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Ebisu didn’t know when had been the last time he had sweaty palms. He had to wipe them off constantly, sneakily and as careful as possible, to not let his date know how nervous he was. After all, he was a jonin and jonin were never nervous! They were cool and courageous, never even trembling in the face of a challenge.And still… It was embarrassing. Embarrassing to know he could be nervous to this amount, just because he was on a date. A simple, mere date. Nothing else. Granted, with a beautiful example of the female part of Konoha’s dating pool, what would also be a reason for his sudden development of sweaty hands and the constant fiddling with his round sunglasses, but Ebisu hoped she didn’t notice.Throughout the whole evening. Which started a few hours ago.Right now, they were on their way back to your flat and Ebisu offered to accompany you. Walking side by side, he trying not to awkwardly reach out and take your hand, while you merrily were on your way.The date went well, at least, that was what Ebisu thought. A dinner in a restaurant, small talk and even a dessert! He made it this far without his date running away, that must mean something, right? To top it off, not even a nosebleed ruined the evening, even though he had to keep himself from fawning over your whole figure and the way a slight breeze would ruffle through your hair. It was hard, maintaining the image of an honorable jonin, all the while his eyes would drift towards more… interesting areas.“Alright.” Abruptly, you stopped in front of an apartment block. Ebisu nearly missed a step, while his heart jumped into his throat. “That’s it. My stop.”“Already? I mean-! Yes, alright. Great.” He hated how his voice sounded, so insecure and so untypical for a jonin. He was part of the elite and still, a simple date turned him into a stuttering and nervous idiot!With the help of his sunglasses, Ebisu tried to play his behavior off. Automatically, his right hand rose to push the glasses upwards again, while you stood just in front of him, unimpressed and unmovable, arms crossed over your chest and face unreadable. Silence laid over the two of them, until you huffed lowly. “Well… I guess I will see you.”“You… will?”A snort drifted through the air. “Yes. The date was… was actually nice. I think I can bear another one.”Only when Ebisu spotted the mischief in your eyes, he knew you were joking. A breath released itself in the form of a low sigh, before he straightened his back and tried to conjure the image of a confident, great ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. “Great. I mean, of course, it was to be expected. I can only recuperate the feeling of a repetition of our meeting. When and where do you want to meet, so that we can deepen our connection hopefully further?”You shrugged, which deflated Ebisu’s hopes a little bit. “Don’t know yet,” you said and stepped closer, right into his personal space, “But just let me ask you…”You leaned in. Ebisu froze on the spot, thoughts whirling around and too confused to properly fathom what was happening. Wait, you leaned in? Eyes closed, lips a tiny bit pursed? Did the date really go that well? His heart pounded in his chest, his throat dry, and Ebisu’s glasses seemed to be dangerously close to falling off his nose once more.He had to react. Had to do something. The whole world seemed to freeze up, only moving as slow as a snail would. With wide eyes and a pounding heart, the man watched how you leaned even further in, eyelids fluttering and still looking so damn fine…Okay, he could totally do this. Before the courage could leave him again, the man closed his eyes too and leaned forward. Centimeter for centimeter, he expected to meet your lips, feel them sliding against his in a sensual caress, expected to hear your delighted moans and sighs, before parting and seeing the lovely shade of red on your face.Suddenly, the darkness of his closed eyes lightened. At the same time, he could feel the sharp sting of metal biting into his right ear, just as well as the swish of air. Confused, Ebisu opened his eyes, one hand already reaching up to lay protectively over the slightly painful area around his ear. His sunglasses. In your hands. You stole them from him when he had been defenseless.Your nimble fingers handled the glass carefully, turning the dark lenses around and inspecting the insides, before smiling almost devilishly at him. “You constantly have your hands on your glasses, so I asked myself if you’re hiding something.”“I have no reason to hide anything.” Ebisu answered.“Good.” Suddenly, you whipped them away, watching them shatter on the ground. “Then you have nothing to hide behind anymore.” And without another word or gesture, you left. Just opened the door to your apartment complex, stepped inside and closed the entrance, leaving the jonin without his beloved sunglasses behind.He could only stand and stare at the destroyed sunglasses. A strange mixture of anger and unwilling fascination mingled inside his brain. It was a hard and bitter battle, but in the end, the fascination won by a thread. The whole situation had changed, from the hopeful ending of a date with slight romantic hues underlying everything, to a quite interesting, infuriating, incredible night. Before, he had liked you. But now, he found you fascinating.“Maybe,” Ebisu kneeled down and gathered carefully the shards in one hand, “Maybe, she’s right.”Maybe it was time to forego the sunglasses from time to time. He had nothing to hide, after all.
