Raidou looked at his reflection in the mirror of his ale, then looked away just as quickly. With the little waves in the liquid, his face looked even more distorted than it really was.

Toriichi Kumade glanced at him, smiling drunkenly. Raidou smiled back, screwing his face up when the scars pulled.

Across from him, Genma laughed. "You're sooooo drunk," the other man said gleefully.

"Not so drunk," Raidou grumbled good naturedly. He knew he was on his way there, though. It had been two days since Genma had broken down. The man refused to talk about it. He was embarrassed and skittish, watching Raidou out of eyes that waited for damnation.

Raidou thought the man damned himself enough.

The woman with their little party leaned across the table, whispering something to Genma. He smiled and nodded, sliding off his chair.

"Where you going?" Raidou asked, watching the two of them head off.

"Bar. Drinks," Genma answered.

Raidou snorted as the two ninja melted into the crowd. Like they needed more drinks.

Kumade smiled and leaned back in his chair, eyes lingering over one of the two Chuunin. Raidou wasn't sure which, and buried the flash of possessiveness he felt.

"He turned me down last night," Kumade said after a moment.

Raidou looked at him blankly.

"For sex," Kumade clarified.

Raidou tried to keep looking pleasant. "Oh." Genma wasn't his. He had to repeat that several times. Genma wasn't his.

"He's never done that before." Kumade was watching him consideringly, eyes narrowed. "He said he didn't want to hurt you." The other Jounin stared at him, waiting.

"Me?" Raidou asked finally.

Kumade nodded. "I take it you two are screwing?"

Raidou twitched, glancing around the crowded bar. No one seemed to have heard. "Sometimes," he mumbled at last.

Kumade scowled into his drink. "Just don't hurt him. That kid has enough problems without you breaking his heart."

"Hey, I'm not the one that convinced him painful sex was good," Raidou shot back. Then his eyes widened, and he clicked his jaw shut. That wasn't his to tell. Maybe he'd had more to drink than he thought.

Kumade didn't seem surprised, though. He just snorted. "No, Genma figured that out on his own." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, "I was surprised he was into hurting, but not surprised it took the form of sex . . ."

Raidou stared at him. "You know that?" he asked slowly.

Kumade smirked. "I marked him."

Suddenly, Raidou wanted to rip the man's throat out. It washed over him, flooding his senses, alarmingly powerful. He took a deep breath. Then another one.

Kumade was watching him cautiously. "You don't like that?"

"Don't do it again," Raidou growled.

"Not unless he asks," Kumade returned.

Raidou started to lunge, stopped himself, and settled back into his seat. He counted to ten. Then twenty. On his way to thirty, a stray thought floated through his mind: Kumade was surprised Genma hurt himself, but not surprised that it took the form of sex. He frowned and looked at the other Jounin. "Why weren't you surprised that he likes painful sex?"

Kumade--who had carefully edged away, giving Raidou some space--put his beer down on the table. He looked sidelong at the other ninja. "His first time wasn't great."

Raidou frowned. "What? What do you know about that?"

Kumade glanced up. Raidou followed his gaze. Genma and the Chuunin woman were threading back through the crowd, four drinks that were bright green held between them. "Talk fast," Raidou growled.

"I was on his first Chuunin mission," Kumade said quietly. "He was tortured. Ask him about it."

Then Genma had returned, drunken smiles and eyes slightly vague. He pushed one of the horrifically green drinks over to Raidou.

"Try it," he said, grinning. "It's awful."

Raidou snorted. "Gee, thanks," he murmured wryly. But, obediently, he tried--and nearly spat it back out. "That's foul!" he said, wiping his tongue off on a napkin.

Genma was dying with laughter, interspersed with "Ow, ow," clutching his still-cracked ribs.

Raidou rolled his eyes.

**

Genma sat at the kitchen table, a cold towel on his head. He knew he shouldn't have had so much to drink last night, but it had felt so good at the time. He'd been tiptoeing around Raidou ever since the man had gotten out of the hospital--

All right, five days. But first there was how freaked the Jounin had been by the burn scars, and then they'd had sex--and Genma didn't want to think about what a disaster he'd made of that.

