What I say: 'Sorry guys, I'm moving so won't be able to write as much!'
What I do: Paint a little, pack none, write more.
Yang and Blake are just too freaking cute to set down.
The late morning sun was already high in the sky by the time her eyes fluttered open, still heavy and groggy from her deep sleep. It must be nearly ten o'clock by now, but she wasn't concerned about the late hour in the slightest, having nowhere to be and nothing to do.
But she was allowed to sleep in and be lazy today - it was her birthday!
That was the same rationale she'd used last night to convince Blake to stay awake until the clock wound far past midnight - 'watching' movies while fooling around on the sofa like high schoolers who'd unexpectedly gotten the house to themselves.
At twelve o'clock on the dot, the writer had whispered 'happy birthday' in her ear before mumbling something about her 'first gift' - which she hadn't exactly heard clearly before her normally tame kitten had gone domineering vixen in less than a heartbeat.
By the time they'd made it to their bed, the special day was already a couple hours old - and now, it was even older.
Maybe it was time to finally start the day and see what kind of awesome plans Blake had cooked up for her.
Evidently, waking up together hadn't been one of them.
She remembered waking up briefly when Blake had slipped out of bed sometime earlier, accepting the good morning kiss she'd been given before immediately falling back to sleep. But now that she was awake, the bed was cold and lonely with just her in it.
The writer must have had something important to take care of...last minute preparations of some kind.
Or...Blake was smart and knew that Yang wouldn't even try to get out of bed if the girl was still here with her. They could just...continue where they'd left off last night. That would be completely fine with her.
Groaning at the bright light streaming through the windows, she dragged herself out of bed with half lidded eyes, feet plodding heavily to the bathroom for a quick shower in the hopes that that would wake her up.
She turned the faucet as hot as it would go and stepped underneath the steaming jets of water, a tiny part of her wondering if, just maybe, she would have company this morning.
Several minutes later, she was mildly disappointed, but feeling fresh and rejuvenated as she walked out of the bedroom towards the kitchen. Clean hair, clean clothes...she was ready for whatever this day could throw at her.
There was a sweet smell wafting down the hallway towards her, leading her to believe that something had been baked in the wee hours of the morning.
Her suspicion was confirmed when she walked out of the hallway and into the kitchen, finding an assortment of pots and pans already washed and drying in one half of the sink while Blake carefully wiped off a countertop.
The girl had woken up early to bake something for her...how cute was that?
"Good morning," she said, drawing amber eyes her way.
"Morning, birthday girl," came Blake's response accompanied by a quick kiss. "I made something for you."
"Yeah, what is it? It smells amazing."
Blake gestured towards the island, where she found…
"You made me a cake!" she said, stifling the urge to 'aww' at how adorable and thoughtful the gesture was.
But seriously...sweetest girl ever, standing right beside her.
The birthday cake was small and round with white icing covering the entire thing. Running the entire circumference of the cake were cute little flower shapes made of yellow and purple icing.
"I tried," Blake replied, picking up the plate and setting the item closer, where she could see it better. "I've never made one before, so I had to look up how. I think it turned out alright though."
Someone could have knocked her over with a feather from how adorably modest that statement was. And how cute it was that the top of the cake had 'Happy Birthday, Yang,' written in flowing cursive with hearts around the edges.
Besides her mom, so many years ago that she could hardly remember, and Ruby, who was more skilled at burning things in the oven than baking them - no one had ever baked her a birthday cake.
Wrapping her arms around Blake's waist, she captured the girl and pulled her into a big hug while planting a kiss on her cheek.
"That is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me!" she cooed in the girl's ear, another round of gushing on the tip of her tongue. "You are just the cutest and most thoughtful person ever - and if that thing tastes as good as it smells, one hell of a baker. I'm actually legitimately worried you might need to quit your day job to become a full time baker."
The girl spun in her arms to grin at her, satisfied with the accomplishment and Yang's endorsement of it.
God, Blake must have woken up earlier than she'd thought in order to finish this in time. Which meant the poor girl must be absolutely exhausted...all in an effort to make her birthday morning special…
How had she been so incredibly lucky to find someone like Blake?
Even if this cake was horrible, it would still be one of the greatest gifts she'd ever received.
...and she would never tell Blake if it actually tasted horrible.
"So do we -" she began to ask, gesturing towards the cake right as her cell phone began ringing, shattering her train of thought completely.
