i was meant to love you
Six months.
Six months ago, Naruto made the agreement of a lifetime. Six months ago, Naruto signed the contract that his Hokage placed in front of him. Six months ago, Naruto wrote his future away for the sake of a friend, and the sake of the village.
Six months ago, Naruto married his sensei.
At the time, he was already aware of Kakashi's feelings for him, because Kakashi himself had confessed to having feelings for Naruto when the elders decided he would have to marry if he was going to be allowed to hold his seat as the village's leader.
Naruto hadn't known what to say, then, but he's pretty sure Kakashi knew he didn't feel the same way. And yet, the next morning he'd stormed into his Hokage's office and declared that the council could stop forcing him into an arranged marriage, because if he wanted to marry Naruto, he was going to marry Naruto.
He still isn't sure why he did it, at the time. Perhaps a part of him couldn't bear to see somebody like Kakashi married off to some other clan for the sake of the elders and the clan heads.
Besides, Naruto's own clan was practically extinct, too, and he really wasn't interested in anyone. But his Hokage had asked him, and he was a devoted shinobi who would follow his Hokage anywhere.
Of course, it's been six months since that day, and now Naruto's not sure about anything.
For starters, he crawls out of bed every morning to make breakfast. Every. Morning. Now, he and Kakashi don't share a room, and Naruto doesn't need a whole lot of sleep which means it doesn't take much for him to get up early. But after they had signed the paperwork, and chosen a house, Kakashi had laid down several ground rules about Naruto not doing anything out of his comfort zone ("I'm still not sure why you're doing this, Naruto, but I'm begging you not to do anything you wouldn't normally do. I've already asked far too much of you."). He's pretty sure making his spouse breakfast is in the list of things he doesn't have to do, but that's just it. He enjoys it.
The first morning Kakashi had appeared in the kitchen looking like, for lack of a better word, death (Kakashi is decidedly not a morning person), Naruto had unceremoniously shoved him into a chair and slid a plate in front of him. While he was washing his own dishes, and turned to find the hand towel, he saw Kakashi looking at the plate like he didn't understand why it was there.
Naruto had shrugged and told him to leave the dishes in the sink when he was done before heading out of the house for gate duty.
(When he'd gotten home around lunchtime, there was a note on the kitchen table thanking him. The dishes were washed.)
Naruto has made breakfast every day since then.
But that isn't all. Every single day where he's not on a mission, Naruto spends time with Kakashi's summons. Unlike a lot of other summons, Kakashi's ninken spend most of their time in this dimension, which means they basically live in the house with Kakashi and Naruto. And because Kakashi has to spend so much time in the Tower actively running the village, Naruto sees them more. The truth is, he honestly really likes them, and he thinks they kind of like him, too.
(On the bright side, the ninken feed themselves.)
(Pakkun has taken to sleeping at the foot of Naruto's bed on the grounds that Kakashi kicks too much. Naruto's pretty sure Kakashi doesn't kick and that Pakkun is just using him as a human heater.)
They have an evening ritual, too. Every evening that Naruto's not out of the village, he finds himself in the sitting room with Kakashi, occupying opposite ends of the sofa while they each do their own thing. And it's nice. Nights like those, where Kakashi reads and Naruto works on new and improved seals, he feels like he's meant to be there. Rarely, if ever, has Naruto really felt like he belonged somewhere, and to feel that way on a night in with Kakashi-his former sensei, his friend, his Hokage?
And it's on those nights that Kakashi actually bears some semblance of peace. Being able to witness that is a kind of joy Naruto never knew he was missing out on.
The kicker is, nobody even knows they're married. Not his friends, not Kakashi's friends, and especially not their mutual friends. Kakashi had made it a rule while explaining that he refused to let people say things about Naruto being some sort of toy or something else equally insulting, and Naruto hadn't thought to argue it at the time, but now…
He wouldn't mind if anybody knew. Strangely enough, he thinks he'd actually happily tell anyone who asked. Maybe even tell them without prompt.
Naruto's been married to one of his best friends for six months, and he's probably the happiest he's been in his entire life.
/
Naruto drags himself through Konoha's gates after the okay from Izumo (and the friendly suggestion to visit the hospital), angling his steps toward Hokage Tower in the hopes that he'll reach the office before he collapses.
Even with Kurama's healing factor, Naruto took enough of a beating and used enough chakra that he's going to be out of commission for a few days (and that's being optimistic), especially because he would have collapsed right after the fight if he weren't a jinchuuriki. The majority of his ribs are broken, he has torn muscles in his left thigh, and his entire right arm is completely numb-the list goes on. Kurama is sleeping off the strain, since he's the one who got them back to the Leaf Village.
