Archive of Our Own ^beta

Katsuki could openly say that he wasn’t really expecting anything for his birthday.

He didn’t really care, and that was that. It was just a day in 365 others. Nothing special, nothing different.

He could yell it to the world. He could write it in the sand. He could repeat it so many times until those were the only words he knew anymore. 

Because his birthday was not special.

And yet–

Katsuki could openly say that he wasn’t really expecting anything for his birthday.

But it would be a lie.

He stared down at his phone, with its two, lonely notifications.

7:09

April, 20th

Private Message:
Hag: happy birthday, katsuki. Have a good day, dont do something stupid (today, 5:45)

Private Message:
Old Man: Hello, katsuki! Happy birthday kid, sorry your mother and I couldn’t be there to wish it to you in person! I hope the dorms are alright though? And don’t worry, this office is alright too, of course. Say hi to your friends for me! Have a wonderful day, Kats, I promise we’ll do something for you when the next free moment… (see more) (today, 5:30)

Katsui sighed.

(He replied to them respectively, but he couldn’t help but feel a little hollow.)

A birthday chart had been put up in the common rooms. It listed everyone’s names, and their birthdays. (Obviously.) Uraraka had said that she didn’t want to forget anyone’s birthday, after it had been found out that Kouda’s birthday had gone past without him telling anyone besides Sato and Ojiro, the year before. From there, everyone agreed that they would make it their mission to make sure that everyone got at least one ‘Happy Birthday’ wished to them, other than from their family. 

… They’d also forgotten his, last year. It wasn’t all that big a deal, obviously, because he didn’t tell anyone. Kirishima only came to his dorm room at nine the next morning with a cake because Midoriya had told him about it. 

(They’d spent all day hanging out together.)

But Katsuki didn’t really mind, because it wasn’t like he cared anyway.

This year, however… He just thought that… well, maybe–

Katsuki shook his head. Stupid. He swung his legs off the bed and didn’t bother changing into anything particularly nice – a shirt and sweatpants were fine – before opening his door and making his way downstairs.

Since the age of ten, his parents hadn’t… He didn’t blame them. It wasn’t like they could quit their job anytime they wanted, but many a time, they hadn’t been there to celebrate his birthday. They’d call, or text him the next day if they were really too busy, and they always showed that they loved him, he guessed, but their job needed them in places. 

Places Katsuki never was, even if it was his birthday.

And it did hurt, when he’d forget his own birthday until someone at school would call him out on it or they’d text him.

And it did hurt, when he’d spend the night alone, with a cupcake and a small candle and a spicy dish he cooked himself.

And it did hurt, when he’d start to find birthdays stupid and a waste of time, while others would gush and rant about their plans for their own; start to hate birthdays and try to forget. (He never quite managed to.)

But Katsuki was tough, and he wasn’t a baby, despite what Mitsuki and Masaru worried. 

So he’d tell them it’s fine, and that he could take a birthday alone. That no, he didn’t want a party if they weren’t there. And no, presents were just useless, he didn’t need anything.

Sometimes, on lonely days like these, he’d wonder if it was really true.

Either way though, there he was, standing in the doorway of the common rooms. The lights were still off. Dishes had been washed the night before. No one was around – and he wouldn’t expect them to be, at seven in the morning.

He wasn’t sure why he was there, himself, either. Despite his routine of waking up at this time for a run (most of the time, it’d be earlier), all he wanted to do then was curl up in his bed and sleep. 

And yet on days like these, when he felt so very drawn, there was one thing in particular that sometimes helped. Sometimes. But it was worth a shot, anyway, right?

So Katsuki walked into the kitchen. The light came on with a click and a flicker. He opened the fridge, grabbing milk, butter and eggs. Took flour and baking powder from the cupboards. He knew this recipe like he knew his own quirk; he even respectfully named it ‘Bitch-Day Panfuckers.’ He’d decided to do that on one occasion where he’d woken up, thought ‘fuck this shit,’ and proceeded to bake as many different types of pancakes he could that morning. This recipe, however, was far better than the rest (even though they were all fucking great, Katsuki’s the best cook, hands down, fuck you) and so he decided to use it as his yearly thing. And name it, obviously.

So, gathering a few more ingredients, some tools and a few other things, he got to work making pancakes.

He let his mind wander as he mixed, as he poured, as he measured. Of course, he tried to steer clear of Birthdays. But whenever that failed, he would freeze, clench whatever was in his hand a little tighter–

And continue to mix, to pour, to measure.

Pretend it wasn’t bothering him, and it wouldn’t.

It wasn’t until the elevator beeped outside that he realised how much time had passed.

He heard the doors slide open, and immediately, soft chatter filled the common room – muffled by the kitchen door.

“ … yeah, usually I try to sleep in more, but eh, y’know?” Jiro’s voice said. They were coming closer. “ No point trying to sleep if I… Hey, do you guys smell that?”

Ugh. 

He stared at the pancake sizzling in the pan. Then at the plate full of more. Then, at the large container with a shit ton of pancake mixture stored inside. Ugggghhhhhh.

He could hear Tokoyami’s voice now. “ Yes… I believe someone is cooking? I am surprised, I thought that we were the first ones down…”

“ Does it smell like… Like pancakes, to you?” Shoji's voice filtered in.

No. No it most certainly doesn’t. Turn around. Piss off. For fuck’s sake, could no one let him sulk alone? 

Knowing that they most certainly would not do that, Katsuki braced himself and sighed, straightening his shoulders and sliding the pancake onto a plate. He served himself with more, topping it (not with that disgustingly sugary shit, the good stuff) just in time as the kitchen door was opened.

Granted, Tokoyami, Jiro and Shoji were alright ; they weren’t loud, weren’t annoying, and they weren’t stupid. And yet it just so turned out that Katsuki did not give two shits and couldn’t care less in interacting with anyone right now – no exceptions. He just wanted to go back to his fucking room.

“ Ah, Ba-Bakugou!” Jiro seemed surprised. “ What– Why are you here?”

“ Gee, I feel so welcome,” Katsuki grumbled, giving her a half-hearted glare before grabbing a knife and fork. 

Jiro gave him a look. “ I didn’t mean it like that, asshat. It's a Saturday morning, eight o’clock. Everyone’s still in their rooms?” 

Katsuki gave them a pointed look and waved his fork at them. “ Except you, right? ‘Cause this is a reserved thing, now?”

