An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Day three of @narutorarepairweek. Today’s prompt is any au.
Pairing: HashiramaTobirama Word count: 4333 Rated: E Summary: They have all they need out here on the waves with no expectation but a new horizon - and to end the day in each others' arms.
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I Don’t Want A Harp Nor A Halo, Not Me
The sea did not judge. Watching the waves part before them and the sea spray up to mist them all with her tempestuous benediction, Tobirama wondered if that was what had called him out to roam the open waters all those years ago. Here where there was frequently no other humans for leagues in any direction and no land in sight for days there was never any need to worry about judgment. No eyes followed him that did not already know and accept and look away when he needed them to. There were no voices to curse and denounce the things that made him happiest.
If not for the wind snapping the loose material of his brother’s shirt he would never have heard the man coming up behind him, bare feet silent on the well-scrubbed deck. He smiled to see Hashirama's pout for not being able to startle him.
“You should have buttoned your shirt if you wanted to be sneaky,” he said, knowing he was only helping to set himself up for the next time but not truly minding. As with most things in life, if it made Hashirama smile then it was worth it, even if he came away looking like a fool.
As quickly as it appeared the pout was gone a moment later in favor of a broad smile. Hashirama looked out at the sea around them, long hair streaming in the wind until he looked nothing short of a siren, beautiful and tempting, the only difference being that Tobirama had answered the call a long time ago and never once had his precious brother given any hints that doing so would end with him scuppered on the rocky ocean floor. Though he could have spent hours of the day standing here admiring the view he was interrupted when Hashirama turned to look back at him. He couldn’t be too mad at the sacrifice though, not when he was then treated to the full weight of that glorious too-wide smile.
“Where are we going today?” his brother asked him.
“That depends,” Tobirama replied easily, the same words they traded every morning. “Wherever your heart leads, there shall I follow.”
“Such a dutiful Otouto.”
“You say that every day.”
Hashirama reached up to trace the ink tattooed in to pale white cheeks as he murmured, “I mean it every day.”
Before there was time for Tobirama to do anything but hum with the slight embarrassment that always accompanied strong emotions, their attention was hailed by one of the crew. He turned aside and very carefully did not react to the way his brother’s fingers trailed along the line of his neck and shoulders until he had moved out of reach. The sea did not judge but his heart was weak to temptation and if he followed the promise of that touch he knew very well that neither of them would get anything done that day. Neither of them had run away to the sea to be lazy.
Helping Kisame with the rigging wouldn’t have taken half as long as it did if either of them were inclined to put a little hustle in to their bustle. But they had made port only a week before, supplies were plentiful while the fishing was good, and none of their crew were going anywhere but for wherever the waves took them. It was a good life for anyone willing to work hard in exchange for escaping the trappings and restrictions of a land bound existence.
Like most of the men and women with them, Tobirama and Hashirama had both grown up on the ever-changing tides. Their father was a minor lord wasting away on the small estate that could have been theirs if they had stayed to inherit it. Instead they followed their mother and learned to love the sea from the bow of the ship she named Home, returning home barely a handful of times before they reached adulthood and decided for themselves that proper society was not for them. Proper society gasped and hissed and cursed them as unnatural for things beyond their control. When their mother passed they inherited their Home and never once had either of them looked back to the places they could never belong.
As first mate Tobirama could have rested on his laurels and left the work of sailing to those who were paid to do so. Luckily for them he’d been raised better than that – not to mention how bored a mind like his would have been if he squandered his days away in such a manner, feet kicked up and hands idle. Men of his intellect were more likely to be found in one of the universities around the Great Elemental Nations but Tobirama was more than happy to entertain himself of an evening with whatever books they were able to pilfer in their travels. Out here where every helping hand counted he was better put to use pulling the fishing lines and trimming the sails, scrubbing the decks or taking his turn cleaning out the bilge water below. More than just efficient, it helped to build a strong rapport with the crew, earning their trust and loyalty both. It was their mother who had taught them the importance of treating those around them well.
