Warning: Short.
Happy birthday to Mafumafu and let me take this opportunity to wish @artwork_bean a very late happy birthday, and to the other September babies while I'm at it, and of course, you October babies as well!
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
October 18th.
I looked at the clock hung on the wall, its hands pointing at ten. I looked away, back at my computer screen, trying to get back to work. It was ten at night, only two more hours left until the date turns into the 19th of October, calling it an end to my birthday.
Fans were sending me birthday wishes the moment the clock struck twelve, and friends sending me messages through chatting platforms. When I woke up this morning, my family called and we talked a little, they even asked if I would be coming back soon. I gave a little troubled laugh, and said no but I told them that I'd be back before the year ended, and my mother said she'd be looking forward to that day then the call ended. My friends came over and brought me out, celebrated my birthday, had a bite or two from the cake...- Okay, maybe not just a bite or two.
"Soraru-san hasn't contacted you yet, Mafu-kun?"
To be honest, my mind went blank when Amatsuki-kun asked me that question. I was trying really hard to distract myself from thinking about Soraru-san as it would be rude for me to be feeling sad when all my friends were celebrating my birthday for me, even when they were busy with work and did not have much time to spare.
I smiled at Amatsuki-kun.
"No, not yet,"
I watched as Amatsuki-kun's brows came together, forming a frown.
"... You didn't need to force yourself to smile at me,"
As expected from Amatsuki-kun, I couldn't hide anything from him. Yet I continued smiling at him, pretending to not know what he meant by that as I ate my cake. Before he could further interrogate me, I went, "Ah, Amatsuki-kun, you need to try this, and this too!" as I placed some food onto his plate.
"Wa- Wait- I'm on diet, Mafu-kun!"
I sighed, looking back up at the wall clock again. It had not even passed a minute since the last time I looked at it. I brought the can of beer to my mouth, and downed it all at once. It was only my second can for the night, and yet I was already feeling dizzy. I could never hold my alcohol. It could be because I was not used to it, or it might just be that I was weak. Whatever the reason was, I don't drink much.
But tonight, tonight was slightly different from the other nights. I slipped my finger into the ring of the rivet and tried to pull. It took me a lot for me to finally manage to get it open. I pouted and tried downing it again. Except this time, I couldn't even manage a quarter of the can and it got me into a coughing fit. After the coughing stopped, I leaned on the table, and rested my head on my arm. Finally learning my lesson, I started taking smaller sips at one time.
After some time, I managed to finish a third can. I looked up at the wall clock for the nth time tonight; still not sign of Soraru-san coming home. I checked my phone to see if I got any notification; none.
My eyes started feeling warm, my visions blurred.
"... Soraru-san..." I said quietly.
I picked up my hand and wiped the tears away. I straightened my back before I took a big gulp off my fourth can. So this was what it felt like to be drinking beer when you were feeling down. It didn't make me feel better about myself at all.
I needed to hold onto something, I thought, and started looking around the living room for a Hanpen or Mafuteru. But my attention was caught by something else. I blinked a few times to readjust my eyesight so that I could see it clearly.
It was Soraru-san's hoodie.
He must have left it there, forgetting to put it into the laundry basket before he went out for a trip. I got onto four, and crawled towards it. I tucked my legs underneath me as I sat near the hoodie, staring hard at it. It was Soraru-san's hoodie, I thought to myself again, needing to reconfirm it with my brain so that it could tell me what I should do with it.
I slowly picked the hoodie up, and placed it in both my hands, rubbing the fabric together between my fingers. Then carefully, I brought it close to my body and buried my face into the hoodie. It still smelled like Soraru-san. It was Soraru-san's scent; that scent that always somehow calmed my senses; that scent that never failed to give me this weird sense of security.
It painfully reminded me of Soraru-san, so much that I could barely breathe.
I considered wearing it over myself and call it a day but-
"Mafumafu?"
