[Fic] Boys Night In
Hi, I'm new to LJ although I've been lurking around for a long long time. So now, I'm stepping out of the shadows with a fic as an offering.
Pairing : Ohtori x Shishido
Warnings : Boys kissing, Yaoi, Fluff, and maybe some OOC, some swearing, un-betaed.
Summary : Written for Valentine’s day and Ohtori’s Bday.
Pairing : Ohtori x Shishido
Warnings : Boys kissing, Yaoi, Fluff, and maybe some OOC, some swearing, un-betaed.
Summary : Written for Valentine’s day and Ohtori’s Bday.
Disclaimer : I don’t own Prince of Tennis.
A/N First shot at PoT fiction. Comments appreciated.
Boys Night In
It was late in the evening when Ohtori Choutarou found himself sitting in his living room and idly flipping through the channels on the television.
A bored yawn escaped his lips as he stretched his long limbs across the couch before settling himself into a comfortable position. Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall beside the couch, he noticed that it was almost eight.
Turning slightly, he sneaked a peek at the open kitchen door located somewhere behind him. The unmistakeable sounds of bubbling pots and frying pans were his only clues that dinner was yet to be ready.
Ohtori sighed as his stomach rumbled for the fifth time in the past half an hour and resigned himself to waiting longer.
Today was a special day. It was that time of the year again when emotions ran high, as an overwhelming sense of excitement overtook everyone and the palpable feeling of romance became thick in the air.
Valentine’s Day.
Now, normally Ohtori couldn’t care less whether or not it was Valentine’s Day. After all, he had never had anyone to celebrate with before this year. Hence, February 14th had never meant anything special to him. Apart from the fact it was also his birthday.
It just happened that Ohtori shared his birthday with the corniest celebration in the year. He had never liked that fact about himself, probably because of the teases he used to get when his younger when his friends found out about his birthday. It wasn’t that he had anything against Valentine’s Day. He just felt that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.
In school alone, the incredibility of Valentine’s Day was proven.The unbelievable amount of chocolates being passed around, the insane number of love letters being stuffed in lockers and the sudden courage everyone seemed to get from the occasion, leading to a surge in the number of love confessions occuring everywhere. Ohtori should know. He was a member of Hyoutei’s Tennis Club, and there was no other club in Hyoutei which received as many chocolates, love letters and love confessions than their very own tennis club. Atobe alone probably received about more than half the amount of the gifts being passed around the school. Ohtori himself had his fair share.
Finding nothing worth watching on television, Ohtori finally turned off the television. Turning his head to the clock once more, he noted the time: quarter past eight. His stomach rumbled for the sixth time. He could wait no longer.
“Shishido-san! Are you done yet?”
A loud clang resounded as Ohtori called out, followed immediately by a string of curses. Then, the familiar face of Shishido Ryou peeked out from the kitchen doorway.
“Choutarou! Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry, Shishido-san,” Ohtori said as he smiled apologetically. “Aren’t you done yet?”
Shishido stole a glance at the clock. “Fuck, that late already? Just give me a few minutes.”
With that, Shishido disappeared into the kitchen. Ohtori sighed and stared blankly at the now black television screen, sinking into his thoughts once more.
He still felt that the whole thing was blown out of proportion. Valentine’s Day was a day for couples to celebrate the love between two people. Chocolates, gifts, love letters. These were just mere materials, items which people believed symbolised the feelings two lovers shared.
Ohtori thought differently.
Love meant more than mere items, more than a mere occasion. It wasn’t something that could be celebrated so simply just because somebody decided that February 14th should be THE day for lovers. Love was more than that. Much more.
It was then that Ohtori caught sight of the silly grin on his face from his reflection from the television screen. Despite his skeptisicm for Valentine’s Day, he couldn’t help thinking that at least, this year would be different.
Previously, whenever this time of the year rolled about, Ohtori would start feeling just a little bit irritated. He had always wished that his birthday could have been on any other day but alas, it wasn’t something that he could change. His disbelief in Valentine’s Day had always affected him and the extreme things people did for the occasion annoyed him. It came to a point that it made his birthday less enjoyable. This was probably due to a few factors.
Everytime he wanted to celebrate his birthday, all he could see all around him were the ridiculous things people did for Valentine’s. Three years ago, his family had taken him to the amusement park only to be surrounded by dating couples without a care about excessive public displays of affection. Two years ago, when his family took him out to for a birthday dinner celebration, the fancy restaurant had been filled with lovesick couples and heart-shaped balloons. Last year, he had decided to order take-out just to avoid the whole Valentines’ day thing only to receive a box of heart shaped chocolates and a Valentine teddy-bear along with the pizza he ordered in lieu of the occasion.
