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April Fools’ Day… It’s amusing to think that someone such as himself would be born on a day like that. A day where lies ran rampant, where pranks and the like were shrugged off with a grain of salt, or praised, even. That is, if the escapade happened to be carefully planned out. Prior to his brother’s hospitalization, he had no one to celebrate his natal day with, his sibling being the only person he ever truly interacted with. On the other hand, if he spoke of his birthday to others—Dice, for example—no one would believe him, being the liar that he was. And, as always, he’d spend his birthday alone, in the confines of his study.
The thought lingered in his mind for the few days left before the fated day arrived, and finally, when the clock struck midnight, he retired to the comfort of his bed, muttering to himself a quiet “happy birthday” before letting his eyes flutter closed.
Come morning, Gentaro was somewhat frazzled, having woken up several times throughout his attempt at slumber. He paid no attention to the state of his hair or clothing, messier than ever, letting his legs carry himself to who knows where, through the hallway, parlour, and finally, the kitchen. Tired hands reached for the bag of chamomile tea that rested on the marble counter, carefully making himself a small cup of tea to calm his nerves. Perhaps such a drink would lull him back to sleep, but alas, the idea wasn’t half bad. It would be a nice way to spend the day, even if it would last for longer than he’d expect.
But before he had the chance to depart to his study, the quaint chime of a doorbell caught his attention, with two familiar voices creating a ruckus at the front door. Sighing, he placed the cup on the counter, only for it to fall onto its side with the careless way he did so, resulting in its contents spilling all over the surface, some of it dripping onto the kitchen floor. Ignoring the second and third chimes, he took to cleaning up the spill, which didn’t fail to snap him out of his exhausted state. As he made haste of wiping the floor clean, he heard the click of a door lock, and silently wondered what’s gotten his visitors in such a rush.
The novelist quickly disposed of the dampened paper towels, and stood up just in time to see Ramuda and Dice, both of them holding what seemed to be gifts, intricately wrapped. The handiwork had to be Ramuda’s, from the looks of it. Ah, so they must’ve found out somehow… He didn’t recall telling them anything about his birthday, nor any of his favorite things. So what could they know what to offer him as gifts? The only person who’d know anything about him was his brother… But who knew? Maybe they’d find a way to surprise him.
“Nee, Gentaro! Close your eyes for a bit, won’t you?” Ramuda chirped, with the widest of smiles on his face. He ran up to Gentaro, taking the novelist’s hands in his. Jumping up and down, he moved so that Gentaro would have his back facing Dice, who had something else hidden behind him.
“Oh? You’re not trying to kidnap me, are you?” Gentaro mused. His head was tilted by the slightest bit, tired eyes widened in a mix of curiosity and what seemed to be a hint of impatience. “Or is this an April Fools’ prank?”
“Gentawoooo~ Pretty please? It’ll only take a minute of your time!”
“...If you insist, then I suppose I must.”
As he closed his eyes, he felt the designer lead him in Dice’s direction. Ramuda soon let go of his hands, but in their place, rested a box, somewhat heavy and cool to the touch. He opened his eyes to look at what was before him, and to his surprise, it was a cake. Two pairs of arms wrapped around his sides, pulling him into a group hug, which almost caused him to drop the pastry.
“Happy birthday, Gentaro!” Dice and Ramuda’s voices cheered in unison, and accompanied with the gentle warmth of their embrace, was enough to startle Gentaro, who definitely hadn’t expected such a gesture from his two teammates. Looking down at the cake, he observed the cake, and saw that his name was written on top of the cake in bright, yellow frosting, along with a few words wishing him a happy birthday. Blinking a few times, he remained silent for a while, not sure of what exactly he should say to the two standing awfully close to him.The man wasn’t exactly one for sweets, but he had to admit, it looked quite delectable.
“What made you think that today’s my birthday?” he questioned, leading them into the kitchen and placed the box on the countertop. He then reached up to the cabinet to pull out four paper plates, and placed them atop the box of cake. His heartbeat was heavier than he’d thought it’d be, with his eyes beginning to burn up. In denial, he pushed his feelings aside, seeing them as a mere hindrance. All he had to do was convince them that it wasn’t his birthday, and maybe they’d leave him alone. Yes, that was it. It couldn’t be that hard.
“A little birdie told me,” Ramuda said, now perched on Dice’s shoulders. He looked intently at the novelist, trying to see how he’d react to all of this. To his dismay, it didn’t seem like the latter was fazed in the least, but the faint redness of his eyes was enough to explain the situation. To distract Gentaro from whatever he was thinking of, he hopped off of Dice and went to his side, pulling at his sleeve. “Did you notice the flavor of the cake? It’s chocolate! Your favorite!”
“...I’m sorry to be the harbinger of unfortunate news, but today isn’t my birthday,” the novelist let a few chuckles escape him, the sound reverberating throughout the kitchen. He gave a gentle pat to Ramuda’s shoulder. So they did know a thing or two about him, after all. For a moment, he looked to Ramuda, to Dice, and lastly, the cake. “I do appreciate the gesture, though. It’s quite nice of you two to do this.”
