Spamton stared at himself in the mirror, his hands limply at his sides, not even bothering to wipe away his tears…
Today was his birthday…
The second he stepped outside his room, his siblings would all smile and wish him a happy birthday and Click would make his favourite breakfast and Boost would ruffle his crest while Popup and Survey would grab his presents and they would make the day all about him but…
Spam sniffled loudly as he stared at himself in the mirror…
He was three years old today…
And still as white as the day he was born…
No other Addison had ever remained white for so long… It just didn't happen…
Typically, Addison's came into their colours before their second birthday, and even then, the majority of Addisons came into their colours well before that point…
And then there was Spam.
Little Spam Addison who was turning three years old and still nothing but a blank slate…
And what good was a blank Addison?
He worked, yes, he worked hard, he worked well, he got paid… But without colour… Without colour he'd never be anything more than some odd job errand boy and he wanted to be so much more.
He didn't need to be wildly successful, he just wanted to be like his siblings…
A soft knocking at his door had him flinching before the knob turned and Popup swung their way around the doorframe with a wide smile and a bright, cheerful;
"And there's the birthday boy~!"
Except Popup never managed to get a word in because the moment they saw Spam's teary expression their previously jubilant disposition morphed into one of concern.
"Oh Spammy…" They sighed softly as they slipped into the younger Addison's room, not quite closing the door behind them, but closing it to the point of offering them privacy as they opened their arms.
Spam didn't hesitate to charge at their older sibling, doing his damndest to not smear his tears or snot against Popup's shirt as he buried his face into the older Addison's shoulder.
"What's got you so down on your special day, Spammy?" Popup asked gently as they scooped their younger brother up off the floor.
"It's your birthday silly, no crying on your birthday, that's bad luck." Popup hummed lightly as they coaxed Spam's face out from the crook of their neck to run their thumbs over his damp cheeks.
Spam sniffled and moved to rub the back of his hand against his eyes.
"My-my colour didn't come…" He whimpered brokenly.
"I-It's all I wished for…" He mumbled.
"Spam…" Popup sighed gently as they ran a hand along their smaller brother's back.
"We've talked about this Spam… You're a late bloomer, that's all…" Popup said gently as they plopped Spam down on his bed, crouching before the youngest Addison with a wry smile.
"You know we don't care about your colour Spammy, you're still our brother, colourful or not, you know that right?" Spam nodded shakily with a soft sniffle.
"But I care…" Spam mumbled dejectedly.
A hand began running through Spam's head feathers.
"I know Spammy, I know…" Popup sighed quietly, with a sad smile.
"Sometimes things like this just happen… It's no one's fault, especially not yours…" The older sibling hummed.
"We're still all here for you Spammy, you know that right?" Popup asked reassuringly, remaining quiet until Spam nodded.
"Good." The older sibling declared as they leaned close to bap their forehead against Spam's.
"Now no more tears, alright Spammy?" Popup chimed brightly with a smile as they rose from the floor, all but dragging Spam off his bed.
"It's your birthday! And from what I saw, Survey has taken it upon himself to spoil you rotten!"
Spam sniffled and rubbed at his eye one last time before putting on a smile and following Popup out to the kitchen.
It was going to take a hell of a lot more than just a pep talk to convince him that things would be alright.
But for the day, he could pretend.