KakaSaku Week, Day 1 - Kakashi's Drunken Confessions (sort of)
Summary: In which there is a Kakashi, and one or two people are drunk and a confession happens.
A/N: If you're not caught up with spoilers about Kakashi's face, I'd suggest looking it up first! :)
Sukea relished the melting cubes of ice against his bare lips as he downed the rest of his liquor; it was less load on his already heavy mind not bothering with reinstating his mask every sip, or having to field curious stares when he'd resign to drinking through the scratchy fabric. Everyone knew what the rokudaime looked like, that was guaranteed by the colossal carving of his head in the mountain. But as Sukea, Kakashi could enjoy a quiet spot at a bar, without having to bother with too many acquaintances. It was just one of those nights.
"Another one?" The bartender dutifully plucked away his empty glass the moment he'd let go of it. Kakashi gave him a nod and mumbled a small thanks when he handed him his next drink. The searing feeling of alcohol as he gulped down a generous amount down his throat warmed his insides, his brain soothed to just that right amount of numbness that he hardly noticed the stool next to him squeak.
"Hot sake, please." The familiar voice of the patron next to him jolted his attention that he quickly turned his body towards his right, hidden from her view.
The heck is she doing here?
Kakashi could already feel her eyes on his shoulder, he must've deserved her curiosity, hunched over so awkwardly in his corner that he relented and swivelled back with practiced nonchalance. It's ok...calm down. She won't recognize you. You duped all of them years ago, remember?
Except these days, with Sakura, Kakashi hadn't been so sure if his mask even hid what it really should anymore. When he did risk glancing tentatively towards her, Kakashi couldn't help but blink at how radiant she look dressed so casually in a minty green tank top.
With head craned sideways, Sakura caught his eyes. "Have we met before?"
But he steeled his nerves enough to softly place his glass back on the wooden counter. Kakashi debated his reply; reminding her could nip her curiosity in the bud before it ventured anywhere else, but perhaps if he could pass of as a complete stranger, she'd leave him alone completely.
"I don't think I've had the pleasure," he replied with ease before taking another sip of his drink.
"Huh..I must've been mistaken." She shrugged and then slouched on her seat. "Well, I'm Sakura by the way." Her dimpled smile, and the breezy way she had offered her hand disarmed him in an instant that his hand shook hers eagerly before he had time to consider his approach.
"It's Sukea." A newer name would roll off Kakashi's tongue like a lie, and Sakura was smarter than that.
Way smarter, for she had gasped suddenly on her bar stool. "Sukea. That's right— I remember now. That was you! You were the photographer that wanted to uncover Kakashi-sensei's face!"
He was nodding a little as he pretended to ponder this. "Right...you were one of those three kids.."
"I've grown a lot since, huh?" As if to give him some kind of visual testament, Sakura swivelled her stool completely to face him.
"You sure have." With that, Kakashi took one more gulp of his alcohol, only to find himself staring at the bottom his glass. He was gonna need at least one more, and so he gestured for another cup at the bartender.
"Did you ever get a photo of what he looks like?" Sakura waited wide-eyed for his answer as she appraised him with chin propped up on the table, already the glow from her own sake tinting her cheeks.
"I gave up after my fifth attempt. Did you guys get any luck?"
"Nah, I kind of gave up on it too, after so many years." Sakura shrugged before taking a sip of her cup. "Guess we'll never know." There was a sadness to her tone as she quirked her mouth into a small pout that made him want to offer some kind of comfort.
"Probably best to leave it at that. He's kind of a weird one, that man—I mean, that's what I hear from people, at least," he amended quickly. "I couldn't even begin to imagine why he keeps a mask all the damn time. A little creepy if you ask me."
But his dig at himself made Sakura straighten up from her seat. "He's not creepy. You don't even know him." She punctuated with a light slap on his arm with the back of her hand.
"My bad, sorry," he mumbled, despite being utterly warmed by her defense to the point of smiling.
Kakashi realized that his disguise played into an advantage he hadn't thought of a few minutes ago, and so he decided to have a little fun. "Do you think he'd be handsome underneath that mask?"
