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“Nahaha ☆ Suou-kun, here's your order.”
Niki handed Tsukasa a plate filled with food he'd always adored. The looks of the cuisine had always looked appealing to him even though it was his first time trying such a delicacy.
His expectations were high. The meal was made by one of the best — if not the best — chefs in ES. The dish was just some plain omurice; but the thing that shined was the western sweets added as a side dish, aswell as some
“Thank you, Shiina-senpai.”Tsukasa answered, his tone polite and calm. He tried his best to hide his excitement for the feast.
“Even looking at this is making me hungry..♪”Niki says, chuckling as usual with his positive attitude. He was preparing to leave to make the other customer's orders, before he got called by Tsukasa. “Shiina-senpai-!”
“Hm-?”Niki turned his back, as Tsukasa grabbed some cash from his bag. “Oh. No need! Take it as "free-food-because-it's-your-birthday"!” Niki smiled, yet Tsukasa — like the Chivalrous Knight he is — felt he didn't deserve such service.
The leader of Knights slipped the cash onto Niki's hand, before Niki looked at the item like it was forsaken. “You didn't need to,”Niki stated, but he didn't decline the money too. “You're such a good kid, unlike Rinne-kun..”
“Thank you, Shiina-senpai. I appreciate your comment☆”Tsukasa exclaimed, afterall; a knight like him has to be humble. “Ah, i have to cook the others' orders! Have a good day, Suou-kun♪”
☆☆☆
After finishing the sweets, Tsukasa wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. He remembers the item was gifted to him by Tori last year, yet he hadn't found much chances to actually use the thing. Though this year, he wondered if Tori would give him any actual gifts at all.
He sat on the chair, trying to remember details of his last year's birthday. Tori gave him a gift only due to Eichi forcing him to. Everything that the other gave Tsukasa was cutesy, so he disliked using them. But in a pretty private setting like this — where he's sitting at the edge of the café — he thinks it isn't so bad to actually use Tori's gifts for once.
Tsukasa finally came back to earth. He had already finished his meal, so he felt hogging the spot for too long would be disrespectful to the other customers. He stood up from where he was sitting, and started to walk near where he came from.
But he stopped.
He noticed some ice cream near the counter that was just made, it seems like the sweets weren't enough to feed his cravings; so he decided to buy some ice cream too (Sena-senpai is gonna murder him for this).
☆☆☆
As Tsukasa finally left the café with his newly bought ice cream, he noticed a specific someone was passing by. That pink hair was just impossible to not recognize. Tsukasa felt like he should just ignore Tori, but right when that thought passed his mind, Tori noticed him first.
“Hey! You-!”Tori shouted, bolting over to where Tsukasa stood. Tsukasa — still holding the ice cream as he hasn't finished it yet — waited as Tori walked up to him. “Tsukasa, it's your birthday right?”Tori asked, panting as he finally caught up to the other.
“Oh, Tori-kun.”Tsukasa nodded and smiled, his gaze locked onto Tori. “Yes, it is. Is there any reason why you're asking-?”
Tsukasa couldn't even finish his words before Tori shoved a gift onto Tsukasa's chest. He graciously accepts the item, gripping it tight with his free hand and he puts it around his arms and torso. He looks at the wrapping used for the gift; a pink, whimsical and cute box. It fits Tori well, but Tsukasa won't dwell on it for too long.
“Ah, thank you, Tori-kun.”Tsukasa bowed slightly, Tori crossing his arms and sighing. “Well, it would be not very kind of me to not give you something for your birthday. Right, Tsukasa?”Tori leaned slightly forward, one hand tucked below his chin. He looked proud, though Tsukasa just gave him a fond smile.
“Well, you usually aren't KIND.”Tsukasa laughed, trying to ignore the glare that Tori gave him. “Excuse me!?”Tori shouted, arms flailing. “You're just- Ugh!!”
“Hehe, you're so easy to TEASE.”
Tori crossed his arms. Though, his sight lands onto the strawberry ice cream Tsukasa is holding in his other hand. Though trying to keep his pride, he can't help but feel a little bit hungry once he sees the thing.
Tsukasa couldn't help but notice the fact that Tori is staring at the ice cream. He looks onto his ice cream, and back at the other. Tsukasa fought with himself, wanting to keep that ice cream to himself but also his chivalrous side also fought back.
....
Tsukasa sighed, giving the ice cream to Tori with a very pained expression. Tori didn't even expect Tsukasa to actually give him the ice cream. Though he masked up that surprise with his usual confidence and smug face. Still speechless, though.
“♪~♪~♪”Tori took some bites out of the food item, humming a tune from one of fine's newest songs. “Hmm~?That SONG, i haven't heard it yet.”Tsukasa asked.
“Why would you like to know anyway?”Tori claps back, mouth full of ice cream to the point his sentence was barely audible, yet Tsukasa managed to catch it. “Can someone not ask a question?”
“It's a song from the best unit, of course ♪”That reply got a chuckle out of Tsukasa. “Haha, could you show me?”Tsukasa questioned.
Tori looked at Tsukasa, not actually expecting him to want to listen to his unit's song, but he knows that Tsukasa is pretty unpredictable.“Hmph, sure, sure.”Tori walked over to a bench and sat down on it, Tsukasa did the same.
