𝖜𝖊'𝖛𝖊 𝖋𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖓 𝖘𝖔 𝖋𝖆𝖗 - act 2 - a dream smp fanfic

It's Hard To Change

      In which Wilbur catches himself on a ledge for a brief second.

      Or, the night of dreams and nightmares and pretending.

"Happy Birthday to you~"

The little dancing flame cast an orange glow on the trio's faces in the night.

"Happy Birthday to you~"

Niki pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders as a cold wind passed them by.

"Happy Birthday to Niki~"

Karl grinned at Niki, patting her arm. She tried to smile back.

"Happy Birthday to you."

Niki leaned forward, blowing out the candle sunk into the white frosting, a lopsided cake held out in Quackity's hands. The smoke twisted its way up to the moon, into the silence of the night, leaving the cake behind. The group lapsed into silence, staring at it.

Quackity grinned nervously. "Sorry that it's a little messy..." The little cake leaned dangerously on one side, the icing messily coated in layers. "I'm not the best baker."

"I love it." Little splotches of pink tried to spell out her name. Niki looked up at Quackity, her eyes shining.

"Thank you." Niki smiled softly at the 2 boys next to her, trying to shove away the feeling of something missing. "You guys didn't have to do this."

"It's your birthday!" Quackity set the cake tin gently on the dewy grass. "Of course you have to have a party."

"Can we eat the cake nowww?" Karl's stomach rumbled loudly, and Niki let out a little chuckle.

"Yeah, we can eat the cake." Quackity reached back into a small bag he had brought with him.

"Look what I brought Karlos!" He pulled out 2 lukewarm white cylinders, making Karl's face light up. "White Claw!"

"Remember when we used to have can crushing competitions?" Quackity waited as the small can hissed out air. "I miss those."

"We could still have them if you hadn't left Manburg..." Karl's voice came out in a mumble, the edging hate and sadness looming over them emerging.

A White Claw hissed dangerously as a shocked silence settled between them.

"No politics today, boys." Niki reached over gently, stopping the White Claw from fizzling over. "It's my birthday."

"Niki, this isn't politics anymore, it's people-"

"It's my birthday." Niki shot him a look. "Please."

Quackity shrunk back with a sigh, chugging down his White Claw quickly before Karl could mention anything. Karl stared off to the side, suddenly not as excited as before.

The only sound was the knife slicing through the cake, clinking as the slices were placed on the plates and slid across the wet grass.

"I'm sorry more people couldn't be here, Niki." Karl pushed his slice around on his plate, losing his appetite. "I'm sure they would come if they could."

Niki squeezed his hand. "Having you guys here is enough."

"Have enough room in the party for one more?"

A man leaned on one foot precariously, his trenchcoat in tatters. Niki's eyes widened as he smiled at her, the bags under his eyes like purple bruise marks.

"Sorry, I'm late." Wilbur shifted awkwardly onto one foot, wincing from the pain.

Niki's voice was filled with masked fear. "Wilbur, what are you doing here-"