Chapter 17: Fangs for That 3

Before starting his shift, Inojin pulled Iwabe aside and gave him a second bite on his arm, helping himself to a little snack and treating Iwabe to a moment of ecstasy at the same time. The endorphins danced and multiplied to the point of delirium within Iwabe. If it weren't for the wall behind his back, Iwabe would have fallen over. Completely willing to do anything Inojin said, Iwabe found himself returning to work with a new outlook on his coworker and his life in general.

Bumping into a table on his way to stand with the others, Iwabe listened to Shikamaru's instructions with a loopy grin. Some of the others raised their brows at his behavior but remained quiet.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, took notice and wasn't about to not call attention to it. "Are you drunk, Iwabe?"

He shook his head. "No," he giggled. "Just feeling great today, sir."

"Well, don't scare off the customers. You look high."

"Just on life, sir." Iwabe folded his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Well, reel it in and plant those feet of yours on the ground. We need you here tonight, not in the clouds." Shikamaru went back to assigning tables.

The service began and things went about as usual, aside from one particular thing.

"Whoops. Sorry." Iwabe sloshed some water as he went to place the glass on the table, soaking part of the tablecloth. He had done this several times at almost every table he waited on. That wasn't all. As he went to set a plate down in front of a customer, he tilted the plate so far that the food slid right off and onto the table. He tried to gather the mess in his hands while telling them that he would get them another plate, the customer looking disgusted. Iwabe also managed to bump into Chocho from behind which caused her to dump her plates onto the table, where a woman ended up wearing her order on her lap and blouse. Chocho stood horrified as Iwabe gave a short apology and staggered away.

As Iwabe went into the kitchen, misjudging the wall and running his right shoulder into it, Sarada asked Inojin if he thought there was something wrong with him. "Maybe he really is drunk."

This was strange. Was Iwabe still loopy from the bite? He should have calmed down by now.

"Uh, I'm sure he's not drunk. Maybe he just didn't sleep much last night. We all have our off days," Inojin explained while his concern began to grow.

Iwabe seemed more tired than loopy. His smile had faded some time ago and wore a tired one when asking for a customer's order.

"Well, if you say so…" Sarada wasn't convinced but she had to get back to work.

Iwabe came back with a tray of food which he held out in front of himself instead of on his shoulder. He set it down carefully and placed the dishes in front of the customers without incident. On his way back, he passed by Inojin and smiled at him, like greeting a friend.

That was when Inojin noticed how sunken Iwabe's eyes looked. Iwabe had dark skin so it was hard for him to notice any change to his pigment. It was subtle but it was there.

Kakashi came in and was seated in Sarada's section, but that didn't stop Inojin from coming over to ask him about Iwabe's condition.

"The seafood isn't a special tonight because it's going bad and you've got to sell it, right? I prefer my fish fresh," Kakashi said as he went over the menu.

"Listen, I need to talk to you about Iwabe."

"Ah, the heck with it. I'll just get dessert tonight. Got any of that bread pudding? It's that or the key lime pie."

"We're out. Kakashi, I need to talk to you about…"

"Out of the pie or the pudding?"

"Focus, please," Inojin said through his teeth. "Besides, I'm not your server; Sarada is."

"For the third night in a row. We see any more of each other, people are going to start to talk and I'm not comfortable with…" Kakashi stopped when he saw Iwabe stagger into someone's chair as he went by. "How long has he been doing that?"

"All night," said Inojin. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"How often have you been feeding on him?" Kakashi asked without wasting time. "When was the last time you did?"

"I fed on him last night and then just before work today."

Kakashi's head wiped up so fast, it made Inojin flinch. "Didn't you feed on him the other night as well?"

"Yeah, why?"

"There's a reason blood drives only take a pint of blood and then won't draw more for a couple of weeks. The human body doesn't recover that fast. You're taking too much."

"I am?" Inojin felt a chill run down his spine. "I… I didn't mean to. I thought…"

"He's woozy from blood loss. He needs rest. Doing this kind of activity is only making the symptoms of his condition worse. He shouldn't be working. Running around, carrying things. He needs rest and maybe a cookie."

He thought it would be safe to feed off Iwabe two nights in a row because Kakashi had fed off Shikamaru after he did and didn't seem that concerned, telling Inojin that it was fine. Perhaps that was only because he had taken a little bit and knew that Shikamaru was lazy and wouldn't be doing as much work as Iwabe and the rest of the staff. He was considering the victim's lifestyle when he fed and Inojin wasn't.

"I'm sorry. I'll get him off the floor."

"I told you to take from different people."

"But I fed on my boss and a couple nights later, you were feeding on him."

"Because he had some time to recover and I didn't take that much. Tell me you haven't fed from him, too."

"Not recently."

"Good." Kakashi waved a hand towards Iwabe. "Three days in a row gets you this. Now do something about it."

"I will." Inojin turned and slammed into Sarada who was just coming back to take Kakashi's order. "Sorry!"

"Inojin, what are you doing? This is my table."

"Yeah, sorry. I was just leaving." Inojin hurried to find Iwabe. If he was still willing to do whatever he said, it might be easy to get him to rest a while.

Someone grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him against the wall. "Are you kidding me? It's like you're doing this on purpose just to annoy me."

