Chapter 24
I sat in the passenger seat of Hidan's five door Hummer on the 26th of May. Time had gone by slowly for once, but I was still surprised to realize that I had lived with the albino looking man for nearly four weeks already. Living with him was not as bad as I had imagined it could be. He was a fine host and he was good at making me feel like I was not just poncing at him.
The deal we had made regarding me cleaning the house was carried out two days a week – maybe three if needed. Mostly, I only had to clean the rooms of the house that were actually in use, but once every second week, I made sure to thoroughly take care of the entire house so you would not end up drowning in dust when entering one of the more passive rooms.
Hidan changed the radio station with one hand, but kept his eyes on the road.
"Hey, what's wrong with that song?" I asked irritably as he changed away from one of my favorite songs, Silverflame with Dizzy Mizzy Lizzy.
"I'm tired of that melancholic rock. Especially that song. Kakuzu listens to it all the time!" he answered, still fumbling with the radio.
"Of course he does, it's a great song. Do you even know which band it is?" Hidan glared at me for a brief second, but at the same time, a small smile showed on his lips.
"No, I don't. I'm just sick and tired of it because it played on every single station in Japan when I was younger." True, you could easily ruin a song by listening to it too often, but I had not had a radio as a child so I had only listened to music whenever I was outside the orphanage.
I pushed his hand away from the radio and began searching for a channel in his place so he could keep both hands on the steering wheel. It only took me a short moment to find another channel. This one played only classical music. Hidan sent me an unsatisfied look, but I just shot him a wide, provoking smile as he chose to give up the fight this time. We always fought over which radio station we should listen to when he took me somewhere in his car.
Silence fell upon us and I settled down to just listening to the calming music. A soothing piano never failed to make me relax or help me gather my thoughts.
Kakuzu and Hidan had seemed to become really close throughout the past month. Kakuzu practically never left Hidan's house, only when he had to go to work. I could not help but feel kind of jealous of their relationship when watching them. Hidan always appeared to be a little happier when Kakuzu was around and I was beginning to think that they were really going to end up becoming boyfriends, even if they did not want to put a label on it yet.
Hidan was the first person I had ever personally known who was involved with someone of their own gender. I had a lot of questions that I wanted to ask him and I had actually tried to bring their relationship up at various occasions, but the conversations always seemed to go off track before I could even get to snap my fingers. I wished it would not since I was hoping that he could clarify a thing two for me about my own sexual confusion. It just never seemed like the right time and place to bring up the subject. Maybe I should not put so much thought into it before asking him about it. It was a definite possibility that it was my obvious inquisitiveness and awkwardness that scared him away every time. But what if I just brought it up casually?
I cleared my throat quietly as the latest playing song faded out. "So... how are things going with you and Kakuzu?"
Hidan immediately glanced over at me. "Huh? Oh, I think it's going great." A smile slowly started to take over his features. My plan was working... so far. Now I just had to play my card right.
"What's with the smile? Planning on popping the question already?" I asked sarcastically and sent him a knowing smile, immediately regretting my stupid comment and I was surprised to receive a playful hit on the shoulder.
"Shut up, you moron," he chuckled and shook his head lightly at my ridiculous question. "I like Kakuzu a lot so I think I'll stay with him for a while."
"Really? So you're planning on making it official then?" Hidan shook his head and his smile turned into one I could not really interpret.
"Kakuzu wants me to meet his friends and parents and such, but I'm not really ready for that yet. He doesn't care if the whole world knows about us, but I still wanna wait and see what happens. He just doesn't understand that because he's used to dating guys."
"Sounds like you've gotten yourself a gold-digger?" I laughed and Hidan luckily got that I was just joking.
"No, he's not like that at all. He's seeking someone to spend his life with - unlike me. I've been with a lot more women and men than he has, but he has had steady relationships since he was, what, thirteen? And they were all with men, so I don't wanna rush things if I just end up disappointing him anyway."
"I guess that's kinda nice of you." I looked at Hidan from the corner of my eye and observed him like that for a minute or two, none of us saying anything in the mean time.
He really did not mind talking about him and Kakuzu, did he? So maybe he was the right guy for me to pump for information after all. I had asked him about those things once before, but now that he was actually seeing someone and I would be asking more specifically what he had done with that man, would it then still be okay for me to ask? Or would I be getting too close? Too personal? Since I did not really know how good friends Hidan and I actually were, there was nothing else to do than just jump into the situation and see how he would react. Test the limits.
I gulped, trying not to make it loud enough for him to hear and then I slowly began to break the silence. "How far have you gone with this one?" I asked carefully, Hidan reacting to my question within the same second as it was asked.
