Trigger warning: very brief mention of suicide + depression.)
07
Iruka had requested a week off from work, right after he got back from Puerto Rico, knowing it would take a month to grant it. That month was rapidly coming to an end. Only six days remained, before Naruto came home with them for good.
The adoption papers had gone through without a glitch, much to Iruka's relief. They'd spent the past few weeks deep cleaning their apartment, registering Naruto for school, and buying anything they thought he might need.
Iruka had been bugging Kakashi for days to finish removing their things from the spare bedroom. It was Kakashi's day off and he had asked Rin to come over and help him. He could have done it himself, but if he was being honest, he wanted the company. The emptier the room got, the more real it became, and the more nervous he felt. His sister was the only one who could ground him, outside of his husband.
"Are you going to leave your drawings up?" she asked him, gazing at the numerous framed pieces.
"I don't know, what do you think?"
"I love them. I'll take them off your hands if ya want. But I mean, they're mostly nature based, so I think it's appropriate? Except maybe not this one," she laughed, pointing to a watercolor of a man who was erotically tied up with rope.
"Yeah, maybe not," Kakashi laughed too, removing it from the wall.
"Have you ever thought about becoming a tattoo artist? I mean, that could be an option, if you really need to get outta your job. You know how many people compliment the ones you've drawn me? They always ask who did them, not knowing my guy only copies what you draw me. With your talent, you could easily find someone who would take you on as an apprentice. The way you learn, you'd be on your own in no time."
It hadn't really crossed his mind, but it didn't sound unappealing either.
"You just want discounted tattoos," Kakashi teased.
"It'd be a nice perk," she smiled, "But seriously, think about it," she said, plopping down into one of the velvet green armchairs.
"Okay, where do we start?" she asked, hers legs hanging over the armrest.
"Maybe by moving all the books? We're going to leave that shelf in here. We can put them on the floor in my bedroom for now, I guess," Kakashi said, scratching at the back of his head.
"You can take that armchair if you want, we don't have a place for it. We're only going to keep one for Naruto to use. Two won't fit once we put the bed in here."
"Really?! Yay!" she squealed with excitement, rubbing her cheek against the back of it lovingly.
She got up and crossed over to the massive bookshelf. It took up half the wall.
"Geez. How many of these are Iruka's?" she teased, pretty confident she knew the answer.
"Um, maybe a third?" Kakashi said, sheepishly. "He's more of a library guy."
"Do you ever read these a second time?" she asked, grabbing an armful of manga.
"Some, but the majority, no. I need get rid of what I don't want. Iruka's been asking me to do that for years. I want to keep some of the ones in English for Naruto, though. I think there's a few he might like."
Rin left the room with her haul.
"I've started seeing someone," she said, upon returning to the room.
"Oh yeah?" Kakashi asked, peering at her from behind a towering pile of books.
"Yeah, her name's Konan. She's a DJ and a MAC make-up artist. She played a set at Berlin one night when I was working," she said, following Kakashi out of the room with another set of books.
"We've only gone out officially twice, but I really like her."
"Officially?"
"Well, she's visited me at the bar a few times while I was working. I don't know if that counts?"
"Did she come alone?"
"Yeah…"
"Then it definitely counts. She's going there solely for you."
"Or my master mixology skills," she joked.
"That's still you," Kakashi said, ruffing up his sister's pale blue hair.
They made quick work of the rest of the books, with only one shelf remaining.
"You can leave those," Kakashi said, as she reached for them. "Iruka wants Naruto to have them."
"His precious Harry Potter collection?" she gasped, dramatically.
"Please," Kakashi laughed. "That's his special edition box set. His raggedly worn outs ones are in our room."
"Remember when I accidentally spilled tea on one?" she said, biting her lip.
"How could I forget? He literally cried. He put them under lock and key after that," Kakashi joked.
"Seriously?!"
"No," Kakashi chuckled, "but they never leave the bedroom now. He's got attachment issues."
"Clearly. What's next?" she asked, opening up the closet, which held all their outdoor winter attire.
"Where are these going?" she asked, removing several hangers.
"Eh, just toss them on our bed. I'll have to find space in one of the other closets."
She disappeared out of the room. Kakashi grabbed several pairs of boots and followed her out.
"Hey," she said, fingering the sleeve of a jacket. "Is this Dad's?"
Kakashi placed the boots in a corner of the room. He knew wherever he put things, Iruka would want to rearrange it anyway, so he wasn't going to attempt to find any real homes. As long as he moved the things, Iruka would be happy.
He went over to Rin and looked down at the heavy, red flannel jacket, whose hood was lined with white wool.
"Yeah," he said.
"I didn't know you kept it."
It was the only thing he had of his Father's. He couldn't even say why he kept it. He'd never worn it and probably never would.
All of a sudden, Kakashi's chest was racked with pain. He sat on the edge of the bed.
Rin shoved the clothes aside, coming to sit down beside him.
"9 years later, and it still fucking hurts," he said, tears stinging at his eyes.
"I know," Rin said, rubbing his back.
Rin had loved her father, there was no doubt, but her relationship with him was nothing like Kakashi's. They had been exceptionally close.
