Work Text:
(I don't own any characters etc etc)
Iruka looked out the window at the rain, shuddering at the thought of being out there. Not that he didn’t like the rain, but today was a typical autumnal early October one - sudden downpour, heavy rain, cool temperatures. A wet rain, as strange a thought as it was, he noted to himself. The kind of rain that soaked one to the bone, made clothing hang heavy, and where it took ages to get dry and warm even after getting, well, dry and warm.
He shook his head and turned his attention back to his work at the missions office, glad he wasn’t outside and could only hope it would end before his shift was over.
It did, trickling to a light rain here and there, and Iruka was too grateful for it as he got home safe, sound, and dry. But not everyone did, it turned out, as he learned when he met Naruto for ramen for lunch two days later, as both had the day free.
“Kakashi-sensei canceled on me for training today, can you believe it?!” Naruto grumbled as they ate. “He’s just so….so Kakashi-sensei sometimes!”
Iruka laughed. “And just what does that mean?”
“You know what it means,” the younger shinobi huffed, and Iruka smiled but rolled his eyes.
“Sure. So why did he cancel? Did he at least give you a reason?”
“Yeah…” Naruto admitted, not looking at his former teacher, who frowned slightly.
“And?”
Naruto shrugged. “He said he’s sick or something, but I think he just wanted to stay home and read, especially since it’s getting a bit colder out these days.”
Iruka frowned again as he thought about it. “Didn’t you say he was on a mission recently?” he asked, and Naruto nodded. “So maybe he’s actually sick or needs extra rest? I don’t think that’s ‘him being him,’ if that’s the case.”
“Maybe you’re right, Sakura did say she saw his chart at a nursing station at the hospital,” Naruto admitted. “So maybe he’s not being lazy…”
Iruka laughed as he ate. “I’m glad you’re being open minded, finally,” he teased.
“If he’s actually sick, he should get some warm food in him,” Naruto said, thinking out loud. “Like ramen!”
Iruka nodded as he slurped up noodles. “That’s fair.”
Naruto asked Ayame for ramen to-go for the jonin, and turned to Iruka. “Okay! We’ll take him some food when we’re done!”
Iruka paused with a mouthful of food and looked at him with wide eyes. “We?” he asked, covering his mouth with a free hand. He quickly swallowed as Naruto nodded. “Like, both of us?”
“Yeah, duh!” Naruto laughed. “Who else?”
“I don’t think I need to go,” Iruka began to protest. “You’re his student, that’s different.”
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry, it’s not like he’s got a fancy place or anything,” the younger shinobi said, waving it off. “I’ve been there a bunch of times, it’s not a big deal.”
“It is to me,” Iruka sighed, for he didn’t want to intrude on the other man’s space. It was one thing to interact here and there in the village, with or without mutual friends or shared students. But to go to Kakashi’s apartment? Iruka didn’t want to, and tried several more times to get out of it but Naruto wouldn’t relent.
So before long, he was following the blond to the jonin’s apartment building and up to Kakashi’s unit. Iruka fought the urge to wring his hands nervously as he stood behind Naruto as his former student rang the bell.
“Maybe I should go…” Iruka began yet again.
“Kakashi-sensei! Open up!” Naruto called out to the door, knocking loudly on it, clearly ignoring Iruka, who sighed heavily.
The door opened slightly, and an unimpressed Kakashi looked out.
“What?” he yawned.
“We have food for you! You need it if you’re not feeling well!” Naruto said, holding up the bag.
“You didn’t have to,” Kakashi said in a surprised tone. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Naruto said, pushing the door open more and walking in without waiting for an invitation. Iruka stood in place watching with wide eyes, and made eye contact with Kakashi, who appeared equally surprised.
“Sorry about him,” the teacher apologized, and the jonin shrugged.
“Not the first time, won’t be the last. Come on in,” Kakashi said. Iruka nodded and did just that, taking off his sandals at the door. He felt bad for Kakashi, knowing the man to be quite private, and made a note to talk to Naruto about respecting other people’s boundaries.
