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CLANG!
CRASH!
CLATTER!
Low jolts awake, immediately taking in his surroundings.
Any loud noise is always a cause for alarm in an abandoned apartment.
For a long derelict space could suddenly be infiltrated by one of those horrible adults, looking to destroy anything that interfered with their own selfish desires.
The boy quickly sat up and whipped his head around for any signs of danger as he re-acclimated to his environment since his slumber.
Large wooden legs were in front of him as he was hidden under a largely cast shadow.
He had slept underneath a table on top of some large cloth.
but… no signs of any intruders. No two (or more) legs hobbling about in search of anything in his line of sight.
So no adults… He lets out a breath as he allows himself to rest his head down before looking to his side where an empty spot of the makeshift bed would be.
There were no signs of Alone.
Not good. They were supposed to stick together, what if all that ruckus was Alone clamoring for help as she got taken in his sleep? What if?-
CLANG!
Another sound of hollow metal hitting the wooden floor rings out. An empty can fell right in front of him as if it had rolled off the table overhead.
Pitter.. patter.. pitter patter…
Actually, now that he was listening more closely, he could make out the sound of footsteps above him. Tiny ones.
The boy sighed, it had to be her.
What could she possibly be up to? They’re supposed to be resting… though, it is difficult to get a busybody like her to wind down. He knows that much. May as well see what she’s been up to while he was asleep.
Low gets up from the makeshift bed and dusts himself off. Walking over to the edge of the table that was just low enough for him to jump up and reach the top of.
“Hrnggh!”
Letting out a noise of effort as he pulled himself up onto the table, he notices his hands have a harder time gripping onto the ledge than usual. The table almost felt like it was covered in something… like dust but…
Before he could finish his thought, he looked up in front of him to see…
A cake.
Albeit a really large and lopsided one, covered in runny pink frosting and a lit melting wax candle in the middle, leaning rather than upright like it was supposed to.
He lifts his head up to see more of what had been above him before.
Suffice to say, it was a mess.
Opened cans and crumpled up plastic and paper wrappers with small plastic bottles were toppled and strewn all over the table. Piles of cups stacked on top of one another and a lot of differently sized bowls with what looked to be measuring cups haphazardly thrown into them, looking to have already been used.
Then, after he laid his eyes on the mess. He turned his head to lay his eyes on the cause of the mess.
Who looked like she was meant to be a part of the pile.
The girl with bright red pigtails now looked to be almost completely white, with little spots of color where the dust somehow didn't completely coat her.
There was powder scattered all over the surface they were stepping on, flour? sugar? maybe even salt? aside from the footprints, some were visibly wiped off with disorganized random streaks all over the tabletop they called a floor. Did she use a rag? or was she... rolling around in it...?
Hmmm~♪ hmm~♪ hmmmm~♪
Alone hummed to herself, her back turned, carrying a large empty can by herself to one of the table’s corners to put away. Completely clueless to the boy that was right behind her.
Maybe it was time to get her attention.
“Hey-”
“AH!”
Alone yelps in a high-pitched voice as she hits the can she had just put down with the speed that she turned around to see her friend. Low steps back a little too, surprised at her reaction.
“Hey…” Low says quieter, bringing his arms up with his palms down in a “calm down” motion.
“It’s just me.”
“Oh gosh darn it!” Alone exclaims
Out of all the reactions he could have expected from her…
“Aw well, no point in keeping quiet now.” The girl kicks the can she had just toppled over off the table with a bit more force than she should have, sending the can flying with a loud bang against a cupboard. Making Low flinch just a little.
“What’s all this?” He gestures to, well honestly, everything on the table right now.
Alone runs over to him at a clumsy pace, almost tripping over herself in the process. Low reacted quickly to catch her, his arms out and his feet going further apart. Even if she didn’t actually fall over. Yet...
She makes her way over to the boy.
“Okayokayokayokayokay-” she gestures with her hands to start explaining herself
“Remember all that terrible stuff you told me about? that-that... insti... instue..."
"Institute?" He asks, visibly confused as to why that place was being brought up somehow. But he let her speak.
