Chapter Text
Just outside of Konoha, 1925
“What the fuck is that??” Asuma shouted from the driver's seat as he slammed on the breaks, the truck coming to a halt. Blocking the road ahead is an overturned vehicle. Kakashi hopped out of the passenger seat, his gun ready in his hand as he approached the crash. There was a man who appeared to have a gunshot wound to the head laying next to the car. Asuma checked for a pulse. “He’s still alive!” He told the silver haired man as they grabbed the body, dragging it to the side of the road. They had just finished pushing the car back into an upright position when they were greeted by the sound of pumping shotguns.
“HANDS UP!” Two men emerged from the forest with red bandanas covering their faces, pointing the shotguns directly at Kakashi and Asuma’s chests. “Give us the booze and we’ll be on our merry way.”
“Do you know who’s shipment this is?” Kakashi asked incredulously. He looked back and forth between the truck and the two men. “You’re as good as dead.” He spit at them.
“Give Hashirama and Tsunade our regards.” One of the men said before dealing Kakashi a blow to his temple, knocking him unconscious.
**********
BANG!
“Welp looks like the interrogations are over.” Kakashi sighed as he leaned back against the wall, his forehead was still throbbing from the injury he sustained a couple days prior.
“Sounds about right.” Asuma replied as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it between his lips. After a few moments of silence, Kakashi opened the door to see a body slumped sideways in the chair that sat in the middle of the room, hands still tied behind their back. Tsunade, their direct superior, took a drag of her own cigarette calmly as Jiraiya, her right hand, was cleaning his gun before putting it back in his waistband. Kakashi observed the two of them before turning his head to his right, seeing the blood and brain matter plastered on the wall, letting out a huge sigh.
“FUCK!” Asuma screeched as he entered the room. “How are we gonna explain this to the big boss? He wasn’t supposed to die!”
“You won’t. I’ll speak with him.” Tsunade responded, taking another drag. “He gave me permission to do as I saw fit, and I saw fit. The interrogation wasn’t progressing so I ended things.”
“Great. Now we’ll never know who robbed and attacked us.” Asuma scoffed as he puffed his cigarette.
“Watch your mouth Asuma or it’ll be your brains on the wall next.” Tsunade warned, reminding him who had the authority in the room. She tossed her cigarette on the ground and snuffed it out with her foot before making her way to the door. “Clean this up.” She commanded as she walked out with Jiraiya.
“Damnit Asuma!” Kakashi dissented. “I’ve been through way too much to be back on brain clean up duty. Why can’t you just keep your mouth shut?” He asked as he grabbed some rags from the floor.
“Because! She lets her temper get the best of her. Now we have to start all over again because she just killed our only lead.” Asuma countered. Kakashi sighed as he started to clean up the mess on the wall. They already knew who did it. The red bandanas were the dead giveaway. It was pointless to even pretend to look. “I won’t be able to sleep at night knowing those Uchiha bastards are out there with our liquor.” Asuma stated as he joined Kakashi in cleaning up.
After what felt like hours, they’re just about done. They took the body and rags with them to their car, throwing them in the trunk. On their way back to Konoha, They pulled over at an abandoned field, grabbed their shovels and buried the evidence, making sure they’ll never be found. It’s well past two in the morning by the time they make it back into town. They headed straight for the boardwalk, parking in their usual spot in the lot at the end. They kept their heads low as they walked through the alley to the side entrance of the most popular casino on the Konoha boardwalk, Hokage. They walked through the halls and down the stairs to another door. They knocked and the peep hole opened to reveal a set of eyes that looked over the two men. It abruptly closed again before the door opened, revealing the bustling establishment known as ANBU.
Asuma followed Kakashi as they weaved through the tables to take seats at the bar. The bartender nodded, acknowledging their presence and started preparing their usual. Kakashi loosened his tie as the bartender set his drink on a napkin in front of him. He willed himself to relax as he took a sip, letting the liquor burn his throat. He knew Asuma was speaking to him but he tuned him out as he continued to try and relax, listening instead to the big band jazz playing in the background. Sometimes he wondered what his life would’ve been like if he hadn’t followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Senju clan's bootlegging operations.
