Chapter Text
(I don't own any characters etc etc)
“Fa la la la la,” Anko sang as she pranced into the missions office where Iruka and Kotetsu were working. “La la la LAAAAA!”
The room clapped and she grinned and took a deep bow.
“Party season starts tonight, losers, don’t miss out!” she called out as she got in Iruka’s line. Soon enough it was her turn, and she gave him a candy cane along with her mission report.
“Thanks!” Iruka laughed, unwrapping part of it to pop into his mouth. “How was it?” he asked as he reviewed the scroll.
“Okay enough, I hurt my shoulder but it’s healing well,” she told him. “I have to take it easy for a bit, but it should be good to go by my party.”
Iruka nodded. “That’s in two weeks, right?”
It was Anko’s turn to nod. “The third weekend, bam, right in the middle of everything else!”
Iruka laughed. “Because of course you would be that extra.”
She shrugged. “It’s not my fault, the hall I wanted to rent was full otherwise. You going to tomorrow’s party?”
Iruka nodded again. “Yeah, I’ve got a lot of the nights free on weekends, or at least overnights, so I’m trying to be at a lot of them. Anything to let my hair down for a while and not miss out.”
Anko laughed. “You and me both, and all of the village.”
He stamped her report and she grinned.
“Thanks, Iruka, love you! See you tomorrow with bells on!” she cheered as she left, and he grinned around the candy cane as he invited the next person in line up.
___
Iruka got to the first party of the season about two hours into it, having worked at the missions office for an afternoon/early evening shift. It was Saturday and he had tomorrow off (albeit with some grading to do), so his spirits lifted as he walked through the village. Crisp winter air filled his lungs as he took in the sights and sounds of the holiday season, making him fill more and more with holiday spirit.
Nearing the large event space, the party was visibly and audibly in full swing. There was an outdoors area where people were sitting around a fire pit; playing a game or two; or just standing mingling. Iruka waved to some shinobi he knew and stayed outside for a while first, figuring it was better to do that and warm up inside after. He found Kotetsu and Izumo outside and joined them for a drink, something hot to combat the chill. They were easily roped into playing a few rounds of different games, though Iruka decided to head inside an hour or so later once it became something involving throwing sharp objects at a makeshift target. Sometimes, he laughed, shinobi and alcohol didn’t mix…
He felt happy but cold as he finally went inside, blowing on his hands to warm them up as he greeted teachers from school, joining a few to head to get some food and drink.
As Iruka left that table to get a napkin and chopsticks, somehow having forgotten to have done so when he was at the buffet table, he was nearly bowled over by Kakashi.
“Are you okay?” Iruka asked, as the man gripped his biceps.
“Iruka!” Kakashi sighed, and Iruka raised an eyebrow at him. “You! It’s you! You’re here!”
“I am here,” the teacher agreed, trying to steady Kakashi, who was standing much closer than he ever did. “As are you. Are you okay?” Iruka asked again.
“I think Kurenai put me under a genjutsu!”
“What?” Iruka asked, unsure if he should laugh or not.
“I’m seeing mistletoe all around you,” Kakashi whispered, and before Iruka could react, the jonin leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
Iruka’s eyes widened as masked lips firmly landed on his cheek, before Kakashi pulled away.
“It’s still there! What should I do? And why is it only around you?” he whispered, visible eye wide as he swayed slightly.
As Iruka was trying to make sense of what was going on, Asuma walked by and laughed as he wrapped an arm around Kakashi’s midsection, pulling him away.
Kakashi groaned as he kept his arms out for Iruka, who stood in place, bewildered.
“Having fun?” Asuma asked over his shoulder.
“I…I’m not sure,” Iruka replied. “What is going on?” he called out, but got no answer as the two men were swallowed by the crowd.
Shaking his head, Iruka started to head back to his table, perplexed by it all, before cursing and realizing he still had not grabbed what he initially set out for.
___
The party continued and Iruka soon forgot about his unique exchange from earlier, wandering tables mingling with different groups of people as food, drinks, and fun continued to flow.
He was sitting with Kurenai, Genma, and Shizune at a round table, the four on one half of it to be able to talk, when Kakashi flopped ungracefully into the empty chair next to him. And laid his head on Iruka’s shoulder, to everyone’s surprise.
