Constructive Possession

A/N: Nite Nite, it does seem like Shikamaru is a masochist, doesn’t it? It just goes to show you that Neji has skills! Shikamaru takes it like a man and then begs for more!

yaoilovergirl, yes, Hiashi does love his nephew in his own twisted way. And no, there’s no old affair, but that is certainly not for Hiashi’s lack of trying. You’ll find about that at the dinner party.

rest.more, you’ll be happy to know that Kiba returns! Yay!

Many thanks to all my reviewers. Your support is love!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Warning: unbeta’d; language; angst; humor

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday, 8:35 A.M.

Kiba Inuzuka stood in the living room of his clean and tidy apartment, hands on hips, staring at his cell phone as if waiting for it to talk to him.

All he had to do was pick it up.

It worked quite well the first time he did it this morning. After his morning jog, he felt invigorated, so instead of calling Shizune to thank her, he called a local florist and had a bouquet of sunflowers delivered to her office instead. He even had the card inscribed with a quote from Romeo and Juliet¹: But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the Sun…

Kiba had been quite proud of himself for coming up with that.

He just had one more call to make.

He said he would do it, and he had no intention of hedging. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t sure what Kabuto Yakushi’s motivations might have been, he’d been a jackass toward the guy and owed him an apology. He promised himself he’d do it today. All he had to do was pick up his cell phone, call his precinct, ask for Yakushi and make his apology, and it would be over.

If he could just get past the picking up the cell phone part.

Kiba sighed. He’d been staring at his cell phone for twenty minutes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday, 9:43 A.M.

Kiba sat on his still smelly couch, bare feet propped up on the coffee table next to the cell phone that was by now accumulating dust, absently flipping the channels on the television with the remote. By now he’d taken a shower to wash off the grit from his morning jog and changed into clean and comfortable sweats and a t-shirt.

Tch. Daytime television. What a joke. Kiba decided he’d rather watch one of his favorite DVDs, and decided on Happy Gilmore. He moved his legs to stand up and accidentally knocked his cell phone off the coffee table.

Kiba reached down and picked up the phone. There, now I’m actually touching it again. Open it, he ordered himself, and he did. Dial the precinct. As if on auto-pilot, he used his thumb to key in the digits. Now hit send. Kiba hit send.

He put the phone to his ear. It was ringing.

“Konoha Police Department. Officer Kurama speaking.”

Kiba took a deep breath. “Kurama, hey, it’s Inuzuka. How are you? Listen I need to speak to Yakushi in forensics, can you transfer me? Thanks.”

The phone was ringing again.

Suddenly, Kiba closed his cell phone.

He stared at the thing in his hand, as if he had no idea what it was. Then he set it back on the coffee table, got up and went to put the DVD in the player.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday, 11:16 A.M.

Kiba stood in his kitchenette, debating lunch. There was soup, ravioli and ramen, and the fixings for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. None of those options were especially appealing to him. He thought about eating lunch out when a flash of inspiration hit him.

He reached for his cell phone, which he’d actually brought with him into the kitchenette and was sitting on the counter. He picked it up and hit the button to call the last number dialed.

He put the phone to his ear. It was ringing…again.

“Konoha Police Department. Officer Kurama speaking.”

Kiba took a deep breath. “Kurama, hey, it’s Inuzuka again.” Kiba cleared his throat. “Do you think you could patch me through to forensics again? Thanks.”

The phone was ringing…again.

“Forensics, this is Yakushi.”

Kiba felt his breath catch at hearing that voice again. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sound just wasn’t working.

“Hello?” the voice spoke.

A few moments of silence passed between the two callers. Then, without another word, Yakushi closed the connection.

Kiba closed his cell phone and, while holding it in his hand, went back into his living room to continue watching the DVD.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday, 1:41 P.M.

Kiba was grabbing an after-lunch nap on his still-smelly couch when his cell phone rang, dragging him out of his sleep.

He reached over and picked up the phone from the coffee table, checking the display to see who it was. He recognized the number as a work number.

Okay.

Kiba answered the phone.

“Inuzuka here”, he answered in a groggy voice.

“Kiba, it’s Shizune. Did I wake you?”

Kiba’s face broke into a big, sexy smile. “Yeah, but it’s no trouble, I just dozed off is all. How are you?”

“I’m doing great, I wanted to thank you for the flowers, they’re beautiful. And the card, that’s so thoughtful, Kiba, it really is.”

“Hey, you played nursemaid during my breakdown this weekend, it’s the least I could do.”

“I’m just glad I could help, Kiba. How are you today?”

Kiba sat up, scratched his side a bit, and looked around. “I’m alive, and none the worse for wear.” He hesitated, and then added, “I know I owe that to you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Kiba, you don’t owe me anything, honestly. I’ve got to tell you you sound much better.”

“I am much better.” Kiba sighed. “You know, it’s weird, being at home during the day. I’m going to have to find something constructive to do for the next couple of weeks or I’m going to go nuts.”

“Well, if you miss the animals you can always give a few hours a day to the district animal shelter, but if you’re in the mood for something less work-related I suggest a volunteer teaching position.”

