Pheasant and Dragon

Why do you remind me of him?

Dragon has undealt trauma and so he bakes a cake and Sabo had to walk in.

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"Dragon-san, you can bake?" Sabo asked softly.

Sabo had wanted to get a glass of water before going back to sleep, so he made his way to the communal kitchen and prayed the cooks wouldn't find out, as they could be oddly defensive about their kitchens. That was why one could only imagine his utter shock when he discovered the leader of the revolutionaries methodically stirring pink frosting in a large glass bowl. Dragon didn't seem to notice his question, so he walked towards the man and waved his hand in front of Dragon's face to make sure he was OK. Sabo was feeling quite awkward.

Dragon had a thousand-yard stare, but even that was not immune to a hand in front of his face, which was able to break it. He seemed to finally notice Sabo standing across him. His leader visibly brightened momentarily, but immediately the brightness dimmed, which Sabo deduced was because Dragon didn't want to see him but someone else.

"I don't bake. I only bake strawberry cakes," Dragon answered in a low voice.

Sabo bit his lip and nodded as he got his glass of water and watched Dragon prepare the toppings for a strawberry cake because this sight was simply too peculiar to ignore. Dragon ignored him for the most part, as he went back to staring down as he chopped strawberries. Sabo could feel Dragon's eyes glaze over as the man disassociated himself from the present. A cake was brought out of the fridge where it was chilling and laid on the table, which Dragon then proceeded to slather the cake in frosting. It was like watching a robot perform its daily task. Well, this was unhealthy and he should've done something, but he really valued his life, so he tried asking questions.

"Who's the cake for?" Sabo asked as he saw Dragon turn around and pull out a candle.

Fortunately, Sabo listened attentively as Dragon quietly placed strawberries for 2 minutes, and fortunately, he had exceptional ears and managed to pick up something.

"My little brother," Dragon murmured under his breath.

Sabo's jaw dropped as he learned that Dragon had a little brother.

Did you guys know?! We can become brothers if we exchange this cup of sake!

Sabo rubbed his head as he picked his jaw up from the ground as he tried to rationalise this. Since Dragon seemed to be going through some trauma surrounding his brother and that the guy wasn't here right now, that must mean the guy must be dead. He watched as Dragon placed the finishing touches on the cake with a single candle. He lit a match procured from his pocket and made the candle burn. And for the first time the entire night, Dragon's eyes flitted to Sabo's face and lingered there. Sabo wasn't uncomfortable with the staring, but he knew at the moment that Dragon wasn't looking at Sabo but at his deceased little brother, so he kept his mouth shut. He could let Dragon savour this moment, he guessed.

"Come, Zan-zan. Blow out your candle. You're finally 13! " Dragon smiled.
Sabo was about to take back everything as he was very insulted that Dragon's 13-year-old little brother was the same height as 16-year-old him. But he hesitated because he had never seen Dragon give a smile as genuine as the one in front of him. Sure, he had seen Dragon smile genuinely before, but this one was different as he was truly and wonderfully elated for something as minor as his little brother's birthday. He must've truly loved his brother. Dragon walked towards Sabo and started singing.

"Happy birthday to you-

"-Happy birthday to me, -hic!

"Happy birthday to you-

"-Happy birthday to me, -hic!" Kuzan whispered sang.

As a result of his constant inebriation, he fell from the tree he was sitting in and into a ditch. It's a common occurrence nowadays, and especially on his birthday, as he tries to forget. No one was there to help him up. No one was there to make sure he was OK. No one was there. He swirled the bottle of alcohol and downed it all in a single gulp. Kuzan stared at the bottle angrily and tossed it away with all of his drunken might. He laid there with no intention of getting up, as he wished the ground could bury him whole.

"HAHAHAHAH, are you happy now, brother?" Kuzan giggled. "You probably are by seeing my absolutely pathetic self."

His eyes drooped. His face flushed, and anyone who touched him would have been immediately alarmed by the abnormally high temperature for a human, much less an ice one. But there was no one. No one at all. Only creepy crawlies. Tears started forming around his eyes.

"You win! YOU WIN! Is that what you wanted to hear? You're right and I'm wrong. So please come whisk me away and care for me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I-I-miss you, "Kuzan cried.

Dragon patted Sabo's head and offered him a slice of cake. He watched in amusement as Sabo exclaimed how delectable the cake was. Dragon's mind treasured this scene because right now it was Kuzan who was enjoying the slice of cake just like he had done on every single one of his birthdays. But like the other memories since about 6 years ago, this one was fuzzy as if something had badly edited Kuzan's face onto another person's body. Like this wasn't reality. As if in reality, Dragon was giving a cake to his protégé and not his little brother dying in a ditch somewhere in the Grand Blue. Yes, he was definitely giving the cake to his brother, Kuzan, not his protégé. This isn't all manufactured in his head. He wasn't crazy-

"Dragon-san, are you ok? You have been staring into space for a quick minute," Sab-Kuzan worried.

Dragon looked down at the person's face and let out a sharp cry because, instead of seeing black curly hair, a blonde boy stared up worriedly at him.

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YES, THIS IS FOR KUZAN'S BIRTHDAY. YES, I AM 9 DAYS LATE. BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

Also, I swear there'll be more fics after Nov 17 because that's when my month-long exams end. IGCSE Oct/Nov series amirite? I wasn't initially wasn't going to post this but I finished writing this in between exam briefings so heh. And how could I not celebrate my favourite character's birthday?