i haven’t written much of anything but especially not for naruto in a while. thought it would be fun to get back into it w some bottom itachi 💕 a bit rusty but hopefully you enjoy it (．．〃 )
mdni. serviceswitch!itachi; teasing, fantasies discussed, oral/hand job (m!receiving), edging, cum swapping, no plot but they’re in love (i think it’s obvious but in case it’s not…). modern!au. prompt from this list bolded in text; word count1754.
“Tell me how you want it.”
Itachi sighs, his head falling back against the couch as he quite visibly considers your request. His thumb blindly draws along your jaw, his fingers slipping a little deeper into the hair at your nape, and you can’t help the smile that plays on your lips as you watch him.
You know he’s going to give in -you both know it-, and sooner rather than later at that, but you enjoy the way he postures, anyway. You enjoy the prickle of anticipation that comes with it as you wait, left over from the handful of times he’s challenged you enough to yield to him.
“Itachi,” you murmur, your own thumb brushing the curve of his hip.
His chest dips and thighs flex as he resists the urge to thrust his hips toward you in needy desire- and you can’t help the little laugh that escapes you as you continue to touch him, ghosting your finger along the edge of his boxers and tracing the shape of his cock over the fabric. He swallows, visibly and audibly, his long lashes brushing his cheeks as he blinks down to where you’re sitting between his thighs.
“I’ll give it to you, my love,” you remind him. “You just have to tell me…” You trail your fingers across his lower stomach, enjoying the way his stomach swoops at the feeling. “I’m not even making you ask for it.”
His thumb runs the length of your jaw again, slipping up your chin and pressing at your lips. You let him in, curling your tongue around it and laughing when he groans at the feeling.
“Don’t tease,” he breathes. “Take it in your mouth.”
You hum, lips wrapping around the base of his thumb before you slowly pull off of him. “How?”
“Lick it, baby,” he continues, voice low and handsome as he watches you curl your fingers into his boxers and begin to tug them down. He lifts his hips to help you, and you shift on your knees to make it easier to take them off completely.
His cock is hard and long against him, already dripping pre; and he twitches under your gaze, causing you to glance up at him with a laugh. His cheeks are flushed and eyes hazy as desire mounts in him, his need growing more and more desperate as he feels your breath on his skin.
“Wan’it messy. Lick up from the base and take the tip in your mouth, between your soft lips- haaa, yeah,” he sighs as you do it, his hand sliding to the curve of your shoulder. “Suck it right there, baby. Let me feel your tongue on the slit. Mmm, just like that.”
His thumb rubs the base of your throat as he watches you from between his lashes, gaze moving between your eyes and mouth as he takes slow, deep breaths. “Open wide, let me see it s-slide in…along your tongue. Pretty girl…take it deeper.
“L-let me see.” He hooks his finger in your cheek, groaning at the wet warmth of your tongue and lips and throat and spit. “Fuck- I’m s’close. Take it deeper.”
He whimpers when it hits the back of your throat, eyes going unfocused for a moment. “Again. Again. A-fuck. Yn. Baby, I- ‘m gonna cum, ‘m gonna-”
You pull off him with a pop, loving the way he cries out, his chest trembling and hands flexing where they rest on you. Even his hips thrust forward, desperate to stay in the heat of your mouth as he whines your name.
You wipe your mouth and use your spit to pump his length. “Slow down, Itachi,” you tease him, fist moving slowly. “You can be a good boy for me, can’t you? You were going so well for me.”
“Please, take it back in your mouth. In your throat, baby. I'll- I'll be good.”
He lets go of you, gripping at the couch as he throbs in your hand, visibly resisting the urge to cum.
Still, you tease him with slow strokes. “Is that what you’re thinking about? Me using my throat to get you off? Cumming on my tongue or down my throat, hmmm?”
“Both. Wanna start in your throat, with you ch-choking on it. Draw along your tongue…paint your lips. Please, baby- haaa-”
His head falls back as you suck his balls into your mouth, pre glistening at his tip as he squirms at the feeling. You love when you’re able to get him like this -verbal and needy; desperate to command to please you; eager, even, to turn off his brain for a little while.
He looks back at you now, panting over whatever is going on his head. You continue to slowly stroke his cock, making soft, cooing noises at him in encouragement. “Please let me. I’ll take care of you a-after.”
“You’ll take care of me, my love? With your spent cock-”
“Fuck,” he whimpers, throbbing as his hips jerk up at the touch of humiliation.
“-I’d love to see it. Will you cry for me, too?
“Beg me to cum because it hurts- it hurts baby,” you mock the way he’s pleaded with you before. “So cute,” you murmur, licking up his pre and giggling over the way he writhes on the couch, gasping as his stomach goes taut and balls throat. “Tell me. Tell me how you plan to do it.”
His eyes meet yours, very clearly desperate now. “W-why do you like me like this?”
“I love you like this. All pretty and needy. Caught in your head. Getting out of your head as you want more and more to just cum. To cum for me, yeah? That’s why you like it too, hmmm?
“So eager to pain me as the pervert here. When you’re hard and throbbing. Flushed. Dripping like a girl-”
“Yn-”
“Don’t believe me?”
You use your free hand to slip under your skirt and dip between your thighs before you push your underwear to the side. A soft moan escapes you as you let your fingers tease between your lips and between your own wet. Itachi watches you, eyes focused and hungry, and groans when you lift your hand back into sight. “I would know, my love.”
He catches your wrist as he leans forward, waiting for permission as he draws your hand close to his face.
“Go on, my love. And tell me…”
“I love you,” he murmurs, taking your fingers into his mouth. “I love what you do to me,” he goes on to say, so clearly and seriously that you almost give in- almost climb up into his lapto let him fuck and cum in you without first becoming a needy, teary mess for you. “Let me…”
“Cum for me first, baby. Cum for me while you tell me…”
He groans, leaning back into the couch as he tucks his lip between his teeth. He’s still holding your wrist, fingers flexing as he focuses on your hand as you stroke him, your fist slow and wrist twisting.
“Take me back in your mouth, baby. Please- ha, yeah. J-just…suck it. Make me feel good…you feel s’good,” he murmurs, each word a treat from his lips. “Gag on it, open mouthed. Nice n’ messy. Pr-promise I won’t cum until you tell me. Fuck, yes-
“O-on your lips,” he pants, returning to his earlier train of thought. “Wanna see you pool it in your mouth. Haa fuck, again, a-gain, baby. S’good,” he cries as you suck him, tongue swirling and lips hallowing in between allowing yourself to choke on it.
