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English
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KakaIru Reverse Bang 2022
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Published:
2022-07-20
Completed:
2022-07-20
Words:
9,506
Chapters:
7/7
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57
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362
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3,302

From Across the Hall

,

Chapter 7: Moving in a Forward Motion

Chapter Text

The two of them continued to get dinner after work whenever they could.

At first, Iruka would use the dinners to update Kakashi on Naruto’s whereabouts and his plans for adopting the teen. They tried different restaurants and cafés. Took the train to new locations.

Kakashi even cooked for them at one point. They continued calling themselves just friends until neither one of them could deny the fact that their friendly dinners were becoming considerably less friendly. Especially after Iruka kissed Kakashi a few days after what Kakashi now called their first date.

 

At the office, the news of their outings caught like wildfire. Their friends nagged them incessantly. Iruka threatened them with paperwork and HR write-ups which seemed to work for a while. But their well-meaning friends continued their, “check-ins”. Routinely stopping by unannounced, looking for some good gossip to talk about.

Their boss called them in for a meeting once word got to her about their relationship, she made them sign some paperwork saying that if Iruka ever broke up with Kakashi, (and yes she worded it that way, but what could Kakashi say he was far too gone to say she was wrong) that they would still remain civilized and professional at work.

Other than that, only a few other things changed.

 

Iruka stared at the papers on the kitchen table. He had resolved to ask Naruto once the teen had gotten back, but as usual, everything in his life moved too fast. His radio played softly in the kitchen by the window and he hummed along with it while he triple-checked the documents.

He was meeting Kakashi and Naruto later for a movie and it would be the first time Naruto would be meeting Kakashi.

Iruka knew it would be a disaster, but he also had a sense of calm that he hadn’t felt since he had met Naruto. Like he was exactly where he was meant to be.

Like somehow it was all going to be okay.



Kakashi put the final fold in the piece of paper inspecting the paper airplane for quality before taking aim. He let it fly from his fingers and watched as it flew gracefully through the door across the hall and gliding to a stop on Iruka's desk.

Iruka stared at the piece of paper for a moment before looking across the hall at Kakashi with a quizzical eyebrow.

Kakashi mimed for Iruka to unfold the airplane even mouthing the words, Open it.

Iruka’s brow furrowed as he curiously unfolded the airplane.

On the page was a simple word written in Kakashi’s scrawling penmanship.

Hi.

Iruka smiled to himself before quickly picking up a pen.

Kakashi watched as he seemed to take his time writing something on the paper before refolding it along the same lines Kakashi had used. Iruka stuck his tongue out as he took aim at Kakashi’s desk, his hand poised above his shoulder for a dramatic throw.

He threw it too hard and it nose-dived to the floor just beyond his desk.

Iruka got up and flattened out the nose of the plane before throwing it again. This time it hit the door frame. He repeated the action four times, each time he took a few steps with the airplane as it dove to the floor or went astray. Finally, he just picked up the airplane in a huff, looked to make sure no one was watching, and quickly ran into Kakashi’s office.

He placed it on the desk in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi caught his wrist and pulled him back to face him.

Iruka’s breath stuck in his chest when his eyes met Kakashi's knowing the other man was smiling beneath his disposable mask. Without thinking Iruka quickly pulled Kakashi’s mask down and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away.

 

There was a whistle from behind him right before Tenzou’s voice floated from the hallway,

“Iruka. If he’s harassing you, you need to let us know. We can’t lose the head of our HR department.”

“Yeah, IT guys are a dime a dozen.”

“Maybe he can’t talk about it. Iruka. Blink once for yes and twice for no. Is Kakashi blackmailing you?” His face flushed as he took in the sight of all of their friends standing in the doorway, seemingly with nothing better to do. Kakashi chuckled before standing, pulling Iruka’s attention back toward him. He pulled his mask down as he leaned in and stole another kiss from Iruka, “I’ll see you for dinner at 6?” He asked quietly as their friends made a bunch of noise again. Cries of, “Get a room!” and “Not on company time!” called out their way.

“Yes. I’ll be giving Naruto the papers tonight, or at least the option.”

Kakashi moved his hand down to grab Iruka's in reassurance, “It’ll be fine.” Iruka smiled a genuine smile before rolling his eyes at a particularly lewd comment Anko made.

“Alright, don’t you have anything better to do?” He turned toward them and pushed them out of the doorway, closing the door behind him.

In the new silence of his office, Kakashi unfolded the now wrinkly paper airplane.

Beneath his note was another in Iruka’s clean penmanship.

Hi.

 

“Aren’t you going to try to scare me away or something?” Kakashi asked from where he was helping set the table in the other room. Still tense from Naruto’s lack of acknowledgment of the relationship between himself and Iruka. This was their fourth dinner together, after two movies and lunch. This was the dinner, also. And Kakashi seemed to be more nervous than Iruka was about asking Naruto about being adopted. Which was crazy, because what did Kakashi even have to do with it? It’s not like Kakashi had been spending the last week agonizing over the fact that if (when) he married Iruka then he would be Naruto’s dad and he wasn’t even sure the teen liked him.

 

Naruto pretended to adjust a napkin, fiddling with the edges. In the silence, they could hear Iruka in the kitchen singing along with the radio he always turned on when he was cooking. 

“Nah. You’re cool.” Naruto shrugged, a small fond smile on his face as he looked at the kitchen doorway, where the light spilled out into the dining room, “Thanks to you, he’s singing again.”

 

 

Later, when Iruka presented the papers to Naruto over ice-cream sundaes the teen bawled his eyes out with happiness, causing Iruka to start crying. Kakashi had tried to stay away and let them have their moment but got dragged into a hug between the two of them, and eventually a selfie with Naruto holding the papers.

 

As Naruto and Iruka discussed their future Kakashi quietly cleared the table and started doing the dishes. The radio was still on quietly and it played a song he faintly remembered hearing as a child. When Kakashi was nearly done he felt someone come up and hug him from behind.

“Hello.” Kakashi huffed in amusement as Iruka tightened his grip.

“Hi,” Iruka mumbled into Kakashi’s back. After a few moments, as Kakashi placed the last dish in the drying rack, Iruka spoke again, “Thank you, Kakashi.”

“It’s no problem. I kind of like doing dishes.”

Iruka shook his head, “I don’t mean the dishes. Thank you for everything you’ve done. Thank you for noticing. And thank you for talking sense into me. I,” Iruka paused and stepped back, allowing Kakashi to turn around. “I never thought I would be this happy.”

“Me neither,” Kakashi added taking Iruka’s hands, “about me that is.”

Iruka closed the space between them placing a kiss on Kakashi’s lips.

Naruto’s voice broke them apart.

“Ew, gross! In the kitchen Dad? Really? That’s where all the food is!” Iruka turned to scold the teen who was standing in the doorway, but Kakashi noticed the way Iruka’s eyes had welled up again at the use of the word ‘Dad’. Kakashi laughed quietly to himself as Iruka ushered Naruto out while talking about privacy.

It was good to be home.