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“I'm gonna head out for groceries, anyone wanna tag along?”
Sitting on the couch in the living room, Maki could hear the eldest from the corridor as the rustling of footwear follows. It is an usual occurrence as they often call for each other when one wants to go outside, for whichever reason, simply because they enjoy one another’s company. If it had been like usual, though, Maki would surely volunteer, but the frequency of which the rejections keep flying at him prevents his hand from raising.
That is right, the hyungs are rejecting his participation, and for what excuse Maki does not know. All he knows is them actively leaving him out is painfully hard to ignore; even harder not to take seriously.
It all started slow and steady, with the first time being Fuma declining his invitation to go shopping, insisting then was not a convenient time to go out. Sure, the second eldest might have been preoccupied with practice, Maki understood. However, Harua dragging Nicholas away when they were about to make some rounds of Mario Kart and Yuma insisting on staying home when he initiated visiting the arcade were the signs that Maki started to pick up - the signs insinuating that they might not be very comfortable with his presence anymore.
For a second, Maki thought he was overreacting and exaggerating his own emotions. He tried to brush it off, he really did, but it is becoming more difficult as they keep making things more apparent.
It is beyond words to describe how hurtful it is to be standing at the sidelines in your own group. To be fair, they have been living with each other for a few years now and they were doing just fine, so Maki does not know what he did wrong for the others to just outright reject him with their body language like this. If they had always hated him, they would have shown it, but this change is recent. Which means he must have done something. But he does not know what it is, and he is itching to figure it out.
Being his curious self, Maki never hesitates to ask when he has a question. He has brought this problem up to Euijoo - the only one who seems to be ignoring him the least - hoping for a justified answer. To his disappointment, Euijoo persisted that he was “overthinking things” and that “there's no such thing happening”, then trying to dodge the problem by hurrying out of the room. What saddened Maki the most was the fact that Euijoo knew but chose to run away, as if it could help alleviate the damage that had been done. He supposed he was not good enough for an answer, and even providing him with an explanation seemed to be too much work for them.
Euijoo must have told the remaining seven about his confrontation, because they did not even try to hide it as time went by. That was two weeks ago, and now their actions are just blatantly slapping Maki silly in the face with refusal and discrimination. Nobody even texts in the group chat anymore, as if they are afraid of his presence in their shared space.
At first, Maki wanted to resolve this issue. He wanted to fix whatever action he had done to have them behave like he was the plague, to make things normal again between them. And so he asked, and asked, and asked. Strangely enough, nobody really gave him the answer he wanted, with the closest he has come to was Fuma’s “We're in the middle of a comeback preparation right now so everyone's probably just tired. I'm sorry you feel that way, Maki.”
At least Fuma’s words helped calm him down a bit, but that did not stop whatever was going down. They still ignore him, and he still yearns because of it, but maybe a bit less on the outside to protect his image of a mature youngest. He is not the Maki from two years ago that would cry at Harua refusing his touch. He has grown up, and letting emotions slip through his façade is not something Maki wants to do.
Not receiving the true intentions behind their acts told Maki everything he needs to know, so he stops begging. Instead of trying to engage in interactions with the group, the youngest devotes most of his time to practicing their choreography, and if not, surfing the Internet. Maki has developed a habit of checking on what their fans might be up to on social media. He is used to finding joy in watching them freak out when their comeback draws near or observing them swoon over the group’s dynamics, but that joy is short-lived. Clearly lurking in the fandom means he would be seeing the others’ pictures and videos a lot more, and that only reminds him of the cruelty he is being put through at the moment.
Therefore, Maki quarantines himself from social media and resorts to watching more videos. And more practice. Anything that can distract him from the atrocious reality he is living in. Just like right now, after Yudai has gone out with Nicholas, who has volunteered to tag along.
