Author's Note: Wrote this for Seishirou's birthday. It's a relatively tame fanfic, compared to some of the others I have written (cough)Après(cough) throughout my career as a fanauthor. Anyway. I hope you enjoy this.
Warnings: Innuendo, Tree-san, lime.
Seishirou looked at the alarm clock as it went off. It was barely 7:00. Why had he set it? Had he needed to be somewhere early this morning? No, he didn't think so. Then again, he might be needed in one of those Chi no Ryu meetings the walking set of breasts called every so often.
Fuck, if they want me, they'll call, he thought, crawling back under the blankets after shutting off the alarm.
Seishirou hadn't gotten more than an extra hour of sleep before he woke up again. This time, he couldn't get back to sleep. He got out of bed, looked at the wall calendar, and groaned. It was November 22: his birthday. Oh, joyous.
He went into the bathroom, stripped down, and got into the shower. As he scrubbed himself, he contemplated what he should do that day. With it being his birthday, it should have been a day with friends, presents, and cakes. Seeing that Seishirou tended to have few friends and didn't want anything to do with his family, he saw it pointless to think about a party. Then again, he could always find the Sumeragi and spend the day torturing the both of them.
Finishing in the showering and going back into the bedroom, Seishirou was irritated to find that he thought it would be pleasurable to spend the day with Subaru. He went over to his closet and was about to pull out his normal suit, when another article of clothing caught his eye. It was a sweater that Subaru had given to him nine years ago. It had been big on him then, but nowadays it fit perfectly. It was a soft charcoal gray cotton-knit sweater. Seishirou grabbed it and slipped it on over a plain white t-shirt. He pulled on a set of black slacks, went over to the phone, and dialed.
"Ungh…Hello?" a sleepy voice on the other end asked.
"Good morning, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said. He smiled when he heard the sharp intake of breath on the other line. "I was wondering if you would like to spend the day with me."
There was a pause. "A-ano…Why?"
"Do I need a reason to see you, Subaru-kun?" Seishirou asked.
"It's just that you've never asked me that, much less called me before," the Sumeragi replied. "How do I know this isn't a trick or something? And how did you get my number?"
"You are listed, Subaru-kun. I just would like your company, that's all."
There was a long pause as Subaru thought. "Could we meet at Tokyo Tower at noon?"
"Anything you like, Subaru-kun."
"Okay," Subaru said. "I guess I'll see you at noon, then." With that, he hung up.
Seishirou set the phone down and began to wonder if he was crazy. He had just called the Sumeragi on a whim and invited him to spend the day with him. What the hell was wrong with him today?
In another part of the city, Subaru was frantically trying to figure out why he had agreed to spend the day with the man he hated and loved. What had come over him? He wasn't sure that this was a good idea, seeing that the two of them tried to kill each other every time they met.
Why am I so nervous about this? Subaru asked himself. It's not like it's a date, is it? No, wait. Technically, it is a date. But, why did he ask me and why did I agree to meet him? It could be a trick.
The doorbell to Subaru's apartment rang. Subaru went over to the door, glad that he was dressed already. He opened the door to find a strange man standing there. The man's gray hair was shoulder-length and loose. His skin was rather pale and his eyes were a strange gray-pink color. The clothes he wore were relatively casual: grey slacks, a white dress shirt and a grey jacket.
"Hello, Sumeragi-san," the man said. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment."
"Sure, come inside, please," Subaru said, wondering who the man was. "Do you want some tea?"
"Nah," the man replied. "Can't drink the stuff."
Subaru blinked. "Please, sit down…um…"
"Tree-san. That's what Seishirou calls me, anyway."
Subaru blinked again. "You're…"
"The Sakura tree that Seishirou feeds," the man replied. "Don't worry. I'm not here to harm you. I gave up on you years ago. Seishirou cares too much about you."
Subaru hesitantly sat across from the Tree's form. He put the Tree's statement about Seishirou's care for him in the back of his mind, glad to know. "If you're the Tree, how can you be here and look like that?"
"Illusions," the Tree replied. "And the reason I can be here…" he pointed to Subaru's hands. "Seishirou marked you with Sakurazuka magic. Wherever Sakurazuka magic resides, I can go there."
"Oh," Subaru replied. "So, what brings you here, Tree-san?"
"The little invitation that Seishirou extended to you," the Tree said. "In case you're wondering, his motives are nothing bad. He honestly only wants to spend today in your company."
"But why?" Subaru asked. "What's the occasion that he would want to spend the day with me?"
"What day is it?"
Subaru blinked at thequestion. "Uh…November 22. Why is that important?"
