FIC: Greyscale (Pockyverse)
And now for something completely different... okay, not completely, but it IS a little different. For something that's supposedly about how two horny teenagers get together and become best buds, there's not a whole lot of smex going on...
Title: Greyscale
Fandom: Naruto
Characters: Genma, Raido and a bunch of OCs
Genre: Mood-fic with some Adventure, Romance, and Angst
Rating: Rish, some NC-17 bits
Warnings: Language, Sex, Drinking, Violence, Death
Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does, along with whatever other people/entities are along for the ride.
A/N: Set as a Prequel to my Pockyverse of Gen/Rai+Iruka crack. In Ch2 of What Genma Wanted, there's a scene in an alley, and Genma remembers being 'almost drunk in an alley in some piss-stupid town waiting for a package'. This fic shows what happened. Consider it filler, perhaps a little AU, and a little darker and grittier than my other stuff.
Ages: Genma is 17, Raido is 19. It's set in March, just before the Kyuubi attack. (And for those that are wondering, in my Pocky-verse, Iruka would be 9, turning 10 soon)
Summary: How Genma and Raido met, and what happened.
Grey. It was all grey. The sky, the street, even the buildings were old, weathered, grey wood. And grey brick. And grey stone. Just grey. It wasn't raining, not really. It was more a pathetic spittle of mist, leaving Raido's clothes damp and his hair a mess of curls and soot. He needed a hair cut. The stuff just stuck up and out and it made him look like a kid. He was 19, soon to be 20, he'd been a ninja for nearly a decade; he didn't want to look like a kid. Not when he was the 'kid' in the group, and they never let him forget it.
Fortunately, in this grey town, even the kids drank. There wasn't anything else for them here - work in a coal mine, or work in a clothes factory. Then you could either go home and stare at a wall, or hit a seedy bar and lose what little money you had gambling, drinking, or whoring. Raido had seen the whores here - he would definitely stick with drinking. They had been here a while, waiting for someone to bring something. He didn't know what exactly, but he hoped it came soon. Their money was running out, and as the biggest man in the team, he was the likeliest candidate for the mine. Unless Miyake decided to apply at the factory. Raido nearly spit his drink out at the image of the sour-faced man bent over a table, threading a needle.
A flash of green caught the corner of Raido's eye as a young man entered the bar, his eyes immediately drawn to Raido.
"Hello, stranger!" the man called, a senbon bumping against his lips.
"Hello, yourself," Raido answered with a grin. He hadn't seen another Leaf ninja in weeks. He didn't recognize the young man, a teenager by his looks, but Raido didn't care. Home was home, and this man even smelled of it.
"Shiranui."
"Namiashi," Raido replied, signalling for another round. "Pull up a seat."
Shiranui rolled his eyes at Raido's joke. There weren't any seats in the bar. Not because it was crowded - it wasn't - but because chairs or stools too often became weapons. The owner, Oshiro, told Raido he was tired of being sued. "Like I have anything," the old man coughed. "If they want the bar, they can have it. Otherwise, they can kiss my wrinkly old ass."
The two men downed their drinks, glancing at each other nervously. "Can I ask why you're here?" Shiranui ventured.
"Nope. You?"
Shiranui shook his head. "Uh-uh. This sucks," he said glumly. "Now what?"
Raido didn't answer, suddenly bending down and grabbing the man's vest, pushing it against his nose.
"Why, Namiashi. I think you owe me a few more drinks before we start that," the teen purred at him.
With a blush on his face, Raido shook his head. "I haven't been home in weeks. You smell like trees. Fuck, I miss trees." He sighed, the smell reminding him of everything he missed in Konoha.
"Oh," Shiranui laughed. "I guess that's okay then."
Raido wondered if he'd imagined the disappointment in the other man's voice.
"Well, gotta be off. Thanks for the drink."
Raido nodded back. "You staying in town?"
"Think so. They really don't tell me much," Shiranui replied with a grimace.
"Yeah, me too," Raido chuckled. "You get used to it."
"When?"
"I'll let you know when it happens."
"Bastard," Shiranui muttered with a grin. He waved, a casual jerk of his hand, and left the bar.
"Friend of yours?" Oshiro asked.
"Nah. Never met him before. But it was nice to see a new face."
---
"We have an interesting development," Yoshida called when Raido wandered back to their room.
"If it's about the other team, I met one of them already," Raido replied.
