tw: homophobic/transphobic/racist violence
After the homecoming game, Zabuza and Kakashi are waiting outside the band room for Haku, who is in such a wonderful mood. He's junior captain (captain!) and he still can't quite believe it, even though they're well into the season by this point.
The three of them walk back to Zabuza's truck to find it has been vandalized, "GO BACK TO KIRI, F*GS" is painted on the back window, only without the asterisk.
Zabuza says, "I need. To fucking. Hurt someone. Very. Badly."
Kakashi grabs his hand and holds tight.
Haku inspects the rest of the truck - tr*nny cunt" is painted on the passenger door, and "wetback" is painted on the driver's side. He punches the door. Everything is hot and blank. He doesn't even realize what he did until he looks down and sees the skin on his knuckles split open.
Zabuza is visibly shaking with anger. He looks like he's about to explode, but Haku walks back to him with the air of a sleepwalker. He clasps Zabuza's hand around his bleeding one. Nothing is real right now. Everything is over.
The rest of the crowd has left already. The only stragglers are band parents, most of whom are aware of Haku and Zabuza, but aren't close to them. Eventually, it's just the three of them, standing silently in an empty parking lot staring at a pale blue car marked with red paint.
"Haku," says Kakashi quietly. "Your hand, sweetheart."
Haku lets go of Zabuza's hands and reaches towards Kakashi, the blood trickling from his split knuckles.
"Can you move all your fingers?" Kakashi's voice sounds to him like he's under water. It's only a little bit the blood that's making everything feel wrong. It's the blank, hopeless look on Haku's face. It reminds him of Sakumo.
Haku tries, can. Nothing is broken, at least not physically.
"We should still go to the hospital. I can take him." Kakashi looks to Zabuza, who still hasn't spoken.
"How am I gonna pay for this..."
Haku makes a noise like an angry cat. Money is not the thing on his mind, and he's unbalanced enough to defy Zabuza at the moment.
Zabuza shoots Haku a look, "This isn't Kiri, kid. I can't just shoot who did this and use my connections to fix my car for free."
"We can talk about this when Haku isn't bleeding," Kakashi snaps.
"Fine. Get in the car, brat. And hand me that blanket."
Kakashi holds it out to him wordlessly. Haku shoves past them both. He freezes in front of the truck once more, then spits on the ground before climbing in and slamming the door.
Zabuza knows he's doing something illegal, but he doesn't care, he drapes the blanket over the back window and shuts it in the windows of the car. "That's one thing covered."
"I can talk to someone about getting this fixed. And someone else about tracking down who did it. If you like," says Kakashi quietly. Zabuza is proud, and it won't do to make him feel like Kakashi's offering charity.
"Can I kill them? Please?"
"Right now you need to take your kid to the fucking hospital." It's not an answer, and there's a hard edge on Kakashi's voice that suggests he's trying really hard to not say yes.
Zabuza revs the engine and takes off, swearing profusely.
Haku's hand has stopped bleeding by the time they get to the emergency room. He answers the receptionist's questions in monosyllables and relies on Zabuza for the rest. While they wait in uncomfortable plastic chairs for a nurse to take them back, he presses very, very close to Zabuza.
Zabuza is petting his hair with one hand and has a vice grip on Kakashi's with the other.
Haku turns and presses his face into Zabuza's shoulder, cradling his hand against his chest. Some of the numbness has worn away, and his knuckles hurt with a deep, pulsing ache. A short, dry sob escapes him, but it's not at the pain.
Zabuza continues brushing his fingers over Haku's hair, a murderous look on his face.
Eventually, Haku gets stitches, an x-ray, a big chunk of gauze round his hand, and some mild scolding from the nurses. Nothing is broken, fortunately. Haku barely speaks.
None of them say a word until they get back to the car. Zabuza laughs mirthlesly, "Dumbasses got my race wrong. I'm not Hispanic."
"I want to go home," Haku says. He sounds very young.
Zabuza cradles him in his arms and sets him gently in the car. "We will."
And they do. Haku sits curled in Zabuza's lap on the couch. Kakashi stands around awkwardly in the doorway for a while, not sure whether he's wanted around or not.
Zabuza holds an an arm out towards Kakashi, "C'mere," his voice is hoarse, "Please."
Kakashi obeys. They all press together for a moment. Haku cries quietly.
The couch is uncomfortable with all three of them on it. Zabuza shifts slightly, "Hey, Haku, lets go upstairs and get that caked shit off your face, put on some pajamas."
"Okay," says Haku listlessly. "...come with me?"
"Of course." Zabuza helps Haku off the couch and follows him upstairs to the bathroom, Kakashi awkwardly following behind.
"Do you want me to leave?" He asks.
"Feels safer with both of you," says Haku quietly.
Zabuza nods, "You're stopping me from pulling some dumb shit." They all shove into the bathroom and Zabuza takes down Haku's hair with a gentleness Kakashi has never seen this man use before.
