Remix Title: Sleeping With Eyes Open (The Sleeping Place Remix)
Remix Author: WorstCaseScenario/Taudi
Remixed fic/art title: Sleeping Place
Remixed author/artist: tucuxi
Rating: PG-13
Contains [warnings]: Mild swearing.
Word Count: ~1700

Summary: Iruka is too comfortable with human contact at night.

A/N: Written for the summer round on KakaIru fest on LJ. It was a remix challenge and I got to pick from tucuxi's stories.

I changed it to Kakashi's POV and I chose to keep the original dialogue. Beta'ed by my friend kRan.

Sleeping With Eyes Open

A small breeze softly touched the light curtains through the open window, filling the room with crisp winter air.

Kakashi felt his skin rise in goose bumps. He was lying in bed, which was placed under the window in Iruka's small - cosy was Iruka's word for it – one room apartment.

He had been awake for a couple of hours now, staring silently at the ceiling above him. His body gave an involuntary twitch from time to time, fingers curling in the white sheets.

The cause of his current insomnia was sleeping on blissfully and oblivious. Dark strands of hair tickled Kakashi's shoulder where Iruka was resting his head. His breath was slow and warm... and he was sprawled all over Kakashi like some sort of jelly octopus. Clingy and too damn naive. It didn't happen every time he slept over and unfortunately there wasn't any pattern, so Kakashi had no way of knowing, when he should sleep at his own place. He could choose to always go home, of course, but then he wouldn't get his dark skinned sensei fix and that was too horrible to even think about. When Iruka stayed at his own side of the bed Kakashi would sleep safely, knowing that his instinct would wake him if anything happened and then he could react instantly without being slowed down or afraid that he hurt Iruka unconsciously. He knew he was paranoid. He wouldn't have survived this long if he wasn't.

Since the day he'd seen Iruka sitting on a patch of green grass in the outskirts of Konoha, vest unzipped and peeling an orange, Kakashi had been hooked. Or fallen or lost in the way the sun had glinted in the small sweat drops on Iruka's temple. Whatever. They had never interacted personally. Their talks limited to mission reports, team seven and Naruto's everyday mishaps.

Something about the way the juice of the orange ran down Iruka's slim fingers had been so alluring and it made Kakashi ache. He had had too many close calls in his life, too many undeserved chances, so he wouldn't let something like this go by without at least trying to see, where it would take him. He had gone about the situation in and untraditional way. He never claimed to be ordinary or sane but it hadn't bothered Iruka and they were currently in a place where everything was undefined. It soothed Kakashi fine. They would reach the undying love confessions soon enough.

Kakashi swallowed and dared himself to close his eyes for five seconds. He only heard the low hum of electricity and distant footsteps. He was home, safe behind Konoha's walls but his brain kept saying what if, what if. Iruka was too precious. Too fucking innocent when sleeping, showing Kakashi how much he trusted in him. Kakashi couldn't make himself disturb that. He couldn't make himself move Iruka, too afraid the chunin would wake up and look disapprovingly at Kakashi with those dark eyes. Then there would be no kisses, no touching and no licking that delicious raised ridge across Iruka's nose. Kakashi needed all those things like he needed to read Icha Icha.

So for the fourth night in a row he stayed awake and alert so Iruka could sleep safely.

Iruka was walking in front of him, his hips swaying enticingly. It really was hard for Kakashi to look away. He usually had good control over his Iruka-Observational-Skills but he hadn't slept for days and he was on edge. He had even snapped at Iruka a couple of times.

"Did you wake up on the wrong side of bed, or something?" Iruka had turned his head slightly to the side. His eyes were focusing on Kakashi's shadow.

They were heading from the market to Iruka's place. A part of Kakashijust wanted to curl together on Iruka's bed, nose buried in a pillow, while the chunin cooked dinner, eat and then run his fingers through the brown locks as Iruka fell asleep. Another part needed to call an early night, go home and rest without Iruka keeping him awake. And Kami, the annoyed tone in Iruka's voice pissed him off but he only leveled Iruka with blank stare.

"You're assuming I slept."

Iruka didn't look away. He never did. Kakashi thought Iruka was a very brave man.

"Yes –it was nighttime, you were in bed; did you have too much coffee, or something?"

Kakashi shook his head and sighed inaudibly. "No." Iruka wrinkled his nose and gave him a puzzled look. Kakashi was too exhausted for this, "I can't sleep with you sprawled all over me."

"What, not at all?" He asked incredulous, "I'm not that heavy – we're practically the same weight."

"It's not that." Kakashi answered. He didn't want to talk about this. Regrettably Iruka had a tendency to dig. In a short period of time the sensei had been able to read his moods and counter them – the deflect strategy totally didn't work anymore – Kakashi let him because of because of the way Iruka smelt of peeled oranges and sunlight.