“ I–”

Tokoyami gave him a small amused look. “ Were you making… pancakes? That's… quite a lot.” Katsuki didn’t miss the way his feathers puffed up a little in want as he glanced at them.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “ Yeah, no fucking shit. Good to see you have fucking eyes, Birdbrain.” He shouldered past them, towards the elevators, and hoped to fuck that no one else would bother him.

“ Wha– Hey!” Jiro called after him. “ Wait, are they up for grabs, or what?”

“ I don’t fucking care!” Katsuki scowled. “ Do fucking whatever, ‘s not like I’m gonna be fucking using them, is it?!”

Jiro called back some kind of thanks, but Katsuki ignored it as he stepped into the elevator.

And now, to sulk alone, in his room.

He usually did on this stupid-ass day.

⬽— —⤘

Katsuki ate his birthday breakfast alone. 

It– It wasn’t even that bad, honestly. He’d made it himself, so of course the food was awesome – perfect, obviously – but what he meant was, it had been a while since he’d had a moment like this. Sitting alone in his room, the sun itself still rising through his window, listening to his thoughts, the murmur of people slowly waking up, the scrape of his fork against his plate and birdsong outside… alone. It was kinda peaceful, he guessed. Like one of those moments in movies where the protagonist gets a small break after a big event, before they’d get dropped into a sea of action again.

It wasn’t that bad.

He still felt a little hollow, though. In fact, the pit in his chest only seemed to open up larger with every bite.

Katsuki sighed through his nose. His hand holding his fork relaxed, the cutlery clinking loudly against the quietness of his room as it dropped. He tilted his head back to lean against the wall behind him, and stared forward.

The blank wall opposite stared back at him and Katsuki scowled.

He grabbed his plate and stood up from his bed, placing it on the side of his desk as he sat at it and opened his computer. He didn’t have any homework – already done it all – but a bit of studying might occupy him for now.

He managed to get onto the resource website for approximately eleven minutes before someone pounded on his door.

He planned to ignore it.

“ Hey, Bakugou!” Kirishima called through the wood. Katsuki scowled and continued to aggressively type. “ Bakugouuu! You there? Hey!”

Nope.

“ Hello? Bro? Dude? Bestie?”

Katsuki kicked away from his desk with an aggressive huff and let his chair roll him a little away from it as he yelled, “ I am not your fucking ‘bestie’, Shitty Hair!”

“ Oh, so you are alive!” Kirishima teased. “ C’mon, open the door!”

“ Fuck you!” Katsuki got up, muttering curses, but he couldn’t help but let a small sliver of hope curl around his heart. Maybe Kirishima…? He opened the door.

Kirishima beamed at him. “ Hey, dude! Me, Denki, Sero and Mina are going out to hang at a cafe! Coming?”

Ah.

He forgot, too.

Katsuki scowled, looking away. “ … Nah, I’m busy.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound too… discouraged. Katsuki didn’t do discouraged. He wasn’t even in the slightest disappointed. That was stupid. No, that was laughable.

It was whatever.

Kirishima paused for a second, before asking (ever the emotion-man in their friend group), “ Hey, you good, man?”

Yeah, fuck to the no-no. “ I’m fucking fine! Piss off, I said I’m fucking busy.”

“ Okay,” Kirishima said, his tone open as he lifted his hands in mock surrender. “ But, are you sure ya don’t wanna come? It’ll be so fun! Plus, we’ll be sad if you don’t come.” Katsuki made the mistake of looking up and seeing his puppy eyes.

Well, they may not care to remember his birthday. 

But this was one stupid day. Maybe he shouldn’t be an asshole for this one, and let everyone else… at least enjoy, what for them is, a perfectly normal Saturday. 

Katsuki sighed and gave him a glare. “ How long, what time?”

Kirishima visibly brightened at that, perking up like a puppy who just heard ‘park’. “ As soon as you’re ready, and we’ll be back at, like, around five or six!”

“ Hah?” Katsuki gaped. “ Eight hours? How long to you people take to drink fucking coffee ?”

He grinned sheepishly. “ Oh… Yeah, we didn’t really… do the maths there… I-I mean, there is also this fair going on! And we can go to the mall, too, maybe an arcade! It can be like a day out, dude! Just the squad!”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. Kirishima smiled crookedly. “ You can choose where we have lunch?”

He smirked. “ Deal. Gimme an hour, I gotta brace myself for the idiocy I’ll need to surround myself with for seven hours.” He turned, going to shut his door behind him.

“ Seeya then, dude!” Kirishima exclaimed before it shut in his face. A faint, celebratory ‘Yes!’ filtered through the door a second later, and Katsuki rolled his eyes.

He wasn’t joking; he bet he’d lose at least five braincells just being around the Idiot Squad, let alone listening to them talk.

He grabbed a book from his bookcase. He’d get ready in under fifteen minutes. Better use this… peacefulness well, in the time he had.

Who knew when the next ‘peaceful’ moment would be.

⬽— —⤘

If anyone told you that Katsuki in fact took fourteen minutes choosing an outfit, and then the rest of the time he had actually getting ready, they were lying.

(It’s not Katsuki’s fault he wanted to dress specially for this. … Being his birthday and everything. First time hanging out with someone on his birthday since the age of seven…

… Special occasions require special efforts, right?)

At least him having two fashion parents paid off there.

He’d settled on a white (thinly striped black) shirt, under a light blue, denim jacket. Its sleeves rolled up to around the middle of his forearms. He’d also chosen loose, black, denim jeans (ripped at the knees, and if you comment about it he’ll break your nose) with sleek, black, ankle-high boots.

And, because the idiots were fucking idiots, he brought a camo green bag along too, so that he could bring what they’d no doubt forget; water, a book, emergency cash, etc.

No way was he spending seven fucking hours with them, on this stupidly fucking sunny day, with no water.

With a sigh, and definitely no sweaty hands (shut your trap), he left his dorm room.

So much for sulking alone, huh.

(But Katsuki was no pussy, so bring it the fuck on, universe.)

The elevator pinged as its doors opened, and fuck.

There were people, Goddamnit.

It wasn’t that Katsuki hated people.

(Wait, no, he did.)

To rephrase; it wasn’t that Katsuki was scared of people. That would be stupid, and he could beat them all in a fight any day, anyway.

The problem here was that people were annoying.

They spoke to you, when you obviously didn’t want to be spoken to. They got offended, when you were just speaking the truth (which they fucking asked for). They decided that they knew shit, when they most certainly did the fuck not.

