safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

forty-eight

Eri blinked in shock. Whenever someone "liked" her, that person meant that he liked her enough to not kill her, keeping her around for his own benefit. She saw that Kotetsu's intentions were nothing but pure, though.

"I've liked you for a while, but I guess I haven't been man enough to do anything about it." He laughed, joking off his insecurity as he always did.

"You aren't serious, are you?" The girl furrowed her brows. It was a humiliating reaction, but she also was familiar with his character as his close friend.

Once again, he chuckled then leaned back a little bit to ease the tension. "No, Eri, I'm serious this time. What do you say? Can I take you on a date?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't find any words. Her eyes were wide and flicked back and forth uncertainly.

"It's okay, it's okay." He tried to respect how overwhelmed she was. "You don't have to answer right away. Think about it."

When the desperate 'I don't know what to do' expression wouldn't leave her face, he simply squeezed her smaller fingers and said, "Please?"

Eventually, she nodded.

With an assuring grin, he gave her a subtle kiss on the cheek and muttered, "Thank you, Eri," and walked away.

Still in disbelief, Eri slowly made her way back into the apartment, but rested her back on the door, sliding to the floor in disbelief. Kakashi came from the bathroom and paused when he saw her staring into nothingness.

"Hey." He pulled her from her trance, kneeled down to her level, and poked her forehead to get her attention. "What's on your mind?"

Droplets fell from his silver, and his dark clothing clung to his wet body, glistening with the beads of water that hadn't dried yet. Even though the girl had lived with him for so long at this point, she'd never get used to seeing him like this. 

As far as physicality was concerned, Kotetsu had nothing on Kakashi. According to her, no one had anything on the clean, still dripping with water, muscular man before her. 

"Kotetsu just told me that he liked me."

Kakashi's jaw tightened and his stomach churned. He felt frustrated, angry, and insecure that this 'boy' managed to get to her before he did, and he lived with her. "Do you like him?" He eventually found the courage to ask, although he was fuming with jealousy.

"As a friend, yes. But not in the way he meant." She answered confidently.

As soon as she said those words, the man could have fallen over with overwhelming relief, but he tried to remain steady. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I mean, I obviously need to tell him "no," but I don't know how to say it." She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, pouting, "I don't want to hurt him."

"Oh, Eri." He chuckled, then quickly and suspiciously leaned forward, but she didn't do anything to push him away. He whispered in her ear, his voice low and suggestive, "You're too good for this world."

He peeled down his mask and gently and teasingly nibbled the soft, thin skin of her neck.

She yelped, and he leaned back with a sly grin, only hinted at beneath the blue fabric that he had replaced without revealing his face to her. She held a hand over her neck and cried, "The hell was that for?!"

"I'm just saying; no one deserves you." He laughed and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair.

She frowned, but she wasn't mad. Instead, she grabbed the towel around his neck and slung it over his wet hair, dramatically rubbing it dry before cracking a small smile. "You're getting everything wet. Dry yourself off."

He took the towel from his head and slid it behind her, all the way down to her waist so he could pull her to him. She squeaked and laughed, putting her hands in front of her to keep some sort of space between them as the wet towel dampened her clothes. "Hey!"

He rested his forehead on hers, allowing droplets of water to slide down her face from his thick hair. She rolled her big eyes and smirked, staying very close to him.

"Looks like I've gotten you a little wet, too." He teased.

"Kakashi!" She gasped and playfully pushed him away.

"Oh, you love me." He joked.

"Pervert." She huffed and laughed.

"You didn't say 'no.'"

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

He shrugged and muttered, keeping the playful mood with a light-hearted chuckle, but knowing he secretly wanted so much more. "I guess not."