To everybody’s surprise, the cake had turned out pretty decent. Good, even. The decorations weren’t exactly precise, but overall the pastry promised some delicious bites.
They lit the pink candles Elora had brought along with the wine she had promised, and sang ‘Happy birthday’. The internet connection was slow in that old house, so Airk’s delayed voice gave the song an odd echo; Kit laughed though, so it was fine by Jade too.
“C’mon, make a wish now!,” Elora encouraged the birthday girl as if she were a little child.
Kit wiggled in her seat, then focused on a specific thought with her eyes closed before blowing all the candles in one take. Jade wanted to know what the wish was – she always did –, but refrained from asking. She knew saying the wish out loud was considered bad luck, and she didn’t want that for Kit. Not only that: she wanted all of her wishes to come true.
Arthur smiled, and filled in the details with a quiet sort of measure, almost as if he was afraid of being too bold and taking away from the absolute mastercraft of tailoring Gwen had managed to accomplish in so short a time, “it’s a water resistant weave of silk from Bengal, it should hold well despite the weather.”
Explained or not, the fabric seemed like magic to Merlin, and the robe Gwen had made of it, even more so.
Just then, when it seemed they would all be lost in the reverie of the garment for hours, Morgana discovered another feature and made a whimsical proclamation that immediately lightened the mood: “it has pockets?!?”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I haven't work on this fic for 3 months and I felt like I was neglecting my child. So, enjoy some birthday shenanigans involving Kieran and Florian to help alleviate my guilt.
Or Chapter 9 is the birthday chapter of this fic that is intended to give fluff to light up the angst I've written for the sopping cat boy.
I hope that I’m not the only one who wants to see a chapter about celebrating Anya’s birthday.
This can go several ways:
1) Becky asks Anya when her birthday is and Anya is confused and like “What’s a birthday?” - I bet the scientists never considered celebrating her birthday if they wanted her to study instead of being a child. Once Anya learns what a birthday is, she asks her Papa when is hers is. Now, while Anya’s real birthday is unknown, Loid had have to write a date when he acquired (fake) ID papers for Anya, so that date would be Anya’s birthday.
2) Yor is the one who asks Loid when is Anya’s birthday and Loid gives the date registered in Anya’s (fake) ID papers.
After the situation of the birthday date is resolved, what’s left is to prepare the party. Anya’s favorite foods are prepared (including a cake) and guests are invited (Becky obviously but also Franky and Unkie Yuri). Party games are played and presents are opened. Just a sweet birthday chapter.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 11/?
Fandom: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Jae-Ha & Yona, Jae-Ha/Yona, Son Hak/Yona, Jae-Ha & Son Hak, Son Hak & Yona, Son Hak/Other(s)
Characters: Yona (Akatsuki no Yona), Jae-Ha (Akatsuki no Yona), Son Hak, Son Mundok, Yoon | Yun, Kija (Akatsuki no Yona), Shin-Ah (Akatsuki no Yona), Zeno (Akatsuki no Yona), Ao the Squirrel, Tae-Woo (Akatsuki no Yona), Tae-Yeon (Akatsuki no Yona), Han-Dae (Akatsuki no Yona), Four Dragon Warriors, Ayame, Lily, Ayura (Akatsuki no Yona), Tetora (Akatsuki no Yona), Original Characters, Wind Tribe (Akatsuki no Yona), Ryokuryuu Village - Character, Four Dragon Warriors (Akatsuki no Yona), Ik-Soo (Akatsuki no Yona)
Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Pregnancy, Childbirth, Hak/Jae-Ha brofic, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional, Unresolved Emotional Tension, One-Sided Relationship, Family Feels, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Best Friends, Lemon, Sexual Content, Violence, Kidnapping, Alternate Universe, Unrequited Love, Brotherly Love, Pregnant Sex, Married Couple, Married Life, Married Sex, Family Drama, Rage, Sibling Bonding, Family Secrets, Drug Use, Ryokuryuu village, Past Abuse, Abuse, Psychological Trauma, Trauma, Prophecy, Fate & Destiny, Destiny, Trapped, Birthday, Birthday Presents, Abandonment, Regret
Series: Part 14 of Yona/Jae-ha Alternate Chapters
Summary:
Final Story Arc for the Yona/Jae-ha Alternate Chapters series, continued from the one shots 'What Do You Think of Me' 'Why Don't You…?' and 'The Secret's Out' Hak takes Yona back to the Wind Tribe as she is nearing when she will give birth to her child when Jae-ha explains to him what happens when the next Dragon Warrior is born. Yona/Jae-ha with one sided Hak/Yona pairings. Maybe lemons in some chapters so mature warning just in case.
