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The slim body flopped onto the rather expensive leather couch, the young man to weary to even care about the white powder that covered his black pants which would transfer to the leather. Allen's lungs expelled a deep sigh as the head of white turned to look up at the white ceiling. His day had been busier than he intended, and was still not entirely over.

Silver eyes glanced to the kitchen, groaning at the work that remained to be done. Flour covered almost every counter though it was dotted with speckles of chocolate powder and sugar. The sink was filled with dishes covered in batter, both cooked and raw, and an egg that he dropped still sat on the floor, Allen figuring he'd better pick it up before the sulphur odour filled the room and permeated into the furniture.

Kanda had shown up once or twice in the past week, enough time for him to inform the younger that he would be out with his parents on his birthday, the three of them enjoying a nice dinner at the country club. Thankfully, Allen's involvement in their dinner hadn't been mentioned, leading him to assume he had survived the wrath that was Kanda's mother, for now, at least. She was apparently still mad at him for getting Riko's attention away from Kanda, but the elder had informed him that she had moved onto setting him up with someone else.

Though he teased Kanda mercilessly, he hadn't really talked to Riko all that much; at all really. She was a nice enough girl, but she just wasn't his type.

Allen glanced to his cell phone, Kanda finally conceding to give him his number after he lost yet another round of poker with Allen, not that he texted or talked much. Tonight, though he suspected Kanda wanted to see as little of him as possible, even more so, Allen half wanted to start up a conversation with him, to figure out when he could give him the gift.

Again, he sighed deeply. Lavi and Tyki hadn't reappeared since they stayed for drinks and games, though they had called to make sure that the younger was still doing well. Allen was actually slightly thankful that they hadn't shown, Lavi would have most likely eaten half the batter whilst teasing him about the crush Allen insisted didn't exist.

White locks shook; he didn't like Kanda, he never had, and he never would. The elder was too stubborn, too angry all the time and he made it blatantly obvious that he hated the younger. A pang ran through his stomach, Allen brushing it off and contributed it too the amount of batter he had eaten.

A loud splash managed to creep through the sliding door Allen had left open to enjoy the summer's breeze. Curious, the young man pulled his weary form to stick his head out into the balcony, his eyes lying on the lit pool, a dark figure floating on the water's surface. His confusion only heightened when he noticed that, not only was the figure Kanda Yuu, but he was dressed in a rather expensive suit, his eyes looking up to the star-filled sky as he simply floated along on the water's surface.

Allen bit his lip. His first instinct had been that perhaps the elder was suicidal, trying to drown himself. That thought was quickly brushed aside when he recalled how stubborn the elder was and how hateful he was of people he considered to be weak, not that Allen agreed with him. Depression and suicide were not signs of weakness in his eyes, but strength.

It therefore made the whole situation rather confusing as to why Kanda was there floating in the middle of the water adorned with a nice suit. Silver eyes glanced back to the gift he had for the elder, his lower lip stuck into his teeth.

Though he had worked hard on Kanda's present and was rather proud of the finished effect, he was now feeling a wave of nervousness wash over him as he began to wonder if Kanda would even accept it. The elder hated him, and therefore a gift he presented the elder would most likely be hated as well, regardless of the price tag.

"Stupid," Allen mumbled, his head shaking once more.

He didn't know why he cared so much about Kanda's opinion of him; he knew it wouldn't change, no matter what he did. Allen marched over to his hard work, figuring what happened regardless of whatever mood the elder was in.

Kanda's eyes were bleary as they looked up to the darkness of the night sky, the pool thankfully warm as he floated along in it. His boring night had been suddenly changed on his parents' impulses, the two telling him they'd go out another time. Unsurprised, he shrugged it off as he had done so many times before, retreating to the back yard.

While the pool wasn't his favourite place, it was at least silent, the water dulling all sound around his ears and making him feel alone in the world, something he very much wanted at the moment. His eyes closed gently, letting himself float along in the quiet.

"You know… it might be easier to swim without the ruined expensive suit."

Apparently, the world had other plans for him.

Slowly, Kanda's eyes opened to the sight of Allen standing over him, his hands held behind his back and a nervous-looking smile on his lips, obvious fearful that the elder was attempting suicide or something equally as harmful.

"So… how's it going?" Allen started lamely, shrugging as Kanda sighed deeply.

"How do you think?" Kanda told him sarcastically.

"I think…" the younger mumbled, "I think that you're supposed to be out with your parents for a Birthday dinner."

"You'd think," the Japanese muttered, "but my parents found out that they have a client in town and thought he was more important than me…"

"That's a stupid notion," Allen snapped, "no way your parents would think that-"

"I'm here on my birthday, in a pool," the elder pointed out, "with you."

"Point taken," the white hair nodded, his body lowering on crossed legs to sit at the edge of the pool. "So… how's it going?"

The look Allen received could have killed a lesser person, the glare remaining as his body adjusted to stand at the bottom of the pool as he moved his way over towards the younger.

"Normally I'd just smack you for repeating yourself but you're so dumb I guess you actually need to be told things twice," Kanda muttered as his arms crossed over the edge of the pool, ignoring Allen's poignant glare, "what's behind your back?"

At this Allen seemed to grow nervous, his body fidgeting and his eyes looking away from the elder's.

"W-Well…" the younger swallowed thickly, "see, since it's your birthday… I got you something…"

Kanda's brow raised at this, wondering just what had possessed the younger to do something to someone like him.

"So give it," the young Japanese man pulled his hand out of the water, the palm dripping with the liquid.

"No," Allen shook his head, Kanda's eyes narrowing at the words. "Close your eyes, and I'll give it to you."

Backing away slowly so whatever Allen was going to throw at him would miss, he looked up at the other sceptically, the younger's shoulders sagging as he sighed for what might have been the umpteenth time in the night.

