Never heard of this word before but I must say that I'm kind of loving it for the possibilities alone.

$4$

Genethliac (adj.): of or pertaining to birthdays or to the position of the stars at one's birth.

He had specifically made her promise not to do this.

He hated having to do this, put on a fake smile for a bunch of strangers while they all coo over him like he's a prize pony and he tries in vain not to imagine how to kill them all. He hated dressing up and playing make believe and lying. He hated everything about his billionaire lifestyle, even though it was the only mask keeping his real identity safe from the cops and the paparazzi.

Thea didn't quite grasp that concept, because she still loved the limelight and the all the people and the attention. She was still a teenager, after all, so he couldn't fault her for that. But he had told her specifically—and explicitly—not to do anything for him. He didn't want to be fussed over. Really, he didn't want to even be acknowledged, but if pressed he could settle for something low-key and—most importantly—quiet.

It was a shame his baby sister had a hard time grasping that word.

"Thank you, thank you," he murmured under his breaths, a constant stream of empty gratifications that only made him angrier, not happier. It had already been an hour and a half, and he wondered if that was enough time spent schmoozing that he could skip out. He would never admit it, but he didn't want to disappoint Thea. He and his mother had already put her through so much, emotionally speaking, and he didn't want to intentionally upset her any more than he'd already done in the past.

She was all decked out in some sparkly, lime green cocktail dress thing that was entirely too inappropriate in his brotherly opinion, but the ear-to-ear grin on her face was so genuinely happy that he couldn't bear to rain on her almost literal parade. If all else failed, at least he could relax in knowing that his sister had a wonderful career as an event planner ahead of her.

Accidentally catching her eye, Thea wiggled her fingers at him from across the room. From far away, she looked disturbingly grown up, but no dress or fancy shindig could make him think of her as anything other than his well-intention if foul-mouthed baby sister. Sauntering over to him, she gave him—considering her size—an impressive bear hug and whispered in his ear, "You're totally miserable right now, aren't you?"

His brow furrowed. "Of course not, Thea," he told her earnestly. He was very good at sounding earnest when he wanted it. "This is a wonderful party."

Letting him go, she rolled her eyes, highlighted with smoky makeup and heavy eyeliner. "Yeah, a wonderful party that you want nothing to do with," she quipped, her lips twisting into a lopsided smile. "And I know, I know, I ignored you when you told me not to have a party, I don't want to be fawned over, I just wanna be a Grumpy Cat in the house all alone, blah blah blah—"

He didn't understand the last part, but he knew Thea well enough to know that the serious older brother glare was required. She took note, switching her train of though at light-speed. "Whatevs. The point is, I came over here to tell you to get the hell out."

He arched an eyebrow as he waited for her to elaborate. Smirking wider, she added, "Seriously. Leave. I know you want to, and today I want you to be happy, even if that means ditching this totally bitchin' party."

He frowned, hesitating as he considered her logic. He really did want to leave, but he didn't want to upset her, either. "Won't I miss the dessert?"

Thea looked pleased with herself. "I'll tell everybody you left to go hang out with some bottle blonde."

When Oliver finally got back to the lair, he wasn't surprised to see Diggle and Felicity already there. However, he couldn't say he expected the chocolate cupcake, a solitary candle perched at the top of the icing. Flicking on a red lighter, Felicity held it over the candle until a little yellow flame appeared.

"Happy birthday, Oliver."