safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

fifty-two

As discussed with Tsunade, Kakashi helped Eri move out the next day. The girl felt eager, but also anxious and a bit sad. She couldn't remember what it was like without her odd roommate and she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

She didn't have many of her own belongings, so moving in wasn't too difficult. Some living essentials came with the apartment as well.

At around seven o'clock in the evening, Kakashi prepared to leave her alone to get used to her space. "Well," He sighed at the door, waiting by the open frame until they said a fulfilling "goodnight," "here we are."

"Yeah." Eri hummed, looking around before returning her attention to him. "Look at me being all independent."

He laughed. "It took us a while to get here."

"Yeah, it really did." She grinned, reminiscing over the times they shared while living together. There were a few moments of silence as neither of them really wanted to leave either alone. "We're so pathetic." She eventually joked.

"You've made me soft." He teased

"You've always been soft."

"Nah, it's just you."

"Sure." She rolled her eyes.

His dark eye was kind as it gazed at her, but there was a deep sadness behind them; it was something she recognized but hadn't seen in such a long time. "Goodnight, Eri."

"Goodnight, Kakashi." Her voice clipped at the end of her words.

With that, he turned to leave, and she shut the door behind him. But the sinking feeling in her gut kept her from allowing him to leave so casually.

She opened the door and called after him, "Kakashi!" He was only a few steps away; just a few doors down. He paused and looked back at the girl who was watching him with such genuine compassion. She jogged up to him and stood just in front of him for a few seconds.

She debated what to do. She wanted to pull down his mask and kiss him, and she didn't know how badly he wanted to kiss her. But she brought herself to hug him, pressing her cheek to his chest.

Cautiously, he hugged her back, rubbing his fingers up and down the space between her shoulder blades. "Thank you for everything." She muttered shyly.  

"I think I should thank you, too."

"For what?" She giggled, only squeezing him a bit more tightly.

"I don't really know; maybe, just being you?"

A gentle grin stretched from ear to ear on her petite face. She let go of him and looked up at him with her big eyes. He didn't know what he'd do without seeing them before he went to bed every night. "If you need me," she began in a playful tone, "I'm just a few blocks down."

She gathered her courage, stood on her toes, peeled down a corner of his mask, and planted a kiss on his cheek. Before she could embarrass herself further, she turned and returned to her new home.

From the moment that she closed the door to her apartment, it was eerily quiet. Even when he wasn't home, Kakashi's place never felt so quiet and lonely. As soon as he was gone, she missed him.

And he deeply missed her, but he wouldn't infringe on her new-found independence. He knew how much she meant to him and how hard it was to leave her alone and return to his home that was just as empty and alone it was before he met her, but he cherished the small act of tenderness and kindness that she had given him on his cheek. If anyone had seen his reaction in the moment, he would have been thoroughly embarrassed.

There were so many things he wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to express, from the fact that he loved her to that he'd miss her. All he was able to tell her was a strange "thank you" and "goodnight."

It was a long, lonely walk home for him, but for Eri, it was the beginning of a long, lonely night. Neither of them could sleep, feeling like their lives had become a bit emptier. The bed felt cold and uninviting without the person on the other side. Every noise startled her as she hoped it would be him quietly knocking on her door, but it never was.

Nonetheless, come three o'clock in the morning with a bright, nearly full moon in the sky and two restless individuals that were hopelessly in love with each other, Kakashi and Eri had not been able to fall asleep.

The white-haired man was pacing for hours, debating what he'd do considering that Eri's absence was the most painful thing for him to experience. Then, he figured that they had lived together for over two years and perhaps - just maybe - she missed him just as much as he did her. The worst that could happen is that she was asleep and couldn't answer the door.

That's what he convinced himself as he headed back to her new home, hoping she wouldn't be upset that he wasn't giving her space and begging to whomever was listening to his thoughts that she also couldn't fall asleep without him.