The Troubled Sons
~~~
If they were to name one thing their courtship was built upon, it would most definitely be desperation. Hell, even a blind individual could see that it was so. All parties knew at the negotiations that a similar act of goodwill and sacrifice had to be made by both major parties, a hefty and bloody weight neither the Uchiha nor the Senju could overlook or avoid. For the Senju, particularly Tobirama, it had meant concessions, perhaps providing the Uchiha access to the various trading partners they interacted with, or perhaps some of the infrastructural and agricultural techniques and blueprints that Tobirama had crafted over the years. Much to all of the Senju delegation’s surprise, the Uchiha had come prepared with an ultimatum of an arranged marriage between clan heirs, an option that ensured without a shadow of a doubt that each clan brought forth and committed a mutual sacrifice. The Senju to be forfeited was Tobirama, solely due to the fact Hashirama was already taken and their brothers were six feet under-. In the end, Tobirama had no choice but to accept the ultimatum of arranged marriage as the price to pay to end the pointless bloodshed between themselves and the Uchiha. It, however, did not mean that said arranged marriage would be a simple task for either party; their connected past as enemies with one another’s clansman's blood on their hands and cultural differences were proving to be points of contention if not impasses at best.
Madara felt as if he was doing everything right when it came to their courtship, from taking Tobirama out on dates (in public to ensure they were remaining decent, as per a certain tree hugger’s demands) and gifting his intended with various items of meaning and wealth. Yet, much to the Uchiha clan head’s frustration, the albino remained reserved if not cold during their outings, always ensuring a space of two feet between them at all times and if asked a question, answering in the most monotone, infuriating tone ever! Their interactions often left Madara tugging on his wild hair in maddened frustration because how in the hell was he supposed to grow closer with this man if all he did in kind was simply nod along and do as Madara said or simply absorb any vitriol he sent his way?! It most definitely didn’t help that the man, repeatedly much to Uchiha’s irritation, would look at him with such confusion every time he was presented with a courting gift! Surely, as Madara decided early on, the Senju Ghost was clearly a conceited, unfeeling individual that had absolutely no interest in learning not only about the clan he would be marrying into but Madara included! Truly, it was as if this man wasn’t even human with how he conducted himself and don’t even get him started on the Senju’s blatant act of disrespect with that damn katana-!
At the feeling of maliced eyes burning into his person, Tobirama looked up from his position at his desk, vermillion irises searching the room until they landed on the blurred figure of his intended slouched at his desk which was situated on the other end of their office. Such a decision had been that of Hashirama’s, the idiot having stated gleefully that working in the same room with one another would serve as additional time to bond both as co-workers and as future spouses.
This arrangement, however, was only proving to be yet another point of contention for the two men.
As one of the main architectural designers and city planners for the village, Tobirama rarely saw an end to his mountain of paperwork, let alone the bottom of his desk, and each document needed all of his concentration to ensure there were no mistakes made. Madara shared much of the same workload, meaning their collaboration was essential in completing said paperwork, and just as they were at odds with one another outside of the workplace, they were in this building as well. Arguments would often erupted between them, with Tobirama standing by logic and Madara by emotion, the differing schools of thought proving to be quite the challenge to overcome. What truly didn’t help was the interference of outside forces, both in their personal and work relationships, particularly in the forms of their clan elders.
Not wanting further tension to fill the room, the Senju took the time to set his brush in the nearby ink well on the right side of his desk, a soft clink emanating from the action. “Is there something you need, Madara-sama?”
Remain neutral, appease the man, for failure is not an option. They had lost too much for his own conflicts to ruin this already soured opportunity.
“Nothing of your concern, Senju-san.” The Uchiha still refused to call Tobirama by name, which the Senju took as an evident sign of discontent.
Madara had simply crafted his response to act as a means to not make his future spouse ponder further about his wandering gaze, cheeks dusting with blush, something Tobirama would have seen if he was not visually impaired.
Silence enveloped the room following the terse reply from the man sitting across from him and knowing better than to push further, Tobirama returned his attention to the trade deal he had been working on prior to their verbal encounter without a second thought.
Such a decision was promptly proved mute when, just a few moments later, Madara’s smoke tinted voice echoed through the air.
“Is what you are working on so important that you cannot entertain a simple conversation with your betrothed, Senju-san?”
The question was meant to be a playful jab, a means of coaching Tobirama out of his impenetrable defenses and partaking in a conversation that would hopefully gift Madara with just a lick of information about his future husband from the source itself. What disappointment he felt when he was forced to witness the stiffening of Tobirama’s body, heart sinking at the way the look of wonderous curiosity melted off of his unique but utterly handsome face.
Tobirama readied himself for the blow, whether it be physical or verbal, any hope of Madara not finding weaknesses or pointing out faults dying within a matter of seconds. What had he done to earn the other man’s ire? Was it wrong for him to hyperfixate on his work to ensure perfection over matters that were detail sensitive?
“Anija has asked me to oversee the development of the Academy’s curriculum. I am currently attempting to establish a method in which students will be placed under the tutelage of various instructors from differing clans.” The albino forced his voice to remain leveled, too scared to even look in Madara’s direction as he continued his work. “I wish to ensure the proposal is flawless before I submit it to the council.”
“Are you in need of an extra set of eyes before your submission?” Unknown to Madara, Tobirama was in fact preparing to ask a third party to examine his work to find anything that may be poorly worded or simply overlooked. Previously, Mito or Touka had been the ones to preview all documents and outlines he crafted but perhaps asking Madara to be the individual that peruse the document would be a sign of good faith towards the Uchiha. It could serve as a show of vulnerability and humility, surely it would cater to his intended.
Taking the piece of parchment in hand, Tobirama returned his gaze to his betrothed with a bit of optimism on the horizon. “It would prove beneficial if an individual aside from myself and anija examine my outlines. A sign of trust and humility, is it not?”
Sadly, it took less than thirty seconds for Madara to obliterate any hope Tobirama had in their relationship being more than just a political agreement.
“Understood. When you are finished, have the proposal sent to Izuna for critique.”
Izuna was the one that handled everything pertaining to the teaching of clan hiden and education within their clan, so Madara could easily hand the duty of reviewing the proposal to him. What was the point of having someone with neither no interest or background add his two cents to the situation anyway?
Those two cents were far more important than he could have imagined, for Tobirama wished those coins were jingling in his pants pocket as they made their journey home together later that quiet afternoon.
~~~