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The music playing is serene, a melodically slow sound surrounding the invitees. Iruka sways with it, lets himself feel the warmth of happiness erupting through his chest as he sips on some sake. The bright of day was gone, dusk's adorning sunset letting the fading rays drip over the horizon as the celebration begins to come to a close. Naruto had ragged onto him earlier about not having a dance partner, teased him more or less about needing a life, but Iruka didn't mind. He's happy -- Happier than he's been in a long time. A strong feeling of pride surges through him as he thinks over the day's festivities, the wedding, and he smiles to himself. Naruto has come a long way from when he was a child, and he's happy to have been part of it.
"What’re you smiling about?" A voice greets him on his left, the familiar presence of buzzing chakra surrounds him, he doesn't even have to look up at Kakashi to know he has the familiar teasing shine in his gray eyes.
"I'm happy," Iruka says as he takes another drink from his glass. Finally, he turns his head to look at him. Kakashi's formal wear still kind of surprising him for he's still not used to seeing him outside of his standard jounin uniform or the hokage outfit. His hair is only slightly sweaty, some of the strands sticking to his forehead. Iruka smiles at him, the warmth in his chest returning. "I see Gai has been keeping you busy," he comments. Recalls Gai wanting to start various challenges, drinking and any of the like, knows thats why Kakashi's hair is in the slightest of disarray.
A low laugh sounds from the kage, "As always." Kakashi's gray eyes meet Iruka's and, for a moment, he feels like a teenager again.There was always a certain fondness he's had for Kakashi, after all.
Iruka's gaze falls on the scar over the eye that once held the sharingan, remembers how desperately he wanted to caress it when he was younger. And now all he can do is smile at him, because he's fine with this. He's happy.
Kakashi's studying him, Iruka knows. Has known the man's body language like the back of his hand for years now. And Iruka can tell he's thinking of something, mulling a thought over. Maybe something he wants to say. Kakashi has never been good with words, so he raises the glass of sake to his lips, and waits. Listens to the sound of laughter and dull conversation, he wasn't sure the last time konoha had felt this alive. He relishes in it.
Kakashi's words rake over him, cause a soft chill cascade along his body as goosebumps rise, the simple question alone taking him by surprise and causing his heart to be heard in his ears. "Would you care to dance?"
He exhales his reply, lets his words dance in the air as they reach Kakashi. "I would love to." Maybe he still was a little bit of a teenager at heart.
A soft hum sounds from Kakashi as Iruka places his drink on the table in front of him. A strong urge to rub the scar over his nose bubbles over him, a nervous reaction for him, but he suppresses it. He turns around and meets Kakashi's chest, a small sound of surprise parting past his lips as Kakashi looks at him.
Kakashi raises his eyebrows at him. "You seem nervous, sensei," he says, his eyes glistening with amusement.
"I didn't expect you to be right there," Iruka mumbles, but he feels the rising heat in his cheeks. He half anticipated Kakashi to want to move somewhere else, somewhere with less eyes. But maybe he was just reading into things.
The buzzing of Kakashi's chakra surrounds him, a pleasant feeling cascading over as Kakashi's hand lightly places on his waist. Iruka begins to raise one of his own, to place on Kakashi's shoulder, but his slowness, his hesitance, is grasped by Kakashi's palm.
The radiant het of Kakashi's chakra washes over him at the touch of bare skin against Iruka's wrist. The grip on Iruka's wrist is anything but firm, and if he were thinking properly, he might say that it was more hesitant than Iruka's own action.
Kakashi's hand lingers there for a moment as Iruka's eyes meet his, and then he slides his hand up to measure their fingers together, where their palms are pressing.
Iruka's heart pounds in his ears at the action, their hands only pressing against each other, not even folding or lacing together. There's a beat between them, where they just hold each other's gaze. Iruka wonder's what his chakra feels like against Kakashi's skin, wonders who else has touched him like this. He sighs softly and moves his hand slightly, lowering it at first, then interlacing their fingers.
Iruka's free hand settles on Kakashi's waist and he looks at him, secretly asking if this was okay. His mind going a million miles a second, wondering what was going on.
Kakashi settles into it after a moment, Iruka doesn't miss the soft rosy tint that bestows itself over Kakashi’s cheeks and ears. It's slight, but Iruka notices.
He wonders if Kakashi had wanted to caress his scar, too.
Kakashi sighs when Iruka slowly takes the lead. They don't move too much, just a few steps in their respective area, but Kakashi doesn't seem to mind. "Why are you happy?" He asks, continuing normal conversation.
"Ah," Iruka sounds. "I was just thinking over the day. Life," he shrugs. "Naruto's grown a lot since he was in my class" Iruka smiles softly. The familiar territory grounds him as they continue, opting for swaying to the orchestra rather than making actual steps.
Iruka wonders if Naruto can see him right now, and if he'd take back his statement. He chuckles softly to himself, knowing he wouldn't. This causes Kakashi to tilt his head ever so slightly, and Iruka voices his thoughts. "Naruto said I needed to get a life, earlier," he shakes his head. "Because I hadn't danced with anyone."
He pictures Kakashi's smile beneath the mask, wonders what it looks like. Though the crescent shape that forms from Kakashi's eyes is enough. "Of course he did." There's a pause between them. "Why dance now, then?"
Iruka could blatantly be honest, say how he'd wanted to touch him like this since his late teens, but he chooses something more vague. A more Kakashi answer. "You asked me to."
Kakashi nods, not seemingly having a quip to it.
"And you?" He continues, desperately wanting to know, even if Kakashi can be vague. "Why ask me to dance?"
Kakashi inhales at the question, and Iruka wonders if he shouldn't have asked. But then the kage speaks, and it melts the worry away. Maybe even melts all of the resolve, the years of resolve, Iruka had developed because of the man. "Honestly," Kakashi's voice is quieter than usual, hesitance lingering in each syllable. "I wanted to hold your hand." He doesn't leave much room for Iruka's reaction, because he continues as if too shy to have the sentence hover between them. "Hinata and Naruto made it seem nice."
Iruka looks at him. "You've never held someone's hand?" He asks. Yet he wanted to hold his.
"Maa," Kakashi mutters. And something about it makes Iruka's heart ache, wonders if all the rumors about Kakashi and his relationship experience are true. Not that it bothers him, but because it would be heartbreaking to learn that Kakashi has never known a lovers touch outside of sex. He aches over the thought.
He chooses not to linger on it, rather not ruin the tender moment between them. He wonders if people have seen them yet, if they're looking. He doesn't care. He decides to give a piece of himself too, bare some of his soul to even it, "I've wanted to hold your hand for years now, Kakashi-sama," he says, feels the kage's name roll off his tongue. "All you had to do was ask."
Kakashi breathes his statement in and Iruka watches his eyes as he processes it. Breathes out. "I know," he says. Iruka wants to know what gave it away, if he was obvious. "But I think we've established that I'm never on time for anything..."
Iruka has many questions running through his mind then, so many things he wants to say. He pushes them away and chooses his words wisely, unsure of so many things, but basking in the moment. The talking and laughter from before has seemingly faded away, but he's sure that's just his mind choosing to pay attention to how Kakashi breathes. "Better late than never," he says.
The music playing is serene, a melodically slow sound surrounding the invitees. Kakashi and Iruka sway with it and feel the warmth of each other's bodies pressed against one another.