Fuji: *pause*

Fuji: Mmm. *not unless you're planning to let me throw him in a river*

Inui: I'll take that as a maybe. Shall I pick you up on my way to the station?

Fuji: ..... *you are not this dense* Aa. *then again, maybe you are*

Inui: See you in an hour. *hangs up*

Fuji: *looks at the phone in his hand, dial tone emanating from it, and lays it on the counter, shutting it with a click* Maa...so that's it, then. *it is annoying but, well...it isn't actually his birthday, so....* Hn. *eats more of the cactus-shaped wasabi chocolate cake from Saeki*

Inui: *takes his time walking over to Fuji's home with his tennis bag in tow wearing his team jacket with his black slacks, his boyfriend's favorite sweater worn underneath*

Inui: *reaches Fuji's door and rings the bell*

Fuji: *opens door, if it is possible for closed eyes to narrow his would* I forgot something. *slams door*

Inui: He-*pauses as the door slams on him*

Fuji: *leans back against door, takes a few long, slow, calming breaths, quickly finds the smile he dropped on the floor at seeing Inui in that sweater ready to go visit Yanagi-san and reopens the door* Ready.

Inui: Okay. *instead of making space for Fuji to enter, he steps inside, toeing off his shoes* Forgive my intrusion. *makes his way to the kitchen*

Fuji: ..... *nearly walks off the landing in his shoes, grumpily kicks them off, landing with thuddy noises on the linoleum entry* Did they move the train station to my kitchen while I was at school today? *curious and irritated both*

Inui: A slight change in plans. *drops his tennis bag on the container, unzipping it and removing various plastic containers from inside*

Fuji: *tilts his head to one side* I see. *regards Inui with a bit of barely-veiled suspicion*

Inui: *walks around the kitchen with confident ease, grabbing a wok from the cabinet* You appear cranky...though I suppose being three it must be a cause of it. Food and a nap, that should probably place you in a better temperament.

Fuji: *pauses* ...bastard. *grins nonetheless* You were heading on course for a tantrum, you know? *strange, he normally doesn't care much about his birthday, especially in years when it doesn't entirely exist, but the idea of Inui taking him off to see Yanagi-san today had...stung.*

Inui: *grins, motioning Fuji closer* I know.

Inui: Stir fry. *he slips an arm around Fuji's waist in a brief hug* Do you want your gifts before or after dinner?

Fuji: Hmm. Depends on how much effort cooking takes. *leans into Inui, touching the sweater, he really had not wanted to share it with Yanagi-san*

Inui: Not long. I brought Penal Tea, I believe this batch will compliment the meal well. *lowers his head and kisses Fuji's forehead*

Fuji: Then I'll take them now. *slides arms around Inui's waist* You spoil me, you know.

Fuji: But then I'd have to move from here.

Inui: It is either you or me...technically you are closer.

Inui: *takes the bag and rummages through it, removing two wrapped packages before passing them to Fuji* Your dinner is the principal gift...

Fuji: You know how I like your cooking. *he smiles, taking a box in each hand and carefully shaking them, lips pursing as the wheels in his brain worked on discerning what was in them* Oooh, is that the ginger-garlic seasoning from when we had stir-fry two weeks ago? *has spied a particular bottle in Inui's bag*

Fuji: Now I'm really looking forward to dinner. *grins, then decides to open the package that had made noise. When unwrapped, he holds a roll of, not coincidentally, Fuji film. He holds it in one hand, impish mischief on his face* Original and slightly narcissistic. Perfect.

Fuji: Incorrigible. *it sounds strangely like an endearment* But practical. I respect practical gifts. *he opens the second, a tiny furrow of...surprise?...appearing between his brows. The box, you see, is empty* Like this. It's...perfect to put my film in. *he smiles but regards Inui with that 'I know you're up to something' look*

Inui: *has a completely innocent expression as he turns to the counter to begin preparations of dinner* Everything has its use, ne?

Fuji: Aa. *oh, yes, Inui is definitely up to something, he thinks, crossing over to start the tea server. This requires only pushing a couple buttons; coffee can wait, though the irrational irritation putting a knot in his spine says otherwise* Thank you. *he adds this with a smile, which slowly becomes more genuine; he does like Inui cooking for him, even when he's being a sneaky bastard and is clearly playing some sort of game*

Inui: *blithely* You're welcome. *begins to prepare the separate containers, setting the wok on the stove to heat it*

Fuji: *gets dishes out of the cabinet and quickly sets the table* It smells good. Is there any of that sauce left? *mischievous twitch at one corner of his mouth*

Fuji: Excellent. *removes teacups, pours tea and carries them back to the table. Yes, this is a good gambit, he decides, and if played well may reveal just what Inui is up to* I wonder if it tastes as good on skin...

