Chapter Text
Having to work this late into Valentine's day should be banned, Kakashi's brain screamed as soon as he stepped out of the building. The sun that shone all afternoon into his cabin, torturing him relentlessly had now set a while ago leaving a violet wake behind, and a chilly breeze teased him instead. At least that took out half the fatigue of the day. It was Valentine's day, for god's sake. What were the board members at Uchiha Sarutobi even thinking? Hmm, it's a day of love, let us make them hate work today!
Kakashi sighed. He should have bitched about it this morning. Perhaps pulling out the first volume of Icha Icha during the board meeting would have gotten him weird looks that he could have used to his advantage. Now, he could only make good use of the last few hours of the day.
Shrill laughter emanating down the block caught his attention. 'Youth' as Gai would say, and probably go join. Only, it seemed as if there were some familiar faces as well. Naruto, he could recognize very well from a mile away. He might as well have been born wearing that orange jacket; Kushina's words, not his own. The girl with long black hair next to him must be Hinata, his soulmate he always talks about. Temari was tolerating Lee's demonstrations of his new workout regime, definitely waiting for Shikamaru. Then, moody broody Sasuke staring Lee down, check, his cherry blossom Sakura, appalled at the sight, double check. Just two faces he could not recognize. One blonde young lady with long hair and blue eyes, and the pale looking fella with coal black hair and matching eyes. And the resounding shrill laughter from the blonde gave away the source of the noise that first caught his attention.
"Yo, Kakashi-sama," someone yelled and slapped his back.
Shikamaru's audacity. Kakashi rolled his eyes and turned around, as the hand came up to his shoulders and stayed there.
"What are you up to on Valentine's day? Besides staring at my friends, that is," he grinned.
"Ohh just wondering, Shikamaru-" Kakashi put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "which one of you two will the gang kill first. You, or Lee." Two could play this game, and Kakashi was the master.
Shikamaru's brow furrowed, and Kakashi continued. "You know, since he has been talking at them, for however long you were delayed by," he chuckled.
Shikamaru looked mortified as his head spinned around to look at Temari, who had just become aware of his presence. And she was glaring daggers at him.
Shikamaru gulped and let go of Kakashi, hastening towards the gang. Kakashi simply followed out of curiosity.
"Sorry for being late," Shikamaru began as he pulled Temari into a hug. "You know how clients are".
"I would say you are fashionably late, Shika, but then that would be lying," the blonde laughed again. Then her eyes fell on Kakashi. "You are?"
"Oh, let me introduce," Shikamaru took over. "This is Kakashi Hatake, Senior Partner at the firm. Kakashi, this is Ino, and her soulmate Sai. They are friends of Hinata and Sakura." Kakashi gave them both a handshake and pulled back again
"Nice to meet you two."
"Likewise," the guy, Sai, replied. "Are you joining us today for Valentine's day, Mr. Hatake?"
Kakashi chuckled as Naruto laughed out loud. "Not Kaka-sensei," he said. "He would hunt down saint valentine than be celebrating something so capitalistic".
"I would have chosen to reply with 'Oh no, you people go on. I have my own thing' but I guess that would have been too mild for Naruto," he sighed, and rambunctious laughter boomed around him as Naruto made a face.
"That was good, Kakashi," Sasuke spoke from behind his grin. "We usually try to not upset him, but you do you." That earned him a proper scowl from his friend.
"Wait, you are not going to celebrate Valentine's day, Kakashi?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, what about your soulmate?" Ino added.
Kakashi took a deep breath and smiled. "Oh. I don't have a soulmate."
Oh boy, how people's faces always took on that petrified look.
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A decade or so ago.
Kakashi rang the doorbell for the fifth time in a row and followed it by knocking harshly. Seconds had turned into minutes and if this went on, they would turn into hours no doubt. Not that he would not wait, but the rumble of the traffic outside the apartment complex did not leave anything to the imagination. Any more than this and they would be late. Well, he would be late, and she… she would not care.
Kakashi glanced at his watch once more. Just to convince himself that his next step would be the right one to do. At the very least, if the neighbors asked, he could say that he was worried she was kidnapped. But he decided to give the bell one last try before he pounded on the door. Come on Rin. Wake up, he thought as he pressed the bell again.
The unmistakable sound of shuffling feet made its way to him from beyond her door, just when he was about to give up. A deep yawn echoed alongside the sound of a latch being fiddled with, and the door finally swung open.
