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Today was the worst day of the year.
By all accounts, it shouldn’t have been. The sun was bright in the sky, which isn’t exactly a rarity in Vibrant Town, but today was especially pleasant. A warm wind had drifted in from the west, and everyone in town was in a particularly cheerful mood.
Everyone, that is, except for one outstandingly miserable Snivy, for whom this was the worst day of the year.
Today, you see, was Indigo’s birthday. A fact that Willow, long-suffering as ever, had discovered approximately ten minutes ago.
“I’m surprised you’re here on your own, y’know.” Yuria had said to him; the two had run into each other while getting lunch and decided to sit down and have a chat. “Given that it’s Indigo’s birthday, and all.”
“...Wait, what?”
It was a moment Willow would probably never forget, despite his best efforts: what had been a perfectly average and pleasant day up to that point had turned on a pin into, as far as he was concerned, the worst day of his entire life. His blood ran cold. He could feel the colour drain from his body. He probably started shaking, but was too caught up in his own racing thoughts to notice.
“Did he not tell you?” Yuria asked, his curled tail swishing back and forth incredulously as he observed Willow’s shock. “Maybe he just forgot, that wouldn’t be unlike him.”
Willow, for his part, was only half-listening, which was at least an improvement from the last time he’d had a panic attack on this level. Well hey, look on the bright side - he would later recall sarcastically to himself - I managed to not throw up this time at least, if nothing else.
Yuria waved a paw in front of Willow’s face, causing the Snivy to blink. “Everything alright over there?” he asked. “You’re spacing out on me.”
“O-oh, yeah.” Willow stammered. “Sorry, I’m just, y’know. In shock a little, I guess.”
“You’ve still got all afternoon to put something together for him, y’know.” Yuria sniffed. “Clearly he doesn’t have anything big planned himself, if he couldn’t even remember to let you know what day it was.”
“What can I do on such short notice, though?”
Yuria shrugged. “You’re apprenticing at that boutique, right? Go steal a scarf off one of the mannequins or something, I dunno.” Finishing his lunch, he put some money on the table and got up to leave. “I’ve got stuff I need to do today so I can’t help you much, sorry.”
“But-”
“Don’t worry, you’ll think of something.” The Meowth winked teasingly. “What kind of boyfriend would you be if you don’t know what he likes by now, hmm?”
Willow swallowed, shaking his head to try and clear his nerves away. He did have a pretty good idea of what Indigo might appreciate, but that wasn’t really his problem. What was really pressuring him was that on such short notice, it’d be hard to prepare something that met his standards; Indigo would be happy with whatever he got him, and Willow knew that, but deep down he also knew that he could never look at himself if he felt his gift didn’t have the care and effort Indigo deserved put into it. Still, Yuria was right, he had all afternoon to work with, and that wasn’t nothing at least. Not wanting to waste any more time, he quickly finished his lunch and left the café to scour town for potential gifts.
~
“Ah! Good afternoon, Willow!” Leavanny greeted the Snivy with a warm smile. Naturally, the boutique had been the first place he’d gone looking. “What a pleasant surprise! I didn’t expect to see you on a day as beautiful as this.”
“Well, it’s kind of an emergency.” Willow said, with a nervous laugh. “It’s Indigo’s birthday today, y’see, which is something I only discovered about thirty minutes ago.”
“Indigo, Indigo…” Leavanny tapped her face thoughtfully. “Oh! That lovely Butterfree I always see you with.”
“That’s the one!”
Leavanny smiled teasingly. “Now, what kind of boyfriend are you, running around like this at the last minute?”
Instantly, Willow’s face lit up red. “H-he never told me, okay!” he stammered defensively. “He must have just forgotten, or-” he paused. “Wait, I don’t think I ever said we were-”
“You didn’t have to, sweetie.” Leavanny said with a knowing smile, before leaning down to rummage through some boxes left behind the counter. “Anyone with a brain in their head can see the way you look at that boy when you’re together.”
