Zigster

"Happy birthday you crunchy granola sweet girl! Here's some singing along silliness for you. Love, Zigs"

"Down at the banks with the hanky-pank, and the bull frogs jump from bank to bank saying eep! opp! Epp-bop-op!"

"What. On earth. Are you doing?"

"Singing."

"Oh, is that what you'd call it? Those weren't even the right words."

"Yes, they were!"

"No, they weren't." Edward sticks out his tongue and Jasper glares at him.

"How would you know?"

"I was once five."


"Me too!"

Edward rolls his eyes. "No. You are five. I'm six. Huge difference." He straightens his back and squares his slim shoulders.

"Whatever. I'll be six soon."

"I'm still older."

It's Jasper turn to stick out his tongue and Edward balks at the gesture before stomping off, leaving Jasper behind to giggle and continue on singing his song.

"Eep-bop-bop! Skittle, dittle, kernel.... pop!"

. . .

"I wanna walk like you, talk like you... ooh ooo!"

"Jasper, shut up!"

"Ooo oo oooo I wanna be like you-oooo!"

"Shut up! And stop following me!"

Jasper stops dancing at Edward's heels, crestfallen. "Why?"

"Because you're a baby!"

Stomping his foot, Jasper declares, "Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I'm going to be ten tomorrow!"

"Well, I already am ten. So leave me alone until you grow up!"

Jasper runs off before Edward can see the tears in his eyes.

. . .

Sitting on his bed, Jasper mumbles the lyrics to his favorite song.  "Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage... and some people say what is lost can never be saved..."

Before he can sing any further, he hears a knock at his window.

"What are you doing here?" He asks through the glass.

"Just let me in."

"Why?"

"Because it's cold!"

Jasper stares back at Edward, unmoved.

"And I climbed a tree to get up here?"

Rolling his eyes, Jasper opens the window and Edward stumbles in.

"Thanks for the help."

"No prob."

"That was sarcastic."

"I know."

An awkward silence falls as both boys look anywhere but at each other. Eventually, Edward speaks up.

"Tomorrow's your birthday."

"Yup."

"Seventeen."

"Yup."

"Have you made your wish yet?"

"Isn't that when you blow out candles on a cake?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you see a cake, Edward?"

"No."

"Doesn't that answer your question?"

Edward huffs and tugs at his hair. Jasper isn't making this easy.

"Just...make a fucking wish, Jas."

"Why?"

"Because I asked you to!"

Jasper glares at Edward for a second before growling out a "fine" and closing his eyes. Edward takes the opportunity and moves in, quick and urgent, kissing Jasper with everything he has, bleeding out the years of frustration into a single, euphoric moment of bliss. When he pulls back, he sees Jasper breathing hard, eyes still closed.

"Happy birthday, Jasper."

By the time Jasper opens his eyes, Edward's gone but a small, badly wrapped gift remains on the bed before him. For the first time, in a long time, Jasper smiles.