20%
"It's too hot," Sakura sighed.
"Sorry about the AC. Should I turn up the fan?"
"Turn off the sun, please," she groaned, rolling onto her back on the floor of his living room.
"I could try. But that might kill the whole planet, you know."
"Don't care. I wanna wear socks again. And sweaters. And scaaaarves," she whined. She rolled over again, rubbing her face against the front of his shirt.
Kakashi propped himself up on his elbow to watch her tantrum. A smile tugging at his lips. He draped his free arm over her waist.
"Should we go get ice cream?" he suggested.
"Ughhh," she groaned.
"Come on," he urged as he sat up. Sakura buried her face in her arms shaking her head. All the talking and moving woke Biscuit, who wandered over from his spot by the door. He stepped over Kakashi's leg to nudge Sakura's arm. She wrapped her arm around him and hugged him close to her chest.
"Biscuit, make summer end. Mommy's dying," she lamented. Biscuit's wide eyes flew to Kakashi, who laughed.
"Alright, let's go. Ice cream time," Kakashi decided. He lifted her easily, throwing her over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. Her laughter filled the house as he carried her out into the hall.
"Let me try a bite."
Kakashi held out his frozen yogurt bar. It was the prettiest shade of light green, dotted with pieces of brittle.
"I've never been a pistachio person. This is pretty good," she had to admit. He gave her a smug look. She pushed him with her shoulder. Their sandals lay abandoned near the plastic bag from the grocery store.
They sat on the concrete patio behind Kakashi's house. He had turned on the fan. It didn't help with the humidity, but the air blowing over their backs did feel nice. She leaned against his arm until eventually he lifted it to drape it over her shoulders instead.
The crickets and cicadas seemed to be competing to see who could be louder that night. Their combined songs filled the balmy air. But that was as much a part of summers in Old Pines as everything else. When she had first moved to town, the sound had kept her up at night. Now, she had trouble sleeping without the serenade on the hottest nights.
Sakura held up her spoon. "Say aah."
He reached for the spoon, but she yanked it away from him. "Say it," she insisted.
Kakashi sighed. "I can feed myself." But he still lowered his hand. She fed him a bite of her strawberry ice cream. And then pecked him on the mouth before she acted like nothing had happened.
Kakashi mashed his lips together. Trying to hold in both the ice cream and a laugh. Sakura went on eating her little cup of ice cream. Humming to herself as she tapped her bare feet on the concrete.
"Sakura."
"Mhm?"
"Can you finish your ice cream quickly?"
"Why should I do that, Kakashi?" she asked, not looking up at him. She bit back a smile when she felt him grab her free hand in the darkness. His palm damp with sweat..
"I want to go back inside." He squeezed her hand a little as he added in a small voice, "...please."
"Why? To play chess? Read a book?"
"Sakura," he groaned, his head falling on her shoulder as she laughed a little harder.
"Okay, okay. I'll be right there. I can't say no to those puppy eyes," she relented.
A few days later, Sakura woke in the middle of a dream. A little unsure of whether she was still sleeping or not. Her bulky but reliable air conditioner hummed out back, pumping cold air into her house. Because even in the summer, she liked to sleep under the covers.
She lifted her head, eyes cracking open. Her phone sat on the nightstand where she had tossed it the night before. She had forgotten to charge it. The blinds next to the window were shut, but she could still see the sunlight trying to peer in past the slats.
"Whozzat?" she mumbled as she heard a click.
The back door opened, footsteps clomping into the kitchen.
"It's me," Kakashi called back. She could hear the rustle of plastic. And the tap of little black nails on the floor.
Sighing, Sakura flopped back onto the pillow. She heard the jangle of keys before they hit the kitchen counter. Cabinet doors opening and closing. And then, several seconds later, she heard his footsteps approaching. She cracked an eye open, arms stretched out at her sides.
"Long night?" asked Kakashi from the doorway.
She grunted, eye drifting shut.
"Alright. Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep," he replied. He took a few more steps. She felt him smooth his hand over her hair, pressing a kiss to her temple. And she sort-of forgave him for waking her in the first place. Especially when he kissed her forehead too.
Biscuit hopped up onto the bed. He seemed to know that she wasn't in the mood to play. Instead, the pooch wormed his way under her arm, curling up against her stomach. She slept well, the air conditioner blasting, and the faint tap of a knife against the cutting board drifting in through the crack in the door.
