Note: Thanks so much everyone! Couldn't have done this without you! *Please hold, kandyblood is currently experiencing writer's block...* Ok, I think I'm good- an actual for real plot coming up in chapter 8, so don't give up hope just yet! Btw, I skipped a week or so between last chapter and this one. Homestuck and all characters but Ella and Cuz belong to Andrew Hussie, the other two belong to me. Enjoy!

Ella strode into the kitchen and, to her extreme surprise, found Rose already up and making breakfast.

"Uh...sup Rose? What're you doing up so early?"

Rose smiled at her and pulled a tea strainer out of her mug. (Rose drank only whole leaf tea) "I was experiencing a touch of insomnia after waking up a bit early."

Ella nodded, satisfied with this explanation. She poured some oatmeal into a large glass bowl and started to pour milk in it before Rose stopped her.

"I think that Jade wanted to make breakfast today, so maybe we should wait for her. Would you like some tea?"

Ella shrugged. "Eh, sure why not."

Rose poured a mug of hot water and pit the tea strainer in. "I hope you don't mind chai?"

She looked at her eloquent friend in surprise. "Chai is my favorite, actually."

The lavender-eyed girl nodded. "I think you'll like this then, it's a new variety that I recently discovered. It's a green tea instead of a red one like most chai is."

Ella smiled. "That should be interesting."

There was a thump and a muted ouch! from the other room. Ella looked concerned and started for the door, but Rose held her back, smiling.

"I think whoever it was probably wants to be spared the embarrassment of being fussed over, don't you think?"

The black haired girl sighed. "Are you alright Rose? You're acting all...suspicious for some reason."

The blonde laughed and took the strainer out of the mug and handed it to Ella. "What would I be guilty of?"

She pushed her glasses up her nose, shrugging as she accepted the tea. She added two sugar cubes and stirred them in before bringing the mug to her lips.

"Mmmmmmmmm, where'd you get this?"

Ros just winked and sipped her own drink. "Secrets of the trade."

"The trade of what exactly?"

"The trade of being a proper member of society, of course."

Ella laughed and they launched into a lengthy discussion about the prices of tea over the past few years. About an hour later, someone came up behind her and blindfolded her. "Aaaaahhh! Not funny Egbert!"

John tied the blindfold and took her hand. "It's not supposed to be funny, it's supposed to be a surprise!" He pulled her to her feet and spun her around a few times before leading her into another room. Rose trailed silently behind them as John led her very confused friend into the living/bedroom. He removed the blindfold and Ella was greeted by an explosion of color and a mighty cheer of "SURPRISE!" The short girl looked up at John confusedly. "What the hell is going on here?!"

He hugged her around the waist and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Happy birthday Ella."

She felt a grin spread across her face. "You guys did this for me?" Ella asked, gesturing around her at the rainbow decorations and the dance floor in the middle of the room.

"Yup! You didn't really expect us to forget did you? It's not every day that one of your best friends turns eighteen!" Jad exclaimed, beaming.

Ella blushed. "Wow you guys, I don't know what to say! Thank you!"

John steered her over to an armchair and she sat down. "Okay, now what? And shouldn't we all like get dressed or something?"

Dave smirked. "It's time for presents and it's also a pajama party. Happy b-day."

Ella laughed. "You guys didn't have to get me anything!"

"Don't be ridiculous Ella, of course we did. It's your eighteenth birthday, the day when you come of age in our society. It's kind of a big deal," Rose said philosophically, handing her a flat, thin package off of a small pile in the middle of the room. It was well-wrapped in a pretty orange paper with a green ribbon. "From me," Rose added. Ella untied the ribbon and then hesitated.

"What's wrong Ella?" Jade asked, still bouncing up and down.

She coughed in embarrassment. "I have this...unusual way of unwrapping presents..."

Dave snorted. "Really? That's all? Just open it already dude."

The bespectacled birthday girl shrugged and commenced Operation Unwrap. She carefully removed all the tape, not ripping the paper. She then unfolded it the rest of the way which revealed a beautiful framed photograph of...a sunset over the ocean. Ella grinned at Rose and hugged the picture close to her chest.

"I love it! Thank you!"

The blonde girl smiled. "I thought you might."

John laughed suddenly. "That is a weird way to unwrap things! Why do you do that anyway?"

Ella shrugged. "I dunno, that's just how I've always done it."

Jade elbowed John in the ribs. "I don't care how she does it as long as she opens mine next!"

