#fiveohearts

"Pay attention to me."

Madara's back was a vulnerable region that few people could breach due to his sensory blind spot, an insecurity that made his life difficult and almost a culmination of how difficult it was for the Uchiha to trust people, enough that he'd never wanted others to walk behind him as a leader when he preferred to work alone. That was how it was supposed to have panned out, at least, as one of the first exiles often spent his days consumed in thought, and building a network across the shinobi world from his base in the Mountain's Graveyard in the Land of Fangs. Except... he hadn't been there in several weeks.

With one of his treasured messenger birds he'd taken with him that lived on Shimuzen-zan along with his boss summon, Hatsuyume, Madara was deeply involved in poring over documents one of his correspondents in Sunagakure had sent him, still deeply close with the Kaze clan that had seen he and his brother as extended family since his boyhood in Takumi when Reto had gifted him his trademark Gunbai fashioned after their traditional war fans. It was enough that he hadn't sensed Kakuzu's approach, but that could likely be attributed to the uncanny height of security traveling as a part of their circus troupe had given, much like days spent with Monzaemon's.

But, being in this place... had let his guard down. The warmth of the smaller tent Kakuzu lived in by himself made for a warm atmosphere, the bustle of ongoing shows and its main attractions a salve against the loneliness that had plagued him before they'd met. When Madara had nothing, but had wanted some shred of humanity in his life. It had led to a sudden and shy infatuation and multiple visits to the former Taki-nin's shows until a chance meeting backstage had culminated in recognition of those feelings Madara was too often ambivalent of himself. Which contextualized the present situation under the warm, dim glow of a lamp Madara read besides.

It was impossible to deny the faint shudder of arousal as he felt Kakuzu's large hands touch his waist, of his chest against the Uchiha's back, of digits that rubbed along his flanks and made the impending devolution of his composure difficult to ignore. A hot flush colored his cheeks and crept up his nape, gaze slightly drunken as he met Kakuzu with a nuzzle between their cheeks, but not before he pulled Kakuzu down so he could clamber in the man's lap to wrap his arms around his neck and dive for a searing, passionate kiss.

@fiveohearts

What unfortunate timing. Pain flared up in his body, aching, tired. Looked particularly unwell? He felt particularly unwell. But...

He’d been numb ever since he’d left Konoha behind, of the endlessly void he’d fallen into where there no one and nothing that cared for his existence any longer. Not his clan, not his family, no one. He was simply a lonely wretch hurting over what had been stolen from him, slogging through the endless tar pits in his heart that weren’t otherwise frozen over. Through his endless and aimless wander, however, the bright lights of a cavalcade drew him like moth to flame.

This was fortunate, work related business meant it was easier to focus on anything else but the ache coursing through his body without much break. He could ignore it, and he certainly did not wish for any of them to see their leader in such a state. 

“Thank you, Kakuzu. I will look over them for myself and prepare the necessary team for the mission.” 

He has been nothing but a valuable member of the Akatsuki, his skill in finances unmatched. Certainly, the Akatsuki would likely have far more financial concerns if not for him. And this was all he expected of him, his competence and continuing to work towards the Akatsuki’s goals. So when he saw the jar of tea picked out among the many medical items placed before him, there was a pause. He shifted slightly in place, the discomfort his body wouldn’t allow him to escape not allowing for the stillness he felt in a somewhat awkward showing from himself.

“Ah, that is...” Thoughtful? Would that be the right choice of words here? He took hold of the jar of tea for himself, and in this moment of pain, anything that could help sounded like relief. A quiet clearing of his throat before speaking once more.

“I appreciate it.” He stated honestly, letting out a soft sigh. “I will be certain to try it. Perhaps I’ll brew some now. Would you like some tea? A different kind, of course.”

