibiki, not to mention the Hokage. He certainly couldn't tell them that he was feeling protective and possessive of his latest sex partner. That sort of thing led to a full psychological probe, which he would never submit to. No, he just needed to take a mental step back. A little stress relief with a partner of convenience wouldn't hurt, either. Luckily he had one available at the moment.
"Did you change your mind, then?" asked Asuma.
"About having sex with him?" Kakashi drawled. He made his tone casual and slightly amused. He didn't think it fooled Asuma, but it was a good start. "No. But I don't need to know anything about him in order to achieve that goal. Sorry for wasting your time. Give Kurenai a pinch for me."
"I will not," Asuma snapped.
"Your loss," he shrugged. "If you don't give her something I might decide to snap her up myself once I grow bored of the chunin."
"I don't think that will happen," scoffed Asuma. His tone was as casually amused as Kakashi's. But his eyes were knowing.
No, he hadn't fooled Asuma a bit. That was fine. He didn't need to fool Asuma. He didn't need to fool himself or Iruka, either. All they needed were clear boundaries. He was the one who had stretched them so far. It shouldn't be hard to put them back into place.
.-.
Iruka was very bemused by the time Anko left. She had flashed him what had to be that 'little-girl smile' Genma had mentioned before teleporting away, impish and playful and surprisingly young. It was a reminder that she wasn't as old as her coarse and rather dark manner made her seem. She was very direct, though, when she wasn't being devious. He had definitely caught a glimpse of sadism in her sense of humor. Where that sort of thing made him avoid people like Tari, it didn't bother him as much with her. She enjoyed irritating, confusing, and showing up the people who got on her bad side, but she didn't appear the type to get off on mentally and physically torturing people. Or maybe he was just showing naivety and bias because she was a woman. He hoped that wasn't the case. She would probably be very offended if she thought he was treating her differently just because she was female.
He preferred to believe any bias on his part was due to the fact that she was a fellow shinobi who genuinely needed his help, and someone far more experienced at working alone, who could be a great help to him in return. She had been very candid about some of the people she had tried and failed to work with. That explained why she would have worked with Mizuki. She had worked with a few of his friends, or tried to, anyway. Iruka hadn't had much contact with that crowd. He let her continue believing Mizuki was the one who had kept them away from him, but the truth was the more he had learned about those people the less contact he had with them or Mizuki. That distance had started right after they had failed the chunin exam for the first time. He had refused to have Mizuki bringing his new friends by the place where they were staying. Mizuki had mocked and teased and ranted for a while, but eventually he had agreed because he hadn't wanted Iruka to move out. By the time they made chunin and got their own apartments it had been normal for Mizuki to be off messing around with his friends while Iruka focused on missions and training and tried not to think about what sort of trouble Mizuki might be getting himself into. Knowing that Anko had done missions with someone like Montarou, or Tari as Mizuki liked to call him, made Iruka's skin crawl. She was better than that. Mizuki should have been better than that, too, but he chose not to be and that was on him.
In return, Iruka told Anko about some of the chunin and jounin he had clashed with during his long stint as a genin. He tried to downplay Mizuki's part in the worst clashes, but the way she sneered told him she probably guessed. She was quick to inform him that Aoba was actually a good one and Iruka had been lucky to work under him. Yes, he had a major stick up his ass and went ice cold if anyone copped an attitude during a mission, but he had never lost a man no matter how green the team was. That made Iruka regret the missions they had turned down afterward in order to avoid working under him again. Raidou was another one Anko was quick to defend. In fact, she defended him so strongly Iruka was prompted to ask her why she hadn't recruited him for some of her own missions. Competition, it turned out. Raidou was already a special jounin doing just the sort of missions she was after. Someone like that might help, but they would be doing it as a favor to her and she preferred having people owe her favors, not the other way around. No, she mostly stuck with people who would never be invited to join an A Rank otherwise, whether because no one wanted to work with them or because they were content to remain chunin. She flashed him a smile at that, a smile that was so viciously amused it would normally have made him very uncomfortable. Hers didn't. Yes, she was insulting and mocking him, but he understood why. He had found himself smiling back, because he really was content to remain a chunin. Even if he did somehow improve enough to make Jounin, at best he might get a genin team. He would never be allowed to work fulltime at the academy as a Jounin. Jounin were too useful elsewhere.
That had brought them back to her mission. He was technically qualified to fill the role she had in mind. Although his last mission had left him feeling less than confident, he would have plenty of time to prepare in advance for this one. And the way she charted her course taught him ways he could avoid taking so many risks the next time he did go on a solo run. She was very good. It made him wonder why she was aiming for special jounin rather than full jounin. He didn't ask. She hadn't asked why he wanted to teach at the academy, after all.
