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“What about you, Crow?”
Crow’s head jerked up as he realized he’d tuned out most of whatever conversation had been going on. Now Rua, who had spoken, was staring at him expectantly alongside Ruka and Aki. Jack and Yuusei, with the help of Bruno, were both working on their bikes, likely also not paying attention to the conversation.
Crow grinned sheepishly and set his deck down on the table. “Sorry, what? I missed that whole thing.” Crow replied apologetically. Luckily for him, Rua didn’t seem particularly upset.
“Your birthday!” Rua exclaimed, smiling. “When is it?”
Jack and Yuusei both looked up from their work, now focused on Crow. They wore apprehensive expressions, already knowing how Crow would answer.
“Oh, uh…” Crow rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I don’t really have one.” he answered, trying to work in a half hearted laugh.
“What?” Rua asked, astonished. Ruka, ever perceptive, tugged her brother’s sleeve, but Rua continued anyway. “How can you not have a birthday?”
Crow cringed a bit, keeping in mind that Rua had no ill intent with his words. “I mean, I’m sure I have one. I just don’t know it.” He looked down at the table, tracing the patterns in the wood with his eyes. “I was born after Zero Reverse, y’know? No one really kept any records on people on Satellite until they got arrested. And even then, your crime was your whole record. Unless you had someone else who knows, you couldn’t really find out that kinda stuff.”
“Oh… Sorry.” Rua said quietly, looking down. The room fell into an awkward silence, air thick with tension. Crow wanted to backpedal, laugh it off and say it was fine and he didn’t care. Damn, he should have just lied.
A small hum of consideration from behind him made Crow turn around. “What about September sixth?” Yuusei asked, thoughtful.
Crow cocked his head to the side in confusion. “What about it?” He asked, not quite following.
“For your birthday.” Yuusei answered, expression neutral. He shrugged casually. “If you don’t know yours, then you should just pick one.”
Crow silently thanked him for dispelling the awkward aura. “I guess? But why September si— Oh. ‘Cause of the Blackwings, yeah? And the Blackbird.”
“As well as crows in general.” Aki pointed out, contemplating Yuusei’s suggestion. “If you don’t mind me saying so, you do have quite a theme going.”
Crow smirked and feigned offense. “Don’t we all? That’s like, our whole thing.” He paused, really mulling the idea over. “I mean… If you guys think it’s important, then it’s fine by me. I don’t really care either way.”
Rua’s eyes sparkled as he picked his head back up. “Then it’s decided! September sixth! Don’t forget, okay?”
Crow walked over and ruffled his hair. “Alright, sure thing, kid.” he laughed. The conversation moved away from the topic of birthdays and on to the WRGP and school and bike modifications. Crow relaxed, glad to have fallen back into typical, casual conversation.
Crow had very quickly forgotten about his newly assigned birthday. He had never had to worry it before, so it was not at the forefront of his mind. On the day of September sixth, Crow was woken by sunlight streaming into his room through the window.
He sat up and checked his clock; it read eleven, much later than Crow usually awoke. His alarm had been turned off, probably by a still mostly asleep Crow. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
What was odd was that his brothers hadn’t woken him up. Typically they were all up before nine-thirty, training or deck building or, in everyone except Jack’s case, working. His brothers had woken him up when he had overslept in the past, but not today.
Crawling out of bed, Crow straightened out his nightshirt before heading downstairs to the kitchen. He was surprised to find it empty, and some further prodding revealed that he was the only one home; the absence of the Wheel of Fortune and the Yusei Go confirmed this.
Crow sighed, forgoing breakfast in favor of taking a shower. The house felt too big and empty when he was the only one there. Crow briefly wondered whether they had a practice scheduled for today he had forgotten about. He hoped Jack and Yuusei weren’t mad at him.
Because he was typically the latest riser, and possibly because he was the youngest, Crow was usually stuck with the cold shower after his brothers. He was grateful to have the opportunity to take a hot shower, enjoying the rare commodity.
After a while, he stepped out and dressed quickly, deciding to take care of the deliveries he had to do. Upon reaching the area where he stored them, however, Crow simply found his list and a bundle of receipts. As he checked over each one, he realized these were the receipts for the deliveries he had to make today.
Somebody did my deliveries for me? Crow thought, puzzled. He couldn’t figure out the who or why of this situation. Neither Jack nor Yuusei really had the free time to kill doing him a favor. Aki was also pretty busy with schoolwork, her visits to their place often running short. As for Bruno… Well, Crow really couldn’t figure Bruno out, but it didn’t seem like something he’d do either. The day was only getting more confusing as it drew on.
Suddenly burdened with the gift of free time, Crow pondered what to do. It was already one, there were no more deliveries to make, and he had no one to practice with… Just as he decided to get some more solo practice driving the Blackbird, a call came in over the bike’s communication interface. He quickly hit accept, his face lighting up as he saw who it was.
“Martha!” he exclaimed, mounting the bike so he could continue the call more comfortably. He leaned forward a bit and grinned, glad for the company. “What’s up!”
