Chapter Two: Truth and Beauty

Iruka stared at the masked ninja for an endless moment, not realizing he had spoken his thought aloud. Seconds passed as he contemplated the decision he'd just made. His face was like an open book, and the queasiness he felt at the thought of taking such a risk was enough to make him look like he was about to be sick. He swallowed convulsively, his expression far too serious for the other man's comfort.

"Ehhhh...that's it, I'm taking you home right now," Kakashi stated as he began to firmly steer the teacher from the coffeepot. Iruka realized what was happening and put up enough of a struggle to stop their progress.

"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing? I've got another six hours to get through here, I can't just leave!" Iruka squelched the urge to yell 'Unhand me, you masher!' at the top of his lungs and settled instead for digging in his heels and grabbing onto the doorframe with both hands. Kakashi looked surprised at how easily the chuunin was able to resist; he hadn't expected that from the younger man. Iruka scowled, knowing just exactly was going through his friend's mind.

"Just because I'm younger than you and I won't ever be a jounin like you, don't think I don't have strength of my own! I won't be pushed around!" Iruka could feel his face grow warm with indignation and Kakashi's eye widened further.

"I'm not trying to push you around, you baka," he growled, using Naruto's favorite expression. "There's obviously something wrong here. One minute you're talking to yourself and groaning, the next you look like you're going to throw up, and now these bizarre mood swings. Come on, talk to me. Let me help you." Kakashi dropped his hands from the chuunin's shoulders and grinned cheekily. "You're starting to remind me of Sakura-chan in her Sasuke-loving days. Hmm. Why is that, Iruka-sensei? Are you feeling the effects of loooooooooove?" His voice dropped on the last syllable, the husky tone of that magic word sending tingles up the neck of the teacher.

Iruka fought to keep his composure. Oh, what he wouldn't give to hear that again, but this time about a half inch from his ear, preferably while naked with a certain silver-haired ninja pressed up against him. His mouth instantly dried out and his cheeks burned. Kakashi took the blush as an affirmative and pressed the issue with glee.

"So, who is it, Iruka-sensei? Anyone I know?" His jovial leer gave him a slightly crazed look, kind of like a one-eyed pirate that had been in the grog a few days. The teacher refused lift his eyes from the floor and kept his mouth tightly clamped shut as he stewed over the situation.

"Not going to tell me, eh? Don't worry, I'll figure it out." Iruka met his gaze then, the expression of terror apparent in the chocolate-brown eyes.

"Oh, I get it. She's ugly, isn't she? That's why you don't want me to know, right?" Kakashi teased his friend, just warming up to his subject. "Hunchback? Crazy?" The chuunin's muttered response of "glass houses" passed right by the excited scarecrow.

"Is it someone you work with? Did you go to the academy with her? Uh, let's see...Anko? No, she's insane. Too wild for you. Hmm—" Iruka interrupted in a huff.

"How the hell would you know what's too wild for me? You have no idea what turns me on!" Iruka clamped his mouth shut again as he realized what he had said in the middle of the hallway, which was thankfully quite deserted at the moment. Kakashi chuckled. Sometimes it was just too easy to press Iruka's buttons.

"Funny, I don't think we've ever had that conversation," he grinned under his mask. Iruka narrowed his eyes dangerously. Kakashi backed off at the implied threat, still smiling.

"Ahh, you know what? I just finished a mission so I'm done for the day, and you're off duty in a few hours, so why don't we go out when you're done here? We'll get completely smashed and you can tell me everything!" Iruka blanched at the thought. Two drinks and he would indeed be telling Kakashi everything, probably while crawling into the man's lap and giggling like a loon. Definitely too soon for that!

"Uh, how about just dinner and we skip the drinks? I don't think my stomach is up to alcohol today," Iruka managed to suggest calmly. Kakashi nodded happily.

"I'll come by to get you when you're done. It's a date!" He walked off, whistling a happy tune. Iruka brought a hand to his forehead and forced himself to relax. Tonight was going to be hell.

XXXXXXXX

The rest of his shift crawled by at a snail's pace, as per usual for when the two of them had plans together. Anticipation and dread dueled for top billing in Iruka's mind as he shuffled his paperwork around, concentration shot. Time spent with Kakashi was always fun, but with this sudden, new resolve things could get tense. His inner self was right (as inner selves so often are); having a crush was easy but doing something about it was going to be one of the most difficult things he'd ever done. Probably everything would change. He could potentially lose the best friend he'd had in years.

