Lonely Birthday - Caleb
Caleb x Non Mc/Reader
divider creds: @/cafekitsune
a/n: ok this is my longest fic yet (can you tell he's my fav), chat i think i cooked with this one. this will be the last part in my lonely birthday series, i really hope you guys enjoyed it!!
Tags: angst, happy ending, female pronouns, reader is not MC, female pronouns, cursing, reader is childhood friends w/ caleb and MC, MC is a bit of a spoiled brat here (pls dkm), this is set in a timeline where there are no evols and caleb does not die in an explosion, this one acc has a backstory in comparison to the other parts I wrote, just cause jumping right into it with caleb just didnt feel right without a proper backstory, use of pet names (sadly he's not calling you pip-squeak in this one but he does call you baby), mentions of self harm (nothing happens its just a thought that passes), lmk if i missed smth
word count: 5.3k
masterlist
Xavier Rafayel Zayne Sylus
taglist: @rcvcgers
You were always overshadowed by her, from childhood to adulthood.
To make matters worse, your birthdays were only a couple of days apart, yours coming before hers, because they were so close together your birthdays were always celebrated with her on her birthday.
It was like killing two birds with one stone. Every time you complained about wanting to celebrate your birthday on your actual date you were told it would be unfair for MC.
Your own family favoured her more than you, sometimes you wondered whether they even considered you their daughter at all.
But then there was Caleb. Him and MC were inseparable when you first met her, always there whenever you two hung out. Eventually, you got close to him as well and began to hang outside of your meet ups with MC.
He always made you feel like you were your own person, not a shadow of someone else.
Maybe that's why you fell for him.
Over the course of your childhood leading into your teenage years you were head over heels for him. Anyone could see it was obvious, and to certain people it bothered them, and you never noticed it until it was too late.
●・○・●・○・●・
Despite being the same age as MC, there was one thing you had that she didn't. You were far smarter than those your age, that gave you the ability to skip ahead a couple of grades so that you were at a level that was more to your capabilities.
But your brain could only get you so far in certain circumstances.
You were in the same class as Caleb, so naturally you ended up being closer to him than you were before. It also made admiring him much more easier.
But nothing was ever easy for you. All throughout your school years MC would always barge in on your study time with Caleb, always needing help with her assignments.
Normally, it wouldn't be a problem if it was a one off thing, but anytime you were over at their place to study with Caleb, it became a tutoring session for MC. It was even more annoying when she would constantly brush off your help, only wanting Caleb to help her.
"I don't understand it when you explain it. You're always using difficult words."
MC whined whenever you would offer to help, and each time Caleb would laugh and ruffle her hair.
"It's okay pip-squeak, I'll explain it in simpler terms."
Whenever he would say that, you could feel a pang in your chest.
It was during that time you and MC started to drift apart. You never really understood until that day.
●・○・●・○・●・
The day before graduation you finally chalked up the courage to confess to Caleb, and to your surprise he had accepted.
You had anticipated a rejection, knowing that he was busy with prepping to go to Skyhaven to attend the DAA, and unfortunately a lot of his free time was spent with MC.
He had always been protective of her, he also extended that to you as well. Although the way he treated you was different than the way he treated her.
The fleeting glances, the lingering touches, the nights he would spend with you when things were bad. How could you not fall for a man who cared for you like that.
You thought it was just your delusions that there was something between the two of you, but him accepting your confession made those delusions become reality.
●・○・●・○・●・
Everyone found you guys to be an unexpected couple, they always expected Caleb to be with MC with how good their chemistry was, but he viewed her simply as his little sister. One that he was a little too protective of but you never found that to be a sense of insecurity.
Or so you thought.
You and Caleb had been dating for almost 4 years now. It was a bit rough with both of you pursuing your academics and not having much time to spend together, but you guys always made it work.
Sometimes Caleb would bail on your dates because something came up with his studies, and you believed him. Who knew it was because someone felt a little jealous of you guys spending time together.