People were complicated, they were awkward, and they were weird.

It was not Katsuki’s fault that they were hard to be around.

He had to give it to them, though; his class was significantly better than the old people and ‘kids his age’ (who were actually very old teenagers, which he at the time wanted no interaction with) at work parties his mother used to force him to attend from five years old to nine.

(After a few tantrums (near to the fifties, he believed) and thirty too many offended guests, she gave up.)

What he was trying to convey here was that his class weren’t great (he was fairly certain no human was ever ‘great’) but they weren’t the worst to be around, either.

If he were to rank them, it’d be the Idiot Squad (you know who that is) and the Emo Squad (oh please, don’t act ignorant) at the top, and the Nerd Squad at the bottom. (Although Uraraka was a decent opponent, she was affiliated with Midoriya. That’s a ‘Fuck No’ from Katsuki, capital letters and all.)

And–

Oh, goodie. Here comes the literal embodiment of Katsuki’s hate towards people.

“ Hey, Kacchan!” Midoriya chirped, bounding towards him. He was practically buzzing.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and continued to walk towards the door. “ Piss off.”

Midoriya only smiled and walked with him. He cupped a hand around his mouth and leaned in. His eyes creased like crescent moons as he whispered, “ Happy Birthday, Kacchan! Mom says happy birthday too. I did what you told me and didn’t get you a big present, this time!”

Katsuki bat him away, but he couldn’t help the smirk that grew on his face. Even though it’s shitty Deku, at least someone remembered, other than my old folk. “ What, you want a fucking award or some shit?”

Midoriya giggled and leaned away. “ Of course not. Hm. You’re dressed up, though. Go– Going somewhere nice?”

Katsuki eyed him at the stutter. While typically, it would be completely normal… Suspicious.

He answered anyway. “ Fuck off, mind your own business.”

Kirishima, who had been talking to Ashido and Sero near the door, turned to them with a blinding grin. When he saw Katsuki, he faltered, and his face flushed a little, before he seemed to recover himself and continue to walk over. Katsuki eyed Ashido and Sero’s knowing, teasing grins. What the fuck was wrong with them this time? 

Kirishima beamed. “ Hey, Midoriya, Bakugou! We’re heading out to the café now!”

Katsuki wilted in disappointment as Midoriya smiled. “ Oh, so that’s what you’re doing, Kacchan! Sounds fun! When– uh, w-when will you be back?” Definitely suspicious.

“ Around, uh, five or six!” Kirishima informed, fidgeting slightly. “ We’ve already asked Aizawa, he said that we could go, as long as we keep the GPS online at all times on our phones.”

“ Oh, okay! Well, I won’t hold you back any longer, then!” Midoriya smiled. 

“ Alright! I, uh, just need to check something with Sero!” Kirishima grinned, turning with a wave and walking towards Sero.

Midoriya nodded, then turned to Katsuki again. A beat passed, and Katsuki was tempted to snap at him to get on with whatever the fuck he was waiting for. “ … Hey, uh… Kacchan?”

“ What, shitty nerd?” Katsuki grumbled. 

He met Midoriya’s soft, kind eyes. “ Enjoy yourself. Today, I mean, with them. Have fun for once, yeah?”

Katsuki considered him for a second, before ‘tch’ing. “ Whatever. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want, idiot.”

Midoriya chuckled. “ Of course, you’re Kacchan!”

Sato leaned out of the kitchen’s doorway. “ Hey, Midoriya! Could I speak with you for a sec? I gotta check something with you.”

The freckled boy started, surprised, before turning to him with a bright smile and walking over to Sato. “ Y-Yeah, sure! I, uh, I’m not the best at cooking, though, so I might not help much… Unless you want to burn water or something, I’m good at that…!”

Sato laughed, and with a fleeting glance at Katsuki, turned with Midoriya back into the kitchen. 

Katsuki watched them leave, before sighing and turning back to his idiots. “ Oi, are we going or what?!”

Ashido grinned. “ I am so pumped for this! Let’s go!”

Putting on their shoes and calling a few light heartenned goodbyes back to the class, the group of friends filtered out of the doorway. 

“ Whoo! Hell yeah!” Kaminari whooped, both fists pumping above his head as he cheered. “ This is gonna be awesome !” 

⬽— —⤘

“ Okay, here’s the plan!” Kirishima explained as they walked through the streets. “ First, we’ll go to the arcade. We’ll stay there for, like, two, three hours? It’s a big one, so we shouldn’t get bored too quickly!”

“ Oh, is it the one that opened recently?” Kaminari asked, eyes shining in excitement. “ I heard that some of the games there have VR now!”

“ That’s the one!” Kirishima beamed. “ Next, at like 12:30, or basically just when we get hungry, we’ll go to a cafe-slash-restaurant. Bakugou’s choosing that one, so you can bet it’s gonna be good!”

Ashido shuddered. “ Unless it’s ‘slightly spicy’ food again…”

Katsuki snorted. “ That was fucking awesome, don’t try to fuckin’ deny it.”

“ I’m pretty sure I still have a spicy noodle up my nose, from when I coughed so hard it went up,” Kaminari whimpered, wiping away a fake tear. “ I can’t even eat it.”

Kirishima snickered, shaking his head. “ Truly tragic, Kami. Anyway, from there, we’ll go to that fair until, like… well, until we get bored, I guess. And then we’ll go home! Unless someone wants to add anything?”

“ Nah, I’ve no complaints,” Sero grinned, “ As long as I can buy more than one candyfloss for myself, and no one steals it.”

Katsuki shook his head in disdain, wrinkling his nose. “ Literally why the fuck.”

Sero shrugged with a lazy smirk. “ Why not the fuck?”

" Ooooh, Sero, clever~!" Like that wasn't a common thing stupid people said.

" Comes from being around me!" Kaminari claimed, flinging his hair.

Ashido put her hand on his shoulder. " Kami. You gotta wake up to reality, dude. This is getting worrying."

They blinked at each other for a total of two seconds, before they both lost it and started laughing.

Katsuki opened his mouth, then closed it with a deadpan face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away. “ I’m surrounded by fucking idiots. Great.” 
(He knew this already, but it didn't make the statement any less false.)

“ Alright then! If everyone’s happy with the plan…” Kirishima paused, looking around, but no one objected. “ Let’s go, then!”

