#teen Kakashi

[depressedhatakekakashi]

A Sharable Gift

Words: 4,496

Pairing: Kakagai

Prompt: Sweets

(Picture drawn by the ever fantastic @jventureart who was kind enough to entertain my silly ideas 🥰🥰🥰)

All is quiet.

Just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Everywhere Kakashi looks he’s greeted with stillness. It’s a vastly different reality from the one he’d existed in just a few short months ago.

Here there were no enemies to dispatch. No secret scrolls to retrieve for the ‘good of the village’, or enemy shinobi trying to infiltrate the village.  

Everything around him was quiet, and he hated it.

“Kakashi!” The window below him slammed open and Kushina’s voice shattered the silence. In an instant Kakashi had jumped from his position on the roof ledge down to the balcony, his eyes searching the area for whatever it was that had caused Kushina to  come searching for him.

When he didn’t spot anything that could be considered dangerous he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Kushina-Senpai,” he tried to keep his voice calm, not wanting to give away just how much her sudden appearance had shook him. Once he’d managed to calm his nerves just a little he opened his eye and focused his attention on the woman now half hanging out of the window with a proud smile on her face. “is something wrong?”

“Here!” without even the smallest display of embarrassment at her actions, Kushina pushed her hands out toward him. Sitting in her hands was a small green box with a brilliant scarlet bow wrapped tightly around it. “take it.”

Settling back onto his heels he stared at the object. “What is it?”

“A box,” she snickered when he glared at her with his one good eye. “Sorry. It’s chocolates!”

“Oh,” his lips pulled downward into a frown. “Uh, thank you but I don’t really like sweets.”

“No, you…” leaning further out of the window she transferred the box to her left hand and used her right to brace herself. “here,” she pushed the box out toward him. “Look at it before you say no.”

Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, Kakashi reached out to accept the box. As soon as he gripped the box Kushina released her hold and settled back into the apartment. The smile stayed cemented on her face while her eyes gleamed with excitement.

        If Kakashi were anyone else he’d probably feel happy at the gift. There would be feelings of warmth and comfort swimming around in his chest at the knowledge that Kushina had thought of him when she spotted something, even if it was something he wasn’t really going to enjoy.

        Kakashi wasn’t anyone else, though. He was Hatake Kakashi, and all he felt was a slight annoyance at having his peaceful watch interrupted by a panic filled moment followed by a pointless gift being shoved into his hand.

“I don’t-“

“Turn it over,” Kushina insisted, turning her hand over in a small gesture to show Kakashi exactly what she wanted him to do. “Then maybe you’ll understand why I thought of you.”

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Kakashi placed his other hand on top of the box and slowly turned it over. As soon as his did he noticed the picture on the back. A small photograph of the boxes contents.

“Are those…” Those feelings of warmth he’d thought about earlier suddenly bloomed inside of his chest.

“Little chocolates shaped like paw prints,” Kushina confirmed, her smile growing so bright that Kakashi could see the sun shinning off of them. “I know sweets aren’t really your thing, but I thought you would get a kick out of the shape.”

His eye lingered on the picture, taking in every little detail of the paw print shaped chocolates. If he had to compare them to any of his dog’s he’d say they looked the most like Bizuke’s. Small, soft, and packed full of too much sweetness.       

“But, I-“ dragging his eye away from the box her focused on Kushina once again. “I appreciate it, Kushina-Senpai, but I don’t think I’ll be able to eat them.”

Many people thought his aversion to sweets was simply a dislike, but it was more than that. Sweet foods hurt his mouth. They made his tongue feel like it was being assaulted with flavour until it hurt, and that pain never went away.

“You don’t have to eat them,” Kushina continued to grin. “You could share them with someone else. Maybe someone you like?”

Kakashi tilted his head, his eyebrow arching up toward the sky. “Someone I like?”

“Ya,” Kushina insisted. “Maybe a girl you like,” she giggled when Kakashi scrunched up his nose. “Or a boy? Or maybe…” turning her eyes skyward she lifted her right hand and began tapping her forefinger against her chin. “Well, Someone important to you. Someone you like spending time with.”

A face popped into Kakashi’s mind immediately. A familiar blinding smile that exuded kindness in a world so full of cruelty. The one person he found himself drawn to even when he wanted so desperately to push the rest of the world away from him.

To protect the people around him from the curse of knowing him.

“That one,” blinking, he focused on Kushina once more. Her smile had somehow grown so wide that her eyes crinkled at the edges. “The one who just popped into your mind. Go share those with them.”

“I will,” he promised, his mind already thinking of all the places he might be able to find his friend. “After Minato-Sensei returns.”

Kushina rolled her eyes. “I do not need your protection,” she sighed, pushing herself up and away from the window dramatically. “But I know you’re not going to listen to me if I tell you to go, so fine. Minato should be back in just a bit so you won’t have to wait too long.”

With that she turned her back to him, officially closing the conversation.

As she walked away, the window still hanging open between them, Kakashi glanced back down at the box sitting in his hand. “Thank you.” he whispered, jumping back up toward the roof as Kushina turned back toward him.

