Work Text:
Title: Just my Soul Responding
Summary: Kiba enjoyed stealing Tobirama's food. Tobirama allowed it, most of the time. It just became a normal part of having Kiba as a soulmate, really, no matter how annoying it was... OR fives moments in which Kiba stole (or tried to steal and failed) Tobirama's food, and the one time Tobirama turned the tables and stole Kiba's food.
Stand-Alone/Kind of sequel but not really/One-shot taking place in the same universe as: Reluctant Soulmate, Meet Adorable Soulmate
A/N: I now truly love the Tobirama/Kiba pairing. Including this story, I've got three published stories that deal with them. Two of them finished, one not yet... For those that want Burning Ground to be updated, I want to update it too! It's a slowgoing process, though. And I'm not sure I quite like the new chapter...
Anyway, onto more pressing matters! To read this one-shot, I would advise to read Reluctant Soulmate, Meet Adorable Soulmate first. Most of the scenes come directly after a specific chapter because I'm weird like that. A few don't, though. But there's a whole lot of mentioned information that is not explained because I make it a given that the first story has already been read.
And a sequel is definitely in the works! So don't fret about that, ducklings.
Oh, and this was inspired by Amber Run's Just My Soul Responding. Check it out. It's a beautiful song.
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1
(After Chapter Five: Failed Wars)
Kiba was a twelve year old runt the first time he ever stole food from Tobirama's plate.
It had been when Tobirama had found him in the library with Sasuke pestering him about wanting to find out who Kiba's soulmate actually was. For some reason beyond Kiba, the man had appeared and just about demanded him to go and get food with him. So they wound up getting steak, which happened to be extremely delicious.
Kiba had found it awesomely delicious. Tobirama had kept his opinion to himself, but the boy had thought that he had also liked it.
At one point, Kiba had scarfed down all of his food and had been left with nothing. The steak from his favorite steakhouse was just too damn good to try and be proper about eating. So he had not given it a single second to rest on his plate before he had pounced on it like a starving man.
Tobirama had, on the other hand, taken his time to eat. Time that Kiba could not completely understand, for food was meant to inhaled as quickly as possible before one of the dogs appeared to steal.
"Uh... You gonna eat that?"
Tobirama's left eyebrow quirked up in a mixture of questioning and annoyance upon hearing Kiba's question. And then his red eyes focused on the boy, down at his pointed finger, then followed it until he found that the boy was referring towards his food.
"Of course." Tobirama answered stiffly, "I am hungry as well."
"But you're taking so long to eat!"
For a second, Tobirama focused on only Kiba. "That is because-Hey!"
He moved to stop Kiba. He truly did. But for the first time in his life, Tobirama found that someone actually moved faster than him.
Kiba's right hand shot forward to stab his fingernails into the juiciest steak on Tobirama's plate, then quickly retracted before the man was able to stab it with his chopsticks. And before the man could lunge forward to regain his stolen food, Kiba had bitten into it with a crazed glint shining in his eyes.
"That was not funny, Inuzuka!"
"You're too slow, old man!" Kiba cackled through his full mouth, which made the Second Hokage huff, shake his head, and return to his food.
~/~
Internally, he wondered just how it was that Kiba had been able to catch him off guard. Further more, just how it was that the kid was able to move so quickly when food was in jeopardy, even though he never seemed so fast in training.
The thought that maybe, just maybe, he had purposefully reacted slower than he would have in the battlefield never crossed Tobirama's mind. Because it was a preposterous idea. He had never been the kind to relax and take things easily, nor did he make things easy for others.
(Later on, Tobirama would admit to himself that he had moved slower just to see Kiba's smile. But it was a subconscious decision that remained hidden from his consciousness for quite a few years.)
2
(After Chapter Eight: Soulmates)
Kiba felt extremely light as he bounded beside Tobirama to go and get some food.
He was still kind of annoyed about the fact that he was immortalized on Tobirama's body as a puppy. Because, seriously, why did Tobirama get an awesome snow leopard, an animal that was clearly dangerous and threatening, while all Kiba got was a cute little puppy being adorable!?
"I'm not cute... I'm terrifying..."
"If you wish to believe that."
Tobirama walked up to him with twin plates of food, a somewhat distant sound accompanying his voice.
