Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Slow Acceptance

Kakashi smiled as he curled around the warm body beside him. Reluctantly, he allowed the firm pinching to his arm draw him back to the waking world. With a sigh, he opened his eyes, pulling back even before he registered the frown on Iruka’s face. The teacher waited for Kakashi to remove his arm before he sat up and climbed out of bed. Kakashi sighed again, his smile no more than a memory. “Morning, Iru-chan.”

Iruka stalked to his dresser, pulling out clean pants and a shirt. “You don’t need to call me that, you know. There’s no one around to hear you.”

“I don’t call you Iru-chan to make people think we’re together, you know.” Kakashi sat up, turning his back so the other could dress. Behind him, he heard a sigh and then silence. After a minute, Kakashi got out of bed as well and he tugged at the waistband of his pants. If he was going to sleep over, he’d really have to bring over a couple changes of clothes.

“You can look.” Iruka had his back to the jounin, pulling his hair up into its customary ponytail. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised you aren’t spying on me.”

“You’re the one who’s letting me stay. How could you expect me to give up something so sweet?” Kakashi was smiling again, but Iruka didn’t seem impressed. The teacher just tied his hitai-ate and turned towards the door. “Where are you going so early, anyway? Yesterday I got you to stay in bed ‘til nine.”

“Yesterday, I was in mourning the loss of my dignity. Today, I have to work and it’s already seven thirty.”

Kakashi made a show of throwing himself back on the bed. “Come on, Iru-chan. You need to have some more fun in life! Why don’t you blow off work again, at least for a couple hours?”

The teacher glared for a moment before going through to the living room kitchen area. “This isn’t the missions’ desk, Kakashi, I have students waiting for me.”

Suddenly the copy nin was right there, pressed against the younger man’s back. He wrapped his arms around to the front, keeping Iruka firmly in place, but otherwise behaved himself. “Then I suppose I can’t keep you. Would you be angry if I stayed around a little longer?”

Iruka pulled away as the other relaxed his hold and looked at Kakashi evenly. The man didn’t have his headband, mismatched eyes looking back at him. He slept in his mask, but now had it pulled down to show his grin. Iruka dropped his eyes for a moment. “I don’t think I’d mind if you were still here when I got back. Tsunade would have your head though.”

Kakashi darted forward, pale lips pecking against a tanned jaw line. Iruka was blushing when he pulled back. “You’re going to be late.”

Iruka looked at the clock in shock. Kakashi had managed to delay him almost ten minutes. “Damn it, you’re more trouble than you’re worth,” he muttered, running quickly out the front door.

Kakashi just smiled, proud that he’d gotten not only a hug, but almost a kiss without any resistance at all.

Kakashi stretched, looking around the small room. It was very neat, not even a book out of place. He stumbled to the kitchen sink, quickly cleaning and putting away the few dishes sitting there. Dirt officially banished from the home, Kakashi began officially snooping. He shuffled through a small magazine pile and pulled open the coat closet. Finding nothing of particular interest, he moved back into the bedroom, rifling through the teacher’s dresser and closet.

Kakashi felt a frown pulling at his lips. Iruka’s place was clean to a fault, but it was more because he didn’t have anything than because he kept everything put away. His dresser was only half filled and his closet was all but empty. Kakashi looked through the clothing, silently memorizing the teacher’s size before he realized it. He shook his head, leaving quickly for the missions’ desk.

As the afternoon wore on, Kakashi stopped by the school. In mere minutes, the students poured into the small field, completely thrilled at the chance to cause some minor damage during their weapons training. Iruka stepped out of the doorway and froze, eyes landing on Kakashi immediately. Regaining the use of his motor skills, Iruka crossed the field in seconds, glaring at the man. “You could at least go to the trouble of hiding!” he seethed.

“Why? I came here to meet you, not spy on you.”

Iruka turned his back on the masked shinobi, training his eyes on his students. “Because I’m working! We aren’t a couple, Kakashi, or have you forgotten that little detail? Even if we really were, you can’t be here. I could be fired for something like this.”

Kakashi reached around the brunette, popping a small chocolate into the teacher’s mouth and cutting off his rant. Iruka’s eyes widened and he started to turn around. Kakashi held one hand on each side of the man’s face, forcing him to keep facing forward. “That’s Moeta with the shuriken, right?”

Iruka nodded, chewing on the chocolate and focusing once more on his students. A second later he jutsu-ed away from Kakashi, catching Moeta’s hands before he sliced off a finger. Swallowing the candy in a gulp, he launched into a lecture about proper safety when handling dangerous toys. When he looked back to where Kakashi had been, the jounin was gone again.

