Katsumi, Eri, and Mirio had made their way outside the gym towards the back where the rest of Class 1-A was cleaning up from the concert. Eri seemed eager to find Midoriya and talk to him about the performance.
Luckily, Mirio was able to spot the busy green-haired boy and call him over. Katsumi gave him a smile as he came over to them. He looked down at Eri, who immediately began to go into an exposition about her experience of the concert. Her bright eyes shone with excitement and happiness, the same smile from before still on her face as she giddily recalled everything from their performance.
Katsumi looked up at Midoriya, seeing happy tears in his eyes because of Eri's smile. When Eri noticed, she paused, looking at him with a worried look. Midoriya wiped his eyes and gave Eri a heartwarming smile.
"I'm so glad you had fun."
Eri smiled again at Midoriya.
Before he could talk to Eri more, he was interrupted by Mineta, who seemed overly anxious to get everything cleaned up in a hurry. Midoriya gave an apologetic smile to them before saying he'd be back after cleanup, and he ran off to help.
"I think I should help too," Katsumi said. "I can at least do something to make it easier for them."
As she started to walk towards her classmates, she felt a tug on her hand. Eri had run up to her, a wide smile on her face.
She motioned for Katsumi to bend down, and Katsumi complied, getting eye-level with Eri.
"I understand what you meant the other day," Eri's eyes shone. "What it really means to be a hero. I get it now!"
Katsumi smiled. "Really? That's wonderful! I'm so glad."
Eri nodded her head. "Heroes are people who make you happy and who are always there to make you smile. They save you in more than one way, right?"
Katsumi could have cried at the simple yet profound analysis Eri had just given her.
"Yes, that's right."
"Lemillion and Deku really are my heroes, then," Eri held Katsumi's hand. "And you are too. You're one of my heroes."
Katsumi couldn't help the tear that dripped from her left eye. She squeezed Eri's hand tight, giving the small child a wide smile. Katsumi could hardly express how happy that simple statement had made her.
"You know what, Eri?" Katsumi spoke after she got her emotions under control. "You're one of my heroes too."
Eri's eyes got wide. "Really? Me?"
"Yes," Katsumi nodded. "You make me so happy."
Eri's smile grew wide and she made an adorable little gasp of happiness. "I'm so glad!"
Katsumi drew Eri into a hug, wiping away the tear that had gone down her face. When Eri pulled back, she had an inquisitive look in her eyes.
"Do you have heroes too, like Lemillion and Deku?"
"I do," Katsumi confirmed. She looked around before she pointed to Kirishima and Kaminari. "Those two are heroes of mine, and dear friends. They are some wonderful people."
She then pointed to Bakugo, who was melting some ice. "Then there's him. He's...he's a hero I owe everything to. He's helped me in ways I'll never be able to repay, but he never expects anything from what he gives."
"He looks angry," Eri pouted. "Is he scary?"
Katsumi let out a little laugh at Eri's assessment. She didn't notice Bakugo had caught her pointing him out to Eri.
"No, he's not scary. He's actually incredibly sweet."
Eri looked back to Katsumi, her head tilted. "So he's your hero?"
Katsumi nodded. Eri smiled. "Does he know that?"
Katsumi felt herself pause. She hadn't ever really said it out loud to Bakugo before. It may have been implied over the time they spent together, but she was never courageous enough to say those words out loud. It was something she wanted to change.
She gave Eri a soft smile. "No, not yet. But he will...soon."
"I'm sure it'll make him happy," Eri encouraged. "You made me really happy when you said I was one of your heroes. He will be the same way!"
Katsumi put a hand on top of her head and gave her a smile. "Yeah, you're right, Eri. I think he would be happy to hear that."
Eri smiled before she looked over her shoulder, seeing Mirio waiting for her. She turned back to Katsumi.
"You won't be too long, right? We'll wait for you."
"Sounds good," Katsumi nodded, standing back up. "I won't take too long."