My part one of my special chapter of Twinklnyan Adventures is done but it didn’t release yet. I was thinking is either tonight or on my birthday? Let me know.
It was a miracle to still wake up in one piece every day, let alone mark this particular time of year:
My birthday.
I’d hardly left the shower and started my day before noticing that pings still lit up the phone. Voicemails, missed calls, text messages and even social media posts had filed in. On and on.
No matter what happened at night, there was no mistake in trying to stay grateful at this point. People genuinely cared, even if my life seemed to be shouldered in family chaos or darkness otherwise.
Just when I planned on stepping out for the gym, my phone rang again and Drew had called again.
“Russ.” I shouldered my phone while taking two brief steps at a time down this longtime stoop.
“Bro! I’ve been trying to call all morning. Happy birthday.” Drew showed off that familiar boost in his voice that always seemed to make people feel better about themselves.
“Thanks, D.” I said, walking down the block and turning to face another corner before heading to one nearby intersection.
“You’re welcome. Look, I’ve said this before, but I’ll definitely say it again: no matter what happens, you’ll always be part of my family, blood or not.” Drew offered his kindness again, reminding me of so much.
We met for the first time as kids at a city park because of our parents.
We both toughed out puberty as far back as Junior High.
We ended up graduating college together.
In good times and bad times, he was always there, even now, decades later.
“Thanks, man. Heading to the gym now. Ready to get your ass beat in some basketball or what?” I joked, finally reaching my destination and opening one of the frontal glass doors.
“Oh! Do you just mean letting you win one-on-one for your birthday?” As usual, Drew messed with me on the other line.
“Nah, there’s a reason why Coach Moore didn’t let you in as one of the Point Guards.” I rasped my voice during this call, but Drew recognized that some laughter peaked here, passing my entry card to the front desk clerk.
“Got jokes on your birthday? Damn!” Drew cackled.
“Wasting time with you. Thanks for the birthday wishes, D. See you later.” While still humored, I beelined for the indoor basketball court after hanging up this call.
_______
Hours later, I stopped playing for today and stepped off the court, waving goodbye to nearby members on my way out of here.
As I planned to head home for another shower and knock out real work, my footsteps paused near the front desk.
This brunette ponytail scaled down towards the woman’s shoulders and from this angle, she seemed to wear a t-shirt with athletic pants and sneakers, holding some kind of box with veined hands. Manicured fingers gripped that same box.
Mom was here, no longer hiding from the city. At least for now.
“Oh, Ms. Reynolds. Cyrus is right behind you.” The clerk had seemed to hurry through their answers, but pointed my mother in the right direction.
As soon as Mom turned around, she ditched that random box on the front desk.
I opened both arms to hug her without even caring about sweat this time around. Hell, she was the only person besides Drew’s family who’d support me through our games back in high school.
“You’re strong enough to lift me now.” Mom pulled away and showed off the same smile that I’d see at night during bedtime stories. “Happy birthday, Sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Ma.” I grinned back, noticing that had worn a New York Knicks cap while hiding her ponytail from the heatwave outside. “What’s the box for?” I pointed back towards the front desk and picked up that box while still shouldering my gym bag.
