Author's note: Hey! So, I know I should have been writing the next chapter of Usurper for the past week, but I've got exams coming up. Which meant I needed to study. Which meant I completely ignored all semblance of study and began writing a teeny, tiny Kiba/Kankuro oneshot instead ... which turned out to be at least twice as long as any Usurper chapter so far. It's over 7000 words, which was actually the amount I had to write for a major work in my last year of high school. That thing was meant to take a whole year to write, and here I've gone and done it in a week. I think I'm insane.

There is not nearly enough Kiba/Kankuro on this site and it's driving me crazy. I don't know why I've suddenly gone on a bender for those two, but there it is.

Incidentally, this is my first oneshot with actual, home-base sex in it. I've been on this site for eight years and somehow managed to get around it. I guess it's because I'm more of a fan of sexual tension than actual sex in stories, and a oneshot just isn't enough time for the right build-up! But since this story is so long, I'm hoping I've achieved it.

Please please read and enjoy! And review if it pleases you!

Partnership

Kiba clawed his way up the second-tallest tree he could find – not the tallest; too conspicuous – and he cursed this stupid forest with all the ferocity he could muster.

"Welcome," Anko Mitarashi said with a grin. "Or should I say welcome back? I'm hardly seeing any new faces at all this year. I'm going to stop volunteering to run this exam if it's already boring."

Akamaru was hiding immediately below, nestled comfortably in the bushes at the base of the tree, occasionally leaving to scout the area. He was far too big to rest inside Kiba's jacket, had been for months, and even now his tail was clearly visible from above. Hopefully no one was looking. Kiba dug his nails into the loose bark of the tree trunk, using physical strength so his chakra could take a break.

"So if you're thinking, 'oh, it's my second or third time here, this'll be a breeze', you're in for a world of pain. The rules are completely different. See those teammates next to you?"

Nobody looked at their own teammates, but they sure as hell looked at the others'. There were a lot of disparaged teams, hardly any full groups of three. Some members were simply absent, which was why Sakura was here alone, and some were already Chuunins, which explained the gap in Chouji and Ino's team. All of Team Gai had passed a year ago, as had that blonde sand girl, Gaara's sister. The other Suna sibling was on his own. There was a smattering of younger teams, but not many had passed the first test. Kiba's team was still complete. This was their second attempt.

Anko paused for effect. "Forget about them."

A stir of confusion passed through the rookies.

Kiba hauled himself onto a sturdy branch. He didn't get a second to relax before Akamaru started to growl. Someone was nearby. In spite of his aching fingers, Kiba gripped the trunk hard and scanned the area. It took him only a minute to spot the potential enemy, who, luckily, was facing the other way on the ground.

It was clearly a male, but standing so still that it was hard to figure out anything else about him. Kiba tiptoed along his branch, getting closer.

"You don't get to pick your allies. Sometimes you won't have any at all. You're each entering the forest alone, and you'll have a scroll to take to the centre tower. But that's the easy part: each one has a partner scroll – and an enemy scroll."

"Enemy scroll?" muttered Shino under his breath.

"Don't worry, they're very clearly labelled. Anyway, in order to pass this section of the exam, you need to locate your partner scroll . . . and whoever has it is your teammate in the forest. The two of you then need to steal one enemy scroll and bring it to the tower. All clear?"

A few people looked dumbstruck, but not Kiba. Obviously there was going to be some sort of twist. His team would be fine.

Sakura spoke out. "So if your partner scroll gets taken before you and your teammate meet up, you're both out?"

"Not at all," Anko replied easily. "You're more than welcome to steal it back. If you can."

Kiba was now almost directly above the other person. He didn't want to hurt him too badly in case they happened to have partner scrolls, but he couldn't just jump down and say hello, either. He wished the other guy would move or something so that he could better learn how to approach the situation. He couldn't see or hear Akamaru anymore, so he couldn't be used for help.

Suddenly, any semblance of choice was taken out of his hands as the branch he was on dropped out from under his feet. He had no time to save himself; he flailed wildly in the air for a brief second before crashing to the ground – right on top of his target. As soon as he landed, he realised his mistake.

He hadn't landed on a person, but a life-sized figurine. A puppet. This was a trap, and he'd bet his life that the branch didn't fall by accident.

Lying on his back, he tried to get up. The figurine wouldn't let him, its 'arms' circling around his torso like it was giving him a hug.

"Hey," a voice said behind him. "I know you."

