Entry 8 - FF - 11

[gompi]

[FF-11]



Title: A Birthday Story
Rating: PG
Prompt Challenges: handcuffs, lipstick, pirates, killer automatic doors, teddy bears
Summary: Some people have acquaintances. Some people have friends. Changmin… has these guys.

A Birthday Story

You've never had the easiest time making friends: too introverted, too shy, too socially awkward. You had a couple kids you hung out with sometimes in grade school, a few in junior high, but no one that you'd call a true friend. No one you could imagine still being with you as you went through high school, as you started university, as you graduated and started looking for a job. Always acquaintances, never friends.
So when you'd started a new high school half-way through the first semester, skipping up from your last year of middle school, you really hadn't expected much to be different. Until you're assigned a seat next to Kim Jaejoong. Platinum-haired, multi-earringed, disorderly-uniformed Kim Jaejoong. "So you're the little genius, huh?"
Blinking at him, you stutter out your response. "I… I wouldn't say that. I'm not-"
He waves a hand, brushing away your words like a buzzing fly. "Yeah, yeah. False sense of modesty and all that. I get it. Come on, kid. It's not like you skipped kindergarten or something. You moved up into one of the top high schools in the area, no problem. Don't try to tell me you're not a genius, Shim Changmin."
"I… okay." You can't even form a complete thought to protest his statement, so you simply agree then shift your attention to the teacher starting to lecture at the front of the classroom. You don't miss the amused smirk he flashes in your direction, though.
When lunchtime arrives a few hours later, he waits just long enough for you to pull out your box before grabbing your hand to drag you from the room. "My friends and I always meet on the roof for lunch since we're all in different classes. You're going to be joining us, little genius."
Images flash through your head, picturing a group of guys each more eccentric and extreme than the last. You start pulling back on your hand, wanting to run before it's too late, but Jaejoong has already started pushing open the door to the roof. "Guys!" he shouts. "I've got a newbie!" And there, tucked into a corner, sit three relatively normal-looking guys. Jaejoong tugs your hand until you stand right next to him then gestures in your direction. "This is Shim Changmin, a.k.a. Little Genius. Minnie, meet the guys."
He doesn't expand on the introduction, simply flops onto the ground next to a round-faced boy with golden-brown hair. The boy rolls his eyes at Jaejoong then turns to you with a sunny smile. "Hi, Changmin. I'm Kim Junsu, first year like you and Jae." He waves to the dark, wavy-haired guy on his other side, "This is Park Yoochun," then to the only one sitting on the bench connected to the wall, "and Jung Yunho. Both second years. Jae would be, too, but he fails."
"Literally," Yoochun quips with a goofy grin.
Yunho shakes his head at all of them, though not without a fond smile on his lips. "You can sit, if you'd like, Changmin-ah. But I'd sit up here if you'd rather separate yourself from the crazies." Smiling, he pats the bench next to him, and you move over to gingerly set yourself on the seat. The other three don't make the effort to look offended. Jaejoong even winks at you.

{~###~}

You tried to distance yourself from them at first, your insecurity screaming that you'd never be fully comfortable in a group that was already so close before you got there. You can only get so much distance, though, from someone you sit right next to in class. Every day, Jaejoong chatters on at you, accepting more than a few elbows in the ribs when his talk overlaps the lecture. And every day, he drags you up to the roof for lunch.
Sitting next to Yunho, the only one who seems at least minimally hyperactive for the most part, you listen to their playful bickering and easy conversation. And, mostly, they leave you in your own space, letting you find your own comfort level amongst them. But, eventually, anyone would get sick of a silent meal guest.
"So, Min," Yoochun says one day, almost two months after your first meeting. You look up from picking the black peppery pits out of your salami to find them all watching you. Feeling your cheeks go flushed-hot, you reassemble your sandwich and tear off a corner to stuff into your mouth. Yoochun grins. "Don't think a face full of food will get you out of talking. You've been coming up here for a while now, so… give us something."
Half-shrugging, you continue chewing until the bread and meat and cheese is little more than mush in your mouth before swallowing. "There's… not much to give, really. I live with my parents and two younger sisters, and I'm apparently pretty good with school work." You continue tearing off chunks of your sandwich, throwing them a few feet over for the birds to attack later rather than eating them, though.
"Thus why you're our Little Genius," Jaejoong chimes in, and you can hear the smile in his voice. Something inside you flutters a little at his possessive phrasing, but you stamp it down before it can grow any bigger. "So, how often do you get together with your friends from your old school? It's not too far away, so you do get to see them, right?"
You shake your head, a more-than-slightly-bitter smirk overtaking your lips. Your mother had told you once that no one your age should be able to make an expression like that. From the quick look you get of the guys' faces when you glance up, they would say the same. "There's a reason I had the free time to study enough to skip a grade. As you might have noticed, I'm not exactly the easiest to be friends with."
An arm sneaks around your shoulders; considering the direction it comes from, you guess it's Yunho's. You don't exactly relax into it, but you consider it a victory that you don't tense up or pull away. Not wanting to see any pity or whatever else, you stare down at your hands - without the sandwich to distract you now. "It's not a big deal, really. Some people have friends; people like me… have a series of acquaintances."
"Well, that's just stupid," Junsu announces, and your head snaps up; you stare at him, wide-eyed, to see frustration creasing his eyebrows. "Seriously, Min. I mean, it's not like you're a bad person or anything. A little bit shy, maybe, and way too smart for your own good, but…" He huffs out a harsh breath of air. "Then again, maybe you're not so smart, if you're thinking like that. Because, really. Just stupid."
You blink, a little lost, as the other three laugh. Not at you, necessarily; there's no malice, or even a sense of teasing mockery. If anything, you think they may be laughing more at Junsu's no-holds-barred speech. You crack a half-smile, and Yunho's arm tightens around you. This time, you lean into it just the slightest bit.