He wonders if Kakashi will be upset about the mission. He'd completed it, of course, but Kakashi hates it when Naruto returns from missions with injuries. Like he can help it. Too many people like to fight jinchuuriki, as if he isn't one of the most powerful ninja in the elemental countries.
A wet, hacking cough leaves his mouth tasting like iron, but Naruto grits his teeth and carries on. He really wants to see his Hokage before he passes out.
He only gets the door opened before he drops to his knees, grunting from the impact.
"Naruto!"
Eh, maybe I don't make such a pretty picture right now, Hokage-sama, but I'll be fine after a little rest, and then I'll get back to making awesome meals, 'ttebayo! Maybe I'll even start to bring you lunch when I'm off duty!
/
drip drip drip
Naruto groans beneath the mask covering his mouth and nose (the IV in his arm is annoyingly loud to his ears, driving him just to the edge of madness in the otherwise silent room). He's bored, and he really just wants to talk to Kakashi but Sakura won't let anybody in to see him.
(Kakashi's such a stickler for rules that he won't even tell her that they're married, not even to get into the room.)
But see, Naruto doesn't much care for that rule, because it turns out he likes being married to Kakashi, so as soon as she makes another round, he's going to demand to see his husband.
The door creaks open and he glares at his pink-haired teammate, using his good hand to tear the mask away from his mouth. "Sakura, I wanna see Kakashi-sensei."
"No visitors, Naruto! Family only, like I said!" She scribbles something on the clipboard in her hands, not noticing when he pushes himself into a sitting position and rolls his eyes at her rather insensitive comment.
(Aside from his husband, Naruto doesn't have any family.)
"All the more reason to see him, Sakura-chan. Hokage-sama happens to be my husband!"
"WHAT?!"
Not a half hour later, Kakashi is dragged into Naruto's hospital room by the arm looking entirely too flustered (Naruto thinks it kind of suits him), only to be thrown unceremoniously into one of the chairs beside Naruto's bed.
"Naruto, how-"
"You two got married and didn't think to tell me?" Sakura hisses, glaring daggers.
Kakashi turns an accusing glare on Naruto. "You told her? Naruto, didn't we agree not to tell anyone? I don't want to give this village a new reason to treat you like dirt, it's unfair to you-"
He gestures vaguely with his good hand. "You know me, Hokage-sama, I've never been one for following rules, and besides! She wouldn't let me see you!"
Sakura interrupts before the argument can go on, eyes wide with confusion and shock. "You're actually married. Really, actually married. Since when?"
"Six months and-"
"-two weeks," Kakashi tacks on, studying Naruto's expression instead of Sakura's. "Sakura, do you mind giving us a few minutes alone?" He clears his throat. "And keeping this information classified without permission from both of us?"
"Y-yes, Hokage-sama."
He shoots the door a glare after she shuts it.
"Naruto, why did you tell Sakura we're married?"
"I wanted to see you! And, you know, it's not like I actually got to talk to you when I got back, so I thought you might be worried." Pain shoots through his right arm, but he ignores it in favor of keeping his eyes locked with Kakashi's grey ones. Why is he so determined to keep Naruto a secret? Naruto doesn't think Kakashi's ashamed of him, he really doesn't. Perhaps, maybe, Kakashi's ashamed of himself? If that's the case, Naruto needs to find a way to change it, because he'll happily tell all of Konoha that he's married to their Hokage.
"I've been worried out of my mind, but-"
"And I'm sorry I scared you, Kakashi," Naruto offers gently, holding out his left hand. Kakashi takes it for the comfort it's meant to be, intertwining their fingers while he eyes the bandages covering Naruto's torso. "But I'm not sorry for telling Sakura. It got you in here, didn't it?"
Kakashi hums. "I suppose you're right…"
/
They've been married for nine months the first time Naruto crawls into Kakashi's bed in the middle of the night. The hour is late, late enough that Naruto doesn't want to even look at the clock on his nightstand when he climbs out of his own bed and pads down the hallway. He knows Kakashi's a light sleeper, so it speaks volumes for his trust in Naruto that Naruto's sudden appearance in his bedroom isn't enough to make him stir.
He eyes Kakashi for a moment, wondering how to fit himself comfortably, and then pulls the covers back. His Hokage is asleep on his back, chin angled toward his chest, one arm thrown out to the side while the other hand rests on his stomach.
(He never looked this relaxed on missions, not that that's a big surprise or anything. Naruto, well, he can sleep anywhere, and subsequently wake up without a hitch.)
Instead of overthinking it, he throws all caution to the wind and slides under the blanket, tucking himself into Kakashi's side.
(In his sleep, Kakashi angles himself just a little closer, somehow tugging Naruto's head onto his chest. Naruto internally shrugs, draping his arm over Kakashi's waist in return.)
