Jensen held a drink out to Andrea who was being attended by Maria and Catherine.
"You're so lucky that it's your birthday if not I would have beaten the hell out of you." Andrea said as the women leg go of his nose.
He blinked twice trying to get used to the pain and the tissues in his nose.
"Ha fat chance." Jensen said.
"On contrary he is right Boss." Alya's voice rang out from behind the boys.
"And who might you be." Jensen asked turning round to look down at her with a serious look.
Alya unconsciously straightened herself under his gaze.
Jenna took notice of it a sighed loudly. "There he goes again with that unsettling look." She said to herself.
She nudged Missy in the ribs slightly and pointed at Mateo. "Go help you cousin out before your boss eats her alive."
"Aye aye, my Queen." Missy said hopping down from where she sat beside Jenna.
"Funny girl." Jenna said to herself laughing.
Missy popped up beside Jensen and tugged his shirt lightly.
"Oh. Little Shadow." Jensen said with a smile as he ruffled her hair. "You made it."
"Hi Boss. Happy birthday." She said hugging him.
"Thank you." He replied.
Andrea cleared his throat drawing their attention before motioning at Alya with his eyes.
"Oh right. Boss, this is my cousin, Alya. Alya, my Boss Jensen. Alya's a really big fan." Missy said.
Jensen's hardened expression immediately softened.
"Alya nice to meet you." Jensen taking a slight gentleman bow.
"Wha— why are y—you doing?" Alya asked shocked.
"Don't mind him, Alya. He's naturally crazy." Jenna said from where she was.
"Hey!" Jensen said looking up. "That's so not true."
Everyone laughed at what she said.
"It's true." Andrea said.
"I agree." James and Catherine said.
"No doubt about it." Mike and Mikey said.
"Hey don't say that about my sweetheart." Mizuki said walking out of the kitchen.
"See someone agrees with me." Jensen said.
"Oh my love shush." Mizuki said. "Everyone in this house is crazy. You're just the craziest."
Jensen narrowed his eyes and looked at Mizuki as everyone laughed.
"What were you saying Alya?" Jensen said.
"Oh, right. I meant to say that the strongest person in the school is Andrea then Ben then both you and Kobi, than Marcus then my big brother." Alya said.
"I don't know how or why I'm on that list." Mike said trying not to choke on some samosa.
"Why aren't I number 1?" Jensen asked.
"First, I beat Ben hands down, two you tied with Kobi, third you haven't fought Ben and Ben has beat Kobi before and finally, you haven't beat me in a fight." Andrea pointed out.
Jensen bit his lower lip and showed Andrea his middle finger.
"I've taken a liking to you. Which kingdom do you belong to?" Jensen asked.
"The same kingdom as my brother and Missy." She replied.
"Alright, Alya. How do you like to be the woman of the shadows for Jenna or Andrea?" Jensen said.
"What do you mean?" Alya asked.
"What he means is that, for him, Jenna is his right hand and Andrea his his left hand while I'm the woman of his shadows. Like his eyes at the back of his head. Jenna's right hand is Jensen and her left is Andrea, Andrea doesn't have any." Missy explained.
"Nice one little shadow." Jensen said.
"I prefer Jenna. Andrea seems mean and boring. No offence though. I'd like to twin with my cousin." Alya said.
"Ouch!" Andrea said placing his hand on his chest.
"Come over here little pup." Jenna said motioning for Alya to come.
Alya walked over to Jenna and sat beside her. Just then, Maria walked in with the cake on a tray with the decorations already on it. She had began 'happy birthday' song and everyone keyed in.
They all finished as she dropped the cake on a table in front Jensen.
Jensen smiled. A smile the last showed when his father was still alive. A smile that came back the day he moved in with his sister and met the best friends he could ever ask for.
"Speech!" James said in a deep tone.
Jensen chuckled shaking his head. "Where do I start." He said in almost a whisper.
