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Being born on a leap year, Shiro’s birthday has always been treated as a special special occasion. While birthdays are already special, his were made even more so.
His family, without fail, had always made it so that his birthday would be extravagant, even by their country’s standards. He vaguely remembers bits and pieces of his childhood birthdays where his grandma would make him wagashi, specifically yakimono, and would serve it with green tea. He remembers biting into the soft, warm exterior of dorayaki, his mouth filling up with sweet azuki bean paste filling. He remembers reaching for some sakuramochi next, followed by kuri manjū, and then only having a few bites of castella before he would get full and reach for a hot cup of green tea to wash all of the sweetness down (at first, he hated it, vaguely remembering an instance where he spat it out and then cried because it burnt his tongue — but as he grew older, the bitter taste of it grew on him). The sweetness of the red bean paste inside of the sakuramochi coupled with the saltiness of the pickled cherry blossom leaf wrapped around it is a certain taste that Shiro won’t ever forget, and he would always make sure to buy some for himself on his birthday every year — where spending his birthday with his family became rarer and rarer. It’s a shame though, because he misses the way his grandma would make him kuri manjū and castella, misses the green tea that she would brew. It’s somehow different from most of the restaurants he’s visited over the course of his adulthood.
However, those aren’t the only things Shiro misses from his childhood — above all, he misses his grandma. He misses how kind she was, how wise she was, and how he could confide in her about everything. He remembers the way she always loved to reminisce, with her telling him stories of his childhood, supplying him with knowledge of precious memories that he had already forgotten. His grandma loved to tell him about the story of his first birthday, where his overly— well, not overly but definitely traditional family had made him play erabitori, a fortune-telling tradition believed to predict a child’s future based on objects that were laid out in front of them. According to his grandma, the objects placed in front of him were a calculator, a pen, some scissors, a pair of chopsticks, a dictionary, a mirror, some money, a ruler, and a pair of shoes.
Apparently, he’d chosen neither.
The only reason why his superstitious mother hadn’t fainted at the time is because he turned around, crawled to his toys, and pulled out a spaceship, which had been his favorite toy at the time.
Shiro smiled fondly in the midst of him reminiscing, so I’d always known.
After the initial shock (and confusion) had worn off, his parents made him partake in isshou mochi, which was a tradition wherein children are made to step on or carry mochi weighing around two kilograms. Apparently, isshou mochi is practiced so that a child lives a long and healthy life in which they will never go hungry, and is also supposed to symbolize a child living a harmonious and happy life.
…
What a joke.
Because a memory that has forever ingrained itself in his mind is that of his mother hunched over, almost curling in on herself, and sobbing while his father helplessly tried to console her, all the while frantically talking to the doctor, and his grandma— she—
She had been inconsolable.
Ever since then, Shiro couldn’t care less about traditions, much less birthday traditions, and as he grew older and moved out of his house and into the dorms of the Galaxy Garrison, he preferred to spend his birthdays ignoring it — instead focusing on working towards his dream. At least one of the traditions he took part in worked out for him. He loves what he does and he loves piloting, he loves it so much that he’s willing to push through his disease and his worsening condition just to be able to fly a real ship into space one day.
More importantly, he loves it because it was what led him to meeting Keith.
(“—kashi… Takashi… Takashi!”
“Huh— Wuh—what…?”
Shiro blearily opened his eyes to Adam glaring down at him, his forehead pinched at the middle of his eyebrows with his lips pursed tight, clearly annoyed at him for something. What he did to warrant such a response in the middle of the night while he’s asleep? He had no idea. He resisted the urge to let out a long-suffering groan and instead slowly sat up, giving Adam time to move back. He rubbed his eyes drowsily and turned to the other man, “What’s— What— Did anything happen?” Is there a reason why you’ve woken me up at the ass crack of dawn with such a piss-poor attitude?
“That Kogane kid’s at the door.”
Almost immediately, as if it was magic, Shiro’s drowsiness and annoyance washed away — and he knew Adam could tell, if his scoff was any indication of it. “Keith? Keith’s at the door?”
“I already said so, didn’t I? Now, go see what he wants and tell him to go back to his dorm. It’s way too early for this—”
Without even letting him finish, Shiro got up and walked out of their bedroom and into their living room, before walking towards the corridor that led to their door. There, he saw Keith nervously shuffling something in his hands, before quickly hiding it behind his back the moment he heard Shiro’s footsteps. As Shiro got closer to him, he smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly but Shiro still found it charming nonetheless. “Sorry for bothering you in the middle of the night, I know you’re still tired but I wanted to give you something because I know it’s your birthday, and I know we’ll both be too busy tomorrow so I won’t have time to give it to you, and I don’t want it getting deformed or being eaten by my roommate—”
Shiro let out an amused huff as he waited for Keith to finish, and smiled at him once he did. “Keith, what did you get me?”
