Kai Langford - October 2120
The candles go out in a single breath.
For a moment the room fills with cheers and laughter as people crowd closer around the table. Hands clap against my shoulders, someone bumps into my arm, and Jack is already demanding cake before the smoke from the candles has even finished curling into the air. Miriam rolls her eyes at him while carefully lifting the cake and carrying it toward the kitchen, scolding him the entire way.
The noise settles over the room like a rising tide.
I'm not used to this kind of attention. Celebrations were never really something I sought out, and certainly not something I expected. Yet when I glance sideways at Noah standing beside me, he looks calm, almost entertained by the chaos unfolding around us. His posture is relaxed, his expression thoughtful as he watches everyone moving around the room.
For a moment a strange feeling passes through me.
A quiet sense of familiarity.
We used to do this once. Years ago, before everything changed.
Noah notices me looking at him and raises an eyebrow slightly.
"You appear deep in thought."
"I was remembering" I reply quietly.
"Dangerous habit."
A faint smile forms on my face.
Before the moment can stretch any further, Jack suddenly forces his way between us with all the subtlety of a charging bull.
"Move."
He grabs my arm dramatically and spins me toward the kitchen doors.
"Cake retrieval mission."
Isaac immediately appears behind him and hooks an arm around Jack's neck, dragging him backwards.
"You have the patience of a rabid squirrel," Isaac says.
"But I want cake!"
"You always want cake."
Their argument dissolves into laughter as they disappear toward the kitchen.
Around us the crowd begins spreading out across the canteen, conversations forming in small groups as people settle into the evening. The room hums with easy energy, the kind that only appears when everyone lets their guard down.
My attention drifts across the room and it finds Ethan almost immediately.
He's standing beside Finn, but his focus clearly isn't on whatever Finn is saying. Instead, he's watching me with that open, bright expression of his.
When he realises I've noticed, his entire face lights up.
That smile.
It has a way of cutting through every other thought in my head.
So warm and bright.
He begins walking toward me, weaving easily through the scattered groups of people until he reaches my side.
"Birthday boy" he says lightly, nudging my shoulder.
"I told you not to organise anything."
Ethan places a hand dramatically over his chest.
"Yes, and I heroically ignored you," he replies with complete confidence. "You're welcome."
I try to look unimpressed, but it doesn't quite work.
"You shouldn't have."
"But I wanted to" he says simply.
There's no hesitation in his voice. Just honesty.
My gaze drops briefly before I look back at him.
"Thank you."
His smile softens.
"You deserve it."
Before I can respond, Jack suddenly reappears carrying a tray stacked with slices of cake like he's returning from a victorious battle.
"Cake delivery!"
He shoves a plate into my hands, then another into Noah's.
"Eat."
Ethan laughs beside me.
I glance toward him just in time to see that he's already halfway through his slice of cake.
"How are you eating that so fast?" I ask.
"Practice," he replies confidently.
"Of course."
He grins.
Then, without warning, he leans closer and presses a quick kiss against my temple.
The gesture is so casual it takes my brain a moment to process it.
By the time it does, warmth is already creeping up the back of my neck.
Ethan pretends not to notice. Which somehow makes it worse.
Across the table Noah watches the interaction with mild curiosity while Finn stands beside him looking like he's trying very hard not to laugh.
I clear my throat.
I glance around the room.
People are scattered across the canteen laughing, talking, arguing about cake portions. Jack is already attempting to steal someone else's slice while Isaac threatens to confiscate the entire tray.
For a moment something settles quietly in my chest.
Something calm.
Something steady.
I take another bite of cake.
"…It's good."
Across the room Miriam immediately shouts back.
"Of course it is!"
The party continues to build around us, but after a while Noah quietly sets his empty plate down on the table.
"Kai" he says.
His voice is calm, but there's something more deliberate in it.
"Walk with me for a moment."
I glance at him, slightly confused, but follow as he steps away from the crowd and toward the quieter side of the room near the windows.
The noise of the party fades slightly behind us.
For a few seconds neither of us speaks.
Then Noah reaches into the inside his bag and pulls something out.
He holds it out toward me and I take it slowly.
It's an old trophy and recognition hits me instantly.
My fingers tighten slightly around the cool metal.
The surface is warped, parts of it melted and twisted from heat damage, but the shape is still recognisable. The engraved plate is scratched and half-burned, yet I can still read the words beneath the distortion.
First Place.
Tournament Champion.
My tournament.
The one I won years ago.
The one that was destroyed when everything else was.
I stare at it for several seconds.
"…Where did you find this?"
"It was recovered from the ruins" Noah says quietly. "Among the debris after the attack."
My throat tightens slightly.
The metal is uneven under my fingers where the heat had softened it, the edges rough from damage.
"I repaired what I could," Noah continues. "But the structural damage was too extensive to restore it fully."
I run my thumb over the warped edge.
"You kept it."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Noah studies my face for a moment before answering.
"Because it was yours."
His voice stays calm, but there's something steady behind the words.
"It was the own thing I had left of you"
The room behind us bursts into another wave of laughter, but it feels distant.
For a moment I don't know what to say.
Finally I look back at him.
"…Thank you."
Noah nods once. "You earned it."
"But I didn't get you anything?" I say, guilt running through me.