Hard workers that they both were, neither Tobirama nor Kisame noticed the day slipping them by until the shadows behind them grew long enough to tempt the monsters hidden by the dark waters around them. It took Hashirama marching out to pout at the both of them for Tobirama to agree with some degree of amusement that perhaps it was time he attended dinner.
Or at least that’s where he assumed he was being pulled away to. He suspected Hashirama might have another destination in mind when they bypassed the mess hall entirely and instead made their way towards the officers’ cabins.
The door to the space they shared had hardly been shut when Tobirama felt himself being tugged around again and he was already wearing a smile even before catching sight of the way Hashirama had to duck under the low ceiling, the single curse of life on the sea. Hashirama had grown up just a little tall for the ship’s construction. They had talked about saving their spoils to have a new one built, something of their own and built to accommodate Hashirama's height on every deck, but nostalgia had so far held them back.
“I believe you owe me something,” his brother murmured.
“Mm? And what would that be?”
“A kiss.” The pout reappeared, shameless. “I never got a kiss this morning and you’ve spent all day away from me.”
Doing his best to smother his amusement, Tobirama affected a solemn expression. “How terribly rude of me to leave you lonely like that. I suppose I’ll have to make it up to you now.”
The words had only barely left his mouth when Hashirama was leaning forward, eyes slipping closed, and the idea of making him wait any longer felt nothing less than cruel to both of them.
A quiet sigh almost of relief whispered in the space between them and Tobirama couldn’t help but smile as their lips pressed together and strong arms slid around his waist to pull him closer. On sea or on land there was only one place he had ever truly belonged: here in his brother’s embrace, fingers sliding up in to his wind-ruffled hair, hearts beating in tandem through flesh and ribs. This was precisely why they had left their father and the judgment of others behind. Tobirama had never known the touch of anyone else but it had taken no more than one fumbling kiss in the night as a storm tossed their Home back and forth for him to know that he would never want to.
Surely nothing in the world could compare to the bliss of a strong hand browned from years under the sun tracing down the side of his neck to slip under his collar. A thumb pressed itself against his fluttering pulse but it was a comfortable weight. Many times before he had trusted his life to this man. Hashirama would not hurt him. In fact he very clearly had plans to the opposite, shuffling forwards to push them towards the large bed bolted to the far corner of the floor.
For the sake of contrariness – and his own amusement – Tobirama resisted when he felt the edges of the frame bump in to his thighs, wrestling with his brother until the two of them tumbled laughingly down to mess the blankets. They continued to tussle until he found himself pinned beneath a solid body with both arms held above his head and a curtain of brown hair spilling around them to block out the rest of the world. It struck him, as it did so often, just how beautiful a man his brother was. Hashirama's eyes were sparkling with warmth as they playfully narrowed at him, almost daring him to be any more difficult.
“Disobeying orders from your captain?”
“I don’t remember you giving me any orders,” Tobirama purred, lifting his chin to show off the sleek line of his neck.
“Very true.” Just as suspected Hashirama was unable to resist. With a low groan he bent to mouth along the fading marks he’d left only a few days prior. “Always so sneaky and clever.”
Feet bare as they were most days, thighs spread to accommodate a thick waist between them, it was all too easy for Tobirama to clench his abdominals and bring his legs up to wrap around the other man, flipping their positions before his partner had time to realize what was happening.
“Sneaky am I?”
“Or maybe I am. How do you know this wasn’t what I was after the whole time?” Hashirama's lips curled up in a sly grin as he rolled his hips agonizingly slow, chuckling when Tobirama glared down at him.
“Have I been outmaneuvered?” he asked.
“You might be a genius but you’re not the only smart one around here,” Hashirama answered with a bit of mock preening in his voice.
