#mcl:ll

Faye arose to her stomach rumbling wildly. It wasn't exactly how she planned to start off her special day. As she picked out crud from her eyes, she was startled by something poking at her stomach. Looking down, Faye chuckled at the culprit responsible.

Turns out it was White, kneading and purring loudly. Faye gently rubbed her soft head, the cat lovingly mewed in response to the affection.

"Hehe, looks like someone's excited today, huh?", the woman chuckled as White hopped from the bed to her tree scratching post.

Before Faye could have time to get out of bed, she felt herself getting pulled back down by some familiar strong arms.

"N-Nath! W-what are you doing?", she stuttered as her boyfriend nuzzled his face on her shoulder.

"Just surprising the birthday girl.", the blonde chuckled, lightly pecking her the corner of her ear.

"This certainly isn't the surprise I had in mind.", Faye rolled her eyes as she turned over to face her boyfriend. She raises an eyebrow at Nathaniel's cheeky smirk on his face.

"W-what's that look for?", she nervously averted her eyes. Her heart jumped as Nathaniel tugged on the silky strap of her purple babydoll nightgown.

"It still fits.", he beams as he released the strap, making Faye wince.

"Don't get your hopes up; I wore it for myself today."

"More power to you, I suppose. Now, enough talk. There's something special downstairs waiting for you."

Nathaniel ruffled his girlfriend's hair before he held out his hand. Curious about the "something special", Faye took his hand and was escorted downstairs to the kitchen.

Faye's eyes widened as she entered the room. On the table was a well-prepared breakfast alongside various presents in all shapes and sizes.

"Y-you planned all of this?", Faye blinked back joyful tears as Nathaniel draped a plush robe over her shoulders.

"Yes, but I'll admit that I had some help.", he replied as he walked her over to the table.

Faye took notice of the large pancake stack- rainbow sprinkles poking out of each one. The plate next to it contained fruit kabobs- half of them were covered in sugar syrup, the others in chocolate. Alongside the sweet ensemble, dishes filled with avocado toast, scrambled eggs, and strips of bacon added a savory touch to the meal.

Her heart did a leap when her eyes landed on a gift card with the Cosy Bear Cafe logo. She had a feeling who prepared this joyous breakfast for her.

Dear Faye, sorry we can't be there for the celebration. The cafe's getting pretty hectic and your girl will not let her business end up in shambles today. But I hope you like the special order Mr. President made especially for you. It was a lot of fun to make, and we poured all of our love into every bit. Bon appétit!

Happy Birthday from us, Bonnie & Nina

You two are the best, Faye squealed as she squeezed the card against her chest. Her happy moment was quickly interrupted by a sudden growl coming from her stomach.

"Gosh, those pancakes are just too pretty to eat.", she joked as her face grew hot.

Nathaniel chuckled before replying, "Well, get to it before I take them all myself."

"Pfft, I find that hard to believe with your taste palate.", Faye rolled her eyes as the two of them sat down to eat.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"Whew, I don't think I can eat another bite of those pancakes.", Faye sighed, taking a sip of her chamomile tea.

After breakfast, the couple relaxed on the couch to allow their stomachs to rest. White had come down to eat and was later in the mood for a cuddle. So, she hopped onto Faye's lap, eager for some affection.

"That just means we can the leftovers next year. If they can last that long in the fridge, that is.", Nathaniel replied as he enjoyed a cup of coffee.

"Given my tendency to have a little midnight snack here and there, don't be surprised if they go missing by tomorrow morning.”

The blonde chuckled at Faye’s joke before handing her a sparkling purple-and-gold gift bag.

This must be from Rosa, she concluded as she carefully searched the bag, attempting to not rip the decorative tissue paper. Faye fished out a slender jewelry box and marveled at the pair of studded hoop earrings.

Leigh, Thia, and I wish you a very happy birthday. Be sure to send me a pic when you try on the earrings- I'm dying to see how they look on you, the intricate birthday card read in Rosalya's familiar handwriting.

"By the way, Nathaniel, where's your present?", Faye questioned as she gently placed the earrings on a nearby pillow.

Her boyfriend gave her a light flick on her nose and answered, "No need to fret. There's no way I'd forget about you, Little Faye. But, you need to unwrap these other gifts first."

Faye wanted to insist, but eventually let it slide and got to opening her remaining presents.

A large gift box contained a lovely castle painting from "Aster" aka Violette. I know you like the fantasy genre, so it was the inspiration for this painting. I really hope you like it, the kindhearted card read in delicate penmanship.

Iris had bought Faye a bottle of perfume. I know it's nothing fancy, but I hope you like it. I sampled it and the soft, peachy scent really reminded me of you.

A familiar-looking guitar pick laid in a tiny glass box sent by Castiel, now with his signature on it. This old thing’s been through a lot and I figured it should go to someone I trust rather than throwing it away. Not sure what you'll do with it, but I hope it does some good to you.

Inside of Priya's card contained a $100 gift card for a couple's massage. I think you two deserve it since work will get exhausting.

Faye beamed at the adorable teddy bear key chain Kentin had gifted her. You can never have too many teddy bears, right? Hope you like the new addition to your collection.

A colorful set of nail polish came in Alexy's parcel. Maybe if you sweet talk him enough, Nath can do your nails for you. XD

A plush doll of Celica plopped out of a gift box from Armin. It would be criminal of me to not get merch of one of your favorite Fire Emblem characters. Funny enough that it was the last one available online on Etsy...

Faye sighed happily, very pleased with all the presents she had received. She felt quite lucky to have such wonderful friends; she missed them all so much.

She made a mental note to herself to plan a get-together with them someday.

"Ok, now can I open your present?", Faye jumped, glowing with excitement.

Nathaniel snorted before handing her a wide gift box.

"Alright, alright. I've figured you were patient enough."

After tearing the wrapping paper off, she opened the box, only to be met with pieces of styrofoam to fall out of it. In the center of the box was something wrapped in bubble wrap.

She carefully pulled the mystery object out and peeled away the bubble wrap. Her brown eyes grew wide as she stared down at a small music box. After opening it, a calming melody played as a tiny glass slipper spun inside of it.

"Oh Nathaniel, thank you. It's beautiful. But...this must've cost a fortune.", Faye wiped away tears of joy.

"Hey, you said you'd be fine with anything. Besides, I figured why not go all out for you?", Nathaniel smiled sweetly, turning the dial to keep the music playing.

Marveled by the entrancing tunes, Faye had the sudden urge to spring to her feet and dance. So, that's exactly what she did.

It was Nathaniel's turned to be shocked when his girlfriend set the music box and started freestyling a ballet routine.

"Erm, this isn't exactly dancing music, you know.", he snickered at the brunette as she spun into a pirouette.

"Anything can be dance music if you feel it in your heart.", Faye grinned widely as she pulled Nathaniel up from the couch, encouraging him to dance with her.

Nathaniel really wasn't in the mood to dance, however, he had to give in. As long as it made the birthday girl happy. 

He held Faye in his arms as he led her into a waltz. She couldn't stop her giggling while they danced together. 

While she was grateful to have such wonderful companions, she was even more blessed to have Nathaniel by her side. Faye knew that with his support and encouragement, she'd be able to step out of any troubles she was facing.