Second Chances, Epilogue - Fantasies

Part One - The Setup
Part Two - The Date
Part Three - The Next Morning
Part Four - Concussions and Coffee
Part Five - Six Months Later
Part Six - Pillow Talk and Proposals
Archive,Fanfiction

Final chapter of my KakaSaku Valentines story for the event that @bouncyirwinand@empress-nariko ran. It’s a day late, but I tried lol

Groaning, Kakashi stared at the paper in front of him and forced himself to read it less critically. Midterm was always exhausting because most of his exams were conducted in essay format. This year’s English 101 students had been exceptionally challenging, and despite his best efforts to rally some sense of urgency in them, most of the papers were pointless regurgitation of sources instead of critical thinking.

Tossing the current essay aside, Kakashi removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He’d finally given in to wearing them for computer work and reading, which meant he wore them almost constantly. A headache was building at the base of his skull, but he needed to finish at least a dozen more papers before he called it a night.

A loud knock at the closed office door pulled Kakashi’s attention from his current problems. He glanced at his watch; it was at least an hour past his usual hours, but the light through the frosted glass inset was hard to miss. “Hatake-sensei,” called a muffled voice from the hallway.

Kakashi considered ignoring the request, but he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if it was important. “Come in,” he answered, replacing his glasses and folding his hands across his stomach. When the door opened, Kakashi did a double take. “Sakura? What are you—*

"I know it’s really late,” Sakura murmured, glancing up at Kakashi through mascara darkened lashes. Her almost shy expression made no sense. “But, I was hoping there was some way I could get a little bit of extra credit before the end of the semester.”

Kakashi’s lips pulled into a confused frown. “What are you talking about?”

“I just have to pass this class.” Sakura’s voice dropped to a low purr as she closed the door behind her. “There has to be something I can do to bring my grade up.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the woman across from him. “Sakura, what is this? It’s late. I have a dozen papers to read, and a full schedule of classes to prepare for before tomorrow.”

“You must be so tired,” Sakura crooned, sliding around Kakashi’s desk. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders, gently massaging the muscle beneath. “Is there anything I can do to take your mind off things?”

Turning his chair so that Sakura’s arms slid off, Kakashi frowned up at her. “I appreciate that you’re here, but what are you doing? What’s with all of this?” He gestured vaguely toward her makeup and the heavy coat that protected Sakura from the winter chill outside.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Professor Hatake.” Sakura leaned close until her lips almost brushed Kakashi’s ear. “I just need to know how I can raisemy grade.”

The implication behind the words brought a blush to Kakashi’s cheek despite his effort to remain aloof. Sensing that the only way to get Sakura to back off would be to play along with her little farce, Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest. “You really should have put in more work during the semester if you wanted to pass.”

“I’m willing to work harder now,” Sakura offered with a small private smile. “If you can think of anything I could do.”

Sakura’s voice trailed off, but her fingers dropped down to brush over Kakashi’s hand. He eyed the invitation in her gaze with a hint of dismay. Sakura misread his silence for something else and leaned in again to whisper by his ear. “Anything at all.”

Kakashi blew out an exhausted breath and raked his fingers through his hair. “Please tell me you see how this could be read as inappropriate. This type of behavior is the exact ethical objection people would raise about our relationship.”

“Except, you aren’t really my professor,” Sakura pointed out with a pout on her glossy, pink lips. “It’s just roleplay, and nobody will know unless you tell them.”

“I’ll know,” Kakashi growled, exhaustion momentarily forgotten at his annoyance over Sakura’s actions. “I don’t have student and teacher fantasies because even flirting with that line is practically the same thing as crossing it in my mind. And it doesn’t matter that I’m not your professor now, because I was in the past.”

Sakura’s lips twisted momentarily, and Kakashi knew that she was considering launching into another argument, most likely to point out that they’d been sleeping together for months. And, while Kakashi knew that was a valid point, it didn’t change that the whole idea of roleplaying as teacher and student left a sour taste in his mouth. It wasn’t something he’d ever fantasized about.

Sakura gazed down at Kakashi with a mix of amusement and frustration. He gave his eyes permission to rove over her body. She’d selected a long winter coat that tied tight around her waist. Sakura’s long pink strands had been curled loosely around her face, and her make up looked different though Kakashi couldn’t explain how. She seemed more glowy than normal, and her lipstick shade was a shade paler and glossier than she normally wore. Or, maybe it was the light in his office. Kakashi wasn’t sure.

“I won’t tell your girlfriend,” Sakura offered, leaning in to place a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder.

Kakashi chuckled and forced himself not to lean into the light caress of Sakura’s fingers sliding down his arm. “That’s probably for the best; she’s a muay thai expert.”

“Oh,” Sakura questioned with a hint of interest in her voice. “Are you saying you’re turned on by danger? Because this could be verydangerous, sensei.”

Fighting back the grin that tried to work it’s way onto his lips, Kakashi hummed in agreement. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

Sakura’s hands slid back up to Kakashi’s shoulders as she moved behind his chair, fingers curling over his arms with familiar light touches. “You’re so tense,” Sakura tsked under her breath and started to massage his shoulders and upper back. “Let me help you relieve some of that pressure, then we can talk about my grade.”

Despite the sultry tones in Sakura’s voice, laughter bubbled through Kakashi’s lips. He couldn’t help it. The whole thing felt like some bad porno that he might have watched in college. Sakura poked his ribs, and he squirmed to the side. “Stop it,” she whined. “I’m trying to do something nice.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, but I can’t take it seriously.” Kakashi turned his chair around and pulled Sakura into his arms. “This kind of thing would never happen in real life.”

Sakura’s lower lip stuck out in a pout. “It could have happened. Plenty of girls would have loved to sleep with you over the years, if not for extra credit, then for the bragging rights of having slept with you.”

Kakashi nuzzled against Sakura’s neck, the itchy fabric of her coat scratching against his cheek. “So, that is what turned you on? Getting the bragging rights?”

“No,” Sakura returned, tipping her head to the side to provide Kakashi’s access to her neck. “You looked really good in that suit.”

Greedily taking the space, Kakashi kissed along the smooth column and paused to nip at Sakura’s ear. The woman shuddered, as he’d known she would, then she chuckled. “The bragging rights were just a bonus.”

Sliding a hand into Sakura’s hair, Kakashi tightened his grip and tilted her head backward. She let out a needy moan when his mouth moved to the front of her neck. Kakashi ran his teeth over her throat, racking the sensitive skin while he held her there. A thought pressed against Kakashi’s awareness, something that he’d been ignoring. Despite his distaste for the scene unfolding in his office, the realization sent fire racing along his veins.

Kakashi released his hold, staring up at Sakura like he was seeing a new person. “Wait a minute. This wasn’t about me, was it? It’s your fantasy, not mine.”

Crimson lit Sakura’s cheeks in a way that makeup couldn’t disguise. “Shut up,” she grumbled.

“Is that any way to talk to a teacher, Sakura-chan,” Kakashi asked, raising one hand to brush her cheek. The woman’s blush deepened as he eyed her over the top of his glasses. “Especially one that you’re asking a favor of?”

Sakura’s embarrassment disappeared as she slid off Kakashi’s lap. ‘I’m sorry, sensei.“

"That’s better.” Kakashi leaned back in his chair, arms crossed loosely over his chest. “Now, you wanted some extra credit?”

“Yes, I really need to pass this class,” Sakura murmured, looking down at the ground. “It was just so hard.”

Kakashi’s lips twitched, but he managed to hold in his laugh at the poorly veiled innuendo. “It was difficult,” he agreed, “but not impossible. You should have applied yourself more.”

“I’m willing to apply myself now.” Sakura’s eyes came up to meet Kakashi’s. “Whatever it takes.”

Humming in approval, Kakashi nodded. “Well then, why don’t you make yourself more comfortable and let’s see what we can figure out.”

Sakura grinned and took a couple of steps back, reaching for the cloth belt that cinched her coat around her waist. Kakashi raised one eyebrow in confusion as the woman moved with exaggerated slowness. The black fabric fell open to reveal an expanse of pale skin that Kakashi wasn’t expecting. A thin white shirt plunged toward Sakura’s breasts and left her midriff bared to the cool air of Kakashi’s office. The grey miniskirt fell well above her knees, and the black fabric on her legs that Kakashi had assumed to be legging were stockings that stopped mid thigh in lace.

Kakashi’s heart pounded in his ears, and Sakura had the audacity to grin at the stupefied expression on his face. “Are any ideas coming to mind, sensei?”

“I have a few.” Kakashi ran his tongue over his lips, aware that his voice sounded hoarse when he spoke. He let his eyes run over every inch of exposed skin the way his fingers wanted to. “But the first is that you should probably lock that door behind you.”

Sakura grinned and affected surprise at the request. “Why would I need to do that, Professor Hatake?”

“Because I think you’ve got some very naughty ideas about what we should do tonight, and I’d rather not have it spoiled by someone walking in.” Kakashi forced himself not to reach for Sakura or break the character that she’d cast him in. If she wanted to have her fantasies, who was he to stop her? Especially when they included him.

Smiling, Sakura locked the door and approached Kakashi with a dangerous sway to her walk. She rested her hands on the arms of his chair and leaned in closer with a seductive grin. “So, where should we get started?”

Second Chances - Pillow Talk and Proposals

Part One - The Setup
Part Two - The Date
Part Three - The Next Morning
Part Four - Concussions and Coffee
Part Five - Six Months Later
Archive,Fanfiction

Chapter Six of my KakaSaku Valentines event is under the cut (it’s a little later for @bouncyirwinand@empress-nariko ’s event but that’s what spawned the story so I’m tagging you both!)

A string of profanities slipped through Sakura’s lips as she dropped forward against Kakashi. His mouth and lips ran across her oversensitive skin, wringing out every ounce of pleasure as her body twitched around him. He panted between her breasts, alternating kisses with desperate drags of air. Sakura released her hold on his back, running her fingers into his hair as the high wore off.

Moonlight streamed through the windows on either side of the room, the only light. Kakashi hadn’t bothered with the overhead when he carried Sakura there, and she’d been more than happy to use her fingers to explore his body in the darkness. Even now, sitting in his lap with their bodies still connected, Sakura luxuriated in the feel of Kakashi’s bare skin on hers. Six months was a long time to wait, but it heightened every sensation in a way she hadn’t imagined possible.

“Damn.” Kakashi breathed out a stream of air hotter than the fire still rushing over Sakura’s skin. He closed his arms around her, carrying her backward as he reclined on the pillows. She pressed a languid kiss to his lips, allowing herself to enjoy the afterglow for several moments before rolling her hips against his.

Dark grey eyes flashed open to meet Sakura’s gaze, and Kakashi laughed. She was struck by just how gorgeous he was with the pale highlight of silver from the moonlight in his hair as ruddy color spread over his cheeks. The man’s kiss damp lips were swollen where she’d bitten a touch too hard in a moment of passion. A similar mark marred the juncture of Kakashi’s neck and shoulder.

Pressing her hands against Kakashi’s chest, Sakura lifted her hips away from his. The emptiness left her disoriented, but it dissipated when she swung one leg over his to nestle against his side. Kakashi closed one arm around Sakura’s back, smoothing his fingers down her side. She let her fingers rove over the smooth expanse of his stomach, lazily brushing the soft silver hair lower down.

Aware of the silence between them as the sex high faded, Sakura rested her head on Kakashi’s chest and listened to the steady drumming of his heart. She waited for him to say something about what they’d just done, and with every passing second, the fear that she’d been too eager or rough grew larger. It had been months since Sakura had anything except her hand or vibrator to keep her company, too long for her to be patient the way he’d probably wanted her to be.

When she couldn’t stand the silence any longer, Sakura pushed up onto one elbow. “Are you having second thoughts?”

One eye peeked open as Kakashi offered a crooked grin. “Only about my misconception of being young still.”

Laughing, Sakura nudged Kakashi in the ribs. “So, you’re saying that you aren’t ready for round two, yet?” A soft groan left Kakashi’s lips, and she leaned in to muffle the sound with a kiss. “I’m kidding, mostly.”

After a few moments, Kakashi pushed into a sitting position. He gazed in Sakura’s direction in the semi-darkness, head tiled thoughtfully to the side. “What about you? Are you having second thoughts?”

“No, not even a little bit.” Sakura laughed, unable to wrap her mind fully around the past hour. “I mean, I was sure that I wanted to sleep with you after our first date.”

Chuckling self consciously at the way the words sounded, Sakura shrugged. “I mean, you’ve always been attractive, so sleeping with you was never something I didn’t want. But this,” she gestured as if what they’d just done was somehow bigger than the bedroom. “I didn’t understand why you wanted to wait, but now I do. It’s different when you can trust someone completely before the clothes start coming off.”

Kakashi’s brow furrowed as he adjusted the sheet over his lap. “You’ve had that before though, right? I mean, you were engaged.”

Sakura shrugged and tried her best not to conjure the image of Sasuke out of thin air. It had been a long time since she thought of him, and longer still since she shared his bed. “Sasuke’s family trained him to project the best image of himself on everything. I’m honestly not sure if he ever lowered his walls enough to let me in”

The memory stung like a scab torn open again, but Sakura sat with it until the pain began to fade. “He never let me get to know him, not the way you have.” Sakura shrugged, feeling more self conscious by the minute. “What about you? Do you always wait this long so you can get to know a person this well before you sleep together?”

As soon as the question left Sakura’s lips, she wished that she could recall it. She wasn’t interested in learning about the women in Kakashi’s past. Their age difference meant that he’d almost certainly had more partners than she had, but she’d tried not to think about it. Kakashi touched her hand, producing a jump of emotion that left Sakura giddy. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Is the number of women that you’ve been with going to lower my opinion of you,” Sakura teased, hoping her voice sounded light and playful. “Am I going to be horrified to learn that you broke hearts on a weekly basis before me?”

Kakashi laughed, studying Sakura with a playful expression. “You asked how many girls I felt that way about, not how many fell for me.”

Despite the nervous tension in her chest, Sakura laughed. “Have you always been this arrogant? Did I just miss it?”

“Confident is the adjective I would choose,” Kakashi corrected, rubbing the back of his neck with a grin. “And, you have a way of bringing it out in me.”

Rolling her eyes, Sakura bumped against Kakashi’s side. “Fine then, Mr. Confident, how many women have you felt that way about?”

Kakashi caught Sakura’s hand and squeezed it with his. The touch made her heart flutter in her chest as their eyes met. “I’ve only felt that way about two women, and you’re one of them,” he answered.

In the months that she and Kakashi had dated, Sakura had learned to read the man well. Despite the gentleness of his confession, Kakashi’s eyes were shadowed with reluctance. There was more to the answer, and he was giving her the opportunity to escape from a conversation that wouldn’t be pleasant. Sakura wasn’t sure she could live with herself if she took the easy way out, though. She exhaled and tried to prepare herself for whatever came next. “Who was the other?”

Instead of answering, Kakashi disentangled his fingers from Sakura and moved away. He stood on the opposite side of the bed and walked toward the bathroom connected to his bedroom. Sakura watched him go, focusing on the smooth play of his muscles instead of the fear gnawing in the pit of her stomach. Despite the trust she felt, Sakura felt a disorienting sense of terror growing in the back of her mind. Had she missed some major warning signs in Kakashi’s life? Was there someone else and she’d simply been a passing interest?

No,the logical part of Sakura’s brain insisted. Kakashi wouldn’t do that. He didn’t attempt to pursue the relationship in the first place. There’s no way that there’s someone else.

The toilet flushed, then water ran into the sink in the bathroom, and Sakura swallowed the fear that swam into her stomach. Kakashi reentered the bedroom, but a weight had settled on his shoulders. He paused by the dresser and pulled out a pair of solid black pajama pants that he slid on. Sakura wondered at the symbolism of putting a layer of fabric between them, but she didn’t draw attention to it. She already wished that she hadn’t asked the question, but it was too late to back out now.

When Kakashi slid back into the bed Sakura reached out and touched his shoulder. “We don’t have to—”

“On our first date, you asked why there wasn’t a Mrs. Hatake, do you remember?” Kakashi looked past Sakura, seemingly unaware of her touch. When she nodded, he blew out a breath. “Well, a long time ago, there almost was.”

Sakura instinctively knew that Kakashi was working himself up to talk about something painful, so she remained silent. He needed space, but she dropped her hand to his thigh so that he’d know she was there if he felt alone. Exhaling, he continued. “We met in middle school, became friends, started dating in high school, and got engaged soon after. I guess we were your stereotypical first loves.”

The words were delivered with a cool inference that made Sakura feel sick. When she talked about Sasuke, it was hard to remove the pain of what happened between them. Kakashi could have been telling the details of someone else’s story. While Sakura hadn’t lived as many years as he had, she knew all about first loves and heartache that came with them. She wondered if the woman and Kakashi had broken off the engagement. He’d never mentioned being divorced, so she could only assume that their relationship had ended before the wedding. A million scenarios jumped into Sakura’s mind, but she didn’t ask.

“A couple of weeks after we got engaged, we went out with some friends to celebrate. We were late leaving the restaurant because we hadn’t seen each other in a while.” Kakashi laughed, but the sound was melancholy. “I remember it was snowing because Rin was enamored with the way it looked. She said the trees were ‘cloaked in starlight’, and it made her feel like anything was possible.”

The story stalled as Kakashi fussed over the blankets in his lap, smoothing them across his thighs. “I thought the roads were wet, but we hit a patch of black ice. The car flipped a few times, but I don’t remember it. The doctors told me that it is normal to have memory loss after something like that, but the details never came back. The next thing I knew, I was hanging from my seat belt and the car was smoking.”

Nausea filled Sakura’s stomach, and she tasted bile in the back of her throat. “We’d gone over an embankment, then the car came to rest in some trees. I was able to get loose, but Rin was pinned by the crumpled vehicle.”

Kakashi’s voice broke, but he didn’t look to Sakura for comfort. He was reliving the moment in a way that she couldn’t help him work through. “Gods, I still remember how cold the metal was when I tried to get her free. We didn’t have cell phones back then, so I couldn’t call anyone for help. We were stranded on the side of the road, and I had to get back up to the side. I couldn’t leave her there.”

“I managed to get Rin out of the car, but there was so much blood. It was the only warm thing that I remember from that night.” Kakashi shuddered, unresolved emotions tightening his throat. “I was afraid that the car was going to catch on fire, and I wouldn’t be able to get back to her in time. So, I got her out and carried her up to the road with me.”

The sickness doubled in Sakura’s stomach as tears spilled down her cheeks. She knew what was coming, but it seemed too horrible to be true. “I don’t remember who called the ambulance, or the man that stopped to help us. It was so cold.” Kakashi shrugged without seeming to realize that he did it. “Rin bled out in my arms while we waited for an ambulance”

“The paramedics said that if I left her there, she might have made it. They would have been able to stop the bleeding better than I had” Kakashi shook his head and exhaled with a broken sound that shattered Sakura’s heart. “My decision to help her was the thing that killed her.”

“Oh, Kakashi,” Sakura breathed, wrapping her arms tight around the man beside her. His head sagged against her shoulder as deep breaths that might have been sobs shook his body. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.”