He didn’t like the fact that his birthday was associated with Valentine’s Day, the one celebration that he thought was ridiculously overrated. He didn’t like it that people went overboard in what they thought was ‘showing their love’ for Valentine’s Day.
He didn’t like it that his birthday was always overshadowed by Valentine’s Day.
Ohtori jerked slightly at that realization. Perhaps the reason why he’d never really liked Valentine’s Day was because his birthday had always taken a backseat compared to the enormity of the Valentine’s Day celebrations.
Feeling a bit dizzy from all the thinking he had done, he shook his head, breaking out of his thoughts. It didn’t matter what he thought about Valentine’s Day now. What mattered was today, and the fact that today was indeed special for him for the first time. Because today, Shishido was here with him.
It had only been about a month ago when he and Shishido had got together. After going around in circles as they dodged each others feelings for about half the year, they had finally come clean to each other and admitted their mutual attraction, albeit with a little bit of help from the rest of the regulars in Hyoutei’s tennis club. Ohtori had Oshitari and Gakuto to thank for giving him the shove he needed.
And so, that was why today, Shishido was at his house and in the kitchen. In celebration of Ohtori’s birthday, Shishido had decided that he should come and cook dinner for the birthday boy.
At that moment, he heard the sounds of the stove being shut from the kitchen. Perking up, Ohtori listened as he heard the unmistakeable sounds of drawers being pulled open and dishes being removed from their places.
Ohtori grinned in anticipation. It was about time that Shishido finished cooking. Ohtori had offered to help in the cooking earlier in the evening but Shishido had stubbornly refused and insisted that he had to do the work and that Ohtori shouldn’t need to do anything for his birthday. Hence, the reason why Ohtori had been banned from his own kitchen, and stuck watching sickeningly-sweet romance movies on television.
A moment later, Shishido stepped out of the kitchen carrying a big pot of spaghetti and made his way to the dining room, which was actually just beside the living room. Ohtori eyed his boyfriend for awhile from the couch.
Apart from the casual wear that Shishido had come in, he had a pretty pink apron tied around his lithe body, his hands covered with red cooking mittens. Both the apron and the mittens belonged to Ohtori’s mother. Ohtori chuckled to himself as he watched the older boy set the table for two. He couldn’t help thinking how extremely ravishable his boyfriend looked in that homely attire. It made him feel as if they were already married to each other.
Getting up, he made his way to the dining table. Plopping down on his seat, he sniffed at the pot of spaghetti. It smelled good.
“So this is what you’ve been cooking for the past, um, two hours? Spaghetti?” Ohtori said, the edges of his lips twitching.
Shishido flushed from where his standing beside Ohtori. “Hey, at least I tried!” he said indignantly, only to falter. “You know I’m not that great at cooking.”
“I know,” Ohtori said honestly. “I did suggest that we go to that new restaurant…”
“Hah!” Shishido cut in. “That fancy, romantic candlelight place? No way. Normal guys don’t do stuff like that.”
Ohtori wanted to point out that normal guys didn’t really cook for each other either but he refrained from saying anything. Instead he smiled.
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Compared to any restaurant, I’d prefer your cooking anyday, Shishido-san.” Ohtori smiled sincerely at the boy standing beside him. His boyfriend may not be the best cook, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that Shishido never did anything which he considered was ‘women’s work’ such as cooking. But just for his birthday, Shishido had insisted to do just that. Just for him.
Shishido smiled back at Ohtori’s words, his eyes sparkling at the words Ohtori had just uttered. Shishido undid his apron and hung it back up on its designated hook in the kitchen before settling himself beside Ohtori. Pulling at the blue cap he still wore ever since he had cut his hair off, Shishido proceeded to serve the spaghetti, using a fork to pile the noodles on the two plates set on the table.
Ohtori stared at the other boy, the silly grin back on his face. Today was just perfect. It was a good thing that his parents and sister had agreed to go out, leaving the house all to himself for him and his boyfriend. They had known that Ohtori had wanted to spend his first birthday with his lover and they had happily complied when he requested for some privacy. He felt happy, celebrating his birthday like this with the one person he cared so much about. For once, his birthday really was just his birthday. Not his birthday plus Valentine’s Day.
“What are you staring at, Choutarou?”
Ohtori jumped. He blushed at being caught. “Sorry, Shishido-san. I guess… I’m just happy that you’re here.”
Beating himself over the head for sounding sappy, Ohtori was about to say something else but he was beaten by the laugh that came from the other boy.
“What are you talking about?” Shishido said amidst chuckles. “Of course I’ll be here. And I wish you’d stop calling me Shishido-san. It’s already been a month since we were together.”