You had never realized that the dates Caleb bailed were because someone back in Linkon wanted attention, and who better to ask than Caleb!
You and MC and drifted apart, and after your graduation you barely ever saw her unless you were home for the holidays with Caleb. You chose to be the bigger person whenever she tried to monopolize Caleb's time, knowing he saw you more often than her, you let it slide.
Although, deep down it bothered you that she would always try to be the sole focus of his attention or when you guys went out on a date she just so happened to be there too, turning it into a group hangout where you felt like the third wheel.
Crazy right? Being a third wheel in your own relationship, guess you could cross that off on your bingo card.
It was your birthday tomorrow, you and Caleb had planned a nice day in with him cooking your favourites and then baking a cake together. Both of your schedules had finally managed to align and you guys had a week off, so you planned on crashing at his place for some much needed quality time.
With it being your final year, you guys were buried in back to back assignments and exams, the stress was high. Having the week off let you guys finally have a moment to breathe.
You packed your bags for the week before making your way over to Caleb's place, it wasn't too far of a drive. You made a quick stop at the grocery store, grabbing your favourite snacks and some groceries so you can make him some food while you're at his place.
By the time you got to Caleb's place the sun was just starting to set. You walked into his place, unlocking it with the spare keys he gave you.
It was quiet in his home.
"Hmm seems like Caleb isn't back from his classes yet."
You thought out loud. Putting away your stuff in his room you made your way to the kitchen, wanting to cook Caleb some dinner.
Like magic, as soon as you were done adding the finishing touches to dinner, Caleb walked in.
"Hi baby, it smells good in here."
Caleb greeted you, coming closer to place a kiss on your lips.
You quickly sent him away to go wash up while you set the table. Dinner was nice and peaceful, it was moments like these that made you feel happy. No distractions, just you and Caleb.
You guys spent most of dinner just catching up about all the stuff that happened while you guys were apart. Caleb insisted on cleaning up since you had cooked dinner, so you were sitting on the counter next to the sink as he washed the dishes.
You chatted away mindlessly, he listened with a smile on his face, throwing in a response here and there.
Once he was done, you were about to jump off the counter when Caleb slotted himself between your legs, hands coming to rest on your hips.
You immediately went quiet, the mood shifting to something more intimate. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against yours, nuzzling your nose with his.
You guys stayed in that position for a little bit, enjoying the moment. The rest of the evening was spent with you guys just lounging around and catching up.
As you were getting ready for bed you could feel your stomach drop with anxiety for no reason, you brushed it off as just your nerves about sharing the same bed with Caleb after a while.
You shouldn't have brushed it off.
You got changed into one of his t-shirts and got into bed, Caleb slid in not too long after, wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you in closer to his chest.
“Goodnight.”
He said as he placed a kiss on the top of your head.
“Goodnight.”
You replied back, snuggling closer into his chest.
●・○・●・○・●・
It was around 4 am when you woke up to feeling an empty bed next to you.
It’s still warm, Caleb must have just gotten up.
You got out of bed to go look for him. The moment you stepped out the your room you spotted him in the living room dressed to go outside.
The alarm bells in your head were going off.
“Hey, where are you going this late at night?”
It was just a simple question, one that didn’t warrant the reaction you were about to receive.
“Out.”
Caleb replied in an oddly cold tone.
What’s with that tone?
“Okay, but that’s not what I asked. Where are you going?”
You asked again, something in your gut was telling you that you were not going to like the answer.
Caleb sighed out in frustration before replying.
“MC called and needed me, so I’m going to Linkon right now. You know how she gets.”
Normally you wouldn’t say anything, but this was supposed to be your time with Caleb, no distractions.
“Why do you always go at the drop of a hat whenever she calls? You’re supposed to be spending time with me, not running to her whenever something doesn’t go her way.”
Years of frustration were finally bubbling to the surface, you didn’t want it to come out but you had to set your boundaries.