Tobirama considered that for a moment. Then he rolled his own hips just to listen to the startled gasp from below and feel the interested twitch against his bottom. “If you were really smart you would quit stalling and get to the point, Anija.”
“I’m not the one who interrupted with play fighting!” His brother flashed him a mighty pout. “You started it!”
“Semantics. Now I’m going to finish it.”
His brother was laughing again when he leaned down but that was okay, joy always tasted sweeter when shared between them. When he rolled his hips again this time they were caught between two palms so Hashirama could drag him down and grind their bodies together properly. Quite suddenly there seemed to be too many layers of cloth between them, too much clothing separating their skin. Tobirama offered no protests as he felt the ties of his pants being struggled with, wriggling one hand between them to pull at the loose hem of Hashirama's voluminous shirt. Sometimes it was annoying that the man never bothered to tuck in his clothes but in moments like this when desperation drove him to clumsiness it was nothing short of a boon.
Getting either of their shirts over their heads was a bit tricky when Hashirama all but refused to move his hands away from struggling with a particularly stubborn knot in the pant laces he couldn’t seem to figure out. Several minutes had already passed and little whines of frustration were beginning to slip past his lips by the time Tobirama had wrestled his top off and slapped the hands away from his crotch to do it himself. Patience had never been his greatest virtue.
It wasn’t the most graceful maneuver he’d ever made but somehow or other he managed to divest himself of cotton and leather without removing himself from such a delicious position spread over his brother’s lap. Hashirama's pants, thankfully, came undone so much easier but by that point they were both a little too impatient to do anything with them.
Tobirama arched his back and stretched up, almost able to touch the low ceiling still, rumbling with pleasure under the nails that raked themselves gently over his chest and sides, circling his nipples teasingly. When he looked down again he flicked his eyes towards the nightstand bolted next to the bed. Only officers were afforded the luxury of private quarters and furniture rather than an open room lined with hammocks and cots. He couldn’t imagine a life without somewhere to stash the balm Hashirama twisted to scramble for now or four walls to muffle the sounds of their pleasure. Being on top had its perks.
And that applied to more than just the chain of command.
The first soft touch against his entrance was a question that very nearly made him scoff. If he wasn’t in the mood he would not have gotten himself in to position so freely. He answered by rocking his hips down against those questing fingers and lifting one brow in challenge, huffing in amusement when it made his partner shiver with want. Hashirama had always rather enjoyed his enthusiasm for the love they shared. Others would condemn the depths of their partnership but Tobirama had never known the love of another and he would never want to. This was where he belonged and where he wanted to stay. Putting his money where his mouth was had never been a problem for him before and it wasn’t now, rocking with the rhythm of the ocean beneath them and teasing them both with the slide of Hashirama's trapped cock between his cheeks.
“Such a minx,” the man breathed, making him laugh.
“Only for you, Anija. Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it.”
Hashirama's fingers left his skin for only as long as it took him to cover them with balm and then they were back, tracing the edges of his hole more to tease now than to explore. “I like everything about you, Otouto.”
When he pressed the tip of his finger inside it was like being invited on the path towards home. Tobirama braced himself against the solid sun-kissed chest he loved so much and arched to show off the lines of his neck again, soaking in the whispers of admiration and the whines that Hashirama couldn’t reach to lavish him with new love bites. He paid little attention to the latter. They would have more than enough time for that after he was properly stretched and finished giving the show he knew his partner wanted.
As almost always happened, any sort of hurry that Hashirama might have been in seemed to dissipate as he pushed in a little deeper and sighed with the simple pleasure of being inside his lover in some way. Tobirama would have offered him a fond smile, amused by such a silly idiosyncrasy, but he was rather distracted at the moment by riding the finger working its way deeper and the murmurs of praise from below. If Hashirama could not reach to lavish attention on him with lips and teeth he was always prepared to do so with words whispered in to the heated air between them.
