Chapter Text
“Kashi-nii-chan!!”
Smiling warmly, his singular eye mirroring the action, the silver haired jonin knelt down to scoop the little bundle of chaos into his arms, his limbs (for once) only covered by the soft cotton of a blue tunic (with mask) and a pair of loose, black cargo-pants.
“Ah~ right on time” Kushina cheered, her grin mischievous as she elbowed her gently smiling husband; “this guy has promised me the spa-break to end all spa-breaks and, if we leave now, we’ll be able to grab some dango before catching the train” she preened whilst approaching the younger pair, her right hand ruffling sunshine-locks. “You be good for your nii-chan, mister!”
“Hai~ Ka-chan~!!” the child chirped, his whiskers wrinkling cutely whilst Minato chuckled and copied the gesture, his azure eyes (tired, relieved, guilty); “are you sure you don’t mind? This is the first leave you’ve taken from active service in...”
“It’s fine, Sensei” the last Hatake huffed good-naturedly; “you know that there’s nothing I love more than teaching this little guy all of the pranks you helped us perfect for Jiraiya-sama’s fleeting visits” he added pleasantly whilst Kushina snorted and Minato’s face dropped, his sheepish expression morphing to worried.
“Ah-hah... I see...”
“We’re moving onto smoke-bombs tomorrow, aren’t we Naru-chan?”
“Smoke-bombs! Smoke-bombs! Smoke-bombs! Yay!”
“Y-yay...” the Hokage mimicked as, beside him, his wife (stunning in her summer yukata) turned a progressively more chilling smile at her husband’s protégé and confidant; “you just make sure that he directs those pranks at people other than me, and we’re fine.”
“Noted” Kakashi stated, the sweat-drop at his temple a clear sign of the respect he had for the many ways in which she could make him not fine.
“Well, we’d better get going, then” Minato cut in, his form dipping to pick up their travel bags; “the kitchen is fully stocked, the spa’s number is on the fridge-door and...”
“And we’ll not be able to eat dango unless we go now” Kushina injected with a huff and displeased pout; “honestly, Minato, Kakashi is an S-Class ninja who couldn’t be more Naruto’s brother than if I’d birthed him myself” she added whilst shooing him towards the door. “Speaking of which, if we’re going to give our son an actual sibling then you need to stop worrying and start romancing, buddy-boy” she furthered as the silverette scooted to the side, shot a sympathetic look towards his former-teacher and watched them exit the house.
“Bye-bye Naru-chan!”
“Bye ka-chan~! Bye tou-chan~!” the four year old replied, his right arm energetically waving whilst his left hand bunched into the fabric of his guardian’s tunic to keep himself steady as he leaned towards them; “love you!”
“We love you too!” they returned in unison, their smiles wide, happy and clearly rejuvenated; joining his charge in waving, the last Hatake felt pleased to be of service as they shunshined into the sunset.
He could think of few people more deserving of some quality time together although, if he was being completely honest with himself (a small voice which sounded distinctly like Pakkun’s snorted disparagingly throughout his mind at the notion) it would be nice to see his boyfriend a little more often.
If Obito was still his boyfriend...
After the last argument they’d had just over a week (nine days, twelve hours, thirty-four minutes and counting) ago, he wasn’t so sure. He’d tried to speak to him, of course, but the Uchiha guarding their Compound just sent him away (with additional warnings about the consequences of sneaking in, like they could actually stop him); hmm, maybe he should get himself arrested.
His quarry would have to deal with him then...
“Maa~ nii-chan~ can we go to Ichiraku for supper? I’m real hungry and ka-chan made me eat... ugh broccoli with lunch” the child virtually spat, his large, crocodile-tear eyes snapping the Hatake out of his plans and causing him to laugh (Kami-bless him; making people feel better was definitely the littlest Namikaze’s super-power).
“Oh, you poor thing” he replied, his tone deadpan as he hiked him further up into the safety of his arms; “if we get ramen now then do you promise to brush your teeth and wash up properly without causing any fuss?”
“It’s a deal, nii-chan!” the blonde whooped; “for two bowls, I’ll even put all’a my toys away, too!” he added, a look reminiscent of his mother hatching an S-Rank battle-plan crossing his features whilst the older male mentally calculated just how many ryo this weekend would rob him of.