Ohtori smiled sheepishly. “I know. I’m just used to it. I can’t imagine calling you anything other than that… You are still my sempai.”
Suddenly, Shishido was leaning closer to him from his seat. His face was dangerously close and Ohtori could feel Shishido’s warm breath brushing across his lips.
“I’m much more than your sempai now, Choutarou…”
Flushing from the breathiness of Shishido’s voice and the sudden close proximity, Ohtori was just about to lean forward to close in the distance between them when Shishido pulled away with a smirk. Without another word, Shishido started eating.
Feeling disconcerted and slightly disappointed, Ohtori blinked. “Shishido-san, you’re teasing me…” he said, pouting slightly.
Shishido merely laughed, but his eyes glinted with something that assured Ohtori that he would get his fill later.
Fifteen minutes later, the plates were polished clean and two very satisfied boys were sitting on the living room couch.
“Your cooking’s not that bad, Shishido-san,” Ohtori said. “Dinner was actually pretty good.”
Shishido smiled a bit shyly. “Good thing I guess. Maybe I have a knack for cooking.”
“Then I’ll look forward to eating more of your cooking.”
Shishido looked up at Ohtori. He shuffled closer so that he and Ohtori had their bodies pressed against each other. “Well, I don’t mind cooking for you, but don’t you dare tell anyone else! I’ll never hear the end of it if Gakuto hears about this!”
Ohtori chuckled and nodded his head in reply. They stayed like that for awhile, just snuggling in each other’s warmth when suddenly Shishido sat up straight.
“What’s wrong?” Ohtori asked.
“I almost forgot. Wait here.” Shishido disappeared into the kitchen once more before coming out a split second later, carrying a paper bag. Ohtori recognized it as the one that Shishido had been carrying when he had first arrived at Ohtori’s house.
Sitting back down, Shishido returned to the position he had been in, pressing his body against Ohtori’s warmth before digging into the paper bag. Ohtori took the chance when Shishido was distracted to slip his arm around Shishido’s waist. Shishido would normally protest at this gesture because he said it made him feel like a girl, but Ohtori knew Shishido liked the contact all the same.
“Here,” Shishido finally said when he managed to find what he was looking for. He pulled out a small blue box from inside the bag. “Your birthday present.”
Ohtori looked struck. “Shishido-san, you shouldn’t have!”
“Don’t be stupid. I wanted to,” Shishido said insistently, although there was nothing but affection in his voice. “Open it.”
Slowly, Ohtori opened the box. Inside, there was a silver necklace in the shape of a key. It glistened as the light reflected on it. Ohtori was speechless.
“Do you like it?” he heard Shishido ask hesitantly from beside him. Turning to his boyfriend, he almost laughed at the anxiousness written all over the other boy’s face.
“I love it,” Ohtori said. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips across Shishido’s slowly, pressing forward slightly.
He could hear the soft groan that came from Shishido but before his boyfriend could deepen the kiss, Ohtori had already pulled away leaving Shishido confused.
“Who’s the tease now?” Shishido grumbled when he had gathered his wits.
Ohtori laughed. Holding up the box containing the necklace, he requested silently for Shishido to wear it for him.
Shishido understood without needing the words. Taking the box in his hand, he proceeded to help Ohtori remove the necklace of the cross that he was currently wearing and replacing it with the new one. Such was the power of their doubles, the level of their communication was way above those of average people.
“I was afraid that you wouldn’t like it,” Shishido said when he had finished clasping the necklace on.
Ohtori laughed again. “I told you I liked it, didn’t I? Besides, I’d definitely like anything you give me.” At these words, Ohtori slipped his arm back around Shishido’s waist, pulling their bodies closer together.
Shishido flushed slightly, before pulling out of the embrace. Ohtori was about to protest when Shishido held up a hand.
“Wait, there’s more.”
Confused, Ohtori watched as Shishido fished into the paper bag again. This time, he took out a bigger box.
Shishido was blushing when he handed this to Ohtori, his eyes not quite daring to meet his boyfriend’s. “This is your Valentine’s day present.”
Ohtori blinked. “Valentine’s day…?”
Shishido nodded. For awhile, Ohtori stared blankly at the box. And then, as if in a daze he opened it. And blinked.
There in the box, sat a very bulky, very out-of-shape piece of chocolate. Ohtori wasn’t sure what the chocolate was supposed to be shaped after but all he could think that it resembled of was a very bad impersonation of Mount Fuji.
Beside him, Shishido was talking again and sounding distressed, misinterpreting Ohtori’s stunned silence for one of displeasure.