They were seated on a bench because Kiba's favorite steak house was currently much too occupied to visit. So they had decided to visit one of the little kiosks on the sides of the market and Kiba had sat down on a bench as he waited for Tobirama to bring food.
This worried Kiba. Because he knew that Tobirama had kind of hoped with all of his heart for Kiba to not be his soulmate. And maybe finding out that his soulmate was the same kid he'd denied and (kind of) abused for a while wasn't the best thing in the world for the man.
Kiba, for the first time in a long time, ate his steak at a very slow pace. He didn't try and scarf it down like a mad man. Instead he took slow and small bites, trying to analyze the situation and figure out a way to get a small smile back on Tobirama's much too emotionless face.
For the man to show no emotions was normal at this point. Kiba was used to stony faces and harsh glares. But, right now, there was none of the usual intensity on his soulmate's face. Instead, he just looked lost.
Even though he ate rather slowly, Tobirama ate even slower. So, by the time Kiba had finished up with his steak, the man still had a good half left on his plate.
They were seated on a bench because Kiba's favorite steak house was currently much too occupied to visit. So they had decided to visit one of the little kiosks on the sides of the market and Kiba had sat down on a bench as he waited for Tobirama to bring food. Now they sat down side by side and Kiba had a perfect vantage point to steal the man's steak.
He wasn't going to do it out of hunger or greed. Instead, he was doing it for their relationship.
Slowly, Kiba inched towards the Second Hokage. He made his motives as obvious as possible as he stared intently at the piece of steak. And he stalled his hand at the edge of the man's plate for a few seconds to see if he would receive a reaction.
He did.
"Hey! If you already finished your food, go and buy something else." Tobirama glared down at his newly found soulmate as he snatched his food away from the Inuzuka's grabbing hand. "Besides, your form is horrendous. You cannot expect to steal anything by being so slow."
Kiba couldn't help the stupid smile that came onto his lips as Tobirama proceeded to explain everything he had done wrong as he'd tried to steal his food, then gave him a couple of pointers to be a better thief.
~/~
Tobirama, after having told Kiba how to steal in a more successful manner, noticed how unbelievably warm his side became. And when he noticed this, he took note of how large the grin on the Inuzuka's face truly was.
He was so struck by the genuine nature of the boy's smile that he couldn't even try to stifle the warmth that began to fill him up and redden his cheeks.
Unfortunately, he knew that now Kiba's own side was abuzz as well.
So, to avoid having to see the other come to realize Tobirama's own feelings, the man turned away and thrust his half of steak at him.
"Just take it. I can't be bothered with teaching you this now if you're not paying attention."
3
(Not really after any chapters, but definitely after Chapter Eleven: Finally They Talk for continuity purposes)
At thirteen years old, with a seemingly newfound passion for annoying his soulmate, Kiba enjoyed doing quite a few things that were meant to get a reaction out of his soulmate.
Stealing food off of the man's plate was one of his favorite activities.
Tobirama regretted ever having allowed the Inuzuka into his heart. Especially because it was now causing a dent into his usually very stable and strictly regulated eating habits.
"No, get off of me, boy!"
"But I'm hungry!"
"Kiba!"
"Tobirama!"
"I am not a perch!"
"But you're very comfortable!"
Tobirama could feel his eyebrow beginning to twitch in annoyance as the Inuzuka tightened his grip around the man's neck. But, with a heavy inhale that was supposed to have helped the man clear his mind, Tobirama decided that fighting off a hungry Inuzuka was not worth the needed energy.
With a growl of pure annoyance, Tobirama skewered his fish with his chopstick and raised it up to the boy's lips, only to have Kiba gasp in pure happiness and begin to munch animatedly on it.
... This kid would be the death of him.
~/~
Kiba wasn't completely sure if Tobirama understood how truly comfortable he was. Or how delicious his cooking was. But his food was so good that the Inuzuka never wanted to eat anything but it. And seeing how Tobirama usually always refused to cook for him, he had found creative ways to get his way.
"Delicious as always, Tobirama!"
The man grumbled in a purely unintelligible manner that had Kiba giggling.
4
(After Chapter Seventeen: The Way in Which the Truth Came Out)
There was a lightness in Kiba's heart. He couldn't explain it all that well. But it was there and he couldn't deny it.
