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"Happy birthday again, Jess!" said Kouchi while giving Jesse few pats on his shoulder.
They have just stepped outside the restaurant where they celebrated Jesse's birthday and stood in front of it just because they had no idea if they should all go on their own ways and go home or hang out more because one day would never be enough for them.
"Thank you for coming out to spend the day with me." Jesse thanked with a wide smile plastered on his face while fighting the urge to tear up simply for the fact that he would be every day thankful for the members and for how far they have come together so he just rather tighten his grip on the paper bag—his present—in his hand because he couldn't word his emotions out. He might end up crying like a baby. Worst, in public!
"We've been pretty busy lately but at least we were able to come out today and have fun ne?" Hokuto said.
"Can I just mention the fact that I lost count of how many gags Jesse had said today? I started counting at the beginning but gave up since there was a lot!" Shintaro mentioned.
"It's my birthday and I am smarter than usual."
"Who said you are smart?!" exclaimed Shintaro which gained laughter from the other members.
"Oi!"
"We will just never really run out of things to talk about ne?" said Juri and they all nodded in approval.
"Too bad Kyomo couldn't come, though. I'm sure he has called you, right?" Shintaro asked. "To greet you, at least."
Jesse just shook his head. "His phone's most of the time out of reach since yesterday. He must be really busy, so I cannot get on his way as well."
He tried to show a smile even if he knew so well how much he was sulking inside.
"It's supposed to be his off today, too, right? He was just called in for emergency rehearsal for tomorrow's show," said Juri, trying to comfort Jesse, "Maa, I am sure he feels bad as much as us for not being able to come."
"And it's Taiga. I am sure he won't allow not having to do on your birthday. He just has to be Rudolf today." Kouchi reassured.
"Mouuuuu, yamete yoooo," Jesse cried out while scratching the back of his head. "Why are you the ones sulking and feeling bad Taiga is not around? I am not that clingy to be so lonely just because he's busy, mou! Give me a break!"
"Well, that's not what we've heard..." Shintaro mumbled, teasingly, and the rest couldn't pretend not to hear it.
Jesse glared at him for a while before hitting him with the paper bag in his hand. "Oi!"
Juri even had to gulp hard just so he won't laugh out loud on Jesse's face. This guy will never be good at lying about his feelings.
"Okay, you guys are teasing me so much already! I am going to call a cab and go home!"
"Maa, maa. Don't be sulky," Shintaro still went on as he gave Jesse pats on his shoulder but just to receive a soft blow on his stomach from no other than the sulking birthday boy.
The five of them then bid goodbye to each other, especially after Kouchi received a call from his manager reminding him of School Kakumei's location shooting the next day, leaving Jesse behind just because he insisted on taking a cab than one of them driving him home. He had too much fun with them that he felt his battery draining and he needed to be alone to recharge and just digest everything that happened.
He just really wished Taiga was able to have fun with them instead of working his ass off when he was supposed to be resting and spending my birthday with me!
Especially that he had already planned this day with him. And it was to be spoiled and cling on Taiga the whole day. As simple as that and we couldn't even do it, damn Rudolf!
When a cab stopped in front of him, he stepped in and sat just behind the driver. He rested his head on the back rest and then smiled warmly on his own for realizing how crazy his day was. More than anything else, it was really such a crazy and fun day. Every time they would all eat out together, it would never not be fun. They have expressed it even in the interviews that the time they spent together had indeed increased and they didn't even feel tired of each other because they knew it would always be a fun time with each other.
Jesse almost jumped off his seat when his train of thoughts was interrupted by his phone's vibration inside the pocket of his jacket. He reached for it and as he was pulling it out, he wouldn't lie he felt hopeful. However, the smile forming on his lips halted as he saw it was a text message from Kouchi, greeting him again and just telling him how thankful he was that he had met him and be in the same group, thanking him for being their source of positivity even if they knew he was fighting his anxieties all by himself just so he could spread positivity to them, and thanking him for being patient in teaching him dance even though he teased him a lot about it as well. And at the end of his message was, "I hope you get your only one wish today, Jess!"
