He had never been a fan of amusement parks, but with all of Kobayashi’s family being rather excited about their day out, he didn’t had the heart to say no. They have only been inside for but a moment, and somehow he ended up accepting to wear the typical Mickey Mouse ears as to match Kanna’s Minnie ones.
It’s been a while since he is so happy in a family setting, and he innerly thanks Kobayashi for pushing him to accept in the first place.
@nerdydragonmom invited Izumi to spend the day out with her "family".
@lowbloodpressurelord and their child has made a surprise dinner for Izumi
Ever since Shizuka became part of their life, Izumi’s schedule had her as its center. Already kinda isolated from coworkers and with but a few friends, devoting himself to the life of a housewife might just be the breath of life he had so desperately looked for in the past. And he was as focused in that, he started to miss out on other important things, his personal calendar stocked with dates important to Kyouya and Shizuka to the point his own seemed to have disappeared.
Maybe that’s why he didn’t found anything suspicious in the sudden request from his husband to go buy something to the store -he was going to be in an important meeting until late at night so he couldn’t go himself, was the explanation. Looking at the time he confirmed Shizuka wouldn’t be back from school until later on. He wouldn’t be able to receive her with a warm meal as usual, which grated slightly in his mind, but Kyouya had made things seem too important to be left for later. Pocketing his own phone in case anything happened, he checked his own reflection to brush some of the straight silver hairs back before stepping out of the house, still not completely over the reassurance his own looks gave him.
He was told to pick up a certain box from the store without opening it, and, while curious, he did as he was asked. Whatever was in it had already been paid so it was just a matter of picking it up and bringing it back, which he was happy to do - it gave him an excuse to walk out and show off a bit, something he hadn’t done as often as he’d like out of late.
His phone ringing he received a small message from Kyouya telling him to go to the hairdresser or spa is he wished, as a small reward for accepting his sudden request. Not that he needed a reward for it, he did felt like enjoying his time out for a bit more. Once he made sure of the time -for he’d hate to make Shizuka come back to an empty house- he called to his favorite beauty salon to get prettied up.
After months of not doing any of these -and years of having quit as a model- it felt quite refreshing to have an expert wash his hair and exfoliate his skin, even to praise him for his beauty. He might not be as absolutely stunning as he was in his younger years, but he hadn’t spared in resources to keep his looks even now.
Quite satisfied by his little outing-and by all the looks he was getting, izumi returned with a spring in his step, unawaringly singing under his breath. Which just stopped when he noticed the first indication that something was going on -the unlocked door. Eyebrows knitting slightly and phone in hand, he pushed open. Both Shizuka’s and Kyouya’s shoes were on the doorway -had they come back and forgotten to send him a message?
He had barely looked at the screen on his phone, closing the door behind him and locking it, when the second one hint came in the shape of the delicious smell of sweetly steamed lamb.
“Dear?” he called out curiously, not expecting by any means to have his husband back home so early nor for him to be doing dinner for him. Wasn’t he going to be in a business meeting? And Shizuka too, wasn’t it too early for her to be back from school?
Poking his head into the kitchen, he found his 12 year old serving the plates, tongue stuck out in a focused expression, while Kyouya finished up something in the oven.
“Ah, Mom!” Shizuka called out the moment she finally looked up just to see him standing in the doorway, looking her full of endearment “Say something if you’re home! Ahh, now we can’t surprise you...”
The little girl pouted and huffed, the long black fringe moving out of the way as he did, showing that little flare of emotion that only ever truly showed up when around people she knew well.
Kyouya also seemed a bit surprised about him arriving too early, which honestly just made him want to say he was the actually surprised one.
“I’m still surprised sweetie~” he replied gently, walking over to give her a welcome home kiss on the forehead before leaning over to see her work. She seemed to tense up right away as if waiting for his verdict “Shizuka-chan has so much sense for this~ It all looks so pretty. Am I gonna have to ask you to serve the meals from now on?”
The tease was answered by the girls small blushy pout and a dragged out “mooooom”, followed by a small smile.
