I still have requests to work on, but it is a very special day for a certain snake man. Happy Birthday, Obanai!

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Plot: Obanai has always hated his birthday. Giyuu is determined to figure out why his boyfriend is in a bad mood.

TW: Panic attack, flashbacks, implied eating disorder, accidentally scratching one's self

Spoilers for Obanai's backstory

September 15th

If you asked Obanai what he thought about birthdays, he would tell you they are overrated.

If you asked him what he thought about them on a deeper level, he would tell you that he's happy for everyone who experiences happy birthdays and gets to celebrate them the way they should be. In fact, he's happy to even join in on those celebrations if asked. But when it comes to his own birthday, he wants nothing to do with it. Why would he like a whole day dedicated to the painful reminder that he was born? That he exists? It's bad enough he has to tolerate the day's existence. If anyone knew about it, there was no doubt in his mind that he would get showered in "happy birthday"s which would only make him feel worse. There was nothing happy about his birthday.

He felt lucky that no one in the Corps asked when his birthday was. The only person who knew was Kyojuro, but that was only because they spent their teen years together. The Flame Hashira knew better than to say anything to Obanai acknowledging his birthday and he would not dare tell any of their colleagues about it, either. He had seen first hand what happened the first time Obanai tried to celebrate his birthday.

It had all started about half a year after the Rengouku family took Obanai in. When he had first moved in, he was incredibly scared and jumpy, but he slowly started warming up and even got curious about a lot of things. Being he never had a proper education, the Rengoukus were surprised by the amount of things he didn't know. They were more than happy to teach him, though. One of those things was how birthdays usually go. That conversation started when Obanai noticed Kyojuro appeared happier than usual, if that was even possible.

"You seem excited," Obanai had pointed out.

"I am!" Kyojuro confirmed. "My birthday is next month!"

Obanai felt his heart skip a beat in fear at the mention of that. He must have had a scared expression on his face because Kyojuro's beaming smile dropped in concern and confusion.

"You don't have to get or make me anything if you don't want to, if that's what you're worried about. You being by my side will be enough," Kyojuro added.

Obanai shook his head and he started nervously wringing his hands. "Why- why are you excited about it?" he stammered. For all Obanai knew, birthdays were dedicated to nothing but suffering. For his first eleven birthdays, the foods he got were even richer and more disgusting as a "treat." His family would also shower him even more of their suffocating affection. And his twelfth birthday was the worst. That was the day the snake demon ordered his family to cut his mouth, which they did without any hesitation.

Kyojuro got even more confused and worried. "Why wouldn't I be?"

It finally clicked in Obanai's head that, once again, his "normal" wasn't actually normal at all. If Kyojuro was excited, then that must mean birthdays are meant to be a good thing.

"Never mind," Obanai said, looking down at the floor, his face hot with embarrassment from not knowing better and shame for making Kyojuro worried when he was in such a good mood.

Kyojuro wanted to know what all that was about, but he had learned by then that it's best to not push.

Still, Obanai couldn't shake the nervous feeling he had as Kyojuro's birthday approached. His new brother was turning twelve, the same age Obanai turned when he had his mouth slit. He didn't want Kyojuro to get hurt. He was determined to make sure that didn't happen.

It turned out, he didn't have to worry at all.

Kyojuro's birthday was wonderful. The day was entirely up to him. He picked out everything he wanted to do that day and everything went the way he wanted it. He picked what food he wanted and the games he wanted to play and the places he wanted to go. His family also gave him gifts that had a lot of thought put behind them. Some store bought, some home made, and Kyojuro appreciated them all the same. When Obanai saw the gifts, he fully understood what Kyojuro meant when he said Obanai didn't have to get or make him anything. He felt bad for not doing anything, but he remembered what else Kyojuro said and stayed by his side, knowing it would make him happy.

At the end of that day, Obanai wondered if maybe, just maybe, he would be able to celebrate his birthday like that, too.

But when September fifteenth rolled around, Obanai woke up to a sense of dread. He was born exactly thirteen years ago and it had been one full year since his mouth had been cut. He tried to shake the awful feeling, telling himself this year was different now that he had a safe and loving home. But he could feel the presence of his family. Fifty pairs of hateful eyes, staring into his soul and reminding him that he killed each and every one of them. That he didn't deserve a proper celebration. That his existence, what they once thought was a blessing, was actually a curse.