Ella laughed as Rose handed her a large square box wrapped in the Sunday comics. She unwrapped it just as meticulously as Rose's and opened the box. "Oh my gosh thank you!" She pulled out a set of sketchbooks that are plain white on the cover so she can decorate them as she pleases. There was a small package beside them that, according to the box, is materials to laminate the covers once they are finished. Ella got up and hugged Jade, still smiling in delight. John quickly pushed her back into the chair and Rose handed her a small, cylindrical package wrapped in blue.

Ella unwrapped it carefully and a bottle of birth control pills fell into her hand. She turned red with anger and threw the bottle at Dave, who was laughing hysterically.

Jade and John both leapt up and started whacking him around the shoulders and head until he fell to the ground, still laughing.

Dave put up his hands in surrender. "Okay okay I'm sorry! How'd you know it was me, I even wrapped it in blue and everything!"

John punched him in the arm.

"Dude!"

Once the hubbub had died down, Dave handed her the real gift, which turned out to be an elegant silver necklace with a beatifully crafted dragon locket. When she opened it she could see the meticulously sized and edited picture of the five of them that Dave had put in for her.

"Wow Dave! When you're not being a complete jackass you really can be sweet!"

He acted all flattered, insisting that "it was nothing" and "you're too kind."

Rose went back to the pile and found...nothing. John smiled a little shyly and took Ella's hand. "My present isn't exactly something you can wrap."

After a lot of "OoOoO!"s and suggestive eyebrow wiggling, John stuck his tongue at the others and lead Ella into a room she hadn't noticed before, which had several chairs, a small table, and a grand piano. There was a laptop open on the table, and on the screen was a very familiar face.

"CUZ!"

"Hey kiddo. Happy birthday."

Ella laughed in delight and proceeded to chat happily with him for more than twenty minutes before ending the call. She hugged John happily.

"Thank you!"

John pushed her off gently and went over to the piano, which had a sheet of music already propped up against it. He took a deep breath and started playing, his fingers flying across the keys.

It was obvious what inspired the piece; the music ebbed and flowed like the waves and the tides as an underlying melody described the sea wind, the sand between your toes, the cries of the gulls, the boats on the water. Every note that was played by those nimble fingers screamed out the beauty of the ocean. Ella felt tears of joy streaming down her face as he finished, breathing peacefully and staring at the piano. She hugged him from the side, letting her silent tears soak into his shoulder.

"...That was beautiful," she murmured into him when she recovered.

John said nothing, just smiled and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pushed her back against the floor, straddling her hips as he explored her mouth with his tongue. Ella moaned with desire as she pulled him closer, twining her fingers in his thick, dark hair as she kissed him passionately. He ran a finger down her sternum and she shuddered, whimpering.

"Well well well. It looks like we weren't so far off after all."

They reluctantly broke apart, both giving Dave death glares.

"Is it your life mission to ruin moments, or is it just an uncanny talent of yours?" John asked, still on top of Ella.

Dave smirked. "Just a natural ability of mine."

John flipped him off and climbed off of his girlfriend, helping her up. Ella kicked Dave hard in the shins as they walked past him into the living room, where there was a huge chocolate cake sitting on the coffee table. Dave followed, grimacing at the pain in his leg.

"OoOoOoO! They're back, finally!" Jade exclaimed, smiling slyly.

John and Ella fixed her with their x2 Deathglare Combo, which shut her up but didn't stop her and Rose from exchanging pointed looks. The couple rolled their eyes and sat down together on the couch.

"Hey guys? Aren't we forgetting breakfast?"

Rose shook her head. "This is breakfast."

They shrugged and accepted pieces of cake from Jade, who had somehow fit eighteen candles onto Ella's slice.

"Make a wish!"

Ella thought for a moment and then smiled, blowing out all the candles in one breath. Once she had picked out all the candles, they all dug into their rather unconventional breakfast.

After they had finished and Dave had put the dishes in the sink, he got out his portable turntables and got the party started. It was the best dance party ever to hit this universe, even counting Junior prom. (Ella, having been a little depressed about not having a date, was tricked into drinking some spiked punch. It all went uphill from there)

That night, right before she fell asleep, Ella thought just three words:

Best. Birthday. Ever.

She smiled into the pillow as she fell into the darkness of sleep.

(Note: I know it's a little hurried and choppy, but I finally finished it! Yay! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW please! I want your opinion! ~kandyblood falls to her knees and begs her awesome wonderful amazing readers to please please please review her story~)