AN: Yes, yes I know… It's summer, we are in the month of June and January was literally 6 months ago. But hear me out! I had this idea for a while but only really got around to writing it now. My last story for this collection was pretty depressing so let me write my fluff XD! Enjoy!

Also, if you didn't know, Nagomi is the name of my IsshiNene fan child!

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J is for January:

Birthday Surprises

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"Mama!" The bed rippled sightly at the enthusiastic bounces of the four-year-old. "Mama, get up!"

With tired eyes, Nene's pink ones awoke to the fuzzy image of her daughter's bright blue, beaming and sparkling with excitement. A groan escaped her lips, unsettled by the heaviness of her body that weighed her down like lead.

"Nago-chan, I don't feel good. Go ask your father," Nene mumbled, sinking further within the warmth of her sheets. It had been too early for this.

"Mama, this is important!" Nagomi pressed, tugging slightly on Nene's overhung arm.

"Ngnn, Satoshi can you—"

Halting her words, the mother's face slowly peeled away from her pillows, turning away to see the empty splay of sheets beside her. The absence of warmth further bothered her as her husband hardly got up before she did. The current pulse within her temples didn't help the mood either. Slowly finding the strength to push herself up, Nene habitually reached over to her bedside to find her glasses, only for them to be in the hands of the small child.

"Here you go, Mama." Nagomi offered.

Taking them, Nene smiled softly at the young girl's affections. "Thank you."

Huffing at the crispness of winter air, she let the cold shake the weariness from her. As she let the migraine and nausea subside, Nene pulled her hair into a ponytail and greeted her daughter a good morning. Sliding carefully out of her bed, she found her bearings on the chilly wooden floors, taking the girl's hand as she led her hurriedly across the room and into the hall.

"Nagomi, what's wrong?" she asked, but her child — giddy with excitement and fashioned in adorable, pink fleece pajamas refused to reply. As the duo neared the kitchen, Nene's attention slowly turned from her daughter to the sweet smell of chocolate in the air. Rounding the corner, she first saw the tiny glow of candles and then stopping at the foot of the kitchen, Nagomi ran further ahead to meet up with her husband in a party hat holding a birthday cake in front of her.

"Happy birthday, Mama!" the two cheered in unison.

Stunned, Nene stared for a moment before shifting her focus to the calendar on the neighboring wall.

"Did you forget your own birthday, silly?" Satoshi teased, placing the cake gently on the countertop.

"I guess I did," she smiled sheepishly.

"You've been working too hard lately," he reminded before grasping her arms and placing the usual soft kiss on her forehead.

"Do you like it, Mama?" Nagomi asked, garnering the attention of the two.

As the couple parted, Nene crouched down to the little girl, embracing her tightly. "Of course! I love it!" she beamed.

"It was my idea to bake you a cake!" the girl bragged proudly. "Papa didn't do much," she teased with a mischievous smile.

"Hey! I helped!" Satoshi objected playfully, tickling the child in punishment.

The small family shared a tender moment of laughter that warmed Nene's heart, but it was Nagomi's expectant look that caught her attention. Raising her eyebrows at her, Nene inquired the doe-eyed girl to speak.

"Mama, aren't you going to make a wish?"

The sound of rushing water and clanking plates fill the kitchen now as the brunette handed her another dish to dry.

"The cake was delicious," Nene starts "did you make it before?" The woman recounts a familiar richness and sponginess of the cake as she rotates the plate.

"It's Momo-senpai's recipe," Satoshi admitted. "We had it last time we visited her shop, I remember how much you liked it so I asked for some notes from her."

Growing red at his comment, she turned her celadon locks away from the man to hide the blush filling her cheeks. At first, she expected the rush of dizziness and flush of heat to subside as her embarrassment wore off, but soon she found herself doubled-over the counter covering her mouth from the convulsions within her stomach.

"Nene, are you alright?" Satoshi asked, rinsing his hands before placing one on the small of her back.

"Yeah…" she breathed, closing her eyes since the brightness of the morning made her even more nauseous. "I'm fine—"

The hand that rested steadily across her back quickly found itself unsupported as Nene darted from the kitchen to the bathroom. Before the woman could even fathom the events unfolding in front of her, she found herself focused on a mixture of chocolate cake and bile that was currently burning her throat as it came back up.

"Nene!" she heard his voice get louder as he rushed her steps. "Are you okay?" Kneeling to her side beside the toilet, he rubbed her back as he felt another violent convulsion of throw up shake her core. "Was it the cake?"

"I… don't know," her voice weakly reverbed in the bowl of the toilet. "Maybe—"

"Mama?" The faint voice of their four-year-old called from the door. "Did I make Mama… sick?"

At the sound of her daughter's sniffles, she lifted her pale face and teary eyes to offer comfort, but before any words could come, another round of bile and cake reached her mouth first.

"I did make Mama sick!" Nagomi wailed at the door, "I'm sorry! I only wanted to surprise Mama!" The child's face became a mess with sobs and mucus. As the young Isshiki continued to cry, Satoshi quickly found himself between the two most important girls of his life who both happen to be in emotional disarray.

Looking over to Nene, he presented her pursed lips before wincing once more at the sound of retching and choked cries. "Nene, I'll be back okay?" Satoshi assured before leaving her side to offer Nagomi solace. She sniffled heavily into his shoulder while he carried her away from the bathroom and into the halls.

She first hears his footsteps and then a hesitant knock. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," she invites, hoarsely.

Slowly, she watches the handle turn inwards and soon afterward, his worried figure peers through the crack. Seeing her seated on the toilet cover, leaning over, Satoshi quickly made his way in front of her, clutching her knees in support. With her face hidden from his view by her bangs, he simply could only offer an expression of guilt.

"Hey… are you feeling better?"

She nods slightly in response.

"I checked all the dates on the containers, nothing was expired. But I threw out the eggs and milk just in case. Maybe it was too sweet? I know a lot of sugar tends to upset your stomach so maybe—"

"Satoshi, calm down," Nene interrupts, raising her head to offer a small smile. "Is Nagomi alright?"

He watches her face, a bit confused at the relief and joy that now replace her pain. "Yeah… she's a bit shaken but she's playing in her room now."

"That's good," Nene's eyes soften as she nods at his update. "Why don't you tell her it wasn't her cake that was making me sick, but her younger sibling instead."

It takes a moment for Satoshi to process the woman's words, blinking a bit before focusing on the beautiful sparkle of his wife's ruby eyes and the subtle hand that laid on her stomach. "Wha… What?"

"You really outdid yourself this year, Satoshi. You got me exactly what I wished for."

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AN: Sorry I haven't updated in months… I got really caught up with writing BoL and drabbles… hehehe forgive me! Hope you all enjoyed it and I promise I will show HDYSL more love and update more often! Please leave a nice review or comment!