{~###~}

As it turns out, you're a crier when you drink. You blame this knowledge on the bad influences that are your new friends. The five of you are gathered at Yoochun's house, his parents and younger brother out for the weekend, and you all decided to take advantage of the empty house to celebrate his 18th birthday. And, apparently, they believe that no celebration is complete without a fridge full of alcohol.
As they break open the third bottle, you have just enough clarity of mind to gleefully observe that at least you have a higher alcohol tolerance than Junsu, who had already called "mercy" and crawled up the stairs to the bedroom. Maybe not by so much, though, your conscience amends as the room starts spinning again. You just stare as the other three blur and swirl, giggling a little then bursting into tears.
They swarm around you, wrapping you up in strong arms as you cry. It's become a familiar routine in the last hour or so, and the rational part of you that's tucked back in some corner of your brain mumbles that you'll be regretting every minute of this when you sober up again. But it's quieted to a very small voice and thus become very easy to ignore.
The tears dry up relatively quickly, mostly because you're not even sure why you're crying in the first place. The other three pull away once they're sure you're done: Yunho with a quick back-rub, Yoochun ruffling your hair, and Jaejoong pressing his lips to your temple. Another ritual that had become quite familiar in a very short time period. You raise your glass to take another drink, crossing your eyes at it when you pull it away after tasting nothing more than plain soda. Jaejoong giggles. "Sorry, Minnie-ah, but I think you've had more than enough for now. Stick with that for the rest of the night, okay?"
You sigh, despondent. They don't trust you, don't believe you can handle any more. Maybe you're spoiling everything, just by being there. You try to fight off the lump in your throat, but the tears build up and spill over yet again. "I'm sorry," you wail, as they crowd around you yet again.
Jaejoong laughs lightly in your ear from your right side as he rubs your back. Yunho wraps around you from the other side as Yoochun holds your hands from the front. "Oh, Min," Yunho sighs over your sobs. "You are just way too adorable when you're drunk, really." The other two laugh along, seemingly in agreement.
You cry for another few minutes, more just enjoying being wrapped up in them like this rather than actually feeling the need to cry. They start to pull away just as they have every other time, except Jaejoong changes the routine when he cups your face in his hands and wipes away any remaining tears with his thumbs. "I've got something that'll cheer you up, Little Genius. You wanna go mess with drunk-ass-Su upstairs?" he asks with a mischievous smile.
Grinning back at him, you can feel your eyes mismatch as they have a tendency to do when you really smile. Jaejoong squeals and squishes you against his chest, shaking you a little in his enthusiasm. "Oh my gosh, can you get any cuter?!"
Yunho peels Jaejoong's arms apart and frees you from the crushing embrace, chuckling the whole time he fights with Jaejoong's grip. "Alright, Jae. We understand you like the kid. Now let him breathe and tell us about this great idea you have involving the unconscious one in the bedroom."
Sudden remembrance dawns over Jaejoong's face as he backs off just a little. "Oh, yeah, so I have some of my sisters' lipsticks in my bag, and I was just thinking we could… decorate a little. Make him pretty and such. After all, everyone knows you should never be the first one asleep at a party like this."
Silence reigns from all three of you as you mull over his words. Yoochun is the first to break through, voicing the question you're all thinking. "Why in the world do you have any of your sisters' makeup in your bag?"