He did insisted in helping serving, but both Shizuka and Kyouya were quite determined to do that themselves, and wishing him a happy birthday. The meal was all his favorite, and he was glad to enjoy it all up, even if it felt just a bit boring not to be allowed to wash the dishes or do anything else.
After that, the oven finally sounded, showing off the special birthday cake they had prepared for him. A fruit tart, unlike the expected birthday cream cake, since he favorited the former with a candle for him to blow.
The second he had done that, Shizuka presented forward a card she had made herself and Kyouya brought over the little box he had brought from the store. Opening it up, it showed a beautiful necklace, extremely delicate and gentle, in golds and silvers with one dark blue gem in the center, surrounded by a silver piece with the date and Izumi’s name.
Kyouya truly always went all out for him, didn’t he?
“Happy birthday!” the unison of Kyouya and Shizuka’s voice making him chuckle, he reached out for each of his brunettes with one hand, holding them close in a hug. He still wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve such happiness, but he wasn’t about to question his blessings.
@toneofdarkness has suggested a night drive. Also! Take it as an early Birthday present for Rei too!!
Going for a drive was not overly high in Izumi’s ideal date list, if at all.
Riding a motorcycle was for him a synonym of freedom. A moment for himself. To forget about all obligations and worries and just allow himself to enjoy the speed, the wind… the feeling of sprouting wings on your back.
Getting the motorbike was by no means a logical decision. Plenty of better ways of transport out there, from train to bikes… picking a motorbike was a decision that didn’t mesh quite well with his usual logical personality - a quiet cry for help, a hidden wish to be free from the chains on his life.
That’s why he wasn’t all too excited about the prospect of a ‘date drive’... or however people called that. Even so, Rei’s insistence was off the charts, arguments back and forth on why it would be a good idea.
Fine, he decided.
It was Rei’s birthday as well, and if he was going to enjoy the thrill of a drive in the late afternoon he had no reason to say no.
No one had been on his motorcycle since Anzu and the weight of a man significantly taller than himself was completely different. It was almost embarrassing to have the vampire clinging to his waist too… so he decided to just focus in driving and forget about the strange warmth behind him, the rumble of the motor and the hit of cold wind against his face good at making him forget the details and enjoy the moment.
Driving fast along the shore, the mystic change of colors in the bright sky above and the setting sun, drowning in the ocean far ahead was completely visible. An ethereal drive, a painting come to life.
The light poles at both sides of the road turning on one after the other as the sky became completely black, the bright stars above became hard to spot. The moon still nowhere to be seen.
The wintery stars growing distant above them, the warmth against his back felt more reassuring than troublesome now.
He wasn’t sure how long had it been when he finally felt like pulling over… finding a spot by the side of the road to do so. Getting down from the bike and taking off his helmet, he took a deep breath of the cold wind charged in the scent of the ocean.
And just as he turned around, he was met with a slow kiss. Eyes closing gently and head tilting to the side, he easily accepted the gesture, lips locked in a playful game. Soft, warm… after a few moments that felt a bit too short, Izumi pulled back to take another breath.
“And here I thought you had invited me for an actual picnic date” he teased, the annoyed tone not too sincere. Still, if he had gone through great lengths to make a dinner around tomatoes for the vampire -including fresh tomato juice of course- and even add a small Devil’s Food Cake (the name felt somewhat appropriate for him) he expected Rei to eat it and enjoy it.
Fixing the picnic setting on the side of the road, he offered Rei a seat before presenting the set of food for the day.
It was all specially for him, all containing flavors he would like without putting aside the nutritional value. Of course, Izumi couldn’t actually stomach half of the foods so he wouldn’t be sharing it… “I do not eat heavy meals after 7pm” was his excuse -not completely fake but not sincere either
Maybe Rei would be sneaky enough to convince him to share the tomato juice and the cake though -it was both of their birthdays and it wouldn’t be fair if only one of them got to blow the candles and eat the cake.
Izumi didn’t really card about the wish that came from putting off the candles, though. He had everything he wanted right in front of him.
