Amorsito

by Jink

    He supposed the Catholics had something to do with it. Half the holiday spread in Japan involved Catholics. Surely without Catholics, he'd be spending just another broke day in the same broke bed covering Sai with unbroken kisses. But what TV-owning, Ranma-watching do-gooder didn't know that on this day heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and chalky colored hearts (really just antacid) were the key to a night of passion? Sai chose to be festive and he was usually the only one who did. There was nothing for it, then.

    At least he wasn't terribly picky. Choosing a gift for him would not be a problem since just about anything could be made suitable. Cowbells, cheese hoops, empty gum wrappers, traffic props and others. Rowan toyed mildly with the thought of giving him a gun, just to see how he would react. But then he realized, he didn't have the money for firearms. Chuck that. Sai would smile at chocolates and then give them to Kento. Those wouldn't do either. Flowers would be nice but they wouldn't produce a very original reception. Kittens meant kitty litter, caviar meant heart attack and Sai probably had more jewelry than he knew what to do with. Still, his boy was the kind who would do his very best to be happy about a new bowling ball even though he had never once bowled in his life. Rowan smiled.

    "What a sweetheart..."

    He hadn't expected his gift to be as messy as it was. But it would all mean something. Aftehenette. Best to have the joint gleaming like the top of the Chrysler Building or his petit beauty would not appreciate any gift in any form. All he would see was a messy kitchen.

    "I'm a genius, someone love me..." he hummed, wiping the floor with Brawny the Woodsman. Chocolates were cheap and disgusting Kisses were sweet but redundant. And anyway, they'd been all he'd managed to afford last year.

    Sai woke him by blowing gently on his neck, slipping something cool and soft into his palm. The smile came before he could even make out what the thing was.

    It was, in fact, red silk with lace trim, a leg garter. Sai was a dear, dear thing and if this hadn't quite been Japan, they would have been married in a thrice and utterly demoralized by their 25th birthday.

    "Just what I wanted." He sat up and rolled it onto his thigh. Red against white thigh, it even turned him on. Adorably, Sai explained himself.

    "I wanted to get you one in blue but they didn't have that and I know how much you are fond of lace and so I just thought that--"

    But Rowan just kissed him. And kissed him. And when he'd run out of face, he'd moved on to neck, then chest and so on until Sai's back hit the mattress. He'd been so overwhelmed by gratitude charged with early morning zest, that he hadn't stopped thanking him three hours later. Sai's breath on his ear and cake in his hand was what every Valentines Day should be like. Something to blush about later.

    That's why the butcher trip. He admired the gift box sitting on the kitchen counter. It was medium-sized in a dark red shade, adorned with cream ribbon. It looked like something out of someone's Victorian grandmother's living room. Aptly, he'd paid someone's Victorian grandmother to trim it for him. He checked the contents, intact against the white satin interior, and grinned at his extravagance. The box cost more than what it contained.

    He snapped the lid shut with a quick curse when he heard their car pull into the driveway. The jarring thud from the car as Sai jammed it into the door of the garage said that he would soon be upon him. With a speed likened to that of a sneeze, the kitchen was cleaned, the box stuffed into the freezer and all traces of his presence erased. Sorta.

    "Shit."

    He swatted at the traces of blue ki, visible and floating in the air. Sai did not approve of using supernatural powers in the house. When he was sure there wasn't enough for Sai to detect, he fled to the bathroom. He was fumbling around the medicine cabinet for surgical tape when Sai called out.

    "Hullo, I'm home! Rowan?"

    "Yo," he answered, wriggling out of his shirt. There was the sound of setting things down in the kitchen and Sai rustling out of his jacket. Rowan hastily measured out two large pieces of tape and stuck them cris-cross against his chest, careful not to get his nipples caught in the affair. Such blunders would cause considerable discomfort upon removal. Wriggling back into his T-shirt, he trotted into the kitchen to guard the freezer. Sai was looking abominably desirable, still colored by the cold. His nose was red, his ears were too. Likely he would protest if Rowan decided to put his teeth there. He suppressed the thought with his chest, trying to mask the fact that the tape was starting to itch like mad.

    "Whatcha get?" He leaned against the refrigerator, rubbing his chest covertly.

    "Nothing much." Sai replied dully, unpacking. Butter, milk, cheese, ice cream, grass jell-o (yuck), rubber bands (He would never resort to stealing them.) Mundane items of the everyday.

    "There was the most unbelievable line at the deli counter this morning and, love, you'd be amazed at how long these old ladies can haggle over tripe when it's in season! I really don't know why..." Sai rambled, making polite conversation with himself. This was fairly easy to respond to. A nod, a smile, a "Yeah, man..." etc.

    Bored and barely listening, he reached his hand inside one of the abandoned plastic bags. Sai let out a startled "Oh!" and whapped it lightly away.

    "Not that one, please." The pale pink of his nose leached into his cheeks. Sai was hiding something. Instead of backing off, Rowan was highly amused.

    "Whatcha get? Porn?" He perked, making for the bag again. Sai tried shoving him away from the counter as forcefully as he could which, in his case, was more like a playful swat.

    "Oh, Rowan!" Sai set the last item on the counter and crunched the paper bag into a wad with his fist. He sighed. "If you must know, I've bought you a small present in honor of the holiday and--"

    "For me?" Rowan interrupted, eager at the notion of gifts to be had. "Aw, what? What? What? NaniNaniNani?"

    "You'll see." Sai said sensibly.

    "Aw, betcha it's just porn!" Rowan gave the counter a petulant kick.

    "You're being a child, Rowan." Sai observed with a light sigh. If Rowan was going to be called a child, he would at least act like one. This entailed more tactful whining.

