"Just go home, Tenzo."
Kakashi lazily lifted his forehead off of his perfectly polished desk to look at the man in front of him, decked out in jonin gear and handsome as ever, currently sporting a serious face. Behind his stern look, Kakashi could tell, was weariness and exhaustion from constantly having to be by his side, guarding him from the harm that never really came their way. Ever since becoming hokage, a position he'd never sought after in the first place, Kakashi found himself constantly having to send other people off on missions to protect Konoha and never really getting in on the action himself. Unfortunately for Yamato, as Kakashi's bodyguard he rarely got sent off to partake in missions either.
"As your bodyguard—"
"There's obviously nothing for you to do right now," Kakashi grumbled, cutting him off as he waved his hand in front of all the old books and secret-filled papers scattered across his desk. "It's late. Go. I'll be there when I can." He laughed softly when Yamato almost immediately shrugged, turned around, and walked out the door while mockingly mumbling a polite, respectful goodbye under his breath. Usually he was one to put up more of a fight, to make sure he did what he thought was right and proper. He usually had an 'if I'm your bodyguard, than I'm going to be your damn bodyguard,' attitude. But not today. It was as if the small amount fight he did give before leaving he only gave because he felt he had to, and not because he had actually wanted to stand around while Kakashi did his mundane end of the day tasks.
When Kakashi did arrive home, he found that Yamato had left some food ready for him, a sweet gesture he had gotten used to since acclimating to his new position. Whenever he had the chance to, Yamato would always do this sort of thing. He'd wake up early and make breakfast, in an attempt to keep Kakashi from being late to work. He'd set up dinner after they came home and leave Kakashi to get his mind off all the stress that comes along with being Hokage. He'd give him massages when he could tell he was stressed, and comfort him whenever he woke up from a particularly bad nightmare. He was just that type of partner: sweet and affectionate and sentimental, and always showing his love however he could. Kakashi sat down and ate quickly; he was starting to feel pretty emotional himself, a feeling he was not accustomed to, and wanted to find his lover.
Once he placed his dishes on the drying rack, he looked up and found a small note left for him taped above the sink. Yamato knew how neat he was, he realized. He knew I'd immediately wash my dishes and so he knew I'd see his note up here. They'd been living together for some time now, so of course Kakashi knew that Yamato was used to his habits; he'd just never really sat around and thought about it before—about how much they'd gotten to know each other and about all the ways in which Yamato was constantly showing his affection for the copy-nin. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so emotional, but he couldn't help but think about whether or not he showed Yamato the same amount of affection.
He looked at Yamato's terribly messy handwriting and made out the demand:
You'll be done eating by the time you see this.
Come meet me outside, I have a surprise for you.
T.
He rolled his eyes playfully and pocketed the note as he pushed the sliding glass doors at the back of their home and walked out into their backyard. He kicked off his sandals and let his feet rustle the grass, finding comfort in the blades gently brushing against his skin. He took note of what a beautiful night it was: he was surrounded by a dark black-blue sky, contrasted by the glowing crescent shaped moon, as well as the stars, which were a nice compliment to the yellow-white shine of the crescent as they sparkled brightly. It was warm, but not humid, abnormal for a Konoha summer. There was a slight breeze in the air that made tree leaves swish to one side and the Hydrangea from Yamato's garden waft in his direction, producing a beautiful harmony of sights, smells, and sounds. The most beautiful thing he spotted, however, was his lover, propped up in a white net hammock and giving him his small, shy smile.
He walked closer and saw that there were two trees in the left corner of their backyard, a place where just a night before there had previously been none. In-between the trees was a hammock which had been nailed into the rough bark, keeping the white net steady.
"Do you like it?" He heard Yamato say, his small smile still present on his face.
"It looks nice enough," he said back. He let his hands roam over the material and his eyes followed his movements. "Feels a little strange, though."
Yamato was not one to be discouraged. He shifted himself to the right side of the hammock and propped his head up with one hand. Using his other hand, he quickly patted the free, left side of the hammock before giving Kakashi's hand a small squeeze. "It's a really nice night out, 'Kashi. Lay down with me."