Kaminari whooped again, this time joined by Ashido and Sero. “ To the arcade!”

⬽— —⤘

“ Woah…” Kaminari pushed open the doors with an awe-struck expression, as if he’d just uncovered the lost city of fucking Atlantis. The blonde turned in place as he looked around and the rest of them filed in. “ Guys, look at this place! Are you seeing this?” Yup, Katsuki does in fact have eyes.

“ It's definitely… Big,” Sero grinned, nodding slowly in approval. “ Not bad.”

He was right, of course; it was bigger than Katsuki had expected it to be. It was a large building, though its ceiling and floors were black – the walls with a few game posters dotted here and there on the black background. In the middle of the room and around the walls, countless games and activities were showcased. The place was full of people – thankfully not too many, but enough to show that this place was popular – and the room was full of chatter from them and beeps and drones from the games, making it slightly hard to hear each other over the sounds. Neon signs and lights lit up the building in multicoloured lights, yet still kept the room slightly dim.

At the same time, Katsuki wasn’t all that surprised, really. This was one of the best arcades, and one of the few arcades that used quirks to improve their games. 

Ashido gasped, and grabbed Sero’s hand. She pointed at a dance machine close by with her other hand and buzzed in place. “ Sero ! Dance machine, dance machine! I’m totally gonna wipe the floor with you!”

Sero grinned, a competitive light sparking in his eyes. “ Ha! Yeah, right!”

Ashido smirked and turned back to Kirishima, Kaminari and Katsuki, practically jumping in excitement. “ Everyone meet back here, and text on the groupchat if anything comes up! Okay, come on, Sero!” And with that, she dragged Sero away. 

“ Well, there they go, then,” Kaminari shrugged. He turned to them and grinned. “ So… Wanna go car racing with the VR headsets?”

Kirishima beamed. “ Sure!”

Katsuki grinned, feral. “ I’m gonna beat your fucking asses.”

Kaminari smirked back, and turned on his heel, giggling. “ Race ya!”

“ Wh– Oh, no the fuck you don’t!” Katsuki promised, taking off after him. He could hear Kirishima’s laughter behind him as he launched off too, and made sure to dodge people as he tried to catch up to Kaminari.

This… 

This might actually be fun.

⬽— —⤘

The next few hours were competitive, funny and exciting. 

It all blurred together, in the best way possible.

Kaminari snorting so hard he shot electric snot across the room; Kirishima cheering and wrapping his arms around Katsuki without thinking when he won a shark plushie from the claw machine after six or more tries; Ashido yelling an incomprehensible battle cry ('RAAAAAAAAAHHH!’) as she pulled the trigger on a fake gun and shot out 30 zombies in another game mercilessly; Sero shouting angry Spanish gibberish at the screen as Katsuki pulled ahead of him in Mario Kart, while simultaneously throwing him off of the track entirely.

They may not realise it, but this was probably the best birthday Katsuki had had in the past seven or so years.

Katsuki leaned against the wall, panting, yet he grinned at Ashido. She was leaning against the wall beside him too; sweaty and tired from competing against Katsuki in the dance game.

She raised a fist to him, and Katsuki knocked it with his own in a half-hearted fistbump. He tried to regain his breath as he said, “ Good game, Racoon Eyes.”

She beamed and lifted the bottle of water Katsuki had given her. “ I– I won~!”

“ Yeah, yeah,” Katsuki grumbled, rolling his eyes, though his lips betrayed him with a grin. “ Shut up, will you?”

Ashido laughed, leaning her head on his shoulder. “ Oh, don’t be a sore loser about it, Blasty!”

He scoffed light-heartedly. “ Right, and which one of us flipped the Monopoly board after losing all their money only a few days ago, out of the two of us?”

She snorted. “ Touché.” Ashido hummed, pushing off of him and stepping back to face him. “ I’m gonna go find Kiri! I wanna see how many times Kaminari’s beaten him in Mario Kart yet. You coming?”

Katsuki swallowed and he shook his head. “ Nah. I’ll catch you up.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “ … Mm, really?”

“ Yes, really, Horns,” he rolled his eyes and pushed off of the wall. “ I’m going to the bathroom.”

“ I can walk with you, if you’d like?” Ashido offered, an eyebrow raised. 

He waved her off. “ Nah. Go meet up with the others, I’ll come back. Not a fucking todler.”

She looked hesitant, but eventually nodded slowly, backing away. “ Uh… okay, I guess. I’ll text you where we are, if you get lost or something! Seeya, Blasty!”

He nodded in acknowledgement and turned, walking towards the bathrooms. 

As soon as the doors were closed, the almost overwhelming sound of the blaring music, loud chatter and noisy sounds from the games was cut off – dumping him into quietness so quickly he was almost taken by surprise. 

He could still hear the sounds of the arcade outside, but it was muted – quieter. 

Katsuki walked over to the sinks and took a deep breath. He looked into the mirror.

His reflection stared back.

It was weird, ‘cause even though he was turning 17 – a year away from graduating, from becoming an adult, from things like drinking, driving, moving out, getting a job – he didn’t look much different than before. Than yesterday, or the day before that, or the week before that.

He didn’t look different.

But he did… he did feel way different to himself at the start of their first year at Yuuei. Not overnight, of course, but… more… mature, he guessed? He and his classmates had been through so much, he had to admit that they were all well ahead of their years. 

He ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward, turning on the tap and splashing his face with water. He should get back out, before any of his Idiots began to think that he’d ditched them. He switched the water off and grabbed some paper towels from the side, wiping his face.

“ Hey, Atsumu! What’s up?” A cubicle door slammed shut.

Katsuki startled, his head shooting up and tissue being charred a little by the sparks in his hands as he whipped round to see a short boy, around his age. He had short hair, probably dyed with its mess of colour, and his eyes were bright and kind.

He also had a phone to his ear, so Katsuki didn’t think much of him, only put the charred tissue down slowly and switched on the tap again to wash off the burnt bits of tissue. Damnit.

“ Aw, thank you!” the boy continued, grinning at something his friend had said. “ You didn’t have to! I’m only turning 16, not anything special.” 

Katsuki stiffened and grabbed some soap. The boy did the same, holding his phone between his shoulder and his ear instead as he did so. “ Well, still. Thanks, Atsumu. I’m actually having a birthday party tonight! … Yeah, everyone’s coming! Can you come?... Yeah, it’s at four, I think. This afternoon. We’re going to a pizza place with everyone!”

