This is why we have rules against fraternization with the enemy...

[tobirama]

Characters: Izuna curseofhatred & Tobirama tobirama
Verse: TBC
Status: Closed Log
Warnings: Sexual content, mindfuckery, potential triggery usage of genjutsu, all around bad things.


Continued on from Here

“No you can’t,” Tobirama’s tone suggested he didn’t understand how they’d somehow come to discuss this rather inane and trivial topic of conversation when there were far better things they could be doing at the moment. Who knew what his reaction might have been if he’d known the borderline psychopathic thoughts circling around in Izuna’s head?

He’d probably just use it to further prove his belief that the Uchiha as a whole were a clan full of lunatics and madmen no doubt.

Tobirama could not help the deficiencies of his own body and how the lack of skin pigmentation meant every little inch of flushed skin burned bright and hot. It would probably have mortified him if he’d been capable of seeing himself at that moment. He hardly resembled the normally collected, cool-headed individual he normally was. Not right now with Izuna’s mouth leaving damp little teasing nibbles along his skin which left it feeling electrified in its wake.

The fact he trusted an Uchiha so close to his throat had not escaped him and a part of the albino was screaming at him to be on his guard but it was hard when Izuna’s fingers were inside his shirt and nudging it back. Unsurprisingly, he wore ninja mesh beneath with the inborn paranoia of a shinobi. He might have abandoned his armor for this little rendezvous but just as he still carried his sword with him, so too could he not quite manage to abandon all of his training even if the light weight body armor wouldn’t do a whole lot to protect him if Izuna got it in his head to go crazy.

He had to trust the Uchiha and his tainted blood which was a prospect which should have been laughable in any other circumstances.

“I’m not dyeing my hair.” Thoroughly exasperated now, he pinned the shorter man with an aggravated look. Because of course he immediately went to the horrifying mental image of him with dark hair. Combined with his complexion and those damned eyes of his he really would look like one of those damned Uchiha and that was the very last thing Tobirama would ever want. He stood out like a sore thumb among his nearly universally brown and tanned clan but he refused to look any more like the enemy. “What is your sudden obsession with my looks, Uchiha?”

He used that clan name rather than Izuna’s given name as a means of conveying his annoyance with his entire conversation. Tobirama hadn’t been planning on accidentally trapping the other in the sleeves of his clothes as he pushed that yukata down off his shoulders but he was momentarily pleased with the outcome if only because it distracted Izuna.

The smile he offered was sharp and decidedly lupine in nature as Izuna struggled out of his yukata. It was tempting to reach out and grasp his arms and effectively trap him in his own clothing but that would probably escalate things into a fight rather than anything else. Neither of them trusted one another that far and even at their most vulnerable, Tobirama knew neither forgot just who the other was and the fact they were effectively sleeping with their mortal enemy.

“Not on purpose,” he admitted blandly and while the dark-haired man busied himself with untangling his arms from his sleeves, he shrugged off his own short-sleeved top and let it fall unhindered to the ground along with the pale yellow sash Izuna had already discarded. To his credit, Tobirama didn’t even hesitate as he snagged the bottom hem of his mesh armored top and started to tug it up over his head as well so that he and the Uchiha were at least on relatively even ground in their respective states of undress.

Comments

[tobirama]

No, there was no chance for love between them because they had the weight of their entire clans and their hungry blood feud resting on their shoulders. Even in this, Izuna could not convince Tobirama there was anything resembling a happy ending for them to look forward to. All they would be allowed were these few and fleeting moments stolen from their clans and responsibilities.

Eventually, he knew even this would have to come to an end. How many more times could they slink off undetected before someone got suspicious? Already, he suspected Touka knew something was amiss with him because he’d felt her dark eyes watching him silently all too often these days. He simply hoped she trusted him enough not to investigate any further but what happened if someone else decided to follow him and found him fraternizing with the enemy? Not just the enemy but Uchiha Izuna of all people; a man second only to Madara for the amount of Senju blood on his hands. It was tantamount to treason and he was aware of it yet still selfishly he continued to seek the other man out. Would Hashirama understand or would he have to look at his beloved big brother and see the same horrible judgement he fully expected to see reflected in the rest of his clan’s eyes if this came out? After all…Hashirama had garnered a friendship with Madara when they’d been younger but Tobirama knew there was no comparison between the two. An innocent friendship with an unknown shinobi child and sleeping with the enemy were two vastly different things.

And every time he said Izuna’s clan name or he heard that hissed ‘Senju’ on the other man’s tongue, he was reminded of that fact. Tobirama just growled and kissed the other man back all the more harder and aggressively with more teeth and tongue as though he could turn even that kiss into some kind of battle for dominance.

He groaned quietly at the slick sensation of his thumb sliding across the tips of their cocks. Logically, he’d known they were both leaking copious amounts of pre-cum by now but it was still surprisingly erotic to the touch all the same. And judging by Izuna’s reaction, he also enjoyed it so he made sure to repeat the gesture on the next upstroke. The albino ninja knew he was getting close because already his balls felt tight and aching but it was just sheer determination on his part not to allow the Uchiha the satisfaction of watching him come first that kept him from going off like the randy, over-wrought teenager he truly was.

That hissed command cut through the pleasure and had those red eyes slitting open ever so slightly. The pain of that bite when coupled with the soft flick of the man’s damp tongue very nearly undid him and Tobirama couldn’t quite stifle the open moan that escaped him.

“Bossy,” was all he could manage but the word was laced with a wealth of affection instead of accusation. He opened his eyes further and met the glimmer of those still active Sharingan eyes in the shadows. The hand that had been holding so tight onto the Uchiha’s hip moved upwards to bury itself once more in that dark curtain of loose black hair until he’d finally gotten a handful of it near close to the nape. He could have used it to yank the other man’s head back or a dozen different other martial applications but Tobirama didn’t seem inclined to attack or yank on those silky strands. “I’m right...here. Gods.”

