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kami's birthday was coming up and naturally, gackt was scheming weeks in advance.
they would still be touring when the day arrives, and plans had been arranged to make the birthday a rest day. surely, gackt was not going let his bandmates rest on that day - kami's birthday should have everyone on edge in order to make the sweet drummer's day awesome.
it was time to start pitching his plans to the others.
-közi-
"gackt, please leave me be. i've had a fucking day-"
"no, you have to listen. come on, please. do it for kami."
közi was fed up with all of this, he'd had a fight with mana at the studio and just wanted to haul himself a taxi to head home, but gackt would not let him.
kami being the sweetest and most deserving guy of a planned birthday surprise was the argument that got him to finally cave.
"fine. but i still want to go home, so now you'll have to be my ride. we talk in your car, come on. lead the way."
gackt gawked at him, but started moving nonetheless. he hadn't realized the severity of the argument - mana would usually lend közi his car so that he could either be driven home or alternatively taken to közi's.
truth be told, gackt'd been too focused on mr. smiley drumsticks to notice. which was nothing new.
"ok, get in. by the way, i know you were... occupied, but was i staring at him too hard?"
he asked as they got in the car. közi just shrugged, he'd indeed been busy.
"ask yu~ki. he was the only one in that room with enough braincells to notice."
"hey, are you calling kami and me dumb?"
"no gackt, i'm calling all four of us dumb because that's what love does, apparently. make you stupid."
"sure sure. you should call mana when you get home."
-yu~ki-
"so i want to surprise kami for his birthday. you know we will be on tour, and he's always so stressed about messing up on stage... i just want to make him feel appreciated. so may i humbly enquire your help with this? közi's already agreed."
"of course i'll help you woo kami, if that means you will shut up about him during rehearsals and phone calls," the bassist joked.
"yu~ki... come on, i mean it! it's going to be just for his birthday! he also deserves better than me, don't you think? he'd never settle for the token playboy, like come on." gackt drew quotation marks in the air at the playboy bit.
"i do not care. he's not as innocent as you think, gackt. but i'll help you with your... birthday thing. just please tell me it doesn't involve anything too dramatic, i don't want a fire hazard again."
-mana-
as almost always, mana was the last one left in the dressing room, taking the longest to take off his elaborate makeup and dismantling the last of his hairstyle, even after he'd had help from an assistant with his clothes and hair.
gackt knew this, of course, and had stayed behind intentionally, telling the others to go ahead without him. it was always better to confront mana one-on-one when asking him a favor. especially in such dire times of infighting due to közi's... whatever it was that he apparently did.
"mana-chan~"
"no."
the expected reaction. mana was tired and it had truly been a long day, but gackt would stop at nothing to make kami happy.
he pouted, then tried the approach that always worked: politeness and flattery.
"oh great beautiful mana-sama, may you please aid me in my quest to make kami have the best birthday of his life with your glorious brain, well of endless ideas?"
mana frowned, stifled a laugh.
"sure. as long as i don't have to disgrace myself."
-1.2.199x-
"happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear kami, happy birthday to you!"
kami was jostled awake by every one of his band members crowding the small space of the corridor in front of his bunk bed in the tour van, their loud singing and also közi repeatedly blowing into the whistle that gackt usually brought out during their brisé performances waking him abruptly.
he wouldn't have it any other way, because he knew it was genuine. they really just wanted him to feel appreciated, and that he did.
-2.2.199x-
"okay you guys. can we rehearse this one last time?"
gackt's voice thundered through the massive arena. he had to shout, they couldn't risk using the speakers and waking kami in the van up.
it was early in the day; to call it morning would have been an atrocity though - because who wants to be up and awake at 4 am?
everyone nodded a resigned yes, they really almost had it and it was for kami's sake after all.
operation birthday surprise was almost complete, the only thing left now was for them to actually perform their little piece in front of kami and their adoring fans.
gackt had outdone himself, he thought.
he was going to have everyone put on a little show for kami, after having spent the entire day pampering the sweet boy - giving him his favourite sweets, showering him with attention, gifting him the butterfly necklace he'd pictured on kami's neck ever since he'd first spotted it behind the glass of a show window...
of course, if they were going to do this, they were going to do it big, because what good is a show without an audience?
poor shy kami would probably melt of embarrassment, but that was a risk gackt was willing to take if it meant he would get to see that beaming smile.
the song they'd play would obviously be "happy birthday", gackt would sing as usual, and they'd drag kami front and center, make him wear a huge white crown with butterflies on it before having two stagehands haul in the massive cake they'd ordered to be baked at the local bakery.
when they finally wrapped everything up and went back to the van, where kami was still sound asleep, gackt thanked everyone for going along with his wish and was about to lie down again for what would undoubtedly not be a good night's rest but rather a nap - when he noticed kami was still wearing the necklace gackt had gifted him.
he couldn't help but freeze and stare at his bandmate's sleeping form, in disbelief that his present had been so well received.
the softest of smiles creeped its way onto his features as a fuzzy warmth crawled into his chest.
he hadn't even noticed that he'd just been standing there, staring, until közi very promptly and without the slightest regard for gackt's poor unsuspecting heart called out from his bunk: "can you please stop your thirsting and just shut off the damn lamp already, gackt?"
waking from his trance, gackt shot one last longing look kami's way before flipping the switch on the tiny desk lamp and calling közi an idiot.
just a few hours later, they were back to preparations, rehearsing, and soon, the stage.
instructions were given to the assistants to take some extra time while dressing kami during their halftime costume change, and so it came, the moment that forced gackt to restrain his feet from kicking and keep his mouth from giggling like a high schooler.
