#askhdfdlksf anyway

[wind-becomes-lightning]

Tenzo. 10.8

Kakayama week :) But unfortunately I can't take part all week, I'm way too busy with other things (I'm sad but what can I do!). I will do 3 days tho, and this is the first one :)

Hatake Kakashi & Yamato | Tenzo (this is very platonic really, so I don't think it needs the shiptag)

2993 words

Ao3 link [x]

warning: one mention of underage drinking, as in Tenzo had one cup of sake to try it and nothing else.

for @kakayamaweek2022 Day 1: Birthdays & You deserved it.

Kakashi introduces Tenzo to many things after he has left Root. One such thing is the concept of a birthday party.

Because he had no recollections or records of his birth, Tenzo did not know when his birthday was. Not that he cared. For the first six years of his life he was stuck in either research facilities or tubes and that was already horror enough, imagining the passing of time by “celebrating” birthdays would have probably been too much.

From there he neatly went into the Foundation. Some kids there remembered their previous families or the clans they used to live in. Some remembered their birthdays and would tell you about them at random times if they felt like it. Those kids never survived long in the Foundation. Danzo-sama hated weakness and being excited about your own day of birth was one of such weaknesses. Tenzo did not have a birthday either when he was in Root.

Naturally, the entire concept seemed strange to him. Who wanted to celebrate their own day of birth, he’d ask himself. Maybe it was his harsh upbringing, the absence of love and support in his very early years, but he didn’t see birth as something that needed to be remembered every year. He knew he was growing, he could see it in mirrors and hear it when he spoke, but he didn’t need a dango or a cake to remind him of it. Who cares if he was 15 exactly or 14 and a half or older or younger. He was just who he was.

On top of all of that was that Tenzo was nothing but a vessel to be used. Birthdays were for humans, for people with families and personalities and existences that mattered. He didn’t matter beyond the scope of his abilities, beyond the fact that he had been in a freak accident that should have probably died young. No, Tenzo was not special enough to know or celebrate his birthday, so he didn’t even waste any thought to it.

Once he left Root many things stayed the same for a good while. He was still sent on dangerous ANBU missions that could be gruesome and leave him with nightmares. He was still expected to do his job flawlessly, even though the punishments were less severe. HIs skills were very much needed and often used. He was a vessel to be used, even if it was by a different master now and with a different captain.

That was the biggest change in the first place. Hatake Kakashi, the boy, who was almost a young man now, had been instrumental in not only showing Tenzo that there was a future for him outside of Root, that he deserved more than he already got, but that had also pulled the strings to get him out of the Foundation. Kakashi was his squad leader, he was his friend, he was his mentor, and Tenzo admired him more than any other person he’d ever met.

Gruesome missions and nightmares were so much easier to take with a person standing right next to you making sure you were ok. Kakashi showed Tenzo how to cook, Kakashi helped Tenzo with his fist laundry alone, Kakashi brought food and sweets and other Jounin into Tenzo’s life. He had gained so many new things just by being allowed to be part of Kakashi’s life. It was an immeasurable gift.

One day at a birthday party for a different squad member, Tenzo felt tipsy for the first time. He was almost sixteen and it was not like they had given him much alcohol to drink, just one cup of sake, but it had hit him like a truck immediately. Right there, shoulder to shoulder with his captain he mentioned off handedly that he technically did not have a birthday. At least not that they knew of.

“You don’t know your birthday?” Kakashi- senpai said over the noise, turning his head and looking at the younger man with his usual soft, grey eyes. It made Tenzo blush when Kakashi looked so fondly over him in this kind of way that he couldn’t quite describe. Kakashi had always had this magic over him, ever since they had met for the first time two years ago.

“No. I - I don’t think experiments get such a thing”, Tenzo replied shyly. Kakashi frowned as he always did when Tenzo made himself look like he wasn’t a real human worth of dignity. 

“Nonsense,” he said back immediately, “Every human on earth has a birthday. It's your choice whether or not you want to celebrate it.” 

Tenzo didn’t know how he could reiterate that he technically did not have one, or at least one he was aware of, so he just averted his eyes. It was once again Kakashi who spoke. “Don’t worry, the next birthday we will celebrate will be yours.” 

It sounded like a promise, but Tenzo didn’t dare hope.

Kakashi was a good person, way too good of a person for what Tenzo deserved. He was a busy person too, someone who knew many people in many places and got solo missions to do even without his anbu squad. Then there were also the periods in which he would just disappear without a word, spent nights and strangers' houses or out of the village, the times in which Tenzo didn’t dare ask where he went or where had come from. So all things considered, Kakashi was busy and his mind full with his own worries, so Tenzo did not think anything would come of the half promise.

He decided to just forget about it.

