[N] Celebrating Natsuki's Birthday (Green)

>You pace back and forth through the living room, glancing anxiously at the clock every so often.
>12:37pm.
>You’ve been up and working away for hours, setting everything up for the perfect day.
>Even with your limited budget, you’ve done your best to put a good display on for Natsuki’s birthday.
>Some balloons, a nice banner, the works.
>Your eyes shift to the wrapped boxes on the coffee table.
>Will she even like them?
>What if she doesn’t like them!
>You take a deep breath. If anything it’s not worth worrying about, you don’t have the time or money to buy anything else.
>A beeping coming from the kitchen catches your attention.
>You almost dive over the couch like some Bond movie star and dash into the kitchen.
>Almost ripping the oven door off of its hinges, you pull the trey out and set it on the stovetop.
>The red velvet cake is a little blackened around the rim, but otherwise it looks fine!
“Shit..”
“She won’t notice if it’s a little crispy.”
>Lying to yourself will only get you so far. Natsuki’s keen palette will surely pick it up in a heartbeat.
>Maybe if you cover it with icing, it’ll beat out the burnt taste.
>You load up your piping bag with white icing.
>Glancing at the clock again. 1pm.
>You should probably give her a call soon enough.
>Soon enough you’ve coated the cake in a nice layer of icing.
>You swap nozzles, moving from the generic one to a stylistic one that makes flower shapes if used right.
>The idea is to make a nice ring of flowers along the outside, with a few strawberries here and there in the middle of each slice.
>It doesn’t pan out as planned however, most of the flowers look all kinds of wonky.
>At least the strawberries are fine!
>All in all, the cake ends up looking good. At least by your standards.
>Time for the final detail.
>You pull a “19” candle from its wrapping and place it in the centre of the cake.
>Stepping back, you admire your work.
>Hopefully she likes it, all things considered.

>You pull your phone out of your pocket and call Natsuki.
>She picks up almost immediately.
“Hey, Natsuki?”
>”Anon! What’s up?”
“You’re still coming over today, right?”
>”Yeah, I’m just getting ready now actually.”
>”Where the hell are my shoes?”
“Alright, well hurry up. Alright?”
>”Yeah yeah, I’ll be over in a minute.”
“See you soon then, honey.”
>She goes quiet for a moment.
>”Yeah, See you.”
>She hangs up. You slip your phone back into your pocket and sigh.
>Might as well freshen up a little before she arrives.
>As you dry your face off you hear your doorbell ring.
>You almost trip over yourself rushing down the stairs.
>You open the door and greet the little pink girl on your doorstep.
“Hey Natsuki.”
>”Hey!”
>She smiles up at you as you usher her inside.
“Go on into the living room. Make yourself at home.”
>You lock the front door before following her into the living room.
>Natsuki stands there, taking in the entire scene.
>You stand behind her, your hands on her shoulders.
“Happy birthday, Natsuki.”
>”A-Anon..”
>She turns to you. Stars sparkling in her eyes as she looks up at you, mouth agape slightly in shock.
>”You really didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to celebrate your birthday.”
“Together.”
>Natsuki throws her arms around you and hugs you tightly.
>Her voice is a little muffled as her face is buried into your chest.
>”I… I mean the presents, the balloons.”
>”I haven’t had a birthday like this since I was like four.”
>You close an arm around her and bring a hand up to stroke her hair.
>You can feel your shirt going damp as Natsuki’s eyes begin to water.
“Hey.”
>Natsuki pulls her head out of your chest and looks up at you again, tears forming at the ends of her eyes.
>She chokes on her words as she tries to suppress her sobs.
>”A-Anon I-“
>You silence her by pressing your lips against hers, kissing her deeply.
>As you pull away, Natsuki sighs a little.

“I love you, Natsuki.”
“So I wanted to give you a proper birthday.”
“The kind of birthday you deserve.”
>Natsuki shakes her head at you.
>”I love you too, you massive dweeb.”
>You feel a slight blush creep across your face as Natsuki stands on her toes to kiss you again.
>She gives you a tearful smile as she lands on the flats of her feet again.
“C’mon. Let’s open your presents.”
>Natsuki kneels down and the coffee table and grabs the nearest present.
>You sit on the floor next to her as she turns it in her hands.
>”Anon you really didn’t need to get me anything.”
>She begins tearing the wrapping paper off, revealing a small plush bear!
>It’s the typical, overly corny bear holding a heart that says “I love you.”
>You notice her shoot a glance at you as her face begins to turn red.
>”A bear, Anon? Really?”
>She giggles.
>”That’s so cheesy!”
>Nevertheless, she cuddles it quickly before setting it on the table. Before reaching for the second box.
>You watch her rip the paper off with anticipation.
>The second present is a box of fancy cooking utensils!
>Not the generic, dollar store stuff either. This is the real deal, Jordan Gamsey stuff.
>Her voice raises as she shakes the present in her hands.
>”Oh my god Anon! How much did these even cost?!”
>”Jordan Gamsey isn’t cheap stuff at all. He’s one of the best chefs of all time!”
“So I noticed. You never stop yammering on about him when we bake together.”
>Natsuki is taken slightly aback! Shocked at the realisation that you actually listen to her.
>”Anon..”
“Open the last one.”
>She nods as she reaches for the last box, the smallest one of the three.
>She opens it as a wide grin splits across your face.
“Remember, about a couple months ago you said you could never afford something that made you look beautiful.”
“And I said that ‘You already look beautiful to me.’”
>”You already look beautiful to me..”
>”And I tried to argue that I wasn’t. Because I had nothing fancy.”

