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Procrastination. Exhaustion. Forgetfulness. Then, last minute responsibilities.
You didn’t mean to leave things to the last minute. Usually, it isn’t so bad that you would leave such a thing to the day before. Thesis writing, yes— guilty as charged; your closest friends and family have watched you scramble and panic to complete and submit your assignments before their due date, have watched you fly out of the library or out the doors of your house with a thick package in hand containing some kind of assignment. Even putting off doctor’s appointments out of sheer laziness for having to get yourself there became a habit— when was the last time you’d gone for a check-up, anyhow?
But this is different, this time. This, you think, is unforgivable. If it had been anything to do with your own birthday where you’d forgotten something, you wouldn’t have paid much mind nor care much about it. But it’s not. It’s Kaveh’s.
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This simple, nearly-overlooked fact is why if anyone decides to walk through your front door, they’d find only chaos within your modest home. Your first attempt at baking a vanilla-flavoured cake from scratch had ended in utter failure, having turned the temperature of your oven one hundred degrees higher than you’d meant to, while the second became due to having slipped on a drop of cake batter and sending the newly-filled cake pan flying through your kitchen and into the brand new diamond-shaped crystal vials you’d purchased to put various types of home-brewed essential oils into. Suffice to say, the strength of your throw meant there were no survivors. Oh… The flowers left out to dry outside had been forgotten about in the meanwhile, and it’d taken only a short sun shower for your plans to make potpourri with them to become completely scrapped.
Broom in hand, you mindlessly sweep up shards of glass from the broken vials into a pile in the middle of the floor.
Anything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong. After all the time that it took to find all of the ingredients, all of the flowers for the potpourri and the oils, and all in the nick of time to bring over to Lambad’s for Kaveh’s surprise party— what can you even tell him? Knowing Kaveh, he’d still try to placate you and calm you down when you finally tried to explain the situation to him, that the only reason your efforts ran out had been because you forgot it was his birthday.
Your movements are quick to end the longer you find yourself stewing on things. Because everything really should have been foolproof once you had a plan in place: Cyno and Tighnari would swing by to collect the cake and your gifts and bring them along to the tavern, and when Kaveh was due to arrive a half an hour later under the ruse of you taking him out for a simple dinner, he’d arrive there, pleasantly surprised by the faces of his friends and by the cake you’d painstakingly made. It would be an entertaining night of food and drink and friends, and by the end of it, Kaveh and yourself would return to your own home rather than Alhaitham’s, an arrangement neither of them minded to have arranged.
At least the cake will have made it, you say, glancing to the dome-covered cake resting on your counter. Covered in berries of various types and split through the middle and filled with a vanilla custard, it awaits the arrival of your General Mahamatra and Forest Watcher friends. And when they finally do, surprised is barely the correct word to describe their expressions.
“… under… normal circumstances, I would’ve thought up a joke to try and cheer you up,” Cyno admits quietly, his one visible amber eye flitting about the entirety of your kitchen. “I don’t think this is one of them.”
Tighnari sighs almost exasperatedly at him. “Well, I’m glad to hear you at least know how to tell the difference.”
“Sorry for the mess,” you say from your place at your dining table, a hand still raised in greeting from when they first walked in. “It’s all yours, the cake.” You gesture to the damned thing sitting a few feet away from you. “Thanks for coming to get it.”
“Sure, ______,” Tighnari says. You watch him carefully tiptoe around the piles of glass and batter splotches in order to reach, and just as cautiously lift it from the counter to secure it in his arms.
“Are you sure you don’t want any help cleaning up?” Cyno asks.
“If these were normal circumstances, I might’ve said “yes” to your first offer,” you start to explain, “but since they aren’t, and given the fact that I’m probably going to start crying the second you both turn around to leave, no. I’m sure I don’t want help.”
The two exchange a look with the other, their mouths curved down into frowns.
“After I’m done throwing myself my own party of a most piteous kind, we’ll meet you for Kaveh’s.”
“All right, then,” Tighnari says. “Deep breaths, okay? You're alright.”
“Y-Yeah.” And just as you’d predicted, the second they leave, salty liquid is quick to gather along your waterline and completely spill over and down your cheeks. “Damn it.”
Just once, could something go right? If not for you, then for the things you do for others? You’d swear you’d been either cursed in another life or just saddled with an unfair amount of negative karma, and would give anything for just a smooth ride of a day.
“Deep breaths,” you repeat to yourself, voice thick from your tears, using the broom to sweep up the piles into a dust pan. “Deep breaths, deep breathing, c’mon…”
You manage to tidy up with kitchen with less than a minute to spare; in wiping down the last of the mess off the counter, your front door clicks open, swinging creakily on one of the three hinges and revealing the man of the hour.