/you could also improve on the best thing you've got going in your life. Love like this doesn't come around very often, you pansy. Just shut up and tell him already/

'I am!' he protested to himself. 'I just need a little time.'

/how much more time could you possibly need?? Seriously, five years of friendship and you need more time? Are you waiting for an invitation?/ his inner voice sneered at his weak excuse.

'Research, it's called reconnaissance, ok? We've never talked about anything like this before, I have no idea how he'd feel about something like this coming from me.'

/ththpbbpbpbpbpbttttt!/ his inner voice threw him a mental raspberry. /WEAK! If you don't know him well enough by now, maybe you shouldn't bother/ Iruka's heart clenched at the thought of giving up before he'd even gotten started.

/I thought you'd feel that way/

'Well, he did take it very well when we found out about Naruto and Sasuke...'

/and what did he say?/

'It was about time.'

/and?/

'You should take love when you find it, appreciate it for the gift it is...'

/you need more than that?/

'You're right...err...I'm right...uhh...GAAHH! Still talking to myself!' Iruka dropped his forehead to his desk and groaned. A voice broke into his thoughts.

"Iruka-sensei? Are you feeling ok? You don't look well." Genma's concerned face was revealed as Iruka opened one eye and peeked up at the other jounin, head still firmly planted on the desk.

"I'm getting that a lot today."

XXXXXXX

Iruka was quite familiar with Kakashi's eternal lack of punctuality, so he didn't hurry to pack up at the end of his shift. To his surprise, the scarecrow was only twenty minutes late, truly a record. Iruka didn't bother to hide his shock and couldn't help but tease the man.

"Let me guess, you finished your book and had nothing to do? No old ladies to save? No kittens to rescue? I see, you've come to me so I can entertain you instead. Glad I could be here to amuse you in your hour of boredom." Kakashi's single, revealed eye crinkled in amusement.

"How did you know? You're so smart, Iruka-sensei! I feel relief knowing the children of Konoha are in your ever-capable and knowledgeable hands!" He flung an arm around the chuunin's shoulders and leaned his head in to smile at his friend.

"You scare me when you sound like Gai-sensei," Iruka muttered.

"Do you want me to stop? I was just going to give you a lecture on truth and the beauty of youth!" Kakashi gave the younger man a squeeze and chuckled at the pained expression on his friend's face.

"Please don't. I couldn't take it. I'm already nauseous." Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that he was standing in a deserted room with the man's arm wrapped around his shoulders and faces only inches apart. If it weren't for that damn mask. He'd only seen what was under it once, and the image was burned into his memory.

Smooth, pale skin, strong jaw, straight fine nose. He still wasn't sure how it had happened. One minute they'd been chatting over dinner, which Kakashi made disappear in his usual light-speed fashion, the next he'd been caught staring at the man's naked face. The jounin never removed his mask for anything or for anyone; the features beneath it were a mystery and definitely part of his allure. Iruka thanked the gods of hot soup for the moment he'd been witness to. He'd already been three-quarters in love with the man before he'd even seen his whole face, but that moment pushed him over the edge. Was he shallow for appreciating the man's physical beauty? Nahh, he really was a sexy beast, you couldn't take it out of the equation.

Iruka prayed that none of these thoughts were visible on his own face and grimaced in frustration. It was so hard to hide this all the time; it was really going to be a relief to get it out in the open. No matter the consequences, he had to do this. It was worth the risk. He was going to go crazy if he didn't get this out soon.

"Maybe we shouldn't go out if you're not feeling well?" Concern replaced the grin on Kakashi's face. "You look like you did this afternoon. You're not going to throw up are you?" He backed slowly away from the shorter man, looking nervous.

"A little puke never hurt anyone," Iruka snapped. "Washes right out. Trust me, working with kids all day, I know." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the tone.

"Hmm, I think someone needs a nap," he said in a teasing voice. Iruka gave him an elbow in the gut and stepped further out of the other man's space.

"I'm not a four year old, Kakashi-sensei."

"Well, you're starting to act like it," he grinned. Iruka huffed in annoyance, knowing he was indeed beginning to act childishly. Five years of sexual frustration, several weeks of reduced sleep, and one very long day were taking their toll on the usually upbeat chuunin.

"Let's just go eat. There actually is something I want to talk to you about."