Sakura left Kakashi at home to go have her girl's night. His shift for the day was done, and she didn't need him for any PR tonight, so he could have the time off, go do whatever it was he did when he wasn't with her. Lift heavy things and read, maybe. They were more similar than she ever would have thought.
Asuma and Guy accompanied her to Ino's penthouse, where the other girls were already waiting. Ino lived in an exclusive complex in a wealthy district of the city, the structure rising high into the sky. The security of the building was top of the line, with gates, cameras, and even bulletproof windows, which left the inside of her home blissfully guard free.
Ino met Sakura at the door, a grin spread across her lips. Her busty friend was wearing a royal purple dress with a deep v neck, silver glittering at her ears and neck. She opened her arms and tugged Sakura into a tight hug, nearly squeezing the air from her lungs.
"Hello hello!" She pulled back and looked Sakura up and down, taking in her outfit. Ino had text at around 5pm, ordering Sakura to wear something 'show-stopping and white,' so Sakura had pulled out a short white dress with silver strands of rhinestones around the hem, Country Western inspired. Her cowboy boots matched perfectly, completely covered in silver rhinestones. Ino's eyes glittered with delight.
"Come in! Your men," she shot a displeased look at Guy and Asuma, "may overlook you from the kitchen." She wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders, and steered her into the living room, where TenTen, Temari, and Hinata all waited, sitting on various pieces of furniture. Her friends were dressed in equally fun going-out clothes, looking like a photo shoot waiting to happen. In front of them on the coffee table sat 5 red solo cups, and 5 shot glasses, accompanied by a variety of alcohol and chasers.
Sakura eyed the spread warily. She very rarely drank, even more rarely drank more than a glass, mostly for health reasons, but also because she couldn't risk her actions being out of control and causing a scandal.
Temari waved a hand at her in greeting, then spread her arm to encompass the room, the night. "Welcome, welcome, to your bachelorette!" The Land of Wind native had a terrifying look on her gorgeous face, her lips promising trouble. Her shit eating-est grin.
Sakura, despite herself, tipped her head back and laughed. The other girls laughed with her, all of them happy and supportive. Sakura was grateful to them, these women she was blessed to have in her life. She figured that their schedules conflicted the rest of the week, so the girls had worked hard to pull together a party on such short notice.
"We've got gifts, and games to play, and then…" TenTen paused for dramatic effect from where she was lounging in a plush chair. "We're going out!" Hinata, Ino, and TenTen squealed with girlish excitement. Only after she said it did Sakura notice the gift bags tucked under the table, done up with whites and silvers, with creamy paper hiding their contents.
"But before we do that," Ino released her and strode to the table, where she grabbed two different bottles of vodka, each a different flavor. "We're each gonna do one shot. And then, before each gift, a shot." There was a challenge in her eyes, but Sakura didn't want to die of liver poisoning, so she countered the challenge.
"How about a shot now, then we all make mixies and take a drink before each gift?" She tipped her chin down and raised her eyebrows, imploring the others. Hinata stammered agreement, and TenTen did shortly after. From the kitchen she heard Guy and Asuma agree, and then some comment about the fleeting nature of youth.
Ino stuck her tongue out in the guards' direction. "Fine. But the fun is only beginning." She took Sakura's hand in her own finely manicured one, and tugged her onto the couch, between herself and Temari.
"Put us out of our misery, Sakura-chan! Who's the lucky guy? Is he hot? Is he a model? Ooh, or maybe a race car driver? Or a gang leader?" TenTen's eyes danced with the possibilities. All of the girls leaned in, faces open with excitement.
Sakura fidgeted with strands of rhinestones at the hem of her skirt. "You already know you have to keep it under wraps, right?"
Her friends groaned, displeased with her stalling. "We know." It was Hinata who answered, her lips a line of irritation. "And we know that you know that we know. Stop stalling." Her white eyes stared Sakura down.
Sakura made a face at her friend. "Fine! It's…my guard." She mumbled. It was loud enough that they all heard.
"Oh, which one? They're all so good looking. Can't say I'm disappointed." Ino gripped her bicep, face dreamy.
"The silver one...Kakashi..."
