[fic] Birthday Week

[fencer_x]

Title: Birthday Week
Author: fencer_x
Pairing: Tsujimoto Yuuki x Takasaki Shouta
Rating: PG-13ish
Summary: Tsujimoto and Shouta discuss birthdays, darts, and how long one week is depending on what's waiting at the end of it.

Shouta frowned at the model in the fashion magazine he currently had his nose buried in, positive that there was no way the jacket he was wearing was only 7,000 yen. "More like 70,000 probably..." he muttered to himself.

"What's that?" his pillow prompted, wiggling underneath him as Tsujimoto attempted to bodily clear a hurdle on his DS, cursing softly when he apparently failed. "I give up on this stupid game."

"Ne, let's go shopping tomorrow."

Tsujimoto shifted, craning his neck to stare down at the body slumped against his chest. "We leave for Fukuoka in the afternoon, you know."

Shouta tossed aside the magazine, rolling over with a pathetic whine to drape his gangly frame across Tsujimoto's stomach. "Nnngh, you gotta remind me?"

Smiling and shaking his head, Tsujimoto calmly popped the pen back into place and closed his DS, setting it to his side. "Just take some motion sickness medicine like before, you'll be fine. Big baby."

"It's still my birthday week, you should be nicer to me..." Shouta mumbled into Tsujimoto's shirt, making the fabric beneath his lips tickle the sensitive skin.

Tsujimoto shivered, wiggling a bit to move Shouta. "I've been plenty nice--I let you beat me at darts today. That was nice, wasn't it?"

"What fun is it when someone lets you win?" Shouta grumbled, sitting up and settling his hands on either side of Tsujimoto's torso, lips curling into an unhappy frown.

Tsujimoto pursed his lips, trying not to smile at the display, and looked off to the side. "I guess you've got a point..." He shrugged, admitting defeat. "Fine then, I'll be nice to you the rest of the week."

"Til Monday. All through Monday."

"Wha--but that's, like, all of Fukuoka!"

Shouta rocked back on his knees, sitting seiza style, and crossed his arms. "I'll be nice to you in January. It's only fair."

Tsujimoto leaned forward, unwrinkling his shirt where Shouta had thrown himself over it. "You weren't nice to me last January."

"New tradition. We have to be extra nice to each other during our birthday week."

Rolling his eyes, Tsujimoto caved. "Fine. Birthday week it is. So--shopping?"

Shouta shifted up onto his knees again, then slung one leg over Tsujimoto's outstretched legs, settling onto his thighs so he couldn't escape. "Nah, I feel like sleeping in."

Tsujimoto leaned back against Shouta's low bed behind him, lips quirking up to one side. "You're not planning to sleep on me, are you? Cause I dunno that playing pillow necessarily falls under the 'be nice to Shouta during his birthday week' agreement..."

Shouta grinned, leaning forward and balancing himself by leveraging his hands on Tsujimoto's stomach. "I'm sure I could find a loophole somewhere..." His eyes flickered down to Tsujimoto's lips, and the grin widened, showing teeth as he bit his own lip and leaned just a hair closer.

"...Is this being nice, too?"

"Doesn't have to be...you could just do it 'cause you like me."

"Uh huh..." Tsujimoto licked his lips, mouth feeling uncomfortably dry. "But...isn't it breaking the rules if I like it, too?"

Shouta paused, appearing to give this genuine thought, before deciding, "We'll call it an early birthday present, then."

Tsujimoto gave a bark of laughter, then pushed forward quickly to close the distance between them, pressing their lips together, all closed-mouthed and new because they still weren't used to this (kissing anyone really). It just merited practice.

Shouta ran his tongue lightly over the seam between them, and Tsujimoto breathed in hard through his nose, a soft nasal gasp, and his eyes flew open. Shouta pulled back immediately at the reaction, worried, and licked his lips. "Sorry--I didn't mean to--"

"No no--" Tsujimoto stopped him immediately, and snapped one hand forward to bring them together again, smiling against his lips. God this was fun. They were still good friends, best friends even, still liked to go figure-hunting in Akiba with Baba-chan, still emailed each other inane pictures that they'd gotten forwarded from other friends (usually Toshi), still fought over the best slices of meat at yakiniku with the rest of Seigaku, but...this was something they got to do that was theirs. This was a part of each other they got to see that no one else got to (well, there was that one time when Baba-chan had walked into the baths in Morioka with the worst timing possible...) and it was fun and interesting and...a little weird, sure, but...well, what wasn't? He didn't want to do this with a girl--not that his contract really permitted him to have a girlfriend--it was more than enough to sit here with Shouta and read magazines and play on his DS and just...do this.

