Disclaimer: Naruto and all it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei, not me!
Warning: Yaoi!
The next day Iruka went through his daily routine. He taught his class absentmindedly, and he was sure he was missing a few students. As soon as the school day was out and he could dismiss his students he had the urge to holler for joy in a very Naruto-like manner.
He hurried home to drop off his things and ran to Kakashi's apartment. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He frowned, thinking of where the silver haired man could be. 'Training of course!' He smacked himself on the head and ran to team seven's usual training grounds. The chuunin glanced around the clearing, finding no one. His brow furrowed he walked back out into the streets. 'Perhaps he was eating with his team at Ichiraku?' He almost ran down the street, ignoring the fact the he must look like a fool at that moment. He arrived at the ramen and stand soon enough and Kakashi's team stood just out front, but there was no Kakashi.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto whooped, "Hey, hey!"
"Hello Naruto." Iruka greeted, smiling. "Hello, Sakura, Sasuke." They nodded in greeting.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"Hmm? I was looking for Kakashi-sensei. Do you know where he might be?" Iruka replied, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"He was just here!" Sakura exclaimed, suddenly looking around. "I think he disappeared again. Sorry sensei."
"Oh. Alright. He's probably gone home then. I'll see you guys around!" He called, running to the jounin's apartment.
"Bye!"
Iruka ran at full speed, hoping desperately to catch up with the other man. He hadn't been able to get the silver haired man out of his thoughts all day. As much as the idea that Kakashi liked him was confusing and embarrassing, he couldn't let his friend go. He found the jounin walking calmly to his apartment, book in hand.
The jounin suddenly perked up and looked behind him. He spotted Iruka and dodged into a nearby alley. Iruka had a thoroughly confused look on his face for all of two seconds before he launched after Kakashi.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI! WAIT A MINUTE!" He yelled, hoping he hadn't gotten too far to hear him. He rounded the corner and ran straight into the other man. They fell, rolling over each other. Kakashi made sure to land them with Iruka on top, for his safety of course. They laid like that for a few moments catching their breathes. "Kakashi-sensei, stop avoiding me, please. I don't want to continue this stupidity." He rested his forehead against Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi's hands were on Iruka's back and his legs bent on either side of the chuunin. Iruka's hands clutched at Kakashi's vest, as if they were physically trying to keep him from running away again.
"I'm sorry, I thought that was what you wanted." Kakashi whispered, tilting his head to rest his cheek against Iruka's ponytail. His heart pounded heavily in his chest.
"Yeah, well maybe you should listen to people more. I was trying to say I was sorry for avoiding you. I really am, I was just so confused." He whispered back, then jerked his head up, looking Kakashi straight in the eye. "That's no excuse. I'm sorry. I'm stupid."
"It's alright, no harm done." Kakashi's eye curved up. "Not permanent anyway."
"Idiot." Iruka said affectionately, a smile tugging at his lips. "Would you like to have dinner at my place?" He whispered softly.
"Uh, I'd love to." Kakashi replied, a slight shiver running down his spine from the feel of Iruka's breath on his face, even through the mask he was acutely aware of it. Actually he was intensely aware of every movement the chuunin made, even his chest when he breathed.
"Great." Iruka smiled fully, his eyes lighting up with happiness. Kakashi's face flushed, their position not helping his condition at all. He curved his eye up briefly.
"We could go now, if you want?" The jounin asked. Iruka nodded, still smiling, he moved to get up only to realize how they had been situated on the ground in the alley. His face turned bright red and he stood quickly. Kakashi stood as well, a little wobbly on his feet but nothing Iruka would notice, he hoped.
"Ah, let's go." Iruka declared turning to exit the alley but in his hast his foot caught on a rock and he tripped. Too fast to see, Kakashi appeared in front of the other man and caught him.
"Careful." The silver haired man quipped, his eye curved up.
"Um. You can let go of me now." Iruka said, blushing. Kakashi grinned behind his mask.
"What if I don't want to?" He whispered teasingly, Iruka looked up at him, panicked. "Ah ha ha, I'm just kidding." He reluctantly let the younger man go.
"Let's go." Iruka coughed, turning around slowly this time. They headed to Iruka's house in an awkward silence. Once they arrived Iruka quietly asked the jounin to sit on the couch while he began to prepare dinner.
"Do you need any help. I'm not that useless in the kitchen." Kakashi offered, not having sat down yet.
"N-no, it's alright, I've got it." Iruka replied, "Go sit, I shouldn't take too long."
"Alright." Kakashi sighed and did what he was told, his eye roaming once again to all of the pictures in the room. He smiled softly at all the images of Iruka's classes and how much he seemed to adore them. Iruka was actually really amazing, he taught full classes of aspiring shinobi everyday. Kakashi didn't want to think about what it would be like to teach the young ones who didn't know anything yet. He shuddered, he had enough trouble with the ones who were already out of the academy.
He fidgeted on the couch nervously. He heard Iruka bustling about the kitchen, cursing every so often, making the silver haired man smile. Finally Iruka emerged, thankfully composed and unharmed. He grinned at the other man.
