It became a bit of a tradition.

Wendy would find someway to sneak up behind Conner on his birthday, a silly paper hat cupped tight in her hands. Sometimes, she was successful. She would cry, "Hey there, birthday boy!" and watch as Conner scoffed and attempted to hide the wide smile stretching across his face. Sometimes, she was less so, but what else could she expect from a half-Kryptonian?

His twenty-fifth (ninth?) birthday was one such occasion.

Her steps were smooth and quiet, her breath even and slow. He was alone monitoring the controls in the Watchtower, waiting for Kid Flash to update him on the mission taking place in Los Angeles. Wendy had asked him to keep watch while she ran to the bathroom and with a quick kiss and a sultry smile, he agreed. Not really how either of them wanted to celebrate his special day, but the team was short on inactive members at the moment and someone had to check up on the ins-and-outs of the various operations. It was Wendy's primary job, so she agreed she needed to stay on the Watchtower for the time being; Conner just decided he didn't want to be with anyone else.

His focus was glued to the screens and she grinned, appreciating the view of his toned back and shoulders. She reminisced on the way such muscle felt underneath her fingers, losing herself in the memories both shared within the confines of darkened rooms and dim-lit hallways.

She shook her head, trying to ease away the flush staining her cheeks, Concentrate Wendy, this is never easy.

The paper hat trembled in her hands and she took a few more steps forward, inching closer and closer to Conner's form. She would have to jump this time around, but if she could just get right behind -

"You know I can see you in the screens," Conner's voice sounded bored, but there was an air of bemusement laced within its tone, "While I'm more than happy to take turns, don't you think little games like this demean the missions at hand, Proxy?"

Wendy froze as her boyfriend turned around, his face thoughtful, eyes glittering with smug cheer. She tried her best to hide the paper hat behind her back, a large smile covering up her nervous giggle, "Hey there, birthday boy! How's the team doing?"

"Alright, I suppose," Conner replied as he walked up to her, "No one's been in contact yet, though."

"Oh, well KF and Arrowette should be in contact pretty soon," Wendy said, though her face twisted into a sulk, "Unless they decided to makeout in the bunker again. Love them, but I really don't think they should be going out on missions alone if they can't control themselves."

"You know…" Conner trailed, his fingers tracing the jut of her cheekbones, "I could say the the same thing about you and me."

"Yeah, but we're older," Wendy countered, ignoring the fact that Conner's other arm was now clasped around her waist, "Therefore, far more responsible than a couple of teenagers. We can control our urges."

"You don't say," Conner whispered, his breath tickling her face, "Do those urges have anything to do with the hat behind your back or is that just your responsible way of ensuring everyone and everything knows it's my birthday?"

She laughed at that, leaning into his touch and dropping the hat onto the floor, "You caught me! Everyone should know it's your birthday, even if it's just me and the AI hovering in the cave."

Conner smiled and closed the gap between them, his lips touching the tip of her nose, "Thank you anyway."

"Happy Birthday," she said before pushing her face forward to capture his lips with her own, enjoying the faint taste of chocolate rolling off his tongue.

It may not go as planned, but Wendy's silly party hat attempts always ended in one hell of a kiss.