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"Kakashi, hey!" Iruka grinned.
"Yo!" Kakashi smiled as he watched Iruka approach.
"I haven't seen you all night. Are you enjoying the party?"
"Oh, yeah, it's been nice." Kakashi replied awkwardly.
"It's crazy, isn't it? That this is Naruto's wedding reception."
"Mn. He's really grown, hasn't he?"
"Definitely…" Iruka replied in admiration, staring off into the distance.
"Maa, you're not about to cry again, are you, Sensei?" Kakashi asked softly.
"Sorry, it's just… an emotional day for me." Iruka said, slightly choked up. "He wanted me here as his father. I never knew he felt that way about me."
"You've always been there for him, and was the first person to acknowledge him, and form a special bond with him." Kakashi smiled warmly. "Why wouldn't he consider you family?"
"I guess you're right." Iruka returned the smile. "It just feels weird, you know? Me? A father figure?"
"I wouldn't choose anyone else."
Kakashi glanced at Iruka, whose cheeks were a deep scarlet; and his eyes widened in horror, and his heart raced wildly in a panic when he realised what he said.
"Uh, w-what I meant is that you've got so many qualities that are great for kids - you're kind, caring, great at listening and giving advice, and always do things in their best interests; and you did a good job nurturing Naruto. So uh, yeah. You make a great father figure." He fumbled awkwardly.
"I don't really do much." Iruka mumbled shyly. "But thank you."
He and Kakashi grew silent; and as the atmosphere became strangely tense, Kakashi's mind began to race as he frantically tried to think of something to say to change the mood.
"So, a-anyway, uh, do you want to -"
"Ah, Hokage-sama! Just the person I wanted to see!"
"Hmn?" Kakashi looked up ahead, and nausea swirled in the pits of his stomach. He had wanted a distraction from the conversation he'd just had with Iruka, but he didn't want this.
"Evening, Sukea. What can I do for you?" He smiled politely.
A million thoughts were racing through his head when he saw Sukea's mischievous glint. When he was cloned, he was given orders to act as the photographer for Naruto and Hinata's wedding and reception, with a backup mission to keep an eye out for people who weren't invited to the party that evening, and that's it; but he was clearly up to something, and Kakashi knew it wouldn't be good.
"Do you mind coming over for a photo? Naruto asked me to take photos of everyone, and I haven't gotten one of you yet."
Kakashi glanced at Iruka longingly. Whilst their last conversation had been slightly awkward, he had wanted to continue spending time with Iruka for a bit; and he knew that once they were separated, they would both be dragged away by other guests to party with them. But on the off chance that Sukea actually had something important to tell him, he decided that he would go to "get his picture taken".
"Sorry." He said softly to Iruka. "I'll be back in a moment."
"No, no. Please, bring your partner."
"P-Partner?" Iruka spluttered nervously.
Kakashi glanced at Iruka, and when he saw that his face had grown as hot as his own felt, all he wanted to do was thump Sukea on the head, and knock him out of existence. What was he thinking?!
"W-We're not partners."
Sukea chuckled knowingly.
"Don't worry, Hokage-sama, your secret is safe with me." He winked. "Not that anyone would mind that someone as lovely as Iruka is by your side. In fact, the two of you look great together."
"T-Thank you, Sukea, but we're really not dating." Iruka blushed, glancing at Kakashi.
"Still, why don't you two get a photo taken together?" Sukea suggested. "I'm sure Naruto would love a picture of both his senseis together."
"Ah, we'd better do this... For Naruto." Kakashi mumbled, running a hand through his hair shyly.
He made his way over to the white backdrop, and stood in between an archway that had an array of flowers cascading up the structure, on top of an X that was taped to the floor, and faced the camera sitting in its tripod; and Iruka followed along, standing awkwardly a few paces away from him.
"Iruka, I need you to step closer to Kakashi-sama, please." Sukea smiled.
Iruka took a small step closer to Kakashi, and Sukea waved his hand, indicating for him to move even closer; and Iruka glanced at Kakashi as he awkwardly shuffled a little bit more.
"Come on, the two of you are close - there's no need to be shy about it!" Sukea encouraged.
