Work Text:
“Mama! Mama, look!”
Iruka runs up the back porch steps, Miso hot on his heels. His booted feet thump loudly on the wood as he slams into the back door just as his mother was opening it, causing him to fall backwards. Luckily, his thick coat cushioned his fall and, as any six year-old would, brushes off the pain easily in his excitement.
“Iruka! What are you doing, silly boy?” his mother laughs at him, bending down to help him stand.
Iruka grins and swings his hands around him, Miso wagging his tail and licking his face happily, the shepherd dog as tall as his head. “Look! I can see my breath!” Iruka’s face concentrates as he opens his mouth and lets out a warm breath causing the air in front of his face to fog in the cold morning air.
“Wow! Look at that, little dolphin. Here, let me try,” Kohari bends down and lets out her own puff of air, making Iruka laugh in his delightment.
“It’s so cold here!” Iruka chirps, looking out into the snow of their backyard. It’s so thick and fluffy! And pretty! Everywhere the sun touches it glitters, making Iruka want to run and play all day in it. He won’t care if he gets cold! It never snowed on their island!
The sound of a sliding glass door opening from next door catches his attention, along with the accompanying barks and dogs running out into the morning air. Iruka gasps and spins to his mother, wrapping his arms around her thighs and pleading up to her. “Mom can I go show Kakashi and see if he wants to play with me pretty pretty please with a candy on top?”
Kohari gives her son a wry look. “I’m not sure Kakashi would appreciate you waking him up so early. He just got home last night.”
Iruka pulls back, offended. “Kakashi told me that I can come over whenever I wanted!”
Kohari laughs at him and ruffles his hair under his fur-lined hood. She walks to the edge of the porch and calls out over the fence. “Hey old man! My kid wants to see your kid!”
There are steps on the other side of the fence before Sakumo’s head peaks over the top, smiling. “He’s still asleep, but I am about to start breakfast. Come on over, pup.”
Sakumo leans over the edge, holding his hands out for Iruka.
“Just until I finish getting ready, Iruka!”
“Okay! Thanks mama I love you bye!” Iruka jumps off the porch, landing in the snow and sinking down at least three inches. He giggles, making his way over to Sakumo to grab his hands and be pulled over to the other side.
As soon as Sakumo sets him down, he is surrounded by the excited faces of six dogs all trying to greet him. Iruka laughs and pets each and every one, telling them good morning. He half-hears Sakumo talking with his mother behind him as he darts across the yard and up the steps inside the house, yanking off his boots on the mat inside. As he runs to where he knows Kakashi’s bedroom is, he drops his coat on the floor, struggling at it for a moment before it finally falls off his shoulders in the middle of the hallway.
His footsteps are loud as he runs to the room and he doesn’t bother to quiet them, opening Kakashi’s door like it’s his own. “Kashi!” he cries out and climbs up onto the bed.
Kakashi groans from under the blanket. “Too early,” the boy croaks out, burrowing deeper.
“Kashi it snowed and it’s so pretty and I’ve never seen it before! It never snowed back home you know it only rained and rained and sometimes it got sort of cold? But it’s not bad at all! Ma said I should be careful or my fingers would fall off from being frozen but look! I’ve been out there all morning and I have them all still!”
Next to him, Kakashi sighs before relenting to the child’s antics and pulling the covers down. “Is Dad making breakfast already?”
“Yep! Are you awake now?”
“What do you think?” Kakashi gives him a glare before talking Iruka to the bed and ticking at his sides. Iruka hollars with laughter, choking on his own breath and kicking out to escape.
“No! K-Kashi! Too-too much!” Iruka’s laughter trails off into giggles as he tries to catch his breath, looking up at Kakashi’s smiling face. “So you’ll play with me?”
“Yes, Iruka. I’ll play with you,” Kakashi slides out of the bed, wearing his usual sweatpants and hoodie Iruka had picked out for his birthday earlier that year. It was blue and had white paw prints running down each arm. Iruka thought it was perfect and it made him very happy to see his best friend wear it!
Iruka runs ahead of him into the kitchen just as Saskumo enters from the back door. “I see you awakened the troll.”
Iruka giggles as he takes his usual seat at the table--it had a special little booster just for him and everything, splattered with stickers Iruka had gotten from school to make it even more special. “Kashi is not a troll! Trolls are big and scary and eat little kids and live in the dirt!”
