speak up [ kakashi x reader one-shot ]

speak up

The sky was just beginning to turn a bright blue as you walked through the village. You didn't have anything planned for today and were filling your morning with a short walk through the village. You mused over your options as you walked, deciding you would probably do a little training later. Maybe.

As you walked, you stuffed your hands in your pockets. A large class of students had just been deemed Genin, and you wondered who their senseis would be. You yourself were still a Chunin rank, never going on any huge missions. A few of your friends from the village were Jonin, and you knew they would be assigned some of the new Genin on their teams. Yesterday was the first day of their training, if you recalled correctly.

The dirt made muted crunching noises under your feet and you watched the ground in front of you. It was speckled with spots of sun that shone between the leaves of the trees. A light breeze blew through the air and the sunspots danced on the ground. You smiled to yourself, admiring the pretty view.

When you looked up, you noticed a figure about five meters away. A man sat against one of the trees, mostly shaded. The sunspots danced across his face and the book that he was holding. You recognized the spiky grey hair and as you came closer you could read the title of the book, "Make-out Paradise".

"Kakashi?" You called, stopping near him. The masked man looked up and his half-lidded eye met your gaze. He held the book open with one hand.

"Mm?" He responded. You knew Kakashi, but not that well. You considered him a friend of yours, but you knew that he was typically quiet and enjoyed being alone most of the time and you respected that.

"You've got a team, right? Shouldn't you be with them right now?"

Kakashi blinked. His eye widened a bit and he glanced at his book. He closed it and stood slowly, putting the book into the pack on his waist. He glanced up at the sun. "Hmm. Probably. I need to eat before I go."

"You haven't eaten yet?" You couldn't fathom not eating. Food is great.

The grey-haired ninja shook his head. "I read before I eat. I got to a good part and it appears I've lost track of time." His gaze slowly moved from the sky back down to you. Your heart did a little flip in your chest. "Would you like to come inside for a moment?"

Well, you thought, it wasn't like you were doing anything else anyway. You nodded and the two of you walked the short distance back to Kakashi's house. Once inside, he pulled out a box of cereal, holding it midair for a moment. You watched him, leaning on the table in the center of the kitchen. Kakashi made a "hmph" sound and set the box back in its original place.

"What's wrong?" You asked.

Kakashi shrugged, closing the cabinet. "No appetite, I guess. You're not hungry, are you?"

"Already ate," you replied. Silence settled between you and you tapped your fingers on the wooden table. "So..." you started, trying to fill the space with words. "Are you still reading that make-out book?"

Kakashi's expression changed slightly. "Yes," he answered simply, his tone even but sounding guarded. His hands were in his pockets and he was looking at you.

"Is it any good?" You asked. You didn't have a particular interest in the book itself, but Kakashi was a mystery to you and you didn't know much about him.

He nodded but said nothing. You looked away, studying your nails. Kakashi made another huffing noise, and when you looked back up at him he was smiling, or at least you thought he was. "Sorry," he said. "It seems I've brought you back here for nothing."

You smiled, wondering what he looked like under that mask. You had never seen him without it, and didn't know anyone that had, for that matter. His headband also covered his left eye. You had heard rumors about him having Sharingan, but then again those could just be rumors.