Birthday morning. Patches pads into the kitchen. A tall birthday cake waits on the table.
A kawaii teddy bear bumps the cake with its soft belly — splat. It looks at Patches and holds up a tiny paw.
Patches' ears droop. The cake is a puddle of frosting and crumbs.
The bear nudges Patches' paw gently. Patches sniffs, then marches toward the flour bin.
Patches cracks an egg. Scoop, stir, scoop — but the bear wobbles, and the bowl tips.
Batter flies everywhere — the floor, the curtains, Patches' tail.
Patches sits down hard in a puddle of batter. The bear climbs into its lap and presses its chin against a striped ear.
Then the bear hops down and drags a clean plate and a bag of flour back over.
Patches stands up and tries again. The bear holds the bowl perfectly still this time.
They mix a small round cake. The bear places one candle on top. Together they blow it out.
The cake lands neat on the plate. Patches grins — a smear of frosting on their nose.
Best birthday ever.