You Say it's your Birthday...
YOU SAY IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY…
Author: Persephone100
Characters: Cal, Pellaz, Caeru
Rating: PG
Spoilers: none
Synopsis: Just a bit of fluff
Disclaimer: All the characters, their world and all things Wraeththu belong to Storm Constantine, to whom I am very grateful.
Cal awoke to the sun streaming through the windows. He stretched and yawned, arising late, as usual, despite Pell’s attempts to wake him earlier by opening the curtains. It was almost always sunny in Immanion and Cal had gotten quite used to sleeping with the sun in his eyes.
He took a leisurely shower, dressed and headed for the door. But before going to breakfast, he took a look at the calendar Pellaz always kept by the bedside.
“Hmm, a meeting this afternoon…” he said to himself. Then he unconsciously translated the date to the now obsolete human calendar, which he had a habit of doing. He made a mental note of the significance of the day--or rather, the significance the day used to have. He smirked, shook his head and went down to breakfast.
He sat at the table and almost immediately, a serving har set down a steaming mug of coffee. Cal gave him a nod and sat thoughtfully. He was soon interrupted.
Pell swept into the room with a bundle of papers and sat down purposefully across from Cal, quickly leafing through the pages.
“Nice of you to awaken and join the rest of us,” Pell said, tersely.
“Consider it a personal favor, my love,” Cal replied with his usual lazy smile.
“Hmmph.”
“Anyway, why pick on me when the Tigrina hasn’t showed yet either?”
“I’m sure he’s been up longer than you. He’s primping, most likely.”
“So that counts?”
“At least he’s doing something.”
Cal shrugged and turned his attention to the stack of pancakes that were set before him.
Pellaz heaved an impatient sigh.
“Well, some of us have work to do,” he huffed.
“Knock yourself out,” Cal said with a mouthful of food and a wink.
Pell gave him a dirty look and left as swiftly as he’d entered.
After breakfast, Cal walked out onto the first floor balcony and looked over the garden.
Nothing to look forward to but a dull meeting later that I’m commanded to attend, he thought to himself. He decided to find Rue and see what he was really up to. Cal walked to the Tigrina’s room where he found him in an animated discussion with several house hara.
“So, you really are busy! Now I can’t tattle on you.”
Cal flopped down in one of the Tigrina’s cushy leopard print chairs.
“Cal!” Rue seemed surprised. He quickly shooed out the house hara.
Then regaining his composure from his fluster, he added, “Don’t you have anything better to do than to barge in here and interrupt me?”
“Nope.”
“Well, find something!”
“I’m not scheduled to report for duty until this afternoon. Three o’clock, I think.”
“Well, I certainly don’t want you under foot until then!”
“Okay, okay. Don’t get your knickers in a knot.”
“You know I don’t wear knickers,” Rue stated coyly.
“I’ll take that image with me,” Cal said with a randy smile as he sauntered out of the room.
He headed out to the farthest garden and sat on a bench. He heaved a bored sigh as he looked out toward the sea. The outer gardens were close enough to get the occasional wisp of a sea breeze with the faintly audible sound of the waves if the tide was high and the wind blew inland.
Cal’s thoughts flowed aimlessly for a while, finally settling on the subject of the day’s date. Was it a good day or a bad day for the world? Cal’s answer bordered on self-pity which wasn’t to his liking so he pushed it away.
He then decided to take a walk on the beach, so he kicked off his shoes and headed down the winding path. As he stepped into the sand, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes and turning his face toward the sun. Though it was a balmy day, the sea air had a slight crispness to it so that the warmth felt good on his skin.
Cal walked leisurely at the edge of the water, enjoying the coolness of the waves and wet sand on his feet. Soon he sat down on the beach and peeled off his shirt, leaning back on his elbows and gazing out to sea.
He was deep in thought when movement at the corner of his eye suddenly distracted him. A young har was wading in the waves. Cal studied him as he stood where the waves were breaking and then ran backwards as they crashed on the shore. He didn’t seem to be aware that he was being watched.
Cal smiled to himself. Was I ever that innocent? His smile faded as the truth blotted out his wistful thought. The young har turned to walk on in Cal’s direction and stopped momentarily, obviously now aware that someone had been observing him. Cal sat up and gave him a smile.
“How’s the water?” he called.
“Nice,” the har answered, looking a bit less wary. He finally smiled at Cal as he got closer.
“Are you going in?” the har asked.
“Don’t know. Maybe.”
He gave Cal an inquisitive look as he assessed him and Cal thought for sure he recognized him. But then, as almost every har was inexorably drawn to Cal, so was he. He finally smiled and plopped down on the sand and looked out over the waves. After a few moments, he looked over at Cal.
“You live near here?” he asked. Obviously he hadn’t recognized Cal.
“Yeah, pretty close. How about you?” Cal inquired, turning to the young har.
“No. I live about a twenty minute walk from the beach.”
“And you’re allowed to come here alone?”
“I’m almost at feybraiha!” the har answered indignantly.
Cal put up his hands. “Pardon me!”