With an internal groan, his legs kicking them out of the door (which sealed and locked itself), Kakashi decided to leave the huge question mark hanging over his relationship (a voice, one which sounded like his childhood self this time, scoffed and criticised him for having bothered in the first place) exactly where it was.
His time with Naruto was special, after all, and the boy deserved nothing but his full attention; he’d slip the Ichiraku tab to Minato sometime next week when they were both snowed under mountains of paper-work again.
~*~*~*~
“Kakashi-senpai, good morning.”
It wasn’t every day that Uchiha Shisui and Itachi showed up at a place he was residing in, their heads poking up before the expansive set of kitchen windows to give them a birds-eye view of the blueberry pancakes his delighted little brother was anxiously awaiting as he sat at the small breakfast table, knife and fork eagerly in hand.
“Good morning” he returned, his voice drifting through one of the opened, oak-framed panes (along with the delicious scent and tantalising sizzle). “Is this an official visit or has Mikoto-san merely kicked you out of the Compound without feeding you again?” he asked, his tone friendly enough even as his slate-grey eye narrowed on the older of the pair.
“Ooh~ Kashi-chan, does this mean you’re offering us a plate of those?”
“I...”
“Well of course we’ll accept! Oi! Naru-chan, come open this door for us, please” he called whilst Itachi ducked his head, an embarrassed blush dusting his cheeks whilst he offered an apology to his senior (and Captain) as an ecstatic Namikaze bounced out of his chair to tackle the latch, the seal fizzing when it released.
“Ah! Arigato kiddo... maa~ I remember the sting of your Ka-chan’s chakra far too well to chance letting myself in” the other, official ANBU taichou sighed out as he followed the child to the table whilst his cousin bowed again and offered to fetch the plates.
“You’re welcome!” the tot enthused before, with a narrowed eyed look he said: “the first three are mine, though, ‘cus nii-chan has shaped them into shuriken for me.”
“Oh? Heh, Kashi-chan is just full of amazing talents now, isn’t he?”
“And, luckily for you, a seemingly fathomless well of patience” the Hatake quipped, the pan flipping the final hotcake onto the stack his charge had all but begged for his special breakfast; sure, it was wrong to use food as an incentive for good behaviour but, since he wouldn’t have to deal with the fallout, he figured he could get away with it.
If (when) Kushina got wise to his baby-sitting master-plan well, he was fast enough to enter another Country before her wrath could reach him.
Or so he hoped...
That, and Minato was pretty found (read dependent, especially when it came to paper-work and dealing with foreign delegations) of him which should mean he’d be relatively safe...
“Ita~daki~masu! Mm~ sougoi!”
Smiling warmly when the offering was received, Kakashi fondly ruffled the boy’s hair (his preferred reward when having been good) before levelling his singular eye at the intruders, the look promising swift, terrible pain should either of them go spreading the word that he’d become soft around the Village.
“So” he began lightly, his apron clad (and yes, he was man enough not to care about the frills and hearts dotted all over it; he’d forgotten to bring his own so he had to suffer the consequences of wearing Kushina’s) form returning to the stove with its pans and batter-bowls to the side. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your unexpected company, hmm?”
“We...”
“Can talk about that later” Shisui cut in, his right hand waving Itachi off as his cousin sat across from him, a disapproving expression marring his handsome features; “it’s been a long time since I’ve sampled Kashi-chan’s amazing cooking and I don’t want anything to spoil it” he added with a wink to the older man who turned to snort at him.
“Flattery will get you nowhere with me” he huffed whilst starting a fresh batch anyway; “so I can assume that you come bearing bad news?”
“Mm? Of a fashion, I suppose” the older shrugged as he playfully tried to steal a piece of a growling Naruto’s breakfast; “ugh, fine! We’re here to see if Naru-chan would like to spend this weekend with Sasuke at the Compound” he stated, his words causing the child to blink and Kakashi to scowl.
“Sou-ske? Ooh! Thwat wooub be ‘wasome!” the boy exclaimed, his left hand covering his mouth (in an ill-attempt at good manners) as he spoke whilst the right continued to shovel in food; “ah! Umm, can I nii-chan? Puh-leese?”
