Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Mary, come on, quit being a baby!” Yelled my cousin from outside the stall.

I sniffled, hiding my face as my tears soaked the clothes I wore. They were new, too - specifically bought for the occasion. It all turned out to be a waste in the end. “I shouldn’t have come with you!” I responded, trying to convince him to leave me be. “I knew something like this would happen…”

“Fucking hell…”

Crowven paced back and forth, the sound of his boots on the ceramic floor matching the pace of the roaring music coming from outside. I sunk back into myself, resting my head against my stocking-clad knees. Slowly, everything began to be drowned out by the burning sensations I felt all over. Rising from my chest up to my throat, replacing all the words I longed to scream with heavy, unsteady breaths - a fruitless attempt to put out the fire in my lungs, only fueling it with more oxygen.

I just wanted everything to go quiet. I covered my ears, not feeling the pain I inflicted on myself as I gripped my hair a little too hard. Just a little bit of silence, that’s all I needed. Still, that’s a comfort even my own mind couldn’t provide as I started to spiral into a pit of thoughts. Were they screaming? Whispering? I couldn’t tell. All I could decipher was the venom dripping from its tongue, devoid of tone or volume.

I should’ve stayed at home.

I should’ve kept to myself.

I should’ve known that I’m better off alone.

I should’ve listened to-

“Mars.”

I was ripped out of my trance by someone calling my name.

Right.

I recognised the nickname.

Only one person used that nickname.

Crowven.

“Listen to me, please.”

It was his voice.

I cautiously uncovered my head, looking down at the crack of the door, seeing his hand reaching for mine.

Was he lying on the floor to do this?

Shakily, I took his hand.

“I shouldn’t have dragged you out here.”

I tried to respond, but nothing would come out.

“I should’ve listened to you back home, especially since this isn’t the first time you’ve broken down like this.”

His hand tugged lightly on mine, a type of silent communication we’d grown accustomed to.

He was apologising.

I mustered up the strength I needed, lightly squeezing his hand back.

It was okay.

“Can- can you open the door now? This position is really uncomfortable.”

I let out a quick breath at the humorous comment and let go of his hand, unlocking the stall door. Crowven laid on the dirty floor, awkwardly sitting up from his odd position.

He grabbed my hand once again, this time in a different way, encouraging me to sit next to him.

I weakly did as he asked, flinching when the door slammed against the frame.

My hands flew back up to my ears as I sat, regretting letting my guard down.

“Sit back against the wall, it’s nice and cold” He said, taking an unusual soothing tone. “See? I know you probably feel like everything’s burning right now, but it’s not. I promise.”

Crowven was never this… soft. If anything, he was rough and rude to me all the time. But somehow, he wasn’t like that right now. Was it my fault? Had I made him feel this guilty? Did I-

“You’re okay, Mars.” He sighed. “Please don’t blame yourself for this.”

Was I that easy to read?

I sat staring at my lap, trying desperately to hold back fresh tears that pricked at my eyes, speeding up my breathing with the effort.

It was quiet for a second. Well, as quiet as it could be at a party like this.

And then, I felt a poke on my cheek.

“?”

Poke.

“Crow-“

Poke poke poke-

“What are you-?”

I looked up at him finally, causing him to miss his aim, and instead booping me on the nose.

Crowven chuckled, retreating his hand. “There she is!”

Seeing the big goofy smile he wore, I couldn’t help the grin that rose to my own face. That’s the reason I came along in the first place, wasn’t it? To see him happy.

I wiped my tears off with my sleeves, finally feeling the fire dim.

“I’m sorry I dragged you away from your friends…”

“Mary. Don’t fucking apologise.” He responded. “As much as everyone loves my company, they can take a few minutes without me.”

Crowven ruffled my hair, offering a smile.

“Thank yo-“

Before I could finish my sentence, someone opened the door to the bathroom. A (clearly drunk) blonde woman stumbled inside, resting a hand on the sink to regain her balance, then seeing the two of us in the mirror’s reflection.

“Uh, this is a women’s bathroom.” She slurred “You can’t, like, be here.”

Crowven raised an eyebrow at her, shooting her a look. “And you’re not supposed to be walking in a murder scene, are you?”

She turned around to face us. “But no one’s dead?”

“Not yet.”

Both the woman’s eyes and mine widened, and she rushed back outside before the situation could escalate any further.

