Title: No Cake Please

Author: MollyTheWanderer

A/N: Fanfic 100 challenge number 24. Family. Set in Lighting Bird's Fusion Fall alternate universe. Takes place in chapter 8 of "Invisible Sun". She beta'd it too, much thanks ^_^. I don't own Fusion Fall or any of the characters therein. Enjoy!

The morning came bright and early, as it usually did for Dexter, but this was one morning the boy genius would gladly skip.

Dexter rose reluctantly, showered, dressed and, very quietly, made his way downstairs.

"Happy birthday, DEXTER!!!" Deedee, Dexter's older, infuriatingly saccharin sister, bounced up to her brother at the bottom of the stairs and threw her arms around him. Dexter allowed the hug, if only because he knew Deedee would leave him alone for a little while if he gave into her demands at the onset.

"Good morning, Deedee," he said, his voice a little raspy after having the air hugged out of him. Deedee let him go.

"Mom made blueberry pancakes," Deedee twittered. "They're your favorite, right?" Dexter nodded. Deedee followed behind her brother, hovering but trying, trying with all her might not to be too overbearing. Deedee knew how much Dexter hated his birthday. He had no need to be coddled or praised, merely because he was another year older. It was all Deedee could do to make today as quiet as possible for the one person she loved most in the world.

III

The siblings took their seats at the kitchen table, and before long both had plates heaping with pancakes (Deedee's dripping in blueberry syrup, Dexter's only garnished with a pat of butter), scrambled eggs and sausage. Their mother smiled like she always did and when finished serving sat down to take part in her own meal.

"Thank you, Mom," Dexter murmured quietly. He stared at the heap of food for a moment before picking up knife and fork and attempting cut into his mountain of pancakes.

"Would you like me to do it for you, sweetie?" His mother reached out for Dexter's plate, easily usurping it to slice the warm cakes into small cubes. Dexter blushed furiously.

"Mom! I can cut my own pancakes." Deedee smirked a little.

Her mother had always treated Dexter this way, trying to do everything for him one moment, almost ignoring him the next. Both children were used to the way their parents treated them. Deedee did whatever she wanted and Dexter stayed out of the way as best as possible. It was only the rare occasion that Mom or Dad tried to pry into their children's lives and it always ended in disaster.

Mom handed Dexter back his plate with a little flourish. "It's all right, Honey," she said, "It's your birthday after all." They ate in silence for a little while. Dexter asked Deedee to pass the syrup and she did, watching amazed as he dribbled a little (a very, very little) onto his plate and mopped a few pancake bites around. He grimaced a little at the taste, but proceeded to do the same with another forkful.

III

"Are you sure you don't want to go out tonight?" Mom asked as she washed the dishes.

Dexter shook his head no. "I have to keep an eye on a few experiments. The newest batches of pitcher-plants keep eating each other," he said, but Mom took little notice.

"All right then, I suppose your father will appreciate not having to go out right after he gets home anyways…" Mom went back to her chores.

Deedee sat on the couch, still trying to be as quiet as possible, when Dexter came and sat beside her.

"Would you like the remote Dexter?" she asked.

"No," Dexter said. He seemed at a loss for what to do with himself.

"Do you want to play Rock em Sock em Robots?" she asked.

"No."

"You're trying to stay out here for Mom." Deedee cocked her head. Dexter hated his birthday, and for more than one reason. Today was one of the few days of the entire year that Dexter felt obligated to spend in the house, not locked in his room or hidden down in his lab. Deedee understood. There were times when Dexter felt as if he'd let their parents down, being so smart, and he tried to make holidays (birthdays included) as normal for them as possible. Deedee thought he just looked sick.

They sat in silence until Deedee jumped into the air, whooping. She blushed when she saw her brother, sprawled on the floor beside her, completely bemused.

"I just remembered! The butterfly bush Mom planted bloomed a few days ago. It's covered in butterflies! Do you wanna help me name em?!" she realized she was probably being too excited about this fact, but she had to do something to get her brother in a better mood. Dexter stood and nodded as he brushed himself off.

"I suppose that sounds interesting." He said, "I could use a few new specimens..."

"You aren't allowed to kill them!" Deedee exclaimed, and before her brother could even think about heading for his room, Deedee scooped him up and carted him out of doors.

III

Deedee and Dexter spent the rest of the morning in the backyard. There wasn't a large variety of butterflies congregated on the aptly named bush, but then, by the time Dexter had explained this to his sister, he had realized that by naming the little winged bugs Deedee had actually meant giving them individual titles and identities. It was irrational to Dexter, but he appreciated Deedee's intent and attempted to join her in the fun.

III

They ate turkey sandwiches, cold vegetables and strawberries for lunch. Dexter gave Deedee his strawberries and (much to his sister's delight) absconded with half her vegetables. Mom shooed them out of the kitchen afterwards ("I can't very well make your cake with you sitting here can I?" she'd said), so Dexter and Deedee whiled away an hour with a documentary on the TV. It was terribly hard for Deedee to pay attention, but she did her best for her brother. When the credits began to roll Dexter offered Deedee the remote and she gratefully turned the channel to cartoons. It wasn't something either of them had watched before, but the fact allowed them to get through a few episodes without getting on each other's nerves.

III

"So, Son, whaddya think?" Dad looked elated with his choice of presents, Deedee tried not to laugh.

Dexter sat with a large box on his lap. A box labeled "Kids kemestry Kit!! Make Your Own Moon Rocks, And Eat Them Too!" A picture of two boys eating rock candy accompanied the words.

Dexter put on his best smile and said, "Thank you, Dad." He immediately set the box aside. This was the third 'Kemestry' kit Dexter had received this year, and he no doubt would do with it what he had done with the last three; order Computress to extrapolate whatever useful materials she could from the toy and discard the rest. The other two presents Dexter had received were not as bad. His mother had not been able to locate the book Dexter had asked for, but at Deedee's suggestion, Mom had purchased for Dexter a new pair of lead-lined, steel-toed, industrial grade rubber boots (unbeknownst to her, to replace the pair Dexter destroyed after the 'Fuzzy Incident'), she also gave him a gift certificate to the mall, which Dexter would quietly pass to Deedee the next day. Deedee herself had found for Dexter the gift he'd requested: Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". Dexter beamed at the sight of it, and promised to play it for Deedee as soon as he had put the music to memory.

III

Dad barbequed hotdogs on the grill and Mom made lemonade for dinner. Dexter allowed his family to regale him with their best rendition of "Happy Birthday" before he blew out the eleven candles on his cake. He even managed to eat a small piece, as long as his mother included a large portion of ice cream (the one sweet Dexter still loved). When done, he gathered his presents and excused himself from the patio, intending to race back to the safety of his lab. But Deedee asked if she could carry his presents for him and he allowed her to. Safely ensconced in Dexter's room, Deedee gently set the gifts on Dexter's bed. They stared at one another for a minute, until Deedee decided she ought to excuse herself and let her brother finish out his birthday in peace.

"Thank You, Deedee," Dexter said, but he didn't get to see the wide grin that spread across Deedee's face. She had already turned to the door. And so it seemed, they had both gotten a present today.