Kakashi woke up five minutes before dawn the next morning and acknowledged the unusual presence curled around his body like a persistent vine. Usually, if by rare chance he had allowed someone into his home, she would have been long gone by now, ushered out the front door right after they'd finished having sex. No one had ever slept with him like this before, truly slept as Iruka was doing now; he was limply draped all over Kakashi as if he had every right, emitting soft snores against Kakashi's shoulder. He considered pushing Iruka off, but decided against it. No need to disturb his own comfort and risk an irate Iruka.

Iruka mumbled and shifted away a bit, his legs still tangled with Kakashi's. He kept one brown arm flung over Kakashi's chest; his hold tightened briefly before slackening again.

Kakashi inspected him very closely, knowing through their linked chakra that he was still asleep. Iruka's hair obscured his face, a messy dark tangle; Kakashi reached out and brushed it away. It wasn't as monochromatic as the first, distance glance presumed; at this proximity, Kakashi could detect strands of lighter brown hiding in the darker mass. He probably gained that from being out in the sun with his students regularly. Kakashi tucked some of it behind his ear; his face was so still and calm in rest, but Kakashi recalled the way his eyes glinted when he was arguing with Kakashi, or how dazed they were after the sex last night.

Kakashi turned his head and stared up at the low ceiling, and blinked as a slow dawning occurred in the back of his mind: Iruka was waking up, and their bond was helpfully informing him of that fact.

Iruka cleared his throat a few times, and wriggled around before he opened his eyes and blinked at Kakashi.

"Morning," he said in a still sleep-rough voice and the sound of it went straight to Kakashi's groin. Iruka scratched at his stomach and Kakashi glanced down their bodies, catching sight of Iruka's cock, lying limp against his upper thigh, nestled in a thatch of wiry dark hair. Kakashi averted his gaze; now that he wasn't caught up in the throes of the bond, he was uncomfortable with the fact that he had had sex with a man.

Not that the man in question was hard on the eyes. Iruka obviously kept up his training; he was a bit more muscular than Kakashi, who considered himself too skinny (and too lazy) to carry more weight than he needed. Although Kakashi was considered strong, chakra-wise, most of his moves depended on speed. Iruka looked as if he was fairly capable in close and extended hand-to-hand combat.

During their mission, Iruka had also proven to be quick-thinking and...well, he saved those two children. In hindsight, Kakashi could appreciate selfless acts such as that one.

Iruka went up on one elbow and knuckled at one eye, squinted at Kakashi with the other. The dragon on his upper arm leered at Kakashi. "What time is it?"

"Now? Two minutes past five."

"Mmm. Extended holiday from school." Iruka slid back down onto the flat pillow, smiling slightly. "I'll probably be chewing holes in your wall by about ten o'clock."

"You like teaching that much?" Kakashi rolled his head in his direction, and snorted in amusement as a wide yawn overcame Iruka for a moment.

"Love it." Iruka grinned at him. "I find I work better with human beings under fourteen years of age. They make more sense, sometimes."

"I make sense," Kakashi told him and Iruka's expression composed itself into lines of sheer disbelief. Kakashi rolled his eyes, and tried not to wonder too hard about how comfortable this felt, to be lounging in bed in the middle of the week with another man. The bond was like some kind of tranquilizer, soothing away most of Kakashi's worries by translating Iruka's proximity into a necessary component to Kakashi's peace of mind. It was such a powerful seal, Kakashi thought, not for the last time.

Iruka was kicking at his legs under the covers and Kakashi stared at him, incredulous at his daring. Few people would think of kicking Sharingan no Kakashi. Then again, there were few who would be pressed against him in bed at dawn.

"I want food," Iruka demanded, and his smile was a mischievous curl. "I think, as your dearly bonded, and as a guest in your house, you owe me breakfast."

. . .

Kakashi's cupboards were bare: there was only a clear bag on the shelf above the sink which contained loose tea-leaves; they appeared quite suspicious to Iruka.

Kakashi refused to go outside. "I'll summon one of my ninken to get some food."

Iruka opened his mouth to snark at a range of issues: the lack of food; Kakashi's obvious aversion to go outside and head to the market quickly, even if they had to be holding hands; the fact that he appeared to own only one clean yukata. Then, he closed his mouth. He had been snapping at Kakashi all this time (he was a snappy kind of person) and maybe...he could give it a rest.

At least he had given Iruka the clean yukata to wear, while he sported some odd green shirt which he claimed Guy had given him for a gift. The shirt was loose and long, falling almost to the middle of his legs. Iruka stifled the urge to laugh at the odd clothing, but Kakashi's sharp glance indicated he'd picked up on some of Iruka's amusement, no matter how Iruka tried to appear serene.