Willow flushed even further, reflecting on moments where his infatuation with the Butterfree had been so obvious, and how many other people in town had the same idea. They’d be right, of course, he was head over heels for Indigo, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing. “Anyway, do you have anything lying around I could buy as a present on such short notice?”
“I’ve got a couple things I could spare, but perhaps not as many as you’d like,” Leavanny answered sadly. “Butterfrees have a somewhat difficult body shape to design clothes for, you see.”
Willow winced, recalling the grief he went through putting together Indigo’s costume for the harvest festival. “Oh I know, don’t worry.”
“I do have some accessories here if you wanted to look through them, however.”
Willow’s eyes lit up. “Please!”
Leavanny lifted the box onto the counter to let Willow peer in. “These are mostly from old autumn sets, so you can just take what you want for free, honestly,” she said. “I was just going to put them into the back until they’re back in season anyway.”
Willow frowned. “Miss Leavanny, I can’t do that. Let me pay for them, I’d feel bad otherwise.”
“No no, I insist!” Leavanny waved one of her arms dismissively. “It’s the least I can do to help you out in such an emergency.” She leaned towards him and winked mischievously. “Besides, this way I won’t feel bad about knowingly letting you gift your sweetheart something unfashionable.” she said with a chuckle.
Willow giggled a little in response. “Well, alright, if you say so. Let’s see what we’ve got here…” He dug through the bog, looking at the collection of scarves, brooches, and other assorted knicknacks before settling on a few he thought would be good. “Are these okay?” he asked Leavanny, holding out a red scarf and a small bronze brooch with a leaf design.
Leavanny stared over what the Snivy held before her. “Well, that one is three years out of date, and that one is from a set we discontinued ages ago that frankly I don’t even know why we made in the first place.” she smiled dryly. “I suppose I can bear to part with them, if you must.”
Willow scowled. “Wow, with such a ringing endorsement, how could I resist?”
“Oh, don’t worry yourself, sweetie,” Leavanny puffed herself out somewhat. “Even if they’re out of fashion, the quality of our work speaks for itself. Unless he’s been binge-reading style magazines for the last week, your Indigo will be none the wiser.” she winked down at him. “You could even say you made them yourself and he’d love them even more.”
Willow looked away bashfully. “Aw, c’mon, Miss Leavanny, I’m nowhere near that good yet. Besides, I’m not gonna lie to him on his birthday like that.” He opened up his bag and put the items he’d gathered into it, then turned towards the door and started leaving. “Still, thanks for the presents! I’ll have to pay you back for these somehow!”
“Come in early tomorrow and help Lurantis open before you start your guild stuff for the day!” Leavanny jokingly called after the Snivy as he left. “And tell your boyfriend I wished him a happy birthday!”
“Will do!” Willow hollered back as the door shut behind him, not having time to get flustered over another utterance of The B Word. “Now, where to next?”
~
Vibrant Town was not especially large, but having a handful of roads leading into it, as well as an explorer guild that had people on their way in and out of town fairly regularly, made it a popular stopping place for traveling merchants, who liked to set up small carts along the road and hawk more specialized goods not found in the Kecleons’ store. To Willow’s incredible fortune, today there happened to be a cheerful-looking flower-seller idling away on the west edge of town, cart aglow in breathtaking colours befitting the height of spring. “Hello!” Willow called out to them as he approached the cart excitedly.
“Good afternoon!” the cart’s owner, a bright-eyed Comfey, smiled at Willow. “We’re selling flowers here, as I’m sure you can see. Can I help you with anything?”
“You sure can!” Willow smiled back. “My b-” he stopped himself, The Word catching in his throat as he tried his hardest to stop himself from turning red again. He mostly succeeded, only blushing enough to still betray the nature of his relationship with Indigo without horribly embarrassing himself in front of a stranger. He cleared his throat unsubtly. “My friend is having his birthday today. Do you think you could set me up with a bouquet of some kind?”