[curseofhatred]

Oh, such beautiful little woven spiderwebs the other had told itself. If Izuna had known that he was so deep, that deep that he was thinking of being caught, of the eyes of his clan on him, of ending it in the eventuality, he would have felt a sense of pride and victory. Wasn't that the entire point? To lay the foundation and let the other spin themselves into the trap?

Of course it was. And yet, he wondered if this trick would work again, if on their next meeting, Tobirama would let him do this once more when the rage and betrayal and disgust should force his kunai on that alone. But what was wrong with this if nothing came of it? If it was just this, this little dream, this little moment when they didn't need to kill one another.

Happiness wasn't a word for this, but it was something akin to it.

But then again, Tobirama wasn't going to live through this, was he? After that information was his, it would be Izuna's duty, his right to kill him. He could live in this dream forever, just let this be the last thing he could give him, and end him while he was still embracing the Izuna inside, spent and smiling. What a merciful death, more than any that his brothers received, more than any Senju deserved. There would be no need for a next time.

Satisfaction was a temperamental thing, not always coming from the avenue logic deemed proper.

Tobirama wasn't the only one close; with the teasing and the newness of it all, with the touch and that damn feeling of that thumb against his cock, he wasn't sure how long he could hold on. Control was something he prided himself on, but he knew the albino had maybe even more than he did. Would this come down to a battle of pride? Of wills? Stamina?

Red eyes matched red, a sea of crimson, and he felt those fingers in his hair. His breath caught, waiting for a pull, but there was nothing, just the tangle there, and he trembled as he tightened his hand around their mutual cocks. Bossy? He would be bossy, he was in charge of everything, after all. But the confirmation that he was there, that validation, it made him--

"T-Tobi...rama," he hissed out, his eyes closing for a second, a heartbeat, before he forced them open again. "I...C-close..."

[tobirama]

The poor Senju had no idea just what sort of treachery Izuna was plotting or how the other man could ‘make love’ to him while silently planning on slitting his throat. If he’d known, it would have no doubt just further poisoned him against the Uchiha clan as a whole.

Despite the relatively cool night air, sweat had broken out across the taller ninja’s forehead and made those spiky strands of pure white cling in damp clumps against his skin. His breath came more rapidly and raggedly now as though he’d been exerting himself by running ten miles in full battle armor instead of sitting there in the relative comfort of that blanket mutually jerking off his off and on Uchiha lover. Of course, Tobirama didn’t know that all those fabricated memories he had of their previous times together were just that…fabrications created by his own mind and fed into the genjutsu Izuna had crafted.

So though he thought they had this long history in fact this was very much still his first time…and even that was debatable considering this was all just an illusion. Still, the fact they’d both managed to last as long as they had considering their relative inexperience was a testament to their will and stamina as shinobi no doubt. But Tobirama knew he wasn’t going to last much longer, not with the sensation of Izuna’s strong fingers stroking around them and the slide of the other man’s cock against his own with each slick press of flesh.

Hearing his name sounding so broken and ragged on the other man’s tongue was one of the most erotic things he’d ever heard before. He’d never thought the sound of his own name coming from Izuna could sound so beautiful but it seemed to go straight to his cock. “Me too,” he admitted hoarsely. Tobirama moved the hand still tangled in Izuna’s hair up just a fraction so he could cup the back of the man’s neck and skull and used it as leverage as he leaned in to kiss the other man once more. There was little finesse to the kiss now and was more a frenetic mashing of lips and teeth.

[curseofhatred]

It wasn't just him. It wasn't just him that was close, wasn't just him that could feel the tightening, tensing in his body, wasn't just him that was panting softly. It wasn't just him that was going to finish. Was this too soon? He wasn't sure. How did people go for hours, like the rumors swirling through the camps, men laughing and clapping each other on the back as he talked up their previous night's exploits? This alone almost seemed too touch, and all they had done was touch one another.

The hand at his head slid up, and he knew what was going to happen before the other leaned in. He had enough time to hiss out a "Sssenju, n-no--" but then mouth was at his, kissing, biting, and he was giving it back just as much. Coherent thought was gone, replaced with animalist lust and tendencies, with the motivation of wanton desires born of places he didn't even know he had.

Nails, blunt and short, dug into the other man's shoulder, gripping as he kissed him. His other hand was quick, tight, and he could feel the precum slipping between their cocks as he deeply moaned into the other's mouth. He couldn't-- he couldn't finish yet. Tobirama hadn't. He couldn't. He couldn't let him win, not in his own fucking genjutsu, not here, not like thi--

And it struck, beyond his control, his body tensing against him as the climax slammed into him. The sound in his throat was almost guttural as he moaned, pressing into him, stock still as he came all over their mutual hands, with eyes screwed shut. He could feel the warmth over his fingers, but in that moment, he didn't care; all he could hear was his heartbeat slamming in his ears, his mind not even concentrating on what was happening (which explained a few flickers in the genjutsu itself, nothing more than blinks where things seemed almost disconnected). Everything in his mind was white in that moment.

He pulled his lips away, leaning back against the hand at his head, and sat there panting, little tremors in the aftermath slipping through him. That was...

"B-Bastard." Because he shouldn't have come first, dammit, and it was clearly Tobirama's fault.

[tobirama]

It was perhaps their own inexperience working against them. For two virgins who’d never truly known the touch of a lover their performance was adequate enough. True stamina and staying power only came with experience and knowledge after all. And it wasn’t as though either of them could go boasting about in the barracks about their particular escapades anyway.

