“It’s Luna’s birthday today…” Taemin looked around the kitchen at the four others and then back to the calendar. “Are they having a party? Or should we just go visit them?”

“You do know we have schedules today, right?” Minho gave a little smirk to the youngest. “Not all of us get to relax and get paid for it.”

“Who said I’m getting paid?” He actually didn’t even know if he was or wasn’t, but after barely doing anything for the past few months, he figured there was no way he could be.

“Manager-hyung.” It was a reply with no hesitation, but Taemin’s eyes widened as he turned to all of them, disbelieving.

“Talk about money later.” Key cut in before they could get anywhere in the conversation, turning in his chair to look at Taemin. “Yes they are having a party later. But Amber and Luna have the day off and offered to go out with you while we were at schedules. Sound good?” The maknae gave a small nod. “Good. Now come eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

He hated the wheelchair, hated it with a fiery passion. But as Amber pushed him along in it and Luna walked next to him, right along the path next to a river, Taemin actually enjoyed it a little. He wasn’t getting tired like he would have if he had walked and it was easier to take everything in when he didn’t have to focus on where he was going.

For the most part. “Noona? There a tree…” Amber barely moved the chair in time to miss it and Taemin and Luna both laughed at her, while the rapper tried to keep a straight face.

It fell in seconds. “Sorry Taemin. Got lost in looking around. It would be so cool having a picnic here.”

“Since when have you been into stuff like that?” Luna elbowed Amber and they stopped walking as the two fooled around, Taemin watching them with a smile on his lips. “You thinking of being here with a boyfriend? Who? Who, who, who?”

“Calm down owl.” The eldest struggled to get away from her friend, grabbing Taemin’s chair and running a little while pushing him. They didn’t get far before Luna caught up and latched onto Amber, pulling her away from Taemin. “Let go of me!”

“Tell me who!” Around them, people turned to look and fans were taking pictures, but none of them cared. It was fun to them and that was all that mattered. “Just tell me who and I’ll let you go!”

“Let me go and I’ll tell you.” Luna looked in Amber’s eyes for a few seconds, searching for a lie, before her grip loosened slightly. And that was when the girl broke out and grabbed onto Taemin’s chair again, running even faster. “Come on Taemin! We have to get away from her!”

They managed to get close to the parking lot by the car before Amber slowed down enough for Luna to catch up. And as soon as she had, the singer tackled her friend, sending them both rolling on the grass. “Tell me!”

“No one! I wanted to have a picnic with friends here at night, okay?” Amber struggled under the hold, but Luna was sitting completely on top of her and not getting up. “Now get off me!”

“Not until you tell the truth!”

“I did!” Luna leaned down to hold the flailing arms on the grass as well. Taemin only sat back, watching the two but not wanting to get anywhere in the brawl. “I swear!”

“If I find out you are lying, I’ll put you in a dress and post the pictures on all of our accounts.” With one last warning look in Amber’s eyes, Luna climbed off the elder and helped her sit back up and then stand. “Understand?”

“I’m not lying!”

“Pick which one you want. I’ll pay.” Amber motioned for Luna to choose a cake from the whole display in the bakery, but as the birthday girl got excited, she turned to Taemin. “Keep her busy. I’m going to get the other one for later to put in the car. If she asks, I’m in the bathroom.” He only nodded as she slipped money to the worker and led the two carrying a huge cake out to her car, looking at Luna.

The singer was excitedly looking at all the cakes in the case, pointing some out to herself every now and then. It only took a few steps for him to be beside her, but Luna didn’t seem to notice. Only after bumping into his legs did she jump in surprise. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay. Do any look good?” He leaned over to look in the case as well, completely distracting her from realizing Amber wasn’t there. She didn’t even notice before the eldest came back.

“Have you decided on one yet?” Amber stood behind the two, smiling as Luna nodded and pointed to a fruit and whipped-cream covered on. “Okay then.” As the eldest paid for the cake, Luna was walking around with Taemin, just killing time and talking about random things as they waited.

“What’s it like being sick?” It came out of , but only seconds later, she realized and her eyes grew wide as both hands flew to cover her open jaw. “I’m sorry… You don’t have to…”

“It’s okay.” He gave a smile, still walking in their random circles from before. “It feels like I have the flu, but it just won’t go away. Some days I just don’t want to get up at all because everything hurts, but then other days I feel completely fine. I haven’t had a day like that in a while…” His eyes glazed over as tears came thinking about it, but he still kept his genuine smile up. “I’ve always told the hyungs I would be open to anyone that asked, so don’t be afraid to. I know a lot of people were and still are shocked, so it’s the least I can do.”

