Author's Note: We'll be doing a little time skipping for the sake of not making our own filler episodes that have to be skipped to get to the main story. There will be plenty of that later. This chapter practically wrote itself and the story is taking a different direction than originally planned, definitely for the better. Song for this Chapter is If I'm Lucky by State Champs.
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Avurin settled in well in Konoha. After seeing Gai during her lunch with Kakashi, she was quickly re-introduced to Asuma and Kurenai who were quick to let her know that they had agreed with Gai. They hadn't believed she'd actually died but hadn't kept their hopes up about seeing her again. Now that she was back, she found herself being invited out at least twice a week to meet with them and other Jonin in the village at nearby bars and restaurants.
Over time, she found herself drinking with them and sharing stories from her time in her cabin while they got her up to date on the gossip of the village. She had lost her 'lightweight' status quickly and was known by her friends at these meetings to immediately dive into a bottle of sake that she refused to share. While it wasn't healthy, she found herself enjoying her time without worrying about the decade she'd lost when she was drinking.
She had noticed that Kakashi had mysteriously disappeared for a few weeks after their training session, only appearing by chance throughout the village whether he was accompanying his Genin team or was being dragged into a challenge by Gai. They had only shared a quick wave and a smile during these chance meetings before moving on with their lives. Each night, she returned to the cabin in the Hatake compound.
While she had initially appreciated the quiet that came with the secluded area, she found herself avoiding sleeping in the bed so she didn't have to think about what she was missing from when she had shared the space with Kakashi on their mission in the Land of Waves. She had taken to sleeping on the couch in the living room for the sake of not having any spare space to stare at during the night.
She found herself starting to get restless in the village and decided to put in the official request to start taking missions. The Hokage was eager to give her B-Rank missions with assigned teams, however from what she understood, the council was holding him back. This meant she was racking up D-Rank missions quickly with the addition of one or two C-Rank missions. She very rarely left the village and she was starting to get frustrated after the third or fourth time catching the same cat that seemed to get out of its owner's home twice a week.
The Hokage reassured her that he was making a case to increase the ranking of her missions, however he told her it would take time and she'd need to be patient. She was still a newly returned missing-nin that was thought to be dead and the council was not easily trusting of the situation, especially given her Kekkei Genkai that they had very little understanding of. It was after this conversation that she found herself at the bar with the Jonin of the village, drinking herself into the table and whining about it.
"I don't know why they don't just send me with one of your teams on a B-Rank! You guys can already babysit your little Genin, why can't you babysit me too?" she grumbled as she poured herself another cup from her third bottle of sake that she was still refusing to share. Asuma sighed and she knew Kurenai was looking at her with pity.
"Look, the council controls everything here. You just have to wait until they can get their heads out of their asses and then you're good as gold. Just hang in there, Avurin." Asuma reassured her as he took a drink out of his beer, tapping the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray at the table. Avurin whined and crossed her arms, pouting.
"They keep giving me D-Ranks! Way more than C-Ranks! I haven't seen the outside of the village since last week when I had to escort a messenger to the next small village and back! It barely took a few hours! I'm just so tired of being cooped up here!" she argued, slamming a fist on the table. "What do I have to do to prove I'm trustworthy enough and strong enough to take on a few B-Ranks? I mean, c'mon!" She put her head on the table and whined again.
"Mah, now this is a sight." Avurin lifted her head after hearing the familiar drawl of a certain gray-haired Jonin. She glared at him and took a sip out of her cup.
"Oh, hush! Don't act like you haven't seen me like this before." she grumbled, remembering the night that she had drank the only sake she'd kept in the cabin just to bear the pain of her past as she spilled everything she'd gone through to Kakashi. Kakashi just chuckled and slipped into the booth next to her. "Where's Gai, anyway? We all know he's the only one that successfully drags you to these things." She set her cup down and refilled it from the bottle on the table, ignoring Asuma and Kurenai's questioning gaze at the familiarity between Avurin and their more elusive friend. They knew that she had been brought back by Kakashi but didn't know much in regards to the personal details. She'd refused to talk about any of her interactions with the Copy-Nin for the sake of avoiding questioning.
"He's getting another round of drinks. However, I don't think you really need another round. You're looking pretty red in the ears there, Avie." he teased. She glared at him and thumped him hard on the arm.
"I can do what I damn well please, 'Kashi. Another round sounds perfect after the day I've had."
"What, were you chasing that cat again? Maybe helping deliver the mail around the village? Or construction? I would have thought you'd be able to handle-" Kakashi found a hand pressing hard against his mouth through his mask and a very angry Avurin glaring him down.