“I know you don’t really like Valentine’s Day and all for whatever reason, but I thought that I should get something for you for Valentine’s considering our relationship now,” Shishido explained. “Mum said that people usually like things better if they were made personally so I got Mum to teach me how to make chocolates…”
Faltering at Ohtori’s continued silence, he became even more distressed. “I know it’s ugly and… and… I just… fuck, I’m not good at this. Look, if you don’t like it… you can just… just throw it away, alright?”
Ohtori stared from the chocolate to Shishido. A moment later, he burst out laughing much to Shishido’s bewilderment.
“What’s so funny?” Shishido asked, more than a little confused.
Struggling to collect himself, Ohtori grinned and leaned his face closer to peck Shishido on the cheek. “Didn’t I just say that I would like anything you give me? And I did say that I’d look forward to your cooking. You really made this yourself?”
Shishido blushed for about the hundredth time that night. “Um, yeah. I know it’s not very good but hey, it’s my first time.”
Still chuckling, Ohtori picked the chocolate up and bit into it. Munching slowly, he scrunched up his face for awhile, Shishido watching anxiously by his side once more. Then his face lighted up.
“Hey, this is pretty good!”
“Really?” Shishido asked, not quite sure whether to believe the younger boy.
Ohtori nodded. “Really. Try it.”
Smiling happily, Shishido took one bite of the chocolate himself. It took all of two seconds for Shishido’s eyes to fly open before he spat it back out onto his hand.
“Ugh! That’s fucking nasty!” Cleaning his hand with a tissue he grabbed from the tissue box beside the couch, he turned to Ohtori. “How could you eat that? And why’d you say it was good? That was the worse chocolate I’ve ever tasted in my life!”
Ohtori smiled at the disbelieveing look Shishido was shooting him. He wrapped both his arms around Shishido’s waist before leaning his forehead forward to rest on his boyfriend’s. Sliding his eyes shut, he whispered slowly into Shishido’s ear, “Because you made it.”
Shishido blinked. “Baka! You don’t have to eat something that’s terrible just because I made it!”
“I didn’t want to waste your efforts.”
“Idiot,” Shishido said half in exasperation, half in fondness. “Don’t do that next time.”
“I wanted to,” Ohtori said stubbornly. Sometimes, he could be just as stubborn as Shishido. Perhaps even more.
They stayed like that for a few minutes more, in each other’s embrace. Suddenly, Ohtori broke the silence.
“Why did you get me a Valentine’s day gift?” Ohtori asked, voicing his question. His earlier thoughts on his dislike for Valentine’s Day floating around in his mind.
Shishido was silent for awhile. “Well, because its Valentine’s Day. You’re supposed to give the person you love a Valentine’s gift.”
“Why?” Ohtori asked again. “Why give gifts? Love means much more than that. Its not just something you can show by giving gifts.”
Shishido blinked. “I guess not. But it’s just the way tradition has been. It’s not so much the gift that counts than the thought of giving the gift itself. The very fact someone gives you something for Valentines’ day, it basically means that someone cares about you enough to bother to show it. That’s all.”
Ohtori fell silent as he mulled Shishido’s words in his head. Well, his boyfriend did have a point there.
Suddenly, he felt himself being kissed deeply. Replying to the kiss that Shishido had initiated, Ohtori let himself be swept away by the passion he felt in that kiss. It was a few moments later that they broke apart.
Opening his eyes which had slid shut somewhere during the kiss, the first thing Ohtori’s eyes met was Shishido’s intense gaze. He distinctly noticed that somewhere during the kiss, Shishido had managed to get on his lap, straddling him. He enjoyed the closeness of this position.
“Besides,” Shishido started. “Just because it’s Valentine’s Day, doesn’t mean people will forget your birthday, Choutarou. At the very least I won’t.”
Ohtori blushed. Shishido had seen through his childishness so easily.
“And anyway,” Shishido continued. His hands were starting to roam freely across Ohtori’s body now, making the younger boy pant slightly. “It’s even better this way, isn’t it? Double the occasion, double the fun. And at the very least,” Shishido broke off, leaning his lips so close that every word he spoke caused his lips to brush against Ohtori’s. “At the very least, I promise to spend every Valentine’s Day and birthday, for every year after this together with you, for as long as you want me to.”
Ohtori smiled back in return, enjoying the feel of Shishido’s hands on him. He slipped his own hands onto the back of his boyfriend’s neck, playing with the short strands of hair he found there. “Well, I take it that you’d be celebrating both my birthday and Valentine’s Day with me forever then. You up for that?”
Groaning softly at Ohtori’s ministrations, Shishido pressed his body even closer, stealing a short kiss from the younger boy. “I’m up for anything you can dish out.”
Ohtori smirked in reply. “We’ll see about that then.”
As Ohtori lowered his boyfriend into the couch and things started to heat up, he distinctly thought at the back of his mind that maybe, Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad an idea after all.