“It’s not fair to me as your girlfriend if you keep putting her above me.”
Your voiced raised a bit as you spoke, you didn’t mean for it to but having to constantly deal with MC barging in on your time with Caleb, whether she knew he was with you or not, was beyond irritating.
“I’m not putting her above you, she just requires a bit more care and attention than you do.”
That did it, if you weren’t mad before you definitely were now.
“Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s exactly as I said it. MC always feels insecure, even more so when you skipped grades and left her alone. I can’t just ignore her when she calls me asking for help.”
Every explanation that came out of his mouth had you seeing red, you weren’t gonna back down either.
“Don’t you dare try to pin this on me? Just because we were friends didn’t mean that I had to be stuck to her hip 24/7. I skipped those grades cause it benefited me for my future, and if she really was my friend she would’ve been happy for me instead of sulking around like a child.”
That lit a fuse in Caleb, if there was one thing he didn’t tolerate it was anyone saying something about MC, even if it was you.
“You better watch what you say, I won’t tolerate it even it it’s you.”
His tone had you taking a step back, it was a whole different level of cold. You should’ve taken that as your sign to back off and come back to this when you guys were less heated, but who were you if not stubborn.
“Omg how could I ever insult your precious MC. You need to let go of that overprotectiveness you have when it comes to her, it puts me in a tough spot when you go running to her like a dog when its owner calls.”
You probably took it too far with that but you were past the point of no return.
“You’re so infuriating! What do you not understand that MC needs me right now, every moment I spend here on this useless conversation is more time she’s alone.”
He spat back.
I’m infuriating?
That hit a nerve, but you couldn’t let him see that, not until you got all your feelings out.
“I’m infuriating?! What about MC? Every time we get some time together she always fucking ruins it! Can’t I just have all of your attention and time without her trying to barge in? It’s like she’s trying to make it so we don’t spend any time together!”
“God you’re so fucking clingy! I knew I should have listened to MC when she warned me not to date you!”
He yelled that at you, and for the first time since the conversation started you were speechless.
“What?”
Your voice was low and filled with hurt. You couldn’t believe your ears that he would say something like that.
“You heard me. I should have never dated you. I ignored MC when she warned me, I gave you the benefit of the doubt but I should’ve fucking known. MC would have been a better girlfriend than you.”
You could hear your heart breaking, you don’t know if you’d ever recover from this.
Caleb took your silence as an opportunity to walk around you to the door, slamming it behind him.
You felt your knees give out, the tears were streaming down your face in silent pain. You didn’t know he thought of you that way, you didn’t want to think that way but a part of you felt like MC was talking bad about you behind your back. It makes no sense he would say all of that on his own.
Will I always be in her shadow? Is that all I’m worth?
You thought to yourself.
●・○・●・○・●・
God knows how long you were in that position for, no sign of Caleb coming back or any calls or texts. You picked yourself up off the floor and gathered all your things, you’d be damned if you spent another minute in this house where you clearly had no worth.
Throwing on a pair of sweatpants, you made sure to clear everything you had at Caleb’s place, not leaving a single thing behind.
You put everything in your car and drove yourself home. It was 6 in the morning so the roads were starting to get busy but it was quiet enough for you to be lost in thought, a dangerous action while driving. You were so lost in thought you didn’t notice that you were approaching a red light until it was too late.
A car had crashed into your drivers side, and everything went black.
●・○・●・○・●・
*In Linkon*
Caleb had made it outside of MC’s dorm, the argument he had with you weighing heavy on his mind but his first priority was MC.
Who knew that argument would cost him everything.
It didn’t take long before MC threw open the door and jumped into his arms. He returned the hug by patting her on the head before heading inside.
“What happened? Why did you call?”
He asked, although his mind wasn’t entirely present in the moment, it kept drifting back to you.
“Oh no reason, I was just thinking about you and decided to call you. You know it’s my birthday in a couple of days so I wanted you to spend some time with me this weekend.”
