Wade Barrett stood facing his opponent. It was one of the few times that Wade was dwarfed, this guy was MASSIVE.
Still, Star had used X-Ray Eyes and Future Eyes to get a good scope on how to win this fight, so it shouldn't have been that hard, right?
Wrong.
Wade didn't stand a chance. The brute slammed his fist into Wades neck, sending his whole body numb. The next punch broke his nose (again). Wade tried to get in a punch, but it was no use. His opponent slammed him in the guts with a nasty right hook and it was all over.
The crowd moved on to the next fight, and Wade tried to regain his composure. Star ran over to him, holding his bag and his shirt.
"I-I'm s-sorry Wade." She knelt down next to him. He groaned in pain.
"Next time, probably not that big." He was on his knees, resting his head on the concrete floor, trying not to vomit. He knew Star was a sympathy-spewer, and if he threw up she wouldn't be far behind. "I guess you did warn me not to get hit."
"I-I g-guess s-so." Star stammered out, opening the bag and getting a towel and a bottle of water out. Wade sipped the water gingerly.
"Ugh. I feel awful." He tried to shake off some of the nausea and dizziness.
"Y-you l-look awful t-too." Star tried her hand at teasing him. He smirked.
"Brat." He ruffled her hair. "C'mon then, help me up."
It took five minutes to finally get Wade back to his feet and get his shirt on. He steadied himself with Stars help, and they both headed out of the place, Wade only stopping to get his match fee. It would have been nicer to have a winners fee too, but what could you do?
–
Wade Barrett started getting a lot of cards that week. All of them went through the shredder, once any money, gift cards or vouchers were removed.
"W-Wade, why are you getting s-so many c-cards?" Star asked one day, looking confused at one of the cards.
"It's my birthday soon." Wade told her, taking the card and shredding it.
"W-what's a birthday?" Star asked.
Wade stopped. "Are...are you serious?!" He looked at her. The look on her face clearly showed that she seriously did NOT know what a birthday was. "Oh boy. You see, every year people celebrate the date that they were born on. For me, that's August 10th. So every year on the 10th of August, it's my birthday." He explained.
"Oh." Star picked up another card.
"You've never had a birthday?" Wade asked. "Do you know when you were born? How old you are?"
"B-before my master lost me in the p-poker game, he told the guy who w-won me that I was fifteen years old." Star told him. "T-that's all I know."
Wade felt his heart break, and immediately shook himself. You. Soft. Bastard.
"Which means your next birthday is your sweet sixteenth." Wade mused.
"I w-wouldn't know. It-it doesn't m-matter." Star sighed.
She got up and sat on the balcony, watching traffic outside. Wade sighed. How on earth could he have forgotten to ask her about her birthday? Some "best friend" he was.
Wait, he was just using her. Totally just using her.
–
The tenth of August arrived. Star looked over at the clock that morning and smiled. While Wade Barrett had been at work, she'd gotten her pocket money together and snuck off to buy him a nice set of anchor cufflinks. She had been told by the shop-keeper that cufflinks were the best present to get him (and given how terrified Star was of even leaving the apartment by herself, she wasn't about to disagree).
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCKY!" She was jolted awake by Wade jumping on her bed.
"You what mate?" Star looked confused.
"And for your first present, I have decided that from now on I'm sharing my birthday with you!" Wade told her, a big grin on his face.
A birthday? Her birthday? She was going to have a birthday?
"C'mon Lucky, you gotta come out to the lounge room and I can give you your other presents!" Wade tried to pull her out of bed. "It's not every day your girl turns sixteen!"
"W-Wade!" Star tried to free herself from his grasp.
"Come ON Lucky!" Wade slipped behind her and pushed her out of bed. Star landed with a thump on the floor, and looked up at Wade.
"Git." She muttered under her breath.
"I heard that!" Wade grinned at her. Star turned red. "C'mon, presents!"
Star sighed, and followed him into the lounge room. Sure enough, there were two big piles of presents sitting on the floor in front of the couch.
Being of the shrewd, wheedling type, Wade had called in a few favours from various family members (including his older brother, who was being groomed to be the head of Clan Barrett) and gotten them to send a present each for his new "best friend". The fact that she was a Misneach who wasn't completely off her face drunk had NOTHING to do with the quality of the gifts whatsoever.
