Chapter Text
Kakashi was very pleased with himself. He had just thwarted his student’s attempt at seeing his face again. It was amusing how determined they were, but it was also annoying. He took this as a training exercise though. If they were to become the kind of shinobi that Kakashi hoped, they would have to improve their stealth by a lot. But at least their teamwork was getting better.
As it stood, Kakashi was the winner of this battle. Well, Sukea was the winner he supposed. He was in his most used disguise, Sukea, the journalist and photographer. Sukea was a brunette with hazel eyes who was constantly stopped and complimented on his handsome mug. He hid his distinguishing scar on his eye with purple face markings, but that was the only thing he hid. It felt amazing to walk around the village with his face exposed, but with no one to make a big deal of it. He was just a regular ninja now, well an extremely handsome regular ninja. He could talk to anyone any way he wished.
Kakashi was walking by the academy on his way home when he noticed Iruka collecting loose papers off the ground. A couple flew away from him on the gentle breeze while he was crouched down picking up their compatriots.
Kakashi was downwind and was able to snatch the fluttering sheets before they could pass him on their escape. He approached Iruka as the teacher was standing up. He was looking right at Kakashi, without a look of recognition. Iruka smiled at him, like Kakashi saw Iruka smile at other strangers.
Iruka use to smile at Kakashi like that. Before he nominated his students to the chuunin exams last week. Now, Iruka had accepted that decision, but he felt the tension in Iruka whenever he was around. He didn’t smile at Kakashi this way anymore.
Iruka use to look at him with respect, genuinely happy his students were training under such a strong jounin, Kakashi wasn’t sure he would ever get that look again. It was nice to go back to this kind smile, without the extra baggage, Iruka use to give him back before they really knew one another.
“Thank you,” Iruka said as he approached, bowing low and taking the papers from Kakashi’s extended hand. He finished placing the pages with the others, safely tucked in his satchel. “I’m Iruka, nice to meet you...” Iruka extended his hand for a shake waiting for a name in return.
Kakashi looked at the hand and the open face. Iruka looked so nice with a soft smile crinkling the scar across his nose. Maybe he could have some fun with this disguise that wouldn’t exhaust his chakra.
“Sukea,” Kakashi said his alias with ease, voice registering a couple bars higher than his natural one, taking Iruka’s hand in his gently, not like he was going to shake it at all. “The pleasure is entirely mine.” He finished with one of his favorite lines from Icha Icha before bringing Iruka’s hand to his lips and kissing the top of his knuckles.
Iruka gapped, but he didn’t pull away.
“Umm, I’m… sure…” Iruka stammered out, blushing hotly. He took his hand back at that, slowly, unsure of what he was supposed to do next. Kakashi internally smirked at the blush. It looked nice dusting those dark cheeks.
Kakashi didn’t let Iruka flounder long before continuing, “in fact, if you are looking for a proper way to thank me, I would love it if you would let me take you out for dinner.”
Was it possible for Iruka to blush more? Kakashi was hoping he would find that out very soon. He didn’t know Iruka well, only having talked with him a couple times. Mostly their interactions were brief in the mission room, before the chuunin nomination blowout that is. Kakashi had liked Iruka’s determined, passionate speech, it showed he cared for the children. It had enraged Kakashi at the time, wondering who had cared when he was nominated for the same deadly exams at 6. He should not have said what he said regardless, and he had been beating himself up over it all week.
“Are you free any night this week, Iruka? I would love to treat you.” Kakashi knew that Iruka found him cute by his blush; clearly not in disgust. He could get a date out of this and ‘make up’ for his harsh words to the sensei during the exam nomination. Win-win.
Iruka looked down the street in both directions. It was empty within 20 feet of their location. He looked highly suspicious, but still answered with, “I’m free tomorrow evening if you are.”
Kakashi mentally fist pumped. “I would clear even a meeting with our esteemed Sandaime-sama for you.” Kakashi suavely replied, channeling his Icha Icha hero.
“Well, I hope that isn’t the case, or I would kindly ask you to reschedule me instead.” Iruka smiled, though he sounded very serious. How had Kakashi not noticed how cute Iruka looked when he was making a point. His teacher voice was having some effect on Kakashi, and he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not.
“I’ll pick you up at 7,” Kakashi said before grabbing Iruka’s hand once more, kissing it, and walking away, leaving a flabbergasted pre-genin teacher in his wake. ‘This will be fun.’
