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Nishikiyama had been lying in his apartment for the better part of the morning, just staring at the ceiling over his futon. Not that he had any reason to get up - it was his birthday, and, in a rare move, his superiors had seen fit to give him the day off. In what was probably an intentional move, Kiryu, on the other hand, had been assigned to a group taking care of some business in Yokohama over the weekend, and wasn’t expected to be back for another day or so. Dojima had been working them extra hard since the resolution of everything that had happened - this was probably an extra punishment.
Growing up at Sunflower he could always count on being wished a happy birthday each year. From Yuko with a hug, from Yumi with a bright laugh, and from Kiryu spoken plainly with a soft, rare smile. After dinner, the other kids would gather around and they'd share a treat - a simple cake or some sweets. Not an extravagant party, but surrounded by friendly faces the gesture was always appreciated. This year was odd - he didn't have any plans, and it was weird to not even have Kiryu around. It wasn’t that the two were inseparable, but it was painfully obvious that they preferred each other’s company to the exclusion of most others. Nishiki huffed. He wasn’t lonely or anything, at 22, he was a grown-ass adult. If he wanted to have fun on his birthday, he would just have to do it himself.
He spent the morning lying around his apartment, drinking a beer, eating some snacks he had left over… attempting to watch some TV, but on a Monday morning there was nothing on but the same old news programs that housewives would watch. Restless, he decided to take a walk instead and see if he could find something interesting to do.
+
Nishiki hit up all his regular haunts, but it just wasn’t the same on a weekday. Who knew having a day off could be so goddamn boring? He played a few games at the batting cages, even setting a new best score for himself, but what was the point if there was nobody around to show off to? There weren’t even any high school kids he could play the flashy cool guy for, showing off his money and his cool hair and his wicked fashion sense - the batting cages were empty save for the bored staff member who took his money and marked down his points.
Maharaja was similarly deserted. He loved the atmosphere there, the pulsing beat and the colorful lights in the dark space gave it an otherworldly feel that he could lose himself in easily, flirting and dancing with pretty ladies by showing off his stellar dance moves, drinking just until everything had a pleasant, bright halo and giving himself up to the music. Without all the crowds, it lost some of its magic. Late in the afternoon, the only other people there were the regular dancers, most of whom he’d beaten in dance-offs before. They had a couple friendly dance battles, but he didn’t feel like waiting for the few people that would come in later in the evening after work.
Thinking he’d catch up with some of his other friends, he headed to Serena hoping to get a drink before dinner, but all the lights were out and the sign was off. Oh, right. He wasn’t upset that Serena was closed; Reina busted her ass to make a living, and she more than most people deserved her night off. It was just a little disappointing that he couldn’t hang around with her or even the other regulars, mainly salarymen who found other things to do after work on a Monday night. His stomach growled, and Nishiki realized he hadn’t really eaten anything all day. It’s my birthday, I should treat myself. If I go to yakiniku now, I can eat as much as I want! Enthused about this idea, Nishiki set off toward Kanrai with thoughts of delicious beef tongue and pork belly making him hungrier with every step.
Nishiki never imagined eating yakiniku could be depressing, but as soon as he settled into the booth alone and the plates started to pile up around him, so did the lonely thoughts. Every other time he’d gone to eat here he’d been with someone. He had brought hostesses here once or twice, flashing them charming smiles as they offered to feed him small bites of meat, giggling as he exclaimed at how delicious it was, how perfectly they cooked each morsel… He thought of the first time he’d come here with Kiryu, drunk on the freedom of moving to Tokyo and the fabulous luxury of their first real paychecks; they’d ordered plate after plate until they were stuffed, then ordered seconds. They staggered back to Kiryu’s apartment because it was closer, falling asleep leaning against each other on the couch in the stupor of a food coma. That had been a great time, and Nishiki couldn’t help but feel that his current experience felt hollow by comparison. Growing up he’d always eaten with others, companionship and family became inextricably linked with mealtimes, so eating this type of celebratory meal on his own felt wrong, somehow. Nishiki shook his head to stop thinking about it, but finished his meal with a bit of an ache in his chest.
+
Without thinking, he wandered in the direction of a small nearby park, sitting himself down on a swing. The park was quiet in the growing twilight, the yellow streetlights flickering on one by one. Swinging idly, he watched a couple of birds fight over a dropped piece of bread, chuckling to himself as one puffed itself up, strutting around to distract the other. Unfortunately for it, the other bird was unimpressed, picking up the bread and flying a short distance away. Nishiki laughed, imagining Kiryu’s serious face at his own antics, his eyes crinkling with amusement as the first bird dropped its act and flew over to be with its friend. Kiryu, who was always there to back him up especially when he got himself into trouble. Who looked serious at all times, but allowed himself to be dragged along on any number of adventures - drinking at Serena, dancing at Maharaja, even shopping - sharing that rare smile with Nishiki that never failed to set him on edge, like there was something he desperately needed to happen, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
Annoyed with himself for being so down, he kicked up his feet and began swinging, gathering height and launching himself from the top of the arc, landing neatly on his feet. Nishiki barked a laugh. Ha, look at that! Still got it. Take that, nobody.
