The Only Birthday Worth Celebrating
A Cowboy Bebop Fanfic
By: Shadowfox83
Disclaimer: Not owning Bebop. Other more talented and richer people do. So no suing me for my Fanfic.
Author's notes: This is a short one shot that was made to celebrate Spike's birthday. It's of course a Spike/Faye fic.
June 26 the one-day he should be celebrating, for it was the day of his birth. Unfortunately this day was not one he wished to celebrate. Rather it was a day Spike Spiegel wished to have no part of.
So there laded the infamous bounty hunter on the yellow couch of the Bebop, half asleep and half in thought.
'Damn it, I wish I could just sleep this damn day away.' Thought Spike in angrily just as he shifted sides on the couch.
For you see Spike never did care too much for his birthday as he had lost his parents at an early age so the last birthday he vaguely remembered celebrating was his fifth.
After the death of his parents he was placed in an orphanage so he never celebrated afterwards since no one outside of Vicious, who he meet there, knew. Seeing that they were in an orphanage Vicious never gave him anything outside of a few woolongs.
Spike always accepted them with a smile since his best friend was the only one to ever give him a gift, but secretly always wished for more or at the very least a decent birthday.
But that was only one of the reasons, the other was because exactly one year ago were the deaths of both Julia and Vicious.
Yes that's right it was on his birthday that Spike set out to put an end to his past.
Half expecting to die in the battle with Vicious he was surprised to find out that he was rescued by a few of Shin's men and placed into a hospital where he later fully recovered.
Afterwards he called up Jet and was allowed back on the Bebop with open arms by his old friend. Spike still remembered when Jet told him that he must be either really lucky or damn near immortal to have survived. The two old friends then shared a laugh at Jet's words.
He then remembered meeting with Faye again while she was happy to see him once more she also was still slightly angry at him for just leaving like that, but in the end she gave him a welcome back hug, a gesture that still surprised him to this day.
But eventually the reasons why he hated this day came back to his mind.
Spike grunted to himself as he shifted on the couch once more in order to try to give into his sleep. Finally after a few minutes of struggling his mind finally allowed his much-wanted sleep to take a hold of him and he fell quietly into dreamland…
As he slept though he failed to notice a shadow appear over him. With a warm smile the figure placed a small box in his rough hands before departing off…
Despite giving in, Spike had a dreamless sleep and awoke a few hours later when he heard the iron door to the living room close.
"I see that you still wish to sleep this day away again, huh Spike?" asked Jet carrying a few bags of plant food for his bonsai trees.
"Ugh, why did I ever have to tell you about that?" grumbled the younger bounty hunter with a sour tone of voice.
"Fine…I'll leave you be. Call me if you need anything." Jet then walked off to feed his trees.
"Yeah…yeah…"mumbled Spike lazily as he heard the door to Jet's bonsai tree room close. He then took a moment to scratch the back of his head when he felt an object fall onto his legs.
"What the hell?" Spike shifted his gaze onto the small wrapped box. 'Is it a…nah, can't be? Can it?' wondered the bounty hunter as he examined the box.
It was then he noticed a small tag that read:
To: Spike
Sorry that it's not much…but I hope you like it.
From: Faye
Spike was in quite a shock that out of everybody in his life Faye would be the one to give him a gift.
He also noticed the slight pause in the note. 'Why did she pause like that? Was it because of uncertainty…or something else?' he wondered as he proceeded to tear the paper apart and open the small box.
Inside it he noticed what his gift was and brought it out into the open with one hand.
It was a picture frame with a photo of the time Faye hugged him upon his return. He saw that Faye wore a full smile on her face and he himself was shocked but still wore a small smile as he returned the hug.
"I didn't even know that she took a picture of this?" said Spike out loud to no one in particular.
"I didn't. Jet did." Faye confessed as she slowly stepped into the living room.
"Faye!" Spike gasped and called out surprised at Faye's sudden appearance.
"Hey cowboy." Faye waved slowly as she approached him. "You like it?" she asked him with a small smile.
Spike stole a glance at Faye before he looked at the gift in his hand. "Yeah, I do." He answered truthfully with a small but still noticeable smile.
"Spike, why do you hate this day? I mean it's your birthday, shouldn't you be happy on it?" Faye tilted her head slightly as she wondered what his reasons could be.
The once present smile on Spike's face disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared thanks in part to Faye's words.
Faye then saw Spike hang his head low and turn his back to her, in that instant she knew she had struck a nerve with him.
"Spike, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have asked…" She told him as she turned on heel and took a step forward. She decided it would be best to simply walk back to her room.
"Faye! Wait, stop." Called out Spike gently yet serious at the same time.
Upon hearing this Faye stood her ground and looked back at the male bounty hunter.
"You want to know why I despite this day?" he asked her.
'What? Is he actually willing to talk about something with me? He's never done that before so why the sudden change. Ah well it couldn't hurt to hear him out would it.' Thought Faye casually.
