So many things changed, but – like the new English teacher was fond of saying – people grow accustomed to change. They develop new habits, forget the past, and then marvel at the possibility of their reality being different from what it already was.
Slightly wooden, that fellow, very proper and, as Sasuke said, stuck up, but he was nice, and his homework demands were reasonable, even if his lectures were boring.
In fact, Naruto's only complaint was that the new teacher spent too much time in Hatake's classroom, leaning close to the man and laughing at his puns. That part pissed him off, to the vast amusements of both Sasuke and Sakura.
Their coup, as they called it, was remembered as their senior year triumph. Their student declaration now hung in every classroom, and though Iruka was quick to celebrate their actions and commend their motives, his haggard appearance betrayed his true feelings about the matter.
There will be, he indicated with a smile, no more coups.
Naruto didn't care.
His new routine was better than any other before it. He woke up and walked Sensei's dogs while the man prepared breakfast and two mugs of coffee and hot chocolate. He drove him to school and to work and then picked him up – and Sasuke and Sakura – as the three of them moved their study spot from the library to his apartment. They told him it was the best solution since the library was overrun during the winter.
Sensei didn't complain. He even made them dinner – protesting that fast food is not nutritious enough or something like that.
Naruto took care of his apartment. He raided every one-dollar and second-hand store that he knew, seeking the cheapest options he could find. He bought plates and silverware, cups and a sturdy looking pot, a bright orange coat (on which he might have spent more than he planned, but the color was so worth it), more notebooks, towels, and toilet paper, and – entirely on a whim – a set of potted plants from a very nice old lady with too many cats.
Sakura gifted him a string of lights and Sasuke – a very powerful heater. Naruto placed both on the balcony and sat there every night, hugging his dog and drinking tea and feeling, truly, very happy.
Sensei also took him to the hospital – apparently a private and costly one – and Shizune, after smashing another writing pad on Sensei's head, checked his eye and cut off his cast.
"You're, somehow, good as new," she said. "And you put on weight. That's good," she added. "You're starting to look like a man, Naruto!"
He wished she did not say the last part. Sensei teased him about it all the way home.
Sensei also started to get used to them. He began to spend his time in the kitchen rather than the balcony and, at times, commented on their banter.
Sasuke said the cold drove him inside, but Sakura said Sasuke doesn't understand anything about people.
Either way, they ended up in the same space. Sensei made dinner, Sakura battled some advanced bio stuff, Sasuke stared at the view while pretending he was NOT petting the nearest dog, and Naruto was bored, so he started to doodle.
"Sasuke," he called, distracted, "what kind of dog would you be?"
"Naruto," the teen replied. "What the fuck."
"Language," Sakura reprimanded halfheartedly. She looked up. "Though I concur."
Naruto scowled. "What? I'm bored! I already drew all of Sensei's dogs. I wanna draw you as dogs, but there are too many options."
Sakura tilted her head. "Draw us as people."
"Too easy," he protested. "I can do that in my sleep." He could feel the back of his neck heating up and hoped his scarf – a knitted gift from Hinata, who turned tomato red and fled when he accepted it – would hide it. "Sensei, what kind of dog would Sasuke be?"
"Belgian sheepdog," the man answered immediately. "The mane matches his hair."
Naruto quickly googled the dog and stifled a giggle.
Sakura leaned closer and laughed outright. "Oh, I can see that." Her eyes followed Naruto's hand as he immediately began to draw. "You answered way too quickly, Sensei," she added, teasing.
Sasuke leaned closer and scoffed. "Looks nothing like me."
"Well, I did not go by fur alone," Sensei added, chopping something in the kitchen. "The Belgian sheepdog breed is loyal, fearless, and intelligent. They are constantly vigilant, fiercely protective, and very difficult to control." He turned to smile at them. "Reminds you of someone, doesn't it?"
Naruto grinned, especially when Sasuke's ears burned bright red.
"Do me!" cried Sakura. "What kind of dog would I be, Sensei?"
The man hmmed. "A poodle."
