Swift

     I'm so stoked. Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday, and the day I get the keys to my new apartment. Well, not really. The idea is that I buy the apartment tomorrow with my parents, and after about a month I'll move in. But either way, that meant that I had to start packing soon, and the thought of living on my own was the most exciting thing ever. I would be free to do whatever I wanted, and I wouldn't have to worry about parents seeing Swift when he came over.

     I spent most of the day thinking about expenses, shopping, browsing for wallpaper and searching online for available jobs, so by the time I got home it was late and I was exhausted. I set down the stuff I bought and just relaxed on my bed for a bit, scrolling through my phone and being lazy.

     Suddenly, my phone buzzed, signaling a text from Swift. I glanced at the text, raising an eyebrow as I read it.

     'Dress nice and meet me on the roof' was all it said. I sighed, rolling out of bed and picking out an outfit.

     I went with a pair of skinny jeans and short-sleeved dress shirt since it wasn't that hot outside. I put on a pair of black sneakers and fluffed my hair until it was decent. I put on some cologne and furiously brushed my teeth before making my way to my window. I crawled out onto the fire escape and climbed the ladder to the roof of the building.

     Much like our first date, I was greeted by a nicely-dressed Swift and a picnic blanket. I smiled, rolling my eyes as I approached him. He even wore the same blazer as last time.

     "déjà vu much?" I asked, stepping closer to him. He chuckled, placing his hands casually on my hips.

     "Well, you can't go wrong with the classics," he replied, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before pulling away and taking my hand.

     He led me to the blanket and pulled out a simple Chinese dinner. We talked as we ate, catching up on recent events and just enjoying each other's company. The entire time, his eyes never left me. I could see his beautiful blue eyes watching me when I glanced at him.

     Finally, when we were finished, he turned towards me and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He then used his other hand to reach behind him, pulling out a frosted cupcake with a candle on top. He had to let go of my hand for a second to grab a lighter from his blazer pocket.

     He lit the candle on the cupcake and handed it to me, a smile on his face. I honestly didn't expect any of this...

     "What's that look for? You honestly didn't think I wouldn't do something for your birthday, did you?" He chuckled out. I shook my head, laughing a little. I sighed and closed my eyes, holding the cupcake out and blowing on it as I made my wish.

     When I opened my eyes, a silver key-chain hung in front of me. Hanging from the silver ring was a shiny black katana. I chuckled as I took it, looking up at Swift with the brightest smile on my face.

     I leaned in, setting the cupcake down as I kissed him. He placed a hand on my cheek in reply, leaning into the kiss. This had to be the greatest birthday ever.

Rebel

     The one thing that sucks about having your birthday on a holiday is that everyone else is busy celebrating the holiday rather than worrying about you. I was born during spring break, and to be honest it was kind of lonely. Nobody ever came to my parties, I never got a proper birthday cake, and my parents usually had to work, so I was left alone at home. It wasn't the best time to have a birthday.

     So, as a solution to that problem, my parents and I made a second birthday for me. It was around the time when school was about to end, and it was on a weekend. My parents still didn't get me a proper cake, and I still didn't have many people to invite to any of my parties, but at least it was better than my original.

     Rebel never liked to celebrate my "second birthday". He always celebrated my actual birthday, getting me a gift and making dinner for me. For the past two years, he's always said that my real birthday should get as much attention-probably even more-than my fake one.

     Well, one morning, on my second birthday, I woke up to the smell of something cooking. Bacon, to be exact. I glanced at my clock to check the time, and I was surprised to see that it was only 8:30. Neither of my parents were up yet, or at least they shouldn't be...

     I got up, grabbing my glasses from my nightstand, and walked out to the bathroom. I took care of business, ran a couple fingers through my hair, and walked back out to investigate who was up this early cooking.

     When I entered the kitchen, I was shocked to see neither of my parents cooking, but Rebel instead.

     I stood there, watching as he moved around the kitchen effortlessly, throwing various ingredients into a bowl while keeping his attention on the stove. A skillet sat there, three strips of bacon frying inside it. That must have been the smell.

     Next to the stove was a pile of waffles, topped with whipped cream and strawberries. On the other side of Rebel was a flat piece of paper and a crudely wrapped box. I had to stop myself from laughing at how messy it looked.

     I walked up behind him, not bothering to be sneaky. I watched his head turn as I approached, and without a word, I gently wrapped my arms around him. Well, as far as they could go with the shell and all. He chuckled, continuing with what he was doing.

     "I didn't expect ya to wake up so early. How'd ya sleep?" He asked, concentrating on his mixing. I glanced at the bowl, noticing as the faded color of the brown powder inside slowly got darker with each movement he made.