“The sooner I can leave, the better,” Iruka sighed to himself. He looked around as Kakashi closed the door and locked it, finding that the man had a very straightforward, but also very small apartment. And with three people, it was downright cramped!
There was a bed in one corner, a desk in the opposite one on the other side of a window, a small kitchenette space, and a bookshelf. Naruto flopped onto the floor near the bed, and Kakashi moved past Iruka to sit at his desk to eat. The teacher remained standing near the door, unsure of what to do or where to go.
“So what gives?” Naruto asked the jonin. “What happened?”
“Well, it was a mission,” Kakashi casually stated. “I got caught in the rain, so that didn’t help, and the enemy I fought put up a decent fight.”
Iruka nodded, noting that the jonin was in uniform pants and a black turtleneck sleeveless top, with a mask seemingly attached. Pale arms were on full display, as was a bandage on Kakashi’s right shoulder, peeking out from underneath the shirt.
“Hey, you’re bleeding!” Naruto suddenly said, and Iruka’s eyes widened when he saw that there was, in fact, blood seeping through the bandage, and not an insignificant amount! The chuunin crossed the room without thinking and began to reach for the jonin’s shoulder, suddenly catching himself.
Kakashi had paused with his chopsticks in the air, noodles hanging from them as he tensed, head turned to his right to watch Iruka’s approach. The lone visible eye stared at him, seemingly unsure of how its owner wanted to react.
“I’m sorry,” Iruka apologized sheepishly, offering a dip of his head. “I wasn’t thinking, but he’s right, you are bleeding, quite a bit.”
Kakashi shrugged, but the teacher could see it seemed to hurt to do so. “The hospital bandaged me up enough while I was there.”
“Perhaps you should go back?” Iruka suggested, but Kakashi shook his head, and somehow, noodles disappeared from the chopsticks. The chuunin blinked, unsure of what he had (or perhaps, hadn’t) seen.
“They wanted me to stay a bit longer but I wanted to sleep in my own bed,” the copy nin replied.
“Want us to help?” Naruto asked. “Iruka-sensei could do it!”
Iruka sighed. “Naruto, you can’t just offer up people like that. Me or Kakashi-sensei.”
“But Iruka-sensei!” Naruto whined, and Iruka had to remind himself that the blond was no longer a child, having already gone off for two years with Jiraiya, even if he did act like his younger self at times. “He’s injured, and you’re so much better than me at that sort of thing!”
“And the hospital is even better,” Iruka suggested, but no one replied, and he sighed. “Fine. If it’s okay with you?” he asked the jonin, who shrugged.
“Naruto, med kit is under the bed,” Kakashi said, and the blond scrambled to get it.
Soon, the black top was rolled back and Iruka was cleaning and re-dressing a nasty looking, albeit shallow, cut.
“That should be better,” he said, moving to wash his hands.
“Awesome!” Naruto cheered. “That and ramen will make you all better!” he said, making the adults laugh. “What? Iruka-sensei always told me ramen heals everything!”
“Especially if it has vegetables,” Iruka agreed, chuckling. “But I should get going, I’ve got some grading to do,” he said, which was more or less a lie but he wanted to make an escape while he could. “Feel better,” he said to Kakashi, who nodded and thanked him for his help.
Naruto waved goodbye as Iruka left, since he was staying to talk about training plans with Kakashi, else the blond worried the jonin would take too much time off from training.
“Strange day,” Iruka mused to himself as he walked home, but didn’t give it another thought.
_____
Iruka was at the hospital a few weeks later to drop something off. It was a random errand that needed to be run, but any excuse to get out of the missions office during a shift was a good one, so here he was! It was the end of October, and he smiled at the Halloween decorations the hospital had put up, making a note to check if he needed to buy more candy for his class and their upcoming spooky party.
Iruka had just delivered a few scrolls to an office and was heading to a stairwell to leave the building, when none other than the Hokage came storming around a corner from another hallway, a frown on her face.
“You!” she yelled, and Iruka paused, eyes wide before bowing.