"You sure like to ask a lot of questions, don't you?" he stated with a big grin on his face. I blushed slightly and looked away from him.
"Never mind."
"No, it's okay. I don't mind answering," he chuckled, "I'm just surprised that you ask." I felt how he was glancing at me with those suspicious eyes of his. If I was not careful, he would definitely guess what was on my mind. I mean, I had already kind of revealed to him that I was interested in men. If it was not at least axiomatic to him that I was the slightest bit curious by then, you would think he had been walking around wearing blinders for the past months. But I still had to be careful with what I spilled since I did not want him to know just who it was I was chasing. "We haven't done anything yet," he declared flatly. When I looked at him, his eyes were kept immovably on the road.
"Seriously? How come?" Hidan shrugged, but did not even glance at me.
"I don't know, I guess we just haven't had the chance yet." Liar. You have had all the chances you need.
"But he stays over at night. I figured you two got serious when "going to bed?""
"We do... Though not in the way you think. We just talk. That's it."
"Are you pulling my leg now, Hidan?" I asked in a serious tone, not believing that he never did anything to Kakuzu when he had him all to himself. Hidan sure was a complex guy. He seemed to be of easy virtue and was all about being with most girls - or men – at all possible in one night. But he was also this calm guy who sat down and talked about serious stuff. I had seen both sides of him myself. How did he make it work? Would most not have to have a split personality in order for two personality traits in total contrast to each other to function together? Apparently Hidan did not. The two sides of him worked perfectly together in spite of their differences.
"No, we haven't gone that far, honestly."
"But it sounds like you wanna?"
"Sure, do you have a problem with that?" he sounded more serious than before.
"No... No, not at all." I knew he was only kidding, but the atmosphere still went a little uncomfortable.
We sat in silence and I began to wonder if I had been too nosy again. I could not seem to find that fine line between snooping around in others' private life and being just genuinely curious.
After getting over the embarrassment, I finally asked why it was he had brought me along with him on this trip. Turns out he wanted me to help him buy a present for Kakuzu. I was to give him my opinion on whatever he found so he would not buy something that Kakuzu would not like. According to Hidan, Kakuzu and I had the same taste in a lot of things, not just music.
The present was bought and we went back to his house again, the clock being around 3 pm. While we were out shopping, I took time to buy some groceries as well. Hidan was not exactly a food expert and if it was up to him, we would eat take out every single day. I was just lucky that he had found himself a man who knew how to cook so I was not the only one left in the kitchen to make dinner every night. Not that I had much culinary experience, but I was used to living alone and figured out a long time ago that you needed at least some solid food every week in order to stay just the slightest bit healthy. I could not afford becoming sick - he could – which was probably the reason why he did not care what he stuffed his pale face with.
I grabbed all the bags of groceries while Hidan only got his present. That man could be a gentleman, but also the biggest and most ignorant asshole ever. The least he could have done was take one of the bags. But no, no, no. Those types of socially accepted helpful deeds did not apply to Hidan. He was mostly kind at the strangest moments. Neither did he care to unlock nor open the door for me now that I did not have any free hands. Luckily I managed to position myself so I could hold some of the bags with my thigh while unlocking the door and pushing it open with my shoulder, but there was no time for a victory dance because the same minute as I stepped inside my current residence, I was almost knocked off my feet when something unexpected happened.
"Surprise!" a group of people all shouted in chorus, me having to take control over the labile bags before I could place them on the floor so I could take a look around at the gathering.
Zabuza, Asuma, Itachi, Anko and none other than Kakashi all stood with wide smiles plastered to their faces. All of their smiles directed towards me. I was perplexed to say the least.
"What's the occasion?" I asked and looked around in confusion.
Hidan walked up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Have you forgotten your own birthday?" I turned my neck to raise my brow at him.
"My birthday?" All that trouble I had went through lately with that assault, the judging people of the village and moving into a new house had completely thrown me off track. It was the 26th of May so it was a proven fact that this was the day I turned 26. "How did you know?" I glanced around at everyone, still not believing that they had all showed up just because it was my birthday. 26 was nothing big. Nothing worth mentioning or celebrating. It was just another day to get over with like it had been all the previous years.
The most unbelievable thing, though, had to be the actual group of people that had showed up. I did not even consider most of them to be actual friends so why where they here? Sure, I had seen a lot more of Zabuza after moving in with Hidan and Itachi digged hanging around too, but I did not really speak with any of them all that much. And Asuma was just Kakashi's friend, at least to me, and Anko was Kakashi's girlfriend, nothing more. Kakashi though... He was my friend... I guess? But I had not even seen him once after that week where I had taken care of him. So could I still consider us friends?
