I FINALLY GOT HIS FACE RIGHT FOR THE BIRTHDAY ART IM SUPER LATE FOR!

“No Place Else”

Synopsis: During a rainy day indoors, Esther gets a bit too curious and prods too deep into Kuon’s past. How can he make it up to him?

Pairing: Esther x Kuon

Word count: 1.7k

Cw: OC X CANNON, fluff, a bit of angst, might be ooc, nicknames (darling, bread twist, taru)

A/N: Esthuon one shot for my dear suffering roach of an acquaintance @tfq-qurpl3. I hope this made you feel better and its another Kuon fic to add to ur limited collection.

“Taru?…” Esther cooed, his long limbs sprawled all over his beloved boyfriend as they sat in the warmth of the futon in their living room. Ever since Estelle left for culinary school abroad, Esther had grown lonely in their once lively home, and so he decided to move in with his best friend. In the time that they were living together, something more blossomed between them and before long they found themselves next to each other, fingers intertwined as they shared stolen moments and fleeting kisses in the comfort of their shared apartment. Now with the raging storm outside, neither of them could leave the house, and were confined to their small 2 bedroom apartment in the silent town of Yamaguchi prefecture.

Overcomed by absolute boredom, Wataru had suggested the pair pull out a puzzle to solve. Even if neither of them truthfully enjoyed doing puzzles much (for Kuon it brought back Isagi flashbacks), the quiet night shared in the company of their better half needed no words said, just the sound of their breaths falling in pace with each other, with the winds howling from the outside as the rain assaulted their windows. The pair were in their own little world, with the sweet aroma of tea and romance in the air to accompany them. Wataru could not ask for anything more.

“Taruuuuu” Esther’s whiny tone sliced through the tranquil silence, snapping Wataru out of his little world, finally gaining his attention.

“Oh sorry darling. Anything you need?”

Wataru replied in a calm tone, his fingers still sliding over the puzzle to try and piece the full image together, completely oblivious to the uneasy figiting of his partner.

“Taru…. Do you regret it?” Esther questioned softly, his tone quiet, almost as if he was carefully picking his words in fear that the wrong thing might set Wataru off. The poor vet was practically walking on eggshells around his boyfriend, and that puzzled him.

“What do I regret?” Wataru asked with an inquisitive expression, his tone laced with caution and weariness. An eyebrow raised as he continued to try to find where the puzzle piece should go amongst the vast sea of pieces that are meant to work in harmony to form a complete image. Even without opening his eyes, he could tell something was off with Esther. The boy may be quiet, but he was being uncharacteristically silent, especially around people he was close to. As much as he tried to ignore it, there was a growing uneasy feeling gnawing at the back of Wataru’s mind, warning him that he might not like the next few words out of Esther’s mouth.

Esther swallowed, glancing away as he bit the inside of his cheek, as if unsure if he should continue or not. After a moment of hesitation, he resigned.

“Quitting soccer…. Do you regret that?” Esther asked softly, his voice barely over a whisper as he turned to face Wataru. For once Wataru’s eyes snapped open, those maroon orbs that Esther could get lost in stared back at him with a mix of anger, pain, and something else Esther couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Taru?….” Esther got off his lap, fully facing Wataru who hadn’t said anything. The silence that hung between them was deafening to Esther, and he immediately wished he could take all of it back. He was never good at talking, always having Estelle to be his interpreter. He should have just kept his mouth shut. Now he's taken a jab at a sore spot for a man he swore he'd never hurt, and the guilt of seeing him in such a state was suffocating.

”Wataru—“ Esther started, trying to take his words back. But the name fell on deaf ears as his partner spoke up.

“No. I don’t.”

“Taru?….”

Esther questioned, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to get Wataru to look at him again, his eyes a sea of worry and guilt for posing such an insensitive question.

“Taru im so sorry—“

“No. Don't be bread twist. I… don't regret it. Not one bit.”

When Esther managed to coax Wataru into looking into his eyes again, his hand gently pulling his chin to face him, Wataru finally cracked into a smile, a smile so sweet, so genuine, yet so bitter and pained. The initial expression Esther hadn’t been able to make out before finally became clear: disappointment.

