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“Headmaster Iruka, isn't the Hokage your valentine?”
Iruka looks out the window to where Kakashi's seated on a tree branch, out of the way, but still visible. He's reading, but not actually Icha Icha for once. It might actually be the book Iruka recommended.
“Yes,” he says, because it's true. He feels a little bad that he told Kakashi they couldn't have lunch today, but he's covering for Shikamaru’s class, and Valentine's is not the day you want to leave small shinobi children unattended.
“Headmaster Iruka, why don't you blow him a kiss?”
Iruka smiles. For some reason ‘blowing kisses’ had been the big rage in the classroom this Valentine's Day. The kids had been blowing kisses at their valentines, the teachers, animals - just about anyone and everyone.
He likes to encourage that kind of sweet, non-destructive behavior so he says “Ok,” and raises a hand to his mouth to blow a kiss toward Kakashi, through the closed window, to where he's seated over at the edge of the Academy yard.
“He caught it!” one of the kids near the window squeals, and Iruka laughs. Sure enough, Kakashi had reached a hand into the air to snatch the kiss, not looking up from his book.
“He put it in his pocket!” Suddenly there's kids crowding the window and chattering, and someone else says “I'm going to try!” Iruka watches Yuki-chan blow a kiss toward Kakashi who, a moment later, raises a hand to nonchalantly flick it out of the air away from him, never raising an eye from his reading.
A disappointed “Awww” from Yuki and a clamor of, “I want to try!” and “Me too!” and suddenly a variety of kids are blowing kisses Kakashi's way. Iruka laughs out loud as Kakashi waves his book in the air as if fending off a cloud of annoying insects.
Amidst the clamor that evoked one of the kids says, “Headmaster Iruka, you do it again!” The rest of the children fall quiet and watch him expectantly. He smiles and obligingly blows Kakashi another kiss. This time Kakashi deftly grabs it out of the air and pretends to tuck it into his book like a bookmark.
The kids all chorus “Oooh’s” as Kakashi stands and looks their way. He meets Iruka's eyes and blows a small, two-fingered kiss through his mask, and jumps away.
Iruka mimes catching the kiss a moment later and holds his fist out to the rabble of children clamoring to see it. “What should I do with it?” he asks.
The suggestions range wide, including an “Eat it!” from the Akimichi boy which makes Iruka laugh, but ultimately he says, “I'm going to keep it close to my heart,” and tucks it into his vest to a chorus of approval from the kids.