Ultimate Present
By LilyChan

Chapter One
Happy Birthday – Here’s Your Disappointments

“Come over, I promise you this. 6:00 near the fountain – I’ll let you know with a kiss.”

Takumi’s eyes fluttered opened his eyes in confusion. He sat up and groaned when he remembered that his room faced the sun every morning. It was then that he also remembered something of equal importance, if not the most.

Today was his birthday!

He smirked to himself as he got ready for school. Since it was now the summer term, he was especially excited.

Only a few days until summer vacation! And that can only mean one thing – a trip to the country!

With such thoughts in his mind, Takumi got up and got ready for school. He almost forgot his letter to his crush. He grabbed it and placed in his pocket as he quietly laughed at himself at for being so scatterbrained.

When he was halfway to the scholastic building, it started raining, pouring in fact. Takumi did not have an umbrella.

He lifted and used his school bag over his head and ran the rest of the way to school. When he arrived, the bell had ringed. He cursed to himself when he opened his locker to change shoes. A letter fell out of it. The boy blinked at it as he picked it up. Since he realized that he didn’t have the time to inspect it further, he pushed it in his pocket on top of his love letter.

Takumi arrived in his class and was quite relieved to see that his teacher still hadn’t appeared herself. The students were talking amongst themselves in their groups. Right in the middle was the group of girls that had his crush, Aya Tanaka. In the middle of it all, they were giggling over a magazine he couldn’t see too well.

He blushed when he saw the girl smiled and laughed. However he shook out of his stupor when he saw his best friend reading some magazine about some female idols.

When Takumi took his seat, he glanced at the magazine that had the all girl group, Kitty-Chan Nyah Nyah. He grabbed it and started to look through it.

“Satoshi, since when are you a fan of Kitty-Chan Nyah Nyah?” he asked as his friend merely sighed and motioned back his magazine as Takumi went through it.

“I’m doing research for you. Apparently Miss Tanaka likes them too.” He said. When he realized what Satoshi had just said, he gave him a confused look.

“How did you know?” he asked dumbly.

“I am her brother, you know.” He responded. Takumi merely stuck out tongue. The door opened the tired teacher came in as she apologized her tardy tendencies.

oooo

When it was lunch time, Takumi stabbed the rice with his chopsticks in frustration.

“Augh!”

Satoshi glanced up with the same expression he had that morning.

”What?”

”I have to tell her today!” he stated as he picked up a small piece with it and stuffed it in his mouth. Satoshi placed his chopsticks on his desk and pointed towards the group that seemed to never stop laughing.

“Well, she is over there.” He pointed out. Takumi groaned and stabbed some vegetables instead. He mumbled something that sounded more like “You bastard…” but Satoshi didn’t otherwise pry. “If you don’t make your move, you will lose her to someone else.”

When the other boy snapped out of it, he blinked. “You’re right, Satoshi! I have to take my chance!” He stood up for dramatic effect, now with everyone watching him. The one with glasses merely adjusted the specs and continued eating as though this was the norm.

It really was the norm though, if he thought about it at all.

“If not then there will be no chance for happiness!” he placed his foot on the chair he was sitting on.

After a while, he realized that the class had their eyes locked onto his antics. He blushed and took his foot off the chair. The only noise in the silent classroom was his nervous laughter and the clinking of Satoshi’s bento and chopsticks. The girls just laughed and started to ignore him. But he saw that Aya had watched him. He sat down to get the other’s attention and tapped his hand.

“Man, I just made an ass of myself…” he whined as he touched the chopsticks on the table. Satoshi didn’t say a word. He kept on eating his lunch. Takumi, however, stared at him. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said to the boy. Satoshi kept eating, still not saying anything. “You’re thinking ‘Oh, that Takumi. He’s such an idiot.’”

After he swallowed some food he grabbed his thermos, opened it, and took a sip of whatever it was that was inside. He sighed and gave Takumi eye contact.

“Believe what you want to, Takumi, nothing gets by you.”

He continued to eat.

Takumi merely narrowed his eyes.

“Was that a sarcastic remark?”

Satoshi didn’t answer him; he just kept on eating his lunch.

He kept his gaze on him for a little while longer when he saw Aya standing right beside him. He almost jumped out literally in his seat.

