Work Text:
(I don't own any characters etc etc)
“It’s our tradition,” Kakashi read aloud to Iruka. “To go out for each other’s birthdays and treat the birthday person to a meal, which they get to choose.” He lowered the letter and looked at Iruka. “That’s what Naruto wrote to me, in between everything of his training and travels with Jiraiya.”
Iruka smiled from across his desk at the academy. “He’s learning so much,” he sighed. “And I’m appreciative he remembered and cares, in the midst of all that. Thanks for sharing it, but you don’t have to do it.”
“He specifically asked me to, perhaps even told me,” the jonin said, gently shaking the letter at Iruka.
“And I’m gratefully declining. Naruto will understand, and by the time I see him again he’ll have forgotten about it all. Really, thanks but don’t sweat it.”
Kakashi looked at him for a long moment before shrugging. “If you’re sure?” he asked, and Iruka smiled and assured him he was. The copy nin shrugged again before saying his goodbyes and taking his leave, pleased that he had fulfilled the request. Mostly. Kind of. Good enough.
Hadn’t he, he soon wondered, for over the next few days something didn’t sit right in his stomach and started to worm its way around his mind. Frustrated, Kakashi went to seek out Iruka once more, finding him on gate guard duty.
“Let’s do it,” Kakashi posed. “Just a meal, it’s fine.”
“You really don’t have to,” Iruka assured him as he waved at a returning Konoha team. “It’s fine,” he parroted.
Kakashi wanted to protest but Iruka was clearly about to be busy, and the jonin had no desire to air his, Iruka’s, or Naruto’s business in public. But he wasn't about to give up on a task given to him by his sensei’s son and the likely-possibly-maybe future Hokage. That, and Naruto would give him an earful if he learned Kakashi hadn’t done it.
Anyway, it really was just one meal, so Kakashi could definitely handle it, both time, energy, and financially. He and Iruka could grab some grub and talk about all things shinobi, and boom, the meal would be over. Easy enough, Kakashi mused, except he was missing a specific chuunin for it.
He decided that the best course of action would be to take over part of the task (perhaps now a mission, he thought) and pick the type of cuisine on behalf of Iruka. Kakashi began to approach the teacher at all hours with suggestions, figuring the birthday boy would pick one and Kakashi could just select the actual venue.
Sushi, ramen, barbeque? No, no, and no, all with “thank you,” to Iruka’s credit. Izakaya, tempura, tonkatsu? Iruka still declined. Curry, teppanyaki, any type of noodle? Still no, but now Iruka was more and more firm in his refusal.
Kakashi was defeated, something he didn’t often experience, and said as much to his empty apartment one night. Iruka’s birthday was approaching in four days and he had no plan. What was he to do?
He decided to do what often helped, and threw himself into training, sparring with ANBU as well as a clone of himself, and several challenges with Gai. Finally, the day before Iruka’s birthday, Kakashi got an idea! The best of ideas!
He would stalk…follow…Iruka on his birthday and just pay for a meal, sneak up and pay, or give money to the staff and not let Iruka know. The jonin was pleased with himself, keeping his title as genius once more. Really, he chided himself, how had he not thought of this before?!
And so, he woke the next morning feeling chipper and quickly bathed and dressed, heading to pay for Iruka’s breakfast. That was the easiest and fastest way to accomplish this, Kakashi mused as he went to wait to watch the chuunin leave his apartment, an address Kakashi had just barely secured the previous night.
Except…except Iruka went straight to the academy. Kakashi shrugged; no bother, he would pay for lunch!
Except…except Iruka brought lunch. Kakashi sighed.
“It’s his birthday and I know he’s got the evening off, I’ll just pay for dinner,” he decided, parking himself nearby with a book to read.
Except…except Iruka went out with friends for dinner, meeting them after the academy. Kakashi cursed himself for not having thought that of course Iruka would make plans for his birthday!
As he watched the chuunin laugh at something one of the others said, Kakashi slunk away, not wanting to intrude. Not to mention, he figured the teacher’s friends were probably taking care of the bill, and he didn’t want to take that from them or lead to gossip about Iruka if someone mysteriously paid for them all.
“I can figure something else out,” Kakashi sighed as he went to get his own dinner. “He’s not at the academy tomorrow, so it won’t be a problem.”
___
It was very much a problem, Kakashi soon realized. Iruka only left his apartment in the morning for some laundry, and stayed home the rest of the day. And yes, Kakashi could see through the man’s window he was cooking, so there was no reason for him to have anything delivered or even drop something off himself. Kakashi gave up by mid-afternoon, even if the rooftop with a good view of Iruka’s window had just the right amount of sun and shade to lounge in.
Kakashi expected he could take care of it all the next day, but Iruka worked two shifts at the missions office and then came home, and again had packed food. Kakashi knew that like all places, the missions office appreciated food being brought in for them, but he couldn’t have food for only Iruka brought when there were always two or more other shinobi working there. And if he bought for several people, well, it probably wasn’t what Naruto had in mind, or part of the tradition.
