The cupcake didn't fill his belly. But it filled his heart so full it felt like it might split open.
It was the first time someone had bought him something for his birthday. The first time anyone had even remembered it.
If Mavis knew that—if he knew this was Sylene's first birthday cake—he'd probably beat himself up for not buying a better one. But to Sylene, this moment was perfect. Precious. Something he would cradle in memory for years.
He looked at Mavis again, that silver hair turned fox-red in the candlelight. It was like looking at a lost part of himself—at a twin reborn in a different body. Q96 never got to celebrate a birthday. But here he was, with someone who reminded him of home and possibility. Someone who made him feel seen.
Money was tight. But Mavis had still chosen to spend what little he had on him. And that act alone… it made Sylene's heart ache with something too gentle to be pain.