“It meant I wasn't good enough. I threw my teammates under the bus for a selfish reason, so I understand why none of them wanted to pick me again. And honestly, seeing them now, I understand why I was eliminated. If I had to resort to such petty tricks to survive, my skills as a striker were simply that. I wasn’t good enough, and I see that now. Those four… my old members… they are now out there pulling amazing feats that I never knew were possible. And in all honesty, I don't regret quitting. My skills pale in comparison.”

Wataru smiled, but Esther could see the muscles of his cheek were strained. It was a bittersweet admission on his part, knowing in hindsight he just wasn’t destined to go pro. But time heals all wounds, and the pain and anguish he felt when he saw his dream get crushed before his eyes didn’t hurt so bad anymore. He should have realised this before when the thought of betraying his team crossed his mind; if he failed then, then that just meant his skills as a striker stopped there.

Esther however, just stared back in silence. He doesn’t know what he should feel. Pity? Regret? Guilt? So he just stared, unable to form any coherent sentence to comfort him.

The air around them had grown heavy, combined with the rain outside, the once tranquil atmosphere had turned melancholic and somber as the two sat there in silence, reflecting on what had just transpired moments ago; Wataru with his own self reflection and acceptance, and Esther with his heart heavy with feelings he couldn’t put into words.

Eventually, it was Esther who made the first move to break the silence. He got up, and started dragging Wataru’s wrist with him. This change of pace surprised Wataru, who glanced down at his arm being pulled by the smaller male in confusion.

“Darling what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I'm doing, idiot?! Put on your cleats!”

Esther broke into a grin, pulling Wataru along as Wataru struggled to gain his balance.

“At least let me find my cleats first!”

The rain was still pouring when Esther dragged Wataru outside, much to the poor man’s confusion. It was storming, why the hell would Esther want them outside? Wataru just couldn’t wrap his head around it!

“Bread twist where are we going?!”

Wataru yelled as Esther dragged them through the pouring rain, drenching both of them. Wataru wasn’t one to enjoy being soaked, especially not the feeling of his long chin length curls sticking to his face due to the water. It made him feel like he had a sopping wet mop on his head (which he does ngl). But Esther had left no room for protest as he continued to drag them through the downpour, running onto the soft grass, the rain drowning out Wataru’s questions.

It wasn’t until they reached the open field that Wataru finally understood what Esther had been planning. They were at the small communal soccer field in their town, the same field where Wataru grew up playing soccer with his friend. It was just as Wataru had remembered it, with the public goal posts and balls left out here for people to play with as and when they pleased.

Esther finally broke away from Wataru as he ran through the pouring rain to grab one of the balls that were left out in the open.

“Come on! Let's go! It's a one on one! You against me! Let's go! What are you waiting for?” Esther yelled back, kicking the ball around. He dribbled the ball around the whole field, the rush of adrenaline powering him to run through the pouring rain to score a goal. With that Esther turned around, to face him, strands of his hair sticking to his face as both men continued to be thoroughly drenched by the rain. But that wasn’t what caught Wataru’s attention. The only thing his maroon eyes could focus on at that moment, was Esther’s beaming grin as the boy let out a booming euphoric laugh that seemed to slice through the sound of rain that drummed in both their ears. That smile… a grin that spread from ear to ear, was just so full of life, joy and genuine enjoyment for the sport— no, not for the sport, but for him.

With that, even Wataru couldn’t help but break into a hearty laugh as he held his hips, head to the sky. The sound of both their laughter intertwined, encasing them in their own little world as they laughed at the stupidity of the situation. Sure they may have looked like maniacs laughing in the middle of the pouring rain, but that didn’t matter. Wataru felt like he was that six year old boy again, the boy who had just discovered soccer, and would run in the pouring rain with his friends, kicking a ball between them as they refused to go home. This heavy sense of nostalgia was present and overwhelming to Wataru, on top of the idiocy of their current predicament, both fully grown men standing in the pouring rain, their shirts soaked and sticking to their muscular backs as they stood in the rain, Wataru just couldn’t help himself.

The light in front of him was so bright, so brilliant, yet so warm and inviting at the same time, felt so much like home, that Wataru couldn’t help but run towards it, the icky feeling of his hair sticking to the back of his neck and the sides of his face long forgotten as he bolted towards the comforting light of his star, laughing as he rushed through the rain, the droplets of rain pattering on his skin.

“Alright! You're on! Don't think I’ll let you off that easily! I haven't gotten rusty yet!”

