Sho went to bed five and woke up six.

He had tried to stay up until midnight so he could see the day turn and his age turn too but he ended up falling asleep. Big sis was supposed to wake him if he fell asleep, that was why they had been sleeping in his bed, but she had fallen asleep too. So he missed the day turning and he missed turning six.

But at least he was six now!

Big sis said that she was sorry, which was nice, but then she also said that he had a whole of being six so it shouldn't have mattered if he had been awake until midnight, too, which cancelled out the part where she said that she was sorry. That was just how Sho felt and he was six now, the same age that she was, so he was entitled to feeling however it was that he wanted to feel. Not that he was going to spend his first day of being six fighting with his sister.

No, that would have been a waste of a birthday.

He wished that his birthday wasn't in the winter time. December first. The month had changed yesterday too. The day, the month, and his age had changed. The year would change too, but that wasn't until January, which was next month. Sho went to kindergarten, he knew his months now. He knew that the current month was December and that last month was November and that the next month would be January and all of that. He also knew that all of those months were during the winter where it was cold and dark outside and it even snowed, too, which could be fun but also meant that he had to wear itchy winter clothes and stuff.

Also it made his hair freeze to his head if he went outside while it was wet. That was pretty cool.

That was what they did on his birthday. He'd never had a birthday party with other kids beside his big sis, something which occasionally made him kind of sad, but at least mom took him to all the best places! That made up for it. They had ultimate cereal for breakfast, that was when all the cereals were mixed together into one big cereal, and mom even put cinnamon on it for him. Dad said that it was disgusting, which made Sho feel bad, but he also said happy birthday, which made Sho feel good. Dad had never been around for one of his birthdays before.

It wasn't that bad.

Or that good. Dad just had breakfast with them and then went back to his office to do his work. He didn't come with to the trampoline place or the animal shelter or the pool. He was busy, mom said, and Sho understood. Dad was super busy all the time and that was why he couldn't come with while they all had fun. Dad wouldn't have had much fun anyway, Sho figured, because he didn't seem like he would enjoy fun things…or anything for that matter. He wondered what dad's parents did for his birthdays. Probably nothing at all since Sho couldn't see his dad having any friends to invite over for a birthday party and he didn't really seem to like to do fun stuff. On mom's birthday they went to the animal shelter and then went out for dinner. Sometimes dad was there. Not for the animal shelter part but for the going out for dinner part.

Sho hadn't ended up getting a pet from the animal shelter.

Because dad didn't want him to have one. Dad didn't want any animals at all in the house. He didn't care for them, mom said, and he didn't approve of keeping pets. Dad didn't really approve of anything it seemed. Sho hoped that he never got boring when he grew up. Dad was thirty nine years old. Maybe old people were just super grumpy all the time like that. Grumpy and boring. So boring.

Dad wouldn't have had any fun if he had come along with them.

And maybe Sho wouldn't have been able to have any fun if dad had been there with him. It was hard to have fun when dad was around, it felt like sometimes, mostly because he didn't like having fun. Big sis said that he wasn't so bad but big sis was just like dad in some ways. She wasn't a lot of fun, not really, because she never ran around or jumped or climbed. She didn't even like diving into the pool. Sure that sign said no jumping but they weren't going to kick you out if you did a few cannonballs. Besides, it was his birthday and he could do whatever he wanted.

Well not whatever he wanted.

He couldn't take one of the rescue cats home, for one thing, even though he and big sis had voted yes and even picked out a cat. It was his birthday and he wanted a cat, a hamster really but cats were good too, but mom had said no. Well she said that dad would have said no. Dad said no to just about everything it seemed….and Sho did not care for that one bit. He wanted a pet, a friend, a companion….one that was not his sister. He wanted one more than anything. Not that he didn't love his sister, he just really wanted a pet.

And he had not been throwing a tantrum thank-you-very-much.

But mom said that if he was going to be going around throwing tantrums then that would be the end of his birthday. He shut up, then, because of course he wanted his birthday to keep going. Even if he did want a pet…he wanted a birthday more. Besides, the birthday express, which was what mom called it when they went places on his and bib sis' birthdays, had more stops to make. Saying goodbye to all of the animals had been hard, even harder now because they hardly ever came here anymore, but he was six now and had to be a big boy and just get it done with. He and big sis made sure to say goodbye to all of the rescue animals and to make sure that they knew that they were loved. Even if their original families hadn't loved them then he and big sis would. Also they made sure to tell each and every animal that they would be getting a new family.

Even that cat that hissed and swiped at everyone that got near.

