Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Iruka stared down at the message he’d been sent, his orders staring up at him in stark black letters. Notification of Mandatory Residence Assignment, it said at the very top. That couldn’t be right, Iruka thought to himself, mentally tallying how many years it had been. Omega shinobi were only slated for mandatory residence after submitting deferred heat-share paperwork for five consecutive years, and Iruka had presented late, at age 15! That had only been… Oh. Right. Now that he’d actually taken the time to do the math, he realized it checked out. He was 20 now, and he’d never shared a rut with an alpha, so he really was up for a mandatory residence. He’d considered sharing a heat with Mizuki, back when they were dating, but it hadn’t worked out. It turned out to probably be for the best, as Mizuki was carrying around quite a few old-fashioned ideas about omegas and where they belonged (he turned out to be one of those people who expected omegas who were bonded to quit their jobs and raise a family. This might be okay for some omegas, but Iruka had no real desire to have a child of his own at the moment - maybe later, sure, but for now he preferred to nurture and support his students. Which he wouldn’t be able to do as a stay-at-home omega). 

Of course, the whole mandatory resident system wasn’t much better than Mizuki in terms of its approach to omegas. Almost as old as Konoha itself, the mandatory residence system had been set up as a way to ensure that shinobi in the village never went too long without sharing a rut or a heat. Omegas and alphas could both get mighty twitchy if they didn’t share a heat or rut after a few consecutive years, and in rare cases this lack of physical coupling could lead to debilitating pain during a heat or rut, long-term chronic pain complications, high levels of stress and anxiety, even severe depression or mania - all of which created a significant hindrance to the demanding duties that shinobi were required to perform. In order to prevent these symptoms, Konoha had a system in place for all active Shinobi - this included Iruka, as he took missions during the summer, and also on the occasional weekend, if a mission cropped up that required a particular skill of his. 

Mandatory residency had its own alpha equivalent - mandatory visitation. The idea was to collect all of the omegas who hadn’t shared a heat in the last five years, and require all the alphas who hadn’t shared a rut in five years to visit that space. Ideally, the alpha finds an omega they’re interested in, the omega shares this interest, the two share a heat and a rut (respectively), and they’re able to continue their work as shinobi without suffering the more extreme symptoms of long-term solitary heats and ruts. 

On the surface, it might sound like a decent solution, but of course it was quite frustrating when one considered that, seeing as the only options were to “stay in a single location until you find an alpha to fuck” or  “never go back to work”, many omegas just looked for the closest person who seemed remotely compatible and shared a heat or rut with them. To be fair, it was not as though there were a significant amount of shinobi who deferred their heat-shares and rut-shares for five consecutive years, but there were enough of them to fit in along with the regular customers at a local heat-house set near the Hokage tower - near the Academy, and Iruka was already trying to figure out how to sneak in without his students recognizing him. How embarrassing! 

It didn’t help matters that Iruka certainly didn’t want to share his heat with anyone, and he knew that while technically anyone was allowed to use the heat-house, the people who tended to frequent there were also the sorts of people that Iruka tended to annoy, and be annoyed by in turn. Mostly because Iruka was a stickler for rules, and the Jonin that stopped by the mission desk often held his adherence to those rules in contempt. Iruka had the feeling that there might be some bad blood and mockery in store for him, as they’d likely see this as a prime example of hypocrisy - after all, the great rules-focused Iruka hadn’t followed the heat-share rule, so how dare he expect them to actually fill out their damn paperwork properly?

And really, that wasn’t a fair comparison at all, because filling out their mission paperwork was completely within their ability! It wasn’t his fault he’d been too busy to find anyone to share his heats with! After Mizuki, he’d been depressed, and then he’d started student teaching, and then he’d been given his own class, and now he was trying to handle the jinchuuriki kid, who for some reason had been placed in his class even though Iruka taught the top level class of pre-Genin and the kid clearly wasn’t at that level yet. Anyway, the point was that Iruka was busy, he didn’t have time to find someone to share a heat with! And now he was slated for mandatory residency, so if he wanted to get back to his classroom quickly, he’d need to find an alpha as soon as possible - within the first day, ideally within the first hour. He didn’t want any attachments, at this point it was just a matter of fulfilling a requirement so he could get back to his life.

He just hoped he could put up with the arrogance of the alphas he was sure to encounter long enough to consider fucking at least one of them.

Kakashi stared down at the bold letterhead and resisted the urge to sigh. Notification of Mandatory Visitation, it read, just like it did every year. Losing his battle with himself, Kakash sighed and balled up the notice, tossing it in the trash before flopping down on his lumpy couch. Ever since he’d been diagnosed with a hyperactive reproductive system - and no, it wasn’t a fucking joke, and yes, he was fucking tired of all the people commenting how it “must be nice” - his rut-share requirement had been adjusted in order to better regulate his hormone production. His doctor had said that the ideal solution would be to find a mate to bond with, as apparently this was the most effective form of treatment - his reproductive system produced too many hormones because apparently his body needed a mate. Not that Kakashi personally felt that way, his genes had just decided that all on their own. Because of it, Kakashi had to find someone to rut share with every year, and every year it got more and more exhausting to think about. It’s not that he hated rutting, per se, simply that he didn’t like not having a choice in the matter. 

Plus, most of the time, the omegas he rutted with hated his scent, and it was never nice for one’s self esteem when you had to wear the same heavy-duty scent blockers you used for missions just to convince an omega to come to bed with you. 

Groaning, Kakashi considered how pissed off the Hokage would be if he tried to avoid the mandatory visitation for another month or two. Then again, if he did, he ran the risk of a spontaneous rut - another wonderful feature of his hyperactive reproductive system, which meant that not only did he have to wear heavy-duty scent block to hide his scent, he also had to carry extra-heavy-duty suppressant pills in addition to the usual rut regulation meds in the off chance that his body decided that the middle of a mission was the perfect time to go into rut, despite being on rut regulation. There didn’t even seem to be any rhyme or reason to what caused the spontaneous ruts - at least, none that Kakashi or the medical ninja at Konoha Hospital had managed to find. It was just another weird feature of being Kakashi, and he’d had to learn to deal with it.

Groaning, Kakashi rolled over on the couch, burying his face in the back cushion. He was so tired of the stupid mandatory visitation system. Omegas were always afraid of him, hated his scent, and felt intimidated by him because of his reputation. He never enjoyed the rut shares, not beyond the physical release they represented, anyway. His doctor assured him that mating someone would help regulate the hormones, make his scent smell more neutral once the bonding hormones had a chance to take effect, and it would likely prevent the spontaneous ruts, too. But that was assuming that Kakashi was going to find an omega who would give him the time of day long enough to take that next step of actually mating. So far, he’d found none that could stand him for more than a single rut share - and as far as Kakashi had been concerned, the feeling was entirely mutual.

Still, he thought, wrinkling his nose against the back of the couch, better to get it over with. The sooner he could share his rut, the sooner he could forget about it for another year.

“Hello,” Iruka said awkwardly, walking into the public heat-house the night before his mandatory residence was due to start. He’d taken the week off of work, and didn’t want to risk his students spotting him. This seemed like the best solution to that particular issue - an extremely early check-in. “I sent a message earlier, asking about late-night arrivals?”

“You’re the mandatory resident?” the desk clerk asked, lifting a single eyebrow and giving Iruka a quick once-over, the look on her face indicating a certain level of interest that Iruka wasn’t completely comfortable with.

“Yes,” Iruka answered, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.

The young woman at the front desk pulled open a drawer, withdrawing a few papers as she spoke. “It’ll cost you for the extra night,” she said, “The village mandate only covers six nights, so if you’re staying for seven you’ll need to pay for the last one.” She attached the papers to a clipboard, which she scooted across the counter to him. “If you wouldn’t mind filling this out,” she said.

Iruka nodded, picking up the pen attached to the clipboard, noting the price per night listed as he scribbled down the required information to check in, marking the box that was labeled mandatory resident with a small wrinkle of his nose. “Thank you for the information,” he said, noting that his grocery fund for the month was going to take a significant hit if he spent the extra night here. Oof. He scooted the completed form back across the counter. “And thanks for letting me check in so late at night.”

“You’re welcome,” she said blandly, looking over the form and nodding to herself before handing him a key attached to a simple keychain with the room number printed on it. “You’re in room two-fifteen. Down this hall, up the stairs, it'll be on your right.”

“Thank you,” Iruka said, taking the key and heading for the main hallway. 

“Enjoy your stay,” the woman called after him.

Iruka wasn’t sure that would be possible, but he would at least try not to be miserable about it. “Thank you,” he replied, hefting his duffel bag over one shoulder as he walked. It wasn’t especially heavy as he hadn’t brought much with him. He would have brought even less, but he’d felt it was probably bad form to hang around in his shinobi blues, despite the fact that they were what he wore around the house ninety percent of the time, and what he wore outside the house almost every day. He only had a few casual clothes in his closet, so he’d packed them all - a pair of jeans, a pair of khakis, a few sweaters and t-shirts. He hoped they still fit, he hadn’t worn some of them in over a year. 

He found his way to room 215 without difficulty, unlocked the door and let himself in. The first thing he did was pull out some chakra paper, the necessary seals already drawn across them. He placed one at every corner of the room, one in each corner of the window, and one on each corner of the door frame. They would provide temporary wards and keep the room from being invaded while he was out. Or while he was… ugh. Heat-sharing.

Temporary wards set, Iruka moved on to unpacking, hanging his few clothes in the closet before pulling out a ratty t-shirt and a pair of old shorts, worn to the point where they’d grown soft and comfortable. After brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower, he dried his hair and found his way to the double bed paid for by the mandatory residence fees. The mattress was hard and the pillow was even harder. Iruka didn’t like to think of himself as soft, he could sleep on the cold hard ground when a mission required it. Still, he already missed his own bed and pillow and he hadn’t even been laying down for five minutes yet.

With a sigh, he turned off the lamp at the bedside and tried to get comfortable. Tomorrow, he’d be going off his heat regulators and finding someone to share a rut with, so he needed to get some rest while he still could.  If he managed to fall asleep at all, anyway.

On the morning of his mandatory visitation, Kakashi lay in bed feeling sorry for himself for approximately one hour. Then, he dallied around his apartment, making himself a cup of coffee, cooking a lavish breakfast and picking at it before deciding he wasn’t really hungry, re-reading his favorite chapter of Icha-Icha Paradise, watering Ukki-san, and dusting the windowsills. Eventually he ran out of stalling tactics. He was about an hour late to his appointment by now, so that seemed like a decent enough window of wasted time. Checking one last time to make sure his scent blockers were working, Kakashi made his way to the heat-house. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d find someone as soon as he walked in and he wouldn’t have to deal with a bunch of omegas who hated his scent but refused to have him when he went scentless. 

When was he ever lucky, though? 

Kakashi wandered into the heat-house, waving a lazy hand in the direction of the young man at the front desk - he’d been working here for the last two years, the same afternoon shift. Kakashi wondered if the gig paid well, or if the civilian just had no better options. It was a job, anyway. Kakashi wasn’t one to judge, considering his own rather bloody line of work. Checking people in and out of a heat-house seemed quite mild by comparison.  “Yo,” he greeted, walking up to the desk. “I’m here for a mandatory visitation.” He patted his pockets, eventually finding the paperwork he’d been sent, handing it to the desk clerk. “It should be taken care of already.”

The clerk accepted the sheet of paper, glancing over it for several seconds before nodding. “Everything appears to be in order, Hatake-san.” He glanced up, and frowned a little. “Are you going to be wearing your gear during the visitation?”

Kakashi glanced down at himself, realizing that in his efforts to put off arriving on time, he’d never gotten around to changing into civilian clothes. Huh. That might scare off the civilian omegas. Then again, he tended to scare off omegas regardless, so what difference would a flak vest and shinobi blues really make? “Is there a rule against it?” 

The clerk eyed him for a long moment, his gaze sweeping over Kakashi’s unkempt hair, his hitai-ate pulled down over one eye, his general disposition, and slowly shrugged. “There’s no rule against it, but - and don’t take this the wrong way, shinobi-san - you are planning on sharing a rut with someone, yes?”

Kakashi glanced down at himself, sighing internally. Planning on sharing a rut? Yes. Willing to put in the effort, just to be repeatedly turned down? Not exactly featuring in his plans. “This isn’t a problem, is it?”

The clerk shrugged at that, shooting Kakashi a sympathetic look. “It’s not a problem, shinobi-san. It just seems like maybe you’re putting in very little effort. It’s, ah, not a great look. That’s all.”

That was probably a lot more honesty than Kakashi deserved or really wanted from a front desk clerk, but he figured it was his own fault for asking. “Maa, I just thought that honesty is the best policy,” Kakashi lied weakly, scrubbing at the back of his neck, casting his gaze away from the clerk and scanning the corners of the ceiling like they might be hiding something before returning his gaze to the clerk. “I don’t have much of a personal life outside the job, so it seemed foolish to pretend otherwise.”

The clerk nodded sympathetically, though the look in his eyes told Kakashi that he didn’t really understand. “Well, we’ve got quite a few omegas in today, and several alphas here, too. You know the rules - no posturing, no fighting, no public displays. Keep it polite at all times, please.”

“Of course,” Kakashi replied, bobbing his head in a short bow of thanks. “I’ll just be going to the visitation room, then.” 

“Enjoy your visit,” the clerk replied with a wry smile.

“I will,” Kakashi lied, turning and walking through the sliding door into a narrow hallway, making his way to the visitation room, where most of the unmated omegas would be, mingling and chatting with interested alphas. Ugh. He hated small talk at the best of times, and small talk with the intent to take someone home because he had a mandated rut share was definitely not the best of times. 

As he stepped into the visitation room, he immediately picked up on a simmering tension in the room. Instinctively, his eyes darted around, noting with some surprise that there were quite a few vaguely familiar Jonin who happened to be here today. That was surprising, since most of them probably didn’t need to visit a heat-house to fulfill their duties. So why were they all here? 

As if sensing his confusion, one of the Jonin caught his gaze and grinned. It was a friendly enough gesture, but that only served to confuse Kakashi further. It was rare for an alpha to be so welcoming to another alpha when they were vying for the attention of unmated omegas, even if this was a more neutral meeting ground than most. The Jonin - a fellow named Kanazuchi, if Kakashi remembered his name correctly - wandered over, clapping an overly friendly hand on Kakashi’s shoulder.

“Hey, Kakashi!” he greeted, a grin stretching almost uncomfortably wide across his otherwise unremarkable features, “I guess you must have heard about the sensei, too?”

The sensei? Kakashi blinked twice in confusion. What sensei? Why were there so many Jonin here for a sensei, this was a damn heat-house, not a school! What the hell was he talking about? Not wanting to betray his confusion, Kakashi simply inclined his head slowly. “Mm,” he said, a neutral response that could be taken either way. 

This seemed to be enough for Kanazuchi, who laughed, once more patting Kakashi heavily on the shoulder. “Pretty hypocritical, isn’t it? Always harassing us about paperwork, just to find out he doesn’t even fulfill his own duties! A few of us heard about it and thought it might be fun to… ah… remind the sensei of his shinobi duties. You know. Like he’s always so quick to do at the Mission Desk.”

Kakashi began piecing together the clues he’d been given with that last statement, and he didn’t like what he was hearing. “You’re here to harass Iruka-sensei?” he asked.

“That’s what I said,” Kanazuchi replied, frowning in confusion. “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

Kakashi shook his head slowly, shrugging out from under Kanazuchi’s hand, still resting on his shoulder. “I came to visit,” he said. “Not bother a fellow hard-working shinobi.”

“Not even if he’s a hypocritical little shit?” Kanazuchi shot back, lifting an eyebrow. “Come on, the guy’s a self-righteous prick and deserves to be taken down a peg or two.”

Kakashi didn’t particularly like Iruka, but he also didn’t think the man deserved to be maligned by someone like Kanazuchi for simply following protocol. “I think you’re taking things a bit far, is all. If he’s here, he’s looking for companionship, not harassment.”

“He’s here because he’s a mandatory resident,” Kanazuchi shot back, “Because as much as he makes us fill out our paperwork, he apparently can’t be bothered to fill out his own.”

Kakashi stared back at Kanazuchi, now even less impressed with the situation. “You mean that you’re not only harassing someone who’s here to find a companion, you’re harassing a man who isn’t allowed to leave until he’s found a companion?”

Sensing that this conversation wasn’t going the way he’d hoped, Kanazuchi backed off a little. “Look, Kakashi, it’s just some harmless fun,” he said. “He’s just an annoying Chunin who always seems to have a kunai up his ass, and it’s nice to see him get his comeuppance for once. It’s nothing serious.”

Kakashi didn’t agree. He’d had his own hell of a time trying to manage his emotions about being forced to share his ruts even when he didn’t particularly like the person, and couldn’t imagine how it would have felt if he’d been forced to do so while also being verbally abused by the people he worked with for the apparently unforgivable sin of not wanting to heat share. “Yeah, well, if it’s nothing serious then maybe you should just leave,” Kakashi growled irritably, stalking across the room to the beverage station. He needed coffee, and he hoped that Kanazuchi would have the presence of mind not to follow him.

Once he’d picked up a cup of black coffee, he turned around to survey the room. It wasn’t hard to locate Iruka, now that he knew the man was here. There was a small group of about five jonin and three chunin alphas all crowded around a particular corner. Kakashi scowled. Talk about overwhelming a guy - and what was Iruka supposed to do with that, anyway? He couldn’t exactly find a partner to heat-share with when he was being bombarded on all sides by a bunch of assholes with nothing better to do than wave around Iruka’s sexual history like some sort of victory flag. 

He didn’t particularly want to get involved, but it didn’t sit right with him, either. Sighing, Kakashi headed across the room to at least get an idea of what Iruka was dealing with. If the sensei needed bailing out, Kakashi would step in. He didn’t particularly like the Chunin, and he was fairly certain that the feeling was mutual, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see the man harassed for something that was, for most people, an intensely private affair. He wished Iruka all the best in finding someone to share his heat - it was an awkward experience, and Kakashi hoped it went easier for the teacher than it usually did for him.

As he drew closer, he was able to overhear snippets of the conversation, which seemed to be running along the lines of inappropriate evaluations of Iruka’s sexual prowess, tasteless innuendos, and general criticisms of Iruka-sensei’s apparent unwillingness to heat-share with any of them. Not that Kakashi blamed him - it was clear these alphas weren’t here because they were actually interested in a heat-share, they just wanted to embarrass the poor Chunin. 

“Yo,” he said, stepping into the middle of the herd of alphas, “Iruka-sensei, I heard you were here too.”

Face bright red with what was either embarrassment or contained rage (and in all likelihood a little of both), Iruka stared back at Kakashi for a long moment before finally saying. “Yes, Hatake-san, I’m here too.”

“Did you get some coffee? Or are you a tea-drinker?” Kakashi continued, completely ignoring the irritated growls coming from several of the alphas on either side of him.

“I had some tea,” Iruka answered hesitantly, his red face slowly returning to its normal hue, though his expression was beginning to take on a look of confusion. “But I finished it about thirty minutes ago.”

Kakashi clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “And not one of these people,” he glanced from one side to the other, pointedly eyeing the group of alphas gathered around, “offered to bring you a refill?” 

Iruka blinked in confusion. “Um. No, they didn’t?” he answered, sounding utterly baffled by the turn of events. 

Kakashi clucked once more, shaking his head as if in disappointment. “A truly sad state of affairs, when an alpha isn’t even considerate enough to see to an omega’s comfort in a place like this.” He turned his gaze on the surrounding alphas once more, lowering his tone to something with just a hint of a growl. “One might even say it’s… disappointing.” He wasn’t about to get kicked out for starting a fight (the amount of paperwork he’d have to fill out was deterrent enough), but he knew how much power to put into his voice to make sure any other alphas in the vicinity knew he meant business. It was one of the few advantages of his hyperactive reproductive system - his alpha seemed to be quite intimidating when compared to the average, and it was easy enough to inform another alpha when they needed to leave. Which was precisely what he did now.

“Oh,” one of the alphas said, backpedaling quickly. “Sorry, Kakashi, didn’t realise you were, ah, interested.” Several other alphas nodded in unison, scooting back as well. A few more murmured apologies followed this revelation. 

Kakashi watched the alphas take their leave one-by-one, his self-congratulatory attitude shifting to a state of confusion when he felt a poke in the center of his chest. He turned his gaze to Iruka, who was glaring at Kakashi with an incomprehensible ferocity, his index finger jabbing against Kakashi’s sternum. 

“I’m sorry, Hatake-san, but just because you’re a powerful shinobi doesn’t mean you can lay claim to me like a piece of meat,” Iruka informed him, turning away from Kakashi to snatch up his teacup with a scowl. “I can get my own refill,” he added, shaking the cup pointedly. “If you’ll excuse me,” he snapped, bodily running into Kakashi, pushing him aside with his shoulder and storming across the room to the beverages.

Kakashi watched him go with interest. He had expected gratitude from the Chunin, maybe a small blush in response to his display that scattered the annoying alphas. Anger from the Chunin-sensei came as a surprise, and it made him wonder. Why would Iruka-sensei be so upset over Kakashi’s attempt to help? Frowning a little, he considered following the Chunin across the room. Or would that just upset him further?

“Sorry again, Kakashi,” one of the Jonin said as he took his leave, waving awkwardly before sheepishly leaving the room.

Kakashi grunted, not bothering to reply, his eyes still fixed on Iruka. What the hell was this Chunin’s problem? Kakashi knew that the man was skeptical of his ability to fill out a form correctly, but he didn’t understand what was so bad about chasing off a bunch of assholes who were just trying to make him uncomfortable. If Kakashi had been the one being harassed, he would have appreciated… 

Frowning, Kakashi forced himself to stop and really think about the situation, coming to an uncomfortable realization. If someone had stepped in and chased a bunch of alphas off without checking with him first, he probably would have been irritated, too. Iruka was no Jonin, but he wasn’t helpless. He was a trained shinobi, he had a wicked tongue and a fiery temper to match. If he’d needed defending, he could have easily defended himself verbally, and any physical misbehavior in this heat-house would have been swiftly dealt with by the internal security. 

Iruka was right to be frustrated, he concluded. Kakashi had walked into a situation and made an ass of himself, and then expected the Chunin to be grateful to him for it. There were probably better ways to disperse the alphas, instead of throwing his weight around, but Kakashi hadn’t bothered looking for one because he was too busy projecting his frustration at his own situation onto Iruka. Frowning thoughtfully, Kakashi watched the Chunin fill his teacup with hot houjicha tea. Maybe he should apologise to Iruka.

As if sensing his thoughts, Iruka glanced back over his shoulder at Kakashi, his scowl deepening.

Later, Kakashi amended his thoughts. Maybe he should apologise later.

Chapter Text

Kakashi was still staring at him, Iruka noted irritably, sipping his tea as he stood in nearly the opposite corner of the room from where he’d been earlier. He scowled back at the Jonin, who was still standing where he’d chased off half the alphas in the room. After a long moment of sustained eye contact, the man blinked slowly before turning and staring in a different direction. Sighing in relief, Iruka gazed out across the room, surveying his options. After Kakashi had barged in and chased off all the grumpy people who apparently had a problem with his lack of a heat-share, Iruka was back to square one. Plus now other alphas in the room might be under the mistaken impression that Kakashi was interested - though clearly he wasn’t, since the Jonin had already pulled out his stupid porn book, slouching in the opposite corner and occasionally flipping the pages.

Kakashi glanced up from the book, raising an inquisitive eyebrow in Iruka’s direction, and he realized with some embarrassment that he’d just been caught staring, too. But that just made things even, didn't it? Since Kakashi had been staring at him… 

Anyway, the point was that Iruka didn’t see anyone in the room who seemed like a remotely palatable option for a heat-share. The bunch of obnoxious Jonin who wanted to prove their dominance by fucking him were distinctly unappealing, so Iruka had turned his eye to the people he didn’t recognize as much - civilians. But he wasn’t really interested in anyone he’d seen here today, and despite the fact that he really hoped to get out of this place as soon as possible, he couldn’t see himself sleeping with any of them. Ugh.

Sighing, Iruka stared down at his mug of tea and tried not to despair. 

“Why the long face, gorgeous?” came a low purr from beside Iruka. 

Jumping in surprise, Iruka spun around to spot the speaker. “Mizuki!” he exclaimed, his stomach sinking. He’d been so careful to hide his plans, he hadn’t even told the school why he had a week off. So how had Mizuki found him?

Leering back at him, Mizuki draped a hand on Iruka’s shoulder, which he quickly shrugged off. “I happened to overhear that you were assigned mandatory residence,” Mizuki said, frowning a little at Iruka’s rebuff. “So I came down to offer my assistance.” 

Iruka would sleep with literally any other person in the room if it meant not sharing a heat with Mizuki. “Thanks, but I don’t need your assistance,” he said, draining the last of the tea from his mug and setting it aside, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. 

Mizuki shot a skeptical look in his direction. “No? Then why are you standing by yourself? Seems like nobody’s interested, to me.”

Yeah, or maybe they were all scared off by an overzealous Jonin, Iruka thought, heaping even more mental accusations on the pile for Hatake Kakashi. Now he had no excuse to give Mizuki! “Well I’m not interested in you, so get lost,” Iruka growled. 

“Oh Iruka,” Mizuki tutted as he reached for Iruka’s jaw, a deceptively gentle gesture.

Iruka pulled back sharply, taking a step backwards to increase the space between them. “Don’t touch me,” he snapped. 

“Iruka,” Mizuki clucked his tongue, his eyes sparkling with malicious intent. “I’ll touch you however I want, and you’ll learn to like it.”

“I sincerely doubt that,” Iruka replied with a snarl. He took another step back, casting his gaze around the room, catching sight of only a few civilians - oh, and fucking Hatake Kakashi, who he was holding at least partially responsible for this whole Mizuki issue. 

“You say that now,” Mizuki purred, trying to grab Iruka’s wrist. “Just give me a chance, I’ll change your mind.”

“Get away from me,” Iruka hissed, pulling his wrist out of reach and glaring at Mizuki. “I’m not interested. In fact,” he added, desperately fishing for some excuse that would send Mizuki packing, “I was just about to proposition someone else!”

Mizuki’s face crumpled into a furious snarl. “Who?” he demanded. “You’re a mandatory resident, Iruka, you don’t have anyone else who’s interested. Stop playing hard to get and share a damn heat with me!”

This exact attitude is why I don’t want to heat share! Iruka thought, but didn’t say. It was infuriating, the way alphas acted so entitled to the body of an omega. Iruka could choose whoever he wanted and it was none of Mizuki’s business! “I’m not playing hard to get!” Iruka growled, taking another step back, his shoulder bumping against the wall. He stiffened, realizing that Mizuki had been intentionally backing him up to the edge of the room. 

“No? Then fucking do what you should have done years ago,” Mizuki snarled, pressing closer to Iruka, boxing him in with a firm hand placed on either side of Iruka’s shoulders. “Share a heat with me.”

Mizuki was close enough now that Iruka could smell him - he reeked of pre-rut and aggression and dominance. He hated that smell, hated that Mizuki wasn’t even considerate enough to use scent blockers to preserve Iruja’s sensitive nose. “I already told you,” Iruka pushed against Mizuki’s chest, trying to hold him back, not liking how much effort it took to physically move him away, “I’m asking someone else.”

Mizuki had the audacity to laugh in Iruka’s face. “Who? Who are you going to ask? Like anyone fucking wants to be with a sorry excuse for an omega like you,” Mizuki lifted one hand away from the wall to press it against the side of Iruka’s throat, a low rumble in his tone as he leaned forward. “I could mark you right now, and then no one else would ever take you,” he growled, teeth practically snapping in Iruka’s ear as he continued, “even if you begged for it.”

Iruka shoved Mizuki harder, fully expecting that the additional force would be enough to show he meant business. But Mizuki didn’t budge, his right hand’s grip on Iruka’s throat only tightening, fingers digging into the sensitive scent glands on the side of Iruka’s neck, sending a flash of blinding pain down it and along his torso. “Ah, fuck,” Iruka cringed, unintentionally showing weakness as he twisted to get away from the horrible grasp. 

“Fuck? Oh my, Iruka, how delightfully lewd,” Mizuki purred, intentionally misinterpreting Iruka’s gasp of pain. “I think you’ll find we could both enjoy it immensely…” his nose dipped towards Iruka’s collar bone, and this time Iruka legitimately panicked. He let his legs go limp, placing increased pressure on his neck, then twisted to try and get out of Mizuki’s grasp. As he turned, he felt the alpha’s sharp nails digging into his throat, scoring deep lines across his scent gland and oh, it burned. That was already an incredibly sensitive area, and being around so many alphas while being off heat regulators had only increased the sensitivity. Iruka managed to pull himself out of Mizuki’s grasp, taking a few steps back while his eyes swept the room. He needed an escape, an excuse, some way to tell Mizuki to fuck off that he would actually accept…

Hatake Kakashi was still in the corner with his damn book. He was a Jonin. He was intimidating. He could help.

Iruka was halfway across the floor before he remembered he was supposed to be irritated at Kakashi's earlier antics. Was it hypocritical to use him to avoid an alpha suitor after chastising him for chasing off the earlier alphas? At this point Iruka didn’t care, he just wanted to get rid of Mizuki.

Iruka grabbed Kakashi’s arm and clung to it as Mizuki stormed across the room after him. Beneath his grip, Kakashi stiffened, then glanced down at Iruka with a quirk of his brow as he slowly lowered his Icha-icha novel. “Iruka-sensei,” he said in a dry, vaguely baffled tone, “why are you holding onto my arm?”

“Just play along,” Iruka hissed through clenched teeth, before adding, in a more audible tone, “Oh really? Just like that?”

Kakashi stared down at him blankly. Iruka widened his eyes in what he hoped was a universal look for Say something back, idiot.  

“Mm,” Kakashi said, voice a low rumble, but not the sort of rumble that Mizuki had in his voice. It didn’t feel forced or dangerous, just a rich baritone that hummed in Iruka’s chest. “Just like that.”

Iruka turned around to face Mizuki, who had paused a respectful two feet away and was glowering at Iruka. “See, Mizuki?” Iruka said, patting Kakashi’s arm demonstrably. “I told you I was going to ask someone else! And Kakashi-san,” he ignored the discomfort that came with referring to the man by his first name, “has kindly agreed to a heat share with me.”

To his credit, the only indication of surprise was the way Kakashi’s arm stiffened slightly under Iruka’s touch before he was playing along again. “Yes, I have. Which begs the question…” and here, things got a bit odd, because Kakashi was turning, reaching across Iruka to gently ghost his fingers over the four red lines that marked the path Mizuki’s nails had taken when they’d been dragged across Iruka’s scent gland. “What made you think laying your hands on my omega would be a good idea?” his voice dipped into a deep, guttural register at those words, and the sheer power in his voice sent a shudder down Iruka’s spine. Kakashi’s voice had an even more profound effect on Mizuki, whose face paled as he took several quick steps back, his whole posture shifting to something more meek and submissive than Iruka could ever remember seeing from him before. 

“Ah, sorry about that, Kakashi-san,” Mizuki said weakly, “I thought he was available…”

“He isn’t,” Kakashi snarled, that growl still rumbling in his chest. “Go.”

Practically tripping over his own feet in the process, Mizuki hastened to obey. He was back out the door in a matter of seconds, but it took a full minute after his disappearance for Iruka to feel confident that he had actually left. Slowly, he disentangled his arm from Kakashi’s, which he realized he’d continued to clutch even after Mizuki had left the room. 

“I hope that was all right,” Kakashi said then. The heavy growl was gone from his voice, but there was still something that seemed to be thrumming in his voice. “Did I play along well enough?”

Iruka took a step back so he could face Kakashi completely, feeling his face begin to heat. “Oh. Yes!” He fumbled for words before finally giving up. “… thank you,” he managed, face now burning.

“You’re welcome,” the Jonin answered, adding a moment later, “consider it my apology for stepping in when I wasn’t asked to do so earlier.”

Iruka blinked slowly. Right. This whole thing was sort of Kakashi’s fault, it was the least he could do to make up for it! “Well. I forgive you, then, I guess,” he said, still feeling a bit miffed, though the emotion was currently being overwhelmed by relieved gratitude. 

Kakashi chuckled a little. “Glad to hear it,” he said, and lifted his book to read again. 

Although he’d been planning to walk away, this action had Iruka drawing up short. He couldn’t think of any other alphas that would come all the way to a heat house just to stand in a corner, reading porn and avoiding people! “Are you waiting for someone?” Iruka asked, not sure what other reason there could be for this sort of behavior.

Kakashi lowered the book slightly, lifting a single eyebrow. “Why, were you hoping to stay and chat for awhile?”

Iruka winced a little. That was fair, he was being rather nosy for no real good reason. “Not really,” he said, glancing around the room. “I guess I’m just wondering why you’re waiting around over here instead of…” Iruka frowned. “But you could probably get anyone you want, so why are you even here in the first place?”

“Same reason as you,” Kakashi replied, nose already buried back in his book.

It took Iruka several long seconds to process that. “Wait. What? No. Hatake-san, I’m here for a mandatory residence, not-”

“And I’m here on mandatory visitation,” Kakashi cut him off, snapping his book shut and tucking it away in one of the pouches on his belt before fixing him with a pointed look. “Like I said. Same reason.”

Iruka gaped at Kakashi. “But…” How was that possible? “…but you read porn in public.”

Kakashi’s single visible eye stared back at him, his gaze sharp below the half-lidded facade. “That doesn’t mean I rut in public, so how would you know anything about my bedroom habits?” 

Iruka swallowed back any additional comments he felt forming in his mind. “I’m sorry,” he apologized swiftly, “You’re right. it’s none of my business.”

Kakashi turned his head, staring out at the room full of omegas, his tone stiff as he spoke. “It’s not,” he agreed, “But interfering with those alphas bothering you wasn't my business, either. I was just… tired of their bullshit.”

“You’re not happy to be a mandatory visitor,” Iruka supplied, feeling like he was beginning to better understand why Kakashi had stepped in the way he did. “That’s understandable, I’m not really enjoying my stay here either.” Kakashi snorted in what could have been derision or commiseration. Iruka decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was the latter. “At least it’s only once every five years,” Iruka said, somewhat amused to find himself attempting to comfort Sharingan Kakashi of all people. 

