FIC: froyos and birthdays
1,990 words of fluff
Summary: Michael doesn't have a birthday. Sol thinks it's a good way to hog Michael for themself. // Google Doc link
Warnings: Spoilers for S1 and S2 of TGP. Takes place some time during season 2.
Author's Note: did this in one sitting because i'm gay i guess. no rereading we die like men. also shout out to vivi for inspiring this fic
(OK 2 rb / comment / like!)
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“I don’t understand,” Michael speaks up after staring at the frozen yogurt in his hands with his eyebrows furrowing.
Sol looks up at him curiously—though not as intensely curious as he is, looking like he’s trying to deconstruct the cold dessert in his hands. Michael is so tall that he has to crane his neck a bit to look at his hands that rest on his legs. They don’t think he ever slouches like they do. “What don’t you understand?”
“We’ve had froyo dozens of times before. I chose to bring froyo shops back specifically for this reboot because it worked so well the first time. And humans aren’t supposed to like them. That’s why I chose them.”
There’s something about the way Michael speaks that they like so much. It feels like every time he says something, it’s always very carefully thought out; he’s always so meticulous with his words. And the way he speaks feels like it has a certain rhythm to it. “Hey man, I like froyo.”
He turns to face them, and they can see his eyes sparkle for a moment. “Why?”
Sol shrugs, but they smile. “Haven’t you read my file? Isn’t it like, somewhere in there?”
“Well, I have, and I know everything about you,” Michael punctuates his statement with a subtle shrug of his shoulders and a small head tilt to his side. “But the files don’t tell me about…how humans feel, and why they do things. It’s all facts and…objective truth.”
They nod slowly as they bring another spoonful of froyo into their mouth. “I think I get it. No wonder the system sucks. You can’t judge people just based on cold hard facts—that’s just not how humans work.”
Michael stays silent for a moment. He knows that now. “So why do you like froyo?”
“I like most things. Or I find it hard to really dislike most things. I don’t know,” Sol responds, putting their froyo down and leaning back on their hands to absentmindedly look at the sky. Perhaps they’d find the answer there. “Froyo is like ice cream. But…healthier? So I like it. I guess.”
“Is that why you also like raisin and oatmeal cookies?” He chuckles.
Sol feigns a pout at him and crosses their arms. “Are you making fun of me for liking the dollar store version of things?”
“No, no, no,” he quickly objects, putting his own froyo down and waving his hands dismissively. “It’s not like that at all. I just find it fascinating, you know? Because most humans hate that stuff.”
“Well, I guess I’m not most humans, then.”
He smiles. “I guess not.”
They stay there silent for a moment, just enjoying their froyo during a lovely, warm, sunny afternoon. If this is The Bad Place, then it’s probably the best worst thing there is, Sol thinks to themself.
“Michael, do you have a birthday?”
“I do not. I am an immortal being who was never born, I just was.” He answers, almost too quickly, like he’s rehearsed this speech a bunch of times.
“I figured you would say that. But…even if you technically don’t have a birthday, you still should be able to celebrate being alive, you know. Have a day just for you.”
“‘Demons’ can’t be alive.” Michael corrects them.
Sol moves closer to Michael, and dabs a fingerful of froyo on his nose.
“Hey! That was cold.”
“If you’re not alive, then how come you felt the froyo?”
He can’t argue with that. “It’s because of my skin suit,” he says, although he sounds unconvinced even to himself.
“Happy birthday, Michael.”
“It’s not my birthday…”
“Well, you can’t say you have a birthday, but you can’t say you don’t have one either,” Sol smirks triumphantly at him. “Think of me going out with you to have froyo as a birthday activity. And, I have a present just for you.” They turn to look at nothing in particular. “Janet?”
“Hi there!” Janet appears almost immediately, and Sol flinches from the surprise even though they were fully anticipating it. “How can I help you?”
“Can you give me Michael’s present, please?”
Janet reaches behind her back, before manifesting a present wrapped in a very colorful white-and-blue polka dotted pattern. “Here you go.”
“Thank you Janet,” they give her a nod as they get the gift from her, and she disappears almost instantaneously.
Michael puts his hand over his chest, giving out a small gasp. “Is that…for me?”
“It’s my birthday gift for you. Open it now, if you want,” Sol responds, grinning from ear to ear as they hand Michael the gift.
He carefully takes the package—cylindrical, how exciting—and marvels at it for a bit, shaking it slightly to see if it would make a sound, before deciding to completely tear it open. Behind the colorful wrapping was a pencil case, in the shape of a metal can—maybe the case was made from a can, now that he thinks about it—but what’s on it is even more intriguing to him. The surface of the case was covered with holographic material that displays different moments of Team Cockroach together, depending on the angle from which one views it. Michael feels his eyes getting misty, and his chest is getting heavy—but his skin is also feeling tingly? It’s too much all at once. “Oh, Hirasol…”
Sol can’t help but smile and blush at the way their name sounds coming from Michael’s astonished voice. “I know you like mundane human junk so much, but I actually tried really hard to upgrade that junk. I reinforced the bottom so it doubles as a paperweight, you know?” They brag subtly. “And I thought you’d like something to remember your friends by so you feel a little less stressed whenever you’re working.”
