A/N: This is a birthday present for Hidan, I had posted this up last night (on his birthday), but I was dead-tired so I didn't read over it properly, looked over it today and decided to quickly edit it now to make it more fluffy and detailed (and hopefully much better). This is also my first story of Hidan and Kakuzu being somewhat romantic with each other…not sure if I did a good job, let me know either way! :)

EDITED: 3rd April 2013

WARNING(S): POSSIBLE failed attempt at an awesome Yaoi pairing (-so yes! There WILL be hints at gay love), SLIGHT fluff, SLIGHT cursing and SLIGHT suggestiveness.

DISCLAIMER: If I owned it, Akatsuki would rule and everyone else would die.

BIRTHDAY TREAT

It was the second of April and it was one of those many birthdays that Hidan was lost for choice on what to do with himself.

Being a wanted criminal meant he had to lay low a lot of the time, despite loving violence, gore and even the opportunity to give a sacrifice or seven to his Lord Jashin, he didn't particularly enjoy fighting on his birthday.

He could fight every other day of the year, so he didn't wish to do so on his special day, especially when there was something much more appealing to do.

But this was his first year spending his birthday with the Akatsuki.

The last five years he'd spent it on his own, drinking himself unconscious before waking up the next morning laid beside some woman he'd never met before and wouldn't care to remember later. So he sacrificed them to his God, it was a ritual in itself and an aftertaste of that satisfied birthday feeling.

But this year, he wasn't allowed to do it, Kakuzu had forbidden him from doing anything at all, you see, they were currently hiding away from sight since they were being tracked by enemy Ninja (big surprise!) and couldn't risk exposing themselves unnecessarily.

Also to top it off it was raining.

And so, Hidan remained sat near the window of their shared hotel room (with separate beds of course-duh!), staring out of the window with sad magenta eyes, wishing he was anywhere but there.

He'd been quiet all day, his deepening sadness grew as the day went on and the rain became heavier; almost mocking him. Kakuzu occupied himself with research; he always did this before their next bounty hunt. In the past, Hidan would complain that he didn't want to walk over a hundred miles searching for a bounty, no matter how many pound signs were on the bounty's head.

But today, he didn't feel in the mood to bitch and moan, in fact, he wanted nothing more than to curl up under the bed covers where it was dark and warm, but there was no way he was going to show such submissive weakness in front of his work partner.

It would only give the miser more fuel to insult him later with the usual witty comebacks.

And he didn't think he could handle those right now, especially from Kakuzu of all people.

The reason for this was because Hidan had become…attached to his partner…perhaps a little more than was necessary…

Well, Hidan had always held a certain admiration for his partner's abilities, despite how much of old grump he could be. But the Jashinist couldn't help becoming fond of Kakuzu. The old man always fixed his body back together after a nasty dispute or a fight from enemies, he always reassured Hidan that they were going the right way or doing the right thing whenever they were stuck in life-or-death situations.

Despite being mostly immortal-like Kakuzu himself, there were times when it'd be best not to take the risk of letting their opponents gain the upper hand.

To Hidan, Kakuzu was the perfect partner, the miser was incredibly strong with his jutsu and his physical body, he was incredibly dominant with his no-nonsense behaviour and his appearance had others cowering before them.

It went without saying that when Hidan found out his work partner was mostly immortal like himself, it made him incredibly happy deep down to know that he wouldn't be walking the Earth alone for the rest of eternity.

And despite sharing such different views in life, his being Jashin and Kakuzu's being money, they still managed to work seamlessly together; albeit a little rough around the edges. Sure they argued a lot, but that was due to Hidan always picking a fight with the older male because he wanted Kakuzu's attention.