Smoothing her hand down Kakashi’s back, Sakura held her tongue. Part of her wished that she’d never asked about the other women in his life, but another was glad to see this side of him. Sakura wondered if he’d ever talked about what happened with anyone. The pain leaking out against her skin had been locked away for a long time. She kissed Kakashi’s forehead through his hair. “It wasn’t your fault. Even if you hadn’t moved her, the same thing might have happened.”

Kakashi nodded and mumbled something that might have been an agreement, then pulled away. He rubbed at his eyes, but they were clearer than Sakura expected them to be. “After Rin, I went into a tailspin. I had a sport’s scholarship, which is actually how I met Tenzo by the way. I got kicked out of the program when I started failing my classes. I screwed or drank my way through the next four years. Then, I almost died in a bar fight and had to spent a couple weeks in the hospital. While I was there someone dropped off a book called Beginning at the End, and it changed my life.”

Making a mental note to look up the book as she had the opportunity, Sakura nodded. “So, why are you telling me this now?”

“It’s been almost twenty years since anyone made me feel the way Rin did, and it terrifies me.” Kakashi managed a soft, self-conscious laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not trying to compare you two, it’s just that I never thought I could love anyone again, not so deeply and completely. And, I needed you to understand the broken places inside of me, because there’s something that I wanted to ask you.”

Sakura’s heart stopped beating, lurching to a standstill in her chest that made it impossible to breathe. Kakashi exhaled again, an uncertain sound pushing through his lips as he chuckled. “I know we’ve only been together for a few months, and I know that what happened tonight might cloud things, but I wanted to know if you’d consider moving in with me.”

Before Sakura could come up with a response, she stared at Kakashi in stunned silence. “Take as long as you need to figure things out, but you’re here practically every evening anyway,” he continued. “You wouldn’t have to pay rent at the apartment, it would be easier to give you a ride, and I do have a spare bedroom, a couple actually, if you aren’t ready—”

“To sleep with you?” Sakura laughed, head spinning from the sudden changes that their night had taken. “I’m pretty sure that’s no longer a valid concern.”

Kakashi chuckled, some of the earlier warmth returning to his voice. “True, but I didn’t sleep with you to get you to say yes. Honestly, I meant to ask you before things got this far, so offering you a room of your own made a lot more sense when I was hyping myself up to ask.”

“Aren’t you worried what everyone else will say,” Sakura questioned, tilting her head to the side to study Kakashi. “That we’re moving too fast and all the other things?”

“I’m worried about what you think.” Kakashi scrubbed the back of his neck with an almost nervous smile. “And your dad, I’m still worried about that too.”

Laughing, Sakura kissed Kakashi’s cheek. “He’s going to love you.”

Kakashi cast an apprehensive stare in Sakura’s direction, looking as unsure of himself as she’d ever seen. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because I love you,” Sakura murmured, brushing her lips against Kakashi’s.

The man’s lips curved against Sakura’s. “Yeah?”

Humming, Sakura answered with another long, lingering kiss instead of words. One day soon they would talk about everything that Kakashi had revealed and deal with the past traumas. But, for now, the future looked brighter than it had in a long time. Sakura didn’t mind taking things slow.

Second Chances, Six Months Later

For KakaSaku Valentines Day, hosted by the wonderful and amazing @bouncyirwinand@empress-nariko. Part Five is under the cut, or you can read it at A03 or FF (linked below)

Part One - The Setup
Part Two - The Date
Part Three - The Next Morning
Part Four - Concussions and Coffee
Archive,Fanfiction

True to Tenzo’s prediction, no one raised an eyebrow at Kakashi and Sakura’s relationship. At least, no one who mattered had done so in the almost six months since their first kiss. Tenzo had been a staunch supporter for the entirety of their relationship. Ino boasted about setting them up for weeks after she found out they were dating through a text that wasn’t meant for her eyes. Tsunade had taken a bit more convincing. She’d lectured Kakashi about the dangers of derailing the woman’s plans to become a doctor, especially with something as trivial as love. After Sakura aced her first clinicals exam, Tsunade relented somewhat.

Konoha University hadn’t mentioned the relationship at all. When Kakashi finally brought it up in a fit of guilt, the ethics committee decided there was no conflict of interest since Sakura wasn’t currently a student in the English Program. Once that was settled, Kakashi felt like he could finally breathe without having to choose between his job and Sakura. She’d simply rolled her eyes and told him that she’d always known it wouldn’t be an issue.

There was one final obstacle to overcome: Kakashi still hadn’t met Sakura’s parents, at least not as her boyfriend. He had a vague memory of them from graduation, but that recollection left him feeling worse, not better. Honestly, the idea of meeting Sakura’s parents terrified Kakashi, not because he thought their age difference was a problem, but because he’d done it only once in the past. There was a world of difference in talking to someone because a student was struggling in class and getting to know them because you were dating their daughter.

Whenever Kakashi thought about meeting Sakura’s parents, panic gripped him. Despite that, he had insisted that they get the meeting over with soon. He knew that his relationship with Sakura wasn’t a passing fancy on his part, and he wanted to be honest with them about it. Kakashi worried that her parents would raise objections, so he’d rehearsed dozens of ways to convince them that his intentions were pure. They had planned to have dinner over the weekend, and Kakashi still hadn’t wrapped his head around it.

Kakashi’s relationship with Sakura, however, came as natural as breathing. The woman had taken up residence in his life as if she’d always been a part of it. The initial infatuation period had given way to the steady sensation of getting to know each other better over the past few months. Kakashi and Sakura built their relationship on the common interests of reading, quiet coffee dates, and lazy nights together at Kakashi’s house, or more rarely Sakura’s apartment. As winter turned to spring and summer, they started hiking and enjoying the outdoors together, as well.

Over the past six months, Kakashi’s list of dating rules had become a running joke in their relationship. Sakura constantly added new ones whenever she discovered them. Her list ranged from Kakashi’s silly preferences, like no cell phones during dinner, to more serious things, like being honest about something, even if it was painful. The woman detailed each supposed rule that she found on a thick sheet of parchment paper taped to Kakashi’s fridge. She’d found more than thirty in the past few months.

Tonight was no exception. Kakashi raised one eyebrow and frowned at the paper laying on the counter. “That isn’t a rule; I never said that.”

Sakura ignored Kakashi, continuing to scrawl her newest discovery across the page. Rule 34: Relationships are about sharing things, especially food. The woman hummed under her breath, recapped the marker, and threw it into the junk drawer. “I’m pretty sure that’s what you said.”

“I’m pretty sure I pointed out that you’d already had yours,” Kakashi countered, crossing his arms over his chest with mock stubbornness. He didn’t even want the rich, fudgy dessert that they were discussing, but he wasn’t about to back down. “That one is mine.”

“You don’t really like sweets,” Sakura pointed out, fingers inching toward the plate on the counter beside her. “They’re so bad for you, and you’ve been doing all that extra training with Tenzo lately.”

Kakashi slid the plate further away. “All the more reason to keep my strength up.”

The pair had ordered dinner from one of their favorite restaurants and decided to splurge on dessert, mostly because Sakura had heard wonderful things about the brownie in question. Hers had disappeared immediately, leaving only a handful of crumbs scattered across the white plate. Now, Sakura eyed Kakashi’s with a hunger that he found both adorable and worrying.

Kakashi made a shooing gesture with his hand. “Make up all the fake rules you want, but this is—”

Sakura slid forward, and the plate skittered and bounced across the counter as she pulled it from Kakashi’s loose grip. Before he could say anything else, she ducked down and ran her tongue along one side of the brownie. “There, I licked it; it’s mine.”

“I,” Kakashi opened his mouth to chide the woman, but he couldn’t find any words strong enough for his shock. After a second, he laughed in disbelief. “Who does that?”

Sakura grinned. She moved the plate closer at her leisure, then took a bigger bite of the dessert. “People who really like brownies.”

Shaking his head, Kakashi watched Sakura lift the sugary confection to her lips. She let out a soft moan of pleasure on the first bite, closing her eyes under the euphoria of brownie, caramel, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. When she lowered the treat back to the plate, Kakashi burst out laughing. A trace of white stood out on the end of her nose, while a smudge of chocolate remained on the corner of her mouth. Kakashi started to reach for the napkins, then had a better thought. Sakura froze, entire body going rigid when Kakashi laved his tongue across her lower lip.

“I licked it,” Kakashi breathed, not quite pulling away. “It’s mine.”

A delicate shudder worked through Sakura’s body when Kakashi reached for her hand to capture her fingertip between his lips. She followed every sweep and dip of his tongue. “Mine,” Kakashi repeated, feeling a flush of warmth creeping into his cheeks. Kakashi tasted the sweetness on Sakura’s palm, removing every trace of the dessert she’d sampled moments before. He kissed the cream away from the tip of her nose, echoing the word with every brush of his lips.

Sakura exhaled hard, eyes shining as Kakashi kissed her chin. Without breaking eye contact, she reached for the brownie on the counter. Kakashi frowned when the woman trailed a hand down her neck, leaving a streak of caramel sauce on her pale skin. Obediently, Kakashi ran tongue along the same path but his eyes were locked onto the fingers trailing down toward the v-neck of Sakura’s shirt.

“You’re making a mess,” Kakashi tisked, lowering his mouth toward the offending smear.

“Am I?” Sakura brushed her fingers through Kakashi’s hair as he moved further down.

Humming under his breath, Kakashi placed light kisses on the warm skin. You’re making a terrible mess of me, he thought without vocalizing the sentiment. He glanced up to meet Sakura’s gaze, and she held it for an impossibly long moment, like she was trying to read something in his eyes. She caught her lower lip between her teeth the way she did when she was uncertain about something.

Kakashi wondered if Sakura knew that expression made his knees weak, every single time. Bringing a hand up, he rested his thumb against Sakura’s chin as his fingers caressed the side of her neck. Her lip slid free with the gentle pressure, and Kakashi caught her soft gasp of surprise in a second kiss. Sakura’s tongue teased against his, encouraging him to lose himself to the heat of the moment. Kakashi willingly drowned in the sensation.

When they broke apart, the world spun and tipped on its axis. Kakashi exhaled raggedly at the juncture of Sakura’s neck and shoulder, while she shivered at the heat of his breath on her skin. For a moment, time crawled to a halt under the bubble of intimacy they’d created. Sakura recovered first. “I got chocolate on my shirt,” she observed, voice thick with emotions that Kakashi couldn’t deny if he wanted to.

Nodding, Kakashi glanced at the spot of darkness on the pale fabric along the center of the shirt’s low neck. Sakura reached for the hem, catching Kakashi’s gaze for a second. He lost the ability to speak as she pushed him away enough to remove her garment. Sakura held it in two fingers before letting it fall to the floor. Crimson flamed in her cheeks. “Is this okay?”

Months had passed since Kakashi and Sakura’s first date. They’ve lived through dozens of awkward encounters where the chemistry was almost too much to refuse. A couple of weeks into their relationship, Sakura had accepted that Kakashi would make the first move when he was ready. She’d apologized for pressuring him so much the first few days, but he’d understood that she wasn’t used to dating someone who didn’t use sex to test a relationship. They’d reached a comfortable middle ground, one that Sakura was flirting with when she started removing clothes.

“Is it okay with you,” Kakashi asked, allowing his eyes to rove over the familiar curves that he’d felt pressed against him so often. He brought his hands to her shoulders, trailing along the supple warmth of her upper arm.

Hooking a hand behind Kakashi’s neck, Sakura nodded. When she tugged him in for another kiss, he tasted the sweetness of sugar on her tongue. Sakura was intoxicating; she made his head spin more than even the strongest alcohol. They broke apart for air, and Sakura tangled her fingers in Kakashi’s hair and guided his head backwards. Kakashi groaned at the feel of Sakura’s tongue and teeth alongside his Adam’s apple. She shivered and rose on her tiptoes to pull Kakashi into another time altering kiss that could have lasted minutes or hours.

Locking eyes with Sakura, Kakashi pressed his body flush against hers until the warmth of her bare skin bled through his t-shirt. Then, he leaned forward to clear the counter with his left forearm. Dishes, utensils, and the brownie skittered across the granite moments before Kakashi lifted Sakura onto it. Her knees opened to make space, and Kakashi took it without a second thought. Sakura opened her mouth, probably to complain about the ruined dessert, then lost the words in quiet moan when Kakashi traced one finger along the outline of her strappy, red bra.

“I like this,” Kakashi murmured, kissing over the inner slope of one breast where the bra’s left it exposed.

Sakura’s chest heaved as she looked down at Kakashi, eyes intent on his. “Yeah?”

“Yes.” Kakashi slid the cup lower still, marveling at the easy way that Sakura encouraged him to explore her body with tentative brushes and touches. Six months ago, she would have been undressing him in a rush. Now, she trusted him to control the speed. “Very much so.”

Kakashi frowned at the front closure of the bra, trying to decipher how it unfastened. Sakura’s hand unclasped it without waiting for him to ask. The sides sprang apart at the sudden release of pressure, but some magic held Sakura’s breasts inside the bra. A bright pink stretch of skin revealed where the fastener had been digging into her skin. Pausing, Kakashi pressed his lips against the mark in a light kiss as his hands moved upward along Sakura’s side and stomach. His fingers pushed beneath the band to cradle each breast.

When Kakashi dipped his head to kiss the newly exposed skin, Sakura’s back arched. Her fingers fisted in his hair, tightening to the point of pain. He followed the pressure backward with a soft chuckle. “Easy there, I’m not a masochist.”

“Sorry,” Sakura answered, releasing her hold. She exhaled with a sharp groan when Kakashi’s thumb circled one nipple. “I’m just really—”

“Enjoying this,” Kakashi questioned, exhaling against the chill bumps that his words raised on Sakura’s warm skin. “Wanted me to continue?”

Sakura released a soft curse when the flick of Kakashi’s tongue replaced his finger. She shivered deliciously, entire body trembling against him. Forcing air through her nose in a show of self control, Sakura nodded. “Of course I do, but only if you want to continue.”

“I’ve wanted to continue since the first night I walked you home,” Kakashi confessed by Sakura’s ear, catching the lobe with his teeth. “Since the night you showed up at my house with dinner. When you kissed me on the steps outside of your apartment. The first time I kissed you in my car.”

Kakashi claimed Sakura’s mouth again, deepening the kiss before she could respond. He felt the surprised, needy groan that rumbled in her throat. “That day we got caught in that rain storm,” he continued, pulling back for a much needed breath of air. “Since that night at the movie theater—”

“Do you always talk this much,” Sakura whined, interrupting the trip down memory lane. Her gaze was fierce and hungry as she watched the man in front of her.

Chuckling, Kakashi turned to kiss the palm of the hand that ran over his cheek. “Are you always this impatient?”

“I’ve been patient.” Sakura reached for Kakashi, pulling him flush against her by the front of his shirt. “I’ve been so patient, so very patient. So very, very, verypatient.”

Humming in agreement, Kakashi slid his fingers to the straps that held Sakura’s bra in place. She shuddered and raised her arms so Kakashi could pull it off. The crimson of Sakura’s cheeks enhanced the emerald green of her eyes when they locked on Kakashi’s. With a private nod of understanding, he closed his arms around Sakura’s back and lifted her from the counter. She made a questioning sound that Kakashi’s lips chased up her throat.

“Let me make that up to you,” Kakashi husked, carrying Sakura toward his bedroom.

Second Chances, Concussions and Coffee, (KakaSaku Valentines Day)

For KakaSaku Valentines Day, hosted by the lovely @bouncyirwinand@empress-nariko. Part Four is under the cut, or you can read it at A03 or FF (linked below)

Part One - The Setup
Part Two - The Date
Part Three - The Next Morning
Archive,Fanfiction

Kakashi balked at the door to the university hospital, shaking his head. “I said I wasn’t going to the hospital. The walk over cleared my head tremendously. I’m fine,” he argued, backpedaling at the door.

“You said you weren’t going to the emergency room or urgent care,” Tenzo pointed out with an eye roll. “Tsunade is doing some kind of clinical extra credit nonsense today, but it’s at the hospital. We’re just going to see her there.”

“Pretty sure that’s a violation of our agreement,” Kakashi pointed out. The words slurred as the pressure in his head grew more pronounced. What had been pins and needles earlier had shifted toward piercing stabs every few minutes, and tight bands squeezed around his temples.

Tenzo walked through the automatic doors and skimmed the department listings overhead with an air of familiarity. Without stopping by the information desk, the man turned down a hallway on the left. Kakashi followed doggedly, stumbling only a little when the floor moved underfoot. Tenzo glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure you don’t have any space to talk.”

Grumbling, Kakashi dug his phone from his pocket to check the time. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, blinking at the notification bar which showed multiple unread text messages. He unlocked the screen and read the words three times before the meaning hit home. I’m sorry, that was probably really inappropriate. Is it too early to ask what you won’t do on a second date and suggest we talk about it over dinner tonight?

“Are you smiling at your phone again?” Tenzo stared at Kakashi like he’d grown a second head. “I’m not sure what’s more worrying. The concussion, or the fact that you—”

Tenzo stopped mid sentence, and a look of understanding entered his eyes as he grinned. “Wait, are those texts from Sakura?”

Locking the phone with his thumb, Kakashi slid it back into his pocket. “I told you, I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Don’t make me punch you, again,” Tenzo said after a beat of silence. He shook his head. “Is that what you were thinking about when we were fighting? What are you, sixteen? You should know better.”

When Kakashi didn’t immediately respond, Tenzo watched him with a mix of amusement and surprise. “You like her, don’t you?”

“It was a nice dinner,” Kakashi offered, rubbing his temple as the pain spiked again. The sharp throb felt like a gong ringing between his ears. The room grew wavy at the edges and his vision distorted, causing him to stumble forward three steps.

Tenzo caught Kakashi and kept him upright. A worried frown creased his lips. “I’m not sure we shouldn’t just take you to the ER. Are you sure you feel okay?”

“If I felt okay, I would have gone home,” Kakashi snapped, trying to push away the dizziness again. He exhaled and forced his back to straighten. “I agreed to come see Tsunade so that you wouldn’t worry about me all day. Can we please get on with it?”

Humming, Tenzo released Kakashi and reached for his phone. He skimmed over the screen then swiped something away. “Come on, she’s at the clinic with a couple of medical students who wanted extra credit. And, she’s expecting us.”

Tenzo walked through the hospital with a familiarity that Kakashi hoped to never obtain. He hated going to his regular doctor, much less spending time in a place like this. But, Tenzo had practically been raised here by his aunt. Despite their years of friendship, Kakashi wasn’t sure what happened to Tenzo’s parents, but he had lived with Tsunade as long as they’d known each other. The woman doted on him, but she held him to an impossibly high standard at the same time. Watching them together was usually amusing.

The waiting room that Tenzo led Kakashi to held a handful of people in scattered plastic chairs, but the receptionist motioned as soon as she saw Tenzo. The pretty redhead gave the man a flirty smile that Kakashi picked up on even through his pain clouded vision. His friend seemed totally unaware. “Senju-sama asked me to take you to a room as soon as you got here,” the woman explained, slapping a visitor sticker on Tenzo’s chest in a surprising show of forwardness.

