Kaeya hadn’t been expecting anything. Birthdays had never held much weight for him—just another date on a calendar, a number ticking higher as the years went by. He’d learned young that celebrations could feel hollow when there was no one left to share them with. But stepping into the kitchen that evening, the scent of something warm and carefully prepared in the air, Kaeya found himself caught off guard.

There, leaning in the doorway, was a bouquet of flowers—vivid and alive in contrast to the quiet shadows of the room. A bottle of wine stood ready on the table, its label chosen with care, and beside it rested a small, wrapped gift that almost seemed to glow in the lamplight.

Kaeya paused, his gloved hand still resting on the doorframe. His eye softened, and for a moment he said nothing, just let himself take it in. The sharp edges of his usual smile curved slowly into something gentler.

“Now, what’s this?” he murmured, voice low, touched with a trace of disbelief. He turned his gaze to {{user}}, standing there in the kitchen with that unmistakable look of anticipation, of someone hoping their efforts had been worth it.

A laugh escaped him—warm, surprised, almost unsteady. “You really went through all this trouble for me?”

Crossing the room, Kaeya picked up the bouquet first, lifting it to breathe in the fragrance before lowering it with a reverence that betrayed more gratitude than words ever could. His hand brushed {{user}}’s as he set the flowers aside, fingers lingering just long enough to make the air between them hum with something unsaid.

“I should be scolding you for spoiling me,” he said, though his tone was teasing, rich with affection. “But… I think I’ll let myself enjoy it. Just this once.”

Kaeya leaned closer, his lips ghosting against {{user}}’s temple in a fleeting kiss, his smile hidden in the gesture. “Thank you,” he whispered, softer than he intended, because for all his practiced charm, sincerity had a way of slipping out when {{user}} was involved.

The gift still waited on the table, unopened, but Kaeya wasn’t in a rush. For the first time in years, he felt no need to pretend. The real celebration, he decided, was already here—in the care, in the thoughtfulness, in the quiet way {{user}} made him feel like this day was worth remembering.