Title: talking to scarecrows
Summary: Tenzo is an expert in the mannerisms of Kakashi Hatake, and knows he says more with the way he says things than what he actually says. (TenKaka)
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When Kakashi says "I'm fine" with an exasperated smile with thinly veiled fondness in his eye, he actually is fine.
When Kakashi says "I'm fine" with an irritated bite in his tone, it means that he's okay, but not in the best condition, but you should really stop asking before he bites your head off literally.
When Kakashi says "I'm fine" with an undertone of pain, it means that he's not fine, he's not okay, because if he's not fine enough to hide his pain, then he needs to be shipped off to the hospital or to a medic immediately.
When Kakashi says "I'm fine" with absolutely no emotion, he's not okay at all. Maybe he hasn't any injuries, but really, he needs to be wrapped up in a hug until he can smile sincerely again.
And then, there are the very rare times, when Kakashi says "I'm fine" when it's completely obvious he's not, choking the words out through muffled sobs and looking like he doesn't want to not only live, but exist at all.
And often, it's Tenzo who deals with the quiet hiccups and apologies that don't need to be said because there's nothing to apologize for.
Tenzo only knows this because he's been exposed to Kakashi for a long time, and knows him better than the other would like or admit.
That's why it often irritates him when people hate Kakashi because of how he appears to act, because they don't understand that he's like this because it's the only thing that keeps him even mildly sane. It's the reason why Tenzo finds the root of all the rumors that will only chip away at Kakashi's already fragile mentality and destroy it quickly, all without Kakashi's notice.
Tenzo doesn't really understand how people can hate Kakashi. Certainly, you might dislike him, or find him irritating; Tenzo does the latter himself. But how does anybody hate Kakashi, the stupid self-sacrificing genius with a horrible sense of humor?
Sometimes, Tenzo wishes he could just bundle Kakashi up in a swath of warm blankets and hide him someplace safe until he feels all better again.
While Kakashi is a hundred definitions of "fucked up", Tenzo can't really say he wants Kakashi any other way, despite how stupidly corny and cheesy that sounds. He just doesn't care.
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a/n: eh I'm personally not all too proud of this one but this needed to be written… plot bunnies y'know?
Review, please? Tell me what you think?