The Rapid Train from Ota to Fire City rarely arrived late and despite Iruka’s four years of riding the train, he didn't see this coming.
Fate was something to marvel. Who knew the Rapid Train would arrive at the platform five minutes late that fated morning? And because of those five measly minutes, Iruka met him—Hatake Kakashi, his esteemed savior from groping perverts.
The coffee Iruka bought him was supposed to be a simple thank-you that somehow escalated into something more.
All thanks to those five minutes.
Unlike many of the people in the train station, inwardly, Iruka loved getting up early. He typically awoke sanguine, and he often looked out of his small apartment window to commend the rising sun, as he always looked forward to the new day.
When Iruka arrived at Chu Train Station, he took a quick glance at his watch before swiping through the turnstile with his card. Iruka was right on time; at half past eight, he always stood on the furthest side of the platform, away from the entrance where most of the crowd was, and read a book while he waited for the Rapid Train line to arrive at eight-thirty five.
Iruka was on his way to Konoha Gakuen, a high school located in the Fire City where he taught 3rd year English. There, his students paid a lot of attention to him; he was a demanding and rather brutal instructor. But despite his harsh style, Iruka was far from being a mean teacher. In fact, his students very much adored Iruka for his friendly charisma.
"Excuse me," a young woman called, lightly tapping Iruka’s shoulder. Iruka looked up from his reading and offered her a bright smile. "I’m sorry…but could you tell me the time?" she asked.
Iruka looked over to his watch and replied, "It’s eight-thirty eight."
She nodded, thanked him, and strolled away.
That’s odd, Iruka thought. The train was supposed to be here three minutes ago.
Further down the platform, someone voiced his thoughts and complained, "The train is never late. You don’t suppose something happened?"
Just then an announcement was made:
Ladies and Gentlemen, there will be no Express Trains at this platform due to signal problems. Please use the Rapid-train line to transfer to the next station, Jou Train Station for an Express Train.
Iruka didn’t take the Express Train, however he was filled with exasperation as the platform that he stood on was swarmed with more people. Hordes of agitated train-riders stood too close for comfort, nearly elbow to elbow when the Rapid-train finally pulled up at exactly eight-forty.
The doors slid open, and Iruka quickly made his way inside to the opposite side near a window since there were no seats available.
"Oh, excuse me," Iruka apologized, as his elbow accidently brushed past a passenger’s arm. I’ll still make it to the school on time at least, he thought.
The train began to leave Oto and move towards the next station. As the train rocked back and forth, so did Iruka and he struggled to hang on with so many people surrounding the pole. He tried to push back thoughts of the messy train situation, instead turning his attention back to his book.
Iruka was a big reader, no surprise since he was an English teacher, and it was common for him to indulge himself in stories. But today, the chaotic train ride was making it harder for him to enjoy it.
There were more people than usual and something about it bothered him. Faces of people he didn’t usually ride with stood too close to him. One person in particular bothered him the most. Iruka saw it out of the corner of his eye: a young man wearing a bandana and chewing on a toothpick close behind him, eying him. Initially, Iruka thought nothing of it and returned to reading his book.
But Bandana Man was practically gawking at him!
The train ride was getting more crowded with each stop and the bandana-wearing man was getting closer, smiling wider with the toothpick wedged in one corner of his mouth. Iruka struggled to maintain an unruffled look whilst concentrating on the book.
"Hey," he called.
Iruka’s cool face broke. If there was a time Iruka regretted being brought up so polite, it would be now. Unable to be rude, Iruka replied, "Yes?"
"You’re very pretty," he said, leering.
Iruka growled; this guy had to be under the sadly misguided impression that Iruka was a woman.
"Thank you, but I’m not a girl," Iruka retorted. He really didn’t want to deal with this.
The man smirked, bringing his hands close to Iruka’s body as his eyes drifted lower. He leaned in to whisper huskily into Iruka’s ear. "I know."
Iruka’s heart raced in alarm; his grip on his book slackened, and it dropped with a loud thud. He turned around to meet the Bandana Man’s eyes and attempted to hit him straight in the face. But he missed. The man smiled at Iruka.
"W-What–,"Iruka stuttered.
Just as Iruka anticipated being molested in public on a crowded train, the man suddenly winced in pain, crumpling to the floor of the train.
Iruka whirled as soon as he was freed and came face-to-face with another man, much taller than Iruka was, with silver hair and a vivid scar that slashed down from his forehead and over his left eye.
"It’s none of my business…but I think you should keep your hands to yourself," the newcomer said.
Iruka gave him a thankful look just as heads began to turn.
The pervert shot the taller man a desperate look and yelled out, "A-Alright…not so hard…I get it…!" He twitched. "I-I’m sorry!"
The man eventually did let him go and turned back to Iruka with a concerned look. He bent to retrieve the book that had fallen from Iruka’s nervous hands earlier, but Iruka had the same idea. Their fingers touched for a moment and Iruka withdrew his hand.
"Um…thank you," mumbled Iruka as he took the book from long, pale hands.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
When the words failed to leave Iruka’s mouth, he simply nodded, feeling like an idiot. He just couldn’t believe he'd nearly been groped by that pervert in public!
The train came to halt soon, and when the doors opened at Iruka’s stop, he quickly thanked the man once more and rushed out, humiliated.
Behind him, the silver-haired man shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers, staring out.
"Damn, you nearly broke my hand," the Bandana Man complained. "Well there you go, are you satisfied?"
Kakashi looked back at the man without remorse and replied, "Not yet."
*~*
The next day, after Iruka’s usual morning rituals, he got to the train station five minutes early – just to be safe – and stood idly by, waiting for the train.
As he began a new chapter of a new book, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Prepared to be asked for the time, he looked up with a rather unimpressed expression, and suddenly paused.
"Y-You!" Iruka said, stunned. "You’re the one from yesterday!"
The man nodded, almost happy that he was recognized. "What a nice surprise. How are you this morning?" he asked. "Not getting groped anymore are you?"
Iruka hoped his skin was dark enough to mask the pink that was invading his cheeks. This guy was…rather blunt, wasn’t he?
"I’m fine…thank you," Iruka finally replied.
The man simply smiled. "Ah, good to hear." Iruka realized for the first time that he hadn't introduced himself. He slapped his forehead with his left hand and extended his right. "Where are my manners? My name is Umino Iruka."
He took the friendly hand, gripping it firmly and shook it. "Hatake Kakashi," he replied.
An awkward silence ensued until the train arrived. The train was packed, as expected, but at least there were no signs of the pervert from yesterday. Iruka sighed at his initial worries as he walked inside and held his book tightly across his chest.
Kakashi eyed the book. "Oh, do you enjoy Jiraiya Sannin’s writings?"
Iruka’s looked up. "Erm…well, this is the first time I’m reading a work of his. A colleague of mine recommended it…told me it was a romantic novel. I’m only on the second chapter though," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
This guy doesn’t know it’s a porno novel, Kakashi mused. "The one you’re reading is one his earlier works. I highly recommend the sequel…it’s a little...hard plot-wise of course."
Well, a guy who reads a lot can’t be all that bad, Iruka thought "I’ll check it out as soon as I finish this one," Iruka said. "You must read a lot."
He nodded. "I’m an English teacher at Kono Academy," he replied. "So I have my fair share of reading."
Iruka failed to suppress an excited look. "Oh, so you take this train all the time?" he asked, inwardly hoping he did, just in case the pervert decided to come back.
Kakashi grinned at his buoyant temperament. "For…a little while, yes."
As Iruka prepared to initiate another series of questions about their shared profession, the train came to his stop. He frowned slightly at having been cut off from a potentially good conversation.
"I’ll see you!" called Iruka, waving to Kakashi and began to walk to the school, feeling odd.
Upon arriving at Konoha Gakuen, Iruka decided that his odd behavior must have been because he hadn't thanked Kakashi again for his help yesterday. Internal strife mounted; he thought, I should thank him properly. But how?