Iruka finished his school day in a slight haze. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kakashi standing there, framed by the trees. When lessons finally ended and Iruka began the walk home, he was certain he would find the copy nin waiting for him in the apartment. It was something of a ritual for Iruka to spend the afternoon wandering around town, avoiding returning to his apartment as long as he could. Today, however, he wasn’t scheduled to work the missions’ desk and he honestly couldn’t think of a single chore he needed to do.

His door was unlocked when he reached for the handle. Iruka somehow wasn’t surprised. He was glaring even before he could see Kakashi, but the look dissolved as he took in the other man. Kakashi was in the living area – he’d turned around one chair to face the door so Iruka got a full view of the man when he entered. And what a view it was. Kakashi was sprawled out, limbs every which way, nose buried in his book. There were two bags beside him, and several chocolates resting on his stomach. Iruka’s brain took a brief vacation. “Ka-Kakashi?”

The masked shinobi looked up, lowering his book slightly to reveal he wasn’t wearing his mask. “Welcome home, Iru-chan.” When the teacher still didn’t move, Kakashi went back to his reading, idly popping a candy into his mouth. “Have a good day?”

Iruka spun to close the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, you said you wouldn’t mind if I was here when you got back.”

“Still here. Emphasis on the still. You left, why are you back?” Iruka was still facing the door, not looking at the silver haired ninja.

“Did you like that chocolate? Some of the finest in town. I’ve got more, if you’d like some.” Iruka sighed and turned around. Only to freeze again, staring once more at Kakashi. The shinobi was holding up two shirts, both button up and probably real silk. “I thought you could use some new civilian clothing.”

Iruka just shook his head. He slowly crossed the floor, never once meeting Kakashi’s eyes. “You don’t have to do this for me, Kakashi. I already owe you-“

Iruka was silenced as another chocolate was popped into his mouth. “I’m not doing anything I don’t want to. But I do have a favor to ask.” Iruka raised an eyebrow at the man that was now standing in front of him. “I want to stay here again tonight.”

Iruka coughed, nearly choking on the sweet in his mouth. “What?! No! I’m not in any danger-“

“You’re in just as much danger as you have been! Iruka, there’s no way of knowing who does or does not know that you and I are together.”

“We aren’t together Kakashi-“ Yet another candy silenced the chunin. Iruka glared at the man in front of him.

“The village thinks we are together. I’m not going to attack you, I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do. But I’m not going to leave you alone either. There are ninja in Konoha that wouldn’t care, Iruka. That’s the problem.”

Iruka stepped away, turning towards the kitchen and starting dinner for the two of them. “Then why are we doing this, Kakashi? Isn’t the rumor supposed to stop them?”

Kakashi followed the teacher, quietly wrapping him in a hug from behind. The chunin’s voice had sounded so . . . defeated. “It will, Iruka. I just want to be sure. Please let me help?” For a moment Iruka stilled in his actions. Finally he nodded and Kakashi released his hold.

The next day, Kakashi repeated his morning almost perfectly, complete with brief argument and a swift peck to the teacher’s jaw, though Iruka hadn’t been running late this time. Kakashi chose a couple D-rank missions from the desk, hurriedly completing them before noon. Which left him able to bother his Iru-chan for lunch; Kakashi could barely contain his grin. The teacher was eating in his empty classroom, staring at several papers on his desk. The chunin began speaking just as Kakashi slipped through an open window. “I told you yesterday you can’t be here. I’m working.”

Kakashi crouched on the desk, smiling at the top of the teacher’s head. “But you aren’t working right now, just eating.”

Iruka sighed and looked up. “Are you here for a reason other than just tormenting me?”

“Visiting, not tormenting.” Kakashi’s smile grew as Iruka’s frown softened, a touch of smile entering the man’s eyes. “I brought you something to eat,” he muttered, producing a plain wood box. He opened it to reveal riceballs, some curry, and some fried vegetables. Iruka blinked, lowering his gaze, and began to smile outright. Kakashi hopped off the desk. “I’ll see you later, all right? Don’t let the hooligans give you a hard time.”

Kakashi began wandering around town, buying several things that caught his eye. Two hours later, he had half a dozen books, close to twenty little knick-knacks, and a new weapons kit all of which simply screamed ‘buy me for your boyfriend!’ Kakashi didn’t bother arguing, just smiled and repeated the title over and over in his head. My boyfriend, the hottest teacher in Konoha.

He didn’t speed his pace when he felt the shadow begin to follow him. He walked calmly along the streets before turning down a less busy roadway. The shadow still followed him. A few more blocks and Kakashi stepped into a quiet alley and turned to lean against the wall and wait. He felt the shadow hesitate at the mouth of the alley before it stepped inside, looking straight at Kakashi.

Kakashi made a show of studying the man; he was taller than the copy nin, broader in the shoulders, with dark features and more than one visible scar. The follower nodded, “Kakashi-san.”

