Work Text:
A/N: I got a mental picture of Kakashi brushing Iruka’s hair and it turned into this thing. Drabblish.
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Iruka had never really given much thought to his hair.
If anyone were to ask about it he would probably just shrug and say something like, “It’s just easier this way,” which was technically true. In fact, ‘easier’ was what his mother had been going for when she finally gave up on trying to get her hyper, always active little Iruka to sit still for a proper haircut. After a particularly disastrous and unsuccessful trip to the barber, his mother (after much sighing and gnashing of teeth) had simply let his hair grow out until it was long enough to wrangle into the ponytail that was now Iruka’s signature, unintentional as it had been.
Even as an adult, Iruka had simply trimmed it with the kitchen scissors or, if he was in a particular hurry, a freshly sharpened kunai when it got too long for his liking. After that it was just one less thing to worry about, one less appointment to make, and really what use was it to worry about his hair of all things?
So, Iruka never gave it much thought . . . until Kakashi.
There was a list – a long list – of things that boggled Iruka when it came to Kakashi in the short amount of time they had been dating. First on that list was what Kakashi even saw in plain old Iruka-sensei, but Iruka did what he could to avoid that rather self-depreciating question in favor of enjoying the fact that Kakashi did see something. And it was kind of wonderful since Iruka saw the world in Kakashi.
The second on that list was what Kakashi saw in Iruka’s hair.
It only became more noticeable the longer they dated that Kakashi was somehow fascinated with it. The first time they’d kissed – not the peck on the cheek after walking you home kiss, but the in your lap making-out on the couch like horny rabbits kiss – Kakashi had managed to pull Iruka’s hair-tie out without the Chunin noticing and buried both hands in Iruka’s hair with a sense of smug satisfaction. Iruka never found that hair-tie again. He’d lost a lot of hair-ties lately.
It was a trend that carried into steamier moments between them as well. Typically, Iruka was one to get rid of Kakashi’s shirt first while they kissed their way towards the bedroom. Pants first if Kakashi had been on a particularly long mission.
For Kakashi, it was the hair-tie first. Without fail. Every time.
Iruka had asked once, during an exceptionally indulgent after-glow (and another lost hair-tie) and had received a lecherous grin with the reply, “You look good with it down.” Then Kakashi had his hands on Iruka’s hips again, things had escalated, and Iruka only realized later that he hadn’t gotten a straight answer. Stupid sexy Copy-nins.
Then it was little things, like when they were sitting in a restaurant booth, Kakashi would put his arm around Iruka’s shoulders and wind his fingers into the ends of his ponytail. Sometimes Kakashi would pull the ponytail loose enough that he could get his fingers into Iruka’s scalp and massage until the Chunin’s head lolled sleepily onto his boyfriend’s shoulder.
Or when Iruka was busy in the Mission Room, Kakashi would walk up behind him and lightly tug on Iruka’s ponytail. A sweet, almost shy gesture Iruka wouldn’t have thought Kakashi capable before.
Sometimes when Iruka woke up with Kakashi flush against his back he felt the other man press his nose into his hair and take a long, deep breath.
Normally, Iruka never let his hair get past his shoulders before lopping it off in the bathroom sink. But then Kakashi had seen him struggling to run a brush through his damp hair as Iruka got out of the shower.
Iruka had just stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist, grumbling about tangled hair and how he’d be better off just shaving his head, when he caught Kakashi watching him attentively from the bed over his Icha Icha.
Iruka looked back at him, wondering what he’d done to earn the attention (aside from walking around in nothing but a towel. Kakashi had warned him about that and what it would lead to, but damnit it was Iruka’s apartment and if he wanted to tease the hell out of Kakashi he would), and asked a little annoyed, “What?”
Kakashi’s face was really only slightly more expressive with the mask off, but Iruka caught a hint of hesitance in the way Kakashi’s eyes flicked to the brush in Iruka’s hand, “Would you . . . I mean, if you want I could help with . . . with that,” Kakashi pointed to the comb as he lowered his book to the bed and leaned forward.
Iruka had blinked, annoyance draining away, “You want to brush my hair?”
Kakashi paused at the disbelieving tone in Iruka’s voice, but asked after a second, “. . . Is that okay?”
Iruka had to fight down a smile, although he was a bit baffled by the request. Instead of answering out loud, Iruka had just walked up to the Copy-nin and sat in front of him on the bed with his back to Kakashi and held the brush over one shoulder.
Kakashi took it, albeit slowly, and Iruka felt the other man’s fingers skimming his shoulders and neck, gently pulling all the hair to his back. Iruka still smiled at the memory of Kakashi carefully running the brush through his dark locks, almost reverently pausing at snags, gently untangling them and continuing to pull the brush through even when Iruka’s hair was almost dry. A small kiss was placed on Iruka’s shoulder when Kakashi was finished and arms wrapped around his waist.
