Lavender Clouds (Kakashi Hatake x Iruka Umino)

Chapter Ten

A week passed before Iruka was able to go out again, and when he finally did, he was relieved. It was halfway through the summer, so that meant he was closer to the day things would finally go back to normal. He'd load himself with suppressants and blockers, teach at The Ninja Academy when the school year restarted, and get back to his work as a Leaf Village ninja. Things would be good again, but he feared that when things returned to normal, his relationship with Kakashi would, too.

What if they stopped seeing each other as much? What if Kakashi never returned the feelings he had?

Iruka had been dwelling on it recently- during his heat and right after he'd ended, but he hadn't been able to deny the feelings that were becoming more and more apparent.

He liked Kakashi Hatake.

Sure, Kakashi was all of the negative things Iruka had called him out on before- rude, unpunctual, cruel towards his students, a pervert, and someone who often crossed boundaries that were there for a reason.

But, Kakashi was also all of the positive things Iruka was too scared to tell him about- kind, caring, passionate about his work, and someone who tried his best despite being handed shitty cards in life, even if he didn't act like it.

Iruka hadn't liked Kakashi for a long time, but now he did, and he wasn't sure how to handle it.

The mature, logical side of himself told him to simply confess and see what happened. The worst he'd get was a no and some minor teasing from Kakashi's end, and maybe they'd stop talking, but they hadn't talked much in the first place before the Jonin had found out Iruka's true status. He'd survive.

However, the sensitive side of himself told him to bury his feelings in the back of his mind and keep them hidden there until the end of time. No was a short, simple word, but he knew it'd hurt coming from Kakashi. They'd only really just started talking semi-regularly, and he didn't want to ruin it, let alone somehow risk Kakashi spilling his secret to the entire village. He doubted the latter would happen, but still.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear- or, think of the devil, Iruka supposed.

He'd been on a stroll to get out of the apartment after spending way too long cooped up in there, and he hadn't been expecting to run into Kakashi, but he couldn't help feeling excited upon seeing the silver-haired man leaning against the front wall of one of the cafes in the village, reading one of his erotica books- not an unusual sight.

Iruka approached the older man, standing in front of him and waving.

"Hey, Kakashi," The Jonin actually shut his book and put it into his back pocket, which had Iruka pausing for just a moment, confused. Kakashi almost never stopped reading just because someone talked to him... Oh well. "How've you been?"

"Good for the most part. You?"

It was awkward. Kakashi knew he'd been in heat, and Kakashi knew he'd used that scarf and that cloak to nest with. Iruka wondered if Kakashi had thought about it at all- part of him hoped Kakashi had, and the other him wanted to crawl in a hole and die at the mere concept.

"Ah, same."

Now that he knew he had feelings for Kakashi, being around him was suddenly so much worse.

"Do you..." Kakashi trailed off, straightening his posture a bit and crossing his arms as he averted his gaze, gesturing to the coffee shop they were standing in front of. "Wanna get coffee or something?"

"Sure."

He nodded, and with that, they walked into the coffee shop. It was relatively empty since it was late evening- they were in a ninja village, and most people at this time were either working, eating dinner somewhere, at their homes, or pouring into the local bars. The only other people in the store were the cashier and the barista.

Ordering and grabbing their coffees was quick work, and each of them had a coffee in hand as they made their way to one of the far back tables, Iruka with some vanilla contraption he'd seen on the menu that was loaded with sugar and a million flavors and add-ons, and Kakashi with a gross, bitter black coffee... He never really understood how people could like coffee by itself.

The two men sat down across from each other, Kakashi pulling his mask down to drink. Thankfully, they were sitting in a more secluded area of the restaurant, so no one could see Kakashi's face through the window.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing much," Iruka answered, feeling a bit awkward as he tried to come up with things to talk about. It was oddly tense. "By the way, I washed your cloak, and your scarf, too, so if you want them back-"

"Keep them," Kakashi gave a dismissive wave of his hand, taking another drink of his coffee before continuing. "And let me know if you need more."

"Why are you so eager to help me?" The brunette asked, tilting his head, confused by everything that had been going on recently and wanting to gauge exactly what Kakashi's feelings were.

"It's the good samaritan thing to do, obviously."

"I feel like it's deeper than that."

"Is that what you're hoping for?" Kakashi teased, tilting his head as well. Iruka let out a frustrated huff and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair.

"Not necessarily," He responded. Kakashi downed the rest of his drink and pulled his mask back over his face. Iruka had hardly touched his own coffee, so he leaned forward again and took a sip from the straw, resting his elbows on the table. "I just know that you aren't the type to do something like this for no reason with no ulterior motive out of the kindness of your heart."

"You really think I'm that cold?" The silver-haired man feigned offense, placing a hand over his chest.

"More confusing than cold. You don't do things without intending for a certain result to come from it- anyone who's ever talked to you know that."

"Well, if you must know," Kakashi started, the look he gave Iruka almost soft. "I'm not an omega, but going through ruts alone isn't pleasant, and from what I've heard, heats are ten times worse. I'm just a little sympathetic towards you. My intention really is just to make you feel better."

"How kind," Iruka scoffed, still terribly confused about what Kakashi's actions meant.

"You aren't acting very appreciative. I've always liked that attitude you have, though. I tend to surround myself with people who won't hesitate to try to beat my ass."

Iruka could only quirk an eyebrow. Kakashi did say he was a masochist that one time, so he couldn't say he was surprised by that statement.

"That's very telling, y'know."

"What, would you like to hear more?" Kakashi teased, running a gloved hand through his hair. "I think that blush is saying yes."

"Well, I'm saying no," Iruka decided to tease back for once, smirking and earning a laugh from Kakashi in return.

It was a sound he could get used to.

"I've gotta get going," Kakashi stood up, smiling under his mask. "But I'll see you around, Iruka."

"See ya," Iruka waved, and with that, Kakashi turned around and left.

The brunette sighed, taking his drink in his hands and leaning back in his chair. It was weird. Kakashi was always so casual about things, including his omega status, which was promising, as Kakashi was the type of person who'd tease others for those things. Kakashi had reacted well to his secret even though they hadn't been on the best of terms when it was revealed.

Maybe Iruka's other friends and colleagues would react well, too, and maybe he didn't need to hide.

Maybe being an omega, even if other people knew, wasn't so bad after all...