A birthday fic for my beloved smexy Athrun Zala. 3 The epitome of a perfect boyfriend.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny

Birthday Present

I opened my eyes to the bright rays of the morning sun penetrated through the curtains that had been closed last night.

Last night...

Last night was really wonderful.

Last night was unforgettable, it was the night that me and Cagalli made love for the first time in months. Since the Second Bloody Valentine War, we haven't been able to interact with each other, let alone be affectionate. There were many things that separated us then. First was the wedding. I was really n surprised that she was about to get married to that purple-haired bastard. Second was that I re-enlisted in ZAFT. Third was when Meyrin was always following me, she thought that I was dating her. I'm really glad we patched things up and she's now beside me, sleeping.

No wait... She's not here! The space beside me was empty.

"Cagalli?" I called out. Maybe she's just in the bathroom. "Cagalli?" I called out again, a little louder this time. But no one replied.

I got up and saw that her clothes and bag weren't in my room anymore. She left. I guess I was wrong; maybe she didn't forgive me after all. Then what exactly happened last night? I hurriedly put some clothes on and rushed to my car.

There was a noise that was coming from the kitchen when I got downstairs. It was the sound of someone cooking; then again maybe it's just my neighbour. As I was about to get my car keys on my dining table, a cheerful voice chimed.

"Good morning Athrun!" There Cagalli was, wearing an oversized shirt of mine and holding a spatula in her hands. "I coo-"

I immediately hugged her in relief. So she didn't left. I'm just too paranoid. "A-Athrun?" Confusion was really evident in her voice. "What's wrong?"

I saw her flushed face after I cupped her cheeks and looked at her face intently. She's really so pretty. Smiling at her, I said. "No, it's just that, I thought you left."

"Silly boy." She laughed. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you really are." I pulled her back into a hug. She hugged me back and buried her face in my chest. "I hope you don't mind that I used your washing machine for my laundry."

"Of course, I don't!"

As both of us were entangled in the warmth of our own bodies, I suddenly smelled that something was burning.

"Ahhh!" She shrieked and pulled away from the hug. "The bacon! Oh no! Everything's a mess!" She was panicking and turned the fire off. "What do I do with these?" She frowned at the strips bacon and eggs that seemed inedible already. "We can't eat this now Athrun."

"You cooked?" I was shocked, she never liked cooking. But she cooked today, and I was so touched. "I want to eat what you cooked." I went near the stove and grabbed a piece of bacon and put it in my mouth.

"Are you kidding me? You can't eat that!" She tried to snatch the second strip that was on its way to my mouth. "Athrun!"

"What? It's delicious!" I didn't want to lie, it tasted dreadful. But the effort that she put in making me a breakfast negated all those bad tasting elements and replaced them with sweetness I never could have imagined.

"You liar!" Did she just see right through me? She tried stopping me but to not avail. "Even I wouldn't eat that! How can it be delicious when it's burned?"

"Because you made it for me that's why." I said, putting another strip into my mouth.

"But I-" Cagalli's so cute. She sure doesn't want to lose without a fight. "I wanted it to be special because it's your birthday! So don't eat that horrible thing." Her blushing face made me want to kiss her again, Wait, did she mention that it was my birthday today.

I looked at the calendar. October 29. Oh yeah... It is my birthday. I forgot again. I can't believe that this is the nth time that I forgot; I'm not even that old yet.

"Hey Athrun," Cagalli started to interrupt my thoughts. "Don't tell me that you forgot again?" She looked at me and when she realized that I wasn't answering, she started laughing. "Athrun, how could you?"

"I don't know why I always keep forgetting it." I frowned. "I don't really keep track of days. I just know what month is it, but not the specific dates. Usually I can sense the holidays because of the malls and commercials."

"But you remember my birthday and Kira's, Lacus' birthday, your parents' birthday, our anniversary. I don't get it. You always forget your birthday."

"Well, that's how it really goes." I laughed. "Can I eat now?" I tried reaching for the eggs this time.

"Nooooooo!" She fumed. "I swear if you try to reach for them again, I'll stick a fork in your hand!" She threatened me and put the burnt food away. It was really scary when she makes threats like those. You won't know whether she'll really do it or not. But most of the time, she does, so I tried to back off.

A smile crept to my face as I noticed the effort that she was putting. I got behind her and pulled her closer to me. "I'll help you."

"You can't! This is supposed to be my gift for you since I didn't have the chance to get you anything! So sit down and be patient." She said while she put raw meat in the frying pan.

"You already gave me one." I whispered in her ear. "With you here beside me, I can't ask for anything else."

"That's so cheesy of you." Her cheeks were tinted red, again. "Well, I guess you can help me."

"And oh," She faced me and the next thing I knew was that her lips were on mine. "Happy Birthday and I love you." She smiled and turned back her attention to the frying pan.

"Thanks Cagalli. I love you too."