“Teaching? What am I going to teach?”

“Well, what do you know?”

“I know how to train dogs, Shizune. That’s pretty much it.”

“Think about it, Kiba. You can train dogs, yes, but you’re a cop. You know firearm safety, self-defense, first aid…you can teach a sport, weren’t you an athlete?”

Kiba chuckled. “I was all-conference.”

“Well, find a district after-school program and volunteer some time with the kids. I’m sure they would appreciate it.”

“That’s a great idea. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You know, you keep coming through for me, even…” Kiba bit his lip. “Even if I don’t deserve it. I appreciate it Shizune, I really do.”

“Don’t talk like that, Kiba, everybody needs somebody sometimes. I just want you to feel better. Well, listen, I’ve got to get off here, I just didn’t want to let the day get away from me without thanking you for the flowers.”

“You’re welcome, Shizune. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome too, Kiba. Take care.”

“You too.”

Kiba closed his cell phone and put it back on the coffee table.

Shizune had given him some food for thought. He knew when he’d been placed on this ‘vacation’ that he wouldn’t do well by himself for two whole weeks. Working at the animal shelter would probably only make him nostalgic for his job, and he didn’t need that. He could go volunteer at one of the local high schools. He knew the coaches in the area and didn’t think it would be a problem.

Kiba looked at his cell phone again. It was working on two in the afternoon, and he still hadn’t spoken to Yakushi. Before he did anything else, he needed to honor that simple commitment.

But first, he’d finish his nap.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Monday, 4:44 P.M.

Dammit. Count on a cell phone to ring just when I’m coming out of the john.

Kiba scurried over to where the cell phone lay on the coffee table, answering the call without consciously checking the incoming number.

“Inuzuka here”, he answered while adjusting his sweatpants.

“Inuzuka, it’s Yakushi. Don’t hang up.”

Kiba’s breath caught once again and his entire body stilled.

“I got your number from Kurama after talking to her about your phone call this morning. Call me silly but I’m guessing that was you pretending to be a heavy breather this morning too. Listen, I don’t know why you called. I know you’re not on shift because you’re on vacation or leave or some shit like that. But I’m free every night this week. If you want to get together for a happy hour someplace that’s cool. If you just want to talk on the phone that’s cool too. But listen, you’ve got to make the move, Inuzuka. You’ve got to make the call, and you’ve got to say the words.”

There were a few moments of silence, and then Kabuto added, “Day shift is over soon, and then I’m headed home. Maybe I’ll talk to you again sometime.”

Kabuto closed the connection.

Kiba sat down, then closed the phone and placed it back on the coffee table. “I’m sorry”, he said aloud to no one.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tuesday, 3:53 P.M.

Kiba stood on the field, surrounded by high school football players, regaling them with the story of the stunt that caused the injury that had sidelined him. He had taken Shizune’s advice. He drove to West Konoha High School – his alma mater – that morning after his jog to chat with the coaches and before he knew it, he was having lunch with some of his old teachers and then on the football field hosting an impromptu scrimmage camp. Kiba was having a great time. A couple of the kids recognized his name from his heyday, and instead of making him feel sad, it made him feel proud.

Kiba was welcomed warmly by the coaches and by the players, and invited to participate in their practices during his vacation. He already knew he would take them up on their invitation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tuesday, 4:47 P.M.

Kiba leaned against the driver’s side of his car as he used his thumb to key in the telephone number of the police station. He hit send, and then put his cell phone to his ear. It was ringing.

“Konoha Police Department. Officer Manabu speaking.”

“Manabu, it’s Officer Inuzuka, can you patch me through to forensics? Thanks.”

The phone was ringing again.

“Forensics, this is Yakushi.”

Kiba took a deep breath. “Yakushi”, he spoke into the phone, and then, after a moment, “This is Inuzuka.”

On the other end of the line, Kabuto Yakushi, who had been looking at something through a microscope, sat down in the nearest chair and smiled.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure, Inuzuka?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tuesday, 7:35 P.M.

Kiba answered the door to his apartment. On the other side stood Kabuto Yakushi. He had a six-pack in one hand, and a bag of groceries and a set of keys in the other.

Neither man moved for a few moments.

“Are we going to do this in the hallway, or are you going to let me in?” Kabuto asked, and Kiba moved aside to let him in.

Kabuto quickly scanned the space, spotting the kitchen in the tiny apartment immediately, and made his way over, setting the beer and the bag of groceries on the clean counter.

Kiba watched silently, his anxiety spiking. He was there. Yakushi was there, in his apartment, alone with him. How did the need to apologize turn into a…dinner date? Oh, yeah. Kiba hadn’t wanted to apologize to the man over the phone. After everything that had happened he felt a face-to-face apology was in order. But what did Kabuto mean by bringing alcohol with him? Was he hoping to get lucky?

"I picked us up a couple of fro--"

"What's that?" Kiba interrupted, pointing to what was obviously beer.

Kabuto looked at him with a non-expression. That's a joke, right? "It's beer, Inuzuka", he deadpanned. "Irish beer, to be precise. If you don't know your way around an Irish beer I'll see if I can pull some Gaelic instructions out of my ass."