Landing right back where he’d started, he set the box down on the roof beside him and turned his attention back to the surrounding area.            However long it took his Sensei to return home from his duties as Hokage didn’t matter, he would keep the apartment protected until the moment he was released from his duty by the man who’d set him upon the task of watching over Kushina.

Even though his body itched to grab the box and make a break for it, he stood firm. There was almost nothing that could take him away from his duty. Not even the thought of that brilliant smile greeting him.

His heart pounded a little harder in his chest as he thought about that smile and the cheerful, energetic voice that would fall from that mouth. The warmth he’d felt blooming in his chest earlier returned, and for the first time that day Kakashi couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face, and there was a part of him deep down inside that felt guilty for smiling.

For the first time since his hand had pierced through Rin’s chest, there was something that he could look forward to. Some one he wanted to see.

Rin and Obito were both buried six feet under the ground because of his mistakes, and here he was smiling like an idiot because he had some chocolates to share with his best friend. He had no doubt that Kushina’s goal in giving him the little box of chocolates was to give him a reason to smile, but now that he was he couldn’t help but feel like he was doing something wrong.

        Like enjoying his life was some sort of crime when both of his teammates were unable to do the same.

“Idiot...” the smile dropped off of his face, but that warmth continued to linger in his chest. “I’ll just give them to him. He’s better off without me sticking around anyways.”

That was the plan. As soon as Minato returned home he would rush off to find his friend, present him with the gift that Kushina had given him, and go off to do his daily training. There was nothing else to do.

        No matter how nice it felt to think about sharing the treats with his friend, it simply wasn’t something he had any right to do. Not when it was his fault that Rin and Obito weren’t there to enjoy their own sweet moments of life.

        Not a moment had been wasted when Minato returned home. Kakashi had seen him coming from where he was position on the roof, Shibi walking at his side chatting about something important judging by the serious look on his sensei’s face.

It was rare for Kakashi to see anything but a smile plastered across his Sensei’s face.

Yet, as soon as they reached the front door and said their goodbyes, that smile was back. It was as if nothing had been wrong at all.

His Sensei was home, and just like that all of his worries melted away in an instant.

Deep down he wondered if there was someone like Kushina for him. Someone he could come home to one day. Who just the thought of seeing again would wash away all of his worries and bring a smile to his face.

“Kakashi,” a flash of yellow sped through the air and stopped directly in front of him, his Sensei’s cheerful eyes focused on him. “Mission report.”

“Not much happened,” he began, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up on end but not a single thing on his face giving away how much his Sensei’s habit of just appearing in front of him still bothered him. “Kushina-Senpai has spent most of today at home baking, though she did go out for a walk around one in the afternoon and had lunch at Ichiraku before spending some time with Mikoto-san.”

As he spoke Minato nodded his head, his smile only growing as he listened to his wife’s daily activities.

“Good,” reaching out a hand he plopped it down on top of Kakashi’s head. “Good job today. You can head out now, i’ll take care of everything from here.”

Usually Kakashi would argue. He’d insist upon providing more information about his mission, or request some training even though he’d become accustomed to being told that his Sensei had other important things to do and ‘trusted him to take care of his own training now’.

        Today, though, his hand reached out for the box of chocolates Kushina had given him earlier. As soon as he had a good grip on them, he was off. His Sensei left standing on the roof watching as he sailed through the air toward his new destination.

 “I’m just going to drop it off,” he reminded himself while the wind blew through his hair, that warm feeling he’d experienced when he first thought of who to share the chocolates with returning like a flame reignited from a spark of fire reaching the smoke it gave off when it had been extinguished. “Now,” scanning the area below him, he searched for that bright green jumpsuit in a sea of plain clothed civilians. “Where could he be?”

“Sorry,” Emi-san had smiled at him when he arrived at the Dango shop, not even bothering to wait for him to vocalize his reason for being there. “He just left.”

His shoulder’s dropped. Not only had he missed his friend, but it was becoming obvious that the old woman who ran the dango shop had come to associate him with Gai. Which wasn’t particularly surprising given he rarely ever went to the shop without his friend, and when he did it was usually to pick up dango for him since it wasn’t a treat he often sought out for himself. It was still strange though. To have someone read him so easily while other’s considered him one of the most difficult people in the village to read.

        Not wanting to dwell on the idea that someone in the village was able to read him like an open book, he focused instead on gathering information in hopes of locating his friend quicker. “Do you know where he went?”

“I think he said he was going to train,” she answered. “I could hear Genma and Ebisu trying to convince him to take a break, but you know how Gai is. He wouldn’t listen.”

        There was fondness in her voice when she spoke. The same sound he recalled hearing whenever Kushina would speak to Obito, or how his father spoke to him when he was still alive, but with a hint of something he wasn’t quite familiar with.

        The closest thing he could think of to describe it was a grandmother speaking of her grandchild, but that wasn’t something he understood well enough to confirm. After all, he’d never met any of his grandparents. Neither had Gai as far as he knew.

        “Well, thank you,” digging into his pocket her pulled out his wallet and pulled out enough Ryo for two sticks of dango. “here,” he held it out to here. “For Gai’s dango tomorrow.”

