A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all of the support so far c: Are y'all listening to the chapter songs? You better be! :)
Chapter song: All Your Exes by Julia Michaels (hidan pov)
Propped out front of Red Dawn, Hidan puffed on a cigarette. Hinata was by his side, chatting about some new tattoo idea that she had. She was wearing her usual attire, black clothes and a colorful mini-backpack. Hidan appreciated her aesthetic, a sort of pastel-punk look.
Dei had introduced the girl to him a few weeks back, saying that she was an art school alum and could help him out with his blog via her photography. Most of the time, Hidan used a simple camera for his blog. Although it usually worked out well for him, he couldn't always get a good angle or the shot right. Hidan had quickly proposed the idea to Hinata, and she was more than eager to help him out, despite the odd subject for photography.
His only concern with the arrangement was the play piercing itself...the actual act was something very private to Hidan. Even with his clothes on, sticking himself made him feel naked and vulnerable. Obviously, it riled him up and he wasn't really into being an exhibitionist. He described it to her previously as "do you shoot the artist painting or the painting itself?" It seemed to click in the young woman's mind and she then agreed to have photography sessions following his private piercing sessions.
Hidan had been so busy with Kakuzu lately that he hadn't had too much time for his blog. But Hinata and himself had done two photo sessions so far, and Hidan was hugely impressed with the knowledge that she brought to the table. Lighting, angles, exposure, she knew it all. It made Hidan excited to think about how much his following would grow with the sudden boost in professionalism in the work he put out.
Despite the purple-haired girl being a good number of years older than Hidan, they hit it off pretty well. They were always chatting about which tattoo Hinata should get next, or what band was in town next. Which reminded him that Hinata lived out-of-town, in a neighboring city. She lived in the same city as Hidan's sister, Hanako. He wondered if the two girls knew each other.
He finished his cigarette, stomping it out on the ground.
"Let's go inside, looks like Kakuzu's already here." He said to Hinata. She nodded and followed him through the door, the bell chiming his arrival as always.
Konan looked up from her desk. "Ah, our resident photographer and...Hidan." She said.
"Heyyy, what's that supposed to mean?" Hidan barked.
"Nothing, but you always seem to be here lately." Konan laughed. "Don't you have a job or something? Or should I call you our resident cheerleader?" She teased.
"Ooo yeah!" Hinata said. "Let's get you some pom-poms from the back."
Hidan rolled his purple eyes. "Yeah, fuck that."
"I'm just kidding." Konan said. "Stay as long as you like, but Kakuzu's with a client right now."
"Thanks Konan!" Hinata said, dragging Hidan along to where Kakuzu's work area was. Just like Konan had said, he was working on a customer. Hidan had visited the shop a lot, but usually the tattoo artist didn't have any appointments this early. This was the first time he had actually seen the stitched man working, Hidan recalled. He was wearing a tight black tee today, his hair tied back in the usual messy bun. He was crouched over a man's back, a tattoo machine buzzing in his black-latex wrapped hands. Hidan crept a bit closer, wanting to watch closely. Curiously, Hinata poked her head out from behind him.
"Go away." Kakuzu demanded coldly.
"What? Why?" Hidan asked. He just walked through the door. What was the big deal?
"I'm working. Piss off." Kakuzu said, his head still down as he worked.
Hidan furrowed his brows in anger but turned away.
"Come on Hinata, let's find Kisame."
"Okay..." She said, a bit of disappointment in her voice.
They walked over to Kisame's area, but it didn't look like he was in just yet. Hidan settled for plopping down in a chair and making himself comfortable.
It had been a few months now since Hidan had met the older, tan-skinned man. A few weeks since they had started dating, too. But it was always hot and cold with the guy, one minute he's trying to get him in bed and the next he tells him to fuck off. Not unusual but it still ticked Hidan off.
"Is he always like that?" Hinata asked tentatively.
Hidan shrugged. "Guess he doesn't like being bothered while he's working."
The door bell chimed and Hidan looked over to see a familiar blue face.
"Hey guys, what's goin' on?" Kisame called in a friendly tone.
