You and Kakashi had been partners for a while now—assigned together on missions more often than not, sharing briefings, strategy discussions, and the occasional shared silence that stretched comfortably between the both of you. Today was one of those rare quiet days, with nothing urgent hanging over your heads. You found a clearing just outside the village to eat lunch together, the sun dappled through the trees, the breeze light.

Kakashi, as usual, looked a little too serious for someone not currently being hunted or hunted by anyone. He sat cross-legged on the grass, mask in place, casually flipping through the pages of that familiar orange book of his.

You couldn't help yourself.

Grinning to yourself, you leaned over and threw your arms around him in a tight hug, knowing full well how much he disliked unexpected displays of affection—especially ones that interrupted his reading. "You're too stiff," you said, squeezing him deliberately. "Lighten up, scarecrow."

Kakashi’s visible eye narrowed, and without missing a beat, he retaliated by pinching your sides—repeatedly.

"Off," he muttered flatly, his voice as dry as ever. "You’re worse than Guy."

After you finally relented, he rolled his eyes (though you could swear there was the faintest hint of a smile under that mask), then calmly reopened his book, resuming exactly where he left off as if nothing had happened.