Tobirama

The ocean was but a whisper that night. 

I had taken him a bit away from the practice tent, to a part of the beach where few people would linger. In one hand, I held Izuna's tiny one, and in the other, I held a staff and a bottle of lamp oil. Izuna was still snivelling after his crying fit. I didn't really know why he'd started crying, but I had my suspicions... 

I stopped, put the bottle of lamp oil down in the sand. I released Izuna's hand to light the staff on fire, causing Izuna to back away a little.

"Are you afraid of fire?" I asked mildly, not looking at him.

"I'm afraid of you", he said.

I didn't know whether this saddened or thrilled me, so I just smiled.

I turned so I was facing the ocean, picked up my bottle of lamp oil and opened it with my teeth.

"When you blow fire, you need to blow the lamp oil on it with force. Like blowing a trumpet."

"Brave of you to assume I've ever blown a trumpet", Izuna said. 

I smiled again. I loved that part of him, that sarcastic humour. It seemed to come forth more and more the more relaxed he became in my company.

"Well, have you?"

Izuna was quiet for a while, hesitating.

"Actually, yes." I snorted. "Don't ask."

"Well, good, because it's the same technique. It will be noisy when you spit the oil out, but if you do it correctly, you won't hear it due to the roaring of the fire."

I took the lamp oil in my mouth and blew it out, not on the fire but straight out in the air so the sound of me spitting wouldn't be drowned out by the roaring fire, making it easier to Izuna to consider the technique.

I handed him the bottle.

"Your turn", I said.

He looked at me hesitantly. Then, he took the bottle and poured it into his mouth.

"It's disgusting", he said, voice muffled.

"I know. Now, does he spit or swallow? Wait, don't actually swallow, that would be dangerous and I have no idea how much insulin you will need."

He tried to stifle a laugh at what I had just said. God, I liked this man. I found I had never really had anyone to laugh with before. 

"Don't laugh! I have better things for you to choke on than lamp oil", I chastised. "Blow."

He did, and he was a natural because his technique was perfect.

"Good, very good", I murmured. 

I took the bottle back and did exactly the same thing, but this time, I spit on the fire, causing it to bloom over the setting sun. Izuna backed away, but I turned to him, reached the staff out. Hesitantly, he took it.

"Don't worry", I said, stood behind him with my hands on his shoulders. "I'm right here."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" 

I granted him a kiss on his cheek.

"Yes", I said.

Izuna, seemingly encouraged by my proximity, took some more of the oil into his mouth, and blew on the fire. It bloomed beautifully in front of him, better than I'd ever seen anyone do on their first try.

"Good..." I murmured.

Again and again, he blew. He was enjoying himself immensely, I could tell, and it filled me up with such a giddy excitement I could hardly contain myself.

I couldn't stop looking at him. God, his former ballet company didn't know what they were missing out on, kicking him out. I knew our city's main ballet company was one of the best in the world... And Madara was their best male dancer, by far... And Izuna was better than Madara... Izuna's old company had accidentally dropped a diamond. 

And I wanted to let him know.

At the same time, I respected him too much to try to convince him. To try to convince him that he was better than Madara. I wanted him to realise himself. 

And even if he weren't...

On what planet was who I fell for determined by who was the better dancer? I looked at Izuna as he blew the fire over and over, a natural, oh so talented. Would Izuna ever understand that with him, I felt safe, as if I could talk my heart out, as if I didn't have to be so suspicious towards the world but actually love it? I smiled as he became more and more daring, blowing more and more lamp oil. He had changed me... The man had changed me, without even trying.

And had gifted me the best thing I'd ever had, which was being part of completely non-judgmental entity.

An entity that was him...

And me.

Izuna

"Dance with me, Izuna."

The sunset suited him, I thought. It was as if his albino skin was a canvas, painted by both the fire and the setting sun. Soon, I knew, he would have to go to his club to perform. I didn't want that, I realised. I wanted to be with him. All night.

Tobirama took my hand, brought it to his lips, kissed it. 

