Words: 617
Rating: G
Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura
Warnings: Fluffy, good peer pressure, random fluff bomb when it should have been all the angst
Author's Note: This story is from my May Drabbles challenge on Tumblr (where it was posted ages ago, if you don't follow and want to see my stories sooner check me out there, also under Dimigex), Prompt was "Please Don't Do This" and the bonus word was "Pen". Thanks for reading!
"Kakashi, no," Sakura whined, tugging at Kakashi's arm. The man ignored her, making a beeline toward the noise on the opposite side of the street. Sighing, the kunoichi followed.
A small crowd of young children had gathered, attracted by the sounds. The street vendor smiled good naturedly as the kids oohed and ahhed over his wares. But, at the sight of Kakashi, the old man straightened then swept into a low bow. "Hokage-sama."
"Maa, maa," Kakashi said, waving off the man's formality. A couple of the children looked up at him, eyes growing wide as they elbowed each other. Kakashi was easily recognizable, even without his robes. Crouching down, he addressed the boy who'd noticed him first. "Which one is your favorite?"
The boy pointed, and after a glance at the vendor, Kakashi reached inside the pen and scooped up the creature in question. He held it expertly by the scruff of its neck and made a show of turning it this way and that. Dark eyes followed his every movement. "Good choice," Kakashi confirmed, returning the puppy to its littermates. "He'll grow up to be a fine companion."
Kakashi half turned, catching Sakura with his gaze. She shook her head adamantly. "Please, don't do this, not again," she grumbled, knowing that her words had fallen on deaf ears as soon as she said them.
Ignoring her, Kakashi addressed the children. "Sakura-chan needs a new puppy. Don't you agree?"
The children squealed their agreement, talking over one another in excited voices. "What about
that one," suggested a girl with her hair twisted into blue pigtails. She pointed at a cream colored puppy that stood on its hind legs at the edge of the pen, yipping excitedly and wagging his tail.
"Or that one," a boy piped up, indicating a black one that kept nipping at the others in annoyance when they came too close.
Kakashi hummed softly, making a show of considering the options. "Both are good choices, but what about that one?" Kakashi nodded toward a spotted white and brown puppy that laid beside its mother, head resting on crossed paws. "See how timid she is? She needs someone who can teach her how to be brave."
Sakura rolled her eyes. Kakashi had been trying to convince her that she needed a dog for months, refusing to take no for an answer. She'd even offered to take care of Pakkun for a while to help him get past the idea that she hated dogs. But, he'd stubbornly insisted that she needed one of her own. This wasn't the first time that he'd dragged her over to a vendor like this. But, it was the first time he'd tried this particular tactic.
"Here miss," the vendor said, holding the puppy out to Sakura. Since there was no polite way to refuse, she accepted. Guiltless brown eye looked up at her, then a timid tongue darted out to lick her wrist. Almost immediately, a tiny tail thumped at Sakura's arm.
"She likes you," one of the girls giggled, reaching up to stroke the dog's back. "Please let her stay with you; she just needs someone to love her.
Sakura glared daggers at Kakashi who looked innocently away, pretending to pick at spot on his pants. Then, she glanced back down at the puppy cuddling into her arms and sighed. "Fine," she turned toward Kakashi. "But, she's staying at your apartment until she's trained. You can deal with all the accidents since this is your genius idea."
Kakashi grinned beneath his mask, eyes crinkling into a now familiar smile as he wrapped Sakura in a hug that made the puppy squirm between them. "Deal."