Toshinori, Aizawa and the star of the day - Yamada Hizashi, birthday boy -- had gotten off work at nearly the same time this fine, sunny day. They had perhaps unconciously grouped together, each dressed casually as they relaxed on the couch in the teacher's dormitory.
Yagi leaned over intently. "Well, what <i>do</i> you want for your birthday?"
"I dunno." Hizashi sat slumped over, looking bored as he flipped through channels on the television. "Yer still takin' me out for karaoke later, right?"
"Yes."
"That's fine." He shrugged. "I, uh..." He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchenette, his ears burning faintly. "That's all I want. My friends with me."
Aizawa grunted faintly, and though most people couldn't discern his emotions through subtle sounds like this Hizashi knew his friend. He shot the sleepy bundle a warning look.
"Your birthday is on one of the most romantic days of the year," Yagi sighed. His sunken eyes followed the Voice Hero's in a knowing fashion.
"Yeah, <i>tanabata</i>."
Elly rummaged around in the cabinets, cursing a little in English as she searched for the tea she'd bought. "Aha!" She exclaimed as she dug the tiny tin out of the corner of the drawer it had somehow manifested in this time.
A shadow had been hovering in the hallway watching her and Eri appeared, her curiousity overcoming her shyness at last.
She scrunched her nose up and tugged at Elly's shirt sleeve. "E - excuse me, Miss Kitty..?"
The counselor bit her tongue to stifle the giggles that almost burst free at the child's nickname for her. "Yes, dear?"
"Why does Mr. Mic call you 'babygirl'?"
There was movement from the couch, a few intakes of breath and one snort as the teachers resting there overheard. Elly closed her eyes and took a deep breath before pouring hot water over her tea. "He's just being silly, that's all." She smiled down at the little girl. "Besides, that's the way he speaks. He called Eraser <i>baby</i> the other day, too."
"Nuh uh," she insisted vehemently, shaking her head. "That's <i>different</i>. He calls people listeners and sometimes, um, baby. But he only calls you baby<i>girl</i>."
"He - he does?" Elly couldn't control the blush that spread across her cheeks. She looked over at the couch this time to see who was sitting there.
Toshinori was huddled down trying to hide, though he was too tall and she could clearly see him shaking with excitement - he was a romantic at heart and spoke with her previously about the other man. Aizawa couldn't care less, his eyes closed and head tilted far back as he rested, but the man beside him was bolt upright with a blush on his ears that rivaled her own.
Their eyes met and he blinked rapidly several times before he jumped over the couch and darted down the hall into safety.
"Coward," she muttered, though not crossly.
"Yeah, he does," Eri insisted.
"Well, I <i>am</i> a girl, right? That's probably why."
Eri let out an exasperated sigh. "Noooo, he only calls <i>you</i> that. Not other girls, either."
"Hey, little listener!" Hizashi popped out from the hallway surprising them both. "I heard you got a question that involves me, yeah?"
"Mr. Mic!" She hopped with excitement. "You can answer me, can't you?"
"What's the question?"
"Why do you call her -" she gestured to Elly, "babygirl?"
"Ohhhhhh, that's <i>easy</i>!" His smile grew, though the blush had spread from his ears to across his nose and cheeks. "I do it 'cause Ches is my most super-special pretty city kitty."
To say that Eri was irritated wouldn't do the emotion justice - she blew out her cheeks and stomped one foot, a pout crossing her sweet little face. "<i>That's just more nicknames</i>!"
Hizashi chuckled awkwardly and took a deep breath. "Eri," he said in a low, serious voice.
"Huh?"
"It means she's very, <i>very</i> special to me." He reached out and took Elly's free hand in his while she carefully set the suddenly wobbly teacup on the counter. "Not like anyone else in the whole world."
"Ohhhhhhh." Eri absorbed this information and with the utter innocence of a child blurted out the inevitable. "Are you in love with her?"
He choked on a shaky inhale of air, his eyes wide. "I, uh... uh. Oh. <i>Wow, you're fulla questions today, huh</i>?! Did you write your <i>tanzaku</i> yet?" He pointed to the large bamboo branch decoration near the windows.
"Oh! Nuh uh, not yet." She looked at it and shook her head. "Someone has to help me -"
While she was distracted Hizashi tugged gently on Elly's hand, leading her off down the hall to dissapear in a room nearby. When Eri turned back she found herself abandoned and she groaned and stormed over to the couch.
"Why won't anyone answer me right?" She complained, crawling into Aizawa's lap. "Did I do okay? I don't get how that will make Mr. Mic have a happy birthday."
He cracked an eyelid to make sure she was settled and then shrugged. In his one hand he held a brightly colored strip of paper with neat writing on it which he handed to Toshinori. The tall man got up to place it back on the leafy branch beside another written in English.
"Trust me."
BONUS:
"What was <i>that</i> all about?" Elly asked breathlessly as she sat on the edge of Hizashi's Western-style bed.
"Was all what about?" He'd pulled her to the safety of his room without thinking and though she appeared confortable he was a mess. She'd seen his suite in the city during group outings and parties but never where he slept. Since the dorm only had single rooms with a bath in each she was literally in his bedroom and the thought burned into his brain, flashing like a neon sign and distracting him from anything else. "Whuh - ah... hey, babygirl, yer comin' tonight, yeah?"
"It's your birthday. I'd never miss it." She patted the sheets with a sly grin. "Silk?"
"It's for my hair," he said absently while he searched his desk. "I don't think I hung that up yet. Where the hell did it go?"
"You didn't answer Eri."
"Sure I did!" Hizashi jolted upright, his necklaces jingling.
"Were you going to ignore what you said and then not answer the other part?" She cocked her head up at him, eyes wide.
"No! Well, what I said, when I meant, I mean what I meant, I ..." He spluttered, stammering and slowly faltering to a stop. Hizashi sat on the bed next to her, his voice dropping lower than his usual tenor. "Okay, yeah. I've fallen in love with you. Was gonna tell you on a date if you said yes, someday, I don't know. I thought maybe after my birthday. But now, uh. I guess it's out." He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck.
"I'm so happy," she sighed, then added, "Despite the fact that it ruins the gift I was planning."
"Gift?"
She kissed him.
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