This chapter is dedicated to Shards (from AO3).
POV Takao
I've had too many rice balls with candles in them for me to get excited about my birthday anymore, but after my demand to have no birthday celebrations last year, I was unsure what I had to look forward to this year.
Shin-chan insisted that I wear something warm. He tossed his Otousan's car key at me in a high arc, just as if he were shooting baskets. I had a license, but I have barely driven in all that time I'd had it. Shin-chan had outright refused to consider learning to drive when I'd brought it up on his birthday. He sighted his medications as 'troublesome,' but I suspected it was more fear than necessity.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We have reservations; we'll talk about it on the way," he said and left the room.
When he directed me to turn toward the Shiba-koen district of Minato, I knew we were going to Tokyo Tower.
"They take reservations at the Tower?" I asked.
"We have a table at Club333. Tonight is live music."
"Cool," I said and my hands felt a little lighter on the borrowed steering wheel.
We took the elevator up to the observatory level, but before going into the club, Shin-chan handed me a small velvet box. Inside was a necklace that matched the one I'd bought him for his birthday. It was a prismatic blue.
"But my birthstone is turquoise," I say and even as I did, I realized how ungrateful I sounded.
"Traditionally, yes, but the modern alternative is blue topaz. I know that you do not subscribe to my beliefs, but I thought a matching stone could be for you, if not a Lucky Item, then a promise."
"What are you promising?"
"Forever," he said and pushed his glasses up. He took the box back and removed the necklace. I turned my back to him to look out over the city while he placed it around my neck. My hands came up to steady it. The view was mesmerizing; the colors were so crisp and vibrant even in the cold night air. I shivered.
"Oha Asa had good predictions for us today," he said, moving in to speak against the back of my head. "I was recommended to make things literal if I wanted to take our relationship to new heights. For you, the prediction was that a new vantage would show you the depths of my love."
Sandwiching me between him and the railing, he leaned in and kissed the back of my neck.
"I…"
"Come, our table is waiting," he said and took my hand.
POV Midorima
I give my name and we are taken right away to a table in the corner against the back window, the exact table that I'd requested. On the table is a little cream card with the words "Reserved Midorima/Takao." It is a tall, round two-top with stools. A spider web of blue twinkling lights scattered across the ceiling and a single candle are the only illumination. There is a string quartet playing on the stage, but we are far enough away from them that we will be able to converse freely. Moments after we are seated, our drinks arrive.
"Non-alcoholic pear sparklers," the server says. I swallow half of mine in a single gulp, while Takao takes measured sips. He looks incredibly uncomfortable and I begin to suspect I have made a mistake.
"What's wrong, Kazu?" He smiles whenever I call him that and now is no different. The song ends and there is silence.
"I'm nervous; I've never been to a place like this –" He doesn't have time to finish the sentence as the server returns with two slices of pre-ordered cheesecake covered in kiwifruit. The quartet leads the room in a rousing version of Happy Birthday and the crowd applauds. Takao looks like he will hide under the table, but I take his hand, and when I squeeze his fingers, he squeezes back.
"I consulted Yukina. She told me about your dubious history of birthdays and I decided this year would be different."
"It definitely is, already," he says, biting his lip. He worries at the cake with his fork.
"Kazu," I sigh, "if this isn't what you want, tell me and we'll leave and do whatever you want. You won't hurt my feelings."
"I'm a little… What did you mean when you said forever? You know, outside?"
I nod; Oha Asa is always right. He doesn't understand, but he is focusing on the right things and I will do my best to explain it to him.
"It means that I will never abandon you," I take my necklace in one hand and then without letting go of his hand, the two of us touch his together. "We are more than just 'partners.' I wish I could find the words to tell you how I feel right now, but I rely too much on you to know and that's not fair. I apologize if this comes out wrong, but you are beautiful and I've wanted to tell you that for so long, but I have been afraid that you would take that wrong."
Takao's eyes are huge in the blue light; there is a hope that sparkles behind his features, and I can't resist. I lean forward and I kiss him. The crowd applauds and even though I know it is for the music, I pretend it is for us and I feel bold even though he hasn't said a word.
"I love you, Kazu."
