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Yu got up bright and early today. It was a special day after all and he had to make sure everything was going to go perfectly. He quietly slipped out of the room, smiling as he noticed Goro still dozed off, his fluffy brown hair all messy from tossing and turning in his sleep. His little brother could be so adorable when he wasn't aware of it.
Yu walked down the staircase of the Narukami household, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed a familiar number, with a specific person coming to mind as he did so. After a few rings, the person on the other side of the line picked up. It was Yosuke; his trusted Partner, and the one person he could count on for anything.
“Morning.”
He could hear Yosuke yawning on the other side of the line while another smaller voice absentmindedly chatted in the background. Good, it seemed all was going according to plan so far.
[“Hey Partner, morning!”]
“Did you do it?”
[“Yup. I walked with him to the train station and everything! We should be arriving soon. When do you guys plan to leave?”]
“I told you, I'm not leaving. I need to get everything ready.”
Yosuke sighed on the phone, while the smaller voice next to Yosuke was probably teasing him. Yu knew his Partner would be a little disappointed he wouldn't be joining them, but this was Goro's first birthday with him since he officially came under Yu's care! He originally wanted to spend his birthday in Inaba. Unfortunately, Goro's birthday had fallen on a weekday this year, but they would be heading back during summer vacation.
The teen looked out the window to view the early morning sky in Tokyo. It wasn't perfect like the one he'd see in Inaba, but it was still nice either way. Yu wanted to make the most out of a perfect day like this, and what better way than celebrating his new little brother?
[“Hellooo? You still there Partner?”]
Yosuke's voice snapped him out of his trance. Right, there was still so much to do!
“Sorry, I spaced out. Do you remember the plan?”
[“Course I do! We start by-!”]
And Yu let Yosuke recall the plans they made for today, wondering if everything would go according to plan or not.
-
“Goro. It's time to wake up.”
The young preteen groaned as he pulled his bedcovers over his head. “..five more minutes..” he whined before Yu quietly laughed to himself.
“Then you won't mind if our guests let themselves in on their own, right?” he asked, as if it was a thinly veiled threat.
Goro was about to question what the hell Yu was implying by that before Yu casually called down to whoever was downstairs.
“You can come in now~”
Suddenly there was rumbling before a loud, high pitched voice squealed in delight. Oh no, he knew damn well who just came in! Goro shut his eyes and tried to use his pillow to down out the incoming noise of the Yoshizawa sisters.
“Happy birthday Akechi-senpai!” Kasumi screeched in delight as a softer voice joined in.
“Happy birthday senpai.” Sumire greeted before she sighed and shook her head at her sister's actions. “...Sorry for intruding..”
There was a soft snort as another voice just entered the room.
“Thanks for letting us in Narukami-san,” Goro then heard from his friend and classmate, Miki Saito, likely talking to his traitor of a brother first before he looked towards him. “You're sleeping in on your birthday, Akechi-kun? Not a bad idea, but it sure would be a shame to miss everything Narukami-san put together for you today.”
Damn him. Goro's interest was piqued now. While he wanted to just pretend his birthday was like any other day, there was no way Yu would let that happen. Nope, he probably did something that was considerate while also being over the top. His brother could be so frustrating to deal with sometimes!
Goro groaned as he sat up and pushed his comforter off himself. He could see his brother now beginning to gently lead his friends out of the room now that he was up, all while they were complaining.
“He'll be up and ready to see you guys in a bit. Just give him some space.”
“Aww! But we did so much to get him up!”
“Kas, Narukami-san was nice enough to let us see him right now! Let him get ready so we can go soon.”
“And I thought he was bad at school when he's not pretending to be Mister Perfect. He sure is grumpy in the morning..”
Soon enough the three were out of the room and it was just Goro and Yu again. The young preteen glared at Yu, who just brushed it off with a slight smile.
“I hate you sometimes...”
“I love you too little brother.”
-
Eventually, Goro did get dressed and ready for the day. With the rude awakening this morning, he figured Yu must have gotten the day off for all of them. He didn't know how, but he wouldn't question it.
Yu served them breakfast, which they all dug into quickly. It was amusing to see Yu thrown off guard by how much the Yoshizawa sisters could put away despite being so small. He couldn't wait until they could attend one of their gymnastic meets or competitions so Yu could see the full extent of those sisters when they're at their best.