“Ah, ______! I’m back.” Per his typically routine, Kaveh rests Mehrak on the miniature settee sitting by the door, hangs your house key on the hook above it, and slides off his flats before moving quickly over to you. Before you can even lift your arms all the way, your movements still delayed, Kaveh wraps his around yours, pulling you tight into his warm chest and placing a lengthy kiss against the crown of your head. “I missed you.”
“Welcome home,” you say, voice muffled by his scarf. “Missed you, too.”
For a moment, he hums, before forcing you away from him to examine you.
“What’s wrong?” he insists. Slowly, you shake your head.
“It isn’t anything special… Just that the things I wanted to get done today didn’t… exactly get done.”
“Oh.” By the look on his face, you can tell he’s trying to stifle his relief. “Were they important things?”
“… yes. I’ll try again tomorrow, but I’m just… still a little overwhelmed by it to go into detail right now.” You sigh heavily, only to collapse back against him. “I really missed you so much.”
Softly, Kaveh chuckles, and gently squeezes you to him. “Thank you. Whenever you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here. Okay?” You nod.
“… it’ll definitely have to wait until later, though. Don’t want to ruin the party’s mood before we get ther—” you instantly seize on the spot, sleep-heavy eyes quick to widen at your blunder.
Sensing you having gone stiff within his hold, Kaveh pulls back and smiles bashfully at you.
“D-Don’t panic!” he says. “I’ve known about it for a little while now. Ah, w-well… sometimes, you talk in your sleep.”
“Ah. Oh.” Damn it. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, either.” He plants another kiss against your forehead. “Surprise party or a regular one— I’m happy, regardless. Besides! I’m a good enough actor.”
You scoff playfully at him. “I’m glad I’m here to be able to tell you that you’re really not— everyone’ll know, instantly.”
He huffs. “You don’t believe me, huh?”
“Alhaitham will know instantly,” you decidedly correct. Kaveh purses his lips.
“… okay, fine. Alhaitham will know.” His next breath is harsh. “He’s really coming, too, huh?”
“Now that’s how you should act when you walk in,” you muse. “You’re really that surprised by this?”
“Well… it’s just… it’s Alhaitham.”
“And?”
“A-And—””The two of you were once good friends,” you say, interrupting his lame attempt at reasoning with you. “Just because he’s always short with you or sarcastic, it’s not for a lack of caring. You two being polar opposites isn’t a bad thing. Hm…” An unnameable expression rises onto your face. “If not for me in the picture, I’d have bet you two would eventually start dat—”
“Argh, this again?” You giggle into the hand he’d lifted to cover your mouth. “Anyway… I suppose we should be going soon, or he’ll have another reason to get sarcastic.” Placing a kiss upon his palm and successfully flustering him, you grin.
“Can’t have the birthday boy late for his own birthday, right?”
“Right.” Hand in yours, he leads the way back to the front door, only to pause and look to the kitchen wall. Your eyes widen at the batter splatter you’d missed. “Uh…”
“L-Later, okay?”
As foretold, Kaveh’s acting is below average, but as you both agreed, only Alhaitham is the only one to notice. Arms folded over his chest and legs crossed in his seat, he sends a raised eyebrow and a flat expression in your direction.
To your relief, everyone who had responded to your invitations sent out a month ago had been able to make it.
Cyno and Tighnari and Collei had easily been definite “yes’s”, their answers sent back the very next day.
Alhaitham, you didn’t have to question, despite his response of “if my schedule isn’t full, I’ll make an appearance”.
Dehya and Candace had been a long shot. With Dehya and her commissions, she’d been a little difficult to track down, but eventually, you’d managed to pin her at a desert Eremite outpost during a reprieve. Candace, you knew might’ve been the only flat-out “no” due to her duties at Aaru Village, and had even said she may not be able to send a proper response in time.
Nilou decidedly tracked you down to give you an in-person response, and even tell you she’d work on a dance just for Kaveh.
The Traveler and Paimon, who were only bondable thanks to their connection with the Adventurer’s Guild, managed to find you on the streets of Sumeru at the tail-end of their own commission to tell you they’d be sure to make it.
But certainly, the most surprising appearance goes to the Vahumana representative— Hat Guy. Quite obviously, his name had been a moniker, but even still, you can’t help but to laugh every time you have to say it. Okay, maybe he noticed Kaveh’s poor acting, too. He looks young, but still as though nothing could escape such watchful eyes.
After the day you’d had, yes; it really is such a relief. Even the cake made it in one piece! you happily realize, spotting it over Collei’s shoulder.
You drag your eyes away from the scene and focus them specifically onto Kaveh. He’s glowing. You’d argue that he always does, even on his darkest days. Golden and ruby red— he’s truly dazzling, so much so that you find yourself squinting.
“______?” he calls, and perhaps not too non-suddenly. “Are you alright?”
“I get to spend the birthday of the man I love with them,” you answer proudly, returning the few gentle squeezes he gives your hand with a tug of your own. The skin at the corner of his eyes crinkle when he grins. “I'm great. Happy Birthday, Kaveh.”