Disclaimer: Can't own 'em coz I didn't create 'em.

A/N: Been a long time since I placed something here. Just had to put something up for Hana-chan's birthday

Dinner

Kaede peeked at his boyfriend who was quite obviously uncomfortable with the starched shirt he was wearing. It took a massive effort in Kaede's part not to openly smile at Hanamichi's awkward behavior. The redhead would scratch his collar then shift then grunt as they waited for a waiter to serve them.

The brunette had chosen the particular outfit for the redhead for that night. It had taken quite a while to cajole the redhead into wearing it but the result had been worth the hassle. Hanamichi looked splendid in the white button down shirt and black slacks. Kaede had noticed several women openly ogling the redhead as they had entered the posh restaurant that evening.

"And people say I'm the gorgeous one between us," he thought as he traced Hanamichi's face with his eyes. "They just don't know better.

"Oi, fox, how long do we have to wait to get some service here?" Hanamichi asked, intruding into his musings. "I'm starving!"

Kaede was saved from answering when a waiter came over and handed them menus.

"Good evening sirs," the man bowed at them. "I am Francois and I will be your waiter for the evening."

Kaede tuned out the waiter's voice as he looked at Hanamichi's scrunched face as the other boy attempted to decipher the menu. How the redhead could look cute and sexy at the same time was beyond the brunette's comprehension.

"Would you like to order some drinks while you peruse our menu? I would recommend—"

"Wait a minute!" Hanamichi interrupted, frustrated over his lack of comprehension. "Speak in plain Japanese why dontcha? I can't understand a single thing you're saying. Jeez! And what the heck is your name? Fran-what? And what the heck are all these stuff on this list? Are you sure we can eat them?"

How Hanamichi could still look cute while being dumb was another enigma to Kaede.

"Hanamichi…Francois is French," Kaede interjected. "We are in a French restaurant. They serve French food here."

"Stupid fox! I knew that! I just didn't—"

The redhead noticed that several people were giving him odd looks and he finally realized just how loud he had been. He quickly shut his mouth and just glared at his boyfriend.

Kaede waited for Hanamichi to say something but when it became apparent that the other boy had become mute, he just scanned his menu.

"We won't drink anything just yet," he finally said to the waiter. "We'll just call you when we've decided what to order."

"Very well sir," Francois said as he bowed and left the table.

"So," Kaede said as he looked up from his reading, "what do you want to eat?"

Hanamichi glowered at him. Kaede just raised an eyebrow. They stared at each other until Hanamichi growled.

"Why don't you just order for the two of us," Hanamichi gritted out.

Kaede looked back at the menu. He smirked as he heard Hanamichi's almost inaudible gripe.

"You know damn well I can't understand this stupid list! Hmp! Stupid fox!"

Kaede ignored the redhead's grumbling as he recalled his perfect plan for the evening. Nothing but utter perfection was called for Hanamichi's birthday. It took him nearly a month to organize everything.

First would be a romantic dinner—and what could be more romantic than French cuisine!—then an exclusive fireworks display just for his d'aho, and, finally, a stroll at the beach where Kaede would give Hanamichi a special gift. Of course, he was also counting on the "special session" he and his boyfriend would have afterwards.

But first—dinner.

Kaede made his choices and used the waiting time to stare at the once again fidgeting redhead. He had to admit that Hanamichi was actually behaving quite well that night. Proof was that he did not result to violence when the food took a long time to arrive.

The brunette had tried to curb the redhead's impatience by ordering something from each of the categories on the menu just so Hanamichi would be able to munch on something while waiting for the main course. The way the taller boy scarfed everything down in a matter of seconds did not help though.

Kaede's face softened considerably especially when Hanamichi was in the middle of chewing a piece of the salad ("It's just a fancy name for rabbit food!" Hanamichi had said before attacking the dish) and the redhead had looked up to find Kaede not eating anything. Quickly swallowing—and almost choking in the process—Hanamichi had asked why Kaede was not eating.

"It's okay," Kaede answered. "I'll wait for the main course."

"Che! Idiot! That's why you never have enough energy to play basketball. You never eat enough!"

Hanamichi then proceeded to dump half of the salad on Kaede's plate. He cursed loudly when he managed to spill half of the sauce on the table. Trying to wipe the stain away, he almost pulled the whole tablecloth off the table. He grinned sheepishly at Kaede before sitting still and quietly finishing his salad.

The meal went on smoothly—or as smoothly as a full course meal with a redhead time bomb could be. The coup de grace happened when the main course arrived and Hanamichi asked for soy sauce. Needless to say Francois was scandalized. Kaede was torn between laughing and maintaining a straight face.

"But sir! We do not put the soya sauce on this dish!"

"I don't care what you put on your food! I want soy sauce and I want it now!" Hanamichi roared as he slammed his fist on the table.

This started off a chain of events. First his fork flew up into the air and landed on the hand of a waiter creating a flambé for diners at the next table. The waiter's hand slipped and the fiery concoction slipped off the table on onto the lap of a fat lady. The lady screamed to high heaven because her dress had caught on fire. People tried to put out the flame but one diner accidentally doused a goblet of wine on her. More pandemonium erupted.

Meanwhile, Hanamichi looked on, immensely horrified. He suddenly dashed out of the restaurant startling Kaede. The brunette immediately followed. No one stopped him since everyone was too busy with the flaming lady.

He was surprised to find Hanamichi bawling like a little child outside the restaurant. The brunette quickly ran towards Hanamichi and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

"Hey, it's okay. The lady didn't get badly burnt," he whispered as he caressed the other boy's back.

Hanamichi hiccupped. "I'm sorry! All your hard plans—ruined—I tried hard to act like you—tried to be nice—but I guess I'm really just an idiot—"

Kaede quickly shut Hanamichi up by kissing him.

"Don't you ever, ever say that, you hear?" he said afterwards, forcing Hanamichi's watery eyes to meet his. "You are the genius, remember? Those people were the idiots! They were bumbling idiots who didn't know what to put on their food and who didn't know how to put out fires. They were the idiots, not you! Never you! Understand?"

Hanamichi's eyes widened at each word Kaede said. This was by far the longest speech the brunette had made and the intensity by which he said them hit the redhead hard. He sniffled then relaxed into Kaede's arms.

The two shared a moment of silence—only to be disturbed by Hanamichi's stomach growling.

Hanamichi sat up and scratched the back of his head.

"Ehe-he. I guess I'm still hungry. Uhm…maybe we can find another restaurant or something…"

Kaede noted the almost panicky look in Hanamichi's eyes. He stood up and helped the other boy to his feet.

"Look," he said after a moment, "this is supposed to be your night. We still have time before the fire—er—before we go to the beach. Is there any place you want to eat?

Hanamichi shyly smiled at him. "Well…there is this place…"

Kaede opened his arms wide. "Lead the way."

Hanamichi grabbed his hand and quickly led him along the dark streets. Several minutes later they were ensconced inside a small noodles shop and Hanamichi was happily slurping soba to his stomach's content. His shirt was open, his pants wrinkled, his face tearstained, but to Kaede, he had never looked more beautiful than that night. Kaede let his lips curve up into a smile as he ate his dinner.

-End-

Epilogue

The two managed to watch the special fireworks with minimal misadventures. Hanamichi had tried to set off one firework but it had exploded before he could even get near it. He was too spooked to try again so he contented himself with watching the display with childish glee. His enthusiasm, however, tripled when Kaede handed him a small box, which contained a small glass globe. Inside the globe was a miniature fox romping playfully under a sakura tree with cherry blossoms all around it. The redhead showed his immense gratitude the moment the two were alone.