"Ahahaha!" The girls were each screaming. Hinata and TenTen both clasped their hands over their hearts, while Temari and Ino fanned their faces with their hands.
"That is so romantic! A secret relationship with the man who protects you…" Hinata swooned, looking every bit like a love struck woman. Sakura didn't correct her, and hid a frown. That did sound romantic. She kind of wished it were the truth.
"What about the others?" Ino asked, snagging Sakura's attention again.
"The others…?"
"Your other guards! That brunette, with the bandana? Oof, he gives me a snail trail, if you know what I mean." Ino squirmed in her seat, twisting her legs together dramatically.
"Aren't you with Sai?" TenTen asked across from them, voice teasing.
"That's not official. What do you say, Sakura? Since he's not the one you like, could you loan him to me, and I could take him for a test drive?" Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively. Sakura smacked her with a throw pillow from the couch beside her.
"Ino! He's a man, not a bicycle!" Hinata scolded. Sakura nodded her agreement. Ino just laughed.
"Anyway," Temari cut through the giggling. "You sure know how to pick them, Sakura-chan. That man is grade A fine." She had a smile on her face that Sakura knew made men want to crawl across broken glass for her.
"Show us the ring!" Hinata insisted, head angled forward to peek at Sakura's ring finger. "We saw it on Minato's, but we need to see it in person!"
Sakura hesitatingly held up her left hand, which TenTen reached up and snagged in her own, pulled the ring farther from Sakura's body and into the light.
"Oh, it's so vintage and unique!" TenTen praised. She turned Sakura's hand this way and that, making the emerald sparkle.
"It'll never go out of style, just like you." Ino said wisely. Sakura blushed under the praise.
Sakura was eager to move past the reveal, and distracted the girls by gesturing for the shots.
Hinata poured a shot into each glass, switching the flavor of vodka with each pour. When they all had a cup, they clinked them together, lowered them to the table, and lifted them to their mouths, sipping at the same time.
A shudder wracked Sakura's body as the liquor burned down her throat and settled hotly inside her. Temari slapped her soundly on the back, encouraging.
"Tonight's all about you babe. Congratulations!" Temari tipped her head back, resting it now on the sofa. "Though I want you to know, Gaara is heartbroken that you're taken." She pouted at the ceiling.
Sakura scoffed. "Your brother, the youngest prime minister in Wind history, is sad that I'm engaged?" She rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah. Kankuro said he's been spreading dark clouds all over the prime minister's mansion. He's had quite the crush on you for a while."
Sakura felt a little bad. She liked Gaara. Between Temari and Gaaras' friendship with Naruto, Sakura had met the young prodigy several times. He was good looking, she supposed, with that wine hair and those depthless eyes. He'd been kind to her, too.
A set of gunmetal eyes and silver hair flashed in her mind's eye.
Temari waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, well. He'll find a nice girl in Suna. Moving on." She used the same hand to gesture to the gifts under the table.
"My gift first!" TenTen declared to the room. She fished a bag out from under the table and shoved it in Sakura's hands.
"Hang on!" Temari stopped Sakura before she could rip into the paper. "You just agreed." And the blonde got to work making mixies in the red solo cups and doling them out. The women all took a healthy sip.
"Now you can open." Temari leaned in and rested her head on Sakura's shoulder. "And so you know, there are snacks in the kitchen, if your guards don't eat them all." Two indignant 'hey!'s sounded from the guards. Sakura pursed her lips and nodded in acknowledgement. Snacks were necessary to avoid giving herself alcohol poisoning.
With no more objections, she tore into the bag, and tugged out a new robe. This one was white, of course, with dramatic feathered edges, while the main sections were sheer fabric. It was long and flowy, just the way she liked it.
Sakura made a silly, happy face at TenTen, who grinned back at her. "Thank you! Love it!" She gently folded it up and placed it back inside the bag. Temari and Hinata oohed and awed, commenting on how fabulous the garment was.
"Me next!" Ino shouted, unnecessarily loud. The girls all took healthy sips from their cups again. Ino shoved a bag into Sakura's waiting hands.