Kiba groaned, knowing that voice, despite not having heard it in years. "We've met."

"Fighting those psycho monster brothers, yeah?"

"That's it."

"Glad to see you survived. Now, let's find out if I have to kill you."

He leant down beside Kiba, patting him down until he located the scroll in his pocket. All the while, Kiba was unable to move, the big puppet clenched tightly around him. It was really humiliating. He hated being at someone else's mercy, and he couldn't fight back even a little bit. If nothing else, he wanted to know where Akamaru was. Was he in trouble, too?

"Kankuro, right?"

"Yep. I don't remember your name."

Well, that made Kiba feel good. "What did you do to my dog?"

"He ran off chasing squirrels," Kankuro said steadily, more focused on opening up Kiba's scroll. He was standing fully in Kiba's field of vision now, so the latter could get a good look at him. Kankuro was still mostly as he'd been two years ago, except generally older-looking, of course. His clothes were still loosely hanging off his body, minus the hood Kiba remembered him having. And the facial markings . . . before this test they had been intricate and covering most of his cheeks and lip area, but now they were faint, like he'd been doused with water. "Or I tied him to a tree before taking you out. I forget the details."

"You son of a – "

"Ssh." Kankuro held up a hand to silence Kiba. "Ah, here we go. Let's see if your scroll works in your favour."

He slowly pulled open the parchment and read the kanji printed on it. It obscured his face so that Kiba couldn't see if the news was good or bad. He knew that his scroll said moon, so if Kankuro's said sun . . . he could only hope that wasn't the case. And that Kankuro had the mercy to not kill him just for the hell of it.

"Well, well, well. A moon scroll? This is not a good day for you, my friend."

A knot twisted in Kiba's stomach. Shit. He needed to find a way out of this now that luck had betrayed him, but he couldn't even move his hands to perform a jutsu. It was as if the puppet at arms made of steel. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of chakra strings connecting it to Kankuro's left hand, the same one that held the scroll. Very dextrous.

Kiba started frantically rocking from side to side, hoping he could at least make it to his knees to scramble away. Fighting back didn't seem like much of an option. But Kankuro wasn't having any of it – he clenched his fist tightly, crumpling Kiba's scroll and dramatically increasing the puppet's strength. Now Kiba could barely breathe, let alone move.

"Geez, you're jumpy," Kankuro commented.

"I'm not going to . . . " Kiba had to gasp for air. " . . . just lie down and die."

"I'm not asking you to, idiot. If you'd waited for me to keep talking instead of rolling around like your damned dog, you'd know I was saying that it's not a good day for you because your partner's dead."

Not expecting this at all, Kiba could do nothing but gape. Kankuro must have approved of this lack of struggle, because he relaxed the puppet's grip. He tucked the scroll into his own clothes, then just stood there, watching.

"How d'you know he's dead?" Kiba asked suspiciously.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have both your moon scrolls in my collection. I did start with a sun scroll, after all."

Kiba stiffened. "You killed him?" More to the point, he wanted to know who it was. So far he'd only run into one person he knew and that was Hinata. Hers had been a fire scroll, so they parted ways. But what if his partner was Shino? Or Chouji? Or anyone else he knew?

"Nah, I didn't have the pleasure," Kankuro said. "Don't think anyone did, actually. It looked like he ate something he shouldn't have."

That made it sound like the guy wasn't from Konoha. If he was, he would've known what was edible and what wasn't. Kiba gave a sigh of relief, which made Kankuro raise an eyebrow and add, "That's not good news for you. You know this means you're out of the exam, right?"

Yeah, he knew. And he'd kick himself over it later, even if it was in no way his fault, but right now he had the immediate problem of the puppet to deal with. "So doesn't that mean you should let me go and find your own partner? You're just wasting time when you could be getting to the tower."

"That would be a great idea – if my partner weren't dead, too. I've also got her scroll. Little Mist girl, I don't know who got her."

"What?" Kiba struggled to sit upright. "You're out? Then why the hell did you even attack me?"

Kankuro grinned at him. "Because I'm sick and evil and twisted. That's what you're expecting, right? Well, maybe a little bit, but I really did have a good reason. But if you want me to tell you, I'm going to have to ask you to stop squirming so much."

He once again clasped his hand so that the puppet held Kiba in a vice grip. This was beginning to get annoying, and also very painful. He thought he heard a crack.

"Fine," Kiba said through gritted teeth. "Say whatever the hell you want."

