Ryouma blinked once, eyelashes sooty against his skin, and then his smile relaxed into something more genuine. “Someday I’ll catch up.”

“That would make the captain notice you,” Kakashi said, in case Ryouma thought he’d forgotten.

“Screw you, Hatake,” Ryouma said amiably. He smirked. “Or not. Either way.”

Kakashi was done awarding points; he was still too hot behind his mask, and his pulse hadn’t finished climbing back down from a dull whine. He flipped Ryouma off one-handed and went to the bed, where Naruto had wrapped himself vine-like around one of the navy blue pillows. Kakashi untangled the collection of clinging limbs and lifted Naruto up; immediately, Naruto flung his arms around Kakashi’s neck, and settled down with the obvious intention of drooling comfortably against Kakashi’s collarbone.

That, at least, was familiar.

Kakashi glanced at Ryouma, who was still watching him. “Rest, eat,” Kakashi said. “I’m not nurse-maiding you anymore, so try not to die in your sleep.”

He expected Ryouma to snark at him, but Ryouma’s foot slipped down from the wall, and his expression softened, eyes glancing between Naruto’s rumpled head and Kakashi’s face. Long fingers flicked against the tattoo hidden beneath a t-shirt sleeve, offering back the ANBU salute. “You, too,” Ryouma said.

Some day, Kakashi was going to get used to the razor-fast flipping of emotion that Ryouma was so good at, and maybe even understand it, but today he was just ready to leave. He nodded once, reached the door, and made his escape.

Naruto stayed asleep for the entire short journey back to Kakashi’s room, and barely stirred when Kakashi tucked him back into bed, drawing the shuriken-patterned blanket all the way up under Naruto’s chin. It was still only the middle of the afternoon; the sun was bright behind the blinds, sinking golden and warm towards the evening. But Naruto had the shadow-eyed look about him that suggested he’d been running for four days on bad sleep and high worries, waiting for his people to turn up alive. He’d probably sleep until well after dark, and maybe even through to the morning, if Kakashi was lucky.

If he didn’t have more nightmares about demons.

Which, given the last mission, perhaps Kakashi really needed to pay more attention to Naruto’s dreams.

He shelved the thought and changed into sleepwear, trading the red shirt and black training pants for slouchy sweatpants and a faded, comfortable t-shirt. The black bandage strip unwound easily, freeing the Sharingan; though Kakashi still kept it closed, since he didn’t plan on collapsing at the very end of the mission, after managing to stay upright the whole way through. The mask went last, folded neatly onto the window-ledge next to his potted plant, alarm clock, the framed picture of Team Minato, and the new demon tooth, which gleamed pale in the slotted sunlight. He rubbed both hands over his bare face, feeling out the faintly sore edges of the cheekbone bruise Raidou, Ryouma, and the demon-mother’s armored back had managed to contribute to. Stubble rasped lightly beneath his fingertips; he’d shaved in the shower, but apparently not well.

Another task for tomorrow.

He slipped beneath the covers, pushing Naruto over. It took less then ten seconds for the little body to orbit back towards him, going for the grab-and-cling. Worse than a limpet, but welcome all the same. Tomorrow, he’d see about reinstalling Naruto into his own rooms at the palace. Maybe ANBU would also allow Kakashi to relocate for a day or two, since he’d still be staying within the village, and performing a duty ANBU was supposed to do anyway. He could be on-call just as well at the base of the monument as he could on top of it.

And a day out of Ryouma’s radius wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Kakashi thought once more about hot breath against his ear, a calloused thumb brushing his hipbone, d’you top or bottom?, and yanked a pillow down over his face to drown the embarrassed groan. He fell asleep with the pillow still there, and Naruto’s socked heels kicking him gently in the ribs.

He didn’t dream, about demons or otherwise.