Ninja Don't Fear Spiders

At one-thirty in the morning, Hatake Kakashi would like to be doing either one of l three things: Sleeping, reading an Icha Icha novel, or having sex. At one-thirty this morning, Kakashi was doing neither of those things but he wasn't at all displeased with being called out of his home this morning in particular. It wasn't something that required great urgency nor had Godaime, Tsunade-sama requested his presence. One that had summoned him and there could be only one reason why the Chuunin needed him so desperately at such an ungodly hour.

Kakashi put a hand to his mouth to cover his yawn even though his mouth was already behind an uneven mask. He'd dressed quickly and it showed. He wore no gloves, his shirt was inside out and his hitai-ate appeared to droop lower than usual. There seemed to have been some debate over whether he should wear his vest or leave it behind before a compromise was reached and he opted for it but decided not to waste time with the zipper.

In hindsight, he cursed himself for choosing not to wear anything beneath his pants because the chilly, night air left a draft between his legs, and his shoes made a flopping sound as he walked because he'd shoved his feet into a pair of scandals and didn't even bother to pull the straps behind his heels. Everyone in the village knew that Kakashi liked to sleep in the buff, which was the primary reason no one ever bothered him during these times, and Iruka blamed himself for the proud jōnin's sloppy appearance.

"Where did you see it?" the copy-nin asked drowsily, lifting the empty, plastic cage he'd brought with him.

"B-Bathroom," the visibly shaken teacher stammered and hugged himself tightly more out of the need for comfort than warmth.

Kakashi nodded, his disheveled hair flickering like a white flame. That explained Iruka's loose, wet brown hair and the fact that he was standing barefoot, outside his front door, wearing nothing but his bathrobe. Soapsuds slowly trickled down his head and neck and Kakashi assumed the poor man didn't even get a chance to rinse himself completely before flying out of the house.

Iruka waited outside while the silver-haired man disappeared behind the threshold, but he returned only a few minutes later with a victorious smirk on what little was visible of his face.

"Got him," Kakashi chirped and held the insect case aloft, triumphantly displaying a brown spider, the size of a dinner plate, trapped inside.

The neighbours were jolted out of their slumber by a high-pitched, ear-shattering scream.

"G-Get rid of it," Iruka yelled, stumbling backwards and putting as much distance between himself and the monster that was just as scared as he was. Maybe even more so.

Kakashi stared in wide-eyed humor at the chūnin's terrified reaction but he didn't laugh. Instead, he smiled and assured him he'd never see it again.

"But... d- don't kill it," Iruka stammered, not even sure himself that was what he really wanted.

The silver-haired man, lifted his hand in respect of his pacifist request before dashing off to aweald just on the outskirts of the village. While the threat was neutralized, his mission was far from over, and Kakashi returned moments later to find the frightened teacher still outside his house and the adjacent houses swamped in darkness now that the neighbours had gone back to sleep.

"Iruka-sensei, you should go inside," the older man frowned, concern etched deep upon his brow. "You'll catch cold standing out here like that."

"I- I'm fine," Iruka braved a smile but Kakashi couldn't tell if he stuttered because he was still shaken or because he was starting to freeze. "C- Could you just check the rest of my place, p-please?"

There was no arguing with him in this frame of mind and the copy ninja searched his flat from top to bottom, checking every nook and cranny before trying to encourage him to come in out ofthe night air.

"A-Are you sure?" the man whimpered and nibbled nervously on his thumb before taking one cautious step inside. His frantic, dark-brown eyes scanned every square inch of the kitchen and living room before he allowed Kakashi to escort him in and closed the door behind them.

"The only living creatures in here are you and me," Kakashi confidently assured him.

Iruka nodded, still skeptically searching the room and trying to make himself believe that but, when the older man moved towards the door, the jittery chūnin reached out to grab him by the arm.

"Kakashi-sensei, could you stay the night, please?" He'd almost bit his tongue with the speed he'dmade that request and Kakashi eagerly kicked his shoes onto the welcome mat by the door.

"Sure, I'd love to spend the night," the perverted ninja smirked and the prudish brunette blushed before drawing his mouth into a stern line.

"D- Don't say it like that," he stammered, this time from embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just excited you should ask me, Iruka-sensei. You know, you never let me spend the night unless it's for reasons like this," Kakashi said almost sadly.

