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“Shh! You’re going to wake him!”
“Me? You’re the one who-“
“You’re both being very loud, actually.”
“Shhhhhhh!”
Kei picked up his pillow and wrapped it around his head, covering his ears. It was way too early for this.
Actually, he wasn’t sure what time it was - it was morning, that was for sure, but his blackout curtains prevented any light from entering the room. The sole source of light came from his moon shaped night light, casting a pale yellow shadow onto the floor near the doorway.
He kept his eyes on the light while he slowly finished waking up, the now muffled voices of his friends carrying him away from his dreams.
After a few more minutes he slowly sat up, limbs heavy with sleep and his brain fuzzy with being little. He had nowhere to be, no obligations today. He could regress peacefu-
A crash sounded from outside of his room, followed by a screech.
Okay, not peaceful. But was his life ever peaceful? He rubbed an eye with a closed fist, blinking away the last bits of sleep before scrambling for his glasses and clumsily slipping them on. After a moment’s hesitation he reached over to his pillow and grabbed his stuffed Pteranodon, tucking it under his arm as he stood and left the room.
Morning - maybe afternoon? - light had him blinking in surprise as he quietly stepped out, following the sound of now hushed voices to the kitchen.
Kei paused in the entryway. Yamaguchi stood at the counter, tongue between his lips in concentration as he diligently frosted a cake; Yachi was handing streamers and tinsel to Hinata, who was precariously standing on a stool with an ice pack wrapped to his forehead. That must have been the crash; Kageyama was sat at the table next to a small pile of presents, scribbling on a card with crayons.
“Um.” Kei whispered, eyes wide as he took in the scene in front of him. Four pairs of eyes snapped up to meet his - Hinata gasped and promptly fell from the stool once more.
“Kei!” Yamaguchi quickly dropped the frosting bag. “You- We…. You were supposed to still be asleep for a while,” he laughed nervously, glancing over at the haphazard decorations hanging from the cupboards and ceiling. Hinata groaned from where he had fallen to the floor.
“… For me?” Kei managed after a moment, gaze flickering between the four. Yamaguchi nodded, stepping away from the counter to meet the blonde, pulling him to his chest and wrapping him in a hug.
“Yeah, for you, honey. Is that okay?” Kei nodded quickly and accepted the hug, tucking his bright red face into the crook of his caregiver’s neck. “Happy birthday, Kei.”
“Happy birthdayyyyyy!” Hinata shouted from close behind Yamaguchi, causing Kei to jump in his hold and peek out. The redhead stood behind them with a happy birthday banner spread out in his hands, Yachi holding the opposite end with a soft grin of her own.
“Hinata, idiot, stop yelling!” Kageyama yelled from his spot at the table, still scribbling at his card. He glanced up when he felt Kei’s eyes on him and blushed furiously. The setter stood and held out the card an arm’s length away, averting his eyes to the floor. “Here. For you,” he said gruffly. Hinata immediately began teasing him and the two fell into argument once again.
Kei glanced down at the card in his hands, eyes tracing over the crayon drawing of the five of them holding hands, a birthday hat crudely drawn onto the blonde stick figure’s head.
Inside were messages from each first year - Yamaguchi quietly read them out loud over his shoulder for him.
After he finished reading the card Kei dove back into Yamaguchi’s arms, hiding his blush once more from view. His caregiver smiled and hugged him tightly, murmuring a soft, “Happy birthday, honey.”
Yachi followed suit, tucking herself to Kei’s side and wrapping her arms around his waist. “Happy birthday Kei!”
“You’re such a - Oh! Group hug!” Hinata cut himself off and dove into the three, wrapping his arms as tightly as he could around them. “Happy birthdayyyy!”
“Idiot,” Kageyama muttered, following behind him. He paused for a moment before lightly resting his forehead on Kei’s back in lieu of a hug. “Happy birthday, Kei-Kei.”
Kei had never felt this much love before and he sniffled into Yamaguchi’s neck, overwhelmed with emotion. His friend seemed to sense it and gently pulled from the hug.
“I know, there’s a lot going on right now. How about we all go watch some TV before cake and presents, huh?” Kei sniffled and nodded and let his caregiver lead him into the living room.
Yamaguchi turned on Dinosaur Train and all five of them piled onto the couch, becoming a tangled pile of limbs and blankets. Kei nuzzled into his caregiver’s side and relaxed as a kiss was pressed into his hair.
This was his best birthday yet.