For the first time ever, Caleb felt a spark of annoyance at MC’s reasoning. She had called him earlier in tears and said he needed to come quick, he even fought with you before coming here.
Pushing that feeling aside he simply smiled.
“You know I can’t do that pip squeak, I already promised Y/N I would spend my week off with her. We had a bit of an argument before I came here, so I have to go back in a bit to make sure she’s fine.”
He said.
She’ll probably be calmed down by the time I come back.
He thought to himself, boy was he wrong.
MC pouted, not liking how things weren’t playing in her favour, but she planned on trying to come up with another excuse later to get him to stay longer.
●・○・●・○・●・
A couple of hours had passed when he got that heart stopping call.
“Hello is this Caleb Xia? This is Skyhaven Hospital calling about Miss Y/N.”
The nurse spoke in a hurried tone, tt was like someone had knocked the wind out of him.
“Speaking, what happened.”
His anxiety went through the roof, what happened after he left? Did you hurt yourself? But he never say any signs of depression, was he actually putting MC above you so much that he was ignoring your feelings?
His mind was running a mil a minute with each thought progressively getting worse, the guilt from what he said to you when you guys fought was finally kicking in.
“She was involved in a car accident and needs surgery, we require a signature from her guardian to proceed. Are you able to come in right now? It’s urgent.”
“Can I give you my consent over the phone? I’m currently in Linkon and it would take me some time to get back, I don’t want to delay the procedure.”
Although Caleb sounded composed, on the inside he was breaking.
“The surgeon said that should be fine, please do make sure to be here as soon as possible as you need to fill out some forms. We’ll get started on the surgery. Thank you.”
The nurse promptly hung up, leaving Caleb to his thoughts.
Without wasting a moment he got up and made his way to the door. MC had been trying to listen to what was being said on the phone, unable to decipher what was happening based on Caleb’s words alone. Seeing Caleb getting ready to leave she jumped up, trying to stop him.
“Where are you going? You can’t just leave, you basically just got here!”
She grabbed ahold of his arm, trying to physically stop him but it was of no use, he pulled his arm out of her grasp and tried to leave again before she spoke up.
“What excuse did she come up with this time? She does this all the time whenever you and I spend time together.”
Something in him had just snapped, it was like a fog had been lifted. Never in his life did he think he would be here getting upset at MC, but life has a funny way of proving you wrong.
“What are you even talking about, when has she ever done that?”
MC was taken aback, Caleb never questioned her whenever she said anything like this before, he would just spend some time comforting her.
“I don’t have time for this, I’m leaving. I’ll talk to you about this later.”
He said in a curt tone, leaving no room for discussion.
●・○・●・○・●・
Caleb had booked it to Skyhaven, not wanting to waste a single moment.
By the time he made it, the surgery was still ongoing. Grabbing the nearest nurse he asked for an update, unfortunately they didn’t have much of an update to give him aside from the fact that your condition was really bad when you were brought in. You had ran a red light and were hit on the drivers side by oncoming traffic, the other driver made it out with minor injuries and a concussion.
Unfortunately, you weren’t so lucky. You had been brought in with internal bleeding, a broken arm and head trauma. Your recovery period was going to be lengthy, which in turn would also hinder your ability to graduate this year like you had planned, but that was a problem for next time.
Caleb slumped onto on the chairs outside the OR, the time passed by excruciatingly slow.
●・○・●・○・●・
A couple of hours later the operation was finally completed.
Seeing you in that condition physically hurt him, his chest feeling constricted.
“We were able to stop the bleeding but she’s still unconscious, because the head trauma was severe it’ll take some time before she will wake up.”
Caleb nodded, listening to the doctor’s words intently. He followed the nurses to the room where you were going to be recovering, taking a seat next to the bed he held your hand in his.
“I’m sorry, please. Please just wake up soon.”
Sadly you wouldn’t wake up for another two months.
