Thank you for reviewing!

Kakashi didn't really know what he was supposed to do after Iruka's surprise visit to his apartment, so he just continued with his speciality- lying on his bed reading porn. After all, his favorite pastime of Iruka Watching was over with, and he didn't really know if he was supposed to approach Iruka and just start talking to him or what. And if he was supposed to approach Iruka, where or how did one go about doing that? At the Academy? The mission's room? His apartment? What did he say? Should be bring something?

Far too many decisions. So Kakashi stayed in what was safe and familiar, flipping through Icha Icha and wondering if Iruka really had been serious.

But he was an ANBU, and he only pretended to read Icha Icha for a day and a half- and then his tattoo burned and he was summoned for a mission.

Five days after setting out from Konoha, an exhausted Hound stumbled back through the gates. His Chakra was too low for him to have enough energy to move across treetops and roofs, so instead he walked along the streets, letting his feet carry him towards where he wanted to go.

He'd arrived too late. Once again. Always too late. It was like the ANBU commander specialized in handing out missions, then giving them time constraints that were just impossible to meet. He would go as fast as he could be it was never fast enough, never, except to kill innocents, then he was always right on time but to save the innocents- that was so rare, and the commander didn't even care when they failed. No one ever cared, because they were all dead. All of them. Dead.

Hound blinked. He was standing in front of a door. A familiar one. Oh- wait, he was Hound. He shouldn't be here. Not ever, and he shouldn't ever ever ever come here as Hound.

Kakashi took off the mask and dropped the bloody thing into his pack, then stared at the door again. Should he go inside? Iruka told him he could come here after missions. But he was dangerous. He had just killed and failed to save. He should not have come here; Iruka wouldn't want to see this.

Kakashi just stood there and stared at the door for at least ten minutes. When it abruptly opened he started back, both eyes going wide, an uncertain panic hovering in his veins.

Iruka stared at him in shock. He blinked and shifted for a few seconds, then finally managed, "Kakashi-san!" His voice was surprised and nervous, and Kakashi just looked blankly at him. "I- are you- did you just come back from a mission?"

He slowly nodded. But he shouldn't be here. He didn't want to hurt Iruka. Shaking his head, Kakashi turned and tried to leave, then jumped and twisted when something grabbed him by the wrist. Before he could think he had flattened his attacker up against the wall with one numb hand and bared his teeth, ready to kill him-

But there was only Iruka, Iruka blinking in fright and disbelief, Iruka helpless and fragile and killable under his touch, Iruka-

Kakashi jumped back and tried to scramble away, shaking his head all the while. I shouldn't have come here, I'm dangerous, I should not have come here and hurt him, I-

"Kakashi-san! Kakashi-san, wait!"

Kakashi stopped but didn't dare turn and look. He shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Iruka, I-"

"No, i-it's okay. I shouldn't have touched you. It- i-it's really okay, K-Kakashi-san. …Please don't leave."

But he'd killed. He shouldn't be here. He didn't want to hurt Iruka. But he was ANBU, he was a killer. He would hurt him.

The voice spoke again, as if sensing his indecision. "You don't look- you said I could help you after missions. …Please let me help?"

"I'll hurt you." There, he'd said it, he'd told Iruka why it was a bad idea, why he had tried to leave and stop using him over and over again and now Iruka would understand and it would be okay, he would go and find someone else or fade away eventually, it didn't matter, but-

"You won't hurt me."

Kakashi blinked dully. He looked back to see Iruka smiling at him- that smile, he loved that smile- and the sensei nodded confidently. "I'm not as fragile as I look. Please? I want to help you."

When he didn't resist, Iruka took a step back and continued to smile, clearly inviting him to follow him, and his feet took him forward even though his mind screamed warnings. Kakashi walked slowly into Iruka's apartment then stood unsurely in the doorway. Iruka had to prod him forward to be able to shut the door and he had to swallow back another wave of panic.

"There's some blood on you- are you injured?"

Kakashi slowly shook his head, trying to clear it. "Yes. No. I…" Yes, I'm injured, but no, the blood is not mine.

"I… um… do you need any help taking care of those?"

Kakashi didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't. He had taken care of injuries worse than these before. He did not need Iruka's help and had never had help taking care of things like this before. The offer was strange. How was he supposed to reply to it?

