Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto or the characters.
A. N. So I posted this yesterday-ish but realised that I wanted to change the new genin team, since I remembered I had already mentioned Konohomaru just passing the chuunin exams.
A. N. Again! So continuing with my names have meaning tradition in this story, I tried to keep with the fang (Kiba) and claw (Tsume) naming of Inuzukas, going with tail (Teru) as another part of canine anatomy. Also Kurokoinu is supposed to be a mash-up of black and pup.
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Naruto was NOT in a good mood. It had been a year since the lube-in-the-kitchen incident and he rarely slept over anymore. He had learned quickly that it was just not safe to walk into his Nii-san's home unannounced anymore, either. Too many times had he walked in on old man sex—too many times! He was happy for Iruka, really—but Kakashi-Sensei was such a perv sometimes. Naruto scrubbed at his eyes. Just this morning, he had seen them going at it through the window—not OK.
As he made his way down the road, distracted, he barely noticed the excited twitter around the gate. What he did notice, however, was when one Ero-Sannin clapped him on the back so hard he ate ground. Literally. Sitting up and spitting out the dirt, Naruto gazed up at his teacher.
"You're back."
"You sound so excited. Didn't you miss me, brat?"
"My wallet is full, I get to train everyday, Konoha has the best ramen and I get to stay home with Hinata-chan and Iruka-nii."
The old man deflated a little. "'Course I missed you, you old perv!" He got up, smiling, "Who else treats me like the ingenious brat that I am?"
Jiraiya visibly relaxed. "So how's it hanging, kid?"
"A little to the left, actually. I've taken to going commando."
Jiraiya stared at him, deadpan look on his face.
"Well, you asked." Naruto grinned mischievously, then peered around. "Where's Toothpick-San? You know, Nii-san's ex?"
Jiraiya giggled.
Naruto eyed him suspiciously. "What?"
"Oh, well, you'll never guess."
"What?"
"He's decided to stay in Suna."
"What? Why?"
"Oh, he said he likes the onsens there. They have really nice ones, you know. If you remember, sand gets everywhere in Suna, so they have really elaborate bath houses."
"Yeah, but you seem too, oh, I don't know, cheerful about it. You're never this happy unless something's up."
"Yeah, well, you'll hear at dinner. Now go run along and tell your brother and bratty sensei that they should organise one of their dinners tonight so I can share my news and we can celebrate my homecoming."
"NO WAY! Do it yourself! I am not going anywhere near that apartment!" Jiraiya stood there, confused, as his former student high-tailed it out of there at top speed.
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Iruka chortled quietly. "Will you quit it?" He shoved at the lump under the blankets.
A muffled, "No," escaped the lump.
"You're insatiable! Seriously, Kakashi, get off." He shoved half-heartedly at the lump again.
"No." Iruka squirmed, trying to dislodge his persistent lover from his abdomen, to no avail.
"You realise Naruto caught us again, right?"
Kakashi's dishevelled hair stuck out in all directions as he lifted his head and peered out of the blanket, "I might have sensed his distressed chakra at the window, yes."
"And?" Iruka prompted. Kakashi just blinked at him owlishly. "Well?"
"Don't care," he dropped his head back to Iruka's stomach and kept nuzzling at it. Iruka shoved him, harder this time, to an indignant squawk of, "Hey!"
"It's late. We need to get up."
"No."
"Kakashi, you need to let go so we can get the chores done."
"No."
"Kakashi, I'm warning you—" A scrunched up nose met Iruka's eyes as his bump on a log lover raise his head again. He sighed at the look of disgust on the finely chiselled features.
"I don't like chores."
"I know."
"I never had to do them when I lived alone."
"Never?" a sceptical raised eyebrow.
"Well, hardly never," he rested his chin on Iruka's toned stomach, then dug it in a little, a petulant look etching itself onto his face. Iruka sighed again.
"We're finishing the chores today," he said firmly, running a comforting hand through tangled silver locks.
"I don't want to."
"I know."
Kakashi glared at him, reminding Iruka of one of his students. "Do you know everything?"