And hope kept fluttering against his ribcage, like a butterfly against glass. Iruka's words danced through his head, and everything that went with them. Raidou liked him. Raidou was nice. Family was good. Raidou liked him, and he shouldn't hurt Raidou. Didn't want to hurt Raidou. He'd told Raidou about the killings--though the Jounin, who accompanied him most of the time, already knew--and he'd pointed out how really, truly terrible he was.

Raidou hadn't seemed to mind. He hadn't pushed Genma away in disgust.

Raidou liked him, and he didn't want to be sent away.

"Hey."

He jumped, then whimpered when his head throbbed. "You shouldn't sneak up on someone with a hangover," he mumbled, pushing the towel back to the top of his head.

Raidou chuckled. "You shouldn't make people drink that awful green shit. What was that?"

Genma paused, thinking back. The memory returned slowly, fuzzy around the edges. He smiled. "The bartender calls them Konoha's Green Beast."

He heard Raidou stop moving, and could imagine the incredulous look. "Does Maito Gai know?" he asked after a minute.

"'Course not," Genma said, smirking. "The bartender's not suicidal."

Several moments passed in silence before Raidou sat down, a teacup in each hand. He shuffled one right under Genma's nose.

Genma breathed deeply. Willowbark tea. Bitter, but soothing. He sat there, sniffing the fumes.

"I got to talking to Kumade last night," Raidou said slowly.

"Oh?" Genma sipped his tea, then frowned when the towel nearly fell off his head. He put the teacup back down on the table and adjusted his cloth. Carefully, he scooted low, placing his mouth on the lip of the porcelain and slurping.

"He said he was surprised that you . . . uh, hurt yourself, but not that it took the form of sex."

Genma winced. He didn't want to talk about sex. He'd been avoiding the topic. He'd been avoiding sex, too. He liked Raidou, Raidou liked him, but Raidou didn't like painful sex, and normal sex was . . . well, it was scary.

"When I asked him why, he said I should ask you."

Genma frowned. "I need more information than that," he muttered. Carefully, he slurped another mouthful of tea. It shot down his lungs, and he ended up coughing. Every exhalation made his cracked ribs throb, and his head cheerfully beat in time to the whole thing. Blasted hangover. Blasted cracked ribs. His towel dropped to the floor with a plop, and he picked it back up and placed it delicately on his head.

When he was finished, Raidou continued. "He said it had to do with one of your missions. Said you were tortured."

Genma picked up his teacup and brought it to his lips. He sipped. The towel started to slide off. He grabbed for it, nearly spilled his tea, cursed through gritted teeth, and set everything down.

He didn't remember ever being on a mission with Kumade.

He settled his towel back on his head and leaned over again, lips to his cup, sucking tea over the rim.

Oh, yes. His first Chuunin mission. That was right; he had been tortured.

"Yeah," he said once he'd swallowed. "I remember that." Then he frowned. "I mean, sort of. They got me back to Konoha and erased my memory." He just wasn't getting enough tea to do him any good. He put one hand on his towel and with the other picked up his cup.

"You think, maybe, that could have something to do with why you hurt yourself?" Raidou asked.

Genma successfully sipped his tea. "Maybe. Except I don't remember anything."

"Your body might," Raidou suggested.

"But if I were raped," he said bluntly, knowing damn well that was what Raidou was getting at, "wouldn't I hate all sex, rather than like painful sex?" Besides which, he wasn't sure he wanted his motives to be analyzed. He liked hurting himself. It was easiest during sex. Normal sex was scary. That was all.

"Humor me?" Raidou asked.

Genma hesitated. One hand on his head, towel soaking his hair, willowbark tea in his other hand, he looked at Raidou. Water dripped down his face from a corner of the cloth.

This would do them little good, but . . . he was trying to be nice for Raidou, after all. "Yeah," he said finally. "Okay."