"Nothing." Hidan said. "Kakuzu's with a client so we're just hanging out over here."
"Ah, he tell you to go away? I've gotten that treatment before." Kisame said with a smile.
"Yeah, he seems super scary." Hinata spoke up.
"Nah, he's not that bad." Kisame said. "He just wants to focus on work, is all."
Hidan thought for a moment, looking at his friend Kisame. He remembered his previous conversation with Kakuzu, about how he'd came to work for Red Dawn. "Kisame, you've known Kakuzu for a while, right? Like, before he came here?"
"Huh? Yeah, we've known each other for years." Kisame responded.
"What was Kakuzu like before he came here?" Hidan asked curiously.
The conversation paused as Kisame thought for a while. "Same as ever, I guess. Before this, he worked day and night out of his sketchbook, working outside the shop as an intern under Pain for a while as an apprentice. We knew each other from high school and both ended up here somehow. Ever since he got his gig here, he seems to put all that energy into going to the gym instead."
Hidan mulled over the new information. "Makes sense." He said simply.
They continued chatting for a while before Kisame got to work, and Hinata and himself decided to head out.
A few hours later, his phone pinged a text message.
From Kuzu: you wanna go shoot some pool with me and the guys later?
Yeah, sounds good. Hidan texted back.
Seated around the booth was himself, Kakuzu to his right, and Kisame and Pain across the table. Beer and wings were scattered about the table. Kuzu had dropped his mask once he left work, and his bun was now changed to a more casual low-pony.
"So, where are the ladies at?" Kakuzu asked to the two men sitting across from him.
Pain and Kisame looked at each other. "Konan's not feeling too hot, said she didn't wanna go out." Pain responded.
"Itachi said she had some training stuff to do with her dad already planned out." Kisame said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Training stuff?" Hidan questioned, taking a sip of his beer.
"Yeah, her dad is the head of the police department. She's expected to follow in his footsteps or whatever so she's always busy." Kisame said, looking into his drink.
"Damn." Pain said. "Talk about a lot of responsibility."
"Yeah..." Kisame trailed, looking a little downcast.
"So how'd you snag a girl like that, anyway?" Kakuzu asked his best friend.
A smile lit up on the blue-skinned man's face. "It's a funny story, actually. I was at the grocery store with my arms full of groceries since I didn't want to grab a cart. And you know, you always get more than you came for. Anyway, I was walking around with my arms full of shit and I walked right into her cart, knocking the entire thing over and dropped all my groceries."
Kakuzu and Hidan laughed, it being all too easy to imagine.
"So I have to scramble to help her pick everything up, and well...she just seemed really nice. So I asked for her number and things went from there." He finished.
"Ever the gentleman." Pain said with a smile.
They continued chatting, drinking, and laughing and after a while, moved on to the pool tables. Kakuzu and Hidan took one table while Pain and Kisame took the other. Hidan was actually pretty excited to play, he couldn't remember the last time he had shot pool with some friends.
"Wanna break?" Kakuzu offered.
"Yeah!" Hidan responded. Walking over the table, he brought up the rack and set all the balls in order. Once they were shifted into place, he paced around the table, picking a heavier cue stick from the rack. He set his stick on his hand and shifted his weight back and forth, testing his balance.
"Any day now." Kakuzu teased.
Hidan continued focusing on the cue ball in front of his stick. After a few more shifts of his weight, he shot the cue ball forward and it broke the triangle of balls with a satisfying clack. His eyes darted around, watching the balls bounce and clatter. A blue ball fell into a pocket and he walked over to examine it.
"I'm solids." He called with a smile.
"Good job." Kakuzu called back. "Go again."
They continued playing, pretty much even on the score the entire game. As Hidan played, he could hear Kisame groaning behind him. After only a few balls had been scored on their table, Kisame and Pain walked over to them.
"Done already?" Kakuzu asked.
Kisame was slumped in defeat. "This guy's a demon." He whined.
Pain walked to the counter by the pool tables, proudly sipping on his beer. "Not my fault you suck." He said.
"Yeah, yeah." Kisame called back to him.