    The stars above them glittered beautifully, seen through the top of his tent where Kakuzu usually opened the zipper to let in the night air. After a performance, it always felt amazing to have that breeze sweep away the sweat on his skin, and yet… he still felt hot all over. It could have been the cheap cider, or it could be that for the first time in his life… Kakuzu felt desired. His charisma had caught the attention of Madara Uchiha, and something about that sent his hearts into a frenzy.

    He could barely catch his breath when Madara laid his head on his chest, mere inches away from his face, a light in his eyes that made Kakuzu want to buy into everything the man could sell him. Madara didn’t need his sharingan to enchant Kakuzu in the depths of his beautiful eyes. It just took that edge of want that made Kakuzu yearn for him.     “You know… I don’t need to spend your money to have fun–” Though it was a perk. Some would say money doesn’t buy happiness, but it would buy them more to drink– perhaps a box of condoms. “There are plenty of things I can show you on this side of the tracks that don’t require your wallet… or even harassing witnesses.” His hand trailed softly on the outside of Madara’s arm, wholly aware that the buzz he’d gotten himself gave in to the sober idea of stealing kisses from each other. The music outside still rang with a wonderful cheer, and would until the wee hours of the morning yet.

    But Kakuzu knew, even when the music had faded, and the heat between them had dimmed to give way to the morning, he would still remember fondly the way the stars seemed to shine just for them that night.

    “There are worse fates… than just you and me and the road.”

Maybe he was a little star struck. Or, very star struck. And it had little to do with Kakuzu’s standing within the circus, his acrobatic feats, or the other talents that saw him as a force to reckon within in the shinobi world. None of that held water when Kakuzu had taken him into wondrous places without leaving the world, introducing him to the starlight in Kakuzu’s eyes and the forests that ran through his hair. He was, in essence, complete and utter perfection as far as Madara was concerned. 

As a sensor, he can sense the irregularity in his chakra, the way Kakuzu’s chakra seems to stutter like a heartbeat that leaves the Uchiha greedy for more. He’d fooled himself into thinking he was fine with celibacy, that the touch of an attractive man couldn’t have him spiral into infatuation, but there he was doing exactly that. Maybe he was a little drunk, maybe he wasn’t, but his want came so passionately that it nearly left him breathless.

Ready to proclaim the sorts of things that wedded couples declared, itching and hot against the roof of his mouth to be said, or declared. There were so many diabolical things Kakuzu could make him do with the right clutch of his chin; let me kill those Elders and your whore mother, he wanted to purr in the former Taki-nin’s ear. Too loyal and eager despite knowing him only as much as the liquor they imbibed allowed. 

“But, wouldn’t that be a little cruel?” Madara asked with eyes too bright and too eager. Too lovestruck and pliant. “Someone might say something out of turn and I’d brutally kill them, and it’d be too much of a mess, wouldn’t it?” His voice uttered like a croon as he molded salaciously against Kakuzu, the positioning of his body too seductive to be misinterpreted. 

    Sometimes Kakuzu could content himself with reading in silence. Show after show had usually drained his social battery by now, and he’d be aching for some time alone where he could get lost in another rare text, whisked away into another reality where he didn’t have to think about wars, or survival. He could close his eyes and picture a table spread of succulent meats, mead, breads, and cheeses like he’d never been able to experience before. He could be a King, he could be ae thief, he could be anything in those pages, far away.

    Tonight, however, his fantasies of being anywhere but here kept getting interrupted by the presence of someone else with him. It wasn’t an interruption he minded though. Madara had a quiet and comfortably still air about him, and yet it always seemed to pull Kakuzu’s attention away from the dried pages between his fingers. He would find himself looking long at his boyfriend, drunk on memories of touches, kisses, and mornings spent tangled together under patchwork blankets. He found he didn’t want to drift away to be somewhere else, for once. He wanted to be right here, running his hands along Madara’s side, easing into his lips again and again, holding him down as his hips parted his thighs and– god he was getting ahead of himself.

