More than one Reason
A/N: Written for KakaYamaWeek 2019; prompt: Modern Teacher AU.
I do not own these characters; I've had a wonderful time exploring them.
Yamato was entering the final quarter of his first year as a physical science teacher. His course had been paced well, he'd only had to make some minor adjustments to his curriculum, and his fellow educators remarked on how organized he was. True, he'd spent more out-of-pocket on supplies for his classroom that he was comfortable with, but he couldn't bring himself to regret the expense. While most would consider his first year a success, Yamato had difficulty accepting the congratulations and compliments while one of his students was struggling to pass his class.
Naruto Uzumaki was a boy with tremendous potential and a thirst to prove himself. However, his inability to apply himself, coupled with a short attention span and even shorter temper had prevented him from succeeding in Yamato's class. Also, the worse his grades were, the more he disrupted the classroom.
Most of the teachers met for a drink on Fridays after classes let out, and these gatherings had become an integral part of his weekly routine. Yamato had mentioned his frustration with Naruto during several of the weekly afterschool meetups, and every time he did, some of the other teachers suggested he ignore the boy as they had because it was unfair to invest so much in him at the expense of the other students. While Yamato could understand their reasoning, he couldn't bring himself to follow their advice. He withheld the unflattering nicknames that Naruto had dubbed them with. It seemed that only Mr. Hatake, a somewhat elusive and eccentric English teacher was spared an unfortunate moniker, and he assumed it was because he'd earned Uzumaki's respect or even admiration. Yamato could see why too, even though he'd never spoken to Mr. Hatake, he was ever-hopeful the other man would join them for a drink on Fridays, for more than one reason.
Mr. Hatake was a magnetic oddity. He arrived at the school when it pleased him, it seemed. He had a reputation among the students for being strict but carried a lackadaisical air about him. At first, Yamato wondered if the English teacher was a sickly man because he wore a surgical facial mask regardless of the season. However, Hatake had never missed a day, and Yamato would know because he'd been watching for him.
It was for only one of his many reasons that Yamato sought out the English teacher on this Friday afternoon rather than hope he'd join them at their usual pub. Pushing aside his nervousness for the sake of his student, Yamato tapped lightly on the opened door to announce his arrival at the English teacher's classroom. "May I come in?" he asked, pensively.
"Sure, I only have a few minutes though. I'm expecting a student to arrive soon." Mr. Hatake hadn't lifted his eyes from a brightly-colored shōnen manga book he held as he spoke.
Yamato entered the classroom and looked about it. Aside from different subject matter on the chalkboard and posters on the walls, the classroom was as neat and orderly as his own. Mr. Hatake continued to read instead of addressing his guest, and so Yamato squeezed himself in to sit at the desk directly in front of the English teacher.
A moment later Mr. Hatake closed the book and set it down on his desk. He silently applied his full attention to Yamato who, suddenly wondered how ridiculous he might look to the other man, crammed into one of his student's seats. He attempted to improve his appearance by lacing his fingers together, resting his hands on the surface of the attached desk and cleared his throat to introduce himself.
"I'm the new physical science teacher," he began.
"Yes, it's Yamato, correct?"
"Yes," Yamato issued an awkward half-smile, happy to know that the other at least knew who he was. "And you teach English here, Mr. er, I mean—" He stopped himself, realizing he didn't know the other's first name.
"Hatake."
"Right." Yamato felt his hopeful half-smile falter, disappointed not to have been invited to address the other man as casually. "I've come to talk to you about a student that we have in common, Naruto Uzumaki."
Mr. Hatake leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "Mm," he nodded. "He's a handful, alright."
"That's what most of the teachers say when we get together on Fridays. I-I had hoped you would join us for a few reasons, but one of them is so I could ask you about him. He seems to like you better than most of the other teachers, and I wondered how you managed it. He's struggling in my class currently, and I want to help him improve," Yamato had begun to twiddle his thumbs absentmindedly as he spoke.
Mr. Hatake chuckled a little under his breath, "Naruto requires a creative approach to help him to succeed." He tapped one finger on the book in front of him, drawing Yamato's attention away from his own fidgeting thumbs. "I've made a deal with him. I read books that he recommends, and then we get together on Fridays after school to discuss them."
Yamato lifted his head at this, as it explained why Mr. Hatake never attended the weekly meetups with the other teachers. His half-smile returned as the English teacher continued.
"Naruto is a bright young man, and he catches on quickly enough when he sees how the same lessons can be applied to what holds his interest. The first thing we do on Fridays is to go over his preferred reading material, and I apply that week's grammar lesson to it. His end of the deal is to read what I assign to the class and to write down any questions he has for me to answer in our Friday sessions. This way, he doesn't disrupt the class when he becomes confused and frustrated. Which by the way," Mr. Hatake leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk, "comes from simply craving attention. I don't know much about Naruto outside of school, but I have concerns about what his home may be like. I've never met either of his parents at conferences, have you?"
"No. No, I haven't," Yamato's thumbs stilled as he answered. He was reassessing his assumptions of Naruto as merely a class clown and chastised himself for not reaching out to his student, sooner. He shook his head to clear his regret as it did nothing to help the boy improve. "Naruto does do well in the practical exercises in class; it's been enough to keep him above failing all year." Yamato's voice trailed off as his mind went through various experiments that could hold his struggling student's attention.
"I know of one thing Naruto would love to learn from you," Yamato's eyes zeroed in on Mr. Hatake's, returning his full attention to him. "About a month ago, he'd caught you making ramen for yourself in your classroom. I think that's all the kid eats honestly, and the next time he came in, the first thing he said was how cool 'Mr. Stumpybottom' was because you used a Bunsen burner to boil the water."
"Excuse me, who?"
"I'd stopped by your classroom a few times after meeting with Naruto on Fridays, but you were already gone. I've wanted to talk with you for more than one reason, actually," Mr. Hatake's eyes darted to the side.
"Mr. Stumpybottom?"
"Oh—sorry," The English teacher returned his gaze to Yamato. "That's what Naruto has called you ever since you took them on the field trip where they learned how to figure out a tree's age by counting the rings. I don't think that nickname suits you, by the way," Mr. Hatake's voice trailed off and he dropped his eyes to the book on his desk.
"Th-thank you," Yamato had finally caught up to the words Mr. Hatake had spoken after revealing Naruto's nickname for him, as well as the compliment that accompanied them. "I, uh," he cleared his throat. "I have this week's grading to do, so, I'll probably still be working in my classroom instead of joining the others this afternoon, Mr.—"
"Kakashi. You can call me Kakashi." The English teacher's eyes had snapped back up to the science teacher's face.
"Okay, well I'll still be in my classroom later, Kakashi, if you'd like to come by, or," Yamato's brain screamed at him to invite the man out for a drink, but his mouth wouldn't obey. Instead, he attempted to stand up, lifting the desk off the floor with him. Congratulating himself on earning Naruto's nickname, he quickly managed to extricate his torso from the desk, albeit a little clumsily and turned to exit the classroom as he felt his face grow hot with his mounting embarrassment.
"To discuss Naruto, or for another reason?" Yamato turned around at Kakashi's question and found a similar flush above the mask that covered the lower half of the other man's face.
It made Yamato forget his own embarrassment and encouraged him. "I'd love to go for a drink with you Kakashi, for many reasons."
The End