Naruto snorted, Sasuke smirked, and Sakura punched the table, cheeks red. "That's sexist!"
"It's not," the man countered calmly. "Poodles are famed for their intelligence. They are graceful and easily trained, and very fond of people." He tossed the chopped vegetables into the skillet. "And very proud."
Naruto finished sketching Sasuke and moved on to draw Sakura. It was a surprisingly fun exercise. When he finished, he wrote what Sensei said on the back, and he handed her the drawing. "What about me, Sensei?"
His heart drummed in his chest.
Sensei took his time, then replied. "Belgian Tervuren."
Naruto blinked. "Um. How do you spell that?"
Sensei spelled it for him.
"Aww, what a beautiful dog," Sakura cooed. "Are you sure you're not going by looks, Sensei?" she teased.
Naruto's entire face burned red. "Sakura!"
"What? Look how fluffy he is!"
"I'm not fluffy!"
"He's more like a golden retriever," countered Sasuke. "They're blond."
"Too eager to please," Sensei replied. "Belgian Tervuren is affectionate and courageous. They prefer challenging games and hard work since they have plenty of energy, and they are intelligent and independent, which can make them difficult to train unless they think of the training as a game."
Naruto wrote down the words, hiding his blushing cheeks in his scarf.
Sasuke snorted. "He's talking about a dog, idiot. What are you all red for."
"Shut up!" Naruto threw a pencil at him – which was caught by Urushi. "Hey, don't eat that," he said and tried to catch the dog.
Urushi, who clearly thought it was a game, barked excitedly and dashed around the apartment.
"Urushi! Stop it!" Naruto jumped on the sofa to chase the dog – and managed to stir all six dogs (Pakkun and Bull barely opened their eyes) into a barking, running frenzy.
Sensei whistled.
The dogs whined but settled down, waggling their tails against the floor.
Naruto, still red, freed his pencil from Urushi's mouth. He ventured into the kitchen and peeked at Sensei's cooking. "What about you?"
Sensei's eye glanced at him, and Naruto's heart immediately began to beat faster. Sensei's nostrils flared – just for a moment – and he looked away. "What about me, Uzumaki?"
He picked up a bunch of mushrooms and started sniffing them.
Naruto edged just a little bit closer. "What kind of dog would you be?"
"That's for you to say, isn't it," the man replied.
Naruto frowned. "But I don't know anything about dogs! You're like, a walking dog-tionary."
The man managed a small smirk. "Is that so."
"What about huskies?" suggested Sakura, googling the breed. "The website says they are smart, mischievous, and… well, outgoing, but… it does say they like to run, and you run a lot, Sensei."
The man shrugged.
Naruto grinned at him. "I'ma draw you, too," he announced.
Sensei smiled at him again. "I appreciate it."
He returned to his cooking, and Naruto stared, mesmerized, at his hands moving deftly as they chopped. They were larger than his, pale and elegant, and they moved with precision that felt like a dance. He wondered what his touch would feel like. If his hands were always so life-like, if his fingers would know what he himself had yet to discover, if…
He wanted to hold his hand.
Sensei retrieved a fish and chopped off its head in one swift movement.
Right. Naruto blinked, shaking his head, and, slightly dizzy, managed to detach himself from the counter and walk back to the table. He drew Sensei as a dog – eye patch included – and added snippets from the website he felt were appropriate.
Sakura grinned at him. "Now, draw me as a lioness. No! A cheetah! I work for no man!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We're doing cats now?"
"I wanna be a tiger," Naruto announced. "I like the color of their fur." He began to draw the spots for the cheetah's fur. "Sensei, do you have colored pencils?"
"I do not."
"I do!" Sakura offered him her packet, and Naruto immediately painted the drawing pink.
"What about you, Sasuke?" he asked as he drew himself as a rather dashing, blue-eyed tiger.
"I'm a jaguar. Black," he added.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Do you own a single clothing item that isn't black?"
Sasuke crossed his arms. "Jeans," he countered. "And a buttoned white shirt."
