A/N- I'm pretty understanding usually, you know, and maybe it's the stress and fatigue from the last couple weeks making me react this way, but you know what, one of those reviews really pissed me off.
Kersty, For your information, I am more than willing to write. And Kakuhida is my favorite pairing, it's not that I'm 'not keen' on writing it, as I said before, I'm somewhat of a prude and I have my own insecurities about SEX SCENES to overcome, not pairings. But that has nothing to do with why it took me so long to write the last chapter. I'm not about to go posting my personal problems on line, but I had to deal with some incredibley exhausting shit. You can have your damn opinions, I don't care, but don't go fucking attacking me because I haven't posted quick enough for you. If you don't like the story, don't fucking read it. I'm pretty sure I'm not at your house right now holding your face to the moniter forcing you to do it.
Reviews are not comments, they are reviews. Keep them that way, huh? And also, this goes to anyone and everyone, if you're going to do shit like that, get a goddamn account so I can fucking talking to you personally about it and not have to advertise this shit to every single reader. It's embarrassing, but at the moment I'm too fed up to fucking care. Luckily I'm not a bitch and I'm not going to just give up on the story because one person irritated me. I know you guys enjoy it, and I do too. But I'll say it again so no one is confused; It is nothing more than a pass-time. I am not a robot, I have other shit to deal with, and fanfiction does not come anywhere near first on my priorities list. If I inexplicabley stop posting for a long string of time, please, just be patient. If I'm going to discontinue to story or be gone for an exceedingly long time, I'll let you know.
Sigh. Okay, I'm sorry for that. Hidan in this fic and I are incredibley similar, if you haven't connected the dots by now. :P I have my episodes too, normally not online, but like I said, that really pushed my buttons.
Whenever I finally finish this story, Lol, I'm going to go back through it and delete all the authors notes. This stuff's only on here now for the sake of you wonderful people sticking with me while I write it. After its all said and done they won't really have any sort of pertinance to the actual story.
Without further delay, chapter 21.
FOLLOW YOUR ARROW
.
"I'm going to Kisa's, Hidan. Are you sure you're alright?" Itachi said, slipping into a thin waiste-coat. Hidan eyes him with a raised brow, wondering why the hell he was wearing that when it was nearly 80 degrees outside. A quick glance out the window answered his questions though, or, the looming clouds heavy and dark with rain answered.
"I'm not a goddamn kid, 'Tachi. Just go get yourself good and screwed."
"Hidan..." Itachi drawled, leaning over the back of the couch. His warning-filled tone and crestfallen expression didn't match however, as Hidan craned his head to look at him. They stared at each other for a few moments in silence, a light rumble of thunder echoed from outside.
"I'm good. It's gonna rain, so I'm good. Get the fuck out already." He waved a hand in the Uchiha's face, who only blinked, refusing to move or tear his eyes away despite Hidan's flicking back to the T.V., staring but not really watching.
Rainy days were an enigma to the pale zealot, in a good way. Normally, it was just rain, the shift in the atmosphere sometimes gave him a fucking headache, storms were just storms, though he loved to watch the thunder and hear the wind. This rain was different, he could already tell. This was one of those tricky rains, that somehow inexplicabley got into his head and affected his mood.
It's the soft rains, the quiet rains, that did it. More than a drizzle, less than a shower. Calm, melancholy, gray... Itachi didn't like the way it made him act, calm and melancholy like that, but It was a peaceful time for the albino. As if everything were frozen in this dreary little world even though it wasn't. The sky reminded him of his head, cloudy and hazed. Every so often the sunlight would break through just for one everlasting second, but in the next it was gone, with nothing remaining to show that it had ever been there at all.
It was depressing, but a serene kind of depressing. Sad, but a happy kind of sad. It was a state where, if he closed his eyes, and held his breath, he couldn't tell if he was even alive. He didn't have to be where he was, he wasn't living the life he lived, he was nothing more than a soul with a physical form. Why that was comforting, he didn't know, but it was. Call it a cleansing, Hidan occasionally did. Days like that was like a gentle reminder that the past will forever be in the past, and there is a future to attend to. But this is a present, and you didn't always have to focus on one or the other. You're just there, a speck on the timeline.
He wanted to rain to come, he wanted a gentle, calm rain. More than a drizzle, less than a shower. He needed it, he thought. Everyone needed it, everyone needed to acknowledge it too, God's way of laying a hand on their shoulder. Telling them that being sad or upset is not always a bad thing, even if it hurts. Melancholy, content, introspective sadness, that's what everyone needed. To get away from all the bullshit they're dealing with and just go sit in the damn rain and be sadly happy.
"Hidan... It's been a week, you haven't even asked about Tayuya..." Itachi finally said, just barely above a murmur.
"I know what happened with Tayuya." He replied evenly, not allowing himself to feel anything other than that expectant peace from the oncoming weather. At least the subject was finally getting brought up, now it could be put behind them, and Itachi could stop being so annoyingly eager to submit to the albino's every whim for fear of bringing on some postponed episode. "I woke up and heard you guys talking. I pretended to still be asleep because I didn't want a big fucking scene."
Itachi's eyes were widened, but he didn't look all that surprised. He blinked a couple times, finally tearing those coal-esque eyes away from Hidan, allowing him to turn his head and regard his roommate. "She's probably wondering why the fuck I haven't even tried to talk to her and making up all kinds of excuses in her head. But I consider it payback. She didn't explain shit to me, I won't explain shit to her. Life goes on."
"Hidan..."
"Save it. I'm fine, I told you. Shit happens, you either deal with it or you don't. I don't fucking blame you or her. I just wish people would stop treating me like a fucking fragile piece of fucking pottery." He paused to force a smile for his best and now only friend. It probably looked as forced as it felt, but the soft smile Itachi gave him assured him that he appreciated it all the same. "You've been dealing with my shit for fucking forever. Go to Shark-dicks, get your brains fucked out, and fucking relax for once."
The Uchiha's nose crinkled in his girly version of a grimace. "Why are you so keen to make sure we have sex?"
Hidan gave him an incredulous look. "Probably because, unlike you, I am a man in a man's body with a man's mind and a man's nutsack between my fucking legs. Sex equals life, 'Tachi. Be a man."
The raven-haired man's face tinted as he straighted himself out and adjusted his shirt. "I'm a man..."
"Uh huh. And Diet Soda is healthier than regular."
"...Hidan, it is healthier-"
"Depends on who you ask." He interrupted, with a grin. Itachi stared for a moment, confused, before he blinked himself into understanding and then rolled his eyes. The albino forced out a small chuckle and waved him away. "Hurry up and go tap that and fucking leave me alone for once."
"Are you just going to sit there and watch T.V. all day?"
"I'll probably play guitar. Maybe go for a walk."
"In the rain?"
"In the rain."
Itachi sighed heavily behind him, and the sound of keys jingleing in his hands came shortly after. "All right. Just don't get yourself sick."
"It's fucking 80 outside, mommy. If you don't get the hell out right now I'm going to throw you out."