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The mission had been a horrendous waste of time and resources. Sasuke’s frustration still boiled right beneath the surface of his too thin skin. Konoha’s way of delegating missions according to their difficulty and manpower always had some big holes, but this farce was - even for them - a new low: Sending him to gather information about a group of mercenaries which weren’t even close to the level of Akatsuki. Sending him was a total overreaction, absolutely not necessary and a waste of his skills, almost bordering to an insult.Adding to his frustration was the sensitivity of the stump where his left arm used to be. Every move, every step on the even surface of the path back to Konoha, every breath he took made lightning flash through his entire body, circling and narrowing onto the point of his cut off limb. Since this morning, the left shoulder seemed to pulse to the beat of his heart. His muscles seemed to ache to move, to contract and do something. Anything than being useless.Sasuke could feel his left arm still. Every cut-off nerve screamed, howled, craved with a bloody insistence for the lost flesh and muscles back. Like usual, he lifted his coat over his missing arm, allowed the air to cool his body a bit. Usually, it helped.Today, it irritated him even more. Everything was too much. Too bright, too hot, too heavy, too painful. He was so close to revert back to his juvenile days of snarling and snapping at someone when his home showed up in the field of his vision, that Sasuke nearly did so when the first tones of his lover’s singing reached his ears.Only nearly.A soft melody, low and echoing through the air. His steps faltered, paused; only to pick up some speed. Not running, no. Just walking, quickly, right towards his only real home. The Uchiha district in Konoha didn’t count, not after what happened so long ago. But this house, in the calm outskirts of Konohagakure, surrounded by apple trees and visited by numerous, lazy cats, was his home. The noise of the inner village was only a faint rumble in his ears as Sasuke stepped onto the front porch. With short, practiced motions, he stripped his sandals off and settled them right beside your sandals and the – in comparison – tiny ones.A rare smile flashed over his face. Yes, it would be good to be home again. As soon as he slid the door open, the singing abruptly stopped. A little, overly dramatic gasp, then a familiar head showed itself right out of the living room.“Sasuke!”Before he had even the chance to shed his coat, you ran towards him, on bare feet and arms wide open. Grinning from ear to ear, you threw yourself onto him, already babbling about how much you had missed him and how empty the house had been without his presence.“Oh my gosh, there you are!” Your mouth moved against Sasuke’s neck as you closed the hug around him; a loving, simple caress. “Finally, I don’t have to sleep alone anymore. The bed and house were so cold without you.”“Mhmm.”“Haru also missed you. A lot. She asked every night for you. Where’s dad? Where’s dad? You can’t tell bedtime stories like dad!” You giggled lowly. “So demanding, our daughter. Well, more your daughter. She takes after you more than me.”“Mhmmm-mhmm.” You also smelled like home. Like freshly washed laundry, earth and you. So much like you and your whole personality that Sasuke couldn’t help himself but to nuzzle his nose into your neck and simply breathe in that calming, easing scent.Even the phantom pain pulsing through his shoulder seemed to ease the tiniest bit.Your talking was a nice buzzing-sound in the background of his consciousness. Breath for breath, Sasuke relaxed. Muscle for muscle, limb for limb, until the man was nearly sagging against the one support in his life he didn’t imagine having a few years ago. Annoying friends who didn’t know how to keep their noses out of his business? Yes, of course. A sensei who was constantly bugging him about his missing empathy? Already had that, no need for more. But a loving wife, a sweet child?Not in a hundred years.“Aaaaw.” Your hands were stroking softly over his back, rubbing little circles into his clothes, dug with a little bit of strength into his tensed muscles. “It’s okay. You’re home now. We’re here for you.”Only when his right arm circled your waist did your words drifted off into the silence. This. This was his second-favorite moment of coming back home. The calmness Sasuke experienced in your arms, despite your loud words and wide gestures, which reminded him so much of Naruto sometimes that he couldn’t help but ask himself if you two were faintly related or not. Though, the rare calm moment was disturbed quickly. More hasty footsteps thundered on the wood of the hallway, only followed by a high shriek and a loud laughter which never failed to make Sasuke feel all warm and chummy on the inside.“DAD!”You loosened the hug, only for Haru to squeeze herself into the space between the two of you and sling her small, chubby limbs around his leg. “DAD!” she repeated, showing off her pearly-white teeth in a huge, innocent smile.