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Chapter 3; Chuunin Exam
Every year, around this time, Iruka became a rather broody, ill-tempered individual.
Kakashi had learned, after that fateful first year he'd known Iruka, and their loud argument over the subject, that Chuunin Examination was a time when Iruka was imply NOT to be messed with.
Iruka was very rarely so irritable unless he was sick and that was just different.
So, Kakashi took it as a personal mission during the month long Prep and Exam period, and tried to make life easier for his lover, tried to ease his worry, frustration and self doubt.
He kept his out-loud porn reading to a minimum in the teacher's presence. He tried not to take missions that would end with him bedridden and helpless. And he tried multiple times a day to make the man smile and laugh. Though, his humor was decidedly more lewd than Iruka's he still managed to sometimes get a chuckle between head bashings.
And when it came time for the exams themselves, Kakashi was always up for spying with the chuunin. Lying on rooftops henged into potted plants, or pigeons, staring in through windows, trying to draw the attention of the proctors away from Iruka while the man checked on his students.
After all, he could brush off reprimands quite easily while Iruka often took them personally and sulked for days after, making Kakashi's sex life practically non existent.
There was even once, about three years before, when he'd henged himself into a mouse and been able to slip into the room under the door, simply to appease Iruka's worried curiosity. (The chuunin was too afraid to go in himself, scared he would get caught or stomped on, or in some way influence his students and give false test results.)
Too bad Ibiki had been standing right in front of the door at the time and looked down to see the furry little Kakashi sitting on his left boot reading a miniature Icha Icha.
Now, Ibiki hadn't really noticed the little book, and if he had the next thing that happened, probably wouldn't have happened, but then again, Ibiki's one weakness was mice, so he might have done it anyway just to be mean.
He'd been tortured with rats as a younger man, his captors letting starving red eyed vermin chew his wounds while he was tied down to a table. So, it was completely understandable, his hatred of them. But, Kakashi never really was one for respecting another's boundaries.
MouseKakashi had looked up with a bored expression on his whiskered little white face, creating the distraction while MouseIruka scampered helplessly around outside the door pulling at his fur because Kakashi was an idiot and didn't he know that there was a barrier on the room alerting the proctors to anyone or anything that came through?
And Ibiki?
Ibiki had looked down, caught the mismatched pink and black eyes of the little MouseKakashi, and released an effeminate shriek. Kicked, and sent MouseKakashi and his little Icha-Icha sailing through the air, over the heads of terrified, owl eyed gennin, and right out one of the short windows near the ceiling.
MouseKakashi had seen his life flash before buggy little eyes. The scale of the village dramatically enlarged in his smaller body, making the shorter distance of fifty feet he was actually falling from, seem more like five hundred. Vertigo overtook him and in a moment of panic he just stayed in freefall before he was able to shake himself out of it, stick his little book between his teeth, and henge himself back into a man mere seconds before he hit the street, tumbling end over end through a stall selling fresh eggs and lunch time omelets, and hit the wall hard doubled up with his ass in the air and his book choking the life out of him.
MouseIruka, had by that time, transformed back into himself and was running out of the building eyes wide, somehow managing to still have a cute mousey tail protruding from the back of his pants as he'd rolled his lover over and righted him, pulling by the front of his vest as they'd run down the street. Ibiki shouting profanities and threats at their backs.
Kakashi remembered all of this with a half wince, half smile, because as amusing as it was, once returning home he'd had to shower, scrubbing the reddened, blistering portions of his skin where egg had splattered, and grind his teeth while Iruka broke out an EpiPen so he didn't choke to death when his throat started tightening up.
There were times in his life, such as that moment, that Kakashi hated having allergies. Especially allergies that could kill him…
But one good thing had come out of it. The next day neither of them could walk straight or sit without wincing, so there was no need to go sticking their noses in the exams.
This year however...
THIS year, Kakashi knew something bad was going to happen, something very— VERY bad… Because somehow, during the random draw for proctors… Kakashi's name had been pulled.
Every year prior to this, he'd been able to press the slip of paper he'd scrawled his henohenomoheji on into a crack in the wooden box, which kept it pinned tightly to the bottom where it was practically impossible to come loose.
He supposed after years of doing this, maybe a few of the slips had come free… Or Karma was just being a big ol' bitch again.
As soon as the messenger arrived and handed over the red and gold scroll, giving Kakashi a quick bow, Iruka's chakra had spiked, and snake like tendrils had started lashing out, 'tasting' Kakashi.
On the outside, Iruka's demeanor hadn't changed one single bit where he was sitting at his desk methodically grading essays. But, Kakashi had been with the man for almost ten years now, and he KNEW when Iruka was plotting something. KNEW when that seemingly pleasant little smile was actually a cunning smirk.
Kakashi tittered helplessly, feeling sweat rolling down his face and neck as he'd fingered the scroll like an activated exploding tag. Gingerly, trying to keep it completely immobile and shielded from any and all subtle vibrations of chakra or sound.
Oh, he was a dead man… Such a very—Very dead man…
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