*Disclaimer* - I don't own Genshin Impact

*A/N* - Salutations! Today is a glorious day! I say that because it is the one and only… Furina de Fontaine's Birthday! Ever since Furina made her debut, I knew she would be a fun character, and over time that was proven correct. From her complex and emotionally filled character arc to her fun and charming persona, Furina is a standout character that I wish I had more time to write stories about. However, on this special occasion, I feel that a birthday story contribution would be nice given that I can't compete with the fans who rented a building in her honor lol. Therefore, I would like to thank everyone for checking this story out and I hope you'll like it. I'm also taking a bit of inspiration from Furina's Birthday Letter. Enjoy!

Standing in a large cordial room with decorations scattered across the room, the renowned Traveler and his trusted companion, Paimon, were left in utter awe.

"Whoa! Look at this place! Furina really didn't hold back!"

"No kidding. I thought that when she meant Ferris wheel dessert stands it would be a good size… but this…"

"Heh… Paimon's stomach is getting all excited!"

The sight before the two could be described as a sweet, filled wonderland. Sitting on a long table, three towering Ferris wheel dessert stands could be seen twirling around while holding various treats in the small compartments. Alas, the size of the Ferris wheels was exponentially larger than he originally imagined. Just the sight of the dazzling contraption caused him to chuckle at the birthday girl's wording.

Furina's words rang true to wanting to create a stage overflowing with dazzling effects.

"Ooh! Look at that! Paimon recognizes that treat from anywhere!" Paimon said while floating up to the table. "It's Navia's Macarons!"

Taking a closer look, Aether smiled brightly, realizing the sweets had a connection to his wonderful partner.

"She even put little hat decorations on them!"

"Yep! The yellow and black frosting is making Paimon's mouth get all watery! Heehee!"

Aether couldn't help but shake his head with a smile at his companion.

"Why don't you take one and see how it tastes?" came the reply of someone behind them.

Turning their heads, Aether and Paimon now spotted a beautiful blonde-haired girl with a fancy dress and hat adorned on her head. This happened to be their wonderful partner throughout Fontaine.

"Navia! Are you sure? Won't Paimon eat into Furina's treats?"

"Nonsense! Clorinde is currently getting her gift ready, but she's also with my other batch of Macarons. I just need to make a few more adjustments to the design and they'll be good to eat!" Navia clarified with a bright smile.

"Ooh! More treats! Paimon's tummy is going to be eating great today! Heehee!"

"Do you need any help?" Aether kindly asked.

Donning a thinking pose, the President of Spina di Rosula began to ponder if there was anything else that they might need for Furina's birthday party.

"Hmm. Let's see… Ah! I know what you could help us with."

Walking to another part of the room, Navia soon picked up a box with various items in it. From a glance, it looked like this box held a bunch of decorations.

"Do you two think you can help set up decorations?"

"You bet! We can get this place all decorated in time for Furina to show up!" Paimon happily cheered.

It was at this point that Navia began to chuckle.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Huh? Why's that?" Aether asked, curious about her reaction.

Tipping her hat, Navia held a brilliant smile all while pointing her index finger out.

"Because- "

"Because the star of the hour is already here!"

Shifting their heads to the entrance of the room, the trio was now looking at the one and only Furina de Fontaine in all her glory standing there while managing to pose with her hands on her hips. The former Archon's aura was still present but in a more theatric kind of tone. From how her eyes shined brightly to the gleeful and elegant smile gracing her lips, Furina was now here.

"What!? Furina!?" Paimon squeaked out. "W-When… aren't you…"

"Surprised? Flabbergasted? I knew you would be!"

Keeping his eyes on the birthday girl, Aether could tell just from a glance that she was in a good mood. Which was an obviously good thing. But it was quite clear that she looked happy.

This was further reflected as her eyes immediately widened with excitement when her blue eyes met his own.

"I'm glad you two managed to get my letter. Part of me was worried that you'd miss today" Furina admitted.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Navia interjected with a bright tone. "Aether and Paimon have never missed anyone's birthday. I can assuredly say that. The same can be said Clorinde, Chiori, and everyone else."

Giving her statement some thought, Aether and Paimon glanced at one another while also recalling all the birthdays that they've been to as well as the letters they received. The Traveler even had to make a spot in his room at the Teapot to store all the letters he had gotten from everyone. Their record was utter perfection.

"You know… Paimon has to agree! We've never missed any of our friends' birthdays!"

"Even with everything happening during our journey, we still manage to make things work and visit everyone" the blonde-haired boy replied. "Everyone has helped us in one way or another. It's the least we could do. Along with seeing everyone again."

"Plus, all the delicious sweets and snacks!" Paimon added.

Smiling at the Traveler's strong declaration, Furina tilted her head up and smiled brightly.

"As expected of you two. Well, putting aside that slight worry, I also wanted to poke my head in here and see if the decorating was done. But it seems I'm a bit early."

"Try being an hour early" Navia countered.

"To be fair, we didn't exactly set a time for when the party was" Furina claimed.