All thoughts of not leaving any visible marks on his lover had fled Tobirama’s mind as the more primal side he often kept suppressed deep down under a heavy layer of ice cold logic awoke with a vengeance. He wanted to taste and experience every last piece of Izuna the closer he came to his own orgasm. The fact that the Uchiha matched him every borderline feral step for step only turned him on more. Because in this dreamworld at least, Tobirama could admit openly that he viewed the other man was an equal, a man who could match him in every way and that delighted him.

There was no way he could admit such a thing even in his most private most thoughts outside in the real world. To admit his enemy for his resilience and cleverness would be borderline treasonous but here it was…safe in a way.

The shudder that ran through the shorter man as he came was electrifying or perhaps it was simply the knowledge he’d been able to bring his lifelong rival to his proverbial knees in such a visceral way. Tobirama swallowed that guttural sounding moan but was thankfully too wrapped up in working the other through his orgasm to notice the flickers in the genjutsu. He could feel the other man’s seed trickling over their joined hands and was surprised to find he wasn’t overly disgusted by that realization. Or perhaps it was simply that Tobirama was so close to the precipice himself that he just couldn’t be bothered to focus on anything but his own pleasure now that he’d outlasted the Uchiha. He was polite enough to give the dark-haired man a moment to relish his own orgasm before squeezing Izuna’s fingers in a silent reminder he was still hard and aching to come himself.

He allowed himself the indulgence of a vaguely self-satisfied little smirk. “It’s hardly my fault. Though if you stop now, I might have to kill you on principle alone, Uchiha,” Tobirama said only halfway serious.

[curseofhatred]

That was—That had been—

It wasn’t real. None of this--

But that had been. That orgasm, that pleasure, that feeling of utter completion, of ecstasy a fashion he hadn’t known before, that had been real, utterly real. The pure, white-hot lust and the way it had nearly broken him down, shattered all of this around them, that had been real. Which left him wondering where the line blurred, how close the two worlds merged.

Enemy. He’s my damn enemy and I’m going to kill him when this is finished, when I have my information.

“It’s a tempting offer,” he murmured, lifting is head a little to look at him, his fingers tightening for a moment before he realized how sensitive how own cock was at this point; he practically saw stars and the whimper that slipped free was humiliating. N-No. That wasn’t an option.

“Le-Let go.” Not that he waited, instead shaking off the other’s hand for a second so he could move his spent length away and focus on the remaining one. His hand wrapped around it, alone this time, working it quick, fast, sure, from base to tip. His own come made the motions slick, smooth, wet. In that moment, he felt in control.

Flushed, drunk on satisfaction, he smirked a little at the other man, the tip of his tongue sweeping his own lips. “I want to watch you finish,” he whispered. I want to own you in the moment. I want to remember it always. I want-- “Don’t close your eyes. Don’t look away, or I’ll stop. Understand?”

[tobirama]

The albino ninja radiated a sense of satisfaction because it was empowering to know you could help bring that much pleasure to your lover. Because as far as he was aware, that was exactly what they were and that all of this was nothing but a cooked up lie created in the mind of the devious Uchiha warrior.

Izuna had been—beautiful.

There was no other word for it, he’d been beautiful as he lost himself in the pleasure of his orgasm and the sight had been so enrapturing even a man as normally observant as Senju Tobirama was captured by it to the point where he hadn’t noticed just how thin and fragile the boundary of the genjutsu had gotten between illusion and reality.

To his credit, he immediately let go when he heard that distressed little whimper from Izuna but he was ill prepared for the direct and firm way Izuna took him in hand. Tobirama was silently grateful for the additional lubrication of the other man’s come because otherwise he might have chaffed him raw with the intensity of his grip. As it stood, it was borderline painful but it just served to add a little extra spice to the volatile mix.

Still, he wasn’t the type to blindly accept orders from an Uchiha and the arrogant statement had the Senju’s eyes narrowing in irritation and the hand still buried in the other man’s hair tightening ever so slightly. Only the threat of Izuna stopping kept him from biting the man’s head off because as much as his attitude chaffed him, Tobirama wanted his own orgasm more.

“I don’t take orders from you, Uchiha.” He growled all the same, but it did achieve Izuna’s goal of thoroughly centering in those red eyes on him with all the intensity of a hawk. Tobirama wasn’t looking away anytime soon mainly because he seemed as though he were torn between glaring or finally losing himself to the pleasure. Tendons stood out in sharp relief against his neck and that still come smeared hand rose and drawn by the darting motion of the other man’s tongue he painted Izuna’s damp lower lip with the remnants of his own essence.

It was a subtle reminder on his part that Izuna had been the one who came first and Tobirama had been the instrument that played a part in his undoing. The Uchiha might think he had control of the situation just because he was swiftly bringing the other man off but the Senju wasn’t going to surrender control just yet. Even in this, it still remained a battle and a test of wills just on a different playing field.

[curseofhatred]

Izuna blinked.

Had that hand-- had Tobirama had the nerve to--Was that his own seed on his lips? Had that man--Had that Senju--

His hand slowed, stopped for a second as he let it resonate through him what he had just done, what he had said by doing it. Izuna could read between the lines, knew what he was speaking with gestures, with motions, with that brazen little trick, and he found himself both stunned and strangely aroused by it.

Izuna's cheeks were as red as his eyes.

"I hate you," he hissed, but he didn't mean it, didn't even sound close to meaning it. How could he when the next thing he was doing was leaning forward, pressing his lips to the other man's, giving him back the gift he gave him and reminding him that he was just as guilty over this as Izuna was? Share the wealth. He wanted him to taste it, wanted him to feel it, wanted him to know as he kissed him. This wasn't just his own anymore. Their mutual precome was probably mixed into it, too. This was theirs, together.

He pulled back as his stroking started up again, quick, his other hand slipping between them to cradle Tobirama's testicles and rolling them gently in his palm. Izuna wasn't going to miss the sight and kept his eyes trained on the other's face. He refused to waver, even if he did want to kiss him, mark him, bite him, remind him when this was over. The urges were numerous, threatening to tear him apart, and the greed whispered at him, demanding he took.