Comfey nodded in understanding. “Are there any particular types of flowers you’re looking for?” she asked, motioning to her collection. “This time of year, we have a particularly excellent selection of berry flowers.”
“Berry flowers would be perfect!” Willow’s eyes lit up with excitement again. “My friend owns a berry farm not far from here, actually.”
“Ah, what a wonderful coincidence!” Comfey twirled in the air happily. “I’m sure he’ll love some flowers, then. Now, do you just want a regular bouquet or are you looking to say something?”
“...Sorry?”
“Some people assign meanings to flowers from the more common types of berries.” Comfey said. “For example, Oran berries are hardy and can grow almost anywhere, so Oran flowers represent devotion. Cheri berries are spicy and have delicate blooms, so their flowers represent passion. It’s very romantic!”
“Ooooh, that sounds cool!” Willow said. “What would you suggest for a birthday bouquet, then?”
“Well, what’s your relationship to this person?”
“He’s-” Willow blushed again. “H-he’s just, really important to me, okay? We’re not related or anything, if that’s what you mean.”
Comfey nodded, a naughty grin crossing her face. “Well, for a birthday, I would suggest mostly Chesto flowers, I suppose.” She began gathering flowers together to make the bouquet. “It’s a bit unconventional, but Chesto flowers typically symbolize new beginnings or fresh starts since their berries cure drowsiness, which you could interpret as being a “birthday” flower if you wanted.”
“Huh. Yeah, that makes sense I think.”
Comfey turned to look at Willow, sporting that devilish grin once again. “For you sir, I’d also suggest Pecha flowers, since they represent love.”
Willow couldn’t stop himself from lighting up this time. “Wh-”
“Hee hee hee! Don’t try to deny it, sir, it’s written all over your face.” Comfey interrupted Willow’s protestations. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix up a perfect bouquet for your special someone. What kind of Pokémon is he?”
Willow slumped back, thoroughly embarrassed. “...A Butterfree.”
“Oh, how wonderful! I love Butterfrees.” Comfey chirped. “I know just what to do, then, hold on.” After a few minutes of fussing with her collection of flowers, she turned to Willow with a delicate bouquet of pink, purple and white flowers, wrapped in sparkling paper and tied together with a strand of blue lace. “Chesto and Pecha flowers, like I said, but since he’s a Butterfree I also added some Occa and Charti flowers for good luck.”
Quickly shaking off his embarrassment, Willow’s eyes widened at the sight of the bouquet. “Wow, it’s beautiful!”
“Thank you! I take great pride in my flower arrangement.” Comfey said. “Now, a three-colour bouquet like that comes to 750 Poké, please.”
“Oh, of course!” Willow said, reaching into his bag and happily paying the Comfey. “Thank you so much!”
“You’re very welcome!” Comfey said, waving at the Snivy as he walked off. “Have a wonderful day!”
Willow was ecstatic. He’d hoped that there might be something he could make a present out of down by the road today, but this went above and beyond anything he could’ve imagined. Maybe he could salvage today after all, he thought to himself, grinning wide as he walked back into town. He figured at this point he could probably greet Indigo as he was, but in spite of himself he dragged his feet somewhat as he worked towards the main square, thinking of other things he could quickly pick up before heading down to the farm.
Inspiration struck him, and he took off like a shot.
~
“Wel-ah, it’s you again.” the waiter that greeted Willow as he entered the café was surprised to see him again. “I haven’t seen your Butterfree friend anywhere today, if you’re looking for him.”
“Oh, no that’s okay!” Willow said, somewhat breathily after having ran here in his excitement. “I was hoping you could help me with something else regarding him, though.”
“Which would be?”
“Well, it’s his birthday today, so I wanted to know if-”
“Did I hear that right?” a jovial voice sounded out, which Willow soon discovered to be Infernape leaning out of the nearby kitchen door. “It’s Indigo’s birthday today?”
