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Rinne sighed as he shut the door behind the last few guests — leaving him, you, and the joyously messy aftermath of his surprise birthday party in your shared apartment.

How lovely, to have been surrounded by the people he cared about, dancing and drinking and having a good time on the anniversary of his birth.

Although, if he was being honest — being the subject of such celebration felt… strange.

Did he really deserve it? To have friends who would arrange something like this for him? To have a lover who showered him with birthday kisses the moment his eyes opened in the morning? To have his birthday or himself recognized at all? Rinne had always wanted to be appreciated and seen, but now that he had it… he didn’t know how to handle it. It was all so overwhelming.

Conflicted, he turned his gaze to you, watching as you absentmindedly plucked a few pieces of shimmery confetti out of your hair. “So, do you feel older?”

A grin spread across his face; of course you’d ask that. “I can feel the back pain settlin’ in already, darlin’.” He joked, taking one last swig from his soda can before crunching it and tossing it into one of the various trash bags that had accumulated in your living room, filled to the brim with discarded gift wrap.

“That’s okay,” you smiled — just like you always did, “I’ll massage it for you, old man.”

As the two of you worked to clean up the mess littering your apartment, you noticed that Rinne had adopted a rather… sullen expression: eyebrows slightly furrowed, pools of cerulean not focused on anything in particular; the face he wore when he was deep in thought.

You placed one more throw pillow back on the couch before pausing, slowly walking to where he had been hunched over the counter, taking a small break of his own. Gently, your knuckles traced the skin of his cheek. “What’s up? Don’t want your birthday to be over just yet?”

If only that were it. With a slow blink, he rose back to full height, turning to face you. “Nah, it’s not that,” he said, “it’s just…”

It was easy to tell that he was experiencing some serious inner turmoil about telling you, as if he didn’t want to bring your mood down. But you could also tell that he hadn’t completely closed himself off — he was just searching for the right words.

Rinne’s heart squeezed in his chest, somewhat shyly taking your hand in his. “I…” he took a breath, “You didn’t need to do all of this for me.” His voice was small, quiet; ashamed.

Admittedly, you were afraid that this was coming. “Rinne,” you spoke, fondly and adoringly, “I know, but I wanted to. You deserve it.”

You deserve it, your voice rang in his ears. He brought you into his arms, clinging to you a little harder than what would be considered comfortable; but he needed the physical reassurance. Your fingertips softly raked over his clothed back, taking in his scent — warm, like a bonfire on the beach.

“I promise you do,” your words were punctuated with a kiss to the side of his head, “More than anyone else, Rinne; plus, your friends and I had a lot of fun putting all of this together for you. Even HiMERU couldn’t hold back a grin at the thought of your face when you opened the door.”

It made your heart ache, to know that he felt lesser than. It hurt badly enough when you caught on for the first time many months ago — but this reminder, on his day, crushed you more than anything else ever could.

“I know it’s hard to feel like you do, but I wouldn’t lie to you. You deserve it all — everything.” The praise made his ears burn. “I’d serve you the world on a silver platter, if I could.”

It was incredibly difficult to render Rinne Amagi at a loss for words, but you always managed to hit home; so instead, he held on tighter, hoping you’d forgive his sudden childishness.

Not that that’s anything you’d ever hold against him, of course. You cradled his head against your shoulder, soft red locks meeting your fingertips. You wondered what he was thinking.

Many things, many things — all of which could be summed up by: how did I get this lucky? How did I get this far?

“That so…?” he mumbled, “I’d do the same for you. A million times over.”

You sighed contently, glad to hear his voice again. “Well I’d do it a trillion…”

“Yeah? Try quadrillion.”

“Hm… I don’t know what comes after that.”

A small grin spread across his lips, pulling back to get a good look at you — beautiful, wearing the smile that he loved oh-so much. One that could always uplift him. “It’s quintillion,” Rinne chuckled, “But still, can’t ya’ let the birthday boy win, baby?”

A complaint threatened to spill from your lips, but you held it in, instead choosing to be grateful for his reestablished good mood; in the end, his happiness was all you had wanted out of today.

You pretended to think it over, tapping your bottom lip with a pensive index finger. “Alright, fine.” You concluded, appreciating his usual shit-eating grin, “But in exchange… I want you to accept what I said earlier.”

A prolonged silence filled the air. Not one of discomfort, but of deep thought.

“Please…?”

“Well…” Slowly, Rinne cupped your cheeks with warm palms, gently bringing your foreheads together. He always looked so tender in the night. “Yeah, I will. But only ‘cause it’s you… And, thanks.”

Thanks — for the wonderful birthday party, for your patience, for your love.

“Don’t thank me. I had fun.”

Don’t thank me — my love for you is an active choice, you’re all I need.

The beauty of your relationship was the little need for words. Your mutual understanding went far enough — Rinne never thought he’d have something like that. You’re all his, he’s all yours; to have someone so close would have been unimaginable before he met you.

“So,” you continued, “does the birthday boy have any final requests?”

As the clock ticked towards midnight, his lips grew closer to your own — and his hands travelled downward, resting on your waist. With his palms squeezing your hips so deliciously, you decided that perhaps your tornado victim of an apartment would have to wait until morning.

“Maybe a few.”