4 Tennyson Birthday

It's been a couple of years since Max told everyone the truth about the world. Currently, it's the twelfth birthday of Penn, Gwen, and I. We didn't go on that road trip when we were ten, so I can only assume that the 'plot' is going to start when we're a bit older, maybe mom didn't want me to immediately deal with all that when I'm ten, and having a barely any childhood.

Because of this I did actually manage to have a pretty decent life here, much better than my old one. I was able to finally run around as much as I wanted, I could make friends (though I mainly just hang out with Penn, and Gwen in school), and I could finally eat food that didn't have to mush, or filled with a fuck ton of painkillers.

I even finally got to try pizza! Do you know how much more I hated my old life when I had pizza for the first time?! Hell, I even got to try chili fries, and I can absolutely understand why Ben had an addiction to it later on. You never know how good food really can be until you've had a lifetime filled with shitty meals.

School was also an interesting experience to go through, instead of just being taught by some people when they had the time to do it, I got to fully experience what it was like to be a regular kid. Though, I do have to admit other than Science and Language Arts, the rest are pretty boring.

Though, Language Arts may be enjoyable because of mom, maybe it's a part of being the apostle of the goddess of stories. But Science, I can't really tell why I enjoy it so much, there's just something about learning how the world works, that makes it entertaining to go through.

Oh, I also progressed a lot in my training, since Max, Penn, and Lucy know what I can do they've been helping with my training, though Lucy can only help out when she visits every couple of weeks. I think she's starting to convince her parents to just move to Bellwood with how much she visits us.

Nowadays, when it comes to my cryokinesis, I can make a fridge sized piece of ice four times before my body gets as cold as ice. With my Osmosian abilities I can now absorb a quarter of the electricity in a car battery before I can feel my sanity slipping, and I managed to save enough DNA from Lucy in small increments to have a decent amount of Lenopan DNA stored in my body to become one for a pretty long time. It's gotten to the point that it would take me a week straight of using the DNA to even burn out my reserves.

But, I should train my fighting skills with my Lenopan form to use it properly, or when the time comes I'll just end up hurting someone unintentionally. Now, is there anything I'm forgetting to mention?

"Nico! Come on, or Penn and Lucy are going to eat all the pizza!" Oh shit right, the party! I forgot to say that today all three of us are having our birthday party together, and Lucy came to celebrate it with all of us. She's probably been coming to our birthdays since I met her, because I've been making it a point that we come to hers. We even went to her thirteenth birthday a couple of months ago back on May 19th, which is surprisingly when her birthday is. 

"Ah! Coming Gwen, and sorry I was spacing out!" I quickly followed her to the backyard to where the party was happening, this year our birthdays were being held at our home instead of Gwen's, as we had our birthdays there last year.

As I walked through the backdoor I saw the party that was currently going on, kids around our ages playing card games that are similar to UNO, adults talking to each other, and over by the table with the food I could see Penn and Lucy eating some pizza.

"So, Nico, did you get what you were looking for?" Gwen asked me while looking at the black messenger bag that I had over my shoulder. Gwen here was actually the one who gave me this bag last year, and ever since I make sure to always keep it nearby.

"Yeah, I got both yours, and Penn's gifts in here!" I patted the bag as I said that, this year I decided to get the both of them something interesting for today.

Through the last five years I've actually found out something interesting about the ice I make. If I funnel plenty of my own energy into my ice I can actually slow down the rate of the ice melting, and if I focus all of it into the ice at once I can stop it from melting all together.

But, this came with a drawback, I needed to train my cryokinesis from the ground up all over again. This is actually the second time that I managed to get to the point of making fridge sized ice. Though it was all worth it, now my ice won't melt unless I make it melt, but I don't make all my ice this way, as it can be pretty taxing on my body to constantly do it.

And, that's why their gifts are so interesting, both of their gifts are small sculptures of ice that will never melt for as long as I live. I even personalized them a bit to better fit their styles.

"Then can I have mine now? Pleeeaaaassseee!" Dammit she's giving me the puppy dog eyes, but I can't give her the gift yet, after all that would be unfair to Penn.

"No Gwen, not until it's time for all of us to get our gifts." She pouted at my words and crossed her arms. I could tell that she was faking being upset, but it still looked kind of cute to see her act like this.

"Hey! Nico, Gwen, what took you so long, we almost ate all the pizza without you?" Penn said, slightly muffled by the piece of pizza still in her mouth while holding the rest of the slice in her left hand.

"Well, I had to get yours and Gwen's gifts for today. Also, finish the food in your mouth before you speak Penn, we have been over this several times already." I say as I walk over to the table that the two girls were eating at with Gwen.

"Oh, are you finally giving those to them?" Lucy said to me, I had actually given her an ice sculpture too on her birthday, hers was a chubby fox wearing an oversized hoodie. She was so happy that she turned into her Lenopan form subconsciously, and gave me the biggest hug possible (I think she even made a sound similar to a purr at the time).

