A/N: Itachi is fem in this story.
Chapter song: STOP by AJ Mitchell (Kakuzu pov)
Kakuzu and Hidan were laying back on his bed, resting quietly and close together for a long while. They were under the covers, legs tangled, bodies still sweaty in the afterglow.
"Wow..." Hidan said, breaking the silence.
Kakuzu opened his eyes and looked down at the silver-haired man.
"They're even more amazing up close." Hidan spoke. He was looking closely at Kakuzu's body. A curious finger poked out and traced his ribcage, following an inked tiger roaring with outstretched claws. This piece had razor-thin lines, realistically done with each stroke of ink appearing as tiny hairs. The touch sent a flicker through Kakuzu, even though he was already spent.
"Pain did that one. The tiger wasn't my idea, but it was an honor getting a custom piece from him. He's been in the industry for like, twenty years." Kakuzu said.
"It's badass." Hidan said, staring in awe.
Kakuzu shifted onto his side, propping his head up with a hand.
"And what about you? I still don't know why you haven't had any work done yet." He questioned.
"Mmm..." Hidan said with a smile. "Well, I do have something."
Kakuzu's head perked up. He thought he had seen every inch of the smaller man's body already. Was there something that he had missed?
Hidan outstretched his left arm, opening it so that his forearm was visible. Kakuzu looked closely. Close to his wrist was a raised outline, the same color as his skin. It was a scar, the design a circle with an equilateral triangle folded inside. Kakuzu instantly recognized that it was the same symbol as the pendant dangling around Hidan's neck, now in full view.
Kakuzu knew what the scar was from many conversations with Kisame. It was scarification, a procedure where skin was removed in a specific design in order to create a barely-visible scar. Kakuzu's hand stretched out this time, and he paused looking up for confirmation. Hidan nodded, and Kakuzu traced the circle on the smaller man's wrist with a steady finger. He could see Hidan squirm slightly under the contact.
"I'm surprised I've never noticed this 'till now." Kakuzu said softly. "Considering how many times we've hung out in the past few weeks. Then again, you can barely see it with how pale your skin is." He traced the triangle a few times, fascinated by the soft ridge under his finger.
Hidan smiled. "Yeah."
"So what is it? And the pendant that you always wear, I mean." Kakuzu asked.
"Oh, this old thing?" Hidan said, looking down. "It's my family's crest. From the Jashin lineage. I've worn it forever, can't remember if I've ever taken it off before, actually."
Kakuzu hmm'ed. "But why the scarification? Usually people only get this type of procedure done when they've gotten bored of tattoos and want something different. They're pretty rare, to be honest. I never see any come through the shop."
Hidan shrugged. "It's a family tradition. My mother got her wrist tattooed when she turned sixteen. I wanted something more painful, more meaningful. I thought about branding but found out that the healing isn't always as cute for a burn as it is a clean scar."
Kakuzu listened carefully, taking in everything the boy said. "But why would you want it to be more painful?"
Instead of responding, Hidan rolled up, getting off the bed and wincing a bit. Kakuzu saw the flash of pain in Hidan's eyes and jumped forward, grabbing his wrist.
"Are you okay?" He asked, worry in his voice.
"Just dandy." Hidan responded, joking through a squinted eye. He was still naked, and turned around to face Kakuzu in full. Just then, Kakuzu realized why he had been in pain. Flashes of purple covered the boy's hips and his right wrist which he hadn't yet examined.
Kakuzu's heart sank. Those bruises were fresh. He had been way too rough with him. "Oh my god, Hidan, I'm-"
"Shh." Hidan interrupted. The silver-haired man walked towards Kakuzu's full-length mirror, examining himself. Kakuzu's heart was pounding in his chest as he frantically tried to think up a good apology. Then, Kakuzu heard a strangle chuckle from Hidan. "It's okay, Kuzu. I like it. I like pain. These bruises are proof that you gave me a real good fuckin' time."
Hidan leaned down, grabbing and putting on his underwear and jeans. The purple marring on his hips were visible over the low-cut rise, which he continued to marvel at in the mirror. Satisfied, Hidan took a seat at the edge of the bed.