Inojin saw two angry blue eyes glaring at him. "Sorry, Boruto. I'm kind of in a hurry. I have to…"

"You have to have your ass kicked," Boruto told him firmly. "How many times have I warned you? I saw her talking to you before. Then you go to her table and start chatting up her customer. And, am I crazy, or did you just shove your face in her chest?"

"I bumped into her. It was an accident."

"What part of stay away from her don't you get? Why are you talking to her?"

"She had a question."

"Why were you at her table? Just what are you up to?"

"I didn't…"

Boruto suddenly disappeared and there was a loud thud next to him. Iwabe had grabbed Boruto and threw him against the wall where he held him by the front of his vest. He had come to Inojin's defense without having to be asked. He just did it.

"Are you messing with Inojin?" Iwabe growled in Boruto's face. "Just what were you planning on doing to him?"

Boruto looked scared. It wasn't just the situation; it was the fact that Iwabe was the one doing it to him. Iwabe never lashed out at him before. Judging from the look in his eyes, he meant business.

"I better not find out you've been hurting on him or something." Iwabe was starting to pant. It wasn't just the rage. He knew something was wrong but Inojin took precedence. He had to defend him first and foremost.

Seeing Iwabe blinking to clear his vision, Inojin stepped next to him and said, "Iwabe, you're not well. Just stop and sit down a minute."

Iwabe relaxed his grip but not due to Inojin's words. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. The room was starting to spin and his legs felt weak. "What's going on? It's so… fuzzy…" Iwabe collapsed then and there. Inojin managed to cradle his head just before it hit the ground.

"What the hell was that?" asked Boruto. "Is he ok?"

"I think he just fainted. Got too worked up."

"What the hell?" Boruto was asking this about the whole situation. Iwabe's actions before, during and after. Everything. He couldn't make sense of it.

Iwabe couldn't stay here. Servers used the hall to travel to and from the kitchen frequently.

"Help me carry him to the breakroom."

"What?" Boruto was aghast at the request. "Are you kidding? He needs a doctor. I'm getting the boss."

Inojin grabbed his arm. "No, don't do that." He couldn't risk the attention.

"Get off me. I'm trying to help him."

"So am I."

"You're so stupid. What good would…?"

Inojin pulled Boruto in close and locked eyes with him. "Listen to me. You are going to do what I say. Help me carry Iwabe into the breakroom without being seen."

Boruto bent down, still looking at Inojin's eyes. "Yeah… sure…"

The two of them managed to carry Iwabe into the breakroom and set him down on one of the tables. Having done his job, Boruto was starting to come back to his senses. Inojin gave him a second command.

"Stay here with Iwabe and don't do anything until I get back."

Boruto stood beside Iwabe, ready to obey the command. "Ok."

Inojin hurried out of the breakroom to ask Kakashi for advice. After all, he couldn't let Iwabe go to the hospital where the numerous bitemarks would be discovered by doctors. There had to be a way to handle this themselves.

Kakashi set his fork down when she saw Inojin sprinting towards him. "Let me guess. He fainted?"

"Yeah, now he's in the breakroom with Boruto. I put him under so Boruto would do what I said, but how do I help Iwabe?"

"Let him rest. Give him juice. He's not to the point where you really have to worry. Exerting himself is what will make it worse. Just have him rest in the breakroom for the rest of the night. Make sure he eats something and gets some juice in him. He'll be fine. As long as you don't take any more blood from him."

Inojin nodded. "Yeah. Ok. I can do that."

"Good. And chill. If you don't want this made public, don't call attention to yourself. You running in here like that just made half the dining room stare at you."

Inojin sheepishly turned to see all the eyes watching him before hastily turning back to their meals.

With Boruto's help, they managed to get some juice into Iwabe's mouth and placed a cold cloth on his head. After a while, Iwabe woke up but they wouldn't let him get off the table.

"You need to lie here and rest," Inojin told him. "I want you to just stay here and relax. Also, drink this orange juice. You're not waiting tables tonight."

"I'm not?" Iwabe asked groggily before drinking the juice Inojin handed to him. "I feel kind of weird. What was I doing before?"

"You were working too hard," Inojin told him. "You worried me, so I need you to stay here and rest. Can you do that?"

"For you, I can," said Iwabe, his cheeks turning slightly pink. He drank some more juice.

Boruto stood with a blank expression, still under Inojin's spell. He was supposed to guard the door and warn Inojin if anyone tried to come in and stall the person for as long as he could. Thankfully, no one bothered them, too busy with work.

Eventually, Iwabe began to perk up but Inojin still wouldn't let him move around. Most of the time, things were quiet but then one of them would start speaking, breaking the silence. At one point, Iwabe chose a more complicated subject which made Inojin uncomfortable.

"I really like you, Inojin."

"Oh. Is that so?" Inojin mumbled, looking away.

"I don't know why I never noticed before…"

"Noticed?" Inojin hastily looked at him and at the wall. "About what exactly?"

Iwabe traced the rim of the glass in his hand with his finger, juice long gone. "Just… You know. Things like… your kindness and stuff. You're a really nice guy and I don't know why I never noticed before."

"Probably too busy ganging up on me," he muttered under his breath.

"You have this charm I find… irresistible." Iwabe was looking into his empty glass, cheeks turning pinker. "Makes me feel kind of warm. And my head swim."

Thinking Iwabe was heading for another fainting spell, Inojin tried to calm him down. "Maybe you should lie down again. Do you need any more to eat? I can get you something from the kitchen."