“Wanna kiss you. S-suck it from your tongue. Taste it all- t-take it all. Wanna feel your hand on my throat as you t-haa, fuck, t-tell me to swallow.”
“Good boy,” you say, voice a little broken as you pull off of him. You take him in your fist again, pumping his cock as you go on to say, “You’re perfect for me, Itachi. Always so perfect…”
He’s throbbing, gripping at your wrist and the couch as you edge him. He’s attempting to focus on you, too. But, you know he’s just on the verge of being fucked out from just a little oral and a hand job and you love it, love it, love it.
It leaves you shifting on your knees as you gently twist your wrist out of his hold in favor of letting your nails drag along his stomach and chest. You pass over his nipples, pinching at one until he regrips your wrists and laces his fingers through yours.
“A-and I’m going to fuck you right here, my love,” he tells you. “On the floor, on your knees. Fr-from behind…” He smiles to himself, thumbing over your knuckles. His eyes refocus on you as you lean in to suck at his balls again. A moan catches in his throat, the sound rooting inside you and pooling heat in your stomach as they settle alongside his words.
“H-harder, baby. Suck harder. S-squeeze tighter. Yeah, fuck. Don’t stop, please. Str-stoke the tip- ha, yes. Just like that.”
His other hand moves to cradle your face, wordlessly telling you that he’s too close now.
“Gonna cum?” You coo at him. “From your own little fantasies, baby? So cute. Cum for me. Show me how good the thought of fucking your soft cock into me makes you feel.”
“L-let me fuck your throat.”
“Down my throat, right? Across my tongue.” You lick at his tip. “On my lips…all back inside you-”
“Fuck, Yn. Baby. Please-”
“-all warm in your tummy,” you flash’s grin at him. “While you what? Fuck your little cock inside me until it’s worth something again?”
Cum spills over your fist, causing your tongue to curl over your teeth amusedly. It doesn’t stop him from bristling at your words though. “Little, huh?”
You ignore the question. “Until you’re crying and begging me to cum before you do?”
“Yes, baby, fuck. Please. Your throat-”
“My throat, my cunt,” you suckle kisses up the length of his cock. “I wanna see you paint your stomach after. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“Will you let me milk you dry, baby?”
“Yes. I-I need you to.”
You flash a smile at him, untwisting your fingers from his before you guide his hand to the back of your head. You moan as he tugs at your hair, your eyes focused on his as you open your mouth for him. “‘m all yours, my love.”
you really, really , really want to kiss itachi, too wc1040.
established relationship; romance; fluff- just a cute little blurb ft text messages (reader’s are indented)
It's late by the time you get home, much later than you expected when you cancelled on your boyfriend in order to finish up some work in-office, and as you dump your things in the genken you glance around your small, empty flat with exhausted dejection. You hadn't expected him to be here -you don't even live together-, but the fact that he isn't feels crushing. Soul crushing. And the realization punches a small laugh from you as you kick your shoes off and pad over to your kitchen.
There are signs that he stopped by: the bedside lamp is on, set to its lowest light because he knows you hate coming home to the dark; your sink is empty of the teacup and small plate you'd used for breakfast; and, best of all, there's take out in the fridge -your favorite order, straight from the restaurant you all were supposed to meet at. There is no note left for you to read, no text to let you know, and it's so Itachi, so painfully Itachi, that you can't help the warmth that blooms across your chest or the smile that forms on your face as you pull the containers from the fridge and pop them in the microwave.
You grab your phone on the way to the bathroom, shooting off a quick text before hopping in the shower.
just getting home. thank you for dinner, babe. I love you
It's late.
yeah
Did you finish your proposal?
finished and submitted
Good. What are you doing?
just showered 😉 just about to eat
Take an antiacid.
😂 yeah ok ok
what are you doing? end up working ?
Yes. Just getting to the hotel. Still in town
😳😳🤧👀
Madara's getting fancy
Sure
I miss you
🥹
I want to kiss you.
😯
are we sexting Mr. Uchiha?
ha ha
i miss you and want to kiss you too
I'm sorry i cancelled and that you had to work 🤢
Would you make it up to me?
😳
Is this my itachi?
[photo too close to his face - ie, how he holds it bc he can't see shit smh]
oh yeah that’s my bub 🥰
whatever you want❤
It's selfish.
[location]
11th floor, Room 1103
🤭 i'm omw
It only takes twenty minutes for you to get to his hotel and sneak up to his room. He’s waiting at the door, wearing a smile you know is yours and yours alone.
"Did you track me?" You tease, voice quiet as you wrap your arms around his waist and offer him a smile in return.
"It's late," is all he says, thumb stroking across your cheek. "Kakuzu said it was cruel and irresponsible to ask you."
"Maybe. But...all is fair in love and war, right?" He ghosts your bottom lip, eyes fixed on your mouth as you ask, "Is he here?"
"No... no. It's just me" -he lets you go and steps back to let you in- "just us."
You drop your bag next to his as you make your way deeper into his room. "Are you busy tomorrow?"
"Only before checkout."
He doesn't tell you that he swapped shifts, but he doesn't have to. You learned early on that he's quietly romantic, always doing his best to make it look easy and effortless.
"So you're all mine all weekend?"
He watches you undress down to a t-shirt and underwear, drawing his fingers through the hair escaped from his ponytail when you meet his gaze. "I'm always all yours," he tells you and you like the way he says it. Steady and solemn, lacking any expectation or fanfare. Honest- the same way he'd tell you you spend too much on smoothies or that it rained yesterday. It's a fact.
It's a fact and he means it: Uchiha Itachi is always all yours.
"But, yes. You'll have my full attention all weekend."
"Lucky me," you say as you sit on the edge of his bed.
He joins you, fitting a leg between yours as he takes your jaw in hand. You lean into his touch, easily finding the unmistakable scent of your boyfriend under the smell of perfumed hotel soap and lotion. It draws a sigh from you, leaving you smiling softly as your eyes fall closed.
"Itachi?"
"Hmm?"
"You just gonna stare or are you gonna kiss me?" Your tongue curls over your upper teeth as you look up at him with a cheeky smile. "Mmm, babe?"
He leans down, stroking your chin fondly as his eyes fall closed and his lips meet yours with a familial pressure. "Patience is a virtue," he reminds you, lips ghosting yours before pressing a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth.
"You sent me your location to be virtuous?"
He sighs, long suffering, and lets you pull away as you make your way up the bed and situate yourself in the middle. A smirk curls at a corner of his lips as he watches you, breaking the quiet intensity of his stoic gaze before his tongue peaks out for a moment. You fold your knees toward your chest, feet resting flat against the comforter as you offer him a glimpse between your thighs.