Kakashi rested his chin on Iruka’s shoulder as he mumbled, “It wouldn’t get so tangled if you used actual shampoo and conditioner instead of scrubbing a bar of soap through it.”
“Know a lot about hair product do you?” Iruka had asked teasingly, leaning into the chest at his back and ruffling gravity defying silver hair as he did. Kakashi grumbled and shook his head without dislodging his chin from Iruka’s shoulder. Iruka just chuckled and kissed his cheek.
“I’ll have you know this is natural,” Kakashi said dismissively, nuzzling into the soft skin under Iruka’s ear. It tickled and Iruka tried to squirm away, but Kakashi held tight. Kakashi trailed kisses from his neck to his shoulder where he paused, saying suddenly, “Please don’t shave your head.”
Iruka tilted his head back until he could look Kakashi in the eye, “Of course not, that was a joke.”
Kakashi smiled, “I know, it’s just . . . I love your long hair.”
Iruka had opened his mouth to ask but then he noticed Kakashi’s hands sneaking to the tie on his towel and, well, he had to deal with that.
He didn’t know if Kakashi had noticed how long Iruka had let his hair grow after that little conversation, several inches past his shoulders now. Kakashi still took every opportunity to brush Iruka’s hair. (Iruka still hadn’t gotten up the nerve to sift through the mountains of hair product available in the stores . . . That might be a hill too high.)
He had never given much thought to his hair, but for whatever reason, Kakashi loved it.
So, when Iruka was sent on a courier mission that forced him to cross paths with a missing nin who specialized in a fire jutsu Iruka hadn’t been completely able to dodge, he had a new reason to worry.
“Be honest with me,” Iruka looked up at Sakura from the examination table, uniform replaced by starchy hospital clothes pulled away from one shoulder, “How bad is it?”
Sakura cocked an eyebrow at him in bemusement, “The burn to your shoulder is mostly superficial – “
“That’s not what I meant,” Iruka shook his head, unbound hair flying around his ears. He reached up with his good arm and tugged at the chin-length hair that wasn’t even long enough to pull back into his hair-tie anymore.
Sakura blinked, perplexed at her old Sensei’s behavior, “Your hair? Iruka-sensei, I know it’s a lot shorter than usual, but I cut it as even as I could. Unless you prefer to keep the burnt ends, it looks fine.”
Iruka sighed, “Right. Fine.”
Sakura smiled sympathetically before snickering, “Vanity’s not really your thing, Iruka-sensei.”
Iruka resisted the urge to groan and changed the subject instead, “Is Kakashi here yet?”
“Tch, yeah,” Sakura rolled her eyes, still smiling, “I’ll get him. No doubt he’s hovering right outside the –,” The door sliding open cut her off and they both turned to look.
Kakashi poked his head in and eye-smiled at them, “Now can I come in?”
Sakura took a deep breath and sighed, “At least you waited till we were done,” she turned back to Iruka and started gathering her things, “I’ll be right back with your medicine and then you’re free to go.” She walked out, leaving the two alone, which Iruka wasn’t sure he wanted right then.
It was ridiculous. In Iruka’s first year of teaching, one kid had managed to aim a shurikan so incorrectly that it had sliced through half of Iruka’s ponytail leaving it amazingly lopsided for months and he hadn’t so much as blinked.
Now he just wanted to shove his head into the pillow case because Kakashi was here and Iruka’s hair was as short as it had ever been.
Then Kakashi was suddenly in front of him, looking concerned and studying the bandage over Iruka’s shoulder with a critical eye. He reached out and touched Iruka’s face gently and asked, “How are you?”
“Fine,” Iruka answered immediately, hand twitching to touch his hair but he kept it in his lap, “Just a burn.” The injury didn’t hurt much after Sakura had expertly administered a salve. “My hair got the worst of it,” Iruka finished reluctantly.
He was waiting for the other shoe to drop and he really wished Kakashi would hurry up about it.
“Yeah,” Kakashi said, carefully lifting the bandage Sakura had draped over the burn and inspecting it for himself. Iruka let out a little hiss as it rubbed. Kakashi gave a soft, “Sorry,” and gently laid the bandage back down. Then Kakashi looked back at the door to make sure no one was coming, before quickly pulling down his mask.
Iruka almost jumped when Kakashi leaned in and kissed the top of his head, saying against his newly cropped hair, “Does this mean I get to play doctor?” When Kakashi kissed his mouth next Iruka was too surprised to respond. The Jounin pulled back in confusion, “Iruka?”
