The strap of Hakyeon’s messenger bag dug into his shoulder as he turned the corner toward home. It wasn’t at all heavy – his web drama script and some empty banana milk containers didn’t weigh much – but he felt as if he had been carrying it along the streets of Seoul all day. He nearly tripped over his own feet in his exhaustion. It was times like these when he had to remind himself why he was even doing all of this.

            He trudged up the stairs and wearily punched the code into the door’s keypad. Filming had run late – nearly two hours past schedule – so he knew the others would already be asleep. He envied them most nights; he would give anything for a few extra hours of sleep.

            The door swung inward and he kicked off his shoes as quietly as possible.

            “He’s here!” The harsh whisper echoed throughout the silent entryway. Hakyeon froze, his knuckles white from gripping the door handle too tightly. What the hell--?

            “Shut up, he’s going to hear you!” The voice was unmistakably Wonshik’s, and Hakyeon squinted, trying to make out shapes against the dorm’s backdrop of inky shadows.

            “You’re all idiots.” Sanghyuk this time. “He’s probably already heard us.” There was a yelp, followed by a hissed, “Okay honestly, hyung, you didn’t have to hit me.”

            Hakyeon was utterly lost, and he fumbled along the nearest wall until his fingers found the light switch. He flicked it upward and squinted again as the overhead light came to life.

            They were huddled in the kitchen, of all places, pressed up against the fridge even though the room offered them ample space. Jaehwan flashed him a sunshine-bright smile. Hakyeon raised his eyebrows in response. Taekwoon cleared his throat.

            Hongbin raised his hands into the air. “Surprise, hyung!”

            Hakyeon blinked. “Is it my birthday?” He was only half-joking; he had been so busy lately that forgetting his own birthday didn’t seem as ridiculous as it once might have.  

            Jaehwan laughed. “Does it have to be your birthday for us to surprise you?”

            “Um. Yes?” Hakyeon glanced around the dorm, hoping to find even the tiniest bit of information that would clue him in to what was going on. His eyes came to rest on the kitchen table, where scores of banana milk containers formed a miniature pyramid. Rather than giving him any sort of insight, however, the sight merely confused him more. “What is that?”

            Jaehwan grinned and swept his arm outward in a dramatic arc, hooking his other arm around Hakyeon’s waist and pulling him close. “I call it Pyramid du Lait a la Jaehwan: A Study in Contemporary Beverages. Catchy, right?”

            Hakyeon struggled to twist around in Jaehwan’s grasp so he could see the others. “Would anyone mind explaining why Jaehwan is building contemporary art pieces on our kitchen table? Out of milk?”

            “It’s for you, silly.” Jaehwan snagged the top container of milk and shoved it into Hakyeon’s hands. “The whole pyramid is for you.”

            Hakyeon’s head was spinning now, and he felt as if he had been thrown into an alternate dimension. Maybe he had fallen asleep shortly after walking through the door, and this was all just a strange, sleep-deprivation-induced dream. Before he could open his mouth to voice his suspicions, Wonshik was ushering him toward the sofa.

            “Have you eaten today, hyung?” He pressed, sitting next to him and eyeing him with concern.

            “Uhh, yeah, I ate a few hours ago,” Hakyeon said, eyebrows lowering. “Why?”

            “We made you food just in case!” Sanghyuk chimed in, balancing a bowl of ramen in his hands as he came into the living room. He placed it on the coffee table and came to sit on Hakyeon’s other side.

            Hakyeon was now sure that he had stumbled into a massive puzzle that he had no hope of solving. He was trying to put the pieces together one by one, but they all had jagged edges that didn’t match up. He raised an eyebrow at Taekwoon, who was still leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed over his chest. Taekwoon raised his eyebrows in return, and Hakyeon could see the small smile that played around the edges of his mouth.

            Hakyeon was getting frustrated now; angry at being kept in the dark. What were they keeping from him? “Okay, really, guys.” He put the banana milk on the table and sat back, eyeing each of them in turn. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Because this is great and all, and I appreciate it, but I’m really confused.”

            Taekwoon was definitely smiling now. He ducked his head when Hakyeon shot him a curious glance. “He’s getting mad.” Taekwoon chuckled.

            “Well,” Hongbin started, coming to sit next to Wonshik on the sofa. “It’s… well, it’s been a while since we’ve really seen you. I mean, we’re always asleep when you get back, and you’re gone before we even get up most of the time…”

            Hakyeon raised an eyebrow. “And?”

            Everyone turned to look at Taekwoon now, and Hakyeon followed their lead. Taekwoon glanced to the side and pursed his lips in a tight line.

            “Oh, come on,” Sanghyuk called. “You promised you would say it!”

            Taekwoon deflated like a punctured balloon, and Hakyeon could hear his sigh from across the room. “We missed you.”

            Hakyeon blinked as his brain stalled for a solid ten seconds. He couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips as it all began to sink in, and he felt a laugh bubble up in his throat. “What was that, Taekwoonie? I didn’t hear you, you need to speak up a bit.”

            Taekwoon merely scowled as the tips of his ears turned pink.

            “We missed you, hyung,” Jaehwan sang from his spot on the arm of the couch. “It’s no fun when you’re not here.”

            “And… we worry about you…” Wonshik murmured, hands clasped together in his lap. “We know you’re not sleeping enough, and probably not eating enough, too.”

            “You need to take care of yourself.” Sanghyuk nodded.