Shaking his head, Iwabe looked at the table's edge, his cheeks still pink. "No. I kind of feel satisfied already. Somehow."

"Then lie down."

Iwabe did as he was told. He put his hands over his chest and turned into a ball, looking like he was about to burst with joy. "My heart's all aflutter. It's fluttering so much, it's making me dizzy."

He needed to calm down. It was good he was in a good mood, but Iwabe was getting too excited. Inojin touched Iwabe's hand which in turn caused Iwabe to look up at him, eyes twinkling.

"Iwabe, you're feeling happy but also very sleepy. You're going to close your eyes and go to sleep. Relax and sleep now."

Resting his head on the table, Iwabe closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately. Listening to his heart, Inojin sensed that Iwabe was a lot calmer now so his body shouldn't have been under too much stress.

"Where are they?!"

Inojin bumped into the table as he turned around, hearing Shikamaru's voice from the hallway. He was angry and looking for them. It seemed three missing waiters during dinner rush was impossible not to notice.

He looked at Iwabe asleep on the table and at Boruto standing in front of the door. Iwabe couldn't work in this condition and Boruto didn't know where he was at the moment. He could work but he didn't want to leave Iwabe alone for someone to discover.

Whatever he was going to do, he had to do it fast.

"Boruto, give me your arm."

The blond waiter held out his arm obediently.

"I am going to bite you and when I do, it will give you the most enjoyable feeling you've ever experienced. It makes you so happy and energized." Inojin rolled up his sleeve and bit him.

Out in the hall, Shikamaru went into the kitchen to ask the chefs if they've seen the three missing waiters.

"Don't ask me, bro," said Choji, flames shooting up from the pan on the stove. "I've been sautéing steaks all night. Might wanna put in another order for 'em. The way they've been flying, we'll need more."

Shikamaru growled in response and looked at the rest of the kitchen staff. "Has anybody seen those three idiots?"

"No, sir," they said without looking up.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed on the door in the hall between the dining room and the kitchen. "Breakroom." It was the only place left to look. "Should've started there."

As Shikamaru reached for the knob, Boruto came bursting out with a big smile on his face. "Hello, sir!"

"Where the hell have you been? Those customers have been waiting ages for their orders to be taken. You want to make extra work for us?"

"I'm on my way right now to help out." He saluted Shikamaru, beaming.

"What are you on, boy?"

"Nothing. Just happy to help."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "Then you're up to something. Where are the others?"

"Others?"

"Inojin and Iwabe. Where are they?"

"They weren't feeling well and left so they wouldn't infect the customers," Boruto told him.

Shikamaru didn't believe him. "Then you wouldn't mind if I went in there to check."

Boruto's eyes went to the knob and then to Shikamaru. "Go ahead. I'm going back to work. See you, sir."

Undeterred, Shikamaru opened the breakroom door to check for himself. He was certain the two were hiding in here somewhere.

He stepped inside and closed the door just in case someone tried to sneak out behind him. His eyes scanned the room slowly. The first thing he found was Iwabe on one of the tables. He didn't see the other one.

"For crying out loud, Iwabe, this isn't your living room. Get up."

Iwabe didn't move, snoring soundly.

"If you think this will be tolerated, you've got another thing- mnf!" Someone threw a hand over his mouth from behind. He felt a pair of legs on his hips and someone on his back, pulling him away from Iwabe. With one good thrust, Shikamaru was pulled backwards and onto the floor.

Inojin quickly moved around to the front of him and looked him in the eyes. "Do as I say."

A short time later, a key clicked in the lock of the breakroom, locking the door.

"Thanks, Shikamaru. Now that it's locked, I won't have to worry about anyone coming in and disturbing Iwabe's sleep. Do you think you can take over Iwabe's tables while he rests?"

Pulling the key out of the lock and back onto his belt, Shikamaru nodded his head. "Yes. I will do that." He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if forming the words was a difficult task.

"Good. Better get to it, sir."

"Yes," answered Shikamaru. "As you command."

The next evening went a lot more smoothly than the previous one. When Inojin came in to work, he was greeted in a friendly way by Iwabe and Boruto. Boruto waved and smiled at him, which he had never done before. Shikamaru gave Iwabe the easiest jobs, fulfilling the command Inojin had given him last night. Since Iwabe was still recovering, Inojin wanted to make things easy for him. Sure, he could have told Iwabe to stay home and not work, but he didn't think it was right to make Iwabe lose out on a whole day's pay for his mistake.

"Ok, let's get to work, people."

"Yessir."

Iwabe nudged Inojin with his elbow and handed him a colorful cloth. He noticed Iwabe wearing the same one around his neck. "Figured we could match. I think the color really brings out your eyes."

"Oh. Uh, thanks?"

Iwabe's eyes wandered bashfully as he rocked on the balls of his feet. "Do… do you like it?" he asked quietly, his cheeks turning pink.

"Uh, yeah. It's great. Hang on." Inojin tied the bandana around his neck, tucking part of it under his collar to make sure his uniform tie was still visible. "How's it look?"

Iwabe's smile deepened, though he tried to hide it, embarrassed. "Really nice. Cute. Uh, handsome. The scarf- er, bandana, I mean."

Inojin grinned, seeing how awkward the older waiter was being. "Thanks for the gift."