Opening another baking video, Maki lets out a sigh. He stares blankly at the old woman sharing her favorite way to make a perfect batch of dessert. Grandma Carol’s brownies recipe only lasts him so long, before he heads out to the company’s practice room. This time, his mind is more occupied and it shows in the way he does not bring any personal belongings. Just his phone and a chain of thoughts going through his head.
Maki has never felt this alone before. His routine used to involve at least one of his hyungs, regardless of how mundane it was. He remembers the time when he would just stroll around Han River with Nicholas and Harua, sometimes others would join in, and eat junk food at the river bank while chatting away in their free time. They would talk about anything, from the weird dreams they had to their future goals, as well as countless hypothetical scenarios and wonder how things would have gone if they had not made the life choices that they did. It was casual. Nothing big, but he would always be so fulfilled and satisfied after coming back from it.
Now that things are not the same as they used to be, Maki realizes how much the other eight have influenced his life; shaped the person that he is at the present. They are part of him. They taught him what they knew and what they did not. He is like an ensemble of them, but with unique charms that belong to himself. They might not be blood related, but have lived like they are for so long that they start to bear resemblance to each other, let it be physical or psychological.
This is why them avoiding him leaves deeper cuts than paper ones. Maki is still struggling to find a logical reason as to what made them act this way, and working toward that goal keeps him up at night. All he knows is that things were cool until they were not, and he could not recall what actions he did to upset them.
Is it because he drank Yudai’s water without asking first? The eldest seemed fine with it, because Maki’s punishment was only a head rub messing up his hair. Or is it that time when he cuddled Yuma for a longer period of time than usual? It could not be, since they cuddle almost everyday and not a day has gone by without them exchanging at least one hug to each other, at least not until recently. There might have been other instances which he is unable to recall, and a bad one at that, considering how all of them turned on him.
Maki keeps working over his memory as he walks perfunctorily toward the end of the hall. It is in the evening on a weekend so there are not many people around. Maki greeted some staff and co-workers from other groups on the way, with whom he has developed a good rapport. Although their agency is international and has branches in various countries, they have not contracted with that many artists in Japan, so everyone is quite familiar with one another. It is nice to see a few bright faces when he is down. It helps alleviate the low mood he is having.
Maki has finally arrived at the practice room. Turning the “vacant” sign into “occupied” on the door, he makes his way inside to go over their new choreography once again.
…
“Okay great! Since Maki is gone, this is our chance.”
“That sounds so strange coming from you.”
Harua gives Taki a looming glare before he turns back to the remaining members within their dormitory. A special occasion is coming up tomorrow and their group has been putting extra effort in hiding it from Maki - the surprise receiver. It has been extremely difficult in concealing the surprise around the youngest due to his tendency to stick around the members at all times, so they had to go an extra mile in some instances.
“I just hope we can carry this out as soon as possible because I don't wanna pretend around him anymore.” Euijoo sighs.
Harua still remembers the puppy eyes he got when he refused to watch movies with Maki the other night because he had to go out and buy some balloons. Maki was affected by their sudden cold shoulders and they could tell, but they could not afford to ruin what they have been preparing for so long. It surely has gotten into his head in the wrong way, because he does not initiate physical contact as usual as before.
As his best friend, it pains Harua to see Maki like this. When the slightly elder was asked by the youngest why all of them were avoiding him, Harua could not bring his heart to disclose the real reason. Although he tried to comfort Maki as best as he could, he was sure the maknae did not believe him, and even knowing that, he was unable to say anything further than affirmation.
In actuality, it is not just Harua who feels that way. The remaining seven also have to be careful whenever Maki is around. Jo does not dare to even open his mouth when he sits with Maki on the sofa, though it does not make much of a difference from his usual self. Taki is not as comfortable texting in the group chat as before, too, for fear of his hands moving faster than his thoughts and in turn, revealing something about their little secret. That is why nobody tries to be active in the group chat, because who knows if their fingers will slip.
