safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

thirty-two

"Eri." Kakashi whispered. His voice was tired, but the said girl could hear a crack of insecurity. They had been quiet for the majority of the time that he had been taking care of the small wounds, but there were a lot of them, and they covered a large amount of her back and arms.

"Yeah." She answered in an equally soft tone, readjusting her towel and pulling her shoulder-length hair back in front of her shoulders as he tended to them.

"I'm sorry that you got hurt."

She sighed light-heartedly and grinned gently. "Isn't that just a part of the ninja life?"

He clenched the wet towel at her back. It was clear that he was very frustrated and disappointed. "I should have noticed. I should have protected you."

"Then we'd just be in the same position the other way around." She reasoned.

"It is my job to protect you. I would much rather be on the other side and got hurt instead of you."

"It is your job to make sure I don't cause trouble, not to protect me."

"Technically, yes. But I now fully understand why you're here, and as a shinobi it is up to my discretion to decide what is best in any mission." He explained as if he were sorting through his own thoughts. She turned her head to catch his distant gaze. She certainly felt exhausted, but his own tiredness was obvious on his face, especially considering that she wasn't aware he had used both his regular Sharingan and Mangekyou. Still, he met her black eyes to show her how genuine he was. "You are not a threat. You are not someone we cannot trust. You are seeking refuge, whether that is just something I know or along the lines of the mission as determined by the Hokage."

She was especially tired, making her succumb to emotion as silent tears started to drip down her cheeks.

Kakashi was overcome with shock and he began to panic. "Ah! Please, don't cry!"

"I'm sorry." She laughed and sniffled. "I'm just tired and emotional."

"We'll get to bed soon, and it will all be okay, don't worry." He tried to calm her, but she was beyond emotional stability.

"I'm not worried. I'm actually relieved and happy... and tired."

"This seems like a strange time to be happy."

"Kakashi, this is the first time I've felt really safe in... probably ever. I'm grateful and happy, and it's thanks to you, Kakashi." She smiled.

The man felt like he was melting inside. He was warm and soft, and he just wanted to pull her into a hug and make all of her history with her kekkei genkai and Kirigakure go away.

But she was barely clothed, and the towel over her chest was slipping. So he got up quickly, turned away from her, and muttered, "Your towel..."

She wrapped it around her torso, and he brought her an old t-shirt of his. "The scratches are clean, and they aren't too deep so you don't need bandages. This is old so it's okay if you get some blood on it, but you should still sleep on your stomach so that you don't irritate the wounds."

"Ah, thank you." The girl quickly put it on the shirt and dropped the towel. She folded her arms over her chest self-consciously, seen as she couldn't put on a bra until her back started to scab over.

"Now," he declared with a heavy sigh of exhaustion, "I think it's time for bed." He gently pushed by her to leave the bathroom and pulled fresh blankets out of his closet, casually throwing them on the couch.

She was careful not remove her arm from her chest before she grabbed his thick wrist. She looked at the ground, and once again, her cheeks were flushed with shyness. "Kakashi..." She whispered, struggling to get the words out. He patiently waited for her to continue, eventually allowing her to say, "Please don't stay out here, with the open window and the glass..."

"What? Do you want me to sleep on the floor?" He smirked and laughed light-heartedly. 

She looked up at him with wide, pleading dark eyes. He could see the small glint of her lighter gray pupil in the moonlight that crept through the broken window. "I don't want to be alone tonight." She clarified what she had meant by her statement.

He blinked a few times. It was just like the night in Kumogakure, but she seemed more scared and desperate this time. There was no way he could say "no" to her big, black eyes, nor did he want to. 

Without saying anything, he followed her to the bed, shutting the bedroom door behind him and leaving the mess in the living room to be cleaned in the morning. He laid beside her as she laid on her stomach, twisting as far away from him as she could with her injuries.

"Try not to kick me again this time." He joked.

This made the girl laugh and turn back towards him. Her eyes were genuinely smiling as she looked at him, comforted by his presence. "Try not to compulsively cuddle me without my consent."

"Do I have your consent?"

She took a minute to respond, narrowing her gaze at him before timidly turning away again. She was too tired to think rationally; she was only concerned with her physical wants. It was just between them two anyway.

"Do what you want."