Kakashi sighed heavily, but he didn’t say anything more on the topic. Iruka desperately wanted to ask how someone as powerful and famous as Kakashi managed to go five years without a rut share, but he couldn’t think of a way to word it without it sounding awkward. Instead, the two of them stood there, staring at each other until Iruka felt like he might have outstayed his welcome. “Well,” he said, “good luck finding a… partner?” 

Kakashi dipped his head in acknowledgement, one hand creeping towards a pocket where he must have stowed his book. “You too,” he said, once more pulling out the book. 

Iruka stared at him for a long moment, wheels in his head slowly turning. He dismissed the idea a moment later as pure foolishness. There was no way Kakashi would be interested in that. He started to leave, then paused, glancing back at Kakashi again. Although…

Kakashi was staring back at him over the spine of the book. “Something more to say?” he asked.  

“You’re a mandatory visitor,” Iruka said slowly. 

“Yes,” Kakashi lowered his book, lifting his visible eyebrow in apparent curiosity. 

“I’m a mandatory resident,” Iruka added.

“…yes,” Kakashi said again, his visible eye narrowing slightly as he scrutinized Iruka. 

“Never mind,” Iruka said, feeling his face heat again as he turned away, having half a mind to just run away and never look back. “It’s a terrible idea, I-”

“I’m listening,” Kakashi said, his voice low and smooth in a way that seemed almost soothing.

Iruka clenched his hands into fists before he spoke, still staring out at the room, too flustered to dare looking back at Kakashi. “We could… share… together.” He could feel his face heating, he was going to spontaneously combust, why had he thought this was a good idea? “I mean, we’re both just trying to get it over with, right? So I just figured…” 

“Sure,” Kakashi said, punctuating his response with the turn of a page. “I’ll probably have to use scent blockers, though. Is that alright with you?”

Iruka blinked in confusion, momentarily forgetting his embarrassment in the wake of that absolutely baffling statement. “Why would you use scent blockers?”

Kakashi gazed over the spine of Icha-icha at him. “Trust me, you don’t want to smell me in rut,” he said.

Iruka frowned a little. “Okay,” he said slowly, “if you’re sure…?” he didn’t really understand why something as commonplace as a scent would be a problem. Sure, some alphas smelled more strongly than others, but that wasn’t necessarily a turn-off. Well. Iruka didn’t think it was. He hadn’t exactly had the chance to test that theory in the past five years. Still. Scent seemed like a weird hang-up for an alpha to have. Was that why nobody slept with him? Because he refused to scent his partner? “If you’re not into scenting, I guess I could use scent block too.”

Kakashi’s face pinked, the tips of his ears burning red. “That’s not… I like scenting,” he said. “But people - omegas - don’t like mine. So. I’ll just block it.”

Iruka frowned at that. “Do you have a sample?” he asked, extending a hand in Kakashi’s direction. 

Kakashi blinked down at his hand. “What.”

“A scent sample!” Iruka said exasperatedly. “Like you’re supposed to bring with you to a heat-house when you’re looking for a compatible partner?” He dug into his pocket, withdrawing a small ziplock bag with a scrap of fabric he’d worn around his neck overnight to allow his scent to permeate it, and waved it at Kakashi. “This is my scent sample.” He shoved it at Kakashi. “Smell. Decide if I’m a good fit.”

Kakashi accepted the scent sample with one hand, the other still clutching his porn like it was a security blanket instead of a diversion to help him pass the time. “I don’t really-” he cut himself off, eye widening as he stared back at Iruka, “I mean, I didn’t… bring one?”

Iruka stared at him in a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. “You’re a mandatory visitor and you didn’t even bring a scent sample?” 

Kakashi slowly tucked his porn away, fingertips plucking at Iruka’s bag, opening it cautiously, leaning over the open bag and taking a delicate sniff. Iruka wondered how much he could really smell through that mask of his, but Kakashi’s eye flicked up to him a moment later, crinkling slightly into what was probably a smile. “It’s nice,” he said. 

Iruka couldn’t tell if he was being genuine or just polite. He supposed it didn’t matter all that much. “Right,” he said, extending a hand to take his scent sample back, “so I guess you should bring yours tomorrow, or maybe if you can manage to produce a scent sample by tonight you could come back then…”

Kakashi casually palmed Iruka’s scent sample, tucking it away as well. “I don’t think you’re going to like it,” he told Iruka. “Really.”

Iruka scowled at Kakashi, hand still extended. “Scent block doesn’t always work,” he said, “Isn’t it better if I know your scent now, rather than discovering it by accident mid-share?”

“Maa,” Kakashi scrubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. “If you insist,” his half-lidded eye stared back at Iruka like he was trying to visually dissect him. “I can bring a scent sample back here in…” he glanced in the direction of the window. Probably noting the height of the sun in the sky. “About three or four hours,” he decided, turning back to Iruka. “If that works.”

“Sure,” Iruka said, hand still outstretched. “Can I get my scent sample back, now?”  

Kakashi’s eye widened, the visible corner of his face growing red as he quickly produced the small ziplock bag. “Right,” he said, handing it back to Iruka, “here it is.”

Iruka wasn’t sure why Kakashi thought he had been given the scent to keep, but he wasn’t really in a mood to ask, either. He was still trying to figure out why Kakashi was so set against sharing his own scent. Was it a superiority thing? A top-secret operative thing? An eccentric Jonin thing? He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. But he would like to know Kakashi’s scent before they took things any further. “See you in a few hours, then,” Iruka said, tucking the scent sample back into his pocket.

“Right,” Kakashi said. “A few hours.” And he vanished, just like that, in a burst of leaves.

Iruka sighed, shaking his head. “Showoff.”

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. Kakashi felt his lungs fighting for air and he tore down his mask as he stumbled through his apartment, immediately regretting the decision as his mask still carried the faintest hint of Iruka on it and fuck it smelled so fucking good. Tugging the mask back up, Kakashi inhaled deeply, trying to catch the faintest scent that remained on the mask from Iruka’s sample. He was hyperventilating, he realized, and focused on breathing normally. Or at least not so rapidly that he made himself dizzy. Mask still drawn up over his nose, Kakashi took three more deep breaths before he forced himself to keep moving. As much as he would like to, he couldn’t just sit in his apartment inhaling the heady scent of Iruka for the next three hours. He had things to do. The reminder of what he’d come here to do crashed into him in that instant. Groaning, Kakashi found he no longer had the energy to keep moving and slid to the floor, running his fingers through his hair and resisting the urge to tear it out by the roots. 

He wanted to scream. He wanted to break something. He wanted to lay down on the floor and die because he fucking knew that his own scent would have Iruka running away from him screaming. And here he was, losing his damn mind because he’d never smelled anyone like Iruka and he… fuck! Why did he always have to fuck everything up? He should have fucking lied about his scent, should have let Iruka believe that the scentless thing was some sort of kink, but now he’d been a colossal fool and agreed to share his scent with Iruka and he was going to be rejected all over again but this time he genuinely wanted the omega who would reject him and even just the dread of that moment made him want to lay down and just… cease to exist for awhile. 

Fuck, he was pathetic. 

Kakashi finally forced himself to stand up and wander into his unit bath, shutting the door and staring at himself in the mirror for a long moment before turning away from his reflection. No matter the outcome, he’d promised to bring that scent sample to Iruka, so he didn’t really have another option. Kakashi peeled off his clothes slowly, leaving the mask for last, taking one final deep inhale before he set it aside with everything else before clambering into the shower to wash off the scent blockers he’d applied so rigorously that morning. Once that was done, he took a small round of bandages, wrapping them loosely around his neck before pulling on some fresh clothes and heading to a distant section of the training grounds where his scent was unlikely to bother anyone. Once there, he ran through several basic taijutsu forms, slowly working his way up to more complex movements and even several different forms that incorporated ninjutsu as well, doing his best to work up a sweat. After about three hours he took a break, lifting the bandages out from under his shirt to give them a quick sniff. 

Yeah, Iruka was definitely going to run away screaming. With a sigh, Kakashi headed back to his apartment, immediately tearing off a bit of bandage and stowing it in a sealed bag, which he then proceeded to seal in a second bag, just in case.

That done, he threw the rest of the bandages and his clothes into the washing machine, starting it immediately so that the smell had no chance to permeate the rest of his apartment. Following that, Kakashi took another shower, and after some consideration, changed into another new set of clothes, even though he really wanted to wear the mask with Iruka’s scent in it. He tucked the bagged scent sample into a hidden pouch and checked the time. Four hours, almost exactly. He should probably head back to the heat-house now.

When he arrived, Iruka was sitting in the corner, sipping his tea, and glowering at a collection of three alphas who seemed to be trying to talk to him about something. A proposition, perhaps? Whatever it was, Iruka looked as though he was grudgingly tolerating their attention. Part of Kakashi wanted to run them off because he wanted Iruka for himself , but a larger part of him recognized that in a matter of minutes Iruka would be all too happy to go with them instead, and he owed Iruka enough respect not to screw that up for him. He was a mandatory resident, and was just as trapped here as Kakashi was. It wouldn’t be fair for him to ruin Iruka’s chances with other alphas or he’d be stuck here even longer than Kakashi.

So he stood back, waiting for Iruka to finish talking to the alphas. After about a minute, Iruka happened to glance in Kakashi’s direction, and his eyebrows jumped up in surprise. “Oh, Kakashi-san,” Iruka said, dashing off a quick bow, “thank you for coming back so soon.”

“Yeah,” Kakashi said, moving a bit closer, noting the way the other alphas watched him approach with a mixture of trepidation and disappointment. “I brought the scent sample.”

Iruka smiled then, an actual sunny smile. Kakashi couldn’t remember being treated to many of those - he was more likely to get the exasperated huffs, the eyerolls, the irritated scowls, especially at the mission desk. After this, he’d likely also get disgusted grimaces from Iruka, but probably no more smiles. He tried to tell himself that it was fine. After all, he’d only really noticed Iruka today, so it’s not like he’d been pining or anything so dramatic as that. 

As he produced the small double-bagged scrap of bandage he’d scented, the other alphas grumbled under their breath, moving away with muttered farewells to Iruka and sharp glares in Kakashi’s direction. Kakashi didn’t blame them - he’d hate to be shown up by some alpha who was too scatterbrained to remember to bring a scent sample, too. 

“Here,” he said, extending the sample to Iruka before he lost his nerve. “Sorry,” he apologized in advance, already knowing Iruka was not going to enjoy this next part.

Iruka raised an eyebrow in his direction, taking the plastic bag from him as he repeated, “Sorry?”

“For the scent,” Kakashi explained, then pulled out a small bottle of scent blocking spray from another one of his hidden pouches. “You can spray this in the air after you open it, if you need to.” Six of the eight omegas Kakashi had been with over the years had needed to use the scent block after smelling his scent sample. The other two had just closed the sample bag and politely asked him to keep using his scent block for their time spent together. He tried not to feel offended by it, and aimed for pragmatism instead. He needed an omega, the omega needed to not smell him. It didn’t have to be a matter of pride if he didn’t let it be.

Both of Iruka’s eyebrows jumped at that. “Isn’t that a bit dramatic?” he asked, glancing down at the scent sample before turning back to Kakashi. 

Kakashi just shrugged one shoulder, not bothering to reply. Iruka would know the answer to that question for himself in a moment or so, anyway. 

Frowning a little, Iruka popped open the first bag, shooting Kakashi an exasperated look as he took the second bag out of the first, handing Kakashi the extra bag. Kakashi didn’t bother putting it away - Iruka was likely to want it back soon, after all. 

Iruka carefully popped open the second bag. He dipped his nose towards the opening and Kakashi winced. “Ah, you may not want to do that,” he said, “It’s better to let it waft-”

Iruka made a sound that was halfway between a cough and a sneeze, pulling his nose out of the bag. “Oh. Yeah. That’s strong.” He pulled the bag away from himself a little, staring at it and wrinkling his nose a little, before punctuating his reaction with a sniff and a softly muttered, “Huh.” 

Kakashi helpfully extended the scent blocking spray.

“Put that away,” Iruka snapped, pushing the scent block (and Kakashi’s hand) away from his face. “Gimme a second.” He dipped his head back down for a second pass at Kakashi’s scent. This time, instead of a quick sniff, Iruka inhaled deeply before pulling the bag away from his face and sealing it up, holding it out in Kakashi’s direction with a small grimace. “What did you do, spend three hours on a training field? It smells like you soaked it in sweat.”

Kakashi blinked. “How else was I supposed to get a scent in a short amount of time?”

Iruka shrugged. “I dunno, did you think about grabbing your pillowcase or something?”

“I usually wear scent blockers to bed, in case I get called in on short notice,” Kakashi explained sheepishly. 

Iruka frowned. “Why would you wear scent blockers to bed?” he demanded. “Isn’t that uncomfortable? How do you make your den feel homey without using your scent?”

“I don’t spend a lot of time in my apartment,” Kakashi said, not really sure how else to answer that. His neighbors probably wouldn’t appreciate the stench, anyway. So he tried to be conscientious and shower regularly when he was at home, and kept the scent blockers on as much as possible. 

Iruka looked positively disturbed by this revelation. “What about when you rut?”

“I… go to the omega’s nest,” Kakashi answered, not sure why this was so hard to understand. 

“But isn’t it uncomfortable to not have anything that smells like you?” Iruka asked, eyes wide.

Yes, very, Kakashi thought fervently. In response, he simply shrugged. “I’ve gotten used to it,” he said. And he had. He didn’t like it, but he’d come to accept that this was just the way things would be. 

“That’s not right,” Iruka said, frowning.

“I don’t mind,” Kakashi said, despite the fact that he very much did, because he didn’t want Iruka to think that Kakashi wouldn’t absolutely be willing to go through another scentless rut if it meant spending it with him. 

“Well I do,” Iruka said sharply. “You should be able to spend a rut without having to suppress something as instinctual as your scent.” 

It was a very nice idea, but Kakashi was beginning to recognize the direction this conversation was taking. Iruka was just coming up with reasons to not share a heat with him, and ‘you deserve to share a heat with someone who can accept your scent’ was one he’d heard many times before. Iruka really didn’t need to go to that much effort. “Iruka-sensei,” he said, “If you don’t want to heat-share, all you have to do is say so. I know my scent can come as a shock. It’s okay to just say no, you don’t need to make excuses.”

Iruka sputtered indignantly for several seconds. “Excuses! Don’t want - ! Just say - !” he threw his hands in the air, glaring at Kakashi. “I’m trying to tell you that you’re being unreasonably accommodating.” 

Kakashi blinked. “I don’t think I am,” he said slowly. 

“Nonsense!” Iruka insisted. “You should be able to -”

“I’ve been a mandatory visitor since I turned sixteen and my scent started maturing into this,” Kakashi shook the scent sample at Iruka before tucking it away again. “I don’t have the luxury of worrying about what I should get out of a heat share, I’m lucky to get one at all, even a scentless one.”

Iruka frowned. “But it’s not even that bad,” he said.

Kakashi blinked twice. “What?”

“Your scent’s not that bad?” Iruka repeated with some uncertainty. “Strong, sure. Definitely… uh. Earthy? Musty. But not terrible, and certainly not worth using scent-block to cover up.”

Kakashi blinked. “You don’t hate it?”

“Of course not!” Iruka said, sounding offended. “Why would I hate it?”

Kakashi pulled out the scent sample and stared down at it, the wild idea that someone had somehow swapped it out with a normal scent crossing his mind. He popped the bag open and inhaled. Ugh. Yeah. Same scent. So what the hell was Iruka talking about? “It’s horrible,” he said, closing the bag again.

“It’s not,” Iruka protested, extending a hand. “Give it here.”

“It’s - you don’t have to -” Kakashi protested, handing the scent over anyway. “It’s fine, I believe you.” (He didn’t, but he didn’t want Iruka forcing himself to inhale more of his terrible scent just to prove a point.)

Iruka took the small bag from Kakashi, popped it open, and then reached inside to pull the scented bandage out. 

Kakashi panicked. “Put it back!” he hissed, “That isn’t funny, you’ll get us kicked out, put it back!”

Iruka just raised an eyebrow at Kakashi and very deliberately pressed the strip of scented bandage to the side of his neck, dragging it obscenely along the scent gland there, the same side that had been scratched by that Mizuki asshole who had been bothering him earlier. Iruka was wearing scent blockers too, but it didn’t change the way Kakashi felt, watching Iruka scent himself with Kakashi’s sample! Did he not see how suggestive that was? That was practically a proposition, it had to be, it… oh. It was a proposition? Iruka was still interested?

Kakashi felt like his brain had completely shut down. This didn’t make sense. He couldn’t understand what was happening. Was Iruka… still interested, even after experiencing his scent? That couldn’t be it, but if that wasn’t the case then why had he used the scent in such a blatantly provocative manner? “Why would you do that?” he demanded, genuinely baffled.

Iruka just stared back at him, an unrepentant look on his face, and Kakashi had the faintest sense that he might have been underestimating the man. What had he just gotten himself into?

Chapter Text

Iruka smirked at the absolutely gobsmacked expression on Kakashi’s face as he watched Iruka drag the bandage along his throat. Once he’d made his point, Iruka tossed the bandage back into the bag, sealing it and handing it to Kakashi. “Do you believe me now?” he asked. 

Kakashi’s one visible eye was so wide the iris was ringed by white on all sides. “Yes,” he said finally, sounding almost breathless. “But. My scent…” he seemed at a loss for words.

Iruka sniffed the air experimentally. The space around him smelled like sweaty alpha after a long workout in the forest. Below the smell of sweat was the scent of Kakashi himself - Earth, moss, a bit of dead trees, the sharp scent of scorched ozone, and, oddly enough, just a hint of wet dog. Then again, Iruka had heard enough about the man to know he had a few dog summons, so maybe that was less his scent and more of a way of life? In any case, it wasn’t exactly flowers and vanilla, but it wasn’t terrible, either. He didn’t understand why so many people would have pushed him away over something so petty as a less-than-perfect scent. Maybe they’d been the ones making excuses. “It’s fine,” he said. “You don’t need to use blockers for the heat share.”

Hatake Kakashi - Master of a Thousand Jutsus, Copy Ninja, Konoha Jonin - literally almost collapsed at his words, staggering a little before his knees seemed to hold his weight again. “Oh,” he said in a faint voice. “Okay. When should we do this?”

Iruka shrugged. “I mean, I was hoping to get things started as soon as possible so I could get out of here.” 

Kakashi nodded, though he still looked vaguely dazed. “Right, uh, do you need anything?”

Iruka mentally went through his checklist. Collar, check. Birth control, check. Extra nesting materials… he wasn’t sure, actually. “I don’t have a nest here,” he said. “I might not have extra blankets.”

“They charge an additional fee to rent them,” Kakashi told him, and Iruka wasn’t sure why Kakashi had such a good memory from the last time he’d been a mandatory visitor - he couldn’t be older than mid-twenties, and he’d claimed his scent started maturing at sixteen, so he couldn’t have had more than one mandatory visitation here. 

“Okay,” Iruka grimaced. He didn’t like the idea of using the heat house nesting materials, and really didn’t like the idea of paying extra. 

“I can bring stuff from my place,” Kakashi suggested. “Or yours, if you want.”

Iruka blinked. “You know where my apartment is?”

“No,” Kakashi was giving him a weird look. “I assume you can give me your address, though…”

Iruka felt his face heat. That certainly made more sense, though he hadn’t doubted the man’s ability to figure something like that out. He was considered a genius, after all. “Oh. Right. Yeah, if you could bring the blankets from my bed plus a few extra blankets from the closet, that’d be great,” Iruka said, patting down his pockets for paper to write Kakashi some directions to his apartment. 

Kakashi handed him a pen and small notepad he must have stowed in one of his many pouches. “Anything else?” he asked.

“Do you have condoms?” Iruka asked as he began writing down his address.

“I do, and a clean bill of health from my last consultation,” Kakashi said. “I can bring the test results back with me, or I can get a copy from the front - they have access to the records of all the residents and visitors here.”

Iruka vaguely remembered hearing something about that during his last health check at the hospital, but he’d dismissed it as something to worry about later , just like he’d ignored the doctor’s reminder that his heat share gap was getting pretty long. Maybe he should have paid closer attention. “They can look at medical records?”

“No,” Kakashi said quickly, his eye widening, “They have a direct line to the records room, though, and can pull that information from Konoha hospital without much trouble. It’s sealed, only you get to open it and you can choose whether to share it or not.”

Iruka felt relief course through him at the reassurance. “Oh. Good. I’m clean, too,” he added awkwardly, “If you want to see the record, I could request it?” 

“If you don’t mind,” Kakashi said, accepting the notebook when Iruka handed it back to him. “I’ll be back in about thirty minutes, they should have your records from the hospital by then.” 

Iruka nodded back. “Right,” he said. “I’ll do that.”

Kakashi tucked the notebook into one of his many hidden pockets. “Well then,” he said, “I’ll be off.” And then he was, disappearing in another burst of leaves.

Sighing, Iruka turned to the double doors leading into the socialization room. He supposed he’d better ask about getting those medical records from the front desk. It turned out to be a pretty easy process, and the fee to access a copy was only a couple ryo. He was assured that they’d bring the scroll to him in the socialization room, and handed him a small tag with a number on it that he would exchange with the staffer when they brought his record. 

“Thank you,” Iruka said with a smile, turning to leave.

He only made it about halfway around before he felt a hand land on his arm. “Um, sir?”

He turned back around to the young woman who was seated at the desk. “Yes?”

She gave him an awkward half-smile. “I just wanted to let you know there will be enough time before the record arrival for you to take a shower, if you’d like.”

Iruka blinked. “Oh, okay. Thank you.” He didn’t really see the point in washing off his scent blockers before Kakashi got back, though maybe it would smooth the process along? He didn’t want to miss Kakashi’s return, and he was hoping to get his nest arranged a bit before showering. Or maybe he was just trying to delay the inevitable - that was understandable, surely. He’d never actually shared a heat before, and it felt oddly intimate compared to the usual sort of fling. He bowed, thanking the front staffer for her help, and made his way back to the socialization room. In order to pass the time while he waited for Kakashi or his records, whichever came first, he headed over to the beverage station to get himself another cup of tea. 

Once he’d acquired his beverage, he found his way back to the same corner where Kakashi had holed up with his book of porn, sipping and watching the other people in the room. He was expecting to get approached by other alphas again, but this time he noted with interest that although several alphas and omegas alike sent sharp looks his way, none of them bothered approaching him. He was trying to figure out why that would be when he happened to shift his shoulders in a way that sent a small waft of air up towards his face, and he remembered that he’d scented himself with Kakashi’s sample.

Suddenly, the alpha avoidance made a lot more sense - of course no one was going to bother talking to an omega who already had another alpha’s scent on him! Iruka ducked his nose closer to his shoulder, trying to gauge how strong the scent was - people seemed to be giving him a spectacularly wide berth, and he didn’t think it smelled all that strong. He frowned a little, tugging at his shirt collar and drawing it a little closer to his neck, not sure what else to do about it. One omega in particular was frowning at him, and Iruka felt a bit awkward with the focused attention. Buttoning his shirt up a little bit higher around his neck had the additional benefit of hiding the scratches Mizuki had put on him, and Iruka hoped that was enough to avoid attention.

Alas, it was not to be. Barely thirty seconds later, the young omega woman wandered over to Iruka, a sympathetic look on her face. “Hey,” she said softly, bowing in greeting, “I’m Mizuno Ayame.”

“Umino Iruka,” Iruka replied, bowing back. “How can I help you?”

Ayame tittered a little, hiding her mirth behind one hand. “Oh, I don’t need help, I just wanted to… talk, I guess. You’re the mandatory resident, right?”

Iruka scratched at the back of his neck, feeling his face heat. “Ah, yeah. That obvious, huh?”

“There’s been a lot of talk about you today,” Ayame agreed with a wry half-smile. “We don’t see mandatory residents all that often, so I guess you’re something of a spectacle.”

That didn’t bode well for Iruka’s hope that this whole thing could be swept under the rug so his Academy students’ parents wouldn’t know about it. “Oh, really?” he said, not quite as neutrally as he’d hoped.

Ayame laughed again, still hiding it behind a palm. “Yeah, but that’s not why I came over.”

“Oh? It isn’t?” Iruka asked, now even more confused. “Then why…?”

“I just wanted you to know,” Ayame leaned in conspiratorially, “You don’t have to share with the first alpha to proposition you. Just because you’re a mandatory resident doesn’t mean you don’t have options.”

Iruka blinked. “What?”

“You don’t have to just take the first person to ask,” she repeated, her expression painfully sincere. “You can choose the alpha you share with, and -” her eyes flicked to the collar of Iruka’s shirt before returning to his face, “you can always change your mind.”

Iruka frowned a little, not quite sure he was following. “Why would I change my mind?” he asked, lifting a hand to the side of his neck almost defensively. 

Ayame’s face flushed slightly. “I just mean - you don’t have to wear his scent. It’s okay to not like it. Or if you want to go through with the heat share, you could ask him to use scent blockers.”

What? Iruka stared back at the woman, any thoughts he had crumbling in the face of that odd comment.  “Why would you say that?” he asked, hand still hovering by his neck where he’d intentionally swiped Kakashi’s scent sample.

Ayame glanced one way and then the other before leaning in conspiratorially. “A friend of mine shared his rut last year,” she began, but anything else she said whited out after that because Wait, what the hell, Kakashi had said he was a mandatory visitor! But Mandatory Visitation only happens once every five years!   “...so really, it’s okay to ask him to use scent blockers,” Ayame was saying, leaning back to stare expectantly at Iruka.

But Iruka couldn’t even find the words to express how betrayed he felt. Why had Kakashi lied to him? What else could he have lied about? He was hurt and furious with himself for ever believing the pervert Jonin could be serious about something like mandatory residences and visitations. “Uh-huh,” he said faintly.

Ayame looked at him with concern. “You can wash it off, you know,” she said, not unkindly. “I can barely stand it and I’m over here. I can’t believe you’re wearing a scent like that,” she said, full of sympathy.

Iruka agreed, but not because he thought it smelled bad. He just couldn’t believe he’d let himself get duped by something so obvious . Of course someone like Kakashi wouldn’t be a mandatory visitor! Why had he believed him? Iruka rested his hand on his neck, frowning. But Kakashi had said that he used scent block for his shares, so he hadn’t been completely lying. But if he’d had a mandatory visitation last year, surely he wouldn’t have one this year, too, would he?

Maybe the mandatory visitation rules were different for the jonin ranks? They did have more intense missions, maybe they needed to regulate their hormones more strictly? “The scent’s not so bad,”  Iruka said weakly, fumbling for something to say, some way to extricate himself from this conversation so he could just think for a few minutes.

Ayame gave him a look. “Honey,” she said, “You don’t have to be tactful, he’s not here. It’s awful.”  

Iruka frowned, dipping his nose towards his collarbone for another sniff. “It’s… fine,” he said, not quite sure what she meant. Sure, it wasn’t the nicest thing he’d ever smelled, and it was kind of sweaty, but…

Ayame was giving him a funny look now. “Have you had your nose checked recently?” she asked, genuinely concerned. “Because that is not a normal scent and I can’t believe you let him scent you with it.”

Iruka thought back to how hesitant Kakashi was to hand over his scent, the panic on his face when Iruka had applied it to his own throat, the way Kakashi had smelled his own scent and declared it “horrible”. Was there something wrong with him? With his nose? “I don’t know,” he confessed. “It smells okay to me.”

Ayame grimaced a little. “Okay, well, you should know that the reason no one is coming over here is you smell like…” she bit her lip, appearing to mull her words over for a moment before realization bloomed across her features. “Death. You smell like death,” she finally said. “Like roadkill that's been lying in the sun for too long, or... or when you have food that’s rotted in your cellar and you need to take it out and burn it. Like that.”

Iruka recoiled at the description. “What?” Sure, he smelled a hint of rot in Kakashi’s scent, but it was more like the smell of old wood and fungus in a forest, when the old trees and shrubs died to make food for the new plants and mosses. Certainly not anything as horrible and rancid as Ayame was describing! He ducked his nose down again, tugging at the collar of his shirt and sniffing. “I don’t smell anything like that… is that really what it smells like?” he glanced back up.

Ayame was grimacing. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad. Which is why I wanted to tell you it’s okay to use scent blocker.” 

Iruka frowned a little. “Should I go wash it off?”

“I mean,” Ayame grimaced a little, “It’s not the worst if I stay several meters away, I guess? It’s just bad up-close.” She shrugged. “You probably won’t get many alternative offers if you keep wearing it, though.”

Iruka considered that. On the one hand, Kakashi might have lied to him about being a mandatory visitor. Or maybe he hadn’t, and Iruka had just assumed that the system was the same as the mandatory resident system. He hadn’t really found anyone else he was interested in sharing with, and if Kakashi really was a mandatory visitor, it seemed like this scent of his would make it harder to find someone to share his rut than it would be for Iruka to find a heat share partner. Plus, he’d seemed really shocked when Iruka told him he could keep his scent unblocked during rut - and now, hearing another omega describe Kakashi’s scent, he could see why it might have come as a surprise to him. He still wanted to ask Kakashi for clarification - how did his mandatory visitation work if he had just shared his rut last year? - and then he would decide where to go from there. For the moment, though, he didn’t really need to meet anyone else. “I think I’ll keep wearing it,” he said. “But thank you for telling me. I really didn’t know it smelled that bad.”

Ayame gave him a look. “You sure you’re not a beta?” she asked. “I can’t believe you don’t smell it.”

Iruka shrugged. “Maybe I have a plugged nose?” he guessed, though he doubted that was the case. He'd been able to smell the aggression and lust on Mizuki just fine. What was it about Kakashi’s scent that made it so different?

Ayame shrugged back at him. “Maybe,” she agreed, though her hesitant tone clearly told him she didn’t buy the excuse any more than he did. 

“Anyway,” Iruka scrubbed awkwardly at his head, smoothing back a few flyaway hairs, “thanks for checking with me, and letting me know.”

“You’re welcome,” she said sweetly. “For what it’s worth, I hope you have a good heat share.” Her eyes seemed to say she doubted it would be the case.

“Thanks,” Iruka said, ignoring what she wasn’t saying and bowing slightly. “You too.”

Ayame bowed as well, and made her way back across the floor, waving her hand in front of her face as if shooing away a bad smell. As he watched her go, Iruka wondered if maybe that had been why the clerk was so quick to tell him he had time to go take a shower. It hadn’t been about removing his scent blockers at all, she probably thought he’d want to remove Kakashi’s scent! For some reason, that didn’t sit well with Iruka. It wasn’t Kakashi’s fault that his scent seemed to be stronger than the typical alpha’s. 

As if in answer to Iruka’s thoughts, Kakashi came back in, a large duffel bag slung over one shoulder, another tucked under one arm. His eye met Iruka’s gaze from across the room, and he nodded a little before wandering the rest of the way over. “I got blankets,” he said, digging into the duffel bag under his arm and pulling out a piece of paper, “and the test results.” He handed them to Iruka.

Iruka glanced over the results - which looked very similar to what he remembered of his own, not that this was surprising as they’d both had their tests done at Konoha Hospital. It seemed fine to him, so he handed it back. “Thanks,” he said, then waved the small claim tag at Kakashi. “I’m still waiting on mine.” 

Kakashi nodded, hefting the duffel bags with a quirked eyebrow. “Shall we take these up to your room, then?” he asked.

Iruka paused, and Kakashi must have sensed his hesitation, because his whole body stiffened. 

“Did you change your mind?” he asked softly. “It’s fine if you did. I understand.”

“That’s not it,” Iruka said quickly. “I just had some questions, I guess.” 

Kakashi shifted his grip on the duffel bags minutely before nodding. “What do you want to know?” he asked. “I’ll answer what I can.”

Iruka smiled in appreciation, though it was a pretty weak one. A firm believer in just ripping off the bandage and saying what you mean, Iruka dove right in. “Another omega just came over here and mentioned that her friend had heat-shared with you last year. Does Mandatory Visitation happen more often than Mandatory Residence, or…?” Iruka shrugged. “I’m just feeling confused.”

Kakashi nodded slowly. “Yes and no,” he said. “A typical Mandatory Visitation has the same schedule. But I’m something of a special case.”

Iruka found himself speaking without fully considering the impact his next words could have. “Does it have something to do with your scent smelling bad?” 

Kakashi recoiled as if he’d been physically assaulted, and Iruka realized that he’d struck a nerve - honestly, he had already known it was a touchy subject from how awkward Kakashi had been about it. He really should have been more considerate with that line of questioning, he chided himself.

“I’m not saying that I think it’s bad,” Iruka quickly told him, “but I’ve just been informed that it's really off-putting? I guess?” He realized as he was speaking that not only was Kakashi likely fully aware of the way people felt about his scent, Iruka throwing it in his face was really cruel and unnecessary. “Anyway, you don’t have to answer me, I don’t know why I asked something so invasive. I’m sorry.”

Kakashi blinked once, then said hoarsely, “Doctors aren’t certain, but the scent and the need for increased visitations are most likely related.”

“Okay,” Iruka said. “That makes sense. Thanks for telling me.”

Kakashi just nodded silently. 

“So, uh…” Iruka gestured to the bags still tucked under Kakashi’s arms, “Shall we go?” 

“If you’re still sure,” Kakashi said hesitantly.

“I’m sure,” Iruka said firmly.

With a soft noise, Kakashi turned and headed for the doors. Turning to follow Kakashi from the room, Iruka made it a few steps down the hall before someone called after him. 

“Excuse me! Umino Iruka?”

“Yes?” Iruka said, turning to see one of the members of the heat-house staff hurrying after them, a scroll in his hands.

“I have your records,” the young man said. “If you could hand over the claim tag, please.”

Iruka did so, accepting the scroll and unrolling it. It was his latest test results from his physical exam. “Thank you,” he said.

The young man bowed. “You’re welcome. Have a nice day,” he replied, and then headed back down the hall.

Iruka handed Kakashi the scroll. Kakashi glanced over it briefly and handed it back. “Thank you.”

Iruka nodded. “Right. Let’s do this, then.” He grinned, trying not to let his nerves show as he headed down the hall towards room 215, Kakashi trailing behind him.

