Author's Note: Here is the next installment. I hope you all enjoy!

title: burrow, written for senju-sandwich
prompt: has anyone told you that you're fucking hot when you're mad / you woke me up at four am to cuddle?
pairing: kakashi x sakura
genre: humor / romance
rating: t (for language)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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When Sakura slipped from her sanctuary of sheets, her primary goal was relieving herself.

Upon exiting the bathroom, the pinkette's new ambition was returning to bed, wrapping herself up in a cocoon of blankets, and once again becoming dead to the world.

Halfway through her objective – because she had to burrow her way into the covers slowly; it had to be just right – Sakura's tired mind abruptly became aware of a large…something, hidden underneath her comforter.

Something that clearly was not there before she left.

In her haste to escape from what could only be perceived as a threat, Sakura's legs became ensnared in the multitude of bedcovers, throwing her off balance and propelling her towards the floor.

The rosette landed in a tangled heap of quilts and limbs, hissing when the back of her skull met the carpet with excessive force. Immediately, she tried to disentangle herself, sitting up with little effort, glowing green hands tentatively prodding her abused scalp.

"What the fu–"

Her grumbled curse was cut off by the sudden, stark illumination that encompassed the room, courtesy of the lamp that resided on her nightstand.

"Are you alright?" A familiar voice questioned, humor evident.

"Kakashi?" Sakura queried, emerald eyes shifting towards the bed.

As if answering a roll call that they used to do in an academy classroom, the voice merrily chirped, "Present!"

Sure enough, wrapped in her yellow cotton sheets was the Rokudaime himself, looking oddly pleased; like a cat who finally caught the canary.

"What are you doing here?" The cherry-haired woman demanded, cautiously extracting herself from her soft, fuzzy prison.

Sakura stood and gathered the blankets, allowing herself to take in the appearance of her surprise, night-time visitor.

Kakashi looked unkempt; silver hair uncharacteristically flattened in individual patches. The black cloth of his mask pooled loosely around his neck, revealing the two-day-old stubble that littered his jaw.

There were bags under his eyes, the blueish-purple marring the pale skin around his eyes. A half-healed slash rand along the expanse of his right cheekbone, unbandaged and – thankfully – not bleeding.

The copy-nin's reply to her question came in a tone that made it seem like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, "I'm here to see you, Sakura-chan."

For an instant, Sakura relaxed, and a familiar warmth blossomed in her chest.

It had been a few days since she had seen last seen him. Her job at the hospital forced Sakura to work odd hours, and in the short amount of time that she was off shift, she was usually catching up training or sleep.

All the while, Kakashi was trapped in the confines of his own office, trying to run the village without losing his sanity. They both couldn't wait for Naruto to take up the mantle of Hokage.

As if suddenly remembering the man that she was dealing with, viridian eyes narrowed, and Sakura cautiously took a step towards the mattress.

"You came to see me?" The coral-haired woman inquired, pausing to glance at the clock on the dresser. When she continued, her tone turned incredulous. "…at four in the morning?"

Kakashi rebuff was quick and casual, paired with that eye crinkle which never ceased to piss her off. "Maa, I missed you!"

He smiled at her then; a broad, goofy grin that was all pearly whites and made his mismatched eyes – dare she say – sparkle in the dim lighting of her bedroom.

Sakura knew this look. Over the years it was used to disarm her, to catch her and her teammates off guard so that they wouldn't be angry with him over whatever it was that he had done. Used in this situation, only made her more apprehensive.

Kakashi was a private man, always had been and always would be.

Even throughout the course of their secret… or, semi-secret relationship – Sai honestly couldn't keep anything to himself – her ex-sensei remained aloof and apathetic. He was a man who placed high importance in the words he spoke, and though Kakashi reserved sweet nothings and special affections for Sakura when they were alone, it was rare for him to do so without prompting.

His withdrawn attitude never bothered her; it was what made Kakashi, Kakashi. Since the age of twelve, the perverted, gray-haired man taught her to look underneath the underneath and Sakura was confident with the knowledge that Kakashi's feelings for her were genuine.

She had more than enough tenderness and warmth for the both of them, and if expressing all of that sentiment made Sakura look like a mush when it was just the two of them, then so be it.

Yet, here he was, acting so out of character that the rosette couldn't help but wonder if it was actually him lying there in her bed.

For Kakashi to show up at her apartment out of the blue was one thing.

For Kakashi to show up at her apartment out of the blue, grace her with a shit-eating grin, and say he missed her with no reason nor encouragement, was another.

Sakura inched closer to the mattress, tossing the quilts which had fallen with her back onto the cushioned surface.

"What's wrong with you?" The petite woman asked skeptically. "And what happened to your face?"

Kakashi brushed off her first question with an ungraceful, dismissive wave of his hand. There was a moment's pause before he quietly murmured a response to her second inquiry.

