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Shikamaru woke up for this. Correction. Shikamaru woke up early for this. He could’ve had a good hour or four in bed with his husband. He could’ve taken his time to drink freshly brewed coffee made by his wonderful husband. He could’ve just strolled around the streets before going to the tower. But no. He woke up to an ANBU tapping on his window like a stalker at the ass crack of dawn, had 10 minutes to get ready before running out the door—he kissed Neji’s forehead before leaving—like a maniac.
“Kakashi-sama… What are you wearing?” Shikamaru asked. He blinked twice just to be sure he wasn’t dreaming. The sky was barely blue outside, the soft light of the sun peaking behind the mountains.
“Oh this?” Kakashi pointed at his sunglasses that were propped up on his head. “Also drop the sama. I keep telling that to everyone.”
“No, the whole thing.” Shikamaru said, looking at him up and down. Kakashi shrugged, the lei on his neck swinging with every move. The white haired man placed a bunch of kunai inside a sealing scroll. “Nothing special. Me and Iruka are going to the Land of the Waves.” He said casually. Kakashi opened his desk drawer and pulled out a familiar green book—Icha Icha Paradise 3.
Shikamaru stood stunned, looking around to see if there were any cameras or if he was in a genjutsu. There weren’t any. Unfortunately. “I didn’t know we had a delegation…?” The younger male responded, his words slow and carefully picked.
“There isn’t!” Kakashi replied cheerfully, his eyes crinkling. “We’re going on vacation!”
You’ve got to be shitting me, Shikamaru thought. He stared at Kakashi. This was worse than the time he was called because there were several cows on a man’s roof. “It’s the middle of the week.” The black haired ninja said.
“Yes. I am aware.” Kakashi said, continuing to pack various items that did not fit the criteria of ‘vacation necessities’. Who the hell brings food pills and antidotes for poison to a beach? Ninja with anxiety do,
“It’s the middle of the week.” Shikamaru reiterated, slowly this time, hoping it’d make a difference—it doesn’t. “You're going on vacation. With Iruka-senei. In the middle of the week.”
“Yes. That’s what I said.” Kakashi replied, looking at Shikamaru like he spoke a different language. “You know, I said the same thing to Shizune yesterday, she had the same reaction. Didn’t know you two were telepathic.” He chuckled.
“Kakashi-sama—”
“Just Kakashi.”
“Right…” Shikamaru nodded, name correction was the least of his worries right now. “I don’t think you understand what you said.”
Kakashi tilted his head to the side. His desk had several sealing scrolls on them, to the side there were two duffle bags—probably clothes, Shikamaru thought. The office was pristine, the windows cracked open, letting in the cold breeze of the morning. It was all too clean for Shikamaru’s liking. “ I perfectly understand what I said, Shikamaru.”
“Who’ll take cover for you then? Naruto? Sasuke? Shizune?”
Kakashi laughed, full on shoulders bouncing kind of laugh. “Nope! You will!” Shikamaru wanted to die when he heard those three words. He should’ve stayed in bed, He should’ve thrown a pillow at the ANBU and buried himself in the sheets. He should’ve done anything else under the sun than stand in front of the sixth Hokage.
This is how villages collapsed and Shikamaru was going to die drowning in paper and stale coffee.
Iruka wasn’t a fan of the summer. Well, he wasn’t a fan of the work that came during the summer. While the academy is handing him papers for the next batch of kids he’s going to be stampeded with, the mission desk was hounding him more than usual. Iruka swore at several jonin eight times during a shift. Seriously, if he compared the writing of grown ninja to a pre-genin he wouldn’t tell the difference.
He was, however, a fan of the warmth the season gave. The way things looked more colorful, the festivals they had, the way food stalls were still open despite how late it was.
It was to his delightful surprise when Kakashi told him they’d run away to the Land of Waters. Kakashi went all out with the convincing. Gave him an itemized list of reasons, answered every question Iruka threw at him, hell even had the pack of ninken tell him to agree with the—very wild—idea. Safe to say Kakashi had convinced Iruka under ‘special’ circumstances.
The couple took two days of travel to reach the port of Kirigakure and half a day to get to their actual destination. The hotel Kakashi booked was close to the beach, but not too far from the city—a ten minute walk to the nearest convenience store. Their room was a little cabin with a king sized bed, a kitchen with basic cooking utensils, and had an open balcony. Iruka marvelled at the beach side view, the weather was perfect.
Kakashi dropped their bags near the bed and flopped onto the soft mattress with a groan. “Holy shit, it’s soft here.” he said, voice muffled by the thick sheets. Iruka chuckled and slid open the balcony door. The scent of sea salt and daylilies filled the air. It was windy today.
Iruka smiled softly when he heard Kakashi snoring. He stepped into the balcony, a soft breeze came, the palm trees in the far distance swaying gently and the sound of waves rolling echoed. He remembered a faint memory like this, it happened years before he became an academy teacher—before he knew Kakashi. Iruka was on a mission, somewhere in the outskirts of Konoha, just several kilometers from the Land of Whirlpools. He was with Anko and another chuunin, they were hunting down three missing nin who stole a scroll from the Daimyo’s library.