Yoshida nodded, grinning. "Nice, huh? They just came from Konoha. They still smell like home."
"Does that mean we can go?" Miyake growled. "Because this place is just stupid."
"Nope, we're staying out the month. It seems our package has been delayed, and we're just going to have to sit tight until it gets here. On the bright side, the Hokage sent us the other team so we can keep better watch on the bars. Just in case."
Raido sighed. "That's good. Means we didn't miss it."
Yoshida nodded. "And they also brought funds with them, so I guess you're safe from the mine for a while, kid."
"I dunno," Raido shrugged. "It would be nice to have something useful to do. I don't mind drinking in the evenings, but this afternoon stuff just seems wrong." Not that he could tell it was afternoon, with the sky a dark grey.
"You say that now. Wait until your lungs are so full of soot you can't even talk, then complain about being bored. Ungrateful kid." Yoshida scowled, then relaxed. "We're having dinner with them, and then we'll trade information. And lucky you, Namiashi, you won't be the youngest anymore. They've got a 17year old with them."
"Huh," Raido answered absently. "He looked younger."
---
"So where did you guys end up?" Raido asked between mouthfuls of some mess pretending to be chicken.
"Cell Block C," Shiranui quipped, holding up a squishy glob of beef, trying to get some of the oil to drip off. "The C stands for Crap. It goes by the name of 'Destiny's Island', but I know better."
Raido laughed back, pulling out a ration bar and dropping it into the sauce on his plate. "This place is called 'Bull's Paradise'." He turned the bar over and over, letting the sauce soak in. "I think the bulls left in protest."
"You know, the point is to eat real food when you can, and save those for later."
"This," Raido announced, spearing his chicken and nearly gagging when it fell apart, blood running out of the middle, "is not real food. Besides, it can't taste any worse, can it?" He broke the bar into pieces and put one in his mouth.
"Well?"
"It's not any worse," Raido mumbled. "But it's not any better, either."
"Oi, you kids quit playing with your food. We've got stuff to do tonight."
Shiranui rolled his eyes, while Raido squinched up his mouth. "Yes, Dad," they chimed together, throwing in every shred of teenaged disdain and contempt they could still muster into the phrase.
"Shut it, brats. You're not too old or too big to be whipped." Shiranui's team leader was a burly man, bigger than Raido.
"Oooo, Daddy, you say the dirtiest things at the dinner table. What would Mommy say?" Shiranui stuck his senbon back in his mouth and waved it in the direction of his other team member.
Raido nearly choked at the innuendo in the man's, boy's, whatever he was, the guy's voice.
The second man, Ishikawa, merely chuckled, shaking his finger back. "Mommy says 'boys with dirty mouths and dirtier minds get to sleep on the floor'."
"Don't," Raido whispered when it looked like Shiranui was going to complain. "Take the floor. It's cleaner."
"But there's bugs on the floor," Shiranui hissed back.
Raido shook his head. "Trust me, they're better than the bugs in the bed. At least the roaches don't bite. And there aren't any rats." He pointed at Genma's food meaningfully.
---
"This is it?" Shiranui groaned in disbelief when they finished their meeting. "We sit around in bars all day, every day, until this guy shows up and hands us something?"
"That's it," Yoshida nodded. "Piece of cake."
"Cake," Miyake sighed. "Don't say cake. My wife makes the best cake."
"Why do they even need ninja for this?" Shiranui continued.
"Don't ask questions, boy," his team leader snarled. Raido jumped, but Shiranui seemed immune to the man. "Just do what you're told."
Shiranui didn't bother to hide his rude gesture.
"You've got your assignments. Bars close at 11 tonight. Stay there until thirty minutes before, than hang around outside until it shuts down."
Raido stood, hoping he had eaten enough to soften the blow of the alcohol, because he knew he couldn't drink enough to soften the blow of the food. He nodded at Shiranui's jaunty half-wave and stomped off, back to Oshiro's place.
"Fuck," Miyake cursed, watching the two younger men leave. "Namiashi is raw, but at least he's not mouthy. How the hell do you put up with that, Nakamura?"
The large man laughed and shrugged. "We were damn lucky to get him," he whispered. "Bastard isn't even 18 yet, and he's got 14 kills this year already. If he keeps this up, he's going to go down as one of the best assassins ever."