He looked up at Andrea. "Bro, as much as I love you as my best friend, please stop singing."
"Ha ha. Very funny." Andrea said as everyone laughed including Jensen.
"Ok. First of my sister and my very first girlfriend." Jensen said to Mizuki.
She shot Jenna a smug look and everyone laughed again.
"She really made my childhood a rollercoaster of happiness, joy sadness, pain and others. I can never live without you and I'm happy I got to be sister.
My very first and last girlfriend. Meeting was a rollercoaster of mixed feelings. I'll say it was love at first sight. I couldn't have asked for better and I don't I would have even gotten one.
Andrea, my errand boy. Yo–"
"Huh. What did you say!?" Andrea asked.
"Nothing. You're just a very good friend. The best a guy would need as male friend. I'll gladly take a bullet for you... after you've taken two and survived." Jensen said.
"Ass." Andrea said.
Jensen laughed and mouthed 'just joking' to him.
"Missy, you're my envision of what I would have liked if I ever had a younger sister and I made no mistake taking you under my shadow Little Shadow." Jensen said. "Mike, Mikey, Cathy and Alya. I just met you guys. I don't have much to say, but I know that we have a long and interesting journey ahead."
Jensen turned to last person in the room— Maria.
"Auntie Maria,"
"You can call me mum. My hazardous daughter accepted you and so I have." Maria said cutting him off.
"Mum, I know that I just met your daughter and you might have questions and second thought but I'm actually glad you accepted me. You remind me of my mother and I'll do anything for both you and Jenna." He said.
"Don't worry. I'll arrange a special date for the both of us." Maria said.
"Mum!" Jenna yelled.
Maria walked to Jenna. She took her hand and lead her to Jensen. She put her hand in Jensen's.
"Take care of my daughter." Maria said.
"Does that mean that I'm married?" Jenna asked.
"Stupid girl." Maria and Jensen both said.
Everyone laughed and Jensen walked to the cake with Jenna.
"What's the count down for the cutting?" Jensen asked placing his hand on the knife.
"I'll give it." Andrea said.
"Someone bundle this boy for me." Jensen said.
"3..." Cathy began the count down.
"2..." Everyone joined in. "1..."
"JACK of hearts." Andrea said jokingly.
"Ass." Jensen said with a small smile as he cut the cake.
"Who do you feed the first piece to?" Missy asked as Jensen took out the first piece.
"Myself." He said taking a small bite out of the cake.
Then he fed the next bite to his sister. "Don't be jealous Love." He said as he kissed his sister on her cheek.
"I'm not." Jenna said as he walked up to her.
He held up the cake to her. She took the remaining small piece in her mouth and biting his fingers in the process.
He looked at her with a knowing look. He bent down a kissed her on her lips.
He walked back to the cake and began feeding everyone, begining with Maria, and ending with Andrea.
"Give me that." Andrea said playfully snatching the cake from him and pushing him back slightly.
"Donkey." Jensen said.
"Now the gifts." Mikey said looking at James.
James walked out the main door.
"Where's he going to?" Andrea asked.
"Don't worry." Mikey said to his younger brother.
Jenna came up first. She handed him the coat she had bought and a ring.
Jensen smiled and hugged her. "So you ended up getting me the coat in the end."
"Yeah. I knew you wanted it from the way you were eyeing it last time."
Andrea brought out a magic cube and handed it to Jensen. "Let me see how strong and fast your brain is."
"Thanks bud. I'll see how much smarter I am compared to you." Jensen said giving him a fist bump.
Mary brought out the scarf she bought and draped it round his neck.
"Stylish." Jensen said. "I like it." He added as she hugged him.
Cathy came up holding the Black Kings crest in front of Jensen.
"For the weeb." She said.
She placed it in his hand and ruffled his hair like she does with Andrea.
Missy walked up with the sneakers she got. "I wasn't really sure what to get, but, I got something to match with the coat."
"What else would I ask for." He said. "Thanks Little Shadow."