When he wakes in the morning, it's to find Kakashi's fingers carding through his hair, body lax underneath him. He hasn't moved at all, it seems, though Pakkun must have followed him in at some point, as he's sleeping soundly on one of Naruto's feet.
"Maa, Naruchan, is something wrong?" he rumbles, voice thick with sleep and something else Naruto refuses to name.
"Ne, Kakashi-sama, I couldn't sleep last night." He presses a little closer, breathing out a sigh.
"You didn't wake me up?"
Naruto hums. "No, I just wanted to be close to you."
"It helped?"
"Yeah, of course! You always make me feel better, 'ttebayo!" After another peaceful moment, he retracts his limbs, nudging Pakkun off of his foot. "I'm gonna go make breakfast, okay? Want anything specific?"
"Everything you make is good, Naruto," Kakashi answers, eliciting a grin from Naruto on his way out of the bedroom.
(If he'd been paying more attention, he would have noticed that Kakashi's gaze was practically glued to his boxer-clad form. When Kurama points it out later, Naruto discovers he doesn't really even mind.)
/
Naruto's been married to Kakashi for ten months when he's summoned to a council meeting in Hokage Tower. He's never been summoned to one of these meetings before, so his best guess is that they're giving him a mission, or he screwed up somehow, and it's with that thought that he enters the council chamber and finds himself faced with three sets of eyes.
"Thank you for coming, Naruto," his Hokage begins, but he doesn't look Naruto in the eye.
"Am I in trouble for something, Hokage-sama?"
Homura and Koharu share a look, but Kakashi shakes his head. "No, you aren't in trouble for anything." He clears his throat. "The truth is, I want to remove you from active duty."
Tension breaks out through the room, but it takes a moment for Naruto to realize it isn't actually his own-Kakashi is tense, but so are the two elders, and that's what really makes him stop to think about the entire situation. "You do?"
A moment passes. It almost feels like they're expecting him to throw a fit, and while Naruto cannot fault them for that, a lot has changed in the past several months. For one thing, he's married to the Hokage, which means he's technically high profile without Kurama. Putting himself in danger, especially on purpose, is pretty much begging to be killed. He can understand that.
"As the jinchuuriki of Konohagakure, you're technically this village's last defense against any threat it might face, and it's with the village's best interest in mind that I'm asking you to do this."
Come to think of it, Naruto's noticed that the other villages' missing-nin have taken a sick interest in stalking him when he's out of the village-it seems like every time he turns around, a new foe is there with some tricky moves and a penchant for landing him in the hospital.
He's positive that every word the Hokage has said is true, but he doesn't actually think that's the real reason he's being asked to step back and basically retire. He knows that Kakashi worries about him, knows he doesn't like being stuck in the village and sending Naruto out on hard missions because giving him courier missions is just cruel. Really, there's nothing left to be discussed.
"I understand, Kakashi-sama. I can be a reserve ninja for emergencies only."
Triplet gasps fill the silence that follows.
"Eh?"
Naruto suppresses a sigh at the wide-eyed gaze Kakashi's aiming at him, attempting a smile instead. "I'm not the oblivious twelve year old I used to be, Kakashi-sama. Even if I wasn't the jinchuuriki of this village, as your husband I would still be putting myself at unnecessary risk running missions all over the great nations. Every time I go out, rogue ninja tend to cross my path, and they almost always want blood the second they recognize me. Besides, I know enough about a lot of things that I can be of use to you here, instead."
After the elders manage to shake off their shock and take their leave, Kakashi hesitates. "I'm not… I gave you the option to say no, Naruto. I was very adamant about giving you a choice in the matter. I don't want to jail you here."
Naruto shakes his head, following Kakashi toward his office. "I know you worry, Kakashi. You have so much on your plate, I don't want to be another burden you have to bear."
"You aren't a burden!"
The secretary outside of the Hokage's office flinches at the sudden shout, suddenly standing to attention, and Naruto nods to her. "I'm so sorry, Murai-chan, Hokage-sama's having a rough morning. There's nothing to worry about, but why don't you take a short break? I think they're serving lemonade in the conference room down the hall."
The secretary, a shy girl from the Nara clan, turns bright red. "Th-thank you, Naruto-sama!"
When he turns back to Kakashi, the man is watching him, eyes unreadable.
(Underneath the turmoil of emotions Naruto can't read, though, is a vast river of tenderness that's always there when Kakashi looks at him. Usually it's better hidden than this, but Naruto's gotten pretty good at finding it either way.)
/
"Well, Hokage-sama, I would really prefer to have Naruto for this one. Is he not available?"
Naruto pushes the office door open, balancing the stack of paperwork he's carrying in one arm and the food he'd picked up in the other, and shoots Shikamaru a smile. "I'm sorry, Shika, but I'm not on active duty anymore."