It felt good to know that Tobirama actually loved him enough to allow his friends to know about who his true soulmate was. Especially considering how secretive Tobirama liked to be with personal matters he deemed weren't necessary for others to know about.
"Orochimaru is progressing wonderfully. We were able to have a full conversation without having him recede into his shell or begin to yell."
After the Rookie's party, some of them had decided to go ahead and buy some ice cream before they went home. Most of them had left and gone to their homes after they'd inhaled their sugary treats, but Tobirama and Kiba had decided to walk a bit and catch up on the day.
Kiba had really wanted his soulmate to be a part of the Inuzuka celebration. But he didn't mind going out and getting ice cream with him now as a replacement.
The ice cream was delicious, the night was beautiful, and the streets of Konoha were abuzz with happiness and joy. The only thing that would have made the night even better would have been if Kiba had been able to walk with his hand inside of Tobirama's. But he settled to walk beside the man, more than aware that, even though Tobirama had taken a huge step all by himself, he should not be pushed too far.
"That's great to hear." Kiba smiled as he finished biting into the remains of his ice cream cone, then licked at his stained fingers. "Kankuro deserves a sane soulmate. And Orochimaru deserves some happiness in his life."
Yeah, the guy had tried to destroy the village. But he had not been in his right mind. Now he was. And now all he wanted to do was make up for his past crimes so he could make his soulmate proud.
What more could they ask of a man that had already given his all to the village?
Tobirama grunted softly in agreement. And when Kiba turned to look at him, it was to find that his ice cream cone had barely been touched.
It was chocolate. Not one of Kiba's favorites... But... Ice cream was ice cream... And his tongue felt kind of lonely now that he had finished eating his own.
"Hey, Tobirama, look over there!"
The man turned his head as fast as lightning to the spot where Kiba had pointed towards and the teen had taken his chance.
His tongue lapped at the untouched side of the man's ice cream in a purely greedy manner.
~/~
When Tobirama turned back to Kiba to ask him just what he had wanted him to see, it was to find the teenager making a fool of himself as he tried to lick at his ice cream.
For a moment, the man was too stunned by this to properly move.
But he soon sighed, shook his head, and offered the teen his cone.
Kiba took it with a broad smile and an animated, "You're the best!"
5
(After they're a fully fledged couple)
"Tobirama!"
"Hmm?"
"When are we going to eat?"
Tobirama glanced down at the teenager that rested on top of him, then over to the plate of snacks he'd brought into the living room. It was completely empty at this point, seeing how all of the food he had prepared for himself had disappeared down his boyfriend's mouth.
(Boyfriend... He'd never thought that he would call Kiba that... Wasn't life a funny thing?)
"You already did." Tobirama answered softly, then looked back at the book they had been reading from.
A large book that used fantasy and larger than life imagery to try and give lessons on proper warfare and strategy in the battlefield. This wasn't one of Kiba's favorites to read, but he put up with it because it was one of Tobirama's.
"Can't you make some more?"
Tobirama breathed in, then smiled down at the younger male, "If I made more, it would be for myself."
Kiba blinked at him once. Twice. Three times. Then he twisted around so their chests were touching and placed his hands on Tobirama's cheeks to look him intently in the eyes. "It's funny you still think that your food is only yours."
~/~
Tobirama frowned softly at Kiba's answer, but the teenager knew that the man knew he was right. So he simply smiled, kissed the man quickly on the lips, and pushed himself upwards so he was seated on his legs.
"Now let's go and make some food, I'm starving."
1
Kiba was tired after a long mission to keep Tsunade and Rasa happy. Both Kage wanted to be in as close contact as possible, even though they ruled two very different Hidden Villages, and so they had taken to commanding those shinobi they deemed least likely to revolt against them to be their messengers.
Kiba learned a lot about Kankuro and his family because of being the one to meet with them at the Village Gates to ensure the safety and sanctity of the Kazekage's messages to the Hokage. Kankuro's dilemmas and problems were nothing new, they'd been friends for years now. But Gaara's own woes in love were some he was sure he never would have heard of if not for the fact that he now spent so much time with all of the siblings.
Who would have thought his soulmate situation was even more messed up than Kankuro's own?
"Get some rest, kid. You look dead on your feet."
