lifeaftr | Happy Birthday Aster

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Happy Birthday Aster

Who: Shion, Aster and anyone! Mingle among yourselves!
What: It's Aster's birthday. Any and all friends are welcome (and if you don't know them you are still welcome, they won't turn anyone away)
Where: The southern beach on Islet four.
Warnings: Hopefully none

Aster's birthday was important. A date she had chosen herself, a date to celebrate her and everything she had achieved so far.

The last time they had celebrated had been in the tower and now they were in a completely different world with different friends and Shion was determined for it to be a nice day.

He had had help. Ignis had helped cook of course. Shion heavily suspected the candied fruits were from Dagger and he had no idea how exactly Connor had managed it (and he wasn't going to ask) but Laurent had provided ice for sea salt ice cream.

There's a fire on the beach and fish on sticks to roast. Guests may have to wrestle off an overexcited Dreaeater but Shion tries to keep Excalibur under control for the most part. Cobweb and Thalassa are a lot more calm, flopping down near friends to demand pets.

Shion keeps an eye on Aster, hoping she is having fun.

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The fire dances, it's flame lighting up the circle around it as small embers erupt into the sky, only to fall again. The fish on his stick darkens as it cooks. Though Nezumi will never admit it, the food here is a treat. There's not been a day that he's gone hungry, a day he's had to be creative about food.

"Why would she appreciate a stranger coming to her party?"

He nearly says 'I came for you' if only to not seem too nice, but then he realizes that answer is too nice in itself. Instead, he quickly changes his answer.

"Do you throw parties for everybody, or only for adopted sisters?"

The food here was a treat. It hadn't always been so plentiful, but they had gotten to the point where they had stocks and could sustain themselves.

"She likes you." Alright it was a lot more complicated than that. But Aster knew how much Nezumi meant to Shion, she had known Shion a long time. She would be glad of his presence in the same way that Shion would be glad if Sora or another from Aster's world showed up here.

Glad and a little bit concerned.

"I'm not really good at parties, this one is the first I've organised on my own..."

It wasn't going horribly, so far so good. "Do... Do you know your birthdate? I'll throw you a party when it's your birthday if you want."

The tone is half teasing, but half intensely serious.

"If she likes someone she's only just met, that's her mistake. You should warn her to be more careful of strangers."

Strangers usually have bad intentions, Shion. Nezumi may not be a stranger to him, but Nezumi's barely only met Aster.

Crossing one leg over the other, Nezumi leans forward.

"And what would my birthday party be like?"

He knows. Nezumi remembers more of his life before the fire than he ever lets on. He knows his age, and he knows when it changes. But just as he'll never give his name, he'll never tell that secret either.

"Just because she likes you doesn't mean she is not careful of you." There was a difference. Shion liked a lot of people and yet he understood that people would hurt him and he understood that even if they didn't want to people could be made to hurt him.

He hurt others, he could be made to hurt others. But you couldn't just not connect with people. That was not a way to live your life.

He knew enough about Nezumi to know he would disagree.

"Small. I don't think you would want a lot of people to be there, especially if you hadn't met many people here yet. We could have food though and... Well birthday parties should be whatever you want."

Liking people is a weakness, no matter how kind they may be. Liking Shion is a weakness. Nezumi devised a plan that had no payoff aside from Shion's safety and a lot of danger. If he hadn't been so intrigued, so enamored by the small boy who helped him that night, his life would have been safer.

Yet he knew he'd follow through on his plan.

Chuckling, Nezumi turns the fish.

"Shion, you just described dinner. But if you're offering, I'll agree to let you test out your culinary skills as long as you're not so bad as to make it poison."

And it won't be on his birthday.

Shion blushed at the laughter. Perhaps it was just dinner but he knew Nezumi well enough to know he would not want anything bigger. A party, even a small one like this, was not something Nezumi would feel safe at.

It makes him even more grateful that he's here at all. "Of course I'll cook dinner for you, Nezumi." It wouldn't be poison and Shion owed him.... Sort of. He owed his Nezumi for all the times Nezumi had fed him in West Town. Feeding this Nezumi wouldn't repay that, but Shion wants to cook for him.

"You can come round any time and I'll cook for you." Shion did most the cooking, Aster had many skills but cooking was not really one of them.

The fire reaches for the air, managing to send a few dancing embers toward the night sky but the flames themselves remain close to the ground. Their heat slowly scorches the fish, cooking it to perfection on the inside while browning it on the out.

"Why are you making it an official invitation? I've visited."

He's stopped by, but he doesn't stay for dinner. He doesn't stay for long. Nezumi isn't used to just...visiting people without a purpose. He tried to make them up at first, but eventually, he just shrugged it off.

Shion's trying to slowly get him into life here. All the years before don't just disappear, and Nezumi doesn't want them to. They've made him strong, they've made him into a survivor.

He leans back.

"What time's dinner?"

Shion understands that, much more than he once did. More than he would have if he had never left his world. He's been here nine months and though here isn't perfect, isn't safe it is better and safer than the Tower. Yet the habits he picked up there, the constant level of alertness, the fear, that has not left him.

