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According to one of the oldest tales in Fontaine, the children of the hydro nation are born surrounded by well wishes and blessings, the first thing they see is their parents smile amidst their cries of happiness and their first days are filled with laughter and joy. Furina would know this if she could remember her early days in Teyvat, but the first days that she remembers are indeed as happy as the tale tells although it would be nicer if those memories weren’t blurry and foggy. Even if she can’t remember properly, she still feels a warm feeling in her chest when thinking about those times.
Furina’s birthday is merely a commemorative date in Fontaine, a day and month randomly chosen according to her likings 500 years ago, since her blurry old memories couldn’t tell her the exact day her presence was made know in Teyvat. Since the begging it was planned to be just another festival like any other, it might be one of the millions of lies she created around herself but the wishes and presents from the people of Fontaine couldn’t have been more sincere. During her first years living as a false Archon, her birthday was one of the best days she could have as an Archon, the people would bring her the most delicious treats and the most precious presents just for her. The people of Fontaine would make a gigantic line in front of the Palais Mermornia just to be able to wish her a happy birthday in person, not to mention the piles and piles of letters that would come to her office and the poor melusines who needed to arrange those piles properly later. Furina would spend the whole reading every single detail until she couldn’t fight her sleep anymore and ended up sleeping surrounded by letters.
With the passing years, her birthday stopped being a celebration and became a reminder. A reminder of the prophecy and all the lifes on the line along with her duty with her people. She would still read the letters but it wouldn’t bring her happiness like before, only making her chest ache with anguish. It became a chore keeping her smile intact while all her people, full of faith and admiration, wished her the best with such honest smiles that by the end of the day she would come to her quarters nauseous. Yet she let the festivities continue, not matter how much it hurt her, she couldn’t say no to the people of Fontaine and their prayers.
Her last birthday as an Archon were numb, the letters would still pile in her office table but she no longer had the courage to read them. Furina imagine about the day she wouldn’t be an Archon anymore would her people still celebrate that day like the same? Would her people still stop by her door only to wish her happy birthday?
When the prophecy came, when her façade finally went down, Furina still couldn’t answer that question. Her first birthday as a human, was spent alone, far from the people’s eyes, hidden behind the curtains of her room in her new “home”. No letters reached her this time and no “Happy Birthday”s could be heard the whole day. For the first time in 500, Furina faced this day with the truth: October 13th wasn’t her birthday and it never was to start with. And just like that she spent the day lying on her bed staring at nothing just like many of her days during that time.
But now, her days aren’t tedious and depressive like they used to, she has people that she cares for, a new life ahead waiting for her. Still, she doesn’t know what to do with her “birthday”. Is not a especial date in Fontaine’s calendar anymore and it never was properly hers to begin with. She planned pretending it was just another ordinary day like any other. She wouldn’t spend the day looking as the day passes through her window but she wouldn’t do something especial either. But the smell of burning that she felt when she woke up that morning could count as a birthday surprise.
Never in her life, Furina got out of her bed so fast and where did she let her slippers last night?! She doesn’t remember letting anything in the oven last night either! Her house might be small and insufferable but it’s the only one she has. Archons, how she would explain to Neuvillette and Clorinde that she let her house burn down from night to day? She would have to walk to the Palais Mermonia in her pijamas on top of that. How utterly humiliating! Furina grabbed her vision on her nightstand and went downstairs cursing herself and praying that the gods above would listen to her. If she's quick enough maybe she can save part of her house!
When Furina finally recaches the source of the burning smell, she could only stare at the tall gray haired man, standing in the middle of her kitchen holding a plate of burned... Something.
“Wriothesley...” she starts.
“Good morning Furina. I decided to use your kitchen to make breakfast for us this morning if you don’t mind.” Wriothesley says while holding the plate of burned what apparently were supposed to be pancakes. He seems to notice her face of disbelief and curses under his breath while searching for something on the kitchen counter. “Shit... Give me just a second... Here.” He changes the plate for an actual presentable one that looks more edible. Still not looking like pancakes though but at least it isn’t burned this time. “I had a little accident with the first ones my bad”
Furina doesn’t know what she wants to do first, curse Wriothesley until her voice gives out or question what the hell is his definition of pancakes. She chooses neither of the options and just sighs while sitting at her table. “Enlighten me Duke, what are you doing in my house at this hour in the morning actually wait, I have a better question. How did you even get here in the first place?”
“Hidden spare key” Wriothesley says while munching one of the so-called pancakes. Great. She will have to change her hidden key spot. Again. Seriously, how many times has Furina changed that spot in the last 3 months? At first she thought that maybe it was her fault and she didn’t hide it properly but after the nth time Furina found the Duke randomly at her couch she began to question Wriothesley's housebreaking abilities. Her personal space be damned she guesses.
Wriothesley puts two plates of pancakes in the table and sits in front of her waiting for her to take the first bite. He even had the time to put some fruits on hers. If she's being optimistic this looks like a mess at best. Furina thinks if she really wanna taste that but she gives a chance anyways and... And it actually tastes decent? Wait, it really tastes good. Okay maybe Wriothesley has been using some kind of black magic on his cooking because there’s no way. She hates to admit that but besides the horrendous appearance it tastes delicious. She finishes her plate in a blink while Wriothesley watches her with a satisfied face. “You’re very fond of my cooking it seems. Maybe I finally surpassed Escoffier with this one” Wriothesley says with a smirk “Never!” Furina respond pointing her fork at him “Know your place. At least Escoffier doesn’t try to burn my house at eight in the morning!” Even with his threats, Furina can't wipe the smile that only grows on Wriothesley's face.
