Midorima felt as stupid as he'd ever felt, walking with a blindfold over his eyes and just following Takao's lead in the darkness. He could hear people's voices and giggles as they walked through an unknown location and hoped they would reach their destination soon. He had originally agreed to go along with his lover's idea. He said he had a special surprise for Midorima's birthday, and he'd trusted that. Takao was a hopeless romantic, and he always went out of his way to prepare special and very detailed adventures and dates every July seventh.

He would be lying if he said he hadn't grown to look forward to his birthdays since he started dating Takao. The hawk-eye was not only overflowingly romantic and lacking any self-consciousness about displaying his affections regardless of the circumstances, but he was also creative and every year thought of something new that still managed to make Midorima feel like the luckiest man on Earth. Last year, they'd gone together to an observatory and watched as Hikoboshi and Orihime met in the sky, and then Takao had kissed him and said "Hikoboshi-sama is an idiot. I would never let something as petty as the Milky Way keep me away from the person I love. Even if I had to cross it by foot, I'd always find my way back to you." And Midorima, being as hopelessly romantic as Takao (just less expressive about it), had felt his heart melt with those words.

But as much as he trusted Takao's ability to choose the best possible date, he was getting close to the limit of public embarrassment he could handle. He felt relieved when he heard his partner announcing they had arrived to wherever they were going, followed by the click of a lock and "you can take that off now."

Midorima opened his eyes to a dimly lit hotel room that smelled of incense and had just one bed, clearly meant for two people to sleep in. This was unexpected. It's not like he didn't want to have sex with Takao (it was, actually one of the many parts of his birthday that he'd come to look forward to.) He just wasn't expecting Takao to bring him to a love hotel (a very fancy one) in the middle of the afternoon; that was usually the aftermath of a fun, romantic and enjoyable date. Maybe Takao didn't have any ideas this year so he decided to go straight for the home run. Oh, well. That was fine too.

"OK, Shin-chan, now just sit over there, I have to prepare some stuff. Oh, and take off your clothes in the meantime."

The green-haired giant followed his lover's finger, which pointed at a massage chair that he hadn't noticed before. When they were still in Shuutoku, Takao had occasionally helped massage his legs after a strenuous game, but he had never imagined the guy had any special capabilities in the subject. Although he suspected that more than a massage, this would wind up being an excuse to rub their naked bodies together and then roll around that very attractive looking double bed for the rest of the day. That didn't sound like a bad prospect anyway, so he decided he'd go with whatever Takao had in mind.

He was surprised when Takao came back fully clothed (for some reason he'd sort of expected a nurse cosplay, Takao had grown really fond of that since Midorima started medical school) and holding a towel and different bottles in his hands. He placed the equipment on a small desk beside the massage table and then walked over to Midorima's side with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Alright, now you're just gonna relax and let me take care of everything, OK? Now lean back, and close your eyes."

Midorima did as he was told. He put his glasses aside and, as instructed, decided to leave everything in Takao's hands, leaning his back in on the chair, his head barely surpassing the edge. He felt his lover's lips pressed against his softly, and he kissed back leisurely. There was no rush; they had all day to enjoy themselves.

Contrary to what he expected, Takao pulled back and didn't say a word for almost two minutes. He could hear him moving next to him and to the back of the chair, to hover above his head, and felt the scent of perfumed oil. So he was getting a massage after all.

"Now I need you to take slow, deep breaths and relax. If you feel uncomfortable or if it's painful, let me know."

He heard Takao taking a deep breath too, and his thumbs started applying a small amount of pressure on the top of his head. Then he caressed the top of his head with the palm of his hands, going from the top to the nape, digging his fingers in the green hair and ruffling it softly.

"Is that good?"

Midorima's mind had started to grow a little foggy, so he just hummed in response, shutting down his brain to enjoy the feeling of Takao's fingers running through his hair. Takao placed one hand on each side of his head, ring and pinky fingers pressing on a very specific spot above his ears. Oh, this felt good. The thumbs moved to his temples and drew small circles on the spot. The pressure was a little harder than earlier, and it was just a tiny bit painful, but he could feel his face muscles relaxing and loosening.

"Shin-chan scowls a lot, so I'll have to push a little harder here to relieve the stress."

He wanted to retort, but found himself unable to do so. Not like it was a lie, anyway, and it felt too good to complain.

After a minute or so, all of Takao's fingers moved back to the top of his head and massaged his scalp, the tips buried in his green locks and moving in small circles, down his forehead, back to the top, around his ears and to the end of the hairline.

Next, Takao moved to his neck, the ball of his hands moving in circles and applying pressure on both sides, moving up and down, from the hairline to the shoulder blades. Then he began grabbing patches of skin with his whole hand and pressing them. Midorima groaned softly. His shoulders were the ones that carried most of the stress from playing basketball, and he figured it would hurt more than anywhere else when Takao decided to undo the knots there, and he wasn't mistaken.