Eri ran back over to Mirio, who picked her up and began talking to her. Katsumi saw Eri say something to him, and she saw tears come to Mirio's eyes and he gave her a huge hug. A smile came to Katsumi's face.
She knew exactly what Eri had said to him.
"Oi," Katsumi turned around at the familiar voice, seeing Bakugo walking up to her, his eyebrow raised. "Why were you pointing to me out to that little girl earlier?"
"Oh, um..." Katsumi fiddled her fingers. "That's the girl I've been helping."
"I pieced that together myself, strangely enough," Bakugo drawled. "You two thoroughly seemed to enjoy the concert. But that still didn't answer my question."
Katsumi thought about the short conversation she had with Eri. The small child was right; it was something that needed to be said. Katsumi just feared that saying those words, like that feeling she got weeks ago when she tried to tell him for the first time, would change everything. And she didn't know in what way.
"She was asking about who my heroes were, so I was explaining to her who they were and why," Katsumi whispered. She saw Bakugo's posture stiffen at the insinuation from her words. But she didn't stop there. Katsumi looked up to meet his eyes, a smile growing on her face.
"You're my hero, Katsuki."
She watched as Bakugo's eyes grew wide, his lips parted slightly in shock. It was obvious he really didn't expect her to say those words to him.
In Bakugo's mind, he had wished that maybe one day he could be her hero. He wanted to be a hero she would be proud of.
And now, as she smiled up at him, her words freshly ringing in his ears, his heartbeat quickened. The shock slowly began to fade away and the meaning of those words began to settle in his heart and mind.
Katsumi's heart was beating fast, and its beat continued to quicken when she saw the smile that came to Bakugo's face. It was, perhaps, the softest and most sincere smile he had ever given her before.
Bakugo lifted his hand and gently moved it across Katsumi's cheek. His red eyes were soft and full of so much emotion at the moment that Katsumi almost couldn't process it.
"Katsumi," Bakugo whispered out in a comforting tone. "I-"
"Hey, Bakugo! Miyamoto! We need your help over here!"
Both Katsumi and Bakugo jumped at the sound of their names being called. The two turned around to see Sero and Kirishima waving them down.
Irritation flooded Bakugo's face and he shouted out a rude reply to their friends. Katsumi let out a breath, the tension from the previous situation disappearing.
"Dammit," Bakugo grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he started to walk. Katsumi followed behind him. His eyes slid over to her. "Well, I guess we can talk later."
Katsumi gave him a small nod, trying not to blush. She was proud that she had actually gotten the words out of her mouth without stuttering or stumbling over herself. But she hadn't fully prepared herself for any sort of conversation following that.
As she cleaned up, the more she thought about the way Bakugo had looked at her. It was so soft, and happy, and...full of so much emotion. Katsumi wasn't used to seeing so much emotion on Bakugo's face. He was usually so good at masking his emotions or controlling what he showed.
Apparently her words meant that much to him.
When they all finished cleaning up, Katsumi excused herself again so she could meet back up with Mirio and Eri. Just as Eri had said, they had waited for her.
It seemed that everyone had the same destination, though: the Beauty Pageant.
Everyone was gathered around a stage, and Midoriya came up to the three of them, waving excitedly. He held Eri in his arms so she would be able to see the stage.
"Are you having a good time?" Midoriya asked Katsumi, who smiled and nodded.
"The concert was amazing. You all did such a great job."
"Thank you!" Midoriya smiled. "I'm hoping the rest of the Festival is just as much fun."
"I hope so too!"
The Beauty Pageant was exciting. Katsumi thought Hado had done a beautiful job with using her quirk to make that flower in the air. She was entranced by how pretty it had been. Katsumi also noticed how enthralled Eri had been during the performances too.
But as the main event ended, everyone began to scatter to do their own things for the Festival. Katsumi stuck to Eri, Mirio, and Midoriya the entire time. They took Eri to so many different stalls and places for her to experience, and Eri's smile continued to grow bigger and bigger as the day continued.
