Taekwoon’s nose twitches.

“Wake up, hyung,” a soft, gentle voice is saying, and the rich smell of coffee intensifies. Taekwoon inhales deeply before cracking open one eye, and then the other – then he immediately narrows them.

“Sanghyuk,” he says, voice rough with sleep, surprise and suspicion. “What are you doing?”

Sanghyuk laughs a little in mock-indignation, propped up on the edge of Taekwoon’s bed barely inches away from Taekwoon’s face. “I made you your morning coffee, hyung. For your birthday. Everybody else is already up but I made them let you sleep another fifteen minutes.”

He carefully waves the mug temptingly in front of Taekwoon’s face, making sure not to spill any of the coffee inside it.

Taekwoon looks at the mug, and then looks at Sanghyuk’s sweetly smiling face.

“…You mean Hakyeon made it?”

“No,” Sanghyuk frowns slightly. “I made it. I did it exactly the way you do it. It’s your birthday, hyung.”

“I know it’s my birthday,” Taekwoon grumbles, pushing himself up and shaking his fringe out of his eyes. “Why are you being so nice? What do you want? What have you done?”

Sanghyuk rears back slightly, looking hurt. “I just wanted to do something nice for you today, hyung.” He hands the mug to Taekwoon and sits tentatively on the edge of the bed, every inch the kicked puppy.

Taekwoon stares, speechless. Something is definitely up. At a total loss as to what to do, Taekwoon takes a sip of his coffee, and then instantly wonders if Sanghyuk has doctored it somehow. He shoots a searching look at Sanghyuk and then glares at the cup as if he could scan it visually for laxatives or whatever hell Sanghyuk and the other younger demons would find it funny to lace his coffee with as a birthday prank.

“Is it – is it not good?” Sanghyuk asks, looking truly devastated. Taekwoon is starting to believe in the Twilight Zone.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Sanghyuk mumbles when no reply comes, whole form drooping. “Can I – can I at least give you a birthday hug?”

He must have woken up in an alternate dimension – that’s the only explanation. This emotional, soft Sanghyuk can only be real in some other world. His last birthday Sanghyuk had bitten him on the leg, for ’s sake.

Taekwoon finds himself slowly putting down the cup and hesitantly opening his arms to Sanghyuk, unable to resist the puppy eyes any longer but internally bracing himself for a WWE takedown or to be picked up bodily and hauled outside for the general enjoyment and hilarity of the other members. Instead, Sanghyuk holds him firm and close, careful not to squeeze too tightly, and gives Taekwoon what he basically has to admit is a really satisfying hug.

“Happy birthday, hyung. I love you,” Sanghyuk tells him softly once he lets go, smiling again. “Better hurry. We’ve got to go soon.”

“Okay,” Taekwoon answers, starting to panic.

*

Something is definitely up.

Taekwoon feels fingers brush the back of his neck, and he turns slightly to see Sanghyuk letting his arm fall back to his side.

“Your shirt tag was sticking out,” Sanghyuk explains with a brief smile, and Taekwoon confusedly gives him a distracted caress in thanks. They’re milling around on set, waiting for the final lighting to be adjusted before they can start filming for ASC and Sanghyuk is killing time lightly drumming out a song playing in his head on Taekwoon’s shoulders. Usually, this would be a perfect excuse for him to use the pretext of play in order to spread pain and mayhem and generally bother Taekwoon out of his mind, but Sanghyuk’s actually being gentle and quiet. The slight press of his fingers rather feels like a very gentle massage, more proof of fond familiarity and the pleasure of being close to a favoured hyung than casual torture.

It’s been about two and a half hours since Sanghyuk woke him up this morning and Taekwoon is still on tenterhooks waiting for the other shoe to drop.

In the morning the others had welcomed him when he appeared, bedhair and all, with birthday hugs and wishes and promises of presents to come, but they were all being their normal selves. Hakyeon was already talking a mile a minute about something or other, Jaehwan and Wonsik were having a conversation nobody else could follow, and Hongbin stopped his rapidfire texting to interrupt Hakyeon every few sentences, all while they quickly ate their breakfast. When Sanghyuk turned to him Taekwoon had braced himself but it was only to ask Taekwoon about the new musical he’d been cast in – Sanghyuk had asked sincere, genuinely interested questions that despite himself Taekwoon had been pleased to answer, and then Sanghyuk eagerly requested that the soonest Taekwoon finds out which dates he’ll be playing to let Sanghyuk know so he can schedule a night to come watch. When he was done, Sanghyuk had helpfully taken his breakfast dishes from him without being asked to go wash up.