Obanai came to the conclusion that his family was right. He was a fool for thinking he could have a good day that day. There was nothing to celebrate. Who in their right mind would celebrate the birth of a bad, rotten, selfish, cursed child that had blood on their hands?

"Happy Birthday, Obanai!" Kyojuro suddenly said, with that bright grin on his face, and interrupting Obanai's thoughts.

For a brief moment, Obanai didn't feel the eyes of his family on him. But that was almost immediately replaced by the phantom feeling of dead, rotted hands grabbing onto him, nails digging into his skin, reminding him. He didn't deserve to hear those words. In fact, the day has barely started and so far, his birthday was anything but happy. In a feeble attempt to shake the feeling of the hands, Obanai hugged himself and started crying. Kaburamaru, now awake and alert, quickly wrapped themself around Obanai's shoulders and hugged him.

Kyojuro was taken aback by Obanai's sudden tears. All he did was wish him a happy birthday. Why was his brother crying? Kyojuro quickly apologized, but Obanai knew he was apologizing for something that wasn't his fault. Obanai felt bad for making Kyojuro feel like he had to apologize and the guilt made him cry harder.

Kyojuro quickly called for the rest of the family to come in and help, but that was the last thing Obanai wanted. The Rengoukus had already done so much, he didn't want to burden them with his stupid emotions. But since it was his birthday, of course they were going to fuss over him.

The day was spent trying to cheer Obanai up, but each attempt only made him feel worse. Not even Kaburamaru could lighten his mood. It was clear he also wanted space, so they made sure to provide him with that, too. He stayed in his room the entire day, laying in his futon and drowning in unwanted memories. He only ever left to use the bathroom and that was it. Nothing else. He ended up not eating a single bite of food. All the memories he was facing killed his appetite. He felt terrible. He finally had a streak of good days and finally felt like maybe he could heal, but he felt like all that progress went out the window. Now he had to start all over again.

It was decided that from that day forward, they would treat Obanai's birthday just like any other day, unless Obanai himself said otherwise. It seemed to help a little in the following years. Each year, Obanai would be in a more sensitive mood than usual, but it was manageable as long as nobody acknowledged what day it was. The presence of his family would stick with him throughout the whole day, but he was usually able to ignore them.

Now it was the night before his twenty-first birthday. It was going to be his first birthday with his boyfriend. He was grateful Giyuu never asked when it was and presumed the Water Hashira was probably waiting for him to tell him. Not that Obanai had any intentions of telling him.

However, a small part of Obanai wondered if this year would be different. Ever since he started dating Giyuu, his family's presence has been more tolerable, almost as if his boyfriend had unknowingly scared them off.

Maybe this year, my family will finally be kept at bay and I can enjoy it for once. Obanai thought to himself as he stared at the ceiling, trying to sleep. Giyuu was already fast asleep next to him. The thought comforted Obanai just enough for his eyes to close and sleep to take over.

He should have known that it wouldn't be that simple.

His dreams were filled with memories of his childhood. He could feel himself tossing and turning in his sleep, trying to free himself, but it wasn't working. He was trapped and could feel and smell everything. The cage, the repulsive food, the snake demon watching him from the shadows, the corpses of his family checking in on him, the blade slicing through his cheeks. He tried to scream for help, but no words could come out.

Obanai only awoke when he felt a comfortingly familiar arm wrap around his waist and a body press up against his back. Something cold and scaly was also poking his face. "Wake up, darling," Giyuu murmured. From the sound of his voice, he had just woken up.

Obanai expected the feeling of his family to vanish now that he was awake, but that wasn't the case. Instead, he felt as though their persistence got a little worse.

Obanai tried to ignore it and instead used a finger to pet Kaburamaru's head. Then he rolled over into Giyuu's embrace so they were chest to chest, wrapping his arms around the taller man. Kaburamaru joined them, laying down on top of the pair and resting their head on top of Obanai's. "Morning, love," Obanai said in return.

"Are you okay?" Giyuu asked, already knowing the answer. He just wanted to give Obanai an opening to talk about it, if he wanted.

Obanai bit his lip. "Not really," he admitted.

