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It was a rare occurrence and Hidan makes sure to enjoy every second. They had just returned from a more challenging mission – not that any mission was particularly challenging for them – but it had been the kind of challenging where success felt especially rewarding. The days they spent on the road for it, not sleeping in any inn for budgeting reasons, as Kakuzu claimed, had been worth it when their mission ended with a dozen men to sacrifice. The money they got out of the mission was even enough to soothe Kakuzu into the kind of patience he rarely offered Hidan to take care of his rituals. Time was money, and sometimes, these very rare instances that Hidan found no pattern to, even Kakuzu decided that they had enough to spend.
That was how they ended up in one of the better inns in the middle of nowhere that was the Land of Stones, sharing a room and a bed. Not for budgeting reasons, even if Kakuzu claimed otherwise. Most of the time Hidan found that stubbornness of his annoying. It made Kakuzu come off as standoffish, closed of and abrasive, and Hidan was the kind of person to react to that by acting much the same.
Other times, however, he found it somewhat endearing. The more time they spent together the better Hidan managed to read Kakuzu, mask or not, and his observations had led him to the conclusion that understanding Kakuzu wasn’t as difficult as anyone made it seem. People made him out to be a monster, as they did with any of the Akatsuki members: brutal, greedy and egoistical. To an extent that was true, but Hidan knew about one thing that they didn’t know and maybe didn’t want to know either.
Their room was small but enough, not meant for more than one night, and much cleaner than any other inn in the area would have been. Outside a half moon shone its light through their window and on their night stand a candle still made their shadows flicker against the wall. Next to it lay one of Kakuzu’s books, abandoned with not even a bookmark between the pages.
There was no pattern to it, none that Hidan could figure out, but sometimes in warm nights like this when they were successful in their missions but too tired to follow through with their regular way of celebrating, they would still end up entangled in each other, hands on each other and keeping each other close, a silent agreement between the two of them not to go any further just tonight.
Hidan didn’t mind it. He quite liked it. With him straddled on Kakuzu’s lap he found that he liked it a lot. This rare moment of Kakuzu letting him be here, trusting him to be on top of him without feeling the need to keep him down and restrained, was something he could take all his pleasure from. The room was filled with soft, breathless sighs from the kisses they exchanged.
Hidan had long lost count of how many times they had kissed but he was certain that they hadn’t been enough yet. It was addicting. The secure pressure of having Kakuzu’s hands on him holding him by the waist, the rough press of his lips on his and the soft noises Hidan drew out of him – even if he would later deny making them. He was letting himself be vulnerable in front of Hidan and Hidan didn’t know why this seemed to be easier to him than just saying three little words. Not that he was complaining. He had his arms wrapped around Kakuzu’s broad shoulders, fingers occasionally catching onto strands of his hair and sliding through them.
“Hidan.”
At the mention of his name he drew back just enough to let them catch their breaths instead leaning their foreheads together and grinning. “Can’t keep up anymore?”
Kakuzu didn’t give into his teasing and simply gave him another kiss to the corner of his mouth. His hand found its way to Hidan’s neck, fingers barely touching the tips of silver hair and his thumb drawing small circles. He didn’t look Hidan in the eye but instead down at his lips and Hidan was sure that they looked positively bruised.
For a while Kakuzu was quiet, eyes half-closed and brows narrowing in the way that made him look disgruntled when in reality it meant that he was thinking. Hidan had a good idea what he was thinking about.
Eventually he opened his mouth. “I’m sorry.”
Hidan rolled his eyes, keeping his grin up. “No need.” And to make sure that there really was no need he pressed another kiss against Kakuzu’s lips to keep a frown from forming. “This is nice too, you know?” It came out as just a breath when he drew back again and let his hands slip from the other’s hair and slide down his neck and over his shoulders instead. The rough scars standing out on Kakuzu’s dark skin were something familiar by now and the feel of them against his finger tips had some strange calming effect on him.
“Not that.” Kakuzu caught one of his hands and kissed Hidan’s wrist before going back to the hand-shaped spot on his waist where suddenly warmth had been missing.
“I know,” Hidan said. He knew about the jokes about his intelligence and social skills but if there was one person he could read better than anyone else it was Kakuzu, being able to figure out what he was thinking about from just a certain look on his face, the quirk of his eye brow. He stroked a hand up Kakuzu’s neck and further to tip his head back so they would finally catch each other’s gaze. Kakuzu followed that silent plead with almost uncharacteristic obedience and Hidan went on to mimic his drawing circles with his thumb on Kakuzu’s jaw just underneath his scars. “I told you before, it’s fine. I mean it. You don’t have to say it. I know.”
With his chin raised to look at Hidan his neck was exposed and Hidan used the opportunity to dip his head down and latch onto the skin, kissing and nibbling at it for a while. It tasted faintly salty but he relished in the soft, deep rumble vibrating in Kakuzu’s throat and the way he let Hidan do this at all, usually too on-guard to let Hidan roam too freely. He moved his kissing down to the collarbone and up again, only stopping when Kakuzu dragged him back by his hair, not tearing just pulling softly but urgently. Coming up Hidan was pleased to see dark marks his mouth had left on him that would bloom into something more beautiful.
“That was… unnecessary,” Kakuzu simply said.
Hidan let his hands roam over his chest, catching on some of the scars and tracing along them, and their lips met for another kiss. “C’mon, you cover yourself up anyway, it’s not like anyone’ll see.” And just knowing they were there was enough for Hidan. “Besides, I like them, they look good on you,” he added with a wink.
Kakuzu leaned forward, keeping Hidan close with his hold around his waist, and dug his teeth into his shoulder. It was half-hearted, merely a shadow of what this action usually promised. It didn’t break skin, barely left faint red lines.
Hidan kissed his temple and gently pressed Kakuzu down by the shoulders. “Lie down, will you.”
He had to give up his spot on Kakuzu’s lap to the rearranging of their bodies but soon enough settled down pressed against the other man’s side and wrapped his arms around him once again. His hand stroked over Kakuzu’s chest, over skin warmed by five hearts beating in almost perfect unison. Kakuzu snaked an arm around him as well, thumb now drawing circles on Hidan’s hip. With his face buried between Kakuzu’s shoulder and neck he felt the exhaustion of the last few days catch up to him, suddenly feeling very tired, lulled in by the warmth and security Kakuzu radiated for him. And that he apparently radiated for Kakuzu too.
“You know it’d be nice if you said it. But… some day. Doesn’t have to be now, not tomorrow or whenever. Because I already know, get it?”
Kakuzu hummed a rumbling sound of affirmation. “I’ll try.”
Hidan nodded against his shoulder and pressed himself just a little bit closer to him. “I love you. It’s fine. I literally can wait forever until you think you can say it.” He felt the hand on his hip tighten its grip just a little before they both drifted off.
And when he woke up it was to Kakuzu by his side, already awake and caressing Hidan’s hair. Immediately he sat up to resume their kissing until they had to break apart for air. The marks on Kakuzu’s neck had taken to a darker shade.
“I love you,” he said into the little space between their mouths. Kakuzu closed it again and Hidan revelled in it.
Kakuzu was a rough man, shaped by a harsh life of numerous betrayals and having to distrust anyone he came across. Yet he let himself be stripped of his barriers and guards by Hidan, trusting him like this, letting him get this close.
It was a rare occurrence and Hidan makes sure to treasure it.