#probably sai and tenzo also join at some point

[ikemenomegas]

good-ending!kakashi and itachi need to have a little former traumatized geniuses cooking club where they get comfortable with making little "mistakes" and putting imperfect dishes on the table and improvising without needing to explain themselves like it's life or death

[castershellwrites]

Ghost of Tsushima CYO Fic

Please enjoy this fic, there's a poll under the cut to vote for what you want to happen next. This fic will reach no higher than a teen rating and pairings (if any) will be determined by votes.

This fic is set after the events of the main game and the Iki Island DLC, there will be spoilers. Jin is on Iki island deciding what to do now that the island is free.

Fic and poll under the cut:

Jin Sakai sat atop Kaze, his bay stallion, while the ocean breeze whistled though the plates of their armor. Their armor because Jin had on The Ghost armor made by his late friend Taka, and Kaze’s tack was covered by the armor of his late father’s horse. That armor filled out the still fattening frame of his horse. Kaze certainly wasn’t Kage… he was leaner, faster, and more stubborn… but he was proper samuai’s steed and a loyal companion.

When they’d first been stranded on Iki, Kaze had truly proven himself a capable fighter in his own right. Now, months after the Khan’s defeat and having finally freed Iki from the looming shadow of the Eagle, Jin and Kaze fought together as one. They were of the same mind. Tenzo had commented on it with awe and some jealousy. Jin had only shrugged, unable to come up with a platitude that wouldn’t be condescending or remind them both of the vast difference in their stations.

The ocean waves crashed against the sands and rocks of the coast. The tide was coming in. If he left for Fune’s Refuge now, he’d probably arrive at its zenith, meaning the rocky path would be treacherous and slick. He needed to return to Tsuhima soon, but not at the cost of his life from slipping off a rock and drowning. He’d had a near enough experience to that in Zasho Bay and was loath to trust his luck a second time. Third if he counted falling off the bridge almost  year ago as his first near drowning. Jin shuddered and pointed Kaze inland.

Without realizing it, Jin found their travels took them to Hachibee’s house. He was drawn out of his head by the constant low buzzing. The bees seemed agitated today. Was it the weather? Or perhaps this was their swarming season? Hachibee had many freshly carved logs set at intervals around the clearing and through the nearby forest, prime real-estate for any queen seeking a new home.

Jin dismounted, and chuckled.

Kaze immediately retreated away from the little insects that filled the air. His ears twitched with annoyance, but perked forwards to listen once Jin began playing his flute.

This would likely be the last time he played here, for Hachibee’s bees, or—a second flute joined in harmony as Jin knew it would—with Hachibee. Three songs later Jin stopped for breath and to embrace the feeling of warm sunlight on him. He felt warmed to the bone the same way he had when Hachibee had offered him tea sweetened with honey.

“You’re leaving soon?” the apiarist asked without preamble.

Jin raised an eyebrow and answered the question with another, “How did you know?”

“Your flute sounded melancholy, my lord—uh—Jin.”

“It’s fine. I think half the island knows I’m samurai now.” Jin didn’t voice that only a handful on the island knew his clan. Fune and Tenzo had done well in keeping their own council on the matter.

Hachibee held his flute across his lap and bowed his head. “You don’t deny you’re leaving.”

“I am leaving, soon. I wished to say farewell to you, Hachibee, and to your charges.”

“Safe travels, Jin. Before you go”—Hachibee sprang to his feet, feigning lightness and levity—“allow me to give you a parting gift.”

Jin knows those on Iki don’t have much. He also knows better than to reject generosity and kindness when it offered freely. He accepted Hachibee’s gift gratefully and with a deep bow of his own. The small jars were heavy.

“Honey,” Hachibee proclaimed, “for wounds, medicine, eating. For whatever you need, Jin. Please, travel safely.”

He didn’t ask for Jin to write. Jin never bothered to find out if he was literate. He may try to send a letter back regardless. Hachibee has been a good friend.

“Thank you. Your kindness is appreciated. I will miss playing music with you, and your bees.” Jin bowed again, and waited for Hachibee to rise from his own reciprocating bow before taking his leave. That was one farewell made. His next stop would be Fune’s refuge.

[dimigex]

Healing Hands - Chapter Nine - YamaSaku

Now available on Fanfiction and Archive.

Good news: there's two sections of Tenzo and Sakura interaction in this one, and we're going to get significantly more in the coming chapters.

Snippet below the cut, but this chapter is over 11K words so it's probably better to read it on one of the other sites.

After dropping an armful of files across her desk, Sakura slumped into her chair. The lamp spread a halo of pale light across the papers that had begun to resemble precarious mountains with styrofoam cup trees at the bases. Despite working three hours past the end of her shift, Sakura still needed to spend several more to complete her charting. It had taken a month in her new position to realize that she needed one day each week devoted to paperwork.

Despite that, Sakura's efforts didn't seem enough. She had to update her patient's charts like she'd done before, but now, she also had to oversee a variety of administrative tasks that ended up on her desk. There were budget reports to review, staff schedules to create, training programs to consider, and any number of things that she'd never had to worry about in the past. Since talking to Kakashi about finding an assistant, Sakura couldn't help but wonder if she should do the same. Kazuko was a natural with the administrative side, but she would need someone with an aptitude for medical ninjutsu to fill her position eventually.

The scrape of fabric drew Sakura's attention from her self-pitying thoughts. Though she no longer wore the jonin uniform beneath her lab coat, a weapon pouch circled her thigh. Some habits remained in peace or war. She pulled a kunai from the leather holster and spun her chair, ready to release the weapon at the first sign of danger. A form materialized from a dark corner of the room, grey eyes smiling. "They never warn you about the paperwork, do they?"

Recognizing Kakashi, Sakura lowered the kunai and tucked it away. The man lounged on the arm of the couch, long legs stretched in front of him like he'd been waiting for a while. The robes and hat were nowhere to be seen, but Sakura envisioned the weight dragging at his shoulders. Besides, the new jonin uniform was different enough from Sakura's version of Kakashi that it had become a sign of his office anyway. She bowed her head in greeting. "What can I do for you, Hokage-sama?"

Kakashi snorted and pushed to his feet. "Drop the title, firstly."

As Kakashi moved closer to her desk, Sakura humored him with a smile that strained at her patience. She'd been working for fourteen hours today, and while she liked Kakashi well enough, Sakura wanted to know what new chaos he was bringing into her life. There was no way that Kakashi was making a social visit at this time of night, so he needed something. He eyed the stacks of paper, nearly knocking one over when he got too close. Sakura batted the hands away from her work. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Your desk doesn't look much different from mine." Kakashi's eyes conveyed a deeper sense of amusement. Sakura realized that she could read the man's emotions much better without the sharingan or headband that slanted across his face. Something about the comparison and teasing tone drew a flush of annoyance onto Sakura's cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura reined her temper under control. She and Kakashi were friends and former teammates, which offered her some leniency, but he was still the hokage. "I'm sorry," she said, further moderating her tone. "What I meant to say is that I'm terribly busy and—"

"And, you don't have time to enjoy my company," Kakashi finished Sakura's argument before she could articulate the sentiment more gently. The man's lips twitched into a smile beneath his mask when he held up a hand to stop her rebuttal. "I understand, I really do. But, I need a favor."