Taekwoon had looked around at the others in a mute appeal for help – Sanghyuk, volunteering to do Taekwoon’s chores?! – but nobody seemed to notice Sanghyuk’s body had apparently been kidnapped and possessed by aliens.

They hadn’t noticed anything in the car when Sanghyuk had willingly offered his Spongebob stuffed toy so Taekwoon could have something to put behind his back to sit more comfortably, stiff from their recent dancing practice; nor had they noticed anything during makeup and fitting when Sanghyuk came over to take ‘a birthday selca’ with him and posted it on twitter with the caption: ‘My beloved hyung’s birthday!!!!!’ There was nothing outrightly mocking Taekwoon could find about that message, childishly exuberant though it was, nor the smile Sanghyuk wore when he posted it.

That had been half an hour ago, and Taekwoon honestly feels like a rabbit trapped in a cage with a tiger. Sanghyuk is lulling him into a false sense of security, that’s it – and when Taekwoon finally lets down his guard, that’s when the devil is going to pounce.

Sanghyuk finally gets tired of the drumming and shifts in his seat to lean back and lay his head on Taekwoon’s shoulder, Taekwoon turning an incredulous gaze on him.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sleepy,” Sanghyuk says, trying to get as comfortable as their height difference allows. “They always wake us up so early to get anywhere then once we’re there we have to wait and wait-”

“No, its – you never cuddle with me,” Taekwoon protests, looking up and around at the others. Someone has to notice this – outside pigs are probably flying like nobody’s business, shooting from one end of the sky to another. His feeling of disbelief only intensifies as Hongbin merely ruffles Sanghyuk’s hair from where he’s sitting behind them, going back to whatever it is Wonsik’s showing him on his phone. Hakyeon doesn’t even bat an eye from where he’s facing them, talking with Jimin and Kevin. “You don’t cuddle with anybody.”

“There’s a first time for everything, hyung, I’ll cuddle with you from now on,” Sanghyuk grins up at him – and this, this cheeky Sanghyuk is closer to the Sanghyuk he knows – “Hey, your shoulders are really no joke. They’re like a table.”

Oh, my god, Taekwoon thinks. He’s probably planning my death as we speak. What is he up to???

Taekwoon debates pushing Sanghyuk off him, but truth be told inside he’s melting. Finally, finally, the demon known as Han Sanghyuk is finally acting like the sweet baby maknae he was always supposed to be –

Taekwoon gives up and goes to check his mentions on twitter, scrolling through all the birthday messages and anticipating the fansites’ rice donations made in his name. He thinks of the two hundred eggs one fansite donated on behalf of Jaehwan once and it makes him laugh because of how endearing it was – Hakyeon hadn’t stopped calling Jaehwan his ‘little chick’ for weeks after that just to see Jaehwan lose his temper. Sanghyuk makes an adorable little sound of enquiry as to what’s funny and Taekwoon tells him, Sanghyuk immediately twisting around and calling out for the ‘little chick hyung’, as if he doesn’t know Jaehwan’s sitting right behind them on Hongbin’s other side.

“Don’t start that again!” Jaehwan explodes as the rest of them dissolve into giggles, Hakyeon perking up at the familiar nickname.

The filming starts, and instead of leading the Humiliate Taekwoon Hyung mob, Sanghyuk saves Taekwoon from being roundly teased not just once, but twice. Taekwoon thinks he can really get used to this exciting new world.

“Hyukkie,” Taekwoon decides to experiment once they’re all finished with the show and finally back at the dorm. “Rub my back for me, please?”

“Oh, hyung, sure,” Sanghyuk instantly gets up from where he’s playing with his phone on the sofa and tosses it aside. “It’s still hurting? I’ll go get Hakyeon hyung’s medicated oil.”

Sanghyuk does a really proper job – big, strong hands for once making Taekwoon feel good instead of dealing out despair and destruction – Taekwoon’s back is the furthest thing from stiff and sore when he’s done.

