Lost in Hollywood

Birthday Boy

Cody's bathroom was white. The walls, the floor, the counter - all white marble and stainless steel, sterile and clean, like a luxury hotel bathroom instead of one attached to a teenage boy's bedroom. The only splashes of color came from a green towel that was thrown onto the counter, the bottles of shampoo and shower gel next to it, dark blue with golden letters.

The tap was running, and Cody was brushing his teeth, standing in front of the sink, wearing a pair of checkered boxers and a plain, white T-shirt. His large feet were bare, pale against the white floor, his hair was a mess and his posture still drowsy, as if he had only just dragged himself out of the bed. The air smelled of his familiar, spicy aftershave.

Sky stopped in the doorway, hesitating, a cupcake with a lit candle in her hands. He hadn't noticed her yet, and as always - he looked different when he didn't know she was looking at him. Beautiful, of course, but also sad, tired. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his left hand was still bruised, after the kickboxing training where he had hurt it some days ago. The bruises were dark blue on his pale skin, the wounds on his knuckles had closed but still looked painful.

Sky's chest went tight with an unnamed emotion. She had barely seen him all week. First, there had been the whole thing when she had asked Hawk to sit with them at lunch— It still made Sky ashamed, even if Cody had said a thousand times he didn't mind, that it was okay. But after that, he had been tense, distant. And then—

Well, Sky knew it had been the right thing to do, to encourage him to spend time with his friends and in his hobbies, but still, it had led to Sky spending more time with Hawk this week than with her boyfriend.

Not alone time with Hawk, obviously, but time at the dojo. Together with their friends. Doing karate. And checking out Hawk's lean, shirtless body, imagining how it would feel to lay her hands on his arms, his chest—

Jesus Christ—!

Sky forcefully shoved those disturbing thoughts away. It was bad enough that Hawk haunted her dreams, she wasn't going to give him power over her thoughts and desires too.

Taking a deep breath to ground herself, Sky knocked on the bathroom door and pushed it fully open.

"Surprise," she stepped into the white bathroom. "Happy birthday!"

Cody was startled, the toothbrush fell from his fingers into the sink and his eyes widened.

"Sky, what the—?" he wiped his toothpaste-smeared lips with the back of his hand and turned to face her. "What— what are you doing here?"

"Well, what do you think?" Sky smiled hesitantly and revealed the cupcake she'd had hidden behind her back. It was a simple blueberry cupcake - she knew Cody loved blueberries - with a mountain of white buttercream icing, silver sprinkle, and a candle on top of it all. She had baked it herself, with Dad, the night before.

Cody's posture turned tense as if he wasn't looking at a cupcake, but a guillotine. His grip on the bathroom counter that he was leaning on, turned hard and Sky's heart sank. It took all she had to keep the smile on her face.

"Happy birthday," she repeated. "To the best boyfriend ever."

Cody looked like he wasn't even breathing. His face was very pale, his eyes huge and the horrible, horrible silence in this sterile, cold room was killing Sky.

"It's just a cupcake," her voice broke a bit, her hands holding the cupcake were trembling slightly. "Just— can you just blow the candle? Please? For me?"

"Sky—"

"I love birthdays," Sky spoke, her smile now all gone, her words hesitant but hasty on her lips. "I love it, all of it. I love cakes and gifts and parties, and I want to have that with you. You're my boyfriend— What if we're together forever? Am I never supposed to give you any birthday gifts? Am I never supposed to wish you a happy birthday? Cause I don't know if I can do that."