Title: Fatal
Rating: M
Warning: Slash, Language
Disclaimer: This is just the same old song and dance; I own nothing.
A/N: So, lack of reviews makes me wonder if anyone's even enjoying the story. Though, I suppose my own love for the story continues to push it forward regardless. I would like even a small amount of feedback though; every author likes to feel appreciated after all. This chapter didn't turn out exactly how I'd orginally intended, but I ended up liking it more than the direction I thought I wanted the story to take. Well anyways, hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Chapter Three: Troubled Minds, and Guarded Hearts
Kakashi left the room soundlessly, closing the door tightly behind him and allowing himself a few moments alone to collect himself. He was the sane one, the level headed one, the supposedly confident and collected one. Though all those rumors seemed to have constructed a mask of falsified indifference covering up the true personality of Kakashi Hatake, much in the same fashion his mask covered his own facial features, because Kakashi was a genius after all and with all that knowledge came the unnerving ability to hide nearly every truth about himself. The truth was he rarely ever felt overly confident in anything not pertaining to the subtle art of assassination, and sanity was something that no good shinobi could lay claim to. Level headedness was a gift granted to him through genetics, but even that had failed its predecessors eventually. And he was a genius, had the ability to think about every situation logically, he was supposed to be ten steps ahead always planning his next move, his next actions. But now, all he felt was young and helpless and definitely overly terrified for the first time in his life nearly to the point of shock.
Hayate was the careful, loving and affection boy that seemed to be unaffected by the harshness of life as a shinobi. He understood his duty, and he did it with a never wavering sense of loyalty and love for his village and the people within it. Hayate felt the guilt and bitterness of his life, but he also knew that if it wasn't him it would be someone else out there, someone maybe even younger or more delicate than he was. Hayate seemed fragile and broken sometimes, but he was anything but that. Kakashi had the suspicion that Hayate was stronger and more held together than himself and Genma combined.
But, Genma was a soft soul deep down, protective and possessive of his friends and their wellbeing. Genma was the type to sacrifice himself first, and ask question about how much damaged he'd done to himself much later after everyone else was safe and sound. Genma was the last person to ever receive medical attention, because he wanted and needed everyone else to be okay before he could even process his own aches and pains. Genma was a strong shinobi, one of Konoha's best kept secrets because he just didn't seem like he cared enough to be much good at anything. But Genma's tactical knowledge was far beyond most of the ANBU members. And yet he never lost himself within the bitter art of shinobi life, he never allowed it to break him, or bend him. He'd be the last person you'd want to capture, and the first person to throw himself into a tough situation.
And Kakashi, he was the only one of the three that wasn't any good with emotions, he'd been so careful about who he allowed into his life. So cautious with the people around him, because he'd lost so much already and he felt so close to the edge constantly that he wasn't so much afraid of losing someone else as he was afraid of hurting them instead. Calm, collected and detached Kakashi Hatake, genius prodigy with the sharingan eye. Kakashi was an elite shinobi, a weapon for his village that he allowed to use him willingly. He was better overall than Genma and Hayate would ever become, no matter how much they trained or practiced. But while they still held onto their emotions, their humanity, their control Kakashi struggled to be the most basic thing in life; human. Kakashi was in a constant battle of will, power and control.
Kakashi cursed to himself, his life was nothing but a long story of twisted trials and misery. He hated his past, hated what he'd been as a youth, bitterness filled a lot of his body and soul and he didn't always have the ability to find his way out of that darkness. Not until Hayate and Genma at least. Since them, their sweet and affectionate dispositions had pushed Kakashi to want to be something better, something more than what he'd settled for long ago.