It was odd at first, sure, Hidan loved attention from just about anyone, but the longer he spent with the miser, the more he wanted to earn his respect and perhaps even admiration. He started doing everything he could to keep Kakuzu's attention on him, so when the man was fixated on a bounty, Hidan had to jump and kill the bounty for Kakuzu; he wanted to show the older man he was useful to him. That he'd helped him. And when the banker was busy counting his precious money at bounty exchange, Hidan would throw a tantrum and storm out so that he made his partner know that he was still there and shouldn't keep him waiting.

Kakuzu always hurried in his counting after that, the miser always said it was because he didn't want Hidan catching any unwanted attention from potential enemies, but the Jashinist always made himself believe that it was because Kakuzu may care about him.

It was a longshot but after months with his work partner, his attention seeking some became obsessive, he couldn't understand it, he wanted Kakuzu's attention, but the attention he received from him wasn't enough, he was pretty sure the old man respected his abilities now and saw how beneficial they could be to him and his goals. But that wasn't enough!

Whenever Kakuzu insulted him, it hurt more than it should and even when his partner talked to other people, focusing more attention on them than him, it made him jealous and angry.

It made him reckless.

On their previous mission, Hidan had jump straight into the fray and had gotten himself poisoned, it'd made his entire body cold and numb, he'd been sweating with fever for days afterwards and the wound on his mid-section that would've healed within half an hour refused to do so.

During the few days of his prolonged sickness, he'd seen flashes of his partner sitting next to him on the bed, watching him with worried eyes, another of him pressing a damp cloth over his face and another of him stroking his hair back from his eyes. Kakuzu had spoken to him during that time, but he could barely remember anything, he couldn't even read his lip movements because of the damn mask concealing most of his face from view.

Afterwards, his partner had berated him, but there wasn't the usual anger in his voice, instead there was a sad almost worried tone to it.

And so, for the last few weeks, Kakuzu had been rather protective of him, his commands softer, but still firm, his actions less violent towards him and his entire manner had changed from bitter to wary. At first, Hidan assumed that the old man was only doing such things because their leader had told him too or because he didn't want Hidan screwing up again, but as it turned out, Pein hadn't spoken of the matter at all and Kakuzu still allowed him the freedom to fight as he usually did, only with less recklessness.

The miser always stepped in whenever things got too out of control.

Hidan knew his admiration and attention-seeking was his way of showing he cared for the old man, he couldn't believe it himself, but he actually…loved the guy, scars and stitches and all, in fact, they made him all the more dangerous and sexy. As much as he was indifferent to gender, he never showed any affection for anyone else before in his life, he'd also never been with any guys before.

Kakuzu was the only one to make him feel in such a way that he was hesitant to make his feelings known. So far the miser hadn't shown any such signs of affection, respect and perhaps something shy of camaraderie, but not love, maybe not even like.

Regardless, Hidan had to be extremely careful, he knew from experience Kakuzu's impending rage wasn't something to toy with, despite how he often teased the other guy, he knew when not to cross the line and back off. He also knew it'd be the end of their partnership should things go sour and he didn't want anyone else.

Hidan sighed heavily to himself, wishing to himself that he could work up the courage to speak of his feelings but was too damn frightened of scaring the other man off.

/*\*/*\*/*\

As it neared evening when the rain was now pouring so heavily that the view of the town they were staying in was all but invisible, Kakuzu found himself staring at his partner. He was at a loss and unaccustomed to not hearing Hidan screeching obscenities at the smallest thing that offended or confused him.

The banker had never encountered this more pleasant but admittedly disturbing side of his partner, in a sense it was a blessing, Kakuzu had been forever trying to get Hidan to shut his mouth for more than five minutes at a time and now he had an entire day without so much as a squeak out of him.

Only the albino would sigh every so often, but it was soft and almost unheard of compared to the noise of the rain smashing heavily against the glass window.

Hidan was forever talking, whether it was complaining or just mindless babble; he always had something to say about everything and anything.

Yet he was just sitting there, not speaking, not doing anything…just not being himself.

And it bothered him.

Why that was, he wasn't sure himself, he told himself that the albino male wouldn't be much use to him if he was distracted in his depression as opposed to being distracted just in general, at least with the latter he could count on the Jashin follower to be of more use than the former.