        “Not for today?” she asked, her hand stopping midway toward the fresh sticks of dango she had standing up in her display.

“No,” raising the hand with the box of chocolates, he showed it to her for just a moment before lowering it back to his side.

“Well, in that case,” pulling her hand back she reached out to retrieve the ryo from him and tucked it into her till. “I’ll make sure he gets that dango tomorrow. You’d better get going now. He might just decide to run laps around the village for training.”

“Thank you, Emi-san,” he waved before turning on his heel and heading back out of the little shop. Searching through the village for his friend hadn’t been in his plans when he woke up that morning, but he had a goal now. Something he wanted to achieve before he returned to his empty home and tried to lose himself in the book that he’d chosen during his last visit to the village bookstore.

Gai had not gone for a run through the village. That much was clear when Kakashi arrived to training field B, just beside the Academy, and saw his friend using one of the training field dummies as a punching bag.

“You know,” he dropped down by Gai’s side and ducked just in time to avoid being punched in the side of the head when his friend whirled around and struck out at him. “You keep this up and they’re going to have to replace the dummy earlier than usual.”

“Rival!” forgetting about his training for the moment, Gai threw his arms open and wrapped them around Kakashi’s shoulders. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today. Are you finished guarding Kushina-san for the day?”

        “Naturally,” Kakashi responded with a cool tone, ignoring the way his heart hammered in his chest as that weird mixture of scents that could only be attributed to Gai filled his nostrils. There was a hint of that sweet smell of dango mixed in with the overwhelming smell of grass, and if he was anyone else Kakashi might have allowed himself to bury his face into his friends shoulder and drown himself in the scent.

He wasn’t anyone else, though. He was Hatake Kakashi, Student of the Fourth Hokage.

As much as he wanted to lose himself in that comforting, sweet smell he couldn’t. It would look bad on him and his Sensei if anyone saw them.

“Here,” he lifted his hand to show Gai the box of chocolates he’d been waiting for hours to share with him. “Kushina gave me these, but they’re chocolates and, well-“

“You’re not a big fan of sweets,” Gai finished for him, a giggle following the words that fell so easily from his mouth. 

“Right,” pushing his hand out toward Gai he jiggled the box. The sound of chocolates bumping around inside rang between them. “Here. They’re for you.” Gai stared at the box but made no move to take it from Kakashi. “Gai-“

“Kushina gave them to you,” he stated. “You shouldn’t just give away a gift.”

“She told me to share with you,” Kakashi huffed, keeping to himself the exact words Kushina had said to him. All he would gain from telling his friend that would be another bone crushing hug and a whole lot of tears that would be guaranteed to draw any passing citizens attention to them. “So, here.” This time he tried to shove the chocolates into Gai’s hand, but his friend simply shoved them back.

“Sharing means we eat them together,” Gai insisted, his smile gleaming in the sunlight and that warm feeling blooming inside of Kakashi’s chest once again. “We can sit down and share them if you’d like.”

Kakashi was about to accept the invitation, his emotions getting the best of him in the moment, when Rin and Obito’s faces suddenly flashed in front of his eyes.

        Haunting pictures of the friends who weren’t there to share those chocolates with them. The friends who didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy something as small as a sweet treat all because of the mistakes Kakashi had made.

        Mistakes that had cost them their lives.

        “I can’t,” he whispered, his fingers tightening around the box. “I haven’t trained yet today so I really should get on that.”

        The smile dropped off of Gai’s face and immediately Kakashi felt like he’d done something horribly wrong. Like he’d stolen the very light from the world by upsetting his friend, or that he’d deprived Konoha of the most beautiful thing within the village walls.

        He shook his head, willing those thoughts out of his head. How they’d even gotten there was beyond him.

        When had his bond with Gai shifted from friendship to something more? Something that made him feel so warm whenever he was in his friends presence, or even just when he thought about him. When, in all the years that he had known Gai, had he allowed himself to feel something so deeply profound while Rin and Obito were unable to experience those same feelings?

        “You’re dwelling,” Gai sighed, his eyes staring a hole into Kakashi’s very soul. “You know they wouldn’t want you to do that, right?”

        “You don’t know that.”

        “I do,” Gai snapped, and for the first time since they’d met Kakashi found himself taking a step back from his friend. Not out of fear, but out of shame. “they were your friends, Kakashi. Our friends. They wouldn’t want you to keep punishing yourself for something that’s not your fault.”

               His eyes drifted toward the ground. “It was my fault,” he muttered under his breath. “if I had just-“

               “Stop it,” the sternness in Gai’s voice cut through him like a tanto. It wasn’t unheard of for Gai to get angry, but it was rare for him to get angry with Kakashi. No matter what he’d done over the years his friend had never lost his temper with him. Never cut him off in the middle of a sentence because he was upset with him. “I know you want to blame yourself. I understand it’s easier to do that than it is to admit that you weren’t at fault, because if you’re not at fault than someone else has to be and you don’t want to put the blame on anyone else, but their deaths are not your fault Kakashi.”

               The words reached him, but Kakashi refused to let them in.

