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Every year on Alina’s birthday, you went out to set up a camp in the forest over the weekend. It had become a habit since the Darkling died, you didn’t even really know where the idea came from. It just popped into your head one day, a day of relaxing together with your girlfriend. It didn’t have anything special arranged, just being and enjoying each other.
This night was colder than usual at this time of the year, so you set up a fireplace. The fire wouldn’t agree to light up at first, making you struggle, but finally you got it to work and soon, you were adding logs as the flame grew bigger. You sat back, staring into the flames for a moment and then turning your head to look at Alina.
She had wrapped herself up in a thick blanket, and the sight made you chuckle a little.
“I take it you’re cold?” you mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
She nodded. “My past Sun Summoner powers don’t really warm me up anymore, it feels like I’m much more easily cold now.”
You sighed, pulling her against you, rubbing her back and side. “Hopefully we’ll be able to sleep at night. Maybe we should have pushed this back.”
She glanced up at you. “No, it's fine. With you here, I think I can manage.”
You grinned and kissed her forehead, pulling her head to rest against your chest. She closed her eyes and you sat in silence for a moment.
“I’m glad we do this, every year,” she mumbled against your shirt. “Coming here, spending the night here. Just simply being, relaxing. Knowing we can have moments like this, me, you, and the silence.”
“Me too. I always look forward to your birthday because of this.” You laughed a little. “I don’t know if that’s silly.”
Alina shook her head, shifting slightly so she could look up at you. “No, not really. We both need this day.”
You hummed, glancing at the sunset that had already started to disappear under the dark blue sky. “It’s later than we planned. We should probably retreat to the tent soon.”
“Not yet,” Alina mumbled. “Just a moment more. Let’s wait until the fire dies down.”
You sighed, but complied. “All right. But only because you’re the birthday girl.”
She let out a soft laugh, more like a snort, before she fell quiet again. The fire still crackled in front of you, illuminating Alina’s face as her breathing slowed down, and you barely kept in a laugh yourself. Getting her up to get to the tent would be its own challenge, one you weren’t particularly eager to conquer. She was a major sleepyhead with you. But to be honest, you weren’t minding it, not really. You could pretend you were, but having her there, against you, feeling her breathing… it reminded you how lucky you were. To get to be with her after all those battles, neither of you had died. Even when you’d grow old and fragile while she remained young for centuries, these moments would be cherished til the end of times.
The fire was slowly dying down, its warmth waning. Alina was already asleep against you, and you knew that you should wake her up in a moment. But, just a moment longer, you chose to sit there and let her rest.
You cupped the back of her head as you brought your lips against his hair. A moment longer, you promised yourself. The temperature was quickly going down, and your skin was already getting goosebumps. It was uncomfortable in a way, but at the same time having Alina next to you like this was addicting, and you wanted to prolong it for as long as possible.
But eventually, the embers were dimming down, and the cold started to be unbearable. You stroked her hair. “Alina,” you whispered against her hair. “Alina, it’s time to go to the tent.”
She stirred, whining slightly, but you shook her, first gently, then with slightly more force. She sighed and opened her eyes, looking around. “Sorry.”
You chuckled and shook your head. “Let’s go before I freeze.”
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you like that,” she mumbled, letting you help her stand up.
“It’s your birthday, you can sleep against me all you want. But let’s just do it inside the tent, where I won’t freeze.”
She hummed, a tired smile spreading on her face. You crouched down to gather the few things you had with you by the campfire — your shared flask, her gloves and the book she had been reading while you struggled with lighting up the fire. You stomped on the embers a few times, hearing the lingering fire hiss, before you turned and took Alina’s hand.
The tent you had wasn’t anything fancy, nothing you could see a literal Saint to sleep in. Alina still didn’t think of herself as a Saint, but that’s what she was in the eyes of the world, and it was a running joke in between you, even when it annoyed Alina sometimes. A few blankets, pillows, thin mattresses. Just a regular tent.
Alina plopped down on the mattress as you zipped the tent back up and by the time you turned, she was already snuggling beneath the sheets, in the progress of taking off her dress.
You undressed as well and soon made your way beside her, shifting close to her once you both laid down. You tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear again, smiling. No words were needed at that moment, you both knew what the other would say if you spoke. And besides, you were both too tired to talk. She blinked at you slowly as she struggled to keep her eyes open, before shifting again, until she was pressed against you, her face in the crook of your neck. You put your arm around her waist, waiting for a moment again.
“Good night,” she mumbled finally against your skin, and you smiled, running your hand up and down his back once.
“Happy birthday, Alina.”