#hm time to return to coffee talk w shu bc i am entirely too obsessed

[sailxrmxrs]

is there any more appropriate way to celebrate your birthday than to write fics for your own personal enjoyment? no there isn't this is the perfect gift to myself <3 my plans this weekend changed more than my discord server profiles do BUT 24 seems p nice so far so no complaints just yet. anyway!! i wrote these as little 'how the infinite blue boys celebrate mc's birthday' hcs with some loose inspiration from this ask on the vf tumblr with my own thoughts in there too hehe. anyway happy birthday to me and ito we are thriving today in brainrot aka the only way to celebrate getting older

♡ leo ♡

Night had fallen and sleep was uncermoniously tugging at your eyelids, attempting to coax you into a peaceful slumber before you could even get fully settled. Leo was still in the bathroom, brushing his teeth while you sat and scrolled on your phone waiting for him to join you again. Midnight was fast approaching and with it, your birthday. Leo had been even more excited than you were about the day, wanting to prepare the perfect set of plans for the two of you that included all of your favourite things to do together. It was rather cute seeing him get so excited over it all, especially considering he hadn't even been this proactive in planning his own birthday plans. To see him get so involved in your birthday made your heart skip a few beats. When Leo emerged from the bathroom, beaming in his years old t-shirt, there was no stopping your own sleepy smile from spanning your face. He had this infectious energy that you never grew tired of, finding that it only fuelled your own positive moods even on some of the more stressful days. Leo climbed into the bed, fast in his movements to get close to you and cuddle. Nighttime cuddles were, as Leo often proclaimed, his favourite time of day.

"Do you know what time it is?" He asked, barely concealing the enthusiastic anticipation that painted his tone. His legs were intertwined with yours, his arms wrapping around your frame as you sleepily faced him.

"Bedtime. I'm sleepy." Each blink you took felt heavier than the last, sleep ever the seductive temptress trying to lure you into its grasp. It was working.

Leo shook his head, tutting. "Not quite. Well, technically you're right but that wasn't what I had in mind. I'm thinking more about the fact we're less than thirty minutes away from your birthday. And I intend on being the first person to wish you a happy birthday—sleep or no sleep." His words soon fell on deaf ears, sleep finally taking over your body and pulling you under.

Leo let out a soft little chuckle, holding you a little tighter as he rested his cheek against your forehead. "No matter. You get some rest for now, plenty of time to celebrate ahead of us."

A little while later, once midnight struck, Leo ran a hand softly over your cheek, feeling every inch of his smile in the depths of his soul as he held your sleeping form in his arms. He had intended on waking you up to offer your first birthday wishes right as the days changed but when he saw how peaceful you looked, he couldn't bring himself to do it. You'd had a busy day, after all, and you really needed and deserved this rest. So, Leo let himself get cosy and fall asleep with you in his arms.

Once morning arrived, you were surprised to see that Leo wasn't there. You could vaguely remember falling asleep as he was talking to you, suddenly feeling bad that he might have wanted to stay up a little longer. Intending to go and find him to apologise for falling asleep so fast, you got out of bed. The moment you left the bedroom, you were met with shouts of denial from Leo.

"No! Not yet! I haven't gotten everything finished yet," he cried, a half filled balloon in his hands. Quickly scanning the room, you could see balloons littering the floor and other decorations adorned the walls. Leo really had gone out of his way for today, hadn't he?

"What's all this? Did you wake up early just to do all this for me?" You asked, making your way over to a pouting Leo.

"Yeah. I wanted everything to be perfect for when you woke up, since you fell asleep so fast and I couldn't give you the perfect celebration right as it hit midnight."

You reached your hands to cup his face, angling it so that he looked into your eyes. "Leo. This already is perfect. You are perfect. This is all more than anyone else has done for me so I love it. And I love you for even thinking of doing this much. I'm sorry I slept so fast and we couldn't have a little midnight celebration."

"Nope. No apologising." Leo interrupted you, placing a finger to cover your mouth and subsequently letting go of the balloon in his grasp, sending it flying about the room. The two of you burst into fits of laughter, unable to hold back at the sound and sight of the balloon. Once you both finally calmed, Leo inhaled a deep breath. "But seriously, no apologising. You were tired and needed the rest. That's far more important than whatever I want. It is your birthday after all, not mine. That said, I do have a little something that I'd intended to give you then. Close your eyes!" He bounded off towards the kitchen. When he returned, he instructed that you hold out your hands. Upon his countdown, you opened your eyes to see a small vanilla cupcake, swirled with your favourite icing and decorated with a singular lit candle.

