"What do you mean today's your birthday?!" Hizashi fumed, his hands in tight fists as he hovered inches away from Shouta's face.

"It's exactly what it means," he huffed, his eyebrow twitching in mild agitation as he pushed his friend's face out of his own personal bubble.

"But how come you never told me?! I thought we were best friends!" Hizashi dramatically cried, his already furrowed eyebrows somehow exaggerated even further from his disbelief.

"You never asked until now," Shouta mumbled, stuffing his hands into his uniform jacket as he continued walking towards campus. "You're also the one who proclaimed us best friends. I had no part in that."

"You didn't say 'no' when I told you the good news though!" the aspiring voice hero pointed out, puffing out his chest as he made quick strides beside his friend.

When Hizashi didn't receive a response, he hummed loudly in concentration, cradling his chin in one hand as he tilted his head to the side.

"So is there anything you want?"

"Some peace and quiet."

"I meant as a gift, you jerk!" Hizashi screamed. "Now that I know that today's your birthday, I have to give you something."

"No you don't," Shouta muttered, turning his head away from Hizashi as he hid behind his bangs.

Hizashi sighed, pouting his lower lip as he continued to stare at his best friend. As the chilly autumn wind blew against them, he suddenly realized that Shouta wasn't dressed for the weather at all. Although they had switched to their winter uniforms, there was no extra coverage to protect him from the cold. Hizashi on the other hand had already dawned on a pair of winter gloves, some earmuffs, and a red scarf.

God forbid the voice hero from catching a cold, he thought. His voice was his money maker.

As if struck by a paradigm shifting idea, Hizashi squeaked in excitement as he quickly unwound the red scarf around his neck and furiously wrapped it around Shouta's. The young erasure hero violently twitched, his arms flailing in reflex as he felt the cloth being thrown around his neck.

"Hi-Hizashi! What are you doing?!" Shouta grunted as his friend fussed with the scarf, straightening out the folds a bit before tying it into an unnecessary neat bow.

"It's short notice, but happy birthday, my friend!" Hizashi said, throwing jazz hands at him in celebration.

"What are you…" Shouta muttered in irritation before pausing, his eyes widening slightly as he tilted his head down to stare at the absurdly long scarf around his neck.

"It's nothing special, but it'll do for this year," Hizashi sheepishly said, suddenly nervous that his offhanded idea would come off as condescending, if not a tad rude since he had literally just torn off a piece of clothing he had been wearing and proclaimed it his best friend's birthday gift.

Shouta's eyes softened as his fingers played with a few stray strands of red thread, his lower face completely hidden behind the scarf. Hizashi added another regret to his list: he somehow managed to make it even harder for him to read his friend. As if Shouta's body language wasn't subtle enough, now Hizashi couldn't even decipher his bare minimal facial expressions during the fall and winter season.

As Hizashi groaned internally, fully ready to retract his spur of the moment gift by unravelling it so fast that it would twirl his friend around like a cartoon he saw, he heard a faint mumble behind the scarf.

"Hmm, did you say something?" Hizashi blinked rapidly in puzzlement.

Shouta appeared to shuffle in place, burrowing further into his new gift, his cheeks dusting a slight red. Whether it was from the chilly wind or embarrassment, Hizashi wasn't sure.

"I can't hear you, Shouta!" Hizashi pouted, leaning in more closely once again invading his friend's personal space.

"… said thanks," Shouta muttered, sinking further into the red scarf as his eyes narrowed at Hizashi.

"Thanks? So you like it?!" Hizashi squeaked, his voice cracking in jubilation.

"Yeah. It's warm," he simply replied. Hizashi assumed he was smiling behind the huge scarf. He had to resist the temptation to pull it lower to confirm his curiosity.

Hizashi's green eyes lit up as he broke out into a delighted smile.

"It's nothing extravagant, but it's the only last minute thing I could think of," Hizashi said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he bounced from joy. "But let me know what you want next time so that I can come prepared!"

Shouta's eyes trailed to his face, studying him for a brief moment before turning his gaze to the cement floor. His shoulders appeared to tense as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"There's something else you could give me that I would want," he carefully said.

"Yeah?! Really?! Something else that I could give you?!" Hizashi perked up like an excited puppy, his green eyes sparkling behind his tinted sunglasses.

He watched as Shouta hesitantly met his gaze. Shouta slowly lowered the scarf to his chin, walking over to Hizashi until he was standing face to face with him, effectively invading his personal space just as he had a few moments ago.

Hizashi's mouth went dry as he realized that Shouta's face was only inches away from his own, warm puffs of air heating his already reddening cheeks.

The two of them stood there in silence, no one dared to move a muscle. Hizashi's heart hammered against his chest as he felt blood rushing to the tips of his ears.

The lingering seconds that past felt like an eternity as Hizashi bit his lip in anticipation.

Shouta seemed to deflate when Hizashi made no sign of moving.

"Sorry, it was a stupid idea," he muttered, pulling the red scarf back over his lower face as he began to turn on his heel. "Let's forget this happened."

Hizashi squeaked at the dismissal, quickly grabbing Shouta by the crook of his elbow. Before anyone could change their mind again, Hizashi smashed his lips against Shouta's.

That is, that's what he had intended. Instead he found himself kissing the red scarf that was currently covering his best friend's mouth.

The two blinked at each other as if they were two deer caught in bright headlights. Hizashi gaped at Shouta's, slowly pulling away as he suddenly wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"Stupid," Shouta muttered, both from embarrassment and mild disappointment as Hizashi covered his burning red face in shame. He tugged the scarf down, gently placing a chaste kiss on the young voice hero's lips. He quickly retreated back behind the red scarf after the kiss, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in nervousness.

"Hey, Shouta," Hizashi finally said in what could only be a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday," he said, giving him a quick kiss on his forehead. Their foreheads remained touching after the gentle gesture. Hizashi swore his heart was about to explode right then and there.

"Yeah, I look forward to next year," Shouta quietly replied, his smile hidden behind the first precious gift he had received for his 15th birthday.