Happy Birthday

Home. His real home. Two rooms, a single bathroom, on the end of the third floor with the balcony facing the parking lot. Unit 301.

Opening the door, Aaron sensed his closest friends inside. The telepathic link between them couldn't be mistaken. His faith in them couldn't be wrong.

Aaron headed into the living room and–

"Happy birthday!"

The lights flicked on and confetti and party poppers went off. Half a dozen people sprung out from behind the couch, all of them wearing smiles and spreading laughter.

"Happy birthday, happy birthday!" Chloe repeated, grinning. "Happy birthday, Aaron!"

"Alright, alright, settle down." The babysitter, Carrie, put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Happy birthday."

Well, this was crushingly sweet. A warm feeling went from his neck down to his stomach, making flips of joy. Chloe, Cassandra, Stephanie, Tim, Damian, Duke, Carrie, and, most surprisingly, the members of We Are Robin: Izzy, Riko, Daxton, and Andre. Aaron hadn't seen them in a long time.

Aaron wasn't worried, however. Julia, as the Nest, had told We Are Robin not to tell anyone, including Duke, about his involvement in their operations. There was no reason for them to break that promise.

Aaron was safe. In fact, he appreciated their presence.

"Happy birthday," Cassandra and Stephanie chorused together, giggling. There was a large cake on the table, lit with twenty six candles and decorated in chocolate. Aaron chuckled.

"Is this all for me?" he asked jokingly.

"Hey, well, if you don't want it," Tim said, nudging at the cake, "I'll take it."

"Nah, hold up, we already decided how we'd split it," Daxton interjected.

"Fine, fine," Tim said, sighing. "Man, I'm hungry."

"Then let's get to cutting the cake," Aaron said, stifling his amusement. "Might as well, right?"

"Right! Gifts will be after!" Chloe exclaimed.

Aaron raised a brow but didn't say anything otherwise.

The cake was cut, the candles were blown, and the happy birthday song was sung. It was a merry time overall. There was laughter and giggles and plenty of smiling and joking.

This was the first time in his life someone had told him happy birthday like this. That someone had thrown him a party. It felt nice. He felt…wanted.

Eventually, as they ate, they divided into groups. Aaron stuck with Duke, Daxton, and Andre–the We Are Robin squad. Damian and Chloe were off to the side, arguing while supervised by Tim. The remaining girls talked amongst themselves.

"It's been a while, eh," Duke said. He took a bite of the cake and started nodding with a smile. "Mm! This is good, man!"

"Who got the cake?" Aaron asked.

"I think it was Stephanie and your daughter," Andre answered. "I saw them coming in with it."

Daxton chimed in, "They almost dropped it."

"And I'm the one that caught it," Duke said proudly.

"I guess I owe you one, Duke," Aaron said. The males took a second to take a bite of the cake. "By the way, how are things with Izzy?"

"Pretty good, honestly." Duke scratched the back of his ear. "There was a little bit of, erm, fighting after the whole coma thing, but we've been moving past it."

"Nice." Another bite of cake. "What about you two?"

"Meh." Daxton rolled a shoulder. Seeing the slight nerve in his eye, it was clear Daxton was trying to avoid the implication that Aaron was aware of their vigilantism. "Been going to college, that sort of thing. You know how it is."

"I hear you're dating someone," Andre suddenly said. "Cassandra, right?"

Aaron nodded curtly. "That's right. It's been almost three months now. We're going steady."

"Good for you." Andre sent him a look of respect. "I hear the Gotham dating scene is quite hard."

"Assuming you're ugly like Andre," Daxton joked.

"Says you, dude," Duke quipped.

The three friends exploded into laughter. Aaron merely smiled. This was nice. Life was nice.

A finger tapped him on the shoulder. Looking behind, he saw Riko, the mixed Asian chick who seemingly had a crush on him. Her eyes seemed slightly downcast.

"Hey Riko, what's up?" Aaron asked with a smile.

"It's gift unpacking time," Riko responded. Then, as if forcing herself to speak, added, "I hope you like what I got you."

Everybody huddled back towards the center of the living room. Aaron had seen the gift-wrapped boxes but only now was he really analyzing them. He could very easily through them with his x-ray vision or figure out what they were through the Collective ****. But he wanted to be surprised.

As Aaron sat at the couch, surrounded by his friends, Stephanie handed him a small, beautifully wrapped box, adorned with a bright red ribbon. With a mischievous grin, Stephanie urged him to open it.

