safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

forty-six

Eri hugged Kakashi's torso and pressed more closely to him. "Hi." She whispered, grateful that he was there with her.

He couldn't describe how relieved and happy he was when she finally woke up, but he tried to be as comforting as possible. He set down his novel and returned her hug, running a hand through her mauve locks.

"You've been asleep for a month and you're still tired." He teased.

She groaned, but a gentle smile was on her lips. "Am I in a hospital?" She took in her surroundings. It was dim and the blinds over the window were closed, with a single lamp by the small bed illuminating the room. It smelt uncomfortably clean, and it didn't feel like home other than the fact that Kakashi was there.

And she was cuddling him.

Which, despite their history and having lived together for a while, was as intimate as they had ever been together.

The girl suddenly became flushed with embarrassment and pushed away from him, hiding her flustered expression under the shadow of her bangs.

The man couldn't deny that he was a little disappointed, but what could he expect?

She looked at the clock on the other side of the room, and asked, "Why are you here in the middle of the night?" What she really wanted to ask was, 'why are you here, holding me, and still around even after I've been gone for month. Don't you have better things to do?'

His answer: 'Because I love you and can't stand leaving you here alone.' But he refrained. She was probably too overwhelmed to understand. So, he just said, "Why wouldn't I be here?"

"This idiot loves you." Tsunade suddenly appeared in the doorway with a gentle grin, almost like a cool mother who looked at her son - one of her adored shinobi - with pride.

"Tsunade-sama..." Eri muttered as Kakashi tried to figure out how to get himself out of his predicament in front of his superior.

"All those flowers," the blonde woman began, gesturing to the vases at the window, each filled with a different assortment, "none are from him."

"I don't do the flower thing." He grumbled.

"No, but he would have gotten flowers if he left your side once." Tsunade lifted a brow at the white-haired man.

He raised a hand to feign surrender. "You caught me."

Eri stared at the man beside her with wide eyes, partly in disbelief and partly because she felt so loved.

"Ah." He rubbed the back of his head and glanced away from her, uncharacteristically shy. "Don't look at me like that."

"Anyway," The Hokage commanded attention as she continued, "now that you're awake, let me just make sure everything is healed and you can go home. But I won't allow you to go on any missions for at least six weeks, and don't do anything strenuous during that time either."

Kakashi had been told about two weeks into Eri's hospitalization that she would definitely survive, but they couldn't be sure when she'd wake up. So, he waited until that day. The nurses and doctors had to force him to just leave her side to shower and change.

It was obvious to everyone that was close to either Kakashi or Eri that the independent and lonesome man adored her.

By the next afternoon, Eri was released from the hospital and she and Kakashi went home. The apartment looked like it hadn't been lived in for a month, and it really hadn't been.

He was so comforted that she was finally home that he nearly fell asleep as soon as he showered laid down in the bed. He was also excited to share a bed with the girl, though he'd never admit it out loud. Her needs and feeling of safety always took priority over his desires.

 He read until Eri sat on the other side of the bed. He could tell that she was distant. 

"What are you thinking?" He asked lowly.

"Did you kill him?" She couldn't look at him, but all he could think about was if she was truly free again or not.

"Who was he?" He inched closer to her, waiting for her to lie down and relax.

"Did you kill him?" She questioned again, her voice sterner. She finally met his gaze, and there was fear in her dark orbs.

"Eri..." He sat up, knowing this was about to be an intense conversation. "I did. Although you really did, I just put him out of his misery."

She released a heavy sigh as though she was finally letting go of something that plagued her for far too long. She then dropped her head on his shoulder, and within a few more seconds, she was shaking. Silent tears fell from her eyes. 

Kakashi brought her closer, pulling her onto his lap and letting her cry into his shoulder. He soothingly stroked her upper back, knowing that this was all he could do to help her.