THE END
Crossposted to several places
Pairing : Ohtori x Shishido
Warnings : Boys kissing, Yaoi, Fluff, and maybe some OOC, some swearing, un-betaed.
Summary : Written for Valentine’s day and Ohtori’s Bday.
Pairing : Ohtori x Shishido
Warnings : Boys kissing, Yaoi, Fluff, and maybe some OOC, some swearing, un-betaed.
Summary : Written for Valentine’s day and Ohtori’s Bday.
Disclaimer : I don’t own Prince of Tennis.
A/N First shot at PoT fiction. Comments appreciated.
Boys Night In
It was late in the evening when Ohtori Choutarou found himself sitting in his living room and idly flipping through the channels on the television.
A bored yawn escaped his lips as he stretched his long limbs across the couch before settling himself into a comfortable position. Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall beside the couch, he noticed that it was almost eight.
Turning slightly, he sneaked a peek at the open kitchen door located somewhere behind him. The unmistakeable sounds of bubbling pots and frying pans were his only clues that dinner was yet to be ready.
Ohtori sighed as his stomach rumbled for the fifth time in the past half an hour and resigned himself to waiting longer.
Today was a special day. It was that time of the year again when emotions ran high, as an overwhelming sense of excitement overtook everyone and the palpable feeling of romance became thick in the air.
Valentine’s Day.
Now, normally Ohtori couldn’t care less whether or not it was Valentine’s Day. After all, he had never had anyone to celebrate with before this year. Hence, February 14th had never meant anything special to him. Apart from the fact it was also his birthday.
It just happened that Ohtori shared his birthday with the corniest celebration in the year. He had never liked that fact about himself, probably because of the teases he used to get when his younger when his friends found out about his birthday. It wasn’t that he had anything against Valentine’s Day. He just felt that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.
In school alone, the incredibility of Valentine’s Day was proven.The unbelievable amount of chocolates being passed around, the insane number of love letters being stuffed in lockers and the sudden courage everyone seemed to get from the occasion, leading to a surge in the number of love confessions occuring everywhere. Ohtori should know. He was a member of Hyoutei’s Tennis Club, and there was no other club in Hyoutei which received as many chocolates, love letters and love confessions than their very own tennis club. Atobe alone probably received about more than half the amount of the gifts being passed around the school. Ohtori himself had his fair share.
Finding nothing worth watching on television, Ohtori finally turned off the television. Turning his head to the clock once more, he noted the time: quarter past eight. His stomach rumbled for the sixth time. He could wait no longer.
“Shishido-san! Are you done yet?”
A loud clang resounded as Ohtori called out, followed immediately by a string of curses. Then, the familiar face of Shishido Ryou peeked out from the kitchen doorway.
“Choutarou! Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry, Shishido-san,” Ohtori said as he smiled apologetically. “Aren’t you done yet?”
Shishido stole a glance at the clock. “Fuck, that late already? Just give me a few minutes.”
With that, Shishido disappeared into the kitchen. Ohtori sighed and stared blankly at the now black television screen, sinking into his thoughts once more.
He still felt that the whole thing was blown out of proportion. Valentine’s Day was a day for couples to celebrate the love between two people. Chocolates, gifts, love letters. These were just mere materials, items which people believed symbolised the feelings two lovers shared.
Ohtori thought differently.
Love meant more than mere items, more than a mere occasion. It wasn’t something that could be celebrated so simply just because somebody decided that February 14th should be THE day for lovers. Love was more than that. Much more.
It was then that Ohtori caught sight of the silly grin on his face from his reflection from the television screen. Despite his skeptisicm for Valentine’s Day, he couldn’t help thinking that at least, this year would be different.
Previously, whenever this time of the year rolled about, Ohtori would start feeling just a little bit irritated. He had always wished that his birthday could have been on any other day but alas, it wasn’t something that he could change. His disbelief in Valentine’s Day had always affected him and the extreme things people did for the occasion annoyed him. It came to a point that it made his birthday less enjoyable. This was probably due to a few factors.
Everytime he wanted to celebrate his birthday, all he could see all around him were the ridiculous things people did for Valentine’s. Three years ago, his family had taken him to the amusement park only to be surrounded by dating couples without a care about excessive public displays of affection. Two years ago, when his family took him out to for a birthday dinner celebration, the fancy restaurant had been filled with lovesick couples and heart-shaped balloons. Last year, he had decided to order take-out just to avoid the whole Valentines’ day thing only to receive a box of heart shaped chocolates and a Valentine teddy-bear along with the pizza he ordered in lieu of the occasion.