"Wait! She knows what it is? That's no fair, Nico." Well life isn't exactly fair either Gwen, also the only ones in the family that don't know what you two are getting, are you two.

"Well, of course I know what he got you two, I helped him pick them out!" She actually did help me while I was making the sculptures, she told me what Gwen's favorite cat was, because I knew her favorite animal was a cat, I just didn't know what breed she preferred.

"Can you give us a hint of what it is then?" Gwen, why are you so curious about what I got for you, 'cause Penn isn't even asking questions about it, she's just continuing to enjoy the pizza.

"Hmmmm.... Nah! But, I will say it's pretty cool!" Ha, Gwen looks annoyed as hell, though Lucy did technically give her a hint.

After that some time passed with Penn, Lucy, and I enjoying ourselves by eating some food, playing some games, and talking about any dumbasses from school. The entire time Gwen was still trying to figure out what I got them for some reason, seriously she doesn't know what others got them, but she isn't asking them. Why is it only my gift that she's curious about?

But, after enough time passed, it was time for cake and gifts. Which, Gwen, quickly suggested that I give my gifts first, seriously, why the hell does she want to know what I got her so badly?!

Anyway, the three of us are sitting at the table where the food was earlier, but any food that was left over was moved to the kitchen, Penn, and Gwen were both waiting for me to bring out their presents. Gwen was obviously the most excited of the two.

"Well, I don't consider it anything special, but it's something that I knew only I could get for you two!" I brought up my messenger bag, and started to bring out the sculptures, first I brought out Penn's.

"A tiny Corgi in a Beanie?!" Specifically, hers was a Corgi German Shepherd mix ice sculpture that I put a small Sumo Slammer Beanie on. After spending the last couple of years with her, I found out that she actually really likes Corgi's, especially when they are extremely fluffy.

"Happy Birthday, Penn!" I handed her the ice sculpture that could easily fit in her hand. I actually put a little loop on the top of the Beanie, so she could put it on a keychain, or something similar.

"Thank you, Nico, I love it!" She practically screamed at me, as she quickly hugged me, and grabbed her present after, what felt like, a couple of minutes of her hugging me. It feels like she tried to extend it for as long as she could, she must really love her gift.

"Can I have mine now, Nico, please?" Hm, I don't know Gwen, are you going to keep guessing what it is as I'm pulling it out of my bag? If she didn't have this energy that actively calms me down, then I would've definitely snapped at her for asking me questions all day.

"Yes, Gwen, you can have yours now." I brought out hers from my bag as well, it was a Scottish Fold kitten wearing glasses, with a similar loop on it that was also on, Penn's.

"Thank you!" OH, FUCK! She tackle hugged before I could even say a single word, we both fell off from the chair and onto the grass below us.

Since she was the one that tackled me, I was the one that made impact with the ground, which didn't hurt that much, but it was still surprising to suddenly be looking at the sky from the ground.

I don't even think she's realized that we're on the ground, because she's just rubbing her face into the crook of my neck and repeating, 'Thank you!' over and over again. Geez, and here I thought it would be Penn that had the extreme reaction to her gift, but nope it was, Gwen.

"Gwen, can you please-" Before I could ask her to get off of me, so I could get up from the ground, she suddenly moved her head up, and kissed me on the cheek. I thought she would be happy about a cat themed gift, but I didn't think she would be this happy.

"GWEN GET OFF HIM!!" x2 

Lucy, and Penn suddenly pulled Gwen off of me, and sat her back onto her chair. Why do they seem so angry? Is it because she basically tackled me to the ground?

Lucy came back over to me, and helped me get up, though she did it just as gently as she did the first day we met. Now that I think about it, she treats me gently whenever she sees me, she's never pranked me like she does Penn, and Gwen, does she just think I'm fragile or something?

"Are you okay, Nico?" Lucy asked me in a soft voice. "Yes, I'm fine Lucy, you don't need to worry about me." I wasn't really hurt by Gwen, it was just surprising to suddenly be tackled by someone.

After that 'incedent' the party continued on, people did ask me if I was hurt or anything, but I told them all that I was fine. Gwen, did also apologize later on about tackling me, and said that she was just really happy about her gift. Though, after that nothing really interesting happened, but I did get an interesting gift from Grandpa Max.

He did tell me not to open it until I got to my room after the party, and I found that it was a book on some of the aliens that Max has interacted with/fought in his days as a Plumber. There was even a couple of passages on Lenopans, which I'm definetly going to study, maybe it can tell me why Lucy has been treating me differently from everyone else around us.

There may even be a passage in here about Anodites, that could possibly tell me about that calming energy that I feel around Gwen.

Though, even if this book doesn't have all the answers I'm looking for, I'm sure that it can help me figure out what alien DNA I should prioritize in getting, other than the ones in the Omnitrix.