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"Do you want to go get dinner?" Kakashi asked casually, trying to ignore the annoying way that his heart sped up in his chest. He glanced at Rin from the corner of his eye, but hair hid her expression. When the silence stretched between them, Kakashi wondered if it was possible to die of suspense.
"I can't," Rin answered, looking away. Kakashi's heart plummeted, and the world tumbled end over end, not a normal feeling for the usually calm and collected jonin. Did I miscalculate? Did I read her wrong? His thoughts ran in frantic circles.
Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, then chuckled as if he didn't feel like the air had just been knocked out of him. "That's fine," his voice strained with the effort of remaining casual. "Maybe some other time. I mean it's not really a big deal or-"
"I can't, because I'm babysitting for Minato-sensei and Kushina tonight," Rin smiled, then glanced up at the fading sunlight. "And, if I don't go change right now, I'm going to be late."
The kunoichi spun away from Kakashi, as graceful as a dancer, then smiled over her shoulder. "But if you want to, you can ask me out some other time."
Rin disappeared in a swirl of laughter, leaving Kakashi numb in the middle of the street. He started after his teammate, confusion rippling through his chest. The girl was a complication that he had never anticipated in his life, and he wasn't entirely sure how to deal with her. Sometimes, she made Kakashi's head spin so suddenly that he couldn't catch his breath. And other times, Rin would draw out a smile when he was trying hard to be angry or serious.
While Kakashi didn't understand what had changed between them, he wanted to. It sounded so stupid to think that he liked Rin. Of course he liked her. They'd been teammates for years. As such, it was only natural that they spent a lot of time together. But, Kakashi wanted to spend more time with her. He wanted to figure out how she could make the worst days seem better, and the good ones seem perfect.
Realizing that he was standing in the way of evening traffic, Kakashi shook himself into movement. Despite asking Rin to dinner, Kakashi wasn't hungry. It had been an excuse to spend more time with her, so he went home to shower instead. Kakashi and Rin had spent the entire afternoon training and, after months of work, Rin had improved drastically. Though she would always fill a predominantly support roll on missions, Kakashi no longer worried about her as much as he once had. Well, he did, but not for the same reasons.
The empty apartment greeted him, and Kakashi sighed while pulling off his sandals. Spending the evening with Rin sounded a lot more enjoyable than reading, or whatever else he could find to occupy his time. He ran over their conversation for at least the tenth time in his mind. Was is possible that Rin's brown eyes had lingered intently on his after revealing her plans for the evening? Had she wanted him to come help her babysit? Minato and Kushina certainly wouldn't mind.
I'm an idiot, Kakashi realized with a start. Luckily, it wasn't too late to correct that mistake. While spending the evening with his sensei's easily excitable son wasn't high on his list of favorite things, Rin would make it worthwhile. Kakashi turned on the water, then stripped out of his sweaty armor. He scoured the dirt from his skin and hair, then stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
Freshly scrubbed, Kakashi stood speculatively in front of his clothing. Nearly every garment was part of a uniform, with only the colors providing variety. Blue, black, or navy were his options. Kakashi firmly ignored the glimpse of brilliant green in the back corner, a gift from Gai, and settled on the standard black shirt and pants. He decided not to wear his flak vest, though. That, at least, made his outfit a bit more casual. Moving back to the bathroom, Kakashi ran long fingers through his rebellious silver hair, shifting it one direction, then the other in frustration, before tying on his hitai-ate.
As he stopped to put on his sandals, Kakashi hesitated over his weapons pouches. In the end, he strapped them on, reasoning that a shinobi could never be too careful. Besides, Naruto was the Hokage's son, so there was always a slim chance of attack. After tugging his mask over his face, and slanting the headband down to cover his eye, Kakashi stepped outside.
Normally, Kakashi thought everything through a million times before making a move in either direction. Tonight, however, he felt impulsive, and oddly hopeful. Rin had said he could ask her out another time. If he showed up at Minato and Kushina's to spend time with her, she would know what he was trying to say. Maybe he wouldn't even have to actually say it. That would be a relief, because he couldn't make his words work the way he wanted to.