When he didn't respond, Iruka took a slow, careful step closer to him. "Well, don't just stand here and bleed on my floor. Just… sit down, and I'll get you a washcloth or something and a first aid kit." Iruka quickly moved away, and Kakashi just stood awkwardly and waited for his fix to return. He inhaled deeply and there was his favorite smell. It calmed him and he relaxed slightly, letting the tension out of his stance.

"Kakashi…-san?"

Kakashi turned to look at Iruka, who had returned bearing a medi kit and a warm, wet cloth over his arm. The man looked slightly confused, and when he still didn't move, the sensei walked forward and reached out to touch him, then seemed to think better than it. "Kakashi-san, are you sure you can take care of this yourself?" He held out the supplies, looking a bit concerned, and the worry in his eyes jolted Kakashi out of his trance.

"Uh… right. Injured. Sorry." Kakashi reached out with his good arm by reflex, but the materials placed in his palm fell from numb fingers to the floor. When Iruka stared in confusion, Kakashi let his arm drop back to his side and shifted uneasily. "Poison," he said, by way of explanation. "Already used antidote, but my hand will be numb for a little while. I can't move it."

Iruka's confusion disappeared and the sensei nodded in understanding. "Ah. Well, then… do you want my help to…" he trailed off and gestured at him, and it took Kakashi a moment to comprehend what he was offering.

No, he didn't want help treating his own injuries. He didn't need help doing something he had done for years by himself. But… it was either wait for the antidote to be fully effective- in probably five hours- or accept Iruka's help now.

Iruka would probably think it odd- or that he was a masochist, or perhaps suicidal- if he refused to get treatment now. And he wanted to please Iruka.

So, he nodded slightly and took a deep breath, watching as Iruka walked forward and cautiously set his supplies on the arm of the couch. "Just my shoulder's hurt," he murmured, then stiffened the moment Iruka's soft hands touched the strap of his katana.

"Hey. Just relax."

Iruka's voice was soft and meant to be soothing, and Kakashi made himself listen. Relax. Not to hurt Iruka. Never hurt Iruka.

The tanned sensei slowly let the sword drop to the ground, then began unlacing the straps that held the armor in place. He inhaled again, focusing on Iruka's scent and nothing else, because otherwise he would lose control and let instinct take over, and anyone who dared to be so close and touch him would be dead.

Armor, katana, and pack on the floor, Iruka gently began to examine his injured shoulder. "It's dislocated," Kakashi told him. "Sorry. Normally I would've pushed it back in. But my other hand had already been poisoned, and I can't form seals to make a clone do it for me…"

Iruka nodded at that, then glanced cautiously at him and met his eyes. "This'll hurt."

He carefully shrugged one shoulder and kept silent. When he didn't reply, the teacher gingerly placed both hands on his bruised shoulders and, without warning, forced the joint back into the socket. Kakashi did nothing more than grit his teeth, and the other man looked the slightest bit surprised at his non-reaction before gently setting the cloth on his shoulder and beginning to move it over the abused flesh. Kakashi stopped him, grasping at the cloth with his one working hand despite the pain it caused and doing the job himself.

Iruka smiled slightly, seeming a little nervous. "…I've never seen such a stoic reaction to that before."

"You don't work with many ANBU, do you?"

The teacher scratched as his scar and took a step back. He cleared his throat and looked around awkwardly, then back to Kakashi. "Um… so… what do you want me to do?"

"What were you doing before I came here?"

He shrugged. "I was making brownies for Kotetsu's birthday. He doesn't like cake. You caught me going to try and ask one of my neighbors for sugar; I can't remember where I put mine." He looked a little sheepish at that and Kakashi led him back to his kitchen, pointing at the cabinet beneath the sink.

"You left it there last time you used it."

Iruka stared blankly at him, and it took Kakashi a few moments to realizes why he looked so… odd. He shifted uneasily and forced a smile.

"I remember because of my Sharingan. Perfect memory."

"Ah." The teacher moved past him and retrieved the sugar, then frowned at it. "Why on earth did I put it there?"

"You were in a hurry the last time you used it. You were late for school and were trying to fix your sink and you put the sugar next to you, then forgot to get it later."

Iruka looked at him oddly again, then just smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, Kakashi-san. It's just… your memory will take some time getting used to. …So… you want me to just keep making brownies?"

Kakashi shrugged carefully. "Whatever you were doing before I came here."

"…If you say so."