**

They got back from their next mission--a simple message delivery, because they were both still healing--to learn that their inquiries had been answered.

The medical ninja who specialized in torture, who'd erased Genma's memories afterward, was retired. He lived on the outskirts of the village, in a little hut, and was willing to see them.

Raidou stood at the man's doorstep, glancing at Genma uncertainly.

The Chuunin didn't look like he was bothered by anything. Still, there was something off about him. Had been for several days. Raidou knew Genma thought this was silly, that they'd find nothing out. Still, if it would help . . .

Then again, he wasn't sure anything would help. He'd watched the man over the last week and a half, watched the way he still pushed himself, the refusal to hear any sort of compliment. Something was more wrong than any form of torture. Something in Genma's own mind.

There wasn't anything Raidou could do about that, though. This, he could help with.

When Genma continued to not knock, Raidou finally reached out to do it himself.

Genma shoved both hands in his pockets, senbon switching from one side of his mouth to the other.

The door opened.

"Come in," the man said, small and wizened, face breaking into a wreath of lines as he smiled.

Both of the young ninja removed their shoes at the door, following the retired man further into his little house.

"Genma, right?" the man said, settling down at a table, looking over rolls of paper scrawled with ink. "Yes, yes, I remember you. Very young to be brought to me."

Raidou glanced at Genma, who shifted uncomfortably and didn't meet his gaze.

"Now," the man said, looking up from his papers. "What did you want to know?" His sharp little eyes seemed to bore right through both of them, peeling back layers of deceit and secrets. Raidou had the sudden urge to cover his face, certain the man was reading knowledge in his scars.

Instead, he nudged Genma.

Genma jumped. "Uh, what did you erase?"

The man's smile faltered. "I'm sorry?"

"When they tortured me, and you erased it. What did you erase?"

The man sat slowly, humor vanished. "Why would you want to know that?"

Raidou rubbed at the side of his neck, self-conscious despite the fact that no one was looking at him. Under his shirt, his skin prickled.

Genma glanced at him. "We just . . . there's something funny, and Raidou thought maybe it was because of that."

The man settled back in his chair, peering at Genma.

Genma's senbon switched from one corner of his lips to the other. He chewed on it anxiously.

"I can't give those memories back, and I wouldn't if I could," the man said, steepling his fingers. "If I had known that was what you wanted I would never have--"

"I don't want them back," Genma interrupted quickly. "I just want to know what they were."

The man stared at them. Finally, his gaze dropped, following his hand as gnarled fingers straightened a pen. "Do you remember what your mission was?"

Genma nodded.

"The man who tortured you said your pain was 'appropriate.' Does that mean anything to you?"

Genma hesitated. He dropped his gaze, hunched his shoulders, and nodded. "I think so."

"Good. Go." All smiles now gone, the little man looked back down at his papers, lost to them.

Raidou looked at Genma, frowning.

Genma just shook his head and started toward the door.

**

Genma waited until they got back to Raidou's apartment before he said anything. Raidou, thankfully, didn't push.

Then the door closed. "What happened?" Raidou asked.

Genma winced. There was no pretty way to say any of this, and as touchy as Raidou was about things . . . he wasn't looking forward to this conversation.

Maybe now Raidou would realize they didn't belong together--Raidou belonged with someone good--and he'd leave.

Genma glanced up, then headed into the kitchen, searching for food.

"Genma . . ."

He pulled out a banana, considered it, then put it back. "I was fifteen," he said after a minute. "I was supposed to tag along on this assassination mission, and see how it was done. Only, when we got there--after days of surveillance--we realized that the only way to get to this general was in a brothel. It was the only time he let his guard down." He glanced over; Raidou was just watching, silent.

Genma took a deep breath and continued, as casual as possible. "So we sent in our girl. A Jounin. She couldn't get to him, turns out, because he liked guys, and he only slept with virgins. Some fear about getting sick." He started to cringe internally, knowing how Raidou was about to react, even though Raidou didn't. "So I went in undercover as a prostitute. It worked, and I killed him."