The two of them, one older and one younger than Kakashi had both somehow wormed themselves into his life, quite easily and without him even noticing at first. Then eventually, along with Genma came Raidou and Aoba. And then suddenly there was Ko and Zu, the dynamic chunin duo, the ones that seemed to follow Genma around like lost puppies and teased Hayate relentlessly with nothing but pure brotherly affection in their eyes. Genma had been too kind and friendly to ever push them away, and then after a while, the chunins had grown on the whole ground and found their own place within the mix and match group of shinobi. He'd found himself surrounded by more people than he'd wanted to allow himself to actually consciously care about. He didn't think he could take another heavy or emotional toll; it just might finally break the supposedly unbreakable copy-nin. He sighed softly, rubbing a hand over his face slowly. Pulling himself together finally, he set his shoulders and went in search of Genma.
Kakashi found Genma in the kitchen, body hunched over the sink as he sobbed harshly. Kakashi could tell Genma was trying to muffle the sounds, and knew that his lip was probably a bloody disaster by now. He felt a small stab of pain go through his chest, as he frowned. He stepped forward quickly, wrapping his arms around the shaking man, unsure of how else to offer some comfort. Genma tensed immediately for a few seconds, before his body was wracked by a whole new and sharper set of deep sobs. Kakashi's face furrowed in confusion, mask stretching across his mouth as he frowned deeply.
"No," Genma whimpered, the pain too close to the surface. He knew any second it would be too late, and he'd break even further. "Please, don't." Kakashi's hands tightened, as he secured his arms around the man even tighter, pulling him closer. Genma's entire body started to shake violently, and Kakashi felt his own hands start to shake as well. He had seen Genma in many different states of emotional turmoil or emptiness, during and even after missions. But, in all that time he'd never seen Genma like this, never seen the man so completely – broken. It causes a sharp pain in Kakashi's chest, one he didn't enjoy at all. And the worst part was not knowing what had caused it, or how to even attempt to fix it. Kakashi, the all-knowing-nin, found himself suddenly unsure of how to deal with a situation, something that wasn't comforting in the slightest.
"Gen-Gen," Kakashi whispered, pressing his forehead against the other man's shaking shoulder. Genma, no longer able to handle it, ripped himself from Kakashi's grasp so suddenly it caused both men to stumble slightly, before righting themselves. Kakashi reached for Genma, but he flinched away from him so violently that Kakashi pulled his hand away quickly, his eye flashing in pain that overcame him so suddenly he couldn't keep it from his expression.
"God, please don't," Genma whispered. "I can't take it. No more. I can't take anymore. It's too hard, and it's too much. And it just hurts, so much. I can't. I can't." Kakashi wasn't sure what exactly Genma was rambling about; frustrated that one time it was exceedingly important to be able to figure something out his genius mind was failing him. But it seemed Genma wasn't done babbling as he continued, "It's so hard, you know, so fucking hard."
"What is?" Kakashi questioned softly, no less confused than before.
"How perfect you two are," Genma bit out harshly, whirling around to glare at the silver haired man. Kakashi flinched, eye widening at Genma's expression, and he felt a deep ache in his chest. If he thought he was confused before, that confusion had just somehow managed to manifest ten-fold. It took him far too long to get his head back together, as he stood confused and overwhelmed, gaping and staring openly at the man before him.
"What?" Kakashi asked suddenly, his voice tight and sharp. Kakashi was unsure if he really even wanted an answer to that question.
"You and Hayate, you're so bloody perfect. And I can't help it. I didn't mean to. It wasn't supposed to…" Genma sighed, hands tugging on his hair, in a clear sign of distress. And Kakashi fought down the urge to step forward once again and embrace the shaking man, he tried to maneuver through his own thoughts but wasn't making any progress there at all. "I didn't do it on purpose." Genma finally said his eyes dropping closed as his body seemed to curl in on itself in defeat. Kakashi still wasn't sure what Genma was really trying to say. He wasn't making enough sense to get his point across, and Kakashi couldn't understand what Genma was so worked up about but he was overcome with the intense desire to fix it, to do anything Genma needed, wanted, just to get that stricken, panic and pained look from the usually content face. Genma's face wasn't meant for pain, or panic. Genma had a beautifully constructed face, solid and strong, made for immense pleasure and eternal joy. Genma's face was nothing short of magnificent and addicting when it was washed with the flush of joy and complete happiness. No traces of that could be currently found on the tear-stained face of the extremely tortured man looking up at Kakashi with wide fearful eyes.
