Author: Pixie-Rings
Fandom: NarutoPairing: Kakashi/Iruka
Genre: romance, fluff so brush your teeth after reading
Rating: K+ (ZOMG!!)
Disclaimer: Not mine, Kishimoto's. If it were mine, it would be in a gay porn magazine.
Word count: 1,418
Warning: none
Summary: Who is the one who leaves a red rose in front outside Iruka's front door every morning?
A/n: From the prompt: their first kiss. Needless to say it avoids it entirely. For Lenap, with love and other such frivolities. I hope you like it!
xxXxXxx
It started on a Wednesday.
Iruka liked Wednesdays, because the lessons at the Academy started an hour later and he could spend longer than usual in bed, snuggled under the covers, enjoying a well-deserved lie-in. Not that he liked anyone to know he was lazy really.
When he finally woke up, got ready, head breakfast, prepared the tests for the day and walked out of the door, it was nine fifteen. He nearly trod on it, but it was lucky he didn't. He noticed it. He raised his eyebrows and picked it up curiously. It was a single, perfect red rose, blood made beauty. The only thing left with it was a note that had one kana written on it: 'he'. 'He' didn't mean much on its own. He looked around, hoping for a glimpse of who had left it, but nothing. He even looked up and down the street in front of his apartment, but, again, nothing. Surprised, but nothing more, he took it back inside and placed it in one of his mother's crystal vases. He could remember his father giving his mother roses for her birthday once when he was a little boy. It looked nice.
The rest of the day passed more or less uneventfully, if you didn't count Konohamaru dunking Hanabi's hair in the PVA glue or Genma recounting a rude joke that would have been offensive to 98% of the population had they heard it. He didn't really think about the rose until he returned home and saw it sitting on his kitchen table. It was still as beautiful as this morning. He smiled when he saw it without realising it.
xxXxXxx
The next morning he left home at eight fifteen, looking down again, just in case. To his surprise, there was another rose, just as beautiful as the first, and with another note to go with it. One kana again, this time 'no'. He frowned. He didn't know anyone whose name began with 'no'. Or with 'he' for that matter. 'Heno'... He placed the rose with the other one and went to the Academy, now genuinely perplexed.
xxXxXxx
The next day he received another rose, and this time he was sort of expecting it. To his delight there was another note, this time with the kana 'he' again. 'Henohe'... There was no such word. He was a teacher, he should know. Puzzled, he placed the third rose with the other two and quickly rushed to the Academy. He was a little late.
That afternoon, he was chatting with Izumo between reports at the mission desk when Kakashi sauntered in, one hand in its pocket, the other holding up that indecent orange book. Iruka bit his lip, forcing down a blush. He didn't know exactly why Kakashi attracted him so, but he did.
"Yo, Iruka-sensei." Drawled the man with the mask, raising a hand in lazy greeting and putting the book day.
"Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka replied, trying to maintain a little professionalism while treating with Kakashi.
"Mission report." Kakashi said proudly, placing it sort of triumphantly in front of Iruka. Iruka read it through fast and smiled at Kakashi.
"All in order." He said cheerfully. To his almost shock he heard Kakashi shuffle his feet nervously. He would never have expected the invincible copy-nin to be nervous.
"Um, listen, Iruka-sensei..." He began, mumbling, his eye on the table. Iruka cocked his head curiously.
"Yes?" He prompted.
"No, nothing. See you around." Kakashi dug both his hands in his pockets and disappeared from the room, shoulders hunched like he had all the weight of the world on them. Izumo leaned towards Iruka.
"You do know Kakashi only blushes when he looks at you, don't you?" He said, smirking. Iruka stared at him.
"Really?" He looked after Kakashi even though he was already gone, a suspicion forming.
xxXxXxx
The next day there were no lessons, so he didn't open the door until quite late. Lo and behold, yet another rose, and yet another note. Another 'no', so that made 'henoheno'. He chuckled, covering his mouth with the note. That made his suspicions even more founded. Three more roses and he'd have the complete clue. Unless something gave him the solution first.
xxXxXxx
Sunday he had a survival test with the Academy students, so he was out of the house before dawn. He hoped he wouldn't miss the rose.