"For interviews?" She smirked, stepping closer.
"And funerals."
Naruto winced. "You guys suck." He handed Sasuke his drawing. "What about you, Sensei?"
The man hmmed. "A house cat."
"What?! That's lame!" Naruto protested.
"My, my. How rude." Sensei carried the pot to the table, so Sakura and Naruto quickly cleaned it from pencils, paper, and books. "House cats have the best life out of all the cats you three chose."
Naruto hmphed as he set the tea and poured everyone a mug. "But they don't do anything! They just sleep all day and eat smelly food and puke hairballs."
"Big cats either starve or end their lives in a cage, captives paraded before others until they die." Sensei handed him a bowl of soup. "I prefer the hairballs."
Naruto accepted the food silently, staring at the man. For a moment, he thought he spotted real emotion, hiding underneath the opaque mask and the amused glint…
Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're no fun. Sasuke, what do you think?" She poked him, though he had done little other than stare at her all afternoon.
"A wolf."
Sensei's fingers twitched. His entire body seemed to have frozen, tense and sharp. He stopped breathing. For some reason, he looked really pale. Naruto had to resist the urge to hold his hand.
Sasuke burned red and looked down. "Oh, fuck, I mean –"
Sakura frowned at him. "We're talking about cats, silly." She giggled. "You're so red!"
"Shut up," he mumbled, scowling powerfully. "I wasn't paying attention."
"You fucked up so badly you freaked Sensei out," Naruto countered, trying to hide his concern for the man with a joke. "Are you having a stroke?"
"Shut up!" Sasuke growled, his eyes flickering all over the place. "I said I wasn't paying attention."
Sakura rolled her eyes with a fond smile. "Oh, well, I suppose even Sasuke confuses cats and dogs sometimes." She grinned at Naruto. "What about a white tiger?"
"I'm a tiger, though."
"You can share."
"Lions are white, too."
"Lions suck. They enslave the females, y'know? And kill cubs!"
"That sounds like feminist propaganda – All right! All right! White tiger, then!" Naruto crouched down when Sakura started flinging pencils at him.
"Stop it," Sensei muttered, gripping her wrist. "You'll stir up the dogs again." He released her hand and turned to gaze at Naruto with a small smile Naruto could have sworn was fake. "And I still prefer a house cat."
Naruto nodded, lips parted and eyes glued to the man next to him. He felt an irresistible urge to cheer him up for reasons he could not understand. "A house cat with an eye patch," he tried to joke, leaning closer. "That knocks things off counters."
Sensei sipped his soup and did not look at him. "I leave that to your artistic discretion."
"With a long, fluffy tail," he continued.
The man hmmed.
"And a collar with a little bell on."
Sensei put down his spoon. "Absolutely not."
Naruto chuckled. He leaned closer, just a little bit, and bumped his knee against Sensei's thigh.
The man reacted immediately by moving away from him.
Sasuke glared at him. "I said he was a golden retriever."
Naruto glared back. "Shut up. Your hair looks like dog fur."
"You – "
"Stop your barking, the two of you," Sakura reprimanded, "and thank Sensei for the soup."
Sasuke scoffed, but Naruto did as he was told and sipped. "That's really good, Sensei!"
The man's tense shoulders seemed to have eased, just a little bit, as he smiled and nodded at him.
Naruto's heart danced – fluttering against his ribcage –
Until Sasuke, quite unceremoniously, kicked his shin.
Kakashi sat alone and sipped, slowly and carefully, a cup of sake.
He sat on the balcony, soothing his dogs whenever another firework exploded.
It was New Year's Eve, and, as he told Tanzo, Iruka, Gai, several other colleagues, and even Naruto – he preferred to spend it with them, even if it meant spending it alone.
His friends nodded in understanding, those with romantic intentions pouted, and Naruto threw his own version of a tantrum. That is, he harassed him for about a week, using every method he knew to try and convince him to come. He really doesn't give up, he sighed, thinking of the character from Jiraiya's book, who had a habit of never relenting.