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Kakashi returned the nod to the other jounin. “Rinshi.” He gave no title of respect, making sure the other knew he had none in Kakashi’s eyes. The bigger man didn’t have to say a word for Kakashi to know why he was there . . . Rinshi’s name had come up more than once days ago when he’d spoken with Neji.

“We need to talk, Kakashi.”

“I don’t see anything to talk about.”

The other man growled, glaring at the silver haired man. “You can’t just do this and expect no one to challenge you on it!” Kakashi didn’t move, staring evenly as the man continued his rant. “You really think that no one knows what’s really going on? You’re forcing him to be yours, aren’t you? That’s breaking the rules-“

The man broke off as Kakashi was suddenly a mere two inches from his face, mismatched eyes both visible and glaring into startled brown ones. “You think I’m forcing him?” The larger jounin didn’t move, mouth opening and closing twice without making a sound. “Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Iruka. Is. Mine. But it was his choice. If you or anyone else tries to change his mind . . .” He let the sentence hang, allowing the jounin’s imagination to fill in the gaps.

The man was no fool. He was equally ranked with the masked shinobi, but Rinshi didn’t hold the title of former ANBU. He knew, even without that rank, he stood no chance while Kakashi had the sharingan bared. Slowly, face contorting with frustration and anger, he stepped back. “You can’t control him forever. Sooner or later, that boy’ll get rid of you, and then he’s fair game-“

Rinshi startled back again as Kakashi reappeared, just as close as he had been before. “The game is over. Do you understand that? I don’t care what happens in the next week or month or year. I don’t care if I’m killed protecting him or this village. If the game starts again, I will hear about it, and I will stop it again. And I will hold you personally responsible. You do understand, don’t you?”

As Kakashi ground out the words, Rinshi’s eyes widened, then slowly fell as realization dawned. He was scowling now at the ground he could see past Kakashi’s shoulder. He was a jounin and a well-trained shinobi, even if he couldn’t stand against Kakashi, and he knew enough about the man to look ‘underneath the underneath’. For another minute he said nothing, making certain he’d interpreted the meaning of the other’s words correctly before he met those mismatched eyes again. “I know a few of the ninja who’ve played this game before. I’ll make sure they know about your threat.”

The larger man turned to go, but Kakashi stopped him with a touch. “Where did you hear?” he asked, almost all of the anger and threat gone from his voice.

Rinshi thought about it for a moment, his frown growing. “It was a couple years ago. Mizuki.” Then he left without another glance back.

Kakashi shook his head, regathering his bags and heading quickly towards Iruka’s house to wait for the teacher to return.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was an increasingly difficult battle to stay the night. As word spread about their relationship, Iruka grew more and more confident that he was free from his unwanted reputation and therefore didn’t need Kakashi for protection. Kakashi pushed for two reasons. He really did like waking up with Iruka tucked in his arms, even if he had to argue every morning that it wasn’t a conscious decision. That, and the mysterious midnight watcher was there every night. Aside from the few heated arguments about his apparent relationship, the village was accepting it except this one presence.

It was that same chakra signature from Saturday night. Kakashi had already asked his friends, but none of the ANBU knew who was watching them. At night, before he fell asleep, Kakashi could feel the shinobi leap away, undoubtedly hiding from the ANBU and other village patrols as they passed by, only to return a few minutes later. He was good enough to avoid being caught, but sloppy enough that his chakra leaked. His own feelings aside, it didn’t matter if Iruka wanted him to stay or not. It wasn’t safe to leave the chunin alone at night.

Wednesday evening started no different when Iruka came home and saw Kakashi waiting for him in the kitchen. The teacher blushed scarlet when he saw him and Kakashi briefly wondered if it was because of the plushie he’d brought or because he was sitting there shirtless with no mask. “Don’t you do any work anymore?” Iruka muttered quickly.

Kakashi smiled and stood, setting his present aside. “Of course, I’m just good enough that I can get it all done in a single afternoon.”

Iruka smiled, giggling. “Which afternoon, Tuesday?” The man stretched, already walking to the bedroom.

Kakashi followed reflexively. “Rough day? Moeta up to no good again?”

“No, Konohamaru and his friends. Sometimes I wish that boy had never met Naruto at all.”

Kakashi leaned against the door jam, watching as the teacher stripped to the waist. He was beginning to memorize the scars on the chunin’s back. “I should probably stay over tonight. Just in case.”

Iruka’s standard reply of ‘I can take care of myself’ didn’t come. He paused a minute in his motions, then nodded and pulled back the covers. Kakashi was cheering inside. Iruka hadn’t even told him not to! When they were both securely under the blanket, Iruka reached over, pulling Kakashi slightly away from the edge of the mattress. “You roll over in your sleep anyway. I’m tired tonight and would just as soon not be woken by your stupid tossing.”