"A favor," Sakura repeated, grimacing at the aftertaste that the word left in her mouth. She had more than enough work piled on her desk without accepting more, especially not knowing what she was getting into. But, she wasn't sure if this was the type of task that she could refuse. "What kind of favor?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and offered an apology with his eyes. "The kind that takes up more of your time, unfortunately."

Sakura groaned before she could stop herself. Of course it was time consuming. But, she couldn't tell Kakashi no, even if she wanted to. He crossed the office, producing a stack of files from somewhere that she couldn't see. There couldn't have been more than twenty, slim folders, but they hit Sakura's desk like stone. Kakashi rested his fingertips on top of them. "These are the files on my current Anbu."

A quip died on the tip of Sakura's tongue as she reached for the top cover, frowning. "I thought there would be more of them. And, shouldn't they say top secret or something? These look like every other shinobi file that crosses my desk."

"That's the point," Kakashi teased, drawing his hand back and crossing his arms over his chest. "Can you think of anything that would make them more likely to be read than putting a warning across the front? This way, they hide in plain sight."

Nodding along with the logic, Sakura pulled the first file from the stack and flipped it open. A painfully young shinobi stared back at her. She didn't recognize him; the boy could have been anyone. Sakura did a double take when she skimmed the medical information and saw that he was six years older than her. Her gaze shifted back to Kakashi. "What am I supposed to do with these?"

Kakashi stared down at the photo for a moment, then sighed. "I've been thinking about the concerns you raised with Yamato, and you were right. We aren't at war any longer; I need to know that my Anbu are sound, physically and mentally."

"Did you check on him?" Sakura had nearly gone to Kakashi half a dozen different times to ask, but she'd forced herself to trust him. If he said that he would take care of the situation with Yamato, he would. But, she had a difficult time holding back.

Kakashi remained silent as Sakura closed the file and replaced it on the stack. Then, his chin dipped in a sharp nod. Sakura let the silence drag out until Kakashi continued, answering her unasked question. "The mission clearly affected him, but I think he's bouncing back."

A knot of tension released in Sakura's chest. When Tsunade left the village, she'd given Sakura a copy of Kakashi's file in case she ever needed it. Sakura had left it unopened for weeks, not wanting to pry into the man's past without reason. But, after the questions about Yamato, Sakura had thumbed through the document to get an idea of how well the two men knew each other. The history that leapt to life from the pages shocked her.

Not only had Yamato and Kakashi known each other during their Anbu days, they'd served on the same team. They had completed countless missions together over the years. As curious as she was, Sakura forced herself not to read the notes. Knowing the basics of their history was enough to soothe some of Sakura's worries. Kakashi knew Yamato far better than she did. If he thought that Yamato was okay, he probably was.

Kakashi nodded toward files, breaking Sakura's train of thought. "Tsunade had been taking care of the physicals, and the evaluations hadn't seemed that important until the other day."

They hadn't seemed that important until you suggested that one of my friends was struggling. Sakura heard the words that Kakashi wasn't ready to admit, even if he didn't. She framed her next question with care, half afraid of the anwer. "Does your visit exempt Yamato from this round of physicals?"

Sakura knew that Kakashi wanted to pretend that Yamato couldn't possibly be struggling, but her questions had planted the doubts too deeply. He shook his head after a few seconds of consideration. "No, as head of Anbu, Yamato needs to be evaluated as well."

Sakura tried to keep her mouth from falling open at the revelation, but the beginnings of a surprised gasp slid between her lips. Kakashi snorted under his breath. "Have you even looked at his file? I assumed that you'd scoured every detail before you came to me with questions."

"I didn't realize I could," Sakura began, then stopped short. On a subconscious level she'd known that she could get the file if she wanted it, but it wasn't easy to reach. When Sakura had agreed to take over medical oversight for Anbu, she'd been granted access to the files. But, she hadn't thought to make use of them. Something about using Yamato's past that way felt like an invasion of privacy. She didn't want to do that until she had a solid reason.

Nudging the files over so that they spread across the desk like a fan, Kakashi fished through them and came up with one that appeared identical to the others. When he flipped it open, Sakura studied Yamato's almost familiar features in the picture. It must have been recent, there were lines at the edges of his eyes and mouth that she didn't remember from when they'd first met. Still, it looked healthier than the man that she'd recently signed off to return to active duty.

Ignoring the sense of guilt that gnawed at her stomach, Sakura frowned at Kakashi. "What am I looking for?"

Long fingers slid across the page, coming to rest just above the years of service. Sakura's mouth dropped as she frowned at the number. "That can't be right," she argued, doing some quick backward math. "He would have had to join Anbu when he was ten; nobody joins that young."

"Eleven, actually," Kakashi corrected. He shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner that suggested that he cared more than he wanted to admit. "What makes you an expert on Anbu ages, anyway? I was only thirteen when I joined; you were barely a genin by then."

At thirteen, Sakura had been afraid to work out too hard lest she get bulky muscles that Sasuke wouldn't like. Her crush had determined every aspect of her life, consuming it. The idea of living through the things that she'd learned about Anbu during the past few weeks while at that age was horrifying.

Unbidden, Sakura studied Kakashi. She couldn't help but wonder how different he must have been to survive Anbu. Her heart ached for the innocence that he and Yamato had surely given up to be in the black ops so young. Had they ever had a normal life, even by shinobi standards? Had they left genin teams behind? Had they lost their friends and first crushes in the process? She didn't want to think about it. "You were just kids."

"We were shinobi in a time of war," Kakashi countered with a shrug. A dusting of pink showed above the edges of his mask, but Sakura wasn't sure if it was annoyance or embarrassment that colored his cheeks. Kakashi closed Yamato's file. "I wasn't looking for pity, for either of us. I just want you to know that Yamato has been doing this long enough to live through some dark days. He knows how to handle it."

Sakura nodded, but she couldn't help but wonder if living through more trauma made a person better at hiding their struggles than dealing with them. She wondered what darkness Kakashi's easygoing nature hid. Deciding that she'd rather not know until she needed to, Sakura pushed the files back into a stack. "I'll clear my schedule to get these done. You'll have the results by the end of next week."

Kakashi eye smiled, tension flowing out of his posture at the easy acceptance. "Thank you. I wish it wasn't more work on top of what you already have."

"Some things are important enough to take precedence," Sakura answered, waving away Kakashi's apology. This would give her a chance to dig deeper into Yamato's mental state as well as familiarize herself with the other Anbu. If she could save even one of them, it was worth however much time it took.

(Find the rest on FF and A03, linked above)

[trekkie-in-space]

Rogue Kakashi AU / @depressedkakashihatake

___

Kakashi is baffled by Gai decision to leave with him. And even if time with Tenzo and Naruto were good he realise he missed Gai presence and their ability to be absolute fool when they are together, more than anything.

He is also baffled by Gai faith in him even after so many years.

Despite the reputation Kakashi has in the village, Gai never doubted there was more to Kakashi’s decision than what he is told. People bashed Kakashi but Gai never spoked bad of him. If anybody in the village met with Kakashi on a mission or heard about him you could be sure Gai would be there to ask you detail.

Gai didn’t care about being mocked for holding onto Kakashi so bad and still seeing good things in him. Gai don’t care and after some time he don’t argue anymore, people can shit talk Kakashi all they want, he won’t, and he won’t lose time trying to convince anyone that there’s more to it. he doesn’t know what and any investigation he does on the matter is frutless because Danzo erased the trail to the truth, but he knows there is.