You wake the next morning to Junsu's shrill shrieks. Pulling your blanket up over your throbbing head, you groan and attempt to shut out the sound. When the screams don't stop, you push the blanket off completely to prop yourself up on your elbows and glare. Bright pink and cherry red lines trace up Junsu's arms, around his neck, then over his face. He turns from the mirror to glare back at you once he notices you looking. "What did you guys do to me?!"
Huffing, you collapse back down to your pillow. "It was Jae's idea. And I was pretty much a sobbing, crying mess the whole night after you passed out, so you really can't hold my actions against me. Apparently, I turn into a hormonal, pubescent girl when I drink."
"He really does," Yoochun mumbles from the bed above you. "It's hilarious, actually. Hopefully you can stay conscious long enough next time to actually witness a little of it. Seriously, we could've gotten him to do anything just by implying that we wouldn't like him anymore." You stick your tongue out at him, even if you can't actually see him from your angle. It makes you feel better anyway.
Junsu smiles a little at you before turning a stern look to the bed. "Fine, then. Minnie's forgiven since he obviously could not escape you three and your obvious skills of corruption. The rest of you, though, you suck. And I'm not speaking to you guys until every last speck of this crap is off my skin." He turns back to the mirror and starts swiping at his face with the tissue again. "This is just ridiculous," he mutters.

{~###~}

Just because you have four people you can safely call 'friends' now, it does not mean your life turns into sunshine and smiley faces. In fact, you almost seem to attract more bullies now than when you kept to yourself. Of course, they only target you when your four hyungs aren't close by, such as your walk home. You spot the group of five older boys on the corner of the street just about a half-block from your apartment building, and you quickly start looking around for alternate routes.
They spot you before you can put a plan into place, though, smirking as they approach. "Well, well, if it isn't the little freak," the ring-leader sneers just a few feet away. You duck your head, cringing at the nickname that's so close to what Jaejoong calls you, yet so completely different. You're not even sure what any of their names are, but you think they're in Yunho's class. Jocks, all of them, judging by the bulk of their arms and around their shoulders. All of them taller than you, and you just want to hit your growth spurt already. "What's the matter, little freak? Can't speak without your hyungs around?"
"Th-that's not… No, I j-just… I'm… trying, to get home," you manage to stutter out and curse the fact that your mouth tends to have a mind of its own when you're nervous. Glancing up for just a second, you see that they've managed to surround you completely.
"Oh, r-r-really?" the one to your left mocks, and all of them break into laughter. A cold, pre-winter wind blows through, and you pull your coat tighter. They laugh again, the guy on your right reaching out with a beefy hand to shove you off-balance. You stumble a little, get your feet under you again, then take the opportunity to break between them and attempt to run.
You don't get more than a few steps before one of them grabs onto your backpack, using it as leverage to drag you back. One of the straps on your bag breaks, and you fall - hard - to the ground. "That was definitely not the smartest idea you've ever had, little freak." Then they attack, feet and fists flying as you try to curl into a fetal position to protect yourself.
Eventually, they get bored and walk away with a few final insults thrown in your direction. You just lay there for long moments turned into minutes turned into your own little eternity. Every piece of you throbs, and you can feel blood trickling from a few cuts on your face. Slowly, agonizingly, you uncurl and drag yourself to your feet. You send up a silent thanks to whoever may be listening that you're just a couple buildings down from home.
Supporting yourself on any wall within reach, you make your way to your apartment, the short walk taking at least three times longer than it normally would. You take the time to assess the damage; you don't think anything's been broken, but you're definitely going to have a hard time moving for a few days. Your bag trails behind you, dragged by the detached end of the broken strap.
The apartment's empty when you finally get there. A blurry corner of your mind reminds you that your sisters had some school trip this weekend that they'd left for right after classes ended, and your parents had taken the opportunity to have their own weekend together. It's a small blessing, really, that you won't have to come up with any explanations for your current state. You trudge towards the bathroom, stripping off your ruined uniform as you go and running an extra-hot bath once you get there.
Sinking into the steaming water, you let your head drop down to rest against the edge of the tub. And then your cell phone rings. You sigh out a light "Damn," before drying your hands and digging through your pants pockets. The caller-ID screen reads Jaejoong-hyung, and you hesitate for just a second before sliding the phone open and raising it your ear. "Hey, hyung. What's up?"
Jaejoong's silent for a moment, and you know that he's already picked up on something. Somehow. "Well, I was going to make sure that we're still on for tonight, but going by your voice, I'm gonna say that's a big fat 'no'. What happened, Minnie?"
"N-nothing, hyung. I… just got home, so-"
Jaejoong cuts you off. "You're stuttering, which means you're lying to me, Shim Changmin. I don't like that you're lying to me. Listen, I'm just down the street from your building, running some errands for my mom, so I'm gonna stop by. Be there in, like, five minutes." Before you can protest, he hangs up.
Five minutes… You're not even sure you'll be able to get out of the bath in five minutes, considering the way you feel, let alone get cleaned up and relatively normal-looking. You resign yourself to the fact that Jaejoong's going to see your battered body and most likely fly into full-on mother-hen mode, the way you've found out over the last few months he's capable of. That fact settled in your mind, you allow yourself to relax in the hot water for just a few more minutes.
Jaejoong lets himself into your apartment just as you've managed to drag yourself up and dry off, a towel wrapped around your waist. "Changminnie? Where are you?"
"In the bathroom, hyung," you call back to him. You haven't had the chance to look in the mirror to figure out how bad you look, but Jaejoong says it all when he walks into the bathroom and just gasps, one hand going up to cover his mouth. "That bad, huh?"
He shakes his head, fighting to form a response. The hand that had covered his mouth reaches out to trace over one of your arms then turns you to look at your back. "Oh, Min…" He takes a deep breath then continues. "Come on; let's get you to bed. You can't feel very good standing there."
You nod, turning back to walk out with him. When you take your first step, though, your knee gives out, and you find yourself clutching Jaejoong so you don't hit the floor. His arms immediately wrap around your waist, hoisting you slightly to support most of your weight. He doesn't say anything, but you can feel his jaw tense when you rest your cheek next to his.
He actually manages to keep all questions and comments quiet until he's got you changed into some soft pajamas then settled into bed. You sigh as you melt into the mattress, and Jaejoong turns a stern look on you. "Now, you're going to tell me what, exactly, happened to you. Who did this, Little Genius?"
And you know he uses the name as affectionately as he always has, that it really isn't the same at all as what those guys had said. Even so, your whole body tenses up and your breath quickens as the same fear hits you all over again. Jaejoong sits on the bed to gather you in his arms, and you bury your head in his chest as you attempt to control your breathing. "Shh, Min, it's okay. You're okay. I've got you."
Maybe it's the warmth that surrounds you, his fingers slipping through your still-damp hair, the reassurances whispered in your ear. Whatever it is, within a few minutes you've calmed down and started drifting off to sleep. Just before you fall asleep completely, Jaejoong lays you back down on your pillows. You hear the beep of cell-phone buttons, a short pause, and then his voice. "Hey, get the other two then meet me over here at Min's. Something happened."

