Hey everyone! Long time, no see! There's no plot, really. Just these two idiots being cute. This still isn't a full story, just a series of one-shots. Hope you like it!
"Have you eaten?" Tobirama asks once we make it out of the Hokage Tower. The Shodaime and Uzumaki Mito were a scary couple. A very, very scary couple. I'm sure the entire village went on alert after telling them my story. Their killer intent is worse than a Nara's when you insult their partner.
They're terrifying.
"No," I say to Tobirama as his brother and sister split from us on the path towards the Senju wave at us absentmindedly as they get lost in each other again.
"You made the trip from Uzushio to Konoha without eating?" Tobirama asks. I look over as he raises an eyebrow.
"Kinda?" I say, my cheeks heating up.
"Kinda," he repeats as he stares at me blankly.
"I was nervous and I can't eat when I'm nervous," I pout up at him and he sighs. I feel a warm hand wrap around my own as he pulls me towards a food stall. He all but pushes me into a seat at the edge of the counter before he waves down the shop owner.
"Hokage-sama!" A large man comes to stand in front of us across the counter. "Would you like your usual?"
"Yes please, Akimichi-san, what would you like, Uzumaki-hime?"
"Don't call me hime 'ttbane!" The Akimichi man covers his mouth with his hand as Tobirama sits down beside me. "And I'd like the miso ramen please," I say as nicely as I can to the shop owner. He nods and quickly turns away when I feel Tobirama's chakra turn dark.
"What-" I start to ask as I turn towards him, but he cuts my question off with his lips pressing against my own. A squeak comes from the back of my throat and Tobirama smirks against my lips. I lightly hit his arm and he pulls away from me fully.
"You're insane," I whisper to him.
"Don't act like you don't know what you did," there's so much heat in his eyes as he looks down at me that my brain almost short circuits.
"What did I do?"
"You flirted-"
"I did not! I don't even know how to flirt!" Tobirama pauses before he moves the white fluffy pelt from his shoulders to cover my own. "What are you-"
"You're cold."
"Here you go," the Akimichi man interrupts awkwardly.
"Thank you, Akimichi-san," I say when Tobirma says nothing. I start to shift the pelt on my shoulders to cover my arms more, "Hokage-sama is very regretful for having his head up his-"
"Uzumaki Kikuko," Tobirma says, sounding murderous.
"He's a bit territorial at the moment, don't mind him," I smile at the shop owner across from us as I pat Tobirama's arm. Tobirama sighs as the shop owner moves down the bar to help another customer, a small smile on his face.
"I'm the Hokage, you can't say things like that," Tobirama says lowly in my ear as he picks up a pair of chopsticks. He hands them to me and I almost drop them with how much my hands shake.
"Then maybe you should start acting like the Hokage," the words fly out of my mouth as I look up at him from under my lashes. His entire body freezes beside mine. I take a shallow breath, trying to think of something to say, but nothing comes out as he looks down at me.
"I'll just have to show you in a spar, then," he says eventually as he turns to his own food. "Eat, you'll need it."
I blink up at him as he starts to eat his own ramen.
I watch his lip twitch slightly before I force myself to look back down at my own food. Normally the smell of ramen would kickstart my appetite.
But all I feel is a pit in my stomach.
I'll never be able to eat ramen with my brother again.
"Hime," the word is said softly, gently in my ear. I blink and my chopsticks tap quietly against the side of my bowl as my hand shakes. Another larger, more pale hand with calluses completely covers my own. "Hime," the word is said again, more desperate.
A finger under my chin moves my head to look up into worried red eyes.
"Hime," he says again, and this time it grounds me. I hide my face in his shoulder and he sighs as his hand comes around to hold the back of my head. "What is it?"
"My brother's favorite food was ramen," I hate how weak I sound. His hand grips my hair lightly, just for a second, before I feel his lips press against the top of my head. I feel a brief flare of chakra and go to move my head, but Tobirama's hand keeps me in place.
