Sorry it took so much longer to update than previously, but as you'll see, this chapter is twice as long as the others! I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they really made my day with each and every one. Oh, and I promise that I won't end on a cliffhanger. Oh wait, that's a big fat lie! You'll just have to read and see, won't you?

Warnings: hmm, if you got this far, you know it's shounen-ai, KakaIru, tiny bit of mild language, odd small bits of random Japanese, more odd and random observations...

Chapter Five: Pillow Talk

Kakashi felt like an idiot. How did he never notice? How could Iruka, his best friend, have felt this way as strongly as he said, and Kakashi never have a clue? He was stunned. And the things the chuunin had said about him! Wise, honorable, beautiful. Beautiful? Surely he would have noticed something was up if the man thought he was beautiful! He felt panic rise up within him as he felt his world tilting. He needed time to think about this. Kakashi swallowed past the hysteria that was creeping up his throat in order to speak.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei...um...I think I left the stove on at home and I need to...uh...feed my cat." He turned to leave and felt a hand on his arm, impeding his exit.

"Kakashi-sensei...I..." Iruka sighed. "Never mind." The dolphin pushed past him in the direction of his own apartment, leaving the taller man gaping after him on the sidewalk. His stride was steady and sure as he left his bewildered friend behind him. He couldn't resist turning back for one last comment, smirking at the picture Kakashi made, one eye wide in shock and body frozen in place.

"I forget, Kakashi-sensei—was that the cat you gave away three years ago because I had allergies, or the one that you let wander away last year because it turned out you hated cats?"

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Kakashi grimaced. Of course it had been a flat-out lie, but it was the best he could come up with. He watched his friend's retreating back and drew in a shaky breath. What the hell just happened? He kept hearing the words over and over in his mind, and couldn't keep from seeing again the image of Iruka's big brown eyes as they had stared into his own. It must have taken incredible courage for the teacher to tell him how he felt. It was hard enough to tell the person you liked them when it was a 'normal' relationship, i.e. socially acceptable in a small village, but it must have been even harder in this situation. His respect for the teacher raised another notch or two.

His emotions were so mixed-up right now. He didn't even know where to start. Now it was Kakashi's turn to stare off into space as he contemplated this new information. What was he supposed to do with it? Was there action expected, and, if so, what? How did he feel? His feet started automatically taking him in the direction of his favorite thinking place, the rest of him heedless of the cold drizzle that was still falling or the fact that it was so dark now that he could hardly see. As he walked, he started to name a few feelings in an effort to find the ones that fit.

Angry? He supposed quite a few men would be upset that someone thought they might like other men that way, but Kakashi wasn't one of them. Again, he prided himself on being secure. And who ever said he wouldn't go that way, just because he hadn't yet? He wasn't angry with Iruka for keeping the secret either. Kakashi was able to put himself in the other man's shoes and understand just how difficult it had been to hold in something like for so long and couldn't find even the tiniest bit of anger. Iruka had seemed upset over lying to him over it, but really, it was understandable.

Happy, then? He just didn't know. Were those butterflies he felt in his stomach or just anxiety? It wasn't a bad thing that had just happened between them, just...unexpected. He couldn't honestly say he'd never thought about it himself, because natural human curiosity and his own specialized pervert characteristic had combined to allow one or two wayward thoughts over the years, especially after watching Naruto and Sasuke so openly express their feelings for each other. That had made him look around at his own friends, but he'd very quickly stopped that when he realized his friends also included Gai and Jiraiya. The horror! The dolphin, however, was an attractive man and the two of them got along so well it was like they were married anyway, so naturally he'd thought about it. Just never seriously. And, he'd had no idea that Iruka was thinking the same thing about him.

He felt a whisper of pride wiggle out of the shock. In a way, he was flattered that the dolphin thought those wonderful things about him. His ego had definitely been stroked in a good way. The man thought he was beautiful! He smiled a little at nothing in particular at the notion. No matter the situation, it felt nice to know that someone found him attractive.

