LUKE: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY! D-Daddy wanted me to give you this because he says he still lubs you." Your son James says, licking his lips eagerly.
It's your birthday today, and you're shocked to see James when you wake up in your room, along with your ex-husband Luke, standing in the doorway. You feel tears in your eyes as he hands you a penguin ring, with a heart around the figure of the animal. You flash Luke a look, and he shrugs his shoulders, smirking at you as your five year-old son goes on, "D-Daddy said you fell in l-lub with him because when he was smaller he was h-half penguin, half daddy." Your sons cheeks are all red from talking without breathing and you bring him into a big hug, "Mommy loves the present sweetheart. Thank you."
"Hey bud, why don't you go watch some Spongebob while Mommy and I talk?" Luke asks, as James kisses your cheek sloppily before running down the steps and off into another world.
You roll your eyes at Luke, standing up from your bed, "Really? You used our child to try to believe me that you're actually being nice on my birthday."
Luke and you had been divorced for nearly a year because after having James, you always found yourselves bickering. Every small problem turned into a fight and eventually, Luke found himself sleeping on the couch more than he believed he should have. Hurtful words were exchanged from time to time which made you two agree to separating because you both agreed you would be better off alone.
The truth was...deep down inside, you were both utterly miserable.
"I meant it, the gift. James found my present for you and I decided we would both bring it over. James just kind of ran me down and jumped into our-I mean, your bed before I could." He clears his throat, walking into the room and tracing the outline of one of your guys' family photos you kept around.
"(Y/N), I just...I wanted to say Happy Birthday to you. I want to say I'm sorry for all I've put you through. After having James I knew you were hormonal and I was still down your throat in fights-." You cut him off, "Stop where you are, Luke. Please, I don't want to relive our failing marriage on my birthday. Please."
"How many times do I have to say how sorry I am before you forgive me, (Y/N)? Every day I cry myself to sleep because you're not in my arms. I sit down at the table for dinner by myself and-." You scoff, interrupting him, "You're lonely Luke. You don't miss me, you miss the company." Tears are in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks, "You know, you may be out of my sight, but you're never out of my mind. I miss you so fucking much, can't you see that!" Your eyes bulge, "Watch your language, our son is downstairs."
You swallow the sob creeping up your throat as he confesses, "I made a huge mistake, okay? I regret it. I regret giving you up. I regret letting you walk out that door! I'm sorry I'm not perfect, and I'm sorry that I get angry. But I want to tell you that I'm still in love with you, that I still want to give us a chance. We're worth it, (Y/N) and it scares you because you know we are too. You're scared we'll fall apart again, that you'll get hurt. Please (Y/N), I don't want to hurt you anymore. I want to treat you right this time." He approaches you, and you can feel him breathing on your neck.
He kisses your cheek and you can feel his lips lingering, along with his tears. Your breath is caught in your throat as he toys with your birthday gift in your hand, before sliding the penguin ring on your finger. "They say when penguins find their mate, they stay together for the rest of their lives. (Y/N), will you please be my penguin?"
You don't know what comes over you this morning that's different, but you grab hold the back of Luke's head and your lips come together. Love, passion, lust, and forgiveness comes together as you cling to each other. You can feel Luke's heart beating against your chest as the kiss breaks, and James is at the door, screeching, "Yay! We're a big family of penguins again!"
CALUM: You watch your ex-husband on the news who was gathering for an anniversary concert downtown with his band earlier today. Your child Emily is sleeping soundlessly against your chest as you run your fingers through her hair gently. It's nearly two in the morning and Calum still isn't here, for he is always late to pick your daughter up.
You feel someone pounding on your door as you raise your daughter up, resting her on your shoulder. She doesn't wake up; just like her father, in many ways. You open the door and see Calum red in the face, "I'm so sorry (Y/N), we had a gig and-." You roll your eyes, spitting sarcastically, "The concert was at seven Calum, it's nearly two in the morning. Emily fell asleep waiting for her daddy."
You hand him her sleepover bag, and ask, "So who'd you sleep with this time? I'm glad you got a good thrill tonight." He shakes his head, "I ran late because I had to take three drunk messes home. So to speak, there's traffic backed up on every highway on a Friday night. I'm sorry (Y/N), it won't happen again." When you're about to hand over Emily, Calum asks, "Can you lay her down in her room for a few minutes? T-There's something...I just-I really need to talk to you, please."
"I can't believe you Calum. You run nearly four hours late and expect to have a conver-." He cuts you off with tears forming in his eyes, "Please (Y/N), I'm begging you."
After putting Emily in her bed, you come face to face with Calum. You cross your arms over your chest and ask, "What do you need to talk about that can't wait until the next time we see each other?" He sighs, "I r-really don't know how to say this." You rub your eyes tiredly, "Holy shit balls Calum, just spit it out!" He smiles, tears mixing with his lips, pointing to you, "That."
You look behind you, thinking he's pointing to something else. "That." He says again, "I miss that." Your eyebrows tighten as he sighs, "I-I miss you. I miss the way you make me laugh. I miss everything about you. I miss us. I miss when we would all go for a surprise picnic date but we'd just end up chasing Emily down the beach. I-I miss you, (Y/N). I know that we've only been separated for five months but...I think we made a mistake." You shake your head, tears burning your skin, "Please don't do this now-." He cuts you off, shouting, "WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO DO IT? BECAUSE I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" You "sh" him for the sake of your daughter, as he whimpers, "I-I can't take it anymore, (Y/N)."
His lips are practically brushing against yours. You feel his thumbnail rub against your bottom lip as he looks at you with his broken eyes, "While I sleep, I dream of you and when I wake up, I long to hold you in my arms. If anything, our time apart has only made me more certain that I want to spend my nights by your side, and my days with your h-heart. I miss you." You feel his hands cup your cheeks roughly, bringing you into a deep kiss. His tongue slides into your mouth as he pours every ounce of emotion he can into it. His hands rest on your hips, your foreheads touching as you whisper, "I never stopped loving you."