"A stasis seal." My shoulders relax. "Take your time," he murmurs quietly. "I'll be here."
Something settles in my chest as I lean further into him. His arm moves to wrap around me fully and pulls me into his chest. He's clearly talking about much more than the ramen that sits in front of us. I nuzzle my head into the crook of his neck and hear a rumble from deep in his chest.
And then one almost as loud from my stomach.
He lets out a huff of laughter and I smile against his neck.
"I'm ready to eat, I think." I feel his body shift before he makes a small humming noise. I tilt my head and open my mouth as soon as I see the steaming noodles in front of my face. Tobirama feeds me that way for the rest of my bowl.
And for a time it's like it's just me and him alone in the world.
Until he lets out an annoyed sigh.
"What, Danzo?"
It takes everything in me to not freeze up entirely.
"My apologies, Hokage-sama." I hide my face back into Tobirama's neck as I try to keep my breathing even. I've just met this man and I've let down all of my guards. I didn't even feel Shimura.
How am I going to save Uzushiogakure if I can't even detect the chakra signature of the man who's been trying to kill me since I was a child?
"Stop that," Tobirama all but growls in my ear. "We can continue this conversation at another time, Danzo."
"But Hokage-sama-"
Tobirama's arm tightens around me.
"I would like to spend at least one night with my princess before she must be thrust into all the duties of being the Hokage's wife." My heart skips at the word wife.
I'd never thought about being a wife before.
I never thought I would live long enough to become a wife.
"If Uzushiogakure is in trouble we must act swiftly," Danzo's voice is smooth, just like he would speak to the Sandaime.
"Why do you believe that Uzushiogakure is in trouble?"
"The Uzukage sent a low ranking clan member with no notice to only speak to you, sensei. A woman, sent to you just as the sun is setting. Something must be wrong."
"She is not a low ranking clan member, Danzo. She is a jonin of Uzushiogakure and a cousin of the Uzukage," there is an edge in his voice. But Danzo either doesn't notice it, or he does and he just doesn't care.
"Hokage-sama, she has never been to any events, I have not seen her during my visits to Uzushiogakure. Who is to say she's even who she claims to be? This could be another attempt to try to rope you into marrying a whore."
Everything seems to stop. Even the slight breeze stops. Killing intent leaks from Tobirama and I kiss his neck softly, moving closer to him.
"I have seen her mark," Tobirama says. His voice is sharper than any weapon I've ever held. "Uzumaki Kikuko is my soulmate. She will be my wife, and she will be the mother of my children."
No one speaks.
Tobirama loosens his arm around me and stands. I faintly hear the sound of coins hitting the counter top. I struggle to follow his lead as he starts to walk out of the ramen stand. He holds the noren back for me to walk out, his other hand feels like it burns against my hip.
"You will watch your words, Shimura Danzo. If anyone uses that language to refer to what is mine, they will never speak again."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Danzo's voice doesn't change in spite of Tobirama's killing intent. I don't look at him. I keep my eyes firmly on the ground as Tobirama ushers me outside of the ramen stall and into the streets of Konoha.
Instead of it feeling like it's just me and Tobirama, now it feels as if we're in a sea of people, surrounded by eyes all focused on us. On me, in disgust.
It feels worse than being flung off one of the cliffs in Uzushiogakure into the swirling whirlpools of the sea.
"Hold your head high," Tobirama says as his arm tightens around my waist again.
"Is that what they'll all think of me?"
"No," he whispers fiercely. "They will see the strong kunoichi who loves both of her villages with all that she has."
"Was he, was he telling the truth about people sending-"
"He was."
"Are you sure that we- that we're?" I can't even finish the sentence.
"You know what he will do," Tobirama says in my ear. "You know the evils he will attempt to commit against you and your clan. Do not allow such scum to affect you so. He is beneath you."
I take a few shaky breaths before I raise my head to look in front of us. There's no one around. Tobirama brought us to a wooden bridge over a small creek.
A very familiar bridge.