"14? But it's only March! "
"You didn't think that senbon was just for show, did you? And he's just as deadly with a kunai. Or a rock. What about your kid? Any good?"
Miyake nodded. "Eyes like a damn hawk, and I think he can smell a trap a mile away. Once he loses that baby face and grows into his body, he's going to one intimidating son of a bitch. Still a little impatient, so this mission is good for him."
Nakamura nodded back and took off, ambling to his post for the evening.
---
The days and nights passed slowly, with a frustratingly monotonous surety. They stayed at the bars until closing time, staggered home and slept off the buzz. Woke up late, washed clothes or played cards, then hit the bars again just after lunch. Raido felt his mind going numb, and his body didn't feel any better. Some mornings he would wake up early, just to creep out of the village and run, jump, punch, anything to keep his reflexes from petrifying under the crushing weight of boredom.
They wore their uniforms openly, and Raido was happy the black didn't show soot. His clothes were covered in it. They weren't in Fire Country, but they weren't anywhere else either. This town didn't care, it was a forgotten place, neither of its industries mechanized enough to be profitable for much longer. He saw other shinobi sometimes, passing through to who knows where, but they were under orders to avoid a fight. He'd heard some interesting things, passed them along to Yoshida, and forgot about them.
One morning, three days after Shiranui's team arrived, Raido stomped down to the boarding house's kitchen and asked it he could use it. He'd found claws in his breakfast. The woman stared at him, but nodded. "If you hurry, you can catch the grocery cart before it leaves." Raido came back with an assortment of stuff, withered and wretched, but still edible. For lunch, he presented his teammates with a variety of small items surrounding a plate of rice.
"What the hell, Namiashi," Miyake growled. "Who taught you to cook like this?"
"My mom," Raido shrugged. "She decided if she was going to teach my sister, she might as well teach me, too. It's okay. They really don't have the spices I need here, but I couldn't take another day of mystery meat in grease."
"My stomach thanks you," Yoshida declared.
"My nose thanks you as well," Miyake scowled, because he shared a bed with Yoshida and the stench at night was terrifying. "Is it any cheaper cooking? I wouldn't mind eating like this everyday, if you don't mind cooking."
Raido nodded. "We'll have to get protein somewhere, but if I can find a source of meat, yeah, no problem."
"I'll ask the landlady if we're allowed to hunt," Yoshida promised before they left for their afternoon of drinking.
Raido scooped up part of his meal into a cloth and went in search of Shiranui. "Here," he whispered, pushing the bundle into his comrade's hands.
"What's this?"
"Food. Real food."
Shiranui squinted up at him, considering. He leaned against the wall and opened the bundle, using his fingers to scoop some into his mouth.
Raido was amazed the man could eat around the senbon in his mouth, although 'eat' was too gentle a term. 'Inhale' would be more appropriate.
Closing his eyes, Shiranui sighed and swallowed the last bite. "That. Was. Heaven."
"Yoshida's gonna ask our landlady about hunting privileges. If so, I think I can fix it so we can eat this way every day."
"What'd you do? Sell your body?"
"No," Raido muttered, a little irritated. "Pervert. I just asked if I could use her kitchen." He plucked the dirty cloth from Shiranui's hand and stuffed it into his pocket. "Gotta go."
"Hey, wait, you made this?"
Raido waved and nodded, grinning at the younger man's astonishment.
---
On the tenth day, the skies opened up and it rained. And rained. And rained. Raido stood outside under an eave, hoping the rain would wash some of the grey away. He wasn't getting as much sleep now, but he felt better. The landlady, Mrs. Hasegawa (Call me Kiyumi, Rai-kun, she always said, after wheedling Raido's name out of him) let him use her kitchen whenever he wanted, in exchange for his help. There wasn't anything to hunt yet, but she promised in a few weeks they would be flooded with rabbits. So he got up early to help her pick vegetables from the cart, and they worked side by side until mid-morning, when he took off to catch a nap before lunch.
The other team would creep over just before lunch, when they would sit upstairs in the tiny room and eat together, telling stories and gossiping to pass the time. They'd received a message from another team - the package was on its way. But with the spring rains, they could expect another delay. Raido didn't groan this time - he had found something to do. True, Mrs. Hasegawa was beginning to hint that perhaps he should stay with them when his team left. She had a daughter, and of course, they would have to buy out the girl's contract at 'The Pampered Prince Bathhouse', but the girl had only been working there for four years, so she was still pretty. Raido shuddered when he met the woman's daughter. She was only 16.
