#'now that he has an invitation into my bedroom?' toby asks with the totally bland delivery of an adult looking for a rise out of a kid

[words-writ-in-starlight]

Also???? Court of Cats stuff? It doesn’t have to even be connected to Toby herself (altho I’d love to see the members of the court that like Toby, who have to exist SOMEWHERE) it can be just. The cats and the humans they adopt.

IDK, this is after Toby and Tybalt get together but before A Winter Long, I haven’t figured anything else out.  I was just charmed by the concept.

Toby is on an extremely unremarkable missing person’s case whenshe first notices the cats--really normal, as such things go.  The girl’sprobably fine, just run off with her boyfriend.  Everyone involved ishuman, as far as Toby can tell, which means that, well, everyone’shuman, and these days, that means this is fucking small potatoes.

Theboyfriend may bein a gang.  Toby’s pretty sure mortal guns, copper and lead, aren’t aproblem though, which is why she’s alone in her car.  Tybalt will complainif she gets shot, but she’ll be fine, and all she needs is a photo of the girl.

But that doesn’t matter.  What matters is the flicker ofpearly white Toby catches in the corner of her vision, as it hops up onto afence and disappears around a corner.

It’s the fourth such flicker that Toby’s seen in the three hoursshe’s been camped out on the curb--auburn, two black, and now white.  

“All right, that’s it,” Toby mutters, and doesn’t even bother tothrow a don’t-look-here over her human illusion as she hops out of the hiddencar.  The mask on the car is sturdy enough to keep her from getting towedor keyed while she’s gone.

Toby doesn’t bother to try and sneak around the corner. Instead, she strolls into the alley as open and casual as you please, hands inher coat pockets, and just positions herself, as if by accident, between thedead end and the exit, one shoulder propped lazily against the wall andeyebrows arched.

“So,” Toby says to the alley at large.  “Are you stillhere?”

For a moment, she thinksthat she’s talking to nothing but some blank brick and an empty dumpster.   Thenthere’s an audible sigh and a flare of magic, chamomile and asphalt, and a CaitSidhe rises out of the far corner with the insouciant expression of a cat caughtdoing something against the rules.  She’snot familiar—she must be the red cat Toby caught a glimpse of, with rumpledhair marbled pale and deep auburns—but she stuffs both hands into her jeans pocketsand grins at Toby, sharp teeth and shamelessness.

“Hey,” the woman says, as ifthey’ve just met going about their day.  “How’sit going?”

“Do I know you?���  It’s a rude way to open the conversation, butfrankly, it’s three in the afternoon and Toby doesn’t really have good mannersin her right now.  “Or your friends?”

“No,” the woman says, andoffers a hand tipped, still smiling.  “I’mRuby.  Nice to meet you properly, Sir Daye.”

“A pleasure,” Toby says,shaking the hand suspiciously.  “DidTybalt need something?  Is everythingokay?  Or is he really that sure that I’llget myself stabbed the moment he leaves me alone for more than an hour?”

“You can’t blame him,”another voice says—this one a young man, very young, closer to a boy, with lushwhite hair.  “I’m Jacob.  Hi.”

“I can sure as hell blame himfor spying on me,” Toby replies, but it lacks fire.  The kid looks exhausted, but cheerful, bouncingnervously on his toes.  “So, what can Ido for you?”

“Oh, nothing,” Ruby says.  “The King didn’t send us.  My brother-in-law did.”

Toby rubs both hands over herface and rakes them back through her hair. “I really don’t have time to deal with another coup, if you don’t mind,so--”

“Oh, ash, no,” Ruby laughs.  “My sister is Opal, I think you met her.  Sort of.” The humor drains out of her face all at once, so fast that it leaves Tobya little startled at the sudden change.  “Yousaved her life, and her last kitten,” Ruby says, pinning Toby with eyes such astartling shade of amber gold that they seem to glow like candle flames in thealley.  Toby feels them hit her as firmlyas any arrow, cutting as deep as any knife. “My sister.  You avenged her children.  We can never repay what you did for us.”

“Gabriel suggested that wekeep an eye on you,” Jacob says, solemn in the way that only the very young canmanage.  His eyes are blue and bright, a coldercolor than Quentin’s but wide and heavy-lashed, making him look very youngindeed.  “So we have been.”

Toby stares.  She barely manages to keep her jaw fromfalling slack.  Her blank confusion mustbe tattooed all over her face, because Ruby cracks a smile again and offers aflourishing bow.  

“Anywhere you go in ourterritory,” she says, straightening, and the smile is at odds with the formalityof her speech, “all you need do is call for help, Sir Daye.  The Court of Dreaming Cats will answer, if wecan.”

“And run and tell the King,”Jacob adds.  “This--” he gestures as ifto indicate their benevolent stalking “—wasn’t his idea.  But he did say that if you were in troubleand we didn’t tell him, he’d skin us alive. Letting his lady get murdered is untidy.”