"Good boy. So, the way I see it is this: I could kill you. Don't try to move, it's not going to help. We both know I can do whatever I want. But if I kill you, I'm no closer to passing this bastard of an exam, and I want to beat my damn sister at becoming a Jounin, so I don't plan on failing now."

"Are you saying we can still pass?" asked Kiba.

"I've got two moon and two sun scrolls. That's one more than we'd need. And I've done all the hard work, so you'd basically be getting a free ride."

Joining the enemy after his own teammate had been killed? It sounded suspiciously like this had turned into a test about avoiding treason. "No thanks."

"You want to die instead?" Kankuro leapt upon the bound Kiba, who couldn't fight it, and produced a kunai to hold against his throat. He pushed on it threateningly, but not yet painfully, though Kiba knew it was only a matter of time. Now he had not only the puppet but also Kankuro's full body weight holding him down. Though not good at admitting defeat, he knew a hopeless case when he was completely entangled in one.

But there was something not quite right here. Something that only Kiba's sharp senses could detect. There was a tiny tremor in Kankuro's hand and a sharpness to his breath – either he was having a heart attack, or his own body was betraying his cool exterior.

Kiba jumped on this. "Okay. I'll join you, if you bring back Akamaru."

"Your dog? I'm not touching that angry mutt again! And I don't think you're in the position to be bargaining with me. Threat of death, remember?"

"If you think I'm going to run off with you and leave my dog behind, you're too stupid for me to want anything to do with you." Kiba glared. "So either you get him now, or I get him later – and I don't make any guarantee that he won't attack you."

Kankuro leaned further in so that their noses were almost touching. He pressed on the kunai again. "Or, and I can't stress this enough, I kill you."

"Try it."

It was a big bluff to call, but Kiba didn't think the risk outweighed the gain. Whether he joined Kankuro or not, he was getting Akamaru one way or another. There was obvious no question there. But as it was, Kankuro had every advantage, all the power, and Kiba refused to be on a team like that. He'd been his team's unofficial leader for years and he wasn't about to defer to someone who was practically a stranger. Plus, if Kankuro retrieved Akamaru, it would be a show of good faith. They might be able to trust each other.

As for the risk . . . Kiba was almost certain that no matter how far he pushed, Kankuro wouldn't kill him. Despite the pressure of the kunai, all his attention was on his left hand, the one controlling the puppet – making sure Kiba couldn't make any sudden movements. If he could, the kunai could very well cut him unintentionally, and that clearly wasn't the plan. Plus, Kankuro kept threatening to kill him, and in Kiba's experience, more threat meant less action.

He hoped, anyway.

The two of them just glared at each other in silence, sharp breaths hitting their faces, before Kankuro's body lost its tension. His expression remained fierce, but the kunai dropped loosely in his hand. "Shit."

"Not in a murdering mood today?" Kiba tried to sound cocky, even though his heart was racing.

"Ha ha, you figured out I don't want you dead. Good for you."

"It's not bad."

"You know I do kill people."

"I remember that."

"So then how the hell did you know I was bluffing?"

"Call it instinct." Kiba began to feel tingling in his arms and legs, like the blood was being cut off from them. "Now can you let me go?"

Kankuro snorted derisively. "How dumb do you think I am? Just because I won't kill you gives me no guarantee you'll return the favour."

"I won't," Kiba promised. "You may not be on my holiday card list, but I know you. We've worked together. I'm not going to murder you just for the hell of it."

He wasn't lying. Kankuro weighed up his options and must have decided that Kiba's partnership was worth showing at least one sign of trust, because with a flick of the wrist, the puppet fell limply on the ground. Kiba's lungs ached in relief.

"All right, partners it is," said Kankuro, sounding satisfied.

"Lovely. Now, as your first partnerly favour . . . "

"You want me to go get your dog?"

"That's probably a bad idea, now that I think about it. We may have made a truce, but he'll probably attack you on sight unless I'm there to stop him." This wasn't a lie, either. Luckily, Kankuro laughed.

"So if I, out of the kindness of my heart, went and freed him like you asked, I'd have gotten my throat ripped out for my troubles? Damn, you drive a hard bargain, Inuzuka."

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you didn't remember my name."

"I lied. But hey, now we're a team, so honesty all the way. I've got nothing to hide."

Well, he was interesting. You had to give him that. Kiba stretched out an arm. "Your favour is to help me up."

As if there was no past distrust between them at all, Kankuro cheerfully grabbed Kiba's hand and pulled, but stopped when the action made Kiba let out a yell of pain.

