Title Time We Spent
Author Shiro/fotoshop_cutout
Fandom Naruto
Characters/Pairings Kakashi/Naruto with some implied Kakashi/Sakura and Sasuke/Naruto, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru is mentioned
Rating T/PG-15
Disclaimer don't own; no one's underage
Author's Notes/Warnings un-betaed; AU world; covers prompt #16 'moth' in table 'nights'
A week went by, several interviews throughout those seven days. Tsunade always asked to have the applicant mingle or visit with her patients: she needed to make sure that they would care about Naruto, whoever she hired. The problem with that was no one seemed to. She met each and every one and still had no better idea than before. She asked her assistant. She blushed and spoke of a tall, lean man who had come the other afternoon. Hatake. She called him.
* * *
Naruto got up, showered, dressed, poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at his table. He recognized that Tsunade was bringing lots of 'friends' around to meet him and her other wards, but didn't much care for any of them. It was damn awkward around that old man—Kaka-something. Maybe. Could have been Orochi...whatever his name was. Naruto didn't care. He stared out the window, conveniently facing the front steps. That was why it was no surprise when the old man sat down across from him in tasteful blue scrubs.
"Good morning, Naruto."
It took the blond some time to lazily form his answer. It was morning, of course he was moving slowly. "You're late."
The old man seemed surprised—his eyebrows shot up. "I didn't realize you were keeping track of me."
The blond was in good humor this morning, "Someone has to."
The old man smiled.
* * *
At lunchtime (the day, it seemed, flew by) Tsunade's good-looking, blushing assistant approached and let Kakashi know that he could go grab lunch. Kakashi, though, was intent on making a good impression: he stayed and ate lunch with Naruto. The blushing assistant would peek at them every so often.
"She likes you, you know." Naruto spoke around a bite of his sandwich.
"Yeah?" Kakashi's eye stayed on his meal.
"Yeah. You should ask her out." Naruto apparently thought he was being sensible. Kakashi glanced up at him and chuckled.
"That's okay; life's complicated enough at the moment."
Naruto weighed this silently for a moment. "Right. New job, new 'friends' to take care of, new boss to impress; I get it."
Kakashi stopped smiling.
* * *
Dusk set and they had gotten back to their normal conversations: Kakashi asked about things Naruto liked and Naruto asked back. The tone was mellow and they ignored the peeping assistant.
During the yellow-sky hours, Phil approached. Naruto glanced up at the other, troubled man and gave a pleasant smile. Phil nervously fiddled with his hands and glanced over his shoulder at a small grouping of other patients.
"Hi. Um. They—uh—we were wondering what happened to your eye." Phile motioned to Kakashi's eye patch. Naruto looked at Kakashi, as if he were waiting for the answer too. Kakashi gave a pleasant smile.
"An accident when I was young."
Phil shifted nervously. "Oh. I see." A large pause, "What kind of accident?"
Kakashi's smile faded somewhat. Naruto frowned and turned to Phil.
"Maybe you should—"
"A car accident."
Naruto's blue eyes snapped back to the old man (who actually wasn't so old, but the silvery hair still implied it). Phil stuttered out an apology and left quickly to report his findings. Kakashi looked out the window. Naruto watched him.
"Why did you lie?"
It took Kakashi a minute to turn his eye back to the blond. "How did you get those scars on your face?"
Naruto flushed and dropped his gaze. "I see."
It was quiet for some time. Naruto's blue eyes started searching out the moth when the outside light clicked on. Finally, Kakashi spoke.
"What are you looking for?" An honest question. Naruto gave an honest answer.
"A moth."
Kakashi looked at him, questions in his eye. "Why?"
Naruto shrugged. They sat quietly for a moment. Naruto sighed. "I suppose because it gives me hope."
Kakashi frowned. Before he could ask, Naruto gave him an answer.
"Something so fragile surviving in the harsh world: it gives me hope that I might be able to."
Kakashi nodded in understanding.
* * *
Now I don't care
I could go anywhere
With you,
And probably be
Happy
First Day Of My Life by Bright Eyes