Chapter Text
The sky had been cloudy all morning, making it seem like there was a heavy grey cloth covering their town. The late-night news program from the previous day reported that it would rain hard all week, which Kiba could feel since the air around them was humid and cool. It seemed like the beginning of a storm, and the boy was glad it still wasn’t cold enough to snow at that time of the year.
Behind him, his friend Naruto was also staring outside with a displeased expression.
— Man, I was hoping to get some training on today. — He sighed, imagining that their school’s soccer field would long be drenched and muddy when the time came for their team’s practice. Kiba, on the other hand, wasn’t so annoyed by the cancelling since he wouldn’t be able to attend it anyway. He was actually angrier at the fact that he’d gotten detention earlier that day for getting caught on his phone during Iruka’s class. He thought it was a stupid reason for making him stay there all afternoon, but he couldn’t argue back if he didn’t want to be punished for the whole week. Kiba just hoped he’d be there alone so he could sleep or listen to his music in peace.
When the bell rang, signaling that classes were over, everyone rushed to get up, grab their stuff and go out of the door as soon as possible, since they were afraid it could start raining on their way home. Kiba, though, did it as slowly as possible, taking his time with his things. He knew that he didn’t have to rush to catch a bus and instead would eat at the school’s cafeteria before heading to Iruka’s detention room. He waved Hinata and Shino goodbye as they left, falling back on his chair under the eyes of professor Itachi.
— Come on, Kiba. I’m locking the room, we need to go.
Reluctantly, he got up with a grunt. At this point, he could even smell the rain coming, estimating it would take around two more hours until the sky began falling upon them. He just hoped it would be over once his detention ended, because he didn’t want to come home smelling like a wet dog.
He walked the hallways like he was the only person there, and it actually looked like it. Everyone else had been quick to disappear, leaving only the staff and the people who stayed overtime to study in the library around. It was nice like this, Kiba thought. He didn’t really want to deal with people that day, so the fact that the only sounds he could hear were his footsteps and the mumbling of teachers made him really calm on his way to the cafeteria.
— What will it be today, sweetheart? — Asked the kind lady behind the balcony. She was always nice.
— A soy hamburger and a bottle of juice, please.
Kiba grabs his food when it’s ready and sits alone by one of the multiple tables there. He can see a few familiar faces he never talked to before, but the place in general resembles a desert. The silence is so deep he can hear the muffled sound of the cooks humming a song. He’s used to that, it wouldn’t be the first or the last time he caught detention.
When he’s finished, he walks to the bathroom and brushes his sharp teeth looking at the small mirror. His face looks tired from his lack of sleep the past night due to emergency work he had to do at his family’s veterinary clinic, helping his sister as she took care of an almost dying dog. That always messed up his mind; he hated watching animals suffer without being able to do anything useful about it.
He then followed a path he knew very well due to his various times being sent to detention, most of them accompanied by Naruto, Shikamaru or Chouji. This time, he was alone and annoyed, stepping maybe a little too hard on the ground, his backpack swinging from one shoulder and his hands buried in his jacket’s pockets. He didn’t want to be there at all.
As he opened the door, grimacing a little, professor Iruka, who was sitting by the teacher’s table, turned his head up to look at him and just made a hand signal to tell him to enter before focusing back on the papers he had in hands. Kiba rolled his eyes. He did like Iruka a lot, but the professor’s straight-laced, goody-two-shoes attitude got on the boy’s nerves once in a while.
He sat by the window just like he always does in his original classroom, opening the curtains to look at the sky. The grey shade of the clouds had now grown a lot darker and the wind outside seemed to blow harder, and he realized he’d been right after all: there was a storm coming, and not one of the light ones.
— Am I the only one here today? — Kiba asked, tilting his head to the side. He hoped so.
— No, there’s someone else coming. — The teacher answered, not even bothering to look up. Damn.
As Iruka didn’t say anything else, Kiba assumed he wouldn’t give him any additional schoolwork to do like in other occasions, which relieved him since Shikamaru wasn’t there to give him all the answers like before. He relaxed on his chair and was ready to pull out his headphones from his backpack when he heard the door swinging open with a creak.
His eyes went immediately to the origin of the sound.
He didn’t like what he saw.
Standing by the entrance now was a tall boy dressed in all black, carrying a very annoyed expression. Kiba, of course, recognized him from the multiple arguments they’d had in the past since the guy got in a fight with Shino, and unintentionally he sighed a little too loud, catching some attention.
— Finally you’re here, Kankuro. — The teacher smiled a little. — Take a seat.
