A/N - Thanks for the patience, guys, and once again, wonderful reviews :) it's really nice to get such constant feedback! this chapter was much better for me to write than the last one, so hurray! As always: Enjoy!

Kakashi practically fell against the door, his breath coming out in a gust strong enough to rustle the pages of a book sitting on the counter, and rubbed his hands roughly against his pants. Minato had gotten caught up talking to a group of jounin on their way home from the restaurant; with a single glance, he'd told Kakashi he didn't have to hang around indefinitely and he'd be home as soon as he could.

Their dinner had been actually quite good. The sushi was amazing and, despite the fact that there were no romantic advances, they'd managed to spend the entire time talking, laughing, bantering, and generally having pleasant conversation. They'd left the restaurant walking close enough together that their arms kept bumping together, Kakashi's shoulder was still tingling with pleasure. Then those jounins had to corner Minato into discussing an ambush during their mission, which, Kakashi supposed, was important and all…

Slowly, he peeled himself away from the door and flicked the lights on. He dug out the shogi board from the bottom shelf of one of the cabinets and set it up on the coffee table, shifting the armchair to the opposite side of the couch in front of the table. He was in the kitchen when the he sensed Minato's chakra appear at the door of the house, hiding a smile, he resumed his task of getting the sake and a couple glasses.

"I see you wasted no time in getting everything set up," Minato observed, shedding his outer jacket as he entered the house.

"I have to take maximize the amount of times I can beat you," Kakashi responded fairly, coming back into the living room with their alcohol.

"Ah," Minato grinned as Kakashi reappeared and set the glasses on the coffee table as well. "The best finale to a great night."

"What, my smiling face?" Kakashi sent Minato a smug smirk, having pulled his mask down.

"Well, perhaps that too, but mostly the sake," Minato chuckled, sitting down on the couch.

Kakashi sent him a pout, lowering his eyelid to emphasis his tease. Minato glanced up at the expression then quickly flicked his eyes back to the glasses and bottle of sake, clearing his throat. Kakashi pressed his lips together to keep a sigh in as he sprawled on the armchair, his legs flipped over one arm and back nudged in the corner of the chair.

"You can have the first move," Kakashi offered, taking a long sip of his sake.

"You're just saying that cuz you know you'll win," Minato pouted, but set his pieces on the board and moved his first pawn, sending a challenging smirk towards Kakashi.

Kakashi just stretched one of his arms in a seemingly awkward position in order to push one of his own pawns forward.

Minato swallowed down half his shot of sake, made his second move, and so the game continued.

"That's cheating, Kashi!" Minato was fighting not to slur as, rather than sit up, Kakashi used one of his toes to nudge a piece on the board, in the process knocking over several others. Minato could feel himself losing a bit of his grip on reality, they were now more than halfway through the bottle of sake and neither one showed signs of slowing down.

"Maa, spoil sport," Kakashi muttered, he was getting downright uncomfortable. It was far too warm in the room and for some reason he just couldn't get his body to stretch in the right way so his muscles wouldn't feel so cramped up. But, Minato looked annoyed enough at the shogi board that he might just shove it all and make them start over. Again. For the third time that night. So, Kakashi took matters into his own hands.

He spun his legs from their position over the arm of his chair to put them on the floor, then stretched his arms far over his head before pulling off the baggy ¾ sleeve shirt over his head. He hated baggy clothing with a passion, if he'd had his way, he would walk around in spandex 24/7 (yet another reason he felt ANBU was the place for him). He tossed the shirt deftly over his head behind the chair, the action had left him sitting straight in the armchair with only his skin-tight ANBU issue sleeveless top on, the mask pooled around the bottom of his neck. He reached easily over the board and put all the pieces back in their respective places before the tempestuous toe take down before glancing up to see Minato's wide-eyed, open-mouthed, red-faced expression.

Minato, for his part, had observed Kakashi's every move very carefully, watching the muscles in his arms stretch, admiring the swirling ANBU tattoo on a very well-toned bicep, catching his breath as the often aloof jounin gave his full attention to their game, his eye sparkling with, well, something anyway, but a happy, mischievous emotion nonetheless. He realized several seconds too late that that eye was staring into his, seeing him inspecting now discernable washboard abs. His face heated up immediately as he fumbled around for something to say.