“Let’s sit down first. Don’t want to spoil another surprise.” Mom beamed, almost skipping towards the cafe entrance as if we planned on an adventure. I hadn’t seen this overjoyed in years.
“All right, Ma. What’s in here?” I sat down, setting the box in front of us after choosing a table.
“Took a little secret work, but I pulled some strings and put together something special for you.” Mom almost rubbed her hands together and showed another great smile.
“Let’s see.” I unraveled this navy-blue ribbon that centered the box first and kept moving, almost frantic with my hands like it was the holidays or something. Even its wrapping paper seemed to take a long time until I finally reached the jackpot.
It was one hardcover photo album. The word “Family” centered this gift using beautifully dark letters.
“Mom, this is amazing. Thank you.” Smiling again, I stood from our table and hugged her. She still didn’t even care about my workout sweat.
“You’re welcome. Happy birthday.” Mom couldn’t help showing off joy again and we opened these pages together.
“Thank you.” I repeated myself, still extremely grateful.
Mom and I were included first. Even various pictures of me with Drew and his cousins or siblings had been featured. Of course, there were no snapshots of me with Dad given our circumstances, but it was expected.
“Flip to the very last page.” Mom still looked joyful at this point. I didn’t know what to think, but looked forward to seeing another surprise. I turned to the final page as she said, looking immediately.
At that moment, I nearly froze. There was an old picture of me and Bianca while we were officially dating.
Back then, we were invited to my aunt Sarah's wedding. At the semi-formal event, I sported one great suit and covered my tattoos for the first time in quite a while.
Bianca, an angel, wanted us to fit that special occasion without ever upstaging the couple. Her cocktail dress still looked gorgeous, almost leaving me in awe that night.
In the picture, I’d dipped Bianca while dancing and smiled downward as if we were going to kiss. Mom had taken this candid shot of us with her favorite digital camera.
I snapped back to the present time after reading something that was written at the bottom of this photo album’s last page.
By the time I closed the photo album and stood up from our table again, Mom already wiped away tears as we hugged.
“Happy birthday.” Mom whispered again, nodding between us as we moved away from each other. “Take care of yourself and go see her. Please.”
“Hopefully, Mom. I don’t even know how I’ll celebrate this year.” I honestly shrugged. I hadn't thrown big-time parties like that since college.
“Maybe invite Drew with a few other friends to dinner and Bianca might show up.” Mom smiled again after pulling herself together.
“We'll see.” I assured her with this white-lie. Who knew at this point if something would happen tonight or not?
“All right. I’m going to head out of here and I’ll text you when I’m home. I love you.” Mom offered this sweet goodbye after kissing my sweaty cheek anyway. Still No shame whatsoever.
“I love you too, Mom. Drive safe. Thank you.” I waved goodbye, watching my mother pull out of the parking lot soon after we left that building.
______
Later that night, an Escalade truck pulled up to the curb of my apartment and beamed its headlights. Even its driver honked out loud, but I recognized those hysterics.
“Yo!” Drew called from the widow and didn’t even attempt using Bluetooth to call me from the truck.
Despite rolling my eyes, I laughed out loud for once, forgetting bullshit. Mom wrote to choose joy, so I’d try for once.
Heading out again, I readied for the night and almost yanked the passenger seat door open, which prompted Drew to nearly shout with genuine excitement.
“Happy birthday, man! Let’s get the hell out of here and get this party started.” Drew exclaimed with almost the same amount of energy as our college years.
Tonight, his own personality had spiked up several notches and my best friend wasn’t tipsy yet. Even two of my guards who joined in the back seats were hyped too, ready for anything.
“If you say so.” Humored again, I replied to him and turned up the radio almost as soon as this truck moved away from the curb.
________
By the time we entered Shadow as usual, I couldn’t even pass guests without hearing birthday wishes.
