The first thing Iruka heard when he woke up was the sound of recorded laughter, reminiscent of an old tv sitcom. Fluttering his eyes open, he tried to gather his bearings. The tv was on and he was in a bare room, beside the tv was a whiteboard with a name on it — Dr. Rolf.

Ah, so he was in the hospital. As soon as he realized it he started to freak out, he didn't feel any pain. He didn't feel much of anything if he were being honest. He lifted his hand and was immediately stopped by the IV.

"Ruka?"

He turned to the voice and almost cried in relief.

"Naruto!"

His brother was in his arms in an instant, and he hissed at the sudden pressure in his arm. Naruto quickly jumped off him.

"I'm sorry. You were shot."

"Yeah, I can feel that now. What happened?"

"I don't know much, but I know the man…Same, he shot you."

Iruka flinched at hearing the name. "Hm. Is he alive?"

Naruto hesitated. "No."

Iruka nodded, he wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, his brother was unstable but, he was also troubled. Same had lost both parents because of Iruka. Naruto seemed to sense his discomfort because he quickly changed the subject.

"Everyone has come to visit you! Even Sakura was able to come."

"Wait, how long was I out?"

"Not long! Uhm…" Naruto scratched the back of his head in an obvious nervous gesture.

He narrowed his eyes. "Naruto, what aren't you telling me?"

"Well, I don't know what happened. But, Iruka you were in shock. You were a mess, you were thrashing and screaming and no one was sure what to do. The doctors gave you something and it mellowed you out. But…Ruka each time you woke up it was as if you were waking up from a nightmare but you didn't know you were awake."

"I don't remember any of this."

"Mhm, the doctor said you might not. I don't think you were able to tell the difference between reality and dreams."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I can't imagine what I put you through."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Ruka, only you would apologize for nothing. I'm just glad you're okay."

He watched as his brother yawned, "You should get some sleep. I bet you haven't slept much with all of this."

"I haven't," he answered honestly, "but Kakashi is the one I'd really be worried about. He hasn't left your side since they brought you back."

Kakashi. Iruka's heart sped up at the thought of the man staying by his side, holding his hand.

"Where is he?"

"I sent him home to at least shower. As I said, it's only been a few days but I'm worried about him. He…he really cares you for Ruka."

Iruka gave his brother a small smile.

"Can I get you anything? You must be starving."

"Eh, just water for now. What time is it?"

"It's almost 6, visitor hours will be over soon. Kakashi usually stays the night, since he's technically your security he gets to be here at all hours. He should be back soon."

"Hm."

Naruto squeezed his hand, "I really am glad you're awake. I'll tell everyone."

"Thanks," he squeezed him back. "I love you."

"Love you too." He watched as Naruto walked out of the room.

Taking a deep breath he leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes. His thoughts were everywhere after the conversation with Naruto. The last thing he could remember was Kakashi's team coming in, the gunshots, and blood. Kakashi's face was the last thing he remembered seeing before he lost consciousness.

He couldn't remember being in shock, but he assumed that had to be normal. At this point, he just needed to speak with a doctor to see what this all meant. The election! He needed to find his phone to see what was happening with the election, and what he needed to do next. Naruto had said he's been in here for only a few days. Election Day was soon and there was still so much to do.

Leaning up he tried to search for his phone but did not find it anywhere near him. Using his uninjured arm he reached out hoping to grasp the familiar device.

"Iruka."

The sound of his name caused him to jump slightly, and he knocked down whatever was on the table. The crashing sound of the items was the only noise in the room as he took in the man in front of him. Warm brown eyes met tired ones.

Kakashi looked haggard, he could only imagine what the man looked like before Naruto sent him to go home and shower.

"Kakashi."

"You're awake…I mean this is real. Not a dream?"

Iruka gave him a small smile, "No dream. Not this time."

It was as if time slowed down as Kakashi ran to pull him into a hug. Wincing at the harsh pain, he wrapped his arms around the man. Kakashi was holding him to his chest and running his hands over his hair, he was whispering something but Iruka couldn't make out what he was saying.

"I'm okay," he just kept saying to the man.

Suddenly, Kakashi separated from him so he could stare up at the man. "Iruka," he bit his lip and ducked his head, "I'm so sorry."