"I had a feeling," Giyuu said. "That seemed like a bad one."

"Memories," Obanai simply said. "I'll be okay, though."

Giyuu didn't feel convinced, but he decided to let it go. If Obanai wanted to talk about it, he would. It took a long time for the couple to open up about their pasts, but ever since they did, they felt a lot more comfortable opening up and confiding in each other.

After a while of cuddling, the two got up and got their day started.

First came breakfast. Obanai has been good about making sure he ate at least a little something each meal, but not this morning. All the memories that invaded his dream last night ruined any chance of that happening. Not to mention the still-lingering phantom presence of his family.

"You're not gonna have anything?" Giyuu asked with a mouthful of food.

It was a little difficult to understand him, but Obanai was used to this by now. "Not hungry," he said. "And don't talk with your mouth full."

Giyuu swallowed his bite. "Sorry." Obanai had scolded him of this habit back when he hated him and even a little bit after they cleared things up and became friends. Giyuu was mostly better about it, but still slipped occasionally, usually when he's distracted by his mind. Obanai usually doesn't say anything about it now. So what gives?

He and Kaburamaru exchanged worried looks. The snake gently nuzzled Obanai's cheek, trying to calm him down.

After breakfast, the two went outside to train together. As Hashiras, the training was intense, fast paced, and could be brutal if one single mistake was made. But Obanai seemed more intense than usual, keeping Giyuu on his toes. Giyuu wasn't going to complain, though. A little extra intense training never hurt anybody. But he was still worried about his boyfriend. Usually whenever he has a bad dream, it gets shaken off by now, but he still seemed to be affected by it. What was it about this one that was so different?

During their breaks, Obanai wasn't letting up. Between each match, Giyuu would take some time to rehydrate and catch his breath, but Obanai spent his breaks getting some swings in, his brows knitted in what seemed to be determination and frustration. He continued those reps even after they were done with matches. Giyuu watched from the sidelines, slowly sipping his water. He could see Kaburamaru trying to encourage Obanai to take a rest, but the Serpent Hashira wasn't listening.

Eventually, he set the water aside and held up Obanai's untouched canteen. "Obi, you should really come drink some water," he called.

"I'm fine!" Obanai snapped, swinging his wooden sword down for the umpteenth time. Kaburamaru visibly looked surprised by the outburst.

Giyuu froze for a moment before setting the water back down. "Okay," he mumbled. He knew Obanai was short tempered, but getting snippy over water? Giyuu felt himself getting more and more concerned. Not only that, he felt a little hurt. He keeps trying to help, but he keeps getting pushed away. Something was going on with Obanai, he could feel it. But what?

Little did he know, Obanai was trying to make himself feel better. His family was still pestering and bothering him. He hoped training would shake them off, but it seemed like the more he swung his sword, the tighter they clung to him.

After a while, Obanai finally gave up and drank his water. After he finished drinking, he was about to stand up when Giyuu placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him seated.

Giyuu did not expect Obanai to flinch a little and grab him by the wrist, pulling his hand off his shoulder. His eyes were filled with all sorts of emotions. Fear, anger, frustration, sadness, to name a few.

This only made Giyuu worry more. It had taken a while, but the couple usually found comfort in each other's touch. Today definitely must be a hard day if Obanai was back to flinching away from him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," Obanai firmly said and stood up.

Giyuu sighed and stood up as well. Obanai may have pushed him away yet again, but he wasn't going to give up.

When the two were inside, Giyuu started setting up a bath. "Come on, let's get cleaned up," he told Obanai as he shrugged his haori off.

"I don't wanna," Obanai mumbled, but Giyuu heard him.

"You're covered in sweat. I'd argue you'd need a bath more than me," Giyuu firmly said.

"I don't want to!" Obanai snapped. "I just can't right now!"

Giyuu had a feeling he knew what was going on. "Self-image issues again?"

"It doesn't matter!"

That was a yes. "What if I helped you with that?" Giyuu offered. He softly smiled a little. "You know how much I love telling you how pretty you are."

Obanai blushed red, but the comment pissed him off more. He was tempted, but he didn't deserve to hear those words or even have Giyuu's assurance at all. He knew he was disgusting and he didn't need to be told otherwise. "I said no! For God's sake, just leave me alone!" He stormed out of the bathroom at that.

