Hey all! This has been in my drafts for a while and I wasn't sure if I should post it or not, because it's a weird idea. But, I decided to, so I hope that you all enjoy!
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Your birthday was always a special time for you. A time where your family would come together and celebrate you. All birthdays were special in your household, but it was something about how it was all for you that made your heart melt.
You would wake up early on your birthdays, giddy with excitement when you heard the knock on your door. Your family would shuffle in, holding gift bags. Your father led the pack, always holding a vanilla cupcake with pink icing and sprinkles, a candle flaming from the top.
"Make a wish!" He would say jokingly, which would make you grin with amusement and blow out the candle, closing your eyes and quickly wishing - probably for whatever gift you would be receiving.
You would open your presents, surrounded by your parents and siblings that watched excitedly. You would squeal in delight as your parents got you those things that they had told you they would never get weeks earlier. Hugs and kisses would be passed from person to person as you expressed your gratitude.
You would go to school, surrounded by celebration from friends and eating the chocolate that they would all give you.
When you got home, you would get ready to go out to your favourite restaurant, dressing up in a new outfit your mother had gotten you, with dangly earrings and just the right amount of makeup. You would pile in the car, singing the tunes that came on together.
The delicious dinner was followed by a cake coming from the waiter, which would always make you hide your face with embarrassment. Your family would sing happy birthday, their smiles meeting yours as you all shared the moment together.
You would blow out your candles and wish for the night to last forever.
Even in the apocalypse, your birthday was still special. In the first year, all of your family was intact and you celebrated, just a little differently. You were woken up by your family and received a slice of bread with sprinkles on it, a candle standing tall with a bright flame on top.
There were no gifts, the presence of your whole family was enough for you. The gratitude and love you felt was worth more than anything that could be bought. Knowing that your whole family was safe and okay was the best present you had ever received.
The next year, it was a little different. Your mother died during childbirth, turning Z along with the infant. She leapt up and attacked your little brother, before you could intervene. Your father raised his rifle but his hand shook, unable to push the trigger. Tears were streaming down his face. So you raised your own and mercied them, but not without your own signs of grief.
It was just you, your father and your little sister when the day rolled around. Actually, you didn't know if it was your birthday or not. You just knew because the seasons changed and it seemed like it had been long enough in the apocalypse, like your birthday was overdue.
You were hesitant to celebrate with only half of your loved ones intact, but your father insisted and your sister smiled for the first time in weeks. So, you woke up in the bunker you had settled in, a match stuck in the middle of an opened can of slicedpeaches.
It was a huge contrast to any other birthday you had, but it still brought a grin to your face and the gratitude and love still washed over you the same. You blew out the makeshift candle, wishing that next year could be the same.
Your family had found a family sized bar of chocolate, that you all shared, hugging one another. Through the day, you wished with all of your heart that things would never change from this.
