devotion is a slow burn, a steady glow of sapphire under lamplight. the kind that deepens over five years until his breath against your temple is as necessary as oxygen, until the weight of his hand on your hip anchors him to earth when infinity threatens to pull him elsewhere.
dessert dishes sit abandoned in the sink and the birthday candles are melted to nothing. the city beyond the window dims to a navy velvet.
PIXIE [donned in copper, tender wisdom wrapped in silk and quietude] sits tucked into the corner of the couch. her fur shawl pools around her shoulders, cream against bronze, curls catching lamplight and turning amber at the edges. behind her glasses, eyes soft and deep as forest earth track the man beside her.
SATORU [catastrophically beautiful, the kind of man who bends the room's gravity toward himself without trying] sprawls beside her with loose-limbed. his jacket hangs open, and his tie is freshly loosened. the sapphire on his middle finger catches light as he reaches a hand to her.
SATORU: [pulling the shawl around them both, cocooning] come here, birthday girl.
she shifts into his orbit with zero hesitation--of course, with five years having created a language of their bodies. the way she knows exactly how to fit against his side, how to let her head find the hollow of his shoulder and her hand spread over his heart to feel the steady thrum beneath expensive fabric.
his arm comes around her waist, fingers splaying against silk.
SATORU: [lips brushing her temple] best birthday dinner of your life, right? i outdid myself.
PIXIE: [soft amusement threading her voice] you took me to the same restaurant we went to last year.
SATORU: [grin audible] well, consistency is romantic.
PIXIE: [turning to look up at him, chestnut eyes luminous] it was perfect.
and the way she says it--simple and true, without requiring embellishment--makes something behind his ribs tighten. she sees through every layer of bravado he wears, sees the man behind infinity. loves him anyway, loves him because.
his hand comes up to remove her glasses with careful reverence, folding and setting them aside. then his fingers find her face, and his thumb traces the high curve of her cheekbone. she catches his hand and lays a kiss to the palm. their fingers intertwine, and the sapphires on their middle fingers align; twin stones in parallel, catching light like captured starlight.
wear this. so they know. so you know.
SATORU: another year in the books... five years...
sapphires for loyalty. for faithfulness that doesn't waver. for wisdom enough to choose each other every day.
PIXIE: [studying the matched rings] where else would i be?
it's not a question, but rather an answer to every unspoken fear he carries.
that power isolates, that infinity creates distance. that being the strongest means being alone.
but her hand in his, sapphire against sapphire, proves otherwise.
SATORU: [lifting her hand, pressing his mouth to her knuckles] you're too good to me.
PIXIE: [the smallest smile] mm. probably.
he laughs, surprised and delighted, and pulls her fully into his lap. the shawl falls away and copper silk pools around her thighs. her knees are tucked against his thigh and suddenly the air between them thickens, something to sink in.
his hands span her waist, thumbs stroking the curve of her ribs through whisper-thin fabric. at the same time, her palms find his chest, feel the quickening of his heartbeat.
SATORU: [tilted back to look at her, voice dropping] have i told you how devastating you look tonight?
PIXIE: [fingers working his tie fully loose] three times at dinner. and then twice in the car.
SATORU: [smirking, leaning in for a kiss] allow me to make it six.
when he kisses her, it's nothing short of reverent. his mouth slipping against hers with such slow deliberation, a moment where the ticking of time comes to a pause. he tastes her bottom lip. the corner of her smile. smirks at the sharp inhale coaxed out of her when his teeth graze her jaw.
her fingers thread through white hair, nails scratching lightly at his nape, and he makes a sound low in his throat that vibrates through her.
PIXIE: [pulling back just enough to breathe] satoru--
SATORU: [chasing her mouth] say my name like that again.
PIXIE: [laughing softly against his lips] we should--the dishes--
SATORU: [hands sliding up her back, finding the zipper] screw the dishes.
PIXIE: [owl-wise even when flushed with desire] you're impossible.
her eyes, those endless brown depths that miss nothing, soften impossibly further. she cups his face between her palms, thumbs stroking his cheekbones, and looks at him like he hung the moon. the gentlest of cradles. a look that reminds him that infinity is just another word for home.
PIXIE: i love you.
the words land like a blessing. they're the only truth that matters in a world of curses and endless, exhausting strength.
he pulls her forehead to his and breathes her in.
birthday girl. his girl. five years and counting. sapphire promises on matching fingers.
SATORU: [barely a whisper] happy birthday, pixie.
she kisses him again--slow and deep and endless as the night stretching before them. devotion is a slow burn, and they're both content to let it consume them.
— @pixiespond my sweetest girl!!!! i think when the stars align just right, there will be moments when someone sends an anonymous ask on tumblr dot com about the scent profile of bakugou's cologne (OF ALL THINGS!!!) and suddenly!!!!!! the trajectory of your life shifts just a little, to let someone extraordinary in. and that extraordinary someone is you!! my pixie!!!!!! gah... i cannot help but think what a gift that moment turned out to be;; to meet someone like you meant being reminded of the existence of all the quiet and steady sources of love in this world. you've taught me, without ever really meaning to, how to really observe. how wisdom comes in the thoughtful pauses before speaking!! in the careful attention you give to everyone and everything you love <33333 truly i think you love the way an owl watches!!!!! so patient and perceptive and never missing anything, and with that i think you make everyone in your life feel truly seen and cherished (gojo is nodding along with me!!).
these years we've had together growing and changing feel like accumulated treasures. sapphires building in meaning over time (FORGIVE ME!!!! i couldn't help myself >u<). in every conversation and comment on posts and shared excitement over our selfships!!! and my pixie, i hope you know that the way you move through the world with such careful observation and genuine care makes the world softer for everyone lucky enough to know you :3 i can say this much personally at least!!!! so here's to another year circling the sun!!! may this year bring you everything your tender heart desires and deserves and may you be loved as steadily as you love <3333 i love you pixie!!!!!!!! thank you for sending me that ask almost four years ago, and thank you for every moment we have had since!!!! happy birthday, my dearest friend :^)
