A/N: There is a chapter break midway through a scene with songs lyrics posted. If you're feeling adventurous, I would recommend listening to the song when the scene is being played out. ;)

Chapter Twelve

Sugar

Sakura couldn't recall the last time she slept so well… She'd awoken on account of a particularly strong jasmine-scented breeze that blew strands of hair across her face, tickling her nose; and remembered they'd left the screen door open last night before going to bed. There was a slight pressure at her legs, and as Sakura pushed up on her elbows, she found the Copy-nin passed out at her feet – his arms draped around her legs and his thumb resting on her anklebone. As if he'd fallen asleep mid-stroke. She smiled at the memory of that… of Kakashi rubbing her ankle in his sleep. His touch had warmed her blood, and then soothingly lulled her to sleep. She very much doubted it had been a conscious decision on his part, but rather something that came to him naturally – it spoke volumes of his comfort level when it came to her.

As much as Sakura was enjoying the view of Kakashi cuddling with her legs, the pale light of dawn had crept into their room, and was signaling that they needed to get a move on. Slowly, she tried moving her right leg, but Kakashi only tightened his grip. She pulled a little harder, causing Kakashi's hand to jolt as he slapped down on her thigh. Sakura froze, watching his hand slide across the top of her thigh and dip into the shallow space between them.

Gods help her if this man didn't wake up...

"Kakashi…" she tested his name in a quiet tone but the man didn't budge. She sat up, carefully removing his hand from a near-dangerous location on her legs, and finally, the Copy-nin came to life. His hand locked around Sakura's wrist and he tugged her forward. In a quick series of carefully skilled movements, Sakura's head was tucked under Kakashi's chin, his arm was draped over her side, and his left leg was folded over hers so that she was pinned against him.

"Go back to sleep," he told her in that deliciously-gruff morning tone of his.

For a moment, Sakura couldn't even find it within her to breathe… She was all too aware of the lack of space between their two bodies, all too aware of his rock-solid torso because her breasts were pushing into his sternum… Sakura swallowed. She felt Kakashi's warm breath on the top of her head, and when she finally remembered how to breathe, inhaled the heady scent of his skin, and felt a spark of electricity warming her veins as if she'd been kissed by the sun. "About that," Sakura managed to say, aware that she sounded breathy, "we sort of have a mission we need to get back to."

"Mm," Kakashi murmured into her hair. The grumble his only indication that he'd heard but was choosing to ignore her. His fingers found their way to the nape of her neck, and then slowly spread through her hair as he gently dragged a lock of her silken strands between his fingers. He did this a second time, before tracing a path along the back of her neck and over the bones in her spine.

She was going to melt. Her breath hitched, and the nonexistent space between them was a hundred degrees. She wanted to feel his fingertips on her bare skin, wishing he'd be brave enough to follow that savory path of her spine without the fabric of her T-shirt getting in the damn way. This was too much and not at all nearly enough at the same time… If she so much as moved an inch and let herself arch into him, she was never going to find the strength to leave this room.

Sakura cleared her throat. "Kakashi… we should–"

"–Are you aware your shirt is transparent?"

Fire flared in her body at the casual mention of her shirt. He was opening a door, so to speak, extending the bait and waiting to see if Sakura would take it. She bit the inside of her lip; glad her face was hidden beneath his chin as she carefully set a palm against Kakashi's chest. It was in Sakura's nature to pick things apart until she fully understood them… but this thing between them, it wasn't something that could be dissected. She didn't want to dissect it. And at the end of the day, this was still Kakashi… still one of her best friends, and she didn't honestly think he would be doing this – holding her this way – if he hadn't already thought of a thousand reasons not to…

In her heart of hearts, Sakura knew that Kakashi would never intentionally do anything to hurt her. It's what gave her the courage to respond coyishly, "Like what you see?"

His reply was a sound of sweet torture caught in the back of his throat as he tightened his arms around her, and set his masked mouth against her ear. "You have no idea."

Sakura smiled, and that smile turned into a giggle; the pit of her stomach ablaze with desire.

"You're a cruel woman," Kakashi said, his mouth still against her ear.

"I didn't do it to torture you," she said in truth, though there had been some perks in it…

"Could've fooled me." Kakashi drew breath, his chest expanding into hers on the inhale, and then he slowly released a sigh. "Get out of bed Haruno, we have a mission to complete."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure that was my line like ten minutes ago."

