Title: 45 Candles
Author: OCDegrassi (Holly)
Pairings: Arthur/Molly
Rating: K+
Warnings: Mentions of Alcohol and Sex
Note: This was written in response to G-L-I-M-M-E-R-ESSENCE's Birthday Challenge. I got Arthur Weasley, and I was excited because I've been thinking of writing a one-shot about him anyway!
XXX
Arthur Weasley's 45th birthday had not started off well. Not one person had wished him a happy birthday. The kids were all moved away or at school, but it still would have been nice to receive a card or two. After all, he did raise them. To make matters worse, Molly seemed to have completely forgotten and left to do errands all day. He had so many raids at work that he was exhausted already and it was only noon. His bosses certainly weren't taking it easy on him today.
Still, he put on a happy face and pretended that the lack of birthday acknowledgement wasn't driving him crazy, because that's what professional adults do. As he passed Lucius Malfoy, he prepared himself mentally for a fight. The other man merely looked him up and down and said, "Happy Birthday, Arthur," in an obviously pained attempt at being polite. The redhead was temporarily stunned. Lucius Malfoy was the only person in this world to remember his birthday? Fate was cruel. He put on a strained smile and thanked him. He had to admit that it was nice someone remembered, even if it was his enemy.
XXX
He got home to find that the lights were off, and he assumed his wife was still out running errands. He sighed. This was going to be a very lonely night. He was ready to dive into a bottle of scotch and sleep the rest of his birthday away. He opened the door and switched on the lights. "SURPRISE!" He jumped in shock as his entire family yelled. His heart was racing from the adrenaline as he surveyed the scene. Molly and all the kids were there with party hats on and balloons floating all over the place. There was a huge birthday cake with a picture of the family on it and several wrapped gifts on the table. The kids all hugged him one at a time. "Happy Birthday, dad."
Molly wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled mischievously. "You thought we forgot, didn't you?" Arthur blushed and grinned embarrassedly. "Yea, I'll admit that I did." His wife laughed. "We could never forget your birthday," Bill chimed in. Arthur smiled as he looked around at his amazing family. He had everything he needed right here. He sat down and excitedly opened his gifts: Bill and Charlie had gotten him a gift certificate to his favorite restaurant; Percy had gotten him a box of chocolates; the twins gave him puking pastilles in case he wanted to "play hooky"; Ron got him a rubber duck (which he would spend hours investigating later); and Ginny got him a picture frame with the family portrait inside.
After the gifts were all unwrapped and the cake had been eaten, it was time for the kids to say goodbye. He hugged each of them one more time and thought of how lucky he was to have such an incredible, loving family. When the house was empty, Molly kissed him lightly. "And my present for you is waiting upstairs." She grinned seductively and walked up the stairs, leaving Arthur smiling like a lunatic. He quickly jogged up the stairs. This was a great birthday after all.
XXX
A/N: So what did you think? Please Review!