Chapter Text
Kirby burst out of her house excitedly, big, blue eyes sparkling in the bright sunlight of the late morning. This was a PERFECT day. Granted, Dreamland had a lot of these, but that didn’t make them any less exciting!
Kirby strolled over towards the town, a bounce in her step that made the little bag she was carrying over her shoulder jump up and down. The sky was blue with a few puffy clouds, the sun shone brightly, the weather was warm but not too hot, a nice breeze carried the smell of flowers and grass from the meadows behind Cappy Town…
What a perfect day to play!
Halfway to the streets she passed by the Mayor’s house. The cute, fluffy (and pretty comfy) sheep were behind the house, basking in the sunlight drowsily. Surprisingly, there was no trace of the residents of the house, not even the kids. Curious, Kirby walked over to the windows, taking a small peek into the living room.
The family was there, beautiful flowers decorated the table. Mrs Mayor was sitting down while her husband and kids put the food on the table.
Huh? Wasn’t it the other way around usually? Oh well. Looked like Kirby wouldn’t be able to play with them today, they seemed rather busy and she didn’t want to disturb them. She’d find someone else in Cappy Town to play! After all, she had this new ball Gengu had gifted her, and she just HAD to try it with someone. It jingled when you kicked it, so cool!
Kirby strolled into the town, past Kawasaki’s. Her stomach growled at the mere sight of the building… “Hey Kirby, you had lunch yet? If you help me with the decorations, I’ll treat you to a meal!” the chef said cheerily, apparently busy putting up lanterns in front of the door. “Yay! Thank you!” Kirby cheered, and immediately started handing him the next lantern form the box.
“Why are you decorating though?” the little star warrior wondered. She couldn’t recall any big event being today. “Oh, I have a lot of reservations for tonight because- AH!” Kawasaki lost his footing on the step ladder and tumbled to the ground with a thud. “Are you okay?!” Kirby exclaimed, rushing to help him back up. “Ow… yeah, I’m fine. Maybe I should leave this to you, you’re a lot younger and fresher than I am! I’ll go and prepare the food.” As if on cue, Kirby’s stomach let out another noise that could only be described as a hungry roar. Laughing, Kawasaki disappeared inside the restaurant, leaving Kirby to hang up the last lanterns by herself. He still hadn’t told her what today was about though… Oh well.
About half an hour later Kirby left the restaurant again, with her stomach now at least calm enough to stop growling like a Demon Beast. She strolled down to the town plaza, only to find it surprisingly empty. The only person she could spot was Chief Bookham, who was dutifully asleep in his rocking chair just outside the police station.
Where is everybody? Are they all having lunch?
…she still felt a little hungry. Maybe Tuggle had some leftover snacks in his shop? She decided to go check in on the Cappy, he was usually not busy at this hour of day anyways.
To Kirby’s surprise, she wasn’t the only one going to Tuggle’s right now.
“Hey Kirby!” Tiff waved at the pink haired girl, and Kirby broke into a sprint to greet her friend. Finally someone she could play with! The girls exchanged a tight hug, just as Tuff poked his head out the shop’s door. “Hey Tiff, Tuggle wants to ask you something. Oh, hi Kirby!” “Hi Tuff! What are you doing here?” Tuff stepped outside as Tiff left to talk to the shopowner. “Oh, we’re just here to pick up craft supplies. You see, it’s mother’s day, and while we did finish our card yesterday, we ran out of decorative stuff halfways through, so we had to finish it today!” The doors opened again and Tiff stepped outside with a small shopping bag.
Kirby tilted her head in confusion. “What’s mother’s day?” “Oh that’s right, you wouldn’t know…” Tiff frowned, one hand cupping her cheek in thought. “Come on, do you wanna walk back to the castle with us? I can tell you on our way back.” Kirby nodded eagerly, her new ball forgotten for the moment. This was much more interesting.
“So,” Tiff started, “Mother’s day is about appreciating what mothers do for their families. They usually do all the housework like cooking and cleaning for us every day, so one day of the year we turn that around and do something nice for them instead. Mother’s day is basically all about showing them how much we love them and appreciate all that love and care they give us every day!” Tuff piped up, “Yeah! Today we cook nice meals for mum, we do all the housework, and we get her some gifts like that card we need these decorations for!” “Ahw that’s cool! I wish I had a mum to do that for…” Kirby sighed, hanging her head.