Chapter Text

Kakashi kept feeling like he should be dispelling a genjutsu. Whatever was happening to him in this moment truly didn’t feel real. When he’d gotten back, Iruka was still wearing his scent, and that more than anything seemed like it had to be a lie. Why would he do that? Kakashi didn’t even like the smell of his own scent that much, though of course it was familiar in its own way, it wasn’t something he’d objectively consider a nice smell. And yet Iruka was still wearing it! Why?

Iruka unlocked the door to his room in the heat-house, and Kakashi took a moment to appreciate the seals he’d placed for security on all the entry points. He’d also added an element of noise-cancellation to the seals, he noted. Clever. That would help them maintain a bit of privacy, too. “Nice setup you have here,” Kakashi noted, setting down the duffel bags full of blankets and assorted supplies. 

“It’s… passable,” Iruka said with a small grimace. “The blankets will help,” he added, making a grabbing gesture at the bags, like a child who wanted something but lacked the ability to say as much. 

Recognizing a cue when he saw one, Kakashi knelt down beside one of the bags, unzipping it and pulling out a tightly-folded blanket that smelled gloriously of Iruka - it was the one from his bed, and Kakashi had used all of his self-control to not bury his nose in it before packing it away. He tossed it to Iruka, who immediately spread it out across the bed, fluffing it experimentally before turning back to Kakashi with an expectant look. Oh. Right. He’d want all the blankets for his nest, not just the one. Kakashi began unpacking the rest of the blankets - he’d managed to shove in three from Iruka’s apartment, and had stopped by his own place for two more. He’d picked up an extra pillow or two as well, cramming them into the duffel bags until he thought he risked blowing out the zippers. Now he began pulling out the soft, fluffy materials, tossing them to Iruka, who at first tried to arrange them but quickly gave up and just threw them onto the pile haphazardly. 

Once Kakashi had finished unpacking the bags, all that remained were his own things that he’d brought. He shuffled awkwardly, not sure where he should put his things. Iruka was busy arranging the blankets and pillows, but after several seconds he paused his pillow-fluffing to glance at Kakashi, “Oh,” he said. “Do you want to put your things in the wardrobe?” he indicated it with a jerk of his head.

Kakashi nodded, carefully placing his clothes, scent blockers, and assorted rut materials inside. As he moved back to the center of the room, Iruka was still poking at his nest experimentally. “Why don’t you go ahead and shower first?” Iruka suggested, looking up from his pile of soft things and smiling at Kakashi. It wasn’t quite the wide, sunny grin from before, but it was gentle and friendly, and it made him feel warm inside to receive it. 

“Okay,” Kakashi said faintly. 

“And don’t bother reapplying your scent blockers,” Iruka said, poking at part of his nest and making a face at it before tugging the blanket halfway out and folding it up in a way that seemed no different than before to Kakashi but apparently made a difference to Iruka. “You can rest in the nest while I shower next.”

Kakashi blinked. “But… don’t you want to scent your own nest?”

Iruka poked the blankets again. “Oh I will, Once I’ve finished showering,” he assured Kakashi. “I just don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to use it too.”

On the one hand, Kakashi doubted his scent would be all that strong immediately after a shower, but he still hesitated. “You’re sure?” he asked.

Iruka paused, turning to face Kakashi with his hands on his hips. “Yes. I’m sure. Now go take your shower,” he added, making a shooing motion with his hands. “I should have this done by the time you’re finished.”

Recognizing that his concerns had been heard and summarily dismissed, Kakashi shrugged one shoulder and headed into the bathroom for a shower. He cleaned up as quickly as he could, scrubbing his wet hair with a towel and pulling on loose, comfortable clothes without bothering to tug his flak jacket back on. Once he was done, he carried his weapons, flak jacket, and assorted other gear back into the room, stowing it behind his other things in the wardrobe. When he turned around, Iruka was looking at him with one eyebrow raised. 

“Um,” Kakashi said, not sure what Iruka was waiting for, “Shower’s open.”

Iruka nodded, but he didn’t make any move to head for the bathroom, his eyes roving up and down Kakashi’s body. “I’ve never seen you out of full uniform,” he said after a moment. “It’s… unexpected.”

It was hard to tell from his voice whether it was a good unexpected or not, and Kakashi was too nervous to dare ask for clarification. Instead, he just made a noncommittal sort of noise in the back of his throat and hoped it was good enough. 

“Are you going to be okay without an eye cover?” Iruka asked then, indicating the sharingan.

“If I need to cover it I have something,” Kakashi assured him. He didn’t usually cover the sharingan when he slept, but maybe it would be a good idea to cover it if it made Iruka uncomfortable. He didn’t want him feeling any discomfort if it could be avoided. 

“Oh, okay,” Iruka smiled again, and Kakashi didn’t know why those little smiles kept making his heart swoop in his chest, but they did. “I’ll just... take a shower now,” Iruka said, heading for the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, leaving Kakashi alone in the room with Iruka’s nest. 

Even though Iruka had said he could sit in it, Kakashi felt like an intruder. He nervously went through his things, grabbing the scent blocker and bringing it to the bedside table just in case Iruka changed his mind after a few minutes. He threw his condoms and lube in there too, because having those handy seemed like a smart idea. Once that was done, he stood awkwardly beside Iruka’s nest, trying to decide what to do. Should he get in? But he didn’t want to ruin all of Iruka’s hard work with his scent. Surely once Iruka smelled it on him he would come to his senses and not want it anymore, and it seemed like such a waste to have Iruka spray down his entire nest with scent-blocker if Kakashi’s scent seeped into the blankets. 

Instead of laying down in the nest like a normal person might have, Kakashi instead hovered around it like a nervous hummingbird. He poked at a blanket or two, resisting the urge to bend down and bury his face in the blanket that smelled strongly of Iruka, reminding himself that the real deal would be out of the shower soon enough.

Not that he’d be able to scent him the way he wanted to - how awkward would it be to deeply scent someone who was only here to fulfill a mandatory residence requirement? That wouldn’t be right, even if it was all he could focus on right now. 

Instead of crawling into the nest like a normal alpha, Kakashi paced across the room, walking back and forth until he could feel sweat crawling down his neck. Fuck. Fuck. His anxiety over this was making him sweat, which meant his scent production was likely going up, too. The whole damn room was going to be full of his scent by the time Iruka got out of the shower and there was no way he was going to put up with it after that! Digging into the wardrobe, Kakashi pulled out a spare shirt and swiped at his neck. He realized about a moment later, that the water dripping down his neck was actually from his damp hair, not sweat, and he couldn’t even smell his own scent, unless he really concentrated. Fuck. He was too nervous, and it was making him paranoid. 

Sighing, Kakashi perched on the very edge of Iruka’s nest, farthest from the bathroom door, and scrubbed at his hair to try and prevent a second scent scare from sending him spiraling. He stopped scrubbing his hair after a few minutes. The shirt was damp, but his hair, while as messy as ever, seemed slightly less wet, which he supposed counted for something. He draped the damp shirt over a hanger and hung it on the back of the wardrobe door to dry. Now that he no longer had water rolling down his neck, he wasn’t sure what to do. 

The shower in the bathroom shut off. Kakashi clutched at the side of Iruka’s nest where he still sat gingerly, but Iruka didn’t leave the bathroom. A moment later, he heard a hair dryer, and he shook his head. Of course Iruka would use a hair dryer, the man had long hair, and unlike Kakashi he clearly knew better than to walk around with damp hair. But this left Kakashi perched on the side of the nest, still nervous, and waiting with growing impatience for the omega to finish drying off and step back into the main room.

Finally, after what felt like almost a lifetime, Iruka shut off the hair dryer. And stayed in the bathroom. Kakashi thought he might explode with impatience by the time Iruka tugged the ensuite bathroom door open and stepped back into the bedroom, giving Kakashi a funny look as he did so. “I said you could get comfortable,” he said. “You look like you just sat on a thumbtack. Are you okay?”

Kakashi swallowed nervously before nodding. “Fine.” He waited for Iruka to say something about his scent, but the man did no such thing, instead crossing the room to the other night stand, setting down a small packet of pills, a collar, and what looked like a bottle of lube.

“Well,” Iruka said, scrubbing at the back of his neck, “here’s the part where I confess I’ve never done this before.”

Kakashi blinked. Surely this wasn’t his first ever… “Never?”

“Heat shared,” Iruka specified, “I mean, I’ve… you know, with… but never a heat,” he stumbled through his explanation, cheeks flaming, eyes downcast. “So if I act… I don’t know, stupid? I’m sorry.”

“You won’t act stupid,” Kakashi told him in what he hoped was a reassuring tone and not a condescending one. “Heats don’t change a person that much.” At least, he didn’t think they did. By all reports, if anyone was prone to a personality change, it would be him, with his hyperactive reproductive system. But he’d always been able to maintain control without much concern. As far as he could tell, people used heats and ruts as an excuse to justify doing something they normally wouldn’t. It was more socially acceptable to be in rut than to be a creep, so there were plenty of alphas - and omegas, for that matter - who would use their reproductive cycles as an excuse to do nasty things. He’d never really felt out of control when in rut, and didn’t plan on starting now. 

“Oh, well. That’s good to know,” Iruka said faintly, then puffed up his shoulders as he inhaled deeply. “Shall we, then?” he gestured to the nest.

Still hesitant to taint Iruka’s perfectly good nest with his less-than-ideal scent, Kakashi hesitated. “Are you sure you want this in there?” he asked, pointing to his neck.

Iruka sniffed the air experimentally. “I barely even smell you,” he said. “It’s fine. Get in.”

With one last skeptical look, Kakashi clambered into the nest Iruka had constructed out of a pile of blankets and pillows. It was soft - of course it was, it was made out of incredibly cozy materials - and easy to settle into. Kakashi sank down with ease, and Iruka flopped down beside him a moment later, sighing heavily. 

“Okay,” he said, turning on his side. “Now what?”

Kakashi turned his head to blink at Iruka. “It depends,” he said. He’d always been with more experienced omegas before, and had never really been one for taking charge of the situation. Having Iruka wait for him to set the pace was unsettling in ways he hadn’t anticipated. “I’m not in rut yet, and you don’t seem to be in heat yet, either.”

Iruka scrunched his nose up, considering. “No, no I’m not,” he agreed after a moment. “You’re really not in rut?”

Kakashi nodded slowly. “Why?” he asked, “Do I seem like I’m in rut?”

“No,” Iruka said quickly, glancing away, his cheeks reddening once more. “I just mean… your scent is strong? And I guess I assumed it was that way because of the - but then, you did say that you use blockers all the time, so I guess I should have expected…” he turned back to Kakashi, eyes wide with curiosity. “Does that mean it’ll get even stronger when you’re in rut?”

He really, really didn’t like the direction this conversation was going, but it would be rude to say nothing, wouldn’t it? Swallowing hard, Kakashi forced himself to sound nonchalant as he replied, “I’m not sure, I’ve never gone through rut without scent blockers.”

Iruka leaned back as if absorbing a physical blow. “What?” he said, frowning at Kakashi.

“I said-”

“No, I heard,” Iruka cut him off, waving a hand to interrupt him, wiggling a little so that they were lying closer to one another, his shoulder nearly bumping Kakashi’s as he poked at one of the pillows thoughtfully. “I was just surprised to hear that. You’ve really never gone through a rut without a scent blocker? That sounds… horrible.”

It was. “You get used to it,” Kakashi said uncomfortably, not really one to bare his soul under the best of circumstances, and lying around awkwardly waiting for one’s rut to start was hardly the best of circumstances. Though it was weird to be waiting for it while still able to smell himself. He was so used to scent blockers by now that his own scent felt almost unfamiliar. He wasn’t sure he liked that, the realization that something so essential to his very being was so estranged from him. 

“I don’t know that I would,” Iruka grumbled under his breath, but he wiggled a little bit closer to Kakashi as he spoke, bumping their shoulders together. “So. Is there anything we can do to hurry this process along? I’ll be in heat for at least four days once it starts and I paid for an extra night, so if we could get this over fast, I might be able to get a refund for the extra night I had to cover.” 

Kakashi couldn’t catch the amused snort that escaped him at that. “Really? That’s what you’re worried about?”

“I’m not sure you know this,” Iruka said, sitting up and glaring down at Kakashi, “but staying in a place like this is very expensive.”

That was probably true for Iruka, Kakashi noted. Since he ran so many S-rank missions and had a fairly large inheritance on top of that, he’d never really needed to worry about money. Scrimping and saving had never really been a necessity for him, and he wondered if that privilege made him seem wasteful to someone like Iruka. “I see,” he said. “I usually don’t stay any longer than is required by my mandatory visitation paperwork, so I’ve never had to pay.”

Iruka glowered down at him for another second, then nodded sharply. “Well. Now you know. Are you going to answer my question now?”

“The one about hurrying up the process?” Kakashi asked.

“Yes!” Iruka sat up completely, folding his arms over his chest and sighing exasperatedly. “Should I take off my clothes? Do we… I don’t know, make out? Would scenting help?”

Scenting. Every part of Kakashi’s body seemed to tense at the idea, suddenly wholly focused on the idea, to the complete exclusion of literally every other possible alternative. Scenting Iruka? It sounded like paradise. He couldn’t imagine anything he could ever want more than that, ever. “Scenting might help,” he managed to croak, his mouth barely managing to form coherent words amidst the sudden need to scent Iruka right the fuck now.  

“Great,” Iruka said, plucking at his shirt, tugging it off without fanfare. 

Kakashi’s mouth went dry at the sight of Iruka’s torso. He was tan and muscular, with a scattering of dark hair that spread across his chest and trailed down to disappear behind the waistband of his loose pants. The light from the window danced over his shoulders, kissing the curves of his biceps and tracing soft fingers across his pectorals, the warm glow of the afternoon sunlight alighting softly on the roll of his stomach. Iruka wasn’t soft, exactly, but he had a thin layer of padding over a solid frame. Unlike Kakashi, who was often accused of looking as spindly and scarecrow-like as his namesake, Iruka was built - toned, even - but still soft enough to look enticing, and oh, how the hell had Kakashi managed to land in the bed of someone who looked like this? Iruka was so hot that it took Kakashi several seconds to remember to breathe after feasting his eyes on the physique of the man settling down beside him. 

Iruka, now settled back down, his shirt tucked somewhere in with the rest of the nesting materials, turned to Kakashi. “You going to take yours off too, or is it attached to your mask?”

Shit. Kakashi hadn’t really thought this through, he usually asked his partners to wear a blindfold if they wanted his clothes off, but he hadn’t exactly broached that topic with Iruka, and some part of him didn’t want to hide from Iruka’s gaze. He wanted Iruka to see him, to want him, the same way he wanted Iruka. He knew that was stupid, that this was probably just some dumb infatuation based on the man’s incredible scent and the fact that Iruka didn’t seem to mind Kakashi’s scent, either. But it didn’t stop him from wanting, and so he hesitated. “It’s… attached to my mask,” he said. 

“Oh,” Iruka said, a hint of disappointment in his tone. Maybe it was that edge of emotion that did it. Maybe it was the fact that Iruka had not rejected the part of Kakashi that everyone else hated the most. Maybe he was just tired of hiding so much of himself from everyone, and Iruka seemed like someone he could trust with his secrets. Whatever the reason, Kakashi made a split-second decision and sat up, tugging his own shirt off - mask included.

Iruka gaped up at him, unmoving. 

Cautiously, Kakashi tucked his own shirt into the nest before scooting down to face Iruka, who was still staring at him, practically unblinking. 

“So,” Kakashi said, feeling incredibly exposed without his mask, but trying to maintain his facade of nonchalance, “scenting?”

“Hang on a minute,” Iruka said faintly, “I’m still processing this,” he said, gesturing dramatically at Kakashi’s face.

“Is it that bad?” Kakashi asked, only half teasing. The other half of him was already regretting his spur-of-the-moment decision and chastising his more sentimental side for being stupid. 

“Bad?” Iruka repeated in a hollow tone, his eyebrows furrowing. “Bad?!” he repeated again, more forcefully this time. “Kakashi, you’re gorgeous, what the actual hell? ”

Kakashi blinked, then once more for good measure. He dismissed the urge to open the sharingan for a quick snapshot of Iruka, laying languid beside him in the nest, but only because there was no way Iruka wouldn’t notice him recording the moment with the way his eyes were locked onto his features. “I am?” he asked, then quickly revised his statement at the vaguely irked look Iruka shot his way. “I mean. Thank you?”

Iruka shook his head, rolling his eyes briefly. “You’re welcome, I guess. Holy shit, talk about an unexpected but also very much welcome turn of events.” He returned his sharp gaze to Kakashi. “I mean it, you know. You’re… I mean,” he blushed then, scratching at his cheek with one hand. “Not just your face, either. It’s uh… a lot. Just. Wow.”

Kakashi could say the same for Iruka, except that he seemed to have lost his voice at some point. He opened his mouth to try and explain that between the two of them Iruka was clearly the more drop-dead gorgeous one, and that honestly he was too skinny and it was probably just the shock of Kakashi not being horribly deformed (which was by far the most popular theory for why he always wore his mask) making him seem more handsome by comparison. Instead, what he managed to squeak out was, “You too.”

Iruka blinked, a confused look flitting across his features. “Sorry?”

“You’ve been holding out on me, sensei,” Kakashi said, indicating Iruka’s own physical features with an appreciative glance. “I think I’m getting the better end of the bargain.”

“Well, we can agree to disagree on that front,” Iruka huffed, though he looked pleased by the compliment.

“Fair enough,” Kakashi said, surprised at how easy it was to talk with him despite how sensitive his face felt, exposed to the air. Of course he usually slept with his mask off, but he rarely conversed without a mask and the absence of cloth brushing against his lips and warming with his breath felt odd. He also realized, at almost the same instant, that his scent glands were now without barrier, and the anxiety came rushing back like a tidal wave. He clapped a hand to the side of his throat in sudden panic at the realization that he’d removed the final barrier between his scent and Iruka’s nose - surely he’d notice it any moment now, and the rejection would come all over again, and -

Iruka sighed, reaching over and lightly tapping Kakashi’s hand. “Enough of that,” he said with a scowl. “I already told you, I want you to be able to go through your rut without scent blockers. I wouldn’t change my mind now. That would be cruel.”

“You don’t have to,” Kakashi said, because he really didn’t, he knew what he smelled like, and he didn’t want to subject Iruka to it. 

“I know I don’t have to,” Iruka agreed with a bright smile, “but I also don’t mind it. In fact…” before Kakashi could quite react, Iruka had reached out, tugging Kakashi’s hand aside so he could bury his nose in the crook of Kakashi’s neck, inhaling deeply. “Hmm,” he hummed, sounding thoughtful. “It smells better now. Less sweaty.”

Kakashi blinked. That was impossible. His scent never got better. It got worse. But his wasn’t the sort of scent where people could mask their reactions to it, they would gag, choke, gasp, or grimace when they came into contact with it. Iruka didn’t do any of those things. He just burrowed his nose deeper and scented him again.  

The whine that bubbled up in Kakashi’s chest sounded more like the cry of a child than a full-grown adult, but he hadn’t been scented since - since - since his Sensei died, and he hadn’t realized how much he missed it until it was happening to him, and fuck! Scenting with his father, his comrades, his sensei, had always been an innocent act. Scenting had never felt like this, longing and desperation and desire all tangling in his chest, warring for dominance as he appreciated the sensation of a willing omega pressed against him. Iruka had one arm draped over Kakashi’s waist, drawing him closer, his warm skin soft and supple against Kakashi’s chest, his lips brushing lightly along Kakashi’s collar bone as he buried his nose in the crook of Kakashi’s neck, inhaling deeply, a rumbling purr in his chest that shook Kakashi to his core. Iruka drew back a moment later, lifting his hand away from Kakashi’s waist to thumb gently at his left cheek. 

“Your eye,” he said softly, his gaze locked on the scarred side of his face, “it’s… crying.”

“It does that,” Kakashi said, voice hoarse.

Iruka looked like he wanted to cry, too, and that wasn’t really how Kakashi had envisioned this first encounter going but he also wasn’t really in a position to do anything about it. Fortunately for both of them, Iruka blinked back the tears in his own eyes, and Kakashi managed to reign in his own emotions enough to fumble his way through an awkward apology, his tearless eye downcast. “Sorry,” he said, “You didn’t sign up for shit like this, I don’t know why-”

“It’s okay,” Iruka interrupted, reaching out and cupping one hand under Kakashi’s chin, not really applying pressure, but encouraging him to lift his gaze. “I want you to be comfortable with me.”

Kakashi wasn’t sure he agreed - this was supposed to be a no-strings-attached sort of arrangement, and he was already certain that following this encounter, his life would never be the same. But he couldn’t really say that, so instead he nodded, reaching out and gently rubbing a thumb over the red scratches the alpha from earlier that day had gouged into Iruka’s scent gland. “Thank you,” he said. “I want that for you, too.”

Iruka smiled up at him, a guileless and open expression that stole Kakashi’s breath away. “I’d like that,” he said, slowly easing himself back down in the bed, allowing Kakashi to follow him down. 

Since Iruka had made the first move, Kakashi felt a bit less intrusive about scenting him back, and he’d been absolutely right, the scent was even better in person than it was from a blanket. For a long moment, Kakashi just draped himself over the omega, drinking in his scent like it was the only thing he ever wanted to fill his lungs (which wasn’t that far from the truth). 

Iruka moaned softly, baring his throat and allowing Kakashi unrestricted access to the delicate space beneath his jaw. Instinctively, Kakashi nuzzled at it, and Iruka seemed to be in complete agreement with every move Kakashi made, groaning with pleasure as Kakashi threw one leg over him, grinding their hips together insistently.

“Kakashi… san…” he gasped, squirming with pleasure as Kakashi brushed his lips along the tender flesh below Iruka’s ear, trailing down the side of his neck before sealing his lips over Iruka’s collarbone and sucking hard. One of Iruka’s hands found its way to Kakashi’s head, fingers twisting into Kakashi’s unruly locks while his other hand seemed unable to settle, dancing over his hips, trailing up his ribs, sliding over his shoulders, running down his back… everywhere Iruka could reach, he did, clearly enjoying the sensation of touching Kakashi’s body as much as Kakashi was enjoying the sensation of Iruka’s body under him. 

Groaning, Kakashi continued his attentions to Irika’s throat - licking, sucking and scenting with wild abandon until Iruka hissed, arching his neck to present his throat and Kakashi drew back, realizing he’d started using his teeth. “Shit,” he hissed, covering his mouth and scrambling for Iruka’s side of the bed where he’d seen the man put his collar. He grabbed it and shoved it at Iruka, who blinked at it blearily for several seconds, eyes glazed, before recognition slowly dawned on his features. His eyes grew wide and his shoulders lifted in tension as he glanced up at Kakashi, clapping a hand to his neck. “You didn’t?” he asked, his eyes searching. Before Kakashi could even respond though, the chunin relaxed, his shoulders slumping as a soft smile crossed his features. “You didn’t,” he breathed, relieved. He slipped the thick, softly-lined collar around his neck, clicking it shut and locking it before tossing the small key across the room.

Kakashi followed its trajectory with his gaze before turning to Iruka and lifting an eyebrow. Iruka chuckled somewhat sheepishly. “It seemed like a dramatic and sexy move,” he said. “We can find it when we’re done.”

Honestly, Kakashi was just glad that Iruka felt like doing anything dramatic or sexy after Kakashi had done something as stupid and amateurish as using his teeth. He knew better than to take risks like that, so what was it about Iruka that made him throw all his caution to the wind? “Fair enough,” he said, just happy to discover that the collar didn’t completely smother Iruka’s enticing scent. 

Iruka leaned back then, his eyes trailing down Kakashi’s bare torso once more, his dark eyes seeming to catalogue every detail. Iruka made a soft noise, glancing back up to meet Kakashi’s gaze as he fanned his face with a hand. “Wow,” he said, his voice tinged with a mixture of curiosity and envy. “For someone on repeated mandatory visitations, you sure seem to know how to… uhm,” he trailed off awkwardly, scratching at scar across the bridge of his nose with a sheepish chuckle. “I guess I’m just feeling outclassed,” he admitted.

“Don’t,” Kakashi said, genuinely confused as to how Iruka, who had sent his heart pounding in his chest from the moment he’d made the first move, could possibly think that Kakashi of all people would outclass him. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of this. I just hope you’re half as satisfied with this arrangement as I am.”

Iruka laughed then, his eyes fluttering shut as he threw his head back in genuine mirth. Kakashi felt his breath catch at the sight, Iruka’s dark hair fanned out behind him, his skin glowing in the warm light of the sunset trickling in through the windows. He was beautiful, and Kakashi couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

Iruka opened his eyes again, lifting a hand to gently rest it on Kakashi’s arm, his fingers trailing down his bicep until finally landing in his palm, where he tangled their fingers together. “Believe me,” he said in a sincere tone, “I am very satisfied with this arrangement.”

Chapter Text

Iruka was having a hard time figuring out why he’d never heat shared before if it could be like this. He’d expected it to be awkward, uncomfortable, possibly even frightening - something to be endured and then locked away with the rest of his bad memories. The truth was turning out to be a much different situation than what Iruka had built it up to be in his mind. While Kakashi was a bit awkward, and things had gotten off to a rough start… Well, Iruka was very much enjoying himself now . 

He hadn’t really made a habit of scenting much, mostly because he and his pack mates (the few he had, anyway) were all shinobi, so finding times when everyone was available for cuddle piles were few and far between. His only long term relationship had been Mizuki, and scenting with him had always turned into a guilt trip about heat shares and mating, leaving Iruka feeling uncomfortable and a little sick to his stomach. Kakashi didn’t make demands or treat him like a thing to be owned. He gave as much as he took, and seemed genuinely interested in Iruka in a way that Iruka felt even Mizuki hadn’t been. Mizuki had liked being with an omega. Kakashi liked being with Iruka. It was a heady feeling, one he was quickly becoming accustomed to. He didn’t want to let it go, and he wasn’t sure he felt about that. He resolved not to think about it until his heat was over - he was fully committed to this, and Kakashi was super hot and incredibly good with his mouth, so Iruka had no interest in complicating things with unnecessary worry. That was for post-heat Iruka to think about.

Kakashi reached out, brushing a lock of hair away from Iruka’s face, tucking it behind his ear as he spoke. “How do you feel?” 

For a moment, Iruka was too stunned to respond. How did he feel? Weak in the knees. Wanton. Bordering on desperate. He knew it had been a long time since he’d last been with someone, but this was a lot more than he’d bargained for. But it wasn’t a bad sort of feeling, it was an urgency, like he needed to make the most of it while he could. He felt - 

“Is your heat close to starting?” Kakashi followed up, clarifying his question, and Iruka felt his face growing warm with embarrassment, grateful he hadn’t yet said anything in response to the initial question. Kakashi had been asking about his heat, not… whatever it was that Iruka was dealing with in his own head. 

“I… think so?” Iruka answered, though it was hard to tell. Usually his heats would make him feel emotional, horny, and slightly more predisposed to being annoyed with stupid Jonin. He was already feeling all of those things, due to the situation (though he was certainly less annoyed with one Jonin in particular). He had no idea if any of it was related to his heat or not, though. 

“Hmm,” Kakashi hummed, dipping his head down to linger near Iruka’s collar. “Smells like you might be,” he said. “You smell... good.”

Iruka felt incredibly relieved that Kakashi liked his scent. Almost immediately following his relief was a wave of guilt because Kakashi had never been told the same. Reaching out, Iruka drew Kakashi closer, scenting him deeply once more. His scent really wasn’t so bad, once you got used to it. He didn’t understand the fuss. “Mm,” he hummed, thinking. He couldn’t force himself to lie - Kakashi smelled strong, but he definitely didn’t smell nice. “Yours is distinctive,” Iruka said finally. “It’s…different.”

Kakashi huffed in amusement, pushing Iruka back so he could look him in the eye. “You don’t have to force yourself,” he said, “I’ve always worn scent blockers before. If you need-”

“How many times do I have to say I don’t want that?” Iruka griped, poking Kakashi’s bare chest, only lingering a bit longer than was strictly necessary because… wow. He shook his head lightly, redirecting his attention back to Kakashi. “It’s fine! It’s you. And I’m sharing with you, so of course I want your scent, too.” 

Kakashi blinked his eye twice before finally saying, “You want my scent?” He sounded floored.

“I said so, didn’t I?” Iruka griped. “Several times, even!”

“Right,” Kakashi scrubbed a hand through his unruly hair, turning his face away from Iruka, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m still coming to terms with that, I guess.”

“So, I guess, since my heat is starting,” Iruka said, changing the subject in hopes that Kakashi would stop looking so deeply uncomfortable, “We should figure out our boundaries? No marking for me, clearly,” he patted his collar, “and while I like it rough, I don’t enjoy a lot of pain, and I’m not super fond of kinky stuff? Not during my first heat with a partner, anyway. It’s all very new to me and confusing enough without adding more complications to it, you know?”

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, still avoiding Iruka’s gaze. “That all makes sense,” he said. “We can keep it simple.” He finally turned to look at Iruka, asking, “Are there any other things you’re not into? Positions? Kissing? Oral?” 

Iruka considered the question seriously. Normally he’d only ever had sex with people he was already dating, so he wasn’t used to kissing being an uncomfortable option. Did he want to kiss Kakashi, though? One look at his lips was enough to thoroughly answer that question, Iruka would gladly take any kisses Kakashi had to offer. “I’m fine with kissing,” Iruka said, “I’m not familiar with a lot of positions but if I find something I don’t like I’ll let you know.” He felt embarrassed as he continued, “I’m fine with oral, so long as there’s, uh, hygiene considerations?” He found himself unable to meet Kakashi’s gaze as he continued, “I just - there was this one guy who ate me out then tried to go right back to kissing and - uh - I’d rather not taste my own ass, you know?”

Kakashi nodded seriously. “Okay. Would you like me to use a condom for that, then?” 

Iruka felt a weight lift from his shoulders at the word condom. “Yes! Please. Very much so. Yes.” 

Kakashi leaned over to his side of the bed, picking up a handful of condoms “I have these, they’re built to accommodate a knot, but I should have enough to cut a few if we’re in the mood for rimming.”

“I mean, I have condoms too,” Iruka quickly scrambled for his own, “But mine aren’t for knots, so if you think you might run low, we could use mine, too.”

Kakashi nodded. “Noted,” he said. 

“So…” Iruka said, setting his condoms back down and glancing over at Kakashi, “Should we take off the rest of our clothes?” He wanted to hit his head on something hard. Why was he being so awkward about this? He’d been with other people before and never had to say something as dumb as should we take our clothes off, it just happened! Why was he trying so hard to force things with Kakashi? (Probably because he just wanted to get his heat over and get the extra night refunded so he could eat something besides instant ramen and tofu for every meal. Definitely not because he was quickly losing his rationality when it came to the gorgeous man who had agreed to share a heat with him.)

Kakashi’s eye flashed with clear interest as he looked at Iruka. “Sure,” he said, reaching for the waistband of his pants and oh right, Iruka had not thought this through because he had not considered how very hot Kakashi would look, lounging in Iruka’s nest, a hint of a smirk tugging at his visible lips on an extremely handsome face while his dexterous fingers plucked at the waistband hugging the vee of his hips… 

Iruka swallowed hard, committing Kakashi’s abs to memory as the man tugged off his pants. He should probably be saying or doing something, but Kakashi was so hot that all of the words in his head had flown off somewhere and all he could do was drink in the lanky limbs, the toned body, the criss-cross of scars littering his skin like pale little stars. 

Kakashi glanced at Iruka, lifting an eyebrow. “Do you need help getting yours off?” he asked, a hint of teasing in his tone, but more of the flirty variety than the mean-spirited sort. 

Iruka, feeling a bit dramatic, flopped back into a particularly soft pillow and spread his arms wide. “Go for it,” he said, mostly joking.

Kakashi, however, seemed more than happy to oblige, crawling over to him, hooking his fingers into the loose waistband of Iruka’s pants before shooting a questioning glance Iruka’s way, a last check for permission.

Iruka felt like his face was on fire as he nodded, giving the go-ahead. He lifted his hips as Kakashi slipped the waistband down, over his hips, dragging the pants down his legs, his eye fixed on Iruka’s body like he was trying to memorize every line and curve of his thighs. He drew them down further, past his knees, tugging them over his feet and tossing them aside before lifting his gaze once more to meet Iruka’s face. His expression was intense and focused, and suddenly Iruka felt like he would die if he didn’t feel those thin lips against his own in the next ten seconds. “Kiss me?” he asked, soft and unsure, because suddenly he wondered if Kakashi wasn’t into that sort of thing - he hadn’t really said one way or the other-

Kakashi was suddenly beside him, his lips brushing against Iruka’s, and any doubts or concerns flew away as he surged upwards, winding his arms around Kakashi's shoulders, digging his fingers into his hair, and pouring himself into a heated kiss. Kakashi responded immediately, deepening the kiss and lowering his body over Iruka, his own hands gliding along Iruka’s bare torso, tangling their legs together and drawing their bodies closer still. Despite the fact that both of them had yet to remove the final layer of clothing - underwear - the increased sensation of skin-on-skin was enough to arouse Iruka’s interest, and if the steadily growing hardness rocking against his hip was any indication, Kakashi wasn’t exactly unaffected by their actions, either.

With a groan, Iruka reached down for Kakashi’s underwear, slipping a hand past the waistband and fumbling for the man’s cock. Kakashi stilled momentarily, his lips slipping from Iruka’s as he picked up his head to stare down at him, a hint of amusement and pleasure glinting in his eyes. “Eager?” he asked, his tone teasing but softer than Iruka would have expected it to be.

Iruka nodded, more than willing to admit to his desire. Kakashi was clearly interested in him, too, so he saw no reason to hide it. “Very.” 

Kakashi rumbled low in his throat, an almost predatory look crossing his features as he leaned in. Just before recapturing Iruka’s lips with his own, he said, “Good.” 

Iruka wasn’t one to just lay back passively, though, so he gave as good as he got (at least, he hoped he did), winding the fingers of his left hand into Kakashi’s wiry, unruly hair and tugging lightly, dragging a groan from between the jonin’s kiss-swollen lips. 

Again, Iruka reached for him with his right hand, this time wrapping his fingers around Kakashi’s girth. His eyes widened in surprise - he’d been with alphas before, but it had been awhile, and he had forgotten just how big a knot could get. Part of him wondered if it would even fit, while the other parts of him were just excited to try. 