The sound of crashing waves in his ears as he pummeled another ninja to the ground—he was chakra exhausted and pulled several muscles during the fight. He laughed at the memory, he was stupid for fighting three people without back up. But he doesn’t regret it. Besides, he won and Anko hauled his bloody body back to Konoha. Kurenai hounded him during his entire stay at the hospital.
His daydreaming stopped when he saw a familiar figure walking by. Iruka squinted his eyes, and was surprised. “Itachi…?”
The Uchiha jumped when his name was called and whipped his head to look at Iruka. He was just as surprised. “Iruka-sensei?”
The chuunin smiled and waved at him. “Itachi, what are you doing here?”
“Ah,” Itachi replied nervously. “Well, I was—”
“ITACHI! Fuck—!” A blond boy ran towards him, his long hair swaying in a long ponytail. He hid behind Itachi’s short frame, though his bright yellow hair stuck out like a sore thumb. “THEIR GANGING UP ON ME, UN! THEY’RE THROWING SAND!”
Iruka, now witnessing a crime, watched as three people—Konan, Sasori and Hidan— started running towards Itachi. “ITACHI ISN’T GONNA SAVE YOU, DEIDARA!!” The man with silver hair screamed, he had a fistful of sand with him. Sasori dragged a bucket of sand with him and Konan had a paper bird flying over—of course it had sand.
“AAAHHHHH!!!” Deidara yelled and ran away, the three people following after him. Itachi sighed and rubbed his temples. “It’s a vacation.” He answered his question, he waves goodbye before following the same direction the group of people ran to.
“Have fun then!” Iruka smiled and waved back. Well, that was weird.
“Mhm– ha, hot–” Kakashi mumbled, chewing on a piece of takoyaki Iruka had fed him. “I told you!” Iruka laughed loudly, holding a small paper plate full of takoyaki. The sun was setting—shades lighter than what Iruka was used to—light blue, peach pink and a blush of orange.
Kakashi swallowed thickly, “Give me another.” He said, leaning down with his mouth open. Iruka rolled his eyes and fed him another piece. They passed by various stalls, vendors yelling about trinkets they sold, the smell of smoked and grilled meat stuck to his clothes, and the wind was colder during this hour.
The couple stopped by another stall, where Kakashi bought a cup of lemonade. Iruka noticed two familiar figures just a few feet away from them. Iruka taps him on the forearm, pointing at the duo behind Kakashi. “Isn’t that…?” Iruka whispered.
Kakashi turned and was surprised to see Itachi with Kisame. They were browsing at a stall that sold jewelry—rings with sea glass, bracelets made out of shells, necklaces with the pendant held by twine. “Huh, didn’t know Itachi had a thing for guys like him.”
“Kakashi! Don’t be rude.”
“I was just saying!”
“Still rude,” Iruka glared at the white haired jonin. They decided to walk slower and stopped by a stand nearby that had keychains and dream catchers displayed. Kakashi was more focused on looking at the items than looking—stalking—at the duo.
Iruka stepped to the side, trying to look interested as the seller talked about the handmade crafts. The chuunin frowned, the market was loud, but he supposed this was the closest he could get. In his peripheral vision, he sees Kisame lean in for a moment too long before Itachi swats the taller male on the shoulder. Kisame laughs loudly and they walk away. What the hell was that? Iruka tried to follow where the two men exited but was stopped when Kakashi called him.
“Right, ‘ruka?”
“Uh, yeah…?” Iruka smiles. Shit, he wasn’t paying attention.
“Great! I’ll put them in a bag for you.” The vendors smiled brightly before collecting a handful of things. Iruka’s eyes widened, he looked at Kakashi who was pleased with himself.
“What the fuck did you buy?” He asked.
“Oh this? Souvenirs.” Kakashi’s eyes crinkled as he paid with several hundred ryo. “I even got a matching set for team 7.”
“You’re going to bankrupt Konoha if you keep doing this.”
“Mhm, Shikamaru can deal with it.”
Despite the rumors of his perpetual lateness, Kakashi always woke up early. He didn’t know if it was something he did as a kid or if it came from the nightmares that he had when he was growing up. Thankfully the latter doesn’t show up that often anymore. Iruka looked beautiful with his hair down.
Kakashi reached out and tucks a stray strand behind his ear. He smiled, he was lucky. Lucky to be the one to hold him, lucky to wake up every morning and see him by his side, lucky to be the one to love him. Call him lovesick, but hey, if Kakashi was sick, Iruka would take care of him no matter what.
The jonin reached out, his thumb grazing over his cheek. He chuckles to himself. Fuck, he’s so down bad they might have made another circle in hell just for Kakashi. He laid there for longer, just looking—memorizing. He gets up when light starts to peek from the curtains.
Iruka woke up when Kakashi was finished making coffee. They stood in the balcony and watched the sun rise from the rolling waves, the smell of sea salt starting to stick on their skin. “...And that was how you found Naruto dangling from a tree.” Kakashi chuckled, the memory still fresh in his mind. A steady wisp of steam came out of his mug. “So it was you!” Iruka laughed. Holy shit, he was beautiful. The chuunin took a sip of his drink.
