Hyung Jun didn't know what could have possibly woken him up at this hour, seeing as he was exhausted from the previous day's activities. He could hear Choco's feet padding against the tiled floor of the living room, and he laid for a moment listening. There were footsteps too, and what he thought were soft “shh's” coming from the living room. He sat up slowly, moving hair from his face as he heard soft rustling of what sounded like paper, or a type of bag. Confusion struck him as he quietly he slid off his bed, taking the most soundless  footsteps he could manage. He slid his grip around his door's handle, the rustling sounds increasing from outside his door. 

 

He didn't know what to expect, honestly, but it was obviously nothing bad if Choco wasn't yelping or hollering. His mom was at her place, his brother was going to be picked up later that day from the airport -

 

Oh yeah. It was his birthday. 

 

A smile twitched onto his face as he realized that, turning his head back over his shoulder to look at the clock, 5:14 AM.

 

He started to turn his head back around, heart race increasing as he slowly slid the handle around, figuring that whoever was in his living room was nothing bad, maybe even one of his old band members making him a surprise. Maybe it was just his mom, who decided to come over and wrap presents and then tell him later she did it in his living room and he didn't even notice as a joke or prank. Moving as if he was made of silk, Hyung Jun opened his door and slid out of it, thankful for the wall covering him. From where he stood he could see through the open doorway and into the kitchen. With just a slight peak around the corner, he'd be able to see who was currently in his living room.

 

His heart rate sped up as he prepared himself to peak over, biting his bottom lip to keep from grinning before shutting his eyes once and squeezing them before opening them again, slowly moving his head to look around the corner.

 

In an instant his head was back around the wall, his heart pounding in his head. Was that...?

 

He took a moment to calm down, confused and scared he was going insane, before looking around again.

 

Sitting on the couch his brother was writing on a banner you'd hang above a door, the coffee table having moved in front of him to give him a hard surface. His bangs were tied up by a pony tail on the top of his head, and Choco was sitting next to him, wagging his tail and resting his head on his knee. What? How was his brother here? He was supposed to be in Japan.

 

Hyung Jun found himself watching his little brother work, writing and scribbling little doodles, using different colored markers. Only when his brother raised the banner up to look at it could he read it, a “Happy Birthday Hyung” written on it. He felt a twinge in his heart, as if someone was softly tugging on it, just keeping him there, not moving him. Time passed as he watched his brother decorate -hanging up the banner above the entrance to the kitchen, putting up streamers, and blowing up balloons to tie down in corners and near entrances. Only when Kibum left, was Hyung Jun able to move and stretch his legs, excitement bubbling in his body. Only then did he notice that he had dried tear stains on his cheeks, and he rubbed at his eyes, grinning to himself. How long had his brother been planning this? When did he fly in? Did his mom know?

 

He wanted to run out from his hiding spot and go after his brother and hug him, kiss him all over his face, and thank him for doing such a thing. But instead he stayed there, leaning against the wall as he heard the front door open and shut again. For a  moment he only heard footsteps, before hearing the sound of boxes being placed on the ground, tissue paper being ruffled. 

 

Presents. 

 

Hyung Jun bit his lip, jumping up and down quietly before peaking his head around the corner, watching as his brother collapsed onto the couch, hugging a pillow. His smile wavered a little, watching as his younger brother sighed quietly, opened his eyes once and looked around before closing them. Hyung Jun watched until he could hear the quiet snoring of his brother before stepping out from behind the wall, looking around the room and grinning. Choco ran over to his feet, following him as he soundlessly walked over to his sleeping brother's form. Quietly Hyung Jun leaned over, whispering “Thank you” while placing a kiss on his brother's cheek.