     "Normally," was my tired response as I laid my cheek against his shell. He chuckled again, one hand moving from the bowl to lay over one of mine.

     I backed away after a bit, letting him do his thing. I walked over to the card and box, but before I could pick either up, Rebel grabbed my hand and guided it away from them.

     "Why don't ya go relax in the kitchen? I'll get everything out to ya soon, 'kay doll face?"

     I raised a brow, suspicion evident on my face. "You're not planning a prank, are you?" I inquired, pulling my hand away and placing it on my hip. He only laughed, turning me around and gently pushing me out of the kitchen.

     I sat at the table for what felt like an hour, waiting for Rebel to be done with whatever he was doing. At this point I suspected it was something for my birthday, but he always complained about my second birthday. If I was correct, then what changed his mind?

     At around 9:00, Rebel finally walked out, the box and card balanced in one hand and the waffle stack in the other. I couldn't help the smile that split my face or the blush that reddened my cheeks. But he wasn't done. After finishing the amazing breakfast he made, he walked back into the kitchen and brought out a chocolate cake. I couldn't help the smirk on my lips.

     "I thought you didn't like my second birthday," I commented as he set the cake down in front of me. It was nicely decorated, with about eighteen candles scattered along the top. He set the card and box down next to it to which I immediately grabbed. This time he didn't object.

     "I don't. Doesn't mean I can't do something for ya though," he replied, watching as I blew out the flames on the candles and opened the card. After removing the twenty dollar bill from the inside, I set the card down and reached for the crudely wrapped box.

     I unwrapped it pretty quickly, the look on my face transitioning from curiosity to amazement in an instant. I pulled out a thick hardback book from the wrapping paper, running my fingers along the smooth black binding. It was the sixth book to one of my favorite series, and coincidentally, the only one I didn't have.

     "How did you get this?" I asked, my mouth open in awe at the sight of it. I had been looking for this book for months now. It was such a great hit that almost every copy was sold out the instant it was released. Everywhere I looked either cost too much or were scams.

     "Let's just say I know a guy," was his simply response. I set the book down on the table in front of me and turned around, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down to my height. I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, excitement and joy running through me. This was the best second birthday ever!

Ghost
     I don't know why, but nothing good ever seems to happen on my birthday. Either someone dies or I get seriously injured to the point where the birthday money my parents give me ends up going towards my hospital bills. Any presents I receive end up stolen or broken within the following week, and if my present is alive, it dies two months later.

     Since my birthdays usually end in disaster, I decided to just stop celebrating it. But my bad luck still followed me. I would wake up late for school, or miss the bus, or get caught in the rain. I can't remember a time when I had a good birthday.

     It was a cold, rainy Friday on my birthday. I was already experiencing possibly the worst luck I've had in a long time. First I wake up late, miss the bus, get caught in the rain, and when I finally got to school I realize that I left all of my homework on my desk. Before my day could get any worse, I decided to skip and just stay home for the rest of the day. I ended up walking through the rain all the way home only to find out that I dropped my keys to my apartment along the way. I barely kept my anger in check as I called the landlord to let me back in. Once I was inside, I flopped onto the couch and grabbed the remote.

     The TV refused to turn on because of course it does, and before long the power goes out. I now sat in darkness, bathing in my own rage and ticking like crazy. Without many other options, I grab my phone and shoot a text to Ghost for him to come over.

     Minutes later I can hear my window open and light pours in for a brief moment. Then darkness quickly takes over. I remain on the couch and listen for his approaching steps.

     "(Y/N)?"

     "Here." My voice wavers with the ticks. I feel an arm circle around my waist and I lean into Ghost's shoulder, letting him calm me down. His hand rubs up and down my back while his other hand settled on my knee.

     "Bad day?" He asked as he ran a finger down my spine, a sigh leaving my lips as a reply.

     "You have no idea...Woke up late, missed the bus, got caught in the rain, showed up late for school, forgot my homework, lost my keys on the way back, called the landlord to let me in, TV won't turn on and there's a fuse blown..."

     His hand movements were incredibly soothing, and before I realized it I was drifting off. Maybe a nap would calm me down a little bit.

     .............

     I woke up to find myself alone on the couch. Ghost's shoulder was replaced with a pillow, and his hands with a blanket. I felt the disappointment creep up my spine and latch onto my heart, squeezing it tightly. I felt my breathing start to shake.

     Before I could properly break down though, I heard footsteps making their way back over to where I was. I shut my eyes and willed myself to look like I was sleeping.