Hidan spoke up first. "I haven't been completely honest with you, Kakuzu." He said slowly. Kakuzu listened, noticing the drop of his new nickname in Hidan's serious tone. "I want...to show you something." Hidan said, turning to face him. "This is just between us, okay? I don't need you blabbing about it to other people. Even Dei doesn't know about this."
Kakuzu understood the gravity of the situation and nodded. "Just between us, then."
Hidan looked at him for a long moment, then reached into the back pocket of his jeans. He pulled out his wallet. Unfolding it, he reached in and grabbed something out of the billfold. It was a small white paper label with some screen-printing, and a clear pocket on the back. Hidan quickly peeled it open, and a small encapsulated needle with a sea-foam colored handle fell out. He popped off the cover, tossing it aside with the wrapper it came out of.
It was a sterile hypodermic needle. Kakuzu watched him curiously, afraid to interrupt whatever this was.
Hidan lowered the needle to his left arm, rotating it so that the bevel faced up. A few inches below his Jashin scar, he leveled the needle with his skin. He did not pause during the ritual, pressing the tip of the needle into his flesh. He pushed through, and Kakuzu watched with fascination as his pale skin resisted the tip of the needle's exit, but eventually gave way. The insertion was complete. It was just a subcutaneous puncture, hovering right on the skin's surface. It only took a few seconds from start to finish.
Kakuzu had been so engrossed in the strange ritual, that he was surprised upon looking up to see Hidan's face flushed. Hidan set his hand on the bed beside him, avoiding eye contact.
"It's called play piercing, or needle play." He blurted. "As I said before, I like the pain, so there's no reason you have to worry about roughing me up too much. This is just...something that I'm into."
Hidan brought his arm forward again, reaching up to pull the needle out. But instead of pulling it out, he twisted it, wincing as the skin fought the twisting metal. After one more twist, he pulled it out, popping the needle back into its plastic sheath. Blood quickly beaded where the needle had left, and Hidan hopped up, looking around.
Kakuzu took the cue, reaching over and grabbing a tissue, handing it to him.
"Thanks," he said, quickly covering the tiny injury. Only a moment later, he removed the tissue, keeping his arm up and visible. After a short minute, two medium-sized purple dots grew around the needle site. "I normally don't twist needles since it causes bruising," Hidan explained. Kakuzu continued watching quietly.
And then it all clicked.
That's what that was. The trail of bruises down Hidan's arms a week ago had been from this weird fetish of Hidan's, not some person that had grabbed him. It all made sense. Hidan had been so defensive about explaining the bruises and they had beaten the shit out of each other for no reason other than Kakuzu being way too nosy.
Kakuzu's only instinct was to walk forward on the bed, and wrap his arms around the smaller man.
"It doesn't...gross you out?" Hidan chirped.
Kakuzu leaned back, looking into those violet eyes. "Well...it'll take some getting used to, sure. But if it's what you like doing, then I won't stop you." He paused for a moment. "Also, I'm sorry."
Hidan looked confused. "For what?"
"For picking a fight with you. You were just trying to cover up the fact that you were into playing around with needles." Kakuzu said.
At hearing that, Hidan's shoulders visibly relaxed. He looked so relieved, and smiled at him. "Thanks, Kuzu." Hidan looked at his arm, thoughtful. "Oh! Right. No more secrets, right?" Hidan asked.
"Uhh...yeah, sure." Kakuzu responded.
"Sooo...I kinda post this stuff online. I have a pretty big following." Hidan said, a big grin on his face.
"You what?" Kakuzu blanched. "Do you have an OnlyFans or something?"
"No! No. It's not porn, haha." Hidan responded, laughing sheepishly. "It's my crowdfunding account. I just blog about photos of the needle play that I do each week, and write educational articles. There's a pretty big community for it, and I've been to a few public events, too." Hidan spoke confidently. Kakuzu looked unconvinced. "Hey, I'm not taking dick pics, okay? It's all PG stuff. Minus the blood." Hidan argued.
Kakuzu stared blankly at him. "So...how much do you make from your crowdfunding, then?"
At this, Hidan spread out onto the bed, throwing his arms behind his head casually, a smirk still on his face. "You've been to my apartment, haven't you? I pay for everything myself, you do the numbers. Well, I do have a part-time job on top of that, but yeah."
Kakuzu's head whirled, crunching the numbers in his head. It had to be at least a few thousand dollars every month. Suddenly, Hidan's little kink didn't seem so little.
