Kakashi wakes slowly the next morning, his mind clicking slowly into functioning. The night before felt like a dream barely remembered. Kakashi lays with his eyes closed and gives his head a small shake, not wanting to think too much about it. Finally it sinks in to him that there's an added warmth and weight next to him. This realization snaps him fully from sleep and into the memory of the night before. He's surprised that he'd slept, but this was an unimportant fact. Turning his head slowly he looks at his student cuddled up to his side. His eyes travel slowly down the length his Sasuke's body, feeling a smile curling the corners of his mouth upward. The boy really did look adorable sleeping like he was. Sasuke had rolled over some time in the night and laid his head on Kakashi's shoulder, draping his arm and one leg over Kakashi, effectively holding Kakashi in place all night, not that the older man had a tenancy to move at all in the night. Once he settled into sleep, he rarely moved until the following morning. Curling his right arm around the boy's shoulders, Kakashi slips his gaze back up to his peaceful, sleeping face. Reaching out with his left hand, he brushes his fingertips over the softness of Sasuke's lips, wondering not for the first time what those lips would feel like against his. Shivering with this thought, Kakashi pulls his hand away just as Sasuke begins to stir.

Sasuke feels himself being drawn from slumber, and not wanting to give up the lovely dream of being curled up in Kakashi's arms, he fights it until he realizes that it wasn't a dream. Waking completely, he lays perfectly still, not even opening his eyes. He judged by the feel of Kakashi against the front of his body in just what position he'd managed to get himself during sleep. This makes him more determined not to move. He didn't know if Kakashi was awake, but he didn't want to risk waking him if he wasn't. He wanted to lay just like this and enjoy the moment that he may never get again for as long as possible. His euphoria is temporarily dulled by the thought that even if Kakashi wasn't awake, he would be soon and he'd move away. Then, as if he'd picked up on his stress, Sasuke feels Kakashi's arm tighten slightly around his shoulders. Turning his head and finally opening his eyes, Sasuke finds himself looking into his sensei's eyes. Slowly he sees the smile, hidden behind the mask, light up Kakashi's eyes, and he feels his own smile curving his lips upward in response.

Joy warms Sasuke's heart as nothing else ever could. Ever since that awful night, he'd never thought he'd be able to feel happiness ever again, so to feel such joy was a pleasing shock for Sasuke. Unable to do anything else, he just lays pressed against Kakashi's side, grinning foolishly at the other man, letting the joy and love fill his face, not noticing the look of pain that flits briefly across the older man's face. Reality beginning to force it's way back into the situation as he'd always known it would, and Sasuke comes to two very important realizations at almost the same moment. Kakashi wasn't showing any signs or pulling away from him, sending him away, or reacting negatively in the least. This realization is forgotten under the weight of the one that comes right on it's heels. Sasuke was pressed along the side of Kakashi's body, one of his legs draped over Kakashi's legs. This position had the added disadvantage of pressing his morning erection quite firmly against his sensei's leg. Feeling the heat of a blush crawl up his face and over his ears, he ducks his head down, hiding his face, but trying to make it seem as if he were just attempting to lay his head back on Kakashi's shoulder, hoping the older man hadn't seen the blush before he turned away. Sasuke couldn't bring himself to hope that Kakashi hadn't noticed the erection pressed against his upper thigh.

Kakashi sees the color climbing up the younger man's face before he turns away, but doesn't comment on it. He lets Sasuke think that he hadn't noticed. He didn't feel the need to embarrass him any more than he already was. At that moment, Kakashi realized what it was that had embarrassed Sasuke. Unsure of how he'd failed to notice it before, Kakashi has to fight not to react too much to it now that he had noticed. Part of him wanted to squirm away from the boy, and another, larger part of him wanted to draw the boy closer, tighter, taking advantage of that morning occurrence. This strong desire is the one that decides his next move for him. As much as he didn't want to, he had to get out of this bed and get on with his day before things got out of hand. His problem now was figuring out how to get himself out of the situation he was in without embarrassing Sasuke further, or worse yet, hurting his feelings.