He grinned at it and just thought how Kouchi was always so kind and patient to them as well. For always looking after them and always making them feel loved and important.
He pressed the home button of his iPhone and smiled because behind all those applications he had installed was Taiga's funny—and really, really cute, very fucking cute—face.
He took a deep sigh before putting his phone back in his pocket and looked out at the view of the city.
"Mou, call me, bocchan..." he mumbled.
Almost an hour after, he arrived at his apartment building. As he stepped out of the cab and walked in to the building, he fished his phone out again and this time to try calling Taiga. He just really wouldn't accept it if Taiga decided to let this day end without greeting him, even just thru text. However, as soon as he dialed his number, it was the answering machine again.
It's 11:30 and his phone is still off?
He could only sigh and scratch the back of his head—feeling hopeless something would turn up before the day ends—before stepping in inside the elevator. He leaned on the glass wall and closed his eyes, his head tilted back. He was on the 38th floor, so he still has time to ponder with his thoughts. Normally, he would just whine at Taiga or playfully ignore him when he'd do something he didn't like, but this time, he couldn't just let his emotions get to him. Taiga was obviously busy and definitely more tired than him, but he never heard him complain. Also, he was sure Taiga was feeling bad as well for not being able to come, but he still had to try his best on his own, so he decided he wouldn't be a kid.
He let out a loud sigh for the nth time today just to let his frustrations go before stepping out of the elevator when it halted on his floor. Out of the blue, he started humming Why as he walked by the hallway, wondering if he should just go over to his place and wait if ever he wasn't still home, but resisted against the idea since he knew he would be disturbing Taiga's parents as well. His dad got pretty cranky when his sleep got disturbed, although he knew his mom would stay up until he was home.
Such a bocchan.
And as he turned left the hallway, his humming stopped so was his steps. Few meters away from him was definitely someone wrapped in a thick jacket, sitting by his doorway, looking like a ball of big blanket since he couldn't see the person's face.
A drunk man? He could be dangerous, right?
He frowned and decided to walk closer and he could see next to the person was a box of what seemed to be a pastry. His eyes then widened with the realization that just by looking at the box, he definitely knew it was from Pasela Resorts, one of his favorite pastry shops.
And he only knew one person who would bring him something from Pasela. That one person who knew so much how crazy he was to their honey toast.
"Bocchan..." he mumbled to his own before dashing forward and crouching in front of the ball of blanket which he now could name as Taiga, his bocchan.
He's here!!! And he is sleeping by the doorway, damn!
"Hey..." he started while shaking Taiga a little on his arm. "Taiga, wake up."
Taiga stirred a little before he sleepily looked up, his eyes widening a little and a small smile starting to form on his lips as he realized it was Jesse in front of him.
Jesse had to gulp secretly to take in Taiga's cute just-woke-up-face and noticed the red mark on his forehead. "Have you been here long?"
Taiga shook his head a little. "Actually, I don't know. What time is it?"
Jesse looked down on his wrist watch. "11:40-ish"
"Yeah, not that long. Was here around 11."
"WHAT?!" Jesse raised his voice a little. "Why didn't you call me? And your key? You might get sick out here and you still have your play tomorrow! Omae!"
Taiga's mouth stretched downward to the right, the face he would pull off whenever he forgot something or made a mistake. "Gomen, I left it at home. Plus, I am covered," he said while tapping on his thick jacket. "And I wanted to surprise you..."
"Taiga..." Jesse mumbled his name in a much deeper voice, expressing how he hated he fact Taiga had to wait for him outside for 40 fucking minutes and didn't call him or anything but also feeling overwhelmed because Taiga didn't forget him.
"I'm sorry..." Taiga apologized, his round eyes staring at Jesse's full of worry ones, and unconsciously being cute with how apologetic his face looked right now. Jesse wanted to just pounce him by his doorway and kiss him all over his face, but he wouldn't risk too much.
He sighed and stood, offering his hand to Taiga. "Let's get you warm inside."
