Disclaimer: Naruto and all it's characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei, not me!
Warning: Yaoi!
Iruka went to work the next day with a permanent smile. He never imagined how happy he would be after getting together with Kakashi. He'd never really though about it but those few times he did he'd always imagined it to be awkward. He went through his classes in a happy daze. He missed homework check and didn't even blink an eye when he caught Konohamaru looking through his desk drawers when he arrived.
The children were especially rowdy that day, their teacher not doing anything about it. Just smiling and sighing in his seat, glancing out the window. Soon enough the children were dismissed and he could go home. He sat at his desk, not really realizing that the bell had gone. Suddenly Naruto burst through the door, a panicked look on his face.
"Kakashi-sensei has gone completely INSANE!" He all but roared when he slammed the door shut. "Iruka-sensei! What do we do! We're all going to die!"
"Hmm? Oh Hello Naruto!" He beamed at the blonde, ignoring the look on his face.
"Did you even hear what I SAID!" Naruto cried and Iruka shook his head, his smile never faltering.
"I've been getting that a lot today." He said serenely. Naruto's panicked look returned.
"You too!" He tore out of the school, running for his team mates. "Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan!"
The two mentioned looked up and dove out of the way as he skid to a stop right where they had been standing. "What the hell is wrong with you, Naruto!" Sakura yelled.
"Iruka-sensei too!" He cried, panting. "He didn't even hear me and I was yelling!"
"I'm not sure of what's wrong with them is really that bad." Sakura said skeptically. "They're happy, leave them alone."
"But they're freaking me out!" Naruto whined, clinging to Sasuke who punched him in the head.
"Get off." Sasuke said, knocking the blonde to the ground.
"Jerk." Naruto stuck his tongue out at the other boy and stood up.
"They'll go back to normal soon enough I think." Sakura said, ignoring the exchange between the boys.
"Hey guys." Iruka greeted, he was on his way to Kakashi's apartment. He had a bag in his hand.
"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Naruto greeted happily, forgetting that the chuunin was freaking him out a few moments earlier.
"Hello Iruka-sensei, How are you today?" Sakura asked smiling sweetly.
"Really great." He replied, his permanent smile widening a bit.
"What's in the bag?" Naruto asked, poking said bag.
"Hmm? Stain remover, for Kakashi-sensei's couch." Iruka replied, patting Naruto on the head. "We got chocolate syrup on it yesterday."
"Chocolate syrup?" Naruto frowned, "What were you doing?"
"Throwing it at each other." His smile widened further. "Anyway, I've got to go."
"Well, bye then." Sakura replied, her face scrunched up in confusion.
"Later Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called after him.
"Bye." Iruka waved back at them, continuing his leisurely walk. He reached Kakashi's apartment and knocked on the door, calmly waiting for Kakashi to open it. His heart sped up a little in anticipation when he heard footsteps. Kakashi opened the door with a flourish and pulled Iruka in, dipping him in a single arm.
"Yo." He greeted. Iruka clutched the silver haired man's shoulders.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Iruka greeted with a laugh. Kakashi's eye curved up and he kicked the door closed and pulled down his mask to kiss the man in his arms. He pulled Iruka back up onto his feat and kissed him again. "Mmm, you're so enthusiastic."
"Ah. I made dinner." Kakashi replied, then scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well actually I burnt dinner, so I went out and got some ramen."
"I see." Iruka said, chuckling at the cute face Kakashi was making. The jounin led him to the table, an arm constantly around his waist. He couldn't believe it was real and so he felt the need to touch him as much as possible. They sat down at the table, eating and talking happily. Soon enough their meal was done and they moved into the livingroom to talk some more. Kakashi turned on his stereo and it began playing some slow music. He smiled at Iruka and held out his hand.
"May I have this dance?" He asked and Iruka rolled his eyes at the jounin but took his hand all the same. He pulled the chuunin close, swaying them to the music. "I love you, Iruka-sensei."
"I-I'm not sure...if I l-love you, but I really like you." Iruka whispered, clutching the other man closer. He felt the other man sigh and a pang went through his heart. Was Kakashi upset? Iruka held on tighter.
"That makes me so happy." The silver haired man whispered, continuing to move them to the music. "I never dreamed you'd want me back."
"Neither did I, just proves you can't plan life." Iruka chuckled and moved his head from Kakashi's shoulder to look him in the eye. Iruka knew, looking into the jounin's eye, the love he saw there made his heart swell. 'I don't think I deserve his love, but I'll take it if it makes him happy.'