"Oh, hold on," she said excitedly, releasing Blake so that she could grab the phone off of the island and answer the call from an unknown number. "This has to be Ruby!"
Blake smiled at the name, watching intently while she raised the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Ember One, this is Ember Two callingggg - to wish you a happy birthday!"
She laughed, or more like...giggled gleefully...at the sound of her little sister's voice.
"Thank you, Ruby!"
"So, what are you going to do today?" Ruby asked, the phone line somewhat staticky, like usual.
"I have no idea - it's all been planned for me by a certain lovely lady," she replied, reaching out and grabbing ahold of Blake's hand fondly - leaning in to give the girl another kiss on the cheek.
"Wait...did you just say 'lovely lady?'"
Dropping Blake's hand, she slapped her head lightly, realizing that she hadn't even had the chance to tell her little sister about Blake yet. What with her own busy schedule and Ruby's propensity to lose/break/maim her phones and spend large chunks of time out of decent cell coverage, they just hadn't had the opportunity to go over that tiny detail.
But today was as good a day as any!
"Well, I've kinda started seeing someone since you've been gone…"
"It's not Cinder again, is it?"
"What?" she sputtered in surprise. "No! Of course not!"
Ruby laughed at her through the other end of the phone.
"Thank god - that girl was psycho! So, who is it?"
"Her name is Blake, she's an author - and she's suuuuuper beautiful...and smart and witty..." she replied, smiling like an idiot while describing her girlfriend even though Blake was standing right there beside her.
"She's not taking my place, is she?"
She laughed at the ridiculousness of that question.
"What? Please...she does things for me you'd never do," she teased.
"Ewww…I'm going to pretend that I did NOT just hear that!" Ruby squealed into the receiver just like a little kid. She grinned at the girl's reaction and winked at Blake, who was now staring at her in baffled surprise.
"Just come back and meet her, ok?" she said, somewhat more seriously. "Preferably before I die of old age."
"Oh, right, and that'll be any day now, huh. How old are you today? Like a bazillion years old?"
"Ha ha - where did you pick up that piece of wit?"
"Uhh...Atlas, I think."
She grinned at the answer, enjoying the friendly banter she'd missed so much.
"I mean it though...come back soon?" she said.
"I'll try my darndest, Yang! I do have an extra special, awesome birthday present to deliver! And I'm pretty sure it might expire...or...something..." Ruby replied before letting out a giggle. "But I don't want to keep you from your 'lovely lady' any longer. Talk soon, k? Love you!"
"Love you too," she replied, looking somewhat forlornly at the phone when the call disconnected.
She only looked up when she felt Blake's hand slide into her own.
"Ready to start your birthday?" the girl asked, almost hesitantly.
But there was no reason to be hesitant or sad - Ruby would be back whenever the girl made it back. Although, the youngster had said she'd try her 'darndest' this time…Yang was positive it would be just like the last few times - the brunette appearing one night out of the blue without a moment's notice.
"Absolutely!" she replied, grinning once again. "And let's start with a piece of cake!"
Blake raised an eyebrow at the request, but would never tell her 'no' on her birthday (at least, that was the assumption she would be operating under the entire day). So, the writer got out a match and carefully lit the singular candle placed in the very center of the cake.
"Heyyyy - are you implying I'm turning one today?" she whined playfully, pointing towards the candle flying solo.
"It's for your one wish - like you told me," Blake answered earnestly, this time actually bringing an 'awww' of affection from her lips.
The 'birthday wish' had been kind of a big deal in her house growing up - even bigger than the presents or the cake. It had been something her mom had started, granting one wish to each of them every year. They would blow out one candle, then whisper to her what they'd wished for - only her mom was allowed to know because she was their 'wish keeper.' She was the one in charge of going to the 'higher ups' and pitching their wish for them.
A few weeks later, it would always come true - in some way or another.
One year, a horse dressed just like a real unicorn had appeared in their backyard - which she'd gotten to ride around their neighborhood for the entire day.
When her mom had passed away, she and her father had taken over as the wish keepers. Each year they would relinquish their birthday wish to Ruby, telling the young girl that they already had everything they could wish for, simply so that the young girl would hopefully create fond memories of birthdays even without her mom around.
Howeverrrr...since Ruby wasn't here to claim the bonus wish, she actually got one for a change!