"Institute!- right, that, and how bad everything was?" she gestures once again, this time her hands mimicking the movement of crawlies.
Bad… may be an understatement, he thought to himself. Alone probably doesn’t remember much of the horrid place, or at least, he remembers much much more that he would like.
"I noticed that, out of everything you told me, there was at least, ONE thing that wasn't bad..." Alone clasps her hands behind her and swaying side to side in an almost shy manner almost like she was sheepish to bring it up in front of him.
“I remember when you told me about…” Alone shifts her tone. Audibly quieter and less of her bubbly self, her voice somber.
the celebration room…” she continues.
The boy freezes. His expression was unreadable underneath his mask.
Alone looks down, averting eye contact from the boy, still slowly swaying side to side yet her tone was starting to shift to something less playful.
"I don't remember you ever saying you got your own party..." She says with thoughtfully, bordering on sad.
"..But you did make it out of the Institute! Because we’re here! so it's not fair you never had your own cake!" The girl raised her voice. hands now in front of her now into fists, as if she was frustrated at the people who held him in the facility for never giving him the celebration he deserved.
The boy was silent.
He remembered standing behind the two-way mirror, watching all the other kids laugh and run toward their parents and play with their friends. The room was bright, loud, full of warmth he could never reach.
Their laughter and sounds of joy was something that echoed in his head.
From what he remembered, he was taken there to give him a sense of hope, determination to get better from whatever was ailing him.
But… all it ever did was the opposite.
It made him feel hopeless.
He would never get better, not now, not ever.
It almost felt like it was only there to mock him, laugh at him.
He would never get to see his mother again, his friends at school, his nice neighbors. He couldn’t imagine himself having his own party...
Some might say it was because he’d been in the Institute for so long.
But the boy knew deep down, it was because he was starting to forget what they looked like.
And to see this… imitation? of what could have been his happiest day?
The girl in front of him continued.
"I.. couldn't find any that was still good, so I tried looking for whatever I could use while you were asleep! only for a little bit though, I totally kept watch most of the time you were asleep." she reassured him.
"And lucky for us I found a box with some mix n’ stuff in the other apartments in the building, and everything we need! unexpired, AND had instructions at the back! plus.. the fridge here was still working so…"
Alone kept explaining, still not looking at the boy seemingly lost in her own explanation.
As he was too, lost in his own thoughts.
*Sniffle…*
Suddenly the sound of quiet sobs made her stop in her tracks, her head turned to her best friend as quick as she had heard it.
Low was still wearing his mask, tears streaming down his face and his chin scrunching up, even clutching his shirt for something to hold onto as he cried.
She panics as she steps a couple inches closer to the boy.
"Hey.. Nonono- I'm-I’m sorry I left you alone while you were sleeping- I just thought it would be a nice thing to do and... oh I’m sorry please don't be mad at m-"
A sudden embrace.
Low wrapped his arms around his best friend, tears still running down his face as he sniffled.
"Thank you..." his voice raspy from trying to hold back his tears enough to speak.
After all this time, even as things got scarier and scarier. Running and hiding for their lives. He finally got what he had wanted for so long.
The circumstances weren't the same but... it was better than nothing. Especially considering Alone went through all that trouble, just for him.
His long overdue celebration, made possible by his best friend.
Alone’s stance froze for a couple seconds, but slowly moves her arms up to hug him back "you're welcome..." She says as she leans into him.
A couple moments pass as they let their feelings linger, until they soon break apart.
Low takes his mask off to wipe his tears with his bandaged arm, even if they were still coming. Still sniffling through the whole thing.
"I’m sorry I didn't mean to make you cry..." Alone, still apologetic.
"No it's okay.. they're *sniff* happy tears" Low replies.
A relieved smile slowly makes its way on her mostly obscured face.
"I'm sorry I didn't think I'd cry, it's just.. I don't know...th-thank you..." Low apologizes, for whatever reason.
Alone rolls her eyes as she grins and shakes her head under her jumpsuit collar, why was this dork apologizing for liking her gift?
