Naruto Oneshots + Imagines

Single (Kiba Inuzuka x Kankuro)

Temari and Shikamaru's wedding isn't exactly Kankuro's scene, if he's being honest. As someone who's been pathetically single for the past- well, forever- seeing so many happy couples on the dancefloor makes him feel insecure and awkward in a way that he's never had to experience before.

Then again, he's happy for his sister, who's finally found love and happiness after wasting her formative years taking care of him and Gaara. She deserves to have this, so he plasters on a smile and hypes her up for the event, only reflecting on his own feelings when he finds himself sitting alone at the reception.

Most of the tables are grouped in sixes with the assigned seats, three couples to each table. Kankuro sees Naruto and Hinata, Ino and Sai, Choji and Karui, Kakashi and Guy, Anko and Ibiki, Baki and Genma, Kotetsu and Izumo, Hanabi and Konohamaru... It seems like the place is flocked with couples, with Shikamaru and Temari at their own head table, starting to slice the cake.

At Kankuro's table is pretty much everyone who came without a plus one; himself, Tenten, Gaara, Rock Lee, Sakura, and Kiba. Though Tenten, Sakura, and Rock Lee get along and chat away easily, Kankuro sits there silently, his dark brown eyes flickering between Kiba (who is distracted by Akamaru) and Gaara (who is staring at Lee).

Kankuro holds his head in his hands. The cake is served, and it tastes of strawberries and vanilla that blends well with the white champagne he has sitting in the flute in front of him. Tenten and Sakura stand up and go to chat with Ino and Sai, which is somewhat of a relief. Kankuro isn't socially awkward by any means, but he prefers his siblings' company more than anyone else's, so being almost-alone with Gaara isn't too bad...

At least until Lee excitedly drags a blushing, stammering Gaara onto the dance floor.

While Akamaru takes a nap on the floor beneath Kiba's chair, Kankuro and Kiba are left alone. The two men glance at each other, and Kankuro's heart skips a beat much faster than it should.

Memories of the war flash through his mind. Memories of staying together in the middle of nowhere, covered in dirt and sharing a tent, curious hands roaming bodies and lips roaming lips because 'why not, we could die soon anyway' . And maybe inexperienced teenagers having sex for the sake of doing it before dying at the hands of the Akatsuki was all they were back then, but Kankuro would be lying if he said his feelings for the Inuzuka hadn't gone a little deeper back then.

Now, those feelings are resurfacing even though it's been literal years and Kiba looks much, much different now. The younger man's brown locks have grown out to just above his shoulders, and he has the beginnings of a sharp beard on his pointed chin. Though the red marking on his face and that familiar look in his narrow obsidian eyes remains the same, he's different; taller and more muscular, too.

"So, looks like we're all alone, huh?" Kiba starts, taking the words right out of Kankuro's mouth. "What a coincidence... Just us two again after all these years."

"Yeah..." Kankuro mutters, because while he would usually be able to hold conversations with people in a social setting like this, Kiba is wonderful at turning Kankuro's brain to mush. "What a coincidence."

Akamaru suddenly stands up and runs off. Kiba is too distracted to command him to stop, so the big white dog rushes through the dancefloor, effectively tripping Gaara, who falls into Lee's chest. Lee catches him right as Akamaru steals Baki's cake and steps on Genma's shoes. The chaos he causes has half the reception room cursing, but when Kankuro looks to see Temari and Shikamaru laughing their asses off and asking the photographer to get pictures of the scene Akamaru is causing, he doesn't bother telling Kiba to wrangle the cute mutt.

"You still single?" Kiba asks as Akamaru runs back to him, brown nose covered in white frosting and strawberry cake crumbs that he probably shouldn't have had.

"Uh, yeah," Kankuro answers with a blush that he hopes is well-hidden by his face paint. Though he's not at all disappointed that Kiba seems to be on the same page as him, he is surprised at the other man's straightforwardness. "I haven't really... Bothered, y'know, since after what we had during the war. How about you?"

Kiba smiles.

"Me, too."

And suddenly, being one of the few single people at this wedding isn't as bad as Kankuro thought it was.

"Hey, everyone, it's time for the bouquet toss!" Temari calls out, much cheerier than usual on her happy day.

Kiba stands up with Akamaru happily trotting up next to him.

"Wanna come with?" Kiba offers and nods his head towards where Temari is standing on a platform with the bouquet of white jasmines in her hands.

"Sure," Kankuro nods and follows Kiba to the crowd that's gathered behind Temari.

Then, the bouquet is tossed. It soars past the front of the crowd and past the middle to the back where Kankuro and Kiba are. Kankuro has never cared much for traditions like this, but he does make an attempt at catching it, only to see that Kiba is also reaching for it when Akamaru suddenly jumps up and puts his paws on the Inuzuka's back. Kiba stumbles and falls forward, still catching the bouquet but about to hit the ground. Kankuro rushes to catch him, only for it to backfire. Kiba falls into his chest and knocks him onto his back. Their faces brush, and their lips are smashed together for the first time in five years.

One of Kankuro's hands wraps around the bouquet to make sure it doesn't fall and get crushed in this clusterfuck of shit, but when he opens his eyes, he sees that one; both he and Kiba have caught the bouquet, and two; there's a circle of all the reception guests made around them, staring, laughing, and talking about what's just happened.

To make the situation even worse, that knucklehead Naruto is behind them taking pictures and laughing his ass off. Temari rushes over to make sure they're both okay while Shikamaru and his best man, Choji, snicker at the display over two glasses of champagne.

Kiba jumps up with the bouquet in hand and grabs Kankuro by the arm to pull him up

"I'm so sorry, man, are you okay!?" Kiba asks, then turns to Akamaru before Kankuro can even answer and scolds him. "Akamaru, why would you do that? I can't believe you!"

Akamaru lets out a noise that sounds like a laugh, or maybe a snort. He lowers his head with a guilty expression.

"I'm fine, but you know, you should really train that dog of yours a little better!" Kankuro chuckles and reaches down to scratch Akamaru's chin.

To his surprise, Akamaru leans into the touch and licks his hand.

The crowd disperses and slowly starts to leave the reception. Kankuro and Kiba linger behind, going back to their lonely little table. Tenten and Sakura are dancing together, and Lee and Gaara have fucked off to God knows where together. The other couples have either left or are sitting at their own tables. Temari and Shikamaru go around to thank the remaining guests for attending, Temari with an arm over Shikamaru's shoulder.

"You haven't danced at all today," Kiba says, but it's not true.

"I did, too! Remember when I danced with Temari and Gaara earlier? It was part of the ceremony," Kankuro explains in reference to the 'father daughter dance', which he and Gaara offered to do with Temari in Rasa's place so she wouldn't have to cut it out of the ceremony entirely.

They walked her down the aisle, too. Kankuro briefly wonders if their parents' absence on a day like this is bothering Temari at all, but then he looks over to her and sees her and Shikamaru still beaming at each other.

"Oh, right, but that's not what I meant," Kiba says with a dismissive wave. "I meant you haven't danced since the reception started."

"Well, no one's asked me to," Kankuro shrugs.

"Then I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and do it myself," Kiba grins, then stands up and offers Kankuro his hand. "Wanna dance, Kankuro?"

"...Sure, Kiba. For old time's sake."