Itachi laughed, and the door opened and then closed again after a moment, leaving Hidan finally alone in silence. A small bout of thunder rumbled again outside, making him twist away from the television show he wasn't even paying attention to anyway to look outside. It hadn't started raining yet, but the air was heavy with humidity, and it definitely smelled like rain. All the windows of the apartment had awenings over them, which was a perk, as Itachi allowed him to open each and every one when it rained, as long as the wind wouldn't blow it in onto the carpet.
Itachi would end up spending the night over at his man-friends, though he hadn't specified it. And honestly Hidan hoped he did. Really, from all the bullshit that happened to the poor guy, planning and bringing that party to fruitiion, Hidan almost dying, public reveal of he and Shark-dick's relationship and all the shit he was probably dealing with related to that, and then Tayuya confiding in him before leaving... Hidan still wanted to be mad, but Itachi was the only person to be mad at, and honestly he just couldn't do it. It wasn't worth the effort. He was still just as hurt as he was angry, and the hurt made it hard to have the energy to be mad. The poor Uchiha had enough shit to deal with, He still needed to stay here and mooch off the guy, but he could at least not make situations worse than they had to be.
And besides, he had other things to distract himself with. The first being that it was the weekend and somehow he found himself upset with that fact. First off, he was bored out of his mind, and it was only ten a.m.! The second being, there was no Kakuzu here.
Wednesday had been a good and bad day alike. He was glad the old man had done what he did, for a few defining reasons. It reinforced the fact that he wasn't going to hold back for fear of mentally damaging his employee. And that made his chest kind of hurt and his groin burn. And the fact that he had the ability to be so aggressive... Oh God... He had picked Hidan up off the ground and held him there. Anyone else would be terrified at that kind of strength in a 46 year old man, Hidan couldn't stop thinking about it, of all the possibilities.
Itachi asked him why he was so focused on him haveing sex, well, it was fucked up, but that's just the way his mind worked. If Itachi had the fucking chance then he better goddamn well take it, or Hidan would be seriously pissed at him even though he literally had no influence or involvement in the matter. The zealot didn't think he could get it just yet, and the torture of that thought was about to drive him crazy, which was why he was glad it was going to rain. A cleansing, that was what he needed, peace, serinity, a way to escape from this obsession.
He had two whole days, two fucking excruciatingly long fucking days that he had to go without seeing his boss. It was a blessing and a curse, one one hand maybe it would help him distract himself, on the other he couldn't seem to do that, and so all it was was pure hell.
He couldn't help the way he kept acting at work, he couldn't focus anymore. He knew he was pissing Kakuzu off with his behavior, but he had no other choice. It was either be fucking immature and onery as hell, or stalk the man like one of those 'predatory gays' until he could force himself on the old bastard. That was creepy, and he knew it wouldn't do anything but piss Kakuzu off and probably push him away and make him even less interested in the idea. It was easy to tell the man liked power, he liked being the one in control of the situation, he liked dominating and ordering. But Hidan had this sneaking suspicion that he liked being challenged, otherwise, why would he be into the secretary? Why would he respond the way he did when Hidan manned up and kissed him on Wednesday?
It was confusing, and yet not confusing. Confusing for the fact that Hidan had this information he was almost positive was correct, but didn't know how to go about using it without fucking everything up. Confusing because he couldn't seem to get through the day without trying to molest the old man without acting like a fucking first-grader whenever he was around him, teasing him and being an idiot to cover his humiliation at these extreme desires. It wasn't doing anything but making Kakuzu second-guess his affections. He'd seen the way he looked at him when he almost lost it on Thursday, when Tayuya had somehow come into the conversation and he'd been so pissed he wanted to slug the old bastard. But he hadn't, he'd held it in, and forced himself to remain calm, and he saw those amazing, crazy eyes flick over with that wanting look.
"Relationships are fucking hard..." He said out loud to the window screen. He hadn't even realized he'd moved in his musings, he was now standing on his knees on 'Itachi's' chouch, arms folded on the window sill with his chin resting on them, staring out into the dreary morning. It still wasn't raining... why the fuck wasn't it raining yet? It obviously wanted to, just look at that sky, listen to the thunder.
God, that was how he felt. Fuck you, mother nature. Wanting something so bad, restraining yourself because the time just wasn't right. Frustration, confusion, desperation.
Did the universe actually revolve around him or was it really that much of a coincidence?
That's dangerous thinking, Hida. Yeah, it was. But really, this was rediculous.
"Fuck it..." He said aloud, pushing himself up off the couch. He wasn't going to stay in this apartment and just watch the rain. He wanted to be in it, a part of it, he wanted it to help distract and calm him whenever it did come. Luckily enough, Itachi had brought home a cheap fabric guitar case for him. Apparently Kisame had dug through his closets or something and found it and given it to Itachi to give to Hidan as a late B-day present and also to help keep him from recklessly destroying Itachi's present.
He's a good guy... Hidan thought to himself, as he shoved his guitar in the case and slung it over his shoulder, moving to shut all the windows he'd opened in the apartment. Itachi deserves that. Someone he didn't have to look after. On the contrary, someone who could look after the Uchiha himself. The guy had family issues, emotional issues, as put together as he seemed. Hidan was no idiot, he could be pretty fucking empathetic when he wanted to. To be disowned by your family for something you can't change, for being who you were. That's fucked up, and he can understand how it might trick a person into thinking that there's something wrong with them and that they'll never find someone to love them.
Hidan wasn't a big believer in love, that stuck him as girly, romantical bullshit. But he didn't completley disbelieve it either. There's the love between families, that's obviously real. But not all families had that undying emotion, like Itachi's. And if flesh and blood could harbor enough hate for one another over something so stupid, surely two strangers could harbor enough affection to replace it over nothing more than 'chemistry', as Itachi called it.
Damn, this weather was providing all kinds of speculative conditions.
He slammed the last window shut and made sure to snatch up his pathetic little key-ring and insert it into this jeans pocket before he walked out the door, locking it behind him. Rain or no rain, with his mind working the way it was, surely hed find some killer motivation for a few songs. Shit, maybe he could earn a few bucks playing at the park, even though it was likley the only other people who would be out in weather like this were other broke idiots like himself. It wasn't about the money anyway...
-o-
What the hell was he doing?
What the hell was he thinking?
Why didn't anything make sense anymore, despite the fact that it felt as if it did until he really stopped to think about it.
It was going to start raining any second now and here he is in his car driving around with the windows down for no damn reason. Originally it had started as a run to the store to pick up groceries and to deliver his bill payments into all the drop-boxes outside the companies. Weekends were the only time he had to pay bills, considering the hours he kept during weekdays. And unfortunatly moth businesses were also closed on the weekends, which meant he had to pay his bills a week in advance to make sure they would get there on time and he would not be charged any extra.
They had this nonsense now where they would just take the money out of your bank account for you each month so you didn't have to worry about it, but honestly, Kakuzu had never heard of a more rediculous idea. Who in their right mind would give out their bank account information and just trust that they wouldn't suddenly be robbed of all they had? Kids these days really were getting stupider with each generation. And there was no more perfect example than his employee.
Damn that Hidan. Always Hidan. He couldn't have one single train of thought that didn't end up leading to the thought of him. It was infuriating, Here it was, a Saturday morning ripe with the promise of not having to interact with that idiot for two whole days, and yet that's all he could think about, that all he wanted to do, is think about him, even though he didn't. He had to find something to distract him. He couldn't just stay at home, and he'd be damned if he was going to make such a mistake as calling up Kisame again. Last weekend he'd had more than enough of alchohol and unbridled emotions that resulted from that devil's drink. He wanted a distraction, but not that.
