Max woke up on the morning of his birthday to the soft feeling of what he assumed was Nico giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Good Morning, and Happy Birthday," Max mumbled.
"Good Morning to the Birthday Boy." Mary Tarith giggled as she stood up.
"Birthday Breakfasts are a tradition in our family, but I had no idea what you like to eat, so I had Nico let me in to wake you up." The matron of the Tarith Family explained.
"Anything that's better than an MRE pack is fine by me, but if there is fresh fruit juice, that is even better," Max told her, stretching out in the bed as he began to wake up properly.
Despite the fact he was only sleeping under a light blanket, Max found himself stifling hot and somewhat sweaty this morning, making him wonder if there was something wrong with the temperature control in his suite.
"If you want to pick some breakfast food, I will catch a shower, and then we can eat," Max suggested.
Max came back out to a luxurious feast of assorted meats, cheese, pies, tiny waffles with syrup and fruit as well as eggs and juice.
"You're a big guy, so I made a bit of everything. Real food, not from that replicator thing on the wall." Mary Tarith informed him.
"You should really try it. The replicator makes some good food. I know, I designed them myself." Nico said, entering the room in a full-on Princess dress, complete with Tiara and wings that Max recognized as being a feathered cover of the Archangel Exoskeleton.
"Oh, Nico, there you are. I knew it would be perfect on you, but what did you do to the wings?" Mary asked.
"I fixed them. They actually fly now." Nico told her with a wink, then floated across the room a few centimeters above the ground.
"It's only breakfast and you're already dressed for the party?" Max asked, wondering how much Mary Tarith loved birthdays.
"Just a test fit, since the dress was premade before we left the Academy. I can adjust my dimensions a little, but only so much." Nico informed him.
"Alright, go change back before you get it dirty. There are more dresses in the room for you. I saw your closet, and you needed them." Mary insisted.
Nico would wear a proper dress? Skirts were normal for her, but a regular everyday dress, not something cosplay, or over-the-top fancy just seemed like such a personality clash that Max couldn't see her wearing them. Mary Tarith had a very normal motherly fashion sense, and you would never guess the personality that hid under the neutral colors and cardigans. Nico was one to wear her personality though, and it was always flamboyant.
Nico came back out in a buttercup yellow sundress, with a leather Coat over the top and military boots and fishnets below. That was exactly what Max had expected.
"Thanks, mom, they're perfect," Nico said, giving Mary a big hug while the older woman rolled her eyes at Nico's fashion sense.
"I got you a few options for suits to pick from tonight. All of the VIP guests know it's also your birthday, so they will bring you gifts and expect you to be there to greet everyone, but we don't need to make a big deal of it with the Trading Company if you don't want." Mary informed Max.
"I'm not sure if you heard from Nico already, but I'm not a big fan of birthday parties, so I would rather just blend in. Breakfast and Cake is already a good day." Max replied honestly.
Not long after they finished eating and cleaned the dishes, Dave and Mollie arrived with Max's younger siblings, all of them eager to wish him a happy birthday and present the handmade gifts that they had created. One handmade beaded necklace from the girls and finger paintings from the toddlers.
Max knew that the girls barely remembered him, and the boys hadn't met him until after they were refugees, so the gesture was a touching one.
"Thank you all for the wonderful birthday gifts." Max thanked them, then snuck the girls a few pieces of chocolate from the cupboard.
"Why don't we all watch a movie? Something relaxing, as a family?" Mary Tarith Suggested, already turning on the projectors.
In consideration of the children present, it couldn't be too outlandish, so Max didn't have any objections to letting her choose. Knowing Mary Tarith, this was likely planned well in advance anyhow, she wasn't one to leave things to chance, or make spur-of-the-moment decisions.
As it turned out, getting a pair of three-year-olds to actually watch a romantic comedy wasn't happening, so Max set up the cartoons in his room for the kids to watch at their leisure.
For a change, they were going light on the snacks, the staple of movie enjoyment in Max's mind, because Mary didn't want everyone to be too full to enjoy the evening meal that she had planned for before the party started.
That turned out to be a huge hit with everyone who had gathered, including Nico's father, who showed up for dinner, just in time to receive an earful from Mary about having skipped the movies.
Max understood romantic comedies weren't for everyone, and Mary was really into them. Hiding until her tears and theatrics were finished was likely the best option her husband had.
Mary had made Barbecued Burnt Ends, with smoked ribs, baked beans, and some sort of shredded cabbage salad that Max didn't have a name for, but Mary's mind called slaw. Even the kids were overjoyed about that revelation, and the fact that they weren't going to get in trouble for eating with their fingers.
"So, Brother Max, will you be coming to our birthday next? It's only one more month until we turn four now." Max's sister Sasha asked.
"Of course. We will still be around the planet as well, so you can even try to get Miss Molly to plan a special event." Max suggested.
"Just no Princesses." Sandy, the other twin sister insisted, making Max chuckle.
"I can agree to that."