Holding Blake's hand and closing her eyes, she blew out the candle with a quick puff of air, at the same instant casting her birthday wish for…
Well, she had to keep that a secret or it would never come true.
Not thirty seconds later, she was holding a small plate in one hand and a fork in the other, salivating at the freshly baked treat - which had layers of chocolate and vanilla inside.
There was no way this was going to taste anything like Ruby's birthday cakes. It looked so moist...and evenly blended - no lumps of flour anywhere to be seen...and it smelled absolutely heavenly.
It was only after licking her lips and briefly tearing her eyes away from what would be her breakfast that she noticed Blake didn't have a piece of her own.
"Aren't you going to have some?"
"Eh...it's pretty early for cake," the girl responded, not really the sweet tooth that Yang could sometimes be. "But maybe you'll share a bite of yours -"
She immediately held the plate protectively to her chest, guarding it from potentially snatchy hands.
"What, do you think I'm on a diet or something?" she asked playfully.
Blake rolled her eyes and took a tiny step towards her.
"No...but I thought you'd be kind enough to share."
"You do realize there's like, an entire cake right there?" she replied, pointing her fork down to the countertop while taking a step away from the still approaching huntress of birthday cake.
"Yes...but now I really want a bite of that piece," Blake responded, nodding towards the plate still clutched within her hands.
Tossing her fork down on the countertop, she stuck one finger defiantly into the frosting before sticking it into her mouth.
"Mmm...soooo good!" she taunted, taking another step backwards around the island.
Lightning fast, Blake lashed out a hand in an attempt to grab the plate away from her, but she was just as fast - jerking it away at the last second before rushing to the other side of the island.
With some temporary distance between them, she lifted the plate to her nose and took a big whiff.
"This is going to be so good," she said, throwing a wink across the countertop.
Their standoff ended instantly as Blake sprinted around the counter and she ran the other direction, laughing as she held the plate loosely in one hand while using the other to maintain her balance. After making two complete loops around the island, she took off towards the living room with Blake hot on her heels.
She had almost made it around the sofa when her free hand was captured, spinning her around and forcing her to a stop.
Pulling her hand free, still determined not to share a single bite of this cake with the writer, she picked up the piece with her hand as if she could possibly fit the entire thing into her mouth at one time. But Blake grabbed her by the wrist and pulled backward, preventing the deliciousness from reaching her lips.
Struggling to pull her hand full of cake away, she quickly discovered that Blake was surprisingly strong for someone who didn't regularly go to the gym. Maybe she needed to start doing whatever workouts Blake was doing...
Trying one last yank to free her arm, she was successful! Blake's hand slipped off her wrist.
Of course, she hadn't been prepared for that to happen...and with the resistance suddenly gone, she slammed the cake into her chin, smearing cake and frosting everywhere as the piece very literally exploded into a shower of crumbs and icing.
All motion in the apartment instantly ceased as the two of them stood in stunned silence, utterly shell shocked by what had just happened. At least, all was still until Blake broke into hysterical laughter, which she quickly joined as she looked at her hand, now covered in smashed cake and frosting. Licking her lips, she confirmed that there was frosting all over her chin and mouth, as well.
"Guess now you don't get to try, huh?" she asked once her laughs had subsided slightly.
But the question only made Blake raise her eyebrows.
"Oh? Who said that I couldn't?"
The author took a step forward, reaching out one hand and grabbing her chin gently while another arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her forward. She felt her pulse begin to race as the girl leaned in and kissed her cheek...her chin...and finally her lips - their lips clashing vigorously for several seconds before Blake pulled away, licking her lips of the frosting.
"Hm...it is quite good," the girl commented with a smirk while Yang could only stare in surprise.
"Uh...I think you missed some," she managed to reply, disappointment filling her when Blake turned away with a laugh, heading back into the kitchen and throwing her a bundled up kitchen towel.
"Get cleaned up. You have other birthday plans we shouldn't be late for."
With a groan, she wiped her face of frosting before heading back into the bedroom to wash her face and change out of her newly frosting speckled shirt.
"We could totally cancel those other plans, you know!" she shouted back to the living room. "I wouldn't mind staying here until the party tonight!"
After she'd successfully changed into a new shirt, she turned back towards the bedroom door only to find Blake leaning against the doorframe watching her.
"Who said those plans were outside the house?" the girl asked with an all-knowing grin, pushing off the doorframe and advancing towards her.
"I...what?"
