Hey guys, shorter special chapter in anticipation for Father's Day on June 19th, a chapter that I moved heaven and earth to post, because I've got no Internet access whatsoever. Apologies in advance for any grammatical errors, typed, edited and posted this off my phone. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Disclaimer: All characters of Naruto and things Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
I'm Defying Gravity by ShadowedNara
XxX
Chapter 7
Father's Day Special
I sat up blearily in bed as my ears were filled with an incessant ringing sound, and for a second, in my sleep-filled haze, I had no idea where I was. That second didn't last long though, and clarity washed over me as I remembered what day it was. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and made sure my mask was in place purely out of habit before hopping out of bed and switching off my alarm clock. My bare feet slapped softly against the cold wood of my bedroom floor, sending momentary chills up my spine. Mornings were always so cold in comparison to the warm and sunny afternoons.
I drew the curtain back from the window and stared out at the slowly brightening world, not a breath of wind visible in the early hours of the morning. My window was still cracked open a touch like it was every night to let in a bit of cool air, and the freshness of the morning chill put a small smile on my face. Yeah, today was going to be a good day I decided.
I turned on my feet and crouched down at my bed, dipping my hands low and pulling out a small backpack from beneath the frame. This was a backpack I'd brought back with me from Hanabi's house yesterday, filled with all kinds of ingredients I was going to need to whip up the perfect Father's Day breakfast for Kakashi. As good as I was becoming with my cooking, making leaps and bounds thanks to all the time I spent doing it with Hanabi, there was absolutely nothing I could've done with all the ration bars we had here. In that vein, Hanabi had practically forced me to take the necessary ingredients from her own grocery cupboard instead.
I secured the bag over my shoulder and soundlessly tiptoed my way into the kitchen, immensely thankful for my ninja training up to this point. What I would've given to be able to do the things I could now back in my previous life. This was the difficult part though. I usually got up slightly earlier than Kakashi, more so on days when he had the day off and could sleep in a little longer for a change, much like he did today. He would definitely sense my presence skulking around in the kitchen though, but that was a normal occurrence most mornings, so I should have enough time to get everything done before he decides to get up and see what I'm up to.
I set the backpack down on the kitchen table, zipping it open and slowly bringing out all the ingredients from within with a practised ease. Several jumbo-sized eggs wrapped in a light blue cloth were first, and I gently lay those down in the middle of the table. If anything did knock those, I'd rather have a bit of a buffer between the cloth and the floor. These were the only eggs I had, and if those broke, well… there were always ration bars. 'Not the most comforting thought, but whatever.'
Next were a couple packs of streaky bacon, and I was already salivating at the thought of munching on a few crispy strips of the sizzling meat. Truth be told, I hadn't had the pleasure of eating bacon since I'd been reincarnated, and as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I had no doubt in my mind that this was easily going to be the best bacon I'd ever had in my life. Last but not least were a multitude of different plastic packets, each individually filled with a different dry powdered ingredient. Those, once mixed together in the correct order and what not, were going to be the paper thin pancakes, after which would be rolled and filled with cinnamon sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. Yeah, today was going to be a good day, said my stomach. I couldn't help but agree. And now I was talking with my organs. Best get started.
My over-sensitive nose was being assaulted with the smells wafting around the kitchen: frying eggs spitting softly on the metal pan on the stove, bacon that was set in rows atop a foil-covered metal tray, sizzling away inside the oven and crisping over just the way I know Kakashi liked it. I sighed softly. Any hopes I had of Kakashi staying in bed were definitely long gone. His nose was infinitely more sensitive than mine, and I had no doubt in my mind that he'd be up and out of bed in no time.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear was how the saying went. I'd been working with Kakashi and Pakkun on training my nose to detect smells more easily so that I could be alerted to a presence when it got nearby, and I was suddenly very aware of the distinct 'Kakashi' smell before he even stepped into the kitchen. Damn. Looks like my hopes for breakfast in bed had been dashed, but this would still be fine. It was breakfast nonetheless, and that's all that mattered.
"Well, someone's been busy this morning." Kakashi's cheerful voice filtered in above the sounds of all the food cooking in the background, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "What's the occasion?"