    When Madara gave in to his demands, turned his attention from his work to something they’d both much rather be doing, it was like a high no drug could compare to. Perhaps it came from a life of sheer neglect, pressing upon him just how wonderful it was to be noticed, to be loved… but Kakuzu could not get enough of the way Madara gave in to him. To be wanted was a high Kakuzu would drag himself back to again, and again, and again, just to experience the sparks that would ignite his skin every time.

    There were three words that nearly pulled loose of him every time they connected, and yet… he could not bring himself to say them aloud. What if he did, and what if it turned out… that Kakuzu wanted Madara much, much more than this man could ever want him?

    It was evident though. In every small touch, and in every breath Kakuzu breathed of him he would radiate what was inside his heart, and strain to feel if Madara was pouring it back into him.

    I love you, he whispered with every kiss on that pale, beautiful neck. I need you, he would scream in every time he laced their fingers together, hoping that Madara would never, ever let go.

Few thoughts rattled him more than the idea of being too much. Too overbearing, too clingy, too territorial, too insecure and emotionally volatile-- Abandonment was a shadow that crept at every corner, and so was his volatility. Madara knew himself too well not to understand how nightmarish he was in love, the dark corners of his psyche allayed only by the parts that burned too hotly, too much. More too’s. It’s who he was at his core, and the Uchiha knew that it scared most lovers off, but... he couldn’t remain that way forever. Days in his reckless youth had made him a promiscuous lover, a scandal of his clan that would’ve made him unfit to lead were it not for the fact that he was too overwhelmingly powerful and indomitable when he needed to be, which was most of the time. But, he’d been distant, closing his heart off except in times like these that revealed how goddamn weak it was.

His heart wasn’t strong, and it never had been. Madara could never fool himself into thinking otherwise, because it flew in the face of everything a shinobi was supposed to be to his clan and his village. Weak, volatile, prone to emotional hysterics that love dredged from him like exhuming a mass grave and discovering the macabre secrets of the deceased body by body. Frantic and desperate were words that suited him too well, especially in moments like these with the bounty hunter that proved how easily it succumbed to incoherent and uncontrollable passions. 

More than that, Kakuzu’s past was like a chalice his magma could fill and contain it without spilling or breaking. A past that drove him into a fury to think about, that wanted to tear every person that had wronged the former Taki-nin limb by wretched limb, a feral and unhinged protectiveness that Kakuzu did more than mind; he relished in it. It was why Madara smiled so darkly into his kisses, because his desire was dark and wanting and possessive and claimed every inch of him.

Madara wasn’t sure if Kakuzu was aware of how much he thought of him as his, every embrace and kiss and touch saying the same thing: mine, all mine. I’ll destroy this world before I’ll let anyone have you. A dark confession that flourished sickly in his heart.

“You’re so beautiful,” Madara murmured as they pulled apart from a kiss. “Beautiful, and godly.” He continued those praises with intense kisses plotted along his neck, where the pulse thrummed. 

Hidan didn't quite answer right away. "That depends... are you mad?" Of course he used Kakuzu's body wash. He had run out of his own and didn't want to go get a new one so late but also didn't want to stink the rest of the night and into the next morning. It wasn't like he used all of it... just a enough to get himself clean. He didn't think Kakuzu would mind.

@fiveohearts

Standing in front of the door to their rented room for the night, Hidan heard some noise coming from inside and paused, his hand hovering just above the door knob. It sounded like a groan and he wondered if Kakuzu was in pain, or maybe, he thought, someone found them out and decided to attack. But it also sounded like he might be sick, something Hidan wasn’t going to want to deal with and considered taking off.

But then he heard it again and decided that he should at least check on his partner. Pein wouldn’t be very happy if the old man bit it and Hidan didn’t even look in on him.

He quickly threw the door open only to freeze, his brain taking a moment to register what he was seeing.

“Oh.” Was all he said, and without thinking shut the door behind himself as his face flushed hot. And then he turned away, thinking that Kakuzu probably would want him on the other side of the door instead and not in the same room with him.