"Next time," he hissed, low, under his breath, eyes glittering, "I am going to fuck you into the earth."

There couldn't be a next time, though, not after this. But what a sweet lie to tell.

[tobirama]

If asked up until that very moment if he’d ever thought he’d get off on doing something so primal and uncivilized as marking his own lover with his own come, Tobirama would have denied it. But there was something strangely…satisfying in the action.

Or maybe Izuna’s reaction was what made it so satisfying. He watched smugly as realization settled in on the Uchiha’s face and the look of dawning outrage and disbelief on in the other man’s expression almost made the fact he stopped moving his hand worth it.

He laughed openly at that hissed proclamation of supposed hatred but wasn’t overly surprised when the dark-haired man lunged forward to press his mouth to his. The taller ninja didn’t recoil backwards from the bitter taste lingering on Izuna’s lips but instead kissed him back in silent answer to his unstated challenge. His tongue licked the taste from the Uchiha’s mouth and willingly accepted it and the traces of their shared precome eagerly only to trade it back to the Uchiha in kind.

Tobirama’s hand fisted harder in Izuna’s hair when the other man boldly reached down to start toying with his balls as well. He desperately wanted to keep going and drag this delicious torture out even further but the way the dark-haired man stroked his thumb perilously close to the sensitive skin of his perineum combined with the way his hand was stroking him finally proved too much.

The Senju would deny it was that husky promise to fuck him into the earth that finally set him off but with a low, almost pained sounding groan he finally surrendered himself to the orgasm which rocked through him with all the power of a lightning jutsu. It felt like ever nerve ending in his body was thrumming and vibrating with an almost painful intensity as he spilled himself all over Izuna’s stroking hand. Reflexively, the grip in the Uchiha’s hair turned almost painfully tight as he scrambled for something to hold onto before he finally found purchase on the man’s shoulder.

Despite the Uchiha’s orders, Tobirama found his eyes drifting closed as he rode out his orgasm.

[curseofhatred]

Oh, that laughter. That mocking little tone. Izuna was glad to shut him up with his kiss, was glad to win some ground by grabbing his balls. And he was winning, even if he followed along, because he would have the last laugh. He would have the last little victory. It was only his to possess.

(That satisfaction wasn't nearly as fulfilling as what it had been when the other had gotten him off, however. What a bitter and annoying realization, but something that couldn't be changed or helped. This was fate.)

The sound from Tobirama's throat made him smile, and he knew he was coming, he knew. A little gasp slid out from between Izuna's lips as the hand gripped his hair harder, and he tipped his head back a little until he felt the grip on his shoulder. He didn't mind the hold; he would be the rock in a sea of sensations, of feelings, of new experiences. He would be the thing Tobirama could clutch when nothing else seemed enough.

He looked amazing, though. Stunning. Giving in with his precious control shaken in the moment. Finally experiencing something other than disdain, disgust, violence. Reacting to Izuna. How much he loved it. Izuna could feel the warm splash of fluid on his hand and he ached to spread it across his face, to slip his fingers into that mouth.

Did I look the same way when I finished?

But then Tobirama had to close his eyes, didn't he? Ruin this perfect moment. "Senju!" he growled, fingers squeezing his balls a little tighter, wanting his attention, not caring if it hurt because he wanted this. Needed this. "See me, dammit! Or you won't again."

Which was almost amusing considering what awaited them after.

[tobirama]

Under normal circumstances, he never would have touched Izuna in such a way and he certainly would not have clung desperately to the other man when he was at his most open and vulnerable But Izuna had tricked him and pulled the wool so thoroughly over Tobirama’s eyes that he’d unknowingly let the Uchiha under his guard.

The Senju was floating on his endorphin high only to find it rudely interrupted by the way the other man suddenly squeezed his balls. He was abruptly reminded of the fact he’d allowed a mortal enemy to get such an intimate grip on one of the most vulnerable and sensitive parts of his body. Murderous eyes snapped open hot and angry at the painful grip the Uchiha had on his balls. But only the knowledge that Izuna could crush them or his still semi-hard dick if he so chose to kept the albino ninja from lashing out at him.

“You bastard,” Tobirama accused him hotly and moved to bat his hands away from his vulnerable parts defensively. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Oh yes, someone was definitely cranky to find his post-orgasmic bliss ruined by the obviously unbalanced Uchiha’s sudden turn for crazy.

He didn’t understand Izuna’s strange obsession with sudden eye contact unfortunately. Before, it had been just a way of challenging the other man in the midst of their love play but now that Izuna seemed to crave that attention, the contrary Senju seemed reluctant to give it to him.

[curseofhatred]

There were a lot of things wrong with him, none of which could be explained, known, or shared. The only answer he had were ones he couldn't give: I want to be the last thing you think of before I have to kill you. I want this one good memory to follow you down.

"Nevermind. It doesn't matter."

Instead, he let the other man huff and puff and knock his hands away, wiping them clean on the nearby grass (though the temptation had been to wipe them on the other's back out of spite), and crawled off of him. It was done. Over with. Now it was time for business and the real reason he came here. Stretching out on the bedroll, he let the moonlight play over his skin as he stretched, a little pop in his back as it settled comfortably. A small smile curved at his lips, the demands forgotten.

"Lay with me," he muttered. "I'm cold."

And that was hardly unusual. Regardless of his affinity of fire, his toes and hands found themselves uncharacteristically cool. Fingers (still warned from vigorous stroking) reached out for him, drawing little fans against Tobirama's knee as he looked up at him. Coy? Maybe, but far more calm than anything else.

