Disclaimer: Someone other than me owns the Power Rangers SPD crew. But I suppose the pink frosting could be considered an original character, couldn't it?

Notes: Takes place during the party scene at the end of "Stakeout", obviously. This has been more frivolity on my part.

- -

Sky was the only person at the party snacking solely off the vegetable tray despite the numerous other good treats people had brought. The Blue SPD Ranger was as strict about his eating habits as he was about everything else, which meant he probably hadn't tried the frothy centerpiece of her birthday celebration—the cake. Sure enough, there was one cut slice left untouched on a paper plate on the table, presumably his.

That just didn't sit right with Sydney. She kept pretty healthy eating habits herself, but she always happily indulged in sweeter treats whenever occasion called for it. It was just tradition for everyone to have a bit of cake on a birthday, and Sky somehow seemed left out of the celebration by not partaking of the dessert with everyone else. It figured; he was always the loner, the one standing apart. Well, not on her birthday. She was the birthday girl, and today anything she wanted went. Without exception.

Sydney wandered over to the picnic table, intending to rescue the slice of cake from its uneaten fate when she found something better. The flower-frosted rectangular cake was only half-consumed—most of the left half was gone, but someone had rebelliously cut off a corner from the right edge. That left only one corner slice left. The corners on any rectangular cake always had double the amount of frosting found on any other edge piece. Perfect.

She quickly cut away that doubly-frosted piece and slipped it onto a plate. Grabbing a plastic fork, she headed over to the silent Blue Ranger, who was munching on a baby carrot as he watched the other three Rangers play a cut-throat game of Frisbee. He had been playing with them not more than five minutes ago, but he'd only gotten involved because Jack had launched the disk at him with practically no forewarning—a very blatant challenge. Sky had answered it very swiftly, but now he was back to brooding beside the picnic table. Sydney walked right up to him, cake and fork held up pointedly.

"You haven't had any cake," she said accusingly, as if it were some great crime on his part.

Sky swallowed his mouthful of vegetable and looked at her. "You know I don't eat sweets, Sydney," he said simply.

She did know, not that the minor detail would have deterred her. "You do today," she said stubbornly. "Come on, Sky. I bet you'll like it."

He gave the pink confection a disparaging once-over. "Do you know how much sugar is in there?"

Sydney rolled her eyes. "It's not going to kill you."

"Not right away," he agreed, taking a drink of fruit punch from the plastic cup in his hand.

"Do you know how much sugar is probably in that punch you're drinking?" she countered.

"Probably not as much as in that mound of flour and frosting you're holding."

Sydney frowned at him in annoyance, not appreciating the unsavory description of her beautiful birthday cake. As usually happened though, her full lower lip curled upward slightly the longer she held the expression, making what might have been a menacing frown look more like a petulant pout—a face that was nearly impossible to take seriously. It did make the Blue Ranger soften ever so subtly as his gaze flickered between the cake to her mouth, but he wasn't relenting.

"Fine," Sydney shrugged, and made as if to put the plate and the fork down. "If you're not going to eat it—" she set only the fork on the table. "—you can wear it."

Catching Sky completely off guard, she ran a finger through the frosted edge of the cake and deposited a dollop of pink cream on the tip of his nose. He looked completely bewildered for a moment, but it quickly transformed into an irritated glare. Sydney merely smirked back, unrepentant.

"That's for defying the birthday girl."

Before Sky could retort, Jack's voice cut in from the side, "Aren't we a little too old for finger painting with our food?"

Sydney and Sky glanced up in surprise, just in time for Bridge to capture the moment on his camera. Instead of protesting the less-than-dignified picture, however, Sky took advantage of the Pink Ranger's distraction to retaliate, smearing a bigger glob of frosting on her nose.

"Hey!" she whirled and glowered at him, but the expression was more comical than dark from the cake trimming that now adorned her face. Sky merely grinned back at her.

Bridge dutifully snapped another picture.

"It goes well with the uniform," remarked Z casually. She had been the first to comment on Sky's dreary choice of wardrobe—or perhaps the lack of choice therein—for Sydney's party. Unfortunately, her words now gave the Pink Ranger an evil idea.

"I'll bet it does," said Sydney mischievously, and smeared a pink frosting-laden handprint on Sky's uniform, right over the 'SPD' insignia.