She nodded and they were silent for a few minutes. Amber was talking away with the worker, so they continued their own thing. “You got surgery… Doesn’t that hurt?”

“A little… I’m on pain medicine though. And a bunch of other pills too.” He gave a little shrug. “I’m used to pain by now.”

That wasn’t exactly a good thing, but if it made his suffering easier, they would take it. “Will you two lovebirds come here so we can leave?”

Luna’s face turned bright red as she turned to glare at Amber but Taemin only laughed a little. “Yah! Look who’s talking!”

Taemin had never been inside the girls’ apartment—or the apartment of any girl, for that matter—but once in there, he couldn’t help but look around. It wasn’t much different from his own, if only a little messier. His would be worse if Key wasn’t there to keep it clean. “Want to crack into this cake now?”

Luna looked at Amber with wide eyes. “Aren’t we waiting for the others?”

“They’ve got it covered. This was my treat for us right now. Come on, we can watch some TV too…” She disappeared into the kitchen and not a minute later, there was the sound of a crash. “I’m alright!”

“Need some help? I can’t do much, but I can carry…” Taemin stood in the doorway offering his hands, but Luna beat him to the plates and utensils to carry.

“I got this. You just sit in the living room. You’re a guest today.” The youngest gave him a slight push and Taemin had no choice but to listen, sitting in their small living room as he heard more noise from the kitchen.

But a minute later, the two walked out with the cake and everything needed to eat it. As Luna chose the show, Amber cut the cake into fourths and dished a piece out to each. “Who’s the last piece for?”

“You. It’s your cake, you can have more later.” While they were both talking like the silence wasn’t enough, Taemin was staring at the plate that had to weigh at least a pound. And Amber noticed. “Something wrong Taemin-ah?”

He gave a small nod, eyes still wide as he stared at the treat. And then he looked up at the two with the same shocked look. “How am I supposed to eat all that?”

Taemin didn’t even know how it was possible, but someone had transformed the big training room everyone had always met in into a “club,” complete with flashing lights and loud music and all. And while Luna seemed to be enjoying it for her birthday and that was good and all—he hated it. Hated it with a passion.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that almost everyone in the room was drunk, even those who weren’t of age. Or maybe it was the flashing lights that gave him a headache. Or the music that was so loud it felt like it was shaking everything inside his body and making it rattle.

Or maybe it was the fact that he couldn’t enjoy any of it. He couldn’t drink—not that he would have if he wasn’t sick; he liked remembering the night as best he could the next morning. He couldn’t dance—the pain in his chest from missing a dose of pain medicine made sure that sitting was about one of the only things he could do. He couldn’t sing—breathing was enough of a struggle then. And he couldn’t tell anyone—they were all off enjoying the party.

So he hated it.

And, having decided wishing Luna a happy birthday earlier and spending the day with her was enough of a party for him, he stood and walked out. Not a person noticed.

He didn’t get far before he was sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall, hand grasping at his chest as if that would relieve some of his pain. Even though he knew he wasn’t exactly close to the room anymore, he could still feel the beats of the music through the ground. It wasn’t as pleasant to him as it was to other people.

His head tipped back to rest on the wall as he sat there still. People could walk by and he wouldn’t care anymore—he just felt sick and tired and in pain and that was all that mattered. Eyes fluttered closed, but he was still awake and trying to drown everything out.

It wasn’t going so well.

“Taemin-ah!” Lazily, he turned his head to the side and cracked his eyes to see who was calling him. And at the end of the hall stood an obviously-drunk Jonghyun, beer clutched in one had as he waved overly-enthusiastically at the boy on the floor. He jogged the distance to him, not even realizing as the foamy liquid in his cup spilt slightly. “What ya doing here? The party’s that way!” He pointed in the opposite direction of where it actually was and Taemin gave a little smile at his obviously-confused hyung.

Taemin took Jonghyun’s outstretched hand and pointed it the other way. “It’s that way hyung. You go have fun; I don’t feel well.”

“Hehe, had too much to drink Taemin-ah?” A sloppy elbow tried to hit his arm but only managed to spill some of the beer in his cup on the ground by Taemin’s leg. “Just make it to the bathroom before you get sick…”

“Go have fun hyung.” Jonghyun didn’t protest, standing on wobbly legs and walking back to the end of the hall. As he went to turn the corner, Taemin sighed. “Other way!”

“I knew that!” A dizzying turn and a few seconds later, Taemin heard Jonghyun reenter the party room.

“He’s too drunk to even care…” He looked down at the wet spot on the ground by his leg. “And he got beer on me. Isn’t this fun?”