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Hajime winds the flower stem around his fingertips, then secures the blossom into the gaps of the wreath. The colorful petals sway gently in the breeze. He places this crude, hastily made creation onto Nagito's head. A small, unsecured stem pokes into Nagito's hair, making his heart flutter with the salty sea wind.
Since Nagito had never celebrated his birthday, Hajime is trying to do it for him. During one of those peaceful, loving days, Hajime invites Nagito to Jabberwock Park. They lean against the trunk of a tree with sprawling branches. Hajime narrows his eyes fondly, seeming quite pleased with how the flower crown rests on Nagito's head. The corners of Hajime's lips curve upward, his smile brushing against Nagito's eyes like a feather—light enough to leave a lingering itch at their edges.
Considering Hajime re-entered the program to wake their companions, perhaps that day truly was Nagito's birthday.
Dappled shadows from the leaves fall over that bright smile, which is directed straight at Nagito. A wave of heat rushes to Nagito's head, makes his cheeks and earlobes burning. So he averts his gaze from Hajime's eyes and covers his face with his hands, trying to cover up the spilling out emotions.
He suddenly opens his eyes, and the dream dissipates like a receding tide, leaving only the morning light seeping through the curtain. The side of Nagito's face turned toward the window is scorching hot. He presses a hand over it, as if to hold onto the fleeting yet strangely real emotions.
"Next time, I'll celebrate it for you." In the prototype of that dream, in one of those days spent on Jabberwock Island, Hajime waved cheerfully and made that promise to Nagito.
That guy—with his effortless, boundary-less ways—always gotten along so easily with everyone on Jabberwock Island.
Nagito rolls over, then gets out of the bed. He pushes open the door and finds Hajime is carefully lifting a cake base out of the oven.
"What are you doing, Hajime?" By the time Nagito approaches from behind, Hajime already holds a triangular piping bag, swirling along the edges of the cake, so that the cream could slumps into soft, fluffy clouds. "Ah, could it be my birthday? Hajime actually remembers such a meaningless day..."
"If you're awake, just wait quietly." Hajime uses his free hand to press down Nagito's head, which is trying to peek around. Nagito catches a glimpse of the half-finished pixel art of himself on the cake, with two black chocolate dots serving as his tiny eyes. But those slender fingers keep blocking his attempts to get a better look. Nagito simply grabs the hand and playfully licks a smear of cream from Hajime's thumb.
"You—!" Hajime's ears instantly turn red, just like Nagito's used to when he was teased on Jabberwock Island. This small, smug sense of victory makes Nagito happy. But Hajime, refusing to surrender , dabs a bit of cream onto Nagito's nose. "You are really like a thieving cat."
Of course, suffering from the sudden attack , the piping bag which is hold by Hajime got trembling. The originally flat mouth of the pixel Nagito art turning to a curve smile slightly at the end.
However the entire surface of the cake, which should have neatly layered swirls of cream, looks a bit flat, seems the cream hasn't been prepared properly.
Nagito suddenly laughs. "Someone like me... is worth Hajime going through the trouble of making a cake in this 'talentless' state?"
Hajime pauses hand. A few drops of cream fall onto the counter.
"I practice a lot, but still cannot compare to my talent." Hajime presses his lips together as if gathering courage, then relaxes and lowers his head. "I just want to make something truly yours..."
"Mmm ... , never mind, Hajime tastes good." Nagito licks the corner of his mouth, chasing the lingering taste of stolen cream.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
Hajime's cheeks flush as he grumbles, but he quickly returns to decorating the cake. Nagito wraps his arms around Hajime from behind, resting his sharp chin on Hajime's shoulder. The murmured words that follow are soft and fluffy, like a small animal nuzzling against Hajime's chest.
"I say, I love you, Hajime."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Hajime lights the candles on the cake. The tiny flames cast a warm golden glow over Nagito's pale gray eyes.
"Make a wish."
"Someone like me wishing would only bring misfortune."
"Then I'll make it." Hajime takes Nagito's hands and clasps them between his own. "I wish for Komaeda Nagito to live well, to celebrate his next birthday, and the one after that ... "
"...That's too greedy, Hajime." Feeling Nagito stirs in his neck , Hajime opens his eyes . Nagito is closer than ever. His nose lightly brushes Hajime's cheek, long eyelashes casting faint shadows, but they soon regain their liveliness, fluttering slightly. His narrow eyes gaze intently at Hajime.
He turns Hajime's hands over, pressing it beneath his own, then places both their hands over Hajime's heart.
"Just one is enough." Nagito whispers. "Being with Hajime is my birth celebration."
"Then every day will be your cake day." Hajime scoops up a bite of cake and feeds it to Nagito.
"Happy birthday, Nagito."
The End