Minato sits up in bed when he hears a clatter from the front of Kakashi's apartment. Rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand, he turns to look at the little orange clock Naruto got him for his room when he first came home to Konoha. It reads as being just past 0200. There's another sound, the clacking of something being righted, from by the door.
He shoves his covers off him and goes to investigate. He knows Kakashi said he'd be out late when he left yesterday night but this feels a touch unusual. The last couple of times he's gone out Kakashi has always returned by midnight. It's why Minato didn't feel a need to stay up when his head grew heavy on his shoulders about an hour before Kakashi's normal return time.
Stepping out of his bedroom, Minato goes to the front of the apartment to find Kakashi leaning heavily on the sideboard beside his front door as he pulls off his sandals with both hands. He frowns and cocks his head. "Kakashi?" he calls when his old student fails to take notice of him.
Kakashi's head jerks up and with wide eyes stares at him. "Ah, Sensei," he murmurs after a beat. "Sorry," he says as he tugs off his sandal. "I forgot you were likely sleeping."
Minato watches as Kakashi wavers a bit as he switches which foot is in the air. Moving a little closer, he sniffs the air. Kakashi smells of alcohol. "Are you okay?" he asks the man. "You look a bit unsteady."
Kakashi waves his sandal at him as he finishes tugging it off. "Fine, fine," he assures. "Don't worry."
Kakashi bends down to pick up his other sandal and then moves them to their usual spot. Minato is amused by how long it takes. Apparently, Kakashi likes things to be neat even as a drunk. It just takes him twice as much time to meet his typical level of perfection.
He moves forward when Kakashi stands only to stumble like he's going to fall face-first into the floor. "Whoah!" Minato yelps as he wraps an arm around the lanky man's shoulders and presses a hand to his chest.
Kakashi sighs. "Mhm," he mumbles as he leans into Minato's side. "Sorry, Sensei."
He huffs and squeezes his student reassuringly. "How much did you drink tonight?" Minato questions as he starts to guide Kakashi toward his bedroom.
"I didn't keep track," admits Kakashi as he tugs out of Minato's hold to open his bedroom door. "Just kept downing whatever Genma gave me…"
Minato, torn between amusement and horror, shakes his head. "Genma did this to you?" he asks as he helps Kakashi to his bed. "What'd you do to piss him off?"
"Ugh," grumbles Kakashi. "Can I tell you later? It'd take all night to list everything."
He barks a laugh. "My god," Minato exclaims as he goes to Kakashi's dresser. "You're still a menace, aren't you?" he jokes as he takes out a clean singlet for Kakashi to put on before he lays down to sleep.
Kakashi, in the midst of shimming out of his pants, pauses to cock his head to the side. "Less than I was," he replies.
"Sure," says Minato, returning to his old student's side, the singlet bunched in his hand. Once Kakashi is out of his pants, he starts to lean back like he plans to pass out. Minato grabs him and hauls him up again.
"Sensei, " whines Kakashi just the way he did when he was eight and sick with a fever.
Minato ignores the complaining in favor of tugging on Kakashi's shirt. "C'mon let's get you out of this," he tells him.
"'M not six," his student grumbles even as he lets Minato wrangle him out of his shirt.
"No you are not," agrees Minato as he clumsily works the fresh singlet over Kakashi's head. "It was a lot easier to put you to bed then!"
Mask pushed askew during their tousle with the tops, Kakashi can't hide the way his lower lip plumpens at his teasing. "Hmph," he grunts.
Minato, unable to help himself, taps his old student's lip. "You pout the same," he jokes.
Kakashi, who is utterly displeased now, pushes Minato's hands away from his face. "Go 'way," he huffs.
Minato nods. "Yeah, okay, just a second," he says before lifting Kakashi's covers and easing Kakashi down beneath them. Once He's laid out on his bed, blinking dazedly up at Minato, he places the blankets over his student— Making sure that the edge rests just beneath Kakashi's uncovered nose. "You're tucked in," he whispers to the drunk man. "I'm going to find you a bowl and some water before I leave you alone for good, though."
"You don't have to," says Kakashi, voice muffled by his covers.
He runs a hand through Kakashi's bangs. "This is what teachers do, 'Kashi," he replies trying to sound exasperated as he does but coming off fond instead.
Kakashi, eyes half-lidded, furrows his brows. "Never done this for my team," he mumbles.
Minato strokes Kakashi's hair one more time. "Mh," he hums. "You would, I bet," he offers. Kakashi is a good man. If he found one of his students stumbling around drunk he'd make sure they made it to their homes and beds safely.
His old student sighs. "Yeah," he agrees; his eyes closing all of the way at last.
Minato smiles at Kakashi's lax face for a beat before he hauls himself to his feet. He still needs to get that bowl and cup of water before he can go back to sleep himself.
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