I do not own Naruto.
His little prince wasn't so little anymore. The boy had grown lean and strong. His walk had just a bit of hungry wolf in it, and Kakashi wondered how much time the boy had spent with his Pack.
The boy made an excuse to Jiraiya and leapt into the trees.
"Hello."
"Yo."
Was it just Kakashi, or was Naruto standing just a step too close? Was his smile just a touch too full of fang?
The boy's eyes darted to Jiraiya as the sannin continued to wander toward Konoha. "Brought you a present."
"Oh?"
"Mhm. New Icha Icha, not even released yet."
"Benefits of travelling with the author."
"Benefits of being the editor."
Now Naruto was definitely too close. Definitely too predatory. Gorgeous. Perfect.
"I don't have any presents for you."
"That's fine."
Naruto's breath was brushing against his skin. Kakashi took a small step back.
The boy froze and stepped away quickly, all his alluring grace disappearing as his shoulders bowed. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to… Sorry. I'll just-"
Kakashi had his prince spun around and trapped against a tree in an instant.
He let his own breath tease Naruto's neck. One arm braced himself against the tree while the other hand gripped Naruto's hair.
For his part, Naruto dug his fingers into Kakashi's shoulder blades and let his head fall back.
Kakashi nosed Naruto's pulse.
"Missed you," the boy whispered.
"You're back."
"Promised."
"Stay."
"Yes."
"You can't."
"I know."
"Please."
"Yes."
"My prince."
"Yours."
"I'm yours."
"Mine."
"Yes." Kakashi punctuated this with a kiss against the boy's neck. He gave up bracing himself to let a hand wander down and slip beneath Naruto's jacket, tracing the mesh he found there.
He kissed his prince's neck again, open mouthed. It wasn't satisfying through the mask.
"Kakashi."
He could only hum, too intent on nuzzling the boy.
"Kashi, please."
"Anything."
"Kashi."
"Yours."
Naruto arched toward him, pressing them together deliciously.
"Naruto! Let's go, already! C'mon, brat!"
The boy whined and pulled at Kakashi's hair, not letting him move away.
Kakashi gently let him drop to the ground anyway.
"I'll visit your apartment for my present," he murmured in Naruto's ear.
The boy looked a little dazed as he nodded.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
His prince stayed out late, catching up with all his age-mates.
Kakashi prowled Naruto's apartment, resisting the urge to go out and carry the boy back.
Then Naruto was opening the door.
Then Naruto was being held flat on the bed, Kakashi licking and biting his neck.
The boy laughed breathlessly. "Kashi."
"Naruto."
"I'm home."
"Welcome home," Kakashi replied, pulling away just long enough to strip out of his shirt, mask included.
Naruto put a hand on his chest, freezing Kakashi.
Wrong wrong wrong. They weren't like this. Kakashi shouldn't have done that. His prince didn't want him this way.
But Naruto's eyes were so soft, his mouth curled in a pleased smile.
"Slow down, Kakashi. I'm not going to leave."
Kakashi didn't move. He would do something wrong again. He couldn't-
Naruto pulled him down by his neck, slotting their mouths together gently.
Kakashi spent the next hour worshipping Naruto's lips and face and neck and collarbone and hands.
He slept better than he had in months.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
"Ramen for breakfast?"
"Shut up; it's not like I've had a chance to go shopping! Besides, ramen doesn't expire for ages."
"And yet you put it in your body."
Naruto pouted at the kettle in mock-offended silence.
Kakashi, dressed and masked, ghosted forward and ran a hand lightly up his prince's side.
"What are your plans now that you're back?"
"Baa-chan indicated she had come up with something," Naruto answered evenly.
Kakashi sighed. The woman hadn't had a chance to correct her blunder. She probably hadn't even realized she'd made a mistake.
"Do you have any guesses?" Naruto asked.
"She asked my opinion on a team formation a few weeks ago. I had noticed that there was a conspicuous absence in our tactical roster."
The boy finally turned his head, just enough to look up at Kakashi. "'Our'?"
"Myself, Sakura, and," Kakashi paused. How to refer to the former ANBU without technically breaking any laws? "A former kouhai of mine. Exceptional, but sparse mission records. A bit odd."
His prince smiled sharply.
"Plus another. Unknown to me. No mission records."
The smile morphed into a scowl. "I thought that got cleaned up."
"I had some… doubts."
Naruto twisted around fully, face businesslike despite their proximity. "Explain."
Kakashi looked down. He did not want to cast any stones at the Third. At Naruto's Jiji.
A hand touched his cheek.
Kakashi refocused on Naruto. "There were some protocol inconsistencies concerning the Uchiha Massacre. The Sandaime didn't acknowledge them."
The boy's eyes were hard. "I assumed he kept me away from that due to my age. I don't believe he would have ordered such a thing, but covering it up. Maybe."
Something in Kakashi's expression must have given him away. Naruto leaned closer and smiled softly.
"We'll figure it out. Secrets are for protecting the village, not harming its people."
Kakashi nodded. Even looking so sweet and kind, his prince was deadly serious. Kakashi's eyes dropped to Naruto's lips, wondering if it was appropriate to kiss him again.
Apparently it was.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
Kakashi had a kunai out in an instant.
Naruto wouldn't be pinning this stranger without cause.
Apparently Tsunade disagreed. "Naruto, release him."
Naruto's eyes flicked to Kakashi, confirming that he would remain on guard.
Only then did he release the other boy.
