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Mizael has no need for birthdays because Mizael was never born.
That statement wasn't quite accurate -- he was born, once, several hundred years ago. But the date in which that happened was long lost from his memory, as were many things from that life as a human.
The human world couldn't accept that as an answer, though, Mizael soon found. Between schools, trips to the doctor, identification, and so many other things that were required to survive as a human, one absolutely needed a birthday. He had no choice but to give in and decide on one for paperwork purposes.
The date he chose was January 29.
It was arbitrary; he just closed his eyes, put his finger at the calendar, and made his birthday whatever day it hit. He had no attachment to it -- while it might have been the day he was born all those years ago in a small village in China, it was likely not. He had at one in three hundred and sixty five chance of getting the date correct. Whether he got it right or not made no difference to him. It was just another day.
Sadly, the pair of brothers Mizael lived with thought differently. There was an insistence that he spent the day out "enjoying himself" (there was a new exhibit at the history museum he ended up going to with Michael Arclight -- which, admittedly, he did enjoy) and then come home for a surprise (they'd made his favorite dinner). Mizael didn't want to admit it, but it was sweet that the Tenjos cared so much about him. Even if it did just seem like an excuse for Kaito to have cake.
Mizael leaned on the table as he looked down at his half finished slice of chocolate cake, too full to eat the rest. His eyes glanced over to Kaito who, unsurprisingly had finished his already.
"Want mine?"
"Come on, Mizael," Kaito replied, catching the slightest twinge of sarcasm in Mizael's voice. "You know we're not doing all of this just so I can have cake."
"You guys focus too much on me," Mizael said back. "Really, I don't need all of this --"
"Mizael, you wrote Haruto a book for his last birthday," Kaito replied sternly. "Let us give back to you for once."
"A couple of short stories is hardly a book," Mizael replied with a huff. It was then that he felt a small hand over his.
"Come on, Mizael! Stop complaining and come to the couch. It's time for your presents!" Haruto looked so excited as he encouraged Mizael. Mizael couldn't say no to Haruto and quickly found himself being guided by the young boy over to the living room portion of their apartment.
Haruto happily grabbed his present off the coffee table as he plopped on the couch. Mizael followed in suit, taking note of the other gift on the table as they waited for Kaito to clean up. He soon hurried over, to the arm chair perpendicular to the couch and looked affectionately at Mizael.
“Well?”
“We were waiting for you,” Mizael replied as he took the gift from Haruto. He pulled the paper off delicately, not wanting to make a mess. He noticed a piece of paper under the wrapping, and carefully pulled it out. Unfolding the paperrevealed a detailed colored pencil drawing of a dragon curled around an egg.
“Haruto, did you draw this?” Mizael asked with a smile as he looked at the image.
“I sure did!” Haruto replied, grinning. “I worked really hard on it! Do you like it, Mizael?”
“I love it,” Mizael replied gently as he kissed the top of Haruto’s head. “We’ll have to find a place for this somewhere. You’re getting a lot better at drawing.”
Mizael turned back to the gift in front of him and removed the rest of the wrapping paper, revealing a book. The latest in a series Mizael was reading with Haruto.
“Did you get me this just so I could read it to you?” Mizael asked teasingly as he smiled at the boy.
“What? No! I just thought you'd like it if I got it for you,” Haruto replied defensively. “...It would make me happy if you read it to me, though.”
“Of course,” Mizael said as he wrapped an arm around Haruto’s shoulder. “Thank you, Haruto.”
Placing his gifts carefully aside, Mizael then turned to Kaito. “I'm finally ready to open your gift, Kaito. I don't know what you got me, but it's clearly important if you've been looking at me the way you have all night.”
“You'll see,” Kaito smiled as he handed the small box over to Mizael and waited in anticipation.
The nature of his gesture made Mizael even more suspicious as he took the box. It was small -- like that of one for jewelry. Mizael knew better than to consider Kaito proposing or something equally as vocal, though. He quickly made his way through the paper to see first hand just wait Kaito was so frantic about.
What Mizael found in the box took his breath away.
A small golden dragon was curled tightly around a jade and formed a pendant. Too stunned to keep it in the box, Mizael carefully pulled it out, gold chain wrapped around his fingers, to get a better look. Upon further inspection, Mizael realized the pendant had an identical shape to the necklace that contained his Baria Lapis.
“Kaito, this is…”
“Do you like it? Come on, put it on!” He leaned near Mizael, radiating warmth. “I've been waiting forever to see what it looks like on you.”
Still amazed with the gift, Mizael nodded and unhooked the clasp at the end of the chain.
“I was between jade and garnet for the gem,” Kaito mentioned as Mizael pulled hair away to get the chain around his neck. “Garnet looks like Baria Lapis and I thought it might have been comforting for you. But your Barian form also had green gems that looked like jade, didn't it? I felt that made it more personal.” He smiled as he looked at Mizael, the necklace now on as he moved his hair back into place. “I think I made the right decision. The jade looks wonderful on you.”
Mizael smiled warmly from the compliment, but his face quickly snapped to look at Kaito as his words sank in. “Wait, Kaito, what do you mean, you had a choice in the gems? Did you…?”
Kaito smiled brightly back at Mizael. “I commissioned it from the best craftsman I could find.” He put a hand over one of Mizael’s tenderly. “You're the only one in the entire world with anything like that pendant.
“...You didn't have to do this,” Mizael said, near tears. “Kaito, this had to have cost so much. Really, I would have been fine with anything you got me at all.”
At this point Kaito had joined Mizael on the couch, an arm over his shoulder as he looked into Mizael’s eyes. “I did, though. You still suffer so much after everything that happened, I wanted to get you something that reminded you of who you are.” His eyes lidded as he put a hand on Mizael’s chest. “And that reminded you I love you.”
Mizael was crying now as he held Kaito close. Kaito embraced him back, listening to the muffled cries of joy that escaped Mizael's mouth. When he finally calmed down, he managed to whisper, “thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Kaito replied gently. “I love you, Mizael.”
“I love you,” was a phrase Mizael didn't often say out loud, thinking it was too powerful for most conversations, but in Kaito’s arms, he felt those three words escape his lips right back at him.
Perhaps there was more to birthdays than the dates for paperwork.