Naruto Oneshots + Imagines

Like Lovers Do (Kakashi Hatake x Iruka Umino)

Being pinned to the wall every time Kakashi came home from a mission wasn't particularly unusual, but it still scared the hell out of Iruka every time he was lingering around the otherwise calm apartment, only to hear the door open and have cold hands wrapping around his warm wrists and slamming his back against the nearest flat surface, familiar eyes peering into his; one grey and unmarked, and the other swirling red with a vertical scar over the lid.

Kakashi had unfortunately had to deal with intruders numerous times for one reason or another- they wanted information on the fox, they wanted his Sharingan, he was a threat to other villages and they wanted him dead, he was so infamous that he had a bounty on his head, and whatever other bullshit excuses they'd given. It was understandable that Kakashi was almost always paranoid when he walked into his apartment to sense chakra that wasn't his own. Iruka was just glad that they'd gotten to a stage where Kakashi wasn't almost accidentally Chidori-ing him or pulling kunai when this happened anymore.

"Welcome back, Kakashi," Iruka gave a small smile, trying to act as relaxed as he possibly could. He should've been used to this. Kakashi was always on alert, and it was even worse after missions- plus, Iruka hadn't bothered letting him know that he'd be there. Still, for whatever reason, his heart was beating ridiculously fast as charcoal eyes swept over his form. "I cleaned up and restocked your fridge with groceries since you've been gone for so long."

The silver-haired man had been gone on a mission for the past month, and he hadn't given too many details- just "I have a mission and I'll be gone for a while, you have the key so make sure my dogs are fed,", which he supposed was understandable since it was an Anbu mission. When Iruka had heard from The Third Hokage that Kakashi would be back that night, he'd decided to stay at Kakashi's apartment after making sure the pups were fed to make the Jonin dinner and make sure he was situated for the night after coming home- it was normal for them to do that for each other if one of them had a long mission, and then they'd stay the night at each other's place afterward.

"Iruka..." That icy gaze fell from his eyes to his lips, and then to his eyes again before Kakashi finally let him go, turning around and crossing his arms. Those charcoal eyes fell shut, lashes fluttering against his cheeks, and then he was opening them again and walking past Iruka and into the kitchen with a quiet, "I don't get you."

Iruka understood what Kakashi meant perfectly well, but he couldn't help asking about it for clarification's sake as he trailed behind the older man and into the small kitchen.

"What do you mean?"

"You say hi to me every day when we see each other, you still insist on training with me, you buy me ramen every time you see me there, you never complain about how bad my mission reports are even though they're absolute shit, you... Look, those are small things, and I guess that's fine- common courtesy, maybe you being a little too nice for your own good," Kakashi didn't have a table or chairs in his kitchen, so he sat on top of the counter, observing his surroundings in what the brunette knew was an attempt to avoid making eye contact while talking about something so personal. For a little too long, the only noise in the room was the slight simmer of the stew that Iruka had started, which was bubbling on the stovetop. "But it's this shit that gets me, Iruka. You buy me groceries, make me food at my apartment- For God's sake, you shower and stay the night here on a regular basis, sleep in my bed with me, like... Like lovers do. It's just all of these domestic things, and you know what?"

Iruka struggled to swallow his fear and stared down at the floor, nervously cupping his hands together. These feelings had been something he'd skirted around and avoided since he was a teenager, likely something Kakashi had thought about after he'd become an adult- a year ago, since he was nineteen and Kakashi was twenty-three now. He couldn't use his former idolization of Kakashi as an excuse anymore- no, that would be childish. When they'd first met, Iruka had been an orphan desperate for someone to give attention to and receive attention from in return, and Kakashi had been a hardened Anbu looking for someone to platonically care about who wouldn't go and die on him.