"Oh Heero," Relena replied, "there's no need to thank us. We're actually just here to mock you for getting older."

A round of laughter followed and glasses clinked together joyously. It had been a great day of surprise for Heero -- Duo had appeared at his doorstep just as he was finishing his lunch, and while this was not wholly unexpected, the crowd that followed him inside most definitely was.

Within the hour, his flat was decorated with tacky signs and streamers, and while they borrowed from him some string, scissors, and tape, he was otherwise not allowed to help at all. Duo was adamant about that. The balloon fight got escalated to throw pillows before Heero put a stop to it, mostly because he was laughing so hard at the way everyone ganged up on Duo, who tried to use him as a shield. When Duo had finally let him go, the touch lingering, he reluctantly had to admit that the laughter was not the only reason for losing his breath.

"Are you having fun?" Duo had asked halfway into the afternoon. Heero only had to smile back with his eyes and Duo was satisfied. "Good. I really want you to have today. Really want it to be perfect."

"Don't worry. It is."

Trowa had brought his poker set and they had pools of small chocolates as wagers. Surprisingly, Relena almost beat Wufei, but it didn't matter in the end as Wufei gave up all his chocolate after the win. There were movies and party mix, pranks and giggles, board games and story-telling. The orange-purple sunset came and went, unnoticed amidst the cheerfulness of their time together.

It was over all too soon, as great things in life often are. Sitting in a mishmash of wrapping paper and ribbon, Heero looked slowly at each of his friends in turn, on the carpet or the sofa, cross-legged or lazily draped. He was grateful for the surprise, for their friendship, and really just for being there with him. Quatre's energy, Trowa's intermitten jabs, Wufei's wit, Relena's laughter, and Duo...

"It's not over yet." Quatre's voice broke him out of his reverie. "There's still an integral part of every birthday party missing."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Relena chimed, and began to sing.

Heero groaned for good measure, but he couldn't hide his smile. It really was a vital part of any birthday gathering. Duo walked up to him and kneeled down to his level on the floor, a patterned box in his hands. Duo nodded at the box to him and he knew everyone was waiting, otherwise everything was so perfect he could have lost himself in those blueberry eyes for a long long time.

The music ended, and his hands lifted the flaps of the box, all the while still looking at Duo, who was also watching him. He could see Relena grinning at Quatre out of the corner of his eye, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was Duo and the cake he was holding. The cake that said "Happy Birthday, Hero!"

His eyes twinkled with merriment and he looked back up at Duo. But Duo wasn't looking at him -- instead, his friend was staring at the cake, eyes wide and fixated at the letters. "Duo?"

"Uh. Excuse me." Duo hastily handed the cake off to the person nearest him and got up, scurrying off to the hall. Everyone looked around in confusion, but Heero recovered after a second and took off in the same direction.

He followed Duo into the guest room and called out his name to stop him. The boy was motionless, save his braid still swinging from the speed at which he had rushed out. Finally, the mechanical tick-tock of the clock got to Duo and he turned around to face the birthday boy.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be."

"But I am, Heero! I'm sorry! I can't believe I was so careless. I should have checked the cake before I left the bakery. Should have double-checked yesterday when they called to confirm the pick-up. Gah, I can't believe the name is wrong, out of everything. How could I let this happen? Stupid Duo, stupid stupid Duo! Can't do anything right, can I. So stupid. How --"

"Duo." It stopped the boy mid-rant. "You're not stupid. Stop that."

"Heero, I..." Duo hung his head defeatedly. "I wanted everything to be perfect for you."

"It was. It is. It's all perfect. The surprise, the party... You chose my favourite games, brought all the right people. You knew I'd be free at home all day. No one else knows how much I enjoy ice-cream cake. Or chocolate-covered hazelnuts. It's such a little thing -- it doesn't matter at all. I know you want it to be just right, but things happen. That's how it is." He paused before continuing. "Believe me, everything's perfect, Duo. Everything except for you."

Duo looked away, feeling worse than ever, but the softness of Heero's touch made him look back up.

"It's my birthday, Duo. Won't you smile for me?"

The corners of Duo's mouth attempted to tilt up a bit, but when Heero started an exaggerated pout, he couldn't help but laugh. Heero looked a little ridiculous, but then again, that was what he was going for.

"Looks like you win," Duo conceded.

Heero chuckled. "Of course." He took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his face holding back a smirk.

"You guys okay in there?" Trowa called out from the other room.

Duo looked at Heero and smiled. "Yeah, we're coming," he shouted back. Looking back to Heero, he tilted his head toward the door. "Ready?"

"Almost." He reached for Duo's hand and held it, giving it a squeeze. "Now, it's perfect."