               Refused to believe that there was any truth to them, because if what Gai was saying was true even though deep down he wanted so badly to believe it. To absolve himself of the blame and move on with his life.

               It wasn’t possible though. Every time he thought back to Obito and Rin’s death all he could see was his mistakes.

               His failings.

               His inability as a leader and a friend to protect them in the way that he was supposed to.

               “You are…” looking back up at his friend, Kakashi felt his heart breaking when he saw the sadness in his eyes. A deep hurt that dulled the brightness that usually shone in his eyes.  “do you really believe that, Kakashi?”

               “What?” he asked. “that I failed to protect my friends or that I am a failure as a leader?”

               “That you deserve to be punished for the rest of time because of your mistakes.” the words were spoken so softly, but they struck right at Kakashi’s heart. He couldn’t bring himself to absolve himself of the guilt he carried deep in his heart, but Gai’s words reminded him of the things his father had always told him whenever he made a mistake in his training growing up.

               ‘You don’t dwell on it. You pick yourself up and try again.’

The words echoed in his memory. As a child he’d always wondered why his father had repeated those words to him whenever he became frustrated with his lack of progress or insulted himself over the mistakes he made.

               He had made mistakes. He’d failed his friends when they needed him and those failures had cost them their lives.

               That was a fact he would have to live with for the rest of his life, but that didn’t mean he had to close everyone else out. That he wasn’t allowed to open his heart again and make new friends, or maintain the bonds he already had.

               Straightening himself up he refocused his attention on Gai. “You still willing to share?” he asked, pointing at the box of chocolates clutched in Gai’s hand hovering at his side.

               A smile cracked across Gai’s face and in an instant he reached out to grab hold of Kakashi’s hand and began dragging him toward the wall that surrounded the training field. There was no words of confirmation that he would share, but Kakashi didn’t need to hear them.

               That bright, blinding smile and the excitement that exuded off of his friend as he led him to the wall and let go of his hand so that he could jump up, landing effortlessly on the top of the wall, was enough to tell Kakashi that he was in fact still willing to share.

               “Come on, Rival!” Gai called down to him as he dropped onto the butt so that his legs were dangling over the wall into the training field. “before I eat them all on you!”

               That warm feeling that had engulfed him earlier returned once again. His heart hammered in his chest, and as he stared up at his friend Kakashi couldn’t help but smile. “Ya,” he chuckled to himself. Slipping his hands into his pant pockets he bent his knees and jumped upward, landing directly beside Gai with ease.

               “So cool,” Gai whispered, his eyes wide as he stared up at Kakashi.

               Rolling his eyes, Kakashi dropped down beside his friend so that one leg was situated under him and the other was hanging over the edge just like Gai’s legs. Once he was comfortable he stared down at the training field. It wasn’t too far up, yet he couldn’t help but feel like he was sitting on top of the world. “Hey, Gai,” looking over at his friend he smiled when he saw him staring back at him with a wide, goofy grin. “I’m sorry.”

               “For?”

               “Making you wait,” he answered, his heart pumping a little bit faster when Gai turned his gaze up to the sky and laughed. “I’m serious.”

               “I know you are, Rival,” lifting the box of chocolates between them he turned his head and smiled at Kakashi with such joy that he was certain it could outshine the sun itself. “I don’t mind waiting, though. As long as you never forget that I’m here.”

               Covering his mouth, Kakashi barley managed to contain the laugh that ripped its way out of his throat. “Forget?” he asked. “Gai, there is nothing in this world good or bad that could get me to forget about you.”

               As soon as the words left his mouth Kakashi realized what he’d done. He’d unlocked a moment for Gai to start crying and talking about the ‘beauty of rivalry’. A conversation which he wasn’t necessarily opposed to having, but which he would rather avoid if he could so that he didn’t have to deal with the emotions that were bound to flood him if Gai tried to hug him in his overly emotional state.

               Just as the first signs of tears began to form in Gai’s eyes, Kakashi reached out and snatched the box of chocolates out of his hand. “Here,” he insisted, pulling the box open and tossing the lid onto the ground behind them. Now that they could access the chocolates he held the box back out to Gai. “eat the emotions away.”

               Reigning in his emotions, Gai glanced into the box and quickly picked out his chocolate. As soon as he had plucked it out of the box and gotten a good look at it he lifted it toward the sky and stared at it as if it was the greatest treasure in the world. “It’s a paw print!” he announced loud enough for the entire village to hear.

               Watching his friend, Kakashi smiled as that warmth he’d been feeling spread out across his body like a blanket being wrapped around him. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was about Gai, but that ‘what’ didn’t matter too much to him.

               All that mattered was how he felt in Gai’s presence, and the answer to that question was very simple.

               Safe.

               He felt safe. Like nothing in the world could go wrong as long as he was at Gai’s side. Most importantly, he felt as though his heart was safe. Even if the world around him was burning to the ground he would still have Gai.

               No matter what, Gai would always be at his side, and that knowledge was comforting.

               “Kakashi?” blinking, he refocused his attention on Gai and smiled when he saw him staring at him with big round eyes full of excitement. “Let’s have a competition!”