As he walked through the streets, Kakashi ran over what he wanted to say. I thought you could use some help-no, that implied that he thought she needed him. I wanted to see you-Kakashi actually shuddered at how desperate that sounded. Want some company? He rolled that one around for several minutes; it didn't sound too needy or forward. Besides, he had as much right to keep her company as anyone else. More so, really. There was nothing unusual about him showing up to help her.
Outside his destination, Kakashi paused to adjust his uniform and run nervous fingers through his hair before knocking. There was an enthusiastic squeal of a child, then a shuffling sound as someone approached the door. Kakashi cringed inwardly, and wondered if his discomfort around small children was part of the reason that Rin hadn't directly asked him to join her. It wasn't that he disliked Naruto, far from it in fact, but the boy was unbearably loud.
The door was still swinging open when Kakashi started talking. "Hey, I thought you might want some-" the words stopped abruptly when he came face to face with Obito. A curious feeling surged through Kakashi's chest, and only the child on his former teammate's hip, kept him from saying something he'd regret.
Obito frowned in confusion as he looked Kakashi. "I didn't know you were coming."
"I didn't know you'd be here, either," Kakashi responded coldly. The raven-haired boy on Obito's hip peered at the jonin curiously.
A mangled cry of his name was the only warning Kakashi got before a blond hurricane wrapped itself around his legs. Naruto climbed up Kakashi's side, using his arms as leverage. "Kaka-nii," the boy enthused, brilliant blue eyes meeting the jonin's dark one. "Wanna play ninja?" He asked with all the seriousness of a three-year-old.
Rin tugged the boy away before Kakashi could answer. "Let him get in the door, Naruto-chan," she chided gently.
"Come on." Obito offered a hand to the blond. "I'll play with you." Naruto grabbed the man's fingers, and dragged him toward the small living room, floor already littered with toys.
Once they were semi-alone, Rin turned to Kakashi, brow creasing in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
"Would you rather I go so you spend the evening with Obito instead?" Kakashi's petulant tone annoyed him, but he couldn't help it. Obito had been infatuated with Rin before his accident, and even though it had been years, Kakashi doubted it had gone away. Finding them alone together, even babysitting Naruto and Sasuke, made Kakashi's chest squeeze tight.
"No, but-" Rin started to add something else, but Kakashi turned away. Despite his words, Kakashi had no intention of leaving her alone with Obito. It wouldn't be right. What had Minato-sensei been thinking letting him come over here unchaperoned? It was different with Kakashi, he was far more mature than Obito.
Rin glanced at him briefly, then turned back to Obito and the boys. Kakashi was vaguely aware that she was annoyed at him, but the feeling was mutual. Why would she tell him that he could ask her out, then spend the evening with Obito? Kakashi couldn't figure out if he was more angry, or hurt. Rather than trying to sort through the emotions, he crossed the room. "How exactly does one play ninja?"
Naruto's eyes grew wide as he looked from Obito to Kakashi. While each of Minato's students were a somewhat permanent fixture around the apartment, Kakashi almost never played. His interaction was roughly equivalent to the way he'd treat one of his ninken, a pat on the head when they'd been exceptionally good. Kushina and Rin had given up trying to make him more affectionate, and Minato chuckled at the whole affair, telling them to leave Kakashi alone. He'd grow into it eventually, maybe by the time Naruto became a genin.
Kakashi didn't look back at Rin as he crouched on his heels next to the trio. Naruto babbled incoherently, so Kakashi let his gaze shift to Obito. The man had been back in the village for months now, but Kakashi could still remember the shock of finding out that he was alive. Obito had dismissed Kakashi's apologies, saying there was no way they could have known that Obito lived through the collapse. Eventually, they came to blows over it. After they'd gotten their emotions out, Kakashi and Obito had formed a unison sign that turned into a fierce hug, settling the waters between them. Kakashi still blamed himself for what had happened, but he did so silently.
When Naruto looked at him expectantly, Kakashi realized that he must have missed something important. Probably an explanation about how to play ninja, but the jonin was sure he could figure it out. He nodded like he'd been listening, and a wide grin split the boy's face. Moments later, two tiny bodies pelted into him, and both boys dragged at his arms, attempting to pull Kakashi to the ground. Small fists pummeled Kakashi's muscles.