It seems like maybe a few hours later when you wake up again. You feel the stretch and pull of new bandages over the more serious scrapes on your face, as well as a few more on your hands and down your legs. Apparently, you'd been more injured than you'd first thought. Turning your head at the sound of low voices, you see the other four sitting in a circle on the floor and chatting quietly.
Yunho notices you awake first, locking eyes with you and smiling. When the others see the direction he's looking, they turn also. "Hey, Minnie," Yoochun says. "How're you feeling, kid?"
You take a moment to assess how, exactly, you do feel. Beyond the pull of the adhesive on the bandages, you hadn't really thought to take note of anything else. But, as you become more aware of your body, you start to realize how badly it all hurts: your stomach, your back, every attempted movement of your arms and legs. Before you say anything, the other four are already up and moving. Within a few moments, you have a couple pain killers in your hand, a glass of water, and heating pads covering most of your body to soothe away the soreness.
"Any better?" Jaejoong asks from his perch on the bed next to you, where he'd been directing all traffic as the other three scurried around to fulfill his commands. You nod at him, the pains slowly fading away even if the actual aches hadn't changed. "Good. Now, since you didn't actually get around to telling me before, who did this to you, Min?"
"Just some guys from school. I think they live in the neighborhood somewhere, because they're always around when I walk home." As you talk, the others gather around the bed and settle on the floor. "Usually they just yell stuff at me as I walk by, but today… I guess they were bored or something."
"How many?" Yunho asks.
You hesitate until Jae tugs lightly on a lock of your hair. "Five." They all gasp a little, and you force a small smile. "Hey, it could've been worse, right? I mean, no hospital visit, no serious injuries. Just a couple scrapes and stuff. So… it's really not so bad." You mean to say more, but you can't speak through the giant yawn that takes over.
Jaejoong sighs. "Alright, get some more sleep, Min. We'll talk more when you're all rested." A faint protest crosses your mind, but it never makes it to your lips as a heavy lethargy settles over your body. Instead, you snuggle deeper into the covers and let your eyelids drop closed.

