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Yuzuriha slashes at Seth, he guards with his dagger just in time but it's not enough. He stumbles over harshly, caught by surprise by the sheer strength of the slash.
She slashes again, and he is barely able to dodge it, causing him to fall on his back. When he looks up he is met with Yuzuriha’s blade aimed at him. She is smiling but he notices how heavy her breathing is.
He lies his head back down, closes his eyes, and throws his hands up, “ I yield.”
Yuzuriha cheers and offers her hand to him. He, however, refuses and just sits up into a crossed legged position. He picks up one of the daggers and begins to fiddle with it.
He stares at the tatami with furrowed brows, eyes almost glaring at the poor mat. He twirls the practice dagger in his left hand around his fingers effortlessly, a habit of his when he's lost in thought.
His sparring partner hums and plops herself next to him. Seth doesn’t react to her sitting next to him which tells her how hard he is thinking.
“If you glare at the tatami any harder it might burst into flames,” Yuzuriha drawls out the last word like it was a lyric in a song.
Seth turns aways from the floor to look at Yuzuriha properly. She’s humming to herself and holding her practice sword close, despite it not being her precious sword Ayame. Her bangs stick to her forehead due to the sweat of their sparring session, his own bangs sticking to him as well.
Yuzuriha was a strong opponent, despite her cheerful and carefree attitude, so being able to even make her break a sweat was a small victory.
But winning was not what he was concerned about.
Seth turns his attention back to the tatami. Tracing the pattern of the lines with his eyes. The color was starting to fade into a more yellow and bits of straw were beginning to stick out. Yuzuriha would have to replace it soon.
The silence between them drags on, the only sound being Yuzuriha’s humming. Eventually Yuzuriha stops when she sees that Seth is still glaring at the floor.
“What's wrong Sethy?” She leans forward slightly, trying to get a read on Seth’s face. “You seemed really distracted during our spars.”
Of course she would notice that. She could be quite observant when she needed to be.
Seth sighs, dropping the practice dagger with the other one. Yuzuriha follows suit, placing the practice sword on the floor. He lets out a breath, “It's about Hyde.”
Yuzuriha gasps like she had just been stabbed, clutching her chest where her heart is, “Don’t tell me you two broke up!”
At that statement Seth looks away from the tatami with wide eyes and a confused expression, “What? No, nothing like that.”
She sighs a breath of relief, “Thank goodness, you two are so cute together I couldn’t imagine that happening.” Seth rolls his eyes but can’t hide the small blush on his cheeks.
Yuzuriha tilts her head slightly, finger under her lip, “Then what's wrong? I’ve never seen you this distraught since when you figured out you liked Hyde.”
“It's about his birthday.” Seth looks at a bit of straw sticking out of the tatami and fidgets with it, “I’m not sure what to do for it.”
Seth had been struggling trying to think of how he could celebrate Hyde’s birthday. He only had a week and a half left to do something and he still had no ideas. He already had a present for him but there were more to birthdays than just the gift. Hyde had thrown him a surprise party for his birthday and although parties weren’t his thing he had enjoyed every second of it. He wanted to do the same for Hyde but he had never done something like this before.
Yuzuriha places her elbow on her leg and rests her cheek in her palm, “I thought we were going to throw him a party at the dojo?”
“That was your idea, I…” Seth wasn’t sure why this was such an issue. Yes, they already had something planned for his birthday but…
“I see, you want to do something for him on your own volition.” She smiles at him brightly, “Am I right?”
Seth gives an affirmative huff, she was right. He wanted to do something special for Hyde that was his own idea. Still, he couldn’t think of what to do for Hyde’s birthday to make it as special as he made Seth’s birthday.
Yuzuriha seems to notice his inner turmoil as she pulls him into a side hug. Before, Seth had been confused at how Yuzuriha was able to freely show physical intimacy. Whether it be a hand ruffling your hair or a simple hug, Yuzuriha did it as effortlessly as she did using Ayame.
“It’s gonna be fine. I think you’re overthinking it too much.” She sticks her tongue out and gives a thumbs up, “trust your big sis on this!”