Iruka pushed Kakashi back, drawing his left hand out of the man’s hair and trailing it down his chest to tug at the waistband of the final layer of clothes, glancing at Kakashi and lifting an eyebrow in an imitation of the man’s own request for permission.

Kakashi nodded, and Iruka grinned, tugging the underwear down his legs, tossing it aside before staring down at the thick, hard length that had been hidden up to this point. “I cannot wait to have that inside me,” Iruka declared, and he knew that he wasn’t in heat yet, but he also figured that having sex before his heat would probably be a good way to jump-start it, right? Right? Even if it wasn’t, he didn’t particularly care, because Kakashi was screaming hot and Iruka wanted to ride that knot as soon as was humanly possible. 

He suddenly wished he’d had the foresight to prepare himself in the shower, but he hadn’t exactly expected Kakashi to be his type. He’d expected this to be a mask-on sort of affair, especially since Kakashi was so touchy about his scent blockers. This was something else, and whatever it was, Iruka was into it. “I should have prepared more,” he grumbled, tugging off his own underwear with a hint of a pout. “I didn’t think I’d be this eager this soon.”

Kakashi frowned back at him, looking a little confused. “Your heat is coming on that fast?”

“No,” Iruka replied honestly, “You’re just super hot and I’m into it. Or… are you not comfortable with that?” he asked, suddenly feeling like an idiot and an asshole. Kakashi was only doing this because he was a mandatory visitor. He wasn’t interested in Iruka, not as anything more than a willing hole, anyway. He’d forgotten himself in the moment, and was now regretting what he’d said more and more with each passing second. 

Kakashi nodded slowly. “I’m comfortable with it,” he said slowly. “Just surprised.”

“Okay well, surprised or not, grab a condom and let’s get busy,” Iruka said, determined to stop with the talking and move on to the more demonstrative behaviors.

Kakashi didn’t seem particularly opposed to the idea.

It took barely any time at all to work Iruka open once they started. Kakashi was able to slip one finger in with hardly any resistance, adding a second after just a few seconds. Iruka moaned loudly when he added a third finger, but it wasn’t a sound born of displeasure, and Kakashi had to stop and just breathe for a moment, feeling Iruka’s tight entrance fluttering around the base of his fingers before he curled them, seeking that sweet spot at Iruka’s center. This time the noise Iruka made was closer to a scream than a moan, and he tried to follow Kakashi’s fingers as he drew them out.

“I’m ready,” he chanted, “I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready.”

Kakashi wasn’t sure he was, his knot was definitely thicker than four fingers, but he would go slowly so that Iruka wouldn’t be too sore by the end of this. At this point Iruka’s own slick appeared to be lubricating his entrance, a sure sign that heat was imminent, but Kakashi used a bit of his own lube to prepare for entry, just in case what Iruka had produced wasn’t enough to fully lubricate him  - the last thing they needed was chafing when they were about to be doing this for several consecutive days. 

Kakashi positioned himself at Iruka’s entrance, pressing in slowly. Beneath him, Iruka gripped the sheets under his hands like he was trying to strangle them, the soft material of a pillow muffling his cries of pleasure. Iruka was on his knees, and Kakashi took a moment to appreciate the view of Iruka’s muscular back and broad shoulders as he slowly pressed in. 

Finally, he reached his knot, and Iruka was outright sobbing. If he hadn’t been interspersing the words yes and please and more between the cries, Kakashi might have been more worried. As it was, he found himself facing Iruka’s wrath for hesitating, as the man lifted his head and glanced back over his shoulder to hiss, “Kakashi, if you don’t get that knot in me in the next minute…” 

He didn’t have to finish his threat. He was a teacher, he knew how to threaten better than most of Kakashi’s deadliest opponents. Doing as he was told, Kakashi worked himself a little bit deeper, easing out and sliding back in once, twice, three times before finally pressing hard and sinking deep into Iruka on the last plunge, his knot slipping past the omega’s entrance. He could feel the intense pressure of being inside magnify as the most sensitive part of him was caught in the warmth of Iruka. He grunted at the sensation, rocking his hips as much as he was able before the rush of sensation that accompanied his orgasm overtook him, and he crumpled, spent, atop Iruka’s back.

A moment later, Iruka grunted, wriggling, trying to dislodge Kakashi from where he lay, sprawled across Iruka’s body. It wasn’t going to be very effective, considering Kakashi’s knot was still fairly full, and would remain lodged inside Iruka for at least another few minutes. 

“For someone who’s all skin and bones, you’re really heavy,” Iruka finally grunted, sounding tired and sated, and like he was trying to be grumpy, but was too blissed-out to reach the stage of irritation required to sound upset. 

“I happen to be quite muscular,” Kakashi protested. “Muscle is heavy.” Iruka wiggled under him a little for the second time, and Kakashi took the hint, cautiously easing himself over until they were laying side-by-side instead of Kakashi lying on top of Iruka. “Better?” 

“Much,” Iruka sighed, then wiggled his hips a little, this time testing the connection between himself and Kakashi’s knot. “Oh,” he said, moving his hips in the same motion a second time, his voice a little bit huskier as he repeated, “oh.”

Kakashi huffed in amusement. “Having fun?”

“You have no idea,” Iruka breathed, rolling his hips a third time, his breath hitching lightly. “How big is your knot? I’ve been knotted before, but yours seems to hit all the right spots.”

Frowning a little, Kakashi dipped his nose closer to where Iruka’s collar rested over his scent gland. His scent was definitely sweeter and more heady than it had been earlier. “I think that’s just your heat talking,” he informed the omega with a bit of an amused huff.

“I don’t know,” Iruka replied, rolling his hips again, “I’ve used plenty of toys during my heats and none of them were this good.” 

As much as Kakashi knew that heats and ruts tended to make everything seem better, he still preened a little at the praise. He wanted Iruka to enjoy this, and it wasn’t as if Iruka was the only one gaining pleasure from his little hip-rolls. Gently, Kakashi smoothed one hand down Iruka’s side, reaching for Iruka’s cock and giving it a light squeeze. He was surprised to find it was wet. Had Iruka come untouched? Or was that just slick? His knot hadn’t deflated yet, and he was wearing a condom, so it probably wasn’t his own ejaculate.

“Sorry I made a mess,” Iruka mumbled, confirming Kakashi’s suspicions. “We can clean it up when we’re done.”

Kakashi huffed in amusement. He had a feeling there would be a lot more messes in the days to come. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, wrapping his fingers around Iruka’s length. “Ready to go again?”

Iruka groaned, throwing his head back against Kakashi’s chest. “Yes,” he moaned.

So they did.

Chapter Text

Iruka never could quite pinpoint when his heat started. He knew at one point he thought Kakashi was hot and he wanted to have sex with him, and then somewhere around their second or third go-around, it felt like if he didn’t have sex with Kakashi he would absolutely die. Which was weird, because as far as he knew heats were mostly just an inconvenience. He’d never felt so deeply, desperately horny before in his life. Admittedly, that could have just been because he’d never actually had an alpha at his beck and call during a heat before. It was an incredibly pleasurable experience, to demand a knot at any moment and have one right there for the taking. Kakashi not only had an exquisite cock, he was also quite experienced with it, and knew how to use it to its full advantage. Iruka lost count of how many times they had sex, but he knew it was a hell of a lot more than when he was in heat on his own. 

Kakashi also seemed to be better at keeping track of things like eating and drinking and sleeping. Iruka basically just fucked until he passed out, and he ate when Kakashi handed him food, he drank when Kakashi handed him water, and besides that it seemed like nothing else existed beyond the walls of their room. 

Maybe it was because Kakashi had shared his rut before, and was more used to sharing with a partner. Maybe he was less overwhelmed due to his more regular exposure. Still, while he wasn’t as frantic as Iruka, he nonetheless seemed eager and willing every time Iruka wanted to go another round - which was basically any time he was awake. But Kakashi was thinking about more than just the physical coupling. He seemed protective, focused on Iruka’s comfort and wellbeing to the point that Iruka felt as though Kakashi approached the sex as a way to ensure Iruka’s comfort, rather than something he sought for his own pleasure. Or maybe that was the heat talking, again. Iruka just knew it felt wonderful. He never would have imagined that heat sharing with someone like Kakashi could leave him feeling completely safe and respected for the entirety of his heat. If you’d asked him a week earlier whether he thought Kakashi would be a good alpha, he probably wouldn’t have been able to give a generous answer. Now, it wasn’t even a question. Kakashi was a good alpha. Possibly the best alpha Iruka would ever have.

He hated the thought that Kakashi might go to someone else for his next mandatory visitation. He wanted him for himself. 

That thought, more than anything else, was dangerous, Iruka told himself on the fourth day. He could feel his normal attitude returning to him. He still wanted to fuck Kakashi, but now the tiredness of his muscles and the ache inside him from repeated knotting made him think twice before asking. His rational side was returning to him, except that his rational side wanted to hold on to Kakashi just as much as his horny heat brain had wanted it. But that hadn’t been the deal. This had been a coupling of convenience, nothing was supposed to come of it. 

He hated that realization more and more as his logical side reasserted itself. Would Kakashi even want to share his rut with him again? Had Kakashi even gone into rut at all? Iruka couldn’t tell. The man had seemed so in control the whole time, eager to meet Iruka’s needs and keep him comfortable - all he’d heard about ruts made it seem like the alphas were the demanding, selfish ones. For that matter, even outside of heat, most of his own partners had been busier chasing their own satisfaction than seeking to fulfill his desires, and Iruka was not exempt from that. He didn’t even know if Kakashi had enjoyed this! What if he’d hated it? That thought kept Iruka from asking for more. He wanted as much time with Kakashi, with his knot, as he could manage, but he was afraid his selfishness might be off-putting. Besides, he was tired, Kakashi was tired, and sleeping beside him, arms and legs tangled together, was a decent enough alternative. 

Curling his arms a little bit tighter around Kakashi’s neck, Iruka inhaled deeply. Somewhere along the line, Kakashi’s scent seemed to change. It wasn’t nearly as rotten-smelling at this point, and smelled closer to freshly-turned earth, or a mossy glade in a cedar forest, with ferns and toadstools thriving amidst the ancient trunks of trees so large you could practically house an entire family in the hollowed out trunks. It wasn’t a sweet scent, was no elegant musk, wasn't even particularly spicy. But it was heavy and pungent. The fact that it was Kakashi’s scent was what made him like it the most, though, and Iruka couldn’t seem to get enough of it. Even as he gradually came down from his heat, he found his nose buried in the crook of Kakashi’s neck and inhaling deeply any chance he could get. Fortunately, Kakashi didn’t begrudge him the scenting, and often returned the favor, dipping his own nose close to Iruka’s throat to breathe deep, drawing in the scent lingering there with what seemed to be an equal amount of interest.

But alas, it couldn’t last forever, and as much as Iruka enjoyed the lazy moments splayed across Kakashi’s muscular chest, he also didn’t want to have to pay for that extra night, so he finally forced himself to ask the question he’d been dreading. “Did you… rut?” Iruka finally asked, nose still buried in the soft dip of Kakashi’s throat, right under his jaw.

Kakashi lifted his chin, giving Iruka easier access to his throat, rumbling so low it practically came from his chest. “Mm. I did.” 

“Was it… Was I… okay?” Iruka asked hesitantly, half afraid to hear the answer. 

“Best I’ve ever had,” Kakashi said, shifting slightly, turning his head.

Iruka pulled back with a small grumble, a bit disappointed to be cut off from scenting the man further. The words did cheer him up a bit, though. “Was it? I’m glad.”

“Yeah,” Kakashi said, a hint of a smile tugging at his thin lips. 

He was too beautiful when he smiled, Iruka thought furiously. It wasn’t fair, no one would have a defense against something so gorgeous. 

“I never realized…” Kakashi continued, somewhat sheepishly, “With my scent, it’s a completely different experience.”

Iruka grinned at that. “Good. I’m glad you were able to rut without loading up on scent blockers.”

“Me too,” Kakashi agreed. “I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to rutting without my scent.”

Iruka tried his best not to flinch. Right. This was a one time thing. Kakashi had to rut every year for his Mandatory Visitation. Iruka only needed to visit once every five years.

Did that mean he’d have to wait a whole five more years to sleep with Kakashi again? Would it be weird if he tried to take it further? It would be weird. Both of them were in this situation because they weren’t looking for relationships, mates, or anything long-term. And Iruka still wasn’t sure he’d changed his mind on that front. But oh, Kakashi could certainly tempt him to change his tune. “Right,” Iruka said weakly, “Mandatory Visitation can’t be easy.”

Kakashi sighed, turning his gaze away from Iruka to stare at the ceiling. “Nothing ever is,” he said, sounding exhausted.

Iruka hummed sympathetically, not really sure what more he could say. Would it be weird to offer to go through a rut with him again? It would, it definitely would, and he needed to stop considering the idea. He was just upsetting himself by dwelling on it. He tried to tell himself he was upset on Kakashi’s behalf - the man deserved to rut without blockers - but the idea of someone else getting to scent him during a rut made Iruka want to scream. 

So, clearly, he’d fucked this up somehow and ended up imprinting on the alpha or something equally stupid. His collar was still firmly in place, so he knew it wasn’t a bond, and he couldn’t imagine how much more possessive he would feel if it was a bond. He needed to let this go, let Kakashi go. But he didn’t want to do that. He wanted more, and dammit, that hadn’t been part of the deal.

At least he had a whole year to come up with some reason why he should be the one to spend a heat with Kakashi. He considered reserving a room, but that was ridiculous, he couldn't even afford one night, and omegas didn’t have 'day-use only' options, unlike alphas. 

He wasn’t even supposed to be thinking about things like this because it was only a matter of convenience! He had to stop thinking about this as something with the potential to be permanent. Clearly Kakashi was very good at ruts and heats, so Iruka was sure he had plenty of people who would be interested in a round two. 

But his scent , a small part of Iruka remembered, his scent wasn’t usually part of it. Maybe Iruka could use Kakashi’s scent as a point in his favor? If Iruka was the only one to share Kakashi’s scent, maybe that gave him a leg up! Maybe if he was lucky, he’d be the only omega in Konoha who could stand his scent for an entire rut. Iruka felt his spirits rise at the idea, only to crash with a wave of self-loathing so intense it felt like a physical blow. How selfish was he, to wish that he was the only omega who wanted Kakashi’s scent unblocked during the heat share? Kakashi deserved to rut without blocking his scent all the time, not just with Iruka, and wishing that he was somehow unique was just another way of wishing misery on Kakashi!

Fuck! Iruka felt his eyes growing misty. Damn hormones, heats always made him so emotional and now he was going to cry because he couldn’t allow himself to think he was somehow special to Kakashi. Because he wasn’t , he told himself fiercely. And he couldn’t allow himself to believe otherwise. He wasn’t special, he couldn’t sleep with Kakashi again and he had to be okay with it, even when his head and hormones seemed absolutely set on never letting Kakashi go.

“Iruka?” Kakashi said softly, eyes peering cautiously at Iruka. “Are you all right?” There was undisguised concern burning in his gaze. 

Iruka shook his head slowly. “Sorry,” he apologized in a watery tone. “Heats just make me so emotional…”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kakashi asked, and fuck did that unleash the floodgates.

Not even sure why he was ugly crying right now, Iruka stretched out his hands to Kakashi. Rather than turning tail and running far away from a bawling, inconsolable post-heat omega, Kakashi allowed Iruka to grab him, pull him close, and scent him again. It was so calming, holding Kakashi close, breathing in his scent. He never wanted to let go. After a few shuddering breaths, though, Iruka forced himself to draw back, scrubbing angrily at his face, trying to rub away the tears and snot - oh gross, he’d gotten some on Kakashi, too, how mortifying! - and make himself look passably presentable again.

“I am so sorry,” Iruka squeaked, immediately digging in the bedside table for some tissues, practically throwing them at Kakashi, who mildly dabbed at the wet spot on his chest like he wasn’t bothered one bit by a messy omega bawling all over him. Yet another reason he was a fucking perfect goddamn alpha and Iruka was so upset that this was his first and only chance to sleep with him.

“It’s fine,” Kakashi assured Iruka, balling up the tissues and absently tossing them across the room to land in the trash can by the door. “The last day can be rough.” 

That was putting it mildly, Iruka thought, but he just nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.

Kakashi wasn’t entirely certain he hadn’t dreamed up his entire rut, except for the fact that his dreams were never this blissful. Not only had Iruka insisted on not blocking Kakashi’s scent, he’d seemed genuinely pleased with it, even in heat, when it was impossible to feign those sorts of instinctive reactions! Iruka had been all over him from the beginning, despite his scent, and Kakashi would be lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed it - enjoyed Iruka - thoroughly.

Iruka was a bit of a mess now, but that wasn’t exactly a surprise. After all, it was Iruka’s first heat share, and the hormone crash post-heat was no joke. Some of the omegas Kakashi had been with would fly into a rage and throw him out, some would lie listless in bed, staring blankly at the wall for hours until Kakashi managed to convince them to get up and eat or drink something. Others, like Iruka, would cry. All things considered, Iruka’s crying hadn’t lasted very long, one of the omegas Kakashi had been with for a previous heat share had bawled for three hours straight, and then held Kakashi partially responsible for the extended crying session since Kakashi lacked a calming scent. Kakashi had graciously not pointed out to the omega that he had already known that when he’d agreed to spend a heat with Kakashi in the first place. 

Having an omega apologize for being emotional was a first, though. It was part of the heat process, using sweat or tears to flush the excess hormones from the body in the wake of an extreme fertility cycle. 

“I’m not usually such a mess,” Iruka told Kakashi, dabbing at his eyes with an extra tissue and sniffling a little. 

Kakashi had the terrible urge to kiss the tear-tracks down his cheeks and tell him everything would be okay, but that would be a horrible breach of etiquette in what had otherwise been a fairly typical heat share - minus the fact that Kakashi hadn’t worn his mask the whole time, but Iruka didn’t actually know that was unusual for him. He may have assumed that Kakashi took his mask off for all his heat shares. It would be rather embarrassing to admit Iruka was the first heat share he’d allowed to see his face, but Iruka had given him the incredible gift of not suppressing his scent during a rut, so it seemed like a fair exchange. Besides, it had made scenting and kissing a lot easier, and Kakashi was almost concerned by how much he enjoyed kissing Iruka. 

Giving in to a fraction of the temptation tugging at him, Kakashi reached out, gently cradling Iruka’s jaw in his hands and murmuring, “It’s all right, take the time you need,” before brushing his lips against Iruka’s forehead in a gentle kiss.

Iruka stilled, not even breathing, until Kakashi pulled away, at which point he practically melted into Kakashi, winding his arms around him once more before burying his nose in the crook of Kakashi’s neck and inhaling deeply. “Thank you,” Iruka mumbled, his lips brushing against Kakashi’s throat as he spoke, and Kakashi wanted more. He wanted Iruka to do more than just scent him there, he wanted a bite, he wanted - ! 

Panic. What? No. He couldn’t want that, could he? He’d never so much as entertained the notion of mating before, how could he ever want such a thing? And even if his instincts were screaming that they wanted it, he barely knew Iruka! How could he want something so permanent in such a short span of time? 

Iruka drew back, perhaps sensing Kakashi’s unease or noticing the way he stiffened. His eyes were filling with tears again as he apologized profusely. “I’m sorry, that was so demanding of me, my heat is over, I don’t know why I did that, I’m so sorry…”

“No, I’m sorry,” Kakashi replied quickly, scrambling for an excuse, any excuse. “I just remembered... you wanted to leave before getting charged for an extra day, right?”

If anything, Iruka looked even closer to bursting into tears. “Right,” he agreed, “I can’t afford it.”

Kakashi hated the idea of sending Iruka home like this, the man was an emotional wreck. “You could come back to my place for a little while,” he offered. “We could cuddle until you’re feeling better.” 

He wanted to slam his head against the wall as soon as he said the word cuddle. There was no reason why Iruka would be interested in -

“Really?” Iruka asked hopefully, eyes wide and shining with hope and what little remained of the unshed tears. Two more blinks and the tears were more memory than reality. 

“If you want,” Kakashi said. “I can make hot chocolate…”

“Hot chocolate and cuddles? You really are the perfect alpha,” Iruka declared, throwing himself backwards into their nest with a satisfying thump, and thus missing the horrifying Emotion (with a capital E) that Kakashi felt racing across his face. 

“I am so tired right now, I could sleep for ten years, but… hot chocolate and cuddles? I would do unspeakable things for a chance at that,” Iruka declared, still gazing up at the ceiling.

Kakashi wanted to say something teasing, like, What kind of unspeakable things?, but he was continuing to struggle with control of his facial expression, and the phrase you really are the perfect alpha was still buzzing around in his head like a fly trapped in an enclosed space. Did Iruka really think that? Why? How? Could Kakashi get him to repeat it later? Exactly how exaggerated had that statement been? Surely Iruka didn’t actually think he was a… 

“Kakashi?” Iruka was braced up on his elbows now, giving Kakashi a perfect view of his bare body, his broad shoulders and muscular chest tight with tension as he frowned at Kakashi with a level of focus he hadn’t been capable of during his heat.  Kakashi felt his face heat under Iruka’s scrutiny. 

“Yes?”

Iruka’s face was pinking too. “I uh. Threw the key to my collar somewhere across the room before my heat started,” he said. 

Kakashi laughed, feeling the tension bleed from his body as he realized Iruka hadn’t suddenly changed his mind or wanted to take back what he’d said. Kakashi was going to remember what he’d said forever, he didn’t think he could bear Iruka revoking his earlier statement. It wasn’t like Kakashi got compliments often, and especially not from a gorgeous omega with a scent more enticing than anything he’d ever smelled before. But Iruka was asking about his collar key, not revoking his compliment, and Kakashi couldn’t be happier. Remembering what Iruka had said at the time of the toss, Kakashi teased, “Because it seemed dramatic and sexy, right?”

Iruka covered his face with both hands, whining low in his throat. “I didn’t think about how unsexy looking for it would be,” he said, voice muffled. 

“I don’t know,” Kakashi said thoughtfully, still teasing, “I think I’d enjoy the view of your bare ass bent over looking for it.”

Iruka made another noise that sounded less like a whine and more like a squeak. Then he sat up and pointed at Kakashi. “New plan,” he said. “ You look for the key while I check out your ass.”

“We could both look for the key,” Kakashi said.

“But then what’s stopping us from checking out each other's asses?” Iruka mock-protested, a wide grin spreading across his face.

It shouldn’t be possible for him to look more gorgeous, but while Iruka sitting half-up, half laid back in their nest, messy hair cascading around his shoulders, stark naked was undeniably gorgeous, seeing him like that with a massive grin on his face felt like a punch to the gut, stealing Kakashi’s breath away. But it wasn’t painful. Rather, Kakashi felt a grin stealing across his face, too, and he shook his head at Iruka with a soft chuckle.

“Fine, you win, I’ll look for the key.” 

Chapter Text

It didn’t take Kakashi long to find the key, and he handed it to Iruka with a flourish. Feeling foolish, but relieved that Kakashi had shrugged off the need to hunt down the key with an amused chuckle and some light teasing, Iruka finally removed his collar and begrudgingly dragged himself out of the nest. 

Oh, yeah, he was definitely going to be feeling this for a few days. He wasn’t especially sore, but he’d used his body in ways he wasn’t used to, especially since it had been so long since he’d found the time for dating, or even casual flings. His muscles were stiff, his insides felt vaguely squishy and loose, a semi-pleasant ache from the repeated knotting made more intense when he bent or moved in certain ways. 

Iruka began folding up the blankets, and Kakashi stepped beside him, holding one of the duffle bags open with a small closed-mouth smile that drew Iruka’s eye to the mole below his lips. Why did Kakashi have to look so damn kissable, even after his heat was mostly over? It was unfair. No wonder the man kept his face hidden, it was hard to focus on anything when Iruka could instead stand and gaze into that beautiful face…

Kakashi reached past him to fold another blanket, and Iruka felt his face heat as he realized he’d drifted off into thought staring at Kakashi’s face. Kakashi was nice enough not to say anything about it, but he had clearly noticed. Ugh, why was Iruka always doing such embarrassing things? “Thanks,” he said, more to fill the awkward silence than anything. 

Kakashi glanced at him as he tucked the first blanket into the bag, a hint of fondness in his tone as he replied, “You’re welcome.”

Iruka could melt under the heat of his gaze, in the warmth of his voice. His heat was over, wasn’t it? So why did he still feel like this? Failing to find new words and trying to avoid gaping like an idiot for even longer, Iruka quickly grabbed a pillow and began rolling it up like a sleeping bag. He shoved it into the bag beside the second blanket Kakashi had folded, and began folding up a third blanket. Before long, they’d managed to cram all the extra bedding back into the bags Kakashi had brought them in. Now they just had to shower off and head out.

Iruka took the shower first, it felt heavenly to step into the warm water and ease his sore muscles after a long week. It had been tiring, but nowhere near as bad as a solo heat would have been. He tried to shake the thought away, because he couldn’t allow himself to think too hard about what he would want if given the chance. It didn’t matter if it was better than a solo heat, because he was going to have to go back to solo heats anyway. 

Unless…

Iruka groaned, tipping his head forward and allowing the warm water to pour over the back of his head and shoulders, water streaming through his hair and pooling on the floor of the shower. He watched it swirl around the drain for several moments, breathing, trying not to think. He had to stop before he said or did something that made Kakashi uncomfortable. He squeezed his eyes shut. They were going somewhere to cuddle, that was good enough. His next heat was months, if not an entire year away, depending on when he next went off his heat suppressant. He could worry about that later. For now, he was going to focus on enjoying some closeness with Kakashi - he huffed in amusement at that, he’d never expected to want something like that with Kakashi of all people - and try not to worry about what came next.

Once he’d settled himself sufficiently, Iruka shut off the shower, wrung out his hair, and stepped out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

Kakashi’s eye went to him instantly. He was wearing a yukata-style robe that the heat house must have provided - Iruka vaguely remembered seeing one in the wardrobe when he’d first gotten here, though he hadn’t bothered to wear it. Kakashi made it look good, though. He seemed to think the same of Iruka’s towel, because he took his time looking Iruka over from head to toe. “Nice,” he finally said, and Iruka felt his face heat.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“Guess I’m up,” Kakashi said, moving towards the bathroom. As he began to pass by, Iruka caught a hint of his scent, that dark, earthy, decaying scent tickling his nose, and he reached out almost unthinkingly, grabbing Kakashi’s shoulder. The jonin paused, turning to look at Iruka with a curious expression on his face. 

At first, Iruka wasn’t even sure why he’d stopped Kakashi. As soon as he considered his action, though, the realization came to him. “Don’t use your scent blockers.”

Kakashi’s eye widened. “What?” 

“When you finish your shower. Don’t… I want to smell you. When we cuddle. Please.”

Kakashi stood, still staring at Iruka as the seconds ticked by. He swallowed hard, then nodded once. “Very well,” he agreed. “I won’t use the blockers.”

Iruka smiled, relieved. He wasn’t sure why, he just knew, somehow, that he wasn’t ready for Kakashi to be scentless again. Not when they were going to be pressed up against each other again, even if it wasn’t the same as a heat. “Thank you.”

Kakashi nodded again, more quickly this time, and retreated to the bathroom. The shower began running a few moments later, and Iruka took the time to begin packing up his clothes and  making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. Once he’d packed away his collar and ensured he’d not forgotten anything else, he focused on towel-drying his hair before pulling on some comfortable clothes. By the time his hair had gone from soaking wet to vaguely damp, Kakashi had finished showering and emerged from the bathroom looking much as Iruka had, though obviously he cut a far more sexy figure than Iruka imagined he himself had. 

The towel was slung low around his waist, showing off the long, lean torso with a sculpted chest and abdomen. He had a second, smaller towel slung around his neck, which only accentuated the broadness of his shoulders and the sweep of curving muscles into powerful arms. His hair stood up and pointed in every direction at once, but Iruka found it oddly endearing. He wanted to kiss those thin lips set in his pale face, but managed to restrain himself. 

He did have to comment, though. “You make that towel look good.”

Kakashi’s face reddened slightly. “Ah. Thank you.”

Iruka wasn’t sure if the man wasn’t used to receiving compliments, or was just so awkward that it didn’t matter how many times he received compliments, he’d always react like that. He supposed one way to test the theory would be to continue complimenting the man. He didn’t mind the idea. In fact, he rather liked it. 

Kakashi got dressed quickly, and while Iruka couldn’t really smell his scent as he’d just finished showering, he didn’t have the clinical, artificial smell of someone who had applied scent blockers. He felt strangely relieved that Kakashi had listened to him and had done as he’d asked without protest. Just knowing that he would be able to scent Kakashi again soon was calming, and Iruka could feel himself relaxing more in Kakashi’s presence as they both scooped up the bags of bedding and their respective overnight bags to head out. 

The check-out process went easily, Iruka wasn’t charged for the extra night as he’d gotten out with time to spare, and the two of them were on the street, walking in what Iruka assumed was the direction of Kakashi’s apartment. It was the way towards the jonin apartments, in any case, so the deduction made logical sense. Sure enough, before long, they’d reached the apartment complex and Kakashi led Iruka to one of the more central buildings, taking him up to the third floor and down to the end of the hall before unlocking and pushing open a door. 

“It’s not much,” Kakashi said, “but I think I still have some supplies left to make hot chocolate - I don’t usually drink it myself, but when Gai has a bad day, it helps…” he made an awkward gesture towards the door. “Come on in, I guess.” He ducked through the doorway, and Iruka followed behind. The room smelled oddly sterile, almost unlived-in. Iruka remembered, then, that Kakashi had mentioned that he wore scent blockers to bed. He hadn’t realized that meant that he wore scent blockers constantly, but after some consideration he realized that actually made sense - Kakashi had been militant about wearing his blockers, so of course he wore them all the time at home, too. Iruka shoved down the thought of how lonely and uncomfortable that must be - it was Kakashi’s home, if he didn’t want to scent it, that was his prerogative.

It did bring up a new concern, though. “Oh,” Iruka said, gratefully accepting a pair of slippers from Kakashi as he stepped through the door, “The bedding. It’s still scented like both of us. Do you want me to leave it outside?” he asked.

Kakashi stiffened, turning slowly to face Iruka. It was odd, somehow, to see him with the mask back on. But Iruka felt like he could read his expressions better now, even with his face fully covered once more. “Do you not want the scents?” he asked, his voice so still, so carefully, so painfully aiming for inoffensive. 

“I want them,” Iruka said quickly, “but you keep your home scentless. I didn’t want to… disrupt your routine, I guess,” he said. 

“I don’t mind,” Kakashi said. “Besides, your scent seems to have covered mine, a little. Like spraying perfume on dog shit.”

Iruka had so many problems with that statement he wasn’t sure where to begin. “You don’t smell like dog shit,” he said sharply, “and I don’t think my scent is covering yours, just complementing it.”

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow, the skepticism in his expression so clear Iruka could almost visualize the slight pursing of his lips, emphasizing that mole of his, despite the layer of cloth between them. “If you say so,” he said, but the tension in his frame eased, and Iruka felt he’d picked the right battle in that moment.

“So,” Iruka hefted his duffel bag full of (in all honesty somewhat soiled and likely sticky) pillows and blankets. “Mind if I make a nest?”

“You can use the couch,” Kakashi suggested, indicating the furniture with an incline of his head. “I’ll start making hot chocolate.” He turned to the kitchen, then paused. “Do you like dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate?”

Iruka considered the question. “Any chocolate,” he decided. 

Kakashi gave him a look. “Really? No preference at all?”

Iruka bit his lip. “Um. Probably milk chocolate, then.”

Kakashi nodded, and moved into the kitchen. Iruka heard the clatter of a pot, the sound of a fridge door opening, and then Kakashi poked his head back into the room. “I only have soymilk,” he said, “It’s unopened, so the freshness shouldn’t be a problem. But I drank the last of my whole milk before leaving for my mandatory visitation.” 

“That’s fine,” Iruka said. “I like soymilk too.”

Kakashi nodded, and his head retreated back to the kitchen. The sound of clattering, something being unwrapped, and the steady clacks of a knife chopping something solid followed not long after. Deciding Kakashi was best left to his own devices, Iruka turned to the couch with a thoughtful frown. He had blankets, pillows, and a couch. He was sure he could make an excellent nest for cuddling with those materials, it would just take a little bit of coaxing to ensure maximum comfiness. 

Kakashi’s hands were almost shaking as he chopped up the chocolate bar on his cutting board. Not actually shaking, because he was a shinobi and any shinobi worth their salt learned how to make their hands stop shaking when they were handling pointy objects out of necessity, or they didn’t make it very long as shinobi. But his gut had that trembly, shaky feeling that he associated with the need to let his hands shake, when he had time to spare for it. He wasn’t sure why he was so … nervous? Was he nervous? Was this just nerves?

Iruka was in his home. Which was. Okay, yeah, an omega coming into an alpha’s home wasn’t exactly taboo, but coming to Kakashi’s home after a heat share wasn’t something that happened. He rutted, the omega had their heat, they parted ways, and never spared each other a second glance after the incident. Of course he’d always done his best to provide appropriate support and aftercare in the day or two it took to come down from a heat or rut, but he’d never invited an omega to his house before. (He’d never expected an omega to want to come to his house before, never expected to be called the perfect alpha by that same omega, never expected that omega to want his scent…) So maybe he was justified in being a bit nervous. Still. He was practiced enough at this by now that it didn’t take a lot of focus, so Kakashi continued to chop the chocolate bar, glancing over at his stove. The soymilk was beginning to simmer on a low heat, and he set the knife aside, plucking a wooden spoon from one of his drawers and carefully stirring the pot of soymilk to make sure the milk didn’t start to cook. Making hot chocolate wasn’t exactly tricky, but he didn’t want to have to skim a thickened layer off the top of the soymilk because he was paying too much attention to chopping the chocolate, either.

Once he’d stirred the warming milk, he returned to the cutting board, chopped the chocolate a few more times, then lifted the board and scraped about one third of the chocolate into the soymilk, giving it a careful stir, ensuring the milk wasn’t too hot before adding a second third. He plucked a mug out of his dish drainer, carefully spooning one tablespoon of sugar into it and then a teaspoon of cocoa powder, stirring it vigorously until the sugar and cocoa were mixed together. 