{~###~}

Junsu's parents insist on taking his friends out to dinner for his birthday. All of you protest at least once, insisting the financial strain of taking out five teenage guys - not to mention Junsu's twin brother and friends that would be going out another night - was just too much. But they wouldn't hear any excuses, so you all eventually shut up and grudgingly accept the meal.
Staring in the mirror, you finish buttoning up your shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone. You really wouldn't think the reflection staring back so horrible, except for the yellow-ish bruises still fading on your face. Your chest and stomach and back, too, but the face is the only thing visible on a regular basis. Poking at the one around your right eye, you wince a little when it still twinges with pain. "If you'd stop poking at them like that, maybe they'd actually stop hurting," Yunho's voice teases from your doorway.
You turn and stick out your tongue. "Seriously, I think they're taking twice as long to heal just to spite me. Bruises don't normally last three weeks, do they?"
Yunho smiles lightly before walking over to adjust your collar. "You're lucky they faded that fast, Min. Most bruises aren't as severe as yours were." You roll your eyes but don't respond, and Yunho chuckles. "Come on. Let's get going before Jae finds something to lecture us about."
Following Yunho out of Junsu's bedroom, where you'd all been getting ready, you shudder a little when you remember the last of Jae's lectures that you'd been on the receiving end for. After you'd woken up the next day after your… beating, for lack of a better word, Jaejoong had ranted for a good hour about the things he'd do to you if he ever found out you'd been keeping something like the fact that you were being bullied from them again. You weren't even sure some of the things he'd threatened you with were physically possible.
You'd seen your group of thugs only once since the incident, about a week later at school. They'd had their own fair share of bruises, cuts, and black eyes, and your hyungs had strangely satisfied smirks on their faces anytime they thought you weren't looking. You still don't know how they'd figured out who your bullies were, but it did give you a warm feeling to realize they'd gone out of their way to find out then defend you like that. Not that you'd ever tell them. If they weren't going to admit they'd done it in the first place, they didn't need to know how you felt about it.
Shaking yourself from your thoughts, you follow the others out of the apartment and down to the street. The restaurant Junsu had picked is only a few blocks away, so you'd all decided to simply walk rather than figure out transportation for a group your size. You trail behind the group as you walk, content to simply observe as they talk and goof off with each other. Jaejoong looks back a few times, but you just smile at him. After the fourth similar exchange, he smiles back, apparently appeased that you're hanging back because you actually want to and not because of any silly insecurity issues.
It doesn't take long to get to the restaurant, a little Italian place full of dim lighting and plenty of atmosphere. Junsu catches your raised eyebrow as you're all seated around the circular table, you on his left side. "I know. Looks kinda corny, right? But I swear, this place has the best carbonara you will ever taste in your life. It's a little on the pricey side, though, so I only get to come here on special occasions." He smiles and bounces a little, obviously thrilled that his birthday qualifies as a "special occasion." You're sure it's been the same for pretty much his whole life, but that's just how Junsu would think about it - even after 18 years.
And his words ring true. It really is the best carbonara you've ever tasted, perhaps the best in existence really. Then, once the plates are finished and cleared from the table, Junsu declares, "Presents time! Gimme." Moments like this that make you wonder how he came out the older between the two of you, but you hand over the small box containing your gift anyway.
He grins at you, tearing into the wrapping paper without even waiting to receive the other presents first. Yoochun, from Junsu's other side, rolls his eyes and stacks the boxes in front of him.
You'd only managed to weasel about 10,000 won out of your parents, so it wasn't anything fancy. But you had stumbled upon a stall in Myeongdong selling cell phone charms like you'd never seen before: small silver hoops linked together to form a string a few centimeters long. Next to that had been tiny charms with hooks to latch onto the chain. You'd had just enough money to buy the chain, a silver cross, a black-and-white painted soccer ball, and a silver gaming controller.
His smile just gets bigger and bigger with each piece he pulls out. When he pulls that last small charm out of the box, he throws an arm around your shoulders and presses a wet kiss to your cheek. You grimace and make a big show of wiping off the mark of his lips as he laughs. "Thank you, Minnie. This is really cool." And you don't blush at all. Really.
He turns back to the rest of his gifts, pulling the next-smallest box out of the stack. It's just a small square, completely nondescript, but you catch the wicked smirk on Jaejoong's face when you look over to your left. It tells you that maybe Junsu shouldn't be opening this box with his parents at the table. Before you can warn him, though, he already has the paper and lid off the box. And then you all stare, parents included, as Jaejoong laughs. "They're… fluffy," is Yunho's brilliant observation. They're also fluorescent green. And handcuffs.
"I have the key as my cell charm," Jaejoong giggles.
You grab the lid from Junsu's hands, sliding it back onto the box to hide the offending item from view. Then, with very few second thoughts and absolutely no remorse, you reach to your other side and smack Jaejoong across the back of his head. Silence reigns for a long moment, and you start to wonder if maybe you'd overstepped some line. Then Jaejoong raises a hand and slaps you back. The whole thing just devolves from there.

{~###~}

"Whose idea was this, anyway?" Yoochun grumbles as four of you stare at the restaurant doors in front of you. Or, really, the doors behind Jaejoong who actually happens to be in front of you. A brightly grinning, bordering on hyper-actively bouncy Jaejoong.
You roll your eyes and stare at Yoochun. "Whose idea do you think it was?"
"And why did we agree to any restaurant he wanted again?" Junsu asks.
Yunho chimes in. "It's his birthday."
"Dammit."
Jaejoong pouts, over-dramatic and with an edge of amusement, at all of you. "Come on, guys! It's not that bad!"
"Jaejoong. Hyung. It's freakin' pirates."
And you swear, Jaejoong downright lights up at your words. "I know! Isn't it great?!" he giggles. Your left eyes twitches, but you still attempt to maintain some sort of optimism towards the rest of the night.