"You're supposta fall over," Naruto grumbled, tugging harder against Kakashi's flexed bicep.
"Well, you're supposed to be better at this," Kakashi answered with the hint of a smirk. Naruto let go of Kakashi's arm, frowning. Sasuke dropped back as well, gazing at the toys on the ground. Following the boy's eyes proved to be a mistake, as Naruto choose that moment to launch his entire body at Kakashi's chest. The jonin overbalanced, and caught himself with the fingertips of his right hand on the ground.
Naruto wasn't ready to admit defeat yet, and clung around Kakashi's neck, dragging him backward. While Kakashi tried to dislodge the persistent boy, Sasuke flung himself into them. The extra weight was enough to topple the jonin. Kakashi's back thumped against the floor, and he wrapped one arm instinctively around Naruto to keep him from hitting the ground too hard. Sasuke landed in sprawl across Kakashi's chest.
"We win," Naruto declared triumphantly, attempting to push away from Kakashi. The jonin closed his eye, but maintained his hold on the boy. "Lemme go," the blond squealed, thumping his hands against Kakashi's chest. Tiny feet soon followed, but the shinobi was used to far more painful blows than a child could inflict. Naruto's squirming was impressive though, and he was almost small enough to wiggle out of Kakashi's hold.
"You better save your teammate, Sasuke," Obito chuckled. "Use your shuriken jutsu."
The Uchiha had disengaged from Kakashi once they got him on the floor, and Kakashi opened one eye as the boy reached for something on the floor. As Sasuke pulled his hand back, instinct ground into the jonin spurred him into action. Instead of loosening his hold, Kakashi tightened his grip and rolled, crushing Naruto against his chest and presenting his back to Sasuke. Minato's son gasped at the sudden movement, when Kakashi leapt to his feet.
The room filled with dead silence as foam shuriken rained around Kakashi. The jonin's heart pounded unnaturally hard against his ribs. Sasuke's eyes were wide, and Obito's mouth hung open in shock. Overreaction wasn't something that Kakashi was prone to, but it was possible this was one of the few times he'd done so. Kakashi started to apologize at the same moment the crying started, and Naruto's sniffling soon became a wail.
Rin scooped Naruto from Kakashi's smothering grip, and soothed him with gentle words. She glared at Kakashi over the tousled blond hair, then sank onto the couch. Naruto curled up in her lap, tears making his blue eyes even brighter. With everyone looking at him, Kakashi realized how stupid it was to ever assume that they would be real shuriken.
"What were you thinking?" Rin growled in a low voice once she sat Naruto back on the floor. The boy toddled over to where Sasuke was building with wooden blocks.
Kakashi sat down beside her, sighing. "I didn't mean to scare him, I just-I don't know, I just reacted."
"Because we routinely give weapons to three year olds," Obito teased cheerfully, settling on Rin's opposite side.
Kakashi glared at Obito, and considered reminding him that shinobi children grew up faster than civilians. But Rin and Obito were right. It had been foolish of Kakashi to react the way he had. A dozen foam shuriken and kunai nestled among the blocks and stuffed animals. Can't they even be children while they're little, Kakashi though sadly. The villages were no longer at war, but there was always the danger of another one.
Not wanting to see the sternness on Rin's face, or the amusement on Obito's, Kakashi turned back to the boys. They were playing with blocks, but almost as soon as Sasuke could build anything, Naruto would knock it over with a stuffed dinosaur.
Seeing that things were heading toward a fight, Rin called them over. "You two pick up your toys while I make dinner." Sasuke dipped his head, and started gathering the blocks, while Naruto pouted. "Go on," Rin patted his head, then turned to Kakashi. "You can keep an eye on them for a little while, can't you?"
The silver-haired jonin nodded uncertainly, scrutinizing the boys as if they might transform into deadly enemies. "Try not to scare either of them to death," Obito said with a grin. "I'm going to go help Rin."