“See, Ramuda? I was right all along!” Dice sighed in frustration, stomping a foot on the floor. His lips curled into a pout, which Gentaro found to be adorable, admittedly. “It was just a joke! Today’s April Fools’, after all.”
“Now, now. I’m sure there’s better things to do besides bickering,” Gentaro noticed the frown that slowly made itself evident on Ramuda’s face, and before anything could escalate further, he cut in, standing between the two with a gentle smile. He had a better idea in mind, although… It might as well be a risk worth taking. Taking the box of cake, along with the plates, from the kitchen counter, he walked to the front door, motioning for the other two to follow him before stepping out of the house. “Don’t forget to lock the door, by the way~”
Ramuda and Dice looked at each other in confusion and took no time to follow Gentaro, but not without creating a ruckus in the process. The novelist chuckled to himself when the noise of yelling reached his ears, from his two teammates, calling for him to wait up for them. Nonetheless, he said nothing else to them for the entire walk, not satiating their curiosity towards his sudden idea of a trip. They trailed behind him as they made their way to their destination, which seemed to be a hospital…
One that Ramuda wasn’t unfamiliar with, himself.
“Oi, Gentaro,” Dice began, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked over to Gentaro, whose expression was seemingly unreadable. “Why’re we at a hospital?”
“You’ll see,” was what he got as a response.
With a smile, Gentaro proceeded to walk into the hospital, leading them to the fifth floor of the building, where they entered a room that he loathed with all his being. It’s not that he hated being there, per se, but… a feeling of dread would wash over him whenever he paid a visit to the room, the beep of a cardiac monitor always being the first thing to greet him when he stepped foot inside. A curtain was the only thing between them and the patient who resided there, which the novelist graciously nudged to the side.
“I’d like you to meet someone,” he muttered, placing the box of cake and the plates on the table next to the hospital bed. As Ramuda and Dice laid eyes on the patient in the room, they couldn’t help but glance back and forth between them and Gentaro. Noticing this, he laughed, despite the sorrowful look he wore. “He’s even more handsome than I, no?”
While an eerie silence lingered with Ramuda, Dice took a few steps closer to take a closer look at the sight laid before him, barely making out the printed text hanging off a clipboard at the end of the bed.
“Yumeno… April 1st... So today is your birthday,” he muttered, trying his best to comprehend what’s printed down. “And… Y’all are twins?”
Gentaro gave him a nod as he pulled up a chair next to his brother and sat down, taking a limp hand in his own, gently kissing the back of it.
“Happy birthday, nii-san,” he uttered in a low voice, smiling to no one in particular. Lowering his head, he continued to speak, his voice beginning to crack here and there. The faintest of tears poked at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment, and his very being quivered at each word he spoke. “I… I finally made some friends. They’re here with me today, and… I’m really happy now. I hope you are too.”
Dice draped an arm over Gentaro’s shoulder and ruffled his hair, a wide grin beaming off of him. Ramuda stood on the other side, an elbow on the novelist’s other shoulder.
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble, so don’t worry about your bro! Right, Ramuda?” the gambler said, his voice booming.
“Yep, yep! Wake up soon so we can all hang out together sometime!” Ramuda added, voice as peppy as ever.
In that moment, Gentaro finally let loose, the tears finally spilling from his eyes. He covered his face with the sleeves of his hakama, and let his sobs grow louder when he found himself in the embrace of his posse. Unlike previous years, where he’d either paid a visit to his brother or remained in solitude, he was with people he genuinely cared about with all his heart, without a question. To spend time with them, even in a bittersweet moment such as that… It brought genuine happiness to him, something he hadn’t felt in a long time, if not ever.
All those years, he’d lived on the assumption that he’d remain alone forever, with his workspace as his spouse, and literary works as his only children. A dark world was where he lived in, but on his 25th birthday, surrounded by the two people he couldn’t imagine being separated from… Two individuals who he never expected to become his closest companions.
“I’m really lookin’ forward to spending another year with you,” Dice said, giving Gentaro a nudge to the arm when he’d calmed down a bit. “Even though you’re always lying to my face, I’ll still place my trust in ya’, no matter what.”
“I’ll have to admit, you really annoy the shit out of me sometimes, but… I don’t know where I’d be without you, or Dice, for that matter,” Ramuda mumbled, his voice dropping to a low baritone. “Thanks for… you know… not leaving me behind. I’m really glad the three of us aren’t just a fling, and I mean it. And it’s all thanks to you, Gentaro. Happy birthday.”
At long last, he finally saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and standing there were Dice and Ramuda… His posse.
“Wait, Gentaro... “ Dice’s voice trailed off.
“Hmm?” Gentaro looked to the side, eyebrows raised.
“How are we going to cut the cake?”
“...I suppose we aren’t able to celebrate here, after all,” Gentaro sighed, although a faint trace of a smile made its way onto his lips. Standing up, he fondly gazed at the two. “Don’t fret… This means we’ll be able to hold a proper party.”
He smiled as he embraced Ramuda and Dice with open arms, pulling them as close to himself as he could. Maybe his birthday wouldn’t be such an uneventful day, after all.
“Let’s go home, my posse.”