As far as birthdays go, this one is alright. His 91-liners and band mates worked together to throw him a party in their own dorm, and he couldn’t have spent the evening eating, drinking and making merry with a better bunch of people. SHINee are working on a comeback, and that means doing the usual round of variety shows, so it is a welcome respite to be Kibum, and not Key, for a day. 

Right now, Kibum is standing in the kitchen alone; Nicole is well and truly drunk, and is noisily debating the inherent misogyny of Exo’s Growl with an equally inebriated Suho. He stares out of the window, wondering why it was that birthdays became more and more melancholic as one grew older. 

An arm snakes around his waist, and it’s owner, Hyeong Seop, drops his bony head on his shoulder.

“What are you doing back here?”

He doesn’t feel like explaining, so Kibum shrugs and points out a familiar huddle of people standing under a streetlamp on the street. Seop knows them well enough by now, because they are the reason he cannot show up at the dorm as often as he’d like, but he hasn’t known them as long as Kibum has.

“They still haven’t figured out where we live.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yes, but it’s also a little insulting. Jaejoong’s lot managed to get into their house, several times, and even Soshi’s got as far as putting a camera in their parking lot. Why are ours so stupid?”

“One day when you find a bloody tampon on your bed, I’ll remind you of these words.”

Rain lashes the kitchen window, but the sasaengs haven’t moved from their spot despite the fact that umbrellas are no match for this kind of downpour. Two years ago, they would have. Things have changed a lot in two years, Kibum muses, absently rubbing Seop’s arm where it is wrapped around him, and he can’t tell whether these changes are for the better.

“I know.”

Seop turns him around and bends over slightly to look him in the eye. “You’re very depressing all of a sudden. Are you drunk?”

“Maybe. And I don’t know…maybe I’m just tired.”

“Come on, let’s go. I’m sure Jonghyun’s crying on Jinki, thinking we’re making out back here.”

That makes him smile. “You’re so mean.”

“And he’s a bastard who can’t keep his hands to himself.”

“I thought you like him?”

Seop throws his hands up. “I do! That’s what’s so annoying.”

Woohyun pushes a glass of wine into his hand as soon as he re-enters the living room, ignoring his protests. “Trust me, you’ll love this. It’s a 2011 Golden Bot-botty something or rather – don’t laugh at me, you Daegu-born brat – and it’s like champagne with honey.”

It is. Heavier than normal whites, but with an unexpected burst of fizz, it goes all the way to his fingertips and ears and warms the corners of his heart. He offers the remainder of the glass to Seop, almost grateful when the calorie-conscious model turns it down, and decides that he must have another glass.

“Kibum-ah,” Jonghyun drawls from where he sprawled over their couch, head pillowed on Yixing’s lap “happy birthday.”

“Yes, thank you, for the millionth time.” He catches Jinki by the elbow. “Please cut him off the alcohol, hyung. A few more drinks and he’s going to be a bawling mess.”

Jinki shakes his head and gestures to massage chair, which is suffering under the combined weight of Minho and Changmin. “I’m trying to make sure my baby survives the night.”

Kibum is not entirely sure whether Jinki is referring to the chair or Minho. He turns to ask whether Seop wants to play with Commes Des for a bit, but his boyfriend has wandered away to stare longingly at his chocolate birthday cake.

Surrounded by saddos, Kibum thinks to himself, that’s why I’ve become like this. 

The doorbell rings. Mir looks up from where he’s seated on the floor, refereeing the ‘debate’ between Nicole and Suho, which has now devolved into name-calling, to ask who is coming so late.

“We invited Amber and Dana-ssi,” Nicole says. “Maybe it’s one of them.”

“Or Eunji,” Woohyun helpfully adds, clutching his bottle of Bot-whatever as if it is his most treasured possession. “I called Eunji. I know you like Eunji. Your children would be beautiful.” Seop glares at him. 

None of them have bothered to check the camera-buzzer mounted on the wall. Kibum starts to walk over, but realises that he will come within grabbing distance of Jonghyun if he does and decides to just answer the door. If this is the day the sasaengs decide to break in, so be it.

He opens the door carelessly, noticing at first glance that their visitor is a young man slightly taller than him. His hoodie is pulled over his head, from which stray strands of long auburn hair escape, and he is wet enough that a puddle forms under his feet.

Kibum has opened his mouth to ask the stranger who he is when the latter looks up.

He loses his breath. The din of the party in the warm flat behind him falls away. All he hears is the thump-thump-thump of his heart.

Because the person standing in front of him is Taemin. 

XXXXX

A/N: I should be studying/working. 

I feel like I should apologise for the Keyseop, somehow. 

Anyways, the whole point behind this author's note is to tell you guys not to expect the next update to happen as quickly as this one did. This was a relatively easy chapter to write; the rest won't be.