Embracing Dreams

Warnings: light smut, KakaIru, shounen ai, reference to angst, KyuuSasu

Part 32

The house was dark when Iruka opened the door. The walk back seemed to have cleared his head. At least, there hadn't been any more bouts of laughing depression. He locked the door behind them, nodded to Kakashi, and went off to check on his kids.

The television was on in the livingroom, Kiba and Akamaru stretched out in front of it, with Lee seated nearby and talking animatedly. They looked over when Iruka came in.

"Has everyone else gone to bed already?" he asked in surprise.

Kiba shrugged. "Mostly. That head case is in the kitchen. Naruto's out back getting pounded by that jerk of his."

"Can't they go one day without fighting?" scowled Iruka. He started down the hall, muttering about 'power struggles' and 'do they have prove the nutjob right?'

Kakashi shook his head, amused that Iruka had apparently adopted his pet name for the weirdo, and impressed by the way he'd automatically interpreted the world 'pounding' in a nonsexual way.

Kiba stared over at him. "You know that ain't the kind of pounding I'm talking about, right?"

"I know," Kakashi smirked.

"I know it's none of my business and all," Kiba started. "But if that asshole comes in here reeking of Naruto's blood again, I think you ought to do something. Naruto's a nice guy and Iruka would be really upset if he found out he was getting his ass reamed by that sadist."

Kakashi was speechless.

Kiba winced, looking away. "None of my business," he muttered. "I know it ain't, I just don't think it's right, is all."

Kakashi coughed, forcing his lungs to work again. "What makes you think Naruto's on the receiving end?"

"The grass stains all over the back of his clothes were a dead give away."

Lee nodded sagely. "The receiver in a relationship lies on his or her back during intercourse."

Kiba shook his head in pity. Lee repeated that as if it were gospel. He'd probably gotten it from Ino. "Or on hands and knees," he told him. "His knees were pretty stained up, too."

Kakashi didn't let himself laugh, at least not out loud. "Now, Naruto's a big boy. I'm sure he can take care of himself." He wanted to be there when Sasuke found out they were discussing his sex life. And when Naruto found out he was the abused bottom in the relationship.

"We should hold an intervention," said Lee.

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at him. "What's that?"

Kakashi left them to it. Whatever had happened during their absence clearly hadn't involved those two. He found Shikamaru sitting by himself at the kitchen table. In the dark. Sipping a cup of juice with a tired grimace. "No hovering Iruka?"

"No point," Shikmaru muttered. "My stomach is the size of a grape."

"Vitamins?" Kakashi guessed. Shikmaru grumbled an affirmative. "He did the same thing to Sasuke. At least you're not alone."

"Mnh. Juice and milk don't mix..." With one more grimace, he took off for the bathroom, almost running Kakashi over on his way out.

Iruka, as Kakashi should have known, was in the dining room, looking out a back window. He was taken back by the happy little smile he wore. "They're not fighting?" Or any other kind of pounding?

"No. Look."

Kakashi took a peek. Naruto was seated on one of the rocks with Sasuke crouched in front of him and holding one of his hands. Their bowed heads gave them the appearance of being in intimate discussion with each other. Only someone who could see in the dark would know what they were actually doing. Kakashi decided not to correct Iruka's interpretation of the scene. He was glowing too much to ruin it.

Sasuke noticed the spying, but gave no outward sign of it. He didn't want to distract Naruto. Naruto honestly didn't know anything about energy. He used it purely by instinct, blind luck, random chance. Even the healing, which happened immediately with Kyuubi, was automatic. Having seen the fiery red energy and the more subtle orange both working at the same time during their fight, Sasuke had to conclude that the two were completely separate.

Kyuubi had treated the red as a weapon, almost as an extra limb. Sasuke wondered if the fox weren't using it to compensate for his lack of tails. Nine tails. If he could form nine individual 'arms' from that red, he'd be much more versatile. Since Naruto was so ridiculously touchy about his fox, Sasuke didn't mention his suspicion. He'd have to bring it up with the fox himself. Naruto had told him his attempt to shield with the red had resulted in that explosion earlier. He apparently had no control over it at all.