"Heh. Who would've thought, Furina was so eager to see what was in store for her? Haha," Aether said while winking at the white-haired girl.

Blushing at this admission, Furina pouted her cheeks out while folding her arms across her chest.

"*sigh* Fine. Yes. Curiosity got the best of me. Besides, I didn't come alone, nor did I not bring goodies."

Gesturing to the door, several blue glowing animals all made their way These guests were Furina's friendly allies as well as members of the Salon Solitaire. The Ball Octopus-shaped Gentilhomme Usher, the Bubbly Seahorse-shaped Surintendante Chevalmarin, and the Armored Crab-shaped Mademoiselle Crabaletta.

"Oh! It's you guys!" Paimon cheerfully said.

"But, of course! And we've also brought more sweets to sweeten up the party!" Furina exclaimed while pointing to the many plates carried by her hydro friends.

"Let Paimon help set those down!"

Watching as the young girl floated over to Gentilhomme Usher, Aether, and Navia couldn't help but chuckle at Paimon's actions. While it was a nice gesture, part of him wondered if she did it to make sure none of the sweets fell to the ground.

After the group all pitched in to help set the desserts down, Furina gave each member of the Salon Solitaire a giant hug before waving them goodbye. They all then disappeared in a flash of blue light leaving no trace of them being around.

"Did they have to leave?"

"Don't worry. They'll be back in time for the party. I figured I'd let them rest seeing that they have been helping me nonstop all morning long" Furina explained while taking a Macaron and biting into it. The expression of happiness was plastered all over her face as she continued eating the treat.

"*gasp* Paimon wants one!"

Before long, the group was all eating a Macaron with Navia and Furina laughing at how Aether was eating his treat. Paimon was also on her third Macaron and joined in on the laughter.

"Hey! I'm trying not to get all dirty" Aether tried to reason.

"Why? It's a birthday party. Not a royal party" the birthday girl responded.

"Yeah! You don't have to be all nice and clean."

The Traveler then looked at Paimon who had frosting along the side of her cheek which was quite noticeable. Navia, seeing the frosting, broke into a fit of giggles while Furina soon joined in.

"Hey! Why is everyone laughing at Paimon!?"

"Paimon. You should check your cheek."

"Huh?"

Listening to what Furina said, Paimon raised her small hand up to her cheek expecting to touch skin but was met with bewilderment as she felt frosting touch her finger. This caused the young girl's face to blush brightly and make her as red as an apple.

"Err… Paimon… uh…"

"Haha!"

Wiping the frosting away, Paimon couldn't help but laugh at herself. The rest soon joined in shared laughter while enjoying the mood created by being with friends.

After spending a few more minutes laughing, chatting, and eating more Macarons, Navia adjusted her hat and stood up.

"Well, I'd say that was a good break. I should probably head back to Clorinde and finish up the rest of the Macarons there. She should also be done with her present as well."

"Mm. Can Paimon go with you?" the young girl freely asked.

"Sure! You can help me decorate a few of the Macarons."

"Yay! Paimon has so many cool ideas! A few of them also come from Natlan."

"Oh? I'm quite curious to hear about your time in Natlan. You have to tell me about your experiences" Furian asked with genuine curiosity.

Immediately, Aether and Paimon looked at one another while seemingly sharing the same brain wave on what to share about their time in the Nation of War. While there was certainly a lot of good and fun to be shared, there was also the opposite. However, that would be a tale for another time. Right now, it was Furina's birthday, and they wanted to make it something special.

"Hmm. We have quite a bit to share then. Our gift is even something to do from Natlan" Aether spoke up first with a gentle smile.

"Really? Is it food? An object?" Navia questioned with a detective-like expression.

"You got it on the first try."

"Aha! Lucky guess!"

Sharing the girl's enthusiasm, Paimon nodded her head before floating up to Navia.

"Shall we get going?"

"Yep! See you two soon!"

And with that, Paimon and Navia left the room to meet up with Clorinde and finish decorating the rest of her Macarons. Leaving the Traveler and Furina alone in the room.

"Well then, shall we get to decorating?" Furina asked, tilting her head and keeping her eyes trailing on the boy.

The mood in the room had also slightly shifted to something different. Something more in the tone of awkward. The reasoning being was the former Archon's feelings for the blonde-haired boy.

Not that there was anything wrong between the two. Quite the opposite. It's just that with everything that's transpired within Fontain and between the two, emotions have become more complex. Better yet, newfound feelings were now present in the girl's developing heart.

She couldn't help but feel her face warm up whenever she thought about the Traveler. Even just the thought of being with him brought her great joy. Getting to hear him speak or listen to what adventures he has been up to was something she was eager to find out. However, the one feeling that resonated in her heart was the fact that he was here with her now. On her very special day.

"…Aether…"

"Furina…"

"…"

"I…"

"Err…"

Another important factor to consider was that this newfound romantic inflection of feelings was not entirely one-sided. While Furina had long accepted her feelings around the Traveler and how he had become not only a close friend of hers… Aether was also in the same predicament.

