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

[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.]

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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? ]

[Ignoring you both. Don stalks to the window to survey the house next door.]

But wouldn't that make it just as memorable as if everything went perfectly?

[Touya, on the other hand, is happily entrenched in admiring Yue (again) and how soft his hair was. Of course when the guardian starts looking around, Touya looks too. What, was that crazy guy coming out to growl again?]

[His attention is called back to Yue when he sees the familiar glow and the wings vanish. It must have been time to go inside, then. Touya smiles and gently takes Yue's hand to lead him inside.]

I got stuff to make some of my favorite things for dinner tonight. [He leads them both inside and shuts the door, pausing for a moment, then locking it.] I never asked--can you taste what Yuki eats? You don't do the eating thing, I know, but I'd be happy if we could all share it somehow.

Uh... no. Not at all. [He sounds slightly embarrassed about this. Dammit, even when he was with Kaho Touya didn't think about these things. He could have been knocked over with a feather when Yuki brought this up, how could he have a game plan?]

I guess... a date would be a good thing beforehand...?

... [Touya laughs softly.] That's true.

I guess he isn't going to leave me if I'm not perfect on the first try. He'll laugh it off, probably.

Yeah, that's true. [He smiles, and it reaches his voice.] I've done a lot of bizarre things and he's taken them all in stride. I guess this shouldn't be any different.

There's a difference? [He chuckles weakly, a little exasperated, a little amused.]

Yeah, why can't you? [Touya is severely disgruntled by the silence and he's seriously considering going over there and pounding on the door...]

[But if this guy is aggressive right now, that probably isn't the best idea. The last thing he wants is for Yuki to come home and find Touya with a bloody nose on his birthday, or worse.]

Look, what do you want from me, huh? You want me to pack up and move across town?

Seriously...? [Wow, he'd never thought of it that way. But in retrospect, Yuki always laughed about that time Touya had to play Cinderella in their class play. And that time he'd ended up in that pink mascot bunny costume. And that time--]

[...regardless, there were a lot of times Yuki laughed at him when Touya had been in a compromising position.]

I guess that makes sense. It's the same with everyday stuff too--mishaps being favorite memories later.

I really appreciate this. Everyone else flipping out made me wonder if I'd ever get a straight answer. [He chuckles.]

[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.

[Nope, sorry, Touya, she's not going to back out just yet. But for now she'll let it slide...]

So how old does that technically make you anyway?

[...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.

Technically...? Uh... [He tries to do the math quickly, but it does take a bit of counting. He laughs quietly.] Guess I'm five this year, technically.

[Don't mind her laughing a little bit. It just sounds so funny to her.]

Well I think for being a five year old, you're doing very well for yourself. You should be proud.

[Taking his... hand. That earns Touya a somewhat uncertain sidelong glance, though Yue doesn't pull away even as he follows.

There's another, even more uncertain look at the door-locking, especially with how obvious as it is, but the question distracts the guardian enough that he turns back to blink at Touya in apparent puzzlement.]

We are separate— I can be aware of his thoughts and emotions, should I choose, but that is all.

[And no, he really isn't interested in trying to taste food, his tone also says.]

And you weren't taken to the districts when you came of age? That's odd.

Plenty. Do you worry about what you're going to eat for each meal?

Exactly. If he really loves you, then something like it not being perfect the first time won't matter to him at all.

[Robert's voice might be a little hard to hear, considering Don's got his journal, but he's not going to back down entirely.

Directing his words more to Touya, now -] ... Th-this is, er, a t-temporary state - normally, he is very kind and c-calm and I am not certain wh-why his reaction this time is so extreme - [- really, he never even touched on it ever being this bad last year -] - and I s-sincerely apologize and do not wish to trouble you f-further...

...

... But, er... [... He doesn't know how much he wants to be alone with Don right now. And Leo's probably not much better.]

Of course you need a date! Wine and dine him! Romance! You wanna make it truly special, right?

This is the time to show him the depth of your feelings!

Seriously.

It's no problem. [Part of his job.] I'm a doctor and I answer questions like this all the time. You're welcome to ring me up if you have more later.

That's right. So don't try too hard or you'll just embarrass yourself for no reason.

[Well, yes, he would kind of like you to vanish, leaving your mates undefended and available. But saying as much from over here isn't going to be effective, so... Don just stalks around his own house, surveying his domain.]

[... If Robert wants his journal back, he'll have to follow.]

Oh! I think we have leap years at home, too, but I didn't really think about what that would mean if you had a birthday then.

That's pretty neat! I hope you have an extra happy birthday, then, to make up for how rare it is.

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