“I’m home.” Sasuke said lowly. His right arm reached out, hands and fingers open and without a second of hesitation, Haru caught on. With a single, practiced motion and a low grunt, the man heaved his daughter into the crook of his arm. The girl squealed in delight, unabashed and unashamed to show her emotions so freely. So unlike him, so unlike any Uchiha. Haru was free from the past and as her father, he would always fight that it would stay that way - No matter how pointless his missions would be.The little girl leaned in, her strong arms reaching barely around his neck. Her warmth was scorching him and should intensify the phantom pain roaring in his body, but strangely enough, Sasuke couldn’t care less.“Welcome home,” she said. He could tell that she practiced that sentence by herself, maybe even asked you to teach it to her properly; the meaning and implication of such a simple sentence.The phantom pain wasn’t gone when Sasuke answered his daughter in a low, hushed tone. So low that even you couldn’t hear what he whispered into his daughter’s ear, despite standing right beside them. He was still hypersensitive of every smell, of every sound in his close proximity, even when Sasuke slipped a little trinket into Haru’s hand. A pin for her Uchiha-hair, black as night and as smooth as silk, adorned with a little plum blossom at the very tip. He was still a bit miffed about wasting his time at something so simple as scouting out a group of mercenaries when he followed you into the kitchen, Haru still comfortably tucked away in the crook of his arm and the pin proudly displayed in her hair. But these little irritations were nothing against the feeling of being in the one place where he felt the most accepted for all his nooks and crannies, and, most importantly, felt loved for them.Sasuke was truly at home and he couldn’t be happier about it.
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Leaving for a mission was easier when he was younger, Kakashi dryly mused. He had been alone, had an empty apartment and not many friends to say ‘goodbye’ to. Hell, when he was in Anbu, he wasn’t even allowed to do that. One day there and the next, gone like a shadow in the midday sun, and his corpse would’ve never made it back to Konoha anyway.His friends would’ve just asked themselves where he was, never truly sure if he was still alive and only captured by the enemy, subjected to inhumane torture and violence, or if his body was already one with the earth.Now, it was only harder. Harder because…“You packed everything, right?”“Yes.”“All of your kunai? Scrolls? Shuriken?”Kakashi smiled underneath his mask as he watched how you wandered around the shared bedroom, arms full with freshly washed clothes. He was supposed to leave in ten minutes, but he wasn’t too sure if you were able to let him go that easily. His bag was also not packed, which could be due to you still throwing things on top of the blanket.One of the things you learned to do when he was supposed to leave: You would always try to make him stay until the very last possible second, if now by repacking his bags, drawing out the morning rituals or seducing him. You had tried all of these methods and a lot more, and Kakashi would be a liar if he said he wouldn’t enjoy them. Nevertheless…He had to leave. His heart grew heavy, weary, loaded. He had to leave you behind; you and…“DAD!”A small body tackled him from behind, right into the back of his knees. Kakashi expected it, even heard his daughter coming, but pretended to still be thrown off his impeccable balance. He groaned, only to dramatically tumble to the ground, his daughter giggling and laughing with the cheer of unbridled youth.“I win!” she announced to you. Then, with her black eyes and grey hair which was a typical Hatake-family trait, she crawled up to his chest, cuddling into him. “Dad? When do you come back?”The short moment of lightness was erased just by that innocent question. One look up at you—how your eyes nearly swam in tears—but with a forced smile on your face, and Kakashi’s heart grew even heavier. He had to leave his family behind. A family; the only family which ever counted to him, on him.Carefully, Kakashi sat up, cradled the most precious person in his life in his arms and looked at her seriously in the eyes. “I will be faster back than you can say “Chidori”, sweetheart. I promise.”Her eyes widened. “Pinky promise?”“Biggest pinky promise of my life.” And indeed, when Kakashi wrapped his much bigger little finger around hers, he swore to himself to come back. He needed to come back, even if it was on all fours, bleeding out of his gut, without his teeth and tongue and toes and fingers. Nothing would stop him from coming back.He would come back. One look he shared with you, the sad smile tugging at your lips and at his heartstrings, and Kakashi knew nothing but death could stop him from returning home.Now, he could only hope death wouldn’t find him.
