From the front door of your apartment, there was a loud knock. It had taken you by surprise, not expecting any visitors at this time in the early afternoon. In fact, you had just gotten home from work and didn't see anyone following you or in the lobby. You hadn't even had a chance to change out of your work clothes.
"Coming, just give me a second!" You called, assuming it was Mr. Grate or something, or maybe Lydia, the girl at the front counter. In a swift motion, the apron around you once wore now laid across the floor, the vibrant yellow color sticking out from the white carpet. Now you stand looking at yourself in the mirror while only wearing a pair of baggy gray joggers and a plain black t-shirt.
Quickly, you rushed from your room to the door. It swung open to reveal two familiar people, though their presence took you by surprise. "Hey, (F/n)!" Mina shouts, looking up at you from the doorway. Next to her stands Kirishima.
"What are you two doing here? I just got home from work, so sorry if I smell ungodly." You joke, moving out of their way, allowing them into your home. They nodded to you and stepped in, kicking off their shoes and slowly finding a spot on the couch beside each other.
Kirishima was the first to speak. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?" He asks excitedly.
You froze, biting the inside of your cheek. "Um, I don't know. I don't have work, if that's what you mean."
"No, like, are you going out with anyone tomorrow? Make any plans?" The girl asks, looking over at you from the back of the couch.
"Tomorrow is my birthday, so I kinda just thought I'd hang out here." You rub your temples, sitting down in the creaky recliner adjacent to your friends.
"What?" They shout in unison, nearly knocking you off the chair. "And you're just telling us about it now?"
It took you a second to hear normally again, glaring at them. "Guys, I have neighbors that live on almost all sides of me, you need to keep your voices down." You say with a huff before crossing your arms. "And yeah, what's the big deal? It's just another year-"
"If you say closer to death, I'm going to call you Fumikage." Mina squints.
You nearly snort. "No, I was going to say it's just another year that's gone by. Nothing special."
The spiky haired boy seems to take legitimate offense by your words. "Nothing special? You're unbelievable. How old are you turning?"
"Sixteen." You cross one leg over the other while your arms fold over your chest.
"See! We have to celebrate it!" Mina's eyes shine as she looks you up and down. "We could invite you over to the dorms and have everyone sing happy birthday! We'll bake you a cake and do all that fun stuff for you!" Her and Kirishima look at each other, their fists balled and bouncing up and down in front of them.
A sigh passes through you as they settle a bit. "Guys I don't think I need a big celebration. So what, I'm turning sixteen. It's not that big of a deal." Your back leans against the beige fabric, causing it to rock backwards slightly.
The two friends glanced over at one another, their hearts heavy all of the sudden. "Why are you saying that?" The boy of the two asked.
"I've never really had a legitimate birthday celebration since I was like, I don't know, eight, maybe?" You say, shrugging your arms. "Before you two insist, I just don't think I have a lot of ambition to go over there and party with you all. No offense, of course, but my social battery has been drained for the week." You laugh softly.
Kirishima laughs and waves his hand before colliding his fists together. "None taken, believe me. How about we just have a chill hang out? Like, we can get everyone together, but we all take it easy?"
"You're lying to yourself if you say that's going to work out." Mina retorts with a grin.
"What do you mean, we can be laid back!"
The girl places a hand over her heart. "Our class? No chance. Bakugou and Midoryia will be fighting each other before they even walk into the common room." She huffs.
They bicker a little bit, causing you to smile. Their little group, Bakugou's little posse, was so comical. You enjoyed watching how they get along, even if it didn't look like that was the case. Especially these two, because they seemed to be childhood friends.
"Guys," You interrupt them, a bead of sweat forming down your cheek. "Really, it's okay. I wouldn't mind going out with a small group to a cafe or something, but the whole class seems a little much." You scratch the side of your face nervously with your index finger. "Plus, I'm not sure how you'd manage to get everyone in on it on such short notice. You'd only have tonight to tell anyone." Mina nods sadly, but Kirishima smiles. However, he keeps his thoughts to himself as the three of you begin to converse. The conversation goes on for about an hour before the two guests make their way out of your apartment, now leaving you to your own.
In the hallway and walking towards the stairs, Kirishima looks at Mina with a toothy grin. "What?" The girl asks, his infectious smile getting to her.
