Crave his touch

Recently it is beginning to feel like a pressure cooker down in the hideouts and Orochimaru isn’t sure if it’s on account of time running out for him and he needs Sasuke to become his vessel soon even if Sasuke still insists that the lessons he’s been promised are not yet enough to satisfy him, or if it’s because the sexual tension is so thick between certain individuals that it is becoming increasingly difficult to think properly with these unresolved urges manifesting themselves as soon as he enters a room.

He must admit that he never anticipated Sasuke developing a sexual interest in him.

He always thought Naruto Uzumaki was the one and only for the surly Uchiha boy however vehemently Sasuke always claims to hate his former friend and teammate.

On the other hand, Orochimaru can fully understand that a teenager’s feelings can be fickle.

He himself is the master of capriciousness when it comes to emotional commitment so he can certainly relate, and considering the amount of time that has passed since Naruo and Sasuke last saw each other and how much time Sasuke has spent with Orochimaru during those years, he assumes it would make sense for the boy to get confused about his feelings even if it is a very unexpected development to fall for him of all people.

A part of him is surprised but also a little flattered to be the object of the boy’s desires, because this is Sasuke Uchiha after all, a person Orochimaru has wanted as his vessel for years now, ever since he realised Itachi was off the table, being far too powerful for him to conquer.

On the other hand, he realises that this unexpected development complicates things during a time when he doesn’t have the energy to deal with anything beyond his own agenda.

Time is running out as his current vessel is beginning to reject him which in consequence has started to weaken his physical powers and made the otherwise stoic Kabuto wring his hands in worry, so he needs to focus on the end game instead of getting sidetracked by an adolescent’s silly crush.

Under the current circumstances he has no need nor any interest in what Sasuke is awkwardly trying to offer him and he should nip the whole thing in the bud before it gets out of control entirely.

If he had the time and the inclination, he could probably enjoy himself by exploring how far the boy would be willing to go to get his feelings reciprocated, but at the end of the day it would be nothing but a pointless game that he would grow bored of eventually.

Sasuke is just a kid after all and even if he aesthetically is very pleasing to look at, he is at the same time too immature and inexperienced to hold any real interest for Orochimaru, however much he sometimes tries to hint at an interest in the boy’s physical assets that in reality does not exist in the slightest.

Orochimaru enjoys riling people up by mentioning Sasuke’s young body and how much he wants to have it, but in reality, it is nothing more than a way to antagonise those who wish to save Sasuke from his clutches.

Orochimaru has admittedly always held a fascination for young people as they are the easiest to manipulate and mould into whatever shape he needs them to be, but sexually the young are too inexperienced and amateurish to really tickle his interest.

He prefers those who knows what to do when it comes to sexual pleasure, and teenagers certainly don’t fall into that category.

It’s just too many fumbling and awkward techniques, most don’t even have a clue how to make the first move and Orochimaru is too much of a connoisseur to go for something as substandard as that.

Admittedly, he feels bitterness run through his system whenever he happens to think about Hiruzen, or Danzo for that matter, but at least they knew their way around the bedroom and he never had to feel unsatisfied afterwards, at least not regarding the sexual part of their relationships.

Even that bumbling fool Jiraiya knew what he was doing, even if that fact actually surprised Orochimaru a bit the first time they ended up in bed together, expecting selfish manners, too eager hands and sloppy kisses but finding that Jiraiya was quite the tender lover.

It was never meant to last between them, they were far too different and neither had the ability to see what the other wanted out of life, but he has to give it to his former teammate, those erotic novels he has written over the years are not too far from the truth regarding the main character’s prowess in the bedroom.

Not that he has read them of course, such nonsense holds no interest to him, but there is always hearsay and from what he has been told, they seem pretty accurate.

Kabuto once referred to a passage in one of the novels about a woman with long black hair and golden eyes that the main character was desperately but also unhappily in love with.