It was just...weird. Really damn weird. He couldn't quite fully wrap his mind around it, flattered or not. This was Iruka, his buddy, his favorite person. In love with him. He blinked the rain out of his eye and sat on the ground in front of the memorial stones, right in a shallow puddle of freezing cold water.

"EEEEAAGGGGHHH!" Kakashi jumped back up and swiped ineffectually at his rear end. The rest of him was already soaked so a little more didn't make any noticeable difference. It was the second time today he'd had a cold wakeup call, only this time it was a bit more literal. He let his hand drop from its useless endeavor and stared, unseeing, at the wet stones. The whirl inside of him wouldn't stop. There were so many questions to be answered. Plus, it was making him lose his trademark cool, which irked him to no end.

He needed to do something about this now, because there was no way in hell he could sleep tonight.

XXXXXXXXX

Iruka's brave face lasted just long enough to close his door behind him. He'd managed to make his way home without seeing anyone, no surprise due to the rain that only seemed too conveniently suited to his mood. He'd done it. He'd told him. The relief was beginning to set in, thankfully ahead of the regrets that were determined to make their presence known. Based on Kakashi's decided lack of reaction, it wasn't going to be a storybook romance, but then he was realistic enough to know that that would never have happened that way anyway.

"But it doesn't matter, because I told him, and that's all I wanted to do," he whispered to himself. He could hardly believe it. When he'd had that internal argument today, he'd thought he'd need at least a couple weeks to work up to it. Well, guess what? It just popped out today. He couldn't even blame it on alcohol. It wasn't the most romantic of declarations, but he'd said what he'd wanted to say and it was out there in a big way now.

"Holy crap," he muttered in disbelief. "Why did I do that?" He reached up and pulled off his leaf headband, taking his hair tie along with it, dropping both on the floor near the front door. He shrugged out of his sodden vest and shirt and made his way to the bathroom. Iruka was chilled to the bone and his body moved out of habit towards a hot shower. Wet sandals went flying out the bathroom door into the hall, where they went splat against the wall and bounced onto the floor in a muddy mess. His usually neat habits had been rudely shoved aside by the thoughts consuming him as he dropped his wet pants and leg wraps on the floor right where he took them off. The water temperature was perfect but Iruka didn't bother to linger in the shower, only staying in long enough to wash up and warm up a bit. Still on autopilot, he made his way to the bedroom for his pajamas, opting for a pair of well-worn drawstring pants and forgoing a shirt.

He dropped onto the bed after dressing and stared vaguely in the direction of the ceiling. He hadn't bothered to turn on the light, so he could barely make out any details of the room, but it hardly mattered as his focus was entirely on the matter before him and not his ceiling tiles. What must Kakashi be thinking right now? Amazingly, he was able to laugh at the picture he had of Kakashi's eye bugging out of his head, the normally laid-back jounin looking like he was about to freak out in a very embarrassing way. A smile stretched its way across his face as he re-experienced the euphoria he'd felt after confessing. It had probably been one of the scariest things he'd ever done; he hoped their friendship could survive it. Iruka drifted off to sleep with the memory of Kakashi whispering in his ear, "Play with me..."

XXXXXXX

Kakashi slogged his way through the wet town in the direction of Iruka's apartment with questions still roiling through his brain. There were so many that he wasn't sure which one would lead off the conversation, but they were basically these:

Why me?

Why now?

Now what?

And how was he supposed to know the answers to these on his own? The best way would be to go to the source. His slow pace gave him plenty of time to think about the situation. Iruka was in love with him. How did he feel about Iruka? Could he return the chuunin's feelings and did he want to? Thankfully there were no people on the street to distract him from his musings. The shock was beginning to fade somewhat, which left room for clarity.

He reviewed the events of the day to find clues to his own feelings. Well, he had definitely been worried about the dolphin when he was acting so weird, but that was natural as they were such close friends. He had been a tiny bit jealous and overprotective when he thought that Iruka might be in love with somebody not right for him.

