"So what do you want for your birthday Nick?"

"M-my birthday?" the auburn fox froze at the top of the slide, pausing at the word.

"Yeah, your birthday, the day that you celebrate for being alive and being born," Judy laughed, pushing herself down the green slippery slide, neatly landing at the bottom. She glanced up at her friend, who seemed to still be stuck at the top, most likely contemplating her proposition.

"Uh…."

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it!" the bunny huffed at her friend, crossing her arms. They were already starting grade 6, and had had many birthdays together. How could he have forgotten his own birthday?!

"No! I'm just…" Nick sat down at the top, staring out in front of him as his legs dangled over the side of the platform.

"You're just what?" Judy pressed, as she started to climb the amounts of bars sticking out from the side. She hauled herself up next to her best friend, sitting down beside him.

"You're just what?" she repeated, staring at his face that continued to seek out into the distance.

"I just don't want to celebrate it this year," he deadpanned, risking a glance at her.

"W-what?" Judy squeaked, as all Nick did was shrug in reply. He pulled his tail from behind, and started fiddling with it, as Judy just stared at him in amazement. How could you not want to celebrate your birthday? Why wouldn't you celebrate it? His mother couldn't have forgotten it, he was her only kit, and her parents remembered all of their kid's birthdays for crying out loud! Well, okay the grandparents and older siblings helped remembered, but still, there were roughly 300 of them!

"I don't feel like it," the kit mumbled, staring at his tail as he stroked it.

"But why-?"

"I just don't want to okay! Why won't you accept that!? Sometimes animals want a little silence for their birthday!" Nick burst. Hard. His ears dropped as he caught sight of Judy's face, the emotions of being shocked and scared combined together in a hybrid type of horror. It made Nick's stomach squirm uncomfortably, knowing he had done that. Judy's ears had sunk low against her back, her nose quivering from the sudden outburst.

"I- J-Judy, I…." he tried, gulping a wave of tears. The fox hadn't meant to lash out like that, it was just all the emotions bottled up inside of him.

"I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to-" Nick tried again, only to be cut off by Judy lunging at him in a warm embrace. The kit choked a little, as a big fat tear rolled down his cheek.

"What's wrong Nick?" she asked him through his turquoise shirt.

"It's just-" his mind flashed with the events of before. "I-" of going to the hospital, getting the diagnosis, everything "I j-just-" of being told his mother was going to die, straight in his face. Without a hint of remorse, as if every doctor had lost all sense of caring for their patients over the time of their work. "I can't-"with that, the fox broke down, all of his barriers being crushed by the over weighing torrent on emotion. He clutched on to Judy like she was his only boat to save him from drowning in that tsunami of emotion, as if she was the only thing he could truly be attached to.

And they stayed like that, for many, many minutes, Nick crying salty tears, Judy comforting him as best as she could.

"Why does this have to happen to me. And why on my birthday? WHY?!" the fox sobbed, feeling bad for throwing all of this on Judy.

"What Nick? You can tell me, I'm your friend, I won't judge," Judy said in a quiet voice.

"My mum's gonna, she's gonna, d-di-" Nick choked, until a fresh wave of tears took over him. Judy felt her heart shred at those words. Poor Nick, on his birthday. That's so horrible! Her mind cried out, as her best friend's body shook. He seemed so vulnerable in this state, and this was the first time she had ever witnessed Nick break down like this, he was usually so cocky and playful, she never dreamed he could fall this hard.

"Oh Nick," she grasped her friend tightly, as he sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," Judy choked a little herself as Nick let out a heart-wrenched sob.

"W-we can do something else for your birthday, if you want," she whispered.

"I don't want anything for my birthday! Don't you understand?! My mum is dying, I don't give a damn about my birthday!" Nick yelled into her shirt, making Judy flinch alarmingly, almost dragging them off the playground.

"S-sorry Judy," he mumbled, gulping down his frustration.

"It's okay, you need to let it out. It isn't healthy to keep those emotions in," Judy rubbed his back, as Nick whimpered quietly. The bunny raked her brain trying to remember everything her mum said to her and her siblings when they felt this way, trying to come up with a relevant solution.

"I just can't live with this anymore," he whispered in a hushed tone, his tail twitching to curl around him protectively.

"But you have to. You must look after your mother. You are the man of the house, and you need to help her now," Judy replied, surprising her and Nick at how mature it sounded.

"But I don't know how," he replied, leaning back and wiping his muzzle with his arm, proceeding to smudge his face with tears.

"I will help you. Me and my family," she corrected, wiping a small tear off of his whiskers.

"P-promise?"

"Promise," Judy solemnly swore, as she helped Nick down the slippery slide.

"Starting from now, by taking you home," she confirmed, as the fox smiled tentatively.

"T-thanks, Carrots," Good, he's using my nickname again. He's getting better! Judy thought optimistically, as they walked to their bikes and got their gear ready to head home. Little did the bunny know, that Nick wasn't going to get better or some time, until she helped him to truly heal.

Hey guuuuuuuys, wussup? Okay, okay, so I really am a jerk and should have updated sooner, but I needed a HUUUUUUGE break from those school stuff... english guys, english.

Okay, so yeah this is celebrating WOOOOO over a hundred favourites! I am HONOURED guys, literally! I never knew I would be able to reach so many favourites in such short chapter notice. I logged on one day and checked my stories and I reach this one, and it was WOAH 100 WHAT THE HECK?!

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I know I haven't updated this too many times, but I promise I will try more often.

On another side of things, yes this is the point where it gets darker. (Sorry) but it was my birthday on the weekend (last weekend) and I wanted to do something birthday themed. Ehh, I was a little depressed cus I feel my mum always overdoses on my birthdays, and I was like okay depressing chapter due!

So yeah, this came out...

Anyways, it will get a little darker due to the events (like sadder) so BEWARE!

I will make some happier chapters but, yeah, this is becoming more of a fic, not a one-shot collection.

Until next time, Carrots!