Noel's birthday approaches with far less fanfare than Beckett's. It goes without saying that his family doesn't celebrate it, but even Noel himself sometimes forgets it's coming. In college, the only reason he remembered it all four years was the arrival of Beckett's present in the mail. Other than that, it went completely unremarked upon.
His birthday is part of his personnel file, so his coworkers know it and make sure to wish him a happy one, which is nice. Last year, Tess left a cupcake on his desk and Elijah gifted him a little faux plant for his cubicle. This year, everyone is busy preparing for the Summit, so Noel expects it to pass unnoticed and is consequently surprised when Catherine asks if he'd like to go out to celebrate.
"Your birthday is on Saturday, so I thought we could go Friday evening after work, if you'd like," she suggests, lifting a comically large coffee mug to her mouth.
Noel blinks at her across the break room table. "That's…why?"