“Me?” he asked, eyes growing wider as she grabbed his arm and hauled him after her. “Hokage-sama, what is going on? Are you okay?” Iruka barely got out as he stumbled trying to match her brisk pace.
She finally stopped at the end of another hallway, and Iruka was surprised that the door she opened was still working, that she hadn’t pulled it clean off due to the waves of angry chakra rolling off her and her infamous strength.
Tsunade pushed Iruka into the room. “Stay, and make sure he stays!” she snapped, turning on her heel and leaving, slamming the door behind her.
Iruka blinked at the closed door, trying to make sense of it all, and slowly turned around to see who she had been referring to.
Kakashi was propped up in the hospital bed, watching him with a small tilt of his head.
“Fancy seeing you here,” the jonin mused, and Iruka frowned.
“What did I get roped into?”
Kakashi shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
Iruka pursed his lips and crossed his arms. “You sure you’re not trying to leave the hospital early and now I’m stuck as your babysitter?”
“Would I do something like that?” Kakashi dramatically gasped. “Leave the hospital before being cleared? Never!” He paused. “Unless you’re offering to help me do that?”
“And have Tsunade tear off my head? No thank you. Talk about me being in the wrong place at the wrong time, to be the first one she came across,” Iruka sighed, knowing he was not getting out of this new duty any time soon. He pulled a chair up to sit closer to the bed, on the copy nin’s right side.
“So, what’s new?” Iruka asked, and they exchanged small talk for a while. Kakashi shared a bit of the mission he had been on, an overview of his injuries and possible exposure to poison, his desire to leave the hospital as soon as possible. Iruka gave any updates on the village from Kakashi’s absence, shared a few stories from the academy, told him about Naruto’s latest attempts at both a new jutsu and asking Sakura out (one was more successful than the other, and it was not the kid’s love life).
They fell into comfortable silence and Kakashi pulled out his book to read as Iruka read something lying around the hospital room. Dinner was brought in for Kakashi, and when he next looked up, he realized Iruka had fallen asleep in the chair. His right arm was propped up on the chair’s arm, Iruka’s cheek propped on his hand, and his mouth was slightly open as he snoozed. Kakashi had no interest in waking him, so he resumed reading, opening to the last page he had left off at.
Later, there was a soft knock on the door and it opened as Sakura entered. She began to greet Kakashi, pausing as he raised a finger to his masked mouth to ask for silence.
Sakura raised an eyebrow as she took in the sight of her jonin-sensei and academy sensei, smiling and shaking her head at it as she moved to review Kakashi’s chart at the foot of his bed.
“I have to say, I’m surprised you’re still here,” she said in a low voice to Kakashi. “Normally you’d have tried to escape how many times before dinner?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to get my guard in trouble,” he admitted, glancing at the still sleeping teacher. “But, I’m surprised he hasn’t woken up yet?”
“Naruto asked him to train him while you were away on this mission,” Sakura said as she made a note in his chart, closing it quietly. “I doubt Iruka-sensei will ever say no to him, so he’s been having some pretty busy days and nights, I’d imagine, what with his usual jobs and then training Naruto on top of that.”
“Huh,” the jonin mused, surprised by it.
She put the chart back and waved goodbye as she quietly left the room, and Kakashi settled back on his bed, looking at Iruka again and thinking about how generous and kind the man was, not for the first time, admittedly.
____
Iruka was leaving the academy one afternoon in the third week of November when he saw a familiar head of grey hair sitting on a bench on the edge of the academy grounds, near other training fields for general shinobi use.
He decided to detour from his original route and headed towards it, watching the copy nin sitting reading. The older man glanced up as Iruka approached, as he had not tried to hide his arrival, and the teacher smiled as Kakashi nodded.
“May I join you?” Iruka asked, and Kakashi nodded again.
Iruka sat down and settled in, pulling his vest higher around his neck and a bit tighter too as he looked at the darkening sky, since the sun was starting to set earlier now.
“It’s getting colder,” he commented. “Nearly wintertime.”
“I suppose so,” the jonin stiffly agreed.
Iruka sighed and looked at him. “And you’re out here because?”
