Work Text:
(I don't own any characters etc etc)
Iruka groaned as he moved in his hospital bed, the action jostling his aching leg. And ribs. And head.
Memories of the mission flashed through his mind again, how he and Naruto had been on what should have been a simple scroll retrieval mission, but that they were overpowered by bandits and missing nin on their way back. Overpowered, and outnumbered. And injured, nearly leaving with worse injuries than what they had actually received.
Fortunately, they had made an escape and dragged themselves back towards Konoha. Iruka had sent a clone out as soon as the group jumped them, looking for any friendly shinobi in the area to help. Apparently, Kakashi, Gai, and Lee had been close enough that the clone had met Pakkun, who must have told Kakashi, as the pug was the last thing the clone passed on to Iruka before dispersing.
Iruka and Naruto crossed paths with the others and were rushed back to the village by them, not that Iruka really remembered much of that either.
But, he knew that he wasn’t that badly injured, even if it was painful, and that Naruto was also fairly okay. Iruka had been visited by the blond earlier that day, who only had a broken arm but was still hospitalized just in case.
Iruka groaned from the memories this time, frustrated that they had been outmaneuvered but trying to remind himself that it was at least ten to two, and would have been a challenge for just about anyone.
“Sensei,” a familiar voice said as the door opened, and Iruka inwardly frowned.
Well, that number of enemy would have been a challenge for almost anyone, other than…
“Kakashi-sensei,” Iruka replied, shifting to sit up, wincing again at the pain. “What brings you here?”
Kakashi stood in front of his bed, visible eye narrowed as he crossed his arms.
“Just visiting Naruto. He wanted me to stop by.”
Iruka nodded and gave a weary smile. “Thank you,” he said, at a loss of what else to say, not really wanting the other man to stay too long. He was a bit embarrassed that he had been rescued, essentially, by Naruto’s current teacher, even if they had long since moved past their chuunin exam blowout.
“He told me what happened,” Kakashi stated, now putting his hands in his pockets as he studied the teacher. “Anything you want to tell me yourself?”
Iruka frowned, feeling like he was an unruly student in front of the headmaster. “No, and anything I do have will go on the report that you can read for yourself,” he added, far harsher than he intended.
They stared at each other in tense silence for a moment before Kakashi spoke again.
“I can help,” he suddenly said.
“With what?” Iruka asked, surprised.
“Your fighting. I can help you to fight better.”
Iruka’s surprise turned to shock and rage. “What?”
Kakashi shrugged. “You can clearly do better, this proves it. I’ll teach you to actually fight so you’re more prepared next time.”
“I can fight well enough, not that it’s any of your business,” Iruka said through clenched teeth. “And this is certainly not the time or place to question that.”
“You’re the one laying injured in the hospital, not me,” the jonin said, nodding at him. “My offer stands.”
“Received but not accepted, thank you very much,” Iruka said, trying to cross his own arms but wincing at the movement, embarrassed to do so in front of the other man.
Kakashi shrugged again. “When you’re ready to learn, you know where to find me. We can’t have this happening again, can we?”
“You’ve got some nerve, saying that!” Iruka nearly shouted. “You end up here yourself how often? I’m not a new genin, I know how to fight! Lots of shinobi get injured in fights!”
“And that’s usually a sign to improve,” Kakashi replied in an icy tone. “You of all people should know that,” he snapped. “Sensei,” he sarcastically added.
Iruka nearly saw red at that false nicety. “You know what? Yeah, I do know that, and I’m not a stranger to training. But with you? Never!”
Kakashi left without a response, and Iruka angrily glared at his back as he left, as well as the door once it had closed.
“Who does he think he is, telling me I need to learn to fight better? Like I’ve never won a fight, like he’s never lost one!” Iruka grumbled to himself, wincing again as he moved to try to get comfortable, knowing he would be stewing over that exchange for some time.
___
While Iruka remained angry at Kakashi, Kakashi was equally angry at Iruka. Why didn’t the man want to improve his fighting, Kakashi wondered? All he wanted was for Iruka to see that he could improve! The man had failed in combat when out with Naruto, what was Kakashi supposed to do, just sit idly by and let life continue when the two had ended up in the hospital? He just didn’t want to see people he cared about be hurt, so why not assist them to prevent that as best as possible in the future! And then Iruka actually snapped at him for offering help?!
Iruka and Naruto were discharged from the hospital a few days later, but not before Kakashi visited again, though this time only Naruto, putting distance between himself and the chuunin otherwise.
Kakashi continued to angrily ruminate about the exchange between them even after the discharges, finding that it was affecting his sleep and his own training.
One day, he had had enough and decided to utilize one of his more secretive stress relief techniques. Donning a certain set of civilian clothing, including a particular coat and scarf, and applying purple makeup around his eyes, Kakashi set off as his other identity, Sukea. Strange as it might seem to some, it was freeing for him to go out with a bare face and calmer, more open personality. Not to mention, people treated him differently. Less fanfare and formality, more casualness and small talk.
That was just what he needed, Kakashi realized, to be out and about and not act like himself, to free himself of the fight with Iruka and just be Sukea, who wasn’t a shinobi and didn’t fight, nor even bicker with anyone.
Everything was going well for the first time in a long time, and he found his mood had drastically improved as he wandered to a favorite small restaurant off the beaten path for dinner.
However, to his surprise, Iruka was placing his order just as Kakashi entered the establishment.
The owner waved at him and Kakashi waved back, knowing he couldn’t turn and leave now. At least Iruka didn’t know he was Sukea, Kakashi reminded himself, and he didn’t have to interact with him…
But once he had placed his own order, he couldn’t help but notice that Iruka appeared unhappy, frowning as he looked off into the distance and sighing.
Angry as he was at the teacher, Kakashi still felt curious about what was bothering him. Part of him hoped that Iruka was frustrated he had declined Kakashi’s offer to train him, maybe he was full of regret? Once Iruka admitted that, “Sukea” could convince the teacher to return to him and grovel for help!