"I am just glad we can spend our birthday together again"
I turn the trophy slightly in my hands, the metal catching the warm light from the canteen.
Then I glance back toward the room where Ethan is currently laughing at something Jack just said.
"…You kept it all this time."
"Yes."
A quiet breath leaves me.
"…You really are terrible at throwing things away."
Noah tilts his head slightly.
"Selective preservation."
Despite myself, I smile.
For a moment we just stand there, the damaged trophy resting in my hands.
Then Noah glances toward the party.
"It would appear Ethan is about to attempt to steal additional cake."
I follow his gaze.
Ethan is absolutely trying to steal another slice while Miriam threatens him with a serving knife.
I sigh.
"…We should intervene."
"Yes," Noah agrees calmly.
We walk back toward the chaos together.
Miriam stands behind the counter with the serving knife raised in warning while Jack cheers Ethan on from the side like he's watching some heroic mission unfold.
"Don't you dare," Miriam says, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not stealing," Ethan protests brightly as he leans halfway over the counter. "I'm redistributing resources."
"That's the same thing."
"It really isn't."
Jack points dramatically at the tray of cake. "Grab the big one!"
"I heard that!" Miriam snaps.
Noah stops beside me, calmly observing the situation as if it's some interesting behavioural study.
Ethan finally notices us walking back toward the group. The moment his eyes land on me, his entire face lights up again, like someone flipped a switch.
"There he is!" Ethan calls out, immediately abandoning the cake he had absolutely been about to steal.
Jack points at me accusingly.
"Tell Miriam I deserve another slice."
"You've already had two," Miriam says without even looking at him.
"That sounds like a personal attack."
Ethan walks over and casually drapes an arm across my waist as if it belongs there. The gesture is so natural it almost feels automatic.
"You disappeared" he says, glancing down at me. "I thought someone kidnapped you."
"Noah kidnapped me."
"That checks out," Ethan replies thoughtfully.
Noah gives him a flat look. "It was a brief conversation."
Ethan nods seriously. "Ah yes. Classic scientist kidnapping."
Finn snorts quietly somewhere behind us.
While everyone continues arguing about cake portions, Ethan leans a little closer to me.
"Did he give you something?" he asks quietly.
I hesitate for a moment as I look down at my hand.
The warped metal trophy catches the overhead light.
Ethans expression shifts in that subtle way it does when something truly matters to him. The playful energy softens as he reaches out and carefully runs a finger along one of the melted edges.
He studies the trophy for a few seconds longer before looking back at me. A slow smile spreads across his face.
"You won this," he says, like he's reminding everyone in the room of an important fact.
Jack suddenly leans across the table, eyes wide with interest.
"Wait, that's a fighting trophy?"
"Yes," Noah replies.
Jack's eyes widen even more. "You fought in a tournament?"
Isaac groans quietly from the side. "Oh great, now you've activated him."
Jack turns toward me with intense curiosity. "Were there knockouts? Did you punch someone through a wall?"
"Jack," Issac says calmly, "that is not how tournaments work."
Jack looks unconvinced.
Meanwhile Ethan is still grinning as he hooks an arm around my waist and pulls me slightly closer to him, like he's proudly presenting something.
"For the record," he announces to the room, "my boyfriend is terrifying."
I sigh quietly. "This is unnecessary."
"It's extremely necessary," Ethan replies.
Across the table Noah watches the exchange with the thoughtful curiosity he usually reserves for experiments. Jack points at the trophy again.
"So you actually won first place?"
"Yes," Noah answers before I can.
Jack whistles in appreciation. "Okay, that's actually cool."
Isaac folds his arms. "You're just impressed because punching was involved."
"Correct."
Ethan's attention returns to the trophy resting in my hand. The playful energy in his expression softens again.
"Alright," he says, clapping his hands once. "Important question."
Several people glance toward him.
"Why are the birthday boys not getting the biggest slice of cake?"
Miriam freezes for a moment.
With a long sigh Miriam cuts two large slices and places it carefully onto a plate before sliding it across the counter toward me and Noah
"For the record," she says firmly, "this is the last slice anyone gets tonight."
Jack immediately tries to reach for it, but Ethan smacks his hand away.
"Back, cake goblin."
Jack recoils in offence. "Rude."
Ethan picks up a plate and places it carefully into my hands with exaggerated seriousness.
"There," he says proudly. "Justice."
I stare down at the absurdly large slice of cake.
"…I'm not finishing this."
"That's fine," Ethan replies immediately.
"Why?"
"Because I will."
I look at him suspiciously.
"That was the plan the whole time, wasn't it?"
Ethan smiles innocently.
Across the table Noah shakes his head slightly, though I catch the faint hint of amusement in his expression as he digs into his slice of cake.
Around us the room continues buzzing with conversation and laughter as people lean against tables, finishing their cake and talking over one another.
For the first time in a long time, the noise doesn't feel overwhelming.
Instead it settles into something steady.
Something warm.
And when Ethan bumps his shoulder lightly against mine while trying to steal a bite of the cake I'm still holding, I realise I'm smiling without even trying.
He leans closer to me. His voice drops low enough that only I can hear it.
"Should we continue where we left off in the shed?"
The words send a sudden rush of heat through me.
I stiffen slightly, my grip tightening around the plate of cake as warmth creeps up the back of my neck.