"What?"

"Agh! I don't know." Kiba grimaced as he sat up. "Shit, I think I've cracked a rib. I can feel it stabbing something it shouldn't."

"Shit," Kankuro repeated. "Can you get up?"

"I'd rather not."

"Then let me check it out. I know broken ribs. I've caused about a million of them."

"Including this one," Kiba growled.

Kankuro smirked. "Don't hold your breath waiting for me to apologise. I'm proud of my work. Anyway, cough."

"Huh?"

"Cough," he instructed. "Any blood? It doesn't matter if it hurts, it probably will. We're just watching for blood. No? Okay, so it doesn't look like you've punctured anything, which is good, but I should look at it anyway. Can you lift your arms up?"

"Why?"

"So I can take your shirt off."

Kiba rolled his eyes and raised his arms. "There's something I didn't think I'd be hearing today."

"Oh, you like that? I've got more," Kankuro said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. But he tensed his face in concentration as he peeled Kiba's dirt-stained shirt over his head, careful to do it as slowly as possible. "Wow. Yeah, you're all purple."

Kiba took a look at the spot that was causing him grief, and sure enough, an angry indigo splotch covered the area just under his left arm. Gingerly, he poked at it and winced.

"That's going to take some time to heal." He jumped as he felt Kankuro's fingers poke at the bruise as well. It wasn't that his fingers were cold; it was just the unexpected contact.

"Personal space, dude."

"Oh, grow up. I'm not fondling you."

"I'm worried that's where this is leading."

Kankuro gave Kiba a sharp jab, making him flinch. "Rest assured, if I were going to fondle you, you'd know about it. I can give you some bandages if you want, but as long as you don't move too much you'll be fine. Purple, and massively vulnerable to attack from any ninja who decides he doesn't like your face, but otherwise fine."

"Good to know," said Kiba. He didn't know where this left him, besides at everyone's mercy. This was still an exam, and he was in no condition to fight. Not that he wouldn't try, if someone attacked.

With a bit more help from Kankuro, Kiba rose unsteadily to his feet and got his shirt back on. Walking only gave him a dull throb, and he could handle that. Kankuro led him slowly back to where Akamaru was, the two of them making casual conversation along the way: about Kankuro's siblings and Kiba's real teammates, about how much Akamaru had grown, and a healthy amount of bickering about which of their villages was the stronger. Kankuro also commented on how quiet their surroundings were, how he had seen neither hide nor hair of another person in hours.

"I know what you mean," agreed Kiba. "It's quiet, but not too quiet, like someone's lying in wait for an ambush. It's just empty. We didn't miss the deadline, did we?"

"Not even close. Time doesn't run out until tomorrow."

"Huh. Wonder what everyone's doing." Ideas flashed through Kiba's head until he said thoughtfully, "You wonder if any of them are having sex?"

Kankuro shot him an incredulous look. "First the fondling thing, now sex? Are you trying to give me some kind of hint?"

"Seriously! You stick a bunch of teenagers in pairs alone in a big, dark forest where they could die at any moment. I'll bet this place has seen more than its fair share of lost virginities."

"See, when you say 'bunch of teenagers', it sounds believable. But last year that included my sister, the year before my goddamned brother . . . no, it's just creepy."

Kiba snickered and didn't bring it up again. After not too long they found Akamaru – quite close to where Kiba had fallen out of the tree, but far enough that it must have been a lot of effort for Kankuro to drag him and tie him up there. By the time they arrived they saw that he had managed to chew through half the ropes holding him in place, intent on escaping. When he saw Kankuro, he bared his teeth and snarled.

"Easy," Kiba said to him. Akamaru looked disappointed, but obediently simmered down. A moment later he was free, and he bounded around happily after shooting Kankuro one last dirty look. Kankuro shot one right back.

"Tell him to keep his paws to himself. I've still got plenty of rope left."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he heard you. I can try to encourage him to behave, but whether or not he'll definitely obey is anybody's guess. So, to the tower?"

They began walking again, this time with Akamaru circling them like a vigilant guard. He seemed to be aware that Kiba was injured, keeping closer than usual and especially trying to stay in between him and Kankuro. The extra caution was unnecessary: once again, they saw no one.

"How long, exactly, do dogs hold grudged?" asked Kankuro at one point.

"Usually about as long as the owners," Kiba replied.

"You have a grudge against me? What did I do?"

"That's a tough one!"