"Um, sure. If it okay with you that is."
"The reason I hate this day is because there's nothing good to celebrate." He told her with a sharp tone.
"What do you mean, Spike? You were born today. Isn't that enough?" She asked, questioning the meaning of his words.
"Yeah well that's about the only good thing that ever happen to me on this day." He paused with a sigh.
He then continued, "The last real birthday I had was when I was five, and even then I'm not to sure. I didn't have a normal childhood and after certain circumstances…I never had time to celebrate my birthday. Not that anyone gave a damn about it either."
"Spike…" Whispered Faye, she then noticed that he wasn't done talking.
"Also it was exactly a year ago when both Julia and Vicious died."
Faye gave out a sharp gasp she heard his words. "What! You mean when you went to put an end to your past, it was on your birthday."
"Yeah…somehow I was able to bury my past and walk away from it for good, but I had to pay a very heavy price." Spike himself could feel the sadness that was accompanying his words.
"Spike I had no idea…"
"You see now why I hate this day. Too many negatives have happen on it." Spike stated harshly as he interrupted Faye.
He was about to say something else when he heard a sound he'd never thought he would hear.
It was Faye, she was crying silently but Spike was still able to hear her near silent sobs. He then turned to face her, since he had his back to her the whole time.
"Faye…" He said slowly.
Faye raised her head a bit and sure enough Spike could see the small tears running down her pale cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Spike." She said with a sniff. "I didn't know that (sniff) this day was (sniff) so painful to you." She said trying to clear her eyes from the tears.
"Faye, don't cry. It doesn't suit you, please stop." Said Spike as he placed the picture on the table near the couch before he walked up to her and to Faye's surprise pulled her into an embrace.
"I'm the last person you should shed tears for." He told her while he rubbed her back with his hands.
Eventually Faye stopped her sobbing and sighed into Spike's shoulder. It was then that she realized he was holding her in his arms.
She gasped and slightly backed away from him with a small blush on her cheeks. "Spike…I." Faye stuttered, as she was quite embarrassed with her recent actions.
The green-haired bounty hunter paid no mind to her and once again surprised Faye when he mildly chuckled at her reaction. "What's so funny, Spike?" Faye called out with false anger and glaring eyes.
"Is that how you repay me. I don't get a "Thank you, Spike." Are those three words really that hard for you too say?" He told her with an aggorant smirk, it was clear to her that he was back to being his old self.
Faye blushed again and quickly looked away from him. 'Damn it, stupid lunkhead making me blush! I want to kill you yet hug you at the same time.' Thought Faye angrily. She then took in a deep breath in hopes of calming her nerves.
Spike simply shrugged then went to pick up his gift. "You know we do make a cute couple." He took a moment to laugh after he pointed at the portrait.
Faye gasped when she heard this and if possible blushed an even deeper crimson. "You really think so?" she asked slowly as she shifted her view down to her feet, for she wasn't sure if he was being honest or once again his usual self and simply mocking her.
"Yeah…I suppose I do, in some strange way, anyway." Spike answered casually as he stared at the photo.
"Spike…" Faye mumbled his name slowly, not knowing what else to say.
"You know Faye, you're the first person in years to give me a gift on my birthday. Not even Jet has ever given me anything…he usually forgets." Spike paused as he took in a breath. "Thank you." He told her sincerely.
"Um, sure no problem, Spike." Faye answered with a proud smile.
"But tell me Faye how did you find out? I don't remember telling you anything." He asked her with a raised eyebrow and a slight look of confusion on his face.
"I heard you last night when I was going to get a glass of water from the kitchen. You were complaining to yourself about how you hated today and how you were going to spend your birthday sleeping on the couch." She explained to him.
"Oh I see..." Spike sighed a bit after speaking.
"Well goodnight, Spike." Faye then turned once more.
"Night?" he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Yeah it's already past midnight and Jet said he wanted us to wake up early to help him with some things."
"Oh." Said Spike as the two of them began to walk off into their own rooms…
Later during the night after Spike had changed into his night attire (loose gray T-shirt, blue sweat pants) he found himself once again unable to sleep.
But this time it wasn't to the sadness he felt before, no rather it was because of the gift Faye gave to him.
She went out of her way to try to cheer him up after she heard him complain about how he hated his birthday. True it wasn't the greatest gift but it came from the heart.
While Spike didn't remember too much about his parents, he suddenly remembered something his father told him long ago.
"Son, you should know that the real value of a gift doesn't come from the price but rather from the thought behind it."
Spike remembered those words as if he had heard them yesterday.
'Does that mean that Faye cares for me?' he thought to himself.
He then remembered earlier when he had said that they made a cute couple.
'Why did I say that? Did I mean it, no that can't be, it was just a joke. I just wanted to see her reaction.' He thought some more as he tried to convince himself that was the true meaning behind his words.
