— FLY, SILVER SPARROW.

( hey guys! i know i haven’t been active like, at all (aside from lurking), but i just wanted to make this an official semi-hiatus. i’m moving in a couple of weeks so i’ve been more focused on that, & i just wanted to let y’all know that my activity will be 100% back to normal once i’m settled in at the new place. i’m sorry i’ve been so mia lately but Real Life is a priority.

once i’ve finished with all of these moving shenanigans, i’ll be on your dashes way more often since that’s probably the biggest source of my stress/inability to focus atm. if you wanna be sure to be able to stay in contact with me, feel free to follow my twitter. thank you so much for being patient with me. ♥

( “maya didnt you say you’d have those birthday posts done the day after the fact” yes but Listen, i can finally play s/kyrim SE and s/ims 3 without issues,

                IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE that Sakura is one of the first to approach Takumi on his birthday - he would be more shocked if she hadn’t been. If nothing else, he can always count on her to put a smile on his face. He’s never really made that big of a deal about his birthday, but he would be lying through his teeth if he claimed he wasn’t happy to hear the people around him wish him well. Though they’re frequently in the midst of turmoil, he’s lucky enough to receive birthday wishes (which surprise him in and of themselves), and even a couple of gifts. Which, of course, despite all of his awkwardness and avoidance, he graciously manages to accept.

He’s more than a little curious about the contents of the box she offers, and he thanks her as he takes it into gloved hands. What’s within it causes him to raise his eyebrows, and he admires the new quiver with almost childish wonder. It looks capable of handling his strict training regimen, and it’s pleasing to the eye, as well. Sakura is correct, he does almost always choose the Fuujin Yumi over a standard bow—it’s what gives him worth, after all— but Takumi has always been sure to keep up his training with average yumi alongside his divine weapon. The gods know he’s gone through countless arrows, quivers, and even yumi themselves on occasion while doing so. As such, Sakura’s gift is both practical and welcome. 

He closes the box carefully, not wanting to somehow damage nor drop the wonderfully crafted quiver, and his expression softens. The winter air is cold, but his heart is warm, and a small smile tugs at his lips as he tugs his sister into a one-armed hug. His mood is quite possibly the greatest it’s been in quite some time, and it’s visible in the way his usual tired smile manages to, for once, reach shining copper eyes.

—  How many people probably gave Takumi this as a gift? More than he could count on his hand. Insecurities bubbled inside the samurai, but that anxiety meant little to him. So what if he was nervous, especially with the likely rate that he’ll look like a fool? He couldn’t back down like a coward on such a special day! He would just convert that nervous energy into forcing his feet to go meet with the prince– simple as that.

    Still, it couldn’t hurt to get something a little extra. He needed to make this special after all. Taking a bit of a detour, Hinata hadn’t noticed that the time had flown past him and it was sunset. Scrambling, he rushed with both his basket in hand as well as his initial present, rushing to go find his liege.

    ❝ Lord Takumi …!! I’m glad I made it in time. Phew. ❞

    He exhaled a sigh of relief, night having yet to fall before he raised the rather large basket he had brought, gesturing to it. It was filled to the brim with cabbage and uncooked rice. He had taken a trip to the fields, evident by the dirt all over his current attire.

    ❝ I heard one time you were glad you could get all the rice you wanted, and you’re always telling your sister to eat her veggies, so… ❞ As he trailed off in his explanation, the samurai began to laugh a bit to himself. ❝ Pfffhahaha ! I totally went overboard, didn’t I? Well, it’s all for you ! Oh !! And this. ❞

    Taking out from under his other arm, he pushed forth a wrapped box.

    ❝ I noticed your gloves were getting a little frayed, so… I went to have some new ones made for you. If these are the umpteenth ones you got today, consider ‘em a nice spare to show off, I guess, heh ! Pfft, whatever, happy birthday, Lord Takumi ! I hope you had a good one ! ❞

{ happy birthday @windstrike !! }

                IT WAS ALMOST SURPRISING TO TAKUMI that Hinata hadn’t approached him sooner - while he wouldn’t think much of it about anyone else, his boisterous, loyal retainer was certainly someone he expected to see on his birthday. Despite Hinata’s late arrival, however, Takumi still managed to be shocked by it. When finally Hinata showed his face, he was taken aback by the way the other presented a basket full of produce with pride. It appeared to be freshly-harvested, judging by how disheveled its holder appeared. At first, he didn’t notice the box under Hinata’s arm at all, too focused on the gigantic basket.