It was ironic, too, that things still hadn't even changed all that much despite that first big hump finally being crossed. Why he expected things to suddenly be drastically different, he didn't know. Then again he supposed it could contibute to the fact that he wasn't really doing anything differently. Everything was still exactly the same now, Still did the same work, still had an annoying pest of an employee, still had nothing better to do with himself when he wasn't working aside from errands, working out, keeping the house tidy... boring old person stuff...
He growled at himself, slapping the blinker. It looked like it was going to rain, but it was plenty warm outside, humid and almost cozy-feeling, aside from the moderate stickyness it left on your clothes against your skin.
He didn't want to go back to his house, not at the moment. He made a vow to himself that whenever the weather stopped being fickle and finally started it's downpour, he would go home, even if he had just gotten out of the car. Right now he was going to get himself a coffee from that new place downtown. He didn't like coffee houses, normally. These newfangled places claimed to sell coffee when in reality all they had were mocha latte's or cappucino's or whatever the hell they called all that rediculous shit. But go in there and ask just for a plain coffee with 2 cream and sugar and it's as if you're asking them to strip naked and do the macarena.
But, at this point he was out of ideas, coffee sounded good, and he had nothing better to do.
Of course, as luck would have it, he recognized a white caddillac parked just in front of him on the street in front of the building as he pulled up. Right, it was saturday, Kisam had mentioned something about having some rediculous 'date-night' with the Uchiha boy, that they were going to visit the new coffee shop in town. That was probably why the idea had popped into his distracted head...
He considered for a moment, as he sat there with the car idleing, if he should just leave right now and go back home. After all, he had plenty of coffee at home that wouldn't cost anything and likley would taste better than anything the idiotic high school dropouts that worked here could make. In the end he retrieved his key and got out of the car, not really having any sort of reason for deciding to go ahead with the plan other than the fact that he wouldn't allow Kisame and that runt of a boyfriend to force him to return to an empty house where he could sit and hate himself while that blasted employee of his invaded his mind over and over. And it occurred to him that he'd never had the chance to thoroughly harangue the two for getting Hidan into that mess after the party.
It wasn't exactly a good way to escape the haunting nightmare that was Hidan, but it would be at least a small vent for frustration. After all, he was still upset about it, even if it hadn't been all that serious.
.
He smoothed his hair back after he pushed through the little door that set off the bell noise, trying to get a good look at the place. Good God, kids these days and their decor. What the hell was this supposed to be?
Blood-red walls, black trim, vinyl records and decorative crucifix, sports memorbelia, posters of all kinds of random assortments all hanging on the walls. It was like some wanna-be teenager had pulled a bunch of shit from his highschool days from the attic and slapped it on the wall..
"Doctor Hoku!" That femininely man's voice said, pulling his indredulous stare from the decor to the shorter man sauntering toward him with a tray consisting off two drinks. He raised a brow, why would he get a tray for two cups of coffee? Good Lord, was he such a woman that they were too hot, even wrapped in those cardboard coozies?
"Mister Uchiha." He said, nodding and finally stepping further into the rediculously decorated establishment.
"I'm surprised to see you here. How are you?" He said, with that all too friendly smile, as if they were dear friends. That did take him slightly off guard though, did he look as if there were anything to suggest he wasn't his normal self?
"Better now that I've escaped the presence of that annoying roommat of yours." He mentally kicked himself. Oh yes, good one Kakuzu, standing here trying to escape that brat and you go and bring him up. Honestly though, what else did he and this boy have in common.
"Oh? Has he not been minding his manners?"
"That's an understatement."
Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes. "I apologize, Doctor. We've been trying to wean him from his medications after that catastrophe and he had a falling out with Tayuya last Sunday. He's been a bit stressed. I know that's no excuse but-"
"I'm aware of all that's been going on. I don't believe it has anything to do with that. He suddenly seems to think he has certian liberties now that he didn't have before..." He trailed off, side-stepping the Uchiha to place himself in line.
The smirk that fell across the younger man's features irritated him. "Ah. I see. Well..." he drawled, then gave a small laugh. "I don't know how to respond to that."
"Then don't." He growled, half-glareing. "Kisame mentioned to me earlier in the week that there was a new establishment in town, I wanted to see if it was just as asenine as all the other failed coffee-houses before it. I can't say I'm impressed." He glanced around at the unusual decor once again.
"It certianly looks a bit uncoordinated doesn't it?" Itachi replied, doing the same. "Kisame and I are over at that table in the west corner, would you like to join us for a bit?" His hopeful expression kept the immediate 'No' from bursting out the elder man's mouth. Instead he studied him, suddenly not feeling as if he had the energy or patience to grill the two about last weekends events. Kakuzu Hoku was not a social person, it was already strange enough that he was suscepting himself to this rediciulous place just to get out of the house, he didn't want to sit and have some sort of awkward conversation that would undouptedly arise relating to he and Hidan's situation.
The younger man seemed to sense his apprehension. "I won't keep you long, Doctor. I'm just not so keen to discuss last weekends events so close to prying ears. I only wanted to apologize and thank you properly for your help."
He glanced at the empty table far across the large room that Itachi had suggested. There was no one sitting anywhere near there, and despite really not wanting to, he honestly had nothing better to do. And if the Uchiha was going to be praising him, well, why the hell not?
"Fine." He mostly grunted, which made the younger beam.
"Wonderful! Kisame's in the bathroom cleaning himself off, he should be out in a bit."
The Doctor raised a brow again, and seeing it, Itachi cleared his throat and glanced nervously around before dropping his gaze to the tiled floor. "A patron of the coffee-shop was not a fan of our... relationship... They expressed their displeasure by dumping their beverage in his lap..."
Kakuzu blinked, the shock of that statement lasting for only a second before converting to seething anger. It was a small town, yes. Most people didn't approve of things like that, but anyone with a brain could take one look at the Uchiha and know his sexual orientation without the slightest doupt. And from what Kisame has told him in one of his unbearable, blabbering tangents, Itachi had grown up in this town. He'd been here all his life aside from the few years in which he left for college. One would think that people would have grown more accepting.
And the fact that Kisame had been the victim here... that Hoshigaki was a big man, many people were threatened by him. If someone had the gall to dump steaming-hot coffee on him... Well, it was just unacceptable. And it helped dissipate his hesitation, If Kisame had not chased that little shit down and beat the hell out of him, he was going to be severely dissapointed.
"I see. I'll join you two in a moment." He said with a dismissive tone. Itachi gave him a slightly forced smiled and nodded, turning to go seat himself. Kakuzu stepped up to the counter just as his long-time friend emerged from a hallway, sporting a large wet stain on the front of his acid-washed jeans. He felt his eyes narrow as the anger increased, especially as he noted the expression Kisame wore.
