Work Text:
Byleth awoke with a mild start.
She carefully looked to her side, a familiar head of warm chesnut locks nuzzled up against her. The ex-mercenary’s eyes wandered to the doorway, slightly ajar but otherwise seemingly normal. Soft chirping accompanied the light leaking in between the curtains, but neither was so disruptive that she would not be able to return to slumber. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off back to sleep for a while longer.
Beside her, Edelgard’s own eyes flicked open. The former Emperor blinked, watching her wife snooze peacefully. Lilac irises wandered to the same half-open doorway Byleth had been watching, waiting there for a moment before a pair of bright emerald orbs peeked around the corner.
Sitri gave her mom a sheepish look, mouthing the word ‘sorry.’ It was lucky she hadn’t broken anything, and luckier still that Byleth had been too sleepy to investigate. Edelgard rolled her eyes at her daughter, shooing the girl away with one hand.
The girl flashed her mother a thumbs-up before creeping back down the hallway and into the kitchen. When at last she’d set foot back in front of the oven, Sitri released an exhale she’d been holding since before she checked on her mothers. She’d be far more careful going forward, that much she was certain of.
Still, all the nerve-wracking secrecy was worth it. Determined to make the most of the day, Sitri bunched her hazelnut hair into a ponytail, clipping it into place with an ornate golden hair clip (she’d have to thank Auntie Flayn again later). Lastly she rolled up her sleeves, grabbing her frying pan and the salt shaker she’d dropped earlier.
“Right,” Sitri whispered to herself. “Practice yields results.”
~~~~~~~~
About an hour and a half later, Edelgard could smell a number of appealing scents emanating from the kitchen. Evidently Byleth could as well, as the teal-haired woman began to stir beside the former Emperor. Edelgard propped her head up on one palm, watching as her wife’s eyes fluttered open lazily. Their gazes met quickly, a smile forming on the Adrestian woman’s lips.
“Good morning, my light.”
Byleth mimicked her smile. “Good morning, El.” She sat up on her elbows and leaned over, planting a quick kiss on her wife’s lips. “Something smells good.”
“Indeed it does.” Edelgard replied, not bothering to mask her delight. “Perhaps we ought to see what our little flame has been up to, hm?”
Byleth cocked a brow but kept her smile. Edelgard slid out of bed, her wife following suit on the opposite side. Being closer to the door, Edelgard slipped out first, leaving Byleth to catch up. The ex-merc peeked down the hallway just in time to see her partner’s backside retreating into the kitchen at breakneck speeds. Thoroughly intrigued, she followed the other woman’s path. Hurried whispers echoed just before she could round the corner, causing her to pause momentarily.
When Byleth did round the corner at last, her eyes widened at what awaited her.
Six very loaded omelettes on her place at the table, coupled with a platter piled high with strips of bacon. Muffins too, fresh from the oven, sat waiting in their pan just off to the side. Something else was still in the oven, though exactly what Byleth couldn’t tell. What she could tell was that both Edelgard and Sitri were sporting very satisfied smiles as they stood watching her.
“Happy birthday, mama.” Sitri bounced on the balls of her feet.
“You did all this?” Byleth asked.
The girl nodded. “Just now, yeah. But mom’s been teaching me for the past few weeks.”
Edelgard hummed. “She proved a much more capable student in the kitchen than I.” Both she and Byleth chuckled as they recalled the numerous incidents of the past, typically involving an axe. Stepping forward, the former Emperor took her wife by the hands and let her forehead fall gently onto Byleth’s. “Happy birthday, love.”
Byleth smiled ear-to-ear, then kissed her wife. She withdrew after, only to approach Sitri to plant a kiss atop the girl’s head as well.
Sitri blushed furiously. “Mama…” This prompted Byleth to giggle and repeat the action, forcing Sitri to shake her mother off and fix her hair. When that was over with, Sitri pointed a thumb towards the oven. “We made a cake, too. It should be done by the time Auntie Flayn arrives with the others.”
Byleth blinked and turned to Edelgard. “‘Others?’”
Still smiling, Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “Who do you think?”
“Ah.” Byleth replied.
Sure enough, a knock on the door came an hour later. Answering it caused a herd of familiar faces to pour into the Eisner-Hresvelg home, though none of them were unwelcome. Once inside, everyone became quite chatty.
Ferdinand was his usual self, talking of his many great deeds with dramatic enthusiasm. Hubert would interrupt him from time to time, explaining how things actually happened and calming his husband down with little more than a kiss on the cheek. Bernie kept to the kitchen, helping Sitri decorate the cake while whispering about how much the girl had improved.
Petra and Dorothea seemed strangely quiet beyond exchanging pleasantries. While everyone was otherwise distracted with the marvelous product that was the finished cake (thanks Bernadetta , Byleth thought), the ex-mercenary and her wife managed to get the other couple alone to ask what had them so tight-lipped. Thankful to not be stealing the spotlight, the Brigid queen explained that she was pregnant, and Edelgard didn’t have to see Dorothea’s crimson-hued cheeks to know who was responsible.
After wishing the soon-to-be parents the best (and providing a modicum of advice on newborns), they all returned to find Caspar showing off by braiding Linhardt’s hair. The sleepy scholar snoozed peacefully, either unaware or unbothered by his partner’s actions.
Dinner was about as lively as one could have expected of the Black Eagles, though to their credit they did their best not to make a mess of Byleth and Edelgard’s home. Everyone departed before the sun could do the same, saying their farewells (a particularly long, hug filled one from Flayn) and disappearing into the horizon.
Byleth deposited herself onto the couch, with Sitri falling onto the cushion to her left and Edelgard to her right. Their daughter stifled a yawn, the excitement of seeing her aunts and uncles taking its toll.
She fell asleep with a mumbled ‘happy birthday, ma,’ nuzzling under Byleth’s arm. Edelgard also decided to close her eyes, drifting off far more gracefully and resting her head against her wife’s shoulder. Byleth couldn’t help but smile warmly at them both.
Her smile widened, however, when a pair of palms planted themselves atop her head.
“Happy birthday, my friend.”
“Happy birthday, Sothis.”