Kiba’s eyes widened a little at the sight, discretely following the figure as he made his way to the side of the room opposite to where Kiba sat. He fell on the chair with a thud, not even bothering to acknowledge the other boy’s presence, only focusing on Iruka. That was weird. There never was an occasion when Kankuro lost the opportunity to sigh at Kiba or annoy him, since they hated each other’s guts, but now he was simply quiet.
Even though he found it very strange, Kiba thought it was for the best, and once again reached for his earphones, grabbing and plugging them to his phone, ready for a long afternoon of music and tediousness. He decided to keep to his own, glad that Kankuro didn’t look like the wanted to start a fight; after all, that day was not one of his bests and he just wanted some peace.
It didn’t take long for Iruka to get up.
— I’ve got a reunion to go to. You two stay here, there’ll be staff around to tell me if you tried to go home earlier. Don’t make a mess, don’t fight, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
He then said his goodbyes and walked out, leaving the two students there to rot all afternoon.
The first minutes go by quietly, which makes Kiba wonder if it’s really Kankuro who’s sitting over there. On an usual day, they’d already be arguing at the top of their lungs, making snappy comments at each other… But not today. Today he looks like a stranger, and Kiba would really believe he was mistaken about the boy’s identity if it weren’t by his characteristic features and the dark purple eyeshadow resting on Kankuro’s eyelids.
Weird.
Then, something even weirder happens.
Over the sound of his music, Kiba can hear little noises as if there were very light several knocks on the window beside him, and when he turns his head to look, it has started raining. The sky was very dark, making everything look a little lifeless, and water poured from above like a shower, still calmly. That was the beginning of a storm.
He took his earphones off, muffled songs escaping through the buds. Kiba had always liked the slow, natural symphony of rain plopping down and the heavy smell of wet grass that lifted from the ground once it was over. He was entertained by it, almost hypnotized by the sight, until he heard heavy breathing.
Turning his head around, he noticed it came from Kankuro, who still stared straight ahead, stiff like a statue, but now with his hood down. Although he hated him, Kiba thought it was always interesting to see Kankuro’s dark brown hair, as he was always hiding it. He also realized Kankuro was fidgeting a lot – he looked nervous, too nervous. Kiba had never seen him like this before.
Then…
A loud, striking sound came from the sky: a thunder. It wasn’t very powerful, still a little soft for a storm that would grow so big, so it didn’t really catch Kiba by surprise, as he really liked listening to it. However, since he didn’t take his eyes off the other boy’s body, he saw it jump at the noise. It was a small jump, followed by some flinching. Kiba also saw him gulp.
Interesting.
As the sound subsided, Kankuro took a deep, audible breath, only to be interrupted by another thunder, this time a little louder and stronger. His whole body seemed to shiver, and he finally said his first word since he got there.
— Fuck. — He gulped again, running a hand through his hair, and immediately looked at Kiba. Their eyes locked into each other’s.
Kiba was stunned for a moment by dark brown eyes with a distinct glow to them.
— What the fuck are you looking at?! — He growled. Yeah, there he was. That was the Kankuro Kiba knew.
The boy didn’t answer, but he was curious, so he just turned his eyes back to his phone, where he read a few texts, pretending to ignore the other, which seemed to work. He was now paying subtle attention to the noises Kankuro made: heavy breathing and incessantly tapping his foot on the floor. He was definitely anxious.
The sound of rain hitting the window got stronger, and Kankuro lifted his knees up to his chest, putting his feet on the chair. He hugged his legs, burying his chin in between. His eyes were now glued on Kiba’s direction, but he wasn’t looking at the boy who annoyed him like hell.
He was looking at the sky. At the rain.
Suddenly, the room brightened up in a second. It was a lightning, striking far from there, and Kiba knew very well what followed those electric discharges.
One. Two. Three.
— Stop! — Kankuro said in a low tone, his voice sounding like a cry. Kiba saw his grip on his legs get firmer and his eyes shutting. The thunder didn’t do as he pleaded and kept sounding strong and loud, more aggressive than the ones that came before. It still wasn’t that big, though, Kiba noticed. It would get a lot worse from there.
He stares at Kankuro again, confused by how different he looked now. It was so weird he couldn’t muster the courage to say anything, he didn’t feel like he had the right to. He could use that against the boy for sure. Take that opportunity to mock him and annoy him like they always did to each other, but he didn’t. Kankuro looked terrified. It wasn’t fair.