"everyone! i know some of you are aware it was kami's birthday yesterday... to congratulate him, i need all of you to sing along with our happy birthday in a few seconds, to suprise him when he comes back here," he addressed the audience.
cheers erupted, until gackt shushed them.
"alright," he whispered into the microphone, "we are going to be really quiet now... he will come out any second..." gackt looked to the side of the stage where he knew kami would emerge.
then the drummer's puzzled expression became steadily visible in the dark. he was probably wondering why it was so eerily quiet in the huge live hall.
making eye contact with kami, gackt held out his arm in a grand gesture to point to him and continued: "and there he is! everyone, it's the man of the hour! the one, the only! our butterfly, our silky smooth-haired, our drummer.... our kami-san! happy birthday!"
kami's expression was priceless. it spoke of utter disbelief but also proportionate amounts of gratefulness and love.
the spotlight focused on kami as gackt beckoned him to stand front and center by his side. while everyone was still yelling happy birthday's and clapping, the others were starting up the song, and before kami knew what was happening, the entire hall was singing happy birthday for him.
gackt's gaze stayed focused on him the entire time, so he saw the tears that gradually welled up in kami's eyes and watched as they spilled over once the massive cake was wheeled onstage.
gackt, still singing happy birthday into the microphone, extended his other arm again, and kami immediately went in for the hug.
the song ended, everyone erupted into wild clapping again and gackt announced: "he shall blow out the candles and make a wish this very moment!"
kami laughed into his shoulder, then he separated from him and went over to the cake, all the while wiping his eyes. közi approached him from behind and crowned the perplexed kami with their self-made butterfly crown.
"1, 2, 3... congratulations!"
everyone cheered again as kami blew out the candles.
gackt handed him the microphone, not expecting much out of the overwhelmed man.
"thank you so much everyone, i, woah. i don't know what to say, ah... you've made me very happy, thank you," he stammered.
gackt engulfed him in another long hug.
"this was your idea, wasn't it," kami murmured into his ear. gackt only gave him a cryptic response: "i'm so glad you're happy."
kami squeezed him, then let go and bowed a final time before the audience to thank them for this kind gesture. he then made a round of the stage to hug and thank each member, before ultimately taking back his rightful place behind the drum set.
the show resumed without incident and with the whole band in high spirits.
after the show, the others retreated suspiciously quick, almost as if someone - yu~ki - had been bribed with chocolate to rush both mana and közi to the van.
after getting unready and making himself look presentable, gackt quickly slid into kami's dressing room, letting himself in without knocking and plopping down on a spinny chair. he just sat there for a while, watching as kami, who had evidently just finished showering, underwent the steps of his extensive hair care routine.
"so," kami spoke up after a while, "how much of today and yesterday did you have planned for me, gakuto?"
gackt was taken aback, but answered honestly.
"well, to be honest, a lot. i wanted you to have an amazing birthday, is that so bad? you said your family always celebrated them unassuming and quick, so i felt you needed to see how amazing birthdays can be. it's your special day after all."
kami made eye contact with him in the mirror, smiling warmly.
"it's not bad at all, i didn't say it is. i wanted to thank you again. i feel so loved."
"oh. well, you're welcome." gackt didn't know what else to say. he felt like this would be a good opportunity to take the conversation in a flirty direction, but he didn't want to ruin the sweet moment.
silence settled again as kami finished up on his hair, sectioning it with great effort to avoid tangles. then he started trying to braid the strands, but the tiredness in his bones and the way gackt's eyes were staring holes into his back gave him a new idea.
"gackt, help me braid. c'mere. i know you love my hair, surely you'll want to."
the smug grin on his face beckoned the vocalist across the room.
gackt could feel his heart pounding so hard, he thought it must be audible.
"indeed, i won't say no to that, rapunzel."
as he got to work on the silky-soft tresses, he thought maybe he could live like this. maybe the searing longing in his chest would eventually subside, and until then he could just be content with what kami offered him platonically. because this really wasn't so bad.
halfway through the braid, kami remarked: "feels so nice. you're so gentle, i think i'm gonna fall asleep right here."
gackt chuckled. the atmosphere was so warm and natural with the two of them. he didn't even know how much time had passed since kami had asked him to do the braiding.
"i could pull on your hair instead, to keep you awake," he teased without a second thought.
"pervert. i'm not objecting though," came the prompt answer.
and so gackt gave an experimental tug - because why the hell not.
kami giggled, and gackt felt his chest heat with pride upon being able to elicit this most sweet, angelic sound from kami.
a little while later, he had finished braiding the length of kami's hair. he instantly wished he'd dragged it out longer.