Inui: *glancing over his shoulder, giving the stir-fry a light flip* Oh? For scientific research?

Fuji: Mmm. Since you don't consume nearly as many spices as me, I'm betting it would compliment your skin quite well. Especially to be licked off.

Inui: Is that your hypothesis? You will need more variables to test with the constant just to make a valid confirmation. *smirks*

Fuji: But my curiosity is limited to a single variable, thus further testing would be...pointless.

Inui: Yet more complete, ne?

Fuji: Call this a personal project that is more dependent on my satisfaction than reaching any lofty scientific goals. *niko*

Inui: *tsks as he reaches for a large bowl* That is why you will make a poor scientist.

Fuji: I never claimed to be one. *leans against the counter*

Inui: Do not attempt to in the future. *gives Fuji a smug grin as he turns off the stove* Also, dinner is finished.

Fuji: Mmm, I'm starved. *grins and pushes away from the counter*

Inui: *walks over to the table, setting out the bowl filled with chicken and vegetables* Did you want rice with yours?

Fuji: Yes, please. *smiles brightly*

Inui: *wanders into the kitchen, returning moments later with a bowl of rice* Enjoy.

Fuji: Itadakimasu. *picks up his chopsticks and starts in on his food* It's good~. The improvements you made to the sauce are just right. *despite himself, Fuji is very pleased. And hungry. Thus, he proceeds to devour his food.*

Inui: *grinning* I recall my first attempt was slightly bland by your standards. Itadakimasu. *reaches for his own chopsticks*

Fuji: This is much better. *indeed, the food improves his mood quite quickly, for it is very tasty and just to his liking* I'm getting far too used to this, especially for something I can't reciprocate.

Inui: By not reciprocating my cooking with cooking I believe that is sufficient enough.

Fuji: So little faith in my ability to progress. *the good-natured grin says that he's not particularly bothered by it; he is, after all, what he is* Just curious, why did you want me to think you'd forgotten my birthday? *having taken the edge off his hunger, he places one chopstick on his rice bowl and twirls the other one in his fingers*

Inui: *quirks an eyebrow at Fuji's table manners* For the sake of scientific research.

Fuji: Mm. I see. *it was funny, in a way, Inui's drive to experiment on simply everything, himself included* What theory were you testing in this research?

Inui: *without pause* What I could do to insight your temper on your 'non-birthday'. I would not have attempted this on an actual leap year.

Fuji: *without any disappointment or censure* You could have just asked me. *switches the chopstick to his left hand and likewise twirls it* More often than not I don't really do much for it.

Fuji: Maa...*it is a sound of agreement and neutrality both* But if it's not really my birthday, that seems sort of selfish, don't you think? My family doesn't forget, and it's not like I lack for anything. And if Yuuta only has to share having a birthday with me every four years, isn't that a little better?

Inui: Not particularly selfish to want to celebrate your time passed on this earth another year.

Fuji: But if I only officially celebrate them when they actually are, then they should be spectacular, hm?

Inui: That is also a valid point. Sparing the attempts at testing a hypothesis, if I were to repeat my prior actions on a leap year, you would--

Fuji: *without a beat* Give you a sex change.  *pauses, then adds* With a kitchen knife.

Inui: *he did not recoil, yes he did* Duly noted. *clears his throat and returns to finishing his meal*

Fuji: *picks up his other chopstick, wearing his 'Gotcha~' face, yes he is*

Inui: *ignores the expression as he completes his own serving before glancing over at Fuji's bowl* Finished?

Fuji: Yes, I believe so. *holds up one finger to forestall Inui taking the bowl, then turns it, crooking in invitation* But I think I haven't sampled the best course yet.

Inui: *sits back in his chair, motioning Fuji forward* Self-serve.

Fuji: On my not-birthday? You are a cruel man. *nevertheless, he slides out of his chair, all shadows and angles and curves, and straddles Inui's lap, lacing slender fingers behind Inui's neck* Fifteen-love. *he announces this softly before serving for the next point, a kiss square to the center of Inui's mouth*

Inui: *murmuring against Fuji's lips as he wraps his arms around the other boy's waist* You stated yourself that today is not your birthday, some liberties are not to be taken for granted that they will be given. Fifteen-all. *he smirks, leaning in to deepen the kiss*

Inui: *Inui pauses, lowering his head to press his lips against the warm skin of Fuji's neck* What can be can't and what can't can. The probabilities are endless. *he lets his hands slide beneath Fuji's shirt, tracing along the curves of the other boy's spine* Ne?

