defenderofdesmoines | MHA #2 | Friday Evening - Diego and Five's Birthday Party!

Entry tags:

MHA #2 | Friday Evening - Diego and Five's Birthday Party!

Let the record show that no one had asked Annie to throw anyone a birthday party, but that really hadn't stopped her from throwing the full weight of an Annie January effort into all of this.

The apartment was decorated fairly tastefully, she thought -- just because this was an unsolicited party didn't mean she wasn't keenly aware of who they were celebrating, here. So while there were streamers, they were a tasteful charcoal gray and silver combination. While there was glitter, it was black and vaguely iridescent. The napkins were printed in a tartan pattern that didn't exactly match Five's uniform, but the intent was clear. A banner carefully hung across one wall -- interestingly, also across a door that led into the guest room, since no one needed to go in there today -- that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIEGO & FIVE.

And, most importantly, there was a ton of food and drinks in the kitchen, not to mention the shots Summer was providing and the two -- yes, two -- cakes that Annie had ordered. (It hardly seemed fair to make them share, especially when this was the first time either of these guys had really celebrated his birthday at all.)

So: welcome to a birthday party for a man turning thirty, and his brother who was turning fourteen-slash-sixty-four. Probably the most normal birthday party you'll attend this year.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Like you do at parties.

Please wait for them to ping in first!

Please wait for the artiste to ping in!

There's a ton of moddable things besides shots and cake. And also kitchens are a great place to hide at a party, if you're so inclined.

The two cakes that Annie had ordered were sitting on their own table -- Diego's had a number of candles (thirty, to be precise) sitting beside it, along with a lighter, while the prospect of decorating Five's with the correct number of candles had proven to be too difficult, and Annie had ultimately just stuck a 5-shaped candle into the cake to light later.

All adults and students are welcome (though students pleeeeeease stay out of the booze unless you want Annie on your case)! Feel free to mod that you got that text from Annie or heard by word of mouth or whatever!

During the planning process of all of this Diego had been determined to push back any negative feelings his birthday might have drummed up and at least try to put on a happy (happy for him) face for Annie's sake.

Now that it was the day of the party, he realized it was easier said than done.

So he was there, not exactly looking cheerful, and trying not to focus on how there should be five other people here also having a birthday.

Sure, sure, sure. Summer had a lot of things to still sort of finish up and take care of since she planned on leaving this weekend (which was not actually going to be happening, for some reason, I wonder whaaat?), but that didn't mean she wasn't going to devote an exorbitant amount of time putting together one last themed jello shot set for a party before she did!

And not just any party, either! It was her bestie's boyfriend and his weird brother's birthday! So, like, yeah, she was definitely going all in...while trying not to think of how many future parties around here were going to be sadly without a jello table.

The offerings that evening, decorated accordingly to the party as a whole because, duh, of course she collaborated with Annie to make sure everything was cohesive, margarita shots, rum and stout shots, a black-and-white layered espresso shot meant to totally reall certain distinctive fashion elements of both birthday boys' style (although, admittedly, one more than the other), some stupidly complex mudslide ones, chocolate covered strawberry ones, and, of course, a different margarita flavor made with a number five mold.

Oh, and also some glow-in-the-dark ones, because there'd been a conversation.

She felt it wasn't exactly her most cohesive set thus far, because she really didn't know Diego or Five even half as well as she should, but, still! There was some good stuff there, she felt! Memorable, at least, but, well, this wasn't about her, okay?

Jo had never received an invite to a birthday party before and since the text with the invite that she had received had been the first one that she’d gotten on her newly acquired phone, she thought it would be rude to refuse the invitation so she decided to show up at least for a little bit. Even though she felt a bit weird turning up to a party where she didn’t actually know either person the party was for so she was awkwardly hovering near the door and carrying two birthday cards with money in both because she hadn’t been sure about what else to do for presents.

"I promise you won't have to clean up any of it," Annie teased lightly, coming over to press a kiss to Diego' cheek.

She knew something was off, but there were...options, as far as what it could be. Diego wasn't exactly a partygoer most of the time (though Annie knew he'd had fun at the ones she'd dragged him to, and maybe it would be different when it was your own birthday?) And she wasn't so obtuse to not realize that the same reason he'd been down for a few weeks -- his missing siblings -- had to really be bothering him today. (But also maybe the party could be a distraction?)

So she was just going to be cute about it and pretend she thought it was the glitter that was bothering him.

Of course Belle was there to see what sort of birthday Five might end up having. How could she pass up that opportunity?

And how could she pass up the opportunity to bring with her a neatly wrapped book on magical theory as a gift for someone?

It did feel a bit odd to be attending a gathering in the home of two almost entirely unfamiliar adults but there had been odder situations since she'd arrived here.

"You've outdone yourself," Annie told her, clearly disagreeing with that narrative. "Oh my God, you made little fives."

Which would probably go wholly unappreciated by the man in question, but Annie thought they were lovely.

