Scene 22 - His Birthday
It was a wonderful coincidence that Kaldur'ahm was born under the astrological sign of Pisces and it was quite befitting due to his Atlantean heritage. Brianna decided to throw him a simple birthday celebration which consisted of spending time with him, his family, and finally, the Team. There was no surprise party since Aqualad was too intuitive to guess something would be up so Brianna just asked him to leave his birthday free from any events.
It started out simply with a trip to the zoo where she broadened her boyfriend's knowledge about land dwelling animals and he was particularly fascinated with the platypus, the semiaquatic mammal that laid eggs instead of giving birth. It did not live deep in the ocean and it was his first time encountering one. "It has a beak and webbed feet, Brianna. I've never seen anything like it!" He said in awe as he continued to stare at the animal.
The brunette smiled fondly and said, "Maybe you can apply it to training next time."
They continued to walk around, viewing different enclosures and attending a "Birds of Prey" show where the zoo trainers showcased the prowess of the various creatures of flight. It ended with a snack of hot dogs and ice cream before Brianna whisked him away through the Zeta tube to what was a secluded stretch of beach.
"Where are we?" The Atlantean asked and before his girlfriend could reply, two familiar figures surfaced from the water in front of them. "Mother, father! I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Aqualad said with surprise as Sha'lain'a embraced her son, "It was Brianna's idea. We know you've been spending some of your birthdays up on the surface without us and she thought of having us join you this time where we can all be together."
Calvin tapped the box in his arms and said, "There's some of your favorite food in here. Your mother insisted that Brianna have a chance to sample Atlantean cuisine while we have our little picnic on the beach." The brunette fished out a picnic blanket from her tote bag and laid it on the sand under a shady palm tree before they sat down to feast.
Both Kaldur and Brianna thoroughly enjoyed the food. For the blonde, eating home cooked food always left him a warm feeling in his heart. For the pyro, she was eating superbly fresh seafood and the meat was very sweet and succulent. "The clam seaweed roll is delicious and so is the boiled octopus with roe, Sha'lain'a." Brianna praised the blonde woman's cooking and she gave a very proud smile.
"We'll bring you other types of food next time." Sha'lain'a said before she turned to her son, "Kaldur dear, please do eat more." The blonde boy nodded as he sampled all the food his parents brought.
Calvin then presented his son with a pair of new water bearers. His and his wife's names were on one bearer while Kaldur's and Brianna's name were on the other. "Thank you, father," Kaldur'ahm said gratefully as he accepted his new weapons.
They continued talking and it was soon approaching mid-afternoon. "We should get back soon for dinner." Brianna said politely while her boyfriend's parents hugged their son.
"We love you so much, Kaldur. Take care and have a happy birthday," Sha'lain'a spoke a little dramatically while Calvin added on, "Always remain vigilant, we'll see you soon. Happy Birthday, my boy."
Hand in hand, the older couple stepped back into the ocean while the teens packed up. "It was lovely of you to invite my parents." Kaldur'ahm said affectionately while pulling her into a hug.
"You're welcome, Kaldur."
Without another word, the blonde Atlantean kissed her very passionately, enjoying their solitude.
Pulling away and blushing furiously, Brianna picked up her bag. "The Team is waiting for us and we managed to get Roy to pull away from his hunt." Sliding a hand into his webbed palm, they stepped back into the Zeta tube to be whisked back to Mount Justice. To his delight, he found the cave to be decorated with colorful streamers and there was a big "Happy 17th Birthday Kaldur!" banner in the lounge.
"So, this is why you brought me out of the cave." Aqualad murmured as Zatanna conjured up balloons and confetti.
"You don't like it?" Ember asked worriedly while her boyfriend shook his head.
"No. I'm just surprised again."
"Bri, you're back! We're about to start the barbecue outside after we put the pizza and lasagna into the oven." M'gann flew in eagerly and grabbed the couple around the cave as it bustled with festivity.
A little dizzy from her excitement, the brunette said, "That's wonderful, Meg. I think we should let Kaldur rest before we start the celebration later." He was about to protest before Brianna pulled him aside. "It's your birthday, dear. Just relax, we'll take care of it. Plus, you can talk to Roy and see how he's doing." She tipped her toes to press a kiss to his cheek before joining the Martian in food preparation.
Taking her advice, he searched for his red-haired friend and spotted him lurking in a corner with his arms crossed. "Roy, it's been a while." The Atlantean said as he extended a hand to the archer who returned the handshake and responded solemnly, "Happy Birthday."
Noticing his bleak attitude, he asked, "Is everything alright, my friend?" There was a sigh as Roy Harper shook his head.
"We've been through every lead with no success. I'm getting frustrated and tired of everything. I should be searching instead of being here." He said a little grumpily and the team leader reasoned with him, "It takes time. I am sure the other Roy is still out there. Who knows how deep The Light managed to bury the files? There is nothing wrong with taking a break or you will collapse sooner or later. Just relax for one evening, for old time's sake."
The red-headed archer relented as they joined the birthday party. Kaldur'ahm partook in another round of feasting with savory carbs, meat, and ice cream while watching another Pixar movie. He was having a good time with everyone and his love for Brianna continued to grow.
At the end of the film, a big rectangular chocolate cake was levitated out by the resident alien. The Team sung their leader a birthday song and the celebration ended with the cutting of the cake and gift giving. He might have been a bit biased but Kaldur'ahm felt the best gift was from his girlfriend who planned the day out for him along with a special watch she had asked Aquaman and The Atom to collaborate on. It could withstand much deeper pressure from ordinary diving watches and the gears were completely waterproof. The timepiece wasn't too big and it fit nicely on his wrist. Now he could easily know the time back at Happy Harbor instead of checking the League's computer which was built into his insignia.
This had to be the best surface birthday he had ever experienced. At the moment, he was wrecking his head to top it off when her birthday comes around in a few months…
Author's Note: I had no idea what you can give an Atlantean as a birhday present so I came up with the idea for the water bearers as a gift. No harm having the old ones as a spare. ^_^
And yes, the "Birds of Prey" was a reference to the all female superhero group in the comics. ;)
To Stronger123: Thank you! ^_^
To AthenaKeene: Thanks! Yeah, I can totally see her fawning over any hypothetical girlfriends of his. =)
To Eszra: I'm glad you enjoyed it!
To lolmak: I edited the sentence to "like the both of you with your own girlfriends".
To murdercrowther: Thank you for the compliment!
To piggythelaw: Thanks! Hopefully I'll get to write the actual proposal one day. ;)