He huffs, “He did so much for my birthday, I just want to be able to do the same for him.” Seth didn’t have his high collar on, so he couldn’t hide his face behind it. It was quite embarrassing for him, but he had never been in a relationship. He didn’t want to mess this up.
Yuzuriha hums thoughtfully, “Y’know, It doesn’t have to be anything flashy.”
Seth turns to the older woman, confusion clear in his gray eyes, “Isn’t that the point of birthdays? To be as loud about it as possible?”
She laughs loudly and boisterously. Seth stares at her blankly until she eventually calms down. She ruffles his hair playfully, “While yes, some birthdays can be loud and extravagant, you can also just spend it quietly with those close to you.”
Seth contemplates this. Something quiet huh? That didn’t sound so bad, but would Hyde enjoy it? It was his birthday after all.
Yuzuriha seems to read his mind as she tugs him closer to her side, he lets her, “I’m sure Hyde will love whatever you do for him, he's just that kind of guy.”
Seth lays his head on Yuzuriha’s shoulder and closes his eyes. He stays quiet, juggling her words in his head. He still didn’t know exactly what to do for his birthday. Should they go out somewhere? But he wanted to do more than just treating Hyde to some fancy restaurant.
“How about this,” Yuzuriha says, drawing Seth aways from his thoughts. He opens his eyes to look at Yuzuriha properly, “The party isn't until later in the evening so how about you do something for him in the morning? Something just for the two of you to enjoy and then later we could all celebrate together.”
Seth sits up, that could work. They could celebrate his birthday, just the two of them, and then meet up with everyone in the evening.
Several ideas of what he could do for Hyde’s birthday begin to pop into his mind. He stands up picking up his forgotten practice daggers, “Thank you, Yuzuriha, I have an idea of what to do now.”
Yuzuriha stood up with a little jump, “There you go! I knew you would be able to figure it out Sethy.” She gives a small wink and a thumbs up.
He smiles softly as he finishes up packing away his stuff. He waves goodbye, “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye Sethy! Tell Hyde I said hi!” She waves at him enthusiastically.
Thanks to Yuzuriha’s help, Seth had a grasp of what he could do to celebrate Hyde’s birthday. It wouldn’t be anything flashy but that was fine, they had the party later if they wanted “flashiness”.
Seth wakes up slowly, but alert. Today was finally Hyde’s birthday and it was time to put everything into action. He looks over at the clock by the bedside table and it reads 7:00 a.m. That should give him plenty of time to get everything ready.
Linne had taken Vatista to help Yuzuriha prepare for the party later. Plus, Linne was all too excited to let Hyde and Seth have some alone time.
Seth looks behind his shoulder where the birthday boy is holding him close to his chest. He carefully lifts Hyde’s arms off from where they’re holding his waist and slips out. Hyde was fortunately a heavy sleeper so he was able to slip out of the room easily. Even if he was a light sleeper, Seth was at least confident in his stealth skills to not make any noise.
He heads downstairs to the kitchen and gets started on making the cake. Baking was something Seth always enjoyed doing. It was probably due to all the time he spent with his mom and helping her do chores, baking was something they both enjoyed. So the whole process of making a cake was muscle memory at this point.
Time blurs as Seth finishes baking and decorating the cake. It was a simple strawberry shortcake, Hyde’s favorite. He made a small one since he figured Yuzuriha would probably buy a big cake for the party. Especially since she was inviting the rest of the Night Blade members and that included the Hechatoncheir. They would be lucky if they got any food at all.
With the small strawberry shortcake finished Seth moved onto making breakfast. He decided to make pancakes. Hyde didn’t have a big sweet tooth like he did, but he absolutely loved the fluffy breakfast item.
Just as Seth was topping off the completed pancakes with whip cream and blueberries he hears footsteps coming down the stairs. Perfect timing , Seth thinks to himself.
He hears Hyde yawn, “Hmm what smells so good-”
Seth turns around, about to say “Happy birthday” until he sees Hyde with his mouth agape, “You can cook?!”