Iwabe bit his lip to keep his smile in check, but it grew anyway. "Yeah. Great. Uh, see ya." Iwabe hurried away, keeping his head down so no one could see his face.

He was positively elated. Inojin liked his gift and it looked so good on him. Iwabe felt like jumping for joy. Unable to contain himself, he wiped down one of the tables while humming to himself, burning off this extra energy through work. He felt like dancing but had to draw the line somewhere. He didn't want the others to think he was a lunatic.

Sarada's attention was immediately drawn to her coworker and she whispered to Chocho, "Does he seem different to you?"

Chocho looked at Iwabe swinging his hips as he wiped down the table in time with his humming. "Seems like he's in a good mood to me."

"Yeah, but since when?" Sarada shook her head. "He's always seemed kind of gloomy to me."

"We're working. Who's in a good mood while working?"

"They say if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life."

Chocho rolled her eyes. "And I suppose you enjoy being a waitress?"

"For now," Sarada said, putting a hand on her hip. "It'll serve me well until I finish my education and become mayor. It'll help me stay in touch with the people. I'll know the plights of the common man."

"You sure you wouldn't rather be a schoolteacher? Or marry a rich man?"

Boruto looked in Sarada's direction as he finished laying out the white tablecloth. Then he found his eyes inextricably drawn to Inojin bending down to measure the length of the tablecloth with his eyes, making sure they were even on all sides. He found himself torn between watching Sarada and watching Inojin.

It was rather cute, watching Inojin put so much effort into his work. He had this odd charm he never noticed before. Before he found it annoying but now, for some reason, it had become endearing.

He was like a little puppy. A cute little puppy.

Boruto blinked and turned his back to Inojin, rearranging the silverware again. Why was he thinking like this? He liked Sarada. He hated Inojin. But… why did he hate him? He was having a hard time remembering. Something was clouding his thoughts, his judgements.

When dinner service began, everyone became too preoccupied with their work to give it any notice. Boruto focused on taking orders and delivering them and collecting the check. Everything was normal.

"Ah!" Inojin gasped as the tray balanced on his shoulder began to tip as he grabbed a plate to set down, leaving all the weight on one side.

Boruto reached out and grabbed the tray, holding it up to keep the other plates from falling.

"Oh, thanks," Inojin said gratefully. He began to set the rest of the plates down so he didn't notice the twinkle in Boruto's eyes upon being thanked.

He had done something good for Inojin and it made him happy. Seeing Inojin happy made him…

"You can let go now."

"Huh? Oh. Right." Boruto took his hand off the tray and went back to work. Clearing his throat, he went back to confirm the orders of the customers. "So, um, you wanted the beefcake and hot stuff. I- I mean, the beef steak and hot pot!"

Why did he say that? This was so embarrassing. Hopefully Inojin didn't hear him.

Why did he care if Inojin heard him or not? He never cared what Inojin thought. Something was happening to him.

At the same time, Inojin couldn't be happier. Things were finally going great at work. His coworkers were finally being nice to him. Boruto and Iwabe were the two biggest bullies amongst the waitstaff. Now that the two of them had calmed down, it seemed to scare the other ones into backing off. No one was giving him dirty looks anymore. And Boruto actually helped him. He saved him from an accident that would have involved him having to clean up a mess, reorder the food and making numerous people angry. This was how it should have been. Coworkers helping each other. Being a team. Not some idiotic code about female coworkers none of them had a chance with and ganging up on the mousey one when they were in a mood or had the wrong idea.

Inojin didn't see how any of this was immoral, either. He was still working. He didn't force his boss to give him more money. And the benefits were for his coworkers' wellbeing as well. People were being considerate of each other, helping each other out, being civil and everyone seemed a lot happier.

Everything was going a lot smoother all around.

"This is how it should be." Inojin surveyed the restaurant with a satisfied smile on his face. If he had known biting Boruto and Iwabe would make them nicer, he would have done so from the beginning. He didn't even have to drink their blood. Just the act of being bitten was enough to get their endorphins surging. Mostly because he told them that it would be a pleasurable experience. He was picking up so many tricks, he felt he had this whole vampire thing down.

Boruto tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, hey, Inojin."

"Yeah?"

Boruto averted his eyes nervously. "I was wondering… if maybe… if you're not doing anything… maybe we could, uh…" Boruto cleared his throat. "Did you want to maybe hang out sometime? You know, after work?"

"Uh…"

"Or before. I mean it does get late. We're here after midnight and all. Heh heh." Boruto started to stammer and talk quickly. "You know, it's fine. Forget I said anything. I- I'm just g- gonna… Fidget something. I mean, I forgot something." Boruto stiffly hurried away, hiding his face behind his hand.

Boruto was acting nervous like Iwabe had been when this first began. If Inojin wanted him to get out of this awkward stage and into the next, he had better bite him again. It would be smooth sailing if he did. The awkwardness could become a problem, especially if Boruto tried to avoid being within sight of Inojin.

"Hey, Boruto."

"Wh- whaaat?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed but it just came out as a drawn-out stammer.

"Hey." Inojin took Boruto by the hand. "It's ok."

Instantly calmed by Inojin's touch, Boruto turned around, shoulders dropping along with his guard. His touch was so comforting. Yet, it made his heart skip a beat.

"Come with me into the breakroom really quick."

"Anywhere," Boruto said distractedly, keeping his eyes on Inojin's pale face. "Anywhere with you." His voice had become soft and distant, like going into a dream. With Inojin, it felt like he was.