Kabuto went back to unloading the grocery bag. "I picked us up some frozen pizzas and munchies." He stopped then, looking over at his colleague once more. "Am I losing you again? Do you need a schematic?"

Kiba scowled. This isn't how he wanted this to go. "Why don't I just turn on the oven?"

Kiba moved over to the oven, which was behind where Kabuto stood in the tiny kitchen. He turned it on to preheat, and then realized he'd forgotten to check to see if he'd left anything inside. Kiba stepped back to open the oven, then bent over to look inside, nearly jumping out of his skin when he felt his back end press against Kabuto's.

Kiba slammed the oven door shut and turned around. There Kabuto stood, looking at him with an odd expression. "Shouldn't we at least wait until we've eaten the pizza before we start to rub against each other, Inuzuka?"

"That", Kiba replied in a tight voice, "was an accident, asshole." Kiba left the kitchenette and made his way into the living room, all the while fighting the growing urge to call off the entire evening.

Kabuto stared after him, thinking that he maybe should have brought two six-packs with him instead of just one, and shook his head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kiba made himself comfortable on his couch. Kabuto worked silently, wondering to himself how he wound up not only springing for refreshments but prepping them--again. It wasn't even his kitchen! He fiddled around the tiny space until he found what he needed for their snacks. He popped open the bags of chips and poured them into bowls and then opened the dip. He used a folding television tray he'd spotted to haul their snacks in from the tiny kitchen.

"Here we go", he announced. Kiba looked up as Kabuto sat down. The Yakushi unloaded the folding tray onto the coffee table and then set the tray aside. "Ready for the movie?" he asked as Kiba slowly reached for a chip. Kabuto didn't wait for an answer. He went back to the kitchen to retrieve the DVD he'd left on the counter and to grab a couple of beers.

Kabuto went back to the living room and set the beers on the coffee table. He then handed the DVD to Kiba, who looked at him with an odd expression.

"I'll let you do the honors", Kabuto told him.

Kiba took the DVD and busied himself with loading it into the player. Meanwhile, Kabuto took the opportunity to get a good look at him, taking in the short brown curls that framed the hard angles of his face and looked amazingly soft. Did Kiba know how handsome he was? His body was built for speed and power, all broad shoulders, big arms and hands, lean waist and strong legs. And that ass...Kabuto would have happily frittered away a day bouncing quarters off the thing. It was a total carnival ride in his book.

Hmph. I always did have a thing for athletes, he thought to himself as he watched the man.

Kabuto picked up the bottle of Killian's™ he'd set on the table for himself and opened it. It was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One hour, a bowl and a half of chips, a container of dip, two California Pizza Kitchen™ pizzas and four beers later, the two men were slumped down on Kiba's couch, nursing their last beer each and laughing their asses off at the crazy antics of the policemen in Super Troopers. Kiba hadn't seen the movie before; Kabuto could actually see tears running down his face from laughing so hard.

Kabuto set his beer bottle on the table. “I gotta take a break”, he announced.

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Kiba pointed to their right, but Kabuto wasn’t watching. He already knew where the bathroom was.

Kabuto made his way to the bathroom, closing and then locking the door behind him. He turned on the light. The room was only large enough to hold a commode, a sink and a mirror. It was clean, and smelled like lemons. Kabuto thought Kiba must have gotten pretty bored when his ‘vacation’ began. From what the Yakushi could tell, the whole place was darn near spotless.

Kabuto eyed himself in the mirror. What was he doing here?! The Inuzuka had invited him over to ‘talk’, and seemed to be in a good mood at the time. Kabuto didn’t know what he wanted to discuss. Hadn’t Kabuto learned his lesson about athletes? He could have walked into a trap. It would certainly serve him right if he had. The Inuzuka hadn’t said a word about anything and he’d been acting strange all night. What was it all about?

Kabuto had suggested that the Inuzuka had a crush on the Hyuuga or liked men in general. Was the other still upset about that?

And yes, Kabuto was indeed attracted to the Inuzuka, but really only wanted to be his friend. He never imagined a man like the Inuzuka would ever go for someone like him. After all, athletes were usually shiny people who stuck with other shiny people, and Kabuto had never been one of those. Kabuto had seen the other’s internal debate for what it was because he’d experienced it himself and knew the signs. He thought the handsome athletic cop might find benefit in a friendship with a man like him—one who admittedly liked both men and women. But Kabuto didn’t want to be hurt.

The Inuzuka had been acting skittish the whole night. Was he worried that Kabuto might make a move?

Kabuto laughed. Of course. There he was standing in the powder room of the apartment of a hot male cop, worrying that said cop would do something to hurt him, when all the while said cop was worried that Kabuto would make a move on him. Kabuto could kick himself for not seeing it sooner.

Kabuto sighed as he worked himself out of his pants. Maybe there was still a chance they could be friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: (1) Romeo and Juliet is a William Shakespeare production! I lay no claim to it in any part or portion.

Kiba is on the mend, and the back story on Kabuto and why he’s always there for Kiba is revealed. Their ‘movie date’ continues in chapter 14. Stay tuned and please leave a review!