Still, it was nice. It gave him a break from babysitting the three teenagers that, for some reason, refused to leave him alone, and it gave him plenty of time to think and read. And if his thoughts featured golden hair and shining blue eyes, he just shoved them as deep into his subconsciousness as he could and read another book.
Uneven stomping, climbing up the stairs. Naruto. Probably drunk.
Great.
Kakashi closed his book, wondering for a moment if he should transform and make sure the teen made it to his bed when he heard the rattle of his door being unlocked.
His door.
Kakashi stood up and rushed to the door. He gave Naruto that key for emergencies; the teen had never used it before. What if something happened –
The door opened, and Naruto stumbled forward, reeking of cheap sake, and into his arms.
Kakashi grabbed his waist, pulling him against his chest, and used his other hand to ruffle his hair as he sniffed, searching for injuries or any sign that the teen was drugged or attacked –
But Naruto smiled sluggishly and wrapped his arms around his neck, clearly very happy to be where he was. "Hullo, Sensei. You smell nice."
"You reek," Kakashi replied. "You know you are not old enough to drink."
The teen hummed. "Shino looks old enough to buy." He rubbed his face against Kakashi's collarbone. "You feel nice."
Oh. Am I your drunk two AM call, brat? Kakashi untangled Naruto's hands from around his neck and balanced him against the counter. "Drink," he offered him a glass of water. "You'll have a headache in the morning if you don't."
Naruto drank, and his adam's apple moved with each swallow. He managed to finish most of it, but some drops ran down his chin and neck, traveling along his rapidly pulsing veins and drawing paths Kakashi's fingers desperately wanted to follow.
He could smell him underneath the heavy scent of alcohol and greasy food. He could smell a summer storm, sweet and hot and rising in waves –
Kakashi shook his head and tried to be practical. If Naruto was drunk, so were his peers. He took the empty cup from him. "Where are Sakura and Sasuke? Did they get home safe?"
Naruto stumbled forward – and hugged his neck. "Y-yeah. They kissed," he whispered as the usually shining blue turned dark and bewitching, like the dance of the ocean after nightfall. His fingers tangled in Kakashi's hair, drawing patterns against his scalp. "They are doing naughty things."
It shouldn't be… this arousing. The teen's clumsy fingers and soft voice should not have had such an effect on him.
Naruto pulled him down and Kakashi, heart beating wildly against his chest, remembered – at the very last moment – to angle his head so that Naruto's lips grazed his cheek instead.
He tried to move away, but Naruto pulled on his hair, keeping him in place. He leaned on him entirely, pressed against him – No, that's me, he thought, slow and dazed. My hands are around his waist. I am the one pulling him close.
Naruto did not seem to mind. He smiled softly, his voice breathy and raw, and traced his thumb along Kakashi's bottom lip. "I wanna do… naughty things with you."
And Naruto balanced on his tiptoes and leaned against his chest, reaching up –
His breath hit him – sake and datemaki – and Kakashi grabbed Naruto, lifted him by his waist, and balanced him on his shoulder. He ignored his protests, marched to the other apartment, locked the door behind him, and then moved the blanket and dropped the teen on his bed.
Naruto lay sprawled, eyes hooded and breath labored, and angled his head in a way that exposed his neck. "Kakashi…" he whispered.
A part of him growled in anticipation. Naruto looked so inviting, trusting, his…
Kakashi swallowed and clenched his fists and tore his eye away. He sat on the bed and took off the teen's shoes, then tucked him in and untied his key from the set he gave Naruto. "I'm taking this," he muttered. He got up.
Naruto's hand found his pants and gripped the fabric tightly. His fingers brushed against his thigh. "Stay," he whispered. "Stay with me."
His eyes were unfocused.
Kakashi exhaled and untangled the teen's hand, guiding it to rest underneath the blanket. His hand might have lingered just a moment longer than he would have liked.
He jumped to his balcony, leaving without uttering another word.
He did not enter his own apartment.
Kakashi sat in the snow, relishing the cold, and closed his eye.