"Heh," he snorted in amusement. How in the world was he any more appropriate than some random woman? Iruka knew him better than anyone, and still thought the best of him, so that had to be good. He didn't really mind Kakashi's reading material as much as he said he did, and was willing to put up with his lack of punctuality and occasional laziness. Well, more than occasional, but best not to split hairs. His smile faded a bit as he remembered the look of deep sadness on the dolphin's face when they had been watching Naruto and Sasuke. The man's heart had been breaking and Kakashi's first and only instinct had been to comfort him.

'He's my friend, I hate to see him hurting,' he thought to himself. That's all it was, right? Friends being there for each other? Of course he cared about the young teacher. They were best friends, they had practically raised Naruto together, they worked together, they spent all their free time together. They knew each other inside and out.

'Well, I didn't see that part coming," he smiled again as he remembered Iruka's declaration. So much for inside and out. He winced as he suddenly remembered his lame attempt at escape earlier. He was going to have to apologize for that while he was at it. He stepped up his pace as he entered Iruka's street and made his way to the tree that grew right outside the chuunin's bedroom window. The slippery, wet bark was no match for his determination and skill as he leapt up onto the right branch to peer inside the apartment. The room was dark, but he could sense the younger man inside. Kakashi tried to lift open the window but it seemed to be locked.

'Hmm, should I break in like usual or should I knock?' He considered this for a moment. Knocking might be correct seeing as the dolphin might not want to see him.

'But, if he doesn't want to see me, he might not let me in. Therefore, breaking and entering may be the wisest choice.' He tilted his head and regarded the window through a narrowed eye. Just as he was reaching for his Handy Ninja Lockpicks ™ a figure appeared at the window and gave him a sleepy glare. The sash slid up and a bare arm reached out and grabbed the surprised scarecrow by the vest, dragging him inside.

"Oi, Iruka-sensei, you're glad to see me?" Kakashi grinned up at his friend from his position on the floor. "You're full of surprises for me today," he laughed.

"Kakashi-sensei, I hope it's important, because you're dripping all over my floor. You may not have noticed this, but I had a very long day and you've interrupted my sleep with your stalking outside my window." Iruka uttered this negative statement in a growly, grumpy voice that again startled the man on the floor.

"Ano, I thought you were in love with me. Love means understanding and forgiveness, ne?"

Iruka's sleepy eyes widened in disbelief.

"I'm sorry? Are you making a joke out of my feelings?" Kakashi dropped his head in frustration. He'd forgotten how crabby Iruka could be when he woke up.

"Iie, that's not what I was doing, baka." He drew out the last word with a roll of his visible eye.

"That's what it sounded like. I don't know why I bothered to tell you. I knew you would make fun of me," Iruka grumped as he climbed under the bed covers and turned his back on Kakashi. "Close the window behind you as you leave, will you?"

"Hey, I'm not leaving yet! I have questions I need answered!"

"Tough."

"Come on, Iruka-sensei...please talk to me," Kakashi begged as he came to his feet and sat on the bed next to his friend. Iruka's eyes widened in the dark as he felt the bed sag beneath the other man's weight. His heart began to thump in his chest as he took a deep breath. Kakashi was on his bed. His bed. He struggled to keep his voice from shaking as he replied.

"About what?" It was difficult to sound crabby when you were filled with tingles and goodness!

"I want to know..." he trailed off, looking for the right words.

"Know what?" This time the irritation wasn't quite feigned.

"Ahem," Kakashi cleared his throat. "I...want to know why? I mean, why me?" It was odd to hear the normally self-assured jounin sound so uncertain.

"I already told you why. Glad to know it made such an impact on you." Iruka was being bitchy and he didn't even care. Hard enough to tell someone you like them, but that's supposed to be it. You tell them, they say 'Oh' and that's the end of it, or they say 'yes' and there you go. Had he not been clear enough? He was startled by the feeling of Kakashi's hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him over to his back.

