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Xiao had never been a person to celebrate birthdays, he had just never seen the appeal of them throughout his long life.
It’s just never been something he’s had many celebrations for, he’s sure that he may have when he was much younger, but that point in time was so many mortal lifetimes ago.
There have certainly been attempts by people over the centuries to get him to celebrate though, Rex Lapis as well as the other Yaksha and Adepti have tried over the centuries, hosting various huge get-togethers and parties
But these eventually lessened per Xiao’s request, the Adeptus finding them to be uncomfortable in a way, the parties instead turning into simple, much more manageable dinners that the male would usually spend with the people he was close to.
Speaking of, this year's meal should be happening in a few hours from now, the Adeptus being able to tell this from his current position sitting on the roof at the top of Wangshu inn, the sun looking like it will be starting to set soon enough.
He knew that he should be getting up soon to start leaving for where the meal will be taking place, but sitting and watching the sunset was always an experience he enjoyed, it was relaxing, quiet, something that made him feel at peace.
It was a time when he could be alone with his thoughts, a time he preferred no one to be around for, with no exceptions.
Well, one exception, there was one person Xiao was fine with and even liked being around for these moments, a person that he had been in a relationship with for a few more months now at this point and that he cared a lot about.
A person who should have been at the inn much earlier than the current time.
“Ah, I thought I’d find you here.”
And there they were.
Perking up slightly at the familiar voice, Xiao turned his head in the direction it came from, being immediately greeted by the sight of his partner, the blonde looking at him with a smile as he held onto the strap of a worn-looking satchel he was wearing.
The Yaksha felt a happy sensation fill him as he took in the sight of the other, the blonde’s pretty features looked mesmerising from the way the sun was hitting him, his hair in particular was shining brightly.
“You’re late, Albedo” Xiao responded, the male also feeling slightly annoyed at how long it took the other to arrive.
Albedo’s expression turned slightly sheepish at the other’s words before he walked directly over to the Adeptus and began taking his satchel off.
“My apologies.” Albedo began as he started to crouch down to get into a sitting position. “My journey to the inn ended up beginning much later than I would have liked, I kept getting held up by an unexpected captain’s meeting for way too long.”
Xiao gave a small nod of his head at this, from what the other had told him in the past, he knew these meetings could tend to happen randomly at any moment and were incredibly hard to get out of, so his lateness was completely understandable.
By this point, Albedo was sitting right beside the Yaksha, his satchel resting on his lap as he started to open it. “I hope you’ve had a good birthday so far.”
Xiao let out a small huff at the other’s words before he responded. “It’s been fine, it’s been just like any other day of the year for me, nothing special.”
With his focus fully on rummaging through his satchel, Albedo let out a small hum. “But it being fine is still a good thing, especially given what day it is.”
The alchemist stopped moving his arms for a moment, briefly turning and giving Xiao a quick smile before he spoke again. “And besides, I feel like the rest of your birthday will end up being a good one for you and different from any other day of the year.”
The Yaksha gave a slight head tilt at this before questioning his partner, curiosity seeping into his tone. “And how exactly would that be?”
“Well.” Albedo began, bringing his hands back out of his satchel to reveal a small container as well as eating utensils, and handing them to the Yaksha. “Presents, for one, starting with something I made you myself.”
Xiao looked down at the container and utensils in surprise for a moment before delicately taking them and removing the lid on top of the container, his curiosity soon being rewarded by the familiar smell of Almond Tofu.
A small smile came to the Yaksha’s face at the sight before he started to take a couple of bites, the taste he loved so much entering his mouth and making him feel content.
Xiao could still remember the first time the other had tried making the tofu for him, it had ended up going not that great, the food being kinda bland in the end, but the alchemist had been determined to get better at it and kept trying.
Now his partner was at the point where Xiao felt he would one day be able to rival even the tofu available at the inn.
A little while later, Xiao had more or less finished the meal he had been gifted and turned to the other who looked like he had been waiting patiently on him.
“It was really good, your tofu just keeps getting better and better.” Xiao praised the blonde before giving him a gesture to continue, feeling curious about the other’s previous words about the food only being the start.
A content look appeared on Albedo’s face before he pulled out a small bag with multiple drawings covering it, most of which looked to be either a doodled version of Xiao fighting or three figures standing together, one green, one white, and a small red one standing in between them while holding their hands.
Seeing this image in particular made Xiao feel incredibly touched, he could tell this present was from Klee, and he had a good idea about what it was conveying.
‘She considers me family.’
Feeling his emotions starting to overwhelm him a little, Xiao took a moment to calm himself before opening the top of the bag and reaching inside, the Yaksha grasping something spherical and then proceeding to slowly pull it out.
Once his hand was free from the bag, Xiao was greeted by the sight of a small orb that felt soft to the touch, the Adeptus recognising what it was supposed to be pretty quickly.
It was a plush version of the Dodoco bombs the Klee could usually be seen with, except that instead of red, this one had a multitude of colours, from greens to blacks to purples, and instead of the usual face the bombs had, Xiao was greeted by a crude version of his very own mask.
The sight of this made him instantly look up at the alchemist who was staring at him with warmth in his eyes. “Klee has grown really fond of you, she’s asked me a few times about when her big brother Xiao will come to visit her.”
At hearing those words, Xiao had to force back the choked breath he nearly let out, the first time he had met Klee, she had been a little scared of him, especially his mask, but the fact she had been asking after him, the fact she drew his mask.
‘It all means so much to me.’
“Now.” Albedo spoke, breaking Xiao out of his thoughts, the alchemist rummaging around in his satchel once more, there is one more gift left.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao began to protest to the other, “You really don’t have to.” He had already gotten him so much already, his tofu and Klee’s present had already made his birthday go so much better.