---
"Iruka-sensei is acting weird today."
A sixteen-year-old blond boy sat in the back of the class, observing the day-dreaming teacher, and frowned. "I wonder if sensei is sick or even worse," he mused out loud. "Brainwashed by aliens?"
The thought caused him pain, physically, as a hand landed hard against his head. The blond boy winced, grabbing at the spot under assault and fumed loudly. "What the hell was that for, Sasuke?!" he growled.
Sasuke, with his usual stern expression, pointed. "Oi, Naruto…you’re in my chair."
Naruto crossed his arms and quipped, "I don’t see your name on it, teme."
"Dobe," he called, forgetting the chair debate. "Why do you keep staring at Iruka-sensei like an idiot?"
Momentarily distracted from the argument, Naruto's anger evaporated as he looked back at Iruka, who finally started prepping for the lesson. He glanced back at Sasuke and leaned in close to his ear.
"I think...Iruka-sensei is an alien," he whispered.
Sasuke’s face fell at the revelation. To add insult to injury, Naruto was dead serious.
*~*
The next morning, it was no surprise to Iruka that he found Kakashi standing in the same spot as yesterday. Kakashi gave him a simple wave, expression dull and called, "Yo!"
"Good morning, Kakashi," Iruka said. "Ano…Kakashi…I never really gave you a proper thank you for helping me with that guy."
"Maah, no need to thank me properly Iruka, I was just being a good samaritan on my way down the road to life," he said.
Iruka, being of a persistent nature, shook his head in disagreement. "At least let me take you out for coffee. You know, since we both teach…I’m sure we can exchange some stories about our craziest students."
Iruka’s stubbornness kicked in to convince him. Kakashi gave in, though without putting much of a fight.
Unexpectedly, the train gave a brief but abrupt shake. Iruka lost his footing and struggled to hold onto the hand-pole until he eventually got his feet back under him.
Kakashi caught Iruka by his elbow. Sepia-colored eyes met black ones at an instant, causing Iruka to redden. Their thoughts were broken as the announcer spoke:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, sorry for the shake…we are now arriving at Fire City."
"T-Thanks," said Iruka.
The doors opened when the train stopped completely and Iruka realized that Kakashi was still holding his wrist. Iruka’s flushed cheeks gained another ten shades of red when he drew his hand away.
"I’ll see you tomorrow, same time?" Kakashi asked. Iruka nodded and strolled away before the doors closed on him.
That was so embarrassing, Iruka thought.
When Iruka arrived at the school, he was unusually edgy and his students were starting to notice.
"It’s true…Iruka-sensei has been acting weird," observed Sakura. The students were gathered in a group for a self-study period, which was a rarity.
"You guys are over thinking it," said Kiba. "Maybe he’s just getting sick."
Naruto jolted from his seat, sending the chair to the floor loud enough to make his peers look up in awe. "I’m telling you guys!" he shouted. "He’s been brainwashed—"
"By aliens?" interjected Shikamaru, an incredibly lazy teen. "How troublesome…it’s none of our business anyway."
Nearby, a pale-faced boy walked over to the lively group with an emotionless face. "You’re all making too much noise. I can’t draw like this," he said. "What are you guys talking about anyway?"
Ino waved the boy over and asked, "Sai…have you noticed anything odd about Iruka-sensei?"
Sai retained the same blank expression. "No, why?"
Ino’s brows furrowed and slapped her forehead. "Leave it to Sai to be so clueless about human emotion…haven’t you even noticed how distracted he’s been?"
Again, he remained bewildered.
"M-Maybe…he’s stressed," Hinata suggest whilst poking her fingers together shyly. Her statement would have gone unheard because of her soft voice if Kiba hadn’t picked it up.
"Stressed?" the dog-lover Kiba—repeated. "About what?"
Sakura put a finger to her pursed lips, giggling. "Well, I’d be stressed if I had a loud mouth student like Naruto!"
Naruto frowned at the teasing. "Hey!"
From the furthest seat of the group, Sasuke sat silently through the senseless bickering, listening to all the idiotic ideas and futile attempts to explain Iruka’s eccentric behavior over the past few days. It shouldn’t have been such an alarming issue, but now Sasuke was starting to think his boisterous classmates had a point.
Sakura noticed his distracted look and turned. "Sasuke, what do you think?" she asked.
The rest of the group turned to him too. All eyes fell on the raven-haired boy. However, he only gave her a deep, "Hn."
Inwardly, he wanted to know too.
*~*
It was a Saturday afternoon and Kakashi was dressed in casual attire instead of the suit that Iruka usually saw him in. Iruka had to secretly admit that he looked a lot more normal, even charming, with his dark blue jacket, and reddened at the silly thought.
At the Rasengan Eatery, a well-known café in Fire City, the teachers sat across from one another, sharing stories.
"…so after 24 hours working, I decided to call it a day," Kakashi finished.
Iruka stopped in the middle of drinking his dark coffee before spitting it back into the cup, and burst into hysterical fits of laughter. Customers and even some of the staff turned to stare. Iruka bit down on his index finger to muffle his laughter. His reaction sparked a smile on Kakashi’s lips.
"That was a cheesy pun," Iruka pointed out.
Kakashi’s smile widened. "So you noticed," he said.
Throughout the conversation, two familiar boys happened to pass by the café and one of them stopped in his tracks. The second boy collided with him and recoiled, holding his nose in pain.
"Why’d you stop walking?!" shouted Naruto.
Sasuke took his classmate by his hands and jerked him away from café and into his arms. Naruto’s cheek brushed on Sasuke’s firm chest and turned a crimson color as they reached the corner of the streets.
"Did you see that?" asked Sasuke as he looked around suspiciously.
Naruto shot him a perplexed look. "Teme, what the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.
Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto’s mouth, silencing the loud-mouth. "That was Iruka-sensei with some guy in that café," he said, pointing. Naruto looked in the direction Sasuke pointed, and suddenly his eyes widened. It was Iruka and a man with sloppy silver locks, laughing.
"So what? Iruka-sensei is…just having lunch…but that guy doesn’t look like he teaches at our school," Naruto observed. "Maybe a friend?"
Sasuke didn't reply.
Iruka composed himself and sat up straight, but not without chuckling. The two were unexpectedly in an unofficial pun contest and Iruka found himself amused by the cheesiness of it all.
He said, "You know, the math teachers at my school call retirement the aftermath."
Kakashi laughed but stopped himself in favor of protecting his title as pun-expert, and raced to think of a better one to counter Iruka.
"The craziest teacher I’ve ever met was cross-eyed," he began, grinning. "And, let’s just say he couldn’t control his pupils."
*~*
Hours later, they found themselves in Kakashi’s apartment building.
"I didn’t expect that last one to be that funny," Kakashi said as he pulled out his set of keys to open the door.
Iruka’s cheeks flushed; he looked down at his coffee-stained shirt. It was so embarrassing how his elbow had somehow managed to knock over his coffee, spilling it on his shirt; he'd yelped loud enough to draw attention from all over the café.
Before Kakashi turned the knob, he turned back to Iruka with a somber look. "Oh…are you allergic to dogs, by the way?" he asked.
"Not at all," Iruka replied, failing to mention he was slightly intimidated by them.
Kakashi smiled at that, opening the door wide enough for them to enter. As Iruka’s eyes wandered around the space, his initial thought was that the source of the messy living room was Kakashi’s aforementioned dog. And then, he looked around for the dog, and found…
...eight of them staring at him.
"Y-You have eight dogs?"
Kakashi scratched his temple. "Too much?" he asked. Then he bent down to the smallest one, a pug, and whisked him into his arms. "I went to an animal shelter and I decided to rescue this guy. But after I saw the other seven, I couldn’t resist them."
Iruka smiled at the heart-warming story. "What’s his name?"