Toby thinks she reallyshouldn’t be surprised—cats can be as loyal as any other animal, in their ownway—but she is.  She’s never heard of theCait Sidhe putting someone under their protection quite so thoroughly, but thenno one talks much about the Cait Sidhe and it’s entirely possible they haven’tin quite some time.  Maybe Samson gaveher a skewed idea of her standing in the Court of Cats, though, because Ruby isstaring at her with a stubborn set to her jaw, and Jacob looks as frankly preparedto disobey her as Tybalt ever has, and—

“Untidy,” Toby manages tochoke out, and then she’s laughing so hard she thinks she might crack arib.  “No, I’m fine,” she gasps, waving ahand at Ruby.  “I’m fine.”  Toby takes a few deep breaths and straightensup.  “So, what, your whole Court is justtrailing me around making sure I don’t get in too much trouble?”

“Not all of us,” Ruby says,and looks a little rueful for the first time. “I’m not going to say you’re, uh, universally popular, Sir Daye.  The ones who wanted the power Samson promisedthem, or the ones who think crossing bloodlines is a problem—they’re notthrilled with you.  But not all of us arelooking to depose the King, if you get me. Tybalt’s been King all my life, and he always did right by us.  And so did you, when you were up against thewall and could have left us to die. Anything we can do to keep you two alive and happy, we’re going to doour best.”

 Toby gets used to seeing cats—notalways Cait Sidhe, either, sometimes they seem to just be cats—dotting her path through the city like gargoyles.  They’re not everywhere, they’re not aconstant presence, and they seem almost coincidental, as if they just happen tobe there when she’s there, by nothing more than luck.  She thinks it should feel like she’s beingspied on, but they always wander off when they’ve seen she’s well, or return totheir naps, or carry on with whatever feline business the presence of theirKing’s consort happens to interrupt.  It feelsmore like having backup.

Sometimes she sees a marbled red cat who grins like a shameless girl and Toby gives her a mocking salute.

The first time Tybalt sees it, he laughs for a week.

[avversiera-writes]

you never said goodbye (2/2) // tobirama senju x reader

Summary: in which Tobirama never makes it from his last mission.

Part One 

///

You wake up at dawn, and find Tobirama’s eyes on you again, vigilant. 

This time, you don’t even question him. You press your body against him and you lean forward to kiss him on the lips. He does not stiffen this time, and instead, he pushes against you until you are lying flat on your back. You meet his intense red eyes, and you feel yourself shiver from anticipation. 

He places himself in between your legs, and he leans forward, catching your lips passionately. 

This is your favorite Tobirama. 

You take his hands and place them over your breasts, and he gives them a firm squeeze. 

You are desperate to feel him, to have him before he gives it his all to his village, before he goes on this mission. You two are never keen on goodbyes, having the faith that you will make it back home. This is how you tell him goodbye, because you hated the finality of that word. If it was up to him, he would have said goodbye firmly, and that was that. You told him before that you never want to hear it.

He slides in and out of you, making sure to grind against your walls slowly. Your whimpers become moans, and you hear his quiet grunts–he was always so silent when making love. You glimpse his face, and you find him pleased as you moan in pleasure, driving into you relentlessly until you are writhing beneath him and you let go of everything. 

You pant as you come down from your high, then Tobirama throws his sleeping clothes at you. 

“Let’s eat,” he orders, as if he is already on the field. 

You throw him a smile as you quickly get dressed, and then follow him out of your shared bedroom. 

You finish early to prepare him his food rations and a light lunch, then you head to the bathroom to prepare his bath. Usually, the servants in the house would help out, but Tobirama is picky and loves his privacy. He does not want anyone wandering into your spaces. 

You wait for him to freshen up by lying on the bed and reading a book. A few moments later, he pads into the bedroom to dress. 

You set down your book to watch him dress. “I polished your armor and repaired the kinks that were bothering you.”

Tobirama pauses, his hands stopping to reach for the armor in midair. “Thank you,” he utters gravely. 

He places his hand on the surface of his armor. 

Back then, he wouldn’t have let you touch a thing of his. Now, it’s become a routine of yours whenever he is about to go on a mission. You reckon it’s probably because he feels bad that he had inevitably forced you out of service.

“I’ll help you put it on,” you say, getting out of your bed, still in his clothes. 

He watches you, and then averts his eyes when you get closer. “Alright,” he quietly says.

After getting him all geared up, the two of you walk the streets of the village, heading to the gates where he and his team planned to rendezvous. You grab his hand, but he flinches and pulls away. 

You scoff. “Tobi, it’s early as hell. No one’s going to see you get mushy with your wife.”

Tobirama sighs and he takes your hand, but he presses closer to you so that it is hidden from view. You roll your eyes, but instead of saying anything else, you decide to bask in the proximity. 

His team arrives right on time, and Tobirama has put a chaste distance between you. You chat with his team for a bit, asking Uchiha Kagami about his new wife, teasing Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, trading gossip with Koharu. Then, when it is time to say goodbye, you watch them walk away. 

