towerofanimus | Another year older

Characters: Shion, Xion, Reno and anyone who stumbles on them once the fun begins
Setting: Many places
Format: Both
Summary: Shion's 18th Birthday
Warnings: drunk turks
Truth be told Shion hadn't even noted the date, as usual lately he had woke up and after eating quickly had made his way to where his group had moved, to continue his research on the blue collar liquid.

He had had no breakthroughs yet but he had not given up hope, and so he was stood by a beaker, watching it intently and ever so often breaking away to scribble notes on the papers he carried with him everywhere.

Even if he had known the date, he would have done the same. His birthday was only important because it was the day he had met Rat, the day everything had began, the day a younger, brown haired Shion had opened the window and screamed his frustration to the sky. And a stranger with beautiful eyes (the colour of which had been taken from him) had taught him that everything he knew was wrong.

That was the only reason today meant anything.

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At one point though, while he was working, there was a gentle tap on his shoulder. And if he turned around, he'd see Xion looking at him, with a bit of an odd expression on her face.

"C'mon, it's time for a break," she told him firmly. Nevermind that it more than a little earlier than she usually made him stop and take a break. Still, there was something unusually stubborn about the set of her shoulders. She wasn't going to take no for an answer, certainly.

He looked up blinking at her, "But I'm almost getting something..." Surely it would be soon, surely just one more equation.

There had to be answers somewhere. Xion had a strange expression though and he frowned, worried. "Is something wrong?"

It was always "just one more" in situations like this, Xion had found. You always hoped if you could just go a little bit further, you'd get something. But there had to be a point where you couldn't do "just one more" anymore, and Xion didn't want to wait for that. This was more important.

She shook her head, smiling a little wryly. She glanced a little from left to right to make sure nobody was nearby or eavesdropping. "I just need your help to check up on something. It's important," she told him in a low voice.

She didn't want to bring Reno's name into it yet. She would if she had to but she wanted as much of it to be a surprise as she could manage

Shion frowned, eyes growing even more worried. "Alright." He stood up, packing away his things, hoping that whatever was wrong it was not too serious. That something awful hadn't happened. Though he hoped that if it was something awful Xion would just tell him.

Then again maybe it had to be kept quiet. He slowly worked himself more up into a panic.

Xion knew Shion well enough by now to tell that he was getting anxious. As soon as he was done, she put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," she told him, her smile turning a little sad. "It's nothing bad, I promise. Just important."

How awful was this place, that you always assumed the worst? But still. She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the stairs, her smile turning happier again. "Come on!"

He smiled worriedly but nodded, calming down. He trusted Xion and if she promised it was nothing bad... He let himself be tugged towards the stairs wondering what she needed to show him, curiosity taking over the panic and worry that had engulfed him not long before.

Xion pulled him down several flights of stairs, and between that and - if necessary - a short elevator ride later, they soon found themselves on floor 15, though still on the stairs. The one below was their destination - certainly not one of their usual haunts in the slightest, but that should make it all more the surprise, shouldn't it?

She grinned over her shoulder at him. "Cover your eyes," she ordered, turning back a little so she could grab him by the shoulders. She wouldn't let him fall but she didn't want him to enter the floor knowing what was coming.

"My eyes?" Shion blinked in confusion but did as he was told. He was starting to think that perhaps this wasn't as serious as he had thought. But he did not know what it could be about. He held her hand tighter, he was alright without sight but didn't want to fall.

"Yeah, fuzz head, your eyes." Reno's voice called out from somewhere ahead of them.

The cake... thing... was a complete mess. Neither of the two had mastered baking like Shion had, and well, asking for help in this case hadn't been legal. So they made due with what they got. But there were presents. Sort of...

They'd missed Shion's birthday last year, so it was time to make up for it. "Bring him in, Xion."

Once they got to the floor itself, Xion tugged on his shoulders a bit more eagerly, a grin lighting up her face like it hadn't been lit up for a long time. She pulled him over towards where Reno was with everything set up. The cake was a little awkward, sure, and she wished she'd had a bit more time to make a better present, but... still.

She positioned him in front of the cake, then, removing her hands from his shoulders, stepped back. "You can open your eyes now," she hummed happily.

"Surprise!"

Wait was that Reno's voice? Shion frowned in confusion but let Xion keep dragging him and opened his eyes when told, blinking his red eyes to take in the scene.

His mouth dropped open as he took in the cake, realising what the date was. "Oh..." He looked between them, words lost to him but his expression probably betrayed all his fingers and for a moment he was lost, not sure how to hug first.

"Yeah, happy birthday." Reno was standing off to the side, arms folded and looking suspiciously normal for once. As bad as things got around there, he wanted to make sure the kids had some normal, non-violent good times to remember. They had to carve out time for something fun.

Placing a small box on the table, clearly labeled "Shion" on the top, he even had a present for the special occasion.

Another year older

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