When Kibum walked into the room the two shared the next morning, he was armed with his camera to snap pictures of the two. After having picked the lock the night before, he had found both snuggled up in Taemin’s bed and hoped they were still that way. He wasn’t let down.

Only after he had taken multiple pictures of them did he put the device away and turn to the task of actually waking them up as he was supposed to be doing. “Hyung…” Poking Jonghyun did nothing, yet he wasn’t going to do anything drastic that could have woken Taemin either. “Jjongie, it’s time to get up."

“Can’t you tell I don’t want to?” His voice was crystal-clear, nothing like someone who just woke up. “I stayed still for your whole photo shoot and everything.”

“You’ve been awake?” There was a slight nod of his head but Kibum didn’t need that to know. “Why?”

“Taemin kept waking up, so I just stayed up.” He shifted a little, but felt resistance. Looking down at his shirt, two hands were clasped tightly in the fabric, holding him in place. “He finally passed out around an hour ago. He won’t be up any time soon.”

“I will be with you two talking right next to me.” Taemin’s hands let go of the shirt as he let out a groan, rubbing his eyes with fists. “You’re not very quiet for talking about a sleeping person.” There were two apologies almost immediately, but he waved them off. “I would be getting up soon anyways. And happy birthday, Jonghyun-hyung.” They both ignored the second comment, making Taemin wonder if he even said it.

“You should just try to go back to sleep.” Kibum would have continued to get him to rest, until the words Taemin had yelled at them last night came to him with a start. “Unless you feel like getting up, that is.”

“If you’re acting like that from last night, it doesn’t matter. I was just mad that I was feeling sick.” Taemin sat up, pushing the blankets off of him and with his hair sticking out all over. Kibum caught a glance of how much was on the pillow and took the moment to snap one of the last bed-heads they would be seeing in a while. The maknae squinted against the flash, but didn’t react in any other way.

Jonghyun slid out of the bed to let the other out as well, both of them stretching as feet hit the ground. The camera was going again, but it didn’t seem like they cared as both went about their daily morning routine, Kibum sitting on the bed and watching with a smirk. “You two are like brothers.”

“Aren’t we?” Their reply came at the same exact time, strengthening Kibum’s point even more.

Jonghyun was the one that left first for the bathroom like always, leaving Taemin alone in the room with Kibum. “Are you going to leave so I can change?”

“It’s not like I haven’t seen you before.” Taemin’s face turned a bright red at that almost immediately and Kibum let out a laugh. “And recently too. Jonghyun needed help changing you for bed after the recording. You practically passed out on him.”

“No need to remind me of things I don’t remember. And I was trying to be nice, but that was my way of asking you to get out. I don’t quite feel comfortable stripping with you watching.” Taemin nodded to the door, but Kibum shook his head and crossed his arms, leaning back on the bed some more.

“I don’t want to leave. I can’t, actually. Minho and Jinki-hyung claimed they were making breakfast and kicked me into your room so I would get away from them. So you’re stuck with me.” He gave another laugh as Taemin sighed but listened, slowly removing his shirt as Kibum watched.

“Are you staring me down as I change? At least have the decency to look at the wall of something. Save that for Jonghyun-hyung.” And Kibum did, but he continued to sneak glances when the maknae wasn’t looking.

Taemin has always been skinny, but he already looks skinnier. How have we not noticed? “Can I look again?”

“Fine.” He turned around just as Taemin finished pulling the shirt over his head, but it got caught on the catheter in his hand and the embarrassed boy ended up having to ask for help from Kibum to get free. “Thanks…”

“You know they make cover things for those. So you don’t have to just wrap it. They come in all sorts of colors, so you can match them to your outfits and everything. Maybe we should get some…” He looked at the maknae with curious eyes, but only got a shake of his head.

“I don’t need something like that. But can I use some of your hats?” The question almost broke Kibum’s heart as Taemin turned around from the mirror with a clump of hair clutched in his hand and a few tears in his eyes. “I don’t think this looks very idol-like.”

“Pabo. Just forget about that.” He was in front of the youngest in seconds, arms wrapping around the smaller frame and holding the boy to his chest as the tears fell silently. “Of course you can. Use anything of mine you like.”

“Thank you hyung.” Taemin stepped back the smallest step so he could see Kibum’s face to give a smile. “For everything. Not just this.”

“It’s just what family does, Taemin-ah.” But that phrase sent the weak boy into full-out sobs that resounded around the entire apartment. Kibum looked wide-eyed to the door when he saw feet and was met with three sets of worried eyes from the members, as lost as they were to why Taemin was sobbing.

And then the one day in the hospital came back to Kibum and he very well could have dealt with being smacked up the head then since he deserved it. “Taemin-ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“N-no.” He shook his head quickly, trying to pull back from Kibum’s arms to look at the elder as he explained. “I want it too. Please.”

