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If there was one day that excited Dark more than the anniversary of her reign, it was the anniversary of her creation. Her birthday, in mortal terms.
And who better to share it with than her 3-years-younger birthday twin?
(Coaxing that information out of Orange was like pulling teeth from a writhing cat. Dark didn't even know why they were being so difficult—what could she even do with that information?)
But Dark had a mission: make this birthday even better than the last. Which would be pretty difficult, since she thought her last birthday was the best one yet. She'd even gotten a smile from the orange brat, and it was so cute!
Maybe Dark'll kidnap the last of Orange's friends, that might make them happy. Now, if only she knew where the purple one went…
~*~
The only reason Orange knew it was their birthday was because their mindless friends were wearing party hats.
They'd just woken up and were already assaulted with more red and black. Because they haven't seen enough of that already. Half of their mind was still fighting sentient math equations—they were not awake enough for this.
Before they could mentally prepare to be harassed all day, The Dark Lord slammed the door open, dragging a checked-out No One with her. She hauled them both across the room and up the steps, finally stopping on the platform where Orange's case stood.
"GOOD MORNING!" Dark yelled, overly enthusiastic. Orange's ears rang while No One winced. "Well—not morning, it's actually almost night. I decided that I wouldn't wake you up as one of my gifts to you, but I was getting worried that you'd sleep the whole day away!"
Well, that explained the abundance of energy. Part of Orange felt like going back to sleep just to be petty. The other part was exhausted and wanted to sleep anyways.
"Dark, I'm tired. Leave me alone." Orange muttered through gritted teeth. No One looked like she agreed, though she wisely didn't voice her thoughts. Orange wasn't sure they wouldn't snap at her if she did.
Dark, unwisely, continued. "But–but it's our birthday! C'mon Clementine, you don't have to be such a grouch about getting older!" She planted her hands on her hips, leaning so tantalizingly close that Orange could just bite her. "Besides, you're about my age when we first met! Isn't that awesome? Almost as old as your older sist–"
"Shut the fuck up!"
Dark jumped back almost immediately, hiding behind No One. If Orange wasn't awake before, the anger running through their veins stole any sleepiness and replaced it with adrenaline. "Fuck! Can I just have one day where you don't bother me?!" They screamed.
Dark poked her head over No One's shoulder, the shield looking like she regretted not killing herself earlier. For a moment, the red and orange sticks stared at each other, one blank and the other seething. Then, Dark said, "…I brought cake?"
And that, strangely, was what tipped Orange over the edge. Tears flooded their vision, their heaves hiccuping. "I don't want cake! I just want to be left alone!" They sobbed, drowning in inexplicable sorrow. "Go away!"
Because nothing could ever go their way, No One and Dark did not leave. They watched Orange cry, fat tears rolling down their cheeks as they yelled and cursed and kicked and cried some more.
Once upon a time, Orange might've felt a bit of shame at this loss of composure. They were supposed to be the mature one—the stick who look out for everyone and didn't overreact or have outbursts. There were only two times they could count that they went overboard and Orange tried to keep it that way.
Unfortunately, The Dark Lord knew exactly what buttons to push and when to push them, and she utilized this information constantly.
Finally, Orange lost the energy to even talk. They're just so tired.
I want to go home.
That thought came unbidden. It made them feel worse. They just wanted to curl into a ball and stop existing for a few minutes.
At some point, Dark came from behind No One, who was looking away like Orange wasn't worth looking at. Before they could let the bitterness simmer, a black and red hand entered their vision, gently wiping away their tears.
Orange didn't second guess when they bit down on it, hard.
Dark yelped, tugging her hand back. "Stop stop–ow! What the fuck! What the fuck!" She screeched, hitting Orange on the head to make them let go. They didn't let go for a good minute, reveling in causing harms for once instead of being harmed.
That said, their head was starting to hurt from Dark pounding on it, so they unclenched their jaw and let the trapped hand wriggle free. Dark nearly fell in her haste, holding her hand to her chest as the skin warped to fix itself. "What the fuck?! Ora–Clementine!" Her eyes were wide, mouth agape.
It was such a stupid sight. The Dark Lord, quivering and stuttering while wounded from doing something stupid.
Orange surprised their self when they giggled. If Dark could look more dumbfounded, she probably would've. The laughter didn't stop, shaking their shoulders and making them gasp for air. Tears still fell, but Orange felt much lighter than they did just a minute ago.
Through blurry eyes, they saw Dark's face drop from astonishment to indignant embarrassment, and they could only keep laughing. "Clementine! Are you fucking rabid or something?" She chided, standing a distance away, wiping her hand on her shirt in disgust. "You never bite anyone else—what the fuck…"
To the side, No One snorted, but she had the decency to try and hide it. Dark heard anyways and she lightly smacked her on the shoulder.
After Orange finally settled and took in a full breath, things generally calmed down. As Dark said earlier, she brought a cake with candles shaped like the numbers sixteen and thirteen. They weren't lit, though, because if Dark tried, she'd probably burn down the entire room. Something about exploding fireballs.
In lieu of blowing out candles, Orange and Dark made a wish upon a little firework of a fireball as No One played a short tune on her recorder. It was a sweet, little melody that danced in the still air. To think that she was still learning the basics just two years ago…
Orange shouldn't be proud of No One, but that didn't stop them from appreciating her progress. It was ridiculous, but this entire situation was ridiculous, so they didn't care.
The cake itself was good. It was chocolate and orange flavored, which was on the nose, but the combo wasn't bad. They had to be fed by No One though, because Dark didn't exactly trust her hands near Orange's mouth anymore. At least she knew better than to get within biting distance again.
It was probably around midnight when the two finally left. No One was slumped on the floor, asleep, so Dark had to bring her back to wherever she normally slept.
She waved goodbye and, once again, Orange was alone.
Orange didn't mind being alone. Most days, they craved it. They were honestly glad that entire fiasco was over.
Despite that, Orange enjoyed this birthday. It was probably the first one they liked in four years.
~*~
Dark sat on the edge of the old embassy's roof, watching the stars twinkle in the sky. She never liked sitting still, but she couldn't give up their old tradition.
(There wasn't a day that went by without her missing Chosen, but it was always on her birthdays when she felt the loss more keenly. They used to go stargazing together, just like their first night in the Outernet, but there was nobody left to do it with her.)
Her hand still twinged from being bitten. Her fingers curled into a fist.
Everything she does for that orange brat, only to be met with scorn. It made her feel angry.
But then they laughed. It was at her, but the slightly hysterical sound made all that anger dissipate. Sometimes, Dark didn't know why she put up with Orange and their constant disrespect, but moments like that made her aloneness fell less heavy.
After some consideration, Dark decided that this was her best birthday yet. She didn't know how she'll top it next year, but she had until then to figure it out.
She let her hand unfurl, laying flat against the concrete.