Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I am making no money writing fanfiction.

…..0…0…0…..

Kakashi went in search of his students and found them lounging around Naruto's room, science textbooks open to the biology of animal cells and notebooks full of scribbles. Though the door was open, he knocked anyways.

The boys looked up and he cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, Naruto? Could I please speak with you for a minute?"

Said blond sighed, but got up anyways and to Kakashi's surprise, pulled the door closed behind him.

"You like him, don't you?"

Kakashi startled, looking down at his student. "Huh?"

Naruto chuckled, perhaps a little cynically for his age, and continued, "I've spent a lot of my life on the outside looking in. I'm good at watching people and I know it's changed over the last day and a half."

Kakashi regarded him uneasily, the feeling of someone seeing right through him a bit unnerving, particularly since few managed it. He decided to feign ignorance. "Sorry?"

Naruto sighed. "Don't play stupid, Mr. Hatake," (Kakashi wondered if Iruka had taught his brother the 'teacher voice,' as the stress on his name made him feel as if he was being called into the principal's office) he intoned as said silver-haired math teacher shifted from foot to foot, "because I know you're not, even if that's what you like to let on. What I mean is that the way you look at my brother has changed. You like him."

Kakashi gulped. It was one thing to ask Naruto about the news article, but something else entirely to let it slip to a student that he was gay. His co-workers knew, and were okay with it for the most part, but he wasn't sure if the kids did.

Running out of patience, Naruto soldiered on, "And no, not everyone knows."

Kakashi chuckled nervously, opting to play it straight (no pun intended) rather than continue to play dumb. "Can you read my mind?"

"I can read your face." They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"You really ought to cover it up if you want privacy, Mr. Hatake. You're very expressive."

"Cover my face?" Kakashi laughed. "Like with a mask or something? People would think I'm weird."

"People already think you're weird. Now, what exactly do you want to know?"

Kakashi shuffled nervously, "What happened?"

Naruto sighed. "Give me a minute."

Kakashi watched as the blond poked his head into his room and muttered something to Kiba, then re-emerged and motioned Kakashi to follow him. Kakashi looked around in interest as they entered what was obviously a study. Naruto took a seat in front of the unlit fireplace and Kakashi sat opposite him.

"We don't usually tell anyone this story."

"I assumed not. The article mentioned your mom keeping the press away."

"Yeah," Naruto looked away.

"And your cousin, Asuma was a bit jumpy about it."

Naruto looked back up. "Oh, he was here? Kurenai want pretzels, sardines and popsicles or something?"

"Pickles." Naruto smiled.

"Yeah, well…." he took a deep breath. "I guess Suma just figures he ought to protect us. He's the oldest cousin, you know."

Kakashi nodded. Naruto continued, "The only reason I am telling you is because I know you. I've been able to watch you a lot since you've been my homeroom and math teacher for two and a half years."

Kakashi nodded.

"I'm trusting you." Naruto looked straight at him to underline his point, "And my brother and I don't trust a lot of people."

Kakashi bit his lip. "I won't—"

Naruto interrupted. "I hope not…. And if it makes you feel any better, I don't think you will mess up." Naruto paused. "Epically, I mean…. You might mess up a bit, but weird as you are you're trustworthy and I think your heart is in the right place. Besides…. There's got to be a reason that you and my brother fight so damn much—and I think it's sexual tension."

Kakashi's eyes widened comically and his face tinged pink. "You uh…." Kakashi groped around for the right words for a response to that and finished lamely with, "shouldn't use language like that."

"Uh-huh." Naruto smirked at him. Mimicking his 'you shouldn't use language like that' comically, making Kakashi almost laugh. Almost. "I'm a teenager, Mr. Hatake. I'm not completely innocent and if you're going to end up with my brother, you should probably know now that I'm more grown up than most adults…. Even if I act like the village idiot. You do what you need to in order to survive the system, right?"

