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#give me sanctuary ; lay your burdens on me ( shared verse ; vipcridae )
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Starter for @vipcridae​
The pale pink petals of a cherry blossom tree drift down around him; a small group of their closest loved ones stand in two small arcs, creating a pathway through the grass and flowers; summoned serpents that have been there for each of them even in the darkest of days slither close; and, of course, their two wonderful sons are right up front, having given him their blessing long ago.
And yet, in this very moment - in spite of all the warmth and beauty and love that surrounds him - he only sees one person, the epitome of all that is warm and beautiful and loving to him, as if everything and everyone else has vanished.
He can hardly wait for them to approach, for how badly does he want to run up to them, scoop his beloved bride-to-be into his arms, carry them and hold them and say the sweetest of words and vows, just for them -
But, it is their wedding, and Kabuto and Orochimaru have already done so much to be able to have this blissful little ceremony, undisturbed by the world; he won’t technically ruin it by galloping up to skip right to the end, to the best part, where medic and Sannin become husband and wife. 
And isn’t this just a dream come true anyway?
Isn’t it even better than anything he could dream of?
It truly is, with the way Kabuto doesn’t even try to stop from tearing up as they gracefully walk towards him.
He’s not a Shinobi today, after all - he’s a father to two perfect boys, and a groom to one perfect person, and if asked (and even if not), he’ll boast to the heavens that moments just like this are the ones that really make life worth living.
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Wearing the gentlest and warmest of smiles, Kabuto reaches out to take Orochimaru’s hands in his as they draw near. “You look beautiful, Hebi ... I guess Mitsuki was right when he said I shouldn’t see you today, not until this very moment. Dreams will never compare to the real Orochimaru.” A wink (even as he’s visibly crying tears of joy). “No one can. I love you.”
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Shining Armor Prompts - Not Accepting 
@vipcridae​ asked: [ KISS ] //kabu
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing. 
[ KISS ]: after having been saved from immediate danger by the receiver, the sender, in a state of intense emotion and relief, kisses them to express these feelings.
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“Orochimaru! Are you all right?!” 
He speaks frantically, terror in his eyes even as his hands are stained with the blood of a potential assassin. That someone could get into their bedroom and try to kill them, while they’re bedridden and preparing for their next body transfer - that he could get there just in the nick of time -
Yes, he knows that even at their weakest, the serpentine Sannin is still a force to be reckoned with. But that doesn’t mean he wants them to be alone, in times like these; that doesn’t mean he won’t lunge forward and brutally end the life of whoever seeks to end Orochimaru’s.
That doesn’t mean the thought of the worst-case scenario doesn’t terrify him.
“I’m here! Did he hurt you?! Talk to - Mmph!”
His words are cut short when Orochimaru’s lips crash against his - 
And Kabuto doesn’t mind at all, he kisses back as soon as the momentary shock wears off, he hugs them securely against him, their relief and the intensity of their emotions matched only by his.
“You’re okay,” he says, panting slightly as they part. “You’re okay ... I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise. I don’t know how he got in here, but I’ll fix it, and I’ll protect you. I always will.”
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Unprompted - Always Accepting
@vipcridae​ asked: 
He had always told them these trees reminded him of them. Cherry blossom leaves filtering down from their high branches, and dusting the serpents long raven hair. He had told them the story of why these flowers remind him of them, for how the serpent had turned quizzical at first. No one ever looked at them and saw a delicate beauty, no one saw them as anything close to innocent petals that prettied up the area. They were the feared one, the despised one, envied and called upon only because they could and would be merciless and unstoppable in the wars to come. They had been called beautiful, but not in any way that could be called complimentary. 
Still, while these flowers may remind him of them, these gardens remind them of him. Every cobbled footpath, every shade offering tree, every blooming flower and lily on still ponds, every winding vine and every critter scurrying in and out from the bushes. This was his creation. His project. They know which plants are poisonous, since they had asked for those additions, necessary ingredients for necessary experiments. And they stay clear of those areas now. 
