Jonghyun wasn't sure why, but today was a bad day. Nothing in particular had gone wrong, but nothing had gone right, either, and it seemed like every little thing was getting on his nerves.

 

Why are birds singing right now? It's dark out. And...

 

"!" Jonghyun yelled as he tripped, catching himself on the wall of the building he had been walking next to. Hissing, he peeled his hand off of the wall, hoping it wasn't scratched too badly, and looked down to see what he had tripped over.

 

Of course it's just my stupid shoe.

 

Honestly, if they weren't in the middle of so many performances and preparing for a comeback, Jonghyun would have gone back home, shut himself into his darkened room, lit a few candles, and not come back out for a few days. As it was, he bent down to retie his laces before making his way carefully back to the dorm, alone, where he was sure the other members were waiting for him.

 

It was late, but he wasn't surprised by the confetti and streamers that greeted him when he walked in the door, nor was he surprised by the loud shout of "happy birthday" that came from the mouths of s. Minho wrapped him in a hug, followed quickly by the other members, and they stood in the small entryway, wrapped in each other.

 

Jonghyun wasn't sure when he started to cry, but his sniffles gave him away. Minho, having been the closest, was the first to notice, pulling away with a soft "Hyung?"

 

Jinki, always quick to act, pulled Kibum and Taemin back, trying to give Jonghyun his space. Jonghyun was often sensitive, prone to tears, and Jinki knew that the best plan of action was to let him cry it out. Kibum sent a worried look to Jinki, but Taemin looked at Jonghyun intently, watching as Minho tried to pull away to give Jonghyun room. Jonghyun pulled Minho back in with a sob, burying his face in Minho's button-up. His hand stung where Minho's shirt was pressing hard into his scrapes, but he was finding it hard to let go. He needed to be held. Minho looked helplessly at their leader, wrapping his arms around Jonghyun gently. Jonghyun rarely clung to Minho the way he did to the other members when he was upset, and Minho felt underqualified to deal with this sort of situation.

 

Jinki frowned, bringing one palm up to rub softly between Jonghyun's shoulders; small, soothing circles like he knew the younger boy liked, and he felt Jonghyun's body shudder with a large sob, his sounds muffled through Minho's chest.

 

"Kibum," he said softly. "Go cut the cake. Maybe put it in bowls with some ice cream?"

 

Kibum moved closer to Jinki, leaning in to whisper, "I'll save the candles in case he's feeling better later. Or maybe tomorrow," he said with a fond glance toward where Jonghyun's shaking body was surrounded by Minho's unsure one. Jinki smiled, nodding, and Kibum made his way to the kitchen with a mission.

 

It was only once Kibum was gone that Jinki noticed that Taemin wasn't in the entryway anymore. His hand stopped its circles, and he looked around, stopping when he noticed a slim shadow moving quickly from room to room. The shadow got bigger and more clunky looking before it disappeared into the living room, and soon Taemin shot out, breathless and sliding on sock-covered feet, looking considerably less bulky than his shadow had a moment ago.

 

"I... uh..." He began with a look over Jinki's shoulder at Jonghyun, whose breathing had begun to settle from harsh sobs to shaking softness, Minho running gentle hands through his hair in an effort to calm him. "I got him some pajamas. The soft ones he likes. And I moved all the blankets and pillows to the living room. We can watch a movie, or maybe just sleep. I don't know how tired he is... But I figured we can sleep together like we used to."

 

Jinki nodded. He hoped Jonghyun would like that better than being alone tonight. He turned around to ask Minho to make Jonghyun go get changed, only to find the taller man leaning over Jonghyun, wiping tears off his face and whispering.

 

"Are you ok?"

 

Minho's hands were soft against his face, and Jonghyun let out a shuddering laugh, the last of his tears being wiped away.

 

I'm so stupid

 

"I got your shirt all wet." His voice was grainy, rough with tears, and he pulled lightly at the wet patch, smoothing out where it had wrinkled in his hands.

 

Minho grinned, looking down at his shirt, as Jinki put a hand on Jonghyun's shoulder.

 

"He'll be fine. Everyone was about to change into pajamas anyways. Why don't you do the same? I think Taemin's already put some out for you."

 

Jonghyun nodded, his heart lifting a little bit.

 

"Yeah, I'll do that."

 

Shuffling down the hall and into his room, he smiled to find his favorite oversized t-shirt and soft pajama pants sitting on his bed.