If the wariness and unprotesting capitulation weren't enough to reveal Naruto's distrust, Tsunade had lost her touch.
"Perhaps you should explain?" Tenzou- no, he was called Yamato now, wasn't he?- said.
"Naruto, this will be your new team. Kakashi and Sakura you know. This is Yamato, who will be Kakashi's second-in-command, and Sai."
Naruto flashed a grin and subtle ANBU greeting at Yamato.
"Now, care to explain why you attacked your teammate?"
Kakashi's hackles rose at her tone, but he didn't make a move. Just kept his kunai handy. In case.
"I apologize, Baa-chan. I was attacked earlier today by a nin who refused to identify himself. Although I suspected he wasn't a true threat and therefore declined to chase him, my reaction to finding that nin in the Hokage's office is understandable, you know?"
Oh, entirely. Kakashi had the nin's identity and still felt like ripping out his throat.
Tsunade was thunderous as well. "Sai?"
"I wished to know my new teammates… capabilities."
"You couldn't have asked?" Sakura demanded.
Sai surveyed her impassively.
Kakashi found himself worried about the sudden interest Naruto looked at Sai with.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
This was highly inappropriate.
Yamato had the watch outside. Sai was in the tent next door, Sakura one further down.
Kakashi suppressed a moan as Naruto rolled against him once more.
Worshipping his prince's body was nice.
Having himself be admired in turn was beyond all expectations.
Naruto nipped at his collar.
Kakashi's head thumped back against the ground. He twisted to bare his neck. "Bite. Please, Naru, please, Kami-"
He was silenced with a kiss.
Naruto murmured against his lips, "Want to, Kashi. Soon. When we can be as loud as we want."
"Please."
"I will, Kashi, you know I will."
"Want you."
"You have me."
Kakashi thrust up once in response, but their pace lost the frantic edge.
They still tasted each other deeply.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
Naruto was watching Sai all the time, now. Striking up conversations with him. Smiling at him indulgently. Complimenting his art.
Kakashi was torn between wanting to snarl and lunge at the emotionless prick or curl up at his prince's feet and beg not to be forgotten.
Mostly, Kakashi forced himself to focus on the mission.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
Kakashi must have been just a bit too sharp with him earlier, because Naruto had realized something was wrong.
He drew Kakashi away from the team, concealed among the trees.
Kakashi felt like a brat, feigning nonchalance and reading his book. The book Naruto had gifted to him.
"Kakashi? What's wrong?" His voice was so gentle. Kakashi nearly gave in. But that would be selfish, forcing his own need for attention onto Naruto.
Apparently Kakashi had hesitated too long before deflecting, because Naruto slid closer and ran a thumb up Kakashi's jaw.
He couldn't stop himself leaning into it slightly, or sighing breathily.
But he forced himself to pull away.
Naruto's hand dropped.
Sharply, his prince ordered, "Kakashi. Explain yourself."
Since when was Kakashi broken so easily?
"I've become jealous of Sai. Or the way you're always paying attention to him. I'll serve you no matter what, of course. I just. Had hoped you wouldn't stop treating me… the way you have."
Kakashi put his book away and waited for Naruto to scold him. Letting such petty things distract him while their lives were on the line.
Instead, his prince was pulling him down and kissing his one exposed eyelid. Murmuring, "Stupid-sensei. I'm yours." Naruto rested their foreheads together. "I'm aware of you constantly, even if it doesn't look it. I can do that; I'm a sensor. I would never leave your side if I could manage it without disrupting our team."
Kakashi wanted to rejoice. But, "Sai?"
"He's just now learning how to interact with people. I'm trying to cultivate a proper knowledge and desire to do so as himself, rather than that foul-mouthed persona he was trying on. It's been working, too."
Kakashi aborted a motion to kiss his prince. He always wanted to, nowadays, when the boy was acting as the Hokage he would eventually be. But it felt greedy, taking a kiss after admitting to his doubts.
Naruto had no such compunction.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
The stolen time in their tent at the beginning of this mission seemed excruciatingly far away. Now that the boy knew how Kakashi had been feeling, he went out of his way to give Kakashi such looks. The way Naruto tilted his head, the smirk at the corner of his mouth, the tongue that darted across his lips.
And it didn't end at looking. Naruto managed to touch Kakashi at every opportunity, brushing his fingers along Kakashi's arm, his back, his shoulder, his wrist, his knee.
Or, when they were just out of earshot, Naruto would change his posture to be just slightly more commanding, and suddenly Kakashi would be faced with his Hokage, giving him the most inane little commands - fresh firewood, rearrange supplies, sharpen the weapons - and praising him for his obedience.
Kakashi was very enthusiastic about expressing his approval, when they found a few minutes of almost-privacy.
-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-
They were finally alone, but Kakashi was no longer in the mood to let Naruto mark him. Not just yet. His prince had been driving him out of his mind all mission, and Kakashi needed to prove he could give as good as he got.
Better, even.
Naruto let himself be thrown onto the bed, laughing.
Hardly satisfying.
Kakashi lunged at the boy and pinned his wrists to the headrest, just on the far side of painful.
No, no, no. Couldn't hurt his prince, couldn't do this. This wasn't-
Naruto bit his lower lip through the mask. "Well? Finish what you started." The boy's head dropped back and his body arched beautifully. "Please."
Instantly willing, Kakashi pulled down his mask and began making liberal use of teeth and fingernails on every scrap of skin he could reach.
Naruto wriggled and gasped and screamed a few times.