"Do you think Shoji knows that tomorrow is her birthday?" He asks.
Mina thinks before shaking her head, beginning to make the descent down the stairs. "(F/n) probably avoided telling everyone until just now." She states.
The red-haired boy nods, reaching the lobby. "Most likely." He pauses, following his friend out of the building and on the street. "Hey, I was thinking-"
"Oh, now that's scary." She teases.
With a glare, Kirishima lowers his gaze. "Hey, come on now, I'm not that bad. I don't think so, at least. Anyways, I was thinking that we should tell Shoji about her birthday." A smile formed on the boy's face.
"Well, obviously we're going to do that." Her arms cross over her chest.
He huffs before looking at his friend with an urgent stare. "Mina, think about it. You told me that they both like each other, what does that mean?"
"That they both like each other?"
"You're impossible." The boy hangs his head back and groans, looking at the sky. "We need to get him to confess to her tomorrow. You know, have it be the ultimate birthday present!" His irritation soon turns to excitement, now wanting to hurry back to the dorms to inform Shoji.
Mina raised an eyebrow and sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do much in the convincing. "He won't listen to me, man. I've tried, but I just don't get to him like I do (F/n)." She says, looking over the streets and the people that walk them. The night had been a peaceful one, surprisingly.
"I'll do it." Kirishima put a hand on his hip and pushed his thumb into his chest. "We aren't very close, but I'm sure I'd be able to convince him to confess." The smile he wears could light up a million rooms.
His friend nods and smiles brightly as they both walk up the path to their dorm building. Once they enter, they can still smell the baked goods that sit in the kitchen. It was a very welcoming and comforting scent. However, it's not something that the boy wanted to bother himself with. His objective was to inform his dupli-armed friend about (F/n)'s birthday. "I'll tell the rest of the class, but you should tell Bakugou, too." He hears from behind him, Mina smiling widely. The boy nods and heads for the stairs as his friend gets the attention of almost half the class in the common room.
Excitement passes through him as he climbs the stairs two at a time, nearly tripping on multiple occasions. In his mind, he thinks of ways to tell Shoji, how to talk to him about it, and what to say if he refuses. Of course, Kirishima knows he won't be able to force anything out of him, but it's worth the encouragement.
Once on his floor, the boy heads to the end of the hall, passing Bakugou's room completely. He knocks on the door and smiles. "Hey, it's Kirishima!" He announces, though is answered with nothing. The door stays closed, and there isn't even the sound of footsteps on the other side to signify he got up. Out of curiosity, he tries to get the boy's attention by knocking and announcing his presence once more. "Are you up, Shoji? It's a little early to be sleeping."
A few creaks from the floor allow Kirishima to assume the boy on the other side has finally decided to open the door. However, when it opens, Shoji stands before him in a way he's never seen any of his male friends. His hair, normally forward and in front of his eyes, crookedly only covers the right side of his face. It was ruffled, sticking up in certain spots that looked abnormal for the boy's appearance. At his sides lay six hands, each of which balled into a tight fist, with the exception of the one holding the door open.
When he spoke, it took him by surprise. "Do you need something?" It was obvious that he was trying to sound normal, but his voice was nasally and quiet. The sound of it reminded him of a sick person with an extremely stuffy nose.
"Woah, are you alright? Did you catch a cold or something?" His voice was filled with genuine worry.
The lights in the room were off, so it was hard to make out any distinguishing details about the boy's face. Though, his eyes were different. "No. Did you need something?" Shoji repeated, though his voice was just as calm.
As Kirishima spoke, the boy across from him formed a mouth on his left. "Actually, I have news for you. It's kind of short notice, but it's amazing news!" His eyes shine as he looks into his friend's emotionless ones. It was then he made the correlation between the voice, the hair, the eyes, and now how he wants to speak through a mouth on his side. The boy must have been crying.
However, he knew that bringing it up wasn't something he was not willing to do, nor was he sure of how to bring it up. "What is it?" The low, gravelly voice of his tentacle said.
"Tomorrow is (F/n)'s sixteenth birthday, and I have an idea! Can you please hear me out?" The red-haired boy looks up at his taller friend as he feels his eyes light up.