Maybe if he knew of Rei’s plans -which might include his own motorbike put aside since the time of the war- he would have panicked, looking for an equally special present to give back... but right now, just a shared date like this was enough.
Setting: post-grad au. another simple self-indulgent shippy drabble with some of my faves
“It’s so cold~” arms crossed and head placed over them, Sora continued to curiously look at the night sky splattered with stars through the tarnished window.
You couldn’t see this many stars in Tokyo. It really was a good idea to come to the mountains for a weekend in a belated birthday celebration...
The wood crunched under the weight of someone, slow steps moving from the door to the bed and stopping there.
“Well, it is almost winter” the voice was just a bit rough as it stated the obvious, yet had a taint of warm kindness to it “If you’re cold you should come over instead of staring out the window like that”
Sora tore his eyes away from the distant stars to look at the owner of the voice, at his silver hair he was carefully brushing and at his blue eyes that sparkled like a beautiful clear lake. His color was calm and gentle, the usual darkening hint of guilt and the spiky thorns of ice nowhere to be seen at the present moment.
“I am going to sleep now, you can come over or not, i don’t care”
The rough speech pattern was probably a habit by now -one rather pointless when Sora could easily discern his emotions just by looking at him for long enough. A small giggle as he realized both the concern and the wish for contact he was hiding.
“O~kay~ Izu-senpai is like a lonely bunny~” he chirped, jumping off the chair and into the bed, playfully sneaking under the covers in all four until he found the soft warmth from the model’s body. Hands gently exploring the line of his body -the slender waist, the long arms, the soft neck- he slowly changed his position, adapting so he could be spooning him “Or should Sora say kitty? Izu-senpai does purr rather cutely!”
“Idiot, aren’t you embarrassed to be saying that?” the voice was carried with embarrassment, but rather than pushing Sora away, the model eased into his hold, gluing his back to Sora’s chest and caressing the hand that was placed over his waist “And I told you to stop with the ‘senpai’... we’re not in school anymore”
Izumi was right -as always- and Sora laughed cheerfully at the realization.
“Sora is already used to calling Izu-senpai ‘Izu-senpai’” he explains, in his usual overly cheerful tone -a bit too loud for the time before bed, he realizes late. Leaning in a bit closer he tries his best to whisper against Izumi’s neck instead “How should Sora call Izu-senpai then? Sora’s special one? Brightest star?”
“Y-you sure are impossible! Just my name is okay” he can feel the heat coming from Izumi’s neck and guess the red even in the darkness. He’s even more flustered now it seems.
“Just the name doesn’t make justice to izu-senpai’s cuteness” he replies easily, lips closing the few centimeters of difference to press gentle kisses against the skin “Then, how about Izu-nyan since Izu-senpai always acts like a cat? Does Izu-senpai likes petnames? If so, Sora could call you thinks like… love, sweetheart, honey, darling…”
“Stop, stop, stop already! If you ever call me anything like that I’ll end you, you hear me?” and yet there he was, squeezing harder on Sora’s hand.
“Sora likes them though~” he smiles, kisses turning into small nibbles, sucking on the skin to leave small marks of property “Then… how about just Izu-chan? It’s cute and simple~ Or does Izu-senpai not like it because Sora is younger than him?”
He leaned closer, putting his chin over Izumi’s shoulder and kissing his ear, a muffled moan in the model’s lips at the tender touch.
“I-it’s fine… It’s better than the rest...” his breathing is harsh and shaky, tone inviting. Not missing the cue, Sora’s free hand travels over Izumi’s chest in gentle caresses.
“Then Izu-chan it is~” he confirms happily, continuing with the little kisses but not trying to go any further “Did Izu-chan wanted to sleep? Sora will let you sleep then~ There’s so much to do tomorrow. Sora wants to show you the lake. It’s a pretty blue just like Izu-chan’s eyes...”
He stopped once he noticed Izumi shaking his head no, fingers tangled with Sora’s.
“...We can… sleep later… so keep going?”
