A Birthday to Remember

The time of Meteorwind Reception had finally arrived. The air was starting to turn cool, and the meteors were beautiful. Mica had been looking forward to this time of year for one very important reason though. It was Ieru's birthday! She absolutely adored her partner, and she couldn't wait to celebrate with him!

This year, she had an evening full of fun planned. She had invited a few of their closest friends to celebrate and was buzzing with excitement to spend time all together. Mica couldn't wait to see her true love's reaction to the shared meal, dancing, and skygazing she had arranged above their home. It was going to be spectacular!

As she was picturing it all happily in her head, Ieru's lunewyrm floated over and rubbed against her neck, bringing her back to reality.

“Oh, hey, Nithe! Are you as pumped for tonight as I am?” she asked, petting him with her wing.

Nithe flew around her head twice in quick succession before making a cute squeak in the affirmative.

“I'll take that as a yes,” Mica responded with a laugh. “Wanna help me with the preparations?”

Sometimes she still couldn't believe how fond Nithe had grown of her. She knew Lunewyrms were generally very loyal and specific about who they trusted. It was very rare for one to be as kind to someone that wasn't their chosen owner as he was with her. Just thinking about it made her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Since he was following close beside her, she knew he had decided to come with her.

“Alright, we're going to check in on Rocket and Bug then, just to be sure,” she informed him, humming a tune as they went on their way.

It didn't take long for her to reach them. The two were pretty good friends with each other as well as them, so they were getting things ready together. Mica landed between them with a flourish.

“Heya! How are you both doing?” she exclaimed, wrapping an arm around each of them for a group hug.

Bug jumped a little, but then leaned into the hug. “Nice to see you too, Mica,” he greeted. “My part is going well, but Rocket is a bit...distracted,” he continued pointedly.

“Are you telling on me? I can't help it if I have SO many good ideas that I just can't pick one!” Rocket chimed in, moving his limbs animatedly as he wriggled away to show her what he'd been up to.

Mica laughed good-naturedly, following him over to see while Nithe watched from a ways off. He didn't like to get too close to the others, even if he did want to keep an eye on her. She suspected Ieru had asked him to keep his eyes on her to be sure she stayed safe. Luckily, he also liked surprises for his owner, so she knew she didn't have to worry that he'd spoil said surprise.

Rocket's work area was a bit of a mess, a mixture of things strewn about everywhere. It was organized chaos, as he liked to call it. Mica didn't understand how he kept track of anything, but it seemed to work for him. Who was she to question his method?

“These are it?” she inquired, looking over the options.

“Yup! Which do you think would be my best bet?”

“I think he'd like this one most,” Mica said, handing him the object.

“Score! See, not as behind as you thought I was, Bug!” Rocket cried.

“Glad to hear it,” he responded with a smile.

“Well, it seems like you two have everything under control,” she told them with a grin. “Not that I doubted it, but you know how I struggle to leave things be.”

“I thought Ieru would have rubbed off on you more by now,” Bug teased gently.

“Oh, he definitely has! I only checked in on you once this time, you know,” she shot back, her whole face alight.

“That's true!” Rocket chortled.

“Well, I'll see you two in a little while! Come on, Nithe! Let's head back!” she called, taking to the air.

He was by her side in an instant. They headed back home together, enjoying the fresh air and companionable silence. It was a relatively short trip, albeit relaxing.

“Hm, Ieru should be home soon,” she thought aloud, wondering what she should do in the meantime. “Maybe I'll just tidy up a bit.”

Before she knew it, she was waking up to Ieru's blue eyes. She jumped up, rubbing her own eyes as if that would change what was before her. She blushed furiously, glad she had told the others to meet them above rather than inside their home. Then again, maybe if they had come inside she wouldn't have been asleep when he got here.

“Ieru! Welcome home! I'm so glad to see you!” she hedged, hugging him to try and hide her reaction.

“Good to see you too. Are you sure about that? You're acting strangely,” he answered with a low chuckle, returning her hug.

“It's nothing. I just didn't mean to fall asleep...” she replied sheepishly, trying not to spoil the surprise. He had such keen senses about when she was up to something!

“If you say so,” he relented easily enough.

“Yes! Though I did find something that I wanted to show you today. It's up above,” she said, pointing with her wing.

“Certainly. Let's not keep me in suspense,” he responded amicably, heading that way.

When they made it to the top of their tree, all was quiet. The moonlight streamed down serenely, and it was a picture perfect peaceful moment. Mica almost thought she had come too quickly when she saw a tiny spark.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Rocket and Bug shouted together, Mica joining in behind him.

Ieru was quiet a moment before he reacted. It started with a corner of his mouth twitching up, and then he was beaming. He knew Mica was up to something with how she reacted downstairs, but this was truly a wonderful gift.

“Thank you all! This is lovely! What good friends I have!” he proclaimed as Nithe came up beside him.

“We're just getting started!” Rocket informed him with a mischievous grin.

“I have no doubt,” Ieru managed through a laugh.

“I've made us all your favorites,” Bug piped up, gesturing to where they had placed the dinner spread.

“And I made you this!” Rocket said, handing him his gift.

It was a customized music box with Rocket's signature style. He'd painted the whole thing dark blue and covered it in a bunch of other colored paint splatters. When it was opened, it played Ieru's favorite sound: the pitter-patter of the rain.

“You are all the best,” he told them, sure to make eye contact with each of them.

“We're glad to hear it,” Mica answered for them all with a grin.

They stayed out well after the time they should have gone to bed, eating the delicious meal Bug had cooked, watching the meteors shoot across the sky, and dancing beneath the moons. Rocket put on a show with fun music and tricks, Bug made sure everyone had plenty of refreshments, and Nithe watched over them all with a silent, comforting presence. Everything had gone according to plan by the time their friends left, and Mica had to stifle a yawn.

“You are the most incredible wife I could have ever asked for, Mica, and I love you with all that I am,” Ieru whispered, pulling her into a final slow dance in the sky.

“I love you too, Ieru. My heart will always be yours,” she murmured, leaning into him as they twirled amongst the stars.