A.N. So, basically, your Humble Author tried to fill this chapter with some humor and a bit more angst, which is needed for what? - smex in the next one! ;D
Chapter Twenty Two – THE question
Iruka woke up the next morning with a start. He jumped in the bed – their innocently white bed which was soon going to be oh so tainted, and looked around feverishly. The clock on his night stand showed 8 o'clock. He was going to be late!
"O, no, no, no, nooooo! Kakashi!"
Iruka screamed, turning around. No Kakashi. A letter.
"Gone to leave the report – gotta get used to it to please my husband ;) Will pick some lunch and come eat it with my fiancée in his lunch break. Love u, K."
Iruka was smiling like a fool by the end of the letter. He got up, still dizzy and went to find the kitchen Kakashi had showed him last night. Where was it again?
Sure enough, in 12 o' clock Kakashi was waiting by the same tree he got cornered by Iruka's kids. Again, the bell rang and the little hellions ran out, screaming and running to the playground. Kakashi smiled – they might be in the process of being taught to become ninjas, but they were still just kids. This time however most of them bowed to him and others yelled a "Hello, Hatake san!" An utterly tired Iruka came after them, got close enough and simply slumped against his… fiancée, groaning. Holding the paper bags with one hand, Kakashi hugged him with the other and chuckled.
"Long morning?", he asked softly in Iruka's messy hair, barely sustained in the ponytail.
"Yeeeeah!", Iruka moaned desperately in the Copy Nin's chest and Kakashi laughed again – he did it a lot since he and Iruka got together.
"I got you sushi with extra wasabi.", he grinned.
"Oh… I love you…", Iruka moaned again, making Kakashi laugh harder.
They sat under the tree – Kakashi with his back resting against it and Iruka between his legs, his back resting on Kakashi's front. That's when Kakashi saw Iruka's slightly wrinkled shirt. He frowned.
"Ruka?"
"Hm?"
"How extreme was the morning exactly?"
Iruka turned a little, saw Kakashi's look on his shirt and his cheeks turned adorably pink.
"I-I… got lost.", he choked out. A certainly not understanding Copy Nin stared back at him. Iruka turned red. "A-at the mansion…", he muttered. "I got so lost, I didn't even have time to teleport at my place to change, just grabbed my clothes, which were still a bit wet by the way, and transported myself here, was late as it was…"
Kakashi started laughing. Hard. Iruka's brow twitched.
"It's not funny, I'm gonna need a damn map to make my way through that mansion of yours!"
"Of ours.", Kakashi corrected. "And I'll make you one if you want me to.", he winked.
Iruka smiled, then turned to look at his kids, playing a few meters away from them. It was Kakashi, who broke the silence again.
"Do you want one?"
"Huh? One what?"
"A child."
Iruka turned to stare at Kakashi. "What kind of question is that?"
"One that every man has to ask the love of his life and the one he's going to marry.", Kakashi pointed out.
Oh. Right. Iruka turned again.
"I don't know. May be."
"May be as in I'm-not-sure or may be as in Yes-but-not-with-you?"
"May be as in I-don't-see-how-this-could-possibly-happen-in-a-gay-couple. May be you haven't noticed, but I haven't grown a vagina."
"I can assure you, love, I am perfectly aware of you anatomy.", Kakashi leered, then said seriously again. "I meant adoption."
Pause.
"I'd… like that. Some day. When we settle at the new place.", Iruka said.
Kakashi hm-ed thoughtfully, then silence settled between them again.
"How about you?", Iruka asked.
"Hm?", Kakashi shook off of his daydreaming. Iruka sighed, a bit annoyed.
"I am also a man in this relationship. I am also marrying the one I love. I'm also asking you. Do you want kids?"
"Well, yeah, I just proposed adopting…"
"I-I meant…", Iruka sighed again. "Kakashi, I know how important the restoring of the clan is for you, although you don't talk much about it. I know you want a child with your blood. A-and I know… that you're bi and you've done it with women before…"
"I'm with you now.", Kakashi said with a tone, that cut off any other discussions.
The rest of the lunch went in silence.
That night Kakashi cooked, some simple ramen, mainly because Iruka didn't know where anything stood in the kitchen. He just stood there and observed, noting what could be found where. He couldn't even enjoy the sight of his fiancée cooking – he was too tensed.
They sat around the table, a table set by Kakashi, and ate quietly, Kakashi sensing Iruka's tension, but never pushing him. He waited.
And when they stood up, Kakashi serving out and leaving the dishes in the washing machine, then returning in the dining room to face a standing in the middle of the room, fidgeting Iruka – that's when Kakashi stopped being silent.
"What is it?", Kakashi asked, as softly as he could, biting back an "again".
Iruka averted his eyes, looking down.
"Oh…", Kakashi said brokenly. "You think it's too good to be true,… this house and me saying it's ours and I want us to make it… a home for our family…. You don't believe me… again…"
Iruka's head had shot up with Kakashi's little "oh".
"Kashi, please don't be mad…!"
As soon as he said it, he knew what a mistake he did. Kakashi wasn't angry. He was hurt, and even more now, with Iruka's each word that only worsened the situation they were in. Iruka knew then how it felt to hate yourself for hurting the one you love.
"Kakashi, love…", Iruka's voice was pleading. "Please, baby, just… I need more time. Always need more time. My body trusts you now… Just… give it time to get used to this place.", Iruka shook his head, but looked at Kakashi again. "Kashi… this is still your place. I need some time to feel it's also mine. I need some time to make it ours… Please, please, wait for me…!"
Kakashi's shoulders were tensed, his gaze on the floor, but he nodded.
"I'm sorry.", he said.
"What?", Iruka frowned.
"I did that. If it wasn't for me, if it wasn't our past…", Kakashi muttered brokenly, eyes still on the floor.
"No, Kashi, don't, love!" – Iruka threw himself towards Kakashi, hugging him tight to the point of hurting him, "It's ok, it's ok, we'll just adjust to the new place… some time and it'll be ours. But I'm gonna need you, Kashi, to work with me again, ok? Ok?"
Kakashi nodded slightly – Iruka felt his head moving next to his own. Then, slowly and hesitantly, two strong arms crept around Iruka's body to hug him in return.
A.N. Ah, I KNOW some of you will think "Enough with that waiting and adjusting already!". But I think it's needed. If you go back at the begining and read the first few chapters again you'll see what I mean. However, it's not going to last long. *grins evily* Oh, just wait to see what I got for you in the next chapter! ;D