A/N: I did want to post this on Cress's actual birthday (July 18th), but our internet been out for a couple of days, so I couldn't upload it. So happy belated birthday Cress, you get a Cresswell one-shot as a present! I also don't know what seasons the books took place in so I'm just going to go with Winter ending in December, Cress and Thorne getting together in February (let's say on Valentine's day because it'd be perfectly romantic for Cress), and get engaged a year later.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lunar Chronicles.

Thorne's POV:

Thorne had just one goal. To not screw up this day. Why? Because it was Cress's birthday, and he was determined not to ruin it for her. Now Thorne had many, many girlfriends, but he broke up with all of them before their birthday ever came up. So yeah, he had no clue what to do. Let's just say all of his friends basically had the best day of their lives when he had to ask them for their help.

Flashback

"Okay guys. You all need to listen to me very carefully because this is of the upmost importance." All of Thorne's friends nodded, serious expressions plastered on their faces.

"Thorne why are we really here?" Cinder looked a little worried but mostly suspicious.

"Well the truth is Cress's birthday is in a couple of months and-"

"Wait a minute. You have no idea what to do." Scarlet's smirk rivaled his own. Thorne's silence said everything. The Lunars could have probably heard the laughter that followed.

"This is the BEST day of my life!" said Jacin almost out of breath.

"Shut up Jacin, it's just because your life is so lame, and-"

"Guys calm down; it's not a big deal. Thorne just needs some advice-," started Kai.

"Thank you. Now-"

"-some relationship advice to the self-proclaimed king of women who can't handle his girlfriend's birthday," he finished. That earned yet another round of laughter. Thorne just shook his head.

"Why did I even ask you guys!?"

"Because you are clueless, and we can help. Do you have any ideas?" That came from Winter who at least looked somewhat sympathetic.

"Uh…"

"You have zero ideas, don't you?" asked Wolf. And the ear-splitting laughter was back.

"Why don't you just throw her a party?" Cinder's question was so obvious, and Thorne hated it.

"You didn't think of the most basic solution," said Jacin incredulously.

"Okay. Look, can you guys just help me? It's for Cress, alright!" That shut them up. Once they were quiet, they actually began to plan.

End of Flashback

Thorne woke up extra early that day, partly from nerves and partly from wanting to get Cress's first surprise underway. He quietly slipped into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast. Scarlet had been secretly teaching him since that horrible meeting, and now he was pretty good at making the simple, yet elegant breakfast. Just don't mention the countless burnt messes and the smoke filled escapes from the kitchen. He finished pouring off a glass of orange juice and took the tray up to their room in the Rampion.

After nudging open the door, Thorne set the tray on a table and walked over to where Cress was still sleeping peacefully. Her hair was a mess, blankets askew, and there was a pillow imprinted on her cheek, but he had never seen anyone so beautiful. She almost seemed to radiate energy even with her eyes tightly closed. Thorne kissed her on her forehead, and whispered, "It's time to wake up, Captain."

Cress wiggled a little. "I'm not the Captain." A yawn followed. "You are."

"Well today, you are because it's your birthday!"

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot."

"I can't believe you almost forgot your birthday! But here I made you breakfast." He brought the tray up onto her lap.

"Wow I didn't know you could cook!"

"Well it's a secret passion of mine. I've just never showed it to you."

"Right, I'll make sure I thank Scarlet when we see them tonight."

"Hey! Cress you wound me." He put a hand over his heart, faking hurt. "And how can you say that!? Come on, where's the faith?"

"Thorne you aren't very good at covering your tracks. The frequent calls to Scarlet. The dirty dishes. The smell of smoke in your clothes. You know next time; you should try cleaning up after yourself."

"Wow, someone's got a sharp tongue."

"Well, I learned from the best." Cress took a bite of the stack of fluffy pancakes and smiled. "This is really good! Do you want some?" she asked timidly.

"You are too kind, my dear Captain." Thorne winked, and Cress blushed. After a bite of her food, he leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. He was about to deepen the kiss when her stomach rumbled, and Thorne pulled back laughing. Cress's face was so red, it made him laugh even harder.

"Stop it Thorne!" He wanted to stop, but her childish pout was endearing and hilarious. He really should have payed attention to the evil glint in her eyes because she took advantage of his open mouth, and attacked. Thorne was tackled, and Cress was on top, straddling him. She enveloped his lips with her own, and her tongue pushed its way into his mouth. They kissed passionately until they had to pull away, out of breath. Cress had an uncharacteristic smirk on her face at his dazed expression.

"You should have stopped." Thorne lightly kissed her again.

"Are you sure? Maybe I should keep laughing so we could stay here all day." Cress's face flushed even more.

"But we have to go to the palace today, don't we?"

"Fine," said Thorne, while pouting slightly. Cress gave him a swift peck on the cheek before going to the bathroom. He sighed loudly and with just a hint of nerves got ready for the party.