Everyday Caleb would come to take care of you, making sure to change the flowers before they began to wilt, taking responsibility to wash you and take care of your hair, hell he would even do your skincare at night so you’d wake up in perfect condition.
Although he knew deep down inside that nothing he could do could ever make up for the things he said and how he made you feel. Caleb and MC had also grown apart during this time, constantly wishing that he had never went to see her that night, if he didn’t then maybe you’d be awake and smiling next to him instead of lying still on that bed in this lifeless hospital room.
Caleb came in with a fresh bouquet of your favourite flowers, silently he replaced the old ones, making sure to get some fresh water before putting in the new bouquet. Once that was done he made his way to his usual spot, right next to your bed.
Earlier the doctor said you were recovering well, although it would take some time and rehab for you to use your arm again. You’d also be weak from the extended period of time that was spent in bed, but Caleb was nothing if not determined to make sure he was there for you every step of the way.
“Hey baby, it’s me Caleb. You’re probably tired of hearing my voice everyday huh? The doctor says you’re recovering well, you’ll just need some rehab to help you get back into the groove of things when you wake up.”
Caleb kept getting choked up the more he spoke, he just wanted you to wake up, even if you don’t want him anymore, he’d be fine with that.
“I miss you, your voice, your sweet smile, everything. If I could trade spots with you I would. So please, please just wake up. I’m sorry for everything, I’m such a shitty boyfriend aren’t I? I can’t believe I said all of that, on your birthday no less.”
At this point the tears he tried so hard to hold back started streaming down his face. It was hard to keep up that strong front, but he tried because he felt that he didn’t deserve to be sad, not when he’s to blame for you being in this state.
He grabbed a hold of your hand, bringing it to his face hoping to feel something. Anything.
He nuzzled his face in to your hand as he silently cried. It wasn’t long before he was passed out in that chair, still holding your hand to his face.
He felt it in the middle of the night, always the light sleeper he was awake at the slightest of movements. He knew he wasn’t mistaken, he felt your hand twitch for this first time in two months.
He was now wide awake and sitting upright in his seat, watching you closely. That’s when he say it, your hand twitched in his hold, a slight groan escaping your lips, but your eyes had still yet to open.
Caleb had already pressed the call button, the nurses and doctor filling the room in a matter of minutes, that’s when you had finally opened your eyes.
●・○・●・○・●・
A series of tests had been conducted and the doctor had caught you up to speed with everything before you were left alone with Caleb. You avoided looking at him the entire time, it stung, but he couldn’t complain.
You cleared your throat uncomfortably, the dryness getting to you, but before you could even get the water, Caleb had already poured a glass and was holding it out to you.
You silently took it from him and drank it slowly, not wanting to shock your system. It was a struggle, your grip on the glass was weak. It almost slipped out of your hands if not for Caleb holding the bottom of the cup.
Once you were done, Caleb put the glass on the side, reaching out to grab your hands. You pulled them back before he could touch you.
“Why are you here Caleb? Doesn’t MC need you?”
Were you being petty? Yes, the fight that you guys had may have been two months ago for him, but for you it was like it was yesterday. The wounds from his words were still fresh.
You missed the look of hurt that flashed across his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
"You don't get to come in here and think that everything will be fine. I just wanted one week with you, no distractions. All I got in return? You leaving me alone on the morning of my birthday after telling me you should've listened to MC when she told you not to date me?!"
You had tears in your eyes, but you refused to let them escape. You didn't want to let him see just how broken you were about this.
Caleb had nothing to say, how could he? He was the one who put you in this position, he's the reason you ended up in the hospital.
"Please just leave."
Your voice sounded so broken, all he could do was listen to your request even though every cell in his being told him to stay by your side. He chose to just wait outside your room, not wanting to be too far away from you but still wanting to respect your request.
As soon as soon Caleb left the room you let the tears you were holding back fall, your body shook with sobs as everything came crashing down on you.
Even with the morphine you could feel the lingering bits of pain all throughout your body.
