Naruto attracted some appreciative looks from age-appropriate civilian boys, one or two girls, and a man who averted his gaze when they felt Kakashi's eye on them. She noticed some of them, although not all, and she stuck close to his side during their walk, but her body language gradually relaxed, from defensive and small to her normal posture and bounciness. He really like walking with her; it was such a simple act, but she brought so much energy to it, skipping and gesticulating and chattering about her thoughts and the things she saw. It was sweet, and entertaining, turning something tedious into something pleasant.

She was tugging on his sleeve, trying to get him to spill insider information about their mission for Tuesday with a pout so cute he would have absolutely told her if he'd known, when he made eye contact with Iruka outside the barbecue place Asuma was always taking his genin to. He raised his hand in greeting, earning a smile and a wave from the chūnin. "Maa, it's not fair if I tell you in advance," he chided the little blonde. Then, to Iruka, "Good to see you."

The chūnin was dressed nicely, in a white button down and linen slacks, and the civilian at his shoulder was dressed similarly. Kakashi didn't think he recognized him, but he seemed nice enough, a handsome brunet with sincere eyes. More interesting was the look on Iruka's face as he looked rapidly between himself and his girl, as though Kakashi had performed a magic trick. He forewent a greeting altogether, demanding immediately, "You got her to wear civilian clothes out in public?"

"Not without a fight," Kakashi answered impassively as the girl shrank against his side, shy with wide eyes as the chūnin looked her over. He turned his eye down at her, voice expressionless as he encouraged her, "It's just Iruka-sensei." He urged her forward with a hand on her lower back, and she let him guide her.

Naruto clasped her hands behind her back, and Kakashi saw her nails dig into her wrist rather hard, but she straightened out her shoulders and kept her chin up as she rolled up onto her toes and puffed out her cheeks. "The other girls from my year have been helping me wear clothes that are, um, 'less offensive to the eye.'"

Kakashi snorted, wondering which of the young kunoichi had said that, and looked up at Iruka to find him a little misty-eyed, blinking fast and clearly trying not to make it obvious that seeing Naruto behaving like a normal teenaged girl had evoked strong emotion in him. "You look so cute," he complimented warmly, offering his hand. She took it, and he lead her to spin in a circle, a big grin on his face as she giggled under his attention. "Super cute, it's a good look on you."

It was perfectly brotherly, utterly platonic. How Kakashi was supposed to have treated Naruto, how he was supposed to look at her. What Minato and Kushina had been hoping he'd be to her. Guilt twisted in his abdomen, but somehow didn't quash the simmering arousal he'd been feeling since she asked him to make her wear her new clothes.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei." Her words were still shy, but she was smiling. "Good to see you again, Fumihito-san."

The civilian smiled and offered her a shallow bow. "Likewise, Naruto-chan. You do look very nice." The man lifted his eyes to Kakashi's, and held out his hand to shake. "Harada Fumihito, pleased to meet you."

There was something meaningful in the man's gaze, and it suddenly clicked into place that Kakashi did recognize him. Had, in fact, paid him for sex a few times, years ago. He was looking much better, his hair clean-cut and his face far less skinny. "Hatake Kakashi," he answered impassively, noting the way the man's shoulders sagged just slightly in relief when he went along with pretending they didn't know each other. Their handshake was brief and impersonal, and Kakashi resolved to take their mutual secret to the grave. Hopefully Fumihito felt the same way, and would not be compelled to honesty through sentimentality.

"You'll join us for dinner, won't you?" Iruka asked him.

Kakashi hesitated. He'd had every intention of going home and working through some of his sexual frustration in the shower. His eyes flickered to Fumihito, who seemed unbothered by the proposition, and then to Naruto, who was looking at him with big, pleading eyes. "I wouldn't want to intrude…" he tried, but Iruka was already shaking his head.

"Nonsense! Naruto is family, so you're family. I'd love for you to have dinner with us."

His lips parted to make an excuse, but Naruto hit him with a quiet, "It'll be fun, sensei, please?" and he found himself agreeing, like an idiot.

…

Dinner was awkward, but not overly so. Naruto carried most of the conversation, her excitable, demonstrative storytelling method causing her knee to keep brushing his. It felt strangely like a double date, as his girl acted as his social buffer, excusing and explaining his behavior and references, while Iruka did the same for Fumihito. Kakashi and the civilian studiously avoided eye contact, or speaking to each other directly, but their respective 'dates' didn't seem to notice at all. Very little was truly of interest, though he was vaguely pleased to hear that Fumihito had become a librarian. Seemed like a good match to him, a teacher and a librarian.

The conversation mostly stayed on safe, neutral topics, like training and teaching, until close to the end of the meal, when Iruka suddenly said his girl's name in a way that begged for her full attention. Recognizing that they were about to have a serious conversation, Naruto went stiff and still next to him, turning wide eyes on the man as he continued in a leading tone, "You may have noticed that this is the first time I've ever introduced you to a boyfriend."

Ah. Kakashi's eye darted to the inconspicuous golden band on the man's hand. Naruto, though, didn't figure it out so quickly. "Hey, there were others I didn't meet?" she asked, sounding rather put out.

The chūnin's eyes softened with fond amusement. "A few, yes. I didn't want to bring anybody around you that wasn't going to be permanent."

Kakashi watched the word 'permanent' wipe Naruto's face blank as she processed it. "You mean…?"

Iruka leaned into his fiancé's shoulder, and their lovesick smiles were simply sickening, sappy and romantic and deliriously happy and naïve and dumb and everything he wanted with his girl. "Yes, Naruto. We're getting married. Early this fall. We're just doing a courthouse ceremony, but we'd like you to be there."

