Both Uncle Arin and Suzy went to the backyard. There was a table, and Danny and Ashley were there putting some chairs and decorations around it.
"You need some help?" Uncle Arin asked, and Danny turned excitedly towards him.
"Arin, you're finally here!" Danny immediately forgot about the fact he was helping her wife put some balloons and shit at that very moment and ran towards his partner/best friend/platonic love.
And they both hugged each other.
Hard.
"I really missed you, dude," Danny whispered almost in Arin's ear.
"Me too," Arin did the same thing.
I mean, that shit seemed like it came straight out of some BL.
They could start making out at any moment and no one would bait an eye.
Except for Suzy. I mean, we're talking about her husband and one of her best friends, so it's no surprise she always felt really uncomfortable when those two acted that way.
And that happened ALL the time.
"Oh, hi, Suzy," Danny said once he and Arin finally stopped hugging.
Suzy waved her hand lightly and greeted him with an awkward smile.
"Hey, honey," Ashley interrupted whatever everyone else was doing, "a little help here."
"Oh. Right," Dan remembered he was supposed to be helping her and approached her. "Sorry, babe. Sorry."
Arin and Suzy followed him. They didn't need to, but they were a little afraid Ashley was talking to them too.
"Just put this shit somewhere," Ashley handed them some balloons that were already inflated. "Let me go get the cake," and she headed to the kitchen.
At that moment, Camilla, the Sexbang's dog came running towards Arin, Danny and Suzy. She was a mix of so many different dogs, but she looked nothing like them. She approached Suzy and put her front pawns on her thigh. Then, she tried to lick her hand.
She wiggled her tail and moved the rest of her body both excitedly and frantic, so both Arin and Danny loved to voice her in a very excited and frantic way.
"WhO aRe YoUr FrIeNdS, DaAaAaDdY?" Danny, I mean, Camilla said.
"ArE tHeY gOnNa PlAy WiTh Me, DaAaAaDdY?" Arin, I mean, Camilla said. "Uh, ArE tHeY gOnNa RuB mY BeLLy, DaAaAaDdY?"
Suzy petted Camilla, and Camilla licked her hand.
"Here it is," Ashley returned with a big chocolate cake in her hands. It had "Happy Bday lil' Arin" written on the top, along 16 candles and a small but neat drawing of a bass guitar.
Camilla ran towards Ashley and put both of her front paws on Ashley's tighs. She wiggled her tail frantically.
"I wAnT tO eAt SoMe CaKe, DaAaAaDdY," said Arin, I mean, Camilla.
"No, Camilla," Danny scolded her, "that's chocolate cake. If you eat it you'll die."
"BuT iT's DeLiCiOuS, DaAaAaDdY, aNd It WiLL LiBeRaTe Me FrOm ThIs MeAt PrIsOn, DaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaDdY."
Both Uncle Arin and Danny laughed and gave no cake to Camilla. Ashley ignored Camilla and put the cake in the center of the table.
"Arin!" she yelled, "come blow your candles!"
Arin appeared a few seconds later. He was checking his phone.
"Hey, kid," said Ashley, "turn off that thing for five minutes and join us."
"Just a second, mom," Arin replied without taking his eyes off the phone. "I'm just checking something with the boys. We'll go out tonight."
"Nice, and why don't you invite your girlfriend?" Danny said with a sly grin.
"Uuuuuh," everyone stared at Arin with an equally sly grin.
"Dad, WFT! She's not my girlfriend yet," Arin said, and he felt a little embarrassed because 1) now everyone knew he had a crush on someone, and 2) Beck hadn't texted him yet (sad face emoji).
Everyone gave him that "how cute" look.
He really hated that look.
"So…" Uncle Arin approached Nephew Arin really slowly and suspiciously, "she thicc?"
"Arin, come on," Suzy chided him.
"Yes, Arin," Danny exclaimed, "that's really inappropriate and disrespectful."
At that very moment, Ashley was glaring at her husband with her eyes half-closed, like she was saying "YOU FUCKING HIPOCRITE!"
"Anyway," she lit the candles. "Come on and blow your candles before the cake gets all waxy and—AAAAHHHHH!"
Ninja Brian was right beside her.
He was glaring intensely at lil' Arin.
Lil' Arin was extremely intimidated.
"Hey, Ninja Brian," Uncle Arin said.
Ninja Brian flipped him off without taking his eyes off Arin.
"Ninja Brian says happy birthday," Danny said, "and also that he had already given you his present."
And he sure did.
That very morning, when he woke up, had found a big fucking dead rat nailed on the wall with a big fucking kunai. Over it there was a note that said:
"You're fucking welcome."
Arin wasn't sure if that meant that thing was lurking in his room last night, and Ninja Brian hunted it for him, or if that was like a sort of a tribute or something.
And he was too afraid to ask.
*DING DONG, BING BONG*
"Honey, can you go open the door?" Ashley asked.
"Sure," Danny got up and got in the house. Both Arin and Ashley glanced at each other and grinned, because they both knew who was knocking at the door.
You see, every year Danny and Ashley told lil' Arin to invite all his friends, and he always faced a big dilemma:
· He didn't want to be embarrassed in front of them, so he shouldn't invite anyone;
· He didn't want his parents, Uncle Arin and Suzy to think he didn't have any friends—they already did—so he should invite everyone.
So in the end, he would only invite Stevie, his best friend.
But he never came alone.
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" yelled Danny from inside the house.