"Your move, Minato," the silver-haired man murmured in a deep, silky voice that he definitely hadn't been using earlier in the evening.

Confusion fluttered over Minato's features His move for what? He wasn't supposed to be making moves on this particular man, right? Had there been a move made on him? And hadn't he just finished his glass of sake?

Kakashi emptied the bottle of sake between the two glasses, his heart thundering in his ears, nervous about what he wanted so badly to do. His hand nearly shook as the last of the sake splashed into his own glass, betraying his nerves, but Minato didn't notice it. The man was frowning intently at the game board. Kakashi sighed, what more could he possibly do to make that thick-headed blond notice him?

"What move?" Minato finally asked, raising his glance from the board to Kakashi, as he took yet another swallow of alcohol.

"The game, Sensei," Kakashi raised a single eyebrow at him, wondering just how drunk the man was.

"I'm not your sensei anymore, Kakashi," Minato sighed, sounding slightly more sober, as he once again turned his attention to their game.

"What were you thinking about?" Kakashi ventured, referring to the way Minato seemingly hadn't understood that Kakashi was telling him to make a move on the board. Minato blushed and hesitated a moment before answering.

"Nothing."

"That's a pretty loaded nothing, Sensei," Kakashi said, frowning at him.

"Don't call me Sensei," Minato practically growled and, inhibitions failing him, reached over the coffee table and pinched Kakashi just above his knee.

"Hey!" Kakashi protested rubbing at the spot on his thigh, but more turned on than he would ever admit by Minato's sudden change in voice.

Minato just shrugged, as if saying 'you deserved it,' and returned to making a delectable over-concentrated expression as he contemplated their board. Kakashi quickly downed the remainder of his sake before practically jumping out of his chair to take both their empty glasses to the sink.

In the kitchen, he ran a now quite obviously shaking hand through his hair and splashed some cold water on his face. There was no way Minato wanted him, not like that. Kakashi found himself almost attempting to pull his hair out of his head, grasping desperately for something to make him feel more in control of himself. This was too much, he would go back in there and tell Minato that he wasn't feeling well, that he was going to bed.

But, then Minato would end up in the bed too, at some point, it was part of their routine, and Kakashi was not at all confident he would be able to keep his hands off the man. In his not-so-sober brain, he almost felt as though he didn't care what Minato's reaction would be, he just wanted to, needed to, kiss him. But, unfortunately, he wasn't quite drunk enough to forget that an unwelcome kiss could mean the end of their friendship, the easy companionable relationship they'd been maintaining these past five years.

Either way, Minato was bound to come search him out in a few minutes, to figure out why he suddenly abandoned the game he was winning. So, Kakashi twisted his hair around his fingers and gave one more tug before letting it spring back into its usual unruly state. He pulled himself away from the sink and back into the living room, abruptly wishing he hadn't.

Minato had slid off the couch and was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, his face deliciously pink from the warmth of the room as well as the alcohol. He must have been biting his lip in concentration because the bottom lip was ever so slightly swollen and a shade deeper red than the top. Minato's vivacious blue eyes brightened as Kakashi reentered the room and his entire expression softened into a manifestation of teasing itself.

"Your move, Kakashi," Minato said ever so sweetly, a look of smug pride on his face, as though he knew the torture he was putting Kakashi under and was enjoying it. Well, Kakashi would let him have no such satisfaction.

Rather than plopping back into his chair, Kakashi took the extra stride and squatted to put him at exactly the same level as Minato. Minato wondered vaguely if his silver-haired opponent was upset that he'd managed to take the lead, despite his inebriated state.

"Yes, Minato," he murmured, breath ghosting gently over Minato's face. The sound of two very distinct, rapid heartbeats permeated the air surrounding them. Minato could smell the sake coming from Kakashi's mouth. "My move."

And then, he tasted it.

A/N - ;)