The Comforts Of Love
Pein closed the back doors to the suburban and walked to the Drivers side and slid in behind the wheel. Konan was riding shotgun and the rest of the gang were seated in the other two bench seats of the vehicle.
Sasori and Deidara sat cuddled behind Konan's seat, while Kakuzu held his silver haired Zealot Hidan on his lap behind Pein's. Kisame and Itachi were seated behind Deidara and Sasori, hands intertwined as Zetsu and Tobi sat behind Kakuzu and Hidan's seat. Everyone looked calm and collected just glad that school was now out for the next three months.
Konan's aunt and uncle owned a summer house on a lake deep in the woods of Virginia and had offered it to them for the summer. They had all jumped at the chance to have a summer together and with their lovers for three whole months. There would be plenty to do and plenty to catch up on considering everyone was in different classes all day.
Pein started the suburban and adjusted the mirror. He looked in the mirror at all of their friends one last time, thinking to himself three months with no parents, no school, no authority to get them down, what could possibly go wrong? Right? Those famous words had never been so far off the mark as they were now.
Pein pulled over on the side of the road as steam poured from under the hood. He got out and walked to the front of the vehicle, followed by Sasori and Kakuzu. Waving the steam away from the hood as he opened it, glancing through the fog bank to see what had possibly sprung a leak. Judging by the way the water sprayed out, it had to be a radiator hose.
As the steam died down, he could make out a long split in the top radiator hose. He sighed heavily as the reality set in. They weren't going any further in this thing the way it was. Zetsu and Kisame now joined him and Sasori and Kakuzu at the front of the vehicle. "That doesn't look good." Sasori offered. Pein gave him a no shit Sherlock look and looked back at the radiator. The water had pretty much been drained and it now just drizzled every so often.
"That looks expensive." Kakuzu added, standing next to Sasori with a look of disgust on his face. As if he would be the one paying for it, although it didn't matter who paid for it. Money was money and no cost was small enough to please Kakuzu. "Well of course it looks expensive, to you everything is expensive." Zetsu's black half quipped. "Don't mind him he is still pissy cuz he didn't get into Tobi's pants, Again." Zetsu's white half replied.
Sasori looked at Zetsu in amusement. "You're still in trouble for that?" Sasori scoffed. "Hey you don't know them Uchiha's, make one mistake and they never let you forget it." Zetsu's black half said nastily. Kisame stood next to Pein and nodded in agreement as a "watch it" came from inside the vehicle. Kisame immediately went to the side of the vehicle and began apologizing through the open window.
Itachi scowled and grabbed the shark's face to pull him closer. Kisame gulped in fear. Oh how he really wished he were not in this position at the moment. Itachi pulled him close until a hairs breath was between them. "Kisame, If you talk behind my back, I will make you pay for it, understand?" Itachi asked calmly with blood in his eyes. Kisame nodded weakly. "Good." Itachi said cheerfully and kissed the shark quickly before releasing him.
Kisame ran to the front of the vehicle and stood behind Kakuzu. "Chicken shit." Sasori laughed. Kisame stayed silent lest he have to face a vicious weasel again. Pein walked to the passenger window. "Let me see the map." He said to Konan as she handing it to him. He smiled and shook his head. It was amazing how they could read each other's minds.
He opened the map and studied it for a moment. He folded it and said, "okay, listen up gang. I am going to walk to the nearest town or until I can get a signal on my cell phone, whichever comes first. Konan will be staying here with the vehicle and I want Someone else to stay here with her as well." He said looking around to the guys. "I'll stay here." Itachi said followed by Tobi a second later.
"Okay, sounds good to me." Pein said as he walked to the driver's side. He took a flashlight even though it was still day and put it in his pocket. One never knows where you'll be when you might need one. He took a bottle of water and his phone, leaned in and kissed Konan a quick goodbye and turned to shut the door.
Zetsu walked up to Pein from the rear of the vehicle and said, "We are coming with you." Pein nodded and smiled, he could always count on Zetsu to have his back in any situation. Zetsu had been new in school in the first grade and everyone had picked on the poor kid relentlessly. That was until the popular boy beat up the tormentors and befriended the different boy. Zetsu had never been happier until that day.
Kakuzu and Sasori walked up to the front of the vehicle and waited while Kisame backed away from the vehicle slowly. "I won't be gone long, angel. I promise." Kisame said as he ran up to Zetsu and stepped out of sight from the people in the suburban. He really was a chicken shit when it came to Itachi but then who could blame him? "You're all coming with me I presume?" Pein asked waving casually at the group before him. They all nodded confirmation and headed down the road.
An hour later Deidara started to complain. "Why did Danna need to go, un? It don't take five people to get a cell phone signal or to the town, so why did he go, un?" He said grumpily as he flopped his head against the window. Konan rolled her eyes and looked at Itachi who had moved to the driver's seat and was searching for a station on the radio to drown out Deidara's excessive complaining.
Hidan swore continuously about the heat and then about the boredom and then about Jashin not excepting laziness only sacrifice, which got him and Tobi into an argument about sacrifice. Tobi said that his sacrifice was to sit here on his ass and wait until they returned. Hidan said that his sacrifice should be of blood which began to creep out Deidara for the fear it would be his if he weren't careful. It ended only when Itachi turned in his seat with a death glare. Konan sighed in relief.
The five of them walked steadily down the highway, searching for any kind of signal they could get. So far they had walked three miles and there had been none, not even a split second of one. They of course had to make fun of Kisame and then of Zetsu and then Of Pein for not having the suburban serviced before the trip. Then they had decided to talk about their relationships and how they were happy to be one. Then they decided to play I spy and that didn't end well. Everyone kept picking Kisame's skin color or Zetsu's hair.
