As soon as the whole "Is this a date?" question was cleared up, Kakashi was a lot more comfortable. Well, after that and a trip to the bathroom to take care of the shuriken that had been stabbing him in the leg from its hiding place. Kakashi was really going to have to brush up on hiding things in civilian clothes if he planned to wear them. Rejoining Iruka, he started easy conversation about mutual acquaintances, recent happenings around Konoha, and the ex-students both men had in common. Now that Sasuke was back in Konoha, it was a much easier topic for Kakashi, even though Sasuke's return had been very trying itself with all the politics involved.
The food turned out to be very simple, but also very good. Iruka grinned. "So, my bet is... this place is run by a retired ninja."
Kakashi thought for a second. "But if it were, wouldn't more shinobi frequent it? And if that were the case, shouldn't one of us had heard of it? And what's it doing so far in the civilian section?"
Another grin from Iruka. "You're not all that social, and half the time people treat me like I might as be a civilian. So why would anyone have told us? I bet you that some of the higher-level shinobi come in here all the time, and that the owner knows them all by name."
Kakashi picked up the story. "Not only that, but I bet on busy nights there is a lot of trading war stories, and when the owner opens his mouth to speak, everyone listens intently. He's some kind of underground hero of sorts and we've never even heard of the guy because we don't move in the right circles. We're missing a treasure trove of information, because we're the only people in here and he hasn't bothered to come out just to greet us!"
Iruka sighed, looking around. "Poor us. We get an excellent dinner and a whole restaurant to ourselves, but is that enough for us? Oh no! We want to know what's 'underneath the underneath'." Iruka's face was straight as he said it, but when he shot Kakashi a sideways look, the corner of his mouth turned up.
"If you don't stop using my lines, Sensei, I'm going to retire from being 'The Copy Ninja' and hand that title off to you," Kakashi threatened, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I just figured it was my turn to tease you, after years of being teased by you. I'm starting to understand why it's so much fun for you. You might not blush like I do, but you make some funny gestures when you're embarrassed, you know."
Kakashi stilled. "I do not. Ever. I have no tells. I am an elite shinobi." His face relaxed into it's typical lazy expression for a second, as if a wall had come up between him and Iruka, but before Iruka could really worry, Kakashi was kicking softly at his foot. "There, take that!" Iruka could have sworn that if he wasn't wearing the mask, Kakashi would have stuck his tongue out at him.
Their laughter filled the small space, and by the time they were finished with their meal, they had concluded it was a very good thing it wasn't a busier restaurant. Otherwise, they might have gotten kicked out. Iruka looked around for the waitress to pay, and suddenly she was right there, just like she had been every time they needed a drink refilled. Good service, good food, spartan atmosphere. Definitely someplace Iruka would come again, if an unlikely setting for a first date. Iruka shook his head when Kakashi offered to pay, and took care of the bill himself. His thought process was something along the lines of "Now I can say he owes me a dinner, and secure another date."
Outside, there was a refreshing breeze blowing, and Iruka smiled and paused to enjoy it. Kakashi watched quizzically, not quite understanding for a moment, and then once again marveled in the dual nature of this man. Simplicity and complexity, all wrapped up in each other, layer after layer. As he stood there now basking in the feel of the breeze on his skin, he looked pure and young, and Kakashi once again found himself imagining this man killing, fighting, bleeding. It wasn't something he could understand, not yet, but he wanted to.
They walked, and spoke not at all, and somewhere along the way Iruka found himself linking his arm through Kakashi's as Genma had done to him just a couple days before. It seemed a natural move for him, but Kakashi's eye widened a little and he looked for a moment as if he might step away, but didn't.
"I wouldn't expect a schoolteacher to walk through town being so cozy with another guy," he remarked, his tone light but the look in his eye saying he was serious.
Laughter, and then a shrug from Iruka. "I dated Genma. Everyone knew. There's no way not to know when it comes to Genma, you know how big his mouth is. I was younger then, but I was still dating him when I got my Academy job, and while some people were a little strange about it, it didn't keep me from getting the job. It's not like most shinobi aren't fairly open sexually, just that people expect me to act like a civilian, which I'm not. I could live to be as old as the Third was when he died, or I could die tomorrow protecting my students. I've nearly died that way before. These things don't matter to me any more than they do to you, or perhaps even not as much, considering you're the one who brought it up."
"I didn't know you dated Genma. I'd guessed recently, but I didn't know when it happened." Kakashi frowned. "Come to think of it, I probably didn't know you existed then. And while Genma is my friend, I don't exactly keep up with who he's seeing, considering his reputation. He's always acted like he was chasing you, though, as long as I've known you, so I just assumed you'd always turned him down."
