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As his alarm clock woke him up, Mayoi groaned in his bed, shutting it down. He could hear Tomoya shuffling around in their room, but he didn't want to say anything yet, in case he didn't realize Mayoi was ready to get up from bed.
Today was Mayoi's birthday. And sure, of course he was happy about it. But at the same time, he had nothing planned, and had no expectations. Would it be greedy of him to expect some kind of a gift? Or even a happy birthday.
Mayoi probably knew better than this, though. His friends most likely prepared something for him, but even if he was happy about it, he was worried of getting too much attention.
Alkaloid was going to hold a live tomorrow. If he runs out of social battery today, which he knows he probably might, he's going to have little to no energy tomorrow. That's why his goal today is to take it easy, and hopefully avoid getting swarmed. (There's still a chance of him not getting any gifts, though.)
“Oh, Ayase-senpai, are you awake?” Tomoya muttered from across the room.
He was probably being cautious, in case Mayoi was still asleep, and he didn't want to disturb his rest.
Mayoi didn't want to be rude, though. He sat up in his bed, wiping his sleepy eyes, and looked nervously towards Tomoya, expecting him to speak up first.
The boy approached him, holding a small box in his hands. It was neatly wrapped in a shiny, purple foil, with a pink ribbon decorating it.
“Happy birthday, Ayase-senpai… I wasn't sure what to get you, but I hope you like this.” Tomoya shyly reached out towards Mayoi, handing him the gift.
Well, Mayoi would appreciate it anyways, no matter what was inside. It was the thought that mattered. He felt guilty for having someone else spend money on him, though.
He opened the box, to find a few handmade pralines, sprinkled with matcha powder.
“They have grape jelly inside! I hope they're to your liking, Ayase-senpai… I know more people prepared gifts for you, so I didn't accidentally want to give you something that you'd also receive from another person, so…” Tomoya explained.
Mayoi smiled, looking at the pralines. They looked so neat, and smelled so delicious. He didn't want to eat sweets before breakfast, but out of politeness, he took one, and bit into it.
The grape jelly inside melted on his tongue, filling his mouth with sweet liquid. The matcha complimented the taste as well, and the chocolate was really soft.
Mayoi could cry right now, really.
“D- Did you… make them yourself, Mashiro-san?” Mayoi closed the box, leaving the rest of the sweets for later.
“Kind of, Shiina-senpai helped me out…” Tomoya added, rubbing his neck awkwardly.
Shiina? But… Tomoya and Shiina rarely talk, no? Did Hiiro ask him to help? Why were they pulling so many strings, only for Mayoi to get a gift?
“T- Thank you, it's… very delicious, and it makes me happy…” Mayoi smiled, putting the box on top of his bed stand.
“Mm, I should be going now. Also, I'm pretty sure more people want to see you, so I hope you have fun today!” Tomoya waved towards Mayoi, before he left the room.
Right, more people wanted to see him… Mayoi took a deep breath, before getting up from his bed, and taking clothes to get dressed.
He preferred something pretty but cozy today, rather than dressing up in a fancy way. He needed to relax, rather than get overwhelmed from the amount of accessories he could be wearing. He didn't want to stand out, either.
His heart was beating out of his chest, as he opened the door to leave the room. He was afraid of getting swarmed, but really, he appreciated everything! It was just a scary thought. He wouldn't want to run away from anyone today, or tomorrow.
“Oh, Mayo-san! There you are!” Aira ran up towards Mayoi, his face was slightly red.
Was he running around to find him? Oh, he was always a bother to everyone, wasn't he.
“Hehe, happy birthday, Mayo-san! Um, if it's okay, would you like to hang out with me and the others today? I mean Hiro-kun, Tatsumi-senpai, and I'm pretty sure HiMERU-senpai wanted to tag along as well!” Aira recited from his head, smiling towards Mayoi. Oh, his smile was so bright and beautiful, he couldn't help but smile back.
“O- Oh, of course… I wouldn't want to refuse…” Mayoi nodded, as Aira’s face lit up, and he reached out his hand towards the purple haired boy.
“Can I lead you there?” Aira stated his offer, still holding out his hand, but he probably wasn't expecting Mayoi to accept it. “It's okay if not!”
Mayoi however, somehow didn't mind today. It was supposed to be a happy day, and he wanted to share it with his teammates. He shyly gave Aira his hand, and the other boy smiled in surprise.
“Woahh, Mayo-san…” The boy seemed surprised, which made Mayoi pretty shy. “Ah, anyways! Let's go, since they're waiting for us!”
Aira took the lead, and walked with Mayoi across the hallways. He didn't want to rush the older boy, or pull on his hand too much, so their walk was pretty comforting, rather than stressful.
“You know, a lot of people have gifts for you, I'm pretty sure! Me, Hiro-kun, Shiina-san, Tatsumi-senpai and HiMERU-senpai took the lead in organizing a small celebration for you…” Aira started. That was… a lot of mentioned names.