Shikamaru blinks. "You aren't on active duty anymore...?"
Pakkun trails Naruto into the office, grumbling all the while. Naruto's still not sure why, but Pakkun has been following him all over the village for two days (he thinks it might have something to do with the fact that he and Kakashi have only just told the ninken that they're legally married-Naruto hadn't known they weren't aware until Kakashi mentioned that he hadn't really told them).
"Nope." He doesn't elaborate, instead organizing Kakashi's paperwork to make room for lunch, easing the new files underneath the most pressing ones. Behind him, Shikamaru watches with fascination.
"May I ask why?"
Kakashi hums, looking Shikamaru in the eye when Naruto moves to stand behind him. "Naruto is the jinchuuriki of this village, and therefore our trump card when a situation calls for it. Every time he takes a mission out of this village, rogue ninja take it upon themselves to hunt him down. If he gets killed because some rogue decides to slit his throat while he's sleeping-"
"-then I become useless to the village, Shika. Not only that, but if I'm out on a mission and the village is attacked, then I'm unable to help. And that means my entire purpose is worthless."
Shikamaru's eyes narrow, arms crossed. Gone is the lazy indifference that he wears like a defense. No, Naruto's looking at the genius Nara, whose mind is now fully focused on the two of them. "You were his sensei, Hokage-sama. Don't tell me that he's always been some tool for you."
Kakashi stands, but Naruto speaks before he can get any further than that. "Shika, I was given the choice to stay on active duty in a meeting with all three council members. Above everything else, I'm a shinobi of Konoha and I will follow the will of my Hokage no matter what. It's not just about my duty to the village, okay?"
Both of them are watching him, but Naruto stares at Shikamaru until he drops back into the lazy facade of his clan. "Troublesome. Jeez, Naruto, when did you grow up?"
"When I decided-"
"Naruto."
"Oh, come on, Kakashi-sama! It doesn't have to be a secret!"
"I told you why-"
"I know, but this is Shikamaru. He's not gonna make a big deal out of it, it would be too much work!"
Kakashi closes his eyes after dropping into his chair, massaging his temples. "Why are you pushing this, Naruto?"
But Naruto knows he's won this round, and turns back to Shikamaru with a smile, aware that his friend is looking on in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Shika, my life is a lot different now than it used to be, and a big part of that is because Kakashi and I have been married for a little less than eleven months."
(Naruto simply rolls his eyes when Kakashi repeats the same threat he gave Sakura, but he doesn't say anything. At least he'd been fortunate enough to bring one of Kakashi's favorites for lunch.)
/
The second time Naruto sneaks into Kakashi's room in the middle of the night, his Hokage is still awake, staring blankly at the ceiling, and Naruto ponders how to erase the aching loneliness in his eyes.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asks softly, pulling the covers back in order to crawl underneath them.
"Do you regret marrying me, Naruto?"
He tucks himself into Kakashi's side, curious as to why his husband is being so pensive tonight. "No, I don't regret marrying you, Kakashi."
His Hokage hums, tugging him just that much closer. "I don't understand why you did."
Naruto thinks back to the night Kakashi confessed to him, thinks back to the resigned look on his former teacher's face and the pang of loneliness he'd felt when he thought about refusing. It hadn't been an easy decision, exactly, but it had been a sure one. "I didn't sleep at all that night, you know. On the one hand, my feelings for you were different than yours for me, and I hated to think that I would be hurting you whether I answered yes or no. But then I asked myself what would happen if you gave in to the council's demands that you marry into one of the other clans. And I asked myself what would happen to the village if you stepped down. I love Konoha, and I love the people here, but I really only trust a handful of them, and you're the only one out of those that I realized I trust enough to really be this close to." He sighs. "I'm happier now than I've been my entire life, Kakashi. And that's why I don't have any qualms about telling people we're married. I know that you do, and I think I understand a part of that, but I want you to know that being your partner, and being useful to you, means a lot more to me than the handful of people who used to follow me around wanting some claim over me. Unlike any of them, you've already seen me at my worst. You already know how awful I can be, and you don't seem to be disenchanted by that."
Kakashi rolls them so he can tuck his face into Naruto's neck to hide his eyes from view. "Does that mean that you won't want a divorce when I decide to step down and pass on the hat?"
Naruto's stomach churns even at the word divorce. "A divorce? Are you crazy, Kakashi? Why would I want to divorce you?" He pokes his husband in the ribs, thrilled when the action makes Kakashi's entire body lurch (who'd have thought Sharingan no Kakashi would be ticklish). "No," he says, softly this time. "I'm not going to divorce you, okay? I would never." He shifts, making himself comfortable as the tension leaves and Kakashi becomes soft and pliant against him. "Maybe you should call in sick tomorrow. You haven't taken a day off in… probably forever."