To Wataru Kuon, besides soccer, meeting Esther Yên Hien is the best thing to have ever happened to him, and he hopes that he will forever get to bathe in the warm glow of his star in their own little bubble. There was simply no place Wataru would rather be right now than on this field, reliving his dream with the boy he loved most.

“The Reason is You”

Synopsis: Hiori was never one to really celebrate his birthday. Maybe this year it will change.

Pairing: Hiori x Quinn

Word count: 4.3k

Cw: OC X CANNON, and they were roommates, slight suggestive, quinn and hiori having a friends with benifits relationship initially but both want more, alcohol, knife briefly mentioned, hiori having bad parents, small violence, slurs, may be ooc, i think this is all i hope.

A/N: Happy birthday my little blueberry baby! I hope a life of happiness, freedom and games await you. I know im a day late to his birthday but this is my first fanfic ive completed and i thought it would be fun to post it here. This is an Oc x Cannon story so it might not fit everyone’s taste, and if he is out of character please let me know so i can get a better grasp of his character :3

Hiori Yo has never been one to celebrate his birthday. The fact that the boy sat cross legged on his gaming chair in front of his gaming setup, the only sound to accompany the otherwise desolated sight would be the sound of Yo clicking away at the buttons of his console as he played another round of Monster Hunter, trolling children that were far too young to be playing this kind of game, and were staying up far later than they should, should have said enough about how lonely his birthdays have become.

In fact, Yo had grown to despise his own day of birth. For starters, he wouldn’t have been born if his parents hadn’t been so desperate to produce a child of enhanced physique. But there was more than meets the eye. Yo despised any event that required him receiving presents. Maybe as a young, naive child, he would anticipate his celebrations, always so eager to unwrap his immaculately wrapped presents that his parents had gotten for him. But with age comes wisdom, and soon the childish anticipation Yo had for his birthday faded away as the realisation that his parents never loved him, and only loved his potential, set in. He should have seen it sooner, the way they ignored most of his actual requests for a console or some games in favour of giving him new socks or soccer cleats. To his parents, Yo is nothing more than an extension of their legacy, a tool to achieve what they couldn’t as athletes. They never loved him for him, so what's the point of celebrating the day they brought him into the world? Or at least that's what Yo thinks anyway.

Besides, he's grown accustomed to the quiet nights, spent with no one else but him as he spends his birthday as he would any other normal day; playing games. I mean with him being 23 now and having moved out from his parents’ house, his nights could finally be quiet without being constantly bugged about soccer. Even now all his parents do is wish him a happy birthday every year over text and send him some money for soccer equipment (let's be honest we all know he’s going to spend that birthday money on games), and actually Yo likes it better that way. Nothing like spending his birthdays like this, in the way he's always wanted to since he was a teenager; just him and his games, with no disruptions from the world.

And it was all going so well too, till the sound of his doors turning snapped Yo out of his recreational zone. That's odd, no one should be coming over at this time. His roommate, Quinn, said he would be at a family dinner and would only be home the next day, and Yo wasn't one to interact with people unnecessarily, so an invitation was unlikely. Pulling off his headset and leaving his beloved gaming setup, Yo grabbed the metal bat Quinn had so carelessly left in his room the day before, and crept to the closed door of his bedroom. Soundlessly, the birthday boy made his way out the room, inching towards the wall that separated the hallway of this 2 bedroom apartment to the communal area. Pressing his ear against the wall, Yo could make out some hushed voices, clumsy shuffling and ungainly footsteps.

Yo could tell whoever had entered his sanctuary had intended to be silent, but were not doing a very good job at it. His grip on the bat tightened as he leaned in closer to listen. The words were not the clearest, but some words of conversation did make their way to his ears.

“Careful! We don't want to alert him!”

“Yer one to talk. Ya both loud and a clutz.”

“Does this really have to be a secret? Can't we just waltz in?…”

“No! And be careful! You're going to ruin it!”

Yo cautiously raised the bat to his shoulder, getting ready to defend his apartment from the perpetrators who have let themselves in. The moment he heard footsteps approach his hiding spot, Yo took a step out and swung.

“HOLY CRAP—“

A yelp sounded out as the man before him bent over backwards, narrowly avoiding the hit Yo swung the metal bat at his head. His deep blue hues widened as he recognised that Irish accent and that tuff of auburn that bled into sun blonde hair with streaks of seasick green and cerulean scattered throughout.

