Cage of bones

10.

Izuna

One week... One week without him.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. But it didn't hurt more than it did knowing he had information on my dead best friend he was forbidden to share with me.

I had blamed him. I had blamed Tobirama for it. I had thought he would share details with me because I was so special for him. Now, I realised how ridiculous that had been.

I was special to him. I had known that. I had seen it in the way he always made me pancakes on Sunday morning. How he grilled salmon instead of baking it because he knew that was how I liked it the most. How he changed his laundry time from morning to evening so I could sleep in and not be woken by the washing machine. It had nothing to do with his feelings for me. But even so, it had been hard.

He had only said one thing as I had packed up my things to leave.

"Sometime, I'm afraid you chose me just because I'm the only gay man who can give you information on Martin", he had said.

I hadn't answered, hurt because it wasn't true. At the same time, I couldn't blame him for thinking like that, because I would have thought the same way.

It hurt. A lot. So I danced the pain away. This week, I had been training for two extra hours a day; one hour extra stretching and one hour extra dancing. I knew it wasn't good for my joints or for my body, but I didn't care.

It was Saturday now, exactly one week after I had left Tobirama's home for my apartment. We didn't have any scheduled training then, and most took this day to rest. But here I was.

Suddenly, someone said my name.

"Izuna."

Not as a call, but as a surprised outburst at finding me here.

That voice had always made me cringe. But not now. If it was because the quality of it had changed or because I just couldn't feel the same range of emotions as before anymore, I couldn't guess.

"Henry."

He stood opposite me, in track pants and a flannel shirt. He was cute, with his ragged, blonde hair and tall, slim, muscular body. I felt very exposed in my training tights and T-shirt.

I didn't say anything. He would have be the one to break the silence and he knew that.

"I'm sorry about Martin", he said, looking away. He looked as if he really meant it. One thing about Henry was that he seemed completely unable to lie or hide his emotions, so I decided to take him on his words. "I swear, I had nothing to do with it."

"I know", I answered so immediately, it took even me by surprise, but I realised it was true.

We stood silent once more.

Then, I went to him, stood up on my toes, put my arms around him and kissed him.

I could feel the taste of shock in his mouth. It took a while before his hands went to my waist, and he placed them there gently. I had expected him to eat me up, but he didn't. He was very, very careful.

And he was very nice to kiss.

He made my lips swollen, made me come out of the kiss gasping for air. He put his hand on my face, leaned our foreheads together, breathed his minty breath into my mouth.

"I'd never thought..." he said and his voice was wobbling with emotions.

"Shh", I said, grabbing his hand.

"Do you forgive me?"

I thought for a bit. This was it. I could just turn back now. But I wouldn't and I knew it and Tobirama knew it, too.