The pug whimpered and licked Kakashi’s hands. "His name is Pakkun." He pointed to the other dogs. "The big one is Bull, then it’s Shiba, Akino, Guruko, Uhei, and Urushi."
The dogs howled as they were named and went off to their respective resting spots around the apartment. Iruka noticed the eighth dog, a hound with fine brown fur and droopy eyes, hadn't left with the others. It wallowed up to Iruka and sniffed his leg.
"Hey there," Iruka said. "What’s your name?"
The pup produced a bark and lifted its hind leg in preparation for marking his new territory. Kakashi recognized the gesture instantly and started to raise his hand. "Bisuke," Kakashi’s eyes widened ominously. "Don’t–"
Before Kakashi could finish the sentence, the brown pup was urinating on Iruka’s leg. Iruka stood still frozen, dumbfounded as he felt the warm liquid seeping through the leg of his pants and reddened. Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Ahh, looks like he likes you," he said. "Uh…I’ll go and get you a clean shirt…and pants."
*~*
The next day, Naruto and Sasuke continued their surveillance of Iruka.
Naruto was the one to tell his classmates that they had encountered Iruka—their teacher, having lunch at Rasengan with a mysterious man. By now the majority of the group had been sucked into the mystery of his personal life, not that Iruka noticed his students all but gawking at him.
No, instead he reminisced continuously about the events of Saturday's events, unable to control the sappy smile that crept over his face.
"There goes Naruto’s alien idea," Kiba said. "Not that it should have been ever considered. It was really stupid."
"Yeah it was," Sakura and Ino chorused.
"What the hell!" exclaimed Naruto. "W-Whatever!"
"So what if he was with a friend?" asked Ino. Sasuke and Naruto both shrugged – they really couldn’t explain it.
"I guess it’s just the way Iruka-sensei acted," replied Naruto. "It…was like he was so happy."
*~*
After school, Iruka began to gather his things to head back home. Today wasn’t so easy for his students; it was mid-term week and quite frankly, Iruka wasn’t very excited about grading a hundred or so essays. But at least he had next weekend to look forward to.
After the café events, Kakashi had invited him to dinner and promised that none of his dogs would urinate on Iruka this time. But Iruka hadn't made a big deal about it; oddly enough, he had taken a great liking to Bisuke.
I should wash his clothes before I return them, thought the school teacher as he exited the school building. I hope he won’t mind the way my detergent smells, though.
"There he is!" shouted Naruto as they reached Iruka. A hand instantly slapped over his mouth. "Hmmph!"
"Keep it down," whispered Sakura.
Naruto nodded and looked back at his teacher. Behind the building Naruto gathered the group, including a reluctant Shikamaru, and they had all agreed to spy on Iruka. Naruto’s group, consisting of Sakura and Sai, handled the right side of the block that; Hinata, Shino and Kiba handled the left, while Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji went on ahead of everyone to keep eye on the mysterious silver-haired man.
"Man this is so troublesome, such a pain in the ass," mumbled Shikamaru. Ino motioned for him to quiet down.
Sasuke was the only one who refused to join in spying on Iruka, stating insisting it was "not in his nature".
The teams tracked Iruka like hawks tracking their prey; they grew tenser with each passing second expecting the mysterious man Iruka was seeing to suddenly pop up out of nowhere.
"Damn it…how do we know this guy will even show up?" Kiba mumbled angrily. He was missing soccer practice for this!
Naruto’s eyes stayed focused on his beloved teacher, searching for any clue as to the identity of the mysterious silver-haired man.
Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into an hour and Iruka was nearing the train station without as much as a glimpse of the mysterious man. The teenagers began to feel disappointed and a little angry that Naruto had dragged them out of their after school activities to spy on Iruka.
Then suddenly, from the corner of the street, a head poked out of a building, watching Iruka with focused eyes attention.
"There he is!" Naruto shouted, pointing.
The sight of the silver-haired man from the café sent Naruto flying for Iruka. Sakura grabbed for his wrist to stop him but she couldn't hold him back.
"Naruto!" she called. "Don’t!"
Naruto ignored her pleas and kept sprinting towards Iruka until the wind was knocked out of his lungs and he hit the pavement. Naruto landed hard on his back, with Sasuke on top of him, looking down contemplatively.
"Where the hell did you come from?" growled Naruto. "I don’t have time for this, teme! I have to warn Iruka-sensei! That guy is stalking him!"
Sasuke silenced him with a glare. "Keep it down, usuratonkachi. Just watch—"
"Watch?! How can I?! Iruka-sensei’s in danger—"
Sasuke’s hands collided with Naruto’s lips. "We’ll help him if anything happens, dobe. Now will you be quiet?"
Naruto nodded reluctantly as Sasuke withdrew his hands from Naruto’s mouth.
"Teme, I knew you cared about Iruka-sensei," Naruto snickered as they rejoined Sakura and Sai. Sasuke merely grunted; his eyes didn't leave Iruka.
Iruka stopped in his tracks; the teams froze almost instantly.
Iruka crossed his arms in front of his chest and called out, "You can come out now. I know you’re there."
Naruto winced.
Had they been caught? The others were all thinking the same thing. Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji exchanged looks; Hinata, Kiba, and Shino remained still, waiting.
The teams moved to reveal their positions, until they saw the man with silver-hair just as Naruto had described him walking out of his hiding place and into the middle of the street. He sighed.
"Looks like I’m caught," Kakashi said.
Iruka crossed his arms. "Why have you been following me?" he demanded.
He scratched his head, apparently embarrassed. "Ah, just making sure that you aren’t getting groped or molested. These streets can be quite dangerous," he replied easily.
Iruka rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Well, aren’t you the civilian of the year?" he remarked sarcastically.
Kakashi grinned. "You really think so?" he asked enthusiastically.
Iruka’s look wasn’t amused; Kakashi hung his head low and fidgeted nervously. "I just…thought maybe we could ride the train together."
Iruka’s cheeks burned crimson; he turned away to avoid Kakashi’s eyes. Feigning an angry tone he said, "All you had to do was ask."
Kakashi’s smile returned and he fell into step alongside the young instructor. When he reached Iruka’s side, he noticed how red he was under the tan and began to chuckle. He wondered if he was the reason for the Iruka's discomfort.
When the two were about a block away from the train station, Kakashi started noticing the pursuers trailing them. He couldn’t tell who the kids were. But by their uniforms, Kakashi was able to identify them as students from Konoha Gakuen.
Looks like I’m going to have to teach these kids not to meddle in their teacher’s affairs, Kakashi mused darkly. He had to think fast. He needed something that would traumatize them for sticking their noses into his business. And then suddenly, the thought came to him.
Kakashi brought his footsteps to a halt. Iruka turned in surprise. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Not really," he replied. "But there is something that’s been bothering me."
Iruka granted him a puzzled look and continued to ask, "W-What is it?"
Kakashi didn’t reply instead he captured Iruka’s chin, as if going for a kiss, leaving him breathless as their eyes met. Iruka didn’t know what to think but he didn’t resist, and even more surprisingly he found himself waiting for Kakashi to keep going.
Kakashi tilted his head a little and leaned in closer, barely touching his lips. When he sensed no protest from Iruka, Kakashi timidly closed the distance between them and kissed him. Iruka’s eyes widened.
The immediacy of the shock didn’t compare with the speed of Iruka’s heart beating in his chest; it pumped so fast that the blood reaching his head it made him light-headed.
When Kakashi pulled away, he was smiling. "I like you very much Iruka."
Iruka’s jaw dropped, astonished by his nonchalance. No word of protest escaped; and with that being said, Kakashi sought the open entrance as an opportunity to slip tongue in. Inside, he explored the sensitive surfaces of Iruka's mouth, picking up the taste of Iruka's lunch—ramen, of course.