So far, nothing was too out of the ordinary. Maybe Goro was just being paranoid about whatever his brother might have planned for today. Yes, his friends would occasionally look at each other and knowingly grin, but that could just be something else, there was no way Yu would-!!
The doorbell rang and there was a knock at the door.
“We're here!”
Yu walked away from the table to go answer it, but Goro glared at the door. He knew exactly who it was.
Yosuke, Yu's partner and best friend, just walked into their house. Joy, he got to watch the brunette and his brother pine over each other on his birthday of all days.
“Yo, happy birthday Chibikami!” Yosuke greeted as Goro glared daggers at him.
“That's not my name!” Goro whined childishly as his friends laughed quietly behind him. He was about to yell more before he noticed that the brunette was carrying himself around suspiciously. First, he observed that Yosuke was carrying a large backpack in his free hand, while his other hand was pushing something behind him.
Goro narrowed his eyes at the odd behavior, making the brunette teen sweat a bit under the preteen's intense stare. “Uh...Yu? A little help?” he called out for assistance as his brother walked to Yosuke's rescue.
“Thanks for bringing these. I'm sure he'll appreciate them.” Yu started before he looked at who or whatever was behind Yosuke's side. “You can come out now.” he whispered before there was a soft giggle in response. It sounded..familiar.
“Fine.”
A messy mop of black hair popped out from Yosuke's side as Goro came face to face with Akira, his friend from Inaba.
“A-Akira..?” he questioned in shock as he walked over, only to be instantly pulled into a hug by the young country bumpkin. This was an unexpected surprise.
“Gororo~!”
Yu walked over with an amused smirk on his face while he looked at Yosuke. “Are you two hungry? I know you had to catch the earliest train out of Inaba to get here, and its better to eat now rather than later.” Yu asked, as if nothing was wrong.
“You know I'd never say no to your cooking,” Yosuke answered sheepishly as Akira chirped in agreement.
“Yes please!”
Goro sighed, knowing that his hope for a quiet and peaceful birthday was definitely dead at this point.
-
Yosuke and Akira were eating in a rush, since Goro and the rest of his friends were almost done with breakfast. However, Yu hadn't sat down to eat yet. Instead, his brother seemed preoccupied, walking around the house putting things in one area then coming back to reorganize another. He was behaving oddly...
Then Yosuke spoke up.
“You got the tickets?”
Yu walked over and handed something to Yosuke with a soft smile. “Yup. Mitsuru-san sent them earlier this week. Do you mind taking pictures for me? I can even lend you my camera, if I can remember where I put it.”
Goro could see the moment Yosuke's cheeks turned red as he watched them intently, trying to figure out what they were doing.
“A-Ah! Yeah, sure! N-No problem Partner! Just remember to call us when it's set!”
There was a tap at Goro's shoulder, and he turned to look over at the offender. Of course, it was Akira, who was wondering what Goro was up to.
“You've been staring at them for a while, what's up?”
He rolled his eyes at the question. “N-Nothing!”
Akira tilted his head to the side. “Are you jealous of them?”
Goro's own face burned at the insinuation. “N-No! Why would I ever be jealous?! They're just being suspicious! All of them have been this whole morning! Even you!” he accused before realizing he may have been a bit harsh.
“Me..?” Akira questioned quietly in confusion, making Goro stiffen, thinking he might have upset Akira. Then, the ravenette openly laughed.
“I just wanted to see you on your birthday! Yosuke-san came to my house this morning and told me that he was going to Tokyo. I knew it was your birthday, and well...I didn't want to miss out!” He stated before looking over at Yu and Yosuke. “I don't know what's going on either, but it must be fun if they're all putting this effort in for you.”
Goro pouted, but Akira made a good point. Whatever they were planning, it must be because they wanted to give Goro a good time today... He'd try to enjoy it at least.
“Oi! Hurry up you two! We gotta make it to the train on time or it'll get too crowded!” Yosuke called out, targeting Goro and Akira directly. Goro simply huffed while Akira smiled.
“We will!”
-
Soon, all of them were being pushed out of the house by a very insistent Yu Narukami.
“I'll call you when it's time, okay?” He heard the teen whisper to Yosuke, their chaperone for wherever they were going.
Then, Yu turned to his direction and gave him a side hug. “Have a great time, and don't bully Yosuke so much, please?”
