Senri and Kippei

Chitose was bored. So bored, and even the fact that it was his birthday couldn't cheer him up. Most people looked forward to this day all year, but not him. He was quite happy to just watch it go past. It was a tad weird that people celebrated the time at which one fell from their mother's birth canal anyway, and his just happened to be all that much worse.

He was born exactly ten minutes from midnight on the 31st of December, 19 years ago. Ten minutes later and he would have been born on the first of January. Not that that would have made much difference. His birthday still would have been over-shadowed.

Not that he minded that. It was almost like everyone in the world was having a party, just for his birthday, and it was kind of nice, especially all those fireworks. They were always pretty.

But this year he was destined to spend his birthday alone. His friends were not in town, because of one reason or another… Shiraishi hadn't come to Kansai for Christmas even, he was so busy… Kenya and Zaizen were with their families, and the rest of the team were stuck at an island resort they'd gone to for Christmas, who's bridge had been whipped out by a storm and there was no way to get back to the mainland.

And he hadn't seen hide nor hair of his true best friend in weeks. No talk of him coming to Kansai for the holidays (And really he had no need to, not since his family lived in Tokyo… Chitose wasn't important enough for that). But a call would have been nice… Even a birthday card in the post… But there had been nothing. It was if their friendship didn't exist.

It had been hard, to re-unite with Tachibana again the way they had used to, but he had never been one to hold a grudge, and Tachibana had always been so apologetic about everything, especially his arm… He didn't want his best friend to feel bad about something that didn't bother him anymore.

But some acknowledgement from his reunited best friend would have been nice. It wasn't like he hadn't celebrated Tachibana's birthday with him, back in August, and they'd had a good time (If not a little weird since it included Tachibana's protective ex-team mates and his own strange group of friends). They'd had a great time, and even if their friends had teased them about how close they were it hadn't bothered Chitose. He knew they'd always been close. Why should it be any different now?

But evidently it was, because Tachibana had been ignoring his calls and texts, and Chitose was beginning to get desperate. Desperate enough to catch a plane back to Tokyo just to see him for his birthday.

The problem was his birthday only had a couple of hours to go, and he didn't think he'd get back to Tokyo in time… So there was no point.

Sighing a little more, he tried to relax. He thought about lighting up, thinking that the fireworks would look even prettier if he was high, but he wanted to stay sober for his birthday. If he couldn't stay straight for that one day a year, then there was no hope for him. Sighing a little, he got up and moved to the window in the lounge room, wondering if maybe someone would let off some fireworks a few hours early, when he saw headlights pulling into his driveway. Not expecting anyone (His parents had gone to a New Year's Eve party at his insistence) he frowned a little and waited to see who it was, but it was dark outside. Moving to his front door, he got there and opened it just as a certain blonde was about to knock.

"Kippei?" he questioned, blinking a little, almost un-sure that he wasn't imagining things. "Am I dreaming?" he asked, pinching himself.

"No, you're not," Tachibana said with a small chuckle, before pulling his jacket around him. "Can I come in though? It's freezing out here, and I just drove all the way from Tokyo," he insisted, and Chitose nodded, letting the cold looking boy in and leading him into the lounge room where the fire was going, before gesturing him to sit down.

"Can I get you anything? A drink of something?"

"A coffee would be nice," his best friend murmered, and Chitose nodded, moving into the kitchen as his mind werred with questions. Why had Tachibana shown up at 10pm on the night of his birthday (And New Year's Eve) and saying that he'd driven all the way from Tokyo? And it was cold outside, and Tachibana's car wasn't exactly in great shape… Carrying out two cups, one with coffee and the other with Chitose's own blend of herbal tea, and set them down on the coffee table.

"Why are you here?" he couldn't help but ask, his eyes never leaving his best friend.

"What do you mean, why am I here? It's your birthday," he insisted, but Chitose knew, from knowing Tachibana for too long, that there was something he was hiding.

"You haven't spoken to me in nearly a month, Kippei…" he murmered, trying not to frown a little at his best friend. He wasn't known for lying. Especially not to him. "What happened?"

"Can we not talk about it? I'm tired, and I want to stay up till midnight with you, and if we talk about it I'll just get more exhausted…"

Chitose went to say more, but he sighed, and nodded a little. He would leave it for now.

As midnight drew closer, the two old friends fell back into their same old routine. They turned on the TV and watched the biggest movie that had come out that year, so chosen by whoever chose these things, and they talked more then they watched the movie. As 11:45 hit, Tachibana reached for the remote and turned the TV off, before turning to look at Chitose, and pulled something out of his pocket.

"Happy birthday," he insisted, looking at Chitose for a reaction, and Chitose smiled, before taking the delicately wrapped gift from Tachibana and smiled.

"Thanks," he insisted, carefully unwrapping it to show a smaller box, and opened it up, to find a necklace inside, on a simple chain, with a pendant on it, that looked somewhat like a lion and a dragon wrapped around each other. "I'm a dragon?" he asked curiously, looking at Tachibana for confirmation, because everyone knew Tachibana was the lion.

The blonde man nodded, smiling some as he looked at the pendant. "Yes, because you're so strong and witty, and you love to blow smoke, whether it's metaphorically or physically… I just thought it was the perfect gift," he murmered, watching Chitose carefully for the moment, before gasping as he was hugged tightly by the taller (only slightly) man, and carefully wrapped his arms around his best friend's shoulders.

"I was so worried you'd forgotten my birthday," he murmered softly, and laughed a little as he pulled away from Tachibana, watching him. "How come you haven't been answering my texts or calls?"

He watched as Tachibana seemed to flinch, and he frowned a little, waiting for the explanation. "I had to sort a few things out," he insisted, looking at Chitose, before looking at the time. "It's officially been your birthday for 9 minutes," he murmered, looking back at Chitose.

The black haired man chuckled softly, nodding some at Tachibana as he heard the count down from houses on the street begin, and he turned to look at Tachibana again. "I guess this is it," he murmered, smiling some, and Tachibana nodded, though his mind seemed far away, even as the crowds got down to '1' and yelled 'HAPPY NEW YEAR!'

"Happy new year, Kippei."

"Happy new year, Senri," came the soft reply, and before Chitose could register what was happening, his best friend's lips were on his. They were chapped from the cold, and they tasted like coffee he'd just had and whatever dinner he'd gotten on the way here, but at that moment, Chitose couldn't think of anything that tasted better.

Tachibana began to pull away, but Chitose held him close. He was beginning to think that maybe this was what had kept Tachibana away for the past few weeks, and he didn't want his best friend to think he'd made a mistake. In fact, this was the best thing that had happened to Chitose all year. Even if the year was only a minute long.

"Senri," came a gasp from Tachibana's lips when he finally managed to pull away. "Are you sure…"

"Don't ask me if I'm sure, Kippei," he murmered, shaking his head. This was his best friend after all, and he couldn't think of a better birthday present. "Just kiss me again," he insisted, pulling Tachibana's lips to his.

Maybe in the morning they probably had more to talk about, and maybe they'd have to make a few decisions, but right then all Chitose cared about was that it was the start of a new year, and he had his best friend by his side, and they would enjoy a quiet night… Together.

A/N: So this was a birthday present for my good amazing friend Amie, happy birthday! Hopeful for another good slashing year together. Anyway. Happy New Year all my fans!