"Tsuji-kun's getting good~" Shouta teased breathily, pulling back and resting their foreheads together. "A little more practice and you'll have enough points to level-up."

"Haha--is that how it happens?"

"Mmhmm, pretty sure. If what Toshi told me is right, at least."

"Well we all know Toshi is a regular font of wisdom." He pulled back, resting his head on Shouta's shoulder and taking in a deep breath. "You used some of the Lush I gave you..."

Shouta giggled, shoulders shaking. "You've got good taste."

Pulling back, Tsujimoto smiled superiorly (which wound up just looking like he was smiling, well, drunkenly). "I do. Thank you." They both stared at each other for a moment, trying to keep straight faces, but cracked all too quickly into giggles, and Shouta rolled off of him to the side, still keeping one leg awkwardly draped across his lap in a feat of flexibility. "Wanna watch a DVD?"

"Can we sit in bed and watch it?"

It was a little hesitant, a little awkward, a little self-conscious, and for that simple reason Tsujimoto had to pause a moment before forming his response, pretty sure he was now agreeing to more than just watching a few episodes of whatever anime-of-the-week Shouta was into at the moment. "Sure--should--" He licked his lips and smiled. "I brought a change of clothes, just in case."

Shouta's mouth formed a small "o" and he nodded like he understood completely, which they both knew was bull, because there was sleeping together and then there was sleeping together, and they'd done the former tons of times and there was of course no reason tonight should be any different and it wasn't like they didn't want to do that it was just...

Tsujimoto really wished "leveling up" was just about racking up points and pressing the right buttons.

He excused himself to the bathroom, not sure how he could strip down to his bare ass in front of Washimi-san (not that he'd known Washimi-san was in the room, he reminded himself) and yet felt self-conscious removing his shirt in front of Shouta. It was different, he supposed, when you knew someone was looking, watching, and deciding whether or not you stacked up to their expectations. He peeled off the shirt and stiff jeans he'd pulled on in haste earlier that evening after receiving the sudden invitation from Shouta to go out for darts, trading it for a light tanktop and soft pair of pajama bottoms.

Turning on the tap, he splashed a bit of water onto his face, running his fingers through his hair and wondering what Shouta saw when he looked at him--he didn't like guys. Neither one of them did. And yet he was pretty sure he didn't have a pair of phantom boobs that would materialize when the time was appropriate, and Washimi-san at least could testify that he was fully equipped in the lower department.

Shouta had tried to explain it once, that he just got this feeling in his chest when they were together, a good feeling--though it made him sick sometimes, that it wasn't just really good friendship, that he liked what they did together. Tsujimoto hadn't really responded at the time, still not even sure what it was they were doing together, but he definitely understood the weird twisty feeling in his chest, how his pulse sped up in a way three straight hours of dance rehearsals with Ueshima-sensei couldn't even come close to effecting, and knew it had to mean something when you couldn't dress in front of your friend when you were alone despite having no problem doing it in a room full of the guys who'd become your best friends over the last year and a half.

Folding his shirt and pants hastily into a small roll, he tucked them under one arm and stepped back into the room, glancing around. "Got enough hair product in there?" he teased easily, squatting down to stuff his clothes into his oversized bag.

Shouta padded back from the kitchen area, a bowl of edamame in one hand and two beers awkwardly cradled in the other, and responded, "You can't talk, Mr. Frizzy Hair."

Tsujimoto patted his hair self-consciously, pouting for show. "You like my frizzy hair."

"I like lots of things about you," Shouta returned easily, motioning for Tsujimoto to relieve him of one of the beers, then flopped down onto his bed, scooting over to make room. "Especially your frizzy hair."

"Hmm, go on."

Shouta snorted, popping the tab open on the can and taking a quick sip, grimacing. "What, keep singing your praises?"

"I wouldn't call my stupid hair not doing what it's supposed to 'singing my praises', but if you must..."

Shouta crossed his legs, staring into space in thought. "Then...hmm. I like..." He turned his gaze to Tsujimoto now. "I like Tsuji-kun's Kansai-ben."

"You like my--what?" he laughed, incredulous. "Hnn, Shouta likes Kansai-ben huh..."

He hastily shook his head, swallowing with some effort. "No--just yours."