"All right," Iruka said even as he tried to ignore the pale shapeliness of his calves. They sat in the lumpy couch and Kakashi's exposed eye settled on him for a questioning moment. His other eye and mouth were covered by a dark-green scarf, wrapped neatly and knotted firmly in the back by Iruka after their shower this morning; that had been an interesting operation, since Kakashi let his hands settle on Iruka's waist; his hands had been so warm. Iruka had tried to convince him to share a bath, instead of going one after another, but Kakashi had flatly refused. How Iruka longed for a soak.

"All right," Kakashi echoed, very slowly. Iruka watched as he bit at his thumb; Iruka slid his hand down to the crook of Kakashi's elbow so he could perform the necessary seals.

When he leaned forward to place his hands on the floor, Iruka said, "Whoa!" and shuddered. He was keenly aware of the chakra as it was manipulated for the summoning. It was such an alien sensation, as if his body was in two places at once.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked as the smoke puffed importantly around them.

"I felt that," Iruka said and exhaled shakily. "Your chakra. I felt it."

"You did?"

Before Kakashi could answer, a smooth voice accosted him.

"Boss?"

A slender brown dog sporting a blue vest, white bandages wrapped around her head, sat on the floor right in front of them; she blinked up at them both.

"Ūhei," Kakashi said, not looking away from Iruka's face. He had the expression of one who was doing some difficult calculations in his head. "I'd like you to go to Tenzō's, ask him to carry some food over for me. More than usual, too."

"Again?" Ūhei grumped, but she was staring at Iruka as well. "What's he doing here, Boss? And what's up with the hand thing?"

"We're bonded."

"What?"

"Kind of married… by the chakra."

"What?"

"Mated," Kakashi growled, finally turning to glare at his unrepentant ninken. "We're mated, but it was an accident."

"How can you mate by accident?" Ūhei asked. "Boss, that's not right at all. And how could you have bonded without telling us? Don't humans date first? Boss, you are so weird."

"Ūhei, when I need your commentary on my personal life, I'll consult you," Kakashi said, but it was in the manner of a long-suffering parent. Iruka bit his lip, trying not to laugh again. However, from the glower Kakashi sent to him, Iruka still needed to work on that some more. "Just go fetch Tenzō."

"Should I tell him that you're mated with Iruka-sensei?"

Kakashi swallowed, hard. "Whatever, Ūhei," he drawled, but Iruka picked up on the embarrassment. He didn't think he would ever stop feeling so amazed; Kakashi looked so uncaring most of the time; even now, with his face covered in his own home, he appeared lethargic, but Iruka knew that he was just a bubbling pot of emotions.

"Okay, Boss," Ūhei finally agreed, and disappeared in a far smaller cloud. Kakashi returned his focus to Iruka, frowning.

"You said you felt my chakra moving?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes…but at the same time, it felt like it was my own."

Kakashi went very still, absorbing the information.

"Maybe I can try summoning another one of your ninken." Iruka actually held his breath after the suggestion; a shinobi's summons were very personal. It was like having sex, it was such an intimate act. However, Kakashi nodded.

"Do you need any of my blood?"

"Let's try with mine, first," Iruka said and let go of Kakashi's elbow. Without missing a beat, Kakashi's hand found its place on his forearm. "Which hand is your primary?"

"The left."

Iruka nodded, and bit his own thumb. Then, he went through the hand-signs for the summoning jutsu, bending to slap his hands on the floor, left palm first. He focused his thoughts firmly on Kakashi's dogs, any of them. He heard Kakashi's quick inhalation beside him even as he felt their chakra whip out into the ether, locking on to one of the ninken and pulling it into their plane. The smoke of its entry filled the air in front of them, and when it cleared, Iruka raised his eyebrows at the mournful expression of a big bulldog.

"Hello, Bull," Kakashi said, holding out his free hand in the dog's direction. Iruka looked at his fingers, how slender and long they seemed without his gloves. The dog ambled over and sniffed at those fingers before giving them a quick, affable lick. Kakashi rubbed his neck. "How are you, my friend?"

"Good," Bull said in a surprisingly gentle manner, considering his size and that spiked collar he sported. He looked at Iruka. "Hello."

"Hello," Iruka said, grinning. This one was very polite, at least. "My name is Iruka."

"Yes, Sensei. We know of you."

Iruka tilted his head. "All of the ninken?"

Bull moved his head up and down, ponderously wise. "From Pakkun." He leaned a bit closer. "He's chatty."

"I see." Iruka leaned in too, conspirators sharing secrets. "Well…I'm your boss's new… um. Mate."

Bull considered him for a very long time. "Oh," was all he offered, and was silent for a few more beats, before he finally spoke up again. "Welcome, Boss."

"Hey," Kakashi said, rubbing at Bull's ruff again. "He gets 'Boss' too?"

"Isn't he the same as you, Boss?" Bull asked and squinted at Iruka. "Smells like you. Chakra feels like yours, but different at the same time. He called me here, didn't he? Anyway, he's 'Boss', too."

