Azure: 20
Penne + Ravioli: 19
Navy: 19 + 20
Iliad (Ily): 8
Tweed: 20
Ravioli’s party had been a complete success in Navy’s eyes. He couldn’t have imagined a universe in which the day could’ve gone by any smoother, any more perfectly. And as he looked down at Azure gently nestled against his chest, Tweed and Penne’s heads pressed together as they slept and Snap sleeping peacefully on top of Rav’s chest, he was suddenly reminded of what would happen in less than a week.
He poked Azure into waking up. “Mm…?” the blond grumbled, looking up at him blearily with his emerald green eyes. “Wuizzit?”
“My birthday’s in five days,” Navy whispered and Azure jerked up, startling Iliad off of Navy’s lap.
“Dude! Way to only give me a couple of days to plan and what-not! You’re lucky I already have a gift planned…I was seriously just waiting for you to tell me when it was, but I didn’t expect you to do this!”
Navy just shrugged. “I mean, we only started planning Rav’s birthday two days before the actual date, so I think I’ve given you plenty of time.”
Azure just stared at him. “How are you so good at coming up with arguments?”
“It’s a skill. One you obviously don’t have.”
“Wooooow way to add insult to injury. Keep this up and I won’t even get you anything,” Azure said, pouting.
“Lucky me, since I don’t need anything except your love,” Navy said, shrugging.
“I actually hate you.”
“Love you too.”
For the next three days, Navy was forbidden from entering the apartments, much like Rav was sent out while they were planning his party and setting up decorations. Navy really hadn’t wanted a big thing, and he was hoping that Azure had known that, but evidently he hadn’t and now Navy was dreading the day of. He mostly spent his days out in the park, getting coffee at a shop nearby and ignoring the barista’s obvious flirting, occupying himself with a random book he had pulled off the apartment shelf or an interesting article he had stumbled across while scrolling through some obscure website. And every day when he came home, Azure was extra lovey-dovey, and though he wasn’t complaining at all, he still found it annoying. Annoying that Azure wouldn’t ask about how he had been spending his days, annoying that he didn’t know Navy well enough to know he wouldn’t want anything spectacular to celebrate the occasion.
“It’s tomorrow,” Azure whispered into his ear as his arms circled around his waist under the cotton sheets. “Are you excited?”
Grumbling into a pillow, Navy responded, “Not particularly.”
“Huh?”
“Nevermind.”
Azure sat up. “Y’know, you seem mad at me.”
Navy waved it off.
“Please tell me if I did something wrong, if something’s bothering you.”
“Mm…” Navy grumbled, shifting his body so that he was facing Azure before placing his head in his lap. “Just shut up for ten minutes.”
Hesitantly, Azure did what he was told, rubbing his hands in soothing circles along Navy’s back until he drifted into sleep, his dreams erratic and transparent, wispy bits of memory that could hardly be counted as dreams at all. When he awoke, Azure was still there, his green eyes lovingly looking down at him as a slight smile touched his lips, his arms tightly wrapped around his back and their legs intertwined.
“Happy birthday,” he mumbled. “What do you want for breakfast? I’ll make whatever you want.”
“Eggos.”
“Maybe I have some in the freezer…”
“The pancakes, not the waffles.”
“Okay.”
After that, their conversation drifted into silence, Navy relishing in the warm body wrapped around him, ignoring the fact that he would have to actually get up and do things today when he would be perfectly content to spend the day here, wrapped in the arms of someone he knew loved him.
“Azure…” Navy whispered, and the man in question shifted a bit to let Navy know he was listening. “Azure, when do we have to get up…?”
“Whenever you want, hun.”
“But don’t we have to go somewhere…? Do something…?”
“Listen to me.” Azure dislodged one of his arms from around Navy’s back and grabbed one of his hands, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want, okay? Today’s your day.”
This confused Navy. “But…what about all the secret planning?”
Azure chuckled. “That was just…you’ll see.”
“Great, more secrets.”
“Secrets!? It’s a surprise!”
Navy scoffed, pushing off from Azure and standing up, walking over to the closet and picking himself out a new shirt before replacing it with the one he had been previously wearing. To Azure’s giggled, “Leave it off,” he whirled around, rage purging any other emotion he had been feeling. “Stop joking around! I just want to know why I can’t just spend a day with you! Without an entourage! Because lately it seems like I can’t. I don’t want a big birthday, I just wanted-” feeling Azure’s hands on his back, he let out a shout of anger, bursting into the kitchen and roughly opening the freezer.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“No-” Azure hurriedly ran into the room after him, something along the lines of panic shining on his face. “If you would just listen, I could-”
“I don’t want to listen!” Navy burst out, grabbing the packet of eggos and throwing them haphazardly into the microwave.
“You’re going to set the apartment on fire!”
As Azure buissied himself with the preparation of their breakfast, Navy groaned and leaned back against the counter, his head in his hands. When the monotonous tone of the microwave started running, Azure turned around to face him, head bent. “What…what do you want me to do…?”
Navy sighed, pounding the granite countertop angrily. “I don’t know, that’s the problem. I… I don’t even think I’m mad at you about this, I’m just…” he laughed, running his hands through his hair. “I think I’m so used to spending my birthdays alone that I don’t know…how to cope I suppose. And I don’t want anyone to see me like this, I don’t want… I don’t want you to think I’m weak, I’m trying, but I don’t… you left me alone for these past three days, and I know that shouldn’t be anything different for me, but I guess I’d just told myself that you would be different, you wouldn’t leave me, and it’s pathetic and stupid, and it’s a completely different situation, but-”
The microwave timer went off.