I rolled my eyes as I touched at the spitting egg, looking in and making sure that it wasn't burning before glancing at Kakashi to my right, his maskless face twinkling in amusement. He knew exactly what the occasion was. He'd been not-so-subtly hinting at it for the past few days without fail, finding every possible opportunity to 'shout it out' at me without actually shouting it out.
Magazines with pages detailing special Father's Day gifts and activities, left open strategically in places where he knew I'd see them. The TV suspiciously left on channels where Kakashi knew ads for Father's Day repeated every few minutes while I sat and read on the lounge floor, my ears unconsciously listening to them and my eyes unwittingly flicking up at the screen every few minutes.
Hell, he'd even sought out Maito Gai of all people—though he'd argue the contrary and take it to his grave—somehow making sure to have the meeting with the most passionate man in all of Konoha take place right outside a well known gift shop that specialised in products regarding holidays and events, Father's Day included. Gai had then proceeded to rant and rave at me, to my wide-eyed disbelief, about how youthful Kakashi's flames of fatherhood were, and that 'such flames need to be stoked accordingly, son of Kakashi'. Kakashi himself had just receded into the shadows with a knowing smile and allowed Gai to get caught up in the heat of the moment at my expense, just as the famed Green Beast of Konoha was wont to do.
I shivered at the memory, shaking my head and ridding my thoughts of immaculately kempt sparkling teeth and thumb ups. Kakashi knew exactly what day it was, but I know he just wanted to hear it from me, for whatever reason. I decided I'd humour him though, because why not. It was his day after all.
Kakashi had been a great father all things considered, especially for someone who hadn't had much experience, taking into account how young he'd been when his father had passed away. Any man could be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and Kakashi was without a doubt a dad. My dad.
And my dad, like any great dad, had always stressed the fundamentals. He'd taught me to always be in a state of preparedness, to always be armed to the teeth and ready for a fight (or war, depending on how one interpreted the vast array of weapons and explosives I was told to carry on me at all times). He'd taught me to always make the most of other people's time and accordingly be as late as possible. But most importantly, he'd taught me to always have an excuse on hand, because when you were making the most of other people's time, a good excuse always went a long way at defusing the situation that would undoubtedly ensue thereafter.
I flashed a Kakashi-esque eye smile in his direction, pulling the egg off the pan and then moving forward and wrapping my arms around his waist in a tight hug. "Happy Father's Day, dad. Thanks for always looking out for me."
Kakashi chuckled happily, his own arms wrapping around me tightly. "That's what fathers are for, right?" He let go of me then, strolling over to the counter and dipping two fingers into one of the packeted dry ingredients. It took no more than two seconds before his face scrunched up in disgust, his fingers curling away from his tongue. "Clearly you're not quite as good a cook as you thought."
I rolled my eyes, moving over to the counter myself and bringing with me a few mixing bowls. "Hey, that's just plain flour, I haven't even started making anything yet. Patience is a virtue, so go sit down at the table, pull out your Icha Icha, and leave this to the professional."
Kakashi just smiled at me again, dipping his fingers back into the white powder-filled packet before dragging it across my mask. He chuckled softly at his handy work, pulling a mirror out from somewhere and letting me see what he'd done. "Don't say I never make you smile son."
With that he went to sit down as I'd instructed, and I had to roll my eyes as I stared at the mirror. He'd drawn an exaggerated smile using the flour on my mask. Before I realised it I was chuckling softly, a wide smile hidden beneath the navy blue material. Damn that Kakashi. I hated how he was always right. But at the same time, it was also one of the things I loved most about him. It was time to make some pancakes however, and I bent down to pull out the rest of the mixing bowls I'd need.
Birds chirped animatedly in the simmering afternoon heat, a soft breeze rolling around the park we were in and tousling gently at my silver-haired fringe. I sighed softly from my position, hand absently scratching the top of Pakkun's head, said dog curled warmly in my lap. I was sat comfortably between Kakashi's legs, his own back against the firm trunk of a tree we were all perched in.
The small pug's chest rose and fell slowly as it snored in contentment, my own breaths having slowly synchronised with the furry summon. We'd been in the park for most of the day, and Kakashi had summoned Pakkun to join in on the fun, well aware that Pakkun himself always appreciated being included in the activities from time to time.