He was smiling, as if nothing in the world were bothering him despite that dark spot that made it look very much as if he'd just pissed himself. This bothered Kakuzu more than if he would have been scowling and stomping around. He knew Kisame was closer to a gentle giant than any sort of brute, despite his scars and build. But the man could also fend damn well for himself, he had no problem expressing his opinions when he disagree'd strongly with them, and the man had the capability to get just as furiated as Kakuzu, himself, could. He'd watched the man in his younger days take on three men by himself after they tried to jump the both of them back in their collage town.
The fact that someone had done somthing like that to him and there he was plopping down next to that Uchiha boy wearing that goofy damn grin was almost haunting the the elder man.
"Sir?" The bariesta said, snapping his attention back to her.
"Plain coffee, two cream, two sugar."
.
"Four dollars for a damn 20 ounce. Highway robbery..." He muttered as he pulled out a chair and sat in it.
"Kakuzu, old friend! What a surprise! What're you doing here?" Kisame laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Well I cam eto get a coffee, it seems all I paid for was a cup of shit." He growled after taking a sip.
Itachi's eyebrows shot up, but he remained silent. Kisame chuckled. "You sound like you're in a bad mood, my friend."
"I am." He replied roughly, setting his cup down hard and propping his elbows on the table. "Mister Uchiha here informs me that you were victim to a hate crime. And yet here you are acting your usual self."
The scarred man blinked. "Uh.. yeah. That's why you're in a bad mood?"
"I'm irritated that it happened, yes."
"Awwe, Kakuzu! I appreciate it, but it's been taken care of."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I chased the bastard down and scared the shit out of him."
"it was entirely inappropriate.." Itachi commented, rolling his own beverage back and forth in his hands. "I wish you wouldn't have stooped to his level. He's nothing but an ignorant neanderthal."
"I told you babe, I know how guys like that work. You can't let them get away with it or they'll just do it again."
"I agree." Kakuzu growled, his anger fading now that he knew Kisame had not just stood by and allowed such a thing to happen, though he did find it annoying that the Uchiha disapproved. "I would think from your experience, Mister Uchiha, you would have learned that nothing will get done if nothing gets done."
"Yes but it's such a brutish way to handle things. Why must society always resort to violence or public humiliation. No one can just sit down and solve a problem with words."
"If they were willing to listen or care for your opinion they would not be committing the crime in the first place." Kakuzu growled. Hidan was right, this man was a damn princess. Hardly a man at all.
"I suppose that's true. It's just a shame..."
"People like that are always gonna be around, Angel. It's not like I didn't expect to get a little hate-mail. " Kisame paused to take a sip of his coffee. "Can we talk about something else? How's the kid doing at work, Kakuzu? Itachi says he's not so sure he's handling the decreased medication so well."
Kakuzu's brows dropped in anger.
"That's not what I said, Kisame. " Itachi chided. "I meant that I've been having trouble reading him lately, and it leads me to believe he's having a hard time stabilizing his emotions."
The eldest of the trip grit his teeth. "Just treat me like a person... okay?" They were sitting here discussing Hidan as if he were some science expirement. That girl had left without telling him why because she didn't think he could handle it. Itachi and his therapist were making decisions about his medications without taking his opinions into account, Hidan had said they were 'weaning' him, as if he was incapable of making the decision himself.
"Doctor Hoku said he's been acting out at work. I'm worried about him. He acts as if he's fine when he's home, but it's obvious he's not himself. He has something on his mind..."
No shit. Kakuzu thought to himself. His life is being governed by everyone else, Since that party people aren't even treating him like a human being. Even the girls that kept coming in to flirt with him. Suddenly he understood why he acted the way he did around them, why he felt the need to embarrass that client in front of Kakuzu like that. Those girls saw him as nothing more than a piece of meat. Itachi tended to him like a child. Of course he had something on his mind.
Me. He thought with sudden clarity. I'm on his mind. He'd been trying to desperatly in his own rediculous way to find some sort of connection with Kakuzu. Acting out on purpose, perhaps, to see if he would still be treated the same. The way he'd acted when Kakuzu had brought the hammer down on him, he hadn't been scared by it, he'd been appreciative.
Well damn.
"Well he kind of had a lot of shit happen to him last weekend. I mean you saw him at the party, he had the time of his life, then suddenly he has to be hospitalized and that chick decides she doesn't want to be his friend anymore." Kisame said casually, shrugging. "I thought she was pretty cool. People like that who aren't afraid to say what's on their mind usually turn out to be pretty damn good friends." His eyes met Kakuzu's as he smiled.
"I feel aweful about that. Did I tell you that he knew this whole time?" Itachi said, looking to his boyfriend in concern. "Turns out he woke up and heard our entire conversation. I should have just told him the first chance I had... He must be disgusted with me."
"Bah, the kid's usually pretty honest, Angel. If he were mad at you he would have made it clear by now."
"No, I know he's not mad. He's hurt. I would be too. Tayuya didn't even know me, yet she confided in me instead of him. I even gave her money to help her get back home. He probably heard that much too."
"Well, hey now. You've been under plenty of stress too. first of all that last minute party was fuckin' awesome." Kisame laughed, then nudged kakuzu's elbow with his own. "Even this guy had a good time, and that's saying something."
"Speaking of which, Doctor, I can't apologize enough for putting you in that situation... I can't believe I was so stupid to-"
"I understand." Kakuzu interrupted, making the other two look at him in surprise. He did though, all the sudden. It was a tricky situation, Itachi had loosened his reigns, let Hidan make his own decisions, tried to treat him like a person and give him a party and let him have a good time. And look what had come of it. Of course he would be trying to make up for it by watching him carefully now... trying to protect him from stressful situations that might bring about another meltdown...
As if somehow reading his mind, The youngest of the three gave him a soft smile and took a sip of his beverage. "he teases me by calling me his mother all the time. Sometimes I can't help but feel as if I am though. He came to me seeking help, I feel responsible for him. It's exhausting sometimes, I don't know what to do anymore. It seems every one of my good intentions has nothing but a catastrophic reaction."
Kisame sighed deeply, looking slightly annoyed. Kakuzu eyed him. He shrugged. And the doctor couldn't help but think that Hidan was often the topics of most of these two's conversations.
"But, you've had a profound effect on him, Doctor." Itachi continued, apparently snapping himself out of the depressive mood that had threatened to overcome him just a second earlier. "He's been eating better, sleeping more often. He was completley absorbed in learning guitar for the longest time, though I haven't seen him do much with it since Tayuya left. His depts are slowly but surely being paid off, The first two Behavioral health hospitals he was admitted to have been completley repaid. He's told me he doesn't smoke at work anymore, and he hasn't had any of his fits in months, he's doing so well. I just don't want him to be set back all because of one bad weekend."
"He's doing fine at work." Kakuzu said suddenly, not exactly sure why except for the fact that he wanted to stop talking about this. He didn't want to hear the Uchiha's boys 'poor me' rants any longer, and he knew Kisame was more than uninterested in this conversation.
"But you said-"
"Yes. He's been more annoying lately. But as for his actual work ethic, he's still doing just fine. In fact I've had more patients than usual, these young girls schedule appointments just to come flirt with him."
"Oh God... the girls..." Kisame said, rubbing his eyes. "God, I'm glad I'm not the only one. All the men in this town hate my guts and the girls want to get in my pants! What the hell is wrong with kids these days!?"