Rin Nohara looked at him, bleary-eyed and disheveled, barely recognising him.
"Still partying too much?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow, as he let out a sigh of relief and made his way in.
"I was until you woke me up," she whined as she rubbed her eye.
"Sorry to pee in your imaginary margaritas but it's… eight-thirty in the morning, Rin," Kakashi revealed with an unfiltered mirth in his eyes. Her eyes on the other hand went comically wide as she spun around to curse at the clock.
"Oh no no no no… Dammit. I overslept again," she squeaked as she ran towards her bedroom once more. "Gimme ten minutes?" she shouted from the inside.
Kakashi sighed, making his way toward the kitchen.
"Of course," he murmured, not that she can hear it anyway. Her wish was his command. Maybe he could plan his day while she was inevitably going to take twenty minutes.
At least the coffee could keep him company, he thought, as he set the coffeemaker to pre-heat and began with the routine that occurred at least twice a week. Monday's and Saturday's. No one can stop her from partying other than herself. One would assume that she would realize she was terribly late if he had to come and wake her, but that was a failed joke. Something about a healthcare professional pulling twenty-four hour shifts.
Surprisingly, Rin was out in fifteen minutes- Kakashi had barely readied their coffee mugs.
"Let's take coffee to go today, shall we?" she said, grabbing his attention.
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly as he took notice of her. She was wearing a purple dress instead of her usual scrubs and her hands were busy tying a simple, messy half-updo. If it were not for the fact that she was running late, Kakashi would have wondered if the faintest of pink that glazed her cheeks was because of being under scrutiny for looking… stunning.
"How do I look?" she asked, twirling around once.
Kakashi took a moment, needing some time to recover. His heart skipped a beat every time she looked at him like that, and his mask slipped. It took him a second to gather his aloofness and respond like himself.
"You look good," he mustered finally. See, carefree. Not at all caught off guard by her or anything. Cool, cool, cool. "Something special?"
"Well, of course. It's new years tomorrow," she said, pouring coffee into the take away mugs Kakashi handed her. "The hospital has planned a party as you know, so I wanted to look nice." She did a small twirl and posed.
Although his cheeks began to take on a rose hue as well, he collected himself enough and placed the lids on properly. He caught on quickly - the invitation for the party carefully packed inside her cute expression. At least he did not scowl right away, an improvement.
"Wait, you're coming right? To the party?" she asked carefully.
Kakashi swallowed nothing in particular. Loud music and not many people he knows? Kind of frustrating.
Before he could say anything, Rin continued. "You know if you wont come, Obito won't either. And he'll be mad at you and I will be all alone, so just, please please come to the new years' eve party?"
Now, Kakashi did not have to say anything. She cornered him, and he knew. She knew he knew. So he sighed and nodded. And she laughed it off.
"Ready?" she asked, giving him one of her genuine smiles.
"Only after you," he replied. And her laughter filled the entire corridor as they headed out of the building.
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It would come as a surprise to everyone in the world if Kakashi decided to reveal that he loved Rin. Not to mention that he liked to use as few words as he could most of the time. But that wasn't it. He had accepted his feelings long ago, but he had also masked his feelings well. You know, with the whole soulmate thing at twenty-five. Things don't always work out for everyone all the time. And some people were left without soulmates. However beautifully they loved.
Not even Obito knew. Kakashi preferred it that way.
Mostly because Obito desperately believed that this one good thing could still happen to them. He loved the concept of found family, ever since he found Rin and Kakashi at the orphanage.
Also partially because Obito would convince him to tell Rin, and Kakashi could not see that going well for anyone involved.
What the universe can give, the universe can take. Kakashi figured that out at a very young age. Things won't always be the way they can turn out to be, and that knowledge was a curse. So he did not want to risk something as precious as his friendship for something that would find its way into his life without interference. A soulmate.
If it happens, it happens anyway. That being him ending up with Rin. And if it doesn't, then he didn't make a big deal out of it, did he?
Rapid shutter from the camera broke his trance. "You know, I'm all for your broody aura usually, but could you smile a little more today?" Rin chided as she looked at another picture of the two of them. "It's new year's eve".
"I am doing my best, it's just my face", Kakashi rolled his eyes but tried to comply. "Why don't you call Obito down. He can show his teeth for you."
Rin laughed. "Obito had to take an A case to CT. He'll be down in a while," she said as she turned the camera around and clicked a picture of him solo. As soon as the polaroid developed, she waved it in front of his face. "Look how much you are brooding, Kakashi. The photos are depressing."