"That was then, this is now." Kakashi reached for her chin, his fingers gently angling her face towards his so that he could plant a lingering kiss on her forehead.

Sakura didn't fight the smile that crept along the curve of her mouth as Kakashi released her and rolled out of bed. Sakura pulled a pillow to her chest, attempting to hide the transparency of the fabric while she watched Kakashi slip into the bathroom for his clothing. He didn't close the door, and Sakura was definitely admiring the view – the shift and play of muscle as he pulled on his clothing.

Sakura dragged her teeth across her bottom lip, grinning at the realization that things were really changing between them. They could feel it out as they went – talk about it when they could no longer avoid it… but for now, she was content to watch it unfold in slow succession.

The sun had set in Konoha approximately three hours ago. Kakashi and Sakura had returned to the Hidden Leaf, reported to ANBU Headquarters with their mission statements, and then Sakura was ferried off to the lab so she could check on the purple-spotted salamander. Kakashi grinned at his inner thoughts. He would never not call it the purple-spotted salamander if only because he so enjoyed watching that little spark of indignation flare in Sakura's eyes whenever he said it.

He'd gone back to his apartment to unpack his bag, started some laundry, and then headed to his bathroom to shower. The sun beat down on them during their return journey, and the black uniform clothing had been unforgiving in the heat. Kakashi's arms were mildly sunburned, and a smattering of new freckles dotted his forearms. He lathered up, washing the scent of their travel and, (much to his dismay) what lingered of Sakura's scent from his skin.

Kakashi had not been able to stop thinking about the image of Sakura in that white T-shirt, had not been able to un-feel how amazing her body felt in the cage of his embrace earlier that morning. He'd been loath to get out of bed, but the press of her breasts against his chest made it damn-near impossible for him to control the desire pooling tight, making him half hard beneath those sheets… If he hadn't gotten up when he did, he was afraid he'd give in to those primal desires and risk jeopardizing the mission with the delay.

And it would, Kakashi knew, be a delay…

He wanted to take his time with her, assuming she would have him.

Kakashi adjusted the temperature on the shower knob, turning it to cool as he leaned forward and let the water pour over his scalp and face. He squeezed his eyes shut – attempting to erase the image he'd conjured of her joining him in the shower and helping him relieve the… tension.

Gods, she was going to be the death of him.

It wasn't just about the sex. Kakashi wanted her for a long time, but that wanting went beyond the physical. His time spent with her had taught him that he had fallen for the way her mind worked – for the brilliant, complicated woman that she embodied. She was smart, funny, sarcastic (and yes, he actually could admit he liked that about her) and caring, and kind, and just about a thousand more adjectives that made him realize he wanted to share life with her.

What that looked like in the big picture – Kakashi didn't know. But he wanted to live in the now, to lean into these feelings and see if just maybe, the woman with the pink hair would return his sentiments.

Kakashi changed into loose-fitting black sweats and donned a sleeveless black shirt and one of his rare gray zip-up hooded sweatshirts. He left his apartment and made a pitstop at Ichiraku's (as had been tradition upon returning from missions since the take-on of Team 7 way back in the day) and ordered carryout for both he and Sakura. It was an excuse to check on her back at Headquarters. They'd only stopped for a meager snack on the way home from River Country, and Kakashi knew that Sakura wouldn't have stopped to eat anything after entering the lab…

He fitted the ANBU mask to his face when he entered the woods and made the trek through the moonlit pass, glad he'd decided to wear the sweatshirt on account of the temperature dropping. The guards standing post on either side of the door paid him no mind – even if they thought carrying a brown sack into the depot looked suspicious, they let him enter. Kakashi suspected that his mask was well-known among the ANBU Ops, and he had a sneaking suspicion that his reputation long preceded him where that was concerned. It wasn't his identity that needed protecting.

Kakashi wove through the complicated network of passages in the depot until he came upon the lab, and spied Sakura through the narrow slat of glass in the door. She was bent over a microscope, her long pink hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She'd abandoned her ANBU mask, and was wearing a white lab coat over her black mission clothes. Kakashi swallowed, trying to ignore any patient/nurse roleplay scenes that may or may not have popped to the foreground of his mind as he opened the door.