Bright blue eyes came to Kakashi’s face, then flicked back to Tenzo. “Do you need any help?”

“Nah,” Tenzo slid closer to keep Kakashi upright with an arm around his back. “He’s fine.”

“Okay, this way, then.” The woman led them deeper into the free clinic that Tsunade had started years ago. She’d forced the hospital’s hand to open it by threatening to leave if they wouldn’t use the space to ensure that everyone had access to a doctor when they needed it. Kakashi wasn’t surprised to find that the woman continued to work here, even years later.

The redhead opened a door seemingly at random, indicating the exam room beyond. “I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Thanks.” Tenzo flashed one of those smiles that made everyone like him, then walked Kakashi toward the bed.

As soon as the door closed, Kakashi rolled his eyes. The movement produced a sharp spike of pain behind the left one, but he ignored it. “You know that girl has a thing for you, right?”

“What, who? Yuki?” Tenzo turned back to the door like the woman might still be standing there, ready to confess something he’d been too blind to see. “I’m pretty sure she has a boyfriend.”

Kakashi settled on the edge of the bed as the room started spinning again. He closed his eyes against the burn of the overhead lights and laid back, throwing an arm across his face. “Okay, but I’m pretty sure she’d leave him if you asked.”

“Turn the light off, would you?” A low groan slid between Kakashi’s lips before he could stop it. Darkness bathed the space, and he peeked out from under his arm with a sigh. “Thanks.”

Humming a non response, Tenzo glanced down at Kakashi from beside the bed. “You look like shit, man. Sorry.”

“You keep saying that.” Kakashi snorted without moving since the room seemed to have steadied itself. “I’m not sure you know what it means.”

Tenzo opened his mouth to respond, but a sharp knock interrupted the thought. A brilliant patch of light flooded the room, followed by Tsunade’s voice. “Why the hell are the lights off, I told Yuki to—Tenzo? Why are you and Kakashi sitting in the dark?”

Groaning, Kakashi threw his arm back over his eyes. He heard Tsunade cross the room with a tutting sound under her breath. She’d been almost like a second mother to Kakashi as well, and he knew she wasn’t pleased by what she found. “Alright brat, what happened.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s got a concussion,” Tenzo answered before Kakashi could find a softer way to tell the truth.

Kakashi mumbled in agreement, stopping himself short of pointing out that he was old enough to deserve more respect. The words stuck tight in his throat when Tsunade’s footsteps paused halfway to the bed. “How sure? What happened?”

“Okay, so funny story, we were sparring and—” Tenzo started.

“He got lucky with a punch,” Kakashi interrupted, ready to get this farce over with. “I’m only here because he made me come.”

Tsunade tsked again as she approached. “Of course you are, stubborn man.”

Someone dimmed the lights enough that they no longer seared Kakashi’s retinas. Tsunade turned away, however. “Okay, what are the signs and symptoms we’re looking for? What do we have?”

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, an all too familiar voice answered. “Patient presents with sensitivity to light which is one indicator of concussion. We’d need more information to know more.”

Kakashi wished that he felt well enough to glare at Tenzo. As it was, he pushed into a sitting position and willed himself not to vomit at Sakura’s feet when the room tilted. He expected mild amusement to shine in the woman’s green eyes, but they were filled with apprehension. If Tsunade felt the sudden tension between student and patient, she ignored it. “Okay, what would you do next, Sakura?”

The pinkette startled and stepped away from the two men who were standing beside her near the door. By the look of them, they must have been medical students as well. “We need a more complete history of the incident,” Sakura observed. She looked at Tenzo rather than Kakashi, but the man seemed almost as shocked as Kakashi felt.

“My head hurts,” Kakashi offered helpfully, feeling the warmth of a blush on his cheek despite everything. Multiple times, the words echoed in his mind, inviting his thoughts to places they most definitely shouldn’t go in the middle of a medical examination.

Tsunade rolled her eyes loudly enough to draw Kakashi’s attention to it as she motioned Sakura forward. “Come on, you can get some practice in. You don’t object, do you, Kakashi?”

Tsunade’s tone made it obvious that Kakashi didn’t have the option to say no. Sakura took a deep breath and stepped closer to the bed. Exhaling in a steady stream to steady herself, Sakura put on a tight smile. “Alright, so tell me what happened.”

I was distracted by how much you got off thinking about me, and I took a left hook to the face, Kakashi thought. But, since that didn’t seem like the right answer, he reached for another. “I let my guard down and took a punch. Honestly, we’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Let me be the one to decide that,” Sakura chided, voice shifting away from warm familiarity to professionalism. “Did you lose consciousness?”

Kakashi frowned and tried to remember, but the image refused to resurface. Tenzo used the opportunity to slip into the conversation. “He did, but for no longer than a minute or two.”

Sakura nodded, green eyes locked on Kakashi’s. Even in the dimness of the room, they shone far too bright. “What about dizziness? Nausea? Balance issues? Headache? Sensitivities to anything besides light?”

Cringing, Kakashi shrugged. “All of the above?”

Producing a pen light from a pocket, Sakura flicked it on by her thigh. “This is going to be bright. I’m sorry, but I need to test the reactivity of your pupils.”

The warning wasn’t enough for the beam that temporarily blinded Kakashi. He tried to close his eyes, but Sakura thumbed the left one open and flicked the light toward his face then to the side. Sakura repeated the movement on the right with a nod. “Sorry.”

Kakashi mumbled something about being fine and wanting to lie down for the rest of the day as Sakura stepped back. He sighed and leaned back against the wall. It took Kakashi a moment to realize that Tsunade had been talking, but he hadn’t heard any of the words. One of the other medical students was speaking when he reconnected with the conversation. “— for observation?”

“Rest,” the second boy chimed in, speaking for the first time since the trio had followed Tsunade into the room.

Tsunade turned toward Sakura, and Kakashi watched the woman chew her lip as she looked at her peers. He had the distinct impression that she didn’t agree with them, but she wasn’t sure of her answer. Finally, she met Tsunade’s gaze. “A CT scan.”

The black haired boy snorted. “A CT scan can’t diagnose a concussion. It’s a waste of time and resources.” The second man was nodding, though he didn’t seem as caustic as the first did.

For a long minute, Tsunade didn’t speak. Then, she asked a single question. “Why?”

“To rule out a larger problem like swelling or bleeding in the brain.” Sakura’s voice grew more confident as she went on. Then, she paused. “How bad is your headache, on a scale of one to ten with one being nonexistent and ten being the worst pain you’ve ever experienced.”

Kakashi blinked at the question, then considered. “I’d say a steady five or six, spiking as high as seven or eight at times.”

Sakura nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Can you stand up for me?”

Concentrating hard on the wall across the room, Kakashi lowered his feet to the ground and stood. Nausea swam through his stomach in angry waves, but he forced it away. Sakura nodded in his peripheral vision, making the world tilt alongside her head. “Good, now walk toward me.”

Kakashi took a step, bobbled, and tipped to the side. Sakura wrapped her arms around him before he fell, and as much as Kakashi wanted to apologize, the only thing that he could concentrate on was the warmth of her body against his and the faint, floral scent of the perfume she’d worn last night.

Tenzo moved at almost the same time, taking some of Kakashi’s weight. He guided Kakashi back to the bed. “He’s been off balance since it happened.”

“Good call,” Tsunade said, nodding in Sakura’s direction. “Given the presentation of dizziness, headache, and interrupted balance, a CT scan would rule out something more serious, especially given the patient’s age.”

Tenzo coughed into his hand to hide a laugh, as Sakura turned a bright shade of pink and dipped her head. “Yes, Tsunade.”

“I’m not that old,” Kakashi grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tsunade patted his shoulder with a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re not as young as you used to be, either.”

For half a second, Kakashi considered pointing out that Tsunade was older than he was, but he wisely held his tongue. The woman hated everything that had to do with aging and fought it with products and surgeries. At least, Kakashi thought that she had. There wasn’t really any polite way to ask. He decided to let the comment pass without comment.

Tsunade snapped her fingers at the men standing in the doorway. “You two, get the nurse and let’s get this underway.”

As the boys hopped to attention and Sakura stepped back from the bed, Tsunade patted Kakashi’s knee as if he were a child. “I think you’re fine, but let’s just make sure, okay?”

————————————————————————-

Hours later, Kakashi fumbled the keys to his house from his gym bag. “This is stupid; the scan said I was fine. It’s just a headache.”

“A headache from being punched in the face and losing consciousness,” Tenzo agreed for the umpteenth time. His lips pulled into a grin that he tried to suppress when Kakashi glared in his direction.

Shoving the key into the lock, Kakashi rolled his eyes. “You’re enjoying this far too much. It’s like you planned it. Maybe you’re only saying I was distracted during the fight because you’ve been looking for a chance to get back at me for something.”

“Yeah, I planned to punch you, then spend the whole morning at the hospital with you.” Tenzo walked toward the kitchen and returned a few moments later with a bottle of water. He held out like a peace offering. “It’s going great.”

Kakashi squinted up at Tenzo from his position on the couch. “Good, I’m glad this is how you wanted to spend your day.”

Lifting his hand, Kakashi checked his watch. It was already two in the afternoon; he hadn’t planned to be stuck in the hospital all morning either. “You don’t have to stay and babysit me,” he observed, unscrewing the cap of the water to take a drink. “I’m pretty sure I can lie down without needing a minder.”

“I’m sure you can,” Tenzo quipped with a pointed look that would have made Kakashi roll his eyes if it didn’t hurt so much. “I’m just here to make sure that you actually get home and go to sleep.”

Kakashi had taken some over the counter medicine for the headache, and it took the edge off. Tsunade warned him not to take anything else until at least twenty-four hours had passed to reduce complications. Kakashi hadn’t asked what those complications were, but he gripped the bottle of pills like a lifeline. “Honestly, thanks for everything, but I really just want to sleep it off.”

For a minute, Tenzo weighed Kakashi with that sharp gaze of his. Then, he nodded. “I know, but you will take care of yourself, right? I didn’t actually mean to hit you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kakashi waved a hand in the man’s general direction. “I’m not upset with you. You’re right, it was my fault for not seeing it coming.”

Tenzo hummed without seeming to agree or disagree as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “I don’t mind hanging out here for a while if you’re worried or want some company.”

“I’m fine, really,” Kakashi repeated, forcing himself to stand up and walk toward the bedroom. “I’ll text you later and know that I’m not dead.”

“I said I was sorry,” Tenzo grumbled under his breath, taking a step toward Kakashi.

Waving the man away, Kakashi walked toward the blissful darkness of his bedroom and called over his shoulder. “Lock the door on your way out.”

——————————————-

Minutes or years could have passed before Kakashi reopened his eyes. It took him a groggy few seconds to recognize the urgent buzzing of his phone. Fumbling by his pillow, he tugged the device closer and hit the accept call button in the dark. He slurred something about just having fallen asleep without raising his head.

“Kakashi?” The voice on the other end of the line most definitely did not belong to Tenzo. “How are you feeling?”

Coughing, Kakashi rolled onto his back and pulled the phone away from his ear long enough to read the name on the screen. Of course it was Sakura, because, why wouldn’t it be? Huffing out a breath, Kakashi threw an arm over his eyes. “I’m okay. You?”

“Well, I’m not the one who spent the morning in the hospital.” Sakura laughed, and the warmth of the sound tugged the corners of Kakashi’s lips into a smile.

“Technically you did,” Kakashi pointed out, feeling slightly more awake from the unexpected pleasure in Sakura’s voice. “In fact, you were there for longer than I was, so I should be the one asking how you are.”

Sakura chuckled softly. “I’m doing well. Tsunade-shishou let me diagnose a couple of her patients today. There was this crazy old man who got knocked out during a—”

Kakashi made a crackling, hissing noise in the back of his throat. “Sorry, you’re cutting out. I didn’t catch that last bit.”

“So this old guy—”

Repeating the static noises around his grin, Kakashi pushed into a higher sitting position on the bed. “Yeah, you’re still breaking up.”

Laughing, Sakura tried again. “There was this devilishly handsome man who came in today,” she paused, undoubtedly waiting to hear the static noises. When they didn’t come she continued. “And, I just couldn’t stop thinking about him after he left, so I may have gotten his address from a friend and went by his house to check on him.”

Kakashi’s heart did a quick double beat against his ribs. “Is that so?”

“Mm,” Sakura hummed in agreement. “But, he never answered the door.”

“Well, that’s silly of him.” Attempting to roll off the bed produced a wave of nausea, and Kakashi clenched his jaw to contain it. Once he stopped moving, the room steadied itself. “Did you try calling him in case he fell asleep?”

Sakura was silent for the briefest moment, before answering. “Obviously not. I’m talking to you.”

Chuckling under his breath, Kakashi wobbled toward the door to his bedroom. “So, I’m your backup plan? That’s good to know.”

“A girl can never have too many options,” Sakura answered with a huff of laughter. “Now, are you going to let me in or not?”

Kakashi blinked in the semi darkness of the living room as he crossed it to unlock the door. Sakura stood outside, wearing the clothes that she’d had on at the hospital, and holding a bag of food in one hand. He couldn’t help but smile. “I thought you were visiting the incredibly hot patient from earlier today.”

“I tried,” Sakura deadpanned, slipping under Kakashi’s arm and into the house like she’d always done so. “He wouldn’t answer, so now it’s you and me.”

For half a second Kakashi considered hooking an arm around Sakura and pulling her flush against him. The light teasing and familiarity felt normal in a way he hadn’t experienced in a long time. But, he kept his hands firmly against his side. “His loss,” Kakashi answered, shutting the door behind them.

Sakura moved through the living room, undoubtedly spotting the kitchen beyond, and placed her bag and the food on the table. She turned, as if suddenly unsure of herself. Kakashi found it comical considering the easy way that she’d marched into the house like she owned it. It was less amusing to feel the soft tug in the chest that warned that he could get used to something like that.

Sensing Kakashi’s gaze, Sakura offered a half smile, and moved closer. “His loss, your gain.”

Kakashi realized his phone was still held loosely in one hand. Laughing at himself, he disconnected the call and dropped it onto the table next to the bag. “What’s all this then?”

“I thought you might need some looking after, considering what happened.” Sakura shrugged her shoulders, but there was a dusting of color on her cheeks.

Kakashi reached past the woman to turn on the lights then groaned when pain spiked through his head. Sakura’s fingers brushed across his when she dimmed them back to a reasonable level. “It’s okay, we can leave them dim.”

“Is this your way of seducing me,” Kakashi teased, managing a weak laugh as the pain started to subside.

Sakura moved closer, her body almost touching Kakashi’s. “No, but if it’s working, I’m not going to complain.”

With another chuckle, Kakashi stepped back. “Who gave you my address?”

“Senju-sensei,” Sakura answered. Kakashi realized that the words could refer to either Tsunade or Tenzo, but he supposed it didn’t honestly matter which. They’d both been giving him the side eye during the examination. “Is this okay?”

“Well, I don’t usually bring girls home on the second date either.” Kakashi gazed down at Sakura with a soft expression, only partially surprised when she leaned closer. “But, I suppose I can make an exception when they show up unannounced.”

Sakura brought one hand to Kakashi’s chin, and her thumb slid along his lower lip. “You’re going to have a bruise in the morning,” she observed.

Kakashi turned his head, wincing at the pressure. “Does it make me look tough?”

Sakura considered for a moment, chewing her lower lip. He waited for the quip about looking accident prone or like he lost a fight with a door, but the woman surprised him. “It makes you look interesting,” she decided with a sharp nod of her head. “I had no idea you were into boxing.”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” Kakashi agreed, sinking into one of the chairs beside the table. His headache hadn’t come back full force, but it lingered in the back of his mind as a sense of constant pressure.

Nodding in agreement, Sakura joined Kakashi at the table and started removing food from the bag. The bowls of ramen were still warm despite having waited for Kakashi to wake up, and she’d pulled two bottles of water from the fridge. The flavor and warmth of the food was soothing, especially when combined with the easy conversation that Sakura and Kakashi fell into. They talked about everything and nothing as they’d done the night before.

Near the end of dinner, Sakura glanced up at Kakashi through her eyelashes as she pushed her plate away. “So, I suppose this is where I should ask about your rules for the second date.”

Laughter rumbled in Kakashi’s chest as he took a sip of his water. Even if he’d wanted it, Sakura had been firm about not drinking alcohol after a concussion. The lack left his head clearer than the champagne had. “The second date is to get to know the person better,” he observed with a rueful smile. “Third date is the earliest for testing out chemistry.”

“So, what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t lean across the table and kiss you, right?” Sakura didn’t blush or seem embarrassed at how forward the question was. Her smile was open and honest, like she was asking about the weather. But, there was an undertone of hunger in her eyes.

Kakashi swallowed the lump in his throat. “Is that what you want to do?”

“I’ve wanted to do that every time I’ve seen you since yesterday,” the woman admitted. “It’s what I wanted to do at dinner last night, on the steps to my apartment, and in my bedroom after you so cruelly left me alone. It’s what I wanted to do today in a hospital room full of people who could ruin my career. And, yes, it’s what I want to do right now.”

Self control must have been one of Kakashi’s super powers, because somehow he smiled instead of closing the distance between himself and Sakura. “And, if I ask you to wait longer?”

A frown slid onto Sakura’s lips, and she blew out a shaky breath. “Are you telling me that you don’t feel something between us?”

Kakashi laughed, unable to stop the incredulous sound that rose in his throat. “It feels like electricity every time you touch me,” he answered. “Sometimes, just the way you look at me is enough to cause it.”

“Then, why wait?” The smolder in Sakura’s gaze was enough to turn Kakashi to ash, but he endured it for a long moment.

Exhaling and standing up to put some space between them, Kakashi carried the dishes to the sink. He cleared the table, struggling to articulate his reasoning. Finally, he sighed. “It’s been a long time since someone wanted to sleep with me, and I—”

Before Kakashi could finish the thought, Sakura burst out laughing. “I’m sorry,” she said, holding up a hand. “But, there have been so many people that wanted to sleep with you. You just haven’t let anyone close enough to do so.”

Kakashi considered the words with a rueful shake of the head. “It’s been a long time since I wanted to sleep with someone, then. At least, in the sense that I was attracted to them for more than that. Once you cross that line, there’s no going back, and I don’t want to rush and ruin something that could be more than just sex.”

Sakura moved closer to rest a hand on Kakashi’s back. “I can respect that,” she murmured near his ear. “But, it only makes me want you more. Besides, this is technically our third date.”

“Hospital visits don’t count as dates,” Kakashi laughed, taking the woman’s meaning. “Especially not when one of us is the patient.”

Rolling her eyes, Sakura helped Kakashi finish cleaning up from dinner, then stared up at him with some calculation. “You know, it’s probably for the best. To steal your line, I’m pretty sure that if I kissed you, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. You’re supposed to be resting, after all.”

Kakashi inclined his head, trying to focus on anything except the heat that radiated off Sakura’s body pressed close to his hip. She offered another tight smile. “How about watching a movie together? That’s light enough not to bother your concussion, and innocent enough to meet your stipulations, right?”

