Work Text:
Bright orange shards sprayed in every direction. Tobi's broad body was sent reeling back. Tobi shrieked, practically throwing himself into the brickwork behind him, as his arms buried and hid his face.
"No, no, nono, nonono, nononoNO." Tobi cried out, fingers curling into wicked claws that tore at his own flesh.
Within seconds, their target was killed by Shisui with a vengeance the likes of which his other two cousins and their respective lovers had never seen from the lawyer. Without a second to waste, Shisui was by Tobi's side, kneeling in front of him.
"Tobi, baby, let me see." Shisui's hands only had the chance to graze the silken material that covered the Akatsuki member's hand before Tobi recoiled, scrabbling back and hissing darkly.
"NO! Not beautiful Shisui-san! You can't see Tobi's face!"
A deep frown came to marr the lawyer's youthful face, his hand much more gentle this time as it threaded into the thick, clean spikes. "Just tell me, baby, are you hurt? Is there any ceramic from the mask in your face?"
"Tobi can take care of it."
"Tobi, c'mon!" Shisui threw his arms up, exasperated. Rin tugged him back and knelt in his place.
"I'm a healer, Tobi-kun. I can help you. If you don't want Shisui to see your face, he doesn't have to. But, as the healer on this mission, it is my duty to make sure that nothing I can treat goes untreated. And that includes you, Brother."
Tobi flinched from within the cradle of his arms. "You think of Tobi as a comrade?"
She smiled, even though he couldn't see it. "Of course."
"Then . . . Tobi is sorry. Tobi can't let anyone see. No one. Tobi doesn't want . . ."
Itachi frowned, sharing a look with Kisame. "If you don't let Rin help you, I'll report you to Tsunade. Then you'll have to go maskless into a hospital."
Tobi curled in further on himself. "You are cruel to Tobi, Itachi-kun. Cruel." Where lightheartedness once was, heavy weight settled. "Tobi doesn't think this is funny. Not at all."
Kisame sighed. "Just show her your face. She'll pull out the ceramic shard and bandage you up. Then we can go home and you can find another mask. Let's just hurry this up."
They had managed it, but Tobi had made Rin bandage his whole face to hide it. Shisui walked a little further away from him than usual, drifting towards Obito and Itachi, placid fury seeping out of the lawyer's pores as he avoided his lover.
Rin nudged the Akatsuki member's elbow, a timid smile on her face.
"Don't worry about Shisui." She said softly, quickly squeezing his hand.
"Tobi did it again." The larger man whispered, most likely to himself rather than the Hatake clan Medical. "Shisui is just so . . . beautiful . . . " He sighed. "Tobi doesn't deserve him."
"Look," She interrupted, pulling on his arm. "Shisui decides who deserves him. And he chose you. That should count for something, huh? He's put a lot of effort into getting you this wrapped up in his life, in his work as a lawyer and as a clansman. Shisui really, genuinely loves you, Tobi."
"Tobi makes him frustrated." He pulled at his own hair, hissing out a curse. "Tobi makes Tobi frustrated. He should be able to tell him . . . "
She nodded slowly. "Itachi told us all that there was something in your past that was very painful. Shisui knows. He respects that you have no desire to reveal that to him and if you never did, I'm sure he wouldn't say a word. What he does mind, understandably, is never having gotten a kiss from the man he loves. The man he plans to pledge himself to."
Tobi's visible eye widened. "Shisui plans to pledge himself to Tobi?"
She nodded. "He's going to wait until a bit after Obito and I get married, so he can't steal the spotlight for marriage, but yes."
Inside his chest, Tobi's heart gave a jarring and painful lurch.
She patted his back. "I don't expect you to get over whatever this is overnight. But, at the very least, you could explain to Shisui exactly what about this is so sensitive. Just like Itachi told Kisame."
Tobi nodded, shame and disgust warring for dominance within him. Shisui, his beloved one, his black sunshine, was upset with him. Rin was right. He owed it to his lovely darling, one who had put up with the mask for almost four years now without complaint, to see his face.
Yes, he would show his beloved one his face. All he had to do now was gather the courage.
Tobi had stayed locked away in his house for the better part of a week, only coming out to get groceries. When he came home, there was another ceramic mask on his bedside table, a paper note held under it by the open window.
I had Mito Uzumaki from the Senju clan place a seal on it so that no amount of force can shatter it. I also had Deidara make the mask, so it should be pretty fit to your face, despite me not knowing the contours. The design has swirls coming from the eye on it this time, but I'm sure that you can appreciate a good change in looks every now and again. That old one with the black flames on it was getting beat-up anyway. I hope you like it because I called in two really heavy favours.
