Hiraeth [The Promised Neverland oneshots]

March 21 >Norman

Emma stared at the calendar in the reference room with a distant look.
March 21st

"Emma."

The sound of her name snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Ray." She giggled.

Ray only sighed and went back to his book, "Come on, we need to find clues as to how to get to the human world." He reminded her.

The orangette nodded determined, "Right." She returned her focus to her book. However it wasn't much more than a minute before her mind wandered again.
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"Hey Ray?"Emma looked over at her ravenette friend.

"Hm." He didn't look up from his book.

"Do you think, maybe, Norman might still be alive?" She asked looking to the calendar.

Ray looked up then followed her gaze to the calendar. Sorrow and guilt struck him like an arrow. "March 21st. He turned 12 today." Ray observed.

Emma nodded sadly. Then laughed lightly.

"What?" Ray asked.

"Nothing, it's just... remember that one year, when we woke him up at the stroke of midnight for his birthday. We threw confetti in his face to wake him screaming HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"

Ray laughed, "He was so confused."

Emma beamed, "Or that one time he was sick on his birthday? Mom said he couldn't eat cake if he was sick, so we tried mixing in cough syrup to make it- "

"Healthy cake!" Ray finished with a mocking impression of Emma.

They both broke into laughter but it soon died into a small laugh, that soon turned into two sorrowful kids, missing their friend.

Emma stood and digged in her pocket, pulling out the Polaroid picture of her and the albino, and the string phone she'd found in her mother's office.

She set the items down on the table.

"What are you...?" Ray started to ask.

"I want to wish him a happy birthday." Emma stated grabbing a candle off a shelf propping the Polaroid up with it. She took the pack of matches she'd saved from their escape and lit the candle.

"A shrine?" Ray asked standing next to her.

"Is it too much?" Emma asked nervously, rubbing her neck.

The ravenette shook his head, "No." he grabbed Emma's hand, "Happy Birthday Norman."
(repeat after me....PLATONIC)

Emma smiled sadly, "Happy Birthday, Norman..."

They stood in silence, watching the candle burn softly.
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"Hey Ray, you never answered my question....do you think-?"

Ray looked down, "I hope so.....but we both know."

Emma bit back the tears pricking her eyes and hugged her friend tightly,
"I know." She breathed, a silent tear rolled down her cheek.

Ray hugged her back, a tear falling from his eyes as well.

Bonus🌊🤌

Norman sighed as her moved a chess piece on the board.

"User 2 is now online" the automated voice from the earpiece Smee gave him informed. This device made him able to communicate with Vincent through there thoughts, quite ingenious, really.

Norman smiled to himself, "Hello, Vincent."

"Morning, Norman." He greeted.

Norman sighed and glanced at his calendar, "Did you know I'm twelve today?"

Vincent hummed, "I didn't, happy birthday, in that case. Maybe if you tell Ratri, he'll make the experiments a bit less brutal today, just for you." He joked.

"That was a terrible joke." Norman shook his head and moved his rook. "Say, Vince. Have I ever told you about two very good friends of mine? Emma and Ray?"

"I don't believe you have."

"Well, one time. One my ninth birthday. I was sick, so sad Emma, who always tris to find a solution. Made a cake, even though our caretaker said she couldn't because it would only make me sicker...well that didn't stop her. She made a cake with cough syrup mixed inside So it was a 'healthy cake''