"Make a wish!" Leo called, a party popper in hand and ready to explode once you blew out the small flame. Strings of confetti landed atop both of your heads, the cupcake miraculously remaining unscathed. "Happy birthday, love. I hope it's the best one you've ever had. Until next year, anyway. I'll make sure of it."

♡ milo ♡

It was early evening by the time you finally got home from work, fully ready to spend the remaining few hours of your birthday with the only person you needed right now. Working on your birthday wasn't high on the list of things you wanted to do, but knowing Milo was at home waiting made it all worthwhile. As you walked through the front door, contentedly sighing as you removed your shoes, the faint sounds of music could be heard from down the hall. Following the sound, you were met with the sight of Milo laying fast asleep on the sofa, a hand lazily draped over his stomach and his usually tied back hair loose over his shoulders, uncharacteristically messy in his sleep. On the coffee table beside him lay a bouquet of flowers, an assortment of warm yellows and oranges with sprigs of green filtering through. A pleasant scent wafted in the air, filling the room with its floral fragrance as your gaze shifted to the note that sat atop a wrapped gift. In true Milo fashion, he had not poured his heart out in the form of honeyed words and declarations of undying love, but kept it to a short and sweet birthday message. Old habits die hard, you supposed.

Smiling to yourself, you set the note down, about to reach for the gift when a large hand wrapped around your wrist and tugged, pulling you directly on top of Milo. When he had awoken you weren't sure—if he had ever even been awake in the first place, that was. It was equally likely that he'd been pretending the whole time purely to catch you off guard. His hands glided up your arms, their touch soft and exploratory while he simply smiled.

"Welcome home. And happy birthday. They treat you nicely at work today?" Milo's hand soon found your back, rubbing back and forth as he kept his eyes locked on yours.

"Nice enough, I guess. I tried to keep it fairly quiet but I'm sure you can guess how well that went. Still, I'm home now and that's all that matters."

"Not for long." Milo didn't explain further, simply continuing with his gentle ministrations, his other hand now playing absentmindedly with your hair.

Eyeing him curiously, you asked, "And what is that supposed to mean? What evil plans have you been conjuring while I was gone, hm, Milo?"

He gasped, feigning offence as his mouth fell agape. "Evil plans? How could you accuse me of such a thing? But to answer your question, we have dinner reservations in an hour. At that Italian place you've always wanted to visit."

"I thought it was near immpossible to get a booking there."

"Your so called 'evil' boyfriend managed to pull some strings. We should probably get up and start getting ready. Might need you to help me up though I've been laying here a little too long."

Laughing, you moved off of Milo's chest, offering out a hand once you were stood. Judging by the mischevious glint in Milo's eyes, you could tell he was contemplating taking your hand and pulling you back on top of him, only deciding against it when he noticed your challenging stare. Instead, once he had risen from the sofa, he pulled you in for a close hug and caught your lips in a quick kiss. His actions never failed to leave you breathless and dizzy in all the best ways. Milo was infamously stoic, never once falling victim to your attempts to fluster him or catch him off guard. But you didn't mind it if it meant he endeavoured to one up you with his own romantic advances.

The hour quickly passed by and soon the both of you were sat in the beautifully fancy restaurant, filled to the brim with other occupants all enjoying the most lavish meals. Your own food had been so perfectly cooked and presented on the plate. Despite the delicious home cooking you and Milo often concocted together, it had nothing on this food. All kind of traditional Italian foods filled both the menu and your stomachs, leaving you well and truly satisfied as you sat opposite Milo—who looked equally as pleased with his choice in dinner plans.

"Judging by that look you won't say no to coming here again?" Milo asked, smirking as he watched you sit back in your chair. The waiter had just taken your empty plates, leaving the question of dessert hovering above your heads.

"I think I'd do just about anything to come back here. If we don't come here for your birthday I might cry."

Milo chuckled, a hand moving across the table to take yours, his thumb leaving soft circles atop the skin. "Consider it done, my love."

