Shibaraku desu ne! So sorry about the enormously late update...I really have no excuse besides plain old writer's block. But, I just had three whole days off in a row and the muse returned and so here we are. I hope you enjoy the final chapter of this story, it was kind of hard to write. And, may I say huge thank-yous to all the people that were kind enough to take time to review and let me know that they enjoyed the story. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday!
Disclaimers: Oh hell, it's too late now. I don't own 'em, wish I did, blah blah blah. Boy love, shounen ai, yada yada yada.
Chapter Seven: Finale-O
Iruka could hear his own heartbeat thundering in his ears as he laid his lips on Kakashi. His first kiss ever, happening with the person he loved with all his heart, and he'd initiated it himself. He would have been proud but his mind was barely functioning with the shock and happiness. Kakashi didn't want to forget about it, Kakashi was okay with it, and Kakashi was half-naked and…wait, was there more than that? He pulled back a few inches, breaking the chaste kiss after a moment to see the jounin's reaction.
The two stared at each other for a moment, trying to gather their thoughts.
"I'm sorry," Iruka began to apologize, but stopped quickly as a grin bloomed across Kakashi's face. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing's funny," Kakashi's grin stretched even further, Iruka's blush apparent even in the dimly lit room.
"Then why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" Kakashi tilted his head and peered at the dolphin's flushed cheeks.
"Like…I don't know. Stop that!"
"Stop what?" Kakashi blinked innocently, the effect ruined by the smirk he wore.
"That—that thing you do when you're amused and…"
"Thinking dirty thoughts?" He raised an eyebrow at the dark haired man, trying not to laugh at the many expressions that ran across Iruka's face. Shock, annoyance, and curiosity, to name a few. He could work with that. He chuckled as he brought his free hand up to lightly cup Iruka's jaw, stroking the tan cheek with a lazy thumb.
"I never fully realized just how cute you are, Iruka-sensei. How did you manage to make it this far with that kind of innocence?" Iruka glared at the jounin.
"Condescending much?" he muttered grumpily, a little touchy about his lack of experience.
"Not condescending, baka. Just amazed. I can't believe you never got cornered by your own little fangirls or boys, or even had an accidental kiss like Naruto and Sasuke. Where is the justice in this world when a man like you goes through life alone?" He smirked as his hand left Iruka's jaw to point at the ceiling in a very Gai-like pose. He drew breath to continue in the same vein.
"Oh, shut up." Iruka yawned in Kakashi's surprised face, suddenly exhausted. It had been a very long, exciting day and he had 23 little uncoordinated Ninja-wannabees working with sharp, pointy weapons first thing in the morning.
"Excuse me, I was just getting started here!" Kakashi looked adorably pouty now that his speech had been interrupted. Iruka resisted the crumbling of his defenses at the sweet-little-boy expression on his love's face and yawned again.
"I know, that's why I'm stopping you. This is the day that will never end and the last thing I need is a dramatic lecture from you. I think I'm still coming down from the adrenaline high and I need sleep." Kakashi looked at a loss for words as Iruka pulled away and shifted down in the bed to get comfortable, dragging the twisted blankets up to his chest and fluffing the pillow under his head as he steadily tried to ignore the older man.
"Excuse me??!" Kakashi poked Iruka in the chest. This wasn't supposed to happen until much later in the relationship! Iruka couldn't just take what he wanted and then roll over to go to sleep, no sir! He poked the chuunin once more.
"What?" Iruka cracked an eye.
"That's it? You've got to be kidding me!"
"What's it? What are you talking about?" Iruka frowned.
"All that build-up and drama and emotion, and all I get is a peck? I hope this isn't a future indication of how things are going to be, because let me tell you, I've got a pretty healthy drive…"
"What more do you want?" Kakashi gave a lopsided grin. Hehehe. Silly dolphin!
"Well, I'd like a little more…" Kakashi's voice trailed off and the grin slowly melted from his face as he leaned over the chuunin.
"Ka…kashi?" All sleepiness fled as he was caught in Kakashi's intent gaze.
"You've had your turn," he whispered quietly, "Now it's mine." Silver hair glinted in the reflected light of the bathroom as he slowly lowered his face to Iruka's, hovering close enough to see the pulse jumping near the chuunin's bare collarbone and to feel the other man's hands clench on the sheets between them.
"Relax, Iruka," Kakashi chuckled. "You're acting like a scared virgin."
"I AM a scared virgin, you jerk!"
"I'm not going to eat you," the jounin smirked. "Unless, of course, you want me to." Iruka blinked at the mental image and tried to hold back a whimper at the sight of Kakashi's evil expression.
"This is all my fault, isn't it?" he asked with shaky breath.
"Relax."
"I can't. I'm nervous." Iruka drew in as deep a breath as he dared, considering Kakashi was extremely close and his scent was doing crazy things to his insides.