“Hello, Kakashi,” Iruka warily greeted him, now recalling their last encounter. “Are you better now?”
“Now that you’re here, I am,” Kakashi sighed.
“I’ve been here,” Iruka laughed, before frowning. “We already ran into each other tonight.”
Kakashi sat up straight. “We did? When?”
“Earlier. You…uh…you don’t remember?” Iruka asked, and Kakashi shook his head overly emphatically and a few too many times than were necessary.
“No, and that’s terrible! Awful!” Kakashi groaned, throwing his hands dramatically up each time. “Worse than awful! Like…”
“Horrible?” Genma offered, grinning.
“Horrendous,” Shizune added.
“Disastrous,” Kurenai contributed, and Iruka rolled his eyes as Kakashi nodded.
“Yes, yes, and yes!” the copy nin agreed. “All of those!” He placed an elbow on the table and attempted to prop his masked chin on it to study Iruka, slipping and failing the first time. “Hi.”
“Hello to you,” Iruka said. “What’s going on?” he asked the others, but they just laughed and didn’t respond.
“It’s good to see you,” Kakashi sighed. “I never see enough of you.”
“What?” Iruka asked, surprised.
“I want to see you all the time! Every day, all day! It’s a shame, you work, I work, I go on missions, you work a lot. I want to see you more, every day I’m in the village!” Kakashi told him.
“Um…” Iruka began, unsure of what else to say.
“Don’t you want that?” Kakashi asked, and Iruka was sure that the man was pouting underneath his mask, surprising him. Could Kakashi pout, he wondered? Did he ever?
“Rival, there you are!” Gai suddenly boomed, and Kakashi closed his eye and groaned. “It is our turn next for darts!”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Iruka began to tell the other jonin, before Kakashi sighed and stood.
“See you later, sexy,” Kakashi said, poking the red swirl on Iruka’s uniform shirt sleeve as he walked away.
“What the ramen just happened?” Iruka asked the table as they laughed. He shook his head and looked at his drink. “Please tell me I’m drunker than I think I am and I imagined all that?”
“No, but he is,” Gai sighed, taking Kakashi’s seat.
“What?” Iruka asked.
“I am sorry, Iruka-sensei,” Gai told him. “But my rival cannot hold his alcohol.”
“What?” Iruka asked again, and the others nodded.
“It’s true,” Genma agreed. “He’s a lightweight.”
“Barely drinks more than one drink when we go out, or he’s toasted,” Shizune agreed.
“But…but he’s Hatake Kakashi!” Iruka protested. “That’s a huge weakness!”
Kurenai nodded. “It’s a little known fact about him. If he doesn’t pace himself he’s, well, you saw for yourself.”
“That’s terrible,” Iruka said. “Don’t people use that against him on missions?”
Shizune shrugged. “We have ways to work around that, things to help him and others. And not too many missions involve drinking to get the target, you know?”
Iruka nodded, she had a point.
“So…he’s drunk?” he asked, and the others nodded. “That’s wild.” Iruka paused. “Does he remember what he does when he’s drank too much?”
“No, almost never,” Gai told him.
“So he won’t remember spilling his feelings to you,” Genma laughed. "Because if Kakashi is one thing when he's drunk, it's honest. Way, way too honest."
"What?" Iruka hissed.
“He also won't remember, from what Asuma told me, kissing you,” Kurenai chipped in.
Iruka groaned and hid his face for a moment before looking at them and frowning. “I’m not sure if I should be happy or insulted?”
The table laughed again as Gai stood.
“Fear not, sensei!” Gai boomed. “I will keep him away for the rest of the night!”
"Wait, Gai, what about what Genma said?" Iruka called out. "He was being honest?" he asked, but Gai just continued walking away. Iruka turned to look at the others, but they shrugged.
Genma laughed again. “It was probably just a fluke. Anyway, Gai will occupy him tonight, so it's just the rest of the parties you need to worry about,” he said, winking at Iruka, who sighed and finished his own drink.
“I think I need more than this to help me tonight,” Iruka told them, standing to get another drink. “And maybe to rethink my social calendar this month…”