Martha have him a warm smile in return, her kind eyes twinkling. “Crow, dear, it’s so good to see your face. Do you think you could come over today and help me out with something?”
Crow almost laughed; classic Martha, never beating around the bush. He always admired her straightforwardness. If she wanted one of them to do something, she’d always tell them outright.
“Yeah, no problem.” Crow replied, grabbing his helmet. “Anything I need to bring over?”
Martha shook her head. “Just yourself. Oh, and—“
“—And a good attitude, yes.” Crow finished, reciting the statement Martha had said countless times before. She gave him another soft smile and nodded. “Alright, be there in a few. Love ya.”
“Love you too, dear. See you soon.” With that, both parties hung up. Had it been anyone else, Crow certainly would’ve asked what they wanted him to do before agreeing; but with Martha, if something needed doing, he’d do it. Simple as that.
He considered leaving a note for Jack and Yuusei informing them of his whereabouts, but decided against it. If they really needed him, they could call. Besides, they hadn’t afforded him the same courtesy, so he assumed it was fine.
Crow let his body go on autopilot as he drove towards Martha’s, a route he had traveled often since the completion of the Daedalus Bridge. The kids that used to be solely in his care asked him to visit frequently, and he could never turn them down. And though she probably wouldn’t admit it, Crow had a feeling Martha missed seeing her three dumbest sons more than she let on.
Before he realized it, Crow was pulling up in front of the orphanage. Once the kickstand was out, Crow hopped off the Blackbird and set his helmet on the seat. Crow couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he approached the door; even though the building had been renovated, it still felt the same as the first day Martha brought him home.
Crow knocked on the door as he always did. Martha often told him he didn’t need to knock, but it was a force of habit. “Come in!” Martha’s voice rang out from inside the house, muffled through the closed door. Crow pushed the door to the familiar building open, ready to greet his kids.
“Surprise!” A chorus of voices rang out as Crow stepped into the house. He jumped in place, instinctively taking a step back before he surveyed the scene.
The first people he spotted were Jack and Yuusei, standing near the center of the room and most visible from the entryway. They were both giving him sincere smiles, which helped Crow to relax a little bit. The other members of Team 5Ds were all there, too; Aki and Ruka, waving to him, and Rua seated atop Bruno’s shoulders. Together, the two of them almost touched the ceiling.
There were plenty of other familiar faces, as well. Saiga and Tetsuzo were standing near the back, while Rally and the rest of Yuusei’s friends who Crow wasn’t very well acquainted with were off to the side. In the middle of it all was Martha, surrounded by Crow’s kids. She beckoned him closer and he obeyed, stepping slowly towards the party.
“What… what is this?” Crow asked, glancing around at the decorations. There were several orange streamers secured to the door frames and a drawing of himself on the Blackbird, presumably from the kids. Or maybe Jack. Crow’s eyes eventually landed on the big banner reading “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” and he suddenly understood.
“Oh, shhh—“ Crow censored himself under Martha’s stern gaze, “—oot. Shoot, is it September sixth already? I totally forgot about that.” He blinked and glanced around, examining every detail of the room before turning his gaze back to Martha. “They even got you in on this, huh?” Crow asked with a laugh.
Martha smiled at him, fondness evident in her every movement. “You probably don’t remember, but we used to do a little something for you every year on the anniversary of you joining our family. But it wasn’t quite the same… whenever Jack or Yuusei had their birthdays, you’d always ask me when yours was. I didn’t want to lie, so I never had an answer for you.” She put a warm, comforting hand in his shoulder. “I wouldn’t miss the chance to give you the proper birthday party you always wanted when you were younger.”
Crow blushed a bit, embarrassed. “I really wanted a birthday party that bad…?” Crow chuckled, not remembering that in the least.
Jack snorted and leaned against the table. “You sure did. I remember you pushed me off my chair at my eighth birthday party because you were jealous.”
A genuine rare laugh bubbled out of Yuusei, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “You’re still mad about that?” he said, clearly remembering the incident himself.
“Geez…” Crow whined, covering his face in embarrassment. He quickly lowered his hands, looking around to everyone in the room. “Hey… Thanks for this. It’s, uh… it’s actually really nice. Having everyone together like this, I mean.”
All the kids came out from behind Martha and ran over to him, wrapping his entire lower body in a hug. “We love you, Crow-oniichan!”
“Aw, c’mon, don’t make me cry at my first birthday party!” Crow sniffled, his smile wide. Tears blurred his eyes at the edges, and he moved to wipe them away. “Man, birthday parties are pretty cool. I should’ve hopped on this train earlier.”
Rua pumped his hand in the air, getting dangerously close to punching a hole in the ceiling.
“We’re only just starting!” he laughed, nearly losing his balance and falling backwards off Bruno, who managed to catch him. Everyone chuckled at their antics, and Crow felt his heart swell with affection for his family and friends. He didn’t need anything more than this, this feeling, this moment. Nothing else mattered; He was happy. He was safe. He was home.