"I don't want to be pissed off at him anymore, Rin. I finally got over that. But I was thinking about Naruto the other day, and being a Dad, and it struck me how he's never going to meet my Dad. I never knew that would be something important to me, something I'd want, because I never thought much about kids, but now that it's happening, I do want it. So fucking badly. And it'll never happen. He deprived himself of being a grandfather by ending his own fucking life. Why didn't he think about that shit?!"
"He was mentally unhealthy, Kashi. He couldn't see anything outside his own depression, let alone think about the future."
Kakashi knew that, but it didn't stop him from expressing his frustrations. Their mother had died from ovarian cancer when he was 17, and they had watched their father fall into a crippling spiral of depression for three years. He wanted to delay going to college, to watch over him, but Rin insisted he go. Sakumo ended his life shortly before Kakashi's 20th birthday. Rin was only 18.
"He would have been so good to Naruto," Rin said, a tear escaping down her cheek.
Kakashi knew that, too. It made his own eyes water over. He put his head in his hands.
"But you know what? Naruto's going to the have best, most coolest aunt in the whole world… me!" she joked, causing a small weak laugh to escape from Kakashi.
She pulled his frame to rest against hers, embracing him in a hug.
"You're going to be a great Father, Kakashi," she told him, placing a kiss to the back of his head, knowing he was doubting himself. "And you aren't doing this alone. You have an amazing partner. And you have me. I'll help any way I can."
Kakashi wrapped his arms around her and cried.
Rin left around 4, having to go into work. They had successfully moved everything by then, leaving only the bare bones of the room behind.
"So, what do you want to do?" Kakashi asked, crossing over to the armchair to hand Itachi a beer, who had just arrived ten minutes ago.
"Iruka won't be home until… I don't know, actually. He's been staying late lately, feeling guilty about requesting so much time off," Kakashi said, falling into the couch.
"I need to talk to you," Itachi said, abruptly. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone."
"Who would I tell?" Kakashi asked. He barely even hung out with anyone outside of Itachi anymore.
"Iruka."
Oh.
Kakashi thought about that. Did that even count? He and Iruka were practically the same person. He told him everything. It was his way of seeing and understanding the world.
"I don't know if I can promise you that," he said, honestly. "If that changes whether or not you want to tell me, I understand."
Shit. Itachi wasn't expecting him to answer like that. He was expecting him to say, okay, yes Itachi, you're my best friend, of course. He should have known. Kakashi put Iruka in front of everybody. It made him jealous sometimes. Well, dammit. He had opened the conversation so dramatically, with strict rules, and now he was going to fold because he really did need to talk to Kakashi.
He sighed.
"Fine. But Iruka can't tell anyone."
"Okay…? What's going on?" Kakashi asked.
"I think Kisame is cheating on me."
"What?!" Kakashi laughed. "That's absurd."
Itachi's face told him that he clearly didn't think so.
"Itachi, that boy is so in love with you, you'd have to be blind not to see it."
"Excuse me?" Itachi glared at him.
"What? Oh. Come on, that wasn't a dig at your eyesight. It was a figure of speech. You're not that blind," Kakashi said, biting on his own lip for what he was about to say next, "yet."
Itachi kicked at his shin.
"I'm being serious. I really think he's cheating on me."
"And what made you come to that conclusion?"
Itachi brought his legs up onto the chair, crossing them into a pretzel.
"He's been distant, in weird ways. He ends phone calls when I come in the room sometimes. And twice now, when I've walked past him while he was texting someone, he made to tilt his screen away from me so that I couldn't read or see what it was, as if I even could. It was a subtle movement, but he did it none-the-less."
Hm, Kakashi thought. That did seem kind of suspicious.
"Is that all? Has he been acting differently towards you or…?"
"That's it. And…no? He's been the same. Except for that."
"Maybe he's got something going on, that's he's not ready to talk about yet," Kakashi suggested.
"…But he can talk to someone else about it? I don't think so. We're open with each other. To make it worse, he's always like… grinning or glowing after every one of those instances."
Itachi's face fell. Kakashi felt himself getting protective. He really liked Kisame, and he knew Itachi was in love with him, but if he was two-timing Itachi, he could not like him, in an instant.
"Have you confronted him?"
Itachi shook his head, picking at the label on his beer bottle.
"You should, before you make any assumptions. Or do anything rash," Kakashi said, giving him a knowing look. It would be just like Itachi to dump Kisame and ghost him completely, if he felt threatened he'd get hurt. Kakashi had seen him do it to other men.
"I'm terrified to. It's weird," Itachi said, scrunching up his face.
"That you have something you don't want to lose? Yeah, that's pretty weird for you," Kakashi laughed. "I've known you for what, 15 years now? You've had one other serious boyfriend outside of Kisame, because you're a picky fucking bastard. The fact that you've been with him this long means something. Don't throw it away before you know for sure."
Itachi smirked.
"You're not counting yourself among my serious boyfriends?"
Kakashi laughed, "Please."
"That's fine. That was before I had standards anyway."
"Yikes. What did I ever do to you?"
"Besides break my heart? Nothing."
Kakashi laughed again.
"Itachi, we dated for like a month. And we constantly fought."
"Oh? That's what that was? I thought it was foreplay."
"You're full of shit."
"Imagine. When all I wanted was to be full of you."
Kakashi looked at him, incredulously.