Seth stares at him before saying, “Yes, I can cook, why are you so surprised?” He feels slightly offended at the accusation that he wasn’t able to cook. He lives alone, of course he would know how to take care of himself.
He turns his attention back to the pancakes placing them on the table. Hyde looks at them in awe, like he had never seen them before.
“Because you never do it, you always make me cook.” Hyde sits down at the table practically drooling at the mere sight of the pancakes.
Seth can’t stop the small smile that graces his lips at Hyde’s reaction. Seth rounds the table to give Hyde a kiss on the cheek, “Because I prefer your cooking.” Hyde’s face immediately turns red which gets a small laugh from Seth.
Seth goes back to his side of the table and sits down, “Now eat up before it gets cold.”
They enjoy their meal in relative silence. Seth can’t help but feel a bit of pride in his cooking when he sees Hyde enjoying every bite, moans of delight being heard. He didn’t make pancakes often and he was glad he didn’t mess them up somehow.
“Swth-”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Hyde.”
Hyde chews more than swallows, “ Seth, you need to cook more,” Hyde’s eyes all practically beaming, “Seriously, this is amazing.”
Seth hums at the compliment, the only sign that it affected him is the small shine in his eyes, “I’ll consider it but cooking is not my strong suit.” He stands up to collect his plate and Hyde’s, which was practically licked clean.
Hyde looked offended as if Seth had said his cooking was awful. “Are you serious!? These are the best pancakes I’ve ever had!”
Seth puts the plates and forks in the sink for later, and moves to grab the cake. Hyde’s mouth opens in shock when he sees the strawberry shortcake. Seth places the cake in front of him, “This is more of my area of expertise.”
“You made this for me?” Hyde stares at Seth as the younger fetches the candle and lighter. He goes back to where Hyde is and places the candle beside the big strawberry on top.
He lights the candle, the small fire casting a small orange glow. “Of course,” he stated matter of factly, “it's your birthday and you deserve the best.” Perhaps he was being too cocky with his baking skills, but he felt confident especially after Hyde enjoyed the pancakes so much.
Hyde smiles, small, but far brighter than the flame of the candle. “Thank you Seth, truly.” Seth rubs Hyde’s shoulder in a soothing gesture. Hyde had been devastated when his parents told him they wouldn’t be back in time from their trip for his birthday. Everyone had gotten together to cheer him up, and even though it had worked, Seth could tell he was still sad about it.
“Go on and make a wish,” Seth says lightly as he kisses the top of Hyde’s hair.
Hyde smiles bright again and closes his eyes. Seth can’t help but smile at the childishness of the action, but it's endearing.
After a few seconds Hyde opens his eyes with resolve and blows out the candle on the cake. They cut the cake in half, since it's only the two of them. Seth gives Hyde the bigger piece and they both enjoy the cake.
Seth gives Hyde his strawberries since he wasn’t really a fan of them. Hyde on the other hand really loves them and takes them without a second thought.
Before Hyde speaks he makes sure to swallow his food this time, “Seth, seriously, you need to bake more.” Hyde says with utmost seriousness, “I can’t believe you kept this hidden talent away, you could be an awesome baker.”
Seth flushes at the praise. Was this Hyde’s birthday or his? “I’m glad you enjoyed it, I wouldn’t mind baking for you again.” Hyde cheers from across the table and Seth rolls his eyes fondly at the display.
Once they're both done with their desserts Seth takes the plates and forks away to add them to the small pile in the sink. Hyde still sits at the table, stuffed from the breakfast and cake.
“I’ll be right back, I have to get something,” Seth says as he walks out of the kitchen. Hyde sits up straighter to see what Seth could be getting. Seth tries to ignore Hyde’s eyes on his back as he retrieves the gift.
Seth comes back quickly with a wrapped gift. He places it in Hyde’s hands, “It’s your present.” Seth sits down next to him, “I hope you’ll like it.”