In the other room, he could hear Iruka moving around, the sound of soft items being tossed, fluffed, shifted, and poked. It was a soothing sound, even though Kakashi wasn’t used to hearing other people in his apartment very often. Unable to suppress the smile creeping across his face, Kakashi returned to his task, ladling three spoonfuls of warm chocolate soymilk from the pot into the mug, stirring the cocoa sugar mix into the milk until it reached an almost chocolate-syrup like consistency. He added another three spoonfuls, the milk warming the sugar and cocoa as he did. He stirred it again, then after adding three more spoonfuls and a final vigorous stir, he picked up the pot of soymilk and began pouring it into the mug. Once it was three-quarters full he set the pot down, stirred it again, and then poured the contents of the mug back into the pot.

In the other room, a loud whump sounded, like Iruka had bodily flopped into the pile of pillows and blankets. A moment later, Kakashi heard a muffled grumble, and then the sounds of fluffing pillows and tossed blankets resumed. He still didn’t understand exactly how nests worked, but clearly Iruka was determined to make this a good one. Hopefully his couch wasn’t making that too daunting of a prospect.

Turning back to his hot chocolate, Kakashi began stirring the warm chocolatey soymilk with the wooden spoon again, slowly scraping the final third of the chopped-up chocolate bar into the milk mixture. That done, he turned to his cupboard for the salt, taking the barest pinch and sprinkling it over the pot, then followed it with the tiniest sprinkling of cinnamon. After stirring in the seasoning and spice, he picked up the pot once more, pouring the thick, rich beverage back into the mug. He fumbled in his cupboard once more and located the sealed bag of mini marshmallows, dropping about seven of them on top of the hot chocolate, then lightly dusted it all with a pinch of cocoa powder. 

Satisfied with his work, Kakashi moved out of the kitchen to see what Iruka had done to his terrible couch. The sight that greeted him was equally endearing and hilarious. Iruka was precariously perched on the arm of the sofa, shoving viciously at a pillow. The rest of the couch had been transformed into a soft, inviting-looking pile of pillows and blankets. It still smelled like their combined scents, and Kakashi could feel himself relaxing, the tension of his earlier nerves easing as he inhaled the soft scent of Iruka, somehow all the sweeter for how it tangled with and softened the edges of his own obtrusive scent. 

Iruka finished jabbing at the pillow and turned to look at Kakashi, his expression brightening. “Oh! Hot chocolate time already?” he asked excitedly, then his eyebrows twitched inward, a small frown marring his features. “You only made one mug?”

“I don’t care for sweets,” Kakashi explained, extending the mug in Iruka’s direction. “But I’ve heard that chocolate can help release endorphins, which may help ease the coming-down period of an intense heat. So. Hot chocolate.”

Iruka accepted the mug with a grateful smile, scooting off of the arm of the couch and curling up against inside the nest. He glanced up at Kakashi, the warm glint in his eyes inviting, not in a come hither sort of way, but in a warm welcome, like he truly wanted Kakashi to sit beside him and share his space. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so wanted, not just for his knot, but for his mere presence. Swallowing hard, he drew his feet out of the house slippers and crawled into the nest beside Iruka. It smelled stronger within the blankets and pillows. Kakashi had been expecting the nest to smell worse. They’d used them for the duration of the heat and rut share, after all. But somehow Iruka had found ways to fold and contort everything so that no part of their coupling was clearly visible, and only the comfort of their combined scents remained. 

Inhaling deeply, Iruka sipped the hot chocolate, a look of ecstasy passing over his features. “Oh,” he said, “this is divine.”

Kakashi fought the urge to duck his head, feeling embarrassed. It was just hot chocolate, surely it couldn’t be that good. “It’s my usual recipe,” he said.

“Oh yeah? What’s in it?” Iruka asked curiously, scooting a little closer to Kakashi, his dark eyes gazing up at him, the warm light coming in through the window making his skin glow.

“Milk chocolate, milk, cinnamon, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, marshmallows,” Kakashi ticked off the ingredients on his fingers.

Iruka made a small face. “I don’t taste any salt,” he said, dipping his lips back down to the lip of the mug and taking another sip. “You’re sure there’s cinnamon in this?”

“I added it myself,” Kakashi assured him.

“Huh,” Iruka murmured, taking another sip, drawing his knees up to his chest and scooting towards the center of the nest. 

Kakashi wasn’t sure what to do, so he remained where he’d sat originally. He glanced at Iruka, who continued to move closer, until finally the chunin had scooted himself around to the point that their bodies were touching from shoulder to hip. 

Then, with a contented huff, Iruka leaned his head on Kakashi’s shoulder. “This is nice,” he said.

Kakashi couldn’t disagree.

Chapter Text

Iruka wanted to make his time with Kakashi last, so he could hold onto the memory as long as he could. Kakashi’s next mandatory visitation would be in a year. It would be embarrassing if Kakashi turned him down, but Iruka had all but decided he would at least ask Kakashi if he was interested in a repeat performance. Maybe with less time between heats, he’d be a little less frantic, and could make it better for Kakashi, too. Still, that was a whole year away. Iruka wanted to cling to every moment, commit every second to memory as he leaned against Kakashi, resting his head against the alpha’s shoulder, inhaling the scent of decay that was steadily growing sweeter as it mingled with Iruka’s own scent. 

He loved the way their scents complimented each other, like wildflowers growing in the deepest part of the forest. Closing his eyes, Iruka focused on the scents, the sweetness of chocolate lingering on his tongue, and felt his body relax against Kakashi, who seemed quite relaxed and content himself. Iruka never wanted it to end.

Which is why he was so annoyed with himself for falling asleep! 

One minute, he was curled against Kakashi’s side as the late morning sunlight streamed in through the narrow window in Kakashi’s apartment. The next, he was waking up and the sky was growing dark. He realized immediately why he had woken, as Kakashi froze mid-movement. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said. 

“Where are you going?” Iruka asked, a bit tetchy. He had just woken up and his cuddle buddy was trying to get away from the cuddles. Anyone would be annoyed.

“I thought you might be hungry,” Kakashi explained. “I was going to cook.”

Just when Iruka was beginning to think maybe Kakashi wasn’t perfect after all, he went ahead and did something even more perfect, just to prove a point. “You’re going to cook for me?” Iruka asked, even though that wasn’t exactly what Kakashi had said. He was still tired and emotional. He needed this. He really hoped Kakashi didn’t say something reasonable , like no I cooked for myself and you need to leave. It would be like a killing blow at this point.

“Of course I’m going to cook for you,” Kakashi said in a mild (dare he say indulgent ) tone of voice. “I invited you to my house, it’s only right.”

Iruka usually didn’t host people in his house, but when he did, he always bought food from the store because if he cooked for his guests he just might kill them with food poisoning. Still… “Can I help?”

Kakashi considered the question. “Would you rather wait in the nest?” he asked.

Iruka normally would have said yes, but the thought of being parted from Kakashi’s comforting scent was more uncomfortable than the thought of attempting to survive a kitchen experience, so he shook his head. “I’d rather be with you,” Iruka said. Then immediately wanted to find something hard to hit his head on. There was clingy, and then there was Iruka after waking up from a cuddle nap. Apparently his omega filter had been switched off and now all he wanted was to cling to Kakashi like a koala or something. And it seemed his brain had no qualms about stating as much. Plainly. He hoped it didn’t make Kakashi uncomfortable.

Rather than uncomfortable, Kakashi seemed mildly confused, but not opposed. “All right,” he said, “let’s cook.”

Iruka nodded, clambering out of the nest and trying unsuccessfully to brush the wrinkles out of his slept-in clothes. “What are we making?”

Kakashi shrugged. “Well, I don’t have much in the house, since I’ve been gone for a week. But I have some frozen foods and some rice, I’m sure we’ll be able to throw something decent together.”

Iruka nodded. He knew what that was like. Throwing things together was all he ever did in the kitchen, and it rarely tasted edible, much less delicious. If Kakashi’s cooking was anything like his hot chocolate, Iruka was certain it would be incredible. He trailed Kakashi into the kitchen, where the man was digging through his freezer, retrieving some frozen vegetables and a container of miso. 

“It keeps the miso longer,” Kakashi explained at Iruka’s baffled look. “Since I’m out of town a fair amount of time, keeping miso in the freezer preserves it longer.”

Iruka made a mental note of that, though the number of times he’d used miso could be counted on one hand, probably. He usually just used instant miso soup mixes because any attempt to prepare his own would meet with disaster. 

Kakashi was pulling a small bag of frozen spinach and another of frozen mixed vegetables out of the freezer. He poked his head into the fridge, withdrawing some eggs, checking the date and nodding to himself before setting them on the counter. He followed this up with another duck back into the fridge, grabbing a bottle of ketchup and an onion that he’d apparently had stored in there.

“I think we can make omurice,” he told Iruka, eyeing the ingredients on the counter, “with spinach miso soup on the side.”

Iruka blinked, eyeing the onion, eggs, ketchup, vegetables, and miso in surprise. “We can?”

“I think so,” Kakashi said, reaching back into the fridge to reveal shavings of dry smoked skipjack tuna and dried kelp. “It won’t be ideal, but it’ll be serviceable.”

Iruka was still trying to figure out how Kakashi could pull omurice out of thin air when all he had was ketchup, mixed vegetables, and eggs. He would have fried the eggs in a frying pan and drawn a ketchup smiley-face on them once they were cooked to an almost-rubbery consistency. Then he would have put some butter on the vegetables and thrown them in the microwave, and if he was very lucky, he would have pulled this off without burning either of the two foods. Never in a million years could he have looked at these ingredients and thought to himself, Ah yes, I can make a legitimate meal with these. Just another sign that Kakashi really was the perfect alpha.

He did what he could to help as Kakashi starts the rice cooker. He watched as Kakashi put water on to boil, making the dashi from scratch. Iruka barely ever used dashi in his own cooking, since he usually used the instant miso mix with the dashi already included, or else pre-made sauces where it’s just a simple pour this into the pot with some water and you’ll have noodle soup level of complexity. When he does go the extra length to use his own dashi, it was still not as complex as what Kakashi did. He just used the dashi granules in boiling water to make a quick dashi broth, usually for something simple like heating up oden. Making dashi from scratch turned out to be a mystifying process that involves a cheesecloth and a second pot, and Iruka was completely lost within the first three steps. He’d never remember how to do any of this, but Kakashi seemed not only to know the recipe from memory, but he seemed completely at ease in the kitchen in a way Iruka wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to match. 

Iruka mostly tried to stay out of Kakashi’s way, but Kakashi kept asking him to do things, keeping him involved in the process. It was nice, because Iruka didn’t have to think about what was happening or keep track of the cooking process. Instead, he just enjoyed spending time with Kakashi, helping him, maybe standing a little closer to him than was strictly necessary, under the guise of watching Kakashi cook to see how he did it. It was pleasant and relaxing in a way that Iruka would never normally associate with a kitchen. 

By the time the dashi was done, Kakashi was ready to start working on the sauce for the omurice. Apparently the rice needed a ketchup-based sauce that also included dashi, butter, a hint of soy suce, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and the frozen mixed vegetables. Iruka was given the task of thawing the vegetables in the microwave, which he took very seriously. He watched the vegetables at all times, worried that if he dared take his eyes off them for even a second they would go up in flames. It had happened before. His own microwave was a strange and mysterious force of nature and he didn’t trust Kakashi’s microwave, either. But the defrosting went off without a hitch and Iruka was able to hand Kakashi a bowl of lightly steaming, mostly-thawed veggies to stir into his ketchup sauce. 

Once that was done, Kakashi set it aside and began working on the miso soup. Thawing the spinach was Iruka’s job, too. He took as much pride and caution in this job as he had with his mixed veggie defrosting responsibility. The spinach also escaped the microwave unscathed, and Iruka felt himself relax a little as he was able to sit back and watch Kakashi work. The man’s long, dextrous fingers wrapped around the miso soup ladle, swirling the water as he used his other hand to whisk the miso into the soup with a light touch. 

Iruka swallowed hard. His heat was over, he wasn’t supposed to be finding things as benign as Kakashi’s fingers sexy. Unfortunately, his libido seemed to have missed that memo, because Iruka couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Kakashi as the alpha lifted the bowl of defrosted spinach from his hands, his fingertips ghosting over Iruka’s as his eye crinkled into a small smile. “Thank you,” he said, and Iruka nodded, not trusting his voice in that moment. Kakashi then dipped his fingers into the bowl, carefully dropping the spinach into the soup only after carefully wringing it out to remove most of the moisture. 

It was doing nothing to remove the moisture filling Iruka’s mouth. He was salivating, but not for the food. How embarrassing! Iruka tried to reign himself in, biting his lower lip a little bit and focusing on the pinching sensation to try and forget his other thoughts. Kakashi hadn’t invited him over for anything but a cuddle. It wouldn’t be fair to ask for anything more, especially not when Kakashi had already spent an entire week catering to Iruka’s every whim. He was probably tired! He deserved to rest, and deserved to not be objectified in his own house while Iruka failed to even help him cook dinner!

The rice cooker beeped loudly, startling Iruka. 

“Would you mind getting that?” Kakashi asked, turning from the miso soup with a smile. “I’ll heat up the ketchup sauce and butter the frying pan.”

Iruka nodded, tugging open the rice cooker to a billowing cloud of steam. Oh. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. How much he’d been craving real food, after an entire week of ration bars and protein shakes masquerading as meals. Behind him, as Kakashi stirred, the ketchup sauce and butter were releasing their own delicious smells. Iruka was suddenly overcome with hunger, gazing longingly at Kakashi. How much longer would it take?

Kakashi poured egg into the buttered pan, and glanced over his shoulder at Iruka. “How’s the rice look?”

Iruka looked from Kakashi back to the rice. It looked like rice. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking for. “It looks… rice-y,” he volunteered.

“Give it a quick stir, taste it to make sure it’s cooked through,” Kakashi instructed, shaking the pan with the eggs back and forth a little.

Iruka could do that. He stirred the rice, probably too vigorously, but he didn’t really know how stirred Kakashi wanted the rice to be, so he erred on the side of excess. He scooped a little bit into his mouth. It tasted like rice. Soft, but not mushy. Springy, slightly sweet. The way rice should taste. Not the way his own rice usually tasted. “The rice is good,” Iruka said.

“Excellent,” Kakashi said, shaking the buttered egg pan before making a sharp gesture with the pan while poking at the eggs with a spatula. The egg flipped over, keeping its beautiful rounded oval shape. It looked like a perfect omelette, one Iruka could have gotten from a cafe. How had he done that?

“Let’s add the rice to the sauce,” Kakashi suggested, sliding the omelette onto a plate and moving over to Iruka. He took the rice bowl out of the cooker, and scooped the majority of the rice into the ketchup sauce, stirring it in. He added a bit more butter to the pan, and stirred until the rice was lightly coated in the ketchup sauce, turning a warm red tone. He then returned to the pan, adding the other half of the omelette mix to the pan. “Can you serve up two plates of rice?” he asked Iruka. 

“Of course!” Iruka did his best to shape the rice into the same sort of oblong pillows of rice that he’d seen when one ordered the sort of omurice served in restaurants. It was a bit lopsided and ugly compared to the pristine omelette kakashi had produced, but Iruka persevered. Once he’d shaped two reasonable pillows of sauced rice, he handed them over to Kakashi, who slid the omelette off the plate onto one ketchup-rice pillow, and the omelette from the pan onto the other. 

Then he picked up the ketchup bottle, and with a flourish, drew a little ketchup heart on each of the omelettes. 

Iruka felt his heart skip a beat as he stared at the hearts. What did it mean? What did he want it to mean? He was too tired and post-heat hormonal to deal with this, his emotions were all over the place and he just wanted to clutch the stupid omurice to his chest and cry now. Instead, he tried to swallow his tears and say, “It looks delicious,” but his voice came out in a whimper, and when Kakashi turned to look at him, concern burning in his gaze, Iruka burst into tears again. He was a wreck. Why was Kakashi putting up with him? Surely he had better things to do with his time than deal with the ball of emotions that Iruka was after his heat. He wasn’t usually this emotional, but apparently Kakashi brought out a lot more in him than he realized. 

“Sorry,” Iruka sniffled, “It just looks so good…” he scrubbed at his face, trying to force the tears away through brute force. “I could never cook something like this on my own. It’s perfect.”

“I’m happy to help,” Kakashi said in a soft voice. Not angry, not frustrated, just calm and gentle and soothing and perfect.  

Fuck! Iruka wished he would stop being so damn perfect. It was making everything so much harder to deal with. 

“Why don’t we go back to the nest,” Kakashi suggested, handing the two plates of omurice to Iruka. “And eat these? I’ll get the soup, you carry those back to the nest.” His voice was still calm and soft and warm, exactly what Iruka needed to get moving again, to shake off the small outburst and breathe as he moved back into the living room, crawling back into the nest that smelled exactly the way Iruka needed it to , a perfect blend of Kakashi and Iruka’s scents, curling around him like a caress. He settled back into the nest and breathed deeply until Kakashi returned with two bowls of miso soup, two spoons, and two pairs of chopsticks. 

He smiled at Iruka with his eye, then settled down in the nest next to him, balancing the miso soup in one hand so he could deposit one spoon on each plate of omurice. He took one of the plates from Iruka, and Iruka reached over to take a bowl of miso from him, accepting the chopsticks as well. 

“Let’s eat,” Kakashi said warmly, eye fixed on Iruka, rather than the meal.

His own gaze locked on Kakashi, Iruka echoed, “Let’s eat.”

Iruka was still clearly feeling the effects of his heat, and it had Kakashi slightly on edge, especially at first. Every time he burst into tears, Kakashi kept expecting Iruka to say it was because Kakashi’s scent wasn’t comforting enough, or that Kakashi wasn’t doing enough, or wasn’t making enough of an effort to take care of him. But each time, Iruka apologized, and then called him (or technically, in this most recent case, his cooking) perfect. Every time Iruka said it, Kakashi felt a little bit less strung out, a little more confident. Maybe he did know how to take care of an omega post-heat. It had been so nice, sitting in the nest that smelled of the two of them, his own off-putting scent somehow made milder by the sweetness of Iruka’s. It had been so sweet it made his chest ache when Iruka’s head had lolled against his shoulder and the omega drifted off into sleep, comfortable and content in the nest, with Kakashi by his side. It had been amazing to feel the softness of Iruka’s hair brushing against his fingers as he carded them through Iruka’s hair as he slept. It was a gift to cook for Iruka, to have him curled up in the nest that smelled of the two of them, sipping at spinach miso soup and gazing over at Kakashi with a soft, almost longing expression. He seemed content. Almost happy. Kakashi couldn’t think of a single time he’d ended a rut share with another omega and had them look at him with satisfaction and pleasure in their eyes. 

When Iruka took a bite of the omurice, he made a noise that was positively sinful, and Kakashi had to remind himself sharply that Iruka had been repeatedly knotted for the past week, and was absolutely not in the mood for anything intimate at the moment. The whole point of bringing him home had been to give him a place to feel comfortable and safe and relaxed as he came down off the hormone high that his heat had put him in. This was neither the time nor the place for Kakashi to make a move and start acting like a randy teenager. He could control himself. He would control himself. 

It got harder to control himself every time Iruka wrapped his lips fully around the omurice spoon, slowly dragging it back, savoring every inch of it before it finally escaped his lips with a soft pop. By the time he repeated the motion for a third time, Kakashi had to shift a little in the nest and ensure his own omurice plate was strategically placed should anything start stirring. Fortunately, by the time they’d finished eating, Iruka had moved on from lewd eating methods to barely managing to keep his head up, almost nodding off into his omurice a few times. 

The third time his head lolled, Kakashi reached out, gently brushing fingers across the omega’s cheek. “Iruka,” he said softly.

The chuunin’s head jerked up. “I’m awake,” he said quickly, his eyes already sliding halfway closed again. “ ‘m ‘wake,” he insisted, already slurring his words as his head began to sag again. 

Kakashi reached for Iruka’s plate, which had been mostly cleared at this point. “I’ll just take this back to the kitchen,” he said, but Iruka’s hand closed over his as he moved to take the dish away. 

“No,” he said blearily, blinking up at Kakashi. “You drew a heart on it for me. I wanna eat it all.”

The heart made of ketchup had been a bit of teasing was all, but Kakashi was touched by how much it meant to Iruka. He hadn’t really thought about it, he’d just wanted to draw a simple design with the ketchup, and a heart seemed like a good choice. When Iruka had started crying, he’d thought that the ketchup hearts had been a mistake. It was nice to know that Iruka had liked them, after all. Maybe he’d cried because he liked it so much? It was hard to know why an omega was crying after a heat - all of their emotions were so strong, it could be hard for them to express themselves, and the tears shed were often more about flushing out excess hormones rather than the particular emotion behind them. Everything was dialed up to an eleven after a heat, and Kakashi understood that. But at least it seemed that most of the emotions Iruka was contending with appeared to be positive. That was more than he could say for most of his partners post-heat.

Kakashi was touched, watching as Iruka jealously scooped the omurice up, shoving two bites’ worth into his mouth at once, his cheeks puffed like a greedy chipmunk. Kakashi raised an eyebrow in his direction, and Iruka tried to say something around his mouthful, but Kakashi chuckled, brushing a hand against his shoulder to try and head him off before he accidentally choked on the rice. “It’s okay,” he said, “tell me when I get back.” 

That said, he collected the two empty plates and bowls, and retreated to the kitchen. By the time he returned from washing up, Iruka was already asleep, curled up on his side in the nest. Kakashi stood there for almost a minute, wondering if he was welcome to join Iruka there, or if he should just retreat to his bedroom. 

As if in answer to his question, Iruka stirred slightly, shifting around, his hand stretching out as if seeking something. When he didn’t find it, one eye cracked open and he looked up at Kakashi. Reaching out to him, both arms fully outstretched, Iruka spoke in a bleary, sleep-heavy voice. “Come to bed, Kakashi. I wanna hold you.”

How could he refuse such a request?

Chapter Text

The next morning, Iruka woke up slowly, luxuriating in the comfort of a soft nest, nose buried in the crook of Kakashi’s neck, arms and legs wrapped around him. Iruka had always been a bit of a cuddler by nature, and coming off an intense heat certainly did nothing to dissuade those tendencies. He was glad Kakashi was willing to put up with it, because Iruka hated to think how terrible he’d feel if Kakashi tried to push him away while he was still half-asleep.

Beside him, Kakashi turned his head a little, and Iruka realized that he had been awake the whole time. A little embarrassed, he pulled his nose away from Kakashi’s throat to look up at him, catching sight of his face as he lifted his head. “Good morning,” he greeted, feeling a little sheepish. “You smell nice.”

Kakashi gave Iruka an incredulous look, lifting an eyebrow pointedly. “I smell nice?” he repeated.

Iruka decided it was worth untangling one of his arms from where it was wrapped around Kakashi’s torso so he could shove at him in mild annoyance. “Yes,” he said. “I don’t care what other people say, your scent and my scent smell good together, so by extension, it means you smell nice. Deal with it.”

Kakashi huffed, a look of baffled amusement crossing his face, fading into a look of sincere fondness. “I suppose there’s no point in arguing with you,” he said. 

“Definitely not,” Iruka confirmed, wrapping his arm back around Kakashi so he could snuggle in close to him again. He was fairly certain that his heat hormones were nearly back to normal levels. He didn’t feel nearly as panicked about being separated from Kakashi anymore, nor did he feel like any sudden shift in the mood of the room might move him to tears. Still. Kakashi was warm, attractive, and made for a nice cuddle partner , so Iruka saw absolutely no reason to stop holding him close. 

Kakashi didn’t seem to mind that much, sighing softly, his body relaxing into Iruka’s arms. They lay there in the nest for several minutes before Kakashi turned his head again to glance down at Iruka a second time. “You hungry?” 

“I could eat,” Iruka admitted. “I’d rather stay here and cuddle.”

Kakashi chuckled. “That can be arranged,” he agreed, and wriggled around a little until he had sunk himself even lower into the nest. 

Iruka took that as an invitation, scooting even closer to Kakashi and pillowing his head along Kakashi’s chest. It was extremely comfortable, and before he realized he was doing it, Iruka fell asleep again.

When he awoke for the second time that morning, it was a bit later in the day. The sunlight was now streaming in through Kakashi’s window, and Iruka was actually hungry enough to consider releasing Kakashi from his clutches. Besides, Kakashi was a good cook, so letting him go make breakfast would probably be worth a lot more than if Iruka attempted to make a meal. Though now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what Kakashi would manage to cook in the kitchen after they’d used up most of the foodstuffs for omurice. Not that Iruka was complaining. It had been some killer omurice.

“Welcome back,” Kakashi said, voice rumbling from his chest directly into Iruka’s ears. It was heavy with sleep and came from deep in his chest and that rumble did things to Iruka.

Iruka wanted to say something witty, but when he opened his mouth a yawn escaped. He pulled away from Kakashi slightly as the other man began to laugh at him. Iruka frowned, sending him a bit of a pout as he said, “Stop mocking me, I’m tired for good reason!” Though, in all honesty, he didn’t really mean it. He didn’t mind Kakashi teasing him, and the heat hadn’t been that exhausting, not the way Kakashi had cared for him. Heats on his own had always been far worse.

Kakashi didn’t really stop chuckling, but he did say, “My apologies,” with a bright gleam in his eye and a softness to his voice that made Iruka grudgingly admit defeat. He couldn't glower at Kakashi when he was smiling at him like that. 

“What’s for breakfast?” Iruka asked, sitting up.

“Not much, I’m afraid,” Kakashi answered, sitting up as well. “Eggs and rice, and I think I can make miso soup with the dry ingredients I have on hand. I’ll need to go shopping today, probably.”

Iruka should probably go home today too, but he felt about as excited about the prospect as Kakashi apparently felt about going shopping. “Can I help you cook?” Iruka asked tentatively. 

Kakashi smiled indulgently. “If you’re not too tired.”

“I can help,” Iruka insisted. “I’d rather spend time with you than sleeping half the day away.” He didn’t realize until he’d said it how very forward that sounded. His brain-to-mouth filter was sorely lacking in the morning, but it had never gotten him in this much trouble before. 

To his great relief, Kakashi didn’t seem to judge him for the statement. He simply smiled back at Iruka, his eye crinkling into a little arch. “I’d be grateful for the help.”

Iruka scrambled out of the nest, shivering a little in the cool morning air. Before he could say anything, Kakashi draped one of the smaller, fuzzy blankets over Iruka’s shoulders. 

“I don’t have a robe,” Kakashi said, “but this should keep you warm.”

“Thanks,” Iruka said, ducking his head to hide the heat creeping across his cheeks. 

“Of course,” Kakashi said, as if this was somehow expected. As far as Iruka knew, even going home with someone you’d hooked up with at a heat house was a bit much. Staying for two whole days on top of that was… well. It sure was something, anyway. And the fact that Kakashi didn’t seem to begrudge him the extra time was encouraging, to say the least. 

Iruka trailed behind Kakashi as the man walked into the kitchen. He started the rice and began pulling dry ingredients from the fridge, setting them on the counter beside the few remaining eggs, soy sauce, mirin, and a container of miso paste. He glanced at Iruka with a smile. “Feel like cracking eggs again?”

Iruka chuckled. “Can’t make an omelette without cracking a few eggs,”  he quipped.

Kakashi huffed in amusement, handing over the carton and the same bowl from the night before, and Iruka began dutifully cracking eggs. When he finished, Kakashi - who was in the middle of preparing dashi stock again - paused what he was doing to instruct Iruka on how to mix in a little bit of mirin and just a small dash of soy sauce into the eggs in order to give it a nice flavor. He also had a small square omelette pan to use to make rolled egg omelettes. Iruka knew from experience that if he tried to make an egg omelette it would turn out like a sad pile of crumbled scrambled eggs, so he quickly backed off. “If you tell me what to do for the miso soup, I can do that,” he quickly offered.

“Find he bag of fu and pull out a few to toss in,” Kakashi suggested, generously oiling the omelette pan and setting it on the stove. “The wakame needs to be drained, since it’s been soaking long enough to rehydrate now.” 

“Anything else?” Iruka asked, cupping his hand over the mug full of seaweed, allowing the water remaining in the mug to drain between his fingers. He’d only lost one piece of wakame so far. 

“There’s some dried green onions there too,” Kakashi instructed, “and dried tofu, which is also being rehydrated. You can use those.”

Iruka nodded. “When do I add the miso paste?”

“Not until we turn off the heat,” Kakashi said, “For now we’ll just add the ingredients and wait until they heat up. It should only take a minute or two.” With that, he poured the egg mixture into the omelette pan and began to stir the eggs lightly, rolling them to one side after a few moments and then adding more oil, letting it heat up, then continuing to add eggs.

Iruka did as instructed, adding the freeze-dried ingredients to Kakashi’s dashi, then adding the wakame that he’d drained, and finally the little puffs of glutinous fu. Kakashi finished the rolled omelette and turned to Iruka with a grin. “You can turn the heat off now,” he said.

Iruka did as instructed, and then stepped back while Kakashi mixed in the miso paste. “There are pickled plums in the fridge,” he told Iruka, “do you want any?”

“I’d love some,” Iruka agreed with a grin, turning to pluck the plums out of the fridge. Right as he was setting them on the counter, the rice cooker sang to indicate it was finished. Iruka found himself once more impressed that Kakashi had somehow managed to pull a reasonably delicious breakfast out of what appeared to be thin air. 

“Care to serve up the miso?” Kakashi asked. “I’ll get the rice.”

The table ended up set with a bowl of rice garnished with bright red pickled plums and some salt mixed with black sesame seeds, another bowl of miso soup, and a small plate with rolled omelette. It looked delicious, and Iruka felt like dancing just looking at the delicious breakfast. He never would have managed such a feat on his own. He usually just ate a soy protein bar or some other meal replacement bar for breakfast, along with a cup of coffee and a banana or some other piece of fruit. The idea of having a traditional Japanese breakfast to sit down to was a bit of a novel concept to him, but he was incredibly grateful for the opportunity.  

As they ate, Kakashi started the conversation with a seemingly innocent question. “So. Do you go back to work at the Academy tomorrow?”

Iruka wasn’t entirely sure. He had a few extra days if he needed them, but he didn’t really need them, and he certainly didn’t want to continue to impose on Kakashi’s hospitality. “Yeah,” he said, “I think my kids have probably exhausted any remaining patience in their substitute teacher. If I try and drag it out any longer, they may have a mutiny on their hands.”

Kakashi chuckled at that. “I don’t know how you do it,” he said. “Kids are terrifying. How do you control them when they don’t understand hierarchy and proper chain of command protocols?”

Iruka chuckled. “You threaten to call their parents. Or bribe them.” He considered his other methods. “Or explain to them in clear detail that the decisions they make have consequences.”

Kakashimock-shuddered. “I’ll stick to barking orders and expecting them to be followed without question, thanks.”

Iruka huffed in amusement. “You were a little better than all that,” he said.

Kakashi blinked in surprise, then his expression softened a little. “That’s right,” he said, “You were on my team once.”

“Just once,” Iruka said sheepishly, scrubbing at the back of his neck. “It was the experience that initiated my transition to a teaching career.”

“I think it suits you,” Kakashi commented, before taking a sip of his miso soup. He set the bowl down and glanced up at him. “You seem to enjoy it.”

“I really do,” Iruka confessed. “It’s fulfilling. I feel like I can really make a difference. Forming the foundations of the next generation of Konoha is a bit of a daunting way to look at it, but I suppose that’s essentially what I’m doing.”

Kakashi nodded. “I’d say so.”

Shrugging a little bit, not entirely comfortable with that wholesale agreement, Iruka continued. “Ultimately I see myself as laying the groundwork that will be built upon by their Jonin-sensei, their team captains, their peers… and,” he added wistfully, “perhaps one day, even their own students.”

Kakashi nodded. “It’s important work, relatively thankless, but truly essential to the success and vitality of our village.”

Iruka ducked his head, focusing his attention on his rice. “Thank you,” he muttered around a mouthful. While most of his students’ parents were grateful to him for his work, many of the active duty shinobi around the village would criticize Iruka for not being out in the field. It was a big part of why they seemed to get annoyed when he insisted on following procedure at the mission desk - how could he really understand what it was like to be a real shinobi? 

Never mind that Iruka had been an active duty shinobi for several years before moving into the village-bound role he currently served in. No one found it important to recall that Iruka had been on a team that had seen real combat during the wars with Kumogakure and, to an extent, Iwagakure. That was part of why he was qualified to teach at all - he’d lived it, for several years. So he knew better than most what sorts of expectations to teach his pre-genin students. 

It was rare for other Konoha shinobi to see things that way, though. So he was glad that Kakashi, for all his weirdness (though admittedly seeing this new side of him had Iruka wondering if maybe the Icha-Icha series shouldn't be required reading for alpha jonin) , respected Iruja’s position as an Academy teacher. Thinking back, he couldn’t recall Kakashi ever really belittling him for the choice. Kakashi was just… quiet. Awkward. And often absent. Like most elite shinobi in Konoha.

“Your own work must be pretty thankless, too,” Iruka commented, looking up from his plate to look Kakashi in the eye. “With how much time you spend out of the village and no one ever seeing your mission scrolls cross the desk…”

Scrubbing at the back of his neck, Kakashi cast his gaze aside, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Maa, I just follow orders, really. Give them when it’s called for. Try to be...useful.” 

Iruka felt his eyes narrow slightly. Be a good tool, Kakashi hadn’t said. Didn’t need to say. It was no secret that jonin in positions like Kakashi’s burned out fast. Or worse, they simply… didn’t return, their remains often disposed of by the undertaker corps, leaving their loved ones without even a body to cremate and place in the family shrine. “You are useful,” Iruka said firmly. “As a mentor, as a captain, as a shinobi.” He paused then, considering something he hadn’t before. “Have you considered becoming a Jonin-sensei?”

Kakashi’s eye widened in what appeared to be horror. “No,” he said in a quiet rasp. “I don’t think I have a good … disposition … for such a role.”

