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Birthdays were a very alien concept to him.
He understood having a birth date. That was important for record keeping, and when he had left the grasp of the cult, he had made sure to pick one in the general time of year the elders had seemed to recognize as his birth.
The thought of a -celebration- surrounding the date, though, was very different and new concept to him. It hadn't really come up in any conversations he had, and he was quite content to continue not acknowledging the idea of birthday celebrations.
However, once he had gained a circle of friends, he was forced to re-think his opinions.
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Their friend group had been formed out of necessity before winter break. A suprise group project had forced them together, and by the time they had finished, they had become rather close-knit, despite their massive differences. Interactions outside of classwork had been slow at first. So, the subject of birthdays hadn't really come up for discussion until well into the new year. And Kana had been first.
True to her nature, there hadn't been much in the way of celebration. Just a small lunch they had scrounged together, a few dumplings from her favourite bakery to share, and (almost) all of them had chipped in to gift her a new pair of running shoes.
They watched Victoria awkwardly stick a candle into the biggest dumpling, drawing a small laugh from Kana. Once lit, (almost) the whole group sang to her before she leaned down to blow the candle out. Almost instantly, Shepherd stood up to frantically wave the small bit of smoke away from the detectors, grinning at Kana.
"Happy birthday. Lemme guess, ya wished for a victory in your next game, righ'?"
"You know me too well. I believe it was a waste of a wish, though. We have not lost a game yet. Still, a little extra help couldn't hurt." She glanced up at the clock. "....speaking of, I need to get to the field. I will see you all later. Thank you."
And she was off like a shot, dodging the milling students in the hallways expertly. They cleared off the remnants of lunch on the table and set off towards the next class.
For a long time, Sarnax was quiet. Thoughtful.
It took until their professor had written the lab assignment on the board and for the class to have split into groups again, for him to turn to his friend as they were setting up.
"....is...that a "birthday celebration" ? I have never seen one before in person."
Shepherd fumbled and nearly dropped the equipment he was carrying, making several people around him cry out in alarm.
"Mr Morgan! -Please- be more careful with the equipment!" A panicked voice from their professor at the head of the class rang out. Shepherd waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, I hear ya. Sorry."
As soon as he dropped his cargo on the table, he whipped around to his friend, voice low.
"...Sarnax. Buddy. Have ya never... had a birthday before? Ya gotta... at least -have- a day or something."
"Of course, Shepherd. It is a requirement for record keeping, so I chose one that seemed appropriate."
"You chose-... buddy, ya don't -choose- one, it's the day ya were born! How did -"
"Mr Morgan! Mr...why is there no last name...Sarnax? Please focus!" There was a steely note in the voice of their professor, and both men turned to focus on their work.
That didn't stop the incredulous looks Shepherd kept giving his friend throughout the entire lab.
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One long explanation in a cramped and cold dorm room later had Shephard looking less confused but more concerned. "So.... ok, I think I understand better now. Didn't mean to react that strongly, sorry. It's just... -wild- to me."
Sarnax shrugged, focusing on feeding Gherix. " It is simply a fact of my existence that I do not.... fit the norm of the people around me. I am unbothered by this."
"So... when is it?"
"When is what?"
"Your birthday, obviously! When is it?"
Closing the cage door, Sarnax turned to give his friend a focused stare. ".... I do not wish to have any celebration, Shepherd, if that is why you are asking. Please do not-"
"I ain't gonna make ya uncomfortable by makin' ya have a -party-! Nah, I just wanna know. Got everyone else's written down. So..when is it?"
Sarnax hesitated, fiddling with the door of the cage. Finally, his voice low, he answered. "...the twenty second of the fourth month."
"...that's... hell, that's in two days! 'Nax, were ya tryin' to sneak it past us?"
".... perhaps. Please do not make a spectacle of it."
"Yeah, yeah, I promise. No parties. So... back to the library if the uh.... Firelord has been satisfied?"
Nodding, Sarnax picked up his bag and headed towards the door, Shepherd close behind.
His phone in his hand opened to a notes app he was rapidly writing in...
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Two days later, a freshly-prayed Sarnax made his way back up to his room in the early hours of morning, eyes bright with renewed fervor. Nobody would usually be up in the building at this hour, so...the huddled body leaning against his door in a pile was very surprising. It took him almost reaching the door to finally recognize the sleeping form of his best friend dozing away.
".... Shepherd? What are you..?"
With a curse, Shepherd jerked upright, blinking rapidly. "....oh, for the love of... yeah, of fuckin' course, I don't sleep the whole gods damn night but as -soon- as I sit down t'wait for ya... uh. Mornin', 'Nax. Here, lemme jus'..."
He shuffled sideways out of the doorway, pushing himself up to his feet with a groan. "Somethin' important came up an' I need t'talk with ya. Ain't nothin' bad, don't worry. Can we go inside?"
"Of... course. One moment."
One unlocked door, two students shuffling into the cramped room, and one balefully staring lizard later, Shepherd turned to his friend with a sheepish grin.
"... I ... feel like I should apologize, but not really. Cuz... I didn't go runnin' out and planning a whole party for your birthday, you'd hate that more'n anything. But... I did getcha somethin'."
"Shepherd. I have no need for-"
"No, no, ya know I ain't gonna getcha anything ya don't need! Just...gods dammit, here!"
Sarnax blinked as a large, soft.... blanket? Was shoved into his hands. He tried to unfold it and was immediately enveloped by a sea of red and gold: it was almost three times his size and incredibly soft.
"....its -fuckin freezin'- in here. Ya take good care of Gherix an' makin' sure he's warm enough, but ya don't got anything to keep yourself warm. So.... yeah."
Complete silence. Shepherd looked over to
... a completely stunned-looking Sarnax, who took a few moments before replying.
"I... did not realize this could be something I wanted. But... I do need this. Thank you, Shepherd. Truely."
Shepherd grinned, clapping a hand on his friends shoulder. "Whew, ya had me worried there for a sec! No more freezin' your ass off in here. Uh... I did tell the others it's your birthday today, but! But. They promised they wouldn't mention it unless you did. You don't gotta do -anything- 'less you wanna. Ok?"
"... I shall keep that in mind. Perhaps I shall."
"Good. Now, this is the asscrack of dawn. I don't wanna be awake anymore. So, I'm gonna steal your chair and nap.
"Of course. But you may not borrow my blanket."
"Wouldn't even think about it."