Just slightly past 11pm on a Thursday night, Hiruma was bent over his desk, completing his assignment. He wrote without pause as the points and data came easily into his head. This assignment was to be turned in during class the next day, and as an explaination for why Hiruma was doing it, it was not because he is a good student, but because he is the best student. Flipping the paper over, his hand worked consistently. Nothing he does would ever be slipshod. If he was going to do it, he'd make sure it was an A-star piece.

After one solid hour, he let the pen roll from his hand and leaned back into his chair, stretching luxuriously. His ear twitched as he heard the door opposite open and close and footsteps approaching his door. His phone began beeping softly and he reached for it. Opening it, he saw the view from the camera he stuck outside his room. And as he suspected, the certain someone was standing outside his door and carrying something 'suspiscious'.

*Knock knock*

Standing up, he unlocked the door and settled back into his chair as Shin came in.

"Pardon the intrusion." Shin mummured, pulling an extra chair over.

"So why is a rooster like you awake at this time of night?" Hiruma asked, crossing his legs.

"For this." Shin said, holding up the opaque box he held before placing it on the table. Opening it, he revealed a small cake. It was a vanilla cake with candles already on it. In blue icing, it read: Happy Birthday, Hiruma Youichi.

Hiruma's eyes grew just the tinniest bit wider with shock. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you do." Shin answered, withdrawing a box of matches from his pants pocket and lit one.

"How would you know." Hiruma huffed, maintaining his composure.

"I met your father in Japan." Shin began lighting the candles on the cake. "Well, actually he met me because I had no idea what your father looked like. He called out to me when I was on my jogging route. I never knew that I'd been jogging past your house all those times."

Hiruma closed his eyes, resigned. It was just like his father to talk to his 'friends'. "Tell anyone and you're dead."

"I wouldn't dream of it. I respect your secrets. And I like being the only one who knows." He smiled, before he started to sing.

Hiruma stared at him bewilderedly as Shin sang. He wanted to face-table, cover the guy's mouth with his hand, or just shoot him. Was the idiot really singing 'Happy Birthday' to him?

"Make a wish and blow out the candles." Shin said when he finally finished. Hiruma was still looking at him disbelievingly, but there was undoubtedly a light shade of red brushing over his cheeks. There seemed to be a butterfly at the place where Shin's heart was supposed to be as it fluttered so. He wanted to assume that he was special if he could make Hiruma show a face like that.

Hiruma mentally cursed when his cheeks felt warm. Using his willpower, he had pushed it down as much as he could. But for some ridiculous reason, he couldn't suppress it completely. Not when this guy was with him.

How many years had it been since he celebrated his birthday? It must have stopped more than ten years ago. And here he was thinking that he'd never celebrate it again.

"Tch." He blew out the candles in a single breath and began plucking them out of the cake, placing them on the avaiable space of the open box. In the mean time, Shin had taken out the plates and a knife he had gotten from the kitchen in his own room.

Handing the knife to Hiruma, he nodded encouragingly when Hiruma gave him the 'seriously?' look.

Rolling his eyes, Hiruma went with it, cutting the cake in to two.

Hiruma ate his slice of cake wordlessly, as if he didn't know what to make of the whole scenario.

"Do you like it?" Shin asked.

"Too sweet." Was the honest response.

He chuckled lightly. "I'll be sure to make it less sweet next time."

Hiruma looked from the cake to Shin. How did he…? "…. If anything drops in my room, you're cleaning it."

Shin shrugged, swallowing the last mouthful of his cake. He took Hiruma's plate as well as he brought them to the dormhead's kitchen to wash.

When he returned. He reached into his pocket again, he pulled out a poorly wrapped gift.

"I'm sorry that I am terrible at wrapping. Please feel free to open it now."

"I don't need a present. I can buy anything I need."

"Even so, it is always nice to receive something on your birthday." Shin argued, pushing the present into Hiruma's hands insistently.

Staring at the small package in his hand, Hiruma felt warm. Tearing the wrapping paper aside to reveal a army-themed cloth sports band. 'It was a surprisingly thoughtful gift, at least he could and would use it.' Hiruma thought as he slipped it on. The light weight was comfortable on his wrist and the material felt warm, just like the rest of him was beginning to feel.

Looking back to Shin, he found that the linebacker was watching him intently.

Hiruma let a rare smile touch his lips.

Shin saw the usually cunning eyes seem to seep away into something much softer. He saw the edge of his lips pull up just the slightest bit in a genuine smile. And that was all it took for his butterfly heart to squeeze.

Shin stood up from his chair, brushing his hand against Hiruma's as he did so. "I'm glad that you like the present. I'll be returning to my room now."

As he headed for the door, Shin heard a the rustling of paper as it hit the floor. He turned to see Hiruma's assignment on the floor and said person staring at him indifferently.

Shin walked the few steps back and picked up the small stack of paper, placing it on the table. As he turned back to the door again, he heard the sound of cloth slipping and falling to the ground. He looked back to see Hiruma's coat that had slid off his chair and was now lying in a heap. Picking it up once again, he turned to the door. And this time, he heard a high pitched click of a pen as it made contact with the floor.

For the third time, he picked it up and placed it softly on the table. But instead of heading for the door again, he stepped closer to Hiruma. The man was looking at him like he had no involvement with why Shin was still in the room.

Shin placed a hand on Hiruma's, the one with the wristband, testing grounds, before proceeding to slowly curl his fingers around it. His other hand then came up to rest on Hiruma's opposite shoulder, giving himself leverage.

Shin waited patiently as Hiruma tilted his head up to lock eyes with Shin.

Slowly, he moved in. Steadily decreasing the space between them. Shin gazed at the face of the man he fell for. Saw the ever present fire burning behind those intelligent, green eyes. Nearer and nearer he drew, before their eyes drifted shut simultaneosly. Shin paused just a few millimetres from his lips.

"I love you." he whispered, breath ghosting over Hiruma's lips before he closed the remaining distance and gave them both what they were waiting for.

Next chapter is the last