The boy switched on the tap, dipping his hands into the water, and Katsuki put his hands under the cold water from his own. The boy laughed at something his friend said. “ Yeah, I’m actually at the arcade right now! We’re having so much fun, wish you could come!” He pouted. “ Ah, yeah, studying sucks. Well, you can take a break at the party!”

The boy pulled his hands out of the water, switching it off and drying his hands. “ Wait, really? You didn’t have to, dude! … Well, thanks, I really appreciate it, then. I bet I'm gonna love the present! … Oh, yeah, my parents are taking me to the restaurant tomorrow, ‘cause they thought that I’d rather spend time with you guys. Which, between you and me, is kinda true, haha…!”

The door shut behind him.

… Katsuki pursed his lips and switched the tap off slowly, distracted. His hands ached from being under cold water for so long and he dried them in a haze. He sighed and leaned against the sink, hands clenching the sides tightly.

Katsuki swallowed thickly and took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself. Ugh…  

He knew that… that his parents were busy.

And he knew his friends weren’t expected to know his birthday right off the bat, or save it in their calendar, or– or whatever. Even if they’ve known each other for, what, one – nearing two – years. And even if it was on display for everyone in the middle of the common room…

Whatever, just– he knew he shouldn’t feel disappointed, or disheartened. He’d gone over this, already! Countless times.

But seeing that kid– hearing… that.

He didn’t even know his name, and yet…

What a great fucking coincidence.

Katsuki steadied his suddenly shaky breathing and blinked harshly, backing away from the sink. He was fine.

… He’d been in this shit-reeking room for too long.

The blaring noise of the arcade hit him like a wall again, and the door shut behind him.

⬽— —⤘

“ Blasty!” Ashido called, jogging over to him. She laughed and playfully hit his shoulder. “ We were beginning to worry!” 

Katsuki scowled and rolled his eyes, leaning away from her as she clung to his arm and they walked towards the rest of the friend group. “ I can handle my fucking self. Piss off!”

Kirishima smiled sheepishly. “ Yeah, we know, it’s just… well…”

An awkward beat passed, and Katsuki scowled, looking away. “ Well? What do we do now then, Captain Shark Face?”

“ ‘C-Captain Shark Face’?!” Kirishima spluttered. The heavy atmosphere lifted as Kaminari and Sero snorted and Ashido coughed into her hand as if trying to hide a snicker. “ Wha–”

“ Well?!” Katsuki snapped. “ It’s, what, one o’clock? Are we staying here longer, or fucking what?”

Kaminari’s stomach rumbled. He grinned after a moment. “ I do believe that it is now my que to say that I am, in fact, quite a little peckish, if you will–”

Ashido snorted. “ Well, you heard his stomach. Let’s go stuff our faces!”

⬽— —⤘

Kaminari beamed as he followed Katsuki into the restaurant and whistled. “ Got a soft spot for this place, huh, Kacchan?”

He got a half-hearted explosion aimed at his face in return.

Ashido laughed in wonder. “ We haven’t been back here for a hot second! Last time was, what, a month ago?”

“ I think it was four weeks ago, actually, idiot,” Sero replied, and Ashido hit him on the arm. “ Ack! Hey ! Okay, okay, yeah, it was close enough, I guess . Wh– Ow ! Cut that out!”

“ Hey, no fighting, guys!” Kirishima scolded playfully as they followed Katsuki to the table by the window, in the corner of the restaurant. 

As they settled into their seats, Kirishima hummed. “ How come you chose this place, Bakugou?”

He shrugged. “ Place we usually go, isn’t it? Plus, it doesn’t have… too-bad food.”

“ Are you kidding?” Kaminari demanded as he shoved himself beside Katsuki, their shoulders touching. “ This food is awesome , thank you very much!”

“ Not compared to mine, it isn’t!” Katsuki snapped, trying to shove him off. Ashido flopped into the seat beside Kaminari, while Sero and Kirishima took places opposite them. Katsuki gave up on trying to throttle him and settled on a scowl as Kaminari leaned against his arm as if it was the back of a chair.

“ Well, are we all having our usual, then?” Kirishima asked, receiving a round of agreement. 

Katsuki eyed his phone for a moment, before giving in and grabbing it.

Old Man
Today, at 5:30AM

Old Man: 
> Hello, katsuki! Happy birthday kid, sorry your mother and I couldn’t be there to wish it to you in person! I hope the dorms are alright though? And don’t worry, this office is alright too, of course. Say hi to your friends for me! Have a wonderful day, Kats, I promise we’ll do something for you when the next free moment comes up. We’ve just been so busy, I’m sorry. We’re flying to Miami, so I’m afraid we won’t be able to do it in a while. If you need anything though, feel free to call us! We’ll try our best to answer, even with the weird time. Have a wonderful day, we love you!

(5:30)

You:
> yeah, thanks. will do.

(7:11)

Today, at 1:23PM

You:
> hey, could you take time off at some point to|

His cursor blinked at him as he hesitated. Katsuki scowled and clicked his tongue in irritation, backspacing quickly.

You:
> hey, could yo|

You: 
> any chance that you and mum could take|

“ Ooh, who’re you texting, Kacchan?” Kaminari cooed, pushing against his shoulder to try and see. “ Just who could be more important than us poor ol’ folk, eh?”

Katsuki sneered and shielded his phone. “ Piss off, dipshit.”

You:
> any cha|

You:
> an|

You:
> |

Katsuki switched his phone off.

He elbowed Kaminari as he whined, and rolled his eyes.  

… Idiot.

A waitress passed by a minute or two later with a kind smile and a notepad, dark brown hair cut in a bob, hanging just below her jaw. “ Hello, how is everything going so far for you? Ready to order?”

Kirishima grinned. “ Yup!” As he listed off what everyone would like (kind fucker payed way too much attention to his friends, Katsuki thought inwardly – ignoring how he, himself, knew it all by heart too) Sero caught his eye. 

He gave him a look, and a sneaky, questioning thumbs up. Katsuki scowled at him and flipped him off.

“ Will that be all for now?” the waitress asked, lowering her notepad.

Kirishima nodded. “ Uh, yeah, thanks!”

She nodded, turning away. “ Your food will be with you shortly, then!”

Kirishima turned to them when she was out of earshot. “ … You think that waitress is new?”

“ Oh, yeah,” Kaminari nodded, like he knew the universe’s secrets. “ Bet her coworkers haven’t warned her of us yet.”