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His instincts had always been sharp; sharper than necessary. Usually, they were useful, in battle and when he was being ambushed by the enemy.Well, usually. Not when he was safe and sound at home, not when he was in his own place and had nothing to fear. But his instincts didn’t care.He was home and you just left the shower to dress yourself in some loose clothing. Kakashi stood with his back turned to the door of the kitchen, humming lowly under his breath as he continued to stir the stew he prepared for a nice, calm evening between the two of you.From one moment to the next, everything changed. An attack from behind, a person creeping up on him. For a mere second, Kakashi’s entire body tensed, before he forced to relax himself. One, two more steps of the attacker, closer to him and closer into his range. He swiveled around and jabbed forward. His knuckles met perfectly the nose of his assailant. A satisfying crack echoed in the kitchen, the person stumbled backwards, falling, a short gasp, a hiss—!Kakashi blinked, and the curtain lifted. Instantly, shame overcame him as he realized he had hit you. You clutched your nose, tears streaming down your face, shaking on the ground and cladded into some light clothes.He sunk to the ground, hands outstretched and still not daring to touch you. “Oh fuck, I’m so sorry! So, so sorry! I was reacting, I didn’t know what I was thinking, the alarms weren’t even… Fuck, I’m just so goddamn sor-!”He really thought you were crying. The trembling shoulders, the tears in your eyes, hands clutched in front of your face, protectively shielding your already bruising nose from any more harm. He really thought you were crying.To see how you pulled away your hands to reveal a wide, pained smile underneath certainly wasn’t what he expected.“This hurts more than I expected,” you mumbled, hissed again through your teeth as you warily touched your nose, only to pull away with another low hiss, “Fuck! You really don’t pull your punches.”Kakashi didn’t say anything. Just waited for your verdict. He fucked up there, royally. He hurt you, possibly broke your nose, fucking goddammit. And you laughed? Just laughed into his face, still tenderly cradling your nose, the first drops of blood crawling over your skin, and laughed.Surprisingly, you reached out, fingertips gripping into his shirt before he could pull away. “Hey,” your soft voice made him flinch nevertheless, “hey. It’s alright. It’s good. It was my fault. I should’ve known better than to sneak up on you. But I have to say…” Another pained hiss, then your eyes found his. “I didn’t expect you to hit me that hard. My nose is basically shattered.” Then, your eyes turned sulled as you pouted, eyes big and pleading while at the same time, a bruise already started to show all around your nose. “How am I going to kiss you now? I can barely breathe through my nose without having to cry…”Needless to say, Kakashi did everything in his power to make sure you were alright. And also needless to say, you didn’t miss a single opportunity to tease him about the “broken nose-accident”.