"Well then, what is it?"

They were standing in front of Iruka's door and he shoved the groceries into Kakashi's hands. The keys tingled lightly when Iruka got them out of his pocket. The seasonal key ring, a candy cane, glinted mellowly. He started struggling with the lock, which was obviously frozen. He slipped both bags into his left hand while he waited. The right one was closer to the kunai strapped to his thigh. Be prepared and keep all options open. And maybe it was time to come clear, or forced to, anyway.

"I can't get up with you on top of me."

"You can always push me off." Iruka said, "I know you can. You practically shoved me through the wall the other day."

Yeah, Kakashi wasn't proud of that. Iruka had handled it well and nothing serious happened, though a glimpse of fear in Iruka's eyes had quickly been hidden by a look of surprise. Kakashi didn't like the way Iruka said it so casually. Fear was never a feeling he wanted Iruka to have around him. Well, maybe now was the time to come clear.

"It slows my reaction time too much."

The door chose that moment to open with a loud crack.

"I didn't hear that," Iruka said, "come again?"

Oh, joy.

Kakashi stayed silent while they walked into the apartment and watched Iruka shrug off his coat. He was wearing one of Kakashi's old black turtlenecks; the one with a grey patch on one elbow. He quickly focused on handing the grocery bags to Iruka.

"It slows my reaction time too much." Kakashi finally repeated.

"What?" Iruka asked, his voice a little high. Surprised, like he just been told Kakashi couldn't walk on water. He even laughed a little. The bastard.

"It's not like someone's going to attack you in my bedroom."

Maybe not Kakashi thought. But it could happen. Kakashi would never forgive himself if anything happened to Iruka, who stood there in his narrow kitchen, cheeks flushed pink from the sudden heat. He turned his back to Iruka, suddenly afraid the chuunin would notice his breath quicken.

"You can't know that." He said. Easily hiding the hitch in his voice.

"You really are professionally paranoid." Iruka said, setting the bags on his worn kitchen table to unpack them.

Kami, Kakashi was exhausted, suddenly tired of Iruka's attitude. Couldn't he understand it was all for him?

Not all of us have the luxury of children." Kakashi snapped, "When was the last time iyou/i had an S-class mission?"

Somehow it came out angry. Kakashi regretted it immediately. Iruka took a step closer, taking Kakashi's hand between his own.

I didn't mean it as an insult, you know." He said quietly. Looking at Kakashi's battle scared hands. "And if you don't want me sprawling all over you, then I'll try not to, okay?"

It was something Kakashi had never expected. For the first time he saw Iruka as someone, who would probably understand every weird idiosyncrasy Kakashi would come up with.

Iruka noticed the surprised in Kakashi's eyes, when he looked up.

"How many times have you stayed up all night because of this?"

Kakashi looked away, knowing the action would give Iruka an answer. Too many nights had been wasted. At this moment Kakashi felt like a fool.

"I never noticed."

Kakashi didn't answer. If Kakashi didn't want Iruka to notice he wouldn't. The dark skinned man picked up on that immediately.

"Okay," Iruka said softly, lacing his fingers with Kakashi's gloved ones, "next time something like this happens just tell me." He said. "What did you think I was going to do, chew your off for having the sense to have survival instincts?"

Kakashi looked at Iruka like he knew all the answers to his problems. How idid/i he know? He had hit the nail perfectly. Damn those brown eyes.

Iruka sighed. You wouldn't be here otherwise... and..." Kakashi got soothed by a thumb caressing his palm. Even though he had his gloves on the touch was comforting.

"I kind of like having you around." It was said with a small smile and a shy look to the side. Kakashi saw so much unspoken in that look. Forever was unspoken but it was left hanging undeclared in the air.

"Come on," Iruka said and d tugged on the hand he was still holding, planting a tender kiss above Kakashi's winter cold mask.

"Why don't I remind you. Then we'll see if you can't get some sleep."

Kakashi was perfectly into that idea.

Kakashi woke up suddenly. His body was still throbbing pleasantly.

"Iruka?"

He nudged a brown shoulder gently.

"Wazzat?" Was the sleepy reply and Kakashi, for once, smiled fondly.

"Move over a little. You're sprawling."

Iruka grunted and rolled over, away from Kakashi, who could suddenly breathe easier and berating himself for not having said anything earlier.

For all his inner praising of how perfect the chunin was, he still had a hard time conveying his thoughts and fears.

Kakashi leaned forward a little and laid an open mouthed kiss between Iruka's shoulder blades. It didn't take long for Kakashi's eyes to flutter close, feeling sleep dragging him under.

He fell asleep with lips still attached to Iruka's skin, knowing he was free enough to protect him from anything. Anyone.

End.