“ What?” Ashido asked, like she couldn’t fathom the idea. “ We are lovely customers.”

“ Yes, but they can’t handle the sheer amount of our loveliness, Mina,” Kaminari replied dramatically, matching her energy immediately. 

Katsuki huffed and rolled his eyes. “ Keep fucking dreaming.”

“ Y’know what, Mr Grumpy, I will, ” Kaminari stated, crossing his arms with a determined smirk. 

Katsuki snorted as Kaminari and Ashido fistbumped. 

“ So…” Kirishima smiled softly at Katsuki. Butterflies beat their wings in his stomach and Katsuki squashed them down immediately. “ How has today been for you, Lord Explosion Murder?”

Katsuki studied him for a second. “ Fucking stupid. As every stupid fucking day is with you idiots.”

Kirishima rolled his eyes and Sero hung off of his shoulder. “ No, like, seriously, man! Enjoyed it so far or what?”

Kaminari and Ashido’s heads swivelled towards them, everyone's eyes honing in on Katsuki, and he scowled. “ What the fuck? Why’re you asking me?”

“ ‘Cause why not ?” Kaminari reasoned, leaning forward over the table with a smile. “ Look, personally, I loved it! It was fun, and I got to go on the VRs! Plus, I got to see you full-on laughing, so that’s a win in itself.”

“ Yeah!” Ashido jumped in, grinning. “ I thought it was awesome! I finally had decent competition, too.” She winked. 

Sero clicked his fingers and pointed at Katsuki. “ And now, your turn! How’s it been?”

He stared at their eager faces for a moment, before sighing and letting a small smile dance on his lips. “ It was… It was better than today usually is, I guess.”

Kirishima made a small noise. “ ‘Than today usually is’? How come? What, is… Is today special or something?”

A pang of hurt stabbed his heart. He swallowed and looked away, a frown snaking its way back across his face. He fisted his hands under the table.

“ … N–” Katsuki cleared his throat– “ No.” He looked up and took a deep breath. “ Today was just a good fucking day. Didn’t think it would be.”

Kirishima opened his mouth in an ‘O’, hesitating before saying, “ … O-Oh. Right…” His expression was weird; like a mixture of hints of sadness and frustration – regret, too, maybe?

Kaminari slung an arm across his shoulders, and Katsuki forgot about it. “ What, uh, Kiri means there, is that that’s awesome! We’re glad you’re having a good time, man – even if you woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning.”

Katsuki scowled, shooting a hand out to shove Kaminari away. “ What the fuck, I did not say that!”

“ Hey, you said you didn’t expect today to go well!” Kaminari pointed out, laughing as he leaned away from Katsuki’s swatting, sparkling hand.  “ Obviously, you didn’t have a good night! So, I’m glad we fixed that for you!” 

Right. Just a bad night, right?… 

The ash blonde stopped trying to hit Kaminari and crossed his arms, huffing. “ What the fuck ever. When’s our fucking food–”

“ It’s here!” Ashido beamed, looking towards a waiter balancing five plates as he walked towards them. She was practically drooling. “ Ahh, I’m so hungry…!”

“ Fuck yeah!” Kaminari whispered, fist pumping so hard he nearly hit Katsuki with his elbow. 

“ Oi, watch it, dipshit!” he barked.

“ Whoops, sorry Kacchan!”

⬽— —⤘

“ Sooo… Question ,” Kaminari said, licking his fingers. “ … Shall we get deserts?”

Ashido smirked at him. “ Fuck yes.”

Katsuki, apparently being the only mature one in the fucking group of idiots (yeah, he could see the way Sero and Kirishima grinned at the idea), snapped, “ Fuck no.”

“ Ah, c’mon , Kacchan!” Kaminari whined. “ I’ve been eyeing that chocolate cake this whole time, don’t do this to me!”

“ Who the fuck’s paying for all this, anyway?!” Katsuki said, inwardly snorting at their faces as they considered. 

“ What if we all pay?” Kirishima offered. “ ‘Cept for you, Bakugou! We wanna treat you!”

Katsuki gave him a look. “ What, by wasting all of your money?”

“ No, by paying for your food!” Kirishima grinned. “ C’mon, why not?”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “ Fine. But I’m paying too.” They all started to argue against it, but he snapped, “ I’m paying too, and you can’t fucking stop me otherwise I’ll blow you fucking dickheads to Mars.”

They all exchanged grudging looks, but eventually sighed and didn’t argue further. Katsuki grinned in triumph.

They ordered desserts, and if they each slipped some cash into Katsuki’s jacket pocket when he wasn’t looking, no one noticed.

⬽— —⤘

“ Holy crap,” Ashido muttered. “ This is…”

The funfair loomed over them; its rides tall and glowing with light. Katsuki couldn’t see the end from where he was – this thing probably stretched out for a bit too. 

The entrance was a large, white gate, with big bulbs of light lining a board overhead which was easily the size of multiple All Mights. Already, there were two lines snaking away from it, but since they’d arrived earlier than people usually would – around two o’clock – Katsuki could tell that there were less people than what it would have been. Sounds of chatter and chiming rides reached their ears.

“ Come on, then! What are we waiting for?” Sero grinned, racing ahead. Kirishima looked back at Katsuki, and offered his hand as the two other idiots ran forwards. Katsuki grinned at him and took it with flushing ears. He tried not to think insecurely about his (probably sweaty, rough, boiling hot–) hands and focused on Kirishima.

Kirishima gently pulled him towards the gate and told him softly as they walked, “ I know you didn’t have a great morning, but… I’m gonna make this the best day ever for you. We’ll do so much cool stuff, and by the time we’re done, you’ll be smiling so wide your cheeks hurt!”

“ Why?” Katsuki couldn’t stop himself from asking.

Kirishima blinked, then grinned. “ ‘Cause you’re my best friend, obviously!”

… Right.

⬽— —⤘

“ Guys, c’mon!” Ashido shrieked, jogging in place as they walked towards her. She turned to an attraction, where there was a disk and a hammer, with a long tower attached to it with numbers going up it; up to around 200 in fives, Katsuki thought he could see.

“ A… High striker?” Sero questioned, walking up behind them. 

Kaminari grinned. “ Well, I’m in! Who wants to go first?”

“ Ooh, me!” Ashido beamed. “ Let’s see who’s the strongest!”