"Okay, okay, the whole breaking-your-bones thing. But didn't I atone for that already?"

"By taking my shirt off and poking me?"

"Exactly!" Kankuro exclaimed with mock hurt. "I guess there's just no pleasing you. Next time should I take your pants off, too?"

Kiba raised his eyebrows. "And you thought I was hinting something."

It was then that it first crossed his mind to wonder about all these jokes that they were making – jokes, he assumed, that were innocent enough, but was it possible that Kankuro was being deliberately suggestive? It honestly hadn't occurred to him, but it was possible, he supposed.

But then his brain did what brains were best at: recreating inside his head a slide show of everything he and Kankuro had said and done during this brief period, highlighting anything with the slightest bit of subtext. All the jokes, all the touches . . .

No, I'm overthinking this. We're just joking, messing around. I'm being paranoid, and also a little full of myself. Just because we're not at each other's throats must mean he likes me? Grow up, Brain!

He glanced over at Kankuro, who flashed him a grin before looking elsewhere. Kiba's brain surged to find more subtext, but he forced himself not to think about it. He wasn't going to make this awkward.

But the thoughts sneaked in anyway . . .

He really tried to stop them. He distracted himself with scenery, Akamaru, and completely platonic conversation. However, when night eventually fell over the forest, and Kiba and Kankuro agreed that travelling in the dark was too risky, there was little else on which to focus. They found a funny recess in some grass, a cross between a burrow and a tiny cave, and decided it looked comfortable and hidden enough, so Kankuro got to work setting up traps for security. Curiously, in the midst of all the wires and explosive triggers, he also displayed his spare sun scroll.

When Kiba inquired, he answered, "It probably won't make a difference, but if we advertise that we're only carrying suns and moons, anyone who sees might leave us alone. Nobody else wants those ones. With a little luck, we'll have a nice, cosy evening to ourselves."

And then he winked. Winked. Kiba's brain went into overdrive. Damn it, I'm sure he's just kidding. I'm positive.

And it responded to itself: what's your plan if he's not?

"It doesn't matter," he actually mumbled aloud while Kankuro was out of earshot. "I'm being stupid. I could've had this exact conversation with Shino or Hinata and it wouldn't have been suggestive at all. It's not."

When it was time to sleep, it came easily to him. Being injured always made him woozy. Still, his ninja instincts hadn't abandoned him, so he slept with one eye open, drifting in and out, keeping Kankuro in his sight. As teammates did.

Kankuro, for his part, didn't appear to be sleeping at all. He kept watch for trouble, upright and alert whenever Kiba looked at him.

Even while he slept, some part of Kiba's subconscious threw memories and suggestions at him, pounding him with innuendo that clearly wasn't there, as well as scripting how their next interaction could turn out. Hey, were you hitting on me? No, Kiba, I was just being a decent, functioning human being. Right, forget I said anything. I think you've ruined any chance of that . . . His fatigued mind rambled into nothing.

Finally, he couldn't take not knowing. He came up with a subtle conversation-starter: "Hey, Kankuro. You have a girlfriend back in Suna?"

Okay, his tiredness made it seem more subtle than it actually was.

Kankuro glanced over his shoulder, not having realised Kiba was awake, and his expression held disbelief. "You got that from today?"

Kiba shrugged. "I dunno."

"No. No, I don't. And I'm not going to."

That didn't give Kiba much except more fuel for his curiosity. It wasn't clear to him whether Kankuro was not interested in dating, in dating Suna girls, or in girls in general. His gut was telling him that it was the lattermost option, and he normally trusted his gut in all situations, dire or trivial. Damn it, asking that question was supposed to alleviate his curiosity, not add to it. Though now that he had come this far – and overthought everything this much – it was impossible to leave it alone, and he couldn't help but wonder what all this meant for him personally.

Kiba himself was gay – or at the very least, definitely not straight. Maybe it was something about growing up with just his mother and older sister, or maybe it was the particular girls with which he'd surrounded himself over the years, but he'd just never thought of the opposite sex in that way. Getting a couple of years into his teens only confirmed what he already suspected. He was comfortable with it, bringing it up when it was relevant and leaving it when it wasn't, and was content finding males more attractive, frustrated though his mother was when that avenue for grandchildren was closed off.

So, you find Kankuro attractive now? his mind asked itself insidiously.

He pushed that thought away. He was way too tired and injured and generally messed up to stray down that road. Plus, and he knew it sounded silly, Kankuro was right there; surely thoughts like that could be heard from within a five-mile radius.

