Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Faint ❯ Part 7 - Caring ( Chapter 7 )

Ah! Finally an update! I just arrived in the Philippines and much to my happiness have discovered that my aunt owns a DSL line and her CPU broke down - meaning I get to solo the connection! WOOT!

A big thank you to b4k4_girl who beta-read this for me! Give her a nice hug minna-san and make sure to check out her works as well.

Anyway, a huge thank you and cookies to everyone who reviewed this fic! I hope this chapter is appealing.

Enjoy!

FAINT 7

Genma woke up at three in the afternoon and found Iruka still asleep peacefully under the sheets. He reached out to trace his soft features before standing up to take a shower and change into clean clothes. He prepared some soup just in case Iruka woke up and ate three sandwiches. He placed Iruka's clothes in his washing machine and set the timer to wash it, completely forgetting about it. Once the clothes were washed and cleaned, he hung them on his balcony hanger to dry under the afternoon sun. He stared at the clouds in the sky, running a hand through his hair and sighing.

"The things I do for you." He mumbled and entered his apartment, shutting the balcony door. He padded towards his bedroom and sat on his chair, pulling out a shinobi-based book and beginning to read quietly, until the sun vanished from the horizon. He then heard Iruka shift in the bed a bit and peered from behind his book to find the chuunin open his eyes slowly. He watched as the dark orbs looked blankly at the ceiling before they widened.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty." He teased and nearly dropped the book he was reading when Iruka shot up from bed at an alarming speed and stared at him.

Iruka realized his half-nakedness and quickly grabbed the sheets and pulled them up to his chest, face flushing. "W-Where am I?"

"My place." Genma answered, setting his book down. "Relax. You've been in a feverish state for four days. Shizune says that you really should get some rest."

"But -"

"That means no teaching kids, filing reports or correcting homework for the next week." Genma said, voice filled with authority.

"She said that?" Iruka asked.

"No, I said that." Genma said. A loud rumbling sound made Iruka flush and Genma smirk. "I won't blame your stomach. You must be starving. Stay here a moment."

Genma left Iruka in the room to heat the soup he kept prepared. As he waited across the cooking stove, leaning against the marble counter with his arms crossed across his chest, thoughts of the chuunin a good few meters away from him came to his thoughts. Genma felt a frown tug at his lips. He had been worried the past few days. Worried because Iruka was not getting any better and that his feverish state made him look so vulnerable that Genma wondered if enemies in missions ever took the smiling chuunin seriously. A few bubbles began to appear on top of the liquid. Genma continued thinking about how Iruka slept soundlessly after three continuous nights of thrashing. Genma had wiped away his feverish sweat with gentleness and care, afraid that the rough fabric of the small blue towel he used on Iruka might damage his tender skin. When he changed his clothes, he used several shadow clones to assist him so Iruka wouldn't fall on the ground or onto the bed roughly. He had taken note in the several moments when he knelt next to Iruka to wipe his neck and shoulders that he smelled something cool and tangy, something that reminded him of a flowing river or a large cool waterfalls. Something about the way his dark hair contrasted with his tanned caramel skin made him look all the more exotic even though he was just an average looking Konoha citizen in which dark hair and tanned skin were very common. Genma wondered why he liked the chuunin so much.

The smile?

Definitely.

The hardworking streak and compassion with children?

I think so.

The politeness?

It's way over the limit, but maybe that's why he's so head-turning.

The body?

Before Genma could answer his own question, a loud hiss snapped him back to reality and he found the pot overflowing with now extremely hot soup which fell all over the cooking range, causing the blue flames to flicker to orange.

"Crap! Crap! Shit!" Genma hissed and quickly turned the knob of the gas range, turning the flame off. He then grabbed the pan, forgetting that it was burning hot and jumped back several feet, causing the bottle of juice behind him to fall with a loud thud on the kitchen floor. He was grateful that the bottle was made of plastic. He hissed several different curses and pulled out a soup spoon and began to scoop some of the liquid into a clean bowl. He placed it on a tray, along with some breadsticks and a glass of fruit juice before throwing a glare at the cooking stove and heading for his bedroom. He found Iruka with his arms around himself, looking around as if he was looking for something to hide his naked torso. Genma could feel the smirk pull at his lips again. Iruka was such a shy person! "Here." he said and placed the tray on the side of the bed, while Iruka scooted to one side, leaning against the wall, hands tightly around the sheets, trying desperately to hide his bare torso. "Give it up, sensei. It's not like holding that sheet over your chest is going to hide anything. Besides, it's not like you have anything more than I do."