"Uhh...it was your turn." Kakuzu said, turning his attention back to his own game.
Hidan looked over. He was one ball behind, a few solids still on the table. He leaned over to aim at the green six ball, but then quickly changed his strategy. "Can you guys shoot behind your back?" He called to the crowd watching him, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Whaaat? No, of course not." Kisame said.
"I dunno man, let's see you do it." Pain demanded.
Hidan grinned. Flipping his stick so that it was behind his back, he leaned backwards over the table. Kakuzu laughed quietly and Pain shouted "farther!" Hidan obliged, leaning back as far as he could. Kisame wolf-whistled and Hidan could barely keep his balance with the laughter he felt creeping up on him. He finally took the shot, and missed the pocket completely. In fact, the ball kept going and hit the eight ball, knocking it into a pocket.
"Booo!" Kisame shouted. Hidan got up, stumbling dramatically over to Kakuzu.
"I lost..." Hidan said.
"Yeah." Kakuzu said with a smile. "Gee, thanks for the win." Hidan leaned close to his boyfriend, but Kakuzu didn't offer more than a friendly nudge back in response.
With this, they made their way back to their booth, ordering up some more drinks and food. A good while passed as they drank and chatted, until someone walked up to their table.
Hidan was cracking a joke to Kisame but noticed when Kakuzu stiffened next to his side. He looked up immediately.
"Oh shit." Kisame mumbled under his breath, averting his eyes to his drink.
Standing in front of their table was a blonde woman with long hair tied into a low pony. The hair fell all the way to her slim waist, and blonde strands hung just in front of her pretty face. Thin, even eyebrows framed eyes that were dark black. Not warm onyx like Itachi's, but cold, dark black. She had a decent body, with well-rounded hips. Not that Hidan was particularly interested in women, but he could recognize good genes when he saw them.
The only thing that didn't click about this woman was how quiet the table became as soon as she walked up.
"Kakuzu, there you are. We need to talk." She demanded, placing a hand on her supple hip.
"Can't you see that I'm...busy right now?" He replied, his voice a little shaky. "Go away, Yugito." Kakuzu stared into his drink, not lifting his eyes to meet her face.
Hidan paled. This...this was Yugito. Standing in front of Hidan right now, was Yugito.
She made a tch sound and glared at Kakuzu. When he didn't respond, she slammed her hand down on the table, making everyone, including Kakuzu, look straight at her. "No, we have some unfinished business. Make yourself available." She said.
Hidan could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. After seeing Kakuzu's tattoo the other night, and hearing all that stuff from Dei...he couldn't think straight. His palms felt sweaty, and he looked at his lap, not sure what to do, or say. His buzz was turning into nausea.
To his left, Kakuzu shifted uncomfortably, and the whole table was uneasy. Nobody said a word. What was he supposed to do? His brain was spinning, Yugito was right here in front of him.
The words came to him before he could even register them.
"Sorry, honey," Hidan said mockingly. "But he's not available." Jesus christ, could that have sounded any gayer?
The silence broke with a snort of laughter from Pain.
Well, no turning back now. The entire table was staring at him. Deep black eyes burned into him from where Yugito stood. He met her glare with blazing violet eyes. Grabbing Kakuzu's shirt, he pushed him back into the booth seat and hopped up backwards into his lap. Hidan wrapped his arm around the larger man's shoulders, never breaking eye contact with her. Kakuzu wrapped his arm around his waist to hold him steady, but obviously it got the message across.
"See?"
The blonde stepped back, a look of confusion crossing her face. "You're joking." She said disbelievingly.
Kakuzu was still quiet, and Hidan could see that his eyes were still downcast. The larger man had always been a tad shy, sure, but never like this. Withdrawn, almost scared, even. The look on his lover's face made Hidan seethe and he faced his new enemy, putting on a big smile on for her.
"Nope. Not joking." He responded.
Yugito was tensing up, balling her hands into fists. She was clearly pissed off. "Yeah, right. My Kakuzu's not a fucking queer. Prove that this isn't some stupid stunt."