Aaron carefully untied the ribbon and unwrapped the box. A cool silver light came through and revealed a vintage pocket watch. Its silver chain gleamed under the soft glow of the living room lights, and the intricate design on the cover caught his eye.

"It's a pocket watch," Stephanie said, beaming. "You look like someone who appreciates old-fashioned things, so I thought this might be a perfect addition to your collection."

Aaron examined the timepiece. He didn't dislike vintage objects nor did he actively search for them. This gift was…new. A change of pace. Aaron decided he liked it. "Steph, this is amazing," he said sincerely, smiling at her. "Thank you so much for such a thoughtful gift."

Next up was the collective gift of We Are Robin: Izzy, Riko, Daxton, and Andre. He could feel Daxton grinning as Andre handed him a slim, mysterious-looking envelope. Was it a card? Money? Aaron couldn't help but feel intrigued as he unwrapped the box.

Inside was a handwritten letter and a plane ticket to a destination he had always dreamed of visiting: Tokyo, Japan.

Aaron's eyes widened in surprise and joy. "Tokyo?" he gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Daxton replied, grinning even wider. "See, Andrew won it from–"

An elbow from Izzy interrupted Daxton. "What he means to say," Izzy said, smiling, "is that we collectively bought it for you and your family. It's intended for five people."

"You can invite yourself, your daughter, and three other people of your choosing," Riko elaborated. Aaron sensed a tinge of envy and desperation in her voice. "Friends, family, whomever."

Aaron glanced at Cassandra. During her birthday, he had promised to take her somewhere. Well, now that promise had fallen to his lap. It was here. After throwing a sly smile at his girlfriend, he looked back at the Robins.

"Thank you guys." Aaron looked at Andre. "Especially you, Andre. Next time you win something though, you should keep it to yourself. You deserve it."

"No problem, bro."

"My turn, my turn!" Chloe jumped up and down and practically threw her box at the table. "You'll love it! I know you will!"

There was a bit of laughter from the adults. A cheeky smile appeared on Aaron's face. "I hope so, Chloe. I have huge expectations."

"And I'll meet them," Chloe bragged.

It was a small package wrapped in vibrant blue paper, adorned with playful birthday-themed stickers. Aaron eagerly tore it open to find a set of high-quality watercolour paints and sketchbooks.

"Well, see, I thought about getting something cool and fun," Chloe said with a smile. "And! Something to do with me! So, I chose watercolour painting! Cool, right?"

Aaron's face lit up with delight as he held the art supplies in his hands. Chloe was a kid but she was a good, thoughtful kid. Normally, he would never have a use for watercolour painting supplies with Chloe…yeah, the house was about to get messy, that was for sure.

"You know me so well," Aaron said, feeling touched by his daughter's effort. "I can't wait to put these to good use. Thanks, Chloe."

"Oh, but I shouldn't take all the credit." Chloe gestured at Carrie, the red-haired caretaker. "Ms. Carrie helped. But just a little bit! Not too much."

"Not too much," Carrie repeated, chuckling. "She's right though. It was mostly Chloe's idea."

"I appreciate that." He sent Carrie a sincere look of appreciation. She nodded back.

"Alrighty, last gift," Stephanie announced cheerfully, nudging Cassandra forward playfully. "I wonder who it's from."

Aaron noticed Cassandra standing slightly apart from the group, holding a small, elegantly wrapped gift in her hands.

"Happy birthday, Aaron." A wide smile was plastered on Cassandra's pretty face. She carried the gift over to him and placed it into his hands gently.

He couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions as he unwrapped the gift to find the delicate silver bracelet with intricate engravings. The room fell silent as everyone watched, and Aaron's eyes met Cassandra's, a deep understanding passing between them.

"Wow, this is beautiful." Aaron eyed the engravings: A&C. Aaron and Cassandra. The writing was lovely as it was expensive. "Thank you, Cass."

As he put on the bracelet, he felt a sense of connection and gratitude that words couldn't fully express. He looked around at his friends and family, their smiling faces filled with love and happiness. He took a deep breath, blushing slightly. He wasn't good at public speeches. No, he wasn't good with people in general.

Yet he had to show his appreciation. He had to show that this meant a lot to him.

"I...can't believe how lucky I am to have all of you in my life. Thank you for making this birthday so special."

Amidst cheers and laughter, Aaron knew he would cherish this moment and the love of his friends and family forever. The day had been filled with joy, surprises, and most importantly, the warmth of genuine love from those he cared about most.