“Uh, Takumi-kun?” she asked gently. “Did you say you wanted to see me?”

He furiously blushed as he nodded. “Y-yeah, I did.” He got up hastily and in the process tripped over himself. Some of his fellow classmates laughed at him while Satoshi, once again, kept eating and even avoided the glances they were receiving from their classmates.

oooo

It was a really typical scene – the cherry blossoms were, well, in bloom. The birds were scarce, and save for a few other students, it was quiet and empty. The sun shined brightly in the aftermath of the rain from earlier.

Needless to say, Takumi was nervous as he never was before. He felt sweat started to appear on his hands so he put them in the pockets of his uniform and begged to whatever deity would take mercy on him on the celebration of his birth some odd years ago.

“So, uh, I hear you like Kitty-Chan Nyah Nyah?” he asked, stupidly.

The girl nodded. “Uh-huh! They recently came out with a new single!”

Takumi nodded. “Yeah, I heard it’s already on top of the charts. That’s pretty amazing, considering that Star has been on top for the past few months.”

She smiled and giggled. “Now what was it you really wanted to tell me, Takumi-kun?”

Crap, she saw right through me, he thought to himself as he tried to formulate the words to come out of his mouth.

“W-well, I just wanted to ask you if you’re available tonight. I’m having a birthday party over in my house after school.”

It was quiet between the two save for the wind that blew their hair, which seemed to cool Takumi’s temperature.

You can do this, Takumi. You’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for years! Don’t screw it up!

He finally managed to open his mouth.

“A-Aya-san…” he started; she stared at him while she waited for him to speak more. He dug his hand around his pocket for the letter. Feeling the other letter, he mistakenly pulled that one out. “I-I would like you to read this!”

He pushed it in front of him and he closed his eyes, blushing and turning away. Aya looked at the envelope and giggled.

“Uh, Takumi-kun, I think you got the wrong one…”

He opened his eyes and looked at the letter. Sure enough it was addressed to him. He laughed nervously as he placed it in the opposite pocket and pulled out the letter he’d written for Aya. He gave it to her.

“I think this is the right one…” he said as he once again turned red.

She inspected it once more and nodded. She opened it and read the letter that was in it. It was merely a page with big letters written on it by crayons.

Let’s hope Satoshi is right about this! He watched her with earnest interest as she glanced over everything on the page. She slowly put down the page and gave him a shy smile.

This gave Takumi hope! Maybe she was going to go to go out with him after all!

Please Aya-san! Go out with me!

The silence was too long for Takumi’s taste – he had to know what her answer was! He was about to ask her a question when she blushed and turned away.

He wanted to know what she was thinking so he kept a watch on her.

“Aya-san?” he asked, in case she got distracted.

She slowly gave Takumi eye contact. “I should’ve asked…” she whispered to herself. Confused, he kept his mouth shut and unconsciously titled his head. “Uh…” she started. Takumi straightened himself and awaited her answer. “I’m sorry, Takumi-kun, I can’t.” Takumi felt small as his heart crumbled.

He wondered for a moment whether or not she couldn’t since her and Satoshi’s father was extremely strict. But then he was always dotting on Takumi and how perfect he’d be for Aya. Then he opened his mouth once more.

“I-is it because you can’t? You have another boyfriend, right?” he hoped. He was going to give that other boy a beating later.

She blushed harder. “Something like that.”

He felt his rage taking over. Then he did the unthinkable – he shouted at the girl.

“What do you mean something like that? You either have one or you don’t! Out with it!”

Aya got righteously mad and slapped Takumi. He grabbed his cheek and glared at her.

”How dare you say something like that! Hikari was right! Men are pigs!”

He blinked.

“Hikari? Who’s that?”

“She’s my girlfriend, okay?” she whispered. There were some students who passed them by and stopped when she slapped Takumi to see what was going on. “She makes me feel like no other boy can feel, Takumi. Can’t you understand that? I thought about going out with you, but her and Satoshi—“

“Satoshi? What does he have to do with this? What does he care anyway? He told me that he was trying to set me up with you!”

She blinked. “I don’t know how that’s possible since Satoshi’s the one who helped me and Hikari get together in the first place…”

Shocked at the truth, Takumi started to laugh.

