Chapter Text
(I don't own any characters etc etc)
Kakashi sighed as he walked around with Gai and Asuma during their lunch break, enjoying the crisp winter air and being out of the office for a bit. What he wasn’t enjoying, however, was hearing the two of them talking about Valentine’s Day. Again. And again. And again.
“Seriously?” he finally hissed. “It’s still January! Why are you already talking about it?”
The other two turned and looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“We only have a little over a month until that day, we need all that time to prepare!” Gai cheered.
“Yeah, also the stores have had Valentine’s things on shelves since mid-December,” Asuma commented as he lit a new cigarette. “You’re just salty ‘cause you’re single.”
Kakashi rolled his eyes and stuck his hands in his coat pockets. “I am not.”
“Rival! But you are single!” Gai posed, making Asuma snicker and Kakashi sigh again.
“Thanks for the painful reminder, Gai,” Kakashi muttered. “I’m single, but I’m not salty.”
“Sounds like something a single, salty person would say,” Asuma suggested, and Gai laughed and nodded.
“Yeah, well, at least I don’t have to worry about buying, what, five pounds of chocolate for it and making an overpriced dinner reservation in a crowded restaurant with shitty specials for the night?” Kakashi said, making a face at the thought.
“I’ll have you know that Kurenai and I will be staying in and making our own shitty dinner, so there,” Asuma told him.
“And Hana and I will be going to a small restaurant that won’t upcharge us that day,” Gai shared. “Kakashi, fear not! There is still plenty of time for you to find a special someone!” he cheered, putting an arm around his friend’s shoulders.
Kakashi shrugged it off, however. “I don’t need to find someone, Gai,” he assured them. “I’ll be just fine with my usual Valentine’s Day tradition of getting takeout from Ichiraku’s and eating it at home while I re-read at least one Icha Icha. Alone, happy, and not having gone broke buying meaningless gifts.”
Asuma frowned. “You act like you’ve never been in a relationship. It’s what you make of it, if you even choose to celebrate it.”
“I’ve been in relationships, they’ve just been terrible,” Kakashi recalled. His face lit up as they came across a bookstore he hadn’t been to in a while. “I’m going to stop in here,” he announced, and Gai joined him while Asuma stayed outside a moment longer to finish his cigarette.
Kakashi tried to ignore the red, pink, and white decorations all over the store as he walked around, feeling slightly hypocritical for not liking this so-called holiday yet openly loving romance books. Well, at least those written by Jiraiya, he mused as he headed to that section of the store as Gai went to the health section.
Kakashi looked at the rows of romance novels, about chest-high, frowning slightly at not seeing anything new from the Icha Icha author. Of course, he wasn’t expecting a new book as he was always on top of that fandom, but he had hoped that maybe there was a re-release, updated edition, anything!
Just then, something caught his eye.
“Recommended by Jiraiya as seen on Good Morning Fire Country!” Kakashi read from a placard. He shrugged as he picked up the recommended book from the top shelf, “Red String of Fate,” turning it over to read the back description about how two people met time and again until romance sprung between them.
He shrugged again, unsure of trying it, but as he finished reading and glanced up time seemed to stop for him. There, a few aisles over, was a handsome, gorgeous even, man perusing whatever section he was in.
The man seemed about his age, perhaps a bit younger. Dark brown hair worn in a high ponytail, brown eyes, tan skin. He wore a dark blue coat with an orange scarf peeking out of it in sharp contrast, but somehow pulled it off. A scar crossed his nose, something that Kakashi couldn’t help but think was just like something an author would put into a story to make the character that much more unique and interesting (not unlike his own scar), not that the man needed it.
The man pursed his lips as he looked at a book, and Kakashi began to wonder if he should go over to him and…and what? This was straight out of Icha Icha, yet he didn’t know what to do, other than that he didn’t think he should let this man go. Ever, if given the chance.
But before he could think about anything else, Asuma’s voice appeared in his ear.
“See something you like?” his friend snickered, making Kakashi blink several times before turning to him.
“What?” he scowled, but Asuma grinned.
“Isn’t this quaint, you making heart eyes at a guy in a bookstore just after you trashed the idea of love,” Asuma teased.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. “I never trashed love, just Valentine’s Day. Two very different things.”
“Sure, whatever,” Asuma scoffed. “Go on, go talk to him.”
Kakashi looked over at the man again. “I can’t, what would I even say?”
“I don’t know, hit him with a line from one of your books,” Asuma suggested. “Ask him for a recommendation? Use a library pick up line?”
“I don’t know any,” Kakashi frowned.
“Well, you better act fast, just in case.”
Kakashi nodded and slowly walked towards Hot Guy, pretending to be roaming the aisles. Hot Guy stayed in the same aisle he had been, just a different section. Kakashi turned down that aisle, glancing at the books. Young Adult…he inwardly panicked, unsure of what to do as this wasn’t really his literary territory…
Still, he didn’t think of himself as a genius for nothing, and an idea instantly came to him.