That left the orange. It would have been so much easier if Naruto could actually see it. "When you climbed onto the roof you made it thick, made it stick to the surface for traction to boost you up."

"I did?"

Sasuke sighed. So that was another instance of instinct slash blind luck. He scraped a fingernail over the back of Naruto's hand, causing him to yelp quietly and tug. "Heal it with as little energy as possible."

"You cut me," Naruto blurted.

"Heal it."

"I can't believe you just cut me."

Sasuke scowled in frustration. "You wouldn't cut yourself. You're not going to learn to control this unless you practice doing it deliberately."

"You could have at least warned me first," muttered Naruto. He concentrated and the little wound closed.

"You used way too much."

"Wait!" Naruto pulled his hand away. "You're going to cut me again!?"

Sasuke leveled a cool stare on him. "Is your tolerance for pain really that low?"

Face twisting, Naruto promptly stuck his hand back out. "Okay, do it again."

He did. Then he ground his teeth. "You just used even more than last time."

"But I was trying to use less!"

"I think you're just going to have to get used to the bubble," Sasuke sighed.

"No!" Naruto snapped. He waggled his hand. "Do it again."

"Naruto-"

"Just cut me already!"

A low whine drew their attention to the dog standing a few feet away. Akamaru's tail tucked between his legs, his ears tilted back. He whined once more before slinking off around the corner of the house.

"What's his problem?" Naruto muttered.

In the hall upstairs, Kakashi had waylaid Iruka before he could disappear into his room. "I'd like to hear more about this list," he said, directing him to his office. The frown Iruka sent him said he'd rather not have been reminded of it. He didn't protest, though.

"I have a copy of it," Iruka admitted. "It's a few years old, second generation mutants only."

"Do they keep separate lists depending on age?" asked Kakashi. He casually shut and soundproofed the office door while Iruka was busy at his desk.

"No, they just didn't have any of the first generation identified at the time. They do seem more interested in teenagers. I assume because they're easier to identify since their parents actually know what they are these days." Iruka unlocked the file cabinet next to his desk and looked through the folders. The first page of the report was a blue gray laminated sheet with a silver 'R' stamped on it. He handed it to Kakashi. "I got it when I was in Japan, adopting Naruto."

"Is he in here?" asked Kakashi. He flipped through the pages. It was simply a list of names in no seeming order, with an eleven digit number next to each.

"Middle of page forty-one. Tenka is in there, too. He'd just started messing with their facilities when I left for Japan."

Kakashi skimmed through it more carefully. There were no Uchiha's, or any other names he recognized. "Surely they'd identified more mutants than this."

"Those are just the ones they considered a threat at the time. The entire registry is much longer. And confidential."

This list was confidential, too, or Kakashi didn't know anything about seedy military operations. How did something like this fall into the hands of a quiet little teacher-type? "Why is Naruto on here, then?"

"Because. He has a great capacity for destruction," Iruka said quietly. Whether the faction had been involved in Naruto's awakening or not, they'd certainly taken note of it. "He isn't on there now."

Kakashi's eyebrows rose. "How did you manage that?" Iruka blushed, his gaze dropping to lock on his folded hands. "Oh, really," he drawled in a teasing tone. He slipped his mask down while Iruka was distracted. "Surely you didn't sleep with the enemy just for a favor. Not you, Mister 'I don't have flings', surely not..."

"No," Iruka winced. "It was just...someone hoping to get back on my good side."

"And it failed? Too bad for him." He tossed the report on the desk. Then he leaned close, fingers creeping over the tensed muscles on the back of Iruka's neck. The moment Iruka glanced up, he swooped in for a kiss.

Maybe it was the mask that made Kakashi's lips so soft, much too soft for a man. Although Iruka had always considered himself more gay than bi, he had kissed his share of girls. Kakashi put them to shame, making his own lips feel leathery and chapped in comparison. Of course he was much more interested in Kakashi's tongue than his lips, but his thoughts refused to focus and he wasn't up to arguing with them.