A few hours later

"Why are we going again?" asked Cress.

"We're giving a status report about our progress with the cures to Kai and all of those political leaders. Winter's going to be there as the ambassador of Luna," he said as he kept his eyes on the ship's controls. There was no doubt that Thorne was an excellent liar because Cress didn't look suspicious at all. He had to contain the cocky smirk. "Sorry it had to be on your birthday."

"Oh it's okay. I'm here with you and that's what matters, right?" She had so much joy in her eyes, Thorne almost melted.

"Yeah."

Thorne's ears almost exploded at the squeals from Cress, Iko, and Winter. The rest of his friends greeted them in a calmer matter. They all had devious smiles on their faces that screamed I can't wait to see you mess up.

"Cress, Thorne, I have already told everyone here that it will be a formal meeting to discuss the current status of the plague. Your clothes are waiting for you," said Kai

"Clothes?" asked Cress.

"We just want to make sure the press doesn't comment on your fashion choices." Cinder gave Thorne a pointed look.

"I don't know what you're talking about. My fashion sense is impeccable." Cinder just rolled her eyes.

"Come on Cress; we'll show you to your room," said Winter. Thorne watched as the girls climbed up the impressive staircase and turned to face the guys.

"Is everything re-" Thorne was interrupted by more screams from upstairs. Kai's portscreen dinged, alerting him to a message.

"That was Cinder. Scarlet just surprised them, that's all." All of the guys just shook their heads and muttered, "Women," underneath their breaths.

"Anyways, is everything ready?" asked Thorne, drawing the focus back on him.

"Of course. Like we'd let Cress down. You, on the other hand, I still can't believe that you didn't just think of a party."

"Shut up Jacin."

"Wow…Just wow. You look amazing Cress." A blush fanned out on her cheeks at Thorne's compliment. It was a white skater style dress that reached mid-thigh, perfect for summertime. It was also sleeveless, and the beautiful floral print matched her sky blue eyes. The V neckline was slightly plunging, but he wasn't complaining. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled in an elegant bun on top of her hair, with a few wavy strands framing her face. She had paired the look with white, strappy high heels.

"I still have no clue how anyone walks in these, but I'm learning," said Cress with small smile. "Are you sure this is right, Thorne. I feel like it isn't formal enough for this."

"It." Thorne kissed her forehead. "Is." He moved onto her cheek. "Perfect." He pecked her nose. "Just like you." Finally he kissed her on the lips. When he pulled away, Cress was bright red.

"So cheesy."

"But you love it."

"Do I now?"

"Yep," he said, popping the "p".

"I guess you're right. Come on; we've got to go."

"Do we have to?" Thorne put a comical pout on his face.

"Whining doesn't suit you, and yes we do." They walked out of the room and started down the stairs. Cress's grip on his arm was tight as she kept her eyes trained on her feet. He chuckled lightly at her concentrated face.

"Don't worry you won't trip. Even if you do, I'll catch you."

"Charming."

"Is my middle name." Her laugh was music to his ears. Thorne lead them towards the room their friends had already decorated.

"Aren't we going in the wrong direction?" asked Cress.

"This is where Kai told me to go," he said as they walked into a pitch black room. "Because-." Thorne flipped the switch.

"SURPRISE!" Not only were Cinder, Kai, Scarlet, Wolf, Winter, Jacin, and Iko there, they had made so many friends delivering the cures that most of them came to celebrate Cress. Thorne looked down and saw that Cress had tears in her eyes.

"Crap, what's wrong. Did we get it wrong? How can I fix-." He was cut off by a firm kiss. There were a couple of wolf whistles and catcalls. When she pulled pack, Cress's eyes were sparkling with happiness.

"It's wonderful!" He let out a sigh of relief. "Though I was kind of expecting it to be honest with you."

"Damn it!" That surprisingly didn't come from Thorne. It was Kai. Everyone turned to look at the emperor. And everyone saw the not-so-subtle handing over of money to Jacin. Thorne raised an eyebrow at him.

"What!? I was just betting that she would know. Shortcake here is pretty smart."

"But you shouldn't have bet on the failure of Thorne," scolded Winter.

"Sorry," mumbled Jacin, not looking sorry at all. And with that, the party was under way.

Thorne smiled gently at his girlfriend. She seemed to flutter around the room, greeting every single guest. Thanking them with just the right amount of shyness that made her Cress. He spotted her talking to his old crew and made his way over to them.

"Thanks you guys!" she squealed while hugging all of them. "I love it!"

"No problem, this was fun to plan," said Kai.

"Oh Scarlet, thanks for teaching Thorne how to cook."

"Yeah, he was a tough person to teach, but I managed to do the impossible."

"Hey! I was an awesome student."

"Thorne you probably burnt down the Rampion's kitchen like ten times."

"I did not Cinder."

"Actually…you kind of did." Cress's comment caused everyone to laugh.

