Work Text:
Light flickered from the old, dusty television he had yet to replace.
Tim yawned, turning his droopy eyes to peep the disturbance.
‘Ah,’ a quiet cry escaped his lips. His arm had been resting atop the tiny remote lying quietly on his desk.
A cheerful, boisterous tune filled the room, reaching his ears. This channel seemed to show today’s horoscope…?
‘Today’s the 19th, fortune bestows upon you all,’
Tim’s tired eyes drifted lazily across the screen.
‘…Those born of the cancer month, however, it seems your luck has fallen beneath normality.’
He scrunched his eyebrows together. Ruffling his messy black hair, Tim reached for the remote and pressed the power button, silencing the idiot box.
With a sigh, he stretched his arms before switching everything off, leaving the room completely devoid of light.
A sense of unease washed over him.
Surely, that horoscope couldn’t be true… right?
＊＊＊
Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting the room in a warm, golden glow.
As usual, Tim followed the meticulously planned routine laid out in his Excel spreadsheet.
He had planned to hang out with his friends on his day off, and especially because it was his birthday.
Yet the weight of discomfort lingered in his mind.
‘…!’
Tim yelped as he snapped back into reality, realising he had spilled the coffee he was brewing all over the kitchen counter.
‘Oh, jeez… at least it wasn’t the entire cup.’
He grabbed a dishcloth and clumsily wiped at the mess, muttering under his breath.
Amidst the chaos, his phone rang.
As he instinctively extended his arm towards it, his elbow knocked over the mug.
Coffee splashed across the floor.
Tim stared absentmindedly at the mess.
‘Seriously…?’
Choosing to ignore it for the time being, he picked up the call.
‘Ah, ah! Tim, happy birthday! You sure took your time to answer, huh?’
A playful feminine voice exclaimed.
‘Hey, Cassie. Thanks.’
Tim replied with a grin to express his gratefulness, though she couldn’t see it anyway.
‘Right! So we’re meeting at one, don’t forget, silly!’
Since it was his birthday, his friends had already planned a variety of fun activities for the day.
He swallowed his weariness of the whole horoscope dilemma and decided to brew another fresh cup of coffee.
After cleaning up, of course.
＊＊＊
Shortly after he steeled his resolve, weird things kept on happening.
He tripped over a discarded energy drink can, found the toilet clogged, and somehow every pair of socks he picked out was mismatched.
At first, he dismissed it as simple carelessness.
But was it really a coincidence?
He couldn’t help wondering if going out today was truly a bad idea.
Truthfully, he would rather not get nagged by Cassie for the rest of his life for missing this occasion.
Guess he had no choice but to go.
It is his birthday after all, he still hoped they would make amazing memories together once again.
Tim dressed lightly and casual since it was scorching hot.
Summer was a season seemingly determined to melt anyone caught beneath its relentless sun.
The weather forecast stated it’ll be a thirteen percent chance of raining, but after the morning he'd had, he decided it would be wiser to bring an umbrella.
If he’d left now he could be there ten minutes early.
Making up his mind quickly, he called a taxi and left the house in an orderly manner.
The roads were packed with traffic. Tim glanced at the navigation on his phone, his brows furrowed together.
‘Hm, there’s no way I would’ve misjudged the timing…’
He mumbled while the car moved slowly against the road.
‘Sir, I do apologise but currently I’m only taking cash payment. I am sorry for the inconvenience.’
Tim rummaged through his beige, leather bag.
‘Ah, I’m afraid… I didn’t bring any today.’
The taxi driver smiled apologetically and shook his head.
‘It's alright. My phone died because I forgot to charge it.’
He let out an embarrassed chuckle.
‘Must be my old age. I seem to be forgetting more and more these days.’
Tim offered his contact information and made sure to return the amount he had owed him.
After reaching his destination, he gracefully walked towards the meeting spot which is at a cafe called, ‘Leblanc’.
Tim had never been there before, however Cassie insisted their cakes were a must-try.
He felt a shiver down his spine the more steps he had taken.
‘What the?’ Water droplets were fastening their movements down to earth.
It was raining.
How fortunate of him to had brought an umbrella… wait what?
‘I, It’s broken…?’
The umbrella seemed to not open because the button was jammed.
‘Agh!’
Tim ran ahead trying to cover his head with the small bag he was carrying around with.
＊＊＊
‘Pfft-‘
‘Ahahahah!’
Cassie burst into laughter, tears welling in her eyes.
‘Tim… maybe we should…’
The wavy, short black-haired boy slightly scratched his head.
‘Don’t start.’
Tim shot them all a glare, as if to warn them to not make fun of him.
‘U, um… hehe, I mean I’m not laughin’ at you!’
He choked on his words, trying his utmost best not to burst out laughing.
‘Bart!’
Tim rolled his eyes.
The braided man crossed his arms with a cheeky grin on his face.
‘You look like a soaking animal.’
‘Jaime… not you too.’
He sighed in defeat.
‘Hehe, you kinda do!’
Cassie’s upbeat voice echoing out, agreeing with Jaime’s statement.
‘What kind of animal?’
‘Kon, don’t!’
Tim’s head jerked in disapproval.
‘Perhaps… a puppy?’
‘No, definitely a cat.’
‘He’s a robin. Obviously.’
‘There’s no way he’s a soaking wet bird. Come on!’
‘Heh, but whatever! Today we will share your bad luck, Tim!’
Cassie put both her arms up for reassurance.
Her blonde hair which was originally tied in a loose bun had swiftly came apart.
‘Ah! My bun! Wait, do you see? This proves we’re matching misfortunes.’
‘Alright, shall we change our plans? I doubt we could do anything in this weather.’
‘True… I thought the weather was in the clear today. Guess you can’t trust those reporters, huh?’
‘Let’s head back home? It’ll be a cozy place we’re all familiar with.’
‘Yeah, we’ve gotten the cake too!’
‘It’s your favourite~!’
‘Haha! He’s red! Are you shy, Tim? You loooove us, don’t you?’
‘Shut it, you’re all so awfully loud.’
Today had to be the worst day ever.
Maybe an exaggeration… with his friends around, Tim had forgotten about his worries.
Another new dawn was approaching.