He waited three beats.

"You killed him? How?"

"When his guard was down. Jammed a senbon up through his throat, into his brain--"

"I meant," Raidou said through a tight jaw, "if he was a general, which means Jounin, and you were barely a Chuunin, how did you get him to let his guard down?"

Genma closed his eyes. "Well . . ."

"Wait--you slept with him?"

Genma nodded.

"You were fifteen, and they let you lose your virginity to--"

"I was a Chuunin," Genma snapped, "and I was the only person young enough to be believably a virgin there, so I did the job no one else could do! Shit, see, this is why I didn't tell you!" He stormed into the bedroom, as if he might find a bit of quiet.

Raidou followed him. "You were a kid--"

"Raidou," Genma groaned, "It wasn't bad. The guy liked virgins, not pain. It was actually . . I mean, he was nice. I had to have sex at some point, and at least he was careful." In fact, aside from the fear of getting caught, it had been rather pleasant. From stories he'd heard, his first time had been a lot more enjoyable than some others.

Until he'd killed the guy.

But his statement seemed to mollify the Jounin slightly. "You were tortured?" Raidou asked after a minute.

Genma winced. "Well, we knew that even in the brothel he kept two of his guards with him . . . we knew I'd be caught." He remembered that part; a body on top of him, suddenly dead, shoving the corpse over and leaping for the window, only to be snatched out of the air by a Jounin and dragged away.

He remembered being thrown in a cell, and then the guard coming for him, chaining him to a chair. The terror of knowing he couldn't say where he was from, he had to protect his village, and the constant chant that they would come for him at nightfall.

Then nothing else.

Genma blinked and looked up at Raidou, who still looked like he was ready to rip someone's head off. "They got me out a few hours later, when it was dark," he said softly.

Raidou still seemed angry, but at least he wasn't taking it out on Genma anymore.

Genma sat on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees.

"And the torture was 'appropriate,'" Raidou murmured.

Genma nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck with a hand that had started to tremble. "All illusion, which was why they could erase it. So, maybe I thought I was raped?"

Raidou sighed. "But you were right. You'd be anxious about all sex, wouldn't you?"

Genma didn't answer.

"There are ways to condition people, though," Raidou murmured slowly. "Pain is a fast conditioner. It wouldn't be hard to make you fear just one type of sex." Raidou glanced at him. "He said it was appropriate. And you said the man was gentle . . ."

Genma flinched. He didn't want to think about this. His heart was pounding. His breathing came faster. He rubbed at his forearms to hide the shaking. "So . . . how do you beat conditioning?" he asked, horrified when he heard the unsteadiness of his own voice.

Raidou shrugged. "Do it until you realize it won't hurt."

Genma rubbed his face. Threaded both hands through his hair and tugged on the ends, trying to root his mind in the present. He glanced at Raidou, and saw the man watching him intently. He'd seen everything. Could probably even see the pulse pounding in his throat. "I don't know why I'm freaking out," Genma tried to laugh.

"Your body remembers what your mind doesn't," Raidou answered. "It knows what we're talking about hurt."

Genma shook his head and stared at his feet. "Shit."

"Yeah." Raidou looked at him, smiling painfully. "No wonder your sex life is fucked."

Genma laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah."

"So it could be you don't like sex because you were conditioned, and you hurt yourself because--because that was conditioned, too? Somehow?"

Genma had his doubts about the last part, but only shrugged and nodded, and tried to stop shaking.

**

Raidou glanced up, then away. Then he glanced up again, at his reflection in the teapot.

Scars twisted and melted over his face.

He glanced away again.

Genma leaned against the counter, just at the corner of Raidou's vision. Raidou smiled at him, felt the skin twist and tighten, and looked down at what he was doing.

Waiting for rice to cook.

"What's wrong?" Genma asked.

Raidou glanced at his reflection in the teapot before he could stop himself. "Nothing," he answered.

Enough self-pity. He should be glad he was alive.

Genma reached out and smoothed a thumb over Raidou's nose. "You look kinda rakish."