Midoriya had disappeared for a short while, but he found them again as the Festival ended. Katsumi was actually a little sad that this fun and eventful day had ended. She was even more sad that Eri would have to leave.
They stood with Aizawa at the gate, and Eri began to tell everyone goodbye, with a promise from Aizawa that they would see her again very soon.
Midoriya perked up before he crouched in front of Eri, pulling out a candied apple from behind his back.
"Surprise!"
Eri's eyes were wide with admiration for the sweet treat as she took it from his hands. Midoriya explained how he wasn't sure it would be available, so he bought ingredients to make one for her.
Eri bit down on the candied apple, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "It's even sweeter!"
Midoriya gave her a bright smile. "I'll make it again sometime."
The three students gave Eri one last hug before waving her off, bidding her a farewell for now.
"I really hope we see her soon," Katsumi smiled. "It was amazing to see her smile."
"She's not the only one," Midoriya looked over to her. "I've never seen you smile this much either."
Katsumi looked at him a little shocked, and Mirio gave a little laugh. "He's right! You haven't stopped smiling today!"
Katsumi's face softened, her lips curved upwards. "Thank you."
Midoriya and Katsumi said goodbye to Mirio before the two of them headed back towards the dorms.
"Today went by so fast," Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't believe its already evening."
"I understand what you mean," Katsumi sighed. "It was such a fun day."
The two continued to make small talk until they got to the front steps of the dorms. Midoriya gently grabbed Katsumi's arm, halting her from walking up to the door.
"What is it?" Katsumi looked at him curiously. Midoriya gave her a small smile.
"Sorry, I just wanted to ask you a question before we walked back inside."
Katsumi raised an eyebrow but nodded, patiently waiting for Midoriya to ask his question. He seemed a little nervous, and she saw him look down to check his phone before he looked back up at her.
"Eri said we were her heroes, and that she wouldn't have realized that without your help," he began. He must've been referring to a conversation they had during festival. Katsumi nodded. "Do you consider Kacchan your hero?"
Katsumi looked a little surprised at his question. It seemed very random, but she supposed it was warranted.
"I do," she gave a small smile. "He is my hero. I only gained the courage to tell him that because of Eri. I told him after the concert."
Midoriya gave her a wide smile. "That's awesome! What did he say?"
"W-well..." Katsumi fiddled with her fingers. "We didn't really get the chance to talk. But I'm pretty sure he was happy about it."
"I'm sure he is," Midoriya looked excited, his hands in fists as he holds them up. "Kacchan may not seem like it, but he gets really happy about things like that!"
Katsumi gave him a soft smile. "I think so too. Who is your hero, Midoriya?"
"All Might!" He answered immediately. "He always saves people with a smile, and growing up, he was and is my biggest inspiration. He's the one who made me want to be a hero."
"All Might is wonderful," Katsumi complimented. "He's a great hero."
"I want to be a great hero like him one day," Midoriya had a smile on his face as he looked down at his hands. "I don't want to waste anything I was given."
Katsumi tilted her head at the 'given' part of his statement before she assumed it was something similar to her: she was given a chance by Aizawa. Maybe Midoriya was given a chance by All Might in some way.
"I don't want to waste what I was given either," Katsumi smiled. "But you know, Midoriya, you're already a great hero. Especially to Eri."
Midoriya blushed a little at the compliment before he let out a little laugh. "That's true. I want to continue that path and be the number 1 hero one day."
"Isn't that kind of the same goal that Katsuki has?"
"Kind of," Midoriya sighed. "We are kind of competing to be the best in our own ways. Do you have that same drive?"
Katsumi immediately shook her head. "No, I don't think I'd ever want that. But...for me, I think I want to be the best hero for the ones I can help. Even if I don't end up helping everyone, if I can help those like me...like Eri, and be a good hero for them, then that's enough for me."
When she looked Midoriya in the eye, he had a soft smile on his face. "I think that's wonderful, Miyamoto. You're a fantastic hero."
