Kind of a continuation of Toad and Toadette: Blooming Friendship. I need to come up with ideas for Chapter 12 of TATEA: The Trials, so I might as well leave you guys with these as I think it up! Read, review, and as always, enjoy! Written in Toad's point of view.

The morning light slowly overwhelmed the darkness in Toad's eyes as he sat up on his lavish bed. He was the assistant of the Princess, after all. He leapt up off his bed, made it as clean as possible, and then went to put on his clothes. Once that was done, he looked at the calendar. That was when the day instantly changed.

"So today is Tuesday, February twenty-six-" He stopped in mid-sentence. He did a double take, then looked again. There was no mistaking it. The day he was looking at, February 26th, was none other than...

"Toadette's birthday? I completely forgot that it was today! Shoot!" He cursed himself. He already had the present wrapped up, but he didn't have time to put it in a bag or anything. And he didn't even know where the party was! He mused, then decided he would do his morning routine, then ask the Princess where it was. And he did just that. Toad walked out the door of my room and knocked on the Princess' golden door. Within a second, it had opened.

"Good morning, Toad!" she greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to ask you something." Toad replied. "Do you know where Toadette's birthday party is going to be?" The Princess had a worried look.

"You do know the party's today, right?"

"Yeah, I know." The look faded.

"Okay, good. I think it's at her house."

"I'll get everything ready, then!" He ran off, but not before shouting a thank you to the Princess over his shoulder. She smiled and walked back inside.

Meanwhile, at Toadette's house, the party has started, and Toadette herself was inviting the guests inside.

"Welcome! Please, make yourself comfortable!" she said with a smile to a Yellow a Toad, who instantly blushed over how attractive she was to him.

Two hours later, Toad was walking in the woods towards Toadette's house.

"She's going to love this!" He smiled, talking about the present he had inside the rather tiny box. The daylight filtered through the trees, lighting the way to the house. Suddenly, as he was a few kilometers away from it, a man blocked his path.

"Well, well, well. Look who's back for more." He threw off his mask, revealing himself to be none other than Doug Pierce, the same gang leader who had caused him trouble at the beach. Toad gasped and stepped back. He had no one to back him up now.

"I don't have my gang at the moment, you lucky kid. I think I can beat you up just as easily though..." He pounded his left fist into his open hand. Toad stepped back further. Doug charged, and Toad rolled onto his back. But Doug was waiting for that. He yanked the box out of his hands.

"Hey! Put that down! That's for..." He stopped, for he didn't dare speak her name in front of Doug. The assailant didn't listen, though, as he smashed his knee into the box and threw it onto the ground. Toad heard ivory clacking against the wooden box and cringed.

"See?" Doug asked, laughing. "Told you I'd get you back!" Toad tried to charge at him, but he dodged and ran into the trees. "Have fun with your new toy!" was the last Toad heard before he was gone. He sighed and walked to the now crumpled box. The present inside had obviously sustained some damage.

How am I going to give this to her now? He thought, as he grabbed the box and took it the rest of the way to Toadette's house. When he got there, she was obviously happy to see him. She had been waiting hours, after all.

"A situation of being 'fashionably late', perhaps?" Toad asked. Toadette giggled.

"No, no, the party's just begun! Come right in!" She ushered him inside. The partygoers spent the next hour talking, laughing, and playing games. Little did they know that Doug was watching them the whole time. Moreover, he had his eyes set on the two Toads, who were currently in the middle of a game of Truth or Dare.

They're going to ask him an embarrassing question sometime! He thought, grinning. "And when they do..." he thought out loud, "I'll make sure it'll be their last!"

"Toad, truth or dare?" A Yellow Toad asked him.

"Dare." Toad replied, as he was feeling pretty confident about the way the game was going.

"Oh, this'll be good! I dare you..." He pointed to Toadette. "To kiss her in front of everyone!". The party immediately fell silent at this challenge. All eyes were on Toad, as he blushed madly. Toadette was too. Doug walked in.

"Look who's caught in an embarrassing situation, huh?" Doug said as he sat down. Toad rolled his eyes.

"I'll pass this one." Toad admitted sheepishly.

"Ha! You see? He doesn't like her at all!" A few members laughed, but the rest stared.

"I knew it since the day I met him out on that bloody boardwalk. I was watching you! One hug or something like that doesn't prove that you're friends."

"Who says that?"

"Everyone does!" Doug mocked. A bit less motivational laughter for him followed. "You know what the little seventh graders are going to say when you're back at school? 'Oh, being in a relationship is so overrated.'" Doug said this in a little kid's voice, like a toddler would say it. "'Especially with those two around. A kiss? Forget it. He doesn't even like her anyway. She has no interest in him. I think they're better off seperating and finding a guy with more talent!'" Doug finished, but by this time, everyone was staring at him. Toad hung his head, blushing like never before. Doug had ruined the party for him, and for Toadette. Speaking of whom, she was standing up, tears in her eyes.

