(Untitled)

[shiftingtruths]

[ When everything falls apart around a person, a very interesting, reckless sort of desperation is born, and Mukuro's been privy to that particular sight for the past few months. Fear makes people stupid, they say, and Mukuro agrees. Fear makes people bold, too

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[disillude]

[ Kakashi starts, just a little, at the sound of Mukuro's voice. He's sitting at his desk, his head protector folded neatly on the middle of his bed, and he'd been dangling in a sort of half-sleep when Mukuro climbed up to his window. It takes him a second to realize what the hell it is that'd woken him up to begin with, and he stirs, glances over his shoulder in the direction of his open window.

It's been awhile since he's seen that face, with its sharp angles and those particularly unsettling eyes, and Kakashi's hand drops from his chin to the side of his neck, rubbing slowly at the stiff, sore muscles. ]

Didn't feel like using the door?

[Not that Kakashi really cares. This is probably for the best.

He flattens his palms against the top of his desk and stands up, the chair scratching over the wood as he goes. And when he turns, he's fixing his eyes back on that face, leaning against the sturdy furniture behind him, watching him passively, trying to gauge why he's shown up here tonight, after all this time.

But it's impossible for him to be able to instantly, automatically know what Mukuro wants. He already knows this. Mukuro does what he wants, when he wants to do it, and his reasons for doing anything at all are often left unknown, guarded carefully by the illusive man himself. ]

[shiftingtruths]

[ A soft chuckle is Mukuro's only response to that particular question, because they both know the answer to that. Why use a door when a window can be just as - if not more than - convenient? And speaking of convenience, Mukuro supposes that he had come at a time when it isn't, and it suits his nature just fine. The mist user, after all, is not all that used to checking people's schedules for the times that he can drop by.

Nonetheless, he watches Kakashi make his way over with a sort of amusement, before looking out at the window. After all, if the other man - dangerous and respected as he is amongst all the ninja - wanted to attack him, he would've already done so long, long before. He's just as he remembered, months again when they last met. Same eyes, same everything - but a little older, now.

And so, he waits for him to come nearer, gloved fingers lightly gripping the ledge so he doesn't fall off. He wouldn't die, but dammit - it's quite a way down. ]

Your door creaks.

[disillude]

[ Kakashi rubs his hands down over his legs, drawing in a breath as he averts his eyes, moves his focus away from Mukuro's face to a random spot on the floor. He doesn't remember when he saw him last. It's been awhile, at least, it feels like years but it's probably only been a few months.

That's maybe a good thing, considering -- Mukuro's been a great asset to him, in the past, but he's also not the most trustworthy of people, and Kakashi can respect that. Kind of. He has his own issues he needs to worry about, his own problems, but in general, he's just. Particularly unsettling, when he wants to be.

But he pushes himself away from the desk behind him to move forward anyway, because Mukuro's dangerous, but he's also dangerously intriguing, and he stops a mere few feet away from the window, leaning against the wall and meeting those eyes again.

Belatedly, ]

Hello, Mukuro.

[shiftingtruths]

[ Even after months and years of history between them, Kakashi's still so guarded, and with good reason - Mukuro is the sort who will so much as gut and kill a person as simply greet them with a beguiling smile and a pleasant word. The copy ninja is sharper than the others, more aware of him, and for that, Mukuro is suitably impressed.

The intrigue goes both ways - all the information he had collected on Kakashi had mostly been inconclusive, because he guards his secrets so very well, and that in itself has caught and held the mist user's attention. Perhaps, it also explains why Mukuro, from time to time, finds it in his best interests to offer assistance, especially at a price.

He studies him, and there's something about Kakashi that he cannot quite pull his gaze away from, the knowledge that behind the eye lies a sharingan, one of the most powerful weapons in existence. Another reminder that Kakashi is dangerously deadly in his own right, and is not one to be easily underestimated.

Mukuro tilts his head briefly, then chuckles - a soft kufufu that doesn't echo in the heavy silence of the room. He's all wicked smiles and suggestive eyes and he's playing this game. ] Hello, Kakashi. Have you missed me?

[disillude]

[ Kakashi tips his head when Mukuro does, unintentionally mirroring him, and then he smiles vaguely, his expression friendly but neutral, an expression that offers no concrete promises, his hair brushing against the smooth surface of his wall. ]

I'm not sure that's the right word.

[ It's a second or two later that Kakashi moves, slowly dragging himself away from the wall to stop next to Mukuro's side. He offers him his hand, bare fingers spread, and waits for him to take it. And it's not a gesture that really has anything to do with any amount of trust. He's just always curious how far he can go with Mukuro, how many steps he can take before he's forcibly stopped.

He's sure there's a tipping point somewhere. ]

You're not going to sit there all night, are you?

[shiftingtruths]

[ There's the briefest of pauses, before Mukuro's leather-clad fingers carefully wrap around those outstretched ones. Kakashi's come closer now - having determined, perhaps, that this time it would not hurt to trust him - and he lets him move forward, wondering how far the other will go.