“C-Crowven!”

“What?!”

“You just threatened a random woman!”

“So? It’s not like we’re gonna get in trouble for it! She’s totally drunk, no one’s gonna believe her if she tries to rat us out.”

We stared at each other for a second, then erupted into careless laughter.

Maybe parties weren’t so bad after all.

Chapter Text

Vasilis wasn't a big fan of birthdays. 

They never had many friends in their childhood, so their birthday was always celebrated with family. Those parties, if you could even call them that, often turned uncomfortable and oddly religious. So, yeah, Vasilis had distanced themself from the annual celebration.

That's not to say, however, that they didn't like the concept. 

Regardless of the bad experiences, as a kid the deer had secretly wished one day they'd have real friends who would throw them a real, genuinely happy birthday party. That dream, however, never came to fruition, as their stubbornness never allowed it. Well... that is until they actually made a friend. And suddenly, Vasilis caught themself wishing all over again. 

It was a long day at Altobuck Hospital, as they often were, but it seemingly dragged on more than usual. Vasilis had received a text during their shift from their dear (and only) friend, Mary Anta, who had asked them to meet up with her at her family's diner after work. And of course, when you're looking forward to something, time becomes unbearably slow. But eventually, their shift did end, and they were leaving the hospital as fast as possible.

Vasilis couldn't deny how excited they really were, as much as they tried to hide it. They were actually going to be spending their birthday with a friend for the first time in a long, long while. However, there was a slight underlying bitterness... when Mary had texted them, she didn't even wish them a happy birthday. Did... she forget? 

Soon enough, Vasilis had found themself nearing the diner's doors. But before they could look in the windows to find their friend, the front door swung open.

"Happy Birthday!!"

"H-huh?"

Vasilis almost lost balanced as they were enveloped by their best friend's arms, only to be caught by none other than...

"C-Crowven? What are you doing here?" Vasilis spoke, seemingly dazed, as their boyfriend hugged them tightly. 

"Wishing you a happy birthday, duh!" He smiled, putting a party hat over their head. "Mary somehow got my number and told me to come here so we could surprise you."

Vasilis looked over to the red head latching onto them. "You... really did all this for me?"

"Of course, silly!" Mary retreated from the hug, now grabbing the deer's hand. "Now come on! We made you a cake!"

"We?" They raised an eyebrow. 

"Well..." Crowven scratched the back of his neck. "Mary made the cake. I just... helped spice it up."

The two lead Vasilis over to a booth in the corner of the diner, decorated with balloons and with a frosted cake atop the table. Approaching it, Vasilis could tell exactly what their boyfriend meant by... "spice it up".

"Happy birthday....... Vasshole?"

"He insisted in writing it!" Crowven snickered at Mary's frustration, and she blushed lightly at the vulgar language. "It's not very polite at all..."

"Oh come on, it's not like they mind, right? ...Vas?"

The two of them turned to Vasilis upon hearing their silence. The deer stood there, as if stunned, continuously re-reading the message on the cake. Soon, they could feel the burning sensation of tears pricking at their eyes. They did all this for them? 

"Shit- Vas? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. It was a joke, really-"

Before he could finish his apology, Vasilis sniffled, tears streaming down their face. "Y-you guys..." They cried, pulling at strands of their hair in sheer excitement, happiness and fluster. 

"Aw, Vas!" Mary was quick to hug them again.

"T-thank you... thank you so much." They sobbed, covering their face with their hands to hide the blush forming on their face. 

Crowven let out a sigh of relief, joining in on the hug. "You big softie..." He giggled. 

As their cries died down, Vasilis soon dried their face of their tears, a small smile gibing away their giddy embarrassment. 

"I can't believe you guys would do all this for me..." They sniffed "Thank you."

"Oh, don't thank us! It's deserved!"

"Yeah, we're pretty great."

They all laughed at the mixed reactions. 

"Now come on, this cake isn't gonna eat itself!"

"Wait, we gotta grab a lighter for the candles!"

"Don't worry, I got one."

"You smoke?"

"Uh, yeah. Can't you tell I reek of it?"

Vasilis smiled at the back and forth as they sat down at the booth. Mary and Crowven brushed off their reaction, but they'd never really understand how unbelievably thankful Vasilis actually were for what they did. It was small and simple, sure, but that was so much more than enough for them, so much more than words could express. And for the first time... they actually enjoyed their birthday.

