[How could he forget? Even though Nezumi isn't any good with dates, this day is far more important than something like his own birthday or some lame holiday. There's no other anniversary that he could even consider caring enough about to celebrate. The seventh of September is not only the day that Shion was born on, but the day that their lives changed together. It's a no brainer, clearly.]
Of course I did. It's your birthday, isn't it? [Of course, this isn't something he'd normally do even if he is acting so casual about it. Nezumi is, as always, fickle and flippant.] I can at least bring you a free breakfast.
[It's not so much a breakfast as it is a heart attack, but whatever.]
I don't have anything better to do. I'll stick around.
[Oh, come on. It may be free, but why else would Nezumi bring so much food? Even if this bread was as good as his mother's (and it isn't - he already knows that much), Shion probably couldn't even eat a third of it by himself if he tried. He'd honestly be fine with just coffee, especially when it was made so perfectly. The world may be harsh, but is it really so bad to take joy in the simple pleasures of life?]
It was only March when I left home, so I don't think I can call myself eighteen just yet. [Grinning, he pulls the chair at the nearby desk up next to his own. Sitting on top of the desk like that is rude, you know!]
I think you would have just been turning seventeen when I left, actually. We're a few months off no matter what.
[Nezumi chuckles, but as always when their six month difference is mentioned, he looks a little miffed. If this school was going to kidnap them, couldn't it have at least taken from from the same time period? This whole time travel thing is really a headache, and besides...]
Now that you're older than me, do you have any elderly wisdom? [He's a little bitter. Nevermind that Shion would have been older than him the day they arrived, not today.]
[Six months is a long time, and the past year of Shion's life had never felt longer. It isn't terribly difficult to sense the slight bitterness in Nezumi's tone, and Shion honestly doesn't like to think about it much either, but one thing stands out.]
I'm definitely older than you now? [Add the six month time difference to the three months they've been here now to get three fourths of a year, and.... Well, okay, Nezumi would be far more upset if he figured out that Shion was still trying to calculate "useless information" like his birthday after all of this time, but it's still important.] Instead of wisdom, don't you think I deserve a little more respect? [Okay, not really, but hey.]
[Nezumi, once again, seems miffed. His extra months only seemed only to make Shion that much better at comebacks. Soon, he figures, he'll be half as good as Nezumi. The idea of it frustrates him and makes him proud at the time time.]
...Probably. [Nezumi has to think about his birthday for a second. When was it? Nezumi's definitely seventeen now, but... Well, it really doesn't help that the old lady didn't really celebrate his birthday. He was alive, so the number of years it'd been didn't really matter. And now? It's his experiences that age him, rather than the minutes and hours and days and years that count up linearly to create a numerical age.] Why would I give you that. You're still a naive boy in my eyes.
[Said eyes seem to twinkle with amusement as he watches Shion's reaction.]
You at least remember your birthday, don't you? [Honestly, he's pretty sure he'll be met with some surly, typical Nezumi-esque response about how it wouldn't matter even if he didn't know, and Shion takes a long sip of his coffee before furrowing his eyebrows upon setting the cup down once more.]
It would be naive of me to assume you'd lost any of your snark. [He can't be called naive anymore after everything he's gone through!] Are you going to sit next to me or not?
[Should he really have expected anything different? Getting any sort of straight answer from Nezumi would be nothing short of a miracle.]
"What an incredible honour it is to be served coffee by you." [They're words Nezumi should remember, memories that Shion has run over and over again in his head, and he can't help but smile softly while looking down into his cup.] It's as great as always. In the past, something like this would have been a luxury, wouldn't it? [It's somewhat nostalgic, and as bittersweet as the mild taste of the drink on his tongue.]
Here, go ahead. [It isn't his mother's bread, and Nezumi's hardly picky when it comes to food, but he gestures to the tray with his free hand.] I haven't had a lot of these before, so we can try them together.
The creepy blood covered school with gibberish speaking students isn't all bad. After all, it has coffee!
[There's sarcasm in his tone. Nezumi isn't one to be satisfied by something as simple as coffee when it came to this school. He still wanted to get back home more than anything. People die here. It's cruel. It's disgusting to even think about. And what can he do? He feels even more useless here than he did against No.6 before meeting Shion. It's just frustrating.]
