personavelvetroomdr | habbby bdayy (closed to hamuko, ichinose and morning)

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habbby bdayy (closed to hamuko, ichinose and morning)

-----> 23rd may, in maruki's apartment

It was the 23rd of May.

Maruki had been keeping an eye on the dates for weeks now. A small, red circle marked the number neatly on the calendar that sat atop his study desk, drawn in with the same meticulous care he applied to nearly everything else in his life. He’d told himself—promised himself—that he’d come up with something thoughtful for Ichinose’s birthday. Something more than the usual gestures. Something that said he’d been paying attention.

There had been a few complications, of course.

Ichinose said she had arrived in summer, and there was always the chance she’d already celebrated her birthday before meeting them—quietly, or not at all. He had tried watching her closely on the 6th, just in case. But her expression hadn’t shifted. No sign of expectation. No sulking. No joy. Nothing that screamed "this is a day for me."

Maybe he should’ve wished her a happy birthday then and there. But back then, he had been swamped—tangled in his research, consumed by the ever-growing list of patients, papers, the mess of his project. And of course, Morning.

Morning had taken priority.

It hurt him to keep the boy in the dark for so long—the Akira from another universe who was his son inadvertedly, one he never expected to meet. Every instinct told him to protect, to nurture, to give. So that’s what he’d done. The kid had already missed too much. Maruki couldn’t let him miss anything else.

So yes. Life had been full. Bursting, even.

But today was for them.

-----

He had taken Morning along with him to the lab under the pretense of needing help with a light calibration test—some throwaway excuse he knew Morning wouldn’t question too deeply. Ichinose was already there when they arrived, nose-deep in her work, and Maruki only smiled faintly before excusing himself.

“Sorry, I’ve got to run a quick errand. Won’t be long,” he said, grabbing his coat. “Just don’t let Morning fall asleep in my chair again, yeah?”

Then he slipped out, coat flaring slightly behind him, and headed straight to the place where the real work was already underway.

-----

Back at his apartment, the lights were dimmed low to hide the still-in-progress decorations. Modest balloons, two cakes waiting in the fridge. There was even a small hand-made banner hung clumsily above the kitchen archway that read: Happy Birthday!!—with the letters slightly crooked in their tape. Not his best visual work, but it had heart.

Maruki stood near the window now and occasionally peeked through the peephole of the entrance door at every small sound from the hallway, every shuffle of feet. He spotted them just a block away. Not yet. Still a little time.

He turned back into the room, brushing off his hands and checking that the candles were still tucked safely in their packaging.

"Hamu—uh, Hamuko-san?" he called out softly toward the kitchen. "They’re on their way here. Just got the text." He had messaged them that he's out to get groceries.

He moved to adjust one of the streamers that had started drooping again—tape failing, or humidity, he couldn’t tell which.

“I think this might actually work,” he murmured, almost to himself. A faint, nervous smile tugged at his lips as he looked over everything one last time. The table was set. The gifts- to an extent, the food, the soft jazz in the background.

Now all that was left was for the door to open.

And the moment of surprise to land.

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"Naw, I like tidying up - it's a nice way to wind down after an energetic party, don't you think?"

Hamuko paused to stretch her arms over her head, a few subtle pops coming from her shoulders and elbows - nothing dramatic, and probably a sign of her fighting for the past year and a half.

"I had a lot of fun. I'm glad I got invited."

"I am a messy soul, Hamuko-san. Like literally, I think you are the first person I have heard who's claimed that." Usually he prefers working on the mess the next day and if Morning wasn't living with him- he would have left the actual cleaning for after he wakes up.

That said...the neatness of it was nice.

"I am glad you had fun," Maruki said with a smile. "And honestly I owe you- if anything. You have been a great help, Hamuko-san. Overall so...thank you."

"Friends don't keep tally!" Hamuko reminded him, chuckling a bit as she stretched. "I'll come to your party too - depending on how long 'till then, I might be able to make something really fun in time."

"Right...friends don't do that," he recounted like he had forgotten which in retrospect, it didn't come easy when he attached the rule to himself.