“If that’s what Izu-chan wants~ Sora did said he would spoil Izu-chan all through the weekend after all~”
He had just arrived back at his desk after dinner, and a paper crane was there, placed over a single piece of paper that read ‘For Sena Izumi’. It seemed just a tiny bit wrinkled, one of the wings tilting to the side. As meddlesome as always, he lifted it up and tried to straighten the wing. A small bundle of letter appearing to the sight.
Curious he folded the wing open just a bit more… and just another bit more. And there it was.
“You’re always kind”
What a curious thing for it to be written in a paper crane. A curious look around in search for whoever had made it brought no conclusions but a couple more questions, in the shape of a second crane in another desk and yet another one by the door. Was this supposed to be trail of breadcrumb trail for him to follow?
Though the concept felt a bit high in energy, the curiosity made him accept the game, picking up the second and third crane and gently looking for the messages as he made his way to the hall.
“You care for everyone”
“The cakes you bake are always tasty”
Curiosity picked -was this a joke of some sort?- he continued to follow the trail, gently picking up every single crane and stacking them up in his arms, reading the small messages written in their wings and backs and necks and tails
They were nothing but sweet and encouraging messages.
“Your smile is the pretties”
“I love it when you are happy”
“I like holding your hand”
“You are very warm”
The trail eventually lead to an empty classroom - a whole cascade of different cranes waiting for him right there. A legend of a thousand wishes turned into a thousand love messages. And holding them in his hands was the culprit, the small brown bunny that did nothing but run up and down all day.
The warm and soft bunny that liked to hold his hand and that would often eat lunch together with him. That fast and charming and talented bunny that sometimes seemed too bright for him.
“Happy birthday Izu-chan-senpai! I don’t like to see ya being sad so I wrote down a hundred things that i like about you! Now you have no reason to be sad again! Like ever!”
How could he even come up with a whole hundred was impossible to understand for Izumi -and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d find some repeated ones. But that didn’t really mattered. Not when there was someone that would go this far for him…
Mitsuru wasn’t good with detailed work, nor with repetitive tasks. And yet, he had somehow made a whole hundred cranes with messages for him.
Just for him.
How could he not be happy about it? A silly smile all over his face he received the cranes, wanting to hide behind them as much as he wanted to lean forward and give Mitsuru a small kiss.
“Izu-chan-senpai looks so cute when he’s all red like that!”
Damn this boy, did he wanted to murder him with cuteness? Because he was doing a great job if that was his idea. Hiding behind the cranes he didn’t realized the other had walked around him, a warm hold around his waist making him yelp and turn around just to get a kiss square in the lips.
Setting: Simple college AU. Izumi and Mika have never met before.
No, he wasn’t interested in a blind date. He insisted once and twice and thrice, from several days prior to the date in question and with a whole dissertation on the many reasons why it was destined to fail.
Naru was, however, as stubborn as expected; easily ignore his many complains and laughing off his arguments.
“It’s a good boy Izu-chan, you’re gonna love him. I can guarantee” she would say with that adorable little smile that made it impossible to say no.
Still he tried. He knew he was destined to fail, and that as long as she had decided on it, he would end up in that blind date whether he wanted it or not. But he tried.
He wouldn’t find love in a blind date of all places, he insisted. It would be a big failure, he argued. He didn’t wanted to waste his time like this on his birthday of all days, he protested.
And yet, when the day came, he was right on time to the agreed place, dressed up and with just the slightest bit of makeup -as suggested by beauty guru herself, Arashi Narukami-.
Indeed, while he was certain the date would be a complete miss, he refused to look anything less than perfect for it. Both for his pride and to correspond to Arashi’s kindness - because yes, he was aware her intentions were nothing but good, and she probably truly believed he’d love the guy.
A quiet sigh, he sat down in one of the tables to wait, already counting the lateness as a minus point for the guy.
“Awa! Yer Sena-san, aintcha?” It had been maybe a couple of minutes when he heard the loud voice from over the crowd, addressing him in a strong accent “Did I madya wait too long?”