"Genma," Kakashi said softly, taking a careful step closer.
"No, no," Genma said quickly, having sensed the movement, his eyes flashing in panic as he backed up quickly. Kakashi felt something tighten in his throat; he had never seen Genma this terrified before, especially of him. "I can't take it if you touch me." And that got Kakashi's attention, halting his movement immediately. Kakashi tried to wrap his mind around that sentence, unsure of what exactly it implied. His confusion only seemed to expand further, and he was overly tired of not understanding what was going on. Frustration started to weigh down on him, and he tried to push the bubbling anger away as it began to build beneath the thinly chained control Kakashi currently held onto.
"You've never had a problem with me touching you before," Kakashi said slowly, working to keep the hurt, anger and confusion from his voice. He was watching Genma closely now, noticing how the man seemed to be turned away slightly as if ready to brace for a hit or possibly to flee. Kakashi definitely didn't like what the stance was implying, and he tried to fight back his own pain because he could tell just how close to the edge Genma really was. And Kakashi wasn't sure that breaking apart completely something Genma would be able to come back from, Genma had an overly fragile heart that tended to mend much slower than most. Kakashi was assaulted by a stray thought from years ago when he'd first met Genma; he'd thought the man was too soft, too kind, and far too open for his own good. Now though, those exact qualities were the things that Kakashi loved most about the man standing before him.
"No, I haven't," Genma laughed bitterly, and Kakashi didn't think he liked the sound of that laugh coming from Genma at all. Kakashi had never seen Genma give up at anything, never seen him so defeated looking, even when they'd been on the losing end of a battle. Genma was always the first one into a fight, and the last one out. Quitting was just something Genma didn't seem to know how to do. "Why would I? Why would I have a problem with it, when I want it so much," Genma finished his voice filled with a sort of painful longing that Kakashi could easily identify with. Kakashi felt his entire body stop functioning for a minute, as he allowed himself a moment to soak in what those few simple words meant. His hands were suddenly twitching to reach for the man standing before him looking so sweetly vulnerable.
"Gen, I –"
"No, it's okay," Genma said quickly, lifting his hands up. "I don't think I can hear you say it out loud, just let me hold on a little bit more, just a little longer. I knew it was foolish, you know, falling in love with both of you. So fucking foolish. I should have known I always saw the signs. You two weren't trying to hide anything I suppose." Genma took a deep breath, turning his head to the side as Kakashi's head tilted in confusion. One step forward and five steps back that seemed to be the theme of this conversation. Kakashi was just on the end of grasping something, and then Genma threw something new into the mix messing up Kakashi's thoughts all over again. "And you two just fit so well, like puzzle pieces."
"Genma, we –"
"I know!" Genma screamed tears now falling freely down brightened cheeks, but Kakashi really didn't think he knew at all. How could Genma not see it all? "I can see it now, you know. The way you comfort him in a way I've never been allowed to. The way he leans into, needing you. The way you protect him, though he hates it so much but never says anything because he knows how much you need to do it. How much you've always needed to just make sure he's okay, watching over him so closely. It's all there, in the way his hands fidget, and I can tell sometimes he just wants to pull your mask down, but doesn't because he respects that you don't want anyone else to see. The way you whisper each other's names, like it's the first, last and only thing you'll ever need to say to each other. And it's so painful sweet and heartbreaking sometimes, how together you just seem to connect, and fit. God, the way you two look at each other sometimes, like if you couldn't see each other, you wouldn't be able to live. The way you're never tense, or detached when he's around, because he won't let you be." Genma laughed then, that cold bitter laugh and Kakashi tensed at the sound, deciding that he didn't dislike the sound coming from Genma's sweet mouth but instead he hated it. "Did you know that he stands on the roof, every morning staring at the sky? He loves the sky, the rising of the sun, he almost never misses it. But, that's not all; he's up there to look at the sky but he's always facing the memorial. Facing the way he knows you are, knows you're there remembering and suffering and beating yourself up for things you couldn't have changed."