Sakumo laughs as he begins to serve the breakfast onto their plates, setting them on the table along with glasses of juice and tea. “Here that, Kashi? Apparently you aren’t big or scary at all.”
Kakashi rolls his eyes, ignoring the juice his father sets in front of him and instead drinking straight from the coffee carafe. Iruka digs into his food, suddenly starving. He hums between bites of the tasty food, happy. He likes starting his mornings like this very much and he’d missed Kakashi while he was gone on his mission even more. Iruka’s papa is on a mission now, too, having left last night, and he would be sadder about it but his best friend is here to make it better, so it’s okay!
When he finishes with his plate he tries to wait patiently at the table just like his mama taught him, listening to the voices of Kakashi and Sakumo but he doesn’t really understand what they’re talking about. Something about a new law the Hokage is trying to pass or something. He jerks in surprise at something cold touching his foot before grinning down at Chi-Chi, the small terrier Iruka likes to play fetch with the most, because she will go and bring the ball back every single time.
Sakumo notices Iruka’s focus waning and tugs on his little ponytail. “Why don’t you take her outside and play? Kakashi will come out when he’s done.”
Iruka perks up, looking at Kakashi, who sighs but nods. Iruka grins, triumphant and hops off of his chair to the back door. He has one shoe on before he pauses, taking it off and running back to grab his plate and put it by the sink on the kitchen counter. He stops by Sakumo to give him a big hug. “Thank you for breakfast!”
“Your welcome, pup,” Sakumo smiles at the boy and pats his head.
“I love you! Don’t take too long Kashi!” Iruka calls out from behind him and runs down the hallway to put his snow gear back on, Chi-chi waiting patiently next to his shoes.
“Love you too!” Sakumo’s voice rings down the hallway.
Iruka laughs as he runs out the door, Chi-Chi behind him. The other dogs perk up their heads from where they had been lounging on the porch in a circle around the heater, but otherwise stay put. Iruka digs into the toy bucket sitting on the edge of the porch, finding a tennis ball and tossing it out into the yard as far as he could.
He runs after Chi-Chi as she gives chase, flinging snow up into the air as she dives to catch the ball. She runs in a full circle around the yard before coming back to Iruka. “Good girl!” he coos at her, taking the ball from her jaws and petting her enthusiastically. “Ok, get this one!” He lobs the ball with as much force as he can muster straight to the fence where it bounces off and back into the yard, causing Chi-chi to divot and fall into the snow in her haste to reach it.
Iruka laughs, squatting to pick up some snow between his gloves to make a ball. When Chi-Chi comes back, they do it all over again, and by the time Kakashi finally comes out, Iruka has ten snow balls lined up in two neat lines next to him.
When he looks up at the ten year old walking down the steps, Iruka laughs obnoxiously. “You look like a marshmallow!” Kakashi gives him a look of utter disdain, his face barely visible behind the fur-lined hood of his puffy white coat and dark blue scarf. The coat goes down to his knees and meets a pair of boots with more fur sticking out from the insides.
“I don’t like the cold,” Kakashi squats next to him, observing his neat lines. “You want to have a snowball fight?”
Iruka looks at Kakashi in offense. “Fight! I don’t want to fight with you! I love you!”
Kakashi’s cheeks go pink but he doesn’t move away. “Then what are they for?”
“I’m going to throw them for Chi-chi, duh,” Iruka takes a ball and calls out to the dog in question, who had been sniffing the tree at the edge of the yard. “Hey girl! Catch this!” Iruka throws the snowball with a huff. Chi-chi runs over and jumps up into the air to catch it, but it disperses in a flurry of white when she does so, making her sneeze and shake her head vigorously. Iruka doubles over in laughter. “Did you see that? Chi-Chi, did you like that? You want more?”
Chi-Chi barks, her tail wagging. Iruka throws her another and another until all the balls are gone. Tired, Iruka falls on his back in the snow, panting a little. He’s having so much fun! He looks over at Kakashi, still squatting in the snow and huddled in on himself. Iruka could look at Kakashi all day. His favorite part about Kakashi is his scar, because Iruka has one on his face, too, and it makes it easier to ignore the bullies at school because he matches with one of the bestest shinobi of the village. He thinks it's very cool that he and his dad have matching white hair. He matches with his parents, too, but he thinks it would be way cooler if his hair was a pretty color. Like pink!