"You're cruel, you know that? Good old plain cruel!" Then she turned away and ran upstairs, sniffling.

"Oh, look at the crybaby up there? Does it want to see its mother?" Doug mocked. Now Toad's face was red out of anger, not embarrassment. "Little crybaby." Those were the last words he said. Toad let loose.

"Will you just shut up?" Doug turned towards him.

"Whoa there. Anger issues."

"You're the one who has issues, Doug!" Toad shot back. "You should be seeing a doctor." Everyone oohed at the comeback.

"Oh, yeah? You're screwed up right in here." He tapped his mushroom cap. "You'll be seeing a physciatrist instead of a doctor!"

"That's what you think, you... You..." Toad couldn't think, he was so angry at him. Doug had ruined everything. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop him. It was like the world was laughing at him, the way Doug was laughing. "You sick, son of a- Arrgh!" He hated saying those words, so he turned away and went upstairs. "I'm going to kill you!" He ended up slamming the door as hard as he could. The whole circle looked at Doug.

"That showed him!" He congratulated himself, but everyone was scowling. Peach stood and walked up to him. Suddenly, she pulled her parasol out and whacked him in the face. Doug fell down.

"What was that for?" he asked angrily.

"For the heartless, cruel things you said!" Peach replied. "You don't talk to my assistant like that!"

"He's just an assistant, and always will-" Doug was cut off by Peach smacking him again.

"I don't want you here. Leave before I call the police."

"And why-"

"I said leave!" She smacked him once again. "I'm tired of your stupid comments, you unreliable dumbass! Leave!" She had never called someone by that name before, but he deserved it.

"Fine..." He got up, dejected, and walked out of the house. Toad was walking upstairs.

"Toadette?" he called. No answer. "Toadette, where are you?"

"I'm over here." she replied, but giving no particular mention of where she was.

"Over where?" Toad asked.

"Over here." This time, she beckoned him with a hand out of her room. Toad walked in, seeing the walls plastered with pink, and sat down near the doorway opposite her. Toadette sighed in frustration. "I can't believe those jerks."

"Me either. On your birthday too? What horrible people."

"I know. But maybe they're right."

"Don't say that!" Toad interjected, but Toadette didn't listen.

"Maybe I am just a little Toad who doesn't know anything. Maybe I don't deserve someone like you after all..."

"Toadette, don't listen to them."

"Why should I not, if they force me to?" Toadette countered. "They'll kill me if I don't!" Toad walked out of the room. "Yeah, you go on! Run away! It's not like I care!" She started breaking down and crying in her room. Back downstairs, the guests were worried.

"What's going on up there?" Mario asked.

"Screw this! Wario interjected. "I'm leaving." He walked until Mario forcefully pulled him back.

"You're not leaving until we get this sorted out." he replied, bitterly.

Back upstairs, Toad was carrying a box back to a crying Toadette. He entered her room and set it down in front of her. Toadette just looked at it.

"What's this?" she asked, nonchalantly.

"It's my present for you." Toad replied.

"What?" Toadette was shocked. "No one gave me a present today..."

"But me." Toad finished. Toadette ripped the wrapping paper and tore open the box. Inside was a magnificent scaled-down grand piano, right down to the wires and keys. Speaking of which, two were missing. Toad looked down, and saw the keys at the bottom of the box, obviously from the fight in the forest. Toadette tried to play a C, and the piano produced the same note, albeit a bit tinny from the diminutive size of the piano. She stood up, astonished.

"Why did you do this, Toad? I can only imagine how much work you put into this... It's amazing!"

"Is that even a question? It's because of how kind of a friend you are." he replied, smiling.

"That's very sweet of you, to give me the second best gift I wanted for my birthday, Toad." she said, smiling back at him.

"If you don't mind me asking, then..." Toad trailed off for a second. "What did you want most?" In response, Toadette slowly moved towards him and held him tenderly. Toad slowly moved away out of embarrassment. Toadette giggled at this movement.

"Is it... Is it me?" Toad asked after a while, silently hoping that she would concur with that statement.

"You're a pretty good guesser for someone so cute and kind to me." she replied, which caused Toad to blush even more than at the Truth or Dare game downstairs. The blush slowly faded away, however, as he became more and more accustomed to her touch. After a while, he put his hand around her back as well, making the embrace more passionate. After a while, a long while, they sat up and walked back downstairs. The partygoers continued the Truth or Dare game as if nothing had happened. It inevitably came to Toad again.

"Toad, truth or dare?" A Green Toad asked.

"Truth." Toad replied, not wanting to start it over again.

"Did you kiss Toadette up there?" He pointed to the stairs.

"No." Toad answered, and the Toad looked disappointed. "At least, not yet." The Toad gave him a knowing smile. Toadette did too. They both smiled at each other, Toad knowing that he made her birthday worthwhile. And that was all that mattered.

The End

A shoutout to girlwithapencil for her story, "A Stressed Out Shroom", which inspired me to write this!