“I’m sorry,” Azure said, anxiously spinning one of his rings. “I didn’t know you felt that way, and now that I’m hearing you say all this I wish I could take it all back and do it all over again, but I just thought I was doing something good for you, and that I could help you, be better than your dad, but-” his voice choked. “But I guess I was just as bad huh? And god-” he said sniffling, “now I’m making it all about me, shit…”
Walking across the empty tile floor that seperated the two countertops of the kitchen, Navy enveloped Azure in a hug, each clinging to the other. “I know,” was all Navy said. “It still hurt though.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Azure whispered back. “I’ll try to be more cognizant in the future.”
“WHAT A GREAT START TO THE DAY!” Navy suddenly procclaimed, smacking his head and dislodging himself from Azure, pecking him on the cheek and grabbing three pancakes straight out of the microwave before proceeding to shove them into his mouth.
Azure smiled weakly, and after wiping his mouth, Navy frowned. Crossing his arms and gripping the counter on either side of Azure’s body, he leaned in and started kissing up the boy’s neck, up his jaw and over to his ear; “You’re supposed to be entertaining me, not vice versa…” he whispered, leaning out to see the startled blush encompassing Azure’s features. Pressing their mouths together, Azure laughed, wrapping his arms around Navy’s neck and pulling him closer, the taste of pancakes coating both of their tongues as they deepened the kiss. The only reason they stopped was to catch their breaths, Azure mumbling, “You taste good,” before they rejoined once more.
“That’s better,” Navy teased as the blonde’s tonge traced a trail down his neck, circling his shoulder blade as his hands ran along his abdomen. “But don’t think that-” he shuddered as Azure’s cold hands started to trace the scars on his back before continuing, “that every time we have a fight you can kiss me into complacency.”
Azure mumbled against his neck, “It’s worked so far hasn’t it?”
“Yes, well,” removing the blonde’s hands from under his shirt, he smiled gently. “C’mon, eat your highly nutritious breakfast, you moron.”
“I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DOING SO!” Azure bellowed, and Navy blushed, shoving him towards the microwave and retorting, “PANCAKES, AZURE! PANCAKES.”
Navy wasn’t entirely sure why he was blindfolded. He was half convinced that Azure was going to run him into a pole or something as they walked down the sidewalks, or even lose him in the crowd entirely, but somehow he managed to drag him all the way to their destination, exchanging a few hushed words with someone before continuing to lead him in a set of doors and through a big open space.
“Where-?”
“Shhhh,” Azure hissed, the smile on his face clearly evident in his voice. “We’re almost there!”
Once they slowed to a stop, the blond took his hand, removing the blindfold slowly so Navy could see where they were. As soon as the location was revealed, he clutched Azure’s hand tighter, his pulse quickening, his pupils dilating as horrible memories replayed themselves in his mind. But he could now see what Azure, Penne, Tweed, and Ravioli had put so much time and effort into preparing; the pool room of Dawn Inc. was beautifully decorated, roses and candles decorating every square inch of the space and selfies and photos taken of them plastered around the walls. It was beautiful.
“Is it okay if we go inside?” Azure asked softly, tugging gently at Navy’s hand. “I know the answer might be no, and that’s okay, I completely understand. I thought that maybe I could help you overcome some of the trauma, but I know it’s a lengthy process and I really don’t want to push you…”
Navy nodded. “We…we can go in,” he said shakily, and Azure brushed a stray hair out of his face.
“It’s really okay if-”
“No. I want to get over this too. I don’t want my memories of this place to be bad, especially when they’re with you…”
So gripping his hand tightly, they stepped into the room, and Azure led him to a section of tile floor before scampering over to a corner and brandishing a wrapped box, placing it in front of him and saying perkily, “Happy birthday!”
Ripping off the colorful paper, Navy carefully opened the box, half afraid that it would be another cat. He was more confused by what was in the box than he would have been if there really was a cat however. “A…shirt…?”
“Do you trust me?” Azure asked, looking him in the eyes.
Looking over at the water, Navy gulped. “Azure-”
“Do you trust me?”
“Y-yes.”
Azure reached down and tugged at Navy’s shirt, pulling it off over the boy’s head and nudging him towards the water.
“Azure-!” Navy shuddered, his eyes darting around the room wildly, scratching at the scars along his back and feeling the phantom pain of newly-inflicted wounds. His breathing was coming in ragged gasps as he remembered what Azure had said to him in this room, the rush of emotions-
He gasped as a warm hand was placed flat on his back. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
“Azure, I can’t.” When he whirled around, he found Azure holding the gift, the confusing shirt he had had no idea what to do with. Grabbing it desperately, he slipped it on over his head, relishing the feeling of the fabric once again covering the ghastly things. But something about this fabric was different…
Azure pulled off his jeans, revealing the swim trunks underneath and chucked a pair, which had probably been residing in the box underneath the shirt, at him, and Navy pulled them on. Azure removed his own shirt, grabbed Navy’s hand, and led him towards the water.
“It’s a swim shirt,” Azure explained as he stepped into the water.
All Navy could do was stare. Stare at this beautiful, brilliant man who was leading him into a place he had loved, a place he had been forbidden to enter since he was eight. All he could do was stare at the water, the transparent liquid that had haunted his dreams, had given him freedom and yet constrained him at the same time…
As soon as he placed a foot on the first step, he started to cry. It was different from the other times he had cried while telling Azure about how much he had loved swimming as a kid, because he could finally do it again. He could finally, finally…
Sobs wracked his body as Azure lowered him into the water, as he felt the water engulfing him, pressing against his back, flowing against his skin until Azure wrapped his arms around his shaking body, smiling as Navy gasped through his sobs, “Thank you, thank you, thank you…”