Verbatim (Kakashi Hatake x Iruka Umino)

Chapter Twenty One

Iruka Umino grinned as he walked to Kakashi Hatake's apartment complex, looking down at the novel that he held in his hands. After a lot of work and a lot of help from both Anko and Kakashi, he was ready to publish and start selling his new book. When he'd started writing, despite all of the worries that came with it, it also came with a lot of benefits, whether it be the stress relief or the money that he got from having them sold, but the biggest thing was having Kakashi as a fan. So, of course, the Jonin was the first person that Iruka wanted to tell about it.

Finally approaching the apartment, he could feel his heart beating against his chest in anticipation. Would Kakashi like the new book? How would he react to it? Would he be as invested in it as he had been in Verbatim? Did he ever figure out that the two main characters in Verbatim were actually based off of him and Iruka? Would the new book meet all of the expectations that had been built when he'd helped Iruka draft it? Sure, he'd helped come up with a lot of the ideas, scenes, and characters that were used in this series, and he'd seemed to like the book when he'd beta read for Iruka, but he could never be too sure.

For whatever reason, he was often afraid of what Kakashi would think of the things he did, and he figured that was just another manifestation of his worst insecurities. He tried to stop it, he really did, but he often compared himself to the older man. Trying to clear his head of those thoughts, he shook his head and swallowed.

With that, he climbed up the stairs, easily making his way to Kakashi's door.

Taking a deep breath, he clutched the book tightly in one hand before raising the other one to knock on the apartment door, the sound against the wood resonating in his ears. Recognizing that the sound would be audible to Kakashi if he were there- which Iruka assumed he was based on the small light that shone against the dark curtains covering the Jonin's window- he would definitely be able to hear it. So, he stood there for a moment, pulling his hand back from the door and pushing it into his pocket as he shifted his weight back and forth between both of his feet.

Surprisingly enough, he heard the door being unlocked only a few seconds after he'd knocked, and it was quickly opened to reveal Kakashi Hatake. The light from the inside of the Jonin's apartment flooded outside, basking the brunette in a warm glow as he scanned the older man up and down. Kakashi must've been staying in for the night, as he didn't have on shoes, and he was wearing a sleeveless shirt. His mask was still on his face as it usually was, but Iruka's focus was on the small Anbu tattoo on Kakashi's upper arm. He hadn't been able to look at it very much- Kakashi usually kept it hidden, and Iruka wondered if he even wanted it there anymore considering how dark Kakashi's time in the Anbu had probably been.

He knew that he shouldn't stare for too long and looked back up at Kakashi's face, deciding that he should probably start talking about what he'd come there for in the first place.
"Hey, the new book's done, and it's gonna start being sold tomorrow in that bookstore you like."

"Is that so?" Kakashi asked, leaning against the doorway with crossed arms and smiling underneath his mask. The look in his eyes, which were both visible as he didn't have his headband on, was some mixture between proud and satisfied, which made Iruka's heart flutter just a bit. He had to suppress the huge grin that threatened to take over at Kakashi's next words. "I'll have to go buy a new copy first thing in the morning, then."

"No, no you won't..." Iruka laughed, clutching the book that he held in his hands, though Kakashi didn't seem to notice. Instead, the older man's eyes remained focused on Iruka, a curious expression underneath that mask of his.

"Huh? Why?"

"I brought you one. It's on me," Iruka answered, pushing the book he was holding into Kakashi's hands and smiling when the older man gave him a look of uncertainty. "You helped me a lot, so it's the least I could do."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi questioned, seeming reluctant to take it, but nodding nonetheless and keeping it in his hold. Iruka pulled his hands back, missing the feeling of Kakashi's skin against his, but knowing that he couldn't stay for too long. It was already late, and he had things to do.

"Of course, but I've gotta go."

"Papers to grade?" It was clear that Kakashi was teasing as he pushed the book into his back pocket, but it was true that Iruka had a lot of work to do for the academy, as well as his ninja career. He had papers to grade, mission reports to fill out, lesson plans to write, training to work on, and a box of the new books to take to the local bookstore the following morning so they could be sold.

"Yeah, I..." Fidgeting a bit, Iruka took a deep breath before gathering his courage and leaning in. He raised a hand to Kakashi's face and pulled his mask down, able to see the older man's eyes flutter shut in anticipation. So, Iruka decided to close the gap, gently pressing his lips against Kakashi's. He kept his hand on Kakashi's face to caress the Jonin's cheek, relishing in the feeling of his warm hands on the soft, cold skin. The kiss was soft and tender, with Kakashi's eyes slipping around his waist to pull him in closer as their lips moved against each other. He would've loved to stay longer, but he really did have to go grade papers, and he was running out of breath, so he pulled back. "Bye, Kakashi."

To his surprise, when he pulled away, Kakashi's eyes were blown wide, a bright smile and a blush on his normally pale face.

"B-Bye, Iruka..."