“Some people gave us their presents, since they couldn't make it today, so we'll hand them out for you instead… They all felt pretty guilty, but you're alright with it, right, Mayo-san?” Aira kept going, with Mayoi just nodding to everything he was saying. A celebration…? It won't be too crowded, right?
“So then–” Aira kept speaking, but Mayoi was pretty much zoned out at this point.
Would he be okay, really? Or maybe it will be a disaster, with him running away from his own birthday celebration. That would be embarrassing, and he'd rather never show his face in front of anyone ever again.
On their way, Mayoi and Aira managed to meet up with some people, as they handed their gifts to Mayoi. Some were smaller, some were bigger, but all of them meant a lot to Mayoi. Some of them were from people who he talked to more, some less. He really didn't think he'd get this many gifts. Once again, he could cry, really. And he was worried that he might.
“Mm, Mayo-san, everyone loves you a lot, don't they?” Aira added, as he helped Mayoi carry his gifts to their destination.
Mayoi wanted to disagree, to say something deprecating, but he held back. He didn't want to ruin Aira's mood.
“We're here!” Aira took Mayoi into… Café Cinnamon?
Wouldn't there be strangers here? Why this place, specifically? Mayoi got worried. Wasn't he bothering the people working here? Including Shiina-san? Why this place. Why today?
“Mayoi-senpai!” Hiiro ran up to Mayoi, as if he was about to jump at him, but he stopped himself from doing that.
“Happy birthday, senpai!” He handed him a big box, to the point that even Aira was stunned.
“Hiro-kun…” Aira sent him a judgmental look, which Hiiro only tilted his head at, looking pretty confused. The blonde let go of Mayoi’s hand, and honestly, he kinda missed his warm touch now.
“T- Thank you, Hiiro-san…” He took the big box, and put it down on the ground, unwrapping the ribbon. It was pretty messy, but honestly, it felt in character for the redhead.
Inside was a big, huge, even, teddy bear. It was fluffy to the touch, and was holding a pink heart close to its chest. Some other trinkets were inside as well, ALKALOID merch, some slightly gothic accessories that would fit Mayoi’s every day style, some idol CD’s featuring units with his friends in them, and a box of cookies…? And some more sweets, but some of them melted already.
“It's a gift from me, Aira and Shiina-san combined! I bought the teddy bear!” Hiiro nodded.
“Did Shiina-san buy the sweets? Some of them are like liquid already, sorry Mayo-san… Oh, speaking of him, the rest of the guys should be here soon! They went to do something, I'm pretty sure?” Aira looked at Hiiro, since he probably knew the answer better.
He seems like he's been here for quite some time already.
“Umu! They should be here soon.” Hiiro grinned, which only confused Mayoi a little.
“Oh, in the meantime, you should unpack the other gifts, too! Look at the stash there!” Mayoi looked over to the side, only to see basically a mountain of gifts. Was it all for him..? Surely not… Right?
He approached the boxes, reading the labels on them. All of them were similar, saying “for Mayoi”, or “for Ayase”. So it was really for him…?
“They're all for you, Mayoi-senpai!” Hiiro nodded, seemingly confused that Mayoi didn't look like he realized that.
Mayoi started unpacking all of them. Once again, some accessories, some sweets, some merch. He couldn't even count the amount of gifts he had received. As Mayoi felt his hands shake, like he was about to burst into tears, he heard Aira tap his shoulder.
“Mayo-san, look over there~” Aira turned his head towards the other side of the café. Shiina was standing behind the counter, grinning towards Mayoi, with some… icing? on his face, as he proceeded to lick it off.
On the other side, HiMERU was carrying something, with Tatsumi following closely behind. Mayoi stood up from the floor, to avoid being rude, and stared, not knowing what to say.
HiMERU was carrying a whole birthday cake. It probably explained the icing on Shiina’s face. Did they make it themselves? For… For Mayoi?
It was a tall cake, with flowers hand drawn on the sides with icing on a purple coating. At the top there were different kinds of fruits, like grapes, strawberries and blueberries. And, of course, his name spelled out with lit up candles.
HiMERU placed the cake on the nearby table, as Tatsumi approached Mayoi, waiting for him to take his hand.
“Happy birthday, Mayoi-san.” Mayoi smiled in response, as HiMERU nodded in the background.
He took Tatsumi’s hand, as the older boy led him to the table, and then moved away, standing next to HiMERU on the other side now.
“Think of a wish, Mayo-san!” Aira was standing behind Mayoi, together with Hiiro.
A wish… Mayoi couldn't really wish for anything better. Spending his birthday with his loved ones, celebrating together… Is there anything else he could possibly want? He's as happy as he could ever be.
He blew out the candles, as tears welled up in his eyes. Is this how happy tears felt like?
Shiina approached from behind the counter, beginning to cut up the cake, giving the first slice to Mayoi. He nodded gratefully, as he sat down on the couch, still wiping his tears.
HiMERU and Tatsumi sat next to him, slightly squishing him between them, as Shiina, Aira and Hiiro sat on the other side of the table.
“There's no need to cry, HiMERU thinks.” He brought his hand to Mayoi’s cheek, wiping the tear away with his finger.