“You want to make a snow angel?” Kakashi asks him. Iruka blinks himself back to attention at the question.
“Snow angel? What’s that?”
“Here,” Kakashi shifts until he’s flat on his back, arms and legs stretched out. He moves them along the snow before standing up very carefully. Iruka looks down at the snow with disappointment.
“I don’t see it!” he pouts up at Kakashi, who chuckles and grabs his hand to pull him to the other side for a better view.
“Oh!” Iruka smiles excitedly, dropping down onto his back right where he stood to try. He rushes through it and stands, but it doesn’t look the same at all!
“Iruka,” Kakashi laughs. “You don’t have to rush through it. And don’t stand up so fast or you’ll step all over it. I’ll help you, go try again.” Iruka picks a new spot and lies down to try again. This time, he is much slower and careful, determined to follow Kakashi’s instructions.
“Like this?”
“Good job,” Kakashi gives him a thumbs up before holding out a hand. Iruka grabs hold onto him with both of his much smaller hands, giggling as Kakashi pulls him up, knees locked and stiff. When he turns around, his snow angel is perfect! Iruka is so excited about it he has Kakashi help him with five more.
“Iruka! It’s time to leave for school!” his mother’s voice calls from the other side of the fence.
Iruka whines from his spot on the ground. “Five more minutes!” he yells back.
“Now!”
Kakashi pulls Iruka up from his angel for the last time and helps brush off the snow. “Why can’t you come to the Academy with me, Kashi?” Iruka pouts up at the older boy and holds his hands up as usual for Kakashi to pick him up, which he does.
“I already graduated,” Kakashi takes a few steps before bending his knees and jumping over the fence. Iruka whoops on the descent, forgetting for a moment that he has to leave for school.
“Come on, little dolphin, You can play with Kashi, later, okay?” Kohari stands on the porch in her full uniform, having changed from her pajamas while Iruka was playing next door.
“But mama--”
“Iruka,” his mother uses her Serious Voice and Iruka pouts. He turns to Kakashi to give him one last hug.
“This is why we should get married, Kashi!” he squeezes his best friend with all his might, not wanting to let go at all.
His mother barks out a laugh behind him. Iruka whirls on her, tears in his eyes. “It’s not funny! You said you and papa love each other and being married means you love each other and get to stay together forever! I want to stay with Kakashi forever and then that way I don’t have to leave!”
Iruka spins to Kakashi and grabs his coat, pleading up at the boy. “You love me don’t you Kakashi?”
Kakashi’s face is a very weird and bright shade of red, covering his whole face and down to his neck. He brings his hands up to cover his face with a groan. Iruka feels his eyes water even more and lets go, crying now.
“Oh honey, we do this every time. You’ll see him after school, okay? Don’t you want to be strong like Kakashi and take on missions? Maybe you can be his teammate one day. Wouldn’t you like that?”
Iruka hiccups, sniffing slightly as his mother squats in front of him and begins to wipe away his tears with gloved hands. “Yes,” he chokes out.
“Doesn’t he have to finish school first though, Kakashi?” Kohari looks up at the boy beside them, whose face has lost some of its red color, now a light pink that could be attributed to the cold, but wasn’t.
“Your mama is right, Iruka. You can’t become a shinobi until you graduate. So you gotta go, okay? I can pick you up and we can go to the park later if you’re good.” At Kakashi’s words, Iruka calms down even more. He looks up at his friend with teary eyes.
“You promise?”
Kakashi smiles down at him and sticks out his pinky finger for Iruka to curl his own around. “Pinky promise.”
Iruka grins, happy again. “Okay! But can we get some dango too? The coconut ones by the book store!”
“Sure, little dolphin. But only if you’re good! I don’t want to hear from your sensei you were playing around again!”
“I won’t! I promise! Pinky promise!”
They walk the path to the side gate of the house to leave, but before they do, Iruka turns around to wave at Kakashi. “Bye! See you after school! I love you!”
Kakashi waves at him. Iruka stops to glare at him. Kakashi sighs. “I love you too, Iruka,” he finally relents.
Iruka smiles with all his teeth and walks out of the gate with his mom holding his hand.