Who gets the most emotionally invested when reading a book, watching a movie, etc.?
I think it depends on the media. When watching movies, I think Iruka gets more invested in the story and quickly grows attached to the characters (Kakashi is probably too distracted massaging Iruka, enjoying the cuddle with Iruka, etc. to really get invested in the movie XD); but when it comes to reading, I think Kakashi finds it easier to get lost in the story’s world and relate to the characters.
I think they express their emotional investment differently, too. Iruka will cry at moments he finds sad or particularly sweet (Kakashi has since learnt to never rent or suggest movies where he suspects a dog may die in it, or Iruka will be a mess for ages), and he’ll yell at the TV when a character does something dumb in a horror movie; whereas Kakashi will get emotional silently.
Iruka always knows when a book has really struck his heart, because when Kakashi finishes it, he’ll be sitting or lying down, book closed, staring off into space with a very blank expression on his face, like his soul has left his body; and only when he has processed what he’s just read, will his soul return. But no matter how much time passes, he will never be completely the same; because when a book has really struck Kakashi’s heart, it has taken a piece of it, too. 
What are your thoughts?
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Yes Kakashi definitely gets more attached to written stories. Also he hates spoilers so he’s always trying to get a copy of a book he’s interested in right away to get the spoilers out of the way.
When they talk about maybe going to see a movie, he’ll check if the movie has a book version and he’ll read that first before going to see the movie with Iruka… Then when they’re done he’ll insist the book was better lol
Iruka likes books too but his reading time is more dedicated to academic texts since he started teaching. When he does read novels though, he finds himself often being critical of the characters’ choices and actions in the stories.
This is why the cheesy romances Kakashi devours doesn’t impress Iruka so much. “Why would the hero suddenly fall in love with the woman that burned down his village?” Kakashi would argue that it’s an ‘enemies to lovers’ trope, and then Iruka would list down all the things the plot did not address to make sense for the characters to end up together.
It’s a debate that Kakashi seldom wins because he mostly just reads for escapism and he’s not critical of the plot.
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AHH The spoiler thing just reminded me of one of the first fics I ever wrote! It was for KakaIru Week 2019, and the prompt was books; and the fic is about Iruka teasing Kakashi with book spoilers to get him to behave & finish his work! It’s here (teen & up, no CW, 2.4k words) if you want to check it out.
I like that idea - Kakashi definitely would read the books before the movie; and I bet he does it so he knows what’s going to happen so he can avoid those spoilers XD
You’re absolutely right about Iruka! Though I think part of the reason he’s so critical about the plot or character’s decisions would be because he’s used to being so analytical when he has to read, and analysing the plot, character’s decisions, etc. just comes naturally to him bc of his academic practice.
He still enjoys the books, but not in a completely carefree way; and I think that, too, would also mean he reads a bit slower than Kakashi, because he’s taking the time to really think about the story (even if he doesn’t mean to!).
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Concuerdo con que Iruka sería más crítico con el libro que caiga en sus manos.
Y Kakashi amaría todo lo del libro, tal y como se lo den. A pesar de las fallas en la narrativa que Iruka amablemente le muestre, no dudaría en categorizar al libro como una obra maestra XD
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