Looking up from his book, Izumi peered into the stranger he had been set up with, apologetic blue and golden eyes meeting up with him right away.
The guy in question was rather tall, with tousled black hair tied in a small ponytail and clothes that seemed a bit too big for his frame, his turtleneck swallowing all the way to his chin with ease.
Though the fashion sense of the guy made him crook and eyebrow, he had to admit his face was very beautiful even if a bit childish -though it was probably because of his nervous wide eyes and pursed lips-, with those heterochromic completing the painting. If anything, Naru had a good eye for what Izumi considered ‘attractive’.
“Yeah, that’s me. I hope you have a good reason for making me wait” he started, making a small gesture for the other to sit down in front of him.
“Ah… no… it ain’t somethin’ that can justify my gettin’ late…” he looked up expecting for the explanation to follow and the guy perked up slightly, quickly restarting the engine of his words “I ain’t much of a fan of bein’ outside, yanno? Crowds make me feel uneasy… i tried to avoid bein’ stared at and ended up goin’ in the wrong direction… so then i had to run here.”
… for real? For real. He didn’t seemed to be lying -and why would someone lie in such an outrageous way in the first place?
“Hmmn, was it really okay to pick a cafe for this then?” he questioned back, quickly scanning their surroundings. It was one of the currently more popular cafes, with reservations needed one week in advance -which also meant all the tables were occupied.
“It’s fine! Don’t mind me! Naru-chan said ya’d like a fashionable place so I tried to pick one… Is it maybe… not to yer likin’?” the cheery tone from the start seemed to die out into a much lower and shaky tone by the end. What a curious guy.
“So you picked it… I thought it might have been Naru-chan, since she has done nothing but talk about this place for the past month” Izumi finally replied, fingers reaching forward to lift the menu and give it a look “That’s to say I don’t mind it. I was curious about it anyway”
Sneaking a glance from the menu to the guy, he noticed the other’s expression seemed to have returned to normal
“So… I actually don’t know much about you. Except that you are Naru-chan’s friend from college… Mind telling me a bit more about yourself? Maybe starting by your name?” he asked gently, worrying just a bit that this wild-animal would run in fear if he pressed too hard.
“Ah! R-right…My name is Kagehira Mika. I’m a fashion designer…” he explained, still timid and fidgety. Maybe he was feeling intimidated? Or simply didn’t liked Izumi (or the date) all that much? “Naru-chan talks a lot ‘bout ya so it kinda feels like I already know ya... sorry ‘bout that”
“Hmnn” another look down, Izumi finally settled for a seafood salad and a green smoothie, putting a finger on top of the order as if to not forget until the waitress arrived to their table “Fashion designer, you say… What kind of things do you design? LIke… the kind of thing Naru-chan wears?”
The heterochromic eyes that until then had been having a hard time picking where to look at, finally looked directly at him, sparkles appearing right on them. It seemed like asking about his job had been a good choice.
“I… I like frills and lace the most… so I often do lady outfits” he explained, a hand going to the bag on his side, fishing around it for a few moments before pulling out a sketchbook of yellow pages and flipping it a couple of times to show some of the designs.
He felt compelled to tell him to stop, as he wasn’t really asking for a whole explanation, but his words disappeared in his mouth right away.
It was amazing. The lines seemed to have life and the colors made it easy to guess the fabrics that had been planned for it, little cuts of said fabric also taped to the paper along with little comments in black marker.
“I like the blue one” he found himself saying, and the guy grinned from side to side cheerfully.
“That one is my current fave… it’ll be my final project this semester! Ya can see all these layers here?” he pointed with a long and pretty nail “It all has to be cut and sewn in a circular progression and connected to the corset on this side...”
Completely absorbed in his own world, the timid guy continued to talk about all the details in the dress he wanted to made. How he had picked some of the fabric and even dyed part of it himself to get the exact color, and how he had been working in the details first because he lacked a model that could really pull it off.
When the waitress finally arrived, the guy asked for a simple sandwich and a dark coffee with plenty of sugar before continuing his animated talk.