Eventually his confusion subsided enough for him to go back to sleep. He woke up what felt like ten seconds later in blackness, staring up at the blanket-covered night sky. He could hear shouting, feel the ground shaking, but his ribs screamed in protest when he tried to get up. He heard Akamaru growl from ages away, and Kankuro was nowhere to be seen. Something had gone wrong. People were fighting.

Kiba would later say that being stuck in a ditch unable to move while others fought around him was pure torture. It was true: his muscles were twitching, desperate to join the fray in spite of his injury, and he couldn't even yell out his frustrations in case his presence was a secret.

Confident but still squeamish, he flinched as someone let out a blood-curdling shriek that meant she'd sustained a horrible injury. Then someone called out: "When someone's got a knife against you, you do not do that! That's why idiots like you die needlessly!"

Kankuro. That much was obvious.

There was no reply except for more sounds of violent clashes. One of their exploding tags was set off and Kiba was sure he could smell blood. Waiting to find out what happened was agonising, minutes passing like hours. While he wanted to help, though, he found himself not at all worried about Kankuro's wellbeing. Probably because he'd never seen him lose before. Akamaru, on the other hand . . . what was he thinking, fighting alone? Did he even know how?

Anxiety plagued him and restlessness stabbed at him, but Kiba remained motionless until at last, the battle sounds subsided. Footsteps approached his resting place and Kankuro came into view, puppet draped over his back. He was covered in a healthy layer of sweat, which had taken what was left of his face paint right off, but no blood.

"Akamaru?" Kiba asked instantly.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." Kankuro rolled his eyes. "The mutt's okay as well, gone wandering off for some reason. He managed to make himself useful at the end there, but you could tell a part of him wanted to see me get my ass kicked. Wouldn't have happened, of course."

Kiba's ribs speared him with pain, making him see white for a second. Maybe he'd slept wrongly; the injury was definitely getting worse. "And what – what did happen?"

His scrunched-up face gave him away. Kankuro tossed the puppet aside and rushed forward, putting one hand on Kiba's forehead and using the other to seize his shirt. "Shit, forget me, are you all right? It doesn't look worse – your temperature's fine – "

"I'm okay! Don't worry. I think it's just one of those things that get worse before they get better."

"Right. Well, don't let it get too much worse. I just risked my life to save yours, so I'd rather you didn't die by accident."

"Risked your life?" Kiba exclaimed. "Seriously, what happened out there?"

Kankuro grinned, shaking his head. "It was no trouble at all, actually. Someone saw us, saw the scroll we left out, decided to take it and kill us even though they didn't need it. Amateurs. They wouldn't have even known how to kill."

"What village?"

"Yours. Mine. Mist."

"Wait, how many were there?"

It was foreboding that Kankuro actually paused to think before answering. "About seven. Not working together, just being opportunistic."

Seven. He had fought off seven people single-handedly and returned without a scratch. It was unthinkable. Suddenly Kiba's pain vanished, like it was guilty about existing when Kankuro had risked so much and come out unscathed.

"Thanks," Kiba said a little awkwardly.

Kankuro shrugged. "You do what you've got to do."

Unexpectedly, he dropped himself to the ground and lay down next to Kiba. He rested his head on his hands with his elbows stretched out to the sides, one of them touching Kiba's shoulder.

Kiba was about to say, "Personal space," again, but something held his tongue. Instead, he stopped to think and found himself focusing on that small amount of body contact. It wasn't even skin to skin, but he was completely aware of both it and the reaction he was having to it. It was as if all his nerves had shifted to zone in on that one spot, making it hypersensitive. He became conscious of his breathing: when he inhaled and his chest expanded, his shoulder moved just enough to increase the contact, and he found himself liking that.

Well, shit.

He was pretty sure he'd answered the question of whether he was attracted to Kankuro.

Admitting it seemed to unleash a floodgate of feelings, ranging from panic to embarrassment to exhilaration to god knows what else. Now that they were all there, it felt like he absolutely needed to do something about them. But what could he do until he knew what Kankuro was thinking? He sure as hell wasn't going to just roll over and hope for the best, but he also didn't want to wait around while his own brain taunted him.

He chose a good, sensible, middle ground and decided to just ask. "Oi, Kankuro," he said, poking the other in the side. Even that gave him a bit of a rush.

"Mm?"

"You were just messing around before, yeah?"

