Summary:

Yuno's birthday is coming

Chapter 8: Yuno

"Yuno, let's plan your birthday dinner," said Dorothy, plopping the very embarrassing "Book of Yuno" on the kitchen table after dinner one night at the end of September. The "Book of Yuno" had started off as a simple scrapbook that Dorothy and William originally used to mark down important events in Yuno's life. Though many parents did it for babies, William and Dorothy did it for seven-year-old Yuno and they never stopped. Birthdays, basketball games, report cards and many other things were in there. It was now an oversized binder. Yuno knew it was futile to try and escape since Dorothy had the damnable book ready. William looked bemused at his wife.

"Anything's fine," said Yuno.

Dorothy gasped. "Nonsense! Who are we inviting this year? Leo, Mimosa, Klaus and Noelle as usual. No one else? Perhaps your new friend that you've been texting non-stop for two weeks."

Yuno stared at Dorothy. How did she know that he was texting someone new? Was it just a mom thing or just a Dorothy thing? He didn't respond. There was no way he was telling her that he had been texting Asta the last couple of weeks. Since they had randomly met up at the grocery store that one Saturday, Yuno and Asta traded numbers. Yuno wasn't quite attached to his phone like others his age, but it made talking to Asta easier. Asta may not be able to say the words out loud but Asta had a lot to say.

Dorothy smiled. "Fine, fine, the usual four. Now, what do you want for your cake? I've been meaning to try a new chocolate and pecan cake recipe I found! What do you think? None of your friends are allergic to nuts, right?"

"No one's allergic. And that's fine, whatever you want to make," said Yuno.

"You can ask for what you want, Yuno," said William. "We had better make some chocolate chip cookies too, dear."

"Yes, yes. So, what should be the main dish?"

"You can make the same dinner as last year," said Yuno. "Everyone really liked it."

Dorothy clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Now, there's the matter of the most serious question. What do you want for your birthday?"

He hated that question.

There was nothing that he wanted. There was nothing he needed. He had enough clothes, he had a phone and a laptop, he didn't need a car since it was easy enough to walk everywhere and the Clover Kingdom's public transportation system was even better than Japan and China. He got new basketball shoes before every season started (and also when he grew out of them). Yuno was more than content with the clothes on his back, the roof over his head and the food in his belly.

William and Dorothy didn't need to buy him anything to show him that he was loved.

"Surprise me," said Yuno.

William sighed, while Dorothy booed. She said, whining way too much for a grown woman, "Yuno, please be a bit selfish for once and tell us."

"No."

"Yeah, of course, I'm coming to your birthday dinner. Your parents are like secret geniuses at cooking," said Leopold, when Yuno handed him the handmade invitation after morning basketball practice. They exited the locker rooms and headed to the homeroom. "If they weren't the best history teachers here, I'd want them to open up a restaurant."

Yuno rolled his eyes at Leo's statement. "And remember…"

"Yeah, yeah, no presents," said Leo, scoffing. "You're one of two guys that I know that never want birthday presents."

Yuno snorted. "Oh?"

"Asta won't take them either," said Leopold. "I tried back in freshman year. I think I offended him somehow. Anyway…WAIT! Shit, I forgot!"

"What," Yuno asked, startled. Leo often forgot many things.

"Asta's birthday is on the same day as yours!"

"You're kidding," Yuno blandly stated. He and Asta shared a birthday? That was news to him. They had been in the same school system since middle school and there were always the birthday wishes announcements in the morning for whoever's birthday it was that day. Had he always just tuned it out? He must've.

I should get him a present, Yuno thought. He sighed annoyed. Didn't Leo finish telling him that Asta wasn't interested in presents either?

"Nope," said Leo. "Don't worry I can still go to your dinner! Asta's foster mother is having something on that Saturday for Asta. I think it's just family for Asta on the actual day."

"Oh."

Asta invited Leo but not him. Yuno's heart sank. He really thought he and Asta were becoming friends with how much they have been texting. Or was it Asta was too nervous to ask him? Should Yuno bring it up the next time they spoke?

Should Yuno invite Asta to his birthday dinner?

"Yuno, you've got such a look on your face," said Mimosa, as he and Leo entered their shared homeroom. "What crawled up your butt and died?"

Yuno glared at her. He pulled out her invitation and handed it to her. "Against my better judgement, menace."

"Love you too, Yuno," Mimosa cheerfully informed him, taking the birthday invite with glee.

"Your cousin is a menace," Yuno told Leopold.

Leopold laughed. "Yeah, I know. Isn't she great?"

That afternoon, after basketball practice for Yuno and the environmental protection club for Mimosa, they were back in the Vermillion Family Library to work on their literature project. They finished reading the book they chose already, so he and Mimosa were working on outlining the papers and filling in the requirements for the Shared Journal. The presentation was the last thing on their list, since once they finished the papers, they would have all their information to glean from them.

"Why do we have to write three papers," Mimosa asked, complaining as she squinted at the packet detailing the requirements.

"Your cousin is very thorough," said Yuno.

"Ugh, you'd think he'd go easy on me and Leo, but no, Fuegoleon just has to be ten times as tough on us," said Mimosa. One of the pitfalls of getting paired with Mimosa was that Fuegoleon did not believe in nepotism, so Mimosa was graded harder than the regular student. Any little mistake, any cutting corners, Fuegoleon would catch it.

Yuno smirked. "Well, it just makes us work harder."

"He's the true menace." The door to the library opened. Yuno and Mimosa turned their heads to find Leo and Asta entering. Mimosa greeted, "Leo! Asta! Afternoon."

Leo and Asta joined them at the table. Leo said, "How's your project going?"

"It's so long," said Mimosa.

"Big Brother keeps asking me how it's going at home," said Leo, shuddering.

Asta chuckled.

Yuno almost smiled at the sound of Asta's laughter. Get it together, it's just a laugh, he told himself.

"Anyway, we finished reading the book, so we're trying to get the Shared Journal out of the way today," said Leopold. He turned to his literature partner. "Right, Asta?"

Asta nodded, enthusiastically.

"Don't skimp, Leo," said Mimosa, warning.

"I know," said Leo, grimacing.

Mimosa turned her attention to Asta. Mimosa said, "Asta! Leo told me that your birthday is next week. Did you know that you and Yuno have the same birthday? That's pretty wild." Mimosa asked what Yuno wanted to know.

Asta's eyes widened. He looked at Yuno. Guess Asta didn't pay attention to the birthday announcements either.

"Yeah, it's true," said Yuno to Asta's unasked question.

Asta pulled out his tablet and typed. Yuno, Mimosa and Leo waited for him to be done. Asta showed them the tablet with the word document filled with words.

Asta wrote:

"I don't know when my real birthday is. All I know it was the day that the firemen found me in front of the firehouse one night. The nurses at the hospital decided that it as the best idea to put that on my birth certificate along with the name the firemen gave me before handing me over to the Kingdom's authorities."

The fluffy ash-blond haired Asta looked sheepishly at them. Mimosa and Leo's eyes were wide in shock as they stared at Asta and Yuno.

"What firehouse," Yuno asked, softly.

Asta typed and showed them the tablet.

"Firehouse #101, way out in the boonies, near Hage Village."

"No way," said Leo.

"Wow," said Mimosa.

Asta tilted his head in confusion.

Yuno just stared at Asta before saying, "That's where I was left as a baby too."

~to be continued