She pulls him into another hug, this time side by side as she playfully wrapped her arms around his shoulders and shook him slightly.
"Well, don't get your happy tears on the cake! you'll get the candle all wet!" She says through giggles.
"hehehe- okay! Sheesh sorry!" Low chuckles as he outstretches his arms trying to keep his balance from Alone’s shaking. One still holding the corvid mask he had taken off.
"heh..." he sniffs, sitting down with his knees to his chest wiping the little remaining tears away as he calms down and lowers his mask.
Alone sits down next to him, one leg laid on the dusty table she made a mess of, and one leg up where she rested her elbow.
There is a pause between them, both smiling.
Low, still trying to recollect himself. While Alone, looks at him intently.
It’s been a minute since she had seen his face.
He usually always kept his corvid mask on ever since he found it not too long ago, figured it made him feel more brave and confident. Like a mysterious superhero in those “comic books” Low keeps talking about.
But seeing him like this reminded her of simpler times, before they were on their journey to “Home”.
When they used to draw together and sleep a lot. Besides the occasional getting up and hiding underneath the bed from the man that always took Low away from her, but seemingly always put him back into the room.
He used to be scared of a lot of things now that she thought about it. The boy had always been pretty jumpy and averse to confrontation, but… something about it was endearing to her.
Like, there was a softness to him that she knew of from before he got the mask and cape.
"I like how you look.." Alone spoke out of the blue.
"hm?"
"like, without the creepy bird mask" she says.
"Sure it makes you look all tough and mysterious, but... it reminds me of before we were running away from a lot of scary stuff. I like looking at your face" Alone smiles warmly.
Despite being locked up in a padded cell they were still enjoying each other's company. How he used to smile at her and tell her things she never even knew existed before, that was the face she remembers most.
"I like looking at your face too…” He replies
“Even if all I can see is flour" he once again chuckles underneath his words.
"Hey! I'm not completely covered in the stuff!"
Alone lifts her goggles up to see that none of it went into her eyes and lower face area.
"See?! and what about you?"
Low stands up from where he was sitting and realizes he got the powder all over his brown shorts and his blue cape.
"aw man... let's call it even then-"
Low and Alone share a laugh together, the girl’s face no longer being hidden.
before realizing they didn't even touch the cake yet and the candle was already a quarter-way melted, dripping into pink icing.
“Alright enough of all this sappy stuff- that cake is gonna start tasting like candle soon-” Alone says as she sits up to be at eye level with Low and walks over to the large cake.
She crouches down to grab the two forks she left on the same plate as the cake and offers one to Low.
"Y’know It's weird, I found some us sized forks in the drawers earlier, maybe the old owner of this place had kids like us living here too!" Alone proposes as she sits cross-legged in front of the cake.
"... you think we would have been friends with them too?" Low asks as he sits down next to her.
The celebration room was always packed with kids every time he had the chance to visit, playing and mingling with one another. Maybe part of him wishes he and Alone weren't so... alone.
Having more friends wouldn’t be so bad but…
"Yep! Who wouldn't want to be friends with you? I think you're cool!" she answers optimistically.
He was her best friend for a reason after all.
Low smiles at her.
Even if they didn’t have any other kids to hang out with like he did before getting stuck in the spiral, at least they had each other.
They both break their eye contact, turning their attention to the cake Alone had made.
Very obviously too big for the both of them to even finish.
Nonetheless, Alone stuck her fork in, carving out an unusually large chunk for herself.
which she puts in her mouth no problem, yet cheeks visibly looking like she stuffed in more than she could chew. She kind of looked like those hamsters Low would see passing by the pet stores back home…
Low chuckles quietly to himself, finding her answer and her mannerisms endearing. He turns to the cake as well, taking a more manageable bite and cupping his other hand under the fork making sure it wouldn't spill.
They stay eating in silence.
Before a muffled voice started speaking, clearly with her mouth full
"showry it dosfnt look like the pic-chure…"
Low makes sure to swallow before he speaks.
"Don't worry about it…
it's perfect."
Low says as he blows out the leaning candle.