And he hated to admit it. He really did. But it was kind of fun to hear him talk like this. His love for his own work just soaking every word he said, and making it all sound so very interesting.
He only stopped when the food had arrived and suddenly, he realized his date had been in absolute silence for the past many minutes. To which he apologized profusely and sincerely -like everything he did apparently.
“It’s fine. It was surprisingly entertaining to hear you talk” He admitted. Simple and direct, the straw now caught in between his lips as he took a long sip of the smoothie. Tasty. As expected.
On the other side of the table, Mika was now blushing hard, not even daring to reach out to his own coffee or sandwich. Which was amusing in its own right, but almost a bit cruel.
“You want me to talk now so we’re even?” he asked, finding the other’s nervousness was decidedly good at bringing his kind side to the forefront. With a nod from the other, he tried to think of something he could talk about himself.
So he decided to talk about work too. It was most of what he did anyway, so he had plenty to talk about when it came to that. About the latest photoshoots he had, and about how the make-up artist hadn’t arrived on time, and about how he felt limited by the ‘cool and princely’ style when he’d like to try different things.
Much to his surprise, Mika’s expression was the same now as it was when he talked brightly and charmingly about his own projects. As if Izumi’s words were truly the most interesting thing he had ever heard, and he just couldn’t wait to hear more about it.
So he giggled.
The treatment was such a shock -half flattering, half embarrassing- that he didn’t knew what else to do but giggle. Which only worked to make Mika feel confused, not asking why Izumi was laughing then wondering if he was okay when he couldn’t stop. Then just being worried about him.
And what could he do to such earnest yet misdirected worry but to giggle even more -uncontrollably so. So much, in fact, he started to feel hot on the face and unable to breath properly. Something that rarely happened.
It was so silly.
“I’m… fine… you’re just too funny” he finally got calm enough to talk, even if it was in between chuckles and wiping the tears from his eyes -careful not to mess with his own mascara.
“D-did I say somethin’ weird?”
Controlling himself not to start laughing again, Izumi simply nodded twice in a row, lips still marked in a long curved smile. What did this boy said that wasn’t weird?
“... Izumi-san… yer so pretty”
Now he wasn’t laughing anymore, even the smile turned into a flat line. Silence overpowering as the words settled in his head, lips parting softly and then closing up again.
“E-excuse me?”
“I… I’m sorry! Don’t be mad... I just… when ya smile like that, yer like… the prettiest person I’ve ever seen” the boy visibly panicked, hands waving all over the place.
He was being sincere, that much was easy to tell, a light blush showing on his cheeks as he tried to explain himself.
Thump.
Izumi’s cheeks started to get redder… and redder… and redder… until his whole face, all the way to his ears, was beetle red. Noticing the heat, he rushed to cover his face with both hands, a rushed movement that most certainly didn’t fit the most elegant movements he had done until then… prompting a worried question from Mika’s part.
“N-no… I’m not mad.” he half explained, face still covered with both hands “I’m… not. But you should, think before talking...”
“I’ve been told that plenty” the raven-haired male replied in a tone all too cheerful, an apologetic look in double colored eyes remaining in place “But it’s the truth, so it ain’t nothin’ bad about sayin’ it, right?”
Ah… the earnest tone on the other’s voice was doing everything to make him dizzy and confused. His heart was thumping hard in his chest, and he couldn’t control the blush on his face either.
“Say… ya were talkin’ ‘bout how ya don’t like bein’ confined to just one role, right? That ya wanna try new stuff” Mika continued, as if prompted by Izumi’s blushy awkwardness “W-would ya model for me? I just… when I see ya… I feel like I’ve found myself a muse, yanno?”
He couldn’t even think anymore. He was seriously starting to melt down at the sincere compliments. And just like that he found himself nodding in agreement, just like that accepting to meet again.
God, he could already see Naru’s smug ‘i told you so’ grin.
He guessed having a nice date, and maybe probably a future boyfriend for his birthday wasn’t half-bad.
