Not Normal

"Well, it happens to the best of us, I guess!" Alexander shrugged off the entire dilemma and accepted that what happened already happened.

He just had to make the best of it. The boy smiled and actively lowered his mature bearing to the minimum with his impeccable acting. "Grampa, where is my birthday gift? You didn't give me any!"

Sullivan would have had his heart melt if he hadn't known the true face and cunningness that the cutie pie hid behind that facade. "With all of that settled, I guess I can finally say happy birthday! Your and dad I have already thought of presents while you were out of it."

"See that!" His grandpa pointed to the camera which made the boy somewhat intrigued. "You'll find that those things are practically recording your time in the workaholic zone. You'll have the laughs when you see yourself absorbed in work."

"Isn't that a great present?" Alexander could only roll his eyes at that. Anyways, gifts at this point have become somewhat of a chore for him. He hadn't even taken the time to play with last year's presents with all of the stuff he was sorting out in his mind at that time.

At least, having a recording of yourself is a tad bit sentimental.

"Haha! I'm trying not to be a nagging old man, Alex. But you should seriously consider taking a break. You're still a kid and have already done far enough. Let the adults do all the other work." Sullivan advised while supplementing his words with the paperwork that was laid out at the table. "A lot of people would kill if they had already drawn and planned this much in less than a months time."

"Grandpa, are you sure you are suited to give that advice? You're supposed to be retired and are still doing a lot of stuff that is even more than what dad and I are doing!"

"Haha! I guess we are just stuck on the path of pursuing our passions. What do you think, Alexander? Is this a blessing or a curse?"

"That depends. It would be a curse to those who don't like it but I think it is alright. I'm doing it because I enjoy it and that would be enough to tell people that I am pro-blessing and con to the curse."

"You really take after your grandpa!" Sullivan was all laughs during this uneventful but somewhat eventful after-birthday party.

The duo parted ways and was even looking forward to the figurative and literal tomorrow, where they plan to tackle whatever comes their way.

On his bed, Alexander really had to look back at the things he had done for the past year and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at the things he had done.

Drawn, read, screenwrote, storyboarded, planned, pre-produced, acted, traveled, and planned again!

He knew he wasn't normal with his multiversal link, his inexplicable charm, and the recently discovered workaholic adrenaline! He was a complete hodgepodge of being special but what truly takes the cake for being not normal was all of those works being piled together.

He remembered that every time his elders would go overnight with planning, they would be mocked by him as workaholics. He even vowed to take his time, enjoy sleep, and not dive too deep into the workforce.

Yet, here he was! Being the workaholic he wanted to avoid.

At the one-year mark and had done too much that it left him questioning how he even survived all of that.

He could still remember the general timeline of his entire fourth year of life but what terrified him was the fact that he only drifted into planning by the last month of it.

If anything, that was due to him being entangled in trying to entangle the future movies he was cooking up in his cauldron.

If anything, that could have also been the sign that his grand extended universe plan isn't meant to be.

That option isn't fully closed and final but he was afraid that he would be sucked into the 'Creed zone' as he dubbed it.

The Creed zone was extremely powerful for a creative burst or a productive overdrive but not being able to keep clear of what is happening around him was a great downside.

Alexander already had the three-halved counterplan to the snooping business rivals. Even though it is still useful against the Big Six or whatnot, it is still a shame that it couldn't be used as originally intended.

Eventually, he dozed off to sleep but it wasn't the soothing experience that he hoped it would be.

A year had already passed since the fated incident. As such, the multi-universe connection also had a way of commemorating its first anniversary.

He continued where he left off and was back again to the matured body of Other Joe.

It wasn't anything as exciting and danger-inciting as one would expect. It was a practically mundane day-to-day life of an average guy.

Eat, sleep, repeat! Of course, other factors don't make it a true repetition but the blandness and dullness could still be felt.

The boy praised himself for coming up with the perfect moniker for his counterpart. Other Joe was aptly derivative of the passing phrase of 'Just an Average Joe'.

Alexander never really got the point of this relatively shorter immersion cycle, however, he eventually came to a realization.

When he woke up the next day and shrugged off the multiverse vision, the boy came to learn the lesson that Other Joe's monotonous life is meant to represent.

It was the normal, dull, and complete opposite of the workaholic life he was trying to avoid.

"Being not normal might just be the perfect fit for me." He muttered while letting go of his inhibitions from being the abnormality that he is.

Alexander was really contemplating slowing things down for a while and maybe going through life at a comfortable pacing that everyone else could approve of.

But, he wasn't just meant to conform with everyone else. He was an individual, a title that separates one from the many.

As an individual with exceptional and 'not normal' quirks, he is bound to live an exceptional and 'not normal' lifestyle as well.