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Clara and I, yes.

（ he turns the page idly, reaching for his tea left-handed.

a second page is turned before he even sets the cup down again, the red of the sharingan making such things rather simple. ）

[He had Clara over? To Make food? He reaches for the dango and takes a bite. Wei Wuxian isn't sure if it's actually really good or if it's just that it's the first real food he's had in days, and he closes his eyes to savor the taste.]

Ah, I miss food! Thank you, it's very good.

[Blatantly ignoring that quick page turning and immediately dismissing the theory that Itachi had deliberately planted himself there with the book knowing he'd be home soon—]

Any reason for cooking? [He knows Itachi cooks, but it seems odd he'd take the time to cook while he's here. Maybe Clara had wanted to.]

( there is a considering silence, and then he turns another page. )

Clara had an occasion she wished to celebrate.

What occasion? [He takes another bite, nibbling slowly to really enjoy it.]

( another page.

at length, )

My birthday.

[The dango is midair when Itachi finally answers and it freezes there, halfway to Wei Wuxian's mouth. After a stuttered moment where it just hangs there, Wei Wuxian puts it back down on the plate and slides into the chair opposite Itachi at the table.]

Today's your birthday?

Yes.

( he is going yo regret this. )

[Wei Wuxian lets out a sound that is high pitched and indignant as he crosses his arms over his chest.]

I can't believe you didn't tell me! [And then, a moment later—] No, I completely believe you didn't tell me but I am deeply offended anyway!

[He glances around the kitchen and lets out another whining sound.] And I can't even make you anything!

Come on, get up. We're going out!

（ he just. raises... an eyebrow...

and continues drinking out of his mug. ）

Why?

[He grins wide.]

To celebrate. We might not be able to eat, but I'm sure there's something fun we can do. Do you want to go for drinks?

No.

（ when have u ever seen him drink, asshole. ）

I am not prone to sentimentality regarding my date of birth.

[Wei Wuxian takes a moment to pause his enthusiasm and consider him. If they were on the Ximilia, he knows what he would do for him, but they aren't. He can't take him out to eat, he doesn't have an interest in drinking—expected but he'd had to ask—and the world they're in doesn't offer much in the way of nature, something that might be nice to walk to.

It also occurs to him that given what he knows about Itachi, it's entirely possible his birthday doesn't exactly bring up any fond memories—or if it does, that those memories come with their own added weight. He takes another bite of dango and settles back into his chair.]

I didn't think you would be [he admits, a softer smile washing away the overenthusiastic one] but I'm glad you're here for another birthday.

（ something tightens at the corners of his eyes, and he lifts his hand to his cheek, leaning into it as he turns the page of his book. even now, he has no true desire to exist any longer than what it takes to change the trajectory of sasuke's life. death is the only acceptable end to his journey — and he has been dragged once from its embrace. he will not waste this time, but he has no desire to survive it, either.

every new year he lives past the age shisui was at his death is like a blow.

his mouth is set in a faint line as he feathers his fingers into his hair. ）

Please wash the plate when you are finished.

[Wei Wuxian only nods in response, finishing up the dango and then taking care of the plate. He bustles around Itachi for a while, enjoying the companionable silence, but his thoughts are heavy and it's inevitable when he eventually sits back down across from him. He wishes he had tea to pour the both of them, missing the routine of it, and instead settles for folding his arms over the table.]

Does it feel strange to have a birthday? I know it'll be strange for me. [The last few years of his life, he hadn't celebrated his birthday at all, barely noticing them pass if he's honest. With what he knows of Itachi, he's sure it must have been similar for him.]

（ he already has a cup of tea, thank u, and he raises it idly for a drink. ）

It is not any stranger than being on another world.

（ not wei wuxian's point, but it's how he chooses to answer, said as he turns another page in his textbook. ）

Hmm. [It affirms a little of his theory, maybe, but it's hard to know with him. Still.]

Perhaps not to you, but to count birthdays after my life has ended...I was already living on borrowed time, I just never expected to make it so literal. [He chuckles quietly under his breath and then tilts his head at Itachi.]

If we were on the Ximilia and you could do something fun, what would you do?

Read.

（ is the turn of the next page perhaps a bit pointed?

perhaps. ）

I do not see why people make a to-do over such a thing. It is only a date.

[His lips curve up into a smile because yes, that page flip was in fact very pointed. Electing to ignore that—]

Where I'm from, many people see birthdays as markers of time that count down our dwindling days. As cultivators are long lived, that sentiment isn't shared among them as much. For them...hmm. I'm not sure how they see it.

[Then, after a pause.] I just know I enjoy celebrating my friends and I've had very little opportunity to do so before now. I'm afraid you have to suffer now as a result.

Is that what we're doing?

（ 'celebrating' him? gross, not a fan. ）

I would ask that you please refrain from announcing it to the others.

I won't tell anyone. [He raises his hand with three fingers up in what looks to be some sort of salute.]

And I think that's what I'm trying to do, yes. But my options here are extremely limited! Hmm. I could play for you. Would you like a song? Before you answer, remember that if I am playing, I'm not talking!

（ his hand stills on the book, and he just. gives wei wuxian a very flat look, one eyebrow arched faintly. ）

Why do you act as if that is a positive thing?

（ he doesn't care about music. he's annoyed at the self-deprecation. ）

My playing? [He's not being obtuse or intentionally misunderstanding and there's a clear question in his eyes. The self-deprecation isn't even something he gives a second thought so it doesn't occur to him that it's what Itachi is talking about.]

That it prevents your speaking.

（ for all that he is presently annoyed, he sounds only patient. one eyebrow lifted faintly in query as he studies the man. ）

[He stares at Itachi for a moment before a smile breaks open on his face.]

Because I am annoying. I'm sure you'd enjoy the melody much more than my endless chatter, hmm?

If I objected to your endless chatter, I would leave.

（ is wei wuxian annoying? occasionally. but it is hardly his defining characteristic, not when it lives alongside such things as clever and brave and compassionate. ）

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cw: suicidal ideation

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