Kakashi nodded sadly. "I'm sorry you had to learn that the hard way."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks but it's okay now. If my gut is right, so did you. But anyways, the big deal with Mizuki wasn't that he attacked my brother. That journalist that ran the story against Mom's wishes, by the way, was an idiot. You saw how she made obvious mistakes like mixing up months and weeks. And Ruka is not stupid; Mizuki didn't pull the wool over his eyes like she made it out. He knew Mizuki was troubled, he just wanted to help anyways—that's just who he is. Mizuki had come back to town and was sort of harassing Iruka. He would follow him and call him and stuff. He flirted too. Ruka turned him down though, which is why he was on the side of the highway—he'd left in a huff. My brother, softie as he is, didn't want it to end like that because they'd been friends since ending up in the system together around kindergarten. He went to go pick him up and they did end up getting involved." Naruto eyed Kakashi pointedly, and then figured he'd clarify. "They were lovers, I mean." He waited for a reaction.

Kakashi ingested the information, the nodded slowly, a sour taste in his mouth. Naruto sighed and nodded, then continued with his story.

"They were living together for the whole summer. I had been away since it was summer vacation, but Ruka had decided to only go for the first week of our family vacation that year because he wanted to take summer session courses to finish his degree half a year early. You know from school how close my brother and I are. We're like, the two electrons in a helium atom—two peas in a pod, whatever you want to call it."

Kakashi nodded. He was learning a lot more about his student in this ten-minute conversation than he had in the last two school years. He'd always suspected the boy was more intelligent than his mask let on, but the blond was just so damn good at hiding it and playing dumb that he'd almost quit trying to prove it just to avoid conflict with the brothers.

"So when I came back home from summer vacation with our parents and Ruka and I spent a lot of time together catching up, Mizuki got really jealous. He said nasty things to my brother, called him names. Said Ruka never deserved a family because they were like family but that Ruka abandoned him for a fairytale life. He said that I couldn't be Ruka's brother and he shouldn't treat me like it if Mizuki meant anything to him. My brother is a pretty tough guy, Mr. Hatake, and he wouldn't take that shit off Mizuki, so they got into more and more fights. Mizuki said even worse things, too, that I'm not even going to repeat and he was very physical—my brother and he got into real fistfights on more than one occasion. But Ruka likes to see the best in everyone, and he had this memory of a sweet little boy in his head. That's who he still loved, that's who he was trying to save."

Kakashi nodded again and Naruto gave him a minute to absorb the information.

"I don't want you to think my brother is some victim who just took abuse—he fought back every time…. He just stayed with him because he genuinely thought he could be enough of a good influence to change his friend for the better. My brother doesn't like to give up…. He's not a quitter—it's just not in either of our natures. So he kept arguing. He kept believing. He kept deflecting insults and catching fists."

Naruto paused and shuddered and Kakashi felt something bad coming.

"Mizuki figured out real fast that my brother was more than a match for him. That he could take him, not only physically in a fight but that he could ignore the verbal abuse too. And Mizuki didn't want to be saved and he loathed being ignored or feeling left by the wayside. All he wanted was to make Iruka as miserable as he was. Trying to hurt him wasn't working because Ruka was stronger than him. But me? Yeah…. I was only ten."

Kakashi paled, sensing what was coming next and dreading it.

"I wasn't built like a linebacker like my brother, and I didn't like Mizuki at all even though Ruka had a soft spot for him…. And Mizuki knew he loved me more than anything, but he also knew Iruka knew that and wouldn't chance leaving me alone with him. So he waited and watched and then he called the day camp I was attending pretending to be our dad. He said I needed to walk over to my brother's place after camp instead of going home because he was babysitting. The camp was only a week so they didn't know our family very well and they assumed Mizuki really was our dad like he said. Then he emailed one of Ruka's profs and told him that he was Iruka and that he really needed to talk to him after class about the latest assignment."

Kakashi gulped. He wiped sweaty palms on his pants legs. He knew everything was okay now…. He could see his student in front of him and hear Iruka running dishwater and filling the washer in the kitchen, but his stomach still knotted as Naruto finished.

"I got home at quarter to four and Mizuki was waiting for me already. He made me sit in one of the kitchen chairs and he tied my hands up. He had one of the kitchen knives in his hand and he told me what a monster I was and how I'd stolen my brother's love away from him. He would run the tip of the blade up and around my face. It's a good thing I dawdled on the way home and that Iruka figured out something was wrong as soon as the professor called him aside, because he got home at four and he was so panicked that he didn't even try keys, he just kicked the door down. That startled Mizuki enough that I could jump off the chair and had time to hide under the kitchen table where he couldn't reach me."

