Sundance

5. Birthday dream (Izuna)

We had time to have cake together, my lover and I.

I had made it myself, a vanilla sponge with passion curd, vanilla cream and a coating of white chocolate dyed a bright purple. I had bought magician's hat made of marzipan to put on top.

"Izuna..." Hashirama said when we came into my trailer and I took it out of the fridge.

"You like it?" I asked, looking at him expectantly.

Suddenly, he took two steps towards me and hugged me tight.

"Thank you", he whispered.

I laughed, a little surprised but very happy.

"You're very welcome. You act as if no-one made you a birthday cake before."

"Nobody has."

I looked at him.

"You're joking?"

Hashirama shook his head.

"Wow..." I considered this. "Did you get presents?" I asked.

Hashirama smiled a sad smile.

"Not really", he said.

Oh, how awful. Imagine your parents being so loveless! Mine and Madara's childhood birthdays had been filled with cake, spun sugar, popcorn machines, clowns and performances. The other performers working with our parents had always made a huge deal out of it, seeing children in the circus as a good reason to celebrate. It saddened me that that wasn't the case for all children. I couldn't help but feel happy to be able to create a birthday dream for my beautiful lover.

I went to my bed and bent down, picked up a present wrapped up in a metallic red paper from underneath it. Hashirama looked like he didn't know what to make of himself.

"Take it! It won't bite!" I said, handing over the present, that was as long as my underarm but thin.

"Is it a dildo?" Hashirama asked, smirking.

"No, silly! Or, I guess anything could be a dildo if you want it enough. Open it!"

He did. As he revealed the secret inside, he first smiled, thinking it was a joke. But then, as he looked closer, his face changed.

"This... This... It's beautiful."

"Do you like it?" I asked carefully.

He held it up towards the light. It was a magician's wand, black with white ends, which was why Hashirama thought it was a joke at first. But then, he'd noticed the delicacy of the piece. The black part was made of the finest ebony while the white parts were icy white marble, the different materials creating a pleasant sensation as you balanced the wand in your hand. The transition from black to white was lined with a rim of pure gold. The entire wand was covered in a shiny lacquer.

"I love it. You shouldn't have."

"Seeing you love it so much makes it worth it", I said, hugging his waist. He kissed the top of my head.

And I truly meant what I said. As we ate the cake, Hashirama had his wand next to him on the table, and he kept touching it, caressing it with his fingers in a way that almost made me jealous. The cake was, if I was allowed to say so myself, utterly delicious. The vanilla sponge had absorbed the fillings nicely, and the soft and warm-flavoured vanilla cream was balanced out by the sour passion curd. I had been generous with the chocolate coating, which cracked pleasantly beneath our teeth. We didn't say much, just enjoyed each other's company, enjoyed eating cake before the show on Hashirama's birthday. It was such a normal and tender couple's moment, it made my heart ache a little. Hashirama was the one to break the silence between us.