The counter is soon littered with bobby pins, Kakashi thinks he can count a hundred, and Zabuza brushes through Haku's crispy, hairsprayed hair.
There are tear tracks through Haku's makeup, but it all comes off easily enough. By the time Haku's face is scrubbed pink and clean, he's not crying anymore, though his eyes are red.
Zabuza kneels behind Haku when the kid turns around, "You're so tough."
Haku hugs him tight around the neck, clutching like a boy drowning. At last, his shoulders shake with real, heavy sobs he doesn't bother trying to hold back.
Zabuza holds him tight, patting his hair, "My brave boy. So fucking proud of you."
Haku pulls away for just a second to look at Zabuza. "Are you okay?"
"It doesn't matter." He wants to say more than that, but he doesn't want to upset Haku.
(What he wants to say is that he's always been a f*g, and if people find that threatening, that's their fucking problem.)
"It does," says Haku, and holds him tighter. "It's not fair."
"Look, kid, that's just...that's what it's like, being a gay man."
"It doesn't have to be that way," Kakashi puts in, fiercely.
"No, it doesn't, you're right. But all the nice f*gs are dead, and they're left with us cockroach motherfuckers." Zabuza looks at Haku, really looks at him, "You've always amazed me with how fucking nice you are. Don't lose that, okay?"
"Sometimes people make me want to," says Haku, quiet and hard. "But I'll try."
Zabuza nods, then, "Yo, 'Kashi, can you pick the kid out some nice, fluffy pajamas?"
"He deserves it." Kakashi goes into Haku's room and finds a soft blue shirt and pants that have bunnies on them. This kid, he swears.
Haku shoos them both out of the bathroom while he throws on his pajamas, but lets them back in while he brushes his teeth, humming softly, "You two should go to bed too, y'know," he says around his toothbrush.
"Will you be alright?" Zabuza says quietly.
Haku nods, then, "Actually...can I...never mind, I'm sixteen, I think I'm probably too old for this." He sighs and spits in the sink.
"If it'll keep you safe..." Zabuza says. Kakashi makes an agreeing sound, remembering the look on Haku's face.
"Can I sleep with you, tonight?"
Kakashi glances at Zabuza, who nods. "Yeah. Always. Better than having you wake up screaming like you used to."
Haku smiles, but his eyes are still sad, "I'll leave you two to it, then." He leaves and waits in Zabuza's room.
Kakashi blinks. "I don't think you had to bring up old nightmares."
Zabuza shrugs, getting out his own toothbrush and handing the one Kakashi uses when he stays the night to him, "Maybe not. Just kinda slipped out."
(he's got a toothbrush at his boyfriend's place they're in it for the long haul)
Kakashi pauses, staring contemplatively at his toothbrush. "Are you okay? We spent all night worrying about the kid, but in the parking lot there...I thought you were going to explode."
Zabuza is brushing his teeth perhaps more vigorously than he has to, "D'you think I'm fucking okay? It was dumb of me to think that Konoha had any less of a bigot problem." He spits in the sink, "But fuck it, this f*g's here to stay, and they all have to deal with me."
Kakashi doesn't know what to say. He rests his forehead against Zabuza's back, arms round his waist. "I'm with you. I'm here to stay, too."
Zabuza turns his head and kisses his boyfriend on the mouth, then jokingly pushes him away, "Brush your teeth, your breath tastes like chili cheese dog."
Wow, they almost had a Moment, too bad they're allergic to feelings. Kakashi brushes his teeth in a perfunctory manner, it's not like he's getting any tonight, and a small weird part of him feels the need to make sure Haku is still alive as soon as possible.
"You can't sleep in your clothes. I think we're close enough in size... hold on."
Zabuza walks across the hall to his room, nodding at Haku, who is reading a book, and he rummages through his closet for two pairs of sweatpants in his near endless stock of them. He also fishes out a fresh pair of underwear, considering Kakashi might not want to sleep commando. And a shirt. He's trying, okay? Zabuza changes into one of the pairs of sweatpants in the bathroom.
Kakashi shrugs his way into the borrowed clothes in the hallway, and follows Zabuza back into his bedroom.
Haku looks up from his book, "Time for bed?"
"Yeah, s'been a long damn day." Zabuza lies down next to him, draws him in close; Kakashi lies down on the other side, not touching Haku but close enough so that he feels safe between them.
Zabuza clicks out the light on the bedside table and Haku pulls the blankets over the three of them.
Haku snuggles into Zabuza, "Hey, dad?"
"Mm?" says Zabuza, already mostly asleep. Homicidal rage takes it out of a guy.
"Thanks for...everything, I guess." He's rubbing his bandaged hand, and sighs, "You, too, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi laughs awkwardly, "You don't have to call me sensei anymore, Haku. You're already in precalc. I'm just the lowly Algebra II honors teacher."
"You're welcome. Now sleep," Zabuza messes up Haku's hair.
Haku nuzzles Zabuza's chest, "Night, love you both."
He's greeted with gravelly echoes of the sentiment, and they all drift off.