--
The first date was lovely. They talked about the upcoming Chuunin exams, Iruka had helped write the exam that the hopefuls were taking the next day. Iruka got a glint in his eyes whenever he spoke about his current or former students that put Kakashi on edge. He realized after the date, after he had gone back to being Kakashi, it was jealousy. He wanted to make Iruka that proud and passionate.
They had agreed to a second date. It occurred after the written exam, but before the students went into the second part, in those deadly woods. Iruka told Sukea he couldn’t meet during that section of the exam but didn’t mention why. Kakashi knew it was because the man had begged Anko to allow him to be the chuunin sealed into Team 7’s scroll in the Forest of Death trial.
It made Kakashi happy to know that someone cared about Naruto so much.
Their second date was a quant picnic by the river. Sukea met Iruka at his door, not giving away what the date would be until they were at the river and Sukea unsealed all they would need for a lovely little picnic.
It was sunset, the day before the second part of the exams. Iruka seemed nervous, his students were about to enter one of the deadliest parts of the exams after all. Kakashi knew that his decision was right, they weren’t kids anymore, and they needed to have this test. To either knock them down a few pegs and accept they needed more training, or to rise above and finally reach their potential. Kakashi wanted to know what they were really capable of, and he wanted them to know as well.
Kakashi tried to distract Iruka with silly romantic lines. He had said, “your eyes shine brighter and are more lovely than the sun,” when Iruka commented on how lovely the sunset was. Iruka blushed and looked away from him, eyes sometimes pecking back to see Kakashi still staring at him. He was cute. When Kakashi blushed at Iruka’s shy smiles he knew he was in trouble.
When Iruka had mentioned going to the shrine earlier in the day to pray for his students, Kakashi had been proud of his line, “thinking of you here with me reminds me that there must be a god answering my prayers.”
Iruka berated him for making up such cheesy lines, “why would you be praying for something so silly.” Iruka smiled a small, silly smile even as he chastised.
“I mean every word, Iruka-sensei,” was all Kakashi could reply with. Iruka scoffed but accepted and placed his hand on top of Kakashi’s on the blanket. At the simple contact, Kakashi’s heart leapt into his throat. Iruka was staring at Kakashi’s hand under his own. He looked like he was thinking about something. His face crunched up in concentration, his scar wrinkling cutely, but then his face straightened out again, decided.
When Iruka finally looked up and leaned over, Kakashi instinctively met him in the middle, over their overlapping hands, their lips met. Kakashi was on cloud 9.
“Sukea,” Iruka said as he broke the sweet kiss, still hovering close to Kakashi’s mouth, “where did you come from?” Iruka laughed lightly.
Kakashi was in no mood to talk though, as he recaptured Iruka’s lips, kissing Iruka with a little more fervor than their first one. It was getting dark and a bit cold, but Kakashi felt like he was burning up inside. He rarely kissed anyone. His mask was always on and in the way. He normally didn’t mind much, there were not many people who excited him in that way. He could safely put Iruka on that short list.
Iruka broke the kiss again, just as Kakashi was ready to add tongue too!
“Sukea, I would love to do this again sometime. Maybe I can pick a place? We can meet after the second exam? I’ll let you know when I am free, and you can do the same? Just send me a note.” Iruka said, looking up into Kakashi’s contact-wielding eyes intently.
“I would love that, Iruka. I’ll keep in touch.” Kakashi made the promise, joy swelling in his heart that he would get another date with Iruka.
“Now I need to get going to prepare!” Iruka jumped from the blanket and started to walk away, Kakashi had caught the goofy smile before he got too far. Kakashi didn’t bother to hide or suppress his own goofy smile, feeling free as Sukea to express whatever he wanted.
Kakashi’s joy was short lived as the results of the second exam were revealed. Sasuke was cursed. Kakashi had to take the boy away, he had to try and fix this problem. He was just able to seal the mark enough to prevent Sasuke from turning demonic when he used his chakra, but Kakashi wasn’t convinced it would hold in extreme instances.
Kakashi took Sasuke away, training him one-on-one for the third section of the exams. Things were turning south. He hadn’t expected Orochimaru. The stress of recent events led Kakashi to forget about his promise as Sukea. He left the village to train Sasuke and was in hiding before he realized he had left Iruka without any message. Kakashi couldn’t jeopardize their location just to send a love note to Iruka as an alias!
Kakashi mourned his loss briefly before he lost himself to training with Sasuke.