Happy Birthday, Old Man

It was cold. Perhaps it was the winter air soaking into his bones, the snow underneath him. Or even the permeating ache that reminded him of what he and Elijah had done.

His husband was awake as well despite Joel's insistence that he go to sleep. The rest of the Rippers that had gone with them were already asleep in what they could manage as bedding. So the fire was kept up, a stick floating over to poke at the flames before being added as fuel.

Joel had Harker's journal open again, not to question the poor man, but to read. To try and glean information that could help somehow. Though to tell the truth it was mostly for something to do that wasn't fussing over his ineptitude in understanding what Jonathan had tried to explain to him.

"Joel... Perhaps you should go to sleep, love..." spoke Elijah gently, watching the creases in his husband's forehead multiply in frustration.

"My watch isn't over yet, caro mio..." replied Joel, flipping to the last entry in the journal. His mismatched eyes glanced at the date before his mind was counting how many days had passed since then. He then paused to sigh deeply.

"Well, this is funny..." the alienist remarked with a weary chuckle.

"What is? Did you find anything important?" Elijah replied, sitting up with a pop of his aching back which made him grunt slightly.

Joel shook his head dismissively, that tired smile still on his face.

"It's stupid but... I realized what day it was..."

Elijah tilted his head before looking at the journal's date and doing the math himself. Once he figured out what the Italian meant his own expression softened, gently taking the journal and setting it aside before squeezing one of Joel's hands.

"I'm sorry, Elijah... It's a stupid thing to think about. Especially now... It's not that I even care anyways..."

"I do." Elijah interrupted, putting his other hand, the one without prosthetics, on Joel's face.

Joel's face softened at the touch, leaning into it as if it was the only comfort he had left in this world. It made the ache in his being lessen.

"Happy birthday, my love..."