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan. If it's too painful we can stop."

Midorima shook his head softly as Takao shifted to apply pressure on the tight spots with the tips of his fingers.

"It's okay… I can take it… It's good."

The soft, sweet scent of the oil had started to reach his nose and relaxed him even further, so he was surprised he was even able to form a coherent sentence. His brain was this close to shutting off completely and just sinking in the feeling of Takao's warm hands pressing all the right spots, loosening the tension, drawing circles with his fingers, relaxing the muscles with his thumbs and pushing with the ball of his hands. Midorima had never received a real massage, just some basic muscle relaxation during games, and he'd never imagined it'd feel so amazing. How come this was the first time Takao did this for him, when he was so good at it? He almost felt like asking, but in that instant, his thumbs had finally manage to loosen up a particularly hard knot in the bottom of his neck, which made him moan and forget about any complaints he could've had.

"Alright" the shorter man whispered softly, as if trying to keep a relaxing mood in the room. "We're taking a small break now. Keep your eyes closed and take deep breathes. Just relax. It would be best if you don't fall asleep since I have more stuff prepared, but I won't wake you up if you do."

He could hear Takao's steps fading away in the distance. He took a deep breath and tried his best to stay awake, but his head was so light and fuzzy it was proving harder than expected. His skin was still vibrating with the ghosts of Takao's hands and he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

When his lover came back, the scent of the room became softer and sweeter, like sandal and roses. It gave off a more romantic and intimate atmosphere; the tender touch of Takao's hands on his shoulders and going down his arms proved it was all deliberate.

"You still with me, love?"

He hummed in response, unable to think of a full sentence and not wanting to break the mood with some incoherent babble. Even with his eyes closed he could picture the sparkle of delight on Takao's face. His lover always seemed to get a very particular kind of joy from making him happy, and he always put every necessary effort to achieve it. Midorima believed he must've done some really amazing things in his past life to deserve having someone as loving and sincere as Takao by his side. He was convinced that just waking up with Kazunari in his arms was worth a lifetime of good luck, and that he would never be able to repay the universe for such a gift.

"Good, good. I'm going to shift the chair so you're full horizontal, okay? Just keep breathing and leave the rest to me."

After nodding his understanding, he felt the chair moving underneath him very slowly until he was lying completely flat on his back. He heard Takao washing his hands and dipping his fingertips in a dense liquid –a different oil, he guessed- before coming back to his side. The shorter man sat on a small stool next to the massage table and picked up from where he'd left off: Midorima's now relaxed shoulders. His oiled finger tips pressed the left shoulder muscle and made circular motions without moving from their spot. He then moved his fingers down to his biceps, enveloping his left arm with both hands and rubbing the skin with his palms. Both thumbs went back to moving in circles and applying pressure on the muscle, relieving the tension. The musky aroma of the oil mixed with the sweet incense was having a drowsing effect on him that was hard to resist, especially with Takao's hands firmly stroking his arm from the shoulder to the elbow and making the joints crack under the pressure.

The clear-eyed man started humming pleasantly, adding to the lull in the atmosphere that made it really hard to stay awake. He was now stretching the skin on his forearm with his thumbs and running his hands from the elbow to the wrist, then applying extra pressure on the joint. He dipped his fingertips in the oil once more and he held Midorima's wrist, moving it in circles with one hand and then pressing the spots where the tension from shooting three-pointers and making precise medical procedures tended to accumulate. Midorima twitched as a pang of pain crawled up his arm. That particular place did occasionally hurt, especially after one of those games that had him shooting three-pointers without a moment's rest, or a really long and complicated surgery. One of his colleagues suggested he had it checked, lest it became an actual problem, and he could see what they meant when the pressure of Takao's fingers on the joint made him snap out of his grogginess with a sharp stab of pain.

"I'm sorry. I know this place's been troublesome lately, but I didn't think it would be this bad. If it hurts too much it would be better to get one of your friends at the hospital check it up, I'm a bit worried it could get permanently damaged if you don't treat it."

He stood up, went to the table where he kept all his supplies and came back shortly after with a roll of bandages in his hands. Midorima was surprised to feel the cotton was warm and humid against his skin. Takao finished wrapping his wrist with the bandages and placed a soft kiss on top of them.

"I put a special cream on them, it should help a bit with the pain and swelling. But you really need an actual doctor to give you a proper treatment."

"It doesn't hurt that much." He tried to retort, the warm bandages soothing the pain away really fast. The reproachful look in his lover's clear eyes made it obvious it was worthless trying to refuse, and he made a mental note to talk to one of the guys from orthopedics next week.

Takao proceeded with his ministrations, now pressing the palm of his left hand with his thumbs. He turned Midorima's left hand and repeated the motion on the back before untaping the fingers. Midorima sat up straight, as if he had been struck by lightning, and stared at Takao, clearly concerned about what he had in mind. He wasn't feeling lucid enough to form a coherent sentence, but his hands were his most important tool, and they required a lot more delicate treatment than a shoulder massage.

