Iruka opened the door to his apartment, slipped off his sandals in exchange for putting on house shoes, and closed his door. A tangible barrier between him and the outside world. He sighed with relief. Here, he could be alone. He loved his friends, but they were so rowdy that his head buzzed by the time the get-together was over.
He walked into the living room to flop down on his sofa and stopped short.
Kakashi raised a hand. "Yo."
Iruka stared. Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi is sitting on my couch. Underneath the mask, he thought Kakashi was smiling at him. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"
"I know the way," Kakashi said.
Even as Iruka continued to stare, Kakashi slumped down on the sofa further, stretching himself out until there was no room for Iruka, even if Iruka had wanted to sit down there. "Comfortable sofa. I like it. An injured man could get a good night's sleep here." And there was that wink again. "A pity I only got a few hours. The hospital was much less comfortable."
Iruka felt the heat of a flush erupt across his cheeks. His hands clenched at his sides by their own accord. "You're declassifying a top secret incident? You're breaking the rules!"
Kakashi let out a deep, resonant chuckle. "You sound like Ebisu."
The genuine tone of Kakashi's amusement stopped Iruka mid-rant and deflated him. "But – But Ebisu-san has a point. Sometimes. I can't just – We can't – We shouldn't be talking."
Kakashi tilted his head. "What? Shouldn't be talking? Two ninjas can't have a conversation on their own time, at the end of the day, after work is done?"
"You know what I mean. We shouldn't be talking like this." Iruka gestured to him. "That incident was classified."
Kakashi's mask creased with a smile. "You like rules, don't you? Makes me wonder what would happen if you broke them."
Iruka didn't like the sound of that. He thought about running. At the very least, backing up and inching out of his apartment to get help. Kakashi was a wild card. Everybody knew that. Geniuses were unpredictable, and the Copy Ninja was no exception.
Kakashi sat up, swinging his lanky legs over the side of the couch and sitting like a normal guest. "I like you." He beamed.
"Well…" Iruka rubbed the back of his head.
Then his brain kicked in: I have a guest!
He bowed hastily. "I'm so sorry. Would you like a drink? I could make tea. I also have bottled water. The water from the tap isn't any good to drink."
"If you insist," Kakashi said. "Tea would be nice."
Iruka busied himself with boiling water and getting out two cups and two tea balls. No matter how eccentric Kakashi is, I can't be rude. Besides, he's an ANBU agent. He performs a special service for this village.
Having sorted that out in his head, he felt calmer.
"Kakashi-san, tea is ready," he announced, bringing the tray into the living room and setting it down on the kotatsu table in front of the sofa.
They both sat at the kotatsu table.
"Ah, my thanks." Kakashi allowed Iruka to hand him his tea.
Iruka cradled his tea cup in both hands, enjoying the heat. "How are your ribs?"
"I thought we couldn't talk about that," Kakashi said.
"I have no idea how your ribs got fractured."
That brought a snort and a chuckle from Kakashi. "Fine, thanks."
"Is it really true that you're off work?" Iruka asked. He'd heard nightmarish rumors about ANBU being forced to go on active duty, even if they were injured.
"For a month," Kakashi said with a tone of satisfaction.
Iruka was relieved. He took a sip of his tea. It was almost too hot to drink, which was just the way he liked it. "You might need more like six weeks, but at least you have some time to recover."
"If I'm not healed in a month, I'll go back to the doctor and get re-evaluated," Kakashi said. "I'm a valuable resource. They're not going to risk endangering me unnecessarily." Again, he winked. This time, it was seemingly to take the edge off his bragging, to show it was all in good fun.
"You are valuable," Iruka found himself insisting.
Kakashi shrugged. "No more than any other ninja of my rank."
"Yes, you are. No one can do what you do," Iruka said.
Kakashi looked away.
Iruka wondered if he'd said something wrong. "But more than that, Sandaime's Will of Fire is that every ninja is equally important. It's not that having multiple people of the same rank makes you less special. Being as special as everyone else means no one is allowed to treat you lightly. You matter."
Kakashi looked at him with surprise for a split second, then smiled. "By your own logic, Iruka-sensei, you matter, too."
Iruka blushed and fidgeted. "That isn't what I meant…"
Kakashi held up an index finger. "But it's what you said." He took a sip of tea. "I think you're too serious."
"My students agree," Iruka said.
"But, I think there's more to you than that." Kakashi assessed him with a direct gaze that lingered long enough to be considered rude.
Iruka looked at Kakashi in return, wide-eyed. Can he see inside me? Can he see right through me to everything I've ever thought or felt? He pushed away the idea with a sense of uneasiness. Of course not. No one has that kind of power.
"Your power isn't in your jutsu. It's in your heart," Kakashi said.
Iruka almost fell over. He felt the wave of crimson heat flash through him. "What kind of announcement is that?"
"If everyone cared about people as much as you did, we would be a stronger village," Kakashi said. "Possibly the strongest village in the entire world. No one could tear us down or destroy us. We'd stand together with too much solidarity."
"You got all this from staring into my face for a solid minute?" Iruka protested.
A slow smile spread across Kakashi's face. "I'm a good judge of people."
"I think you're being overdramatic," Iruka said.
"But I have evidence, too. It isn't just a feeling," Kakashi said. "You saved me, when you didn't have to."
"I was doing my civic duty," Iruka protested.
"Your civic duty was to guard me and wait for ANBU to arrive. You didn't have to bring me to your apartment and make me comfortable."
Iruka couldn't help but squirm at the idea. "But I couldn't leave you there. A cold, hard doorstep is no place for an injured person. You needed to be warm and comfortable."
"You remind me of my sensei," Kakashi said. "You're a good man."
Iruka was too stunned at this to say anything. He bowed his head. I remind you of Yondaime Hokage? He didn't think he was anything like Kakashi's teacher. No one could measure up to the mark Minato had left. His memory was as beloved as a saint's.
Kakashi leaned in and kissed him. Despite the fabric of the mask, Iruka also felt hidden lips seeking his own. He pressed into the kiss in spite of himself, mouthing Kakashi's lips in return. They were so warm and soft and confident.
When the kiss ended, and they both straightened, Kakashi whispered, "I like you."
Iruka hoped he was the only one who could hear his heart pounding. "You…You mean…?"
Kakashi kissed him again.
"I like you, too," Iruka whispered back.
His skin tingled with nerves. He felt as though he'd dived off a cliff. Finally, for the first time in his life, he'd shared his feelings of attraction with another man instead of hiding behind denials and politeness.