Sweeter Than Frosting
Everything from Celty's waist up to the bottom of her neck was covered with white frosting, the 'Happy Birthday!' message that had adorned the cake thirty seconds ago now totally illegible. The cake itself was marble, Shinra's favourite, and maybe some of it could be salvaged – there were some areas that hadn't touched the floor – but it definitely didn't look pretty anymore.
Shinra bent worriedly over his girlfriend, who was lying completely frozen on the floor in a state of shock and despair.
"Celty! Are you okay?"
The Dullahan wiped her hand on a nearby rug before typing a response.
No, I'm not okay! I couldn't make you a cake by myself, but I thought I could at least buy one! Now I can't even give you that much!
Shinra assumed wanting to give him a proper gift was some sort of a girl thing, but it didn't make any sense to him. Didn't Celty know that her mere existence made him happy as a clam? He opened his mouth to tell her, but again reminded himself that Celty was a girl, and solving a problem with a girl was never simple. Telling her how he felt should make her feel better, but he knew right away that it wouldn't. She would probably just run off to the shower to clean herself off and then storm out the door requesting to be alone. So instead, he decided to go into more detail.
"Celty, honey," he said, lowering himself to the floor to envelop her in a hug, "it's already enough of a gift to me that you're staying here with me even when I act like an idiot."
Celty did the best she could to reach her cell phone without rejecting the hug.
Now you're all covered in frosting!
Yet again, Shinra questioned whether Celty really comprehended just how much he loved her. He didn't care about the frosting one bit! Didn't she know that he would dive head-first into a pool of carrot juice (which he completely abhorred) if it meant he could hold her in his arms?
"You think I care?" He chuckled. "The frosting is the best part of a cake!"
As if to prove this point, he stock his finger into an orange blob, which must have initially been a frosting flower, on the side of Celty's neck and licked it.
Shinra, I really want to give you some kind of actual gift! It's your birthday!
Shinra sighed. Clearly she wasn't grasping the whole I-don't-need-a-gift concept. Of course, that was to be expected. Celty would always want to give more than she had to because she was so sweet, far sweeter than the coating of frosting that she wore.
Then, he had an idea, an absolutely brilliant idea, quite possibly the greatest idea he had come up with in his life! If Celty insisted upon giving him a gift, he would just have to request one.
'Well, there is one thing you could give me."
Celty must have seen the look on his face and known that he was up to no good.
I am not getting naked for you!
Well, that would have been a good idea too, but it wasn't what he'd had in mind.
"That's not what I'm asking for, my darling!" he assured her. "At least not yet," he added in a voice that was somewhat quieter, but not quiet enough to prevent a light punch in the gut.
Then what do you want?
"What I want it actually something I've mentioned a few times before." Shinra's already immense smile grew. "Celty…" He grabbed a hold of her hand and squeezed. "Will you marry me?"
After a brief shock-induced pause, Celty typed her answer.
Yes!
Shinra jumped a bit at the news. He wasn't really sure how he expected her to respond; this was all too spontaneous. But this was definitely a pleasant surprise! He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Y-you really mean it?"
Of course! I love you.
"Oh, Celty!" He glomped her, holding her more tightly than ever before, so tightly she might begin to suffocate were she human. "I love you too! I love you so much!" He began to spin her around, laughing out of pure joy.
One thing was for sure. Nobody in the world could have received a better birthday present.