"I just wanted to kiss you," he murmurs, crawling up the bed to you and shaking his head in disbelief as you laugh.
You draw your arms around him once he's close enough, your legs closing around his sides as he tilts his head for another kiss.
"Kakuzu was right, then," you say as he kisses down your jaw and neck. Tugging his scrunchie from his hair-you belatedly recognize it as one of yours-, you add on, "you are cruel, babe. And unusual."
"Talking about another man in my bed, huh?" He asks, rearing back to look at you with a subtly amused expression on his face.
"You’ve pushed me to the edge."
He smirks, nose brushing yours affectionately. "Perhaps I should send you home, then."
"No- no- no-"
"Why shouldn’t I?"
You frown, fingers combing through his hair. He melts into you at the feeling, body relaxing until it’s heavy on yours and it’s perfect. Exactly what you’d wanted when you’d gotten home to an empty flat
I apparently can't help myself from making things longer than the necessarily need to be. Since the ask about Itachi, I've been a little obsessed with truly justifying how I can imagine his Alpha figuring out enough to go find him.
It's not actually necessary that this be based in an a/b/o 'verse, but since that's the blog rule (I can occasionally keep to some boundaries) and I came up with the scenario with that in mind, it comes up in the background (for example in his Alpha's draw to find him, even though they're both young and don't know to acknowledge that courting might have anything to do with it).
I'm writing things and I am enjoying what I am writing, but also, once it's ready, would anyone be interested in reading it? It's even more navel gazey than the Izuna fic (although i do maintain gender neutrality) and I know that's not necessarily people's cup of tea, especially on an a/b/o blog, but it even one person is curious about a calculating "we make the kingdom" style Alpha, I would be more than happy to post it...
getting ready for a night out with uchiha itachi. 1271 words
modern au; a part of tales as old as time, a slice of life series ft naruto characters in cliche situations as i get comfortable writing for naruto; oral/sex mentioned casually; sexual tension; slow-burnesque- f!reader
thank you to @8-unknees for your help w this 💕
.
"Itachi? Is that you?"
You peek out of your closet to see him standing on his side of the bed, looking at the collection of cufflinks you'd left on his night stand. He looks over at you, dark eyes sleepy when he meets your gaze, and you find yourself swallowing thickly at the sight of him. It’s rare that he wears anything other than all black, so the sight of him in his navy blue suit is distracting.
"Sorry I'm late," he tells you, eyes raking over you as you lean in your closet doorway. He doesn't meet your gaze again, lingering instead at your neckline before looking back at his nightstand. "The meeting ran over."
"It's ok. But," you smirk when he quickly looks back at you. "If you want, you can make it up to me."
Pushing off the door frame, you turn to walk back into your closet and call over your shoulder, "I like your family crest best. They'll stand out against the color of your suit."
He joins you a few seconds later, working on buckling one the paper fan cufflinks into place. You reach out to him, a soft smile on your face when he makes his way over without question. As you help him, he asks, "How can I make it up to you?"
"Help with my dress," you explain, a teasing smile playing on your lips. "Are you wearing your hair down?"
His cheeks color, if only barely, and you wonder what he's thinking. You've only been married for three months- exactly half the time you all have even known (and lived with) each other- and it’s moments like these that you remember that you all don’t know each other. Not really. You’re just two people thrown together for power; or, rather, for more power for your families.
But seeing Itachi’s rosy cheeks causes your own face to go hot and you're grateful to be done with his cufflinks because, suddenly the thought that you've had his dick in your mouth makes it impossible to even look at him.
As though hastily arranged marriages and oral sex have anything to do with each other.
"No," he says as you turn for him to zip your dress. His fingers brush the small of your back, settling there as his other hand draws the zipper up your spine.
"I wasn't sure what color your nails are."
"What?"
"I planned to match my hair tie with your nails-" you stiffen in surprise, a small laugh escaping you- "if that's alright, yn."
"What if they're hot pink?"
"They aren't."
"Yeah, " you turn to face him again. "But if they were.”
He sighs. " We'd have to make a stop before dinner."
"Oh," you can't hide the thrill that passes through you, even as he observes you impassively and waits for you to say something more. "It’s a good thing they’re just red then, huh? Since we’re already late."
He offers you the barest of smiles. "Yes."
"I'll um… I'll be more mindful. Ahead of other events. Matching like that…it's a sweet idea."
He nods once. "You aren't wearing jewelry."
"Couldn't decide."
"I'll get the ruby set from the safe. Are you nearly ready?"
"Yeah. I just need to grab my shoes."
"I'll meet you in the living room."
He takes a step closer to you. "You smell different. Is it new?"
"Yes."
You fall perfectly still as he leans in, his nose brushing just under your ear before he takes a breath of you. He lingers for a moment and you feel your hands tingle at your sides. Your mind quiets of everything that isn't Uchiha Itachi, lungs filling with the scent of him. He always smells like standing in the sun on a cold day and in the half year you've slept next to him it's grown incredibly comforting. Like a place you want to be.
"I like it."
"Thank you."
His nose brushes your cheek as he pulls away, eyes grazing yours before he turns away, and he leaves you without another word. You let out a shaky breath once you're sure he's gone, ghosting your fingertips along the path his nose followed.
A laugh escapes you after a moment, and you shake your head in an attempt to clear the leftover heady feeling as you grab your shoes.
He's waiting for you by the time you get to the living room, his eyes making another pass over you as you close the space between you all. You do the same, feeling your heart pitter-patter in your chest at the realization he's styled his hair in a bun, your favorite style, and layered his necklaces in a stupidly attractive way. Excitement blooms in your stomach at the thought that you all are playing an unspoken game of tit-for-tat.
"You look very handsome," you compliment as you hold out your wrist for him to help you with the bracelet. "I'll have to keep an eye out for Deidara."
He chuckles at your teasing as you swap out your earrings.
"Or perhaps I should play nice. It is his opening night, after all."
He makes a non committal sound as he reaches for the necklace and you turn around, tilting your head forward for him to fasten it at the back of your neck.
"Have you seen any of the new pieces?" You ask. "They're huge. Some couldn’t even fit in here because they're so tall."
His fingers are warm as they linger on your skin. "You look beautiful tonight."
He’s flirting, you tell yourself, a smile playing on your lips.
It's only then that you realize he's taking too long, that he's too close, but it's too late. His lips brush tenderly over your nape, easily giving him the edge over you in your little game.
"Oh," you breathe, fighting the urge to duck away from him. "Thank you."
He hums as his fingers smooth down your back, following the zipper’s path before he takes hold of your waist. "I haven’t seen them. I don't particularly care for it."