"Connections, Iruka, connections," Kakashi sent me his signature smile and chuckled quietly at his own statement. He had not gone back to using honorifics with me, which probably meant that that first time he had not done it was not an accident and I was still allowed to see him as my friend, right? I had to fight off a goofy grin that threatened to take over my entire face when having reflected over my situation. I had not felt this happy in a long time. How was Kakashi able to make me feel this way? I felt so warm and there was no reason for it. It was not because something warm had psychically been wrapped around me. It was like a mental blanket sewn from the finest accepting words that caused this sensation. A soft, safe embrace.
Hidan took care of the groceries from there and the other attendees guided me into the living room on the left where a table of gifts were waiting for me. When my eyes fell on that table, I paused. I was not able to move for several seconds. I felt how all the others' eyes fell on me, but the stares I received still did not provoke and reaction out of me.
"It's okay. Take it," the tall blond said encouragingly with a wide smile. I was staring at the four-cornered box in his hand that was wrapped in black paper with Japanese flags.
I had never gotten a present before. The infant home did not give any of the children presents for their birthdays, probably because it would end up costing them too much in the long run.
The man with the yellowish hair chuckled lightly and reached out for my hand, placing the box in my palm. My eyes followed his movements and paused again to look at the nicely wrapped present.
"Don't you wanna find out what's inside it?" he asked quietly and my gaze glided to his friendly expression.
"... Y-Yes," I whispered, but I still did not make as if to unwrap it. I was being impolite, but my mind would not accept the fact that the present was actually for me.
He could easily tell that I was scared because of his unfamiliar gesture and somehow he always seemed to know what to do when I froze up like that.
A reassuring hand was placed on my shoulder and he nodded slowly. I stared at him for a second before finally beginning to remove the birthday wrapping with a slightly trembling hand.
"Open it," he said, perfectly managing not to sound demanding. Mistrust was the expression that spread over my face as I opened the cardboard box, revealing the contents inside.
I took the keychain and held it up in front of myself. The metal ring bore three different pendants; a blue dolphin teddy, a black strap with yellow flashes of lighting on it and an acrylic frame containing a picture of the current giver and receiver standing beside each other, both wearing wide smiles.
"Do you like it?" I nodded in response and glanced at the pocket of his overalls. I knew that was where he kept his keychain. "Well, to be honest that's not the actual gift," he added and stuck his hand down his pocket and fished out his own keychain, maneuvering a key out of the silver ring.
He then reached out his fist towards me, slowly opening his hand when I lay eyes on it.
"A key?" I asked in bewilderment as he gently took the keychain from me to attach the key to it.
"It's the spare key to my house." My heart skipped a beat as he finished his sentence. A key to his house?
My lips parted, but I was not about to speak. Tears found their way to my already glossy eyes and I held my breath. I desperately tried to sink a sob that threatened to escape my shivering body, but it just ended up feeling like I was choking myself, making me give into my feelings in the end as tears started streaming down my face. I tried to hide them by placing one arm over my eyes, but the sounds still gave me away.
"Don't cry, Iruka-chan," he whispered assuasively and squatted down in front of my short form to level with me.
I wanted to step closer. All this time I had felt so alone, but now I was not anymore, the yellow haired man had just made me sure of it. Slowly, without looking up from my hiding place, I reached out one hand till it connected with older man's shoulder. He quickly comprehended my intention and decided to help me the rest of the way, pulling me closer to him and wrapping his arms around me.
"Thank you, Minato-sensei!" I cried, wetting the fabric covering his shoulder as my hand, which was holding onto one of the straps of his overalls, turned into a shaky fist.
I knew he did not like it when I called him sensei, but it was impossible for me to call him anything else. He was my sensei even if that was not how he viewed our relationship. He was too modest to think of himself otherwise. As he used to say, he was just a mere janitor. Nothing else, nothing more.
I did not care what he was. Even if that was all he was in others' eyes, I would never be able to settle with calling him 'san' just because society did not think he had earned the title 'sensei.' But I knew he was right to call himself that. He had done the impossible. He had saved me from the black hole I had lived in for as long as I remembered. He had dragged me to my feet and given me back my pride and even a little self confidence. He was not just a janitor. He was my sensei. My friend.