               Rolling his eyes, Kakashi plucked a chocolate out of the box and set it down between the two of them.  With one hand now free, he grabbed his mask just over the bridge of his nose. “after,” he insisted. “for now let’s just enjoy this moment.” Pulling his mask down he plopped the chocolate into his mouth and swiftly returned his mask to its place, which did nothing to hide the way his visible eye scrunched up in dissatisfaction as the chocolates sweetness overwhelmed his taste buds.

               Perhaps, if Gai allowed him to, he’d leave the rest of the chocolates for him to enjoy.

[cool-thymus]

[Older brother Kakashi and younger brother Naruto hanging out in their room]

Happy birthday, Naruto boy!

[trans-duckling]

KakaGai Week 2024: New and Exciting

Words: 1,661 Pairing: KakaGai Promt: Arrogance

Kakashi jumped from one building to the next one, ignoring the fast-beating heart inside his chest as he moved towards Konoha’s center. It was strange, to be feeling again such a deep emotion as happiness after so long, but he had found there was no point in ignoring it.

Almost a month had passed since Gai and him kissed for the first time after an unusual mission in which the Hatake had participated as jounin rather than ANBU. Tension had been high, and by the end of it their nerves were so out of place that they had launched at each other as crazy teenagers —which Kakashi guessed they were, being sixteen and seventeen—, and kissing until their lips bled. He had ran away the moment he realized what they had done.

But that was the past. Gai, in his classic behavior, had looked for him and demanded a conversation after they moved on from the initial shock. And, somehow, the conclusion of that talk had been that they would keep doing it. Kissing. Nothing serious, of course, because shinobi rarely had time for relationships, but still… It was different from before. And Kakashi enjoyed it. A lot.

His feet came to an stop on a tree next to the building he was aiming for. Gai had told him he would be having lunch there with the team from his last mission —people the Hatake didn’t know or cared about—, and afterwards they could go training together. Normally, Kakashi would be too busy with ANBU missions for a plan like that, but after an incident about a week before, the Hokage had put him on leave for a couple of days. With so much free time, he had no reason to say ‘no’ to one of Gai’s challenges.

“I honestly don’t know what you see in that guy” one voice coming out from the establishment said. “Everybody who ever worked with him says he’s an arrogant and doesn’t know how to work in a team. He’s called ‘friend-killer’ for a reason, you know?”

“I would appreciate if you wouldn’t use that name to refer to my rival” Gai responded a moment after, voice tensed. “If you haven’t worked with him or know him personally, I don’t see why you should be giving your opinion.”

Kakashi could not see them, but he was pretty sure Gai was clenching his fists, probably ready to punch anybody that kept talking badly about him. He had said several times already that it was not necessary, but he continued defending him anyways.

“We’re just looking after you” another person said, probably a woman. “You’re a good person, Gai, we don’t want you to end like… her.”

As gracious as always, the Hatake’s memory was kind enough to bring back to the front of his mind the image of Rin being killed by his own jutsu. Maybe they did have a point. Everybody he had ever cared about was dead. Gai was probably safest if he kept away from him.

“I can assure you I don’t need your protection, less if what you want to protect me from is my rival. I’ll be leaving now. See you around.”

A moment after, Kakahi saw Gai’s figure coming out from the establishment and disappearing in a blink. The next second, his friend was standing next to him on the branch, expression more serious than what he remembered to have seen in quite some time.

“Are you ok?”

“How did you know I was here?” he replied, frowning. “You’re bad at feeling chakra, it’s impossible you noticed me.”

Yeah, he could see why people thought he was an arrogant.

“I don’t need to feel chakra to know when you’re around, rival” Gai explained as if that made sense. “I just know.”

Again, Kakashi’s dumb heart started to beat fast. He didn’t understand either why Gai had such power over him with just a few words. It didn’t make sense.

“So, are you ok?” he asked again. The Hatake just shrugged. “Come on, let’s go to a training field.”

He didn’t need to be told twice, jumping forwards the next moment. As expected, it became a race fast enough, one that he won just for half a second.

“GAH! I won’t lose the next time, rival!” Gai barked with a smile. “Now, do you want to talk?”

“About what?”

“I know you heard what they said, Kakashi” the taijutsu master said, kicking a rock. “Surely you…”

“They are right, you know?”

“What?”

“I am arrogant, and people around me tend to get killed or just die” the Hatake repeated as if nothing. “You would be safer far away from me.”

He saw Gai’s eyes opening wide, his expression full of surprise and confusion all at once. It would’ve been funny, if not for the conversation’s topic. A deep breathe a second later indicated him he was about to become deaf.

“YOU’RE NOT!” his friend exclaimed, pointing at him as if he had been the first one to make those accusations. “You never brag about your capacities, or think that you’re better than everybody else! Maybe you were a little arrogant in the past, but… Not anymore!”

Kakashi just shrugged again. If he thought coldly about it, Gai was right in that aspect. He didn’t go around telling the rest of the people he was better than them, he was just direct when declaring facts related to their capacities. Sometimes, that implied telling somebody they were useless. One could accuse him of lacking tact, if anything.

“Rival” Gai called once again. “I’m being serious. You must know I do not think as those other shinobi. I know you. They are the arrogant ones for thinking they need to warn me about you when you have never met each other.”

