"So how is Kakashi these days?" Anko asked, skating far closer to Iruka than was probably safe. "I'm sure you've been seeing quite a lot of him lately."
Iruka had to admit he was rather confused. Anko wasn't the first person that week to ask him about Kakashi, though he really had no idea why. Sure, he had been running into Kakashi on a daily basis since the incident with the ladder, but he doubted he saw Kakashi any more than any of Kakashi's other friends.
Iruka mentally took a step backwards. Were they friends? Before this week, he would have said they were acquaintances at best. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if Kakashi barely even remembered his name, let alone the fact that they'd met before. But now... he supposed he and Kakashi were friendly. Iruka rubbed his thumb over the wool mitten covering his hand. He really did need to remember to give those back to Kakashi.
"I have been seeing him more than usual," Iruka answered finally.
Anko grinned slyly. "You mean more of him than usual."
"Isn't that what I said?" Sometimes he wondered about the sanity of jounin-level ninja. Was there some sort of requirement that they all be at least a little strange?
"Perhaps." Anko was still smiling strangely. "You never did answer. How is he?"
"Fine, I guess. I haven't really seen him since yesterday."
Iruka would have thought it impossible for Anko to grin any wider, and yet somehow she managed it. "That's because you aren't looking." She pointed off to Iruka's left, towards the edge of the ice rink.
Sure enough, there was Kakashi, leaning against the fence with what Iruka assumed was a bored look on his face, watching the skaters out on the ice.
"Why don't you go say hello?" Anko gave him a shove towards Kakashi and skated away before Iruka could even think of protesting.
Iruka slid over the ice, easily dodging a handful of children racing near the fence. "Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei."
"Yo." Kakashi greeted him with a wave of his hand.
"Do you want to join us? It's a nice day to be out on the ice."
The jounin glanced down at the ice at Iruka's feet, then trailed his gaze back up to Iruka's face. "Is it fun?"
Iruka blinked in surprise. "You've never ice-skated before?"
Kakashi just shrugged. "Not on purpose."
"Oh." He supposed it wasn't that common of a hobby. After all, the rink was barely ever crowded. Anko had been the one to introduce Iruka to ice-skating, he supposed because she could never get anyone else to go with her. Still, Kakashi's parents probably... Iruka revised his thought midway. No, they probably hadn't taken him ice-skating.
Iruka turned on his brightest smile. "Why don't you join me and find out how fun it is? I promise to only laugh a little if you fall."
Kakashi returned his smile, the sides of his mask rippling a little with the movement of his lips. "Ah, but sensei, if you'll recall, out of the two of us, you're the one with the history of falling."
He could feel his cheeks reddening immediately. "That was your fault!"
"Don't worry. I'll still catch you." Kakashi was chuckling.
Iruka blushing madly as he pointed towards the shack by the entrance. "Go get your skates. We'll see which one of us falls over!"
Thankfully, Kakashi only laughed a little, barely half an hour later as the same group of racing students knocked Iruka over. True to his word, Kakashi caught him.
He didn't stop blushing the rest of the day.
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