Chapter Text

I tap away at my phone, trying to get a hang of how some app works. I’ve never been any good at these sorts of things, but also never as bad as my brother. He is a true dinosaur in human skin. At the very least I know how to use emojis.

“I’m going out now Mitzi.” I hear my roommate say as they walk out, slamming the door before I could even reply.

“Goodbye to you too, damn.” I mumble, focusing on the screen again.

These things really are addicting.

I’ve never been too fond of my roommate, seeing as they’ve always been sort of rude towards me, so whenever they’re out I make use of my time (mostly by cleaning up and listening to music without headphones). Having free time to myself has always been an alleviating activity, especially after long weeks when I can take the opportunity to settle down. Normally, when they’re particularly rough, I like to take my mind off of it by doing something. People see me as a rather social person since I use talking to them as a way to distract myself, but putting on my favourite songs will always be the best escapism for me.

I pull out a record player from under my bed, a gift I’d gotten from my friend Ollie for my birthday. They knew I liked listening to my music in “less conventional ways” (their words, not mine), and thought this was the perfect gift for when I had some time to myself. They couldn’t be more correct. Ollie’s always been one of the most considerate people in my life, and they pay attention to so many of the small details I bring up in conversations… I’d never expected it from them, especially knowing how hard it is for them to stay awake, and yet they keep surprising me.

I put on my favourite Beetles album, keeping my hands on the device and taking a moment to feel the song’s vibrations. That’s something I’ve always loved about music - the fact that you can feel it in so many different ways.

I stand still, entranced by the sceneries I made up to the lyrics, closing my eyes to picture the world I envisioned more clearly.

But then, I’m interrupted.

I hear a small ding from my phone, and snap my eyes open to see what could be so important that it had to distract me from my moment with the record player.

Picking my phone up, I glance at the screen to see a familiar contact on it. It was Ollie! I unlocked it, reading the message they’d sent.

‘Hey. I was wondering if I could come to your dorm? I mean you said your roommate is out for the weekend, so…’

I look around my room and shoot up to tidy it, almost forgetting to reply.

~~~

A few minutes later, I hear a knock at my door. I turn to the mirror, checking if I look alright, then unlock the door to let my turtle friend in.

“Hi Olz!” I greet cheerfully.

“Hey... sorry for showing up so short notice.”

I scoff, pulling them into the room and locking the door behind us. “Nonsense! You’re always welcome to nap with me.”

Ollie blushes lightly, fiddling with the hem of their skirt. “W-who said I came here to nap?”

“We both know you love my beanbag.” I argue. “And I love hanging out, even if you fall asleep!”

Their face reddens as they look away, eyes eventually landing on the record player they’d gifted me. “You’re… using the record player I gave you?” They muse, apparently surprised.

“Of course! How could I not? I laugh “It’s the most thoughtful gift anyone’s ever given me!”

Ollie smiles, the sleepy look that always adorns their features making them look softer and sweeter than anyone in the world.

I take their hand in mine, dragging them onto the aforementioned beanbag with me.

“I hope you’re not shy!” I joke “I feel like sharing the sleep spot today. It’s been a looong week.”

“I don’t necessarily mind.” They giggle, shuffling slightly to get more comfortable. “But… do you wanna talk about it?”

I look away for a second, entertaining the idea. “Nah. I think I’d just rather be with you.”

They give me a small tired smile, hiding their face in their hair. Ollie’s cuteness makes me want to both squeal and squish their face excitedly, but also hug them and snuggle peacefully. I don’t know how they do it, but I suppose it’s just one of nature’s mysteries.

“Is that-“ Ollie yawns, a brief pause to their sentence. “-The Beetles? This song is calmer than the others.”

I giggle, deciding to combine both my urges when I hear their comment. “It is them!” I then wrap my arm around their shoulders, allowing Ollie to rest on my chest as their eyes struggle to stay open. Their tired nature is infectious, as I soon start to feel my eyelids become heavier.

“Are you… sure this is okay?”

“Mhm”

They soon give up fighting, nuzzling into me with a final “okay”, and I can’t help but hold them closer still.

“Good night, Ollie.”

I turn down the volume of the music slightly, and return to their warm embrace. I twirl their hair in my fingers, feeling how they breathe softly and rhythmically against my chest… and suddenly my eyelids feel heavier as we drift off together.