Katsumi blushed a little at the compliment, looking down at her hands. "Thank you."
"Come on, let's go inside now," Midoriya gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry for asking you such odd questions."
The two began to walk again, and Katsumi shook her head. "I don't mind. It's nice getting to know you better."
"Likewise," Midoriya said as he opened the door for Katsumi. She quietly thanked him and the two were about to go to the common area when he stopped her again with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, but I was told to do this. Do you trust me?"
Katsumi looked at him utterly confused. "Do what?"
Midoriya stood behind her and placed his hands over her eyes, blocking her vision. "Mi-Midoriya?"
"I'll lead you. It's only for a little bit."
Katsumi tried to settle the anxiety in her stomach and nodded her head. She carefully stepped forward, listening to Midoriya's instruction on when to turn and when to keep walking. Katsumi was more than curious and confused as to what he was doing and who asked him to do this.
"Okay, stop." Midoriya said and Katsumi stopped walking. "Now close your eyes."
Katsumi did as she was told and felt Midoriya lift his hands away from her eyes. "Now open!"
Katsumi opened her eyes, blinked a few times, before they went extremely wide.
"SURPRISE!!"
Everyone from Class 1-A were gathered around the common area, decorations were set up everywhere, and she saw Midnight, All Might, Present Mic, Aizawa, and Eri among everyone. Katsumi looked at them all in complete shock.
"W-what-?"
Bakugo stepped forward with a grin on his face. "Happy Birthday, Katsumi."
Katsumi's eyes were wide as she looked around. There were fancily-wrapped boxes sitting on a table and she saw a large cake with the number '16' on it. Everyone was smiling at her.
"Th-this...is for me?"
"It's a birthday party!" Kirishima cheered. "I told you we'd throw you one!"
Mina looked at everyone. "Okay, on three, ready?"
Everyone grabbed what look to be some sort of decoration, and they all held it up towards Katsumi.
"One, two, and three!" Mina cheered. They all pulled on a string and out popped streamers much like the ones that were flying around at the concert. Katsumi looked up in awe as they floated around, a few landing on her arms.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"
Katsumi's eyes shone with tears as she gave everyone a huge smile, listening to their cheers. She wiped her eyes, looking at everyone who was there.
She'd never had a birthday party before. She'd never celebrated her birthday before. All the years of torture and bad connotations surrounding her birthday slipped from Katsumi's mind as the warm, loving embrace from the scene in front of her consumed her mind.
"Thank you!"
Mina lunged for Katsumi, enveloping her in a hug. Katsumi let out a gasp, but giggled as Mina spun her around.
"We've been planning this for weeks! It was so hard to keep it a secret from you!"
Mina began to lead Katsumi over to the couch. Katsumi looked at her friend in shock. "Really?"
"You should really thank Bakugo, Kaminari, and Kirishima," Sero said as he caught her attention. "They're the ones who started this whole surprise thing."
Katsumi looked over at the three mentioned, and all three had grins on their faces.
It was a little overwhelming, Katsumi had to admit, and she had no idea where to start or what to do. She seemed to be at a loss for how much she wanted to express her gratitude.
"We should start with presents!" Mina suggested. Katsumi looked over at Aizawa as a silent plea for an explanation.
Aizawa smiled at the child before he gestured to the table in front of her. Katsumi looked to where he was looking, seeing those fancily wrapped packages. Were those presents?
"They're like gifts," Katsumi nearly jumped at the voice in her ear. She turned around to see Bakugo leaning across the back of the sofa so his face was right next to hers. A grin came to his lips. "Gifts everyone got especially for you on your birthday."
"W-what?" Katsumi gasped. "But I didn't get anything for anyone!"
Her half-panicked response drew laughter from some of her friends and classmates.
"That's kind of the point of a birthday," Kaminari laughed. "Everyone gets to spoil you with presents. You aren't supposed to get things for others."
"O-oh," Katsumi felt a little silly being the center of attention for once. "Okay."