Kabuto had made a pointed comment about how the woman physically seemed to resemble Orochimaru, even sharing certain character traits.

But if he was curious to know if there were any other similarities or if the character was actually based on his master, he never asked about it and the topic was not brough up again.

Considering the fact that Sasuke’s former sensei, Kakashi, is a very keen fan of Jiraiya’ novels, it is probably wishful thinking to assume that the boy has never come into contact with them, because despite his serious, moody demeanour he is just a teenage boy after all, with all the curiosity and budding sexual interest that comes with that, so it is even likely he has read a novel or two.

If that is the case, Orochimaru can only wish that he never read the story that is based on himself and Jiraiya, but if he did, hopefully he never came to the same conclusion as Kabuto, because that would just stoke the fire that is currently raging between the teenager’s loins even more if he thinks he has Orochimaru figured out and it could also potentially make him bolder, something Orochimaru sincerely hopes will never happen.

Currently it is clear that the budding sexual interest towards Orochimaru is something that has thrown Sasuke completely off course and that he is desperately trying to stick to his usual control of the situation by increasing the use of angry glares and snarky comments, as if to prove to himself that he isn’t what his body is trying to tell him that he is.

It is not fooling anyone though.

Because while trying to fight his urges, Sasuke is as the same time ridiculously obvious and if the newly developed mooning when he thinks no one is looking and the embarrassed blushes whenever they are together in the same room isn’t enough of a clue, the masturbating in bed with Orochimaru’s name hissed between clenched teeth as he climaxes certainly is.

Naturally this new development is causing the teenager a lot of stress and conflicting emotions about how he feels, since Orochimaru technically is the enemy who is going to take over his body when the timing is right and Sasuke supposedly only cares about revenge and certainly doesn’t have time to put his energy on anything else, least of all something as trivial as a crush.

Orochimaru couldn’t agree more and has tried to steer as far away from this mess as he possibly can by acting ignorant about the whole thing so he won’t have to deal with it.

But it is starting to become more and more difficult and embarrassing and has resulted in plenty of awkward situations that Sasuke has to suffer through while Orochimaru looks the other way and Kabuto, who has recently caught wind of this new development as well, is acting with the expected jealousy of a furious spouse.

At least there is nothing new about that, Kabuto has been fiercely jealous of any rivals for as long as Orochimaru has known him and even if it is a nuisance at times, it is mostly easy to handle.

Unfortunately Sasuke isn’t as manageable.

A worst-case scenario would be for him to grow braver and try to make a move that will force them to no longer ignore the teenager’s lustful feelings, a situation Orochimaru would preferably avoid if possible.

He has no interest in a child’s puerile infatuation, hasn’t personally dealt with such issues in decades even if he has been the object of desire among plenty of his younger acolytes.

The way he sees it, it’s to his advantage when others are beguiled by him and easily manipulated, when necessary, but at the same time it is a weakness they have to suffer on their own and it should never turn into a problem for him.

Oh, how he wishes that the same rule could apply to Sasuke as well.

Orochimaru might want Sasuke’s skills and he can even admit that he has good looks that makes it even more appealing to take him as a vessel, but everything else?

The teenage angst, the tantrums and the moodiness?

The constant chip on the shoulder?

No thank you.

Orochimaru only wants the Sharingan and the body that comes with it, the rest he will gladly discard.

The problem is that Sasuke to a degree still holds the reins of their arrangement.

Sasuke has what Orochimaru desperately wants and to reject him, embarrass him or even just acknowledge his feelings at this delicate point in their plan could possibly lead to a disaster he really wishes to avoid if possible.

But for now, he has no idea how to handle this mess and consequently the situation gets stickier with every passing day that the three of them are trapped together down in the hideouts.

To make matters worse, Sasuke isn’t the only one giving Orochimaru a headache.

Kabuto is also kicking up a storm by acting out on his jealousy like a powder keg ready to explode, barely holding on to his last straw of sanity and frankly it is a bit worrying that his right-hand man is about to lose his marbles now when Orochimaru is going to need him the most.