"My love? Feeling soft tonight, dearest?"

"It's the Italian food talking, not me." Milo's rarely seen lovesick expression gave away his obvious lie. "Still, I hope your birthday was a good one. I know working wasn't exactly how you wanted to spend it."

"This was perfect, Milo. Work or no work, ending the day with you is all I could ask for."

Milo lowered his head to hide exactly how much your bright smile had struck him. The faintest colouring of pink rose on the tips of his ears, perhaps the only time you had ever witnessed him close to blushing. You kept the thought to yourself, simply admiring the view before you. Yes, this had certainly been a birthday worth remembering for years to come.

♡ rory ♡

In the days leading up to your birthday, Rory had been mostly acting as normal. Mostly. Underneath his nonchalant demeanour and typical behaviour was a feeling of distant yearning. As though he wanted to express his emotions in a more upfront manner than he was used to displaying in front of you. Usually Rory was all awkward gestures and undeniably adorable blushing that he always tried to hide behind a cough. His feelings were ever present in his actions rather than his words, one of the many reasons you cared for him and appreciated him so deeply. But as your birthday approached ever closer, the frequency and boldness of his words and actions steadily increased. Where before he might gently reach for your hand while out in public, he was now leaning an arm around your shoulders while waiting in line, gently kissing your forehead as his cheeks flamed almost as red as his hair. The additional closeness was sweet, though unexpected from Rory, but you knew better than to draw attention to it—at least not in public anyway. There was plenty of time to call him out for his increased affections later when there was no one to bear witness to an instatiably flustered Rory. Even if he was being that little bit more affectionate in public, there was still a limit to the extent that Rory could stretch when in eyesight of potential onlookers or passersby.

When the actual day arrived, you awoke to an almost conscious Rory. Not quite awake enough to register that it was morning, but still not asleep enough that he was completely unaware of his surroundings. In the gentle quiet of morning, the only sounds your shared breathing and distant cars in the city below, you remained unmoving. There was something so beautifully tranquil about letting time quietly pass you by as your beloved began to stir beside you. Rory always let out the quietest little grumbles as he began to woke up, sometimes even uttering coherent words or phrases. It was usually something along the lines of 'not yet' or 'few more minutes' before he either succumbed to sleep again or he found himself conscious again and far too awake to get an extra ten minutes of rest in. This morning was of the latter variety for Rory today, his green eyes sleepily blinking as they began to focus on his surroundings.

"Good morning," he spoke, voice deep and laced with husk thanks to having just woken up. Closing his eyes once more, Rory shifted himself closer to you, closing the gap that had formed between the two of you in the night. His hands found your waist, moving to caress the span of your back as he nestled himself into every line of your body until there was no telling where he ended and you began.

"Someone's feeling clingy this morning," you teased, one arm cementing Rory's position against you while the other toyed gently with his bright hair.

"Don't get used to it." Rory's reply held his usual bark, though by now you could easily see through the attempts to playfully brush you off. His gentle smile told you exactly how happy he felt to be so wrapped up in your presence. "And happy birthday. Better free up your day because I intend to steal all of it."

"And what if I just sneak out?"

"Then I'll sit and cry into the cake I made for you last night." His warm breath tickled against your neck on the spot right beneath your ear as he struggled to hold back his amused laughter. The two of you stayed like that, unmoving, as the morning slowly drifted along. There was no urgent need to get out of bed, both enjoying the peace and quiet of a day in one another's company. Eventually the sleepy conversations came to an end when the need for food was too strong to ignore, finally pulling the both of you away from each other.

The day drifted by, calm and cosy. Most of it was spent sat on the sofa with Rory playing games and catching up on shows together. It was exactly the kind of relaxed day you so desperately needed and Rory's presence only elevated the uplifting feeling it had on you. Now evening had descended, the sun slowly moving beyond the horizon, and Rory was just returning to the living room with refills of your drinks. He placed them atop the coffee table before collapsing back onto the sofa, an arm immediately finding its way around your shoulder and softly pulling you to snuggle him closer. The other reached for your thigh to rest it on his legs as he traced circles with his thumb. Rory peppered soft kisses to your temple, smiling at your soft laughter. A quiet lull washed over the both of you, the quiet buzz of a long abandoned movie still playing on the tv. There was something so soothing in these sorts of hushed moments.