Iruka hesitated, but Kakashi's kiss was so damned beguiling he had to respond, falling smoothly into the rhythm of the kiss. In response, Kakashi cupped Iruka’s face tenderly with his hands and deepened the kiss with careful precision. Iruka leaned deeper to him; he closed his eyes as his hands flew to Kakashi’s wrists and gripped them tightly.
For that moment, they forgot that they were in public. Kakashi no longer worried about how the students would react to seeing their male teacher kiss another man, nor did he care.
They remained unaware of the flabbergasted expressions on Kiba or Naruto's faces, their jaws dropping so low it nearly touched the ground; nor did they acknowledge Sakura, Hinata, or Ino blushing as they watched in utter astonishment. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino turned away and fled the scene before they could be further traumatized.
Sasuke watched, unfazed.
Sai, however, was nothing but amused and enthusiastically retrieved his sketch pad so he could start sketching the scene. "So that’s how to do it," Sai mumbled, already drawing.
The groups eventually broke up and went their separate ways, with the exception of Naruto, who was frozen in place by shock.
"Dobe." Sasuke poked him. "Let’s go already."
Naruto swallowed hard and nodded, trailing behind his best friend.
When they pulled away from the kiss, to say Iruka was at loss for words would be an understatement. He took a step back and stammered, "K-Kakashi…"
"Ah, that was rude and improper of me. I’m sorry Iruka, I won’t do that again," he sighed. "I’ll understand if you never want to talk to me again—"
Iruka stilled his lips with a finger, an amused look on his face. "We’ll miss the train if we keep standing here," he said.
*~*
After a long, silent train ride, Iruka finally made it to his apartment. As he closed the door behind him, he slumped against it, barely containing a smile as his fingers traced his lips where Kakashi kissed him.
He didn’t know exactly when he had started to fall for Kakashi, but he didn’t feel weird about it now. And tomorrow they were going to have dinner together at his place with his dogs.
Their plans for tomorrow finally hit home, and Iruka jerked upright and rushed to his bedroom to pick out something what he was going to wear.
*~*
The next day, Iruka fidgeted nervously when Kakashi opened the door. Bisuke was the first to greet him, pouncing on him and licked his face. Kakashi restrained the canine and led the way inside to his apartment.
They were both clearly nervous; they hadn't spoken about the kiss.
"I brought some onigiri," Iruka offered, breaking the awful silence. He held up a neatly wrapped container for Kakashi’s viewing pleasure, which was received gracefully. Iruka retreated and sat on the couch nearby.
"Ah…you shouldn’t have troubled yourself with that. I did say I’d make the food," he replied. "But thank you, Iruka."
They exchanged smiles until Bisuke whimpered and laid his small head on Iruka’s lap. Iruka sent Kakashi an uncertain look, confused by the dog’s actions. Kakashi laughed at Iruka's bewilderment.
"Go ahead," he encouraged. "Just rub his head. Or scratch behind his ears. He loves that."
Iruka bit his lip, hesitating. It had been so many years since he'd pet a dog and it wasn’t even a pretty experience either. When he'd been younger, he had assumed the neighbor’s dog would love to be scratched, but it had bitten him on the hand for his trouble. Since then, Iruka’s been wary of petting dogs.
Kakashi noticed his indecision, and immediately came to his aid, scooting over to sit beside Iruka. "Give me your hand," instructed Kakashi. Iruka complied quietly.
With his consent, Kakashi gently placed his warm brown hand on Bisuke’s head. The dog responded with a soft whine and his tail started wagging enthusiastically. Iruka removed his hand abruptly for fear of hurting him.
"He likes it," Kakashi reassured him. "Just relax, Iruka. Dogs can sense uneasiness, y’know."
Iruka swallowed hard; the last thing he didn’t want was Kakashi to think he wasn’t comfortable.
Again, Kakashi detected his worries and smiled. "Hmm…Iruka," he coaxed. "Just relax and just scratch him like I’m doing."
It’s kind of hard to relax when you’re so close to me, Iruka thought.
Eventually, Iruka stopped his reluctance and began to mimic Kakashi’s motions, gently massaging the roots of the dog’s fur just behind his ears in the way Bisuke liked. The dog seemed to enjoy it very much; he jumped on Iruka’s lap and made himself comfortable, wagging his tail happily.
"You’re doing great," Kakashi whispered.
His tone sent a shiver up the fine line of Iruka’s spine making the hairs on his nape stand. Bisuke squirmed under his touch as if he sensed the uneasiness once more.
The tension broke when a loud bark from Pakkun sounded from the kitchen. Kakashi rose quickly and walked over to the stove and turned it off right on time and left the food to simmer in the pan. He started setting the table, the rest of the dogs watching curiously.
Kakashi felt himself reddening under the dogs' scrutiny; he knew his actions must be confusing them. They weren’t quite used to having a second human around the apartment either, not that they didn’t like Iruka. Kakashi very well knew his dogs approved of the brunet, well…because Bisuke loved him.
A sharp pain interrupted his thoughts.
"Shit," Kakashi hissed. He sucked blood from a cut on his thumb he'd nicked it slicing the chicken teriyaki into smaller pieces.
Iruka’s head poked through the kitchen doorway, Bisuke in his arms, napping. "Do you need any help, Kakashi?" he asked.
"No," replied Kakashi. "You’re my guest. I don’t—"
Iruka settled Bisuke gently down on the kitchen floor, careful not to wake him up. He advanced towards Kakashi and noticed the small cut on Kakashi’s thumb. "Kakashi! You cut yourself!" he exclaimed worriedly. "Do you have a band-aid around here?"
Kakashi laughed. "Oh, come on Iruka. It’s just a small—"
"Do you or not?" he interrupted sternly.
His tone jerked a quick nod from Kakashi, cowed by his suddenly forceful demeanor. He pointed to a nearby cabinet.
Kakashi couldn’t help but watch as Iruka wrapped a band-aid around his thumb, spell-bound by his expression, overly concerned for such a petty wound.
When Iruka looked up, he met Kakashi’s deep black eyes for a moment. He looked away shyly and went to the sink to wash his hands. "Give me the knife," he said. "I’ll cut it; you just set the table."
Kakashi grinned. "Aren’t we demanding today, sensei?" he teased.
Iruka ignored his teasing. Rolling his sleeves up, he set about chopping the vegetables and sliced strips of chicken teriyaki that Kakashi had prepared. While Iruka chopped, Kakashi did as he was told and resumed setting the table, folding the napkins neatly and laying out chopsticks.
In the meantime, the dogs continued to watch the duo, studying their behavior and at the same time anticipating some a share of the food. But their hopes were thwarted when the pair finally sat down and began their dinner without dropping any convenient scraps.
"Itadakimasu," they intoned and began to eat.
Iruka’s eyes crinkled in pleasure at the spicy taste and he smiled. Although he was reluctant to talk while he chewed, he produced a hum out of appreciation, savoring the taste.
"This is really good!" he said after he had swallowed, unable to keep silent.
Kakashi looked overjoyed. "Ah…I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m rather serious when I cook," he said. "In fact, there was this one time a friend of mine who was food taster came to try my food. But he ended up quitting because he had too much on his plate."
Since the café incident, Iruka has grown cautious of laughing with food or a drink in his mouth. He quickly swallowed and sniggered uncontrollably in a vain attempt to suppress uncontrollable laughter.
"Oh no, not these puns again," he said, sighing. "I give up! I have no choice but to hereby bestow upon thee my crown and the title of pun master."
Kakashi smiled broadly. "I gratefully accept the honor, sensei."
They shared a quick laugh at their odd sense of humor as Kakashi took their plates to the sink. Iruka moved to help him with the dishes. Kakashi's hand flew to Iruka's wrist, stopping him.
Iruka met Kakashi’s eyes, laid-back charcoal tinged with red. He realized Kakashi’s expression was earnest and solemn, almost as though his earlier smiles had never existed. It rattled Iruka, but he couldn’t find the will to move back or question over his odd behavior.