She looked apprehensively down at the bag, a laundry list of potential and scandalous items going through her mind. Biting the bullet, Sakura dove a hand in past the paper, and pulled out another garment. A set of garments, rather.
Sakura held up the scraps of silk and lace, letting the set unfold for her friends to see. They all leaned in, nodding appreciatively at Ino's gift.
It was a lingerie set in a pearly shade of white. A gorgeous see-through bra, with matching panties that had a heart-shaped cut out where Sakura's crotch was supposed to be. The set also boasted a garter belt and garters, adding to the sex appeal. Floral lace accented each piece.
Sakura could only imagine what Kakashi would look like if he saw this. She roughly reminded herself that it was unlikely he even would, and less likely he would want to.
"It's for the wedding night!" Ino offered suggestively, pulling her from her thoughts. "Your first time should be special- and hot." Her smile was entirely smug and self satisfied. Sakura blushed.
She strained her ears for any noise from Guy and Asuma, who undoubtedly had heard Ino, but they were conspicuously silent.
Sakura took a gulp from her cup, then topped it off with more vodka and lemonade.
"Me, me, me!" Temari urged Sakura to take the next bag. She narrowed her eyes at it, utterly unsure what to expect. Temari was mostly levelheaded, but she could be unpredictable and wild every once in a while.
There were three things in the bag. The first, Sakura didn't immediately recognize. It was a little clear glass bottle, almost like perfume. She pulled it out and turned it around, looking for the label. There wasn't one.
Temari lifted her head and whispered, her voice hot in her ear, "It's massage oil. A very special massage oil. It has two different uses." The blonde smirked, and Sakura stuttered something unintelligible.
She cleared her throat. "How…useful, Temari." Eager to put the oil down, she pulled out the next item. A set of aphrodisiac candles, tall and white, looked up at her. Ino snorted at the look on Sakura's face, but she smiled at Temari despite her small amount of alarm. She went for the last item.
This, she was relieved to see, was recognizable and harmless. It was a white sash that read 'BRIDE' down the front.
"For tonight," TenTen clarified, though Sakura hadn't been confused. The girls cheered to the night and drank again, before passing Sakura the last gift. Hinata's gift.
Sakura felt relieved as she started pulling the paper out. Hinata was shy, steady, reliable, and lady-like. The gift at the top of the bag reflected this.
It was a lovely bath set; a cherry blossom scented sugar scrub, with matching body whip, a bubble bomb and a face mask.
Sakura blew Hinata a kiss in thanks before plunging her hand back into the bag. Two items came up in her fist.
Her eyes went wide with shock, and Temari, TenTen, and Ino all choked on their drinks.
Blinking, Sakura's eyes continued to tell her what her brain wasn't accepting. Because there was no way…
"Handcuffs and a bullet vibrator?" Ino gasped, but at the same time leaned in to inspect the items. Something crashed in the kitchen. Sakura just kept staring at the gifts. A set of soft, midnight blue handcuffs, complete with a key and hooks that could be attached to restraints. And a small, midnight blue bullet vibrator, the kind meant to be used in addition to sex, instead of as a replacement for.
TenTen and Temari were gaping at Hinata. The Hyuuga heiress was turning a violent shade of red.
"They're good gifts," she said, quietly but firmly.
Ino beamed at Hinata. "Oh, Hina, these are wonderful! You brilliant, brilliant lady!" Ino threw her arms around the dark-haired beauty. "Naruto must be a lucky, lucky guy." Hinata looked ready to pass out at that.
Sakura locked her thoughts down before they could summon any images of what she- what Kakashi- could do with the gifts. Do to her.
She shoved them hastily back into the bag. With a nervous laugh, she slammed the rest of her nearly full drink, the alcohol scorching her insides, deliciously dousing her nerves.
"Sakura-chan, what are you getting the groom for his wedding gift?" TenTen asked suddenly, crossing her legs beneath her. The living room lights showed in her mocha eyes.
"Huh?" Sakura tilted her head to the side.
"You know, a wedding gift for your lover? It's a tradition for the bride and groom to exchange gifts. Men typically get, like, cologne or something." Ino clarified beside her.