Fifteen minutes later, you've got a white-knuckled grip on your steak knife. All four of the others watch you, wary, out of the corner of their eyes. Almost like none of them dare to look at you straight-on. "I swear to all that is holy in this world. The next time some hairy guy with an eye patch 'arrrrgh's at me, I'm collecting body parts," you grind out through your clenched teeth.
Even Jaejoong's joyful, excited grin has turned forced and strained. Junsu cocks his head at the menu, turns it upside down, flips it over again, then continues staring at it. "Is this thing even in Korean?"
The comment distracts you just enough that your knife clatters back onto the table. The four of you stare at him; a small part of you really hopes he hasn't actually just asked that question. "Junsu. Dear. Oh, best friend of mine," Yoochun finally manages to force out. "The menu's in English. So, no. No, it's not in Korean."
Blinking, Junsu blushes from his hairline all the way down into the collar of his shirt. "Oh. Well. Never mind then."

You finish off your "Landlubber's Livestock" ("They couldn't have just called it a steak?" you'd mumbled as you ordered.), and look over to the others. Yunho's just polishing off the last of his "Seven Seas Salad," while Junsu's been finished with his "Sail o' Shrimp" for a few minutes now. Jaejoong and Yoochun have resorted to simply picking at the "Scallywag's Sampler" they'd shared.
The four of you split the bill evenly between you to cover Jaejoong's portion, and all five of you practically sprint from the restaurant. "The food was decent. I'll give it that, at least," you comment as you all walk down the street in the general direction of Jaejoong's house. "But I will shoot myself in the face before I step foot into that restaurant again."
Slipping an arm around your waist, Jaejoong laughs. "Of course. I apologize for making you suffer through that, Little Genius." You actually manage to not flinch at the name, for the first time in a long time. Jaejoong squeezes you just a little bit tighter.

{~###~}

You've had a little over a week to recover from the pirate fiasco, and you're heading out again for Yunho's birthday. "No presents. At all," he'd insisted, just a few days after Junsu's birthday. Not that you really blamed him. Between the handcuffs and the pirates, you were really starting to worry about Jaejoong's mental state.
So, instead, Yunho had requested a simple trip to Coex: dinner at whatever restaurant in the mall that happened to look good when you got there then plenty of walking around and window shopping. "Maybe the aquarium, too, depending on everyone's money situation," he'd suggested, a hint of childlike enthusiasm peeking through. After that, you'd all resolved behind his back to save up the extra money. You hadn't been to the aquarium since that one family trip when you were about seven, anyway.
When none of you can agree on a particular restaurant right away, you compromise by claiming a table in the center of the Food Court then going your own separate ways. It's a casual meal, chatter and laughter and friendship. Once you all finish eating, Yoochun last and picking at the little bit left on his plate, Junsu checks his watch. "We've got about two hours until the aquarium closes," he points out, "and they usually have a pretty good line to get in. So maybe we should head over there first before doing any shopping?"
Yunho practically glows as you all toss your trash and move out to the main part of the mall. Then, once you catch sight of a directory out of the corner of your eye, realize that the aquarium's in the opposite direction. You shepherd the others back into the Food Court then out the hall on the other side. "This mall's too damn big," you mutter, once you're assured that you're all heading to the proper area now.
Grinning even more brightly, Yunho throws an arm around your shoulder. "It really is. Lucky that we've got you to keep track of us, Min-ah. Otherwise, the four of us would get lost and wander around for days. Heck, maybe you'd never see us again ever!"
A sliver of mischief tickles the corner of your mind. Too easy? Nah. "Oh. Well, in that case… Can we ditch Junsu in the bathroom next time he needs a break?" The other three laugh; Junsu pouts and shoves you in the chest. You stumble a little, chuckling, but Yunho's arm around you makes sure you don't get too far.
"What happened to our sweet, shy, adorable little Minnie? What demon possessed you, and where can we can get an exorcism?" Junsu grouses, even as Yoochun and Jaejoong continue to snicker at him.
You smile at him, leaning into Yunho's side. "Sorry, hyung. But, hey, maybe you can just look at it as you four bringing out the real me. That would make it a good thing, right?"
"Not when the 'real' you acts like this! Bring back the fake Min! I liked him better."
"You only liked that Min 'cause he was actually nice to you. This one's much more fun," Yoochun points out, grinning at you. You smile back, and Yunho just shakes his head at all of you.