 

They all know exactly what to do, he thought to himself, humming contentedly as he shed his clothes, feeling like, with every layer, he was shedding off a bit of his bad day.

 

Kibum was waiting for him when Jonghyun stepped into the hall, making Jonghyun squeak. Knowing that today wasn't the day to pick on him, Kibum handed Jonghyun a bowl of cake and ice cream.

 

"Everyone is in the living room," he said, pushing the bowl into Jonghyun's hands. "If you want, we can watch a movie. Or we can just talk. Or sleep. Whatever you want since, you know, it's your birthday."

 

The bowl was cold, and he yanked his hand back when it touched his scrapes. Kibum's eyes went wide as he almost dropped the bowl, grabbing it quickly and somehow managing not to drop anything.

 

", I thought you had it. Are you ok?"

 

Kibum made sure the bowl was secure in one hand and reached over to see Jonghyun's palm.

 

"It isn't bleeding," Jonghyun told him. "I tripped on my way home. Just a little bad luck today."

 

Kibum chuckled. "I'll go get the first aid kit anyways. You don't want it getting infected. Here." He pushed the bowl back at Jonghyun, making sure he had it firmly in his hands before turning around and heading toward the bathroom.

 

Jonghyun made his way to the living room, taking small bites of his cake as he went. Jinki was by the television, probably putting a movie on, and Minho was on the floor, rearranging blankets and pillows into a nest big enough for the five of them.

 

Taemin was on the couch, his now-empty bowl next to him, his eyes flitting up when Jonghyun entered. Moving his bowl onto the floor next to the couch, Taemin patted the cushion to his side, shifting his long legs so that Jonghyun could fit more easily into his side. Once Jonghyun was seated, Taemin wrapped his arm around him, leaning his head over to rest on Jonghyun's shoulder.

 

"What happened?"

 

Jonghyun sighed, spooning a bite of ice cream into his mouth, waiting for it to melt before answering.

 

"Nothing really happened. It's just been an off day."

 

Taemin nodded, his hair tickling Jonghyun's ear. His hand moved to displace Taemin's hair, but, when Taemin shifted to nuzzle into Jonghyun, Jonghyun ran his fingers through the soft strands, the repetitive motions soothing them both, Jonghyun's ice cream slowly melting in his forgotten bowl. Closing his eyes, he felt the bowl being moved out of his lap and onto the floor, slim fingers finding his and stretching his hand out to look at the scrapes. Kibum, it had to be Kibum, ran a wet cloth across his hand, and Jonghyun's nose wrinkled as his hand began to sting, his other hand tightening in Taemin's hair. A whimper escaped his mouth at the cold burning sensation, and Taemin sat up, working to get free so that Jonghyun wouldn't pull his hair anymore.

 

"Shhhh," Kibum soothed him as Jonghyun opened his eyes just enough to glare at the offending alcohol wipe. The sting was gone quickly, replaced by a bandage that Kibum smoothed over Jonghyun's palm.

 

"What do you want to watch?" Jinki asked, sorting through their collection of movies.

 

"Something quiet," Jonghyun requested. Eyes half-lidded and following Kibum's movements as he packed up the first aid kit and left to return it to the bathroom.

 

"We could watch one of Kibum's foreign movies," Minho suggested, and Taemin nodded in agreement. "A lot of those are romantic and quiet."

 

"One of Kibum's movies it is, then."

 

Taemin moved quietly off the couch to turn the lights out while Jinki placed the movie into the player. Minho, satisfied with his work on their nest, took Jonghyun's uninjured hand and pulled him to the middle of the floor, cuddling in beside him when Jonghyun took his hand and laid his head in the little space above Minho's shoulder. Taemin joined them, burrowing into the surrounding blankets and resting his legs over top of Jonghyun's.

 

When Kibum returned, he quietly moved to lay next to Minho, bringing a blanket up over top of them and curling into Minho's chest. Jinki was the last to join their group, having adjusted the volume to what he thought was the perfect level for either watching the movie or sleeping through it, and he quickly snuggled up to their youngest, allowing Taemin's arm to go around him, even though it put Taemin at an almost diagonal angle, making the rest of them slightly more squished.

 

And when Jonghyun began to sniffle again, happy tears this time, four sets of hands quickly moved to soothe him, running gently, lovingly, over him.

 

Maybe it hasn't been a terrible birthday.