“I’m enjoying the fresh air.”
“You’ve been on a mission,” Iruka commented, knowing that Naruto had not only been excited for a mission with Kakashi (and to overall get out of the village for a bit), but that the blond had already sent a note to Iruka asking to meet for a meal tomorrow since they had gotten back in the middle of the afternoon and he was tired. “And your rucksack is by your feet,” he continued, glancing at the ground, "meaning you've not gone anywhere yet. So let me guess, chakra exhaustion?”
Kakashi sighed. “Chakra exhaustion. Naruto is fine, by the way, I just did more work than he did.”
“I see,” Iruka said, pausing for a moment. “So, your place or mine?” he asked, knowing that the jonin was sitting there because he was unable to get anywhere else on his own while like this.
“Sensei!” Kakashi theatrically gasped, and Iruka nodded.
“You’re right, hospital it is!” Iruka cheered.
“Your place!” the copy nin quickly chose, and Iruka nodded again. He had been joking, actually, but it seemed he had made his bed and now had to lie in it. And Iruka really didn’t want to either awkwardly be at Kakashi's place, or risk getting the jonin to the hospital and being ordered to babysit him yet again!
“Fine, but only because you shouldn’t be alone like this,” he sternly told the jonin. “Any injuries otherwise?”
“No.”
“You’re not lying, are you?” Iruka asked in his best teacher's voice.
They sat in silence for a moment before Kakashi spoke.
“Maybe a few cuts and scrapes,” he admitted.
“How deep?”
“Light.”
Silence returned again, and Iruka looked at him.
“Okay, okay,” the jonin sighed. “Maybe one is slightly deeper, on my arm. But that’s it.” More silence. “I promise.”
Iruka sighed and stood. “Come on then,” he said, grabbing Kakashi’s pack and slinging it over one of his own shoulders before helping the jonin to stand, jutsuing them to outside his apartment where he let them in and began to get them situated.
“Let’s get you into clean clothes, but no showering until I can trust you won’t pass out in there,” Iruka warned him, helping the other man get his sandals and vest off.
Before long, they were sitting on the floor of Iruka’s living room. Kakashi was shirtless, now wearing clean uniform pants, and Iruka was cleaning and dressing cuts on his upper body. When he deemed it sufficient enough, Iruka went to wash his hands and heat up leftovers for them as Kakashi pulled a shirt on before meandering to Iruka’s small kitchen and yawning as he sipped water.
One minute Kakashi was eating hot food, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up on Iruka’s sofa, the apartment now bathed in bright morning sunlight.
Kakashi yawned and stretched, wincing slightly at his injuries but feeling much better than he had for several days, since before leaving for the mission. He looked around and paused to listen, but there was no sign of the younger man. There was, however, a note nearby telling Kakashi that Iruka had gone to the academy for classes and to help himself to whatever he needed.
Kakashi decided to just grab some water before heading to his own apartment, and as he sat drinking it, he glanced around the other man’s apartment. He also reflected on their interactions after his last three significant missions, or at least ones he had been significantly injured on, including this one. Yes, when Naruto brought Iruka to Kakashi’s place it had been uncomfortable, and sure, it was unexpected to be babysat by the teacher at the hospital, but it was also…nice, Kakashi realized. He was surprised to find that he was beginning to…dare he say, enjoy coming back to Iruka after missions. Not just back to Konoha, but to the man himself. The man who had been in Kakashi’s life here and there since he got Team Seven, as well as when they found they had mutual friends, and when they would run into each other inevitably here and there in the village.
They had never crossed paths like they had after these last few missions, but Kakashi couldn’t deny that it was…comforting.
“Iruka did say that the weather was changing, perhaps winter is bringing in something new for me as well,” the jonin mused to himself, thinking it was quite the Icha Icha plot come to life.
He looked around at Iruka’s apartment some more, wondering what it would be like to come back there after a mission just because, not due to needing care, but perhaps for the company?
“Unlikely it will ever happen though,” Kakashi sighed to himself, for really, it was like something out of a romantic story and that never translated to real life, and certainly not for Kakashi.