Indeed, when he returned, bruised, battered and dirty, it was there, a little wilted, but still there. He grinned, his tiredness evaporating as he picked it up and read the note, already knowing the kana before he read it: 'mo'. 'Henohenomo'. It was painfully obvious what the next two would be. He chuckled like the day before. He was sure he knew who it was, and he was glad of it.
xxXxXxx
Monday dawned crisp and windy. The rose had lost nearly all its petals, blown away with the wind, which was sad, but the note, to Iruka's glee, said, as he had predicted, 'he' gain. He looked up quickly and spotted a disappearing shock of silver hair. He grinned, pressing the rose to his nose. He knew now, and he'd never been happier, warmth spreading all over his body.
xxXxXxx
Tuesday was sunny and bright. Sure to the routine, the rose was there outside Iruka's door. He pressed it to his nose and inhaled deeply, enjoying the lovely smell.
"You shouldn't hide out, you know. I know it's you." He said, waving the 'ji' note. "'Henohenomoheji': the scarecrow."
Iruka heard a sigh and Kakashi appeared in front of him with a puff of smoke, rubbing the back of his head and looking sheepish, blushing like a schoolgirl in front of her crush.
"Heh... Couldn't fool a dolphin, could I?" He said lamely. He seemed very downcast, like a beaten dog. Iruka chortled and tapped him on the nose with the rose.
"No, even if the dolphin is only a chuunin." He said, smirking. When Kakashi didn't say anything, he smiled and hid it with the flower.
"It was very romantic of you." He said softly. Kakashi looked up, eye wide.
"Er... So you don't mind?" He asked. Iruka shook his head, chuckling.
"No, of course not." He answered. "It's just I would never have expected the great Sharingan no Kakashi to be so romantic." He smiled warmly and kissed Kakashi through the mask. Kakashi looked alternately shocked and like his birthday had come early. He recomposed himself fast, however, and pulled his mask down with a grin. It was Iruka's turn to blush now. Kakashi was, there was no other definition, drop-dead gorgeous. And he was grinning cheekily.
"I'm full of surprises. Shinobi are supposed to be unpredictable." He said, leaning forward and catching Iruka's lips with his own. Iruka blinked in shock for a moment before smiling into the kiss and answering, his arms around Kakashi's neck while the jounin's wound around his waist. When they parted, Iruka took a deep, shuddering breath.
"That wasn't bad for a first kiss." He said, a silly grin on his face. Kakashi chuckled.
"Indeed it wasn't." He said, and kissed him again.
xxXxXxx
Two months later...
Iruka sighed as he entered the mission room. He wasn't looking forward to dealing out and taking in missions and their reports. He was roused from his pessimistic musings to see Genma, Anko and Izumo talking together, in a little gaggle. Anko noticed him first and started giggling. Iruka got worried at that. Usually what made Anko giggle involved someone else and their pain or at least slight discomfort.
"Someone likes you, Iruka-sensei." Said Genma, grinning around his senbon. Iruka raised an eyebrow, but his puzzlement turned to delight when he noticed the large bouquet of red roses on the desk where he usually sat.
"I know someone likes me." He said, grinning like a fool as he picked up the note and read it.
'Look out the window.
Kakashi.'
It said in his boyfriend's untidy scrawl. Iruka looked up and smiled at the jounin in the tree in front of the window. With a jaunty wave Kakashi disappeared with a puff of smoke. Iruka shook his head with a laugh and looked down at the note again. He noticed some more writing.
'P.S I love you.'
"No? KAKASHI sent you these? You lucky bastard..." Said Izumo, reading over Iruka's shoulder. Iruka just laughed again and plucked a rose from the bouquet.
"I am very lucky indeed." He said, smiling.