"What? Why? You saved me." Iruka furrowed his eyebrow as he took in the pain in the man's face.

"I should have been better, I should have prepared more. I just knew he would've attacked and I should've done more."

Iruka didn't want the man to feel guilty, not when so much of it was out of his control. "Kakashi, no you did everything you could. Besides, you found me."

"Did I though? I could've called in a larger team, but I didn't think he would have help."

"He did?" This surprised him, no one was in there but him and Same. Or so he thought.

Kakashi nodded, "Your brother was former military. He recruited some of his old buddies to help."

"Oh. Were they there at the place I was taken, I mean."

"No. But, don't worry about them. They've been taken care of already."

"Take care of?" He asked but he wasn't sure if he wanted the elaboration. Kakashi's eyes were hard and the man clearly had no intentions to speak.

It was then that Naruto returned and took in the scene before him. "Hey, you're back."

He walked into the room carrying two bottles of water. "I'll just leave these for you two, Sasuke is outside to pick me up." Turning to Iruka he spoke again, "If anything happens please call me. I'll be back tomorrow morning okay?"

"Okay," he smiled into his brother's neck as he gave him another hug.

"Take care of my big brother, he's precious cargo," Naruto told Kakashi as he was heading to the doorway.

"I will. I promise."

Naruto smiled, "I know you will. See you tomorrow, Ruka."

Iruka watched his brother go down the hallway, bright orange shirt seemingly lighting up the way.

Turning back to Kakashi he found the man's eyes already on him. "I'm just so glad you're okay," Kakashi whispered to him.

"Me too." He said as he pats the spot next to him on the bed, scooting over so the man could sit next to him. It would be a tight fit, but he wanted to be as close as he could to him. And from the way Kakashi curled around him, the feeling must've been mutual.

They sat like that for a while. Kakashi leaning against his uninjured side and Iruka's head resting on his shoulder. The smell of Kakashi's body wash was strong and the scent took him back to when he was on the road and the two of them shared a bed.

He started to draw lazy circles on the man's arm and moved his way down to his calloused hand. The process was soothing him and for just a moment, he felt peace. Kakashi's eyes were closed, but Iruka could tell he was still awake. It was his closed eyes that made him brave though, he knew he could tell Kakashi what he had decided not to burden Naruto with.

"It's my fault you know," he said as continued to his task. He could feel Kakashi tense under him.

"Iruka, no. It's not."

"Yes it is, I mean not directly but my birth is what caused all of his pain. If I hadn't been born then he'd probably still be with his parents."

"But you wouldn't be here."

Iruka shrugged but said nothing to that, because what could he say? It's not like he wished he wasn't born, besides he couldn't do anything about that. He could acknowledge his role in the man's pain though.

"Iruka, no. You can't go down his road."

"It's true though," he was still avoiding the man's eyes, "both of his parents are dead and it's because of me."

"Both? Iruka, what do you mean?"

"He told me. He told me a lot. I learned about how his..our mom died in childbirth. And, his dad died too…although he didn't mention how..maybe something alcohol-related?"

"He didn't mention it because his dad isn't dead."

"What? No of course he is. He was in the foster care system. Like me."

Kakashi grabbed his hand, "Iruka, your father is alive. He lives in Suna, he has a wife and two girls, they're 13 and 15."

That didn't make sense. "Why would Same lie? What would he gain from that?"

"Maybe, he didn't know. I just know that his dad left him, he went to work one day and didn't return. A neighbor noticed and the Same was placed in the system. When he turned 18 he enlisted and was dishonorably discharged five years after that."

"Oh." Iruka closed his eyes as the tears started to fall down his cheek. He flinched slightly when he felt Kakashi's warm hand grasp his face as he wiped the tears from his eyes. His father may not have been physically dead, but emotionally he was dead to Same.

"Kakashi, he…his life. It was awful, he told me about all of it. Everything he went through, we all hear about the horrors of foster care. There's good and bad, but when it's bad it's awful. He got the short end of the stick every time. It's not even fair."

Kakashi hugged him. "You're right, it's not fair. There are some sick bastards in this world. But, that doesn't make any of this your fault."