What especially catches him off guard is what Hamuko says next- making his eyes widen. "My party...ah, I almost can't believe it's that time of the year," he blinks like he genuinely did not keep up with the timeline. "I don't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday actually."

Well, she knows the feeling, at least.

"So you're a summer birthday! I did hear that most adults don't really bother after a while, but you threw a party for Ichinose-san, so why not have one for you, too?"

Maruki raises a brow at her, smiling softly at the sweet sentiment.

"If we are continuing the tradition then we need to throw you a party as well, don't you think?"

"...Ah, well. I haven't celebrated mine either," Hamuko shrugged, though in a rare moment of unease, she glanced away.

There's a tense silence - Hamuko has to think, for a moment, about whether or not to even share this. But... she'd shared more recent hurt with him, just the other day. She said she would do her best to be more honest with him... and it seemed to lift his spirits, too, being trusted.

And... she hadn't really voiced this whole thing for a long, long time. No fosters bothered celebrating, she never told classmates, early on she would often take a sick day...

...

"It's the 2nd of October... but that's also the day that the explosion happened," she said in a soft, somewhat brittle voice. Like she was a bit unsteady even bringing it up. "I mourn that day instead."

Oh! She looked away...strange. He observes her and her moment of unease while deciding not to walk through the door and into his apartment again- standing with Hamuko and keeping their conversation private until Hamuko is comfortable enough to walk in again.

The silence felt heavy but the man didn't even flinch. His gaze remained adamantly gentle before he decided to reach forward and place his hand on her shoulder again. It's a boundary he knew he could cross but she sounded unsteady and...

He sighed in remorse. He couldn't fathom how she found herself standing despite all the tragedy.

Give me my mom and dad-!

And she had lost her parents on her birthday too.

"I am really...sorry to hear that." His voice sombers like the heavy notes on a piano echoing across his palace. "Someone close to me lost both of her parents in a horrific burglar that took place on the night of her birthday. S-so I understand how devastating it can be."

"It's cruel...what life throws at you sometimes."

Edited 2025-05-30 19:52 (UTC)

"'Cruel' implies intention from life, or fate... I don't know that if fate exists, it can be cruel," Hamuko answered softly, gently resting her fingers on top of the hand on her shoulder.

So he too knew someone who'd lost her family...

"A burglar, though... that's terrifying. I'm so sorry for your friend, too, I also completely understand her. It's so, so hard," Hamuko gently nodded in agreement. "I guess, if... if she's going through it more recently than I did, then... you can let her know that it does get easier to keep going, with time. Even if it takes a long time to get back up... eventually, you can."

Maruki would argue that if she were chosen to be the wildcard and the ultimate sacrifice against Nyx to seal her influence away- fate had to be involved somewhere. Or this girl somehow managed to attract all the possible bad luck she could have gotten in her entire life.

...you can let her know that it does get easier to keep going, with time.

He closed his eyes, pretending that he actually didn't hear those words from her but man- it never got easier, did it? Hearing possibilities such as this when there was no end in sight. If anything it only seemed to get worse as time went on. His jaw tightened as an almost bitter chuckle left his lips.

"I suppose I will be convinced when I see that recovered version of her here."

Almost immediately he shook his head, surprised by the tone with which he said those words.

"Ah haha, sorry," he can't even wave his hand or try to physically dispel the tension. "It's just...well, what I am trying to say I admire your optimism, Hamuko-san. And I appreciate that you trust me enough to open up about it."

"Yeah... I do," Hamuko exhaled a bit, nodding, a bit of the tension deflating from her anyway. "It's sad and difficult, but... only way left is forward, you know? Maybe this year I might actually try to celebrate myself. Maybe I'll pick another day to celebrate 'me'. But I should still celebrate my spirit persisting this far."

Through deaths, and horrors, and doom, she was still here. Thanks in no small part to Igor, and to the people that loved and trusted her in return.

"I should celebrate that I can still love, and laugh, and meet new people. I am sad about things, but... I can't let my happiness drown underneath all of it. My happiness deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged, too."

