The sharp ringing of the alarm clock ruptured Iruka’s peaceful sleep, the sound shrill and piercing to Iruka’s ears. Too many times had he heard the sound in his life, and it was about time he got sick of it.
Slowly raising himself out of bed, he sat up, running a hand through his hair, and looked around the room he had moved in 5 months ago. It felt like home by now.
The apartment they now shared together, that had originally belonged to Kakashi, was filled with traces of both men. Stacks of paperwork from Iruka’s students at the academy and Kakashi’s gear from his recent missions. Even with the clutter from a busy work week, it didn’t even look messy or out of place. It all felt normal.
Iruka slowly rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he glanced over at his sleeping boyfriend next to him. Kakashi, who had finished up a long and stressful mission the night before, was lying on his right side with his left arm draped over Iruka’s abdomen naturally. His resting face was peaceful and unbothered, serene.
Glancing at the clock that Iruka had originally woken up to, he realized that it was already 6 am. And to Iruka it occurred odd for Kakashi to not be awake even before him. Even at the early hours, Kakashi was up and about, training through sunrise and he rarely slept past the time Iruka usually woke up for school. It wasn’t something too unusual, considering that he often had trouble sleeping.
Thinking that he just needed more rest, Iruka gave Kakashi a light kiss on his cheek and climbed out of their shared bed. The hardwood floor felt cold under Iruka's feet as he shuffled to the bathroom. He shoved the sliding door to the left and headed straight for the sink, splashing his face with the cool water. The water dripped from his tanned face slowly into the sink as Iruka lifted his head, fully awake now.
Taking out a towel to dry the water off of his face, Iruka looked up and into the mirror at his reflection. Seeing the etched scar on his face, he sighed and leaned forward against the cool porcelain of the sink. With one hand he absentmindedly traced the scar on his face. He didn’t really remember how he got it, but it was most likely a kunai or shuriken accident when he was in his youth.
Iruka finished his morning routine and headed back to the bedroom to start getting ready for work. He made sure to walk quietly on the sometimes creaky wood floor so as to not wake a sleeping Kakashi. Quickly getting dressed in his usual Chunin uniform, Iruka’s eyes wandered to the side of the bed and latched onto the sleeping man, studying the features of Kakashi’s face.
Iruka did not think that he would ever get accustomed to seeing Kakashi without his mask. It had been a shock when he had decided to let Iruka see him without it one night over dinner. Trying to give him some privacy, Iruka had turned his head to look away, but at this Kakashi didn’t react well. He leaned forward and used one hand to redirect his face towards him and Iruka had let him do it. He still remember the intense stare that Kakashi gave him. And all that hand-touching and witty banter.
Smiling at the memory, Iruka left a kiss on Kakashi’s forehead and froze as a content sigh left the other man. He hated to leave for work without saying goodbye but Iruka was glad to know that he would have more time with the man he loved in the coming weeks.
Iruka stretched his arms above his head as he walked down the street towards the school district. After requesting some time off and getting approval, Iruka was eager to get home more and more each day as he looked forward to having Kakashi to himself over the break without work getting in the way of their time together.
—
Having a longer lunch break today, Iruka had decided to spend it with Kakashi after they had not had a chance to eat together in the past few weeks. With Iruka busy proctoring exams at the academy and Kakashi on back to back missions, they were both eager to have some alone time.
Iruka’s heart beat faster at the thought of finally being with his love again and what had been a leisurely stroll towards the apartment became a half-running half-skipping pace. He was anxious, in a good way, to finally talk to Kakashi about all of the important things that had happened in his life, since they had been separated for weeks.
Finally making it to the front door of their apartment, Iruka walked through the unlocked door and into the silent living room. A feeling of unease ran down Iruka’s spine as he slowly walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Something was not right. That’s what his gut feeling told him. It was too quiet.
He didn’t recall any missions Kakashi could have be on, since it was his ‘day off’. Maybe he went out, Iruka thought but as his eyes darted to the sort of foyer, he saw Kakashi sandals still neatly placed into the shoe shelf. A wave of insecurity hit him and he took out kunai, a way to be guarded.
After clearing the rest of the apartment, Iruka found Kakashi still asleep in their bed. The clock on his bedside table read after 12 pm. Ever since Iruka had known him, Kakashi had never been one to sleep in and definitely not till this late of an hour. And come to think of it, Kakashi never seemed to have been having a hard time waking up at his usual time. Until today, and this got Iruka all worried.
Walking towards the bed, Iruka sat down on the edge to get a good look at his partner to make sure he was alright. Iruka could already tell that there was something wrong with Kakashi. His usual pale skin had turned to a light but obvious shade of red that span across his forehead, cheeks, and neck. Beads of sweat glided down Kakashi’s face and dampened the pillow case that he laid still on. Iruka laid his hand on Kakashi’s forehead and he felt as his hand started to burn. He realized his guess was correct as he seemed to be running a high fever.