Kakashi flinched, because he hadn't known that, but more than that he hadn't realized how much Genma actually knew. How could he have allowed himself to be blind to just how much Genma was noticing, and how much he was suffering because of it. And he called himself a genius, gloating in his own selfish awareness of himself because he thought he knew everything, could see everything, but he'd been so stupid, so foolish, so selfish. Kakashi wanted to turn away from Genma, didn't want to see the pain but he knew he deserved to see this, because this brokenness was his own fault.
"But he doesn't go to you, because he knows you would hate for him to see you there, how broken you are. But I know what it is you're working so hard to protect him from. Have you forgotten, that I have seen you there, in that deep dark lost place where you're just so angry at everything and everyone. It's the same place that you hide all the pain and the bitterness, bottling it up into your own sense of unworthiness. I know that you lock yourself within that cold place, beating yourself up and cursing your own self because you lived, because you survived. But you don't care how much it hurts you, you won't ever let him see you that way, because it'll crush Hayate, it'll tear him apart because he'll want to fix you, mend you, but he already has… in his own soothing way he already has. And I see it now," Genma choked slightly, tears continuing to fall without his knowledge, as Kakashi could do nothing but stand and watch Genma fall apart in silent horror. "I didn't mean to, I really didn't. Please, just don't hate me," Genma whispered softly, falling forward as his knees finally gave out.
Kakashi thanked his quick reflexes as he caught Genma before he fell against the unforgiving ground, cradle the man into his arms, as they both slid to the floor. He didn't know what to say, or what to do, or what to think. This wasn't how it was suppose to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt by this, ever. They'd been careless and cruel; they'd been so worried about his rejection that they hadn't realized how they'd already been rejecting him. All this time, all this damn time Genma had been slowly falling apart piece by piece and they had been too absorbed in their own pain, and fear to even notice him. Genma always in the corner, always bottling things away, always locking himself further out of reach because they'd forced him to, because they'd given him no other choice.
Kakashi wanted to cry then, cry for the broken man in his arms because he deserved so much more than this pain, such a soft, innocent soul torn apart by the dark cruelness of him yet again. Kakashi couldn't believe he'd caused this, his worst fear seemed to be coming true right before his eyes, he'd hurt someone dear to him, broken and beaten. Kakashi whimpered softly, his arms tightening around the shaking man in his arms that felt much thinner than he should.
"Genma?" Hayate whispered, his voice soft and broken, causing both of the men on the living room floor to jump in surprise.
"Oh god," Genma groaned, scrambling away from Kakashi so quickly he didn't have the time to grab him back. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Genma kept moving backwards, shaking his head and apologizing over and over. Hayate was trembling, tears rolling down pale cheeks, as he supported himself against the wall, coughing and breathing raggedly.
"You shouldn't be out of bed," Kakashi said suddenly, when he noticed just how pale and shaky Hayate was. Kakashi moved quickly to help Hayate, as he swayed slightly. Hayate batted the hands away glaring at Kakashi, before pushing away from the wall and shakily walking towards Genma.
"Stop it Kashi, that isn't important," Hayate said harshly. Kakashi shook his head, realizing what he'd just done once again. His worry over Hayate's health and safety always seemed to jump ahead of everything else, because he'd always seen Genma as such a solid, strong person he didn't think he needed to be coddled or protected or comforted. How stupid, how wrong he'd been. Such a fool, Kakashi thought to himself, smacking his face slightly. "Gen?"