"I know and I'm sorry," the young man apologized then hung his head shamefully. "I know it may seem like I only call you when I need you for something, Kakashi-sensei but I do like being in your company, I just..." his voice trailed off and he knew he was going to catch flack for what he said next. "I just worry what people will think."

Sure enough, Kakashi's visible eyebrow dropped and the indented lines of his mouth were easily seen through his mask. "Iruka-sensei, why do you care so much what other people think?"

"Because there will be gossip."

Kakashi leaned closer and his clothed lips brushed against the teacher's tanned ear. "Then let's give the busy-bodies of Konoha something to gossip about, ne?"

"Kakashi-sensei, please behave," and the jōnin laughed as he watched the demure man's face turn beet red even as he attempted to chastise the kinky adult.

His blush deepened when the taller ninja lifted a pale hand to touch his hair and he watched him frown as he considered its rough, dry texture. "Iruka-sensei, you need to wash."

The man stiffened at the concept of stepping into his shower again, the same shower where he first saw... it. Kakashi watched as the other man shuddered and began to hug himself, as if reliving the traumatic experience, and he really hoped he wasn't going to scream again, his ears were still ringing from before.

"Iruka-sensei, it's alright. I checked the bathroom and it's clear," he took him by his elbow to give it a light squeeze and that seemed to calm him some what. "If you want, I can stand in the doorway while you wash."

Under normal circumstances, Iruka would have accused the infamous closet pervert of trying to be a voyeur and, under normal circumstances, he would have told him 'no', but he'd managed to escape an arachnid encounter of the worst kind unscathed and was too paranoid there might be another so he swallowed his discretion and closely followed the other ninja into the bathroom.

"I'll be right here if you need me," Kakashi smiled sweetly and the way he said it made Iruka feel as if he'd be requesting his 'non-spider-catching' services very soon.

The tanned man muttered something about him constantly having 'H' thoughts before sliding the shower-door closed, wishing it came with a lock and key.

Unfortunately for Kakashi, the shower glass wasn't smooth, it was a textured pane of Plexiglass that distorted the image of Iruka slipping out of his robe, running his hands across his body and water cascading along his skin as he lathered and rinsed away a thin layer of sweat and dirt.

Despite the obstructed view, Kakashi still enjoyed the show and it was a treat for his imagination as his exposed eye caught every lift, every bend and every twist of Iruka's blurred frame. His entertainment was brought to a prevenient end and the wet ninja politely asked for his companion to hand him a towel. Kakashi grabbed the only one he saw from the rack and placed in the out stretched arm that poked from behind the stall door.

A tug-of-war ensued and, when the jōnin tried to sneak a tiny peek, Iruka slammed the door on his face, nearly taking off his nose.

Again he was offered a delightful show of Iruka drying himself with the white cloth and he couldn't help but notice that he paid thorough attention to places where water was the most difficult to remove.

"Iruka-sensei, if you need help I'd be glad to dry you off with my tongue," and Kakashi was certain he could see the other man blush from behind the patterned glass.

The teacher looked up at the blurry man on the other side of the door and, as if suddenly believing he really could see him, the modest ninja squeaked and threw the towel around his nudity before emerging from the shower.

"Kakashi-sensei, how rude of you to watch me bathe," the shorter man said in a huff as he stomped past his grinning lover.

"I was only thinking of your safety, Iruka-sensei," was his sly remark. "What if the spider came back?"

Iruka shuddered at the thought and subconsciously took a step closer to the jōnin. "Very well," he said with a 'humph' and instructed the other man to get him another towel from the bathroom closet.

This one he used to dry his hair (after shaking it thoroughly to make sure no surprises were hidden between the folds) and stepped before the mirror where he saw Kakashi casually leaning against the wall and watching him closely.

Iruka dared himself not to blush and tried his best to ignore the gaze that freely roamed his body. It started at his feet and inched up along muscular calves, stopping at the hard line of white cloth, which was a stark contrast to the bronze of his skin, before climbing higher to caress the subtle curve of his ass from behind the towel and followed the band where it hung low on two hard, masculine hips.

The dark-grey eye lazily drifted along the indented curve of his spine, complimented by a well-defined back and two prominent shoulder-blades on either side, and Kakashi admired the way the sinew in his shoulders worked as he rubbed the towel into his hair.

