Chapter song: Love is Weird by Julia Michaels (Kakuzu pov)

It was late afternoon at Red Dawn, and Hidan was there killing some time, as per usual. His double was headphones-on, sketching and ignoring the conversations around him.

"I dunno man, how hard can it be to take care of fish?" He asked Kisame.

"You'd be surprised. I have to check the salinity daily, change the water out weekly, feed them regularly, yada yada." The blue-skinned man responded. "It's totally worth it, though. I love seeing the ecosystem in the tank change as time goes on, I just added a coral shrimp last week."

"A shrimp?" Hidan asked, eyebrow raised. "What about names, do you name every single thing that goes in there?"

"Yeah! I named the shrimp Taco."

Hidan snorted a laugh. "Taco, that's just perfect."

"Well, do you have any pets Hidan?"

"Yeah!" Hidan responded. "My sis owns a reptile shop that I help her run. She gave me a ball python years ago." He grabbed his phone to open up a picture. It showed the large python wrapped around his neck, black and white scales dotted along its length.

Kisame peered over but frowned. "Yeah, no thanks. I hate snakes."

"Nahhh, she's a beaut! She's gotten super fat over the last year. Recently she upgraded to eating medium-sized rats."

The Red Dawn employee blanched. "Gross, dude. I could never."

"At least she's way less maintenance than your tank. I just feed her and change the water like, once a week. Most of the time I forget she's even in my apartment."

"Yeesh, I could never forget that a snake that fucking huge is living in my apartment." Kisame shuddered dramatically. "Anyways, I'm gonna get back to work." He said in a friendly tone.

"Cool, no problem."

Kisame turned back to his laptop, ticking though his email inbox.

Hidan laughed to himself, thinking about Kisame's reaction to his snake Skelly. Thinking for a moment, he realized that Kakuzu had never really been over to his apartment. They'd been dating for what? A few months now, and the couple always ended up at Kakuzu's apartment. He'd have to invite Kuzu over sometime so that he could meet Skelly.

Looking over, he noticed Kakuzu staring at his sketchbook. The tanned-skin man was still, as if he was deep in thought. He reached over to his backpack, and Hidan was curious to see a white pill emerge in Kakuzu's hand. He threw it back and gulped some water down, quickly setting his pencil back to work.

What was that about? He didn't remember Kakuzu having a prescription for anything.

The door bell chimed and Hidan looked over to see Hinata bouncing through the front door. She chatted with Konan for a moment before walking over.

"Hey, Hidan." She greeted with a smile.

"Hey, girlie. What's up."

"Oh, you know. Just popping in to say hi." She responded.

They chatted for a while, and after some time Deidara crept over, noticing Hinata's appearance. He had come in with Sasori after their art classes had ended already.

"Hey, Dei." He called. "What's goin on?"

A smile appeared on the artist's face. "I finally convinced Sasori danna to give me a tattoo, hmm. He's been working on clients for a few weeks now and said he's willing to do one for me."

"Sick, dude. What tattoo are you gonna get?" Hidan asked his best friend.

"Do you remember that clay dragon I turned in as my final last year? I'm gonna get that on my left hip."

"Oh damn, that'll be pretty big, then?"

"Hell yeah. It's gonna be awesome." Deidara responded with a smile. "I asked him to add some explosions around it, but he said no, haha."

"Explosions would be badass but Sasori is probably right." He agreed.

In the corner of his vision, he noticed Kakuzu get up to go to the restroom. As soon as he was out of sight, Hidan sat his happy ass in his chair.

"Wahhh...Kakuzu's gonna be mad..." Hinata warned.

Hidan shrugged. "He's been sitting in this chair ignoring me all day. He can deal with a little break."

A moment later, Deidara saw him first. "Oohh, better watch out, hmm." He teased.

The masked man walked up, glaring straight into Hidan. "I'm working, move." He demanded.

Hidan leaned back in the chair, pulling his arms over his head casually. "Make me."

The larger man sighed, but didn't waste another moment. He leaned forward, pulling Hidan up by his armpits.

"Oww!"