This one looks interesting. [Nezumi says while casually picking a piece of melon bread. He even remembered that this one was labeled melon bread. Does that mean that there's melon in it? Or that the bread is melon flavored? He can't help but think that's a little weird. Melon flavored bread is probably gross. He pulls a piece away and offers it to Shion while taking a huge, unceremonious bite out of it.] Try it, then.
I never said I wanted to be here, but if there's no other choice, the least I can do is find things to be happy about. [Like Nezumi being here. Honestly, that gives him much more solace than anything else.]
Do you know what kind it is? [He's never seen his mother have bread quite like this in her shop, but it looks pretty standard, as far as the colour is concerned. As usual, Nezumi's reaction doesn't give him much to go by, and Shion takes a small bite before mulling over the taste.] It's a little sweet for breakfast, but I like it! What do you think?
It said it was melon bread... It doesn't taste like melon, but it's not bad.
[Nezumi takes another bite, then puts it down. There are plenty of other things to try, after all. It's not like he ever got the chance to taste bread like this in the West Block, and he only rarely got the high quality stuff when he was with Shion in Karan's bakery.]
What's wrong with a sweet breakfast? Food is food. [He can't complain. Though, he would like something saltier to go with the sweetness of the bread.]
Melon? [He may not know bakes confectioneries the way his mother does, but there definitely isn't a trace of melon in this bread. It's a little buttery, and light with a bit of crispness.... All good things, as far as he's concerned. But to Nezumi's words, he laughs a bit and rests his chin in his hands.]
Food isn't scarce here, so you don't have to worry about hoarding it like you usually do. The mice aren't even here to share with us.
Even if we get it often, food like this is still a luxury. You never know when one bad student might misbehave and we get our privileges revoked.
[Nezumi takes a single bite out of a piece of bread that has red bean paste and immediately sets it down. It tastes fine, but the texture is weird. And it's sweet. Have sweet beans always existed? He did think it was strange that bread would have beans in it, so he supposes this makes sense... Even if the texture is really strange...]
Anyway, today's a special day, so let's set aside the dark talk for a while. [Nezumi flourishes his hands as he talks, figuratively "throwing away" the topic at hand.] Was there anything else that you wanted?
[Sitting up straight once more in his chair, Shion watches Nezumi set the bread down and makes a mental note to not try that particular type. There must really be something strange about it if Nezumi of all people doesn't respond to it well.]
Me? This is more than enough! I don't need a present or anything like that. Besides, it's a day for you to celebrate too, right?
I guess. [Nezumi mulls over his thoughts, ears turning pink before he speaks.] Well, it's just that I don't really know what you do during birthdays.
[That's embarrassing to admit. He at least understands that you need to give them presents, and you should probably be nice to them. He's also aware that parties are often thrown, but they don't really have friends, so that doesn't work very well.]
It's not like there's much here that I can give you anyway... [Well, that's a lie. Nezumi realizes that there are plenty of things he can give him that aren't physical, but he sort of just wants Shion to ask for it first.]
[That's.... endearing, somehow or another. Did he really expect any differently?]
I've never done much. My Mom always makes a cherry cake, but aside from that, I never did much aside from spend time with Safu. [The way he says it is surprisingly casual, given the fact that he hasn't mentioned Safu out loud to Nezumi since they reunited. It's more than slightly clear that he's has plenty of time to mull over his losses over the past year, though in spite of his smile, the melancholy in his eyes is difficult to miss.] Just spending time with you is enough.
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Of course I did. It's your birthday, isn't it? [Of course, this isn't something he'd normally do even if he is acting so casual about it. Nezumi is, as always, fickle and flippant.] I can at least bring you a free breakfast.
[It's not so much a breakfast as it is a heart attack, but whatever.]
I don't have anything better to do. I'll stick around.
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It was only March when I left home, so I don't think I can call myself eighteen just yet. [Grinning, he pulls the chair at the nearby desk up next to his own. Sitting on top of the desk like that is rude, you know!]
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[Nezumi chuckles, but as always when their six month difference is mentioned, he looks a little miffed. If this school was going to kidnap them, couldn't it have at least taken from from the same time period? This whole time travel thing is really a headache, and besides...]
Now that you're older than me, do you have any elderly wisdom? [He's a little bitter. Nevermind that Shion would have been older than him the day they arrived, not today.]