“As long as you behave,” Kakashi teased, following the woman to the living room.

Nearly an hour into the movie, Kakashi exhaled and allowed his body to relax. Sakura’s breathing had finally leveled out against his chest. She’d cuddled against him earlier in the evening with a cheeky remark that physical contact didn’t violate their agreement, and Kakashi hadn’t had the heart to argue. Sakura fit perfectly against his side with one cheek against his chest while his arm trailing over her back. She breathed deeply, entirely content.

Sleep tugged at Kakashi as well, along with the gentle pressure that remained in his temple. As much as he wanted to rest, he focused on the feel of the woman in his arms. Despite having worked a full shift at the hospital, the floral scent of perfume still clung to Sakura. Kakashi was surprised to realize that he’d already come to identify the smell as uniquely her. The ease with which she slipped into his life was astounding. Three days ago, Kakashi had been debating whether or not to stand her up for a friendly dinner. Tonight, he cuddled against her on the couch like they’d been dating for months.

It had been a long time since Kakashi let anyone get close to him, and he couldn’t understand how Sakura had wormed beneath his skin in just over twenty-four hours. The attraction was undeniable; the woman was beautiful, but it was more than that. She parried his witty remarks with comebacks of her own, she held intelligent conversations, and she challenged Kakashi in unexpected ways. He didn’t believe in whirlwind romances or soul mates; love didn’t happen overnight. But, he couldn’t deny the feeling of home that Sakura somehow brought out in him.

When the end credits began to roll across the screen, the final theme song ramped up the sound. Sakura startled at the noise, eyes focusing on the television across the room. “Dammit, I’m sorry.” She pushed away from Kakashi’s chest and sat up, leaving a tiny spot of drool across the top of his stomach. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s been a busy couple of days,” Kakashi offered, voice thick from lack of use and the exhaustion that he’d been fighting for the past hour. “It’s fine.”

Chewing her lip, Sakura glanced at Kakashi from the corner of one eye. Then, she nodded. “I should get home. I’m supposed to meet my parents for lunch tomorrow, then I’ve got to get my notes together and study for class on Monday.”

Kakashi felt a soft ache at the realization that he wouldn’t see Sakura the next day. He followed the thought with a reminder that some time apart would allow his head to clear from the whirlwind of the past two days. Kakashi needed the space more than he wanted it though. The reluctance to let Sakura leave surprised him. “Can I drive you home at least?”

“No,” Sakura shook her head, pushing herself into a standing position. “You’re supposed to be resting. I already took up more of your time than I should have.”

You could just stay. The words were on the tip of Kakashi’s tongue, but he swallowed them. There was no universe in which Sakura could spend the night without something more happening between them.

“I enjoyed the evening,” Kakashi said instead, following Sakura as she gathered her bag and walked toward the door. “It was nice of you to come and check on me. I appreciate it.”

Reluctance slowed Kakashi’s feet. The tense, awkward moment of whether or not to kiss Sakura was coming, and it was getting more difficult each time to refuse. They stopped at the doorway, and his heart pounded in his ears. The urgent drumming fought to block conscious thought from his mind.

“I’ll text you tomorrow to make sure you’re okay,” Sakura began, toying with her bag in an effort to stall. At least, that’s how it looked to Kakashi. “But, I probably won’t be able to come by.”

“I’m not your responsibility. Enjoy your time with your family, and good luck with the rest of it.” Kakashi’s heart did an uncomfortable squeeze that he didn’t fully comprehend.

Sakura’s eyes echoed the same emotion as she moved closer. “Can I see you again,” she whispered, sounding uncertain for possibly the first time since this not quite a relationship started. “It won’t just be a crazy weekend that ends on Monday morning, will it?”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Kakashi reassured the woman, but he felt a flutter of doubt. Would a single day be enough to cool the fire of curiosity that had sparked between them? He exhaled and nodded to himself. If it did, then they were never meant to be more in the first place. “Be safe on the way home.”

Humming, Sakura started to turn, but Kakashi surprised himself by catching her hand and pulling her back toward him. He dipped his head to brush his lips against her cheek, knowing it was dangerous. The soft inhale of surprise almost led him to throw caution to the wind and pull her back into the apartment. But, for the second time in two nights, Kakashi did the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. He smiled and let Sakura walk away.

——————————–

Desperate beeping dragged Sakura from the warm confines of her dream. She went reluctantly, savoring the imagined feel of Kakashi’s body against hers. Her eyes opened to the semi-darkness of her apartment and the screaming alarm on her nightstand. She sighed and swiped the app shut, annoyed that she’d already slept it twice trying to hang onto the dream.

Sakura threw off the covers and pushed herself out of bed. She’d stayed up too late studying for a test that she had today and reviewing her notes from her other classes, mostly because her mind kept drifting to Kakashi. As much as she’d wanted to show up at his door unannounced a second time, the day had been too busy. Lunch with her parents had been filled with a million questions about who she was dating, how Valentine’s Day had been, and the inevitable questions about Sakura’s future that she had to answer every month or so.

After the very public split from Sasuke, Sakura’s parents had given her some privacy to collect herself. It had lasted for approximately six months, then they’d started talking about how she needed to move on because she wasn’t getting any younger. It wasn’t Sakura’s fault that her parents had met and married before they were twenty. People just didn’t do that now, and she needed to worry about her future as a doctor first.

Even as the bombardment began, Sakura wondered what her parents would think if she told them about Kakashi. If they remembered him at all, it was only because she’d mentioned him in passing when he’d been her teacher. Would they remember the name? Would they flip out over the age difference the way he’d suggested? Sakura didn’t think her father would, at least. He just wanted her to be happy. Her mother was another story, though.

None of that matters if he’s already moved on, Sakura thought sourly as she brushed her teeth and checked her reflection in the mirror. From the dinner on Friday night to the impromptu date on Saturday evening, their relationship had been a whirlwind. Normally, Sakura wasn’t forward enough to show up at someone’s door with food and the expectation that they’d let her in, but somehow, she’d known that Kakashi would. She was glad that she hadn’t misjudged him.

It feels like electricity every time you touch me. The words had replayed in Sakura’s head like a song that she couldn’t shake. Not that she wanted to, of course. Kakashi’s dark stare was enough to undo her, she didn’t need his touch. But, Sakura couldn’t help but fantasize about it all the same.

Sakura had curled against Kakashi during the movie, half because she wanted to feel the spark of his body against hers. She’d never imagined to feel the firm muscle beneath the t-shirt he wore. Yes, she knew he worked out and boxed, but she hadn’t imagined that it would rival most men her age. She’d wanted to test his resolve then, but Kakashi had closed his arm around her in a natural gesture of gentle companionship that melted Sakura against him. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but she’d felt safe and content.

As Sakura zipped on her jacket, she checked her phone one last time. She didn’t expect Kakashi to text her good morning, necessarily, but it would have been nice. They texted back and forth briefly yesterday, long enough for Kakashi to say that his headache was better with ibuprofen and Sakura to complain about being busy, but there hadn’t been much conversation. She told herself that it was best to give Kakashi space to let him figure out when he wanted to reach out to her, but she knew that she’d cave and check on him by lunch time if not sooner.

Picking up her bag, Sakura slung it over her shoulder and started out the door. Even though she lived close to the university, it would take her a while to get there with the bus schedule the way it was. The chill outside almost took Sakura’s breath, and she pulled her jacket closer. She was halfway down the stone stairs leading to the sidewalk before she registered the figure standing at the bottom. Her stomach gave an uncomfortable squeeze when she recognized Kakashi’s messy, silver hair.

The man stood on the sidewalk, leaning against the balustrade with an apparent air of disinterest as Sakura descended. A heavy black coat and grey scarf protected Kakashi from the cold, as did the steaming cups of coffee in either hand. Sakura paused two stairs above him. “You look familiar,” she suggested, studying the dark shadow that covered his jaw above the soft fabric of his scarf.

“Fancy meeting you here.” Kakashi held out one of the coffees with a slight smile pulling at his lips. Kami-sama, he was gorgeous, even with the bruise across one cheek. “I thought you might need a pick me up to make it through Monday. No idea what you like, but this one is loaded with sugar which seems to be your go to.”

Laughing, Sakura took the coffee. “I do like sweet things, and coffee is practically my love language, so you’re kind of knocking it out of the park.”

“Was that a sports reference,” Kakashi chuckled, squinting against the sun with a smile. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Taking one step closer, Sakura nodded. “I aim for mysterious, but I suppose that’ll work.”

A blush slid onto Kakashi’s cheeks, deepening the color that the chill had already put there. Sakura took a small drink of her coffee with a content sigh. It might not be her normal order, but Kakashi was right, it tasted wonderful. He watched her with an unreadable expression then nodded over his shoulder. “Can I give you a ride?”

At Sakura’s nod, Kakashi started to turn away. She reached out and caught the lapel of his jacket to stop him. One eyebrow arched, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, technically this is our third date.”

“Coffee on the stairs doesn't—”

Sakura rose on her tiptoes from the stair above Kakashi, pulling him closer by the front of his coat. She registered surprise in the dark grey eyes half a second before she meshed their lips together in a heart stopping rush. Kakashi’s mouth opened in surprise, and Sakura could taste the bitter tang of coffee on his tongue. Fire raced through her veins as she pressed in closer, nearly dropping her coffee in the process.

It lasted for a short eternity, then Kakashi drew back with a soft chuckle that made heat pool low in Sakura’s stomach. He ran his tongue across his lips and glanced at the door behind her as if debating with himself. Sakura blew out a breath that did nothing to cool her desire. “I could be late to my first class,” she husked by Kakashi’s ear, reveling in the shudder that raced through his body.

A low curse slid between Kakashi’s lips, and his voice sounded strangled when he said Sakura’s name. He exhaled harshly with a shake of his head. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he murmured, affection and frustration straining the words. “The coffee and the ride are both strictly no strings attached offers. And, unfortunately I can’t be late to my first class.”

Blushing furiously, Sakura ducked her head. She knew that he wanted to take things slow, but every time she looked at him, she forgot that in the heat of the chemistry between them. He probably thought that Sakura was using him to get sex, though realistically she could have gotten that much easier elsewhere. “I know, I just,” Sakura trailed off with a shrug and a blush that threatened to singe her cheeks with its heat. “I’m sorry. I’ll just catch the bus.”

Sakura turned away in a fit of embarrassment. Warm pressure caught her free hand, and Kakashi brought her back from the panicked flight that she’d been preparing herself for. He smiled, then dipped his head to meet their lips together a second time. Kakashi’s kiss lacked the speed and rush that Sakura’s had, but it stole her breath in a different way. When they drifted apart after the touch, Kakashi tightened his hold on Sakura’s hand. “Let me drive you to class, please?”

Nodding, Sakura followed Kakashi to his car. He opened the door and she slid into the seat, dropping her bag on the floorboard. Despite the kiss and the obvious care, Sakura felt cheated and frustrated by the way her morning had gone. After buckling her seat belt, she took a slow sip of the coffee. At least that left her feeling warm inside.

—————————————————-

The ride to the school was uncomfortably silent as Kakashi pulled away from the curb and merged into traffic. Sakura sat beside him, alternating sipping her coffee or staring out the window. Kakashi didn’t think anything of it at first, but as the ride dragged on, he started to wonder what he’d done wrong. He might not have been around Sakura much the past few years, but her seething demeanor was obvious. “You’re angry at me,” he observed.

Turning on the signal, Kakashi pulled into the parking lot nearest the medical school. Sakura stared out at the buildings while hurt and anger rolled off of her in waves. Kakashi put the car in park and let the silence do its work. After a couple of minutes, Sakura huffed out a breath. “I don’t understand why you don’t want me. The way you look at me,” she paused, searching for the right words. “I mean, it’s obvious that you find me attractive.”

“I do,” Kakashi agreed, aware that the woman was working herself up to saying something else. He needed to give her time to work through the confusion on her own. “You’re gorgeous.”

Sakura growled under her breath and turned to face Kakashi. “Then, why won’t you have sex with me? Is it because you think I’m pretty, but not pretty enough to sleep with? You don’t think I’d be any good in bed? Because you’re interested in me as a friend, but nothing more?”

“I’d be crazy to think any of those things,” Kakashi answered, turning to rest his back against the car door to look at Sakura. Her cheeks were flushed with anger, but the hurt in her eyes was obvious. He gentled his tone before continuing. “You’re fourteen years younger than me.”

Sakura’s nose scrunched in confusion as she digested the words. “What does that have to do with anything? You don’t enjoy sex anyore? You’re afraid you won’t be able to keep up? You can’t get it—”

“Hey, that’s not the issue,” Kakashi interrupted with a self conscious laugh. The fear that he might not be able to keep up with Sakura had definitely crossed his mind, but not because everything didn’t work as intended. “I might be old, but I’m not old enough for that to be an issue. And, you should know that much as a medical student.”

A fleeting smile slid across Sakura’s face, suggesting that the words had been in jest, but the expression faded after a second. “Then why does the age difference matter?”

“Because, I remember what it was like to be young and sexy and free to do whatever and whoever you wanted.” Kakashi had never been interested in sex without attachments, not really. But, he’d gone through a dark phase after losing Rin. “I’ve done that before, and I’m not interested in reliving it.”

Sakura didn’t answer right away, and Kakashi watched as she worked through the statement in her mind. Much of his early twenties had been lost to a haze of alcohol and risky behaviors that probably should have killed him. It took Kakashi years to work through the pain of losing everything that he cared about in one night, and he’d done a lot of things during that time that he wasn’t proud of.

Since leaving Sakura on her doorstep Friday night, Kakashi had been considering what made him so reluctant to fall into bed with her. The day apart had given him a much needed breath of air in the midst of the chaos from chemistry and hormones. It had been a long time since someone clouded his mind the way Sakura did, but it went deeper than just wanting her physically. Kakashi shrugged almost apologetically. “I don’t need sex to be attracted to you.”

“Maybe not,” Sakura’s voice betrayed more than a little hurt at the accusation. “But, you don’t want it either.”

“I do,” Kakashi chuckled and raised one hand to brush a strand of hair behind Sakura’s ear. “Very much so. But, I want to get to know you without it.”

Sighing, Sakura tipping her head toward Kakashi’s hand. “What if I want more than this?”

Resting a forearm on the center console, Kakashi leaned in to catch Sakura’s lips with his. The kiss lacked the urgency that she’d displayed on the steps, and the tenderness that he’d shown after. It fell somewhere in the middle with Kakashi coaxing her lips open with his to deepen the connection. When they pulled back, Kakashi rested his forehead against Sakura’s. “You’ll have to trust that I’m worth waiting for,” he chuckled.

Sakura made a whining sound in the back of her throat. “Can I get a trial offer or something, just to make sure that I want to purchase?”

“It’s strictly on faith, I’m afraid.” Kakashi laughed, tasting Sakura’s next exhale against his lips. He couldn’t bring himself to pull away.

The woman’s chin tipped up, lips almost brushing Kakashi’s. “Can you explain the terms in detail? For instance, would it be a violation of our agreement if I kissed you right now?”

Kakashi chuckled as a flood of warmth washed through his body. “I suppose that depends on the details of said kiss.”

Painful pleasure jolted through Kakashi’s lower lip when Sakura’s teeth caught it. She pulled back long enough to draw another breath, then kissed him again, gentle and lingering. Her mouth clung to his when she pulled back to whisper. “Do those cross a line?”

“Maybe,” Kakashi answered, breathless and dizzy. Unable to stop himself, he cradled Sakura’s face in his hands and kissed her until his lungs ached for air. When he pulled back, her cheeks were bright pink and her eyes were shining with a hunger that made it hard to think. He exhaled shakily. “Is that enough to assure you that I want more too?”

“Maybe we should try once more, just to be sure,” Sakura teased, but she didn’t move in for another kiss.

Kakashi sighed thankfully. His self control slid through his fingers like sand, and he’d already thought of half a dozen secluded spots on campus where they could park the car and disappear from the world for a little while. He pushed the thoughts away with a light smile, glancing over at the clock. “I have a lecture to get to,” he complained, feeling the same reluctance that led him to steal every moment with Sakura that he could. “Can I see you later, though?”

Flashing a cheeky grin, Sakura unbuckled her seat belt. “I think that can be arranged.” She pushed the door open, then paused to look over her shoulder. “But, I’m going to need more details about those rules of yours before I commit to anything.”

“I can do that,” Kakashi agreed, smiling as he watched the woman walk toward the medical building. He shook his head as he backed the car out of the parking place, but he couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

—————————————————————-

“Hey, you made it through the weekend.” Tenzo’s voice pulled Kakashi from his thoughts, and he glanced up from the lesson plan that he’d been working on. The man stood in the doorway to Kakashi’s office, sipping a cafeteria drink that he held in one hand. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“Yes,” Kakashi answered the first question, then realized it was almost two in the afternoon. “And, no.”

Tenzo tossed a protein bar from his bag in Kakashi’s general direction. It bounced off the computer monitor and hit the floor. Bending down to pick it up, Kakahi rolled his eyes. “You could have just handed it to me, you know.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Tenzo took a seat on the opposite side of Kakashi’s desk, and the man looked young enough to be an undergrad come to discuss their career choice or argue over some asinine point in a story. Kakashi liked discussion as much as the next person, probably more so even, but he didn’t enjoy pointless arguments.

Glancing at the computer screen, Kakashi sighed and turned toward Tenzo. He hadn’t been able to focus on the plan anyway. No matter how many times Kakashi pushed it away, the memory of Sakura returned to the forefront of his mind. It was easy to recall the feel of her lips on his, to taste the sweetness of the coffee that he’d bought her mixed with the minty bite of the toothpaste that she’d used that morning.

Kakashi exhaled and shook his head as if that would drive the memory away. It didn’t. “So, what brings you to my office in the middle of the day? Don’t you have labs to conduct or plants to study or whatever it is that you do all day?”

“Or friends to check on,” Tenzo countered, taking a long pull from his drink. Kakashi raised an eyebrow when he recognized the new bubble tea fad that had been sweeping over the university. Tenzo was still young enough to be swayed by the same trends as the students that he taught.

The man tipped his head to study Kakashi’s face. “That’s one hell of a bruise.”

Raising a hand to his jaw, Kakashi shrugged. “It’s not as bad as it could have been.”

Tenzo nodded, watching Kakashi for a long moment. When he didn’t elaborate, the younger man continued. “So, how was your weekend?”

Kakashi tore the paper off the protein bar, took a bite, and winced at the pain that came from chewing the cardboard-like substance. He reached for his water bottle and took a long swallow to erase the flavor. “My weekend was fine,” Kakashi answered, taking a smaller bite the second time. “I did a lot of sleeping and lying around on the couch, numbed by pain medicine.”

“Was all of that sleeping by yourself,” Tenzo asked, fighting to hide a knowing smirk behind another sip of tea.

“Nah, I called all my girlfriends over to keep me company.” Kakashi’s sarcastic reply brought Tenzo up short, which he hoped was enough to get the man to drop the subject. “Of course I was by myself.”