The boy's feelings for the girl had grown exponentially after getting to know her better than just her Archon title. He got to know the true Furina de Fontaine and her many likes and dislikes. Granted, there was still much to learn about her, but he was willing to do that and more.

"…This is… a bit awkward."

"Haha. I was about to say that."

"Mm. Sorry about that."

"Don't be. I'm sure there's a lot that should be said."

Nodding her head, Furina let one thought lingering in her head be voiced.

"I want to thank you for being here."

"Of course! As Paimon said, we've never missed a friend's birthday. There was no way we'd miss yours."

Happy to hear the boy's words, the former Archon couldn't help but want to push her feelings out more and keep on saying what was on her mind.

"And that's another thing I admire about you. But… I think… you mean what I'm trying to say…"

Hearing this, Aether felt his breath leave him. He had an inkling of what she was getting at as he was also of the same mind.

"Right… I know what you mean, Furina."

"You do?" she carefully asked, not wanting to get her hopes up entirely.

"Mm. I'm also not sure where we go from here. I…"

"I know. I know exactly how you feel. Haha…" Furina said openly while glancing at the table full of sweets and treats to take her mind off things. "Maybe… we take things… our way?"

"Go with what we think is right?" Aether finished for her.

"Exactly. I mean, haven't we been doing that this whole time?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, the Traveler smiled vibrantly at her. A sense of reassurance could be felt from his calm and collected posture. In a way, it was nice to know that whatever might come next, it'll be something the two can work on together and openly.

"Well then, Aether, care to help a girl celebrate her birthday?" Furina happily asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course! This is going to be a party to remember."

A chuckle escaped her lips as she nodded and set forth to start picking the decorations that would suit her party the best. Aether helped by taking what she picked out and setting the items off to the side. Before long, the floor had various decorations in the colors of blue, white, gold, and black.

The two were now working as a team to put up the favored decorations and were in the middle of setting up streamers before Aether spoke up.

"Say, how many people are we expecting?"

"From my last count, around about three dozen."

"That's a great number of- "

"Or was it five dozen?"

"O-oh. That's still an amazing turn- "

"But… Clorinde did say that Neuvillette invited quite a few quests. I think even a few that we met in Liyue would be arriving. Hu Tao and Mr. Zhongli said they'd be coming along with a few friends of theirs. Charlotte said she'd be here to take photos of the event. Chiori and Kirara were also coming, and Kirara mentioned our friends from Inazuma would be stopping by for a surprising visit. Lyney and Lynette also said they'd be attending along with Freminet. Chevreuse and the Acting Troupe said they'd also be showing up. Navia mentioned a few Spina di Rosula members showing up as well as…"

Aether was flabbergasted at just how many people would be showing up to her birthday party. He was beginning to wonder if Navia and Paimon would need any help with decorating the remaining Macarons or if anything else needed to be done. However, he figured that if anything, Paimon would come back and let him know if she needed help.

Moreover, he was also very happy about hearing so many people attending Furina's party and not just as passersby but as friends. Real friends. Something that she had wanted for the longest time. It made him ecstatic to know that she was showing her true self to everyone, and in return, she was shown nothing but kindness and appreciation for who she was.

As Furina continued listing all the guests who would be coming to her birthday party, she momentarily stopped and glanced over at Aether.

Suddenly, another sudden thought came to the former Archon.

"I do have to wonder… if we go all out for my party, then I'm sure whoever's birthday party is next will be asking to go bigger in terms of celebration. Don't you think?"

Agreeing with what she said, Aether could only shrug his shoulders.

"Then we go bigger. Besides, aren't birthdays a person's special day? The one time they can be selfish. The time they deserve everything they want..."

As soon as Aether said this, without realizing it, he walked right over to Furina and snatched her hand while tenderly holding it. This was an act meant to convey many things but also leave a simple lasting mark.

Furina was left in a dazed state as she could feel her cheeks warm up and take a pink color. However, she didn't back off from the hand grab and simply smiled brilliantly. The feeling was mutual now.

"Yes… yes! Birthdays certainly are!"

*A/N* - Thank you for checking this story out! As previously mentioned, Furina was a standout character throughout the entirety of Fontaine. Scratch that. All the characters in Fontaine were amazing! Navia, Clorinde, Chiori, Neuvillette, Lyney, etc. I seriously enjoyed Fontaine and felt that it went by so fast. I miss it already. That's not to say I'm not enjoying Natlan. Quite the opposite. The story has picked up quite a bit especially with all that's happened in 5.1 (No Spoilers) and with future implications on where things might be going… I'm excited and eager to see what's next. Furthermore, I hope to see Furina show up in various events leading to the new year. Along with her interactions with other characters from different regions. We've gotten her to meet Liyue characters as well as Inazuma, but what about Mondstadt or Sumeru? Even Natlan? Time will only tell. Now then, I can't thank you enough for checking this story out, and until next time. Take care and see ya!