He pulled Boruto into the breakroom, closed the door, looked to make sure no one was around and did the usual routine. He made sure Boruto would find the experience pleasant and bit him. Boruto became weak-kneed and slumped against the wall while Inojin lapped up the blood. All he was doing was biting holes in Boruto's arm and licking what blood flowed forth. Since he wasn't drinking much, Inojin decided to bite Boruto again on his arm to give him a little extra pleasure. This should hopefully speed up the process.

The pleasure was a little more thrilling than Inojin intended, drawing moans of delight from Boruto and making him squirm, his face turning redder by the second.

"Are you ok?" Inojin asked as he finished licking the blood from the newest wound. Maybe he had gone a bit overboard with the biting. The command was about the same as it was for Iwabe and he didn't behave quite so jubilantly.

Bracing himself against the wall with his other arm, Boruto drew deep breaths to calm down. "I… I don't… have the words," he said between pants. His smile was one of absolute joy but his eyes held a different emotion. "You're amazing, Inojin. Incredibly so."

"Well, good." Inojin rolled Boruto's sleeve over his arm and patted him brusquely on the hand. "Glad to know you like me. Now how about we get back to work, hm?"

"Like doesn't even begin to describe…" Boruto struggled to stay standing but his legs were like jelly.

Inojin reached out to help steady him. "Maybe you should take a minute. I never bit anyone that many times in a row before. Maybe I overloaded you a bit."

Running a hand through his hair, Boruto straightened up and nodded. "I'm good. Totally good."

"Uh, good. Then let's get back to work."

Touching his cheek ever so gently with his fingertips, Boruto gazed dreamily after Inojin on his way out of the room. "Whatever you say…"

After that, things became a different type of awkward. Whenever Inojin turned around, Boruto was watching him with a goofy expression on his face. While taking someone's order, Inojin discreetly glanced over his shoulder to see Boruto watching him while taking his own table's order. Boruto would stand and stare at Inojin until he moved out of sight, then ask the customer to repeat what they had said, having been too distracted to hear them. When setting down a drink, Boruto almost missed the table, but feeling the liquid slosh over his hand brought him back to reality.

Inojin dreaded having to leave the kitchen area, knowing Boruto would be there staring at him.

"Hey, Inojin," Iwabe said slyly. "How's it going?"

"Ok, I guess." He didn't want to tell Iwabe about Boruto, thinking he might try to rough him up again if he thought Inojin was being bothered.

"Have I told you how pretty your eyes are?"

Inojin flinched. "Uh, no."

"Well, they are." Iwabe bit his lip, holding back a huge grin.

Was he flirting with him?

Inojin went over to the counter. "Well, hey, look at that. My order's ready. Better get it to the table. Bye."

"Bye, babe." Iwabe waved his fingers in the air.

Inojin nearly dropped the plate on the ground in shock and disgust. What had Iwabe just called him? He must have misheard him.

By the time Inojin finished bringing the food to the customer, he saw Kakashi sitting at a table in Chocho's section. He quickly went over to him.

Casually sipping his drink, Kakashi asked, "You look a little freaked. What happened this time?"

"It's so weird. Iwabe and Boruto…"

After hearing the whole explanation, Kakashi pulled his glass away from his face, snickering into his wrist. Ripples formed in the glass from the vibrations of his chuckles.

"What? What?"

Laughter subsiding, Kakashi gave Inojin an amused look. "Oh, my dear boy. I think wording the command like that had some unexpected consequences you didn't bargain for."

Getting worried, Inojin repeated his last statement. "What? What?"

"They equate it to pleasure. Along with the fact that vampires bond with their victims, a sensation which lasts the longer they are exposed to us, you didn't think this might happen?"

"What?" Inojin said again.

Kakashi snickered again. "They got little crushes on you."

There was a clattering sound as Inojin slammed into the table in shock. Once the sugar cup on the table stopped shaking, Inojin was on his feet and in Kakashi's face. "What? But they like the girls."

"Because of the command you gave them along with the bond that naturally occurs during feeding, it's only natural they'd come to associate certain things and think they have romantic feelings for you."

"But they like the girls."

"They think they have feelings for you," Kakashi reiterated. "The combination has led them to believe this. They think highly of you, are fond of you, trust you, find being around you to be a pleasurable experience and feel a connection, however subtle it may or may not be. If you were in their position, what would you think?"

"So… all those things combined has made them believe they have romantic feelings for me?"

"That's what they believe, yes." Kakashi still held his drink in his hand, apparently thinking Inojin was going to bump the table again. "That's why I usually tell the person to feel tired and go to sleep. I don't have to put up with any of this nonsense. That way, the bond they feel only goes so far."

"But you said the bond would go away after a while. It wears off."

"I also said that the more time you spend together, the longer it will linger," Kakashi reminded him. "You see these people every day. That alone will make the bond last longer. Add to that the fact that you've fed off one of these guys three days in a row, multiplying the effects along with whatever it is you said to them. It'll take a long time for this to wear off."

"Just how long are we talking?"

Kakashi looked over Inojin's shoulder where Boruto was refilling a customer's glass with a pitcher that was now empty after cascading over the edge of the table and soaking his shoes while he ogled Inojin from across the room. At the same time, Iwabe walked by grinning giddily when he looked in Inojin's direction and sank his teeth into the menu in his hands to keep from squealing with pure joy.

