Izuna:

"You look beautiful", the stylist said.

"Oh, thank you", I said and smiled. "It's all your doing, though."

"Oh, you're too kind! Give yourself some credit! You have a beautiful face."

"Credit for being born?" I asked, to which she stuck her tongue out at me. 

The stylist had put smokey, glittery eyeshadow on my eyelids and a thin, flicked eyeliner. My lips were covered in a delicate layer of lip-gloss, and she'd smoothed out my porcelain skin like the professional she was. She had made a messy fishtail braid of my hair that made it look even thicker and lusher than usual.

Melissa, my assistant, had smiled beside herself when she'd seen what I'd brought to wear. "Oh, Izuna, that's going to look so good on stage! But..." She looked at me. "You know what this might entail? I hate to tell you, but some people might be repulsed by it."

I smiled a sad smile. "I know. I'm not that naive. But I want to do it, anyway. If I need to be anyone but myself to reach fame, I don't want it."

And now, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself critically. I felt the nerves starting to creep up now, with only two hours left until we were live. I had been so nervous over Tobirama, seeing him again and him seeing me ready for TV that I had totally forgotten what I was about to do. I am going to sing with Tobirama on the piano. Me, a half-known singer, am going to sing on stage with the world's best concert pianist, live with an audience and on TV... Millions and millions of people watching. Not only that; me and Tobirama had planned everything but not actually practiced the entire number.

I swallowed. 

Tobirama:

I had taken my place behind my wing behind the thick curtains. I could see the musicians before us playing on stage. I swallowed and bounced my leg. Where is Izuna? I was so curious to see him I could hardly contain myself. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. The nerves... Where were the nerves? I would usually be so nervous by this stage, I was afraid I would faint, but I didn't feel it.

Izuna...

It was him. It was going on stage with him that was keeping me calm. It felt like I had an anchor I could attach myself to, that tethered me to myself and to him. I wasn't alone, but with someone I trusted deeply and I knew I had no reason to be nervous because he would carry me, he would carry me far, far away to the sky and to the stars, lifting my playing to a level it had never reached, to-

"Hi..."

A calm voice behind me.

Deep in my thoughts as I had been, I hadn't noticed his soft presence behind me. I jerked and turned round.

And I gaped.

Izuna was clad in the most figure-hugging, gorgeous dress I'd ever seen. It was black velvet that shifted in green, and was covered in sequins. It was long-sleeved and trailed a bit behind him on the floor. It had a slit showing off a long fraction of his thigh. On stage, I would notice the dress was backless, showing off his beautiful back. It was absolutely stunning and obviously very expensive. Every single feature of his face was enhanced with a subtle amount of makeup, except his eyes that were enhanced with the help of a dark eyeshadow. His hair was knotted in a complicated braid.

I had never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life.

And to my great surprise, Izuna came to me and straddled me, sitting down on top of me where I sat on my piano chair, and put his hands on my shoulders. I swallowed. He's straddling me... He's straddling me wearing a DRESS!

"Did I render you speechless?" He tried not to smile but failed.

I took my phone, wrote and showed him.

'Oh, ha-FUCKING-ha.'

'You look gorgeous, Izuna. I won't be able to play. I won't be able to take my eyes off you.'

"Then don't", he whispered into my ear.

Then, he sat off and took his place on stage next to me.

He radiated calm and competence, and didn't seem nervous at all. I felt so safe on stage next to him, I could hardly believe it. I took a deep breath and put my fingers on the keys as the number before us finished.

"Tobirama." I looked over. "Thank you. Thank you for doing this with me. I know you're a solo man, but... Thank you."

'Izuna... I'm the one who should be thanking you.'

"Are you nervous?"

'I'm nervous to hear your voice for the first time.'

Izuna blushed an adorable smile and looked away. 

"You look stunning, too", he said. 

And the curtains came aside, revealing the stage where me and Izuna stood to the audience. 

The cheer of the audience was immediately exchanged for a whirl of shock when they saw us together on stage. And no wonder... Izuna was beautiful. And the pair of us together on stage... It would sure be a sight to be seen, Tobirama the world-famous pianist with a man who looked sort of like a woman after an entire career as a solo pianist.

As usual, I didn't look down on the audience, but this time, I didn't look down on my piano, either. Instead, I peeked at Izuna, and seeing he was looking at me, I lifted my head a little, connected our eyes. I knew my keys so well, I didn't need to look down. I put my fingertips on the keys, let the smooth surface connect with my fingerprints, indulged in the familiarity of the sensation. Izuna smiled warmly, and I smirked back. Take me to your hotel room after this... Take me to your hotel room after this, please.

And I softly started playing.

Izuna lifted his microphone to his scrumptious lips, took a deep breath...

And Izuna sang.

Izuna's voice was like that of an angel.

He had a range of voice that impressed me beyond measure, from so bright it sounded female to so dark even bass men would struggle. I was extremely uncommon and I had no idea he had been gifted that talent. When he sang, it was as if he'd poured honey into my ears, but also along my arms and to my fingertips, smoothening out my playing. His voice and my fingers went so well together, and while playing to his voice, I fantasised about other ways in which my fingers and his voice would become one; my hand up the slit of that fucking gorgeous dress fingering his sex while his voice was moaning and mewling beneath me; my fingers around his navel, trailing it while his voice caught in his throat in gasps and muffled screams.

Izuna could sing. Goddamn it, he could sing.

And during our entire number, I didn't break eye contact with him once, but kept looking at him, and he looked at me, singing from his heart, giving my love a voice and letting it bounce back to him. Together, we created something so compatible it was beyond world-class, and I had never played as well as I did that night. His voice made everything easier, clearer, more straightforward. And, if I were allowed to say so myself, the tones from my wing lifted his voice to the skies as well. God, we were good together.

And it was in that moment I knew, like I knew where the keys of my wing were located and how to translate a melody in my head to music on the keys, I knew that I had fallen in love with this man standing on stage beside me and I knew there was no going back.

When Izuna's voice died out together with my music, the audience stood up and roared.

I stood up, went to him and took his hand before taking a bow with him. 

Izuna:

We were invited to the afterparty. After the concert, Tobirama had written to me on his phone that he was nervous about this, that he usually always declined so that no-one would notice he was mute. I asked him if he wanted to stand next to me the entire time. The relief in his eyes was so great, it clenched my heart.

We walked around, mostly to ourselves, sipping champagne. We ended up in a corner, and Tobirama, now without his jacket but only in his trousers, his white shirt that he'd untucked, and his black tie, put his hand against the wall and leaned forwards towards me, a smirk on his face.

"What?" I laughed.

And he leaned in and connected our lips.

Everything, exactly everything around me disappeared. I didn't care about what gossip this would entail, what it would do to my career and, most importantly, Tobirama's career. I clung to his shirt with my hands and opened my mouth to his, and we made out like two starving animals. His hand was in my hair, messing it up, and mine was all over his chest, his arms, his back.

We parted, both panting, and hearing Tobirama panting was such a delicate display of a whisper of his voice that it made me shiver.

"Tobirama..." I whispered into his mouth. "Come with me. Come with me to my room."

Tobirama connected our lips once more, dove his tongue in, ate me.