But with so many things in life, when it came to Kakashi-senpai, Tenzo was completely wrong about everything. Maybe two days had passed when there was a knock on his door suddenly. Since leaving Root, Tenzo had moved into this small ANBU apartment that was provided to him. He didn’t own anything, so Kakashi had helped with that too. It was the height of summer, which meant that his little place warmed up more than a hot spring could and he was laying flat on his back in his bedroom, a summed up branch of leaves fanning air into his face, when someone was on the door.

Tenzo at first didn’t even think of the promise, at least not when he opened the door and Kakashi was there, a bag stuffed under his arm. “Senpai,” Tenzo said in surprise, “Have you said you’d come over? “

It could be a mission, or it could be that Kakashi hat just decided to show Tenzo another recipe to cook, especially considering that he had apparently brought a box of groceries. The silver haired man took off his shoes wordlessly and only after moving passt Tenzo into the apartment did he finally turn around: “Well, yes you should have expected me, don’t you think?”

He made it sound like it was the most obvious thing that could have ever happened, but Tenzo’s face was just a big question mark. “Hm? Did you mention -”

“Because you spend birthdays with friends”, Kakashi cut him off, “And today is your birthday, so you should have known i'm coming over.”

Tenzo’s face fell a little and he didn’t know what to say in response to that. The promise came back into his mind “Today?” Tenzo said,voice a little shaky.

“Today,” Kakashi nodded. “August the 10th. Happy 16th birthday, kouhai.” He handed Tenzo the package he had been holding, and when the boy opened it he noticed that it was a round chocolate cake.

Not often was Tenzo thankful for his rigorous training in Root, that kept him from showing emotions too much, but right now, when his entire body wanted to fall over like a house of cards and sob, he was clad that he could push it away. “This is.. the nicest thing someone has ever done for me.. '' Tenzo articulated his thoughts out loud and was proud that he still did not burst into tears, even when he felt like doing so. “Thank you.” He didn’t know what else to say.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. “It’s just what you deserve, Tenzo, after all the hard work you’ve done in the past year.”

Tenzo took the cake and walked over to his kitchenette to put it down. His hands were shaking, but he was still successfully fighting off the tears. No matter what his senpai was saying, he didn’t feel like he particularly deserved this more than any other person, this attention Kakashi had been paying him ever since they had met. He knew that his Senpai had lived through some tough times before they met, that he was maybe hellbent on making sure they wouldn’t repeat themselves, but still, this was too much.

“There are others coming” Kakashi said casually and sat himself down at one of the only chairs that the tiny room had to offer. “They’ll bring some more things to eat and then we will have a proper party.”

“N-Nonsense, Kakashi-senpai, you did not have to do that at all.” Tenzo’s mind was racing with happiness and embarrassment. Had his complaining about not having a birthday led to this? He hadn’t really tried to force Kakashi’s hand, he wasn’t the type of guy that complained about stuff. If they hadn’t given him that one sake cup, maybe he would not have even thought about it. IN his mind Tenzo swore to never drink alcohol ever again.

The other man looked over and raised a brow. “You’ve never had a birthday, as you said” Kakashi tapped his fingers on the table. “I looked into your ANBU records, the ones that exist anyway, and it seems that you have not been lying about not having a recorded birthdate. So I thought, Let's just do it tomorrow.”

He stopped for a second, then: “And I invited other people, who all agreed to come immediately by the way, because you’ve never had one. Technically, there are 15 birthdays to make up for in only one and I don’t think I can provide that, but I can at least make your first one memorable.”

Tenzo leaned against the counter, eyes looking everywhere but Kakashi. He could not deal with compliments very well, the root training too ingrained into his mind, but he could especially not deal with Kakashi compliments very well. There was something about Kakashi that just made them extra special, as if a compliment done by his Senpai was worth ten compliments from someone else.

“Tenzo”, Kakashi got up and walked over to the other. Tenzo tried to go further back, escape his towering presence a little, but only hit the counter behind him. “The whole squad thinks you are doing a great job working with us, and we all like you, as a person, not a vessel. It was easy to convince the others to come, because they like seeing you happy.” A pause as if he was considering his next words. “I  like seeing you happy.”

He could feel the warmth on his cheeks burning, but Tenzo’S heart felt so full and excited and happy in a way it rarely had before this. Every day Kakashi was showing him new things and taking him by his hand into this new world. One day maybe he would be able to repay that gift.

“Alright”; Tenzo said and his eyes moved into a smile, “Thank you for surprising me for my birthday. I like the 10th of August, square middle of summer. I am a summer child.” He went through it in his head. The idea that the only memory of his mother that he held onto like a lifeline was maybe a summer memory, when it was hot out and the cicadas were screaming in the background like a large orchestra. 

“Sure, summer child. That is why you are always so upbeat and excited” Kakashi said a little sarcastically. “It’s almost like you are the most outgoing person in ANBU.” Tenzo punched him into the shoulder.

