Ginta digested Kakashi's words, carefully packaging and repackaging the things he knew, the things he'd guessed, the rumors he'd heard, until it all lined up evenly. He met Kakashi's gaze steadily -- I see you. I know you. -- and let the corners of his mouth twitch up into a wry smile. "You like to be efficient with things, don't you, Genius? I should have taken a lesson from you. I did the crush on a married man, the crush on a straight man, and the crush on my sensei all separately."

Kakashi sat back abruptly, with a look of... of surprise, Ginta realized. Then he ducked his head down, hiding faintly-flushed, masked cheeks, dragging one strong, scarred hand through his hair, over his eyes, and laughed. A rough chuckle that held more irony than amusement. "I'm very special," he said quietly.

"You are," Ginta agreed. He reached out for the other man's arm, tugging Kakashi's hand away from his face. "It's one of your charm points." Ginta's laugh had a similar complexity to Kakashi's, full of irony and self-awareness, tinged with genuine humor.

Kakashi's hand closed around Ginta's forearm in a grip as strong as a sailor's on the spar of a storm-tossed ship. The grip of a man trying not to be swept overboard. His expression wavered, almost lost, and his eye creased, turning bright under long lashes.

"Didn't we just have that conversation about what big boys don't do?" Ginta asked hoarsely. He was acutely aware of his heartbeat, of a knot in his throat that he couldn't quite swallow. He took a deep, sighing breath and scooted over on the bed a little more, making room for Kakashi next to him, if Kakashi wanted to take it.

"If your Intel buddies can get any closer than mine have, I'll be surprised. I'm pretty sure Sandaime-sama is in on the whole conspiracy. Anyway, it can wait. It's not like I'd be a better ninja if I knew. Maybe I'd be worse. Maybe it's better if I just hold onto the fantasy that you and I are half-brothers. Sort of." He laughed and looked at the empty space next to him. "That didn't make sense, did it?"