"kami, i'm done."
no response - gackt looked up from his hands and chuckled when he saw kami's closed eyes in the mirror.
going around the chair and admiring him for a moment, he eventually gently shook kami awake.
"hey. c'mon, they need to close up after us."
"ugh. carry me outside?"
"so demanding. you do know your birthday was yesterday, your highness?" gackt sighed, trying to conceal his giddiness to fulfill the request.
"don't care. besides, i know my birthday is just one of 365 days where you'd do anything i ask anyway."
kami paused, because the expression on gackt's face had melted into something unreadable at those words. "what, too far?"
gackt blinked at him a few times, then he shook his head.
"no, that's very astute. you want uppies, here i am." he held out his hand for kami to take, pulled him out of the chair and then swooped him up into his arms with one swift motion.
gackt walked them outside, and kami wrapped an arm around his neck.
"you know, if a paparazzi caught us like this, we'd have rumors going first thing tomorrow," kami joked as they left the building.
"like what? that i'm not only sleeping with mana-chan, but also with you?" gackt replied, referencing a rather recent drama tabloid that they all had laughed over.
"yeah. only they'd be wrong because i could never share you. hope mana can forgive my hogging."
gackt felt the heat rise in his cheeks.
was kami still joking or genuinely flirting? it was so hard to tell sometimes, especially when most of their affectionate talk relied on teasing.
"he'll have to accept it," gackt answered, and then, almost whispering, added: "i'm yours after all, kami."
kami's eyes widened in disbelief, and silence followed.
when gackt didn't say anything, he piped up: "hey, stop walking. i heard that. stop! gakuto camui, stop walking!" kami began fisting gackt's shirt, pulling it, trying to get his attention.
when gackt finally stopped, they had arrived at the parking lot.
he refused to look at kami.
"look at me. did you mean that?"
gackt's eyes were fixed on a random tree. he couldn't believe he'd slipped up this badly.
"what, i thought we were horsing around. like usual- ouch!"
kami had suddenly dug his fingernails into gackt's neck, effectively cutting him off.
"i said look at me! you're making excuses. we are way beyond 'horsing around', you dense fuck."
fear crept up gackt's spine, because now kami sounded genuinely angry. rage wasn't a state the drummer was in often, and it rang all the alarm bells in gackt's subconscious as it scrambled to form a coherent sentence that would convey his apologies.
"i'll put you down, i'm sorry-" he finally looked at kami, who took his chance immediately. he'd had enough of this stalling and apologizing. his hand went to join the other one at gackt's neck, and then he angled his torso upwards to close the small distance that was left between them.
determined not to see the presumed look of disgust or disappointment on the other's face, kami scrunched his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and then unceremoniously kissed gackt.
it was more like a quick peck on the lips, but it was a kiss nonetheless.
gackt felt his heart still, then leap into his throat.
when he'd finally processed what was happening, it was already over.
"oh gackt, i'm sorry, i shouldn't- AH," Kami squeaked as gackt suddenly set him down, only to grasp his face in both hands and kiss him back; with intent this time, eyes closed and everything.
kami felt a wave of relief wash over him, because this meant that a: he hadn't just ruined one of his best friendships, and b: he got to kiss gackt.
both of them were panting when they parted, they'd run out of air and neither had wanted to let go.
"it must still be my birthday. i can't believe this," kami murmured onto gackt's lips.
"no, i'm the one who can't believe it. you've no idea how bad i wanted to kiss you. how much i've thought about it," gackt replied as they hugged.
a sob racked his body, and kami pulled away to look at his face.
"you're crying!"
gackt had tears streaming down his face, tears of relief and pure happiness.
when he looked at kami, he saw that his eyes were shimmering in the moonlight and he was grinning wide. he looked like a man possessed, and he looked utterly beautiful.
"you're crying, too!"
gackt grinned just as wide, and they burst out into laughter, their feelings all over the place as a rush of joy surged from gackt to kami, through the air between them, and from kami to gackt.
a few kisses and lots of giggling later, they decided that they both actually needed some sleep before the next concert, so the two of them tried their hardest to calm themselves and be quiet while approaching the tour van.
inside, they went to their respective beds, gackt squeezing kami's hand before letting go for the night.
not even a minute passed before yu~ki piped up: "what took you guys so long?"
evidently, nobody was asleep yet, as there could also be some rustling heard from both mana's and közi's bunks.
"we, uh... kami's hair. he needed some help, there were really bad knots."
"yeah," kami gave his agreement.
"quit the bullshit, we heard you laughing. this thing's not isolated well, you know that. besides, i have a bet going-"
"oh shut up," közi interrupted promptly.
"what bet?" kami asked.
"i said you guys were going to become an item. mana said no, and közi is very susceptible to the mana doe-eyes, so he also said no."
gackt laughed.
"yu-chan's a good gambler. you guys better pay up!"
közi groaned.
"it can wait until morning. congratulations, you guys. now everyone go to sleep," was all mana had to say, effectively shooting all further conversations down.
a brief silence followed, then közi had to enquire: "kami, are you sure you like that bastard?"
at this, four voices were raised in a group effort to finally get some rest: "shut up, közi!"