okay how about Edge/Reader with 99?
The line is “How could you forget your son’s birthday?”
This is a hypothetical future chapter of Captain Tantrum. Edge goes by Papyrus in that fic, so yeah. Remember, this is not canon to that fic, since we haven’t had a gender reveal yet!
This got a bit longer than a drabble, so it’s under the cut. I’ll also be posting on A03 in a bit.
The park was lovely and bright on this late summer day. You and your son, Daniel, walked hand in hand along the bank of the large pond and marveled at the wildlife all around you. Daniel wanted to reach in and touch a fish, and you let him so long as he didn’t fall in or get too wet.
The strangest thing about the day was that Papyrus had suggested you two go to the park for a few hours this morning. He even drove you out, saying he would be back to get you after he put in a few hours at work.
You were a little miffed; today was your shared birthday with your son. Every other year, Papyrus had woken you up with breakfast in bed or some other extravagance to mark the day. He almost always took the day off.
Today being a Saturday was even weirder, as he didn’t work on the weekends. He was unusually busy this time of year, but that didn’t mean things had to change on your damn birthday.
To make things even worse, your son was turning ten years old today. It was a landmark birthday in your opinion; he’d just hit two digits. He was officially a preteen.
“D’you think Dad’s planning a party?” Daniel asked, swinging your hand in his.
You shrugged. You surely hoped so, even though he hadn’t said a damn thing about either of your birthdays this week.
“Perhaps,” you answered, squeezing his bony fingers.
Your son had taken the best parts of his parents and mixed them together in the best way. He was mostly fleshy over his body, thin and angular but still adorable. His face was covered in a sort of magical flesh that left his skull visible with crimson eye lights and sharp teeth like his dad. His hands and feet were left bare bone.
“Maybe he just forgot.” Daniel sighed unhappily.
You were going to beat your husband for this. Nobody upset your son on his birthday, not even his father.
You did your best to distract him with the ducks and geese nearby. You didn’t have anything to feed them, but you were still able to get close enough to watch a few ducks bathing. Daniel was enthralled with how they moved and how the water slid so easily off their feathers.
A while later, you finally got a text from Papyrus saying he was coming to get you.
After you got settled in the car, Papyrus leaned over and gave you a kiss. You accepted it haltingly.
“Did you two have fun?” he asked.
“Yeah, it was okay,” Daniel answered. “I got to touch a fish!”
“Very nice.”
You cleared your throat. “So, what do we have planned for today?” you asked pointedly.
Papyrus glanced at you before settling his attention back on the road. “I have a bit more work I need to finish, but I was able to bring it home. You two, of course, are welcome to do whatever you like. Do we still need to do back-to-school shopping for him? Perhaps you could take him later.”
You sighed. “Please tell me you know what today is.”
“Yes, of course,” he answered blandly. “Today is Saturday, August seventeenth.”
“And does that date mean anything to you?” you pressed.
“Should it?”
Okay. You were going to kill him. No big deal. You groaned and ran your hands through your hair. You didn’t want to yell at him with your son in the backseat, but you had to say something.
“Forgetting my birthday is one thing, Papyrus, but how could you forget your son’s birthday?”
Papyrus looked at you, then glanced in the backseat at your pouting son. The look on his face was heartbreaking. How could Papyrus not feel something at that?
“Of course I didn’t forget, y/n. It’s next week, on the twenty-fourth, just as it was last year.”
You glared at him. “Last year it was the seventeenth of August, and it’s the same this year. I should know, I spent thirteen hours in labor with that boy!”
“And I was by your side every second. It was the twenty-fourth. You were in labor; it must have been--”
“Don’t you even dare finish that sentence, Papyrus.”
You huffed and crossed your arms. Forgetting your birthday was irritating but forgivable under the right circumstances. Forgetting your son’s birthday, however, was irredeemable. He’d never been like this before! He was always so on top of things; you never even needed to drop a hint about Valentine's or your anniversary. What the hell was going on that he forgot this?
Papyrus sighed as he pulled into the driveway. The house was dark and quiet, and your mood soured even more. You would make this up to your son. You would.
“I don’t understand why you’re making this out to be such a big deal,” Papyrus said as he turned off the car and got out. He opened the back door for Daniel who sprinted to your side.
Your put your arm around him and hugged him tightly, giving him a sweet kiss on the top of his head.
You didn’t bother giving him an answer. Instead, you made your way to the front door. Your realized as you tried to open the door that you’d left your keys at home. Just great; you had to wait for Papyrus to unlock it.
As soon as the door opened, you pushed your way past your husband and into the house. All of the lights were off. That was...unusual. You almost always left at least a lamp on so there’d be light when you got home from your daily activities.
Daniel reached over and flipped the switch to turn on the living room lights.
All of a sudden, people jumped out from behind the couch, chair, doors...it seemed people appeared out of nowhere. All of your friends and Daniel’s classmates that he got along with.
“SURPRISE!” they shouted in tandem. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
“Oh my god, I knew it!” Daniel shouted. “I knew it, Mom!”
You turned to look at Papyrus, a stupidly smug look on his face. He leaned in and kissed you.
“Happy birthday, love,” he said softly. “Daniel mentioned last year that he wished he could have had a surprise birthday party. I know you’re not exactly thrilled by the idea, but I couldn’t very well give him one, pretending all day that nothing was going on while still pampering you. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Daniel was already gone, out somewhere playing with his friends. The others were all mingling together, a few came up to you and wished you a happy birthday.
You’d be lying if you said your eyes weren’t feeling a bit misty.
“You did upset me,” you admitted. It was probably obvious. You leaned up and kissed him, then snuggled into him as he wrapped his arms around you. “But you also made up for it. Thank you, baby.”