But what was he depressed about?

The banker had never encountered this problem with his partner before, sure Hidan sulked when things didn't go his way, but he was never silent in his sulking, he always made it known when something bothered him.

Yet he was just sat there with a wistful expression on his face, a deep longing in those deep magenta eyes that often turned a slight shade of red when he became feral and were admittedly rather pretty in the morning light.

Yes, Kakuzu had finally admitted it, he found Hidan-the loud mouthed dick of a partner-attractive.

It was something very hard for the much older man to come to terms with, for a long time he'd been in denial, placing his sometimes graphic dreams where Hidan was laid sprawled wantonly on a bed for him on his lack of a sexual partner.

But over the last couple of months, his…crush on the zealot was growing ever so quickly, he now found himself listening to what Hidan had to say, he often watched his partner longingly from the side lines when they battled and insulting him less and less because he could no longer say cruel things to him without that horrible tendril of guilt welling up within him.

Kakuzu didn't understand where this attraction had stemmed from, he'd never liked men before and maybe he didn't, maybe he was lonely and since Hidan spent almost every minute of the day with him, naturally his mind would associate that with someone special.

However he'd never had that problem with previous partners, which was obvious since he'd killed all of them in a rage.

But Hidan was the least likely person he thought he'd have affection for.

The man was crude, rude, loud, disrespectful to everyone, violent, mouthy, a little two-faced at times and manipulative. And don't get him started on that ridiculous concept of a 'God' he worships with utter devotion.

Maybe part of his bitterness towards Hidan's 'God' was okay, because he wouldn't stop preaching about it for hours on end, but possibly it could have something to do with the fact that he secretly wished for Hidan to be devoted to him?

Oh Lord, he really was screwed, Kakuzu thought as he rubbed a mocha-skinned hand over his eyes, he could feel the beginnings of a headache ebbing at the corners of his mind, all this thinking had him going round in circles and he was no closer to discovering what Hidan actually thought of him.

Okay, that's a lie, he had a good idea, Hidan was always insulting and teasing him like a school bully, whether it was about his tactics, his interest in money or even his appearance, the zealot always had something to bitch at him about.

He was also pretty certain that Hidan was straight, he'd only ever seen the guy showing interest in women…even if it was only for sex, otherwise, the Jashin worshipper didn't seem to show interest in anyone at all.

He just assumed it was because Hidan didn't have the capability to love anyone but himself and his 'God', it certainly seemed that way with how long it took for him to get ready in the mornings.

Kakuzu sighed to himself quietly, averting his eyes from his partner, he knew it'd be a bad idea to pursue Hidan in any way at all, for one thing they worked together, if he read the signs wrong and the zealot wasn't interested in him at all, then it work making their almost non-existent partnership fail. Which would either mean one of them-most likely Hidan-would defect from Akatsuki or they'd transfer for different partners.

And as much as Kakuzu hated to admit it, he didn't want another partner, he'd gotten used to being around Hidan and their teamwork (when they actually worked together) was certainly admirable.

He figured he'd just keep quiet and wait to see what happens, if Hidan showed any interest in him whatsoever-which he doubted-then it may give him enough evidence to make a move.

In the meantime, he'd just have to grit his teeth and pretend nothing was wrong, especially when lying awake at night in the next room listening to his partner screwing another woman. He swore every time it occurred, the pain of knowing his feelings wouldn't be reciprocated made it all the more unbearable to deal with the burden of his suffering.

Often at night, he cursed Hidan, cursed him for making him think of him differently to every other person, he cursed him for making him feel such annoying emotions that he hadn't felt in decades-if ever.

/*\*/*\*/*\

It was nearing seven in the evening and Kakuzu was feeling the twinge of hunger, he decided to get some room service, lest they attracted attention at the adjoined restaurant.

