Chapter 4
Kakashi was nearly at the hospital when a thought occurred to him. Should he bring Iruka flowers, or just pick him up?
Ordinarily, he'd just pick him up; but if Iruka thought they were dating, well, wouldn't a partner bring flowers? But then again, Kakashi didn't want to encourage Iruka to believe a false memory. He wasn't against the idea of dating him, and sure he could manage pretending to be his partner - he just had to be more affectionate, and kiss him, right?; but what would happen when Iruka got his memories back and found out the truth? It would break his heart…
But if he truly believed they were dating and he tried to distance himself, wouldn't Iruka be hurt anyway, if he thought his partner was rejecting him? And with no memories of anything else right now, and only one person he trusted, would it really be wise to let him down so soon? Kakashi debated to himself the best way to approach the situation, as he continued along; and when he reached the Yamanaka flower shop just before the turn off to the hospital, he finally made his decision.
"I'll get the flowers…" he mumbled to himself, feeling a light blush tinge his cheeks.
After an especially embarrassing encounter with Ino, who had served him, Kakashi had finally reached the hospital; and was walking along the corridor, making his way to Iruka's room. It hadn't been too difficult to locate; and before he knew it, he had reached the entrance and opened the door. He scanned the area, searching for Iruka's bed, and was instantly distracted by the sound of his name. His eyes flicked over to the direction it came from, and he found Iruka with a wide grin on his face, beckoning him over.
Kakashi was a little confused and hesitant seeing such an amorous smile directed at him from someone whom he, up until now, thought he only had a platonic relationship with; but Iruka's feelings also reached his heart, and he was touched. Kakashi had never seen someone so happy to see him before - this was the face of someone who was truly in love; and he didn't really know how to react to such affection, but he knew he couldn't ignore it.
"Hey." he greeted softly, walking over to the bed tentatively. "I uh, bought you flowers."
"You're such a sweetheart." Iruka blushed, stretching his arms out for a hug. "Come here."
Kakashi placed the flowers on the bedside table, and leaned into Iruka, who pulled him into a tight embrace, burying his head into his chest. He felt a little awkward, and was blushing like crazy, feeling so much intimacy in the hug; but he wasn't even going to attempt to pull away while Iruka was trying to keep him so close.
"I'm so glad you're here." Iruka murmured into Kakashi's uniform.
"I heard what happened. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just… a little disoriented. I can't remember anything. Except for you." Iruka pulled back and kissed Kakashi's cheek. "I could never forget you."
A tender gaze flashed across Iruka's eyes; and Kakashi felt his cheeks grow even hotter. He hadn't dated anyone in years, and felt like he had just walked into the middle of a love story that was deeper than anything he'd ever experienced; and the romance was killing him. But he was supposed to be the main character of this romance, so he couldn't just do nothing after what Iruka had said; so, ignoring his mind's panicked protests, Kakashi pulled his mask down and leaned in, his heart pounding heavily against his chest.
"I hope you never forget this, either." he murmured, pressing his lips against Iruka's.
Kakashi had definitely never kissed Iruka before, but it felt like he had done a thousand times before. His lips felt familiar and inviting, like he was being welcomed home; and the taste of Iruka's affection was making him weak. Kissing had never felt so intimate before; and Kakashi was beginning to wonder what he'd gotten himself into - pretending was going to be harder than he thought. When he pulled away, he gazed into Iruka's lovestruck eyes as he tried to get his mind working again.
"Come on, let's get you home." he finally said.