"I just don't get it. He seems totally into me, then he gives me this long-winded speech about not being gay, and then he wants to go on a date?"

I exhaled loudly, flopping back into a graceless sprawl across my couch. Shikaku sat in a chair beside me with his elbows on his knees and his fingers laced beneath his chin. His face was largely impassive, but amusement glittered in his dark eyes.

"I see. So that's the 'important matter' that you contacted me about? You know you can just ask me to come over, right? You don't need the pretense."

"It is important! I'm going crazy trying to figure it out."

"And so you sent an urgent request to me, interrupting my day and pulling me away from some very tedious-sorry, very important business, so that I would come over and help you figure out your love life."

"Of course. You're welcome, by the way. I need help, and you're the smartest guy I know~. And besides…"

I twisted onto my side and looked up at him. It was hard to bring the features of his face into focus from my angle beneath him. The light from the window framed him in a harsh white glow, which contrasted sharply with his dark hair and rugged features. For a moment I was transported back to a time years ago, the last time I saw him at this angle.

He was handsome then…all harsh edges and rough, smoke-laced kisses. And that body~. His scars suited him so well they looked almost ornamental. It's a shame that we…well, some things are for the best, I suppose.

I locked eyes with him, and from the softness around his eyes I understood that we were sharing the same memory. He blinked, then looked away.

"...Who else but you?"

Shikaku readjusted in his chair, leaning back and stretching his legs.

"Maybe you could give me a little more detail."

"I basically covered it. This guy was acting like he liked me, then told me he was straight, then…we talked a little…then he agreed to a date. Then I didn't hear anything from him for days."

"Who exactly is this mystery man?"

"I don't see how that's relevant."

"It would clearly be helpful to me to know who we're talking about, given that I'm supposed to be explaining his behaviors to you."

"He's just…he's someone shy. I think that might be part of it."

Shikaku rolled his eyes and groaned.

"I'll say it first, then. We're talking about Shibi, right?"

My anbu training kept my face neutral and nonreactive, but I could feel my heart rate speeding up.

"Nope, and I'm not going to-"

"You know better than to try that line."

"...Fine. It might be him. That's all I can give you."

I rolled back onto my back and pressed a pillow over my face. My confidant chuckled, and I heard a lighter click as he lit a cigarette. One long, satisfied breath later and the scent of tobacco smoke filled the room. He continued.

"I'll take it. So since we're definitely talking about Shibi, you need to keep in mind that he's pretty inexperienced. He probably doesn't know what he's doing here either."

"He has a child! He's got at least a little bit of experience."

I heard the pout in my own voice after I said it, but it was too late to take it back.

"Who knows how long it took him to pluck up that much nerve?"

"I'm not asking him to come over and blow my back out, I'm just trying to figure out if he even likes me."

"You're trying to take things slow? You must really like him…"

I pressed the pillow more firmly onto my face, but I could feel the exposed skin around my ears turning bright red. The smell of the smoke settled over me, and I chose to focus on the familiar scent until the embarrassment died away. Shikaku coughed before speaking again. His voice was hesitant, but it did not waver.

"Just take it slow, he's definitely into you. Don't overthink it."

"But he seemed so sure that he doesn't like men. How can you sound so certain?"

"I've had my suspicions that something was up, so I've been paying attention. You've been meeting with each other for weeks now, and it's had an effect on him. He's smiling more. He seems happier."

I smiled into the pillow, touched by the idea that he was happier because he was talking to me.

"But what if he was just happy that we're friends? And now that I've asked him out it'll be weird between us."

"If he didn't want to go, why would he agree?"

"I don't know. Politeness, maybe? Maybe he didn't feel like he had a choice? Or maybe he thinks it's like…a friend-date. For friends."

"Kakashi, I promise that he likes you. It's abundantly clear from outside of this situation that he does."

I didn't answer. After several long, silent seconds, he added in a softer voice.

"Who wouldn't?"

I drug the pillow down from my face to my chest, crossing one arm over it. I turned and tried to catch my friend's gaze, but he was staring out the window. His cigarette was burning through itself in his fingers, ash lengthening in the sunlight. It looked like it was nearly out.

"Shi, I…"

He cleared his throat loudly, then started talking without turning back to face me. His voice was firm, and his words came out a bit faster than they should have.

"I've actually been meaning to talk to you about that. You know about who he is, and what responsibilities he holds. It's not that I don't approve, but I worry that-"

A loud knock sounded from the front door.

I'm not expecting any other visitors.

I stood up abruptly, tossing the pillow from my chest back into the couch a little too hard. It bounced off the cushion and onto the floor, where it landed next to Shikaku's feet. He followed me down the hallway to the door. I opened it cautiously to reveal a flushed looking Shibi.

"Hey."

"Good afternoon, Kakashi. I was wondering if…oh, hello Shikaku."

Shibi stood a little straighter, eyes flicking from Shikaku's strained face to my hair, mussed by the couch pillows I had been laying in, then up and away from either of us. His own cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Perhaps I've come at a bad time."

"Not at all!" Shikaku answered, putting the pieces together more quickly than I did. "I was actually just on my way out. He's all yours~."

Shikaku pushed past us, ~accidentally~ bumping into Shibi just enough to unbalance him towards my door. He stumbled forwards, catching himself just inside my door frame and resettling his glasses on his nose.

"Great talking to you, old friend. See you later."

He might be right about Shibi, but does he have to be so smug about it? And what was he about to say?