Just a little bit more, Harua thinks. They are going to hold a surprise party at midnight today before doting on Maki tomorrow, and the act that they are putting on will finally come to an end. They have been staying away from Maki for far too long and Harua cannot wait to hang out with him again.
“I feel like we've been very rude to Maki recently. We should apologize to him.” Fuma speaks up, clearing the awkward silence meandering around. The second eldest has always been paying attention to the bandmates, so he could tell even the slightest change in their mood, especially Maki, who is an open book. The youngest probably thinks everyone hates him now, and it is their fault to blame.
Jo nods in approval. Even though he is not the type to voice his thoughts, the introverted boy could also tell Maki’s mood is deteriorating.
“We definitely should. Before that, let's go over the script again. This time, Taki, no messing up. I still remember last time.” Harua takes another glare at Taki, making the slightly younger boy nervously chuckle.
He could still recall what happened in their last revision, with Taki needing everyone to remind him of his lines every three seconds. To accommodate Taki’s struggle, Harua has been helping him privately many times before this. Hopefully he gets the gist now and does not mess up their elaborate scheme.
“Okay okay, I've got it this time now. By the way, when are K-hyung and Nicholas coming back? They're only getting the cake, right?”
“Probably not just the cake. K-hyung said he was gonna get groceries, remember? Maki was right here when he said it. He prolly will get actual groceries to go with the lie.” Yuma lazily answers Taki’s question while lounging about on the sofa.
The boy still has not forgotten Yudai’s sneaky glances at Maki when he was getting ready to go out. The eldest has prayed that Maki would not raise his hand and volunteer, for his actual reason would have been busted and they would have needed to get the cake on another day. Thankfully, Nicholas saw through the problem and the two of them took off before a third person could chime in. Yuma was sitting at the other end of the sofa when this happened, and as guilty as he felt, he was relieved that the youngest did not avert his gaze from his phone and witness Yudai’s antics.
Knowing the eldest enough to anticipate his actions and being smart enough to make deductions based on his own observation, Yuma is almost certain they will be greeted with bags after bags moments later. He has thought of calling Yudai about the maknae’s leaving, but it was too late and they need to refill the refrigerator anyway, so he refrains from reaching inside his pocket.
“That's like getting two birds with one stone. I think. I learned that from Maki. Around a month ago.” Taki exclaimed, getting his phone out to go over the script.
Harua made a digital document for their script and shared it to each of them individually, so they all have a copy of the document on their phones. This proves to be more convenient than paper scripts because it is easier to hide and carry around. Harua is not sure how much he would have had to lie if they had printed this out and Maki had caught him in the act. He surely would not be able to use whatever film he was acting in as an excuse anymore, as those days are far behind him.
“Alright, let's get into it. Pretend this pillow is Maki. Taki, you start.” Harua takes a teal-colored pillow on the cushions and gives it to Taki, who is sitting next to him. Taki takes his words and begins script reading.
“Okay, um, how's it going Maki? I see you've been working hard these days.” Taki wraps an arm through the pillow and holds eye-contact as if it is alive, and fully immerses himself in the acting.
“Oh yea? You're exhausted from all of the practicing? Well we could use a little fried chicken right now, from the store just down the corner. What do you say? Oh you're asking why we're eating out? I mean we haven't had time to talk, just us two for a while now right, so this could be the perfect opportunity for us to reconnect! What do you say?”
Harua nods as Taki goes through every line perfectly.
“No thanks I don't wanna eat right now, I'm on a diet.” The smaller boy shakes the pillow left and right all while speaking in a low-pitched voice.
“No problem, let's just uh hang out in the dorm and talk about whatever!”
“No dummy! You're not supposed to lead him back here, we'll be preparing the party! Take him somewhere else, like, the convenience store down the block or something. Your job is to keep him occupied until we text you, so do just that.”
Harua pushes the pillow on Taki’s shoulder as he pretends to get hurt. He lets out an exaggerated whine and hugs it with the other arm, which results in him getting a few more hits from Harua.
