Simply End... End

Kakashi watched his lover move silently around the apartment. He didn't bother trying to talk to him, becuase Iruka hadn't said much in the past few days, and he seemed happier when Kakashi didn't try. So instead he'd taken to just watching him, and anticipating his needs, bringing him tea or food or helping him with tasks without any conversation about it passing between them.

He'd seemed fine when they let Genma's house after the cleaning party, but things had gone downhill from there. At first he'd tried to deny it, but Kakashi knew him well enough by now that it wasn't going to work. So finally Iruka had leveled serious brown eyes at him and said, "I'm going to be okay, and I want to be with you, and I'm happy with that choice, but this tore me up more than I expected."

Kakashi had been taken aback by the simplicity of the confession, the honesty of it, and since then he'd simply been doing his best to make things easier for Iruka. Now he was starting to think it was time to really do something to help, though, so he stopped Iruka in the hallway, taking in the disheveled look, the hair that he was pretty sure hadn't been washed, in fact... he didn't think he'd seen Iruka shower. Sighing, he reached out a hand and said, "Touch me."

Iruka's eyes grew wide, and he stared at his lover, standing there in the hallway of their apartment, looking just as lazy and clever as ever, smiling at him as if he'd just answered every question, changed everything. The chuunin snorted, batted Kakashi's hand away, and said, "Say it when you mean it, not just to make me feel better. This isn't three years ago, I don't need you to save me, Kakashi." He stomped out of the apartment, and all Kakashi could do was watch him go. Again. Only this time he knew, whatever had been said, between a shadow of a doubt, his Iruka would always come back to him.

The knock on the door roused Genma immediately, but it took a moment for him to actually get up and force himself to go answer it. He couldn't think of anyone he really wanted to see at the moment, having spent the past couple of days pretty much inundated with visitors. Kakashi had come by once, alone, and that had been kind of nice. Aoba had been there, once he could be convinced that neither Kotetsu, Izumo, nor Iruka would be around. And Kotetsu and Izumo had been there several times, which still boggled his mind in a way. "Weird little monkeys", he whispered aloud, thinking of them, and the words seemed to hold more fondness every single time he said them.

Still, his visitor of the moment had caught him having actually gone to bed early for once, and he wasn't sure he was happy with that. So he took his time getting up and going to the door, walking slowly past the scarf that still hung in his entryway, one of very few items of Raidou's that he hadn't packed up and let Anko take home with her to give to his former lover. He had seen him a couple of times now, around the mission room and such, and they also spoke politely without really saying anything.

I miss you, Raidou. I miss my friend, if nothing else. "He's here, that's him outside my door," Genma said suddenly, sure of it. He was half-tempted to turn around and not answer it, but instead he simply sighed, and called out, "Yes, Rai, I'm coming." then gave himself a minute to stand behind the door and compose himself before opening it.

The scarred face that met his eyes when he opened it bore a huge smile, and Genma couldn't help but be surprised. "Erm... did you want to come in?" he said shakily, stepping aside to let him in.

"Yes, Gen-chan, I would very much like to come in," replied Raidou lightly. He breezed past Genma in a manner that wasn't at all like his normal walk, an added grace that caught his oldest friend off guard. But Genma said nothing as Raidou took off his shoes and moved through the hallway, then waltzed right into the living room as if he still lived there and flopped on the leather couch.

Genma followed, feeling awkward suddenly in his own home. He moved as if to take a seat in the living room floor, but as he passed the couch, Raidou snaked an arm out and pulled him onto it, settling him in his lap. When he opened his mouth to speak, the bigger man shook his head.

"No, I talk, you listen. New rule... you've done enough talking in the time I've known you for a million lifetimes or so, and I've been cheating myself out of chances to let you know how I feel, and that's what went wrong the first time. I'm not going back, Genma, not coming back to you, do you hear me? Never." A strong arm wrapped around the other man's waist though, and Raidou leaned his head forward against Genma's back, his actions and his words not matching up.

Genma was trying not to cry, confused by the strange mix of actions and words. He wanted to interrupt and ask what the hell Raidou was doing, what was going on, but he was determined to be respectful of Raidou's need just to be listened to, so he merely waited and took deep breaths, wishing he had a senbon, wishing he hadn't answered the door, something.

The calm voice continued. "I'm sure Ruka-kun told you that he helped me find an apartment. I like my new apartment quite a bit actually, and I plan to actually live there. So don't bother bugging me to come live with you, because I won't, not for a long while at least."

Come live with me, why would I ask him to come live with me? We're not together anymore... Suddenly it dawned on him what Raidou was saying, and he managed to twist himself around to look into the beloved dark eyes, still not speaking, just looking. He reached out a shaky hand to lay it on the scarred portion of Raidou's face, and rather than jerking away, the big man smiled at him softly and nodded.

"I came here to ask you on a date. A real date, a starting-over date. I think... what I'd like is for you and I to just date casually for a while, in the way we never really did because we started out so seriously, and just see where it goes. Do you think... that would be okay?"

"Of course it would, Rai, I... I'd really like that," Genma said softly. "I know things didn't come out quite right before, but I want you to know that I really am trying my best now, and... no, not just that, I'm not just trying my best, I'm doing it. I'm creating a life for myself that is my own, that doesn't already belong to someone else, or exist for someone else's sake. I have room for all my friends in that life, and in my home, and within my heart, but I'm never going to let myself only exist for someone else's sake again, Raidou. But, you know... that includes you too."

And Raidou was smiling at him brilliantly, and leaning forward to drop a soft chaste kiss on his cheek. "Yes, Genma, I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Two days had passed since the day in the hallway when he'd made his mistake, and Kakashi hadn't seen his lover at all. He wasn't worried, because each time he came home there would be things moved around, and a note that said "Love you" and "Soon" on it. He was pretty happy with the situation, all-in-all, because for one thing he knew exactly where Iruka wasn't, if not where he was.

It was almost midnight when he walked out the apartment door and bumped into the ponytailed man, looking up in surprise. "I was just leaving," he said softly, trying to walk past Iruka, giving him his space.

The tan face broke into a smile, and one arm slid it's way around Kakashi's waist as they walked together out of the apartment building. "I know, I want to come with you, wherever you're going. Sorry for the pouting, I just needed to get it out of my system. I hope you weren't worried."

An answering smile found it's way to Kakashi's face, and he said, "No, not worried at all, actually. If anything bad had happened to you, I would have heard, and... I was just waiting for you, that's all. You're ready to really come home now?"

Iruka stopped right there in the street, standing still, and reached out a tentative hand to touch Kakashi's cheek. "Yeah, I'm ready now. Finally."

So Kakashi looped an arm around his lover, and turned them around, leading them back into the building to stand before their apartment door. He watched mesmerized as Iruka took out his key, put it in the lock, and poured chakra into it to deactivate the traps. Because in the end, it was those simple little things that defined their lives, and as they stepped back into the apartment together, Iruka leaned forward and kissed him, letting him know that he too understood that.

END