The situation with Kabuto has always been complicated, mainly due to the fact that the young man never turned out exactly as Orochimaru predicted. ¨

For one, he has lasted far longer than most minions that has been at his service, and at core he is definitely loyal and skilled.

But he isn’t completely trustworthy.

If Kabuto’s agenda consisted of more ambitious plans than serving his master and trying to lure him into bed, then Orochimaru might have been forced to get rid of him ages ago.

Kabuto always operates with his own interests first in mind after all, which isn’t a good quality in a subordinate, but luck has it is that his interests so far hasn’t gone against his master’s and thereby he has been kept around despite his cunning nature.

Technically Orochimaru wouldn’t be too averse to the idea of sleeping with Kabuto, he has had sex with many minions in the past for various reasons and never regretted it, so why not grant the same favour to one of the most loyal subordinates he’s ever had?

Considering everything Kabuto has done for him over the years, it would not be an undeserved reward.

And yet there is something about Kabuto that makes Orochimaru hesitate when it comes to granting that one wish that he knows the younger man desires most of all.

It would be such an easy thing, giving in, just inviting the younger man to his bed and do what Kabuto probably dreams about every night, it would likely tie him to his master even more firmly than their current bond.

But it might also change things between them and Orochimaru doesn’t want that to happen.

Kabuto has seen it all, been present when Orochimaru has been at his weakest, sick, injured, wailing from pain, bedridden, depressed, naked and wounded, the closest to vulnerable someone like Orochimaru can ever be.

Kabuto has seen the ugly sides of defeat, of misjudgement, of failure and there is technically nothing more degrading than that to witness, and yet Orochimaru still fears the changes Kabuto would go through if they became lovers.

One of the most worrying aspects of a changed relationship is the strong sense of jealousy and possessiveness that Kabuto is already exhibiting.

He is straight-out lethal when it comes to his claim on Orochimaru, a fact that was made glaringly obvious in the case of Kimimaro.

As long as Kimimaro was strong enough to earn his master’s favour, Kabuto never truly dared to strike down on his rival, but as soon Kimimaro fell ill and eventually became useless to Orochimaru, Kabuto orchestrated his demise, all but hunting him towards his death, knowing full well that Kimimaro would never return once he got out of the contraption that kept him alive.

Luckily for Kabuto, Orochimaru was already past Kimimaro’s importance and had other things to focus on at the time, but it still vexes him to this day how Kabuto had simply taken advantage of the situation to get rid of an opponent so callously.

There have been numerous other clues to that cruel side of Kabuto’s personality over the years and if he finally gets his wish to become intimate with Orochimaru, there is no accounting for what he will feel entitled to do to those he perceives as rivals in the future.

Like Sasuke for example.

On the other hand, it is clear that this new development with Sasuke’s sexual interest in Orochimaru is about to push Kabuto straight over the edge anyway, so maybe it doesn’t matter if Kabuto is sharing his master’s bed or not, because he will always act like the vindictive spouse, no matter the circumstances and what claims on Orochimaru he can actually make.

With a shudder Orochimaru remembers the morning he found the remnants of sperm splattered over his bedroom door.

It had happened during the night when Guren was supposed to join him for the night but instead had vanished without a trace.

She has not been heard from since.

The whole situation did at first glance not seems like Kabuto’s usual modus operandi, the semen for example was too crude to be a move made by his henchman.

On the other hand, Guren’s mysterious disappearance is exactly something Kabuto would be able to arrange.

But despite asking him straight out, Kabuto simply shook his head in denial and blamed it all on Sasuke even if it made no sense for the teenager to do any of this.

For the sake of not disturbing the brittle balance that still exist between the three of them, Orochimaru had dropped the subject for now, but he has his suspicions as well as his plans for retaliation if something similar happens again.