____
The end of November brought full winter weather to Konoha. Cold winds, low temperatures, grey skies, and the hint of snow and morning frost. Iruka went grocery shopping on a free afternoon after leaving the academy to stock up his kitchen cupboards with plenty of soups and ramen to make, as well as topping up his supply of coffee, tea, and cocoa. He got back in the early evening and indulged in cocoa and a book while he rested for a while, and later checked on the rest of what he needed for his home for wintertime, sealing up drafts in windows and taking extra blankets out from the closet. He decided he was satisfied with the temperature he had set his heater to but still put socks on, as he had a habit of walking around barefoot at home in the winter and being colder than he should be as a result.
Iruka looked down at the warm socks on his feet, thick orange ones Naruto had gifted him, and wiggled his toes as he delighted in the warmth, then moved to do some grading.
The rest of the night proceeded smoothly as he worked and thought about starting to decorate his apartment for winter, perhaps some silvery branches, or a wreath of greens with fake snow? The Yamanakas might have some nice dark greenery they could arrange for him, Iruka thought, just as there was a knock on his door. His eyes widened and he grabbed a kunai from under his dining table as he headed to his door, pausing in surprise when he looked through the peephole.
“Kakashi?” he asked, still surprised as he opened the door to greet the jonin, losing formalities in his confusion. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know,” the copy nin admitted, running a hand over his mask. Iruka followed his movements and saw mud streaked on both parts of the jonin, as well as on his vest “I just got back from a mission and one minute I was signing in at the west gate, the next thing I know I’m here.”
Iruka blinked, trying to make sense of it all before shrugging. “Well, come in out of the cold,” he suggested, stepping aside. This was unexpected, sure, but it was cold and dark out, and who was he to make a fellow shinobi fresh from the field go home without at least allowing him to warm up for a moment? Especially since Kakashi looked like he’d been outside in these temperatures for a bit…
“Thank you,” Kakashi said, giving him a small eye smile before entering and leaving his sandals, vest, and gloves at the door. Fortunately for Iruka, the mud appeared caked on and not on any other part of him, something Iruka attributed to Kakashi being, well, Kakashi, to still be able to come back tidy-ish from a mission.
“Your place is so warm,” Kakashi happily sighed, and Iruka couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well it is almost wintertime, so….” he said, trailing off as he led them to his kitchen. “Tea or cocoa?”
“Tea, thank you,” Kakashi said, gingerly sitting down, and Iruka frowned as he set water to boil.
“Injures?” he asked, but the jonin shook his head. “Don’t lie,” Iruka sternly warned.
“None, I promise. It was only three days, and I didn’t even overuse my chakra,” Kakashi told him. “I’m just stiff and cold and tired,” he admitted, and Iruka nodded.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to the teacher.
“Um, do you want me to send word to anyone you’re back and here?” he asked.
“Like who?” Kakashi replied. “I signed in, so the hokage knows.”
Iruka shrugged. “Gai, a partner, anyone like that,” he said, for if word got to someone special to Kakashi that he had immediately gone to Iruka after a mission, well, Iruka didn’t want to think about how hurt that person would be.
“There’s only you,” Kakashi said with a loud yawn, and Iruka’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“What?” the jonin repeated, and they looked at each other in silence for a moment.
“Uh…why don’t you grab a hot shower?” Iruka suggested, unsure of what else to do, and seeking anything to give him space to process the unexpected events of his formerly quiet night.
“Sure,” Kakashi agreed, grabbing his pack so as to have a clean uniform as Iruka went ahead and laid out a towel for him.
“It’s nothing, nothing at all,” Iruka muttered to himself, shaking his head as he began to open cupboards to grab a few items.
Before long, Kakashi was back in the kitchen in clean shinobi blues with damp hair, and was greeted by a hot bowl of soup and mug of tea.
“Thank you,” he sighed. “I think I’m starting to defrost finally,” he said as he cupped the mug.
Iruka laughed. “I don’t blame you, winter missions can be awful. At least it was dry, I’m assuming?”
“No snow or rain, but a good amount of frost and ice,” Kakashi said.