“I see you guys everyday and you are all the exact reason for my constant state of distress,” he remarks. Although his statement sounds mean, he delivers it pretty neutrally. He smiles back at them. “Thank you for this gift. I’ll keep it.”
“You better, man.” Sol bumps their shoulder against his playfully.
“So this is what it feels like to receive a birthday gift.”
“Yeah. Do you like it?”
“It’s upgraded junk, but I like it.”
“Hey!”
“That’s what you called it,” he defends, “I’m not trying to be mean.”
Sol snorts. “I know you’re trying your best.”
So…what now? Michael got his gift, and they know they have to go back to work eventually, what with deceiving Shawn “the judge” and all. But Sol wishes they could stay this way for just a bit longer. It’s hard to get Michael by himself, and they try to subdue a gulp that’s been stuck in their throat since they asked Michael to go with them to get some froyos.
This is why they’re in The Bad Place. Sol knows it’s selfish to do this, and that Michael would love this even more if he got to do it with all his friends. Even though they did share their plan with the rest of the Cockroaches, they did technically lie by omission by giving a gift to Michael first, and celebrating his not-birthday with him first. They told the gang they were just going to fetch him for the surprise party they had all planned, and they technically are fetching him right now, but it’s been half an hour and the gang’s probably getting suspicious or worried.
Sol sighs, and jumps off the concrete ledge they were sitting on. “Hey Mikey, I just remembered—there’s some trouble at Tahani’s house and they wanted you to maybe go take a look. Shall we go?”
“Oh no, what is it now…?” He mumbles to himself while standing up, dusting off and straightening his jacket and suit. He puts the pencil case in his—suit pocket? And somehow it doesn’t leave a visible bump. Huh.
“We should link arms.” They blurt out, almost without thinking. Oh shirt. Why’d they say that?
Michael looks at them with confusion. “Wouldn’t that just slow us down?”
“Uhhh I mean—if you see the problem immediately, you’ll get super stressed. And we just decided that today is your birthday. We can’t have that happening.” Quick thinking, Sol! That’s totally not the dumbest excuse ever. They purse their lips together as they grab Michael by the arm. “You have to close your eyes and I’ll lead you through the neighborhood.”
“What is this, Sol?” Their chest flutters. He almost never calls them that. “Is this a prank? Are you getting revenge for the many times I erased your memories and tortured you?”
“No, just…” They try to think of what to say without giving the surprise away. “You trust me, right Michael?”
“Of course I do,” he says immediately, matter-of-factly, almost offended they’d even ask. “You’re my friend. That’s what friends do, right?”
“Then trust me when I say you do not want to see Tahani’s house right away. It’s such a mess.”
“Fine, fine…Maybe just hold my hand. It’ll be much easier to walk that way.” He extends his hand, already having his eyes closed.
They squeak. “O–Okay…” They take his hand in theirs, and immediately feel its warmth. Which means theirs must be super cold in comparison. Oh no. Okay. Don’t be nervous. You’re just guiding Michael through the neighborhood. No biggie. “Hey, no peeking tall guy, okay?”
“Why? Isn’t that going to help, like… I don’t know, when humans leave the theater after they finish watching another movie made by the same conglomerate that’s monopolizing the industry and churning out B movies that still get millions of dollars at the blockbuster because of audience nostalgia? You know—you slowly open your eyes to not let the light from outside the cinema make them explode.”
“That was a lot to process, buddy…” Sol mumbles, but they can’t help but snort at his joke. Or maybe he wasn’t joking. He tends to be like that. “Lower your face so I can tie this blindfold on you.”
“This is definitely a revenge plot.”
“No it isn’t! You told me you trust me.”
“I do. I’m just messing with you,” he giggles. The kind of devilish glee he had when he and Chidi had the trolley problem spat. But only this time, it doesn’t feel mean or spiteful.
Sol smirks as they tie a bandana around his eyes. “I like it when you laugh,” they say, before they even realize they’re saying it.
“Why thank you. Evil laughter tends to take some time to practice.”
“I don’t think that was evil.”
“But you guys said messing with people is evil—oh wait, oh no. Was that too much? Did that hurt your feelings? Maybe I shouldn’t have laughed.” To an outsider he might sound sarcastic, but Sol knows he’s being earnest whenever he asks this. And also he’s freaking out a little bit.
“It’s okay Michael. Ribbing with friends is fine sometimes. Just as long as you know their boundaries and you don’t cross it.”
“Ah. Okay. I think I get it.” Michael nods sagely. “But I still don’t get the point of this blindfold.”