Despite his own weight, Kakuzu didn't seem to have any trouble lifting him up. In fact, he pulled him up so fast, his weight shifted backwards until he was being carried in his boyfriend's arms. He looked up, a blush on his face.

"Heyy! Put me down!"

"If you say so." Kakuzu walked over to a nearby couch, flipping him onto it. The twist knocked his head into the cushion, making him dizzy.

"Oww! Cocksucker!"

Kakuzu didn't retort, instead just settling back in front of his desk and turning to his work. Hinata and Deidara were laughing at him. "What'd you expect, hmm?" Deidara asked.

Hmmph. Hidan was laying on the old couch, shifting around to get comfortable. Being knocked into it had rustled him so much that his pendant had fallen loose from his shirt.

Deidara was scrolling through his phone when Hinata bolted upright from her chair.

"I...uhh...I gotta go." She stammered.

"What's wrong?" Dei asked.

She glanced back at Hidan, staring at him without breaking eye contact. He met her gaze, confused.

Without answering, she turned tail and left the shop, not even saying bye to Konan as she swept through the front door.

"Well that was weird, hmm." Deidara spoke.

"Yeah, what the fuck was her deal?"

The week had passed along without any problems, and Hidan had asked to go out tonight. Kakuzu had no issue with it, and was on his way to pick him up.

Pulling up to the nice apartment complex, he parked and texted Hidan. Soon enough, the silver-haired Jashinist stepped out and climbed into his car.

He looked better tonight than most nights, he noticed. Fall had settled into the area and the cool winds brought back jackets and jeans. Hidan was sporting black skinny jeans and a leather bomber jacket. His cologne crept into his nostrils, musky sandalwood and cedar scents. He personally never bothered with the stuff because of its hilarious price tag, but he couldn't help but appreciate it every time he saw his man. The cologne was comforting and made him feel at ease.

Hopping in, Hidan leaned over. Kakuzu obliged him with a quick kiss. "Where to?"

Leaning back, Hidan thought for a moment. "Is it cool if we go outta town? There's a bar I have in mind that's just twenty minutes from here."

"Sure."

The ride was short, and soon enough they had arrived. Kakuzu was thankful in the back of his mind that Hidan had wanted to go here, so there was absolutely no way Yugito would ruin his night once again.

It had been months since he had seen his ex, and that encounter a week ago had left him feeling weak and confused. She always had a way of creeping into his thoughts, and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of her.

Yet, here he was, always snapping the rubber band around his wrist every time he thought of her. As if that was some easy cop-out to making her disappear from his head as easily as she had disappeared from his life up until recently. He was so busy with Hidan that he didn't think of her much, but every now and again, he felt a pang of regret, thinking about how broken up she had been when he broke up with her so many months ago. The tears, the threats, the yelling...

"Kuzu, helloooo?" Hidan interrupted his thoughts. He blinked, looking over at his boyfriend.

"Sorry...let's go." They climbed out, walking into the bar. They were seated at a high-top and the waitress was already off to grab their drinks.

Hidan was continuing some conversation that he hadn't been paying attention to. "...my apartment tonight?"

"Sorry, what?" Kakuzu asked.

Hidan pouted, setting his head on and his hand.

"You haven't been paying attention to me at all tonight. I asked if you want to go to my apartment tonight instead of yours."

"Yeah sure, that fine. Why the sudden change, though?" He responded.

"I want you to meet Skelly, my ball python. I remembered a few days ago that you'd never been over so you haven't even met her yet."

Hidan had a ball python? News to him.

"Sure, that's fine. Does she just live in like, a cage or something?"

Hidan smiled. "She lives in an enclosure. I'll take her out so you can hold her."

"I've never held a snake before. Will she bite me?" He asked, not rudely but out of curiously.

"Nah, as they always say, snakes are more scared of you than you are of them. Skelly's really timid, she'll usually just curl into a big ball in your hand and try to hide her snoot."

He laughed a little at the imagery. "Okay. Sure, then."

They continued chatting, enjoying each other's company. Hidan had always been a good conversation partner, and he seemed particularly bubbly today.

