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The second Sakumo laid his eyes on him, he fell in love.
Long, dark hair tied neatly behind his head, the end of the ponytail hanging over his shoulder. Pale, almost porcelain-like skin, golden eyes framed by purple and a wicked little smirk.
He was lost.
Orochimaru… a powerful Sannin of the village.
Nobody could say that he didn’t have good taste… except that they could if the rumours were anything to go by. Orochimaru never seemed to care what others were saying about him, which Sakumo appreciated and respected.
He admired the Sannin from afar for many years (much to Kakashi’s embarrassment), but never said a word.
And then he chose his team over the mission.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
When he woke up in the hospital, he was surprised.
Not because he expected to die, but because he never expected the injury in the first place. The last thing he remembered, was a shadow moving in the corner of his living room before there was a sharp pain in his stomach.
He remembered feeling someone shaking, a calm, low voice telling him to hold one, even as a child shakily spoke up nearby.
‘Kakashi….’ He remembered thinking, ‘… my son.’
His thoughts went back to Kakashi now, prompting him to try and push himself up into a seated position so that he could leave and find him.
He needed Kakashi to know the truth.
His son and his relationship had been strained ever since the mission, with the comments of the village weighing down on both of them. But he needed Kakashi to know that he would never leave him alone in this world.
Never.
He was almost out of the bed when the door opened, and a familiar figure walked into the room.
“Ah, you’re awake.” Orochimaru moved closer, pouring him a glass of water and handing it over to him, “Good, I was hoping to speak with you.”
“I-I didn’t hurt… myself.”
Orochimaru nodded, “I know. You are not to type to leave your child alone in this world at such a young age, no matter the struggles you are going through.”
“Kakashi- “
“- His… Eternal rival and his father have taken him under their wing.” Orochimaru chuckled, “He is lucky to have such a loyal friend. I have checked in on him occasionally, and he seems to be fine. Looking forwards to your release I imagine.”
Maybe it was the sheer relief of being alive.
Maybe it was soft smile on Orochimaru’s face.
Or maybe it was the knowledge that Orochimaru had been looking out for his son.
But whatever it was, Sakumo was pulling Orochimaru into a kiss, much to the Sanin’s surprise.
He wasn’t hit or anything, which was an encouraging sign, but Orochimaru still pushed him away, looking a little confused.
“You are on some very strong painkillers.” The Sanin sighed, “You are not thinking clearly.”
“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” Sakumo confessed, trying not to smirk when Orochimaru’s look of confusion turned to a stunned look.
“… What?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it on the grapevine.” Sakumo chuckled sheepishly, wincing as it pulled at his stitches, “I wasn’t exactly subtle about it.”
Orochimaru shook his head, almost in disbelief, his eyes on Sakumo’s.
Gold meeting silver.
“You are the one for me.” Sakumo whispered, “And if I wasn’t in this hospital bed- “
“- We can talk about this later.” Orochimaru shook his head, turning his face away from Sakumo (not quick enough to hide the flush on his cheeks), “The actual reason I came to see you, is because I think your death was part of a much bigger plot.”
“… Huh?”
“Your son is a genius in the ways of being a ninja…. Without you, it would be easy to manipulate him into being a weapon.”
“Kakashi’s too smart for that.”
“Grief can change people in the oddest of ways.”
From the way Orochimaru looked off into the distance, there was a story there.
“You are also a prominent clan member and therefore, more likely to notice the more… seedier going-ons within the village.”
“Such as…”
“… Let’s just say, the worst of it may venture into child experimentation.”
As Orochimaru went into more detail, Sakumo forgot all about the awkward kiss that they’d shared, eyes widening with every horrific fact that was revealed.
Once Orochimaru was done, he looked down at the ground, clearly ashamed of his own role in Danzo’s plans.
Sakumo reached out to him, taking his hand and squeezing it as a form of comfort, “You weren’t to know.” He whispered, “But you did the right thing in telling me.” He looked around at the room that he was in, “I just need to get out of here now, so we can do something about it.”
Orochimaru nodded, moving to pull away only to find that his hand was still in Sakumo’s grip.
“I know you think it’s impossible…” Sakumo started, and Orochimaru knew that he wasn’t referring to stopping Danzo anymore, “… but once this is all over, I want you to at least… consider it, okay?”
“And if I still believe that you are a fool What then?”
There was something in the other man’s tone that told Sakumo that this probably wouldn’t be the case.
“Then that’ll be your decision.” He whispered softly, “But, promise me that you’ll think about it.”
“…. I promise.”
Sakumo kissed the other man’s knuckle, before letting go of his hand. “Then I shall heal as quickly as I can and get all this mess fixed. Thank you for telling me... and thank you for looking after Kakashi for me.”
“... He’s a good child.” Orochimaru whispered, giving Sakumo a shy smile that was a little uncharacteristic on his face, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“... Believing in me.” And with that, Orochimaru left the room, leaving Sakumo to lie back on his bed.
Things were starting to look up.