Sakura bristled at the sound of the door opening, but didn't look away from the microscope. "Someone isn't sticking to uniform protocol," Kakashi said, his tone a faux reprimand.

He watched as the tension immediately drained from Sakura's shoulders. "Do you know how hard it is to look through a microscope with that stupid thing on?" She straightened, turning towards him with a half-smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

"The hardest," Kakashi deadpanned, and pulled his own ANBU mask off. Aside from the guards and maybe a few people taking advantage of the sparring arena, most of the ANBU had already cleared out of the depot, or had reported to their barracks below the mountain.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't seem too concerned about uniform protocol either, White Fang."

"Yeah, well, I'm not afraid of Sasuke." Kakashi winked at her.

Sakura giggled, her gaze sweeping over his face, lingering on the shock of hair that fell over his forehead and came to a point between his eyes. "You left your headband at home."

"Didn't feel like putting it back on after the shower."

"I like your hair that way," she said.

Kakashi lifted one of his eyebrows and slightly angled his head. "You like it messy?"

"Mhm," she murmured, drawing out the sound as she stepped forward and pushed her fingertips into the hair at his temples.

Kakashi closed his eye on instinct, relishing the feel of her fingertips raking a slow path across his scalp. "Keep doing that…" Kakashi said, his tone more of a warning than an invitation. He decided he would let Sakura work out the meaning.

Sakura only giggled again and turned back to the microscope.

"What are you working on?"

"Oh, I'm just comparing the notes from the archives on the salamander's poison to my own findings. I want to make sure they match before I start making the antidote," she said. "So far, everything is looking as it should. If these cells split the way the charts indicate, I should be able to start on the antidote tomorrow."

"I see," Kakashi said, placing the carryout sack on the counter beside her. The counter was also now equipped with a huge aquarium and filtration system. Kakashi could see the salamander he'd caught hiding between a set of rocks in the tank. "I brought dinner."

"Aren't you sweet." Sakura grinned as she scribbled some notes into her notebook before tearing into the brown bag. "And you remembered to go to Ichiraku's."

He'd even remembered that she preferred the spicy miso ramen… He accepted the takeout box Sakura handed him, and then pulled himself up on a stool at one of the lab tables. Sakura opened her box on the counter, keeping her back to him while she ate and simultaneously pored over her notes. He realized she was allowing him the space to eat without worrying about his mask, but Kakashi was contemplating just leaving it down and allowing her to see… Pretend like it was no big deal. Which was ridiculous considering he could count on one hand the number of people who had seen him with his mask off...

"Thank you for picking this up," Sakura said, still leaning over her work.

"It's the least I could do since you paid for the inn…"

"Don't think I've forgotten about that." Sakura peeked into the microscope again, adjusting the eyepiece before going back to her meal. "I'm just about done for the night."

Kakashi finished his food and pushed up from the stool, his mask back in place. Sakura had pushed her fingers into his hair, showing him that things were not weird between them after their little embrace this morning. She'd unintentionally bridged a gap in Kakashi's insecurity – not that he would ever admit that to her, but he decided her actions gave him permission to explore the territory. He braced a palm against her hip, his fingertips sliding over the lab coat and pulling it aside so he could fish beneath the fabric of her shirt and touch her skin.

Things we buried low
Coming to the surface now, my love
You must be crazy if you think that I will give up the game
Sugar, I've got a taste for you

~Sleep Token~

Sakura went still at his touch, and Kakashi questioned whether she was breathing before she leaned back into the wall of his chest. "You know," she said, "if you're looking for that kunai, you might as well not even bother because my weapon pouch is over there." She jerked her chin in the direction behind him, not that he cared to look.

"I don't want the kunai, Sakura." He dropped his chin to her ear, his fingertips grazing across the smooth planes of her toned abdomen. She was so small that his hand nearly covered the width of her stomach. He pinched the fabric of her leggings between his fingers, letting the band snap against her waist, and grinned when he drew a small involuntary sound of pleasure from her lips. Sakura arched her ass into his groin. "Careful," he warned, his tone dark with desire.

"You started it," she said breathily.

"I wouldn't want to distract you from your work." Kakashi's hands were on her sides now, his knuckles grazing up the curves of her ribs below her shirt.

"Oh really?" she purred. "Because that seems exactly like what you're trying to do."