Iruka nodded, he still couldn't expunge himself from the guilt completely but he would try to believe the man's words.

"So, my father is alive."

"Yes...I have his address if you ever decide you want to do something about it."

"I don't know." Did the man even want to see him? He hadn't even tried when Iruka was born, he immediately placed him in the foster care system.

Kakashi nodded, "As I said if you want to do something then I'll give it to you. I'll support you no matter what you decide."

"Is it stupid? Should I talk to him?"

"Why would it be stupid?"

"I have..had a father. And he was everything to me. He was the one that always encouraged me to critique everything I heard and to not take anything at face value. He also taught me how to drive and how to play video games. I..just don't want to dishonor his memory."

"Iruka, I don't think you would be dishonoring his memory if you reached out to this man. You're not asking him to be your father, that position is filled. You would just be meeting the person that contributed to you being here."

"You make it sound so simple. So I should visit him?"

"That's for you to decide, but you don't have to decide now. Or even next week."

Iruka nodded and settled back down against Kakashi.

"You know," Kakashi spoke softly, "I was so scared."

Iruka stopped breathing, he had never Kakashi use that tone of voice. He sounded so unsure, so timid.

"I didn't know how we were going to find you. So much time had passed. I didn't know what I would have done if we had gotten there just a minute, a second later."

He squeezed the man closer to him. "Thank you for saving me."

Kakashi gave him a small smile, "It's over now, and you're okay."

Iruka wasn't sure if the man was telling him or reassuring himself of that fact. "I am. Now I can just focus on the election —what happened exactly? I mean as far the public knows."

"Not much, we were able to spin the story in order to protect your privacy. You were abducted by an unstable fan and your security team was able to capture the man and rescue you. And you're resting comfortably."

"Wow." He wasn't sure what he was expected but he was grateful he wouldn't have to answer questions about his family history. "Hey, can I see Same's file? What do you have?"

"Everything honestly. It's your entire family's history. I'll give it all to you if you want."

"How did you get it?"

Kakashi grimaced, "I made a deal with the devil."

"Care to elaborate?" He didn't like the expression on the man's face. He had gone hard.

"No, there's nothing to elaborate on. But, I'm really glad you woke up tonight because I have to leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Iruka almost whined. "Why?"

"It's the favor I owe Danzo."

"Danzo?" The name rang a bell, Iruka suddenly hummed as he recalled the memory. "He must be the devil."

"He is. I leave tomorrow morning."

"When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure." He answered as he sighed and leaned his head back against the pillow his face contorted in anguish

"Do you know what you'll be doing?"

"Iruka," Kakashi warned.

"Kakashi," he spat back, "c'mon, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

"It's not that. I trust you…I just…"

"You just what?"

"I just don't want you to think any differently of me."

"Kakashi, what are you doing? It's not like you're killing puppies." Iruka asked jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

It seemed to help somewhat, "No, I'm not. But, he's hiring me to do mercenary work."

"Oh. Isn't that similar to what you do now?"

"Yes and no. Most of what I do is sanctioned by the government. But, this..this will be me taking out whoever he wants for whatever reason. No questions asked.

Iruka tried to control his face as his imagination went wild. "Is this because of me?"

"Please don't worry about it. It's not my first time granting one of Danzo's favors."

"Maybe it should be the last," he suggested softly looking into Kakashi's eyes.

"Every favor is the last. I don't ask favors of him often. It had been years…but…" he trailed off and Iruka didn't need him to finish. Kakashi had already proven he would do anything to keep Iruka safe.

"Do you know where you'll be going? Are you taking your team?"

"No, I never take them with me on these…trips. Usually, I work alone or he assigns me to work with someone. And, honestly Iruka the less you know the better."

Iruka didn't like the sound of that all but what could he say to that? Yet again, he was wishing for a normal life with Kakashi. One that didn't involve guns and injuries.

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"When this is all over, I'm taking you out on a date."

To his surprise, Kakashi laughed. A loud and jubilant laugh that caused Iruka to feel the rumble in the man's chest.

"I would like nothing more than to go on a date with you."

"And, I can meet your dogs."

"They'd all love you, even Pakkun and he can be prickly."

"I can't wait."

"Hm, me either. So tell me more about this date." Kakashi murmured in his ear.