Kakashi opened his mouth to protest, and realized that if he did so, it would be the same as saying he couldn't watch two kids for fifteen minutes by himself. A growl rose in his throat as he watched Obito follow Rin to the kitchen. The pair moved with the same ease that they had as kids, anticipating and flowing around each other naturally. When Rin turned and Obito moved in the same direction, Kakashi knew it wasn't an accident. It was too perfectly executed, as was the way that Obito's hands rose to steady her shoulders. Rin looked up at him with a soft smile, and Kakashi's hand balled into a fist.
"That's mine," Sasuke complained, stomping a little foot to accent the words. Kakashi turned to see Naruto still holding the stuffed dinosaur.
"I'm just looking at it, ya know?" Naruto pouted, hugging the toy closer to his chest.
Sasuke moved to pull the toy out of Naruto's hands, but the blond turned away, keeping it out of his reach. Kakashi's eyes flicked briefly to Obito and Rin, before settling on the boys. "Hey, don't fight." The jonin reached them just as Sasuke swung at Naruto.
The dinosaur dropped from Naruto's hands as he fell, letting out a wail that might have been able to wake the dead. "It's not so bad, Naru-chan," Kakashi said, desperately trying to get the tears to stop. "Look how tough you are, you're going to be a great ninja one day." More tears rolled down the boy's cheeks.
"What happened now?" Rin sounded exasperated as she stepped back into the room. Sasuke looked away from everyone, clutching the dinosaur to his chest. Naruto was still crying, and Kakashi patted him awkwardly on the back, trying to look as innocent as Sasuke. Rin's foot started tapping.
The rest of Kakashi's night only got worse. There were excessive dramatics during dinner because Naruto didn't want to eat his vegetables. Food and tantrums were thrown while Rin held her own, Obito laughed, and Kakashi tried to pretend that he was anywhere else.
Bathtime was another adventure that ended up with Kakashi wetter than either of the boys, his shirt having soaked up at least half of the bathwater. Then, Naruto and Sasuke decided that running through the house completely naked was an imperative addition to their bedtime routine, especially when Obito and Kakashi chased them with towels.
After the boys had been caught through an overuse of shunshin, they were dried off, and put into pajamas. Rin tucked them into Naruto's bed with soft kisses on their foreheads, as Obito read them a story. When he saw the tender expression on Rin's face as she watched them, Kakashi's heart sank lower.
By the time silence descended on the apartment, Kakashi felt the worst he had in a long time. He was picking up toys in the living room when he heard the door opened. Turning, Kakashi came face to face with the smiling Minato and Kushina. Rin met them at the door, beaming as she told the couple that the boys had been excellent, lies in Kakashi's opinion.
Minato looked at Kakashi in surprise. "I didn't know you were coming to help, thanks."
"I'm never having kids," Kakashi blurted as he threw the last of the blocks into a bin next to the couch.
Kushina laughed longest and hardest, then wrapped Kakashi in a hug. "You will one day. I bet Naruto enjoyed having you over tonight. He's fond of you, ya know?"
Minato ruffled Kakashi's hair, then pulled back with a frown. "Why are you wet?" Kakashi groaned and shook his head, as Obito regaled the parents with the escapades of the night. Somehow he managed to make Kakashi sound far more inept than he actually was. Once the former Team Minato said their goodbyes, they stepped out of the apartment together.
As they stood in the street, Obito smiled and turned toward Rin. "It's getting late, can I walk you home?"
"No," Kakashi answered before Rin could accept, not caring how rude it sounded. "It's out of your way; I'll walk her home."
Rin rolled her eyes at Kakashi, then hugged Obito. "I'm fine, Obito. Thank you."
Disappointment flashed in Obito's dark eye, but he nodded. After he bid them goodnight, Rin and Kakashi turned in the opposite direction. Emotion writhed through Kakashi's chest, along with exhaustion. Who knew babysitting was this difficult? They walked in silence, but Kakashi took comfort in the familiar warmth at his side.
"So, what was all of that about?" Rin's asked, playfully nudging against Kakashi's hip. He didn't answer, partially because he didn't know what to say. Kakashi's lips pulled down into an angry frown, and he couldn't shake the annoyance. He shouldn't be angry at Obito for nothing more than spending time with Rin. It was irrational. and that irritated him almost as much Obito had. "Don't sulk, it doesn't suit you," Rin teased.