For a precarious moment, Naruto was still, her eyes wide and shining with tears, her lips parted in shock. "Oh," she breathed. Then, louder, a grin starting to spread across her face, "Oh! Oh, Iruka-sensei, that's so wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Congratulations," Kakashi echoed, lifting his glass in a toast, and he even let himself sound like he meant it. Which he did, really, even if he was a little jealous that his own affections had to be kept a secret, even from their object.

"Of course I'll be there! You couldn't stop me, believe it!" Naruto was practically bouncing in her excitement. "In the fall, you said? That's great! Is he taking your name?"

"I am." Fumihito was practically glowing. He was nothing like Kakashi remembered from when they'd known each other; back then, he'd been a heavy drinker, self-destructive and reckless, a pretty little disaster. Now he was put together and calm. "You're looking at the soon-to-be Umino Fumihito."

Kakashi watched Iruka through the gushing congratulations and excited chattering that followed as they paid their bills. He didn't listen to a word, as he wondered if the chūnin knew, wondered if it bothered him, wondered if Fumihito would come clean to his future husband that night after dinner, tell him what Kakashi had paid him to do. Would Iruka still feel safe leaving Naruto in his care, if he knew? The situation was potentially a ticking time bomb, and he had no way of knowing when or if it would go off.

He wasn't drawn back into the conversation until Iruka caught his eye meaningfully, gently elbowing Fumihito as he requested, "Could you two wait outside for just a minute? I'd like to catch up with Naruto privately before we call it a night."

Alarm bells were going off, and Kakashi felt his back tense up, but the man didn't seem like he had anything to hide. He resisted the impulse to look down at Naruto, to meet her questioning gaze and give her the permission to stay she was seeking. It would be too obvious. "Of course," he rumbled politely, brushing his fingers over her hand before making to stand, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw it had the desired effect; Naruto had relaxed and turned her attention to her old teacher.

Fumihito followed suit, and in the next moment, they were standing outside in the cool evening air, leaning against the outside of the building, side by side. Kakashi realized after a moment that he was waiting for the other man to light a cigarette, and asked without inflection when it became clear he wouldn't, "You don't smoke anymore?"

The brunet sighed, holding his left elbow in his right hand. Neither of them made any attempt at eye contact as he answered softly, "I quit. … The rest of it, too."

"It's good," Kakashi heard himself say. "It's good that you're doing well."

"Thanks, Kakashi." There was a beat of silence. "And you're… doing better?"

There was a moment in which he was sure they were both remembering their last encounter. It had been after a particularly grueling mission, during a particularly long dry spell. He was pretty sure the only words they had exchanged had been establishing a price for permission to be rough and a safe word. Afterward, Kakashi had sat on the floor with his back against the bed, put his head in his hands, and had his worst panic attack in years, all with his paid sub still bound and listening.

"Yeah. … Better."

"Happy to hear it, man."

…

Naruto had latched onto his arm when they left, waving over her shoulder as she called her final goodbyes to the happy couple. It was a little unexpected, but Kakashi had been seeing her do the same to Sasuke lately, so not entirely out of character. He tilted his head to look down at her, captivated by the way her brilliant blue eyes sparkled up at him, illuminated by the yellow streetlights and sweetly pleased. "Isn't it great, sensei? I've never been to a wedding, have you?"

"Yes." Your mother and father's. "One."

"Who's was it?"

"My jōnin sensei's."

"The Yondaime, right? What was he like?"

He didn't dare let himself look down at her, putting all his effort into keeping his expression neutral, but he let himself be honest. "Wonderful. Smart and kind, a natural leader. The sort of man that made you want to follow him."

The girl hummed, and he itched to tell her that he saw that in her, too, the smallest buds of her potential to lead starting to show. Wanted to tell her how much she reminded Kakashi of her father. "That makes sense, I guess." She hummed, and shot him a sympathetic look under her lashes. "Do you miss him?"

"I do." Every day.

"What was his wife like?"

Kakashi swallowed, chewing on the inside of his cheek as his mind's eye showed him dozens of happy memories of the life he'd had before. "Beautiful, and stubborn. Funny."

She turned that over in her little head for a beat, tightening her grip on his arm. "You said you lived with them? Like I do with you?"

"From five to fourteen, yes."

"Until the attack." She leaned her head against his shoulder, her words apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"Furthest thing from your fault." He cupped his hand over where hers was curled around his bicep. "Maa, stop asking these questions. You were so happy a few minutes ago. What did you and Iruka talk about?" He was burning to know, loved that she would tell him the moment he asked.

And she did, all matter of fact, like he had every right to know. "Whether I wanted to move in with him and Fumihito-san—Uhh, Fumihito—" The civilian had asked her to drop the honorific during their goodbyes. "—after they get married and move into a bigger place."

Kakashi was concentrating on not reacting visibly to the idea of Naruto moving out. He wanted to tuck her under his arm and hold her in a grip she couldn't break out of, wanted to nip her on the ear and tell her she wasn't ever leaving him, wanted to fall to his knees and beg her to stay. None of that was an option, though, so instead he asked in the most normal voice he could muster, "And what did you tell him?"

"Said no," she answered as easily as if he'd asked her the weather. "Said I like living with you."

Relief washed over him so strongly it was tangible, like a cool breeze blowing through his clothes, and the release of tension made his head ache at the temples. "Oh." He hummed. "Good."

He could see her staring up at him, but he kept his gaze straight ahead. "You don't mind?"

"Of course not. I've grown accustomed to being cooked for."

She shoved him, and he laughed. "You're a jerk, sensei."

"Maa, just Kakashi."

"You're a jerk, Kakashi."