The young har’s petulant face relaxed into a grin and he chuckled.
“Sorry. It’s just that I’m getting tired of being treated like a harling.”
“Yeah, I understand. But you should enjoy it as long as you can. You’ll spend an awfully long time as an adult.”
The har looked a bit puzzled but it soon passed.
“What’s your name?” the har asked.
“Hara call me a lot of things.”
The har sighed. “If you don’t want to tell me just say so.”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“Why not?”
“If I told you that, it would be the same as telling you my name.”
The young har huffed and stood up.
“Wait! Okay. I’ll tell you this much: I’m named after a flower. It’s embarrassing.”
The har laughed. “A flower? What’s so bad about that?”
Cal shrugged. The har sat back down.
“Well, my name’s Cypress.”
Cal regarded him.
“My hostling likes cypress trees. What can I say?”
They both ended up chuckling.
“Well, Cypress, what brings you down to the sea today?”
“I don’t know. I’ve wanted to be alone a lot lately.”
“Alone? Or just away from your parents?”
Cypress gave Cal a look that said he’d indeed hit the nail on the head.
“Ah, feybraiha,” Cal mused. “You must be very close.”
“How long ago was it for you?”
Cal laughed. “I’m incepted, my clueless young friend.”
“Really? You don’t look that old.”
“Ouch!”
“I--I mean-”
“It’s okay,” Cal said, chuckling. “I know what you meant.”
“Can I see your scar?”
Cal held out his arm as Cypress inspected it.
“So you used to be human. What was it like?”
“Not so great. That’s why I became har.”
“Yeah, I figured that part out. I mean…how was it different?”
Cal ruminated for a moment.
“Like…I was in the dark and someone turned on the light. Or…like I was asleep and someone woke me up. Or…well, you get the idea.”
Cypress looked into Cal’s eyes.
“Do you have any harlings?”
“Yes.”
“Are you a hostling or a father?”
“I’ve tried my hand at both.”
“I bet your sons never wanted to get away from you.”
Cal laughed. “My dear Cypress, I’ve had hara racing each other to get away from me!”
Cypress looked at Cal with a degree of skepticism and then turned his gaze outward over the ocean. “So, why are you here on the beach?”
“Because today is my birthday. My human birthday. Oh, I know as hara, we’re supposed to forget such things. And I do celebrate my inception as my birthday. But for some reason I always remember my human one. I guess it’s my infernal habit of translating the date to the human calendar. I don’t know why I do it.”
“Maybe your human life meant more to you than you think.”
“Hmmm…very insightful. Maybe there’s a future for you as a harish shrink.”
Cypress chuckled. “There’s no such thing. We’re not supposed to need them.”
“Well, we’re not supposed to admit that we do,” Cal replied with a smirk.
Cypress looked dreamily out over the waves.
“You know…if I’d been human, I think I’d remember my birthday. How could you simply forget everything from when you were human?” He looked back purposefully at Cal.
“You can’t. But we’re supposed to pretend.”
“Well, I wouldn’t.”
Cal gave him a smile.
“You know what I think you should do?” Cypress said grinning back. “I think you should eat cake and get drunk.”
Cal laughed heartily. “Sounds like the perfect evening to me.”
Cypress stood up. “Guess I should go. It’s almost lunch time.”
“Well, it was a pleasure talking with you, Cypress,” Cal said, looking up at him.
“Yeah, same here. Will you be here again soon?”
“Maybe. Why don’t you look for me after you’re through feybraiha,” Cal said, giving the young har a rather lecherous smile.
Cypress blushed and chuckled, then turning, he ran back in the direction he’d come from, splashing through the water.
Cal looked after him, smiling wistfully to himself, remembering when Pell had been that young and innocent. He heaved a sigh and lay back on the sand. For Cal, this was a day that made him reminisce. Some of that was good for his soul but too much of it could send him into a dark place. He shook the negative thoughts quickly away and decided to take a dip. After using one of the outdoor showers to wash the saltiness off, he headed back to Phaonica, dreading the interminable boredom he was sure to experience in the scheduled meeting.
After a quick lunch with a preoccupied chesnari and a missing Tigrina, Cal hung around the palace, killing time until he unwillingly dragged himself to the meeting room.
There they were; all the Hegemony members in their usual places with their usual demeanor. Cal particularly noted Ashmael, with his ever-present arrogant stare and Vaysh, his pale, ethereal face, expressionless--all business as usual. Cal wondered how they could live the way they did. He couldn’t imagine being with any other har than Pellaz, no matter what had transpired in the interim of losing and regaining him. A slightly altered Pellaz was preferable to him than any other har, incepted, created or re-created.
Pell called the meeting to order and Cal resigned himself to sitting through yet another session of Gelaming bullshit. After four torturous hours, the meeting finally came to a close. Had they actually accomplished anything? Cal didn’t know and he most definitely didn’t care. He stood up and stretched, then walked up behind Pell who was gathering up a pile of papers. He slid his arms around him and kissed him on the nape of the neck. Pell shook him off but gave him a smile.
