Birthday Birdie

Whisk to the absolute perfect consistency – not too thick, but not too thin – then make sure the pan is nicely prepped before carefully pouring just enough batter. Leave it, but keep a close eye. Wait for that moment… There! A flick of the wrist and a perfectly executed flip reveals a nicely browned top. Just a few minutes, and… another flip… Done!

I wiped my brow triumphantly as I looked over the fluffy golden brown pancake sitting on the plate before me, the final pancake I had to make to complete this morning's breakfast.

It may be a weird thought that I was the one making the big breakfast when it's my birthday, but today he was coming over, and I was always delighted at how impressed he was with my pancakes. It may seem unlikely that I'd enjoy his company so much, much less fall for him, what with his horrible drinking habits, his extreme narcissism, and how annoying he can be in general… But, when I look into those piercing red eyes, all those thoughts wash away, and I begin to think about all the sweet things. Like no matter how blandly I was dressed, he'd always say I looked cute. I also thought it was adorable that he was so good with kids – something I found out one day when he decided to make me take him to New Prussia and we'd found a kid who lost his parents. Besides, even though he drank a lot, he did apologize sincerely that one time he broke into my house half-naked and crashed on the couch, and even though he could be annoying, I'd lived with America my whole life, so I was pretty immune to it. It was actually a bit comforting sometimes.

Whether it was going out for a drink with him when France and Spain were too busy, or even just coming over to my house for my pancakes, I loved spending time with him. So, you can imagine how flustered I was feeling, knowing that he was coming over.

I took the two plates of stacked pancakes and set them on the small round table along with butter and an extra-large bottle of maple syrup, naturally. I made sure everything was there – silverware, condiments – and that the table was clean and… for the love of maple, I'm treating this like some sort of date, aren't I?

After berating myself for a while – I doubt that Prussia would even think of going on an actual date with someone like me – my thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. I felt my heart flutter again but suppressed any and all date-like thoughts to keep myself level-headed.

A shout through the door snapped me out of whatever daze I was in, "Oi, the Awesome is here!"

With a deep breath, I opened the door, and there he was. "Hi Prussia" I smiled shyly at him, but before I could see his reaction I felt a tug at my leg.

As I picked up Kumakichi and held him tight in my arms, I ignored his usual "Who are you?" and instead turned back to Prussia, hoping that the man wouldn't ask the same question. "What's up, Canada?" – I think my heart skipped a beat – "I'm here for breakfast. Pancakes, right?" he asked, laughing his usual weird, albeit kind of cute, laugh at the unnecessary question. "Kesesese~"

It took me a moment to sort my thoughts. "O-of course it is, P-Prussia." I flinched at the stuttering – Could I be any more obvious?

However, I was side-tracked for moment, wondering why Prussia's little yellow bird wasn't with him today, when Prussia spoke and broke my thoughts, "Uh, it's kinda windy out here."

"Oh!" I jumped, realizing that I was still blocking the doorway. "Come on in, the pancakes are on the table."

For some reason, his mood changed to something I couldn't identify, but it was gone as soon as it came, and he grinned and made his way into the kitchen, the one room in my home he knew all too well. I heard a muttered "Awesome" before he sat down in a chair and began to dig in. I smiled at the sight, finding his gluttony toward my cooking quite endearing. I set Kumajiji onto the floor and sat in the seat opposite to Prussia, drowning my pancakes in maple syrup and feeling more than ready to finally eat.

After a few moments of eating accompanied by a comfortable silence, Prussia sat back with a satisfied grin, and it was that look alone that told me I could take the dishes to the sink. I reached for his plate, but before I could get to it he caught my wrist. I looked at him, confused, "Not finished, eh?"

"Ah, no, I'm done…" he trailed off, but he kept his hand wrapped around my wrist. I studied his face, and felt mine heat up when I realized just how red his face had gotten. "It's just…" He paused, and I wanted to urge him on, but I couldn't find the words. Just what… Why does this seem like…? He slapped his free hand onto mine so suddenly I jumped, and he shouted "Happy birthday!"

As he removed his hands a slight clink clink sound surprised me, and I looked down at the palm of my hand to see a shiny gold necklace.

Feeling like I could burst into a million maple confetti, I pinched the chain between my fingers and lifted it so I could clearly see the small but beautiful pendant that hung from it. Even though I wasn't really great at identifying these things, it definitely didn't look cheap, if the shine of pure gold indicated anything. It was the shape of the small, flat pendant that really got me, though. It was shaped like a maple leaf. I giggled to myself a little – my giggling habits were something I was embarrassed by frequently, but I couldn't help it – and felt tears of joy prickling at the corners of my eyes. If the necklace itself wasn't enough, I spun it between my fingers to get a full view and gasped at the inscription.

I love you.

"P… Prussia… You…?" I looked at him for confirmation at the unvoiced question, only to see the blush on his face glow brighter and a look of determination and embarrassment.

"I was hoping that, for your birthday, me and you could, you know… Go out for dinner tonight." When he looked at me with shy eyes – him, the self-proclaimed great, amazing, awesome ex-nation Prussia – I couldn't contain my feelings anymore. I burst out crying. "Whoa!" he stood hurriedly, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry! Ah, Gott, what'd I do now?" His worried rambling stopped, however, when a smile that could rival my own brother's spread across my face.

And then I hugged him, snuggling my face into his chest. "Of course, Prussia, of course I'll go out with you."

I felt him tense up before relaxing into my hug, pulling me closer to him by wrapping his arms gently around my waist. He chuckled, "Why wouldn't you want to go with the awesome me?"

Feeling the tears starting to dry, I giggled, "Yeah, you're awesome, Prussia."

"Gilbert."

I rested my chin on his chest to look up at him, confusion dancing in my eyes. "What?"

"Since you're dating the Awesome Me, you have to call me Gilbert." He smiled cockily, "And you will forever be called… Birdie."

"Gilbert…" I tested, and, liking the way it sounded, I buried my head in his chest again and hugged him tighter, "Okay, Gilbert… I love you."

"…I love you too, Birdie."

Yep, I thought, this is officially the best birthday of my life.

A/N: Soo, Happy Birthday Canada!

I was all excited for the Fourth of July yesterday when I realized - Oh my gosh! Canada Day! And thus, Birthday Birdie was born. Awesome, right?

Anyway, I'm not as familiarized with PruCan as I am my other favorite pairings, but I hope this came out okay! Reviews and Favorites are love, and they save maple trees from global warming. (Well, not really, but we can all dream, right?)

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

Hasta La Pasta~!