Please, before you read this, remember that I'm not a native speaker... I just wanted to share my story with you so see over the failures in grammar etc. I hope you like it anyway! X3
His first thought, his first sight and his first touch in the morning always applied to the other side of the bed, which now appeared unusually empty and pale in the light of the morning sun. Jiraiya opened his eyes slowly, because he hoped that the events of the last few days were only a bad dream. But to his disappointment he was alone in his bedroom. Sorrowfully, he looked at the untouched pillow. A silent tear ran down his face when he thought about the last words of his beloved friend...
"Now, I have finally found a reason not to stay in Konoha any longer..."
---
Jiraiya and Orochimaru had a rite. After each mission they met at this place of their childhood, which held held so many common memories. There was no agreement. They simply met each other. Initially random, then more and more frequently, and finally, it was for both the habit at the end of a mission not to haunt their own apartment.
"Did you miss me?"
Jiraiya didn't turn around. He knew immediately to whom these delicate, and yet so gentle male voice belonged. As always, he shook his head. Even that was one thing, he was fully aware of: Orochimaru grinned, which belied Jiraiya''s words. The two young Sannin had a special way to communicate. While their body (in some situations!) and their words said "no", their hearts said "yes".
Yes, Jiraiya missed Orochimaru every time when he was gone. Even if only for one day. EBut every hour, minute, second seemed to be an eternity for Jiraiya, when his little Snake was not at home. He missed every single fiber of Orochimaru's body. He missed hHis oh so soft hair, which ran down like ink from his shoulders to his back and, the feeling when it slipped through Jiraiya's fingers., Hhe missed his skin, which looked as if it was frozen and yet so warm under his body. And he missed his glowing eyes, which drilled through his soul when they watched him. "To miss" was not an expression for the overwhelming emotions that Jiraiya felt when he didn't have Orochimaru by his side.
According to the rite, Orochimaru sat next to his beloved into the grass. The sun was already low in the sky and coloured the training field with a deep orange. Both of them stared into space, said not a word and seemed to be lost in thought. Why even talk to each other if they also understood without words.
"You look terrible," said Jiraiya finally, as he took a brief look at Orochimaru. It hurt him, when he looked at the scratches and cuts on the otherwise flawless white skin. He always felt the urge to kill those who damaged his property so violently.
"I was not in the shower." was the reply.
"And why not?"
Orochimaru sighed. Was Jiraiya really that stupid or ... yes, that was it! He wanted to force him to say "this". The idea made Orochimaru smile. His facial muscles shrugged a little, since they were not particularly accustomed to such emotions. They looked at each other - Jiraiya full of expectation because he wanted to hear "it" and Orochimaru with a hard to suggest explain countenance, which in his case, however, meant something like affection.
"I only wanted to see you..", Orochimaru said finally and was not at a loss for another smile.
Jiraiya felt a blush rising in his face, which was clearly not due to the blood-red drawings on his cheeks. He loved it when Orochimaru opened himselfup, when he gave him only three words of the large vocabulary of love and affection. It was enough to him, because he loved nothing so as much as his little Snake. Carefully, he took Orochimaru's hand in his own in order not to scare him with his touch.
"Let's go home", he whispered and helped Orochimaru, who was tired from his strenuous mission, to stand up.
Another part of the
rite was the common silence on the way to one of their apartments.
"Healthy silence", as Orochimaru called it, was very
patronizing for a relationship. Anyway, in general, Jiraiya was too
loud and boisterous. His outburst of nature and his attitude towards
life had made Orochimaru crumble from the beginning. Already in the
Ninja Academy he held nothing but contempt for the noisy bastard.
When he finally had to deal in a team with him, it was clear to
Orochimaru that he would have to teach the little no-good
"silence" as a start. He never would have guessed at that
time that his animosity towards his team-mate would turn into
interest, affection and even love. He was not even aware of the fact
that he could ever feel such a thing as love.
So, he hung with his thoughts in the past and didn't notice that they had already had reached his apartment. Jiraiya had pulled the front door key from Orochimaru's pocket and unlocked it before the jingle of the keys awoke him from his memories (which he was already accustomed to since Orochimaru always fell into some kind of trance when they kept silence).
Someone who knew Orochimaru -and knew him precisely, his essence, his view- would be astonished by the sight of the beautiful apartement lit by the evening sun, but for Jiraiya this place was one of his places of refuge from everyday life, and so he nestled in his "favorite refuge". After he had kicked his shoes in any corner (which Orochimaru endorsed with an irritated look), he put his legs on the couch and crossed his arms behind his head. He examined his friend from head to toe. Again, this wordless gesture Orochimaru understood without further prompting.:
"I'll hurry,." hHe said and began to undress his jacket. On the way to the bathroom, he has scattered more clothes on the floor until his white shape seemed to reflect the evening light. Jiraiya's reaction was overly predictable, but even Orochimaru, who was quite familiar with the physical reactions of his lover, wouldn't have expected such a run...