(Kakashi doesn't take the day off, but he does choose to sleep in. When Naruto rises to start breakfast a little after dawn, an iron grip around his waist is enough to keep him down for another few hours, but it means they eat brunch together before Kakashi goes into the office.)
/
They don't do anything fancy for their anniversary. Since their marriage isn't exactly normal, Kakashi claims he doesn't want to celebrate it, but Naruto makes a point to be more tactile than he usually is, because it's the only way he really knows how to show his affection (and he does have plenty to give, especially to Kakashi). He also manages to get Kakashi to leave the office an hour earlier than he usually would, if only because he promises to send clones to help with paperwork the next day.
Their second year together goes much the same way, but it's at the start of their third year together that the village is attacked. Their enemy is after one thing and one thing alone: Naruto's bijuu. Naruto forces the fight away from the village, but he has to give himself up in the following battle-it's only when his captor is far enough away that he lets out Kurama's chakra like a bomb to defeat the powerhouse they're up against.
Somehow, the chakra bomb works, but releasing it the way he did nearly tore him apart, and it takes a lot of effort to get himself home afterward. He knows he looks bad when he sees Izumo's face at the gate.
"Is everyone okay?" he makes himself ask, though it comes out a little slurred, a little broken.
"How are you even alive? We felt that surge you let off, what did you do?"
"Chakra bomb," he answers, grunting when Kotetsu catches him before he can fall over. "Couldn't form any hand signs, the way that guy locked me up, so I kinda... had to turn myself into the bomb." He coughs, blood spattering the pavement. "He's dead, though. Pretty sure he's smeared all over the countryside."
The two of them grimace at the mental image before dragging him toward the hospital.
(He tells them about the remains he managed to see before he lost consciousness just to watch them squirm.)
When Naruto wakes up, Sakura tells him that it's been three days since he made it back and that she had refused to let Kakashi in until she knew whether or not he would even wake up (she ignores the dirty look he shoots her, too), and asks if he'd like to see him.
"Is he mad?"
He flinches at the look she gives him. "Naruto, you willingly went with that psychopath!"
"It was the best course of action, Sakura," he answers, thinking back to the start of the fight. "He was too powerful, I couldn't fight him in the village or there would have been too many casualties. And I knew I needed enough time to build up the amount of chakra it took to kill him-I couldn't do that while actively fighting him. But giving him a false sense of security until I could really put him down was bound to work, and it did. What else would you have me do, Sakura? It's my duty to the village to deal with the enemies that regular shinobi can't beat."
She only holds her glare for another moment before she seems to sag on herself, crossing to the bed in order to ruffle his hair-it's about the only part of his body that isn't severely damaged from the blast. "I'll go get Kakashi-sama. Don't go anywhere."
When the door creaks open several minutes later, Naruto attempts to push himself into a sitting position, but he's unable to move-it finally hits him just how close he was to joining his parents in the afterlife.
"Naruto?" Kakashi's voice is gentle, heavy with emotion but soft despite that. "How are you feeling?"
Like I blew up, he thinks, but he won't say so. "Better than I did when I got back to the village."
The Hokage eases the rest of the way into the room, door clicking shut behind him. Even from where he's laying, Naruto can see how stiffly he's holding himself. He isn't naive enough to ask whether his husband is okay, because he knows Kakashi had a hand in the first fight too. He hadn't been injured (Naruto isn't quite ready to ask himself why this knowledge is such a relief), but he witnessed Naruto's forfeit first hand.
So he goes against his better judgement and forces his body to respond, forces himself to sit up despite Sakura's orders to lie still. "Hey, look, I can still move. Come here." Kakashi finally moves closer at his command, allowing Naruto to pull him into a hug when he's within range.
"I… was worried," he rasps.
Naruto hums. He remembers turning to Kakashi before giving himself up, remembers the pleading look, the fear in his eyes when Naruto stopped fighting. "I'm sorry I scared you." He wonders if Kakashi had seen the determination in Naruto's face, wonders if Kakashi had seen everything Naruto still doesn't know how to say. He makes space on the hospital bed, pulling Kakashi down beside him. "I'll be out of here soon, though, okay?"
Kakashi hesitates to really relax, like he's trying not to lean too close or too heavily against him, but Naruto won't have that.
"Hey, Kakashi, I'm not gonna break," he murmurs, and that's when his Hokage falls apart. His relatively loose hold around Naruto's shoulders becomes an iron grip, wrapping around him like he wants to be as close as physically possible, pressing his nose into Naruto's hair.
"I felt it," he whispers. "I've only ever felt that much power release a few times. I thought for sure you were dead, so when they said that you walked yourself back to Konoha, I…"
"What is it?"