“I'll try...” Goro muttered as they watched all of his friends crowd around Yosuke, who seemed a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Yu quietly laughed at the sight before looking back at Goro. “You're the oldest between them now, so help keep them in line. I want you all to make it back safe.”
“You could come with us and do it yourself.” Goro countered as Yu rolled his eyes at the response.
“I know, but I need to do something important...” He answered vaguely as Goro narrowed his eyes up at him.
Luckily Yosuke came to Yu's rescue with the rest of the kids gathered around him. “Alright birthday boy, it's time to move out! Let's go, you'll see Yu later!” he stated as he took the boy's hand and started leading him out, Goro struggling in the hold.
“Be back later, Partner!”
Yu just smiled as he watched them go, waving them off until they left his line of sight. “Have fun everyone.”
-
Goro would admit it, he had fun.
It was Destinyland, it was nearly impossible to not have fun! ...Nearly.
The minute they had entered the amusement park, everyone wanted to go look and ride different things. Goro even felt just a little bad for their chaperone for having to deal with them today, but then again, he got to ride the Destiny Sea roller coaster while they were there. It was the one Nanako had told him about during Golden Week, and it was definitely worth the wait.
Soon enough, they were walking back to the Narukami household, where Yu was waiting for them. He was wearing an apron and had a slightly disheveled appearance than when they had last seen him in the morning.
“Welcome back. How'd you guys all like it?” he asked innocently.
Goro and all his friends shouted various answers as they reentered the house. They were talking about everything, from the rides they got on, to the food they ate there, and even some of the souvenirs they got before leaving. Meanwhile, Yu and Yosuke shared a grateful look to one another as the brunette went to rest against the wall, letting out a sigh of relief knowing Yu was back in charge again.
That's when Goro noticed something different about the house. It was now decorated, with colorful streamers and balloons tied around in various areas of the living room and the entrance to the dining room. In one corner of the living room, there were presents and cards all stacked up, ready to be opened at a later time.
“He must have done this while we were out..” Goro concluded before looking up at Yu with a small smile as he shook his head at his brother's antics. “He's so sentimental, but I wouldn't have it any other way.”
Yu gestured for everyone to come to the dining room. The room itself was dark with the lights turned out. Just what was he planning--?!
Yosuke flipped the light switch as he was the last one to enter, and Goro was suddenly greeted with confetti flying at him, courtesy of the poppers Yu had given each of Goro's friends when they entered before him. He was so startled, he almost fell backwards.
“Surprise!” they all shouted as Akira dragged him over to the table, setting him at the center seat. The boy quickly took the seat next to him and smiled.
“Happy birthday Gororo~” he whispered as Goro flushed a gentle pink. This was far more attention than he was used to!
Yu brought out the cakes, but they weren't the standard birthday cake you'd see at a normal party. No, Yu had gone above and beyond, making 3 large souffle pancake cakes, dressed with fruit and cream on the sides of them. Yosuke brought out another plate that was lined with smaller souffle pancakes of various flavors, with cream, fruit and syrup all hanging around the center of the plate. Yu had even gone and put candles with his age on it and wrote a birthday message on the top pancake with icing.
“Y-You made this..?” Goro quietly questioned as Yu smiled softly, taking his place behind Goro as he put his hands on the preteen's shoulders.
“Mhm. The recipe itself wasn't hard, and I made some in different flavors, but making the three big pancakes proved to be a challenge!” His brother explained with a nod. Then his expression changed and he looked a bit concerned for a moment. “Do you like it?”
Pancakes for his birthday... of course Yu would remember that detail from the few times he spoke about his mother to him. Goro gazed at his birthday pancakes with his eyes sparkling as a fond memory of him and his mother came to mind. “...I love it. Thank you.”
Yosuke lit the candles, then called for everyone to get in position for a photo. Goro felt Akira rest against his side as Sumire joined him on the left side, smiling gently as she watched the excitement around them. Kasumi and Saito took their places on his right, Kasumi shaking with boundless joy as she waited to see him blow out the candles, Saito offering Goro a slight grin.
“Alright everyone, are we ready?” Yosuke checked in as he stood in front of the table.
“Yeah!”
“Okay then! Ready? And one, two-!!”
Then they all shouted in unison.
“Happy Birthday Goro!”
And then the snap of the camera was heard as the moment was forever captured, both on film and in their hearts: Goro Akechi's first birthday since he began this new life of his.