"Thanks for all the presents. You really didn't have to do this," I said overwhelmed by the sight in front of me. Apart from the yearly gift card from Tenzou, which he gave all of his employees, I had only been given one gift in my entire life. But now I found myself looking at a table filled with unwrapped presents and all of them were mine. Even if Hidan had taken the line of least resistance by tricking me into picking my own gift, I still felt very appreciated. And I was impressed by the act he had put on. He had really made me believe that we were in fact shopping for a gift for Kakuzu and not me.
"Stop talking like that, it makes you sound like a woman." Everyone around me started chuckling at Zabuza's remark. I smiled discreetly. This was nice. If this was how birthdays were usually like, I could definitely understand why some people had troubles with sleeping, out of sheer excitement, the day they before they could officially round up their age.
We all went to the backyard where Kakuzu was preparing grilled treats in white swimming shorts and a plain black t-shirt.
"I hope you brought your swimsuits," Kakuzu sent us all a smile as we sat down at the backless bench table set and he began serving the food.
As far as I could see, everyone was having a pleasant time with eating and talking. Some took a swim in the pool, but most of us just sat and watched while chilling with a cold beer – including Kakashi, which got me a little worried, but I did not dare to tell him that he should not drink, at least not while Anko was around. She would probably be pretty offended if I assumed that she did not have the situation under control.
Hidan let me know that he had invited a couple of his other friends to join us later in the evening and by 'a couple,' I knew what he really meant to say was that he had invited enough people to fill his entire house. It was pretty cozy hanging around all the guys, who I by the way began to feel a part of since none of them ever used any honorific with me. I had no idea why they did not, but I got the feeling that once you were accepted by one of them, you were accepted by all of them.
The other guests arrived a few hours later and soon the house and backyard were so crowded that you had to struggle to get from one point to another.
I had gotten a little drunk, but tried not to over do it since that typically got me in a situation and I really did not feel like dealing with anything troublesome that night.
Itachi had brought a lot of what-he-never-went-to-a party-without and so many people were smoking it in the packed room we were standing in so I suspected that the smoke from it was starting to effect me, but not nearly enough to make me feel high.
The black haired dealer held out one of his self made joints in front of me, locking eyes with me in that intense way only he could do. I just shook my head and he decided not to push it, luckily, because I was not always making wise decisions when being intoxicated even if it was just lightly.
Itachi had had a pretty much clear head when he first came that day and I had gotten to talk to him a little. He was a pretty cool guy. At least when he was not stoned as he was well on his way to become at this point. I had also talked some more with Asuma and Zabuza than I normally did and they seemed to be fine with me hanging around with the group, which was a relief since to me they appeared to be the hardest ones to get an approval from. Especially Zabuza and it worried me a bit because Kakuzu had tried to make friends with him, but Zabuza did not really respond much to any of the things the tanned man said to him. Did he know about Kakuzu and Hidan and despised them for being together? Or was Kakuzu just not his type of person? I sure hoped that they would work it out because if they could not, it would definitely affect Hidan, even if he would not fully admit it.
When the drunken people and constant smoke screen became a little too much for me, I decided to take a break from the party and go upstairs to rest my eyes for a bit. They were actually on the verge of tearing because of all the smoke they had been exposed to for so long. I was purposely avoiding all the mirrors in the house because I did not want to see my presumably bloodshot eyes.
I established myself in one of the upstairs bedrooms, still holding onto a half emptied beer. A small sigh of relief escaped my lips as I sat down on the edge of the bed, arms resting on my thighs. For a short moment, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the subdued noises coming from downstairs. My sight had not been the only sense I had been worried about losing if I had stayed down there for much longer. I was just as concerned about my hearing.
My life really had been on a roller-coaster for quite some time, but things finally seemed to be getting back into place. I had gotten a bunch of friends, more than I had ever had or dreamt of getting, I was slowly getting content with the fact that I could not afford to live on my own at that time and I was almost ready to begin looking for a new job. It was nice at Hidan's place, but it would be even nicer to get out and live on my own again. I just was not all that thrilled about having to go beg for a job somewhere in the village since everyone would probably know the story of my life by now. Who would want someone like me to work for them? Exactly – none. Tenzou had been the only one who was willing to help me. Not that I did not understand where the others were coming from since I would not hire me if I were them, but that new rumor only made things worse. Damn that Shikamaru.
My free hand curled up into a fist and I gritted my teeth in anger. This scar he was responsible for would be with me forever. Even if I moved away, I would never be able to forget what had happened in the village. I would be reminded of my earlier life every time I looked in the mirror. If I ever saw him again, I swore, I would...
Someone suddenly barged into the room and my sight bounced up to look at the one who had ruined my perfect moment of hate. The interruption was perhaps even more enraging than the thought of Shikamaru alone.
