Hoping for a better future (DadforAll)

The Best Birthday Ever

Today is my birthday! I can't believe it! I woke up, and the sun was shining extra bright, like it was smiling just for me. The first thing I saw was my All Might action figure next to my pillow. I keep it there to protect me from any bad dreams, and guess what? No bad dreams last night. That means today is going to be the best day EVER.

"Moooom!" I shouted, jumping out of bed, my socks slipping on the wooden floor as I ran to the kitchen. The smell of pancakes was already in the air. Birthday pancakes!

"Happy birthday, Izuku!" Mom's voice was like music, and she was smiling so big when I came in. She was making pancakes shaped like heroes—my favorite! One pancake looked like All Might, and the other one kinda looked like Endeavor but maybe a little burnt. That's okay, though, because burnt pancakes taste extra crunchy, and I love crunchy things.

"Thanks, Mom! Is today the day?" I bounced on my toes, excitement bubbling like soda in my stomach.

"Of course, sweetie. We're going to the park, and everyone's going to be there." She smiled as she flipped another pancake, and I nearly exploded with happiness. The park! The park with the big trees, the swings, and the slide that zooms so fast it feels like flying. And all my friends were going to be there. I was gonna show them how high I could go on the swings today. Maybe higher than anyone ever had before. Maybe as high as All Might!

I stuffed my pancakes in my mouth as fast as I could (but not too fast, 'cause you have to chew 30 times or you could choke—Mom told me that). Then I put on my favorite green shirt—the one with All Might's face on it. When I looked in the mirror, I tried my best hero pose. One day, I'd be a hero like him. Just you wait!

The park was even better than I remembered. The trees were super tall, with branches that looked like they touched the clouds. Maybe they did touch the clouds! Maybe heroes like Hawks flew through those clouds every day. I stared up at them, wondering if I'd see a hero zoom by.

When we got closer, I saw it. The table Mom set up was covered in balloons—red ones, green ones, blue ones—all dancing in the wind like little floating bubbles. And there was a HUGE cake in the middle, all white with green frosting that spelled out, "Happy Birthday, Izuku!" I knew it said that because Mom had taught me how to spell my name last week. I was getting pretty good at it too.

"Happy birthday, Izuku!" my friends yelled when I got to the table. Kacchan was there, of course, crossing his arms like he was too cool for birthday parties, but I knew he was excited too. He always got a little grumpy when he was excited.

"Thanks, everyone!" I said, my voice probably a little louder than usual. I couldn't help it—I was so excited I thought I might burst like one of the balloons. I gave Mom the biggest hug ever, squeezing her tight around her waist. She laughed and patted my head, her eyes soft and happy.

"Go play, sweetheart. The cake can wait until later," she said, and I ran off with my friends.

The swings were calling my name. I could feel it! I sat down on the rubbery seat, gripping the chains with both hands. "Watch this!" I shouted to Kacchan, who was already climbing the jungle gym like he was King of the Park.

"Don't fall on your face, Deku!" he called back, but I just smiled.

I kicked my legs hard, and the swing started moving. Up, up, UP! I laughed, feeling the wind rush past me, making my hair go all crazy. The higher I went, the more it felt like flying. My feet could touch the sky soon, I knew it! One more swing, one more pump, and I'd be in the clouds. Heroes probably felt like this all the time.

Then I jumped. I jumped off the swing at the highest point, just like I imagined All Might would do in his glory days. For a moment, it felt like I was flying—really flying! The wind roared in my ears, and I could see the whole park from up high, the balloons on the table looking like tiny, colorful dots. Then, bam! I landed in the soft grass with a thud.

"Oof!" I giggled, sitting up. That was the best jump ever! I didn't even fall on my face this time.

Kacchan rolled his eyes but had a little smirk on his face. "You're such a nerd, Deku," he said, but he wasn't mad. I knew that smirk meant he thought my jump was pretty cool, too.

"Thanks!" I said, beaming up at him as I dusted off my pants.

After that, we ran around the whole park, pretending we were heroes on a super-important mission. Kacchan was the leader, of course, because he always was. But I didn't mind. He was really good at shouting orders, and I was good at following them. "Get to the top of the slide before the villain catches you!" he yelled.

I ran as fast as I could, climbing up the ladder of the slide like my life depended on it. My fingers slipped once, but I caught myself. Heroes never give up, even when it's hard. I reached the top and whooshed down the slide, laughing so hard my stomach hurt. This was the best day of my life!

After what felt like hours of playing, Mom called us back for cake. My stomach growled as I looked at the green frosting again. The cake was covered in sprinkles—my favorite—and there were six candles on top, glowing bright like little hero lights.

"Make a wish, sweetie," Mom said, holding out the cake in front of me.

I squeezed my eyes shut as tight as I could. If I wished really hard, maybe—just maybe—it would come true. I wished to be a hero like All Might, the greatest hero ever. I could feel the wish in my heart, strong and warm like the sun. When I opened my eyes, I blew out all the candles in one big breath.

"Yay!" Everyone clapped, and I felt my face turn red, but it was a happy red.

The cake was even better than it looked—soft and sweet with so much frosting I got some on my nose. Kacchan laughed when he saw it, and I stuck out my tongue at him, but he just kept laughing. I didn't care. Today was too perfect for anything to bother me.

When the sun started going down, the park looked even more magical. The sky was all pink and orange, like a hero's costume, and the trees were casting long, cool shadows. I sat next to Mom on the bench, resting my head on her arm. My legs were tired, but it was a good kind of tired, like after a big hero battle.

"Did you have fun today?" she asked softly, brushing some hair out of my face.

"The best day ever," I said with a yawn, my eyelids feeling heavy.

I could still hear the sounds of the park—the wind in the trees, the laughter of my friends, and the quiet hum of the world settling down. It felt like the whole universe was saying goodnight, just for me.

Today, I was the happiest kid in the world.