Sasuke surprisingly is the one to make the next move, saving Kakashi the trouble of having to figure out the best way to do it. Steeling himself to do the one thing he wanted the least to do at that moment, Sasuke slowly rolls himself over onto his back, stretching himself out and making it seem as if that were what had moved him away from the other man, not embarrassment. He fights back a disappointed frown when he feels Kakashi's arm loosen around his shoulder, letting him move away. Laying with his eyes closed, he gives himself on a few heartbeats to feel sorry for himself, then sits up, feeling the weight of loss filling his heart. After all these years, he'd found him, but he may as well not have. Sasuke tugs Kakashi's shirt down around himself more snugly, covering what movement in sleep had uncovered. With his back to Kakashi, he misses the older man's disappointed look.

Not allowing himself time to dwell on the loss he felt the moment Sasuke moved away from him, Kakashi takes the moment offered to him and moves himself to the edge of the bed, careful to neither touch, nor look at Sasuke. He knew that it would only take one look at his rumpled student to break down his will and send him back into that bed, never to rise again. At the moment the thought of spending the rest of his life in bed with Sasuke was more appealing than anything else he could imagine. Shaking off this thought and the desire it manifested both in his mind and physically, Kakashi slips off the edge of the bed and moves across the room to gather up clean clothes. Stopping outside of the bathroom door, he realizes he was being rude to his guest, and probably hurting the boy's feelings. Forcing himself to turn, Kakashi offers Sasuke a warm smile, his eyes lighting with the smile that was as always, hidden behind his mask. He motions around the room, allowing himself a moment to be sure his voice was going to be clear and without a waver to reveal his inner struggle.

"Feel free to stick around if you want to sleep a little longer. There should be some food in the cabinets when you decide to get up. I've got to get cleaned up and head off to turn in my reports from our last mission, then I promised Naruto I'd help him with his training late this morning." Kakashi pauses and considers for a moment before he continues. "If you and Sakura want to join us, we can get some team training in as well. Though I don't think Sakura is going to be very interested in training the day after returning from a mission. But, feel free to stop by and ask her on your way, if you want."

Sasuke nods to his sensei, unable to find the words to say anything at that moment. As soon as the bathroom door had closed behind the older man, Sasuke fell back onto the bed, covering his face with his hands and muffling a groan. He felt like a fool and more than a little embarrassed by the whole thing, but he held on to the hope that one day he'd be able to make Kakashi forget it all. Especially his resistance to the love he knew the older man was feeling. Rolling over onto his side, turning his back to the bathroom door, Sasuke curled himself up, pretending to be asleep, so that when Kakashi came back out of the bathroom, they wouldn't have to speak. Sasuke smiled to himself as the thought occurred to him than this also meant he could stay at Kakashi's for as long as he wanted. Or, at the very least, until he came back home. Sasuke knew that if Naruto had talked their sensei into training this afternoon, it was likely to be very late before Kakashi returned anyway.

Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom, clean and dressed, ready to face the day several minutes later. His gaze immediately goes to his bed, looking for Sasuke. He felt the need to say something to the boy, though he had no idea what. Seeing that Sasuke had apparently gone back to sleep, Kakashi sighs quietly and walks across the room to the bed. He picks up Sasuke's clothes and folds them neatly, setting them on a chair near the bed. He then stands, looking down at the sleeping boy silently, feeling his heart ache with the desire to let go and just love the boy completely. He wanted so very much to just crawl into the bed and draw the sleeping boy back into his arms, but he knew he couldn't. Without thinking, Kakashi tugs his mask down and leans over the boy, kissing his temple gently. Standing that way, he looks at the peaceful lines of Sasuke's sleeping face and whispers to him.

"I love you Sasuke. I wish I could act on that love. I wish I could let you know just how very deeply I love you."

Tugging his mask back into place and shaking his head, Kakashi turns away from the bed. He walks over to his desk and picks up the reports from their last mission and heads for the door. He stops once and looks back at Sasuke, then leaves silently, unaware that Sasuke was not only awake, he was staring at the wall, eyes wide with shock. It wasn't the words that had shocked Sasuke, he'd already known that Kakashi felt the same for him, it was the kiss. He hadn't been expecting it. It meant more to him and anything Kakashi could ever say or do.