"I believe that today is my guardian's birthday."
Subaru blinked again. This seemed to be a common thing for him to do today. "His birthday?"
The Tree nodded. "Promise that you'll try to do something special for him today. Something that doesn't end in the death of either one of you."
Subaru nodded. Then his eyes nearly popped out of his skull when the Tree just disappeared. The seat that was occupied by the illusionary man was just suddenly empty. Subaru stood up and went to make tea. As he did that, he thought about what he could do with Seishirou for his birthday. He wanted to do something, but what could he do without Seishirou guessing what he now knew?
"Maybe I'll just buy him dinner," Subaru mused. "Or get him something special for dessert."
:He's always wanted for you to jump out of a cake stark naked: the Tree's voice said in Subaru's mind.
Subaru nearly jumped out of his skin. "Don't DO that!" he paused. "How can you do that! And…what!"
The Tree's laughter rang in Subaru's mind. :I told you. Sakurazuka magic. And, yes, Seishirou does want that.:
"Please, don't tell me how you know this," Subaru said. "And don't tell me what else Seishirou-san wants."
:As if you're any different, Sumeragi-san. I'm pretty sure that you think of very interesting ways to lose your virginity to Seishirou.:
Subaru turned a brilliant shade of red. He could hardly wait for this day to end.
Seishirou looked at his watch. He had come to the tower a bit early in order to get some tea to calm his nerves, seeing as smoking was prohibited in the tower. He was sitting at a table, sipping at the tea, when Subaru arrived. The younger man was surprised to see that Seishirou was wearing something besides his usual suit and tie, yet he still wore the sunglasses he always wore. And to think, Subaru had decided to wear something as simple as slacks and a turtleneck.
"Ah, hello, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said. "You're a bit early."
A hint of pink touched Subaru's cheeks. "Yes, I thought it would be a good idea."
"Why don't you get something to drink?" Seishirou asked. "I'm sure you could probably use a hot cup of tea."
"No, I'm alright."
Seishirou nodded. He finished his tea and stood up. "Shall we go, then?"
Subaru blushed slightly and nodded. He walked alongside Seishirou as they headed outside and away from the tower. They headed towards a restaurant, where they got a table and waited to order. Their waitress was a nice young woman, if a bit on the strange side. Their orders shortly arrived and they began eating.
"Seishirou-san?" Subaru said. "I have a question."
"Yes?"
"Why did you make the Bet with me?"
Seishirou blinked. "It gave me something to look forward to, I guess. My life didn't really mean much when I was younger. I spent most of my teenage years alone. When I met you, I thought you could help me."
"You mean, help you to stop being lonely?" Subaru asked.
"I guess you could say that," Seishirou replied, taking another bite of his lunch. "Despite what it seems, that year I spent with you and Hokuto-chan was the most fun I've ever had."
"Then why did you throw it all away? Why did you kill Hokuto-chan?"
Seishirou was quiet for a moment. Subaru waited for him to speak. It was a few minutes before Seishirou finally replied.
"I didn't think I deserved to be with you two," Seishirou said. "I spent that one year with you and felt like I belonged with you. But I knew that it would still be wrong. I'm the Sakurazukamori and you are the Head of the Sumeragi Clan. Nothing would work between us.
"I killed Hokuto-chan because she asked me to," he continued. "She thought that I was going to kill you, so she asked me to kill her instead. I didn't want to, and I regret killing her."
"Seishirou-san…"
"Subaru-kun, I've lied to you all these years, telling you that you mean nothing to me," Seishirou said. "Can you ever forgive me for everything I did to you?"
Subaru smiled, remembering what the Tree had told him and nodded. "I think I can."
Seishirou closed his eyes and a small smile touched his lips. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
Subaru smiled. The two of them finished eating, paid the bill, and left the restaurant. They walked around for a while, talking as they went along. Subaru resisted the urge to suddenly kiss the older man, but only did so because they were in public. He spent several minutes trying to find a way to tell Seishirou that he still loved him.
Soon, the sun started to set. Seishirou turned to Subaru and looked at him, taking off the sunglasses.
"Subaru-kun, would you like to come to my place for dinner?"
Subaru smiled softly. "I'd like that very much."
Seishirou carefully put an arm around Subaru's waist, almost afraid that he was going to get punched for being so forward. However, Subaru didn't do anything to protest, except for turning three shades of red. Seishirou walked off, leading Subaru to his apartment. Once inside, Seishirou turned around and kissed the Sumeragi full on the lips. Subaru stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into the kiss. When Seishirou moved away, Subaru could see the smile on his lips.