"Thank you for today. I needed this," you said, breaking that comfortable silence. "It's nice to spend some time together like this, just you and me. Especially when you've been extra soft lately."

Rory's cheeks warmed, though he made no attempt to hide the rising colour as he laughed off his flustered embarrassment. "Ah, you noticed. There was me thinking I'd gotten away with it."

"Never," you replied, tangling your fingers in Rory's hair as he moved to rest his forehead on your shoulder. "It's cute. The perfect birthday present."

Rory lifted his head, smiling unabashedly as he admired you for a quiet moment before leaning in and pressing his lips to yours. The perfect end to what had been a perfect day celebrating with the only person you wanted to share it with.

♡ alexei ♡

No one felt more devastated about Alexei's work schedule than Alexei himself. He hated that he couldn't take the day off and spend it with you, celebrating all that he adored about you on your birthday. That morning he was all lingering touches and disappointed pouts as you gently reminded him that work was only a few hours and the two of you would be free to spend the evening together. No matter how much you told him you didn't mind, Alexei wasn't having any of it. He recalled the heartfelt date you'd planned for his birthday and lamented for what could have been, swearing to you as he exited the front door that he'd make it up to you later. Since then, you'd received an array of texts throughout the day, clearly typed and sent in a rush between tasks so as to avoid getting caught. Alexei sent sweet little reminders that he loved you, that he was sorry, that he missed you. And, most importantly, that he intended to make this the best birthday you'd ever had once he was finally free from work and able to put his plans into action. What those plans were, however, you had no idea. Alexei wouldn't share even the slightest hint of a detail with you, even after asking him so many times. You'd even tried to ask Brooklyn if he knew what Alexei had planned, knowing that Brooklyn was often Alexei's go-to source of advice in anything major related to your relationship. But, of course, Brooklyn was well informed on the situation and kept Alexei's secrets to himself, only offering a 'happy birthday' when you tried to convince him to share what he knew.

Despite being intentionally left in the dark over what to expect later that night, you were excitedly anticipating whatever it could be. When Alexei had sent the text to let you know he got let out of work early, you were practically staring at the front door waiting for him to get home. Once he did, however, he ushered you into the bedroom, telling you to distract yourself with a movie or book while he got to work on his secret plans, ignoring your complaints for just five minutes of cuddles.

"I'm sorry, love. We'll have plenty of time for that later, I promise. Just give me like thirty minutes, okay?" And when Alexei said thirty minutes, he wasn't joking. Exactly thirty minutes had passed when a gentle knock sounded at the bedroom door and Alexei's head peeked into the room. At your bright smile, he came in and sat next to the spot where your laptop was placed, the screen now closed so you could pay full attention to your boyfriend.

"Are you all finished now?" You asked, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Mhm. All yours now. I hate to say it since you look so comfy here, but you might want to grab a sweater for where we're going. You can wear one of mine," Alexei offered, giving no hints as to where he planned to take the two of you other than that it might be cold.

Eyeing him suspiciously, you got up from your comfortable spot on the bed and went to retrieve your favourite sweater of Alexei's. "Any clues or am I still in the dark here?"

"Actually, I think 'in the dark' is the perfect hint already." Alexei didn't give any further explanation, walking out of the room and ignoring your confused cries to tell you more. Even when you were both in Alexei's car, driving in the sunset, Alexei kept quiet—though you could tell he was enjoying the power he had judging by the knowing smile on his face.

When the car finally came to a stop, Alexei turned and whispered yet another soft 'happy birthday' before getting out of the car and leading you to a little spot already set up with blankets and fairy lights, the result of his cooperation with Brooklyn.

"Wait right there for just a few second then it'll all be ready." He returned swiftly, picnic basket in hand and set it down, taking your hand in his. "Today's been agonising knowing this was waiting for us but I'm glad to finally be able to celebrate your birthday with you under the stars. And who knows, maybe we'll see a shooting star?"