Takao relaxes by centimeters all evening and by the time we are ready to go, the cake plates are licked clean, and we have enjoyed three more pear sparklers each. I don't remember a single note of the music, but I won't forget a single glance, a single sound that Takao made.
He concentrates as he drives, so when I ask him to take the next exit, he puts on the turn single and changes lanes. It is not until we are on the road to school that he realizes we have taken the wrong exit.
"I forgot something in my locker, do you mind if we stop on the way back?"
"Not at all," he says. The clubroom is on the backside of the school and when he parks we are, of course, the only ones in the lot. He accompanies me and uses his keys to open our way, while I make sure the doors are secured behind us. He doesn't seem to notice the excitement I think must be clearly visible. Our last Winter Cup begins in a less than a week and once we leave school on Friday to take up our hotel accommodations for the tournament, we will never practice in our shabby home facility again. I have a promise to keep and as I open my locker, the supplies I had prepared earlier are exactly where I left them. I shove the bottle into my pocket and throw the towel over my shoulder in a way I hope looks casual and confident.
Takao's eyebrows fly up as he watches me stroll towards the court. The light above center court is never off, but the rest of the room is shrouded in darkness.
"Shin-chan?"
I don't answer, but I shed my jacket and let it drop near the bench. I toe off my shoes and pull off my socks. The clothing I chose for tonight is all easily removable. I am not wearing a belt or a tie. Takao is grinning as I take the towel and spread it over the logo on center court.
"What have you got planned, Shin-chan?" Again, I know that actions are better than my words, so I return to the bench and remove my glasses.
"Oh, Shintarō," he moans. I've made the walk from the bench to center court so many times that I arrive even though the whole world is a dark blur. I like to imagine that we are above the normal lustful behavior of teenage boys. After all we have slept next to each other every night since the first day he came to live with us. At the time, I'd asked my mother when we would buy him a separate futon and she said there was no need. When I persisted, she's said, "If you and Kazu-kun ever adopt a child, you will understand that a parents' happiness is equal to her least unhappy child's sadness." No one had ever mentioned changing the arrangement again.
However, there is an undeniable chemistry we share and as my hands roam over his back, I don't care if we act like horny fools. When he first suggested this locale, I had dismissed it, but seeing the disappointment in his eyes had made me reconsider and as his birthday and the end of our high school careers approached, it became the only thing I thought about.
I put the bottle of lotion into his hand. His tongue is in my mouth and somehow clothing seems to remove itself. I want to be the aggressor, but Takao is not interested in that and he guides me down so that I am kneeling above the towel with my knees spread wide. We haven't tried this position yet and I am already dripping when his hand wraps around my penis.
He chuckles and peppers kisses along my lower back before playfully biting at the meatiest part of my butt cheeks. He drapes over my back, sucking on my shoulder blades as he enters me. We haven't had sex in two weeks and this position is awful on my knees, but the noises he makes against me convince me that skinned knees are a very small price to pay.
"I can't…" he pants. "My legs are strong, but not that strong."
I reach back and feel his calves are strained and he is standing on his toes. I lower my hips, but he's already moving. He takes himself out of me and I don't know what to do, but he does. Takao slides between my still spread wide legs so that he is on his back underneath me. He guides me down and he is where he should be again.
"I like this position the best," he says. "I like watching you." I don't say that I want the same thing. I want to know what his face looks like when he is inside me, but I will not pressure him. His comfort is more important.
"It is good," I agree. "I like the way you touch me." His hands are always active and caressing. There is not a centimeter of my body that he does not know and he uses his knowledge to push me to orgasm first. My pace is second nature to him now and he thrust into me so perfectly as he finds his pleasure inside me. He quietly whispers my name as he comes as well. His hands run down my chest and then settle on my hips.
"When you're ready, lie down next to me, ok?" It always takes me a while to move off of him; I prefer the natural exit as he softens, but his request has me intrigued. I lift up and away before settling against his shoulder. Laying down, I can pretend we are the same height and I feel less freaky.
Forever," he says. The sound flows over his tongue. I can see the way his mouth moves to form the word even without my glasses.
"Yes, forever," I say when he is silent. He reaches a hand up toward the light above us. There is no way he can reach it while stretched out on the floor, but he tries nonetheless.