Time is a funny thing. Some moments drag out while others slide by in the null space between two heartbeats. The hours between midnight and dawn most certainly did not fall into the later category.

The words on the page between his hands blurred for the third time in the last five minutes, and he scrubbed the heel of his hand against his eyes before shaking his head violently. Only two hours into his shift, and he was already fading fast.

Caffeine. Coffee would fix everything.

The brightly lit, deserted mission room was a stark contrast to the shadowy hallway, and he stepped out hesitantly, pausing on the threshold to allow his eyes to adjust. The lights were on in the kitchenette at the far end of the hallway, but the dark expanse between the two seemed to stretch the longer he looked at it. Unfortunately, the only light switch was at the other end.

Not to mention that the old pipes in the walls clanked at odd intervals and the settling of the building tended to make the floors creak in a manner decidedly reminiscent of footsteps.

The trip between mission room and kitchenette took decidedly less time than it usually did.

A thin pool of dregs still remained in the bottom of the coffee pot, and he eyed it warily before deciding that he could survive the wait to make more. He leaned against the counter as it started brewing, dozing in the heat of the kitchen.

It was decidedly stupid to staff the mission desk in the middle of the night. Even if someone returned from their mission now, they were more likely to go home rather than take the time to complete and deliver their reports. But it paid and, with the right intake of caffeine and sugar, was not completely horrendous.

Speaking of caffeine and sugar, there was finally enough coffee in the bottom of the pot to fill a cup. He switched the pots quickly, since it was still brewing, and dumped the coffee along with a good portion of the communal box of sweetener sitting on above the coffee maker.

"Are you working the mission desk?"

The unexpected voice made him jump. Scalding coffee sloshed over his hand and he cursed under his breath. "Are you insane?" He snapped, shoving his burnt fingers under the tap and fishing in the lower cabinets for paper towels with the other. "You shouldn't sneak up on people. Honestly, didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

Satisfied that he'd thoroughly soaked the injury, he finally turned towards the intruder. The words died in his throat. Shit. "Kakashi…."

Given the circumstances, he figured he should just be grateful he hadn't screamed like a little girl. Kakashi didn't need any more ammunition against him.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Golden light was just beginning to filter over the tops of the trees as he staggered home. An enormous yawn threatened to crack his jaw, and after several tries, he managed to find the correct key among the multitude on his key ring and fumbled with the sticky lock.

Hands dropped onto his waist, and he shrieked. The keys clattered across the floor followed quickly by the stack of homework he'd been carrying.

"Maa, sensei, I would never have figured you for the jumpy type." The words were whispered directly into his ear followed by a soft, self-amused snicker.

He tried to slam an elbow into Kakashi's ribs, only to be blocked by a swift hand. "Damnit, Kakashi! What did I say earlier about sneaking up on people! I have been up for the last eighteen hours, and all I want to do is go into my house and go to sleep." A brief struggle solidified his suspicion that Kakashi would not let him go. "And I would do that, except that you made me drop my keys! My...keys..."

The floor around their feet was devoid of any sign of the aforementioned keys.

"Oh, no." Iruka groaned. From this angle, he could just make out a metallic flash through one of the cracks in the floorboards. A variety of things had fallen through the floor during the lifetime of this building, but most of them had not been crucial and, as such, had been sacrificed to the god of the apartment building.

The crack was far to small to fit his hand into, and he knew from long experience that the open space between the floorboards and the ceiling of the room below was just longer than his fingers. He swore again, exhaustion making him far testier than usual.

"I do have a very comfortable bed at my place, you know." Kakashi suggested innocently, releasing his grip on Iruka's elbow in favor of looping his arms around his waist. "In fact, I seem to remember you commenting on it last time we..."

Iruka clapped a hand over Kakshi's mouth to forestall any further insinuations. He could just break into his apartment through the window, but that would involve climbing the outer wall, and he was so very tired. "Fine."

The floor tilted to an interesting angle, and the hallway surrounding them dissolved, only to reform into the familiar surroundings of Kakashi's bedroom. Iruka shoved out of his arms and collapsed face first into the welcoming embrace of the comforter. After a short battle with his vest, headband and shoes, he crawled under the blankets.

The bed creaked under Kakashi's weight, and he slipped beneath the covers, curling his arms around Iruka and wedging himself up against his back.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I thought that would be obvious." His words were muffled by Iruka's shoulder.

Sleep slowly started to claim him, but a sudden thought brought him partially back to consciousness. "Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"If you transported us here, couldn't you have just brought me into my own apartment?" He craned his head around to look at Kakashi.

"Couldn't you?"

That option, so obvious now, hadn't even crossed his mind. He blamed his oversight on the lack of sleep.

It certainly had nothing to do with the warm body wrapped around him.

OOOOOOOOO

Written quite quickly, hope it doesn't suck too much. ^^ First part is based on a true story, and no, I did not scream like a little girl. It was a close call, though.