She insisted he alter the seals on his apartment before she left. They would get started on chakra sensors tomorrow. For now there a few changes that would make his wards much stronger. He was amused by the way she playfully switched between insulting and praising his work. He reminded her that he was aiming to be an academy teacher, not an infiltration specialist like her.
She had flashed him that dark toothy smile, "Keep saying that. I'll let you know if I decide to believe you."
Once he had changed things to her satisfaction, she had teleported out. According to her, the best way to feed the rumors was to keep them guessing. That meant she didn't want anyone to see her entering or leaving his apartment. A whiff or two, a few suspicious hints with no clear evidence and the gossips would be starving and rabid for more information. Trying to determine the truth would drive Genma crazy, she assured him. Iruka was disturbed by the thought of that, but she seemed convinced the rumor would be good for both of them. It was certainly better than some of the other things being said about him.
He set his vest out to dry. He would have to repair the cut on the back, but the blood had come out cleanly. After a long hot soak he decided the day hadn't gone too badly, all things considered. If he hadn't pushed himself so much he would have dodged that kunai and avoided that scene at the hospital.
He was still upset about those boys, though. They were probably going to fail their test and knowing one of them had been set up to fail because of his own father's stubbornness was frustrating. But he didn't work at the academy yet, and he wouldn't be able to change how parents trained their children in their off-time even when he was working there. All he could do was remember to emphasize to his own classes why practice weapons were so different from real ones, not just the sharper edges making them more deadly, but the weight of the metal altering the trajectory. Honestly, he might as well blame their teacher for them not knowing that. His own teacher hadn't explained it, either. Like those boys, he had also been forced to learn the hard way why sneaking real weapons to practice with did not give one an advantage when the tests rolled around. Well, at least his own students would know better. And if any of them were stubborn enough to try it anyway, they'd be failing a few tests, too.
Kakashi showed up almost the moment he opened the scroll. Iruka was so startled he bumped into the bed and was forced to sit before he could fall. He grinned. That explained why he hadn't noticed anything Kakashi might have sent through the scroll last time. He hadn't sent anything, except himself.
"Is it a summoning scroll?" asked Iruka. "Or a form of teleportation?"
"Both," said Kakashi. He was relieved by Iruka's easy smile. There was none of the wariness of their last encounter. He really hadn't behaved well at the hospital. He stepped back and rolled up the scroll, setting it on the stand beside the bed. "I intend to show you how to go through yourself, if you ever need me enough to send an object through. Do you think you will?"
"I hope so," Iruka said, with an embarrassed blush. He rose from the bed and admitted, "I've been tempted to. But I don't want to take up too much of your time."
"We're partners," Kakashi reminded him. "When my scroll is open, my time is yours."
Iruka wished he could be that confident about it. Maybe he would be eventually. Kakashi stepped behind him, wrapping his arms around him and dropped his head with a long sigh. Iruka could feel his forehead protector resting heavily on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Frustrated," Kakashi admitted quietly. He was more emotionally frustrated than sexually, which was a very dangerous thing. He tightened his arms and pressed hard against Iruka's back. "I'd like to work my frustrations out with you. If you're willing."
"Of course I am." He leaned back into the embrace, his face flushing at the feel of Kakashi's erection through their clothes. He turned his head so Kakashi's soft hair was pressed against his cheek. "Isn't that what partners are for?"
"Yes, it is." And that was all partners of convenience were for. Kakashi wanted a little more than that from Iruka, and was willing to give a little more in return. But just a little.
Kakashi was quiet for so long that Iruka began to worry. He wished he would lift his head enough for him to see his eye. He would gladly give him whatever he needed to feel better. Was Kakashi hesitant to ask? Iruka could only think of one reason why he might be. "Do you want a quick fuck?"
Kakashi looked up sharply. Iruka's eyes were concerned and warm and it would be so easy to say yes. Using Iruka the way Iruka was accustomed to being used would certainly establish a line neither of them would cross. And Iruka would simply accept it, getting whatever pleasure he could from it. Kakashi wasn't willing to do that, to reduce him to a warm body to be used however he liked.
