A/N: Heavily inspired by black. 's A Snake In The Grass, A Wolf At The Door. So please go and read that instead of this monstrosity haha (no seriously, go shower black. with reviews and follows and favorites).
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sometimes he wonders just what cruel deity or awful twist of fate got him to where he is right now, at this moment. Orochimaru taps the long fingernail of his index finger against the kunai he's sharpening, seemingly ignoring the way Sakumo undresses to the side of him.
"I'd say don't peek but I don't take you as someone who would in the first place." The silver haired man says, ending it with a muffled chuckle.
"And you are right, for once, Hatake." Orochimaru lies easily. It's easy enough to see the firm lines of the other shinobi's body from this angle, never mind that he could see the other man fully through the reflection on his kunai.
When he hears (and sees) the man finish changing, Sakumo plops down next to Orochimaru, in front of the small campfire they built and sticks his hands outwards to take in the warmth. Nights in Earth Country were always chilly at best; Orochimaru huddled near the fire the moment it was made.
"Remember to burn your old uniform the next morning. And make sure to do it before the sun fully rises." The Sannin reminds the other, feeling both the heat from the flame in front of him and the heat from the man beside him.
Sakumo grins, the kind that lets one of his sharp canine teeth poke through, "Yes, of course, dear."
Orochimaru almost grimaces at the fact that the word (dear, dear, dear) sounds more genuine than the original sarcasm it used to have. He chooses to uphold his blank face instead.
"Jiraiya had always said you were a nagger. Guess he wouldn't lie about that kind of stuff, huh?"
"...What else had that bumbling fool said about me?" Orochimaru hesitates and Sakumo catches it. His old team was a constant sore spot for the Sannin, though it feels more like a stinging, though (slowly) healing wound rather than the angry, open gash it had once been.
"Does the Great and Impenetrable Orochimaru actually care about what other people say about him? I thought I'd never live to see the day." Sakumo teases but he continues on.
"Just so you know, I've only ever spoken with the guy whenever he was drunk or about to be," Orochimaru snorts because it was so like his teammate to do that, "Obviously he'd go on and on about Tsunade and why he was way better than Dan, but after all that nonsense he'd eventually start talking about you too. It's weird."
"What is?" Orochimaru asks because anything about everything about their lives was just plain ol' weird at this point. And that was putting it lightly.
"Dunno. I guess, just how everything seems to end with you." Sakumo replies quietly.
A light breeze flows past and the tips of the flame lick at their feet, their ninja sandals well worn and caked with dirt, leaves, and blood. Sakumo's face is illuminated by the fire and even tinged with orange the other man is beautiful and Orochimaru hopes that one day, when the timing is just right, that he could say it to him.
.
.
.
[2 years prior]
The end of the Second War is a catalyst for many things: tensions between Iwa and Konoha, talk of a new Hokage, and most importantly to Orochimaru, a new vice.
Orochimaru is barely 20 and already a veteran of a war he fought in the front lines of. He doesn't truly see himself as human anymore, the reflection looking at him but a snake stained with blood so deep that even after molting, the new layer of flesh is still a terrifying, bright red.
"Oi, Snake-face, you done getting all dolled up in there?" He hears Tsunade yell and it's fond and horrible all at the same time.
He stays in the bathroom a minute longer than he intended, if only to spite her, "All yours, Princess."
"I better not catch any of your dead skin on the sink again!" She yells out.
"It was that one time when we were hatchlings!" He hisses back out.
And if he faintly hears another voice, louder and deeper than the two could ever make, laughing and booming all at the same time, Orochimaru pretends to not imagine it. The only person who could ever make the noise long gone and no where to be found.
(But he does hear it and he damn well knows Tsunade hears it too.)
The two, used to be three, all but lived under the same roof; the Senju clan compound had become a second home for the orphan, and even as an adult and fully grown ninja, Orochimaru couldn't imagine living alone. The last time he tried was back at his family's own land years ago and that had ended in disaster. The unkept grounds and abandoned home speaks volumes on that.
Orochimaru doesn't say goodbye as he disappears in a flurry of purple smoke- leaves were too tacky for his tastes- and appears in his lab. It's dark and although lined with cold, sterile medical equipment, warm enough for a cold blooded creature such as himself.
He stares his vice down, lying on a metal slab, completely still other than the small heaves of breath stating that it was alive.
"Kabuto." The Sannin calls out and there is a presence, small and lithe but there.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." The young boy defers.
"How is Kimimaro?" Long fingers of a pale hand reach out to touch the cheek of even paler skin.
There's the jingle of a clipboard and, "Kaguya-san should be stabalized by now and fit for further testing."
"Thank you, Kabuto." Orochimaru acknowledges and its enough for Kabuto to make a small smile, hidden behind his master.
