Title: Shouldering the Blame, Chapter 2
Rating: PG-13?
Pairing: Kakashi/Iruka Iruka/Kakashi I like my boys to switch xD
Status: WIP, but hope to finish soon... yes, I know you've heard that from me before, lol.
Summary: Kakashi returns from a mission; Iruka patches him up and fluffiness ensues. Kinda…
Genre: WAFF, fluff, fairly mild angst (it always slips in there if I'm writing Kakashi, doesn't it?) HC
Warnings: biseinen ai, coarse language and provocative conversation, medical imagery, blah blah blah
Disclaimer: I asked Kishimoto-san for several shinobi for my birthday… I kinda conveniently forgot to put them back when I was done… So technically they aren't mine, but I think they have a lot more fun with me…
Author's Notes: Thank you to Hato, the reason I started writing again and the reason I continue… This occurs just before Hato's Playing Doctor, but works better if you read it after hers. After discussing what we've managed to figure out from the time line a bit more, we decided this and Playing Doctor occur about 6 months after Kakashi and Iruka's wedding mentioned in Hato's Along the Way: Ch.10 – Prancing, so they are married and living together in a house, now.
Iruka smiled as he realized the only mementoes of this mission were likely to be fond memories of teasing Kakashi about defeating three enemy nin only to be brought low by a rock. He quickly washed the dirt, leaves, and even a few small twigs from the silver hair, fingers combing through the slightly tangled mess. He worked as quickly as he could without hurting Kakashi any more than was strictly necessary, knowing a short relaxing soak in the tub would ease the knotted muscles even more than a longer shower would, with the added benefit of slipping him closer to the badly needed sleep that couldn't be far from the older man's mind.
It was often Kakashi's post-mission misfortune that while his body desperately craved sleep, his mind had yet to catch up with his body's needs, unable to relax from the necessary vigilance and mission mindset. It was a dilemma shared by many of the village's shinobi, and each seemed to concoct their own methods for relaxing themselves and shifting from mission stress to everyday life. Iruka had soon learned to distract Kakashi's mind while easing his body into such a relaxed state that he had no choice but to follow his body's needs. He rinsed the suds from the tired shinobi before leading him the few small steps to the steaming tub and lowering the man into the heated water.
"Do you think you can stay awake long enough for me to bring your dinner, Kakashi?"
"I'll manage." The voice was slightly slurred with exhaustion, but he managed a ragged approximation of a smile.
"I'll just be a minute," Iruka vowed.
"I'll be here. Not going anywhere." Kakashi's smile was more visible this time, if still too tame for Iruka's liking.
He still answered with his own smile, shaking his head as he made his way to the kitchen to retrieve a mug of the soup he'd set to warm earlier. He also added a cup of Kakashi's favorite citrus and spice herbal tea. He knew his lover would probably prefer the fragrant hand-rolled, jasmine-scented white tea that he claimed always reminded him of home, but he didn't need even that minute trace of caffeine to play havoc with his sleep patterns tonight. A tall glass of fruit juice with a wildly colored straw rounded out the light repast, providing extra calories and (knowing Kakashi) extra fluids the jounin probably needed. He carried the small tray into the bathroom, setting it down on the shelf next to the tub.
Kakashi lazily opened an eye.
"I made miso eggplant soup." Iruka smiled, knowing Kakashi would no longer grumble about being too tired to eat. He carefully handed the mug to Kakashi, who leaned back even more after the first sip. Iruka's smile widened at the look of near ecstasy on his lover's face.
"Red and white?" Fortunately Iruka had been involved with Kakashi long enough to be thoroughly fluent in tired-jounin-just-back-from-a-mission-ese.
"Yes, I used both kinds of miso this time. I thought it would work better with the eggplant."
Kakashi nodded. "Something else."
It was almost a game now. When Iruka experimented or deviated slightly from a well-known recipe, Kakashi always tried to guess what was different. Iruka raised an eyebrow. He had only expected Kakashi to notice the miso.
"I bought those small green eggplant you looked at last time in the market. Midori-san said they had a more delicate taste, so I thought they would work well in the soup."
Kakashi nodded again. "It's good." He visibly thought for a moment. "Too early for eggplant."
"Not in Mist. They can grow anything, year-long, with hothouses," Iruka explained.
"Didn't need to go to all that trouble, Iruka." Kakashi still protested mildly, but it did nothing to hide the fact that he was touched by the concern and thoughtfulness the chuunin showed.