Holding himself in place, Tobirama bit down on his lower lip and thanked the gods of the sea that they had skipped dinner, grateful the rest of their crew was distracted with the roar of the mess hall. There was undoubtedly no one close enough to hear whatever noise they were about to make.
Not that it would matter very much if there were. Each of the crew members on board their ship had been hand selected for their trustworthiness and their utter lack of shits to give about two brothers who wanted to roll around in the sheets together. There was no one here that wasn’t aware of their relationship. And there was also no one here who cared. If there did happen to be anyone late for dinner who heard a noise they didn’t like they were more than welcome – and likely – to simply remove themselves from the area.
“Come back out of your head, Otouto,” Hashirama's voice murmured. When he blinked the ceiling came back in to focus and Tobirama realized that he had drifted away to float, his thoughts tenuous and fleeting, ruled by the sensations heating his skin from the inside out until the rest of the world seemed almost to fade away. It wasn’t distraction, per se, but it had always made his brother pout not to be the center of his attention. He leaned forward and bent to lay a kiss on those lips in apology.
“I’m here with you,” he said.
“Really?” The skepticism was only teasing but still he pushed close for a deeper kiss.
“Always.”
Lightning sparked along his nerves when Hashirama answered by adding a second finger, wiping out the ability to even let his thoughts wander. For a time nothing else existed but the bliss of being opened at such a torturously slow pace. He was approaching the verge of begging for his partner to speed things along a little when a slight shift just so sent fire licking through his veins as spots of color exploded behind his eyes. Only by sheer force of will was he able to hold himself off from spilling his seed right then and it was clear the move had been deliberate when Hashirama chuckled low in his throat. When he began to rumble praise for holding together so well Tobirama cracked his eyes open and glared.
“Do get to the point, Anija,” he said. Hashirama let out a bark of laughter.
“Such sweet words from my precious little Otouto. You really know how to seduce a man, don’t you?”
“I shouldn’t have to seduce anyone with three fingers in my ass!”
With a nod like he was conceding the point Hashirama slowed his movements, free hand reaching for the little jar of balm. Tobirama reached out to snag the jar first and shuffled backwards impatiently the moment he was empty so his partner had room to finish disrobing. Viscous and smelling faintly of the herbs it was made from, he’d never been fond of having it slathered all over his own hands but desperate times called for desperate measures. He hardly allowed Hashirama time to free his legs before reaching forward to curl his fingers around the steel-hard invitation just waiting for him to sink down on to it. A smirk flashed across his lips when the other man gasped. Then he was climbing over those gorgeously solid thighs once more and reaching behind to line himself up just right.
As thorough as his brother was he very nearly slid right down to the hilt immediately. Both of them moaned in unison as though the sounds had been punched out of them, ragged, edged with relief like this was where they belonged. Tobirama let the motion of their Home rock him gently, inching down until he rested flush in the cradle of his brother’s hips. With his eyes closed he listened carefully to the unsteady breaths filling the small room and smiled.
Then he braced himself and rose up only to glide back down with carefully controlled movements. Bliss. For this he had spurned the land and the mutterings of those who cared for such inconsequential things like morality and social standing. For this he would travel the sea from end to end with nothing but a raft and a scrap of sail to get him there. This, the feeling of belonging, completion, the safety of knowing that no one could ever love him better, this was all he needed to be whole. No jewel or treasure or any pleasures of the land could ever call him away from this. It was hard to imagine anything that could ever make him feel better than he did when he was filled to his limit with Hashirama, hot and hard and perfect in every way. And from the unfettered gasps filling the room he would guess his brother agreed.
“Otouto,” Hashirama breathed, “gods you always feel so good!”
“Flattery will get you everything you want.” The teasing tone he was going for was lost in a gasp when his brother rolled his hips up, grinding deeper in to him.
“I could - ahhh - I could flatter you for hours if that’s what gets you going.”
Tobirama ducked his chin to level his partner with a heated look. “You know exactly what gets me going.”
