Chapter Text
Iruka sighs and pinches his temple in frustration.
"No that isn't right, you're supposed to hit the target"
The small child seemed to think about what Iruka said before nodding and then throwing another kunai. It landed next to the first one.
His face scrunched up and then he started yelling about how there must be some jutsu on the kunai because there was no way he would have missed that one.
Iruka groaned internally and looked around the field, noting the other children were not having much better luck. He understood the difficulties the first or second time throwing a kunai but this was the fifth time they'd tried this week! And they weren't even close to the target. Iruka even had to shove several unaware children out of the way before a practice kunai hit them.
The child in front of him seemed to notice he wasn't listening because his voice had died down and he was staring at him expectantly.
"Iruka-sensei! It's not fair!"
Iruka just smiled and ruffled the kids hair. "It's alright, you'll get better with time. I promise"
A long time by the way things were going.
Eventually class ended and Iruka began collecting the stray kunai that had been too dangerous to get while kids were still throwing. He locked up his materials and headed out into the cool Konoha afternoon. It was still on the last legs of spring so the breeze was pleasant and the scent of flowers wafted through the air.
Iruka took a deep breath and walked towards the tower. He'd have to start mission room duty soon but he choose to go the long way past the new trees one of his neighbors had planted. The sweet lady that lived there had said the buds would open soon and Iruka wanted to be the first to see them.
Arriving at his destination he walked to the door and politely knocked. A shuffle came from inside before the door opened and an old lady appeared.
"Oh Iruka!"
She opened the door and Iruka stepped inside.
"I have some bad news I'm afraid, one of the trees has completely withered"
"Really? How?"
"I'm not sure dear, it was almost overnight. Yesterday it was fine and then today- well you'll see"
She led Iruka to the back of her home and then into the backyard where her garden lay. Iruka gasped.
There were three trees in a row. Two were healthy and the buds seemed ready to burst. But the third was.. well.. completely dead. It looked like it had been for months.
"I'm not one to believe in all that superstitious nonsense but-"
She seemed at a loss of words for a moment.
"Well I just planted that one thinking about how much you'd like it and now it's dead so .. be careful Iruka"
Iruka nodded. He didn't really believe in those sorts of things either but he wanted to make his neighbor feel at ease.
That night Iruka couldn't sleep. He knew it was late, judging by the moon's position in the sky outside his window but sleep just wouldn't come. So he lie awake staring at the ceiling, thinking over lesson plans for the next week. Tomorrow was Saturday so he guessed not being able to sleep would be okay since he could just sleep in the following morning, assuming his body would let him.
Giving into frustration he got up to make a cup of tea. Tea fixed everything, well almost everything. It's then when he's stumbling around his dark kitchen when he hears it. A raspy inhale. It's so faint that Iruka thinks he's just hearing things at first. But then it happens again, a little louder. Could it be an enemy nin? Why would one be in his home?
Thinking back on what his neighbor had said, Iruka sets the kettle down and listens intently for it. Yes, he can hear it. Faint weak breathing. It's coming from his bedroom. Aware that it could be some sort of trap Iruka grabs a kunai from his kitchen drawer before slowly going down the hallway and into his room.
It takes a moment before he sees the slumped over figure below his now open window. The curtains billow in the cold wind over the unconscious body, the chest heaving. Iruka's grip tightens before the clouds move from in front of the moon and the light catches a tint of silver hair.
Iruka drops the kunai. "Kakashi?"
The mass that Iruka now assumes to be Kakashi doesn't respond. It's only the sound of him breathing that convinces Iruka he's even alive. Why was he here?in Irukas apartment? At this late of an hour?
Iruka gets a little closer and can make out Kakashi's ripped and blood-stained vest. Blood was pooling on the floor beneath him and his hitate was nowhere to be found.
"Kakashi," he says again
A single gray eye flicks open and stares at him.
"W-" it's all he can get out before a spasm of pain rips through his chest and he starts painfully coughing.
"Kami Kakashi" Iruka snaps out of the daze he's in and rushes to get his medkit from the bathroom. He throws the supplies around frantically before crouching at Kakashi's side a moment later.
"Iruka what are you doing in my apartment" is what the jonin says next
Iruka looks at him, perplexed.
"I could ask you the same thing"
Kakashi's head rolls around as he seems to be seeing the room for the first time.
"Shit"
How had he been so careless. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, he was so used to throwing his limp body into his apartment and waiting on the ground until either he had enough energy to get up or he bled out.
Iruka frowns. Was Kakashi so exhausted and weak from blood loss that he had mistaken his apartment for his own, which was on the other side of the village?