Chuckling, Tenzo nodded. “Yeah, yeah. It’s just, I couldn’t help but notice the way that Sakura was looking at you at the hospital—”

“Like a patient with a concussion? Yeah, I saw that too,” Kakashi interjected, feeling a blush creep up his neck. He and Sakura hadn’t discussed hiding their, whatever this was turning into, but Kakashi felt reluctant to share it, even with Tenzo. It seemed too tenuous, like exposing it to the harsh reality of the world would erase every possibility of it working out. And, he didn’t want to risk that.

Realization settled in Kakashi’s mind a few seconds later. “You gave her my address?”

“I didn’t think you’d mind.” Tenzo took another long slurp of his drink, then grinned in that annoyingly playful fashion he had. “You practically had hearts in your eyes whenever you looked at her.”

“They were stars. You know, because you gave me a concussion?” Kakashi snipped, pain flaring to life with his annoyance. “I was mostly focused on not puking or falling off of the bed at the time.”

Finishing off his drink, Tenzo tossed it into the trash bin next to Kakashi’s desk. He didn’t say anything for a moment, watching his long time friend with a knowing expression. Kakashi clenched his and finished the protein bar in silence; he wasn’t going to give Tenzo the satisfaction of knowing that he’d spent most of Saturday with Sakura. Kakashi had no idea why he held the conversation back, but he did.

“Would it help if I mentioned that Sakura had heart eyes too?” Tenzo laughed and glanced toward the open office door then dropped his voice. “So much so, in fact, that Tsunade asked if you two knew each other at dinner yesterday.”

Fear washed through Kakashi’s stomach at the thought of Tsunade knowing about his relationship with Sakura. The woman loved him like a second son, yes, but he had no idea how she’d react to the idea of him dating one of her students. “What did you tell her?”

“I told her that you’d had Sakura in class,” Tenzo offered, fighting a grin at the innuendo in his wording. Then, he sobered. “You know, undergrad stuff.”

“I don’t think she suspects anything,” Tenzo said, sensing Kakashi’s discomfort. “You know, it’s okay to admit that you like Sakura, if that’s the case. Nobody is going to care about the age difference in the long run.”

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. “Are you still going to be saying that when the school board writes me up for unethical conduct?”

“I’ll be your first character witness,” Tenzo answered, eyeing Kakashi over the desk. “Just don’t overthink this one and screw it up.”

Nodding, Kakashi waved the man away. “Yeah, yeah. Now, if you don’t need anything, I have a lesson plan to get back to.”

Second Chances, The Next Morning (KakaSaku Valentines Day)

Part One - The Setup,Part Two - The Date,A03,Fanfiction

@bouncyirwin Here is part three of my oops I wrote a long story instead of a drabble for KakaSaku Valentines Day!

—————————————————————–

Breathing hard, Kakashi shoved the door to the gymnasium open and glanced at the time on his phone before shoving it into a pocket. He’d woken up late, so his usual, leisurely jog had turned into a flat out run that left him breathless and red faced. Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, Kakashi gathered his composure before hurrying through the second door. He hoped against hope that he might have beaten—

“You’re late,” Tenzo observed from the shadows of an area that was hidden from Kakashi’s field of vision. He didn’t give his friend the satisfaction of startling as he dropped his gym bag on one of the benches that dotted the edges.

Kakashi glanced at the clock on the wall, its bright red letters shocking in the gloom of the room, and shrugged. “I’m only a little late,” he observed, unzipping his gym bag so he could dig through the contents. Without turning, he continued. “And you wouldn’t believe it, there was this wreck on—”

Tenzo’s disbelieving snort interrupted the next words. “Or, you stayed out far too late on your date last night.”

Rolling his eyes at the insinuation in Tenzo’s tone, Kakashi shed his jacket and hung it on one of the hooks on the wall. “I was home and in bed well before midnight.”

Laughing, Tenzo clapped Kakashi on the back. “Yeah, but were you sleeping, or were you enjoying some company for the rest of the night?”

“Sleeping,” Kakashi answered. He checked his cellphone once before tucking it into the pocket of his sweatpants. “So, what’s on our agenda for the day?

"I’m going to need more information than that.” Tenzo nodded when Kakashi reached for a jump rope in the jumbled exercise equipment, indicating that he was on the right track for warming up. But, the man didn’t let the line of questions stop. “How did last night go?”

Kakashi rolled his wrists to loosen up before starting a series of quick single and double jumps. It didn’t take long for his heart rate to rise in response to the movement. While Kakashi didn’t particularly enjoy winter training, it kept his body functional for the more enjoyable activities that came when the weather warmed up. Tenzo had harassed Kakashi until he agreed to meet up at least three to five times during the week for exercise. The days varied, but Saturday was a staple because both of the men were typically free.

Once the sweat stood out on Kakashi’s forehead and his body felt warm, he let the jump rope slap against the mats on the floor. He reached for his water bottle and took a long drink of the cool liquid. Tenzo watched him with a knowing look of amusement that made Kakashi uncomfortable. Deciding to draw out the other man’s suspense, he grinned. “You know I don’t kiss and tell.”

Tenzo chuckled and shook his head. “Unless something drastic has changed, you don’t kiss at all.”

“Ha ha, laugh it up,” Kakashi answered, aiming a quick jab at his friend’s side.

Tenzo danced backward on the balls of his feet, light and elusive as ever. His movements were smooth and efficient; he’d clearly warmed up while waiting for Kakashi. Tenzo’s lips pulled into a frown. “Seriously, how was it?”

Dipping his head to hide the stupid smile that tried to work its way onto his face, Kakashi shrugged. “It was fine.” He lifted the carefully wound boxing wraps from his bag and started to work on his left hand without meeting Tenzo’s gaze. “The dinner was nice, and the event was surprisingly well planned out.”

Tenzo hummed in agreement, bouncing lightly on his toes to keep warm. “You’re avoiding my question, which only makes me more curious.”

“You know what they say about curiosity,” Kakashi quipped, completing the second wrap on his right hand with only a little more difficulty than the left. He flexed his fingers, testing the stretch of the material before nodding.

Tenzo rolled his eyes as Kakashi put on the first of his boxing gloves. “Good thing I’m not a cat, then.”

The man held up the second glove and helped Kakashi secure it around his wrist once it was in place. Kakashi sighed. “You aren’t going to let it go, are you?”

Kakashi walked toward the bags hanging from the ceiling in one corner of the gym. He flexed his hands inside the glove, trying to to think of a way to answer his friend’s question without giving anything away. “Sakura was lovely, attentive, and not what I expected. She’s matured a lot over the past few years.”

Humming with agreement presumably meant to encourage Kakashi to continue, Tenzo moved to the side to watch him work at the speed bag. A few punches in, the man smiled. “So, when will you see her again?”

Kakashi did his best to keep his tempo steady and smooth lest Tenzo read something in the movement that he didn’t intend. Warmth spread through Kakashi’s muscles as he continued the steady strikes until his body felt loose and light. He slowed, huffing out a breath. “We didn’t talk about it.”

Moving away a couple of feet, Kakashi made room for Tenzo in front of the bag. The younger man moved through the same punches that he had to warm up. Tenzo was the one of them who actually enjoyed boxing, and he made it look natural. Kakashi couldn’t deny that it took the edge off frustration and anger, but he’d much rather be outside rock climbing, hiking, or going for a run. The gym was necessary evil during the colder months, though.

As Tenzo continued working with the bag, Kakashi stretched in preparation for the inevitable spar that would come next. He didn’t dread it as much as he thought he would. A light vibration from his pocket made his face scrunch in confusion. He reached for the feeling, then rolled his eyes at the gloves he’d just put on. Catching the velcro closure in his teeth, Kakashi pulled it loose then clamped his upper arm around the glove to pull his hand free.

Kakashi fished his phone from his pocket with some difficulty because of the wraps. He pressed his thumb against the sensor to unlock it and swiped the screen open. A single message notification waited at the top. Frowning, Kakashi opened it. It worked. I thought about you last night. A second text came through almost immediately. Multiple times.

“Are you smiling at your phone?” Tenzo’s voice broke through the momentary elation that flooded Kakashi’s system. “Oh my god, are you blushing?”

“No,” Kakashi forced his face to wipe the emotion away. He wasn’t sure how to respond to Sakura’s text, so he left it for a time when Tenzo wasn’t watching his every move. “It’s just hot in here, and I’m ready to get this spar underway.”

Chuckling, Tenzo pulled away from the speed bag. “You’re a terrible liar. It’s fine to say that you had a good time. Hell, it’s even okay to say that you slept with her. I’m not judging.”

Kakashi shook his head, sobering at the implication. “We didn’t have sex. It isn’t like that.”

“So, it’s not physical,” Tenzo repeated, nodding toward the boxing ring that predominated the middle of the gym. The pair had the place to themselves today for a change which allowed them to talk freely. As Kakashi followed him through the ropes, Tenzo’s grin deepened. “Damn, are you saying she’s in love with you already?”

“She doesn’t love me,” Kakashi laughed, ignoring the flutter of his heart at the impossible thought. Rin’s memory soured the fleeting desire almost as soon as it rose. “She’s not that stupid.”

Tenzo laughed and dipped his head before reaching out to help Kakashi get his glove back on. “You’re probably right. She seemed smarter than average.”

“Definitely,” Kakashi agreed, squaring up against Tenzo with his body turned to the side to present a smaller target. He weighed his opponent with his gaze, wondering why Tenzo wouldn’t let the thing with Sakura go. It wasn’t like it mattered; they hadn’t talked about dating or going out. The night had been fun, sure, but that didn’t mean it was going to be anything more. They’d probably never see each other again.

Kakashi brought his hands up in front of his face and shifted his weight over the balls of his feet to make his movement more fluid. He and Tenzo had trained together for years, so he could practically read the moves before they happened. Jab, cross, jab, jab, hook. Kakashi flowed with the strikes, allowing his mind to wander. The implications behind Sakura’s text were impossible to ignore, and the thought brought more heat to Kakashi’s cheeks. He’d teased her about wanting her to think about him, but he hadn’t meant thatway. At least, not seriously.

Trying to come up with a reply was difficult. Did Kakashi respond in kind by admitting that he’d thought of Sakura as well? Did that cross a line that he wanted to keep between them? Did he pretend not to understand the subtext of the comment and ask what Sakura meant? Did he write the whole thing off and continue on the same way that he would have done weeks ago? Did he just ignore it to see if she reached out a second time?

Slipping beneath a quick right hook, Kakashi wondered which response Sakura wanted from him. Almost anything he said would make her more curious about him. Kakashi knew that he could have followed Sakura up to her apartment the previous night, and they would have crossed every line that he cared to draw between them. But, she had respected his decision to stop where they were. Did Kakashi continue holding himself away and playing the logical person, or did he give in to the pressure? Did any of it matter? Sakura’s text was clearly meant to evoke a response. Multiple times, it taunted, begging him to acknowledge the unresolved sexual tension between them.

Tenzo slipped to the right and Kakashi circled with him, adrenaline burning through his veins. Boxing helped release some of the tension that wound Kakashi’s body tight. He could focus on the natural rhythm of the movements without concentrating too hard on the problem with—another soft buzz ripped Kakashi’s attention away from everything except wondering what Sakura said next.

Pain snapped through Kakashi’s face, sharp and brilliant as a sunburst. He crashed onto the mat below him, head rebounding against the surface. Darkness swallowed the world. Then, Kakashi blinked at the ceiling in confusion with no idea why he was staring up at it.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Tenzo cursed, crouching beside Kakashi’s head. “Are you okay?”

Kakashi’s ears rang as he looked around the gym, trying to make logical sense of what happened. Tenzo knelt next to him, pulling his gloves off with an urgency that seemed almost comical. Fingers snapped in front of Kakashi’s face, fighting to drag him back to semi-coherence but he had a hard time focusing on the noise. “Come on, I didn’t hit you that hard.”

“You hit me,” Kakashi repeated, still in a half daze from the contact. It was so funny that he almost laughed. The sound burbled in his throat as Tenzo pulled him upright, then the room tipped and spun like a top. Nausea bubbled in Kakashi’s stomach, hot and dizzying. He fought it down with a grunt that sobered him somewhat. “You hit me.”

“Yes, we’ve covered that.” Tenzo snapped his fingers again, drawing Kakashi’s attention to them. “How many fingers do you see?”

Kakashi stared at the wavering image for a second, blinking to clear the immediate blurriness in his vision. “Two.”

The hand changed shape. “Now, how many?”

“Three,” Kakashi answered, continuing to suppress the nausea that flooded his stomach and throat. He squeezed his eyes shut to push the thought away from him. If he didn’t think about it, it wouldn’t happen.

When Kakashi opened his eyes again, Tenzo had moved back to give him some space. “Do you think you can get up?”

“You’re not a prize fighter or anything. I’m fine,” Kakashi grumbled, pushing his hands against the mat to try and stand. Even so, he knew that Tenzo’s punches were powerful. The man could have gone on to make a career out of it if he’d wanted to. He usually pulled his punches in spars, though.

Kakashi pushed into a standing position, and the room wobbled with him. The ground pitched under his feet when he tried to move. Tenzo bumped against Kakashi’s shoulder, supporting him until they reached a corner of the ring where he could cling to the rope for balance. Kakashi closed his eyes against the dizzy sickness in his stomach. “Mostly fine,” he amended, sinking onto the stool that Tenzo produced from somewhere.

It took Kakashi a couple of startled seconds to realize that Tenzo had knelt in front of him and started to remove his gloves with familiar ease. “What are you doing,” Kakashi asked in confusion.

“You’re done for the day” Tenzo pulled the gloves off and laid them aside, starting to work on the hand wraps. The task was made difficult by the similar wraps on the man’s hands.

Kakashi pulled away and started unwinding the fabric on his own. “I just need a minute, then we can get back to—”

“I’m ninety-five percent sure you have a concussion.” Tenzo finished pulling off his second wrap without bothering to wind them the way that he normally did. Kakashi wondered if it was frustration or worry that sped his friend’s fingers through the movement. “I think you should go get checked out.”

Kakashi laughed and shook his head, immediately regretting it when the nausea returned. “No, I’m fine. I didn’t even lose consciousness. It was just a lucky punch.”

Tenzo leveled Kakashi with a flat stare, then rolled his eyes. “It was a left hook that I telegraphed, but you never noticed. And, you were out for at least a few seconds after it.”

“Look at you, using knockout punches in a friendly spar,” Kakashi teased, trying to organize the thoughts that were crowding in the back of his mind. He didn’t feel great, but he didn’t feel terrible either. Surely he would have felt something more than a vague pain in the back of his head after a concussion. “You’re growing up.”

“You didn’t even try to block it,” Tenzo complained, shaking his head in frustration as he gathered his equipment from the mat and slid through the ropes to the floor. “You were distracted. You knowbetter than that.”

Distracted? Kakashi tried to dredge up the moments before the punch, but they refused to come. Sighing, he followed Tenzo from the ring, bobbling only a little when the room pitched under his feet. “I’m sorry,” Kakashi mumbled, rubbing his sore jaw.

Tenzo sighed, worry creasing his features. “You really should go see a doctor, just to make sure everything is squared away. If you won’t go to the hospital, at least let me get Tsunade to have a look at you.”

Kakashi tipped his head to the side, considering the words for a long moment. Tsunade-shishou would. The memory came slowly; the pieces fit back together in a picture that left Kakashi feeling oddly off balance, even more than the concussion. He ran his tongue across his lips, surprised to taste the coppery tang of blood. “I’m not going to the hospital. If it’s a concussion, they’ll tell me to rest.”

“Which you’ll undoubtedly ignore.” Tenzo threw his equipment into his bag with an overly dramatic eye roll. “Do you think you have a concussion? Or, did it just rattle you?”

Raising one shoulder in a shrug, Kakashi packed up his wraps, gloves, and jump rope. “I mean, isn’t that pretty much the same thing?”

Tenzo pulled a black hoodie over his head, then slung his bag across one shoulder. “You know that you got the finger count wrong, right?”

Kakashi blinked at the words, and the soft pain in the back of his mind ramped up to a slightly more noticeable stab. He sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine, I mighthave a concussion, but the point still stands. All the doctor is going to tell me to do is to get some rest.”

“You lost consciousness, briefly, but it still happened. You had double vision, your balance is off, and you’re in pain, sick to your stomach, or both.” Tenzo ticked off the points on his fingers, and Kakashi studied them to make sure the number matched the reasons.

Kakashi frowned. “How do you know I'm—”

“The way you squeeze your eyes and tense your jaw every few seconds,” Tenzo interrupted, with a rueful shake of his head. “You’ve got a pain tell, old man.”

“Hey, woah,” Kakashi chuckled, holding up his hands as if deflecting another blow. “Isn’t it enough that you already knocked me out once today?”

A grin slid onto Tenzo’s lips as he shook his head and threw an arm around Kakashi’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you checked out, then I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day, probably.”

Second Chances, The Date (KakaSaku Valentines Day)

This is the second chapter for the story that I did for the KakaSaku Valentines Day that @bouncyirwin and Empress Nariko are hosting. This chapter is really long (12k words or so I think), so it’s under the cut or it can be found at FForAO3

As part of the Hearts on Fire fundraiser, the university had booked a popular downtown venue for the evening. Since the majority of the proceeds went toward the Wounded Warrior project, several clubs from the school were taking part in the event to assure its success. Kakashi had assumed that participants’ names would be thrown into a hat and drawn at random, but, like everything else, they’d seemed to have put more thought into it. He supposed that he should be thankful to have been paired with someone he knew at least a little bit.

Kakashi arrived at the restaurant only fifteen minutes late after stopping to pick up flowers, typical red roses because this whole date was a farce. When he pulled open the door, the chaotic mix of florals, cheap perfume, and wine flavored the air. A handful of people milled around by the check-in area, either waiting on their dates or waiting to be pointed in the right direction.

As Kakashi started to join the group, a familiar pair of blue eyes settled on him from across the room. Ino pulled away from the desk with a mischievous smile on her face. “Well, well, well, Hatake-sensei, you came after all.”

“I said I would come,” Kakashi pointed out. “I’m not going to go back on my word.”

“Good,” Ino purred. Her gaze traveled up and down Kakashi’s body in a calculating manner that made him feel like his suit wasn’t enough protection from her eyes. “I’m glad to see you put a little bit of effort into this at least.”

Warmth bloomed in Kakashi’s cheeks under the scrutiny of Ino’s assessment. Before he could think of an answer, the brunette from the other day hurried up to them, a paper name tag on her shirt read ‘Tenten - Event Support’. The girl caught Ino’s arm with frantic energy. “Leave Hatake-sensei alone and come help me. There seems to be some confusion with two of our patrons. He thought that she was going to—”

The conversation faded as Tenten pulled Ino away. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief; the blonde’s stare left him feeling uncomfortable. Something about Ino’s look made Kakashi feel like he’d been tested, but he wasn’t sure if he’d come up lacking or not. Swallowing, he looked across the room. Dozens of tables filled the space, white table clothes accentuated by the flicker of candles. The overhead lights had been dimmed for the occasion, but Kakashi saw a decent mix of faculty and students in the room. At least he wouldn’t be completely out of place.