Iruka watched as he swallowed the last of the vegetable laden broth before exchanging cups. Kakashi smiled before the slightly hot liquid reached his lips. Iruka marveled at the pleasure shown for such simple comforts. Kakashi was almost childlike in that sense. Ok, maybe in several more as well. Iruka couldn't help ticking them off in his head… his delight in flustering the chuunin, his apparent disregard of the necessary social niceties when they proved inconvenient, his flagrant disregard for rules he couldn't see the meaning behind, his love of discomfiting authority figures…
Still, those quirks were more than balanced by his enjoyment for the smaller joys of life and his ever-present sense of justice and fairness and his insistence on protecting and standing up for the weak and helpless. Despite whatever childlike qualities he might display, when combined with his fierce determination, unswerving loyalty, and high regard for teamwork, they created a truly formidable opponent, indeed. Which is why Iruka was almost giggling at the thought of the high and mighty shinobi, copy ninja extraordinaire, Sharingan Kakashi, being defeated by a rock. It was as ludicrous a thought as the time at the academy when Sasuke had defeated every sparring challenger only to trip over a log and knock himself unconscious.
Iruka smiled and began rubbing Kakashi's uninjured shoulder. The silver head lolled back as he finished the last of the spiced tea. Tanned fingers threaded lightly through the rapidly drying strands of hair. After a few minutes of soft strokes and petting he stood up and retrieved several fluffy towels. "Come on, Kakashi, you're turning all pruny." He carefully helped the other man from the tub and stood him on the rug before slowly drying the droplets of water from the heat-pinkened body, warm fingers softly wiping away a few stray streams from his neck.
Iruka wrapped a dry towel around the slim hips, tucking the end securely. Kakashi swayed a bit. "Lean against me, Kakashi, just a bit, almost there. Here we go, just sit down carefully." Iruka eased Kakashi onto the edge of the bed. "Just a few more minutes, I'll have the rest of these cuts and scrapes bandaged and then you can sleep, ok?"
Kakashi nodded sleepily, storm-gray eye half-closed.
Iruka retrieved the first aid kit from the bedroom closet and removed several bandages and a tube of antibacterial ointment. He quickly treated several small assorted abrasions and cuts scattered across the jounin's body. "Are you sure these senbon wounds aren't giving you any problems?"
"I'm fine, 'Ruka." The slur in his voice was even more pronounced.
Iruka examined Kakashi's badly scraped and bruised forearm before wrapping it carefully and then smeared a thick glob of ointment on the pinprick wounds along his shoulder and neck before covering each with a wildly patterned band-aid. He placed a kiss on the shoulder along with the final bandage. "Raise your arm and let me bandage this gash on your ribs." Iruka placed a large bandage on Kakashi's chest before winding a longer bandage around him several times and securing it above the previously bandaged shoulder.
He turned around and rummaged in the closet one last time, coming out with a canvas and Velcro contraption. "I can't exactly say I'm glad you broke your collarbone last year, but at least we kept the sling. Raidou and Genma are coming over for dinner tomorrow night and this will hold your wrist still until I can have Raidou check you out." Iruka fastened the sling around Kakashi's chest and shoulder, securing the wrist against his chest.
"Ok, Kakashi, finish your juice and I'll let you sleep." Iruka held the glass with the neon straw as his lover drank thirstily. Kakashi drank about two-thirds of the fluid before slumping against the chuunin. Iruka took the juice and set it on the bedside table. "Come on, love, lie down." Iruka helped Kakashi back and covered him with two blankets, kissing him gently on the forehead.
Kakashi tried to struggle upright. "Closet," he mumbled groggily. Iruka eased him back down. "I'll get it in a bit." He smiled at the odd twists and turns of Kakashi's thoughts. 'I'll stay with you until you fall asleep and then go finish up a few things, ok?"
"Mmmm." The murmur was barely audible. Iruka nestled against Kakashi, spooned close against him ruffled the tousled strands of silver resting beneath his chin. Strong hands kneaded knots loose from tired, abused muscles as a low voice hummed a favorite lullaby. He felt the deepened, slowed breathing before him as the jounin settled further into sleep.
Iruka awoke to a series of muffled thumps, an empty bed, and the realization that he must have been far more tired than he had known. There was just enough moonlight filtering into the room to show a dark form sprawled on the floor.
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The Log should be familiar to anyone who's watched more than a few episodes of Masako X and Vegeta3986's 'Naruto, the Abridged Series' on Youtube and other places scattered across the web. Search for Naruto Abridged and you should be able to find them in fairly short order.