Hmm? This voice could only belong to that person. I must be dreaming, I thought and hugged the hoodie tightly against myself. But there was this strange force trying to pull the hoodie away from me, and I held onto it with all my might, and yet I still lost. The hoodie was taken away from me, and I panicked.
"No! Give it back!"
The man before me wore the hoodie over himself, got down to my eye level and opened his arms.
"There's no point holding onto it if I'm not in it,"
I blinked once, twice.
"... So-Soraru..-san?" I said, unable to believe that he was in front of my eyes. And here I thought my birthday would end by the time he comes home.
"It's Soraru-san,"
"Soraru-san?"
"Yes,"
"Soraru-san...?"
"What is it, Mafumafu-"
Before Soraru-san could finish his sentence, I jumped into his arms, holding him tightly against me as my arms went around his back. He nearly lost his balance because of what I did, but I could hear him chuckle above my head. He placed his warm hand on my head and rubbed it gently, his other hand on my lower back.
"Soraru-san, Soraru-san, Soraru-san!" I kept repeating his name in a gibberish manner and each time I did, he'd ask me "What is it?" with that gentle voice of his.
"I thought you weren't coming back, I thought you couldn't make it for my birthday," I told him everything that happened today, and everything I thought wouldn't happen. He listened to every one of it and chuckled at a few eventful times I had today, especially the one with Amatsuki-kun.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he apologized, moving me from side to side as he cradled me.
"Fufu... You're forgiven," I mumbled before I rubbed my face into his chest. I let out a laugh when I feel as if I was floating in the air, and then a hiccup. Before I knew it, I was on the queen-sized bed in our bedroom, Soraru-san on top of me.
"Mm...?"
"Didn't I tell you to not drink too much alcohol?"
"Mafumafu never heard about anything of that sort!" I hiccupped again, laughing at nothing in particular as I spread my arms out on the bed.
I guess I was told to not do that but how could one think straight when he was feeling down when his lover was away on his birthday?
"... Hueh?" I let out a weird sound as I watched Soraru-san lower his head.
Our lips touched.
"... Happy birthday,"
I looked up at him, suddenly feeling my brain functioning properly, and my mind was no longer a blur. I reached out, wrapping my arms around his neck, staring into those beautiful, dark ocean blue orbs of his.
I smiled shyly at him.
"One more, please,"
He smiled back at me, feeling helpless, and kissed me as he was told.
I let out a bubbly giggle.
"One more,"
And he gave me another one.
"Presents?"
He shook his head at me.
I pouted.
"Was I not good enough as a present?"
I turned my head away from him, pretending to be upset at him. He was indeed all I needed for my birthday. You could say that all I wanted for my birthday was Soraru-san to come home. But I was not going to let it go to his head because I know he'd give me that smug grin, and I'd slap him in the face for it.
He chuckled and pecked me on the cheek, making me face him again so that he could give me another kiss on the lips. I closed my eyes to savour it. I felt something on my wrist, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Soraru-san holding up his right hand in front of me. There was this bracelet he was wearing that I had never seen before. He gestured me to take a look at my left hand.
It was a simple, silver bracelet with a tiny charm on it. It was shaped like a water droplet. Soraru-san pulled me up so that I was sitting on the bed. He showed me his bracelet again for a closer look and the charm on Soraru-san's bracelet was shaped like an umbrella.
"After the rain,"
With only these three words, I knew immediately what Soraru-san was trying to imply. He could seem to be the most unfriendly, most uncaring, most heartless and coldest in other people's eyes. But he was just one of those who couldn't really express himself very well and eventually got misunderstood by his intentions.
He was everything but what people thought he initially was from first impression.
"Happy birthday, Mafumafu,"
There would be a long way to go for the both us.
"Thank you, Soraru-san!"
And I hope I could celebrate all my birthday together with you again for all the coming years.
END
A/N: I'm sorry it's so short. I couldn't even give it a little read before I update this but I'll fix it tomorrow. For now, it's Mafumafu's birthday today. It's going to be a good day.