"…Iruka," he said, and there was something hungry in his voice. "I…" he trailed off momentarily, looking for the right words, afraid he would scare Iruka away if he didn’t chose his words wisely. His pale face reflected the turmoil of his thoughts in a way Iruka found worrisome
Ah…actions always did speak louder than words, Kakashi thought.
And in that moment, time stopped for the two of them.
Iruka’s knees felt weak when he caught Kakashi’s warm breath ghosting over his nose. His stomach felt like it had just attempted a surprise somersault as they kissed for the second time, but at the same time a profound relief swept through him.
Kakashi’s lips were soft, if not even softer than the first time, but now there was pressure behind them, full of anxious want. Without so much as a second thought, Iruka wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s neck, pulling him closer until their bodies collided.
Their knees touched; Iruka felt Kakashi’s arms timidly wrapping around his waist. Pale hands caressed his smooth back. Despite the distraction of the kiss, Iruka felt suddenly more aware of his own body and how it responded so naturally to Kakashi’s movements, from their clinging lips to the way their tongues twisted together and their feet moving as one as they edged their way into the living room.
Their kisses became husky and full of heavy breathing, both unwilling to interrupt the kiss to catch their breath.
Iruka fell pinned in between the couch and Kakashi. He let out an involuntary groan as Kakashi’s wet, graceful tongue licked swiftly at the corner of his lips and drifted down to occupy itself with his neck.
"K-Kakashi…" he moaned.
The way Iruka tasted Iruka's taste was instantly familiar even though they had never done this until today. Kakashi was strangely quick in figuring out Iruka’s likes and dislikes by the way he squirmed. Kakashi decided to be brave and slowly worked his way down his neck, brushing his shirt aside he could kiss/to kiss his shoulders while his hands began to undo Iruka’s button. Iruka felt the cold hit his chest and caught Kakashi's hands.
"Sorry," Kakashi mumbled and sprang away guiltily. "I got a little carried away…forgive me again. It’s just…hard to resist you. I’ve liked you for a while now—"
"It’s okay," Iruka interrupted. His cheeks flamed with what had to be a record-breaking blush. He looked away and mumbled, "I…like you too."
Kakashi’s eyes brightened again at this. He moved to kiss Iruka again, but several a series of barks broke the moment. Bisuke approached Iruka and whined, looking betrayed.
Kakashi wrapped his arms around Iruka's shoulder and with a broad grin he said, "Mine."
*~*
Three Weeks Later
"I…can’t…" Iruka panted. He closed his eyes tightly, mentally cursing his uncanny endurance during a crucial moment. His knees wobbled violently, threatening to give out if he continued any longer. And with Kakashi over him, he was growing anxious, hoping Kakashi would hurry up and move.
Kakashi had a smug expression plastered on his face. "Mm…you look so good in this position, Iruka," he confessed.
Iruka’s knees gave out, causing him to land on his chest. He turned to face Kakashi with an exasperated look. "W-Why did you have to go and say that?! I almost won too," he mumbled.
"It’s all part of the game. I’m telling you, no one can beat me at Twister," he said.
Iruka frowned. "That’s cheating."
"Sensei, I’m deeply hurt."
Iruka rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s neck and reeled him down to ground level. Iruka stared hard into Kakashi’s eyes, wondering what he was thinking. Unbeknownst to him, Kakashi was wondering the same about him.
"What are you thinking about?" they both asked in unison.
"Nothing," they chorused.
Iruka broke their spontaneous tandem to plant a very brief kiss on Kakashi’s lips, leaving him primed and wanting more.
"I demand a rematch," Iruka declared.
Kakashi shook his head. "No way. I think I deserve a prize for beating you ten times…in a row."
"A prize? Like what?" he asked.
"A kiss."
Biting his lip indecisively, Iruka raised his head using his elbows for leverage and obliged him. In response, Kakashi pressed him back down onto the floor for his comfort and happily kissed back.
Their tongues brushed each other; their lips were moist and warm. Their hands explored one another; Iruka’s legs wrapped around Kakashi’s waist as his hands moved under his shirt for warmth.
Kakashi’s mind nearly exploded when Iruka moaned as Kakashi rubbed his stirring cock through the fabric of his pants. He took it as a sign of approval and removed Iruka’s shirt. In a flash, Kakashi was planting chaste kisses on his tanned chest.
Iruka was beyond thinking ahead; his mind was in complete agreement with Kakashi's course of action; waves of arousal radiated out from the points where Kakashi's lips touched his skin.
"Aah…" Iruka moaned again and again, huskier each time.
Kakashi silenced his pleas by crushing their lips together. When their hips met, Iruka’s eyes widened and he froze.
"W-what is it?" Kakashi asked, fearing he’d gone too far.
Iruka pointed to some unwanted guests and smiled timidly.
Kakashi turned his head to see his eight dogs, all with tilted heads and shocked expressions. Embarrassed, he hung his head between Iruka’s neck and shoulder.
"Next time, my place?" Iruka offered.
*~*
After a month, everyone who was a witness to the love-stricken teachers was getting used to it. Kakashi stopped by Konoha Gakuen so often that some students were starting to believe that Kakashi was working there now.
But today, for the first time Kakashi didn’t show up.
"Why don’t you go to his school for a change?" Kotetsu suggested as if reading Iruka’s thoughts. Iruka looked up at his friend and colleague, and then gave him a shy smile.
"You think I should?" he asked.
Coming up behind, Izumo gave Iruka a light pat on his back. "Sure, why not? He’ll probably like the surprise."
After much deliberation—courtesy of Kotetsu and Izumo, Iruka mustered up the courage to pay to visit to the neighboring school and surprise him Kakashi at Kono Academy. Before going, he stopped by a nice looking food market. There, he purchased fish to make Kakashi’s favorite dish of salt-broiled saury.
As he approached the foreign grounds, he found a trio of students together, perhaps on their way home. With a warm smile, Iruka approached the middle boy of the group and asked, "Excuse me…where is the entrance to the school?"
The young man had lavender eyes that reminded Iruka very much of his student, Hinata. Only, his tone wasn’t at all hesitant like hers. "Are you a teacher here?" he asked.
The girl from the group elbowed him. "Neji! Don’t be rude. The entrance is right there," she said, pointing to the doors.
The last boy had a green sports jacket and gave Iruka a smile back. "There’s a directory in the entrance if you need help!" he said.
Iruka nodded, feeling encouraged that the school had well-mannered students—unlike his own. "Thank you," he said and walked away.
The school was undoubtedly beautiful, and perhaps bigger than Konoha Gakuen. Many of the students whom he came across waved or smiled at him, and one even bowed slightly. Iruka figured they thought he was an unfamiliar teacher; man, he was teaching in the wrong school!
After following the directory’s arrows, Iruka managed to find the English Department where he was sure Kakashi’s office would be. Iruka swallowed hard in attempts to settle down the butterflies in his stomach and uneasiness in his heart.
He opened the door, with his lips curved into a smile, and when he got there he suddenly dropped the packaged lunch that he bought Kakashi and with it, his stomach.
"Kakashi…?"
Ahead, Kakashi turned, stunned. "Iruka? What are you doing here?"
And right next to Kakashi was Bandana-Man with a tooth-pick in his mouth. He waved over at Iruka and chuckled nervously at the awkward situation.
"You’re the guy who tried to grope me," Iruka stated. The guilty man scratched his head. "Kakashi…y-you know him?"
Kakashi looked down but denied nothing; his reluctance to speak answered Iruka’s question. "It’s not…what you think—" he began.
Iruka’s brows furrowed. "Was…this some kind of a joke between you two?" he demanded.
Kakashi’s eyes widened in fear. "N-No, not at all—"
The man threw up his hands up defensively. "Hey, hey there…wait just a second here. Kakashi’s the one who told me to do it!"
