he overheard it from kuina , when she was telling the others that she was preparing a surprise for chishiya , and he heard her say that it was tomorrow . today β niragi hates that he's taken a whole day off from the beach duties yesterday to search for chishiya's favorite snack . the biscuits . there's nothing special about them , he's seen chishiya nibble on them in the kitchen though . once β he doesn't even know how he remembers them . niragi knocks on chishiya's door at two am , stares at him with unimpressed eyes and tosses the crackers to his chest . he knows chishiya can catch them . β happy birthday , i guess . β / from niragi β¨
β³ πππ π π‘ππ π: HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHISHIYA!
Most people celebrate the approach of midnight for their birthday. Chishiya plays a death game instead. Not because he needs to, but because he chooses to play despite having several days on his visa still. There's something poetic in the idea of dying on the day that you're born. ( It's statistically more likely to die on one's birthday, although mainly due to alcohol consumption and increased risk-taking behavior. ) But he comes back, like usual. Birthday brought in with the sounds of lasers and Congratulations! and cold winter winds. Kuina's thankfully caught up so he can slip to his room before she screams HAPPY BIRTHDAY and draws attention in the busy lobby of the Beach and he's long gone by time she does. Safe in his room with the plan to avoid tomorrow. Or technically today. Just treat it like any other day. Insignificant, unimportant.
THERE'S A KNOCK. Chishiya stills, staring at his door for a moment before he walks forward and opens it. It's Niragi, with a very unimpressed expression that earns a dead-eyed stare from Chishiya until something is being tossed at him. His attention darts towards catching the unexpected item instead with a cloud of confusion. But he succeeds and he tears his eyes away from Niragi to look at the object instead.
It's his favorite snack. The Beach has been out of them for weeks now, and Chishiya hasn't seen them in any of the stores or gas stations that are sometimes visited after the games. NOT THAT HE'S LOOKED HARD ; Chishiya isn't very food motivated , but he knows they aren't very easy to find. But somehow Niragi's gotten ahold of them. Niragi remembered. Even if Chishiya had only offhandedly remarked that they were his favorite after Niragi had half taunted, half teased him about snacking one night.
And then the explanation as Chishiya looks back to him. Happy birthday, I guess. Chishiya wants to point out the fact that HE NEVER TOLD NIRAGI THAT. And he regrets telling Kuina because she MUST be the culprit. Something flashes in his eyes ; a rare vulnerability of UNCERTAINTY and something else before it dies in the void of his eyes. Chishiya doesn't celebrate and he didn't think Niragi would be the kind to either. But here he is. Niragi spent who knows how long finding his favorite snack that he somehow remembered and there's a wound splitting somewhere under the ice. A whisper of warmth trickles through his chest like blood under gauze but he won't admit that. His throat tightens a fraction, his mouth a little dry for a moment.
" I didn't realize you would be so intent on being the first to say that. Congratulations. " Chishiya settles for a familiar style of tease for BOTH of their sakes even if it lacks his usual bite. He drops his gaze back to the package in his hands and that wound is still bleeding inside ; LIKE A GAS LEAK. " First time I've heard that in years. " Spoken, but it sounds more like a thought to himself than necessarily to Niragi. Not sad, not happy, only detached like an observation. Which is was. His family never celebrated birthdays beyond any major ones that society expected a big event for. Too sentimental and pointless ; the date of birth was no more important than anything else as he'd heard said. Chishiya probably should have cared, at least as a kid. But he hadn't, despite how other kids babbled about loving family and times filled with cakes and candles and laughter.
Chishiya studies Niragi, and then steps back to leave space for him to walk in if he chose to. AN OFFER FOR HIM TO COME IN , but not a request. Chishiya does not beg and he won't with this. But the offer sits there, a rare opportunity given without asking or build up. Only Chishiya choosing to in his own way.
The package crinkles as Chishiya opens it, taking one of the biscuits and biting into it. It tastes of chocolate and wafer, not overpowering but not too bland either. HE DOESN'T SAY THANK YOU, not directly, but he's pleased. " Good choice. " Perfect, actually ; if a gift was given he'd prefer something not loud and over the top. And this is practical, something h's already enjoying as he watches Niragi to see what he would do. Normally Chishiya could expect it - tonight, it seems the militant has a few surprises in his deck. / @angerify