Kankuro tilted his head and gave Kiba a faintly amused look. "I don't know. When exactly do you mean?"

He wasn't making this easy. Not at all. "The jokes. Fondling. Taking my clothes off. Teammates having sex in the forest."

"To be fair, you were the one who brought up teammate sex," Kankuro pointed out. "I said I didn't want to think about it."

"Ah."

Kiba's stomach was turning as he decided this was a stupid idea and if he took it any further he would collapse in a pit of shame. Kankuro wasn't giving anything away, and that was as good as a rejection, surely. Kiba closed his eyes, waiting for the moment to go away.

There was a shuffling sound, then Kiba felt the sensation of someone hovering just over his face. He re-opened his eyes in trepidation to see Kankuro leaning over him, arms on either side of his body. Their noses were almost touching for the second time today and Kiba could smell Kankuro's breath as it warmed his cheeks; surprisingly, it smelled good.

"But," Kankuro said, smirking, "maybe I've reconsidered."

Kiba barely had time to look dumbstruck before their lips connected and they were kissing. Woah, that's new. Definitely kissing. There was no way he could be misreading this. It was clearly, beyond all doubt, a kiss.

Well, who was he to complain? He kissed back, pleased that this seemed to be going to way he wanted it to. He tilted his head right and Kankuro did too, pressing themselves closer, tongues moving in unison. Kiba grabbed onto the sides of Kankuro's shirt for leverage. He realised he could feel Kankuro grinning against his mouth and he did the same.

"Damn," he said when they finally broke the kiss.

"Damn," agreed Kankuro.

"Not that I'm overly concerned right now, but you are a freaking closed book."

"Hey, I was about ready to declare you blind and Akamaru your guide dog. You really had no idea?"

"Oh, fuck you." And Kiba kissed him before he could get in a witty riposte. This was fun, this was awesome, and he was done with the games. In the moment, he slipped his hands underneath Kankuro's shirt and brushed them over his bare skin. It was hot and inviting, so he acted purely on instinct and grabbed, hard, with his fingernails.

A strange noise came from Kankuro's throat, straight from his mouth into Kiba's; the feeling behind it wasn't clear but it sent an icy shiver down Kiba's spine, in a good way. While that part of him was cold, it was balanced out by the heat spreading through the rest of him, centring somewhere below his navel.

"That fucking hurt," Kankuro growled.

"Man the fuck up." It was amusing how they were suddenly swearing at each other when there had been no need for it before.

Yeah, that's the funniest part about this.

Kiba couldn't help it; he started laughing. And when he did, he remembered with stark clarity how injured he was. His broken rib stabbed at him and he tensed his arms, which made Kankuro collapse on top of him. Of course, that made the pain a million times worse and he saw stars.

Kankuro instantly moved. "Shit. You right?"

"Not even a little bit," Kiba choked out.

"Do you want to . . . "

"No. No way. It'll go away in a minute, just get the fuck back here."

Kankuro laughed wickedly. "Good, because I wasn't even close to done."

He leaned back over, careful to avoid the sore spot, and captured Kiba's chin in his fingers. Kiba thought another kiss was coming, but Kankuro surprised him by going in for his neck. He still kissed, but it was different – it was forceful, insistent, one-sided: normal kisses were mutual, but this was being administered to Kiba. He just lay there, taking it, enjoying the sensations. It was unbelievably gratifying to know that someone else was deliberately giving him pleasure, that being the ultimate goal. And being injured, he didn't even have to give anything back, if he so chose.

A flurry of movement, and suddenly both of them were shirtless. Being pressed up against another's naked torso was something else; Kiba didn't even care when he saw how dark his bruise had gotten. Tomorrow's problems. The only problem to worry about right now was how to do what he wanted with Kankuro without passing out from the pain.

Evidently Kankuro was thinking the same. "So, teammates doing it in the forest."

"Happens all the time," Kiba answered, heart pounding.

"Well, I have no problem becoming one of the statistics if you don't."

Invigoration flooded through him, any residual doubts completely gone. His body had a kind of ache to it, and he wanted Kankuro to relieve it. Hell, he wanted Kankuro, full stop.

Kankuro's hands played about his pants. Kiba felt like he was on fire, desperate for contact, but unable to lift his own body to get it. He needed to wait for Kankuro to come to him, and that was its own unique brand of torture. Kankuro was taking his sweet time, fingers moving with a swagger, if that was possible. He was confident, relaxed, yet still his eyes glittered with excitement and lust, lips parted slightly as his breath came out staggered.