Iruka flushed real hard. "Uh - But - But I - Sh - Err - Uh -" He then just stopped, dropping the sheet completely and staring at his hands with embarrassment.

"Oh don't feel bad." Genma said, handing him the glass of juice. "You look nice without a shirt anyway." He teased, and damn! Genma had stripped the chuunin down to his last article of clothing and he only realized now that he was indeed nice without the shirt. A few scars that had gone white were here and there. Genma noticed a rather long one in his back, between his shoulder blades which was a vivd red, indicating that it was a newly acquired one.

Iruka flushed even more and now trembled, looking completely vulnerable. "Sh-Shiranui-san. Please." Genma merely gave him a small smile and clasped Iruka's hands around the glass.

"Drink. I bet you're thirsty." Genma said.

And Iruka drank.

And Genma watched him and as he did, his imagination getting just a little bit hyper.

*

Iruka licked his lips as he set the glass on the tray. The cocktail flavored juice was wonderful and refreshing and his throat didn't hurt as much as it did in the beginning. He accepted the bowl of soup from Genma and helped himself to it. Iruka paled a bit when the extreme saltiness of the soup made his taste buds recoil and his throat itch. He flicked a shy glance at Genma and found the man looking at him - oh heavens!

Iruka swallowed the next spoonful of soup with plenty of difficulty. Genma was watching him in that way! In a way in which he was NOT supposed to be. Iruka wondered what was so sexual about placing a spoonful of soup into his mouth. He certainly wasn't licking or sucking on the spoon. So why was Genma looking at him like that? Iruka's fingers trembled and he began to shake. He never really had sex before and never really spent much time in the company of woman to seduce or men to be seduced. He just didn't find enough time for such things. With Naruto to worry about and his job, it was simply something that he kept in the back of his mind. But why was Genma watching him that way?

"Will you please stop looking at me?" Iruka asked, not daring to remove his gaze from the soup. Genma gave a little `eh' as he blinked out of his staring trance and his imagination cut off. "Don't look at me that way!"

"Look at you in what way?" Genma asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. But Iruka failed to notice it because he was way too flustered about being stared at like some sort of sex object. He never did consider himself pretty. He was just average. What he'd consider pretty was someone like Kurenai. A guy like Kakashi was someone to be admired, even with the mask on. But he was just plain and normal. What could possibly trigger Genma's mind to look at him that way?

Iruka did not answer Genma. He set his bowl down and pushed the sheets back. "May I use your bathroom please?"

"Sure." Genma said and pointed at the door across his. "Right there."

Iruka mumbled his thanks and all but ran to the bathroom and locked the door. He leaned against the door, the painted wood feeling cold against his bare back. He placed a hand on his pounding heart and forced himself to calm down and think rationally. He splashed cool water on his face and dried it with the towel on the rack. He then began to pace the little space in the bathroom, thinking hard. He then suddenly felt a bit airy, a bit cooler than usual. "Oh god." He squeaked and pulled out the waist of his pyjama bottoms, peering inside. He flushed beetroot. He really was indeed very naked except for the rather thin fading gray cotton pyjama bottoms. He could bet his entire month's salary that Genma could see everything through the thin fabric. And where were his clothes? "Oh god." He said with embarrassment and horror. Genma stripped his clothes off and saw him naked. Iruka banged his head gently on the tile walls over and over again. "No. No. No."

"Iruka-sensei?" Genma said, knocking on the door. "You all right in there?"