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Iruka was never too sure why you had chosen him out of all the people groveling at your feet. You were a jonin, skilled and beautiful, with the uncanny talent to strip your opponent of every defense, no matter if with a kunai or your mere words. Maybe, that was the reason why he got a second date where others failed. His ability to hold himself in conversations, not backing down in an argument, defending his own position and still being able to concede if he was convinced otherwise. Maybe it had been his kindness, or maybe it had been his direct questioning if there would be a date happening between the two of you.The first date turned into a second and third date, then a fourth and a fifth. Friendly talks turned into whispered hushes breathed into each other's ear; the platonic distance turned into innocent touches of your hands, and those turned into not-so-innocent touches. With hissed curses through gritted teeth, you two grinded into each other and drowned in quick, breathless kisses. Your friendship turned into a relationship, and Iruka couldn’t believe his luck when you agreed to move in with him after asking you while laying in bed, basking in the afterglow of some of the best sex he ever had. Straightforward and right from his gut, nothing else but that. Both of you chose a flat together, and together, you filled the flat and made it a home. Together, you did your chores and kept the flat tidy and organized, and together, you enjoyed the life you were living and did your best to keep it that way.That was how Iruka found himself in the double bed one evening, correcting some tests he didn’t manage to finish yet, with the bright red pen spinning around his fingers in between questions. You were sitting beside him, a pair of new reading glasses sitting on the tip of your nose and engrossed in a thick novel (you read him some lines, especially the parts about “magic” and other cultures so unlike their own). Your knees were drawn up with the novel settled on top of them, and the blanket pulled and bunched around your body. Your simple pj’s were soft and worn-out by the years of use, a bit faded even. You were simply and utterly beautiful to him. A few scars here and there (with more hidden underneath the clothes), one or two wrinkles crinkling the corners of your eyes and mouth: all of it which was a part of you. Iruka still couldn’t believe his luck sometimes. After years of a relationship with you, he still felt like the very first day of waking up together in one bed, filled to the brim with tingling, sparkling, and bubbling feelings. His mouth opened out of instinct, and when the words bubbled out of his mouth, Iruka meant every syllable in this very moment. “I would die for you.”He didn’t expect any sweet nothings from you. Not in the slightest. But when you turned your head ever so slightly, some strands falling into your eyes and you looked right into Iruka’s face, only to say “You will,” in an eerie, cold tone, a shudder wandered down his back. It was of the good kind; making him shift around and remember that the last time you two made love had been some time ago. In that special way, on top of that.Still, you stared at Iruka right over the upper rims of your glasses, even though there was a certain twinkle in his eyes indicating that the teacher knew exactly what you were doing to him. “Well?” You cocked your head to the side. “Anything to say to that?”Iruka could only shake his head. His mouth was dry like the desert, too tense to really think about anything else but the molten anticipation growing inside his lower stomach. When you closed your novel and dropped the heavy book onto your nightstand, Iruka flinched, but moaned when your hand came to a rest in his lap and squeezed the growing bulge with a tenderness betraying your cold tone.Not very subtle, but if anything, he appreciated your direct approach. After all, the direct approach always kind of worked for the two of you and you didn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