"Oh, that makes it so much better," Iruka retorted, silencing the pair. He turned away to hide his watery eyes and with a forced and serious voice, he said, "I don’t ever want to see you again. If you see me on the train…don’t come near me or speak to me."
Kakashi grabbed his wrist. "Come on, Iruka…hear me out."
Iruka pulled his wrist away with a force that baffled Kakashi. "Please don’t talk to me again," he repeated angrily and stomped off. And with a loud slam, silence fell over the English Department and two dumbfounded teachers.
*~*
I can’t believe him, Iruka thought.
By the time he had reached the grounds of Kono Gakuen again, he spotted his favorite blond student looking distressed in front of the school.
His rage over Kakashi sank to the back of his mind when he realized Naruto was upset. His maternal instincts kicked in as he laid a hand on the blonde’s shoulder to grab his attention. Naruto’s eyes met Iruka’s, and he knew that his intuition was deadly accurate.
"What’s wrong?" Iruka asked.
Naruto’s body trembled as he spoke, frantically explaining, "I had a fight with that teme—I mean, Sasuke," he began. It was no surprise for Iruka, but he continued, "He was so mad at me for no apparent reason! Before I knew it, we started punching, rolling on the floor, yelling curses, and when he was about to land the final punch he…"
"What?" Iruka asked.
The blonde’s bottom lip stammered and quickly replied, "H-Hekissedme."
As the words escaped his mouth, Naruto watched his sensei nervously, feeling ashamed and self-conscious. He feared his teacher would look at him with disgust and shun him.
Although Iruka was stupefied by this announcement, he quickly recovered and called up a smile. He cast aside any indication of disappointment and he placed his hands on Naruto’s shoulders to reassure him. "Do you like him too?" he asked.
Naruto’s muscles loosened. "W-Well…y-yeah, he’s my best friend," he replied.
But Iruka shook his head. "Well, that’s not exactly what I meant. Uh…Naruto, does it bother you that another boy likes you?"
The boy thought hard for a long minute before he could reply. Honestly, it only bothered him that Sasuke had been so blunt about his confession. When he'd polished his thoughts, he looked back into Iruka’s eyes and responded, "I guess not. I mean, you like that freaky looking guy with white hair, right?"
A priceless look crossed Iruka’s face and he felt his cheeks redden. "T-That’s…not really what this is about—"
Naruto turned away with his hands on top of his head and snickered mischievously. "Iruka-sensei always gets red when he’s around that scarecrow guy. But, I guess it's okay with all of us since he’s been making you really happy lately."
His hands flew to his hips. "All of us?" Iruka wondered. "Who is, all of us?"
Naruto didn’t reply. He waved at his teacher and thanked him and though Iruka couldn’t see it, Naruto was smiling as he ran towards a certain Uchiha boy.
Iruka crossed his arms and watched from behind as Naruto caught up with Sasuke, who had a shocked expression on his face. The boys exchanged a few words before Sasuke looked down in embarrassment. Then they timidly held hands and walked off together.
*~*
At eight-thirty in the morning, Iruka Umino often awoke with a sanguine disposition, but today his eyes were full of sleep and his smile was absent for the day. He slumped slightly as he stood, alone, in the middle of the platform. He dared not to scan the area for Kakashi or the perverted man in fear that their eyes would meet accidently. He hoped to get to work without a distraction and move on with his life.
And as always, the Rapid Train arrived on time at eight-thirty five, without so much as a sight of either of the two. With his briefcase tucked under his arm, Iruka stared out of the window of the train and let out an extensive breath of air through his nose to relax.
As he opened his eyes once more, he peered out across the platform where people waited for the Express Train, and in the middle of it, Kakashi stood alone.
Iruka quickly turned his back to the window. His heart raced fast when the doors slid closed and moved out of the platform, and away from Kakashi.
*~*
A week passed and Iruka had buried himself in his books.
Her whimpers were sweet and soft. She found herself kissing back, even deepening the kiss by grabbing the locks of his soft hair and pushing it further to her face. She felt a sensation like ants crawling up her spine. Her back was against the floor. The man hovered above her with a sincere smile.
"You’re finally mine," he whispered.
He couldn't help reach out for her cheek, caressing it softly. She closed his eyes to savor the feeling and kissed his hands before he bent down to resume their kissing.
Iruka stopped in the middle, putting the orange book down, and rubbed the sides of his head. He failed to suppress a half-smile, remembering Kakashi’s words from their first real conversation, "The one you’re reading is one Jiraiya’s earlier works. I highly recommend the sequel…it’s a little hard, plot-wise of course."
For the first time, Iruka finally realized that Icha Icha was a porn book.
*~*
It was a Saturday afternoon and another two weeks had passed since the incident with Kakashi.
"Thank you for riding the Rapid Train, please proceed with caution…"
Iruka was slightly paranoid as he exited the platform and into the streets. The sky was growing dark with gray clouds that threatened to produce rain. Iruka was crossed because he'd forgotten to bring an umbrella; perhaps he'd picked a very bad day to go grocery shopping.
But unfortunately the rain was the least of his worries. Behind him, he could have sworn that he saw the same tooth-pick sucking lecherous man. He picked up his pace without really confirming his suspicions.
From the corner of his eye, he caught another glimpse of the man and confirmed his initial worries, he was nearly running away. The man looked fazed but he also began running after Iruka.
The rain fell harder with every passing second. Iruka was getting completely soaked. They turned onto a street that was clear of pedestrians trying to get out of the rain—bad idea.
Iruka was tired of running. Coolly, Iruka whirled in time to grab his stalker's wrist and gripped it hard. The pervert’s face crumpled up in astonishment and he struggled to squirm free of Iruka’s grip, until Iruka gave it a harsh tug and twist, making him wince in pain and fall to his knees.
"Why are you following me?" he demanded angrily.
"I-I just wanna talk!" the man cried. "D-Damn it, it hurts!"
Iruka’s eyebrows rose slightly and he loosened his grip. The Bandana-Man removed his toothpick and rubbed his wrist thoroughly. "Man, who would have thought you were this strong?" he mumbled ruefully.
"So talk," Iruka instructed, though shakily. With the rain pouring down so hard, Iruka was sure that it was enough to mask the tears that threatened to stream down his face. He gripped his hands tightly and tried to banish the incriminating shakiness from his voice. He didn’t want to look like he was bothered when he asked, "What more is there to say?"
After rubbing some of the pain away, the man moved to retrieve an umbrella from his back pocket. He opened it and willingly held it over Iruka, shielding him from the cold and pelting rain. Iruka shivered at being so close to the same man who was so close to groping him weeks prior. This time, the man looked sincere as he scratched the back of his neck.
"My name is Genma. And it’s about Kakashi. I came to tell you the truth about him," he replied.
Iruka fell silent under the umbrella. Genma continued, having caught his attention. "Listen…first off, I’m really sorry about the train thing. I mean it's true Kakashi told me to do it—"
Iruka began to walk away until Genma quickly added, "But he’s liked you for a long time even before you spoke to him! He wouldn’t say anything but every time we waited for the Express Train, he’d practically gawk at you from across the platform. But he never really had the balls to get up and talk to you."
Iruka voice stuttered. "H-He liked me b-before we even met?"
"For about six months," Genma revealed, scratching his head again. God, he was pretty bad at this. "Haven’t you ever noticed the way he looks at you? He hasn’t been his old self in a very long time. and quite frankly, at first…I thought all he wanted was a quicky."
Iruka shifted his gaze away, looking a little angry again. Genma noticed and felt wary of the look. "A-Anyway…when the Express Train went out of line that day, he practically pushed me to get into the same car as you just so that he could be near you. Then, of course, I told him to talk to you and suddenly we had that plan for me to grope you…and Kakashi would come in to the rescue."