You turn your head in his direction, eyes cast downward. "He'd combust if he heard you say that."
"You're the only person I’d tell."
You turn toward him, eyes lingering on his necklaces before you lift your hand to brush some of the longer wisps of his bangs behind his ear. "Jeez. Don't let Kisame hear you say that. Then I'll have to compete for your attention with him, too."
He smiles softly, face appearing younger for a second or two, and you feel a flurry of butterflies in your stomach under the gentle weight of his full attention. His hand settles on your waist again as you say, "I don’t blame you, about the art. The new stuff is all a bit terrifying, if I'm honest.
"They have teeth."
He laughs quietly through his nose before asking, "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I'll keep you safe," he says, the seriousness of his tone pooling heat inside every inch of you because he’s flirting but he isn’t joking. "So, don’t concern yourself with Deidara or Kisame or any teeth." His thumb brushes comfortingly over your stomach as you laugh nervously. "…I'd like it if you look at only me."
Itachi’s other hand wraps around the back of your neck, his thumb brushing your jaw just before he leans in for a kiss. It’s soft and sweet and innocent but it leaves you breathless; he seems pleased with himself because of it, lingering close to your lips after. "Because I see-" he kisses the corner of your mouth, his lips feather light “-only you, wife."
.
pls consider interacting (like/reblog/comment) if you enjoyed this. thank you 🪷 diya
Summary: Iruka didn't realize that a baby (6-year-old) joining his class was the herald to the end of his pranking days in the Academy. But when their teacher assigns Itachi and Iruka a group project, it becomes clear that Iruka's going to have to learn how to cooperate with the little smarty-pants Uchiha. The only problem is, he's not sure Itachi's willing to cooperate with him.
Read it on AO3
Group Project
Sharingan-Stealer Iruka - Part 1
There was a new kid in class, Iruka noted absently as he eased his hand under his desk, pressing a small wad of what looked like chewing gum there, fighting to keep a straight face. At the front of the classroom, Aki-sensei was scribbling on the blackboard and babbling about this… Iruka paused, doing a double take. They were getting a baby in their class!
Okay, not a literal baby, but he might as well be! He was barely half the size of everyone else in the room, with big dark eyes, soft black hair, and chubby baby cheeks. Iruka fought not to laugh - what was this kid doing in their class? They were going to graduate in a few months, why on earth would they be moving this kid into their class now?
“I hope you will all be welcoming to Itachi. We have high hopes for him - for all of you -” here Aki-sensei paused to glare at Iruka, “to pass your upcoming assessment and graduate to Genin-rank.”
Iruka didn’t bother to hide his scowl at that. He’d been held back during the last assessment because of his poor written marks. And his poor practical scores. Also probably because he’d skipped the first half of the test to try and drop water balloons on the ANBU standing outside Hokage Tower. The real trap had actually been trying to corral them into tripping a wire that would send a ink-filled balloon at them from a completely different direction, but, like all the other times he’d tried to pull one over on the ANBU, it hadn’t succeeded.
He had been scolded pretty soundly by two of them, and then frog-marched back to the Academy, only to realize that Aki-sensei hadn’t reminded them about the test the day before, so he hadn’t known to show up on time. Or maybe she had reminded them, and Iruka had slept through it? Anyway, he’d missed most of the graduation exam, and Aki-sensei wasn’t about to let him forget it. Other than harassing him about tests, though, she had precious little to say to him that wasn’t critical and honestly just obnoxious, and Iruka got enough of that at the orphanage, so was it any wonder that he tended to tune her out?
“Hey Iruka,” Mizuki whispered, “check out the new kid. He’s an Uchiha.”
Iruka rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I noticed.” It was hard to miss the fan shape on the kid’s shirt, after all. Did Mizuki really think he was that dumb? He may not be great in school, but he knew the clan crests! At least, the important ones. Mostly. Anyway, Uchiha was an easy crest to recognize because it looked like a fan.
“No, idiot, I mean,” Mizuki shot back with an irritated grimace, “He’s an Uchiha. I heard they’re the ones responsible for… you know.”
“I don’t know,” Iruka replied, frowning. “Responsible for what? They’re the military police, I’m sure they have a lot of responsibilities.”
Mizuki glanced back and forth like he was going to tell Iruka a secret, and then whispered very loudly, “They’re the ones who caused the Kyuubi attack.”
Whispers rippled across the room as eyes turned to land on the new baby in their class. They didn’t have any Uchiha kids in their year, or hadn’t, but Iruka had seen a couple of Uchihas around the academy in some of the lower classes. They didn’t seem like the sort of people to be letting nine-tailed demon foxes loose in the village, but what did Iruka know? The Uchihas mostly stuck to their own compound, except when they were in school, and Iruka couldn’t recall ever meeting one outside of school. He scowled down at the kid. If his family was responsible for that night… Iruka swallowed hard. It had been two years since that night, but sometimes his throat still burned like he’d never stopped screaming.
Slowly, he forced his eyes away from the tiny kid in the front row. What his family had done wasn’t his business, anyway. As long as he didn’t bother Iruka, he didn’t have a problem with the little kid.
Itachi Uchiha was starting to get on Iruka’s nerves. It wasn’t like the kid was
trying
to annoy him necessarily. At least, that didn’t seem to be his intent. But his very existence felt like a splinter stuck under Iruka’s skin that he couldn’t seem to dislodge, setting him on edge. And then,
then
he’d started to actively get a rise out of Iruka. It wasn’t just the way that this
tiny baby child
had waltzed into their classroom and
immediately
risen to the top of the class in test scores, or even the way he managed to
always
master everything in their practical skills work. It wasn’t even the way he was
always
raising his hand in class to answer questions, or
worse,
ask
questions, which would lead Aki-sensei on a tangent when Iruka just wanted to
go outside
and not sit at a desk and listen to a boring teacher blather on about boring rules. No, the thing that made Iruka genuinely irritated was the fact that Itachi kept
ratting him out.
It had started on the very first day. After Mizuki had made his not-so-subtle announcement about the Uchiha clan and their supposed connection to the disaster from two years ago, Itachi had taken a moment to turn and glance back at the rest of the room, his gaze sweeping over the class before frowning at Iruka. Or, more specifically, the ‘gum’ under Iruka’s desk. Then, he raised his hand.
“Yes, Itachi?” Aki-sensei said, pausing mid-lecture. “You have a question?”
“Not exactly,” Itachi answered, his dark eyes drifting back over his shoulder to peer at Iruka. “Are exploding tags allowed in this classroom?”
