The tale of two guardians (Astro boy x reader)

Chapter 2: Happy Birthday

Just as you were about to take another bite, Dylan leaned forwards and he stole the delicious bit of pancake from your fork, happily chewing away. Your eyes widened and you gasped while he looked content with himself.

"HEY!"

"No fighting you two." Kate said in a warning tone as she appeared behind the two of you. You and Dylan shuttered with fear as the two of you felt a foreboding aura behind you. You dared not turn around.

"S-Sorry Miss Kate." You fumbly apologised with Dylan right by your side. Kate stared you down as you hurriedly finished your plate of food. Once finishedC you rushed outside to join the rest of the kids.

"Are the preparations done?" Kate asked, watching as you went. Rosy appeared behind her, nodding her head.

"Yes, they're done. But... are we sure this isn't too soon for her?"

"We've had to put up with her shenanigans for eight years, she's more than ready." Rosy chuckled.

"Oh Kate, you'll miss her." Kate dabbed away a tear from her face and nodded. Deciding it was better to leave Kate with her thoughts, Rosy ran off to finish the rest of her preparations.

~~~

You were playing catch with a few other kids when you saw Kate exit the orphanage. You grew nervous as she headed towards you, before coming to an abrupt stop.

"Children, please start making your way towards the arbour out back. There is a surprise for you." As she said this, her eyes connected with yours for a moment. You instantly knew this had something to do with you. As diligently as you could, you followed her down the cobble stone pathway with the other children following behind you. You could hear Dylan's voice a couple of kids down, mumbling something about how much of a bore this day was.

As you reached the end of the pathway, Rosy met you with a party popper, sending a rainfall of confetti over you. You stumbled back into the other children and nearly fell over, causing an array of childish laughter to erupt behind you.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone cheered. As Rosy helped you to your feet, Kate presented to you a garden decorated in party streamers and colourful balloons. On a long table covered by a white cloth, an assortment of sweets and some of your favourite foods were laid out across it. You stepped up to the table with your mouth agape.

"You guys..." you felt someone tug on your shirt and looked down to see Isabelle, one of the youngest there, offering you a small stuffed bear.

"I made this for you." Your heart squeezed for this little girl, and you carefully wrapped your fingers around the bear. It was poorly made, but you didn't care. You took great care when handling the bear, gently caressing every stitch woven into it.

"Thank you, I love it!" You stated, giving the bear a tight squeeze to the chest. You then wrapped your arms tightly around the little girl, bringing her in for a hug. You stayed like that for a good minute or so, before another kid had begun pestering you for your attention.

"Y/n, Y/n! Look what I got!" Slowly releasing Isabelle, you shifted your attention towards him. He grinned at you, revealing his teeth missing tooth, and handed you something wrapped in leaves. You pulled the leaves apart and saw that it was...a rock. You raised your eyebrow at the boy, Billy. Billy laughed.

"I searched the forests for something cool. I then found this rock!" Before you could praise the brave lad for his recklessness, Kate stepped in.

"Billy, when was this?" Everyone began to laugh at Billy's misfortune as Kate rebuked him. Meanwhile, the gifts then continued. You were given little trinkets such as voodoo dolls, eyeball key chains, a bottle of little beads, and the sort. You were incredibly happy with your gifts whilst the adults eyed said gifts with great concern.