Anniversaire
fandom Love Mode
characters Izumi, Takamiya
cross-posted love_mode
for pastles


When Izumi wakes up one Thursday morning, he immediately knows that something is different. For one thing, he’s naked, even though he always wears as many layers of anti-groping protective gear as he can to bed without dying of heat stroke. For another, Takamiya’s beaming face is about two and a half inches away from his own, even though Izumi wakes up late and Takamiya is usually working in his study by this time.

“Good morning,” Takamiya says, and drops a quick kiss on Izumi’s nose. “Do you know what day it is?”

Izumi scrunches up his nose, rubs it with his hand, then mutters, “Thursday?”

“No!” Takamiya says with a pout that almost becomes a kiss since their faces are so close together. “Well, actually, yes. But it’s my birthday today,” he adds, beaming again.

“It is? I’d forgotten,” Izumi says, yawning widely.

“I knew you’d say that,” Takamiya says as his hands start to wander south. “And as such, I think a birthday spanking is definitely in order.”

***

When Izumi crawls out of bed two hours later, he hobbles to the bathroom to clean up; to get to the bathroom, though, he has to pass through the living room, which is covered from top to bottom with streamers, balloons and a huge banner that screams HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATSURA-CHAN!!! Izumi stops in his tracks, glances around, rubs his eyes with both hands, then glances around again. Then he looks down, quite willing to pretend that he never saw anything, and resumes his hobbling towards the bathroom, but he’s overtaken by Takamiya before he can reach his goal and spun around to face the living room again.

“Look!” Takamiya says, hugging Izumi from behind. “Aren’t these decorations great? I found them in a box in the attic. I spent all morning putting them up.”

“For yourself?” Izumi mutters. “Too lame.”

“I didn’t want to wake you up, Izumi, since you went to sleep so late.”

“And whose fault was that?” In case it isn’t clear that his question was rhetorical, Izumi elbows Takamiya sharply in the stomach.

Takamiya just hugs him tighter. “We’ve had these decorations since my tenth birthday. Shiki used to put them up for me,” he says, his voice becoming softer with each word. He rests his chin on Izumi’s shoulder and almost whispers, “Every year.”

Izumi doesn’t say anything, because he never really knows what to say at moments like these. Finally, he just pats Takamiya rather awkwardly on the head and mumbles, “I need to take a shower.”

Takamiya straightens up and says in his normal voice, “Okay.” Then he literally sweeps Izumi off his feet and carries him to the bathroom.

***

When Izumi escapes the bathroom an hour later, he’s so hungry that he doesn’t even comment on the three-layer chocolate fudge cake that Takamiya has apparently baked for himself, except to say, “Hey, this is pretty good,” around a large mouthful. Takamiya beams at him, but he ignores this in favour of cutting himself another slice of cake. After the last bite, he gets up from the table, walks over to the sofa and fishes something out from under it, which he then hands to Takamiya.

“What’s this?” Takamiya asks, puzzled.

Izumi scowls, and tries unsuccessfully to stop blushing. “Your birthday present! I know the wrapping paper is all wrinkled and stuff, but geez, isn’t it kinda obvious?”

“Oh,” Takamiya says, still sounding puzzled. He studies the flat, very badly-wrapped object in front of him without opening it. “But... I thought you were my birthday present? I mean, we’ve already done it three times today and you haven’t even complained once--”

“Oh my god,” Izumi moans, and his forehead meets the table with a loud thud. Then, almost hoping that he won’t be heard, he says very softly, “I can’t give you something that’s already yours, can I?”

There is silence for a long moment, until he suddenly feels Takamiya’s warm, heavy weight against his back. “Thank you, Izumi,” Takamiya murmurs into his ear as his hands drift underneath Izumi’s t-shirt.

***

When Izumi wakes up, he realises that he’s in bed again with Takamiya pressed up against him, sleeping deeply, and a glance at the clock tells him that it’s no longer Thursday. The streamers and balloons and the huge banner are probably still hanging from the living room walls, and Takamiya’s present is probably lying on the dining table, still very badly-wrapped.

Izumi closes his eyes again, and he dreams of birthday parties and Shiki, and presents that he never meant to give.


.fin


A/N: Thank you, pastles, for the utterly uninspiring prompt.