Aloha guys (and konnichi wa to Starstar412, although my Japanese does end there) :) sorry it took a while, I was meant to upload sooner but I kept getting distracted (physics homework, which involved copying most of a charlieissocoollike video, and some more art, oh, and it SNOWED. And while I'm still a child, it is most definitely important that I engage in as many snowball fights as possible during such weather:D Oh, and art folders make the best shields. Just in case anybody else wanted to participate in an ice war :L)
Thanks again for the reviews, remember to favourite and follow too!
Anyhoo, here it is, chapter 17! Enjoy (at least I hope you do) ~ nellen :3 xx

"Hiya Clive, have a nice day?" Flora chirped, twirling around the kitchen as she rummaged through cupboards and draw searching for goodness knows what.
"Yeah, yeah I did," the lad smiled, watching her in amusement as she teetered on her tiptoes, trying to see what was hidden on the very top shelf of the fridge. "Yourself?"
"Yeah it was awesome! My art teacher was ill so we just got sent home so I decided I'd do some baking. And, seen as its your birthday, I thought I'd make a cake," she sung, spinning on the spot and dropping her ingredients on a bench.
Clive's heart stopped. "H-how did you know?"
"Check the post," the girl half laughed at his incredulous gasp, staring cross eyed at the numbers on the scales. "I think that says two hundred gra-"
"You looked through my post?" He frowned, interrupting her measuring as he thumbed through the pile of letters by the fridge.
"How do you even get post?"
He paused to throw Flora a confused and slightly irritated look, one that was equally returned. "Seriously, how do Spring and Cogg know where I live?"
"I'll answer that when you answer mine," came the short reply.
"Oh come on, it's not like there was an envelope to open," she rolled her eyes and continued cracking eggs, "they wrote it on the box."
"Box?"
"You're useless Clive," she tutted, dusting off her hands and skipping over to where he stood. "It's right here, under your nose." He pulled a face as she tapped him on the nose and handed him the package. "I didn't think it'd be a box. Sorry for accusing you of going through my stuff, oh, Spring and Cogg know because I write to them sometimes. Never told you, didn't think you'd care." He shrugged, but Flora wasn't done.
"You could have at least told me it was your birthday, I feel bad for not getting you something now!"
"Hey, chill, you gave me a roof to sleep under, that's more than I deserve," he smiled up at her for a second, then turned his attention back to the box. Parcel paper and string, his old foe. "Can I borrow some scissors or a knife or something?"
"Can't you open a box?" His friend half laughed, scrabbling through the draws for a wooden spoon.
"I've struggled with string since the age of five, when an older cousin thought it would be fun to tie me up with it. Never much cared for string, or cousins, ever since."
"I thought you didn't have any family," Flora's brow furrowed in confusion, but she quickly shook it off, "not that, well, agh..."
"No I have an aunt and an uncle and a handful of cousins, but they're... Very estranged... We never really got along even before the accident if I'm honest. They were stuck up snobs and we weren't," he drifted off, shrugging nonchalantly, "I don't even know where they live anymore."
Flora made a small, sad, "oh," sound, then returned to her baking. She was almost finished scraping the mixture into the baking tray, when Clive finally managed to open his parcel, whooping in delight. A cheer that faded as he saw the box within. "Oh my god, it's double wrapped." He made some kind of exasperated noise, setting Flora off in giggles again.
"Useless, you are, absolutely useless," she sighed, taking the box from him again and opening it neatly within minutes. He watched, a fascinated smile hanging on his open mouth. "You have to teach me that some day."
"You're like four or five years older than me, and you want me to teach you to open a box?" Flora raised her eyebrows as she handed the grinning boy his prize.
He tipped out the contents onto the bench, sighing again and beginning to tear off the paper. "How much wrapping does this thing need? Is this a Russian doll present or something?"
Flora rolled her eyes and fiddled with the settings on the oven. "Typical man, so impatient."
"Am no- wooh I did it! For real this time," he grinned, throwing some of the paper scraps into the air like confetti.
"You're clearing that up later," his friend muttered, turning to face him again. "So what did you get? Clothes? Money? Music?"
"Photos," Clive mumbled, glancing up from the pile, "family ones..."

Another pretty short one, I'll try my best to not leave so long between this and the next upload :)
Thanks for reading, stay groovy :* ~nellen xx