“Before we go in, don’t be mad.” Drew tilted his head while facing me and those guards. I folded both arms, but kept smiling. We had reached my favorite private room on the top floor, usually reserved for so-called meetings.
“What did you do?” I shook my head in return.
“You’ll see.” Drew pushed the door open and we stepped through, casted with those bright overhead lights.
Music thumped out loud from downstairs as usual, but voices yelled with happiness over that same noise.
“Surprise!” More guests were here and it was as if the room had grown much larger. Even some of our college friends had arrived.
“No way…” I almost ended up whispering like some kid who’d found the best gift from a toy store now.
“Planned months ahead. I wanted to do something special.” Drew patted my shoulder.
“Thanks, man.” I showed gratitude and moved around the room, genuinely smiling again instead of trying to keep guards up.
****
Hours later, quite a few guests had filed out here, but of course the party wasn’t over yet. Drew and I even shared classic cheesecake between sips of champagne, my favorite.
There was no sign of Eric and his goons all night, either. Especially considering how Mom surprised me earlier today, this year’s birthday just couldn’t get any better in my opinion.
“Cheers, Bro.” Drew clinked his glass with me, finishing off that drink.
“This has been the best day of my life.” I lowered my voice, buzzed without feeling too loopy right now.
“Really?” Someone other than Drew asked that next question.
I turned around while sitting across from Drew and almost over my shoulder. Right then, my mouth nearly gaped.
Bianca showed up.
“Oh, well. That’s our cue to bounce. Come on, fellas.” Whistling downward Drew rounded up our guards who still kept watch despite the party. Even the guards mumbled their farewells and smiled at Bianca out of respect before heading elsewhere in the nightclub.
“You’ve probably heard guests say it all night, but happy birthday.” Once the door finally closed behind us, Bianca lifted a gift bag while standing across from me and offered one smile. She looked beautiful, dressed for the night without doing too much.
“Thank you.” I repeated my answer kindly. “I appreciate you for visiting me.”
“No problem.” Bianca seemed timid. Even on this important day in my life, she kept guards up, probably still thinking of the worst case scenario despite joy this time around.
Just you existing is enough for me. I thought to myself.
“Here goes nothing.” I sat down and gently reached into the shimmering gift bag while smiling in hopes of cheering her up a little more.
First, there was a birthday card with my first name written perfectly on the front. I didn’t open that envelope yet, giving myself time to read it alone instead.
Next, I’d picked this small box out of the bag, but its familiar logo caught my attention. The symbol itself had linked to a pet store.
“Open it.” Bianca encouraged, watching me open the box almost delicately by this point.
After passing the wrapping paper, I immediately recognized what had been placed at the center of this gift box:
A rounded bell collar deemed small enough for puppies.
“Oh my God.” I shook my head, but avoided eye contact with her, holding this puppy collar gently of course. “What’s going on? Where’s the puppy?”
“I would’ve surprised you earlier today, but the shelter’s already closed for the night. We can pick her up tomorrow.”
“Wait. I have so many questions first.” I nearly rattled off for once, almost sounding immature for my age tonight.
“Go ahead.” Bianca went on.
“What’s her name?” I asked, setting this collar back into the gift bag.
“Shiloh. She’s a German Shepherd puppy, too.” Bianca replied.
“You remembered?” I questioned, whispering. “That’s my favorite breed.”
“Of course.” she affirmed. “What’s your next question?”
“Where is Shiloh staying? I can’t take her with me because my apartment doesn’t allow pets.” I frowned while telling the truth.
“I know. She’ll stay with me until further notice, but your name will still be on the paperwork.” Bianca winked.
“My lease ends this year anyway, so you’ve got yourself a deal.” I reached out to shake hands with her, but paused, noticing that Bianca turned down her curls to avoid looking at me.
“Cy?” When she looked back up and shortened my name, her eyes, those pretty brown eyes, stared into my soul.
“Yeah?” I leveled my voice to stay calm.
She “answered” our question by leaning across the table and kissing me.
