safety [Kakashi Hatake x OC]

eighty-two

"Morning, Kakashi." Eri grinned at his door and held up two bags full of groceries.

"Eri." The man blinked, still surprised to see her there even after reading the note from Asuma. He then raised his shoulders and shrunk back as much as he could in his tall physique, shy from what she may have witnessed the previous night and his lack of together-ness in that moment. "You comin' to make breakfast or something?"

"Of course!" Kakashi stepped aside and allowed her inside. "I heard you had a rough night last night." She quickly surveyed the room.

"Ah, yeah. Just a little bit. Sorry about the mess." He started straightening pillows and picking up empty bottles off of the coffee table.

"It's really not that bad." Eri acknowledged as she started unpacking the grocery bags, and she was right. Other than some trash on the surfaces that hadn't been thrown out and blankets and pillows strewn about, it wasn't messy. She got the sense that it was always clean at his place, so this may have been considered 'messy,' to him, but she didn't really recall witnessing his clean home. "You, on the other hand..." She raised a judgemental brow and looked him up and down, taking in his disheveled appearance.

His voluminous silver hair was sprouting out in all different directions, and it was particularly shiny from having not been washed. His under-tank shirt was haphazard and twisted to one side. He had dark circles under his one visible eye, and quite frankly, he didn't smell the best.

"... You might need a shower." The girl suggested.

"Um, yeah." His cheeks were pinkened with embarrassment. "Honestly, you woke me up." He chuckled uncomfortably. "Do you mind if I do that?"

Eri shook her head and smiled; it was the smile that kept him going. "Go ahead. I'll just be cooking."

"Thanks." He affectionately ruffled her hair as he passed by her. "Be back soon -" He caught himself and retreated to the bathroom. He constantly wanted to treat her like someone who was very close to him - and she was, she just couldn't remember - and call her pet names. But, he couldn't. It would confuse her and he wasn't sure what to think after what he had seen in Tsunade's office the previous day.

Yet, she still came by and wanted to see him, and she was just in the other room preparing breakfast, and being greeted with her friendly, trusting smile was enough to make his headache go away, and for his body to feel less beat down from the extensive alcohol intake during his embarrassing breakdown.

It definitely worked the first time around, so he didn't question it the second time when he pulled his clean joggers and tight under shirt over his damp body. He knew that his clothes fit his finely toned body particularly well, and this was the only reason to take advantage of it.

Eri heard the door open and briefly glanced up from plating the freshly made eggs and bacon, but found herself doing a double-take. She could feel heat rise to her face, and she knew it wasn't the steam from the hot pans.

If he could succeed in turning her head - even for a second - he had hope.