"Naruto, I ask so much of you, I feel like you do so much for me and I don't know why. But you aren't just my husband. I'm your husband, too. You know you can ask me for literally anything and I will do everything in my power to give it to you."
He soaks up Kakashi's presence, insides turning to mush. "There is something I want, actually." He grins when Kakashi hums against his temple, chest vibrating with the sound. "Would you be opposed to sharing your bed every night?"
"Eh?" A moment passes. "You want to sleep in my bed?"
He suppresses a snort, body protesting against his continued use of injured limbs. "I want to share a room with you, dumb Hokage." He clears his throat, letting his body relax even if it means Kakashi either has to lay beside him, or hold him up. He chooses the former, rearranging their limbs and making sure that Naruto's comfortable before he lets himself relax. "If you're comfortable with that, of course, Kakashi."
"I think," he says after thinking it over, "that I would really like to share a room with you… Maa, Naruchan, you really want to?"
He reaches for one of Kakashi's hands and tangles their fingers together. "I really do."
(He's slowly getting there. Soon, he thinks, hiding a smile.)
/
"Sasuke, why are you following me?"
A sigh. "You moved," Sasuke grumbles. "Why?"
Naruto shrugs. "Apartment was kind of ratty. And small. Is that why you're following me? I mean, I suppose you could have just asked, but I'm not going to tell you where I live right now, you'll just go snooping around my house." He crosses his arms. "I guess we could go get lunch, though."
Sasuke shifts, almost imperceptibly. "Okay."
Naruto nods, heading in the direction of the nearest restaurant. "So, you're back from your border patrol, then? You've been gone for, what, about three years?"
"Almost."
As talkative as ever, I see. Naruto sighs, giving the sky a dirty look. "I guess you probably have some time off then, right? Do you have any plans?"
After they're seated and they've ordered their food, Sasuke nods, clasping his hands together. "I've got about four weeks off. Is it true that you're not on active duty?"
I suppose border patrol really would be out of the loop, huh?
"Yeah, for a little over two years, actually."
"Makes sense, since you're supposed to stay in the village in case of any really big threats." He avoids Naruto's gaze. "I noticed Hinata has stopped following you around like a puppy."
"Yeah, I guess she and Kiba are dating now? I don't know, I spend a lot of time at the Tower and I kind of tune out the gossip when Kakashi-sama and Murai-chan are sharing it. I'm pretty sure the ANBU guards keep sending me conspiratory looks though." He chuckles. "As if they don't gossip when they think I'm not paying attention. I can read their hand signs. I don't think they've realized, yet."
"And, uh, are you and Sakura… Did she ever give you a chance?"
Now, Naruto's not sure why, but it seems like Sasuke is dead set on talking about his love life. "Um… She told me she had feelings for me once, but that was before you came back to the village, and I'm pretty sure she was just trying to get me to stop hunting you down. Either way, I turned her down. Sasuke, what's the deal here, why are you asking about Hinata and Sakura?"
Sasuke doesn't answer.
(Naruto kind of wishes that he was at the tower, but Kakashi had given him a list of errands after realizing he had a lot of pent up energy now that he's out of the hospital, and though the list is complete, he knows he'd be too restless to sit and do paperwork, anyway.)
It's after they've left the restaurant that Sasuke moves in to kiss him-the only thing Naruto can think to do to stop him is to either run away or to jab him in the forehead. If he runs away, it means he'll have to explain later on, so he does the latter. Too bad it serves to piss the Uchiha off.
"What the hell, Naruto?" Sasuke demands after hauling off and decking him.
"What do you mean, 'what the hell'? You were gonna kiss me!"
"So what if I was?!"
"I don't want to kiss you!"
He crosses his arms, cocking an eyebrow. "You followed me all over the continent, and nearly gave your life just to get me back to this village."
"So? That doesn't mean I want to kiss you, you idiot! I'm your friend, not your toy!" Naruto shudders. "Were you even going to ask, first? You can't just go around kissing people without their permission, Sasuke-teme!"
"What's so bad about kissing me, you've done it before!"
"On accident!" Naruto shrieks, stepping back. "When we were children! Shit, Sasuke, I don't want to kiss you, and I'm married." He says the last part in a hiss, spinning on his heel. "Instead of asking about the past, you should have just asked if I was seeing anybody. Idiot." Maybe he does need to go to the office. Or blow off some steam in the Forest of Death. Anything but looking at Sasuke's face.
Who does he think he is, trying to kiss somebody without permission?
/
When Naruto finally drags himself home after spending hours upon hours in an empty training ground in order to exhaust himself, it's well into the evening, and he finds Kakashi in a heap on the couch, unmoving.
"Rough day, Kakashi?"
He hardly shifts. "I hate Mondays."
