Because I care {Fatherly Kakashi}

The silver-haired man stood frozen to the spot. Sterling hair graced with an iridescent hue as sunlight glinted against his sorrowful features. Nothing but a stunned silence accompanied his surroundings. He's painfully aware that the familiar orange and black clad figure is now completely out of his sight.
The clearing feels desolate and bare without Naruto.

The desire to follow is crushing and for a moment he almost does. But Kakashi wills himself to compose himself taking a breath he'd been depriving himself of for a while. This was out of his element in every way. Kakashi didn't allow himself to get attached he had never been able to afford to. The consequences of getting attached had always been too dire. Far too dire so Kakashi resorted to being what everyone had made him out to be.

Kakashi Hatake was the epitome of cold. Bitterness tinged his heart and demeanor towards everyone because it needed to be.
He needed to be bitter and unwelcoming in order to protect himself from growing attached. Growing fond of anyone was a terrible decision anyways. They always ended up dead due to him.

Yet Kakashi can't help but feel a newfound shred of uncertainty. He'd never once regretted distancing himself from others it had always just been a defense mechanism it was safer not only for himself but for others.

So why had Naruto become an exception to that rule? Why did Kakashi suddenly feel so much remorse? Kakashi didn't do attachments so why was he questioning that fact for his student.

He didn't have an answer for any of the questions seeping through his mind which frustrated him to no end.

Regret pools deep within him as Kakashi finally allows his outstretched hand to drop against his side numbly. He tenses as his fist curls tightly fingertips biting painfully against his furled hand.

He'd never wanted to try for anyone had never wanted to let himself care for anyone. Somewhere along the way, Kakashi had undoubtedly failed. He'd grown fond of the boy.

Truly Kakashi hadn't even realized just how fond he'd unknowingly become of Naruto. Albeit it wasn't surprising that the pesky blonde had found a way to evade his heart. The kind-hearted boy just had that effect on people always had.

Kakashi would be lying if he denied his adoration towards Naruto.

A wave of immense grief strikes him threatening to fully overwhelm Kakashi as he staggers. Effectively breaking him astray from his thoughts as everything that'd happened moments prior finally seemed to be dawning on him.

Naruto

The incredibly selfless and stubborn boy that he'd grown so fond of believed that he didn't care. That he hadn't liked the kid.

It was clear that his own negligence had made Naruto feel this way seeing as it had apparently come back to bite him in the ass.
Kakashi's mind reeled at the thought alone as constant questions bubbled up to the surface of his mind. Impatiently begging to be answered as the seconds ticked by.

How long had Naruto believed this? The level of indifference that he'd watched Naruto possess was so sickening. That level of indifference the level of practiced ease that he'd seen within the younger was something he never wanted to see again.

That level of indifference was revealing in itself. Only ever shown within people who had become used to being mistreated and let down. Naruto had been used to being turned down, to being alone and he'd been made painfully aware of the fact that Naruto had expected that of him as well.

Naruto had so easily believed that Kakashi had disliked the teen. He didn't know what to make of the thought nor would he ever have the heart to hate the teen.

His student no his kid had truly believed that he hadn't cared and had expected to be turned down. To be brushed aside as though the boy had no importance. Naruto believed to of had no importance to anyone. And fuck did that pain him to think about.

Naruto had genuinely expected to be turned down for the affection that the blonde so obviously desired. And Kakashi had mistakenly let the blonde continue on thinking that way. Kakashi's brief dismissals and rebuffs had been an obvious factor into his student's depleting self-esteem.

Kakashi's cold demeanor was something that the younger had seemed to take personally because while Kakashi had used his gruff nature as a form of protection Naruto had seen it as outward rejection.

He'd never intended for it to be taken that way. Had never meant to hurt Naruto in the own crossfire of his issues. But Kakashi had and he found that it bothered him more than he'd ever care to admit. No child should ever be that used to rejection nor should anyone be that used to being cast aside.

Naruto expected so little out of him that the teen thought he'd treat him as everyone else had. Naruto expected to be treated like a plague, expected him to treat the younger like a monster. Just as everyone in the youngers life always has.

The thought alone just seemed to set evreything into stone finally revealing just how badly Kakashi had destroyed any progress he'd made at getting through Naruto's defenses. Any progress he'd ever made at getting Naruto to just trust him had been proven useless all because of his own mistakes.

But he could fix this he absolutely needed to. Onyx eyes flickered towards the direction that Naruto had taken off in. A newly lit fire resided within the Onyx depths as he launched himself in a search for his student.

He'd fix this.

He'd show Naruto that he truly did care more than he'd ever been able to show the kid.

That he adored Naruto.

His own fears could be damned for all he cared. Naruto deserved to know. His kid deserved to know that the whole world wasn't against the teen. That even if it were Kakashi would be here throughout it all. That Kakashi honest to god cared.

Kakashi had been harsh long enough and it was finally time to be something more. Rays of sunlight filtered past his figure as he briskly flickered throughout the clearing in hopes of finding the precious cerulean-eyed wonder.

The silence had him on edge as his expression scrunched up in concern. Kakashi's pace quickened as a choked-off scream chilled him to his core.

''Fuck just hang on Naruto.'' His voice grit out lacking its usual monotone. ''I'm coming''

Kakashi vowed to make the person who'd dared to make his kid scream like that regret their entire existence. They'd be begging for death by the time he was done with them.

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{Prepare yourself because the next chapter is where things are about to get pretty serious and emotional 😅 }

Total Words- 1,151