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The first time Sakura met him, she was fascinated by the expensive suit. She only saw the man from behind, the wide shoulders covered by fine, dark-blue fabric, leather shoes on his feet and the wild tuft of grey hair which almost seemed like a bright silver underneath the ugly, artificial light which let the pink of her own bright-pink hair look sickly and weak, standing upwards like he only got five minutes earlier out of bed. Ino, who worked at a rental-service for said clothing, taught her how to look out for good ones, just in case “someone wants to take you out, billboard forehead”.
The man in the expensive suit stood at the rack with cigarettes. Apparently, he had no idea what he should buy, juggling the bag with his other purchases from one hand to the other while picking one pack of cigarettes up, intently stared at it, only to select another one to compare both.
Sakura was close to giggle at the obvious confusion on his face as he stared at the cancer sticks - how she liked to call them – and looked around, frantically turning his head.
Only when his eyes fell on her, sitting in her small booth, late in the night and with her homework for university hidden away under the counter, Sakura realized she was the only one around.
He noticed too. With the two packages in his hands and the bag dangling from his arm, the man closed the distance between them. Sakura would deny it later but her breath hitched at the sight of the undeniably cutest smile since Naruto grew into the obnoxious, pesky best friend he was today.
“Excuse me,” he asked and the beauty mark underneath his mouth lifted with the widening of his smile, “Can you help me? One of my co-workers is a smoker and he surely told me what his favorite brand is but I forgot.”
“Sure.” She leaned in and smiled. The night-shift was boring enough, her tasks were fulfilled, therefore, Sakura was willing to put up with such an unreasonable demand. “Do you remember maybe a syllable of the name of the brand? That would already help a lot.”
“Uhm…” Like she suspected it, he shrugged, still smiling and probably hoping he wouldn’t look too stupid. “Sorry, no idea.”
Fine. Internally sighing, Sakura got up from her seat and climbed out of her booth. “Let’s see… You can try out Akatsuki, it’s the most common brand. In the middle-price section, popular with younger people. We have filters and no filters, also tobacco to roll the cigarettes on your own.”
“I think he wanted with filters…”
“Okay.” The man stood directly behind her as Sakura reached up and angled a package of filter-cigarettes out of the shelf. She had to stand on her tip-toes and her a-little-bit-too-small t-shirt she wore underneath the apron slipped upwards. A rush of colder air in her lower back made Sakura cringe and quickly turn around as soon as she got the wished product. “Anything else?” she asked.
Thankfully, he didn’t notice. At least the woman didn’t think so, measured at the still present smile which curled the closed eyes into the most adorable half-moons Sakura ever had set her sights on. “No, thanks,” he said and picked the small package out of her suddenly tingly fingers, “that would be everything.”
No word was exchanged as Sakura settled again into her small seat behind the cashier, all the while the man emptied the bag onto the counter. It was for certain not the strangest combination of items Sakura saw in her two years she worked now for this small 24/7 convenience store. But it was in the top ten. There was a bucket of strawberry ice cream, a container of hummus (but no bread sticks whatsoever), one half of a celery bundle and a bottle of cooling lube, together with the package of cigarettes.
By now, Sakura’s poker face was top-notch. Without even a crinkle of one of her eyebrows, she managed to ring all the items up, all the while the man fidgeted on his feet and looked half-embarrassed and half-tempted to explain.
“It’s for a late-nighter!” He finally gave in to the eerie silence of the store, only disturbed by the oldies-playlist her boss loved to play during the night. “We drew straws and I was the unlucky one who got stuck with the duty. I don’t even think the lube is really necessary.”
His black eyes were slightly widened and if Sakura’s eyes weren’t fooling her, there was even the slightest hint of a blush crawling up his neck.
“Don’t worry,” she said and bagged in the same motion all the things in a white plastic bag, “I’ve seen worse.”
At least the man stopped fidgeting. Still, when he reached for the money and dropped the change unceremoniously on the white tiles of the freshly mopped floor, Sakura had to break into a wide grin. And when he dropped to his knees to pick all the spilled, small pennies up, the pink-haired female couldn’t help herself but to climb out of her small booth again and kneel with him on the ground to count every single one she could find back into his hands.
More than once, their hands touched and every time a little flash zipped right through her fingers, erupting from the spot where she touched his warm skin.
“Thank you.” His warm voice was far too close. “What’s your name?”
“Sakura.” Out of a long-trained instinct, she stretched her hand out. “And yours?”