He is the master here after all, even if it lately feels like he is trapped between Sasuke and Kabuto and their hatred for each other, and recently also their rivalry of being the one who gets to spend the most time with him.

Case in point is the situation he has managed to walk straight into this very morning, without knowing that this would be another one of those hellish days where he wishes he had opted to just stay in bed.

It all starts with Sasuke waiting for him in the kitchen, mooning from underneath his dark lashes while Orochimaru tries to have his morning tea in peace.

It has clearly, from the look of those deep shadows underneath the boy’s eyes, been a restless night and if the intense glow in his look is anything to go by, there is still a remnant of lust in his system that he needs to direct somewhere.

Preferably towards Orochimaru it seems as he boldly saunters over to the counter where Orochimaru is pouring himself a steaming cup of tea.

Sasuke positions himself far too close, so close in fact that he wouldn’t even need to lean in to sniff one of Orochimaru’s locks of hair that hangs loosely across one of his eyes.

Sasuke keeps staring intently at the dark strand before shifting his eyes to the lips instead, blatantly drinking in the sight as if unaware how intrusive his ogling actually is.

Just as it feels as if Sasuke is so close that his breath puffs hot air across Orochimaru’s cold, pale face and the situation is about to get even more awkwardly intimate as Sasuke raises a hand to reach out and touch the silky cascade of pitch-black hair that is falling over the shoulder of Orochimaru’s purple yukata, Kabuto is suddenly at the door, slamming it open with full force, as if having sensed what is about to happen even before actually seeing it.

When his eyes find what they are searching for and takes in the scene in front of him, anger blazes hatefully behind the spectacles and his voice sounds furious as he addresses Sasuke.

“Sasuke-kun! Who told you that you could be here when Orochimaru-sama is having his breakfast?! You know very well that you are supposed to wait for him in the training area, not be wandering about, disturbing him before he’s had his morning tea.”

The words are laughably commonplace, like a mother scolding a disobedient child, but the venom in the voice reveals the severity of the situation and Sasuke immediately snaps his head back to glare at Kabuto with just as much ire in his eyes.

“You can’t order me around like that! I can come and go as I please, and if I want to be with Orochimaru in the kitchen when he’s having tea, then that is where I’ll be. You might be nothing more than a pathetic assistant, but I’m certainly not!”

The look in Kabuto’s eyes is apoplectic by now and Orochimaru can sense the beginnings of an actual fight between the two rivals if he doesn’t intervene.

Sasuke never bows out of a scuffle and the way he has taken to exposing his Sharingan every time something displeases him, particularly regarding Kabuo, there is a strong chance that the kitchen will be smashed into pieces if these two come to blows.

“How dare you refer to Orochimaru-sama with such familiarity? He is your master and you need to show him the proper respect when talking about him. This isn't like hanging out with your usual team of misfits back at Konoha, people here actually matter and needs to be treated with the reverence they deserve. I know you lack a proper upbringing, what with your turncoat of a brother killing your entire clan, your own parents included, but that is not an excuse to not behave appropriately. Know your damn place!”

Orochimaru feels his eyes widen in disbelief at the vicious remark about the eradication of the Uchiha clan and he can sense Sasuke stiffen where he stands, the words hitting right at the core of where it will hurt the most and Orochimaru realises with a surge of panic he otherwise very seldom feels, that he needs to put a stop to the situation before it is too late.

Since Sasuke won’t be budged so easily now that his anger has been provoked sufficiently for him to go into full battle mode, there is only one thing to be done, and that is to remove the other combatant before it’s too late.

He can already feel the electric charge of chakra spark in the room as he slams his cup back down on its saucer forcefully to interrupt the clash that is hanging in the air, redo to erupt at any second now.

“Kabuto, get out!” he hisses and Kabuto looks as if he’s been slapped hard across the cheek, a mixture of shock and betrayal in his eyes as he stares at his master in utter disbelief.

