It's pitch black. Not a sound was heard aside from the light snoring coming from our target. I couldn't keep a grin from spreading across my face as I held a noise maker pinched excitedly between my fingers. Everyone managed to squeeze into the Captain's room without so much as a whisper. I slowly brought the noise maker to my lips and wrapped them around the hard piece of plastic. Everything was set: Sachi was by the lights, Penguin had the poppers ready, Bepo was holding the ice cream cake (minus the cake part of course), and Jean Bart held a couple of crank noise makers in each hand. All of them were waiting for when I gave the signal. Unable to hold my excitement down any longer, I inhaled the largest breath I could and blew into the noise maker creating a long and very loud honk. Our poor Captain woke up with a sputtering jolt; a pained yell ripping through his lips and a pair of tattooed hands clamped to his pierced ears.

"Surprise!"

"Wha—?" The Captain's bare tattooed chest heaved up and down in an effort to return his racing heartbeat back to normal. His liquid silver eyes squinting against the bright lights that Sachi had turned on once I gave the signal.

"Happy birthday, Cap'n!" Bepo piped up as he presented the not-cake to the Captain.

"Congratulations!" Penguin cheered as he pulled the string n his poppers and a small burst of tiny streamers blew out, followed by the vaguest hint of gunpowder. "You're another year older!"

"I think you meant to say 'another year younger'!" Sachi laughed as he clapped his fellow crewmate on the shoulder.

Jean Bart chuckled as he twirled the noise makers around by their cranks.

"C'mon!" I giggled, motioning everyone closer to the bed, "It's time for the birthday boy to blow out his candles and make a wish!" I took out a lighter I had gotten from the kitchen earlier and lit the candles as Bepo held up the not-cake to the Captain.

All of us then began a horrid rendition of "Happy Birthday" in our most obnoxious, ear bleeding voices as possible—as is tradition here with the crew of the yellow pirate submarine. Once the god-awful song ended, we all looked toward our Captain expectantly.

His eyes were cast down, hidden by his unruly ink black hair, and his lips were pressed into a thin line on his face. Then slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted his head and looked at each of us dead in the eye.

"Didn't I tell you I didn't want a birthday party?" he growled through gritted teeth.

Now, to any normal common sense carrying person, the look alone would've told them that our Captain meant business and was not—under no circumstances—to be trifled with; however, the crew of the Heart Pirates were anything by normal.

"Oh, shut up and blow out your candles already—the ice cream is melting." I teased with a smile still on my face. As soon as the words left my lips, my Captain's sharp, narrow glare turned toward me. I held his gaze and after a moment or two of tense silence, he looked away.

"You guys are hopeless." He chuckled lightly as his lips relaxed into a smirk. Immediately, the tension in the air dissipated and the Captain puckered his smirking lips and blew out all of his birthday candles in one shot.

Everyone let out a cheer and clapped with joy. Sachi then pulled out his knife and began to cut the not-cake while Jean Bart grabbed the plates and utensils. He then passed me a slice which I gave to the Captain.

"Here you go!" I smiled as he took the ice cream slice from me. I giggled as I watched him eye the slice suspiciously, "It's Birthday Cake flavored."

He poked the melting ice cream with his fork as he cocked an eyebrow at me. "Birthday Cake flavored?" he repeated skeptically before narrowing his silvery eyes, "There's not any actual cake in this Birthday Cake flavored ice cream, right?" His eyes studied me from the top of his slice, searching for any hints that I was lying.

"Of course not, Captain!" Penguin scoffed as he took a bite of his own slice of not-cake. "Me and Sachi went down to this one shop last time we were docked to have it specially made."

Sachi nodded, "Yeah, the lady looked at us real weird when we told her we wanted an ice cream cake but without the cake part."

"We had to hide it in the freezer for the past couple days so it wouldn't melt." Jean Bart added, cutting himself another slice. "Even had to turn the temperature down to make sure it'd keep its shape."

"When did you guys even have time to do that? I was practically with all of you the whole time we were there." The Captain questioned as he took a hesitant bite; his eyes then lit up at the surprisingly delicious flavor.

"Well see," I mumbled as I averted my gaze, "remember when I took you to that bookstore in the last town?"

"Yeah, of course." The Captain nodded, "I spent hours leafing through different medical books before I finally—" He stopped midsentence and looked at me with wide eyes. "You distracted me so these idiots could go get me a birthday cake?!"

"Hey! We're not idiots!" Sachi protested.

"Yeah!" Penguin agreed, "Do you know how difficult it was to make sure you didn't know anything about this?! Do you know how many heart attacks you nearly caused us? All the headache and hair pulling and sleepless nights we spent trying to make sure everything went according to plan?"

"It's all her fault anyways." Bepo stated calmly as he pointed a dark claw at me. He then turned to Sachi, "More please."

"Bepo!" I exclaimed, shocked that the polar bear accused me of the main cause of everyone's stress.

The Captain the set his empty plate down on the bed before looking at me with calculating eyes, "This was all your fault?" he asked calmly.

Flustered and really not wanting to explain anything, I picked up his empty plate and turned to Penguin, "Hey, Penguin! I think we're all done with the cake so you can bring the presents in now!"