Iruka glanced at Kakashi again, more uncertain than before, since they were just a couple of inches apart, and any closer, their sides would be touching. Kakashi smiled, and lifted his arm to invite Iruka closer; and when he was pressed up against him, he wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Wonderful! Stay right there!" Sukea said happily as he quickly disappeared behind the tripod to take their picture.
When he seemed to be done, Kakashi removed his arm, and Iruka went to step away, both ready to continue on with their nights.
"Ah, please don't leave! We're not done yet!"
"We're not?" Iruka asked.
"No, no. You are a lovely couple - I can't let you go without getting some nice pictures for the two of you."
"I-It's okay. Really." Iruka stammered, his cheeks growing bright red in his flustered state. "We're not a couple, anyway."
"You can't fool me, Iruka, Hokage-sama." Sukea smiled. "I've seen the way you two have been looking at each other all night. No matter how much you deny it, there are clearly romantic feelings there."
Iruka and Kakashi stared at Sukea in a stunned silence, both of their faces beet red, and hearts pounding wildly. Neither of them knew what to say after being outed like that. And if it was this obvious for Sukea, did everyone else see them the same way? Had people paired them off, too, the same way they had paired off Naruto's friends at the ceremony earlier? Were they already seen as a couple?
"Now, let's take a couple more pictures, or you will forever regret missing this opportunity."
Kakashi figured Sukea was right. Even if he didn't want people to know he had feelings for Iruka, he would definitely regret not getting any photos with him, especially since he didn't have the sharingan to capture images of him anymore. He knew how easy it was to lose people, as he had lost so many in his life, so memories of them were important to him; and he wanted to not only remember all the time he spent with Iruka, but have a keepsake he can look back on, and perhaps eventually share with others, too.
"O-Okay." He swallowed.
"Excellent!" Sukea smiled, his eyes lighting up excitedly. "Iruka, I want you to stand where Kakashi-sama is; and Kakashi-sama, please stand behind him."
Kakashi and Iruka quickly did as they were told, and stared at the camera, waiting for Sukea to take their picture.
"Now, Kakashi-sama, please wrap your arms around Iruka's waist."
Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise, and he stiffened.
"P-Pardon me, but I mustn't have heard you right. What did you want me to do?"
"Hug Iruka from behind, please." Sukea repeated pleasantly. "Have your arms wrapped around his waist, and rest your chin on his shoulder."
Kakashi glanced at Iruka hesitantly, his face somehow even hotter than it was before; and he stepped forward until he was almost pressed into Iruka's back, and carefully placed his hands on his sides, and slid them over to his abdomen. Iruka stiffened at first, not expecting Kakashi's warm, solid grip to be burning right through his clothes and sending gentle tingles across his skin; but soon, he began to relax as he rested his own arms over Kakashi's, his hands settled gently on top of his.
He felt Kakashi lean in and follow Sukea's instructions, resting his head right beside his own; and he grew dizzy as his soft breath tickled his neck, and strong scent intoxicated him; and his heart began to flutter. He never expected this to feel as intimate as it did.
"Perfect." Sukea beamed, happily snapping away.
When he was done, Kakashi gently let go of Iruka, and moved to stand by his side.
"Is that it?" He asked.
"Not quite. I have just one more I'd like to do."
"Alright. But no more after that."
"As you wish, Hokage-sama." Sukea smiled.
"So, what would you like us to do?" Iruka asked.
"This time, I want you to face each other, and hold hands, like Naruto and Hinata did today at the wedding ceremony."
"Okay."
Iruka relaxed more as he turned to face Kakashi. He had been expecting another pose where they'd have to be close together again, but this one wasn't so bad. Not that he thought being close to Kakashi was bad - he was just a little self-conscious, since there were so many people around. Thankfully, no one had seen them and come over yet - he was sure he would have died of embarrassment.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle warmth as Kakashi took his hands; and when he looked up, distracted from his thoughts, his heart skipped a beat as he became entrapped in his gaze. He felt like he was looking at Kakashi for the first time.
Iruka was no stranger to Kakashi's emotions. Throughout the years, he'd seen what he looked like when he was happy, when he was angry, when he was moody and upset, when he was completely carefree, and everything else. He'd seen all these emotions despite his features being hidden behind masks, despite Kakashi doing his best to pretend he wasn't feeling anything at all, or wanting people to perceive his mood a certain way; but Iruka had always been able to see through all his acts. If you just paid attention, it was easy to tell what he was really thinking.
