by cienne zoeldyck
aka ‘blabbermouth’,
‘yadda, yadda’ and ‘shut up’
The Challenge:
Happy Birthday, Baby_J!
DISCLAIMER:
Me no own Sano. Me no own Saitou. Me no own anybody. Me very sad.
ToT
Summary:
Saitou learns how
something, no matter how small and insignificant, could be the most precious
gift of all. Also, I suck at summaries.
cienne zoeldyck
Saitou hated gifts.
Well, not that he hated getting gifts in general but he disliked the ones
coming from his lover, Sanosuke Sagara. Not that he didn’t love Sano or
anything like that but the young man’s idea on gift-giving bordered on
primitive and whatever-caught-his-fancy kind of thing. Well, not that really
disliked the gifts, as well. It was more like he never seemed to come up what
to do with it…
Sano’s very first
token of good wishes for his birthday was… a cat. A stray cat more precisely.
The roosterhead had found it shivering in an alley after he had passed out from
an extra high dose of sake on the eve of
Hajime’s birthday. His only explanation was that he was broke and he
liked the furball. The cat was four years old now.
The second one was a
rock. A very good-looking rock at that but Saitou failed to grasp it’s significance
as Sano, all aglow and sated from an aftermath of marathon fornicating,
presented it as his gift. Saitou now used it as a paperweight for his files in
the office.
An expensive, empty
sake jug was the third gift. Sano had been sheepish and embarrassed as he
handed it to Saitou admitting he couldn’t resist and had gone ahead and
finished it off before Saitou came home from overtime. Saitou relented and the
jug now housed that special oil they use and sits at the bedside table.
The fourth one was
even weirder. It had been… a doll. Saitou had wanted to strangle a chortling
Sano who explained he’d tried to make one with Dr. Gensai’s granddaughters, but
wound messing it up. It wasn’t so bad, really. Just that the doll was missing
ears and looked like a cop on drag. Sano had placed it beside the sake… well,
oil jug and appointed it Official Guard.
Tomorrow was the
fifth time he’d be celebrating his birthday with his lover and he couldn’t deny
he’d been… dreading tomorrow. Dreading not the actual day itself but the part
where Sanosuke would present his gift… because he couldn’t make sure he’d be
able to keep a straight, unaffected face once met with one of Sano’s unusual
token.
Saitou snorted and
glanced at the antique clock by his desk and made a small frown. It was getting
late and Sano still hadn’t come home. Usually, the idiot had the sense to
inform him of his whereabouts and when to expect him and today hadn’t been
different.
“I’d be with Kenshin
the whooooole day.” Sano had said, making a sad face. “That’s coz’ some creepy
cop wouldn’t let anybody else come into his lair to play with his boy toy.”
“Boy toy?” Saitou
smirked. “You’re hardly a boy, ahou and you’re certainly boring to be anybody’s
toy.”
“Up my ass, cop.”
Sano glared. “See if I let you play with little Sano tonight.” he huffed and
went out.
Saitou gave a small
smile from that exchange and glanced out the window. Maybe, Sano is getting
lonely whenever he had to go to work. He had to admit he’d been mighty
possessive of the roosterhead ever since that incident when Sano used to work
for him as an undercover, a few months back. Wherever Sano got to work, he’d be
leaving trails of horny women and men behind until Saitou got fed up and
literally made the ahou a housewife.
“You know, ‘Jime?”
Sano had told him one night.
“Know what?” he had
asked, trying not to sound too sleepy.
The young man
sighed, his voice soft and quiet. “Sometimes… I wish I was a real woman.”
Saitou paused,
incredulous and snorted. “Don’t be stupid.”
“No, listen…” Sano insisted
and leaned his elbow on Saitou’s chest so that they were face to face. “If I
were a real lady, you’d never have to worry about your job…”
“What’s that got to
do about you…?”
Sano glared at him.
“I’m not that stupid, Hajime. I know that you’ve kept our relationship secret
especially to your superiors. D’you think I wouldn’t realize soon enough why
you always send me out whenever the General Inspector comes for a visit?”
Saitou was silent.
“That’s okay,
anyhow.” Sano told him, forgiving. “I understand.”
“They wouldn’t
understand.” Saitou blurted out in an almost apologetic tone.
“Hn.” Sano said,
shrugging then, continued on his list.
“Anyway, if I was a woman… we could have, y’know… kids.”
Saitou was amused at
the ahou’s sudden shyness. “Really?”
Sano flushed. “Ah,
whatever, cop. I’m goin’ to sleep.”
“Hey…” Saitou
stopped Sanosuke from burrowing under the covers. “You’d really like that?”
Sano shrugged, still
embarrassed. “Sorta… maybe.”
Saitou smirked. “If
you were a woman, this house would be crawling with kids right now. You and
your insatiable libido.”
The roosterhead made
a grab for his crotch. “Say that again, Mr. Frigid.” he chortled and was moaning by the time he was
proven wrong.
Saitou smirked
again. Crazy ahou… now, if only the kid would show up for some showdown.
*ToT*
It was lunchtime on
his birthday when Saitou decided to truly worry about the ahou being gone and
all. He had waited until three in the morning until he fell asleep. But, when
he woke up there was still no ahou.
He’d thought Sano
was drunk somewhere or probably sulking at Katsu’s since they parted on
not-so-good terms yesterday. Damn, he hoped the idiot hadn’t forgotten his
birthday or he’d really have a good reason to strangle him.
His footsteps led
him to the Kamiya Dojo and before he could ring the bell, the front gate swung
open and Kenshin was staring at him with mingled relief and trepidation.
Saitou couldn’t help
but think that he’d found his lover.
“Where’s Sano?”