Iruka was not as sculpted as he was, nor as heavily built as many of the other chūnin. He was a teacher first, and, although he never risked his life on as frequent a basis as other ninja; chasing down delinquents, dodging stray kunai, and avoiding badly disguised pranks helped keep him in shape. Kakashi didn't know how he did it, being around kids seven hours a day, five days aweek. He'd rather take on an S-rank mission than do what Iruka did.

"Iruka-sensei, you work yourself too hard," the insightful Sharingan wielder noted and approached the shorter man to take over the task on his hair. As expected, the bashful chūnin blushed but thanked him all the same for his relief. His hands were firm and moved meticulously against Iruka's head and, while they moved slowly, they were soothing against his scalp and brought Iruka into a more relaxed state.

"I only do what is expected of me," Iruka stated with great pride.

"I'm sure no one expects you to be working this late," Kakashi probed. "Tell me, what were you doing that you felt it necessary to bathe at such a time?" He watched his reaction closely in the mirror and Iruka's gaze dropped to one side, hinting there was something he was wary to admitand he bit on his lower lip, indicating that he was hesitant to tell. "Iruka-sensei, is your teacher's salary not enough that you've taken up prostitution to make ends meet?"

If it was physically possible for a person's jaw to touch the floor, Iruka's would have.

"Don't be ridiculous," the shorter man practically shrieked. "And must you be so blunt when you say things like that?"

"Sorry, sorry. I was just joking..I would kill if someone other than me touchs you...you're mine, Iruka." Iruka couldn't help but blush furiously at that.

"If you must know. I was with Naruto-kun," he confessed. "I haven't seen him in a while and I was worried about him, so I treated him at Ichiraku's and we talked about his dreams of becoming Hokage. Later, we sparred a bit and I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. He's grown under your tutelage, Kakashi-sensei."

The copy-nin was flattered by the gratified comment and he was glad to hear that such a slow-learner like Uzumaki Naruto had developed within the few months he'd taken Team Seven as his responsibility.

Iruka concerned himself far too much with that genin and it must have been hard for the young man to be around the Kyuubi vessel; the demon that was responsible for the death of his parents. However, Iruka was the first person that didn't look upon the child with hatred because he never saw the Nine-Tailed Demon fox when he looked at Naruto, nor did he blame him for the countless lives lost eight years ago.

The silver-haired ninja tossed the towel to the floor and wrapped his lean arms around Iruka's tanned torso while nuzzling his cheek against his still damp hair. "Iruka-kun, you say such kind things. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside," and he chuckled when the smaller man squirmed in an attempt to break out of his embrace.

His struggles came to an abrupt halt when he realized that the towel wrapped loosely around his waist started to slip further and he managed to grab it in time before it joined the other on the floor.

"Kaka-," he didn't bother to make an excuse, just bolted from the bathroom and into the adjoining bedroom but not before baring a pair of rounded buttocks to the Sharingan user's lecherous gaze.

Had he acted fast enough he just might have been able to give one a playful pinch... but, what was to stop him anyway? And, with his new mission in mind, he sought out the Chūnin's plump derriere for molestation.

Iruka was a surprisingly fast dresser and, just his luck, he'd slipped on a pair of pants first before shrugging into a dark-blue, cotton T-shirt. Kakashi's disappointment was evident from his expression and Iruka would have stuck his tongue out at him but he'd only take that as achallenge and forcefully undress him again.

He was such a bully sometimes.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you want the left or the right?" He always asked that question whenever the Jounin had to sleep over, which was a rare occurrence in and of itself, so he never heard the question often enough that it became redundant. It still annoyed him whenever he asked though, but he knew the polite man was just trying to be a good host.

"I'd prefer to be on top," the jōnin grinned and that brought another blush to the already flustered ninja's face.

Iruka chose to ignore that and reached out to pull back the covers, but his hand froze in place and his body stiffened and the fear that emanated from his Chakra was suffocating in the cramped room.

As if reading his mind, Kakashi removed the sheet to give it a firm shaking, then lifted the pillows for good measure. Once everything was to the Academy teacher's liking, he climbed into bed while his jōnin partner stripped out of his clothing and turned off the bedroom light.

Iruka offered him privacy by looking away while he undressed. He knew well, more than anyone else, about the copy-nin's preferred sleeping arrangements which was primarily why he neverlet him spend the night in the first place.