"I find myself wondering the same thing daily." Kakuzu said, eyeing Itachi, who suddenly looked very irritated.
"Don't look at me, I've cut all connections with my own generation. I don't understand them either. Everything is about sex and drugs and instant gratification with wild abandonment for consequence." He paused to clear his throat. "I can't tell you how many teenagers have called me while I'm working so see if I could plan a party for them... All of them underage, I garuntee it."
This conversation was surprisngly pleasing to Kakuzu. Suddenly he didn't feel so much older than the two men at the table in front of him. there was a saying that went somthing like 'You're only as old as you feel.' But he'd always found that rediculous. Nothing could change the fact that he was 46.
"It's all about perception..." Hidan's voice suddenly invaded in his mind. And with that came brief flashbacks of the dream he'd all but forgotten about having. Hidan on the edge of a cliff, the salty wind blowing through his touseled hair, the ground crumbling beneath him, the waves crashing against the rock far below, waiting for the moment when he would fall and they could swallow him whole.
"What do you think it takes to live forever? There's no such thing as special. I want it, but only because I have no choice but to accept it.I only know what I don't want, and that doesn't help at all. Are you good for me Kakuzu? So you can come with me?"
It didn't make sense, none of it made much ligical sense, but that didn't stop it from making his chest grow tight. he remembered his train of thought afterward, as he'd stood there over an unconcious Hidan.
He had told hidan that he wasn't good for him, though he'd wanted to say yes. He'd told the man in his sleep that he was not good for Kakuzu either. And everything that kills us, helps us live, as the saying goes.
So what did it take to live forever?
kakuzu had told himself then that he did not want to be a drug to Hidan. He didn't want to hurt him in order to reassure him he was alive. That was what the little idiot thrived on, his mental illnesses fed off of it. He didn't exist on happiness, because it was all sucked away, Hidan... he must live in a constant state of nothing...
Kakuzu couldn't help but think he did too. He knew he did, actually. Until Hidan San had come around, he'd never felt anything but anger and resentment, even the things he loved causing only minimal pleasure.
"Well, Doctor, I think we're going to excuse ourselves." Itachi finally said, smiling again.
"Got a movie and a bucket of popcorn waiting for us at mi casa." Kisame added, clapping the elder man on the back as he rose from his chair.
He stood up too, head still occupied by thoughts of Hidan, which didn't surprise him but still irritated him when he asked suddenly; "And what is my employee doing with his day off?"
Itachi stopped, looking as if he was shocked that Kakuzu had just brought him up even thought they'd spent a good 15 minutes sitting there talking about him. "He was at the apartment last I saw him. He said he would probably go for a walk, he likes to be out in the rain when the conditions are right. Why?"
"Curiosity." He said, scowling at the devious smile he received from the Uchiha.
"I see. Well, good day Doctor. Enjoy your weekend."
He grunted in response and nodded his head to Kisame's wave, watching them leave the building as he stood there awkwardly. He waited for a bit, to make sure they'd gotten in the car and left by the time he returned to his car, sipping idley on his disgusting coffee as he did so.
.
"I'm gonna pick up the piiieeces..." Hidan started singing, just barely audible over the distance between them and the quiet tone of voice.
"And buuuuuild a lego house..." Kakuzu listened for a few moments, simply standing there staring.
" If things go wrong we can knock it do-own..."
Damn that man. Damn his stupid voice and ability to make him want to keep listening. Damn his tendancy to somehow keep surprising Kakuzu. He grit his teeth and started forward, slowly and quietly.
"And three words have two meeeeaniiings, but there's one thing on my miiind; It's all foooorr yooouuu..."
Hidan hit a bad note and swore, adjusting the guitar on his lap. Kakuzu didn't want to smile, and repressed it, but continued his silent movement toward the man, wondering just why the hell the idiot hadn't noticed he was here. Every time he found himself just studying the man while they were working, it was almost as if his presence was sensed. Hidan caught him stareing nearly every time, even before they'd even known about this mutual crush.
He started playing again. "And it's dark on a cold December, but I've got you to keep me wa-arm...If you're broken I will mend ya, and I'll keep you sheltered from theeee stooorm thaaat's raaaging oooo-ooon! Ooh! I'm outta touch. I'm outta love. I'll pick you up wheen you're getting dooown. And out of all these things I've done, I think I love you better noow."
His brow shot up. A love song? Hidan was singing a love song... Why he found that so bizarre, he didn't know, but it didn't stop him from continueing to listen.
"I'm outta sight. I'm outta mind. But I'll do it all fooor you anytiiiime. and out of all the things I've done... I think I love you better now..."
Kakuzu had left the coffee house, still holding onto his promise that he would go home when it started to rain. The only problem here was that it had yet to rain.
His thoughts continued to focuson Hidan, and of the conversation that had just taken place. "You've had a profound effect on him, Doctor." Itachi had told him. Of course he did, it was because he didn't treat the man like a child. he'd been right in his thoughts that night at the two men's shared apartment. Hidan didn't need people careing for him they way they were, despite the good intentions. He needed to be treated just like everyone else, he wanted to be treated like everyone else. Kakuzu understood that, but at the same time, felt this nagging feeling as if he, too, were doing something wrong.
He kept pushing him away. he didn't know if that's what it was, but it was what kept coming to mind. He'd avoided this irritating infatuation for the longest time, then finally succumb to his desire, only to find that the boy returned them. And now Hidan was there, trying to spend time with him, trying to get to know him through his own means, and he was rejecting him repeatedly. Even that little fling on Wednesday hadn't resulted in anything but the elder man banishing the actions while at work. And if he'd restricted it to anything outside of work, nothing would ever happen.
And that was the question he was struggling with now. Did he want anything to happen?
Yes. Yes and no.
All the previous reason still stood firm. Hidan was far younger than him, their lives and personalities were from different sides of the universe. And what with the situation that had just happened to Kisame, it only reinforced the fact that it would be an absoloute disaster if this relationship progressed to the point where it grew hard to keep it a secret.
He could not control himself when Hidan forced himself on him. That much was clear. Twice it had happened, and twice he had been unable to stop it until some sort of interruption snapped him back to reality. He would admit to himself that he wanted the insufferable brat, he still hadn't figured out why, but he did. He enjoyed looking at him, and despite how he forced himself to act, he enjoyed conversing with him. He didn't think he was capable of smiling so often...
But there was also the thought that Hidan was getting frustrated. Itachi had noticed that his mind was being occupied, and the way he was acting at work... if Kakuzu didn't do something soon then whatever it was that they had between them would likley end. And he knew without knowing that it would not be a pretty thing, for either of them.
It was about the time that this thought came to him that he stopped at a light beside the park in the middle of town, and had glanced out his window and saw through the dulled afternoon light the very same albino sitting off some distance on the fountian. Kakuzu was not an impulsive person, nor a religious one, but this circumstance was clearly far too circumstantial to be ignored.
With his rational head screaming at him to stop doing what he was doing, he waited for a green light and maneuvered into the appropriate lane to park his car, and then proceeded to go to the man sitting alone on a fountian in a large park on a cloudy day.
-o-
"Can't I ever get away from you?" A gravelly voice said behind him. Hidan tensed, blinked a few times, and then twisted to find his boss standing there behind him, his hands in his pockets, expression as unreadable as always.
