Title: The Aspiring Successor
Word Prompt/s: Hair, Tired
Warnings: I haven't written in ages, so apologies for the quality.
Rating: PG-13. It's really tame, shounen-ai if you squint reeeeeeeally hard.
Summary: Mafia AU. Sasuke succumbs to exhaustion, and Kakashi is there to watch him.
Sort of a partner of [The Experienced Drinker].
His hair was like the brittle grass of the autumn soil, dry in the wake of the arid climate and constantly parched from the absence of moisture. Sasuke's dark tresses were much like the grass, the appearance deceivingly soft from afar yet so obviously lacking the nutrition it needed when examined closely. If Sasuke didn't eat healthier, or at least get more rest, then his hair strands would lose their lustrous shine and downy texture permanently.
The young man was starting to yield under the pressures of his work, and its effects were becoming more adamant in emerging through his hair – an unfortunate loss for Kakashi, who was rather fond of slipping his fingers through his apprentice's locks to pat his young charge's formerly silky hair. He found himself about to do the same thing at that moment, if only to wake the slumbering youth before he drooled on the important document he was using as his pillow. Slowly, he reached out towards the younger man's hair, only to have his fingers almost immediately get caught in unruly tangles before they even had a chance to touch the youth's scalp. The reality of Sasuke's ruined hair only magnified the tiny shred of pity he felt for the obviously exhausted boy.
Withdrawing his hand, Kakashi peeked over Sasuke's left ear to catch the header and introductory stanza of the document he was taking care of, as the younger man's head situated in the middle of the paperwork limited what Kakashi could see. From what the scant piece of information revealed, the Marcotti Family had lost some of its members to a rival Family. While the loss was initially attributed to the gang fights contributing to the rising death toll between the two Families, further investigation led to the discovery that most of the MIA members had actually defected to the rival gang. The assumed KIA had apparently disguised their deaths to avoid being hunted by the Marcotti before defecting as well, as the Marcotti Family was not known to show mercy to traitors.
The Marcotti were formally requesting the aid of one Uchiha Sasuke and the Uchiha Family in taking down the slimy turncoats – 'requesting' being the key word, for Kakashi knew that in his time being mob Boss Uchiha Itachi's right hand man, he had not once heard of a Family ever making simple, harmless requests. It was through such demands that Itachi lost his life, giving Sasuke the boss' throne a little too early and with less than enough preparation.
It is in these occurrences when Kakashi is reminded of the events which led to his current position as the young Uchiha's mentor; Kakashi knew extensively of the mob operations during his time as Itachi's trusted man, and though he could not become the next boss because he did not wish to marry into the Family, he could guide the heir in following the late boss' footsteps while being able to indirectly influence the mob's progress.
However, 'teaching' Sasuke became more of a past time than an occupation; when first notified of Itachi's untimely death, the youth unhesitatingly took the huge step into the Family business himself, working to the bone in order to study his brother's past successes and develop ways to improve them. He only sought Kakashi for approval on matters he was unfamiliar with, restricting their interaction. When Kakashi eventually moved into Sasuke's apartment to mentor the heir more properly – as per the request of various Family members to better preserve Itachi's legacy – he had simply offered his teacher an extra room and a pot of coffee. Sasuke stood unruffled to a fault.
But Kakashi knew that beneath Sasuke's calm and immovable composure, was a tired young man who only wanted to live up to what his dear brother, Itachi, had achieved. Uchiha Itachi was the reason why the Family was more than just a bunch of thugs for organized crime – under his rule, they had become political figures, financial giants, and oddly enough, safeguards of justice against ill-meaning mobs thanks to close allegiances with the law. Similar greatness was demanded of his sibling, the same eager, persevering child who had grown into the tired man on the high-backed seat, slumped over his work and fatigued enough to possibly be drooling on a vital piece of paper which would decide warfare between his Family and another – all the while unknowingly being psychoanalyzed by the man serving as his faux mentor.
Now, Sasuke was deeply veiled in sleep, all the day's pressures momentarily forgotten.
Kakashi pulled out a sleek black comb from the pocket inside his blazer, reverently turning it over in his palm. Silently, he began to carefully untangle the knots in Sasuke's hair.
- End