"Oh, I hadn't thought about it." Sakura laughed uncomfortably. She really hadn't considered it. Wedding traditions weren't something she had really familiarized herself with. And cologne sounded so boring. She'd have to think of something exceptional for her guard. Less for the sake of the marriage, and more as a thank you for their deal.
"Just think about what he likes, and go from there. I'm sure you'll pick something great." Temari set a delicate hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Sakura put her own over Temari's and squeezed back.
"All done?" She asked the group, ready to move on from this mortification.
"Snacks, then you put on that sash and we're going to Ichiraku." Ino grinned like a cat with a mouse, the other girls nodding along. Ichiraku was the hottest, and most exclusive, club in the city. It was for celebrities, idols, the rich and famous. It was for them.
"Snacks." Sakura confirmed. She could feel the liquor sitting in her stomach, knew it wouldn't be long before it made her extremities numb.
The group of women descended upon the food Ino had provided before they descended on the city, Sakura's exasperated guards behind them.
Sakura was well and truly drunk as the girls got ready to leave the club, collecting jackets and purses, calling drivers and exchanging kisses. The edges of her were all soft and fuzzy, her sharp points dulled. Bass pumped through the room and through Sakura's blood. She didn't even mind that it was her own song, Ferryman, blaring in the dimly lit space.
Won't' you carry me across the River Styx?
Don't worry honey, this is just for kicks
If it's you at the helm-
They'd sung and laughed into the night, but when 1am hit they were all worn out, their schedules too demanding to allow them to be late night girls today. Which was all well and good, because it prevented Sakura from doing anything potentially scandalous, as her intoxication hadn't quite peaked.
Asuma helped her to her SUV, a guiding hand under her elbow while she kept trying to turn back to wave goodbye to her friends again. The night air was crisp, but not yet chilly with the impending bite of winter. People on the street whispered and snapped photos as she went by. Sakura frowned up at the light polluted sky before ducking her head into her car. Asuma swung into the back with her, while Guy rode up front with Tenzo.
She hiccupped.
"And I thought I only had one baby..." Asuma grumbled, his large hand pulled the seat belt across Sakura and secured her to the seat. She wrinkled her nose at him.
"I…am not a baby," she managed. He frowned at her, the unlit cigarette in his mouth tipping down.
"Sure." He conceded to the flash of temper on her red face. "Just drunk."
She couldn't argue with that.
Tenzo pulled away from the curb, and Sakura had to close her eyes at the movement to avoid a nauseous feeling beginning in her stomach. She leaned her forehead against the cold glass of the window and let the drive lull her into a light doze.
Asuma and Guy were too slow to come around the car to get her when they pulled up in front of her house. She'd awoken to the mechanical hum of her front gate opening and unclipped her seat belt before the SUV had even stopped. Alcohol still raged through her system. Her joints felt loose where they connected her limbs. Her heartbeat felt weirdly out of sync.
She stumbled onto the stone path and barely managed to catch herself on the car door. Straightening her spine by force of will, she made it to the front step and into the house. She ditched her shoes by the door, not bothering to slide into her slippers before traipsing through the living room.
Kakashi's dogs raised their heads from where they lay on the floor around the couch. The silver haired man was sitting casually in his sweats and mask, nothing else on except his dog tags. His nose was buried in his usual little orange novel. He didn't look up.
"Oh hello, puppies." She cooed to the dogs. Slowly, not willing to trust her playful tone, a few tails wagged. She patted each one on the head as she went by, feeling their mixed soft and coarse hair under her fingertips. She said nothing to her fiancé, uninterested in his presence.
A wobbly smile on her face, she pushed out the back door, the dogs on her heels. The back lights were off, exactly what she wanted.
She strode right by the pool, off the cement pool deck, and into the tree dotted grass beyond. Her property ran farther back, into the true tree line and woods. But she stopped still near enough to the house, put her hands high above her head, lifted her right foot, and tumbled forward in a disgraceful excuse for a cartwheel. She hit the ground and remained there, cold pressing into her through her dress. Wet dog noses pressed against her. She giggled and began to pet the multitude of canines enthusiastically from her place on the grass. Soon the dogs were practically burying her under them, but she was having fun, the heat in her body and the heat of the dogs staving off the chill of the ground.
