maren had the kitchen table covered with a silken runner, aurora helping with setting the plates and assisting her mother with cooking. god, maren was awful at cooking, but it was her wife's birthday, and she wished to surprise her with not only flowers, (store bought) cake and cat shapes jewelry, but with a large, nice dinner as well.
" happy birthday, my darling thrush. " maren would say with a warm expression on her features. the house smelled of cooked steak. a nice dinner for her most beloved, complemented with her favorite red wine.
she sighs softly when she parks her car, pulling her keys out of the ignition. unlocking the door, she's greeted by the salivating scent of steak and it's almost enough to lead her to the kitchen straight away, but first she hangs up her jacket and bag, placing her keys in the little candy dish by the door. when agatha sees her wife and daughter, she smiles and greets them with a hug and kiss. " oh, you two are always going out of your way for me on my birthday. " her smile grows and she reaches out, tussling aurora's hair. " bet your mama roped you into helping her cook, huh? " the faerie asks with a soft laugh, letting the two lead her into the dining room.
the scent is stronger here and, as if on cue, her stomach rumbles. (it probably doesn't help she forgot to have lunch.) " this all smells so good. " agatha says, sitting when maren pulls a chair out for her. " you two always make my birthdays even better. i love you both so much. " before aurora, before maren, she hardly celebrated at all. her birth, her existence was one she didn't see worthy of celebration, not even a small one. gods, she's come such a long way since then.
they chat about their day between bites of steak and steamed vegetables and sips of wine, recounting how work and school was. it all went well as it usually seems to these days. her features soften as she listens to her wife and daughter talk, enjoying their presence, their company, their voices. what a beautiful life this is. after dinner and before dessert, maren offers her the small but prettily wrapped gift of cat-shaped jewelry. a necklace and earrings to match. " oh, my darling, i love them! " agatha smiles, her eyes sparkling. she puts the necklace on and replaces the earrings she wore throughout the day with the ones maren has gifted her. " they're beautiful on me, i'm sure. " she says with a soft laugh, reaching out to cup maren's face, her thumb gently stroking her cheek. she gazes warmly at her. she wouldn't trade this for anything.
" as always, thank you both for an amazing birthday. "