"I thought it was you I saw walking in here!" the man shouted cheerfully and lurched over towards me. I immediately rose to my feet and made myself ready to support the drunken idiot if he needed me to do so.
"Kakashi," I sighed, "you're not supposed to be drinking. You should be more careful."
He looked at me with an arched brow, clearly not sober enough to control his own facial expressions properly. "You sound like Kakuzu," he laughed and crossed his arms, standing with slightly spread legs. He was trying to steady his body, but he kept tipping a little too much to one side, then a little too much to the other. The biggest indicator that he really was inebriated was that he did not even seem to notice his own imbalance that much. "My spleen was fine throughout my entire sickness. As long as I don't drink too often, I shouldn't have to worry. Thanks for worrying, though," he put on a teasing smile, which made me a tad bemused.
"I was not worrying," I answered and looked at anything but him. He was right; I was worried about him, but that was not something a man should admit to another man. It would just make me appear weak as always.
Kakashi stepped closer and a hand reached behind me, slightly stupefying me when I felt my ponytail being tugged out of place. My scalp hurt when my hair was dropping back into its natural position after having been gathered in a ponytail for the entire day.
My eyes met Kakashi's and I stared at him for a moment before speaking. "What are you doing?" I asked guardedly and noted that he too was staring at me.
"It looks festive this way," he chortled as his fingers combed through my hair until he reached my neck where he let his hand rest for a bit.
At that moment, I got the same feeling I had had that night where Kakashi and I had done some questionable stuff. My heart ran wild, I was afraid if I did not hold my breath that I would hyperventilate and my palms became sweaty.
We stared at each others' eyes for a few seconds before Kakashi finally started moving again. He brought his hand away from my neck and led it down into his own pocket instead, quickly pulling out a small envelope.
"I forgot to give you this earlier," he said quietly and handed it to me. I looked down at it confusedly.
"What is it?" He did not answer me and I took my time opening it.
A gift card - to the supermarket where I used to work. Kakashi dozily spoke and my gaze jumped back to him instantaneously.
"It's from Tenzou." My stare wandered down to the gift card again.
So he remembered. Tenzou remembered and he even went through the trouble of getting me a present. Not that it was anything special, but it is the thought that counts and he had no reason to give me anything anymore. I was nigh speechless and I could only be happy that I did not have to face Tenzou right away after receiving his generous gift. Frankly, I would not know what to say. How could I ever repay him for the things he had done for me throughout the years? In a way, I guess he had kind of been like a father to me, or at least I imagined that that was how it would feel like to have a father, and when he fired me, I was furious at him. But it was not his fault and now it was too late to show him how much I appreciated all of his actions. And now this. Did this present mean he was not too disappointed in me for what I had done to Shikamaru? Maybe he did not hate me as much as I thought.
I could not keep myself from smiling. So this was how they had found out about my birthday. It was Tenzou who had told Kakashi.
I looked up in surprise, though the smile was still remained plastered to my face, when Kakashi chuckled. He was staring at me, indicating that his eyes had probably never left my face in the first place and he had seen me put on that goofy smile. I wondered what kind of thoughts my expression gave him. I did not have to wonder for long, though, because suddenly he stepped into my personal space and I felt his alcoholic breath on my face. All those nervous feelings came rushing back and my smile faded.
"Ka-Kakashi?" I stepped backward, my back connecting with the wall behind me. Kakashi followed. "Hey, w-what are y..." He sealed my lips with his and let his hand travel back to its place behind my neck. I instinctively put my hands on his chest and tried to push him away, but I could not get myself to push very hard. Not when he touched me like that.
My head automatically tipped to the side to expose my neck when he began kissing it. I moaned soundlessly, my hands not moving away from his covered chest. So, he was wearing that double mask again. Was that something he always did at parties?
"Ka... ka... shi," I whispered, taking short breaths between every syllable. My imagination was already running loose and images of Kakashi and me together rushed through my head. I had wanted to try and be with him again for awhile and he had taken me by surprise since I had never thought it would actually be repeated. But there we were. "Kakashi, Anko is here too." I laid more pressure on his chest, but he did not step back.
"It's okay." The listless tone in his voice made me think that it was not only alcohol he had made use of that night.
His hands found their way to the edge of my pants and he started fiddling with the button and zipper. His activities caught me off guard. I had not expected him to be so direct neither so fast. He did not leave me any choice at all this time.
