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Kakashi stops at his front door, staring at the dark wood, clenching and unclenching his fists for a few seconds. His body is still tense, his talk with the Queen still too fresh, too at the forefront of his mind, and he feels on edge. There's a war looming over them now, Kakashi can feel it getting closer everyday, and so does Tsunade, with that somber look in her eyes as she told him everything she knew. He doesn't want to think about it, not yet; although he's a soldier and he'd fight to protect his home with everything he got, he knows it's a fine line between who he is now and who he is in the battlefield.
Who he is when there's blood on his hand, and he's forced to not care about it, until everything feels numb and the people around him stay away in fear. He still doesn't know, if he's honest, how Iruka had taken a liking to him when they truly got together. Kakashi had been at his worst, had almost been able to truly push all and every hint of emotion away from his system, and yet Iruka still stood by his side. He has always been thankful that the other man did, and that Iruka somehow kept safe the last bit of emotion Kakashi had left to keep him from losing himself completely. He knows he'd be a different person if Iruka hadn't made him fall for him the way the younger man did.
Still, the promise of a war makes his body shake, and he knows the battle is coming and that he'd be forced to be the soldier he has always been, the one who had been feared even inside his own kingdom, but that's not who he wants to be that night, and that's not who he wants Iruka to see. So he takes a deep breath, uncovered eye closing as he tells himself to calm down, finally relaxing his hands. The silence around him helps, and he wonders if Iruka's insistence to have a house outside the city walls had been because of this, to keep Kakashi away from people when he needed his peace.
When he feels like himself again, he opens his eye, and carefully unlocks and opens the front door to his home, the smell of it helping him to calm down even more.
It's warm inside, the smell of burning wood and freshly cooked food reaching Kakashi immediately once he's past the door, and it makes his stomach rumble when he realizes he's hungry. The fireplace is lit, the sound of creaking wood in the fire filling the room, the fire's light shining over Iruka and making Kakashi stare for a moment.
He doesn't know if it's his love for the now sensei that makes Iruka look so beautiful in his eyes or if Iruka has always been this ethereal his whole life. Iruka's hair is down, and that alone is something that makes Kakashi's heart leap at the knowledge Iruka only lets his hair down at home, around him; but the fire reflects on his brown skin, shining inside his dark eyes as well, in a way that makes him look like a fairytale creature. The light casts shadows on his face too, on the scar on Iruka's nose that makes Kakashi want to brush his fingers through the scarred skin the same way Iruka does to the one on Kakashi's eye.
There's a book on Iruka's hands, eyes focused on the words as he reads them while sitting on the chair next to the fire, his legs up and under him in that strange position he seemed to love the most while reading, that never failed to make Kakashi's heart grow ten sizes bigger for no apparent reason other than liking to see the other man's habits. He's still in his robes, Kakashi notices, and it makes him smile under his mask.
"Are you just going to stand there and stare?" Iruka asks, and Kakashi is not surprised that he's noticed him, even as silent as Kakashi is. He knows his husband well enough to know that surprising him is nearly impossible with the power he holds.
"I'm home," Kakashi announces quietly, finally closing the front door behind him and taking off his shoes before stepping inside the house properly.
"You are," Iruka answers absentmindedly, one hand rising from his book to beckon Kakashi closer, even if his eyes remain on the words in front of him.
Kakashi does as he's told, stepping closer towards Iruka's chair and kneeling by the man's side to be more level with his gaze. Iruka's hand doesn't miss a beat, finding its place at the back of Kakashi's head, tangling against the white locks, and carding through his hair gently before his eyes finally meet Kakashi. If there had been any tension left from earlier, it's gone the moment those eyes meet Kakashi's uncovered one, forcing whatever worry that plagued his mind to leave.
Iruka smiles his silent welcome, and Kakashi leans a little more against the man's touch, allowing Iruka's other hand to slowly pull down the mask covering his face. It's always like this when Kakashi is the one to get home last; it's always Iruka peeling away whatever barriers kept the world outside away from Kakashi, and letting himself be near him, and Kakashi hopes it never changes.
With the mask gone, Kakashi smiles up at his husband, seeing Iruka's eyes soften, hand moving towards the cloth covering his scared eye until he's able to pull it up and away from his face. Kakashi keeps his left eye closed either way, although he knows Iruka doesn't mind what hid behind his eyelid and the mismatched eyes.
When his face is fully on display, Iruka finally says, "Welcome back."
Kakashi smiles at it, leaning forward until his head is resting against Iruka's chest, feeling the heat of his husband's body against his forehead even through the robes. His hands land over Iruka's lap and hip, a thumb brushing against the covered hip lightly, trying to convey all the words he never says in that small gesture.
I'm glad I'm home. I'm glad you're here. I love you.
Thankfully, Iruka always seems to understand, and when he feels a kiss being placed on the top of his head, Kakashi feels himself melting where he kneels.
"Should we talk about why the Queen needed you to stay earlier?" Iruka asks. Kakashi shakes his head, wanting to keep the subject away from his home, and thankfully Iruka understands, quickly saying, "Alright," before adding, "I've made food. It's still warm."
Kakashi hums, unwilling to move away from the comfortable warmth that is Iruka's body and Iruka's hand lightly scratching at his scalp.