Kakashi let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Ruka was livid. He went at Mizuki with a vengeance. He broke his nose with the first swing and never came off the offensive. But like I said, Mizuki already knew Ruka was a match for him and he was desperate, so when Ruka had him pinned to the counter and told me to run for help—I crawled out from under the table—he made a wild move and grabbed a second knife from the block on the counter and drove it down Ruka's back. When I saw it, I thought my brother was dead and I panicked and froze, so Mizuki got a hold of me. Ruka still got up though and came after Mizuki again, but he was hurt now and had to worry about me, because Mizuki had me by the arm."

Kakashi realized he was breathing quickly and shallowly when Naruto paused and looked at him, reaching over to pat his hand and admonish, "Breathe, Mr. Hatake."

Kakashi nodded. Naruto patted him again, consolingly, and went on, "I finally came to my senses and when he made another swipe at my brother, I kicked his extended arm at the elbow, making him lose one of the knives, so Ruka dove in low and tackled him to the floor. I used all my strength—which wasn't much back then—to whack him on the head with a frying pan from the stove and then I went to get help like Ruka had told me. But I guess while I was gone, Mizuki woke up and since Ruka had already lost a lot of blood he wasn't in the best of shape to fight back. Mizuki took advantage of that and made the cut on his back worse and then ran, leaving him to die."

Kakashi breathed out shakily and smoothed the wrinkles in his pants that he'd made from gripping them unconsciously.

"But my brother and I? We're survivors." Naruto leaned forward. "You'd better play nice, Mr. Hatake." He smiled, to show the threat was in jest.

Kakashi nodded. He took it seriously anyways. Naruto got up to leave, then paused beside his math teacher. "Can I tell you something else, though?"

Kakashi looked up at him and nodded, still a little floored.

"And this doesn't leave this room, hear?"

Kakashi nodded again.

"You're the only teacher who's called me on my bullshit and sees through my mask. You remind me a little of Ruka that way and I know he likes you too or he wouldn't get so riled up when you argue—the way you two argue isn't like how it was with Mizuki. You guys get all passionate, but…. not mean, I guess—for lack of a better word. So…. I guess what I'm trying to say is…. I'm rooting for you." He shrugged, trying to downplay their 'bonding moment.'

Kakashi smiled. "Wouldn't want it to get out you actually enjoy school, hm? Or, goodness forbid, get along with a teacher!" And just like that, the tension broke and the mood lightened. Naruto shoved him playfully.

"Don't sneak up on him. Don't crowd him in the kitchen. Learn how to drop it sometimes when you argue. And hey, genius?"

"Mhhm?"

Naruto grinned. "He likes big bear hugs. They make him feel safe."

…..0…0…0…..

After Naruto returned to Kiba and their homework, Kakashi relaxed for a minute, knowing he needed to unwind before heading back downstairs.

When Iruka heard someone clear their throat at the kitchen door, he turned and saw Kakashi standing there.

"Where have you been?" he smiled, "Not that I have to know because I'm keeping tabs or anything…. Just want to make sure you're not snooping again." He rolled his eyes.

Kakashi chuckled. "Nope, not snooping, promise. Did you know the boys are actually doing homework?"

Iruka hung up the dishtowel and closed some of the distance between them, noticing—oddly enough—that Kakashi seemed hesitant to enter the kitchen. He hoped it wasn't because of him being outed and now the man was going to be weird around him. He'd grown kind of fond of his company in the last day and a half—odd as Kakashi was, he was funny and smart, a rare combination. Maybe instead of workshops spent glaring at each other, they could pass the time more amiably in the future? Work together, as friends even, instead of jus colleagues? Iruka liked that thought, though he might miss their 'playful banter' (you're in denial, sweetheart, you guys argue, like hardcore)…. just a little bit, though—of course.

"They do that sometimes." Iruka chuckled. "Naruto actually gets marks around the mid-eighties, usually."

Kakashi balked. "He what?!"

Iruka grinned. "Except in your class, where it's low seventies even if he's a capable mathematician. Why do you think I come to conferences already up in arms? I think, though, after today and watching the pair of you, that maybe he does it on purpose. Do you provoke him, like you provoke me?"

"Maybe?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "And no…. unless you count telling him he's not as unintelligent as I know he's pretending to be."

"Okay," Iruka conceded, "Definitely. Better?"