He didn’t like the fact that his birthday was associated with Valentine’s Day, the one celebration that he thought was ridiculously overrated. He didn’t like it that people went overboard in what they thought was ‘showing their love’ for Valentine’s Day.
He didn’t like it that his birthday was always overshadowed by Valentine’s Day.
Ohtori jerked slightly at that realization. Perhaps the reason why he’d never really liked Valentine’s Day was because his birthday had always taken a backseat compared to the enormity of the Valentine’s Day celebrations.
Feeling a bit dizzy from all the thinking he had done, he shook his head, breaking out of his thoughts. It didn’t matter what he thought about Valentine’s Day now. What mattered was today, and the fact that today was indeed special for him for the first time. Because today, Shishido was here with him.
It had only been about a month ago when he and Shishido had got together. After going around in circles as they dodged each others feelings for about half the year, they had finally come clean to each other and admitted their mutual attraction, albeit with a little bit of help from the rest of the regulars in Hyoutei’s tennis club. Ohtori had Oshitari and Gakuto to thank for giving him the shove he needed.
And so, that was why today, Shishido was at his house and in the kitchen. In celebration of Ohtori’s birthday, Shishido had decided that he should come and cook dinner for the birthday boy.
At that moment, he heard the sounds of the stove being shut from the kitchen. Perking up, Ohtori listened as he heard the unmistakeable sounds of drawers being pulled open and dishes being removed from their places.
Ohtori grinned in anticipation. It was about time that Shishido finished cooking. Ohtori had offered to help in the cooking earlier in the evening but Shishido had stubbornly refused and insisted that he had to do the work and that Ohtori shouldn’t need to do anything for his birthday. Hence, the reason why Ohtori had been banned from his own kitchen, and stuck watching sickeningly-sweet romance movies on television.
A moment later, Shishido stepped out of the kitchen carrying a big pot of spaghetti and made his way to the dining room, which was actually just beside the living room. Ohtori eyed his boyfriend for awhile from the couch.
Apart from the casual wear that Shishido had come in, he had a pretty pink apron tied around his lithe body, his hands covered with red cooking mittens. Both the apron and the mittens belonged to Ohtori’s mother. Ohtori chuckled to himself as he watched the older boy set the table for two. He couldn’t help thinking how extremely ravishable his boyfriend looked in that homely attire. It made him feel as if they were already married to each other.
Getting up, he made his way to the dining table. Plopping down on his seat, he sniffed at the pot of spaghetti. It smelled good.
“So this is what you’ve been cooking for the past, um, two hours? Spaghetti?” Ohtori said, the edges of his lips twitching.
Shishido flushed from where his standing beside Ohtori. “Hey, at least I tried!” he said indignantly, only to falter. “You know I’m not that great at cooking.”
“I know,” Ohtori said honestly. “I did suggest that we go to that new restaurant…”
“Hah!” Shishido cut in. “That fancy, romantic candlelight place? No way. Normal guys don’t do stuff like that.”
Ohtori wanted to point out that normal guys didn’t really cook for each other either but he refrained from saying anything. Instead he smiled.
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Compared to any restaurant, I’d prefer your cooking anyday, Shishido-san.” Ohtori smiled sincerely at the boy standing beside him. His boyfriend may not be the best cook, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that Shishido never did anything which he considered was ‘women’s work’ such as cooking. But just for his birthday, Shishido had insisted to do just that. Just for him.
Shishido smiled back at Ohtori’s words, his eyes sparkling at the words Ohtori had just uttered. Shishido undid his apron and hung it back up on its designated hook in the kitchen before settling himself beside Ohtori. Pulling at the blue cap he still wore ever since he had cut his hair off, Shishido proceeded to serve the spaghetti, using a fork to pile the noodles on the two plates set on the table.
Ohtori stared at the other boy, the silly grin back on his face. Today was just perfect. It was a good thing that his parents and sister had agreed to go out, leaving the house all to himself for him and his boyfriend. They had known that Ohtori had wanted to spend his first birthday with his lover and they had happily complied when he requested for some privacy. He felt happy, celebrating his birthday like this with the one person he cared so much about. For once, his birthday really was just his birthday. Not his birthday plus Valentine’s Day.
“What are you staring at, Choutarou?”
Ohtori jumped. He blushed at being caught. “Sorry, Shishido-san. I guess… I’m just happy that you’re here.”
Beating himself over the head for sounding sappy, Ohtori was about to say something else but he was beaten by the laugh that came from the other boy.
“What are you talking about?” Shishido said amidst chuckles. “Of course I’ll be here. And I wish you’d stop calling me Shishido-san. It’s already been a month since we were together.”
Ohtori smiled sheepishly. “I know. I’m just used to it. I can’t imagine calling you anything other than that… You are still my sempai.”