And so he did, the two of them spent the rest of the night talking about nothing and everything. They planned their first date, and even their second and third. They stayed curled up together until Iruka eventually fell asleep.

He woke up the next morning to an empty bed and a note.

My dear Iruka,

I'm sorry Iruka for not giving you a proper goodbye as I didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful and I couldn't bring myself to disturbing you. I'm not sure how long I will be gone but know that I will come back to you as soon as I can. I know this is a cowardly way to do this, but I didn't know how to say this to you in person. Are you familiar with the term serendipity? It is when you happen upon something wonderful that you were not looking for. A happy coincidence or accidental discovery, if you will. For me, you are my serendipity. I did not expect one call from Sasuke and a short plane ride to change my life forever, but it did and I can't thank the universe enough for bringing me to you. I love you Iruka, it's okay if you do not feel the same way yet. I just want you to know. My father taught me a lot, but he was not much help in terms of emotional support. But, someone once told me to give people their flowers while they're alive and to tell them how you feel as much and as often as you can. This is me telling you I love you. I can't wait to see you again, and when I do I can't wait to officially call you senator.

Yours,

Kakashi.

Two weeks later found Iruka sweating in his new suit staring at the television as the news reporter showed the updated votes. This was it. It was finally election day, and he had been waiting for this after what felt like forever. The day was finally here, he had his two speeches prepared —hoping for the best, but prepare for the worst.

As of now, he was tied with Mizuki. They were still waiting on 50% of the vote. He looked around the room, Anko was the on the phone and Sakura was scrolling frantically on her iPad. The rest of his team was dispersed all around the room. Naruto was laughing at something Sasuke said. The sight of it all made him smile. The room was full of people he loved and it was almost perfect. Even Asuma, Gai, and Yamato were in attendance.

They were all back at his house, that with the help of his brother and team, he had finally gotten back to normal. He walked to his bedroom away from the noise.

He was restless as he awaited the outcome. Win or lose they would be heading to the park where he planned to address everyone. There on his nightstand was what he was looking for.

The letter.

The bittersweet feelings rose to the surface as they always did when he looked at the letter. Kakashi loved him and had told him. He wanted to respond, but he couldn't. Kakashi was who knows where and had been for a while. It had only been two weeks but it felt like much longer.

At one point, he had asked Asuma if he could get in contact with him. The man said he could, but he told him he would only reach out if it were an emergency. Iruka didn't think him being lonely and wanting to tell the man he loved him too qualified as an emergency.

It's not like he hasn't had enough to keep him busy. He had started seeing a therapist, he'd only had three sessions but he was starting to feel normal again. It was just at night when he was all alone that the dark thoughts started to creep in. That's when he missed the man the most. His soft laughter and the whisper of his voice in the moonlight were what he yearned for in the dead of night.

Soon.

He knew the man was coming back soon. He just had to be patient.

He read the letter again, even though he could quote by heart at this point. Wherever you are Kakashi, I hope you're safe.

"Iruka!" he could hear someone yelling his name. Dropping the letter down he quickly left the room.

Back in the living room, he could see everyone surrounding the tv, he was leading Mizuki by 10%. It was looking promising.

Naruto threw his arm around him, "My brother the senator!"

Iruka laughed, he could tell Naruto was already drunk. "Not quite yet."

"Hogwash! You're gonna win. And then we're gonna get drunk and celebrate."

"Hmm, I think you may have started a little early."

"I'm so confident you'll win is all."

Iruka shook his head. Naruto left him but was quickly replaced by Anko.

"How are you holding up?"

"Nervous. What about you?" Anko hadn't sat down for the past 24 hours he was sure.

"I'm great! I know once this is over I'm going to crash but until then I'm great."

"Anko, I want to thank you for this. For everything, you've done for me. You've worked so hard this past year and I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. Besides, you're acting like I did this out of the kindness of my heart, you are paying me you know?"

"Yeah, I know." He laughed.

"How much longer do we have?"

"I don't know, but any time now." She grabbed his arm, "Remember this, win or lose you did your best and I would do this all over again for you."

He gave her a hug. "You're the best."

"How are you holding up with everything else?"

