#(birthday stuff)

The sun rose in the east and casted a golden glow across the tips of trees and shimmering lakes. The world was quiet as Giyuu Tomioka walked down the path to his estate, returning from a mission a few days before.

He knew you were waiting for him. Probably sleeping or getting ready for the day. Nothing special. The cold air made his breath visible with every sigh he let out, the thin mist nipping at his fingertips and making them solid to the touch.

The dirt and gravel crunched under his feet as bamboo slowly began to appear in his line of vision. He was nearing home. Was that salmon he smelled?

Giyuu's navy irises traced his surroundings the closer he got, his mind silent for once in his life, which was strange considering all he does is think and keep to himself.

Deep down, his heart ached. Maybe it was because all of the other Hashira had been ignoring him, keeping their distance, the fact that it would be another year without his sister and Sabito, or maybe because he just missed you.

Maybe all three.

He sighed and approached the threshold of his estate, slipping off his sandals, and placing his katana in a safe place. His senses immediately picked up on the silence of the house and looked around, eyes and ears sharp.

"...Love?" he said loud enough, hoping to hear your voice in return, but he got nothing.

Giyuu wasn't sure why, but he felt his nose tingle and eyes swell. God, this wasn't the time to get emotional.

His feet led him around the empty estate to find not even a trace of you. The futon wasn't even left out in the shared bedroom. Giyuu felt his heart sink and hands clench into fists, nails creating dents in his calloused palms that became soft when holding you.

This time around, he had wished to spend the day with you without directly saying why, but it seems that you have your own needs to attend to.

Giyuu inhaled before settling down on the floor in a seated position, deciding to meditate these feelings out of him instead of rotting in bed. In the beginning of your relationship, you had given Giyuu a few other methods to get his feelings out.

Whether that be going for a walk, speaking up about them, or let his hips do the talking.

But he just came back from a long mission, no one to talk to, and no you to hold. So, he opted to breathe his heartache out, one breath at a time.

Giyuu was too engrossed in his mind that he couldn't hear the soft sounds of familiar footsteps inching closer and closer to him. As he was breathing, he could smell your perfume and thought that it was his mind playing tricks on him.

You were standing behind him with a small cake in your hands, watching him sit there. The excitement racked your body.

You had woken up hours earlier to head over to Kanroji's estate to have her help make you the cake. The bubbly girl was excited for Giyuu's reaction to the cake.

The cake looked and smelled delicious, you could just eat it, but this was your boyfriend's cake. He deserved it.

You kneeled behind him while placing the cake in front of you, and tapping his shoulder at the same time.

Giyuu's eyes snapped open and turned his head to look behind him to see your beautiful smile aiming at him.

"...you're home." he mumbled as his shoulders relaxed and slowly turned around to face you.

"I just got home."

His eyes slowly checked you for injuries before moving down to the cake that sat between them. "You brought this. Why?"

"It's your birthday, Giyuu. Happy birthday!" your smiled widened as you watched him take in the intricate design of the cake, blue and white frosting mixing together in a delicate manner.

"Do you like it? Mitsuri helped me make it. I tried not to make it too sweet for you since you mentioned a few months ago that super sweet things made your teeth hurt."

Giyuu said nothing as he took in the cake, a symbol of celebration that he convinced himself he wasn't worthy of.

The ache in his heart ebbed away slightly, but the idea of you waking up early, disrupting your much needed sleep, to go out and make a cake just for him? It made him want to cry, but he hadn't shed tears in years.

"...Giyuu? Baby, is something wrong? You're crying-"

"No." he cut you off before turning his head away to hide his flushed face, but your hand caught his cheek before he could wipe his tears away.

"Don't hide from me, please. I didn't mean to make you cry." your voice immediately soothed him and the ache in his heart as the little boy in him came out.

"...I didn't think anyone would notice. Let alone remember. I apologize for making such a scene."

"Don't be sorry for crying, baby. It's completely normal to feel like this. You know I'll always remember things about you, even how you forget to respond sometimes."

You wiped his tears away with the pad of your thumb and brought him closer to you, "I love you so much."

The embrace Giyuu felt himself get pulled into was like heaven. His head dropped on your shoulder as his own shook slightly. Small silent tears slipped down his face and onto your haori.

He would've never expected to cry on his birthday, let alone cry in general, but now the moment felt more special than ever because he had you to spend the day with.

"... I love you more."

"I know. Even if you don't say it...and you're smashing the cake."

"I don't care. Let me hold you longer...I missed you."

The moment fell into a comfortable silence as the two of you pulled away after a few minutes, Giyuu listening to you yap his ear off with an attentive look full of love and devotion, while eating smashed cake.

This year made him less down in the dumps. All because he had you in his life.

And he wouldn't change that for anything else in this world.

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© Do not copy, alter, translate, or use AI to recreate this story without any sort of reference to me as the original creator of this story.