"Yeah, well, it never would have worked," he said, shrugging it off.
"Why? Because we're both tops?"
Kakashi cracked up.
"The fuck you are," he said. "You know why."
"Yes. You made it quite clear. What was it you said? We just didn't have that 'spark'?" Itachi said, dramatically.
Kakashi threw his beer cap at him.
"Something like that, yeah."
"Well, I thought our sex was okay," Itachi said, eyeing him above his bottle, taking a swig.
"Yeah, it was okay," Kakashi repeated, a grin plastered across his face.
"Asshole. You were suppose to disagree with me and say, 'No, Itachi, it was great.' Besides, you should be ashamed of yourself. Having sex with a minor."
Kakashi scoffed.
"It's not like we were fucking each other. We never went past blowjobs. I had just turned 18. And you were a mature 16 year old."
"You know that sounds terrible right?"
Kakashi opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it. Yeah. This is exactly why they didn't work. They had a way of getting under each other's skin. And not in a good way.
"How did we even get here?" Kakashi asked.
"Because I'm trying not to think about my boyfriend cheating on me."
"You don't know that for sure," Kakashi said, pointing the neck of his beer bottle at him.
Itachi sighed, pulling his ponytail across his glasses, hiding his eyes.
"Loving someone sucks."
"Sometimes. But it mostly doesn't. It can be the best thing in the world."
"Blehhh," Itachi said, releasing his hair. "Don't even start. Not all of us can live in fairytale romances."
"I don't know what fairytale you've been watching. I've put Iruka through a lot of bullshit over the years."
"That you did. I should be thanking you for breaking up with me really, I dodged a bullet."
"Fuck you," Kakashi laughed.
"I'm teasing," Itachi said.
If he was being honest, he envied Iruka a little bit. Kakashi was… an amazing person. Fiercely loyal. Exceptionally good-looking. Tender and loving under his hard exterior. He had meant it when he said Kakashi broke his heart when he was 16; he had liked him, a lot. Kakashi was his first significant crush, and well, people say you never really get over your first. He'd die before he ever admitted that, though.
"Speaking of keeping things from Iruka," Kakashi started, breaking him out of his thoughts, "I have an idea for his 30th birthday, but I'm gonna need your help."
Iruka came home around 8:30, about an hour after Itachi had left. The first thing he did after slipping out of his work clothes, was grab a bowl of (vegan) coconut ice cream, before dropping into the couch next to Kakashi, who was watching an episode of The Simpson's, reclined with Pakkun on his chest.
"It's been that kind of day, huh?" Kakashi asked, knowing ice cream meant stress.
"Ugh. I don't want to talk about it now. I just want to relax into the oasis that is my home," he said, pulling his knees into his chest, resting the bowl on top of them.
"Well, I can take your mind off that," Kakashi said, turning off the TV. "Itachi thinks Kisame is cheating on him."
Iruka nearly spit out his ice cream.
"That's insane."
"That's what I said," Kakashi agreed, as he sat up to reach for Iruka's spoon, taking a scoop for himself, before handing it back. Pakkun dropped to the floor with a grunt. "But he seems convinced."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He said something about Kisame ending calls when he walks in the room, or texting someone secretly. It sounded kinda fishy, no pun intended, to be honest."
Iruka took another bite of his ice cream, resting the spoon on his bottom lip as he swallowed.
"You're not even going to laugh at my joke? Damn. Your day must have really been bad," Kakashi teased.
A guilty look washed over his face.
Kakashi stole the spoon from him.
"What do you know?" Kakashi asked, pointing it at him accusingly.
Iruka dug his face behind his knees. Kakashi removed the bowl and placed it on the coffee table. He straightened his husband's legs out, before crawling between them.
"You're the worst liar, Iruka Umino Hatake. Spill it," he said, fighting to get Iruka to reveal his face, who was struggling to keep it hidden. "If Kisame is cheating on Itachi I will beat the shit out of him."
Iruka yielded, looking up at Kakashi, knowing he was dead serious.
"The person Kisame has been talking to is me. He's going to propose. But you can NOT let on that you know. I wasn't supposed to tell you. I promised. The only reason I'm telling you, is so that you don't jump Kisame in a dark alley."
"Ha!" Kakashi hooted, "Itachi's in for a surprise. That's great. Wait, how long have you known?"
"Over two weeks."
"You've been keeping that a secret from me for two weeks?! I'm offended."
"I promised I wouldn't tell you! Kisame knows how close you two are."
Kakashi laughed to himself. Did everyone think he had a big mouth or something? Well, he did just tell Iruka something he wasn't supposed to tell him, an hour after he heard it. But that was Iruka. He had concluded that that didn't count. He couldn't keep anything from him. Apparently, the feeling wasn't mutual.
"I see how it is," Kakashi said, pulling away, faking like he was upset.
"Mi amor, don't be like that," Iruka said, planting kisses all over his face.
"You know, Itachi asked me to promise not to tell you about his suspicion, and you know what I said? I said, I can't promise you that. I tell Iruka everything."
"Ay bendito," Iruka said, covering his face with his hands. He peered at Kakashi through a gap in his fingers. "You didn't."
"I did."
"Ugh," Iruka groaned. "I feel terrible now."
"How are you going to make it up to me, huh?"