“Quinn? I thought ya said yer at a family dinner!” Yo gasped, rushing to grab onto the arm of the boy to prevent him from falling backwards as Quinn balanced himself in a limbo position, before immediately flinging himself back upright with a laugh.

“Well, I lied. Hell man. Why would you swing at me? With my own bat too? You dare use my spells against me?”

Quinn jest, chortling at the Harry Potter reference he used as he noticed the familiar metal bat in his roommate’s hands. Yo glanced between Quinn, and the other men in the room, all of whom Yo now recognised as his friend, before looking back down at the bat in his hand he just tried to swing at Quinn with, before breaking out into his own little giggle at how stupid he must have appeared to all the men in the room at that moment.

“Sorry! But maybe next time don’t sound like yer break’n in!” Yo chuckled as he doubled over, lowering the bat he held in one hand, with his other still holding onto Quinn’s arm. The adorable sight did earn a sigh from Tabito Karasu and a small chuckle from Yukimiya Kenyu, while Isagi Yoichi, Kurona Ranze and Otoya Eita just watched on in amusement, setting down the cake, presents and decorations down on the dining table.

“Baw baw bawwwww.” Eita humed, making the sound of a buzzer as he formed the letter ‘L’ with his fingers, only to receive a hand to the back of his head for trying to egg on the moronic behaviour of the two.

“Well it's good ya didn't hit Quinn, but can ya lovebirds quit bickering? Since the surprise is spoiled, might as well come and cut yer cake now Yo.” Tabito hollered, handing his longtime friend a plastic knife while Quinn pushed the boy over, his hands on his shoulders as Kenyu opened the box of the cake for him to slice.

“S-surprise??? Huh? W-wait! I thought I said I didn’t wanna celebrate my birthday?” Hiori panicked, waving his hands about in a defensive manner, still a bit disoriented from all that had transpired in the past few moments.

“Well—“ Kenyu chucked awkwardly, trying to explain on behalf of the group, before Yoichi jumped in, effectively cutting him off.

“Its Quinn’s idea.” Yoichi immediately started, pointing an accusing finger at Quinn, who shot him a glare.

“Hey you agreed to it too!”

“It was still your idea to start with.”

“Then why are you throwing me under the bus?!”

They bickered, much to Eita’s amusement as he egged them on, with Kenyu stepping in to try and stop them from going into a full on brawl right here and now. Tabito just stared on, an exhausted expression playing on his face as he rolled his eyes at the idiocy, rubbing his temple with a sigh.

“We know that, but it does feel weird weird if we don't at least get you a cake and some presents.” Ranze started, tugging at the sleeve of Yo’s grey hoodie to get the birthday boy’s attention.

“Quinn said that so long as it was small and with close friends, you wouldn’t mind.” Of course Quinn would say that. That boy has been pestering Yo about his birthday ever since he found out when it was. His incessant insistence on the fact Yo just can't do without a proper birthday party really drove Yo up a wall, especially in the days leading up to his actual birthday. Yo had had about half a mind to just whack his partner over the head with his soccer ball just to get the message that Yo absolutely did not want nor needed a birthday party into that dense skull of his. Quinn will ever fails to irritate Yo with his ideas does he? But just as Yo was about to let out a small groan at the persistence of his roommate, Ranze continued with something that caught his attention.

“He also said you deserve to have a good birthday that would be just about you and what you want for your birthday.” He hummed, repeating the word ‘birthday’ twice as he popped a cone shaped hat that wrote ‘birthday boy’ in bold blue letters adorned with glitter and pom poms all around the rim onto Yo’s head. It was tacky and the bright blue colour made it flashy, sure, but somehow, Yo couldn’t find it in himself to hate it. Ranze’s words stuck with him, even long after the boy had patted his back and walked away to try and help Kenyu break up both guys. “I… deserved it?…” Yo thought to himself, taking the atrocious looking hat off his head, taking a long and hard look at the unnecessary and gaudy decor, tracing the bold glittery font and watching as the glitter stuck to his fingers, before smiling to himself, letting out a small giggle. Of course Quinn would think that. That rich ray of sunshine really doesn’t have anything going on in his head besides wanting to see others smile does he?

Yo’s celebration was an interesting event to say the least. Before he could even enjoy a slice of his cake after blowing out the candles, Yo felt the weight of two hands at the back of his head, and one at the back of his head, and before he knew it, his head was getting bashed into the cake the twins, Liliam and Valentino, had so graciously taken the time to bake for him.