“Fine” the Hatake huffed, wanting that conversation to end already. “Can we fight now?”

He acquired a fighting stance, but Gai just moved forwards to take one of his hands. Something warm filled his chest and belly, even when the only real contact he was having was through his naked fingers, the rest of the skin covered by protectors. It was absurd.

“And the other bit is a lie, too” the other boy murmured, looking down at their hands. “You’re not the reason why they died, Kakashi. And I don’t need protection from you. You, uh… Make me happy.”

He felt Gai’s skin warm up against his, which was a consolation because it meant at least he was not the only one blushing. The whole hormones thing was really an inconvenient when wanting to keep your emotions in check. Kami, he could feel his back sweating. Disgusting.

“Okay, Gai” he managed to said, removing his hand from the hold to recover some serenity. “I, uh, feel the same. Can we train, now, please?”

He really wanted that conversation to end. Yeah, he was not a friend-killer and he could be loved. Whatever. The Hatake just wanted to start moving so the adrenaline would put a stop to the hormones disrupting his normal functioning.

“Of course, rival!” the other boy finally said, jumping back and bringing his fists up. “Prepare yourself to be defeated!”

Gai ended up being the one pinned to the ground. Which shouldn’t be a surprise, really. Even when training and time had made him stronger —also, bigger and taler than Kakashi—, the taijutsu master still lost the majority of their fights. Each time it was a little more difficult to beat him, though.

He was seated on top of Gai’s belly, one hand holding his arms over the other boy’s head while the free one pressed against his neck without the need to choke. It was evident the battle was finished.

Their breaths mixed with every pant they let out and their expressions quickly changed into something Kakashi had learnt to recognize as desire during the last few weeks. Feeling his face become red —hopefully dissimulated by the heat—, he retracted slightly back and let go of Gai’s arms. That turned out to not be a great idea, since his thighs ended up on top of the other’s lower body. Before the situation could become even more embarrassing, he got fully down of Gai, sitting on the grass and offering a hand to help him incorporate.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before they moved again. Kakashi thought it would be fairly easy to just launch forwards and do with Gai what he had already done with some targets on a mission. However, he also believed it was too soon for that. At least from his part. He was not ready for that level of intimacy. Not yet.

A warm hand came up to cup one of his cheeks, bringing him back to reality and to those deep dark eyes.

“Can I?” Gai asked, fingers brushing over his mask.

The Hatake nodded slowly, feeling the fabric slide down to his neck the next moment. As every other time they’d kissed, his friend took a couple of seconds to just look at him and care the newly naked skin. The warm feeling in his chest and belly came back.

Kissing Gai was messy and kind of a fight most of the time, their tongues battling inside the other’s mouth. This time, however, was different. Gai didn’t kiss him straight on the lips, but on the beauty mark next to them. Then, he moved to his mouth and brushed their lips together softly. Kakashi had to reach for his vest to ground himself as a new, intense emotion ran through his body. Slowly, they built up a rhythm that fitted both of them and didn’t feel like a battle. By the time they came apart for air, their breaths were even worse that at the end of their fight. They started laughing.

“You’re a very good kisser” the Hatake chuckled.

“Careful, rival, or I will become the arrogant one.”

-------------------------------------

First time doing an event, hope everything is alright and you got to enjoy the fic! :)

[anannua]

cooking to impress your crush

[whoishotteranimepolls]

"Who's Hotter?" Walking Red Flags

[manndelion]

kashi scribbles bc i forgot that doodling him is like 2nd nature to me

[yunos-housebunker77]

Team 7!

[jvnart]

Had to sketch the dog man for national puppy day

[cool-thymus]

Super Quick Blorbo Sketches (Part 1)

Thank you, @maireyart for tagging me! (I feel like a legitimate member of the art community now :3 my first challenge yey!) Check out Mai's post if you haven't!

I went for Teen Kakashi here (Teen Obito will be next!). Another artist's style: i dared to imitate the almighty and wonderful Nemu.

If you guys are in the mood for a small challenge then i tag: @honeyoncloud @inkedhntr @seoz-seoz @professor-of-naruto (for the art club ;D)

Template

💛 (upd: part 2 Obito yey)

[trans-duckling]

Learning Your Touch

Time: Teenage years

Length: Around 15k (yet to be finished), 3 chapters

Plot: Kakashi and Gai are (apparently) ready to have sex together for the first time. They talked about it, their experience (or lack of), expectations... And acted upon it. From discovering each other's bodies to fully embrace sex and learn to enjoy it.

Warnings: Very descriptive sex, with a lot of sex education. Also, mentioned underaged sex and use of sex during missions as a weapon

A Slow and Tender Love

Time: Post war

Length: 6,6k, with 4 chapters

Plot: After the events in his novel in the Land of Waves, Kakashi needed to decompress somehow. Normally, sex with Gai would be his first option, but his friend is suddenly not interested anymore. Except, he's apparently fine with going out with other people, looking for a 'slow and tender love'. Something Kakashi believes not being able to give him, since it's not what he wants. Right?