Giyuu's smile dropped and he felt a pang in his chest. That really stung. Did I push too hard? I only wanted to help.

After a lonely bath, Giyuu got dressed and slipped on shoes. "I'm heading to the village to get some things I need. Do you want to come with me?" he asked. Then he found himself bracing himself for Obanai to lash out again.

Obanai was standing by the bookshelf, looking for something to read. "No, I think I worked myself a little too much during training."

At least he dropped the attitude. For now, anyway. Besides, that excuse made sense to Giyuu. His boyfriend did sound exhausted. "Okay. Do you need anything?"

Obanai took a moment to think about it before shaking his head. "No."

"I'll be back later," Giyuu said. "Try to rest up while I'm gone. It sounds like you need it. And when I get back, we need to talk."

Obanai froze for a moment then glared at the shelf. "There's nothing to talk about!" There it was.

Giyuu let out another frustrated sigh. "You're so stubborn," he grumbled as he left.

Kaburamaru watched Giyuu leave with a saddened expression. Then they gave Obanai a slight glare, but it went unnoticed. So instead they nipped him on the ear.

"Ow! What was that for?" Obanai asked, lightly rubbing the spot where he was nipped. It didn't hurt much, but he still didn't approve of it. He finally turned his gaze away from the shelf and glared at the snake.

Kaburamaru glared back. Despite not being able to talk, Obanai could tell what they were thinking. 'You need to get your emotions in check.'

Obanai scoffed and he continued to scan the bookshelf until he settled on one of his favorites - a book about snakes. He sat down in the corner, trying to focus on the words before him, but none of them were sinking in. His mind was racing with too many thoughts. It was finally sinking in how he had been behaving.

'We need to talk.' Oh, I've really done it this time. Damn it, why did I have to be such an asshole?! He was only trying to make sure I was taking care of myself, trying to comfort me and all I did in return was give him attitude! I can still feel them and it's driving me nuts, but that's not his fault! This is it, isn't it? He's gonna come home, announce he's had enough of me and my problems and break up with me. He really should have done this sooner. Why did I even agree to date him in the first place? He deserves someone so much better! Someone who won't treat him like shit when they're having a bad day!

"Good riddance," one of his family members said.

"Oh no," Obanai murmured to himself. Usually whenever he felt his family, it was always just their eyes on him and their hands grabbing onto him. Only on really bad days could he hear their voices.

"What made you think the two of you would last in the first place?" another one chimed in.

"I … didn't," Obanai said, voice barely a whisper.

"Exactly. You didn't think," another one confirmed.

"Again," another scoffed.

"Just like when you didn't think about what would happen if you escaped. And look how well that turned out," another taunted.

Each voice sounded so familiar, but it had been so long, Obanai couldn't remember who's voice belonged to who. That didn't matter, though. He just needed this to stop already.

"Shut up!" Obanai hissed, tears forming in his eyes. "I know what I did! Stop reminding me! I'm doing my best to atone, what more do you want from me?!"

"Is that any way to talk to the people who raised you and tried to give you the best life you could have? How ungrateful!" Based on the wording, if Obanai had to guess, that was his mother.

He choked on a sob and he felt the hands get more persistent. They felt real. And they were grabbing him everywhere. His arms, legs, torso, neck, face, hair, nails digging into this skin so hard, he feared he would bleed. He squirmed and thrashed, trying to break free, but it was useless.

And then he saw them. Usually he just felt their presence, but very, very rarely could he actually see them. Rotted, blood soaked corpses, scowling at him with glares that could kill, if possible. They were all around him. He couldn't see anything else. The hands on his chest were making it hard to breathe. He took short, sharp gasps, trying to get air into his lungs, but the attempt was futile. He couldn't breathe and he was starting to hyperventilate. The hands on his head seemed to have the power to project unwanted memories into his mind. Images and moments from his childhood flashed through his head. Everyone was talking at once, but he could still make out a bit of what they were saying.

"You're going to die alone!"

"We'll be waiting in Hell for you!"

"Everyone will be relieved to see you gone!"

"Especially that so-called 'boyfriend' of yours!"

"You deserve nothing!"

"It was all your fault!"

"You ruin everything!"

"Everything and everyone you touch gets tainted!"

