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When Shuichi had nonchalantly asked Kaede over breakfast what she would maybe want to do for her early birthday celebration (since they had learned they wouldn’t be able to spend her actual birthday together, due to an out of town recital she would be performing at), he had been expecting her to answer with something like a quiet day in, maybe cuddling on the couch to watch one or two of Kaede’s favorite movies, or a nice dinner out, so her reply that she wanted to spend the day out with him at the local amusement park was a bit unexpected and threw him for a loop.
“Are you sure?” he asked, immediately getting an excited nod from Kaede.
“I’m so sure!” she replied. “It’ll be fun, just you and me, spending a day at the amusement park together for my birthday.”
She gave a little chuckle. “Well, early birthday, since, you know.”
He nodded, the small pang in his stomach being hit again with the fact that she’d be out of town for her actual birthday, but not letting that take away from the idea of the fun day she had presumably already planned out in her mind.
“Alright, Kaede, if that’s what you want, I’m game,” he replied with a nod.
“It is,” she replied, bouncing a bit in her spot. “Thanks, Shuichi.”
Kaede’s ‘birthday’ day started off as a chilly Saturday March morning, and her suggestion that they should stop for warm drinks from their favorite coffee place on their way to the theme park was one that was welcomed by both of them.
A while later, warm drink in hand, Shuichi found himself listening to Kaede lay out her plans for how she wanted them to spend the day as she drove.
“...I know you don’t really like roller coasters, but maybe we can ride that smaller one they have, you know the one that doesn’t go that fast? Oh, and we definitely have to hit the ferris wheel, but maybe we should save that for last, since that’ll be the perfect ending to the day!”
Kaede was excitedly rambling on, and Shuichi loved it (maybe not her idea about the roller coaster, as he didn’t really care for even the slow roller coaster available at the park, but he wouldn’t put a damper on her plans about that right now, when she was so excited).
“Those sound like great plans, Kaede,” he replied, causing the girl to squeal.
“It’s going to be such a great day, Shuichi, just wait and see!”
She stopped bouncing in her seat, composing herself a bit to drive. “I can’t wait to get there.”
“There’s not much longer to go,” Shuichi said, after he’d taken another drink of his coffee. “It’s a good thing we don’t live too far away.”
“That’s true,” Kaede agreed.
It really wasn’t too much longer (minus the small bit of morning traffic that stopped them up a little, but which went faster as it was the weekend) before they were standing in line, preparing to buy tickets to enter the park.
Kaede had resumed telling Shuichi of her plans for the day as they waited in the medium line, continuing all the way up until they reached the register and he had pulled his wallet out to buy tickets, giving him a bit of a break as he paid for their tickets.
Once that was taken care of, Kaede seemed to be finished telling him about what they were going to do and was now ready to show them what they were going to do, for the moment he had paid and they had gotten their tickets, she was tugging his hand towards the park entrance, the music and happy noises of the other visitors filling the air around them, their breaths hanging in the cold air like dragon’s breath.
The first thing to happen that day was an unexpected one that had not been on Kaede’s list, but was still a nice surprise for her. A little way into the park, they passed the booths of the carnival games, and Shuichi was coerced into playing one of the games by the pushy booth owner.
He had surprised both himself and Kaede when he had managed to win the simple game, popping some balloons pinned to a corkboard with darts, and was allowed his pick of which stuffed animal prize he wanted. With a look of surprise still on his face, he turned to Kaede, who was now scanning the assortment of various stuffed animals on the wall besides the balloons with eager eyes.
“Go ahead and pick one out, Kaede,” he offered, and a few moments later was being handed her choice by the booth’s owner: an adorable cream colored stuffed dog with very floppy ears. He immediately turned to hand it to her, presenting it as if it was a birthday present.
“Happy birthday,” he said, as she took it into her arms. “Well, sort of.”
“Oh, Shuichi, this is going to be my favorite present!” Kaede said, as she hugged the stuffed dog. “Thank you.”
He smiled, happy with seeing her so happy.
“Congratulations,” the booth keeper said, “and happy birthday, miss!”
“Thanks!” Shuichi and Kaede said together, before walking away to continue their day.
“I know this doesn’t exactly count as a birthday cake, ” Shuichi said, once he was in earshot of Kaede, who was still sitting at the table in the small cafe where they’d eaten lunch at, “but I hope you’ll like what I got, anyway.”
