Chapter Text
Kakashi didn't know what it was that made Tsunade suddenly think they needed to check in on the projects they were funding. Though it probably had something to do with how she had neglected to check in with over half of their grantees for about a decade. Regardless, field visits were quickly becoming something he never wanted to do again. They were interesting and informative but there were only so many sea lice one could pull off of salmon before one started to scratch. As Kakashi unlocked the door to the apartment he was certain that he was going to be shedding fish scales until the end of time.
"I'm home," he called out. It was quiet. Too quiet.
The scuttling of an army of dog paws as they skittered on the hardwood was absent.
And to top it off his boyfriend was missing. Kakashi glanced to his side and saw all eight dog leashes. Then glanced down where his shoes sat and saw that Iruka's shoes were there as well.
"Hello?" he called out again. He heard a faint noise coming from the direction of their bedroom. He pushed open the door to find all eight dogs piled on the bed. There was general interest at his arrival with a few lifted heads and tail thumps but no one moved. The source of the noise was coming from the tv where the main menu screen of a movie was playing faint music.
"Iruka?"
Iruka's head popped out amongst the dogs, startling Kakashi. His brown hair was tangled where it was still tied up and his eyes seemed to take a moment to focus on Kakashi as if he'd been asleep. "you're home," he said in a sleepy soft voice.
"I'm home."
"How was the drive from the airport ?"
"not bad."
Iruka made a noise of acknowledgment before he disappeared back into the dogpile. Kakashi chuckled and put his stuff down.
"Do I want to know how you've managed to coerce my dogs into loving you more than me?"
"I bought a heated blanket. They haven't budged since I put it on."
"Why’d you buy a heated blanket?"
"To warm the bed up before we go to sleep. Your toes are always so cold."
Kakashi chuckled, he had stopped noticing his cold feet years ago.
"Come over here so I can kiss you. Bull fell asleep on my legs like 2 hours ago and I haven't been able to feel them since."
"I doubt you want to kiss me right now. Let me shower so I don't offend you with my smell. Everyone on the plane complained until they moved me to the back."
"Can't be worse than dog farts and dog breath."
Kakashi laughed again and stepped over to the side of the bed where he could see Iruka clearly. His boyfriend’s face was flushed. he looked up at Kakashi as he moved closer a grin on his face that mirrored the fluttering of Kakashi's heart.
Kakashi leaned down and kissed Iruka slowly, one hand on his cheek. When they parted Iruka's eyes opened slowly. "hi." Iruka said
"hi."
Iruka scrunched his nose, "you do smell."
Kakashi laughed again, "I warned you."
"If you unbury me from the dogpile, I’ll join you."
Kakashi hummed before leaning down and kissing Iruka again.
"that can be arranged." Kakashi reached down and pushed dogs off of Iruka before lifting him up and off the bed.
Iruka yelled as he was lifted, "Kakashi!"
"what? you said your legs were asleep."
"I just wanted you to get the dogs off of me!"
"like you said. I don't think they're budging."
"put me down!"
"hmm. No." Kakashi said as he crossed into the bathroom and shut the door.
Later, after Kakashi was mostly fish scale and smell free, the two of them were laying on their stomachs in bed, having moved the heated blanket to the couch in order to get the dogs out. Kakashi sat up and kissed Iruka's bare shoulder, "I missed you."
Iruka made a pleased noise, "I missed you too."
"what did you do when I was gone?"
"thought of you."
Kakashi laughed into his pillow, "aside from that."
"I helped Kotetsu and Izumo with some wedding planning."
"sounds…"
"stressful?"
"maa, I was going to say fun," Kakashi grinned.
"liar." Iruka laughed, turning his head into the pillow. Kakashi felt like a kid. All of his nerves were singing while in the presence of the other man, just being allowed to share these moments with Iruka was something Kakashi couldn't have dreamt up if he wanted to.
"What's been so stressful about it?" Iruka let out a groan into the pillow, "that bad huh?"
"Ko wants to invite his entire extended family, Zumo wants a small wedding. They can't pick colors to save their lives. They both keep jumping around from wanting a destination wedding to wanting something local. No flowers, yes flowers, some flowers. Costume wedding. Traditional wedding. Fall wedding. Spring wedding. They just keep changing their minds on things. Just the other day I had to talk Ko out of wearing an inflatable dinosaur costume down the aisle to surprise Izumo at the altar."
Kakashi chuckled, "you have to admit, that would be really funny. and really on-brand for them."
Iruka started laughing, a light laugh that quickly picked up in intensity. "It's even, it's even funnier be- because not even a minute later Izumo messaged me the same thing."
"wait they had the same idea?"
Iruka nodded into the pillow still laughing uncontrollably.
"And you didn't let them?" Kakashi feigned outrage also laughing.
Iruka shook his head into the pillow now clutching his stomach where he lay on it.
"How dare you. I would have gone to the wedding just for that. Now the only reason I have to go there is to see you looking sexy in a suit."
