Disobedient Desires (KakaSaku)

Differences

As the tension between them began to fade, Sakura found herself feeling lighter than she had in days. Kakashi's arms wrapped around her felt like a sanctuary, a place where all her worries could disappear, at least for now. She didn't want to go home—not after everything that had happened that day. Staying there, with him, felt right in a way she couldn't fully explain.

Kakashi gently pulled back, his hands resting on her shoulders as he looked down at her. "Dont you have to go home? It's nearly midnight, Sakura."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't been expecting him to ask, but the idea of spending the night with him felt like the only thing she wanted in that moment. Her mind flickered to her parents, the excuses she made to be able to be out all night.

"No," she said softly. "I told my parents that I was staying with Ino tonight..."

Kakashi nodded, though there was still a hint of hesitation in his eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

Sakura gave him a small smile, her hand slipping into his. "I want to be here. With you."

His thumb brushed over the back of her hand, his lips tugging into a faint smile as he exhaled in relief. "Alright. You can stay."

The night was quiet after that, the earlier tension replaced by a comfortable closeness. They ate dinner together, something simple that Kakashi threw together, but even the silence between them felt soothing. It was as though, after everything this evening, they were finally finding their way back to each other.

After dinner, they retreated to the living room. Kakashi lit a fire in the small hearth, and they settled on the couch together, the warmth of the flames casting a soft glow around the room. Sakura curled up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling more at peace than she had in days.

They didn't talk much, both lost in their own thoughts and sipping the wine from earlier. But after a while, Sakura found herself staring at Kakashi's face, at the small, subtle lines that crinkled around his eyes when he smiled, and the silver white hair that fell messily over his forehead.

"Kakashi," she said softly, "how old are you?"

He glanced down at her, his brow furrowing slightly at the question. "Why do you ask?"

Sakura shrugged, not wanting to make it a big deal but realizing she had never actually asked. "I just realized you know how old I am now, and I don't know how old you are."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, as if weighing his answer before speaking. "I'm 31."

Her eyes widened slightly. She knew he was older, of course, but hearing the exact number somehow made it feel more real. There was a whole decade and more between them. "Thirty-one," she repeated quietly, her voice filled with wonder.

He seemed to catch the shift in her tone, the way she processed the age difference, and his expression grew guarded again. "Does that... bother you?"

"No," Sakura said quickly, shaking her head. "It's just... I guess I didn't realize. You don't seem that old."

Kakashi let out a soft, almost amused laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment."

But the truth was, now that the number was out in the open, it hit her more than she expected. Thirty-one. She was only Seventeen. There was a world of difference between them, in experience, in life lived. And yet, here she was, in his house, curled up beside him as if they were equals.

Kakashi must have sensed her spiraling thoughts, because he shifted slightly, his arm tightening around her. "You're thinking too hard about it."

Sakura blinked up at him, biting her lip. "It's just... I know there's a big gap between us, and I don't want you to feel like I don't understand that. But I'm here because I want to be, Kakashi. I'm not a kid."

His hand moved to cup her cheek gently, his eyes softening as he gazed at her. "I know you're not some silly little girl. I never thought of you that way. But that gap—I've been battling it all night. I've seen so much more, done so much more. And I worry about what that means for you."

Sakura leaned into his touch, her voice steady. "I don't care about that. I know what I'm getting into. And I'm choosing this, choosing you. You don't have to protect me from it."

Kakashi sighed softly, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "I know you're strong, Sakura. But it's hard not to feel protective when it comes to you. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," she whispered, her hand coming up to cover his. "Not if we're honest with each other. And right now, I just want to be with you."

Kakashi's gaze lingered on hers for a long moment before he dipped his head and kissed her softly, the warmth of the fire surrounding them. It was gentle, full of unspoken promises and understanding. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers, his breath mingling with hers in the quiet.

"Then stay," he whispered. "Stay with me."

"I will," Sakura promised, feeling the weight of the world lift from her shoulders as she sank deeper into the warmth of his arms.

That night, as they curled up together in Kakashi's bed, the fire casting shadows on the walls, the age difference no longer mattered. It wasn't about numbers or societal expectations. It was about the way they felt, the connection they had, and the love that had grown between them in spite of everything.

Kakashi may be 31, but that didn't change the fact that they had found something real, something neither of them wanted to let go of. And as Sakura drifted to sleep, wrapped in his warmth, she knew that no matter what the world threw at them, they would face it together.