"Mine? I talk like anyone else from Osaka..." Shouta shrugged, obviously aware he wasn't making much sense. "I see...so I should say something like...'Shouta no koto...meccha suki ya nen~'?" Shouta snorted, covering his mouth and curling into a little ball, and this sent Tsujimoto into fits of giggles as well, reaching for a pillow to slap his friend with. "Oi, that was special, just for you! Be grateful."

"Right right--my birthday week, I forgot."

Tsujimoto pursed his lips, fighting a smile, and stuffed the pillow in his lap, holding off on starting a fight that would probably spill the beer and edamame. "I'm gonna make sure I use nothing but proper Tokyo dialect from now on, just to spite you."

"You'll slip up--and it'll be cute, and I'll laugh."

Considering that, Tsujimoto supposed it was a fair trade. "Anyways, how come you only like weird stuff about me? Can't you like...I dunno, my eyes or something?"

Shouta leaned in and squinted, apparently trying to determine if Tsujimoto's eyes were in fact worthy of liking. He pulled back after a moment's reflection. "Nah, they're pretty unremarkable."

In affected anger, Tsujimoto pulled his knees to his chest. "I'll bet Oishi never has to take this kind of abuse from Kikumaru."

"Oishi'd bend over backwards for Kikumaru."

"I would--okay, maybe I wouldn't do that, seeing as I'm not nearly that flexible."

Shouta's brows raised. "I could teach you!"

"Noooo thanks."

"Come on--we could do it at senshuuraku or something." He sipped his beer, staring ahead. "We should do something together..." Shouta meant on stage. Tsujimoto was thinking of other places.

After a long pause while Shouta ostensibly ran through scenarios of what they could do in his mind that would wow the fans, Tsujimoto interrupted his thoughts with, "...So are we gonna watch a DVD?"

"Oh--right." Shouta twisted around in search of the remote, and Tsujimoto watched him, amused. Shouta caught his eye after a moment and laughed, bemused, "...What? Don't you wanna watch anything?"

Tsujimoto shifted on the bed, stretching his legs out and leaning a bit to the side, supporting most of his weight on his arms, then reached out to place one hand on Shouta's shoulder, drawing closer. "Not really." The large t-shirt Shouta had donned exposed quite a bit of neckline, and Tsujimoto rubbed a thumb over the stretch of collarbone beneath his fingers.

Shouta angled his head to try to see the hand, then glanced back at Tsujimoto, wary and concerned but not unsure. His lips quirked up on one side, and he snorted softly. "Tsuji-kun's the one who suggested it in the first place."

"Shouta's the one who suggested watching it in bed," he returned, affecting an offended tone. He pulled his hand away, but was stilled when Shouta reached up to grip him by the wrist. He turned the hand over, following Tsujimoto's lifelines with one finger, then laced their fingers together.

"I like Tsuji-kun's hands..."

Tsujimoto smiled at the simplicity and honesty of the confession, and flexed his fingers to squeeze just so. "I think you've mentioned that before."

"Mm, well I still like them. Just to remind you."

"I don't think I was in any danger of forgetting one of the random things you seem to like about me."

"They're not random. They're...special."

"Like my frizzy hair and Kansai-ben?" A nod, and Tsujimoto laughed. "You're so weird."

"Well what about you? What do you like about me?"

"Hmm..." He squinted his eyes in thought, then lifted his free hand to brush a finger against Shouta's bottom lip. "I definitely like Shouta's lips..."

"That's cheating."

"What? They're cute. And..." He shrugged. "I really like them. Because they're Shouta's."

Shouta just rolled his eyes and slumped back on the bed, pulling Tsujimoto down beside him mostly because they were still holding hands. "Ne."

"Hm?"

"...I lied. Earlier."

Tsujimoto's brows furrowed, but he was still smiling. "About what?"

Shouta snuggled closer, rolling over onto his side, which Tsujimoto mirrored so that they were facing one another. "I like everything about Tsuji-kun, not just some things."

"Everything? I'm pretty sure that's impossible," Tsujimoto teased in return.

"It's true! I like your Kansai-ben and your frizzy hair and your hands and your eyes and your lips..." He paused, apparently distracted by said lips, then took a breath. "And I like that you're a boy. And that you're my friend."