Satisfied with his plan, Kakashi walked over.
“You look like someone with something on their mind,” Kakashi commented, and Iruka looked up, surprised.
“What?”
“The sighing, I could hear it from where I was sitting. And since we’re the only ones here,” he continued, “I thought I might offer up an ear to listen. May I?” he asked, gesturing to the table Iruka was at.
The teacher nodded and frowned slightly as Kakashi sat. “Sorry to be so loud, I guess I’m more frustrated than I thought if I was doing that.”
“It’s fine. So, what’s bothering you?”
“I don’t want to trouble you when you’re here to eat –” Iruka said, clearly unsure of how to greet him.
“Sukea,” Kakashi said, holding out a hand.
Iruka shook it. “Iruka. I don’t want to burden you, Sukea.”
Kakashi shook his head. “Please, I love learning about people, it’s part of what I do. I travel around for work and meet new people in every village I spend time in, so you’re part of my tradition! So go on, what juicy things are weighing you down?”
Iruka laughed wearily. “Not juicy, I’m afraid. I’m just upset and annoyed at someone.”
“Lover? Neighbor? The Hokage?”
Iruka shook his head and laughed again. “Nothing that exciting. A…coworker.”
Kakashi nodded, though his plan from earlier deflated slightly. If Iruka was upset at a coworker, he couldn’t really convince the younger man to apologize to him, Kakashi sighed, since it was unlikely to come up now. Still, at least it would make for an interesting conversation?
“Shinobi coworker?” Kakashi asked, nodding at Iruka’s uniform, and the other man nodded back.
“In a sense, yes.”
“So what did they do?” Kakashi asked, leaning towards him.
Iruka sighed. “What didn’t he do? He overstepped boundaries, suggested I’m an idiot, made it clear he doesn’t respect me or believe I can do anything!”
Kakashi exhaled. “Wow, sounds like a lot?”
“It was, believe me! The guy just comes up to me pointing out my flaws and expecting me to agree! And then had the nerve to say he was willing to get me up to par, basically!
“That sounds pretty rude of him,” Kakashi empathized. “What did you say?”
“I told him thanks but no thanks,” Iruka said, pausing as their food was brought out.
This, Kakashi had long ago realized, was one of the joys of being Sukea. He could eat as casually as he wanted to, not having to rush to eat so no one would see him pull his mask down no matter how brief it was.
They continued to talk about it as they ate.
“This guy sounds like a handful,” Kakashi mused, and Iruka nodded.
“Yeah, a lot of people hero worship him, but not me. And never will, quite frankly.”
Kakashi paused, curiosity increased that much more from the discussion. “Who is it?”
“What?”
“The guy that’s pissed you off, who is it?”
Iruka laughed and shook his head. “I’m not telling.”
“Hmm,” Kakashi mused. “Can I ask questions to see if I can guess?”
“Okay, but I’m not going to say anything even if you do guess who he is,” Iruka said, and they ate in silence for a moment as Kakashi considered it all.
“Is he well known?”
“Well enough.”
“And a shinobi?”
“Yes.”
“Your rank or higher?”
“I’m not saying.”
Kakashi nodded. “How does he know you?”
Iruka paused. “Mutual teammates at one point or another?”
“Older or younger?”
“Older.”
“Is he a teacher?”
“You could say so…” Iruka admitted, and Kakashi felt triumphant, that surely narrowed it down to only so many academy teachers, right?
“Ah, when did this exchange occur? How long ago?”
Iruka thought about it. “Just over a week ago.”
“But you were –” Kakashi began, before pausing. Iruka was in the hospital then, he realized. How many visitors had the man received? Maybe quite a few, he was so well liked. But how many visitors could have been teachers in any sense of the title? Visitors who would have challenged Iruka’s skills?
The copy nin froze. How many visitors did Iruka get other than a certain jonin-sensei who had commented unfavorably on Iruka’s fighting abilities? Kakashi kept a cool look on his face while the connection ran through his mind. He could sway this in his favor still…
“What were you saying?” Iruka asked, but Kakashi shrugged and smiled.
“Can’t recall, and I guess I don’t think I know who you’re talking about. But if they’re a teacher and a fellow shinobi, they probably meant well.”
“What?” Iruka asked, surprised, and Kakashi nodded.
“Sure, they were probably looking out for you, offering to help rather than anything else.”
Iruka shook his head. “That’s not it at all. He had a huge attitude, enormous ego! The point was to belittle me and imply I can’t fight and need his help.”
“Do you think you do?” Kakashi asked.
“There’s always room for anyone to improve, but I don’t need him telling me I need his help and can’t do it at all,” Iruka snapped.
“Perhaps you should take him up on the advice and see? Maybe he has a point?”
“I don’t think so,” Iruka said, quickly finishing his food and pushing his empty plate away. “That’s not how it was, and even if it was the case, there’s better ways and places to go about talking about it.” He stood and left money for his food. “I’m going to go. Nice meeting you, Sukea, enjoy your time in Konoha,” Iruka stiffly said, before walking away, saying goodbye to the owner before leaving.
Kakashi sighed and sat back in his chair, wondering where he had gone wrong?
____
The next day Kakashi still felt as upset as he had, if not moreso, and once again donned his Sukea outfit to walk around the village. His feet took him to the academy without giving it much thought, so he waited a short period until Iruka’s class was on break.
Kakashi entered Iruka’s classroom, the younger man frowning slightly when he saw who it was.
“I wanted to apologize for last night,” Kakashi told him, smoothing down his Sukea scarf. “I’m sorry I made you so angry when talking about Hatake Kakashi.”
Iruka’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Why do you bring him up? I never said who it was…”
“You mentioned recent events, and I ran into him after dinner while he was out with some others,” Kakashi said, having thought of this in advance, even if it was strange to talk about himself in the third person. “They, uh, invited me to join them, and some of them said that he pissed off ‘Konoha’s favorite teacher.’ And, well, everyone says that’s you,” he admitted.