Sitting beneath the largest cherry blossom tree, with a little girl who looks just like them, save for the thicker and fluffier long hair on her head, “is it not to your liking, this song?” they ask her, slender fingers and painted black nails pausing on the strings of their koto, as their daughter grows restless of sitting and listening to the music in the gardens. They reach forward to correct a strand of her black hair, and to offer her a gentle but teasing smile, “you’re the one who asked me to come and play out here, Nono dear,” they say, though they have no impatience when it comes to their own little one. 
It is only a few moments later however, that the sound of her father can be heard. Having evidently followed the melody of strings to his family. And that is when the serpents smile really grows, impressed and endeared at once. 
“Ah, you heard your father. You’re a talented one aren’t you?” they say, kissing her forehead, before releasing her hand that they had took so she could barrel through the bushes and surprise her father before he reached them. She always grew restless with excitement when she heard her father, though he was never away for long, she preferred him being there than even attending to short tasks. Finally, they see him emerge in to the small garden they sit in, where they abandon their Koto, approaching to kiss their husband beneath his favourite tree, “you’re in trouble with Mitsuki you know. He wanted to go with you today,” they tease, though it not the father’s fault. His son had slept in, and had ample time to request he go with before the morning time. Last minute requests were typical of him. But being accused was the role of the parent at times. One simply had to be patient with their young ones and their teenage mood swings. Nono has scrambled in to her father’s arms, where she also gets a kiss from her mother, “we’ll have to make it up to him. Plan a day as the family hm? My parole has been especially blind today.”
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing.
Kabuto hears the sound of his spouse’s gentle koto-playing, and he instantly follows the melody to where Orochimaru and little Nono can be found. When she runs towards him, their daughter is scooped into his arms - aside from the round frames she needs to see and the very fluffy and thick nature of her hair, both traits she’s gotten from him, Nono looks exactly like her golden-eyed mother. 
Kabuto presses one kiss to the little girl’s forehead, another to Orochimaru’s lips. 
“I did want to wait for Mitsuki, but I’m afraid I was running late, and I didn’t want to wake him, not when sleep is so very important. I’ll be sure to bring him to the orphanage with me next time. He’s a wonderful helper, and of course I’ll never pass up the opportunity to bond with my little ones - our little ones.”
He nuzzles his pretty viper’s cheek, then. “Speaking of ... A family day sounds wonderful. You, Rogu, Mitsuki, and Nono ... There’s no one who’s ever walked this earth, or who ever will, that I’d rather be with. Where shall we go? Your parole is inept on a good day, after all, so we ought to take advantage of their blindness.” 
Then, Kabuto moves to scoop up Orochimaru as well, delicately balancing his spouse and their child in his arms.
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“Let’s go round up our sons. I’m sure they’ll want to give their input on our impromptu venture.” He winks, as a way to show that his following words are simply a familial jest. “And, lest we forget, I do need to grovel for Mitsuki’s forgiveness. How it pains me to think he might resent me!” 
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Sacred Romantic Prompts - Not Accepting
@vipcridae​​ asked: “ i didn’t know where else to go. “ //kabu
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing.
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It breaks his heart to see them like this. Yes, the relationship between Sannin and medic hadn’t had a good ending - no matter how neither of them wanted it to end in the first place; they could thank his parole, and his own fears and perhaps cowardice, for that. But that hardly meant that if Orochimaru should ever stand on his doorstep, hurt or sick or scared, or even just missing him, that he’d turn them away.
"Come in. My room is right down this hallway.” Kabuto holds the door open, casting nervous, concerned glances their way. “What happened? Talk to me. I’ll help you.” 
And maybe, depending on how things played out - just maybe, he’d tell them the truth about why he’d left them. 
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Sacred Romantic Prompts - Not Accepting
@vipcridae​ asked: “ don’t go. stay. “ //kabu
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing.
He has work to do - they both know it.
If Orochimaru calls for him, then he’ll drop everything, no matter how important, to tend to their wants and needs - they both know that, too.