Mizuki walked up with a chain. On it hung a slim gold ring.
"Dad's. He wanted me to give it to you when you turned eighteen." She said as she put it round his neck.
Feeling the cold of the metal made Jensen's chest tighten. Memories flooded his head.
Tears began to build up in his eyes. He couldn't hold it back—he didn't want to hold it back.
Tears fell from his eyes at the same time it fell from Mizuki's.
He looked at her with sad eyes as a melancholic tension hung in the air.
He didn't need to say anything. She didn't need to express anything.
He ran into her arms and cried into her bossom while she cried into his hair. They both sobbed quietly.
"Il me manque encore." Gabriel said [I still miss him.]
"Eu também. Eu realmente queria que ele estivesse conosco. Eu nunca quis que ele fosse embora." Lara said. "Ele ainda está conosco, você sabe, né?" [Me too. I really wish he was with us. I never wanted him to leave.*pause* He still with us, you know right?]
"Oui. Il me rend encore visite parfois pendant que je dors." He said. [Yeah. He still visits me while I'm sleeping sometimes.]
"Eu também. E ele me diz para cuidar de você." She said. [Me too. And he tells me to look after you.]
"Pareil." He sighed. [Same.]
The remained like that for three minutes before she released him.
"It's enough of tears. You're meant to be happy today." She said.
Mikey walked up to him with the contact lens case.
"We got you the silver one since we didn't know what color you'd like." He said.
"Thanks." Jensen said taking the case with a smile.
Mike and Alya walked up to Jensen holding up a kimono.
"Happy birthday weeb." Alya said placing the kimono on his hands.
"A little eccentric, but thanks." Jensen as he put it on.
The black kimono with white lightning marks on it fit perfectly.
"Thank you." He said once again spinning round. "Everyone's getting me anime stuff what about my other cultures?"
"That's where I come in, son." Maria said as she brought out a Neapolitan jacket and a weird but good looking beret. "One from Italy and the other from France."
"You can't be serious. Didn't that cost a lot. Why did you get that for me?" He asked.
"Ehh. It doesn't matter. I've never had a son but now I have one and I'm ready to spend anything on him, especially for the sake of my girl." She said.
"Thanks." He said as he hugged her.
"Oh, and Min-jun." Seo-rin called. "I've got one more gift from a mystery admirer."
As she finished she pulled out a headset package out of her bag.
"What the actual fuck?" Min-jun said in shock. "This is a limited edition. How was this 'admirer' able to get it? I thought it was expensive."
"It was but she pulled some sliver strings and got it. The girl really loves you." Seo-rin replied.
"Damn." Min-jun said as she took it out of the pack. "Whoever this person is, tell him or her I love them."
Jenna made a small uncomfortable cough and Min-jun gave her a playful glance.
"Oh calm down." He said along side her mum.
"By the way, where's James." Cathy asked after a while.
Just then the sound of an engine was heard from the lawn.
"Finally." Mikey said with a sigh throwing his back.
Everyone rushed out and saw James leaning on a black power bike whit white streaks running through the middle.
"Happy birthday!!" Mikey and James yelled as James threw him the key.
"What the hell boys?" Catherine and Mizuki said.
"The hell is that, the kid's eighteen and he can't always be riding shotgun on your bike or taking the bus or walking." Mikey said as he hand Jensen a card.
"Plus, we also got him a license already. He told us how he aced a driving test last year but was to young to get a license." James said. "So kid feel free to take it for a spin. Chief of police is a friend and we go permit and permission for this. And all the paperwork."
"Ugh!" The girls sighed. "Boys."
"So bud, why don't you take your girl round the block as a test, there's a spare helmet." James said.
Jensen looked at Jenna with a smile. She in turn looked at her mum who nodded. Then Maria mouthed 'just be careful' to him which he replied with a nod.
Jenna got on behind him putting on the helmet before wrapping her arms round his waist.
Jensen reved the engine twice before zooming off.