"Holy shit..." He managed.
Hidan smiled a toothy grin.
Kakuzu looked over at Hidan, admiring the smooth skin on his bare chest. He crawled over to him, leaning against him. "Fine, I'll keep your little secret. But only on one condition." He said.
Hidan looked up, a frown on his face. "What?"
"You have to go out with me." Kakuzu responded.
Hidan quickly leaned up, bringing his face inches from Kakuzu's. Kakuzu's heart was pounding in his chest.
"Hell yes."
A few days had passed since he'd starting going out with Kakuzu, and Hidan was getting antsy trying to keep it a secret. Dei had been blowing his phone up as per usual, and the blonde was convinced that he and the miser were still fighting over who knows what. Himself, he'd been texting Kakuzu much more regularly now, excited for the upcoming party.
Tonight was the night. It was the monthly get-together at Pain's house, and Hidan was invited again. Now he just had to think of a way to break the news to everyone.
He grinned. He was a little shit when he was younger, always pranking people along with his sister. He wanted to make this a fun experience, but how? If anything, he couldn't wait to see the shocked expression on Deidara's face. The more he thought about it, the more he didn't know how to spin it. So eventually, he gave up, deciding to just let the night play out.
Hidan was finishing up in the bathroom, dabbing on some cologne, hair gel, and checking himself over. The various bruises on his body—right wrist, hips, eye, even his forearm—had all faded into the same smooth color as his skin. Good.
The horn from Sasori's truck blared outside, and Hidan hopped up. He grabbed the six-pack of beer from the fridge, this time just light beer. Two months ago he had gotten totally shit-faced, and although it was fun, he didn't want such a bad hangover this time around.
He climbed into the bed of the truck, and heard the cabin window open with a clack. Already, the blonde and redhead were arguing about something. It was always something with these two.
"...wouldn't have broken my mechanical pencil if it weren't for his fatass sitting on my stuff, hmm!" Deidara shouted.
"Yeah, well you shouldn't have left your pencase in someone's seat. Hey Hidan." Sasori called from the driver's seat. "You ready to go?"
"Yup." He responded.
Deidara whipped around. "Hey! I haven't seen you in like a week." Deidara called, already forgetting whatever it was that he was complaining about. "Have you seen the latest episode of Bridezilla yet?"
Hidan laughed. "It's been like, three days, Dei. And yeah, I watched it last night. Bitch was a nightmare."
Sasori laughed. "Don't tell me that you get inspiration for your own wedding from those shows, babe."
Deidara puffed up. "Of course not! You would know how bat-shit crazy those women are if you ever sat down and watched an episode with me."
"Yeah," Hidan chimed in. "I've seen mother-in-laws show up to the wedding wearing their old wedding dress just to piss off the bride."
"Y'all can keep your girly reality tv shows to yourself, thanks." Sasori laughed.
"Aww, do reality tv shows make little Sasori-chan feel like hiding in the closet?" Hidan mocked.
SLAM. Hidan's forehead hit the back of the truck's window with a loud thunk.
"Whoops. Brake check." Laughed the redhead.
"Owww...cocksucker." Complained Hidan from the back.
Deidara laughed, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Speaking of the closet, when they hell are you ever gonna get a boyfriend, Hidan?"
Hidan looked up, rubbing his sore forehead. He gave the blonde the usual answer he'd given him ever since he met him over a year ago. "Hell if I know."
They pulled up to Pain's house-err, mini-mansion, ten minutes later. Kisame greeted them at the open front door, his two sharp incisors visible in his huge smile. He fist-bumped Sasori and slapped Deidara and himself on the back welcomingly. "GUYS! Guess what we're doing tonight. Jello SHOTS!" He bounded back inside the house, jogging around to the kitchen. Music was already bumping through the open door, and Hidan could feel excitement as he crossed the doorstep.
The guys kicked off their shoes into a growing pile and headed to the large kitchen. On the huge kitchen island were rows upon rows of jello shots, all neatly placed in plastic ramekins.
"The blue ones are tequila, red ones are rum, and the orange ones are vodka." Konan spoke up. She was leaning against the counter, a Dr. Pepper in her hand. Her party wear wasn't any different from her usual wear—a black crop top paired with tights with mesh cutouts. Her black belly button ring and microdermals glinted in the light.