"Hey, I think I have a right to ask questions here. You spring this on me, and I don't know how this goes, okay? You've had a while to get used to the idea and I haven't. Just bear with me while I try to figure it out," Kakashi's voice was soft and patient as he tried to see the chuunin's face. Iruka blessed the darkness as his cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"Gomen, Kakashi. You're right. I'm sorry. What do you want to know?" He shifted and scooted so he was propped up against the headboard and faced the jounin. "You know, you can turn the light on. I can't even see you in here."

"Hehe, I think it's probably better this way, don't you? This kind of conversation is usually better in the dark."

"Um, I wouldn't know. I've never had this kind of conversation before," he admitted, his cheeks becoming even hotter if possible.

"Really?"

"Is that something I'd brag about if it weren't true?"

"Right."

"You're still dripping."

"Ahh, yes I am."

"Why don't you borrow some clothes and go dry off? We can wait on this a little bit. Can't have you getting sick!" He said this in a hearty tone, thankful again that his voice didn't betray him and that the dark covered his reaction to the idea of Kakashi changing his clothes only a few feet and a door away. The jounin had spent the night before, usually after a night out at the bar, or after a particularly nasty mission when he didn't want to be alone, so it was nothing new for him to use Iruka's shower or sleep on the old couch. Every time, however, it had been torture for the young teacher. He gave a mental sigh at the thought of having his love so near and so far, he could reach out and touch him...damn clichés were going to kill him.

"You just want me naked, right?" Kakashi laughed as a pillow connected with his head, Iruka's aim true in the pitchblackness of the bedroom.

"Just go, you ass! You know where everything is."

XXXXXXXXX

Iruka tried to calm his breathing as he heard the bathroom door shut and the water come on. Apparently Kakashi needed to warm up by taking a shower as he had earlier. He shifted in the bed as wicked thoughts of naked-Kakashi in the shower swam before his eyes.

'If I make it through this day, it'll be a miracle," he groaned.

XXXXXXXXX

Kakashi hummed to himself as he stood under the steamy water. Nothing had to change. They could still joke and laugh together like normal. Everything was fine. He smiled as he lathered up his hair.

Might as well go for the full wash since he was already under the water, right? He inhaled the light scent of Iruka's shampoo and vaguely realized that he'd always liked that smell. The dolphin always smelled so fresh when he came out of the shower. Kakashi stopped, both hands covered in lather and entwined in his silver hair.

"When did I notice how Iruka smells?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Iruka heard the water turn off and muffled thumpings coming from the bathroom. For an elite jounin, Kakashi could really make a lot of noise. He shook his head fondly at one particularly loud thump. Baka.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. Thoughts of naked Kakashi were just going to lead to bad bad thoughts. So. No more naked Kakashi. Naked Kakashiiiiiii!!!! He couldn't help it; the idea just kept popping into his head. How was he supposed to control it? Don't think about naked Kakashi, oops, there it was again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi stared at his maskless face in the mirror. His face was whiter than pale, as usual, except for two spots of pink high on his cheekbones, which was not usual at all. His eyes held an expression of astonishment; even the red Sharingan eye was amazed. Maybe he'd just answered one of his own questions. Maybe...he should test it out! He grinned at his reflection, proud of himself. He wrapped one of Iruka's fluffy blue towels around his waist and opened the bathroom door, letting steam out into the hallway.

XXXXXXX

Iruka opened his eyes and almost swallowed his tongue. Kakashi was standing in silhouette with the light from the bathroom behind him, covered only by a towel, staring at him with an evil grin. Gods, he was sexy. He tried to clear his throat.

"Ka...uh...ahem. Kakashi-sensei? Is everything all right?" Kakashi advanced purposefully into the bedroom, straight to Iruka. He plopped down on the edge of the bed and scooted close to Iruka, so that they were facing each other. He drew up one knee to make himself comfortable, stretching the gap between the ends of the towel he was wearing, exposing a generous stretch of pale, muscular thigh. Iruka couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight, visible now due to the bathroom light streaming into the room through the open door.