“The coffee this morning was actually pretty good… would you mind…?”

“Sure, hyung. See, you liked it after all!”

“Hyukkie, could you get me my laptop? From my room?”

“Of course, hyung.”

“Hyukkie, those plates in the sink need to be washed.”

“Oh, hyung, I’ll do them now.”

Taekwoon is living the life.

“Hyukkie, massage my feet.”

Taekwoon sticks his feet into Sanghyuk’s lap and lays back on the sofa, closing his eyes as Sanghyuk’s warm hands obediently start to knead. This is the best birthday ever, even if the real Sanghyuk is now aboard some alien spaceship being probed in uncomfortable places. He’ll take this version any day.

“Happy birthday to you,” Jaehwan’s voice sings out dramatically from the kitchen as Hakyeon walks into the living room, carefully balancing a small cake in one hand, candles alight. Hongbin and Wonsik turn off the lights so the candles cast a warm glow over the six of them – Taekwoon sneaks a peek at his phone’s clock and is surprised to see it’s only two minutes to midnight.

“Aren’t you supposed to do this the midnight of the previous day,” he asks, but his grumbling is empty. It’s been a really good birthday, as good as he can hope for it to be. He’ll be able to go home tomorrow for a while to see his family, too. And today – he looks around at the other five surrounding him. They love him, and that’s enough.

He blows out the candles and makes a silent wish, Jaehwan and Hongbin trying to duet on the birthday song, opera-style. With this noise in the background Hakyeon squeezes his shoulder in congratulations and gets up to get a knife to cut up the cake so they can share it, and that’s when Taekwoon feels Sanghyuk’s hands on his feet form a grip like a vice. Taekwoon’s head snaps up.

“Grab his arms,” Sanghyuk orders quickly, and Wonsik manages to catch Taekwoon’s arms and pin them above his head. Jaehwan hefts the cake like a weapon to the tune of Hongbin giggling madly.

“Hakyeon hyung, hurry up,” Sanghyuk calls, and that’s when Taekwoon begins to struggle in earnest. He ing knew it!

“Han Sanghyuk!” Taekwoon roars.

Hakyeon reappears with something in his hands and he bends over Taekwoon, fixing whatever it is to Taekwoon’s head. It feels like a headband, and Taekwoon doesn’t even want to know what sort of headband it is. He decides to cooperate – the faster they get what they want the faster they’ll let him go – but when he sees the ribbon choker with the silver bell on it he throws all his resolutions to the wind and struggles like mad.

Hakyeon has a job putting it on him. By now Taekwoon’s pretty sure the headband has cat ears on it because he’s remembering Sanghyuk’s exact words from a few weeks before, taunting Taekwoon about how cute he’d look in kitty ears and a bell. All of this was planned, right from the start, and they were all in on it –

Hongbin gets ready his phone to take pictures, and the others quickly gather around Taekwoon to take the photo – all big grins and peace signs surrounding one murderous Taekwoon as they gleefully yell ‘happy birthday!’ – before Wonsik and Sanghyuk release him at the same time and Jaehwan launches the cake into Taekwoon’s face.

Taekwoon sits on the sofa in total defeat, decorated with strawberry shortcake and kitten ears. Hongbin is still taking photos.

Sanghyuk carefully swipes a finger over Taekwoon’s cheek to pick off some cake, magnanimously offering Taekwoon some. Taekwoon doesn’t even deign to look at him.

“It’s pretty good, this,” Sanghyuk says appraisingly as he tastes it. “Good bakery.”

“Jaehwan!” Hakyeon is scolding in the background. “Why did you throw the entire cake at him, I wanted some-”

“Just eat it off his face, like Sanghyuk,” Jaehwan replies, and gets hit in return for being dirty.

“Send the photos to the chat group before you go to sleep,” Wonsik reminds Hongbin as they both wander off to their bedrooms. “I want to send them to Taemin.”

“Well,” Sanghyuk says, surveying the results of his hard work before him – a broken, speechless Taekwoon. The shock of this betrayal hasn’t even left him the strength to try to retaliate. “I’ll leave you to wash up. Remember, hyung, I love you.”

Sanghyuk sashays away, familiar demon giggle trailing behind him.

*

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