http://lacqueredbox.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] lacqueredbox.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] 31_days2007-04-12 02:01 am

[April 12] [Hikaru no Go] A Break in the Monotony of Rainy Days

Title: A Break in the Monotony of Rainy Days
Day/Theme: April 12: a beautiful day
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: Shindou, Touya
Rating: PG


A Break in the Monotony of Rainy Day

Shindou Hikaru stomped on the entrance mat, shaking rain off his boots and umbrella, as he pulled the door shut behind him. "Yo! I'm here." he shouted. He dropped the umbrella into the stand in the corner, and then bent down to remove his water-slicked boots, kicking them into the corner.

"Hey," said Touya from the kitchen. "Don't leave your boots all over the place!"

Hikaru made a face and righted the left boot, which had fallen over, arranging the pair neatly against the wall. He stepped into the 1LDK apartment, shrugging out of his jacket as he made a beeline to the kitchen. Touya was standing at the counter, a half-empty bottle of green tea in one hand and a magazine in the other. His hair was tucked behind his ears and he was wearing a purple-and-gray sweater that Hikaru affectionately thought looked totally hideous.

"Hi," he said cheerfully. He grinned when Touya looked up at him and smiled, almost like reflex. "You know," Hikaru continued, looking pointedly at the magazine, "you don't have to read that standing the kitchen. Most people would sit down somewhere. Like the sofa you have out in the living room."

Touya's nose scrunched up a little, which meant he was embarrassed. Hikaru's grin widened as he crossed the kitchen towards Touya, close enough for the rain in his hair to drip on Touya's sweater and hand.

"Stop that," Touya said, annoyed. He waved his magazine--Go Weekly--at Hikaru, making him duck. "I was getting a drink and I got distracted by this article about you."

"Yeah? Which one was that? I don't remember."

"The one where they ask you about my father and Ogata-san."

Hikaru snorted and backed away, heading to the fridge to get himself some juice. He had plenty of tea playing tournament games, thanks. "That's pretty much every interview. Except for the teen magazines that ask about my hobbies. Like I have time for hobbies. Or shopping." He looked at the contents of the fridge and said mulishly, "Touya, where are my juice boxes?"

Touya had a guilty expression on his face. "I...ran out. You drank the last one on Tuesday!" he said defensively when Hikaru turned an accusing gaze on him. "I haven't had a chance to go shopping! And what makes you think I'm responsible for keeping my fridge stocked with your drinks?" He huffed and made an irritable expression, his hair falling into his face. Bottle of tea and magazine in hand, he moved out of the kitchen toward the living room.

Hikaru followed. "Because I'm always here!" he complained. "You're the one who wants me over all the time! 'We're too old to have shouting matches in go salons, Shindou.'" Hikaru mimicked Touya's exasperated scolding. "'It reflects badly on us as Go pros.' Obviously," he said, reverting to his normal voice, "we should have shouting matches in your apartment instead. I only agreed because you said you'd have my juice!"

Sulking, Hikaru flopped onto the sofa next to Touya, who was pointedly ignoring him and reading the magazine, but the small curl of his lips was a telltale sign that he was listening to Hikaru whine. Letting out a long sigh, Hikaru let himself slide along the back of the sofa until he was leaning against Touya, their sides pressed close together. He swallowed his own smile and relaxed, rubbing his cheek against the scratchy-soft material of Touya's sweater.

"Aren't you going to tell me that I'm too old to whine?" he asked, snagging the bottle of green tea from Touya and taking a drink, his head tilted back.

"You're too old to whine," Touya said, flipping a page in the magazine without looking. He turned his head, his eyes dark and serious under his bangs, looking at Hikaru like he was the only other person in the world. Their world. "Let's play."

Hikaru grinned. The rain pattered against the window as he and Touya settled in front of a Go board and exchanged tea and, later, shouts about each other's clear incompetence and lack of skill. Hikaru considered himself the victor of the argument when he brought up the appalling lack of juice boxes.

It was, he thought as Touya threw Go Weekly at his head, a beautiful day.