Iruka smiled and blushed, and Kakashi’s world paused as he took in the sight.
“That’s new,” he thought to himself, swallowing heavily. “I quite like that look on him…”
“Well, thank you, Sukea,” Iruka said, and Kakashi blinked, reminding himself who he was supposed to be right then. “I’m not sure I’m the village’s favorite teacher, but I try to be a good one.” He sighed. “And you’re right, I was talking about Kakashi, though please don’t say anything to anyone. Though, I don’t know how word got out that I was angry at him,” he added, frowning in a more puzzled look this time, which Kakashi was surprised to admit looked cute as well.
However, the jonin inwardly cursed too, as he wasn’t trying to dig a deeper hole for himself, nor was he there to focus on the teacher’s (admittedly attractive) range of facial expressions.
“I don’t think he told anyone anything,” he said in a rush. “Maybe someone overheard it, or it was hospital gossip, you know?”
Iruka nodded. “I suppose so. Anyway, thanks for checking in on me.”
“Anytime. If you don’t mind me asking, though, what will you do about Kakashi?”
Iruka shrugged and shuffled papers on his desk. “I don’t know, hope I never have to see him again? Pray I keep a civil tongue when I do?”
Kakashi’s eyes widened slightly, fighting the urge to react otherwise as his face was on full display for all to see what he was thinking.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I think he kind of regretted whatever he did or didn’t do,” Kakashi said, speaking the truth. “I hope you two hash it out, whatever it is. Maybe give him a chance to explain himself?”
Iruka gave him a small smile. “We’ll see.”
“Good luck,” Kakashi told him, waving as he turned to walk out. And as he closed the door, he stole one more glance at Iruka, who was looking out the classroom window on the opposite wall, a pensive look on his face.
____
Kakashi gave Iruka some space and time to process his suggestion before looking for ways to purposely cross paths with the other man. Yes, he realized he went about wanting to help Iruka in an inept manner, and he still wanted to support him, but that didn’t mean he needed to directly offer his help again!
Though, as Kakashi began to strategically be around Iruka, he realized that they were apparently equally stubborn men. Iruka was polite and formal when they saw each other in the missions office the first time, but the second time Iruka asked someone to take his line of shinobi over just before it was Kakashi’s turn.
The chuunin ignored him when meeting in a market, not that Kakashi spoke to him either, and when they did come face to face at one point during a night out with their own groups of friends, Iruka blandly looked him in the eye for a moment before rolling his eyes (a beautiful brown, not that Kakashi cared) and scoffing as he stepped aside.
Kakashi was sure he had found a way to Iruka when the teacher was invited to eat at Ichiraku’s with him and Naruto (the blond inviting the chuunin, not Kakashi’s doing, naturally). But Naruto sat between them and talked with Iruka the entire time, leaving Kakashi to sigh frustratedly as he walked home that night.
What was he to do, Kakashi wondered? He figured he had to let the younger man come to him, else he might make things worse. But why hadn’t Iruka cooled off yet, and sought out his help? Who wouldn’t want to train with him, the Hatake Kakashi?
“You know he doesn’t hero worship you,” a treacherous voice in his mind reminded him. “And you’ve never liked people going over your errors in a mission immediately after it, especially when you’ve been in the hospital.”
“It’s called debriefing!” Kakashi snapped at himself.
“It wasn’t your place to debrief him,” his brain commented, and Kakashi groaned. His brain was right. No, he was right. No….he shook his head, feeling drained by battling with himself, and most of all, with Iruka.
Glancing around his home, he saw his Sukea scarf draped over a chair, and a new plan popped into his mind…
___
“Hello, Sukea!” Iruka greeted his new acquaintance as they ran into each other outside of the hospital.
Kakashi smiled, though it was tinged with bitterness, as Iruka hadn’t been that nice to him in how many weeks?
“Iruka, hello! How have you been?”
“Pretty good, just here for a follow up,” the chuunin said, nodding at the hospital.
“And?”
“Everything’s fine, never better,” Iruka told him, smiling, and Kakashi smiled back, surprised at just how relieved he felt. “You’re back in Konoha, I see?”
Kakashi nodded. “Yes, here for a few days, a short trip this time. I was just finishing up work and thinking about getting dinner, if you’re free?”
“I am, do you want to go to the place we were at before, or a new one?”
“A new one,” Kakashi suggested, and Iruka nodded.
“I’m sure you’ve been to Ichiraku’s, it’s good but always recommended, and it might be a bit busy right now,” Iruka reflected, pursing his lips, drawing Kakashi’s eyes to them until he spoke again. “It’s getting a bit chilly now that it’s fall, how about some curry?”
Kakashi agreed and they headed off to a restaurant of Iruka’s choosing, one Kakashi had not been to for some time. He’d have to bring Gai here, he mused, the man loved his curry, though tonight he wanted to only focus on Iruka…
They caught up more over food before Kakashi took a leap.
“So, last time I saw you there was…bad blood…between you and shinobi-you-know-who,” he said in a low voice, noting Iruka’s raised eyebrow. “Any news?”
Iruka rolled his eyes. “No, fortunately.”
“You’re not training with him?”
“I’m actually avoiding him,” the younger man admitted, and Kakashi bit back a frown. At least his suspicions were correct…
“Why?”
Iruka shrugged and poked at his food. “Why not? What would I say? ‘I’m still angry at you from over a month ago and am holding a grudge?’”
Kakashi laughed. “Sure, why not? You’d be honest.”
That at least earned a laugh from the teacher, pleasing Kakashi.
“Yeah, but who wants to hear that? Anyway, I think he’s dropped it, so that’s good.”
“Shame, it could be good for you.”
“Pardon?” Iruka asked, raising both eyebrows. “What?”
Kakashi shrugged. “Training with him, even just once could be good. Something different, something to try.” He shrugged again. “But I’m not a shinobi, so what do I know?” he laughed, looking down at his Sukea outfit. He quickly moved the conversation along, not wanting to push his luck, and Iruka was quick to follow suit.
