Work Text:
“Mmm, what a lovely aroma. Aoba really did choose a wonderful tea…” Tsukasa said as he opened the tin Tsumugi had gifted him that morning.
“Now that I have slipped away from the chaos of my birthday PARTY, I might as well unwind with a nice cup of tea…” he said to himself.
“Ah, found you!” Leo shouted, emerging from the bushes despite the paved path directly and conveniently placed beside him. “I’ve been looking all over for you, Suou~ Alright, let’s…!”
At that moment, Anzu came along the aforementioned path setting off a small party popper. Tsukasa jumped back in surprise, apparently the party wasn’t enough celebration.
“You scared me, Leo! And you’re here too, onee-sama?”
She smiled and nodded to him, standing beside Leo as he laughed at Tsukasa's startledness.
“Suou~ I’ve got a song for you as a gift. Listen closely~ Here we go, Anzu~”
It was a nice little melody, but the lyrics were just the standard happy birthday song. He wasn’t going to complain though, it was a rare opportunity to hear Anzu sing and this was the second in one day. Such a fortunate birthday (not for my pulls though). He clapped when it was finished, much Leo's boisterous delight.
“Wahaha! It’s called ‘Happy Birthday, Suou~’!” the autistic proudly declared. “I wanted you to hear it right away, so Anzu and I looked all over the building for you!”
Tsukasa sighed. “You could’ve just given me a CALL. Thank you for the song, but making Onee-sama go through all that is a bit much.”
“I needed to see you anyway, so its fine~” Anzu said with another little smile.
“Oh, Really…?
“Mhm. This evening, could we meet up to talk? I know you have a lot going on today, so I’m sorry if it's a bit late…”
“Don’t worry about it. Just say the word and I’ll come to you any time,” he assured her, feeling a twinge of delight in his heart to see her again. It was his birthday after all, surely today he could be a bit selfish and monopolize her time…♡
“Leo, onee-sama, do you have a moment? Perhaps we could relax over a cup of tea?”
Leo nodded and plopped into a seat, poking the tea. “Ah, good idea! Is this the tea you’re talking about? It comes from a small tin. Looks super expensive!”
“It’s a present from Aoba. It would be a shame to keep this all to myself, so join me if you’d like.”
“I’ll brew it for you,” Anzu offered, reaching to pick up the tin and pot.
“Oh no, I could not trouble you like that, onee-sama…” Tsukasa said, also reaching for the tin. He mostly ignored their hands brushing as she beat him to it. She pulled the tin and pot out of his reach, with an almost defiant gaze.
“I want to do it as a birthday treat,” she insisted.
“Well, then I can’t turn down such a kind offer when you put it like that. Very well, if you wouldn’t mind onee-sama~” he agreed, and took his seat.
Hm, what should I do now? I got here a bit too early and now I'm at loose ends… Tsukasa thought, as he waited in the New Dimension office. But then, he saw Anzu stepping off the elevator.
“...Hm? Oh, good evening, onee-sama. I just got here, so your timing is perfect,” he said, pulling out a chair as she came in. “Please, this way.”
“Ah, thank you… you’re sweet.” She thanked him quietly, clearly tired from balancing work and birthday management.
Tsukasa shook his head. “Not at all. This is only natural for a knight. If I may, I'll sit beside you.
“Of course, please do.”
“I've been looking forward to seeing you this evening~” he said fondly, subtly shifting his chair a bit closer to hers before sitting.
“Me too,” Anzu admitted, averting her eyes with a shy smile. It elicited a similar little smile from Tsukasa, a similar fluttering of joy as earlier in the day rising in his chest.
“You must be tired today, big sister. It means so much to me that you threw a birthday PARTY for me despite your busy schedule.”
“Well it's only natural, you deserve to be celebrated…” she said playing with her sleeve, and still not meeting his eyes.
“Calling it ‘only natural’ hardly does it justice. I know it must have taken considerable effort. I want to thank you for giving me such a wonderful time.”
“T-the thanks alone is enough…”
“Are you sure? You're welcome to ask for my help from time to time, you know?” He leaned towards her without thinking, fixated on her expression, which held a mix of pride and embarrassment at his persistent praise. “Just say the word if you ever need my help. I promise I'll be there for you.”