"I'm going to order some food, what do you want?" Kakuzu forced himself to speak evenly in that deep voice of his, trying and failing to tear his eyes off of the younger man's bare upper-body.

"Mmm, anything, you pick." Hidan replied with disinterest, obviously not paying much attention to the question, all the while not glancing in his general direction.

The banker left the room rather speechless.

It was one thing his partner being quiet, but another thing entirely when he allowed Kakuzu-the stingiest of all people to make decisions for him especially over something like food, Hidan loved food, if he could, he'd eat a cooked meal three or even four times a day. The younger man could surely put it away and not gain an ounce of fat. Yet he showed no interest, didn't even care.

It was proof enough that something was bothering him.

While at the desk ordering room service, Kakuzu took the time to shuffle into a well-hidden corner and rummage through the Bingo book he'd been glancing through earlier, he was originally looking for his next bounty, hoping to find one that was perhaps double their previous one. But this time decided to see if there was anything he could find out about Hidan that he didn't already know.

In fact, in the last couple of weeks, he'd sneaked glancing at his partner's bio in the Bingo book just to see if there was anything he hadn't already taken note of.

He soon found the page and for a while was reading through the information-most of which was the standard factual information that lacked any insight into his personality or habits-he particularly wanted to know Hidan's sexual preference but noting of the sort was stated in the book. Perhaps it had something to do with him sacrificing his sexual partners the next morning to his 'God' so no one could connect the strange murders to him.

Kakuzu had to give Hidan some credit; the younger man always covered his tracks in communal places, especially hotel rooms to make it look more like a random murder than a sacrifice to a cult God.

In the back of his mind he wondered if the zealot was aware of his lengthening absence and guessed that in his depressed state that he probably hadn't even heard he'd left. Usually, Hidan would complain about being left alone anywhere on his own (especially while confined to a room) while Kakuzu was allowed to roam freely.

His eyes scanned the pages and was becoming frustrated with his lack of findings, however, they soon caught onto something, it was Hidan's birthdate, it was the second of April, not that the day in particular, only that it was the day after fool's day. Kakuzu snorted, he wasn't actually surprised at that and found it rather humorous.

That was, until he realised something, the second of April, but that would mean…that his birthday was today!

The banker could almost feel his blood freeze at the discovery.

How had he not known of this? Hidan must've said something days (or even weeks) ago! But Kakuzu couldn't honestly recall his partner mentioning it during his vast monologues and random outbursts that often left him with a growing migraine.

Did he not care that today was his birthday? Some of the other members of Akatsuki didn't bother to celebrate their birthdays-he was a prime example of that. Every year, Kakuzu would raise a shot of whiskey in a salute to himself for having survived another year and that was it. He didn't buy himself any gifts; he didn't spend it with friends (what friends?) and certainly didn't celebrate. Being as old as he was, there was little left to celebrate any more.

But judging by how miserable Hidan was, it obviously meant something important to him, it must be because it was the one day of the year that the albino could have to himself and get away with being as selfish as he wanted to be and not be reprimanded for it.

Had he been hoping Kakuzu would figure it out on his own? But why? That insinuated that Hidan cared about his opinion and what was he hoping to gain such a thing?

Surely he didn't actually value such a thing?

Kakuzu sighed, noticing the time on a clock hanging opposite him on the wall; he put the Bingo book away, he left his hiding place, returning to the hotel room…but not before making another request to the receptionist.

/*\*/*\*/*\

Hidan noticed Kakuzu was gone for a while, but couldn't bring himself to care anymore, all this time of hoping to gain his partner's affection and the man had just left him alone. Surely he wasn't so ignorant to not see how miserable Hidan was?

And what was he hoping to gain from it if he had?

He didn't want pity, he loathed such a thing, but he certainly wanted affection, he wanted Kakuzu's attention, but in a good way.

But that was about as likely to happen as a pig suddenly sprouting wings and learning to fly.