Just like that, she'd lost the ability to think clearly as her brain spiraled off in all kinds of inappropriate directions.
"Well...I knew you'd just make me cancel them," the girl replied, holding her arms behind her back to shield some sort of surprise. "So I planned on us spending the day here."
How to appropriately respond...to the person who knew her so well...
"God...you're so the best ever."
Blake smiled back at her, bringing one hand out from behind her back to reveal a small package covered in gold wrapping paper with a pretty silver bow on top.
"Happy birthday, Yang," the girl said softly, pushing the item a little closer so that she would take it.
Which she did, holding the precious package carefully while turning it over in her hands, taking in the solid weight and diminutive size.
"Aw...you didn't have to get me anything!" she said, briefly looking down to find a seam in the paper so that she could pull the wrapping paper off.
Truthfully, if she hadn't been trying to maintain the semblance of being polite, she would have torn the paper to shreds as quickly as possible - that's how excited she was. But, there was also uncertainty about how delicate the item inside might be - the last thing she wanted to do was accidentally break it.
"I know," Blake replied with a smile and the softest beginning of a blush. "But I wanted to."
Dropping the wrapping paper onto the ground, she turned the item over in her hands to uncover that it was…a book?
"'Flight of the Bumblebee?'" she asked, reading the title etched in gold lettering on the cover and briefly flipping through the pages before giving her girlfriend a questioning glance. "Oh! Is this - could this be - ?"
Suddenly, she was a lot more excited, flipping to the first page to see if she was actually correct. But a soft hand pushed the book downward, directing her attention back to the moderately embarrassed girl standing in front of her.
"No, it's not one of those books," Blake said, bursting her bubble with those words.
But then, Blake looked even more...unsure of herself...than normal. The sight was so adorable...she was on the verge of swooning over the girl right then and there.
So rarely did she get to see the girl this way...at least, not when they were together.
"I wrote it just for you," Blake explained, amber eyes meeting hers with a shy smile. "And it's...it's our story. Everything that's happened so far, at least."
"...Wha -?"
If she could have said anything else, she would have. But she was so utterly and completely speechless - glancing back down at the small book that had grown exponentially more valuable over the past few seconds before turning back to Blake.
"I...well, I made Cinder seem a little more like a typical 'villain' than she is," Blake continued hastily. "And I had to...tone down...some other parts, but I think it might still be fun for you to read. I know I had a lot of fun writing it. It kind of made me realize...that we have the type of ridiculous love story most people would kill to have, you know?"
"Blake…"
Oh god...her voice was wavering with emotion...and she could feel the pinpricks of tears in her eyes.
"Blake, this is…"
She glanced down at the book again, running one hand across the black and gold cover, savoring the canvas-like feeling beneath her fingertips.
She'd thought that the cake was thoughtful...she'd loved that Blake had woken up early to spend time baking something special for her. And here...the girl had likely spent days creating something that went outside the realm of wonderful...
"T-this is the coolest…and the most amazing...thing - I can't even…"
Her wavering voice forced her to stop speaking, holding up one hand to signal that she needed a second.
But holy hell - she was an actress. Her livelihood literally depended upon her ability to pretend to feel things she actually didn't. Everyday she went to work and faked being happy, being sad - angry, upset, bored, tired…
But right now, for a million Lien, she couldn't have pretended to be anything but what she was - a teary-eyed, blubbering, overjoyed girl who'd just received quite possibly the best gift in all of history.
From the best girlfriend in all of history.
"Ok..." she finally said, running the back of one hand across her eyes only for it to come away moist from unshed tears. "Can we pretend that I didn't start crying there -"
Blake's hand lifted her chin up, the girl placing a loving kiss to her lips a second later before drawing away - eyes sparkling in unconcealed delight.
"I'm glad you like it," the girl said softly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Now I can write them for you for years to come - our entire lifetime documented in a story -"
"G-god!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with one hand as more tears instantly began to flow at the phrases 'years to come' and 'entire lifetime.' "W-what are you trying to do to me here? Kill me with love or something?"
Blake laughed while wrapping her in a hug, squeezing her tightly while she held the priceless book to her chest.
"If love could kill, we'd be dead already," the girl whispered into her ear before placing a kiss to her temple.
Letting out a half laugh, half sob, she wrapped her own arms around her way-too-amazing girlfriend and hugged back.
If this was how the rest of today was going to go, she needed to buy some tissues.