Pain walked in, brushing his hand over her inked hip before settling beside her. "Thanks for making all these, babe." He said, kissing her forehead.
"Now that everyone's here, can we dig in already?" Kisame butted in.
Konan smiled. "Go ahead."
Hidan and his ride-alongs, along with Pain and Kisame reached forward, grabbing different colors. "Cheers!" They shouted, all shooting the jello as well as you can shoot a slimy half-solid. Deidara coughed a bit, squeezing an eye shut.
"Geez, Konan, how much tequila did you put in those?" He asked. Konan shrugged, glancing over at the empty liquor bottles sitting on the counter.
"Greeeaat..." Deidara trailed. Sasori gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
Dei wasn't wrong, though. The jello hid the liquor well, but it was there, alright. "Kisame, you down for another?" Hidan called out with a smile.
Kisame returned the smile, grabbing another one eagerly.
"Okay you boys, just make sure all of these are gone before you leave tonight. I don't want any leftovers." Konan said.
"Yes, ma'am!" Kisame cheered.
Deidara looked puzzled. "Why don't you have one, Konan? You went through all the work of making them." He asked.
Konan shrugged. "Not interested." And with that, she walked off.
Just then, the doorbell chimed. Hidan stiffened, wondering if it was Kakuzu. He hadn't thought this far ahead. Kisame glanced down at his phone and hurried off. Curious, Hidan followed the blue shark-like man around the corner.
Kisame was standing in the hallway, ushering in a girl he had never seen before. She had a graceful stride, short but with a very lean frame. Long black hair fell upon her shoulder, tied into a low pony-tail. She wore a thin gray v-neck with black skinny jeans and vans. Onyx eyes met Hidan's violet ones as she felt him staring at her. Characteristic lines fell on her pretty face, just below her eyes. She stood there in the hallway, not returning Kisame's nervous smile.
Kisame offered a hand to her and she took it gingerly. They walked forwards, meeting Hidan in the hallway.
"This is Itachi, my girlfriend. We started seeing each other a few weeks ago." Kisame introduced, his light blue face a shade darker than normal.
Itachi just offered a nod towards Hidan. "Nice to meet cha." He responded.
He moved out of the couple's way, allowing Kisame to introduce the new girl to everyone else. He watched from behind in fascination. Kisame kept a protective arm around her lithe waist, and Hidan chuckled a bit, seeing how tiny she looked next to the beast of a guy.
Eventually the crowd in the kitchen shuffled out to the living room. There he was. Kakuzu was on a sofa in the corner, chatting with Madara. Zetsu and Nagato were talking to each other out of earshot, a collection of empty shot ramekins sitting on the coffee table in front of them already.
Kakuzu looked up, immediately noticing him. Hidan winked, putting a finger over his lips. He wanted to see how long he could keep this little secret going.
Deidara and Sasori nestled into a couch, with Hidan close by. "Uhhh...this is awkward." Deidara said. "Kakuzu is right over there, hmm." He whispered over-dramatically.
Hidan glanced at Kakuzu as if for the first time this night. "Oh, yeah? So what."
Deidara stared at him. "You still haven't told me why you guys got into a fight. Y'all were all buddy-buddy, and now look at you."
Sasori got up, seemingly uninterested. He motioned towards Kisame and the shark came over, Itachi trailing behind him. "Hey babe, we're gonna go light up a joint. You keep Itachi company, okay?" Sasori asked Deidara.
Deidara huffed. "Okay..." he trailed.
Hidan looked up at the ravenette. "You can come sit by me. Don't worry, I don't bite. Unless your name is Deidara."
"Hey!" Deidara called.
Itachi took a seat, bringing her knees up to her chest. Deidara and Hidan, ever so gracious, started pummeling her with questions.
"How old are you?" "What college do you go to?" "How did you grow your hair so long (hmm)?" "Is his dick blue, too?"
Itachi's neutral expression broke into a soft smile. "I'm 21, finishing up my senior year at a nearby college. I don't do anything particular with my hair, I usually just forget to get it trimmed. And no comment." She spoke.
Hidan and Deidara continued to converse with her, drilling her about how and when she had met Kisame. The whole while, Hidan noticed out of the corner of his eye that Madara was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room, glaring daggers at them. What the fuck was his deal?