"I'm starting to agree with you on that," Naruto responds, flopping onto the sofa beside him, prodding him in the ribs. "Would you like to complain first?"
"Maa, my desk was empty when I left last night. It was piled up when I got there this morning. Stacks on stacks of paperwork, Naruto. How? I don't understand."
"Ne, Kakashi, I'm sorry your days are full of paperwork. At least Sasuke didn't try to kiss you." He shakes his head. "I jabbed him in the forehead, and he fucking hit me."
"You didn't kiss him?"
"No. The jerk didn't even ask. I guess I should have seen it coming, he was asking about Hinata and Sakura, but I couldn't figure out why until… that."
Kakashi sits up, looking confused. "What, he just leaned in? That's inappropriate."
Naruto throws his hands up. At least Kakashi was on the same page. "Thank you! I mean, if he would have asked, I wouldn't have jabbed in the forehead, I could have just said no and everything could have gone back to normal, but he got all offended that I didn't want to kiss him! So, I kind of terrorized training ground three." He rubs the back of his neck, shooting Kakashi a sheepish grin. "When he asked why I didn't want to kiss him, it was like there had to be some huge reason, like there's no way I'm not attracted to him. Can you believe that? What a jerk." He sighs. "He kept pushing it, so I did tell him I'm married, but I wasn't sure if you'd want him to know we're together, so I didn't tell him."
"You can tell him," Kakashi says flatly. "Serves him right, after that stunt. Punk."
He suppresses a grin, pushing himself to his feet because he knows he needs to get a shower soon, or he'll start to really smell. "Besides, Kakashi, if I'm gonna be kissing anybody, I'd really rather it be you."
The sound that follows him toward the bathroom is soft but strangled, and so worth it.
(He wonders, though, if Kakashi realizes he isn't joking.)
/
"So…"
Naruto looks up from the paperwork in front of him. It's been two weeks since his confrontation with Sasuke, and all of the Kage have been at a Summit for a week already (Naruto doesn't actually remember where Kakashi said they were going, but he supposes he doesn't need to know unless something happens while he's gone), which means that Kakashi had left Naruto in charge of things ("Please, for the love of the first Hokage, keep a low profile, Naruto. If something comes up and you can't think of a solution, talk to Shikamaru. Or even Sakura."), including his paperwork.
"How did you know where I'd be?"
Sasuke shifts. "I... talked to Sakura. She said you help out here a lot, these days."
"Yes, Kakashi left me in charge while he's at the summit, but I think it's payback for a comment I made to him the other day. Really, I got stuck with his paperwork while he's playing board games with the Kazekage."
Sasuke rolls his eyes. "I don't think that's what they do at Summit meetings, Naruto."
How would you know? Bastard. Naruto makes a face. "Well, either way. What's up?"
He takes a deep breath, looking everywhere that isn't Naruto's face, hands twitching. "I'm sorry that I tried to kiss you, and that I didn't just ask you if you were in a relationship. Sakura didn't tell me much, but she implied that you're happily married, and that I shouldn't try to strongarm my way between you." He clears his throat, crossing his arms. "And I wouldn't, even if she hadn't said it. I'm sorry that I got mad at you… I don't do embarrassed well."
Naruto nods, resting his chin in his hand. "Well…, I forgive you, but I doubt Kakashi has yet. I told him about what happened."
"You do know he's not our sensei anymore, right?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow at him.
He fucking thinks I was telling on him to our sensei. This guy…
"He's not our sensei anymore, but he is my husband, Sasuke. I tell him everything."
The look on Sasuke's face is priceless, so Naruto does his best to commit it to memory (if he sketches it out and slips it into Kakashi's desk drawer after Sasuke leaves, nobody has to know).
"Are you serious? You are! You're serious! You're married to Kakashi?"
Naruto looks up from his sketch when the door clicks shut-neither of them had noticed when it opened.
"Naruchan," Kakashi begins, ignoring Sasuke completely, "did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
He gives his Hokage a grin, about to rise from the desk chair until Kakashi gestures for him to stay where he is. "There was a minor incident in the Nara research labs, but there were no casualties and only minor injuries; the Inuzuka report a new batch of puppies, and I sent a team on an escort to Ash Country that was marked as urgent."
"No word from our contact in the Northlands?"
"Not yet, Hokage-sama."
"And the ninken?"
"Well, one of them ate a sofa cushion, but none of them can agree on who did it." From the corner of his eye, he notes that Sasuke is gaping, open-mouthed.
Kakashi blinks. "That's the third time this year!"
"I know, I told Pakkun that if none of them would own up to it, I'd seal them all out of the bedroom until they did. Maybe for once we'll be able to sleep without one or all of them trying to get on the bed with us."