"No," I whispered and put my hands on top of his to shove them away, but it ended up being my hands that were removed from his hellbent target. He opened my pants and they slid down to around my knees. Not wanting to waste any time, he immediately went for what my underwear was hiding. I sucked in a quick breath and held it, my hands grabbing his wrists and trying to remove his hands again. "Kakashi, no, I don't want to!" I was getting a little frustrated. I wanted Kakashi, but I knew I could not have him. At least it would not be right. First of all, he had a girlfriend and second of all, I did not want the villagers to be right about me, even though I was aware of the practically criminal thoughts I had about Kakashi and me once in a while. I was stubborn. I did not want the rumors to be confirmed completely.
"I wanna touch you, Iruka." Kakashi was being persistent and I could not get him to back off. Okay, maybe I was not really putting that much effort into my escape, but still. He kissed me before I could protest any further and I let him. My body tensed up, indirectly telling me that I was making a mistake.
I got lost in the moment and before I could count to ten, I was sitting on the bed, legs slightly spread, head thrown back and my hands pressed down the mattress behind my back to support my upper body. Kakashi was leaning over me, one leg lying bended on the bed and the other hanging from the edge of it, the tip of his shoe almost touching the ground. He did not support himself with his arms the way I did, his muscles were what kept him in position, which made me wonder just how strong his torso was for him to be able to sit like that. It was an enigma to me how he could still be so strong after having been sick and not able to train or lift weights for over a month.
Kakashi kissed my Adam's apple as his free hand wandered under my shirt to trace different patterns over my stomach.
"Kami," I whispered and raised my hips into his touch, moaning when Kakashi sped up the pace. What was I thinking? Hidan had already told me this was what happened when Kakashi was drunk. How could I let myself go along with it? I was supposed to keep him from doing something he would regret, even if he did not remember it the next day anyway. But there I was. Selfishly taking whatever he was willing to give me. And I enjoyed it. Very much. "Slow down... P-Please," I wheezed and accidentally gasped when he did the opposite of my request.
I placed one hand on the back of his neck and pressed him down towards me until our foreheads met. My eyes squeezed shut and my teeth clapped together tightly. I was not disciplined enough to ask him to stop anymore. Not when we had already gone this far.
A few single hairs of his silvery nest fell down on my face, tickling my skin. I did not even consider for a second to brush them away. Somehow, they only made the experience even more teasing.
"Are you there yet?" he whispered into my ear and his soft mask brushed against my cheek. I took a few seconds to pull myself together to answer.
"Al... A-Almost. D-Don't s-stop," I stuttered in ecstasy, releasing his neck from my firm grip, leaning a bit forward and moving both my hands to his closed pants. Now I also had to use all of my abdominal muscles to keep myself from collapsing back onto the bed, which was not easy to do when I was not particularly strong and even harder to focus on doing so when he was all over me like that.
I unbuttoned his pants and tried to slide them off his hips, but it was not easy when I did not have much working space.
My hands froze when all of a sudden the door flung open. We both looked at the bosomy figure in the doorway, my eyes almost widening to the point where my they would pop out of my head.
"A-Anko?" I gasped, sounding awfully guilty as a child who had been caught red handed with his hand in the cookie jar.
She looked at us in surprise, her jaw gradually dropping further and further towards the floor.
What am I going to do? I thought and bit my lip, desperately searching my mind for something to say. I could not use the old 'it's not what you think it is' phrase since it should be more than obvious to everyone that you did not just end up in the position we were in by accident.
A small drop of sweat, which had been forming on my forehead for quite a while then, trickled down my temple, making me feel even more nervous.
I looked at Kakashi from the corners of my eyes, he seemed atrociously calm considering his girlfriend had just caught us in bed together doing stuff he should not do no matter how you chose to look at the situation.
My eyes glided back to Anko who looked like she was just about to pass out. We were silent for so long that my heart almost jumped out of my chest because of the tension surrounding us.
Finally, Anko gave her reaction, but it was not even near the one I had expected. "Wow!" she started and put her hand in front of her mouth. Was she blushing? "Iruka, you're... huge!" she shouted, closing the door behind her and walked towards us. You could tell she was drunk by the way she was staggering.
I was not only surprised that she did not comment on what we were doing, but the observation she chose to throw at me were rather upsetting as well. Immediately, I pushed Kakashi off me and covered myself with one of the sheets, unfortunately not being able to hide the mad blush that appeared on my face. Why did Anko have to be so unpredictable? I almost wished that she had just slapped us or screamed at us or something. Not point out my size!... Even though it was a quite flattering compliment. I shook my head mentally. No! It was still wrong.