"I never should have given birth to you!"

Obanai shut his eyes, desperate to tune out their glares, their words, and the memories. He was still hyperventilating, unable to breathe. Tears streamed down his face, soaking up his … scars? When did his bandages come off? One of them must have yanked them off his face to expose the damage they inflicted on him exactly nine years ago. "Stop it! Stop it, please!" he begged, or at least tried to. His words were failing him. It felt like this onslaught was never going to end.

Someone please get me out of this nightmare!

As if on cue, a familiar voice sliced through the taunts of his family.

"OBANAI!"

The voices went silent. The feeling of hands subsided and went back to feeling like they belonged to a bunch of phantoms. The only nails he felt were on his arms, but they were from hugging himself as tightly as possible. He could still feel himself hyperventilating, and even trembling, but he could now feel Kaburamaru slithering around his chest in a way to try to relax the muscles so he could breathe properly. How long had they been doing that?

Obanai opened his eyes and saw Giyuu sitting in front of him, looking extremely worried. "Can you hear me now?" he asked, his voice quieter.

How long had he been calling out to him? When did he even get here? Obanai could focus on these questions later. He managed to nod.

"Can I touch you?" Giyuu asked, relaxing. Now that he got through to Obanai, he could help calm him down.

Obanai managed another nod.

Giyuu took one of Obanai's shaking hands and guided it to his chest. Obanai could feel Giyuu's heart steadily beating under his hand. "Feel that?" Giyuu asked, his voice calm and soothing.

Obanai nodded.

"Try to get your heart rate to match mine. Take some deep breaths with me. Ready? In." Giyuu slowly inhaled.

Obanai could feel Giyuu's chest expanding as air filled his lungs. He did his best to copy the action, but his inhale was shakier.

"And out," Giyuu said, slowly exhaling. He could tell Obanai was struggling, but trying. "Again. In," he instructed, taking another breath.

Obanai obliged and inhaled, too.

The two took some more breaths together. Obanai had cracked a few times, but Giyuu helped him ground himself again. Kaburamaru also helped by comfortingly snuggling up to Obanai, knowing it would help soothe him. They also had Obanai's bandages in their mouth, making him realize that it wasn't a family member that removed them, but Kaburamaru did to help him breathe better. Eventually, Obanai could feel himself breathing normally and he wasn't shaking anymore. The tears stopped and started drying to his face.

"Better?" Giyuu asked.

"Yeah," Obanai mumbled. "Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for," Giyuu assured, gently cupping his cheek and rubbing small circles along the scars with his thumb. "Are you ready to talk?"

Obanai recalled what Giyuu said before he left. "Yes. I realized after you left that you're right. We do need to talk."

Giyuu nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "What's going on with you today?"

Obanai felt the tears return. He wanted to throw himself into Giyuu's arms and chase the comfort he longed for in his embrace, but he couldn't bring himself to do that yet. Not when Giyuu might still be mad at him, and rightfully so. "The memories and their presence has been really bad today. I was just frustrated and scared and feeling like shit. I'm really sorry for taking it out on you instead of talking about it. I just needed some way to vent, and you happened to be right there. It wasn't anything personal. I know you were only trying to help. My feelings don't validate my actions, of course, so again, I'm so sorry."

When he finished talking, he could feel the eyes of his family sneering at him. His heart raced, expecting them to be right and for Giyuu to break things off.

He was surprised when he felt a pair of arms around him and he got pulled into Giyuu's lap. Kaburamaru adjusted so they were on the couple's shoulders. "I appreciate the apology. I wish you opened up sooner instead of giving me attitude, but I'm glad you're talking now," Giyuu told Obanai. "That said, I am also sorry. I probably shouldn't have pushed as much as I did."

For the first time all day, the presence of Obanai's family vanished entirely. Obanai tightly gripped the back of Giyuu's shirt and sobbed into his shoulders. "No, don't apologize! Again, you were only trying to help! I'm just so tired of them, Gi," he whimpered.

Giyuu let out a small breath of relief, glad to hear Obanai wasn't mad at him. "I know, darling. But remember what I told you when you first told me about them?"

"Come to you so you can help me block them out?"

Giyuu nodded. "I'm sorry you've been feeling them all day. Are they here now?"

