Hokage's assistant

The duty

The only sound in the room is his rapid foot tapping on the hollow wooden floor. A sharp tension floats in the air and everyone keeps quiet. The boss has just yelled at everyone for the crass misunderstanding and unprofessionalism - someone mentioned something inappropriate about the hokage having sex in the office last night; it made him turn red and gradually fill with anger until he has just spat out a tirade of remarks about everyone's sloppy job, unacceptable delays and overall unsuitable behavior, which caught everyone on the wrong foot - they'd never think the calm, laid back Kakashi could get this upset over something rather minor.

The chief of police is silently waiting for things to quiet down, the hokage to calm down, before he can speak up and probably set him ablaze again. Obito coughs shortly to clear his throat before he starts talking, mocking a serious voice, hardly containing a grin
"Hokage-sama, if I may, I have a report detailing the incident. If you could confirm that this is how the events unfolded, we'll call off the operation and then you can attend to more important issues while we go back to doing our jobs...of peeping toms" he extends his hand handing Kakashi the paper with your handwriting as Kakashi looks at him both annoyed and tankful. He reads it in silence and clutches the paper when he nears the end.

"And for what it's worth, I think I was the only one having sex around here last night" Obito adds, making everyone around him facepalm and grimace at the gross remark, but someone whispers a soft "We know. Finally! I cheered when I heard". Gossip travels fast in the village, especially in the main hall, where everyone has eyes and ears everywhere, specifically to catch all the spicy action and it seems they've all been waiting for Rin and Obito to hook up once and for all.

"I confirm the events" Kakashi says, signing distracted then leaving in a hurry and pushing the paper to Obito's chest. Obito bites his lips hard, suppressing his roaring laughter.

"And we'll have to find a new assistant for next week, this one has been incapacitated!" he yells after Kakashi.

You've gathered a lot of stuff over the months, like a lot. You have three changes of clothes (you had four, but you're wearing one), fourteen different notebooks, all started and none fully completed, seven pairs of socks, four desk plants which you've made thrive even with little light, two pillows and a blanket (you're used to working late and to sleeping in the office instead of going home), three toothbrushes, one extra pair of shoes and countless mugs. You pile some of it in a box to take home and the rest you just throw in the trash. You need a hard reset. You've grown too comfortable and made a mess of everything. But, if anything, you're a fixer. And you will fix this situation too! You'll take some time away from everything, cool your head, get over Kakashi, come back ready to work diligently and forget all about last night.

As you're leaving the building, you turn around every ten steps, secretly hoping that he'll come rushing, stop you, apologize and beg you to give him a chance, but he doesn't show up.
Two days ago you walked this same path, feeling so eager and excited for the following day, when the party would take place, yet all of that feels like ages ago now, a different life, a different you.

When you reach your home, you lie down and cry it out. Then you clean up your wound, make dinner, buy some flowers, cry again, throw some kunnais at a tree (all of them miss), finish a book and then stare at the ceiling for another hour because it's only 8pm and your tears have dried up. You've been alone for such a long time, you hate this silence, the empty rooms, the cold bed. You've lost your family in combat at an early age and then your friends went one by one, making you throw yourself deeper into work, further away from a life of being a ninja, from death and desperation. You prefer paperwork. Paperwork has never killed anyone and, instead of making you alone, it keeps you in good company. So you do a lot of it. Maybe too much.
You haven't been home so early in a long time, you don't even know what else to do. You already miss working and it's only been a day.
The warm, golden light of the sunset washes over your face as you're lying on your bed. You haven't seen a sunset in so long, perhaps slowing down this week will be great for you.
A shadow interrupts your basking and as you lazily open your eyes, you notice someone at your window. A cold shiver runs through your body but, once again, you need to remind yourself that an enemy would not be this obvious, so you stand up and approach the window.

"How bad is it?" he asks, his voice cold but his expression on the brink of breaking down.
Horrible. The worst ever. I haven't realized how hard I've fallen for you. The feelings haven't gone away in a few hours so it must be very serious. You only think all of this, you don't say it because you're not sure if you're talking to him or to the hokage. What if he means how bad is being off work? That's pretty horrible too.
You tilt your head in confusion and wait for him to clarify.
He rubs his arm and you realize it's about your injury.

"It stings but it's really not that serious. Thank you, sir" you add. His sadness seems to deepen and his eyes glisten

"But you need the week off for it" he continues.
You frown as your hopes are being replaced by irritation and anger. He can't possibly be here to scold you for taking a short vacation after all the overtime and...everything that happened.

"I can't write and most of my work requires me to, so I'd be useless. It will heal quicker if I give it a break. I apologize for leaving you with all that unfinished work, sir. I can find a temporary replacement" you bow and feel your eyes filling with tears.

"No, that won't be necessary as long as you'll be back next week" he adds cautiously.
You lift your head and look at him with great pain and a glimmer of hope in the back of your mind. He's here to make sure this is not a permanent rupture.

"I will be back next week. Maybe even sooner" you reassure him, trying to sound cold and detached but as he turns to leave, you cry after him

"Kakashi!" and it makes him stop in his tracks. He doesn't turn back and you don't say anything else. You're not sure what to say, your mind was blank. The cry came from the gut and the mind doesn't know how to process it.

"Please" you say hopelessly. He turns around and places a fist on your window and leans on it gently.

"We can't." he says, broken and defeated "We can't."

Time dilates in that moment, the pain of rejection turns seconds into minutes into hours into small infinities. Obito's words ring in your head like a cacophony of screams if love is requited then everything else is a detail. Well, it seems that love is not requited because love is not only a feeling, it is also a choice. And his choice is not you, so there's nothing else to do but to give it up. Give it all up.

"Maybe we could make it work, like the chief of police and Rin, but if it won't work out then we won't be able to work together anymore. I'll have to quit or go through hell every day. So yeah, you're right. We can't. It's not worth it." you slowly open the window he's leaning on, drawing him in as he follows the window "I'm not willing to risk this job for a little bit of fun even if it's with the man of my dreams. The work we're doing for the village is more important than our little adventure". You fully open the window and he props himself on the window sill, arms folded, looking up at you with a serious look, calculating. You have voiced what he was thinking and he seems to hate that. Perhaps he was hoping you would change his mind.

"We agree then" he says, watching you intensely.

"We agree." you nod "This week we're spending apart will wipe the feelings, so we can go back to how things were before. Or even better." you take a short break and add: "lord hokage".

"And if it won't?" he extends a hand and gently touches your wound, covered with a bandage that has been stained with blood.

"That's how things were before anyway. We make it work. We're professionals" his touch makes you flinch, so you grab his hand and study it for a few seconds. "This hand has hurt me twice today" you whisper as you caress it tenderly "yet somehow all the pain is in here" you place his hand on your chest and hold it there. You feel his body tensing and he straightens his back but doesn't move his hand from your grip.

"I'm sorry" his voice breaks "I've been doing that a lot lately, but no more".
In a split second, you feel the soft material of his mask on your lips as he kisses you with forlorn desperation. You touch his chest to feel his heart pounding like crazy, your hands connecting each other's heart. He grabs your hand, squeezes it and in the next moment, he disappears, leaving you to once again drain the tears.