"Now that's the spirit!" Maruki remarks delightfully, forcing himself to actually grin despite his mellow mood. This wasn't about him after all, Hamuko needed the support and Maruki wanted to do everything in his power to make sure he did just that. Hamuko needed someone here and no matter how strong she gets...she needs someone to keep her strong too, right?

"I am sure wherever your family is right now- they would love to see you celebrate your reason for living every single day through countless hardships. It doesn't need to be a loud party...but it can be a party nonetheless so take things at your own pace, alright?"

"A little party... yeah, that might be nice! I'll figure out what I want to do by October. Or earlier. There's a lot of days that mean a lot of nice things, to me," Hamuko hummed in agreement, nodding.

"So? Yours is up soon, right? Which day do I plan for?"

"A different day sounds like a wonderful idea," he nodded as well. She could reserve a different day to celebrate her special day...

Back to him though, huh? "Me? I don't...I don't know if there's any point to it."

Then he snapped his fingers- "Ah-! you know, I think the calendar skipped that day this year. Total mystery-!"

"Uh oh, do you think I won't resort to clever underhanded tactics to find out if you don't just come clean? Maybe I'll organize a HUGE party for you. Lights, streamers, a rented band for a live concert--"

He pressed his lips firmly, a little caught off guard by her insistence. And she says she will organize a huge party but judging the state of this place, he would be surprised if she managed all of that.

"...it's july 10th," he remarks quietly- now thankful that they are standing outside his apartment. "You don’t have to go to all that trouble. Honestly, I’m... I would much rather focus on other things. Morning's health, the extent of my research and other small projects. Or to make your day more special. I think I would enjoy that far more."

"Heehee. July tenth! You're freed from the punishment of being grandly celebrated," she teased, giving him a playful little punch to the elbow.

"I got about a month to make your present, then - perfect. I can pull something off!"

Oh, the punch came just like that-! "Oomph, have mercy on my fragile bones, will you?" He joked back as he rubbed his elbow. And punishment of being grandly celebrated? He doesn't see celebration like that-! He just...doesn't think he needs to put the time into it.

"But you already have, Hamuko-san. The present resides right next to my work bag," he shakes his head with a wry smile. referring to the satchel that she had just gifted him a month ago.

"Sure is! And you're getting another one. Any special requests? Otherwise I'm gonna have full creative liberty!"

It never, ever got old insisting on giving people thoughtful gifts - little tokens of gestures showing what she thought of the people in her life.

Hamuko's hospitality felt more like a threat with each passing second. The promise of another gift was certainly something-!

"I really appreciate your kindness, Hamuko-san. There's nothing more I would love as a gift from you aside from the thought of it," he reassured her with a twitching smile. Honestly, the only special request he could ask for is for others to trust him more...but he knows Hamuko can't grant something like that. He can't grant it by force either after all. Too suspicious.

Alas, she can only offer her own friendship - she'll just have to make it as bright and fun as it can be, getting to know him and getting a mutual trust built up. They both could use it, after all.

"Hehe. Okay! I'll make sure it's something nice and handy - that way you can use it often and remember the first birthday you've celebrated in a while. I promise I'll pick a day for me in return, sound fair?"

The man brightened up at the question- relieved with how everything turned out. "Give me a bit of a headsup then so that I can finally come up with a good gift for you. I am not as crafty as you are after all but I will come up with something-!" He picked himself up in the end- trying to sound as confident as he hoped he could come across anyway.

That said, he looks out and into the narrow walkway that oversees the dark night. "It's getting late though...isn't it?"

"It is! I should be mostly okay if I head home, since I'm strong enough that most Dark Hour shadows run away at the sight of me, assuming nothing strange decides to pop up tonight."

It hadn't even really occurred to her to ask to stay over the night.

He figured so, judging from the type of person that Hamuko always was. Accomodating, welcoming and most of all forgiving. He had ought to return the favour.

"You sure? You can stay over here if you want." Maruki presents the choice anyway, hospitable as he is. "As things are, Kuon is probably is going to sleep in here again anyway so you would have to share the bed with her if you don't mind that." He doesn't even notice the slip of the first name before the girl, gesturing at his door with a thumb. "Or I could arrange a mattress for you seperately. Whatever is more comfortable for you."

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