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.