The other three Rangers choked back a startled gasp and laugh while Bridge hazarded another photo. They watched trepidly for the Blue Ranger's reaction, but he, for once, seemed disinclined to have one. Instead of looking outraged like they'd expected, Sky merely glanced down at his cream-coated uniform as if he didn't quite know what to make of it.

"A definite improvement," said Z thoughtfully after a long silent pause.

"It's a good color on you," added Bridge, whom was paying more attention to the similarly pink swirls rising in the faint aura surrounding his aloof roommate—the color that meant affection.

Sky just shook his head and reached for a napkin, first wiping the frosting from his nose and then scrubbing at the layer on his uniform. He quickly found, however, that like most spreadable treats, the frosting was leaving behind a very stubborn residue on the fabric.

"Just lose the jacket, Sky," said Jack, picking up on his teammates' exasperation. "I think that was the original purpose."

The Blue Ranger gave him a withering look.

Sydney sighed, dismayed to see the tension flaring between those two on her birthday of all days. "Come on, Sky. We're just trying to get you to lighten up a little. It's supposed to be a party. My party." She paused. "I want you to have fun."

The Blue Ranger just looked at her, his expression blank and almost uncomprehending, and lingering so long that she started to shift uncomfortably. He had never done this before, or at least never so openly, and she wished, more so at that moment than any other time before, that she knew what was going on in his mind.

In reality, no more than a few seconds had passed, thought it felt much longer to Sydney. The stillness was broken when Sky shrugged indifferently and pulled off his jacket, tossing it in a nearby chair. The gesture startled her, though it wasn't surprising in itself.

No, what was surprising was when he reached out and wiped the frosting from her nose with a finger, then popped it in his mouth. Sydney could only stare in stunned silence.

"Not bad," he said a bit too casually, as if they hadn't just had a confrontation over a slice of cake. As if he hadn't just eaten a blob of frosting off her nose. "Are you happy now?"

"I—" Sydney struggled to find her voice again. "I don't know. Are you happy?"

From the corner of her eye, she saw the other three Rangers gracefully sneaking away, leaving her and Sky alone. While she was grateful for their consideration, now there was nothing besides the Blue Ranger for her to focus on, and having all her attention focused on Sky had never been a very good idea before.

"I wish you'd told us earlier about your birthday," said Sky, sounding curiously annoyed. "I didn't have a chance to get you anything."

"You don't have to get me anything," answered Sydney, perplexed that he would be bothered by something so trivial. They had known each other for years now; if Sky really cared that much for birthdays, he would have asked about hers a long time ago. That couldn't really be what was making him so moody, could it?

"You guys were sweet enough to throw me this surprise party," Sydney went on, watching his expression. "I know I made a big deal about the lavish dinner my parents planned for me, but it wasn't just the glitz and glamour I was looking forward to. It was feeling special, and having people make a fuss over me because it was my birthday." She smiled. "And I do feel special, because you guys cared enough to try to make it up to me."

Sky, never one for sentiments, looked skeptical but nodded anyway, taking her words at face value.

"Buuut…" Sydney added. "If you really feel that badly about not getting me a present, you can make it up to me with a birthday hug." Her smile turned a little impish. "Then maybe I'll reconsider making you play musical chairs with us later."

Sky rolled his eyes at that last sentence like she knew he would, but then tentatively reached out and put his arms around her. The gesture was awkward at first, until she wrapped her arms around him in return and settled contentedly into the embrace. She had never been this close to him before, and she was surprised at how good it felt. Resting her cheek against his chest briefly, she let out a tiny sigh.

Sky shifted incrementally, and she lifted her head, a hot blush warming her face as she realized she was probably getting too comfortable there. She was sure he meant to pull away…and then she felt the tension melt from his shoulders and his arms settle more naturally against her back. Having not anticipated that at all, now she became tense, her face growing even warmer than before.

"Happy birthday, Sydney," she heard him say, sounding perfectly normal, perfectly unaffected, and then he let her go.

Her face felt so warm, she wondered if she didn't resemble a tomato at that moment. "Thanks," she murmured quietly, not daring to meet his gaze. Already she was itching to be in his arms again, to fit warmly and cozily in his embrace and just stay there until the end of the party. Or maybe just forever.

As she stood there feeling embarrassed, elated, and full of longing all at once, she declared in her mind that this had been her best birthday up to date. And when she finally found the courage to glance up and saw Sky's puzzled expression over her red face, she relished his apparent cluelessness as well. Yes, definitely the best birthday ever.