Sorry for the delay, I was having ...things here :P, but here is the next chapter ^^
I hope you all enjoy it and review.
Why we don't
It's early in the morning and Iruka is the first one awake, he opens his eyes slowly, blinking a little. He looks at the door of his room, he takes a deep breath that moves his body, making his backside uncomfortable. He winces and grimaces because his body hurts because of all the tension in the previous days, work with hyperactive children and lack of rest, but the arm under his head and the hand on his stomach with the heat at his back remind him what happened last night and who is the responsible for that peace he can feel inside.
He smiles a true smile and tries to snuggle closer, trying not to disturb his lover. Lover, I like how that sounds. He feels the other man shift and tighten his hold on him and move his body more to Iruka's.
"Good morning, Iruka," he hears the sleepy voice of the man at his back and feels a kiss on the back of his neck.
He sighs and smiles more, the hand on his stomach rubs a little, making him blush and shiver.
"Sensitive in the morning," mocks the copy nin, kissing a tan shoulder.
"It's because you rub me."
"Sorry if I rub you wrong."
"I'm not a pet," says Iruka, purring a little when the other man kisses his neck and licks his jaw.
They both laugh and snuggle closer, they stay there in silence enjoying the warmth of the moment. Kakashi sighs, knowing he needs to go, if he doesn't move now he is not going to let go of that delicious body. He begins to move when he hears the breath of Iruka hitch, his heart clenches knowing perfectly the emotion of being apart, but he needs to do this. He stands and begins to dress, not wanting to see the distress on the features of his Iruka.
Iruka is giving his back to the other, he feels how his world is being devastated and smashed in front of him. He doesn't want to lose the love of his life, he wants to keep him forever.
Then he makes the decision of his life, he rolls over, hurting all over but facing the man, the owner of his heart dressing in his uniform.
"Kakashi," he speaks softly, catching the attention of the nin standing in front of the bed. " I..." he stops, he sees the encouragement on that face, he smiles happily, making the sad expression of the other change too. "Because of you I'm going to be stronger than the sadness," he says, smiling with tears, unshed tears in his eyes. "Because of you I'm going to be stronger than the destiny," he says, referring to the situation around them. "Because of you I'm going to be a better person… and… I'm… going to be…faithful… to our… village," he says, sobbing painfully but smiling regardless.
Kakashi comes closer, crawling on the bed and taking seat close to Iruka. "I love you, Iruka," he says, wiping the tears on the handsome face of his sensitive love and feeling something inside that is so overwhelming. "I promise you to never be with anybody else."
Iruka looks at Kakashi, not understanding the meaning of his words, but then he understands. That is stupid, it's not healthy, a man can't do that, it's unnatural when you taste other's skin, nothing else can satisfy you anymore. Well, at least that's for me. But in a moment he sees the commitment that the great copy nin is making with him, he is making a commitment of fidelity with him.
He feels his heart jump with joy the moment the realisation flows into his mind, he smiles and traces the handsome face of his love, smiling. "I promise you the same, Kakashi." The man smiles and closes his eyes, engraving the sensation of that caress in his mind, letting all the sorrow of being apart melt and go away.
"We can be friends in love," says Kakashi out of the blue, he knows how stupid it sounds, but it's the best he can come up with after thinking about their problem.
Iruka looks stunned at the strange statement. That is odd even from him, but…
"Yes, we can be friends in love," replies Iruka, sniffing while Kakashi cleans his face of the fresh tears.
Why, because friends can always see each other, there is no kissing or sex but they can see and talk every day. Before this they were not friends but now is the perfect time for that, and it's not disobeying the order. Clever, Kakashi, just clever.
"When will you come back?" asks Iruka, sitting in front of his friend, feeling his body protest but not minding the discomfort for now.
"I don't know." Iruka downcast his eyes. "But I promise to bring you something," says Kakashi, brightening the mood.
"Ok," smiles Iruka, disentangling his hair with his hand.
"You are beautiful, Iruka."
Iruka blushes, but with a smirk he answers,"You are gorgeous, Kakashi."
Kakashi blushes and tries to hid it by scoffing a little but it is too evident. "I've got to go Iruka," he says, going down the bed.
"Take care."
"I will," smiles Kakashi.
Iruka comes out of his bed and walks near his friend a little stiff, because of the tension and the sudden movement. He limps a little because his right thigh is menacing with a cramp, he hugs him and Kakashi takes him by surprise when he kisses him on the forehead.
"I'll bring you something." Kakashi adjusts his mask and with a wave of his hand goes out of the window.
Iruka stays there looking at the spot in the window where Kakashi stood before going. He whispers an 'I love you' and with a sigh he moves to the bathroom to take a necessary bath because his body is killing him. He moves slowly, really slowly to the bathroom, there he sits carefully on the edge of the tub. Waiting for the water to fill it, he starts to remember the events of the night, it's something he is never going to forget no matter what, then he takes notice of something nudging his stomach begging for attention. He blushes and with a sigh he enters the tub.
oO0Oo oO0Oo
"Hokage-sama, what has happened to Kakashi-sensei?" questions Shizune, a little concerned.
"Why do you ask?" asks Tsunade, amused by the curiosity of the other woman.
"I don't know, it's something weird, he seems…"
"Happy?"
"Yes."
"Ha ha ha, I don't know," replies Tsunade, laughing a little more.
oO0Oo oO0Oo
Iruka is in his shift in the mission room, humming nothing in particular. It's really late and the room is empty of strange jounin or stressed chuunin, he is finishing his work, ready to head home. The day was just too much, but he feels happy knowing there is somebody who loves him and is thinking about him somewhere. He sighs and smiles.