Iruka frowned thoughtfully. “I think you’d do well at it,” he said, “But I understand your hesitation. Teaching the basics can be quite taxing”

Kakashi nodded slowly. “Chunin are easy,” he said. “If they get hurt - or worse -, at least you feel like they had a chance to avoid it and somehow fucked up. Genin just seem so…” He made an abstract gesture with one hand. “...squishy.”

Iruka laughed. “Sometimes I feel that way, but other days my kids seem practically indestructible. You would not believe how many times I’ve seen my students make stupid mistakes and I run over to them, expecting blood and hospitalizations, only to find them completely fine. Then other days they’ll give themselves paper cuts and decide they’re going to die from it.”

“Well yeah,” Kakashi replied with a smirk, “Paper cuts are the worst. Extremely deadly. Very few people survive severe cases.”

Iruka rolled his eyes, laughing. “I’ll keep that in mind, next time a student gets one I’ll rush them to the hospital.”

Kakashi nodded mock-seriously. “Seems an appropriate level of response for such a serious injury.”

Iruka shook his head at that, unable to suppress his chuckle. “Definitely,” he teasingly agreed. 

They finished breakfast not long after that, and Iruka helped Kakashi clean up the dishes. Then it was time to put away the next, and Iruka found himself growing more miserable with every passing minute. Normally cleaning up after his heat was a quick task. But instead Iruka found himself lingering over every scrap of fabric, pausing each time he caught their combined scent in the air.

After he’d paused to stare down at a third pillow and sighed audibly, Kakashi paused, the fleecy blanket in his hands half-folded. “Iruka,” he said in a mild but curious voice, “are you all right?”

Fortunately, Iruka didn’t burst into tears after Kakashi asked him how he was doing. He did, however, duck his head and mumble something under his breath, which wasn’t exactly promising. “Is something wrong?” Kakashi asked. 

“Not wrong,” Iruka said, still looking at the floor instead of meeting Kakashi’s gaze. “Just… I really enjoyed this, you know?” He finally lifted his head to look at Kakashi, his dark eyes wide and sincere.

Kakashi blinked at him, surprised. Maybe he shouldn’t have been, but he’d spent so long on the defensive when sharing his rut that he was completely disarmed by compliments. Especially compliments from Iruka. “I enjoyed it too,” he finally managed, once he could get his slack mouth to form words. 

“Good,” Iruka said, squeezing the throw pillow in his hands like he was trying to strangle it. “Um.”

Kakashi hoped the pillow had strong stitches. “Yes?”

“Would you…” Iruka suddenly turned away, shoving the pillow into a duffel bag with violent force. “I mean,” he continued, jabbing at the pillow so harshly Kakashi wasn’t sure it was going to survive the experience. “Don’t take this the wrong way, and you’re under no obligation to answer, but…”

Kakashi waited, but Iruka wasn’t saying anything more, just shoving at the helpless pillow until it had been firmly crammed into the duffel. “What is it?” Kakashi asked.

For a long moment, Iruka just stared down at the duffel bag. Then, in a wobbly voice, he asked, “Would you be interested in doing this again?” 

Kakashi frowned. “Which part?” Did Iruka mean the heat share? Cooking meals together? Cuddling? Scenting? The answer was yes, to all of it.

“I just,” Iruka slowly stood up, scratching at his cheek, an embarrassed blush crossing his cheeks. “If you ever need someone. An omega. You know. For your next rut. Or mandatory visitation? I’m. Uh. I’d be interested… if you are.”

Kakashi grinned. “I’m interested,” he said. 

Iruka looked as though a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Really?” he asked, expression brightening. “That’s great!” he chuckled awkwardly, scrubbing at the back of his neck. “And, uh. If you wanted to coordinate things a little early to avoid the mandatory visitation requirements, stay out of the heat house…”

Kakashi nodded. “I would prefer to avoid that place as much as possible,” he agreed. “I’m sure we can make our own arrangements.”

“Right!” Iruka was beaming now, appearing less embarrassed and more excited by the second. “And if you want to come to my place sometime, too, I'm okay with that.”

Kakashi was glad he had a mask on because he wasn’t sure what his face was doing, but it was probably a weird expression. Spend an entire rut in a room that smelled like Iruka? He couldn’t think of anything better. Being in Iruka’s apartment just long enough to grab the blankets had been overwhelming in the best way, he couldn’t imagine spending a whole rut there. It would be amazing. “That would be wonderful,” Kakashi said.

“Oh! But don’t expect gourmet meals like you have here,” Iruka exclaimed, ducking his head. He sounded sheepish as he explained, “I mostly live off takeout or microwave meals.”

“I don’t mind cooking, if you don’t mind me in your kitchen,” Kakashi said reassuringly.

“You’d cook for me?” Iruka asked, gathering up one of the last of his blankets and shoving it into the duffel bag. “Is there anything you won’t do?”

Kakashi considered the question. “Uh…”

Iruka burst out laughing, laying himself over the duffel bag until his face nearly hit the floor. “I was teasing,” he gasped, glancing up at Kakashi, eyes dancing with mirth. “You’re too good.”

No, you are, Kakashi thought. What he said was, “If I think of something I won’t do, I’ll let you know.”

Iruka cackled a little more before pulling himself upright once more. He beamed at Kakashi, his grin so wide it overtook his face, brightening every feature. “This was amazing, really. I can’t thank you enough for everything.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” Kakashi insisted, and for once he actually meant it. “Have a good day at school tomorrow.”

Iruka slung one duffel over his shoulder, still grinning at Kakashi. “I will. See you around the mission desk?”

Kakashi shrugged. “Probably.”

Iruka picked up the second duffel. “Well then,” he said, moving for the door. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

I guess you will, Kakashi thought, smiling and waving as Iruka saw himself out.

Chapter Text

The next few weeks passed with relative normalcy, once the Konoha rumor mill calmed down about Kakashi being jilted by and then wooing Iruka. Of course the story was blown out of proportion, and Iruka had to field several inappropriate questions with regards to his safety and mental health. Apparently, Kakashi was notorious for his regular mandatory visitations, so of course people wanted to know how it was, and why Kakashi insisted on always getting a mandatory visitation. Was he bad in bed? Impotent? Did he have weird kinks?

Iruka hated having to dismiss questions like that with a sheepish chuckle and a burning face. He wanted to scream from the rooftops that Kakashi had been fucking incredible , but going to that length seemed like too much information, and disrespectful to Kakashi. Eventually, people found new rumors and Iruka was left out of it. He and Kakashi still ran into each other occasionally, exchanging nods and a quick smile or a cheerful wink, respectively. It was about a month and a half after his mandatory residence with Kakashi that the problems started for Iruka.

It began in the Academy teacher’s room before the day’s classes. Mizuki - who up to this point had been obnoxious to Iruka but at least remained at arm’s length - stopped right next to Iruka’s desk and stared at him, nostrils flaring. “What do you want?” Iruka demanded after Mizuki continued to hover for nearly thirty seconds without saying anything.

“Are you wearing fucking perfume?” Mizuki demanded. “Did your new jonin boyfriend buy you fucking rose water or some shit?”

Iruka frowned. He sniffed the air, and noticed for the first time a strange, almost sickly-sweet scent in the air. It smelled more like caramelized sugar and almond blossom than roses to him, but Mizuki was no Inuzuka, so Iruka didn’t think much of it. “No,” he said sharply, “go away.” Fortunately, he did. Iruka figured that would be the end of it, but almost twenty minutes later, Nanako-sensei stood from her desk and approached Iruka. 

“Iruka-sensei,” she said in an undertone, clearly trying to keep the conversation private, “Are you going into heat?”

Iruka frowned. He definitely wasn’t due to have his next heat for a few months, when he would go off his suppressant for a natural heat. Typically, his medication kept his scent production at a mild rate, barely noticeable between heats. It was rude to go out with the full scent production a heat typically triggered. Had he missed his dose that morning? He didn’t think so. “No,” he answered, “I’m on my usual meds.”

Nanako-sensei frowned slightly. “Really? You smell like you’re about to go into heat.”

That would be bad, since Iruka hadn’t accumulated enough vacation to take another week or so off. Besides, he didn’t feel like his heat was coming. “I’m not, though,” Iruka said, and began fishing in his bag for his shower kit. He usually kept it for after obstacle course runs or mud training, but this situation seemed to call for drastic measures. “I’ll go shower quickly,” he said, “Will that help?”

Nanako-sensei nodded. “Thank you. Sorry about this.”

“No, no, I’m grateful you told me. Imagine greeting the parents like this,” Iruka said sheepishly, and bundled himself off to the shower. By the time he finished rinsing off the soap, he was feeling a bit agitated. But again, he was on suppressants, so it couldn’t be a heat. 

Right?

He ended up spending the entire day on edge, resisting the urge to sniff himself several times. He used his lunch break to pull out his deodorant wipes and trying to clean off again, and then showered a second time before heading home at the end of the day. It didn’t make sense, his drugs had never failed before, but that’s exactly what seemed to be happening. 

The thought was terrifying. Why were his suppressants failing him? He hoped it was a fluke, but then one day became two, became a week. He was showering every morning, every evening, and wiping himself with deodorant wipes in the middle of class breaks. He felt on edge, especially because he knew that his scent was becoming more off-putting. Every minute between showers felt like an eternity, especially when his students started to take notice, wrinkling their noses and telling iruka he smelled “weird”.

The worst part was he couldn’t afford the level of high-quality scent blockers that might actually make a difference. Instead, he resigned himself to showering, liberally dowsing himself with the strongest deodorant spray he could afford, and limiting his socialization outside of work hours. It was so stressful that eventually he took a Saturday and went to the fertility clinic at Konoha hospital. It wasn’t a required checkup, so he had to pay out of pocket for the consultation. 

The results weren’t promising.

“Well, Umino-san,” the fertility doctor said, her eyes sliding across his chart, a hint of a wrinkle to her brow, “This is an unusual case. It’s rare we find omegas who exhibit such drastic false-heat symptoms for such an extended period of time. And you say the condition is worsening?”

Iruka nodded. “It seems that way,” he said in a low voice. 

She hummed thoughtfully under her breath, then set the chart aside. “I recommend you go through a heat as soon as possible. It could be that your last one wasn”t as effective as it should have been, and your pheromone production has increased as a result. You did say it was a mandatory visitation, yes?”

Embarrassed, Iruka ducked his head, murmuring a soft, “Yes, that’s right.”

She nodded sharply. “That’s probably it, then. Your body is likely stressed from a lack of regular heat partners. Please find a partner for your next heat. That should help regulate your cycle.”

Iruka nodded. “I will,” he said softly, mentally cursing. He knew from the mission desk gossip that Kakashi was out on a long-term mission. He wasn’t expected back for at least a month. “Would it be all right to… ah, delay that?”

The doctor gave him a sharp look. “The sooner you have your heat, the better.”

Iruka nodded, biting his lip. “Understood.” He moved to stand, then paused. “Was that all?”

The doctor nodded, already turning away from him, likely preparing to see her next patient. “That’s all. Let me know how your heat goes, or if you experience any worsening of symptoms.” She turned away from her paperwork to look sharply at Iruka. “False heats can be very stressful for the body, especially over an extended period of time, so please do make time to have a heat as soon as possible.”

Iruka nodded, his face heating with embarrassment. “I’ll do my best,” he promised.

The doctor narrowed her eyes at him slightly. “See that you do.”

Kakashi was exhausted, dragging his sorry carcass back to Konoha for the first time in over a month. Any reasonable person would have made Konoha Hospital their first stop once they passed the gates, but Kakashi could hardly be accused of reasonableness. Instead, he found his legs trailing in the direction of the ninja academy, something deep inside him hungry for the sight of Iruka.

He’d tried his best to hide the feelings that had been growing in him since their shared heat, but he worried that Iruka could see right through him. It wasn’t like he went out of his way to bump into many other people in the village, and even fewer he actively greeted. Iruka seemed to appreciate the attention, at least. Even if he didn’t recognize the significance of it. 

As Kakashi approached the academy, he caught a scent so painfully sweet it almost physically hurt to smell it. There was something sharp in it, like the thorns of a rose. It was unmistakably Iruka. It smelled like Iruka’s heat, but stronger, more urgent. It was like the scent reached right through Kakashi’s nose and was shaking the primal part of his brain. Fuck, it smelled incredible.

He drew up short in the forest not far from Iruka’s classroom. From his perch, he could easily spot Iruka, who was looking distinctly uncomfortable while writing on the blackboard. His body language seemed closed off, like he was shrinking into himself. The boisterous voice and the dramatic gestures that characterized his energetic teaching method weren’t there, either. 

What happened to him? Kakashi felt his fingers curling into claws. He didn’t know who had done this, but he knew that he was worried about the chunin, and he wanted to rip off the head of whoever it was that had hurt Iruka so badly. 

Though he’d originally planned to get a quick look at Iruka and then head home to his apartment, Kakashi now couldn’t bear to look away. Instead he stayed in the tree until Iruka dismissed his students for lunch, only to rush from the room.

Kakashi panicked, and immediately took off in pursuit. He wasn’t sure why he was so upset, but he felt like he had no choice but to go after Iruka. 

It turned out that Iruka hadn’t gone far. He was in the locker rooms, peeling off his uniform when Kakashi stepped in behind him.  “Sorry, I can come back-” Iruka started to say meekly, turning around. When his eyes landed on Kakashi, they grew wide. “Kakashi!”

“Yo,” Kakashi greeted with a jaunty wave, slouching against the locker room doorway. For effect, not because he was a bit lightheaded from blood loss and also probably a poison-tipped senbon. Definitely not. 

“Are you all right?” Iruka asked, dropping his flak jacket and shirt to the floor and rushing over. “You’re bleeding!” He gingerly reached out, brushing a finger along Kakashi’s cheek where a cut had been oozing for probably a day now. He likely should have been concerned that it wasn’t clotting, but Kakashi didn’t waste time worrying about injuries because if he did, he wouldn’t have any time to worry about anything else.

“It’s fine,” Kakashi said dismissively. “Are you all right?”

Iruka’s face pinked delightfully, and his eyes slid away from Kakashi’s, dropping to the floor. “Ah. It’s a bit awkward to talk about here,” he said. “But we can talk about it somewhere else? After I finish teaching?”

“Come to my place,” Kakashi said, before he could think better of the invitation. Too forward. Too much, too fast. “I’ll make dinner,” he added, because he didn’t know the meaning of the word restraint when it came to Iruka.

Iruka’s blush deepened. “That would be lovely,” he said softly, then frowned. “You should get checked out by the hospital first, though,” he said sternly. 

Kakashi nodded slowly. “If you say so.”

Iruka poked Kakashi in the center of his chest. “I do say so.”

Kakashi would do anything Iruka asked, even willingly go to Konoha hospital for a checkup.  “All right,” he said. “But I’ll see you tonight?”

Iruka laughed, a bright and happy sound. It was like a balm, soothing the tension that had been eating at Kakashi since he’d first spotted the schoolteacher in such a sorry state.  “If you’re not admitted to the hospital, then yes,” he agreed. 

“And if I am admitted?” Kakashi asked belligerently.

“Then I’ll bring my dinner to the hospital and we can eat together in your room,” Iruka shot back with a wide smile.

Kakashi nodded. “I suppose that’s acceptable,” he grumbled. “See you tonight, then.”

Iruka nodded back. “See you tonight.”

Iruka barely managed to shower in time, having been waylaid in the locker room by Kakashi. Not that he was complaining, necessarily. He was unspeakably pleased that Kakashi had come to find him, though he was a bit apprehensive about asking Kakashi for help with his false-heat dilemma. Their last time together had been mutually beneficial, and they’d planned to have more mutually beneficial endeavors, but neither of them had actually initiated anything in the weeks since their shared heat and rut. 

But there was no denying that Iruka’s symptoms were growing worse, and he couldn’t imagine asking anyone but Kakashi to share his heat. It wasn’t fair to the jonin, especially not since he had only just returned from a long and grueling mission, but at this point, Iruka’s irritability had morphed into disturbed sleep, fatigue, and even body aches and pains. He just didn’t have the stamina to hold out much longer. If Kakashi said no, he had no idea what he’d do.

Cry, probably. After that? He had no idea. 

Once he finished teaching for the day, Iruka decided he’d pick up some food and then head to the hospital. If it turned out that Kakashi wasn’t there, then he could always throw the food in the fridge to eat for breakfast. If he was there, then Iruka wouldn’t have to leave and come back. It seemed like the ideal solution.

Sure enough, when he arrived and asked after Kakashi, he was given a room number. 

“But don’t expect to find him there,” the receptionist warned Iruka. “His healing sleep should be wearing off any minute, and he’s usually gone about five minutes after that.”

“Thank you,” Iruka said with a smile. “I’ll take my chances.”

“If you can, please get him to stay a few more hours,” the man said, looking hopeful, “The antidote we’re treating him with intravenously will have a much more pronounced effect if he gets the full dose.”

Iruka nodded seriously. “I’ll do my best,” he promised, and then headed for the stairs. As he walked past the reception desk, he caught a glimpse of the young man grimacing, scrubbing at his nose.

Ah. So his scent was already getting noticeable again? He’d just showered after school, and he’d come right over after buying his food. This was getting ridiculous. Trying to put the incident out of his mind (after all, he couldn’t control the fact that his scent was becoming more off-putting every day), Iruka hurried up the stairs and made his way to Kakashi’s room. 

Once he reached the door, he knocked on the door frame, waiting outside the curtains. “Kakashi?” he called hesitantly. “Are you awake?”

“I’m awake,” came a weak and somewhat grumpy voice from inside.

Iruka poked his head in and smiled at the elite jonin, who somehow had managed to acquire an even more dramatic bedhead than the frizzy spikes he usually sported. “How do you feel?”

“Better, now that you’re here,” Kakashi answered, and Iruka got the distinct impression that this was more honest than Kakashi intended. It was hard to tell if it was a side effect of the antidote, or just the grogginess that came with waking from a healing sleep. 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Iruka replied, deciding it would only be polite to reciprocate a bit. “Are you up for dinner?”

Kakashi shook his head. “The treatment is making me sick,” he explained. “I’ll eat later.”

“Oh,” Iruka said, feeling a little bad. He hadn’t had time to eat lunch after his shower, but he didn’t want to make Kakashi feel bad by eating in front of him… 

“You should eat, though,” Kakashi said quickly. “And tell me about what’s been bothering you.”

Iruka grimaced. “Is it that obvious?”

Kakashi just stared at him for several long seconds, until Iruka broke the silence with a forced chuckle. 

“Eat,” Kakashi told him, pushing his tray table to the side so that it was nearer to where Iruka stood.

It didn’t take long to finish the bento, considering how hungry Iruka was feeling after a full day of teaching. Kakashi watched him eat, seeming almost mesmerized by Iruka. He suspected that this too had something to do with the medication Kakashi was on. 

Finally, when Iruka was finished eating, he had to think about how to broach the awkward topic. “So,” he said slowly, “how was your mission?”

Kakashi blinked, confused. “It was fine.”

“You didn’t have any weird reactions?” Iruka asked, trying to clarify. “Your blockers worked fine?”

Kakashi frowned. “Of course. Why do you ask?” then his eyes widened. “Your suppressants aren’t working?”

“Sort of,” Iruka said quickly. “It’s not that bad,” he reassured Kakashi. It will be that bad pretty soon, though, Iruka thought dismally. 

Kakashi didn’t look like he believed Iruka at all. “What do you mean, sort of?” he demanded, sitting up in the bed, the dazed look on his face melting away to a focused expression.

Iruka couldn’t meet his eyes anymore so he looked to the ground instead. “I mean it could be worse…” he said, but even he doubted his own words at this point.

“What is it?” Kakashi asked.

“Something called a false heat,” Iruka explained. “It’s an issue caused by hyperactive reproductive systems in omegas. The doctor said that it’s because I waited too long between heats…” 

Iruka was still staring at the floor when Kakashi swore feelingly. “Fuck,” the jonin said. “This is my fault.”

Iruka lifted his head at Kakashi’s words, a look of confusion crossing his features. “What?” he said, and then, “Why would my heats be your fault?” 

Kakashi felt like his throat was being strangled by an invisible hand. “Because I have a hyperactive reproductive system. It must have-”

“Kakashi,” Iruka cut him off with a look, taking a half-step forward. “Stop. You think it’s, what, contagious?” he folded his arms over his chest, sending a disapproving look his way. “That’s ridiculous.”

Kakashi didn’t think it was that ridiculous. “But you never had this problem before,” he protested.

“I’ve never been a mandatory resident before,” Iruka countered. “Why are you assuming you're the lowest common denominator? It didn’t even enter my mind to blame you!” 

Kakashi opened his mouth to answer, but the only response he had was because I’m responsible for all the terrible things that happen to people who get too close to me. 

He had a feeling that Iruka wasn’t going to let that argument fly. Instead, he closed his mouth and tried to think of a better answer. 

Iruka unfolded his arms, moving closer to Kakashi, laying a warm hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Please don’t blame yourself,” he said softly. “It’s not fair to you, expecting you to take on a burden that doesn’t rightly belong to you.” 

Kakashi wasn’t sure how to respond to that, either. He didn’t know how to let go of the feeling of guilt. It didn’t matter whether the issue was due to his stupid hormone condition fucking with Iruka or something else. The facts as he saw them were: He and Iruka shared a rut. Iruka’s heats got fucked up. Clearly, this was due to something he did, even if he didn’t know exactly how. “But,” he said, and Iruka gave him a dangerous look. He wisely chose to close his mouth rather than protest further.

Iruka’s expression softened as he scratched his cheek with his index finger, looking sheepish. “I know I just said this isn’t your fault,” he said, “and I mean it. So please don’t agree if it’s out of some form of regret or obligation. Okay?”

Agree to what? How was Kakashi supposed to accept that premise before he even knew what Iruka was going to ask him? “I’ll try,” he answered, because it wasn’t exactly easy for him to make decisions based on anything that wasn’t some form of regret or obligation. 

Iruka nodded, then pinched his lips together. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to share another heat with me,” he said, lifting his hand away from Kakashi’s shoulder to cover his face. “I know it’s really sudden, it’s barely been two months since the last one, but I… I really enjoyed it, you know? And even if I could afford the heat house on my own, I would rather be with you.” He hunched his shoulders a little at the last revelation, then slowly dropped his hands away from his face, turning to Kakashi with a sheepish look. “You don’t have to answer right away,” he said. “Think about-”

“Yes,” Kakashi said, more certain about this than he’d ever been certain of anything. 

Iruka blinked twice before repeating, “Yes?”

“Yes,” Kakashi said. “You need to have a heat and I’m perfectly willing to help you through it.”

Iruka sputtered a bit. “But - Well I know we had said - I just didn’t - You’re sure you don’t want to think on it, a bit?”

“What’s there to think about?” Kakashi asked. 

Iruka flushed. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just didn’t expect you to answer right away.”

“I should be off the roster for a bit anyway,” Kakashi said, “since I just finished a long mission. Sounds like a great way to spend my time off.”

“Oh, okay,” Iruka said, sounding slightly embarrassed. “I’m happy you think so.”

“When do you want to do this?” Kakashi asked.

“When you get a clean bill of health,” Iruka said firmly. “And you’ve had a full course of the antidote.”

Kakashi sighed beleagueredly. “If I must.”

“You must,” Iruka said firmly. “Whether you go into rut or not, it’s still going to be a lot of work and stress for your body.”

Kakashi wouldn’t really consider it stress. An enjoyable workout? Sure. But stress was the farthest thing from his mind when it came to knotting Iruka. “All right,” he agreed. He was going to use every bit of his charm to convince the doctors to let him go early, though.

Iruka grinned. “Good.” He reached out and patted Kakashi on the shoulder once more. “Get well soon.” He started to shift his weight, glancing to the door, and then paused. “…should I… go?” he asked, his grin dimming.

Kakashi shrugged. “Only if you want to,” he said, then glanced at the space on the other side of his bed. “Or you can take the chair.”

A soft smile blooming where Iruka’s fading grin once rested, he scooted around the bed and settled himself in the chair. “Do you mind if I do my grading here?” he asked, lifting his shoulder bag and settling it on his lap. 

“Not at all,” Kakashi said, closing his eyes to enjoy the soft sound of papers rustling, inhaling deeply. He marveled at how Iruka’s scent had seemed to mellow already. The stress of not having a heat partner must have been wearing on him, if he’d been giving off so much scent at the school. Hopefully the second heat would be enough to reset Iruka’s biological clock and get his heat cycles back into a more regular rhythm. And even if it didn’t, Kakashi wouldn’t mind helping out for another heat, or as many heats as Iruka wanted. He tried not to think too hard about what that meant for him and his growing feelings, which was easy enough when heavily medicated and still groggy from a healing sleep.

Although Kakashi usually had trouble sleeping in the hospital without a measure of medical intervention, he found himself easily slipping into slumber while Iruka remained by his bedside.

He tried not to think too hard about what that meant, either.

Chapter Text

“What the fuck, Iruka?!” Mizuki snarled, stomping into the trachers’ break room at the Academy, not bothering to check and see if anyone else was around, or lower his voice to a reasonable volume. “Taking time off again?!” 

Iruka glanced up from his desk, his body tensing as he glanced at the two other teachers in the room, who were studiously scrutinizing their bentos. “I put in a request for medical leave, Mizuki. It’s not like I requested a vacation.”

“Medical leave,” Mizuki scoffed. “You just wanna get fucked by that asshole again before he takes another long mission.” 

Iruka flinched at the harshness of his tone, and also the callousness with which Mizuki accused him of taking advantage of medical leave. “I have a doctor’s note,” Iruka protested. “The headmaster already approved it, so why are you acting like this?” He knew why. It was the same reason he dared not be alone in a room with Mizuki. Not since the heat house. “Losing” Iruka to Kakashi had apparently bruised Mizuki’s fragile ego, and the man kept looking for ways to take Iruka down with him, every chance he got. 

Mizuki sneered, his eyes glittering. “Am I wrong?” he growled. “You are taking time off just to get fucked.”

“It’s a doctor prescribed intervention,” Iruka snarled back, “and what my medical treatment entails does not concern you.”

“You’ve smelled disgustingly horny and desperate for weeks,” Mizuki accused, pointing a finger at Iruka. “Now you just smell horny and impatient. Anyone could guess what the so-called ‘doctor’ ordered.”

The other two teachers shuffled nervously, but didn’t seem to necessarily disagree with Mizuki as much as they had earlier.

Iruka felt his face heat as he found himself facing not only the judgement of Mizuki, but also his more rational peers. Did everyone think he was just running off and being irresponsible? “That’s why I’m taking medical leave in the first place,” he cried in exasperation, “to fix my scent!”

Mizuki just growled again. “If all you needed was to get fucked, I could’ve done it between classes out back.”

“Mizuki!” one of the other teachers spoke sharply, shutting her bento box emphatically. “That’s enough. Iruka had his leave approved, you have no right to harass him about it.”

Grudgingly, Mizuki went to his desk, continuing to toss glares at Iruka. 

“Thank you,” Iruka began, turning to Aki-sensei.

“Don’t thank me,” Aki-sensei cut him off. “Take care if your business and return as soon as you can. All these absences of yours are getting to be unprofessional.”

Iruka felt his confidence wilt within himself. It would only be two, most omegas took that many in a year anyway. But he didn’t see the point in arguing any further. Instead, he ducked his head and said, “Right. I’ll, ah, do my best.”

Aki-sensei sniffed pointedly. “See that you do.”

“How do you do it?” Iruka demanded, storming into Kakashi’s hospital room

“Do what?” Kakashi asked, glancing up from Icha-Icha Tactics and raising his one visible eyebrow. 

“Put up with assholes mocking your scent and telling you to quit fucking up,” Iruka elaborated, storming across the room and practically throwing himself into the chair beside Kakashi’s bed. 

"…well,” Kakashi said slowly, “I block my scent constantly.” Except with you, he thought fondly. “And my fuckups are bad enough that most of them are S-Rank classified. So I can’t be of much help, I’m afraid.” He frowned. “Are people bullying you?”

“I mean, sort of? I'm probably just being too sensitive,” Iruka decided, souching in the hospital chair and avoiding Kakashi’s gaze. 

So he was definitely being bullied. Kakashi felt his ire rise at the thought. Who the hell would dare treat Iruka badly? It wasn’t like he’d done anything wrong! “What do you mean?” Kakashi demanded. “Sensitive about what?”

“It’s just,” Iruka still wouldn’t look Kakashi in the eye, “I’ve taken a lot of vacation days, in a short time.”

Kakashi blinked. “You’ve taken a week. Two, if you count the upcoming vacation.”

Iruka nodded miserably, “I don’t get much paid vacation,” he said. “We’re supposed to take it during the summer, or if we get called up on the roster for a specific mission.”

Kakashi frowned. “Does the village not have enough substitute teachers?”

“It’s not good to have an inconsistent classroom,” Iruka said, finally meeting Kakashi’s gaze, “and no, there aren’t many substitutes.”

“Still,” Kakashi muttered, “It’s not like you did this on purpose.”

Iruka sat up straight, indignation once more radiating off of him. “You’re right!” he exclaimed. “And they should respect that!”

“They should,” Kakashi agreed immediately.

Iruka slumped back down in the chair, chin tucked into his chest, crossing his arms. “But it is a pretty unusual situation. I’m sure if the situations were reversed, I’d be upset.”

“If the situation were reversed,” Kakashi said, “would you harass the person who was taking time off?”

“No,” Iruka said, “but I would probably complain about it to Izumo.”

“That’s different,” Kakashi said slowly. “You do see how complaining about it to a friend and harassing the person most affected by the situation are two different things, right?”

Iruka nodded miserably. “Yeah.”

“Then don’t worry about it,” Kakashi encouraged.

“…okay,” Iruka said softly. “I won’t.”

Kakashi didn’t think Iruka was being honest, but recognized his limitations in the moment. Iruka couldn’t exactly control how he felt, and as much as Kakashi wished he could take the worry away from Iruka, erase the shameful look he wore like a shroud, there was only so much he could do. That said, If he ever found out who exactly at the Academy was giving Iruka a hard time… he might have to cut his hospital stay short.

“Stay for dinner?” he asked. “The hospital food is unforgettable.”

Iruka’s expression lightened slightly as he raised an eyebrow in Kakashi’s direction. “Unforgettable in a good way?”

Kakashi chuckled. “…I didn’t say that…”

Iruka spent the next few days walking on eggshells at work. His scent was still pretty terrible, so sweet and pungent that he even saw betas wrinkling their noses in disgust. He showered as much as he dared, barely finding time to eat between the constant washing. He was looking forward to the heat, of course because it would be shared with Kakashi, but also because he selfishly was looking forward to not smelling terrible anymore. He felt new sympathy for Kakashi, who had been dealing with an issue like this for years now. 

Kakashi had said he always wore blockers, but Iruka honestly thought that was worse. At least he didn’t have to use blockers in his own home. He just aired out his clothes outside overnight, and changed into them right before leaving in the morning. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it worked well enough. He also kept a change of clothes hanging outside that he could change into during the day. All things considered, it could have been worse. Kakashi had lived worse.

But he still didn’t enjoy it. He thought maybe he was starting to understand why Kakashi was so affected by Iruka’s acceptance of his scent - he would be going crazy if he didn’t already know Kakashi was okay with the way he smelled. He couldn’t imagine going years without anyone willing to scent him. How terrible it must have been. 

So Iruka made sure to drop by Kakashi’s hospital room whenever he had the chance, and if he maybe leaned a little closer and inhaled what little bit of Kakashi’s scent escaped his blockers when he sweated on his pillows, well, Kakashi certainly didn’t seem to mind. He preened a little, actually, clearly pleased that Iruka actually wanted to smell him. And Iruka did want to smell him. His reaction to the scent hadn’t changed since his last heat - Kakashi’s scent still smelled more like mulch and old growth forest to him, nothing like the death and rot most people claimed to smell. And he wanted to hold onto that scent as much as he could. If Kakashi wasn’t going to complain, then Iruka was’t going to stop, it was as simple as that. 

When he dropped by Kakashi’s hospital room three days later, the alpha wasn’t laying in bed. He was sitting on the edge of the mattress, stretching his arms overhead. He wasn’t hooked up to any machines, and looked more relaxed than Iruka remembered seeing him in days. 

“Kakashi?” he said hesitantly, knocking lightly on the doorframe. “Mind if I come in?”

“Iruka,” Kakashi turned and grinned, or at least his eye crinkled in a way that seemed to indicate a grin. “Excellent timing. I’ve been officially released.”

Iruka grinned back. “That’s great! Do you need to take it easy for a few days, or…?”

“Clean bill of health,” Kakashi said, sliding off of the hospital bed and bracing his hands on his hips, leaning backwards, chin jutting towards the ceiling, stretching out his back. He arched so far backwards Iruka was afraid he might fall over, then bounced back up, turning to face Iruka. “I’m cleared for any and all strenuous activity,” he added, cocking his head and closing his eye in a way that was too intentional to be anything but a wink. 

Iruka felt his grin widen. “That’s great news!” he exclaimed. 

“What about you?” Kakashi asked. “When does your vacation start?”

Iruka shuffled his weight awkwardly. “...the day after tomorrow?”

Kakashi’s whole body seemed to straighten up as he said, “Great timing! That gives me a day to prepare.”

Iruka frowned. “A day to prepare what?”  

Kakashi cupped his chin with both hands, as if gazing dreamily into the distance. “You’ll see,” he promised, almost ominously. 

Iruka gave him a look, but it was more teasing than anything. Kakashi had been the perfect gentleman last time, and Iruka had the feeling that time to prepare would only benefit both of them in the long run.  “If you say so.”

Kakashi nodded sharply. “I do say so.” He extended an arm, glancing at Iruka, a hint of pink rising in his cheeks. “Walk me out?” he asked.

“Of course,” Iruka agreed, threading his arm with Kakashi’s, feeling a blush rising in his own cheeks. 

They marched out of the hospital together. Iruka would have felt silly about it, if he wasn’t so happy.

The day after tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

Despite the veneer of confidence Kakashi wore as he walked Iruka home, internally he was panicking. How the hell was he supposed to get his apartment ready in under 48 hours? There were so many things to do, he needed to make sure his kitchen was well-stocked, he should probably pick up extra bedding… His checklist grew with every minute! 

“Kakashi?”Blinking, Kakashi realized Iruka had slowed his walk, and was gazing up at him. The concern in his gaze was unmistakable. 

“Yeah?”