"Who would have thought cute little Iruka was such a big boy?" she giggled and pinched my cheek playfully, but I slapped her hand away before she could get a proper grip. My feelings at that point were rather mixed. I found myself getting a little mad at Anko for interrupting Kakashi and me and especially for saying such inappropriate things to me, but on the other hand, I was aslo scared because actually I was the bad guy here. I felt stressed, confused, aroused and yet not up for sex at all anymore. I felt so many things that I did not even know what to act on.
"Anko, you're ruining Iruka's innocence," Kakashi laughed and turned my attention to him. He really was calm. It was not just something he pretended to be. Did he know she would react like this? What kind of relationship was that?
"And you're one to talk?" she huffed and raised an eyebrow at him, smiling down at us perversely. "So, does this dynamic duo work well for you or do you mind me joining in on the fun?"
I froze again, which seemed to be happening a lot to me whenever I was around them. Could you ever tell anything they were going to do? I do not think so. I for sure had never imagined that she would ask that question. Not even when knowing her erratic persona.
"Sure, we're not shy," Kakashi was answering on behalf of himself and me. Who the hell told him I him I agreed to this? I did not even want to be with him to begin with!... Well, a little, but I did not sign up for both him and his girlfriend. Me in a threesome, Kami, what else could these people drag me into? This had to be the weirdest birthday ever.
"Alright!" Anko squealed excitedly and took off her jacket and shoes before jumping onto the bed. I moved away from them, but I did not get off the bed. I did not dare to, for some reason. It was like there was an invincible cage around the bed and I had accepted that I would not be able to get away. So I just sat there, watching the two of them make out with each other.
What a creeper.
When I could not stand looking at them anymore, I laid down with my back turned against them. They asked me if something was wrong, but I just told them that I was tired and they let me be, fortuitously.
As I lay there on my side with my head on top of my hand, the other one clinging to the cold sheet around me, I began to wonder what it was they were doing behind me. They were not as noisy as they had been to begin with, but the bed was quietly creaking and I could still hear those smacking sounds. If they were doing what I thought they were, I was seriously about to throw up. Were they really having sex when I lay right beside them?
Oh yes, they were; Anko was moaning in a way that could not be misinterpreted. Great, now I did not dare to move at all. I had no other choice but to wait it out.
After they had settled down beside each other, I was still awake. No one would have been able to sleep with those two rabbits going at it with each other. There only passed by a few minutes before I thought I heard one of them snoring and figured it was safe to finish off myself. Please, don not judge me. Try and imagine how painful for me it was to lie there and listen to them when I had just been on the verge of release myself. I was sure that if I did not do anything about it my testicles would most likely burst over night.
Slowly, I led the hand I was not lying on underneath the sheet and down to my crotch. As long as I did not make any noticeable sounds, it would be alright, I figured.
Just before I grabbed myself, the thought of regretting this when I was completely sober again crossed my mind, but I shook the concern away since all I could really focus on was my aching groin.
My eyes shut and my lips parted, a small amount of air being forced out by the pleasure. I kept reminding myself to keep quiet, but it was hard when I knew Kakashi was right behind me and all I could picture while touching myself was him touching me. Those images made me consider sitting on my hand for a while before continuing. I had heard that by doing so, your hand would fall asleep and then when you did... you know... it would feel like it was someone else who was doing it to you. Maybe that would make the image in my head even stronger.
No... No, that would be too weird even for me. A quick release so this feeling of not getting to sneeze when I had to would disappear and I could relax again. That was all I needed for now.
My body slowly began to loosen up when my hand was not as chilled as it had been when I had first brought it under the sheet after it having lain outside my fabric cave for quite a while.
I tried to force the feeling of Kakashi touching me back into my body, but it was hard to create that feeling myself. Only his touch made me feel special in that certain way.
Suddenly, someone started moving around behind me and my fist stopped pumping straightaway. Had they heard me?
I just lay there and listened for a while, trying to decide whether or not they were awake. I felt the back of a hand bump into my back, slowly making its way from one side to the other of my upper body. I turned my head a little to see who it was and stopped moving all together when I looked into Kakashi's eyes.
I blinked a few times, not sure of what to do or how to react when his hand slid down to mine, gently pushing it off my member. When he took control, I squeezed my eyes together again and took in the feeling of his touch.
"We didn't get to finish what we started," he purred into my ear and laid his head on top of mine, pressing his naked body against my back. I could feel his pride poking my spine and my body tensed up once again.