Still, Kakashi wanted to smooth things over with the teacher as himself, not just as Sukea, and sought him out a few days later, knocking on the man’s classroom window after the students went on break.
Iruka frowned but opened the window, crossing his arms as he looked at the jonin.
“Can I help you?” he asked in a bored tone.
“Here,” Kakashi said, holding out an orange lollipop.
“What's this for?”
“I went with Naruto for his follow-up medical appointment from the mission,” Kakashi told him, not specifying which mission he was referring to, not needing to. “You know how he is, even with being a shinobi he asked the doctor for a lollipop like kids get at their check ups, and the doc was nice enough to oblige. And, uh, I thought you might want one too, since you likely had your own check up but probably didn’t get one.”
Iruka looked at him for a moment before laughing, accepting the candy from his gloved hand and looking at it as the jonin basked in the rich laughter, a smile gracing his masked face.
“That’s true, adults don’t get candy anymore for being responsible and going to medical appointments,” Iruka said, twirling the candy around. “They just get encouraged to train harder,” he added, looking at Kakashi.
The jonin swallowed and sighed slightly, the smile gone.
“I’m sorry. I could have been nicer in saying what I did, and probably found better timing.”
“Probably,” Iruka agreed.
“I was…uncomfortable,” Kakashi said, searching for the right word. “Seeing as you and Naruto were in the hospital. I don’t do well when people I’m invested in are in danger, or were in danger.”
The weight of his admission hung in the air between them, before Iruka gave a small smile.
“I understand,” he said, looking out at the academy training grounds. “It’s part of our job, but it’s never easy.”
“It’s more than that,” the jonin added, surprised at what he was saying. “But, yeah, well, I just wanted to clear that up,” he said, starting to leave.
“Does the offer still stand?” Iruka called out to his back as he walked away.
Kakashi paused and turned, finding the teacher watching him.
“Yes?” the jonin called out.
“While I think I’ll regret it, I’ll train with you. Once, and only once,” Iruka added.
“Once and only once,” Kakashi repeated, nodding. “When?”
“In two days, we’ll use training ground two here,” Iruka said. “After classes end?”
Kakashi nodded, and Iruka nodded once back.
“See you then,” Iruka said, unwrapping the candy and putting it in his mouth as he closed the window.
Kakashi nodded before turning to leave again, a heavy weight lifting from his chest.
_____
“I think I’m dying,” Iruka wheezed as he tried to catch his breath as he sat on the ground. “I might be.”
Kakashi laughed. “You’re alive, you survived.”
“Barely,” the chuunin gasped. “I’m dead, take Naruto to ramen at least once a week for me!”
“It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“I can’t feel my legs,” Iruka sighed. “I probably won’t feel my arms tomorrow.”
Kakashi scratched the back of his own head. “Well, in my defense, you did say you’d only train once, so I wanted to make the most of it…”
“By killing me?!”
“By throwing as much at you as I could, to help. Killing you was…unintended.”
Iruka rolled his eyes as he tried to not throw up. “Thanks,” he sarcastically said, and Kakashi gave him an eye smile.
“Anytime,” he replied, moving to help the brunette up.
They walked to the closest main road to the training ground, looking at each other as they stood waiting to go in opposite directions.
“This wasn’t terrible,” Iruka admitted. “I guess I appreciate you taking the time for it.”
“Anytime,” Kakashi repeated.
“Um, I’d consider it again, maybe,” the chuunin mumbled, pushing stray hair out of his face from where it had loosened with the constant sparring. “If you wanted to. No big deal either way.”
Kakashi nodded. “I’d be up for it. You weren’t half bad.”
“Thanks?” Iruka said, frowning slightly.
“You weren’t half good.”
Iruka sighed. “You know what? I think I changed my mind, forget it.”
“I’m joking,” Kakashi told him. “Mostly,” he added, and Iruka half-glared at him.
“I don’t know what’s more painful, sparring with you or your attempts at humor,” Iruka commented, and Kakashi shrugged.
“Naruto would say they’re equally bad,” he offered, and Iruka laughed and nodded.
“He’s not wrong. But I get it, there’s room for growth. And…” Iruka said, pausing as he looked around. “Maybe there’s some aspects of the fight in the mission we could go over. Though I still say that we were outnumbered and that was really the biggest factor.”
“That’s always a factor to take into account,” the jonin conceded. “We’ll talk about it more next time,” he said, waving as he turned to walk away.
“Next time,” Iruka agreed, wincing as he began to walk home as well, deciding to pick up some healing balm tomorrow to help with future training sessions.
___
Iruka was guarded for a few sessions, as he wasn’t sure if Kakashi had underlying motives for it all. Perhaps he was just waiting to embarrass him in front of others? Tell the Hokage he was unfit for duty? Make him eat mud?
Okay, even Iruka admitted the last one was childish, but you never knew…
Instead, he found that Kakashi was focused on only training, and grew to understand that it came from a well-meaning place and a desire to protect others in any way he could. Training Naruto harder after he recovered from the mission went without saying, as the boy was still under Kakashi’s tutelage. But Iruka? He was a grown adult, and not on the jonin’s team, so asking to help him to bolster his fighting skills had been both necessary (driven by fear Kakashi wasn’t ready to fully process) and difficult to pursue.
As fall continued, the two men met to train at least twice a week, pending their schedules. Sometimes it was squeezed in between Iruka’s hours at the academy and missions office. Other times it was in the morning when Iruka suspected Kakashi was likely due to meet Naruto to train, and still other times it was during free time, such as if they both had an evening off.
They also included less physical training aspects, including going over jutsu Kakashi felt Iruka would benefit from, or general field tactics. Yes, it would always be difficult to fight several people at once, but if Iruka could work towards being even slightly better at it, the odds would be more in his favor next time. This led to meeting in lounges in Hokage tower to discuss this if the weather was too cold or damp for them to want to be outside, or possibly a cafe for tea, or even a meal, including after their sparring sessions.