"Well, alright," Kakashi said playfully. He was enjoying acting as if he didn't like his surprise, laughing inwardly at how it made Yamato squirm just a little. Unexpected however, was the small pang of guilt he felt as he laid himself comfortably next to him. "What's wrong?" Yamato said immediately, as if reading Kakashi's mind, or maybe just his body language. They were both lying on their sides, and Yamato's arm was draped around Kakashi's hip in a lazy, but comforting embrace. He stopped propping his head in favor of letting it rest on his arm and Kakashi mimicked his position. Kakashi simply shook his head and smiled from beneath his mask, and slowly ran his hand from Yamato's waist up to the middle of his back and down again a few times before letting it rest on the small of his back. Yamato's serious face returned then, and he removed his arm from Kakashi's hip in order to use his hand to pull lover's hitai-ate off. He started running his fingers through Kakashi's soft, silver locks as he spoke. "How is that you're so busy, but your skin and your hair are still so soft?" Kakashi sighed and pulled him closer, wrapping his arm more fully around Yamato's waist, until his hand was under his side, and pressed his now exposed forehead to his partner's. Their bodies were close enough for Kakashi to feel the heat of Yamato's body through his clothes. He closed his eyes and they laid that way for a while, Yamato continuing to run his fingers through his hair, stopping every now and then to massage his scalp with his fingers or lightly scratch the back of his head. Kakashi sighed heavily and a small frown formed on Yamato's face in response, his eyes still closed as he slowed his hand's movements and spoke again. "Kakashi… You're starting to worry me…"
"You know I love you, right?"
Not expecting their conversation to take that turn, Yamato's hand stopped moving entirely. His body turned rigid, exposing the anxiety he was trying to hide in his voice. "Err… did something happen? I mean, because usually when people say stuff like that, it's because something—"
"No, no, God, no," Kakashi said quickly. "Nothing like that." He felt Yamato's body instantly relax, shortly followed by the feeling of Yamato's palm against his cheek, fingers splaying out against the back of his head and his right ear as his thumb applied slightly pressured, small circles against his temple, soothing him and coaxing him into continuing.
"Well then what did you mean?"
"I just meant that, well, you know, right? I make it obvious enough?"
At that Yamato laughed, hearty and boisterous. "Of course I know. Don't be foolish."
Kakashi was not as amused but didn't let it show. He wasn't convinced. "I was thinking earlier about how you're always just doing stuff for me. Without me even asking for it… and I feel like I don't do the same for you." Yamato didn't respond, instead opting to smile encouragingly, and continued rubbing Kakashi's temple as they locked eyes. It wasn't often that Kakashi was so open with his feelings, so he didn't want to interrupt out of fear of him stopping too soon. "I'm laying on a hammock on a beautiful night getting all sorts of relaxation-inducing massages all because of how caring you are. I don't ever do this. I don't feel like I ever do this."
Using his hand that was already partially on the back of Kakashi's head, Yamato pulled the taller man's face toward his own and gently pulled down his lover's mask before kissing him softly. "You do all the time, 'Kashi, whether you notice it or not," he whispered against his lips. "You may not be super romantic, but you know what? I don't expect you to be, and I don't want you to be." He pulled his face away and saw that Kakashi's eyes were shining with an emotion he could not name.
"Some nights when we're both asleep, you drape your around me and pull my back against you. The first time it freaked me out a little, but now I look forward to feeling you subconsciously wanting me closer, to feeling you bury your head in my hair, to listening to your breath even out as you fall back into a deeper sleep." Kakashi smiled softly at him but didn't speak.
"On the mornings when I get up before you, I have to fight a little to get out of your arms, because you like to tug me back in."
"Those are the mornings when we kiss before I fall back asleep," Kakashi mumbled back.
"Yes, yes exactly. And you never mind that my breath stinks so terribly in the morning—"
"Because you never brush your teeth at night."
Yamato laughed cheerfully again, and Kakashi reveled at the sound. "And you—usually anyway—don't mind when I don't brush my teeth at night…"
Kakashi smirked at him. "You always hold my hand, even before we told anyone we were together… you'd hold my hand in public and it made me feel accepted. When I'm tired you always let me rest on your lap, or with my head on your shoulder, or whatever position I do, and whenever I do it, no matter where we are or what you're doing you always stop, wrap your arm around me and kiss the side of my head, or my cheek, or my lips. Even when you're reading your damn Icha Icha books. Always, 'Kashi. You always show me how you feel. I—God, I'm saying too much, aren't I?" Yamato blushed then, his embarrassment showing, and his small, shy smile returned to his lips.
Kakashi gripped Yamato's waist and looked into his big, dark eyes. The moon was shining brightly on them, illuminating Yamato's face. "I love it when you smile like that, Tenzo," he whispered softly, feeling slightly shy himself, but completely comfortable in Yamato's embrace.
"And I love you, Kakashi."