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Kakashi’s wife was bouncing in her spot when he arrived home for the evening, already dressed in a beige coat and carrying a purse. For a moment, he swore he’d seen that exact expression on their three-year-old son’s face, the same pair of twinkling green eyes brimming with excitement.
“Welcome home,” she said in a rush, grabbing her gloves. “Ready to go??”
“Maa, Sakura,” he laughed, pausing in taking off his coat. “I thought we won’t be going out until later tonight.”
“No way,” denied the rosette, pelting to his side. “We’re super duper late, Kakashi! It’s already the twenty-second and we still haven’t found the book Tsuki asked for!”
Kakashi smiled despite himself. Sakura took Christmas shopping very seriously but the book their precocious son asked for had been out of stock in most of Konoha’s libraries and Sakura had to place a special order for it from one of Kakashi’s trusted librarians.
“Alright, we can go,” he chuckled agreeably. He looked around, wondering where their son was staying tonight. “Where’s Tsuki anyway?”
“With Tsunade-shishou,” Sakura said, already dragging him out into the snowy evening. “Until tomorrow evening, most likely.”
Kakashi grinned at that, taking her by the waist once they locked the door. “Oh? Does that mean I get you all to myself tonight?”
Sakura thumped him on his chest. “Ka-ka-shi! It’s Christmas shopping time, not Horny o’clock!”
He snorted, for his wife could be so endearing, and he guided them down the brightly lit paths of their village. Fairy lights dotted windows, spiralled down trees, and criss-crossed from building to building over their heads like a hundred little twinkling stars. It was very festive, and aptly so, as the Konohan population took to the streets to celebrate the Holidays, some clad in reds and greens and laughing happily together.
“Where did Tsuki even hear about The Art of Genjutsu?” Kakashi mused to himself, hand falling from Sakura’s back to clasp her gloved hand. Together they ambled through the jovial crowd, a merry tune playing from a nearby speaker cajoling many to hum and sing along.
Sakura herself joined in, soft voice crooning long-since learned lyrics. He was, and not for the first time, utterly struck by how beautiful she looked. His Sakura, radiant with her pastel hair and flushed cheeks and quirked lips, eyes so vibrant, lips so pink. “Tsuki is trying to emulate you,” she said after the tune faded. “Inojin-kun told him he read about you in one of his history books and how you were famous for your genjutsu.”
The pleasant and achy tightening in his chest wasn’t unfamiliar. In so many ways, Kakashi discovered love with Sakura. But his heart had grown in so many new and profound ways with the little addition to their family that he sometimes wondered, amazed, at how full it could feel with such an intangible emotion. Tsuki, whose little, chubby face beamed happily every time he saw Kakashi, as though Kakashi held the moon and the stars and everything bright.
Tsuki, who had become the center of Kakashi and Sakura’s world.
“You’re tearing up, Kakashi,” she teased sweetly, leaning her head against his shoulder.
He chuckled, sniffling. “Now I want to squish his little cheeks, Sakura, must you torment me?”
“I’m sorry,” she crooned, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “I can’t help it.”
They made it to the library where Fujiwara-sensei had the book readily packaged for them. “I’m sorry for the delay, our branch in Suna was out of copies too, we had to contact the one in Takigakure.”
Sakura bowed and thanked the man profusely for his help, her grinning smile splitting her face.
Kakashi was going to kiss that beautiful smile senseless when they arrived home. He pulled Sakura out into the cold December air again, noting for the first time the lack of scarf around her neck.
“Sakura,” he sighed long-sufferingly. “Where’s your scarf?”
Expectedly, she pouted. “It may or may not have clashed with my outfit…”
How predictable, he thought with an indulgent smile. “Again?”
“… yes,” she said guiltily, glancing away.
“We can’t have you sniffling on Christmas morning, sweetheart,” he chided gently, reaching to tuck at the pale blue scarf wound around his neck.
“No,” she whined, attempting to detract him. “You can’t. Then you will get the sniffles!”
Such was their predicament. He looked down at his scarf, considering. It was long and easily foldable many times over. “Let’s share it, then.”
Sakura stared bewilderedly at him. “Share?”
“Yep,” Kakashi hummed, unwinding his scarf and using one end to wrap around Sakura’s feebly protesting figure. He tugged her closer, enjoying the way her face still blushed, and the intoxicating wash of her body-heat over his front. “See? Enough for both of us.”
“You’re unbelievable,” she grumbled, but she was smiling, cheeks popping endearingly. “The rokudaime and his wife, like lovesick teenagers on their first date.”
He laughed. “Let them think what they think,” he said, drawing conviction from her nearness, uncaring that his face was maskless, that he had nothing to hide anymore. He had the love of his life in his arms, the wedding band on his finger a burning reminder of how they’d vowed to spend the rest of their lives together, and the most intelligent and wonderful son anyone could ever wish for.
Kakashi was content. He was complete.
“You have your sappy face on again.” She was smiling indulgently, hand lightly touching his arm where he still held the scarf around her neck.
“I’m a sappy man,” he shrugged, affecting a sheepish smile and ducked down to steal a kiss from the smiling slant of her mouth. “And a very lucky one.”
“Gods, you are so sappy,” she giggled, and then sighed contentedly, leaning in to rest her head on his shoulder. “But I’m sappy too, so that’s alright.”
He stroked the crown of her head with gloveless fingers as he smiled at that. “How sappy?”
“Very, very sappy,” she mumbled. “I fall in love with my husband even more every time he talks about our son.”
His chest tightened again, but it was the sweetest pain. “That’s indeed sappy,” he agreed quietly, nose touching at her floral smelling hair, his little piece of spring amidst the snowy winter. “But not as sappy as the way I fall in love with you every time you smile and it’s the same smile Tsuki has.”
She shivered lightly in his arms, and he wrapped her up within his embrace, warding off the winter chill. It lasted less than a minute, but he was warmed head to toe by the time she leaned back, face burning and smiling shyly.
“Can we stop for hot cocoa?” she asked and tucked herself under his arm as they began walking again, wrapped in his scarf and stealing each other’s warmth.
“Sure,” Kakashi sighed happily. “And then I’m taking you home for some much deserved ravishing.”
She pinched his side. “It’s still not Horny o’clock,” she huffed, but her smile clued him in that she didn’t mind his advances.
“Every hour is Horny o’clock when your wife is the hottest woman in the village,” Kakashi shrugged and didn’t attempt to evade her second pinch. “Ow, but I’m not even remotely sorry.”
“I know,” she said, soothing his side with a gentle rub. “You’re the worst.”
“But you love me anyway,” he crooned and dragged Sakura to her favourite coffee shop.
They would learn later that Tsuki hadn’t been telling the truth, that he’d only said he wanted the genjutsu book because he was afraid his true wish wouldn’t come true once he shared it.
On a decorated piece of paper, stuck hopefully in their mailbox, was a message that made his parents tear up.
Dear Santa,
I don’t want any gifts. I wish I can spend more time with mama and papa! Please, Santa, and thank you :)
Hatake Itsuki.