Kiba had no idea of what came upon him as he got up from his chair and began walking through the room, getting closer to the older boy. His footsteps mixed with the sound of rain, so Kankuro only noticed someone was by his side because he blocked the light from the lamp.
— Go away. — He said in a husky voice.
— Are you really scared? Is this a prank? — Kiba asked as if he didn’t hear the other’s words.
— Get the fuck away from me, asshole! — Kankuro now shouted, looking up with wide eyes and furrowed brows. On any other occasion, Kiba would curse at him and wish to punch his face so he could learn some manners. But not now. Now, he seemed so vulnerable that the younger couldn’t get angry, could only stare down and feel something strange.
Kiba felt the sudden urge to hug him like he did to his dog Akamaru when it was terrified. Kankuro looked less threatening than a puppy.
He sat down in front of Kankuro.
— Are you afraid of storms?
— Didn’t you hear me? — He muttered.
— I did. I just don’t feel like doing whatever you tell me to do. — Kiba shrugged. — I never thought you, of all people, would be scared from the rain.
— So what?! Are you gonna mock me now, mutt? — He was still hostile.
— No. I’m just curious. Why are you so afraid?
Kiba’s tone was pure, full of curiosity and a bit of concern. Kankuro noticed there was no malice behind those words, finally bringing himself to stare into his eyes again. That shot an electric current through Kiba’s veins: seeing Kankuro’s eyes from such little distance, they looked so big, shining like a jewel. Had he always looked like that?
— I… I’ve never grown used to the rain. There aren’t a lot of rainstorms where I come from.
— Oh, right. You aren’t from here.
Silence once again. Kankuro turned his head to the side, avoiding Kiba’s piercing looks. That wasn’t making him feel any better, having one of his weaknesses exposed so easily.
— What do you usually do when it rains, if you’re so afraid?
— None of your fucking business. — He answered, but he didn’t sound angry this time. He actually sounded tired.
— No need to be so defensive, man. I just wanted to help.
— Yeah? Why? You hate me. — Kankuro said, as a matter of fact.
Another lightning.
Three seconds later, two thunder sounds clashed violently, and Kankuro let a cry come out of his throat, his whole body began trembling lightly on the chair. He looked defenseless.
— Does it matter now? If I hate you or not?
— It matters if you’re gonna make fun of me. — He sighed, hiding his face and pulling his hood up.
Kiba analyzed him from head to toe. Not like there was much to look at when the boy was almost curled into a ball, but it was at least surprising to see him like this. They had been in that room for over an hour already, a few more to go, and the rain didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. On the contrary, it looked like things would get worse.
Not thinking too much about it, Kiba dragged his chair closer to Kankuro’s and reached a hand to his arms, grabbing them a little, trying to soothe him. As he didn’t get any response, he got bolder, bringing his fingers to the boy’s own, which were intertwined strongly, and tried to break that bond.
— What are you trying to do?
— I’m always calmer when someone holds my hand.
With that excuse, Kankuro was shocked for a brief moment, losing his grip, which allowed Kiba to take his hand and hold it tight. He could feel that Kankuro’s fingertips were really cold, even colder than his palm, and hoped the heat from his own could at least calm him down a bit.
It worked.
Seeing their hands laced together, Kankuro sighed once again and buried his chin between his knees, now looking at Kiba. His heart skipped a beat at the little smile he was given, so he dipped his head further down so the boy couldn’t see the flushing of his cheeks.
— Do you want to talk? It might distract you.
— Talk about what?
— I don’t know. — Kiba used his free hand to scratch his head. — I don’t know you enough to talk about anything but our fights.
— Yeah, those…
— Hey, why are we always fighting?
— I don’t know, you’re the one that started it. — He mumbled.
— You’re the one who punched my best friend.
— Well, that I am guilty of.
Kiba chuckled lightly at that, making Kankuro curve his lips in a little smile that couldn’t be seen.
— He was the one that started that fight too. You deserve each other. — The older boy sighed.
— That sounds like a lie. He was only talking to Hinata.
— Yeah, about my brother and I. That wasn’t a good tone and I don’t take shit lightly.
Kiba raised an eyebrow at that. He couldn’t imagine Shino and Hinata saying things about someone they barely knew, especially if that someone was their scary classmate’s older brother. That just didn’t make sense, and he wasn’t about to let out that he also thought Gaara was a little strange.
— About you?
— That… — He started, but stopped quickly. — That doesn’t matter anymore. — Kankuro mumbled, feeling the sadness begin to consume his body. That matter wasn’t something he was up to talk about now.
