Something to Celebrate
Author's notes: Wow it's been a while, but yay for a new story! FYI this is set in the first season before Serena and Darien a little before they become Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. I hope you like it!
Darien jolted awake in a cold sweat panting heavily. He had the same nightmare he had every year since the accident and squeezed his eyes shut trying to block out the images as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. It was a horrible way to start his birthday, but he couldn't rewrite history and erase the memories that were coming back to him despite the amnesia he suffered so long ago. He slowly got out of bed, got in the shower, and got dressed ready to get the day over with.
He absentmindedly went to the Crowne Plaza and took his normal seat at the counter. He picked up a newspaper and started reading it before a cup of coffee and a chocolate muffin with a candle was placed in front of him. "Happy birthday!" his best friend, Andrew said from behind the counter.
Darien gave him a weak smile as he set the newspaper down. "Thanks, but no thanks," he said as he pushed the muffin aside.
Andrew frowned. "But it's your birthday, Darien," he whined. "I know it's not much but it's the least I can do since you always insist on not celebrating."
"It's just another day," Darien said before picking up the newspaper again. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate what his friend was trying to do for him, but he just didn't see the purpose. Soon enough the door bells jingled and he heard a familiar voice.
"Hi Andy," a female voice said sweetly.
"Hey Serena," Andrew greeted her. "How are you today?"
"Wonderful," she said as she took a seat next to Darien. He noticed her staring at him as he pretended to continue reading the paper, but he didn't say anything. "Aren't you going to say hello?" she finally asked him.
"Hello," he said shortly as he took a sip of coffee. He really didn't have the energy to deal with her today. He watched from the corner of his eye as Serena gave him a look and then started staring at him again. Can't she leave me alone just for today? He thought as his annoyance grew. "What are you looking at?" he snapped.
She jumped a bit startled by his outburst. "N-nothing. You just look kinda pale and a little tired. Are you ok?"
Darien was taken aback by her observation and found it strange that she could read him so easily. But he quickly dismissed those thoughts and opted to avoid the question. "I have to go," he said before he folded the newspaper and left the arcade.
Serena watched Darien leave with a puzzled look on her face curious about his behavior. Something was definitely off since he didn't even call her Meatball Head. Why was he acting so strange? Why did he look sick? Why do I care? She thought with frustration as she turned around in her seat. She went to pick up a menu and saw that his coffee and a muffin with a candle in it were left behind. "Andrew," she said when he came back. "I thought your birthday already passed."
Andrew looked down at the muffin and frowned. "I made that for Darien. Today's his birthday, but I guess he forgot it."
Serena was even more confused. "But if it's his birthday then why was he acting like he had an extra stick stuck up his butt?"
Andrew smiled at her comment. "Darien isn't really big on celebrating his birthday," he explained while he cleaned Darien's area. "Don't ask me why because I don't know and he never wants to talk about it."
He went to throw the trash away while Serena was left with her thoughts. Andrew was Darien's best friend and she thought it was strange that even he wasn't sure about Darien's strange behavior. Even though Darien could be a real jerk, she decided that he didn't deserve to have a bad birthday and determined that she was going to figure out how to make him happy. "Can you help me with something?" she asked Andrew when he came back.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Darien paid for the bouquet of flowers and exited the floral shop. This was his least favorite part of the day, but he knew he had to do it. He made his way to the cemetery and found the familiar headstone. He felt his throat tightening as he knelt in front of the grave and set the flowers down. He stared at the headstone and read the familiar words: David and Rebecca Shields, loving parents and faithful friends, forever loved and missed. He closed his eyes as the images from his nightmare flooded his mind again.
He was 8 years old again in the backseat playing with a new fire truck while his father drove and his mother sat in the passenger seat. Suddenly bright lights filled the car, a horn blared, voices screamed, and a crash resounded as a truck hit the car head on before it fell off the edge of the road. The next thing he knew everything went black and his body ached all over.
Darien shuddered as he opened his eyes and felt tears falling down his face. He hated crying because it made him feel weak, but he couldn't help being overcome with all the emotion. He felt angry that his parents were taken away from him at such a young age. He felt lonely as he remembered his days in the orphanage when no one adopted him and he was left to fend for himself. Most of all he felt guilty that the day he was supposed to celebrate his own life always meant acknowledging the anniversary of his parents' death. He simply sat there and cried until he couldn't cry anymore.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
After getting some directions from Andrew, she went shopping and found what seemed to be the perfect gift for Darien. She wrote a quick note inside before wrapping it up and made her way to his apartment. She asked herself plenty of times why she was doing this considering that Darien never did anything nice for her. He always called her names or made fun of her hair or made certain remarks about her eating habits. Regardless, even though she would make clever comebacks of her own she was taught to find the good in everyone and that's what motivated her to do what she was doing for Darien now.