Raidou glanced at him, a smile surprised from his lips.

Genma cocked his head and grinned back, senbon clenched in his teeth.

Raidou looked back down at his rice.

Genma had been a comforting presence the last weeks. It had been three days since they'd learned about the torture. They hadn't had sex. Raidou hadn't wanted to push, and Genma was so obviously skittish about it . . . At least, Raidou consoled himself, Genma hadn't gone and screwed anyone else. The marks Kumade had left were fading.

"Thank you," he said on impulse.

Genma looked at him, confused.

"For not . . . not going to someone who would hurt you. For staying here." Raidou felt like a fool. He didn't look at Genma.

The senbon clicked as it rolled across Genma's teeth. "You're welcome," he said after a while.

Raidou pulled the rice off the stove, scooping it into two bowls.

Genma hovered nearby with vegetables and steak, all covered in Hanayo's special sauce.

Raidou glanced at the other man, watching him divide edibles into their respective dishes, carefully putting all the snow peas into Raidou's. Genma peered into his bowl, made a face, picked out half a snow pea that had escaped, and dumped it with a look of disgust into Raidou's rice. "Don't know why you like those things," he muttered.

Raidou smiled slightly. Things seemed normal, with Genma around.

Not that Genma was going to stay. Even Raidou could see the writing on the wall: Genma didn't want normal sex. Raidou wouldn't hurt him. That alone might drive them apart. Again.

Genma picked up his dish and headed out of the kitchen.

Raidou frowned into his bowl. "Don't go," he said, then looked up, surprised at himself.

Genma stopped in the doorway, his bowl in his hands. "Uh. Okay," he said slowly.

"I mean--don't move out. You could stay here." Raidou's mind raced, trying to make this less frightening. "We could just split rent, and . . . well, we get along fine . . ."

Genma leaned against the doorframe, senbon flicking back and forth in his mouth. "You sure you want me to do that?" he asked uncertainly. "I mean--we've stopped having sex, and I don't know what good I am if--"

Raidou's temper flared. "Cut that out! I like you, okay? You're great good!"

Genma smirked. "'Great good'?"

"Shut up!" Raidou snapped. "You know what I mean!" But by the end of that, even he was smiling, his tone softened. "I don't like you for the sex," he said. Then he laughed and cringed. "Okay, I do like sex, but . . . well, we can work through that. Can't we?"

Genma hesitated. "I don't know--"

"You trust me not to hurt you?"

Genma stared at him.

"I mean . . ." Raidou frowned, thinking of Genma's desire for pain, then smiled slightly and shrugged. "You know what I mean. Having normal sex. Your panic is just a body reflex. We just have to teach your body it's okay. It's safe. And even if we can't then . . . well . . ." he wasn't sure what they would do then. He finally just shook his head.

"You don't really want to deal with my scars," Genma said slowly.

"Hey, if you can deal with my physical scars, I can deal with your mental--"

"They're not that bad!" Genma snapped.

Raidou stopped. They looked at each other.

Genma's lips twisted upward. Raidou's followed.

Raidou laughed quietly, shaking his head. "We deserve each other." When he glanced up, Genma had an odd expression on his face, one Raidou couldn't quite decipher.

"We do?" Genma asked after a minute.

Raidou nodded, confused as to why Genma would ask, but willing to go along with it.

Genma nodded again and turned back toward the main room.

"Wait--will you stay?" Raidou asked.

Genma looked at him. "Well, if it means cheaper rent, it seems silly not to," he hedged.

Raidou took a deep breath and relaxed. "Yeah. Exactly." He carried his bowl to the table, sitting down opposite Genma. He stared at his rice as it soaked up sauce. "Would you not sleep with other people?" he asked without looking up.

Genma nodded wordlessly. "I don't know if this'll work," he said quietly.

Raidou looked at him. They had a lot of hurdles to jump; there was no doubt about that. "I know."

Genma looked at him disbelievingly. "And you're still willing to try?"