Fuck.
Chapter 23
Naruto woke up.
The ceiling spun, which was never a good sign. He felt like shit. His head ached and throbbed, and his stomach moved in waves.
Naruto stumbled up, leaning against the wall for support, made his way to the bathroom, and threw up.
Well, he felt slightly better.
He shuffled to the kitchen and drank from the sink, trying to clean his mouth from the sour, revolting taste of his vomit.
When he finished, he crawled back to bed and closed his eyes, trying to sleep away the pain. Drinking, he decided, sucked.
When he woke up again, it was late in the afternoon. He no longer felt queasy, and the throbbing eased, so he got out of bed, showered, and dressed. His body felt sluggish and heavy. He walked barefoot to his balcony and shivered, feeling invigorated by the cold wind.
The world was covered in white.
It must have snowed during the night, he mused, because the virgin snow below looked soft and inviting, untouched… perfect for making snowmen and snow castles and snow…
His eyes spotted a fresh trail of dog paws in various sizes.
… and snow fights.
He grinned, his aching head forgotten, and ran toward his door. He unlocked it – frowning when he discovered he had lost Sensei's key – and ran downstairs as fast as he could without falling flat on his butt.
He'll figure out where the missing key went later.
He ran, huddled into his bright orange coat, and caught up with Sensei and his pack. The dogs were quick to welcome him, toppling him into the snow as they jumped on him in excitement.
Naruto sank about half a foot into the snow, laughing as he tried to pet every dog that shoved his nose his way. Then the cold seeped in, and he pushed them away, using their long bodies to climb back up. He panted, his breath clouding around him, and found Sensei.
The man leaned against his favorite tree, sipping tea and holding a book as he pointedly looked away.
Naruto frowned. "Hey," he breathed, taking a careful step toward him. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry I didn't wake up early to pick up the dogs. I uh…"
"You were drunk," the man muttered. His stark voice sounded like an accusation.
"I was," Naruto admitted, his frown deepening. "How'd you know?"
And stared, because he was pretty sure Sensei flinched.
The man swallowed, then turned a page. "You are too young to drink. You know that."
Naruto's anger flared because that fake disinterest and that empty voice felt wrong, coming from the man sitting in front of him and ignoring him. "Oh, so you'd let me keep a gun but not drink sake. I see where your priorities are," he hissed. "Except that, unlike guns, alcohol makes things fun." He crossed his arms.
"I'm certain the parts you can remember were fun," the man said dryly. "As was vomiting this morning."
Naruto's cheeks blazed red. "How. Do. You. Know. That!"
The man sipped his tea calmly. "Hmm. Not telling you."
Naruto heaved, anger and confusion clashing. Sensei was mad about something – something that had to do with him being drunk and losing his key, maybe? And something he forgot –
He crouched down, hand hidden behind his back, and formed a snowball.
He waited until Sensei lifted his tea mug again –
And threw the ball.
The man moved his arm surprisingly fast, but some of his tea still spilled on the snow, though it missed the book. He looked up, glaring at Naruto. "Oi, brat."
Naruto stuck out his tongue. "Wasn't me." And threw another ball at the man's face.
Sensei stood up, looking properly angry, and Naruto ran into the forest, heart beating fast. He crouched mid-run, forming another snowball –
When something hard and cold hit him in the back. He fell, rolled, and got back up. "Who hits people in the back, you coward!" And threw his ball at the man.
Sensei ducked with ease and glared at him. "Says you. You threw one – " He ducked again, "when I was drinking."
Naruto had experience making and throwing balls on the run, so he put all his skills to the test, throwing one snowball after the other. "Because you were an ass!"
Another ball hit him square in the chest and made him fall on his back, sinking into the snow. "Language, Uzumaki."
Naruto pushed himself up – only to be hit by another snowball and fall back down. "Hey! At least let me get up first!"
"I don't think so." Sensei walked closer and loomed over him. "Are you done?"