My hand shakes as I wrap my fingers around the bright red railing.
My emotions swirl inside of me along with a flurry of fleeting thoughts. None stick enough for me to process them, let alone speak them out loud.
"You are a strong, resilient shinobi. You have been through more than many could even dream of," Tobirama says as he moves to stand behind me. His arms wrap around me, pulling me back into his chest as he lowers his head to rest on top of mine.
"You are Uzumaki Kikuko. You are so brave, so selfless," each word is accompanied with a kiss on the top of my head. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he murmurs in my ear. He kisses my temple as he holds me in silence.
My throat is too tight for words to escape.
"And you are mine," he says as he tilts my head back. I look up into his eyes. He gives me a look so intense I go to look away but he stops me with a hand on the side of my face.
"Look at me," he says. I bite my lip as I force my eyes open. "Look at me and repeat what I say to you."
I nod my head slightly.
"You are Uzumaki Kikuko."
"You are-"
"None of that, don't try to hide your pain with humor. Not ever. But especially not with me."
I nod my head again, unable to speak.
"I know I will ask many things of you. You can always say no, but please promise me this. Promise me that you will not try to hide from me, hime."
"I promise, I'm sorry," my voice cracks. He leans down and presses his lips against mine. It's so fast and so light that I almost think I imagined it.
"You will be forgiven after you listen to what I told you to do," he says as he bumps our noses together.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," I say. I mean for it to come out lightly, a tease. But my voice comes out lower than I thought it would, breathier. I hear his sharp intake of breath as he looks at me. His eyes darken and the air around us seems to shift.
"I am Uzumaki Kikuko," I finally whisper. His eyes seem to shine in the fading light of day.
"You are strong."
"I am strong." His arms around me seem to be the only thing that's keeping me on my feet.
"You are a resilient shinobi."
"I am a resilient shinobi." His chakra gives the same warmth as the quilts I used in Uzu to hide after the worst nightmares.
"You are brave."
"I am brave." His eyes are so soft. He looks at me like I'd break if he looked at me any other way. And maybe I would.
"You are selfless."
"I am selfless," he turns me around in his arms to face him, his forehead falls down to rest against my own. I can smell the ink and paper that he's been surrounded by all day.
"You are beautiful."
"I am beautiful," he hasn't seen-
He takes my hand in his own and squeezes it. His fingers brush against the scars on my palm.
"You are mine," he finally whispers, his lips barely brushing against my own.
"I am yours." But would he want me if it weren't for the mark on my shoulder?
"Always," he says, his voice gruff as he traces my jaw with the back of his fingers.
"Always," I repeat, my voice shaking. His chakra somehow feels even warmer.
"Our marks are what brought us together," his hand trails down the side of my neck.
"Our marks are what brought us together." I thought he looked beautiful in the setting sun, but he shines in the darkness.
"But we will build our bond together."
"But we will build our bond together." His arm wraps back around me, pulling me closer. He hasn't let go of me since he held me for the first time.
"Because you are mine."
"Because I am yours." His eyes light up brighter than a Christmas tree every time I say I'm his.
"And I am yours."
"And you are mine."
I finally kiss him.
"What was that about taking you out for taiyaki before getting you in my bed?" Tobirama asks. I look at the now open doorway to the bathroom, but I still can't see him.
"You know what I meant," I cross my arms under the blanket that covers me. I don't know how long we stayed on the bridge kissing. But we stayed until my body was shaking, even though I couldn't feel anything cold.
I was ushered into a bathroom almost the size of the bedroom my brother and I shared growing up. And after the chaos of the day and a warm shower, I was ready to sleep, and it didn't matter where.
But Tobirama's bed is the softest bed I've ever been in.
All the blankets are soft, too.
And it smells like him.
"I don't know what you mean, hime." He leans against the doorway, his hair is still a mess on the top of his head and it's slightly damp from his shower. When I look down, I realize he's not wearing a shirt. Scars litter his chest and stomach. I can't stop myself from looking further down at the loose pants that hang around his hips.