Keith bit his lip and presented what he was hiding from behind him. It was a small, purple box wrapped in a black ribbon, and Shiro could see how his hands shook a bit, possibly from his nervousness and anticipation of Shiro’s rejection — something that Shiro could never give, not to Keith. “I know it’s not, um, not much, but I, well, I got you some sakuramochi…? I saw you eating them one time and you seemed to really enjoy them, so I asked Matt about it and he told me what it was and where to get it, so I snuck out to that Asian store downtown and well, here you go.”
Shiro hadn’t realized how much time had passed since Keith said those words, as he began to see signs of Keith faltering and slowly drawing in on himself, letting out a self-deprecating sigh. “Sorry if it’s not what you— Wha— Shiro—!?"
Shiro squeezed his arms around Keith’s waist tightly, with him having to bow down just to do so, and buried his face in the crook of his neck. “Thank you, Keith. I love it.”
“You do…?”
“Yeah— yes, I do. Thank you, really.”
Small, uncertain arms wrapped around Shiro’s shoulders, barely even reaching each other due to their size difference. However, Keith squeezed him just as tightly nonetheless. “I’m glad. Happy birthday, Shiro.”)
That had been one of Shiro’s most treasured memories, something he frequently, and fondly, looked back at. It was also one of the things that kept him going during his time spent in Galra captivity, because the thought of Keith, and going back to him, and hanging out with him, and spending another birthday with him— Well, it would have made all of his time spent suffering worth it. It had been one of his biggest motivations at the time.
(“I have to keep going, because Keith’s back there waiting for me. Once I get back, I’ll take him out to go racing on our hoverbikes, just the two of us, and I’ll treat him to dinner, as thanks for all the effort he put into spending my birthday with me a few months before I left for the mission.”
Matt could only smile — knowingly, and Shiro pretended like he didn't know what it meant.)
(“Are you sure I can’t open my eyes yet?”
At the moment, Shiro’s vision had been obstructed by Keith’s hands, with the two of them awkwardly shuffling and stumbling inside the latter’s shack as, for Keith to even be able to reach Shiro’s eyes, Shiro had to bend down quite a bit while Keith stood on his tiptoes.
“Yeah! So don’t even think about opening them, Shiro, not like you would be able to see anything anyway, my hands are still covering your eyes.” Keith grumbled, and Shiro just knew that he was pouting too.
“Yes, yes, of course, Keith, whatever you say.” Shiro chuckled fondly, before letting out a sharp gasp as Keith pushed him down on the couch, before pulling his hands away from his eyes. Of course, Shiro still kept them closed for good measure. “Should I open my eyes now?”
It was silent for a few moments, but Shiro waited patiently, until Keith spoke up with a hum. “Go ahead, Shiro.”
Shiro slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as he tried to get used to the sudden change of light in his vision. He looked down at the coffee table in front of him and gasped at what he saw. In front of him was an array of dishes — Korean dishes, maybe? — ranging from two small bowls of soup, two small bowls of rice, a plate of dumplings, and a plate of sliced up pieces of pork with lettuce on the side.
“Keith, this is…”
Shiro glanced at Keith and saw him smiling bashfully at him, causing Shiro’s face to turn a light shade of pink and he swore that he has never felt his face burn this hot before. “At first, I was gonna get you some mochi again like I did last year but, well, I decided to let you have a taste… Of what I used to eat on my birthdays back when I was still with my dad. It’s, um, not much but I think you’ll really like them, or at least I hope so…?”
Shiro felt his eyes burn as tears started welling up in them. “I love them, Keith.” He sniffled.
Keith chuckled, “Don’t say that just yet, old man, you haven’t even tasted them yet.”)
Shiro could pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with Keith.
And it was one year, one month, and twenty-seven days after they met, at about 9:07 in the morning, while both of them were at Keith and his father’s old, decrepit shack in the middle of the sweltering desert, celebrating his birthday in a way that Shiro hasn’t celebrated it in years.
It was because of Keith that Shiro started caring about his birthdays again, and it was because of Keith that Shiro became determined to survive the intergalactic war they were in in order to spend the rest of his birthdays together with him.
And now, years later, Shiro intends on doing just that.
Unfortunately, it seems as if the universe, constantly, has it out for him.
(“Sorry, Shiro, but it seems like I’m going to miss out on your birthday.”
From the other side of the screen, Shiro unknowingly winced, which didn’t go unnoticed by Keith, who frowned deeply. “I’m really, really sorry, Shiro. But new problems just keep piling up on top of each other. Even after Zarkon and his family are gone, there’s still so much to be done. Mom and Kolivan need me.”
Shiro, trying not to seem too saddened by this — because the last thing he wants is for Keith to feel bad for something he can’t control, and he knows Keith already feels horrible about it — tried to smile, although it turned out to be strained instead. “It’s alright, Keith-”
“No, I know it isn’t, and I’ll make it up to you. I promise. I already have something planned.”)