That night, buoyed by a surprising glimpse of the sun in the afternoon and a more appetizing diet, Raido leaned against the bar and chatted with the miners. They were used to him, the regulars, and those that lived at the Bull's Paradise were grateful for the rise in the quality of their breakfasts. They bought him drinks in appreciation, so that when Raido left, he was nearly drunk. Beyond tipsy, but not quite drunk. It was an interesting feeling.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle, so Raido made a dash to the boarding house, making it halfway when a crash of thunder and flash of lightning announced the start of another downpour. He ducked into an alleyway, spying a shed at the end that would provide more shelter than the eaves. As he stood shivering in the cold, wet air, he saw Shiranui dash past and called out, alerting his comrade to the shelter.
"Oh, much better," Shiranui groaned, shaking his head to dislodge the water. "I really hate this place."
"You haven't even been here two weeks," Raido muttered, wondering if he should take off his vest. The air was cold, true, but the vest was soaked, so it wasn't really helping.
"I hated it as soon as I got here."
"Hey, you met me as soon as you got here," Raido grinned. "I think I've been insulted."
Shiranui grinned back. "Nah, meeting you was the high point of that day. But everything else just sucks."
"Whatever, moron." Raido leaned against the wall with a groan, rubbing his wet hand against his face. "I'm tired of drinking."
"Had too much?"
Raido nodded. "The guys at the boarding house had to thank me for their food. It seems I've become something of a hero to them."
Raido shivered again, finally deciding to pull off the vest and hang it over a broken chair. "I hate this place."
Shiranui laughed, then looked out the doorway up at the sky. "Think it's going to stop soon?"
"Probably," Raido answered when another crash of thunder shook their shelter. "It's moving fast. Should be done in twenty minutes."
Dropping his vest on top of Raido's, Shiranui nodded. "Good."
Then Shiranui was right in front him, pushing him up against the wall. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Raido hissed when he felt the man's hands on his back.
"Shhh. Thanking you for the food," Shiranui whispered back. He pushed against Raido again, and Raido gasped when he felt something hard hit his groin. "Been a while for you too, huh?"
"Yes," Raido mumbled, his mind reeling at the reality of what was happening. He could feel Shiranui's mouth against his ear, the senbon carefully pointed away from any fleshy parts. His skin prickled and he shuddered, a low moan escaping from his lips.
Shiranui seemed to take his answer as encouragement to proceed, and Raido felt a hand down his pants before he could push the man away. And then the pants were undone, and Shiranui pushed against him again. Raido's hands flew to the smaller man's back, holding him in place.
"We shouldn't. We need to get back."
"Relax. We're just waiting for the rain to stop."
Raido was cold. The air was cold, Shiranui's hands were cold, and when Raido felt his pants come undone, his briefs pulled down, his dick was cold. Then Shiranui reached a hand out into the rain, cupped to catch some of the water. He smoothed it over Raido's cock, and fuck, that was cold, too. But then Shiranui slid his own cock out, pushing it up against Raido's, and Raido wondered if he would ever feel cold again, because Shiranui was hot against his body, hot breath on his neck, hot dick sliding against Raido's, so hot Raido was amazed he couldn't see the steam that had to be there. And Raido was just drunk enough not to care, now that he felt this heat, not to care that his teammates were waiting, not to care that they were going to make a mess, not to care about anything but the heat he craved.
"Shiranui," he breathed, hands sliding down the man's back to cup his ass, pulling him closer.
"Genma." A whispered word jolted across Raido's ear. "Don't call me Shiranui like you don't even know me."
"Genma," Raido whispered, bending his head down against Genma's shoulder. "Ah, 's good."
They moved against each other, frantically, desperately, panting curses and groans in each other's ears. The water wasn't quite slick enough, but neither man cared. Raido hadn't even masturbated in weeks, not with his older teammates two feet away. Raido groaned again, kneading the ass in his hands, pulling the man closer, and running a hot tongue along the still-damp neck, teeth grazing an ear.
"Raido," he whispered finally, realizing he'd never given his own name.
Genma answered with a nod and a sharp nip to an earlobe. He didn't seem to care what Raido said or did, as long as that beautiful friction didn't stop. He grabbed another handful of water, and Raido hissed at the sensation of cold water meeting burning flesh. He shoved his hands down the back of Genma's pants, wanting to feel more of the hot skin.