He never lose hope, he never stop caring.

Somehow he never meet Kakashi during mission, the one time he did, was when he was ordered to hunt for Kakashi specifically. after over seventh weeks they had finally came to a confrontation. Kakashi was alone and Gai’s team managed to take him out. but before they could even consider to bring him back to Konoha Gai took out his team members from behind (making it pass later as if Kakashi had reinforcement) and left with Kakashi, taking care of his injury (nothing serious they probably pushed him to chakra exhaustion) until he wakes up.

There he asks, with no animosity in his voice, why he left. Kakashi doesn’t answer. No matter what Gai says, he doesn’t says anything. What is the point Kakashi think he will be tortured until he spill it out or they will take anything they want from him from his head anyway. Though he find weird that not only are they alone together (where is Gai’s team ?) he is not tied/restrained in anyway, hell Gai is actually caring for him like he would any fallen teammates. it’s weird and he can’t make sense of all the inconsistency.

Tenzo and Naruto come to the rescue and Kakashi take the opportunity to flee, but Gai doesn’t fight back, and as they leave Kakashi looks back to see Gai watching him. it’s a neutral expression with hidden hope and disapointement. Kakashi understand Gai won’t pursue them anymore.

Gai know he failed to gain Kakashi’s trust. And he knows it’s pointless to follow them and continue this ‘hunt’, he just wanted to talk and Kakashi doesn’t want to. it was good to see him thought, at least he seems healthy.

Kakashi is surprised Gai doesn’t follow them or fight them, even if the three of them overpower him Gai could still cause them some trouble. He realise Gai never had the intention to bring him to the village, he was sincere in his curiousity.

Gai join back his team and declare the failure of their mission. lying to cover his own action.

this event stay in Kakashi’s mind, a lot more than he admit Tenzo or Naruto.

__

It takes time for them to recover the familiarity they had, even after the years it’s still feel a bit like they never really meet, but they have a lot of catch up to do and they are not too used to each other in combat, but they both have good instinct and make it work nonetheless with a bit of trial and error.

Also both of them discovering each other skills and strenght, wait till Gai show them hirudora x)

Naruto is very happy for team 10 to join. Gai quickly become his third dad and he loves training with him and team 10.

Neji, out of oppression, is blooming in a whole new way, though if they encounter Huyga from the main branch Neji is out due to the power they can have on him. One of their goal now is to find a way to release the cursed seal

___

Even if Gai wish he could have followed Kakashi on day one, he knows he would have never met Tenten, Lee and Neji if he had. He grieve for the years he didn’t pass by Kakashi’s side, but also don’t regret that it happenned that way because he was able to meet Neji, Lee and Tenten and he is forever grateful for that !

[raendown]

Pairing: YamatoNaruto Word count: 2487 Soulmate au: The one where you can hear what they're thinking whenever you consciously try to listen

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Chapter 220

Tenzo knew his soulmate within moments of meeting them. He really hadn’t expected that. After the life he’d led and a continuing lack of proper social understanding he’d expected it to take a very long time for him to figure it out if and when they finally met. There had been times he’d bemoaned the fact that their mental connection didn’t extend towards an ability to have actual conversations, limited only to allowing them an ear in to each other’s thoughts at will, but after so many years of worry it seemed there had been nothing to fear on that front. Unfortunately in all the time he’d spent wondering what they would look like or how their voice would sound out loud Tenzo had forgotten to wonder about one thing. Only one detail, yet such an important one. He’d forgotten to wonder at their age. 

Looking at the still growing bundle of energy in the clearing ahead of him, Tenzo did his best to identify each of the emotions coalescing in the hot tangled ball around his heart. Shock, clearly, was the foremost emotion, that fate had chosen to bond him with someone so much his junior without even allowing them the mercy of meeting after Naruto had fully grown. Confusion was also a large part of it, although he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what he was confused about or if he was simply feeling generally off-kilter. Years of rigorous training had the back of his mind reminding him that such emotions would make for poor concentration on the mission awaiting them. But there were still so many other feelings woven throughout the stranglehold suffocating his heart that he just knew he would never be able to untangle them all for a proper look. 

Was he disappointed? Tenzo couldn’t say. He could admit in the privacy of his mind that Naruto’s features were already handsome but at the same time he felt almost dirty for even noticing. The boy was only seventeen. 

The best thing he could think to do at the time was to hold his silence. Whatever his feelings about this situation, it would surely be for the best if he figured them out for himself before admitting to this child that they were matched. Before that first day was over it was obvious that Naruto was not the sort to take big news quietly or keep it to himself either. Tenzou felt certain the boy would understand if he simply put off such an awkward conversation until he was sure they could both be ready for it. 

Unfortunately the longer he held his tongue the less sure he became, a year or two quickly turning in to half a decade almost before he realized, and Tenzou suddenly found himself adrift in a post-war utopia with everyone around them finding the places they were always meant to be, leaving him far behind. He wondered sometimes if Naruto even really noticed that he’d never found his bond. In the wake of the Fourth Shinobi War the boy - more of a man now than a boy - found himself awash in suitors of all genders, handing out dates left and right like he had a well of infinite love for anyone who wanted a taste. And Tenzou, well. He wanted a taste. It may have taken just over five years for him to finally admit it to himself but the rare glimpses he allowed himself in to Naruto’s thoughts showed him to be as genuine as the face he showed to the rest of the world. It would have been very difficult indeed to find a heart as true as Naruto’s.

Some days it was harder than others to understand why or how he had worked himself in to this stupid corner, unable to speak and yet unwilling to hold his tongue. On those days when the loneliness he’d built for himself became too much he found himself often drifting to the roof of the administration tower. It was always peaceful up here. Most people in the common forces assumed that the Hokage’s ANBU would be camped out here on lookout at all hours of the day and yet such assumptions only meant it would be too easy a spot to be ambushed. Generally they avoided it, letting the rumors fly free to encourage any possible attacks away from their true hiding places, and that left the roof free for a despondent ex-ANBU to sit with his back to one of the massive pillars while he looked for answers in the stars above. 

The last thing he expected was for anyone to join him there. Or rather, the last thing he expected was for Naruto to be the one who finally interrupted his mournful solitude. 

“You don’t mind?” Naruto pointed at the spot beside him but didn’t bother to wait for a reply before flopping down to the ground so close their shoulders brushed together. Tenzou peeked at the younger man from the corner or one eye.

“I thought you had a date tonight?” he murmured. 

“Eh, he was boring. Kept going on and on about how I saved the village and he’s so grateful I would even give him the time of day and blah blah blah.” 

Tenzou smiled against his will. “After all those years you put in to making the village recognize you, you don’t like it when they do?”

“Oh for sure!” Naruto puffed up his chest. “I like being someone that others can look up to! It’s just kind of annoying when they treat me like I’m better than them somehow, you know? Just ‘cause I got real strong doesn’t mean I don’t want to have normal conversations and stuff. I’m still just me.” 

More than anyone else Tenzou knew that, it was one of the reasons he had slowly fallen in love, and so he nodded without trusting himself to speak. His silence must have been noteworthy somehow because when he didn’t get a verbal response Naruto turned to lock their eyes together with an unreadable expression. Tenzou knew he could have simply dipped in to the other’s thoughts. He could know everything he wanted to know in just a few moments. Instead, like the coward he was, he merely blinked and waited for Naruto to speak first. 