Sho felt like that sometimes. Sometimes for no reason at all he started fights with big sis. He didn't know why. He loved his big sister, they were a family and a family loved each other, but sometimes she just made him so mad…and for no real reason! Sometimes she made him mad for a good reason, like when she changed the show on the TV just because he stopped watching it for a little bit and she wanted to watch one of her boring shows or some movie where the people kissed at the end…blech! When she just went and changed the TV channel on him that was a good reason to get mad at her and stuff. But sometimes he didn't have a very good reason at all. Sometimes he just sort of…got mad.

For no reason.

Sometimes she would just be doing her own boring thing and he'd just sort of look at her or feel her, he could feel people now, and then he'd just get so mad. He'd remember things like how dad always let her play near him and sit near him and sometimes even picked her up with his powers…how she could pick people up with her powers and bend things and break things and fix them and all of the other things that dad wanted them to do…and then he remembered that no matter what happened she had been born right and he had been born wrong. Even though he had these powers he had still been born wrong and no matter how hard he tried he would never catch up to her…

Those were times when he got mad.

And when he got mad he'd say mean things to her…like he'd tell her how boring she looked or how dumb her toys were…or he'd kick over her doll house or throw her dolls around the room…or he'd take her tablet and make her lose her game….and he didn't know why he did such mean things. It was like there was another Sho inside of him, maybe, and that Sho…that Sho was kind of mean. That Sho remembered how much it hurt when dad looked at him like shoe gum, Sho gum, and how he never looked at big sis like that…and then he'd get mad…

Even on his birthday dad still looked at him like Sho gum.

Which was why he splashed big sis a bunch at the pool even though she told him to stop. Even though she asked him a million times to stop. Because she had water in her eyes and nose. Because she didn't like that. He didn't stop. The other Sho, the meaner one, didn't stop. He didn't stop until the water in the pool kind of…well it kind of exploded, like when they would be in the bath sometimes and he'd splash big sis but in a splash battle…except there was more water in a pool and also other people…and then they had to go right home because they weren't supposed to use their powers in public. Big sis wasn't supposed to use her powers in public.

And now he wasn't supposed to use his powers in public.

So they walked home. In the cold. Mom had dried them off as best as she could but his hair still froze. That was another thing about him, something he didn't much care for…sometimes he could be kind of a jerk to mom. Like how he didn't want to put his hat on. There was nothing wrong with his hat, it was clean and fit and didn't look at all stupid or anything….but he just hadn't wanted to wear it. Because mom wanted him to. Because mom…he loved mom….and he loved her even when she was sleeping all day. Even when all she could say was 'That's nice, Sho.' when he tried to show her his drawings or play with her or something like that. She would just say that and go back to sleeping or watching TV or looking at her phone or whatever else it was that she was doing. He loved her…even when, in those times, it kind of felt like she was looking at him like he was Sho gum too…

He didn't want to wear his hat.

And it as his birthday and if he didn't want to wear his hat then he didn't have to wear his hat. It didn't matter if his hair was still wet or it was cold out or anything like that. Besides, if he did catch a cold like mom warned him about they could just have Fukuda come over. He wasn't coming over today even though Sho had drawn him an invitation to cake and present land, what mom called the final stop on the birthday express, which was just their kitchen after she had made him his cake. Fukuda wasn't coming over because dad was there. Dad said that Fukuda was only supposed to come over when they were either sick or hurt.

Mom was sick again.

But even when he called Fukuda himself, he was not supposed to go calling people on his tablet but he wasn't supposed to do a lot of the things that he did, all Fukuda said was that dad was home and that dad would take care of mom. That made no sense. First of all dad didn't have any healing powers, second of all dad couldn't take care of a garden rock, and third of all Sho wanted Fukuda at his birthday and on his birthday he got whatever he wanted!

But not Fukuda.

But he had dad. He had wanted dad to come home for his birthday since…since the first birthday that he could remember. The birthday when he smashed cake in big sis' face…or maybe that had been her birthday. No, wait, it couldn't have been her birthday because dad was usually there on her birthdays. He even called them, her, on the birthdays that he couldn't be there for. He never called Sho. He just sent a present from whatever country he happened to be in at the time. Toy animals, mostly, or things like books in other languages or weird candy from other countries….

Sho wondered what dad got him now that he was back in Japan.

He wondered what Fukuda would have gotten him if he had maybe, possibly, changed his mind and decided to come over. Then he could play with him and big sis…kind of like a real birthday party. Or how things had been before dad had moved back into the house. Not that Sho knew if dad had permanently moved back into the house…and he kind of hoped that dad would just move along or something….and he knew that those were bad thoughts to have. Dad was his dad and he was supposed to want his dad to live in the house with his family. He wanted dad to move in and play with them and hang out with everyone and….and all of the stuff that Fukuda did.