"I won't hurt you," Kakashi's voice was gentle and warm as he brushed noses lightly with the brown-eyed man. Iruka's eyelids fluttered closed at the soft touch and he willed himself to relax. This was what he wanted. There wasn't any reason to be so uptight. Except…
"This is weird," Iruka stated, opening his eyes again. Kakashi paused, lips millimeters away from contact.
"You're just now realizing this?" he whispered, amusement coloring his tone.
"It's just…I…heh, sorry. I'm really new at this…and…" Iruka mumbled something in a voice so low that even Kakashi's fabulous ninja hearing had a hard time catching the sound. The jounin turned and lowered his head so his ear was directly in front of Iruka's lips, grinning all the while.
"I'm sorry, could you say that again? I missed the last part, baka," he chuckled. "You're so cute when you're nervous, did you know that?"
"Stop calling me cute, teme," Iruka ordered in a much firmer voice, the sudden volume in his ear causing Kakashi to wince. He jerked his head away from Iruka's mouth and mock-glared at the younger man.
"That wasn't very nice, Iruka." Iruka responded in an appropriately mature fashion by sticking his tongue out and making a rude noise. The scarecrow's scarred eyebrow shot up in disbelief as a laugh escaped him. "I can see this relationship is going to go well if that's the level of conversation we're going to have."
"Hehe, sorry. You bring out the worst in me sometimes…and I think I'm just a little bit punchy right now. Today was…wow. I can't even tell you what I've been through." Iruka's cheeks reddened at the memory of the day's events.
"Baka, I was there," Kakashi reminded him with amusement. Pale hands reached out to gently pry Iruka's clenched fingers from the hem of the blankets he still had pulled up nearly to his neck, folding the warm hands in his grasp and smoothing a thumb over the tanned backs. Iruka's gaze dropped and focused on the sight of light and dark skin in contrast, fingers entwined in a soft clasp.
"Yeah, I guess I'm not the only one who had their world turned upside down today. You know what?" the dolphin enquired with a thoughtful tone.
"I have no idea what could possibly be going through your head after today. Tell me," Kakashi replied dryly.
"I'm glad that we can still talk like this. I don't feel weird saying the same old things to you, even after what I told you. That almost more than anything is so great." His eyes shyly rose to Kakashi's face, barely illuminated in the dim room but for the glint of mismatched eyes. "I don't ever want to lose this…this friendship. I…I was so scared that you would turn away from me," he mumbled the last part in a rush, repeating what Kakashi had missed earlier, the part that had truly been worrying the dolphin. Kakashi's strangely beautiful eyes widened slightly and took on a serious cast. He opened his mouth to respond.
"But," Iruka continued, interrupting with a little smirk, "I remember what someone told me once, that love was a gift and you should take it where you find it." Kakashi frowned as he tried to place where he'd heard that before. Recognition dawned.
"That sounds familiar. And very wise, may I add," he said with a smirk of his own as he remembered the circumstances. The day they had found out about Naruto and Sasuke making it official, Iruka and he had been not so surprised and very much pleased that the two had found each other at last.
"Oh, very wise indeed," Iruka grinned. "And, thankfully, you seem to really live by that, or you wouldn't be here."
"Well, I suppose. Just so you know, though, I'm not taking you up on this just because I'm lonely. It's important to me that you realize that."
"I appreciate you telling me that," Iruka whispered, another of his unspoken fears laid to rest.
"So polite, Iruka-sensei! How do we go from you sticking your tongue out to you thanking me? Oh wait, I can think of a few good scenarios," he grinned evilly at Iruka's semi-outraged expression. He could feel the heat of the blush where his hands rested against the man's upper chest and felt an answering flush of heat on his own pale skin. He held his hormones in check, however, still conscious of Iruka's comfort level. He decided to keep talking long enough to get the dolphin to relax before he tried to kiss the man again.
"Just teasing! I'll be good, I promise," he laughed, crossing two of his fingers where Iruka could definitely see them. The brunet rolled his eyes and sighed at the lame joke.
"Hey, Iruka, I'm freezing here. Can I borrow some pants or something? This damp towel isn't exactly comfortable." Iruka looked down at Kakashi's legs and gulped. The gap between the edges of the fuzzy blue towel had widened to the point that they had separated completely and the part covering Kakashi's lap was tenuously draped, while the underneath side flapped against the edge of the mattress. The jounin hid a grin; just because he'd told himself to take it slow didn't mean he couldn't test the waters a little bit, right?
"Um…you know where everything is, help yourself," Iruka replied in an admirably steady voice. Of course, five years of hiding your attraction to someone made it easier. Kakashi gathered the edges of the towel together and stood up, making the mattress bounce lightly. He leaned down, bringing his face close to Iruka's red cheeks.
"No peeking."
"I…you…teme!"
"Hehehe."
