Them falling in love with the other's documentation and/or organisation system? And possibly the other overhearing the praise?
Also hoping you feel better today. Fever ramblings, while amusing, are shitty to have because you end up forgetting half of it (and it's usually the best ideas that go first).
........so I ended up going overboard and spent time scribbling inbetween food and chores and naps x3 that sparked such a trope-fest :'3
Imagine Iruka ending up in the past, staying under the radar for years. He take on jobs of scribe things, and end up somewhere in the administrative machine of growing Konoha. At one point its discovered he actually some shinobi skills, and he get funneled into archives and admin work that is in need of special care and consideration. Using experience from archives in the future, paperwork handling, and shinobi tricks he know of and learn here in the past, he end up driving the section of the archives into well efficient and useful. Coworkers just calls him the Archivist, for the fun of it because its become kinda what he done with his life, these days.
Tobirama has been busy developing a village, and is happy the administration machine seem decent working, the delegations seem to have worked.
Then, one day, or rather night because that's when he tend to manage look at personal research rather than village building, he begin realise. A different sorting system. New protective seals. New types of shelves.
At first he is annoyed, he can't find things as fast as whe they did it as he had requested when he delegated. But he can't be bothered to fix it atm. After a while, though? The changes work. The tutorial on organisation and archive seal system is very straightforward and most ppl seem to understand it easier than tobiramas private methods.
One night there is this chuunin who have stayed beyond his shift, and Tobirama takes his time to ask about what seems an unnecessary seal on some scrolls. The chuunin happily explain, that Archivist truly teach their staff well, too!
Iruka feel quite a thrill having Senju Tobirama praise his work, a bit mixed about the man didn't realise him and the Archivist is the same person. But. Well. It was praised.
Cue lovely tropes, a slow build of admiration. Tobirama grabbing iruka when he see him because the man explain so well. No one understand what iruka talk about when he think the second senju have a nice smile (he often smile over archive details, iruka would love to be receiving end of that smile, but this is great, too) because him smiling doesn't sound believable.
After a while, iruka haven't actually lied or pretend _not_ to be the Archivist, but he also haven't pushed the issue.
.......I want to read this, now, dammit x'D I order ten, ok?
(Fever is down somewhat, but body is very very present constantly, still <.> thank u for asking ♡)
