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It was late December, nearing Christmas. In fact, it was the night before Liu’s birthday, to be exact. Liu never made a big deal of his birthday. He doesn’t like big celebrations. It tends to overwhelm him. He’d much rather spend his birthday alone in the mansion’s library, or going on walks with some close friends at the most. Jack knew this, and although respecting his boyfriend’s boundaries is one of his top priorities, he wanted to show Liu that he was worth celebrating.
He glanced at the alarm clock. 7:00PM. Since they were on the nocturnal schedule, they’d been sleeping all day. He carefully unraveled his arms from his partner's sleeping body, causing Liu to stir in his sleep. Jack put his slippers on and shuffled out the door as quietly as he could before creeping down the hallway and stairs, narrowly avoiding any creaky floorboards.
People on the diurnal shift had just finished eating dinner, and breakfast time for the rest of Jack’s housemates hadn’t yet arrived, so the kitchen was empty.
After unintentionally opening the refrigerator for cannibals full of human meat (force of habit), Jack opened the main fridge, taking out eggs and sausages. He put bread in the toaster, cooked the sausages, and fried the eggs, neatly arranging them on a plate for Liu. He quickly ran outside and grabbed some flowers to put next to the plate, making tea shortly after. Finally, he took a tray out from a cupboard and furnished it with the tea, food, and flowers, carrying it back to his bedroom.
Liu was awake when he returned, reading a historical fiction novel and propped up by an extra pillow. He turned to face Jack when the door opened, grinning at the sight of him.
“Happy birthday, angel.” Jack whispered, kissing Liu’s forehead and carefully lowering the tray onto his lap. “Be careful not to spill anything.”
Liu nodded and smiled at the display, looking up at Jack, who slid into bed next to him again. “Thank you, I love you so much.” Liu whispered in response. Jack smiled back. “I love you too, sweet boy.” He ruffled through Liu’s hair as he started eating.
“You didn’t have to do this, yknow.” Liu piped up after a moment of silent chewing. Jack sighed. “It’s your birthday, Liu. Well, it will be in 5 hours. I had to do something special. Plus, this is just the beginning.” Liu’s smile fell from his face. Jack had never seen someone change expressions so fast. “Please don’t say-“
Jack interrupted Liu before he could finish. “No, no, there’s no party. No large social gatherings, no singing happy birthday, no piñatas, none of that. I planned something for just the two of us.” Liu smiled again at Jack’s explanation. “What did you plan?” He questioned eagerly, moving his now empty tray on the bedside table and raising the mug of tea to his lips.
“Well, I know it’s a bit risky but… I was hoping to show you my favorite parts of the city.” Jack responded after a moment of hesitation. Liu furrowed his brows deep in thought. “I would love that, Jack. But our faces are all over the news. Are you sure it’s safe?” He pondered, tracing the intricate designs painted on the mug. “That’s why I said it was risky. I mean, no one would think much of it if we just covered up a lot more than usual. It is winter, after all, and it’s nighttime. Also, Slender could just send people to come get us like he always does when Jeff gets caught.” Jack pointed out. Liu went quiet again for a minute. “Okay, that sounds alright. It would be nice to do something different for once.” He agreed, taking one last sip of his tea and leaning on Jack’s shoulder.
After getting changed, they set out into the snowy woods, walking for ages until they reached the city. Although it was early in the night, the town was still full of people. Horse-drawn carriages adorned with mistletoe and big red bows passed through the streets. The thick, cold air carried smells of hot chocolate, peppermint, and apple cider to their noses. Everything was covered in a thin layer of snow.
Despite the fact that Liu shivered and couldn’t feel his nose or his ears because of the cold, his heart remained warm. “Jack… this is beautiful.” He finally said, visible puffs of air leaving his trembling lips as he spoke. Jack grinned, revealing his rows of sharpened teeth once again. “I’m glad you think so.” He took Liu’s hand and led him through the city’s alleyways, watching the people and the carriages disappear one by one. When the coast was clear, Jack dragged Liu to the middle of the city. A large, iced-over lake lay in front of them. A line of footprints in the snow coiled around the lake, all leading up to containers full of ice skates.
Liu’s jaw dropped, and Jack chuckled at his expression. “Have you ever gone ice skating before?” The cannibal asked, brushing off the snow from Liu’s hair with his gloved claw. Liu shrugged. “I mean, I used to. It’s been a while.” He answered. “Well let’s see what you remember.”
