Of Ponderings and Double-Shot Espressos

Iruka stepped out into the crisp, early morning air that always made him think longingly of a strong cup of coffee. It had rained in the night, and the fresh scent of rain on asphalt still clung to the streets stained dark by the remnants of a thousand water droplets. A soft smile grazed Iruka's lips; he loved how the world felt immediately after a solid downpour. Everything was cleansed, washed of the film of dirt and grime it had accumulated over days of wear and tear. Rain gave everything a fresh start.

As Iruka walked, he observed the thin stream of water trickling in the indent of the gutter. Threads of water twisted and tangled in on themselves as they maneuvered around small pebbles before flowing around a corner to be displaced by a protruding pair of shoes.

"Naruto-kun?" Iruka exclaimed, surprised to see his old pupil so calm, so still, "what are you doing here?" Naruto sat, perched on the edge of the curb, staring at his own intertwined fingers, yet unable to see them through the vividness of his thoughts. Iruka's words seemed to jerk Naruto free of his musings however, and he looked up in surprise at his old sensei.

"Oh, hey 'ruka." Naruto said, his voice quiet as though it, like his thoughts, was a million miles away, "I was just thinkin'." Iruka frowned, concern for Naruto bubbling up in him. Naruto wasn't usually so calm. Even when Naruto was serious there was an energy behind it, a blazing determination, but this time Naruto just looked quietly introspective. It was rare for that boy to separate thoughts from actions like this.

"Naruto-kun, is everything ok?" Iruka asked as he sat down next to Naruto, his legs awkwardly arranged in front of him to avoid the stream of rain water. Naruto was silent for a moment, looking straight ahead but not really seeing anything before finally opening his mouth to speak.

"I was just thinking of the way Sasuke turned out. He's so full of hate, so very, very angry. And that anger has become such a strong, such a large part of him that it's shaped his life, determined his whole future." Naruto's gaze stayed fixed ahead of him as he spoke, but Iruka could still see the tangle of emotions staining the boy's expression. Sorrow at the loss of his friend, anger that Sasuke's hate was stronger than his love for him, and frustration that he had failed to save Sasuke from all of this flashed across Naruto's features and Iruka instinctively placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Then I thought about myself," Naruto continued, "and, I mean, I could have turned out exactly the same way."

"No, Naruto you could never-" Iruka began, but Naruto cut him off.

"No, Iruka, I could. With the way the villagers treated me when I was younger, shunning me, out casting me. I could easily have grown up resenting them for it, hating them for it like Sasuke hates them." Iruka's eyebrows knit together in sympathy, squeezing Naruto's shoulder reassuringly. He remembered seeing what it was like for Naruto: all the other children playing and laughing together while Naruto was alone, parents' whispered warnings to their children isolating Naruto, forcing him to sit on the swing in solitude. It had broken Iruka's heart to see that.

"I've seen that dark side of me," said Naruto with a frown, "that part of me that's angry at what's been done to me, at the way I've been treated. I've heard that bitter voice asking me how I could forgive them, but there's a reason that angry voice isn't me." And now Naruto had turned and was looking straight into Iruka's eyes, "and that reason is you, Iruka. You're the reason I'm not that ugly being consumed by hatred, wanting revenge on all the people who isolated me. You're the reason I'm not like Sasuke."

Naruto leaned forward as he spoke. He was so close. Close enough that Iruka could feel Naruto's breath on his lips as Naruto murmured, "You're the reason." And then Naruto was kissing him, and Iruka couldn't think. His brain had been left behind, unable to catch up to what was happening as Naruto's lips moved sensually over his, Naruto's hand reaching up to tenderly cup Iruka's jaw. Iruka's eyes fluttered shut as Naruto's tongue darted out to trace the seam of Iruka's lips, pressing lightly to part them. As Naruto ran his tongue along Iruka's, Iruka snapped back to his senses, his eyes popping open as he leaned back, away from Naruto's probing caresses.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Iruka grabbed Naruto's arm, pulling the boy's hand off of his now very flushed cheek. "You can't, we can't do this." He was stuttering, spluttering and tripping over his own words as the blush crept even further up his flustered features.

"Why can't we 'ruka?" Naruto's eyes were wide, and with a jolt, Iruka realized Naruto was actually scared. Naruto was tensed under Iruka's grip, his body giving away the fear that was swirling in panicked spirals in his mind. Iruka was the one person who had always accepted him, who had always loved him no matter what. The thought that Iruka might reject him, that their connection could be shattered over this gesture, pumped terror through Naruto's veins with each swift heartbeat. Empathy slackened Iruka's grip on Naruto's wrist for an instant before he let go completely to lace his fingers with Naruto's tan digits.

"Naruto, I'm a lot older than you. I am, or I was, you're sensei." Iruka murmured softly, trying not to upset Naruto any further. Naruto frowned, suddenly surging forward until his face was only inches from Iruka's once more.

"So what?" declared Naruto angrily, "I don't care how old you are. And if I don't care, why should it be a problem?" Iruka opened his mouth to reply, but Naruto cut him off, shaking his head to stop him from speaking, "The only reason we shouldn't do this is if you don't care or, well, feel that way about me." Naruto's voice shook slightly as he spoke, but he raised his chin defiantly and stared straight into Iruka's eyes, daring him to argue. Iruka's frown deepened, and he looked away from Naruto, unable to handle the intensity of his gaze.

"Look at me!" Demanded Naruto, squeezing Iruka's hand in frustration, "please, just take me seriously." Iruka looked up in surprise, meeting Naruto's gaze squarely, "Of course I'm taking you seriously Naruto. I would never, could never…" He trailed off, indecision flickering behind his eyes for a moment before he slowly leaned forward, closing the space between Naruto and himself. The kiss was tentative and soft, spelling out Iruka's unsureness across Naruto's lips, but Naruto smiled into the kiss, reaching out to wrap his arms around his old sensei's torso.