Obanai shook his head. "Not anymore. But it was so bad. I swear, it felt like they were actually hurting me. They were talking this time and I actually saw them."

Giyuu pursed his lips. That was new. "Do you know why?"

Obanai hesitated. He debated telling Giyuu what today was, but he decided against it. "I probably just psyched myself up too much. That's what you had walked in on."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Obi," Giyuu said.

"Thank you," Obanai replied. "And I'm still sorry for snapping at you."

"Apology accepted. Why don't we take it easy the rest of the day? Seems like you need it."

Obanai nodded. "Please," he said.

"Wanna help me put away the groceries?"

Obanai nodded again and the two stood up. Kaburamaru returned to Obanai's shoulders. A pair of bags were in the doorway of the room where Giyuu had set them down when he first spotted Obanai.

"Oh, before we do this," Giyuu said, fishing through one of the bags. "I got you something." He pulled out a small cardboard box, deep red in color.

Obanai's eyes widened at the sight of the box and he took a step back, slight panic taking over his face again. He immediately had a feeling he knew what it was for. "How did you know?!" he demanded.

Giyuu was taken aback by his boyfriend's reaction. "How did I know what?"

"Who told you?" Obanai pressed. "Was it Kyojuro? Or did he tell someone else and they told you? You must have been told on your way to the village and that's why you got it, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Giyuu asked, growing more concerned and confused.

"My birthday!" Obanai blurted before he could stop himself.

Giyuu looked bewildered. "Today's your birthday?!" he asked, wanting to make sure he understood that right.

Obanai fell silent. Shit.

Kaburamaru gently poked his cheek, urging him to respond.

Obanai looked down at the floor in shame and nodded.

Giyuu took a moment to think about it. He had considered asking Obanai when his birthday was in the past, especially when he turned twenty-one back in February. But he figured Obanai would tell him if he wanted to. And based on the way Obanai's day had been going, he now understood why he wouldn't want to tell him. "I see," Giyuu finally said. He looked down at the box in his hands. "I only got this because I saw it and thought you would like it. I hoped it might help you feel better. I can give it to you another day, though, if you'd be more comfortable with it."

"No, it's okay," Obanai said, looking back up. "I can open it now if you want."

"Are you sure?" Giyuu asked.

Obanai nodded and held a hand out.

Giyuu placed the box in his hand and Obanai took the lid off. Inside was a small, ceramic snake figurine. It was white with red eyes, strongly resembling Kaburamaru. Kaburamaru themself slithered down a bit to sniff at the figurine. Obanai's smiled as best he could, since his scars made it hard sometimes. "It's beautiful. I love it!"

Giyuu smiled in return, his heart melting. He loved it when he saw Obanai's smile. It was definitely not perfect, but to him, it was the most precious smile in the world. "I'm glad you love it," he said as he pulled Obanai into a hug, which was eagerly returned. Kaburamaru wrapped themself around the pair, happy to see them like this. Giyuu gently kissed Obanai's forehead before he started peppering his face with kisses.

"Ah- Giyuu!" Obanai said, closing his eyes and gripping Giyuu's shirt.

"Yes, darling?" Giyuu asked.

"What are you doing?"

"Showering my beautiful boyfriend in affection," Giyuu bluntly said as he kissed along Obanai's scars.

Obanai gave him a confused look. His scars were out, he wasn't clean, his eyes were red and puffy, his hair was a mess, and tears were staining his cheeks. "Beautiful?" he questioned, not feeling very beautiful at the moment.

"Always," Giyuu said, giving a small peck on the lips. "However, if you're not feeling pretty right now, how about we change that?"

Obanai thought about it for a moment. He knew this was one of Giyuu's ways of making sure he was taking care of himself. This time, he wasn't going to push him away. "Okay."

Giyuu grinned, happy Obanai was finally accepting help.

Obanai found a spot on the shelf to display the figurine Giyuu got him. Then the two went to the bathroom and took a bath together. Giyuu spent the whole time gently washing Obanai up. The shorter man just sat and savored the feeling. Giyuu was especially careful when cleaning the marks on Obanai's arms where he had accidentally scratched himself during his panic attack. The skin was red and there were only a few scratches that were open, which was lucky. Neither of them said a word about them. Instead, Giyuu would also randomly kiss Obanai and tell him how beautiful he was. Obanai blushed a little every single time, and each time, he found himself starting to believe it more and more.