Iruka blinked and shook his head a bit before he stuttered, “B-but you . . . my hair . . .” Iruka trailed off lamely, gesturing to his head vaguely while Kakashi looked on in mounting concern.
“Your hair,” Kakashi repeated slowly, frowning and glancing up at the top of Iruka’s head with his good eye and back down, “Oh, well, that’s unfortunate but it could have been a lot worse.” Kakashi’s thumb brushed against the edge of Iruka’s bandage pointedly, careful not to touch the affected skin. Then Kakashi chuckled, “I didn’t realize you were so worried about your hair, Iruka.”
Iruka thought his jaw was rolling around the floor somewhere but that didn’t stop him from sputtering in frustration, “I’m not worried about it, you are! B-because you’re always . . . and-and you said . . . Stop grinning like that, you ass!” Because Kakashi was standing there smiling teasingly. Kakashi held his hands up in a sign of surrender but didn’t stop smiling, which only made Iruka fume more, “And stop acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Kakashi nodded, “Okay,” he soothed, reaching out and cupping Iruka’s face in both hands, fingers trailing into Iruka’s short hair as he said, “Okay, I’m sorry. You’re just being the ridiculous one for once and it’s kind of sweet.”
Iruka honestly wished he could pout longer when Kakashi smiled at him like that. As it was he only lasted a few seconds before he huffed out a breath.
“I’ve had a long day and you’re not making sense. And picking on me,” Iruka grumbled tiredly, but leaned into Kakashi’s hand with one cheek, letting his eyes slip closed. He really was tired. Kakashi rubbed Iruka’s temple with his thumb.
“That sounds like us,” Kakashi muttered sagely, and Iruka felt the Jounin’s lips on his scar.
“You were supposed to be upset about it,” Iruka mumbled, “I was expecting you to be upset.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint,” Kakashi chuckled, “Why, exactly?”
Iruka peaked one eye open, then the other to look at Kakashi warily, “You said . . . because you love my hair.” It sounded incredibly petty when he said it out loud, but there it was, “I don’t know why.”
Kakashi sighed and kissed Iruka’s mouth before he let his face go and sat down on the bed, at Iruka’s uninjured side. Iruka rested his head on Kakashi’s shoulder a little hesitantly.
“I do like your hair,” Kakashi said after a beat, his hand reaching up to card through Iruka’s new short cut, “I love that you let me do this.”
“Not making sense again,” Iruka said sleepily, relaxing as Kakashi rubbed his fingers through his scalp.
Kakashi sighed again, but it sounded more self-conscious than anything, “It’s like a secret you let me in on.”
Iruka’s brow scrunched in confusion, “That’s crazy, anyone else can – “
“I’m the only one you let take it down,” Kakashi interrupted, though he sounded hesitant, “And touch it . . . And steal your hair-ties. I love knowing that if anyone else tried to, you know . . .” Kakashi paused and swept a hand through Iruka’s hair, twirling a short piece around one finger, “You’d probably bite their arm off.”
Iruka finally decided to lift his head so he could see if Kakashi was serious or not. Iruka thought he must be if that red tinge to his face was any indication.
“Oh,” Was all Iruka could think to say for a moment.
“Yeah,” Kakashi said and then his teasing tone was back, “And just to be perfectly transparent here –“
“By the gods, mark a calendar,” Iruka quipped, feeling better now that he could tease back.
“Hush, you,” Kakashi grumbled and continued, “To be clear, I love you for a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with your hair.”
Iruka felt his face heat so he ducked his head, letting it rest once again on Kakashi’s shoulder. A few strands of too short hair fell into his face but before Iruka could blow them back in place Kakashi’s fingers were there, pushing them away. The Jounin’s other arm went around Iruka’s waist, careful not to jostle his burned shoulder, moving so Iruka could lean more comfortably into Kakashi’s chest.
“In the spirit of your newfound transparency,” Iruka mumbled into Kakashi’s flak jacket only for Kakashi to cut in.
“I can’t give you an inch, can I?” Kakashi asked.
“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” Iruka advised and continued as though Kakashi hadn’t spoken, “Would you mind listing a few of those things?”
He felt Kakashi’s chuckle in his chest, “Sure, but you should know at least fifty have to do with your ass.”
Iruka was too comfortable to hit him so he settled for lightly butting his head against Kakashi’s jaw, “You’re lucky I love you back.”
Kakashi’s arm tightened around him and several kisses landed on the top of Iruka’s head.
After a few moments of silence, Kakashi spoke up again, “Iruka?”
“Hm?” Iruka hummed sleepily.
“Where did we land on the whole ‘playing doctor’ thing?”
“You are so, so lucky.”
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A/N: Because I don’t know how to do serious, apparently.
This is an hour’s worth of work on an incredibly boring day at work, so any mistakes are well-earned.