Iruka pulled him into a slow, passionate kiss.
"How's that?"
"Mmph," Kakashi said, passing his tongue across his own lips. "That's a good start, but it's going to take more than that."
It was 7:00 on a Friday evening and Iruka had just left work. It was finally the weekend, which usually didn't mean much to him, since he worked Saturdays, but he had tomorrow off because it was his birthday, and on Sunday, they were bringing Naruto home.
He pulled into the driveway of his old house, having promised his mother he'd stop by before he went home. Apparently, she had something to give him.
"Hola Mami," he called, walking in the front door.
"Estoy en la cocina," she called.
(I'm in the kitchen)
Iruka headed for the kitchen, where he found her stirring a pot on the stove.
"Hola mi hijo," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "hueles a pesca'o."
(hi my son, you smell like fish)
"Si, yo se. I took a shower before I left work, but sometimes it still sticks."
(Yeah, I know.)
"Quieres café?" she asked, clacking the spoon on the side of the pot, before placing it on it's holder.
"Un poquito. I can't stay long. Kakashi and I need to make it to IKEA before it closes. The bedframe we ordered for Naruto finally arrived."
"Que bien," she said.
(That's great)
She poured him a tiny cup of coffee, the size of a shot glass, before leaving the room.
When she came back, she had a white quilt in her hand, it's edge framed with blue. Various outlines of whales and dolphins were stitched into it with red thread.
"You kept that?" Iruka laughed.
"Claro que si! (Of course!) I want Naruto to have it. I patched up the end that ripped. Mira," she said, holding out a photograph.
It was of him, when he was probably around Naruto's age. He was asleep on the couch with the quilt wrapped around him, some of it balled up in his fist. It tugged at his heartstrings. This was really thoughtful of her.
"Gracias, Mami."
He took a sip of his coffee.
"Donde esta Papi? Esta aqui?"
(Where's Dad? Is he here?)
"Si, in his study."
"He hasn't said much about Naruto."
"Oh, he'll come around. No te preocupes. Tienes planes para tu cumpleanos manana?" she asked, changing the subject, which didn't go unnoticed by Iruka.
(Don't worry. Do you have plans for your birthday tomorrow?)
"Not really. Kakashi's taking me out to dinner somewhere. Nothing too crazy," he smiled.
She cupped his cheek with her hand.
"Mi bebe. Trenta anos. Dios mio. I'm getting old," she pouted.
(My baby. 30 years old. My god.)
"Tu eres perfecto, mami. Tranquila."
(You're perfect. Relax)
He took the last sip of his coffee and glanced at his watch.
"I should get going. Traffic is terrible at this time."
"Ok," she said, handing him two Tupperware containers. "Come by for lunch tomorrow. Tu papa will want to wish you a happy birthday in person."
"Que eso?" he asked, referring to the containers she had just shoved into his hands.
"Tu cena. Pollo guisado."
(Your dinner. Braised chicken.)
"Kakashi's favorite."
"Why do you think I made it?" she said, winking at him.
Iruka looked at his mother in surprise. This pulled at his heart, too.
Lunch at his parents the next day was surprisingly nice. His dad had even asked him several questions about Naruto. Iruka knew it was because his mother had said something, but ultimately, it was up to him to put the effort in, and he did. That meant something. Iruka's dad wasn't as embracing of his sexuality as his mother. He never outright rejected him; Iruka knew his dad loved him, and he was always nice to Kakashi, but there was still a lingering, silent discomfort at times.
The two of them had just walked into the Conservatory, since they had an hour to kill. It made no sense to go all the way home, when they were already in the city, only to come back up for dinner.
"The Fern Room always reminds me of Puerto Rico. It has a lot of the same rainforest plants," Iruka said, slipping his hand into his husband's while the other one reached out to graze the leaves they were passing by.
"Yeah, and the same humidity," Kakashi said, unzipping his leather jacket with his free hand.
They came to sit on a bench beneath a gazebo, that was fully covered with the succulent vines of a vanilla plant.
"You know, I was thinking, maybe you could ask Mikoto if Naruto could go home with Sasuke after school. I know we have mornings covered, now that you got your hours changed, but I'd rather not put him in an afterschool program, if I can help it. You're usually out by 5? So that'd only be two hours."
"Two hours, times five," Kakashi reminded him. "That's a lot to ask."
"Even if she could only take him for one day out of five, I still think that's better."
"Why do I have to be the one who arranges it? It's your idea," he teased, knocking his shoulder into Iruka's.
"Because you've known the Uchiha's forever. And Fugaku scares me. Pleeease," he said, smiling widely, flashing his dimples at him. "It's my birthday."
"Is that really your birthday request? I was hoping for something a little more sexy," Kakashi joked.
Iruka slapped him on the thigh.
"Alright, I'll do it," Kakashi laughed. "But only because you're cute, and I want to bed you later."
"Oh my god," Iruka said, rolling his eyes, before leaning in to kiss his husband.
It started off innocent enough, but then Kakashi's tongue nudged at his lip, and Iruka couldn't do anything but open his mouth compliantly. The heat surrounding them shot up several degrees as they made out. They pulled a part at the sound of a passerby, the only thing lifting them out of their trance.
