"Tell me I'm clever, Tell me I'm kind, Tell me I'm talented, Tell me I'm cute, Tell me I'm sensitive, Graceful and wise, Tell me I'm perfect-- But tell me the truth."

Kakashi was a liar. He was a flatterer, a deceiver, and a genius, but most importantly, he was a liar. Iruka knew this very well. He was a teacher after all. He was a morally, upstanding shinobi of Konoha with a heart of gold. That isn't to say he hadn't had his fair share of tragedy and blood on his hands, but it was the fact that he didn't let it get to him that made him such a treasure to the ones he was loved by. He took the time to learn and remember everyone's names and what he'd spoken with them about. He cared for each and every person and he treated them with the respect they deserved and with equality people didn't see often.

Kakashi was a perverted, elite shinobi. He was the infamous Copy-nin, the Sharingan Kakashi, the White Fang's son, a genius, a prodigy. He was, Hatake Kakashi, man of a thousand jutsus. He'd had plenty of blood spilled by his hands. His life was drowned in the blood of others, the blood of his own. He was a lonely soul; separated by his genius mind by his early graduation to genin and then chuunin. Twenty years of his life were spent as a shinobi, unofficially; he'd been a shinobi since the day he was born. People, even in his own village and among his peers, were weary of him. They all kept his distance, whether it was because of his intimidating person or the orange bound porn novel he carried. He was an enigma, a legend. Most of all, he was a liar.

It was a complete wonder how and why the two came to be. However their relationship was not a perfect love. No relationship has a truly perfect love. What made theirs so imperfect was the very fact that neither could convey the right words to each other. Neither could convey the right actions.

Kakashi loved Iruka.

And Iruka loved Kakashi.

Only Kakashi couldn't stop flattering and avoiding and lying. Iruka couldn't stop accepting and forgiving.

Gai had once told Kakashi that "Yes, you do lie a lot. But you never lie about anything important." The silver headed jounin had thought bitterly now that he had indeed lied about important things. Here they were, nearly six months of lying and forgiving and neither could still make their imperfect love perfect.

Kakashi fingered the silver ring in his palm. The metal was still just as polished as it had been when he'd first bought it three months ago. Why he'd done so, he could never say. Though he knew, that his heart deep down wanted to make this relationship perfect. With Iruka, he wanted to change.

He sat there, at the edge of his favorite rooftop, wondering how in the world they'd lasted six months. "Iruka." The jounin blinked, turning around to find a determined look on his chuunin's face. Yes, his chuunin. He wanted that.

"Kakashi. We need to talk."

Ah, how the Sharingan Kakashi dreaded this moment. How the White Fang's son wilted upon hearing these words. But Hatake Kakashi stood tall and proud, his lone blue eye brimming with forcibly hidden regrets despairs and sorrow. He'd failed, been unable to gather the right amount of courage before this moment could happen.

"Of course Iruka. I kno--" He was cut off by a caramel tanned finger before his masked lips. Iruka shook his head.

"No, you don't know." Kakashi looked quizzically at the serious chuunin. Iruka took a deep breath and the jounin suppressed a shiver.

"You'll tell me I'm clever, you'll tell me I'm kind. Kakashi, you'll tell me I'm talented, cute and sensitive, graceful and wise. Most of all, you'll tell me I'm perfect-- But all I want is for you to tell me the truth."

Iruka smiled faintly, finger pulling away from Kakashi. The jounin caught his hand shakily. His other hand producing the silver ring he'd been playing with. Brown eyes widened at it. They understood what it stood for, what it symbolized. For it to come from this man before him…

"Iruka. We never say it because we are afraid. I am afraid. I lie and I deceive. You forgive and accept. I love you and that is the truth."