"Close, Raido," Genma panted, and now Raido nodded back, one hand snaking up to grab Genma's hair, pulling his head back to expose his throat.
"Close, Genma," he breathed, dragging teeth gently across the skin, careful that he didn't leave marks that would need to be explained.
Genma shuddered, and Raido wondered if he would mind if Raido kissed him. Probably, he decided, because that wasn't what this was about. This was sex, pure need, and kissing, well, he laughed to himself when he realized he probably didn't know Genma well enough to even consider it.
Then Raido felt his body tighten, everything disappearing except the white heat burning across and through his body. He buried his face against Genma's neck and came with a shout, mercifully muffled by another crack of thunder. Genma's arms tightened around him, and he felt the other man shudder and groan against his ear. "Fuck, Raido. Fuck. Fuck!"
And then it was over, as they stood panting against each other, bodies trembling from the damp cold, so obvious after the heat. Raido could smell their sweat and semen mixing with the rain, sighing that even the rain here was stale and grey. Genma didn't smell like Konoha anymore, but Raido buried his nose in the man's neck anyway, breathing deeply. "Genma," he whispered.
The rain hadn't stopped, but now it was a good thing. Using the cloth Raido kept in his pocket, he wiped them off carefully, but some of the white stains remained. Their vests would hide the worst of it. Genma slid his vest on, handed Raido his and turned without a word to leave. Raido grabbed him by the arm, dragging him into a bear hug.
"What? You want a good night kiss?" Genma smirked.
"Just want to know what you want for lunch."
"Surprise me," Genma whispered. "Come on, we need to get back."
Raido followed him into the darkness, happy the storm obliterated the grey sky, even for just a little while.
---
Genma left him a block away from the boarding house and disappeared into the rain. Raido, his legs rubbery from fatigue and alcohol, stumbled the few steps back, nearly bumping into another man in the dark. Raido caught a flash of something metal across the man's head, but the man ducked and walked off, mumbling in response to Raido's apology.
"Where the hell were you?" Yoshida muttered from the bed when Raido opened the door.
"Tried to wait out the rain, but it isn't stopping. We have some new visitors."
The man sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Report."
"Nothing much to report. I bumped into him on my way back. His hitai-ate is from Mist."
That got Yoshida's attention. "Are you sure?"
"I'm not quite that drunk, sir."
Yoshida chuckled and nodded. "I heard the miners were rather generous to you today. Well, if there are Mist ninja in town, we'll see them soon enough. Get some sleep."
---
The next day was beyond awkward. Raido didn't know what to say to Genma, and Genma didn't say anything to Raido. The older men searched the village that morning and found nothing to indicate the arrival of any new travelers, ninja or civilian. They chalked it up to Raido's overindulgence, teasing him loudly because of his hangover until he threatened to go back to bed and let them eat Kiyumi-san's cooking.
Raido found himself in something of a funk. He wasn't really ashamed of what had happened, but he didn't like the feeling his teammates knew about it and were just waiting to spring it on him. He didn't like wondering if it was going to happen again or not. He really didn't like the realization that he'd forgotten to use a condom. Raido groaned, sitting up against the wall and looked up into the sky the next night, watching the rain come down.
"It's not that big a deal, kid," Miyake said quietly, almost gently. "Sex happens. Especially when we've got two bored and horny teenagers on our hands. I'm kind of surprised it took this long."
"I know that," Raido bristled. "It's just..."
"Look, I only have daughters at home, thank the gods, so I've never had to deal with 'The Talk' or anything, but..." Miyake stopped, rubbing his hand through his hair. "You know about diseases and stuff, right?"
Raido nodded. "I know. And when it came down to it, all that knowledge flew right out of my mind."
Miyake sighed. "You're a strange one, Namiashi. Here we think you're pining for the kid, and you're just contemplating your dick falling off."
"I am such an idiot," Raido muttered, curling up, his face on his knees.
The older man wisely did not respond. "You need to talk to him, Namiashi. We have med-kits. If there's a problem, I'm sure we can figure something out. There is a doctor in town. He's probably used to these sort of things."