Giving his fingers a lazy squeeze, moving off the ledge and closing some of the distance between them, Mukuro offers mischievously. ] Who said I was going to stay the night?

[ It had perhaps been a figurative thing, but Mukuro's never been a stranger to the sexual tension that lies between them, the sparks they cause whenever they interact, and he is, of course, not nearly shy enough to pretend that it doesn't doesn't exist. And indeed, perhaps Kakashi is not the only one pushing to see if there's a tipping point somewhere. ]

[disillude]

[ Kakashi smiles again, tilting his chin down as Mukuro squeezes his fingers. It's half a second too long before he lets him go, thumb brushing over his fingers against his palm, but he doesn't move back, just stays where he is, studying that face, those familiar eyes, and Kakashi knows better than anyone what he's capable of.

That's what makes him so intriguing, after all. ]

I think it might rain.

[ He slips past the other man, moving to the window to close it slowly, latching it firmly in place. After a moment, he glances back over his shoulder in Mukuro's direction. ]

I don't want you getting wet.

[shiftingtruths]

Oya, oya. You're still as thoughtful as ever.

[ He waits for a moment, hears the smooth slide of the shut window, and thinks that it's appropriate - who knows what kind of creature would be outside listening? He comes with news, but to idle eyes and ears, Mukuro comes to him as a lover, hidden in the shadows of the evening because it suits him. After all, what he has is sensitive, and highly confidential - and oh, make no mistake, he intends to extract a high price from the man for this favor done. It's been too long, far too long. He wonders, absently, if the man's team is still together. Naruto, Sakura, and the new one - Sai, is it?

But first...pleasure before business.

He steps up behind him, close enough to completely violate his personal space as he murmurs wickedly in his ear. He's teasing, of course - he's always had a bad habit of this, tempting him with a seduction that comes too easily to him. ] I think you just want to keep me here.

[ His breath is soft, warm - ] Tell me, have you ever tried to capture the mist?

[disillude]

[ It's hard for Kakashi to think when he gets that close.

He tips his chin a little further over his shoulder anyway, slowly turning to lean back against the windowsill behind him. And he refrains from touching him for the moment, doesn't reach out to stroke his hands up over his arms, to his shoulders, to the sides of his neck. He just folds his arms over his chest to negate the temptation, curls his fingers against the fabric of his shirt. ]

I'm not so presumptuous, Mukuro.

[shiftingtruths]

I've heard otherwise. [ He lets him, and he chuckles quietly, mismatched eyes brilliant in the darkness. Mukuro wonders, would Kakashi let him see the sharingan again? It's a thing of beauty, and one of the many reasons why Mukuro's still sticking around.

He lets him have his proper space, mindful of the window behind him, how easy it would be for someone to look in. ] Shouldn't you pull the curtains, Kakashi?

[disillude]

[ Again, he glances back over his shoulder, peering out the window to the dark, empty village streets beyond. ]

Aaa . . . Does it make you uncomfortable?

[ His tone is teasing, and it's written in his smile when he looks back. ]

[shiftingtruths]

You never know who's looking in. [ The man's well known for being paranoid - and for good reason, too - and he steps over to him. He can see the smile, the teasing of it, and gloved fingers move to press lightly, to cup the side of his face.

The jounin is remarkably attractive like this, and he leans in to barely brush his lips over the other's, all the while looking shrewdly over, keeping an eye out on the horizon. His gaze flickers back to him, then, impossibly intimate. ]

If I didn't know better, I'd say that you have quite an exhibitionist streak.

[disillude]

[ Kakashi's shoulders drop as he breathes quietly, lowly, and he finally moves, unfolding his arms to drag his fingers over Mukuro's, curling his fingers around his elbows, anchoring him closer. The fact that the curtains aren't closed doesn't really bother Kakashi as much as it maybe should -- he has his fair share of paranoia, but he doesn't have quite as much as Mukuro does to be paranoid over.

His tone is less teasing when he speaks next, the tension easing out of his muscles, out of his spine, ]

Maybe.

[shiftingtruths]

[ He moves closer when coaxed, content in staying where he is as he reaches behind the other man, snagging on the curtains sharply and letting it fall over the rectangle of glass. With that, the room is plunged into a deeper darkness, but he doesn't need to be a genius to know that Kakashi is relaxing. ]

I have the information you want.

[disillude]

[ Kakashi clucks his tongue once when Mukuro reaches behind him to shut the blinds, something low and almost disapproving, as his hands stroke up past his arms and shoulders, his thumb smoothing over the beating pulse in his throat. ]

I'd certainly hope so.

[shiftingtruths]

[ He stills, his pulse regular and steady - Kakashi has a chilling ability to read emotions by how quickly his heart beats, and he slowly tips his head back in lazy submission. There's always a thrill in being caught in the same enclosed place as this dangerous man, but his lips curve in a slow smile. ]

But first...

[ They have a lot of lost time to make up for. ]