Kakashi continued to watch Iruka go about his life for the next two and a half weeks as he was foiled time and time again. Iruka never stopped on his way to the academy in the mornings, and often packed lunch, unless others had made plans to order out in advance. Kakashi would essentially follow him to the academy before heading off for his own business, trying to make it back by the time Iruka was leaving after classes. But the chuunin was often busy in the evenings, working the missions office or gate duty, out with others three times, or running errands and heading home, picking up food or cooking himself. And somehow the copy nin was still unable to pay for Iruka’s meals then, either because Iruka bought ready-made food and immediately paid, or because Kakashi couldn’t quite get staff’s attention fast enough to let them know which bill he wanted to handle.
Finally, Kakashi had had enough. He confirmed a day that Iruka was not working anywhere after the academy or had plans with anyone else, and waited outside the school grounds.
“Hello, Kakashi-sensei,” Iruka greeted him with a smile. “How are you?”
“Not great,” Kakashi told him, but as Iruka opened his mouth to ask more, the jonin grabbed him by his vest. “You’re coming with me,” he said, hauling a very surprised Iruka after him as he began to walk away from the academy.
They walked in silence, Iruka’s eyes wide in continued confusion until he was plopped down on a stool at Ichiraku, where Ayame seemed just as surprised by it all as he was. Kakashi sat next to him and sighed heavily.
“Two of Iruka’s usuals, please,” he asked, and Ayame nodded, darting over to talk to her father in hushed tones. Teuchi looked over and raised his eyebrows before shrugging and getting to work. Ayame returned with glasses of water and offered a small smile before moving away.
Iruka blinked and scratched his cheek in confusion before shrugging and sipping his water. Setting his glass down, he took a deep breath and looked at the copy nin, who was swirling his own glass.
“So….what’s going on?” Iruka asked, and Kakashi sighed.
“It’s a long story.”
“Apparently I’ve got time,” Iruka mused, and his eyes grew wide again as Kakashi shared an overview of trying to buy a meal for Iruka for the past several weeks. “You went to all that trouble?”
“Yes, I did,” Kakashi agreed, and they thanked Ayame as she brought their food out. “It was a lot of trouble, you’re right,” he said, nodding. “But now I can tell Naruto I kept up the tradition. Kind of. Mostly.”
“A bit belatedly, I suppose,” Iruka mused as they began to eat. Or at least, food disappeared though Kakashi’s mask remained up, so Iruka presumed the other man was eating.
“And whose fault is that?” Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow. Iruka blushed and smiled into his ramen, but shrugged. Kakashi sighed heavily and they sat eating in silence for a moment.
“Thanks, for all that,” Iruka said, but it was the other man’s turn to shrug.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
“Wait,” Iruka began with a furrowed brow and frown. “Why was it ‘a lot’ of trouble?”
“What?” Kakashi asked, clearing his throat. “No reason.”
“Kakashi,” Iruka said in a stern voice, dropping formalities.
“Maybe I…had to do a lot to get information about you,” he admitted, having left that out of his previous story. He fought the urge to squirm, realizing far too late that maybe it was a bit much to have followed Iruka around the village for what, two weeks? Three? Not four, surely, he hoped…
“What?” Iruka coughed into his ramen.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the jonin quickly told him. Iruka wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at him as Kakashi gave him an eye smile. The teacher rolled his eyes.
“Fine, sure, whatever,” Iruka sighed. “But, thanks again. And sorry, I guess?”
The copy nin shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s…a tradition now too, I suppose,” he laughed.
“What is?”
“Uh…following you around to figure out the best time for a meal.”
“You what?!” Iruka sputtered again, ignoring the clear eavesdropping Teuchi and Ayame were doing.
“So, yeah, we should do this again. But, maybe planned? I wouldn’t mind not having to follow you for hours to do this. After all, I think we’re getting some rain soon.”
Iruka’s mouth fell open as he searched for a response, but in the end shrugged and shook his head as he resumed eating.
“Strange,” he sighed. “But, sure.”
“Yeah?” Kakashi asked, slightly surprised.
Iruka laughed. “Yeah. We’ll plan our next meal together. And hey, maybe we’ll start to include your birthday in our tradition.”
“Huh,” Kakashi offered, having not thought of that. He found he didn’t mind it, if it was Naruto and Iruka.
“But I’m not following you around for weeks for it,” Iruka told him.
“Ah, that’s no fun then,” Kakashi countered, and Iruka laughed.
“Perhaps Naruto will be back by then, and he and I will follow you to see under your mask, like the old times with Team Seven,” the teacher posed, and Kakashi shuddered.
“In that case, never mind, I’ll make it easy for you.”
“Taking you out for your birthday, or showing me your face?” Iruka teased.
“Either, if you’re lucky,” Kakashi said before he could stop himself, and they looked at each other with wide eyes before turning their attention back to their food, both smiling into their bowls of ramen.
“This will be on the house,” Teuchi whispered to Ayame, who nodded.
“I think we’ll be seeing them here together a lot,” she replied, and her father softly laughed and smiled.
“I think so too…”