[014] [video/action] happy, happy birthday, from all of us to you

[complexing]

[The video starts up and Touya looks rather intensely into the camera. For having just turned 21, he looks fairly grumpy.]

Okay, so my birthday only comes around once every four years, technically, so I figure I get a free pass at this. It isn't a joke, nobody laugh.

The person... people... [He huffs in frustration and decides to keep this simple.] The person I'm with wants to take our relationship to an intimate level and I don't know how to make it special or memorable or nice or whatever. Can anyone give me some advice or something?

[A fairly hostile video for a request but... the subject has clearly been on his mind for a few days. Long enough that he's so desperate for advice, he's gone public.]

[Action]

[Even though it's his birthday, Touya isn't making such a big deal out of it. He goes to work at Seventh Heaven, picks up some groceries (ingredients for one of his favorite meals), and walks home. Meanwhile, he's pondering the responses he's received from the network and, oddly enough, thinking about his mother. Had she ever thought that she would see her son turn 21? It wasn't much of a milestone, honestly, but Touya always tended to think about his mom on his birthday, and all of those small celebrations he'd had when he was younger. And how annoyed he was when his dad explained why Touya's birthday wasn't always on the calendar.]

[Some of these memories have Touya smiling at times when maybe it wasn't really appropriate to smile, but he isn't thinking about everyone else at the moment.]

Comments

written

[ahappylie]

Well, not asking where the person can hear it would be a good start.

[complexing]

I think he probably knows I'm going to ask someone about it. I mean, I wasn't exactly cool when he brought it up...

written

[ahappylie]

Oh. I suppose this would be your first time, then?

[action]

[winged_moon]

[Maybe at first it was like a normal walk home, but apparently someone else decided to make note of it himself, for once Touya is about halfway from the plaza to the house Yue descends from... wherever he was flying and lands on the path beside him. His wings remain half-spread rather than folding against his back, though, and he doesn't quite meet Touya's eyes even though he's at least looking at him.]

...happy birthday.

[Yukito had wished the same that morning over breakfast, of course, though from Yue the greeting sounds a little less natural, somewhat stilted. But at least he said it.]

[action]

[complexing]

[Touya looks up when he hears the flutter of wings descending on him. Ah, he thought he'd felt happier in the last minute or so. It's his birthday, and oddly enough Touya is feeling hyper-aware of life and the beautiful things in his life as a result. Some people just thought their birthday was any other day, but Touya had always made it special in his own quiet way. Now, he's admiring how beautiful Yue looks with the light from the setting sun draping over all of his feathers.]

[He looks around briefly, seeing no one, and leans over to give Yue and peck on the cheek.] Thanks.

[action]

[winged_moon]

[Yue's widen slightly at the gesture, his wing feathers ruffling as he also glances around to be certain no one saw that. There's perhaps a hint of pink staining his cheeks as he looks back at Touya again, still trying to maintain his cool facade.]

...I thought perhaps I could help you get home more quickly.

[voice - [private]

[concasse]

[Oh Touya, your lack of thinking hurts Sanji's soul.]

Oi, do you want Yukito to hear this? [Yes he's guessing by acting like it's obvious, shush]

[voice - [private]

[complexing]

I guess I could have locked it but he probably would have figured out eventually that I got advice from somewhere, right?

[voice - private]

[concasse]

Tch, fine. I see your point.

... [And okay he can not even stop himself from mumbling this next part]

Yukito's the one pushing this relationship forward. [Dayum. Sous Chef, you make him proud]

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

Intimate level... do you mean, um... ?

[Voice]

[complexing]

Yeah, uh... [Crap. Touya completely forgot about the Children Factor in Luceti. Maybe he should have locked this after all...] Doing things... that people who love each other do.

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

Oh, no, I know what they are, just... I didn't really think that was the sort of thing people asked about over the journals.

[Oh Touya. Emil is older than he looks and has had experience in this area himself... not that he's going to say so.]

[voice]

[holyknights]

I-is that really something you should be asking over the journals?

[You have insulted his delicate sensibilities!]

[voice]

[complexing]

...This is the weirdest, euh, most-indelicate, thing you've seen here?

[Apparently 'delicate sensibility offending' extends to sex and... not many other places. That's Touya's opinion on that reply there.]

People ask for advice over the network all the time, right? I'm not going into details, I just want some general insight.

[voice]

[holyknights]

Just because you're not doesn't mean someone else won't! Something like that is too personal!

[But don't worry, you're not missing out. Elliot knows nothing about these things.]

[voice]

[neverplaysfair]

The more you stress, the less fun it will be.

[voice]

[complexing]

I guess that makes sense... But it's easy to stress when you don't know what you're supposed to be doing.

[Video]

[i_speak_softly]

[THERE'S A PERSON IN HIS JOURNAL AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT INTIMATE RELATIONS.]

Stay away!

[Video]

[complexing]

[Have a uh... very startled face.]

...Wha... what?

[Private]

[deathsdoctor]

[Here. Have a constructive response and probably a frank discussion on sex from the town doctor.]

Start things off with a massage. It's a relaxing thing, and it allows you both to slowly ease into the mood.

[Private]

[complexing]

[The holy grail, it has arrived. Thank god somebody is going to be practical about this and not sputter or scream at him.]

Thank you. So much. I can do a massage, with like oils and stuff right?

[meteorical]

That depends. Do you want to make it special, or is the person you're with pressuring you to make it special?

...furthermore, leap year baby, huh. Talk about unfair.

[complexing]

[OH GOD, KAIRI. ABORT, ABORT.]

Y-yeah, no kidding. But my family was pretty good about celebrating every year, so it wasn't so bad on that end. But it does make filling out forms kind of weird.

[death_awaits_you]

Huh? How can someone's birthday only come every four years...?

Well -- either way, Happy Birthday!

[ He thinks about the request for a moment. ] Make sure you do things she likes! [ Yes... he's really helpful, isn't he? ]

[complexing]

[...helpful. Yeah. But Touya appreciates the attempt, however sad it is.]

Thanks... I was born on a date that only happens once every four years. Where I'm from, a year is 365 days, but it takes 365 and one quarter days for my planet to go around the sun. So to make up for it, there's another day added onto the year, February 29th. We call that a 'leap year'. I was born in a 'leap year', on February 29th. Three out of four years, February 29th doesn't appear on a calendar. So it's kind of special when my birthdate actually happens.