Oh, he didn't mind sleeping next to the other man without any clothes on it was just that everyone would automatically assume they weren't doing much sleeping. He also wanted to ask him to keep the light on, just for tonight but he wasn't afraid of the dark and Iruka didn't like to be wasteful.

The bed shifted beneath Kakashi's additional weight and Iruka shivered when he draped his arm possessively around him.

"Iruka, you're cold," he breathed against the nape of his neck and the clarity of his voice and the feel of his warm breath against his skin meant that he'd removed his face mask as well.

Kakashi drew him closer until they were pressed flush against each other and Iruka feared his face would melt away from the heat of his blush. Goosebumps rose on his skin when a calloused hand tenderly rubbed against his smooth arm and a heavy thigh wrapped itself around his hips. "Do you feel warmer now?"

Iruka stifled a gasp as moist lips grazed against a very sensitive spot on his neck and he swallowedhard to get his throat working.

First of all, he wasn't cold. He was only a little skittish about the spider and, in the dark, anything and everything took on an arachnoid shape. His frightened eyes were drawn to the slightest movement and the darting shadows caused by the trees as they swayed beneath the light of the bright moon, caused him great unease. Secondly, he was getting warm, but it wasn't the type of warmth that stemmed from external sources.

The things Kakashi was doing to him and the things Kakashi said to him were exciting to someone who hadn't been intimate for quite some time.

"No, I just- I mean, I thought I saw-"

"Shh, don't be afraid, chibi," Kakashi silenced him by slipping two fingers past his lips."I can take your mind off it," and he closed his mouth around the teacher's spot, bringing a startled moan from his chest as he teased it with his lips, teeth and tongue.

Iruka tensed beneath the attention and his teeth bit lightly against the digits in his mouth before sucking obediently on them when they pressed against his tongue. "Very good, Iruka. Make sure they're nice and wet."

If it were possible to die of embarrassment, the chūnin surely would have. Iruka whimpered when Kakashi's free hand slipped beneath his shirt and sought out one nipple, bringing it to immediate rigidity with his fingertips. The pale ninja removed his hand from his lover's mouth and Iruka's pulse quickened when he knew what was coming next, but the jōnin surprised him by teasing his other nipple with his wet hand and the teacher gasped at the contrast of dry heat and cold moisture on his chest.

"Iruka, do you like it when I touch you like this?" There was no response, just heavy panting and Kakashi chuckled then kissed the hard contour of Iruka's jaw.

The teacher turned his head and their lips met with a passionate intensity, his tongue timidly seeking out its partner and Kakashi's bold and relentless as it explored the deeper recesses of hisbeloved's mouth. He pinched both hard, little nubs and the chūnin arched his back, trapping adelicious moan within the other man's mouth.

"Undress for me." Iruka hesitated, unwilling to comply, but Kakashi was already lifting him onto his knees and the pushy lover left him to the task while he lay on his back with his hands propped behind his head, an arrogant smirk splayed across his lips.

Iruka's hands shook as he slowly lifted his shirt above his head and laid it neatly beside himbefore his fingers went to the waistband of his sweatpants and fumbled with the knot. Kakashi watched with great interest as the other man peeled the fabric from his hips and down a pair of lovely, brown legs.

The article of clothing was discarded with the first which just left a pair of simple, plaid boxer shorts that did absolutely nothing to hide his arousal. His strip show stopped there and the nervous young man turned to the other rather sheepishly.

Kakashi was beautiful; an alabaster Adonis basking beneath the silver rays of the moon. His pale skin glowed almost ethereally against the light and the many fine scars that he'd earned in the line of duty were now scarcely noticeable. His facial structure was a work of art and it was a shame that he kept such a magnificent feature behind that mask of his. However, Iruka felt a certain hauteur in knowing that he was the only one to be graced with such a phenomenon.

Kakashi tried not to laugh at the self-conscious young man. Even after all this time he still found itdifficult to undress completely in front of him. He wished the chūnin was more comfortable with his nudity as he was. It wasn't as if he had anything to be ashamed of, Iruka was such a breathtaking in the nude and the only notable scar he had was the horizontal gash across the bridge of his nose. Kakashi knew as much because he was very familiar with Iruka's body.