Tsukasa grabbed his phone, slipping it onto Tori's hands. “Here, play the SONG, will you?”Tsukasa smirked, Tori wrote the song's name. "Dreaming Ocean".
As Tori played the song, Tsukasa listened. The beat was nice, something sweet sounding; he felt as if it would taste like a pretty good snack. “This isn't so bad. Your songs sound amazing, Tori-kun.”Tsukasa simply stated, but even with such an innocent tone; Tori started to make flustered noises.
“Ah- Y-you! You're just buttering me up, aren't you?”Tori shrieked, this lands another giggle from The King of Knights. “It sounds good, your voice sounded great. ♡”
Tori crossed his arms and huffed, looking away from Tsukasa. But he sneaked a glance at him; he wanted to see that annoyingly pretty voice sing, and how he sang in Knights' songs.
“Hey, you- Tsukasa.”Tori calls, trying to get rid of his flusteredness with some simple words. He turned back, facing Tsukasa once more. “What is it, Tori-kun?”
“Could you play some of your unit's songs? Play me something good, not boring!☆”Tori demands, though Tsukasa thinks to himself; what if they're not good? What if they're not to Tori's tastes? Though he tried to push those thoughts aside for now and just follow what Tori told him to do (and pretend he was confident, just like usual).
“Alright, alright. Hehe, Knights' songs will crush fine's ♪”Tsukasa boasted, causing Tori (once again) to get angry. It seems as if one of Tsukasa's specialties is to make his fellow nobles mad. Yet, Tori tried to hide his annoyance. He was trying to get more mature, right? “Hmph, I doubt it.”
Tsukasa's hand landed on a music app, then writing "Luminous Crown" on the search bar. It was a song that he was proud of; so he wanted to show that off first.
A Luminous with Love and Blessings
That is a sparkling crown
The jewels that adorn it—surely they represent the future we choose…
Our future!
....
“Your songs aren't that bad, i guess.”Tori mumbles, and Tsukasa just chuckles in response. “I know that already, Tori-kun. ♡”Tsukasa watched as the song came to an end, and his head turned up and his gaze met Tori again. “Would you like me to play another one?”
“Well, i wouldn't mind.. I guess.”Tori answered, and Tsukasa nodded as he did the same things he did when he opened his first song. Finding another song to show, he turned it on.
After some time, he turned on another,
Then another.
Before he knows it, Tsukasa has spent two hours staying by Tori's side, playing him sweet melodies one after another. He looked at the time; 17:30. He was so invested in his music that he didn't even notice that…
Tori fell asleep on him.
“Were my songs that boring?”Tsukasa thought to himself, but he just shoved those thoughts once again. It was getting late. The sky had changed from a bright and clear blue to a reddish pink. It was time for him to go back to his dorms; but he couldn't leave Tori alone.
Tsukasa put his phone in his pocket, before he picked up Tori princess style, trying to not wake up the other. He held him gently, his steps were light and he tried not to make any loud sounds.
☆☆☆
Tsukasa brought him to Seisoukan Apartments. If he remembered correctly, Tori's dorm should be around the end of the 1st floor.
He slowly and deliberately stepped into the dorm room, he couldn't open the room himself but it seemed like (somehow) Yuzuru sensed his presence and opened the door for him. Tsukasa gave Yuzuru a soft smile.
“Fushimi-senpai,”Tsukasa greeted with his usual confidence aswell as his polite personality, the one he always used with anyone other than people he truly knew well. Yuzuru is surprised to see Tori getting carried by anyone other than himself, but he masks his surprise with appreciation (because well, he did appreciate Tsukasa).
“Young Master Suou. Thank you for protecting the Young Master.”Yuzuru smiles, gesturing Tsukasa to let Tori lay down on the bed. “I'm glad to be of help, it is my duty as a knight afterall ♪”
“Would you like some tea? I just finished making some,”Yuzuru asked, though Tsukasa politely declined. “I appreciate the offer, but no thank you, Fushimi-senpai. I must go, i have duties to do. ”Tsukasa shook his head as he walked to the entrance of the dorm room, “Tell Tori-kun I said goodbye.”
☆☆☆
Tsukasa made it to his dorm, Souma and Shinobu weren't there. He believes they both have work with their respective units, but he doesn't want to ponder about it for too long.
Tsukasa went to his bed and unwrapped the gift Tori gave him.. They were just some books Tsukasa wanted, but even then with such a simple gift.. Tsukasa felt as if Tori put alot of thought into it for no reason. He knew Tori probably looked at his introduction in ES and just saw that his hobby was reading, but still he couldn't just push away the fact that those books are exactly the ones he wanted. Tori knows about his tastes and gifted him the ones he loved the summary of but couldn't find anywhere. He searched through and through for these books.
Tsukasa put them on his storage area, maybe when he has some free time he'll read them, most likely while thinking about the one person who gifted him the books in the first place.
Tsukasa came back to his resting place and sat on the edge of his bed, legs dangling as he pulled out his phone, he opened the app that he used to search up songs like when he showed Tori Knights' music, and searched up the song Tori showed him.
Add to playlist.