“Where was Rue?” Cal asked. “And what excuse did he have to get out of this meeting? I want to know so I can use it next time. The lucky fuck.”
“His excuse,” Pell replied. “Was that he’s the Tigrina and this particular meeting didn’t need to concern him.”
“Oh. Can I be the Tigrina next time, then? I can dress like a consort and act like a ‘princess.’ It’d sure be worth it.”
Pell shook his head at Cal. “It wouldn’t suit you.” Cal shrugged.
When they got to the dining room, they immediately headed for the small bar. Soon after, Caeru joined them, coming in from the kitchen.
“Ah, he finally shows up,” Cal said, lifting his glass to Rue. “What the hell were you doing in the kitchen?”
“None of your business,” Rue said, fixing himself a drink. “By the way, dinner will be served in about half an hour.”
“All the more time to indulge,” Cal said, plopping down on the couch. “C’mere,” he said to Pell, patting the place beside him. Pell sat down and settled back as Cal put his arm around him.
“Yep. Get drunk and eat cake,” Cal said.
“What?!” Rue asked.
“Nothing. Just something a har said.”
A strange look passed between Rue and Pellaz. Cal noticed it but decided not to say anything.
“What’s for dinner?” he asked instead.
“Why don’t you wait and see,” Rue said. “You’re so impatient.”
“What’s up your ass?” Cal asked.
Rue looked at him indignantly.
Just then a serving har announced that dinner would be served presently, so the three of them settled themselves at the dining table.
“Mmmm, what’s that smell…?” Cal said, mostly to himself.
The serving har set down a platter of meat.
“Steak!” Cal smiled happily. “We hardly ever have steak.” He then looked at the other two. “Okay, what’s up?”
“Nothing,” Rue said with a shrug. “Can’t we have steak now and then?”
“We could but we never do. Too common for Gelaming taste buds,” Cal muttered to himself. But his smile soon returned. “However I’m not complaining.”
The three of them dined on steak, salad and fried potatoes, which were also a favorite of Rue’s. And for dessert, fruit sherbet.
After their repast the three of them retired to the first floor balcony to enjoy the view of the moon and stars. Rue yawned after only sitting for a short while.
“I’m off to bed,” he said and walked into the palace.
“I’ve got a few things to do yet,” Pell said.
“Aw, come on!” said Cal. “After that great dinner, you two are just going to go off and leave me to be bored again?”
“Unlike you, I’ve got things to tend to. Quit pouting and take a moonlight walk. By the time you get back I’ll be in our room.”
Cal huffed and walked down the steps into the garden. He thought maybe he should go into the club district and find Ashmael, who would undoubtedly be carousing by this time.
“I could get drunk and maybe even order a piece of cake!” He chuckled to himself. Nah. I’d rather be with Pell.
The sights, sounds and scents of the night calmed him and made him feel mellow, so he was in a good mood when he finally got back to Phaonica. As he headed down the hall to his and Pell’s room, he saw flickering candlelight and smelled incense.
Hmmm…Pell must be feeling a bit roony. He smiled to himself at the thought. I guess this day won’t be a total loss after all.
As he entered the room, he stopped in his tracks. There, sharing breath on the bed were his lover and Tigrina. They stopped and looked at Cal with seductive eyes, sparkling in the candlelight.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Cal said.
Rue giggled. “First things first.” He went over to a tea tray and wheeled it over. Then, pulling off a cloth that was hiding the cart’s contents he said, “Voila!”
There on the cart was a beautifully decorated cake and several bottles of what appeared to be champagne, on ice.
“What the…? How did you know? How…?” Cal was speechless, an extremely rare occurrence.
Rue and Pellaz laughed. “It was Rue’s idea,” Pell admitted. “I told him you were brooding a bit today because of the date. He took care of the rest.”
Cal grinned from ear to ear. “Did you follow me to the beach?”
Pell and Rue both looked confused.
“Uh, never mind. It’s a story for another time. Let’s get drunk and eat cake!”
Their first helping of cake, washed down with champagne, was consumed in the normal way. Then they got creative.
Cal dipped his fingers into the icing and had Pell lick it off.
Then, giggling drunkenly, Rue blobbed icing onto his nipples.
Look! Pastries!” He said, slurring a bit.
“Don’t you mean ‘pasties’”? Cal asked.
“No, silly! It’s a joke!” he replied into Cal’s face.
Pell had no clue what they were talking about.
Cal licked at some of the icing on Rue as Pellaz grabbed onto Cal from behind and nibbled his ear.
Soon their threesome was in full swing. Clothes were strewn around, the cake was destroyed and the champagne was guzzled.
Afterward, when the three of them lay in a heap, almost passed out, Rue raised his head and gave Cal a drunken smile.
“A very merry unbirthday to you!” he said patting him on the cheek and then plopping his head back down.
Cal chortled and Pell took a minute or two to ‘get it.’”
“A merry unbirthday indeed,” Cal repeated, just before passing out.
~*>>> THE END <<<*~