Iruka was going to strangle him. He’d planned this out to the letter, and now this tiny kid was going to ruin it? He gripped his pencil so hard it almost broke, widening his eyes at the little Uchiha as if to say “don’t you dare,” but the little kid seemed totally unmoved.
“No,” Aki-sensei said, her eyes drifting from Itachi up to where he was staring: Iruka’s desk. “They are not. Iruka?”
Desperately, Iruka tried to salvage the situation, lifting his hands in the air. “Look, I don’t have an exploding tag, my hands are empty-”
“He was sticking it under his desk while you were writing on the chalkboard,” Itachi interrupted. “I saw him hide it under the gum.”
“It’s not an exploding tag!” Iruka barked back, irritated.
“Oh?” Suddenly, Aki-sensei was across the room, standing beside his desk. One of her eyes twitched as she stared down at Iruka, a dangerous gleam in her stare. “And if it’s not an exploding tag, then what is it?”
… he should have seen that one coming. Iruka glared furiously at Itachi, who had already turned around in his seat and didn’t seem to notice the enraged look Iruka was tossing in his direction. If Iruka knew how to radiate a killing intent, he would have, because what was this kid’s deal? It wasn’t like he was going to be personally affected by a little stink-bomb, especially not one as weak as the one Iruka had thrown together this morning by modifying a stolen exploding tag from the training grounds. It was set to go off at a specific trigger, specifically exposure to chakra, which would probably be when Aki-sensei peeled the gum off the desk at the end of class, because he’d used some chakra to stick it right at the edges, and Aki-sensei wasn’t one for finesse, so knowing her, she’d just blast the whole thing with chakra to peel it off, and then… boom! The room would be filled with the smell of rotten eggs. It wouldn’t have bothered anyone else, just smelled up the room and probably also Aki-sensei. To match her stinking personality, because she hated Iruka and never bothered to hide her disdain, so why should anyone care if she smelled as stinky as her attitude?
“...it’s just a stink-tag,” Iruka groused.
Aki-sensei scowled down at him, folding her arms over her chest. “If it’s just a…” she made a small confused face, “…stink-tag…” she shook her head at the unfamiliar phrase before continuing, “then, I suppose you know how to remove it without setting it off?”
Iruka nodded slowly, his mind already spinning as he re-evaluated his options. He fought to keep his expression neutral as an idea occurred to him. Really, Itachi had brought this on himself with his meddling. If he hadn’t said anything, the only person who would have been affected was Aki-sensei and her nasty attitude.
Aki-sensei was watching him with her sharp gaze. “Honestly, Iruka, sometimes I wonder why you even bother coming to class at all,” she snapped, “if all you’re going to do is make trouble, you might as well not be here.”
Iruka agreed, in a general sense. He didn’t want to be in Aki-sensei’s classroom any more than she wanted him there. But he wanted to become a ninja, a great ninja, like his parents, and that meant he had to graduate from Ninja Academy, even if it meant putting up with mean people like Aki-sensei. “Yes, sensei,” was all he said, reaching under his desk and minding his own chakra, making sure to keep it well away from the ‘gum’, peeling the sticky substance away from the desk to reveal the small tag he’d altered that morning. Then, with a smirk, he turned to face the front of the classroom, and shouted, “Hey, Itachi! Catch!” and pushed a tiny bit of his chakra into the tag as he threw it at Itachi’s head. The tag exploded before it reached the kid, really almost as it left Iruka’s hand, but it was the thought that counted, Iruka decided. The odorous smoke trailed across the room, covering mostly Iruka and Aki-sensei, but also quickly filling the entire classroom with a horrible stench.
Despite the urge to gag, Iruka had to admit the tag had worked well. Next time, he’d have to figure out a detonation timer, or distance trigger for it. It worked basically the same as a regular exploding tag, but with less concussive force and more smell, so he was fairly confident he could get it to work. He grinned, even as Aki-sensei grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard, scolding him about whatever. He wasn’t listening. Instead, as their classroom was being evacuated, amidst the coughing, choking, and streaming eyes, Iruka caught Itachi’s cool, dark gaze, and winked at him. The Uchiha looked away. Heh. Score 1: Umino Iruka.
Iruka’s detention after school to air out the classroom and scrub it top-to-bottom was worth it, he decided. Maybe next time Itachi would think twice before selling him out.
…he did not.
~~*~~
In the weeks that followed, Iruka discovered a few new facts about Uchiha Itachi.
Fact one: Itachi was a rules guy.
He didn’t particularly care what the retaliation would be, if he saw Iruka breaking a rule, he would say something and it would suck. Iruka was usually able to get away with a few pranks here and there just because Aki-sensei couldn’t prove it was him, but with Itachi’s eagle-eyes following him everywhere, it seemed like he was getting detentions nonstop. At this point, Aki-sensei had taken to making Iruka stand in the corner of the classroom and stare at the wall for a few hours after every prank. Then she had the audacity to get mad when Iruka would come in the next day without his homework! He was an older kid in the orphanage, he had chores to do, and he was spending detention staring at a wall! Maybe if she let him do his homework instead of standing around doing nothing, he’d actually be able to finish it! Not that he bothered saying as much - she would have just accused him of making excuses.
Another fact about Uchiha Itachi: He was a genius.
It was more than just how good at everything in school he was, he was also good at catching Iruka when Iruka was trying to pull a prank. He was better at that than his teachers, even! In a way, Itachi reminded Iruka of the ANBU around Hokage Tower, able to somehow spot every trap he was setting up and avoiding every piece of it as if it was nothing. Itachi seemed capable of effortlessly noticing, dismantling, and alerting the adults whenever Iruka tried to pull something, and he took it as a personal challenge. Iruka stopped caring so much about pranking Aki-sensei, who at this point had taken to ignoring him all over again. Instead, he started trying to get Itachi.
A lot of the classic pranks didn’t pan out, and Itachi just reported him to Aki-sensei, who had him stand in a corner until after dinnertime, which usually meant he’d get back to the orphanage late and have nothing to eat and still an hour or two of chores before lights-out. So after a few failed attempts, Iruka moved on from that, but he didn’t give up on the idea. As much as it sucked to go without dinner for a night here and there, he had Itachi’s attention, and he felt like maybe this was a prime way to practice his ANBU traps without alerting any actual ANBU to his early attempts. As he took his time coming up with new pranks, part of Iruka even wondered if Itachi might be enjoying himself, too. It was hard to tell.
This tied into fact three about Uchiha Itachi: He reacted to basically everything in a calm, methodical, mild manner.