The aquarium was a lot smaller then you remembered it, but that could have something to do with the fact that you're a lot bigger than you were back then. Other than that, very little had changed. You'd all enjoyed the visit, though, small smiles of nostalgia on all your faces through basically the whole thing.
You're just starting to think that, for once, you'll get through a relatively normal outing with your hyungs. And then you attempt to leave the mall. The other four get through the automatic doors with no incident. You happen to be just a few steps behind Yoochun, the last one out of the four, but the doors slide shut in front of you.
You take another couple steps towards them, but they remain stubbornly closed. The others, realizing you're no longer right behind them, turn to look at you. Blinking, you retrace a few of your steps backwards. The doors slide open. When you step forward to walk out, they slip shut again. You scowl while the other four look on with no small amount of amusement. Junsu's downright shrieking with laughter, and you glare his instant death at him.
The pattern repeats itself a few more times: step back, doors open, step forward, doors shut. You kick at the seam where the doors meet with a low growl, but they refuse to budge. Your lip curls in disdain as you once more move backwards and watch the doors slide. "I think these things hate me," you observe.
"They're just doors, Minnie-ah," Yunho chuckles.
"Then why won't the let me out?!" Yes, you'll admit you're pouting. Anyone would, really, in the same situation.
Jaejoong, head tilted to the side as he stares, offers some advice at least. "Try running. Maybe you can get out before they have time to close all the way."
You huff out a loud sigh. "This is ridiculous. Who actually has to run to beat automatic doors?" you grumble, but you set yourself to make the attempt anyway. With a deep breath, you push off to sprint towards the doors and watch almost in slow motion as they start closing in front of you. Your right foot just crosses the threshold when the door from your left rams into your side. You stumble the rest of the way out, and Yoochun slips his arms around you to help keep your balance. "Ow. Crap. That was just stupid, really. Stuff like that just does not happen in real life, I swear." Yoochun giggles.

{~###~}

You don't really expect anything when your birthday rolls around. You'd never actually mentioned the date to any of them, so it'd be silly to expect that they'll just know somehow. Silly, yes, but your inner small child still pouts a little when the school day comes and goes without a single word from any of them. "Not like they're psychic or anything, idiot," you mutter as you trudge back home through the few inches of snow you'd gotten in the last couple days.
Your mom greets you when you walk in, a plate full of still-warm cookies in her hands. "Happy birthday, baby." She hands off the plate to you and presses a kiss to your cheek.
"I'm not a baby anymore, mom," you protest with an affectionate roll of your eyes.
"Ahh, I know that. All grown up now." She smiles, holding your face between her palms. "But you'll always be my baby. My first born. My only son."
You blush and pull away from her hold. "Mom…"
She laughs and turns to walk back to the kitchen. "Okay, okay. I get it. No more baby. Why don't you head to your room and get started on your homework? You've got about 2 hours before dinner's ready."
You want to argue just on principle that it's Friday and you don't really have to do any homework until Sunday, but you don't. It's not like you have any other plans for the night, and this way you free up the whole rest of your weekend. Jaejoong already claimed your Saturday afternoon and night anyway, so you can't really be sure what kind of shape you'll be in for homework come Sunday.
The night passes quietly, your youngest sister at a friend's house for a sleep-over and your next younger sister studying diligently for an exam on Monday. Besides a casual dinner, you spend most of the night in your room, clearing away any weekend homework and getting a head start on an essay due in the next week.
You fall asleep relatively early, a little before midnight, despite the fact that your insides still twist and turn when you think of your hyungs. And you remind yourself, one more time, that they couldn't have known. No way for them to know. Silly.

Usually, you like to keep your alarm set even on weekends. It keeps your sleep schedule regular, keeps you from sleeping too late and throwing everything off. When you feel the warm sunlight creeping up over your legs, though, you realize it's much later than the time you have your alarm set for. You pry your eyes open to look at your clock only to blink at it a few times when it tells you that it's a good 3 hours past your normal seven a.m. wake-up.
You roll over onto your back, fully intending to give yourself just a few minutes to let your eyes adjust to the light. Instead, you meet the sight of Jaejoong looming over your bed. You jump a little and let out a surprised yelp as Jaejoong just grins at you. "Hyung!" One of your hands settles on your chest, attempting to ensure your racing heart doesn't thump right out of your chest. "What in the world are you doing?"
He drops a quick kiss to your forehead. "Happy birthday, Little Genius!" You blink at him. "What? Did you honestly think we didn't know? Silly Minnie. Come on, get up. We've got a full day planned for you." He steals another kiss, this time to your cheek, before skipping out of your bedroom. Staring at the ceiling for another minute, you slowly shake off your shocked stupor and drag yourself to the bathroom.