"Have you had a jello shot yet?" Deidara offered.
"Um, no, not yet." Itachi responded. With that, the men rose to their feet, Itachi hopping up after them. They paraded back to the kitchen, but the jello shots had all been moved to the counter. Instead, Konan was sitting on the kitchen island, a slurring Pain in her arms.
"Come oooonn, babe!" Pain pleaded.
Konan laughed. "Okay, okay, fine." She looked over at Deidara and Hidan. "Y'all want to do body shots with us?" She asked.
Deidara's face visibly reddened at the question, but a huge grin plastered on Hidan's face. This. Was. Perfect. "I'm down."
The back door creaked and Sasori and Kisame trailed in, reeking of weed. Deidara ran over to his danna. "Konan and Hidan are doing body shots."
A silly grin lit up Sasori's face. "Oh hell yeah. Let me do one on you too, babe."
Deidara shifted uncomfortably. "Fiiiine." He said.
Konan started, laying back on the large kitchen island. She giggled as Pain sprinkled salt along the inseam of her tummy, pouring a shot of tequila on her belly button. He quickly dug into the salt, licking down her stomach slowly and sucking out the shot. The bitterness of the liquor made his face twist, and he popped a lime in his mouth and bit down.
"Aight Dei, you're next." Hidan chirped.
"Wow, thanks for the volunteer." Deidara said sarcastically.
Deidara swapped places with Konan, opting to take his shirt completely off. Kisame whooped and clapped while Sasori wolf-whistled, and Hidan heard a small giggle from Itachi behind him. Deidara repeated the motions, laying back and allowing Sasori to sprinkle salt along his stomach. He poured tequila and Deidara shivered at the liquid. The redhead went to work, licking up the salt. He slurped out the tequila, gulping. He grabbed a lime from Kisame, nibbling on it before leaning down to give Deidara a peck on the lips.
While they were distracted, Hidan stepped back into the hallway, whistling to get Kakuzu's attention. The tan man interrupted his conversation with Madara, getting up quickly to see what all the yelling in the kitchen was about. Instead of explaining, Hidan crept back into the kitchen.
He walked up to the island. Deidara was still laying there, slurping down a jello shot for himself. "Scootch." Hidan demanded.
Deidara looked up, puzzled. But he listened, hopping off and stepping back.
It was time. A stupid grin on his face, Hidan pulled his shirt off, doing his best to flex his muscles as he did. He laid down on the warm counter, playfully moving his finger in a "come here" motion towards his lover. The crowd was silent this time as Kakuzu walked forward, his face not betraying any sort of emotion. Kakuzu sprinkled salt on Hidan's skin and poured the tequila. Hidan shivered with excitement.
Everyone seemed to lean in quietly as Kakuzu's mouth leaned down, and once the tongue had touched his skin whoops and hollers went around the crowd. Deidara roared "WHHAAATT?!" as Hidan started laughing, and Kakuzu greedily drank the liquid before it ran down his sides. Hidan popped the lime wedge in his mouth and Kakuzu leaned up to take it from his mouth, following it with a boozy kiss.
Sasori and Kisame were yelling and shaking each other by the shirt collars as if watching a football team scoring a touchdown, Deidara was screaming questions to himself, Konan and Pain stood dumbfounded, and Itachi was just watching everything unfold curiously.
Hidan hopped down from the counter, wheezing with laughter. "Oh my god, Dei, your face...I can't..." he bawled.
Deidara was still shirtless and walked forward, pushing Hidan's shoulder. "You big fucking tease! How long have you been hiding this from me?" He cried. Hidan laughed, pushing him back. "Only a few days. Do you know how fucking hard it is to keep a secret from you? Hahah!"
"Wow! Okay." Konan butt in. "So two new couples in the same night? Let's celebrate then." Everyone agreed, most hands reaching for another jello shot.
Pain gripped Konan's hip with a shot raised in the air. Deidara locked fingers with Sasori, and Kisame walked over to set his head on Itachi's shoulder. Kakuzu and Hidan interlocked their arms before throwing them back.
"Cheers!"
A/N: This website censors the word, so I just use "crowdfunding," but I mean that particular website that starts with a P, lol.