The smile fell from Tsujimoto's face here, and suddenly it wasn't just Shouta being cute and playing the "I like X about you" game anymore. "...Shouta, you said--"

"It's weird, right? Mou..." His fingers lost their flex against Tsujimoto's, until it was just one hand on another. "I know what I said, and...I dunno, I guess it's complicated. Like--I mean, I don't like...you know, Baba-chan or anything. But...it's just, it's maybe better. That we're both guys." He shrugged next to Tsujimoto, shaking the bed a bit and looking like he was having the worst time trying to act cool about this whole thing. "I like trying new things."

Tsujimoto snorted, unable to help himself, and not sure how to otherwise react to Shouta equating having sex with another guy with going to a restaurant you'd never been to before. Shouta didn't take this reaction as well as hoped, and frowned. "Oi, what's funny about that?"

Catching himself, Tsujimoto smiled and gripped Shouta's hand when he refused to hold back. "I guess that's fine, too. Shouta's Shouta to me, so..." A shrug. "I'm fine either way. But..." He bit his lip and flicked his eyes down appraisingly. "I dunno...you're kinda gangly, might not make a good girl..." Shouta looked on the verge of a pout, and acting quickly, Tsujimoto added, "I think I like that Shouta's a boy, too."

This did the trick, and Shouta was smiling again, scooting forward until their noses were almost touching. "Such a smooth talker." The smile faltered after a moment, though, and he started hesitantly, "...It's okay?"

He didn't have to elaborate, because Tsujimoto knew perfectly well that "it" meant everything Shouta was worried about and of course it was okay. ...Well, not of course. But it definitely was. "...I like everything about Shouta. And...I like trying new things with Shouta, too." The other boy's lips quirked up, amused at having his words parroted back to him. "...But maybe we should wait 'til after senshuuraku." He leaned in with a smile to seal another kiss between them, but Shouta pulled back abruptly, brows furrowed.

"Wha--why?" His voice got a little shrill, and he immediately colored. "I mean, I just--I didn't mean why, just that--it's--if you're fine with it of course, then--" He closed his eyes, mentally berating himself.

Tsujimoto just laughed, twining their legs together. "It's only...it might get a little...hard. To do the shoulder scene, is all." He coughed nervously, still smiling. "Maybe Shouta's professional enough, but I don't know if I..."

Shouta just blinked at him a few times, then snorted, using his free hand to cover his mouth. "God, I love Tsuji-kun sometimes!" He quickly regained control of his faculties, though, and squared his face. "Right. Yes. That could be a problem. You'll definitely need to learn to control yourself on stage."

"It could get awkward, is all. Toshi would have a field day."

"Exactly. We'll definitely wait."

Tsujimoto eyed him strangely, as if not quite buying the whole act. "...So what, you could be completely professional in public?"

"Mmhmm," was the all-too-confident response. "No problem."

"Uh huh."

"I so could! Tsuji-kun's hot. But not that hot. I'm not a girl after all."

"I know that. But--" He scooted even closer pressing their chests together and sliding one thigh just between Shouta's legs to brush against the material ever so lightly. "--Some things are hard to ignore."

Shouta swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Ch-cheater."

"Oh--what's that? Someone feeling a little hot under the collar? How about we practice the jump now? And hey--it's pretty dark on stage during that scene, I don't think anyone would really notice if I--"

Shouta shoved him lightly, locking his knees together and forcing Tsujimoto's leg from between them. "A cheater and you're mean. It's my birthday week."

"You like me though," he reminded confidently, brows quirking up. "And I guess I won't do that, then. Since you're right, it is your birthday week."

"Good." He squeezed Tsujimoto's hand back now to show that Everything Was Okay. "...Wanna watch a DVD?"

"Sure." He sat up and cast a quick glance around. "What happened to our beers?" Shouta deftly reached behind them to the space by his headboard, passing Tsujimoto his can. "Thanks."

"It's Sunday, you know."

Tsujimoto swallowed the sip he'd just taken. "What is?"

Shouta leaned back, supporting himself on one arm and swirling his can with the other. "Senshuuraku."

"...Ah." A nod. "One week." He eyed Shouta for a moment, unsure of what to say. "...What, don't think you can hold it?"

"Mmm, just thinking...we should probably hang out with Baba-chan. A lot."

Tsujimoto just smiled and nodded his assent. "...Yeah. A lot."

It was going to be a long week.

Note: The random Japanese up there is, "I really like Shouta," in Kansai-ben, the Japanese dialect often heard in Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe :D Tsujimoto's an Osaka boy, and has a pretty thick accent~