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(I don't own any characters etc etc)
“What are your new year’s resolutions, Sakura?” Naruto asked, as they stretched ahead of training.
“To continue to grow, get stronger, find Sasuke, and maybe do something different with my hair,” she declared. “What about you?”
“I’m going to find Sasuke too!” Naruto shouted, as she rolled her eyes. “And work on becoming Hokage, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Sai agreed.
“And see if I can get Ichiraku’s to name a ramen flavor after me!” Naruto continued, grinning.
“Good luck with that one,” she laughed. “Sai? Any resolutions?”
“There’s a few jutsu I’d like to work on, and I’m always working on a new masterpiece,” Sai told them.
“What about you, Kakashi-sensei? Captain Yamato?” she asked the older jonin.
Kakashi sighed. “It’s too tiring to think of any, I’ll just hope to get through another year alive.” He paused. “And perhaps press Jiraiya to finish his next book soon.”
“Such a joy to be around, you are,” Yamato teased him. “I think I’ll just focus all my attention on training you three,” he said, smiling as they groaned.
The team moved into sparring, with the adults watching.
“Are you sure you don’t have another resolution?” Kakashi asked in a low voice.
“What?” Yamato replied.
“Maybe to not be single this year? Start the new year off with a little love?”
Yamato shrugged as he watched the younger shinobi. “Naruto, a little more force behind your fist. Sai, dodge to the left more!” He looked at the copy nin. “I guess if it happens, it happens.”
“And if it happens with a certain someone? A certain…sensei?”
Yamato rolled his eyes. “I’m not into you, you know that already.”
Kakashi sighed. “Not me. Maybe one Iruka-sensei?” he asked in a teasing tone, delighting in Yamato’s face turning slightly red.
“N-no,” the other jonin protested. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said in a tone two octaves higher than usual, groaning at himself.
“I’ve seen your looks at him at the missions office, and when we run into him. You like him, admit it.”
“I don’t know about that,” Yamato posed, clearing his throat. “Sakura, good job there!”
“Oh, ignore them, we’ve got your love life to figure out,” Kakashi said, waving the scene in front of them away.
“This is our job, Kakashi,” Yamato sternly countered.
“My job is to be a good friend to you and help you find romance! And if that doesn’t inspire the next Icha Icha I don’t know what will,” Kakashi muttered.
“Can we just stop?” Yamato sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Don’t want to talk about what? How much you like him? How nice you probably think he is? How you totally go for cute brunettes?”
“Kakashi!” Yamato snapped. “I said I don’t want to talk about it!”
“Captain Yamato, look!” Sakura called out, pointing at the ground around him as the three paused their training. “What happened?”
The men looked down to find themselves now standing in a large cluster of knee high purple lilacs, and Kakashi laughed.
“Just some unruly training by him,” the copy nin mused as Yamato rubbed his own face with a hand, groaning again.
“Weird,” Naruto said, confused.
“Hmm, purple lilacs. They represent new love, or the beginning of love,” Sai announced, and the group looked at him. “What? I researched flower meanings to increase my art.”
“That’s too good to be true,” Kakashi wheezed, and Sakura smiled as she looked at Yamato.
“Is that true? Are you two in love?” she asked, making Kakashi stop laughing.
“No!” both men yelled in unison.
“Definitely not,” Yamato added.
“Never,” Kakashi supplied.
“But, the flowers…” she said, trailing off.
“Nope, don’t even go there,” Yamato said, shaking his head. “Just some training gone wrong, like he said.”
“Weird,” Naruto said again.
“Anyway, back to work you three,” Kakashi instructed them, and the group obliged as the older men stood in silence.
“I can help,” Kakashi said after a few moments.
“For the last time, I don’t want to talk about it!” Yamato hissed through clenched teeth.
“Sure, right, but I can help you snag him,” the other man continued.
“Do I even want to know?” Yamato sighed, accepting that he wasn’t being listened to.
“I’m basically friends with him, since taking on Naruto. I know a good bit about him, I could help you to finally ask him out.”
The other jonin frowned at him. “Is this a trick? A game?”
“No, I’m just trying to help you for real, I promise,” Kakashi said, holding up his hands. “I mean, let’s face it. You’re probably not going to make a move any time soon, since it’s been how long?”
“It hasn’t been that long,” Yamato protested, though neither believed him.
“Uh-huh, right. Iruka will get snatched up by someone else and you’ll have missed your shot. Go for it now, while he’s still single. We’ll work together and find the perfect way to ask him out.”
Yamato thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Fine, let’s see what you can do…”
___
Iruka frowned as he finished clearing his desk off in his classroom, thinking about the last topic of the day. He had discussed goals with his students, as at the start of the year he had asked them to take the week to think about what they wanted to work on this year, and this month. Goals, resolutions, whatever they wanted to call it, really. Naturally, the class had asked about his own, and he had some prepared, always wanting to be a good role model. But there was one he had not shared with them, perhaps with anyone.