It has been five years since Congress ratified the Volstead Act, prohibiting alcohol throughout the country. Of course that didn’t stop alcohol from being consumed, everyone just hid it better. Thus, establishments like the one he is currently in, were created. While Congress had good intentions, they just created another avenue for mobsters to make more money. They could jack up the prices since their product was now a hot commodity. Families that were barely getting by before, with the men of the family spending their paychecks on booze, were now in utter ruin. Mob loan sharks taking their possessions and selling their bodies to pay off debts the men owned after borrowing money to continue to fuel their alcohol addiction. They were just adding more and more into the mobs pocket. There's a reason why they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Kakashi thought back to his own childhood. To a time before he lived such a dangerous life in the underbelly of society. Back when he was just a naive ten year old who only cared about school and his best friend, Obito. He had a few friends but was not close to any of them except Obito. The two of them had been inseparable until his best friend moved away suddenly, not even saying goodbye. Kakshi credited that moment in the past with being the one that caused everything to start going downhill. Even though he had other friends, he felt more and more alone. It was around the same time that his father had been sent on more and more dangerous assignments, leaving Kakashi alone more often than not. Things went even further downhill when he was twelve. His father was accused of treason against the Senju because he chose to let members of the Uchiha live in order to save a couple comrades. The members he failed to kill ended up ambushing a storehouse, killing the guards and stealing all the liquor inside. His father was killed as penance for the product, leaving Kakashi to be truly alone. He dropped out of school shortly after and joined the Senju himself, being promoted up the ranks until he was considered a Jonin at the rip age of thirteen. He was determined to save the reputation of the Hatake family, refusing to accept the disgrace that his father had bestowed upon him. Now, seventeen years later, he was the fourth in command of the same clan that ruined his family. Only, Jiraya, Tsunade and the big boss Hashirama in his way of being leader and restoring his family’s reputation.
“Anything planned for the rest of the night?” Asuma asked as if it wasn’t almost 2:30 in the morning.
“Sleep. That’s what I have planned.” Kakashi replied as he downed the rest of his drink and made his way out of the speakeasy. He’s inside of his apartment within the next ten minutes. He threw his jackets over the side of his couch after locking his front door. He slowly made his way to his bedroom, stripping down to his undershirt and boxers before sliding under the covers, allowing himself to drift to sleep. That night he dreamed of his life that could’ve been.
**********
Kakashi woke the next morning to find he had nothing in his kitchen to eat. He groaned to himself. He wanted to stay inside his apartment for the entirety of his day off but it must not have been in the cards. Here he was, getting dressed to head to his local grocer and it wasn’t even 8am. He was in the middle of picking out a loaf of bread when he heard his name.
“Kakashi? Is that you?” The silver haired male turned around to see a face he hasn’t seen in twenty years. A dazzling smile greeted him. “It is you! I knew I recognized your silver hair! I would’ve thought that you ditched this place by now.”
Kakashi was stunned as he is face to face with his long lost best friend, Obito. Even though he’s aged, he would have recognized that face and infectious smile anywhere. He gazed at the dark haired man for a moment. Obito had grown significantly and was now taller than Kakashi by at least two to three inches. He was much bigger too, noticing his broad shoulders and wide chest. Obito still had that same goofy, cheerful look in his eyes. Kakashi smiled back and relaxed.
“Obito. What's it been? Twenty years? What happened to you, man?” He questioned his estranged friend.
The dark haired man laughed, “Wow has it really been twenty years? Feels like just yesterday we were in school together, thick as thieves. My father got into some trouble. My mom took me and got the fuck outta here. That’s a story for another time. I’m back in Konoha now. Are you busy? Wanna grab a bite to eat and catch up?”
“I’m free all day. It's actually my day off. Want to go to the diner down on the corner?” Kakashi replied with a smile. The other man nodded enthusiastically. They abandoned their groceries and made their way down the street. They sat across from each other in a booth in front of the window. A waitress brought them each a cup of coffee. They quickly ordered some food and the waitress left. “So, back to why you left.”
Obito took a sip of his coffee before starting his story. “My father’s family has a family business. All of my uncles and cousins are in the business. My parents had planned on keeping me out.” He took another sip. “When we were ten, my father was killed. My uncles started asking my mothers permission for me to join the business. It made my mom nervous and paranoid that they were gonna take me so we left before they could. It was in the middle of the night, all dramatic and everything.”
“What made you decide to come back?” Kakashi asked as he took a sip of his own coffee.
“My mother passed away a few years ago. My uncle and cousins came to visit and pay their respects. They convinced me to join. They had me up at the Kumo branch for a while. I was helping with the operations out there. They just transferred me back here about a month ago.” He answered as he finished his cup.
Kakashi set his own cup down. “I, too, ended up joining the business that my father was a part of but for a different reason. He has completely tarnished our good name and I have to restore our reputation.”
“You're still as serious as ever.” The dark haired male laughed. “I guess life really isn’t fair to people like us, huh? Enough with all the sad talk. Tell me, have you settled down with a nice girl yet? Have a few kids already?” Obito asked as their food arrived and the waitress filled the cups. Kakashi took a few bites of his food before answering.