She didn’t really mind living alone, she had so many friends who loved her and took care of her. But sometimes she couldn’t help but feel sad that she didn’t have anyone to go home to, except for Tokkori. And while she liked Tokkori just fine, he wasn't family.
Tiff and Tuff exchanged a glance, the sudden shift in mood almost palpable. “Hey come on, don’t be sad…” Tuff mumbled, awkwardly patting her on the back. “You got us, right?” Tiff stated, reaching out to grab Kirby’s hand. Feeling a little better, Kirby managed a smile. “Yeah, you’re right…”
After a moment of silence, Tuff perked up. “Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t you come with us and make a card yourself? We’ll definitely have enough stuff left over for a second card now, right sis?” Tiff frowned. “Yeah, but who should she make it for?” Her brother commented that with a shrug, and Tiff rolled her eyes. Then she looked at Kirby. “Is there someone you want to thank for caring for you maybe? Someone special?” “Pfft, she’d have to make one for the entirety of Cappy Town if that’s the case” Tuff snickered.
Kirby sighed. Tuff was right, even if Tiff was trying to hit him over the head with the shopping bag right now. She couldn’t help it, she appreciated all the Cappies equally, they all cared for her and made sure she was fed. Even the King was nice enough to let her stay in the castle whenever she wanted, even if he wouldn’t admit it and usually just pretended that he didn’t know she was there. Escargoon too. He had given her a lollipop last weekend. Granted, it was to keep her quiet about the fact that she had seen his new hiding spot for his jewel box, but still. He was usually good fun for a big prank on the king.
So... someone who really cared for her? Someone like a mum… Come to think of it, she had no idea what a mum usually did, even if she often saw Tiff and Tuff’s mother.
“What do mums usually do?” she asked, interrupting the fight of the two siblings. “Uhh… what a mum does?” Tiff stammered, caught off guard. “Yeah! You said they cook for you and love you, but everyone in Cappy Town gives me food and cares for me. What else do they do?” “Well… They are there for you when you’re scared or sad, they teach you when you have questions, they give you hugs when you need it…” Tiff was looking up at the clouds, as if they would help her collect her thoughts. “Mum also often reads me stories when Tiff isn’t there” Tuff piped up, “And she treats my wounds when I get hurt.”
Kirby blinked, remembering the past few months. There was exactly one person who fit all of these categories. “I know who I’ll make a card for!” she declared, eyes now sparkling with enthusiasm. “I’ll make one for Galacta!”
There was a short pause, then Tuff burst out laughing. “A mother’s day card for a star warrior! That’s hilarious!” Tiff took another swing with the shopping bag at him, but Tuff easily dodged out of reach. “Shut up! Just because he’s a star warrior doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve one!” Tuff just kept on laughing and ran up ahead. The castle was already in view. Tiff stopped, putting her free hand on her hips with a huff. “Really, he’s so immature.” “I don’t care,” Kirby smiled, still giddy about her idea of making a card for Galacta. Finally she had a way to say thank you! She just hoped he would like it…
“Why did you pick Sir Galacta?” Tiff asked curiously as they started walking again. “Well, he always teaches me about interesting stuff when I ask! Just last week he taught me how to read the winds when I use my wing ability. He also always greets me with a hug and he gives the BEST snuggly hugs! Oh and he often reads me stories at the library too, and we steal snacks and tea form the castle kitchen for it! Once we even emptied Meta Knight’s candy jar, but he was kinda mad at Galacta for that. Oh and remember when my wings sprouted? Gala stayed with me and kept taking care of me, and he just always looks out for me so I don’t get hurt,” Kirby babbled happily.
Tiff smiled. “I didn’t even realize you two were this close, though now that you mention it... Mum did say once that he's kind of a mother hen around you.” Kirby looked away sheepishly. “Well I often go visit him when you guys don’t have time… he said he’s often bored because Meta Knight spends half the day patrolling so I thought he wouldn’t mind my company. And now it’s just sort of normal… He also comes by my house to check up on me sometimes. I feel like I can go to him about anything,” she mumbled. “I think he’s definitely qualified for a card then,” Tiff laughed as they were crossing the castle bridge, “Let’s put those craft supplies to good use!”
Kirby perked up, a wide smile on her face. “Yes!”