His mouth fell open for a minute as he scrambled internally to find words to force out. A low rumble of thunder filled the air between them, and he cleared his throat afterwards. "Tch, I could ask you the same fuckin' thing. Are you stalking me now?" He said, wanting to put the guitar away as he resisted the blush that crept up, but then he wouldn't know what to do with himself, so instead he strummed a few random notes. Kakuzu had probably heard him singing... He didn't normally like love songs, but for some reason that one had been stuck in his head. And with the mood that this weather was putting him in, he hadn't been so inclined to care enough that his fucking boss might randomly show up out of nowhere and hear him singing it.
"I was in the neighborhood. You look pitiful, you know. Sitting alone in the park when it's about to rain. I'll never understand you self-proclaimed artists, just a bunch of attention-seekers."
"Fuck you old man. I'm waiting for it to rain." He said without thinking. Why was he here? Dammit, he was trying to get the fucking scrooge off his mind. And then he shows up? Life you are a rude fucking bitch.
"You can't do that at home?"
"No." He said, still refusing to look at his boss and instead focusing on his guitar as he absently plucked the strings. "Itachi went to his fuck-buddy's for the night. It's boring there."
"So you come to the park to try and make everyone feel sorry for you?"
"I don't give a fuck what people think about me!" He said, finally standing up and glaring at the old bastard. What the hell was his problem!? It wasn't like he'd forced him to come here and talk to him. For fuck's sake, why'd he have to be here, and looking so goddamn sexy too?
...Wait a second...
Kakuzu had seen him and stopped to come talk to him. They were actually conversing with each other outside of work. Kakuzu was actually here of his own will associating with him.
Hah, just kidding life, you're beautiful.
"Hey... Kakuzu..."
The doctor raised a brow in question. Hidan fidgeted, he didn't like the way he was stareing at him. His mouth fell open again as he tried to force out the words, but they wouldn't come. Dammit, great, stupid brain. He was here now, talking to him, taking time out of his day, just fucking do it. You're not working, now is the chance.
He opened his mouth again, only to snap it shut when a large drop of rain suddenly fell on the tip of his nose. he blinked, wiped it off, and tipped his head up to look at the sky as the clouds finally opened up and unleashed their contents.
This was not what he wanted. He'd wanted mroe than a drizzle, less than a shower. Now it was suddenly downpouring, soaking him to the bone in an instant. He swore and scooped up his guitar case, jogging over to Kakuzu as he struggled to get the instrument to safety.
"Well, you got your rain." He said, still stareing at the younger man. Hidan's eyes met his, but only for a moment before they trailed off to study in speechless shock a rain-drenched Doctor Hoku. His chocolate hair was plastered against his head, the few random strands of bangs not held back in a ponytail stringing down his face, framing his eerie eyes, which still refused to remove themselves from Hidan. For once, Kakuzu wasn't wearing a turtleneck, and instead had a simple black v-neck tee-shirt on with a pair of nice jeans. He actually looked casual, not Kakuzu casual but like, actually casual. The rain had the shirt clinging to him in mere minutes, and Hidan quickly tore his eyes away before the old man cracked some insult about his shameless gawking.
"Yeah... I thought it would be just a drizzle."
"It appears you miscalculated." The elder man said again, still stareing at him with an intensity that was making Hidan's heartbeat start to race.
"Uh... Can I have a ride back home?" He said running a hand through his hand to get his bangs out of his eyes.
"You came here knowing it was going to rain. You can walk." The doctor said, finally breaking the stare by turning away with what almost looked like a smirk.
"WHAT!? Are you kidding me! You fucking stalker, I'm getting in your goddamn car with you anyway." He announced, stomping loudly as he took off to beat the old man to his car.
"Is that what you think?"
"You're damn right it is."
"Why do you like the rain?" Kakuzu said suddenly, making Hidan falter for a second and almost trip. He recovered and continued walking by the old man, eyeing him sideways.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean what I asked. Most people hate rain. It's wet and it creates mud and it messes up their hair or makeup or whatever other rediculous excuse people these days use to complain."
Hidan felt his face twist in confusion. Awefully chatty today, wasn't he? "It's just peaceful... I don't know. Why do you care?"
"I enjoy rain too."
Hidan blinked, now at a complete lack for words. What exactly was going on right now? Was he dreaming? Had he actually tripped and fallen on his walk here and now he was actually in a coma? How Ironic was it for Kakuzu to just show up like that, looking the way he did, and then the rain just spontaneously starts falling as soon as he gets here so that Hidan couldn't just sit there in it, undisturbed, and enjoy it. Even though he actually could, if he wanted to, he could tell Kakuzu to fuck off and go sit back on the fountian... But he didn't want to. He couldn't pass up this oppurtunity, his boss who had been plauging his mind constantly just magically showing up just when he could really use a ride home.
It was obviously a sign. So was the fact that Kakuzu was admitting similarities between then without Hidan having to fucking interrogate him. So s Kakuzu rounded around that black car and hopped in the drivers side, and he calmly opened the passenger-side foor and slipped in, carefully squeezing his guitar into the backseat, he gathered his courage.
"Uh.. Hey, do you wanna go get some coffee? There's this new place downtown."
Kakuzu turned to him with the faintest hints of amusement and started the car.
"I was just there. It's shit."
He tried to hold back the laugh at hearing Kakuzu speak that way, but he couldn't do it, and instead ended up making a humiliating snorting noise. The doctor continued stareing at him in amused question. He stared back. Fuck did he look amazing right now, goddamn old man. This wasn't fair. Why couldn't he be drunk and not giving a fuck about awkwardness right now?
"Well, You wanna come to the apartment, I can make some. Won't even cost you."
"No." He said immediatly, turning to shift into drive and focus on pulling out onto the street.
Hidan deflated there in the seat. Damn, he'd thought maybe he'd had a shot when Kakuzu hadn't immedatly declined his invitation to get coffee. Maybe he was pushing it a little far.
"Your coffee is shit too. We can go to my house."
hidan nearly choked on his spit as he whirled in his seat. "What? Your house?"
"That's what I said. "
"You're going to let me go to your house. Where you live?"
"Do I need to draw you a picture, Hidan?"
"Are... is this a date?" Fuck, dammit. Why'd he say that? He kicked himself a hundred times mentally.
"Co-workers are allowed to associate with each other outside of work. It's not a crime."
"No, just really fucking wierd. What the hell are you doing here?" AAGHH SHUT UP AND LET IT HAPPEN YOU IDIOT!
Kakuzu's jaw worked, and his grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You spend all week with your rediculous form of flirting and then pull that stunt on Wednesday..."
"Which you told me to never do again..."
"While we were working."
A stretch of silence lasted there between them before a grin ripped it's way across his face. "Oh my God, Are you coming on to me Kuzu?"
"No."
"Haha! Yes you are! You're going to take me to your house and have your way with me!"
"Shut up you damned imbecile."
"It's okay to admit it, Kuzu. I'm not whipping out the pepperspray am I?"
"What did you mean?" He said sternly, making Hidan hesitate for a second in his teasing.
"What?"
"What did you mean when you told me I could be your God?"