"Woah, Sukeaa…" she drawled. "I didn't know you had a thing for my sensei."
"W-what? Of course not!" There was enough indignance in his words that nearly revealed his own timber from the lighter one he'd made up for the disguise.
Sakura hid her smirk inside her sake cup and then straightened her expression as she looked at him. "I'd introduce you to him properly if you like, get underneath that mask another way, if ya' know what I mean." She winked at him and Kakashi stared horrified at how easily Sakura would pimp her own friend out to strangers.
"I'm not interested in your sensei. But thanks for your..offer." His little game surely backfired quick.
"Anyway, to the rokudaime, and his damn mask." With barely steady hands, she lifted her cup for a toast, nearly spilling half the content of her sake.
Their conversation had certainly entered the realm of bizarre from the get-go, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying himself. "To Kakashi-sama," he said as he clinked his glass with hers.
It was Sakura's turn to wave the bartender down for a refill, though already looking tipsy as her fingers fumbled to snack on the free peanuts in front of them. "Well, since we couldn't get off the topic of Kakashi-sensei—"
"And who's fault is that?" Kakashi groaned sarcastically.
"—I'd like to make a confession." Her words had stopped him mid-way through lifting his glass. "But promise, don't judge? You might think it's weird, 'coz ya' know.. you've seen us as kids before, with him."
Oh god. Kakashi could feel beads of sweat in his forehead as he nodded hesitantly. "What is it?" How could he possibly handle his former student confessing her feelings for him, while disguised as someone else. He took one more sip of his drink along with a prayer. Liquid courage, they said right?
"I think he's in love with me."
Kakashi's drink sprayed out violently from his mouth, and was followed by an unsympathetic hearty laughter from his companion.
Struggling to remain unfazed, he wiped his face with a napkin, careful not to smudge the painted facial marking. "You are quite sure of yourself, aren't you?"
Sakura nodded casually, completely missing Kakashi's sarcasm. "I've thought about it for awhile, yeah."
"And do you return his feelings?"
"Hmm.. I'm not drunk enough for that question."
How is that even fair? Kakashi rolled his eyes, as he waved a hand to the waiter, who poured more alcohol for the both of them.
Hours seemed to have flown by, and the peculiar way their chairs pulled towards each other with each round of drinks wasn't lost on him; nor the way touching elbows easily moved into leaning shoulders, that pretty soon Kakashi found Sakura's head resting on his left shoulder with such familiarity. A part of him a little bothered she would be so open with strangers, the other thrilled by this unguarded closeness.
"Would you ever date someone 14 years younger?" She doesn't bother to look at him, but her wistful tone told him that she'd been pondering this for awhile.
"Age is just a number." And he let his own words sink in.
"That's what I think too.." She lifted her head to face his, there at the corner of his shoulders. He wasn't so daft not to notice she was angling for a kiss, and as he bent lower, like the most natural thing in the world, their lips touched.
The kiss was slow, a little hesitant against each others mouths as they gingerly mingled tongues with alcohol-scented breaths. Kakashi felt a twinge inside him as he painfully realized she meant to kiss this person, not him, and to willfully take part of this deception was unfair. For the both of them.
"Sakura, we can't," he whispered hoarsely as he pulled away. He didn't bother hiding his real voice anymore, but to his surprise, Sakura remained completely composed.
"Think about how perfect this is," she spoke calmly, her hand resting on his lap. "To anyone looking, I'm just Sakura, and you're just Sukea. Well, except for this." Her finger hooked around something on his arm. "—you forgot to remove this. Baka. It doesn't help that you have a distinct rip in your red armband either-I was wondering about it when I dropped off some files at your office, yesterday."
Kakashi slapped his forehead in recollection. "I use it to play tag with the ninken sometimes," he groaned. "So you've known the whole time?" He was a little hurt by the deception, but he'd be one to talk.
"Perhaps. Well, how about that kiss, Hatake?" She was so utterly smug about being impeccably right about everything, that Kakashi wanted to wipe that grin off her face. "Unless I'm wrong, and you really don't have feelings for me at all, then—"
And to that Kakashi silenced her with his lips.