The second time they kissed, Kakashi fell asleep. He’d just returned for a weeklong mission, and when he woke up he found himself covered with a blanket and a plate of food on the counter, covered in tinfoil.

The third time they kissed, Iruka laughed. Kakashi decided that’s when he always wants to kiss Iruka, when he’s laughing, because Kakashi could feel it through his fingertips, against his chest, with his tongue halfway down Iruka’s throat.

The fourth time they kissed, they found themselves in bed. Iruka was late for classes the next day and Kakashi was early meeting Team 7.

The fifth time they kissed, Iruka cried. When Kakashi asked why, Iruka mumbled something about Kakashi being an idiot, and Kakashi laughed.

The sixth time they kissed, they were caught by Iruka’s students. Kakashi had to tackle Iruka to keep the mortified teacher from committing ritual suicide, and Iruka had to use all of his self-restraint to keep from strangling Kakashi.

The seventh time they kissed, it was pouring rain. Kakashi caught a cold from his wet clothes and spent the next three days in Iruka’s bed, whining and pouting, and Iruka spent the next three days trying to keep Kakashi entertained.

The eighth time they kissed, Kakashi left on another mission. He didn’t come home for almost a month, and when he did he found a pale, worn Iruka looking worse than Kakashi. Iruka apologized and Kakashi laughed.

The ninth time they kissed, Kakashi tried to grope Iruka. The teacher punched the copy-nin with everything he had, and Kakashi was left with his right eye a black-eye and wandered about the village more than half-blind for the rest of the week. Iruka laughed.

The tenth time they kissed, Iruka sneezed again. He was leaving on a mission, the first he’d had in a long time, and Kakashi and Pakun were seeing him off. Iruka laughed at his own sneeze, laughed as he walked away, and Kakashi suddenly wished he could kiss Iruka again.

Now it’s the last kiss. Iruka’s laughing and crying, his shoulders shaking, and his lips taste faintly of blood. Kakashi’s calling him an idiot, over and over, and is kissing him gently, desperately. Iruka tries to apologize but Kakashi’s mouth is covering his, and the taste of blood is growing stronger. The teacher decides that eleven kisses weren’t enough, will never be enough. He can’t remember what Kakashi tastes like, and he can’t taste the jounin through all the blood gathering in his mouth, and this makes Iruka sad, makes him cry more.

“Hush, you idiot,” Kakashi whispers as he kisses Iruka again and again. “Hush.”

“My eyes,” Iruka lies as the tears run down his face, “damn allergies.” He tries to kiss Kakashi back but he’s out of breath, can’t breathe, and the blood’s still filling his mouth. He coughs as he laughs, coughs as he cries, coughs and coughs as Kakashi kisses his nose.

“I know,” Kakashi tries to comfort him, “I know. Pakun, he was getting his hair everywhere. Here, I’ll kiss it better,” as he kisses Iruka’s eyes, kisses his tears. Iruka’s quiet now, sobbing laughs fading away, tears slowing to a simple dampness on his cheeks.

“I’m tired,” Iruka sighs through the blood dripping from his mouth. His eyelids are dropping, fluttering.

“Then sleep,” Kakashi says with all gentleness, his hands clutching Iruka tighter and tighter. “Just close your eyes and rest.”

“Kiss me again?” Iruka asks with sleepy innocence. His eyes are closed now, the eyelids given up on the fight to stay open, and his face is lax, stress and pain softening away.

“I’ll kiss you when you wake,” Kakashi assures, smiling the lie into a promise. There’s no answer from Iruka, no smile or laugh, no sobs or hurried kisses. Eleven kisses, far too few, but somehow, just enough.