The next morning, Raido got up to his daily chores. He was careful with his drinking now, slowly mastering the skill of nursing a drink or two all evening instead of one an hour. He spent the same amount, leaving the rest as a tip at the end of the evening. Oshiro didn't complain. Once breakfast was done, Raido started on lunch. Before he left the kitchen, he set out what the landlady would need for dinner. She was getting better at this, now that she had help. "I'm going to catch a nap before lunch," he called as he left, trudging up the stairs to their room.
He woke with a start when a voice called down to him. "Hey, lunch is here."
Raido opened his eyes and found Genma staring down at him. "Where's everyone else?"
"Still looking for your mystery ninja. Are you sure you didn't just make that up to throw them off?"
"I know what I saw, Shiranui," Raido scowled back. "And you're kidding yourself if you think they don't know."
Genma regarded him with cold eyes. "Just making sure you're not the one kidding yourself." He set down the tray with a snap and began to eat.
"Um," Raido began, picking at his food.
"What? Are you really pining after me?"
"What? No! I'm just..." Raido stopped and closed his eyes. "We didn't use condoms."
"No, I guess we didn't." Genma chuckled, and Raido thought the man sounded nervous.
"I...I've never forgotten like that before. I'm, uh, clean, just so you know." Raido opened his eyes, surprised to find Genma's were shut tight.
Genma exhaled, opening his eyes. "Oh, fuck, yes." He smiled, relief spread across his face. "Me, too. I've been freaking out, just a little, thinking my cock was going to start oozing or something."
"Yeah, me too. We both need to be more careful."
"How about," Genma replied, leaning over to whisper directly in Raido's ear, "we just continue as we were. As long as no one else is in the picture, it's safe."
Raido felt his pulse rate increase at the promise in the man's voice. "You really think that's a good idea? I mean, we're supposed to be watching for someone."
"Hey, I can be discreet. And as long as we're doing our jobs, the other guys won't complain."
"I guess not," Raido mumbled, shoving food into his mouth so he wouldn't have to answer right away.
Genma chuckled again, sitting back and finishing his lunch. "Later," he grinned when he was done, leaving Raido to stare at a closed door.
---
The next few weeks were the best Raido had spent in the town, if only because there was something new to do. As promised, the town was engulfed in rabbits, so the Leaf ninja spent some mornings hunting them down, skinning them, and handing them over to the villagers for food. The rain stopped, but the sky remained a light grey, the sun losing the struggle against the oppressive coal dust in the air. Nakamura had found the remains of a small encampment just outside the village, so they were doing sweeps at night, just in case. The package hadn't arrived yet, but with the rains gone, they expected the man to arrive soon.
Raido spent his nights at Oshiro's, the same as always, but he always got a little tingle when he left at night. Tonight? Tomorrow night? Genma kept managing to surprise him, reaching out from an alley and dragging him in, grinding against him almost before Raido knew who it was. Each time, they grew a little bolder, hands roaming under shirts, mouths crushed against each other. Genma didn't mind kissing, Raido discovered, and his tongue was agile and teasing. Five times they had met this way, using whatever slick stuff they could find to slide their bodies together - water, spit, lotion, and even cooking oil. Raido didn't try to change things, even when he longed to push the smaller man against the wall just once.
The sixth time, Raido felt uneasy, had felt that way all day. He'd growled at Miyake and snapped at Yoshida, slamming the door behind him when they laughed. "Moody bastard," Yoshida had called after him with a laugh. Raido couldn't explain it - a smell in the wind, maybe - but something was wrong, not right, not as it should be. When he left the bar that night, Raido went looking for Genma. He needed to get whatever this was out of his system.
He found Genma a block from his assigned bar, meandering back to his room. Raido shoved the man into an alley, ripped the senbon away, and crushed their mouths together before Genma could even say hello. This time, Raido wasn't careful of his teeth. He felt feverish, edgy, and when Genma struggled briefly, he merely redoubled his efforts, growling against Genma's neck. They both gasped when Raido thrust against his almost-friend, and Genma quit struggling, his eyes rolling back when Raido's hands pushed under his shirt, strong thumbs brushing against his nipples. Raido didn't get the nipple thing, his own just weren't that sensitive, but Genma's apparently were.
