Work Text:
Tenzo’s eyes shot open in the dark with a sharp gasp. Memories spent locked away as a prisoner and weapon of war against his own comrades still blazing through his mind and body as he drank in deep and desperate gulps of oxygen. The cool of the night worked to soothe his sweaty and slightly trembling body, but with the panic in his mind lingering, the Mokuton-user turned in his sheets in search of the comforting arms of his lover. An empty imprint was all Tenzo found as his hands searched through the cold sheets.
“Kakashi?” His concerned and confused voice croaked through their apartment. Pulling himself out of bed, eyes adjusting to the darkness, Tenzo spotted the messy top of silver hair peeking up from their couch in the living room.
“Kakashi, beloved?” He asked again, this time a bit more awake and gentle.
“Tenzo,” the Kage’s voice finally answered back, rather soft and itself exhausted in tone. “Are you alright? Another nightmare?”
Nodding, Tenzo took a seat next to his husband, very acutely aware of how far Kakashi’s body stayed from his, as well as how far his eyes remained glazed away from reality.
It’d been nearly a year since the end of the war. Peace remained through the villages, new order and life reigning over ninja and civilian life as it never had before. Kakashi, after having taken Tsnuade’s post as Hokage, finally allowed himself a pleasure he’d forbade through the decades - partnership.
The two ninja that had shared mutual pining from their first day spend together as ANBU teammates, that had stolen kisses without a word, and spent steamy nights entangled with one another throughout years of missions, tragedy, separation, and war, finally to admit to the love that so overwhelmed the pair of them, that kept them alive and human through so much death and strife.
Tenzo had spoken out in their affections before, whispering into his Captain’s ear, rough hands knotted through wet, silver locks, body shivering against sweat slicked skin, “I love you, Kakashi… I love you…” His Senpai only to return the sentiment in silent intimacy, never able to let himself admit aloud his mutual feelings.
And yet, as soon as the war had ended, each village counting their dead and tending to their wounded, setting up camps on the fields where gods had fought for peace, Kakashi had found his lover amongst the survivors, taken his face in his grasp and asked for his hand.
“I’m very sorry… Can I get you some tea?” The Rokudaime asked, beginning to stand and make for the kitchen.
Tenzo accepted with thanks, although much preferring the warmth of his husband’s arms over tea.
Silence settled over their apartment as water came to a boil and a kettle was set to steep and cool.
“What has you awake at this hour, Senpai?” Tenzo started, gently attempting to ease back some of the heaviness that clearly weighed over his husband’s shoulders.
Kakashi simply shrugged in response, crossing back with a steadily balanced tray, and pouring a cup for his husband before slumping back into the couch.
“Nightmares for you as well?”
Slipping black spandex down to his chin for a moment to blow cooling ripples over the top of his own tea cup before taking a sip, Kakashi murmured under his breath, “Not tonight.”
After resetting his mask back in place, he whispered in an empty voice, “Can’t have nightmares if you don’t sleep…”
“‘Kashi…” Tenzo set down his tea, extending out a hand to his husband’s knee and leaning in ever-so slightly. “Please talk to me…”
The dark eyes of the Rokudaime stayed far and away despite Tenzo’s efforts to lock into them.
“Don’t abuse your cuteness, Kohai…”
A slight blush lit over Tenzo’s cheeks at the flattery, though he didn’t allow it distract him enough to allow a change in conversation. He’d lived around Kakashi’s charm long enough to see through it’s frequent games.
His thumb moved to work soft, sweeping circles over Kakashi’s knee.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you slipping away from me this past month…” he whispered. “You’ve been working later… keeping your mask up more often at home… waking up every night in a terror and withdrawing away rather than waking me for comfort…”
Drawing in a deep breath, Tenzo continued, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how much more often you go out to visit the Memorial Stone, running your fingers over Obito’s name…”
Kakashi set his tea down, throat bobbing beneath black fabric with a broken swallow strained against grieving tears.
“I’m fine, Tenzo…” he managed. “Weren’t you the one that woke with the nightmare tonight?”
“Yes,” Tenzo admitted, continuing however with careful conviction. “But, I think the pair of us have survived enough suffering to know that some of the worst nightmares are endured when one is unable to sleep…”
This at last brought the dark, purple-rimmed eyes of the Hokage back into his living room, into the eyes of his precious husband sitting beside him and yearning to wrap the pair of them tight.
“Kakashi, beloved,” Tenzo cooed. “We married so quickly after the war, and I wouldn’t change that for anything – I would have married you in any instant, having committed myself to you, body and soul, the day you rescued me from The Foundation… But I do think some of our swiftness to wed has allowed some of our old habits to remain and come between one another… You’re pushing me out…”
He paused for a beat, fingers sliding up to take a reassuring grip over his husband’s thigh.
“I’m sorry… I don’t want to…” Kakashi admitted in broken loss.
“Hey, I understand… It’s how we’ve survived, staying stoic and distant enough to keep fighting through trauma and trial… I don’t expect that to just go away since we’ve wed, or because the war is over… But, you need to know that I won’t let you slip away, back into grief and the terrors of the past. Just as I know you won’t let me…”
Silent tears finally broke the rim of Kakashi’s eyelids.
“Tenzo…”
The brunette smiled softly, promising in earnest, “We move forward together.”
Kakashi hummed low, closing the gap between their foreheads, and pulling away the mask that shielded his face so he could capture the lips of his love after whispering in tender agreement…
“Together.”