His hands slipped up to tug on Kakashi's hair and the back of his shirt. He was aware of being drawn up out of the chair, but not of the transfer to the couch. His attention was locked on the suffocating kiss, trying to prolong it. Kakashi kept frustrating him, pulling away to catch his breath, as if breathing was really that important. He conceded finally, shifting to kiss the underside of his jaw, then his finely shaped collar bone. When had Kakashi taken off his shirt? Or had he done that for him? He closed his eyes, trying to remember. Hands were kneading his stomach, fingers dragging along the small of his back so the muscles loosened with a fluid ache. Well, whoever had taken off Kakashi's shirt should have taken his off as well. It was a crying shame to have cloth in the way of those hands.

One of his own hands left Kakashi's back to trail over his chest. His nipples really were quite nice, dusky, and so sensitive. A light rub of his thumb had Kakashi grinding into him, panting in his hair. Seeking a more vocal response, he flicked his tongue out, teasing, adding a quick pinch of teeth.

"Iruka..."

Much better. He liked hearing his name called in such a breathless tone. What the hell had he been thinking, denying himself this? It was just a fling, but what a fling. And those hands. Kakashi was massaging him through his pants, so good, dizzying. If he wasn't careful he'd come early, and probably hard enough to pass out.

If anything could have brought him out of it, that did the trick. His eyes snapped open and he pushed against Kakashi. "Wait," he blurted. "Wait..."

Kakashi took heart at that, somewhat. Wait wasn't the same as stop. But he wasn't about to let Iruka rationalize it all again and stop them cold turkey. He shifted on the couch, ducking to suck on Iruka's neck, drawing a ragged groan as those hips thrust up into him. "More excuse?" he murmured, lapping and teasing his skin.

Iruka forced his hips to be still, tilting his head away. "I've been drinking."

"So have I."

That mouth nuzzled closer. His hand slid under Kakashi's chin and pressed, levering him back so he had to meet his eyes. "It makes me sleepy."

Kakashi pouted at him. "Sleepy sex is nice, too."

"Not for me."

One look into that sober gaze and Kakashi groaned. When had he become so nice? He stretched out to lie on him, bonelessly, cuddling but not rubbing. "Pop your pill, then," he sighed. "I'll just...keep the bad dreams away."

Iruka flinched, his expression shocked. "You'd molest me in my sleep?"

"Just a little?" Kakashi conned. He shifted his body so his full weight kept him pinned beneath him.

"Kakashi-"

"If I let you up, you'll run for your room and lock me out."

For a grown man, Kakashi had the woebegone pout of a five year old. Iruka snorted and pushed the man off him. As narrow as the couch was, he rolled right off the edge. Iruka rose. He still felt shaky, sensitive, and more than a little turned on. He hid it with as prim an expression as he could muster. Kakashi remained seated on the floor, pouting reproachfully as he pulled his shirt back on. Iruka didn't so much as glance at him. He replaced the list and headed for the door. There, he paused but didn't look back. "For your information, I haven't installed a lock in my room yet."

Kakashi gaped, staring after him. Then he pulled his mask back up over a wide smile. If that wasn't an invitation, he didn't know what was.

.-.

Sasuke was sitting at his desk when Kyuubi scratched at his door. He didn't know why the fox hadn't snuck right in as usual, but wasn't complaining about the change. That session with Naruto hadn't gone well. He couldn't figure out what the problem was. Naruto couldn't tell whether he was using less or more. He should have been able to feel the difference. Naruto said it itched when it moved and burned when a lot of it moved all at once. When he tried to move just a bit of it, there was no itch so he couldn't tell if he was using it at all. There had to be a way around that. He still hadn't come up with one when the fox showed up.

Sasuke gave him the chair and sat on the bed, legs folded beneath him. "Naruto's asleep?"

"Of course."

"And you know what we were trying to do?"