But this time, as Iruka gazed into his eyes, everything felt new. There was a softness to his expression he'd never seen before, and a sparkle that lit up so brightly, Kakashi's entire soul was visible; and right in the very depths was a striking rawness that he had only caught glimpses of a few times before.
And seeing all of this, Iruka didn't feel like he was looking at the infamous Kakashi of the Sharingan, or the socially awkward Kakashi-sensei, or the highly respected Rokudaime - for the first time, he felt like those masks had been stripped away, and that Kakashi was allowing himself to be vulnerable, and had truly opened himself up to him. What Iruka was seeing in those eyes was just Kakashi; and just Kakashi warmed him to the core.
Iruka smiled fondly, and let go of one of Kakashi's hands to run his fingers through his soft, silver-grey hair; and Kakashi studied him curiously, his heart racing wildly.
"Kakashi, I…"
Iruka glanced away shyly, his fingers gently trailing down Kakashi's face; and when they stopped at his cheek and he gazed up again, his chest fluttered when he saw the cute blush peeking beneath his mask, and a very loving expression waiting for him.
It caught him by surprise, and he almost lost the ability to speak, but he managed to ask the question that was trying to stick to the back of his throat.
"Kakashi, will you go out with me?" He asked nervously.
"Y-You're asking me out?" Kakashi stammered in shock.
"Yes." Iruka answered more confidently than he felt.
He brushed his thumb along the edge of Kakashi's mask; and Kakashi's breath hitched as Iruka caressed his skin. He hadn't been touched this way in so long, and the intimacy was driving him crazy. He was dizzy with desire, and wanted Iruka more than anything.
Kakashi reached up and put a hand over Iruka's, and carefully slid his fingers beneath his mask; and then he gently lowered their hands, pulling the mask with his movement. As he and Iruka took his mask off together, time seemed to stand still, and the world around them slipped away. Only their objects of desire, each other, remained; and when Kakashi's face was finally free, for a moment, all he could do was stare at Iruka and the beautiful blush on his face as he took in his features for the first time. He was lovestruck.
When he was finally able to move, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Iruka's in a tender kiss; and sparks exploded into fireworks the moment they connected. But it wasn't just his chest that was exploding, it was his entire body, like the sparks had been planted all through him, and got set off all at once. His insides were going crazy in ways he had never experienced before, and being like this with Iruka, nothing had ever felt so right.
Kakashi put his hands around Iruka's waist; and when he responded by hooking his arms around his neck and pressing further into him, he kissed him chastely several times, and then deeply once more, before carefully pulling away. He gazed into Iruka's beautiful brown eyes, butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he saw the raw desire burning in his expression; and he smiled fondly.
"Yes, Ru." He murmured. "Of course I'll go out with you."
Iruka smiled happily, and leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss; and as he and Kakashi got lost in the moment, there was a quiet click, and a bright flash of light, as well as what seemed to be a strange poof; and he pulled back, his cheeks flushed as he suddenly recalled that he and Kakashi were in front of Sukea. He turned around to apologise, to say something to make it less awkward, but as he looked for him, all he saw was the camera sitting on its tripod, and no Sukea around.
"Uh, when did Sukea leave?" He asked in confusion. "I could have sworn he just took our picture."
"Maa, he probably snuck away to give us some privacy." Kakashi replied, smiling to himself as he felt the warm, loving memories of the shadow clone he'd lost because of the kiss distracting him too much. "Cameras have timers, so it's possible he set that up before leaving."
"Huh. I didn't know you knew much about cameras." Iruka said with interest. "You're more mysterious than I thought."
Kakashi chuckled, and planted a kiss on Iruka's temple.
"Maybe one day, I'll tell you all my secrets."
"I'd like that." Iruka smiled.
Kakashi slipped his mask back in place, and held his hand out.
"In the meantime, let's enjoy the party." He said softly. "Would you like to dance?"
Iruka beamed as he took Kakashi's hand.
"I thought you'd never ask."
As they wandered off to the dance floor together, Kakashi took one last look at the camera, and smiled as he caught a glimpse of their picture, of him and Iruka kissing, disappearing from the screen. As soon as it was printed and protected, it was going straight in his pocket.
This was one precious memory he wanted with him, always.