Author's Note: Back on my Dimidue train, and just in time for Dedue's birthday. I wanted to write a happier Dedue fic this time; plus, we all know I love me some incredibly sappy Dimidue. So why not combine them, right?

Something to Celebrate

Dedue found a note on his door that morning when he left his room. Strange; he'd intended to go to the dining hall for breakfast, but he paused to read the scrawled message.

'Have a nice day or you'll upset Dimitri,' it read. Dedue stared at it for a few seconds as he tried to process what it meant and why it was there. His eyes strayed over another scrap of paper stuck nearby. This one said, 'Don't listen to Felix; I hope you have a GREAT day. I'll teach you how to pick up some ladies later if you want. Then it'll be even better.'

That one was clearly from Sylvain, but that didn't make it any less bizarre. Still, Dedue supposed he appreciated the sentiment… Shrugging, he briefly headed back into his room, left the notes on his desk, and headed to the dining hall.

As usual, it wasn't too crowded at this time in the morning. Dedue liked to get up early on the weekends to get in a few good hours of gardening. Even now when the training schedules weren't as strict, Dedue liked to keep up the habit; he could plan anything else he needed to do around it, and he enjoyed being there either way.

At any rate, Dedue promptly went to the greenhouse after returning his dishes to the dining staff. Oddly, Ashe wasn't there—he usually joined Dedue for his gardening schedule. Perhaps he was busy helping Byleth or Ingrid with something… He was always eager to do any errands Byleth needed a second pair of hands for, or to discuss training or reading with Ingrid. Still, Dedue missed Ashe's presence; he enjoyed his company, even without it being a part of his routine.

At least that question was answered when he got back to his room. Dedue intended to change into some fresher clothes before getting lunch with Dimitri—he didn't want to track any dirt he'd gotten on himself into the dining hall. Now, there were several boxes in front of his door, each with its own note tacked onto it.

This was getting even stranger. Dedue raised an eyebrow as he carefully moved his packages inside. He sat down on the edge of his bed and opened the nearest box. This one contained a new pair of gardening shears, and the message read: 'Here, Dedue! I noticed your usual shears were getting dull, so Ingrid and I picked up a new one for you. Enjoy! –Ashe'

Well, Dedue figured Ashe must've spent his morning at the marketplace, then. He'd have to thank him later. A light smile flickered over his face as he set the shears back in the box and opened the next one. That one had a large cast-iron cooking pot inside, and its note said: 'Annie and I found this cooking pot in town earlier, and we thought you might like it! Isn't it lovely? I'm sure you'll use it plenty! –Mercedes'

Certainly, both gifts were well-chosen. Dedue was sure he'd use both of them very soon indeed. He was still confused, though… Why was everyone suddenly giving him things? There was nothing special about today, as far as Dedue knew…

Shaking his head, Dedue turned to the last box—this one slightly smaller than the others—and opened it. It contained a bowl full of pastries and a letter reading: 'I made these for you, Chef Dedue! Do not worry; my brother helped me with the cooking, so I am sure they turned out fine. I think I have come quite a long way, though, and I am sure you will agree once you try them! –Flayn'

Well, Dedue didn't want to throw out a gift, but… No, he'd give them a try. Cautiously, he picked up one of the pastries and took a bite. Dedue chewed slowly, nodding as he swallowed. It was much better than most of Flayn's other cooking attempts; the worst thing he could say about it was that it was slightly dry. He couldn't help wondering just how much of it Seteth had done, though.

Still, he appreciated the effort. He set the bowl aside, glancing at all of his gifts. It was a mystery, an especially baffling one, and Dedue wondered if he would get the answer to it by the end of the day. Maybe he shouldn't let it bother him; Dedue was just…confused.

It didn't help when he arrived at the dining hall again, and Dimitri had a rather knowing smile on his face. Dedue raised an eyebrow again, but he said nothing as they got their food. He supposed it was fortunate that they often ate together anyway, Dedue thought; no one gave them a second glance as they sat down together.

"How was your morning, Dedue?" Dimitri commented between eating. "Sylvain and I had a pleasant ride earlier, if an uneventful one."

Dedue shrugged. Dimitri knew well that he liked to garden or cook while he was off on a ride, as the horses still didn't take well to him. As such, there wasn't much to report, other than saying which one he'd done that particular morning.

"Same as usual," he replied. "It was only spent in the greenhouse. But—"

"Ah, Dedue. There you are."

Shamir had apparently entered the dining hall sometime within the last few minutes, silent as always until she finished whatever she'd intended to do. And in that case, her objective was striding up to Dedue and dropping a small pouch on the table in front of him. From the way its contents jangled, it was clear that it contained money.

"Get yourself a new axe," she went on, tone as neutral as always. "I noticed in the last battle that yours was getting dull. It's on me."

He blinked at her before clearing his throat and replying, "I will. Thank you."

Shamir nodded and immediately walked away. Dedue watched her join Catherine in the line for food, and then he looked down at the sack of money. This was beyond confusing now. Dedue wasn't objecting to the gifts, but…

"Well, I suppose that's something to comment on, isn't it?" Dimitri said, amusement clear in his voice.

"Your Highness?"

Dedue stared at him, trying to read the expression on his face. His grin had widened slightly, but Dimitri shook his head and took a sip of his drink in lieu of a response. He knew something; Dedue was sure of it.

But what was going on, and why?

"Ah, Dedue, would you mind joining me at the marketplace?"

Dedue blinked as Byleth approached him. He'd intended to get in some training that afternoon, but there was no reason he couldn't do that later. A trip to the market couldn't take too long, after all.

He shrugged. "I am not busy; I can accompany you."

She nodded. "All right, then; let's go."

Dedue nodded as well before following her. They lapsed into silence as they walked, and Dedue watched her carefully. Byleth wore her usual neutral expression; there was nothing to indicate anything special about the trip.

