Escape artistry

7. Izuna's seventeenth birthday (then)

"Izuna!"

The hissing was so excited, Izuna was certain there was an exclamation mark after it.

"Izuna, wake up!"

Izuna blinked himself awake.

"What? What's going on?"

"Shh! Don't wake the others!"

Izuna wanted to say it wasn't him that was scream-whispering in the bedroom, but the sight of Tobirama above him in the bed made his heart pound and rendered him speechless.

Tobirama had grown and was now incredibly tall, over one ninety. He was now also very strong, which had decreased the bullying of him to zero. I His pale blonde hair had become whiter, and he had a stubble on his cheek he was usually too lazy to shave more than a couple of times a week. He wore a loose closed cardigan and had a plates with cake in his hand. Not just one piece but a whole little cake, draped with pink marzipan with a red sugar rose and powdered sugar on top.

"Oh", Izuna couldn't help but say.

Tobirama smiled and put his index finger to his lips, then pointed upwards. Both of them knew what he meant; the roof.

Izuna clambered out of bed and followed Tobirama around the squeaky board and out the window. When he took the first steps on the ladder, Tobirama had already disappeared.

When Izuna could see over the edge to the roof, he gasped. On a flat part of the roof, Tobirama had put out a blanket. On it were several lanterns with burning candles. The cake was accompanied by flowery plates, silver cutlery and steaming mugs of hot chocolate with cream. Pastel-coloured helium-filled balloons were hovering above the settings.

"Happy seventeenth birthday!" Tobirama said and sounded incredibly pleased with himself.

Izuna hid his face in his hand.

"Oh, Tobes! You shouldn't have!"

When Izuna came closer, Tobirama nudged him with his elbow.

"Come on. Don't tell me you don't like it!"

Izuna leaned over and gave Tobirama a hug.

"Of course I like it!"

Tobirama laughed and hugged Izuna back.

"Happy seventeenth birthday."

They sat and ate the cake together. It was a chocolate sponge with raspberry jam and vanilla cream, and it melted like a cloud in Izuna's mouth. It evaporated on his tastebuds,  lived up to the roof of his mouth like a raincloud, and that raincloud soon turned into tears.

He forced himself not to snivel so that Tobirama wouldn't notice. He knew Tobirama already felt bad for leaving Izuna behind to go to university. But they both knew that he would have to leave either way, seeing he had turned eighteen earlier that year, and was no longer a child. The mistress had agreed to keep him to the autumn term would start, she had been so proud. The plan was, Izuna would follow next year to study literature while Tobirama studied physics. Tobirama had excelled at the exams for the scholarships for the physics department. Izuna still struggled with maths, but he believed that he was now so good, he at least stood a chance to get a scholarship for the literature course. But he would still miss Tobirama terribly during this year.

They sat shoulder-to-shoulder, and Izuna tried focussing on that point of contact to calm himself down. It didn't work. Instead, it made him shiver all over.

It had started the year he turned sixteen, this different sensation regarding Tobirama. Izuna had read enough books to know he was in love.

Izuna had been terrified Tobirama would find out and be disgusted by his deviance. Izuna was, under no circumstances, allowed to do anything that could risk their friendship. Tobirama was the best friend he had ever had.

"You'll write to me, right?"

The eagerness in Tobirama's voice took Izuna by surprise. When he turned to him, he saw the albino boy-turned-man looked at him with what must have been sadness.

For the first time, it struck Izuna that Tobirama could be as sad about the situation as Izuna was. It touched him, that concern in Tobirama's eyes.

Izuna leaned his head on Tobirama's shoulder. It was something he had done since they met, but for Izuna, this was different. He felt Tobirama turn his face towards him and suddenly, Izuna found it hard to breathe.

He would miss Tobirama. Oh, he would miss him so much! This was their last night together, the first few hours of Izuna's birthday, and felt the inevitability of his imminent department in the morning hit him like a train.

"Of course I will", he whispered.

"Izuna..."

Suddenly, Tobirama's fingers were on Izuna's chin, lifting his face up to his. Izuna closed his eyes behind his long, black fringe, breathing out, parting his lips. He felt the warmth of Tobirama's breath on his face, tinted with raspberry and chocolate and vanilla. He felt the tips of Tobirama's hair tickle his forehead, and Izuna could swear his skin had become so sensitive by his best friend's breath, he could have been able to give the exact number of hairs that touched him.

His own eyelashes were on Tobirama's cheeks, then their lips met. It was the softest feeling Izuna had ever felt.

Tobirama massaged Izuna's top lip, and Izuna kissed the bottom one of Tobirama's slowly. His shaking hand went up to Tobirama's cheek on its own, and Tobirama put a much steadier one on Izuna's neck, braiding his fingers into his hair, pressing him closer.

Izuna couldn't breathe. But he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't need air; he needed him, him, him! When Tobirama's hand went to his waist, he moaned. That moan caused Tobirama to hiss, and Izuna got the feeling the albino man wanted to tear him to pieces.

Then, Tobirama softly parted from his lips.

"I'll wait for you", he said.

The implication of that didn't pass Izuna by.

When Izuna woke up in the morning. Tobirama had already departed.