Genma didn't seem to really notice them; he was curled upon himself against the wall, as far away from them he could get, still shaking and whimpering softly. Hayate rubbed at his own burning eyes, brushing away the tears blinding his vision, as his legs wobbled.
"Goddamnit Kakashi, help me get over to him," Hayate said angrily, as his legs nearly gave out on him. Kakashi snapped back to attention quickly, grabbed Hayate a little roughly and flashing across the room to Genma's side quickly. Hayate's head rolled slightly, closing his eyes to make the room stop spinning for a second as he was overcome with a strong flash of nausea and cough attack. Kakashi winced, he didn't know what was wrong with him, but he just felt so out of it all the sudden. He'd never felt so lost before, like he couldn't quite get a grasp as he continued to slip in every direction except the right one.
"Sorry," he mumbled softly, rubbing a hand over Hayate's head softly. Hayate leaned into the touch, allowing the warmth to comfort him for a moment, before he moved away. Now wasn't the time to take comfort in something that had hurt the man before him, he couldn't believe how truly careless they'd been.
"Gen," Hayate started. Genma didn't seem to hear him, as he continued to sit silently, tears still falling, as he continued whimpering out his endless apologetic mantra. Hayate clenched a fist against his chest, rubbing slightly. The pain was overwhelming, and he closed his eyes against it forcing it down because his own pain did not matter here, not now.
"It hurts," Kakashi said softly, noticing Hayate's movement. "We were careless and so thoughtless. So worried about the stupidest things."
"We hurt him," Hayate whispered brokenly. "No one was supposed to be hurt Kashi." Kakashi turned away from the soft, hurting eyes that looked up to him, guilt pouring over him. It was his fault really, it was his fault entirely.
"I'm so sorry Hayate," Kakashi said softly.
"You aren't the only one to blame. And it's not me that you need to apologize to."
"I know," Kakashi whispered.
"Genma," Hayate said evenly. Genma flinched slightly, but otherwise didn't acknowledge them. "Genma damnit, look at me." Kakashi started slightly because Hayate rarely ever cursed, he was always such a shy and soft spoken boy. Kakashi watched Hayate closely, noticing the way his face was pinched with both the physical pain of his still weak body, and the painful reflection of what they'd done to Genma.
"I can't," Genma whispered finally. "I can't, don't make me, I can't."
"Please Gen, please," Hayate whimpered, moving closer at a highly subdued rate hoping not to startle the other man with quick movements that would only serve to set him even more on edge. Kakashi's gifted red eye unexpectedly began to leak tears under his hitai-ate, soaking the edge of his mask. Genma shook slightly, closing his eyes tightly against the pain – and god was it painful. Slowly though he fought down the urge to flee because no matter how much it hurt, he couldn't escape from the fact that he did love the two younger men. Sighing and making a poor attempt at pulling himself together Genma lifted his head slowly, locking eyes with Hayate. Genma had never been able to refuse the boy before, and figured now wasn't the time to start either. Genma tensed as a warm hand brushed over his head, knowing instantly it was Kakashi's, and he had to fight down the urge to flinch away from slim pale hands that were now petting his hair softly.
"Genma," Kakashi whispered softly. "Everything you said," Kakashi stopped abruptly, jumping when Genma's entire body flinched backwards slamming against the wall with an echoing thud. Genma groaned in pain as his vision swam so rapidly the entire room blurred before his eyes. "Damnit Genma," Kakashi pulled Genma away from the wall hastily, forcing the protesting man into his lap, turning slightly towards Hayate who moved closer to them.
"Can't we just," Genma started, his voice shaking. "Just forget what I said."
"No," Hayate said softly. "No we can't. We're going to talk about it Genma." And Hayate struggled against his own fears and pain, biting back the pure sadness that was threatening to tear him apart from the inside out. He couldn't believe how badly it hurt to see Genma this lost, and broken. Hayate wished they could forget the pain, and just start all over, in a completely different way. But that wasn't possible any longer, they'd put this off for far too long already.
