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Number 6 stirred in his bed as he awoke. His face had melted off during his sleep and reverted back to its wrinkly, featureless form. The rest of his body had also reset to its true self, grey-green skin covering what parts of him hadn’t liquified. He was used to it by now. It happened every night.
He flung his hand to the other side of the mattress, groping around blindly for a warm presence. His claws squished the cold and empty blanket as realization slowly set in. She’d already left.
He sat up, reforming his gooey body to a somewhat recognizable shape, before putting his ‘face’ in his palms. Naka had been going to classes early this semester, and he missed wishing her a good morning before she left. Sure, he’d see her around lunch since she always stops into the cafe he works at, but that was still such a painfully lengthy time without her. And 6 did not like being alone.
He threw on a robe before making his way to the kitchen, not bothering to put on a face or dissolve his monstrous features. His claws clicked against the floor, his tail swishing behind him as he walked. If Arya was still home and got disgusted by his current state, it would be her problem.
He grabbed a mug from the cupboard (a mug that Naka had bought him; the one with a smiling cat and ‘you’re my silly’ written in funky bubble letters) and filled it with water. He couldn’t be bothered to make tea. His ever-aching body was being particularly bothersome this morning, so water would have to do.
Number 6 took a sip, before a familiar “Morning, love,” startled him so much that the water almost came shooting right back out of his mouth.
“Naka?! Wha-what’re you still doin’ here? You’re gonna be late! Are you a moron or just nuts?”
“Late?” She asked. “Who said I’m even going to class today?”
6 was taken aback, his flat face crinkling a bit.
“I’m sorry? Love. Dear. This weekend you were whining to me about some painting you’re s’posed work on. This ain’t a smart use of time, especially when you got stuff to do!”
“Relax, Six.” Naka said calmly. She walked over to him, reaching one hand to trace his golden, glowing scar while the other played with his hair. “I promise it’ll be worth it.”
He scrunched his face even more, saying sarcastically, “Yep. Mhm. If ya say so.”
“Oh come on, have faith. Here, let me prove it!” She giggled. “I’ve got a surprise for you. Put on your face, sweetie. You need your eyes for this one.”
Number 6 groaned before putting his clawed hands to his face, hiding it as it bubbled and changed. He knew Naka didn’t care about how grotesque his transformations were, but he still felt somewhat self conscious- especially since their roommate, Arya, loved to spit insults about his inhuman appearance on the daily.
His face seared and he had to stifle a whimper. The bomber cells of his body were never quite the same after he went ‘lightening style’, and since then, quirk use wasn’t recommended. Still, he couldn’t go around looking like some no-faced freak, so he didn’t listen to the doctors; at least when it came to his shapeshifing.
When he removed his hand, his face wasn’t featureless anymore, instead it resembled a certain hero whom 6 knew far too well. He blinked his reformed eyes as they adjusted to the light.
Naka smiled at him before she twirled away, gesturing to the small dining table that the three housemates shared. She exclaimed, “I even got out the glass plates! The paper ones we usually use wouldn’t cut it for today!”
On its surface sat a plate with a small, white cake adorned with red berries. It wasn’t much, probably bought from the grocery store, but 6 noticed it had something written on its top. He took a few steps closer so he could read it, Naka looking towards him with anticipation. The writing was yellow-orange, poorly scrawled on by someone who clearly wasn’t used to writing in icing. It took him a second to read it through the bad handwriting.
‘ To my lovely hero, Happy Birthday’
“Happy birthday?” 6 asked. “But, I ain’t got a birthd-“
Naka interjected, “I know you don’t. But- and I know you’re gonna call me crazy for remembering this- March 24th was the birthday you put in Marukane’s system. So I thought that since we don’t know yours, we could just… celebrate it today.”
“H-how’d you even remember that? I couldn’t tell you what bogus date I put in that calendar.”
“I… I wrote it down.” She looked down, a small blush painting her cheeks.
“Huh?” he asked. “All the way back then?” Why?”
“I just wanted to do something nice for you. Too bad your birthday fell a few weeks before we met. By the time it came back around, it was long after you’d sent me here to America and gone back to your villainous ways.”
He looked at her with a perplexed expression before shaking his head.
“Dunno why I’m so surprised,” he said sheepishly, putting a hand behind his neck. “You were always so nice to me, and lookin’ back it was plain as day that you were looking for my attention, but the idea that you put my birthday down somewhere is still hard to wrap my head around. Guess I’m still not used to the idea of people doing somethin’ nice for me, huh?”
“Oh, Six. You make me so sad sometimes, you know that?” Naka replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I get that your upbringing wasn’t great, so it’s okay if it’s hard to accept when someone does you a favor. Let’s just pretend I did this for myself, if that makes you feel any better.”
She flashed him a loving look, hoping to get his mind off of his past.
When he didn’t respond, Naka threw her other arm around 6’s neck and hung off of it. He returned the embrace, moving his still-inhuman arm to rest on her waist. The two stood for a few seconds, enjoying the warmth and comfort of each other’s touch.
“Now come on, love,” she added, her fingers intertwining with his claws. “How about we enjoy your cake, okay?”
He finally smiled again, his sharp canines glinting in the morning glow.
“Sure! I’d be down for that!”
With a cheerful whistle, he grabbed a knife with his free hand and began to cut the sweet, fluffy brick. Layers of cream and strawberry bled out in the wake of his blade, dripping out thickly like his own bomber cell skin.
He stared down at the cake, eyes filled with some sort of nostalgic longing. He whispered, “I wish I could still use Overclock. Well, without feeling like I’m burning, that is. I’d dice that cake at lightning speeds and leave ya speechless.”
