Prompt : Character A is afraid to ask for anything/feels guilty when receiving gifts because their parents always told them they were a "financial burden" because of the costs of their surgeries/other cleft care. Character B gets them a gift
It was Stan's birthday. He didn't mention it to anyone- His dad had taught him long ago that it was selfish to try to make a whole day revolve around himself since he was too much of a financial burden (due to his surgeries for his cleft) anyway- But Syd had come across his birth certificate one night when she was at his house, looking through his things (his father had told him to keep his birth certificate in his drawer and that it was his responsibility to keep track of it, so stan had set it at the very bottom of one of his vinyl drawers).
She memorized the date (March 2nd, 2004) and wrote it on a small note she hid in her room, just like she'd done with Dina's. She may not have entirely understood the whole having friends thing, but she knew that she felt nice whenever her mom remembered her birthday, and she also figured that Stanley's dad probably didn't celebrate it with him, so she was determined to at least give him a gift.
She knew he liked comics, so she went to the local comic store, looking for a comic she knew he didn't have. She knew he liked superheroes, and she knew what comics he'd talked about wanting before but being unable to get his hands on. She decided that, if she found one of those comics for an affordable price, she'd get him that and, if not, she'd just find him something obscure that he's never heard of before.
The ginger looked through the shelves for something when she suddenly came across a white volume book, the spine reading "THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY - APOCALYPSE SUITE" and a thick "1" at the bottom. She remembered him talking about this comic- Something about how they made a television adaptation and it was good but he wanted to get his hands on the comic for comparison.
Taking a deep breath, she picked it up and turned it over to look at the price. The retail for it was $15.99, but it had been marked down by 50%, meaning that it was now only eight bucks. Okay, she thought with relief. Eight bucks is doable.
----------
She sneaked into his basement through the small window at the top of it that was accessible from the outside, as she had many nights before. He seemed surprised at her sudden presence but didn't mind as he quickly cleared a spot on his couch to allow her to sit down. It was nighttime, the second of March. She hadn't mentioned his birthday the whole day and he hadn't expected her to- It's not like he'd ever explicitly mentioned it to her anyway.
He noticed she had a plastic bag in her hand and his curiosity was piqued since she'd usually only ever bring her backpack with her, if anything.
"What's in the bag?" he asked with a curious expression. With a smile, the ginger pulled a book of sorts out of it and tossed it to him.
"Happy birthday, Barber"
He could neither process the gift she had just given him nor the fact that she wished him a happy birthday, so he just looked up at her with a bewildered expression. Syd was beginning to wonder if she'd misread his birthday or something when the boy suddenly burst into tears, catching her severely off-guard.
"Stan, if you don't like it, you can just tell-"
"I love it" Stan cut her off. "I just... How much did this cost?"
"Why does it matter?"
"So I can pay you back for it" Stan replied, exasperated, as though it was the most obvious thing on the planet.
"Stanley, I'm not making you pay me back for something I got you as a present for your birthday"
"But-"
"Stan"
...
"I'm sorry" Stan apologized, wiping away his tears. "I've, uh... No one's ever gotten me a birthday gift before. I don't really know what the appropriate response is" he explained, and Sydney swore she felt her heart rip in half at those words. "With all my surgeries for the roof of my mouth, well, it cost a lot" he went on. "I know I'm a financial burden for it, so I didn't-"
"You aren't a burden, Stan" the ginger cut him off firmly, leaning across the couch and wrapping him in a hug. She wasn't much of a hugs person herself, but he clearly needed one. "Okay? And especially not on your fucking birthday"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive"
...
"Thanks, Syd"