Kakashi twisted around slightly, kissing Iruka’s neck twice before settling down. “Be careful, Iru-chan, you’re starting to warm up to me.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Iruka groaned, waking in the pitch blackness. Kakashi was still mostly asleep, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything, as Iruka was suddenly finding out. The jounin’s hands were low on Iruka’s hips, fingers slipping beneath his waistband more than once. Iruka could feel quite clearly that the other man was aroused, rubbing slightly against his hip.

Iruka’s face flushed and he struggled to banish the feeling. He had more than a decent exposure to the more sensual side of life, why was Kakashi the only one to elicit such a reaction? Ignoring the thoughts that triggered, he pulled at the jounin’s hands, trying to get him to knock it off.

Kakashi was asleep, in his defense, Iruka kept reminding himself of that. He wasn’t being vicious, or even particularly lewd, but he was extremely persistent. Every time Iruka managed to push the jounin away, he would just go right back to what he was doing. Iruka growled slightly and stretched to reach his dresser and the length of rope he knew was still in the drawer.

In only a few seconds, Kakashi’s wrists were bound together and being drawn above his head. The jounin’s eyes flashed open and he pulled harshly against the teacher’s strength. He twisted, trying instinctively to grapple his ‘captor’. Iruka rolled, pinning Kakashi’s lower body with his own as he pulled the rope up to the headboard. A binding jutsu later and Kakashi’s hands were held in place. The jounin seemed to realize where he was and calmed his fighting, staring up at the chunin. “What are you doing?”

Iruka didn’t move, trying to catch his breath. The brief struggle had been exhilarating and Iruka was suddenly finding it much harder to ignore the erection pressing into his thigh. “You need to learn to keep your hands to yourself,” he muttered, swallowing thickly.

Kakashi suddenly smiled, rocking his hips slightly. “And what are you going to do about it?” He rocked his hips again, savoring the way Iruka’s eyes fluttered almost shut at the motion.

Iruka was moving in an instant, tugging the mask out of the way and pressing his lips against Kakashi’s. The older man reached down to press the teacher close to him, only to find his hands didn’t move. Not releasing the kiss, he looked up at his wrists. The man’s eyes widened in appreciation of Iruka’s rope tying skills. Another tug proved they were solid, mere struggles wouldn’t undo the strong knots.

Iruka was busy tracing his hands along the planes of Kakashi’s chest and stomach. Within minutes, he learned all the little places that made the man arch and shiver. With the silver-haired man’s legs still pinned, each movement ground his erection into his captor’s leg. Iruka broke away from kissing the jounin and shifted to pull down their pants. Kakashi gasped, groaning at the contact of flesh on flesh.

The motion had cost Iruka, though he didn’t know it right away. He didn’t realize he’d lost leverage on the other man’s legs until those legs suddenly wrapped around his waist, pulling them firmly together. Iruka groaned, but refused to give up so easily. He quickly buried his head in the other’s chest, nipping and licking at peaked nipples. Kakashi’s head flew back, strangled sounds escaping his lips.

The jounin came first, shuddering beneath hands and lips. With a surge of determination, he rolled, trapping Iruka beneath him, and kissed the teacher firmly. One hand snaked between them, finishing the man quickly. It was a personal challenge to do it in a single kiss, without letting Iruka come up for air. Kakashi succeeded and smiled triumphantly before he flopped to one side, trying to regain his own breath.

Iruka reached over, brushing one hand along the jounin’s ribs languidly. His other hand drifted up, toying with the rope still attached to the headboard. Kakashi’s hands found purchase in Iruka’s hair and he began stroking the slightly rough strands. “You forget who you’re dealing with. You definitely deserve credit for those knots, but I am a genius. Remember?”

Iruka laughed and kissed the other man. “I suppose I underestimated you. It won’t happen again. Did you learn your lesson about keeping your hands to yourself at least?”

Kakashi began tracing patterns on the teacher’s back. “I don’t know, I can be a pretty slow learner.”

Iruka smirked at him, unbelieving. “Weren’t you just boasting about being a genius?”

“Well, there are always exceptions. Maybe you can tutor me.” Kakashi rolled over, once again pinning the teacher. “I might need a lot of help in this particular subject.”

Thursday morning, Iruka had to skip breakfast, running full speed down the streets of Konoha. He burst into the school, practically breaking the door as he stumbled into his class. Nearly thirty faces stared at him, surprised. One little voice spoke up, “Sensei, you’re almost ten minutes late.”

Iruka straightened, flashing a smile to the gathered children. “I, uh, got lost on the road of life.” Iruka silently cursed himself as he prepared for the day’s lessons. He would not – would not – allow himself to be corrupted by Kakashi. At least, not in this . . . At least . . . not every day . . .

-o-o-o-o-o-

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