The sound of a page turning alerted me to the fact that Kakashi himself was still very much awake, no doubt pouring through the gift I'd gotten him, Icha Icha Daddy's Home. To his credit, he'd been keeping the girlish giggles far and few between, but considering today was Father's Day, I supposed I could let him do all the giggling he'd like. He'd earned it, so to speak.
I'd found out a while ago that the legendary Jiraiya of the Sannin, who just so happened to author the Icha Icha series, was coming out with his latest work and releasing it specifically for Father's Day. The man himself wasn't a father, as far as I knew, as far as he himself knew. With how often he frequented red light districts and his usual obsession with the fairer sex, it was entirely possible that he somehow had a kid he knew nothing about. I'd kind of come into existence in a similar fashion.
Nevertheless, Kakashi had already known of said book's release, and was well on his way to pre ordering it before I'd forced him out of it. His gift hadn't been a surprise, because I'd told him face to face that it was going to be my gift, and he'd do no such thing like buying it himself. Aside from the fact that he'd known what he was getting, I knew deep down he was really happy about his gift, so I was happy too. He'd been itching to sit down like he was now and start reading it, and aside from the aforementioned giggling, I hadn't heard a peep from him since we'd climbed up into this tree, too absorbed was he in the smut in his hands.
All in all, it had been a good day. Breakfast had been just as good as I'd hoped, and I had to pat myself on the back for a job well done in the kitchen. I also had a certain best friend to thank for all her hard work in teaching me to cook so well in the first place. I felt like the deal we'd originally made where she'd trade cooking lessons for tree climbing lessons wasn't entirely fair, so I'd have to come up with something else to try and even things up a little.
I leaned forward away from my comfortable position against Kakashi's chest and stretched my arms, feeling content as the bones popped softly. Leaning back once again, I tilted my head skywards, watching as Kakashi's grey eye skimmed from left to right and sparkling with interest. When I was a little older and could properly appreciate women and consequently do something about it, I vowed to give all those books a read myself. There had to be something about them that kept so many readers coming back again and again for more and more.
Ignoring my thoughts, I blew a breath of air up into his face to catch his attention, waiting as he held up a finger and slowly finished the page he was on before turning an amused eye in my direction. "Anything I can help you with Shiro? Got an itch behind an ear that needs a scratch?"
I chuckled softly, his comment reminding me that Pakkun was still snoring softly on my lap, my hand resuming its ministrations. "Now that you mention it, there is this one spot on the top of my head…"
My voice trailed off as Kakashi's fingers began running through my hair, the amazing feeling rivalled only by a back tickle. I sighed softly, but remembered that I had a question that needed to be asked. I couldn't let Kakashi lull me into a sleep now. I know he was probably only continuing to run his hands through my hair so that I would fall asleep and he could keep reading. He never kept it up for this long. Never.
"Don't think I don't know what you're playing at here," I mumbled softly, his own chuckle vibrating beneath me.
"Oh? Can a father not run his hands through his son's hair just because he feels like it?"
I grinned knowingly beneath my mask then, cracking an eye open to glance up at that familiar eye smile of his. "The smartest person I know always used to tell me that you've got to look underneath the underneath. And right now, I'm sensing ulterior motives."
Kakashi's mask strained as he grinned widely beneath the material. "That's some sound advice, definitely a genius' words. Though it looks like the cat's out of the bag."
I nodded smugly as his hands continued to massage my scalp. "Damn right it is. And just for that, you owe me a popsicle. And Pakkun a nice bone," I added as an afterthought.
The pug in question cracked open an eye, looking up at me with a smile and a small nod. "Your pup's got the right idea Kakashi. Time to pay up."
Kakashi brought both of his hands up defensively, admitting defeat. "I know when I'm beat, so how's about we go for a walk then?"
I jumped to my feet and brought the small dog with me, holding him gently in my arms. "Now would be great, it's been a hot afternoon."
Kakashi slid his new book into the pouch at his hip before standing as well, sending a pointed look at his pug familiar held in my arms. "This stays between us, got it? If Uhei or Biscuit find out, I'll never hear the end of it."
The little pug looked smug for a second before bringing a paw to its mouth, making as best of a zipping motion as it could without fingers. "You never bite the hand that feeds you Kakashi, my lips are sealed. Now, how about that bone then?"
Mojito on the rocks for your thoughts?
Enjoy the holidays guys! Time to go sip on my own Mojito!