He really, really, really wanted to ask Yamato out.
He had liked the jonin for some time ever since the man proved to be a kind but firm teacher for Naruto, though a true crush had developed over time. Not that he hadn’t realized Yamato was handsome upon first meeting, for he had! Anko had teased him for nearly drooling over him, but he was sorry not sorry that the man was delicious to look at!
Of course, Iruka wasn’t shallow, and as he got to know the man more he began to like him for him. The disappointing side was that he only knew him professionally. Well, mostly. They had had some shared meals together with Team Seven here and there, or perhaps with only Kakashi and Naruto. And maybe they ran into each other on a night out with different friend groups once…or twice…or three times, not that Iruka was counting!
Regardless, he had accepted he was majorly crushing on the man and was finally working up the courage to ask him out. Iruka knew enough to know that the other man was single, but as handsome and nice as he was, surely that wouldn’t last forever?
But what to do, how to go about it? Iruka sighed as he stood and left, heading to the missions office to work, hoping for either a distraction or inspiration.
It worked, to an extent. Iruka was comfortably busy enough to be distracted, while also admiring the couples who were there together, especially those who met at the office to go elsewhere together.
He allowed himself to daydream about what that could be like, for Yamato to come by, perhaps to drop off a scroll, and stick around so that when Iruka was off duty they could go get dinner. Walking together hand in hand, even, because Iruka liked that sort of thing.
“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto called out, jostling him from the dream.
The teacher sighed deeply. “Hi, Naruto,” he said, giving him a warm smile as he came back to reality. “How are you?”
“Hungry! Want to get dinner later?”
“I’m still here for a few hours, so I can’t tonight, but another time?” Iruka asked, and Naruto frowned but nodded. “Is there someone else you can eat with?”
“Maybe Sakura if she’s done at the hospital, or maybe Kiba,” Naruto said. “Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato went off together after training an hour ago so they probably won’t buy me dinner,” he sighed, and Iruka laughed.
“I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just invite me out so I’d pay,” he teased, and Naruto shook his head.
“No, at least not mostly,” he admitted. “I’ll buy next time, I got paid well from the last mission, okay?”
Iruka smiled again. “Okay, sounds good,” he said, waving as Naruto walked away.
Some time later, however, something occurred to him as he was reviewing a report. What was it Naruto had said - Yamato went off with Kakashi?
Now that he thought about it, Iruka wondered how often he had seen one man without the other? Not that often, he realized.
His eyes widened. Did that mean…could that mean…
He kept himself together until he was on break, groaning in the first empty room he found.
“Am I interested in a taken man?” he sighed. “I don’t know that Yamato is dating him, but they are around each other a lot…though surely Anko would have said something to me, since she probably has some idea of my crush…and wouldn’t Konoha be filled with gossip about it?”
Iruka paused and shook his head.
“They’re private men, so maybe not. Maybe they’ve been together for years, since people have said they’ve known each other for a long time? I probably shouldn’t do anything after all…but then again, maybe they’re just friends?”
He continued to wonder about it and reflect on it all night, before shrugging once he woke from a restless sleep.
“Maybe I can fish around to see if he’s single, and only inquire about that.” Iruka paused and frowned. “I might need to talk to him directly, so no one else finds out. If he’s single, I’ll ask him out on the spot! And if he isn’t, I can play it off like I was just asking, or that Naruto made a bet with me,” he said to himself, wincing at how lame that came off. He’d have to figure out something better, he decided, and began to get ready for the day ahead.
___
Iruka kept an eye out for Yamato but didn’t see him that day, or the next. He did, however, find him the third day on a busy shopping street, but as he was heading towards him to “happen to bump into” him, Iruka froze when Kakashi came and stood next to Yamato. Right next to him, it seemed.
Iruka stifled a yelp and did what any adult would do - he hid. Somewhere he could still watch and listen, but still.
“What about this?” Yamato asked, pointing at something in a store window.
Kakashi shook his head. “That’s not good.”
“This?”
“Maybe?”
Yamato sighed. “I need something good for a date, Kakashi,” he said wearily, and Iruka’s stomach dropped.
“I just want it to be perfect,” the copy nin replied, and Iruka felt nauseous.