"I am depressing. I think that's what you said last week," he countered.
"Yeah well, you were staring into the abyss during the interval of the movie," she said as she fanned the next picture that she took. Someone not him, thankfully, some colleague.
"I was looking at the lights," he shrugged, which was totally not the truth. She scoffed.
Kakashi did not for one second believe that she accepted it. He was a terrible liar like that on purpose.
"Yess!" she suddenly jumped in excitement. "Obito, smile!" she commanded somewhere behind him, and Kakashi turned around.
Out of his scrubs, and in casual jeans and a shirt stood Obito, posing with a cheeky grin that she loved so much, as Rin clicked another picture and gasped. At least he did not have the Icha Icha in his hands today. Perhaps a public outing kept him in control. Somewhat.
"See Kakashi, this is what I am talking about. This is how you need to smile," she handed him Obito's picture as well.
Kakashi rolled his eyes once more. "There is nothing here to smile this widely about," he scoffed.
"Sure, start with the depressing shit again, Kaka", Obito's snark came through. "I have only been puked on twice today, but that hasn't ruined my day yet."
"Damn. So sorry," Kakashi began, putting his hand over his heart. "I thought since seeing your face has ruined mine, I could extend the courtesy to you dipshit."
Someone gasped nearby, and the trio turned around standing like deer in headlights.
"Sorry," Rin squeaked. "They are best friends. They just like pulling each other's leg". The woman looked annoyed, but left them alone. And then Rin turned to glare at them both.
Kakashi put up his hands in defence already. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me", he protested. Rin yanked them both by their ears anyway.
"Listen to me. I have a brilliant reputation here, and you two are going to make sure that anything that comes out of your mouths this evening is squeaky clean, you got it?"
"Okay! Okay!" Obito cried, as Rin let go of their ears. "In my defence, I just said about puke. He added the S-H-I-T part," he pointed towards Kakashi.
"In my defence-" Kakashi began, then pondered about an excuse. "-I have no defence," he sighed, "I didn't think anyone would be hearing," he grimaced.
Rin sighed. "What has gotten into you today? You are usually more well behaved at parties. I have to keep Obi off the free tequila, in fact."
Kakashi shrugged. Nothing he could say really. Just that it was becoming more and more difficult holding back his feelings. But-
"I know that look!" Obito blurted and looked wide eyed.
That was not possible. Obito had the emotional range of a housefly. There was no world in which he could figure out answers from within Kakashi's silence. But the shock that he was going through left enough time for Obito to elaborate anyway.
"What?" Rin asked.
"He is going to find out who his soulmate is tonight," Obito grinned. "It scares him."
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat. That was partially true. He was one among the few kids at the orphanage who actually knew his birthday correctly, and hence could expect to a decent degree which new year they would find their soulmate in. But he was not at all looking forward to waking up in someone else's body. Correction - waking up in someone's body other than Rin. All he knew was that he was meant to be hers.
Kakashi nodded solemnly, in a not entirely true, but not entirely false way. "I'm… not scared. Just thinking about it," he said, making sure that he was not particularly looking at anybody.
"You're thinking she's gonna take one look at me and run in the other direction," Obito teased.
"It's kinda on my mind," Kakashi narrowed his eyes in response. Rin just elbowed Obito in the stomach instead.
"Kaka, she'll be perfect for you," she said, while Obito coughed.
"Kay'," Obito sighed. "I mean Rin and I don't even know when to expect this to happen for either of us. Could be this year, could be next year. You know since there are no records of us."
That was true. Children who were abandoned or found as toddlers had no idea about their birthdays except for their rough age. Rin and Obito shared that between them, unlike Kakashi who was orphaned at the age of nine.
"Honestly, we could all be in for the shock of our lives as well," Obito continued. "I sometimes think I'll be one of those cases who's soulmate will wake up in someone else's body and choose them. That I'll be the glitch, you know. But I'm still hoping for the best here."
Kakashi nodded in response. "I'll be fine," he said looking directly at them this time. Eye contact works wonders for assurance. "We'll take it as it arrives, how about that?"
The duo settled down a bit.
"How about you take more photos, Rin? I'm gonna try not to brood, I promise" he offered.
"This time around that is," she said, taking his word for it. Thankfully. Obito however, still had a glint in his eyes. That ass, there was no escaping him.
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