Iruka pulled Kakashi closer, but didn't look at him or stop walking. "Don't worry about Genma. Don't bother being jealous of him, even if he's being stupid like last night. He's not chasing me, it's just part of how we interact. We've been friends for a very long time, but even if he asked now I wouldn't date him. Wouldn't have even if I didn't have my eye on someone else, which I do." He steered Kakashi around a turn, aiming for his home, wondering if after the Genma conversation it would be any use inviting him in.
The invitation, however, went by without either man really noticing it. In fact, before they realized it, they were sitting on Iruka's living room couch talking easily. Kakashi's initial impression of Iruka's apartment was that it was emptier than expected. No knickknacks, no little kid drawings, no "World's Best Teacher" junk sitting around. The living room contained a television, a bookcase, a coffeetable, the very comfortable couch, and a couple of weapons hanging on the wall. His eyes roamed to the bookcase, but most of the books there seemed to be photo albums and bound books with no titles on the spines. Kakashi's curiosity was piqued, but Iruka followed his gaze and said, "Oh no. You are not looking through my photo albums. It's embarrassing enough when people who are IN those photos look." A raised eyebrow from Kakashi, but no further comment.
Iruka studied Kakashi for a moment, and then grinned, deciding how to change the topic. "So, we're alone now. You don't have to wear that mask since I've already seen your face, do you?"
Kakashi's eye snapped up to meet Iruka's, and the expression he saw there was quite mischievous. He wasn't sure if he should be scared or excited. "I guess not," he said slowly, and reached up to strip off the mask. With a shrug he tossed his hitae-ate off, though he only left his eye open for a moment before closing it. "Better?" he asked.
Iruka... purred? And pounced. And then Kakashi was being kissed, not the kind of sweet chaste kiss he would have expected on a first date with Iruka if he had thought about it, but a hard hungry kiss. It didn't last long, but Iruka pulled back just far enough to look at Kakashi, as if waiting to see if he was going to protest. When Kakashi smiled at him, he found himself being kissed again, even harder this time, and when he opened his lips, Iruka's tongue dove in as if eager to taste him. This aggressiveness was not something Kakashi had expected from the Chuunin, and not something he would normally have wanted from anyone, but this was Iruka, and he wasn't just anyone.
When Iruka's body pressed into his, all thoughts went out of his mind for a moment, but when Iruka's hands started unbuttoning Kakashi's shirt, Kakashi caught them in his own and pulled back just enough to break the kiss. "Iruka, it's not that I'm not liking this, but... I really want more dates, and somehow I don't think that would happen if we got carried away on this one."
Iruka's eyes grew wide, and he realized he was straddling Kakashi and pretty much mauling him. He blushed and turned his eyes away, but when he tried to stand up and pull away, Kakashi's arms went around him, holding him in place. "Iruka, it's okay. We're shinobi, I know. Possible instant death and all that, always having to do what we want while we have the time. But I would really, really like to be positive here and imagine that we're both going to survive another week, or another two weeks, and have a couple more dates, and then we can do this stuff and not worry about regretting it, okay?"
More blushing from Iruka, and he still didn't quite look at Kakashi. "I wouldn't have been like this, normally. Things have been so strange lately, though, and I was happy, and savoring it." A pause, and then the blush faded and Iruka looked Kakashi straight in the eye. "When can I see you again?"
Kakashi wasn't sure he'd ever felt so wanted in his life. Sure, he had a fan club, and just about any man or woman he knew would fall into his bed if he asked. But this man wanted more than that, because it was always more than that with Iruka, and Kakashi knew it then instantly. "Whenever you want. I'll even be on time, for you," Kakashi replied, his voice sounded slightly husky to himself, at which point he realized was still forcing Iruka not to move from his lap, and his body was still responding to that. Resolutely he let go of the other man, and Iruka slowly moved away, standing close enough still that one of his legs was touching Kakashi's.
"Tomorrow night?" said Iruka, knowing that was too soon, knowing he sounded needy, and not caring.
"Tomorrow night. Six. I'll be here, you won't have to come looking for me. I promise." At that, Kakashi stood, Iruka moving awkwardly backwards to give him room, and before he could move away Kakashi kissed him softly, then picked up his discarded hitae-ate and mask, not putting them on yet. He walked towards the door, his back straight, obvious self-control in the gesture, and then turned and smiled broadly, waved, and winked at Iruka. "Thanks for the best first date ever, Sensei. I take back every word I ever said about you being boring!" Then the mask was back in place, and he was walking out the door.
Iruka collapsed on his couch, and then laughed until he couldn't breathe. He wondered if Genma would believe that he had just jumped the Copy-nin, and then been turned down, because Hatake Kakashi, of all people, wanted to take it slow.