He placed the tray down between them, the sight of the heavily decorated fried dough treat sitting on the plate in front of her immediately making Kaede’s eyes go wide like a kid in a candy store, and the grip on the stuffed dog in her lap tighten.
“This month’s seasonal is a birthday themed one, and I felt like that would be perfect for you for today.”
The funnel cake was drizzled in a sweet vanilla cream icing and covered with what looked like every kind of sprinkle known to man. The only thing missing from it that would make it a complete birthday cake was a candle or two (which Shuichi had inquired to the cafe worker about but had been denied, as the fire was a potential hazard), but it would still definitely make do sans candles.
“Shuichi, it’s beautiful ,” Kaede said, making Shuichi laugh with relief over his spur of the moment idea as he got comfortable in his chair across from her again.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said, reaching over the decadent dessert to hand Kaede a fork. “Try it.”
She grabbed the fork and cut a piece of the cake with the side of it, practically melting in sugary delight as she took the bite into her mouth.
“Wow,” she said once she’d finished her mouthful, “it’s so sugary and delicious!”
Shuichi took a smaller bite, nearly cringing from the absolutely overwhelming sweetness of the treat he’d bought for them to share. “It’s definitely something that would cure a sweet tooth with only a few bites.”
“Mmhmm!” Kaede agreed, as she eagerly took another bite.
“Oh, Shuichi, I’m sorry,” Kaede cooed, pressing the cool paper towel on her boyfriend’s flushed forehead so it would stay put. “I guess I got too hyped up from the funnel cake and didn’t think about how bad of an idea it would be to start riding rides again right after lunch.”
“It’s alright,” Shuichi replied quietly. His head was spinning and he still felt a little nauseous, but Kaede’s gentle care had definitely begun to bring him back from the brink. They had found a deserted bench away from the crowds and rides, and Shuichi was lying with his head in her lap, using her stuffed dog as a makeshift pillow for the time being as he worked through his motion sickness.
“Are you feeling any better?” she asked gently, and he nodded.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to move from this spot just yet, but I’m getting there,” he croaked.
“It’s okay, there’s no rush,” she said, moving her hand up from his forehead to brush his dark hair back. His cap was sitting on his chest; it wasn’t often she saw him without it.
“Thank you,” he said, closing his eyes and starting to take a few deep breaths. She sat back against the bench, quietly starting to hum under her breath, and Shuichi opened his eyes again, looking up to her, recognizing the melody: she was humming the new piece she’d written that she was going to play at her upcoming recital.
“Am I humming too loud?” she asked, meeting his eyes, and he shook his head.
“In fact, would you hum it a little louder, for me?” he asked. She smiled and nodded, and he closed his eyes again to listen. He’d heard her practice it on the piano, but wouldn’t get to see her perform it live for the first time in front of a sold out auditorium full of her fans, so this was like his own little special concert. It was also working as a distraction from his still slightly sick feeling body, and for that he was grateful.
When she was done humming, he opened his eyes to look up to her, smiling weakly. She leaned forward, their faces almost touching, quickly rubbing her nose to his before sitting up again.
“How was that?” she asked.
“Perfect,” he replied. “It’s going to sound amazing.”
She beamed.
The rest of the day was a fun blur of riding (less intense) rides and just spending time in each other’s company. Around the time the park was almost due to close, Shuichi and Kaede headed for the ferris wheel, saving the best thing for last, just as she’d wished for.
By the time that their car got to the top of the ride and had stopped to allow them to take in the scenery for a few minutes, the sun was beginning to set, making the air almost as chilly as it had been in the morning. Kaede was leaning into Shuichi for warmth, her teeth chattering and hand shaking slightly, even with being grasped tightly in his own across their laps.
“The view up here is beautiful, but I forgot how cold it gets in the evenings,” she shivered, hugging her stuffed dog close, as Shuichi wrapped an arm around her.
“I know,” he replied, feeling like shivering himself. “But otherwise, I hope you had a good day today.”
She snuggled into him, nodding her head against his shoulder. “It was an amazing day. Thank you, Shuichi.”
He lifted her hand from his lap up to his mouth, giving the back of it a quick kiss.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Happy early birthday.”