Her laugh died as the dogs pulled back, revealing Kakashi staring down at her.
"What the hell are you doing?" He quirked an eyebrow.
She blinked at his gorgeous face, overcome for a moment by his rugged handsomeness.
"I'm playing." She replied, words laced with attitude. "You're interrupting." She stuck her tongue out at him and watched the way he stared at her mouth. She flushed, though it was hidden by the drunk redness on her face.
"You're intoxicated." His voice was flat. He crossed his arms over his muscled chest. She had no idea how he managed to look both bored and disapproving at the same time, with half of his face concealed.
"Sure am." She twined her fingers through the grass at her sides, feeling the edges slip between her fingers.
"I haven't seen you get drunk before." He noted, face impassive.
"I usually don't. But today is my bachelorette, or something." She grinned wickedly up at him. He rubbed a hand down his face with a sigh.
"And apparently, Guy and Asuma didn't feel like giving me a heads up." He looked over his shoulder to the house, where the others were likely dispersed in the shadows around the perimeter.
"Nope." She popped the 'p' and giggled to herself. She did it again.
"Come on," He reached a hand down to her, his eyes revealing a hint of exasperation.
Face carefully blank, she took his calloused hand.
She tugged abruptly with all of her weight behind it. Kakashi came tumbling down, crashing onto the grass beside her. She cackled. She wasn't sure she had ever cackled before.
"I told you; I'm playing. I don't want to go inside." She scooted towards him so that their shoulders bumped, skin pressed to skin.
She turned her eyes to the sky above, stars like ice glimmering down to earth. A bank of clouds was looming to the north, but for now she could see all of her favorite constellations. She named them off in her head, tracing their patterns with mental lines. She started with Andromeda; the constellations forever impressed in her skin. Then Cassiopeia. Then the bears, the hunter, the bull, and so on, head turning slightly as she moved across the heavens.
Kakashi lay quietly beside her, his face turned in her direction. She turned towards him and couldn't stop herself from nuzzling his bicep with her nose. Tomorrow, she'd blame the alcohol. Tonight, she did not care, and for all intents and purposes, it really was the liquor. She inhaled deeply but quietly, not trying to be creepy.
The smell of him filled her lungs like a drug. He smelled of leather and gunpowder, and under that, a clean, minty scent from what she assumed was his soap.
"You smell delicious." She mumbled, unable to stop the words. Her lips were not under her control.
"You smell like a bar." His voice rumbled against her nose. His tone was flat and unamused.
"I smell like pineapple martinis," She corrected. As punishment for that comment, she opened her mouth and bit him on the skin that covered his deltoid. Her tongue felt the goose flesh break out over his skin.
"Hey!" He grumbled. She bit him again, savoring the taste of his skin. He flipped over, and held her down beneath him. "Hey." He repeated, his voice a low growl in her face. His eyes dipped to her lips, and she was afraid- excited- afraid he would kiss her again. He leaned down, but his face veered away. She heard the sound of rustling fabric from his mask, and then felt his teeth sink into her own bare shoulder, just above her collar bone.
She gasped and arched beneath him. "You bastard!" Her indignance outweighed her arousal. She brought her legs up between them, planted her feet on his stomach, and shoved as she rolled back, launching him over her head. It was a move that wouldn't work on a serious attacker, but Kakashi hadn't been trying to hold her down seriously. He'd left himself open to her maneuvering. The move was one she'd used on Naruto and Sasuke a hundred times when they were kids.
Kakashi groaned and cursed under his breath. The crown of his head was now by hers, with his body lying pointing away. She heard the rustle of him putting his mask back in place. She mentally lamented not taking the time to look at it, the alcohol and movement blurring anything she might've recognized.
"Ah," She pouted at the night. 'I'm bored. And hungry." She hopped up into a squat, rocking on the balls of her heels. "I want to play." She looked down at his face, between her knees. His grey eyes were dark in the lowlight. He could probably see right up her skirt. She tapped his forehead. "You're it."
Then she bolted for the tree line.