Maybe she wanted to pick up multiple things and needed help carrying them all. It was a logical assumption, especially considering their quarters were right beside each other. She'd probably just asked him because she'd run into him on her way out.

At any rate, the market was bustling as always, and they slowly made their way around everyone. Byleth's first stop was the blacksmith; she handed the woman her sword, some ore, and a bit of gold as payment. Then, she nodded and headed away, glancing up at Dedue as she walked.

"While I'm waiting anyway, is there anything you would like?"

"Well, it would be nice to see what the eastern and southern merchants have in stock today." Dedue shrugged. "But you do not need to visit all the same stalls I do."

"No, no; come along, Dedue."

He could only blink at her as they headed towards the appropriate corner of the marketplace. Of course he didn't mind her company, but Dedue could only hope his little detour didn't take too long. The blacksmith was usually a quick worker, after all.

Oh, well, he thought with another shrug. They were already there anyway, so it couldn't hurt anything. Once they reached the correct stalls, Dedue idly browsed through the seeds and teas available that day. He finally selected a few packages of ginger tea leaves, but Byleth stopped him before he could pay.

"It's on me today," she said, handing the merchant the correct amount of gold. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

Well, Shamir had suggested he get a new axe. He could pick that up while he was here, but would Byleth try to pay for that, too? Dedue spent enough time internally debating that he almost forgot to answer her, so he hastily forced out the first thing he could think of.

"No, that is all. But you do not need to—"

"Yes, I do. Enjoy, Dedue; I'll be seeing you later."

With that, Byleth promptly disappeared into the crowd, likely heading back to the blacksmith's stall. Dedue could only watch her retreat in silence. Had the trip to the market partly been an excuse to buy something for him?

That was one more mystery to add onto the pile for the day.

"Ah, Dedue—would you care to join me in my quarters?"

He nodded. "Of course, Dimitri; we may go now, if you want."

"That would be nice, yes. Let's go, then."

Dimitri smiled and squeezed his hand before turning around and heading back outside. Fortunately, there were few people around this late, and Dimitri had just knocked on Dedue's own door. It was unlikely that anyone would notice to anything going on inside, so Dedue had allowed himself to refer to Dimitri by name.

(He'd done that almost exclusively every time they were alone together after Dimitri had asked him to. His name still felt a bit foreign in Dedue's mouth at times, but he liked using it. It had made the transition to being…well, kind-of-but-unofficially together feel smoother, too.)

When they arrived in Dimitri's room, the prince sat down on his bed and gestured for Dedue to join him. He gladly obliged, reaching for Dimitri's hand as they got settled. Dimitri promptly took it, smiling as he gave it another squeeze.

"So, Dedue," he began, "you've been enjoying yourself today, haven't you?"

Dedue blinked for what felt like the hundredth time. "Of course, but the way you say that, Dimitri…"

Again, it sounded like he knew something. But how could he? The only thing he'd actually seen was Shamir giving him money for a new weapon. However, as Dimitri's grin grew, Dedue finally began to suspect what was happening. Everything fell into place just before Dimitri replied.

"I suppose I should go ahead and confess now." Dimitri laughed and shook his head. "I…may have asked everyone to do something for you today. We probably won't be coming back to the monastery before your birthday, so…I wanted to make sure we had time to do something for you. Did…did you like everything you got?"

Dedue shook his head as well, though he smiled faintly. It was true that they'd be marching on Enbarr soon, but his birthday had honestly slipped his mind. He rarely made a big deal over the day, which he was sure Dimitri knew. Still, Dedue couldn't help feeling flattered that Dimitri wanted to do something for him.

"I did, but you do not need to make a big deal over me."

"Yes, I do," Dimitri insisted. "You know how special you are to me, right? And I thought this way, everyone would be subtle about it, but you could still celebrate somehow."

Another small smile crossed Dedue's lips as he reached for Dimitri's other hand. Honestly, Dimitri was so affectionate when they were together that he should've expected something like this… Dedue was surprised he hadn't figured it out sooner. He couldn't say he disliked the attention, though, especially when he knew the reasoning behind it.

"You are going to spoil me terribly rotten, whether I want you to or not," Dedue said, though he couldn't entirely keep the affection out of his voice.

"It's fair play for you being so over-protective," Dimitri replied wryly. "Besides, do you not enjoy it?"

"…I do."

"Good; then I will keep doing it."

Dimitri leaned up and kissed Dedue on the cheek, followed by his nose and chin and lips. Dedue squeezed his hands as Dimitri settled there, repeatedly giving him soft, gentle kisses. He could hardly believe at times that Dimitri felt that way about him, even if he'd felt the same for years. They'd both held back for so long, and Dedue still wanted to be private about it for now, but he couldn't get enough of Dimitri's attention when they had the chance.

Dimitri finally pulled back, face slightly red, and added, "I am your last gift for today, Dedue. You may…do whatever you like with me."

Dedue leaned down for another brief kiss before replying, "I believe I will take you up on that."

He had barely finished speaking when their lips reconnected, and Dedue let his hands trace over Dimitri's face and through his hair as they kissed. They moved down to the buttons on Dimitri's shirt, and he willingly shifted and let Dedue remove it. Dimitri promptly began removing Dedue's as well, which he gladly let him do.

Dedue pulled him in again, one hand settling back in Dimitri's hair while the other trailed down his back. He had taken quite a while to get used to touching Dimitri like this, but the soft sigh Dimitri produced against his lips encouraged him to keep going. And, as Dimitri's hands moved down to the edge of his trousers, Dedue couldn't help but think he was the luckiest man alive. He couldn't ask for a better gift than the man beside him, no matter the context, and he wouldn't trade Dimitri for anything.