Iruka swallowed and looked for something to cover himself with. He suddenly felt very shy and very vulnerable. Genma was right about him not having anything more or less than any other male. But Iruka was not someone who liked to flaunt his rather thin figure. He was very discreet with his appearance and liked to be covered. It made him feel safe somewhat. "I - I'm fine." He said and turned the tap on and let the water run. He wanted to go home and stay away from Genma. Genma was a handsome young man of twenty-nine, with beautiful hazel eyes and a smug charming look about him. He was tall, had an attractive, well-kept body and he was - Iruka shook his head. He couldn't believe he was thinking of his comrade in such a way. A blush came to his face. He turned the tap off and slowly turned the lock-key of the door and slowly opened it. When he found the hall empty, he let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around himself as he stood in the middle of the hall, feeling as if his heart was in his throat. Genma took care of him all this time...

"Iruka-sensei?" Genma asked out of nowhere and poor Iruka jumped, taking several steps back until he came into contact with wall. His knees buckled under him and he slid to the ground, arms still around his slender body. Genma was beside him immediately, hands on his bare shoulders, hazel eyes peering at him with worry. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Iruka said and tried to shrink away from the hands on his shoulders.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Genma said and rubbed his shoulders. "Come on. Let's get you back to bed." Iruka trembled suddenly and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I - I'd rather not." Iruka said.

"My, my. Are you afraid of me?" Genma asked, a bit surprised. Iruka did not answer. "Iruka, I won't hurt you."

Iruka's eyes narrowed and looked at him. "Why should I trust you? You come to me, yelling curses in my face and -and - and - you - you've got some guts to - to - take my clothes off and - and -" Genma gave a little chuckle. "How could you?" Iruka asked, sounding broken. "I - I know I'm just a chuunin and I - I'm a lot weaker than you, but I'm human too. I have feelings." Genma stared at him in silence. "Where are my clothes? I'd like to go home."

"No." Genma flatly said. "You're not going anywhere."

"How dare you?!" Iruka said, eyes blazing with anger that it made Genma blink.

"Because if I let you go home, you'll attempt to get back to work and you'll end up getting sicker." Genma said.

"If it's substitution you're so worried about, then I promise you that I won't let it get in your way." Iruka said.

Genma then got a dawning look on his face. "Y - you!" He said, looking at Iruka with wide eyes. "You haven't been feeling well for a long time! Y - You!"

Iruka pushed his hands off his shoulders and stood up. "Where are my clothes?" He demanded, completely losing his cool. "Please, Shiranui-san, where are my clothes?"

"You were sick all along!" Genma said, sounding as if he were accusing Iruka.

"Where are my clothes?" Iruka demanded again.

"All this time!" Genma said, and stared at him with even more respect reflecting in his eyes.

"Please!" Iruka pleaded. " Please let me go home. Please!"

Genma could not refuse the downcast look on Iruka's face, the shaking shoulders and the trembling hands. "I'll get them. But you have to promise me one thing." Iruka looked up at him. "You won't try to go to work for the next seven days." Iruka threw him a glare. "I won't let you go unless you do. If I have to tie you to the bed I will do so."

Iruka pondered on it for a while and finally nodded. "All right. I - I p-p-promise."

Genma gave a nod and disappeared in to the bedroom and handed him his clothes. "Here." Iruka dressed up quickly in the bathroom and headed for the door. When he emerged, he found Genma dressed up as well, a shawl in his arms. "Let me take you home." Iruka saw that he had no escaping in this one so he just gave a small-resigned nod. As he headed for the door, he felt Genma wrap the shawl around his shoulders and lead him to the streets outside. Iruka reached his apartment in ten minutes flat and suddenly felt safe once he stepped in. Genma did not enter but remained by the doorway. "Don't forget your word."

"I won't" Iruka said. Genma nodded and turned to leave. "Sh-Shiranui-san." Genma stopped and turned to face him. "Uh - th-thank you."

Genma gave him a smile and Iruka felt his cheeks heat up. Genma looked so handsome. "Don't worry about it. I was glad to take care of you."

Iruka remembered the coffee incident. "Wh-Why are you so nice to me? I - I nearly burned your skin off."

Genma continued to smile at him as he turned and headed down the hallway. "Because you're nice, Iruka."

Iruka remained rooted to the spot as Genma vanished down the hall. His face colored in to a deeper shade of red.

It was also then he noticed that Genma hadn't taken his shawl back.

TBC

Yay! What will happen now? Woot! Tell me any suggestions so that I may type the next chapter ASAP.

Adios!