ic contact;

[coexistent]

"I'm not around, so... leave a message, I guess."

Comments

[coexistent]

[well, nobody would be happy with this situation.

but roxas will at least hold her hair back away from her face and stand there, supportive. he doesn't really know what else to do, but at least he's not shying away or disgusted by it, either.]

[immobileyes]

[ What a good roommate... she'd be grateful if she wasn't blinking back instinctive tears. She'll grip the counter for a few minutes, and finally speak up shakily. ]

Sorry...

[coexistent]

I don't think you have to be sorry for that...

[he shakes his head, shifting to clutch her arm.]

Come on, sit down. I'll bring you some water. [the least he can do is try to help her out here.]

[immobileyes]

[ What can she say here? "I'm sorry for throwing up and having my crush see the whole thing and hold my hair up because he's great even though the sickness in shoujo manga is always just a fever or a cold and not anything this gross I kind of want to die now"?

... No, that wouldn't help. So Mary nods, very slowly, and sort of shuffles along with him to go plop down again. ]

[coexistent]

[it'll take him a minute to bring back the glass of water, but he hands to to her as he sits down, musing:]

I guess this probably isn't the best time to say happy birthday, huh... [obviously, he's saying it to try and make her feel better and let her know he hasn't forgotten, even if it's a rough start to the day.]

[immobileyes]

Ha-- [ A ray of confusion shines through the cloud of general misery, and Mary... blinks several times.

Birthday? ]

... It's my birthday?

[ But if it was, wouldn't she have remembered that? Had she been looking forward to today in particular-- she thinks she might have been, but birthday doesn't ring a bell. So, now disconcerted, she stares down into the contents of the glass, as though the memory of when her birthday is will come floating up through the depths.

No go, though. ]

[coexistent]

It's... July 21st, right?

[oh no. did... he get it wrong? that's his first thought. he doesn't realize her memories are being tampered with, so of course, his initial reaction is to make sure he didn't get the date wrong.

that would be... embarrassing...]

[immobileyes]

My birthday is...

[ Wait. Wait. Mary might not remember her actual age, but she'd never forgotten her birthday. That she can't even offer up a date to prove him right or wrong strikes her as... extremely concerning.

So, bewildered, she clutches her glass a little tighter. ]

I don't remember.

[coexistent]

Huh?

[what? mary... what?]

You don't remember?

[immobileyes]

N-no... I should know, but--

[ There's nothing. No flicker of a date in her memory. ]

[coexistent]

Hold on.

[roxas is bolting out of the room!

...and bolting back in a minute later with a small, black book in hand.]

[immobileyes]

[ ... Mary's just going to peer at it somewhat blankly, then glance up at him. If nothing else, her color's looking vaguely better. ]

What is that?

[coexistent]

Oh... it's just a book I write stuff down in sometimes.

[it's his diary, mary. don't make him say it.]

[immobileyes]

[ what's wrong with admitting you have a diary?? ]

Oh... like a journal.

[ Close enough. ]

[coexistent]

[it's personal, okay!]

Yeah, something like that. [but...]

Anyway... [give him a minute to flip through the pages.] Yeah. Your birthday... it's definitely today. See?

[there's a calendar in the back and he has it marked with a star on the date.]

[immobileyes]

[ ... ]

O-oh! Then today really is--

[ ... And she'd thrown up on the day of. Doesn't she feel silly, yes she does. ]

I don't even remember if I was going to do anything for it...

[coexistent]

[well, it's not like it's her fault that she threw up. either way, roxas shakes his head.]

I guess it kind of ruins the surprise but I... was going to do something today for it. [the surprise works a little better when she actually knows it's her birthday, though.]

[immobileyes]

Eh? For me?? You don't have to...

[ No, she'd probably be just as surprised, honestly. ]

[coexistent]

[roxas shakes his head, but his gaze averts slightly.]

It's fine... I already planned it. I guess it's just a little weirder now since the real surprise is that it's your birthday.

[but.]

...I wonder why you'd forget something like that.

[immobileyes]

I don't know... something like that would definitely be important to me.

... But I'm really happy you thought it was important too.

[coexistent]

Well... birthdays are supposed to be important, aren't they? I've never had one, but everyone makes it sound like that.

[immobileyes]

You have one, it's just... you haven't celebrated one yet, and we can always do something about that.

[coexistent]

It's okay... It's... Not really important right now.

[his own "birthday," but considering he was never really born.. eh.]

It's your birthday, that's what's important. So...

Happy birthday, Mary. [even if she can't remember it.]

[immobileyes]

[ From the look on her face, she's dying to disagree-- but he said "right now" and not "ever", which means they're going to address this topic again, if she has anything to say about it.

... But even if she can't remember her own, there's something about Roxas saying that-- it makes her cheeks flush a bit, and she can't help but smile. ]

Thanks, Roxas.

[coexistent]

[oh. she's smiling.

and when she smiles like that, he feels that thumping in his chest that he's sure now is his heart pounding—naturally, that causes his own cheeks to flush a bit too.]

We can try to make it good if you're feeling better... [puking and being without her recollection of her birthday is not how this was supposed to go.]