"Actually," Iruka turned his head to look at Kakashi now, his laughter subsiding into giggles, "they asked me to officiate. You'll be seeing me in a tux. I have fittings tomorrow after work"
"you're going to be the death of me. Did you know that?"
"I hope I can be your reason for living too," Iruka said as he leaned in and kissed Kakashi's nose.
"you're my everything." As soon as the words left his mouth Kakashi felt his face heating up. Iruka's face also turned an interesting shade as they both just stared at each other.
A few tense seconds passed before Iruka yelled out, "You can't just say that sort of thing!" and tried to smother Kakashi with a pillow.
Kakashi woke up late in the morning when he heard Iruka, not quite cussing as he dug through the kitchen. He smiled to himself before sitting up and stretching. It was good to be home.
“Shall we go make sure he doesn’t forget to turn the stove off Pakkun?” The pug lifted its head from where he was sleeping and looked at him before setting back into his spot. “I’ll go myself then.”
Upon entering the kitchen a few moments later, it was clear that Iruka had woken late. He was leaning on the counter near the coffee pot as it brewed, glaring at his phone. His dusty worn work bag sat with half of its usual contents scattered across the kitchen island, and the other half sticking up out of the bag clearly having been thrown in, in a rush. It was the start of the school week and Mondays were hard.
Iruka groaned and looked away from his phone in defeat. Kakashi heard him mumble the words, “I don’t know”, “I don’t care”, and “Why me?” as he kept looking back at his phone and swiping from one thing to another.
Kakashi slid in next to him as the coffee finished and took down two mugs, pouring some for the both of them, “Goodmorning to you too.”
“Here. You decide.” Iruka held out his phone to Kakashi and exchanged it for his favorite flavored creamer from the fridge.
“What exactly am I deciding?” Kakashi cautiously looked at the phone screen. On it was a place setting for a party. A similar one to some of the dinners he had attended at conferences. Looking at who sent it, he scrolled down and noticed three more photos of various settings.
“Pick a setting for the wedding. I can’t do it. They all look the same.”
“I wouldn’t say they all look the same ,” Kakashi scrolled through them again, he liked the rustic contemporary style of the third one down, and the way it seemed to incorporate antique plates and silverware. But he also figured it would be out of the price range of the other couple. “Why aren’t they picking it themselves?”
“Izumo said everything that Ko picked looked, and I quote, tawdry . ”
“Big word,” Kakashi hmmed as he scrolled through the list again.
“Yup. But I just don’t care enough to decide. So pick one but don’t get too attached to it they will probably change their minds.”
The third one. Kakashi thought as he handed back the phone and shrugged, “doesn't matter which one you pick. And I really don’t care.”
“Ugh.” Iruka hung his head and Kakashi couldn’t help but smile. “I swear if you leave me to make all of the decisions for our wedding I will not hesitate to uninvite you to your own wedding.”
Kakashi laughed as Iruka looked at his phone again for a moment, “Shit! I’m late.” He kissed Kakashi as he threw the rest of his stuff in his bag.
“Bye, have a good day,” Kakashi said as he took a sip of his coffee.
“Love you! Message Izumo with your choice!” Iruka called out from the door before it shut behind him leaving a cloud in his wake.
Kakashi shook his head and laughed before pulling out his phone. He pulled up Izumo’s number from when he had helped him prepare for his proposal dinner.
Kakashi: Hi, Iruka showed me the placements. I think you should go with number three but see if you can use the plates from one to save on money.
The three dots appeared that said Izumo was typing before a thumbs-up emoji and a Thnx .
Kakashi huffed, he would have to get Iruka’s phone to send the photo of the place setting to himself. He moved to the couch and sat down as his mind wandered. He pictured Iruka in a tuxedo standing at an altar looking down while he said his vows before looking up and meeting Kakashi’s eyes. Even though he was alone the image was enough to set his face ablaze and his nerves to skitter with anxious energy. Kakashi took a deep breath to try to steady himself.
Was he seriously thinking about getting married? I mean maybe one day… In a few years maybe. I mean Iruka had just moved in… but Iruka had talked like a wedding was inevitable between them.
Oh god. Was Iruka planning on proposing? Had all of this wedding planning gone to his head? He does act impulsively like that….
Or worse, was he expecting Kakashi to propose?
Kakashi stood up abruptly causing Akino and Bisque to jump and glare at him. “Sorry.” Kakashi made his way to the kitchen and poured his coffee down the drain. He started a kettle for tea instead. He didn’t need the caffeine at the rate his heart was beating.
What Kakashi did need however was some guidance. Someone to set his head straight.
He pulled out his phone and looked at his calendar. He had meetings for the next two days until late in the evening. And another field visit at the end of the week, which was thankfully a local biological lab. He messaged Gai to see if he had time to meet the following morning for a run. When Gai sent back his usual enthusiastic response Kakashi tried to distract himself and calm his heart as the water for his tea started to boil.