"Another word, Kakashi, and I will end you right here at the table. Besides, it's not like you've been around lately. You could be helping me convince the Hokage to let me take a B-Rank at least every once in a while. I've been stuck doing D-Ranks for the last few weeks and I'm losing my mind! You know what I'm capable of! This is torture!" She let go of him and put her head back on the table, whining again at the unfairness of the situation. Kakashi chuckled as he tucked some of her hair behind her ear and gently patted her back. They both missed the growing shock and slight horror growing on the faces of Asuma and Kurenai as they watched the scene unfold in front of them.
"Well, drowning your sorrows in alcohol may not be the best choice but if that's what you feel like doing, go for it. You still haven't contacted me for our next training session and you still have a second bell to get from me." Avurin's face heated and she turned to face Kakashi with her glare still in place.
"Well I would if I could fucking find you! I've gone by your apartment, I've asked Gai to find you once, I've checked the training grounds, it's like you disappeared! How am I supposed to set up our next training session if I can't even reach you!" she shouted with a pout. Kakashi put his hands up in defense.
"Mah, I've been on a couple of missions with the pups lately. We just recently got word that the Chunin exams will be held in Konoha this year and I want to make sure they're ready. They just started taking more involved C-Rank missions and I've increased their training. I know it's not an excuse, but you can always leave a letter at my apartment and I'll get it when I return." he explained. Avurin blushed so hard her face hurt and she quickly finished the cup in her hands, refilling it and tossing the next one back just as quickly.
"Sorry, I didn't consider that. I'll keep that in mind. Are you available soon?" she asked. Kakashi shrugged.
"I should be able to meet you tomorrow but we'll talk about that tomorrow morning if you're not dead asleep with a hangover," he teased. Gai appeared with the next round of drinks and was met with a dead silent table. Avurin felt her mortification grow with Asuma and Kurenai staring very intently at her and Kakashi while Gai announced what he'd brought over before the energetic Jonin saw another friend and ran off. Kakashi just sighed and popped open a beer, pointing it at Asuma.
"Nothing is happening. Get it out of your head." he almost growled. Avurin just hid her face in her crossed arms on the table.
"Are you sure about that? You two seem pretty close. She even knows where your apartment is, Mr. Secretive." Kurenai teased as she leaned forward, resting her chin in one hand and a sly smile on her face. Avurin buried her face further into her arms.
"It was a necessity. She'd just gotten back into the village and we needed to find her a place to stay. She stayed over ONE night and I slept on the couch. Get your minds out of the gutter." Kakashi grumbled as he took a sip of his beer in his usual quick manner that ensured no one saw his face. Avurin peeked out from her arms.
"It's true. It was just one night and we found a place for me to stay the next day. It's really not like that." she mumbled pathetically, watching Kurenai's eyes light up with amusement.
"Just be glad Anko didn't get a whiff of this. Rumors would be swirling through Konoha so fast you two wouldn't have a choice. Personally, I've never seen you this worked up, Kakashi. You've never let anyone come by your apartment except for Asuma and Gai. Maybe you two should consider how well you compliment each other." Avurin glanced at Kakashi to see him looking at her with that 'please don't make a big deal about this' look on his face. She sighed and threw back another cup of sake.
"Kurenai, maybe we should just leave them be. Avurin looks about ready to die of humiliation over there." Asuma teased a little, nudging Kurenai's arm. Kakashi just sighed and Avurin noticed half of his beer was already gone. She took a spare cup for sake and filled it, passing it over to him. He gave her a grateful look and it disappeared just as quickly as his sips of beer had.
"See? She's even sharing her sake with him. She hardly shares with us. I think it's cute." Kurenai said with a warm look in her eyes as she looked at Avurin. Avurin sighed and sat back in the booth.
"Look, don't you guys think I should figure out some of my problems with my missions and a team before I start worrying about things like whether or not Kakashi and I should be dating? Sorry, no offense, 'Kashi." She knew her and Kakashi had already talked about the problem that was currently being discussed, but she didn't want their friends to know that the casual behavior between her and Kakashi was something that had been happening practically since day one and had already warranted that discussion.
"I don't see why it should stop you. Life is short, sometimes shorter than we expect in our line of work. Even if you don't like Kakashi that way, you really shouldn't put a hold on that kind of thing just because of things as simple as working up the mission ranking ladder." Asuma chimed in. Avurin huffed and crossed her arms.
"I came here to rant to you guys about the unfairness of 'working up the mission ranking ladder,' not talk about my romantic interests. If you guys are just going to grill me about it, I'm just going to go home. It's getting late anyway and apparently I have a chance to train tomorrow." Finishing her bottle of sake in a couple of swigs straight from the bottle, she pushed Kakashi until he let her out of the booth and stumbled towards the door. Her mood had soured at the pushing from her friends, but she knew they had a valid point. Why was she holding back? As she walked out into the cool night air, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders to steady her. She hadn't even realized she was swaying dangerously enough to warrant the support.