After finishing their plates, and after Wriothesley cooked some more for Furina after her polite request, she thinks that it’s time to address the elephant in the room. “Wriothesley” he turns almost immediately from where he stands in her kitchen. “Yeah? Do actually want more?” She sighs and thinks how she could address that without sounding harsh or even ungrateful “No, no, I’m fine it’s just... Could you... I-I mean the breakfast was great but I can’t help but ask what are you doing here” As much as it infuriates Furina sometimes, Wriothesley has a habit of showing up unannounced but never this earlier or making a surprise like that, especially a whole breakfast for her. It’s not unwelcome just not usual. He ponders for a minute, thinking what he could say to avoid the storm approaching but he realizes that there isn’t much that can be done at this point. “It’s your birthday” he simply says.
Furina can’t help but sight audible putting her head in her hands. “We already discussed that”
“I know”
“Then why-“
“I wanted to make you breakfast. That’s all”
Furina stares at the table not being able to look at Wriothesley in the eyes. Furina’s birthdays are complicated. She told him that. Yet here they are.
“Furina” Wriothesley calls her. This time Furina has the decency to look at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t want to...” his hand reaches out to her but stops mid way. “...I shouldn't have done this without telling you first. I apologize” Oh wow now she’s feeling worse. He comes here to do something nice for her for once and of course she ruins everything. “It’s alright I j-just wasn’t expecting!” She tries to smile, a sincere smile, but Wriothesley is hardly convinced by. It’s not like she’s against celebrating her birthday or anything but it feels so wrong doing that after all these years, after all those times lying. She simply can’t see a reason to do all that. When Furina told him the truth behind her birthday and the reason why she didn’t want to celebrate it he made the same face of discomfort that he’s making now. “Your birthday is supposed to be a day spend with laughter and praise in honor of those who had the grace to have you in their lifes. It doesn’t matter if it’s the real day you were born or not. Birthdays are not only about that” Wriothesley words keep spinning on her head. She’s unsure what do to but... She stops her thoughts when Wriothesley appears in front of her. Smiling nonetheless. His pained expression is suddenly gone.
“Well since today is definitely not your birthday I believe you don’t have any plans for the day right?”
“Uhm... No I think?” Furina feels confused with the sudden change of mood. At one point they were tense on a thin line and now... Wriothesley is clearly plotting something. Probably against her will. “Well then” he grabs her hand and takes Furina to the couch. “You won’t believe in this but it turns out I also coincidentally don’t have any plans for today which means...” he throws himself on the sofa taking Furina with him “...we can pass the whole day doing absolutely nothing here”
“What?!” Furina looks at him, baffled. The Duke of Meropide? Having a totally free day?! Not in her 500 years being an Archon she heard of that.
“Okay yeah maybe I lied a bit and I did brought some movies that we could watch in the meantime but honestly you know I’m not good picking those things so-“
“Wait! No nonono! What do you mean the Duke is having a completely free day? Are my ears deceiving me?”
Wriothesley chuckles at her reaction “I took the day off for you actually”
Oh.
“I know you didn’t want to do anything special today” He gently intertwines their hands together “But I thought it wasn’t right leaving you alone today”
Oh Archons.
“So if you don’t want to, you know, buy a cake with some candles and sing Happy Birthday or anything like it we can just stay here. Only if you want to.”
The only thing Furina wants to do right now is cry and sink in the sofa until no one can find her ever again. There’s no way he took his day off just for her. For her only! That sounds so..so.. absurd! Yeah that’s the word she was searching for absurd! But when she looks at his fond eyes suddenly the words die in her tongue. Wriothesley waits for her reaction but the only thing that Furina manages to blurt out without starting to cry is “that sounds nice” It’s so small, so out of character for her. “Does it?” he gives her hand a light squeeze “Yeah” And this time when Furina smiles, she’s truly sincere.
Wriothesley was right. He’s terrible at picking movies to watch. The movies were so bad that Furina started to wonder if he hadn't just gotten a bunch of comedy movies and was doing some kind of prank with her. It’s good. Spending her whole afternoon laughing with him at those horrendous movies, just sitting there, doing nothing. In the meantime, a melusine knocks at her door bringing her a letter from the Palais, from Neuvilette probably, someone also stops at her door bringing with them a bag full of the most delicious sweets Furina ever tasted. At first she thought maybe it was a random stranger that wished to say happy birthday to their ex Archon but turns out it was someone sent by Escoffier herself to bring her some “Birthday snacks” she told her in the small note attached to the bag. That resulted in a small discussion between Wriothesley and Furina because apparently Wriothesley can’t accept that Escoffier is a better chef than him ( “again, only one of you tried to burn my house to the ground” ). By the end of the afternoon Clorinde knocked on her door offering them to spend the night on her place with Navia just playing games and drinking some tea, an offering very appealing to the Duke.
And even with the constant reminders that today was indeed Furina’s Birthday she discovered that maybe this time, it wasn’t that bad. It still made her anxious but somehow it didn’t feel in bad way. This time, the first in Archons knows how long, Furina feels a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest reading the letters, opening every present. After Clorinde leaves she turns to Wriothesley and ask “What do you think?” He crosses his arms and stares at her “I think the right question should be what you think no?” She bites her lips thinking “It sounds nice, doesn’t it?” A small smile playing on her lips. Wriothesley crosses the room, getting closer to her. “That’s all you going to say the whole afternoon?”
Furina ends up accepting the invitation, not having any excuse to a simply tea party in a unconventional hour. Before they head out to the said tea party Wriothesley stops Furina by the door.
“Can I...say something? Oh but you gotta promise not being mad at me first”
Interestingly Furina accepts his request. He approaches her and slowly pulls her into a kiss, just a small peck in her lips and says:
“Happy Birthday Furina”
And surprisingly, doesn’t get mad at him, only smiling in return.