"Dance with me", he repeated. 

Still in my pointe shoes, I started dancing in the soft sand with my evening date. I couldn't come up on my toes in the sand, but that didn't matter. I did what I could, and for once, I felt it was enough. It was enough because I didn't strive for perfection; I strived for happiness.

And Tobirama followed me in my dance. He was turned to me at all times, and he blew fireball after fireball high up in the air, providing beautiful spotlights of fire for me to dance under.

And I looked at him, kept my eyes on his as we succumbed to our deadly dance together, a tiny ballerina and a humongous fire artist, two entities of a whole that had never felt so right.

I stepped out in the water, let the salt water splash around my ankles as I danced. With the fire, the effect was beautiful, the fire and water being the only music I needed, and I realised that this, this right here, was the most beautiful work I had ever created, even if it was probably my most flawed one. 

And suddenly, his arm was around my waist, and he extinguished the staff in the ocean and then, his lips were on mine, and we stood locked in a kiss, him and I. 

He released the staff in the ocean to be able to hold me with both arms. He leaned over me, and I put my arms around his neck as he kissed me. He bent down and down until we were on our knees in the water, and then laid me down so he was over me, the ocean pleasant around us, its frothy waves licking our legs but leaving our heads above surface because God, did we need air.

He looked at me for a while. Just looked at me, frowning, as if taking my face in properly for the first time.

"You're beautiful", he murmured. "So, so beautiful."

"Shh", I whispered, looking away, blushing with a smile. Then, I looked back at him. "You're beautiful."

We kissed again.

His hand roamed my thigh, and I leaned my head back and sighed, arched my back to him. He was quiet, but he enticed so many sighs and whispers from me, it was enough to create our song. With the help of the ocean, he peeled my clothes off until I lay naked beneath him. 

"I want you", I whispered. "I want you."

His colourless stare was intense, like an X-ray, making me want to give myself over to him entirely. 

Slowly, lovingly, he brought his hand down to me, circled me. I stood on my hands and knees and pushed myself back to his fingers, leaving no doubt what I wanted. That seemed to be the way between us; him asking with his body language, me answering with mine, no words needed. Oh, but even if there were no words, there were moans and sighs from me as he put his finger inside of me. I could hear his breathing pace increase, and as I turned to look at him, I could see that the front of his trousers, so far dry from the waves, was not dry anymore but wetted by salt water that was not the ocean. 

"I want you, too", he said darkly, and I laid down on my side and he put himself close to me on his knees, pulled his trousers down...

I moaned as soon as I felt his cold tip against me. He asked for consent which I gladly granted, and he pushed himself in as if I were made of butter, he was leaking so much.

And he started riding me. Me on my side, him on his knees, the ocean around us, he started riding me, and he wasn't completely silent anymore but grunted, discretely, as if he was deeply concentrated on making me enjoy myself.

And oh, I did. I moaned and mewled, arched my back, clawed the wet sand beneath my fingers. I looked back on him and blushed as I saw the desire in his eyes as he took me from the side, how much he wanted me. It was unbelievable to me, that a man like him would want someone as insignificant and pathetic and un-talented as me, but for now, just for now, I allowed myself to enjoy it.

He increased his pace, causing me to scream to the rising moon, but then slowed down, and I couldn't help but feel pride that I could make him come so close. 

"More... Tobirama, more!!"

"But I'm going to come", he murmured.

"I don't care!!" I said, desperate.

And he turned me over on my back and put my legs on his shoulder, and without breaking eye contact once, he rode me to the edge of time, and as he came he shouted out, and I shouted out, his salt and mine mixing up with the one from the ocean, flavouring it with the taste of us, flavouring it with the taste of us forever.

He slumped over me, panting, the heat from him climbing onto me. I put my hand on his face, and he turned his head to kiss it, then turned back to look at me.

Then, he hugged me.

He hugged me close to him, close to his heart.

And I allowed myself to believe that somewhere deep down, this man really liked me.

Liked me a lot.