And so he did. Hashirama rose to the unspoken challenge beautifully, both hands coming up to trace the shape of his hips, dipping in to scrape at his sensitive inner thighs before skimming farther up to pinch at even more sensitive nipples. Both of them had spent endless hours learning each other’s bodies and all the places to drive the other wild. All he had to do was ask and Tobirama knew he could have any fantasy come true in an instant.
Had, in fact, fulfilled them all many times over throughout the years.
Were they in any other position he might have almost been tempted to call himself selfish. As he lifted himself again and rode their bodies together like an inevitable wave he decided this was fair. He was the one doing all the real physical work here, it was only right that Hashirama indulge him a little in return. With as much exercise as he got on a daily basis it wasn’t exactly a strain holding his own body weight but that was entirely besides the point. So what if he enjoyed being spoiled sometimes? He didn’t need to ask to know that Hashirama did not mind at all being handed an open opportunity to lavish attention on the man he loved.
Of course, there were side effects to being the center of such an enthusiastic man’s attention. Both of them had been blessed with stamina in spades but even Tobirama’s iron willpower couldn’t hold out forever under the onslaught of so much focused pleasure. It was somehow too soon and too quick when he felt his thighs begin to quake; not with the strain of muscle but with the effort of forcing himself to go on when all he wanted was to collapse and allow these glorious sensations to course through him. He could tell his brother was close as well when he felt hands pawing at him to draw him down where he was met with a fierce kiss that curled his already permanently curled toes.
“You’ll be the death of me,” Hashirama gasped.
“Let it be a good death,” was all the response he managed before he watched brown eyes roll back and the hips underneath him surged upwards, punching a guttural cry from his throat at the same time that Hashirama gave vent to the same long rumbling moan that had first awakened this desperate need they still shared for each other, a sound he first heard in the dead of night when he was supposed to be asleep that sent him tumbling over the edge now because he knew it had belonged to him ever since.
When the rhythm of his movements faltered Hashirama took hold of his hips and bodily lifted him, rocking him up and down just to listen to him gasp at the sharp bursts of overwhelming pleasure. Only when he slammed one hand out to support himself against the wall and begged for mercy was he allowed to come to rest. The moment he was stationary Tobirama collapsed forward and buried his face in Hashirama’s sweaty neck.
For several minutes he simply breathed, taking in the scent of salt and sex, as free here between four small walls as he had ever been. Eventually he felt his perch shifting and a hand came up to stroke down the length of his bowed spine.
“Alright?” Hashirama’s voice rumbled.
“So long as I’m with you,” Tobirama whispered, so many promises in so little words.
“I love you too. We should probably get cleaned up though. Now that I’ve sated this hunger my belly has a lot to say about another.” He chuckled and it was almost apologetic as though he wasn’t the one who usually wanted to lounge around in bed and cuddle for hours afterwards.
Gathering the will to sit up did take another minute or so but Tobirama forced himself to straighten, wrinkling his nose at the mess now smeared across both of their bellies. Cleaning themselves sounded heavenly at the moment. He grimaced a little more at the feeling of his brother’s softened length sliding out if only because he was a sentimental fool who had never enjoyed the emptiness that always followed these moments of being whole. Thankfully they had long built the habit of keeping a basin in the room with water and a cloth which he used now to clean his own backside, rinsing the cloth and tossing it over for his brother to use as well.
The two of them had only managed to slip their trousers back on when the sound of a brass horn met their ears through the wooden decks. Both men froze, their eyes meeting. In the next instant they had abandoned the rest of their clothing in favor of reaching for weapons hung by the door. That sound could only mean only thing: an unfriendly ship was approaching. Battle was calling. Neither of them gave even a single thought to how it would look for the both of them to appear on deck in such matching states of undress when the rest of their crew had been busy at dinner. It didn’t matter to them who saw the evidence of their happiness.
The sea did not judge.