Since he never seemed to respond to anything, his lack of reaction to the pranks seemed fairly normal to Iruka. Itachi never seemed especially surprised or angry, and he only really smiled when he was talking about his baby brother, Sasuke. But Iruka thought that maybe Itachi enjoyed the challenge of spotting his pranks, of reporting him to Aki-sensei, almost as much as Iruka enjoyed trying to think up new ways to get him. If he didn’t, then why would he keep doing it? Surely it was easier to just let Iruka do what he wanted.
Things continued on in this way for about a month. Iruka would set a trap, Itachi would spot it and report him to Aki-sensei, Aki-sensei would make him stand in the corner, and Iruka wouldn’t turn in his homework the next day. It became almost routine, until Aki-sensei told the class they would be doing a group homework project. Instantly, everyone started trying to grab their friends and pair up - but Aki-sensei cut them off, saying that everyone would be drawing names from a bag, instead. Starting at the front of the room, she had the students pass the bag to the student beside them, writing down the student pairs on the blackboard as they went.
At least, that’s what she did until Itachi fished out the name of his partner and read it aloud. “Umino Iruka.”
Whispers danced across the classroom. A few of the more dedicated students in the front rows whispered variations on “ouch,” and “tough break!” and “glad I’m not you!” to Itachi, who, as usual, didn’t seem to react at all.
Pressing his lips together to keep from yelling at the other kids about how he was glad he wasn’t them, Iruka clenched his fists. He knew he wasn’t a good student. He knew nobody wanted to be paired up with him when it had to do with studying. He knew that. But it still hurt to hear them say it.
Aki-sensei, meanwhile, was standing at the blackboard, her chalk hovering over the spot where she should have been writing Iruka’s name next to Itachi’s, verifying them as homework partners for the project. Instead, she was frowning. “I don’t normally do this,” she said, “But, if you’d like, Itachi, you can pick a different partner.”
Iruka felt his stomach clench. If he’d like? Of course he’d like! No one wanted to be paired up with Iruka for homework, even Mizuki had scooted over to ask someone else to be his partner before Aki-sensei had brought out the name bag. Iruka stared down at his desk, willing his face to stay neutral, not to show emotion. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to work on this project anyway, so it didn’t matter that no one wanted him. They were right not to want him, it’s not like he wanted to work on this project with anyone anyway.
“No,” came Itachi’s soft, measured voice, “I’m fine with Iruka.”
Iruka hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until it escaped in a whoosh. His head jumped up and he stared at Itachi, baffled. Why would Itachi agree to work with him if he had another choice? If it hadn’t been Itachi, Iruka was pretty sure that Aki-sensei wouldn’t have offered, but she liked Itachi, and hated Iruka. She looked even more shocked than Iruka, still standing in front of the blackboard, chalk in hand, the space next to Itachi’s name still blank.
“You’re sure,” Aki-sensei said, reluctance clear from her tone of voice.
“I am,” Itachi answered, passing the bag of names to the student to his right. “My partner is Iruka.”
And despite the fact that Iruka couldn’t stand Itachi, he felt a small bloom of something warm in his chest. Itachi hadn’t tossed him aside, even though literally everyone else in the class wouldn’t work with him unless they were forced. But Itachi had not only not been forced to work with Iruka, he’d chosen to work with Iruka even when given the alternative - encouraged to take the alternative!
Iruka, who had up to this moment intended to do nothing on the project, found himself wondering if he could clear up some time after school to work with Itachi. He’d probably miss dinner again, the orphanage was pretty strict about mealtimes. But he wanted to do something to show Itachi that he was glad not to be tossed aside, for once. It felt nice. He knew, intellectually, that Itachi hadn’t specifically requested Iruka, but after two years of being avoided, ignored, and actively rejected by most of his classmates when it came to academics… well, he didn’t want to give Itachi a reason to reject him next time.
Slowly, painfully, Aki-sensei turned and wrote Iruka’s name on the board next to Itachi’s, making a face like she’d taken a big bite of raw lemon, rind and all. Iruka grinned. He’d show her. He and Itachi would make a great team.
~~*~~
“Hey! Itachi!” Iruka called, chasing him down after class let out. “Hey,” he puffed, slowing to a walk, moving more sedately than usual to account for Itachi’s shorter legs. “When do you want to start on that project?”
Itachi blinked, turning to look up at Iruka. “What do you mean?”
Iruka frowned. “The group project. The homework assignment. The one Aki-sensei assigned today?”
A hint of red dusted Itachi’s cheeks, and his eyes dropped away from Iruka’s to gaze ahead. “Oh. I’m sorry. I wasn’t planning on working with you at all.”
Iruka felt his chest clench sharply at the words, and he froze in place, his feet seeming rooted to the ground. “What?”
Itachi stopped too, turning to look at Iruka with a vaguely baffled expression. “You never do your homework,” he explained slowly, “and I’m perfectly capable of finishing the project on my own. You don’t need to do anything.”
Iruka felt his face growing hot. “Just because I don’t turn in my homework doesn’t mean I can’t do it!” he protested. “This is a group project! I can help!”
Turning, Itachi continued walking. “I have no way of knowing that based on your current record.” He waved a hand dismissively as he continued, “It’s fine, Iruka. I’ll take care of the project, and we’ll both get a good grade for once.”
Iruka gaped at his receding figure, unable to find words amidst the maelstrom of emotions clutching him. All he could do was stand there and watch as Itachi walked off, probably heading home to his mom and his dad and his brother and all of the other things that Iruka didn’t have that Itachi probably took for granted. He didn’t need Itachi’s help to get a good grade for once, he just needed time. Furious, Iruka spun on his heel, stomping toward the orphanage with so much force that his feet were hurting by the time he arrived.
He got there in time for dinner after all, only to find that he wasn’t hungry.
~~*~~
The next morning dawned bright and early, and Iruka was peeved. It was the weekend, and usually he used his free time to dream up a prank or two for the following week, gather supplies, and run a few preliminary tests to make sure everything worked out the way he expected. Instead, as he lay on his lumpy futon in a room too full of kids that nobody wanted, he grappled with the fact that he wanted to do his homework.
He wanted to do it. He wanted to prove to Itachi that he could do it, that just because he didn’t usually do his homework didn’t mean he couldn’t. He had a copy of the instructions, how hard could it be to just do it?
Several hours later, one bout of frustrated tears, an ink-filled water balloon and some angry shouting later, Iruka realized that homework was a lot harder to finish than he’d anticipated. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have any reference materials! He’d lost library permission for probably the rest of his life after using one of the library books in a prank that had gone vastly underappreciated, so he couldn’t look up any of the information he needed. And he didn’t have the money for notebooks, he always borrowed paper from Aki-sensei when they needed an extra sheet of paper, so he didn’t have any notes from class to look over, either. Even his prank supplies came by way of his sticky fingers, and he had a feeling that if he tried to steal reference books from the bookstore they might not like that, so much.