In fact, as the end of the year began to approach and their time together continued, they began to naturally include dining together after sessions as part of their routine, so long as neither had anywhere to be. Conversations shifted while eating from just training to also talking about mutual friends, village news and gossip, and the latest edition of the bingo book, and even to just how their day to day lives were. Gone were the days when Iruka ignored Kakashi in public, and when they again met during a night out with separate groups, they mingled with the other and any mutual friends or acquaintances that were present.
Their growing time together did not go unnoticed by others, it seemed.
“You never have time for me anymore!” Naruto whined to the jonin one day. “Never!”
“I train you almost every day,” Kakashi countered, turning a page in his book, as he was trying to ignore the younger shinobi.
“Well, we used to go out to eat, and I only see you do that with Iruka-sensei!”
Kakashi shrugged. “Only once or twice a week. And I just went for udon with you two days ago. Iruka says you need to eat more vegetables, so maybe we should cut back on how much we eat out. At least until I see you eating more greens.”
“Iruka-sensei ratted me out to you?! How dare he!” Naruto grumbled. “Why would he tell you that, anyway?”
“Probably because I commented on his own diet one day,” Kakashi told him. “There’s room for improvement for both of you.”
“Are you free for dinner with a bunch of us tomorrow?” Kurenai later asked Iruka as he reviewed a report for her.
“No, I’m training with Kakashi,” he told her. “Thanks, though. And good job with the data reported in this section, by the way.”
“Kakashi? How nice!” she exclaimed. “Now that I think about it, I feel like Asuma told me you guys were out a lot together…”
“Often enough, I guess,” Iruka said, shrugging. “He took me on for training since I got hurt on a mission.”
“Only training?” she asked, amused.
“Sometimes we get a meal,” he mumbled.
“Iruka, are you giving him a social life?” Kurenai laughed.
“What? No, just training!” Iruka said, as he approved her report.
“Well whatever it is, keep it up. Asuma said that Kakashi seems…lighter.”
“What?” Iruka asked, but she just smiled and waved as she walked away. He sat back in his chair, frowning at nothing in particular as he wondered about what she said, before calling the next person in line up.
___
A few days later, Iruka was working at the missions office when Kakashi showed up, greeting him warmly.
“I’ll be done soon, then we can head out. Maybe training ground four? Or a forest run?” Iruka suggested.
“Well, it’s raining pretty heavily, so I don’t know if we really want to push it today,” the jonin told him, and Iruka nodded.
“I guess we could look for an indoor training location,” the teacher began, thinking aloud.
“Or, we could skip it, give us a rest day?” Kakashi posed.
Iruka nodded. “That sounds pretty good too. Hmm, if it’s raining out maybe I’ll get something nice and hot for dinner, maybe even spicy…” He paused and looked at the other man. “Do you have dinner plans?” he asked, and Kakashi shook his head. “Do you want to get something to eat when I’m done?”
“Sure, that sounds good. I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re free,” Kakashi said, waving lazily as he left.
“Do you really have a dinner date with him?” Kotetsu whispered from where he was working next to Iruka.
“What? No, we were supposed to train, and sometimes we eat together after.”
“But you’re not training, right?”
“Well yeah, but we were planning on it, so we might as well eat an early dinner before calling it a night.” Iruka frowned. “Why are you so interested in it?”
“No reason,” Kotetsu said, moving back to his station. “You’re an interesting pair, that’s all.”
“It’s just work stuff,” Iruka said, shrugging as he sorted scrolls on his desk.
“Sure.”
“It is!”
“Okay.”
Iruka sighed and rolled his eyes. “It is,” he repeated, but Kotetsu just smiled.
____
That meal became the first of a number of getting together to only eat or have something to drink together, even without training first. These were never planned, moreso based on running into each other in the village and inviting the other to eat or get tea or coffee if they were free. Sometimes they’d sit in a cafe with hot drinks to combat the chilly weather, Iruka grading and Kakashi reading whichever Icha Icha he had brought that day. Other times they caught up on their lives, or shared of whatever had been going on at work, sometimes running some errands together near wherever they were.
“So, what’s the deal?” Naruto asked Iruka one day as they sat at Ichiraku’s.
“What do you mean?”
“You hang out with Kakashi-sensei a lot,” the blond told him. “You train, and you go out to eat, and I’ve seen you sitting together. And you were shopping together in the market the other day!”
“We both needed groceries,” Iruka commented. “We happened to run into each other there and went to some of the same stalls together.”
They sat in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke again.
“Are you dating?”
“What? No!”
“It sounds like it,” the younger shinobi commented. “Looks like it, too.”
“How would you even know,” Iruka teased him. “Sakura hasn’t accepted a date with you yet.”
“Pervy Sage knows all about this sort of thing, and it sounds like dates he’s talked about and written about!” Naruto declared, to Iruka’s surprise.
“Well, that’s fair, I guess. But no, we're just coworkers. Maybe friends,” Iruka admitted, considering it.
“Friends who date each other?” Naruto asked, and Iruka looked at him in surprise.
“Let me guess, Jiraiya-san again?” he asked, and Naruto nodded. “Just friends. No dating.”
Naruto nodded, before frowning. “Are you going to?”
“Am I going to what?” Iruka sighed.
“Date him,” Naruto posed, and Iruka coughed into his food.
“Naruto! We’re friends, co-workers, we train together, sometimes eat together just like you and I do, and that’s all!”
“Fine, fine,” Naruto said, holding up his chopsticks to defend himself. “I was just asking!”
“Well, we’re not, we won’t, end of story. Okay?”
“Okay!” the blond agreed, and began to ask Iruka’s opinion on a gift he was considering getting Sakura for the upcoming holiday season.
That inspired Iruka to begin his own holiday shopping, and in free time he wandered shops and the marketplace to peruse this and that. Sometimes Kakashi came with him, after training or meals together, though the other man just largely followed Iruka around, nose in his book after completing his initial shopping of buying chopsticks and kunai for everyone on his list.