Thus, when the Sannin he loves asks him to stay, he willingly, readily obliges. Kabuto smiles, reaching out for them, pulling them close for sleepy kisses and cuddles, already forgetting just what it was he was getting out of bed for in the first place.
(Probably to check on a patient, but who in the Sound Village means more to Kabuto than Orochimaru, anyway?)
“I’m right here,” he murmurs. “I won’t go anywhere. I promise.”
And then, because he just cannot help himself -
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“You know, Princess, you’re very cute when you’re needy. Maybe I ought to get up early more often ... Just so I can hear you call for me.” 
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Dancing Prompts - Accepting
@vipcridae​ asked: i exited the ballroom to take a breather (or because i was angry) and you noticed and followed me out because it’s dangerous to be alone in the dark. seeing me safe, however, you think it’s a perfect time to confess your love for me in the gardens //kabu for the prompt meme!
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing.
As soon as Orochimaru leaves the ballroom, Kabuto follows - ever the loyal servant in the eyes of many, but he knows very well of the genuine bond between Sannin and medic, as does Orochimaru, and the opinions of others thus cease to matter.
He follows them to the gardens, and though he doesn’t immediately say anything, Kabuto knows they know he’s there - how could they not, with how frequently he chooses to be by their side, ever since that failed invasion of Konoha? 
“I hope you weren’t looking for some alone time,” he says, moving to sit beside them. “It’s ... Well, you never know what stunt someone could pull out here. I just wanted to make sure you were safe.” 
They stay together for a while, then - admiring the flowers, chatting, occasionally looking up at the stars - but Kabuto’s attention keeps returning to them. They’re beautiful, intelligent, cunning, powerful, attentive, curious, insightful, conscientious ...
They’re kind to him, caring, loving, even, and they make him feel real, like he’s more than just the sum of all those fabricated personalities he’s had to patchwork together over the years. 
Hesitantly, Kabuto places a hand over one of theirs, his flushed cheeks perhaps betraying him even as he tries to make it look like his attention is captured by a nearby rosebush. 
Eventually, of course, he speaks. 
“You know, I’ve been thinking. About us. It’s been wonderful lately, hasn’t it? Aside from the, ah, arm thing. Aha. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have brought that up ... ”
When has he last been this nervous? Truthfully, he can’t even begin to recall. 
But, nerves or not, he swiftly recovers, given the importance of what he longs to share.
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“What I’m trying to say is, is that it’s beautiful out here, like you, and just ... Sitting with you, like this, feels so right. Anything could happen - a repeat of our loss, or Sasuke could up and leave while we’re at this party, or the world could just start ending, and I’d be okay - we’d be okay - because we’re together.”
Kabuto reaches up, then, gently cupping their cheek, leaning forward. “May I ... ?”
The slightest nod or word from them would be enough - for as bold as he is, as brave as he’s become over the years, his desire to kiss them would never override their own wants and needs. Such is the nature of his love: hungry, yet nurturing, forever focused on protection and devotion and the happiest of endings for the serpentine object of his desires.
“I love you, Orochimaru - through eternity, and beyond even that.”
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Spooning! - Not Accepting 
@vipcridae​​ asked: "Little spoon" // Kabu
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing. 
Nighttime has fallen over Otogakure, and a certain medic is eager to spend this dark, cool, peaceful night with his eternal beloved. 
Kabuto slips into Orochimaru’s bed, wrapping his arms around them, gently tucking their svelte form into the curve of his body. He knows they won’t strike, in spite of their technically vulnerable position - because there’s no doubt that they have the sound of his footsteps and the feel of his touch memorized after all these years, because their senses are far too attuned to their surroundings to be tricked by anyone simply walking into the sanctity of their bedroom, and because the summoned serpents that permanently reside in Orochimaru’s home would alert them to any potential or actual threats, and a threat to them he would never be.