Taiga accepted his hand with a smile on his face, while the box of Pasela pastry in his other hand. "I got you honey toast, you know," he said in a sulking voice with the hope to make Jesse feel better but at the same time to just appear cute because Jesse would never resist that.
Jesse snickered as he brought Taiga inside his apartment, still hand-in-hand. "I know and I am not mad or anything, okay?"
He then dragged him inside his room, sat him on his bed, then walked towards his closet to get him his change of clothes. He squatted in front of him and started taking off his jacket. "I was just worried. You should've called when you realized I wasn't home."
"I left my phone at home and it's probably dead by now since I forgot to charge it last night."
Jesse's hands stopped from removing Taiga's jacket and let them fall gently around the his waist. "Aren't you being too forgetful lately, ossan?"
"Oi!" Taiga retorted as he slightly pushed Jesse in which Jesse had to grab on Taiga's arms so he wouldn't fall off. "But I didn't forget, okay!"
"Forget what?"
Taiga moved a little closer to him and placed both his hands on the sides of his face, causing him to wrap his arms tighter around him.
Taiga looked at him in the eyes for a while, then down to his nose, to his flushed cheeks, and then to his inviting lips. "Happy birthday, Jesse," he cooed before closing their gap through a sweet kiss on the lips.
When they pulled away, Jesse looked down to hide the blush on his face and just how wide he was smiling. It felt way, way different when it was Taiga initiating. It was like the 4th of July inside his chest.
"O-of course, you won't forget that, baka!" said Jesse as a matter of fact before giving Taiga another peck on his lips. His heart would explode soon and he cared less. "You're dead if you do, though. But thank you...thank you for giving me the rest of the day to be with you. I know you're busy—"
Taiga stopped him with another peck on the lips just for Jesse to realize what mattered the most was the present. He was already there with him and that was all that mattered.
"Mouuu," Jesse mumbled under his breath before proceeding in taking Taiga's jacket off completely. He tossed it down to the floor, scooped Taiga in his arms, who was surprisingly wearing a thin shirt under his thick jacket, and laid him on his bed. He took off his jacket as well before crawling over Taiga until he was hovering over him. "I am planning to change your clothes since you had a long day and you had no idea how much I was fighting to just hold and cuddle you as soon as I saw you, but you are unconsciously making it hard for me, so scratch the changing. I'll cuddle you the entire night, so don't ever complain or whatever. It's my birthday!"
"You only have less than 10 minutes, though. It will no longer be your day soon!"
"So what? It's not like I can only cuddle you when it's my birthday. I am going to cling to you like a Koala until you need to leave tomorrow for your play! "
When did I complain every time you cling to me like a Koala?
"How about your honey toast? Even though I went all the way just to get it for you."
Taiga pouted and Jesse couldn't help not to give those red protruded lips a peck.
"Nooooo, that's for tomorrow. You first as always, then Pasela later. "
Taiga giggled as he remembered those times Jesse would choose him over food even if he liked to eat.
"It's your favorite, though."
Jesse shook his head. "You are my favorite. My most favorite."
Taiga just looked at him for a while as he was silenced, feeling the creeping warmness across his face just because of what Jesse had said.
This kid can really be honest with his feelings, mou.
Sometimes he forgot Jesse was still younger than him and him older, but it was these moments he liked the most—when Jesse was acting on his age and just be such a baby.
His baby who was actually a pain in his ass.
Taiga then wrapped his arms around him to hold him back. Jesse smiled at that and then gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose before laying down his head on his shoulder, his lips playfully touching Taiga's pale neck.
"Happy birthday again," Taiga whispered.
Jesse snuggled closer in between Taiga's neck, just like how a baby would find comfort with their mother's warmth. "I love you, Taiga, remember that, okay!"
Taiga just smiled at that as he held Jesse tighter and closer, if possible. There was no way he would forget how much he was loved because Jesse never failed to make him feel so.
They both then closed their eyes to let the slumber take over them. And while Jesse was savoring and enjoying the moment, he remembered two things:
One, I am really clingy and lonely just because Taiga's busy and won't give me the amount of attention I always needed from him.
Two, my one and only wish for today is sure granted and is now here in my arms.