The rest of the squad arrived about half an hour later, by then Tenzo had thoroughly collected himself and adjusted into what he assumed was adequate for his birthday. Team Ro was not small, around 6 or 7 people led by Kakashi, but they were a constant revolving door as far as Tenzo could tell. People died all the time. So birthdays were celebrated bigger than maybe other squads did. Another year survived!

They brought more food, another cake, and sake for themselves. Kakashi looked with his stern captain's eyes at Crane who lifted the bottle out of the bag and said: “This is the birthday party for someone underage, put that away.” And if Kakashi said something in his Captain's voice, nobody objected. So this was surely not another afternoon in which Tenzo would try out alcohol.

What they also brought along was another stable of birthday celebrations: presents. Tenzo hadn’t even spared a thought about them, maybe because he had really never gotten one, other than the cake Kakashi had brought earlier, but when they started handing him things and patting on his back in friendship, he had to put all his willpower in not to cry again.

Most had bought things he could use on missions, bandages, special kunai, someone brought him wood works that he could have probably carved himself, someone else just bought him a plant for his apartment. Tenzo took all these presents gladly and placed them in front of him on his coffee table, admiring them like he had just found the treasure of a lifetime.

The best gift however, was given to him by Kakashi himself. Not that Kakashi would have needed to give Tenzo a gift, as he had already given him so much, but of course he did anyway, because that was just the kind of person Kakashi-senpai was. It was wrapped in paper sheets that looked like Kakashi had found it at any regular craft store in the civilian area of the village. When Tenzo what it was out of the paper he couldn’t hold a gasp back.

A new happuri, adjusted to his changed head and face. Lately he’d had a growth spurt and more and more had trouble with it not fitting quite right anymore. He’d loudly considered where he could go and get a new one, but then had never done it. Navigating the normal village world was still a little nerve wracking to him. But now here it was, a little big, but beautiful and shiny and a gift by his senpai.

Tenzo turned it in his hand speechless and then noticed that on the other side, the one that would link to the left side of his face, there was an engraving. Three little symbols and a date. Tenzo. 10.8. He rubbed his finger over it as if he couldn't believe it was there. Kakashi had engraved his name, his new name, and his new birthday. Seeing them both side by side on metal almost made it seem real. As if he was a real person that had always existed with this name and this birthdate.

They exchanged a look. Tenzo could feel the tears burn in his heart even if they did not burn in his eyes and Kakashi nodded slowly and then smiled. There wasn’t a word exchanged between them, because their faces said everything that needed to be said. Kakashi could see that Tenzo was touched and that was what mattered.

For the rest of the afternoon Tenzo’s eyes always went over to the happuri again, laying on the top of the gift pile. He didn’t know how long it would take him to grow out of this one, or if it would even survive that long. Even metal things could break on missions or get badly scratched, but still, it filled him with excitement to know he’d carry something Kakashi had picked for him from now on everyday.

It took a while for the first people to leave. Everyone was just too happy to sit around and eat cake and other sweets. Tenzo sat in the middle of his squad, all of them older than him, and listened to their stories, let them tease him and joke with him. He wondered if birthdays were always like that, happy and carefree and wonderful and how his life would have been if that fateful day he had not met Kakashi how his life would be now.

The sun had already set when the others left one by one. Tenzo was stuffed full with food and in a good mood, whistling like a child when he cleaned up the dishes they had used. Kakashi helped out with tidying up wordlessly, letting Tenzo whistle away in his own little world. Everytime Tenzo caught him in the corner of his eye he was smiling, which in turn made Tenzo smile even wider.

“I will go now too”, Kakashi said eventually, putting on his sandals at the door. 

Tenzo walked him the two steps to the door as if he wouldn’t find his own way out. “Thank you for everything-'' he began, but was cut off immediately.

“I told you not to thank me. What I did today is nothing special and something every person deserves, especially if they are as hardworking as you are. I hope you enjoyed yourself, that is what matters.” Kakashi put his chin forward in a motion that showed he wouldn’t accept any discussion about this.

“I did”, Tenzo then said and opened the door for his Senpai. “I really, really loved it.”

Kakashi smiled. Even if you could not see his mouth he always looked good when he smiled. “Goodnight, kouhai.”

“Goodnight, senpai.” 

Before he left Kakashi stood at the door and turned around one more time: “And oh, don’t expect me to come up with such a good gift every year from now on Tenzo. I’m a terrible gift giver, better get used to it.” Then he left.

#fanfiction things #kakayamaweek2022 #kakayama week 2022 #kakayama #hatake kakashi #yamato tenzo #oh ill just make this a quick 2k story she said #and writes 3k #askhdfdlksf anyway #au: ikigai