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"and dig this"
something wakes you, a hand on your back, a press of warm lips to your cheek. your eyelids flutter and you squint into the sunny room. john comes into vision with a tray in his hands.
"happy birthday, darling." it's sweet and soft. his fingers peel at your bedsheets and he forces you to sit up.
"john . . ." you're still groggy and headached from last night's partying. of course your boyfriend is already on his feet as he sets the tray down in your lap. it's piled with pancakes, toast, fruit. you press your palm to your forehead and sigh. "oh god, i feel horrible."
"happy birthday," he murmurs again like you didn't hear him. it's the third time since he told you at the stroke of midnight. you watch his figure trek around the bed and climb under the covers on the other side.
"no, thank you! this is so nice!" you gesture with outstretched hands. "this is great. this is perfect. this . . ." your enthusiasm fades as you watch syrup drip down the side of your pancakes. you turn to face john in bed beside you. "john, i drank so much last night."
"there's never a right time to listen to keith," he muses. "drink some coffee." the offered mug is very hot in your hands, but you still take little sips. when john pulls it away, he's grinning. "look in the closet after you're done."
"why?" you gingerly bite your buttered toast and the crumbs fall into your lap. you have a slight memory of emptying your stomach before you passed out on the bed. you'd hate a repeat.
"your gifts are in there."
"really?"
you watch him loan a strawberry from your plate. "yes. eat your food. i made it all for you."
"i know! and the toast is great."
he rolls his eyes and continues to steal from you. "did you dream?" a jittery anxiety holds him. from christmases and anniversaries past, you know he adores watching you open presents.
"no. i was out completely."
"you drooled," he offers, mouth full of your top pancake.
"i did?" you whine. he affirms with a nod.
"and dig this." john nudges you. you address him with a frown. "it was all over my shoulder."
"i am so sorry!" your hands touch your face again, this time out of shame. you can't believe you embarrassed yourself in front of john, first by nearly falling flat on your face last night and now slobbering all over him. he watches, amused, his body propped by an elbow and his small smile evident. your name crosses his lips.
"i love you."
"i love you too." your mood is suddenly slippery, delicate and vulnerable. it makes you stretch out your arms to cling to him and kiss his face. in the action, your tray tips and the breakfast john made spills over onto the sheets, including the steaming coffee.
now another thing to apologize for as you leap out of bed and hurry with the mess. luckily, none of the hot liquid burned john, but he gives a vivid frown. you can't believe you messed up your day with him and only in the first few hours. as you rummage through excuses, he grabs your wrist and stops you.
"go look in the closet. i'll deal with this."
"are you sure?" you always mumble when his voice drops like that.
just a look and you're turning around, parting your clothes and his to find several boxes stacked up.
you open the largest first: white with the red name of a boutique you've been eyeing recently. inside is a pair of red leather boots. your own version of beatles footwear. you suck in a breath and move on. a pair of earrings, gold and pearl-drooped, a striped dress that reminds of something brigitte bardot would wear, dark lipstick, and a pair of frilly lace lingerie sets.
you're absolutely giddy and slightly teary-eyed. turning around with the boots pressed to your chest, you exclaim your joy to john and he laughs while he strips your bed.
it's a birthday just dysfunctional enough for you. there's no other way you could have imagined it going.
( for the fantastic moreofthatrock sorry this took so long, love! i rewrote this about ten times and it's not exactly what you were looking for, but i hope you enjoy <3 anyways, i have one more john request to go and then i think i'll bookend this series with a last one about pete )
