Genma squinted and swore. He shielded his eyes with a hand, blinking. "Hey. Did I wake you?"

Raidou crossed his arms over his chest and said nothing, leaning up against the doorframe.

"Right. Well, sorry." Genma turned back to yanking off his shoes.

Raidou took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Genma shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You have a right to your opinion."

Raidou's hands tensed on his arms. "I just don't like to see you hurt. We get hurt enough, on missions--"

"Do we have to talk about this again?" Genma said, a whine in his voice. He swept hair out of his eyes and looked pleadingly at Raidou. "I mean, unless it's going to end in make-up sex, I don't see the point."

Raidou stared at the table. "Of course not," he muttered finally. He turned away. "I'm going to bed."

"Me, too," Genma sighed.

Raidou hesitated. He didn't want Genma in his bed. He knew if the Chuunin was there, there'd be touching, and touching led to other things. He didn't think he could deal with that right now. "I'll get you some blankets," he said, hoping Genma would take the hint.

"What--oh. Okay. Yeah." Genma backed away slowly. "Right. I'll look for a place in the morning."

"Maybe that's good," Raidou murmured.

**

Breakfast was tense.

Genma went jogging even earlier than usual, and stayed out longer. But it was Raidou's apartment, and Raidou slept until ten--he *had*, after all, been on a mission--so by the time he got up, trudged to the kitchen, made breakfast, and sat down, Genma was just returning.

Genma glanced at him, then headed into the bathroom to shower. He came out dressed; black pants, black shirt.

"Mission?" Raidou asked as casually as possible. They had been partnered for three years, but even so, they were often sent out separately.

"I volunteered to help train the students," Genma answered quietly. He sat down at the table with two slices of bread and some cheese.

"That was nice of you," Raidou said carefully.

Genma didn't respond, just reached across for the orange juice. The Chuunin's sleeve slipped up.

Raidou stared. There were marks on the man's wrists, raw and angry. Rope burns.

Genma caught Raidou's look and yanked his hands back, pulling his sleeves down. "Fuck off, Raidou," he muttered.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

Raidou frowned. "I'm worried about you."

"Worry about someone else."

Raidou stirred his cereal. "I can't." He felt miserable.

"I don't want you to rescue me," Genma said quietly.

"No," Raidou laughed bitterly. "You want me to hurt you."

Genma said nothing.

"Do you ever have normal sex?" Raidou asked. "Where it doesn't hurt?"

Genma picked up his plate and carried it back into the kitchen. "I won't be back until late tonight," he said.

Raidou could feel the man behind him, hovering. Waiting. Raidou closed his eyes. "Until then."

Genma paused another minute, and then walked out the door.

Raidou braced his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands. When had things gotten so wrong? How had he not noticed this? They'd been paired together on missions for three years, and somehow--maybe it would have been more obvious if Genma was hurting himself any other way.

Raidou stood up, put his bowl in the sink, and left his apartment. He couldn't stay there. Too many emotions.

He headed home.

**

Hanayo walked into the living room, a basket of laundry in her hands, and froze.

Her eldest living son was sprawled across the couch, looking miserable.

Hanayo sighed softly and put the laundry down, walking over to Raidou. She lifted his head and settled on the sofa, then laid him back down on her lap. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Raidou muttered.

She brushed shaggy hair away from his eyes. "Something's wrong. If you don't talk about it, it'll just fester."

Raidou sighed heavily. "Mom, stop being a counselor."

Hanayo prayed for patience and patted him gently. "Can I do anything?"

He shook his head.

"All right. I'm going to start the laundry. You let me know if you need something."

"'Kay," Raidou murmured.

Hanayo slipped out from under him and headed out of the room.

**

Raidou could hear his mother shuffling around in the laundry room. Ichiro was upstairs; the boy had come home the same time Raidou had gotten there, taken one look at Raidou, and rolled his eyes.

Raidou didn't mind. Little brothers were shitty like that.

His only sister wasn't home, and that was a shame. She was at the academy, taking classes on how to be a teacher. Wouldn't be home until late.

Akeno's finch peeped at Raidou from its cage, eyeing him curiously.

The front door opened. He watched Iruka walk in, head down, untying his shoes and dropping them in his nook. Then the boy looked up, saw Raidou, and froze.

"Still upset?" Raidou asked sadly.

Iruka fiddled with the books he was holding and shrugged. "I’m gonna go to my room."

Raidou watched the boy leave. Then, slowly, every joint in his body aching, he got up and followed.

Iruka's door was closed. Raidou knocked softly.

"What?"

It wasn't a come in, so he didn't open the door. "You still mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you," Iruka said, voice floating out from his bedroom.

Raidou leaned back. "Liar."

"I'm not," Iruka said.

Raidou swung one leg, letting his heel thump against the wall. "Well, I think we may have--" broken up wasn't the right term. They hadn't been dating. "We're not having sex anymore," he said finally.