"30, huh?" Kakashi said, pushing a stray piece of hair behind Iruka's ear, before leaning away from him. "You're gettin' old."
"We're getting old. You're right behind me. And you know, 30 always sounded so old when I was 18, but it's really not. I don't feel old. At all."
"Says the man who wears a Harry Potter t-shirt to bed."
"It's the Deathly Hallows symbol! It's not like I'm wearing Ron's face or something."
"That makes a difference?" Kakashi teased. "And I thought you were more of a Sirius Black man. You like those tatt'ed bad boys," he said, waggling his eyesbrows at him.
"Fuck you," Iruka laughed.
"See, now that's what I was hoping for."
"Ugh, come on," Iruka said, getting to his feet, in an attempt to hide his blush. He pulled Kakashi up.
"Let's go to the Desert Room. I want to take a picture of that cactus."
"You take a picture of it every time we come here, and it always looks the same."
"Fine, I'll take a picture of a different one, you prickly bastard."
"I can't believe how much our waitress was flirting with you," Iruka said, as they got into the car, after having finished dinner. "I would be embarrassed of myself."
"I wasn't even doing anything," Kakashi laughed. "Except… eating."
"You don't have to," Iruka said, "That's the thing. There's a mystery about you that's sexy."
Kakashi gave him a dubious look.
"I'm serious. You're pretty aloof with strangers, but at the same time, you show just enough to get someone interested. It could be the smallest thing, like the raising of an eyebrow, or a laugh, or I don't know. I know you're not even aware of the effect you have on people, but it's alluring. To see signs of softness beneath all those tattoos. It seems contradictory, which makes you wonder what else you got going on under there."
"Under my clothes?" Kakashi laughed, in disbelief.
"No, pervert. Under your… I don't know. Under the exterior you present to the world. There's a quote I read once that I liked, that talks about love being the knowledge of each other, not of the flesh but through the flesh. Seeing the 'real him' or 'the real her', as if a mask has slipped from the face. It's kind of like that."
"Yeah, well, you're the only one who gets to see what's under my mask. Everyone else can fuck off."
"I'm lucky, I know."
"That's not what I meant," Kakashi laughed. "And assuming all tattooed people are assholes is a stereotype anyway."
"The world is run by stereotypes, mi amor. It's the reason she was totally oblivious to the fact that we're gay. We don't look or act 'stereotypically' gay," Iruka said, glancing out the window.
"Hey… where are we going…?"
Kakashi should have taken a left where he had taken a right.
"Somewhere no one's going to doubt we're gay."
15 minutes later, they had pulled up to a male strip club, a high class one, but a strip club none-the-less.
"What in the world…" Iruka said to himself, as he followed Kakashi out of the car.
"What are we doing here? I'd much rather have you strip for me. At home."
"Come on," Kakashi laughed, grabbing onto his husband's hand, before crossing the street. "It'll be fun."
They walked up to a large, round table towards the back, with a booth that wrapped almost all the way around it.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Came a chorus of shouts, upon seeing Iruka.
There was Kisame and Itachi; their friend Deidara, who had flew in from New York; Rin and her date Konan; Kurenai, Iruka's good friend and college roommate, and her husband Asuma.
Iruka hid his face in complete surprise, before sliding into the booth next to Kurenai, Kakashi coming in after him.
"You did this?" Iruka asked him quietly.
Kakashi smiled in response, before Iruka planted a kiss to his lips.
A scantly clad waiter had come over the moment they sat down.
"Can I get you boys something to drink?"
"You should get the _. It's really good," Itachi said, sucking enthusiastically on his straw.
"That's his third one already," Kisame said, eyeing Itachi warily.
"Uh, that sounds good to me," Kakashi said, looking at Iruka.
"Me too."
"Okay, 2 _ ," the waiter said, before disappearing.
"Wow. It's so great to see you all. Thanks for coming."
He turned to Kurenai, who was visibly pregnant.
"I can't believe you're here!" he said, embracing her in a hug. "I've got a lot to tell you…"
Iruka fell into his own conversation with Kurenai, while Kakashi spoke across the table to Deidara.
"How's New York?" Kakashi asked.
"Pretentious."
"So you fit right in, then?" Itachi said.
"Quite well, actually," Deidara replied, causing them all to laugh.
"Here you go, handsome. Let me know if you need anything," the waiter said, dropping off their drinks, giving a wink to Kakashi, who didn't even notice.
"But you know, for as much as I heard about the drag scene in New York, I like it better in Chicago," Deidara continued. "It's great and everything, but it's more intimate here. More… familial. There's a sense of community."
"Do you still perform?" Kakashi asked, taking a sip of his drink. It was a little too sweet for him, but it tasted good anyway.
"Not really. It's saturated with performers there. Plus, I'm pretty busy. I got commissioned by a few new restaurants to do all their ceramics. It's got me in the studio all the time. And… I'm seeing someone," Deidara said, biting on his straw mischievously.
"Only 'one', Dei?" Itachi teased.
"Yes. I've slowed down. I've become monogamous, can you believe it?"
"Not really," Itachi said.
Dei rolled his eyes.
"His name's Sasori. He's an artist, like myself. He crafts these exquisite puppets out of wood, like vintage Pinocchio's, but all different types of people and beasts. He just had an exhibition, actually. It was really successful."