While the others were lost, Kibum nodded, giving a small smile. “Then of course. We are your family after all.” And immediately they understood. They were waved off by the diva before the maknae saw them and the two sat down on the bed, Taemin curling into Kibum. “We will always be there for you. For everything.”

“You guys are the only family I’ve ever really had. Thank you.” Even though his face had obvious signs of crying and he had the clump of hair from before missing from the front, Taemin grabbed the camera from Kibum’s pocket and held it out, snapping a picture of the two with a smile on his face. “You are always taking the pictures, so I wanted to take one this time.”

Kibum only gave him a smile back. “Why don’t we go look at some hats for you?”

"Happy birthday, Jonghyun-hyung." The two were the last to the table for breakfast, but none of them questioned when Kibum pointed to the hat on Taemin’s head without the youngest realizing. An extravagant breakfast was laid out—at least when in relation to the two who made it. There wasn’t a promise that it would taste good, but it was food to all of them and it looked and smelled good enough to eat. Even Taemin, who had barely eaten more than a few spoonfuls at any meal, took a full plate, even if it was small. There was even a bottle of banana milk at his place, courtesy of Jinki.

No one else said anything to the singer. But as they all started eating, he ate the most he had in almost a week. Things didn’t taste the same to him and some things were just plain disgusting when he had liked them before, but he didn’t say anything. Until it came to the banana milk.

Just like any other time, he stabbed into it with a straw and drank the deepest gulp he ever could, filling his cheeks like a chipmunk. Only to taste the most horrid, non-stomach-able flavor ever. The chipmunk cheeks were emptied in the sink before he had even realized he had gotten up and even the disgusting chemical-water tasted good at that moment as he washed his mouth out like a mother cleaning curses from a child’s mouth with soap. “What was that?”

“Banana milk… You’re favorite…” Jinki even grabbed the bottle to make sure, showing it to Kibum for conformation. After sniffing it and taking a little sip, he looked at the maknae. “It tastes okay to me. Like any other banana milk.”

Before they could get as far into the debate as they had with the water, the walking encyclopedia of Minho stepped forward with his phone. “This says that chemo medicines can make things taste different. Especially water. Some people end up hating their favorite foods and such…” He even held the article out to anyone who wanted to see, showing proof.

“You’re like our little researcher. Just look up anything whenever we don’t know, why don’t you?” Jonghyun would have been on the brunt of Minho’s glare had Taemin not cut in then, saving him from an almost-certain death.

“Well that’s all fine and dandy, isn’t it?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. But it turned innocently honest the next second. “So you two aren’t bad cooks after all?”

Kibum actually left the room he was laughing so hard and Taemin got smiles from the three thinking he was joking. “Nice one Taemin-ah.”

“I’m serious. I was wondering why it tasted like crap!”

Without any warning, Taemin had walked out of the practice room the other four were dancing in, leaving everyone wondering just where he was going, but none of them could stop. The boy had only been sitting there since he wasn’t allowed to dance for the time being, so it wasn’t like they needed him, yet all of them wanted to follow after and make sure he was alright.

The ten minutes the maknae was gone were torture to the others. When he finally came back, though, it was obvious to them why he had left.
When there had been hair under his hat before he left, clumps were missing and not much was left. How does hair fall out that fast? When we were up the whole night, there was barely anything falling out… As if the maknae knew who was thinking about him the hardest, he threw a smile Jonghyun’s way before turning back to the job of file-organizing he’d been given to do for the time. It was sad to all of them, seeing the lead dancer sitting on the side and organizing files while they reworked songs to not need him, but the boy seemed happy so it wasn’t mentioned once.

After all, it was better for him.

But every now and then, one of them caught his longing glances, his wishful eyes that he could be dancing along with them. That might never happen again. “I’m going to go bring these back now…” Taemin lifted the files into his arms as he barely muttered to the trainer where he was going, walking out and leaving them all mystified about the sudden mood change.

He didn’t return to the room for a while, and when he did, he seemed much paler than before. While he watched the four dancing away, he had shifted from sitting against the wall to lying on their bags, more than one jacket thrown over him to keep a chill away.

By the time they finished, he was out like a light. Even as he was carried by Jonghyun through the halls and to the van, he didn’t wake. Head resting on Jinki’s shoulder for the ride back, Taemin was gifted with a silent van to not disturb him. Jonghyun was beside him, watching the boy as he slept. It's been a nice, quiet birthday, hasn't it?

But when the beanie started slipping off his head, Jonghyun went to straighten it. A clump of hair fell just from the simple movement and he pulled back with the hat, shocked at what he saw.

Almost all of Taemin’s hair was already gone.