The second time Sakura woke, she felt much less murderous. She sat up, rolling her shoulders a couple times. Biscuit was gone. Rubbing her hand through her hair, Sakura sniffed. She smelled coffee. And something else that made her stomach rumble in anticipation.
As she opened her mouth to call for Kakashi, her eyes fell to the other side of the bed. Kakashi lay on his back, hands folded across his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling. He looked so serious that she refrained from speaking. It seemed like he had something profound to say.
"Even your snoring sounds pretty," he finally sighed.
"I don't snore!" she exclaimed.
"You do. It's adorable," Kakashi stuck to his story. And then he turned his head to look at her. She tried to scowl at him. But it didn't last for long as he reached up to run his fingers along her cheek. She bent her head so that he could reach, his teasing forgiven right away.
"I didn't ask before. But are you sure you were just tired? You seemed... upset," Kakashi then brought up. His hand fell back onto the bed.
Sakura's smile dimmed. Her mouth twisted to one side.
"Just... my head's been busy, I guess," she confessed. She ran her fingers through her hair, just to have something to do with it.
When he smiled at her, she returned the expression. Almost like a reflex. And it was just as reflexive to close her eyes when he leaned in to kiss her. Soft and lingering, just like his hands as they ran over her hair, down her back. His forehead pressing against hers as he inhaled. Exhaled even more slowly.
"Breakfast?"
He had made a fluffy omelet for breakfast. She sat at the kitchen table, her chin resting on her fists as she watched him. Biscuit wandered over to sit at her feet. He knew better than to try to beg Kakashi for scraps when he cooked.
Kakashi draped a towel over his shoulder as he reheated the skillet. He popped slices of bread into the toaster oven as he waited for the pan to heat.
There was something incredibly attractive about a man who knew his way around the kitchen. She especially liked watching his arms and shoulders as he used the spatula or reached for something across the counter. Although, her personal favorite was watching his hands as he sliced vegetables with precise movements. Unfortunately, she had missed out on that part of the cooking process this time around.
"Honey?"
"Mhm?" she replied, only half-listening.
Kakashi turned to look at her. He had found a jar of honey in the cabinet. "I meant, do you want honey on your toast?"
"Oh... yeah." Sakura blinked a few times. As he twisted the cap off the honey, he turned his attention back to the stove. He nudged the knob to lower the heat. The contents of the frying pan sizzled a little more quietly.
"Are you a ... pet name person?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura considered this for a moment. "I'm a nickname person, I guess. I mean, all my friends call me Bunny," she finally admitted. And then she tilted her head as she thought a little harder.
"Kakashi?"
"Yes."
"Babe?"
He froze.
"Do you not like that?" she inquired.
Hands braced on the counter, Kakashi let out a heavy sigh. When he finally turned to look at her, he suddenly looked very tired.
"Sakura, despite appearances, I'm an old man. My heart can't take something like that," he warned her. His hand on his chest for emphasis.
"Aw, you're young at heart, babe," Sakura teased, tongue between her teeth as she grinned at him. Kakashi just sighed again. Shaking his head, he pushed off the counter to plate the food.
He set breakfast in front of her a minute later. Thin slices of apple covered the surface of the toast, glistening from the drizzle of honey on top. The butter-colored omelet was flecked with what looked like chives. He had even sliced up strawberries in the shape of hearts to garnish the edges of the dish. But Kakashi didn't sit like she expected. Before she could ask, Kakashi poured her a cup of coffee fresh from the carafe.
"This looks amazing. Thank you, Kakashi," Sakura said as he set the mug in front of her. He smiled at her in return. Chair legs scraping against the floor, he finally settled in the seat opposite from her.
She took a big bite of the omelet and then fed him the next slice. They were content to chew in silence for a while. Save for Kakashi's snorting laugh when Sakura took a bite of her toast and did a little happy dance in her seat.
"I love you," he suddenly declared as he watched her munch on her toast.
And mouth dotted with crumbs, Sakura barely swallowed her mouthful of food before she replied, "Love you too, babe."
Kakashi laughed as he reached over to brush the crumbs away with his thumb. And then he leaned across the table to replace his hand with a kiss.