His special day was ruined, granted he wouldn't have done much with it, but at least getting drunk and sleeping with a random hooker was better than sitting indoors watching the rain with nothing else to do for the entire day.

He almost felt like a child again back when his foster-mother grounded him all those years ago. Not that it stopped him, the annoying bitch wasn't worth his respect and he remembered with satisfaction how he'd cut out her tongue when she'd been shouting at him for well over an hour.

He'd even rather be fighting than doing nothing. But he knew that if he didn't do as Kakuzu says then he'd be in for some real trouble, the miser was in one of his dark moods, both of them lacking sleep over the last week whilst they'd been on the run hadn't eased it any less.

That probably explained why the miser refused to so much as mention his sudden personality change. Was he really that ignorant to not notice such a change? Or did he simply not care?

And why in Jashin's name did he give such a damn?!

Hmm, maybe it had something to do with most likely unrequited love and that he was doomed to forever be cock-teased for the foreseeable future.

So he figured that there was little point in doing anything, for one thing it was pouring heavily outside, Kakuzu would bitch at him if he got drunk and ended up blabbing his mouth off or not returning to the hotel until the next morning having woken up in some tree. And there was no way he was bringing a prostitute back to their hotel room, not that he was a prude, but he really couldn't stomach the idea of Kakuzu possibly watching him going at it with some slut he'd picked up.

Not just that, but he couldn't find himself wanting to have sex with anyone else but (-dare he say it?) Kakuzu. Even the slightest daydream of them just kissing had him all hot around the collar.

As if he'd heard Hidan thinking about him, the door to their room clicked open and his partner stepped into the room before shutting the door behind him, once more, his expression was unreadable and his gaze remained anywhere but on him.

This somewhat annoyed Hidan, was he that easy to forget about that Kakuzu won't even acknowledge his mere damn presence in the same room as him?!

But then it was overshadowed by great sadness, obviously he wasn't worth much to him or anyone if they didn't care to speak to him. With Kakuzu back, he could no longer sulk alone, just like he'd wanted to all day.

The miser didn't say anything as he stalked past him and went into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him; Hidan heard the shower start and gave a long, heavy sigh.

He was pretty sure if his partner knew of his birthdate, then he obviously didn't care, Hidan honestly didn't see him as the caring type no matter how much he wished it wasn't true.

He turned his head back towards the window and watched the rain some more, it was strangely soothing and slightly helped his ever-decreasing mood. It also took his mind away from a certain someone in the bathroom showering naked right at that moment.

He didn't know how long he'd been sat there for, probably half an hour or more, but next thing he knew, there was a knock at the door, instantly snapping him out of his reverie.

At first Hidan was just going to ignore whoever it was, probably the stupid cleaning lady, no way was he leaving his spot just to talk to some dumb bitch that probably had the wrong room.

But the knocking persisted until a female voice called out "room service!"

Groaning in frustration, Hidan shifted and forced himself onto his feet and towards the door, he yanked it open with a less than enthusiastic expression which the woman with greying hair barely took notice off as she all but pushed the trolley past him and into the room while wearing a cheerful smile.

It reminded him of the usual joy he was missing from his birthday and the urge to gut the woman was looking more appealing than ever.

That was until she turned around and cheered "Happy birthday, sir!"

Hidan paused in his dark thoughts of murder and blinked in confusion "Eh? How the heck did you know it was my birthday?"

If anything, her smile got bigger and he could swear her white teeth almost glistened in the dim lighting.

"Your partner informed us downstairs, he told us to bring you today's special and a large piece of cake, oh! I hope you like chocolate?"

Hidan remained dumb-founded, his mind baffled at how Kakuzu had known, he hadn't mentioned his birthday at all, he wanted to see if the miser would figure it out on his own. He couldn't believe how nonchalant he'd been throughout the entire day, if he had been aware all along then why was he trying to make it up to him now?

"Who doesn't like chocolate cake?" A deep voice spoke up.

