“I am dancing for our anniversary performance. Even if it means I can’t sing.”

“It’s two days away Taemin!” The room of trainers and backup-dancer trainees and managers and coordinators fell silent at Minho’s yell, looking at the fuming rapper engaged in a stare-down with the maknae. The other three only stood helpless on the side not sure what to do. “You can’t just decide that now!”

“But I was never given a choice before now!” He raised his voice as well, not backing down to the taller man. “I was just asked what I wanted to do and I’m telling you. I want to give the fans my best performance and I will. Try and stop me.”

“It’s not us that will. You physically won’t be able to.” Minho lowered his voice, trying to reason now, but that just set the youngest off more.

“You are telling me what I physically cannot do?” Taemin’s eyes took on a fire. “Watch me.” Without anything else said, he turned heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Three stares Minho before two hands hit the back of his head, courtesy of Jonghyun and Key. “Nice going, frog eyes. You could have been a little better at explaining it to him.”

“But he can’t!”

“Well let him realize that.” Jonghyun’s words were final in the conversation as he turned to the people that were disturbed by them. “We are sorry for disrupting all of you.” As he bowed, the others did the same. And when he scurried out of the room, so did the others. The workers were only left in shock, not even realizing they people they needed were leaving until they were long gone.

It wasn’t hard to find Taemin. He’d only gone to another training room and music until it was blasting. Going along with what songs came on, he tried dancing and singing for the first time in a while. And he managed through one song before being breathless—two before he was ready to faint. It was three before he collapsed to the ground and four before anyone entered.

“Are you trying to kill yourself?” Key helped him sit up from where he had fallen, supporting the weak body that had refused to work now. “Dancing and singing like that isn’t something you can do now.”

“I got through three songs. I can do a performance with you all.” A water bottle was pressed against his lips, but he refused to sip from it until Key answered. Looking with pleading eyes, neither gave in.

And then there was a sigh from Key and he nodded slightly. “I’ll try and get them to work something out. But really—it’s going to be hard since we are two days away.”

Taemin took the drink now before he spoke. “We aren’t the shining SHINee for nothing though. Besides, I’ll do a softer song for my solo so I don’t dance. I already got it approved by the coordinators and everyone. I just didn’t tell you guys. I wanted to surprise all of you, so please don’t tell the others.”

“Only if you tell me what you are singing.”

“The First Poem.”

Key couldn’t help but smile at the look of pure happiness on Taemin’s face as he was allowed to dance. He’d managed to convince the coordinators to include him and change the song order so that the three songs the maknae wanted to dance to were spread apart so he could rest between each one.

And he’d made the maknae’s day.

That was all that mattered.

As the first beats of Replay came from the speakers and were heard all around the crowd, lights kicked on to show not four, but five bodies on stage and ready to dance. Through the fanchants, Taemin’s name was the loudest as the dance started. And when his line came, it was almost impossible to hear him over the screams.

None of them could keep the smiles off their faces for the day, and though there were tears, they were tears of happiness. For being there, for having fans that cared, for lasting so long.

For having Taemin standing there with them. As a group of five, complete once again.

The question sessions and the talks were fun as they all joined in, but it was becoming obvious to anyone that the lovably active maknae was tired. Even if he tried to not show it, they knew.

Which is why he was going last in the solos—to give him the longest time to rest. When one left to do their song, three were there to watch over the boy and do anything he wanted so he didn’t have to.

And Key couldn’t help but find it funny that none of them realized the maknae had planned for this.

Clutching a microphone in his hands, Taemin pulled on his hat just a little bit more before taking the first step onto the side of the stage. After only a few more, the screams were ear-piercing, even with his earpieces in. But he only continued to smile as he walked to the center of the stage, lights following his every step. “Before I start, there are some things I want to say. Okay?” The crowd quieted down and he took that as his answer. Looking around with teary eyes, his smile turned a little sad and he lifted an arm to wipe away the tears with his sleeve before the fell down his face. “First of all…” He gave a full out bow and held it for almost a half minute before straightening, not even bothering with the tears now. “Thank you to all of our fans. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to stand on this stage today. I wouldn’t be standing here and I wouldn’t have met some of the best people in my life. Can they please come out?”

And all-too-happy Key practically pushed the other three onto the stage and gave Taemin a smile while the others only looked completely confused. Looking from the fans to his friends, Taemin’s eyes watered even more and it felt like he was swallowing stones before he could continue. “These past five years have been some of the best of my life—even going back to before our debut too. I’ve learned so much from my hyungs and I wouldn’t be standing here.” Trying to clear his eyes, he bowed to all of them, much like he did the fans. “Thank you. For everything.”

The music started and he swallowed one last time before placing the microphone back in the stand and grabbing onto it. “Haega jeegee jeone karyeohaettjee... Neowa naega eettdeon keu eondeok p'oonggyeongsoge…” The song was for the four he called onto the stage and everyone knew it.

But it still cemented in the point when he looked over at them and let the tears fall as he continued to sing. And when there was nothing to sing, he grabbed the microphone from the stand and walked over to them, giving each one a hug before returning to the center of the stage, focusing on the crowd now. The stand was now used as something to hold onto and nothing more as his whole body went into singing the song.

And when it fell, it was a case of Onew Condition, but that didn’t matter either. He just threw himself into the song even more. While the last notes made him so breathless his head span, it fell great to hear the screams and applause when he finished, giving a huge smile to the crowd before the four came over and buried him in a hug.

This was what he was meant to do.

Nothing was going to cut it short.

“You didn’t have to push yourself so hard yesterday that you are sick today.” Jinki’s voice was quiet, but it still cut into Taemin’s sleep and he groaned.

“I’m sleeping here…”

“You’re sleeping in the living room, and last time I checked, we were all living.” A certain dinosaur not-so-gently lifted Taemin’s feet from a seat and sat down, resting them on his lap to play with the younger’s toes. Where he would have reacted normally by trying to get away, Taemin just allowed it so that he could lay there still. “But really, if you’re sick, it isn’t good.”

“I’m fine.” He let out a yawn as he finally sat up, pulling blankets up with him. “Just tired.”

“We can tell.” Key appeared from the kitchen with a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee. “Just be glad Minho isn’t here or you wouldn’t hear the end of it.”

The food was placed on the table in front of Taemin and he turned to face it, finally recapturing his feet from Jonghyun. Too lazy to speak, he only gave a confused look before sipping at the coffee. “After you went to sleep last night, he practically attacked Key with words since he was the one that let you dance. Only because he was scared something was going to happen to you.”

“He doesn’t have to be. None of you have to be.” Taemin didn’t seem angry about it though, instead picking up the spoon in the oatmeal and lifting a little to taste before throwing it back down and sitting back in the couch clutching the cup of coffee. “I knew going into it I was going to be tired and not feel great today. I was and still am okay with that. You guys don’t have to worry.” He didn’t look to them or at anything, just stared into the coffee cup as he spoke again. “I made myself a promise last night—I’m not going to go down without a fight. So there’s no need to worry. Whatever happens, I am ready and I’m going to take it head-on.”