“Practical for just about any situation,” the jonin told him, making Iruka laugh.
There were also days that Iruka went shopping by himself, or with Naruto, or with Anko and those were just as fun, even if he had to buy their gifts when he wasn’t with them.
“What are you getting Hatake?” Anko asked as they walked around the market one night, coats and scarves pulled tight to keep the cold air out.
“What?”
“Your boyfriend, what are you getting him?”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Iruka told her, rolling his eyes. “We’re friends. Honestly, you sound like Naruto.”
“Well, if the shoe fits,” she mused, shrugging.
“Which it doesn’t,” he reminded her, but she shrugged again and stopped them at a stall to look at winter hats.
“You’re together a lot, everyone’s noticed.”
“We train. He offered to train me after a mission gone bad, and after I got over feeling insulted about it, I accepted. It’s been going pretty good, actually. I miss being on a team regularly, and it’s been nice,” Iruka admitted, and she nodded.
“Nice enough to take your adventures off the training ground?” she teased. “If one of you gets hurt does the other kiss it better?”
“No!” Iruka laughed.
“Do you call him ‘sensei’?”
“Anko!” Iruka shouted. “Stop!” He shook his head and pulled her away from the stall, guiding her towards another part of the market.
“Not another word about it for the rest of the night, or Santa’s bringing you coal this year,” he cautioned, and she sighed but nodded.
___
However, Anko being Anko, she found a way to circumnavigate her friend, smiling widely as she walked around the village the next day looking for her target.
“He didn’t say I couldn’t talk about it today, or to who,” she mused to herself. “Hatake, oh, Hatake!” Anko called out.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura looked up as she walked over.
“Anko,” the jonin flatly greeted her as the younger shinobi smiled.
“So, what’s going on?”
“We’re about to head back to training, we just stopped for lunch!” Naruto told her.
“Not that, I meant with him,” she said, nodding at the copy nin. “You and you-know-who?”
“Who?” Kakashi asked.
“You know!” Anko pouted.
“This is a big village, Anko, and yet surprisingly, I don’t care for everyone in it,” he sighed. “If you’re going to play games, go to the academy, I’m sure it’s nearly recess time.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she smirked. “Go to the academy, see your special person?”
“What?” Sakura whispered, eyes wide as she looked between the adults.
“What?” Kakashi repeated blandly.
“What?” Naruto asked, confused.
“Iruka, no?” Anko offered, and Naruto glared at Kakashi.
“What?! Why is she bringing up Iruka-sensei to you? He said there was nothing going on!” the blond snapped.
“What is everyone talking about?” Kakashi sighed. “Can we just go train now?”
“What do you mean?” Sakura asked Naruto, as she and Anko ignored the copy nin.
“I asked if he and Kakashi-sensei were…well…you know,” Naruto whispered. “And he said no! So why did you bring him up?” he asked Anko.
“I don’t think they’re being honest with us,” she declared. “They’re nearly always together –”
“Right!” Naruto agreed.
“Hanging out –”
“Yep!”
“Spending time together, just them –”
“Just them!” Naruto repeated, making Sakura laugh.
“To train, that’s all. Who doesn’t sometimes get something to eat after training? We just did, and now we go back to work,” Kakashi said, pushing Sakura and Naruto ahead of him and away from Anko.
“Well, make sure to get him a good holiday gift, or else!” she called out. “The first holiday together in a relationship is important!”
Kakashi sighed but to his surprise, the two younger shinobi twisted out of his grip, and he found himself instead being pulled in a new direction by them.
“What the –?” he began.
“Come on, Kakashi-sensei, she’s right!” Sakura told him. “We have to help you shop for Iruka-sensei!”
“Yeah, to get the perfect gift for him!” Naruto agreed. “I don’t think I like you being with him, but since you won’t shop for it yourself I might as well help!”
“What makes you say that?” Kakashi asked, but the others silently exchanged a look. “That’s just rude,” he sighed, but saw it was a losing battle.
Still, he didn’t have to make it easy on them and as soon as they released him, he pulled out his book and refused to look up, making vague comments on any items they suggested.
But, he had to admit that they had some helpful ideas, he realized, though he was too stubborn to buy anything that day. After all, it would only prove to them that he was dating Iruka, which he was not! He was…just buying a different gift for the man than for anyone else on his list, and only because Iruka probably had too many chopsticks and kunai already. Probably…
___
“Genius, I’m a genius!” Kakashi nearly sang to himself as he wandered the village as Sukea a few days later. This was a great solution, he had realized! For one, no one would stop him to talk about Iruka. Even better, he could buy Iruka’s gift and not have anyone make comments or ask him about it. And he always had fun as his alter ego, letting his bare face take in the wintry air and sunshine, a true breath of fresh air outside of his mask.
As he turned a corner in the market, he looked around to find the stall that Sakura had declared the winner of their hunt, and headed towards it. A few minutes later he tucked a small package into his coat and went to another stall to look at another suggested item, when a voice called out.
“Sukea, hello!” none other than Iruka greeted him, with a warm smile.
“Hello, Iruka,” he replied, finding that he was quite pleased to see the other man. “How are you?”
“Pretty good,” the teacher told him. “The academy had a half day, so I have some unexpected free time until I work at the missions office. What about you, how long have you been back in town?”
“Not long,” Kakashi admitted. “I just got here recently, but I’m leaving soon. It’s a busy time of year so I’m on the move more than usual.”
“I can imagine,” Iruka agreed, nodding. “Looking for anything specific?”
“Just wandering,” Kakashi shared, and they set off together as he helped Iruka pick out a few gifts here and there. He eventually realized that Iruka seemed to be on the lookout for something in particular, something he wasn’t finding.
“Everything okay?” Kakashi asked, and Iruka shrugged.
“I’m looking for the right gift for someone, but I’m struggling,” the teacher admitted. “Nothing seems good enough.”
“Hmm, a true holiday predicament if there ever was one,” Kakashi agreed. “Who’s it for?”