The hand on the cheek lets out a small surge of chakra, glowing green and radiating warmth; it's a technique he picked up from Tsunade who used it to gently wake up her patients. For all of her brute strength she was also able to show surprising tenderness.
Orochimaru could only ever make a pale imitation of it but its close enough, judging by how the white haired child starts to flutter his eyes and awaken.
"Kimimaro, it's time to open your eyes." He says gently, and ironically he wonders what Jiraiya would say if he saw Orochimaru right now.
The oaf would most likely call him a hypocrite; having threatened the three Ame orphans before, only to be nursing an orphan himself, ha!
"Mmn," The boy mumbles out, feeling the warmth on his cheek, "Where am I?"
"You are under my care, Kimimaro. For now, don't worry about the why's and instead see if you can stand." Orochimaru pulls back the sheets and puts an arm around the boy to help him up. He's glad to see that Kimimaro is compliant and tries to stand with his support.
Later that day Kimimaro is strong enough to start sparring. Orochimaru puts him up against Kabuto because he trusts the older boy to be able to heal the other after.
When Orochimaru is back at the bustle of the village he walks into the Hokage's office. His face immediately smooths out to a clear canvas betraying nothing.
"Minato." He says, face empty and eyes blank.
"Orochimaru-san." The blond greets back.
It's awkward for the both of them and Hiruzen mediates it with a cough, "I'm sure you both know why you're here."
"It's an honor to be considered for the position, Hokage-sama." Minato says amiably, so perfect as he is with everything else.
It makes Orochimaru want to yank his hair out and scream. But he doesn't.
"It ultimately comes down to the council," And the Sannin knows enough about them to know he lost before it even started, "But the decision will be made soon."
Perhaps it was the way Minato continued to smile, no pity or smugness in his expression as he looks between Orochimaru and his old teacher, or the way that Hiruzen blows out a cloud of smoke from his pipe, familiar in the black soot that falls from it. But Orochimaru finds himself put out by everything altogether and decides he's had enough.
"If that's all you have to say, sensei, then I might as well offer Minato here a hand to help him move his things into your office. After all, I'm not blind nor am I a fool." It comes out acidic and full of malice and Orochimaru can't bring himself to feel bad about the hurt looks from the other two.
He turns to leave, his yukata billowing out behind him and ignores the looks that dig into his backside. Ignores the way Hiruzen calls out to him, something in his voice so close to familial love it hurts, but Orochimaru is lucky enough to know he'll survive even when it hurts.
He's been through a war, damn it. Why does he feel worse now that it's over?
(Probably because Jiraiya is gone, the villagers still don't trust him despite giving his humanity for them, and everything just hurts.)
He doesn't go back to the Senju compound that night, instead heading back to his lab to test and experiment and feel the comforting presence of unfeeling science. It turns out to be the wrong choice, one amidst several others, because when he does return, Tsunade is long gone.
.
.
.
Sakumo believes in the good of people. He believes in it even when he's seen the horrors of war and he still believes in it even when he sees the horrors of everyday shinobi life.
It becomes harder to believe in them after becoming a father.
"Cub, why don't you take a break and I'll make lunch for you." His son lifts his head from doing katas and Sakumo feels so, so proud.
"Okay, dad."
Lunch is simple- has been ever since his wife's death- and it goes by in silence. Kakashi goes back to doing katas but the weather is good and he wants to spend time with his son while he still can so he says, "Wanna go check the mission desk with me, Cub?"
Kakashi turns his head and his young face lights up, "Yeah!"
They walk together, side by side because his Cub is too old to ride on his dad's shoulders anymore and Sakumo puts on a whole show of being disappointed at that.
"C'mon dad, you're embarrassing me! Can't we just walk there like normal people?" Kakashi whines.
"Am I not normal to you, Cub?" Sakumo cries out making an even bigger scene as he slumps onto his knees.
At that moment, a figure bumps into Sakumo as it turns the corner, a flurry of sleek black hair being pushed to the side, "...Mutts shouldn't be laying out on the street."
"Hey! That's Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang, not just some mutt!" Kakashi retorts back, indignant at the lady who dared to call his father that name.
"Looks like there's two mutts here instead of one." The lady brushes off her robes and steps to the side.
Sakumo can handle being teased but not when his son is involved so he grabs the other's arm, too quick to get away from and says, "Orochimaru, that's enough."
Orochimaru, who sniffs and tugs away, relents, "Fine. I'm in a rush anyways."
The Sannin stalks away after that and disappears at the next corner. Kakashi immediately rounds on him.
"That lady was so rude! Who does she think she is!?" Kakashi doesn't care if she was pretty, or if her hair was shiny, or if she had cool looking eyes, she had no right to act like that towards his dad.
"Lady?" Sakumo chokes back a laugh, the tension from earlier melting away as he looks at his son, "Cub, that was Orochimaru of the Sannin. He's actually quite strong, too."
"...So she wasn't a lady?!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N: Continue?