The Hawk Eye noticed his distress instantly and looked up at him, no amusement to be found on his face.

"Seriously, Shin-chan? You think I'd dare to touch your hands if I wasn't completely sure of what I'm doing? I'll have you know I've been taking special courses for two years, I'm a licensed massage therapist. I would never take this lightly, I know better than anyone how important it is to take care of your hands. You know, after all these years I'd hope you'd give a little bit more credit than that."

The young doctor in training blushed, ashamed for having doubted Takao, even if it had been just for an instant. It just never ceased to amaze him how far his lover was willing to go, just to please him. He was never going to be able to pay back so much love and kindness, he knew for sure.

"I'm sorry. You're right, I should know better. And… thank you… for everything you do for me."

Takao grinned and pecked his lips playfully. "Don't thank me until I'm done."

Midorima leaned back down on the table and closed his eyes, allowing Takao to go back to untaping his fingers. When the bandages were completely removed, his hand was dipped in a bowl of warm perfumed water, after which he felt Takao rubbing his thumb repeatedly from the base to the tip, then move on to the rest of his fingers, one by one, gently massaging the multiple hardened patches of skin, calloused from overuse.

Midorima sank back into the floaty oblivion that Takao's touch made him feel. Even though only his hand was getting attention, his whole body felt light and warm. The pleasant sensation had completely taken over him; he felt relaxed and full of peace. Every gentle touch made him realize just how much he was loved, what a blessing it was to be loved so, how happy he was and how much he wanted to give back to the man he loved.

Once he was done, Takao kissed his fingertips and walked around the table to repeat the process on his right arm. Since it wasn't his dominant, it hadn't built up that much tension, so it was a lot easier to work through it. Midorima was pretty much floating in bliss by that point too, so the passage of time had become something weird and abstract, and by the time Takao was done, he wasn't really sure if he was still awake or not.

"Still with me?" he felt Takao whisper softly, and he forced his brain to start working again.

"Barely." He managed to breathe out, consciousness slipping through his fingers.

"Let's take you to bed then." His beloved chirped gleefully.

Midorima wasn't quite aware of how he'd managed to lift himself from the massage table and walk the dozen steps that separated him from the large bed, but he was already so drowsy and the bed was soft and warm beneath him that he didn't really try to think about it too hard. Next thing he knew, Kazunari was slipping under the covers and curling next to him before pulling his head to rest on top of his chest. He shouldn't be surprised to see that his lover was aware of how much he enjoyed using his chest as a pillow, and yet it still caught him off guard just how well Takao knew him.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled, lulled by the beating of Takao's heart against his ear.

"Sorry 'bout what?" Kazunari asked, his fingers tangling into emerald hair and gently rubbing the scalp.

"I guess you… you were planning for a…" words were escaping him. It was almost unfair how soothing and tender Takao's touch was. "a happy ending?... but I'm like this so…"

Takao chuckled, and it made his chest vibrate lightly. "Pervert Shin-chan, it doesn't always have to be about doing naughty stuff, does it?" Midorima felt lips softly pressed to the top of his head. "I mean, don't you think this counts as a happy ending too? I'm quite happy myself."

Shintarou had to hum in agreement. He too was happy, almost too happy. He felt he hadn't done enough to deserve all this tender affection and care.

He forced his brain into consciousness one more time, because he couldn't possibly just go to sleep and let Kazunari be the best partner in the world without knowing how much he appreciated him for it.

"Kazu…" he whispered, looking up to lock his emerald eyes with Takao's clear ones. "Thank you… you're amazing and I don't know… what I ever did to deserve you…"

Kazunari smiled at him, that beautiful smile of his that had captured his heart since day one.

"Being you. That's all Shin-chan ever needed to get me."

His chest tightened and his stomach fluttered.

"I love you."

He cupped Kazunari's cheek with his left hand and managed to pull himself upwards to press a chaste kiss to his lips. He felt his lover's heart skip a beat and his face heat up. When he pulled away, he saw Takao's cheeks had taken a lovely pink hue that did nothing to deter his gleeful smile.

"I love you too. Happy birthday, Shin-chan!"

The end

This is the proper way of celebrating Shin-chan's birthday, not that horribly painful chapter I uploaded for "The Promise". I hope Shin-chan and Takao can forgive me with this. Originally I intended it to be a full body massage, but by the time I reached the arms I was like "can I really write 4k more words of Takao being the best boyfriend and Shin-chan being relaxed?". I've been working on this for over a year too, I started writing it around the same time that the Zodiac of Love story.

Bottomline Kazu is the best boyfriend ever and Shin-chan knows it and appreciates it so damn much.

Thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed this. Support me on if you can (link on my profile) and celebrate our favorite tsundere carrot megane's birthday!