My face feels like it's on fire when I look up at him.
"What did you mean, hime?" He asks, tilting his head slightly.
"You know what I mean 'ttbane."
"But I want to hear you say it, Kikuko."
My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest.
"I'm in your bed, Tobirama." His eyes darken.
"That is the first time you've said my name," he says as he cuts off the light to the bathroom. He pushes himself off the doorframe and walks closer to me, like a predator stalking their prey.
I want him to catch me.
I want him to make me his.
He climbs onto the edge of the bed, crawling up my body slowly until he rests over me, the muscles in his arms taut beside my head. "The first time my girl says my name is when she's telling me she's in my bed," he says as he runs his nose up my jaw.
"Tobirama-"
"Nu-uh, tell me what you meant before, hime." When I don't say anything he tilts his head slightly to look up at me. "What did you mean?"
"I-I-" he tuts softly, before he presses a kiss on my cheek. "I meant-" he hums quietly against my neck and all thoughts fly out of my brain.
"What did you mean Kikuko?"
"I meant that you needed to take me out for taiyaki before we-" I gasp when he nibbles on my neck.
"Before we what, sweetheart?"
"I can't think of a word," I whimper. "Everything sounds too corny or too basic."
"Is that so?" He asks as he kisses up my neck. "Tell me."
"Fuck isn't right," I say as he kisses the bottom of my jaw.
"It's not," he agrees as he moves to kiss behind my ear.
"Make love sounds corny," I say as I bring a hand up and move it through his hair.
"We don't need to make love that we already have," he says against my skin. My hand tightens in his hair and I feel him smile against me.
"I-I can't-"
"I will take you out for taiyaki before we consummate our bond," he says in my ear before he finally, finally kisses my lips again. They're still sore from earlier, but I don't care.
"Not now?" I whisper when he pulls away. I hate how small my voice sounds.
"Not now," he shakes his head before he kisses my forehead. "You have had a long day, have not had time to adjust to this time, let alone time to adjust to being back in the village." The tightness in my chest starts to ease with his words.
"And besides," he says as he pulls away to slip under the blankets with me. "I will need to take leave for a few days. I plan to take my time with you." He turns on his side and pulls me back into him, cutting the beside light off as he falls on his back.
"To-bi-ra-ma~" I whine and he starts laughing, his entire body shakes as I hide my face in the crook of his neck.
"You like that spot, don't you hime?"
"Shut up," I say.
"I didn't think you would be a brat," he says, but as he tries to say my name he lets out a broken moan as I suck on the spot where his neck meets his shoulder.
"What was that, Hokage-sama?" He groans as he starts to run a hand through my hair.
"I deserved that," he sighs as I relax back against him.
"Mmhmm."
"I can't wait to take care of you," he whispers after a few minutes.
"You already have been," I nuzzle his neck. "I can't wait to take care of you."
"You already have been," he repeats as his arms tighten around me. "I have never felt more complete than I do when you are in my arms." He says it so quietly, like if he says it louder everything will disappear.
I hold onto him tighter and kiss his chest.
"I've never felt safer than I do when you hold me," I whisper into the dark room.
"Then I will hold you always," he murmurs.
"You can't promise that," I say as my thoughts turn hazy.
"I can. Clones do most of my paperwork anyways."
"You took the hat for a reason, Hokage-sama."
"Don't call me that in public again," he groans as he hides his face in my hair.
"I like it, you like it, there's no sense in us denying it, Hokage-sama."
"Stop saying it like that, hime," he whines.
"Did I break you?" I ask, breaking out of the haze.
"No," he says. I can hear him pouting.
"The powerful Nidaime broken by his girl calling him by his title~" I sing, channeling every bit of the little shit training Kakashi put us through as kids as I can.
"My- you- Kikuko-hime!"
"I love you too, Tobi-kun."
Sounds spill out of his mouth, but none form a coherent word.
"Oh, so I really broke you, huh?"
"Hime!"