"That's great, Dei. I'm happy for you," Kakashi said.
"And what's this I hear about you being a Father?" Dei said, taking out his straw to point it at Kakashi.
Kakashi glanced over at Itachi who had mouthed the word oops.
"Crazy, right? We actually bring him home tomorrow."
"I think it's adorable. Iruka is going to be the perfect mother; the kind who wears an apron and bakes cookies on the weekend."
"He already does that," Kakashi laughed, placing a hand on Iruka's thigh, giving it a squeeze. Iruka slipped his hand into his, even though they remained in two separate conversations.
An hour and several drinks later, Kakashi excused himself to the bathroom. Except instead of going to the bathroom, he headed out the front door and to the car. He grabbed a bag from the trunk before going back inside.
Once he was actually in the bathroom, he locked himself in a stall, and attempted to change.
"Fuck," he cursed, as he tried to remove his pants, falling into the sides of the stall.
He was… a little drunk. But he needed the courage for what he was about to do.
When he had finally gotten fully changed, he shoved his other clothes into his bag, and opened the stall.
He looked at himself in the mirror and laughed.
The things I do for love, he thought to himself, as he walked out the door.
"I heard someone ordered a lap dance," their waiter said, coming back up to the table, looking directly at Iruka.
"Oh, no, it wasn't…" Iruka started, not wanting a lap dance from this dude.
But then he noticed that the waiter's eyes had moved behind him. He turned around to bring his eyes in that direction, only to have them land on Kakashi.
Clad in a pair of leather fucking booty shorts.
Iruka almost fainted at the sight of those alone, before moving his eyes up the rest of his body. He was wearing a long sleeve tight, white shirt, which almost glowed fluorescent in the lighting, a backwards trucker hat, and a pair of white doc marten boots.
When his eyes landed on Kakashi's face, Iruka's turned bright red.
He said nothing as his husband smirked at him, walking past him to hop up on top of the table. All Iruka could do was slide back down in his seat, his eyes glued to Kakashi.
There was a pole that ran through the middle of the table, but Kakashi ignored it. He barely had enough courage for this. He kept his eyes on Iruka, knowing if he looked at anyone else, he might lose his composure completely.
He took a deep breath and started to dance, igniting a series of hollering to ricochet around the table. He rolled and popped his shoulders and hips finding the heavy, dirty beat. He turned around, dropped low to the ground, sticking his ass out towards Iruka, before slowly coming back up.
He threw off his hat, and turned to face his husband again, teasing him with his shirt, rolling it up his abdomen, before removing it completely, throwing it in Iruka's face. It revealed a black, mesh, crop top. The very same one that set Iruka's groin on fire, whenever he wore it.
Kakashi heard a whistle behind him, one that he recognized as Itachi's, calling for his attention. He turned around to find Itachi's arm extended, holding out a 5 dollar bill, a smug look on his face.
Fucking bastard, he laughed to himself, before crouching down so Itachi could stick it in the hem of his booty shorts.
Kisame raised his eyebrows at him playfully.
"Oh, please. Don't act like you're not enjoying this. The only one in this whole club who isn't turned on right now, is probably Rin (whose face was hidden in Konan's shoulder), and that straight man," Itachi said, referring to Kurenai's husband.
"Although… he does seem to be appreciating it." Itachi joked, as Asuma shifted in his seat, giving Kakashi a few nervous glances.
Kakashi jumped down from the table, coming to straddle Iruka in the booth. He grinded his hips at the air, hovering a mere inch from his husband, teasing him, as his ripped abdomen ghosted across his lips.
Iruka latched onto ass, which was threatening to come out of his shorts, but his hands were swiftly removed by Kakashi.
Kakashi brought his mouth dangerously close to Iruka's ear. He clicked his tongue, reprimanding him.
"Don't you know you're not allowed to touch the strippers?" Kakashi hissed. "Hands off. Unless you're paying me."
Iruka flexed his fingers at his sides, itching to rake them all over his husband's skin. He had to remind himself to breathe.
Kakashi got up, and continued to dance in front of him, allowing Iruka to reach into his pocket for his wallet.
He held up a 20 dollar bill between his fingers, enticing Kakashi to come and get it. He did, sticking his hips out, as Iruka slipped it into his shorts. He wanted to run his tongue along the crease of his hip. Pull that delicious, erotic, fabric down, and shove Kakashi's dick in his mouth. He couldn't do that, of course, but the desire pulsed so hot, it made him sweat.
The song ended shortly after, and so did Kakashi's dance. He slipped back into the seat beside Iruka, who immediately smashed his mouth against his, his hand diving under the table to rub over his cock.
"Get me out of here, now," he said into his ear.
Kakashi laughed.
"Apparently, we're leaving," he said to the rest of the table, as Iruka's mouth traveled all over his neck.
Iruka didn't even say goodbye to Kurenai or Deidara, both of whom had traveled here to see him. He couldn't take his attention off of his husband's ass, which just left it's seat.
I'll call them tomorrow, he thought, knowing they'd be in town for more than one day, before scrambling out of the booth to follow after Kakashi.
Once they were at the car, Iruka slammed Kakashi against the driver's side door, kissing him desperately, rubbing his erection into him, feeling like a goddamn animal.