Kakashi stood back and watched as the teacher continued on with making his… brownies. He didn't like them. Minato had tried to make him try some once, but they were very… gooey. And crumby. And chocolaty. All three things he didn't very much enjoy.

Iruka finally had twelve dark brown rectangles situated on a metal tray that he quickly fed into the oven. He seemed to a little self-conscious under the scrutiny, but Kakashi remained still and silent in the corner, unnoticeable and unobtrusive enough for the teacher to not even notice he was there. After cleaning up the kitchen, occasionally glancing over his shoulder at his spectator, he sat down at the table and began to grade papers. At first, he seemed very aware that he was being watched and didn't mutter under his breath as he worked, as he usually did- but time passed and he became more comfortable. Kakashi was pleased and comforted when the muttering started.

Iruka was quite a wonderful fix.

A whole stack of homework later, the timer beeped, and the teacher moved quickly to retrieve his brownies from the oven. Kakashi sniffed, then looked away. Okay… maybe they smelled a bit better than Minato's had. But he was sure they were still disgusting.

Iruka left eleven of them on the tray to cool but took one for himself- he always did that, Kakashi had noticed- and bit off half of it. He smiled happily the moment the brown thing was in his mouth, then started and looked over at Kakashi.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude- do you want some?"

Kakashi made a face and shook his head. "I don't like sweet things."

Iruka stared at him incredulously. "What do you mean? Everybody likes sweet things."

"Not me."

The teacher paused, then looked at him with a curious glint in his eye. "Kakashi-san… have you ever tried anything sweet before?"

"Yes," he muttered defensively. "I just don't like sweet things."

"Maybe you just haven't tried any good sweet things. Mine are very good." Iruka held up the half of the brownie tauntingly. "Please? I'll be disappointed if you don't…"

With a regretful sigh, Kakashi accepted the brownie, turned away, and lowered his mask. He cringed before tentatively sliding it inside.

…It was not the best thing he had ever tasted.

Granted, it was much better than Minato's had been.

They weren't bad, no, he could not say that they were bad. He would not go so far as to say that they were good, though. Certainly not as good as they smelled. But-

Oh. He'd swallowed it. It was all gone. Oh…

No, he did not want another one!

Kakashi jerked up his mask and turned sulkily back to Iruka, who beamed. "How was it, Kakashi-san?"

"…Not bad…"

"Aha! I knew it!"

Kakashi glanced at the other brownies- there are ELEVEN of them, surely Kotetsu won't eat ALL of them… oh, but Izumo, he's always with him, he'll probably devour a few of them, a few of MY delicious brownies…

Iruka laughed. "Oh, don't worry, Kakashi-san. Those are all for Kotetsu but, well, if you came along when I gave them to him- then you could always take some for yourself."

"Hmm? …How does that work?"

Iruka looked at him oddly again, then shook his head and smiled. "Ah. I forgot- I really need to teach you some social skills, Kakashi-san. Well, when you give food to someone, it's customary for them to share it with you and… well, whoever else happens to be there. They don't hoard it all for themselves."

"Then why don't we just eat them now and give some to Kotetsu later?"

Iruka laughed again, seeming incredulous. "Well, Kakashi-san, that's because- uh. That's because…"

"Yes?" Kakashi asked, genuinely curious, and the teacher scratched his scar awkwardly.

"Well… I don't really… I've never thought about it- but it's just… not right! You don't show up to a party after having eaten half the cake! It's not right!"

"But this isn't cake. These are brownies."

Iruka's jaw dropped open, and the man stared at him, mouth frozen in a disbelieving smile. Kakashi took a chance and moved towards the tray, licking his lips beneath his mask. "So, if these are brownies and not cake, then-"

Iruka slapped his hand away and yanked the tray to safety. "No! I don't think so! These are for Kotetsu, Kakashi-san! You only get more if you come with me and stay while I give them to Kotetsu!"

Kakashi slouched in disappointment when Iruka carefully took the brownies away and into a plastic container. It was only when the teacher left the kitchen to put the food with his satchel that Kakashi realized that Iruka had hit his hand. Iruka had hit his hand. Shinobi were very particular about their hands, for good reason, and after missions like Kakashi's last, he was usually very… touchy about something going near his hands. Or being touched in general. And yet he hadn't even reacted to Iruka…

Yes, he was a wonderful fix indeed.