"I'm not interested in that," said Kyuubi. He turned the chair, straddling it and bracing his arms on the back. "Do you really want to know what happened that time?" Sasuke sat straight up. "Take off your shirt." The immediate glare was predictable and amusing. Kyuubi smirked. "You give, I give."

Sasuke shook his head. "Why did you lie to Naruto?"

"I didn't, not really. I just...withheld things he didn't need to be reminded of. He's fragile, you know. Like you." As expected, the brat snorted at him. He was very on guard against him and while his attempt to act casual might have fooled Naruto, Kyuubi saw right through it. "Naruto didn't want me to play that game with the rest of you. Truth or dare? Show and tell. You show and I'll tell."

"I thought you wanted a rematch," Sasuke taunted.

"Another time. You wouldn't show him earlier. He wanted the scratches to be the first thing I saw." He gave a toothy smile. "I'm more interested in seeing the bite."

"And you'll stay right where you are?"

"No need for sarcasm," Kyuubi mocked. "I won't move. Show and tell doesn't involve touching. It involves showing and telling."

It was really a question of how much he wanted to know. The answer was, a lot. And as Kakashi had so happily pointed out, it was only a matter of time before Naruto saw him with more than his shirt off. Still, Sasuke felt cheap for doing it. He thought that was a good way to feel. He was satisfying a voyeur for a little information. His contempt for himself rid him of any embarrassment he might have felt as he pulled his shirt off. The fox gave one sweeping look over him and then waited expectantly for him to remove the bandages. There was no reaction to his scars. He hadn't thought there would be. Naruto would have cared, would have overreacted, his fox didn't. He took the bandage off the bite, a simple quick thing he'd tossed on in case it seeped during the night. Kyuubi took a deep audible breath. Smelling the blood? He wouldn't be surprised. It took longer to uncover the scratches. They'd crusted over, but the skin surrounding them were pink and agitated. He marveled that they hadn't split while he was rolling around earlier.

Kyuubi dropped his chin to rest on his arms, a satisfied smile curving his lips. It was disturbing, insulting even, to see that on Naruto's face. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

"He was crying," said Kyuubi. "That's what woke me up. The sound of him. Whimpering. I was inside a terrified little boy who didn't know who he was, didn't understand what was happening to him. There were people crowding around him, yelling, arguing, some holding him off the ground, twisting his arms back. One was cutting him, spitting questions at him. Who are you, who sent you, what did you see, whose side are you on? Yelling at him for answers, hurting him. He was so small, so easy to break, struggling and crying his heart out."

Kyuubi's expression was frightening. Sasuke had to steel himself not to move, not to back away from it.

"I hate it when he cries," Kyuubi murmured.

It was both a warning and a threat. Then Kyuubi grinned, his eyes as sadistic as any of the mutants Sasuke had lost to. The ones who'd drug his defeat out by hurting him slowly until he passed out, humiliating him, torturing him just because they could, anything as long as it wasn't sexual or deadly. The ones who'd given him most of his scars, so conveniently hidden by his clothing that Kabuto had never bothered to heal them completely. Sasuke stared into those eyes and thought that those people, whoever they'd been, had certainly gotten what was coming to them. "So you killed them."

"Eventually."

"And you don't know how he got into that situation or who they were?"

"They were meat for the beast," Kyuubi said, grinning playfully. "Fodder to test me out. I didn't pass."

Sasuke leaned forward. "Then you do know who put him there.""

"I don't. Naruto might, but he refuses to face it. I've caught glimpses of it," his eyes narrowed coldly. "Somewhere dark and metallic, isolated. There were no mutants there. I'm sure I would have woken sooner if there had been."

Not Orochimaru, then. But some sort of cell or prison. "Were there any mutants among the people you killed?"

"A few," Kyuubi shrugged. "None worth playing with before I ate them."

"Ate!?" He immediately shut his mouth, glaring when the fox snickered. Of course he hadn't been serious.

"I simply tore them apart. Had there been women or children, I might have eaten a few bits and pieces, just the best parts. I prefer my meat tender."