He moved his hand up and down faster and faster and my hand grabbed onto his muscular arm, my legs shifting restlessly around the bed. Was he really doing this to me? I kind of expected that he had already forgotten about me, but apparently he had not. At least not unless I was dreaming, which I was beginning to think I was because I got that insane tickling feeling in my stomach you sometimes get when it feels like you are falling down the stairs just before you fall asleep.
Short moans found their way over my lips even though I was doing my best to hold them back. Kakashi's free hand slid under my neck, his fingers closing around my mouth so my moans would be muffled down by his palm. I grabbed him by the wrist and tightened the grip when suddenly he he placed a kiss under my ear. All I wanted to do was to cry out in pleasure for him, but the pressure over my mouth just increased whenever I slipped a sound.
Kakashi chortled softly, shook my hand off his wrist and took it, leading it to his own mouth, which he opened just enough for him to insert one of my fingers. He sucked, licked and bit it, though he was careful not to hurt me. I breathed out heavily and twisted my neck in delight. At this point, I did not even care if we awoke Anko.
Only a few more strokes were required before my fingers and toes curled together and a pained moan rung throughout the entire room. I had reached my limit.
The man behind me let go of my wet finger and my arm immediately fell down hard at the mattress. I was exhausted and I had not even done anything for Kakashi. Gingerly I turned around to face him. He was smiling at me. Kami, he looked stupid with that holed mask, but that smile really was something.
My eyes curved upwards and an only just visible smile climbed my face as well. I was happy with what had happened, but what now? Would we just turn around and go back to sleep? What about tomorrow? Well, to be honest tomorrow did not worry me that much when looking at Kakashi's drowsy face. He was not going to remember a thing and maybe that was for the best. At least I had gotten to be with him. Just a little.
We did not move out of the spot. I do not think any of us knew what to do, but did not want to be rejecting by turning away from the other. Kakashi was fast asleep. I was not tired so I settled with watching him.
When it hit me that I was not the only one who was naked, I could not stop myself from lifting the sheet a tiny bit so I could look under it. Why Anko had been so impressed with me was now an unsolved mystery to me; it was not like Kakashi was badly armed himself.
My eyes returned to Kakashi's face when I was done peeping at him, just to discover that he was looking at me with an amused look crossing his face. I made my usual poker face – did everything in my power not to give any kind of reaction. He had caught me sneaking a peek. That. Was. Freaking. Mortifying. But Kakashi played it cool and did not say anything. He just went back to sleep.
The next day I woke up feeling more relieved from any pressure than I had been in a long time. My eyes fluttered open and I realized that someone's arms were wrapped around me. I looked down, immediately recognizing the veiny hand that hung loosely in front of my stomach, slightly grazing it whenever I took in a breath of air.
He was so warm. It felt nice being in his strong arms. How was he always able to make me feel so appreciated? So useful, even when he had been the only one doing something to me and not the other way around.
I exhaled restfully, closed my eyes again and pressed myself further into his mild embrace. I did not want to get out of bed yet. I just wanted to lie there with him, although it was going to be awkward once the others awakened. It was fine as long as he stayed by my side just a little longer. Just long enough for me to memorize the feeling of spooning with him.
My goal for this chapter was to write around 10.000 words and I must say that I was close to doing so! I could have done it, but it just did not seem right to add anymore to the chapter. I would either just end up repeating myself or write something irrelevant to the story. So I chose not to continue because the chapter was done around the 9000 words, which is a length I'll be able to live with giving you after this huge delay. Hopefully you'll accept it as my apology to you *-*!
I know I promised that it wouldn't take me too long to update again, but I've had a writer's block – I was uninspired. Apart from that, my exams are in full swing now and have been it for a while. So... yeah... that's my pathetic excuse. I'll try not to make you wait too long for the next chapter and I hope you'll hang in there even if I screw up again ^^!
Oh, and this chapter got pretty shitty. When I was first done with it, I was like: I can't present this to anyone? No one deserves to read something this crappy. And then I tried correcting/changing it and I've done that for hours so I'm crossing my fingers now, hoping that it's finally readable :s...
By the way, the first one to review this will be my one hundredth reviewer. Do you know what that means? - iiiiit's one shot time! Whoever gets to be the one hundredth reviewer will get a one shot of their own choosing. Just wanted to remind you of that if anyone should have forgotten by now :)
Have a nice day! Or night? Anyway, I'll be going to bed now. I have an exam on Monday, which I haven't prepared for yet. Ooops - (I did it again!) xD
PS. Huge thanks to all of my readers/reviewers! You make my day every time :D
*Special thanks to Chronicxxinsanity for correcting my sometimes intolerable language! Always a pleasure to discuss the English language with you :D!*