She finally turned his eyes back to him, nodding with a soft “mhm”. After a moment she added, “You’re always reliable… but also, I’m really glad you enjoyed your birthday. The rest of us had a lot of fun too…”
“I definitely did~ I received so many GIFTS at my PARTY today as well. You saw the one from Aoba earlier. Oh, and Oukawa gave me a GIFT as well! A TOWEL with sakura embroidery, though he said it was ‘just out of obligation.’” he giggled to himself. “He's always trying to hide his true thoughts. There's no need for him to put up such a front with me. He's always been like that-” he ended his ramblings as he noticed Anzu silently nodding and smiling, realizing he was in fact rambling and probably boring his dear onee-sama, and therefore wasting her time.
“Ahem. My apologies, it seems I got a little carried away. I would appreciate it if you would pretend that never happened…” he said shamefully.
“No, it's okay..! I like listening to you get excited…~” she told him, seeming to relax a bit at his own anxiousness. “Oh, I almost forgot why I asked to meet you here. I have a gift of my own to give you!”
Joy overtook Tsukasa's embarrassment, eagerly popping up a little in his seat.
“MARVELOUS! I couldn't have imagined getting a gift from you too, big sister!”
“Did you really expect so little of me…? Ah, well, here you are. HAPPY BIRTHDAY again Tsukasa-kun~”
Anzu handed over a flat package, watching with anticipation as he unwrapped his present.
“What a beautiful BROOCH. May I put it on right now?”
“Oh, sure, go ahead. I’m glad you like it so much…”
“Hehe, thank you~ Wow. When I tilt it in the light, it glows with every color of the rainbow. I feel like I could stare at it forever.”
“Here let me help you put it on,” she offered, taking it from his hands. His breath caught in his throat as her hands rested against his for a moment, not at all resisting the closeness. A few stray hairs sticking up on her head brushed against his cheek as she leaned ever closer to pin the brooch to his shirt.
“There.”
He wanted to grab her for a second when she backed away, but had enough clarity not to do that.
“Ah… What do you think? I hope it looks well on me,” he asked, trying to refocus himself.
“It looks perfect~” she replied, sending a pang through all of his internal organs. Despite the medical crisis she may be causing him, Tsukasa touched the brooch lightly. Was it a bad sign he could feel his heart rapidly beating below it?
“I'll treasure this BROOCH that you picked out for me. Hehe, receiving such a lovely gift at the end of the day has made it a wonderful memory~” he murmured.
“M~ You look so happy.”
“Do I ...? Thinking back now, today was such a happy day. I spent it surrounded by friends and people close to me.I don't want to forget a single moment of it. I'll be sure to cherish these memories.”
Anzu moved towards him, finally closing the gap between their shoulders.
“I’m really glad you enjoyed it~ It's only been a year since your last birthday but it feels like you grew up so much…”
“Have I? I still feel young and immature…” he said, resting his head against hers.
She nodded against his neck.
“I’m definitely proud of how much you’ve matured in such a small amount of time. And then in a few more months I’ll graduate and you’ll become a third year… but it seems just a moment ago you were a cute little first year.”
“Mmm… for a while now I’ve been working hard not just for myself and Knights, but for you as well. So that I can be someone worthy of your care and attention~ Your support is something eternally precious, that I don't dare squander.”
“... you must have thought about that for some time if you worded it that well…” Anzu whispered. The pair sat silently for a minute before Tsukasa remembered time existed, and it was quite dark out.
“Oh my, it's gotten quite late. Perhaps it's about time you head home, onee-sama? Time surely flies when we're talking like this.”
“Ah, you’re right… mn, busy tomorrow… I gotta turn a few things in before bed…”
Tsukasa stood and offered his hand to her.
“Please, allow me to at least ESCORT you to the ENTRANCE downstairs”
“M~ Such a gentleman~” she said, letting him pull her to her feet. They didn’t let go right away, and Tsukasa took the opportunity to brush his thumb across her knuckles.
“Hehe. I am growing every day. I am perhaps twice the man I was last year.” (The game glitch makes this literal)
“I promise I'II strive to become someone even
better, so please keep watching over me.”
“I couldn’t look away from my precious little brother if I tried~”