“What the hell?” Yo gasped, wiping the cake off his face as he spun on his heels to find Quinn, Tabito and Yoichi behind him, howling with laughter. Tabito had his head to the sky as his hearty laugh boomed and resounded against the four walls of this tiny apartment, while Quinn and Youchi stood there, doubled over with Quinn’s hands on his knees and Yoichi’s hands holding his stomach as he wheezed like a spoiled kettle.

Yo huffed as he watched his three friends guffaw at how absurd he looked with his face full of cake. “Why you!—“ Yo seethed as he looked up, face full of the sweet and love-filled pastry. The birthday boy made for a rather hilarious sight with his face fully smeared with the white frosting and cream coloured pastry. Quite a large portion of it was stuck to the frosty tips of his front bangs too. In retrospect, Yo should have known that if Eita was using his phone to film something, that suspension should be aroused. Then again you can't blame the poor boy for giving his friend the benefit of the doubt that he just wanted to record a sweet first memory for them to reminisce about in the future. In a fit of rage, Yo grabbed a chunk of the cake that was smeared across his face and chucked it straight at Yoichi, narrowly missing his shot as Yoichi dodged his hand by a hair’s breadth with a speed that only an athlete of his caliber could possess to be able to play well on the field. “Woah! Hey, it's just a joke!” Yoichi yelps as he borrows Tabito as a human shield, making the tall man take the next fistful of cake from Yo to the face. “Why yer….” He grumbles, before wiping both the cake on his face, and Yoichi’s smug grin off his face by shoving the chunk of cake right back at him, causing them to start throwing it at each other, much to everyone else’s amusement. But cake isn’t the only thing they are throwing. They are throwing slurs too. (It will seem Slursagi is back at it again… smh)

“Fight fight fight!” Eita cheered, his tone monotonous as he continued to record this golden memory. Pissed by his friend’s blatant ignorance of his temper, Tabito threw a chunk at him too, hitting Eita squarely in the face. “Yer shut yer pie-hole unless ya wanna get hit too!” Tabito snapped

Amidst the chaos, (that Eita is gladly filming on his phone, egging them on to keep fighting as he did back with the top 6) Kenyu gently taps Yo on the shoulder, offering him a soft towel to wipe his face clean, to which Yo graciously accepts. Yet before the towel could even reach his face, Quinn’s rough hands gently grasp his chin, pulling his sapphire orbs to meet Quinn’s burning amazonite ones. Even though Yo has seen those eyes countless times before, he can't help but find himself being drawn to it, almost like those eyes had some crazy leveled magic stats, cursing Yo to be forever lost in those gorgeous moss coloured eyes. He simply couldn’t pull away, not even if he tried. Yo wanted to question his partner, ask ‘what the hell was he thinking?!’, yet those words died in his throat as he laid eyes on the coy smirk playing on the boy’s plump lips, Yo’s own mouth only managing a quiver in place of words.

“Was his lips always this plump?….”

“Is that a new shade of orange lipstick he bought?..”

“Has his cologne always smelled like that?….”

“Was Quinn always looked this hot?….”

“Have his eyes always been this dreamy?…”

Yo was in his own world, the sound of squabbling from Yoichi and Tabito fading into the background as Quinn leaned in just a little closer, his warm breath fanning Yo’s increasingly reddening face. With Quinn being in such a proximity, Yo couldn’t help but focus on all of Quinn’s delicate features, features that no one else, not even Yo, had ever noticed before. The colour of his eyes that demanded his attention, every small curvature of his lashes that seemed like they were hand crafted, the way his orange lips curl into a grin that could only rival that of the cheshire cat, the way the smell of his cologne threatened to overwhelm all his senses and attack his respiratory system, god, it made Yo feel something. Sure they were roommates, friends with benefits, but has Quinn always been such good eye candy? It's a good thing he hasn’t wiped the cake off his face. If Quinn could see how flushed his cheeks were behind the cake smeared on his face, Yo will never hear the end of it!

“Is he really going to kiss me??? In front of everyone? Right now??” Yo panicked internally, his cheeks becoming impossibly more warm that he was sure he was running a high fever. Not even his frosted tips could conceal just how red the tips of his ears have gotten. Yet, Yo couldn’t bring himself to pull away, to push Quinn away. Instead he found himself closing his eyes, his pouty lips left ajar as he anticipated taking this leap into the next phase of their relationship.