So, he’d cried a little, filled a water balloon with ink, snuck out, and dropped the ink bomb onto an unsuspecting passer-by on their way into Hokage Tower. Of course, the ANBU on duty weren’t entirely pleased, though one of them did tell the Chunin who’d been entering that he needed to be more aware of his surroundings, if someone like Iruka could surprise him like that. Iruka took a bit of offense at that - he was pretty good at hiding and catching people off guard, the ANBU were just even better at noticing things.
After the angry Chunin had marched off to wash the ink from his hair and the ANBU on Iruka’s left had finally let him stand up instead of holding him folded over at a 90-degree angle to ensure his apology appeared more or less sincere, Iruka turned to leave. He didn’t feel any better, and his homework still wasn’t even close to finished. He dug into his pocket, pulling out the assignment and glaring balefully at it. Maybe he could hide in the back of one of the bigger bookstores and try to read a few books before they kicked him out?
“Hey kid,” said one of the ANBU who had made him apologize to the ink-covered Chunin, “What’cha got there?” The other ANBU elbowed them in the side and hissed something, but it was too low for Iruka to hear.
“...homework,” Iruka answered the first ANBU, ignoring the second. “But I can’t go to the library, and I don’t have any books or paper at the orphanage.”
“What about your textbook?” the ANBU asked, cocking their head to the side in a manner that implied genuine curiosity.
“When I’m in class I just borrow one of the classroom books, but after I… uh…” Iruka shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Anyway, I’m not allowed to take the textbook out of the classrooms anymore.”
The second ANBU snorted at this, and the first ANBU turned to look at them with what Iruka imagined was a withering stare, although the mask did somewhat disrupt the effect. After a moment, the first ANBU turned back to Iruka. “Lemme see what you’ve got to work on,” said the ANBU, extending a hand. They unrolled the assignment, straightening up a little as they read. “Oh, well, you’re in luck, kiddo. This is a group project, so you can probably just share materials with your partner.”
Iruka wanted to sink into the ground. He swallowed hard, willing himself to lift his eyes to meet the dark space behind the bright white ANBU mask. “My partner doesn’t want to work with me,” he said, his face heating as he explained. “He said that, since I never turn in my homework, he’ll just do it all himself. But I don’t want him to do all the work! I can do it! I just wish he’d given me a chance…” Iruka said, trailing off. He swallowed hard, feeling a prickling at his eyes. Oh no, no, he was not going to cry in front of these ANBU.
“Hmm,” said the ANBU, considering the scroll. “I bet if you asked Sandaime-sama, he might let you use some of his reference books.”
Now it was the second ANBU’s turn to stare pointedly at the first. The first ANBU did not seem affected whatsoever by this reaction.
Iruka blinked, considering the suggestion. Usually, he only visited the third Hokage when he was invited over for tea, about once a month. He’d never considered asking for anything else, or stopping by when it wasn’t their monthly tea time. “You think he would let me do my homework up there?” Iruka asked, pointing to Hokage Tower.
The ANBU nodded slowly. “What do you say we head on up together and find out?”
“This is ridiculous,” the second ANBU protested, “I’m sure the Hokage is-”
“Deeply invested in the education of our new generation of shinobi, yes, I agree,” the first ANBU interrupted sharply. “It can’t hurt to ask.”
The second ANBU sighed, and returned to their post at the door. “Fine. You go on up. But for the record? I think this is-”
“Thank you for your opinion,” the first ANBU interrupted again, one hand on Iruka’s shoulder as he guided him through the door. “I’ll be back out shortly.”
The second ANBU huffed, but said nothing more.
Iruka and the ANBU walked in silence for a few moments before Iruka felt compelled to say, “You didn’t have to interrupt ANBU-san back there. I know nobody wants me around.” He forced a grin even as his stomach twisted uncomfortably. He glanced up at the ANBU, whose grip on his shoulder had tightened incrementally at the words. “I’m a nuisance. Everybody says it, it’s no secret.”
“You’re a kid,” the ANBU replied, their grip loosening slightly as they continued walking, “All kids are nuisances at one time or another. Nothing to worry about.”
Iruka had a feeling most people would disagree with that assessment, but he liked the thought that maybe it was okay to be a nuisance, at least sometimes. He’d never felt that way before, or at least, no one had ever bothered to say as much to him. “Do you really think the Hokage will let me use his books to finish my homework?”
“I don’t know,” the ANBU said honestly, “but it’s worth asking.”
Iruka nodded, and the two of them continued down the corridor in comfortable silence.
~~*~~
As it turned out, the Hokage was not only willing to let Iruka use his books, he also told him that if he ever needed reference materials, he should go to the Sarutobi residence and request access to the clan library.
“You’re welcome to use those resources any time you need them,” the Hokage told him seriously, “...so long as you don’t draw funny moustaches on all of the pictures in the scrolls,” he added with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
Iruka agreed, face heating as he realized the Hokage had heard about how Iruka had ended up with a probably-lifetime ban from the community library. After the two of them looked over Iruka’s assignment together, the Hokage sent him off to the Sarutobi residence with a list of four or five references to find and bring back. “We’ll work together,” he said. “I’ll do my paperwork, and you can do your homework. When we’re done, we can have lunch together.”
Accustomed to a five-finger-discount lunch on the typical weekend, Iruka brightened considerably at the idea of a hot meal. “Great! Thanks!”
“If you wouldn’t mind accompanying Iruka to the Sarutobi compound, ANBU-san?” the Hokage asked, turning to raise an eyebrow in the direction of the ANBU that had brought Iruka up to his office.
The ANBU bowed. “Yes sir.”
Iruka grinned as he followed the ANBU back down the stairs and across the village towards the Sarutobi compound, clenching his fist tight around the assignment. He’d show Itachi! He’d walk into the Academy on Monday with the best homework assignment of the whole class!
~~*~~
When Monday rolled around, Iruka strolled into the classroom like he owned it. Grinning wide, he walked right up to Aki-sensei’s desk and set his assignment beside the small pile of assignments that several other students had dropped off on their way into class.
Aki-sensei glanced down, her nose wrinkling slightly as she looked at Iruka’s submission. “What is this?” she asked, lifting her eyes to stare at Iruka with suspicion.
“My homework,” Iruka replied belligerently.
“But Itachi already submitted your homework,” Aki-sensei said, glancing at the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy who was in his usual front row seat, staring at them like Iruka had grown a second head overnight.