"Judging from their behavior, I'd say at least a couple months."

"Months?" Inojin bumped the table again as he slammed his hands down upon it. "What if I do the eye thing and tell them that they don't feel that way about me?"

"Wouldn't do anything but make it worse," said Kakashi, taking a sip from his glass before continuing. "The command would contradict how they already feel and will feel for some time. It would only confuse them and that could have disastrous results. I'd say let it run its course."

"But… But I don't want it from guys!" Inojin whined. "And even if I did, it wouldn't be from them!"

Kakashi lowered his glass with a chuckle. "I should come here more often. Things just got a whole lot more fun."

"Not for me!"

Kakashi pointed with his pinky finger as he tipped the glass towards his lips. "You did it."

"I didn't mean to," Inojin told him earnestly. "I just wanted them to be nicer to me."

"Well, I think you accomplished that. Can't get any nicer than this." Kakashi set his glass down on the table. "Hopefully this will wear off in a couple of months."

"Hopefully?" Inojin brought his nose closer to Kakashi's. "You mean this could last longer? It's an estimation? Just what are you saying exactly?"

Running his thumb along the smooth glass of his cup, Kakashi answered, "The feeling we give them and the commands that inspire the feelings will eventually wear off. However, sometimes, while the effect wanes, the behavior lingers because they might come to find that they actually like being this way."

"Meaning…?"

"If we command someone to do something they would normally find repulsive, with time, the feeling and compulsion goes away. However, if we tell them to do something they wouldn't normally do just because they've never done it before or had the wrong idea about it, they might continue the behavior because they find that they actually enjoy it."

"Like telling someone not to gamble because of an addiction," Inojin compared, this being the first example that popped into his head. "If they want to do it, they'll go back to it. Or making someone work when they're normally lazy. If they hate the work, they'll stop. But if they discover they like it because it's not as bad as they thought or because they feel fulfilled afterwards, they'll continue to do it and not because of the command."

"Sounds like you've got a good grasp on the concept."

Inojin frowned. "But these guys hate me because they think I'm stealing attention from the girls. I keep telling them it's not like that but they never listen. They like the girls. I know Boruto has a thing for Sarada and Iwabe has his eye on either Chocho or the girl who talks about her pet a lot. The one with the long hair. They only think they're into me because of the vampire thing, but they actually like the girls and can't stand me. So then, that means it will wear off soon, right?"

"Mm," Kakashi grunted and have a one-armed shrug. "Emotions are more complicated than compulsions and mindsets. Feelings change. And you guys are young. Just because they like the girls this year doesn't mean they'll like them next year. Someone new might come along and get their attention."

"But they hate me," Inojin emphasized.

"Do they? Or do they only think they do because they see you as competition and don't know you that well?" Kakashi tilted his head down, looking up into Inojin's eyes. "If they spend time with you, they might find that they actually like you."

"But like that? I don't think they swing that way."

"They could misunderstand their feelings and think that's what it is they're feeling. If these guys are too immature to understand the complexities of love and romance, it's easy for them to jump to the wrong conclusion. But if it makes them happy, they might not care. They may want to experiment to see where it leads."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"To be honest, that's the least of your concerns." Kakashi swiveled around in his chair, facing the table instead of Inojin. "While I don't think they'll see each other as competition, I wouldn't rule it out. And lust can quickly morph into obsession. Be careful of that. Right now, I think they're just in the euphoric crush stage and not in the jealous stage."

"There are stages?"

"You ever see a girl with a crush before? I don't think it will get to that point, but…" Kakashi lowered his voice. "Regardless of the form their love takes, you're in for a rough few months. Unless they find that they like being this way and don't want to change. After all, as long as they're happy, why would they want to go back?"

Chocho stood beside Inojin with a plate in her hand. "What are you doing here? Your section's over there."

Inojin stepped away from the table. This must have been why Kakashi lowered his voice. He knew Chocho was coming and didn't want her to hear their conversation. Not that there was much else to talk about at this point.

Kakashi managed to give him some advice but he mainly warned him of what was in store from this point on. Not wanting to make it worse, Inojin decided to take Kakashi's advice about not commanding them to have different feelings.

He hoped he could suck this up for however long it lasted, but he wasn't sure he could endure those looks and whatever else his former bullies threw at him.

The following day, Inojin entered the breakroom to hang his coat in his locker. Plenty of people gave him strange looks, seeing him wear a coat on a sunny day and seemed to think he was a pickpocket or something. The women on the subway held their purses close to their bodies when he passed by and he desperately wanted to tell them it wasn't like that. Not that claiming to be a vampire would get him any better looks.

He closed the locker door and jumped, finding Iwabe's grinning face waiting for him on the other side. "Goooood afternoon, buddy." Inojin could see every one of his teeth.

"Uh, hi?" Iwabe was bent at the waist to be at eye level with Inojin. Having Iwabe leaning into his face like this was very off-putting, as if the big grinning face wasn't disturbing enough. "H- how are you?"

"Great, thanks. How are you?"

"… Good?" Inojin took a step away from him and Iwabe followed, maintaining the space between them. "Um… You ready to work?"

"Yup." Iwabe chuckled excitedly.

"Ok, then." Inojin turned and started to walk out the door. When he stopped to open the door, he felt Iwabe behind him, chest brushing against his shoulder. "A little close there, don't you think?"