“But I want to.” The blonde responded, his tone calm, but also telling the Yaksha that he was serious about this final gift. “Now, for this one, I would like you to close your eyes and hold your hands out, please.”
Deciding to go along with the other, Xiao sighed before doing as his partner said, wondering about what was gonna happen for a moment before he felt something flat and a little heavy be laid on top of his palms.
“You can open your eyes now.”
Doing as the other said, Xiao first took a look over towards his partner, the blonde gazing at him with a look of nervous anticipation.
Still confused about why this gift was so different, Xiao turned his gaze down, only to be greeted by something surprising.
Resting on his hands was a small leather-bound book, it had silver trim around the border and a couple more small doodles here and there, but what stood out to Xiao the most, as well as something he took a few moments just gazing at, were the words on the cover.
Our memories: Vol 1
Feeling his curiosity get the better of him, Xiao delicately opened the book, immediately being greeted by the sight of a letter, a quick read-through made him realise it was actually one he had sent his partner a very long time ago, back before they even got together.
With a lump starting to form in his throat, Xiao continued to slowly look through the pages, the Yaksha finding multiple different letters him and his partner have written to each other as well as many photos of them both doing different things like exploring, being on dates, or just spending time together in general.
There were even various little doodles and drawings by Klee, as well as a few photos of her either alone or with him and Albedo.
Xiao’s emotions were just getting stronger by the second as he continued his quiet look through the book, but this silence was soon broken by the voice of his partner.
“I wanted to gift you something that could show the journey we’ve had together since we met.” Albedo’s voice was shaky, and his hand was even shakier as it reached over and turned multiple pages at once before landing on a blank page.
“As well as document everything that is to come for us.”
The alchemist’s voice was full of so much affection that it felt a little overwhelming to the Yaksha, everything that had happened since his partner arrived, the presents, the book, Albedo’s words, it was all starting to make his eyes burn from unshed tears.
There was also this feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn’t know how to quite describe, it felt like this intense feeling of affection, one that added on top of everything and left him at a loss for words.
Blinking back his tears the best he could, despite a few breaking free and falling down his cheeks, Xiao looked up from the book and turned to face Albedo, the Yaksha trying his best to say something, anything, but nothing came to him.
Immediately realising Xiao’s struggle, Albedo smiled at the Yaksha before lifting his hand and gently cupping the Yaksha’s cheek, thumb stroking the skin in a soothing pattern.
“It’s okay.” He begins gently, thumb continuing its movements. “You don’t have to say anything, your actions tell me more than enough.”
Albedo then leaned his head closer to the Yaksha before brushing his lips against the cheek he wasn’t stroking, the sensation gentle as Albedo’s soft lips made contact there.
A few moments passed before Xiao felt the sensation of the other’s lips leave his cheek, his face soon coming into view, the blonde giving him a look of deep affection before turning away from the Yaksha and looking out into the horizon, the sun finally starting to set after all this time.
Taking a moment to compose himself, Xiao briefly turned away from his partner to move his presents to the side of himself, the Yaksha giving the plush and book a fond look and gentle stroke each before he moved his head to watch the setting sun with his partner.
The two ended up spending the next ten minutes sitting there in comfortable silence, just watching the sun go down and enjoying the beautiful colours of the sky as well as each other’s company, both males feeling at peace.
The silence was soon broken, however, when Albedo turned his head to face Xiao, his voice soft as he spoke, affection clear as day in his eyes. “Happy birthday, Xiao, I really do hope we’ll be able to spend many more to come with each other.”
Moving even closer to the other, Albedo gave him a small, fond smile before he turned his gaze away and leaned his body against the Adeptus, closing his eyes and resting his head against his shoulder.
With a blush on his face, the Adeptus moved his gaze slightly to look down at the male relaxing against him, as he did so, the feeling in Xiao’s chest started to get even stronger.
There was so much he wanted to say, about how much them spending time together the last while meant to him, about how happy the gifts and the other’s talk of the future made him, about how much Albedo meant to him.
But he knew that words would never be able to do his feelings justice, yet, he still wanted to at least let the other know in some way, he wanted to let Albedo know just how much he loved-
Love?
At this thought, the Adeptus paused, contemplating what had just come to him.
Could he love the other?
He wasn’t too sure, they had both known each other for a good while now, almost a year at this point, and they had been together for at least half of that.
But the time he’d spent with the other so far, it meant a lot to him, it had always been able to make him happy, to be moments he would always cherish and hold dear to his heart.
The alchemist was someone he always enjoyed spending time with, he was someone that Xiao was always willing to heed the call of, but could that mean he loved him?
‘I’m just not too sure, but…’
Him being in love with the other, it just felt… right, the idea of the two of them getting even closer like that, of loving and spending their days with each other for a very long time to come, it made Xiao feel happy.
And with that thought, Xiao knew he had come to a decision, one that he would never regret.
Lifting the arm that Albedo wasn’t leaning against, Xiao brought it over and softly took hold of the blonde’s chin before gently moving his head so his eyes were facing his.
Xiao took a moment to muster up the courage before he began to speak, trying to convey as much affection in his tone as he can.
“I love you, Albedo.”
At that moment, as he was staring into the alchemist’s eyes and saw just how much joy lit up in them at his confession, he knew that he had more than made one of the best decisions of his life, especially when Albedo replied.
“I love you too, and I always will.”
Xiao had never been a person to celebrate birthdays, he had just never seen the appeal of them throughout his long life.
But getting to spend those days with the love of his life by his side, he knew he would be spending every second of them feeling happy.