How long had this genjutsu been going on? How long did he have left? How long would it take to lure the truth from his lips before others came to them, either his own men or the Senju. This... this had been far too long as it was, and he knew it. Time was running short.

[tobirama]

Tobirama would have been content to simply chalk it up to Izuna being an Uchiha and therefore he had a genetic propensity for madness and violence. Thankfully, the other man released his genitals without protest so he saw no reason to sour the mood further by continuing the chastise him.

The Senju made no move to stop him as Izuna crawled out of his lap and the hand that had been fisted in the man’s hair loosened so those now slightly tangled strands smoothly escaped the grip of his fingers. He hadn’t been expecting the borderline plaintive request for him to lay down with him and it shown on his face in that mildly surprised and mystified look in his face. Tobirama wasn’t the type of man who enjoyed casual touch nor was he exactly the most ‘cuddly’ of people so the idea of post-coital snuggles even with a lover didn’t sound exactly appealing.

Not to mention his logic-driven mind immediately wanted to point out that if Izuna was cold then he should pull his clothes back on. But thankfully, he had a good enough internal filter that he kept those rather pointed observations to himself. Really, what was the harm in indulging him for a few minutes anyway? Besides, Tobirama was feeling satiated enough from his own orgasm that just laying back and being lazy for a few minutes sounded downright blissful.

“Bossy and needy, honestly, Uchiha. Why do I put up with you?” He asked with feigned exasperation before he moved to stretch out that long, pale body next to Izuna’s on the blanket. The albino ninja leaned in close and reached over to hook the far edge of the bedroll so he could pull it over his and Izuna’s body in an attempt to provide the other with some cover.

It was a surprisingly thoughtful gesture when you considered the person who had made it. And perhaps even more surprising was now that Izuna was getting up close and personal with his Senju enemy so to speak, he’d discover Tobirama was surprisingly warm. Considering his own elemental affinity and the icy persona he radiated, not to mention his curiously pale and wintry coloring, it was easy to assume the Senju would be the chilly type but in fact, those pale limbs were rather warm as the folded them around Izuna and drew him back into his torso. Spooning wasn’t really something you’d associate with Senju Tobirama either yet here he was defying expectations yet again.

[curseofhatred]

Why. Why was the important question, one he didn't understand. Sure, he planted the suggestion, he made up this elaborate world, this beautiful dream, but how did Tobirama convince himself it was real? What was their first meeting like? How did they overcome the hate in his mind? Who had taken the steps to their first kiss?

How many blanks had he filled in to flesh out the story?

"Your life is boring without me." And probably calmer. Safer. Less dangerous and deadly but he didn't say that. Now was important, now was when the words had be chosen carefully because he couldn't just ask. He couldn't--

Was...was he putting the blanket around them? Or better, was Tobirama curling around him, his arms there, his chest strong against Izuna's back? His eyes grew wide, open, staring into the far distance; sure, he had said it but he hadn't thought the other would actually do it. He had expected him to yell at him to get dressed if he was cold, or tell him to build a fire, but this wasn't--

real

--wasn't possible. And how warm he was, like a surprising little furnace with an icy outer shell. How could someone be so warm? Was it from what they had done or did he always run that hot? Izuna stuck his cold toes against the other's legs, his eyes closing as he found himself smiling softly.

He wondered if his hair was in the way, and if it smelled of bloodsweatdeath or if it was sandalwood. Fingertips slipped along the other's arm, the back of Tobirama's hand as he closed his eyes.

"Tomorrow comes too soon," he murmured. "It might be some time until you see me again; I heard we're moving north at dawn." Which wasn't true, of course, but he didn't need to say as much; right now, he was curious if the other was going to give up any information at all, even a direction so he could start to guess what clans they were going to see.

[tobirama]

Truthfully the last thing Izuna wanted was for Tobirama to be examining those questions too closely because then this web of lies he’d weaved might begin to disintegrate.

“And probably a lot easier all things considered. Less peril and people trying to kill me at the very least,” the taller ninja pointed out blandly as he finished stretching out next to Izuna and situating the blanket over them. He couldn’t really explain why he’d catered to the Uchiha’s rather imperious orders himself save to say he at least had the excuse of thinking they were lovers and that was the sort of thing you did for your lover right?

Not that Tobirama had a whole lot of experience with such things but he did have ears and paid attention while the men gossiped about such things. And now that he was curled up around the smaller man and had drawn him back flush against him, he had to admit there was perhaps something to the whole thing.

He nuzzled into those long, ticklish strands of black hair, his own shorter and spikey strands of pale white mingling with the midnight dark of Izuna’s hair. The contrast was visually startling as was the way his fingers looked as they stroked through some of the hair that had fallen across the Uchiha’s shoulder.

Hearing that comment, Tobirama hummed quietly noncommittal and was silent for a long moment before speaking. “We’ll have to make do with this until the next time then. Hopefully we won’t have to face one another across the battle field anytime soon.”

Vexingly, he offered up no real information of his own but was that surprising for a man like Tobirama who never wasted words when he didn’t have to?

[curseofhatred]

"You are a ninja, Tobirama," he quietly countered back. "Do you know anything other than people trying to kill you?"

And that... was an almost curious statement. Hobbies. Did the man have hobbies? Did he like to do anything other than make ridiculous jutsus and kill Izuna's brethren? If he wasn't --

No. No. This was stupid. Why did he care? He didn't. He would be dead soon anyway, all of this could go back to being a mission that was forgotten, and his brother would praise him for his work. Madara would be so proud (though the exact details and methods he used would be muddled, a secret; how he would react to knowing that Izuna seduced him would force this to remain untold). That was what was important.

But he could feel Tobirama nuzzling, could feel the fingers against his shoulders, and he was surprised by how good the experience was. How calming it was. How it made his heart feel. It had to be because it was his first time of ever knowing such affection; he was sure of it. It wasn't because it was Tobirama.