Shoving Genma's shirt up, Raido bent his head to a thin chest, mouth teasing one of the pale nubs until he heard Genma moan and felt hands in his hair, pulling his closer. Raido thrust again, moving his mouth to the other nipple, fingers flicking against Genma's chest. "Raido," he heard above his head, and he groaned, because Genma's voice was high and thick, his heart pounding under Raido's mouth. Raido bit down, gently, then harder, grinding slightly. Genma's body stiffened, his head thrown back against the wall so hard Raido felt the 'thunk', and a long 'eeeee' ripped from Genma's throat. Grinning, Raido licked the abused nipple softly, teasingly, enjoying every tremor and whimper he could wring out of Genma.
Genma pushed him away roughly, his eyes bright and mouth slack. "Stop, bastard. You made me come already," the younger man panted, holding Raido away with one arm. "What the fuck?"
Raido shrugged, pushing Genma's arm away and leaning against him, holding him close. "Can't help it. You're just that hot."
"And you're just figuring that out?" Genma whispered back, a leer in his eyes. "Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson about taking me for granted." He spun quickly, and now Raido was shoved back against the wall, looking down at glittering eyes. "Don't scream," Genma warned, and Raido's stomach flew up into his brain, then plummeted back down.
He didn't scream when Genma shoved his pants lower. He didn't scream when Genma sank to his knees, tongue teasing circles through coarse hair. He didn't scream when Genma took Raido's cock in his mouth in one, smooth motion, but it was a near thing. Instead, he braced himself against the wall, struggling not to thrust back, and grunted, a short, terse 'ngh', followed by breathy, moaning pants. It was so fast, Raido couldn't track what exactly happened, what exactly Genma did to make him come, fast and hard, and Raido hoped he hadn't screamed then, but he really couldn't say for sure. But he knew when it happened, because he looked down, and saw Genma looking up at him, lips stretched tight around him. He could see his cock moving in and out of Genma's mouth, and it was the best kind of porn because he could feel it.
When Raido opened his eyes next, they were both dressed, Genma pressed against his chest, mouth nestled against his neck. "So you can be agressive," Genma whispered, and Raido shuddered again, moaning a little at the sensation.
"Sometimes," Raido answered shakily, trying not to think too hard about what it meant to be enjoying, well, snuggling after sex.
"When we get back home, I want to fuck you. In a real bed."
Raido closed his eyes, pulling Genma closer. "Fine with me," he replied. "But don't think you're the only one."
He felt Genma chuckle and nod. "Not the jealous type, are you?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Good," Genma replied, pushing away.
"Spill," Genma said after they walked back to Raido's boarding house, standing outside in front of the door.
"Something's wrong," Raido said finally, shaking his head. "I'm on edge, and I don't know why."
"You can feel it, huh?" another voice said, and Nakamura pushed out of the shadows. "Miyake said you were good like that, but today he thought you were just being a moody teenager."
Raido shook his head. "I hit puberty early. My hormones have been pretty stable for a while now." He scowled at Genma's low chuckle. "Asshole."
Nakamura chuckled as well. "Either way, we're going on patrol tonight. Unless you two wore yourselves out already?"
Genma made a kissy face back at Nakamura. "Jealous, Daddy? We're young, remember? We can have sex as much as we want and still be up for more."
"Punk. I hate teenagers, I really do," Nakamura growled. "Okay, Namiashi, your team is already at the north end of town. You, brat, come with me."
---
They found the team of Mist ninja gathered near the entrance to the mine. Four men, two jonin, two chunin by the feel of them. At their feet, the body of a man lay lifeless and bloody. Raido groaned when he recognized the face. Three months of his life, wasted. The battle was fierce, deadly, and Raido didn't have time to wonder how he was holding his own against two opponents. Then there was one, and the mine exploded, the force of it knocking Raido from his feet. He tried to stand, groaned, and fell forward against the ground.
"Namiashi, can you move?"
He felt Yoshida standing next to him, but couldn't see through the smoke and dust. He could hear the townspeople yelling to each other, rushing out of their beds. "Legs," he gasped. "Go after them. Warn the other team. I'll be okay."
Then Yoshida was gone, and Raido felt hands on his body, heard familiar voices as men carried him to safety.
Raido woke the next day, lying on a table, feeling like a herd of Nara deer had trampled over him, turned around, and done it again. For a week. He groaned, turning his head.
"Hey, don't get up," Yoshida warned. "You lost a lot of blood."
"What happened?" Raido whispered, his tongue feeling three times its normal size. He stuck out his tongue, trying to see if looked the same.
Yoshida laughed weakly at Raido's confusion, then his face shuttered. "You took the brunt of the explosion. You had pieces of rock embedded in your back and legs. The doctor took out most of them."