"Just let me, uh…" Iwabe wrapped his arms around Inojin's shoulders and held him, resting his cheek on top of Inojin's head. "Mmm… Just what I needed."

Inojin's whole body stiffened. "Um, you mind?"

"Just another second." Iwabe inhaled Inojin's scent and moaned contentedly. "So nice."

"Really should get to work now." Inojin grabbed the handle on the door, broadly hinting at what he wanted.

Iwabe relaxed his arms, letting them slide off Inojin's shoulders slowly, savoring every moment. "I can feel all my stress melt away when I hold you." Iwabe clasped his hands to his face, basking in the sheer delight of his new self. "Ah… This is going to be a good day, I can feel it."

"Yup. Yup." Inojin opened the door as quickly as he could and hurried out into the hall. Keeping his distance from these two was going to be impossible. A fact confirmed when he saw Boruto wiping down the lunch menus in the dining area before putting them away. He had to walk right by him on his way in to help with setting up for the dinner rush.

"H- hi, Inojin," Boruto called out to him. From the sound of his voice, he had to work up the courage to speak to him, wondering what to say.

"Yup, hi." Inojin hurried to the table in the far back to get as far away from him as he could.

He started to work on dressing the table with the white tablecloth when he sensed someone standing behind him.

"I can help," Iwabe said, his chin resting just above Inojin's shoulder.

"I'm good. Really."

Iwabe inhaled his scent again. "Mm… Is that mango shampoo I smell? You have such great taste, Inojin."

"They were out of ocean breeze. Could we just get to work, please?"

Iwabe nodded. "Sure thing."

Inojin breathed a sigh of relief when Iwabe didn't try to take over and left him to dress the table himself. When he had finished, he turned around to find all the other tables already set for the dinner service.

Standing at the last table, Iwabe turned around and smiled. "All taken care of." He had worked faster than ever to complete the work before Inojin could finish with one table, sparing him from having to do the others. He actually did a good job, too. Nothing was out of place.

"Look alive, people," Shikamaru said as he stood in front of them. "We're expecting a large service tonight. Celebrations are happening in the area to commemorate upper school acceptations. Since we're known for catering for special events, I expect to see extra people with their families here tonight. It is the weekend, after all. Ask families if they're celebrating anything and push for padding the check. Desserts, pricey entrees, you know the drill."

"Yessir."

Iwabe licked his lips, looking at Inojin. "A little sweet stuff is all anybody needs."

Inojin felt his stomach churn.

Boruto had squeezed between the two of them, wanting to be as long as possible to Inojin. Since he and Iwabe were so close to each other, it was easy to pick up the comment and see the lustful look in Iwabe's eyes. Boruto's own eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to Inojin, sending the message that the vampire waiter was already claimed.

Inojin hung his head with a moan. This wasn't looking good. All he needed was for them to start up another idiotic code which he doubted either of them would stick to.

Before turning the sign around in the restaurant window, Boruto grabbed Iwabe's arm and held him in place. "Let's get one thing straight. You're not getting ahead of me when it comes to Inojin."

Iwabe looked down at him. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"If anyone's getting closer to Inojin, it's going to be me."

"I thought you liked Sarada. She's all yours, man."

Boruto's cheeks turned pink and he looked down in embarrassment. "Yeah, well… I mean, yeah, I… do. I mean, I did. At least, I thought I did." Boruto looked back up at Iwabe. "But this is different. I should get to spend more time with him than you."

"Why? We're both here and we both like him. I mean, who wouldn't?" Iwabe looked dreamily into the distance, fantasizing about Inojin. "Isn't he amazing?"

"He is pretty cool. And nice to be around." Boruto shook his head, determined not to drift off into fantasy. "But we both can't be competing for him. Maybe we should set up some ground rules."

Iwabe chuckled and gave his head a small shake. "I don't care who he spends most of his time with. I don't even care if he likes you over me."

"You don't?" Boruto was surprised. Iwabe didn't seem to see him as a threat.

"No." Iwabe's smiled deepened, eyes twinkling dully as his eyelids started to droop lazily. "I just want this feeling to last as long as it can."

"Yeah?"

"I don't care if he loves someone else. Just this feeling is enough to sustain me. You're free to pursue him all you want. I just want to enjoy looking forward to seeing him every day and hearing his voice. Even if he's talking to someone else. As long as he's nearby, I don't care."

"Oh. Well, that's ok, I guess." Boruto released his grip on Iwabe's arm.

"Though I gotta admit, seeing Inojin happy makes the whole experience even better, doesn't it?"

Boruto thought of Inojin's smile when he was in a good mood and started to blush. "Yeah. That does make it better."

"I'm not paying you to stand around and chat," Shikamaru said as he moved from the dining area to the kitchen, passing them by. "Get to work."

Though it was good that the two weren't fighting over him, their agreement to long for Inojin equally and in their own way was almost as difficult to bear. They showered him with complements and watched him so often they bumped into almost everything, including the wall. Boruto was so distracted, he hardly worked at all. Iwabe managed to work just fine, getting a burst of energy every time he passed Inojin by. He wanted to carry things for Inojin and pat him on the head.

"Can you not do that, please?" Inojin asked, pushing Iwabe's hand away from his head.

"Gee-hee-hee-hee-heh-ha," Iwabe giggled goofily. "You are so cute."