“You know Indigo?” Willow asked the café owner.
“Of course! His farm is where most of my berries come from, so we’ve spent a whole lot of time chatting about produce and stuff. He’s a real sweetheart, that one.” Infernape winked at the large bouquet Willow was carrying around. “Glad you’ve clearly taken such a shine to him.”
“Ah.” Willow looked away, blushing yet again. “A-anyway, that’s good, because I was wondering if-”
“Don’t tell me: you want me to whip up something for his birthday, right?” Infernape said, grinning wide. “Say no more, I’ve already got the perfect idea for a special treat just for him! Gimme ten minutes and it’ll be ready for you to go!”
“Perfect!” Willow said, regaining his composure. “Though, if it’s a special order, what do you think it would cost? Should I pay you now, or-”
“Psssssh, don’t sweat it, kid!” Infernape waved his hand dismissively. “Bring him in for dinner tonight, you can pay me for that if you really want. Consider this one paying it forward for all the great berries he sends me!”
“O-oh, well alright!” Willow nodded his head, not about to pass up his second free gift of the day. “Thank you very much!”
“Don’t mention it!” Infernape clapped his hands together excitedly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta get back to the kitchen and whip you up a special birthday treat!”
Willow beamed. That was easy! To think, only a couple hours ago he’d been swimming in anxiety over what to do on such short notice. He breathed a sigh of relief: Indigo was going to have a happy birthday after all.
“There you are.” Willow suddenly looked up to see a familiar Meowth hastily making his way through the café door towards him.
“Hey, Yuria!” he replied cheerfully. “Look! I got Indigo some flowers for his birthday, and Infernape is gonna-”
“Were you going to meet up with Indigo today?”
“Huh?”
“He wasn’t at home earlier so I came back down here and he’s sitting at the fountain looking around for somebody with a sad look on his face.”
“...Huh?”
Oh, no. For the second time today, Willow felt himself growing pale as a familiar sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. He had made plans to meet with Indigo today, he struggled to recall through the blood pounding in his head: of course he was going to hang out with him on his day off. They were going to meet up after lunch, but he’d been so caught up in running around for his birthday that he’d completely forgotten.
He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the lump forming in his throat. Indigo must have already been there, he reasoned, when he ran past the fountain to get here, but he’d been too caught up in his excitement to notice. He felt like he’d just murdered Indigo with his own hands. It took all he had not to break down in tears at the thought. Just like that, it was the worst day of his life all over again.
“I-I’ll be right back!” he called towards the kitchen, voice quivering, before speeding past Yuria to rush back out the door.
~
“Indigo!!!!”
The Butterfree’s eyes brightened as Willow rushed towards him. “There you are! I was wondering where you’d gone in such a hurry.” His smile faded as he noticed Willow’s expression. “...Are you alright? You look like you’re going to cry.”
Leaning down to catch his breath, Willow held the bouquet he was carrying out towards Indigo. “I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
Indigo was confused. “...Willow, I guess I was a little hurt by you running right past me without saying anything just now,” he gave the Snivy a sympathetic smile. “But you didn’t need to get me flowers just for running a little late, silly.”
“N-no! It’s just-” Willow paused to swallow hard, still trying to fight back tears. “Yuria mentioned it was your birthday when we met at lunch earlier, s-so I’ve been running around all afternoon trying to put something together for you.” he looked away, trying to conceal his heartbroken expression. “But I got so caught up in that, I forgot that we were going to meet here earlier.”
Indigo looked puzzled, before jolting up in realization. “...Oh! Yeah, I suppose it is my birthday today, isn’t it?” he smiled apologetically. “I completely forgot, oops. I’ve never been good with that sort of thing. We’ll both have to thank Yuria later for remembering it.”
Willow looked up at the Butterfree. “...You’re not mad?”
“Willow, how could I ever be mad at you for going out of your way for me like that?” Indigo gave a warm smile before taking the bouquet out of Willow’s hands. “These are beautiful, by the way.”