After the bath was over, Giyuu helped Obanai dry off and comb the tangles out of his hair. Then he styled it in a half-up half-down ponytail. He also gave proper care to the scratches, covering them up and planting small kisses on the covering.

"All better," he told him.

"Thanks for noticing them, Giyuu. I didn't realize I was scratching that badly," Obanai sheepishly said.

"It's okay, accidents happen," Giyuu assured as he gathered up comfy clothes for them to change into. "Want me to get bandages for your mouth?"

Obanai thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "No. I want to get used to having them off around you more since 'they're pretty,' apparently," he said, smiling slightly at Giyuu's words from earlier.

Giyuu smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you want to get used to that. Just promise me you won't just do it for me, but also do it for yourself."

Obanai nodded. "I will, Gi, promise."

"Are you hungry? Do you want dinner?"

Obanai shrugged. He hadn't eaten all day, but it's not like that was something he hadn't done before.

"Did you eat at all while I was gone?"

The silence Giyuu got in response was all he needed to hear. "How about tororo kombu?"

Obanai smiled slightly and nodded. "Sounds good." Then he chuckled a little. "I'll make it so you don't burn down my kitchen."

"My cooking isn't that bad," Giyuu said in mock offense.

The two laughed and went into the kitchen.

After a tasty dinner, the two returned to the futon for some snuggle time. Obanai had retrieved the book he had earlier and brought it with them.

"Whatcha got there?" Giyuu asked when he noticed the book in Obanai's hands.

"Something I was going to read while you were at the village, but … you know how that went," Obanai explained. "It's a book about various breeds of snakes. I like reading about them."

"Oh. You can sit and read it now, if you want. You can even show me," Giyuu offered, knowing how important the subject is to Obanai.

"Wait, really?" Obanai asked.

Giyuu nodded in confirmation.

Obanai's eyes lit up and he sat in Giyuu's lap, his back to his chest. He held the book in front of them so they could both see. Obanai happily flipped through it, pointing to the different types of snakes and rambling about them. Giyuu wasn't fond of snakes the way Obanai was, but he loved hearing how excited his boyfriend got over them. Besides, the way Obanai talked about snakes made them sound interesting and endearing. Of course, some of the facts Obanai stated were unsettling and reminded Giyuu why he didn't really like snakes in the first place, but Obanai said them like they were the coolest things in the world. Giyuu listened to every word, holding Obanai close and resting his chin on his shoulder, making an occasional comment to show he was listening. Kaburamaru was also paying attention, flicking their tongue to sniff at the pictures. Obanai and Giyuu found it amusing.

When they reached the end of book, Obanai closed it, set it aside, and turned around so he was straddling Giyuu's lap. He pressed his lips to his boyfriend's in a loving kiss. Giyuu was startled by the sudden action, but he happily returned the kiss. Obanai pulled away for air and rested his forehead against Giyuu's. "Thank you. For everything you've done today," he said. "I'm still sorry I was an asshole earlier."

"Baby, you've already apologized. You don't need to keep doing it," Giyuu lightly chuckled. "I told you, I've already accepted your apology. Just promise me that next time you feel like your family is bothering you all day, you'll just tell me?"

"I know, I just don't wanna burden you with my issues," Obanai sighed.

"You won't be. You've been doing so well with healing, and I'm proud of you. However, bad days happen and I would gladly help you through them. You would do the same thing for me, right?" Giyuu asked.

"Of course I would," Obanai said without hesitation.

"So then let me do the same for you."

Obanai couldn't really argue with that. "I love you, Giyuu. Tonight really wasn't as bad as I feared. I actually enjoyed it."

"It's your day, you should be free to enjoy it," Giyuu said, giving him a kiss. "Happy Birthday, darling."

For the first time ever, Obanai didn't feel dread from those words. He didn't feel his family reminding him that his existence is a curse. He actually felt nice, the way he should have been feeling all these years. It was all thanks to his wonderful boyfriend. He smiled as best he could. "Thank you, my love."

Obanai hating his birthday is one of my fave headcanons. Maybe next year I'll write a sequel where his birthday goes more smoothly and he has more fun.