            Hakyeon’s chest felt tight and he felt his smile fade. “I am taking care of myself…”

            “You worry about us more than yourself, hyung,” Hongbin said softly.

            “Of course I do; that’s what a leader does.”

            “Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to do everything.” Wonshik’s voice was quiet. “We’re a team, remember? You can lean on us.”

            “I know I can…” Hakyeon’s voice had dropped to almost a whisper, and he had to swallow hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to betray him. It wasn’t often that the members said things like this, and the rush of emotion he felt got caught in his throat.

            “We know you’re having a hard time,” Sanghyuk murmured. “But you need to speak up and tell us what we can do for you. You need to let us take care of you every once in a while.”

            “But you guys are busy, too--”

            “We have time for you.” Taekwoon’s soft voice was edged with finality as he strode over to join the group. “Don’t argue.”

            “You would do absolutely anything for us.” Wonshik tapped his foot rhythmically against the table leg, gaze locked on the floor. “Wouldn’t you?”

            Hakyeon opened his mouth to say that yes of course he would, but the words got stuck and he could feel tears gathering against his lashes.

            “It’s time we do the same for you.” Sanghyuk’s smile was soft. “You deserve it.”

            Jaehwan gestured to the table. “We made your favorite ramen, with an egg in it just the way you like it.”

            Sanghyuk nudged him forward. “Eat at least a little before you go to sleep.”

            “And take my iPod with you to your schedules tomorrow,” Hongbin chimed in. “It has all of Park Hyoshin’s albums on it. You said his songs help you relax, right?”

            Hakyeon could only nod. Holding back tears had never been his forte, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to keep himself from crying into the ramen bowl.

            “And… we made this. Here.” Taekwoon’s phone was clasped in delicate fingers as he held it out toward Hakyeon. He took it gingerly and stared at the screen.

            It was a video. Hakyeon swallowed back his tears once more before tapping the play button. Wonshik appeared on screen, waving and grinning at the camera.

            “You don’t think this is a cheesy idea?” Hongbin’s voice could be heard somewhere off screen.

            “It is a cheesy idea.” Judging by the volume of Jaehwan’s voice, Hakyeon guessed that he was the one holding the phone during filming. “Hakyeon hyung loves cheesy things.”

            “He’s gonna cry!” Sanghyuk’s voice.

            Wonshik scowled. “Guys, shut up and let me film my thing!” After the laughter and comments died down in the background, Wonshik began to talk. About how much he cared for Hakyeon and how much he meant to them. About how far they were all willing to go to make sure Hakyeon was taken care of.

            Sanghyuk was next, with a similar message and a reminder that he looked up to Hakyeon and saw him as an inspiration in everything he did.

            And then Hongbin, telling Hakyeon that he was the best leader anyone could have asked for, and that they were so lucky to have him. That he was a role model, a mentor, a brother, and a friend.

            Next was Jaehwan, who passed filming duty to Wonshik and gave an animated message about all of Hakyeon’s strengths, proclaiming that VIXX couldn’t function without everything he gave to the team. He ended with a wink and a kiss to the camera lens that had Hongbin yelling in the background.

            Last was Taekwoon, who spent half a minute staring at the camera as he searched for words. In the end, it was the longest message he had ever heard Taekwoon give, in which he reminded Hakyeon that they were all there for him no matter what, and that he meant more to them than he would ever know.

            Jaehwan turned the camera around and tried to squeeze everyone into the frame. Sanghyuk tripped over Hongbin’s foot, and Taekwoon laughed in the far corner of the screen.

            “Remember that we love you, hyung,” Jaehwan said with a grin, making a heart with his thumb and index finger. Hongbin made a gagging sound, and Wonshik slapped him on the shoulder and accused him of ruining the moment.

            “We love you a lot, hyung.” Sanghyuk smiled at the camera and tugged at Taekwoon’s wrist until his hand met Sanghyuk’s in the shape of a lopsided heart. Jaehwan blew more kisses at the camera until the video ended.

            Hakyeon let the phone fall into his lap and buried his face in his hands. Trying to hold back the tears was totally futile, but he didn’t want the others to see him break down completely. He choked back a sob and drew in a shaky breath.

            “Told you he would cry,” Sanghyuk whispered.

            Hakyeon could feel Wonshik’s hand on his back, rubbing small, soothing circles. The others came closer as well, even Taekwoon, who smoothed down Hakyeon’s hair with gentle .

            Hakyeon scrubbed at his eyes with the back of a hand and did his best to smile. His chest felt tight, and the words he wanted to say kept sticking in his throat like drops of glue: I love you guys, too. Thank you so much. I’d be lost without you.

            Hongbin had gathered the blanket from Hakyeon’s bed and dragged it to the living room, where he proceeded to drape it across Hakyeon’s shoulders and tuck it in around the edges. Jaehwan picked up the bowl of ramen and placed it in Hakyeon’s hands. Taekwoon brought in a glass of water from the kitchen.

            The emotions that had been surging through Hakyeon’s chest increased tenfold. This was his family, his home, his everything. The tears threatened to spill over again, and he brought a hand up to his eyes to stop them.

            “Thanks guys,” he finally managed to whisper, his voice quiet and small. “I love you, too.”

i hope this satisfies the "enormous amounts of fluff" part from the request ;; 

cha hakyeon deserves all the love and care in the world can i get an AMEN 

this prompt made me feel happy and fluffy inside ;; cha hakyeon is such a ray of sunshine