Still -
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“It’s me, honey.” Kabuto’s tone is warm and reassuring, and certainly loving. “Only me. I hope you don’t mind ... I just want to hold you for a few minutes. Such a long day, we had ... ”
(Minutes would surely turn to hours, of course, and he’d welcome that without a moment’s hesitation.)
He kisses the nape of their neck. “I’m surprised you went to bed before I did - not that I’m complaining, of course. I know you’re awake, and that just means we can cuddle. And what could be nicer than that?” 
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Nightmares & Sleeping Meme - Accepting
@vipcridae​ asked: “I broke the lock. You were screaming.” /kabu
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing.
"How ... H-How did you ... How ... ?”
Stuttered words, incomplete sentences, a body drenched in sweat, a throat raw from screaming, eyes stinging with unshed tears, a heart racing -
Orochimaru’s answer to his unfinished question of how they had gotten into his room is the final piece that causes the nightmare he’d had to come flooding back.
But it’s not just a bad dream, it’s not something he can escape by waking up - it’s a memory.
(His nightmares usually are - and for the ones that are not memories, then he sometimes worries and fears that they might very well be wicked prophecies.)
It’s not Mother’s fate that affects him this time, however, and it’s not the recurring dream of losing the very Sannin that sits beside him now. Though asleep, he’d nevertheless been assaulted by visions of his time with ROOT - Danzo having him perform the same training exercises over and over again, with orders to not let Kabuto heal himself until the practice missions were performed perfectly; his emotions being snuffed out as if they were hideous candle flames, as if happiness and suffering alike were evil; and in Danzo’s absence, being left with another instructor whose brutality and sickening visage and sounds left him so afraid as a young boy -
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He begins shaking. The physical scars that trace his back are a reminder of such horrific times, combining with mental scarring like this -
All of it done to make a loved and loving orphan morph from a child to a weapon on an expedited course. For Konoha had needed its spy immediately, and he had volunteered, with no Shinobi training of his own other than medical ninjutsu, so learned to care and to heal and not to serve as a soldier -
As if that hadn’t been over a decade ago, as if his life in the Sound wasn’t far different -
As if the serpentine Sannin, so hated by the Leaf, hadn’t been the one person he had left who promised to protect him.
Orochimaru’s words, so deceptively simple, echo in his mind - I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you. - and he suddenly collapses against them, clutching their kimono and hiding his face against their chest, as if obscuring his tears from their vision makes it so that he’s not sobbing.
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Nightmares & Sleeping Meme - Not Accepting
@vipcridae​ asked:  “How long have I been out?” /kabu
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing. 
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“ ... About three days.”
Kabuto knows that such an admission might alarm his spouse, but at the same time, he’s relieved, for two reasons: first, Orochimaru needed sleep, for they had always been one to forego rest even before they’d gotten this horrid virus; second, however, was the lingering fear that they might not even wake up.
Though the other doctors avoid their isolation cell, on account of the fits of rage their illness has subjected the Sannin to, Kabuto enters, unafraid. He sits beside Orochimaru, reaching out to hold them close.
"I wish I could cure you. I hate seeing you like this. I’m glad you slept, at least, but I know this virus is affecting you badly. I’d wager it’s worse than the time Hiruzen ... Ah ... ”
He knows he doesn’t need to finish that sentence.
“I love you, Hebi. I never stopped working on your case.” The bags under Kabuto’s eyes are indeed proof that he’s forgone sleep in the name of his wife’s recovery. “My team and I could keep treating you and tending to your needs while you were asleep, especially on the hydration side of things. Now that you’re awake, though, I was wondering if ... if perhaps you’d like to try drinking some water.”
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Sacred Romantic Prompts - Not Accepting
@vipcridae​ asked: “ if you asked me to marry you tomorrow, I’d say yes. “ //kabu
// Thank you! Please ask before continuing.
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For a moment, he doesn’t say a word. He simply stares back at them, his mind racing -
Only for Kabuto to make a run for his private library, where he will then remove a loose floorboard that is used to hide his most precious belongings, including a certain ring that he’s been holding onto for some time, now. 