"Dinner is ready!" He declared happily. Kakashi's eye curved up and he relocated himself to the kitchen table. "Here you go."
"Thank you." Iruka set a plate in front of the jounin before sitting down with his own. Kakashi removed his mask and left it down as they ate. He noticed the glances he received from the chuunin, but decided not to mention anything. He'd made the other man uncomfortable enough as it was. "This is very good!"
"Thank you!" Iruka beamed, he was feeling much more at ease with Kakashi every minute. He felt honored to see the jounin's face, to have Kakashi willingly show him his face. He wasn't sure why though, he should feel strange about it shouldn't he? He shouldn't be so content to have the silver haired man feeling the way he did about him. He shouldn't be so carefree with this man. It was better then feeling guilty for avoiding him at least, even if he had the strange feeling deep down.
If he really thought about it, which he hadn't until this point, that strange feeling deep down inside of him wasn't unpleasant, but really it felt kind of...nice. That thought made him freeze and consequently choke on a piece of chicken. He started coughing and Kakashi leapt out of his seat, hitting the chuunin on the back, sending the piece of chicken flying.
"Fwaah!" Iruka gasped and burst into breathless giggles over his stupidity.
"Are you alright? Iruka-sensei? Why are you laughing?" Kakashi asked seriously, looking deeply concerned.
"I'm so ah ha ha, stupid!" He wheezed. "Remind me never to think deep thoughts when eating. I could have killed myself! And what a way to go."
"Eh heh heh, yeah." Kakashi agreed nervously, "That wouldn't look so good on your tombstone."
"Ha ha! It'd say: Umino Iruka, Killed himself with a piece of chicken!" Iruka declared, still chuckling. "Ah haa... Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. You saved my life!"
"Uh, yeah, I guess I did, Eh heh heh." The jounin scratched the back of his head, his eye curved up and Iruka beamed. When Kakashi opened his eye again Iruka was looking at him seriously. "What is it...Iruka-sensei?"
"Kakashi-sensei..." Iruka whispered, he wrapped his arms around the jounin's back and pressed his cheek onto Kakashi's shoulder, facing away from him. "Thank you, you know for everything." He breathed.
"Ah...mm." Kakashi carefully slid his arms around Iruka, pulling him closer. His heart pounded faster in his chest, Iruka wasn't pulling away so he pulled him even closer, flush against himself so that he was half sitting in the air. Iruka stood, slowly righting them and making it much more comfortable for himself. Kakashi, taking it as a sign Iruka wanted to break out of their hug, began to take his arms back from around Iruka. The chuunin tugged him closer however, stopping his movement. "I-Iruka..."
"Mmm." Iruka began a subtle swaying motion, not exactly sure what he was doing himself and hoping Kakashi wouldn't question it either. And thankfully he didn't. Kakashi closed his eyes and swayed with Iruka, enjoying the smell and feel of the other man. He didn't know why Iruka was acting this way, but he wasn't going to give up on an opportunity to hold him. "...'Kashi?"
"Hmm?"
"I should probably get the chicken off the wall." They pulled apart, reluctantly on Kakashi's part. He was a fool to think Iruka was going to say he loved him back. He put their dishes in the sink, after taking the food off of them. They were just about done their meal anyway. Iruka cleaned up the mess on the wall and grinned at the silver haired man. He smiled back softly and pulled his mask up again.
"I should probably go now." He said, heading for the door. He put his sandals and vest back on. To get one last glimpse of the other man he looked back. Oh how he wanted to go sweep Iruka up in his arms and kiss him breathless. "I'll see you later."
"Tomorrow?" Iruka asked and Kakashi nodded.
"Tomorrow, bye."
"Bye." Kakashi quickly headed home. He got ready to sleep and flopped onto his bed, a smile gracing his face. He relived the past few hours in his mind a couple times before falling asleep.
The next three weeks flew by quickly, Kakashi and Iruka were good friends. They hung out just about everyday and Iruka would join team seven's training sessions when he had the day off. They were so close, finishing each other's sentences with varying degrees of seriousness, they were just about glued to each other's sides. Team seven began to wonder if they hadn't gotten together.
Kakashi was in high spirits, he smiled all the time and he was scaring his team with his cheerfulness. More then usual at least. Iruka's mood swings seemed to happen less and less. Unless one of his students did something really bad. The other teachers were noticing the change in Iruka as well. He seemed to glow at times and he was almost always smiling. However his smiles would brighten and broaden every time Kakashi was near or popped into his classroom to say hello. Things were calm again in Iruka's life, but he still hadn't figured that strange feeling out yet.
HA! Finished, oh yeah. This chapter took way too long to finish! Ugh. The computers in my house were all down for the past few days and I was dying without them. Thankfully I saved all my stories to a floppy disk or this chapter would have taken me another week and a half to write. ANYway...thank you all for reading and reviewing, so if you would, there is a lonely little purple button down there that needs some love. Review please!