"Come on, which one are you going to open first?!" Wade asked impatiently, getting started on his own (bigger) pile of presents. "You should do what I do, open the small ones first to whet your appetite for the really big ones!"
Star was in shock. She'd never had a birthday before. No one had ever given her a pile of presents to open, or gotten excited about the fact that she had been born in the first place.
She took Wades advice and started on the smallest present. It was a nice necklace, with a pearl hedgehog pendant (the hedgehog being the emblem of Clan Misneach).
"That was from my Dad. He reckons that's what Mum would have gotten you." Wade told her as he ripped open another present (socks. More socks. Why SOCKS?). "Go on, what's the next one?"
The next present was from Wades grandfather, the current Head of Clan Barrett. It was a diary, with a beautiful red cover and even a little lock on it. Then Wades brother had given her a gift card to get her some clothes of her own ("If I know my little brother, he's making you wear his old clothes. Skinflint!" said the card). His aunt and uncle, with daughters of their own who were Stars age, had also sent clothes, the finest fashions from Paris and Rome. His cousins had sent CDs, with lots of music that Star had never heard before but loved instantly. Another aunt and uncle sent jewelery, and another gift card. Other cousins sent more gift cards and vouchers. Star had never been this spoiled in her life, and it was making her dizzy!
"Oh!" She cried. "I-I forgot something!"
She quickly ran back to the bedroom and reached under the bed for Wades present. She went back out and handed it to him.
"Wow Lucky. They're fantastic." Wade smiled, putting his new cufflinks on right away. "I got you a present too...well, more than one, but I'm sure you won't mind."
If Star had been spoiled before, that was nothing compared to the onslaught that Wade had prepared. A new soccer ball, a cricket set, three pairs of ninja sandals, several pairs of thick black pants with a gold anchor embroidered onto them, several pairs of ninja gloves, several durable shirts and finally a long coat of her own.
Star felt tears well up in her eyes again. She wiped them away with the back of her hand as she hugged the coat close to her.
"T-thank you Wade." She looked up at her guardian.
"That's all right kid." Wade ruffled her hair.
Without warning, Star launched herself at him, wrapping her small arms around his neck. Wade flinched, his natural instinct being to counter-attack. He blinked. Star was hugging him, of her own free will, not because he asked her to.
He wrapped his big, strong arms around her, and squeezed her gently. He could hear a sniffle, and knew that Star was crying again.
"A bit much for you, isn't it?" He said quietly, rubbing her back. "You go lie down and I'll clean up here."
"Okay." Star whispered, but she didn't let go. Wade sighed. She's so bloody annoying...
He lifted her up and took her back to the bedroom, where he let her rest. He then cleaned up the wrapping paper (Should have gotten HER to do it, that's what I'm keeping her for!) and then settled down to watch television.
Later that morning, Star sat up in her bed. She blinked a few times before she remembered that it was Wades – and now, her – birthday. She hugged her knees to her chest. Her birthday. He had given her a birthday. He wanted to celebrate the day that she was born.
Star had been hurt so much in her life. For fifteen years she'd known nothing but pain, hate, suffering and disgust. For her to now be loved...she shook her head. Wade wasn't capable of love. He was a cruel, hard man with a strong lust for money.
And yet...
Thankfully, Star was too innocent to understand manipulation, otherwise her heart would have shattered right there and then. Instead, she decided that no matter what, Wade would always be her number one priority. She would love him completely and utterly, and never waver in her loyalty to him. He was her best friend, her guardian, and she would spend the rest of her life repaying him for the gift that he had given her, whether he asked for payment or not.
Wade looked up as Star walked into the lounge room. Almost immediately he could tell what she had been thinking, and he had to hide a smirk as she sat down next to him.
Bingo! She's mine now!
And you're hers.
You again?! Go away!
"One last present." Wade put his arm around her. Star looked up at him.
He reached beside the couch, and pulled out -,
"HONEY!" Star cried in pure joy. Wade laughed as she tucked into her favourite treat.
"Happy Birthday Lucky." He ruffled her hair.
"Happy Birthday Wade." Star smiled back.
Major "AWWWWWWWWWWW" right there. I swear I'm getting soft in my old age.