it’d taken what felt like years off of his life, perfecting the recipes so they’d remain the consistency he had strived & labored for. he’d stayed up late for the cause, not a wink of sleep or a moment of respite allowed whilst he baked & decorated until the late hours of the night, until the sun had finally risen above the mountains & the dogs had awoken from their slumber to greet him in the kitchen with enthusiastic tail wags. they’re hardly flawless in presentation, but he’s ever the perfectionist so he doesn’t take it to heart / they’re pretty regardless, a varying array of gourmet pastries in multiple colors, organized by color like a rainbow. no thought is given to the mess he’s made of himself, splotches of a multitude of confectionery consistencies adorning his face & he makes no attempt at rubbing the chocolate from his countenance with the fabric of his already dirty apron.
it’s with a dog - like eagerness that he enters their shared bedroom, their two canines in tow, almost proud as if they’d even helped him with the creation of the desserts. ( licking the frosting off the kitchen floor doesn’t count. ) the wooden board they’re arranged on is settled on the bed, on the opposite side of them, so that they don’t crush his hard work if they startle awake. a palm gingerly cups their face & he caresses the soft skin of their cheek with a thumb. “baby —— wake up, it’s finally your birthday, i made you something.”
their dream was a gentle one , one of them and their husband on a multitude of dates . they love dreams like this , aware of its existence but slumbering so peacefully that they dare not wake . the waking world is just as kind , with their everlasting marriage , ongoing fugitive status notwithstanding . every moment with tohma in tow is one spent happily , in a way they'd never thought would be eventually possible . their life has been one of strife , much nonphysical , of leadership thrust upon them unwanted , of expectations failed in reaching and the crumbling of a dream around which his life was centered . one can imagine , then , their bliss in at last finding such a simple dream's conclusion . for all their pain , they've finally come to terms with their failure , spoiled every day with the marriage of a man they don't deserve .
every now and then , they think about it . they think about how he doesn't deserve tohma's everlasting , ever increasing kindness , his dog - like loyalty to his own person . his own person . tohma is his person . such a thought brings a smile to him , even in sleep . his undeserving is cast aside like trash . tohma would be angry , if he know that he thought such a thing , and so , if tohma would be upset , all such things are forcefully ejected as easily as the carbon dioxide is when he breathes .
the voice is what reaches him first . silver eyelashes flutter open slowly , everything before him blurry until he's blinked several times , lover coming ever so leisurely into focus . ❛ baby . . . is something the matter ? ❜ then a pause , whilst his voice comes somewhat into understanding with time . then , they sit up rather quickly , leading to them getting dizzy enough to immediately fall back onto the pillow . ❛ oh . . . my apologies , i seem to have completely forgotten . ❜ they laugh gently . ❛ are these for me ? please do excuse my bad manners , but as it turns out , i'm frightfully hungry . ❜ without waiting for an answer , he takes one and pops it into his mouth . it's rather out of character for him , but what else could they be for ? on their birthday , of all days ? their expression almost melts in tandem with the chocolate in their maw . ❛ dear , ❜ spoken around the pastry , then reminding him to chew and swallow before speaking , ❛ they're amazing . i love them . could i have another ? we should share them . ❜
