so if you love me won't you let me know

[fanstheflame]

Who: Ino and GALE
What: Ridiculously cute romantic birthday fluff things
When: Backdated to 9/23
Where: Ino's house
Rating: PG13ish and eventually some FTB action hurr hurr thank you Crowley

Birthdays hadn't been a huge occasion for celebrating, back home in the Seam. The only one anyone even remotely rejoiced over was someone's eighteenth, because it meant they were no longer part of the Reaping - but even then, it meant they were eligible to work, and it signaled the end of one hard chapter and the start of another. Of course, they'd always tried to do something for birthdays in his house, anyway - one more year to be alive was nothing to sneeze at - but it had always been something small; a special dinner or a handmade gift of a new shirt or something needed and only vaguely frivolous. When money was as tight as it had been for the Hawthornes, that was still a pretty big deal, even if special dinner meant extra meat in the stew, or something smuggled across town from the Hob.

So it was no wonder that Gale felt a little awkward that afternoon, as he showed up to Ino's house with a bag over his shoulder. He'd brought everything extra he needed to make dinner, as well as the two gifts that Nora, Uru, and Once-ler had helped him with ... and it felt unnaturally extravagant, even for something he'd been reassured was "small". The message, though, he knew, was anything but ... which was exactly why he was okay with it. Breathing in slowly, he reached up and knocked on the door.

God, he hoped he wouldn't screw this up.

Comments

[ino]

It was hard to celebrate a birthday properly in Konoha, when you weren't a civilian. Missions and people in need of help didn't just decide to take a break no matter what time of year it was. As a kid, her family would celebrate together with the Naras -- when Shikamaru's birthday was on the 22nd and hers on the 23rd, it just made practical sense to have a combined birthday party, especially when the two families were on such friendly terms. But people have to grow up fast in Konoha, and when you're considered an adult soldier at thirteen ... well, you have to say goodbye to some things.

Paradisa had been a bit different. With so much time off, and so much time to indulge in ... well, anything you wanted, it was easy to celebrate these things. She hadn't made it a habit to tell a lot of people when the date was -- usually just some of her close friends and perhaps the person she was seeing. Last year's birthday had been ... well, there'd been a party, but her heart hadn't been in it. She'd just come back from running away to the Dead Zone, and she'd been severely depressed the whole time. Compared to last year, it was like a whole different world, for her.

She'd been excitedly giggling and humming to herself all day in anticipation of what he'd have planned. It was hard to guess what he might be thinking of doing, when ... well, she couldn't really even remember the last time she'd gone on a real date, or something like that. She'd brought up the date thing before, so that seemed like the most likely option for what he'd plan ...

Naturally, Ino being Ino, she'd also dressed herself up just a little for the occasion, whatever it was going to be. She knew his opinion on fancy things (and really, though she liked looking cute, she also liked being comfortable) -- so she kept it simple, opting to wear a simple pleated dress with a brightly-colored flower print, a matching cardigan, and a simple belt around her waist. Cute, but still adult enough that she could keep the claim that she was turning twenty-two.

There was still the matter of her hair, though, which was what she'd been attending to when she heard the knock on the door. "Be right there!" she called out, hopping down the stairs as she put the finishing touches on her hair, which had been pulled into a long side braid. Once she's patted herself down and she's sure she looks ~stunning~, she'll open the door with a smile.

"Hi!"

[fanstheflame]

"Wow." His grin widened as she opened the door. "You look amazing." She'd struck just the perfect balance - pretty without being fancy - that reminded him of the way the merchants' daughters in the nicer end of the Seam dressed. His mind flickered briefly to Madge Undersee, but just long enough for her name to attach to the thought. Then it was gone, and he leaned down to kiss her hello.

"Happy birthday."

[ino]

She can't help but beam at the compliment, her cheeks flushing just a little bit. Even if she knew she looked good, it was always nice to hear it from someone else. Her boyfriend, especially.

She'll lean up to kiss him back, taking one of his hands to pull him inside.

"Thanks! I'd say you look nice, too, but you always look nice." And hey, a little shameless flirting never hurt anything.