     I heard Ghost's familiar sigh as he settled down just next to my head. I felt fingers slowly comb their way through my slightly damp hair and resisted the urge to lean into the touch.

     "...I know you're asleep and all...But happy birthday (Y/N)." His voice was low and soft, like he was whispering to me. I forced my face to stay neutral.

     When I finally "woke up" about thirty minutes later, I noticed that the lights were back on and my TV was going. I glanced at my door and noticed my apartment keys on the hook like they should have been. A note was pinned next to them on the wall.

     Ghost had left again, so I went to grab the note off the wall. I smiled after I read it.

     'Managed to get your electricity working again and fixed your TV. Found your keys in the gutter next to the school. Try to be a bit more careful.
                                -Ghost'

M.C.
Birthdays aren't really my thing. I like the gifts my parents and M.C. get me and the effort they go through to make me feel special, but I just feel like the whole party aspect of a birthday is a bit much. First you have to make plans on where it will be, make reservations, invite people to come, get rejected by half, and only end up with about four or five people coming. Then you have to buy a cake and decorations, birthday gifts, and enough food for the guests. Then make sure your reservations don't get cancelled and hope the people you invited actually do come. Finally, you have about an hour to celebrate with them before they leave you by yourself for the rest of the night. Like I said, a bit too much if you ask me.

M.C. was the only one who didn't quite understand my displeasure towards birthday parties. When my sibling turned nine about three months after we started dating, M.C. shot out the idea of throwing them a party. I wasn't fond of the idea, but per his request I gave the idea to my parents. They thought it was a wonderful suggestion and soon enough I was helping plan a party at the swimming pool. To make a long story short, it didn't go over well and we had to help pay the hospital bills for a kid who swallowed chlorine water and cake at the same time and got food poisoning.

M.C. was upset when I told him not to suggest anymore birthday parties and didn't talk to me for a good hour. Even after he got over it he was still pouty about the whole thing. But that didn't stop him from trying when my birthday came up.

On one early saturday evening, I returned home with a new pair of sneakers bought with the birthday money my parents gave me. (S/N) was sitting on the couch watching cartoons and shoving (his/her) face with a bag of chips. I smiled a little knowing that M.C. was here, since he was the only one other than myself or my pare
nts tall enough to reach those chips in the pantry. And both of my parents were working.

I set my stuff down, ruffled (S/N)'s hair, and headed upstairs. I could barely hear the light thuds of M.C.'s feet as he moved around my room. I didn't bother to be quiet and announced my presence with a sharp knock on the wooden door. 'M.C.? You in there?"

Silence greeted me. I huffed a little and opened the door, popping my head in and looking around the room. I couldn't contain my gasp.

Little black and orange streamers lined my window and ceiling. A couple matching balloons sat in a corner next to my bed, held down by a silver rock. Two presents sat in front of the door, messily wrapped yet carefully arranged on the floor. And finally, sitting on my bed was none other than M.C. himself. He was laying on his side, his head propped up on one hand and the other on his hip. A red rose was held between his lips.
A chuckle erupted from my throat. I walked in and carefully stepped around my presents towards my bed, removing the rose from his mouth.

"So, what'd you think? It's easy, simple, and only cost me 75 dollars," he said proudly, sitting up and gently grabbing my hips. I spun the rose around between my fingers.

"I like it, but..." I trailed off, my eyes moving from his to the presents behind me. I could almost hear the disappointment in his voice.

"But?"

"It's missing something, but I can't quite put my finger on it...Oh wait! I know!" I lunged at him, my arms wrapped around his neck as he fell backwards. I planted a long and joyful kiss on his lips, one he was happy to return once he got over the initial shock. His pride quickly returned when I pulled back.

"I know you don't like parties, but I thought maybe a small one between you and me would be good enough. Turns out I was right."

I rolled my eyes and pushed off of him, taking a seat between his legs and grabbing the presents off the floor. I opened the smaller one first, revealing a brand new phone his brother Ghost made. "I told him he couldn't make a phone better than your old one. So he smacked me around a little before producing this thing about an hour later."

The second gift was long and poorly wrapped, with some rips and tears here and there. I ripped it open anyways and pulled out a brand new skateboard. I had to resist the temptation to glomp him again.

The rest of the night was spent lazing around the house and clearing my room of decorations. I wanted to try my new skateboard out, but it was getting pretty late and (S/N) wasn't asleep yet. So instead I ordered a pizza and turned on a movie, relaxing into M.C.'s arms. I felt happier than usual, and for some reason the thought of a birthday party didn't make me cringe as much as I thought it would.