“Boop! Gotcha nose!” Quinn’s euphoric laughter sliced through the silence in Yo’s mind, pulling the boy back to reality as he felt the cool frosting land on the tip of his nose. When he opened his eyes again, he found that not only had Quinn just wiped the custardy frosting off Yo’s lips, but that he had also smeared it back onto his nose! The audacity of this man! Here he was thinking they would have a break through in their relationship, and all this clown did was smear more cake onto his face?! Unbelievable!

But the way he licked the remaining frosting off his thumb in such a smooth motion… his have lidded eyes glancing at Yo with such a smug look… Quinn was really testing the resolve of the poor guy, and unknowingly, Yo was losing terribly. In a huff, Yo swiped a fresh batch of frosting from the cake and smeared it onto Quinn’s nose in retaliation.

“Haha! Pay back!” Yo snickered, flashing him a shit-eating grin. That boyish grin of his… though it might not be the best smile in the world (who am i kidding this little silly definitely has one of the best smiles in the world), it was just so… Hiori. The way the genuine joy of being around Quinn and his tender nature could be captured by a simple smile made it so unique, so him, that Quinn couldn’t resist the twinkle in his eyes.

“How about we all just stop?… At the rate all of you are fighting, Kurona is going to finish off all the cake….” Kenyu sighed, his voice finally knocking some sense into the 5 other men. After cleaning themselves off, all 7 men could finally sit down and relax and enjoy whatever was left of the cake. To be honest by that point you could hardly tell it was even a cake to begin with, all that was left in place of the once stunningly decorated cake was just piles of mush and icing.

“If the twins see what you've done to their hard work, they are gonna be after your heads ya, ya?” Ranze muttered with his mouth full, shoving another forkful of cake into his mouth. He practically looked like a hamster that was storing food in its mouth with the way his cake filled cheeks bulged.

By the end of the night, all that was left of the party was just empty paper plates once filled with the sweet pastry, empty gift wrappers, and a mountain of presents from various other friends like Nagi Seishiro, Reo Mikage, Itoshi Rin and the twins, alongside the original presents from the other men in the room, all of which, for once, were things Yo actually wanted or had requested for before, like a PS5. Along with the, presumably— dead, bodies of his friends as they laid passed out in his dining room or on the couch, probably from drinking too much of the alcohol Eita had brought to celebrate the first birthday of Yo’s that they have ever been apart of. Even the only sober people, like Kenyu and Ranze, have long gone home. Ranze had plans, and Kenyu had work tomorrow, so they both left early. In all honesty Kenyu bailed on being the ride home for Eita and Tabito, who were either drunk or downright wasted from drinking too much (Karasu drank a lot because Oyota got carried away and dragged him down too), hence why they, and Yoichi, are crashing at the apartment for the night. Now the only ones left sober (to some degree), would be him and Quinn. As Yo laid a blanket on his friends to keep them warm, Quinn’s drunken words snapped him out of the peace and quiet his mind had finally been able to achieve after all the festivities.

“Hey Yo?…” Quinn slurred a bit. He was drunk, but still coherent enough to respond properly, so he wasn’t that far gone.

“You're cute… like really cute. I'm not super into guys, but I'd let you hit…”

“Ya already let me hit, ya dumdum.” Yo chuckled. Quinn was always more chatty when he was drunk, well more so that he was sober, which would mean a lot since his mouth never seems to stop moving.

“I know… but like… I want more, you know?” Quinn babbled drunkenly. This boy will never stop giving him a heart attack will he?

“More like?….” Yo asked cautiously, warning himself not to get ahead of himself like earlier. yet he couldn’t help the warmth creeping up his neck as he waited with baited breath for his answer. Quinn surely wasn’t into men right?…. They were just physically, no strings attached.

“I mean you’re so nice… so friendly… makes me feel bad just being fuck buddies with you only…”

“I wanna be more… like… romantic more….”

Yo’s heart nearly leapt out of his mouth. No way. There is just no way. He's just drunk. There is no way Quinn actually wants that, right? He's just spouting nonsense! Oh please don't do this to him, not to his poor heart on his birthday…

“Stop saying that. Ya don't know what yer talk’n abt’. Yer just spout’n drunk’n nonsense.“ Yo huffed, his cheeks visibly pink now.