He took her hand. A nice, tight grip, not too strong and not sweaty or weak. Just warmth and assurance. “Kakashi.”
“Nice to meet you, Kakashi.” Sakura tried not to blush when Kakashi tugged her upwards, his grip around her hand not wavering or retreating. “And really, I’ve seen worse. No need to be nervous.”
“Good to know.” The sparkle in his black eyes should’ve warned her. It really should’ve. But Sakura ignored it, just like she ignored the coil of her stomach and the fluttering of her heart at the creased-eyes-smile Kakashi gifted her with when he exited the store, one hand raised for a silly, little wave.
(…)
Another evening, another night-shift. It was hot and Sakura switched out her usual working shirt for a tank-top. It revealed quite nicely her shaped shoulders from all the hours of training together with Rock Lee, her partner in a nearby fitness studio. And she was damn proud about the results.
Then, Sakura just dropped her head on the counter and sighed lowly because nothing had happened over the last two hours, the bell chimed above the entrance. A customer. In such a hot night. And to make it worse, it was Kakashi again, on his face the same nonchalant smile and one hand raised for a wave.
“Hey,” he said, “nice to see you again.”
“I can only give that back.” Sakura answered and watched how the man chuckled lowly, only to grab a small basket and vanish in the depths of the convenience store. She heard him rummaging and wandering around, shuffling through the shelves and strolling further, like a restless animal caged in a too-tight room.
When Kakashi returned to the counter, the basket filled with his purchases, Sakura almost convinced herself that her heart didn’t beat faster than usual. Instead of looking at the man, who was again dressed nicely – another suit in grey, how dare he filled it out so well! – the woman looked at the items he loaded on the counter.
And she felt her eyebrows twitch. Three of the worst penny dreadful’s her store had to offer, all of them with half-naked woman on the cover, a package of big sausages and a single cucumber.
“And?” Kakashi sounded like he enjoyed himself far too much. “Is it another one for the books?”
Sakura needed a moment until the memory of their last encounter came back. A chuckle dropped from her lips as she started to ring the items and the beep of the scanner underlined her words. “No. You have a lot to learn to make it into the top ten.”
“There’s a top ten? What is number one then?”
“Yes, there is. You have no idea how many drunkyards we get. And the worst would be condoms, diarrhea-medicine and adult-sized diapers.”
The sharp intake of air finally made Sakura look up from her task. The instant she met Kakashi’s eyes, she was doomed. She hadn’t noticed the loose tie, slung around his neck and revealing the smallest hint of bare, pale skin to her. Together with the top-button which was open, the sight teased the woman until her heart pounded loudly against her ribs, howling and screaming about making a move on the man in front of her.
Sakura was so far gone she didn’t even notice how the answered. She could only nod and smile emptily, while she tried to tell herself that Kakashi was never coming back after this second-surprise visit.
(…)
Again, Sakura was wrong. Summer broke into full bloom after that night and every night was just as warm and sticky as the day before. The AC inside the store was crap, therefore she either had to fan herself for the whole duration of her shift or was stuck in her tight space with a bucket of half-frozen ice in which she could stick her sweaty and too hot feet from time to time.
Kakashi stuck his head inside the store in the middle of the night. This time, he wasn’t alone. An adorable grumpy pug was with him, the floppy, brown ears wiggling as Sakura couldn’t suppress the tiny squeal at the sight.
Kakashi waved at her. “Hey. Sorry, I know there’s a sign that inside the store are no dogs allowed but…”
“It’s okay.” Sakura waved back. “Just bring him inside. I can get him a bit of water, if you want.”
“That would be great. Thank you, Sakura.”
Another smile thrown her way and her heart again ranted about the possibility of being waken up by this man with a tablet with breakfast in his hands. Naked. In his bed. Quickly, Sakura shook her head and set out to find a small pot and fill it with water, while Kakashi again vanished between the shelves like a ghost. The only signs of his presence were his pug and the occasional crinkle of plastic bags resounding through the store.
The dog was called Pakkun. At least, that was what stood on the tag dangling around the neck of the pug. Sakura could glance at it when she placed the bowl with lukewarm water in front of the dog.
“You’re a little cutie, hm?” she mumbled and watched the pug, crouching on the ground and her arms lying across her thighs. Pakkun yipped, then gave his full attention to the blessed water, his small tail wagging around at full speed.
“He likes you.”
Sakura would have never expected Kakashi to be able to sneak up on her like a goddamn ninja. Therefore, the screech and her instinctive urge to punch the living daylights out of her “attacker” was natural. She already surged upwards, one arm raised for a punch. But thankfully, Kakashi caught the fist right before it was about to hit his face.