+
Nishiki fumbled with his keys, unlocking the door and barely managing to kick off his shoes before flopping down on the couch, fishing through the bag he brought in and cracking open a beer. He’d stopped by Poppo on the way home, hoping to at least end his night on a drunken note, if not an interesting one.
Well into his third drink, he heard footsteps out on the landing. That’s weird, my neighbor is out this week. Ignoring it, he heaved a sigh. Not like it’s anybody here for me, anyway. He drained the can, cracking open a fourth, and jumped when he heard a tap at the door. The hell could that be? Ready to ignore it, Nishiki jumped again as he heard a familiar voice.
“Hey Nishiki, you home?”
“Kiryu?” Nishiki set his beer down on the low table by the couch and got up, staggering over to the door. He tripped down into the genkan, slamming loudly into the door with a grunt.
“Are you okay in there?” Kiryu’s voice sounded concerned, as muffled as it was through the door. Nishiki pulled himself together enough to unlock the door and wrest it open, suddenly finding himself nose to nose with a worried-looking Kiryu.
Nishiki grinned. “Hey.”
“Uh, hey. Am I interrupting something?”
“Nah, just… drinking. Alone.” Nishiki squinted, his eyes shining.
“Heh, I can tell.” Kiryu’s lips quirked up in a smile as he chuckled, and Nishiki’s heart did a funny little flip as relief crashed over him like a wave, and he suddenly understood how Kiryu’s smile made him feel.
Kiryu opened his mouth to say something, probably “Are you really okay?” or “Can you move out of the way?” but he didn’t get the chance as he suddenly found Nishiki’s lips pressed against his. It was awkward, a barefoot Nishiki leaning out of his apartment to where Kiryu stood with his shoes still on, a white box carefully held against his chest. Kiryu was momentarily stunned. Nishiki’s lips were soft, not that he was terribly surprised as Nishiki had always been… beautiful, and actually took care of his appearance. Kiryu smiled against Nishiki’s mouth, tilting his head for a better angle and returning the kiss.
Nishiki sighed into the kiss, his cheeks growing wet as Kiryu didn’t pull away or otherwise disappear. With another soft press of lips, he pulled away, scrubbing at his face with his hands.
“I’m… sorry.”
“Why?”
Nishiki looked up, his face damp. Kiryu looked at him with one of those rare smiles, his eyes knowing without judging. Opening and closing his mouth a few times, Nishiki looked a bit like the koi tattooed across his back.
“Can I come in?” Kiryu asked patiently, gesturing slightly with the box in his hands.
“Ah, sorry!” Nishiki stumbled back, narrowly avoiding falling backward into his living room, picking up some of the cans and trash strewn about. Kiryu set down the box, and disappeared into the kitchen.
“What’re you doing here, anyway?” It suddenly occurred to him that Kiryu wasn’t even supposed to be in town.
Kiryu returned with a knife and two forks, seating himself at the table. “We finished early, so I headed back first.” It was the truth, even if he’d applied a little more force than usual and taken care of most of the ensuing fight by himself. He didn’t want to miss Nishiki’s birthday.
“Huh.” Nishiki watched him, not entirely sure what was going on.
“Happy birthday, Nishiki.” That same voice, his smile soft on his face. Kiryu opened the box, revealing a small stylish cake, perfectly glossy and decorated with dark chocolate curls and a small candy sunflower.
Nishiki stared at him. “You…”
“I picked it up on the way back. There was a bakery… I thought of you.”
Tears streamed down Nishiki’s face as he just sat there staring at Kiryu. Everything had seemed so pointless all day, but this...
“Uh, do you like it?”
“Kiryu…”
“...”
“...I missed you.”
“Heh, I missed you too.” Kiryu chuckled, relieved.
Nishiki pushed the table to the side, carefully avoiding jostling the cake in any way. It looked delicious, but it could wait.
“What- oof.” Kiryu suddenly found the breath knocked out of him as he was tackled onto the tatami. He wrapped his arms around a shaking Nishiki, as muffled sobs soaked into his shirt, and held him for a minute until he pulled himself together.
“Thank you…”
Sniffling, Nishiki sat up and wiped his face. “Sorry, Kiryu. Everything just felt wrong, I think this is the first time I’ve been alone on my birthday. I guess I just let it get to me.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier.”
“I shouldn’t be so upset, I'm useless.”
“Shh. You’re not useless. It’s your birthday. Have some cake.”
Nishiki looked at the cake. It was barely large enough to afford each of them a good slice, but that too was nostalgic. The little sunflower was perfect, and he couldn’t help but grin.
“Thanks. Really.” They shared a grin.
“So, what did you do today?”
Nishiki told him about the awesome top score he got at the batting cages, punctuating his excitement with jabs of his fork. Kiryu congratulated him, promising to go soon for another attempt. Everything felt right again.