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Presents. So many presents. Izou’s room was filled to the brim with them. The sizes ranged from small ring sized boxes, to presents larger than him, and everything in between. Some were wrapped well, others not at all, some came with cards or rather badly made cards, others came with only the name of the gifter. Izou sighed and rested his chin in his hand with a content smile on his face. His hair was messy, completely fallen out of place from his normally perfect hair. His makeup was smudged in places, and under it he knew he had dark circles from how tired he was. The birthday party his family threw for him was wonderful and long, lasting plenty into the morning with drinking and dancing and Izou was pretty sure he had lost almost all of his hair pins during it.
Normally he would be quite miffed but instead he was quite content. After all, he had so many gifts to go through! He didn’t even know where to start! This was by far his favorite part of his birthday just being able to go through all the gifts. This happened to every commander. They would get more gifts than they could handle and would have to take a good chunk of it back to their room and open it later after the party. Izou wasn’t complaining! It was so much fun he didn’t even know where to start! He let out a small sigh to himself and instead decided to remove his makeup and release his hair. He stared at himself with owlish eyes when he saw how tired he really looked. He was more partied out then he thought! Well no matter. He had gifts to open.
Sitting on his bed proved a bit hard as he had to shift some gifts around without letting them fall to the floor, but he managed. He decided to start with the medium gifts, then go down. ….Maybe getting Thatch’s help with the largest gifts tomorrow. The first one he opened was quite light and about the size of his torso. It made a assortment of shifting noises when he picked it up and placed in on his lap, its contents making it sound pretty packed in there. The box itself was wrapped up with a shiny blue paper, obviously not cheap. Someone from his division had given it to him and he was very excited to open it. Carefully making sure not to damage the paper he was very surprised by what was inside.
An assortment of hand crafted fans, soaps, lipsticks, and what seemed to be a VERY unique ornamental hairpin where waiting for him. Some of the other boxes he went on to open had similar items as well. By the time he was through a quarter of the medium boxes he had an ungodly amount of bath and makeup supplies, all very high quality save for a few that obviously were gifted from those with little understanding of the trade. That was fine though, he loved it all! He even had some very good quality ones he hadn’t heard of before! He couldn’t help but be giddy and try some on early. He loved the results and made a mental note to play around with them some more within the next few week’s. There were even some new clothes to add to his ever expanding closet! ….Though he’d have to talk to whoever chose some of them.
Moving on to the smaller boxes proved more exciting as there were far more of them. Not everyone felt the need to spend extravagantly on birthdays, and some made more personal gifts that were often smaller, but no less in value. Among the gifts were jewelry and other makeups with a new pair of summer kimonos and trinkets. Izou found himself laughing at some of the more tacky and ridiculous things, like a necklace with a heart that had two wings and the word “fuck” in the middle. The note said “This is a single flying fuck. Use it wisely.” He had to admit that made him laugh the hardest at just how dumb it was.
There were many heartfelt notes as well as handmade, personalized gifts from others that made his heart swell and eyes tear up. One was a particularly long note, obviously from someone who couldn’t write at ALL and had asked someone else to finish it for them. But what they had wrote was a very loving recollection of their and Izou’s time together and the impact the sixteenth commander had on them. Izou was going to hug them so hard in the morning.
It had been a few hours, Izous room now full of boxes, wrapping paper, and assorted items in neat piles. He was very tired and sure that the sun would be rising soon, but he had promised himself one box. It wasn’t light but wasn’t hefty, a good weight inbetween. There was shifting inside from something, but he couldn’t tell what. The wrapping was a baby blue with rubber duckies and bubbles on it, obviously cheaper then some of the previous gifts, but tied off with a pink ribbon. He didn’t quite know what to think of it, but then again he was overtired and his brain was probably shot from the alcohol he had during the party. Carefully opening it revealed something he had never expected. His eyes widened and he gasped.
Inside the box was a teddy bear, a note, a comb, and a small decorative porcelain box with gold legs. But it wasn’t just any teddy bear. He recognized the style it was made in. The seems were done with lighter thread, the eyes were sewed in more of an octagon then a circle with hardy white fabric paint in the center. There were silk ribbons around the neck and ear followed by a pink silk heart on the right side with his name sewed in. The feet were a extra soft fabric as well as the nose, and the limbs were all jointed so it could change poses. The weight was equally distributed so it could stand. He knew this kind of bear, he knew exactly where it came from.
This was from Izous home island. The love and care put into it meant it was custom as well. He thought he’d never see one again. Yet here it was, sitting in his lap. He let out a choked breathe, his chest tight and eyes blurry with tear. Izou couldn’t help but cuddle the bear, feeling the soft fur and the mix of fluff and plastic pellets inside it for balance. It was so close to what he had as a child. When he looked at the comb it was the same thing. It was from his home island, made with care and engraved so delicately. The glaze used to bring out the dark red shade of the wood brought back so many fond memories. The little pearls carefully embedded in the handle, the way it felt so natural in his hand...who had gotten all this? HOW MUCH DID THEY SPEND?!?
He grabbed the note before looking at the little porcelain box, all painted so intricate, and read it through.
“Dear brother Izou,
You’ve mentioned a few times how your home island was always so fancy. Sometimes you even mentioned missing it and what you used to have there. So I decided to make this birthday special! It took me a long time, and I blew my and some of my brothers cash while getting these for you, and boy did I see what you meant! No wonder you’re so stunning! Such a beautiful person could only come from such a beautiful island! I know you said you had a teddy bear as a child too, so I wanted to get you one. They’re different from what I’ve seen on other islands, and I’m so glad to have gotten one for you! The comb looked so good I had to get it as well.
I know what it’s like to miss home, wishing you had something to hold close when you thought of it. That’s how I felt for a while after joining Pops. But...now you don’t have to wish and want. You can have a little something from home with you! You’ve made me feel so welcome here, I can be myself instead of hiding who I am. You’ve comforted me when I need it, so here’s something to comfort YOU when you need it! I hope you like it!
Love, Ange
Fifth division”
Izou wiped the tears from his eyes and put the note down. They did all this work just for him? He wanted to burst into their quarters and hug them right now! The teddy bear leaned into him as if it was trying to comfort him and he couldn’t help but hug it tight. It was a few minutes before he remember there was one more thing in the box. With careful hands he took out the beautiful box and opened it with a small click. Inside was a stunning earring meant to caress and sit on the ear like a glove. The silver wire was delicate and soft, holding the shining jewels in its intricate design. Izou wanted to cry again and smiled brightly.
The temptation of sleep was now something he couldn’t ignore, and the light peeping in from his window meant he most definitely overdid it. But for this it was worth missing a day. He gently put the box to the side, the items jostled very little as they went down. Izou yawned and cleared his bed, grabbing his new teddy bear and getting under the covers. Yes, he’d probably get teased for it if anyone found out, but he’d deal with that later. For now, he held it close as the sun came out and let the smell of both his homes intermingle as the ship lulled him to sleep.
It was truly a special birthday.