~ I love you.
Shisui looked over at the clock. 3:12 AM.
What the actual fuck?
Another round of heavy knocking brought him further from the grasp of sleep.
This better be fucking important.
He threw open the door to the apartment he kept separate from Itachi's Uchiha complex. He usually holed up here on difficult cases, surrounded by coffee and papers.
"Tobi?"
The masked man stiffened, wringing his hands nervously. He let out a shuddering breath. "Can Tobi come in?"
Shisui shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. Come in."
He had just managed to close the door before he was spun around, slammed against it and kissed. Tobi had hoisted him off the ground, holding onto him so tightly that Shisui was afraid the larger man might break something. After a moment, however, Tobi pulled away, hiding his face in Shisui's shoulder.
"Tobi is so sorry, Shisui. So sorry."
From his position, off the ground with his legs wrapped around the other man's waist, he petted his hair gently. "What for?"
"Tobi never kissed you. Tobi's never touched you. Tobi's never shown you how much he needs you and wants you."
Shisui chuckled. "I didn't come into this relationship expecting it to be easy. I'm ready for the ride, no matter how bumpy."
"There's . . . another reason Tobi came here, too."
"Oh?"
"Tobi needs Shisui to cover his eyes."
The Uchiha chuckled again, childishly holding his eyes closed. "I think I'm going to like this surprise."
Underneath him, Tobi shook, his voice muted into near silence. Shisui was sure that if the man had of been wearing his mask, he wouldn't have heard it. "Tobi's not so sure."
Shisui felt them drop. The familiar slide of his sheets against his skin told them they were on his bed, the only piece of furniture second only to his desk in this tiny closet masquerading as an apartment. Gently, Tobi pried him away, pushing him to sit straddled over Tobi's thighs.
"Open those beautiful eyes, Shisui."
As instructed, he blinked his eyes open and took in the man he was straddling.
Deep black hair, no longer held back by the mask, fell low enough to brush matching eyebrows. A thin, straight nose guided his eyes down to pouty, full lips that he just knew he would have so much fun biting and pulling. The jawline was masculine, but touched with feminine roundness. One pitch eye stared at him warily, nervously flickering over his face as if to catch even the vaguest hints of disgust and repulsion. The other eye, red and active with the Sharingan, possessed no light, seeming only to follow the other out of habit rather than use. All across the planes of the face were scars. Hundreds of scars, some large, some small. Only one or two pink ones from his shattered mask, nearly lost in the white lines. Overall, not horrific, like Shisui had half-expected it to be with how Tobi hid it.
"I love it."
Tobi blinked in surprise. "What?"
Shisui grinned. "My surprise. I love it."
Of all the things for his angel to say, that was the last thing Tobi would ever think of. "You're not . . . repulsed by Tobi?"
Still grinning, Shisui shook his head. "I thought it would be way worse than that with the lengths you went to hide it." He gently traced around the obviously blind eye. "I'm also happy to finally know you're really an Uchiha."
"Why?"
"I don't have to worry about you so much. I still will, but you having a Sharingan eases them a little."
"And . . . And the scars?"
"What about them?" Shisui kissed the broken eye. "I didn't fall in love with you because of your body. I won't fall out of love with you for it, either. Mind you, now that I'm really feeling it, I'm starting to appreciate it more."
"They're everywhere. The scars."
"I figured." Shisui stroked down a roughened cheek. "Was it torture?"
"Yes. Before the Akatsuki. When he lived in Japan, Tobi did some work for some mercenaries. They betrayed Tobi in Africa, sold him out to some warlord. They told him Tobi was gay. it wasn't until Tobi activated his Mangekyo that he was able to escape."
"And no one knew you were there to come rescue you." Shisui finished quietly. Tobi nodded. "Was that when you started talking about yourself in the third person?"
"Tobi needed someone else to be there, to handle the pain and talk to. Tobi chose Tobi."
Shisui nuzzled into the side of his face. "Thank you. I know this must have taken a lot of courage. I'm also sorry, because you deserves so much better than what you got."
"Tobi would do it all over again if it got him Shisui." Tentatively, Tobi kissed Shisui's neck, just letting himself feel Shisui's smooth, unblemished skin against his own scarred lips. He kissed him again, and again and again. "A thousand times, if I got you."
Shisui pressed in close to Tobi, wrapping himself around his lover. "Would you let me see all of you?"
For once, the Uchiha actually got to see the Akatsuki's excited smile. "Yes! Tobi wants to feel all of Shisui."
He laughed and rolled over, bringing Tobi down on top of him. "I love you."
"I love you too, Shisui."