Author's Note: A ten-minute story inspired by Lady Seis's first fanart gift pic. Enjoy!

 

And Happy Birthday Hikaru! *blows the horns and waves the pompoms*

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The Gift:

“Hmm…no…no…I don’t think he is going to like this one.”

“Okay, how about this one then?”

“Too colorful.”

“This one?”

“Too…plain.”

“Definitely this one.”

“He’s a guy, remember?”

Sigh. “Then how about this one? They just got it in from their head company somewhere in America. I am sure he will like this one.”

“…”

“Well?”

“All right. All right. I’ll take it.”

“Look if you don’t like it, we can just pick out another one...”

“We’ve been here for almost an hour. By the time we are through it’s going to be nightfall.”

“Don’t blame this on me. You are so indecisive.”

“I can’t help it if I don’t know what he likes.”

“I thought you two were a couple.”

“And your point is?”

“And my point is, if you are a couple shouldn’t you know the kinds of things he likes by now?”

“…I don’t follow.”

An exasperated sigh. “Listen. You have known each other for years now. What…since you were twelve? I am sure that there is something he will like that you should know about.”

“…”

“Nothing comes to mind?”

“Well…”

“Why are you smirking?”

“Oh, nothing. Thanks for reminding me.”

Bewildered look. “Reminding you of what?”

“Reminding me of the most important thing he could ever need.”

“Eh?”

A chaste kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, Akari. You have done more than enough today.”

~*~*~*~

Shindo blinked at the girl. “That’s all he said? He didn’t tell you what he was getting?”

“I told you already. He just had that vague reply and he smiled like he was hiding some secret and that was it.”

He worried his lower lip and shifted his foot from one side to the other. He was even surprised that Touya had actually remembered that today was his birthday. And had been even more surprised that Akira had asked for Akari’s help in picking out a present for him. Akari had said that they had gone to a sports store and had been looking at the latest team jerseys.

Sheesh…what could he possibly have for me?

“Are you going home now?” Akari asked softly.

He nodded. “Yeah. I am tired. It’s been a long day.”

Isumi, Waya, Nase and several others at the Institute had thrown a little party for him after their games earlier and he was honestly tired but disappointed as well. Touya had not shown up. He had forced himself to smile throughout the festivities, but that emptiness he had felt at his friend’s absence was something that his Go mates had not been able to fulfill.

Akari gave a soft nod of understanding before smiling softly. “Okay then, Hikaru. Have a good night and happy birthday to you again.”

She gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, before making her way towards her home. Shindo watched her for a few minutes and then began to make his way towards his own lonesome home. His parents had traveled to China for a two-week vacation and had called early in the morning to wish their son a ‘Happy Birthday.’

I am missing something. I need…something…or someone…

He opened up the front door and was just about to open up his mouth to give the automatic greeting of ‘Tadaima’ (even though no one was around), only to blink in surprise as he noticed the sheets of kifu at the bottom of the stairs.

What in the world…?

He picked them up with a puzzled frown. He didn’t remember leaving any kifu laying about the place. He wasn’t that careless. But as he continued to pick them up, his confusion grew as he noticed that they were leading all the way up the stairs and seemingly towards his bedroom.

He dropped his backpack and began to pick them up carefully, cursing inwardly as he wondered just how absentminded he had been to leave so much of the papers about the place.

Sure enough, the kifu led to his bedroom and as he picked up the last one and placed his hands on the doorknob to open it up, he gasped in shock as he noticed what awaited him inside.

Dressed in nothing more than a pair of white pants and a blue oxford shirt that was not buttoned completely (revealing a washboard torso that had Shindo swallowing tightly), Akira Touya sat in the middle of his room with a goban and stones nearby apparently waiting for him.

The kifu he had so carefully picked up and arranged neatly in his hands dropped to the floor again in a flurry of white as Shindo gaped helplessly at how good his partner and friend looked.

“To…To….Touya…” he managed to croak out weakly as his heart rate picked up with excitement and anticipation.

And unable to stop the blush that had filled his cheeks, Akira gave the blond a smile that was nothing short of sexy with promises of unspeakable pleasure, as he held out his hand in open invitation. Thanks to Akari’s words, Touya had realized that no material gift would be good enough to show the blond just how much he meant to him.

And in a voice that was husky and deeper than normal, he said softly.

“Happy birthday, Shindo. Wanna play…?”