"After we apologize," Kakashi whispered softly, leaning his head against Genma's shoulder. Kakashi turned his head, burying it into the silky strands of Genma's hair, allowing the older man's warmth and scent to calm his rattled nerves.
"Apologize?" Genma whispered, fighting against the urge to either lean into Kakashi's warmth further or bolt out of the room entirely. But he knew that seeking comfort from either was no longer appropriate on that level, if it ever had been. He wondered idly if they'd only accepted his touches, not wanting to hurt his feelings, or possibly just not wanting him to find out. Genma pushed that thought away instantly, because that was even more painful. The thought of them merely indulging him to keep him away from their secret, seemed like an absolute betrayal. And that was something he wasn't so sure he could learn to deal with or forgive.
"Yes. For hurting you," Kakashi said, finally finding his voice again. "I'm sorry for being careless and cruel. But most of all I'm so sorry for hurting you, Gen-Gen."
"And I'm sorry also," Hayate said softly, his voice cracking on a deep cough. Hayate placed his hand over Genma's shaking and cold digits, caressing the artistic fingers thoughtfully. "So sorry Gen, we never meant to hurt you like this. It wasn't supposed to happen like this."
"You mean I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you, ruining your perfect little comfortable relationship." Genma said his voice weary and troubled. He was tired, just so tired. He didn't want to fight anymore. He just wanted to tell them to leave, then crawl in his bed, and cry it out for a few days.
"That's not what I meant at all," Hayate said slowly, realizing how deeply set Genma's pain was, how betrayed the older man must truly feel. "This isn't what you think."
"Are you going to tell me," Genma started, his gaze lifting to Hayate's once again, eyes clear and steady even through the tears that wouldn't stop falling. "That everything I said isn't the truth."
"No," Kakashi answered. "We aren't going to tell you that."
"Because it was the truth," Hayate said. "But only part of the truth."
"I don't think –"
"I don't care," Kakashi growled, cutting Genma off. "I don't care what you think you know right now Genma, because you don't know everything. So stop acting like a child, and listen to us for once in your life." Genma flinched so abruptly that Kakashi was almost regretful for how harshly he'd spoken.
"Kashi," Hayate scolded, but Kakashi was already far beyond his breaking point.
"No Hayate, Genma isn't going to listen to us unless we are straight up with him. We've tried to be subtle, we were soft and cautious. It's obvious we were far too careful and I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. But, that didn't work; look what happened when that's what we did!" Hayate and Genma both winced, as Kakashi's voice jumped breaking faintly.
"I don't need to be told, I get it already," Genma said roughly, voice thick with emotion and fatigue. "Why do you have to torture me more, telling me yourselves how much you love each other, how much you need each other, how much you fucking want each other when I can see it, you two -."
"Because that isn't all there is!" Kakashi's voice rose drastically, his hands stiffening around Genma's stomach as his mouth snapped shut in shock. Kakashi never lost his cool, even when angered, excited or scared, his voice was always the same even almost monotonous volume. Always staying in control was one of the things Kakashi prided himself on. "Oh, are you listening to me now? Are you hearing me now? Do I have your goddamn attention Genma!"
"Yes," Genma whimpered, as he felt a trickle of fear for the first time as Kakashi's hands tightened to any almost bruising pressure around him. Hayate's hand tightened over his, and he couldn't help but feel a small sense of comfort from the touch even as he continued to berate himself for it.
"Good," Hayate started, allowing Kakashi the few moments he needed to collect himself yet again. "Everything you said was true Genma, and I'm amazed you saw all that, picked up on so much from so little. But I shouldn't be, you've just always been there. Watchful and worried about everyone, you notice things we sometimes miss because you're always carefully protecting us. And we all know each other so well, don't we? We've always been oddly close to one another, all three of us. Even before we were really friends, before we really cared about one another, there was always something there. We just gravitated towards one another in a way that has never been explainable."