"Here," Momo stepped up to the table and grabbed two of the presents. She had a bright smile as she handed it to Katsumi, her eyes sparkling. "This one is from all the girls! We got together for these."
Katsumi hesitantly grabbed both from her hands, a small smile on her face. She looked down at both of them before she heard Bakugo's voice in her ear again.
"Just rip the paper off. Have fun with it."
Katsumi focused on the first one and ripped open the paper, jumping a little as it tore in different places. A small smile came to her face as she continued to unwrap the gift, her eyes going wide as she saw three sets of clothing snuggly fit inside a box.
A gasp left her lips as she held up the first one: a long-sleeved blue dress. It was beautiful. Katsumi's eyes were wide as she looked down to see more. She pulled out a long-sleeved pink top, a tan skirt, and tights to go on underneath it.
"These are all so beautiful!" Katsumi breathed out. "Thank you!!"
"There's one more!" Ochaco clapped her hands together before pointing to the small package Katsumi hadn't opened yet.
Overwhelmed with joy, Katsumi set the clothes back down into the box carefully before she opened up the second present.
Inside was a camera. Katsumi blinked a few times before she looked up. All the girls were looking at her with smiles.
"It's a disposable camera," Ochaco explained. "So you can take pictures of everyone together tonight and print them off so they can hang in your room! They can be your decorations."
Katsumi clumsily set the two gifts down before she lunged for her friends. Ochaco and Momo laughed as Katsumi engulfed both of them in hugs. Mina, Kyoka, Hagakure, and Tsu all joined in the hug, surrounding the happy girl.
"Thank you all so much! I love them!!"
"Come on, don't get all mushy yet," Kyoka teased. "You still have a lot to open!"
Mina led a hesitant Katsumi back to her seat, where she was handed a present from Midoriya, who had a smile on his face.
"This is from me, Iida, and Todoroki."
Katsumi smiled before she looked down. She opened up the present, her eyes shining at the two books hidden within.
"These are self-defense books!" Katsumi exclaimed. Iida and Todoroki stood beside Midoriya, and Iida waved his hands towards the books in her hand.
"We all thought they would be very practical and good for you to continue your training as a hero, too."
"I hope you like it." Todoroki murmured.
Katsumi beamed at the three of them. "I love them. Thank you!"
Before Katsumi could get up to give them a hug or anything, she was handed the next present from Kirishima. He was smiling brightly at her.
"Its from me, Sero, and Kaminari."
Katsumi smiled back at him and nodded, now feeling excited about opening up her presents. It was a white-knit scarf, and with it was a pair of gloves and three choker necklaces: one black, one red, and one yellow.
"We didn't know if you had many accessories, especially with winter coming up," Kaminari smiled. "The chokers are just personal preference."
Katsumi smiled, running her hands over the material of the scarf. "It's all beautiful. Thank you!"
Sato's gift was his recipe for making cake, with the promise that he would teach her how to make it. Shoji gave her a bouquet of blue flowers, Aoyama gave her a platter of fresh cheese, Tokoyami gave her a book of poetry, and Ojiro and Koda gave her a small stuffed bear that said 'Happy Birthday'.
"Here," Mina said with a big smile as she handed Katsumi the last present on the table. It was a small box. "This one's from Bakugo."
Katsumi looked over her shoulder, meeting Bakugo's gaze. He had a small grin on his face, but he looked away from her eyes, looking down at the box. Katsumi ripped off the wrapping before she opened up the jewelry box.
Inside were two charm bracelets. Katsumi held them up, her eyes shining as an awed smile was on her face.
One bracelet had five charms and the other had six. Every charm there represented an attribute of her quirk, and the eleventh charm was what looked like a small explosion. Katsumi felt her heart race; it was Bakugo's quirk.
"It's beautiful," Katsumi whispered, putting on both of the charm bracelets. When she finished, she held both her hands up in the air, the charms clinging against one another. "I love them!"
Bakugo turned away from her, a small blush on his face.
"Katsumi?"
