Chapter Text
The Clinic was still covered in decorations from the Christmas holiday, gold garland hung above the doorway, stickers of snowflakes stuck to the windows and all around the office and waiting room were strings of green and red lights, blinking in a pattern. James sat in his office, reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose as he banged against his keyboard, typing in patient information. Amelie busied herself with organizing the mess of the clinic, starting with de-Christmasing it. She ripped the lights from the walls, wrapping them around her arm and plucking the little snowmen and reindeer from their spots on the shelves. Dragging the box with her, she headed outside for the doorway and window where stickers and garland hung. Humming a tune, she carefully began to peal off the vinyl slap on snowflakes before dumping them into a bag. As she worked, a whistling tune carried down the steel walls and slowly came closer and closer to her. Looking up from one particularly stubborn snowflake, she spotted Butch swaggering down the hall, hands stuck deep into his pockets as he whistled.
“Hey, Nosebleed!” He called once within arm’s length of her. As she finished the last snowflake, she threw the bag into the box and turned to him, smiling.
“Hey, Butch. How’s your day?” She asked as she went to go pull the garland down, grabbing onto one end of the glistening gold plastic. He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair making sure each strand was neatly placed and packed down by gel.
“Eh, it’s alright. I finally turn 17 today.” He grinned wide as Amelia jumped on her toes in an attempt to pull the garland from it’s spot stuck above the doorway. As she hit the ground, she twirled around, blue eyes wide
“Oh god, that’s right! Happy Birthday, Butch!” She squealed before whipping back around and jumping once more to yank down the garland. Butch laughed and leaned over her head, softly pulling down the garland from it’s confines and letting it drift down onto her head and around her shoulders. She turned around and pouted at him, softly pushing his shoulder forcing a giggle out of him.
“What ya get so far for your birthday?” She questioned, wrapping up the garland and setting it in the box. When she popped back up the grin on Butch’s face had disappeared and had been replaced with a frown, his eyes shimmering with disappointment.
“My ma got me a can of hair gel and the gang all gave me a pat on the back.” He pursed his lips back together and shoved his hands back into his pockets. He then turned on his heel and continued down the hall.
“Happy Birthday, Butch.” She called once more, clutching the last slip of garland in her cold fingers. She heard him sigh and he waved back at her before taking a left and disappearing into the Vault. Amelia threw the last bit of garland into the box and lifted it up before storming back into the Clinic. She threw the box underneath the cabinets before locking them and rushing back to her apartment,
***
An hour later James emerged from the clinic and locked the doors behind him, clicking off all the lights and heading for his home. What he hoped to be a quiet escape was bombarded with the clang of dishes and pots, watering running and filling the kitchen with steam. At the center of it all was Amelia, hair thrown up in a ponytail, cookie dough splattered over her face and vault suit as she scrubbed pans. Throwing down his bag and rolling up his sleeves, James joined his daughter in cleaning dishes, drying the ones he handed to her and stacking them in neat piles. Halfway through dish duty, the timer on the oven went off, beeping in rapid succession to alert them to whatever was inside the oven was done. Amelia dropped the dishes and spun around, diving her hands into oven mitts and pulling out the tray of golden brown cookies. James looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow as she began to shovel them off of the burning hot tray and into a bright white box.
“Who are those for, honey?” He questioned, cutting off the water and drying his hands as he leaned against the counter. Leaving two cookies left on the warm metal tray, she placed the lid on the box and headed for the living room.
“Butch.” She stated, grabbing shimmery red ribbon from the table and returning back to the box. James’ eyes went wide and he leaned forward.
“Why are you giving cookies to Butch?’ He inquired, his voice laced with concern as his eyebrows furrowed down into that of a worried expression. She tied the ribbon around the box, making a big bow on top before sticking a card in between the box and the ribbon.
“It’s his birthday and all he’s gotten is a tin of hair gel. He deserves more than that.” With that, she clutched the box to her chest and stormed out of the apartment.
***
Butch came home from the salon that evening, tired, discouraged, upset over the lacking of caring for him. Unlocking the door to his home, he threw off his boots at the door and slunk into the kitchen, pulling a glass from the cabinet and filling it with tap water before retiring to his room. He collapsed onto his bed, letting out a loud groan, he leaned over to set his glass on his table and found a box with a big red box. His heart fluttered for a few moments as he took the box into his hands and sat up. He pulled the small white note out from under the ribbon and in extravagant cursive was his name. His mouth all of the sudden felt like it was filled with sand as he flipped it open and began to read it.
Butch,
I’m so sorry your birthday hasn’t been the best one yet. I understand the disappointment of a truly bad birthday. Hopefully this will make it a little bit better.
Love, Amelia.
Red flushed onto his tanned cheeks, his heart pounding heavily against his ribs while he set the note aside and gently pulled at the ribbon, it falling softly into his lap allowing him to yank off the top. Sweetness wafted into the air and warmth radiated inside where Butch found more than a dozen cookies piled together. Trembling hands softly grasped one, the heat radiating against his hands. Slowly, he pulled it apart, chocolate stringing from each side, inviting him to sink his teeth into it which he did. Soft dough and thick chocolate burst into his mouth and he let out a soft moan. A tear pricked in each of his eyes, thankful and stunned at Amelia’s actions. He normally did nothing but taunt her yet she still found kindness in her heart to make him feel better. He wondered what truly drove him to be mean to such a forgiving and loving soul like hers. Sighing, he threw the box to the side and nearly ran out of his apartment, struggling to slip on his boots as he tried to throw open the door. He trotted through the halls, his heart pounding as he neared closer and closer to the Clinic. Peaking through the large window, he spotted Amelia cleaning up, wiping down counters and shoving supplies into cabinets. He turned on his heel, slicking his hair back and checking his breath before slipping into the clinic. The door clicked behind him and Amelia looked up before smiling at him, her eyes bright as she wandered over.
"Butch, what brings you here?" She questioned, leaning against the examination table as she crossed her arms over her chest. Butch's heart beat sped up even more as his face turned red and he found himself tongue tied. Amelia giggled which just made his situation worse. His entire face was burning and cherry colored as he ran a hand through his hair. Amelia's eyebrows furrowed as she reached out to touch his cheek. A split section action changed his life. He reached forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing her against his chest as he leaned down to connect lips with her. At first, she didn't kiss back which terrified him, his heart sinking into her stomach but soon, her arm flew up and met the other to drape around his shoulders, melting into his kiss. They stayed like that for what felt eons, their bodies and hearts connected in what seemed like a moment frozen in time. Butch was the one who finally broke away, a thousand watt grin across his face as he let out a soft giggle.
"Happy Birthday to me."