It took him a few moments to remember what he was talking about. When he finally recalled it, he felt his cheeks burn. Oh right, he had said that hadn't he? He'd sort of forgotten after all the whole Tayuya drama.
"I meant what I said." He forced out, mocking Kakuzu for the fact that he didn't know what else to say.
"Do you even know what you're saying or are you just blabbering again?"
"Uh.. I'm kind of blabbering." He said, chuckling and pushing his hair out of his eyes again. "But, I mean. You did kind of save me from a really shitty sitution... twice."
"Twice?"
"Yeah... Kakuzu, I don't really know where I'd be right now if you hadn't hired me." You should probably stop embarrassing yourself right now. His head told him, but he ignored it. He didn't want to stop embarrassing himself. It was true, As much as he hadn't wanted it in the beginning, as much as he'd despised his boss, he couldn't imagine being anywhere else besides, he was tired of everyone thinking he was an idiot, he didn't want Kakuzu to think he was an idiot, even though he'd kind of fucked that up repeatedly already. "Even with Itachi helping me out... I probably would have had some epic meltdown and left and gone back to doing all the stupid shit I did before. You... gave me a reason not to go back to it, you know? You gave me purpose. You're my God."
Kakuzu didn't say anything more, and Hidan sat there in the silence twiddling his thumbs. "I really like you. I know I act kind of like an idiot around you all the time, but it's because I don't know what else to do. It's either be an idiot or start sayin sappy shit like this..."
"You've clearly been hanging out with that Uchiha too much."
He laughed softly. "Yeah. Don't let it go to your fucking head though. You're still a bastard."
"And you're still annoying."
.
The first thought that came to mind when he stepped through the doorway was that Kakuzu Hoku had a nice fucking house. The second thought was that they were all alone in this nice fucking house.
He studied the place as he followed kakuzu on autopilot to the kitchen where the elder man moved to the coffee pot and began the process of making a batch of coffee. And as he watched him move around and admired his physique, still soaked from the rain, he wondered what the hell was going to happen now, and as all kinds of ideas and possibilities passed through his mind, he suddenly wished for a bottle of any kind of alchohol to miraculously appear in his hand.
"You live in this big fucking place alone?"
"Yes. And it not all that big. Only the livingroom and kitchen are."
"Tch. I knew you were probably rich, but I'm still impressed."
"It serves it's purpose." The elder said, finishing his task and turning around to lean on the cabinet and cross his arms. "You look like a drowned rat."
"Yeah well, I didn't exactly bring a change of clothes." He said, shrugging. Kakuzu raised a brow in question, and he felt his face burn, realizing he'd just implied that he wanted to borrow some of his clothes. "We should have just gone to the apartment... I feel wierd here."
"If you think something is going to come of this you should get it off your mind immediatly. It's only coffee, Hidan."
"Uh huh." he said, turning around to escape Kakuzu's intense stare and wandering out into to livingroom. For a guy who didn't like to spend money, he had really nice things. Two big black leather couches, a recliner that looked like it was built to hold a sumo-wrestler, a coffee table with what looked like a marble or maybe imitation marble topper, a large flatscreen television. There wasn't really any decor, the walls were bare, painted in a dark brown color with white trim around the windows, maroon curtians... that was it. For as nice as it was, it was... kind of empty in the sense that it almost seemed more like some sort of display a retail agent would set up to make it look like someone actually lived here.
"Do I get a tour, or what?" He called out, jumping and whirling when Kakuzu's voice responded from right behind him.
"I don't recall you ever giving me one of those with your home."
"Tch, first of all, it's a fucking apartment, there's nothing to tour. Second of all, you hated my guts then."
"Indeed. You were an irritating brat."
"I'm still an irritating brat."
"You certianly are."
Hidan turned around to look up at him, unsure really of what expression he was even making. He wished desperatley that he could randomly acquire the ability to read minds as he stared at the man's unreadable features. He just wanted to know why. Why he was in this situation, why this man liked him, how it was even possible. All he wanted was just a little bit of understanding. He never understood anything, really, he was okay with not understanding most things, because most things didn't really matter in the long run. But this did, this was important, for whatever reason, this old man was important. For whatever reason, he actually liked him, even though he acted like he didn't, even though he acted like he didn't even want to, he did.
So why?
Hidan knew why he liked kakuzu, he'd had a lot of time to think over it. The reasons didn't always make sense, but he knew them. He was obviously attracted to his power, not so much power over other things, as in the grand scheme of things he didn't really have all that much, he was just a small-time Doctor in a small-time town. But the man just reeked of it, power and confidence, he didn't give a shit about the entire rest of the world, he just did what he wanted and that was that. People respected him, feared him, it was alluring. Of course it didn't help that the man was like a sex god, especially for as old as he was. Built like a fucking brick house, able to pick hidan up off the floor and probably throw him across the room if he wanted. People could be confident and exude power all they wanted but if they didn't have what it takes to back that up, they were nothing. Kakuzu had that though, he had everything.
And he was so self-assured. He wasn't like Hidan, who did things without knowing why, who was impulsive and rash and stupid. Kakuzu didn't need anything to know what he wanted and how he was going to get it. He was so... in control. Maybe that's what it was. He was in control of himself and his surroundings and... just everything. Hidan had none, not even over himself. It was admirable.
Chemistry, Itachi had said, Soul-mates. Huh... maybe it wasn't such a load of bullshit.
"I still want a tour, you fucking rude asshole."
Kakuzu stared a little longer, before hmph-ing and stepping around him. "Then take one, I'm going to change."
"Okay, I'll just follow you and we'll start in the bedroom-" He started to say, following the man before he turned to move through a doorway and slammed the door in his face. He stood there blinking for a couple seconds, and then laughed.
Okay, he kind of had that coming.
.
The rest of Kakuzu's house was pretty much the same as what he'd seen so far. There were two bedrooms, one of them converted into a home-gym, a study that was pretty well empty except for a floor-to-ceiling bookshelp absoloutly packed with books and a few briefcases sitting over in the corner. The bathroom was surprisingly plain, and also creepily clean. Actually the whole damn house was spotless, not even a speck of dust out of place. The whole house felt so eeriely impersonal, and he found himself kind of depressed at the fact that there was nothing here really to give him better insight into his boss's actual personality as a human being. No pictures on the wall, no strange decor like a rug or random statue or anything like that that depicted an interest in anthing. Itachi had pictures all over the place, he had books in his bookshelves that were like actual books and not boring-looking novels. He had vases with flowers and little figurines and stuff sporadically placed on any sort of shelf or open counter. He at least had CD's and stuff to show taste in music. If you walked into that apartment you'd probably be able to tell that a gay man lived there. But when you walk into this house... it was like no one lived here at all.
Frankly it was kind of depressing.
"Are you sure you live here?" He said as he wandered back into the kitchen. He stopped abruptly though when he saw Kakuzu toweling his hair dry, facing away from him.
"What kind of question is that?" he draped the small towel over his shoulders as he spoke, turning to regard Hidan, who continued stareing like an idiot for a few more heartbeats.