“Uh, umm…” Iruka began, pursing his lips as he looked around, before leaning in towards Kakashi, who mirrored him. “Can you keep a secret?” he whispered, but Kakashi just looked at him, mesmerized by seeing Iruka up close like this. Sure, they had sparred and been in each other’s personal space plenty of times, but Kakashi was often distracted by studying Iruka’s technique, trying to predict the teacher’s next move, or thinking of how to challenge the chuunin next. Never to just look at Iruka as Iruka, Kakashi realized.
“Sukea? Sukea!” a harsh whisper broke through his Icha Icha daydream.
“Hmm?”
“I was asking if you can keep this between us,” Iruka repeated, and this time Kakashi actually nodded. “It’s for Kakashi, but shh, okay?”
Kakashi felt a wide smile grace his face without meaning to. How exciting, and flattering!
“Really?” he asked, laughing when Iruka blushed and nodded. “So, I take it things have improved between the two of you?” he asked, and Iruka blushed more.
“Yes, I did take him up on the offer to train, and it’s been nice.”
“Nice?”
“Productive and informative,” Iruka added, clearing his throat. “So I thought it would be nice to get him a gift for the holidays. Do you know anything about him?”
This was starting to get more and more surreal by the moment, Kakashi realized.
“Not too much,” he instead replied. “But I believe he’s into more…practical items.”
Iruka nodded. “That’s what I was thinking too, but I don’t want to get him just any old thing,” he sighed. “It’s probably for the best that I stop, I wouldn’t want to risk buying it and find out he’s around, spoiling the surprise!”
“That’s a surprisingly good point,” Kakashi commented. “Want to get something hot to drink and see if there’s anyone else either of us need to shop for?” he suggested, and Iruka nodded, leading them to a drink stall.
___
Iruka drummed his fingers on his desk at the missions office later that night during a lull in anyone needing help, wondering yet again what to get for a gift for the copy nin. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought about spending the afternoon with Sukea, how nice and thoughtful the man was. Such good company, just like Kakashi had proven to be, he mused.
Suddenly, in thinking about the two men, an idea came to Iruka, and he quickly made a note of it lest he forget.
And the first opportunity he had, he went straight to a particular vendor at the market, buying the perfect gift.
Iruka decided to share it with Kakashi after training one Thursday evening. He was confident in his selection, but worried about giving it to the other man. For one, they hadn’t discussed giving the other anything for the holidays. Iruka wasn’t expecting anything from the jonin, but would it make Kakashi feel embarrassed if it was a one-sided event?
“Worst case, I’ll just say it’s thanks for training me,” Iruka said to himself, nodding at that suggestion as he headed to training ground eight.
The gift safely sealed into a scroll tucked into his vest, Iruka confidently greeted Kakashi and began to warm up as they caught up on the past few days since they had last met.
When they were done sparring, they sat on a bench at the edge of the training ground to drink water and catch their breaths. Iruka took a deep breath and pulled out the scroll.
“I got you a little something,” he began, feeling the weight of Kakashi’s gaze as he unsealed the scroll, revealing a bundle of something in silver wrapping paper. “I hope you don’t mind,” he awkwardly added, as he passed it to the jonin.
“Not at all, I appreciate this, thank you,” Kakashi said, before reaching into his vest and pulling out a slim package, wrapped in red plaid paper. “For you,” he told Iruka, before passing it to him.
“Thank you,” Iruka replied, breathlessly and surprised. He turned it over and over in his hands, smiling at it and the other man. “Thank you,” he repeated. “Should we open at the same time?"
“Sure,” Kakashi agreed, though he instead watched Iruka do just that.
Iruka unwrapped his gift to find a range of weapons, kunai, senbon, and a few exploding tags, making him laugh.
“I, uh, wanted to get you something practical, but that you’d like,” Kakashi nervously told him, fiddling with his still-wrapped gift. “Since you’ve really improved in our training, these would be helpful for you. And they’ll keep you safe in the field, you know?”
Iruka smiled. “That’s true, and very thoughtful,” he said, blushing at the thought that Kakashi wanted him to be safe, perhaps wanted to protect him in some sense? He busied himself with examining them further.
“Very well balanced kunai, and poison-tipped senbon?” Iruka commented, whistling appreciatively. These were no run of the mill weapons; clearly Kakashi had spent time picking them out. “Thank you, I hope I don’t have to use them too often,” he laughed, and Kakashi gave him an eye smile.
“Me too,” the jonin told him, before finally opening his gift. He pulled out a dark purple, nearly blue, scarf. It was thick but soft, and he ran his gloved fingers over it this way and that.
“I know it’s a bit of a cliche gift this time of year, but I was inspired by a visitor to the village, and thought it would also be practical but nice for you,” Iruka told him, waiting for a reaction.
Kakashi laughed as he studied it, nodding. He caught on that Iruka was talking about Sukea, the teacher not figuring Kakashi would know who he was talking about. And the color, well, it was suggestive of his own purple eye makeup in that identity, with a shinobi blue spin to it. Kind of like combining Sukea into Kakashi, he realized.
In short, it was perfect.
He told Iruka just that, making the younger man smile and blush before Iruka turned his attention to the weapons again.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Kakashi spoke again.
“Any suggestions on how I should wear it?”
“What?” Iruka asked, looking at him in surprise.
“There’s a lot of ways to wear a scarf, are there any you like?”
“Um, there’s one way I’ve seen this type of scarf worn,” Iruka said. “May I?” he asked, holding his hands out.
Kakashi nodded, passing the gift to him. He leaned towards Iruka and wondered where he should look as the younger man moved closer on the bench to wrap the scarf around his neck just so. Kakashi studied the man up close, closer than they had been for some time, at least without sparring. The way he wrinkled his forehead slightly when concentrating. The scar on his nose. His lips, his eyelashes, how his forehead protector didn’t keep every hair out of his face.
Iruka wrapped the scarf around his neck, adjusting the length of it in the front, trying to style it how Sukea wore it.