Stupid Senju.

"Mmm, but you won't kill me," he murmured, pressing back against him a little more. Wound, sure. But kill? He doubted it, not in this pretend little venture. Outside, Izuna had the upper hand, would finish it before it could start.

Of course the bastard wouldn't give up anything. Of course. And he couldn't come right out and ask him what he was doing.

"The clans talk, defectors, rumors. There's something going around that you're going to be transporting something important soon." His hand reached behind him, gently trailing along the other man's hip. "I can try to keep my people away from you, but I might have to go to ensure you don't wind up on the end of someone's kunai, little Senju. Which way will you be coming from so I can volunteer?"

[tobirama]

Did he know anything but how to be a ninja? Tobirama was ashamed to admit he didn't think he did. Even his hobbies such as creating new jutsu or even his love of reading and learning all eventually lead back to how to improve himself as a warrior.

Senju Tobirama had dedicated his life to being a ninja but something about Izuna’s off-handed comment didn’t sit well with him at all. For the first time, he questioned if he was supposed to want more. Was this...thing between them a manifestation of that unrealized desire to have more than just war in his life? Could that explain his inexplicable attraction to a man who he should have by all rights hated? But no, that seemed too easy…too much of a cop out to attribute his attraction to his enemy as something so childish.

“I don’t have time for anything else.” He finally said softly and stroked the backs of his nails along the long and lean line of Izuna’s arm. “Maybe one day if our brother’s mad ideals for peace actually come to pass I can learn something else but for now, being a ninja is all I can afford to be.” If there was a sense of longing for more in the albino’s voice, he wasn’t willing to examine it overly much just yet.

Izuna’s rather arrogant statement dragged a quiet little huff from the taller man that might have almost been a sound of amusement or perhaps exasperation. “Don’t be so sure of that. You can I both know that if you made me choose between your life and the life of my brother Hashirama would win out every time. Just as you’d kill me to protect Madara,” Tobirama leaned down and pressed a kiss to the crown of the Uchiha’s shoulder as though in silent apology for the words but it didn’t make them any less true. Their family would always come first, it was part of what made them so uniquely suited for one another and part of the reason they’d started this outrageous affair in the first place. Because who else could understand what they went through day in and day out on the battlefield?

Suspicion however flared brightly in Tobirama’s brain however when the other man pressed him for further information. That was one of their unspoken rules…that they wouldn’t ask the other for any kind of intel when they were together like this in their few stolen hours.

“What’s gotten into you, Izuna? You know I can’t tell you that. It’s against the rules.” A frown began to tug at his brow and knit those silvery pale brows together.

[curseofhatred]

The touches made his skin feel...electric, his body electric. Warm. His arm was sensitive, the motions kind, and he closed his eyes as he relished in the barest, most insignificant of things. He liked it. He liked being touched and he hated himself for how amazed he was by the smallest of affections.

The fact that it was coming from Tobirama of all people, was no less a miracle.

But the idea of peace, of nothing to fight for, of embracing hobbies and a quiet life... it seemed almost beyond the scope of thought, of reality. Sure, he had interests of his own now, little ones he didn't talk about to anyone, but they were put to the wayside in order to focus on the war. His own personal enjoyment came secondary to the mission at hand. That was the way the shinobi worked.

Lips were warm against his shoulder and he closed his eyes as he smiled. There was nothing to apologize over; the truth was the truth. He would wreck the world for his brother, tear it all apart, and he assumed nothing less from Tobirama. It was fitting, wasn't it?

"Wrong word then. 'Can't' kill me." He laughed a little, teasing, clearly meaning not capable over emotionally unable to. A light jab, nothing serious, but the laughter slowly fell away.

Tobirama was suspicious. Dammit, he pressed too hard, knowing his time was short. He was better than this!

Carefully, he rolled over so he could face the other man, his eyes looking up at him as if he was bothered by something. "Sorry, I just...have a lot on my mind," he muttered, sad, almost dejected in the moment. Uchiha could be amazing liars if they needed to be. "I wasn't thinking. Forget it." And he leaned up to kiss him.

[tobirama]

The albino ninja was not a tactile person by nature but he’d found he enjoyed touching Izuna. His skin was a curious mixture of softness and rough and the textural differences fascinated him. Absently, Tobirama stroked his thumb along a crescent shaped scar on the Uchiha’s bicep and tried to recall if it was a mark he’d given him or some other unknown enemy.

They’d spent so much of their lives trying to kill each other yet here they found themselves cuddling under a purloined blanket with the Senju symbol stitched into the top hem. He didn’t know how they’d ended up here but how ironic was it that that….that was just his mind starting to poke and prod at the gaps in the genjutsu and point out the obvious flaws in this little dream world of theirs.

Tobirama kept his lips pressed against the sharp jut of Izuna’s shoulder. “Can but I would prefer not to if I can manage it.” He murmured the words against that warm skin and peppered a line of affectionate kisses along the crest of the other man’s shoulder until he reached the long, graceful column of the Uchiha’s neck. “Any more than you want to kill me.” It should have sounded like a boastful statement but there was so much somberness in the other man’s voice that it stole any levity from the jesting comment.

Somewhat reluctantly, Tobirama released Izuna enough that the shorter man could twist around in his arms until he was facing him and he rearranged his arms around him so that they were looped loosely against his waist. Those far too suspicious red eyes met his gaze for a moment and it seemed almost as though he could peer through every lie or illusion the Uchiha threw at him.

“No shared information. It’s the only way this will work between us.” It was the only way they could trust that the other wasn’t trying to use them as an easy mark of a source of intel to be exploited. Tobirama’s mouth was firm and unyielding against his own for a long moment before they softened ever so slightly to press back gently.