Feeling his scowl deepen (and glad that he could keep what little people saw of the top part of his face decidedly neutral), the last Hatake tried to quell the sharp, unexpected feel of hurt that swelled up in him even as he tried to rationalise the situation.
How could he compete with the child’s best friend?
“Of course you can” he replied, his spatula effortlessly flipping whilst he snatched up a handful of blue-berries to add; “we’ll pack you an over-night bag when we’re finished here, alright?”
“Yay! You’re the best, nii-chan!”
Trying to chuckle (Kami, he hoped it didn’t sound as broken as he thought it did), Kakashi continued with his task whilst trying to think about what he’d do now that he would, essentially, have the rest of this weekend to himself.
It looked as though he’d be addressing the question mark concerning Obito and him much sooner than he thought.
~*~*~*~
Sighing, the message of their new rearrangement safely relayed to a (sadly) on-board Minato, the silverette re-set the house seals and made his way down the small garden’s path to the little gate; hopping over it, a farewell wave and nod to the child and his escorts saw him very much alone upon the quiet, residential street.
“Oi, Bakashi, this is a no loitering-zone, you know?”
Or so he thought.
“Tch, isn’t it strange that the police are never around when you need them but are always hanging around when you’re just minding your own business?” he countered flatly, his eye narrowed when the slightly older, slightly taller (but not be much regardless of his hair-style) emerged from nowhere.
Stupid, irritatingly impressive kekkei-genkai; hell, maybe he should have accepted one of the bastard’s eyes during that fateful mission in Nami no Kuni.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he added when (surprisingly) the Uchiha didn’t snip back at him; the serious look upon the other’s face made him instantly rethink his lazy-posture, a trill of something that smelt like anticipation and tasted of excitement tripping down his consciousness.
There was something predatory in the usually light-hearted man’s eyes.
“Heh, it’s funny that you should mention pleasure, actually” the ebony haired Deputy Chief chuckled; “you, ugh, seem to be relieved of your responsibilities to Sensei and Naru-chan... and, hmm, I just so happen to be free as well, that’s quite the coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”
“Quite” the ANBU agent agreed amiably; “is this your way of apologising for...”
“Maybe” the other quipped, a smirk threatening to spoil the intensity he’d tried to build upon his approach; “I was a total jerk, after all...”
“We both were” Kakashi offered, a wave of relief surfing up and over him; “so, do you have anything in particular planned or do you want to go back to my...”
“Actually” Obito cut in, their bodies now only inches apart; “I have a thing or two in mind” he furthered, his voice dipping in a way that he knew (thanks to the other unintentionally blurting the information one night during their throes of passion) turned his lover on. “But I’ve got a few errands to clear up first... what’s say you meet me at our old training grounds in an hour and uh, wear your special armour, alright?”
~*~*~*~
Standing upon the agreed place, on time, his arm-length, clawed gloves patting down his ivory breast-plate to remove the various particles of pollen and dust he’d gathered on his travels through the summer-lazy trees, Kakashi let out a sigh as he realised he’d probably have an hour, maybe two, of waiting ahead of him.
Tardiness was something that, no matter who was attempting to rid the Uchiha of it, Obito would always fall prey to...
“Remind me again why you don’t wear form-fitting clothes everyday?” a sultry voice chuckled; “when you have a body like that, it’s a crime to keep it covered in that two sizes too big jonin uniform you hide in...”
Or so he’d thought...
Blinking (and very nearly baulking), the last Hatake snapped his head to the right, his ANBU mask almost dislodging; “you’re... not late” he accused, his slate-grey eye narrowing as, with one, fluid motion, he freed the tantou at his back. “Who are you and what have you done with the Deputy Chief of Konoha’s Police Force?” he asked when, a hidden grin plucking his lips, the older man jerked, scowled and threw a small, wildly gesticulating tantrum.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?! Huh?! I’m nowhere near as bad as I used to be!” he sputtered, a vein or two popping on his forehead beneath his iconic goggles; “teme! I ought to drag that skinny carcass of yours down to the Station and book you for disrespecting your superiors, secretary-san!”
Snorting back a laugh at the slur (his official position, the only position most people let along shinobi knew him to have, was that of Minato’s assistant, after-all; most people thought it was because of him missing an eye which, of course, made for the perfect cover) the silverette re-sheathed his weapon.