“Okay okay I will, noted! Why do I always get the hard work though?!” Taki gets on his feet while the smaller boy starts to get into each hit. The two chase each other around with a pillow on one’s hands and the other's head. Instead of helping, the older group mates just let the chaos unfold without being bothered by it. Jo and Fuma do not even try to suppress their laughs while Euijoo and Yuma stare at the younger ones and shake their heads. It is a usual occurrence to see one boy or two run around as if they are practicing for a marathon. Sometimes Yudai joins in too, which is really on-brand of him despite being the eldest.
Speaking of Yudai, the door sensor turns on and it opens to what seems like an entire supermarket haul. Yudai, leading the way with four bags - two on each hand, greets them loudly with Nicholas behind him, holding a whopping three equally big ones: “We're home!”
A few “Welcome home”s are exchanged as the second eldest and leader head out to help manage the groceries. Fuma takes a suspiciously larger bag than the rest and places it on the coffee table in front of the living room. Carefully unloading vegetables and fruits from above, he reveals the medium-sized cake at the bottom of the bag and observes it with full attention.
It is a Swiss roll, Maki’s favorite kind. The cake is coated with melon cream on a chocolate-flavored sheet and rolled up with a banana in the center. On top is another layer of the filling and grated chocolate spread evenly, with a hint of sprinkles. Some candles are packed inside with the cake, as well as a plastic knife used for cutting.
This specific cake recipe is not sold anywhere to their knowledge, so Fuma had to have it customized. He took time doing research on what Maki would like and made a detailed description for the bakery, and he is glad the cake turns out to be accurate.
Fuma takes a meticulous look to make sure there are no mistakes in the decoration process. While Euijoo, Jo, and Yuma help with loading the groceries into the fridge, Harua and Taki gather around him after they have finally made up.
Taki holds the candle packet in his hands and dissects it with his eyes, “These candles are so tiny. Did you order it small-sized?”
“Not really. I didn't order them, they were complementary. I guess they just gave us whatever they had left in stock, it's a famous bakery after all.” Fuma replies, after which he puts the cake roll inside its container again and heads to the fridge.
“Well that's nice, at least we don't need to buy more candles.”
“I thought it's common knowledge that bakeries offer free candles for birthday cakes. Apparently it's not for a certain dummy.” Harua makes a sarcastic comment before being threatened by the boy. He goes for a run again and Taki follows right after, until both of them have disappeared into one of the rooms.
Shaking his head at the two youngest, Yudai finishes packing the eggs and puts away the carrier bags. Sensing a lack of presence of one, he asks: “Did Maki go out?”
“Yea, not too long after you did. Seemed super sad by the way.” Yuma follows.
Yudai sighs. He understands what Yuma is implying.
“Let's take him anywhere he wants to go and order anything he wants to eat tomorrow. It's his day after all, and we owe him.”
“I guess we're gonna be out until midnight.”
Fuma answers, and the three of them chuckle. The cake arriving and Maki leaving were perfect timing, as they can begin decorating the living room for the big event tonight.
…
Time goes by faster when you do not pay attention to it. That is what Maki thinks after practicing for what seems like five hours, with little breaks in-between. His shirt is drenched in sweat and he still struggles to catch his breath. There is always fatigue as a follow-up whenever they have practice for long periods of time, but when there is, it is also an indication that it was good practice and they have been productive.
Maki cannot count how many times he went over the choreography for their new single, from perfecting the grand movements to fixing little details. Lying on the floor with hasty breaths, his mind wonders about the dance steps again before he decides to call it a day and head back to the dorm.
It is silent in the halls, with a few hanging lights still on to illuminate the pathway. Maki opens his phone. Eleven forty, just twenty minutes away from midnight.
The maknae is almost certain everyone has gone to sleep at this time, so he is shocked to see Taki idling in front of the door, as if the boy is waiting for him to come back.