"It's the lab coat," Kakashi teased.

"Oh, is that what it is?" Sakura spun to face him, her hands pressing into his chest. "You want me to play nurse?" She flickered an eyebrow in amusement.

Kakashi was grinning. "Mm," he murmured in reply, dropping his face to the curve of her neck and inhaling her scent through the fabric of his mask; his thumb sweeping over the curve of her bare rib. He watched her chest rise with quickened breaths, and loved that he was eliciting this response in her body. He loved that she wanted him to touch her.

Gently, Kakashi slid his hands across her hair, his fingers finding their way to the knot she'd tied to secure her headband. He removed it from her hair, and then used it to cover Sakura's eyes; his single-eyed gaze carefully studying her face as he tied the two ends together behind her head. Her lush lips parted, but she seemed to stop breathing again as his fingertips skated down the nape of her neck before curling forward, tracing the straight line of her jaw. Kakashi pulled his mask down, leaning forward to brush the bridge of his nose against the ridge of her jawline and inhaled her scent.

"Kakashi…" Sakura said his name near breathlessly, her hands finding purchase on his chest as he nipped at the lobe of her ear.

"Hm?"

But Sakura didn't speak after that. Her hands clutched the fabric of his sweatshirt and Kakashi grinned against the side of her neck. He gave her a moment – a second to change her mind and push him away, but when she didn't, Kakashi pressed his lips to the side of her throat; his tongue skimming the skin there. Sakura remembered to breathe, and a ragged breath left her parted lips as he gently dragged his lower lip up the slope of her neck, sucking on the soft skin at the corner of her jaw.

He wanted to kiss her. Wanted to feel her lips against his, but Kakashi would only allow that to happen when he was ready to show her his face. He wanted her to see who she was kissing… But for now…

"Not… fair…" Sakura panted, licking her lower lip as if to force moisture back to the surface.

"What's not fair?" Kakashi kissed the hollow of her throat, nipping at her collarbones.

Sakura raked her fingers through his hair, tugging on the strands and holding him captive at her throat. "What you're doing to me…" she breathed out.

Kakashi laughed, and he wondered if Sakura could feel the slight vibration against her skin. He took her wrists in his hands, removing them from his hair so he could have access to the delicious taste of her neck – like sunshine and sugar.

"You need to finish your work, Sakura, and go home and get a good night's sleep." He pressed another kiss to the underside of her jaw.

Sakura swallowed. "Uh huh, yep. Totally what I need to do."

"Mission first, play later," Kakashi said, even though he understood better than anyone that as ninja, 'later' wasn't always a guarantee. Despite this, Kakashi still wanted to do right by her… Rushing into this, whatever he wanted this to be, was not the answer.

Sakura pressed her lips together tightly and inhaled. "You're probably right."

"And because I'm right, I'm going to leave you to your work and remove myself from… temptation."

Sakura giggled. "Is that what I am to you, Kakashi? A temptation?"

"Among many other things, sweetheart." Kakashi pressed his lips to her forehead, savoring the warmth of her skin before leaning away and pulling his mask back into place.

The room had gone too quiet – too still.

Sakura frowned, and reached up to remove the makeshift blindfold from her eyes, blinking at the dim lighting of the laboratory.

Kakashi was gone.

Sakura's skin was still feverish – flushed with the heady sensation of his bare lips all over her neck. She touched the places on her throat where his mouth had been, tracing her own collarbone…

He'd called her sweetheart.

She collapsed onto a stool, dissolving into a fit of schoolgirl giggles that left her with a head rush. Kakashi had set her whole body on fire, and then he'd called her sweetheart.

Reluctantly, Sakura turned back to her work, still grinning.

Hello loves,

Things and Thoughts:

1. Let me know if anyone listened to the song during the last scene. I enjoy leaning into the inspiration I draw from songs, and that one felt really dreamy and steamy at the same time.

2. Where's the plot?! (Don't worry, it's coming back. I promise.)

3. Mm, but I love the allure and building chemistry between this pair.

4. Thanks for the comments on the last chapter! kcann17 - glad you're still with us and enjoyed the mask/bathroom scene in Chapter 11, haha. It's so much fun writing the playful banter between these two. HisSecretLover18, gojo girl, and Opera123 - great hearing from you!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,
~Sparrow