When a thunder comes again after a few minutes of awkward silence, Kankuro grips Kiba’s hand so hard it really hurts, displeasingly grunting as he shuts his eyes. If you told him earlier that day that he’d be in such a position in front of Kiba, holding his had instead of throwing a punch, he’d laugh at your face. The situation was so utterly ridiculous that Kankuro couldn’t believe it was really happening.
— Why don’t you try listening to a song? — Kiba asked as the other seemed to come down from his panicked state.
— I forgot my earphones at home today.
— Well, you can use mine if you want to.
Kankuro lifted his head at the suggestion.
— Are you sure?
— Yeah, it’ll make you calmer, won’t it? That way the sounds won’t startle you. I’ll just get them from my table and…
As he was getting up, his grip on Kankuro’s hand loosened for a second, only for him to feel the boy grip at him harder than before, pulling him back.
— M-maybe I don’t need to. — He whispered, afraid Kiba would let go of him. He didn’t want to miss the warmth of that hand even for one moment. It was scary. And Kiba noticed that, sitting down again, now a little closer.
— Are you okay with just chatting?
— Yeah, just… just stay here. What if it crashes again?
— You know thunders won’t kill you inside this room or anywhere else, right?
— Fuck you. I know.
His words were angry, but his look was soft. Kiba had never noticed before how nice Kankuro could be and how pretty his eyes were from up close. There was something else about them, but the boy couldn’t quite figure out what it was, and they looked beautiful matching the purple of Kankuro’s eyelids, but Kiba would ever admit it.
— Just let me go there for one second, okay? I’ll be back in a heartbeat. The music will help distracting you.
— But…
— Relax, Kankuro. I’m not going anywhere until detention ends.
With a little smile, Kiba got up quickly and grabbed the earphones from his table. For some weird reason he found those brief instants very unsettling, but that feeling went away when he intertwined his fingers with Kankuro’s once again. Weird as hell.
— What kind of music are you into? — Kiba asked. — Do you have any request?
He offered his phone to Kankuro, who grabbed it with his free hand, shuffling through Kiba’s playlists. He was surprised to see they had matching tastes and chose one of them, hitting the play button.
— I’m shocked your song choices aren’t shitty, mutt. — Kankuro smiled, giving the device back.
— Hey! — He chuckled, pretending to feel offended. — I take pride on my tastes. I have good taste for everything!
— I so doubt that. Especially for your fashion choices.
They began a conversation about their likes and dislikes then, and Kiba was amused to find out Kankuro’s hobby was building puppets, which he kept or sold. Kankuro, though, thought it was very predictable that Kiba loved spending his time with dogs, especially a big one called Akamaru – of whom Kiba had a scary amount of pictures on his phone. It was common knowledge around school that Kiba came from a fairly respected house of veterinaries.
Like that, they spent the next hour and a half, exchanging information about each other that, under normal circumstances, they’d never bother to learn. Whenever the rain plopped harder or thunders crashed and lightning appeared, Kankuro would hold onto Kiba’s hand very hard, his body would tremble and Kiba would try to calm him down for a couple minutes before he could be entertained by their words again.
It was working very well, Kiba never thought they’d have so much in common, he never thought Kankuro would be so easy to talk to, never thought the older boy could look so fragile and so small despite his big body. They had spent the first half of the school year fighting and bickering at each other so much that they never could imagine they’d ever be so close like this, close enough that Kiba’s hot breath hit Kankuro’s cheeks.
Actually, it was all going well until that went down.
They were discussing about a band both of them were big fans of when another lightning came and Kankuro instinctively held Kiba’s hand harder. He had no idea that the sound that would come three seconds later would be so frightening.
The thunder was the most violent of the afternoon, it sounded like ten of them gathered in one, making it sound like the sky could break in half and fall on their heads anytime soon. It was so aggressive this time that even Kiba was startled by it, and Kankuro screamed in shock, hiding his face between his knees as the bud fell from his ear. His voice was wavering, was he starting to cry?
Kiba didn’t have time to wonder before the lights of the room went off.
The thunders don’t stop coming.
Kankuro’s whole body starts shaking so much even his chair trembles, and he lets out a muffled, pained grunt. Kiba doesn’t think much, his brain goes on auto-pilot when he pulls Kankuro to himself, getting him on the floor, where he hugs the older boy tightly, worried like hell, and whispers soothing words into his ears.
At that moment, Kiba didn’t care about anything else. He was so focused on Kankuro that he stopped noticing his surroundings immediately, paying attention only to the shivering mess of a boy that he was embracing. He didn’t feel like it was his obligation to help or that it was a hassle. No, he was doing that because he wanted to, because he cared now and because, somewhere deep down, he knew that he never hated Kankuro for real in the first place.