“Better you than me,” Iruka said, shaking his head. “Oh, here, you can put these on too, it helps get you that little bit warmer, you know?” he said, passing the man a pair of thick dark blue socks.
Kakashi laughed and pulled them on, sighing again, making Iruka smile.
The jonin picked up his spoon and stirred his soup, and Iruka’s eyes widened. He grabbed his own cup of tea and cleared his throat.
“I’ll give you some space to eat, so you don’t have to rush,” Iruka said. “Let me know when you’re done, take your time.”
“Thank you again, sorry I intruded,” Kakashi apologized, but Iruka waved it off with a free hand.
“It’s no problem,” he said, giving a smile as he went to his bedroom.
Kakashi felt tension leave his body as he warmed up inside and out, but still kicked himself for coming here. He had thought about Iruka once or twice on his return leg, sure, but hadn’t intended for it to go beyond thoughts, and he hadn’t even been sure if he was thinking about Iruka, or about Konoha; were they becoming more and more intertwined for himself? Surely there was a difference for Kakashi, especially since the other man had only offered support when the jonin was ill or injured, and he was none of those things tonight (fortunately).
But his feet had taken him to this area of the village, and the light in Iruka’s apartment drew him in, so here he was. It was nice, Kakashi couldn’t deny that. It was warmer than his own place was or would be, both temperature-wise and the atmosphere. Kakashi’s place was functional, but Iruka’s was…lively. Like one could actually live and be comfortable there rather than use it for practical purposes when needed. Eat, sleep, shower, change, stretch - that was all Kakashi really did at his place. But here, at Iruka’s? He imagined the man could host a few friends, leisurely eat meals at a table rather than a desk. Curl up to read on the sofa, just…relax.
And to Kakashi’s surprise, that’s what he felt now - relaxed. Both here, and around the other man.
Kakashi finished his food and drink and quietly washed up before heading to find Iruka to talk, perhaps apologize again, discuss…something. Kakashi would figure it out, he thought, surprised that he wanted to stay up and talk rather than go to sleep right away himself. Except he found Iruka in his bedroom, the door wide open and the man fast asleep. Iruka must have fallen asleep while reading, Kakashi noted, for a book had fallen to the bed next to him
The copy nin watched him sleep for a moment before silently moving away. He left out a short note of thanks before he grabbed his gear and left, heading home. There, he laid awake in his own bed, feeling lighter than he had for some time as he replayed the unexpected events from the night over and over. He wiggled his feet in Iruka’s socks as he had worn them to bed, and rolled over to sleep, a smile on his face.
_____
Two weeks later, in which Kakashi hadn’t seen much of the teacher outside of the missions office, the jonin was on his way back from a two night mission with Naruto. It had been a success and a good opportunity for the younger shinobi, even with a slight skirmish they had with some bandits (not part of the mission, but life of a shinobi at times), but it was almost too cold for either of them to have been fond of the mission overall. Naruto had no qualms with telling Kakashi over and over (and over) about how cold he was as they headed back to Konoha, and the jonin sighed, half listening.
“Perhaps you need a warmer coat,” he commented at one point. “A new scarf?”
“I know, I know,” Naruto sighed. “Iruka-sensei says the same thing, but I think I just need thermal layers underneath instead,” he said, and Kakashi’s eye widened at the comment.
As Naruto continued to talk about something else, Kakashi wasn’t paying attention, now thinking about the brunette who was back in Konoha.
Kakashi had been on missions over the past few months with Naruto, but he never really returned beaten up like he did on solo missions, since naturally those were more difficult. Though there was that time, he recalled, where Iruka had brought him home after finding him exhausted on a bench. That memory made Kakashi’s insides feel warm and bubbly, and made him reflect on the unexpected but not unwelcomed interactions with the teacher over the past few months. Kakashi hadn’t considered seeing Iruka after this mission, since he was in fine health other than also a bit tired, but then again he hadn’t thought about that after his last solo mission and hadn’t he ended up at the man’s apartment then?