Warnings: Mentions of sex (not description)

Pretty please, don't leave this in a draw again 🥺😂

[cardinal-island]

[shinobi-illuminator]

Color Wheel Challenge: Medic, Sitka, Aidan, Kakashi, Cyborg, Viktor, Frollo, Silco.

[dilly-oh]

Gimme a Break

“Kakashi, what’s wrong?” Iruka asks from across the table. “You’ve barely touched your food.”

“Sorry, I’m already full. You’re such a feast for the eyes,” Kakashi replies instantly with a cheeky wink.

Iruka snorts at him and returns to his meal.

They’re on their third date, at one of the nicer restaurants in Konoha. The place is a little swanky but not too snooty about it, fancy enough to show Iruka he’s serious but not expensive enough to cripple his wallet for the rest of the week.

And Kakashi is serious. This isn’t just some casual fling with no strings attached, and he wants to prove that to Iruka. He truly, genuinely likes the man, and is eager to see where this goes. He even rushed through a last-minute mission assignment earlier that day to make it back on time for their date. Kakashi wouldn’t have missed it for the world, not even for several cracked ribs, a dislocated arm, a fractured pelvis, and a sprained ankle.

Which he has, but that’s beside the point.

Iruka doesn’t need to know. Honestly, it’s not even that bad.

He holds back a scream as he reaches for the salt.

Okay, maybe it is pretty bad.

The rest of the meal passes, the talk a bit stiff and stilted. Kakashi can’t really carry a conversation right now, seeing as talking and/or breathing is quite excruciating. His clothing hides the worst of the injuries, not to mention the plethora of bruises blossoming all over his body. He just needs to make it through the date, and then he’ll stagger his way to the nearest hospital. Piece of cake.

Speaking of cake, a waiter heads toward them, intent on offering a dessert menu, but Kakashi locks eyes with the man and he freezes in place, goes white as a sheet, then hurriedly backs away through the swinging doors into the kitchen. Another man, trembling in fear, is shoved out and cautiously brings them the check. Kakashi feels a bit bad and gives him a generous tip.

“I’ll walk you home,” he says, because above all else, he is a gentleman.

Also Iruka is wearing a deliciously tight pair of slacks and you can really see his rockin’ ass.

It’s the only thing distracting Kakashi from the walk from hell.

Every step is agony. With each one, he can feel his ribs grind together, pelvis creaking, his entire body howling in pain. He manages to hide his limp, mentally cursing that he’d chosen a restaurant so far away from Iruka’s apartment. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, they arrive at the complex, and then Kakashi remembers.

Iruka lives on the third floor.

He lets Iruka climb the stairs first just so he has something to motivate him.

They reach the door without him passing out. Kakashi calls that a win. Now to make a quick exit.

“Well, that was fun,” he begins, already slinking away. “I’ll see you again-”

Iruka starts fiddling with his keys.

Kakashi stops.

That’s it. The signal. Iruka’s giving him the go-ahead. Kakashi had been polite before, only kissing the man’s hand at the end of their previous dates, but when Iruka is the one offering, all bets are off.

Kakashi wants so badly to lean in and kiss the other man, ravish him until he’s gasping for breath and weak in the knees.

But he can’t. He can’t.

Like, physically. His ribs will snap.

So he just stands there like an idiot as the moment drags on, eventually reaching an awkward stage where it’s obvious Kakashi has missed the cue. Iruka finally finds the key he’s been looking for and slots it into the keyhole.

“I had a nice time,” he says, looking back over his shoulder at Kakashi, who gulps. He needs to leave before he decides broken ribs are worth it.

“See you again,” he repeats, then turns to go, a wave of relief washing away his lingering guilt and regret. Now to head to the nearest clinic, get treated, and leave Iruka none the wiser-

“Actually,” Iruka says, and Kakashi’s stomach drops in dread. He slowly turns to see Iruka unlock his front door and hold it open invitingly.

“…Would you like to come in?” he asks in a sultry voice.

Kakashi freezes.

…Oh.

Oh NO.

This can’t be happening.

Iruka can’t be inviting him in right now. Because that would only mean one thing. One certain thing that Kakashi would very, very much like to do with Iruka, but currently lacks the physical capability to do so at the moment. It was one matter to turn down a kiss, quite another to turn down this lavish offering.

Which he has to. Kakashi’s pretty sure it’ll kill him.

Iruka’s still standing there, waiting expectantly. Kakashi scrambles for an answer, fumbling words out of his mouth before his brain can even catch up.

“No thanks,” he blurts out.

The silence that follows is heavy enough to smother him to death, which he would gladly welcome at the moment.

“…Oh,” Iruka says, deflating with disappointment. “Okay. I…I just thought that-”

“I mean, not that I’m not flattered,” Kakashi goes on, babbling nonsensically while he flounders for a plausible excuse. “I am, really I am, but…this is, uh, a bit of a bad time for me. I have to…go home and…” His mind blanks, a fuzz of static replacing every coherent thought in his head. “…Water…my…plant?”

Now the silence becomes thorny enough to draw blood. He’ll welcome that, too.