They shared more stories—Kakashi’s early missions with Rin and Obito, Iruka about his first teaching experience, and that disastrous date they had two years ago. The sky was bright when they spotted something walking by their cabin.
“...This is so fucking stupid.” Kakazu's voice came through. Both of them ducked behind a table.
“And yet you paid for it.” Hidan replied, laughing loudly. “Come, just say it. You love me don’t you.”
“You’re giving me a migraine.”
“YOU DIDN’T SAY NO~!!!” Hidan yells with glee. Kakazu hits him with a beach towel, the former shields himself with his surfboard.
“Shut the fuck up before I drag you back to the cabin.”
Hidan giggles “Oh yeah you will~”
When the coast was clear, Kakashi got up and took a sip of his coffee. “I guess Itachi isn’t the only one with a type.”
Five days. Five fucking days. The Hokage left on Wednesday. It was Saturday evening. How long is their vacation? Until he’s dead? Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair, trying to stay awake. Shizune had left a pot of green tea on his desk, he was thankful for her. She gave him blankets when Shikamaru decided to temporarily live at the Tower.
Kakashi never had this much paper work, so why the fuck was he basically drowning in it? Or was this some sort of elaborate plan to kill him? Shikamaru didn’t know at this point. He was delirious, barely had anything to eat and was running on sporadic 30 minute naps.
He did the taxes, counted every ryo civilians handed over. He oversaw the details for next month’s festival—Shizune kept returning with a new draft because he denied every single one. He approved S-rank missions, Iruka-sensei was right, some jōnins didn’t have writing capabilities.
Shikamaru was in the middle of allocating money for the academy’s extension when someone knocked on the door. He sighed and rubbed his temples, he didn’t even want to look up when the door cracked open. “Shizune-san, for the last time, if they insist on using fire techniques for a fireworks display, I’ll personally push them off a flight of stairs.”
“I didn’t think you’d confess to pushing me down a flight of stairs, Shikamaru.” Neji said, closing the door behind him.
Shikamaru looked up, stunned for a moment. “Neji… I- I’m sorry I didn’t know it was you.”
The Hyuuga nodded, and presented an S-Class scroll. A supposed two week long mission. Shikamaru read the details—the missing nin they were chasing had committed suicide, the mission cut short. Shikamaru hummed at the details and pressed a seal on it. “Thank you for your service.” He said and handed it back. Neji stood in front of him with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
“I came home,” he started, voice steady and slow. “and the house was empty. No food, no laundry, the bed wasn’t even used. Where the fuck have you been?”
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Here, and nowhere else. If you think I’m cheating—”
“So you locked yourself in the tower for five whole days?”
“Yes. I’ve been here since Wednesday.” Shikamaru replied. The papers on his desk were set aside. Neji lets out an annoyed huff and walks to where Shikamaru was sitting. The Hyuuga grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him up.
“Neji– Honey–”
“We are going home.”
“Yes. I know, hon, just let me look over—” Shikamaru stopped talking when Neji looked at him—he didn’t even need the byakkugan. “Okay… We’ll go home…”
Iruka didn’t even notice the days that went by. The smell of sea salt stuck on his hair and skin, sand was in every piece of clothing he had, and their bags were full of souvenirs—Kakashi’s fault. Iruka enjoyed himself—if he ignored the fact they kept spotting the Akatsuki on dates or flinging sand at one another. He ran a hand through Kakashi’s hair, chuckling when the jōnin grunted and buried his face deeper into Iruka’s neck.
It was early morning, the TV played an episode of the Real Housewives, the windows were all open, and Kakashi had decided to keep him especially occupied last night. Not that Iruka was complaining. The chuunin tugged on Kakashi’s hair when he felt teeth grazing over his neck. “Do not.” Iruka mused, his voice raspy.
Kakashi looked up and pouted like a dog “Mhm, why not? I won’t go too far.”
“Because I have nothing to cover them up.”
“Why would you cover them up?” The white haired jōnin frowned—exaggeratedly. Iruka rolled his eyes, and playfully pushed Kakashi away. “Move, I can’t see the TV with your big hair.”
“I thought you liked it?”
“Not anymore.” Iruka giggled when he heard a loud, dramatic sigh. He continued to play with his hair, his fingers running through white strands. Iruka thought of going to the beach one last time and maybe stay there for a while longer. Warmth filled the room, rays of sunlight spread onto the floor, the wind came in short bursts, the sheets were pushed to the edge of the bed.
“Was I too rough last night?” Kakashi mumbled, head still buried in the crook of Iruka’s neck.
“Hm?”
The jōnin raised his head, looking at him fully. “Did you like last night?”
Iruka looked at him back and smiled softly. “It was perfect, I loved it… I don’t know about the neighbors though.”
“Okay, good, I thought you were mad at me ‘cause you can’t get up from the bed.”
Iruka threw a pillow at him. Guess vacation isn’t so bad after all.