I did not realize the passing time, and when I did too much time had already passed. Hours, days, work, ... everything was so in place, and it was so unusual to me, that I didn't even realize how much I missed Kakashi until it had become a new habit to leave work with Retha instead of him.
The day after he left I talked to her because of what Kakashi told me about not walking home alone. She understood and became even more worried than Kakashi. So instead, she offered me (without many options for me to refuse) to sleep over at her apartment until Kakashi was back.
The first days I left with Retha were weird. I would help her clean and close everything, and ultimately wait for her outside. I would hug myself and see the condensation my breaths created. I would stare at the streets, imagining Kakashi's figure appearing as it normally happened, but instead, it was Retha's lively voice coming from the bar behind me. But in the following days I became completely used to it, and it would only be at Yamanaka's flowers that thoughts of Kakashi would pop up in my mind. It was thus, after this that I found myself hoping to see him even more, hoping that he was fine and wondering whether I would know if something were to happen to him. Although I guess, being the renowned ninja he was I would eventually know...
I was thinking about this as I left the bar, waiting for Retha to finish. And due to the lateness of the night and the fact that the street should be empty —but especially due to how deep in thought I was— I let go of a muffled scream when I saw a white figure appearing right next to me. And although I relaxed after I saw it was Kakashi in his Anbu clothes, I still could feel my heartbeat against my throat.
"Jeez, you scared me" I complained, grabbing my chest. Kakashi didn't say anything and just looked away for a second, letting me regain my composure. I finally looked at him when I did, realizing this meant he was back once and for all "I'm so happy you're back!" I smiled at him, but he again looked away "When did you arrive?"
"This morning," he answered simply, finally looking at me.
"Oh, wait here," I said, realizing that I could finally go and sleep at home.
Although honestly, I doubted I would sleep as well as I did in Retha's home. It wasn't that hers was extremely comfy, her apartment was rather simple as well. But I guess my mind had inevitably linked all bad feelings and thoughts to my empty apartment. In any case, I popped my head inside the bar and let Retha know that she didn't need to help me anymore.
"C'mon, let's go" I smiled at Kakashi after I was back outside. I started walking but was stopped when Kakashi grabbed my arm "Ah-" I hissed in pain. He hadn't been rough, but my arm was sensitive due to all the bandages covering it.
"What happened?" he asked, immediately letting me go when he saw it hurt. I brought my arm to myself. This time he started walking with me.
"Just some random drunk guy" I explained, rubbing my arm slightly. He kept looking at me with a slight frown, but I looked elsewhere than him. I didn't want to tell him what exactly happened because I was kind of embarrassed about it, even if I knew I shouldn't be. But I knew, that if I told him that someone whom I had also stolen in the past did this to me he would insist again on me dropping this job. Besides the typical 'I told you' that I preferred not to listen "It's just a bit swollen, but that's it. Don't worry" I added. But seeing he kept looking at me, waiting for some more explanation, I decided to change the topic "I spent the nights with my coworker by the way. I didn't go home alone like you said" I told him with a small smile.
"Good" he simply and vaguely answered, finally looking away from me.
But even if his answer had been short I could feel he was happy to hear that. Or maybe it was my imagination, but it still made me feel glad to hear it.
"Did your mission go well?" I asked him after a short silence. But he simply nodded silently. And again, silence surrounded us. But this time, it was him who broke it.
"You should really quit this job"
"Kakashi... you know I can't" I said with a sigh.
"You have more experience now, some places might want you"
"I doubt it... But," I said, once again changing the topic when I saw we had reached my place "thanks for walking me home" I smiled, but he looked up, not sure if he was looking away or rolling his eyes.
"I'm just doing my job," he said quickly, turning around. And before he left, he said something else "Good night"
I smiled, seeing his figure disappearing down the street, and finally entered my dark and cold apartment. I sighed, feeling my skin colder but decided that I would go to sleep straight away without allowing myself to think because I knew that if a single thought passed my mind I wouldn't be able to sleep at all.
And surprisingly enough, be it of the exhaustion of a busy night of work, or because of the excitement to have Kakashi back, I fell asleep unusually quickly. And I woke up as unusually as well, as I didn't open my eyes out of my own will but because of a knock on my door.
I woke up all of a sudden, frowning at the annoying sunlight followed by a low hiss from the pain in my arm. And it wasn't until the second knock on the door that I remembered someone was at my door. I quickly left my bed, bumping a few times with the walls as I was pretty much asleep until I finally reached the entrance.