Suddenly, Shishido was leaning closer to him from his seat. His face was dangerously close and Ohtori could feel Shishido’s warm breath brushing across his lips.
“I’m much more than your sempai now, Choutarou…”
Flushing from the breathiness of Shishido’s voice and the sudden close proximity, Ohtori was just about to lean forward to close in the distance between them when Shishido pulled away with a smirk. Without another word, Shishido started eating.
Feeling disconcerted and slightly disappointed, Ohtori blinked. “Shishido-san, you’re teasing me…” he said, pouting slightly.
Shishido merely laughed, but his eyes glinted with something that assured Ohtori that he would get his fill later.
Fifteen minutes later, the plates were polished clean and two very satisfied boys were sitting on the living room couch.
“Your cooking’s not that bad, Shishido-san,” Ohtori said. “Dinner was actually pretty good.”
Shishido smiled a bit shyly. “Good thing I guess. Maybe I have a knack for cooking.”
“Then I’ll look forward to eating more of your cooking.”
Shishido looked up at Ohtori. He shuffled closer so that he and Ohtori had their bodies pressed against each other. “Well, I don’t mind cooking for you, but don’t you dare tell anyone else! I’ll never hear the end of it if Gakuto hears about this!”
Ohtori chuckled and nodded his head in reply. They stayed like that for awhile, just snuggling in each other’s warmth when suddenly Shishido sat up straight.
“What’s wrong?” Ohtori asked.
“I almost forgot. Wait here.” Shishido disappeared into the kitchen once more before coming out a split second later, carrying a paper bag. Ohtori recognized it as the one that Shishido had been carrying when he had first arrived at Ohtori’s house.
Sitting back down, Shishido returned to the position he had been in, pressing his body against Ohtori’s warmth before digging into the paper bag. Ohtori took the chance when Shishido was distracted to slip his arm around Shishido’s waist. Shishido would normally protest at this gesture because he said it made him feel like a girl, but Ohtori knew Shishido liked the contact all the same.
“Here,” Shishido finally said when he managed to find what he was looking for. He pulled out a small blue box from inside the bag. “Your birthday present.”
Ohtori looked struck. “Shishido-san, you shouldn’t have!”
“Don’t be stupid. I wanted to,” Shishido said insistently, although there was nothing but affection in his voice. “Open it.”
Slowly, Ohtori opened the box. Inside, there was a silver necklace in the shape of a key. It glistened as the light reflected on it. Ohtori was speechless.
“Do you like it?” he heard Shishido ask hesitantly from beside him. Turning to his boyfriend, he almost laughed at the anxiousness written all over the other boy’s face.
“I love it,” Ohtori said. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips across Shishido’s slowly, pressing forward slightly.
He could hear the soft groan that came from Shishido but before his boyfriend could deepen the kiss, Ohtori had already pulled away leaving Shishido confused.
“Who’s the tease now?” Shishido grumbled when he had gathered his wits.
Ohtori laughed. Holding up the box containing the necklace, he requested silently for Shishido to wear it for him.
Shishido understood without needing the words. Taking the box in his hand, he proceeded to help Ohtori remove the necklace of the cross that he was currently wearing and replacing it with the new one. Such was the power of their doubles, the level of their communication was way above those of average people.
“I was afraid that you wouldn’t like it,” Shishido said when he had finished clasping the necklace on.
Ohtori laughed again. “I told you I liked it, didn’t I? Besides, I’d definitely like anything you give me.” At these words, Ohtori slipped his arm back around Shishido’s waist, pulling their bodies closer together.
Shishido flushed slightly, before pulling out of the embrace. Ohtori was about to protest when Shishido held up a hand.
“Wait, there’s more.”
Confused, Ohtori watched as Shishido fished into the paper bag again. This time, he took out a bigger box.
Shishido was blushing when he handed this to Ohtori, his eyes not quite daring to meet his boyfriend’s. “This is your Valentine’s day present.”
Ohtori blinked. “Valentine’s day…?”
Shishido nodded. For awhile, Ohtori stared blankly at the box. And then, as if in a daze he opened it. And blinked.
There in the box, sat a very bulky, very out-of-shape piece of chocolate. Ohtori wasn’t sure what the chocolate was supposed to be shaped after but all he could think that it resembled of was a very bad impersonation of Mount Fuji.
Beside him, Shishido was talking again and sounding distressed, misinterpreting Ohtori’s stunned silence for one of displeasure.
“I know you don’t really like Valentine’s Day and all for whatever reason, but I thought that I should get something for you for Valentine’s considering our relationship now,” Shishido explained. “Mum said that people usually like things better if they were made personally so I got Mum to teach me how to make chocolates…”
Faltering at Ohtori’s continued silence, he became even more distressed. “I know it’s ugly and… and… I just… fuck, I’m not good at this. Look, if you don’t like it… you can just… just throw it away, alright?”