Fuji: Mmm...nnh. Endless. *he arches his back in invitation of Inui's hands, welcoming the touch of skin on skin* What can't can, hm? *goosebumps explode in circles from the touch of Inui's mouth on the warm juncture of throat and shoulder, and a reactive shiver brings bodies even closer* You...mmh...seem to like getting your hands up my shirt. *voice lowers to a whisper, breathed into Inui's ear* Don't stop.

Inui: Hmm...wasn't planning to. *shifts faintly in his seat, his breath heavy against Fuji's throat* I like to get my hands where I can, there are pleasant things to find.

Inui: Hn. *murmurs incoherently at Fuji's throat, drawing the skin along the boy's pulse and nipping lightly*

Inui: *murmuring before their lips meet* Like I said, 'self-serve'.

Fuji: *famous last words, he thinks, shifting from allowing Inui to lead and instead reaching down and pushing the sweater northward with care, hands lingering up abdominals and slithering round to guide the precious fabric over shoulders while exploring Inui's mouth thoroughly* Something like...unwrapping this present on my own? *he breaks just far enough away to steal glasses and slip the sweater over Inui's head, draping it in the seat of his abandoned chair*

Inui: Mm, that would be the idea, though I'm not the empty box. *he smirks, slipping his hands away from Fuji's shirt only to slowly pull it away from the other's body*

Fuji: Never empty. Bereft of a forest, perhaps, but never empty. *shrugs to help Inui peel off his shirt, the roll of shoulders casting nuggets of shadows in the arcs and planes of his body* What next? I see that you're still wearing some wrapping paper~. *one thumb playfully tugs at the waist of Inui's pants*

Inui: *smirks, drawing a line along Fuji's chest* That would take a little more effort to remove with you still on my lap.

Fuji: But not impossible. *he fumbles with the belt, attempting to poke the leather free of the buckle, hands tempted to wander more and mind seduced by bare skin* Let's see if it can be done. *he leans closer, taking Inui's breath again as his hands fight with the belt, inching farther and farther into Inui's personal space, the chair tipping back slightly*

*a loud noise comes from outside and the Fuji house is plunged into darkness. Fuji starts, balance is lost and they collapse into a bundle of limbs--and one undone belt--on the kitchen floor*

.....ow.

Inui: *winces, glancing up at Fuji* I...ow, told you it would be difficult.

Fuji: *head tilted slightly, waiting for the sound of working electricity elsewhere in the house to tell him whether it was just a fuse or if there was a blackout in their neighborhood.* I didn't expect you to do something so dramatic just to make out with me, Professor. *no sound is forthcoming, nor is the streetlight coming through the kitchen window, which definitely means blackout* Are you all right? Can you move? *ohhh, yes, at least part of you is quite all right, he thinks as he shifts off of Inui and the toppled chair* I don't think the candles are in the kitchen.

Inui: I think I will survive...*winces as he rolls free of the chair and finally taking full awareness of the dark room, a dull ache throbbing at the back of his head* Do you have a flashlight?

Fuji: Good. You're not allowed to die on my non-birthday. *where is that flashlight again?* Yeah, in one of the drawers, I think. *he crawls towards the cabinets, feeling his way, and yanks open a drawer, fumbling in spatulas and measuring spoons until he lays fingertips on a small flashlight* Got one. *he turns it on...and nothing. he shakes it a few times, trying to jostle loose the current. Still nothing.* Wouldn't it figure that the batteries are dead?

Inui: *makes a move to stand before opting to lie on the floor. Nice floor, good floor.* For some reason that does not surprise me. Do you know where there are others?

Fuji: *shakes his head, then remembers it's dark, Inui can't see him* No. But I know where the candles are. Stay put. *he slinks across the floor and into the living room, taking a jar candle scented with grapefruit from the hutch and lighting it* Better. *he returns to the kitchen, holding the jar in both hands, soft glow from it lighting the lower half of his face* Now where did I take your glasses off? *peers at Inui, eyes thin slits of candlelit blue* Are you all right?

Inui: *squints over at Fuji with an awkward grin* My head made contact with the floor...you have a very sturdy floor.