Naruto ran tan fingers down the ridges of Iruka's spine, pausing on the crest of each vertebrae as his exploring digits moved south. Iruka gasped and his eyes snapped open as Naruto gave his butt a playful squeeze, pulling away from Naruto to give him a disapproving glare. Naruto looked up in wide-eyed innocence at Iruka, his angelic façade ruined by his growing smirk.

"What's the matter sensei?" Naruto asked teasingly, his hand now innocently resting on the jut of Iruka's shoulder blade. "Naruto-" Iruka began warningly, but he was cut off as Naruto suddenly stood up, grasping one of Iruka's hands to pull the older man up with him as he asked casually, "You know what I could really go for right now? A good, strong cup of coffee. Do you happen to have a coffee machine at you place 'ruka?" Iruka frowned dubiously up at Naruto. Whenever Naruto started acting all innocent like this it meant he was up to something.

"Yes, I do..." Iruka said suspiciously as he slowly got to his feet and allowed himself to be dragged along by the blonde back towards his apartment, "but since when do you drink coffee, Naruto?" Naruto just smiled, waving off Iruka's remark with the simple comment: "What kind of man doesn't drink coffee 'ruka?"

Naruto tugged Iruka up the stairs to Iruka's own front door, fidgeting and shifting his weight from foot to foot as Iruka took his sweet time sifting through the keys on his keychain until he found the one to his apartment door. As soon as he had set foot inside his living room, Iruka was shoved against the nearest wall with Naruto's lips moving needily over his jaw. Naruto kicked the front door shut in one lazy gesture as he ran his hands up Iruka's sides, moving from kissing Iruka's jaw to nip playfully at his neck.

"Naruto!" gasped Iruka, reaching out to grasp Naruto's shoulders in shock as Naruto began unbuckling his belt, "What do you think you're doing?" Naruto paused in his ministrations to glance skeptically up at his old sensei, raising one blonde brow. "What's it look like I'm doing 'ruka?" he murmured. Iruka opened his mouth the protest again, but Naruto silenced him with a hungry kiss. The harsh clanking of metal on wood signified Naruto's success at removing Iruka's belt and its immediate disposal onto the floor of Iruka's living room. Clumsy fingers grappled with the buttons of Iruka's pants before his zipper was yanked down and warm hands shimmied the offending clothing off of Iruka's hips.

Iruka gasped and opened the eyes he hadn't realized had fluttered shut as he felt Naruto palm his growing erection through the fabric of his boxers. Naruto kneeled in front of Iruka, one of his hands on Iruka's hip, the other pulling Iruka's erection through the accommodating slit on the front his boxers as he trailed sloppy kisses down Iruka's stomach.

"Naruto, wha-Ah!" Iruka gasped out as Naruto took the rosy tip of Iruka's erection between his lips, a swipe of his tongue removing the salty pre-cum beading on the head of Iruka's penis. Iruka's knees felt weak and he was suddenly grateful of Naruto's hand pinning his hips in place against the wall and keeping him upright. Naruto ran his tongue along the underside of Iruka's shaft, smirking as much as he could under the circumstances when Iruka let out a loud moan. Naruto had never done this before, but he knew what areas felt best when he stimulated himself, so he proceeded to pay extra attention to those areas as he swirled his tongue around Iruka's erection.

"Naruto-" Iruka warned as he tried to buck his hips, but was held back by Naruto's firm hand on his hip. One final suck from the base of Iruka's shaft to his tip had Iruka moaning Naruto's name as his dick pulsated his release into Naruto's waiting mouth. Naruto coughed a little, not quite ready for his mouth to be filled with the salty liquid, but he swallowed the sticky substance down, wiping his lips on his sleeve as he looked up into Iruka's face. Iruka's brown eyes were half lidded and his cheeks were delightfully flushed. His lips were slightly parted from the intensity of his moans and Naruto was struck by the impulse to get to his feet and nip lightly at his sensei's swollen and rosy lower lip.

Iruka looked down at Naruto's upturned face, his blush deepening when he saw a droplet of his own cum dotting Naruto's scarred cheek. He reached down to wipe it off, but when he pulled his hand away to wipe the cum on his shirt, Naruto snatched Iruka's wrist and tugged it back down to his face, his eyes not leaving Iruka's as he licked the white droplet off of Iruka's finger.

"Spitters are quitters." Naruto said with a wry smile as he watched Iruka's pupils dilate with lust at his actions. Iruka sighed, rubbing his temples with his saliva free hand as Naruto got to his feet, tucking Iruka's now flaccid penis back into his boxers.

"You know Naruto," Iruka murmured before lightly kissing the younger male, "you really shouldn't spring this sort of thing on a man before he's had his cup of coffee in the morning. My judgment is a lot more hazy before caffeine." Naruto chuckled, tenderly kissing Iruka again before replying, "I was counting on that."

"So this was planned was it?" Iruka asked scoldingly, but he couldn't help the amused smile that played across his lips.

"Not at all!" Replied Naruto innocently, "totally spur of the moment."

"Mhmm," Said Iruka disbelievingly as he tenderly caressed the whiskered scars on Naruto's cheeks, running his fingers gently along the thin lines. "Well, now that we're here, do you want that cup of coffee? Get the taste out of your mouth?"

"Actually, do you have juice or something? I don't drink coffee." Iruka's eyes widened and his fingers stopped their loving traces of Naruto's face.

"Don't drink… NARUTO! You lied to me you conniving little-!"

*Author's Note: Hey! I hope you enjoyed reading this story! Please Review with any feedback! Also, I've decided to take requests, so if anyone has any request for a story or couple please just let me know! Thank you!*