Iruka frowned. “Are you sure you’re all right? You seem distracted.”

“Just thinking about what I need to do,” Kakashi replied honestly.

“What do you need to do?” Iruka asked. “Can I help?”

That… actually wasn’t a terrible idea. “If you want,” Kakashi said. “You don’t have to, though.”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t willing,” Iruka said with a grin.

“In that case,” Kakashi said slowly, “I was thinking of buying some extra bedding.”

“And sleeping in it?” Iruka asked, his expression perking up.

“…yes…?” Kakashi said slowly.

“Without blockers?” Iruka pressed. He looked so hopeful, Kakashi hated to let him down.

“I’m not sure that’s a great idea,” he said. “My neighbors…”

“Your neighbors will be fine,” Iruka said. “They’re going to have a lot more to complain about in two days.”

Kakashi was about to argue that his neighbors would almost certainly like Iruka’s scent more than his own when he remembered they would be spending Iruka’s entire heat there. “…maybe I need to buy soundproofing for the walls,” he said thoughtfully. “And air filters.”

Iruka stared at him for a long moment, exasperation and amusement warring on his face. Eventually, amusement won over. “You’re ridiculous,” he laughed. 

Kakashi didn’t think buying air filters was that ridiculous. But he didn’t feel the need to argue about it with Iruka. He would just buy them while Iruka was teaching, or something. Maybe they would give him the confidence to go without scent blockers even when Iruka wasn’t there with him. Wouldn’t that be a novel concept? 

Kakashi had never really dared to imagine such a thing. He’d always just treated his scent like a thing to be concealed from everyone, and had honestly given up on even existing in a space that smelled of himself. But now that he’d gotten a taste of it, he realized how much he missed it. He never would have dared to remove his blockers for more than an hour or so at a time, but now he was genuinely thinking about ways to smell-proof his apartment so he could go without his blockers for days (or maybe weeks) at a time!

“What are you smiling about?” Iruka demanded. He still sounded amused.

“Just thinking about how nice it will be to have our combined scents in my apartment,” Kakashi said. It wasn’t really the full truth, but it wasn’t a lie, either. He was definitely looking forward to it.

Iruka’s eyes widened, and he ducked his head, but not before Kakashi saw the smile blossom on his face. “Oh,” he said softly. “I’m… I’m glad you still like it.”

“Of course I like it!” Kakashi said, stopping immediately. 

Iruka drew up beside him with a frown. “What?”

“I know how hard it is,” Kakashi said slowly, “to know that something so… representative of the self, something so personal, is seen as off-putting by most people.” He reached out, gently clutching Iruka’s shoulders. “But I’m not most people, Iruka. It doesn’t bother me at all. So please don’t feel self-conscious or worried. I’m not going to change my mind.”

Iruka ducked his head, this time to hide what appeared to be a film of tears gathering in his eyes. “Right,” he said, his voice quavering. “That’s… good to know. Thank you.”

Kakashi wasn’t sure where to go from here, his hands holding Iruka’s shoulders. He was about to give them an awkward pat when Iruka dove forward, burying himself in Kakashi’s chest, wrapping his arms tight around him. Kakashi still patted him awkwardly, but it was nice to feel Iruka’s solid body pressed against his own.

“Thank you,” Iruka repeated. “I needed to hear that.”

“I’ll say it whenever you need,” Kakashi promised.

Iruka didn’t say anything, but he tightened his hug slightly before pulling back and treating Kakashi to a watery smile. “Good.” He cleared his throat, glancing around expectantly. “So. Bedding. What else is on your list?”

“Well,” Kakashi said, more than willing to allow Iruka to change the subject, “I was going to buy snacks…”

Iruka’s eyes sparkled. “Snacks?”

Kakashi grinned. “Do you want to buy those now or after the bedding?”

“I always like to start with snacks,” Iruka declared.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kakashi teased, turning and beginning to walk in the direction of the market.

Iruka never imagined that he would be the type to go out and buy bedsheets specifically to prepare for his heat. But he’d never even considered the fact that the activity could be fun, too. He and Kakashi were teasing each other as they wandered around the small shop, inspecting the various goods. Kakashi stroked one of the round, plump pillows with intent, turning to smirk pointedly at Iruka. 

“It’s soft,” Kakashi said, his voice almost a purr, “ and plush. It reminds me of something…” he leered. Iruka wasn’t sure how the hell he managed to pull it off behind a mask, but he was definitely leering. 

Iruka patted the pillow. It was very comfortable. “Hm. Doesn’t remind me of anything,” he teased, then patted the pillow next to it, which was a dense memory foam pillow without much give to it. “ This feels familiar, though…”

Kakashi clutched his chest with a gasp. “Really? Of all the pillows here, you pick the flattest one?!”

Iruka had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

“Just for that,” Kakashi said, “we’re getting it.” He dramatically tossed the flat pillow into the shopping cart.

“We’re getting this one, too, then,” Iruka said, grabbing the softer pillow Kakashi had pointed out.

“Fine,” Kakashi huffed with mock-annoyance. “We can get that one too.”

Iruka dropped it on top of the flat pillow and turned to the blankets. He’d seen a soft fleece one somewhere in the aisle, but he couldn’t remember exactly where it -

“Iruka? What are you doing here?”

Iruka paused, glancing up from the blankets to see… oh no. “Mizuki?”

Curling his lip in obvious distaste, Mizuki glanced down at the blanket in Iruka’s hands. “Really?” he drawled, “You’re going to need new blankets for your… what was it you said, again?” He grabbed one corner of the blanket, rubbing the fabric between his fingers and thumb before glancing back up at Iruka with a sneer. “Ah, yes. Your medical intervention?”

Iruka felt his face flush with a mixture of burning red embarrassment and white-hot rage. “I don’t see why it’s any business of yours,” he snapped, tugging the blanket out of his grasp. How dare he bring up something like that at a time like this? Did he have no sense of propriety whatsoever?

Mizuki took a step closer, forcing Iruka backwards. “Don’t be rude.”

“Rude? You’re calling me rude? When you’re doing whatever the fuck it is you think you’re doing right now?” Iruka hissed. “We are in public. This is inappropriate.”

“What’s inappropriate is-” Mizuki’s gaze lifted from Iruka’s face, and his eyes went wide. “…um.” He took a swift step back, then another, then tripped over his own feet and fell backwards, barely managing to break his fall with his arms. He kept looking up, behind Iruka.

That’s when Iruka realized that the killing intent he was sensing wasn’t his own. He’d been furious enough it hadn’t registered at first, but now that he noticed it, he couldn’t believe it took him this long to sense it. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kakashi, hands tightly wrapped around the shopping cart, knuckles standing out in stark white. It was clearly taking him tremendous effort to remain still. 

Iruka remembered, then, how they’d met in the heat-house. How he’d chided Kakashi for stepping in uninvited. All he could think now was how grateful he was that Kakashi was here, to keep Mizuki at bay. Last time, he’d asked Kakashi to play along with a farce. This time, he didn’t have to pretend. He turned his back on Mizuki, confident that the man wouldn’t try anything with Kakashi right there, and moved around the shopping cart until he could wrap one arm around Kakashi’s waist. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Kakashi’s hands were shaking. “He’s the one,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. “The one who bullied you.”

Iruka blinked, not sure what Kakashi was talking about. Did he mean the heat-house? “Right, he’s the one I asked you to tell to go away, back when we were at the heat house,” he said.

“No, I mean,” Kakashi slowly dragged his eye away from Mizuki to look at Iruka. “He’s the one who’s been harassing you about your scent, isn’t he?”

Iruka hadn’t realized Kakashi was still thinking about that. “Oh. Um. Yes,” he said.

Kakashi slowly turned to look at Mizuki again. “That walking sack of trash thought it was okay to make you feel self-conscious?”

Iruka had to press his lips together to keep from laughing, not only at the way Kakashi had been so quick to insult Mizuki, but the way Mizuki clearly wanted to protest but also didn’t want to antagonize Hatake Kakashi.

“I guess so,” he answered Kakashi’s question as mildly as he could. He really didn’t want the two of them to get into a fight over this. That’s why he hadn’t wanted to give Kakashi the details. He’d wanted to vent, not ask his heat partner to carry out a vendetta for him.

Kakashi seemed more than willing to take on that vendetta, though.

Gently, Iruka unwound his arm from Kakashi’s waist, laying one hand on Kakashi’s tightly clenched fists. “Why don’t we head to checkout?” he suggested lightly. “We can carry them back to your place together.”

Kakashi nodded slowly, his eye still glued to Mizuki. “Okay,” he agreed, finally managing to turn and face Iruka. He began to swing the shopping cart around. “Let’s go.”

It was petty, Iruka knew, but just before they turned the corner, leaving the aisle, he turned around and made an ugly face at Mizuki. 

Mizuki, who was still laying on the ground, was too stunned to react. He just stared blankly back at Iruka, who chuckled to himself the whole way to the registers, feeling lighter than he had in days.

Chapter Text

The next evening found Iruka perched awkwardly on Kakashi’s doorstep. Technically, they hadn’t agreed on a specific time to meet. And Iruka had told him that his leave started tomorrow morning. But he didn’t have any work overnight, so he was technically available now. Though technically speaking, he hadn’t said that. Would Kakashi mind? Was Kakashi even here? Was-

The door swung open, revealing Kakashi, half-casually dressed. A bit of his scent escaped when he opened the door, and Iruka saw the way he tensed, then tried to force himself to relax. Iruka understood now, better than he had before, just why Kakashi felt so self-conscious about his scent, and so he leaned in closer, inhaling deeply. Loamy earth. Fungi. Dead leaves. It smelled like home. “You didn’t use scent blockers!” Iruka smiled.

“You asked me not to,” Kakashi said, shuffling his feet a little. It was cute when he acted shy, Iruka decided. But not when it was born of discomfort. He didn’t think Kakashi was feeling uncomfortable, though. It seemed like maybe he wanted Iruka to praise him.

Iruka was all too happy to oblige. “I did, and it smells great,” he said. “Thank you.”

Kakashi’s eye widened. He clearly hadn’t expected the thanks. “Ah. Right. Yes. You’re welcome.”

Iruka indicated with his free hand, the other clutching a heavy overnight-bag slung over his left shoulder. “May I come in?”

“Yes! Of course! If you want to,” Kakashi added.

“Of course I want to,” Iruka said, stepping through the doorway and closing the door. He took another deep breath once the door was shut, and allowed the smile he felt inside to show on his face. By now, Kakashi’s scent felt like comfort and safety to Iruka, and he could feel the tension in his shoulders easing. “Ah, that’s nice,” he said, almost to himself.

“What is?” Kakashi asked.

Iruka felt his face heating. “Ah. Your scent. It’s so rare to have it filling a room. I haven’t smelled it this strongly since my last heat.” He smiled. “I like it.”

“Maa,” Kakashi scrubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, pink spots appearing high on his cheeks. “I suppose statistically someone has to like it.” 

“Stop that,” Iruka ordered, poking Kakashi in the chest. “I’m sure there are others. You just don’t know them.”

“I don’t care if there are others,” Kakashi replied, a bit petulantly. “I’m just glad you like it.”

Iruka felt his heart lurch a little bit. What did Kakashi mean by that? He wasn’t sure how to ask without sounding presumptive, so he let the topic drop. “Where should I put my bag?”

“The bedroom,” Kakashi said. “Did you bring your bedding, too?”

“Of course,” Iruka said. He glanced around the room. “You bought the air filters,” he noted. He tried not to laugh, but Kakashi must have heard the amusement in his tone, because he shot Iruka a baleful look.

“Despite your assertions, I have a lot of evidence to suggest my scent is… off-putting, at best,” Kakashi said. “It’s fine if you like it, but I’m still going to try and keep it contained.”

“I kind of like that,” Iruka mused, not really paying attention to what he was saying as he crossed the living room. “It means I’m the only other person who really knows your scent.” 

He didn’t really think about the implications of what he’d just said until Kakashi stopped walking towards the bedroom, and turned around to stare at Iruka. 

“I’m sorry,” Iruka quickly apologized, “was that forward of me?”

“Maybe,” Kakashi said, before admitting, “but I liked it.”

Iruka felt his face heat again. “Good,” he said, then hurried past Kakashi to throw his pillows and blankets into the bedroom.

They ended up cooking dinner together. Or more accurately, Kakashi cooked dinner while Iruka helped him as best he could. It wasn’t a difficult meal to prepare, because Kakashi had wanted something that was simple and homey, but delicious. He went for a slightly richer taste, but not too heavy, in case Iruka was nervous about the heat share. Clearly, he needn’t have worried, because Iruka seemed totally at ease in Kakashi’s house after a matter of minutes. Part of Kakashi wondered if it was because Iruka liked his scent, or if he was just exceptionally good at making himself at home when he put his mind to it.

In any case, they ate dinner not too long after Iruka’s arrival. According to Iruka, the simple meal was amazing, especially because - and Iruka was very clear on this matter - it was a rare opportunity for him to actually be able to stomach the food that he himself had cooked. Kakashi had given him a vaguely horrified look over his spoonful of food at the confession, and Iruka had just shrugged. “I’m a terrible cook,” he said, before cramming another bite into his mouth. After swallowing, he’d added, “I’m honestly surprised I didn’t destroy your kitchen.”

“You did fine,” Kakashi told him, trying not to laugh as he ate the last bite and surveyed the remaining dishes with a mixture of satisfaction and genuine enjoyment.

Iruka finished his own food in two massive bites. “It’s unbelievable that you can just churn out restaurant-quality food from your own apartment,” he said.

“I wouldn’t call it restaurant quality,” Kakashi protested, trying to wave off the compliment.

“I’m pretty sure most people would,” Iruka shot back with a grin. He stood then, picking up his bowl. “Shall I make a second attempt at destroying your kitchen when I wash the dishes?”

“You can just wash them and not destroy the kitchen,” Kakashi suggested, unable to fight the smile in his voice.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Iruka shot back, reaching for Kakashi’s empty bowl, too.

Kakashi stood as well, picking up the remaining dishes from the table. There was still some miso soup and pickles on the table, though they’d divided the main dish evenly between the two of them. Dinner had been a filling serving of topped rice bowls. The freshly cooked rice had been smothered with chicken and onion simmered in a salty-sweet dashi sauce and topped with soft-steamed egg. Kakashi had also scattered a few leaves of mitsuba on top for the garnish. 

“I’ve tried making oyakodon before,” Iruka insisted. “It went so bad.”

Kakashi wasn’t sure how one went about ruining a dish as simple as oyakodon, so he just hummed in response. “Mm.”

“First,” Iruka said, “I didn’t realize you needed to add water to the dashi granules. And I just dumped them in with the soy sauce and mirin all at the beginning.”

Kakashi grimaced, imagining how that had probably gone. “That’s…”

“I know!” Iruka laughed, clearly not at all ashamed by his poor culinary skills. He tossed the empty bowls in the sink as he continued his tale. “So, of course, the whole mixture started smoking in less than a minute. All the onions turned black.” He paused, frowning thoughtfully. “The chicken was still raw in the middle, though.”

“I’m not sure how one would go about salvaging that,” Kakashi admitted. “I would have started over.”

“Yeah, well, I was a stupid genin,” Iruka laughed, grabbing Kakashi’s dish soap and drizzling it over the dishes in the sink. “So, instead, I just threw it in the microwave.” He laughed again at the horrified look in Kakashi’s eye, setting the dish soap back on the counter. “No, no, it gets better! After I microwaved it a few minutes, I decided it was cooked enough to add the egg.”

Kakashi was pretty sure his eye was twitching at this point.

“So I scramble the egg, right? And then poured it over the mixture before throwing it back in the microwave.” Iruka reached out then, grabbing Kakashi’s forearm and meeting his gaze with a serious expression. “Kakashi,” he said, “did you know that eggs can explode in a microwave?”

Kakashi did, in fact, know that. Though… “Not from personal experience,” he answered.

“So anyway,” Iruka said, releasing Kakashi’s arm and moving back to Kakashi’s sink, where he started the water running, testing the temperature of the warm water with the pads of his fingers, “after that, I scraped it off the walls and the roof of the microwave and sort of schlorped it onto my parboiled rice.” He shuddered. “It was grainy, and crunchy. It took me years to figure out how to cook rice to the point of actual edibility.”

“I’m surprised you survived your own culinary skills long enough to learn,” Kakashi drawled in reply.

Iruka laughed loudly, turning and pointing at Kakashi with the hand that had been testing the water. He flung several droplets from his fingertip, scattering them across Kakashi’s shirt. “You’re not wrong! I’m surprised, too!” 

Kakashi loved him in that instant. The light in his eyes, the way his smile lit up his whole face, the glee with which he attacked even the most mundane of tasks like washing dishes. He made everything around him brighter, turned even what most people would consider an awful memory into something to laugh about.  “I’m glad you did,” Kakashi said, perhaps a tad too sincere.

Iruka’s hand dipped, his eyes widening. “Oh…” he said, his gaze dropping for a moment before once more rising to meet Kakashi’s. “Thank you,” he said, a gentler, warmer smile tugging at his lips. “I’m glad, too.”

Kakashi swallowed hard. “Uh,” he said, and then lamely pointed to the sink, filling with suds, “you might want to start washing before you overflow the sink and really do destroy the kitchen.”

Iruka glanced over his shoulder at the sink, looked at Kakashi again, and then laughed. “If I must.”

Kakashi would let Iruka destroy his kitchen every night if it meant seeing that smile and hearing that laugh every day for the rest of his life. But he didn’t know how to put that into words, didn’t know if it would be welcomed, so instead he just shrugged one shoulder. “It’ll be easier to cook breakfast with a working kitchen.”

“Say no more!” Iruka crowed, and turned to begin washing the dishes in earnest. 

Once the dishes were done, Kakashi led Iruka to the living room, where they both stood awkwardly for several agonizing seconds before Iruka finally said, “I… should probably build that nest now.”

“Oh,” Kakashi replied, blinking his one visible eye, “okay. I’ll just wait here, I guess.”

Iruka grinned, and patted Kakashi on the shoulder. He liked touching Kakashi, even casually, he’d decided. He hoped Kakashi didn’t mind. He didn’t seem to, anyway. “It shouldn’t take me long. Did you scent any of your items?”

“I slept on them without wearing blockers,” Kakashi said. “Is that good enough?”

Iruka shrugged. “It’ll have to be,” he teased, then grinned to show it was in good fun. “I like the way our scents combine,” he said, “so mine better not be overpowering yours.”

“There is almost zero chance of that happening,” Kakashi said with a hint of an eye-smile. “And I like your scent better than mine, so I wouldn’t be upset if that were the case.”

Iruka pouted at Kakashi, intentionally wobbling his lower lip the way he’d learned as a pre-genin to convince all the little village grannies to give him free food. It seemed to work well with Kakashi, too, because when Iruka said, “But… but I like your scent,” Kakashi’s face went bright red.

“Oh. Uh. Well.” Kakashi coughed, clearing his throat. His eye was seeking the ceiling like he thought the mysteries of the universe might have been engraved up there. “That’s. Hrm. Thank you. I mean-” he looked at Iruka, eye flying wide, “you don’t have to say-”

“Shush,” Iruka cut him off mid-excuse. “I already told you I like it. You smell… safe. Comforting. Familiar. Cozy.” He thought of how their scents had smelled in the nest at the end of their last heat, and felt a warmth in his chest that bloomed into a smile across his face. “I like that.”

“Maa,” Kakashi scrubbed at the back of his neck. “As long as you’re not forcing it.”

“I’m definitely not,” Iruka informed him. “But I do need to get that nest built. I’m feeling desperately in need of a cuddle, and cuddles are better in a nest.”

Kakashi nodded understandingly, and gestured for the bedroom. “Be my guest,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“I’ll be needing you pretty soon,” Iruka shot back with a sly grin, tossing in a wink for good measure.

Kakashi’s already-red face bloomed a bit brighter. “Ah. Well. Whenever that is, I’ll be here.”

Iruka nodded, and finally headed for the bedroom, determined to make this nest even better than the last. He started by putting down a soft layer, arranging the pillows around the top to make it more raised, and then began to roll the blankets into a rounded shape all the way around the nest. He used all the pillows and blankets, and then added a few of his own shirts and other items that smelled like himself. He wanted to get some of Kakashi’s, too, so he poked his head out of the bedroom. “Kakashi? I need some clothes or other things that smell like you.”

Kakashi wasn’t in the living room, but he walked out of the kitchen a moment later. “Okay,” he said agreeably, and walked past Iruka to head to the laundry room. “I wore these pajamas last night,” he explained upon his return. “Will they do?”

Iruka accepted the pajamas, and pressed them to his nose, inhaling sharply. The scent of Kakashi filled his nose, and he could feel his shoulders drop as his whole body relaxed into the smell of Kakashi. “Oh yeah,” Iruka said, lowering the pajamas to grin at Kakashi. “They’ll do.”

“Is that it?” Kakashi asked.

“Yeah,” Iruka said, “I think I’m pretty much done now.”

“Good,” Kakashi said brightly.

Iruka raised a questioning eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

Kakashi’s eye crinkled into a look of mischievous delight. “Because I just finished making the hot chocolate.”

There was something magnetic about the way Iruka looked, curled up in their nest, hands cupped around a mug of hot chocolate. Kakashi wasn’t one for sweets, but he couldn’t imagine anything he’d like to do more than lick the taste of cocoa from Iruka’s soft lips. 

As if sensing Kakashi’s thoughts, Iruka glanced up at him, lifting his eyebrows and saying, “You could join me, you know.”

Kakashi nodded, and carefully lowered himself into the nest beside Iruka.

Without invitation, the omega snuggled right up to him, leaning half against his chest and humming contentedly. “This is really nice,” Iruka said. 

“I pride myself on my hot chocolate recipe,” Kakashi answered, not wanting to read too deply into what Iruka was saying.

“I mean,” Iruka took a sip, “of course it’s good. But I like being here with you.” His fingers tightened around the handle of the mug. “I hope it’s okay to say that,” he said softly.

“Of course it is,” Kakashi said, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He couldn’t imagine what it was that Iruka liked about spending time with him, of all people. But he wasn’t going to push him away. He liked this too much. Liked Iruka too much. “I’m glad you chose me as your partner.”

Iruka bit his lip, lashes fluttering prettily as he glanced down at his mug of chocolate. “I’m glad you agreed,” he said softly.

Kakashi really hoped Iruka finished drinking that chocolate soon, because he wanted to kiss Iruka. Right. Now.

As if reading his mind, Iruka shifted over, setting the mug of hot chocolate on the low table just outside the nest of futons and blankets and cushions he’d created in Kakashi’s bedroom. He turned to look at Kakashi, and there was simmering desire in his eyes. “Do you mind…?” Iruka said softly, “I mean. Can we…?” He curled his fingers under the hem of Kakashi’s shirt. 

Kakashi felt frozen, those warm fingers brushing at his abdomen sending thrills through his entire body. “Yes,” he said hoarsely, “please.”

Iruka nodded, and ran his hands under the hem, up Kakashi’s stomach, his hands smoothing over his chest, pushing the soft fabric up and over Kakashi’s head. Kakashi helped by raising his arms, lowering his chin, and when the shirt was off, he was rewarded with the look of admiration Iruka wore on his face. 

“It’s really unfair,” Iruka said faintly, “how hot you are.” His hands smoothed back down Kakashi’s chest, like he didn’t want to stop touching Kakashi. 

Kakashi didn’t want him to stop. “Your turn,” he said, reaching for Iruka’s shirt.

Blushing, Iruka nodded. The way his breath caught when Kakashi’s fingers brushed over his nipples was everything. He cursed under his breath when Iruka’s shirt came off, still not used to how good the man looked. “Fuck, I want to kiss you,” Kakashi growled.

“Please,” Iruka practically melted into Kakashi’s touch, crawling into his lap so they could feel more of each other. 

Kakashi wasn’t going to let a chance like that go, so he dove forward, pressing his mouth to Iruka’s. 

Normally, Kakashi didn’t like sweets. But he decided that he definitely liked the taste of chocolate on Iruka’s tongue.

Iruka wasn’t sure exactly when his heat started. He was so into Kakashi even when he wasn’t in heat that it was hard to identify exactly when those inhibitions of his started to loosen. Kakashi had been smart enough to grab Iruka’s collar not long after they started making out - probably because he’d started dipping lower on Iruka’s neck, and he’d wanted to be safe. Iruka appreciated that, even as part of him - the instinctive, omega part, most likely - didn’t want the collar. He wanted Kakashi to be his alpha, he wanted to be Kakashi’s omega. 

It was embarrassing to admit, but maybe because he was so close to his heat, it was easier to admit those sorts of things to himself. He knew it was stupid, that nothing would come of it. Kakashi was nice, and supportive, and sexy. But they barely knew each other, and to jump from occasional heat partners to something as serious as bonded for life was ludicrous. 

Still, Iruka couldn’t deny the wanting. They kissed until they were both panting and hard, and Iruka couldn’t take it anymore. “Please,” he groaned, fingers digging into Kakashi’s back, “I want your knot, Kakashi.”

With a groan that sounded half like a growl, Kakashi answered, his breath puffing into Iruka’s ear, “Then take it.”

Iruka hadn’t done much to prepare himself before coming over, but Kakashi was attentive enough to realize this. For all his harsh words, the first thing Iruka took was a slicked finger, stretching him until he was panting and crying out for “More, Kakashi, please, more!”

Kakashi did as he was asked, adding more fingers until Iruka was a writhing mess, and it was all he could do to keep his begging coherent. Kakashi gazed down at him with a heated look, his eye fixed on Iruka like he wanted to see every part of him. It would have been embarrassing if Iruka hadn’t felt how deeply Kakashi wanted him, how honored Kakashi seemed to feel that Iruka had chosen him. Which was stupid, because Iruka felt honored to be the one that Kakashi had chosen. So, did they choose each other? 

When Kakashi bent low over his body, finally thrusting his hot, thick, cock into Iruka’s body, it fired up every nerve in Iruka’s body, like every cell all at once stood up and sang. He gasped, feeling too much to express himself in words. Kakashi buried his nose at the nape of Iruka’s neck, inhaling deeply. 

“So good,” he rumbled, his voice thrumming in his chest, reverberating across Iruka’s back. “Iruka. Fuck.”

Iruka was too lost to answer, knowing only ecstasy.

The first round of Iruka’s heat seemed to have gone… well. Iruka seemed satisfied enough, anyway. Kakashi’s back ached a bit from the relentless pounding, but not enough for him to complain. Even after they’d finished, Iruka had held onto Kakashi, wrapping his arms around him and burying his nose into Kakashi’s neck, like he really wanted Kakashi, really wanted his scent, wanted every part of him. It was humbling and thrilling, and Kakashi wished he could show Iruka just how much that acceptance meant to him.

But he couldn’t, so instead he tried to extricate himself from the nest to make Iruka something to eat. 

This proved to be a more difficult task than he anticipated, because Iruka was clinging to him like a limpet, and while he was sufficiently post-coital to be coherent, he was still not quite himself. Heat, Kakashi realized, loosened Iruka’s tongue in ways not too unlike alcohol. The omega had very strong opinions on things, and had no problem voicing them, particularly in the midst of his heat. 

Apparently, one of his strong opinions was that Kakashi was to be his body pillow and space heater, and it was not acceptable for him to leave the nest for any reason. 

“Iruka,” Kakashi tried, “I have to get you something to eat or drink.”

“I don’t need that,” Iruka groused, burying his face in Kakashi’s chest. “I have you.”

“I appreciate that,” Kakashi said, trying very hard not to take his words to heart, “but you need water, at the very least.”

“I dont want you to go,” Iruka whined. 

“I’m not leaving, just making a quick trip to the kitchen,” Kakashi assured him, trying to peel one of his arms away from his side. It just made Iruka cling more tightly. After a few more failed attempts, Kakashi tried another tactic. “Do you want to come with me? You’ll have to leave the nest.” Omegas hated leaving their nest. It was their safe place. 

Iruka made a face. “Why do you have to leave the nest?” he demanded. “Just stay here.”

Kakashi made a mental note to bring a small pile of bottled water and ration bars back with him, he doubted it would get any easier to convince Iruka to let him go. “I’ll only be gone a minute,” he murmured. “Please?”

Iruka huffed, and slowly withdrew his arms. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But only because you asked nicely.”

Not wanting to risk Iruka changing his mind, Kakashi leaped out of the nest. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he promised, and hurried to the kitchen. He hadn’t expected Iruka’s heat to start so soon, or he would have already brought the supplies to the room with him. He knew better for the next time.

…if there would be a next time.

Shaking his head, Kakashi refused to allow the melancholy to seep into his mind. There would be time for that later. For now, he had Iruka by his side, and he was determined to enjoy it unreservedly. It would have to be enough, since no shinobi ever really knew what the future held.

When he got back to his room, Iruka was sitting up in the nest, eyes wide, waiting for his return. “It’s about time!” he groused, even though Kakashi had only been gone for a minute, at most. “Did you get lost?”

Kakashi chuckled, setting down the bottled water beside the nest, popping the cap on one and handing it to Iruka. “Lost in your eyes, maybe.”

“You-” Iruka sputtered, and then snatched the bottle of water, taking several deep drinks from it before coming up for air. “That,” he said, pointing the bottle at Kakashi, “was smooth.”

Kakashi reached out, screwing the cap back on the bottle before setting it aside and crawling back into the nest beside Iruka. “I try.”

Chapter Text

Fortunately, Iruka found that coming down wasn’t nearly as emotionally fraught as the first time he and Kakashi had shared a heat. He still wanted Kakashi, in that way he was starting to associate more with his omega side. He wanted Kakashi to be his, he wanted to be Kakashi’s, he wanted there to be so much more between them than just two shared heats. 

But how did one go about introducing that subject to a guy you’d shared two heats with out of necessity? Sure, Kakashi seemed satisfied enough with the arrangement, but that was part of the problem! Surely if he was satisfied with sharing heats, he wouldn’t see any point in taking things further. But Iruka was desperate for more. 

It wasn’t just the sex, either. Of course the heats were great, which was a lot more than Iruka had been expecting when he’d been forced to visit a heat house. But he wished he could have sex with Kakashi even when it wasn’t a necessity. He wanted to come home to Kakashi, to send him off on his missions and bid him to come home safe. He wanted to eat Kakashi’s dinners and drink his hot chocolate and hold him close when the nights grew long and cold. He wanted everything, he wanted so much more than what he had.

He knew it was selfish of him, not to mention ridiculous. He somehow managed to smother the parts of him that demanded more, especially as his heat waned away. Kakashi was as attentive and kind as he had been through the first heat - possibly even moreso - which certainly didn’t help Iruka tell his heart to shut up. But that didn’t mean anything, at least nothing more than the fact that Kakashi was a good alpha and dammit, Iruka wished he was Iruka’s good alpha. 

His heat finished a whole day early, and Iruka hated that he had to tell Kakashi, because it meant leaving his side a whole twenty-four hours before it would become necessary. But he also hated the idea of lying to Kakashi. So he told him, as his eyes peeled open to face the warm glow of mid-afternoon sunlight, “I think that’s the last of it.”

Beside him, Kakashi stirred, rolling over a little bit so he could look Iruka in the eye. His hair was toussled and fell over his eye in a way that made Iruka desperately want to brush it aside. “Your heat’s over?”

Iruka nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Kakashi stared at him for a long moment, then asked, in a very serious tone, “Do you need a cuddle? Hot chocolate?” 

Dammit, Iruka had been certain this time was going to be easier, and then Kakashi had to go and say something so stupidly sweet and sappy that it was going to make him an emotional wreck anyway! “I don’t need it,” Iruka said, fighting to keep his voice even as he spoke, “but if it’s on the table…”

Kakashi’s eye crinckled into a warm smile, and he rolled over a bit more, curling one arm over Iruka and pulling him closer to his chest. “Cuddle it is, then,” he declared. His skin was warm and slightly sticky from sweat. His scent was strong and intense. 

Iruka wasn’t sure if he’d rutted or not, but part of him thought that maybe he hadn’t. He’d seemed so in-control. Then again, he’d been quite contained during their first share, too. So maybe that wasn’t a good way to decide whether or not Kakashi had gone into rut. He thought about asking, but he was a little afraid of the answer. If Kakashi hadn’t rutted, it might be because he wasn’t very affected by Iruka’s own heat. Which would be minorly devastating to hear. Iruka didn’t think he could handle that and maintain his calm demeanor. So he decided not to ask. “Thank you,” he said instead, leaning back into Kakashi’s embrace and allowing his eyes to flutter shut as he basked in their combined scents. It was everything he wanted. 

If only it weren’t temporary.

Kakashi managed to keep Iruka in his apartment for a full day after his heat, which he personally considered a major victory. Iruka hadn’t tried very hard to leave, though he’d seemed a bit cautious about staying until Kakashi insisted multiple times that he wanted Iruka there. 

He’d been a little bit worried about showing his hand, with how insistent he’d been. But Iruka hadn’t seemed upset by how clingy Kakashi was, so that had to be a good sign. 

The worst part of the arrangement was saying goodbye. Especially since Kakashi had four whole days of heat and another day of post-heat to think about how to bring up the topic of maybe seeing each other again when not desperately horny - though he’d of course like to see Iruka in that situation, too - and he’d failed to think of a single way to bring up the topic without sounding pushy, or clingy, or desperate, or… any of the other things he actually was.

“Thank you again,” Iruka said softly, gazing up at Kakashi from where he stood at the door. His eyes were soft and shone with a gratitude that couldn’t be matched by words, no matter how many times he repeated his thanks. 

“I was happy to help,” Kakashi said. “If you ever need… though of course I hope you don’t,” he quickly added. “But if you do need me… or even if you just want to, um, have dinner sometime…?” He was terrible at this.

Iruka’s eyes widened. “You mean… going out?”

“Sure,” Kakashi agreed quickly. “Or staying in. I can cook,” he added lamely. As if Iruka didn’t already know that! Why was he so bad at this?

“I’d like that,” Iruka said, a smile blossoming across his soft features. “I’d really like that.”

“Great,” Kakashi said, fumbling for anything to gracefully end the conversation. “Um. You could come over tonight.”

Iruka blinked. “…really?”

Fuck, fuck! He was pushing too hard, being too clingy, he could tell. “I mean, or another night. I don’t know your schedule,” Kakashi had to swallow down a nervous chuckle. He was so fucking terrible at this. 

