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Shadow had always liked birthdays.
It was Maria who had introduced the concept to him, of course. She'd found paperwork somewhere with a date of birth for him, which the scientists had estimated based on his age when they had first found him, and had surprised him the day of with a cupcake, a card, and a pre-rehearsed, strange song.
He'd been absolutely bewildered, unsure of what was happening, so she had explained to him that it was his birthday, an Earth tradition that happened once a year for everyone based on the day that they were born. It was a celebration of their life and the idea was that it was a special day that got to be all about them.
He thought that every day where he got to hang out with Maria was special, but the cupcake was a neat bonus.
He'd asked when her birthday was and, thankfully, he still had a week or two before that would come around, so he had time to prepare her a gift, which had ended up being a card and a drawing of a cupcake since he didn't know how to bake.
And so, for the next few years, every June 19th, they would celebrate Shadow's birthday, and then they'd celebrate Maria's together a few weeks later on July 2nd.
Shadow quite liked both traditions. He admittedly quite enjoyed having a special day all to himself where he got a cupcake and a card and extra hours to hang out with his best friend, and he equally enjoyed celebrating Maria's special day a few weeks later.
He'd kept those dates engraved in his mind, and they followed him even when he was trapped in stasis for 50 years. Sure, Maria was gone and things were different now, but he swore to still wish her a Happy Birthday! every year, and he still valued his own special day much the same.
It was a few weeks after he'd crash-landed behind the Mean Bean and had been taken in as a friend and employee by Agent Stone.
Shadow had admittedly been looking forward to the day. This would be his first proper birthday in fifty years, and he would have a friend to celebrate it with, unlike all those cold years in stasis.
He didn't expect it to be some huge thing. Maria had talked about various types of parties that people would host to celebrate, but he was always perfectly content with his birthday card and cupcake and extra attention. Still, he was excited to have a day that was about him.
He woke up to the blaring sound of the five o'clock alarm, which awoke him and Stone each morning an hour before they were to open the cafe. It allowed for Stone to convert the building back from a lab to the cafe, for both of them to tidy up a bit, and for Stone to make them each coffee and pastries (the latter of which he had started insisting on after Shadow had given himself a migraine by chugging a latte on an empty stomach).
He had sort of been hoping that, since it was his special day, he'd get an extra couple minutes of sleep (or perhaps they wouldn't even open the shop that day), but Shadow didn't complain about it. After all, Maria said that birthdays were celebrated in a wide variety of ways, and he hadn't had enough time to figure out what Stone's way was.
He also didn't complain when Stone didn't immediately wish him a Happy Birthday! or give him a cupcake or a card or sing him any sort of song. After all, he was a busy man this early in the morning. Getting the cafe ready for open was important, so Shadow helped out as usual without complaint. However, even as they finished up with the expected fifteen or so minutes left, Stone made no mention of the occasion. Shadow even double-checked to make sure it was, in fact, June 19th.
He was concerned, however, he remembered Maria telling him about something called a 'surprise party', where people would act nonchalant about the birthday until the evening, when they would surprise the birthday person with a big, fun party. So, Shadow told himself that that was what was going on. Stone had prepared him a surprise party and was simply doing the acting part right now.
He supposed it would make sense that Stone would be good at pretending, considering how much he pretended back when he was working with Dr. Robotnik. The man had a promising shot at an acting career if the cafe ever got too dull.
A surprise party, Shadow pondered. It was a new concept, for sure, but it could still be fun. I wonder if there will be gifts.
As the last few customers left and Shadow helped wipe down the tables so that Stone could properly close shop for the night, Shadow was admittedly very excited about his surprise party.
Sure, the whole surprise part was kind of ruined since he'd already figured out what Stone was up to, but really it was the thought that counted. He thought it was very considerate of the man to plan something so elaborate for him, even though they hadn't really been friends for that long. Shadow missed having someone care about him like that.
"Alright, Shadow" Stone said with a yawn. Shadow looked at him attentively, waiting for the big reveal. "I'm tired, so I think I'm gonna call it a night, but I'll leave the controller for the holo-screen out if you want to watch anything"
...
...
...
What?
This didn't make sense. It was Shadow's birthday! Why was Stone heading to bed?
Was the whole birthday thing a lie that Maria made up to make him feel special and cared for? No, that wouldn't make sense. It was far too elaborate of a lie to keep up and, besides, Gerald hosted birthday parties for Maria each year (that Shadow wasn't allowed at, which is why he and her still had their one-on-one arrangement for that). Had birthdays been phased out of common practice in the last fifty years?
Or perhaps this was a punishment for aiding in the event that killed Dr. Robotnik. Stone had insisted that he didn't blame the hedgehog for it, but it would also stand to reason that he wouldn't want to put aside a whole day to celebrate the life of someone who had taken away the life of the man he loved. Yes, surely that was it. Shadow wasn't deserving of a birthday after what he'd done.
"Oh" Shadow said, unable to hide the disappointment from his voice. He felt stupid, now, getting so excited over a celebration that would never arrive. How selfish was he to assume that he would be given such positive attention after all he'd taken from the man? "Alright"
"What's wrong?" Stone asked, immediately noticing the shift in Shadow's demeanor. Shadow usually acted nonchalant and seemed to be chronically depressed, but he'd had an oddly high amount of energy that day. Stone had chalked it up to good sleep and the caffeine from his morning coffee, but now he questioned if there was more.
"Nothing" Shadow muttered, going over to the medical table that Stone had turned into a bed for him. "Goodnight, Stone"
"Shadow, wait" Stone spoke up. Hope filled Shadow's chest for a moment. Was there a surprise in store for him after all? "Please, talk to me" Stone pleaded, and that hope deflated once again. "I can tell something's wrong"
"I just..." Shadow sighed. "I though that birthdays were supposed to be special"
"What do you mean?" Stone asked, bewildered. Shadow shook his head.
"Nevermind"
"No" Stone insisted. "What do you mean?"
"It's my birthday" Shadow said, annoyed that he was being forced to spell it out. "And you ignored it, and I guess I was just disappointed because Maria said that birthdays were supposed to be special" he explained. To his horror, tears had formed in his eyes and his words were coming out way more upset than he'd intended for them to. "But, I get it" he threw his hands up in exasperation. "I did a lot of bad stuff and I don't deserve to have a birthday after everything. It's fine, really. Goodnight"
"Shadow" Stone said gently. He felt as though his heart was being torn into a million pieces, but he remained calm and collected on the outside. "Look at me"
"Why?"
"I wasn't trying to punish you, Shadow" Stone told him. Shadow looked up at him, now more confused than anything.
"Then why did you ignore it?"
"I didn't know that today was your birthday"
...
...
...
Oh.
Well, that would be the thing, then, wouldn't it?
"You never told me and I don't have any of your old files or anything" the Agent went on. "I'm sorry I missed it. Your birthday is important, okay? We won't miss it again" he promised. "How about this: We'll stay closed tomorrow so that we can celebrate your birthday properly, just a day later than it should've been. How does that sound?"
"You want to celebrate it?" Shadow asked, that damned hope crawling back into his chest again. Stone smiled and nodded.
"Of course" Stone confirmed. "I don't blame you for what happened to Ivo, okay? You're my friend and I want to celebrate your birthday"
"...Can I have a hug?" Shadow asked quietly, avoiding Stone's gaze. Usually he was jumpy about touch but right now he just really wanted a hug. Stone didn't ask any questions about it, instead just simply wrapping his arms tightly around the hedgehog.
Shadow was also grateful that Stone didn't say anything when he started crying.
"Happy birthday, Shadow"