Sweetly biting

7.

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!