Iruka suddenly realized, "Kakashi doesn’t even take the Rapid Train, does he?"
Genma shook his head. "He’s been getting in trouble with the Headmaster for being late…or later than he usually is. Lucky for Kakashi, the Headmaster knows better than to fire him. He’s a good teacher."
Iruka felt more guilt overwhelming him like a boulder on his shoulders. "Why?" he wondered.
He shrugged in response. "I ask him the same thing. He just smiles and never replies," he said.
"Oh…" mumbled Iruka, feeling odd.
Genma stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well, I came to tell you the truth since you didn’t wait to hear it from Kakashi last time. I hope you’ll consider what I told you and start talking to him again…he’s been down lately."
He handed Iruka the umbrella before walking out from under it, letting the rain hit him hard. "Keep the umbrella," he said. "You can return it to Kakashi."
Iruka shook his head; this was all too confusing. "Wait…why did you do this?" he asked.
Genma snorted as if the answer was so obvious. He didn’t bother to look back as he walked away. His answer was nevertheless clearly audible. "Well, you made him happy."
*~*
Kakashi wondered why Bisuke would be so excited to hear a knock from the door as he walked over to open it. He whistled for the dog to back away from the door so he could open it. He expected nothing more than Genma coming over for their usual weekend drinking anyway.
"Hope you brought along my umbrella too—" Kakashi started, anticipating the tooth-pick sucking man.
However, the new arrival welcomed Bisuke and ruffled his fur before letting the dog go. "I’m sorry…but Genma couldn’t make it."
Kakashi’s mouth fell shut and his eyes widened as the door revealed one drenched Umino Iruka, standing in the doorway with a shy smile and the aforementioned umbrella. He noticed Iruka was shivering from the cold and quickly recovered from being astonished.
"I-Iruka," he stammered.
Without waiting for another meaningless word, Iruka stepped inside and wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s neck before closing the gap and pulling him in for a kiss. Kakashi’s eyes widened, but he responded almost immediately.
The matter of how the door got closed was completely forgotten as they made their way to the floor of the living room, kissing passionately. Their hands explored missed places, their legs intertwined in an extension of their embrace; they rolled around the floor with a sound of moans and whispers mixing.
Kakashi pressed a firm hand to Iruka's chest, breaking the kiss briefly to survey his deep brown eyes. Iruka bit his lip despite his efforts to remain level-headed and calm but it was all in vain.
"You…how…?" asked Kakashi.
Iruka brushed a wet strand of hair away from his eyes and used his elbows for leverage to pick himself up. "Genma, told me everything," he explained.
Kakashi lifted him back to his feet and rubbed his temples. "Ah…he did? What exactly did he say?"
"Just that you’ve been stalking me for six months," he replied jokingly. However, Kakashi took it seriously to a fault. Iruka lifted Kakashi’s chin and smiled.
Kakashi shivered at his unusually cold hands and took them in his before planting them on his chest. Iruka felt the strong heart-beats as they shared another kiss.
"Wait, Iruka…you’ll catch a cold," Kakashi said just as they broke apart. "You can use my shower…and I’ll lend you some of my clothes—"
"Kakashi," he interrupted. "How much…do you like me?"
This time, Kakashi was nervous, which was unbecoming on him. God, only Iruka could make him so nervous!
"I-I’ve liked you for a long time…words can’t even begin to describe—" he replied.
"So, then show me."
With those words, Iruka wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s waist, disrupting Kakashi's attempts to control himself. Kakashi kissed his forehead with obvious care and slipped the hair band off to give Iruka’s wet hair a chance to dry.
They kissed fiercely and breathlessly without the will to resist one another. Their lips moved in perfect counterpoint, kissing with uncontrollable desire and hunger; their lips conforming and adapting to each other's preferences. Iruka sighed, he was more than satisfied after so long.
Iruka’s thoughts quickly abandoned him when he felt Kakashi’s moist and wet tongue licking down to his neck. Kakashi’s teeth scraped the clear skin over Iruka’s pulse, licking it to taste salt.
As they sank down onto the couch, Kakashi’s hands began to remove Iruka’s soaked jacket. Iruka’s chest was exposed very quickly. Kakashi removed the last layer of wet shirt and examined his firm, tanned flesh. Iruka’s skin prickled with goose bumps; but Kakashi had made sure that Iruka didn’t grow any colder. Growling, Kakashi pinned him against the couch.
Kakashi covered Iruka’s hard chest with warm kisses and his hot breath lingering on his skin.
"K-Kakashi…" Iruka mumbled. "Y-Your dogs…"
For what seemed the millionth time, the dogs were surrounding the two. Kakashi didn’t feel the need to shoo them away; instead he took the shy school teacher in his arms and planted him on the bed in his room.
Kakashi moved on top of his lover’s body and the two men exchanged looks for a second.
"Quite an effective way to warm sensei up, ne?" he laughed.
"S-Shut up," Iruka mumbled.
Kakashi smiled and removed his own shirt to equalize the amount of nakedness on display. He could tell Iruka was admiring his body. Kakashi took the initiative, leaning out towards Iruka and brushing his lips against Iruka’s red earlobe. He let his husky breath idle around Iruka's nape; the reaction was more than satisfactory; Iruka shivered slightly.
"I’m all yours to see, sensei," he whispered.
Iruka's heart skipped a beat; blood rushed to his head, making him dizzy again. Kakashi pulled back from his ears. His nose was inches away from Iruka's and he brought a hand up close to Iruka's face so he could trace the scar that ran across the bridge of Iruka's nose with the thumb, caressing so, so tentatively.
Returning to the lip-locking action, Kakashi ground against Iruka’s as-yet unexplored pelvis, moving in a sensual pace. With their torsos fitted together snugly daylight couldn't fit between them, the friction felt better than anything either had ever experienced.
The hardness between his legs throbbed when Kakashi stopped. He broke away from a heated kiss, looking to Iruka for permission. Iruka’s eyes pleaded Kakashi to remove his pants. Certainly, with great deliberation, Kakashi acceded to Iruka's demand, stripping away the bothersome piece of clothing.
The corners of Kakashi’s lips twitched a grin when Iruka aided him by lifting his hips enthusiastically. When they were off, Kakashi felt his own cock move at the sight of Iruka's hard, wet length. His slender white fingers wrapped around Iruka's cock for the first time and slowly began to pump it, moving from base to tip in an experienced motion.
Iruka's legs spread wider as he made a pornographic sound, his cheeks flushed. But it was so hot and Kakashi’s hands felt so good touching him that he no longer cared if his next door neighbors heard them.
Iruka gasped loudly; Kakashi was overjoyed and surprised at making a mess of the once serene Iruka. It made him feel a sense of accomplishment and he swelled with gratification at his skill, to drive him to such desperation.
His black eyes focused intently on Iruka’s strained face, admiring his work. They continued stare at each other, breathing hard. It turned him on.
"O-Oh…g-god…" Iruka moaned. "Kakashi…f-faster."
Kakashi chuckled and complied. "Like this, sensei?"
Iruka nodded violently and moved with him. Inwardly, Kakashi had to admit that his roughness was perhaps the culmination of everything that had been building inside him these past few days without Iruka.
Pushing past the distracting thoughts, Kakashi started crawling down Iruka’s body, stopping his hand. He didn’t have to look to know that Iruka was watching him nervously. He knew what was going to come next and bit his finger in anticipation.
Precome leaked profusely from the head of Iruka's cock; Kakashi lowered his thumb to wipe a bead of it off. He lifted the same finger to his mouth, and licked it slowly. Iruka shifted underneath him, finding the image intensely arousing.
"Are you sure you want it, sensei?" Kakashi asked, his tone so seductive that Iruka submitted instantly to his touch. Iruka was unable to mouth a yes, not that Kakashi expected one.
Kakashi’s lips parted just wide enough to let the head of Iruka's cock slip through and no more. With Iruka’s gasping consent, he continued to slide his mouth down to engulf the rest of Iruka’s shaft.