"I know you." His roving hand came to rest on a pale cheek. Kakashi grinned wolfishly.
"Want to know me even better?" He traced a hand up Iruka's side.
"I'm not fucking you right now, Kashi." Kakashi's bright smile faded and he slumped onto his ear, deflated.
A mumbled, "I hate chores!" reached Iruka's ears. He picked up his boyfriend's head in his hands and made him look at him, then sat up and leaned towards his ear.
Kakashi perked up as Iruka whispered, "After we get all dirty from cleaning the house, we can get all cleaned up in the bath."
"Or a shower?" Kakashi asked hopefully, "We only ever cuddle in the tub." He added in a chirp, "Shower sex is better!"
Iruka laughed. "We'll see. Maybe if you're good."
Kakashi leered at him, "I'm always good and you know it."
Iruka smacked him lightly on the shoulder and quickly rolled out from under him before the jounin could get a better grip. Kakashi fell into the vacated space with a whoosh and groaned, but followed his lover out of the bed and towards the closet, where they pulled out some old clothes.
Iruka watched Kakashi get dressed, uttering complaints under his breath. "You know, love, the wouldn't be half as much of a mess if—"
The chuunin was cut off abruptly as Kakashi stood from putting his socks on and pushed him into the wall, latching onto his mouth and grinding their bodies together. Iruka melted into the kiss, arms snaking around Kakashi's shoulders, then his eyes flew open and he pushed the jounin off. "No distracting me!"
Letting the teacher go with a pout, Kakashi slouched out of the room, then stomped lightly off towards the cleaning supplies closet. Iruka followed, smiling and shaking his head.
"It's your own fault, you know. I'm the neat one. Honestly, I don't know how your old apartment was as immaculate as it was with your habits…. Leaving teacups and books everywhere, putting lube in every imaginable cupboard and drawer, dropping your laundry wherever you take it off…."
As they began cleaning, Iruka putting away all the items he was listing and Kakashi sweeping the hardwood floor, Kakashi smiled over at Iruka gently. When Iruka finally petered off, the jounin responded quietly, "I was hardly ever in my home to make a mess. I don't think it really was a home, just a place to live. I take a lot less missions now and spend more time at home with you."
"I've noticed," Iruka intoned dryly as they moved onto dusting and polishing the furniture.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You didn't think I don't notice you outside my classroom window half the time, did you?"
"Well no, not really. I know you know—you're a chuunin and a teacher after all—but I'm not doing anything wrong, just enjoying the view." Kakashi smiled to himself, imagining Iruka's bottom wiggling around as he dug through cupboards for the practice shuriken the jounin had moved from their place and hidden on the low shelves.
"Mmmhm," Iruka cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.
Kakashi grinned unashamedly, "Kay, so maybe I like to move things round sometimes."
"And make faces at my students during tests," Iruka glared as Kakashi snickered, "pantomime cheesy confessions and proposals behind my back—"
Another giggle as Kakashi interrupted, "They like when I do that!"
"—yes," Iruka continued with a pointed look, "I've noticed, what with all the giggling and pointing."
Putting away the rags and cleaner, they moved on to the kitchen, where Iruka began running a pail of water for the mopping and Kakashi changed the trash, momentarily disappearing into the bathroom and bedroom to do the same there.
As he passed Iruka on the way to take the trash out, he leaned in and kissed the chuunin on the cheek. "It's just a bit of fun, love."
Iruka smiled and began the mopping, a pensive look settling onto his features. When Kakashi re-entered the apartment to wash his hands, Iruka watched him putter about.
"Kashi," the jounin looked up from the silverware he was sorting into drawers, "I've been thinking."
"Uh-oh," the jounin joked, but shut the drawer and gave Iruka his full attention.
"Since we've been together, you've taken a lot less missions."
Kakashi sauntered over, emptying the pail as Iruka wrung out the mop. "Is that bad?"
Iruka's head snapped up at Kakashi's uncertain tone, "No! Goodness, no."