"My own girlfriend, turned against me." Thorne noticed Cress's empty glass. "Do you want another drink?"

"Thank you Captain."

"Get me one too, Captain."

"Go get your own, Jacin," he said with his back already turned. Thorne walked up to the bar and ordered a lemonade (I'm pretty sure Cress is underage.) when a woman sidled up to him. She was very pretty, and normally he would have loved flirting with her, but he had kicked the habit long ago.

"Carswell Thorne?"

"The one and only. And your name is?"

"Kathrine Green. Nice to meet you," she said while holding out a hand. He shook it, but she saw it as an opportunity to move closer to him.

"So what is the sexy Captain Thorne doing here?" she said with a sickly sweet voice. Thorne noticed a portscreen recording their every word and frowned slightly.

"You're a reporter right."

"The rumors are true. You are a criminal mastermind." Her flirting was so obvious; he wanted to roll his eyes. He was seriously considering creating the flirting school he had thought of as a teenager. "Come on; how about a drink?" It was followed by a sloppy wink.

"I don't think you know what or more like who this party is for. I have a girlfriend who I love very much," Thorne grabbed the drink from the counter, "and this is her birthday party. So if you'll excuse me, I have to take this to her. Nice to meet you Kathrine." He paused to see her jaw drop and smirked.

"You mean the short blonde!?" she said incredulously. "She's so plain."

"You don't know anything about her. And she is more beautiful on the outside and on the inside than you could ever be with that attitude." Thorne turned to see Cress watching the whole thing. He walked over to her as quickly as she could. "Cress, she just started talking to me. It meant nothing. I-."

"I heard the whole thing," she said, reaching up to place a gentle kiss on his lips. Her mouth was soft, warm and tasted sweet and lemony. "Thank you," she whispered on his lips. The silence enveloped them for a moment and the words hung between them.

"Okay, presents!" yelled Scarlet. Cress's eyes widened with excitement. And Thorne silently cursed himself. Why? Because he forgot to get her something. Shit!

"I've never gotten a present before!" She looked so happy, and he was about to ruin her birthday.

"Cress, listen I am so sorry, but I-."

"Thorne, I think pretending to have forgotten a present is going a little too far," said Cinder. "Even for you." Thorne looked at her, his glance saying everything. "Oh…"

"I'm so sorry Cress, really I am,"

"It's ok Thorne, don't worry about a thing. I don't even need this many gifts. And you being here is enough of a present." She sounded fine, but there was something in her eyes that told him she wasn't fine at all.

"Come on Cress; they're all over here," said Iko gently, as she led her away. Thorne guilty watched her retreating back.

"I guess she's not that special after all." Kathrine was right next to him.

"How the hell did you get in here? Kai told me the press weren't allowed in."

She shrugged and said, "Minor detail. Now how about that drink?"

"Come with me." He led her to where Kai was standing. "Kai, this reporter has made her way in, and please get her out of here."

"With pleasure. Come this way please." Kai led a very surprised Kathrine towards the exit and when he returned, Thorne walked up to him. Kai opened his mouth to say something.

"Just don't. Okay, I know I screwed up, but I need to ask you a favor."

The party ended well into the night. It seemed that no one wanted to leave, but eventually it was just the nine of them.

"Thorne, we should probably go. We have to get to the United Kingdom soon," said Cress as she looked around. "Where did everyone go?" All of their friends had left them alone. Now was the perfect time.

"Let's go look for them so we can say goodbye." Once they got close to the doors leading outside, Thorne covered her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a secret. Do you trust me?"

"Do you have to ask? Of course I do."

"Then keep walking." Once they got to the middle of the garden, he removed his hands. Cress took one look around, and she gasped at the overload of beautiful flowers in every color, but that wasn't even what he wanted her to see. Bending down, Thorne whispered in her ear, "Look up."

Cress's eyes widened at the stunning night sky. Drops of white light were spread over a canvas of black that had patches of dark purple running throughout the endless space. Wisps of grey clouds swirled around clusters of stars to add an air of mystery to the whole picture. But Thorne wasn't focused on that.

What he was watching, was how amazing Cress looked standing in the garden. She had let out her bun so her hair fell in soft waves that were bright in the darkness. He was focused on the gentle breeze that tousled both her hair and dress. He was enchanted by the glow of the few fireflies that made her sparkle. But the best part was when Cress turned to look at him; her eyes were filled with nothing but delight and love.

"I'm sorry Cress that I forgot to get you something, so my present is the night sky," said Thorne with an apologetic grin on his face.

"No, this is beautiful. I love it."

"And I love you."

"I love you too."

"I know this night was a disaster but-."

"Thorne, stop. It's perfect."

A/N: *sighs* I know, I know. It's super cheesy, but try saying that it wasn't really sweet. The idea that Thorne would somehow mess Cress's birthday up but then turn it into something amazing was fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed. Please review and tell me if you liked it or how I can improve.