"Kakashi?" I asked after opening, now half-awake due to the surprise of seeing him. I rubbed my eyes due to daylight.
"Did I wake you up?" he asked, surprised as well "I thought you had to work in twenty minutes" he added, looking me up and down. It was then that I realized I was in my pajamas which consisted of an enormous t-shirt that reached my knees.
"I— Yes, no. I do, but I was asleep, sorry" I stuttered, still sleepy and now flushing red due to my clothes.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I... uh, don't know" I smiled sheepishly as I rubbed my eyes again, trying to get rid of the sleepiness.
"I brought you this," he said before I could ask why he was here. He showed me a box in his hands.
"What's that?" I asked him back, and he invited himself in. My heartbeat quickened when he got in and saw how empty and sad my house was. But he seemed to pay it no attention and just walked to the table, putting the box on top of it.
"It's a med-kit," he said, pointing with his half-masked face to my now uncovered arm. Now, without any bandages you could see how badly bruised and swollen my wrist was, even worse than yesterday "I'm too familiar with injuries to not know that you have a fractured bone" he continued talking as he opened the med-kit "I've got a ton of them, and I figured you wouldn't have spent money on one. You can keep this one after I'm done with your hand" he concluded, finally looking at me.
I stayed in silence for a short while because of how beautiful his dark eyes were and how I hadn't realized it until now. But it wasn't my fault, it was the sleep rubbing on me.
"I... I doubt it is" I began saying, but right after I did he gently touched my wrist making me gasp in pain and retract my hand towards my chest. He looked at me again, arching a brow "Okay, it might be a little bit broken..." I admitted lowly as I leaned on the table in front of him.
"Do you remember who did it?" he asked, looking intently at me. And again, it took me a while to answer because I could only do one thing at a time, and right now was watching his attentive black eyes.
"I don't, I was—" 'scared' I wanted to say, but I was too ashamed to do it "trying for him to let go, sorry" he sighed, and started to take a few things out of the box.
"You should be more careful, given the fact that you refuse to quit the job" he said with a little bit of sass. But he was kind of right, so I couldn't do anything else but look down "Give me your arm" he then asked me, and I did as he asked and laid it over his hands. He started to gently poke here and there to see the damage, and I would silently hiss every time despite how careful he was being. I stared at his hands, inspecting every corner of my wrist, and I realized two things. One was how bigger his hands were, that much was obvious as he could easily grab my whole wrist with one of his hands. And the other one was how calloused the tips of his fingers were, having some old scars here and there, probably due to being a ninja. I looked up at him after that realization, and I flushed red when he looked up at me almost at the same time.
"I'm gonna have to put the bone in its place," he spoke "It's gonna hurt," he added, asking for my permission. I nodded, frowning. With one hand he grabbed my hand and the other one he put around my wrist, and with a swift and rash movement he pushed the bone in its place.
A surge of sharp pain went through my whole arm to my elbow. It burned so much, and it lasted for so long, that my body automatically bent as I cried, making me yell in pain as I sobbed. Kakashi let go of my arm and I pulled it to my chest, shrinking as I continued to cry and frown, still feeling the shattering pain.
"I'm sorry," Kakashi's voice sounded sorry when he heard my cry. But the pain didn't leave "I'm sorry" he repeated with arched brows and sounding noticeably worried.
"It's fine," I sniffled, slowly starting to straighten up. Although I continued to hug my arm.
"Uhm, you have to give me your arm so that I can finish bandaging it" he sounded hesitant. I looked at my hand, sniffling "It won't hurt, I promise" I then looked at him, and the apologetic look on his face made me trust him. So I nodded and left my arm over his hands that delicately bandaged my arm "It's done" he said after a while.
He looked at me, still bearing that worried frown and guilt in his eyes, but my arm hurt enough to have my attention somewhere else that wasn't my wrist.
"Th-thank you," I said, with my breath a bit ragged from having cried.
"Here," he then handed me some painkillers "After you've finished your shift, if it keeps hurting I'll walk you to the hospital"
"Thank you," I repeated, this time having composed myself and getting used to the lighter pain. I looked at him, and he continued to have that frown. But as soon as our gazes met he looked away.
"Get changed, I need to buy some flowers," he said after a short silence as a way of telling me he would walk me there.