    "Ya know I hate surprises! C'mon!" He wheedled, lunging for the lone bag. Sai blocked him with hands on his shoulders, true exasperation in his voice.

    "Love, please go outside or something, I..." He blew out his breath. "I sort of wanted this to be special," he said more quietly. Rowan's will came apart like wet paper.

    "Kay, you win Sai." He said, leaving the kitchen to head to the living room. "But you know it's just porn!"

    He did not see Sai stick his tongue out and gag.

    Rowan gazed dreamily beyond the videotapes stacked on the shelf. Admiration mixed with pure physiological attraction lit up his young face. Sai, now that was a boy! The whole world ought to see him nude. He closed his eyes, grinning while he chewed on a pen cap. He loved his biceps, they were just what biceps should be. Strong but not too hard, only very showy when Sai was tense. He worked out damn hard, too. What else? Nice hips, nice ass, and great pecs... He could spend whole minutes just thinking about Sai's body. Once, he'd actually admitted this to Sai which had made him blush fabulously. It had also convinced him that the person he slept with was odder than some but that was nothing new. Sai could be pretty odd himself, he didn't know anybody else who talked to rain. He was thinking about how he should present his gift when Sai entered with an uncertain, "Rowan?"

    All thoughts of the freezer vanished. Rowan looked up to see Sai standing next to the TV with one hand behind his back, a confused frown on his face.

    "Were you asleep, love?"

    "Nah." The pen cap tumbled out of his mouth and onto his shirt. He jammed it into his pocket, hoping Sai wouldn't demand he throw it away. But Sai wasn't even noticing. He cleared his throat a little and straightened himself.

    "I...I hope you won't think it improper of me to give two gifts..." he started mildly, rubbing his free hand nervously up and down the thigh of his brown corduroys. The display was unbearable.

    "Course not." Rowan shook his head. "The more porn, the better. I--"

    "It isn't porn!" Sai stamped his foot, aiming to come off as indignant but failing completely. Rowan raised two aquamarine eyebrows.

    "Then show me."

    "I will!" Sai sounded determined but did not make any move towards showing him. He worked his lip anxiously, as if trying to come up with something to say.

    "Whats a matter, Sai?" Rowan finally had to ask.

    "Well....you've got to close your eyes first!" Sai blurted out in a rush.

    "Okay." He closed his eyes and felt something crinkle against his chest.

    Sai held out a few roses wrapped in green cellophane. Rowan stared at them for a moment then at Sai.

    "They're flowers." Sai was nervous, ultimately feeling the need to explain when Rowan made no move to take them.

    'My boy gives me flowers.' Affirming this made him feel very warm. Dumbfounded, he reached up to take them. He wanted to laugh....or maybe scream but what he ended up doing was making these pathetic whimpery noises, Sai affection having its effects as desired. Good God, he sounded like a girl! Not just any girl, a little helium-sucking girl! He stood up.

    "Oh, c'mere you!"

    Who cared about self-image with a careening heart and a handful of roses? Without any thought to the tape on his chest, he snaked his arm around Sai's waist and crushed him, flinging the flowers on the couch. Sai was warm against him, his head on his shoulder. Angelic fingers lifted and swept though blue hair, tickling down his face where they settled on his chin.

    "When will you marry me, Ro-chan?" he whispered in his ear.

    "As soon as you get knocked up."

    Sai averted his eyes and let out a small laugh, placing his hands on Rowan's shoulders to slide them down his back. "You are so silly, Ro-chan!"

    Rowan flinched slightly, suddenly remembering what Sai was not supposed to discover. To prevent him from venturing further, he leaned forward and kissed him, lightly at first, then his tongue parting Sai's lips to invade his mouth, smoothly but firmly enough to make Sai forget about his chest and run through his hair. For a few seconds, he thought the kiss couldn't last long enough. Fuck the scheme, strip while the aces were hot or whatever the saying was. But Sai pulled away, gasping and smiling all at once.

    "Well!" Sai was charmingly breathless. "Shall I change into something more comfortable?"    

    "Nah, I'm perfectly comfy. In fact, I got yer present too."

    Sai opened his mouth to protest but Rowan was already gone.

    Rowan handed him the chilled box, hoping Sai wouldn't suspect by the temperature where it had been all day.

    "You really shouldn't have, Ro-chan," he said, pulling an admirable record for blushing that day.   

    Rowan beamed. "Hope ya like it." As covertly as possible, he began teasing up the end of his T-shirt. However, once his stomach showed so did Sai's frown.

    "It isn't something sordid is it?" There was subtle exasperation in his voice. "You know those have no effect on me whatsoever."

    "Sordid? Me?" Rowan rolled his eyes.

    "Alright," Sai shrugged, pulling at the cream ribbon. Seemingly embarrassed, Rowan whirled around and began swimming out of his T-shirt. Sai paused.

    "You're stripping!" He accused.

    "Am not!"

    "Right, Rowan, as if I'd believe--"

    Sai's voice stopped short causing Rowan to bite the inside of his cheek.

    "What...is this?"

    "What is what?" Rowan turned around, flinging his shirt behind him in a blue wad.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The box flew across the room, its contents hitting the wall with a dark red squelch. "How in the world! What did you--? How--?" Sai was touching the cross on Rowan's chest frantically, green to the gills.

    Rowan shrugged. "Well, I thought SOMEONE should have it!"

    Sai's excitement dimmed at the jibe, his voice quieting. "Oh. I see," he frowned, just realizing he'd been very had. "That would be impossible wouldn't it?" He asked no one.

    Rowan laughed, gathering him up in a hug. He planted a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Yer so damn cute!"

    Sai wrapped his arms about Rowan's neck silently, accepting the kiss he received on his cheek.

    "Happy Valentines Day."

    "I hate you, Ro-chan."

The end. Now slap Rowan. -Jink-