Kakashi smiled and closed the gap between them slowly. "Much."

Iruka noted quickly how little room the other had left between them and gulped. Kakashi knew he was gay now, so the question was, was he this close on purpose? He stepped back a fraction, but decided to test the waters.

Kakashi watched the play of emotions across Iruka's face and secretly delighted he could have that effect on the man.

Kakashi reminded himself to breathe as Iruka ran a hand lightly up his torso and tutted as he murmured lowly, "We forgot about this didn't we? I promised you a clean shirt. Let me help you change it."

Kakashi gulped and looked down at the coffee stain. Iruka watched him and smiled (a little predatorily in Kakashi's opinion—but that could be wishful thinking and if it wasn't, then he was more than okay with that). "Oh, yeah."

"Mmhm." And Iruka turned and walked out of the kitchen, heading upstairs, so Kakashi shook his head to clear it and hurriedly followed.

…..0…0…0…..

Iruka took a few calming breaths on the way up the stairs. Kakashi hadn't backed down, if anything, Iruka thought maybe his breath had caught, which made his own pulse race. He tried to think back to all of their interactions, but really couldn't pinpoint if Kakashi was gay or straight. Really…. they'd been workplace acquaintances since Iruka began student teaching when he was still in his last two years of his education degree, back when he was still about twenty—which was what—quite close to nine years, actually? Now that he thought about it…. How did he not know this?! He wanted to face palm.

Kakashi was almost giddy as he stumbled up the stairs, and gripped the banister to steady himself. He wasn't a patient man and he knew without doubt that he wanted to make something happen now. Because really, if his shirt had to come off anyways, why not use that to his advantage?

As they neared Iruka's room, Kakashi untucked the shirt and leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe as Iruka headed for his dresser. Once he got there, Iruka nodded back at his guest.

"You don't have to wait out there. I don't bite."

Kakashi smiled. Game on. "Ever? Not even a…. nibble?"

Iruka could swear Kakashi's voice had dropped nearly an octave and he gulped but busied himself finding a button-up that wouldn't fall off the slim silver-haired man.

"You should take it off, I have one here." He waved the shirt.

"I can't." Kakashi smiled and started a slow saunter into the room.

"What?" Iruka looked at him, unsure of what to make of that.

"I can't." Kakashi grinned even wider.

"Do you want me to leave?" Iruka raised an eyebrow.

"No. I just…. Can't."

Iruka sighed. "Okay, I'll bite. Why?"

"I thought you didn't do that?" He took a few steps closer.

"What?" Iruka narrowed his eyes a bit, suspicious now and more than a little on edge from his nerves.

"Bite." A few more steps.

Iruka gulped. His voice came out a little huskier and more of a whisper than he'd counted on. "Why can't you take off the shirt, Kakashi?"

"It's stuck." Another step.

Iruka looked down at the shirt. "It's not stuck."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes it is. And I think I got frostbite on my fingers last night in the blizzard."

Iruka's face warmed a bit, pinking ever so slightly. "And?"

"And that makes it hard to get my shirt off."

"Okay, so?"

"So I think you need to help me." Kakashi had steadily moved forward, slowly enough that Iruka hadn't even noticed he had backed up, until he felt the smooth, cool surface of his wooden dresser press into the small of his back.

"Help you?" he breathed out.

"Take it off." There was barely any space left between them and Kakashi leaned his face forward so their noses were a mere inch apart. He lifted his hands and pulled at the material near the buttons. "See? I can't do it myself."

Iruka licked his dry lips and nodded. "I see that."

Taking that as permission, since, obviously, Iruka did not mind Kakashi being in his space and was even sort of playing along, Kakashi leaned forward, placing one hand on the dresser and pressing his warm lips to Iruka's. He kept his eyes open, watching for a reaction, until Iruka let the hand holding the shirt go slack and land gently on Kakashi's chest, dropping the material to hold onto the math teacher instead and sighing quietly into the kiss. Then all bets were off as Kakashi pressed his entire body forward and wrapped an arm around Iruka's waist, the other grabbing at the material of his tee to pull him closer. Iruka dropped the shirt altogether and ran his hands up Kakashi's arms instead, resting one on his bicep and allowing the other to twine through the hair at the nape of his neck, earning a low moan from the silver-haired man.