He didn’t have long to wait. 

“You know...sometimes we build things up in our heads and it gets bigger and bigger until one day you realize it’s just never gonna be the same in reality as it is in your head.” 

“I’m sure if you told him he was making you uncomfortable that he would have backed off a little,” Tenzou said. Naruto gave him another look he didn’t understand. 

“No, I wasn’t talking about that guy.”

“Oh.” At a loss, he turned his face away and looked back up at the stars. “What were you talking about then?” 

For a long minute Naruto said nothing and the feeling of expectancy that hung in the air between them was honestly baffling. It was hard to imagine what the other might be waiting for without reaching across the connection between them to listen firsthand. Forcing himself to have patience, to his shame, required falling back on some of the old repression techniques he had learned under Danzo’s rule.

“I was talking about you.” 

Only five words, a simple message delivered in quiet tones, but they stole the breath from Tenzou’s chest as he whipped his head back down again to stare at the man beside him. 

“W-what do you mean?” he asked breathlessly. Naruto was grinning openly in amusement. 

“You know that this connection thing works both ways, right? I know I’m kind of a knucklehead but I’m not really stupid, dattebayo!”

“I...I never…”

Waving a hand to cut him off, Naruto chuckled a bit. “You didn’t know I knew. I know. We can both hear each other’s thoughts and stuff so, I mean, it wasn’t all that hard to figure it out. You were really uncomfortable with it for a long time so I figured you’d be even more uncomfortable if I made you talk about it. Just being friends is still great!” 

“You...but...I…” Now more than ever before it seemed that words were beyond him. 

Because Naruto was right, this connection between them was a two way street. Just as it was for every other pair of soulmates in the world. How that detail could have escaped him for so many years was a mystery - although Tenzou distantly suspected it probably had something to do with willful ignorance. He was grateful for the uncharacteristic patience as he struggled his way through the revelation that he had apparently worried himself in to knots over nothing. For multiple years. Evidently Naruto had figured it out quite early on. Still, once his brain could finally process anything beyond the wild siren noises of panic he couldn’t help but get stuck on something quite specific. 

“Just...being friends?” he managed to get out. To his utter bafflement Naruto flushed, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck.

“Should have known you’d catch that, dattebayo. You’re a really great guy! And you’re my soulmate! It’s okay if I like you, right?” The nervous chuckle he made sounded so out of place from someone usually so brash and confident. “But, uh, hey! It’s okay if you’re still not comfortable. Just because we like each other doesn’t mean we have to do anything with that if you don’t want or if it still bothers you that I’m younger or something. Just, maybe you could think about it?” 

Tenzou swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat to croak out, “You think of me like that?” A moment later he breathily added, “You know I think of you like that?” 

His answer was a helpless laugh as Naruto shrugged. Either he’d run out of words or he was listening through their link and realized that all these massive bombs he was dropping were just a little too much for an aging and poorly socialized ex-ANBU to handle. Ask him to assassinate the head of another village and Tenzou would approach his given task with a cool head. Ask him to face his own emotions and the only thing he was likely to accomplish was a few weeks of serious but confusing thoughts, no actions. 

Several minutes passed before it was obvious that neither one of them knew what to say next. Naruto had laid all of his cards on the table, he was clearly waiting for some kind of sign for where to go from here, and it took a while before Tenzou realized he would have to provide that sign. Leaving it up to him to drive whatever was happening here was clearly a bad decision.

As he proved when the only thing he could think to do was to lean over and crash his mouth against the younger man’s with all the pent up emotion of someone who had been keeping a secret for more years than he wanted to count. Despite the fact that Naruto had only just confessed to sharing his feelings it was somehow still a jolt to feel him respond in kind with a low groan. With no clue what he was doing Tenzou did something for the very first time in his life; he threw logic out the window and let his emotions rule him. It was something he had always admired about his soulmate, something he’d always wished he could bring himself to do, and later it would occur to him how fitting it was that it was this leap of faith that brought them together at last. 

When the kiss ended Tenzou discovered he was panting with the exertion of his own heartbeat, not embarrassed only because his partner was breathing just as heavily. 

“Yeah?” Naruto mumbled. 

“Yeah,” Tenzou whispered back. Neither of them needed to elaborate. The connection between them had never been so open. All of Naruto’s thoughts streamed in to his mind almost as though the man were projecting them as hard as he could and the sheer happiness they both felt in this moment was enough to quell every fear that might have arisen. 

“For real? We can-?”

Since he really didn’t have any better of a handle on his words yet Tenzou chose actions instead. This time when he moved Naruto met him halfway and both of them had to chuckle at their own awkwardness as their teeth clacked together. It was, somehow, a perfect moment. Just the right way to remind them both that they were human and messy and that it was okay to be those things. Tenzou closed his eyes for a moment just to breath. When he’d come to sit up here on the roof tonight he’d expected nothing more than to spend another few hours pitying himself for the seemingly impossible situation that he’d put them both in. Now…

“All those dates with all those different people,” he ventured slowly. “They weren’t real dates, were they?” 

“Kind of. Lots of people want my attention and it doesn’t really hurt anyone to give them the time of day - so long as I don’t let things go too far. Mostly they just want to say they went out with the hero of the village, not many of them were really interested in me as a person. As long as you were still worried about being together I figured...why not just make all those people happy without actually having to break any hearts?” Naruto looked a little nervous like he wasn’t sure that was alright but Tenzou found himself slumping with relief. 

It really was just like Naruto to give so much of himself like that. And as much as Tenzou had always been fine with Naruto finding companionship in others when he himself had refused to step forward, it was still an odd sort of relief to know the other had actually been waiting for him all along. 

“Don’t break my heart, okay?” he said. 

Naruto didn’t say anything, only pulled him in for a kiss that didn’t miss this time, but he didn’t have to use words. Everything he was feeling was right there in his thoughts. Tenzou reached out to cup the back of his soulmate’s head even as he let his mind sink in to Naruto’s where everything he had ever wanted was right there waiting for him. It was amazing how avoiding these little glimpses as much as possible had denied him what he most desired for so long but what was done was done. There was no point crying over past mistakes. 

Feeling more carefree than he ever had before, Tenzou let the world drift away and filled his mind with the one man he now looked forward to filling his future with. 

[scenariosofkonoha]

Hi! Could i get HC for kakashi falling for his s/o? Like, dealing with the whole “im scared to get close to you but im definitely feeling something” also how long it would take before he would ask her out? How would he do it? How would people find out and react to him having a girlfriend? Non-shinobi s/o please! Thanks and ily!!

Hello again colors! I’m really happy you came back with another ask. So…I’m not 100% with this one. I hope I answered it correctly and hope you like it! * nervous finger taps* ~ Admin Little Lace 🎀

“You’re distracted,” she said after taking a sip of her tea. Looking over to his dazed look, she placed her cup down on the windowsill. Moving slowly enough to not startled him, she touched his hand. The feel of her skin on his broke him out of his thoughts, his uncovered eye blinking toward her. “Welcome back,” she joked smiling. “What has you thinking so hard?”

‘That I’m in love with you but that’s probably not a good idea.’ he thought, “Oh nothing,” he answered.

Kakashi Hatake is not one for love at first sight. One cannot simply fall in love with someone they had never spoken to. It had nothing to do with beauty, lots of people were beautiful. It had nothing to do with kindness, though honestly rare nowadays. It didn’t even have anything to do with conversational skills.