“But, I…” he begins but Orochimaru’s patience has run out, so he narrows his eyes with a lethal look in them that informs his subordinate that if he doesn’t get the hell out of here now, it will be the last thing he ever does.

Kabuto stares at him for a second but doesn’t dare to do anything but obey, turning on his heel and storming out of the room, the door slamming in his wake in a tantrum worthy of his teenage adversary.

Sasuke, the clueless idiot, actually smiles now, as if he has won some great battle without so much as a lifting a finger. He probably believes that Orochimaru picked sides and decided to back him up, which just shows how delusional the boy has become lately.

He turns to look at Orochimaru, confidence overflowing in those black eyes of his.

Orochimaru dearly wishes he could tell him to get the hell out as well, but knows that he has to tread a little more carefully with this one.

At least for now.

Next to him, Sasuke is smugly crowing and is looking very pleased with how things have turned out.

He even dares to start insulting Kabuto, as if feeling entitled enough to do such a thing now that he believes that Orochimaru has sided with him.

“Don’t see how you’ve managed to put up with that lunatic for all these years. I guess he must serve some purpose or he wouldn’t be here, but I don’t understand how you can stand having him around you every damn day. He acts as if he is the one running this place, like he is the true ruler of these hideouts.”

Orochimaru’s lips presses tightly together in mounting displeasure over Sasuke’s bold statement but doesn’t get the chance to reply before Sasuke’s steers focus back to himself instead.

“He’s always on my back about everything.”

He mimics Kabuto’s voice with a nagging tone as he waves his hands in the air in mock exasperation, eager to ridicule the absent man and belittle him now that he isn’t here to fire back at Sasuke for his rude behaviour.

“Sasuke-kun, use the proper honorific when addressing Orochimaru-sama. Don’t disturb Orochimaru-sama when he is busy. Show some gratitude, Sasuke-kun, not everyone gets the chance to train with one of the Legendary Sannin. Be humble, stand straight, keep your mouth shut, stop sulking, don’t slam the door when you leave a room.”

Sasuke drops the act and his lips turns into a sharp sneer.

“The nagging just goes on and on with that one.”

Orochimaru doesn’t bother replying to any of this.

He has no desire to defend Kabuto nor scold Sasuke for ridiculing him, he shouldn’t have to explain the actions of one minion to the other, they should simply know better than to involve him in their petty squabbles.

But admittedly he can see how the fastidious Kabuto would hate a snotty brat like Sasuke even under different circumstances. Jealousy or not, there is never going to be any love lost between those two.

Declinig to reply to what he hears and remain coldly silent instead, it doesn’t take too long for Sasuke to realise that he won’t earn a reaction from Orochimaru, so he drops his sneer and snaps back into the mood he was in before Kabuto entered the room and interrupted his plans.

“Enough talk about that knucklehead for now, he isn’t worth wasting my breath on anyway.”

That almost hazy look in his dark eyes returns with full force, a hint of sly coyness on his lips as he leans in, invading Orochimaru’s personal space once more.

Probably encouraged by Kabuto’s dismissal, Orochimaru can practically hear the cogs work inside Sasuke’s head, the weighing of pros against cons that he must have run through on numerous occasions already, for some reason determined to finally make his first move and seemingly satisfied with that decision.

Orochimaru really should leave, because this is what he has been dreading for the past couple of weeks.

Once this bridge is crossed there is no more trying to ignore how Sasuke feels about him.

What those feeling actually are is probably as unclear to Sasuke as they are to him, it can be anything from a juvenile crush to sexual longing or anything in between.

Whatever it is, it’s not good news.

But the gears are apparently set in motion now and he can only watch in horror as Sasuke’s picks up exactly where he left off by raising his hand and catch one of those long, black strands that hangs loosely against Orochimaru’s cheekbone, stroke it softly between his fingers before gently tucking it behind the other man’s ear to gain clear access to his pale, sharp features.

