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“... and every year on my birthday, Sherry would always eat dessert with me.” Polnareff spoke excitedly, pacing back and forth as he talked with his hands, “Oh! And! She would sit outside with me to watch the stars afterwards.”
You felt a tug at your heart as you listened to Polnareff affectionately recount his past birthday celebrations, including every little detail. The relationship he had with his sister was something so dear to him, so special that you could almost hear it dripping from every word.
You were hooked.
“That’s so sweet, Polnareff!” You responded, watching as he flopped his body down onto the bed next to yours.
“Although, I don’t think I’ll have as much fun on my birthday this year, ya know,” he gestured around the room, “with all this.”
You shot him a sympathetic smile, leaning back to mirror his position, “Don’t count it out! You never know.”
He chuckled.
“I appreciate the thought, mon ami.”
With every enemy stand user, you began to feel more and more worn down, more weary. It was like you and your companions could never relax. Still, you kept Polnareff’s birthday in the back of your mind, always keeping an eye out for a potential gift or treat. He was always so positive and he never complained when you would fall asleep against his shoulder in the car, so you felt like you owed him at least a little something nice for his special day.
As the day grew nearer, you started to feel a little panicked. You could never get the others alone for long enough to tell them about your plan, much less get Polnareff away from you for long enough to do so, so you had no idea what to do.
The day before his actual birthday, you had finally decided to just do something for him without telling the others. Maybe it was selfish, but you wanted to share a moment with him similar to your first conversation about his birthday, something comforting and warm.
In town, before you had ventured into the desert for a part of your journey, you had slipped away from the group for long enough to buy a small pastry and a little keychain, a silver sword with an intricate pattern along the hilt. It wasn’t much, but you figured it would do. Hopefully, you thought.
As night fell, you let out a sigh of relief. It was the perfect time to unwind, sheltered from the exhausting heat of the afternoon. While Joseph set up the campfire with Avdol, you made sure to situate yourself next to Polnareff in the circle. He beamed up at you, patting the spot next to him as he scooched over, “Here, come sit next to me!”
With the space he gave you, you could sit down and lean back against a part of the rock behind him. The six of you made idle conversation as the fire blazed between you. The peace and quiet was making your head loll, your eyes growing heavy, but you promised yourself you would sleep only after celebrating with Polnareff.
The fire dwindled as the others started turning in and once they all seemed to be out for the night, you grabbed at the frenchman’s elbow.
“Don’t go to bed yet,” you whispered conspiratorially, “I have something for you.”
Bewildered, he looked down at you with wide eyes, “For me?”
“Yes you, you goof.”
You pulled the pastry box and the gift-wrapped trinket from your bag, placing it in his lap.
“It’s not much, but I was not about to forget your birthday.”
“You-” you could hear the emotion in his voice as he spoke, “You remembered?”
Letting out a quiet laugh, you replied, “Of course I did. How could I forget?”
His mouth opened and closed, a watery glint in his eyes shining in the moonlight. The faintest sniffle could be heard as a tear rolled down his cheek, “Thank you, chérie. Truly.”
All you could do was smile at him, resting your hand against his wrist, “Are you gonna open your presents?”
He reached a hand up to swipe at his tears before pulling at the wrapping on the keychain. The grin that lit up his face could only be characterized as pure elation. You didn’t think you’d ever seen him this excited before.
“Ohhh, I love it!” Within moments he had it fastened to his bag, leaning back to admire it, “A keychain fit for a knight. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it!”
He held the box up between the two of you, looking over at you eagerly, “What’s this?”
“Well,” you drawled, teasing him, “you’ll just have to open it and see.”
Polnareff flipped the lid open to find a small pastry inside, decorated with chocolate frosting. He glanced over at you with that same glisten in his eyes, almost as if he couldn’t believe anyone would do something this nice for him.
“Will you share it with me?” He asked, holding the box out to you.
“Oh, Polnareff, I couldn’t! It’s for you!”
He stuck his bottom lip out, “Please? You wouldn’t refuse a poor man’s birthday wish, right?”
“I will share with you,” you held up a hand to stop him from interrupting you, “Only if you take the first bite.”
Bringing a finger up to tap at his chin, he pretended to think over your proposition, but within moments he replied, “Deal.”
By the light of the moon, you and Polnareff snacked on the pastry in comfortable silence. When you were finished, he stopped to look over at you.
“Thank you. I feel like I can’t say it enough.”
“It’s your birthday. It’s the least I could do, but there’s still one more thing,” you spoke, leaning back against the rock, “We have to watch the stars, if only for a little while before bed.”
He readjusted his position so it mimicked yours, head tilted back as he rested against the rock. The quiet crackle of the fire coupled with the soft sound of the breeze made you feel even more at ease, almost forgetting about enemy stand users and DIO. You searched for his hand in the dark, lacing your fingers with his.
“Happy Birthday, Polnareff.”