A bit later, he had excused himself to go outside for a smoke. Kakuzu sat at the table alone, drinking and scrolling through his phone. He was going easy on the drinking since it was just a regular night out on a weekday. Relaxing into his chair, he closed his eyes for a moment. How had it escaped his notice that Hidan had a pet snake? True, he had never been over to his boyfriend's apartment. Actually, that fact was far stranger. Why had he never been over? The two had settled into a familiar routine of always hanging at Kakuzu's apartment, and Hidan didn't seem to mind, even though it wasn't as nice as his own apartment. The queen size bed was big enough for the two of them, and they definitely got good use out of that...

Suddenly, a hand swiped across his back. He jolted out of his thoughts, looking up.

A woman came into his vision, her hand leaving his back as she swept in front of him at the small table. She was crouching over the table, her cleavage in full view. Deep, violet eyes met his.

"Hey there big boy, what 'cha doin all by your lonesome?" She purred.

The question completely caught him off guard. He vaguely remembered being called that before...

"Uhh, I'm waiting for someone." He stammered. She gazed at him, her long eyelashes beckoning to him. Her hair was a light color and it tumbled behind her curvy figure. She leaned in further, and Kakuzu felt a hand creep onto his thigh.

"Waiting for someone? That's no fun." She pouted. "We could dip out, right here, right now."

Kakuzu had been hit on before, sure, but never like this. This chick was at the bar tonight for one thing, and her presence was overwhelmingly demanding. Kakuzu suddenly tensed, thinking what Hidan would think if he saw him like this.

"Can you just like...leave?" He said. "Before my man comes back." He added hastily.

"Aww..." she spoke. "You sure? He doesn't have to know..."

If Kakuzu had been single, he wouldn't have hesitated for a single moment in taking the beautiful woman up on her offer. But he was in a relationship, and wasn't the type to cheat.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Get out of here." He said, a little more confident this time.

She frowned, standing up and skulking off.

Kakuzu released a breath, relieved that Hidan had missed that entire scene. Why were women always trying to ruin his mood lately?

Pulling his phone up again, he tried to get his mind off things. How long had it been? Hidan had been gone for a while.

Staring at his phone screen, he tensed suddenly. Two arms wrapped around him from behind and a heavy weight pressed on his back. The familiar cologne set his mind at ease and he relaxed. But then, a few long locks of hair fell into his sight, and he whirled around.

Two figures stepped back, and Kakuzu stared in shock. Hidan and the woman that had just been here harassing him had locked elbows and were doubling over in laughter. The woman recovered first, standing up to wipe a tear from her eye.

"It's okay Kuzu-chan, you pass." She jeered.

"Bahahah!" Hidan screeched.

He stared in disbelief. Seeing them side by side, they were a copy of each other.

After a moment, Hidan finally recovered from his bout of laugher. "Kuzu, this is Hanako, my sister. I've told you about her before."

"Uh, yeah. You never said it was you twin sister." Kakuzu exclaimed.

The siblings looked at each other, still locked around the elbows. Hidan shrugged and Hanako smiled like a dork.

Seeing them together, it was obvious that they were twins. Clearly not identical, but extremely close otherwise. Hanako's hair was the same shade of silver and although there was no hair gel involved, it tumbled behind her, with just a few loose strands framing her face. She was very pretty with a nice figure, and she seemed to have no qualms about showing skin. A crop top exposed her Jashinist pendant and ample cleavage, and blue skinny jeans hugged her hips and legs. She was wearing heels, which Kakuzu noticed brought her to the exact same height as her brother. As the siblings bubbled comments to each other, Kakuzu looked at the woman closer. Yep, there it was. An identical scarification was branded on her inside wrist, but on the right arm, opposite of Hidan's.

"Hmm, you checking her out again?" Hidan called.

Kakuzu blanched. "No, of course not."

Hanako released her arm from Hidan and crossed them. "Yeah, I couldn't even make him give in a little earlier." She spoke to her brother.

"Guess Kuzu isn't interested in your lame-ass titties, sis. Pay up, bitch."

Kakuzu balked at the way Hidan addressed his sister, but she didn't seem offended. She made a tch sound and reached into her back pocket, pulling out a ten. She held it outwards towards Hidan who happily snatched it out of her hands.