"I'll get out of your hair now Sensei" Kakashi attempts to stand up and drag his exhausted body over the window ledge.
"Kakashi wait"
Iruka pulls him back inside his room.
"You should go to the hospital"
Kakashi shakes his head, nearly falling over in the process.
"Don't like doctors"
Iruka frowned, again. He didn't want to enable him by patching him up when he clearly needed expert medical care that, but he also wasn't going to let him bleed out here.
"Then let me treat it at least"
Kakashi raises a single eyebrow.
"Maa sensei I've already overstayed my welcome I'll be fine once I-"
Iruka yanks Kakashi back inside his room and presses him to the wall.
"It's my apartment you're in and I'm not going to let you walk around Konoha bleeding enough for the whole village"
Kakashis single eye widens and then his posture relaxes, defaulting back to himself.
"If you're that desperate to spend time with me Sensei you should have just asked" he says a slight grin showing through his mask.
Rose tinted Iruka's cheeks but it was too dark for Kakashi to see. He simply mumbled something about being ungrateful. and then opened his medkit. Iruka let Kakashi slide down the wall and positioned him so he was sitting upright before he began the process of his removing his vest and shirt.
Kakashi closed his eyes, head tilted against the wall. He was so tired, he could fall asleep right now. It was very tempting to give in to the pull of unconsciousness. Then a flare of pain hit his chest and his eye shot back open.
"Sorry.." Iruka said quietly. He had pulled Kakashi's undershirt off but it had been matted to the wound on his chest. He inhaled sharply. It was deep and oozing blood, it would require stitches. Something Iruka had only done a couple of times before and never on anything as big as this.
"Kakashi... how did you get this?"
Kakashi closed his eye again. "I was careless," he said slowly, voice barely above a whisper.
Iruka didn't understand. Sure Kakashi was lazy and had a penchant for being late but he was anything but careless.
He set to work cleaning the chest wound, applying healing salve on other minor cuts as he went. He heard the sharp intake of breath from the older man each time, knowing it must sting Iruka attempted to start a conversation to give Kakashi something else to focus on. He talked about the events of the previous day and how kunai practice was going record horribly, the jonin's eye remained lidded to show he was listening.
"Kakashi I'm going to need to stitch this up," he said, once he had finished preparing it.
Kakashi only nodded weakly.
Iruka threaded the needle with shaking hands. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he slid the needle into Kakashi's skin. It was extremely slow. Iruka wanted to make sure he was doing it correctly and he didn't have enough experience to do it quickly. The jonin didn't seem to mind. Or if he did he didn't make any indication of it.
Iruka tried not to notice the way Kakashi was staring at him. His body was leaning forward over Iruka ever so slightly and the close proximity might have made him blush in any other circumstance. He waiting for Kakashi to make a crude comment but nothing ever came. Maybe he was just too tired.
Iruka tied the knot for the stitches and leaned back to scrutinize his handiwork. It was crude but it would hold together until he could convince Kakashi to go to the hospital or drag him to Tsunade himself.
"There's all done. Now turn around"
Kakashi obliged, sliding over so his back was now facing Iruka. Another gasp.
An even bigger wound zigzagged up Kakashi's backside, it reminded Iruka's of his own scar.
"Did you know this barely missed your spine! You could have been paralyzed, dead in the forest somewhere" Iruka said in disbelief, his voice rising. He could somewhat understand one fatal wound on a bad mission but two? Two was ridiculous, especially for the all-seeing sharingan Kakashi. The best ninja in the whole village.
"Sensei you worry too much"
"How can I not worry! You're always going on these dangerous missions one after another and each time you come back worse off. I see how you look when you come into the mission room. Don't even try to lie to me I see the reports! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Iruka was yelling now.
Kakashi is uncharacteristically silent. It's like even the room they're in is holding its breath. After a long moment of silence, he speaks.
"I didn't come here to get lectured, Iruka. I didn't even mean to come here at all. Thank you for stitching my chest up but I can take it from here"
Kakashi began to stand and Iruka scowls, grabbing his arm.
"The wound on your back is even worse and how will you stitch that one up, it's on your back"
Kakashi yanks his arm free and turns to stare into the teachers' eyes. His look is much more intense than before.
"I'll figure something out. I have every single other time. Don't think just because I made the mistake of coming here that this means anything to me"
Iruka lets go and stares at the jonin dumbfounded and a little hurt. Kakashi steps out the window but pauses before jumping away.
"And for the record. The answer is yes"
Iruka stares at the spot Kakashi had just occupied.
Yes?