"Genma," Was all he offered.

A thin, bubble-gum pink eyebrow arched in question.

"…Genma…?" Sakura parroted.

Kakashi gave an awkwardly curt nod, confirming that Sakura had heard him correctly, but offered no further explanation. Propping himself up on his right elbow, Kakashi's upper body shifted in her direction, and he reached out, beckoning her to join him. The movement was languid, yet almost stiff as he jerked his left arm at an odd angle.

Despite her uncertainty, Sakura answered the call, crawling back onto the bed dubiously slow. Once she was within arm's reach, Kakashi grasped her right bicep and yanked Sakura towards him.

The pinkette fell against his chest with a yelp. In the moment it took Sakura to gather her bearings from the sudden shift, her lover wrapped both around her waist, crushing her impossibly closer to him.

The silver-haired kage dipped down, pillowing his head against Sakura's collarbone, nose nuzzling against the soft skin of her neck as he made himself comfortable with a gratified hum.

"Kakashi! What are you do–" Sakura's knee-jerk objection died on her tongue as a new scent tickled her nostrils.

The haze clung to him; a mix of sweat, smoke, and the bitter tang of alcohol. The strength of it made her nose crinkle.

"Are you drunk?!" The green-eyed woman squealed in disbelief.

When he didn't justify her with an answer, Sakura gave into the childish urge to pull on his hair. With a swift, sharp tug, she got Kakashi to lift his head from it's resting place against her bust, his face contorted in a grimace.

When he still didn't explain, Sakura scowled, her teeth grinding together as she bit out the one-word warning of, "Kakashi."

The underlying threat was not lost on him, and this time he acknowledged her, but not with the admission Sakura had prepared for.

"Has anyone ever told you," He rasped in a low octave. "That you're fucking hot when you're mad? Your face gets all flushed, and it's got to be the most attractive thing I've ever seen."

Instantaneously, Sakura released her hold on him and leaned back, both brows high upon her forehead. Her lips parted, ready to refute his statement, but the words died on her tongue. She blinked, once, twice, then a third time, before she smothered her face with her hands.

Kakashi, smugly satisfied that his comment had the effect that he was looking for, pried her hands away from her face. He lightly kissed Sakura on the tip of her nose before burying himself back into his previous position on her chest.

There was another moment's pause before he said, "I'm not drunk, by the way."

"You're a terrible liar," Was her rebuke.

She could smell the sake on his breath as it caressed her clavicle.

Though she couldn't see it, Sakura could feel his shoulders lift in an impassive shrug. "You say lair. I say innovative excuse maker. I was simply helping a friend who got lost on the road of life."

The pinkette shook her head, dryly stating, "And that road lead you both to a bar?"

Her boyfriend snickered before murmuring, "Possibly one or two."

Emerald eyes rolled skyward, and Sakura pushed Kakashi away from her before grabbing a pillow, tossing it at his head. The infamous copy-nin didn't even try to move out of the way, allowing the feather filled cushion to smack him right in the face.

He smiled at her again, that stupid fucking irresistible smirk that churned her insides and made butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"Let me get this straight," The rosette gripped, crossing her arms and trying – and failing – to hold onto what little ire she had. "You break into my room, after days of not seeing you, and after a night out of drinking and doing god knows what with Genma, to what? Cuddle? You do realize that you have a meeting with your advisors scheduled for first thing in the morning, right?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side, regarding her with a curious, considering expression.

"Technically," He started with a drawl. "You woke yourself up by going to the bathroom. I was minding my own business."

This time, Sakura swung out at him with her hand, a half-hearted smack aimed at his left temple. Unlike her previous attack, Kakashi evaded the lackluster onslaught, using her momentum against her.

The Rokudiame shifted forward, half-tackling, half-pushing his girlfriend back onto the mattress, trapping her underneath him before she could escape.

Sakura didn't fight the new position, huffing lightly as she shifted out from under his weight. She knew that she wasn't going to get a straight explanation from him and there was no further point in trying to ask questions about his odd behavior. If he said that he missed her, then he missed her, and that was something she was willing to take.

Rolling onto her side, Sakura pushed back until she was flush against Kakashi's board chest, shifting around until she was more comfortable in his hold. When she finally stilled, snugly burrowed against him, Kakashi reached down to retrieve the blankets, carelessly throwing them over their prone forms.

He leaned over and turned off the lamp on the nightstand before he relaxed back into bed.

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence, Sakura no longer reluctant to bask in the warmth that her lover provided.

He suddenly broke the stillness of the dark room, hesitantly venturing with, "You'll cure my hangover in the morning before the council meeting…right?"

Her reply was uneager. The thought of Kakashi suffering through his conference with a mild headache causing a sinister smirk to curl on her lips.

"…Maybe."

Thank you for reading!

word count: 1,852
last edited on: 05/01/18

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