“There, all done,” he said, looking up and into Kakashi’s face, caught off guard by how close they were.
It felt like there were miles and miles of blue fabric in front of him before the smallest bit of skin was revealed, drawing Iruka into the eye like a siren’s call.
“How does it look?” Kakashi softly asked.
“Handsome,” Iruka breathed, not breaking eye contact. “Good, I mean, you look good,” he said, blinking several times. “You always do,” he added, because apparently his brain was nowhere to be seen.
“Have dinner with me, tonight,” Kakashi urged, and Iruka nodded, just as Gai was heard approaching.
“Rival! Where are you? We have a challenge today and you have been avoiding me! If we do not do it in the next hour I will consider it a victory for myself!”
Iruka laughed as Kakashi sighed.
“You should take care of that,” Iruka told him, moving away.
“We could just go get dinner,” Kakashi posed, but Iruka shook his head.
“Can’t have you losing on my account,” the teacher laughed. “Go on, and you can tell me all about it over dinner tomorrow night.”
“Promise?”
“Promise,” Iruka agreed, just as Gai ran over to them.
“Rival! Iruka-sensei! Hello!”
“Hello, Gai-sensei,” Iruka greeted him.
“Am I interrupting anything?” Gai cried, clearly distraught.
“Yes,” Kakashi snapped, crossing his arms over his chest frustratedly before playing with one end of his scarf.
“We were just finishing training,” Iruka told Gai, smiling at the copy nin’s actions. “Have a good night, both of you. Kakashi, I’ll see you tomorrow at five at the academy?”
Kakashi nodded and waved as Iruka left before standing and sighing.
“Come on, Gai, let’s make this victory for me a good one.”
___
The next day, Kakashi arranged his new scarf just like he did as Sukea, feeling comforted and excited when he reached for it from where he had hung it next to his Sukea one.
He did a mission with Naruto in the village before helping the blond finish whatever holiday errands he needed to, picking up a gingerbread cookie for Iruka as he felt he should bring something to their date.
It was a date, right, he wondered as he walked to the academy. He hadn’t said “go out with me,” so did the teacher think he was just inviting him to dinner like they had done so many times before?
“There was energy between us in that moment,” he argued with himself. “Like ten, no twenty chidoris!”
Feeling increased confidence, he continued to head to pick up the teacher, finding him exiting the academy as he approached.
“Hello,” Iruka greeted him warmly. “Nice scarf.”
“It’s quite warm, I think everyone’s been jealous of it,” Kakashi told him, gently petting it as Iruka laughed.
“Good to know,’ Iruka mused, before excitedly thanking Kakashi for the cookie. “How did the challenge with Gai go?” Iruka asked, and Kakashi began to regale him with stories of it as they walked.
They went to the small restaurant they had first met, or at least where Iruka had first met Sukea, and Iruka commented on his surprise that Kakashi went there since it was one of Iruka’s favorites.
“How have we not run into each other here before?” Iruka wondered as they entered, and Kakashi shrugged.
“Maybe it’s fate,” he offered, and Iruka laughed as they sat, greeting the owner.
Dinner was delightful. They talked easily about a range of topics, and Kakashi felt more and more confident it was a date, and even dared to think that Iruka had flirted with him here and there.
Afterwards, Iruka suggested they walk around the village to take in the holiday decor and night air, as well as to walk off some of their dinner.
They walked here and there, commenting on whatever and whoever they passed, keeping the steady conversation going.
“Are you doing anything for the big holidays next week?” Iruka asked as they looked at an intricately decorated store window.
“Not really, just staying in. You?”
“Naruto and I usually also stay in, at my place. Something simple for dinner, something seasonal for dessert. We watch a movie or two, play some games. Nothing exciting, but you’re welcome to join us,” Iruka said, and Kakashi gave him an eye smile.
“I’d love to,” he told him, and Iruka smiled at him.
Eventually, it was late and cold and they decided to call it a night. Kakashi offered to walk Iruka home, and when the teacher agreed, Kakashi was more and more sure it was a date. But what did that mean for when they reached Iruka’s apartment, he wondered?
He found out soon enough, as it seemed like in no time they were nearing a door with an orange wreath on it.
“That’s…unique,” Kakashi commented, and Iruka laughed.
“Naruto’s doing, don’t ask,” he said, shaking his head. He bit his lip. “I had a nice night. We should do this again.”
Kakashi nodded. “Definitely.”
His visible eye roamed Iruka’s face as they stood in silence, unsure of what to do. Just as he decided to say goodnight and walk away, Iruka reached up and lightly but firmly grabbed his scarf pulling him the two steps towards him to be face to face.
“Your mask,” Iruka said in a hushed voice, lips nearly brushing Kakashi’s, as if he was just now realizing it was there, in the way.
“My mask,” Kakashi repeated, before reaching up and pulling it down as Iruka closed his eyes and closed the short distance between their lips. The younger man continued to clutch Kakashi’s scarf as the jonin wrapped his arms around Iruka’s back lightly.
After some time, they ended the kiss, with Iruka blindly pulling the jonin’s mask back up before opening his eyes. Kakashi fixed its placement just so, and Iruka smiled as he watched him do that.
“I have a few meetings with Ibiki and others tomorrow, but are you free Sunday?” he asked Iruka, who nodded.
“You could come over and help me finish decorating for the holidays, if you’d like,” Iruka offered, and Kakashi nodded. “We could have lunch, around noon?”
“That works, though it feels so far away,” Kakashi sighed, and Iruka laughed.
“It’ll be here before you know it,” he commented. “But I’m at the missions desk tomorrow, so if you’re free and around, maybe we can steal a few moments away.”
“I’ll do my best,” Kakashi told him, before leaning in and planting a masked kiss on Iruka’s cheek. “Thanks for a great night.”
“I really liked it too, goodnight,” Iruka said, smiling again.
They finally parted ways, each man smiling to themselves about their first date and looking forward to their second one, laughing at how it wasn’t that long ago they wouldn’t have expected any of this.