"Who is it, Iruka?" talks Raidou close to his ear, brushing a little there with his mouth.
"Hm?" Iruka moves far from his too friendly friend, hurting his companion with his action.
"I just… you seem really happy, your smile is true and you look more beautiful lately," Raidou says with a worried expression in his eyes and a sad smile.
"I... I don't know what you are talking about," says Iruka, blushing, but then the door to the room opens and a tired silver-haired jounin comes inside.
Iruka's face lights up and his smile is brighter, he stands to welcome the newcomer, the other two people in the room look at the scene with interest, Iruka never stands for anybody.
Kakashi surveys the area and sees Raidou standing too close to his friend/lover and he frowns. He stands more tall and walks more strongly than commonly, startling the occupants of the room aside from Iruka who is oozing happiness. Raidou takes some steps further from his friend just to be at a secure distance from the copy nin.
"Kakashi-sensei, it is good to see you back. How was your mission?" Iruka asks happily and forgetting all the others in the room.
"Pretty good, thank you, Iruka-sensei, oh... I brought you something." He takes a pen with a cute smiling panda on the top out of his front breast pocket. "I hope it is useful." Iruka blushes, takes the pen with reverence and smiles warmly at the tired jounin. He is restraining himself from jumping the man in the moment.
"Than you, Kakashi-sensei is… nobody has ever done this to me… thank you," he is now trying not to cry for the special detail. How did he know that I love pandas, not dolphins. Kakashi is looking at Iruka lovingly, he can't hide the fact that he loves that man and he doesn't care if the members in the room are watching, he is happy seeing the ever changing expressions on the face of the man he loves.
"I'm happy you like it, here is my report," he extends his report, neatly written in the official paper.
"Oh, thank you." He takes seat quickly and begins to check the paper with his business expression; he uncaps his new pen to fill the spaces for him. Kakashi feels how the presences of the other starts to make him feel better, at peace.
"Everything is all right, thank you for your hard work." He smiles to him, Kakashi stays looking at the other's eyes and has a bright idea.
"Are you free tonight?"
That takes by surprise the now blushing chuunin and the others in the room too, by now everyone is in their places paying attention to all the exchange. "Y...yes," he answers, playing with his pen.
"I need to shower and change clothes, how about if we see at Ichiraku's?"
"Sounds great, meet you there at 12?" It is a good thing they have a night shift now, but how Kakashi knows that, if that started two days ago? He is about to ask when the other speak to him.
"Ok, see you, sensei," he waves his hand and leaves the room.
Iruka arranges his desk and starts to finish his work. The staff is shocked, they didn't expected that, the copy nin just gave his report in time? He gave a gift to a man who he is not even friends with?
"Ok, I'm leaving, good night and thank you for your hard work to all," Iruka says goodbye to all the shocked men in the room and walks happily to his home to change clothes. He wants to be well-dressed for his friend and love.
Weeks pass and everybody can see that something is very different in those two.
Iruka is brighter than ever, his smile is happier, his scoldings are stronger, the mission room is faster and his teaching is more like a military school. He is faster in everything he does and his friend can see that something good has happened in his life, his bed partners can see that too because they have been lacking the chuunin for so long and the sexual man is not responding to any of their advances, and he seems to be fine. Something is really good with the sensei, but nobody has been able to prove anything, he is just too secretive to be good. Raidou is really sad because he truly loves the chuunin, he thinks he is under some kind of celibate jutsu or something because the sensei is somebody really hot.
Kakashi is faster, stronger, and assertive in all his missions, he is taking missions like pancakes and having 100% effectiveness in his performances. His steps are not so lazy anymore and he is not seen so often with his orange book, he is training with Naruto now more seriously and he is not returning that injured like other times and he is giving his missions reports in time. He is also improving in not arriving late at his meetings like he used to do, for 3 hours he is arriving 1 hour late, and with Iruka he is always on time. And in the secret he is awaking earlier to be in the memorial stone for the same amount of time. His friend Gai knows what has happened but he is not telling, because if he tells he is going to run 2,000,000 laps around the village blindfold in his hands and he is not crazy. He is making the reputation of the village brighter than ever and the Hokage is just happy.
The people in the outside can see two friend hanging out on the streets, but if you look underneath you can see the friendly touches stay more time than necessary and the proximity closer than normal, and if they think that you are not looking you can see the way they look at each other's bodies and eyes, that is not just friendly. But that can only be seen by the people who knows.
They spend their free time in the house of the other, playing chess and talking, and grading papers of course, they're always keeping the curtains open because they are friends, they dine and rarely take breakfast together, they sleep over but in separates rooms, they even borrow clothes of the other but nothing a friend doesn't do. They talk about their day and stuff but they never say the magic word because there is no need for that, they know and that is what matters. The weekends are now different for them, when Kakashi is not on a mission, he spends the day with the sensei, they even wash the dogs together, the pack is happy because their master is and because the mate of this master gives them good food.
The Hokage is really impressed with those men, she respects them more now, she knows how hard it is to hold the needs but they are acting at their level, the level of two respected shinobis. She is even now trying to make their relationship accepted, but that is something almost impossible, but to see them so happy she reinforces her efforts to achieve their goal. She wants to see them wool, not just friendly.
The villagers are happy because they can see two shinobis happy and that is something they need, because they were tired to see those two always miserable and alone, you never know but there is always someone watching you and seeing that you are alright.
And that is what they have now because friendship is the first step for happiness. Right?
Continue...