"Shut up." Iruka turned his face to the wall, refusing to look at the laughing scarecrow again as he made his way to the dresser. The plop of the damp towel on the floor made him grit his teeth, but he restrained the urge to look. The scrape of the drawer opening and the rustle of fabric made a bead of sweat pop out on his temple, but he held back. The sound of the door closing and Kakashi's light footsteps back to the bed made his breath pant just a tiny bit, but still he didn't look. He'd gotten through five years of this; one more night wouldn't really be the death of him. Right? He was fine. Nothing to be nervous about at all.
"Shove over, sweetie-pie." Okay, that deserved a look. Kakashi's grinning face loomed over him as the jounin stood at the edge of the bed.
"Sweetie-pie?!"
"Well, I thought this new stage of our relationship created a need for a new way to interact."
"Sweetie-pie?!"
"You're repeating yourself again. What have I told you about that? Now, shove over before I make you." Kakashi lifted the edge of the blankets and proceeded to squish in beside the dolphin, lightly pushing at Iruka's shoulder to get him to move.
"If you don't move over I'm just going to lie on top of you, and that might be moving a little too fast, ne?" Iruka gave an unmanly 'meep' and quickly wiggled away, making room for the taller man to stretch out in comfort. Kakashi snuggled up again Iruka's side, throwing arm over the brunet's stomach under the covers and resting his head on the other man's shoulder, silver hair tickling the dolphin's neck and causing tiny shivers to run rampant over his body. Iruka struggled to keep his breathing normal as Kakashi's body heat seeped into his own. That lack of personal boundaries thing was a blessing and a curse, he decided.
"Iruka?"
"Oh good, I was hoping you'd given up on sweetie-pie," he managed.
"I'll just have to find one that's better. How's…hmm…Muffin?"
"How about not?"
"Honey-bear?"
"Next."
"Baby?"
"Gakkkkk!"
"I'll take that as a no."
"Why can't we just stick to our own names? It's worked so far!"
"Because I want to celebrate this with a nickname."
"I don't want a nickname."
"Are you always going to be this difficult?" Kakashi pretended to whine, nuzzling his cheek into Iruka's shoulder. Iruka turned his head to look at Kakashi and got a face full of fuzzy silver hair. He spit out an errant strand with a 'pthh' noise.
"I'm not difficult."
"Um, yeah, you kinda are."
"Well, then what are you still doing here?" Iruka tried not to get huffy. Damn Kakashi could always push his buttons with so little effort.
"I'm here because I realized that I love you, baka." Iruka's mouth did the gasping-fish thing for a moment as he felt a wave of tingles at the jounin's words. It had been implied, but he hadn't heard the actual words before this moment. He brought up a suddenly unsteady hand to grasp at the arm slung across his stomach and gave a gentle squeeze as he looked up at the ceiling with a soft smile. The arm around him tightened its hold as Kakashi managed to get even a little closer. Iruka forced himself to take a deep breath, as it seemed he'd forgotten to breathe for a minute there.
"I--" he started, voice as unsteady as his heartbeat, "--I…You have no idea how long I wanted to hear you say that, Kakashi."
"You have no idea how happy I am that I realized it in the first place. How much luckier could I get?"
"Lucky?"
"Definitely lucky," Iruka could feel Kakashi's smile against his shoulder. The jounin pressed a kiss to the warm skin covering Iruka's collarbone before he continued. "Lucky enough to have a friend like you, and even luckier to find love with that friend. I've been sincerely blessed and I honestly couldn't ask for anything more out of life." Iruka felt a suspicious prickling behind his eyes and blinked a couple of times to push it back. Impulse struck, overriding nerves and weirdness. Iruka shifted in the bed, managed to turn on his side and face Kakashi eye to eye.
"Okay. I'm ready," he stated. Kakashi raised an eyebrow in question.
"Ready for what, exactly?" Iruka gathered his confidence once more and took a deep breath.
"Ready. From before. Back to the kissing," he ordered with a brave smile, quaking on the inside.
"Oh, you're sure now? Not too weird for you?"
"Less talking, more kissing."
"You know, I think I kinda like this side of you, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi teased as he took Iruka's face in hand and brought their faces very close together. "I think we were right about here, don't you?" he whispered softly, breath tickling the chuunin's face, causing both heartbeats to thump crazily. Iruka murmured his agreement and sighed in anticipation. Warm lips met and held for a moment, separated, and returned, then again.
Kakashi kept his eyes open, wanting to see the reaction on his friend's face as they kissed for real. It was different, for certain, but the weirdness had worn off by now. He really did feel blessed at this moment, everything he'd told Iruka had been the utter truth. What more could he ask for, seriously? His most precious person at his side, his best friend that knew him better than anyone and loved him anyway, the person he came home to. He hadn't realized until tonight just how important Iruka really was to him, just how honored a place he held in Kakashi's life. Thank God Iruka had found the voice to tell Kakashi how he felt. They could have missed out on something truly special.
Friendship turned to love…what an unexpected gift.