Fuji: *spies the glasses on the table, collects them with one hand and kneels down next to Inui, setting the candle on the floor* It should be, the tile was expensive enough. *he passes the glasses to Inui, sliding fingers to inspect the back of Inui's head*

Inui: *he closed his eyes, the contact against his scalp calming, wincing as Fuji's fingers located a decently sized bump that began to form at the base of his skull* I suppose shock resistance is designed into the tile? The impact was not entirely horrible.

Fuji: *it doesn't seem serious, but Inui will probably have a good-sized headache in a while.* Here. *pats his lap* I don't have an exceptional record for being able to sit seiza, but it's yours while it lasts. *he combs his fingers through Inui's short hair, watching the candlelight flicker across his boyfriend's skin* Sorry, Professor. Didn't mean to knock you over with my hormones.

Inui: I will try not to make note of the time I am allotted, though out of habit I will most likely count it. *he stretches out on the floor, resting his head on Fuji's lap.* My hormones were also a cultivating force though I contend the chair should be held for culpability. *he grinned up at Fuji* Ne?

Fuji: It goes only in the book about me. *his tone brooks no argument; Fuji guards any public and most private data between them even now.* Aa. *he acknowledges this with a smile, a thoughtful one* What are we going to do about the runaway hormones, hmm? They seem to keep getting us in trouble.

Inui: First thought would be to sate them somehow, though there are probably other options available...*he exhales deeply as he takes note of Fuji's profile from his prone angle* What do you propose?

Fuji: *it isn't that the thought doesn't cross his mind roughly every thirteen seconds* The universe certainly seems to weigh in every time we get close to satiating things. *which is funny, and he laughs, breath making the candle flicker* I can't help but wonder what deity we've offended. *pause* How's your head?

Inui: Sore, but unfortunately not enough to distract from other things. *a grin* Are you certain we only offended one deity?

Fuji: I'm starting to think the entire pantheon dislikes us. *wry grin, still feathering fingers through Inui's hair* But it's been a pretty good non-birthday. Thanks.

Inui: Karma for past errors? *closes his eyes to the touch, it felt good*

Fuji: In every life before this one. But it has its rewards, too. Certainly I must have done a few things good in my pasts to merit you cooking for me.

Inui: There must have been some good to merit you not cooking for me. 

Fuji: *flicks Inui's forehead*

Inui: Injuring an injured man?

Fuji: If you can't take it, Professor...

Inui: I never said I couldn't.

Fuji: Well, in that case, then... I think my feet are asleep. 

Inui: Hmm, barely five minutes. 

Fuji: Nobody's perfect.

Inui: Point. *he smirked, opening his eyes to catch Fuji's gaze* Kiss me.

Fuji: *teasingly* Where?

Inui: It's your birthday, your choice.

Fuji: *shifts slightly so he can wiggle the feet that are underneath his backside* Can you sit up for me, then?

Inui: I suppose. *he pushes himself into a sitting position* Better?

Fuji: Mmm. *he unfolds his legs, stretching them out and grimacing slightly as the blood returns to his feet* My choice, you say? *he leans forward, planting a kiss in the hollow of Inui's collarbone. It is, after all, one of his favorite places*

Inui: *hums low in his throat* Primarily.

Fuji: *it sounds like it's one of Inui's favorite places, too* Say...since it's dark and all, barring the candle, I know what I'd like to do. *crosses his legs and sits in front of Inui, taking Inui's hands and placing them to rest on his knees.* e4.

Inui: *grins, positioning himself in front of Fuji in similar fashion* Deciding to open with the Schliemann Defense, ne? *he leans forward to rest his forehead against Fuji's* e5.

Fuji: Maybe. E4 opens a great many gambits. *his hands tighten atop Inui's, mind sinking into the game as he closes his eyes* Nf3.

Inui: *closes his eyes* You normally start with Schliemann on the first round. Whether you will continue with it won't be apparent for another five moves. You're not playing seriously yet. Nc6.

Fuji: Normally being defined as what percentage, Professor? Rounding to the nearest hundredth of a percent is sufficient. Bb6.

Inui: *wrinkled his nose, the motion unseen but his amusement heard through his voice* I would say 98, but your move lowered it two points. Is that a challenge, Fuji? f5. 

Fuji: Always a challenge, Professor. Always. *the power should be back on soon, but he finds himself not caring; this game is one far better played in the dark. He picks up the candle and blows it out; they've found each other, so the light is not needed anymore.* Qe2.