Iruka snorted. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

Raidou glared at the closed door. Iruka had always been big on personal space. He doubted the boy would loosen up now, but he wished he could at least *open* the door without fearing that Iruka would panic.

"What did you do?" Iruka asked.

"I didn't do anything," Raidou snapped. Anger at Genma rose again, unbidden. He closed his eyes. "Genma . . . well, we're just not compatible." He couldn't tell Iruka that Genma liked rough sex, because he was afraid Iruka would freak more. He slid to the floor, leaning against the wall.

"I find that hard to believe," Iruka snorted.

"Believe it, punk," Raidou muttered. "Would you open the door?"

When he answered, his voice was suspicious. "Why?"

Raidou winced. "Look, I'm gonna lie on the damn floor because I'm tired and grouchy. You do whatever you want. But I'm not going to jump you, Iruka." That said, he sprawled out on the floor in the hall.

A moment later, Iruka's door opened. The boy sat cross legged inside his room, frowning. "I didn't think you were going to jump me."

"Then what were you doing?" Raidou asked snidely.

Iruka made a face at him. "Changing."

"It doesn't take you that long to change."

Iruka glared at his feet.

Raidou sighed.

"Genma really likes you," Iruka said quietly.

Raidou sighed again and tried a new tack. "Mom said Mizuki hit on you."

Iruka wrinkled his nose and nodded without looking up.

"But you didn't want to have sex with him, right?"

Iruka nodded again, picking at the thread on his pants. Pants he hadn't changed, Raidou noticed.

"So you told him no."

Iruka nodded.

"Yeah, well, Genma likes some things that I don't. So I told him no."

"You could get used to it, if you like him that much," Iruka said slowly.

"The point is, I shouldn't have to do something that makes me feel bad about myself."

Iruka glanced at him. The look in his eyes was thoughtful.

Good. Maybe he'd remember this the next time someone tried to push him into something.

"What if you really, really like them?"

Raidou shook his head against the floor. "Not if it makes me hate myself."

Iruka swiveled, sprawling out on his stomach in his room, head by the door. Raidou shuffled a little closer.

"You wouldn't want to feel gross after sex," Iruka said finally, after a long silence.

"Exactly."

A frown creased Iruka's brow. "Does he make you feel bad?"

Raidou grimaced. "Not like you're thinking," he said finally. "He just likes the kind of sex that I don't."

"Oh, ew, too much knowledge, Raidou. I didn't need to know that much," Iruka groaned, banging his head carefully on the ground.

Raidou snorted. "I'd practically already said it, punk."

"Still . . ."

"Could be worse. I could be talking about sex with squirrels."

"Oh, gross!" Iruka laughed.

Raidou smiled. "Little dick-muffs . . ."

"Agh!" Iruka planted his face on the floor, both hands over his ears.

Raidou grinned. He sobered slowly. Dick-muffs had been Genma's idea. Fast sex on a mission was one thing. Occasional fast sex Raidou appreciated. That didn't mean pain was good.

"What are you guys doing?"

Raidou twisted to look up at his sister, standing above them, arms full of textbooks.

"Talking about squirrels," Iruka said into the floor.

Raidou gave a little laugh. "Talking about my sex life."

"With squirrels," his sister clarified.

"Uh huh," Iruka mumbled, hands still over his ears.

Tani laughed at them and vanished into her room.

"Thought you weren't supposed to be home until late," Raidou said as she walked out, stepping over him on her way down the hall.

"Things change," she answered.

Iruka watched her leave, then scooted forward over the floor like an inchworm. "She has a boyfriend," he whispered.

"I heard that!" she yelled back.

"I said Raidou has a boyfriend!" Iruka shouted.

"Stop yelling!" Hanayo called from the laundry room.

Raidou chuckled, crossing his arms and resting his chin on them.

Tani appeared a little bit later, stepped over Raidou again, and sprawled out on the hall floor on the other side of Iruka's door. She had grapes.

Raidou stole three happily, followed quickly by Iruka. Tani didn't seem to mind.

"So what are we really talking about?" she asked.

"It's a secret," Raidou said.

"Liar. What are we talking about?"

Raidou grinned and glanced at Iruka. The boy obviously wasn't going to say anything, looking uncertainly from Raidou to Tani and back again. "I've been having sex with Genma."

Tani's eyebrows rose. "Rea-llllly?"

"I walked in on them," Iruka mumbled.

Tani twisted to look at him. "Ah. Is that why you're in your bedroom?"

Iruka nodded.

"'Cause he can't go in your bedroom unless you say?"

Iruka glanced uncomfortably at Raidou and said nothing.

Tani smiled slightly and reached out, ruffling the teenager's hair.

"Hey!" Iruka said, ducking away with greatly offended dignity.

Tani grinned. "Freak." Then she turned to look at Raidou, an entire body movement from where she lay. "So what's the problem?"