He didn't need her to elaborate on everything else. "I miss him. I know it may have been naive but I guess after everything I was kind of hoping we could start our lives together."

Anko nodded, "You still can! It just won't start for a while."

"I know and I know I'm being impatient, I just miss him. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if we could just talk."

"I know."

He took a deep breath, no use going down this rabbit hole. Not now. "Alright, let's go. We don't want to miss the announcement."

The two of them walked back to the tv.

Suddenly the news reporter started to speak, and Iruka held his brother. Naruto grabbed his hand and Anko grabbed the other.

"Alright, all the votes are in. Iruka Umino is projected to be the next senator of Konoha."

Iruka didn't hear anything else the man said after that. He went from person to person's arms, he could vaguely hear the pop of a champagne bottle. Someone tackled him to the couch. Sakura.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Woohoo!"

"Suck it, Mizuki!"

The cheers were overwhelming. Iruka could barely describe his feelings as he looked around the room as everyone cheered and celebrated, he was in euphoria.

"Yes, all of that sounds good," Iruka said hurriedly to Hinata, his new intern. He kept on most of his old staff as he ascended the position of senator. Not everyone wanted to stay on, Kurenai, for example, loved him but wanted to go back to her job as a teacher. So, he was still adjusting to his new team. It was a month after the election and he'd had an intense few weeks as he learned some of the nation's secrets. It was overwhelming but also exciting to finally be in a position in order to make change happen.

His event today was family-focused, he was having a block party in the downtown area of one of Konoha's most populated cities. He wanted to make himself as accessible as possible to his constituents. It was one of his promises. The block party was going well as of now. It seemed as if everyone was having a good time.

His team was spread out wearing teal t-shirts so they could easily find one another. His security team was near him at all times. Apparently being a senator meant you were required to have government security. He wasn't complaining, but seeing the stoic man always put him in a melancholy mood as his thoughts traveled to Kakashi.

He was in the middle of speaking to a woman about how she felt he could improve his clean water and clean air initiative when he saw it. A flash of silver hair.

Iruka wanted to shake it off, this wasn't the first time he'd imagined Kakashi. The number of times that he'd followed someone he thought was him just to be disappointed is why he ignored the hair and continued to pay attention to the woman. She had a lot of ideas, some were impractical but her heart was in the right place. He gave her his email and told her to put together a proposal for him to read.

She seemed thrilled as she walked away at least. He turned searching for water, it was warm outside and his throat was sore from all the talking.

"Need water?" A voice asked him. A very familiar voice.

He looked up and didn't believe his eyes for a moment. A few blinks later confirmed it for him. Kakashi stood there with a smile on his face and a water bottle in hand. He looked the exact same, the scar was in the same place, his smile was warm and his eyes…his eyes were like coming home.

Iruka wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it had been over a month. Almost two since he'd seen him last. Instead, it was as if he'd just left the hospital.

"Senator?" Kakashi's beautiful face scrunched in concern.

"What did you call me?" He asked the man, he knew he wasn't making sense right now. Kakashi seemed to understand, as he smiled wider.

"Senator Umino of Konoha, I'm sorry I wasn't here to congratulate you."

Kakashi started walking toward him, when he stood in front of him he stopped. Silently asking for Iruka's permission before he reached out. Iruka wasted no time he pulled the man in and pulled his lips down to his. He could feel all the tension leave his body as he kissed the man with everything he had, he tried to convey everything through the kiss. The loneliness he had felt before, his love, his lust, he wanted to leave it all on the table for this man.

Kakashi broke away, face flushed, and breathing heavy, "Senator…any chance we can leave?"

Iruka smiled as he tried to speak, "You know we can't. Or, I can't."

"Hm." Kakashi pouted and it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He gave the man another chaste kiss.

"Kakashi?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too."

Kakashi's answering smile was blinding as he pressed his forehead to Iruka's, "I think you promised me a date."

"I did, but you made me wait almost two months for it. I think I can make you wait two more hours."

"I'd wait forever for you."

"I know." And he did, he looked around and noticed they had an audience and he knew the press would have a field day with this. He couldn't find it in him to care. Instead, he grabbed Kakashi's hand and smiled as the man intertwined their fingers. For the first time in a long time, he felt peace.