Sasuke's face twisted. This time there was no laugh, just Kyuubi grinning at him as if daring him to doubt it. "What do you mean, you didn't pass?"

"He was in a hospital when Iruka found him. If I'd passed, they would have taken him back to wherever he was before."

He said that as if it were obvious. To Sasuke it was. "What's the very last thing you remember?"

Kyuubi's eyes darkened. "Going back to him and licking his wounds." He gave a bitter, hateful smile. "I could have been free, but he was defenseless without me."

"You were outside of him? Like earlier?"

"No," Kyuubi snapped. He shifted in the chair, looking away, annoyance flitting over his face. "We were still together earlier." He'd been tugged into that second body, with Naruto in control of it. He could still remember how infuriating it had been to have someone snap at them like that. But he'd also been the one doing the snapping, not realizing he was in that second body the same as Naruto was. The kid was right. Having two conflicting memories was a headache to deal with. He'd essentially attacked himself in a fit of possessive anger. It was embarrassing. "We were both in that body just like we are in this one. Naruto did that." He grimaced. "I don't know how he did that. Yet."

"Could you separate?" Sasuke prodded. "Like you did that first time you woke up?"

"Maybe," Kyuubi muttered. "Not for long." It was different now. Something had changed while he slept. "If I did, he'd die."

"You'd care?"

Now that was an impertinent question. Kyuubi stared him down. "This body is far more convenient than my own for some things." His eyes slid over Sasuke's bare skin, leering this time. "You didn't have to worry. He's fascinated by scars. Me, I'd rather have made them myself." He rose and approached the bed. He stopped a foot away, just when Sasuke looked ready to snap. "Truth or dare. What does your brother do to you when he comes?" Sasuke's entire expression closed off. "Truth or dare," Kyuubi repeated.

"Nothing like that," Sasuke bit out.

"Nothing like what?" Kyuubi drawled. "I wasn't implying anything. I simply asked. What does he do? Or is it...what has he done...?" He eased closer until he was right against the bed, staring down into that blank face. "Truth or dare."

"Dare."

Kyuubi grinned. "Let me lick your wounds."

That snapped Sasuke out of his blank state. He recoiled with a weirded out expression on his face. "What? Why?"

"You made me remember unpleasant things. Give me something better to think about."

Sasuke felt that familiar disgust creep over him. He was reminded of that blue-eyed rogue. What was the attraction of touching someone who wasn't interested? It wasn't even about power, not if Kyuubi was asking him to allow it. So what was the point? "Is this sexual?"

"Only if you want it to be."

Sasuke snorted. "Are you really a cannibal?"

"Of course not. I'd never eat another fox."

"Bestiality isn't much better than cannibalism."

Kyuubi stared at him for a full minute. Then he sniffed. "You're such a prude." Sasuke bristled and Kyuubi ducked down until he was right on him, not touching, but close enough to breathe on his face. "Would you rather tell me what it is this brother of yours does that has you so traumatized?"

"I'm not-"

"Liar. You're terrified of him. Not of the attacks you talked about, just him, of seeing him. Why?" Sasuke was rigid, glaring, threatening to lash out or go blank again. Kyuubi snorted at him. "Hold still."

Sasuke froze, wincing and clenching his teeth. Goosebumps broke out on his arms. The bite hadn't seemed very close to his neck when he'd gotten it. Now it was much too close. He steeled himself. At the first suspicion that Kyuubi was even thinking about biting him again, he'd punch another hole through his gut. The fox could heal it afterward, and hopefully Naruto wouldn't feel it in his sleep. But Kyuubi didn't seem interested in biting. He wasn't even sucking on the wound, which Sasuke had half expected him to do, what with his obvious fetish for blood. He was just licking it. That was enough. The bite hurt. His entire shoulder felt sore and he had an idea it would be swollen by tomorrow.

Kyuubi tilted his head, his tongue pressing and dragging, but not too hard. Thick blonde hair tickled Sasuke's cheek. Then he ducked to run his tongue along one of the scratches on his chest. Sasuke flinched back, almost recoiling. Red eyes flicked up at him, taunting and amused, and it was all he could do not to flush at his own lack of control. Kyuubi moved in again, pressing harder than he had on the bite. Dampness trickled down his stomach. Sasuke's upper lip curled. The fox was drooling on him. Why was he putting up with this?