You and Tobirama did not need to trade words. His eyes linger on your face, then he nods his goodbye. You watch him go with pride swelling in your chest. You understand him and his stoic ways, but that is who he is. 

///

As the Nidaime Hokage’s wife, you try your best to help out your husband. In his absences due to long missions, you are the one who facilitates meetings, organizes what needs to get approval, write notes and dates on what Tobirama needs to attend to when he returns, and even arrange piles of contracts and drafts of treaties. You would do it in a way he would do it himself, because you knew that he would be on your case if it isn’t to his liking. 

He usually prefers doing everything on his own, but you had vowed to make him a great Hokage, and with every great Hokage there is a wife who is like their backbone in the job. He grudgingly lets you do so, since there is nothing else you can busy yourself with, and although he would not admit it, your support has made a difference and he is coming home earlier and short of total exhaustion.

You meet with the clan heads’ wives, either in your own home or in their households. This is how you siphon information from each clan to get to your husband without prying. You learn of who is born and who is about to get married, who is about to have a new child, or who is about to go into the Academy. You make mental notes about their slips about their husbands, and lend your advice should they ask it of you. 

You also attend a few events where you are invited. Normally, you and Tobirama should be the ones attending, but he is never one to go to a social event unless it is directly connected to his work, so you’re the one who handles this part of his job. 

You visit a few establishments that are being built, and you meet with the workers and the shinobis. They make a few requests that you will run through with Tobirama later, and wish them luck on their work. 

In the evenings, you go to Hashirama and Mito’s household, either to eat dinner or to gossip with Mito. You meet with Tobirama’s toddler grand-niece, Tsunade, who runs around the compound like she rules the world. 

You and Mito drink tea and eat the prepared snacks, exchanging quips about your husbands. 

“He told me not to mourn him,” you relay what Tobirama said a few nights ago. “He’s so silly sometimes.”

“He just doesn’t want you to be sad,” Mito chuckles. 

“I know,” you say. “But like, can’t he say it in another way? It’s like he’s commanding his troops or something. I’m his wife–not a subordinate. That’s why I stopped running missions.”

Mito laughs and she tells you about Hashirama’s gambling and how Tsunade is picking up on his bad habits. You look at her untouched snack and you realize how hungry you are. You ask for her food, even though you normally would not eat other people’s plates. You have been hungry a lot for the past several weeks. 

The next day, you are in his office and you stare at the empty desk where the Hokage should be the one occupying. Tobirama’s desk is quickly piling up with documents, and some of it is delegated to the floor. 

When you come home, the smell of cooking meat in the streets makes you nauseous, and when you pause to stare longingly at Tobirama’s face on the mountain, you throw up in the nearest trash can, much to your chagrin. You are exhausted like you have been running for miles, but you push through it. You couldn’t keep anything down and whatever food comes your way makes you want to throw up, so you opt for a bland porridge. 

///

You snap awake from your sleep, feeling something in your own body break in half. You are not sure what it is, but it does not let you go back to sleep. You end up pacing around in the house like a ghost, and you had started shaking from the feeling. 

Something is wrong. You are absolutely sure and the feeling frightens you. 

You did not want to wake up a servant so you make yourself tea to calm yourself down, but you give up as you almost scalded yourself from inattentiveness. 

You hate being like this. 

The nervous energy in your body makes you throw up, and when dawn arrives, you are wary. You try to keep down the food that the servants had given you to munch on, but there is only so much you can tolerate. 

A few hours later, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrives, alone and rugged, like he hasn’t slept for days and has just come home. 

One look on his face, and you knew what he would say before he even gave voice to it. 

You fall to your knees, and Hiruzen comes forward to catch you. 

“Where is his body?” You whisper hoarsely. 

Hiruzen presses his lips together, his eyes dark. “My lady, I don’t think you should see his body at the moment.”

“Please. He’s my husband,” you croak out. Tears prickle your eyes, and your vision becomes blurred. 

You try not to break down crying

“H-how did he die?”

Hiruzen looks stricken. “He…sacrificed himself, made himself a decoy. He fought well.”

“That…self-sacrificing bastard,” you murmur. You knew something like this would happen, that he will put his life on the line for the village and its people, and it is something you love him for, but it still hurts. 

“I am sorry, my lady.”

“You’re his successor, yes?” You’ve had these talks for a while, that should this even happen, he is planning to make Hiruzen the Sandaime.

Hiruzen clears his throat, not expecting this question. “Yes.”

Do not mourn me. 

“What of the rest of his team?”

“We are alive, thanks to him. We were surrounded by enemy shinobi from Kumo.”

You try to smile but it comes out as a grimace. Such is a life for a shinobi. To die in the battlefield is an honor. 

“My lady,” Hiruzen starts, hesitantly. 

“Yes?”

“He told me to tell you that he is both thankful and sorry.” 

You smile ruefully, despite the grief overtaking your heart. 

Do not mourn me, Tobirama had said, but when you were flitting between consciousness and the land of your dreams, he had whispered the most important words that he couldn’t say to you. 

You had already known.

END.