Naruto heaved and surrendered to the soft snow that enveloped him from every direction. Sensei, he noticed, looked slightly disheveled, so at least one of the balls he threw made contact. His scarf was covered in snow, as was his hair. His nose was red, which was very cute.
His coat was as baggy as ever.
Naruto huffed. "S'that 'cause I lost your key? It wasn't on purpose, y'know."
Sensei stared at him blankly. "What key."
"Your key, the one you gave me to walk the dogs n' stuff," Naruto explained, cheeks heating up. "I couldn't find it this morning."
Sensei stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat and looked away. "Don't worry about it."
Naruto scowled. Something was really off, then. "So… what?" He bit his lower lip. "Did I do something weird?"
The man's breath shuddered. He looked down at him. "You should not drink to the point you can't remember, Uzumaki."
Naruto's mouth dried. "S'that a yes?" he mumbled. He found it hard to look up – but even harder to look away.
Sensei huffed, then smirked. "I think I will keep that answer to myself. As a lesson."
Naruto scowled. "Ass." His heart still drummed against his throat.
"Language."
Naruto assumed an innocent expression and grabbed a bit of snow behind his back. Sensei's coat was, after all, very baggy. "Oi, help me up."
The man scrutinized him. "You are planning something," he decided.
"Am not." Naruto waved both arms, exposing his hands. "M'stuck."
Sensei sighed. Finally, he relented and offered Naruto a hand.
Naruto grabbed the hand, then kicked his leg and pushed himself up as he pulled the man down toward him.
He landed on top of him, straddling his torso, and shoved a fistful of snow down his coat, then pushed himself up by pushing the man's chest down and ran as fast as he could –
A strong hand gripped the hoodie of his coat, stuffed it with snow, and shoved it over his head.
Naruto yelled something between a cough and a giggle and laughed as he fought to free himself from the snow avalanche. "S'cold! Ah! I'm freezing!" he panted, trying to dance the snow away. "M'gonna get sick and have pneumonia and die and you'll feel really bad about it."
"Aren't you dramatic." A hand materialized in front of him, holding a cup of steaming tea. "Don't start fights you cannot finish, Uzumaki."
Naruto scoffed as he accepted the mug. "And I'm the dramatic one. You had fun," he accused as he warmed his fingers around the mug. He hesitated, then glanced up to find Sensei already looking at him, cheeks slightly red from the cold and his eye as penetrating and undecipherable as always. "M'sorry," he blurted. "For what I did. Um. Didn't mean to upset you, or, uh… whatever happened. Um."
For a moment, he thought he saw something flashing in the man's eye, something like regret… or maybe guilt? But the moment was over when Sensei raised his hand and tousled his hair. "Drink your tea, Uzumaki, and then go upstairs and take a warm shower before you catch something."
"Pneumonia."
"A cold, at the most."
Naruto snickered and sipped. He scrunched his nose. "S'bitter." He poked the man's arm. "Like you."
Sensei, in response, pulled his ear. "Give it back, then."
Naruto did and glanced up. "Can I have hot chocolate instead?"
The man blinked at him, surprised for a moment, before a soft smile melted his frozen expression. "All right," he murmured, then caught himself and cleared his throat. "That is, if you promise not to drink alcohol again until you are eighteen."
Naruto flinched, disgruntled. "You're still hanging on to that?"
Sensei gazed back, his black eye challenging and unyielding, despite the humorous glint.
"Fine," he relented. "But I want whipped cream on top."
A shiver tore through him, so Sensei swallowed and nodded. "Take a shower and change. I'll make it for you when you're done."
Naruto nodded, excited, and ran back to his apartment, followed by the barks of eight dogs. He ran up the salted stairs, two at a time, grinning all the way.
Kakashi explained the poem yet again, tracing each line with his finger when he noticed that Naruto's mind had, once again, began to wander.
Of course, Tanzo had to pick tree-related poetry. Sakura complained he started explaining photosynthesis mid-lesson and forgot entirely about their Robert Frost assignment. Great.
Kakashi's voice faltered when Naruto, with an aggravated sigh, rested his chin on Kakashi's forearm.