"Did you burn it this time?" He asks, because he's always loved getting into the younger man's nerves. It earns him a gentle slap to the back of his head, and it makes Kakashi smile, lips hidden from Iruka by the way he's leaning against the other man's chest. "What? You've done it before."
"I should just store it and give it to the dogs when you summon them again. Pakkun would love it."
"Am I being exchanged for the dogs again?"
"They respect me."
"Because you give them food."
Kakashi finally raises his face again, looking up into Iruka's eyes and seeing how soft the younger man's gaze is towards him, despite the light bickering.
"Well, they like my food," Iruka says with a small pout to his lips that looks incredibly endearing, fingers brushing some strands of hair away from Kakashi's eyes. "More than they like yours."
"If I cooked more they'd like mine better."
"I doubt it," Iruka chuckles, the sound making Kakashi's heart miss a beat.
He stares at the other man, looking at the way the loose hair frames his face, at the glint of the fire reflected on those eyes, and it's almost inevitable to stop himself from pushing himself up just enough to meet Iruka's lips with his own, pressing a kiss to the other man's mouth. He's completely and utterly smitten, and on days where he's forced to be only a soldier, it worries him how that love can put him and Iruka in danger. But here, in the safety of his home and of Iruka's hands, which move to hold Kakashi's face as the kiss deepens, he enjoys the feeling and lets it take hold.
When they part the kiss, Iruka keeps their faces close, holding Kakashi in place with his hands, and Kakashi opens both eyes to stare at his husband, seeing the way his cheeks are flushed lightly and how his mouth curves up into a smile. He feels his left eye saving that image, keeping it in his memory for Kakashi to remember later.
"Go eat," Iruka mutters, his breath hitting Kakashi's lips with the words.
"I'd rather stay here," Kakashi mutters back, and there's so much more than he wants to say with those words, but he can't figure out how.
He has never been good with words, with expressing his feelings, especially strong ones like these, but Iruka knows that, and Iruka knows how to read between the lines, to which Kakashi has always been thankful. He sees Iruka huff out an amused breath, their noses brushing before their lips meet again in a quick peck that leaves Kakashi wanting more.
"Eat, and then I'll give you my full attention," Iruka promises, finally letting go of Kakashi's face. His cheeks feel cold, missing the warmth of Iruka's hands there. "Right now I should finish this book. I have to be at the Academy tomorrow."
Kakashi groans, seeing the way Iruka's eyebrows shoot up, an amused smile on his lips.
"My, Sensei," Kakashi starts, and the fond look in Iruka's eyes changes into a warning glare, even if the smile remains. "You keep bringing work home."
"I'm a teacher, what did you expect?"
"For you to forget about the brats and care about your husband a bit," Kakashi mumbles, and he's well aware that he sounds like a spoiled child, but he doesn't really care.
The amused look is back on Iruka's face when he says, "I made you food."
"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi huffs out, waving his hand in the air. The next thing he feels is the hardcover of Iruka's book hitting the seemingly offending hand, and Kakashi holds back a smirk. "What are you even reading?"
Kakashi pulls the book lightly, not taking it from Iruka's hand but making him show Kakashi the cover, and Kakashi's smile dies down for a quick second before he's looking up at Iruka again. The younger man seems to look away, pulling the book closer and placing it down on his lap. It's not one of theirs, most likely taken from the Queen's library under her permission; the historic of all the past hosts of the Kyuubi.
"Is everything okay with Naruto?" Kakashi asks, suddenly wary of the reason Iruka is checking the book. "Is the Kyuubi causing trouble?"
"No, it's not that," Iruka quickly reassures him, sighing to himself. "I just want to… to understand him better. I haven't dealt with a host before, and I wondered…"
Kakashi stares at his husband, seeing the look in Iruka's eyes. He doesn't say it, at least not with all the words, but Kakashi knows Iruka cares about the boy, despite his parents' deaths being caused by the Kyuubi many years ago.
It's just like him to care about lost causes, Kakashi thinks quietly to himself, a smile threatening to appear on his lips again.
"Either way, I have to finish this quickly," Iruka says after clearing his throat, waving the book a little to make sure Kakashi knows what he's talking about. "I have to hand this back to Shizune tomorrow. And you need to eat."
"Alright, Sensei," Kakashi mutters as he gets up. The hardcover of the book hits him on the thigh, and this time Kakashi laughs at it. "I'll stop, I'll stop!"
"You're insufferable sometimes," Iruka grumbles, but there's no bite to the words, just poorly concealed fondness.
"Maa, you think it's charming," Kakashi counters, already walking towards the small kitchen to find his dinner. "Besides, it's your title as the Academy's sensei."
"I thought I was a soldier first, teacher second," Iruka continues from the living room, to which Kakashi completes with, "And my husband third?" in a quiet voice, remembering Iruka's words at the meeting. He's not sure if Iruka heard or not, but, if he did, he ignores it in order to say, "Why would you use my secondary title?"
"So you want me to start calling you soldier?"
"Gods, no, shut up," Iruka groans, and Kakashi snorts. "Nevermind, keep the sensei going."
"As you wish, Sensei," Kakashi taunted, hearing a sigh coming from the living room.
The only thing he can think about is how he should finish his dinner quickly to be able to bother Iruka from up close again, in the younger man's arms, where it's warm and safe.