jirou's pov
i glance at my mirror again, turning a few times to make sure i look presentable at all angles, and brush a few dust specks off my jacket. my hands are starting to sweat from imagining the huge crowd of people waiting for me in the common room. although i spent nearly an hour getting ready, something just seems... off. every second that passes makes me more afraid; every pair of eyes would be watching me, judging me, focusing on me and only me. celebrating my birthday just seemed too egotistical in the past—i hated the prospect of people dedicating a day to just me. and then... "angel" stepped in to change all of that. i was grateful for the idea—no one had ever organized a party for me—but something tells me it'll go wrong. i just don't know what yet.
still, there's little point in dwelling on it. i open the door to my room and step out.
i walk downstairs carefully to see that the common room is entirely empty. am i early? my watch reads 7:12.
the room is blanketed in silence.
what a joke. what a sick, cruel joke. "angel" butters me up for weeks only to get my hopes up and then bails on my birthday. i have to admit; it's one of the most elaborate pranks i've ever been the victim of. and looks like it was effective, too.
i turn on my heel and start to head back to the lift when i hear a cacophony of voices yell, "SURPRISE!"
kaminari jumps out from behind a pillar, a grin on his face from ear to ear. i can't help but laugh when i turn back around to see the entirely of class 1-a with streamers hanging off their clothes, carrying ridiculous cone hats and smiling as wide as i am. deku sets off a party popper, flinching as it explodes. i'm struggling to hold back tears when y/n rushes up to me and envelopes me in a tight hug.
i hesitate for a moment before wrapping my arms around her and burying my face in her shoulder. her sweater is soft and rainbow confetti covers her hair and i forget everything i was worrying about.
before we pull away, i feel more arms around me, and soon we're all swaddled in a group hug.
i barely notice a tear fall down my cheek. i'll have to thank "angel" once this is all over.
"happy birthday, jirou!" momo says, picking a piece of confetti off of her shirt. i'm surprised that everyone came—even bakugo.
"look, sato made you a cake! isn't it cool?" hagakure calls, grabbing my hand and leading me to the table in the center of the room. a red velvet cake lays on a shiny platter, each of the two layers covered in dollops of white frosting. on top, the words "happy birthday" appear in golden icing, the letters curving and precise.
"sato, this is awesome! thank you so much," i tell him, hoping my appreciation shows on my face as much as i feel it. he stands behind the cake with a shy expression.
"it's your birthday, after all!" he responds, and begins to hand each of us paper plates.
once he distributes the cake, we all head over to the couches near the television and sit down. the bakusquad is unsurprisingly together, as is the dekusquad, so i take a seat with yaomomo, y/n, and tokoyami.
"ready to watch inception?" kirishima asks.
the group gives him a few affirmative nods and shouts.
"hey, before we start, can i say something?" i ask. i'm painfully aware of everyone staring at me, but i swallow my fear and continue. "i never celebrated my birthday with my friends before. well, i never celebrated much with my family either. i just assumed that i wasn't important enough to have a celebration. but..."
i lock eyes with y/n across the room. she's smiling back at me, her eyes alight and almost shimmering.
"you've all changed that for me. i can't thank you guys enough," i finish.
"we all love you, kero!" tsuyu chimes in.
the group cheers, adding in their own supportive words until everyone's voices blend together in a tornado of encouragement. i'm smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. i've never felt that way before.
"yeah, yeah, enough with the sappy stuff," kaminari says with a mouthful of cake muffling his words.
we all laugh, and i feel the tension in the room fade away.
koda fumbles with the remote until he finds the button for the movie, and hits play once we're all settled in.
half an hour in, i feel my eyelids start to slide shut. as much as i fight to stay awake, my head drops onto somebody's shoulders. my mind is spinning with thoughts but i can barely comprehend a single one. the owner of the shoulder doesn't seem to mind. i make myself comfortable, gripping their incredibly soft sweater until i'm cozy enough, and my eyes close for the last time before i drift off to sleep.