“No… I'm not…. A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts you know….” Quinn giggled, definitely gidy on the alcohol.

“Ya don't know what yer saying. I’ll believe ya when ya can tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.” Yo sighed, walking over to his roommate to tousle the blue and green streaks in his bleach damaged hair.

“Ten…”

“Quinn, I'm not hold’n up any fingers….”

“Four….”

Yep he's definitely gone.

“Quinn…”

“At least kiss me first….”

Yea Yo might be running a high fever now for the second time today. That's bold, but then again, Yo should have expected that considering how wild Quinn’s mouth can run. Should you ever need someone who will say the most out-of-pocket and filthy things, Quinn is your man.

“No, yer drunk. I'll kiss ya when ya sober up and ask me again.” Yo sighed, idly playing with the boy’s hair as he got lost in thought, allowing himself to fantasise for a bit about how great it must be to actually be able to kiss the Quinn Akunome. Would his kisses be soft and precise, prioritising pleasure and comfort and the enjoyment of being with each other, or hard and sloppy, with no actual goal in mind other than to feel him flushed against him? Yet Yo catches himself thinking this, and shoos all those less than appropriate thoughts into the back of his head. No, Quinn is his friend, and he's drunk. Yo should not be thinking about him in that light. But then again Quinn…. NO. YO, NO. NOT RIGHT NOW.

Quinn, oblivious to his friend's internal turmoil and moral battle that he is losing against himself, effortlessly grabs Yo’s attention again with another drunken request. “Then at least play Monster Hunter with me…. I promise I can still kick your ass even if I'm drunk!”

“Fine. Yer on, pretty boy.”

And that's how Yo found himself at 3am on the day after his birthday, next to a man absolutely drunk off his ass, spamming away at the brand new consoles Yo had gotten as a present as they try to defeat each other in a one on one PvP. Actually it was more of Yo absolutely crushing Quinn considering the boy is drunk out of his mind right now and can barely even see the buttons of his console right, let alone know how to play and defeat Yo in this state. But it didn’t matter to Yo. The way Quinn’s laughter filled the room, blending in seamlessly into the game’s soundtrack just made Yo realise how much Yo enjoyed being around him. Be it as a romantic interest or a friend, Yo simply couldn’t see his life without Quinn in it. The bastard had managed to worm his way into Yo’s heart and embedded himself far too deep into his life for Yo to try and weed him out now. But it's not like Yo wants him to even leave in the first place. He's more than happy to let Quinn have eternal residence in his heart.

As Yo defeats Quinn for the nth time tonight, much to the drunk man’s frustration, Yo lets out a boisterous laugh as Quinn throws a small fit like a child who was denied permission to get a toy, whining about how he would surely defeat Yo in the next round.

“Whatever ya say Quinn.” Yo sighed, patting the disheartened fella on his back before gently pulling him into his embrace, allowing Quinn the much needed rest from the amount of drinking and partying he did. “Ya can try again tomorrow…”

The shorter man protested for a bit, trying to pull away from Yo’s firm grasp, before finally resigning to his fate in Yo’s muscular arms and resting his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes with a satisfied sigh.

“To my one and only sadistic bastard… Happy birthday Yo…”

Yo sighed, carding his fingers through his fried hair, slowly lulled his roommate to sleep as he hummed a soft, soothing lullaby. Truly, there is no better birthday present Yo could ask for right now. This boy, for all his weird antics and shenanigans he gets them into, would always be his rock, his shoulder to cry on, and the reason Yo can smile again so candidly. Quinn has been there throughout everything, and Yo can only hope he will continue to be there in the future, be it as a friend, as a support, or even more. It is now virtually impossible for Yo to imagine a future that doesn’t have Quinn in it, and frankly, he doesn’t want to. Everything he could possibly want or need is here, in his arms. He couldn’t ask for anything better as a birthday gift. Maybe, for Hiori Yo, there might be a reason his birthdays are still worth celebrating and looking forward to, and that reason is him. With that newfound perspective in mind, Yo finally allowed himself to lean against the couch, with Quinn’s head still nestled cozily in the crook of his neck, and closed his eyes, letting the familiarly welcoming call of sleep wash over him as he fell into tranquil silence, his breath and heartbeat falling perfectly in line with Quinn’s.

“Yer right… thank ya… my one and only.”