His boyfriend finally detached from his sister and walked back to the table, plopping down on his seat. "I knew you weren't a cheater, Kuzu. Even with Hanako acting like a mega-slut."

"Hey!" She shouted. A hand popped on her hip, and she thrust a finger at Kakuzu. "You'd better be glad Hidan put me up to this, I don't even like cocksuckers like you." Geez, they even talked the same way.

"Like me...?" Kakuzu asked, feigning hurt.

Hanako's face softened with surprise for a moment, then she furrowed her brows again. Hidan cut in with a laugh. "Nah, she just means that she doesn't like cock. She's about as straight as I am."

He stared at the siblings. Could they be any more alike...?

"Which means," Hidan continued "that little performance she gave you was hilarious." He snorted a laugh dramatically, and Hanako promptly walked over and stuck a heel in one of his feet.

Hidan winced but couldn't help going on. "How'd it feel feeling up a man for the first time in years? Get your panties all wet?"

Her heel twisted and the silver-haired man howled with pain, shouting uncle.

The night at the bar already over, Kakuzu was pulling through the security gates of Hidan's apartment complex. The boy was practically bouncing in the seat by his side, excited to show his boyfriend around his own apartment at last.

Turning the key off in the ignition, they stepped out into the cool, fall night. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of the crisp air, relishing it. It had been a long day at work and meeting Hanako had only exhausted him more, it seemed.

"Come on already!" Hidan shouted. Already, the Jashinist was stepping into the complex's hallway on the first floor. Kakuzu stepped forward, catching up quickly enough. The entrance to the apartment was just a few doors in on the first floor. He walked inside, stepping into the kitchen and living room area. Clearly, this apartment was far more up-scale than his own. The granite countertops in the kitchen were impressive but dusty, obviously not used very frequently. The furniture that surrounded the living room was more simple in comparison, a couch and tv with an xbox in the corner.

Hidan darted into a bedroom, Kakuzu following behind curiously. The younger man appeared in the doorway suddenly, a large black-and-white python wrapped around his wrist. It was so large, Kakuzu only saw a few of Hidan's pale fingers wrapped around its girth. Instinctively he took a step back, surprised at the sight.

"This is Skelly." Hidan introduced. "She's an axanthic ball python. 6 years old already." Still standing in the hallway, Kakuzu gazed at the reptile. It's black and white scales didn't look the least bit like a color pattern you would see in nature. He could see where Hidan got the name idea from. Some of the white patterns almost appeared like pieces of a spine along its back. Suddenly, Hidan thrust his wrist out, still wrapped in the python. Not knowing what to do, Kakuzu held both hands out, cupping them. The snake slid off of Hidan's wrist unceremoniously and plopped into Kakuzu's large hands. The snake was surprisingly warm, and she immediately started moving, the scales tickling his palms.

"Aww, she likes you." Hidan spoke. Kakuzu didn't take his eyes off of the snake, watching as its small bulbous head poked around, tongue flaring out to taste the air. He had to admit, it was a little cute.

Kakuzu shifted and the snake startled, drawing its head back quickly and curling into a ball. He could see the snake hide its head and try to appear smaller, but as fat as she was, it wasn't by much. "Sorry." He whispered to her.

"Like I said, she's a scaredy cat." Hidan said. He picked up the ball in one swift movement and walked back inside the room. Kakuzu followed and watched him place the bundle of scales inside of its enclosure, shutting the lid with a few secure clasps. Looking around, he could tell that this was Hidan's bedroom. A dresser was in one corner and an unmade queen-sized bed was in the center.

"Ready for bed? I'm exhausted." Hidan asked, walking up to Kakuzu.

Kakuzu gazed into the familiar violet eyes. The younger man had a calm, tired expression on his face. He brought his arms around Hidan, pulling him into a soft hug. He felt the smaller body shrink with a content sigh, and he closed his eyes for a moment. The warmth from Hidan's body was so pleasant. Arms wrapped around his torso, deepening the embrace. This close, Kakuzu could smell the cologne lingering on Hidan's clothing, and its familiar scent made him feel even more relaxed.

He never wanted to let this feeling go.