Iruka began to worry as he realized that he had left the other man alone and on his own all morning while he was not feeling well. It was improper of him and he started to regret his obliviousness. Iruka gently rested his hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and shook him awake. A quiet murmur left his lips as he was beginning to awake from the deep slumber he had been in all morning. His right eye slowly opened as his left eye stayed closed as it had not been covered overnight.
“Are you alright?” Iruka asked as he ran his hand along the side of Kakashi’s face in comfort. He could see that Kakashi was not feeling well even if he was trying to hide it.
“I am fine.” Kakashi whispered as he pressed his face into Iruka’s hand, the coldness easing his sweat-slicked, burning skin.
“You are not fine, darling.”, Iruka gently insisted, staring caringly into his lover’s eyes. “It’s past 12PM, you’ve been asleep for around 14 hours.”
Kakashi silently stared at his lover, not even being able to form words of acknowledgment or shock.
“I am going to go get you something to bring your fever down.” Iruka smiled and went into the connected bathroom to grab a bowl of cold water and a washcloth, until the rustle of sheets had him looking back into the bedroom.
Kakashi had swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, much to Iruka’s dismay. “Kakashi, don’t get up.”, he told his sick lover, but Kakashi brushed his suggestion off. “I’m fine, Iruka.”, he replied, getting up against the better suggestion.
The world spun in two different directions as he got up, and his body startled and wavered with the dizzy spell. He felt light-headed, and decided that it was better to sit back down instead of falling over. He grasped his disoriented head in pain at the sharp ache that clustered behind his eyes.
“You should not be out of bed right now, darling.” Iruka slowly rushed to Kakashi’s side, leaving the bucket of water and washcloth in the bathroom, and rubbed his back to make sure he was alright.
“I was just getting up to get a glass of water, that is all.” Kakashi smiled up at Iruka in reassurance that he was okay but the smile came out closer to a wince as the ground had not stopped spinning beneath him. A headache was starting to form, and Kakashi knew it.
“Stay in bed. I will get it for you.” Iruka cupped Kakashi’s face before heading towards the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Kakashi said after Iruka left the room and leaned back down onto his left side on the bed. If he had the energy, he would have used the duvet to cover his shivering body, but it would not let him move due to its exhaustion.
Iruka filled a glass cup with water and returned to the bedroom to see Kakashi laying still on top of the sheet, breathing shakily while he shivered. He seemed to be in blissful sleep, since he didn’t even reach to remove a few strands of his white hair from his face. Iruka settled the glass of water onto the nightstand, and with his free hands, he lifted the thick duvet and covered the sleeping form. The form stirred a bit and open his eye again, and his lovers name slowly slipped of his tongue in a tired whisper.
“Darling, just rest.”, Iruka whispered, tucking a few strands of hair behind Kakashi’s red ear, moving the hair covering his forehead, in order to kiss his forehead lightly. Kakashi murmured something Iruka couldn’t make out, while curling up underneath the blankets in what seemed to be a comfy cocoon. Smiling at how adorable he looked even when he was sick, Iruka made his way to the bathroom to grab the bucket of cold water and a washcloth.
Iruka placed the washcloth on Kakashi’s forehead to try to reduce his fever. Kakashi shivered, a sign his body was fighting the fever. The shivering of his body could be felt underneath Iruka’s warm gentle touch, and it was no surprise since Kakashi’s inner thermometer has always been broken, so his body couldn’t keep the temperature in check. He seemed to be having a dreamless sleep, as his usually tense face was eased into a peaceful expression. Iruka knew he couldn’t get good sleep often, and seeing him sick and also asleep without a disturbance made Iruka relieved for him.
Yet Iruka could not stop himself from worrying. In his two years of dating, Iruka had never seen Kakashi sick, not as sick as he was now. Kakashi could hardly stand and get out of bed, and it was right for Iruka to worry. He had never seen this state of him, even after Kakashi fell unconscious in his living room from blood loss.
He knew how to take care of someone with a cold or a fever, but Kakashi? He seemed to be showing a mix of many symptoms that he had never seen together before.
Deciding it was a good idea to take Kakashi’s temperature, Iruka walked back to the bathroom and hastily looked through a drawer's contents, before finding the ear thermometer. He went back to Kakashi and stuck the probe with the hygiene cover in his ear. The thermometer let out a little beep, and Iruka lifted it up to his eye level. His temperature was over 102 F/39 C degrees, this not surprising Iruka.
Iruka reached for the bowl of now-cold water on the bedside table and dampened the cloth before resting it back on Kakashi’s forehead. Without the use of any medication, this would be the quickest and most effective way to bring his fever down. It was an old Chinese remedy. Kakashi’s nose wrinkled slightly at the coolness from the cloth but he didn’t even stir, as Iruka gently set it on his hot forehead. Deciding that it was now best to wait for his recovery, Iruka leaned back and observed the other shinobi.