Ohtori stared from the chocolate to Shishido. A moment later, he burst out laughing much to Shishido’s bewilderment.
“What’s so funny?” Shishido asked, more than a little confused.
Struggling to collect himself, Ohtori grinned and leaned his face closer to peck Shishido on the cheek. “Didn’t I just say that I would like anything you give me? And I did say that I’d look forward to your cooking. You really made this yourself?”
Shishido blushed for about the hundredth time that night. “Um, yeah. I know it’s not very good but hey, it’s my first time.”
Still chuckling, Ohtori picked the chocolate up and bit into it. Munching slowly, he scrunched up his face for awhile, Shishido watching anxiously by his side once more. Then his face lighted up.
“Hey, this is pretty good!”
“Really?” Shishido asked, not quite sure whether to believe the younger boy.
Ohtori nodded. “Really. Try it.”
Smiling happily, Shishido took one bite of the chocolate himself. It took all of two seconds for Shishido’s eyes to fly open before he spat it back out onto his hand.
“Ugh! That’s fucking nasty!” Cleaning his hand with a tissue he grabbed from the tissue box beside the couch, he turned to Ohtori. “How could you eat that? And why’d you say it was good? That was the worse chocolate I’ve ever tasted in my life!”
Ohtori smiled at the disbelieveing look Shishido was shooting him. He wrapped both his arms around Shishido’s waist before leaning his forehead forward to rest on his boyfriend’s. Sliding his eyes shut, he whispered slowly into Shishido’s ear, “Because you made it.”
Shishido blinked. “Baka! You don’t have to eat something that’s terrible just because I made it!”
“I didn’t want to waste your efforts.”
“Idiot,” Shishido said half in exasperation, half in fondness. “Don’t do that next time.”
“I wanted to,” Ohtori said stubbornly. Sometimes, he could be just as stubborn as Shishido. Perhaps even more.
They stayed like that for a few minutes more, in each other’s embrace. Suddenly, Ohtori broke the silence.
“Why did you get me a Valentine’s day gift?” Ohtori asked, voicing his question. His earlier thoughts on his dislike for Valentine’s Day floating around in his mind.
Shishido was silent for awhile. “Well, because its Valentine’s Day. You’re supposed to give the person you love a Valentine’s gift.”
“Why?” Ohtori asked again. “Why give gifts? Love means much more than that. Its not just something you can show by giving gifts.”
Shishido blinked. “I guess not. But it’s just the way tradition has been. It’s not so much the gift that counts than the thought of giving the gift itself. The very fact someone gives you something for Valentines’ day, it basically means that someone cares about you enough to bother to show it. That’s all.”
Ohtori fell silent as he mulled Shishido’s words in his head. Well, his boyfriend did have a point there.
Suddenly, he felt himself being kissed deeply. Replying to the kiss that Shishido had initiated, Ohtori let himself be swept away by the passion he felt in that kiss. It was a few moments later that they broke apart.
Opening his eyes which had slid shut somewhere during the kiss, the first thing Ohtori’s eyes met was Shishido’s intense gaze. He distinctly noticed that somewhere during the kiss, Shishido had managed to get on his lap, straddling him. He enjoyed the closeness of this position.
“Besides,” Shishido started. “Just because it’s Valentine’s Day, doesn’t mean people will forget your birthday, Choutarou. At the very least I won’t.”
Ohtori blushed. Shishido had seen through his childishness so easily.
“And anyway,” Shishido continued. His hands were starting to roam freely across Ohtori’s body now, making the younger boy pant slightly. “It’s even better this way, isn’t it? Double the occasion, double the fun. And at the very least,” Shishido broke off, leaning his lips so close that every word he spoke caused his lips to brush against Ohtori’s. “At the very least, I promise to spend every Valentine’s Day and birthday, for every year after this together with you, for as long as you want me to.”
Ohtori smiled back in return, enjoying the feel of Shishido’s hands on him. He slipped his own hands onto the back of his boyfriend’s neck, playing with the short strands of hair he found there. “Well, I take it that you’d be celebrating both my birthday and Valentine’s Day with me forever then. You up for that?”
Groaning softly at Ohtori’s ministrations, Shishido pressed his body even closer, stealing a short kiss from the younger boy. “I’m up for anything you can dish out.”
Ohtori smirked in reply. “We’ll see about that then.”
As Ohtori lowered his boyfriend into the couch and things started to heat up, he distinctly thought at the back of his mind that maybe, Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad an idea after all.
THE END
Crossposted to several places