Sho wondered if Fukuda was as good at making cake as he was at making other things.

Curry.

Pork miso.

Friend rice.

Pancakes.

Fukuda could even make cereal taste better. He could even make mom's gross vegetable baked thing taste good. Dad didn't know how to cook. He had tried to cook once and Sho's stomach hurt just thinking about it. Dad wouldn't have helped mom make his birthday cake anyway. Dad never helped mom with anything and it bothered her a lot, he had heard mom and dad talking about that before, and while the rest of that day was something that he wished that he could have forgotten he did feel bad for mom.

Even he and big sis had chores…sometimes.

They were a lot neater, anyway, since dad had moved in. Dad liked things to be nice and neat and clean and tidy and all of those others words which meant that Sho had to pick up his toys and not make a mess out of the living room and other such boring things. Fukuda never made them be neat. He made them clean up after themselves but he never told them that they couldn't play…but then again it wasn't Fukuda's house. He didn't live there. He never even stayed for sleepovers, not since the one with mom that he and big sis weren't supposed to talk about because mom said that dad didn't like having people over for long periods of time, even though Sho wished that Fukuda wouldn't just stay for sleepovers but that he would stay forever and ever and ever. But he couldn't. Dad would have said no.

Dad said no to everything.

Sho fully expected dad to say no to cake and presents when they got to the house. Dad said no to everything. Plus he didn't fully trust big sis to keep her mouth shut about the splashing. Dad would get mad if he knew that his favorite kid had been upset…and also that he had made big sis lose control of her powers. Power was nothing without control, dad said that, and a whole bunch of other stuff too. Dad sure did like to talk sometimes…and Sho didn't much like to listen, sometimes, even though it made dad super mad when he didn't listen…but he didn't want to listen to dad or be around dad or have his birthday ruined by dad.

Sho was sure that dad would have ruined his birthday.

So it was amazing that he didn't.

"Touichirou….what…what am I looking at?" that was what mom said when they went to the kitchen. They were going to help mom make his cake, she was still kind of mad about what happened but she bought Sho's story that they were only playing, but she had not been mad enough to take his cake away. He had been looking forward to this cake. He lost his drawing with the blueprint of what he wanted, all of the layers and stuff, so he made another one and left it in mom's shoe for her to find. She found it and smiled and patted his hair and said 'we'll see' which didn't always mean no…and Sho had wanted that cake with all of the layer so badly that he could smell them while he took his boots off in the genkan…

He hadn't been imagining things.

"Cake. It's Son's birthday, isn't it? December first?" asked Dad. Sho was amazed that dad even remembered his birthday…though at that moment Sho had trouble even remembering how to be mad at dad…not after…

"That's a lot of cakes." Said big sis. Her hair was doing the floaty thing even though parts of it, the parts that her had didn't cover, were frozen together. She did the floaty thing when she was mad or sad or scared or good feelings too, like happy and glad and stuff. She was probably happy. Sho knew that he was.

"Yes….yes it is…but…Touichirou…what in God's name possessed you to do this?" asked mom. She was looking at the cakes all wide eyed like they were going to eat her. The whole kitchen table, the one they ate at every day not the one for preparing food, was covered in cakes. All of the ones that Sho had drawn. There was the white cake, the yellow cake, the chocolate cake, the lava cake, the mud cake, a the cannoli cake with a bunch of little cannoli pieces on top, the plain cheese and only cheese cheesecake, and even the ice cream cake with real cookie dough ice cream inside of the cake.

This was the best birthday ever.

Even if they weren't all stacked up like he wanted.

"Son wanted this and it's his birthday. On the children's birthdays they get cake. Son drew this diagram yesterday of what he wanted and I ordered it for him. The bakery wouldn't stack the cakes though because it wouldn't be structurally sound but Son know to be grateful for what he has." Said dad. Sho nodded. He could be grateful. He was grateful. The most grateful. He was so grateful…and happy, too. He had never seen this much cake in his entire life. So much cake…and all of it just there for him…right there in front of him…

He was so happy.

And he was even happier…or maybe it was a different sort of happy entirely…when dad pulled out a folded up piece of paper from his suit pocket….and then he unfolded it…and that was where that went! His first drawing! This one didn't have all of the layers that the second one had but dad had liked it and kept it and thought of him…

Dad had thought of him.