Kiba waved off Baki's words with a soft hum, then smirked back at the older man as he crossed the Village Gates. "Should I tell Ibiki you say hi?"
"You little brat." The man chuckled with a shake of his head, then turned around to return to his own village.
Izumo had given him a scroll from the Hokage that needed to be read by the Kazekage immediately and returned as soon as possible. So, even though the man deserved a break, Baki found himself having to return to his home after escorting a tired Kiba and Akamaru back to Konoha without any rest.
As they trudged through their home's streets, all Kiba could think about was getting to Tobirama's apartment, having a warm meal, and going to bed with his boyfriend. And when he got to the man's apartment, he swore his dreams had come true.
Tobirama swept him into his arms as soon as he entered through the doorway, then helped undress him to plop him into a wonderful smelling bath as the food was cooked.
After Kiba had washed up and changed clothes, Tobirama had pulled him into the dining room where there were plates of food already set up, an already eating Akamaru enjoying the food that had been made.
"It's been boring here without you." Tobirama admitted as they ate, which made Kiba's heart soar in the best way possible.
They'd eaten in relative silence, simply because Kiba had been so easy scarfing down his meal he had not been able to stop and talk. But once they had finished up, they'd moved towards the living room's couch, sat down with Kiba just about laying on Tobirama, and then the teen had began to tell his soulmate about everything that had happened in Suna.
"I tell you, Orochimaru is thriving over there. Sure, nobody knows who he really is and it's dangerous if anybody finds out... But having let him go live with Kankuro as under house arrest was genius." Kiba finished with his eyes closed, all the while Tobirama's hands carded through his somewhat long hair.
His mother wanted him to get a hair cut. Tobirama wanted him to take more care of it. Kiba just wanted to let it grow out a little bit more.
"It's a good thing Orochimaru is a master of disguise, then. Unless he wishes for someone to know, his true identity will never be revealed." Tobirama hummed softly.
Kiba agreed. It had been nice to see his mother's old teacher again. Especially with how happy the man had seen.
"Oh!"
Suddenly, thinking about Orochimaru, he remembered the little gift he had been given before he had left Suna. Quickly, the teen scrambled up and made his way towards the backpack that had been dumped by the doorway. He rummaged through it for a few seconds, then pulled out the sugar cookies that the snake nin had sent for them both to enjoy.
"He says it's an early anniversary gift for us." Kiba explained as he made his way back to Tobirama with the wrapped treats in his hand. "And he wanted me to tell you, once again, how thankful he is for you having believed in him when even he didn't."
Tobirama's red eyes lit up when he figured out that the cookies had been made by Orochimaru himself, and he smiled as Kiba settled into his lap once more.
"He does not need to say that every time he sees you." The man murmured as he grabbed one of the cookies, then bit into it and tightened his grip on Kiba's waist, "You really should learn his recipe."
Kiba rolled his eyes at this, but allowed Tobirama to hug him as tightly as he wanted. Because, really, who didn't want to be hugged by such a handsome man?
They continued to catch up on what had happened during Kiba's absence in Konoha- apparently, Hana and Itachi were finally going to get engaged- and Kiba was lulled into a completely peaceful and trustful state.
What happened when there was only one cookie left in the bag left him completely shocked.
But it was pretty funny.
Kiba's hand was halfway to the bag when he suddenly felt Tobirama's arm tighten around him once more. But this time, there was a kind of urgency in the grip that shocked the teen.
Before he could truly analyze what was happening, Kiba found himself a good ten feet in the air, all the while Tobirama grabbed the cookie bag from thin air and shoved the last cookie into his mouth.
When he landed, it was on Tobirama's lap. For a few seconds, Kiba could not help but wonder if he had suddenly lost consciousness or something, because he highly doubted Tobirama would have ever stolen from him.
The crunching coming from behind him as Tobirama chewed the last cookie, though, was a pretty clear sign as to what had happened.
"Did you... Did you just steal my cookie?"
~/~
Tobirama swallowed the last cookie with complete enjoyment. And when he looked down at Kiba, it was with a completely unapologetic attitude.
"You have no proof."
(What could he say? It seemed that Kiba had rubbed off on him.)
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I hope you all enjoyed this one-shot! Please remember to review and tell me what you think!