By: duskwatcher

Prompts: cake, drunk, messy

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They stumbled in through the door, laughing when Bella tripped on the doorjamb and went sprawling to her knees.

"Shit," Edward said, laughing. "You okay?"

Bella was on the floor shaking; it was only when she rolled over and started taking gasping gulps of air between howls that he realized she was shaking with laughter. "I can't believe I fell!"

Bella was drunk-joyfully, jubilantly drunk. It was the day after her twenty-first birthday, and they'd been at a concert at the nearby Metro Lounge, dancing and drinking all night. Last night Bella had celebrated with her father, but this was Edward's night to party with her, and he'd taken her to see her favorite local band. Edward had kept his drinking to a more moderate level, but this was Bella's first 'legal' drunk, and she'd been determined to get a full buzz and had done so admirably. Now they were back at Edward's apartment, and he was wondering how long it'd be before she passed out. He was hoping it'd be a while, because he had some plans in store.

"Come on there. Up you go," he said extending his hand to her and pulling her up off the floor. She allowed herself to be pulled up and kept going until she was leaning against his chest. She looked up at him, smiling while her warm umber eyes blinked slowly. "Thank you so much for taking me tonight. That was...epic win," she declared, smiling dreamily.

He was buzzed enough himself that he didn't mind her whiskey breath. "I'm glad you had fun," he said, bending down to kiss her, but she'd pushed herself away from him and walked unsteadily into the living room.

"Did you see that guy in the kilt? That was sooo funny," she said, turning around to face him fast enough to make herself wobble.

Edward was trying to evaluate just how much time he had left before she crashed. Enough time for cake, he decided. Maybe eating something would help her sober up. "Stay right here," he said, holding his hand up like a stop sign and backing into the small kitchen off the hall.

"Why?" she asked, starting to follow him.

"Stay... stay..." he said, like one would to a collie, backing up. He turned into the kitchen only when he was sure she was stopped. He jumped over to the counter and pulled the white bakery box out of the cabinet. Inside was a beautiful pink cake, decorated with fresh strawberries and 'Happy Birthday Bella" written across it. He pulled the cake out of the box and was scrambling for the candles when her voice rang out from the living room. "Whatcha doing in there?"

"It's a surprise." he called back to her, pulling matches out of another drawer. "I'll be right out!" Hurriedly, he lit the candles on the cake and balancing it carefully, started out the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, Bella slammed into him at full force.

The two of them collided together; the cake smashed between them. She flew back with the force of the impact, so still holding the majority of the ruined cake against his chest; he reached out with one arm to save her. She stumbled even harder against him, losing her balance, and holding his arms, started to slide down. Her body pushed the cake plate against him, and the cake crumbled between them in a long, frosted smear as Bella slid to her knees.

"Oh, oh!" she exclaimed in surprise as she came to rest, Edward bending above her. She looked at the large chunks of cake scattered around them, and at the long frosting smear down Edward's chest. He had still managed to hold onto the plate, but it had slid past his belt, and he was half crouched trying to hold the plate and keep a steadying hand on her arm. Bella looked at herself as he straightened up; she was wearing a good part of the cake herself.

"A cake?" she asked, dazed and confused. "You got me a cake?"

"Well, yeah," he said, reaching down to extinguish a candle that had somehow made it the floor still burning. "At least, it was a cake."

"That's so sweet. You got me a cake, and I ruined it. Thank you," she said, almost tearily. Their faces were nearly level, and she snaked an arm around his head to pull him towards her to kiss.

They kissed briefly, and he shifted to kneel on one knee beside her on the floor. "Bella, I love you. I'd do anything for you," he said, foreheads touching.

"Oh, Edward, I love you, too," she said, throwing both arms around him. He let the plate slide out of his hands to crash to the floor, so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her to his chest. She kissed him, really kissed him that time, and the cake fiasco started to melt away from him. She broke away from their kiss, throwing her head back while he planted kisses on her throat.

As he trailed down, he came across a chunk of cake lodged in the collar of her v-neck shirt, just above her cleavage. He licked the golf ball sized smudge of cake and frosting off her. It was strawberry cake with strawberry icing, and was really tasty.

"It's really good cake," he said, chewing and nodding.

She lifted her head. He saw the mischievous glint in her eye before she reached a finger over to a thick smear of icing on his shirt. She popped the frosting-clad finger in her mouth, twirling the finger between her lips to pull the sweetness from it, in a way that instantly mesmerized him. "That is good," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, but you have to try the cake." He pulled a clump of the remaining cake off the cake plate in his hand and brought it to her mouth. She delicately ate it from his hand, and when she closed her eyes to lick his hand clean, his pulse started to quicken.

"Mmmm, tasty," she sighed, looking at him with heavily-lidded eyes. She looked down at herself, and then yanked down on her shirt, exposing her cleavage, smeared with bits of cake. "Boy, it got everywhere, didn't it?" she asked coyly.

"Oh, allow me!" he exclaimed, pushing her to the floor to start nuzzling his way down her chest, letting the sticky icing and the sweetness of her skin flow together in an explosion of taste. She started giggling as he licked his way down to the swells of her breasts.

They both agreed later it was the best birthday cake they'd ever had.

Happy Birthday Ninapolitan!