Today had quite frankly been the best birthday Ben had ever had, even though his mom had thrown some awesome parties. There was still supposed to be an actual party in less than a week, to have it on the weekend when no one had to take a day off daytime-job work and put some space between his birthday and his uncle Sam's, and there was going to be a moonbounce and games and everything at the house, geared more toward him, his younger friends and any adults with the hearts of kids, but Ben wold have considered his whole birthday complete with all that had gone on today.
It had started with, of all things, a puppy. Well, actually it started knowing he didn't have to go to school today and that his dad was taking the day off too, but the puppy? That had been the big event. If anyone had been dismayed by the choice for the puppy's registered name – Whiskey On The Rocks – they hadn't said anything to Ben, who still thought naming the dog after an ACDC song was the best idea ever. He'd even known exactly what the puppy's 'normal' name would be as soon as he'd settled on the ACDC song. Jack. Like the whiskey. He hadn't even changed his mind when Claire pointed out that calling their dogs together was a cheese name. It was funny, after all.
Then there'd been the day spent with his dad, not doing a bunch of epic things but instead just doing all the stuff they liked to do together, plus some things they'd been wanting to do, and topped it off with shopping for stuff for Jack. After that had been dinner out at a restaurant – a step up from normal diners – with his dad and Claire, and then, even after all that, all his family and family friends had gathered here for food, cake and fireworks. Two cakes. He would end up with two cakes for his birthday after the weekend party. It was awesome to be a Winchester.
Deciding the debate about the fireworks was one left to his Dad and the others, as he didn't much care about the order as long as things started exploding in the air pretty quickly, Ben wandered over to the blankets, Jack in tow, and flopped down next to Claire. Two bodies in close proximity seemed to be all the encouragement that the puppy needed to join the pile with an excessive of wriggling and puppy nips.
"This is gonna be awesome," he announced, shifting around Jack until he was perpendicular to Claire and could use her stomach as a pillow, a move he made with no shame, but also no artifice, the action born of companionableness and comfort, not of kissing up to a girl.