Finally two more miles down the road and they got a half decent signal and called a tow truck. The guy said he would be at least an hour so they would have to wait until then. They hadn't seen a single vehicle in the last five miles on this highway, so it had been them and the sound of their feet and their voices. The sun had been midway when they had left and now it sank a little lower in the sky. It would be dark by the time they got back to the suburban, but not too dark at least.
They began making their way back to the suburban in hopes of catching a ride so they wouldn't have to walk all the way back. So far they had, had no such luck. At least it was warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. They walked steadily never slowing their pace as they chatted about this or that. Sasori knew he was going to be in trouble when he got back. Deidara hadn't wanted him to go. Kisame was also going to be skewered for leaving behind his grumpy weasel. Zetsu had gotten a go right ahead and go.
One because he was Pein's best friend from forever ago and two because he was still in trouble for an incident involving him not being able to walk, sit or stand after their last sexual encounter. Zetsu felt it best he put some distance between himself and his lover for a little bit. Kakuzu had simply said he was going and Hidan had simply said have a good time and in no certain terms was he going with them. So none of them were in too much of a hurry to get back anyway.
It had been three hours since the guys had left and so far Deidara had complained non stop about Sasori going and not coming back soon enough. Itachi had only merely said he was going to kill him a shark when he returned and Tobi had simply said that he was okay with Zetsu being gone. Hidan just cursed Kakuzu's name a couple of times and that was it. Konan sighed she wanted Pein to hurry back but wasn't about to whine about it. None of them saw the car that pulled up behind theirs and six guys exit the vehicle.
It wasn't until they walked up to the sides of the vehicle that they were aware of their company. They all sat up quickly on alert. One of them addressed Konan. "Having a little car trouble are we?" He asked smartly. He grinned at the uncomfortable look she gave him. He was toying with her and she knew it. Pein had taught her to read the signs. First he would ask obvious questions. Then he would find out that not one seme existed in this vehicle and then they would all be in for it.
Deidara reached over and pushed the lock carefully, trying to be quiet. Not succeeding the guy at Konan's window leaned in to take a look at Deidara. "You're not afraid of us are you?" He asked cracking a smile that would chill your blood. Deidara swallowed thickly. His hands turned ivy and his heart sped up. Panic settled in the grooves of his stomach making a flip flop like motion. Itachi stayed calm and focused but underneath he could feel his composure slipping.
Tobi had evened out his breathing but a cold dread had filled him. This couldn't possibly end well. Hidan cursed under his breath a couple of times trying to keep a grasp on the situation. They were outnumbered 6 to 4 but that wasn't what bothered him, what bothered him is that these weren't some high school punks just out to have a tussle. These were grown men who looked like they did steroids on a regular basis and they were all small boys who wouldn't stand a chance. Kami help them
Pein could hear a sound off in the distance but couldn't quite make it out. He had always had keen hearing and his ears were buzzing with an almost familiar sound. He looked over his shoulder and watched as far as the eye could see. He could barely make out red in the distance and then the red got closer and closer. A tow truck came into view and they flagged him down. He apologized for their misfortune and offered them a ride back to the suburban. They accepted gratefully and Pein rode in the cab with the driver while the other four climbed on the back and sat down gratefully resting their tired legs.
They were back on the road in two minutes and only about three miles from the suburban. This had been a long drug out day that just wasn't going their way. As if the suburban breaking down wasn't enough, a not so friendly sight was awaiting them as they approached the broken down vehicle. A guy had a hold of Konan's arm and was tugging her from the vehicle as Itachi and Deidara kept trying to hit the man and hang on to Konan as well.
The tow truck stopped and the five jumped out and ran to the suburban ready to kick some serious ass. The tow truck driver had already radioed in the license plate number of the car and the description of three of the guys who weren't smart enough to run and jump into their vehicle in time. The doors flew open on the Suburban as the ukes ran to their seme's throwing themselves into their waiting arms. Deidara was all tears as his knees buckled from the fear. Sasori caught him and climbed into the suburban with him on his lap.
Kisame had immediately swept Itachi up into his arms and was reluctant to set him back down or let him out of his sight. Kakuzu took Hidan into his arms and held the Zealot while he shook from fear and anxiety. Tobi buried his face closer into Zetsu's neck and held him tighter and closer. He had been so angry and now he was just so happy to have him here holding him at a time like this. Konan shook slightly as she stepped into Pein's embrace. She took a shuddering breath and let it out slowly. Today could have turned into a nightmare and somehow it hadn't. She was so beside herself that she burst into tears.
Two hours later they were sitting in a diner eating and talking, waiting for their vehicle to be fixed. Itachi sat on Kisame's lap and held onto him tightly. Deidara hadn't taken his head off Sasori's shoulder since they had gotten back to the suburban. Tobi and Zetsu had been making out and whispering I love you's for the past hour and a half. Pein had kept a hand on Konan's leg to the town and then his arm around her shoulder at the diner. Hidan had kept himself tucked tightly in Kakuzu's arm and not made so much as a peep as they ate and the others chattered.
The next hour was a quick fuel and convenience store stop and then they were back on the road. They made it to the lake house by midnight and no one was able to keep their eyes open. They all headed to the rooms they would stay in and crawled into bed with their lovers too tired to care about unpacking or even putting on pj's. All they cared about was that they were together and that they all had someone to comfort them throughout the night.