"That was the best." (Kiss) "fucking." (Bite). "birthday present." (lick) "ever."
Kakashi smiled against his mouth.
"Well, I still have one more for you. But we have to go home, for you to get it."
Iruka looked up at him in disbelief.
Nothing could top this.
Okay, he took that back.
Beneath the blue tissue paper, in an open box in his lap, there lay a pair of leather cuffs, vibrating plugs, a silicon prostate massager, and water-based lube.
"I will completely submit to you," Kakashi said. "Happy Birthday," he grinned.
Oh. Fuck. Yes.
Iruka tackled Kakashi back against the bed, trying to kiss the air out of his lungs, before slapping a cuff around each wrist and tying them to the bed frame.
Iruka crawled back on the bed to admire his work. It was the hottest thing he had ever seen. Kakashi was still in his black mesh crop top, and black leather shorts.
He stripped down to his boxer briefs, before coming to straddle his husband.
There were so many possibilities running through his mind, he had a hard time picking one, so he sat there for a moment in contemplation. Kakashi bucked his hips up into a bridge, causing Iruka to come toppling forwards. He nipped at the skin that presented itself to his face.
"Hey," Iruka laughed, drawing back. "That's cheating. Even with your arms tied, you still can't give up control, can you? Do I need to bind your ankles, too? Or are you going to behave?"
Kakashi bit his own lip, before straightening his legs out, signifying that he would comply.
"Good boy," Iruka said, before sliding his chest up Kakashi's, capturing his mouth in a kiss.
He tangled his tongue around Kakashi's, before sucking it into his mouth, causing a low moan to escape Kakashi's throat. He ground his hips down into him, as Kakashi gave his arms a hard yank.
"Careful," Iruka warned. It wasn't without reason. They had broken their last pair. But thankfully, these one's looked more durable.
Iruka watched as his husband's arms flexed against the restraints. He ran his tongue over one of his biceps, sinking his teeth into the muscle, as he groped Kakashi's cock with his hand.
Iruka pressed his hips back down to straddle him, rising up to sit. He clutched Kakashi's hips in his hands, digging his thumbs into his groin, as he rubbed his ass into Kakashi's dick in a circular thrust.
Kakashi gave his arms another hard yank, in reflex. He couldn't help himself.
Iruka bent over, taking one of Kakashi's nipples in his mouth, as one of his hands crawled up Kakashi's neck and over his face. Kakashi kissed, and licked, and bit at any skin he could get, before Iruka stuck one of his fingers in his mouth. Kakashi sucked on it, greedily, and Iruka groaned through his teeth, which were still latched onto his husband's nipple.
He went back up to Kakashi's mouth, lapping up a few final tastes of his tongue, before reversing his straddle, giving Kakashi a view of his back.
Iruka looked down at the sizeable bulge of Kakashi's cock, still hidden beneath the black leather. He felt saliva starting to pool in his mouth, in anticipation. He hooked his thumbs beneath the waistband and pulled. Kakashi lifted up his hips in assistance, as Iruka slid them the rest of the way off.
His breath hitched at the sight of his husband, who he knew was aching for him. He ghosted the back of his hand down his hard shaft, causing Kakashi to writhe against the mattress, the leather cuffs audibly straining against the bedframe.
Iruka readjusted himself, moving his ass back to press flush against Kakashi's chin, before enveloping Kakashi's cock with his mouth. Kakashi bent his legs at the knee, thrusting his hips up and down, sliding in and out of Iruka's wet, warm, delicious, fucking mouth.
He gave his arms another hard pull, knowing it was fruitless. All he wanted to do was spread his husband's ass and stick his tongue in there deep, or wrap his lips around Iruka's dick and let him fuck his face. But, no. Iruka had kept his briefs on, on purpose. That ruthless bastard.
Iruka rubbed his erection against his chest.
"Irukaa-ah," Kakashi said, coming out half moan, half curse.
Kakashi pulled at his briefs with his teeth, before pressing his tongue against the back of his balls. Even though there was fabric separating them, he knew he would still feel it.
"Mmph," Iruka moaned, around his dick, letting Kakashi know that he did, in fact, feel it, and it felt fucking fantastic.
Kakashi felt his orgasm rising. It was building in his thighs, was surging hot through his veins. He dug his nails into his palm, since he couldn't dig them into Iruka's skin. But then he felt a hand press into his thigh, and Iruka's mouth released him.
Kakashi could barely comprehend what Iruka was doing. One, because his eyes were so hooded and two, Iruka still had his back to him. He yanked his arms again, wanting to pull Iruka back by his hair. He quickly got his answer though, when he felt the cool metal plug, all slipped up with lube, pushed into his ass.
Iruka clicked on the vibration and Kakashi's body shook from the intense pleasure that shot through him. Iruka swung his leg over Kakashi's hips and came to face him again, tearing off his briefs, before leaning over to untie Kakashi's wrists.
"You better hurry," Kakashi panted, his eyes on Iruka's erect cock, "because that plug is going to have me screaming in a matter of seconds."
A flurry of movement happened as Kakashi's wrists were freed and Iruka sunk down onto Kakashi's dick. Kakashi wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling Iruka into him, as spit into his other hand, having no time to grab the lube, while his husband rode him, hard.