“Settling down was never my thing. I’ve been working too hard at work to stop now and settle down. After what happened with my family, I never really thought of having kids. Why would I bring kids into this situation? It makes everything too complicated. So to answer your question, no, I am single. Not that I was interested in women anyways.” He replied, giving Obito a sly look, hoping his handsome friend understood what he's alluding to. “How about yourself?”
“Women don’t do anything for me so that isn’t gonna happen.” Obito responded nonchalantly, causing Kakashi to almost choke on his eggs. Here he was trying to be smooth and Obito just blurted it out. He’s glad to see the man still has no filter after all these years. Obito looked up from his plate to see his estranged friend was blushing. He couldn’t tell if it's from his sudden confession or from choking. “You okay?” he asked.
Kakashi finished his coughing and drank some of his coffee to soothe his burning throat. “I’m fine.” He spit out in a slightly raspy voice. “Just wasn’t expecting that. Glad to see you haven’t changed.” He wiped his mouth and threw his napkin on his now empty plate. They finished their meal and paid before leaving the restaurant.
“Do you live close? I don’t mind walking you home.” Obito asked once they are outside.
“Yeah it's only a few blocks away.” Kakashi replied as he leads the way to his apartment. They chatted more on the way to his place. “This is me.” Kakashi said as he turned to walk up the stairs towards his apartment building. He got to the second step before he felt himself being tugged backwards and into the arms of his estranged best friend. Kakashi froze. He couldn’t remember the last time he was in such a warm and comforting embrace. He relaxed and allowed himself to return the hug.
“I’m so glad I ran into you. You have no idea how much I missed you the past twenty years. I’ve felt so alone and thinking of you would temporarily ease that pain.” Obito stated. Kakashi felt himself starting to get emotional but reigned his emotions back in. He rubbed the dark haired males back.
“I’ve missed you a lot too. I constantly find myself wishing that I was ten years old again, back when times were much more simple.” Kakashi reluctantly pulled away first and smiled at Obito. “We should grab drinks next time.”
Obito returned his smile. “That would be nice. I’d like that.” he replied before waving goodbye and taking his leave. Kakashi ran up to his apartment, feeling lighter and happier than he has in at least a decade, maybe longer. His estranged best friend was back in his life, and was now one of the handsome men he’s ever seen. Kakashi also didn’t miss the hint that Obito was leaving, that he's interested in something more. Just thinking about his goofy grin made his heart flutter a little. He forgot this feeling. He hadn’t felt butterflies like this for 20 years. He slept better that night than he had in a while.
**********
Two nights later, Kakashi and Asuma find themselves in the middle of a fire fight while guarding one of their clan’s distilleries. Their assailants wore red bandanas on their faces. The Uchiha clan's signature color. Kakashi spotted someone running behind the building and he gave chase. He cornered the man, pointing his gun directly at the back of his head. “HANDS UP!” he shouted.
The other man complied, raising his hands above his head and turned around. The man’s bandana slipped off his face, leaving Kakashi face to face with the man he had just had breakfast with not three days prior. He kept his gun steady as he removed his own black bandana, revealing his own face. “What the FUCK are you doing here, Obito??”
Obito gulped before flashing the silver haired man his signature goofy grin. “I told you I got into the family business. I just didn’t specify what that business was.” Kakashi stared at the man for a moment, his mind battling with itself. Does he let him escape? Does he turn him in? He didn’t know. This was uncharted territory for him. He started to understand a little of the decision his father had to make eighteen years ago. Kakashi was always his fathers son. He sighed after a couple of seconds and lowered his gun. He strolled up to the other man, who still had his hands up. He stopped once he was close enough for the Uchiha to feel Kakashi’s breath on his ear.
He lowered his voice, “I will give you a ten second head start. If I catch you after I finish counting, I will not hesitate to hand you over to the big boss.” Obito didn’t hesitate and was gone before Kakashi coul even say one.
After all the excitement died down and the crew started cleaning up the mess,. Asuma looked at Kakashi and told him that they could handle the clean up and to go back to ANBU to report what had happened. Kakashi ran to his vehicle and high tailed it to the club. He’s two buildings away when he felt a hand cover his mouth and drag him into a dark alley. He’s spun around to find Obito staring back at him for the second time that night. “Shhhhhhhh be quiet.” He warned the Senju clan member.
“What are you doing here?? You’ll really be killed if any of them spot you!” Kakashi hissed quietly.
“I know I know but I had to see you.” Obito blushed before pulling him in for a gentle kiss, leaving the silver haired male too stunned to speak. “Thank you for letting me go. I’ll meet you at your apartment tomorrow night at 8. We’ll talk then.” He released Kakashi and was gone before he could even respond.