Prompt fic for KakaSaku Day 2020 on Tumblr Week 1 Day 2
Prompt: Fake Dating
Tall Order
'Damnit, is it really too much to ask?'
Ahem
'I ought to give that bookstore a review they'll never forget. Excellent service, my ass!'
Ahem
'It's not like I was asking for every book in the city! It's just two books! TWO!'
Ahem "Miss?"
'I just wanted to know when it bloody releases! Goddamn clerk couldn't use a keyboard to save his life!'
"Miss?"
She heard, before she felt the tap, tap on her shoulder. Sakura turned her scowling face from where she was scrolling through pictures of kittens on her phone in an attempt to calm herself from her unfortunate transgressions not so long ago to the long finger pointing in front of her.
Her scowl immediately drained from her face before her cheeks burst into flames at the wide empty space before her.
"S-Sorry!" she squeaked, as she took one big step to immediately close the distance. Her heart thudded louder in her chest and she swore her entire face (from the tips of her ears down to her neck) at the unmistakable masculine chuckle behind her.
'Kami, can this day get any worse?'
"Sakura?"
She flinched.
'I spoke too soon.'
Schooling her features, Sakura took a deep breath before turning to the direction where she heard her name being called by an all-too familiar voice.
"H-Hey Ino," she greeted nervously as the blonde all but marched towards her.
"You bailed out on me… again!"
Sakura winced, mentally apologizing to everyone present in the café.
"Ino, I'm so-"
"Oh no you don't," Sakura thanked whatever god listening that gave her best friend the sense to lower her voice, "This is the tenth time you skipped out on a blind date I set up for you. What sorry excuse are you going to give me this time? And it better be convincing Haruno Sakura!"
"Ino, I really appreciate you looking out for me but I don't need you to set me up with anybody. I can get a date on my own just fine."
'Kami, it's really too early for this shit. I can't believe we're having this conversation right now! At least, our voices aren't loud enough for the entire bloody café to hear.'
"Sakura, your last date was back when were college freshmen."
The pinkette's face twisted, "I had to focus on my studies."
"Yeah, yeah, Miss Summa Cum Laude."
"And besides, who says I'm not dating anyone now? You're the one who keeps pushing to go on these blind dates. You never asked if I'm even going out with someone or not."
Ino raised a very unconvinced brow at her, "That's because as far as I know, you're not seeing someone."
"I so do," Sakura replied childishly.
"Well, who is he then?" Ino dared.
Someone cleared their throat and this time, Sakura heard them. And because fate deemed this day to be utterly miserable for her, Sakura's brain blanked out and grabbed the arm of the person behind her.
"Sorry, sweetie. I got a little preoccupied," she turned back to Ino who was switching her sights back and forth between her and the stranger like she's watching a tennis match. Her face twisted unbelievability but her brows shot high up to her hairline nonetheless.
"This is your boyfriend?" the blonde eyed the stranger suspiciously. Her hands fell to her hips in a haughty display, "And you are?"
Sakura panicked but for some reason, couldn't string together any coherent words. In fact, she couldn't make out any sound at all. She could practically hear her heart thudding wildly in her ears and felt it sank hard when she felt the stranger's arm pull back from hers.
Some summa cum laude she was. Sakura inwardly screamed, bracing herself from the impending humiliation.
That was, until, she felt a long, lean limb wrap around her waist and pull her to a hard chest smelling faintly of wood shavings and natural musk.
"Hatake Kakashi," her mind kicked back to life just in time to see him introduce himself with his hand outstretched towards Ino. "Miss Ino, right?"
"The one and only," the blonde huffed, shaking his hand, before eyeing him quizzically from head to toe, "You're my best girl friend's boyfriend?"
"Ahh, I wouldn't say boyfriend, per se," he said smoothly with a nervous lilt in his tone, "We've only gone out on a few dates. Haven't decided to put a label yet, isn't that right, Sakura?"
Sakura felt herself swallow, she addressed to Ino, "Y-You know how busy my shifts in the hospital emergency ward can be."
"Uh-huh, and how exactly did you two met?"
Kakashi answered, "Well, when you chase around criminals all day, you'll likely get stumbled along the away if you get complacent."
Ino's superior façade instantly dropped at that and it took all of Sakura's willpower to not look back at her 'date' in her shock.
