#SORRY I'M SO LATE TO GET TO THESE i think its bc tai-muse feels weird & awkward abt birthdays so he's like ummmmmmMMMMmmasjjaj

[velvetineblue]

Getting Taiyang a birthday present has always been a struggle over the years. It’s weird because Mana never had too much trouble with thinking of something ( sans the time she actually got him War & Peace as a present- it was a joke she said, before presenting him his actual present ) so one might think her influence would rub off on Calum. 

It hasn’t, but Calum did figure out what to get Taiyang for his birthday!

“This from Sol,” he says, handing Taiyang a roll of paper tied with a blue-green ribbon. “They worked on it for the last week.” Which, for a child is a very long time.

And then Calum hands him box with a piano wire bracelet with a silver charm of a tremble clef attached. That and there's an accompanying plate of cookies beneath because he’s assuming Taiyang is also hungry… “Try not to wear it in the water.” Calum adds hastily. “…I don’t think it’s waterproof.”

( HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SHARK BOI :DDDDD winter you'll be getting a few more asks from me :3 )

birthdays are a strange thing. he's caught between delight and embarrassment— embarrassment for what, he doesn't quite know; like it's an embarrassment, an inconvenience to be born. taking up so much space in a room, and in the minds of others, for a day— it's nice . . . but that same heightened significance feels a little selfish... and unfamiliar. in his childhood home, his birthdays had gradually become no big affair, but Taiyang had learned not to mind it. even to prefer it that way. because what was worse: a quiet day with a cake and a few presents, or a birthday 'party', where his friends and classmates were exposed to the sad state of affairs that was his home life? ( the memories of his father, drunk as usual, blustering around the room, telling his stupid stories to a chorus of laughs— but hovering only one escalation away from erupting the gathering into chaos? ) NO THANKS. no, he'd learned not to ask for much: if you want for nothing, then the heavy weight of disappointment could not drop down on you, like a cartoon anvil from the sky, squishing coyotes underneath it . . .

but perhaps that's why his eyes light up at the simplest thing: a rolled-up piece of paper with the crayon markings of a child. or marker, or maybe watercolor paint— whatever Sol had deemed an appropriate artistic rendering for his birthday, it would be cherished more than the most expensive gallery art piece could ever be. looking it over with the biggest grin, he can't help but laugh at the innocent imagination of the kid, put to paper. " I'm so keeping this. Sol's gonna have to look at it when they're like 15 years old, and they think it's embarrassing as hell— I don't care. it's staying on the fridge forever. " but what was 'forever' to a child, anyway? a week probably felt like a lifetime in their little hands, which made the artwork that much more precious. smile beaming, he settles for words of gratitude more within the understanding of a child: " tell Sol I love it. " Taiyang would, too, next time he sees them.

already giddy from the cute gift, he blinks in surprise when there's a box, too. ( the cookies, well, he kind of eagerly anticipated: Calum seemed like the homemade-gift type to him, and Calum knew how much Tai loved his homemade baking . . . in all the time he'd known him, Calum had probably picked up on what Tai's favorite recipes were, too; and one glance at the plates content confirmed his suspicion. if it weren't for the surprise third gift, he would have grabbed and teared into a cookie already— )

but instead, he takes the box gingerly, giving it a slight shake. ( not the best idea— what if it was something fragile? ) " is this jewelry? " a faux thoughtful look is given towards his friend; " are you proposing to me, Calum Reynolds? finally; it's about time... " jokes aside, he unwraps the item, delicate silver glinting into his eyes. as the pretty piece of jewelry unravels, he feels the warm, fuzzy static of nostalgia in his belly . . . it invokes visions of his grandmother, setting him on her lap, his little toddler feet dangling... a happy jazz-piano song filtering through the house on a summer day, white window curtains flapping gently in the warm breeze... his mom and grandmom laughing in the kitchen over the sink. it's like, all the happy memories of his childhood mixed with the slight sadness that it's gone. . . but more than anything, it's the feeling of family. Calum's voice breaks him out the momentary reverie. Tai looks up at him, and sees family. family in the flesh, standing right in front of him; not drifting through his memories. that's Calum... he registers his words slowly. " right... yeah. I won't, " he confirms, seeming a little distracted— ( but in a good way. there's a lump in his throat. ) he's not really much of a huggy person, with most people, but . . . Calum is family. so, he's gathered into a bear-hug, with an appreciative pat to his back. " thanks. for everything. " and he doesn't just mean the gifts. when he pulls back, he attaches the bracelet around his wrist, looking down with a smile. " hey, do you even like piano ... ? I should play something for you sometime— if you do. "