Kenshin opened the
gate wider for him. “Inside. Sleeping.” he replied as they walked inside. “He
was on his way home from the next town when he saw a carriage being held-up by
robbers. He was too late, de gozaru, as there was no one left alive. If Aoshi
hadn’t passed by, he would’ve been dead, too. I think those robbers are assassins
as well.”
Saitou felt a knife
twist in his gut as the door to Sano’s room slid open. In there, heavily
bandaged and sleeping quietly was Sanosuke. Kaoru was sitting beside him,
wringing a small cloth on a small basin before placing it, gently, over Sano’s
forehead.
“He’s fine.” Megumi
answered Saitou’s silent question as she snapped her medical bag close. “He’ll
be needing rest for a couple of days. He had some nasty wounds but, they’re all
taken care of.”
Saitou nodded his
thanks and sat down, beside the futon, golden eyes studying Sano’s face. The
roosterhead looked so young as he slept, eyelashes fluttering, lips pursed like
a child’s.
“Oh, and by the
way…”
Saitou glanced at
Megumi, questioningly.
The lady doctor
smiled. “Happy birthday, Saitou.”
“Yes, I almost
forgot. Happy birthday, Officer.” said Kenshin and Kaoru followed suit, bowing
at him. “Happy birthday, Saitou-san.”
Saitou was clearly
surprised. He nodded again. “When did he get here?” he asked, changing the
subject.
“Last night…”
Kenshin was trying to remember. “A few hours after midnight. Aoshi left right
away after getting him here. He said one of the men escaped and he’s probably
trailing after him.”
Saitou nodded then
gently laid his sword beside him, crossing his arms and clearly meaning to stay
where he was.
Kaoru and Megumi
glanced at each other in puzzled surprise.
“Aren’t you…”
Saitou hn’ed. “I’ll
let him sleep for a bit, before I take him home.”
*ToT*
Sano woke up to the
smell of tobacco and he winced as the pain in his body made itself known.
“’J-jime…” he croaked.
A cool hand felt for
his forehead and the smell of smoke tapered off. “What have you gotten yourself
into, ahou?”
Sano smiled, weakly,
his head still hurt. “Happy birthday, grouch.”
The cop hn’ed and
lit up another candle to brighten the room.
There was a small
whimper and Saitou leaned down on him, eyes narrowed. “Something wrong…?”
Sano frowned. “No…”
he said, puzzled then, brightened as he remembered something. “Your gift…!” he
cried out, sitting up only to fall back as his balance failed him.
“Ahou.” Saitou
muttered, helping him up. “Just say so, if you wanna die. I can make it easier
for you.”
Sano grunted. “Ah,
sock it, cop. It’s your birthday, y’know…” he trailed off, suddenly very
embarrassed. “Uh…”
“What now?”
Sano tested his
limbs for movement. He was able to move with little pain. Damn those fucking
assholes! He’d been careless. Of course they had weapons. Him and his cocksure
attitude. It’ll definitely get him killed one day.
“Ahou…?”
The roosterhead
flushed then grinned at Saitou. “Look, ‘Jime…”
“What?” Saitou was
getting a little bit impatient.
There was another
whimper and the cop glared at his lover. “Did you use your fist again?”
“No.” Sano shook his
head. “It’s…”
The younger man
reached into an open box Saitou had been looking at earlier just beside the
futon and pulled out a bundle of cloth. The cop was puzzled as Sano cradled it,
gently in his arms and the whimpering sound grew louder.
“What…?”
Sano shushed him and
moved some of the cloth a little to the side before presenting it to Saitou.
“Happy birthday, ‘Jime.”
Saitou’s jaw dropped
as golden eyes so like his own stared
back at him from the bundle. “A-ahou…?”
“I heard him bawling
his lungs out while I tried to save his dead parents.” Sano explained, softly,
his chocolate eyes loving on the infant. “I saw his eyes before one of those
bastards got me. I couldn’t let him die out there…”
Saitou swallowed
hard as his golden stare was met with another. The infant was probably several
months old with spiky hair and hazel eyes. The tiny mouth was forming soundless
words while a tiny hand was trying to reach for Saitou’s nose.
“Okami…” he
whispered.
Sano grinned. “It
fits him, ne? I was thinking the same thing…”
“Sano…” the cop’s
voice was full of uncertainty.
The roosterhead’s
face fell. “Hajime… he’s an orphan now.” It was a plea.
Saitou glanced back
at his diminutive look-alike then looked at Sano. “Are you sure? Are you definitely,
positively sure about this?”
The younger man took
a deep breath, wincing as his muscles complained. “I’ve never been more sure in
my whole life, Hajime.” he stated, brown eyes glistening. “I look at him and I
feel as though I’ve been waiting for him all my life. I want to see him grow
up. I want to teach him everything Sagara-taicho had taught me when I was
younger. I want to hear him call you ‘Father’. I want to …”
“He?” Saitou
cut-off.
Sano paused,
confused. “Yes. I looked…”
Saitou held out his
arms. “Let me hold him.”
The roosterhead’s
face brightened. “Be careful.” he scolded a bit as Saitou carried him,
unsteadily.
“He’s so small…”
Saitou wondered, voice a bit breathless.
Sano smiled at the
picture they made. Father and son…
Now if only he had
boobs to complete the picture.
“He’ll be a
scholar.” Saitou said, suddenly, letting Okami grab unto his gloved finger. “He
wouldn’t be dumb like some ahou I know…”
Sano bristled at
that. “Screw it, old man.”
Saitou grinned.
“He’d be beautiful like you…”
Sano blushed. “You
can screw me anytime…”
The cop snickered.
“Hn, you know what?”
“What?”
Saitou leaned over
and gave kissed the tip of his nose. “This is the best birthday present ever.”
*ToT*
OWARI!!!
031204
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