“I have a lot of grading and lesson plans to catch up on,” Iruka admitted, looking sheepish. “But I’d love to drop by for dinner sometime in the next few days, if that’s all right.”

“It’s more than all right,” Kakashi insisted, barely managing to keep himself from saying It’s perfect. In fact, why don’t you never leave?

Iruka beamed at him. “Great. I’ll send a message to you when I get my schedule sorted and see what evening would work best.”

“I look forward to it,” Kakashi replied, grinning back just as widely. “Have a good day at work tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Iruka said, though he grimaced a little at the thought. “Hopefully my substitute actually followed the lesson plans…” He cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner. “Otherwise, we’ll be having words.”

Kakashi chuckled. He could easily imagine how that would go down. Iruka had quite the pair of lungs on him, after all. “For both your sakes, I hope they did.”

Iruka’s threatening glare shifted once more into a smile. “I hope so, too.” He sighed heavily. “In any case, I need to get into the office and figure all that stuff out before classes tomorrow, so I’ll be going now.” He rested one hand on the door, started to open it, then paused, and said, “Thank you again, Kakashi. Really. This was amazing.”

Then, before Kakashi could find the words to adequately respond to that, Iruka slipped out the door and was gone.

The next few days, Iruka found himself caught up in what he could only describe as a courting of sorts. At least, he couldn’t think of a better word for it. It had started his first day back, when he’d reached the Ninja Academy only to see Kakashi waiting outside with a thermos of coffee and an eye-crinkle smile. He’d passed him the thermos, wished him good luck on his first day back, and then vanished in a burst of leaves.

Even that wouldn’t have been too odd, except that the next day, Kakashi was there again, this time with a handmade bento. “You ate cup noodles yesterday,” Kakashi said. If it weren’t for the fact that shinobi were quite eccentric, his observation might have made Iruka nervous. Instead, he found it a bit sweet that Kakashi was paying such close attention. He’d even managed to pack a lot of Iruka’s favorite foods into the bento, even though it wasn’t actually ramen. He’d packed seasoned bean sprouts, blanched spinach, and marinated bamboo shoots, plus a few thick slices of simmered pork belly and a marinated soft-centered egg. The rice had even been topped with a sweet and savory furikake that was reminiscent of miso ramen broth. Iruka had been more than a little impressed with the ensemble. Especially since his lunch the day before had been a grocery-store-brand miso ramen flavored cup noodle. Clearly, Kakashi had drawn his bento inspiration from the styrofoam-packed dried noodles, and Iruka wasn’t about to complain about it.

By the time Iruka got around to having time to visit Kakashi for dinner, he almost felt like he’d never left. He knew eventually Kakashi would end up on another mission,  so this sort of thing wouldn’t - couldn’t - last, but he was very much enjoying it while it did. Fortunately, it seemed like Kakashi was enjoying it, too. He practically pranced across the room to show Iruka the dinner he’d prepared, like an excited puppy wanting to show off a new discovery. It was adorable and Iruka felt an odd sort of pride that he’d been the one to make Kakashi so excited. “Wow,” he said appreciatively, “this looks amazing!”

Kakashi beamed at him. His mask was back on, but Iruka knew his face well enough by now to see the smile in the creases at the corners of his eye. “I’m glad you think so,” Kakashi said. He shuffled over to one of the chairs, pulling it back. “Have a seat!” he offered, still sounding puppy-like in his excitement. 

Iruka sat, and Kakashi scooted in his chair before perching himself in the chair across from Iruka. “So,” he said, reaching for the lid on one of the many dishes lining the table, “I made some rice.”

Iruka stared at the small mountain of rice in the pot. “You made a lot of rice,” he said, feeling a smile tugging at his lips. 

“…I made a lot of rice,” Kakashi acquiesced. He gestured to several smaller plates. “And I made gyoza. But then I thought it might be fun to try some different flavors, so I added cheese,” he pointed to some flat, almost pancake-looking dumplings on another plate. “And the cheese,” he said, almost conspiratorially, “is smaller when it’s melted. So they all turned into little lumps.” He looked vaguely ashamed. “They taste good, though.”

Iruka smiled. “I’m sure they do,” he assured Kakashi. He glanced at the three other plates filled with dumplings. “What are these other ones?”

“Oh! I made one that’s ramen flavored,” Kakashi said. “The cabbage is mixed with simmered pork belly, miso ramen tare sauce, and marinated egg.”

“That sounds delicious,” Iruka said, feeling his mouth starting to water. “And those?”

“Curry flavored,” Kakashi said. “I added some beef and potato and carrot to the mix.” 

Iruka wanted to eat all of it, immediately, but there was still more. “And that?”

“Well, I bought a lot of cabbage,” Kakashi said. “So I used the leftover cabbage to make a salad.”

Iruka grinned, and indicated a pot that rested on an oven mitt in the center of the table. “And that?”

“Oh, I made egg drop soup,” Kakashi said. “Since we’re having dumplings, it seemed appropriate.”

“This must have taken hours,” Iruka marveled, gazing over that vast assortment of dumplings and sides. 

Kakashi scrubbed at the back of his neck, chuckling awkwardly. “Well, maybe a few,” he admitted.

“I can’t wait to try it,” Iruka said.

“Please do!” Kakashi said, his eye sparkling with excitement.

Iruka clapped his hands together, declared an enthusiastic itadakimasu , and then dug in with gusto. The food was even better than Kakashi’s descriptions had prepared him for. The traditional gyoza was the perfect blend of juicy pork and mild cabbage, the white pepper and ginger just light enough to season the meat without overwhelming the other fillings. He dipped it in Kakashi’s homemade gyoza sauce, which was a mixture of kelp dashi, soy sauce, vinegar, and a mild chili oil. It paired perfectly with the dumplings. It also went well with the ramen-flavored gyoza, which Iruka accidentally moaned at when the first taste hit his tongue. Kakashi gave him a look that was a mixture of shock and curiosity, and Iruka’s face heated as he realized that the sound must have been familiar to him, though in a different context altogether. “It’s so good,” he said, and realized his explanation really wasn’t helping his case any.

Fortunately, Kakashi was kind enough not to comment on it, and continued eating his own gyoza, alternating between bites of dumpling and bites of rice, washed down with sips of the soothing egg soup. 

Iruka ate far more than he should have, finally groaning in pain and leaning back in his chair, laying a hand over his belly. “I ate too much,” he complained. “You’re too good at this.”

Kakashi’s eye just sparkled in amusement. “I’ll try to restrain myself next time,” he promised. Iruka was unspeakably glad to hear that Kakashi thought there would be a next time - he knew that he wanted to do this again, and he was so grateful that Kakashi was willing to entertain the idea.

“I didn’t say you had to do that,” Iruka protested with a laugh, then dragged himself out of the chair to help Kakashi clean up the dishes and stow away any leftovers - there were precious few of those, given how Iruka had gorged himself, but Kakashi had definitely cooked in excess. When the dishes were cleaned and the food safely sequestered in the fridge, Iruka gently rested a hand on Kakashi’s arm and said, softly, “Do you mind if I stay awhile?”

The look Kakashi gave him could have melted stone into a gooey puddle of delight. “I’d be honored.”

Iruka tugged at his arm, dragging Kakashi over to the couch and pulling him down beside him. He huffed, leaning against his broad chest and basking in the warmth of Kakashi’s body, snuggling up under his arm. “You know what would make this better?” He asked after a moment of contented silence.

Kakashi glanced down at him. “What?”

Iruka smirked. “If you weren’t using your scent blockers.”

Kakashi’s face went beet red, and he stuttered a bit. “I. Ah. I wasn’t sure-”

“How many times do I have to tell you?” Iruka murmured, leaning in a little closer, burying his nose against the column of Kakashi’s throat and huffing when he couldn’t get even a whiff of scent from him. “I like it.”

“Okay, okay,” Kakashi said, sounding amused. “Next time I’ll cook less, and take a shower before you get here.” 

Iruka grinned, snuggling a little closer. “A shower, you say?” he murmured, feeling a low purr pulling at the back of his throat at the thought. Normally he wouldn’t be so bold, but he was entirely too full of delicious food, and Kakashi had just mentioned next time again, so… “If that’s the plan, I wouldn’t mind joining you.”

Kakashi’s face grew impossibly redder. “In the shower?” he almost squeaked.

Iruka did purr this time, a low rumble of appreciation. “If you don’t mind,” he said. From Kakashi’s reaction, he didn’t think he would mind. 

“I don’t mind,” Kakashi said quickly. “In fact, I think I’d like that very much.”

Iruka grinned, leaning back against Kakashi’s chest, running a possessive hand down his chest, utterly delighted when Kakashi groaned but didn’t pull away. “I think I’d like it, too,” he said.

Kakashi stared at the small mountain disguised as a man standing at his front door, and felt vaguely baffled. “Uh… Iruka?” he ventured a guess, only because he could faintly catch the man’s scent wafting in past the blankets piled so high he wasn’t sure they’d fit through the door.

The precipitous tower of fluff pitched forward, and Kakashi momentarily found his arms full of soft fleeces as Iruka scooted in the door. “Can you scent these?” he asked, coming inside and shutting the door.

Kakashi craned his neck to look around the pile of blankets. “Iruka?” he repeated, then asked his actual question. “What’s all this?”

Iruka gave him a vaguely baffled look. “They’re blankets,” he said, as if this should be obvious. It was obvious. It also wasn’t at all what Kakashi was asking about. “No, I mean… what is with all the blankets? What are they for?”

“For scenting,” Iruka said, as if this, too, should have been obvious. 

“You want me to scent… all of these?” Kakashi asked incredulously.

“Not all at once,” Iruka said. “I’ll bring my old ones and pick up a few new ones when I drop by next.”

Kakashi felt his heart leap in his chest. Iruka wanted his scent on his blankets? He wanted them for his own nest, even when he wasn’t desperately in need of an alpha? The thought was heady and flattering. He wanted to scoop Iruka in his arms and kiss him soundly. He’d never imagined someone wanting his scent at all, much less actually asking him for his scent to keep in their home even when they weren’t sharing the space! It was like a dream. He couldn’t quite believe it. “You want my scent… in your house?” he asked, certain he’d somehow misunderstood.

Iruka’s smile faltered slightly, and he backed up a step. “Is that… too forward?” he asked softly. “I’m sorry, if you don’t want-”

“No, no,” Kakashi said immediately, thinking of how wonderful it would be to get to sleep with blankets that smelled like Iruka, and exchange them once they smelled of himself too much to stand. He was fairly certain he was getting the better end of this bargain. “I would love to, I… thank you for asking.”

Iruka’s nervous expression transformed into one of excited joy. “Great!” he said. “Should I just dump these in your room, then?”

Kakashi felt his heart twist a little. “Oh, um. My room is…” He’d been trying to take what Iruka said to heart, and had started not reapplying his scent blockers after showering for the night. As a result, his room basically smelled like a graveyard, his horrible scent saturating everything there. He felt his face heating and his heart shrivel. Iruka would take one sniff and immediately rethink his decision, he knew. No one could put up with his scent for very long - even Kakashi was struggling with it, and it was his own scent!

Iruka paused in the hallway, turning to look at Kakashi with concern. “Is there a problem?”

“Ah… it smells,” Kakashi said weakly. “It’s strong.”

“Good!” Iruka said. “Maybe I can start by stealing one of your blankets, since I’m leaving you these!” With a wide grin, he continued down the hallway. 

Kakashi watched him go, afraid to let him go, but also afraid not to. Iruka had given him the gift of acceptance time and time again. He wanted to trust him, wanted to believe that his own revulsion towards his scent was not shared by Iruka. 

Sure enough, when Iruka opened the door, the first thing he did was pause and take a deep breath before turning to Kakashi with a brilliant smile. “It smells like you in here,” he said, his voice warm and accepting as always. “I like it.” A more mischievous look crossed his face as he added, “I’m definitely stealing one of your blankets.”

Kakashi shook his head helplessly. “If you must,” he said, hearing the fondness in his own voice like the warm heat from a crackling fire.

Iruka met his warmth with a boisterous crackling blaze of his own, the fire in his eyes full of the sort of aggressive kindness and affection to which Kakashi was slowly growing accustomed. “Oh, yes, I must.”

Chapter Text

To Iruka’s great relief, Kakashi didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong. Of course, Iruka himself realized quite quickly that things were not working out as they should, if for no other reason than because Mizuki started wrinkling his nose at Iruka again. He started using scent blockers again, layering them on thick before work, and resuming his thrice-daily showers. Despite how hard he tried not to feel upset, Iruka couldn’t quite manage not to cringe every time one of his colleagues gave him a look. He knew his scent was getting unmanageable again, and he couldn’t understand why! He and Kakashi had shared a heat barely two weeks ago; there was absolutely no earthly reason for his body to yet again demand such a stressful undertaking as a full heat - especially not so soon! Natural heats usually came infrequently, even when Iruka wasn’t using heat blockers. The fact that this was happening despite his heat blockers made it that much more unsettling. 

To make matters worse, Kakashi had told him over dinner the night before that he was being tapped for a mission. It should only last a week, he’d told Iruka. And he’d asked if they could have dinner together again when he got back. Of course Iruka had agreed. And of course he hadn’t told Kakashi that his heat was trying to start again. The thought of trying to go through heat with another alpha was miserable - Iruka would just go off his blockers and try and have a solo heat. He was pretty sure his doctor would agree to it, since the heat with a partner had been useless. Besides, Iruka had gone through heats without a partner before, and although it had been a miserable experience, for some reason, it sounded better than trying to have a heat with some other alpha. It was a compromise he was willing to make. A heat with an alpha that wasn’t  Kakashi? He refused to even consider it. He’d rather have a hundred lonely heats than find someone else.

He sighed, flipping listlessly through his gradebook. His students needed to review some of their practical skills, but he wanted to introduce some of the more challenging ninjutsu techniques before returning to their elementary taijutsu activities. He grabbed a paper at random, uselessly hoping that a lesson plan would magically spawn into existence for him. He really didn’t feel like planning his classes. He’d been so stressed that he’d fallen behind, and now he didn’t even have a plan for the upcomimng day. Usually he had no trouble following the syllabus, and was able to collect activities together without much trouble. Today, he had other thoughts brewing in his mind, and he couldn’t seem to pull himself out of the mire long enough to focus on his classes for the day. 

“Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka looked up from the papers he’d been shuffling through on his desk while pretending to prepare for his classes, not sure how long he’d been moping. From the annoyance with which his name was being called, it seemed like he might have missed the first few attempts to catch his attention. “Yes?”

“Hatake-san is here to see you,” Aki-sensei sniffed. She definitely seemed annoyed. Iruka hoped she hadn’t called his name too many times - he didn’t want to seem like he was having a hard time again (even though he certainly was having a hard time). 

From across the room, Iruka saw Mizuki’s head lift, and then intentionally bend back towards his desk. Iruka felt his face heat. “He is?” he asked. He thought Kakashi had already left on his mission! What was he doing at the Ninja Academy?

“He is,” Aki-sensei looked most disapproving. “Pehaps you should tell him to be about his business.”

Iruka’s face was definitely burning as he fled the teachers’ office, hurrying outside. At the gates, Kakashi leaned casually against one pillar, a filthy novel in one hand, a thermos in the other. “Iruka-sensei,” he greeted, tucking his book away in a pocket once Iruka was in speaking distance. “I’m off.”

Iruka felt his heart twist a little. Kakashi had come to say goodbye before leaving on his mission. They’d spent the night together the evening before, but Iruka had woken alone in Kakashi’s bed. He’d tried not to feel lonely, puttering around Kakashi’s kitchen before letting himself out, locking the door with the spare key Kakashi had handed him the night before. He’d assumed Kakashi was just terrible at good-byes and had tried to avoid the discomfort altogether. Seeing him here, now, made Iruka want to hold him close and not let go. But that wasn’t an option. Not for a shinobi, anyway. Leaving was in the job description. Instead, Iruka forced himself to smile, putting as much fondness as he could into his next words. “Go and come back safely.”

“I made you coffee,” Kakashi said, holding out the thermos. “And you have the key?”

Iruka nodded, accepting the thermos. “Thank you,” he said.

“If you need any blankets,” Kakashi said, his face pinking, “feel free to help yourself.”

Iruka had a sinking suspicion he would need a lot of them in the coming week. “I will,” he said, and then repeated, “thank you.”

Kakashi shuffled his feet. “I… I guess that’s all.” 

Iruka stirred his courage. If Kakashi could make the effort to come all the way here to say goodbye, surely he could make a gesture of his own!  “May I…?” he began, stepping closer. His words failed him as Kakashi’s cool gray eye met his own.

Kakashi blinked slowly. “May you… what?” he prompted.

“A goodbye kiss,” Iruka said, which wasn’t actually a question. “Do you want one?” he added. He felt like an idiot. “I would like to. Kiss you. Goodbye?” He should have stopped speaking while he still sounded like a functional human being.

Kakashi’s expression softened, his eye crinkling with a now-familiar smile. “I’d like that,” he said. 

Iruka stepped closer, and then Kakashi’s arms wrapped around him, and their lips were pressed together. It wasn’t the same sort of passionate, hot and heavy kiss they sometimes shared in the bedroom. This kiss was soft, full of longing and passion. This was a lovers’ kiss, Iruka reflected. 

Were… were they lovers? It felt like it, he thought. 

Kakashi drew back, his mask somehow already back in place as he gazed down at Iruka. “Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I’ll be back soon.”

“You better be,” he said, thinking of several reasons why he wanted Kakashi to hurry back, not the least of which involving more kisses. Iruka couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he also took a step back, his gaze sweeping up and down the lanky jonin before him. “I don’t like being kept waiting.”

“Then I best be off,” Kakashi said, “the sooner I leave, the sooner I can return.”

“Be safe,” Iruka said, the words coming with more emotion than he’d intended. 

Kakashi’s own soft, sincere tones matched the weight of Iruka’s words. “I will do everything in my power to return home to you,” he said. 

Iruka couldn’t ask for more than that. He nodded, his eyes dropping briefly to the ground. When he looked up, Kakashi was gone, replaced by a solitary leaf drifting to the ground.

Sighing, Iruka thought about going back to the teacher’s office and finishing his lesson plans. He already knew he wouldn’t be able to focus on it, though. Instead, he decided today would be an excellent chance for the kids to do a bit of practical, hands-on learning. It didn’t take much planning to supervise dagger-throwing practice, and that was about the limit of Iruka’s current ability to focus.

Normally, when a mission went south, Kakashi caught himself feeling an empty sort of resignation. It was exhausting, being an operative often tapped for the hardest and most hopeless missions Konoha could find. He knew why they did it - he had an uncanny track record for success. But that didn’t make him enjoy the singularly unique experience of expecting to die at any moment more than the average shinobi. He just got to the point where the expectation of death became less of a trauma and more of a bone-deep weariness that threatened to drag him under. 

Well. It had become that empty exhaustion right up until this mission, anyway. Now, as Kakashi found himself caught up in a combat situation that absolutely could not have been anticipated by the information contained in the mission scroll, he found that he was utterly terrified. Not of dying, necessarily. Those wires, he feared, had been permanently crossed somewhere around age eleven, and he would never get back to that instinctual terror of death that plagued so many others. No, what Kakashi feared was leaving someone behind. In the past, his fears had always centered around comrades, around his friends dying. He lost people every time he turned around. He’d mourned them, spent long afternoons seated at the memorial stone and wishing he could do something to bring them back.

It was only now that he was in this life-threatening position that he realized he might be doing that to Iruka. Kind Iruka. Sweet Iruka. Iruka, who cried over things like hot chocolate and cuddles. Iruka, who always held onto him like he wanted Kakashi to stay forever. Iruka, who not only allowed Kakashi to be a truer version of himself than he’d ever dared on his own, but actively encouraged him to embrace the parts of himself he’d always hated! And he was going to fucking die out here, leaving him alone? The thought was almost paralyzing in its awfulness. He couldn’t bear the thought of Iruka at the memorial stone. Iruka waiting for him to come home, only to learn that Kakashi would never return.

Kakashi had forgotten what fear felt like. This was so much worse than anything he remembered experiencing in the past - likely because the primal fear of death was such a childhood memory that he couldn’t properly recall it now that he was an adult. Now, though, he had come to the realization that he lost his fear of death not because he was any stronger or better than anyone, but simply because he’d lost his will to live. 

And now that he wanted to be there for Iruka, the thought of not being there was too horrible to consider.

Caught in a tangle of chakra wire, Kakashi grunted. Every move sliced deeper into his skin. Worse, he still hadn’t found the shinobi behind the wires. They’d curled around him almost more like spider’s silk than a traditional chakra wire, but their strength and the energy coursing through them made it clear they were no ordinary material. 

Kakashi wriggled again, like a trapped insect, and wished that the shinobi would either kill him quick to put him out of his misery, or make a fatal error, allowing Kakashi the upper hand. Really, he’d prefer the latter, but at this point the fear had him so mindless that he was willing to accept the former as a compromise. 

He heard the enemy shinobi before he saw her. She chuckled, a low and almost musical sound. “Well, well well,” she murmured, stepping into the clearing, perched lightly on one of the wires. It cut into Kakashi’s bicep as she moved closer, her weight pulling the string downward. If Kakashi could lift his hand to grab it, he might have a chance. But the movement would almost certainly slice his hand off of his wrist long before he could actually grip the wire. Instead, he glowered at the kunoichi, hoping that she would make a mistake. She cocked her head, gazing at him with a sort of morbid fascination.  “What have we here?”

Kakashi didn’t have time for games. He wanted to die or kill her, and get the fuck out of this gods-forsaken forest. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“I think I’ll be the one asking the questions,” she bubbled, hopping lightly from the wire. It dug down as she pushed off, leaving a deep slice in Kakashi’s right bicep. 

It began to bleed slowly, trickling down his arm. He sighed, really hoping she wasn’t planning to kill him by slow blood loss. He didn’t want to sit around for days, slowly feeling his life force drain away. But he also had no desire to hurry the process along himself, not knowing that there might be a slim chance of escape. He wouldn’t do that, not to Iruka. He would only die if there was no other option. As long as he lived, there was a chance he could get back to Konoha and have a nice quiet dinner with Iruka, and then probably…

“Excuse me!” the woman poked Kakashi’s mask-covered nose. “I’m talking to you!”

This was news to Kakashi. “Oh? Since when?”

Her lower lip jutted out in a melodramatic pout. “I’ve been talking to you the whole time,” she said in a voice that was now less melodic and more grating. “Who are you?”

“I’m just some guy,” Kakashi replied blithely. It never did to advertise yourself. She either already knew him by his bingo book entry, or she was an idiot.

“Hmm,” she said, tapping a surprisingly long and well-maintained nail to her pouty lip. He wondered how much effort she was putting into those nails, to keep them looking nice even when she was fighting in border skirmishes and taking prisoners in weird spiderwebby chakra wires. “I think you’re more than just some guy,” she said. “I think you’re the infamous copy-nin.”

Kakashi blinked his one eye slowly. “Oh yeah?” he said, sounding bored. Because he was bored. He was afraid for Iruka, yes, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find the banter extremely unoriginal. “How do you figure?”

She lifted up a bingo book. It belonged to, oddly enough, Iwagakure. This was odd, because according to Kakashi’s mission, he’d been assigned to clean up a mess caused by some missing-nin from Kirigakure. Maybe she’d lifted it from one of her victims? He wasn’t sure it mattered all that much. He was still about to die. 

“You’re in here,” she said, tapping the bingo book.

“No I’m not,” Kakashi said. “I’m in your… web…?” 

She sighed, treating him to a disappointed look. “You know what I mean, silly.”

Kakashi gave her a disappointed look back. He’d really hoped to die at the hands of someone more… competent? This felt almost like a lucky shot. He was starting to feel less afraid and more annoyed by the minute. Maybe if he twisted just right… oop. Nope. The wire was definitely trying to slice through his left thigh. He hoped it didn’t lop it off unexpectedly. 

“So,” the kunoichi continued, snapping her bingo book shut and beginning to monologue (ugh), “who should I bring your body to? There are a lot of people who would pay handsomely for your eye,” she tapped her own face demonstratively, as if Kakashi had somehow forgotten his sharingan existed. 

“You could bring me back to my own village,” Kakashi growled. “I’m sure they’d pay a handsome sum.” Probably. But not guaranteed. And she could probably get a bidding war going between his enemies. Then again, if she waited to kill him until after she had a buyer, that would give him more time to escape. 

“I don’t think so,” the young woman said faintly, her fingers lightly plucking at the book. She spun, and almost tangled herself in one of her own chakra wires. He caught a glimmer of something twist around the book, digging into the cover, and then she twitched her finger up, sliding one of her perfectly manicured nails under the thread. Her nail sliced clean through it. He fought not to visibly react. Were her nails made of some sort of indestructible compound? Or was it that she’d channeled a specific sort of chakra to cut the wire? Kakashi wished he had his headband up, he could have used the sharingan right then. He hoped, rather uselessly, that she would use her nails again. Maybe if he watched more closely, he could recognize what it was she did. 

“What are these things made of?” Kakashi asked, pointedly not pointing out the wires, because even the slightest move cut into him, threatening to dice him to ribbons. Instead, he rolled his eyes in the direction of one of the wires. He asked her about them not because he expected an answer, but because he hoped to distract her, so he could get a better look at those nails of hers. 

She sighed. “Why would I tell you something like that?” she demanded.

Kakashi shrugged. “Worth a shot.” This was going to be a long and agonizing death, he could tell already.

Iruka groaned, peeling himself out of Kakashi’s bed and trying very hard not to feel guilty or sorry for himself. He’d been putting off his heat for over a week at this point, and Kakashi’s so-called one week mission was now hurtling towards two weeks. Iruka knew he was getting irritable again, his whole body seemed to ache, and his scent had gotten so bad that he’d actually stolen Kakashi’s scent blockers from his apartment and started using them - they worked much better than his own, and were enough to prevent most of the stares at his work. He felt a bit guilty, since he knew Kakashi’s were a lot more expensive, but he had passed the point of caring around day nine. He knew he should just give up and go through a heat on his own, but he couldn’t bear to ask for another week off. It would be his third week in as many months, and it would look terrible on his annual review if he took three weeks off for heat-related reasons. It was highly inappropriate, especially since everyone knew heats were quite regular and could be held at bay for a number of months before taking time off became truly necessary.

But Iruka was almost certain his body was falling apart, and he was beginning to worry that not taking the time off for a heat was going to kill him. It sounded melodramatic, he knew. But there was some small part of him that seemed set on catastrophising, and he couldn’t seem to get it to quiet down, no matter how hard he tried. He smelled awful, he was lonely, and his body felt like it was falling apart at the seams. The only thing that seemed to help was Kakashi’s scent, but by now he’d snuck into Kakashi’s apartment so many times that it smelled more of Iruka than it did of Kakashi. He wished he’d tried to hold off longer, but he’d thought Kakashi would be back by now. Instead, Kakashi was still gone, and Iruka was going on day eleven, worried he wouldn’t make it to day twelve. 

He’d finally gotten permission to take off two hours early, though, so after the day’s lessons he was going to leave immediately instead of sticking around for office duty. Aki-sensei had seemed less than impressed when she’d heard about it, and Mizuki kept smirking at Iruka like he thought Iruka might regret choosing Kakashi. Which he didn’t , not at all, he just regretted not asking Kakashi for more blankets! In any case, the two hours of early leave would give him enough time to actually stop by the fertility clinic again and ask about what was wrong with him, since clearly the advice about spending another heat with someone had been bad advice. Or at least not helpful, since it had only delayed the misery for about three weeks. He didn’t know what else to do, and he desperately hoped that the doctor would be able to explain what was wrong. 

But first, he had to survive another day of classes.

By the time Iruka dragged himself into the Academy, he was mere moments from being late to his own class. Mizuki gave him another idiotic sneer on his way by, and Iruka would have been proud of himself for not reacting if the reason hadn’t been mere exhaustion. He was too tired to care about what Mizuki thought. If Mizuki wanted to smirk and make smart remarks that was fine, Iruka couldn’t find the energy to deal with it, or anything else his colleagues decided to throw his way.

By the time the day finished, Iruka found himself sitting at his desk, feeling like all of his bones were trying to vibrate out of his body. He felt on edge, restless, and his emotions were vascillating wildly between exasperated rage and cloying despair. He wanted to lay down on the ground and stop existing for awhile. Or maybe fight someone until they were both little more than bloody pulp. He knew, he knew that whatever this was couldn’t be healthy. He wasn’t supposed to think like this, feel like this. He had an appointment, and he needed to get to it. If he could just find the energy to stand up from his desk…

It took Iruka at least twenty minutes to find the wherewithal to actually leave his classroom, and the ten-minute walk to the fertility clinic took him at least twenty. At least once he reached the office, he wasn’t dismissed outright. Instead, the receptionist took one look at him and immediately rushed from the room. That was probably a bad sign, but Iruka was desperate for help and maybe being treated as an emergency situation would actually get him what he needed to feel better. 

Sure enough, he was hustled back into the consultation room ahead of everyone else in the waiting area. He got more glares, but at this point he felt as though he’d developed some sort of angry look immunity, he just didn’t care anymore. The one advantage was he thought that maybe he felt bad enough for this to count as an emergency consultation, and he wouldn’t have to pay out of pocket. He wasn’t counting on it, though.

The doctor who saw him was the same woman who had spoken to him on his previous visit. She glanced over his chart as he walked in, and her eyes flicked between him and the chart twice before she said, in a brusque, no-nonsense tone, “I told you to have a heat as soon as possible, Umino-san. I did warn you that the false-heat symptoms would worsen the longer you delayed.”

Iruka blinked in surprise, feeling as though he was on the defensive. “I did have a heat!” he exclaimed. “Three weeks ago!”

The clinic doctor slowly lowered the chart, her eyes narrowing. “A heat. With an actual partner?”

“Yes!” Iruka exclaimed, feeling his face heat. “And I’ve… er. Continued to have …activities… with that partner. Um.” He felt his whole body boiling like he’d been dunked in a pot of soup. “But he left on a mission nine days ago, and… even before that, I felt… but I knew he was leaving soon, so…”

The doctor frowned at him, and scribbled something on his chart. “You had a full heat,” she said, “and then the false heat symptoms returned after less than a month?”

“Yes,” Iruka said. 

“Is this the same heat partner you had for your mandatory residence?” the fertility doctor asked, sounding very blase about something so personal. Then again, it was her job, she probably didn’t care about the details.

“Yes,” Iruka said, feeling a bit exposed. “I enjoyed it then, so, I asked if he wouldn’t mind…”

“Hmm,” the doctor said noncommittally, and scribbled on the chart again. “Umino-san, do you feel your scent has changed recently?”

Iruka felt his eyes widen at the question. “A little,” he said. “It’s sweeter, almost too sweet. It seems to be bothering my colleagues, so I’m using blockers,” he indicated himself. “To conceal it.”

“And how did your heat partner feel about the scent?” the doctor asked, still not looking at Iruka.

Iruka cupped his burning cheeks in his hands as he admitted, “He… ah, he liked it.”

The doctor hummed again. Finally, she looked up at him. “I’m very sorry, Umino-san. It seems I may have mis-diagnosed you the last time you were in here.”

Iruka blinked. “Really? What’s the problem, then?” Maybe it would be something easy to resolve!

“Your increased hormone levels weren’t due to an insufficient heat,” she explained, her expression very serious as she spoke. “They were increased due to an overly effective heat.” She eyed Iruka’s neck thoughtfully. “You did wear a collar?”

Iruka clapped a hand to his neck instinctively. “Of course!”

“Interesting,” she said, once more scribbling on the chart.

Iruka desperately wished to know what it was she found so fascinating. “Why do you ask?”

“I ask,” she said matter-of-factly, “because you seem to be experiencing a rare phenomenon known as a false bond.”

Iruka blinked. Surely he hadn’t heard that correctly. “A false bond?” he repeated.

“It explains why your body keeps falling into false heats,” she said. “Your reproductive system believes it has found a bond-mate. But you didn’t bond during your heat, or the second, false heat.” 

She paused long enough for Iruka to shake his head, indicating that no, he hadn’t bonded during either heat.

Nodding, she resumed her explanation. “Given the evidence that you are once again spiraling into a false heat, it’s safe to assume this is more than merely a false heat, but is indeed a false bond. As such, you will continue to fall back into heats until the mate bond is finally secured, or until the alpha rejects you.”

Iruka felt like the floor was dropping out from under him. “So what do I do?” he asked.

“You have two options,” his doctor said, lifting one finger. “First, you can secure the mate bond. In your next heat, don’t use a collar. Allow nature to run its course.”

Iruka swallowed, hard. That was a lot of commitment, especially for someone he’d only been dating (was it even actually dating? He still wasn’t sure!) for a few weeks. Surely it was a bit too soon to be going from heat sharing to lifelong mate bonds! He braced himself and then asked, “What’s the second option?”

The doctor looked a bit uncomfortable, but said, her voice more subdued, “You must go through your heat alone. It will be uncomfortable, even dangerous, because it will be interpreted as a rejection of the mate bond. Once the false bond has been broken by a solo heat, you must cut off contact with the alpha in question, or the false bond might reawaken, and your symptoms would reappear.”

Iruka felt like his heart was being pulled from his chest. What sort of options were these? He either trapped Kakashi in a relationship that had only barely begun to flourish, or he cut the man off completely. Neither of those options sounded at all pleasant. “How long do I have to decide?”

The doctor looked grim. “The longer you wait, the more likely your body will decide for you,” she said. “If you begin to experience heat symptoms, report to Konoha hospital immediately. Rejection heats can be deadly, and given the severity you’ve experienced thus far…”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence. Iruka understood the implied threat. Part of him wished Kakashi would come back, so he could talk things through. But would Kakashi just agree because he felt somehow obliged to Iruka? He didn’t want to force Kakashi into something he didn’t want, just because Iruka was too pathetic to have a functional fertility cycle. But the idea of not being allowed to spend time with Kakashi ever again? That hurt so much worse. It was really a no-win situation.  “I understand,” Iruka said softly. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I’m sorry, Umino-san,” the doctor said, her voice uncharacteristically sympathetic. “I wish there was another alternative.”

Iruka nodded miserably. “So do I.”