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I'm definitely older than you now? [Add the six month time difference to the three months they've been here now to get three fourths of a year, and.... Well, okay, Nezumi would be far more upset if he figured out that Shion was still trying to calculate "useless information" like his birthday after all of this time, but it's still important.] Instead of wisdom, don't you think I deserve a little more respect? [Okay, not really, but hey.]
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...Probably. [Nezumi has to think about his birthday for a second. When was it? Nezumi's definitely seventeen now, but... Well, it really doesn't help that the old lady didn't really celebrate his birthday. He was alive, so the number of years it'd been didn't really matter. And now? It's his experiences that age him, rather than the minutes and hours and days and years that count up linearly to create a numerical age.] Why would I give you that. You're still a naive boy in my eyes.
[Said eyes seem to twinkle with amusement as he watches Shion's reaction.]
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It would be naive of me to assume you'd lost any of your snark. [He can't be called naive anymore after everything he's gone through!] Are you going to sit next to me or not?
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If that is what you wish, my liege.
[Nezumi moves to move the desk next to him closer, and then sits down in it with a casual expression on his face.] How's your coffee?
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"What an incredible honour it is to be served coffee by you." [They're words Nezumi should remember, memories that Shion has run over and over again in his head, and he can't help but smile softly while looking down into his cup.] It's as great as always. In the past, something like this would have been a luxury, wouldn't it? [It's somewhat nostalgic, and as bittersweet as the mild taste of the drink on his tongue.]
Here, go ahead. [It isn't his mother's bread, and Nezumi's hardly picky when it comes to food, but he gestures to the tray with his free hand.] I haven't had a lot of these before, so we can try them together.
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[There's sarcasm in his tone. Nezumi isn't one to be satisfied by something as simple as coffee when it came to this school. He still wanted to get back home more than anything. People die here. It's cruel. It's disgusting to even think about. And what can he do? He feels even more useless here than he did against No.6 before meeting Shion. It's just frustrating.]
This one looks interesting. [Nezumi says while casually picking a piece of melon bread. He even remembered that this one was labeled melon bread. Does that mean that there's melon in it? Or that the bread is melon flavored? He can't help but think that's a little weird. Melon flavored bread is probably gross. He pulls a piece away and offers it to Shion while taking a huge, unceremonious bite out of it.] Try it, then.
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Do you know what kind it is? [He's never seen his mother have bread quite like this in her shop, but it looks pretty standard, as far as the colour is concerned. As usual, Nezumi's reaction doesn't give him much to go by, and Shion takes a small bite before mulling over the taste.] It's a little sweet for breakfast, but I like it! What do you think?
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[Nezumi takes another bite, then puts it down. There are plenty of other things to try, after all. It's not like he ever got the chance to taste bread like this in the West Block, and he only rarely got the high quality stuff when he was with Shion in Karan's bakery.]
What's wrong with a sweet breakfast? Food is food. [He can't complain. Though, he would like something saltier to go with the sweetness of the bread.]
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Food isn't scarce here, so you don't have to worry about hoarding it like you usually do. The mice aren't even here to share with us.
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[Nezumi takes a single bite out of a piece of bread that has red bean paste and immediately sets it down. It tastes fine, but the texture is weird. And it's sweet. Have sweet beans always existed? He did think it was strange that bread would have beans in it, so he supposes this makes sense... Even if the texture is really strange...]
Anyway, today's a special day, so let's set aside the dark talk for a while. [Nezumi flourishes his hands as he talks, figuratively "throwing away" the topic at hand.] Was there anything else that you wanted?
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Me? This is more than enough! I don't need a present or anything like that. Besides, it's a day for you to celebrate too, right?
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[That's embarrassing to admit. He at least understands that you need to give them presents, and you should probably be nice to them. He's also aware that parties are often thrown, but they don't really have friends, so that doesn't work very well.]
It's not like there's much here that I can give you anyway... [Well, that's a lie. Nezumi realizes that there are plenty of things he can give him that aren't physical, but he sort of just wants Shion to ask for it first.]
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I've never done much. My Mom always makes a cherry cake, but aside from that, I never did much aside from spend time with Safu. [The way he says it is surprisingly casual, given the fact that he hasn't mentioned Safu out loud to Nezumi since they reunited. It's more than slightly clear that he's has plenty of time to mull over his losses over the past year, though in spite of his smile, the melancholy in his eyes is difficult to miss.] Just spending time with you is enough.