“Hatake-sensei?” The sound sent a nervous jolt of energy through Kakashi’s chest. He told himself that it had had more to do with the atmosphere of the room than the familiar timbre of the voice behind him. “Or, should I call you Kakashi?”

Turning toward the voice, Kakashi offered a smile. Haruno Sakura returned the gesture, her lips a gentle shade of pink that accented the color of her hair. The woman wore a simple back dress that guided his eyes to places they shouldn’t go by the way it hugged her body. The neckline left her shoulders bare despite the long sleeves, creating an alluring mix of exposed and covered skin that begged Kakashi to run his fingers over it.

Kakashi swallowed the lump in his throat, focusing on the shining green eyes that were watching him with curiosity and amusement. “Kakashi is fine,” he answered, once he was certain that he had control of his voice. Remembering the flowers, Kakashi held them out. “Here, these are for you.”

Taking in the deep red of the roses, Sakura inhaled their aroma. “You didn’t have to do that,” she murmured. Suddenly, Kakashi was thankful that Tenzo had reminded him to pick up flowers on the way..

“I’m pretty sure it’s not Valentine’s Day without a dozen red roses.” Kakashi managed a chuckle as the woman cradled the flowers in the crook of one elbow. Then, he gestured around the room “Do you know how any of this works? The organizers seem a little bit chaotic.”

Sakura laughed and grinned toward the pair of women arguing over a laptop near the check-in area. “That’s Ino and Tenten for you. Ino, the blond one, loves playing matchmaker and gossip, while Tenten loves people watching. The idea of this event was way more fun for them than actually running it will be.”

“It certainly seems that way.” Kakashi watched the pair for a moment longer as Tenten clicked through something on the computer and Ino flapped her hands in annoyance. Chuckling, he turned back to Sakura. “I suspected that something was off when we were paired, to be honest.”

Sakura quirked one eyebrow upward with a frown. “Why’s that?”

The challenging stare surprised Kakashi, as did the hint of a blush on the woman’s cheeks. “The pairing just surprised me,” he amended, which seemed to soothe Sakura somewhat. “I’m sorry that you didn’t get a better date for the evening.”

“Who said there was anything wrong with you?” Laughing, Sakura shook her head. “Come on, I know where our table is.”

As Kakashi followed Sakura through the room, he tried to avoid the curious stares that turned in their direction. Thankfully, their table was in the back corner, which provided a sense of privacy. A thick, pink piece of parchment held up by a heat shaped clip had their names written across it in fancy script. Sakura laid the flowers to one side of the table, then sank into her seat before Kakashi could offer to pull it out. He settled in the chair across from her, self conscious despite the secluded feeling that the room offered.

Silence reigned for several uncomfortable seconds before Sakura spoke. “So, it’s been a while—”

Before the woman could finish her thought, a young man interrupted them with a polite bow. Kakashi was fairly certain that the boy had been in his Introduction to Literature class a couple of semesters ago, which meant he was probably part of the fundraiser. But, Kakashi couldn’t be sure. The boy’s black suit and white shirt made him look like a waiter, at least.

The young man sat a flute of champagne in front of Sakura, then a second near Kakashi. “The first glass is included with dinner, which will be out shortly,” he paused and pulled a sheet of parchment paper similar to the one that had Kakashi and Sakura’s name from a folder he carried under one arm. “Until then, here are some questions to help you get to know your date better. Enjoy your evening.”

After presenting the paper to Sakura, the man bowed and walked to the next table to repeat his clearly rehearsed speech. The pinkette skimmed over the page in her hand then raised her gaze. When her eyes met Kakashi, they laughed. It sounded almost genuine, if a little strained at the edges.

“This is really awkward,” Kakashi allowed, reaching for the champagne. Deciding better of it, he let his hand rest on the table instead. “We don’t have to do this whole awkward first date thing. It’s perfectly fine to just have dinner and call it a night.”

“We absolutely have to do the question and answer section. I wouldn’t want all of Ino’s hard work to be for nothing.” Laughing, Sakura took a drink of her champagne and laid the list on the table. “Okay, first question: what’s your favorite color?”

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the question. “How is that supposed to help people find out if they’re compatible?”

Swirling the champagne around in her glass, Sakura raised her shoulders in a shrug that made the light play across her skin. “My favorite color is red.”

Studying the pale shade of Sakura’s lips and hair, then the black of her dress, Kakashi laughed. “I would have guessed that.” Sakura inclined her head and looked at him expectantly. Frowning, Kakashi considered for a couple of seconds, then shrugged. “Mine is black.”

“Black isn’t a color,” Sakura pointed out, placing her glass back on the table. A imprint of her lips remained on the side, drawing Kakashi’s gaze for a millisecond before she spoke. “Want to try again?”

“Black is definitely a color.” Kakashi considered for a moment longer, then shrugged. “Fine, dark grey.”

Sakura shook her head at the words, but didn’t correct Kakashi this time. She turned her attention to the next question instead. “Okay, would you rather visit the mountains or the beach on vacation?”

Though Kakashi knew the answer almost immediately, he made a show of considering the options. “Definitely the mountains. Give me a secluded cabin away from people for a week or two, and I’m good to go.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Sakura tipped her head to the side to study Kakashi though a fall of pink hair. She’d worn it down tonight, the pale tresses curling softly at the ends. “What about a secluded beach, though?”

Kakashi tapped a finger against his lip thoughtfully. “I suppose it depends on the company. But, as long as I have a good book, I could tolerate it. I’m assuming your answer is the beach then?”

A smile played across Sakura’s lips as she toyed with one earring, a glimmer of silver dangling from one ear. “I could take either one as long as there aren’t too many people around. Huge crowds can be overwhelming.” Sakura took another sip of her champagne, then dipped her head. “But, yes, as a general rule, I’m always down for a trip to the beach.”

For a minute, Kakashi could imagine it. Sakura laughing at some joke, sunlight reflecting off her sunglasses as she stared at him. Waves crashed in the distance as warm, white sand sparkled behind her. Kakashi blushed and pushed the intrusive thought away. Sakura laughed, but her eyes were on the sheet of questions rather than Kakashi’s face. “Oh, this is an easy one for you. Would you rather give up social media entirely, or live as an influencer?”

Reaching for his drink, Kakashi waved a hand to indicate that Sakura could continue. The champagne was dry with rich undertones of fruit, but he couldn’t tell which. It tasted good though. Sakura laid the paper on the table and narrowed her eyes at Kakashi. Then, she grinned. “You’d give up social media in a heartbeat, wouldn’t you?”

Kakashi shook his head, lying with the easy practice of a university proctor. “Not at all. I’d love to be an influencer.”

Laughing, Sakura raised one eyebrow. “There’s no way that’s true. You don’t even have a social media presence, do you?”

For a few seconds, Kakashi didn’t speak. Then, he frowned. “How do you know that?”

Deep crimson erupted on Sakura’s cheeks as she toyed with a bracelet that Kakashi hadn’t noticed on her wrist. “Okay, so this is going to sound weird. But, I may have tried to look you up before coming tonight. Either you don’t have social media, or you’ve hidden it really well.”

Warmth opened in Kakashi’s chest, a light, fluttery feeling that he knew came from having his ego fed. He suppressed it with some effort. “Are you telling me that you’re here because you’re stalking me?”

“Dammit, you caught me.” Sakura’s voice took on a teasing tone as she drained the rest of her champagne. Setting her glass back on the table, she turned to Kakashi with a twinkle in her eye. “The real question is: are you going to turn me in?”

“I haven’t decided; I want to hear the rest of your answers, first.” Kakashi felt a curious warmth spread through him when Sakura chuckled. He nodded toward her empty glass. “Do you want another?”

Sakura gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. “Are you trying to get me drunk, Professor Hatake?”

“Please, don’t call me that.” Kakashi cringed at the juxtaposition of his title alongside the playful lilt in Sakura’s voice. “I’ll be forced to call you Miss Haruno and ask only the bare minimum of personal questions to avoid crossing any lines.”

“We wouldn’t want that. Would we, Kakashi?” Sakura tipped her head in that curious way that women had to make their eyes seem more intense as she smiled. Her voice dropped to an almost seductive tone that made Kakashi’s heart thump against his ribs in response.

Before Kakashi could think of something to say to the heat in Sakura’s voice, a distinctive buzz sounded from his pocket. He jumped, bumping the table hard enough to jostle the water glasses beside the champagne flutes. Mumbling an excuse, Kakashi pulled his phone from his pocket in case it was an emergency. He frowned at Tenzo’s texts on the screen.

Well? How’s it going?
You went, right?
Stop ignoring me. I just want to make sure you didn’t do something stupid, again.

Huffing, Kakashi put the device face down on the table and glanced over at Sakura. The woman watched him with open curiosity. “Do you need to take that?”

“No, it’s fine.” Kakashi took another sip of his champagne, and it mixed agreeably with the whiskey in his stomach. Despite Sakura’s teasing tone and Tenzo’s insistence on being part of the evening, Kakashi felt almost at ease. The horrible day had been mellowed by the pleasant conversation and environment. Shaking his head, Kakashi ignored the phone. “It’s not important.”

“So, it wasn’t your girlfriend wondering why you’re standing her up on Valentine’s Day?” Sakura delivered the question playfully, but the scrutiny in her gaze suggested that she was worried there might be some truth in the accusation.

Before Kakashi could explain, they were interrupted by the arrival of salads. A different student placed the chilled bowl in front of Sakura, blue eyes sweeping over the woman with an air of dismissal before turning toward Kakashi. “It’s nice to see you again, Hatake-sensei,” the dark haired woman said, dipping into a bow. Kakashi racked his brain to put a name to the face, but he couldn’t manage it. “It’s Yumi,” the girl offered. “I took your critical writing course last year.”

Kakashi’s mind was too full of names and faces to have more than a vague memory of the girl, but he made an effort. “How have you been? You were studying psychology, wasn’t it?”

Yumi nodded, but the disappointment at not being remembered remained on her face, only partially tempered by Kakashi’s guess at her major. “I’ve been doing well.” Her gaze darted to Sakura briefly, then away. “It’s so nice to see you supporting this charity. And, I just wanted to say, you look quite handsome all dressed up.”

A blush rose on Kakashi’s cheeks before he could stop it. Sakura cleared her throat as she reached for her silverware. Yumi glanced over, then smiled with a hint of teeth behind it. “I should get back to work. Enjoy your evening, Hatake-sensei. I’ll see you around.”

Kakashi frowned at Yumi’s back as she walked back toward the kitchen. “Well, that was odd.”

“Seriously,” Sakura scoffed under her breath. When Kakashi turned to face her, the woman rolled her eyes so hard she looked in danger of hurting herself. Even so, a hint of amusement remained in her voice. “Please tell me you are not that dense.”

Picking up his fork, Kakashi pushed around the lettuce in his bowl “What are you talking about?”

“You really don’t see it, do you?” The wonder in Sakura’s voice warred with the annoyance in the narrowed eyes that watched Kakashi though the flicker of candlelight for several long seconds. Finally, she crossed her legs and sat back, regarding him over her water glass. “You do realize that she was hitting on you? Right in front of me too, like I wasn’t even here.”

“No, she wasn’t.” Kakashi’s mouth fell open at the blatant accusation in Sakura’s words. “She was just being friendly.”

Pressing her lips together in a poor attempt to hide a smile, Sakura hummed knowingly. “And how many of your female students are justfriendlywith you?”

Kakashi’s frown deepened as he thought about the interaction with Yumi, and then further back to the playful comments, accidental brushes, and smoldering stares that sometimes happened. He shrugged and tugged at the neck of his shirt. “I mean, I don’t think students are any more friendly with me than they are with other professors.”

Laughing, Sakura shook her head and put the glass back on the table. She leaned close, voice dropping to a whisper. “So, did you know that half of the girls in my AP English class were making a bet to see who could make out with you first? Or, better yet, who could sleep with you by the end of the year.”

Kakashi choked on the spit in his mouth, coughing through the suffocation feeling that clenched his chest. It felt like the ground had dropped out from underneath him. “You were children,” he argued, completely at a loss. “You couldn’t have honestly believed that I would start a relationship, much less an intimate one, with any of you.”

“Most of us were seventeen or eighteen by then,” Sakura pointed out, voice cool and unreadable. Kakashi spluttered on the water he’d taken a drink of to clear his throat. Coughing into a napkin, he stared at the woman across from him in shock. She offered a single shoulder shrug. “You weren’t that much older.”

Most of us were seventeen or eighteen. The phrase lodged itself in Kakashi’s mind, but he refused to think about the implications behind it. He rubbed the back of his neck. “It was more than ten years,” he pointed out, making a joke of the age difference even though it made him self conscious, especially considering their current situation. “I can’t believe you thought I’d date a student.”

“It was less thinking that you’d do it, and more hoping that you would.” The words hung in the air for a tension filled second, then Sakura shrugged and took a bite of her salad as if the conversation were nothing out of the ordinary.

Kakashi watched the woman, unable to form a coherent thought. He glanced up as one of the makeshift waiters, thankfully a male, walked by with a bottle of champagne. Raising his glass, Kakashi caught the man’s attention and held it up for a refill. The waiter poured pale liquid into the glass, then turned to Sakura. Kakashi indicated that the woman could decide on her own as he focused on her face rather than the secrets she’d just spilled out. It was easier that way. Sakura offered her a glass as well.

Once they were alone, the silence felt oppressive. Sakura ate her salad without speaking for a moment, then she broke the ice by nodding toward Kakashi’s phone. “So, was the text from your girlfriend?”

“Only if you count Senju-sensei,” Kakashi joked, trying to ease the tension of the conversation. “He texts me enough to be an obsessive girlfriend. He’s worried that I didn’t show up, or I’ll say or do something stupid, or who knows what he’s stressing about now.”

As if on cue, the phone buzzed again. Kakashi sighed and thumbed open the messaging app. Seriously? You didn’t stand her up, did you?

“May I?” Sakura reached across the table, and Kakashi handed over the phone without thinking. The pinkette ran her fingers through her hair, then gave the camera a sultry pout. A brilliant flash lit the space around the table for the space of three seconds, then Sakura shook her head and retook the photo. Apparently content with the image, her fingers flew over the keyboard with a familiarity that Kakashi marveled at. Then, she handed the phone back to him. “There, that should take care of him for a little while at least.”

Kakashi stared at the message screen in surprise. Sakura had sent a photo to Tenzo that made her look positively stunning. She’d angled her body to capture the most flattering light and somehow managed to look seductive and innocent at the same time. Underneath the image, she’d typed a short message. He’s being a perfect gentleman. Stop worrying about us. Xoxo

Blushing for some reason he couldn’t explain, Kakashi tucked the phone back into his pocket. He blew out a breath, surprised to feel that the room had gotten warmer the more crowded it became. Raising his champagne, Kakashi took a sip. “Back to your question, though. Do you honestly think I’d sign up for something like if I had a girlfriend? I had no idea that your opinion of me was so low.”

“It’s not that.” Sakura shrugged. The movement made the candlelight dance across her collar bones. “It’s more that I’m surprised that you don’t have a girlfriend.”

Uncomfortable with the direction that the conversation was heading, Kakashi turned it back to Sakura. “What about you? Shouldn’t I expect some blindly jealous young man to storm in here and demand to know who gave me the right to take you to dinner?”

Something like sadness entered Sakura’s eyes when she shook her head. “First of all, no, because I wouldn’t date someone like that. And secondly, I only took part in this because Ino begged me to come. I haven’t really made time for dating since my last relationship ended, and that was almost two years ago.”

Kakashi raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Wow, it’s been a while. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Did you really not see it all over the news?” Bitterness slid into Sakura’s voice faster than Kakashi thought possible as she swirled her champagne around in her glass. When he shook his head, she chuckled without a trace of humor. “You must be the only one who hasn’t. Uchiha Sasuke is a high profile name.”

“Ahhh,” Kakashi whistled under his breath. “I’m familiar with the family, of course.”

There wasn’t a person in Konoha who didn’t know who Uchiha Madara was, or recognize the man’s law firm which boasted the best defense lawyers that money could buy. They were outrageously expensive and unrivaled in court, Madara especially. Sasuke must have been following in the man’s footsteps to be worthy of notice already. Kakashi was surprised the boy was old enough to be out of law school, unless he was older than Sakura.

“He graduated a year before you taught at Konoha High,” Sakura interjected as if she could read Kakashi’s thoughts. “He finished university early. And, because he had connections in the family business, he made a name for himself quickly.”

Kakashi tipped his head, understanding that sort of privilege all too well. He’d been close friends with another Uchiha, once upon a time, though the man hadn’t been from the main family as Sasuke seemed to be. Kakashi studied Sakura, trying to read if she wanted to talk about the break up. “So, what happened?”

Sakura shrugged and took a long drink, draining half of the champagne in her glass. “His family was never happy with the match in the first place. They wanted to use his marriage as a political move to secure a more powerful ally like the Hyuga.”

Setting the alcohol back on the table, Sakura switched to her water. Kakashi almost praised the technique to avoid a hangover, then decided against it as Sakura toyed with her bracelet. He wondered if the movement was a subconscious sign that she was nervous or uncomfortable. When Sakura’s eyes came back up to Kakashi’s, the hurt was stronger than before. “And, Sasuke loved his job more than he loved me.”

Kakashi sensed that he’d brought up painful memories, but he wasn’t sure how to soothe it short of reaching across to squeeze Sakura’s hand. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, instead, keeping his fingers stil. “Some people don’t know what they have until they lose it.”

Snorting, Sakura shook her head at the words. “He doesn’t seem to feel like he’s lost anything.” Before Kakashi could apologize again, she waved a dismissive hand. “But, it’s ancient history. So, what about you? Why isn’t there a Mrs. Hatake?”

“Are past relationships on this list?” Kakashi forced a laugh and reached for the paper that held the list of icebreaker questions from earlier. In the back of his mind, over the soft music playing in the background of the restaurant, he heard the scream of tires fighting to grip the road. Then, Kakashi was airborne again, life flashing before his eyes as Rin screamed his name. He felt the physical impact like a punch to the gut even though it was more than twenty years ago.

Warmth seeped into Kakashi’s hand, and the memory wavered. The snow slick darkness faded to pale candlelight and green eyes. He stared at Sakura, fighting to suppress the sudden memory for three heartbeats. The woman frowned as she released Kakashi’s hand. “Is everything okay?”

Kakashi gave himself a little shake and turned his full attention to the paper in front of him. He couldn’t think about that night, not again, not right now. Not trusting his voice, Kakashi nodded. Sakura studied him with an intensity that promised they’d revisit this conversation eventually, but she let it go, for now. Kakashi took a drink of water to wash the ashy taste of failure from his mouth as he read the questions. He frowned, then rolled his eyes. “How could knowing someone’s favorite app possibly help you get to know them?”

Sakura laughed and pushed her salad bowl away, snagging the list from Kakashi’s hand. “I don’t know,” she began with the same, cool demeanor that Kakashi had used during lectures hundreds of times. “A person’s favorite tiktok can tell you a lot about them.”

At Kakashi’s presumably blank expression the woman’s face turned disbelieving. “You do know that is, right?”

Kakashi’s mood soured at the memory of his day. “Is that the silly video app that interrupted half of my classes?”