"That's the most I've ever heard you say in one sentence, Bull," Kakashi pointed out, laughing. The sound of his amusement made Iruka want to melt against his side; Kakashi glanced in his direction, still smiling underneath his scarf. When he noticed Iruka's stare, he quickly averted his eyes, and his laughter became strained.

Iruka cleared his throat."Well, let's call me Iruka-boss, just so we know who you're talking to."

"No problem, Iruka-Boss."

Kakashi huffed. "You can go, Bull."

Bull returned to his plane with a quiet puff, and Kakashi leaned back against the back of the sofa. "He's as bad as Pakkun, you know. When we see any of the other dogs, they'll have a lot of questions for you, so be prepared."

"I think I might manage," Iruka said with a smile. "You're talking to the man who explains where babies come from to six-year-olds. Shinobi parents," he confided in a lower tone, "are such vicious fighters in the battlefield, and yet they get all tongue-tied when their kids want to know about sex. 'Iruka-sensei!' (and here he dropped the pitch of his voice, mimicking the crackly rumble of some father) 'Here's my little one, he wants to know why girls have vaginas, I'll pick him up later, bye!'"

"You are not serious," Kakashi said, but he had one hand held up in front of his mouth as he started to laugh freely again, even though he had the scarf wrapped up all the way under his nose. Iruka thought that it was the most charming thing he'd ever seen; he wanted to make Kakashi laugh like that, to see his cheeks flushed and his eye twinkling.

All the time.

"I'm serious. So gossipy ninken will be a breeze, don't you think?"

Kakashi was still laughing, even when Iruka reached out and plucked at the fold of cloth which wrapped over his mouth. He exposed that wide, pretty mouth, the corners of which were tilted up.

"Can I kiss you?" Iruka whispered, leaning in anyway. Kakashi went abruptly still, and so did he, poised with his head tilted and his lips a bare inch from Kakashi's. Iruka could feel his struggle through the bond, a battle between the seal's demands and Kakashi's comfort level. Iruka sighed and prepared to pull back, but Kakashi's fingers tightened over his.

"You can—" Kakashi inhaled deeply and then exhaled. "Kiss me."

Iruka didn't wait; he ducked in fast and hard, swallowing Kakashi's quick gasp almost mercilessly. He felt Kakashi's hand grip at his shoulder as if he couldn't decide whether to shove or pull, but his eyes were closed when Iruka pulled back a little, surveying his kiss-bruised mouth and the way his oddly dark lashes fluttered. He was preparing himself for another round, when the guard-seals tickled their joined chakra and Kakashi's front door was kicked open; Yamato, obviously given clearance by the seals, stomped in with what seemed to be five years' worth of groceries perched precariously in the circle of his arms.

"All right, so I know I told you that I'd give an eye to your place and help stock your cupboards that one time," Yamato groused, as if he had been having a normal conversation with Kakashi all along. "But this is really getting ridiculous, Kakashi-sempai."

He dumped the bags onto the narrow counter and turned around, brushing off the sleeves of his shirt with quick, fastidious movements. Then, he put his hands on his hips and stared at Kakashi and Iruka. Iruka could see why Naruto complained about Yamato-taichou freaking him out, and at the thought of his blond, loud, pseudo-son, he groaned internally. When he got back to Konoha with Sakura, Naruto would probably go ballistic when he heard about Iruka's bonding.

"I thought Ūhei was joking when she told me the Boss got married to Iruka-sensei," Yamato said, both his eyebrows lifted in the air. "Are you?"

"Well, married is such a strong word, Tenzō-kun," Kakashi said languidly; his body slouched down in the couch even more, despite the tense wryness going through the bond at Iruka. "We were sealed on a mission. You know how these things go."

"How do these things happen to you?" Yamato burst out, and flung his hands up in the air like an exasperated parent. Iruka blinked at him and then glanced at Kakashi, who shrugged. "Can't you come back from a mission once without being all chakra-depleted or cut up to pieces or… or—"

"Or bonded?" Iruka suggested. "Because he does that often, I imagine."

Yamato sighed very heavily. "At least he got bonded to someone sensible," he muttered and then offered Iruka a wavery smile. "Well…congratulations?"

"Thanks," Iruka said, gravely. He was having a hard time not smiling, though, and he was glad to feel Kakashi's now impish glee seeping sweetly through him. Apparently, one of Kakashi's goals in life was to give his kōhai some kind of ulcer as soon as possible. "I guess I'm here to watch his back, and I'll do my best. Hopefully he won't get into so much trouble in the future."

"Huh." Yamato nodded slowly. "That actually sounds kind of nice."

"It does," Kakashi agreed, but when Iruka turned to stare at him, he looked and felt twice as surprised at what he'd just said.