Hidan ignored the slur, doing his best to keep a smile on his face. Think. Think. Kakuzu probably wouldn't respond well right now if he tried to kiss him. How else could he...?
Brightening, he thought of an idea. He lifted his free hand, pulling at his soft shirt collar to expose his shoulder. There were a few bruises and clear bite marks there from the night before.
Her expression turned horrified and Kisame slapped the table, unable to stop from laughing.
Finally, Kakuzu brought his gaze up and stared at his ex-girlfriend. Hidan let go of his shirt, waiting for his boyfriend to say something.
"Tell me that is all some sick joke, Kaku-chan." Yugito pleaded. Ew. Hidan cringed at the nickname.
The stitched man drew in a large breathe and let it out slowly. "It's not. This is Hidan, my boyfriend." Kakuzu laid his head on Hidan's raised chest, Hidan still firmly held in his lap. "Please, Yugito, just leave me alone already." He said, a sad note in his voice.
At the sound of his voice, she stepped back. Without a word, she turned away and left.
The table was quiet for a moment.
"Holy shit." Pain said, eyes wide.
"Yeah, I'm with Pain. Holy-fuckin-shit." Kisame agreed with a surprised smile.
Hidan scooted off of his boyfriend, relieved that the bitch had finally left. He had a sinking feeling that she would be back, though. Glancing back at Kakuzu, he was downcast again, this time staring at the rubber band on his wrist.
Puzzle pieces clicked in Hidan's head. That rubber band meant something to Kuzu. Something related to Yugito, probably.
"Bro, lemme see those hickeys again." Kisame said, slurring a bit.
Hidan snorted a laugh. Pulling the collar of his shirt, Pain and Kisame leaned in to get a closer look.
"Sheeesh." Pain said, a stupid grin on his face. His face was reddened, probably from too much beer. "Damn, Kakuzu, you really rough him up, huh?"
Breaking out of his trance, Kakuzu looked up to see his friends all looking at him. Taking a long swig of his neglected drink, he looked over at Hidan. "Yeah, sometimes." He said. A small smile crept on his face. "But only when he begs for it."
The guys started howling with laughter and Hidan blushed, pushing Kakuzu playfully. "Dude, stop, you're embarrassing me!"
The rest of the night went on in a better mood, laughter and drinks surrounding their table. Hidan noticed Kakuzu sitting closer than before. The larger man settled in, enjoying the conversations and giving Hidan comforting squeezes on the thigh from time to time.
Eventually, the fun ended and Hidan was in Kakuzu's car, on his way home.
"So...you wanna tell me about her?" Hidan asked cautiously.
Even in the moonlight, Hidan could see Kakuzu tense at the question. After a moment, he relaxed.
"Uhhh...yeah. Yugito's my ex, we broke up a few months before I met you." Kakuzu responded, keeping his eyes focused on the road.
"How long did you guys date?" Hidan asked.
"A year and four and a half months." He responded. Strangely accurate, but okay, whatever.
The Jashinist stared out the car window at nothing in particular. "I heard you guys had a pretty nasty breakup. Does she still harass you?"
Kakuzu was quiet for a moment. "No. I blocked her number ages ago. She'll sometimes find me when I go out to the bar though."
"What, like she hunts you down or something?" Hidan asked, a little shocked.
"Uh, yeah. Even after all this time, she probably still thinks that we can still get back together. Changing my apartment lock, phone number, and blocking all of her social media can only do so much for someone as determined as she is."
Hidan sank back into his seat. Yugito was a bigger threat than he expected.
"Ah, I gotcha. Sorry for prying."
Kakuzu looked over with a small smile on his face. "Don't worry about it."
Even with his boyfriend's comforting words, Hidan did worry about it. The larger man was completely shut down when Yugito was there, and that rubber band obviously meant something to him. Plus, he had a tattoo of her that he hadn't bothered getting covered up even though they had broken up practically half a year ago. Closing his eyes, Hidan vowed to himself that he would help Kuzu work through the emotional suffering that the bitch was causing him. If he saw her again...well, he would have a nice little chat with her, too.