A/N: I was gonna slip some dad Tucky and Geo in here too but I figured that can be it's own thing.

Also consider, a headcanon that DC doesn't know his birthday

California stepped out of his room one mild spring day, glancing down the hall and spying his partner sitting on the couch reading a book. He recognized the book he was reading, DC took it out of the library so often the barcode on the top of the cover was smudged and the librarians joked that he could just not return it and they wouldn't even bat an eye. The nation state took a deep breath before making his way to the living room, leaning on the side of the couch and kissing DC on the cheek.

"Poppy." DC greeted with a smile. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just wanted to see you." California said half-lying. "I got you something." DC sat up with interest and closed his book.

"Oh? What did Dia and Loui do now?" DC asked, ignoring the distant 'woooow' coming from the front lawn.

"Nah it wasn't them." California chucked before producing a package from behind his back. "Ta-da."

"I, it's not my birthday." DC said with a smile taking the package. He paused. "At least I don't think; it's the fourth right?"

"Just open it rosie." California ordered with a smile, fighting the urge to go find Confederacy and beat him up. DC tore open the Amazon packaging, and his mouth dropped.

"POPPY." DC gasped glancing back at his boyfriend.

"Surprise! I knew you wanted to wait until the library got it but I couldn't resist." California announced as DC jumped up.

"I......poppy I....." DC stuttered holding the sequel to the book he was currently reading. He got the main book out of the library so many times because for one he loved it and two he was itching for the sequel to arrive so he could read it, and now he was holding a copy of it in his hands.

"I...what did I do...." DC asked. California laughed and brought DC in for a hug.

"Just being you." California whispered into DC's shoulder.

"Thank you, I....I'll pay you back." DC whispered snuggling into his partner's shoulder, letting some tears fall. California held DC tight as he felt his own tears burn his cheeks.

"You already give us so much DC." California whispered. "We owe you so much."

"I need to work--"

"Nope you're coming out and having fun." Florida announced dragging DC out of the Statehouse. DC groaned as he tried to stop the smaller state, hoping his larger stature would at least make it harder to drag him away. His efforts were in vain, however, as he felt someone gently push him along.

"Sha you work too hard, you need to have fun every once in a while." Louisiana pointed out.

"I have fun!" DC argued but secretly knowing it was useless to stop his two partners. When they set their mind to something, it was happening. He stopped resisting his boyfriends pulling and began walking with them. "So what are we doing?"

"We're going to the pier and riding all the rides." Florida announced.

"Even the one I threw up on?" DC groaned, stomach turning.

"Even that one." Florida said proudly. DC gulped, feeling a small sense of comfort when he felt Louisiana drape his arms around his shoulders.

"Then we're going to see if we can hustle any of 'em game vendors, win you a whole buncha animals." Louisiana added.

"Are we sure it's not my birthday sometime this week? Between this and Cali's book, I'm this close to asking IDC." DC pointed out.

"And then, we'll get milkshakes from that one shack." Florida announced.

"Y-You mean the ones made of actual cake batter?" DC suddenly asked, very interested.

"The very one!"

"Well I guess I can take today off." DC said with a shrug, kissing Louisiana's cheek and digging in his pocket for his keys. He stepped out ahead of the two southern states to unlock his car. "Not everyday you get a special outing." Louisiana and Florida glanced at one another, sadness forming at the corner of their eyes as their boyfriend got in his car.

DC deserved all the special days.

"No I don't know where the, well if you stop yelling...." DC yelled in his office, pacing the floor as his sister scolded him on the other line. DC rolled his eyes.

"I put the paper on Washington's desk before I went back to Orlando, if anything yell at him." DC pointed out. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted New York, standing in the doorway watching him. This wasn't unusual; if he had nothing else to do, or brothers to bother, New York, and Florida at times, liked to watch DC work. DC shot New York a smile before going back to his call.

"Well I don't know! I just signed the damn thing, I can see it clearly. Are you sure Gov didn't take it?" DC asked. He rolled his eyes again.

"I promise you, I signed it! I can tell you down to the hou--" Suddenly DC was grabbed and New York planted a tight kiss on him. The shock wore off and DC allowed himself to wrap his arms around the northeastern state, leaning into the kiss. The kiss lasted a minute before DC broke it, panting.

"Yorkie what was that?" DC gasped.

"Just felt like kissing ya." New York shrugged.

"DeeDee where the hell are you?" IDC yelled on the phone, breaking the two out of their trance.

"We'll finish this later." DC said with a wink before going back to the call. New York watched his partner argue and wrapped himself tighter in his jacket.

He didn't do stuff like this enough.

DC sat quietly at his desk, looking over some new bills, completely engrossed in the wording. He chewed on the end of his pen and tried to keep his focus, when a loud drilling came through the house. DC waited patiently for the drilling to stop, and when it did quietly went back to his work, only for the drilling to start again.

"Son of a--" DC yelled, tossing down his papers and storming out of his office. He threw open the door and stepped into the hall, looking up and down for the source of the noise. Down the hall, in the small corner by the living room, Texas had the small nook open and was drilling several boards together.

"Tex!" DC yelled over the shouting, making Texas stop. "The hell are you doing?"

"Building." Texas announced.

"Can't you do that outside?" DC asked.

"I need to fit the shelves in here, I can't just do this outside." Texas pointed out.

"Is poppy going through a canning phase again?" DC asked, rubbing his temples.

"Nah sugar, I'm makin' ya that library." Texas announced grabbing his measuring tape. DC paused and slowly looked up at his boyfriend.

"Wha?"

"You said you wanted a library, so I'm making you one." Texas announced.

"B-But you......you don't have to!" DC pointed out tears welling in his eyes.

"Sugar I want to, you deserve it." Texas said softly watching DC wipe his eyes.

"I don't....I really don't deserve it..." DC said snickering. Texas paused his drilling, feeling shock fill his veins.

"But why do you care so much? They're states, they don't care about you."

"I know they don't, but that's okay. I just want to help."

California smiled as DC engrossed himself in the book, choosing to finish the first one before reading the second one with him. The fed slowly put his head on his boyfriend's shoulder as he read, getting all comfortable and feeling safe.

"So what you'd give all of this up in a second just to deal with the state's needs?"

"Yes."

"God there's so many options." DC muttered looking up at the menu at the shake shack.

"So what you're saying is...." Florida said grinning.

"I...well..."

"All of them?" DC sighed and smiled.

"Sure. But I gotta freeze two; Tucky and Geo will kill me if I have them in one go."

"Your father wouldn't have wanted this, you know, he wouldn't want you stooping to the states level."

"I'm not stooping to their level, we're equals."

New York held DC tight on his bed as the fed slumbered against his chest. They just spent a good majority of an hour making out and DC was exhausted. Still it was worth it to see the red still on DC's cheeks, how red the tip of his nose was from rubbing it against New York's, and how well kissed his lips looked. DC looked beautiful.

"Pffft the states aren't equal to you. You're above them."

"The states are equal to me, I'm equal to them. Maybe that's not how si-....someone else would've ran the meetings but that's what I do."

Texas looked back up at his boyfriend who was trying to stop his tears.

"Sugar of course you do." Texas whispered jumping up and gathering DC in his arms. "You deserve this whole damn world."

"I...I promise these are happy tears." DC whimpered snuggling into Texas's chest.

"I know sugar I know." Texas comforted, kissing the top of DC's head. "But you're worth it, today and everyday. Just know that. We love you for who you are....thank you for being like this."