“Maki, you're back! Where have you been?” Seeing him, Taki jumps up and toward him like a bunny.
“I was practicing… Why are you still out here at this hour?”
“Oh, well, I was just waiting for you because I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“You could've just waited for me inside the dorms you know,” Maki steps over to reach for the door handle. To his surprise, Taki immediately stands before him, obstructing his path.
The youngest gives Taki a weird look. The older boy holds his shoulders to stop him from any sudden movements, “I think everyone's asleep now so I don't wanna wake them up. We can go somewhere else instead!"
“Huh?”
“So how's it going Maki? I see you've been working hard, uh, these days. I'm sure you're exhausted from all of the practicing. We could use a little fried chicken right now, from the store just down the corner. What do you say? In case you're wondering why we're eating out at eleven P.M, I mean we haven't had time to talk, just us two for a while now right, so this could be the perfect, uh, opportunity for us to reconnect! How about that?”
Taki throws an arm over Maki’s shoulders as he starts a monologue. The youngest squints his eyes at the seemingly confident older, and for a few seconds, lets him finish talking. In an effort to steer Maki away from the dormitory entrance, Taki takes slow but long strides in the opposite direction, and astonishingly, Maki seems to be following him.
“I haven't seen you this friendly for the past few weeks. Also, shouldn't we stop eating after eight? Fried chicken, at midnight? You're not worried about bloating?” Maki spoke up.
“I mean, I'm just suggesting stuff. If you want, we can just go somewhere and chill and talk about whatever!”
“Talk about whatever? Didn't you tell me you have something you wanted to talk about?” Maki stops dead in his tracks, which makes Taki stumble a few steps.
The shorter boy averts his gaze from the maknae’s eye-contact and chuckles nervously, “Well uh…”
“You know what, whatever. If you just want to have some small talk, we can save it for tomorrow because I can really use a good shower right now. I'm all sticky from the sweat.”
“Wait!”
Maki turns around and heads toward the now vacant pathway. As he quickly turns the handle and pushes forward, he hears a message notification sound from behind, which seems to belong to Taki. Paying it no mind, Maki struts inside the dormitory with fast-paced steps following at the back.
Upon entering, all Maki can see is pitch black. All the lights are off, which is understandable, and the atmosphere seems to be at a halt for some reason. The youngest tries to look around but the environment is too dark for him, so he searches on the wall for the light switch.
Hovering for a split second, Maki finally feels the hard surface of the switch before he turns it on. He could clearly hear the faint sound of it clicking as the lights illuminate. The moment everything becomes bright, almost blinding to the eye, he is hit with the biggest wave of emotions while witnessing everything before him.
“Click!”
“Happy birthday Maki!”
The living room appears in front of him, which is completely decorated. There are colorful balloons everywhere: below his feet, under the sofa, on the walls, and on the members’ hands. Confetti flies around and about in the air, some ending up on his hair and before his eyes. On the main wall, the letter balloons in gold spell out “HPBD Maki” with garlands dangling on both sides, accented with swirls and streamers. In the center are the group members, all with party hats on, as well as poppers and party whistles in their hands. Below the golden decorations is a banner denoting a date, which is February seventeenth.
Right, February seventeenth is his birthday. Maki has not really been paying much attention to dates, and since he does not go online, he does not know about the birthday wishes and projects coming from fans. He was so occupied with practice and thinking that it is only just now that he realizes his birthday is today.
“Hello, Earth to birthday boy. Happy birthday!” Harua takes a step forward with a big smile on his face. He holds up the balloons in an attempt to get Maki's attention.
The youngest still has his mouth agape when he looks into Harua’s eyes. It seems he still needs a few seconds to process.
“I… When did you…”
“Almost a month ago, if we don't count getting the presents. It's a secret we've been hiding from you all this time. I'm sorry, Maki.” Fuma stands along with Harua as he looks into the maknae's eyes with deep regret. The reason why he is sorry is unspoken, but everyone knows. It has been an elephant in the room for so long, all for the sake of this surprise party.
