Work Text:
It was Beardo's first birthday alone.
Another year older, another year without his parents (one of many, in fact) and the first one without his siblings. Everyone had grown up, moved far away, had gotten so busy with their jobs and lives that he barely noticed the letters getting sent with less frequency, and the phone calls had ceased almost entirely. That was life, Beardo supposed. He wished it didn't have to be that way, but it simply was.
His morning had gone smoothly, as it normally did. He made himself hazelnut pancakes, with honey drizzle and a nice, steaming mug of coffee with a little bit of milk and exactly one teaspoon of sugar. He sat back in his armchair, the warmth from his mug was comforting; he brought it to his muzzle to sip, before a loud knocking startled him, almost causing him to slosh it. His annoyance quickly vanished once he recognized that knocking pattern.
"Ah, Rodeo. You may come in." He set his mug on the elegant mahogany coffee table.
The bull clomped into the house. Beardo winced as he heard his fine china cabinet rattle, but luckily, nothing dislodged. Rodeo was practically bouncing on his hooves, rocking back and forth with something behind his back, tail going a mile a minute as Beardo eased off of his chair to greet him.
"Mornin', Beardo!"
"Good morning to you too. Well, it's nearly afternoon." Beardo chuckles. "So, what brings you here so early? I thought you'd still be sleeping in."
"Well, I can't tell you just yet. 'Kay, close your eyes and hold out your paws." The bull couldn't keep the grin off his face.
"It's not a bug, is it?" Beardo eyed him warily; April Fools' Day had been months ago, but he will not soon forget when Rodeo had handed him a cicada.
"I promise it's not a cicada this time, or any bug! Pinkie swear." He squared his shoulders, muzzle in the air, all serious-like.
"You don't have a pinkie." Beardo chuckles and closes his eyes, holding out his paws. He had no idea what to expect, but he didn't expect it to be warm. It didn't feel alive, at least. Whatever it was, Beardo needed two paws to hold it proper. It wasn't...heavy-heavy, but it wasn't light either, but it smelled sweet.
"Okay, now you can look!"
It was a large, messy cupcake. The light blue icing hadn't been piped correctly, some of it dripping down the sides, decorated with yellow and white sprinkles. Rodeo had attempted to write out 'Happy Birthday' in white icing, but it was barely legible.
Beardo loved it.
"I..thank you." He didn't know what else to say. "Wait, how did you know it was my birthday?"
Rodeo looked as if he just remembered something, and reached inside his shirt pocket, handing Beardo an opened creamy envelope with a yellow and pale blue checkered pattern, with a bouquet of cornflowers drawn on the side. He recognized that art style as plain as day.
"Miss Isabelle got our mails mixed up this morning and I opened your letter before I knew. It's from your sister." He looked a little guilty at having read it regardless. "..Nobody deserves to be alone on their birthday, is all."
Beardo blinked against the sting in his eyes, his throat tightening. He forced down the lump in his throat, before setting the cupcake gently on the coffee table. He wordlessly opened his arms for a hug, and Rodeo leapt, giving him a big bear (heh) hug that nearly squeezed the air out of his lungs. Beardo hugged back nearly as tight, swallowing down the lump in his throat.
"Sorry I couldn't get you a gift." Rodeo patted his back, resting his muzzle on top of his shoulder. "If I'd known earlier, I'd-"
"No, its fine. You...this is enough."
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.
The rest of that evening had gone quite well. They played some board games, with Beardo winning most.; he wasn't sure if Rodeo was just letting him win because it was his birthday, or if the bull was genuinely bad at this. After that, they had gathered some potatoes and carrots from Rodeo's garden to make dinner. The cupcake was delicious, red velvet with rasberry filling in the middle. Half of it was in the fridge for later, though Beardo was tempted to keep a small piece of it always in his freezer as a memento.
The sun had barely set before Rodeo curled up on the couch for a nap, while Beardo sat beside him, reading one of his favorite dog-eared novels, with his antique radio playing light, calming music. His ears pricked as 'Stale Cupcakes' came on air. There had been several theories about the meaning behind this unusually quiet, somber tune. Some speculate it was after K.K Slider had a lonely birthday, and Beardo wasn't sure if he believed in that theory, but he was thankful, so very thankful, that Rodeo had made his a lot less lonely.