[curseofhatred]

That mark? That mark was from another enemy, another Senju warrior, a shuriken that had hit true. Of all the scars Izuna had, it was the one he liked the least, a reminder of how some nameless fool had gotten the better of him for a single moment, how they had etched their legacy into his flesh when he had nothing else to go on. This mark would be carried forever...and it wasn't even worth it.

Izuna had killed him a second later, angry, growling.

The fact that Tobirama touched it made him frown. Why couldn't he touch one of his own marks? The line across his back? The one at his hip?

But there were those lips, speaking against his skin, and Izuna thought that this, that these illusionary moments with the lips against his skin, were more intimate than anything he had with anyone else. Soft and alluring and quiet, he appreciated the subtlety of the movement on someone who in no way should be doing it. It felt so out of place against the morose topic of conversation.

But I want to kill you. I have to kill you. That is what war is: death.

"Mm." But now they were facing one another, and Izuna was staring up into red eyes as those hands settled around him. They looked through him, and Izuna hated it, hated how much they knew when it should be nothing, nothing at all.

At least he relaxed into the kiss a little. There was that.

"I know," he hissed, rolling his eyes as if it was a well-worn path they had traveled before. "I'm just tired and it slipped out before I could stop myself." Fingers trailed up the other's back, wondering how he could smooth over the situation. How much time did he have any more? It couldn't be much.

"Are we going to fight about this when we have so little time between us?"

[tobirama]

It was so easy to lose oneself in the illusion. This false sense of intimacy, the surprisingly quiet affection the Senju was showing him. Tobirama didn’t come across like the kind of man who would be content to lay there and feather soft kisses across his lover’s skin.

Their macabre topic of conversation just stood out all the stranger for it.

But then, they were two sworn enemies who found themselves drawn into this strange affair. By all rights, they should have hated one another’s guts and for the longest time, Tobirama had thought that was it. Just as Hashirama had found his match in Madara so too had he found his match in the younger Uchiha brother. Yet here they were cuddled up together naked and satiated together and he found he couldn’t even work up the guilt to be ashamed. This was pure selfishness and normally he was a man driven by a sense of devotion to his family and clan.

Here he was though with perhaps his greatest enemy in his arms trading languid kisses and caresses instead of blows on the battlefield. Would Izuna be able to feel the way the illusion started to stretch taut and thin as Tobirama’s far too keen mind started to resist the genjutsu?

Thankfully, the Uchiha was good at distractions and Tobirama’s suspicions seemed to die out by the time the kiss ended. He met Izuna’s petulant stare with a bland look of his own but something in thode red eyes softened even further at the comment about their time together being so limited. Regret shown in the Senju’s eyes and was reflected in the faint air of sadness which descended between them.

“No, I don’t want to fight. Our time together is too precious for that.” One of his hands shifted so he could reach up and stroke his fingers through the Uchiha’s long hair softly. He skimmed the backs of his knuckles down the length of his lover’s spine in doing so. For a man who claimed to not enjoy tactile contact, he sure couldn’t seem to get enough of touching Izuna! “I don’t want to end things between us on a sour note.”

Soon enough they would be back out on the battlefield facing death down every time they picked up their blades. There was a good chance they might even have to cross swords or face the reality that they might have to watch as the other one died at the hands of one of their clansmen or allies. This time was precious and Tobirama didn’t want to lose a second of it before they had to leave this dream-world they’d created together and return back to reality.

The fact that even this so-called dream world of theirs was nothing but a lie anyway was going to be a crushing realization once he realized how much he’d been tricked.

[curseofhatred]

An urge struck, strange and foreign, and he wanted to kiss him for his own reasons. He wanted a repeat of what they did a few moments earlier, only slower, longer, less antagonistic goading and just something quiet. He wanted…more of this.

Was it the Senju’s value of their time? The look in his eyes, the feel of those knuckles against his back? He wasn’t sure, but in that moment, he wanted more, he wanted to do it again, he wanted to kiss him, to touch him, and mean it.

And then he realized how sick and wrong he was. How he shouldn’t want any of this, how it was stupid and foolish and toxic. His brother would never forgive him. He was blushing before he could stop it, but it hardly mattered; it could be masked as a reaction to the kind words the other said. It was believable, he knew it.

“Don’t worry, Senju; we won’t.”

It was such a shame how this would end…but Izuna didn’t want to think about it now, not as he leaned into him, as he kissed him, as he slid his leg between the other’s and gently pushed against him. Lulling him. He was just lulling him, that was it, and then he would ask again. He would find a way, would get into it, and if he couldn’t do it pleasantly, then he would kill him inside this dreamworld.

Maybe that’s what he had to do, have his lover betray him here, stab him, hurt him. Maybe breaking his heart would make him talk. Though, he sincerely doubted it with someone like Tobirama.

[tobirama]

He wasn’t expecting the suddenly slow and lingering kiss but Tobirama certainly wasn’t going to complain about it! A shuddery little sigh escaped him and was captured by Izuna’s mouth as they exchanged a series of tender and languid kisses. It was the kind of kiss that left a warm fluttery sensation in the pit of your stomach and had toes curling. Not the sort of kiss he expected to share with his mortal enemy but compared to the downright combative kisses they’d been exchanging before this was downright…sweet.

The moon was high enough now that it illuminated them adequately enough to make out the subtle redness to their cheeks and it cast an eerie light to the Senju’s colorless hair. Callused fingertips stroked and feathered across the Uchiha’s shoulder as the kiss dragged on pleasantly.

He’d been so wrapped up in Izuna that Tobirama hadn’t even noticed the approaching chakra signatures. But even as distracted as he was by his lover, he’d recognize Hashirama’s familiar warm chakra anywhere. That pale head jerked up suddenly as red eyes went wide with a combination of surprise and dismay.

“Someone is coming. Shit, Hashirama—“ Tobirama started to warn his ‘lover’ but then there was the firm and sharp ’kai’ and the genjutsu melted away abruptly.