Katsumi turned to see Eri walking up to her. She was shyly holding her hands behind her back.
"I don't have a present...but I did draw this for you!"
Eri pulled out a piece of paper from behind her back and held it up to Katsumi for her to see. Katsumi's eyes began to water when she saw the drawing Eri made.
It was her and Eri walking around in what Eri had depicted as a field of flowers.
"It's absolutely perfect!" Katsumi gingerly took the drawing, her smile wide as she picked Eri up and sat her in her lap. "It's the best drawing I've ever seen."
"You like it?!" Eri asked excitedly.
"I love it!"
Katsumi squished Eri in a hug, earning a smile from the small child. She looked around at everyone, tears in her eyes as a her smile stayed plastered on her face.
"Thank you...all of you. This is the best birthday I've ever had!"
"It's not over yet!" Kirishima cheered. "We still have cake!"
Katsumi clapped out of excitement, but before anyone cut it, Todoroki carefully lit the two candles on top of the cake with his fire.
"You have to make a wish, Katsumi." Mina explained. "Wish for something good for this next year and blow out the candles!"
As she thought, everyone began to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Katsumi, with Kyoka leading the song. Her eyes looked around, tears gathering in the bottom of them as Mina held up the cake so she could blow out the candles.
Katsumi glanced over her shoulder once, seeing Bakugo softly sing the song to her as well. Her heart tightened in her chest and she looked back at the cake.
When they finished, Katsumi drew in a breath before she blew out the candles. Everyone clapped and cheered, and as soon as Mina set the cake back down, Sato moved to cut into it so everyone could have some.
Katsumi and Eri got their pieces first, and she was laughing with Eri as she tried cake for the first time too.
Eri was delighted at the sweetness of the dessert, and the two heartily ate their pieces of cake, making small talk with everyone around them.
When Katsumi finished her cake, she got up to go around and thank everyone. Even though she didn't know every single one of her classmates that well, they had taken the time to get something for her.
She made sure to thank everyone before she walked over to the teachers who were present.
"Thank you so much for coming," Katsumi bowed to them. "And for bringing Eri. I...I'm so happy."
Midnight brought Katsumi into a hug. "You'd be crazy if you thought I'd miss your birthday celebration!! All this youth is so good for my heart."
When Midnight released her, All Might ruffled her hair, a smile on his face. "I'm happy we were able to do something for you. You deserve everything you got tonight, and so much more."
Present Mic shot his little finger guns at her. "You deserve the biggest of celebrations! Happy Birthday, Katsumi!"
"Thank you."
Katsumi turned to Aizawa, who was reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a packet of paper before he handed it over to Katsumi.
"Happy Birthday, Katsumi."
Katsumi didn't notice the huge smiles on all the teachers' faces as she unfolded the papers to read what it said. Her eyes scanned over the words and her mouth dropped open. She looked up at Aizawa with wide eyes.
"They're...adoption papers?"
A smile came to Aizawa's face. "It's been long enough. I figured we should go ahead and make it official."
Tears welled up in Katsumi's eyes and she ran into Aizawa's arms, holding him as close as she possibly could. She began to cry out of joy, a small smile on her face as she sobbed.
Aizawa held her close, not caring anymore about the curious looks he was getting from the students who didn't know the situation.
She finally pulled away, using one hand to wipe away her tears while the other tightly clutched the papers.
The brightest smile was on her face as she looked at her father. "Thank you, Dad. I'm so happy."
Aizawa put a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair like All Might had done. "I am too. We'll discuss all the details tomorrow. For now, just celebrate."
Katsumi nodded her head, smiling broadly. "Yes! I will!"
With Aizawa's encouragement, she went back over to her friends, and happy showed them the adoption papers. Mina and Kyoka cried tears of joy with Katsumi as they hugged her, while Kirishima and Kaminari cried beside them. Sero tried comforting the crying group of friends, but was unable to do so. Bakugo stood to the side with his arms crossed, a big smile on his face as he looked on.