"Genma's into something I'm not."

"Drugs?" she asked bluntly.

"No!" Raidou nearly yelled, offended for the absent Chuunin.

"A type of sex," Iruka supplied.

"Oh." Tani cringed. "What type?"

"Taanii," Iruka said, burying his face again. "I don't want to know this!"

"So cover your ears," she said unsympathetically. "What type?"

Raidou hesitated. "Kinda rough."

Tani winced again. "Do you like . . .?"

Raidou felt himself blanch. "No!"

"Okay, relax, just asking. So don't do it."

"Yeah, I know," Raidou sighed heavily.

Iruka rolled over onto his back, tilting his head to look at them upside down. "Easier said then done, huh?"

Raidou smiled slightly at his foster brother. "Yeah. I have great respect for you turning Mizuki away, now."

Iruka blushed and looked away, presenting only the top of his head. He mumbled something embarrassed that Raidou couldn't make out.

Tani smiled again. "Well, we all know Iruka's a stubborn punk, when he wants to be. Soon as he learns to stand up for himself."

"Shut up," Iruka mumbled.

Tani laughed. "What else?" she asked, looking at Raidou again.

Raidou thought about it for a moment, like poking a bruise. Then he snorted and shook his head. "I'm upset 'cause he went and slept with someone else last night."

"Sounds like a good reason to be upset," Tani said slowly.

"No. He never even suggested it was just us. I'm being . . . possessive." He didn't like the word, but supposed it applied.

"Feelings hurt?" Tani said sympathetically.

"I thought Genma was pretty serious," Iruka said, the words slow.

Raidou looked at him. "And when did you get that impression?"

Iruka fidgeted. "Genma took me out for ramen. To apologize."

"Huh." Raidou stared at him for a moment, then shook his head.

"Poor big brother," Tani sighed. "Can you talk to him?"

"Tried. He doesn't want to talk."

"Maybe he's scared," Iruka mumbled.

Raidou looked at him thoughtfully. He could still only see the top of Iruka's head. "You think?"

Iruka shrugged. "Maybe."

"Maybe he's just scared of normal sex. I mean, that can imply a whole lot of things," Tani suggested.

It didn't explain the desire for pain, but Raidou wasn't about to go into that. "It's possible," he said after a moment.

"But don't do anything you're not comfortable with," Tani added. "Right, Iruka?"

"Right," Iruka said, the roll of his eyes obvious even in his voice.

Tani grinned.

An hour later Raidou's mother walked by, stepping over and around legs and torsos and limbs. She paused between Raidou and Tani, across from Iruka, who was still in his room. "Is there anything I should know about?"

Raidou smiled, his hurt abated for the moment. "No. I think we're good."

Tani nodded in agreement, lying on her back, feet propped up on the wall. Raidou was just glad she'd taken to wearing those funny, tight little shorts under her skirt.

Iruka only chewed on the last of the grapes, cheek pudged out on one side.

Hanayo shook her head and continued down the hall.

**

Raidou laid in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to Genma toss and turn on the couch in the other room. With a curse he finally stood, throwing aside blankets and marching to the door. He opened it, ready to be grouchy and complain, but stopped.

Genma was sitting up, head in his hands, wearing only a T-shirt and flannel pants. Moonlight filtering through the window cast him in pale blue and black. There was a band of angry flesh around his nearest wrist, raw and scabbing.

Genma didn't look up. Slowly, Raidou walked over to the couch and sat. "Why do you do that?" he asked softly.

Genma shrugged, head still in his hands.

"Why let people hurt you?"

Genma didn't look up. "Makes me forget," he mumbled.

"Forget what?"

Genma stood, walking into the kitchen. "You want some water?"

"Genma, talk to me. We're partners, right? I've saved your hide and you've saved mine so many times we've lost count. What's the worst that could happen?"

He stood quietly in the kitchen. Then he looked up. "Tea?"

Raidou sighed. "No, thank you." He sat there, letting his gaze travel around the apartment while Genma poured himself a glass of water. Raidou's eyes stopped at a pamphlet he'd found in the mission office. "They're making a push for people to be more careful during sex," he said quietly. "I guess, with people doing it more, they're having problems with STDs."

"Huh," Genma said into his glass.

Raidou hesitated. Then, finally, he asked, "You are careful . . . right?"

Genma was silent. Raidou looked up after a minute, to find the man watching him flatly. "That's not any of your concern," Genma said quietly.

"And what if you get sick?" Raidou snapped, hurt. Genma was one his best friends; he worried about the man.

Genma shrugged and drank more water. "You're not having sex with me," he said when he was done. "I don't see why you should care."

"I care because I'm your partner, and I would have sex with you if you'd get off this pain kick!" Raidou yelled. "But for all I know you're riddled with disease!"

Genma didn't even flinch. "Go back to bed, Raidou. We have a mission in the morning, and I need my sleep."

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