No, if the Copy-nin was going to fall in love with anyone it would not happen that quickly or superficially.

This was why falling in love with her had taken him by surprise. When he had met her, he had not believed he would feel anything for her. The girl that was walking out in the middle of a rainstorm as if the drops hadn’t bothered her at all.

“You’re going to catch a cold,” he said from underneath the awning. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to tell her this. She looked old enough to know better.He also wasn’t sure if he was expecting her to reply to him. But when he felt a presence from behind his book, he closed in to look at her. Hair soaking wet and kimono clinging to her. But she wasn’t looking at him, her eyes were trained to the book. “Hm.” She answered before turning her back to him. As if feeling his question gaze, she answered.“Perverts shouldn’t tell others what to do,” with that she marched off leaving him a little stunned.

She was a strange girl. Maybe that is why he fell in love with her? He had seen her a few times throughout the Leaf. Her family owned a textile shop. The girl would often be out for deliveries, cheerfully handing off parcels to civilians and shinobi alike. When he saw her again, she was not as cheerful.

“Achoo!” her body convulsed as she sneezed. Her steps a bit staggered as she entered the shop.“Hm.” he retorted standing in the door way. The ‘holier than thou’ look she had once given him, didn’t have the same effect with a dripping nose.“Coming to say I-” her sentence staggered by a sniffle, “told you so?” Wordlessly, he walked up to her and, as if by magic, produced a handkerchief. “Perverts shouldn’t tell others what to do,”he parroted, handing her the cloth. The pale-haired man had expected her to blush, look at least some what abashed. But the challenge in her eye did something to him.

That had been the look for him to keep his distance. The sign that he should get no closer. Like a snake’s rattle or bright colors on a poisonous animal. Attachments did not bode well for him in the past, surely he didn’t want to engage in any now.

You see, he continued to tell himself that. Honestly, not wanting to go anywhere near her, lest he have that feeling again. But it was awfully hard to keep to this self-rule when his work commute now just so happened to pass by her family’s shop. Near every day on his way to the ANBU building, he saw her. The open front window giving both a view of one another. Near everyday he would give her a pleasant look, and near everyday it was returned with a roll of her eyes and a reluctant smile.

Kakashi could concede such a little interaction, if was just a look it wasn’t so bad. That is until he received his handkerchief back. The white cloth folded in with the repaired ANBU uniforms. Being a shinobi taught him not to believe in coincidences, so it had to be her. His thoughts were confirmed when in the corner there was a little Henohenomoheji embroidered into it.

He could have left it there, he really could have. There was no need to see her to confirm anything further. But he had gone against his self rule and went to see her any way.

“You know my name but I don’t know yours,” he said one evening. She gave her little challenging smile.

From that point on he had stopped into see her. Short visits, or helping her by bringing in the repaired ANBU uniforms. They spoke, the conversations growing in length with each visit. Each as snarky as the last

“And how do you think they get repaired Kakashi? And if you say repair no jutsu I swear.” His hidden smile, as if daring himself to say it, only served to irritate her more. Point 1 for him.

His evening visits grew to her offering him tea.

“I can give you a straw to shove up your mask.” Point 1 for her.

She had slowly became a fixture in his life, a greeting in the morning, a cup of tea in the evening. When he went away, she was the first person he told, when he returned, she was the first to know. The ninken had even gotten to know her. How close they had gotten, he hadn’t known until she had made them clothes.

“Aren’t they the best?” she asked holding up Pakkun to show off her work. Kakashi was a little shocked to see the smallest of his pack dressed in little blue sweater, his name stitched into the back. The ninja dog’s usually grumpy face soften a bit. A shrug of his tiny shoulders told his partner ‘this wasn’t so bad’.

But all of these moments shared with her had culminated into the feelings he had as he looked at her now. All these months later, as they sat on the window seat in her home above the shop, he fallen in love with her. The thing he had tried hard to avoid. That is to say, falling in love with her wasn’t bad, he had to admit it was the most freeing feeling he had had in a long time.

No, it was the attachment he had work to steer clear off…or so he thought. He was already too close to her. At this point, he had just given in.

“We should get Ichiraku,” he suggested shrugging. The girl looked up from her mending raising a brow.“Oh, and how do you intend to eat that?” her expression giving the challenge he loved.“Come with me and I’ll show you.”

This was how the elite shinobi asked her out. Much like everything else they did, it was challenge. Much like the challenge of her watching him in hopes to see him remove his mask to eat. He had successfully avoided her seeing him this way, and enjoyed her pout each time she missed her chance. It led to him asking her out many more times.

Now she isn’t stupid, she’s noticing the trend but she doesn’t say anything. Through all the laughing, joking and sassy comments, she knows he is still healing. She’s heard the stories that the village gossips share. The seamstress is just allowing him to tell to her in his own time. Because of this it is no surprise how he makes things official.

“Welcome home,” “Good to be home,” they customarily greeted one another as she closed up the shop for the evening.“You look tired,” he rested his head against the door frame. A sigh agreeing to her statement.“Captain, if you think I’m going to do your paper work again you-” both heads turned to see a brown haired shinobi join them. The man stopped in his tracks as the girl came into view from behind his captain. “Oh,” Tenzo, never seeing his fellow ANBU with a woman, wasn’t sure how to process the information. “Hello,”“Hi,” she responded amused at the man’s experience.“Sorry about that Tenzo,” the man’s captain shrugged not looking sorry at all. “I was just about to take my girlfriend out to dinner, you don’t mind taking care of it do you?” he’s smooth tone followed his gestures as he took her hand and walked her down the street.“Nice meeting you!” She called to the confused looking man. She then turned her scrutiny to her companion. “girlfriend huh?”Kakashi gave another shrug. “Why not?” “I would have liked to be asked.”“Would you like to be my girlfriend?”“I’ll think about it,”

From that point on he just assumes she has accepts they are together and moves on. Poor Tenzo doesn’t know what to say. Not sure if he was playing a joke or if his commanding officer was serious. Because of this he doesn’t tell anyone. He genuinely doesn’t want to be the butt of some joke.

His vice-captains turmoil aside, his other friends are aware of her but aren’t sure what to call the girl the once isolated shinobi spends his time with. Asuma and Kurenai have a feeling but since their former classmate isn’t saying heads or tails, a running bet starts between them.

Gai is oblivious. He has seen the girl more than once. (he and his father got those green suits from somewhere…) But not at the same time as Kakashi and if he has he acknowledges the girl before putting all his attention to his rival. The man never putting two and two together.

Just like everything else in their relationship, being public takes time. It doesn’t really matter to him as most of his life is private anyway. With the added fact that she isn’t pushing him, he will keep it this way forever. Or so he thought. Naruto is the one that finds out.

“Who are you?” he asks squatting on her shop counter squinting at her.“Annoyed, and you?” While the boy goes through spiel about how he is Naruto Uzumaki and how he is going to be Hokage Kakashi walks through the door.“I’m-” he stops seeing the boy, who is now standing and yelling believe it. Her face gives him two options, either he can grab the child or suffer the consequences. The man returns her challenging look, before trying to back out of the door. Challenge accepted.“Welcome home my darling!”

2.5 seconds. 2.5 seconds is how long it takes the whisker-marked child to run out of the store yelling for the rest of team to tell them Kakashi-sensei is married. Thus alerting the who village of this as well.

