Work Text:
You’d been poring over your work for hours, only distantly aware of the recent sounds of shuffling and light banging that indicated you were no longer alone in your apartment. It didn’t bother you; you knew there was only one person who would let themselves into your apartment without forewarning.
It didn’t matter, though; the door to your office remained closed, your evening undisturbed by the man you knew would be making himself dinner after a long day of training his genin team.
And as you studied, lamenting the days when you had more time, when you weren’t run so ragged and stretched so thin by the sheer enormity of your required workload, part of you wished desperately you could join him for a warm meal and some relaxed conversation.
A gentle knock on the door of your office startled you for only a moment before you beckoned him in.
“Hey.” Kakashi’s voice was gentle and warm, a familiar deep timber that instantly sent a wave of soothing reassurance cascading over you.
“Hi,” you said, turning in your chair to face the man in your doorway. He was dressed comfortably, no mask and a baggy uniform shirt untucked and hanging loose over his oldest pair of shinobi pants, complete with plenty of stains and a few tears he never bothered to mend.
He held out a hot mug of tea toward you, much larger than the standard teacups you used, for which you were grateful. You hummed, letting the warmth of the ceramic seep into your palms. “Thanks, Kakashi. I could definitely use some caffeine.”
Kakashi chuckled as you lifted the mug to your lips. “No more caffeine today.”
You frowned, eyebrows scrunching together. “I still have a lot of work to do.”
As you took your first sip of the pleasantly warm beverage, Kakashi walked up to your desk and glanced over your work, papers and notes and printouts strewn all over as you attempted to complete an seemingly endless stream of projects.
“I can see that,” he said, as nimble fingers closed the notebook you’d been scribbling in, careful to keep your pencil tucked between the pages so you could easily find your place. When he turned to you, both his eyes were closed as he smiled. “Unfortunately, it will have to wait until tomorrow.”
You sputtered around a mouthful of tea. “It’s not that simple, Kakashi. I need to finish this, I have so much to get done and—”
Kakashi bent down to look directly into your eyes.
“I understand,” he said, “but you’ve been working nonstop for weeks, now. When was the last time you slept more than an hour or two?”
You attempted to form a coherent response, but the truth was you couldn’t remember. Almost every night was spent working until the first rays of the sun were visible outside the single window of your office, at which point you would crawl into your bed, utterly spent and exhausted, to enjoy a few brief moments of rest before your alarm sounded and you returned to work. Occasionally, there were a few stolen naps on the couch, but they were usually taken unintentionally—head lolling as papers slipped from your lap and you startled yourself awake.
In other words, hardly restorative.
“That’s what I thought.”
You looked up to find Kakashi appraising you with genuine concern. He took a step behind you and a second later you felt his strong hands gripping your shoulders firmly. He squeezed carefully and you nearly dropped your tea, biting back a hiss.
“Sorry,” he said, adjusting his grip.
You hadn’t realized how much tension you’d been holding in your neck and shoulders until Kakashi began gently massaging them, using barely any pressure in deference to how tender they felt beneath his fingers.
“You’ve been working too hard,” he said simply. “You’ll burn out if you don’t take better care of yourself.”
You snorted. “You’re one to talk, Kakashi. You never stop working.”
His hands stilled against your shoulders for a moment, then gave one last gentle squeeze before they fell away.
“You’re not wrong,” he said, pulling your office chair back so it rolled away from the desk. You cradled the tea carefully to make sure it didn’t spill. “But that just makes me more qualified to make such a judgement. You need to rest,” he said, “so come sit with me and have dinner. It’s been ages since we had time to really talk. And then when that tea starts to kick in, you can take a nice bath and get to bed early. I promise you’ll be right back at it tomorrow, but you’ll feel a lot better after a proper night’s sleep and a real dinner.”
You tilted your head, considering his offer. You could smell the dinner he’d prepared, and your stomach lurched at the prospect of a real meal instead of the hurried snacks and instant noodles you’d been subsisting on for months.
“Okay,” you said, and you couldn’t help but return he full, genuine smile Kakashi shot you in response.
He stepped back, gesturing for you to go ahead of him out the door. You did, turning to look over your shoulder as he followed you toward the dining room.
“And what do you mean about the tea ‘kicking in?’”
“That particular blend includes chamomile and valerian root to help you sleep,” he said, “I imagine it won’t take long for you to feel the effects, given how exhausted you probably are, even if you don’t realize it.”
“It’s very good,” you admitted, taking another long sip.
“I’m glad you like it, I left plenty of it in the kitchen for you to use again.”
As you took your seat, surveying the simple, but healthy meal Kakashi had prepared for the two of you, you sighed.
“Thank you, Kakashi.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, “I’ll always be here to remind you to take care of yourself.”
Kakashi was right. You’d hardly finished your meal before you felt your eyelids becoming heavy. You drew a warm bath, luxuriating in the heat of the water and the smell of lavender from an oil diffuser in one corner. You couldn’t remember ever seeing it before, and a soft smile played over your features as you realized it must have been another gift from Kakashi—like the tea, a reminder to slow down and take care of yourself, even when you were overwhelmed and busy with work.
When you climbed into bed, Kakashi sat with you, reading aloud from a book chosen from your shelves as his fingers ran soothingly through your hair. You hummed, content and tired and more at ease than you could remember being for a long, long time.
Eventually, the gentle cadence of Kakashi’s voice and the soft tug of his fingers through your hair led your breath to deepen and your consciousness to fade. You fell asleep with a smile—all the stress and work that lay ahead of you forgotten, at least for now.