It had been a long time since Iruka had been in charge of caring for someone. Ever since the tragic passing of his parents, he was left with no one to care for as well as no one to care for him. However, even though he hated that the man he loved was sick, Iruka enjoyed having someone to look after.
Iruka had faint memories of his mother’s loving touch as she placed a cool washcloth on his forehead while he was sick with a fever during his years in the academy. He liked to think that he had gotten his caring nature from his mother and would pass that same care and comfort onto the man he loved.
Rustling sheets brought Iruka from his memories of his mother, to Kakashi who was starting to stir. Iruka would have liked it if Kakashi stayed asleep, since it was beneficial for his health. The wet cloth started to fall from his forehead, but Iruka grabbed it and gently put it into the bowl, squeezing the cloth in order to suck up more water.
Kakashi’s eyes started to open and tiredly glanced around the room before landing on Iruka. The smile that graced his lips felt reassuring to Iruka as he hoped that meant that the other man was feeling at least a touch better.
“How are you feeling, darling?” Iruka asked as he reached out for Kakashi’s hand. Intertwining their hands together, they sat comfortably facing one another as Kakashi cleared his throat.
“Like I have been sleeping for a week.” Kakashi said. Iruka let out a smile. “You wish, you’ve been asleep for around 30 minutes.”
Kakashi looked at him with disappointment, not at Iruka, but at himself. He wanted to reply something, but at that moment, he was thrown into a coughing fit, and tried sitting up in bed to be able to inhale more air.
Iruka, who stood up, rubbed Kakashi on the back and supported his weight with an arm around his waist. Iruka made sure that Kakashi would be able to hold himself up before dashing to the kitchen to retrieve another glass of water, in case one was needed. Returning to the bedroom where Kakashi was still attempting to take in air, Iruka made him finish off half the first glass before setting it on the bedside table next to the alarm clock and went back to his side.
The position had put them closer together and Iruka started to notice the slight tremble in Kakashi’s body. Iruka took out the thermometer, sticking it once again in Kakashi’s ear, and the thermometer gave him the same temperature. He didn’t get better, or worse.
“Are you cold?”asked Iruka, picking up the duvet from his side, while draping it over Kakashi's shivering body. Kakashi only nodded slightly.
Iruka rubbed his arms to attempt to gather some warmth but ultimately decided to raise the heat in the apartment, hoping that it would not bring up his fever.
After making sure that Kakashi was over his coughing fit, was resting against the headboard, and surrounded by pillows to keep him propped up, Iruka decided that it would be the best time to get some grading done for his students. Without much else he could do other than let Kakashi rest, Iruka grabbed one of the numerous stacks of papers from the kitchen table and brought it back with him into their bedroom
Iruka worked on grading the papers as Kakashi rested, falling in and out of restless sleep. The chills that racked Kakashi’s body kept him from fully staying asleep. However, all they could do now was let it run its course.
Before Iruka had even realized, an hour passed and he had only made it through half of the tests that he had given his students over the past few days. He rubbed the grogginess from his eyes and stood up to stretch his stiff body. Looking down at Kakashi, Iruka pulled the duvet up to his chin after it had fallen down to his chest and brushed silver hair from his forehead that was slick with sweat.
Even in his current state, Kakashi was still the most gorgeous man he had ever met. If he was awake, he would probably deny it but Iruka could not think of anybody else that he had ever loved and admired this much. Gazing at Kakashi, Iruka still had moments where he did not believe that he was finally able to be with the man he had been in love with for years.
Iruka took off the majority of his clothes, only keeping his pants on, and climbed into bed next to Kakashi. His chills had begun to subside and Iruka’s body heat along his were enough to keep the shakiness from returning. Even in his sleepy state, Kakashi wound his arms around Iruka’s waist and pulled him closer to crush their bodies together.
“My love.” Kakashi whispered as he nuzzled his nose into Iruka’s neck, begging for every piece that his love would give him.
Iruka smiled at the endearment and pressed a delicate kiss to silver hair. His arms squeezed tighter where they had rested on Kakashi’s shoulders and pulled them as close to each other as they could physically get. Laying there, both men could not help the wash of love and affection that blanketed them.
“Are you feeling better, darling?” Iruka asked. He was hoping that all of the techniques he had remembered his mother bestowing upon him had helped Kakashi get better.
“Yes. All thanks to you.” Kakashi kissed Iruka’s neck where his nose had been resting and relaxed his body weight onto Iruka.
Both Kakashi and Iruka had not realized how much they craved these moments together until reality got in the way and kept them from being together whenever possible.
Kakashi had become Iruka’s lifeline ever since the moment they met all those years ago.
Iruka had become the only person that Kakashi willingly let in and trusted with his emotions ever since the death of his sensei and teammates.
Kakashi and Iruka had become each other’s one and only and there was no doubt that they would fight any battle to stay that way for all of the years to come.