“You should tell him,” his partner said that night as they had tea in the home they now shared home.“It’s best we don’t make him a liar.”“Is that a proposal?”“Possibly.”“Then I possibly accept.”

As the news spreads, thanks to Naruto’s loud voice, the response is generally positive. While team 7 goes out on higher ranked missions, she receives visits from his friends. Each other them well wishing, and gently threaten some sort of harm if she hurts him.

Except for Gai, that man cries while he hugs her, proceeding to say how wonderful she is and she should take care of his rival. Trying hard not to find his enthusiasm amusing, she just pats his back. The exuberant Jonin is her favorite.

With all these visits, she never tells Kakashi. It is a little bit of a circus but she strives to make him more comfortable with most of the village knowing his business.

Not that the village knowing changes very much. They still act the same around each other. Save for now she has his team meet in the shop, therefore the man has no excuse for being late for missions. At this little move, he changes all the labels around in her sewing room.

For years to come the challenge and try one another, being the same people they were when they met in the rain.

“What has you thinking so hard?” she had asked him again, the question familiar as they shared tea in the Hokage’s office. This time he gave her an answer.

“I love you,” Kakashi said, his admission getting his wife to smile.

“I know,”

“You can at least say it back.”

“Perverts shouldn’t tell others what to do,” she smirked as she peered at him over a volume of Icha Icha Paradise. He gave a long suffering sigh. “I love you too husband.” her soft admission brought a smile to his mask-less face.

[bopeepwritingsheep]

This is kind of unfinished? I hit a roadblock and just COULD NOT go any farther with it but tbh it’s not a terrible place to stop so if I feel like adding a part two I will but otherwise this is good.

Th Adventures of Bear and Bat (featuring Hawk)

Bear spends about thirty minutes assuring Shikako and Sasuke that her wound, which she only received pushing Shikako out of the way of an enemy attack, is in no way life-threatening and won’t need attention until they make camp once they’re back in fire country borders. Then an hour later she stops the two of them with a single raised hand before stumbling to a halt herself, nearly colliding with a tree in the process.

“Ah, I’ve been poisoned. I apologize for not noticing earlier, if you could give me a moment.”

Bear makes it about ten steps before she collapses and Shikako and Sasuke both shunshin over to catch her.

The thing about poisons is that there's only so much a person can do about their effects even when their deadly aspects have been neutralized. Shikako is happy beyond words that her small amount of medical skills have managed to get Chiyome out of danger but she can't do much more for the older woman. The poison isn’t killing her, but the fever and hallucinations will have to pass on their own time and Shikako does not envy her superior shaking and sweating because she'd taken a poisoned blade meant for Shikako herself.

The two of them keep a vigil over their indisposed teammate, Bat and Hawk masks set aside for the moment because honestly, Bear isn’t cognizant enough to scold them for breaking protocol. There’s some amount of debate about taking her mask off, and when they finally do Shikako is almost relieved to find out she doesn’t really recognize her from anywhere. It’s not that her face is generic, just that it’s not anyone Shikako thinks she’s seen before.

Shikako mostly ignores the feeling, whatever decision about Bear’s supposed identity could be decided when said woman isn’t lying prone before them.

She and Sasuke take turns keeping watch over their fallen comrade, periodically changing out a small cold cloth on her forehead. Neither were really sure how much it helped but Bear always seemed to settle, just a bit, when they changed it. Whether it was the coolness or the contact Shikako couldn’t say but anything that helped was better than nothing.

Bear keeps repeating names, four of them, and Shikako tries her best to stamp down her curiosity because this knowledge has not been freely given. Two names come up more frequently, Moriko and Yojo--but Takeko and Yasu also make semi-frequent appearances in Bear’s feverish hallucinations. None of the names sound familiar, which is another thing that’s probably better for now.

“Do you think they’re her kids?”

Sasuke’s question startles Shikako out of her own musings and she can do little more than a shrug, “You really thinks she has kids?”

Sasuke gives her a blank, unimpressed stare as he gestures towards Bear’s hip pouches, the ones where she kept her storage scrolls, “She’s got picture books sealed in with her ninja wire, I don’t think she’s reading them herself.”

“Alright, point taken.”

They lapse back into silence again, Sasuke switching the cool rags on Bear’s forehead again and Shikako pulling some ration bars from her seal. Neither of them feels comfortable enough leaving Bear in her current state to go and hunt or set up much more of a camp than they already have. All three of their sleeping rolls piled up with Bear sprawled atop them, a small cover of trees, and enough traps to kill anything ranging in size from a small squirrel to a large elephant.

Just to be safe.

An ANBU agent with kids raises some off questions--Maybe it shouldn’t, Shikako hasn’t been in ANBU for that long, but it goes against the reasons she knows for all her loved ones joining ANBU. Especially if Bear’s mysterious hypothetical kids are who she’s always running off to as soon as she returns to the village.

Though Shikako will only admit it in the safety of her own head, ANBU has been an escape from the overpowering awkwardness that permeates her own family about a third of the time these days. For Sasuke it had been an option when no others were presented to him, for Kakashi a place to mean something when his life had lost meaning, and while she might not quite know Tenzo well enough to wager his own reasons for ANBU she has an inkling they’re similar.

For a person like Bear, or at least the person she presents herself as, Shikako wonders what ANBU means.

[jouissezduprintemps]

Masquerade

Rating: T Words: 3380 Fandom: Naruto Summary: Another incredibly self-indulgent fic with Halloween themes, just to cover all the cliche fanfiction bases. The gang puts on a Halloween bonfire on top of Hokage mountain. Tenzo is disappointed when Kakashi doesn’t attend. Kakashi ANBU era. KakaYama.

It was a longstanding tradition for the young ninja of Konoha to spend Halloween on top of Hokage mountain. For the most part, the distance from the village proper kept them out of trouble and, more importantly, away from any impressionable children. It was a fair compromise; the older adults had them out of their hair, and they could do pretty much whatever they wanted without getting into trouble. So long as the Uchiha police force was left out of it, no one bothered them. Naturally, it became a cherished event that required a community effort each year on the part of its participants.

As the son of the hokage, Asuma put on a show of organizing the event. He did it to try to build up some good standing with his father in case things went sideways, but Lord Hiruzen didn’t need to know that. It was dusk on Halloween when he and Kurenai arrived to set up. Wood needed to be gathered for the bonfire, tables set up for food and drink, and a general eye kept on the situation.

Asuma was a sight, bare-chested and wearing a leather skirt, which he insisted on (incorrectly) calling a tunic, piling firewood in the middle of a well-used pit. His cape, shield, and gladiator mask sat out of the way where Kurenai busied herself setting up the sparse furniture.

Like her companion, she also wore a cape tied around her shoulders, black overtop a ruby red gown. Her eyes were heavily lined and her lips were painted dark, while her fangs made her the perfect vampire. Asuma only stopped making terrible innuendos at her choice of costume when she threatened to leave him alone with the set-up, and a temporary truce had been called for his sake.

Iruka, ever-helpful, arrived just as the sun set, bringing several bags of snacks along with him. At sixteen, he was one of the youngest members of their little group, and he had almost been forgotten in the preparations. With less time to come up with a costume than he would have liked, he settled on a makeshift werewolf outfit. Without a mask, he’d painted the tip of his nose and wore a pair of ears he’d found at one of the stores that were still open. He’d taken an old pair of gloves and added fur to the backs, creating ‘paws,’ and his hair was down and purposefully disheveled. He hurried to Kurenai and helped her get the food he’d brought out into bowls.  