He then looked at the picture that sat next to his bed. "…On the other hand, we do look good together." Said Spike with a tiny smile and a short laugh. Though as he said this Spike realized that he was canceling out what he had said earlier. 'Damn…' he always hated being confused by matters of the heart.
He then heard a light knock on his door. 'Who could that be? Jet?' he wondered as he picked himself up to answer the door.
A few seconds later the door slid open and to Spike's surprise there stood Faye dressed in her light purple nightgown.
"Ah, Faye. What are you doing here? You need something?" he asked in near whisper.
"No not really, Spike. I just thought you might still be upset about today and well…came to check up on you." Faye explained with surprising concern in her voice.
"Oh, well nothing's wrong but um…come in if you want." He then stepped aside to allow her passage.
"Sure." answered Faye with a small bow as she stepped in. Spike then closed the door behind her.
"Nice room." Commented Faye as she scanned Spike's casual-looking room with her violet eyes.
"Thanks I suppose." Said Spike kindly and casually.
"I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep, Spike." Faye apologized with another small bow.
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't getting that much sleep anyway." Spike told her as he sat himself down on his bed.
"My gift." Faye smiled as she noticed her present on the dresser near his bed.
Spike then felt his bed shift in weight as he noticed Faye sat down on it, all the while still looking at the photograph.
"I see you noticed it. I just felt that was a good place to put it." Spike explained with a mild smile.
"You know the more I look at it the more I realize if we try hard enough we could make a good couple." He added in with what appeared to be a happy grin, or at least Faye believed it was.
"I think so too. But does that mean we love each other?" Faye stared at Spike with a raised eyebrow awaiting his answer.
"I don't know? But whatever happens, happens." Stated Spike as he moved some of her hair aside and gently kissed her on the cheek.
Faye blushed as she felt the kiss and repaid him with a kiss on his forehead.
"I don't think we're serious yet, cowboy. But who knows what the future may bring." Said Faye with a sly grin.
"Agreed." Responded Spike as he took her in his strong arms.
"Um, Spike?" she blinked in a surprise matter, wondering what he had planned.
"I just want to thank you again, Faye. You reminded me of what a real birthday is supposed to be like. Thank you and I appreciate it." He told her as he gave her a gentle hug.
"Sure Spike. I'm glad…I was able to make you smile again on your birthday." Faye smiled as she too wrapped her arms around him.
Spike then brought the covers of his bed over he and Faye as they laded down still embracing one another.
He glanced at Faye once more before he could give into his sleep and realized that somehow it felt right for him to be holding her in his arms this way. Surprisingly she didn't even complain about sharing his bed with him.
'Do I really love you, Faye Valentine?' he thought to himself, as he mentally laughed at how cute Faye was appearing right now. For she was already asleep and was snuggling next to Spike with a full smile on her face.
He then looked at the infamous picture once more and then noticed on the lower right side of the actual picture there was some writing on it that up to this moment he hadn't noticed before.
It read:
To my one love and only lunkhead, Spike
Love,
Faye
Spike smiled at the writing and ran a hand gently through Faye's violet locks when he realized that she did in fact love him.
'She probably didn't want to say it for fear that I would reject her.' Thought Spike before he came to a decision.
'Well as I said whatever happens, happens…but know this, I love you too, Faye.' Thought Spike with a smile as he kissed her goodnight.
Spike then fell asleep afterwards but could have sworn that he heard Faye mumble "I love you, Spike." When he kissed her…
Morning came and Jet already wide-awake walked through the hallway hoping to awake both Faye and Spike.
'I hope Spike's in a better mood than yesterday.' Wondered Jet as he reached Faye's room.
"Faye! Wake up Faye!" Yelled out the elder man as he knocked on her door, but no one seemed to answer. He was about to knock again when he noticed that it was opened a bit he gently slid it open and noticed that she wasn't in. Also the bed was in order so he knew that she didn't sleep on it.
'What the hell? Where is that woman?' he wondered, hoping she didn't make a run to a nearby casino. He then closed the door and walked off towards Spike's room.
He knocked on the door but no response came so he tried the handle and once again Jet was surprised the door was unlocked, Spike usually kept it locked on the weekend so he could sleep in late.
'Huh?' wondered Jet as he fully opened the door only to be greeted by the site of a sleeping Spike with an equally sleeping Faye in his arms and on his bed.
'Well I'll be.' Chuckled the older man, even though they were asleep in Spike's bed Jet somehow knew nothing "major" had happen between them.
For you see Jet always knew about the secret love the two of them had for one another and knew that they were more responsible then to get that carried away on their first night together.
'Well Spike, looks like this year you got your greatest present.' Thought Jet as he gently closed the door on the sleeping couple who were oblivious to him yet still wore loving smiles on their faces.
Sometimes it's the thought that counts…
A.N. Just so we are all clear, yes June 26 is Spike's actual birthday(the manga states this in his bio), but everything else I wrote of his past is my view not offical facts. So with that out of the way, please read and review and tell me what you thought of my second Bebop fic.