He’s surprised when he feels Kankuro’s arms reaching for him once the thunders are gone, and he lets them circle his torso and hug him back. Kankuro’s heartbeat is fast and loud, his heart sounds like it’s going to explode out of his chest, and the trembling hands begin to calm down after a few minutes, in which they stay in silence, the air in between them filled only by their breathing.
They don’t know how much time passes while they’re like this, but the lights come back on without either realizing. Whenever a thunder crashes, now weaker, Kankuro holds tighter.
Eventually Kiba hears the rain subsiding, the plopping sounds getting softer, and no more thunders seem to be coming. The rain pours calmly like in the beginning, but their bodies are still glued together. Neither of them want to let go.
Kiba looks at the clock above the door, detention is almost over – they have around thirty more minutes. He proposes that they get up, but since Kankuro refuses to loosen his grip, they have a hard time getting out of the floor and back on the chairs, when Kiba finally manages to convince the boy that it’d be okay if they separated, that the storm was approaching its end. Kankuro agrees, but doesn’t let go of Kiba’s hand, and they sit in front of each other quietly.
Kankuro’s breathing is deep and heavy.
The rain now became a light drizzle and the sky was a lot clearer than before, although it was still full of clouds. Kankuro was a lot calmer; his trembling was lighter and slowly disappearing.
Then they hear footsteps approaching the door, having only one second to let of of each other’s hand before it swung open, revealing the figure of Iruka.
— I heard the lights went off in this building on my way back, were you guys alright? — He asked with a soft smile.
— You could’ve told them to let us go, professor. — Kiba sighed.
— It would have been of no use. Traffic stopped since this storm was especially violent. — He hummed on the way to his table. — I didn’t know you guys were friends. — He said as he noticed their proximity.
They looked at each other.
— We aren’t. We just know each other. — Kankuro suspired.
— Yeah, we were just talking. — Kiba knew that Kankuro’s words were true, but why did they feel so harsh now?
— There’s going to be a delay on the buses. Do any of you need a ride home?
— You gave us detention and now you’re being so nice, teacher Iruka. — Kiba chuckled. — I’ll pass. I’ll see if Hana can come pick me up, but I’m sure Kankuro would like a ride.
Kankuro looked at him a little confused, but accepted Iruka’s offering.
They said their goodbyes at the entrance of the building, leaving Kiba there to call his sister or to wait for the bus.
Iruka held an umbrella over them on the way to his car in the parking lot.
— Was detention really okay, Kankuro? — He asked once they were inside the vehicle.
— It was boring, like it should be.
— I feel bad for making you stay here, but I can’t let you come late so many times without punishment. The other students wouldn’t appreciate it, neither would principal Tsunade.
— I know. — The boy sighed. — I’m sorry for it.
— I don’t want you to stay one year back again, you know. — Iruka sighed, turning the wheel. — Are you perhaps having problems, Kankuro? Your siblings are always on time.
— I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk about it.
— It’s alright. I’m just trying to help.
— I know, teacher. Thanks, but I’m fine.
Noticing how tired Kankuro looked like, Iruka decided to drop the matter for the moment, but he was still worried about the student. He drove in silence, wondering if giving him detention was the right decision, especially since he knew Kankuro was not very sociable, but it was good that he and Kiba seemed to be okay with each other.
— Alright. Try to come on time tomorrow, okay? — Iruka said as Kankuro exited the car.
— Will do. Thanks for the ride.
The teacher observed him getting into his building before driving away again.
As soon as Kankuro opened the door to his apartment, he met Tamari’s piercing gaze as she looked up from her book. She arched an eyebrow at him, as if she was asking, without words, where the fuck he had been.
— Detention. Don’t ask.
His tone was rigid and she understood he didn’t want anyone prying on his business, so she quietly turned her attention back to her book, ignoring anything her older brother did after that. He looked around, searching for any trace of his youngest sibling, but the boy was nowhere to be found.
— He went out for a stroll as soon as the rain subsided. Don’t ask. — Temari said, never shooting a glance up again.
Kankuro sighed, very tired from everything that had gone on earlier. His body was feeling the effects of such a scary afternoon and his mind was still restless, on full alert in case the storm came back, to he rushed to his room, locking the door behind him. He grabbed his forgotten earphones and scrolled through his playlists, finding one especially for the band he and Kiba had talked so much about that afternoon.
He bit his lower lip, pressing play and turning it up to the loudest volume.