It was painfully obvious that Izumo and Kotetsu had just finished their shift at the gate. What little forethought they put into the event had them trade clothing and accessories, which they proudly declared as a stroke of genius to go as one-another. Asuma was going to berate them, but the cases of alcohol they’d procured quieted him before he could. At least they put a little effort into something.

Anko arrived with Genma in tow just as Kurenai threw a match onto the bonfire. Genma was wrapped from head to toe in medical bandages, clearly attempting to dress as a mummy. Anko apologized for taking so long; Genma had gotten halfway through when he decided that wrapping himself was too much trouble. Genma blamed Anko, who wouldn’t let him go ‘as a mummy-human hybrid,’ for their tardiness. She made a sound too much like a hiss for comfort, and he couldn’t be sure if she did so because she was dressed as a cat or if he was about to be on the wrong end of her serpentine jutsu.

Bickering broke out between Anko and Izumo when they realized they’d both brought alcohol, insisting that the other had agreed to bring food. Iruka attempted to step in, informing them that he’d brought snacks of his own accord, but he retreated before they could turn on him. He received a pat on the shoulder from Kurenai for his valiant effort.

The fight came to a sudden halt when Tenzo appeared, walking backwards as he guided Guy down the path. Guy was wearing an inflatable sumo wrestler costume, much to his own delight and Tenzo’s inconvenience. Unable to see his own feet, Guy had required his assistance getting up the uneven mountain terrain, and Tenzo had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, Guy could have waited to inflate his costume until he reached the top, but that would have been far too easy.

Tenzo was dressed like a knight in shining armor, only missing a horse to ride in on. He was fighting with the faceplate of his helmet as he continued to motion Guy forward, stopping him when the ground became even. “There. Just… try to watch where you’re going?” he requested, large eyes filled with worry that his friend might just fall off the mountainside.

“Thanks for your help, friend!” Guy beamed his trademark smile and slapped Tenzo on the back hard enough to make his faceplate fall. With a huff of exasperation, Tenzo removed the helmet altogether, earning a gasp from Kurenai.

“Your hair!” she exclaimed, drawing attention to the newest arrival.

Tenzo smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, where his now-short hair stuck out at odd angles. “Yeah, I cut it,” he admitted, as though it wasn’t obvious. “Is it that bad?” He’d hoped that cutting his hair would make him a little less androgynous, as his frame had started to fill out in his shoulders and chest. To him, it just didn’t look right anymore.

“It’s not bad at all,” Asuma assured him. “Hell, you could pass for my age, now!”

“You look hot,” Anko added her support. “I mean, you were cute, but now you’re hot.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Tenzo chuckled. He brought the bags he was carrying over to Kurenai, who was relieved that he’d brought more food. They’d probably have people coming and going most of the night; their small group would ride it out, of course, but not everyone wanted to spend their night drinking around a bonfire.

The moon began to rise as familiar faces came and went from the gathering. Hayate stayed for just a few minutes before leaving for guard duty, unable to stay. Those who had the night off were making the most of it. Someone brought along music and a stereo, which livened the crowd considerably. The space between the bonfire and tables became a makeshift dance floor that Anko didn't hesitate to join.

Tenzo sat by the fire, bottle in his hand as he scanned the crowd. He'd assumed that Kakashi would be here; if his friends extended the invitation to Tenzo, he almost always made sure to show up. As of yet, his senpai hadn't shown his face. Despite his best efforts not to look depressed, Iruka noticed his aura and sat down beside him. The werewolf bumped him lightly with his shoulder, inquiring "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tenzo lied. "I'm just not good at parties." To his relief, his companion seemed to buy it.

“Me, either.” Iruka spared a glance over his shoulder at their companions, most of whom were thoroughly enjoying themselves. “Kurenai invited me when we ran into each other at the store. I felt like I couldn’t say no. And, well, she and Asuma disappeared almost a half hour ago.”

“Yeah, sounds about right,” Tenzo chuckled, setting his empty bottle down by his side. He extended a gauntleted hand to his companion. “Tenzo,” he introduced himself.

Iruka shook his hand, responding in kind. “Iruka. So, don’t know anyone here, either?”

Tenzo shook his head. “No, but look.” He used his index finger to indicate his friends in the crowd. “Like you said, Kurenai and Asuma are just gone. Izumo and Kotetsu,” he pointed to the pair, who were engaged in a drinking contest, to the amusement of those around them, “no way I’m getting in the middle of that. Then there’s Anko and Genma,” he gestured to the group dancing nearby, “who definitely don’t want a third wheel, the way it’s going.” He shook his head in amusement. “And then, there’s Guy.” His flamboyant friend was dancing erratically in the way only he could, as others gave him a wide berth due to his costume. “I’m pretty sure Kakashi stayed home, so here I am.” He shrugged.

Iruka snickered in amusement. “I’d toast to that.”

“One sec.” Tenzo pushed himself up from the ground and skirted the edge of the dance floor, slipping past to the tables of food and drink. He grabbed an unopened bag of chips and two drinks to bring back to his new friend, in a much better mood now that he had someone to talk to. Rations in hand, he turned around and ran headlong into another partygoer. “Shit, I’m sorry,” Tenzo apologized, dropping his cargo to catch the man’s forearm, keeping him from stumbling at the impact.

“No, it’s my fault.” The man steadied himself, clearly trying to save face. He was clad from head to toe in black, his eyes covered by a mask and his hair hidden by a black bandanna. A sword hung from a belt around his hips, and the apologetic smile he gave made Tenzo forget to breathe. For a fleeting moment, the beauty mark on the left corner of his chin and his dark eyes gave Tenzo a feeling of déjà vu; his thoughts were interrupted when he was handed the provisions he had dropped.

“I believe these are yours, Sir Knight.”

The man’s eyes glinted in a way that Tenzo couldn’t read. He felt frozen in place, somehow managing to ask, “I’m sorry, who are you?”

The man held his arms out to either side of him in a vibrant gesture. “I’m a pirate. I guess it’s not as obvious as I thought.” He drew his sword for emphasis, twirling it in his hand once before sliding it back into his scabbard.

“No,” Tenzo shook his head. “I mean, what’s your name?” To prompt his acquaintance to answer, he added “Mine’s Tenzo.”

A smirk pulled at the corner of the man’s lips. “Ah, but, see, you’ve ruined it. There’s no mystery left to the knight in shining armor.” He made a tutting sound as he took a step closer. Leather made contact with Tenzo’s skin as the man ran his index finger just below his jawline, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. “I’m disappointed.” The man broke his gaze away from Tenzo to look past his shoulder. His eyes darkened in a way that made Tenzo’s pulse rise. “It seems you’re wanted elsewhere, Sir Tenzo.”

He’d completely forgotten about Iruka. The poor guy probably thought Tenzo had abandoned him. Although, if he was honest with himself, he was incredibly tempted to do so. He turned around and saw Iruka standing, looking through the crowd from beside the bonfire. When Tenzo looked back, the man was gone. Heart pounding, he purposefully made his way back to the fire, conscious of every step he took. Apparently, he appeared as shaken externally as he was internally.

“You okay?” Iruka asked, voice filled with genuine concern.