“Hinata, this...” In disbelief, Takumi trailed off, raising his eyebrows as he was left struggling to form a coherent sentence. What could he possibly say? Hinata was right, he had gone overboard, so he saw no need to confirm it. But he couldn’t say it was a bad thing; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Takumi found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the basket until Hinata spoke up again, finally realizing that he was carrying something else. Thankfully, that gave him reason to speak up again.

"My gloves, huh?" As he repeated the comment, he found himself examining the ones he wore. True to his retainer’s words, they were looking a bit too well-loved. “How’d you notice that?” 

The question was almost silly to ask, Takumi realized - he was talking to Hinata, of all people. If anyone at all were to notice such a minuscule detail, it would’ve been at least one of his two dedicated retainers. They'd been at his side for years, and he was certain that they knew him just as well as his siblings did (or perhaps better, with the exception of Sakura). Should any detail in Takumi’s appearance or emotional state change, both were there to help, and it was things like Hinata’s practical gift that reminded him just how grateful he was for that.

               EVEN WITH ALL OF HIS STRENGTH, Takumi doubted that he would ever be able to completely handle Kisaragi’s ecstatic hugs. It was impossible not to at least partially lose his footing, but he would never complain. He was quick to catch his son in a tight grip just as he always did, grunting out a ‘thank you’ as he struggled to keep both of them from falling over. Kisaragi was undoubtedly more thrilled for Takumi’s birthday than he was himself, but he couldn’t blame him. Through all of their time apart, they hadn’t gotten the chance to see one another on their respective birthdays. Takumi knew Kisaragi loved him, so his excitement made sense, and though he kept it to himself, he found it endearing.

His son’s words were a flurry from his lips, and Takumi couldn’t help but laugh. Had he not been used to Kisaragi’s mannerisms already, he likely wouldn’t have been able to understand a single word (other than, of course, his initial birthday wishes).

“I don’t know, Kisaragi. I think it might be too cold for anything like that.” The chilly temperature of his season of birth had never stopped him before, but for once in his life, Takumi felt he could allow himself a brief respite. Righting himself and letting both of their feet rest properly along the ground beneath them, he lifted both of his eyebrows. He worried that his answer was unsatisfactory - or perhaps even dismissive, in Kisaragi’s eyes, and decided to continue, hoping to right any wrongs he may have made.

                IT WAS RARE THAT Takumi let himself feel truly free as of late. The older he got, the less of a right to do so that he felt he had. Yet his dear mother easily broke down those walls of his, illuminating the darkness with her light. He had no idea how, nor did he care; all Takumi knew was that she carried herself with a warmth that could lift his spirits no matter the circumstance. Throughout his life, the comfortableness he felt around her had never once changed for as long as he could remember. Every day, he was glad that it didn’t appear to plan to, either.

As long as it was Mikoto, Takumi felt he could allow himself a brief moment of childish glee. A smile spread across his lips as he graciously received the present his mother bestowed upon him, grateful for both it and simply for her presence.

                YOUNG PRINCE SIEGBERT WAS not someone Takumi expected to speak with on that particular day, yet there he stood, prepared with a present no less. A part of him was suspicious, but even Takumi could admit that there was next to no chance that Siegbert bore any ill will. A gift was a gift, no matter who it was from, and if he’d said he’d heard the details from Kamui, which made perfect sense, as flustered as the idea made him.

“Kamui told you that? …Why?” Perhaps he shouldn’t have been as surprised as he seemed, but he wasn’t aware that Kamui was spreading such things. She must have been more excited for his birthday than he was. He took the book offered to him with a look of bewilderment still lingering on his features, expression unchanging as he opened it to briefly flip through its pages.

The contents did nothing but rouse his curiosity further, though Takumi had hoped it would be sated by them. He’d never seen anything quite like the drawings enclosed before - had Siegbert had them commissioned? Or could Takumi have perhaps simply never come across such a thing? It seemed almost personalized, and that was what piqued his interest the most. While definitely curious, Takumi didn’t feel as though it was his place to ask for details. Shifting on his feet, he looked back up at Siegbert, no less surprised but certainly thankful.

  And yet, as he held said bow in his hands before leaving to find his lover, the worry he had tried so hard to expel came back in full force. Would Takumi even be happy to receive his gift? If he wanted to try Nohrian bows, he could have very easily gotten one himself, but he hadn’t. It didn’t cross Leon’s mind that Takumi might not have tried to learn before because he himself was worried, or that he didn’t want to stray from something he was comfortable with.

  Forcing himself to appear calm when he caught sight of him, he approached Takumi, trying to conceal his present behind his back.