"I want to fuck you, but it won't be the least bit quick," Kakashi warned him, his hand sliding down to get a feel for Iruka's reaction. Iruka blushed furiously, while his body wasn't the least bit shy. Kakashi dropped his voice so he was murmuring into his ear. "It will be long and hard and more than you think you can handle, but I promise there will be no pain involved for either of us. Just pleasure and deep satisfaction." Iruka shuddered against him and it was all he could do not to bring him to his knees and bend him over the bed right here. But the walls of Iruka's apartment were likely thin. He didn't want him trying to keep quiet. He wanted him desperate and demanding and crying his name. "My place."
"Yes," Iruka bit out. "Hurry."
Kakashi grinned behind his mask. It would be hurried, at least the first time. Iruka pushed his restraint in a way that was unseemly for someone with his experience. But there were no troublesome lines to worry about crossing when it came to the sex they had together. They could indulge in that all night, and maybe into the morning if Iruka didn't have any prior commitments. He doubted that would help with the worrisome attachment he was forming with this man, but it was his right as Iruka's partner. And Iruka needed a partner like him to show him that he was too good for the trash stinking up their village. Kakashi would take great pleasure in teaching him that. Then maybe he wouldn't worry so much about who Iruka had been with in the past and who he might be hurt by in the future. He really shouldn't be worried about that, anyway. Iruka wouldn't be having any other partners unless they grew tired of each other, and Kakashi didn't see that happening any time soon.
.-.
Kurenai was exasperated. Asuma had been late to lunch, stopping by just long enough to ask her to meet him later. She hadn't been upset, since it hadn't been an actual date so much as a habit for them to take lunch together when they were both in the village. But Asuma had winked at her before leaving, which had made her think all sorts of things, namely that he had been flirting. He knew better. They were too emotionally close already without turning it into something physical. He might be ready to settle down, but she certainly wasn't. She was too young for children. And Asuma was definitely the marrying type. She thought she was, too, but years from now. She wasn't the sort for flings and she definitely didn't want her best friend turning all wishy-washy and romantic on her. Or flirting! He had no business winking at her like that and then rushing away. And all because of Kakashi?
"Sorry," Asuma winced, but it was more playful than apologetic. If the thought of him flirting with her got her that worked up he would have to accidentally do it more often. She was adorable when she got all flustered like that. "I wanted to find out why he was asking. Now we know."
"He must have come to you right after leaving the hospital," she sighed. "How fast does he think rumors fly around here? Now he's going to think no one's talking about him when they are. Hopefully they'll leave Umino's name out of it."
Asuma scooted to the side and waved for her to sit against the tree with him. He had picked a meeting spot close enough to his home for privacy but not so close she would hesitate to meet him there this late at night. Flustering her with a wink now and then was fine, but he didn't want her to think he had romantic notions toward her. She knew he would love and wait for her forever, but it was important that she also know he valued her friendship too much to intentionally make her uncomfortable with him. He was glad when she didn't hesitate to sit beside him. They sat arm to arm, as easily as ever, because they were best friends first and always would be.
"Kakashi needs to get out of the tower more," said Asuma. "He doesn't pay enough attention to rumors to understand how useful and dangerous they can be. He thought just being seen talking to someone in a bar would be enough to link their names. He really needs to take a break from Anbu. Overseeing Naruto's guard isn't helping him break out of that shell."
"He'll never break out voluntarily," she scoffed. "He feels safe there. I can't believe he's even interested in a chunin, much less someone like Umino. Why would he even enter that bar? At least you have an excuse for going there," and she flashed him a teasing smile. "Your protective side is very sweet."
Asuma flushed and grimaced. "They let genin in there. They act like they don't, but they do. Some of them rush in the second they graduate, eager for their first drink and thinking it's just a normal bar. Then they get so drunk they can't even walk. Even some of the chunin are too young to be in there, if you ask me."
Kurenai smiled at his embarrassment. He was adorable when he got flustered like that. "I agree with you. But if they're old enough to kill on behalf of the village, they're old enough to have a drink." Or sex, though she preferred not to think about that. Some graduated the academy very young. But they were considered shinobi the moment they graduated and there was no getting around that. "If they don't get what they're after in a bar, they'll get it somewhere else, where there won't be anyone watching who might intervene on their behalf. At least you don't go in there to perv on the young and inexperienced. Kakashi on the other hand is an Anbu and should know better."
He snorted at that. "When it comes to relationships he might as well be a genin. Or a chunin, though I can't imagine Kakashi blushing and trying to hide in plain sight like that one. That poor kid was so painfully shy it was like a red flag for the resident pervs. That doesn't fit with what you found out about him. How can a chunin be both popular and shy?"