He couldn’t do that again…or could he, he wondered? Should he? Did he want to? He realized he wasn’t opposed to the idea. In fact, it felt…nice, he realized, to consider that he had someone in the village he wanted to see after a mission. He had, truthfully, forgotten about the slip of the tongue when last with Iruka, too embarrassed and tired to recall it after that.
Kakashi pursed his lips under his mask as he thought about it all. Someone he wanted to see, a place he wanted to be other than his apartment. A…a purpose to come back, beyond his duty as a leaf village shinobi. Sure, he had Gai and other friends in the village, and he cared for Naruto and Sakura, but Iruka was….he was different. It was almost like his old team, that source of warmth.
“I hope Iruka-sensei is free when we get back!” Naruto declared, drawing Kakashi out of his thoughts.
“Hmm?” the jonin absentmindedly asked.
“Yeah! Maybe he can take me for ramen, that would be so good right now! A nice big bowl of hot ramen, I’d be so warm!”
Kakashi frowned slightly, warm feelings now swept away by envy. Yes, he had to admit he was envious of Naruto, since he would assuredly have Iruka’s attention when they got back. Iruka would check in with Kakashi if the jonin caught the other two on their way to eat, no doubt, but it wouldn’t be the same as getting to spend time with him like their mutual student did. And yes, Kakashi could seek Iruka out another time, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for that, to ask to spend time with him outside of the post-mission time period. The copy nin wasn’t sure what that meant for him, and he wasn’t ready to explore it.
No, after missions was a safe time where he could hide behind injuries or fatigue, take the kindness offered there and not ask for more, should more not be given.
He silently sighed, and was grateful when Naruto moved onto a new topic.
Before long, they had returned to Konoha and went to the missions office. Naruto said it was to turn in their report, but Kakashi knew it hadn’t been written yet, much less that either wanted to do so right away when it wasn’t necessary. But if the charade got him a glimpse and perhaps a smile directed his way from Iruka, well, he would go with it.
Iruka was working there, and was surprised but happy to see them, asking how both were, ensuring they were honest about not having injuries.
“Are you free to go for ramen?” Naruto asked the teacher.
“Well, I do finish here soon, let me see if I can get off early,” Iruka said, moving away from his desk as the office was empty, and went to go speak to a coworker. He returned a moment later, smiling. “I’m free!”
“Great!” Naruto cheered. “Let’s go!” he said, pushing Kakashi and Iruka out ahead of him, making the chuunin laugh.
Kakashi felt himself relax, surprised that he had naturally been part of the invitation and delighted in hearing the other man’s laughter. The three soon fell in step with each other, sitting at Ichiraku’s with Naruto between them as he told tall tales about their mission. Afterwards, they separated to go to their respective homes, and Kakashi couldn’t remember the last time he slept so well after a mission that he hadn’t been chakra depleted from, as the whispers of a plan began to form in his mind.
_____
The academy was on break for the winter holidays, and Iruka took advantage of having time for a mission. A solo one, which was even better! Time to get out of the village, do something good for others, boost his own mission rank and status, earn a bit of extra pay, it was great! Except that it was deep into winter and so very cold, he sighed to himself as he headed back.
The mission had lasted for three nights, most of which he had slept in the field due to the nature of his duties then, and he was looking forward to his warm apartment and even warmer bed!
Iruka sighed happily when the lights of Konoha came into view in the darkened wintery sky. It wasn’t that late in the evening, probably only early into dinnertime, but the sun set so early these days that it certainly felt later.
He greeted the gate guards and began to sign in before pausing. Iruka looked up and frowned as he looked around, having sworn he had briefly seen a dog sitting nearby wearing a vest and forehead protector around its neck, but there was nothing like that around now.
Shrugging, Iruka finished signing in and bade goodbye to the guards as he walked home, not thinking anything more about it. He was tempted to stop somewhere and get food, but the dinner rush had begun, and even takeout would take longer than he wanted.
“I’ve got soups at home I can heat up in a few minutes, that’ll be fine enough,” he thought to himself, pleased that he had continued to keep his cupboards stocked. He began to think about which soup to make, since he had a few favorites, and let his mind linger on that as he began to come down from his more vigilant state on the mission.