Kakuzu's hair was long. He known it was long obviously because he had to put it in a ponytail but now it was down and hanging free, hanging down over his collarbones and words were failing him. On one hand he found it kind of strange, all the sudden, that Kakuzu had long hair at all. he just didn't seem like that kind of guy. Why that thought had never struck him before, he didn't know. However, on the other hand, it was kind of interesting. Itachi had long hair, he'd once explained that it was easier for people to accept his homosexuality when he looked more like a girl.
Kakuzu had long hair. And was apparently bi-sexual. Maybe it had nothing at all to do with that, maybe he just liked long hair. Either way, it was an interesting thought. And he somehow managed to pull it off like a boss. Sex God indeed, especially when it was wet and down like that.
He cleared his throat. "Uh.. cuz.. I mean. It just looks like a place to live, not a place someone already does live."
Kakuzu cocked a brow. "I don't believe I asked for your opinion."
"Well you got it anyway. Are you really just this fucking boring or are you like, trying to sell it or something? How am I supposed to root through your personal shit if you don't have any?"
"If I find you going through my things I'll break your fingers."
"Well there's nothing to go through."
"You're upset that I don't have any dirty secrets for you to uncover?"
"Kind of, yes."
"Well you're an idiot." he turned back around to the coffee pot and opened the cabinet above it, pulling down two rediculously big mugs. "Come make your damn drink, unless you find that excruciatingly boring as well."
hidan nearly leaped over beside him, picking up the cup and marveling at it. "Holy fuck! This thing is huge! Are you addicted to caffiene?"
"I enjoy a good cup of coffee, yes."
"That's awesome. Where did you get these? I'm gonna make Itachi get some."
"I'm so happy that you're no longer bored." Kakuzu said in monotone, pouring the steaming liquid into his own mug.
"Yeah, see this is the kind of shit that's interesting. It helps see who you are. You like coffee... a fucking lot. And I know you like rain now, and fucking Rod stewart, which is hilarious but kind of cute too."
"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling me cute."
"It's a compliment old man, take it."
"Weren't you the one who said you'd never compliment me?"
Hidan rolled his eyes and reached to pour himself a cup too. "Yeah, if you haven't noticed, I tend to talk without really thinking."
"Indeed."
The words between them stopped there for a long stretch of time. Kakuzu finished concocting his coffee in the specific way he seemed to like it. After watching him, Hidan copied it. Normally he put enough creame and sugar in his to give a person instant diabetes, but his mood had shifted into a calm sort of happiness that made him smile as he fixed his coffee the way Kakuzu drank it. After which he meandered out into the livingroom and plopped down on the couch beside the elder man, receiving a disapproving glare when he scooted over intentionally too-close to him.
But the older of the two said nothing, and turned on the T.V. which was stationed on the weather channel. Hidan grimaced at this, but decided to humor him for a little bit, and also because he was kind of curious about the weather. It was raining like hell out there. 'April showers bring May flowers', went the saying, but still... that was a lot of rain. And he was kind of pissed that he hadn't gotten the kind of rain he wanted, even though he shouldn't be. If it had only been a gentle rain, Kakuzu probably wouldn't have given him a ride, and he probably wouldn't be sitting here beside him.
According to the admittedly hot blonde on the television, it was going to keep raining off and on until halfway through the week. Then commercials came on, and he sighed dramatically. "Well this is exciting."
"I don't understand what it is about me that made you think my home would be exciting." Kakuzu suddenly replied.
"Yeah, I forget some times that you're just a boring old man. If you're going to keep me prisoner here can't you at least watch something interesting?"
"You are far from prisoner. If you keep running your mouth I might kick you out."
"But it's like a fucking monsoon out there! And I live like halfway across town."
"Your point being?"
"My point being that you're being a shitty host, and you need to be interesting. Let's make out."
Kakuzu spit out the small sip of coffee he had taken, and seeing the refined man doing something like that launched Hidan into a laughing fit during which Kakuzu took the liberty of shoving him roughly off the couch and to the floor.
"You bloody child!" He growled, rising and going quickly to the kitchen to snatch a few paper-towels.
"Well Seriously!" Hidan said, trying to collect himself on the floor and marvelling at how it was a miracle he didn't smash his face into the coffee table. "Why else would you bring me here and offer me coffee? It's obviously a date."
"You were the one who suggested coffee."
"You could have just said no. And you were stalking me."
"You are an idiot." Kakuzu said slowly, glancing at him as he mopped up the spill.
"An Idiot you want to bang." Hidan pointed out, laughing still.
"I'd love to shoot you, if that's what you're implying."
"'Bang' means screw, you old geezer."
"I wouldn't mind taking a drill to your skull either."
"Your insults are starting to get immature again, Kuzu." He said, finally pushing up from the floor and re-seating himself on the couch. "That means you're embarrassed, I'm pretty sure. I've been paying attention, believe it or not."
"I don't." He growled, acting as if he was going to sit beside him again and stopping. Instead he took an extra step and seated himself on the other couch. "Waste of perfectly good coffee..." He mumbled. Hidan made a face and promptly jumped up and plopped down beside him again, receiving a growl and a glare for his efforts. The old man could deny the situation all he wanted, but Hidan was over that stage. Kakuzu was 46, and not stupid at all. He had purposely invited Hidan to his house. Maybe he hadn't realized how awkward it would be, but that didn't matter.
They were alone. No one was watching, he didn't have to keep putting on this act. They weren't working, and so nothing was stopping him from-
"This isn't a date."
Hidan blinked, re-emerging from all the pictures and images flashing through him. "What?"
"It's not a date. That sounds childish and immature."
He grinned. "It fucking does doesn't it. You're too old to go on dates."
"Not what I meant.."
"You know what else I hate? Kissing. If I said 'Kuzu, I want you to kiss me.' Would you be turned on?" He only received a skeptical and somewhat weary stare from the elder.
"Exactly. They need a better fucking word for it." He finished, throwing his arm limply to emphasize the rediculousness of the problem.
"And what would you suggest?" Kakuzu replied. If Hidan wasn't mistaken, he had just the slightest hints of a smile on those lips. He took a few moments to think it over, unable to draw his eyes away from his boss's mouth.
"Face battle."
Kakuzu laughed. He actually laughed, and it took the poor zealot so off guard that he actually jerked away from him and stared at the man with wide eyes. Had he ever heard that sound before? He heard him sort of breathe out sharply, he'd heard him chuckle, kind of, but never an actual laugh. To be honest he'd wondered a few times if maybe the man had once had to have some sort of surgery that prevented him from laughter. But here he was, he'd laughed, and at Hidan's joke, none-the-less.
He found himself grinning broadly too, unable still to tear his eyes away from Kakuzu's face. He absently licked his lips when the man finally turned to look at him, saying nothing more. And for an extended moment in time they just stared while the weatherman droned on in the background.
He could do it. He could do it right now. No interruptions this time. Kakuzu was all his, and he was all Kakuzu's. He knew the Doctor was thinking the same thing, he could see it in his eyes, the way he was just stareing at him without saying anything. He wanted it, sooo badley. Why he was hesitant, he wasn't even sure. Kakuzu had instigated it that first time at the party, and at the clinic he'd just been too overwhelmed by Kakuzu laying into him the way he did, he hadn't been able to control himself.
But now it was just...
Just what?
He smiled, watching Kakuzu's eyes flick down to his mouth.
Fuck it.