Jaejoong hadn't been lying when he'd said they'd planned a full day: breakfast, then some shopping, then lunch, then a movie, then dinner. "Please tell me that we're going home now," you half-whine as the five of you walk out of the little porridge restaurant.
"But, Minnie!" Junsu protests. "We basically ignored the fact that it was your birthday yesterday. We have to make it up to you!" But he's grinning wildly, proving only that he'd like to torture you and wear you into exhaustion more than he's actually attempting to make anything up to you.
You roll your eyes and rest your head on Yunho's shoulder. He reaches up to ruffle your hair. "Don't worry, Min-ah. As far as I know, that's all we had planned for you. We already talked to your parents about staying over tonight, so we're just heading back to your place now."
It's only as you get closer to your apartment that you realize the other three are nearly vibrating with giddiness. It scares you. More than scares you, really. Jaejoong alone being that excited about something is scary enough. When it's all three of them… your mind comes up with every worst-case scenario. "Yunho-hyung," you whisper. "Considering the way they're acting, do I really want to go back home now?"
Yunho chuckles but doesn't answer.
You figure out why the minute you walk into your bedroom. "Oh. my. god. Really, guys? Really?" You look to them for an actual response, but Jaejoong and Junsu and Yoochun only giggle hysterically as they fall all over each other. Turning back to your room, you can only stare. "A teddy bear factory has exploded in my bedroom."
The statement really isn't too far off. Teddy bears of every size and color decorate your room. At least 20 cover your bed, arranged to artfully resemble a rainbow. Bears of every pattern of plaid cover the desk you generally reserve for your homework and laptop only. Bears dressed as other animals, as every character in 'Winnie the Pooh', as some of your favorite music acts. In one corner, a small teddy bear band - complete with instruments to scale - set up in one corner. "When in the world did you guys get all this done?"
"Well, remember when we rushed you out of the apartment right after your shower?" Yunho supplies, sheepishly. You nod slowly. "We already had it set up then. We did it all while you were actually showering, with some help from your mom and sister."
You sigh, staring once again at your room as the other three start to compose themselves. "So where, precisely, do you people envision us sleeping tonight?" And just like that, the hyenas collapse again.

{~###~}

Once your second year of high school started, you and Jaejoong were split into separate classes. Strangely enough, you find that the removal of Jaejoong's distractions just makes your mind wander that much more in class. All five of you still meet on the roof for lunch every day, though.
A couple months in to the school year, four of you sit in your normal spots and wait semi-patiently for Jaejoong to make his appearance. He always seems to be the last to arrive, so it's nothing new, but you're not quite used to waiting this long. It's at least fifteen minutes into the lunch hour when he finally shows up, carefully carrying a white bakery box. "Hyung, what do you have?"
Yunho, Yoochun, and Junsu turn to look at him also. Jaejoong just grins as he approaches the group. "I have a surprise! I don't expect you guys to remember why, but that's okay. That's why you keep me around, to remember these things." You all stare at him, but he clamps his lips shut as he sits down and begins eating his lunch.
You exchange a look with Yunho; he just shrugs at you before turning to his own lunch, and you take that as your cue to do the same. After that, except for occasional glances at the white mystery-box, the lunch goes on much the same as any other lunch the five of you have had in the last year or so. So what if you all eat just a little bit faster than normal?
Junsu finishes first, nothing new there, and takes to just staring at Jaejoong. And Jaejoong may very well be the only one who could withstand such intense concentration from Junsu. Eventually, though, you all finish your meals and pack up your boxes. Only then does Jaejoong pull the string from the white box and slowly lift the lid away.
A small chocolate cake sits inside, decorated with a ring of bright red strawberries around the edge and a few slices of kiwi set in some kind of rosette form in the center. A single, small candle spears right through the middle of the kiwi. Jaejoong digs a lighter from his back pocket and lights the wick. "While you guys fail spectacularly and may not realize it, today is a very special day." He pauses, all dramatic effect and expectation as he looks around at each of you. "Today is the anniversary of the day that Little Genius first came to our school and thus our merry little band here. Which means it is officially the very first birthday of our group."
You stare at him for a long moment before a smile breaks over your face. When you glance around, the other four have matching expressions. "A full year, huh? Well, then, who gets to blow out the candle?" you ask.
"I think you should do it, Min. It is kind of technically your anniversary, after all," Yunho replies.
Junsu chimes in with, "I think it should be Jae. Since he's the one who actually dragged Min into the group in the first place.
"Yunho, definitely. He's pretty much the one who keeps us all relatively sane and running smoothly," Yoochun supplies.
Jaejoong holds his hand up, silencing any more ideas. "Guys. We're not going to have any candle left to blow out if we keep up at this rate. We'll all do it together, okay?"
Yunho grins. "Happy birthday, guys."
You all lean over the small cake, blowing out the candle in a tiny puff of smoke. Jaejoong chuckles a little. "Happy birthday, YunJaeChunSuMin!"

[FF-11]