“Yeah,” Tenzo murmured unconvincingly. He sat back down and opened his bottle, draining half in one go. The last few minutes were best kept to himself. Who would believe him if he told the story? He stared into the flames, trying to forget what was almost certainly a drunken daydream. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn he saw jealousy in those eyes.

Iruka decided not to press him. Trying to regain the cynical merriment they felt earlier, he lifted his bottle to Tenzo, asking, “To shitty friends?”

Tenzo chuckled. “You know it.” He clinked his bottle against Iruka’s, and they both drank to their toast. Iruka launched into a story about his latest mission, and Tenzo paid him half of his attention, just enough to nod and respond at the appropriate times. His eyes searched for the man dressed in black, and he used his sensory perception to probe for unusual chakra. There were too many foreign chakra signatures for him to sift through, and he didn’t think to get a reading when the man was in front of him. Remorsefully, he decided that the man in black had probably left.

Two drinks later, and Tenzo was able to give Iruka his full attention once more. Both men had forgotten their disappointment at being left by their friends, and they thoroughly enjoyed one-another’s company. Iruka finished the last of his drink and sighed, looking up at the sky. He studied the crescent moon before declaring, “I think I’m gonna head out. It’s getting late, and I was asked to substitute at the academy tomorrow.”

Tenzo snorted his amusement. “You’re going to be hungover around a bunch of kids?”

Iruka laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, maybe I didn’t have the best judgement tonight.” He smiled at his companion. “But I had a really good time.”

“Same,” Tenzo agreed, sitting up straight. “Think you’ll be hanging out with us now?”

Iruka smiled to himself. “I’d like that.”

“Hey,” Tenzo spoke as Iruka got to his feet, “Study hall. Keep the kids quiet, and you can take a nap.”

“That’s a good one. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks. It was really nice to meet you, Tenzo.”

“You, too. See you around, Iruka.”

The werewolf gave a friendly wave as he left the light of the fire, and Tenzo felt content. He’d managed to become friendly with Iruka on his own, without any forced interaction. He made a point of planning to invite him to the next get-together, if Kurenai didn’t beat him to it. It would be nice to have someone his age and a little more his speed to spend time with, more so if Kakashi arbitrarily decided not to attend.

With nothing left to entertain him, Tenzo got to his feet and collected the trash he and Iruka had accumulated over the last several hours. The bonfire had begun to die, but the stragglers that remained didn’t seem to have any intention of going home soon. He disposed of their garbage and went in search of firewood; his jutsu wouldn’t be any good in this situation. The wood needed to be dry, and any he produced was still alive enough not to burn.

He did his best to skirt the edge of the party, avoiding getting in the way of any of the various pairs that had formed through mutual attraction, alcohol, or both. Once he lent Asuma and Kurenai a hand by rekindling the bonfire, he intended to head home, where he could get a much-needed shower and sleep off his drinks. Absentmindedly, he wondered if Kakashi bothered to call or send a message with today’s flimsy excuse. Doing so would be an acknowledgement of wrongdoing on his senpai’s part, so it would depend on Kakashi’s mood.

Tenzo rounded the back of the building in the direction of the nearby forest. Before he could react, his back thudded against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. He began a series of handsigns to protect himself, but he halted midway when he could assess his situation. The man in black stood in front of him, gloved hands against the wall on either side of Tenzo’s shoulders. His smile was playfully predatory. He made no move to force Tenzo to remain, but Tenzo didn’t try to escape. He felt like he couldn’t move his body even if he wanted to.

“I thought you’d left,” Tenzo stammered, inwardly cursing that the wall was made of stone that he couldn’t phase through.

“I was waiting for you to get bored of that puppy.” His eyes held the same dark look as before. “It took longer than I thought.”

“Sorry,” Tenzo apologized out of habit before realizing with a start what he’d said. What surprised him more was that he meant it. Cautiously, he lifted his hand, extending his fingers to the edge of the man’s mask. His fingertips barely brushed the cloth when his wrist was forced back, ruining his effort.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll have to leave.” The smile that followed felt like an electric shock. Slowly, the fingers around Tenzo’s wrist unfurled, releasing him.

His brain had stopped working, and Tenzo’s signals were crossed; he could blame the alcohol or the hour, or even this man in front of him. Before he knew exactly what he was doing, he had closed the distance between them, one hand on the back of the man’s neck as he kissed him hungrily. The only thought that crossed his mind was Fuck it.

Taking this as permission, gloved hands tightened around Tenzo’s hips as he fell back against the wall, pinning him in place. When teeth captured his lower lip, Tenzo moaned before he could stop himself, making way for the other’s tongue to slip inside. Tenzo’s arms moved his face to his shoulders, where a hand on the back of his head kept them together. His fingers twisted in the black fabric, unable to get ahold of the hair underneath.

They broke apart for air, and Tenzo was left panting as lips and teeth caressed and worried the skin below his jaw, trailing down to his collarbone. The temptation to give in was powerful, but the one part of his mind that remained lucid kept throwing thoughts such as ‘You’re in public,’ ‘You’re drunk,” and ‘You don’t even know this man.’ His body screamed that none of these things mattered, and when the hands on his hips moved down to roughly grab his ass, the first two were forgotten.

In desperation, Tenzo’s fingers worked against the knot of fabric that stood between him and the chance to wrap his fingers in the hair of the man dragging his tongue across his pulse point. Once he succeeded in loosening it, he tugged it away with a single, swift motion, regrettably removing the lips from his neck as he took more than the cloth back.

From beneath unruly silver hair, a now-familiar set of dark eyes looked at him in betrayal. Half-lidded as they were, they still shone in disappointment, compounded by the downward turn of the corners of his mouth. “Maa,” Kakashi groaned in frustration, “Tenzo, why do you have to ruin all the fun?”

“S-senpai?!” Tenzo was going to have a heart attack. This is how he would die, horny and surprised. It had been almost two good decades, he supposed.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know.” The pout in Kakashi’s eyes was reflected in a slight pursing of his lips, which Tenzo found overwhelming. His puppy-dog eyes were hard enough to resist when he didn’t have to see the rest of his face. “My kouhai is supposed to be one of the best sensory ninja we have.”

Flustered, Tenzo shook his head, trying to hide the color in his cheeks. “You were suppressing your chakra! Don’t try to make me feel bad!”

Kakashi leaned in to nuzzle the crook of his neck, speaking with his lips against skin. “So, I was just some ruffian with a bunch of lucky guesses? You wound me.”

“Kakashi-senpai...” Tenzo tried his hardest to sound exasperated.

“Mm?” He clicked his tongue when he didn’t get a response. “Maa,” he repeated, “at least now I know why you spent so long with the puppy. I didn’t think you wanted to find me.” Kakashi pulled back, his fingers brushing through Tenzo’s short hair. “You cut it.” He wrinkled his nose. “My Tenzo has long hair and would have recognized me. Who is this imposter?” His tone was playful, but he did his best to look disapproving.

“You’re dramatic.” Tenzo rolled his eyes, doing his best not to focus on the possessive Kakashi used.

Growing impatient, Kakashi pressed his body into Tenzo’s, letting his hand slip underneath his shirt. “How long are you going to complain?” he demanded, nipping at his ear. “We were having such a good time. I can put the mask back on, if it’d help.”

“Pervert.”

Kakashi hummed in dismissal, choosing to focus on something much more pleasant.