For Hashirama the sight of his beloved brother just standing there stock still with his sword laying there limp at his feet from where slack fingers had released the hilt had been a chilling and horrible one. Only the fact that Izuna had been just as enraptured in maintaining the genjutsu had no doubt kept the Uchiha from doing something untoward towards his brother.

When the breathless and near hysterical Katsuo had come crashing into their scouting party, it had taken the younger Senju nearly a minute to regain his breath enough to inform his clan head of the dangerous situation he’d been forced to leave Tobirama in. In truth, Hashirama had been secretly terrified he’d come racing in to discover his sole living blood relative cold and dead much like he’d found Itama all those years.

Instead he’d found an equally bone-chilling tableau but all it took was one look at the spinning crimson wheel of that active Sharingan to realize what Izuna had been up to. The brunette ninja had made the hand seals and barked that order to release the illusion.

For Tobirama it was like having a bucket of ice cold water dumped over his head. The shock and confusion of trying to figure out what was reality and what was not was jarring to the senses and to the mind. Red eyes stared dully across the distance at Izuna for a moment before life and coherence returned and suddenly, everything became horrifically clear to him.

[curseofhatred]

It had been good. It had been perfect; Tobirama was falling into it, and their kisses were soft and impossibly sweet. For one blissful moment, even he had forgotten his place, slightly shifting under the fingertips that teased him; the genjutsu felt too real and he was so damn deep to keep it going. Killing him could come later, so much later, and--

But then Tobirama was moving, and his own red eyes stared confusedly up at the other man. Coming? Someone was--

Shit!

It happened so fast, so quick that he barely had time to comprehend what occurred, what order. Tobirama had been warm and naked beside him, kissing him, touching him, but then that damn kai was ringing in his head as he was suddenly staring into the red eyes of the younger Senju. A fully clothed, very confused Senju.

There was a second where Izuna couldn't move, as if he was the trapped in the jutsu now, his lips parted, his eyes red as blood. Inside his pants, he was painfully hard, but there was something else, something he didn't--couldn't--

"Go!" he hissed, but he didn't know if he was talking to himself or the man across from him; everything was confusing, strange, pieces of a puzzle whose picture was unfamiliar. He stepped back, standing on the river water, no bedroll in sight, the daylight blinding. He pulled out his sword, but he knew he couldn't win, not against the both of them. Hashirama could hold his own again Madara, and even Izuna couldn't do that. Tobirama was difficult enough.

Reaching into his sleeve, he felt a smoke bomb fall into his hand. He needed to get out of here, now.

[tobirama]

Tobirama’s mind was having trouble switching from those lazy and sweet kisses under the soft moonlight to the harshness of reality. Hidden beneath the plates of his armor, he was achingly hard inside his pants thanks to the side-effect of the genjutsu. Thankfully, the armor hid his own erection but it couldn’t save his wounded pride when the realization sank in of just how effectively the Uchiha had fooled him.

Confusion followed by something that might have even been a sort of hurt expression swiftly chased its way across his face before those pale features set into a more expected parade of outrage and anger.

“You son of a bitch!” Tobirama snarled with more anger than Izuna had probably ever seen on that normally cold and composed face. He wasn’t the type of man who lost his head in a fight and preferred to keep cool and collected. But realizing your mortal enemy had just tricked you into some twisted and perverse lovefest was enough to rile even his temper.

Even as Izuna threw that smoke bomb, Tobirama was reaching for his weapons pouch since it was closer than his sword and he threw a handful of those razor sharp throwing blades into the smoke Izuna disappeared into. The Uchiha would be able to see him gathering his chakra in an attempt to track his movements over the water.

If the Uchiha had even a lick of sense he’d get off over the river and as far away from the water as he could because the Senju was drawing upon enough chakra to create one of those deadly water dragon techniques of his. Izuna had assumed he would be the one attempting murder after the genjutsu faded but apparently Tobirama wanted him just as dead and really…could you blame him?

“He’s headed across the river!” The albino ninja snapped at his brother and Hashirama started to mold his chakra as well though unlike his brother, he wasn’t particularly keen on hurting the Uchiha now that he knew his brother was okay. He and Madara had an almost unstated rule between them. Unlike their fathers, they didn’t attempt to take out their respective brothers. They’d both shed enough blood and sacrificed enough kin for this continued and extended war between their clans without sacrificing their sole remaining relatives in the name of this centuries long conflict.

[curseofhatred]

Water. Water. He needed to get off the water. Dodging the blades was easy with the sharingan, and he was running, jumping off that damn river that would get him killed. Why did he put him into a genjutsu there of all places? Why hadn't he thought this out? Why was he too cocky?

One jumps, two, and he was off the water, landing on the ground. The smoke was thinner here, and he could see Hashirama, clear, sharp, and Izuna watched him the molding chakra. If he was caught here, he was done; his brother would find his body days later, half-eaten by wild animals. Tobirama would probably torture him for all that he had done. It would end poorly.

Throwing three kunai with exploding tags attached, he ran, launching himself into the deepest part of trees, hoping to hide in the shadows as best he could while moving. The undergrowth was deep and the birds had long since gone, so there was nothing to disturb him as he vaulted. Move. Go. Behind him, he could hear the tags explode, but he hadn't been precise so he doubted that he hit anyone.

Today had been a failure. He got nothing out of Tobirama, no information, hadn't killed him, but... it didn't feel like a loss. It didn't feel even close to a loss. And why? Why was that? What was going on!?

Inside his pants, his cock made it hard to run, and he flushed deeply as he jumped from branch to branch quickly. He would be home soon, and somehow, somehow, he would have to explain what happened today. Perhaps, he could leave out the details of the genjutsu; something told him that the Senju wouldn't be telling his brother either.