The answer came swiftly. Because it was fair. He'd gotten answers from Kyuubi. He'd gotten much more than he'd hoped for. The fox's descriptions had been so lurid he could imagine exactly what he'd seen in disturbing detail. His sense of fair play said letting Kyuubi gloat over the sight of a few wounds wasn't enough. He should have answered his question in return.

He didn't want to answer. He didn't want to admit that he had no idea what Itachi did to him. Sometimes he didn't do anything but talk to him and Sasuke would listen without understanding half of what he said. But when he didn't talk, when he cornered him and his eyes changed, then...there was nothing. A blank spot. He came to still standing there, or crumpled on the ground, staring blindly at the place where Itachi had been, still trembling with tears drying on his face. There were no physical wounds, or mental ones, for that matter. It was simply finding himself that way, waking up panicked out of his mind, knowing he'd cried so hard his nose had stopped up. He couldn't stand it. He'd never share that with anyone, so if Kyuubi wanted to drool on him instead of pressing for an answer, then he'd put up with it. The fact that he now had insight into what was probably the most traumatic event in Naruto's life told him he was still coming out ahead. He'd have to do something to make it up to Naruto as well.

That tongue flicked over one of his nipples and Sasuke shoved him away. The scratches hadn't extended that far. Kyuubi laughed at him and went over to perch on the chair again. Sasuke didn't even bother to glare at him. Like Kakashi, Naruto's fox seemed to enjoy riling him and seemed to dislike being ignored. He put his shirt on and folded his arms over his chest. The cloth felt gross on his damp skin. He ignored that, too. "Satisfied?"

"Not even close," Kyuubi drawled, licking his lips.

""I am," Sasuke said bluntly. "Get out."

"What, no more questions for me?"

He thought about it. "One. What was the point of that?"

Kyuubi actually looked surprised. "Wasn't it obvious? I like the way you taste."

Sasuke shot off the bed with a grimace. "Get out of here."

"Touchy prude," Kyuubi sniffed, scowling at him. He rose and started to go, but turned back at the door. "Don't you want me to wake Naruto up for you? You can finally finish what the two of you started in here earlier." He flashed a knowing look. "You seemed to enjoy the way he tastes, too."

Instead of dignifying that with a response, Sasuke threw his knife at him. Kyuubi caught it with a quiet laugh. Shaking his head, he set it on the table. Then he left. Sasuke was surprised he actually left. He immediately braced the chair against the door, just in case. He didn't think he was worn out enough for the fox to sneak in without waking him, but he wasn't taking any chances. He snatched up his knife. It wasn't until he headed for bed, tugging his shirt away from the sticky bite, that it hit him.

He activated the sharingan and looked down. Sure enough, there was orange all over his chest and even more hovering at his shoulder. He cursed his own stupidity. He should have known. It must be so much easier with open wounds. Naruto might have learned from their encounter, but Kyuubi obviously hadn't. He went to bed fed up with the pair of them. As he closed his eyes, he wondered if Kyuubi had done the same thing when he'd licked Naruto's wounds that time. He suddenly had a very bizarre image of Naruto licking an unconscious Naruto. So messed up...

.-.

Kakashi felt tricked, cheated, played. He should have realized there was a catch. By the time he'd reached the room, Iruka was half asleep. He'd gotten a lifted edge of the blanket, one nuzzling 'be a good boy now,' and then Iruka was out of it while he was left very much awake - and horny - with a warm trusting dolphin nestled in his arms. Of course, being a born cuddler, he wasn't about to let go. As long as it had been since he'd last gotten laid, it had been even longer since he'd last gotten to snuggle. That didn't change the fact that Iruka had invited him into his bed just to warm it up while he slept.