“He submitted his version,” Iruka clarified with a grin, feeling almost excited. “This is my version.”
Now Aki-sensei looked downright worried as she picked up his assignment using only the very tips of her fingers. “Is that so?” she sneered. “So if I open this, it will contain your research project, and not, say, a stink bomb?”
Iruka scowled. “No, there’s no stink bomb.”
“Some kind of dead animal?” Aki-sensei prodded.
How uncreative! As if Iruka would do something so obvious. “Of course not,” he scoffed, insulted by the very idea.
“Of course not,” Aki-sensei repeated, her eyes narrowed. She didn’t seem particularly convinced. “What did you do to this?” she finally demanded. “Where’s the punchline?”
“There is no punchline,” Iruka said, the sick feeling crawling back into his stomach as more and more students were walking into class, dropping their assignments on the desk, and heading to their seats. What was the big deal with his homework? Why did she have such a problem with it?
“Right,” Aki-sensei scoffed. “Well, I suppose, if there’s no prank, then you won’t mind if I do this,” she said, crushing the paper between her palms before throwing it into the wastepaper bin.
“No!” Iruka cried, taking an involuntary step forward.
“Iruka,” Aki-sensei said sharply, “This was a group project. I will only accept one submission for the assignment. Did you really think I would take yours over Itachi’s?”
Iruka felt like he’d been hollowed out from the inside as he shook his head weakly. Of course not. Nothing he did would ever measure up to Itachi. Why had he even tried?
“Take your seat, Iruka,” Aki-sensei said sharply, “You’re holding up the class.”
Numbly, Iruka shuffled to the back of the classroom, sinking into his chair and staring ahead without really seeing anything. He didn’t fall asleep, but by the time classes were finished for the day he still hadn’t managed to focus long enough to recall a single thing from Aki-sensei’s lecture.
He moved like he was in a fog, slipping his worn school bag over his shoulder and shuffling out the door, barely able to remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other. What was the point? Why should he try at all, if it wasn’t even going to make a difference in the end?
He kept trudging his way across town, and was nearly back to the orphanage when he heard someone calling his name.
“Iruka! Iruka!”
He turned, expecting maybe Mizuki, or Anko, or one of the other orphans who stayed in the orphanage and just wanted some company as they headed in together. Instead, he saw Itachi jogging towards him, holding a crumpled piece of paper. Iruka’s heart sank. Perfect. The last person he wanted to see after today. Why was he here? What was he doing with an old paper, and why was he chasing after Iruka, waving it around like a flag?
“What do you want?” Iruka demanded, hating that he was losing to a kid half his age, half his size, and twice as good as him at literally everything.
“I wanted to apologize,” Itachi answered, not even a little winded from his run. Showoff.
“Apologize for what?” Iruka asked, frowning a little. For being so perfect at everything?
“I underestimated you, Umino Iruka,” Itachi said, his little face drawn into a look so serious that it just ended up looking cute. For a moment, Iruka almost forgot how much he couldn’t stand the kid.
“...how so?” Iruka finally asked, sticking his hands into his pockets and staring down at this nuisance of a kid. Well. Nuisance to Iruka, anyway. He wasn’t surprised that he’d been underestimated, that was pretty much his entire life story at this point.
“This is really good work,” Itachi explained, still with that adorable serious look on his face. He extended the crumpled paper in Iruka’s direction, at which point Iruka finally realized that it wasn’t any old crumpled paper.
It was Iruka’s homework paper. The one he’d slaved over for hours. The one he’d spent almost the entire weekend in the Hokage’s office working on. The homework that Aki-sensei had crumpled up and thrown out without even bothering to look at it. “Give me that!” he snapped, his fingers closing around the paper, tugging it out of Itachi’s grasp.
The kid let it go without a fuss. “It’s really excellent work,” he said. “If you submitted work like that every day, you could probably be near the top of the class.”
“If I had time to submit work like that, maybe,” Iruka snapped back. “Some of us don’t have that luxury.” he jerked his head in the direction of the orphanage. “I have to go feed some kids and clean the bathrooms now, so…”
Itachi tilted his head, a confused look crossing his features. “You feed kids? Are they your siblings?”
Iruka laughed at that. “Nah, but they don’t have anyone else to feed them,” he answered, thinking of little Nanako with the big brown eyes and frizzy black hair who hated vegetables, of Haru, who should be able to eat on his own now but still made a huge mess when he did, and even … Naruto … the living embodiment of his parents’ killer. It was awkward, sometimes, being that close to the vessel of a monster, but he was still a kid. It was weird, but Iruka didn’t mind it, not the way some people did.
“Oh,” Itachi looked surprised. “I feed my brother, sometimes. When mom and dad aren’t home.”
Iruka considered Itachi. “Sasuke, right? Your little brother?”
An actual smile bloomed across Itachi’s face at that. “Yeah,” he said. “Sasuke.”
“Cool,” Iruka said awkwardly, crumpling the homework assignment back into a ball and shoving it into his pocket. “Well, I’m going to go… feed. Kids.”
“Okay,” Itachi said, nodding. “Oh, and Iruka?” he added, just before Iruka turned to walk away.
“Yeah?” Iruka asked, feeling his shoulders stiffen almost involuntarily. “What?”
“Next time we have a group project…” Itachi’s gaze wandered, resting on the orphanage, the trees, the sky, anything but Iruka, “Maybe we could work together?”
Iruka felt something inside him melt at that, the tension he’d been carrying all day finally loosening as he felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. “Sure,” he said cautiously. “Thanks.”
Itachi nodded once to acknowledge he’d heard before turning around and gliding away, most likely heading for the Uchiha compound.
Iruka watched him go, not quite sure how to feel. Relieved that Itachi had acknowledged his effort? Frustrated that he hadn’t trusted him to do the work in the first place? Annoyed that Itachi was the one who got to decide whether or not they’d work together on a group project in the future? With a sigh, he decided it wasn’t worth worrying about. He had bathrooms to clean and toddlers to feed. Whatever else was going on in his life, he could worry about it later.
As he turned to face the orphanage, he frowned, considering the new homework Aki-Sensei had assigned today, crumpled up in his school bag. Maybe, after dinner, after his chores, he would head over to the Sarutobi library for an hour or two and see if he could at least get some of it finished by nightfall. Sure, it might be lights-out by the time he got back to the orphanage, but Iruka had gotten pretty good at sneaking past wards, and he was pretty sure he’d have no problem sneaking back into the orphanage after lights-out.
That decided, Iruka grinned and marched up the front steps of the orphanage. This time, it wasn’t a group project, so Aki-sensei would have to accept his assignment. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when he handed it in.