"Underneath the underneath," Kakashi muttered lowly.
"Yeah," Genma said on a sigh, resigning himself to just listen, with the hope they would say what they needed to and then kindly leave him alone to wallow in his own misery and wounded pride for a while. Genma knew realistically deep down that it wasn't their fault, but the pain was still too new and sharp for him to see past that yet. He just hoped their friendship dynamic wasn't shot to hell now.
"But what you didn't see Genma, what you don't see. Is that Hayate always has to watch you walk away. His eyes linger on you until he can't see you anymore, and he can't seem to make himself turn around and walk away until he knows that you're gone entirely from his vision," Kakashi said softly, and Genma tensed slightly. "It's there in the way that he whispers your name sometimes, when you're just out of reach, because he doesn't dare say it loud enough for you to hear. He's terrified for you to see how much he needs you to wrap your arms around him and tell him that it's okay, to let him know that he's going to be okay. And you were right he has wanted to pull down my mask, and I've offered only once. He immediately refused though Genma, all because he doesn't want to see until you can see too. He doesn't want permission into that secure part of my life, until you're there being granted the same exact permission at the same exact time."
"It didn't seem fair otherwise," Hayate whispered.
"Though," Kakashi laughed, though it was a forced and fake sound even to his own ears, "I don't see why either of you care so much either way, what's under this mask is nothing special."
"Don't say that," Genma whispered harshly. Kakashi hugged Genma, placing a fleeting kiss against his temple.
"Okay, I won't," Kakashi agreed easily, and Genma nodded.
"Genma," Hayate said softly, and Genma slowly lifted his eyes to look at Hayate. "Kakashi's allowed you to see a part of him no one else has ever lived to see, not even me. He's allowed you to see him like that, because he needs you to fix him, not me. That's the way it is you know, the reason we fit. You take care of Kashi, because you want to and because he needs you to do it. Kashi protects me, because he needs to keep me safe and he trusts you to look after yourself, knows that you won't allow yourself to be reckless, because you're always looking after the both of us, aren't you? And if you aren't there anymore, who will take care of us, make sure we get home okay."
"Yes," Genma whispered readily, eyes never leaving Hayate's.
"He may need to protect me from the dark sides. But he protects you from the sadness. He doesn't allow you to see that he gets scared sometimes, that he loses control sometimes, because he wants you to see that he's strong enough to protect me, too. Wants you to trust him, believe in him – because he needs you to care about him."
"I know he is," Genma said calmly, tilting his head to the side to look at Kakashi. "I know you are. And I do."
"I'm glad," Kakashi whispered in return.
"Also, you don't realize that we don't fit perfectly together, not without you. We don't function properly without you. We aren't right without you, Gen," Hayate said softly, Genma's head turning back to look at Hayate again.
"You don't realize that we look at each other, because we know how we feel. We've confided in one another, over the way we feel about you," Kakashi said.
"What?" Genma said slowly, his mind spinning much too rapidly for him to grasp onto what it was finally processing.
"If you haven't figured it out yet," Hayate growled.
"You aren't allowed to hit him," Kakashi said quickly.
"Gen," Hayate started
"We love you too, not just each other. That is how it's supposed to be, we're supposed to be like this, the three of us together. And me and Hayate would never be, without you. We wouldn't have ever even tried to be with one another without you, Gen" Kakashi finished easily.
"Oh," Genma said lamely, his heart beating a mile a minute, as his brain finally caught up to what the rest of him already knew. They did fit right, they were meant to be, and he should have just told them. "I love you two, so much."
"Love you too," Hayate said, leaning forward to softly kiss Genma chastely on the lips.
"Love you Gen-Gen," Kakashi whispered, pulling his mask down quickly for the first time around the two, leaning forward and twisting Genma to press his own chaste kiss to the stunned man's lips. Before turning and pressing the same kiss to Hayate's mouth as well.