Finally Kiba could take no more toying. "Okay! I may be infirm but I'm not dead. Are you going to fucking do this or not?"

Kankuro laughed. "It's never quite right until they've begged."

Whether that was a reference specifically to sex or to any activity at all, Kiba never found out, as his pants were torn off him and tossed aside along with Kankuro's own. Kiba felt Kankuro's hands on him, all over him, and then their two bodies were against each other completely.

"Fuck," Kiba gasped, only partly from pain.

"Getting to it."

Now Kankuro's calm expertise had gone out the window as he, too, got caught in the blaze of the moment. It was his fingers that showed urgency, running up and down Kiba like mad until they found where they wanted to go. Kiba felt a quick spasm of alarm – he'd sure as hell never been on the receiving end of sex like this before – but Kankuro gave him no time to act on it as he aggressively pushed a finger inside him.

Another explosion of feelings. One part of him was yelling, No, no way, this is not what nature intended!

A louder part was responding, Screw nature! This is better than natural!

Kankuro was reaching parts of him that he, Kiba, didn't know existed. He could feel blood rushing to his brain – among other places – and all his body wanted was more of the same. Kankuro obliged, using another finger.

Then they were gone, and Kiba gritted his teeth as he knew what came next. He wanted it, oh god how he wanted it, but he had no misapprehensions about how much it would hurt.

As Kankuro slid into him, Kiba was not disappointed.

It hurt.

It fucking hurt.

It was completely different from the pain of a broken rib: this felt like the fire inside him had burst out; as if he'd been experiencing the pleasure of its heat but now he had to experience its destructive knives of flame. It was positively excruciating.

On the other hand, he was having sex with Kankuro. And that was freaking awesome.

It was still pain, but somehow that was exactly what made it feel brilliant. With what force he had, Kiba moved, angling himself back towards Kankuro's body. Taking the hint, Kankuro thrust forward. Kiba let out a strangled cry, but this time it was almost entirely pleasurable. So it kept going. Kankuro didn't stop. Kiba felt himself shaking, knowing he wasn't in control of himself anymore, just moving into it – into it – into the horrible, wonderful pain –

With a shuddering gasp of his own, Kankuro orgasmed where he was and fell forward onto Kiba's chest. His hands continued to act, bringing Kiba to an insanely powerful climax soon after. Kiba's mind was in a daze; he was sure he wouldn't be thinking straight for hours, or maybe weeks.

"Shit," he said aloud between heavy breaths. "I – that – "

"Fucking rocked?" Kankuro finished for him, voice muffled against his chest, but also very smug. It was like the subtext was, Yeah, I did that. You're in a sex haze and it was me that put you there.

"I was going to say it was not exactly what I expected to get out of a Chuunin exam, but you're not wrong."

"Oh, right, we're in an exam! Shit, you know I forgot about that? Well, I suppose we should be professional and leave for the tower immediately."

"Not on your life." Kiba was far too comfortable where he was to consider moving before it was absolutely necessary. "Pass me a towel or some bandages, or my shirt if there's nothing else. I'm a mess. Hope the tower has a bath."

They took a minute to clean themselves off, though the forest had already left them dirty and sweaty enough that nothing short of a good shower could help them. Then they just lay back lazily, grinning about what they'd done. It felt like quite an accomplishment. Oh god, if Kiba could see the look on Shino or Hinata's face if they ever found out! He actually laughed out loud at the prospect.

But the sun eventually rose, and that meant they were nearing the edge of their deadline for the exam. Kankuro packed up all the traps while Kiba warmed up his injured and sex-spent body. All the while, Akamaru circled them, giving them both the evil eye like he knew exactly what had happened and judged them for it.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," Kiba advised him. Akamaru barked in protest.

Then they got moving. It was still slow progress, but evidently last night's fight made everyone else eager to avoid Kankuro, and Kiba was fine with that, maybe even a little bit pleased. He'd slept with a total badass. That was kind of cool.

The tower loomed over them, entrance straight ahead. When they reached it, Kankuro paused before going in. "You know, it occurs to me that they'll probably split up the teams for the third test."

"Oh, you're probably right. Damn! I was mildly enjoying your company."

"I had a feeling." Kankuro pulled Kiba in close and kissed him, fingers roughing up his hair. It was a good kiss, and very obviously a final kiss.

For now, thought Kiba.

They broke apart, shared one more grin, before entering the tower, partnership ended.

THE END