Orochimaru can sense something like cold sweat starting to break out all across his skin, despite the innocence of it all.

Getting his hair swept from his face is a textbook move, nothing he hasn’t experienced from numerous others in the past and in the grand scheme of things, it is really nothing, just a sappy sweet gesture.

But it means that Sasuke, for all his inexperience and insecurity is gearing up for the next step, seemingly blind to the fact that Orochimaru is just standing there, frozen to the spot, as if trapped in a genjutsu, unable to escape it.

Sasuke is looking into his eyes and for a second it feels like they are locked together in a silent battle of wills that Orochimaru is unable to escape.

It feels strange, because he hasn’t been on the losing side for such a long time that the experience has faded from his memory.

As it hits him now, how truly out of his comfort zone he actually is, he feels a wave of acute nausea hit him brutally straight in the gut and he is surprised that he still remains stock still despite every cell in his body roaring at him to step back and get out.

Perhaps it is pride that keeps he rooted to the spot, the unwillingness to flee out of his own kitchen like some hapless prey, when his usual role is that of the hunter, the one who never yields. It is disconcerting to find himself in the other position for once.

He can only watch in tense horror as Sasuke’s face get closer and closer, a hand suddenly pressing against the small of his back to draw Orochimaru towards him until their lips touch and they are firmly locked in a kiss.

Orochimaru hardly manages to process what’s happening before the wet press of Sasuke’s tongue with clumsy eagerness pushes past his teeth and into his mouth, entangling itself with the tongue inside, the sound of a throaty moan that sounds far too advanced for someone of such a young age, escaping Sasuke’s lips.

It is the moan as well as the surge of nausea that travels quickly up his throat that finally snaps Orochimaru out of his frozen state and makes him shove Sasuke away from him with such force that the boy stumbles backwards, loses his footing and comes crashing down to the floor, landing on his butt with an undignified yelp.

Neither have the time to process what just happened because next the sense of nausea is no longer just a feeling but an actual warning sign of what is about to happen as Orochimaru suddenly opens his mouth and vomits all over Sasuke’s fallen body, sullying his clothes, hair and face in a disgusting mush of green and poisonous yellow that drips even from the eyelashes when Sasuke blinks in shock at what just happened to him, a second before his face turns into a mix of both revulsion and dismay.

But before he has the chance to say anything, Orochimaru finally snaps himself back into full control, wiping his lips clean with his sleeve as he turns his features into an expressionless mask, looking down at Sasuke with a cold, stony gaze.

With a voice that sounds detached even to his own ears, he says what needs to be said to stop this situation from going any further.

His own physical reaction to the kiss is the proof they both needed to experience in order to realise that this has to end here, or there is no telling what might happen the next time.

“Do refrain from making such bold moves in the future, Sasuke-kun. As you can tell, they are not appreciated and have no place in the relationship between a student and a master. Be grateful that it wasn’t my Kusanagi that came out of my mouth just now and keep in mind that you might not be as lucky a second time.”

He allows his eyes to travel up and down the disgusting figure on the floor and doesn’t hold back the contempt in his eyes while doing so.

“Go get cleaned up and then stay out of my sight until tomorrow when we will hopefully resume with our training as planned. I think we both need a day to get over this pitiful turn of events and I hope that we will be able to look past your poor act of judgement and continue with what we are actually here to achieve.”

With that message delivered he strides past Sasuke who is still reeling from shock and anger, unable to utter a single word in reply.

First lesson in love learned the hard way, Orochimaru thinks as he closes the door behind his back and begins walking down the hallway towards his own rooms.

For Kabuto’s safety, he hopes his second in command doesn’t run into Sasuke anymore today.

That look in Sasuke’s eyes had the promise of a painful demise if they do bump in to each other and that would be a very unfortunate ending for Kabuto indeed, and also a great loss for Orochimaru as well.

He is after all not quite done with his jealously possessive little subordinate just yet.