“And I don’t get the point of having to hold your hand,” Sol responds as they start walking, with them gently tugging on Michael’s arm. “You designed this neighborhood. You probably know it like the back of your hand.”
“What can I say? This is…fun. This afternoon has been fun spending time with you. Thank you, Sol.”
Badump. “Don’t worry about it. Any time.”
“Hey Sol?”
Badump. “Yeah, Mikey?”
“I think. I like froyo now. Or maybe I still don’t, who knows. It tastes like a cold emptiness in the mouth, you know…But somehow the froyo we had earlier tasted much better than the others I’ve had.”
Badump. They’re so selfish for liking it this way. “Froyo with you tastes better than anything I’ve ever had on Earth. You suck at torturing me, Michael.”
"I know..."know…”
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☁️, ☄, 💚, 🔥, 🎀, 🔫, 🍁 for Aria
Ah! Thank you very much for all of these, Evi! I'm a little surprised you want me to answer these for a self-insert considering they're asks from a game about OCs instead, but I get that that's how most people see my self-inserts, so it's okay. It means a lot that you sent these in, so thank you.
(question source: "OC EMOJI ASKS!" by charmymemes)
☁️ CLOUD - a soft headcanon - Aria may not seem like the type, but she will give pet names to those around her! She doesn't have to be particularly close to them to do this, but the name tends to reflect an aspect of that person's character rather than being derived from their actual name. For example.. Clio is "clover" or "flower", while some of the pet names she's given as a Fatebreaker (an RP I'm doing with some friends) include "little starflower", "little moonflower", "knight", "little godling", "little fish prince", "shade", "scholar", "silver sparrow", "starling", "rose", "coder", "little lantern", "little changeling", and "dreamling".
☄️ COMET - what do people assume about her? are they right? - Many people, especially during the age of fairytales, are naturally sceptical of Aria because it’s clear she is someone who wields darkness, and many users of light are distrustful of the darkness, seeing it only as something evil and dangerous. They’d technically be right to assume that she can be dangerous - she’s a powerful opponent in combat, after all - but they would be wrong to dismiss her or treat her as an enemy simply because of her elemental nature.
💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your self-insert feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food? - Aria gains comfort from being around people who trust her, which admittedly is not many people (and fewer still who know what she is and trust her despite that). She doesn’t deal too well with excessive or unexpected physical contact, but she is always very grateful (even if she doesn’t always admit it) that people would actually care about her and want to be around her, rather than just seeing her as a monster (since.. she is one. but she is trying so hard not to be.)
..Let’s go under the readmore for the rest, since otherwise this post is going to be very long!
🔥 FIRE - does she have any self-destructive tendencies? what habits does she have that hinders her from becoming her best self? - You mean, aside from the whole "has been possessing another being for the past 15 years of her life, leaving that girl stuck dormant in her own body while she uses it as her vessel" part? I think that part probably counts as a habit hindering her from becoming her best self. She also very much dislikes being in situations where she is vulnerable - for example, being trapped when there are other Keyblade wielders around, since Keyblades are the one thing that can permanently destroy her - and will tend to become either overly defensive or dismissive because of that.
🎀 RIBBON - how would she fit into other worlds / AUs? what AUs would you like to try out? what fictional worlds would she fit / not fit into? - Aria's natural appearance would generally make her stand out quite strongly in most worlds she was placed into, so it can be difficult to find a place for her to fit. However, I think her appearance would work okay for a dark-element Blade in the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, possibly moreso if I gave her more Darkling features. I'm still a bit torn between whether she would be a vampire or a ghost possessing her own corpse in some kind of AU where she had to be that kind of pre-existing supernatural entity. Maybe the first post-KH3 and the second for KHUX-era?
🔫 PISTOL - does she trust people easily? how easily will she turn her back to someone? has she been backstabbed before? will she betray someone if given an ultimatum? - Aria is very much not naturally trusting, which mostly stems from the fact that few people naturally trust her first. She has to keep her guard up, especially around other Keyblade wielders, because they wield the one thing she fears most. If I had written this ask out as soon as you sent it in then I could say she hadn't been backstabbed, but now she has been once, at least as far as the Fatebreakers are concerned (thanks, Nyx). Regarding that final question.. she would never actually betray the people she cared about, but she’d be rather quick to appear to betray them (ideally with them being aware of her intention to do this) for the sake of lowering the enemy’s guard and gaining information from them before revealing she had never gone over to their side.
🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is her favourite season? why? - Aria's favourite season is spring, which might be slightly predictable when you remember that her true form is essentially a giant ball of cherry blossom flowers. The sight of flowers blooming has always brought her a surprising amount of solace as a result of what she is, so spring is an enjoyable time for her for that reason.
And that’s all those finally answered! I hope that all of these answers were alright - thank you very much again for sending so many questions in!!
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