I Like You (Kakashi Hatake x Iruka Umino)

Chapter Eight

Kakashi Hatake was smiling underneath his mask as him and Iruka approached the area where the lake was, growing closer and closer to his cabin with each step they took. Though Iruka seemed to be in great spirits, Kakashi was rather conflicted. They continued to walk together, Kakashi's mind racing with a million thoughts, Iruka looking rather carefree. Since they were going to swim, they were both already in their swimsuits, their other clothes packed in the bags that they carried on their back- those of which they'd brought since they planned on staying the night at the cabin.

Breaking the silence, Iruka spoke up, shooting Kakashi a casual glance.

"Hey, Kakashi."

"Hm?" The silver-haired man tilted his head, and before he knew it, Iruka was running off, sandal-covered feet roughly hitting the ground with each step.

For just a second, he looked back, calling out to the Jonin. "I'll race you to the cabin!"

Deciding to entertain the brunette, Kakashi began to run as well, anything that was on his mind flying out the window as he tried to catch up to the younger man without using any Jutsus. When he got there, Iruka was already at the door, and they both laughed as they tumbled in through the front door of the cabin.

Iruka kicked his sandals off and set his bag down in the entryway, Kakashi doing the same and taking his mask off as well. No one was around, so he figured that there wouldn't really be any risk of someone seeing his face since people avoided the lake due to the rumors about it being haunted. Iruka let his hair down, and with that, they left, heading towards the lake.

"You look like you're in a good mood today, Iruka," Kakashi noted, gesturing to the huge grin that had taken over Iruka's lips, silently relishing in the way the younger man's eyes sparkled with child-like excitement.

How come Kakashi had never noticed how pretty he was before they'd started this whole thing? And why was it only now that he was dwelling on it for so long when Iruka had been in the same village as him for as long as he could remember? Why did he even care that much? Ugh... There it was again- the feeling that had been bothering him for the past few days; fluttery, heart-warming, scary, confusing, and embarrassing at the same time, and he wasn't quite sure how to label it.

"I am! It's a gorgeous day outside," Iruka admired their surroundings as they approached the side of the lake where the water would be deep, standing on the edge of the mossy land that surrounded it and looking over the water. "I really can't believe no one comes here just because of the rumors. What a waste."

"Yeah..." He trailed off, unable to keep his eyes away from Iruka's face. He looks good under the sunlight. "What a waste."

Without warning, a grin took over Iruka's lips, and the brunette was running over to the loch, jumping in. The water splashed with the impact as he landed, sinking underneath the blue surface for a moment before swimming up. When he rose above the water again, looking up at Kakashi, the silver-haired man thought that his heart had stopped. The sunlight brought out every shade of gold and brown in Iruka's eyes and hair, every freckle on his shoulders, the light pink that was dusted across his sunkissed cheeks.

"Well? Are you gonna join me or not?" He questioned, moving his hair- which was dripping with water- out of his face with his hands. Kakashi nodded and joined him in a considerably more calm manner, simply easing into the lake instead of jumping right in. The water was cold, but the warm weather made it easier to stand, so he didn't mind it as he slowly swam towards the younger man until he was in front of him. Thankfully, his feet could touch the floor of the body of water, so he could stand as Iruka opened his mouth to address him. "Are you alright, Kakashi? You've been a bit off."

"Have I? Sorry about that. I must be tired."

"You know, we were never really close before we started all of this, but now that I'm around you more..." Iruka looked up at the sky as if he was in thought before his eyes met Kakashi's again- dark brown meeting black. Though the Jonin was usually cool, calm, and collected, he found himself gulping nervously. "I've noticed that you have this cycle. You'll be in a really good mood one day, and then normal the next, you'll go a couple more acting pretty distant, and then the cycle repeats itself."

"Can't say I ever noticed that myself, actually..." That was a complete lie and he knew it. He did go through those cycles- times where he'd allow himself to get close to people before regretting it because he was afraid he'd get hurt again and deciding to distance himself, only to fall back into it. Only certain people managed to pull him into that- namely The Third Hokage, who he valued as another mentor, Guy, who was his best friend, and Iruka, who... Well, he wasn't sure what Iruka was to him at this point, and part of him was afraid to think about it in depth. "Then again, you're the analytical type when it comes to people. It makes sense that you're a teacher- you're able to notice the subtle things."

"You think so?" The brunette chuckled, seemingly embarrassed by the compliment as he ran a hand through his own hair. It was out of its usual ponytail, loose and framing the twenty-year-olds face perfectly.

"Yeah, I do," The silver-haired man answered, and the damn feeling that had been bothering all day returned and made his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach. "You know, you should wear your hair down more often. It's really nice."

"Thank you..." Iruka murmured, tucking a strand of his chocolate-hued hair behind his ear and averting his eyes from Kakashi's with a small smile.

There was a moment of silence, and whatever the feeling was that had been bothering Kakashi all throughout the day was compelling him to brush Iruka's hair over his shoulders and pull the Chunin in for a kiss. It was slow and tender, and Kakashi wondered exactly how far it would escalate as he felt one of Iruka's legs being tossed around his waist to pull him closer, the brunette's arms loosely wrapped around his neck. Unfortunately, the kiss was interrupted by the noise of some footsteps that weren't too far away, as well as some childish sounding voices.

"Did you hear that?" Kakashi asked, and Iruka yanked back at the noise, pulling his arms away from Kakashi's neck and crossing them over his chest, looking around the surrounding area with a worried expression. "I think someone's here."

"Yeah, maybe... Probably just some kids or something," Iruka laughed, and Kakashi found himself turning a bit to hide the blush that took over his cheeks. "Wanna head back to the cabin? We could continue this there." Nodding, Kakashi slipped one arm under Iruka's legs, the other under the brunette's back, picking him up bridal style. He immediately looked up at Kakashi, eyes wide and tone scolding as he spoke. "Kakashi!"

"What?" He asked, tone teasing as he grinned down at Iruka, whose face was also burning red.

"Nothing..." He huffed, wrapping his arms around Kakashi's neck and grinning up at him. "Let's just go."