"That's too many cakes." Said big sis. She didn't sound jealous but she must have been. All dad ever sent her were dolls from other countries and dresses and hair things and stuff. Boring stuff like that. Stuff she never even asked her. Dad had never saved one of her drawings, never liked it so much that he carried it around with him, and never gotten her a million cakes for her birthday.

Dad actually cared about him.

"There's no such thing! Thank you so much dad! Can we eat them now? Can we?! Can we!?" asked Sho. He was so excited that he started tugging on dad's suit coat even though he knew that he wasn't supposed to. Dad didn't punish him, no, he just picked him up with his powers and sat him down at the table.

"Masami, is it time to feed them yet? I think they, or at least Son, is hungry." Said Dad. He didn't pick up big sis, she had to sit down at the table on her own. Mom didn't sit down, no, she just stood in the middle of the kitchen looking at them like she had never seen cakes before. She must have just been happy that dad helped her out with something like she had wanted him to.

She must have been so happy.

Also there was cheesecake, which she liked and he picked because she liked it, though he made sure to write down no toppings. He didn't like fruit and stuff on his cheesecake. He liked his cheesecake like he liked his cheese pizza, plain. Very plain. Mom like all kinds of cheesecake, though, so she must have been so happy…

"Mom, can I have some ice cream cake? One of the corner pieces? The one with Sho's name on it?" asked big sis. She never got cakes that said 'Happy Birthday Shigeko' in giant blue characters that took up the whole cake. She just got cake flowers which were very tasty but also boring. So boring. Letters were better. That was if someone just happened to climb over their garden wall and peak into their windows they could read the cakes and know that they were all for Sho.

"….sure….sure…let's all just-just have some…some cake…." Said mom after a minute. She was so much in shock that she had forgotten how to talk. She went to get the plates but dad told big sis to set the table with her powers. She did, none of the plates broke, so they could get right to eating.

And eat they did.

Sho had a little bit of everything. Everyone but dad had a little bit of everything. Dad just had the plain cheesecake. He liked plain best. Sho hadn't known that dad liked plain best when he had been planning out the cake, dad had just said so when big sis asked he was just having cheesecake. He liked plain best. Just like Sho did. He and dad both liked the same thing. Sho hadn't thought that it was possible. Dad never liked anything. If something was fun then dad went out of his way to dislike it…or so Sho had thought. Sho wondered, again, what dad had been like when he was Sho's age. When he had been six years old. Did his dad get him a bunch of plain cheesecakes that said 'Happy Birthday Touichirou' on them? Had he had parties after all? Or had he been all alone? For a little bit, in that space between cake time and presents, Sho could sort of see dad as being, well, a person. A person like everyone else. Not just a guy in a suit who looked at him like he was Sho gum and liked big sis the very best and also kissed and did unspeakable things with mom. He was just a guy, a guy who used to be six years old one time, who had gone to bed five and woken up six.

Sho wondered if he would have liked that kid.

He wondered if that kid would have liked him.

He wondered if dad liked him now. Dad had looked at him like he was Sho gum, again, when he asked about getting a pet. He said that animals were for eating and work only. They didn't need to keep animals because they didn't need beasts of burden, work animals he meant, and they didn't need to butcher their own livestock, he meant get cows and chickens and pigs and eat them, so they didn't need to keep animals in the house.

He looked at him like he was Sho gum when he said that.

But then he said that Sho made a good cake choice. Then he said happy birthday. Then they did presents. He expected dad to have gotten him more animals for the menagerie even though mom said that the menagerie was getting too full…but no. instead of plastic animals dad handed him a bunch of wrapped up boxes. They came from the same department store where mom got their clothes, Sho could tell by the writing on the wrapping paper, and Sho had been expecting clothes…

A truly terrible present.

But instead he got pencils.

A truly wonderful present. Real artist's pencils and real artist's crayons and paper and stuff like that. Real stuff for real drawing. Mom asked dad, again, what in God's name possessed him to do that…and Sho told her to stop it before dad changed his mind. Sho's presents had to be mostly experiences, mom said, because he was born so close to Christmas…and that wasn't fair at all since twenty four days separated him from Christmas…and Sho did not want dad to side with mom.

But he didn't.

"I noticed that Boy has an aptitude for artistic expression." Was what he said. Sho could have floated away he was so happy…and he did for a little bit…not much and not far but he had floated….and that was amazing even though mom made a scared sound because she probably thought that he was going to fall and hurt himself…and big sis said that she was happy for him…

And dad, for once, did not look at him like he was Sho gum.

It was the best birthday ever.

And not just because of all the cakes.