Raidou smiled, though it wasn't terribly happy. The skin twisted and pulled over his nose. He tried to ignore it. "I'm willing. If you're willing."

Genma nodded. "I'm willing."

Raidou let out a breath and nodded, staring down at his rice.

He didn't want to think about what it was they were trying. That was entirely too real, and Genma was still a man, not a woman. Whatever it was they were trying, it would just have to remain nameless for a while. Raidou smiled grimly at himself. That was the least of their hurdles.

**

Iruka took a deep breath and braced himself before knocking on Raidou's door. He knew the man was in the village; Tani had seen him the day before. Why she hadn't just asked them to dinner then he still didn't understand, but no, Hanayo had insisted he come over and extend the invitation--even though they all knew it was an order.

Genma opened the door.

Iruka's heart fell. This was even worse. He couldn't be greeted by his foster brother, who he still liked even if he felt betrayed. No, it was his foster brother's "partner." He wasn't even sure if Raidou liked Genma right now, though he knew they'd had another mission together.

"I, uh, Hanayo sent me," Iruka mumbled.

Genma frowned and stepped back. "You coming in, kid?"

Iruka's chin snapped up. "I am not a kid."

Genma only shrugged, not even bothering to look at him, senbon flicking up and down.

Iruka marched inside and pulled off his shoes, then peered around for Raidou.

Raidou was watching him from the kitchen, hair still wet from a shower. Iruka had obviously interrupted breakfast. He shuffled away from Genma, who promptly closed the door and headed back to the table.

"Hey, punk!" Raidou greeted with a smile. "Want some food?"

Iruka edged forward. "I--I just came by because your mom--"

"Here," Raidou interrupted, lifting a plate and setting it down beside Genma before flopping to the floor on the other side.

Iruka hesitated. "I really have to go . . ." he said, as the smell of fresh fruit crepes hit his nose.

"Eat," Raidou said through a mouthful of food.

Iruka edged farther in, slowly sitting down at the table. He glanced at Genma, who was doing paperwork and ignoring him entirely, then down at his plate.

He loved fresh fruit crepes. Finally, he rolled one up and took a bite.

Raidou was grinning, cheek puffed out with strawberries.

"Your mom wants you guys to come to dinner tonight," Iruka said, looking at Raidou.

"Sure," Raidou answered nonchalantly. "Oh, hey, you have to try these. Hang on." He jumped up from his seat and headed back into the kitchen.

Iruka sat in silence for a moment, eating his crepes and watching Genma do paperwork.

"Never take on solo missions, kid," Genma said, head down. "You don't have anyone else to shuffle work off to."

Iruka smiled reluctantly as Genma looked up, flashing a grin. "So . . ." Iruka said slowly. "You guys are still living together?"

Genma nodded, shoving his scrolls aside. "For the foreseeable future." He pulled his senbon out of his mouth, flipping it from finger to finger. "You okay?"

Iruka shrugged. "Not my choice."

"Yeah, but . . ."

Iruka shrugged again, watching the flash and twirl of silver. "So everything's all right between you two?"

Genma smiled and nodded, looking down at his plate for a moment. Iruka studied him. He looked . . . content. Not something Iruka normally associated with the other Chuunin.

"Well," Genma said, eyes flashing up and over at Raidou's back, "except that he snores."

"I heard that," Raidou said.

"You were supposed to," Iruka snorted.

"I do not snore," Raidou said, huffy.

Genma grinned and winked at Iruka. "Also, he runs in his sleep. Like a dog. You know--" He started to mimic it, only to have a dishtowel thrown in his face. He pulled it away, grinning.

Iruka laughed and shook his head. "You guys are freaks."

"And when it's a full moon, he grows all this hair--"

"That's it," Raidou muttered, abandoning whatever he'd been doing and marching over to Genma.

Genma laughed and rolled onto his shoulders, feet suddenly a weapon between him and the slightly larger man.