"Then why couldn't I move?"
"Shock, maybe. Or a piece could have hit a pressure point just right."
Raido groaned, turning his head away. "Sorry," he whispered. "I was useless."
"No, not useless," Yoshida replied. "If you hadn't been in front of me, I would have taken all that to my face. You probably saved my life. And you took out one of the chunin - the blast took the other one down."
"Miyake?"
Yoshida looked down and shook his head. "Nakamura's team is in pursuit. Don't worry. Your friend's a skilled assassin. He won't be easy to kill."
---
Raido stood over the hospital bed, watching Genma sleep. "Bastard, you better wake up. I'm getting tired of waiting." It wasn't nearly as nice, being back in Konoha, as Raido expected. Not with Genma like this. He sighed, dragging a chair over and slumping down in it. He would be leaving again soon. "I'm leaving in two days."
Poison, Nakamura told him. That was all. He would be fine, it would just take some time for his body functions to get back to normal. Raido knew they had fought with the Mist jonin, killed them both, but he was never told if they had recovered the package. If there ever was a package.
"I guess it wasn't a total waste," he mumbled to himself.
"Not at all," a raspy voice whispered. "I nearly made you scream."
Relieved, Raido leaned over and thumped Genma's hand. "Idiot. You're the one who screamed."
Genma opened his eyes, blinking up at Raido. "Did you say you were leaving?"
"Yeah, in two days."
"You better come back in one piece. I'm not into cripple sex."
"Understood," Raido grinned back. "Need anything?"
Genma shook his head. "Still tired."
Raido stood up, brushing greasy hair back from Genma's face. "Go back to sleep then. I'll see you later."
It was hard meeting up with Genma sometimes. Their schedules didn't seem to mesh well. But when it worked, they spent as much time together as possible. Raido could barely remember a time when Genma wasn't there, like he'd been waiting for Genma his whole life.
"I'm going to say something mushy, and you're not going to tease me, and then we're going to forget all about it, okay?" Genma told him one August evening, a few days before Raido's birthday.
"Should I puke now or puke later?"
"Bastard! I'm trying to be serious here."
Raido rolled over, pushing his nose against Genma's ear. "Okay, I'm listening," he said softly.
"I like you. I like having sex with you, but even if we weren't doing that, even if we had never done that, I would still like you."
"Oh."
Genma pushed away, growling. "If you're going to be like that, you can get the fuck out!"
Pulling Genma back down into the bed, Raido wrapped his arms around Genma's body. "I meant, I feel the same. I've never had a close friend before, not like this."
Genma relaxed, nodding against Raido's forehead. "So you understand what I'm trying to say?"
"We're friends, no matter what happens. No matter who's doing what to whom."
"Good. Mushy interlude concluded."
"We shall never speak of this again," Raido intoned.
They were friends, Raido decided. Sure, he didn't know everything about Genma, probably didn't want to. They hung out, they bickered, they screwed. It was casual on the surface, but underneath, it was as serious as any marriage Raido had seen.
It wasn't until the Demon Fox attacked the village just a few months later that Raido appreciated how serious it was, how tightly linked he was to Genma. When his family, his friends, his comrades were falling around him, when Konoha itself was coming apart at the seams, Raido fought and fought and fought, until he couldn't fight anymore, and someone dragged him off to some field. When he came to, and found bodies around him, and heard how their young Hokage had defeated the monster, Raido struggled up onto his feet, searching for someone to tell him what to do, where to go. He spared only precious seconds wondering about Genma before he was thrown back into the grind, taking on one mission after another, patrolling the forests just in case another village thought they might take advantage. It would be November before he saw his friend again, but it was like nothing had changed. Not between them. Perhaps never, or as close to never as a mortal being could get. Because if a fucking demon couldn't break them apart, Raido thought this would the closest to a 'sure thing' he would ever find in his life.
[END]
---
A/N: This fic takes place right at the end of the 3rd Great Ninja War. Although Genma and Raido's teammates call them 'kid' and 'raw', both men have extensive combat experience (6-7 years for Genma, even more for Raido). But, because they're still young, and Konoha has recently entered a time of peace, the older men are reverting back to calling them 'kids', perhaps as a way to regain some sense of normalcy. This is also what makes the Kyuubi attack so devastating - they had just survived a war, now a demon? Aw, man!