Hidan and the middle-aged woman both glanced at Kakuzu stood in the bathroom doorway, his hood and cloak off, his stitched-muscled arms on display and his dark hair hung slightly damp over his shoulders. His mask remained on, not that Hidan was surprised or anything, but it was the calm look in Kakuzu's eyes that had him rooted to the spot.

Never before had the miser ever been so relaxed around him, in fact, he was always glaring at him or just at something in the distance, the only time that ceased was when he was asleep.

The woman didn't seem at all perturbed by Kakuzu's stitches, clapping her hands on a small giggle, she exclaimed "Wonderful! Now I shall leave you both to enjoy your romantic meal together, leave the trolley outside your door once you're done, I'll come for it in an hour!"

She all but skipped out of the room, whistling to herself aimlessly and just before the door could shut; Hidan whirled round towards it, his face bright red as his brain began functioning once more "We're not like that!"

Soon after there was an awkward silence and Hidan almost refused to look his partner in the eye as he slowly looked round at the covered food on the trolley. He was embarrassed to say the least, his face hot and he knew he was blushing profusely.

"Let's not leave it to go cold," Kakuzu finally spoke up, having noticed Hidan's blushing and almost shy behaviour as he kept his gaze submissively to the ground, but made no move towards the trolley.

Hidan realised that the miser was waiting for him to make the first step and with the barest hint of hesitation, he reached out and pulled back a lid from a plate and found to his delight a large slice or warm melted chocolate cake with cream dribbled down the sides.

His taste buds went wild and he couldn't stop the grin from crossing his face, his embarrassment gone in light of his ever-growing hunger and love for food.

"I take it you're pleased?" Kakuzu asked in an almost business-like voice, though below the surface he felt ecstatic at Hidan's happy face, clearly he'd made the right choice.

Hidan looked at him fully now and smirked "who the fuck doesn't like chocolate cake?"

He could hear Kakuzu give a small huff in what sounded like a barely-there laugh, his green eyes almost smiling, obviously he agreed with his sentiments "Happy birthday Hidan."

"Heh, you're full of surprises, old man!" Hidan retorted on a bark of laughter, feeling as the atmosphere shift somewhat along with his mood, suddenly he felt joy.

"Watch your mouth, boy, or I might have to spank you," Kakuzu teased with barely contained lust, you could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

Hidan froze a little in surprise and Kakuzu's amusement instantly died away as realisation dawned upon him, oh God, why the hell had he said that?! Did he mean it? No…it was only a joke…right?

It was then that Kakuzu found his eyes involuntarily-or so he told himself-roaming over Hidan's chiselled bare chest. Oh dear lord, he was going to hell for this, he knew it, there was no way he was checking out his partner while he was stood mere feet away from him!

But just looking at such porcelain skin, he couldn't help envisioning his hands running over what he knew would be smooth skin and panicked slightly when his loins gave a lustful twinge in pleasure and desire.

A snort broke off his impure thoughts as Hidan gave the banker a cheeky wink "I'd like to see you try!"

Kakuzu relaxed his tense body and watched with a fond look in his eyes as Hidan ate his expensive meal with much gusto, making such tantalising little sounds as he did so, the banker meanwhile picking away at his own.

It was only when Hidan reached the pudding and was licking the chocolate coated spoon suggestively that he grinned devilishly under his mask and mumbled quietly to himself "don't tempt me, idiot…"

/*\*/*\*/*\

Later that night when the middle-aged woman returned for the trolley outside their room, she heard pleasure-filled shouts (also laced with pain) coming from within, grinning to herself as she skipped off with the trolley, she sighed "Oh, sweet love~!"

And somewhere in the distance a pig that'd recently sprouted wings flew off into the night.

A/N: I must say, the edited version of this one-shot is a LOT better than the one from the night before, even so, I'm not sure whether I did a good job or not, but I hope you liked this regardless of how choppy it may seem, let me know of your thoughts and thanks for reading! :)

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