"Hai!" He was entirely too cheerful for the dolphin's taste. He searched the taller man's face for a clue.

"You—you took your mask off!" Iruka's eyes widened as they swept over the man's beautiful features.

"Hai!" He grinned again. Iruka's heart was beating triple-time at the sight before him.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Hai!"

"Can you say anything besides 'hai!'?"

"I could, but then I couldn't annoy you like this," Kakashi laughed. Iruka narrowed his eyes at the half-naked man facing him.

"Try again!"

"Oi, Iruka-sensei, you're so cruel!"

"You're driving me insane. And I thought you were going to borrow some clothes, not parade around here mostly naked!" Iruka huffed, trying to keep his eyes from returning to that lovely body so temptingly close to him.

"I could, but then I couldn't annoy you," Kakashi repeated, trying not to laugh like a total idiot.

"I'm not annoyed!"

"Hot and bothered?"

"Oh, that's it, you baka!" Iruka lunged forward and tackled the jounin, catching the man off balance. He grabbed Kakashi by the shoulders and tried to beat him senseless. The jounin was laughing too hard to take him seriously and only laid there on the bed as Iruka growled in fury. "Stop making fun of me! I didn't choose to feel this way and you're only making it worse!" He panted in frustration, knowing that he couldn't cause any actual harm to the man. He stared down at Kakashi from his position above him and was unable to look away. The jounin had stopped laughing and was returning Iruka's stare with an odd look, the tension in the room suddenly becoming palpable. Iruka became aware of their proximity and blushed violently, noticing how his hands were gripping the other man's shoulder, just how close their faces were, and the fact that Iruka was practically straddling the barely-covered Kakashi. He made a move to back away, but Kakashi grabbed his wrists and held him tightly in place.

"Wait," he whispered. Iruka looked at him in confusion and embarrassment as he tried to pull his wrists from the jounin's grasp.

"Why?" Iruka closed his eyes in frustration.

"I had an idea," Kakashi said quietly. It was a pretty good one, if he did say so himself.

"I want you to kiss me."

Iruka's eyes snapped open.

"Nani?" Kakashi raised his head a few inches to place his lips by the shocked dolphin's ear. Iruka could feel the man's abdominal muscles contract against his own at the upward movement. The teacher's breathing stopped for a minute as his head swam at the contact.

"I said...Kiss me," he whispered again, lips gently grazing against the sensitive skin of Iruka's jaw as he let his head drop to the mattress. Iruka blinked several times as he tried to make sense of what he'd just heard.

"Uhh...urk...?" Kakashi's intent look turned to one of amusement as he could almost hear the wheels grinding in the dolphin's head.

"Well, you told me how you felt, and I thought about it. So, you've got me curious. I want you to kiss me, so I have all the facts."

"But I...I..." Iruka's mouth opened and closed as he tried to find words. This was unexpected. Plus, he was still on top of Kakashi, so thinking was even more difficult. He frowned as something occurred to him.

"Are you just using me to satisfy your curiosity on kissing men in general, or do you want to kiss me specifically?"

"Are you avoiding kissing me by asking stupid questions?" Kakashi's grip on Iruka's wrists loosened temporarily, enough for the dolphin to take advantage of the lapse and escape up to the head of the bed. Kakashi sat up and followed him, towel sliding dangerously on his narrow hips as he practically slithered across the bed to face Iruka once more.

"No! I just want to know before I give away something so important to me." Iruka stared at Kakashi, willing him to understand what he was saying. Understanding dawned in the jounin's eyes as he returned the look.

"You...it's your first kiss?" His expression softened as he realized the motive behind Iruka's apparent reluctance. The younger man blushed in the dim light of the bedroom as he looked down at the mattress, avoiding any further eye contact.

"I wanted to save it for someone special. Someone I truly loved, that loved me back," he whispered.

"Who says I don't?"