He turned and jutsued away as fast as he could, just wanting to be home alone. He spent the rest of the day home by himself, and considered calling out of the missions office the next afternoon, wanting to continue his pity party. Of course Yamato was dating Kakashi! Kakashi was a stronger and better shinobi, that was glaringly obvious. And famous, and handsome. Sure, Iruka thought he was pretty attractive, but he was no Kakashi. And didn’t everyone know the two men were good friends? Clearly more, and Iruka had been a fool to not see it for himself earlier, to accept it. It had been so obvious…
But Konoha was at no fault of this, no one was, he had to admit, and so got dressed in his uniform the next day. Maybe he’d find Anko that night and loosely vent to her, and hope she’d take him out for a good meal and some ice cream, he thought as he headed to work.
Time seemed to pass slower than ever, and he began to consider telling his coworkers he was ill and needed to go home. At least then he could sleep away the rest of the day; he’d find Anko another day to join his pity party.
Just then, he saw none other than Yamato come in. Without meaning to, Iruka’s nerves grew excitedly anxious, only to freeze again when Kakashi came in after him.
Iruka morosely watched as the men stood near the door, seemingly talking about something they did not seem to agree on. Yamato seemed to protest something to Kakashi, who rolled his eye before walking out.
“Lover’s quarrel,” Iruka muttered to himself, before he was blessedly distracted by people getting in his line.
Unfortunately, this also included Yamato, as Iruka found out three people later.
He coolly greeted him and accepted a mission report for the team, perhaps rushing through it a bit, wanting the other man out of his sight as soon as possible.
“Thank you for your work,” Iruka formally commented, approving the report. “Have a good day.”
“Thank you,” Yamato said, remaining in place.
Iruka frowned before he could stop himself. “Can I help you with anything else?”
“Could I speak to you on your break?”
Iruka raised an eyebrow at that. “Is everything okay?” he asked, now concerned about Team Seven, and perhaps more importantly, Naruto.
“Mostly, yes,” Yamato replied, appearing slightly nervous, Iruka realized.
“I can step away for a few minutes now, if it’s important?”
“Only if it’s no trouble?”
Iruka nodded and spoke to a coworker one desk over, then gestured for Yamato to follow him. Incidentally, the first free space was the same room Iruka had berated himself in two days earlier; just his luck, he sighed.
“So, what’s going on?” Iruka asked, and watched as Yamato reached inside his vest and pulled out a small bakery box before passing it to him.
“What?” Iruka asked, eyes wide as he looked between it and the man, and back again.
“Um, for you,” Yamato said, fiddling with his own vest. “You can open it.”
Iruka silently did so, revealing four pieces of wagashi from a popular bakery in the village, each piece of dessert made to look like a yellow flower.
“I don’t understand,” Iruka admitted.
“I would like to take you to dinner,” Yamato declared, before grimacing. “That sounded less formal in my head.”
“What? Take me out? But what about Kakashi?”
“What about Kakashi?” Yamato asked, now his turn to be confused. He cursed silently. Had he read it all wrong, was Iruka into Kakashi? Of course he would be! The other jonin was how famous, and had known Iruka for longer. Was it too late to just leave the room, no, tower, no, village, forever?
“Aren’t you dating him?” Iruka asked.
“What?”
“Yeah, I mean, I see you together a lot, so I thought…”
“We’re not!” Yamao quickly told him. “We’re not together, just friends.” He held his breath, waiting for the younger man to gently let him down; now that he knew he wasn’t with Kakashi he’d probably go ask the copy nin out. Not that that was the outcome he wanted, or had expected, but he supposed if his friend was happy, that was something…
“You’re not?” Iruka asked, and Yamato quickly shook his head. To both men’s surprise, Iruka smiled. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said, and Yamato was still counting the exits from the room until Iruka spoke again. “I thought you were, and, well, it doesn’t matter now. So yes, I’d love to have dinner with you.”
“What? Really?”
“I was actually going to ask you out the other day, but I saw you with Kakashi and overheard you two talking about a date…” Iruka told him, trailing off.
Yamato thought about it for a moment before his eyes widened and he shook his head. “He was helping me find something to give you for when I asked you out! On this date! Our date! Not a me-and-him date!”
Iruka laughed, feeling the last few days’ stress leave him. “That’s a relief,” he admitted. “Well, I finish in two hours, do you want to go out then?”
Yamato’s mouth fell open, as he had not expected to be on a date with Iruka so soon, but he nodded several times. “Yes! That would be great!”
Iruka smiled again. “Meet me outside the tower then?” he asked, and the other man nodded again. “Can’t wait,” he told him, smiling as he left to head back to work.
Yamato stayed in that room to collect himself, surprised at the outcome but excited at the same time.
And as he walked by the missions office on his way out of the building, he peeked in the room and caught Iruka’s eye, smiling and waving.
Iruka waved back, watching him pass the doorway before looking at the box on his desk, smiling at it and looking forward to that night, and thinking about how his daydream was coming true.
“I wonder if Yamato will think that a first date is too soon for hand holding?” he mused to himself, smiling wider as he got back to work.