"A-Ah…fuck," he cursed. Kakashi’s eyes widened, shocked. He only sucked harder.
Up to this point, Iruka had never gotten a blowjob from another man; the newfound sensation made him quiver. He closed his eyes tightly, embarrassed. God, what was Kakashi doing to him? He bit his lip at the thought, growing shy.
He looked up at Kakashi, regretted it immediately, and blushed to see Kakashi’s concentrated and spell binding features as he sucked his cock. It was an expression Iruka had never seen on Kakashi's face before, and it made his hard-on even stiffer. Instinctively, Iruka touched Kakashi’s forehead and brushed aside his silver locks to admire the rest of his face.
Kakashi had found a good rhythm now and slid his mouth up and down with more confidence, sucking like his life depended on it. His free hand gripped what wouldn't fit in his mouth and stroked it in time with the movements of his mouth.
Iruka’s head jerked left and right, clearly as excited as Kakashi was, arching, lifting his chest off the bed. Gently, Kakashi pushed him back down with his free hand, moving the other away from Iruka's cock to cup his ass, squeezing it.
"K-Kakashi…!" he breathed.
His moans, along with his heavy and husky whispers fueled Kakashi’s passion, urging him faster. He wanted to taste Iruka so badly.
"Hmm….come for me, Iruka," Kakashi instructed.
Iruka yelped, so close. "Oh, god…yes!"
When Iruka felt his climax arc through him, his hips snapped up. Kakashi pulled off with come on his tongue. An abrupt and shaky surge of pleasure erupted from between his legs, staining the bed sheets underneath them.
Some of the come had reached his face; Kakashi swiped at it to keep it from dribbling down his chin and smirked. Iruka sighed and gradually pulled upright. Kakashi scooted back and helped him so they were eye to eye.
"Iruka, are you sure you want to do this?" Kakashi asked. "It’s going to hurt you."
Iruka embraced him. "It’s…okay. As long as it’s you," he replied softly.
Kakashi pulled away from the hug, staring into Iruka’s determined eyes. He knew that once Iruka made up his mind, there was no way of talking him out of it. Kakashi leaned to the drawers next to his bed, opening it to reveal a bottle of lubricant.
There was no time to question the lubricant. Once again their lips crashed together in heated passion; Iruka’s hands searched for Kakashi’s fly to unzip it. It took more time to remove the pants because they refused to break the kiss but eventually they managed it.
A tremble traveled up Iruka’s spine when the tips of their renewed erections grazed each other.
Iruka’s face was ecstatic, but his voice trembled. "A-Ah…"
Kakashi composed himself and then guided Iruka back down onto his back on the bed and hooked his legs over his shoulders so his buttocks were slightly elevated. Kakashi bushed his lips against Iruka’s inner thigh as he drenched his fingers with lube. He threw the bottle down and looked back to Iruka with concerned eyes. It wasn’t like Kakashi didn’t want to do this, hell he more than happy to have the man he’d been admiring after months in his arms. And because of that, Kakashi didn’t want to hurt him.
"It’s okay," Iruka huskily said, answering his thoughts.
Without any more warnings, Kakashi spread his cheeks, pushing a slick finger past the ring of tight, muscular resistance. Iruka responded eagerly to the foreign touch just like Kakashi had hoped he would; that was the face Kakashi wanted to. He pressed a second finger in, fishing for that same reaction.
"Kakashi…" he moaned.
Kakashi’s face was full of worry, being as how it was Iruka’s first time. It burned his muscles as they were stretched. His fingers curled inside of Iruka, slipping in and out to prepare him. Iruka made a dubious sound.
"Just breathe, ‘Iruka…it’ll feel good soon," Kakashi whispered.
Iruka didn't doubt his reassurance and nodded to show he understood. It was a strange sensation, just this side of too much, but he didn't want to stop.
There was a brief surge of feeling as a third finger was briefly added to the mix, but before Iruka could really adjust, Kakashi had already removed his hands completely, pulling Iruka in closer by his hips.
Kakashi let a hand brush Iruka’s hair away while the other preoccupied itself with his inner thigh. "Iruka—" he said.
"J-Just…do it," Iruka breathed impatiently.
Eventually, Kakashi nodded and planted a warm kiss on Iruka’s forehead. Iruka welcomed the dizzying tactic but soon realized it for the distraction it was.
The head of Kakashi’s cock began to enter Iruka. It had been slicked from the same source as his fingers, but it was still a stretch; Iruka bit down on his lip to hold back a cry, trying to relax. Kakashi bent forward to capture his lips. After only a moment's hesitation, Iruka kissed him back, feeling his body loosen under waves of pleasure. Soft lips moved against his and he felt Kakashi’s hands gripping the roots of his hair tightly now. Their bodies moved slowly, gradually joining.
When they broke apart, Kakashi realized Iruka was still in pain. "I’m going to put it all in…" Kakashi told him; best to do it quickly. Before Iruka could respond, Kakashi was sliding further in.
Iruka's mouth left Kakashi’s lips in favor of his pale shoulder, where he bit down hard as he felt Kakashi’s cock rip through him. Surges of pain replaced pleasure; Iruka breathed hard against Kakashi’s sweaty shoulder and shuddered under him.
The walls surrounding Kakashi’s cock was so tightly enclosed that it overwhelmed him. "Iruka," he whispered.
Their bodies rubbed against each other, sliding with sweat and leaking louder moans with each thrust. Mostly sloppy kisses were exchanged; their tongues tasting every inch of each other's mouth; their lips kissed every spot on each other's face; their breathing as uncontrollable as their rhythm.
The headboard hit the wall more and more loudly as they moved together, the bed squeaking ferociously, the floor shaking; but Iruka's moans were louder than all of them.
Pressure began to build up in Kakashi's stomach as he thrust faster and faster into Iruka's welcoming body. Iruka’s hips rose to meet Kakashi’s demanding thrusts with gratifying enthusiasm, the sounds of flesh smacking against flesh loud between them.
Iruka’s nails dug into Kakashi's skin, spurring him to thrust harder in high expectations of reaching his prostate.
When Kakashi hit the spot, Iruka’s mind went blank and he shivered violently, withdrawing from a passionate kiss to groan. Kakashi’s hands were covered with come from Iruka's second orgasm. He grinned and turned to concentrate on his own pleasure now that Iruka had achieved his. The incredibly sexy sight of Iruka’s unbound hair enticed Kakashi, driving him onwards as much as his whimpers, wordless mussitations, and defenseless looks.
Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted. A few thrusts later when Kakashi could take anymore, he pulled out with a groan and spilled all over his bed.
Their lips met after a period of silence. After they pulled apart, they were both still at a loss for words to do justice to their feelings A smile curled Kakashi’s lips. Finally, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Iruka shifted closer to him to share some warmth. "I…think I’ll be fine," he said, albeit sounding strained.
Kakashi knew it was his lover’s attempt to reassure him, but he felt concerned anyway. Slowly, Kakashi sat up and slipped his arms under Iruka’s knees and back so he could carry him to the bathroom.
"Let’s go shower together," he said.
*~*
Honey-hued eyes gazed at a moon lit with bright white. The night was getting colder and much breezier, but that didn’t matter to Iruka as he admired the brilliant stars and the moon that shared the night sky.
He heard faint footsteps approaching him and smiled as broad, strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"What are you doing out here this late, love?" Kakashi asked.
Iruka looked over to his shoulder and brushed his lips on his chin. "I was just thinking, about the first time we met," he replied.
Kakashi’s tone was shocked. "Ahh…it’s been two years already since we’ve met, hasn’t it Iruka?"
Iruka nodded and turned to face him. "Do you remember?"
Kakashi couldn’t help but laugh in embarrassment.
"Ah, how could I forget? It’s all thanks to those five minutes."