"I'll walk you back. I know it's a bit of a walk." Kakashi's low voice whispered from next to her and she nodded. After a couple of minutes of walking in silence, her mouth decided that her thoughts needed to be spoken.
"I missed you. I guess they have a point. Why am I waiting?" she mumbled. Kakashi hummed next to her and she felt his arm tighten around her slightly.
"Because you have a reasonable head on your shoulders. You want things to be stable when you choose to be with someone. If that someone happens to be me, you'll definitely need that stability. There's a lot you still don't know about me and I'm sure you've already realized that my instincts won't let me do things halfway. Hatake's mate for life. It's a hard decision to make and it's a difficult decision to reverse after things get too entangled. You're smart and waiting is something I can do until you've made a decision. It's not like I have a second choice since this is the first time I've met someone I'm willing to 'try' with. That's not to say that if you decide to try things with me, it's set in stone that you're in it for life, but it's still an important decision." Kakashi rambled, looking away to avoid eye contact as he spoke. Avurin ducked her head down, bringing a hand to rub at her forehead at the new revelations he just provided her. If she thought the pressure was high before, her head felt like it was about to explode with the implication that any decision she made would be very serious and couldn't be done halfway.
"For what it's worth, this is the first time I've met someone I'm willing to 'try' with too. I just… I need to make sure I'm not making a decision influenced by everything else going on. I want to know that I'm thinking clearly when I decide. Especially not because some friends decided to play matchmaker at a bar while I'm drunk out of my mind and ranting about shitty missions of all things." she muttered quietly as they approached the gates of the compound. He stopped and turned her by her shoulders to look at him. She shivered at the intensity of his gaze but maintained eye contact.
"Just knowing that you're feeling the same way is enough for me right now. Do what you have to and I'll be here when you're ready, okay?" he reassured her. She nodded. His smile returned as he helped her hop over the gate to the compound and she let him walk her to the cabin without any complaints.
"I think I can get myself to bed from here. Thank you, Kakashi." she whispered as she turned to take the first step up the stairs. Sure enough, she tripped and strong arms caught her. A quiet laugh rang out next to her ear and she huffed.
"I'll help you get inside. Can't have you hurting yourself before our training session, can we?" he teased. She groaned and hit him in the shoulder weakly as he helped her back to her feet. She managed to climb the next two steps and open the front door. She could feel Kakashi's eyes on her as she stumbled to the couch where she had already made a little nest of blankets and pillows. He walked into the home as she plopped down onto the couch.
"Have you been sleeping on the couch this whole time? I know I made sure there was a bed in here before I offered it to you." he asked, concern laced into his voice as she nuzzled into a pillow on the couch. Her whole world was swirling with the change in orientation from standing to lying down.
"Doesn't feel right…" she mumbled. She heard him huff before arms wedged themselves under her shoulders and behind her knees. She squeaked as she was picked up and looked at Kakashi with wide eyes. His mask was pulled down and both of his eyes were open.
"I know the feeling. I know you said we should get used to sleeping separately and we have been for weeks now, but I think this will do us both some good." With that, he swept her away to the bedroom and set her down on the bed. He went back to the living room to grab a couple of pillows and the comforter that had originally been on the bed, throwing them on top of her as she stared at him in shock.
"Hey! I didn't agree to this!" she whined and he just smirked at her.
"Well, this is the best way to make sure you're up early so we can go to training. Get comfortable. I'm not letting you sleep on the couch tonight." he told her as he pulled his jacket and shirt off, tossing them on the floor in the corner of the room. She felt her face burning as he turned off the light and she felt him adjust one of the pillows before plopping down onto the bed next to her. Arms wrapped around her midsection and a familiar warmth pressed against her back.
"Sleep well…"
...
Author's Note: They're back to sleeping together! But they're not together, ya know? Poor, complicated, very real-life based souls… I figured I'd leave a few more notes so you guys could get to know me a little bit since I'm not getting much interaction on this fanfic other than an overwhelming amount of Kudos on AO3 that I wasn't expecting and a couple of reviews on fanfiction net. I really appreciate you guys providing some encouragement over the last few months! Things are finally picking up in the plot and we still have a long way to go!
Next Week: The Double Event! (If you got that reference, I'm glad to know you're just as addicted to true crime as I am.) Next week, I'll be posting two chapters back to back and our happy little pairing will be finding out more about themselves so be prepared! Thank you for the love and please feel free to leave a review or comment to let me know how you feel about this work!