"Umino is a very suspicious one," she admitted. "From all appearances, he's utterly normal." She nodded solemnly when Asuma raised an eyebrow at her. "That's the consensus. He's normal, far too normal. Nice and average in every way. When you told me about the scar I dug into him and the only bad thing I could find is that his academy teachers turned against him during his last two years. His parents died in the attack."
"Oh," Asuma winced. "Damn. Both of them?"
"Both. He must have started acting out afterward. He was reported a lot. I have never heard of a pregenin being written up that much."
"Was Ebisu working at the academy at the time?" He shrugged when she promptly scowled.
"He would have been," she sighed. "That explains that. But that must have all stopped the moment he graduated. Raidou worked with him once and he says he basically carried his two-man genin team because he was paired with a trouble-making waste of a hitai-ate."
"Raidou said that? That's harsh."
"Not according to him," she scoffed. "He said he was putting it kindly. But he had nothing bad to say about Umino. Average skills for a genin, nice, hardworking, and very normal."
Asuma grinned. "There's that word again. No shinobi is normal."
"Right? Shizune said the same thing when I asked her about him. He's just a nice guy who does his work without complaint. She says he's a wonder in the mission room, at least in the back. According to her he might be too shy to work out front, but she'd love to have him become a regular in the back. Unfortunately, rumor has it his goal is to work at the academy."
"There it is," Asuma drawled. "That's not normal. No one wants to work there."
Kurenai frowned at him for that. "I'd like to, if I had the time for it. I enjoy taking over classes now and then."
"Now and then," he agreed. "But your particular skills are too rare to be wasted at the academy for long. You wouldn't be content to remain there when you know you could help more elsewhere. But a brand-new chunin, with the goal of working fulltime at the academy, and no goal of doing anything beyond that? Completely abnormal. That's reassuring. He was starting to sound like a spy. A good one, too."
She laughed. "That's what I thought when everyone kept telling me how nice, likable, and normal he was. Every person I talked to used that word. Normal. I'm still tempted to whisper his name in Ibiki's ear, just to be safe."
"You won't have to if word gets out about that stunt Kakashi pulled at the hospital. You should have seen his face when I told him about that slob at the bar. For a second I thought he might hunt him down and kill him."
"Just don't mention the name," she waved. "Hiroto hasn't done a mission in years. The only time he drags himself out of his apartment is to stink up that bar. His path might never cross with Kakashi's. And no one with any sense would repeat anything he has to say, especially about someone like Umino. As for what Kakashi did at the hospital..."
"Naruto was there. We might be able to pass it off as a coincidence, just one of Naruto's guard being suspicious at having someone else turn up with a serious injury. Everyone who knows Kakashi also knows how paranoid he can be."
"Maybe," she frowned. "I feel like we should discourage this, if only for Umino's sake. Someone like that might be good for Kakashi, but Kakashi can't possibly be good for him. You don't understand how hard I had to work to find anything on Umino. The people who know him like him, but not many people do know him. He doesn't have much of a presence in the village. Having his name linked to Kakashi's would end that. And if a simple misunderstanding angered him that badly then how do you think interacting with Kakashi on a regular basis would affect him?"
Asuma's lips twitched and he quickly looked away. That depended on what sort of 'interactions' he and Kakashi had. The fact that Kakashi was still interested told him that the chunin hadn't actually rejected him. Kakashi wasn't the sort to pressure someone who had turned him down. Kakashi didn't care enough for that, about much of anything beyond doing his work and being left alone. Kurenai had a good point, though. The other chunin had quickly closed ranks to protect Umino's good name, so it was only fair that the jounin do the same. If it wasn't already too late.
He turned back with an apologetic smile. "If it isn't already too late, there is only one person I know who could shut down a rumor about the copy-nin hunting down a chunin and accosting him in the hospital like that."
Kurenai grimaced. "Not me! He'll hit on me."
Asuma laughed. "Genma hits on everyone. He hits on me, too. I think the only person he doesn't hit on is Ibiki, and maybe the Hokage."
"No," she said quickly, "he has definitely hit on the Hokage. I heard him doing it myself. That man is incorrigible."
Asuma laughed again and then stood, offering her a hand and pulling her up. "Let me walk you home."
She raised an eyebrow at that. "Why should I? I certainly don't need an escort." And he had winked at her earlier. She wasn't about to forget that.
"If I have to be the one to catch Genma first thing in the morning, the least you can do is let me walk you home. I need the moral support to prepare myself for the trauma ahead. The man leered at my backside the last time I walked away from him. I can't explain how disturbing that was for me."
"You poor thing," she laughed. "Fair enough. I'll let you fortify your manliness by walking a lady home." And she would enjoy the company. She always did.
.-.
TBC