Birthday Gift
Thandi stretches. Is he asleep yet?
She strokes his hair and only gets a mumble in response, his arms tightening around her waist, face buried in her stomach. She missed his birthday last year and missed it by a scant few days this year, and Thandi is determined to finally give him something. Of course, Charlie is obstinate in every possible way.
“A gift? From you? What could I possibly want with a gift from my least favorite person? You couldn’t give me anything and I’d be perfectly fine without!”
Meaning he absolutely would die for her to give him literally anything.
Thandi pulls a gold hair pin from her locks and carefully slides it into his hair, using it to pull those annoying bangs a little bit further back. She pets him a little more before settling back into studying.
Later that night, Charlie yawns in his dorm, shuffling to attempt his own bed, when he catches his reflection. What is that in his hair? He gets closer to the mirror and finds himself blushing as he recognizes the glittering gold pin. His heart swells and his chest tightens, prompting his hand to ball the fabric at his sternum.
Of course he’d recognize that pin anywhere. It’s Thandi’s. She remembered his birthday!!
From then on, it’s a regular part of his ensemble. No one bats an eye. He’s all butterflies and peonies over Thandi, and she smiles at him every time she sees it flashing at her.