"Hey, 'Ruka!" An arm slings over the teacher's shoulder, a grin spreading wide on Anko's lips, as she falls into step beside him. "Have you heard the good news?" A hand rises to flick errant purple locks that have escaped their tie from her face, her gaze seeming to glimmer with the hidden information before he can no longer contain it and spares a moment to hip check him before she speaks up again.
"You're looking at the latest of your brand new colleagues at the little brat containment facility!" There's a wicked smirk on her face, words deliberately chosen to spark his ire, that protectiveness of his students, while simultaneously confirming something without words. I'm finally getting out of the field. "So you should treat me to some dango to celebrate as my best bud, right?"
iruka loves anko, really.
they've gone through so many shit together to not to, especially in their youth – never mind that half of those memories are stained along with mizuki's presence. although, privately, iruka would like to argue that mizuki wasn't always, he supposes, for the lack of better term, the traitorous lowlife bastard he ended up being ( kotetsu and izumo's words, not him ). there had been a level of strictness and holier-than-thou attitude with the silver-blonde, certainly, but a long time ago, part of it was still acceptable enough for most of their friends to poke fun with him about. most days, mizuki had rolled with the punches, before the members he'd aimed his behaviour towards would be accosted to admit that, in part, mizuki was right.
of course, it was mizuki's lie to their sensei that had saved their asses from being reprimanded; of course it was mizuki's clever planning that their volunteer work at the festival or the temple or wherever else they were needed had went as smoothly as it did. he'd always been ... more responsible, anyway, or so he said. iruka had always taken that more heartily than others, he guesses. maybe because he spent a lot of time towards academy graduation until his turn with the chūnin exams knee-deep in pranks, always with the intended outcome of it effecting as many people as it feasibly could. so where iruka had taken his time dilly-dallying in irresponsibility, mizuki would claim that he'd picked up the pieces meanwhile.
of course, in truth, iruka could barely distinguish which memories were accurate. in the last year of his relationship with mizuki, he'd been convinced that the group of friends they'd always grown up with were better cut-off. he could only be glad that by the time mizuki and him were honest-to-god over, his friends had still left the seat where he used to fill exactly where it was for his return. this included anko. so iruka does love her – quite dearly, in fact. she was there for all of his bullshit and bad times and, likewise, iruka likes to think that he'd always been there when she needed him, even if, most of the time, she'd convince him that she was fine.
( and he'd never say anything to that, though he plants his presence like a root. he makes sure anko always knows he is within reach. and if she needs it enough, he'd wrap her arms around her and they'd stay like that. )
but still. just because he loves her, it doesn't make her any less annoying. although—
his eyebrows furrow together, and for a moment, iruka doesn't quite register her words. the academy had been closed for quite some time after the war. in the wake of so many casualties and damage, it had taken the village some time to recover. iruka, himself, have been primarily disposed to the hokage's tower as one of the main administrator to make up for all the influx of— well, everything a village needs to record and sort after a great war. it was only recently that the discussion about the academy's re-opening had been officially addressed and iruka was finally relocated as among the few who were being consulted with when the reconstruction was approved. he wasn't even thinking about the fact that they might need new teachers, and anko—
iruka's eyes finally widen, before his steps halt and he— he turns to her, and says her name. ❛⠀anko, ❜ like the morning's first breath, like hope. he knew more than most how deep orochimaru's claw marks had left in her, and to know that, in some way, this is her finally letting his influences go ... iruka goes to hug her, damn propriety. his eyes sting with fresh tears. ❛⠀i'm glad, ❜ he says easily, a bit hoarsely, and then, through a mischievous tone, adds, ❛⠀so glad, in fact, that i'm even letting the little brat containment facility comment go, but i'm holding to three sticks of dango, max. we're eating somewhere else to celebrate this. ❜
prompt : the sensei besties !!