It's one of the reasons he is being careful with Nezumi, trying not to overwhelm him. Not forcing him into things. He's not sure it's working.

"There's no set time. I don't like routines." That's a lie. Shion loves routines. But they are too... No.6 was regimented and controlled. He's not that person any more. Even the tower, when it was not in chaos, when there were no games, no experiments there was a level of control. Everything happened on a schedule even if the residents were often not privy to it.

It's a matter of defiance to try not to fall into old habits. Something else he is not sure is working.

"But I can let you know over the rock when I start cooking."

Nezumi raises a singular brow as if to ask 'if that right'? He's watched Shion for far longer than Shion ever realized. His life was nice and orderly and boring. Part of that is because Shion never knew the truth and even all those years ago, Nezumi could feel the discontentment, but it wasn't the safe routine that seemed to be the problem.

"You don't like schedules, do you? My apologies for trying to mess with your style with something so silly."

Nezumi withdraws the fish and turns it over, letting it cool before he tests it.

"If you get used to saying it like that, they're more likely to lock you away once you go to a more normal place. Rocks aren't normal communication tools." Just in case Shion's forgotten.

"Let me know. If I'm not too busy, I might come."

"I think that would be the least of it, if I got to somewhere normal."

He had been prepared when they left the tower to return to a world that wouldn't know it had been dead for two and a half years. But really... Shion doubts his ability to fit back into anywhere... even near normal.

He's learned these last few months that even though he escaped the tower it doesn't mean everything is magically alright. He still wakes in mindless terror from nightmares every night, still lives on a knife edge expecting the worst to happen. There's almost a... relief every time everything does go wrong here, like the world is proving him right.

Perhaps that's how Nezumi has always been. More evidence that Shion had not been ready for the real world. Had not been strong enough. Would never be strong enough.

"I will. You don't have to... But you will always be welcome."

It's a hard line to straddle, he doesn't want to stifle Nezumi, doesn't want to scare him off.

Shion did learn. The world didn't normally change overnight, and even when it did, people couldn't expect to erase all the pain and the lessons the hurt taught them. In his future, when the walls fall, Nezumi's walls remain in place. He can't just be around normal people and expect to live a normal life. He sees that in himself. A hand on your shoulder in Shion's (old) world could mean a simple need for directions. In Nezumi's world, it could be a hand pulling you into a more secluded area. The need to fight for your life is so ingrained into him now that expecting him to fit into normalcy is really asking him to try and hide the ticking time bomb inside; it will, eventually, explode. That's what the future version of himself hopes to defuse. They'll still be danger outside of the walls, but not in the same way. Nezumi needs a middle ground until he can fit into Shion's life.

But despite himself and his lessons, Nezumi never wanted Shion to live that kind of life. He wanted him stronger because he wanted Shion to survive, but he never wanted the white-haired boy to have horror fill his very bones. For all of his confidence and strength, Nezumi's desire to survive is really only living a life of fear. Even in the Western District, he tried to keep Shion from dealing with that in the same way. Nezumi told him the lessons he'd had the learn the hard way, he'd given him safe shelter, and he'd even offered him the food he never asked Shion to work for.

Not even Nezumi could have predicted the Tower. Not even Nezumi could have prevented it.

"Stop that. I'm not some frightened mouse you'll scare away."

Using his knife, Nezumi slices off a piece of fish and tosses it Shion's way. He'll catch it, or it will fall to the ground.

"I won't come until you ask with more confidence." Nezumi places a gloved hand on his throat, giving a dainty gesture. "I prefer confidence in a man."

Shion catches it, more deftly than he once could and ate it with a small smile, watching Nezumi still. His smile faded a little though at the accusation.

He supposed that was what he was doing. Treating Nezumi like he was some scared mouse. Like he would shatter and disappear if Shion pushed too hard.

But that was what happened. Nezumi left. Nezumi got hurt because of Shion. There was no future that Shion had ever seen where Nezumi chose him, no possible future where Nezumi stayed.

So of course he was frightened, worried he would chase this Nezumi away as well. But... His hesitance annoyed Nezumi as well. Shion was doing this all wrong.

Shion forced a smile and then launched to his feet dipping into a slightly clumsy bow. "Well then, I formally invite your majesty to dine with me, at his earliest convenience." He smile turned more genuine.

"Was that better?"

Nezumi's choices in the future aren't the result of Shion. If anything, Shion makes them harder. The things Shion personify aren't things Nezumi knows how to want, things Nezumi can't trust.

...

Shion is emulating Nezumi, which is something Nezumi couldn't have imagined possible considering how little time they've had together. According to Shion, they've had more time, time Nezumi hasn't experienced. Is that true?

"I would have accepted, but the bow didn't seem entirely sincere."

Nezumi cut off a second piece of the fish for himself.

"But, you'll never get better without practice so I'll formally accept your invitation. Please remember to cook the food to my liking. I don't visit a home I don't enjoy for a second time."

Shion's face falls but he smiles again when Nezumi accepts and sits down by the fire again. "I'll make sure everything is just the way you like it. You will not find our hospitality lacking."

He hoped. He poked at the fire with a stick, Nezumi had accepted though. That was something.

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Happy Birthday Aster

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