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“Uuurgh…”A porcupine danced in his head. It had to be. A fucking angry porcupine with a personal hatred for him and him only. Yamato groaned, filled to the brim with agony and a head packed with wool. He could feel his tongue—usually a part of his own body, but now a strange muscle in his own mouth, and the taste! Like something died and rotted away in his mouth, deep down in his throat, and crawled upwards to greet the world once more. A terrible thought. However, every matter of taste or fleeting impression about his surroundings vanished when Yamato ever so slightly moved his head. The porcupine was back, even worse than before. An angry, fat porcupine, with all the needles digging into the inside of his skull with a vengeance only known to lifelong enemies. Another deep groan vibrated through his entire body as Yamato buried his head in the pillows. The darkness felt nice, soothing against the brightness of the new day. And the smell, the smell was also good. He snuggled his face deeper into the cushions. Lavender, mint, something else so incredibly fresh—maybe lemon? Or some other citrus fruit he couldn’t name right now?—and something he recognized deeply within. Because… Gods, he couldn’t name it, but he knew that scent, knew the smell, always caught a whiff of it when he was close to someone special; someone he cherished even though you had no idea he was even looking at you that way. Despite the porcupine starting to act up again, Yamato flinched upwards, out of the nest of blankets and pillows. His blurry vision stopped him from examining his surroundings, in the same way he would examine the place of a future battle. Quickly, he blinked and ever so slowly, his vision cleared up. And he noticed something.This was not his bedroom, not his bed. Hell, this was not even his flat. When Yamato looked around, the porcupine didn’t vanish, but it got pushed further and further into the background by the sheer, blind panic settling over his mind like a snake tightening its hold around his neck. Not his flat. The entire layout of the place was unfamiliar to him. The bookshelves around the room were filled with books about chakra theory, different nick-nacks, and small potted plants which weren’t even halfway close to his own large plants in his own place. The furniture seemed comfy enough to sleep on, but out of reasons he couldn't comprehend, his drunk self decided the plush carpet was the better place to visit dreamland. There was also abstract art hanging all over the walls, bright colors and deep, in intense shades and hues. At the sight, his heart sunk straight through the ground. The smell had been a mere hint, but the art together with the lively colors was a dead give-away. Yamato had landed right in the flat of his crush in a drunken stupor. No idea how, why or what he was thinking, but a night out with Kakashi often led to stupid decisions with even stupider outcomes. But this one had to be the worst of them all—if Yamato really thought hard about that. Sneaking into the flat of his crush and crashing there. Fantastic. Wonderful. He needed to get out of here. Barely suppressing another groan, Yamato wiggled out of the blanket and got to his feet. Thankfully, he was still wearing his clothes from the night before, even though they reeked of alcohol, sweat and smoke. Better than nothing, and definitely better than being naked or worse. His pair of sandals was neatly set right beside the makeshift bedside, thus Yamato could just slip into them. Unfortunately, his fingers were still a bit uncoordinated, struggling and fighting with the straps to put them onto his own two feet. How embarrassing. An Anbu who wasn’t even able to pull on his own sandals. Not even the heavy hangover could be an excuse for this. There Yamato sat: in the middle of his bedside on the carpet, hopelessly fiddling with his sandals and still trying to ignore the rising nausea in the pit of his stomach and the fat porcupine dancing inside his skull, when he heard steps and a distinct hum floating through the air. More steps, coming closer to the living room, only for the nearby door to be pushed open and revealing you. Yamato froze on the spot, still busy trying to pull on his left sandal. You beamed at him, eyes twinkling in mirth and mischief. “Hey there. Good to see you’re awake.”“H-Hello.” Oh gods, this was worse than Yamato ever could’ve imagined. His own tongue tasted like death itself, he felt sick and downright disgusting, and there you were. Looking like the sun, the stars and moon altogether, with a plate in one hand and a cup of water in the other. “I’m… uuh… I’m sorry for disturbing you, I shouldn’t have…”“Yeah, you shouldn’t have.” Still, there was laughter twinkling in your eyes as you settled the plate and glass down onto the nearby coffee table. “But you did break into my flat in the middle of the night and stayed over. You’re lucky for being adorable when drunk.”
Adorable?
Did you really just call him… adorable?