"Uzumaki."
Naruto grunted.
He resisted the urge to roll his eye. "Uzumaki."
The teen grunted again.
Kakashi sighed. "Kindly get off me."
Naruto scowled and dug his chin deeper into Kakashi's arm. "Can't see."
"Yes, you can."
Blue eyes flickered up, stubborn and displeased, and then darted back to the poem. "My head's heavy," he mumbled. "I can see better like that."
Kakashi looked at the golden hair and said nothing. Naruto still had nightmares, though those were fewer and not as intense as the one that sent him running into his arms. He stayed with him, like a loyal watchdog, and tried to ease the teen's mind before he woke up. Most of the time, he was successful.
And yet, Naruto's sleep was still restless. Kakashi caught him falling asleep in his car more than once, even though the teen vehemently refused to admit to the fact.
"Go to the infirmary and rest," he said quietly. "You can finish the analysis with Haruno and Uchiha."
Naruto did not answer.
"Oi, brat," Kakashi muttered. He lifted his hand to poke his forehead…
But Naruto's soft, quiet breath gave him pause.
He fell asleep.
Kakashi sighed and closed his eye. Zero period would end in half an hour, and though the school was quiet now, his class would soon fill with loud teenagers with sharp eyes and gossiping tongues. Naruto would not get much rest –
And Kakashi might get in trouble.
He sighed again and picked up the teen's backpack, then guided Naruto to rest against his shoulder, as carefully as he could, as he picked him up in his arms. One, he wrapped around his knees, and with the other, he supported Naruto's head and back. His fingers caressed the teen's golden hair and cradled his face against his neck to protect his eyes from the abrasive fluorescent light.
He was heavier, he noted, and his body felt lean and muscular, not sharp and bony like before. His scent was soft and calm, so he slept deeply, peacefully, in his arms.
Kakashi shook his head to free himself from his thoughts and –
His mind turned blank when Naruto moaned softly and lifted his hand, gripping his shirt as he nuzzled at his neck.
The infirmary. Kakashi breathed in relief as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. He laid Naruto on the bed, slow and careful and gentle. He took off his shoes and covered him in the blanket and, as a final measure, hid a chocolate bar inside his backpack.
He could think of nothing else to do. He should leave. He had no reason to stay.
His eye scanned the sleeping teen, noting his obvious exhaustion. He blinked as he suddenly remembered another instance of Naruto, cheeks red and chest heaving, lying below him.
Naruto, surrounded by snow, his hair golden and shining, lips parted and eyes bright, looked up at him.
He lay with his hands spread around him, open and yielding, and gazed up at him from underneath long hair and dark lashes. He could see those eyes flickering with uncertainty and then widening with distress. He could also see them narrowing mischievously as the teen hardened some snow behind his back.
Still, Kakashi allowed himself to fall for his plot. He told himself it would help him rebuild his rapport with the teen, but in truth, he found it hard to refuse his eyes.
So when Naruto kicked his leg and pulled him below him, Kakashi failed to react in time. The teen straddled him, eyes shining and lips grinning, and shoved the snow he had prepared into his coat.
And Kakashi allowed him because he needed the snow to cool the burning in his chest.
He was so beautiful.
Kakashi sat beside the bed and opened his book, looking away from the teen sleeping next to him. And though his eye followed the written word, his mind wondered why Naruto did not tell him about his nightmares. He was quite certain the teen trusted him implicitly; he spent time with him whenever he could, asked him for help without being prompted, and even, at times, made requests for specific food or drinks. He also gifted him quite a number of drawings and was almost childishly upset to discover Kakashi kept them in a drawer.
In response, Kakashi started putting them on his fridge – and though it made Naruto happy at first, Sakura's and Sasuke's reaction (and explanation) offended the teen to the point he refused to speak with him the entire afternoon.
It was a good prank, but Naruto's hurt eyes caused him to act irrationally.
The next day, when the teen came over to walk his dogs, he walked into a living room whose walls were decorated with framed pictures he had drawn.