Naka, who’d since taken a seat across from him, watched intently as he wielded the knife, as if he was doing something impressive and not simply cutting their sugary breakfast.
“You don’t need your quirk to do that, Six,” she hummed. “You can do that at normal speeds.”
He looked up from the cake, shooting his lover a smug smirk. 6 pulled back the sleeve of his robe and flexed his arm dramatically, the thin skin highlighting the muscles underneath.
“Speechless yet?”
Naka rolled her pitch black eyes. “Finish getting the cake,” she said, a playful annoyance tinting her voice.
6 laughed as he balanced a plate on each hand. He gently passed one across the table to Naka before sitting down in one of their rickety chairs, his slice having been placed on the table in front of him.
The excitement in his eyes shone brightly as he stared down the pastry. He took his fork and stabbed the cake, a glob of strawberry filling dribbling down his face as he wolfed it down.
“Oh wow, now this is great! Almost like a dream, ya know? Don’t think I’ve had anything like it if I’m bein’ honest.”
“Never had strawberry? Well good thing you like it! I didn’t know what kinda cake you liked, so I just kinda guessed!” Naka replied, before taking a bite herself.
“Nono, I mean cake in general.” 6 added, his enthusiasm having dissipated. “I know what they are and’ve seen them before, but I never got the chance to try one. People who turn kids into monsters don’t buy them dessert, so… no dice on the whole cake thing.”
An icy silence fell upon the couple for just a second. Naka gingerly reached across the table, cusping her hand over his.
“Is what you imagined at least?”
6 played with her fingers, humming, “Yep. Better even! Especially since it’s from you.”
They sat there for a while, talking back and forth about the mundanities of life until their plates were wiped clean. Naka only had the one slice, while 6 tore through two more. By the end, his lips were smudged with cream and strawberry.
Naka giggled.
“Huh?” 6 asked innocently.
“Oh, sweet thing. You need a napkin,” she said, pointing to his mouth.
He blinked a few times before nabbing the paper and wiping his face. Flashing a smile, he purred, “Better?”
“Idiot,” Naka jested.
In response, 6, still grinning madly, stuck his tongue out at her, before getting up from his seat. He leaned over, picked up the leftover cake, put the plastic cover over it, and put it in the fridge.
When he went back to the main living space, Naka had already migrated to their couch. She patted the cushion beside her, signaling for 6 to join. He gladly obliged, striding with a spring in his step before he collapsed by her side. He hummed happily, putting his head on her lap and gingerly grasping onto her forearm.
“So, love,” Naka asked, “was it worth it?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, guess you were right. Sorry for giving you a hard time about missing class.” 6 shifted uncomfortably before continuing, “And uh, t-thanks for doing this, alright. You didn’t have to.”
Naka lightly touched his silky hair, saying, “But I did have to.”
She brought her face down to his, planting a kiss on his forehead.
“I had to because I love you.”
6’s eyes widened before he protested, sputtering, “B-but you already do a ton for me! You hold me and hug me, and aren’t cruel to me ‘cause of my appearance or lack of self. Hell, you help me feel like I have a self. Ain’t that enough effort to spend on a guy like me?”
Naka sighed and poked his nose, her eyebrows creasing in one of her trademark expressions of frustration.
“Didn’t we already go over this? I’ll say it again then to get it in that skull of yours. Pretend I did all this for myself because it makes me happy to see you happy. Okay ?”
6 mumbled a quiet, “Sure, sure,” before wrapping himself closer to his lover.
“That didn’t sound sincere, Six.”
He groaned and nestled his face closer to her stomach, avoiding her eyes.
“Come on. This is just what people do for those they care about, alright? You’d do- you have done- the same for me, so let me appreciate you. Love goes both ways.”
Naka reached under his chin when he didn’t respond and gently turned his head so she could see his face.
“Sweet creature, please. You’re worth the love. If you won’t trust yourself, then trust me because I’m the one who chooses to stick with you. You deserve to have a birthday like everyone else, and you’re worth putting in the effort to make that happen. You’re worth it to me.”
6 gazed up at her, glowing, golden irises rivaling the halo of a solar eclipse. She stared back at him, a small smile on her lips. She traced his scar again, eliciting a small, pulsing vibration from within his chest.
“I think that may have worked because someone’s clearly happy,” she giggled.
“Eh, what can I say? I’m practically on cloud nine! Not every day you get complimented so sincerely.”
“You liar! I compliment you all the time!”
6 chuckled, saying, “Hey, I’m just messing with ya! Don’t blow a gasket!”
When his laughter died down, the two were left in a comfortable quiet. The sunrise painted their apartment in a soothing orange hue as they enjoyed each other’s presence. Naka ran a hand through 6’s silky black hair as he continued purring.
“Can we stay like this all day?”
Naka looked down at him, his sudden words catching her off guard.
“Is that your birthday wish?” she asked kindly.
“Yep. I wanna stay right here. Right here with you as my pillow.”
Naka laughed quietly, twirling a lock of his hair around her finger.
“Okay then, birthday boy. We can just stay in today, just like this. I’ll even let you keep your head there if you don’t call me a pillow again.”
6 giggled, reaching up to brush Naka’s neck.
“Yea you’re right. A pillow ain’t as sappy as you, never could be.”
“Six!” She scolded, before giggling with him.
Now he was the one to give a kiss, placing one on Naka’s neck where his hand had just been.
“Thank you,” he whispered before he settled back on her lap, sighing contently once he got comfortable.
And for the first time, the bioweapon felt like maybe, just maybe, he was a little worth celebrating.