As much as he wanted to hold out a little longer, he couldn't. That vibration in his ass was tickling the right fucking place and his vision was blacking out. His body tensed, as Iruka gave his hips a few final sharp thrusts. Kakashi started to moan, and with each breath, they elevated in volume, until it broke forth from him completely.
Kakashi was true to his word. He screamed and Iruka thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. It sent him over the edge, coming all over his husband's hand and abdomen.
Kakashi was still jolting, after his orgasm had left him, due to the plug still lodged in his ass. He reached around Iruka, and pulled it out, turning off the vibration, before lying back against the bed. Iruka flattened himself on top of him.
"Iruka," Kakashi said, placing a hand on the back of his husband's head, not having enough strength to stroke it.
His name came out raspy and deep, sending a chill down his spine. If Kakashi saying his name like that was the last thing he ever heard, he'd die happy.
"That was the best fucking orgasm of my life."
"You mean it?" Iruka gushed against his sweaty chest. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and satisfaction.
"Are you serious?" Kakashi said, straining his neck to look at him. "Have you ever heard me come like that? That was pure fucking bliss."
"Are you saying you had a spiritual experience?" Iruka teased.
"You're damn right," Kakashi said, wrapping his arms around him. "I saw god."
"Oh yeah? And what did they like look?"
"They looked just like you."
Their bodies shook against each other, as they both broke into laughter.
Kakashi had a guilty pleasure: rap and hip-hop. He loved it, in all forms, not even caring how problematic the lyrics were sometimes. He couldn't help himself. Iruka wasn't a fan, or at least, he was very selective about it, so when Kakashi was browsing his phone for a very specific song while stopped at a red light, he knew Iruka would hate it, but he did it anyway.
The bass bumped out of the speakers as he looked over at his husband, a huge grin creeping over his face. Iruka rolled his eyes.
"Get it out of your system, because when Naruto gets in the car, you're turning this off."
Kakashi danced in his seat.
"2 to the 1 from the 1 to the 3, I like good pussy and I like good trees, smoke so much weed you wouldn't believe, and I get more ass than a toilet seat," Kakashi rapped along.
Iruka shook his head at him.
"There's something wrong with you," he laughed, "how is that even relatable?"
Kakashi continued to bounce his shoulders, ignoring Iruka, grinding his hips into the seat, shifting gears as the light changed color.
"Tonight I want a slut, would you be mine? I heard you were freaky from a friend of mine," he continued, pinching Iruka's chin between his fingers, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Get out of here," Iruka laughed again, swatting Kakashi's hand away, blushing despite himself. He knew Kakashi was referring to the events of last night.
"Man, I don't know how I'm going to celebrate your birthday next year. I really made it hard for myself. First last night, and now, a kid. Damn. What a weekend."
"Just don't. I've got everything I need."
Kakashi smiled at him, "Happy Birthday, babe."
When they pulled up to the orphanage, Naruto was waiting on the front porch with Ms. Garcia, despite the cold.
Kakashi shut off the music.
"He only has one bag," Iruka said. "Kakashi, everything he owns fits in one small orange backpack." He repeated, sadly.
"Well, maybe he's a minimalist, that's a good thing," Kakashi said, trying to make his husband laugh, but when he didn't, he switched his tactic, "You're gonna give him the world, Iruka. He's gonna need space for all that. Cheer up."
This seemed to work.
"We are," Iruka corrected him, clicking off his seatbelt. "I don't want to hear you talk like you've got nothing to give."
Kakashi winced. He had a history of being self-deprecating. It was an old habit, one that resurfaced from time to time, proving hard to break. But Iruka was always quick to nip it in the bud, before it blossomed into something darker. He was incredibly grateful for that.
They walked up to the porch together.
Iruka took a deep breath,
"Naruto," he began, "You ready?"
Naruto nodded his head, without saying anything, fumbling with the zipper on his coat. He hugged Ms. Garcia, who kissed the top of his head.
"I'm going to miss you," she cried, holding a balled up Kleenex in her hand.
"Visit me sometime," she said, placing a final kiss to the top of his ruffled blonde hair.
Naruto released her and walked down the steps.
"Take care of him," she waved.
"We will," Iruka said, fighting back a sob.
He felt bad for her, in a way. It seemed bittersweet. She clearly cared a lot about Naruto, had cared for him for who knows how many years. Was Naruto sad about this parting, too?
Iruka looked down at him, searching his blue eyes for any sort of... something. But he didn't find any sadness there. They were the same as when he first looked into them, that night at the aquarium—clear and bright and curious.
"Iru, you ready?" Naruto asked, tugging at his sleeve, throwing back the same question Iruka had greeted him with. A toothy white smile spread across Naruto's face.
Iruka laughed, to keep himself from crying.
Yes, Naruto. I'm ready.
TBC
End Notes:
I'm not crying, you're crying! T-T
That strip scene + kinky sex has been in my head since chapter 1. IT'S MY FAVORITE. Feels amazing to finally write it out.
PS. I'm much more active on Ao3, if you want to find me there, under the same username. I like the format over there better, and I've had a better response! (for example, I released this chapter on Ao3 more than a week ago!)
If you like this story, ~please~ leave me a comment! That way, I'll know whether to keep updating here for whoever is interested. :D thanks!