"Oh my God, and so much dark and black -- you have no idea how hard it was finding a black cake -- and...." Annie paused, frowning as she plucked up one of the glow-in-the-dark ones and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Oh, hey, are you one of Five's classmates?" Annie greeted her warmly, crossing right over to Jo to offer a hand to shake. "I'm Annie, welcome. I can take those cards and stash them somewhere for you." Where they would be safe from cake or jello.

"Thank god for that," he said, giving her a small smile. "I like all the black and gray though."

"Welcome!" Annie was kind of intentionally being a little extra about greeting any students, just because she knew she would have felt weird about attending a party at some rando adult's house at their age, so she was crossing right over to Belle with a bright smile and an extended hand to shake. "Are you one of Five's friends?"

Aww and she had brought a present, which meant she either barely knew the guy, or she knew him pretty well, so color Annie fascinated.

Rey didn't know Diego very well ~~for some reason~~, but she knew him well enough to celebrate his birthday. And definitely knew Annie well enough for it.

And yes she did already have glitter on her. There'd probably be more by the end.

"I was tempted to go all in on, like, orange and red," Annie told him, slipping her arm across his back. "As inspiration. But it was also kind of fun trying to make dark colors festive without being, like...goth about it."

The cakes she'd looked at, Diego.

"Oh my God, Rey, hi. It looks, like, festive and not...funereal in here, right?" Annie checked in greeting.

It wasn't like she could ask Diego. He was acting bummed enough as it was; his opinion was clearly compromised.

Summer was just going to beam proudly over her handiwork and the fact that Annie said she'd outdone herself while Summer was, of course, worrying about maybe not have done quite enough, and then she just snorted a laugh at that eyebrow and shook her head.

"Someone asked at the bar the other night if I ever did glow in the dark ones," she explained. "So I just threw those in, wondering if anyone would notice."

Which she had! Mission accomplished!

"Or," she then offered, "you can say they're representive of Diego and Five's glowing personalities!"

"At least it's the right time of year for it," Diego said, leaning in to press a kiss against her cheek. "I mean, if anyone is going to be ready for black icing it's going to be in October."

Though there was going to be some weird looking teeth in their future after eating some.

Socks? Was having a birthday party? Oh, Troy had to see this.

...no, really, he kind of did, because birthday parties were awesome, and he had to take every chance he could to enjoy them while he was here where he couldn't get in trouble or have to pretend he didn't care about them because of his religion, shush.

Honestly, Annie had been racking her brain to try to remember if she had ever drunkenly confided -- or overshared, depending on your perspective -- her own glow-in-the-dark tendencies when it came to Diego, so the relief that washed over her was so welcome.

"Oh, yeah, that's what those two have," Annie snorted, selecting a few of the shots. "Like, I love him, but I don't think anyone would ever describe Diego as glowing. And I think Five's more, like...feral. Oh, speaking of."

She pointed towards the door she had so carefully obscured with that banner. "If you wanna peek in there at some point, that's where the crazy all lives. With the yarn and stuff."

Edited 2021-10-01 12:17 (UTC)

"Did you see Summer's shots?" she asked, because Annie's tongue was already totally black. "She made you a whole bunch of dark ones. Hardly any prompting from me on that, too -- she just asked what you like to drink."

It was almost like if you were a guy who tended to barely wear color, people noticed and ran with it. Particularly if your other half was outright sparkly.

"I hope you like all of it," she added, almost kind of trying to convince herself even as she leaned into him a little.

"Troy!" Oh, look, Annie knew this one, which probably made it marginally less awkward than it had been with the other students. (At least, for her, anyway; Troy instead had to deal with being at one of his former teachers' homes.) "Welcome! I didn't know you knew Five!"

Like, really, Troy seemed kind of cool? Not that Annie was any kind of high school coolness expert, but Five...was not cool. She knew that for sure.

Relief was, if you asked Summer, sort of an...odd response to that explanation, so you were getting a curiously confused headtilt at that, Annie, so maybe something to follow up on at another time, because now Summer was following her lead toward the carefully obscurred door and heard the explanation with a nod.

"I might just have to do just that," she said, "once things get a little more in swing and maybe the spread gets a little...lighter."

Because it was easier to be stealthy if people had had more jello shots and it was important for her to spend at least a little bit of time lording over the table because, well, that usually meant people came up and praised them and yeah, right, like Summer was going to pass up praise. She basically needed it to live.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 17

MHA #2 | Friday Evening - Diego and Five's Birthday Party!

Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Talk to the Birthday Boys | 10/1

Jello Shots | 10/1

Food and Drinks | 10/1

Cake! | 10/1

OOC | 10/1

Re: Talk to the Birthday Boys | 10/1

Re: Jello Shots | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Talk to the Birthday Boys | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Jello Shots | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Talk to the Birthday Boys | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Talk to the Birthday Boys | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Jello Shots | 10/1

Re: Talk to the Birthday Boys | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Jello Shots | 10/1

Re: Talk to the Birthday Boys | 10/1

Re: Arrive & Mingle | 10/1

Re: Jello Shots | 10/1