The waning remnants of sun still remained, illuminating your evening meal as night rapidly approached. Alexei was buzzing with anticipation as his gaze flickered up to the sky, excitedly pointing out the stars that began to show as night crept closer. He'd ramble about different constellations, eyes aglow with starlight as he searched your face for any sign of disinterest or tiredness. All he could find in your gaze was sheer adoration for the man who set all this up. After a long and busy day of work, Alexei had, without any semblance of hesitation, prepared all of this for you so that there would be no delaying your birthday celebrations. It was sweet seeing just how much he cared, his fingers intertwined with yours, as the two of you watched the stars and spent those last few hours of your birthday wrapped up in one another.

♡ brooklyn ♡

Sunlight poured through the gap of your curtains, spilling a pleasant warmth over your face as you finally awoke from a peaceful slumber. Another year older and already this one felt more calm and peaceful than the last. What made matters even better was the sight of Brooklyn sitting with a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. He hadn't noticed your movements just yet, fully absorbed in the book you'd bought him a few weeks ago. He was still wearing his glasses, a pair of thin metal frames that he always abandoned in favour of contacts. On his rare days off, Brooklyn could sometimes be convinced to leave the contacts aside and show the glasses in their full glory. Shifting in the warmth of the sheets, your gaze found the matching mug of tea ready and waiting for you.

"Careful, it's still hot," Brooklyn chimed, thumbing a page in his book as he spoke.

"Just like the person who made it then?" You asked while reaching to take a sip and watching for Brooklyn's reaction.

He laughed, the sound airy and light as he reached a hand to push back the hair that had fallen over his forehead, sighing as he did so. "You never fail to leave me speechless, do you?"

"It's a practiced art."

"And so is that tea so please drink up. If only to spare me from your delightful torment," Brooklyn continued, his attention entirely on you despite his poor attempts to keep his eyes glued to the pages before him. He was itching to shower you with the gifts he had stowed away next to his side of the bed, waiting until you were fully awake and ready to accept them. Brooklyn had been particularly secretive about what he'd planned for the day, not needing to ask for your thoughts or any hints as to what you might like—he already knew you all too well for that. What pained him, rather, was that he was desperate to see your reactions. Brooklyn was a true romantic at heart, and nothing sang to that part of his soul more than seeing you so undeniably happy as a result of his heartfelt actions.

"Do we have to be responsible today or can we just stay all cosy in here all day?" You asked, setting down your tea so that you could shift closer to Brooklyn, nestling your face in the crook of his elbow so that you could leave soft kisses along his skin while taking a peek at his now nearly forgotten book.

"Whatever my dear wishes, they receive," came Brooklyn's reply as he slid a bookmark between the pages and put the book to one side. He lifted his arm so that you could settle in closer and steal more of his warmth. "And happy birthday, love. I have a feeling this one will be up there as a favourite."

"Because you're here to make sure of that?"

"But of course. Doing my duty as the doting boyfriend," he said, leaning to press a lingering kiss to your forehead, arms warm and tender as he remained like that for a few moments of blissful quiet. When he did pull away, Brooklyn chuckled at your complaints and whispered words of reassurance that it was only for a second or two while he grabbed something. He reached for a small gift bag, placing it on his bare stomach as he gently nudged it against your hand.

"Too sleepy. You do it." Your voice was slightly muffled against Brooklyn's side, tinged with a tired drowsiness.

His laugh was musical as he acquiesced, removing the small strip of tape that held the bag together and pulling out a small, green velvet box. Your eyebrows raised, eyes going wide as your thoughts began to race with all kinds of possibilities. Noticing how alert you'd suddenly become, Brooklyn's hand was gently caressing your cheek. "Calm. It's not that. When I propose to you it'll be a little more ceremonius than this." He opened the box, revealing a simple, yet stunning silver ring. From how he angled it, you could just about make out the ingraving of a flower wrapped around the inside of the band. "The first of many I plan to give you."

"It's so beautiful, I love it."

"And I love you. Happy birthday, love."