>Natsuki opens the velvet box, gasping loudly as her eyes find a necklace inside.
>A golden chain ending in a small, heart shaped pendant. A shining gem encrusted in the centre.
>She takes it out and admires it.
>”It’s so pretty..”
“Fitting, don’t you thing.”
>”Oh shush!”
“Put it on.”
>She sets the box down and unhooks the necklace, placing it around her neck.
>”Gimmie a hand.”
>You take the ends of the necklace and piece them together.
>Using a hand, you brush her pink hair out of the way and plant a soft kiss on the back of her neck.
>She turns to you.
>”How does it look?”
>You give her a genuine smile.
“It looks great on you, honey.”
>She smiles back at you.
“Sorry I couldn’t get you much. I didn’t have a whole lot of money so this is all I could afford.”
>Natsuki shakes her head once more.
>”You dummy.”
>She beats a fist against your chest.
>”Y’know, the only thing I really wanted was you.”
>She pulls you into another hug.
>”I love you, Anon.”
>”Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, Natsuki.”
>”No shut up. It is! It means a great deal to me!”
>You pull away from the hug and stand up.
“Then wait til you see this, stay here.”
>You walk into the kitchen and quickly cut two slides out of the velvet cake that’s been cooling.
>Placing them on separate plates, you carry them back into the living room and set one in front of her.
“You taught me so much about baking, so I tried to make something in return.”
>She looks over the slice of cake, examining your baking skills.
>You pray to any and all gods you can think of that she doesn’t notice the burnt bits covered with icing.
>Natsuki takes a bite and chews.
>Suddenly her face lights up.
>”It’s not bad!”
>She takes another bite, talking through her full mouth.
>”It actually tastes pretty good.”
>You smile at her compliment before taking a bite of your own slice.
>She’s not wrong!
>In no time at all she’s made it towards the end of the slice, where your fate will be sealed.
>She bites into it.

>Her face scrunches up, she glares up at you.
>”Anon.”
>You let out a nervous chuckle.
“Y-Yeah..?”
>”You burnt it along the edges, didn’t you?”
“Yeah I did.”
>She pops the rest of the cake into her mouth and finishes it.
>”Amateur mistakes.”
>”You’re not a pro like me! So I’ll let you off this time, just because I love you.”
>Her face softens up a little.
>”I’m pulling your leg a bit. I’m proud of you for trying Anon.”
“Ha, thanks Natsuki.”
>She sets the plate down and sighs.
>”I still can’t believe you did all this just for me, Anon.”
>You point at the envelope on the table.
 “You haven’t read your card yet.”
>”Oh right. I didn’t notice it, sorry.”
>She takes it and opens it.
“I wrote a little something inside. I hope you like it.”

---

I baked a cake just for you
To commemorate your special day
With sprinkles and gumdrops
And nineteen candles burning away

I did my best to follow your tips
And although our skills are miles apart
I tried to put together something sweet
A baked treat that comes from the heart

Blow out the candles and make a wish
Hold it close and don't let go
Tell not a soul what you wished for
Because no one is supposed to know

That's what makes wishes come true
I'd know that more than well
Because one birthday I wished for you

---

>Natsuki closes the card slowly and sets it on the table.
>She’s still.
“Natsuki?”
>Suddenly she turns and lunges into you, knocking you onto the ground.
>Her arms wrap around you, planting her lips right on yours.
>She pulls away after a long, passionate kiss.
>Burying her head into your neck, she lets out a sigh that wavers slightly as tears begin to well in her eyes again.
>You feel the wet of her tears against your neck as you hug her back.
>”Thank you Anon.”
>”Thank you so much.”
>”I love you.”
“I love you too, Natsuki.”
“Happy birthday.”


Happy birthday, Natsuki. I love you so much.