She underestimated the pull of the intoxication, however, and ate it over her own two feet without getting very far. She went down in a tangle of her own limbs, the dogs barking at her.
The grass crunched behind her as Kakashi stalked up. He nudged her with a foot and rolled her onto her back. Her position was much the same as it had been minutes before.
"You didn't make it very far. I don't think you're good at this game." His eyes glinted. She pulled her lips back and made an unlady-like face at him. It slipped off however, as a thought distracted her.
"What are you always reading?" She asked as they stared at one another. She could have sworn pink crept up his neck.
"Icha Icha." He said quietly, shyly. He slipped his hands into his pockets.
Sakura's brain was slow to put the name into context. She could recall seeing the name on the bestseller list, the colorful covers on the racks in bookstores. Tsunade's friend, Jiraiyah, had written them, she vaguely recalled.
'Hot and Steamy' She remembered the reviews saying.
A wry smile slid onto her face. "Ka-ka-shi~" She sang up at him, holding the syllables out in long notes. He narrowed his eyes.
"So you prefer to read your porn. Interesting." Her wry smile deepened into an all out grin.
He dug his foot into her side. "I've seen some of the titles in your library. You like to read your porn, too." He fired back.
Sakura laughed. A breeze rustled her hair and the blades of grass around her. He was right, of course, about her library. But it was hardly like she took books like that out everywhere she went. She certainly didn't pull them out in public, like he did.
She held her hand up towards him expectantly. Kakashi only blinked at her and didn't move. She released an annoyed huff and waved her arm dramatically to get his attention. Slowly, he reached out and grasped her flailing hand. He tugged her to her feet but didn't let go.
"Still hungry?" He asked, turning back towards the house and pulling her with him.
"I'm starving." She groaned and rubbed her stomach with her free hand for emphasis.
His laugh floated back to her in the dark, the sound of it like the cool night itself the way it settled over her skin.
Kakashi led the way into the kitchen, the dogs weaving around their legs. "How about I make ramen?" He offered, coming to a stop and turning to face her. Sakura nodded enthusiastically, then swayed a bit on her feet. He frowned, then gripped either side of her hips to lift her up onto the counter beside the refrigerator.
"This is cute," He commented, tugging on her 'BRIDE' sash. Before she could say anything, he spoke again. "Stay here and don't move," He ordered. She nodded, her face overly serious. Sakura swung her legs back and forth while she watched Kakashi move about the room, the muscles in his back shifting under his skin. A flush that had nothing to do with the alcohol rose in her cheeks.
Kakashi was impressive, she could not deny it. The melting she felt low inside of her was pure, physical attraction. His hair shone under the kitchen light, and his muscles flexed as he did different things. She might have been drooling. She leaned her head against the fridge to wait as her eyes lingered over him.
He turned to look at her, his grey eyes crinkled at the corners. "That's a lovely tune." He had a strange look on what she could see of his face.
"What?" She asked, confused. She straightened up and leaned towards him.
He leaned in towards her, their foreheads nearly touching. He looked at her from under his brow. "You were humming. I don't recognize the song." Sakura pulled back abruptly.
"I didn't realize I was humming." she muttered.
Kakashi shrugged and returned to the stove. "You do it a lot, actually. Hum without noticing." He mused as he broke the noodles into the boiling water.
Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm a musician, stupid." Her hands gripped the edge of the counter as she looked down at her own swinging feet, bare and grass stained. She felt herself begin to pitch forward, her weight unbalanced, but then there were Kakashi's hands on her shoulders, pushing her back up before she could topple off the countertop.
"Do try not to eat it on your hard floors." He admonished her lightly. She scrunched up her face at him. "And try not to let your face freeze like that."
Sakura could not care less about her facial expression. Her body was warm all over, and the ramen smelled awesome. She could hear Kakashi frying pork belly on the stove next to the pot.
When he was done, Kakashi gripped her hips again, and put her solidly back on the floor, allowing his hands to linger long enough to ensure she didn't do exactly what he'd said not to. His fingertips left tingling trails behind on her skin under the dress.