They kept up this routine of meeting up at each other's home and having dinner then talking and kissing for a while afterwards. It lasted about a week. Kakashi was trying to get Iruka to come out and be a little more public with their relationship. Hanging out outside of the comfort of their homes and maybe holding hands. Iruka was shy, he didn't want anyone to know he was with Kakashi, that he liked men, how would the students' parents take it? Would they be ok with it? He was too worried to try. Not to mention Naruto! How would it affect the blonde?
Kakashi and Iruka had met up at the jounin's home and before Iruka could walk into the apartment Kakashi stepped out and closed the door behind him. He reached for Iruka's hand, not letting him pull away this time. Kakashi didn't care who say or who knew that he was in love with Iruka. All he wanted, besides a lifetime with Iruka, was to tell everyone he loved him.
"Iruka-sensei. I love you, and I don't care who knows!" Kakashi said, thought there wasn't much different about the way Kakashi stood or looked there was desperation in his voice. "You're all that matters to me, but we have to come out at some point right?"
"I, Kakashi-sensei, I have a reputation to uphold and I..."
"I'm tired of pretending I don't notice when you pull away from me in public. It hurts me that you're ashamed." Kakashi said, his eye was watering up, threatening to spill over.
"I'm sorry." Iruka's eyes had already spilled over, he didn't know why he felt so incredibly sad, but he knew something was coming that would almost break his heart.
"Talk to me...when you're no longer...a-ashamed of me." Kakashi said, trying to keep his calm. He never expected to be the one to initiate something like this. He leaned into Iruka and pulled down his mask. "I love you." He whispered and kissed the other man. He disappeared when they pulled apart.
Iruka slid down the wall behind him, burying his head in his hands. He sat there, tears running down his face and he was unable to stop them, he sat there for a long while. He snapped out of his thoughts long enough to get up and go home. He went straight to bed.
For the next week Iruka would be at Ichiraku's every night, hoping that maybe Kakashi would show up. He would walk all the way to Kakashi's apartment before turning back and going home. He found himself thinking about Kakashi almost every second of the day. He could over hear the students in his class wondering amongst themselves if maybe Iruka and his girlfriend had broken up. Iruka could just barely hold back his tears. He and Kakashi hadn't really broken up, had they? He continued on, trying his best to conceal his pain.
Iruka met up with Naruto for ramen a few days later, having been so distracted he hadn't had time to take the blonde out for ramen. Naruto was delighted. Iruka met up with him at Ichiraku.
"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called as he ran up to his former teacher.
"Hey Naruto!" Iruka greeted with a fake smile. He was doing that a lot lately. They talked about many things over ramen. Naruto chattered on about missions, his team mates and that funny snail he saw on the way home yesterday. When he mentioned Kakashi Iruka perked up immediately.
"And, how is Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka asked, even Naruto noticed something was up with the chuunin.
"Well, he's been 'moping around' as Sakura calls it." Naruto wiggled his fingers in quotations as he said that. "I don't see anything different about him, but Sasuke agrees so I guess she's not just thinking romantically." He shrugged.
"Really? What does she say?" Iruka leaned closer to Naruto, listening intently. The boy finished off his bowl of ramen and Iruka immediately ordered him another one.
"Hmm, she said that he was heartbroken." The blonde shrugged and Iruka looked disheartened. Kakashi was heartbroken, and all he wanted was for Iruka to go public with him. All the jounin wanted was to tell people that they were together.
"Oh." Naruto thanked the chuunin for the ramen and took off. Iruka stayed there for a moment more, thinking over his thoughts. He'd given up Kakashi for his reputation, he rather look good in the eyes of many strangers then the one he...how could he do that?
Iruka shook his head. He was scared, scared of the people who would look down on them, scared of what Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke would think. He was scared of Kakashi and the way the jounin made him feel. But he was terrified of losing him forever.
Iruka paid for the ramen and headed home. Tomorrow he would fix everything, reputation be damned.
It's shorter then usual! Oh no! Bah, I couldn't continue without ruining the ending! Sorry for the unhappy feelings! Ugh, Maybe I got a little carried away? Also, I'm late, crap, I'm sorry! Time flies when you're friends are bugging you everyday even though you specifically told them not to! Thomas, you're forgiven because you brought me pop. Not beta'd!Anyway...thank you everyone who's reading this and to those reviewing as well! Thank you thank you! Now, please REVIEW!