Smiling in an almost indulgent manner, Sakura turned to the clutch that she’d set on the table with her flowers. Opening it, she pulled out a phone in a glittery pink case that matched her personality perfectly. Sakura swiped across the screen a few times, the grin on her lips growing as she turned the phone around. Kakashi frowned at the dim screen, firmly telling himself that he didn’t need glasses no matter what his eye doctor said. The sound was either muted or too quiet to hear over the general buzz of noise in the room, but Kakashi recognized his classroom immediately. He rolled his eyes in annoyance at the recording. “This just happened today. How is it already online?”

Sakura tapped a few more times and pulled up another recording, then laughed. “There’s actually several versions of it posted.”

Rising, Kakashi moved his seat closer to Sakura so that he wouldn’t need to stretch across the table to see her phone. Sakura shifted closer, showing him a second and third video of the confession. The final one had been taken from across the classroom, but it was more complete than the others. Kakashi’s cheeks heated as he watched himself grab the phone from the boy trying to make the video then round on the class. He couldn’t remember what he said, but he hadn’t been patient with them.

Sakura touched another button on the screen, and a list of comments came up. She pointed at one. Damn, if my teacher looked like that, I’d never miss class. Scroll.He likes playing rough, me too. Scroll. Why can’t my teachers look like that? Scroll.Where do I sign up for this class? Scroll.Silver fox. Scroll. I know this wasn’t the point of this video, but hello Daddy.

There were no words to justify Kakashi’s horror at the spectacle unfolding before him. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Sakura burst out laughing, and her eyes caught the soft yellow of the candlelight. “Do you really expect me to believe that you don’t know that you’re a good looking man? Or why so many of your classes have a higher percentage of female to male students?

Kakashi frowned at the woman sitting just a foot away from him instead of the other side of the table. He was close enough to smell the rich, complex scent of the perfume that Sakura had worn and to notice a smudge of black liner in the corner of her left eye. Her gaze held a challenge that made Kakashi shake his head. "I think you’re imagining things.”

“Well, it certainly looks like things are heating up over here.” A voice crooned, interrupting the tension at the table. Kakashi and Sakura startled apart though there was no reason to do so. Ino grinned at the pair and waved with her hand. “Get back together. We’re taking pictures of all the happy couples to commemorate the fundraiser.”

Kakashi shook his head, running a self conscious hand through his hair. “We aren’t a couple.”

“It’s a turn of phrase,” Ino huffed, lifting the camera. “You’re two people paired together through the fundraiser; it’s pretty much the same thing.”

Kakashi opened his mouth to argue, then Sakura’s fingers brushed along the side of his thigh to stop the words. His entire body jolted in response as she smiled. “Just let her have the photo, and she’ll move on.”

The woman’s voice hardened on the final words, drawing a laugh from Ino. “She’s right, you know. Now, get back together.”

Feeling like an awkward teenager at a middle school dance, Kakashi leaned in toward Sakura. She shifted in front of his shoulder, bringing their faces close enough that he felt the warmth of her skin almost touching his. Kakashi blinked in the brilliant flash that came next. Ino stared down at the screen, then shook her head. “That one was terrible. Come on, Hatake-sensei, try smiling. You’re out with a beautiful woman, after all.”

Putting his best effort into the smile, Kakashi looked at the camera. This time, after his vision cleared after the blinding light, Ino nodded. “That one is much better. You two actually look happy,” she purred. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, lovelies. Dinner should be out soon, and I’ll send someone to refill your glasses.”

Before Kakashi could point out that their glasses were half full, Ino pulled away from the table to take photos at the next one. He sighed and took a sip of water. “How in the world did the two of you become friends?”

Sakura chuckled under her breath as she tucked her phone back into her purse. “She and I went to school together.”

“It kind of seems like you went to school with everyone,” Kakashi observed, continuing to nurse his water as two more glasses of champagne appeared at the table.

“Yourself included,” Sakura teased with the banter that seemed to come so easy to her. When Kakashi rolled his eyes, she shrugged. “I mean, I kind of did. This town really isn’t that big, you know?”

As Kakashi watched Sakura look around the crowded room, he ran the math backward in his head. She was somewhere in her mid twenties by now, a far cry from the girl that he’d known at eighteen. Even so, nothing erased the fourteen year age difference between them; it might as well have been a lifetime. Sakura’s company was pleasant, and she was beautiful as Ino said, but that was where things ended. Kakashi couldn’t let himself think beyond that. He washed the thoughts away with another pull of the alcohol he hadn’t wanted in the first place.

Unaware of the thoughts spinning through Kakashi’s mind, Sakura flashed a mischievous grin. “You didn’t know you were Tik Tok famous?”

Kakashi’s mind did a full stop at the idea of being recognized on the app, much less having multiple people know who he was. His earlier horror flooded back in. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Sakura’s musical laughter made Kakashi’s heart sink. She shrugged one shoulder. “I mean, I follow the tags for Konoha University, and you’ve popped up on my feed quite a few times.”

The words almost made sense. Kakashi knew the technical definitions of each term, but the context was wrong. It took his mind a moment to remember the more modern meaning of tags and feeds, and when he did, he quirked one eyebrow toward the ceiling. “So, you really are stalking me?”

“Just a little,” Sakura teased, turning to meet Kakashi’s gaze with an expression that made his heart flutter uncomfortably. Her tongue slid across her lips with exaggerated slowness that might have only been his imagination, then she smiled. “I mean, I have to keep up with what’s happening with Professor Hot-ake.”

Kakashi choked on his water, almost spraying the particles across the table. He coughed into his elbow to clear the obstruction so he could draw breath as Sakura laughed and patted him lightly on the back. “I didn’t come up with that, by the way. That would be one of your undergrads,” she clarified, then grinned. “Though, I imagine most of them hate me right now for being lucky enough to get paired with you tonight.”

An uncomfortable doubt settled in Kakashi’s stomach. Even though he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know the answer, Kakashi couldn’t help but ask. “Was it luck though?” His gaze settled on Ino as she swooped toward another table with her camera. “Or, was it fixed?”

Sakura’s brilliant green eyes widened as she followed Kakashi’s gaze to catch the meaning of his words. Color bloomed in her cheeks. “You know, for someone who claims to be unaware of how you affect people, you certainly have a high opinion of yourself.”

“I mean, you did claim to stalk me,” Kakashi answered, hoping to invite some levity into the situation. Even so, ice slid along his veins when Sakura didn’t answer. “It just seems a little convenient considering some of the things you said about the bet in high school and the tiktok stuff.”

Kakashi stopped himself short of mentioning the brush of Sakura’s fingers on his thigh when Ino appeared for the picture. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck the way he did when he was nervous. “Sakura, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about this. I came because it was for a good cause and I’d already committed to it, but this isn’t a date. It’s just a friendly dinner.”

“But, what if I don’t want it to be just a friendly dinner,” Sakura countered before Kakashi could add anything else. The woman blew out a breath to collect herself before continuing. “I didn’t sign up for this because I thought I’d get paired with you. Honestly, it never crossed my mind that you would be here. I only joined because Ino begged me to.”

Running a hand through her hair, Sakura’s eyes darted away from Kakashi’s. The blush on her cheeks deepened toward crimson. “I’m glad that I got your name, though.”

Warmth echoed on Kakashi’s cheeks at the confession, but he forced himself not to read more into the words than there was. “Why? Because you want to win some bet you made in high school? Because you want to brag to get likes on an app? Because—”

“Because I’ve had a crush on you for years,” Sakura interrupted, ears flaming to match her cheeks. “And, you seem like a genuinely good man. I mean, you’re really hot, but so was Sasuke. I want something different, someone who isn’t caught up in his looks or his name, someone who,” the woman trailed off, unable to articulate her words.

“You don’t even know me,” Kakashi pointed out, his voice growing soft on the admission. Because I’ve had a crush on you for years. The words repeated over and over in the back of his mind, but he quashed the sound. “You have this idea of me that you created when you were seventeen years old. That is not reality.”

To Kakashi’s surprise, Sakura nodded along with the words. “You’re right. But, you’d never let me get close enough to know you better, and this was a chance for me to do that. So, yeah, I’m glad we were matched together, though I’m sorry you feel differently.”

“I was your teacher.” Kakashi dropped his voice, though he doubted that anyone else was listening to their conversation. “Going from that to something more, I just don’t see how that could ever work. I never thought about you like that.”

“You taught one of my classes, eight years ago. Then, I took another two classes with you seven years ago.” Sakura crossed her arms over her chest like she was preparing for an argument. “That was how we met, yes. But, it doesn’t mean that things couldn’t change between us.”

Before Kakashi could come up with an answer, their dinners arrived. As the salads were whisked away, he eyed the steak and vegetables with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. In light of conversation, Kakashi wasn’t sure he could eat a single bite of food, no matter how appetizing it looked. Even so, he nodded his thanks to the girl that brought their dinner before turning back to Sakura. Once they were alone, Kakashi forced himself to speak. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

“You didn’t, though.” Sakura lifted her champagne and finished the rest of her second glass before thumping it back to the table. The alcohol seemed to lend some courage to her. “You can spout all the excuses you want, but your eyes tell me a different story. There is nothing wrong with finding me attractive now, or wanting to get to know me more. I’m not a student in your program, and it’s been years since I was.”

Kakashi chuckled, not bothering to deny the truth that he was attracted to Sakura. Of course he was; she was gorgeous, but that wasn’t the point. “And, what would your parents say? Your friends? The damn school board would crucify me if they knew. It’s a question of ethical behavior on the part of a professor.”

“Actually, I looked into that.” Sakura had the decency to blush on the confession, but she continued before Kakashi could laugh it away. “Konoha University only has rules against faculty entering relationships with students that they directly advise. Since you’re a professor in the undergrad department, and I’m a student of the medical school, there would be no conflict if we started dating.”

The spill of words left Kakashi dumbfounded. It wasn’t just because he was shocked that Sakura had researched the specifics of their situation, though he was. It was that she thought the two of them had enough in common to do so. Kakashi didn’t kid himself; he knew that he’d turned heads occasionally, but Sakura could have had any man she wanted. None of this made any sense. “I don’t even know what to say,” he answered, feeling at a loss.

“Say that you’ll stop being so resistant and just enjoy the rest of the evening, please?” Sakura offered a tremulous smile as she tucked one curl behind her ear. “If you don’t like me, I can accept that. If you don’t think I’m attractive, I can accept that too. But, don’t write me off without even trying to get to know me.”

Kakashi sighed, feeling the old ache of almost betrayal in his chest. The passage of time hadn’t erased the pain, and every woman that Kakashi touched paid the price for the mistakes that he’d made at nineteen. He pushed the image to the back of his mind. “You are absolutely stunning. No man in his right mind would turn you down.”

“Except,” Sakura prompted, hearing the hesitation in Kakashi’s voice. When he couldn’t find an answer, she managed a weak laugh. “It’s complicated?”

“Something like that,” Kakashi allowed, bringing his gaze back up to Sakura’s for the first time in several minutes. Spots of color shone in her cheeks, while her eyes had grown more vivid and intense.

Nodding to herself, Sakura reached past Kakashi and picked up the paper with first date questions scrawled across it. As if the previous conversation had never happened, the woman read the next one. “Okay, what’s your most unique feature? I’ll start.” She captured her lip between her teeth in a thoughtful expression for approximately three seconds, then grinned. “My hair is naturally this shade of pink. I don’t have to dye it to achieve this color.”

Raising one eyebrow, Kakashi dipped his head. “Normally, I would say you’re making that up, but I was born with silver hair. It’s never changed, so I guess we’re both unique that way.”

Sakura hummed at the response, then took a drink of water. To Kakashi’s surprise, she moved on rather than commenting on the revelation. “Okay, your turn. Name a silly fear that you have.”

As Kakashi mulled over the question, Sakura pushed the food around on her plate then took a bite of the steamed vegetables. She caught him watching and smiled, as if the past ten minutes hadn’t happened. And, maybe for her, they hadn’t; it had been a stumbling block that they’d climbed over and moved on. Kakashi wasn’t sure if he felt the same.

After several awkward minutes of silent consideration, Kakashi shrugged. “This is going to sound dumb, but I have a recurring nightmare of coming to class without my notes and not being able to explain the text we’re discussing in class. Then all of my students laugh at me, decide literature is a wasted class, and leave.”

“Has that ever happened?” Sakura tipped her head to the side as she waited for an answer. Her hair slid away from the pale column of her neck, and Kakashi stared at the bit of exposed skin for a millisecond. Then, he shook his head by way of answer, not trusting his voice.

“I think you could probably fake your way through anything.” Sakura tapped her fingers on the white table cloth, then nodded sharply. “I’m scared of fireflies.”

Kakashi couldn’t stop the eyebrow that crept upward in confusion. “What? Why?”

Delicate shoulders raised in a shrug. “They’re creepy, and they’re everywhere in the summer with their little flashing butts. Then, they crawl all over you, and just, ugh,” a shiver raced through Sakura’s body at the thought, and Kakashi had to stifle a laugh. He held out his hand for the questions then skimmed over them. If she wasn’t going to make fun of him for being afraid to forget how to do his job, who was he to tease her about bugs?

“Okay, what’s an unusual or unexpected talent you have?” Kakashi asked, cutting his steak now that the tension had started to fade. He needed something to soften the blow of drinking alcohol without having eaten enough food during the day.

For a couple of moments, Sakura frowned in thought before coming up with a response. “I’ve trained in muay thai for years, and I’m actually really good at it.”

Kakashi fought to reconcile the idea of the not quite five foot tall woman being a martial arts master. For the briefest of moments, he wondered what it might be like to be manhandled by someone so much smaller than him, then blushed. Coughing to cover up the thought, he found his answer. This one was easy. “I have a photographic memory. If you show me something once, I can memorize it with no problem.”

“That sounds exhausting.” Sakura shook her head as if the idea was too much to consider.

Kakashi cut his eyes at Sakura and grinned. “Muay thai is much less exhausting,” he quipped.

Sakura snorted and dipped her head at the comment. “Touche. Let me see that.”

As the woman’s eyes roamed over the questions, Kakashi took a moment to appreciate that despite his misgivings, the fundraiser had been well thought out. The restaurant was upscale and decorated for the event without being garish. The food and drinks were planned out which meant the patrons didn’t have to make decisions about what to order. Then, the candlelight and soft music, along with the champagne, helped lower inhibitions while creating the ideal romantic setting. Finally, the questions had done their job of shrinking the distance between the couples. Maybe Ino and Tenten weren’t so bad at planning after all.

“Name something that most people assume about you, but they’re wrong.” Sakura handed the paper back to Kakashi so he could pick the next question, but he didn’t look at it. He was too busy considering the current one to figure out what to ask next. He had that exact scenario come up more times than he cared to remember.

Shrugging, Kakashi drained his second glass of champagne. “A lot of people think I’m arrogant, though I guess aloof and unaffected might be a better term? Standoffish, maybe? I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but it happens a lot.”

“Wait, you aren’t?” Sakura’s grin gave the lie to her words, but Kakashi felt an echo on insecurity at the laughter. She nudged his knee with hers. “I’m kidding. Why would someone think that? You’ve always seemed pretty genuine and open to me.”

Kakashi managed a half smile. “So, you remember when I said that you had this ideal me in your head who wasn’t real? Well, that’s part of it. As a teacher, I have to come across that way. At least, we’re supposed to.”

“So, you’re saying that the person you are in class is drastically different from who you are outside of it?” Sakura frowned as she considered the implications, then continued. “You come across as an intelligent, deep thinker who probably cares too much. There’s a playfulness about you, probably because you worry that the other comes on too strong, so you try to balance it.”

Kakashi’s cheeks warmed at the alarmingly accurate description. “Wait a minute. Did you say you were a medical student, or a psychology major?”

“Definitely medical, but they overlap a little.” Sakura let go of the analysis as quickly as it had come on. “Everyone thinks I’m a little girl who is afraid to get her hands dirty or do anything for herself because of the way I look.”

“Do you beat them up when they say that,” Kakashi teased, given the recent martial arts revelation. “I’m pretty sure that people would pay good money to see that.”

As much as Kakashi hated to admit it, his first impression of Sakura hadn’t been that different from what she described. The bright pink haired girl with brilliant green eyes had looked high maintenance when she walked into his classroom all those years ago. She’d been smart, funny, and presumably used to getting her way because of her looks. As he’d gotten to know her better, he hadn’t revised his opinion so much as not thought about it. It left Kakashi with the uncomfortable realization that he might stereotype people too quickly.

“I’ve actually won a few bouts in the ring, but I need to be careful with my hands if I want to be a doctor.” Sakura shrugged with an almost embarrassed expression at the admission. “When my undergrad advisor found me covered in bruises after a bad one, she threatened to call the police on my boyfriend at the time.”

Sakura chuckled at the memory, but Kakash saw nothing funny about it. He watched her, uncomfortable thoughts running through his mind. “So, what caused you to take up fighting in the first place?”

Taking a bite of her meal, Sakura shrugged. “It’s not important.”

The nonchalant way that Sakura delivered the words made Kakashi think it might be the most important thing that she’d said all evening. There was a story behind what led the woman to train the way she did, but she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. At least, not with him. Kakashi couldn’t blame her, he wasn’t ready to talk about Rin either.

Even so, Kakashi was surprised to find that he wanted to know the rest of Sakura’s story. Had she taken up fighting because someone had abused her in the past? A parent or boyfriend, maybe? There had been no signs of it when he’d known her, but things like that could be easily hidden. Kakashi watched Sakura avoid the question with deft, easy answers and false smiles. A splinter of hurt had buried itself inside the woman, and Kakashi wasn’t sure that she’d dealt with it. He wondered if her ex had known that, or if he’d been the one who put it there.

Nodding, Kakashi let the subject drop. He didn’t want to force Sakura into talking about something she wasn’t ready for. Kakashi pushed his plate away, surprised that he’d eaten as much as he had with all the questions and answers. Sakura had finished as well and gone back to nursing her alcohol. Kakashi watched her, worried that he’d upset her with the question about what made her want to take up fighting.

Before the question could leave Kakashi’s lips, a waiter appeared to collect their plates and empty glasses. He watched the man work with surprising efficiency and wondered just how much money the fundraiser had saved by using students instead of restaurant staff. The kids moved around with a surprising sense of urgency, removing plates and glasses or refilling them. Kakashi and Sakura’s waters had been filled, and their third flutes of champagne still waited on the table.

Several waiters moved around the room distributing dessert at the tables. As a young man placed a single plate between Kakashi and Sakura, he felt his eyebrows creep upward. It held a large slice of chocolate cake with chocolate sauce, sliced strawberries, and whipped cream around the edges. The waiter placed two forks beside the dessert and bowed before moving on. The obvious intent was for the couples to share. Kakashi chuckled under his breath. Had he thought that this event was well thought out? Who would expect people who were practically strangers to share a single dessert?

Sakura must have seen Kakashi’s expression, because she rolled her eyes. “Ino is a hopeless romantic. I’m sure she thought everyone would be happily buzzed and half in love by this point. She didn’t think it through.”