They paid the man, and Ashido grabbed the hammer. “ Get ready, bitches!”

She lifted it above her, puffing her chest out, before bringing it down with a loud clang. The small, white flyer shot up the tower.

Kaminari cheered, squinting to see the score. “ WOW! That’s, like, a 160, right? That’s so awesome, Mina!”

Ashido pouted. “ Ugh, but I didn’t hit the bell!” 

Sero grinned, clapping her on the shoulder. “ That’s just ‘cause it’s rigged!” The man keeping watch gave him a look, and Sero laughed awkwardly, turning away.

“ I’ll go next!” Kaminari declared, walking up to it and grabbing the hammer. There was a clang, the flyer shot up the stick again and he got… a 150. Kaminari looked like he'd just stubbed his toe or something when he shrugged, turning away like he hadn’t even tried to begin with. “ … Yeah, this is totally rigged, guys.”

Ashido laughed. “ That’s just ‘cause you got lower than me. There, there, it’s okay!”

After that, they all took turns trying. Kirishima was the only one able to actually hit the bell, but Katsuki came pretty close; at least, closer than the other idiots.

(Kirishima won a Crimson Riot plushie and held it close at all times.)

The next place they went was to the Swing Boat (on Kaminari’s insistence). 

They stopped in front of it and Kaminari made jazz hands. “ Ta-da! Roll up, roll up, people; it’s the Swing Boat!”

Katsuki wrinkled his nose. “ This shit’s for babies. There’s no fucking action.”

The large structure was, well, big, Katsuki had to say. The boat was easily around half the size of their dorm building, and as they watched the boat swing forwards and choruses of light-hearted screams flooding the air, it was true that the angle at which it tilted was… impressive.

“ Let’s see if you’re still saying that when it’s about to throw you off!” Kaminari smirked. (Katsuki knew exactly what he was doing.)

“ Fucking bet, Pikachu,” he growled with a sharp grin, walking past to join the queue. (It just so happened that Kaminari knew exactly what he was doing too.)

Kaminari whooped and raced after, the rest following too. “ Let’s go , dude!”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “ It’s not even that big of a fucking deal! I’ll beat this fucking thing.”

Katsuki clamped a hand over his mouth, his pale face carefully blank as he tried his best not to look at Kaminari, Kirishima and Ashido, who were puking their guts out into a bush a few feet away. 

Sero, the annoying fucker, seemed perfectly fine and grinned sadistically at their expense.

Going on that damn fucking boat was the wrong choice.

He scowled and hesitantly lifted his hand from his mouth, taking a deep, steadying breath, before snapping at Sero, “ What the fuck are you smiling at, asshole?!”

Sero snorted. “ I'm used to this from swinging everywhere with my tape, dude. I guess being the friendly neighbourhood Cellophane pays off here! The way you all sauntered into there like it was no sweat is too fucking funny, bro.” He seemed to be trying to bite back a laugh.

Katsuki clamped a hand over his mouth again, turning away, and flipped Sero off as he cackled. 

⬽— —⤘

“ Hey, let’s do that duck game!”

“ Aren’t we a bit old for that, Mina?”

“ Are you saying you’re scared of losing? Bet that I can fish out the most ducks.”

“ Oh, you’re on .”

⬽— —⤘

“ See, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for this entire– yep, uh, five for me, please!”

“ Hanta… You were serious? How do you even eat that much candyfloss?”

“ Easily, Eijiro. Easily. What, you think I’m a pussy?”

“ … Six for me, please!”

⬽— —⤘

“ Oh. My. God.”

“ What now?”

“ There’re teacups. The ones where you spin it and control how fast it is.”

“ … Oh my God. ”

“ How fast should we go?”

“ Yes. ”

⬽— —⤘

“ What the fuck, they totally hyped up this ride. This shit’s not even that scar–”

“ Dude, I’m dying over here, and you have the gall to say that this is not fucking scary–?!”

“ SHUT UP SHUT UP, I THINK MY STOMACH’S IN THE SKY SOMEWHERE BACK OVER THERE–”

“ STOP YELLING, ALL THREE OF YOU, I’M GONNA PUKE –”

“ EUGH, NOT ON ME YOU BAST–”

⬽— —⤘

“ So, I know that I said that I knew a hack to get through a house of mirrors, but I wasn’t exactly accounting for how big this place is, plus the fact that I think we weren’t supposed to find that dark hallway, not to mention go through it.”

“ … Well shit.”

“ Well shit indeed.”

⬽— —⤘

Katsuki closed his eyes, head tilted back over the back of the bench, and listened to the people and attractions around them. 

Kaminari whistled, sitting beside him. “ Holy moley. I think I’ve experienced enough rollercoasters and crazy-ass rides for today, people.”

“ I think,” Kirishima said, his face vaguely pale, “ I think I ate too much candy floss earlier.”

“ Yeah, ya don’t say,” Ashido snorted, sitting on the floor against the bench. “ You’d think six sticks would be enough, but no, cause you just love being competitive, you took eight–”

“ Hey, I won !” Kirishima protested.

“ Yup, while I got my good ol’ candyfloss,” Sero sighed in content, hands behind his head as he leaned back on the bench. 

Kirishima deadpanned. “ Well done, then.”

“ Thanks.”

Katsuki groaned and went to lean his elbows on his knees, hunching over. “ Ugh, you’re both idiots. Shut up.”

“ You say that, but I did win–”

Katsuki threw his hands up. Kaminari laughed. “ Okay, okay, so… I have an idea.”

“ And what might that be?” Katsuki asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“ Would the two lovebirds ,” he wiggled his eyebrows, “ Like to go up on the Drop Tower?”

Katsuki blinked at him. “ Who?”

“ You know exactly who I’m talking about,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows again.

“ Nope. I really don’t.”

They stared at each other for a second, before Kaminari threw his hands up. “ You! You and Kiri, ya big doofus!”

Katsuki’s eyebrows raised and he leaned back in surprise. He almost choked on his spit. “ I’m sorry, fucking what–”

⬽— —⤘

Lovebirds? The fuck? Where the hell had Kaminari gotten that?! They– They were not lovebirds.

Katsuki and Kirishima sat side by side, strapped in as they went up, and an awkward silence draped over them.

...

Lovebirds?!

“ Uhm. Lovebirds, huh?” Kirishima said weakly as the machine brought them up slowly. “ Ha, that’s– stupid.”