True, he’s technically been waiting for the most opportune moment, some romantic and soft meeting to make the world’s most important question all the sweeter - but if his partner would marry him in a heartbeat, why wait any longer?
The moment Kabuto is back in Orochimaru’s presence, he kneels and reveals the ring in one swift motion, midnight eyes sparkling with hope and love, adoration and devotion.
“Will you marry me tomorrow?” 
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Shining Armor Prompts - Not Accepting
@vipcridae​ asked: [ THROW ] //kabu // Thank you! Please ask before continuing. 
[ THROW ]:  sender throws themselves between the receiver and an on-coming attack, taking on an injury that might have been fatal to the receiver otherwise.
At first, Kabuto doesn’t even know what happened. One moment, he’s weeding the vegetable garden, chatting with Orochimaru all the while -
The next, something shoots towards him from the nearby bushes, and the Sannin in his care is between them, their blood, and the assailant’s blood, painting their ivory skin in crimson hues he didn’t exactly want to see outside of his home-based hospital.
It’s over as soon as it began, of course. A civilian medic like Kabuto might not be able to withstand a ninja’s blow, but Orochimaru is one of the very best Shinobi in Konoha’s employ, and the enemy is swiftly killed off with ruthless efficiency.
Still, he’s frantically racing to Orochimaru’s side. He doesn’t doubt that the blow would have been fatal if delivered to him - and suppose they lose their life because of it?
He wouldn’t be able to survive that, not the loss of someone who’s become so very dear to him. 
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“I’m here - I’m right here -” Glowing palms are pressed to their wounds. “I won’t let you die, okay? I won’t. Just - keep your eyes on me -”
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Dancing Meme - Not Accepting 
@vipcridae​​ asked:  i was dared to dance the rest of the night with you — my enemy, and I did so reluctantly but now everyone thinks we’re perfect for each other and god there are rumours (and I don’t exactly hate the attention…) // Kabu!
Thank you! Please ask before continuing. 
A dare changed the course of his life, and he doesn’t even mind.
Back then, Kabuto was told to dance with Orochimaru at the gala they were attending, and he was spying on, with no room for refusal, and that’s why he’d stood before them in the first place - in his twenties, silver hair tied back into a ponytail with a deep-purple ribbon, wearing round frames that would forever highlight his midnight-black and doe-like eyes as he’d said:
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“May I have this dance, Orochimaru?” 
And dance they did - all night, in fact.
Back then, he’d acted with hidden reluctance. Today, he can’t say he dislikes what followed.
Other ROOT members gossiping about them, saying that the chemistry between spy and Sannin was palpable; that they can’t help but think what an attractive couple the pair would make under different circumstances; that the way Kabuto got on with Orochimaru that night looked almost like courting. 
“Don’t be silly,” he says, whenever Yoroi or Misumi mentions that fateful evening. “I might have taught myself how to dance for the sake of spying at just those sorts of events, but it’s not as if I ever intended to get a partner out of it.”
It’s not as if he intends to dissuade anyone beyond saying such meaningless words, either.
Not when he’s danced with them at other galas since - sometimes they slither up beside him, taking his arm; sometimes he approaches boldly, hand outstretched to offer a repeat performance. 
(Not when, as Kabuto’s gotten to know them, he can’t help but find Orochimaru to be so intelligent, so cunning, so beautiful - they’re far too enticing for him to resist or ignore, and far too enticing for him to actually be bothered by the stories the others tell.)
Maybe that’s why, when he attends a party on a rare day off, and still locks eyes with a certain viper across the room -
Maybe that’s why he still goes right over to them, aching for their presence. 
“We meet again ... I don’t know if you’ve heard, but people are spreading rumors about us, perhaps because you and I keep meeting precisely like this,” Kabuto murmurs, slipping an arm around their waist. “Maybe you and I should go somewhere more private.” 
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Tag Dump
New Muse(s), Relationship(s), and Verse(s) - To be updated
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