Gift giving was something Seth never thought he would ever get to do, but yet, here he was, anxiously twiddling his thumbs as Hyde examines the wrapping paper. It was not the best wrapping he ever did, as there was a lot of tape holding the paper together, but seeing as it was his first time it could have gone much worse. He was fortunate Yuzuriha was willing to help teach him how to wrap a gift.
The wrapping paper itself was a simple purple, adjourned with patterns of flowers. Slowly, Hyde teared away at the wrapping paper to reveal a book. The cover was all black, and not decorated with anything.
“A book?” Hyde tilted his head, one eyebrow raised.
“Open it,” comes Seth’s reply. He waited with bated breath as Hyde slowly opens the book.
Hyde opens it and his mouth drops for the third time that day at what he sees, “This is…”
Inside were photos of Hyde and Seth together on their numerous dates. They hadn’t been dating for that long but they spent a lot of time together whenever they could. Hyde admires each photo, eyes lighting up in fondness at each memory they made with each other. He sees their first date together where they got crepes and how it was Seth’s first time trying one. He smiles when he sees the photo of them playing in the snow together. He laughs softly when the very next photo after that is him being sick and Seth flicking his forehead. There's also the photo of them holding hands at Yuzuriha’s shrine for new years. One of his favorite moments is here as well. It was the both of them dancing together under the stars. No red skies or Void roaming about, just them dancing together under a regular starry night.
They were in harmony when they fought together and Hyde supposed it carried over to dancing as well.
The next few pages have Linne, Yuzuriha, Vatista in them and a few have all of them together. The book was big and was nowhere near finished yet. A majority of the pages were empty, just waiting to be filled with more memories.
Hyde was about to ask why Seth didn’t get a smaller one but the younger beat him to it. “It's a scrapbook of some of the photos we’ve taken together.” Seth says. “There aren’t enough to fill every space, but this is a promise that we have the future together.” Hyde looks up to Seth and he sees his eyes glinting in resolution, “All of us.”
Right, they still had the battle with Kuon to worry about. The time to face him was fast approaching but Hyde was confident they could do it, together. Plus, Seth said this was a promise that they would all make it out of it alive and Seth was not a liar.
Hyde closes the album carefully, like it would break if he was any harsher, “Seth this is incredible.” Hyde is still in awe, this was truly a beautiful and thoughtful gift, “I’ll treasure it, thank you so much.”
Seth moves to tug up his high collar but grasp at air, nothing there to hide the blush blossoming on his cheeks. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”
“I don’t like it, I love it,” Hyde gets up to put the scrapbook somewhere safe so it doesn’t get ruined somehow. He tells Seth he’ll be right back, to which he hums in response, and goes up to his room to put the scrapbook somewhere high.
When he comes back he hears soft music playing. Before he can question it he sees Seth extending his hand towards him, “Would you care for a dance, Hyde?”
Hyde smiles bright and warm, “I would be delighted too, Seth.” Hyde grabs Seth’s hand and pulls him into his embrace. Hyde laughs at Seth’s wide eyed expression, not expecting to be pulled in so suddenly.
Seth settles into Hyde’s embrace; Right hand holding Hyde’s and his left arm resting along his left shoulder. Hyde holds Seth’s waist with care, keeping him close to his body, almost protective.
They let the slow music fill the air, their movements following the rhythm and in perfect harmony with each other. They move around the floor gracefully and with no urgency. They take in the moment of just holding the other close. Their gaze focused on each other's eyes and how they soften, admiring how they shine and get bigger when they look at each other.
Seth leans in a bit closer, breaking the silence quietly, “Thank you for being born Hyde.” Hyde’s eyes widen at Seth’s soft and sincere voice, “This world would be a lot darker without you in it.” Seth nuzzles into Hyde’s shoulder slightly, “My world would not be as bright nor as colorful without you, Hyde.”
Seth steps back slightly to see Hyde’s face. Seth blushes at Hyde’s big smile and the way he looks as Seth like he is the most prized treasure in the world. Seth takes his left hand and cups Hyde’s cheek, he leans into the warming touch, “Happy birthday, my starlight.”