Kakashi pretended to be looking at the shelves of books as he crept closer towards Hot Guy, who was still browsing that aisle. He cursed, hoping that Hot Guy didn’t have a young adult in his life that he was getting something for? No, surely not! The guy looked too young to have a kid that age…another quick glance showed there was no ring either. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
Kakashi inwardly sighed, he was overthinking things!
Sucking it up, he pushed forward with his plan.
“Sorry to bother you,” he said to Hot Guy, who paused and looked at him with his brown, brown eyes, mild surprise on his face. “I’m looking for a book for my friend’s nephew, do you have any suggestions? I don’t have any kids myself, so I’m a bit out of water here,” he said with one of his more charming smiles.
Hot Guy bought it, hook, line, and sinker, and returned the smile, something Kakashi tried to commit to memory.
“I buy these books for a family friend, I might be able to recommend a few,” Hot Guy said. “How old is he?”
“Uh…twelve? Thirteen maybe? He acts like he’s thirty,” Kakashi admitted, delighting in Hot Guy laughing at it (not at him, he hoped, but he’d take it, either way).
“Same here, mine acts like an irresponsible twenty-five,” Hot Guy mused. He pulled a few books from the shelves and passed them to Kakashi. “A bit of a range there. A mystery, a sci-fi, a thriller, and a guilty pleasure of mine, a ninja story.”
Kakashi raised his eyebrow at that. “You like ninjas?” he asked, nearly swooning at how cute Hot Guy was! Seriously, the man was handsome, had good taste in clothes (other than the orange scarf, but no one was perfect), and willingly spent time in bookstores? Kakashi could only pray the guy was single and looking, but nothing tipped him off either way.
“Yeah, I know, it’s a bit lame,” Hot Guy laughed, shrugging. “I accept it.”
“No, I dig ninjas, totally!” Kakashi protested, though he was being sincere. Yes, he was all for staging a meet-cute that would make Jiraiya proud, but he was not one to lie to someone to gain their interest.
Though, speaking of Jiraiya….
“If you like ninjas, can I recommend ‘Tales of a Gutsy Ninja’,” Kakashi began, before a woman with purple-blue hair, a trench coat, and tall grey boots approached from the other end of the aisle.
“Iruka, babe! We gotta get going, lunch is nearly up!” she called out, making Hot Guy turn towards her. Kakashi’s heart sank. Babe? That meant Hot Guy…Iruka, was it?...was not available in a number of ways. Still, at least he had gotten some book recommendations for young people, he wryly mused.
“Who’s your friend?” the woman asked Iruka, looking at Kakashi.
Iruka frowned at her. “Anko!” he hissed.
“Oh, did I interrupt something?” she asked, not even attempting to hide her curiosity. “Were you nerding out and finally meeting someone?”
“Goodbye, Anko, I’ll see you at the front,” Iruka said, before turning back to Kakashi, who noticed a blush on the man’s face .
Adorable, Kakashi sighed, though he felt confused. Was Iruka with Anko? Was he not? She called him “babe” but also asked if he was “finally” meeting someone…so did that mean…?
“Sorry, don’t mind her,” Iruka apologized. “She’s just being nosy.”
“No worries,” Kakashi said, smiling again.
“But, I should go, she’s right,” Iruka sighed, checking his watch. “We have to get back to work soon.” He paused. “Tales of a Gutsy Ninja?” he asked, and Kakashi nodded. “I’ll have to check it out, thanks!” Iruka said, smiling.
“You do that. If I see you around here again I’ll check up on you that you read it,” Kakashi said.
Iruka laughed. “No pressure or anything, right?”
Kakashi nodded. “Right. I’m Kakashi, by the way.”
Iruka opened his mouth to reply but Anko called out for him again.
“As she’s said, I’m Iruka. Nice to meet you, Kakashi. I hope your friend’s nephew likes the books.”
“I’m sure he will. Nice to meet you too, Iruka,” Kakashi replied, waving with a free hand as Iruka walked away.
Kakashi stayed in that aisle to pretend to look for another book, fighting the urge to look out for Iruka again. Still, he couldn’t help but overhear the man and his friend.
“So? Who is he? Is he nice? He’s cute! Did you get his number?”
“He was just asking for recommendations,” Iruka replied.
“Go get his number!”
“Anko! I can’t just ask –”” Iruka hissed, before they moved out of hearing distance.
Asuma found him several moments later, grinning.
“So? Who was he? Was he nice? Did you get his number?”
Kakashi snorted at his friend’s questions. “Just a name,” he admitted.
“Shame, he looks like he’s into you, he looked back and everything,” Asuma sighed. “Let’s go grab Gai and check out, we should start to head back to work.”
Kakashi nodded, looking down at the romance book he was still carrying as they walked towards the exercise section, suddenly not feeling quite as bothered about the heart-shaped decorations all over the store.