Kakashi's eyes dance and he nods. "Clever, Naruchan. Very clever." He turns, finally, to stare Sasuke down. "Our marriage is not common knowledge, Sasuke. I trust you will keep such information to yourself until it becomes common knowledge." He stands from his perch on the edge of the desk, rising to his full height. "And if you hurt him, in any way, ever again, you will face my full wrath. Is that understood?"
(Naruto doesn't bother hiding the shiver that runs down his spine at his husband's Kage voice-it gets him every single time, and Kakashi hasn't a clue.)
"Understood, Hokage-sama," Sasuke responds immediately, voice thin.
The atmosphere goes back to normal in the blink of an eye and Kakashi adopts an indifferent demeanor. "Alright then!" He eye-smiles. "You're dismissed. If you don't mind, Sasuke, I've been gone for a week and I'd like to spend time with my husband."
Ten minutes later, in the privacy of their home, Naruto curls up to Kakashi's side on the sofa (slowly, very slowly, this has become a normal thing). "Naruto…"
He hums, fingers fidgeting with the edge of his Hokage's shirt.
"The other day, when you told me about what happened with Sasuke…, you said something."
Ne, Kakashi, you'll have to be a little more specific than that. I talk a lot.
Oblivious, he continues. "You said that you didn't want to kiss him, but that if you were going to kiss anyone, it would be me. Why did you say that?"
Naruto blinks. "Aside from the obvious?"
His sigh ruffles Naruto's hair. "Naruto, you know I'd never make you kiss me just because we're married, right?"
"Of course I do! That doesn't mean I wouldn't if you asked, though," he points out, sitting up to see Kakashi's face. His husband drops his head back, staring at the ceiling. Naruto turns his body, resting one arm on the back of the couch with his feet tucked under him. "You still love me, right Kakashi?"
He shifts, flicking his eyes over to Naruto's face for a moment before looking up again. "Yes, Naruto."
"That's good, because I knew when I married you that if I stopped seeing you as my teacher, and started seeing you as another person, as my husband, I would fall in love with you, too."
The house is dead silent, and then Kakashi moves; one hand wraps around Naruto's wrist and the other grabs the front of his shirt, dark grey eyes boring into blue, searching.
But Naruto doesn't have anything to hide. He lets his walls down completely, lets Kakashi see everything he hasn't said.
(His mind blanks out when Kakashi shoves his mask down and drags Naruto into a kiss. The man is fucking handsome.)
/
On a rare night off for both of them, Naruto and Kakashi find themselves at one of the shinobi bars with a group of their friends-somehow, Lee and Tenten drag him off to one side of the bar while Kakashi gets whisked away by Genma and Raidou. He has fun, of course, but he also knows that big gatherings aren't exactly the kind of thing Kakashi really enjoys, so when he gets the chance (after Lee destroys a table and everyone else attempts to drag him outside), he excuses himself.
He finds Kakashi at a table with a group of his… Naruto supposes he can call them friends, even if Kakashi likes to pretend he doesn't like any of them. But the kicker is, they're all apparently trying to set him up (Gai is looking on with a sour look on his face, like he's suspicious as to the reason Kakashi keeps saying no, but wants to be wrong).
"...about Rima-chan? At least she's not obnoxious."
"You're all ridiculous, I'm not going on some stupid blind date for your satisfaction!" Kakashi catches sight of Naruto and shoots him a pleading look, but Naruto only grins at him, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. Revenge really can be sweet.
"Gentlemen-" Gai starts, but Kurenai waves him off.
"What about a male partner, Kakashi? Maybe Iruka's still single."
"Yeah, or we could drag Itachi back to the village like Naruto did with Sasuke," Izumo offers.
"Hell, maybe he'd be more interested in Sasuke," Anko adds.
Naruto rolls his eyes at the disgusted look on Kakashi's face, but he can't help but be a little jealous. None of them would bother suggesting him, would they?
"I'm sorry, gentlemen, lady, but Kakashi won't be taking you up on any of those offers." He steps around the table, coming to stand behind his husband so that he can drape his arms over the older man's shoulders. "He's already taken. Happily."
Kakashi's hands find his and squeeze. "Which one made you jealous, Naruchan?" he asks.
He hums but doesn't answer.
"The two of you… are dating?" somebody asks, and Naruto catches sight of Sakura leaning toward them from a table away, looking relieved.
"No," she answers, "they've been married for three years. Thank the flames I don't have to keep that secret anymore." She shoots Naruto a knowing look before turning back to her own group.
"MY ETERNAL RIVAL IS MARRIED! WHAT A GLORIOUS, YOUTHFUL DAY THIS IS! WE MUST DRINK TO THEIR HAPPINESS!"
(If Naruto hides a grin in Kakashi's hair, well, nobody will know but his husband. And really, he wouldn't have it any other way.)