“God, just forget it.” Iruka’s expression is tight with anger and hurt. “If you’re not interested in me, just say so. You don’t have to waste my time like an asshole.” He steps into his apartment with an irritated huff.

“No, Iruka, wait-” Kakashi reaches out a hand just as Iruka swings the door shut.

*Crunch!*

“Oh, fuck! I’m sorry!” Iruka yanks the door open as Kakashi staggers back, clutching his hand to his chest. “I really didn’t mean to do that. Are your fingers okay?”

“Yep, they’re fine,” Kakashi grits out. “Totally fine. I’m just gonna-”

“Don’t be stupid, they’re broken! I can see how crooked they are from here!” Iruka cries, striding forward. “Hold still, let me see-” He reaches out and takes Kakashi’s arm. The one that’s dislocated.

So naturally, he screams.

“What?!” Iruka snatches his hand away and jerks back in surprise. “What’d I do?! I just barely touched you! Here-” He tries again, touching Kakashi’s chest this time. Right where the broken ribs are.

He screams again.

Iruka goes very still, staring intently at Kakashi as his eyes narrow with suspicion. Kakashi goes still as well, like a small prey animal desperately trying to avoid the attention of a hungry predator. He feels a bead of sweat trickle down his back as he waits for the incoming assault. It doesn’t take long.

“Kakashi for the love of FUCK have you been injured this whole TIME?!” Iruka roars at him.

“…Yes,” Kakashi finally admits, “but it’s not that bad-”

Iruka jabs a finger into his ribs. Kakashi cuts off in a high-pitched yelp. Iruka pokes him again, in a different place, and again. With each touch, Kakashi squeals in pain and flinches away. Iruka throws his hands up.

“What the fuck! Is there any part of you that isn’t hurt?!”

“…My face,” Kakashi says after a pause.

“Okay, good, hold still.” Iruka raises a fist.

“Let me explain!” Kakashi cries desperately. Iruka waits, fist still cocked. “I had a mission earlier today. It…didn’t go well, to say the least. I may have several injuries that…need attending.”

“I can’t believe you hid this from me.” Iruka’s still fuming. “How did I not notice?!”

“I’m good at keeping secrets.” Kakashi shrugs, then winces.

“How severe are your injuries?” Iruka demands to know, crossing his arms. Kakashi hesitates.

“…Non-life threatening.”

“Answer the question before that changes.”

“Okay, fine.” Kakashi gives in with a huff. “I have a dislocated arm, a sprained ankle, a hairline fracture on my pelvis, and a few cracked ribs.” He pauses. “Also, some broken fingers.” He pauses again. “And I kinda stubbed my toe walking up the steps earlier.”

Iruka just gapes at him, flabbergasted. Kakashi tries again.

“…You can kiss them all better if you like-”

“Are you an IDIOT?!” Iruka cuts him off. “Why the fuck didn’t you go to a HOSPITAL?!”

“I didn’t want to miss our date,” Kakashi says weakly. Iruka stops, blinking rapidly for several moments.

“…Oh,” he says in a small voice. His eyes drop to the ground. He looks…chastened. Almost shy. He fidgets a little, shifting his feet awkwardly. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so important to you.” Iruka glances up at him beneath those heavy lashes, biting his lip.

There it is again. The signal. Kakashi sure as fuck isn’t going to miss it this time. Not for anything.

He leans in for a kiss.

And promptly faints dead away.

---

Kakashi wakes up several hours later to find himself tucked away in a hospital bed, covered in bandages and hooked up to several monitors and an IV drip. There’s a small bouquet of flowers on his bedside table with a note attached. He almost passes out again reaching for it, but just barely manages to snag the piece of paper with his fingertips and carefully unfolds it.

Next time I’m going to be the reason you break a hip -Iruka, it reads, followed by a little heart.

Kakashi can’t wait.

-End-

(Written for @kakairu-rocks KakaIru Valentine's Week 2024, Day 6 prompt: Secrets.)

[mistletoeandarrows]

Caught Looking

I'm thrilled to share my fic for @kumeramen's gorgeous, ultra-sweet prequel baseball artwork! I had a ton of fun putting a sporty 50s twist on this beautiful ship. Enjoy! 🧡⚾

Pairing: Shisui/Sakura

Rating: T

Summary:

“Go! GO! Shisui-senpai!” Turning toward the bleachers, Shisui spotted a petite girl in the front row waving her pom-poms a little too ardently, her long pink hair whipping through the air. The other cheerleaders had about half her intensity and vocal projection. It wasn’t unusual for the cheer squad to practice alongside the baseball team. Shisui just wasn’t used to having such an impassioned admirer—a strikingly pretty one, at that.

Read the one-shot on AO3

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Gai: it’s 12am…

Kakashi: *holding a giggling four year old nakano over his head* so?

Gai: our daughter should be in bed. YOU should be im bed you’re leaving for a Kage summit tomorrow morning

Kakashi: i can walk on one hour of sleep

Gai: DO NOT KEEP OIR CHILD UP ALL NIGHT KAKASHI!

[notsorryiml8]

If only...

*note - yes, I know, Nagato and Gaara and Karin weren't from Konoha, but still...it's a joint time-space effort to help e'body ;)