Welcome Home. (Kakashi One Shot)

Here you go!

Kakashi Hatake was a very successful, very invaluable shinobi. The hidden leaf village was well aware of his potential from a young age, and he had been deployed on several high rank missions over the course of his career after the academy.
Unfortunately, this fact didn't change the second that your relationship had started. Although it felt like time slowed, and everything felt irrevocably right for the first time in a long while, the world and it's dangers didn't slow their progression towards Konohagakure. You were a valuable asset to the village on your own, and had your own tasks, but it didn't keep you nearly as busy- and far away from the village- as the missions that were given to Kakashi.
When the silver-haired ninja was away, the most unfortunate aspect was that he wasn't only gone for copious sums of time, but also consecutively. When Tsunade had been tracking the progress of the Akatsuki before they'd began their work against the jinchuriki, your lover was sent off so frequently that there had been whole months that had passed where you hardly saw him for two days before he was sent off again.
There was a time when you'd thought that the distance would put a strain on your relationship. So far the only strain that you'd felt was on your own lonely heart. In between the days where he left and he returned to you, there was an overwhelming silence despite the company that you kept. It was as though you had been hyperaware of Kakashi's faint breathing in between the pauses of his student's rambunctious behaviour; as though you had been able to hear the steadiness of his heartbeats even as Gai had marched towards the pair of you, a loud and confident challenge already leaving his lips. In the midst of everyday tasks, when your mind should have been preoccupied with your responsibilities and attentive to your companions, there was a detectable space that you hadn't noticed your lover had occupied until he was gone.
Night was the worst, especially the day after he had departed. You would tidy your small home, looking at it with satisfaction in the daylight, and fall asleep quickly after an exhausting work day. It wouldn't be until the next morning, when you made your half of the bed and didn't have to slip the pillow back into its case after a night of Kakashi tugging the loose fabric close to his face subconsciously, that you would feel a hint of regret. You sometimes wished you could leave the space alone so that it would retain a sense of normalcy. You could never know how long he would be gone, however, and you couldn't be wading through the mess just for a sense of comfort. So you dealt with the twist in your stomach when you woke up alone.
Often it felt melodramatic, to feel so terribly incomplete when he was gone. It definitely felt like a hindrance. It made you feel vulnerable. You suppose that that is the price to pay for being allowed such complete happiness when he was with you.
~*~*~*~
It was late, and the night had fully descended outside a couple hours ago. You were propped against your headboard, a report supported by the curve of your legs, and as you poured over it you could feel your eyes strain under the low light of your bedside lamp. Steady as your attention was, your bones seemed to rattle as your jumped hard at the sound of the bell tower's toll. You listened intently, waiting for the second toll which would warn of an incoming enemy attack. When the silence remained for another five beats, you knew that the announcement was over. Then, and only then, did you feel hope rise into your throat, hitching your breath.
Someone had returned.
Eager as you were, you knew it would be pointless- and, honestly, a little embarrassing- to get redressed and head to the gates in hopes that it was Kakashi. Half of the Leaf Village's Shinobi population were outside the gates on their own respective missions. If you raced down there only to be faced with Asuma, again, the burly man would never let you live it down. So you made due with putting pen to paper and trying to force your attention to the report once more, ignoring the rapid beat of your heart.
You'd managed to fill another half page with details by the time the deadbolt clunked open. You discarded the report carelessly to the side, hearing it slid right off the bed, but you couldn't bring yourself to care because you were already halfway through the apartment, and nearly within arms reach of the crisp, crackling chakra that you knew to be your lover's.
Kakashi didn't turn immediately. He re-locked the door, only the hallway light on to illuminate his actions as the rest of the house seemed to be asleep, and his head was turned slightly away from you. You came to a stop, appraising him for a short moment.
It was amazing, you thought, how the smallest things about him- things that most people could never have considered- could be so beautiful to you. You watched him look away, and studied the way his hair curled behind his ears when he finally untied his forehead protector and let his silver locks fall free. He set his bag down on the floor next to the door, and you couldn't tear your eyes away from the curve of his spine as he stood and shrugged off his chunin vest, hanging it up neatly. Even the dark bruises under his eyes were beautiful in a tragic sort of way, in a very Kakashi way. They told a soft-spoken story of long nights spent without sleep as he bore the responsibility of night watches, and deep seated careful concern for those under his command. He was a good man, a good soldier, a manic martyr for his comrades. And you loved him all the more for it.
Finally, finally, he turned to you, and you couldn't help but launch yourself through the hall and into his chest. Tired as he was, he huffed a breath as he tumbled off balance and shuffled down onto his knees. You pushed yourself forward, laughing lightly, until he was on his back and you were hovering over him with a bright smile on your face.
"Well hello to you, too," He greeted, hand coming up to brush your wild hair behind your ear in a half-hearted attempt to tame it. You closed your eyes, savoring the familiarity of his gravelly voice, and leaned into his touch. It didn't take long for his caress to slip under your chin, guiding you down so that he could nuzzle against your nose. You knew that his insistence meant that he'd already shifted his mask out of the way, and you sighed when he kissed you, calmly but completely, his mouth soft and pliant against yours.
Your hand fell into his light hair, nails scratching against his scalp, and his hands smoothed against your back, coaxing you closer. After a peaceful moment of gentle kisses, you pulled back and tugged on his hands until you were both sitting, resting your head against the side of his neck. You breathed in his scent as you spoke.
"You look exhausted, but its good to see you come back without needing a hospital visit, for once."
He scoffed, but his arms circled your waist despite his supposed incredulity. "I haven't had to go that often."
You hummed. "Name one instance in the last six months that you haven't returned and had to go to the hospital for at least one bone fracture."
When he didn't say anything, you pulled back and laughed at his defeated expression. With his mask down, you were left to deal with the full brunt of his pout. "The missions have been trickier lately. It's not like I'm losing my touch or anything."
"No. Never."
He groaned and laid back down. "Such a nice greeting, and now you're already onto the snark."
You giggled. You leaned down, nipping at his ear lobe gently before tracing his pulse with your lips and tongue. When you finally sat back up, appreciating your work in the form of the warm shades across his cheek and over his ears, you kissed his nose. He cleared his throat and you laughed again, feeling your cheeks starting to hurt. The void that had crept into the floorboards of your home filled with warmth, his heartbeat thundering under your palm.
"I missed you. Welcome home." You whispered, and he closed his eyes and returned your smile