♡ tobias ♡

All day Tobias had been practically clinging to your arm, gently tugging you in the direction of places he wished to take you. The man was usually the embodiment of relaxed nonchalance, going wherever his legs took him in the moment. However, today he seemed to have a whole itinerary planned out in his head. He'd been the first to get up that morning, a rare occurrence given the fact Tobias would usually spend his mornings sneaking his arms around your waist and whining about how he wanted to stay in bed for another five minutes. It was never five minutes. Today, though, he almost leapt out of bed to prepare breakfast and start getting ready for the day. He had music playing from the speakers, a playlist the two of you had curated together over the expanse of your relationship, and was dancing about the kitchen as he sang along—he wasn't known for being a natural born singer, yet his energy was infectious enough to have you smiling uncontrollably. This morning had been no different, his loud voice and the sweet familiar smell of pancakes luring you into the kitchen where a small collection of presents sat waiting to be opened. Tobias even insisted on feeding you the first few bites of food before finally giving in to your demands that he eat too. His sulking was soon remedied when you offered him a bite with extra syrup, his cheeks resembling those of a hamster as he beamed with satisfaction.

After breakfast, Tobias was hurrying you to open your gifts so that he could smugly watch your face sparkle at each perfectly planned out present he'd hand picked for the momentous day. There had been no delay in getting the both of you out of the house and on to his plans for the day. He knew all of your favourite places like the back of his hand, leading you about the city unable to hold back his excitement. Somewhere along the way, that manifested in Tobias holding up all kinds of cute garments, lamenting about how he wanted to see you wearing all of them. He ignored any and all pleas to let you buy something for yourself, claiming that it was his job as the beloved boyfriend to treat you on your special day.

"But what if I just enjoy spending time with you? I don't need you to spend all this money on me."

Tobias simply waved a finger in your face, vigourously shaking his head. "Nope. We're not doing this. It's your birthday so I'm treating you like you deserve." He punctuated the sentence by poking his finger to your forehead and wandering off, laughing at how you rolled your eyes before following after him. He laced his fingers in yours, his spare hand pointing out things he thought would look nice on you. Admittedly, Tobias knew what he was talking about. His confidence paired perfectly with the pattern he liked to wear, and that flowed into the clothes he liked to buy for you; Tobias was always buying you shirts to match his, or getting two pairs of the same jacket so that you could have one too. Even now, the two of you were wearing complementary shirts. Anyone who walked by would be able to see how adorably lovesick you both were—only made even more obvious by the way Tobias snuck kisses to your cheek or tried to spin you when certain songs played over the shop's speakers.

After ample convincing and playful kisses, Tobias now had you trying on a small selection of clothes, fully prepared to buy them all for you. It was your birthday, so how could he not treat you to anything you wanted? With each item you tried on and showed to Tobias, he reacted in the most undeniably Tobias manner. He was pulling out his phone for photos, or loudly professing how lucky he was to have his eyes blessed by your beauty. Seeing your rising blush and flustered reactions only spurred him on to shower you in compliments. When you stepped out of the changing room wearing a shirt that was far too similar to one of Tobias', no doubt an intentional move on his part, Tobias performed his same routine.

"Look at you. I am not worthy of being in the presence of a god," he proclaimed, a hand dramatically splayed over his chest.

"Tobias, please. You're being even worse than usual today."

Tobias reached for your hand, pulling you closer as he smiled fondly. A gentle finger brushed a strand of hair behind your ear before he responded. "Sorry if it's too much. I'm just excited to spend the day with you. I can tone it down if you need me to."

"No, it's okay! Just, maybe not so loud when there's people around."

He nodded enthusiastically, planting a kiss to your forehead as he moved to whisper in your ear. "This any better?"

"Mhm. Sure." Your cheeks were reddening at the closeness, eyes darting to check if there was anyone around.

"By the way, love. That shirt looks great on you. Would look better on our bedroom floor though."

"Tobias!" You pushed at his chest, cheeks aflame as Tobias winked before ushering you back into the changing room.

"We're definitely buying that one. And whatever you else you want to get. But quickly because it's close to lunchtime and we have reservations," he added as he waited outside for you to finish getting ready.

Even without seeing his face, you could detect the slight tinge of a white lie in Tobias. It was entirely likely he'd booked a reservation, but the reason he was hurriedly reminding you was no doubt due to his own pressing hunger. Quietly laughing to yourself, you joined Tobias again and took his hand in yours. Despite his attempts to start a conversation, the sound of his stomach interrupted and shattered his poorly veiled attempts to hide his primary motivation: food.

"Come on," you said, leading him out of the store. "Let's get you some food. But if you don't at least let me pay for half I'm not sharing my dessert."

"Deal."