The purple haired boy got flustered, and looked down at the ground.
“HiMERU-san is right, Mayoi-san.” Tatsumi held Mayoi’s hand in his lap, making the purple haired boy turn towards him now.
He sent him an angelic smile, as Tatsumi always did.
“Please enjoy this celebration. We made this cake with Hiiro-san’s, HiMERU-san’s and Niki-san’s help.”
So it was all handmade, after all… Mayoi couldn't help but feel a little bad, but he was sure the others wouldn't like it.
“HiMERU also ensured it’d be to your liking. Together with Shiina he provided the best grapes he could.” HiMERU nodded, which Mayoi couldn't help but chuckle a little at the comment. It made the blue haired man smile. “You should try the cake now, Ayase.”
Mayoi picked up the fork, as the other boys across the table looked at him expectantly. Aira took out his phone, taking a photo of Mayoi and his boyfriends posing next to him.
The purple haired boy was a little embarrassed, being treated with love when they're not alone. But honestly, he didn't mind if it was Aira, Hiiro or Shiina. They were all friends, after all, and they understood.
Mayoi took a bite of the cake, as he chewed with a big smile on his face. Aira snapped another photo of him, which now got him more embarrassed, but the blonde simply smiled.
“You have frosting on your face, Mayoi-san.” Tatsumi reached out his hand, wiping the frosting from his cheek, and while pulling away putting his hair behind his ear. “In case your hair was to fall in your food.” He smiled brightly, making Mayoi a little shy.
“HiMERU thinks you look beautiful today, Ayase.” HiMERU stated, making Mayoi turn towards him now. It was difficult having to pay attention to two people sitting on opposite sides.
“A- Ah, thank you…” Mayoi’s face was getting more and more red. “It's n- nothing special, though, really…”
He was wearing a purple-ish sweater, with a silver necklace, complimenting his face. His hair was in a messy braid, but it was pretty much in character for him.
“It compliments your looks well, though.” Tatsumi added, combing his fingers through Mayoi’s hair, before placing a kiss on top of his head. Mayoi’s cheeks were set on fire now, but he could feel HiMERU’s death glare, aimed at Tatsumi.
“Oh, come on, you two don't need to fight for Mayo-chan’s love on his birthday…” Shiina sighed, eating more of the cake.
Aira was giggling next to them, taking more photos of flustered Mayoi, before taking a group photo with himself, Hiiro and Shiina.
“HiMERU apologises, Ayase.” He bowed slightly, before taking Mayoi's hand into his, and placing a kiss on it. “He won't fight with Tatsumi, at least for today.” Although Mayoi could still feel some rivalry in his tone.
“You’re hopeless, both of you…” Shiina sighed.
Aira coughed, trying to change the subject. “Hey, we should take a group photo together, all of us! Maybe I can get it printed out later, as a memory from today?”
Everyone agreed to the idea, standing up from the couches, and moving somewhere to the side, where they had more space. Aira set down the phone, putting on a 15 seconds timer before it takes a photo.
They all stood around Mayoi, putting him at the center. Usually, he'd argue, maybe fight back, or run away. But he felt safe like this, he felt loved and appreciated for who he is.
As the timer went down to a second, all of them threw themselves at Mayoi, careful not to knock him down, into a big, group hug. For the first time in a while, Mayoi laughed from happiness, as happy tears once again trailed down his cheeks.
────୨ৎ────
The moon was shining brightly, as Mayoi, HiMERU and Tatsumi walked next to each other, along the coast of the beach.
The party ended not so long ago. Hiiro, Aira and Shiina went back, suggesting that HiMERU, Mayoi and Tatsumi should have some time for each other, by themselves.
The beach was quiet, as there was only the sound of the waves, and some warm breeze, making Mayoi’s hair float around.
“... Thank you.” Mayoi muttered under his breath, but it was quiet enough around them for the other two to catch it.
“There's no need to thank us, really.” Tatsumi looked over at Mayoi. “We wanted you to have a pleasant time today.”
“Tatsumi’s right. We wanted to make you happy, and both of us hope we succeeded.” HiMERU added.
“... Y- You did, you really did. I- I'm still sorry about… making you do it, but… I was happy today, thank you.” Mayoi replied, looking at the sea, stopping in his tracks, making the other two halt as well.
“You didn't make us do anything, Mayoi-san. Also, we tried to make it as little overwhelming as possible. Was it alright for you?”
… Did they really think about so many aspects of the party?
“HiMERU’s sorry about making you cry, though, Ayase.” He added. “Were they happy tears?”
“Y- Yes, yes of course!” Mayoi nodded, not wishing for any misunderstandings. “It was… the b- best birthday I could wish for, really. I- I was a bit scared at first, but… Y- You all made it comfortable for me. I couldn't thank you all enough.” He smiled.
HiMERU wrapped his hand around Mayoi’s waist, with Tatsumi doing the same, but from the other side. They stared at Mayoi’s face, before they both leaned in, giving his cheeks little, sweet kisses.
Mayoi wished this day would last forever.