She took the shortcut through the park that Andrew told her about, but stopped when she saw a familiar figure sitting on one of the benches in a secluded area. Just my luck Serena thought to herself. She took a deep breath and walked closer to where he was sitting. He seemed to be staring off into space and didn't see her standing there. She finally decided to take a seat beside him and speak up. "Hi Darien," she said gently.
He looked up at her with surprise. He came here to clear his head, but she was the last person he expected to run into, especially since he already saw her at the arcade earlier. "What are you doing here, Meatball Head?" he asked.
Serena frowned. The way he spoke to her lacked so much emotion that it made her uncomfortable, but she continued anyway. "Andrew told me it was your birthday today," she explained. "You looked like you were having a bad day so I got you a present and was on my way to deliver it to you." She handed it to him. "Happy birthday."
Darien slowly took the present and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw the black leather journal she bought him. "I ran out of money to buy you a birthday card so I wrote a note in the front," Serena added. He opened the front of the journal and found the note she wrote for him in tiny letters. Darien, I know we're not exactly friends, but you deserve all the happiness in the world on your special day. Happy birthday!
He closed the journal and simply held it for a moment. Serena saw his hands shaking and started to get worried. Her immediate instinct told her that she needed to comfort him so she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He instinctively hugged her back and started to cry on her shoulder. Serena simply held him and rubbed his back without saying a word. It was strange seeing him so vulnerable when he usually seemed so strong and confident. She had a feeling this went way beyond having an ordinary bad day.
After a while, he pulled away and wiped his eyes. "Thank you," he said hoarsely.
"Why are you so upset?" she asked. "You're supposed to be happy on your birthday."
Darien sighed. "I rarely tell people when my birthday is," he explained. "I guess it's my way of trying not to acknowledge that it was also the day my parents passed away."
Serena gasped softly. "I'm so sorry, Darien. What happened to them?"
"It was a car accident many years ago. I was in the car with them, but somehow I survived. It's so hard to celebrate my life with that weighing on my mind. Sometimes I wonder why my life was worth saving and theirs had to be taken away."
Serena shook her head. How sad. She never knew Darien went through so much and was carrying such a heavy burden. But now that she knew, she wanted nothing more than to help him ease his pain. "You're here for a reason, Darien," she finally said. "I can't tell you why your parents were taken away, but right now you have a chance to fulfill a purpose in this life. I think that's something worth celebrating and something your parents would want if they were still here."
Darien looked down and thought about what she said. For being so young, she certainly had a lot of wisdom to offer. He knew she was right and it did help make some of the guilt he was feeling go away. He looked up at her waiting eyes with new hope in his heart. "I appreciate that, Serena," he said. "Thank you so much."
She smiled at him. "You're welcome." They sat there in silence for a moment. "Are you up to having a little birthday celebration? I don't want you to be all alone today."
"What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking that Andrew and I could do something for you later." Serena gasped as an idea came to her. "Andrew can make dinner for you and I'll bake you a cake. It can be just the three of us and you won't have to worry about a thing."
"That sounds nice… as long as we don't have to call the fire department because you burnt something," he said with a smirk.
Serena knew he was joking, but she couldn't resist making a comeback. "Look, I'm trying to do something nice for you. If you're just gonna insult me then I won't do anything for you at all. I already gave you your present so technically my work is already done." She promptly crossed her arms and pouted.
Darien laughed. "I'm only kidding, Meatball Head. I really do appreciate what you're doing for me."
Serena smiled glad that she was able to lift his spirits, but then she nudged his arm. "That doesn't let you off the hook for calling me that stupid nickname, Jerk Face," she said as she stood up. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up with her. "Let's go visit Andrew and tell him about the party."
Darien picked up his new journal and walked with her towards the arcade. "I never agreed to having a party," he protested.
"It's a party if I'm there," Serena replied. "I'm gonna make sure you have the best birthday ever!"
Darien smiled. It already is he thought to himself. He was sure this was going to be one of many birthdays he was going to remember for the better. He did have something to celebrate after all.
The End