Kakashi's shoulders visibly relaxed. Iruka continued, "It's not like we need the money. I mean, I worked two jobs for the longest time—I've only scaled back on the Missions Room work so we could spend more time together and you have a small fortune you inherited from your family."
They moved into the bedroom again, collecting laundry hampers and changing the sheets. Kakashi waited patiently as they worked for Iruka to finish.
"The ones you have taken are less dangerous, even. Working in the Missions Room, I've seen your log. You used to do S and A-ranked missions like they were going out of style. Two, sometimes three a week!"
"I'm not as young as I used to be," the Copy-nin joked, dumping the sheets into a basket.
"That's not it," Iruka shook the dust out of the curtains, "and you know it." He stopped and turned to face Kakashi, "But I need to hear you say it."
Kakashi regarded his lover seriously for a moment, then pulled him close by the material of his shirt. When they were nose to nose, he rumbled lowly, "It's different now that I have someone to come home to."
Iruka traced Kakashi's jaw lovingly, smiling gently and then he spoke again, softly enough this time that Kakashi leaned even closer to hear properly, "I want you to stay."
Kakashi pulled back slightly, perplexion written across his handsome features. "I'm not ever going to leave you, Ruka, you know that. I love you."
Iruka smiled, "I know." He let the hand tracing the contour of Kakashi's face trail along his arm and finally drop to the man's hand, which he closed in his and used to pull his lover towards the chest at the end of the bed.
Sitting facing the silver-haired man and playing with his fingers, Iruka began, "I know that. And I know why you take fewer missions and less dangerous ones at that. What I'm saying is, why not make it permanent? With strong tokubetsu like Naruto and Lee coming up to the regular jounin exams again and brilliant minds like Shikamaru already at that rank, they can afford to let you take those easier missions."
Kakashi wasn't sure he understood yet where this was going, but he patted Iruka's hand encouragingly as the teacher continued, "I think they could afford to even let you semi-retire."
As Iruka looked up with a question in his eyes, Kakashi repeated, "Semi-retire?"
Iruka took a deep breath, "Maybe take on another genin team, and—No, wait!" He put up his hand as Kakashi made to cut him off, "Hear me out."
Kakashi, though reluctantly, quieted. "You know Little Mirai is a lot like Naruto crossed with Shikimaru, because goodness know Kurenai and I can't keep them apart so I think you'll enjoy teaching her and the challenge that unique combo poses. She's a bit younger than the other two, but as Asuma and Kurenai's kid, she can handle it. Hanabi is skilled with her Byakugan and I think you'll find a kindred spirit in her—not only because of the Sharingan, but because her father pushes her almost as hard as you were pushed as a kid. I've held her back as long as I could so that she'd really be ready, but Hiashi sure is stubborn when he wants to be. I can't guarantee the last spot, but I hope it would be Kiba's cousin Teru- you know the boy with the scrawny black pup? He's older than the other two, but as an Inuzuka, he's got the protective older brother thing going already, due to pack mentality so I think that'll do both girls some good. I think you'd teach him a lot because of your summons and how similarly you get along with your ninken as to how Inuzukas feel about their own pups. Kurokoinu, the black pup, could learn a lot from Pakkun too. I really would like if you considered this, Sweetie." Pausing for an overdue breath, Iruka contemplated Kakashi intently.
Kakashi made to speak, paused and thought, then breathed and though he was pretty sure he knew now, asked, "Why?"
"It would mean only B and C-ranked missions." Here, Iruka paused and looked directly into his lover's eye, "And more experience with kids."
Suspicions confirmed, Kakashi smiled and scooted closer to Iruka, dropping his hands and pulling him into a hug.
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Lol, I bet a lot of you know where this is going! :)
Ok, so I miscalculated and would like to say that it will probably be another chapter or two even though I hinted this would be the last one. Sorry there was no smexy fun this time but I promise the next update will have some and I hope to post in the next 24 hours. PS. Naruto is going to be SOOO mad next time and SOOO happy too!
Cheers,
Chickie
