Just a little bit of Kakashi x Iruka fluff for you all! Brush your teeth afterwards.
Thinking of you
Iruka sighed, rubbing a hand across his scarred nose and shifted his aching shoulders. He had been sitting grading papers for a solid two hours now, and his body was now shrieking its complaints at him. The chuunin shook his head and stubbornly bent back down to his work. There were still at least twenty papers to go through before he could go home, and damnit, he was going to finish them!
However, by now a small voice had started up at the back of his mind: the only reason you're not going home is because you don't want to walk into an empty house. You can't handle Kakashi not being there.
He growled and shook his head fiercely, trying to dislodge the irritating voice that had such an insight into what he was thinking. That was so not true! He did not care that Kakashi had gone away for a mission; he had lived for years on his own and had always been perfectly fine; the absence of one silver haired jounin didn't affect him at all.
Iruka smiled slightly, shaking his head at his own feeble attempts to fool himself. He knew damn well that Kakashi was the reason he was reluctant to go home- or rather, the lack of Kakashi. He had grown so accustomed to coming to a house that already had someone in it, that the idea of going to a cold, empty apartment…
The chuunin rested a tired head on a tanned hand, staring unseeingly at the blotchy exam paper he was supposed to be marking. It wasn't just that, either- it was that when he was at his small home, he missed Kakashi so much more. When he was at work, or out and about, it was easier to deal with his absence, because his mind was occupied. But when at home, there was nothing to distract him from his lovable jounin not being there.
Iruka laughed softly, the small sound echoing round the empty classroom. "Lovable jounin?" The inhabitants of Konoha would laugh themselves sick if they could hear the infamous Copy Nin, Hatake Kakashi, being referred to like that. But they didn't see the Kakashi that he saw. The Kakashi that couldn't cook to save his life (before Iruka came along, the man had lived off instant ramen and takeouts). The Kakashi that fussed over his nin-dogs like they were his own children, but behind their backs, so that they couldn't protest. The Kakashi that melted when Iruka gently ran his fingers through the older man's silver hair, or stroked his thumb lovingly along the side of his face.
Iruka chuckled as he remembered the first time that he'd done that. Kakashi had been sitting at the kitchen table, watching Iruka make their dinner, when he'd made one of his perverted remarks- something about having a chuunin in an apron- and Iruka had scolded him and hit him on the head with a spoon. The silver haired man had made such a fuss, that Iruka had laughed and gently stroked the abused spot, and had been amused and surprised when Kakashi had closed his eye and leaned into his touch.
Kakashi loved being touched. That was one of the first things Iruka had learned about him. Not just in a sexual way, but in the little ways as well- like having his hand held, or an arm looped gently around his waist. He also loved initiating touch; Iruka was constantly having to smack his hand away from trying to get a quick grope whilst they were out in public, or when he visited the young teacher in his classroom. But when they were at home, Iruka never fought him off, but instead let him hug him and enjoyed the feeling of having the older man's arms wound round his waist. He was never happier then when he was warm in Kakashi's loving embrace. The jounin was well aware of this, of course, and so never missed an opportunity to grab Iruka.
Iruka was suddenly jolted back into the present when the lid of his pen fell to the table with a clatter that scared the crap out of him, as it sounded so loud in the silent room. The teacher shook his head at his own shock, thinking with a wry grin that it was a good thing that his lover wasn't here to have seen that, or he would now be teased mercilessly. He could almost hear Kakashi's teasing voice: "Why Sensei, I'd have thought a hardened teacher like you couldn't be scared by a little thing like a pen lid! Is it safe to let you teach small children?"
It was Kakashi's teasing that always led him to believe that the silver haired man wasn't interested in him. It wasn't until quite a while later that he realised Kakashi was teasing him because he actually liked him. It was, Iruka reflected with amusement, the kind of reasoning that six-year olds employed, but it worked out in the end. He had been working late in the classroom one night- much like tonight- when he had glanced up to see Kakashi grinning down at him, successfully scaring the shit out of him. The man had laughed in delight at his shock, grinned all the way through Iruka's rant and then silenced him by tugging down his mask and pressing his mouth against his. It was an odd start to the relationship, as before that they had simply been friends who argued a lot. But the arguments had mainly been due to the relentless teasing Iruka had to put up with, not because of any real dislike between them.
Now that Iruka thought about it, there had never been any dislike between them, ever. The disagreements they'd had before had mostly been the produce of attraction, without even realising it. They had then gone on to be comrades, friends, and then lovers, and now… now, Iruka thought, with a small glow inside, they were partners. Proper partners, who loved each other and had a proper relationship, which for Iruka was the reason he got up every morning. He was completely and utterly in love with Kakashi, and it never failed to amaze him that Kakashi was in love with him too. He remembered the first time that Kakashi had actually told him he loved him; they had been curled up in bed together, dozing peacefully, when Kakashi had kissed his temple and whispered the three little words in his ear. He could remember his reaction as well- he had stared up at the jounin, wide eyed and flushed, all his joy shining out of his brown eyes as he said the words back to him, before kissing him soundly. Nowadays, Kakashi said it to him everyday, but it still made him warm inside every time he heard it.
A yawn forced it's way out of Iruka's mouth, startling him until he glanced at the clock on the wall and realised that it was now quarter to twelve. He looked back down at the unmarked papers on his desk and groaned in despair- he had been so lost in thoughts about Kakashi that he hadn't done any more grading. Damnit!
Iruka sighed, and was about to pick up his pen and actually start working again when he suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. His kunais were already halfway out of their sheaths before he recognised the chakra, and a wave of pure joy swept over his senses. It couldn't be…
Warm arms came round his shoulders, hugging him back against a solid chest as a familiar voice drawled in his ear. "Miss me, Iruka sensei?"
Iruka smiled, his hands coming up to cover Kakashi's gloved ones as he replied huskily, "More then you know, Kakashi sensei."
He knew what was coming when he felt Kakashi shifting slightly, and his body tingled with happiness as he turned his head to meet Kakashi's and gently touched his lips to his. He barely realised he was moving up out of his chair until he found himself with his arms around Kakashi's neck and Kakashi's strong arms around his waist, pressing their bodies together. When they finally broke apart to breathe, they remained still in that position, gazing into each other's faces lovingly. Iruka freed one hand to bring it up and stroke at a thin cut on Kakashi's face tenderly, smiling as Kakashi closed his eyes blissfully. "You've hurt yourself, Kashi. Are you all right?"
Kakashi smiled at him, gently pressing his forehead against Iruka's. "Maa, I'm fine, 'Ruka. But will you kiss it better anyway?"
Despite the leering words, they were said in such a soft and loving tone that Iruka felt his heart melt inside him as he smiled back. "Of course I will, love. You ready to go home?"
Kakashi nodded once before bending down slightly to kiss him again, somehow managing to make it both caring and passionate at the same time. "Ready when you are, Ru-Ru."
As they left the classroom, holding so close to each other you couldn't slide a ruler between them and leaving the pile of papers abandoned on Iruka's desk, Iruka decided that he didn't mind going home to an empty house now after all- because now he had a certain someone to go home with.