Maki stands there, completely frozen in place. He does not speak another word for five seconds, then ten, then fifteen. Not even a minute has gone by but it feels like a year, at least to the remaining eight that are still waiting for his reaction. As time goes by, the confidence they have built up slowly deflates, and self-doubt starts to surface.
At this point, Fuma does not know if it is worth it, avoiding Maki for a fortnight for some short-lived joy. What they are doing right now might seem like it is for his benefit, but does it even matter anymore if the buildup to this event has been absolutely terrible?
Fuma would not blame Maki if he got mad, he has all the right to. In reality, maybe that would be better because at least the youngest gets to release some steam that has been pent up in him. As much as he is willing to accept their fate of being resented, he really hopes the maknae does not hate the rest of them for long.
“I'm sorry Maki, we've been very bad to you these past few days. Honestly, you can get mad if you want, we really deserve it. Just don't stay silent like this—” Nicholas worriedly breaks the silence before he is stopped in his dialogue.
“Mad? I'm not mad.” Maki interrupts, his voice almost trembling. “I thought you guys hated me all this time…” He continues with the very last thing escaping his mouth sounding much more like a sob.
Feeling wetness on his face, Maki quickly raises his forearms to hide his emotions breaking out. Realizing what just happened, the members stand there stunned before Yudai and Euijoo jolt forward to give the shaky youngest a hug.
“Are you crying? Please don't cry, don't cry Maki.” The eldest opens Maki’s restraints and cups the crying boy’s face in his palms, cooing at the downturned eyes filled with tears. “We're sorry we really are. Don't cry, don't cry, our precious Maki.”
Under Yudai’s comforting words, Maki is no longer able to suppress his feelings. A small whimper turns into a sob as his sniffs and hiccups fill the space. The remaining members whose hands are occupied with various birthday decorations dazedly put down their stuff, including Yuma with the birthday cake and Nicholas with his phone, to try and salvage the situation.
Countless apologies and affirmations are verbalized as they all hurdle in for a group hug, with Maki being the center. The youngest is hugged everywhere: his face, his hands, his chest, and his back. It is hard to tell where he is not embraced with their warmth. He could feel someone wipe the tears on his cheeks away, but his vision gets too blurry for him to make out who it is. Maki’s body falls deep into the sobbing and his face heats up, his chest moving up and down hastily as his eyes get puffy, and his mind is a jumbled mess from the unprocessed emotions.
This is the first time Maki has cried in recent years, and it is probably the hardest one.
“It's all my fault! Maki invited me to play Mario Kart but I hesitated! It's okay Maki just hit me!” Nicholas wails and holds up the birthday boy’s hand so as to hit himself with it.
“No it's my fault, I dragged you away when he invited you to play Mario Kart! Maki hit me too!” Harua jumps in, trying to steal the hand from the older boy. Their bickering quickly turns into a trio hug since both of them refuse to give up holding Maki’s hand and instead embrace it with their own.
“Quit it you two! Here, Maki, let me help you.” Fuma speaks sternly before he wipes the tears away with tissues. The second eldest carefully controls the pressure applied as the material absorbs the liquid. Maki could feel the soft texture of the tissues touching his skin. His tears seem to stop for a while, but his hiccups still remain.
“So— all of it wa—as for celebra—ating my birthday—? You don't ha—ate me?” Maki asks but his words get broken up by the occasional hiccups. His eyes and nose get all red from the crying, and Maki could feel the rash on his eyelids.
“Of course we don't hate you, we can't love you enough. We're really sorry Maki, it pains me to see you cry.”
Yudai opens his arms to welcome another hug, this time a tighter one.