Iruka got out of the way quickly, taking his last crepe with him. He watched, grinning, as Raidou tried to get around Genma, and Genma pulled dirty tricks--kicking at the other man's groin, stabbing Raidou's toes with his senbon, and so forth. Iruka laughed, even though he was trying not to--it didn't seem like two grown men should rough house like kids, and he wasn't sure he should be encouraging them.

Not that they needed any encouragement. For a moment, Iruka thought Raidou was going to win. Then the Chuunin twisted and lashed out suddenly, his heel catching Raidou in the jaw. Raidou wheeled back, clutching his face, nearly howling. All humor drained out of the moment.

Iruka jumped up, though Genma had already rolled to his feet, hovering over the other man.

Raidou pulled his hand away amidst Genma and Iruka asking him if he was all right. He grinned. "Gotcha." He jabbed toward Genma, who rolled back over one shoulder and up to his feet farther away.

"Asshole," the Chuunin muttered, smiling.

Raidou was laughing. Iruka watched them, grinning himself, shaking his head. Raidou reached out to ruffle his hair, and Iruka ducked away, glaring at the other man.

"Man, you ruined my breakfast," Genma complained, wandering back, as casual as if he hadn't just been rolling around on the floor.

"I'll get you more," Raidou laughed. "You want some?"

Iruka hesitated, then nodded. He and Genma settled back down at the table, the silence growing comfortable. Genma leaned back on his hands, a smile playing across his face, watching Raidou shuffle around the kitchen.

Iruka felt almost awkward, like someone intruding on a private moment, even though Raidou didn't seem aware of it.

A moment later the Jounin came over, spilling another crepe onto Iruka's plate. Then he shifted, putting one onto Genma's dish. He hovered there for a minute, over the man who was still leaning back on his hands, body open. His senbon wasn't in his mouth anymore, Iruka realized suddenly.

Iruka blushed and looked down. Even he could sense the intimacy.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Raidou hover there for a moment more, then start to shift reluctantly away.

"Aw, geez," Iruka said, feeling his face burn ever more red. "Just kiss already." He glanced up.

Both men were staring at him like he'd turned into one of Gai's turtles.

"It's not like I'm gonna spaz!" he nearly yelled.

Raidou smirked. "Well, Genma, if the punk says . . ."

Iruka rolled his eyes and looked away while they kissed. He made himself busy pulling more fruit chunks out of the bowl, carefully tucking them into his crepe and rolling it up. By the time he was finished meticulously making sure all the peaches were in a line, the two men had broken apart and Raidou was putting the pan back in the kitchen.

Under the table, Genma nudged Iruka's leg with his foot. Iruka glanced at him sidelong.

Genma grinned, mouthed, 'Thanks,' and tossed his senbon. It flipped in the air twice before he caught it in his teeth, and Iruka smiled. He'd only seen Genma do that once before, at the lunch they'd eaten together. It was just as neat now.

"I'm sending this home with you for Tani," Raidou called, picking up a bag and heading toward the door. "Scrolls she asked for."

Iruka nodded, busy eating. There was a long silence, and finally he turned to see what Raidou was doing.

Raidou was frowning down at the row of shoes; his own perfectly straight, Genma's flopped all over them, Iruka's crooked and slightly apart.

From the corner of his eye, Iruka saw Genma follow his gaze and peer at Raidou.

The Jounin nudged one of Genma's boots with his toe. "Maybe we should get you some new boots," he muttered.

Genma started choking on his crepe. Slowly, Iruka started to grin.

Genma swallowed, finally, and yelled, "I only just broke those in!" on a laugh.

Iruka began to snicker.

"Oh, yeah? How long have you had them?" Raidou countered.

Genma stared at Iruka, passing him a look that clearly said, "What the fuck is he thinking?" It broke Iruka, who started to laugh.

"I'm free this afternoon," Raidou murmured thoughtfully, obviously planning his week.

Iruka fell back, holding his sides at the look on Genma's face.

"I didn't believe you, kid," Genma said, laughing. "I really didn't believe you."

Raidou glared at them both. "You guys are nuts," he said, and headed toward his breakfast.

--end

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