Kakashi finished the last sentence of Icha Icha # 11 with a long breathless sigh. Then read through the last three pages, lingering on every word, again.

Phew! That was HOT!

He shot a discrete look at a certain academy sensei, who was currently occupied at the other end of the couch, grading papers.

A lot of papers.

So many papers that it didn't look as if he'd be finished any time soon.

And when he was, he'd probably be too tired for anything but sleep.

Kakashi set his book down nonchalantly, in a seemingly random fashion, so that it covered a very non-random part of his anatomy.

"So Ruka… watcha doing? It's getting pretty late you know."

Iruka's head jerked up and he peered over the top of his reading glasses.

"Oh. Sorry Kashi, I'm not being very good company am I. I'm just grading these quizzes… mission protocols."

Kakashi scooted a few feet closer. "Need some help."

Iruka's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's very sweet of you Kashi."

Then he noticed the closed orange book. And the skeptic within him shrugged. So… Kakashi was in a hurry to get him into bed. Well it was hardly the first time, and some Icha Icha inspired nookie was very tempting, and he really could use the help.

He grinned widely as he divided the pile roughly in half and picked up a blank quiz. "Shall I make you a grading key?"

This time Kakshi's eyebrows shot up. "Iruka, just in case you've forgotten, I am Hatake Kakashi, I've been an active shinobi, doing serious field missions, for more than two decades. I do not need a grading key for some kiddie quiz on mission protocols."

Kakashi snatched up his share of the papers, a red pen, and settled down on his end of the couch.

He read through the first question, looked at Iruka from under his hair, and read through it again.

He chewed the end of the pen, looked at the next quiz, then the next, then went back to the first one. Finally he let out a single loud breath. In fact, to be precise, he huffed.

"Ok, give me the goddam key."

Iruka tried very hard, valiantly even, to suppress the laugh. Really, it barely came out as much more than a squeak, but it still earned him a death glare from those miss-matched eyes.

He picked up the blank quiz and poised his red pen next to the first question:

'What is the maximum grace period between the completion of a mission and when the mission report is to be handed in to the mission room staff?'