The youngest could tell his swelling eyes are about to shed tears again when he feels the warmth migrating from the eldest to his body. It all makes sense now. The ignoring, the avoiding; all of it was to surprise him on his age-turning day. Maki does not know what he should feel at this moment, but the first thing that comes to him is relief. His hyungs do not hate him, it's quite the opposite: they love him.
All of a sudden, Maki thinks he can forgive everything that they have done that made him sad. It is not like he did not get hurt, nor is it because he is a saint that can disregard his own sentiments just for the sake of other people’s. To him, it just all becomes meaningless at this very moment. All of the pain, the wondering, the struggles, they do not matter anymore. What do are the hug that he is getting from the eldest and the soft tissues making contact with his skin.
“Before you decide not to look us in the face again, at least make a wish on this birthday cake. I spent a lot of time doing research for it so that it only has your favorite things.” Fuma chimes in and alleviates the heavy atmosphere. He holds it up for the youngest with a spoon in his hand.
Maki gets a chance to look at his cake from up close, and he realizes Fuma is telling the truth. Even the design, the flavors choice, the filling, the topping,... Everything is his cup of tea. He does not remember where or when he mentioned his preference for a birthday cake, probably in an interview, and his heart swells up at the effort paid to make it a reality.
The light is turned off and Fuma lights the candles up. The heat warms his face as it illuminates his face post-cry. Maki closes his eyes before he thinks about the first thing that he desires. Finishing, he blows at the little candles and everything falls into darkness again.
Upon the candlelight going out, everyone around cheers and claps as their youngest turns a new page of his life. “Congratulations” and “Happy birthday” fill the silence and Maki could feel someone hugging him again.
The light is turned back on and Maki is greeted with a cut piece of cake on the side. Fuma hands him the spoon the second eldest has been holding, as a way to tell him to have a taste of the birthday specialty.
Maki receives the spoon and uses it to scoop up part of the Swiss roll. The rich taste of chocolate and the refreshing melon cream create an equilibrium as they get chewed, and he can also get a fruity hint of the banana in the center. Maki’s face quivered, not because of the cake, but the emotional value it holds. It is hard to contain everything in his chest and he feels as if he can explode. One more surprise and he will break into a full sob again.
“Are you still mad at us?” Harua asks, his hands still wrapped around the younger’s waist.
Maki rubs his eyes and answers, “I'm never mad. I'm just… it's hard to— describe,” The hiccups still have not fully gone away. “But I'm not mad.”
“Since today is your day, we're gonna go out anywhere you want and eat anything you wish in the morning. How does that sound?” Yudai pats the youngest on the head as he receives a nod as an answer. The eldest is trying his very best not to baby talk right now, but the fondness is clearly shown through his gaze.
“Please don't prepare this kind of— surprise again. I almost had a heart attack.” It is almost painful to feel his eyelids now. A hard cry after such a long time might feel great, but Maki thinks his vision could deteriorate as a direct result.
“Of course.” “No more of this!” “This is all Taki’s fault.” are harmoniously exclaimed as Harua and Taki start bickering again. Gloominess leaves the room and the air is filled with relief.
This birthday is probably one of the most memorable moments of Maki’s life, not just the two weeks before that he felt like the end of the world was near, but also for the fortuitous party that they held for him, which resulted in him breaking down. Maki is glad none of it got caught on camera, since a certain past incident would be revived because of it.
Once again, the youngest is reminded of his importance by his hyungs. He can be a fully grown adult now, and a mature one too, but at the end of the day, he is still their youngest. No matter how much he grows, their affection toward him will remain the same.
As much as Maki wants to be recognized for his maturity, he is fine with the occasional cooing for it is how his hyungs shower him with their love. After all, nobody has ever complained that they get too much endearment.
…
“Okay great! Come here Maki, let's unwrap your gifts!”
“Can I get a shower first? I just finished practicing and I'm all sweaty.”
"Why didn't you say that when we all gathered to hug you? You did that on purpose right?"
"It's not my fault you guys made me cry! Who remembers about the sweat anymore when they're busy crying?"