"I am not sulking," Kakashi grumbled under his breath, tucking his hands into his pockets.
Rin laughed, and slid her arm through his. "You are sulking, and you're being silly. Those are perhaps the last two things that I would ever expect to call you. What's wrong?"
"I wanted to be helpful, and I was worse than useless," Kakashi complained. "I didn't realize that you already had Obito's help."
"You hate kids," Rin responded gently. "Well, hate is probably too strong, but they clearly make you uncomfortable. Why did you come?"
Kakashi huffed out a sigh, then raked his fingers through his hair. "You didn't tell me that Obito was going to be there."
A smile slid across Rin's face, and she pulled her arm free of Kakashi's. "I didn't know that he was going to be there, either. Sasuke's parents were attending the same meeting as Minato and Kushina, and Itachi is out of the village on a mission. Obito agreed to watch Sasuke for them. Then, Kushina suggested that Obito and I could watch them together, so Sasuke could spend the night."
The explanation made sense, a lot of sense actually, but it didn't make Kakashi feel any better. Obito had still been far too close to Rin for his comfort. Maybe he'd planned the whole thing so that he could spend time alone with her.
"Kakashi?" Rin caught his still damp sleeve, pulling Kakashi to a halt. "If you're going to walk me to my apartment, it's over there."
The two had covered far more ground than Kakashi realized. As they walked toward her door, he felt the ache of disappointment in his chest. He'd planned to take Rin to dinner, tell her-well, he hadn't worked that part out exactly, but he would have-and have a nice evening together. Instead, he was exhausted and wet, with a headache pounding behind his eyes. Nothing had gone according to plan. The only thing close to right was that Rin smiled, and twirled a strand of hair around a finger as she looked up at him
"Were you jealous of Obito?" The girl's voice was soft, and she leaned a shoulder against the wall by her door.
Kakashi looked away, trying to hide the blush that crept onto his face, even though he knew it was too dark for her to see it. Jealousy wasn't a familiar feeling for Kakashi, and he wanted to protest, but Rin's words were too close to the truth. Seeing Obito with Rin made him physically hurt, especially when she laughed or smiled at him.
Rin watched him in silence, with moonlight playing on her face. Her eyes caught it like a thousand stars, throwing them back at Kakashi, and he wanted to reach out and touch her silver skin. He planned to tell her that he wasn't jealous, not even a little bit, but the lie stuck on his tongue. His mind and mouth were at odds, and when Kakashi spoke, it wasn't what he'd intended to say at all.
"Wouldyougooutwithme?" Kakashi rushed the words, heard them stumble and slur over each other. Rin tilted her head to the side, forehead furrowing as she tried to sort through the question. Kakashi wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. "Nevermind," he mumbled, cheeks on fire.
One of Rin's hands fisted in Kakashi's shirt as he tried to turn away. "Try saying it slower," she encouraged.
Rin smiled, and her touch against his chest distracted him from the words he wanted to say. Kakashi's heart pounded hard enough that he felt the beat in his aching temples, and imagined that Rin could feel it beneath her hand. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. His chest constricted, and the words refused to come. Rin had laughed with Obito, touched his arm, smiled at him, hugged him. They were as natural as breathing, and Kakashi couldn't make himself ask her again.
Rin touched his cheek with her free hand, tracing along the edge of Kakashi's mask. "You can't, can you? I shouldn't be greedy." Rin gazed up at him seriously, then nodded. "I have one condition."
"Condition?" Kakashi breathed the word, feeling like he was hovering over a precipice. One shove, and he would either fly or fall.
Rin hummed in agreement, and Kakashi stood completely transfixed, following the movement of her fingers hooking under his mask. Time slowed to a crawl as Rin drew the fabric steadily downward, over Kakashi's nose, away from his mouth, garment pooling around his neck. When Rin kissed him, soft and lingering against usually masked lips, Kakashi's world stumbled to a halt, and he didn't care if it ever started again.