All but the one where he drew his Sharingan.
Still, Naruto ran to him, eyes shining just a tad too brightly, and Kakashi had to hold out his hand to stop the teen from jumping on him.
He was never the kind to decorate – empty baggage, the way he saw it – but Naruto was talented, and the pictures, especially those of his dogs, looked nice. His living room, as a result, looked homier, warmer, and Kakashi wondered if that was a bad sign.
His plant also looked better.
Kakashi wondered how Iruka would have reacted had he known that the plant he gave him – as a symbol of their growing friendship and of his acceptance into the faculty's family, where every student is a plant that must be tended to with care or some sappy bullshit like that – was kept alive by Naruto's efforts and his alone.
He only kept the plant for the slim case the principal came over and he needed to maneuver him one way or another. In truth, he waited for the useless plant to perish so he could toss it into the trash. And yet, something about the way that the teen scrutinized the silly thing each morning, lips pursed and gentle fingers testing the thickness of its leaves, gave him pause.
Everything about Naruto gave him pause lately.
Kakashi flinched – just as the school bell went off. He exhaled, packed his book, and shook Naruto's shoulder. "Wake up, Uzumaki."'
The teen curled into the blanket and tried to swat his hand away. "Mmm. Later."
Kakashi tried to pretend the way that Naruto hid under the synthetic fabric did not affect him in any way. "You need to go to class." He poked his forehead. "I will not excuse another absence."
Naruto scrunched his nose, eyes still closed, and rubbed his face against the pillow. Slowly, his eyes blinked open, unfocused and blurry, and his lashes fluttered against his cheeks as his pupils got used to the light.
So that was the in-between Naruto referred to.
The teen's eyes focused on him – and his cheeks bloomed pink. He glanced around, confused rather than unnerved, and found his eye again. "Um – "
The second bell interrupted whatever he wanted to say.
Kakashi scribbled a tardiness note and got up. "You fell asleep." He handed him the piece of paper. "Perhaps we should cancel the zero period – "
"No! I'm fine," Naruto protested as he jumped out of the bed, grabbed his bag, and donned his shoes. "Poetry's boring, that's all."
"Sleep is as important as school," Kakashi chided. "You don't want to be short forever, do you?"
His voice was teasing, but Naruto still glowered. "M'not short anymore. N' Sakura said men grow till they're twenty-three."
His hurt eyes and slight pout were not what Kakashi had expected. He must have hit a sore spot with his joke. "Drink warm milk before bed," he said as he checked his watch. "You'll sleep better."
He held the door open for him.
Naruto stared, then erased his pout with a grin. "Only if you make it."
Kakashi hmmed. "Only if you go to sleep before midnight."
"What?!" Naruto protested, running to catch up to him. "I'm not a kid!"
"You are, but that's irrelevant," Kakashi teased. "That's when I go to sleep."
Naruto scoffed. "Liar."
It was a lie, but Kakashi simply cocked his brow. "Rude. No hot chocolate for you."
"Hey! That's not fair!"
He tried to jump on him, but Kakashi pushed his face away. "You need to turn left, Uzumaki," he pointed out as he casually walked to his classroom. "See you in third."
He could feel the teen's eyes on him but did not look back.
Now he would have to juggle between being his dog and his sensei even more, simply because he couldn't tell him to warm his own milk. Great.
notes
Per LunarLouis's request, this is a 2 for 1 holiday special! Hope you enjoyed it!
Yeah Kakashi sniff that mushroom that'll save ya haha
Also, a tiny bit of Naruto is jealous of Kakashi's book and a lot of Kakashi is totally dramatic when Naruto is concerned. He thinks no one call tell because he's stoic, but Naruto is slowly learning how to read him. He's coming for ya, mister haha
Well, Kakashi knows now. He knows and he hates himself but he can't bring himself to walk away.
So... what did you guys think? A few almost revelations (kinda like jumpscares) but nothing solid yet. I wanna have fun.
I wish y'all happy holidays and an early Happy New Year!
See ya next Friday!
