She wrapped the presents meticulously, cursing under her breath in the dark apartment as she got a paper cut. She stacked them on the couch and went over to the table. Placing the tablecloth on the table, she smoothed out the wrinkles with her fingers. She set the table, putting a plate, a bowl, a cup, a napkin, and various cutlery in the correct place. Then, surrounding his placemat, she put out several bowls, each one filled with a different kind of candy; licorice, gummies, small chocolates, and taffies, et cetera. As the sun began to peek over the horizon, she stretched, checked the time, and began cooking, pulling her hair back into a messy bun before she began.
At around 9 in the morning, Poppy slid the finished cheesecake into the fridge and stretched as she closed the door, yawning slightly. She went through her mental checklist. Pancake mix ready? Check. Presents? Check. Candy Circle? Check Cheesecake? Check. Table set? Check. Streamers? Check.
Poppy yawned and pulled the pancake mix out of the fridge, putting a frying pan on the stove and dropping butter into it.
She grinned and took off the first pancake before walking quickly over to him. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully as she approached him. "Happy Birthday!"
He kissed her cheek with a grin. "Belated," he said, before looking around. "You really put a lot of work into this, huh?"
"Do not underestimate my holiday spirit," she warned. "Just wait when we get towards Christmas. You'll be really annoyed then."
"Oh, lovely," she said, kissing him. "Come on. Do you want breakfast first, or do you want to open presents first? Or both?"
"Good," Poppy said enthusiastically. "Actually, I'm making the pancakes now, so I will need you to open one present at the table while you wait. It's a specific one."
She went to the couch, where multiple presents rested, and she picked up one that seemed to be rather heavy. It was quite large, about the size of a lamp, and Poppy placed it on the table in front of him. "Okay. Here."
