Gracie Abrams is eking out a solitary existence, fighting day-in, day-out against the drain of working customer service and nursing two newborn kittens in her off time. Out on her own ever since her sister moved in with her boyfriend, the burden of...
One of my brows raised of its own accord as I thought about his words. I found myself nodding along as I took my first, delicious sip of coffee. That was...entirely possible. The weight of his beauty might just knock me straight out. Then, I'd get a concussion, go to the doctor, and have to deal with the back-and-forth with my work. Etc., etc.
"Okay, you win." I held up my one hand as Kakashi turned to reenter the kitchen. We'd been weaning the kittens off of the milk replacement for a couple of days now. Starting with kitten pate, Hable and Sintar would slowly get used to solid foods. A few more weeks, and they'll most likely be eating dry kibble.
I stood up from the couch, my body throbbing in strange places. As if the information came in from a far-off train blazing through, the events of last night came back to me. The crows. Itachi. I patted my forehead, where a strip of gauze had been taped to my face by none other than Kakashi himself. With the returned memories, I now felt the extra padding on my arms and sides where similar patches of gauze had been taped along my body from the wicked claws of the crows.
"Are...Are Sam and Kirishima still here?" I walked into the kitchen, slowly, using my wall as support. Last night, we'd given up our beds so the teenagers could sleep in a more comfortable place. I'd taken the couch, and Kakashi...
"Where did you go last night?" I asked, firing off the next question before he'd answered the first.
Kakashi filled a second small bowl with one of the divided sections from this morning's Fancy Feast pate flavor—turkey, if the lime green and soft pink combo gave me any clue. My favorite color combination of all time. Mitsuri, my angel.
Plopping the gray fluffer down next to the happily-chowing orange one, Kakashi navigated in the slim space around the haphazard eating section in my already-cramped kitchen, joining me at the edge of one of the counters. Our eyes stayed on the kittens, wedged up near my ancient refrigerator. Once they got older and the changes in their kitten selves stopped being so varied from day to day, I'd have to delegate a proper place for them to chow down. It would probably be on the edge of the kitchen, right before my blue carpet started. Right next to the golden trim separating the two. Right where I was standing now, actually.
"The kids are still here," Kakashi leaned his elbows onto the counter, contorting his tall form into the space right in front of me. My breathing stilled, my every conscious thought making my movements as unnoticeable, as miniscule, as possible. I dared not breathe too loud for fear of my air clogging up his air. I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet! The coffee was magic, but it wasn't that magical!
"I hung around," Kakashi shrugged, his voice quieter in this space. His dark eyes peered at me from beneath his fallen fringe. After his customary morning shower, he hadn't put his headband on, so the locks had dried in spike formation...against his forehead. He'd ruffled them a few times, to be sure, but he couldn't get rid of his fringe that easily.
My feet felt frozen, each second elongated into a thousand moments. I felt like a hummingbird, fluttering about, as my eyes flashed all over the place. If I kept that up, my cotton head was going to turn into a pounding one, but Kakashi's nearness made me nervous. I'd gotten used to his large frame taking up space in my life, sure, but it was different when we were face-to-face.
"I...see..." I couldn't remember what we had been talking about. What did I see? Where was my brain? Only seconds had passed, yet it felt as if I'd lived three eternities between them.
"I'm...going to shower," I said, one declarative finger pronounced in the air. My mug made a slight thud as I set it on the counter. I sidestepped the shinobi, trying not to make it seem as if touching him would burst me into flames like I'd suddenly descended into Benimaru's universe in Fire Force.
Screw "the floor is lava." Kakashi was far hotter.
"Gracie." Kakashi, not turning, grabbed my arm as I passed. The touch was gentle. He didn't have his gloves on today, either, so the only fabric between the two of us was my own bulky sweatshirt.
"Uh, yeah?" I asked, my eyes flitting around in dangerous hummingbird territory now. Maybe I would give myself an aneurism. "What—What is it?"
"Be careful when taking those off," he replied, and after a beat of confusion, I realized he was talking about the bandages. "And no steaming-hot water. It'll hurt less."
"Oh," I said, and then there was silence. Kakashi didn't release his gentle hold, nor did he turn to look at me. I waited a few beats, before awkwardly continuing, "Is there anything else you need to tell me before I go shower?"
Now, Kakashi turned. His eyes formed into half-moon slits, and I could tell by the crinkles between his eyes that he was smiling. But I could also tell it wasn't a genuine smile. "No, that's all."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