Willow took a small breath, the colour returning to his face somewhat. “Th-thanks. I also got you some things from the boutique.” He reached into his bag to pull out the scarf and brooch he’d grabbed. “Leavanny gave me them for free, so it’s alright if you don’t like them.”
“No, these are wonderful! Thank you so much!” Indigo grinned. “I’ve been needing a new scarf for when it gets cold, actually, so this is perfect.”
Willow felt himself brighten back up, the anxiety that had gripped him earlier completely washed away. “You have? That’s great! Leavanny wished you a happy birthday, by the way.”
“Aww! Tell her I said thank you the next time you see her, then.”
“Hee hee, will do!” Willow smiled. “...Oh! That’s right, we should head into the café, I asked Infernape to make something special for you just now, and it should be finished soon.”
Indigo’s eyes sparkled. “Ooooh! Let’s not keep him waiting, then.”
~
“Here you are! A special birthday dessert for two, for my favourite supplier and his sweetheart.” Infernape clapped his hands together merrily after laying the plate down on the couple’s table. “On the house!”
Indigo looked confused again.
“He insisted.” Willow said with a smile. “Everyone just loves giving you free stuff, I guess.”
“Well, it is my birthday, apparently.” Indigo smiled back. “Now, let’s see what we’ve got here.”
The plate Infernape had set before the two of them contained a large purple macaron sitting on top of a pair of thin cookies: the macaron had been decorated with fruit and frosting to resemble a Butterfree’s face, while the cookies were cut and iced into the shape of butterfly wings. Set beside it was a small pancake formed into the shape of a Snivy’s head and decorated with some kind of green fruit sauce and whipped cream. Placed between the two desserts was half of a Pecha berry, presumably for its natural heart-shaped appearance.
“...This is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.” Indigo said as he stared in awe at the beautifully themed dessert.
“I don’t think I can eat it.” Willow said, as he did the same. “I couldn’t bear to ruin the aesthetic.”
“You’d better!” Infernape hollered at them through the kitchen window, snapping the pair out of their stupor. “Food’s no good if it’s not delicious!”
Indigo chuckled. “I’m not too worried about that.” he said. “He’s right, though, we should dig in.”
Willow nodded, not wanting to waste any more time. The dessert was predictably delightful, and served as an excellent capstone on what could charitably be called an inconsistent afternoon for the poor Snivy. This may have been a treat for Indigo, but after the emotional roller-coaster he’d been through in the span of a few hours he was happy to indulge himself as well.
“...Hey, Willow.” Indigo said, setting his fork on the table. “You didn’t have to go out of your way for me, you know. I appreciate it, of course, but I feel a little bad that you stuck your neck out like this when even I’d forgotten it was my birthday.”
“Hm? Oh, don’t worry about it!” Willow smiled at the Butterfree. “I was kinda panicking when Yuria told me, I guess, but once I got ahold of myself it was actually really easy to put everything together.” A thought crossed the Snivy’s mind, and he blushed, leaning forward in his seat with uncharacteristic bravado. “Though, if you really feel bad, I could think of a few ways you could make it up to me~”
Indigo also blushed, but only hesitated for a moment before leaning in to kiss the Snivy.
“Happy birthday, Indigo.”
“You know,” Indigo said. “Normally, birthday desserts like this are supposed to come with candles that you can make a wish on.” He reached across the table to grasp Willow’s hand, holding it gently. “I don’t think I need one this year, though.”
Willow smiled, his blush deepening. “Really? You sure there’s nothing else you could think of?”
“Well…” Indigo looked into Willow’s eyes. “There’s someone I can think of who it’d be really nice to spend some quality time at home with.”
Willow giggled. “Well, maybe we can go find them together, then.”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
Finishing their dessert, the two left the café together, Willow nuzzling up to Indigo as he prepares to enjoy the rest of his new best day ever.