He offered her the porcelain bowl of ramen, complete with bean sprouts, pork belly, and a soft-boiled egg. She sat down at her table, delighted. Having Kakashi inside her home had brought to her something she hadn't had in ages: home cooked meals made by someone else.
Sakura took a deep lungful of the steam over her bowl, relishing the smell. "Oh, you wonderful, good looking man." She broke her chopsticks and dug in.
It sounded like Kakashi choked on a laugh behind her. "You drunk, pretty little pop star."
Sakura only hummed in response. Her brain tripped over the word pretty.
By the time she was finished, every last bit tipped back into her mouth, Kakashi had washed up the pot and pan. "You are quite the house husband." Sakura laughed.
She walked up to him at the sink, and began scrubbing down her bowl, her arm bumping his playfully.
Kakashi laughed, and again it settled on her skin, raising goosebumps on her arms.
When she turned from the sink, her eye caught on his pistol, sitting on the kitchen island. "Will you teach me?" The words blurted from her loose lips.
He turned beside her and followed her gaze to the firearm. His eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly moved in front of her.
"Not right now, Ka-ka-shi," She rolled her eyes. "Another time." She batted her eyelashes at him. He rolled his own eyes back at her. "Sure, I'll teach you to shoot. But for now, it's well past bedtime. Come on, pop star." Sakura glanced at her phone screen, vaguely bewildered by the time. It was 3am. Kakashi led the way, flicking off lights as they went. "I already locked the doors while you were eating. And now the cameras are installed." [CP1] He stopped in her bedroom doorway, allowing her to pass inside first. She turned on her lights, and flopped onto her bed, letting her head drop into the covers, face down.
Kakashi made a sardonic noise behind her, and she lifted her face to turn and look at him.
"Do you want to go to bed like that, in your dress and makeup?" He was leaning against her doorway, half slouching, ankles crossed.
Sakura pushed up, and rolled over the edge, her knees hitting the carpet below her. She remained there for a moment as her bedroom tilted around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and forced herself to her feet, releasing a grunt.
Kakashi simply trailed after her into the bathroom.
"What are you doing?" She grumbled. Her hand fished around her countertop for oil based makeup remover, finally finding it. It had been exactly where it was supposed to be, of course, but her limbs could not compute that.
"I'm going to make sure you don't fall and crack your skull open on the marble. Like I have been since you got home." He sat himself down on the edge of her tub, arms crossed, eyes alert. "It's my job."
Right. His job. She was paying him for this. A small stab of pain lanced through her chest at the nonchalance in his words. She was grateful for the alcohol blunting the hit.
She went through an abbreviated version of her skincare routine, then fumbled into her attached closet for her pajamas.
There was no door to her closet, only a wide-open arch leading into the sizable room. Sakura turned to Kakashi, who remained watching her, his face boarded, eyes glazed with disinterest.
Whatever, she thought to herself. She turned her back to him and stripped off her sash and dress. She was wearing normal underwear-white-and nothing else, no bra. She did not care if he could see her back. She tossed her dress into the hamper at the back of the room, then tugged on her negligee over her head.
Finished and covered, she turned back around, tripped over her own feet, and slammed onto the marble.
Wait, no. That was Kakashi, already there to catch her. The world spun again.
"You are a danger to yourself. Unbelievable." He grumbled. Without warning, he picked her up, not sweetly, and tossed her over his shoulder.
She hung upside down, face pressed to his back, as he walked back into the bathroom.
"You-you're lucky…that I'm not going to throw up." Her irritation was tempered by the blood rushing to her head, and the sensation of his hands on the backs of her thighs. It was similar to the way his hands had gripped her the other night. Her heart pounded from his proximity and the reminder of that kiss. A kiss she'd sworn to herself meant nothing, and never needed to happen again. Her nose skimmed his skin, and she inhaled the male scent of him again. This casual touching-
She sunk her teeth into his smooth traps.
"I'll drop you if you keep that up," His voice was low with threat, his steps unfaltering.
"How can I resist, when you're so delicious?" She flirted.
"Wanna find out how the floor tastes?"
She huffed but didn't try his patience with another nip.
He set her down on her bed softly. "Go to sleep, drunk pop star." He ruffled her hair, and was gone, turning out the light as he went