  “Happy birthday, Takumi,” Leon said, a small smile on his lips as he brought the weapon forward and fought to keep the smile from faltering. “I know this isn’t much, but… I’m afraid after last year I couldn’t outdo myself. I thought you might enjoy the potential challenge that might come from using a Nohrian bow anyway, though, and this one is completely yours to train with as you see fit.”

  And then, lowering his voice so no one nearby could possibly hear, he whispered, “I love you.”

                IF THERE WAS ANYONE Takumi genuinely expected to gift him something he enjoyed, it was Leon. He wouldn’t have necessarily minded if Leon neglected to give him a gift at all, but regardless of what it was, he was positive he would enjoy it. While he wasn’t necessarily waiting for Leon to find him, he found it hard to keep his interest contained as the Nohrian prince strode toward him. It was all he could do not to stand on the tips of his toes and attempt to peer behind his back.

At Leon’s initial statement, Takumi gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Don’t worry. It’s not like I expected anything else like that. Thanks, though.” Last year, Leon’s present to him had been simple in appearance but grandiose in sentimentality, and he still cherished it dearly. Takumi didn’t expect anything quite so meaningful, but he was morbidly curious regardless. They knew each other well, and Takumi’s tastes weren’t exactly difficult to figure out in the first place.

                SETSUNA’S APPROACH CAUGHT TAKUMI a bit off guard, and at first he didn’t realize exactly why she had in the first place. However, as soon as she spoke, he blinked once, then twice in surprise. If there was one thing he knew about her, it was that despite her aloof mannerisms, she usually seemed to mean every word she said. While she often frustrated him to no end, he could at least acknowledge that.

Truthfully, he wasn’t quite sure how to react to that revelation. Setsuna was a formidable archer herself, and hearing that she did, in fact, respect him and his skill warmed his heart. As someone who frequently doubted his own ability, any sort of praise helped to alleviate his worries, if only for a moment. But despite her thanks, he knew he hadn’t truly been kind to her at all (a shameful fact he admitted only to himself). Briefly, he debated labeling her a fool and contesting her statement - but he caught himself, knowing it would do nothing for either of them. Instead, he breathed an almost inaudible sigh, the smallest of smiles curving his lips. She had come to him to wish him well, hadn’t she? Acting rude was no way to thank her.

@windstrike requested a starter

          ❝Do you need help, brother?❞ 

          She tries to suppress her laugh as her gaze locks onto the rather unruly state he was in, but all that does is allow a snort to escape from her nose. Vermilion eyes take notice of the white feathers that had gotten stuck in every possible place they could, and it leads her to only one conclusion.

          ❝You look like you were assaulted by a herd of pegasi.❞

                WHILE TAKUMI HAD HOPED TO escape to his room, or at least somewhere private before anyone could spot him, he hadn’t had such luck. He only wished to rid himself of the intruding feathers to make himself presentable again, but of course his sister, of all people, would catch him. Slinking away was out of the question while Hinoka had him in her sights, and he paused, roughly folding his arms. Hinoka’s assumption wasn’t wrong, per se, but it had hardly been his fault, nor the fault of the pegasi themselves, technically speaking.

“Y-yeah, well... I kind of was.” That day in particular was  not a lucky one for him. Plucking stray feathers from his hair, Takumi scowled, knowing it would likely be days before he could get them all out. With his luck, he’d even find pegasus feathers scattered around the bath despite his efforts to brush them out. That was the last thing he needed - just the idea was enough to cause his heart to skip a beat in embarrassment.

  “You know it’s true.. You only ever do this during the winter or the time leading up to it.”

  Still, Leon couldn’t deny that Takumi was right. Even though cold weather hardly affected him, the heat was the exact opposite. It was something to do with the climates of their respective countries, he assumed. He had managed to get used to constant sunlight, but he had yet to build up a tolerance for the heat that often accompanied it.

  “That’s different. It’s much easier to combat the cold than the heat. Cold requires extra layers, and perhaps a seat by a fire, but heat is almost impossible to ward off.”

                LEON HAD A PERFECTLY valid point, and Takumi absolutely hated it. Technically speaking, the heat was more difficult to handle as opposed to the cold, but as someone who had grown in the land of the sun, he was infinitely more accustomed to the heat and sunlight. Though sensitive to cold, Takumi’s yumi did have a tendency to tousle his hair and clothing with intense winds as he fired its arrows, and he appeared to have no problem with it. A chill in the air, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

  “I don’t know, Takumi. It must be the right time of year if you’re complaining about the cold,” Leon chuckled quietly, his eyebrows raised in amusement at the other prince’s behavior. As surely as Takumi would complain about the cold, Leon would tease him about it.