Taking the tray of food out to the dining area, Inojin muttered to himself, "Great. Now even he's treating me like a puppy. Is that how everyone sees me? Is that the only way I can get love? As someone's pet?"

An hour later, Inojin regretted having asked himself such a question.

Things were starting to slow down by this time and there were few tables to wait on. Inojin found Iwabe standing near the bar, waiting on someone's drink order from the bartender. He tried not to look at him while he waited for his own customer's drink order to be filled. Both were finished at the same time and placed on the counter between them. They both reached for their respective glasses at the same time and their hands brushed against each other's.

Iwabe squealed with delight and picked Inojin up in his arms, giving him a great big bearhug. "You are just too much for me to handle," he said into Inojin's ear.

"Stop. Not in front of everyone," Inojin hissed, peering out at all the faces watching them.

Chocho leaned over to Sarada. "What's up with that? Did you know those two were like that?"

"No way. Iwabe is not an affectionate guy. I think he's just messing with him," said Sarada, returning to work.

Later, after the restaurant closed and the workers were cleaning up for the night, Boruto approached Inojin with a red face and stiff legs he had to force into submission by walking almost robotically. He stuttered and stammered when he was in front of him and avoided his eyes.

Finally, he blurted out something but both of them knew it wasn't what he really wanted to say. "Good job with work tonight."

"Yeah, thanks." Inojin looked away, doing his best to avoid Boruto getting any further attached to him than he already was.

Boruto noticed something on Inojin's hand. "Are you hurt?"

"Huh?" He looked down at his hand. "Oh. No. That's some sauce that got on me, I think."

"Let me see." Boruto touched his hand and a zing shot through him.

Holding Inojin's hand brought back all kinds of wonderful feelings he had only recently discovered existed. A warm, happy sensation spreading through his body; the dizzying euphoria coupled with a blissful pain that made his knees weak in a good way. A good pain. One that brought incredible joy and rapturous energy which compelled him to…

Boruto looked from Inojin's hand to his eyes. This feeling. Inojin was the cause. He made him feel this way. Content and energized all at once. There was no fear, no stress, and nothing he couldn't do. He had never felt happier yet knew it wasn't the limit his joy.

Inojin was beautiful. He was his everything and more.

How to express what he felt to him? What Inojin was to him?

Without a word or sound, Boruto moved closer and planted a kiss on Inojin's lips.

"Mmf!" Inojin pressed his lips shut as tight as he could and tried to pull away. Boruto had slipped his hand behind Inojin's head, preventing it and deepening the kiss at the same time.

A kiss which he had done in front of everyone.

Chocho dropped the menus on the ground in shock, staring open-mouthed at the pair. Sarada jumped back so dramatically, she almost knocked over one of the tables. The other waitress gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, forgetting that she had been wiping down the tables with the rag in her fingers.

"Did you know they were like that?" Sarada asked, fixing her glasses as if she wasn't seeing this right.

Chocho's open mouth curved into a huge grin, taking great satisfaction in this sight. "This is so awesome. I can't believe what we're seeing with our own eyes."

Inojin turned his head to the side, letting Boruto's lips plants themselves on his cheek instead. "It's not like that!"

Boruto embraced Inojin tightly. "Kissing you is even better than I imagined. My whole body is overflowing."

"Shut up," Inojin begged him. "They got the wrong idea."

"I love you, Inojin."

"No, you don't!"

"Gee," muttered a waitress. "I didn't know Inojin was like that. I guess I should have seen the signs."

"What signs?! There are no signs!" Inojin pushed Boruto away by his shoulders but Boruto wouldn't let go. "I'm not like that! I swear! And he isn't either. He likes Sarada."

"What?!" Sarada was shocked all over again.

"I thought I did but she never gave me the joy you give me." Boruto tried to kiss him again.

"Stop it!"

Iwabe turned Inojin around and kissed him as well and the girls all shrieked.

"He's right," said Iwabe. "Kissing you is so much better than just touching you. The sheer intensity… Just when I thought you couldn't get any better."

"Not you, too!" Inojin pushed both of them away. "Not helping!"

"Wherever you go, I'll always be with you," Iwabe told him sincerely. "Even if we're miles apart. You're the reason I live."

"My life sucked before I knew how amazing you were," Boruto said, pulling himself towards Inojin's face. "It meant nothing until this moment. If I didn't have you, I'd throw myself off a bridge. You give me purpose. I love you! Even if you don't love me back, that's ok. I just need to have this. This feeling will sustain me. Keep me going. I am just bursting with joy!"

"You're overdosing on it," Inojin told him. "Calm down. All these things you're saying, you don't mean it. You're just drunk. That's all. You're drunk."

"I don't care. As long as you can bring this feeling, I don't care."

Inojin wanted to make them all forget but what good would it do? Kakashi told him not to because he couldn't make them forget their feelings. Even if he told them to forget him, they would still feel like they loved him even without knowing who he was. If he tried to reword the command, they would still feel like they were longing for something. The feeling would last until it weakened.

Now, it seemed that would take even longer.

He didn't know what to do. He was going to have to endure this until it wore off, however long it would take at this point. Now everyone had the wrong idea. If he made the others forget what they saw, this whole thing might happen again tomorrow.

It didn't matter. He was a vampire. Anyone he fed upon would form a bond with him. Kakashi told him so. He was going to have to live like this for the rest of his life.

"My life sucks!"