"You're a cop?"
"Detective," he corrected.
Ino let out a very long hum. She gave Kakashi another once over before finally setting her sights back down on the silent pinkette who's trying just as hard to wrap her head around what's just transpired in the last few minutes.
"Haruno Sakura," Ino tutted, "How could you lie to me?"
Sakura felt instant dread crawl up her spine. "Uhh-"
"All this time you've been hiding this man from your own best friend?" the moment she placed her hand on her chest and gasped in a very exaggerated and dramatic manner, all of Sakura's guilt for her friend vanished instantly, "I would say shame on you but… forehead… I'm honestly, goddamn proud of you!"
Sakura blinked. "What?"
"No, no! No need!" Ino placed her hands on her shoulders with a broad grin on her face. She looked really proud, "I understand completely! I won't be keeping you two for long, and Sakura? I promise you can make it up to me later."
It was Sakura's turn to raise her brow, "I'll have to make it up to you?"
"Oh forehead, as if I'll let you get away without telling me the whole story," once again, Sakura shuddered at the feeling of dread, "It was really nice to meet you, Detective Hatake. Sorry for the misunderstanding. You and Sakura have a nice day now!"
"Not at all. Have a nice day to you too, Miss Ino."
"Ha! Miss Ino he says!" Ino barked good-naturedly before pressing her cheek to Sakura in a pseudo-kiss, "Later forehead!"
She was gone before Sakura finally caught up with today's events.
"Why the hell would pig apologize to you?" Sakura muttered. If she had been facing him, she would've seen the amused silver brow he raised at her question.
Instead, she heard him let out a chuckle behind his fist before nudging her again, "If you don't mind, we've held up the line, Sakura."
Sakura realized belatedly at Kakashi's hand was still on her waist. Feeling herself flush once more, Sakura scooted forward, hoping to remove herself from his embrace. Only to feel him tighten his grip so they moved forward together instead.
A sparse space and their clothes being the only barriers that kept them apart, "Hang on now, sweetie. It wouldn't be gentlemanly of me to not buy my self-proclaimed date a drink, would it?"
"Look," Sakura breathed carefully, turning to face him, "Thank you for having my back there. Really, I appreciate it, but you don't have to keep with this charade anymore."
Kakashi gazed down at her intently because sweet kami, does he have to be so tall? Sakura's head barely grazed his chin. Sakura though, also took that opportunity to examine him closely. Tousled, spiky silver hair with fringes framing a pair of ink pools. His skin was fair and flawless besides the prominent scar on his left eye and beauty mark a bit lower down the left corner of his lip- but even those features only made him more appealing. His jaw was sharp and symmetrical that would give any male model a run for their money. Is he seriously a detective?
His body was lean and he held a bit of a lazy façade, but if the corded muscle she felt on his arm across her back where he wrapped his arm around her waist told her anything, is that he held a strength that belied his outward appearance.
All in all, he's beautiful.
And the way he tilted his head reminded her of a puppy, "After all the things you told her?"
'You mean the things you told her,' she wanted to correct but it would be beneath her to point fingers when she was the one who roped him into this mess in the first place.
She sighed, he's yet to let go of her, "That's Ino, I… I'll just deal with it her later on. Really though, thank you."
Hopefully, the pig wouldn't call any of her boys before she could get a word in.
"Why not give me a chance then? We're already here anyway. You can walk away anytime if you don't feel comfortable," he finally removed his hand from her waist and took a half-step back for good measure.
"Aren't you busy?"
He shrugged, "It's my day off. You?"
"It's also my day off," she answered before unconsciously biting her lower lip- a habit she never grew out of whenever she's thinking deeply about something. She also tried to ignore how she caught his eyes looking at her lips, "So which precinct are you assigned in?"
"Precinct 7, it's closest to my flat," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Emerald eyes beamed at that, "Oh! I know where that is. I work close by, at St. Katsuyu's Memorial Hospital."
"Really now? Huh, it's a wonder I've never seen you around before."
"It's probably because I'm mostly stuck in the emergency ward," it was her turn to look bashfully.
"Ahh so… introductions aside, about that date?"
Sakura hummed, "That depends, Detective Hatake. Do you like books?"
His answering grin was all that she needed.
Kami, did you have to give him dimples with his smile too?!