Chapter Text
"I'll go get it," Kakashi was up on his feet, smoothing the front of his tracksuit bottoms before heading off towards the bedroom.
Iruka had the biggest apartment of the group, and so it had become the unofficial base for Friday Night Board Games. It wasn't the official base solely because Twister was a group favourite and the last time someone had questioned whether it even was a board game, someone had accidentally pushed the sake lemonade pitcher over and all the sushi had gotten soaked, effectively ending both the discussion and the evening. Kakashi and Iruka had mopped the floor like 3 times before the stickiness went away.
"Ru, I can't find it!"
"Try under the bed," Iruka called out. He had a vague memory of shoving the box under the bed and out of their way the night Kakashi came back from his mission.
"Never mind, I found it," Kakashi came back with the box in his hands.
"Thanks, love," Iruka said, gently squeezing the man's thigh as he sat down on the floor beside him.
"Right!" Gai said, clapping his hands together. "Let's move the table then, shall we?"
***
A few hours later it was only him and Kakashi still on the mat, Tenzou refereeing. The soft smile on the man's face made Iruka happy, it was rare to see the man so open and relaxed, genuinely having a good time. At some point Gai had decided it would be more interesting if they could only have one body part on a row or column at a time and Kakashi had apparently been in a good enough mood to accept the challenge. Iruka and Genma watched on from the sidelines where they sat cross-legged.
The evening had been fun. It wasn't very often their schedules coincided to allow for such events, Izumo and Kotetsu hadn't been able to come, but the drinks and the laughs were something everyone there needed every now and then and Iruka loved being able to provide that for his friends.
He was enjoying himself, watching Kakashi stretch and bend into all kinds of funny shapes. Although the man would never admit it he really was quite competitive when it came to Gai, and despite the smooth transitions from one colourful dot to the next, Iruka could tell from the way Kakashi's mask stretched ever so slightly over his lips that the man was panting just a bit.
"How come Kakashi's allowed in your room but we aren't?"
Iruka turned to look at his friend.
Genma was leaning back, the weight of his back supported on the palms splayed on either side. He had a look on his face that seemed to be calling Iruka's bluff even though Iruka hadn't even said anything yet.
"It's a little messy," he replied with some confusion at the sudden question. He'd told everyone about the upcoming exams at the academy, and that he hadn't had time to tidy up the room. No one had seemed to mind.
"Kakashi's his 'love' and probably owns half the mess anyways, that's why" came Asuma's voice from the side of the couch. He was laying with his head hung over one armrest and ankles crossed overtop the other side. Were it anyone else Iruka would've said something about posture and sore necks, but that'd been Asuma's favourite position to take a nap since they were kids and if he'd never listened back then he most likely wouldn't now either.
"That's an inside joke," Iruka said.
"What is?" Genma raised his brow, senbon pointing accusatorially at Iruka.
"The 'love' thing, it just stuck."
"Oh yeah? What was the joke?" Asuma smirked.
"Um," Iruka tried to think back. What had the joke been?
"Whatever" Genma twirled his senbon to the other side of his amused mouth, gaze shifting back to the game.
When Iruka turned to look back at Asuma the man had already closed his eyes again, looking decidedly smug. Iruka went back to the game as well, Kakashi's hip bone was dangerously close to the mat.