“Terrible jokes and over-reactions, yep, you’re Obito, alright” he retorted smoothly, his hands now gesturing to the clearing full of well-maintained training dummies, targets and the like; “so, it’s not the most imaginative date you’ve put together but I’m not opposed to a touch of sparring before sparring” he shrugged. “Not that you’re particularly dressed for a match... what’s with the camouflage gear, hm?”
Grinning, his righteous outrage thoroughly squashed, the Uchiha gestured to himself grandly; the splotched of greens, blacks and browns which cloaked a similarly form-fitting uniform would make the man (with his skill-set) virtually invisible amongst the trees, bushes and grassland which surrounded them.
“Heh, it’s pretty cool, huh? Itachi snagged me these from the ANBU storage... amongst some other things...” he smirked, his right hand proffering a pair of S-Rank chakra-binding handcuffs; “you guys have got some really kinky stuff in your arsenal, ain’t ya?”
Cocking his head to the right (in the perfect mimic of his beloved ninken), Kakashi quirked a brow at him: “the irony of you stealing isn’t lost on me” he deadpanned.
“Feh, call the cops, see if they care” the older challenged with a flashy grin; “and besides, I needed something to give me the advantage” he continued cryptically, that same look he’d shot his lover’s way near their Sensei’s house flashing up again.
“Oh?”
“Umm-hmm” Obito said, his face the very mockery of innocence as he pulled out a scroll from a pouch on his belt; “you know what this is?” he asked, a flicker of uncertainty momentarily sprinting across his face before smoothing out again.
Blinking, the slate-grey of his irises giving way to a rapidly widening pupil, the Hatake did a double-take before slanting his gaze back to the Uchiha: “it’s a marriage license” he said numbly.
“Uh-huh, more specifically?”
Swallowing thickly, the slighter shorter managed a: “it has our names on it... or rather, our first names and your last name... Obito, I...”
“Now, just hear me out, okay?” the ebony haired ninja cut in, his body taking a step forward; at the other’s flinch, he stopped but didn’t break eye-contact with his quarry; “the elders have insisted on you becoming part of the Clan officially...”
“Y-you... you’ve spoken with your elders, with Fugaku-san...?”
“Well, yeah, whenever we marry anyone outside of the Clan everyone with seniority has to be consulted...” the older male tried to chuckle sheepishly; “they were all delighted with my choice and, well, we can always adopt if we want kids since I’m not expected to inherit anything, but about the whole names thing...”
“K-kids?”
“You’d only be an Uchiha on paper, you know, if you wanted to be... umm... but the Council insisted that you wear the uchiwa-crest on your back when you’re not out on missions because it’s, ugh, a big deal that someone of your standing would pledge your allegiance to us... or something...”
Watching as the other started to nervously pace, his mouth moving a mile a minute, Kakashi felt his molasses coated mind slowly piece all of the information together; Obito was proposing to him...
“...we’d have to live in the Compound too, ugh, Mikoto-san says that there are four or five empty houses we could choose from...”
Obito wanted to marry him...
“...oh! And all of them have gardens so Pakkun and the guys can stay over, that, and two of them are on the outskirts of our territory which’ll be great for us in terms of missions and things...”
Obito wanted them to start a family, a family made up of orphans like them, and his ninken...
“...Maa~ and Sasuke-chan was really excited when I told him that I’d be talking to you today but, ugh, there’s no pressure, okay, and... umm, well, to do this properly, I read up on the Hatake’s practises in Konoha’s archives and, ah, apparently this is the done thing” he finally finished.
“O-oh?”
“Urgh, yeah, you see... umm, I’m not sure if your ‘tou-sama talked to you about this stuff so I got a few of the scrolls I read copied for you to check out, if you want” he bungled before straightening, a shudder running through him before he stood to his full height and pointed at his baulking boyfriend.
“Hatake Kakashi, son of Sakumo, I challenge you to mating-hunt!” he declared; “if I can successfully catch and subdue you then you, at the cost of your honour, must promise to consider my offer of marriage” he stated. “However, if I lose, then you’re under no obligation to do anything and can dictate to me any terms of surrender you’d like, including death!” he proclaimed before, a blue patch of dread manifesting across his forehead; “but... I, ugh, would really appreciate you not killing me, alright?”