“Wow.” He simply said. He continued to laugh as he fell to his knees, still clutching to his face. He felt tears come out of his eyes but didn’t even realize it as Aya bit her lip. The other students continued to stare at the duo. “W-where does Hikari go? What class does she go to?” he asked solemnly.

“S-she doesn’t even go to this school. She goes to another one.”

“Oh yeah? Is she about our age?”

She shook her head. “No. She’s a year older.”

He paused, the confession still slowly seeping in through his head about his longtime crush.

“I…” he started. “I hope you two will be very happy for a long time.” Aya tried to go near him but he backed up. “Don’t come near me.”

She bent down and took his free hand. He forced it away from her and wiped it against his uniform as though she were contagious. She felt very hurt about it but instead just whispered to him once more.

“Please don’t tell my father, Takumi-kun. It… would kill him. Despite the fact my older brother already has children; my father wanted me to have children as well. He doesn’t care about Satoshi ever since he too came out of the closet. I just don’t want to feel unsafe in my own home. Just promise me you won’t tell him.”

Takumi slowly gave her eye contact.

“Satoshi is… homo too?”

She flinched at the word homo but she nodded. “Yeah. In fact, he’s had a crush on you for quite some time.”

He glanced back at the ground. “I see. That explains a lot, really.”

He got up and Aya kept a close eye on him, worrying for his and her own safety.

“Please Takumi-kun! Don’t tell him!”

He smiled, but Aya was really frightened by it. She even took a few steps back.

“Oh. That won’t be a problem, Aya-san. I’m never coming over again.”

He turned around and walked away back to class. He laughed manically and glared and cursed out any couple who dared to give him a glance.

Aya felt cold so she covered herself. “I-I should’ve told Satoshi not to…” she mumbled.

oooo

When Takumi returned to class, lunch was almost over and Satoshi had brought out a book and read it as he awaited his friend to return. Well, his crush at least. Takumi was disgusted by his presence. He sat down, with his head down, and let out a heavy sigh. That grabbed Satoshi’s attention.

“So what happened with Aya-san?”

Takumi lifted his bento and tossed it at Satoshi. Everyone, including Satoshi, was surprised.

“Be quiet, you fag.”

Once more everyone gasped, but this time Satoshi didn’t move any more muscles.

“I take it Aya-san told you everything?”

“Shut up!” he yelled. “Just shut up and leave me alone! All this time you’ve been planning this haven’t you? You knew she was going to reject me! You knew that was going to happen! Did you think I was going go crying in your arms like a little fag would?” Tears streamed out of his face as he yelled and accused the other. Satoshi didn’t want to defend himself – they were all true. He knew that he was going to fail. He had that small glimmer of hope that Takumi would feel the same way about him… Apparently that’s not the case. “And – and we grew up together! You saw me naked!”

By now the other classmates were too shocked to even giggle at the intimacy the boys shared as they grew up by the detail Takumi leaked.

“What, did that turn you on too?”

He got up and started to knock other people’s lunches to the ground. At this point, no one wanted to do or say anything that could get them injured. Satoshi got up, but Takumi just ran over and gave him a huge punch to the face. When the other fell, the others parted. He went over to the fallen boy, picked him up and kept punching him.

Satoshi didn’t defend himself. He let the other hit him over and over. After all, he deserved it.

Soon Takumi stopped punching him. He let the other drop to the ground.

“I should stop hitting you – that’s probably turning you on too!” He spat at Satoshi when he glanced at him from the ground. He noticed that his glasses were off and he stomped on it. He rubbed his foot in the broken glass and lens to make sure they were broken. “As of now, you’re dead to me. Don’t ever come near me again.”

He returned to his desk. The other students were once again scared of Takumi and decided not to help the beaten boy on the ground as he slowly got up and took his place at the empty desk far away from Takumi – where he wouldn’t have to see his eyes full of hatred. The others felt really bad for the both of them and even cleaned up the classroom. When the teacher asked about why the class was sparkling clean, no one said anything.

This is the worst birthday I’ll ever and I’m going to have. Takumi thought as more tears came out of his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he was heartbroken or disappointed. Over what, he may never know.

To Be Continued.