At the time, the assurance of that was enough for Shiro to feel better, and it was something he looked forward to on the days leading up to his birthday. But as his birthday grew closer, he couldn’t help but fall back into being miserable again because of how much he misses Keith, and how they won’t even be able to spend some time together on his birthday.
Of course, as an important public figure, Shiro tried his hardest not to let his misery show and instead remain professional, with him even thinking that he was doing a good job of it, but, well—
“You look like shit.”
Shiro grimaced, and looked away from his sad excuse of a meal on his lunch tray and into Matt’s knowing grin. “Hello to you too, Matt.”
“So,” Matt started, picking up a sandwich from Shiro's tray and taking a huge bite out of it, “What’s up? Keithy-cat’s not coming home for his darling Shiwwo’s birthday?”
Shiro groaned and laid his head on his arms, “Don’t be an asshole.”
“Fine, fine, I’m not about to kick a man who’s already down.”
“Thank you.”
Not even moments later, Shiro hears a click followed by a curse, and immediately looks up to see Matt holding his phone and taking a picture of him in all of his misery.
“You—!”
“Oops, busted! But maybe if I send this to Keith, he’s gonna come flying home, hm?"
Shiro paused and thought about it for a moment, which was apparently long enough for Matt to slip away while laughing to himself and waving his phone in the air. “Happy almost-birthday, loverboy! Don’t forget our party later!”
Shiro could only sigh.
“Happy birthday, Shiro!”
Shiro managed to muster up a smile as he looked around, seeing his friends — Matt, Pidge, Hunk, Allura, Lance, Coran, and Romelle — smiling up at him. The three Alteans, Allura, Coran, and Romelle were holding party poppers which they had set off the moment he arrived (and he could already see Romelle reaching for more, her eyes sparkling with excitement), Hunk was holding the cake while Lance was shakily lighting it up— all the while Pidge sneakily swiped the sides and licked the chocolate off her finger, while Matt was already nursing a glass of wine in his hand, greeting Shiro with one of his shit-eating grins that meant that he was already drunk. “There he is! We were afraid you weren’t gonna show, considering how you’ve been down in the dumps for a while now.”
Pidge grinned as well, “I thought you were gonna hole yourself up in your room all day, to be honest!”
“Aww, come on, you two,” Allura interjected, a kind smile on her face. “We all know that Shiro misses Keith dearly, and is only sad that he’s unable to make it back in time for his birthday.”
Shiro sighed, “I am fine… Although I guess I’ve been feeling pretty shitty the past couple of days, was I that obvious?”
“Painfully obvious, man.” Lance added, as he finished lighting up the candles on the cake. “Now make a wish and blow these candles out, you never know, mullet might show up.”
“Okay, okay,” Shiro replied as he walked towards Hunk and leaned down, making a show of closing his eyes and making a wish, before blowing the candles out. After a beat, he stood up straight and looked around sheepishly, “Well, what now?”
“Now, we eat all the delicious food I’ve prepared for you guys! Hopefully, its deliciousness will cheer you up, Shiro!”
Shiro smiled, feeling his spirits lift up a bit now. “Thank you, Hunk—”
He was cut off by a knock at the door.
Simultaneously, all heads turned to look at it.
Almost immediately, Shiro sprints to the door, quickly opening it to find…
“Special delivery! Here’s a package for Mr. Takashi Shirogane, happy birthday, sir!”
Shiro visibly deflated. “Thank, thank you…”
The delivery man just smiled and pulled on a cart from beside him, revealing a big purple box wrapped in a black ribbon. “Here you go, sir! Just sign for it here, and I’ll be out of your hair!”
Shiro sighed and signed his name and signature on the paper stuck to the clipboard, before grabbing the box and taking it inside as the delivery man wheeled the cart away. As he set it down in the middle of the room, everyone crowded together to take a closer look.
“Huh, that’s interesting.”
“It’s so… Big! What could it possibly be?”
“Keith obviously sent this.”
“Open it, open it!”
Shiro reached for the black ribbon, slowly untying it and letting it crumple to the ground, before slowly taking the top part of the box off and leaning to take a peek, with his heart nearly stopping as he saw what— or more accurately, who was inside.
“Surprise, babe.”
“Keith!?”
Keith grinned and placed a hand on his waist, cocking it to the side. “You seriously believed me when I said I wouldn’t be able to make it to your birthday? Come on, Shiro, you know I wouldn’t miss it for the— Mmph!”
Shiro promptly shut Keith up with a kiss, ignoring their friends cheering behind them, and only leaned away once he ran out of breath. “You little brat, I was worried— And I missed you, so bad.”
Keith’s eyes softened, with him leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Shiro’s. “I’m home, Shiro. Happy birthday, I love you.”
Unable to contain himself and his happiness, Shiro leaned in and kissed him once more, without even replying to what Keith said.
It didn’t matter though, Shiro knows that Keith knows it too.