A small tug on Bakugo's pants caught his attention and he looked down to see Eri. He knelt down so he was eye level with the small child.
"What is it?"
"You're Katsumi's hero, right?" she asked. "She told me that she told you that."
A small smile came to Bakugo's face. "Yeah, that's right."
Eri beamed at him. "Then will you make her happy like she is today? I love seeing my sister happy like this!"
Bakugo looked at the little girl surprised before his eyes softened and he held up his pinky finger to her.
Eri looked at his pinky confused. "What's that?"
"It's called a pinky promise," Bakugo explained, finding humor in the similarities between Eri and Katsumi. "You wrap your pinky around mine. That means I'll keep my promise to you."
Eri's eyes sparkled with wonder at the newfound knowledge, holding up her tiny pinky to wrap around Bakugo's.
"I promise I'll make her happy, Eri."
Eri smiled broadly and nodded to him, overjoyed. "Thank you! What's your name?"
"Bakugo Katsuki."
"Thank you, Bakugo!"
Eri skipped off to find Katsumi, and Bakugo watched as she lifted Eri into the air when the little girl got to her.
The celebration lasted another hour or so before Aizawa had to leave with Eri, as the little girl was getting sleepy. Once he headed out, the other teachers began to leave, and some of the students began to go do their own things after wishing Katsumi Happy Birthday one last time.
Kirishima and Bakugo helped Katsumi take her presents to her room, where he was ready to retire for the evening after such a long and eventful day.
Kirishima, catching on to the look Bakugo was giving him, gave Katsumi one last hug before wishing her goodnight.
Katsumi looked at all the gifts on her desk, a happy smile on her lips as Bakugo came up behind her.
"I hope you've had a good birthday," he murmured. "You seemed to have fun."
"This is the best day of my life," Katsumi admitted. "I've never been so happy before. I've never had a reason to celebrate my birthday or see it in a positive way. To be honest, I kind of forgot about my birthday."
"We didn't," Bakugo came up beside her, a soft smile on his face. "We were all determined to make you have the best day."
Katsumi looked up at him. "You succeeded. I'll never forget today. Everyone was so incredibly sweet and nice, and they gave me such amazing gifts. I've never had so much before!"
"Mina was in charge of the camera tonight, right?" Bakugo asked. Katsumi nodded. "Then you'll be sure to get some amazing photos in a day or two."
"I'm really excited for that." Katsumi admitted. She looked down at her wrists, his presents quietly dangling.
"I love these bracelets," she whispered. "They're perfect."
"I'm glad you like them," Bakugo moved his hand up to her head. "I hoped you would."
Katsumi beamed. "I love them!"
"Katsumi..." Bakugo looked down at her. "I have one last present for you, if you'll accept it."
Her eyes widened. "A-another one? Katsuki, you've already given me so much!"
A chuckle left his lips. "This is a gift from the heart."
Katsumi blinked a few times, riddling out what Bakugo meant. Bakugo's hand slid to Katsumi's jaw, tilting her head up ever so slightly. Her eyes widened in understanding.
Katsumi's heart thumped in her chest as he leaned in, his eyes flitting from her lips up to her eyes. He hovered close to her face, their shared anticipated breaths filling the empty air. Bakugo met her eyes one more time.
"I love you, Katsumi."
After those whispered words, Bakugo brought his lips to Katsumi's, kissing her with as much passion as he could muster. Katsumi stiffened momentarily before her body relaxed, her eyes closing as she kissed him back. Her mind was whirling around and her heart was going crazy against her chest, but despite all the chaos inside her heart and mind, there was absolute peace in their kiss.
When Bakugo pulled away, both of their cheeks were flushed. Bakugo gently brushed the hair away from Katsumi's eyes as she shyly met his gaze. A big smile crept onto Bakugo's face as he looked at her.
"Happy Birthday, Katsumi."
THIS IS THE CHAPTER. Ugh I loved this one so much. So many good feels! So much fluff! I love it! I hope y'all enjoyed it just as much as I did!