Katsuki swallowed and didn’t look at Kirishima. He got the feeling that Kirishima didn’t look at him, either. “ Yup. Completely fucking baseless–”

“ Blown outta proportion–”

“ Pretty sure he’s just fuckin' lost a few brain cells from the rollercoasters–”

“ Completely crazy!” Kirishima chuckled, but Katsuki saw the way his hands tightened on the security bar until his knuckles were white. They were… really high up, now.

Katsuki peered down at the world below them, and smirked. “ Fuck, this place really is fuckin’ big, huh.”

A strangled, “ Mhm,” came from Kirishima, and he turned to look at him. The sun was hitting the side of his face perfectly. It warmed the front of Katsuki’s face, the left as he turned to look at him, and it lit up Kirishima’s in perfect light. Every wisp of crimson hair that flew around like it had a mind of its own was illuminated in gold, and his eyes seemed to glow as the shafts of light hit them. Kirishima was biting his lip, looking upwards and obviously trying his best not to look down. 

Katsuki was used to this sight from his many aerial moves he’d learnt and performed in the air, some of which he took himself this high, so he didn’t feel much when he looked down except a small lurch in his stomach. Kirishima, however… 

He grinned. “ Oi, Eijiro, look at me.”

Kirishima blinked in surprise and did so before Katsuki had even finished his sentence, eyes wide and sparking. He thought he heard Kirishima’s breath hitch as he focused on him, but Katsuki looked away, downwards at the funfair below them. The machine was still pulling them up. 

“ Y’know how you said, back at the start of our first year, in the Sports Festival,” Katsuki said slowly, “ You were my ‘unbreakable horse,’ or whatever?”

“ Y-Yeah?”

“ And, how whenever we’d team up, we’d be fuckin' indestructible?”

“ Of course.”

Katsuki shot him a grin and looked at him again. “ So let’s be indestructible. Let’s show this fucking ride up and shove it in Drooly’s face – you’re gonna let a goddamn ride best you? C’mon, I know we can do it, dumbass.”

The ride stopped, finally reaching the top, and for a moment, it was just them against the world. The wind whipped against Katsuki’s ears and hair.

Kirishima stared at him, eyes wide. “ Katsuki… I-I… I think I lo–”

There was a clank, and the machine dropped them.

(Katsuki may or may not have yelled.)

⬽— —⤘

“ Damn, four hours went by fast,” Kaminari yawned as they left the fair. “ It’s already six?”

“ Six fifteen, yeah,” Sero replied, glancing at his watch. He whistled. “ We’ve been gone an hour over time. We left at 10, right?”

“ Woah, eight hours?” Ashido gasped. “ I didn’t even realise!”

As the three bickered and chatted, Kirishima and Katsuki walked side by side, lagging a little behind. 

“ S-So, uh,” Kirishima cleared his throat. “ How’d you find... today?”

Katsuki shrugged and fought his reddening ears. “ Good.”

“ Good? That's all I get?”

Katsuki thought for a second and playfully bumped Kirishima with his arm. “ Real fucking good.”

Kirishima grinned. “ I’m glad. So… was it the best day ever?”

He snorted. “ Close to it, I guess.”

“ Really?” Kirishima sighed dramatically, shaking his head. “ Aw, man. I guess we just gotta do one more thing to make it really awesome.”

The dorms approached, and as they swiped their passes and walked through the gates, Katsuki chuckled. “ Really?”

“ Yup,” Kirishima muttered to him, eyes crinkling happily. He said louder, to the others, “ Hey, are you guys going ahead? Can you, uh, leave us for a minute?”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, but Kirishima just beamed at him happily. Ashido seemed to send off a text or something, before slipping her phone back into her pocket, and giving a thumbs up. “ He’s all yours, loverboy.”

Kirishima’s face flushed. “ Wh- Shut. Now go!”

They laughed to each other and continued to talk, rushing up to the dorm building and swinging open the door, closing it behind them quickly before Katsuki could see anything inside. 

Katsuki frowned at the lifeless windows. One of the curtains twitched. “ The lights aren’t on. That’s not… normal. Should we–”

“ Stop worrying,” Kirishima laughed. “ They’re fine. Look, uh, I… wanted today to be good.”

“ I can see that, yeah,” Katsuki said, a ghost of a small, confused smile on his lips. 

“ Yeah, but it was for a reason ,” Kirishima rolled his eyes. His phone buzzed and he clicked his tongue like he knew who it was, but turned to start walking slowly towards the dorm doors. Katsuki hesitated, then followed. “ Look, uh, Katsuki?”

He raised an eyebrow. “ Where’s that coming from? ‘ Katsuki’ ?”

Kirishima spluttered. “ Y-You called me by my first name first!”

Katsuki shrugged with a teasing grin. “ True.”

“ Haha. Uhm, anyway, uh. I’m sorry that I had to lie to you, ‘cause I know that it probably got to you today and I felt like shit for it but I didn’t wanna ruin it, so…”

Katsuki stiffened and he frowned, turning to Kirishima. He continued before Katsuki could interrupt, “ Well, kinda lie. But, I hope it’s all worth it, dude.”

He eyed the door warily. “ What are you doing, idiot?”

Kirishima laughed. “ I’m not doing anything! Just, uh, open the door? … Wow, I’m terrible at this.”

Katsuki shook his head with a snort. “ Whatever.” He gave Kirishima an unimpressed look, then his gaze moved to the door. He approached it normally, trying to stop any caution (cause he’s not a fucking pussy) and his hand landed on the doorknob. He hesitated, and turned back to Kirishima with a raised eyebrow.

Kirishima smiled at him and walked closer, playfully hitting him on the arm. “ Go on, then.”

Katsuki snorted and turned the handle. It swung open, and there was a beat of silence in the dark dorm. He managed to take one or two steps forwards, before Kirishima whispered behind him, “ Happy Birthday, Kats.”

The room erupted. The lights switched on, confetti rained from the ceiling, and right in the middle of the room, his friends were gathered. They grinned brightly, and Katsuki had a split second to prepare himself, before they cheered, “ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KING EXPLOSION MURDER!”

Katsuki froze for a moment, and they all waited in silence. 

He bit his lip, but he couldn’t smother the smile. Nor the grin. Nor a small snort, or the way it shifted into a chuckle. 

“ You’re all fuckin’ idiots,” Katsuki laughed gleefully, and he had to say–

This was probably the best day he’d had in a very long fucking while.

The room cheered, and the party began.