Yamato blinked in surprise. He couldn’t really react when you leaned forward and your fingers stroked over his cheek. Just shy of a real caress, merely the brush of the butterfly's wing. Nevertheless, Yamato could feel himself blush; probably to the color of a tomato, plus the bright red ears, bright red cheeks and the bright red spots leading down his neck and collarbones. Why were you touching him like this? Why were you so close? Basically right up in his face? Why did you touch his face in such an intimate gesture? Oh god, did you know? Did you know what he felt for you? Were you teasing him? But you were smiling so honestly at him as your hand dropped back into your lap, so beautiful that Yamato’s heart seemed to want to jump out of his chest. “I can guess you’re pretty sick right now, but after a hangover, nothing helps against alcohol-induced sickness than a nice breakfast, a cool glass of water and a good headache medication. Let me just quickly grab the medicine, but you can start eating already.”Not waiting for an answer, you stood up and exited the living room, leaving Yamato befuddled, stunned and utterly confused. What was going on? Was he still dreaming or drunk enough to imagine all of this? That you were so nice to him, treating him well and even… he didn’t know what was going on anymore. The best choice was to grab the plate and start eating, and slowly and savoring every bite. And eat, he did. But his attention wasn’t on the food. No, Yamato was still thinking about the mystery you dropped on his hungover-mind. Somehow, he couldn’t think straight, too confused and still trying to think so hard that his head started to hurt even more. Then, you returned, this time carrying a bottle of pills with you. “Aah, you’re eating. Great. And here, the promised medicine. Feeling a bit better, at least?”Yamato nodded. “Good.” Again, your smile melted his heart into a small puddle. With a little sigh, you crouched down, so close to him your scent filled his nose. “Anything else?”“Uhm… no. I’m…” Yamato cleared his throat. “I’m really sorry for intruding. I didn’t mean to come here. I think I mistook your flat for mine…”“Because your flat is just three blocks away, in a totally different building.”“Yeah.” Gods, could you maybe stop smiling at him? Yamato could feel himself blushing again, though he pressed onward. “It wasn’t my intention to come here and disturb your sleep…”“My alarm seals went off at 3am. That was pretty rude of you, yes.” And still, your eyes continued to twinkle and when you cocked your head to the side, your smile widened. “But sorry, go on. I keep on interrupting you.”“Yeah…” Was it hot in this room? Did you turn up the heating when it was barely Fall? “What I wanted to say, I’m truly sorry for doing this. It was a mistake on my part and I apologize for everything I might’ve done or said when I was in here, because I can’t remember—!”“You declared your love to me. Told me I was beautiful, the moon and stars and sun in your life, only to fall asleep on my carpet because it was comfier than a tree branch.” Your following giggle embarrassed and excited Yamato all the same. “I could barely talk you into accepting a pillow and some blankets before you snoozed off.”“I did?” he squeaked. “I did that?”You nodded, still grinning. “You did that.”“Oh gods…”“They can’t help you now.”“I’m so sorry for bothering you with this (Y/N), I didn’t want you to ever find out about that…”“Aaw, but that would be a shame if I never would’ve found out. Otherwise I could never do this…”Before Yamato could react, hell, even think about what you just said, your warm lips found his. A slow, languid kiss, still soft and just as fast over as it started. Still, his heart was racing as his eyes fluttered shut, still halfway dreaming and hoping this was real. Oh gosh, he really wished this was real. And if this was some kind of cruel fantasy his alcohol-riddled mind made up, then he didn’t want to wake up. Just five blessful minutes of this heaven, five more before he would have to wake up.However, Yamato didn’t wake up. He didn’t wake up when your hands sneaked into his hair, tugged ever so gently at the very roots, fingernails scratching over his scalp in the most delicious way, before your lips pulled away, followed by your hands leaving his skin. Yamato could feel more than hear himself whine wordlessly at your retreat, not even trying to stop the embarrassing sound from coming out of his mouth. This had to be a dream. It had to be. A hazy dream-castle, made up by his crazy, still slightly drunk, still spinning mind. But could he really imagine you with that much detail? Was your image that deeply burned into his brain that he could conjure it perfectly?“Gosh.” Your giggle ripped Yamato out of his deep thinking. “You look like I just tackled you. Sorry. I just…” Again, your hand swept across his head, buried itself for the shortest moment in his hair. “I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Even though you apparently don’t remember your own confession.”“Wha—!”“Don’t make me say it now. Finish your breakfast,” you nodded at the plate, “drink your water and take your medicine. And then, lay back and rest. I will be here, waiting.” You winked at him, only to leave the room just as fast as you had come. You left Yamato behind, who was still blinking and not knowing if he was still dreaming or not. His lips were tingling, and your touch lingered on his skin. Gods, he could still feel your fingers in his scalp. Maybe, this time he should thank Kakashi for last night's drinking.