Disclaimer : Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi and all the other characters mentioned, except the Kuroki brat, do not belong to me. The Kuroki brat, Kuroki Katsu, actually, is mine
Title: Suds (Chibinecco, helped me with the title on the Kakairu community on livejournal.)
Genre: Fluff. Humor ?
Characters: Iruka, Kakashi ( duh ! )
Resume: "Shaking his head, he sat at his desk and glared at the stack of tests he had to grade. He sighed. Then he rolled up his sleeves, literally, and gave the papers a challenging look."
Comment : Previously posted on the Kakairu community on livejournal.
Status: One-shot
Suds
He dismissed his class with a smile. The children grinned happily and waved before they ran through the academy's corridors, shouting, laughing loudly and joking around.
Shaking his head, he sat at his desk and glared at the stack of tests he had to grade. He sighed. Then he rolled up his sleeves, literally, and gave the papers a challenging look.
"I'm so going to grade you all before going home. You can't escape me!"
Er… He knew a passer-by would have called the nearest psychiatric hospital after hearing him talk to paper sheets. He would have done the same thing if, say, he had seen Shizune-san doing so. But he felt so tired, so lazy, he had to encourage himself.
"I want my bed!" he whined while grading.
A frustrated growl escaped his lips when he read the Kuroki's daughter essay. The brat was a very bright child, yet she refused to work, probably thinking she was too good to give her teacher this pleasure.
Exasperated, he wrote a huge C on the paper. Well, he attempted to write it, before realising his red pen wasn't working anymore.
"I'm going to kill the salesman!" He yelled to his empty classroom, before turning back to his pen.
He glared at it.
"Hello, I bought you yesterday, you should be working, you know?" he told the stupid pen.
Said pen didn't answer.
It was getting on his nerves.
He shook it.
He rubbed iton the sole of his shoes.
He threw itagainst a wall.
He threatened.
He growled.
He shook itagain.
The pen's red ink leaked on his hands. And his desk. And his chuunin vest.
"This is not my day."
He looked at the small disaster with a deep sigh. He heard his 'inner him' screaming murder while silently mourning for his bed. Weird.
Then he gave his scarlet fingers a look. The red colour reminded him of blood. He knew it was a ridiculous thought, of course, since blood was a darker ton of red. The red on his fingers was bright, almost fluorescent. It wasn't blood.
He needed to wash it.
He needed to wash it.
"Just great! Plain great!"
He walked to the sink in the bottom of the classroom and turned the tap on. The water flowed out cold, but warmed up quickly. Most of the ink came out, yet dry blots persisted.
He rubbed his hands together, scratched them.
There wasn't soap.
"I love my life, really." He almost laughed.
Really, he found his situation so ridiculous he couldn't cry about it anymore. Yes, it was irritating, and he was losing time. Yes, the water was crumpling his fingers. Yes, he was tired, and standing in front of a formerly white sink wasn't exactly what he called relaxation. But it was him. He had learned to accept it.
Which didn't mean he liked it, he thought, glaring at his reddened hands. He couldn't tell the ink from the rubbed skin anymore.
"I want my bed, I want a new pen, I want my papers to be graded and I want soap!" he told the classroom, the stack of papers, the sink and the ink.
A low chuckle went up ; it wasn't his.
Iruka's eyes widened in surprise. He plunged a hand in his kunai pocket while throwing water at the stranger's face. A kunai followed the water. Kakashi dodged it clumsily, startled by the chuunin reaction.
"I didn't know you were so wild, Iruka-sensei." He stated a bit nervously.
Usually, Iruka would have snorted at this statement, and would have answered something about chuunins being as strong as some stupid jounins who had been promoted for their name instead of their strength. He would have teased Kakashi for his awkwardness, and would have discreetly mentioned the fiasco of the chuunin exam, or made some ironic comment about Sasuke in a tactless way.
Well, usually, Iruka would not have been that worn out. This is why Iruka bowed and apologized, and tried to keep his voice from shaking, because the silver haired man had scared the hell out of him.
"I'm really sorry Kakashi-sensei. I'm sorry. Are you all right? I'm really, really sorry."
He was starting to stutter. He fell silent. His cheeks were burning.
"Maa, don't worry, I dodged."
An uncomfortable silence settled down. Iruka shifted. Kakashi rubbed his neck.
"I… er… I heard you needed some soap." He admitted almost diffidently.
Iruka blushed even more. He felt bad. Why couldn't Gai, or Kurenai, be the ones to see him in such a shameful situation?
"I was… I was on my way back from the supermarket you know, and I saw some light here in the academy. I thought I'd come by and say hello and… Well, it seems I bought too much soap." The jounin explained uncomfortably.
Iruka looked up to him. The grey-haired man shifted and went through his plastic bag. He looked nervous. Then he handed the chuunin a box of soap.
"Here." He said, suddenly calmer.
The younger man smiled in relief. He opened the little box and washed his hands again. The remaining ink didn't last long. He wiped his hands on his trousers incautiously.
"Thank you Kakashi-sensei." He whispered, uneasy.
"Maa, you're welcome Iruka-sensei."
Kakashi looked at the clock above the desk and the blackboard.
"Well" He said, his visible eye curved in his usual position, "It looks like it's getting late. I think I should be going. Have a good night Iruka-sensei."
Iruka frowned slightly. It wasn't that late. But then, the great copy nin Kakashi sure had other things to do than bringing soap to a schoolteacher.
He sighed, and waved thoughtlessly.
"If you don't mind, I'll pass by tomorrow. Just to make sure you have soap and all, you know." Kakashi added.
Iruka blinked in surprise.
"I don't mind. I don't mind at all." He smiled.
Kakashi left in his leaf fashion manner, smiling back at Iruka.
The morning after, Kakashi brought a towel.
END
Comments are welcome. Don't flame me, please, though. It's my first Kakairu fic and English fic ( I'm French, people ! lol )