Red Day, White Day

By: bakayaro onna

Pairing: E&S, implied

Rating: Teen 13+ - for language

Completed: February 13, 2005

Author Notes: Inspired by silvermagess' February Drabble Challenge at gravimusemeet.

Summary: E&S implied. Valentine's Day is actually celebrated differently in Japan. S is overwhelmed by fan gifts. Will his knight in smoky armour rescue him? One-shot. Inspired by the Feb drabble challenge, 96 words over the drabble limit.

Thanks again to imayb1/Aja for her lightning beta!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation. Maki Murakami, Sony, TokyoPop and The RightStuf do.

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The JPop singer stood in the doorway, mouth agape like a prize-winning goldfish. The room was tightly packed, high and wide with mail cartons, some stacks reaching over six feet in height. Each crate was stuffed with festive red and pink Valentine parcels in every size and shape imaginable.

The only area not occupied with boxes was right inside the door, where a desk with a computer and printer resided. A slightly frazzled office lady gripping a clipboard occupied the office chair.

"Bad Luck got all this?" whispered the awestruck vocalist.

"Mr. Shindô, this is your room, not Bad Luck's. Mr. Nakano and Mr. Fujisaki each have their own rooms filled with presents, but not as much as you, sir!" exclaimed the young woman as she rose and moved toward him.

"K wants me to deal with this?" whimpered Shuichi. "It is still a week before Valentine's Day and more will arrive before then!

The singer was suddenly pushed through the door by the tall man standing behind him.

"Idiot," grumbled the novelist, moving into the room and surveying the candy mountain with narrowed eyes.

Shuichi began whining, "Eiri, I have never…"

"Shut up!" snapped Eiri, causing the other two occupants of the room to flinch slightly.

Eiri sat at the desk, clicked on a computer icon and began typing, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "I have dealt with this circus before. I built a database and gave it to my publisher, who hires a team every year to handle it all." Shu moved behind him to watch, noting the various column labels: name of giver, contact info, item description, weight, size, date received, mail tub number where item was stored.

Eiri pointed at the screen and explained, "Hire more staff to catalog that crap. When they are done, check the list to see which women you know need reciprocation for White Day and note the obligatory chocolate received. I will bet Judy Winchester and that Rage beast will send something. Mark those contacts and have the office ladies find suitable return gifts from the stacks you have received from others. Be sure you do not mail the same box back to the original sender. Remember, the gift you give must be larger and nicer than what you received. That is why cataloging the size of the present is so important."

Eiri stood and turned to address the office lady, giving her one of his patented charming smiles. "If possible, move the product to something white. Purchase white containers, bags, ribbons and contact paper. Cover the red boxes with the contact paper if you have no other way to make it suitable. Decorate them tastefully. Dump or give the rest away."

The now bedazzled office lady beamed and nodded as the two men left the room.

Eiri shot a glare at his lover. "Do not bring home the leftovers. If you do, you will store it in your precious Pocky cabinet."

"Eiri! You are so wonderful!" Shu attempted to hug his paramour as they walked to the parking garage.

Eiri shoved him away. "If I had not stepped in, you would have stood there for the next century, debating your next move. I want lunch NOW so I took the path of least resistance and delegated the job to others."

"Still, you came here, saved the day and all because you wanted to have lunch with me!" Shu latched on to Eiri's right arm and snuggled it happily. "You are still wonderful!"

"No, I am hungry."

This time, Eiri did not push his lover away.

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Read about Valentine's Day and White Day in Japan:

tanutechDOTcomSLASHjapanSLASHvalentineDOThtml

enDOTwikipediaDOTorgSLASHwikiSLASHWhiteDay