Did he really trust him that much? True, he'd had some trouble with that moral roadblock of his when he'd first seen him dead on his feet, but dead in bed was different. No, wait, dead in bed was worse...

He fidgeted. Could he molest him in his sleep? Just a little? He looked him over. Iruka was curled against him, all limp and pliant. He hadn't even taken his hair down, let alone gotten naked for him. How rude was that? He let his fingers do a bit of shoulder rubbing and didn't get so much as a sigh in response. Yeah, dead in bed was much worse...

He'd left his headband and mask by the door. Now, bored - and still horny - he looked him over with the sharingan. The shadow was there, thick enough to be disturbing, though he knew most of it would loosen up and start wearing off come morning. He played with it. Partly to ignore his arousal - that was still stubbornly sticking around - and partly out of curiosity. He gathered energy around his hand and pushed it through that shadowy stuff until his fingers were ghosting Iruka's forehead. It curled around his hand, sticking, and when he lifted his hand away, some of it drug out to follow. Once his hand was entirely clear, the brackish tint faded back to Iruka's normal blue before merging into his own energy.

He was reminded of Iruka's reference to himself as a battery. Did he have any control over it at all when he was asleep and not drugged up? It seemed inclined to go toward any foreign energy it came into contact with. If he raised his energy now, with so much physical contact between them, he could probably suck him dry without Iruka even waking up. He paused for an amused moment to enjoy that fun turn of phrase. Then he sobered. While no expert on energy, he knew there was something wrong with that inclination. Even those mutants he'd seen who could transfer energy had to force it out. It took a lot of effort because its natural inclination was to cling tight. He wondered if Iruka's energy was liable to just float away while he slept, or - a disturbing possibility - to seek out the nearest mutant and transfer over automatically. That would certainly explain why he hadn't wanted to talk about it. Naruto already had too much uncontrolled energy. He didn't want to imagine what the kid would be like hopped up on a bunch of excess energy that, according to Iruka, even his friend Tenka couldn't control.

He closed the sharingan, then shielded his energy. That was a useful trick that let him pose as human around those who could read energy signatures, and to 'disappear' around the especially tricky ones like Sasuke. With a long sigh, he curled around Iruka. That distraction had helped him with his not at all 'small' problem. He still considered Iruka a sadistic cock tease who'd intentionally set this up to torment him. A test, maybe. But what made Iruka so sure he wouldn't take advantage of him? He supposed the alcohol could have impaired Iruka's judgment, leaving him too muddled to think this through. He doubted it, though. He was fairly sure the only reason Iruka limited the amount of alcohol he drank was because too much would interfere with that drug of his. On the other hand, Iruka hadn't been very steady in the office, and he had been drinking wine at Kurenai's, before his 'only so many' drinks at the bar.

He snuffled Iruka's hair. The man had a sly manipulative streak in there. His seemingly clueless sweet side just made people forget how quickly his mind worked. This probably was a set up.

"I don't know," he muttered to himself. "Either way, it doesn't change the fact that this sucks."

"Don't be so loud," Pakkun muttered from the foot of the bed.

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched. He levered himself up to scowl at the dog. "When did you come in?"

"When you were busy molesting him in his sleep."

"I haven't even started that yet," Kakashi snapped.

Pakkun sniffed. "Molesting his energy, molesting his body, same difference."

"Do you mind?" Kakashi glared. "I finally got him in bed with me, in case you didn't notice."

"It's not like you can do anything while he's sleeping, anyway. He doesn't move a muscle in his sleep." He snuggled comfortably in the blanket. "Unlike some people."

"Find another bed," Kakashi ordered.

"Sure thing, boss. You want I should pop over to the fox and ask to bunk with him because Iruka already has a bedmate for the night?"

Kakashi flopped back on the mattress, hugged Iruka closer, and glowered for all he was worth. This was not how he'd imagined finally getting into Iruka's bed. The only good part of this debacle was that Pakkun's presence had effectively killed what was left of his libido. He swore, he was going to rent a hotel room, kidnap Iruka, and screw his brains out. This place would drive him insane.

.-.
TBC