College Is Like A Chronic Migraine [Murder Drones Human College AU]

A History Of Bad Days

The house was quiet, too quiet, and it set Uzi's teeth on edge. She had never been one for silence; she thrived in the noise, the chaos, the constant hum of activity. But today, the quiet was oppressive, like a heavy blanket suffocating her thoughts.

N was at it again, hovering over her like a shadow she couldn’t escape. He’d already fluffed the pillows under her back five times in the last hour, adjusted the blanket on her lap twice, and was now pacing the living room like a caged animal.

“N,” Uzi called out, her voice cutting through the silence. “Will you just sit down already? You’re making me nervous.”

N froze mid-step, his eyes wide and guilty, as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. He slowly shuffled over to the couch and sat beside her, his body stiff and tense. For a moment, he just stared at her, his hands twisting together in his lap.

Uzi sighed, reaching out to take one of his hands in hers. It was cold, clammy, trembling slightly. She squeezed it, hoping to calm him, but she could feel the anxiety radiating off him like heat from a flame.

“N, talk to me,” she urged gently. “You’ve been acting weird for days. What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer right away, his eyes darting to the window, the floor, anywhere but her face. Then, finally, he looked at her, his expression so vulnerable it made her chest tighten.

“Do you… recognize the due date?” he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Uzi frowned, pulling out her phone and opening the notes app where she’d marked the date months ago. It was supposed to be a happy day, the day their child would be born, the day their little family would grow. But as she stared at the date, something clicked in her mind. The date wasn’t just any day—it was N’s birthday.

Her breath caught in her throat, a mix of excitement and dread swirling in her chest. “N… your birthday,” she murmured, looking up at him. “You’re going to share a birthday.”

He nodded slowly, but there was no excitement in his eyes, only a deep, gnawing fear. “Yeah,” he said, his voice hollow. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Uzi blinked, confusion knitting her brows together. “Why? Isn’t that… isn’t that a good thing?”

N shook his head, his grip on her hand tightening. “Uzi, something bad always happens on my birthday. It’s like a curse. Every year, it’s the same thing. The worst things in my life always happen on my birthday.”

She stared at him, her heart sinking as she remembered. The birthdays where he’d been alone, forgotten, the ones where terrible things had happened—events he didn’t like to talk about, but that left deep scars on his heart.

“Last year,” he continued, his voice cracking, “I thought maybe it would be different. But then…” His words trailed off, and Uzi knew he was thinking about that awful day when she’d forgotten his birthday entirely. How he’d tried to hide his hurt, only to break down in tears later when it became too much to bear.

“N,” she whispered, her heart aching for him. “That’s not going to happen this year. I won’t let it.”

But N just shook his head again, more vigorously this time, as if trying to shake off the memories. “Uzi, please,” he pleaded, his eyes begging her to understand. “If we don’t celebrate it, if we just… pretend it’s not happening, maybe it’ll be okay. Maybe this time, nothing will go wrong.”

Uzi bit her lip, torn between wanting to ease his fears and the burning desire to make things right. She couldn’t stand the thought of N suffering through another terrible birthday, especially not when their child was due to arrive on the same day. It should be a day of joy, not fear.