016 ❖ The Greatest Twist Yet

[noluckduck]

[Phone]

[Oh, damn, you can almost hear Clover breathing into the receiver.] Mother of shit.

I just looked at the goddamn calendar.

[Whatever this is about, it must be serious. She sounds absolutely mindblown.]






My birthday was last motherfuckin' week.

Thanks a bunch, Mayfield! Lovin' my time here, ya know?! God, fuck this town.

Comments

[geniusmage]

So what? You're a year older, big deal.

[noluckduck]

I didn't wanna get a year older in this freakin' place!

[priceofmagic]

I MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY?

[ And now Satou is broken from guilt because what kind of awful friend is she if she forgot her friend's birthday? Never mind that she never knew the date to begin with. In fact, why didn't she ask when Clover's birthday was?

Failure failure failure. ]

[noluckduck]

...

Well, yeah, I did too.

[webball]

So, tell me how you REALLY feel.

[noluckduck]

... [Wait whoa.]

That you, Spidey?

[ukelelenogood]

[There is the sound of just the most discordant guitar ever being played over the phone.]

Uh! Happy birthday! Yeah yeah yeah! Happy birthday!

[noluckduck]

[For the second or third time since she's known Haruko, Clover is caught in this strange place between aggravation and intense amusement.]

Shit, thanks.

[theboywiththebook]

[He remembered talking to this girl over the phone awhile ago. The voice is familiar.]

I guess it's not fun to get a year older in a place you don't want to be, but still, Happy birthday.

[noluckduck]

Hey, you're that kid from the other day, right? [Argh, she usually tries not to swear where little kids can hear her. Usually.

She tries.]

Ahh, thanks.

[rankaloid]

♪ HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY TO YOUUU ♫ ♪

[noluckduck]

Yeeeaaah. Thanks.

[echoing_sutras]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLOVER-SAAAAAAN!!!!

[noluckduck]

... Kinda late now, man.

[3wayforjustice]

That's your biggest issue with this place?

[noluckduck]

Course not, but I figure people get tired of hearin' the same shit over and over.

Phone

[splashpuppy]

I've had two here now... a lot of people think they only kinda count.

[noluckduck]

What's that even mean, "kinda"? Time's passin' one way or another.

[thebeastwithout]

♪ Happy biiiiiirthday to youuuuuuuu
Happy biiiiiirthday tooo youuuuuu
You're pro'bly super old now
Happy birthday to youuuuuuuu ♪

[noluckduck]

Dude, I'm 16!

I mean, shit, I'm practically an adult, but I ain't headed for a nursin' home yet.

[originalnumber]

Your birthday?

[Beat.]

Aah. Forgive me- I myself lack the knowledge of my own... Actually, I am not entirely sure of how the ageing process will work over my being...

Spending such an event here however... ...You have my condolences.

[noluckduck]

... Wow, man. That was pretty much the most eloquent reply I got.

Uh, thanks.

[imoutos]

[ ... oh. It almost feels ironic now that last time they talked, it was about her own birthday.. ]

U-um.. it was your birthday too only a l-little while ago?

[noluckduck]

Yeah, totally slipped my mind. When's yours again?

[surf_n_makai]

Happy birthday?

Even though you don't sound so happy about it. People usually get cranky later in life, not as a teenager...

[noluckduck]

Ya sayin' I can't be cranky?

[Oh, wait, she means... ] It's not like it's because of my birthday, it's 'cause it was here.

[hairflyingheartpounding]

You forgot about it?

[noluckduck]

Eh, it's more like... it went by without me noticin', y'know?

[kinship]

[There's no reply on the phone, but about twenty minutes later there would be a knock at Clover's front door. Opening it would reveal Cain with two balloons (don't ask where he got them from), a huge chocolate cake (stolen from his brother) and a small wrapped box.]

Happy Birthday, Clover!

[noluckduck]

[... Oh.

This would be pretty awesome as its own, isolated occurrence, but together with the last time they talked - the conversation is still fresh in Clover's mind - it makes her eyes wrinkle just a little bit more than they normally would.]

Oh, f... Dude, thanks. How're ya even holdin' all that?