You eventually ended up crying yourself to sleep. The silence had Caleb worried, so he had decided to check in on you, seeing that you were asleep he was able to calm himself down a little.
But the sight of your tear stricken face had him clutching his chest in pain, all he wanted to do was take away your pain.
For now, he was just going to try his best to be by your side, no matter how much you pushed him away. He was determined to make things right.
●・○・●・○・●・
A couple of weeks had passed before you were finally released from the hospital.
During that time Caleb was as stubborn as ever, never leaving your side unless it was for classes, he spent the nights next to your bed, watching over you. He was always one step ahead, if you were thinking about food or water, the next second he would have it in front of you.
You didn't want to admit it, you enjoyed having him wait on you hand and foot. But you still weren't ready to forgive him, not yet. You still needed to talk to him about what happened before you could decide where this relationship was headed.
You wanted to give him another chance, seeing how tirelessly he's been taking care of you these past few weeks. You could only assume he was doing the same those two months where you were unconscious.
In the meantime, you decided his punishment would be your silence, not speaking to him unless it was absolutely necessary. Even then you only spoke a few words.
Caleb was currently in class, it was a Friday so that meant he'd home earlier than the other days.
You didn't have much of a choice as to where you'd be staying, Caleb wanted to make sure you were taking all your medication as well as doing the exercises you were assigned for your rehab, he knew how forgetful you could be, and you were in no condition to be staying on your own. So his solution was to have you stay at his place.
Being there brought back bad memories, but you had made up your mind to talk to him about it. If you were going to be staying here you needed to know where you guys stood in each others lives.
You were currently in his room, wanting to take a nap but your mind was too active for you to relax.
It wasn't long before Caleb came home, not seeing you in the living room he immediately made his way towards his room.
The moment he walked in he relaxed, seeing that you were alright. You saw him and thought,
It's now or never.
"We need to talk."
Caleb's heart dropped, his mind went crazy thinking you were about to break up with him. Although he couldn't blame you for wanting to, but he refused to let you go, you were the only good thing he had in his life, he couldn't afford to lose you. Not before he had a chance to make things right.
"Okay."
He said as calmly as possible, not wanting to give away the immense anxiety he was feeling from this situation.
He walked towards you, kneeling on the ground next to you.
"I'm giving you one chance to explain yourself for that night."
That was all he needed to go on tangent about that night, from the call from MC where she was crying to going to her house and finding out she had been lying to him to get him to spend more time with her instead of you to him and MC having a falling out because of the things she said about you.
He laid it all out, he wasn't proud of the fact that he was so easily fooled by her. He had known her far longer than he had known you, and thought she would never lie to him, boy was he wrong.
"I admit that I have absolutely no excuse for letting myself believe her words. I can't forgive myself for the things I said that night and how I just left you there. It was all my fault."
He took your hands in his, you would've pulled them out of his reach but this time you let him hold them. You could see in his actions and in his eyes how much he regretted that night and how he had been trying everyday to make things right.
"I blame myself for your accident, if I had just stayed with you, if i had never said those words you wouldn't have ended up in this condition."
You had never really seen Caleb cry, so seeing him now in tears as his brain recounted the feeling of seeing you on that hospital bed, had your mind coming to a conclusion.
You were going to give him another chance, his one and only chance. If anything like that happens again you won't stick around, you had enough self respect to not tolerate that.
You removed yours hands from his, Caleb had a look of hurt when you did that, but it didn't last long before you cupped his face, wiping away his tears.
"You get one chance only. Mess up and you'll never see or hear from me again, got it?"
He nodded his head like a child before pulling you to the floor and onto his lap.
He hid his face in the crook of your neck as silent sobs raked his body. You ran a soothing hand through his hair to help him calm down.
It hurt to see him like this, but he also deserved it. Even if it was a fraction of the pain you went through.
"I promise I'll make it up to you. Anything you want, I'll do it."
His voice came out muffled, but you could feel the sincerity in it.
"I'll hold you to that."
