Red (Kakashi Hatake x Might Guy)

Chapter Eleven

Kakashi Hatake sighed as he walked outside of the cabin, tired. He tried to blink the sleep out of them to no avail, stretching his arms and looking around at his surroundings.
It was a dry, rural area- less green than he was used to; mostly just dirt and rocks with the occasional tree and a grey, cloudy sky. Apparently, Gaara's father had kept this cabin between the Leaf and Sand villages when he was Kazekage for his rare trips so he had his own place to stay instead of having to sleep outside or in a questionable hotel in one of the many little towns between the two ninja hubs.

They'd stayed there after walking for about half of the trip, everyone seemingly energetic despite the long walk aside from Kakashi himself.

Unsurprisingly, Guy was awake despite it being barely past dawn, standing on one of the rocks and stretching his arms above his head.

"Guy, I see you're awake," Kakashi commented, approaching the older man.

"That I am, my dear rival!" Guy grinned, offering his usual thumbs-up as he looked at Kakashi, and then up at the sky. "It's a youthful morning, isn't it?"

"It is nice outside." The weather was a little humid but relatively cool, the humidity somewhat quelled by the cool breeze that blew through his silvery locks. "What are you doing up this early anyway?"

"I'm just doing my morning stretches! Would you like to join me?"

"Ah, I'm alright," Kakashi paused, nervously running a hand through his hair and averting his gaze for a few silent seconds before looking at Guy again. "I was about to go on a walk."

"I'll join you!" The ravenette hopped off of the rock he'd been standing on, landing in front of Kakashi- just close enough for the silver-haired man to smell his cologne; a scent comparable to spice and herbal tea, and one that had muddled his senses for the past twenty-four years or so. Kakashi could only offer a nod, stepping out from in front of Guy and beginning to walk, the older man moving to walk by his side.

"How'd you sleep?" Kakashi asked, figuring that some small talk wouldn't hurt. Guy hadn't ever liked silence much, and the shorter man didn't want things to become uncomfortable or awkward. "You look well-rested."

"That I am!" 'Wish I could relate. Stupid nightmares...' "How about you?"

"I slept well," He said, you know, like a liar.
Of course, as they started walking through the mostly dead forest, the cabin still in view, Guy gave him a suspicious glance, immediately seeing through him. Even with a mask on and a forehead protector covering one of his eyes, the ravenette had always been able to tell when he was feeling just about anything, whether it be sad, tired, happy, or angry.

The one thing he seemed completely oblivious to was how Kakashi was blatantly in love with him.

"You look tired."

"Is that so?" Kakashi asked, pretending that he had no idea what Guy was talking about. Suddenly, something red caught his eye, and that's when he realized that Gaara and Tenten were sitting on top of one of the sturdier live trees, both on one large branch. They seemed to be talking about something, Gaara blushing as red as his hair and Tenten softly running her fingers through the crimson locks as she laughed, the two teenagers smiling softly. It's nice to know that they're getting along. Oddly enough, both ninjas were so absorbed in each other that they didn't notice Guy or Kakashi, so the silver-haired man leaned in to whisper in Guy's ear and quietly pointed them out. "Ah, look-" Upon noticing them, Guy smiled brightly, opening his mouth to speak and greet them when Kakashi cut him off in a low tone so they wouldn't be heard. "No, leave them be. I think they're enjoying their alone time."
Guy shrugged, and with that, they continued to walk.

Once they were out of earshot, Guy started talking again, dramatic as ever as he placed a hand over his chest, tears of happiness (?) filling his dark eyes.

"Youthful love! How sweet."

Kakashi nodded, staring forward. It was silent for a bit after that, but after a few seconds had passed, he couldn't help but notice that Guy's gaze was very clearly focused on him. It was nervewracking if anything.

"You're staring, Guy," Kakashi pointed out. They stopped walking, Kakashi looking back at the cabin, which was a bit far away but still within view, and then allowing his eyes to fall on Guy, who was blushing heavily and stammering over his words.

"S-Sorry! I can't help it!"

"I wonder why that is..." Kakashi smirked under his mask, but that smirk immediately fell at Guy's next words.

"It's just, your face, I..." So he was still going to pester about the mask. Great. Kakashi could only bring himself to sigh. "About the other day, I know I was being pushy and it was too much! I'm sincerely sorry for that."

"It's not that big of a deal," Kakashi lied, giving a dismissive wave. It made sense why Guy would want to see his face, but it was a big deal, and he had been worrying about it so much for the past few days that he hadn't been able to sleep- worrying about it so much that he kept having these nightmares where Guy would see him talking without his mask to cover his mouth and realize the truth, only to also realize that he hated the thought of having Kakashi as a soulmate. "We've been friends for over twenty years and now Lee and Sakura are running around perpetuating that we're soulmates, and of course, you haven't seen most of my face, let alone my mouth. I understand why you want me to take the mask off."

"Then why don't you? You're sending mixed signals, rival..." Guy trailed off, appearing genuinely frustrated as he crossed his arms, covering the obvious frustration that was there with a forced smile. "You've always been so confusing!"

Kakashi paused. Maybe telling the truth wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he could get it over with. Maybe... Maybe it would turn out alright despite all of the fears and doubts that he had regarding the whole fiasco. Adrenaline began to rush through his veins as his heart thumped rapidly against his chest, and he wondered if the noise was loud enough for Guy to hear it.

"Guy... You've always meant a lot to me, and I know I don't say that enough. I've been quiet about this for too long," Voice shaky, Kakashi placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "You're a good friend, an amazing person- more than I deserve to have in my life, and you've always been there for me. I'd do just about anything to make you happy, but taking my mask off?"

"Listen, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Kakashi, but I really would appreciate it if you'd let me see," Guy practically pleaded, placing a hand on top of the one of Kakashi's that rested on his shoulder. Kakashi found the touch soothing, a calloused thumb brushing against the back of his knuckles. If he wasn't as afraid as he was in that moment, he would've laced their fingers together and held his soulmate's hand, but he thought better of it. "I'm not sure if I believe Lee's little theories, and I know that you have your reasons for hiding your face, but for closure's sake-!"

"Fine. If it'll make you happy, I'll take the mask off," He gathered his courage and carefully took the cloth of his mask between two fingers, about to take it off when-

Guy's hand was suddenly yanked away from his, and that's when Kakashi noticed that no other than Rock Lee was running towards them.

"Guy-Sensei, there you are!"

"Oh, Lee!" Guy greeted as Kakashi let go of his own mask, his hand slowly slipping from the ravenette's shoulder. "What's up?"

"Breakfast is ready! We should go ahead and eat so we can get an early start!"

"Right..." Guy agreed, turning to Kakashi with an awkward and apologetic smile. "You ready?"

"Of course. We can continue this some other time."