“Maa,” he said gleefully, “I didn’t expect that. Nice punch.”
“I’m going to a fitness studio.” Sakura said, flabbergasted and flushed from the heat outside and the heat inside her. Only Lee was able to catch her hits easily! No other member of their studio was able to do so, even less doing so and acting like it was nothing. Though Kakashi did it, clothed in a less formal t-shirt, jeans and a pair of worn-out flip flops. His grey hair was as ruffled as always, what only added to the rough appearance Sakura liked more and more with every second.
“I’m sorry,” she said and ordered her muscles to loosen, “I just didn’t…”
“Oh, it’s fine.” Kakashi shrugged only. “Better be safe than sorry. And I like woman who pack a nice punch.”
Was he…? No. He wasn’t. Totally not. Sakura bit her lower lip and tried to hide it but the curse of all red-haired people fell upon her. A blush forced its way on her face; she felt how the hot, red blood creeped upwards and left ugly red spots on her neck and shoulders.
“I’m going… Just…” She awkwardly gestured towards her usual seat and ignored the fiery path the blood left on her face. Oh god, Kakashi must believe she never received any compliments about her punches! About anything at all! She still acted like a little girl, insecure about her forehead and the irritating bright pink of her hair, even though Sakura learned to ignore every insult thrown her way and appreciate every compliment.
To forget about her embarrassment, the woman concentrated on the items. A single banana, two oranges and an apple.
“What are you going to do with that?” she asked while typing in the registered number for the oranges.
Kakashi shrugged. One corner of his mouth was hanging lower than usual but when Sakura smiled at him, it turned into a lopsided smile, whole-heartedly and sincere. “Don’t know yet,” he finally said, “Maybe a little fruit-orgy?”
After nearly punching a customer through the wall, Sakura shouldn’t blush any more than that. At the mentioning of the orgy, even her ears went red and her fingers shook for the rest of the silent interaction between them.
(…)
Heat had reached its peak and now even the ice bucket didn’t help anymore. Sakura was fanning herself with one of the trash magazines close to the counter, her shoulder-length hair pulled into a high pony-tail and wearing shorts, a tank-top and the thankfully light apron for work. One look at the clock and she groaned in despair. Only 10 p.m. Still a whole night, with nothing to look forward to but heat and a stolen ice-cream in between.
The bell chimed. Usually, Sakura would immediately drop every sign of lazy behavior but the heat stole every ounce of energy she had. A glance at the door was enough, she thought and spotted once more Kakashi. By now, he was a regular customer and a regular man in her little daydreams and cloud castles.
Not that Sakura would ever act on them.
Usually, Kakashi would greet her with a smile and a wave. Today though, only the smile remained from his routine, before he vanished into the direction of the fruit section, a basket already in his hands.
Sakura closed her eyes and sighed as she started yet again to move the magazine. It was too hot to bother. Even though the sight of Kakashi in a skin-tight tank top and short was worth the wasted energy.
Minutes later, the telltale sound of flip-flops coming her way forced Sakura to properly stand up. She blinked confused when she saw how utterly happy Kakashi seemed to be, nearly radiating satisfaction and glee as he emptied the basket on her counter, not even waiting for her to greet him.
“Hello, Sakura.”
An eggplant, big and thick. A peach, ripe and pink. Sakura’s eyes widened as the other meanings of those fruits rose in her mind. Quickly, she looked at the last item Kakashi was about to drop with a lot of deliberate importance.
A package of condoms. XL.
Kakashi only beamed at her, the small wrinkles around his eyes telling more than any words could. He knew Sakura understood what he meant and loved every second of her embarrassed silence. “And?” he asked and steadied himself with both arms on the counter. “Is that one in the top ten?”
Before her brain could think about a proper answer, her mouth had moved and Sakura was for once really happy about her defiant tongue.
“Maybe. But I think I have to see what you’re going to do with your purchases before I can make a proper,” Sakura measured Kakashi’s chest with her eyes, what he noticed, “judgement.”
The spark of mischief tainting every move the man made grew into a fire. He reached backwards, his black eyes capturing her green eyes and tucked his cellphone out of the pockets of his shorts. “How about you make a date for it? Then I can give you a very thorough demonstration.”
With a graceful nod, Sakura accepted the phone and started to type her number inside, still hoping Kakashi would shove her suddenly red face on the sticky heat inside the store. Deep inside though, the woman knew that he knew the true reason. “That will do.”