"I didn't want to try that in public," Seishirou said. "I was afraid that you might smack me."
Subaru let out a small laugh. "Not too far from the truth, Seishirou-san."
"I thought so," Seishirou laughed. He slipped his shoes off and went into the kitchen. "Do you want some tea, Subaru-kun?"
"Sure," Subaru said, pulling his shoes off. Once he had both of them off, he headed into the living room of Seishirou's apartment. He sat down on the couch and looked around. It was a spacious room for an apartment, filled with top-of-the-line furniture and entertainment system. A large bookcase on the north wall held over a hundred novels, several magazines, and a small collection of CDs. A CD player and a set of speakers sat on top of the bookcase.
Seishirou came in and handed Subaru a mug of steaming tea. He sat down next to Subaru and put an arm around the younger man. Subaru blushed, but said nothing. He took a sip of the tea and savored the taste and the feeling of warmth as the liquid went down his throat.
"Seishirou-san, isn't that the sweater I got you nine years ago?" Subaru asked.
Seishirou nodded. "It still fits me. Amazing, isn't it?"
"Well, I didn't know what size to get and Hokuto was busy looking at something, so I couldn't ask her if she has any idea…" Subaru realized he was beginning to ramble and stopped talking.
"What do you want for dinner?" Seishirou asked, changing the subject. "I've got plenty of things to cook with."
"Anything sounds good."
"Well, let's get to work then," Seishirou said, standing up.
"Huh?"
"Well, do you expect to eat without helping to prepare the meal?"
"No," Subaru said, turning pink. "I'm sorry."
Subaru stood and followed Seishirou into the kitchen, which was just big enough for the both of them to move around with little difficulty. Seishirou pulled some fresh vegetables from the refrigerator, washed them, and started to slice them. Subaru looked in the refrigerator and pulled out some chicken breasts. He put them into a pan on the stove.
About forty-five minutes later, the meal was finished. An hour after that, the two of them had eaten and were contemplating watching a movie. They decided on a movie and Seishirou was about to start it when he stopped. He looked at Subaru.
"Do you want to watch this in my room?" he asked. "We could lie on the bed. It would be more comfortable."
Subaru squashed down the blush that was beginning to rise. He nodded and stood to follow Seishirou into the bedroom. The older man put the video into the VCR as Subaru crawled onto the bed. Seishirou lie next to Subaru, picked up the remote, and started the movie.
Seishirou spent most of the movie engrossed in the beautiful young man he had lying next to him. The Sumeragi snuggled closer to the older man as the time ticked by, trying not to fall asleep. He didn't seem to mind when Seishirou slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him even closer. Subaru could smell Seishirou's aftershave; the two of them were so close.
When the movie was over, Seishirou pulled Subaru into a tight embrace and kissed him gently. Subaru melted into the kiss, closing his eyes as Seishirou pushed his lips apart. The older man's tongue explored every inch of the Sumeragi's mouth, savoring the taste of the young man. When they came up for air, Subaru whined softly, wanting more of the experience that he had waited years for. Seishirou didn't deny the request.
Seishirou pushed Subaru onto the mattress and moved over him. He slowly slipped his hand under the younger man's shirt and his fingers glided over Subaru's skin as he kissed him another time. Subaru moaned into the kiss and clutched at the older man's shirt. Seishirou pulled the shirt carefully over Subaru's head and began to kiss the Sumeragi's bare chest. He kissed a trail up to Subaru's neck and nipped gentle at his collarbone.
Subaru let out a soft gasp and leaned his head back, giving Seishirou better access. He knew he probably shouldn't be letting the older man do this, but it felt so right. Hesitantly, he tugged at Seishirou's sweater, and the older man let him pull it off. Subaru tried not to blush at the sight of Seishirou's bare chest and closed his eyes as Seishirou continued to kiss him all over.
"God, Seishirou," Subaru moaned. "Don't stop!"
Seishirou smiled. Of course he wouldn't stop, not unless Subaru wanted him to. And judging by the way the younger man squirmed beneath him, he wasn't going to protest anytime soon. Seishirou leaned up and kissed Subaru again, putting his fingers just below the Sumeragi's waistline. Subaru gasped into the kiss as Seishirou began to undo his pants.
This would be a night that neither one of them would forget.
Hours later, Seishirou was fast asleep. Subaru, on the other hand, was wide awake. He looked at Seishirou and smiled. Leaning over, he kissed the older man's forehead.
"I love you," he whispered. "Tanjobi omedeto, Seishirou-san."
Owari