Izuna

On the day I was written out of the hospital, Tobirama waited for me in the hospital lobby,  impatiently it seemed, if the way he kept tapping his foot was anything to go by. When he saw me, he didn't exactly smile, but he did light up. He looked a lot more... Casual than usual, in a long-sleeved black T-shirt and black trousers, his hair slightly more tousled than it normally was, but I liked it. 

And in his hand, he held not a bouquet, but a single red rose, which he held out to me as I approached him.

"Surprise," he said. 

I took the rose. Even if it was so much simpler than the bouquets him and his brother had pampered me with, this one meant the world to me, and he knew that. 

"Tobes, thank you."

He leaned forwards then, and he touched his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes. His lips were a breath away from mine, and I enjoyed every second of it.

"I'm so relieved you're all right", he murmured. 

"Me too."

He stood up and scratched his neck.

"I'm not really good at this kind of thing, but I... I have planned a little something for us. I would love to take you out." 

I clapped my hands excitedly, and his eyes melted.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A secret, actually. Dress for dinner at seven. And after dinner, I have a surprise."

I squealed a little. He had actually rented a car to drive to the hospital to pick me up, and I had to work hard not to drool as I saw him driving. When we came back to the hotel, I basically ran to get to my room. It was late noon, but I needed plenty of time to get ready. I immediately fished out my phone, figured out it was close to midnight in New York and that also, this was an emergency so it didn't matter, and video called Imogen and Mae (or Imogen, but Mae would be right behind her). 

Imogen's ice blonde dreads became visible on my screen, Mae's brown mermaid hair behind her. 

"Izuna, are you all right? Are you out of hospital? Did anything happen?" They looked worried. 

"He asked me out", I said. "Help me."

They stared in shock at first, but then they screamed and jumped around.

"Okay, okay, here's what you do!"

And they started speaking non-stop to me, both of them simultaneously. I ran around my hotel room, trying to obey every command. I finally decided I should at least start by having a thorough shower and wash my hair, so I did that. Imogen told me how to use the many creams on display in the hotel suite on my face (I was sort of a soap only kind of guy). Then, I blow-dried my hair after Mae's meticulous instructions ("Don't forget the heat protector!"). It became fantastic, more voluminous than when I just let it air-dry. I used no makeup except for some powder and smokey eye shadow. I was still bruised, but there was not much I could do about that, was there? It took a couple of hours, all in all. God, it must be so late in New York, but Imogen and Mae were still with me, and had even started on a bottle of wine.

"What do I wear?" I asked. They looked at each other. "What?" I asked. 

And then, it struck me.

"Oh..."

"You must", Imogen said.

"But what if he doesn't like it?" I asked, worried.

"It's kind of a clever test", Mae said. "If he doesn't, then he's not the man for you. And it's much better to find that out now, than when it becomes irreversible."

I took a deep breath. And I put on a pair of thick, black tights before I pulled the dress over my shoulders, it's velvet fabric embracing my frame, the black, bronze and silver sequins sparkling in the light all the way to the floor.

"Izuna..." Imogen breathed.

"You look stunning", Mae said warmly.

I was left speechless. I had never felt so beautiful in my life before. 

I just hoped Tobirama would think the same. 

He was already waiting for me in the hotel lobby, tapping his foot like there was no tomorrow. Shit. He was wearing a black suit! And a white shirt! And a black tie!! And his glasses!! I was hiding behind a wall, panicking. Couldn't he hear my heartbeat? 

I looked down on my hands and saw they were trembling. God... This was it, I knew. Might as well show him all sides of me. And if I was going to accept all of his sides, what with his upbringing and everything, he must accept all of mine. 

I walked out, my black heels muffled by the carpet. Tobirama must have felt me approach, because he turned around quite suddenly as I approached and...

And he gaped. He well and truly, actually gaped. If it was in pleasure or disgust, I couldn't tell. I stood in front of him, clasping my hands in front of me, looking down shyly.

"What do you think?" I asked.

He came forwards, put his finger beneath my chin and tilted my face up. Then, he leaned his forehead against mine; his love language.

"God, I am so lucky to go to dinner with you", he murmured. 

I closed my eyes, laughed a little, but in a low voice so it was only audible in the bubble that was him and me. 

"I am the lucky one", I said.

"Nobody has ever told me that before", he said.

The dinner was, of course, at a fancy restaurant, but actually New York-inspired. 

"We already had our Michelin Japanese dinner", Tobirama said, as if to excuse himself, and I found myself wondering if he'd received a lot of complaints from girls he had dated that what he provided wasn't good enough. "I was interested in seeing what the Japanese make of our food."

I smiled at him.

"I would have been happy with spaghetti and meatballs in a shabby kitchen", I said. "This is lovely."

We had champagne alongside the five courses. I loved the effect alcohol had on me, but took care not to drink so much that I lost any part of my personality. Tobirama was quite closed to begin with, but after a while, even he seemed to relax, some of the weight of the world lifting off his shoulders. I wanted to ask him about his private life, but didn't dare to. Not yet.

The three hours the meal took passed by in seconds, and it was time to leave for the surprise. We walked politely next to one another, not holding hands, through the streets. 

"Where are we going?"

He looked at me with a smug smile, his first one of the evening. 

"You'll see", was all he said.

"You want to finally hear that story about the cantaloupe as we walk?" I asked. 

"No", he said.

I told him anyway. But I stopped dead as we turned a corner.

"Tobes..." I breathed.

In front of us was the river Meguro, and on either side of it, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, their colour cold in the dark night, enhanced by pink lights all along the river. We stood in front of a set of stairs, leading out to a little canoe that stood ready for us. 

"Do you like your surprise?" Tobirama asked, suddenly seemingly anxious. 

I took his hand then.

"I love it."

I didn't know it then, but nobody had told him they loved something he had done for them before.