The two of them forced the ice skates on after kicking their boots off, and Jack gently pushed Liu onto the ice. After waving his arms around trying to find his balance, Liu struggled to the side of the rink, holding the railing. Jack chuckled and followed him, gliding gracefully across the ice. “You make it look so easy. I don’t know how I used to do it.” Liu complained, slowly guiding himself around the lake. “Practice makes perfect.” Jack taunted, taking Liu’s hands off the railing and spinning him around. Liu yelped in suspense before calming down a bit, looking into Jack’s eye sockets and grabbing his arms for dear life. Jack just chuckled again. “You look scared shitless.” Liu just rolled his eyes. “So you wanted to torment me for my birthday?” He joked, smiling a little as he felt himself adjust to the skates. While the spinning gradually slowed, they held “eye” contact. A rush of blood warmed Liu’s freezing face when Jack grinned at him again, the countless colorful holiday lights reflecting off his carnivorous teeth. Jack leaned forward to kiss him, causing Liu to lose his balance and fall, dragging Jack down to the ice with him.
Jack quickly got up, covering his mouth at a desperate attempt to keep from laughing. “Are you okay?” He questioned between chuckles, stretching an arm out to help Liu off the ice. Liu rolled his eyes, but a smile remained on his face. “Yeah, yeah, not bleeding out or anything.” He took Jack’s hand and slowly found his footing. They started moving towards the entrance again. “Sorry skating was a bust, I was hoping you’d enjoy it.” Jack remarked. Liu shrugged, sitting on the ground and taking his skates off. “I thought it was pretty fun actually, once I got the hang of it, and until we fell, that is.” Jack smiled at Liu’s argument. “Well, I’m glad. And the night’s still young.”
Liu followed Jack around the town, looking into each closed store. “Jack, I understand we can’t be here when things are open out of safety, but it doesn’t seem like there’s much we can do.” He noted. Jack looked back at him again, the same mischievous grin on his face. “They don’t have to stay open, y’know.” Liu raised an eyebrow at his partner’s somewhat ominous suggestion. Before he could pinpoint what Jack was implying, Jack was breaking the window of a small coffee shop. “C’mon. It’s open now.” He gestured for Liu to follow before crawling through the window. Fighting the urge to facepalm, Liu stuck to his boyfriend’s plan, and they were soon both standing in the empty, dimly-lit cafe. Jack patted one of the barstools, sneaking behind the counter. Jack’s confident expression comforted Liu through the sinking feeling of guilt in his stomach, and he hesitantly sat where he was silently instructed to.
After fumbling around for a while, Jack managed to put together two hot chocolates, pulling a piece of cake out from the display stand to go with them. He jumped over the counter and sat next to Liu, a proud expression on his face. Liu laughed nervously and shook his head. “You’re too sweet. Thank you.” He leaned forward to give Jack a hug, only to be interrupted by the sound of sirens. They both turned towards the door of the cafe. “Shit, shit, shit.” Jack uttered, putting on his mask. He put plugs in the cups and bagged the cake, hastily stuffing them in his hoodie and rushing through the window. Liu followed once more, observing that they were completely surrounded by police cars. The red and blue law enforcement lights drowned out the safe atmosphere of the Christmas lights, a megaphone demanding the pair to put their hands up.
“Hold on.” Jack ordered, pulling out a grappling hook. Liu wrapped his arms around him and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling himself be pulled off the ground. He opened them again, jumping to the roof of the building with Jack and chasing after him as he jumped from building to building, until the police were out of sight. Jack sat down at the edge of the roof, letting his feet dangle over. Liu did the same, trying to catch his breath. “You alright?” Jack checked, handing him his hot chocolate. Liu nodded, leaning on his shoulder. Jack peaked down at his watch. 12:28 AM. He put his wrist up to Liu’s face. “Happy birthday, darling.”
Liu beamed, wrapping part of his scarf around Jack’s neck. Liu looked down at the city, completely decorated and coated in snow, the lights shining brighter than the stars in the sky, returning the sensation of safety once more. “You didn’t have to do this, y’know. You risked your life just to get me out of the mansion.” He said, his voice just above a whisper. Jack sighed, pulling him closer and kissing his forehead. “That’s the same thing you said this morning. I love you, Liu. I couldn’t put a price on seeing you smile, even my life. I’m just glad you’re safe.” Jack pressed his charcoal-colored lips against his lover’s, holding the scarred face in his hands. Liu kissed back, his heart pounding as if attempting to escape his chest. Everything felt right. Normal, even. It was the first normal (although far from normal) thing that they had both felt since before their betrayals. Liu pulled away from the kiss, hugging Jack close to him. “You make me feel safe. I think I actually trust you.” Liu mumbled into his elf-like ears. “You’re the best gift I could’ve asked for.”