"Just close your damn eyes," the younger grumbled, "I won't throw it at you."

Still cautious, Kanda remained glaring at him, his head tilted in confusion.

"Fine," Allen muttered, "since it's you're damn birthday…"

"Alright Alright," Kanda conceded as he shut his eyes, "five seconds, that's it."

A click was heard from over the edge of the pool where Allen sat, the elder's curiosity sated as he opened his eyes.

"Happy Birthday…"

Allen's smile was nervous as Kanda's eyes flickered from it to the singular candle stuck in a dark chocolate cupcake, the flame flickering in the night and casting an orange glow over the younger's face.

"I know you hate sugar, so… the top's just whipped cream," Allen mumbled, his finger coiling in the pattern that was perched atop the chocolate cupcake.

"So you got me chocolate?" Kanda questioned.

"It's dark chocolate," the younger explained, "and I cut back on the sugar…"

"I thought you couldn't cut back on the sugar in those instant cake mixes?"

"You can't," Allen agreed, "that's why I didn't… it's made from scratch."

"Oh…"

It was the only thing Kanda found to say; the thought that someone, someone he barely knew, put more effort into his birthday than his parents bothered stunned him slightly.

"You… um… you might want to blow out the candle before the cream melts…" Allen pointed out, trying to find anything to break the silence.

Kanda was still slightly stunned for a moment, Allen's voice doing nothing to shake him from that state. Looking up to the younger, his hands slowly reached for the small cake, much to the younger's pleasure.

Without breaking eye contact, Kanda pulled the candle from the cake and stuck it in the pool's water, the flame extinguishing with a soft hiss.

"You know… you're a dick," Allen sighed.

"It's my birthday, I think I can do whatever I damn well please," Kanda pointed out, his tongue flicking out to test the cream on the candle.

"Yeah, but you do that every day," the younger grinned, "couldn't today be different?"

"On the day I get an excuse to be an ass?" the elder questioned, "you've got to kidding."

Nodding Allen watched as Kanda tested a small crumb of his cake, the younger feeling the nervousness creep back in.

"S-So?" the young man asked, drawing Kanda's attention back to him, "h-how is it?"

"It's fine," Kanda shrugged, the cake put down on the edge of the pool next to Allen.

The two remained in silence for an uncomfortable moment longer, Kanda simply leaning on the pool's edge while Allen simply watched the elder.

"Are you okay?"

Kanda looked up to the other, his head tilted as he looked over the elder quizzically.

"Of course I am," the elder scoffed, "why would you say otherwise?"

"Cause… you got abandoned by your family on your birthday," Allen mumbled, "even if you're cold-hearted… it's still gotta sting."

"Gee, thank you," Kanda muttered sarcastically, "tell me Doctor, when does your office open and is your couch comfy?"

"Right, my apologies," the young man shrugged, his body standing slowly, "I guess I'll just leave you alone to wallow in your sorrow… on your birthday."

"I'll consider that to be your real present from me," the elder looked away from the younger, his eyes staring ahead at nothing while Allen moved towards the fence, his head hung slightly low as he wished the entire transaction had been smoother.

"Oi."

Allen turned at the sharp voice, the elder having moved to the edge of the pool, his hand extending out of the water.

"Give me a hand," Kanda told him, watching as the younger sighed.

"You could get out of the pool yourself," Allen muttered as he walked towards the other, his fingers clasping the longer ones, "but… since it's your birthdaaaAAAAY!"

The young man screamed as he was pulled, sharply, into the warm water.

Kanda remained surprisingly calm as he watched Allen splutter and flail around in the water for a few moments longer before he turned to Kanda, his eyes boring holes into the elder.

"KANDA YOU ASS!" Allen yelled as he coughed up chlorinated water, "what'ya go and do that for?!"

"It's my birthday," Kanda shrugged, "I might as well get some enjoyment out of it."

"At my expense!" the younger snapped, his body moving over to the edge of the pool beside Kanda, thankful he had left his cell phone in the house, "jerk."

"You must be slow if it's taken you that long to figure that out," the elder muttered as he turned around, his body leaning against the cement, his eyes watching Allen cough up most of the pool's water.

Allen growled as he turned to glare that the elder, his hand wiping off the water from his face and eyes, the chemicals burning his sinuses and eyes. Kanda chuckled once more before he moved to stand in front of the younger, his hands slowly pulling up out of the water to land on either side of the younger.

Confused, the silver eyes looked into the cobalt, studying the dark orbs as they lowered slowly towards him. Something fluttered in Allen's chest as he became increasingly aware of the elder's proximity to him, how close Kanda's lips were pulling to his, how, underneath the chlorine, the elder wore a scent that smelt oddly of mint, not that the younger minded terribly.

A lump forced itself down Allen's throat as he found breathing becoming increasingly harder for Allen to breath, his eyes locked onto Kanda's approaching mouth, his mind recalling the feeling that flooded through him when they first kissed, him now wanting to feel it more.

It was with an almost practiced grace that Kanda's strong figure closed the gap between the two of them, his body easily avoiding Allen's as his body pulled itself up out of the pool and to the ledge, his hair and suit dripping over the mosaic of brick, the younger left standing against the pool's wall, his mind still blank as he remained stunned.

"You getting out or what?" Kanda asked as his feet padded along the bricks towards his house, "my parents are coming back soon, so you'd better hurry it up moyashi."

Finding the strength to nod, Allen turned to hoist his body up and out of the warm water, his thoughts in a enough of a jumbled mess that he barely registered the absence of the cupcake Kanda had taken to his room, a small bud of light in the elder's chest at the sight of the simple gift.

So? Reviews please! Let me know what you guys think!