Yawning, Iruka let himself into his apartment and left his rucksack and outer warm layers by his door before inhaling and exhaling deeply.
“Nice and warm,” he sighed, deciding to shower first, then eat.
About fifteen minutes later, he was in warm pajamas with damp hair, padding to his kitchen to choose a soup, when there was a knock on his door.
Iruka frowned; his mission had not been so important that a report was needed right away, and he had nothing to deliver from it. So, what could it be, then? He hadn’t reached out to anyone to let them know he was back yet, he recalled, and as he went to answer it he found he was worried it might be something concerning.
“Hello,” Iruka greeted his guest with wide eyes, surprised.
“Evening,” Kakashi cheerfully replied. “How are you?”
“I’m…okay,” Iruka slowly said, confused. “What are you doing here?”
“I knew you were on a mission, so I thought I’d check in now that you’re back,” Kakashi told him. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
Iruka smiled, glad there was no bad news to be shared from either of them. “I’m fine, just tired, I admit. I was about to make something to eat, um, would you like –” he said, trailing off as he stepped aside to invite Kakashi in, feeling bad he only had cans of soup to offer but not wanting to be rude. And on top of it, Iruka was still wondering why Kakashi had shown up to his apartment out of the blue? He wasn’t unwelcomed, the teacher realized, but it seemed rather random.
The copy nin nodded and stepped inside, and Iruka closed the door behind them as his guest spoke.
“I brought you food,” Kakashi said, holding up a to-go bag from Ichiraku. “Thought you might like it after your mission. After all, Naruto did say that you say ramen heals everything, so I thought it would be nice for you to have…”
Iruka smiled again. “Thank you, that’s really kind. I do say that, don’t I?” he laughed, leading them to the kitchen, where Kakashi began to take out food for both and they sat to eat.
____
The next morning, Naruto got dressed and went to check in at the mission’s office. He learned Iruka had returned, as the blond had been waiting for just that news, and went to the teacher’s apartment, eager to welcome him back!
Naruto knocked on Iruka’s front door, figuring it wasn’t too early that the other man would still be asleep, but also not too late that they couldn’t have breakfast together. His jaw dropped when Kakashi answered the door, wearing his shinobi blues.
“What are you doing here?” Naruto asked, shocked. “Where’s Iruka-sensei?”
“He’s sleeping,” the jonin told him.
“So why are you here?” Naruto repeated, and Kakashi shrugged.
“I was checking in on him.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. “This early?” he asked, but before anyone could say anything more, Iruka came to the door, still in his pajamas.
“I’m up now,” he told them. “Naruto, hello. Kakashi, I’m sorry I fell asleep while you were washing up from dinner, you didn’t have to stay…”
The jonin shrugged. “It was the least I could do since you always care for me after missions, and it was…nice,” he admitted, and Iruka gave him a small, bashful smile.
Naruto frowned and crossed his arms as he looked at the two adults, who were still looking at each other.
“What am I missing?” Naruto slowly asked, deepening his frown.
Iruka just smiled again and shrugged, and Kakashi gave the teacher an eye smile.
“I’ll cook, who wants breakfast?” the copy nin offered, and Naruto relaxed his face.
“Me!” the blond declared, entering the apartment and pushing past the adults to head to the kitchen as he threw his sandals aside.
Iruka laughed as he closed the door, and looked at Kakashi, who hadn’t moved away yet.
“Thank you,” Iruka said in a soft voice.
“It’s my pleasure,” Kakashi told him.
“Sorry I’ve never been able to offer to cook for you after a mission,” Iruka apologized, scratching the base of his ponytail. “I seem to just always have heated things up for you.”
“You’ve done so much more, it’s the least I can do,” the jonin quickly told him. “I’d…I’d be happy to cook for you anytime, mission or not.”
Iruka smiled warmly at him. “I’d like that,” he said, reaching out and taking one of Kakashi’s hands to lead him away from the door. “Come on then,” Iruka laughed. “I’m starving.”