Kakashi inclined his head in agreement. “Yeah, it certainly seems that way. You’re welcome to the cake, if you want it.”

The pinkette reached toward the cake, then paused as if expecting a trap. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t really care for sweets,” Kakashi explained. He was sure the excuse sounded like a fit of gallantry, but it wasn’t. Kakashi would have been perfectly happy if there was no dessert. He vastly preferred savory flavors.

Studying Kakashi through narrowed eyes, Sakura pulled the dessert closer to herself. She waited for a couple of moments before reaching for one of the full, red strawberries along the side. Kakashi eyed the fruit with a dubious expression as she raised it toward him by the stem. “Come on, just one little bite. You might like it.”

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t hate fruit, but I don’t want any. It’s not a personal challenge.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kakashi got the uncomfortable feeling that Sakura might view him that way. The aloofness that he’d always treated his students with made him inaccessible in the way that she wanted; I’ve had a crush on you for years. The thrill of the chase was one of the reasons that Sakura was interested in him, Kakashi understood that. His subconscious found it amusing. And, so what if that’s what it is? People play hard to get all the time. Kakashi knew the argument was rational, but he wasn’t trying to encourage Sakura. At least, not really.

Sakura accepted the reasoning without argument and turned the berry around in her hands to take a bite. She savored the sweetness with a quiet sound of pleasure in the back of her throat, then smiled when she noticed Kakashi watching her. Licking a stray bit of chocolate that had been drizzled over the fruit, she shrugged. “I don’t think you’re a challenge, at least not in the traditional sense of trying to win something. It’s more because you won’t let anyone get close to you, and I want to know why.”

Kakashi laughed, but he didn’t have an answer for Sakura. There were too many things to explain over a single dinner, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. The woman seemed undaunted as she speared a piece of cake on the end of her fork. “So, I guess the real question is if you hold yourself away from people because you’re a classic Byronic hero, or more of a tragic hero?”

The sudden change in topic left Kakashi dumbfounded for approximately five seconds, then he burst out laughing. “Okay, how much research did that line take?”

“Hey, i took literature classes.” Sakura argued around her next bite, pointing her fork at Kakashi like a knife. Even so, her face flamed crimson in the soft light of the candle.

Kakashi took a sip of water to clear the crackle of laughter from his throat before facing the woman beside him. “You took two Introduction to Literature courses, which I taught, and I know for a fact that we never delved into heroic archetypes.”

“I can learn things without your help,” Sakura shot back as the color on her cheeks deepened.

Inclining his head, Kakashi made a soothing gesture. He wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered or embarrassed that Sakura had done some research before their “date”. He settled somewhere in the middle with a smile. “You’ve missed some important classifications,” he suggested, returning to Sakura’s earlier question. “It’s possible that I don’t fit into either of those types.”

“Well, you’re not an antihero no matter how many people think you’re arrogant.” Sakura brought her gaze up with a softness that made Kakashi’s heart skip a beat. Unlike so many girls her age, she had the maturity to hear what hadn’t said, as well as what he had. She saw that the judgment of arrogance bothered him. Before Kakashi could dwell on that, Sakura continued. “Those people are either jealous or intimidated, and it’s easier to write you off as arrogant than to get to know you.”

“Is that what you’re doing,” Kakashi asked, strangely aware of the soft buzz of alcohol in the back of his mind. “Getting to know me?”

Sakura held Kakashi’s gaze for a long moment, curiosity and something much warmer sparking inside her eyes. He refused to put a name to the hungry expression. “I’d like to,” she confided in the soft, intimate bubble the halo of light made around their table. “If you’ll let me.”

Head swimming, Kakashi blew out a breath and chuckled. It was time to diffuse the situation with some humor. “You’ve left out the possibility that I’m not the hero type at all. Maybe I’m just a grumpy, old man.”

“Everyone’s a hero to someone,” Sakura countered, with a sharp bite behind the words. Kakashi wanted to know what brought that tone to her voice, but before he could ask, she continued. “Besides, you aren’t that old anyway. I’ve done my research. I’m twenty-five, so that would make you thirty-nine, give or take a year.”

Having the numbers stated so blatantly made Kakashi uncomfortable, but Sakura breezed past them. “It made a massive difference seven years ago, but it’s hardly remarkable now. I’m not some moon-eyed teenager. I’ve experienced life and seen how the world works.”

“How so?” Genuine curiosity surged inside Kakashi at the sheer confidence that Sakura displayed when laying out the reasons that the gap between them didn’t matter.

Sakura reached for her third glass of champagne and considered the question. “I learned that love isn’t enough to make a relationship work, neither is physical attraction. I learned how to get myself out of tough spots without relying on anyone else. And, I’ve learned that some battles aren’t worth fighting, and some are.”

Green eyes flashed up to catch Kakashi’s, leaving no doubt in his mind that Sakura had lumped him into the latter category. Kakashi blushed. He wasn’t sure why the insinuation surprised him, but it did. Sakura reached out, almost brushing Kakashi’s hand, she stopped her fingers just short of connecting with the skin. “If you don’t feel any chemistry between us, I can accept that. But, if you won’t even allow the idea because you’re scared of what someone might say, I’ve badly misjudged you.”

The words left Kakashi speechless. Sakura’s face took on an earnestness that stole his breath, so he turned away to buy some time. Ino stood on the other side of the room with a group of boys and girls that must have been around the same age as Sakura. The blond grinned up at a cell phone camera while making a peace sign. He sat with the comparison for a heartbeat, then brought his gaze back to Sakura. “You don’t act like other girls your age, or seem to think like they do.”

The pinkette laughed with a touch of sadness. “I used to, but life screws everyone over at different times. Mine just came earlier than theirs.” Sakura eyed Kakashi over her next bite of cake. “I think the same thing happened to you.”

An uncomfortable lump rose in Kakashi’s throat that water wouldn’t wash away. The memory of Rin was still as strong in his mind as it had been on the night that he lost her. Kakashi exhaled and shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“I don’t need to know who you were before.” Sakura spoke with enough authority that Kakashi almost believed his past didn’t matter. “I only care about the person you are now, and that isn’t a grumpy old man.”

Kakashi laughed, the tension of the moment evaporating like a soap bubble. “I mean, I kind-of am. I’d much rather be at home reading a book by the fire than pretty much anything else.”

“So, let’s go home.” Sakura’s voice dropped to a low, seductive purr that made Kakashi’s body twitch in response, despite his best effort to the contrary. As the date started to wind down, the invitation in her words became more obvious. Kakashi found himself wanting to be swayed by the woman’s arguments about why it wouldn’t be wrong to go home with her. As if she could read his mind, Sakura leaned closer. “I bet I could change your opinion.”

“I’m sure you could,” Kakashi answered. His head spun, and his throat was tight. Kami-sama, it had been a long time since he felt the curious combination of excitement and nausea that signaled butterflies in his stomach. He centered himself in reality, however. “But, there’s something else that you should know about me. I’m old fashioned when it comes to relationships, especially so by your standards, I imagine.”

Sakura frowned for a moment, dissecting the words. Then, she asked what Kakashi expected. “How old fashioned are we talking?”

“Old fashioned enough not to sleep with someone on a first date,” Kakashi clarified, finishing off his water and pushing the glass away. “Especially after they’ve been drinking.”

Something unreadable flitted through Sakura’s eyes, but Kakashi couldn’t figure out if it was respect or disappointment. Then, the woman grinned. “Bold of you to assume that was an invitation to sleep with me. I was going to make you some warm milk and tuck you in, old man.”

Kakashi burst out laughing, a deep rumble in his chest that left behind a warm sensation. Sakura’s eyes sparkled, and he suddenly knew that he’d do anything in his power to capture that look of pure pleasure on her face a second time. He wanted to make her repeat it in other circumstances, to be the one she reserved the look for.

Warmth settled comfortably behind Kakashi’s cheek bones. “Would that make you my nurse, then?”

The burst of crimson on Sakura’s face was worth the flush on Kakashi’s. She stumbled over her words trying to respond, then her eyes grew dangerous. “I mean, I didn’t know you were into roleplaying, but if that’s how you want to—”

“Okay, you win.” Kakashi loosened his collar a second time, worried that the blaze from his face might be strong enough to heat the entire room. He forced himself not to dwell on the image that Sakura had given him. If he thought about her in a nurse’s outfit for too long, it might violate his personal morals and ethics, not to mention undermine the rules they’d just been talking about.

Sakura caught her lower lip between her teeth in a way that did nothing to help Kakashi regain his composure. “Amateur,” she teased.

“Alright love birds, listen up! You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” Ino’s voice came over the loudspeak

Second Chances, The Setup (KakaSaku Valentines Day)

This is my take on the matchmaking section of the day one prompt @bouncyirwin. It can also be found on FFand A03.

Kakashi stared down at the paper in his hands as disbelief warred with amusement inside his chest. He read the name again to assure himself that he wasn’t imagining things. “This can’t be right. There must have been a mistake.”

“I don’t know why you signed up for that thing in the first place,” Tenzo observed, scrolling through his phone with a thumb without looking up. “Honestly, a matchmaking service is about the last thing I would expect you to take part in, even if it does benefit the school.”

“Technically, it benefits the Wounded Warriors project and the school,” Kakashi pointed out, leveling his best friend with a stare. Then, he sighed. “And, I signed up for it because I lost another bet with Gai. He cares about the charity, so this was his twisted form of punishment.”

Tenzo’s gaze flicked up from his phone, and he rolled his eyes. “Why do you let him drag you into these stupid things? You act like posturing five year olds instead of department heads at a prestigious university.”

Crossing the office, Tenzo snagged the paper from Kakashi’s hands. His brown eyes skimmed over the name once, then his brow furrowed. He read it a second time, then burst out laughing. “They matched you with Haruno Sakura? That can’t be right, can it? I mean, she’s, what, twenty years younger than you?”

Warmth rose in Kakashi’s cheeks at the words as anger and embarrassment heated his face. He scribbled a note on the lesson plan in front of him without looking at Tenzo. “It’s more like fourteen, but yeah. I’m sure it’s just an oversight.”

With another chuckle, Tenzo dropped the paper onto Kakashi’s desk and slung his bag over one shoulder. “I’m surprised she’s taking part, to be honest. The last I heard, she was dating some hotshot Uchiha lawyer, the one everyone was talking about a couple of years ago. I was pretty sure they were engaged, actually.”

Kakashi wondered why the man had kept up with Sakura, but he didn’t ask. Folding the paper in half, he slid it out of the way. “Maybe she got roped into it like I did. I’ll go down to the office and sort it out after my next class.”

Years ago, the woman had been a student of Kakashi’s. First, she’d be in an advanced placement class through her high school, then later she’d taken two Introduction to Literature classes at Konoha University. He remembered Sakura’s vibrant pink hair and whip-quick wit. She’d been one of the few students who actually put effort into their assignments and offered insightful observations during discussions. She would have done well in the English department, but her interests lay in another direction. Last he heard, she’d planned to go to medical school, and that had been five or six years ago.

Shaking his head, Kakashi pushed the memory away as a worry for another time. He was sure that pairing them together for the charity Valentine’s Day dinner must have been a mistake. It would be easily corrected when he went and talked to organizers. A small smile played across Tenzo’s lips when Kakashi raised his gaze back to the man. “You could just go with it, you know. I mean, it’s not often you get the chance to—”

“I could have plenty of chances,” Kakashi interrupted, folding the notice and dropping it into the leather messenger bag on his desk along with his notes for the next class. He adjusted the buckle, then stood. “I don’t need any help in that area, thank you very much.”

“I’m just saying that she’s an adult now,” Tenzo continued, pushing open the heavy door of the office so they could leave it behind. “There’s nothing wrong with going out with her, if you wanted to, I mean.”

Kakashi leveled the man with a stare and shook his head. “I’m sure it would make a lovely headline. You know, just before I lost my job.”

Laughing, Tenzo shook his head. “It’s just dinner, nobody could fault you for that. I’m not suggesting you sleep with her.”

“I have a class to get to,” Kakashi interrupted, cutting the man short. “And then, I’m going to go get this sorted, end of story.”

You should try living a little,“ Tenzo called as the pair separated in the hallway. Kakashi shook his head and continued like he hadn’t heard the words.

————————————————————————

"I’m sorry, Hatake-sensei,” the brunette behind the computer screen repeated, tapping rapidly on her keyboard. “The results have already been sent out. There’s no way we can change them now.”

Kakashi blew out a breath to contain his annoyance and tried again. “But, there’s been a mistake with my match. This can’t be the person who was intended to be matched with me.”

“You aren’t obligated to go to dinner with them if you don’t want to,” the woman continued. Soft brown eyes flashed up at Kakashi with a touch more calculation than he liked. He loosened the collar of his shirt with one finger as she smiled. “It’s just a silly fundraiser, after all.”

“Wrong,” A growled word from the back room answered the statement before Kakashi could. A woman stepped into the office, combing her fingers through her long blond hair like it had annoyed her. Then, she tugged at her crop top, trying to make it lie smoothly over her chest. Kakashi looked away as she continued. “It isn’t just a silly fundraiser. We worked hard on those matches.”

“I’m sure you did.” Kakashi made a placating gesture under the woman’s scrutiny. She looked at him like she’d treated her hair or clothing: something she’d force back into place if he defied her. “But, I was under the impression that matches would be among faculty or students, not mixed.”

Seafoam blue eyes that had to be colored contacts rolled toward the ceiling. “Well, that’s your mistake, then.” The girl smiled with a vindictive edge. “We were careful in our matches, but some do have a slight age gap. It was unavoidable given the pool of applicants.”

“A slight age gap,” Kakashi repeated. He let out a measured breath to control the surge of annoyance rushing through him. It wasn’t intentional. It’s nothing personal, he reminded himself, reining in the frustration.

“Leave him alone, Ino.” The brunette behind the desk leveled the blond with a glare before turning back to Kakashi. “I’m sorry for the confusion, Hatake-sensei. But, if you’re uncomfortable with the arrangement, you could explain over dinner, perhaps? It’s already paid for, after all, and no one says it has to be romantic.”

Ino crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture of annoyance. “It’s Valentine’s Day. It’s supposed to be romantic.”

“Of course,” the girl nodded along with Ino’s word, then shrugged. “But, this dinner doesn’t have to be romantic. I’m sure your match would understand if you explain things.”

Kakashi stared at the paper with Sakura’s name for several heartbeats as he considered the options. Sakura had been easy to get along with in his classes, but that was hardly the same thing as sharing dinner. He sighed. “So, how does this work? Do we both agree to come to the event, and then you’ll let us know? Am I supposed to ask her?”

Ino moved forward, half pushing the brunette away from the computer. Leaning down, she tapped a series of commands into the keyboard as she answered. “We send out matches, and each person confirms whether or not they’re planning to attend. Most people make a good night out of it, even if they aren’t happy with their partner.”

The challenge in Ino’s words made Kakashi chuckle; she’d given him an easy out without meaning to. He started to say that he wouldn’t be attending, thank you very much, when a sound from the computer stopped him. Ino flashed a smile at Kakashi. “Sakura-chan has already confirmed that she’ll be there, by the way. We’re just awaiting your confirmation to send out the final details to each of you.”

Something heavy dropped in Kakashi’s stomach, leaving a sick feeling in the back of his throat. It would have been easy to refuse the event had Sakura done the same. But, she hadn’t. The idea of turning her down now seemed cruel. Sakura accepted, even knowing their age difference and past. She’d always been logical, so she must have realized they could have a friendly dinner and nothing more.

“Fine,” Kakashi agreed with a sigh. “We don’t have to fall into the romance trap just because it’s Valentine’s Day. We can eat dinner together, then go our separate ways.”

“Spoken like a true romantic,” Ino mocked, rolling her eyes again. “Unless you’ve spoken to your match, you might not want to treat it so lightly. You might think it’s a friendly dinner, but what if she thinks it’s something more?”

Ino laughed, a deep, rich sound that seemed to fill the office with that. “Good luck with that.”

“It’ll be fine,” Kakashi answered, shoving the paper with Sakura’s name back into his bag. “Nothing to worry about.”

Ino’s amusement followed him from the office.

——————————————————————————

Staring at the clock on the wall, Kakashi sighed. He needed to finish getting ready so he could make it to the restaurant on time, but he was debating whether or not he could pretend to be afflicted by a sudden illness to get out of the whole arrangement. It wasn’t that dinner out didn’t sound good, even with company fourteen years his junior, because it did. But, Kakashi was already tired of everything that had to do with Valentine’s Day.

The university had been a buzz of stupid, sappy shows of affection for the majority of the day. Pink, white, and red dominated every surface in a shower of roses, teddy bears, candy, and balloons. Kakashi had forcibly removed one young man from his second lecture for trying to record some kind of confession challenge on his phone. Half of the other students had been documenting it as well, and the poor girl who was the object of the poorly thought out display of affection looked embarrassed enough to faint.

Kakashi’s remaining classes hadn’t gone any better. By the time he’d wrapped up his fifth and final one for the day, he wanted nothing more than a stiff drink and a good book. But, he’d signed up for and promised to attend this twice damned event. Kakashi didn’t want to stand Sakura up just because he didn’t want to go. Dinner would last maybe an hour or a little bit more, then he could come home and stop worrying about it.

Instead of getting dressed, Kakashi poured himself a half measure of the whiskey that he wanted. It would settle his nerves and make the night less awkward, hopefully. As he was savoring the smoky burn in his throat, Kakashi’s phone pinged. Frowning, he picked it up from the bed where he’d thrown it before his shower. A text message from Tenzo flashed on the screen. You need to leave in five minutes if you’re going to be on time.

Huffing out a breath, Kakashi threw the annoying device back onto the bed and finished his drink. By the time he carried the glass to the kitchen and rinsed it in the sink, he’d heard the message notification three more times. Kakashi closed his eyes and physically forced himself not to pour a second drink before moving back to the bedroom.

Have you decided what you’re going to wear?

Did you remember to get flowers?

Have you left yet?

Stop ignoring me!

The fourth text scrolled across the screen, interrupting Kakashi’s ability to read the others. He swiped it away in a fit of annoyance. Tenzo needed a life that revolved around something besides watching Kakash’s every move. Besides, this wasn’t even a real date; Kakashi didn’t need a wingman or a babysitter. Even if it was, Kakashi knew how to get ready for a date without Tenzo’s help. He was older and more experienced, after all.

Tossing his towel into the bathroom hamper, Kakashi returned to the closet in his bedroom. He’d been considering what he wanted to wear to the dinner since confirming that he would go. The normal dress pants and button up shirt felt a touch too casual for something like this considering the tickets had been fairly expensive. But, he assumed that most people weren’t going to be wearing tuxedos either.

Kakashi settled on a middle ground and selected a white tailored suit with black shirt and tie that he’d purchased years ago. He’d bought it before the conference where he’d been a guest speaker on the influences of Edo period literature because he wanted to make a good impression. In hindsight, hardly anyone cared about the subject and fewer still cared what he looked like. Except for the woman who had propositioned him later that evening, of course.

Chuckling at the memory, Kakashi pulled the suit from the back of his closet. It would be good enough for a fake date with his former student, he supposed.