the entire world, them
-- tzuyu / twice. 876 - fluff, gen - requested, hcs. MEN DNI
what would tzuyu do if her members forgot her birthday?
it's a strange feeling
there was some disappointment when she didn't receive any wishes at 12, but that was more of an above-and-beyond hope rather than an expectation
now it's 11 in the morning, and she still hasn't received a single one
it's a chest tightening sadness, the sort that tugs at her heartstrings and blanks her mind completely
of course, other people have remembered; casual friends, colleagues, even that old lady down the street who sells custard bungeoppang
but it's not the same when the people who actually matter don't say it
not that everyone else didn't matter, but these were her favourite people
the ones she would drop the entire world for
wouldn't they do the same for her?
she tries not to make a big deal out of it, though
it's just a birthday; they've been together for so long that even birthday wishes lose their significance, right?
she doesn't register most of the day, really
every moment she has with them, there's a suffocating urge to ask: it's my birthday, aren't we celebrating?
and it shows, too
she's quieter, more sullen in her movements. doesn't even really want to spend the day with them anymore
but she's got a job to do, so it's less of a choice for her
"tzu, you okay?" jeongyeon asks, sensing the change in tzuyu's demeanour
you know why i'm acting like this
though, now that someone's actually noticed, she feels a little pathetic for being so obvious
it's less that she thinks they've forgotten, because they would never forget, she's sure
but that would mean they've simply grown to stop caring about it
so was it wrong that tzuyu still looked forward to it, then?
was it weird that she looked forward to them showering her in their love all day
that all their attention would be on her, they would hug her, kiss her, and everything would go as she wanted?
tzuyu manages her most convincing smile. "i'm fine, just tired."
the day is a blur
she finds that she doesn't enjoy her birthday that much
if birthday wishes were real, she wishes wasn't the type who cared
holds back her tears because she's angry and she doesn't want to cry about something not worth her emotions
normally, they would have a birthday dinner together
tzuyu thinks about treating herself, but even that only serves to remind her of the lack of an actual birthday dinner with her members
she walks back to her apartment, and for once, can't wait for her birthday to be over
but then it comes
and it hits suddenly
she's startled for a second, eight girls in the doorway of her apartment
"happy birthday!"
pure, unadulterated joy
she doesn't know why she starts bursting out in tears
"i thought you all forgot…" she sniffles, rubbing at her nose with the back of her palm, hiding her swollen face behind her hands
"hey, why are you crying!" nayeon panics, lifting the cake up to tzuyu's eyes. "happy birthday?!"
"oh, poor baby," sana coos, pouting herself. "when have we ever forgotten your birthday?"
she's smothered in an overwhelming group hug, barely able to reciprocate from how much she's crying and the sheer force of it
she hiccups through her words, the sentences coming out in incoherent mewls
no one can really understand, so they all pile on with their own version of an explanation
"we just wanted it to be a surprise," dahyun purses her lips, downturned
"it was jeongyeon's idea!" chaeyoung points accusingly.
"excuse me," jeongyeon scoffs. "it was a group effort, mind you!"
momo suddenly develops an acute interest in the ground
"personally, i thought it would be a bad idea," mina shrugs, holding her arms up in defense
"ya! don't lie!" jihyo screams, smacking mina on the shoulder
an uncontrollable laughter escapes from the base of tzuyu's throat, spilling over in between sobs
"see! it wasn't that bad of an idea!" jeongyeon says. "she's happy… ish?”
looking at all of them, she finally notices the the little things throughout the day
how chaeyoung let her lay on her shoulder to rest
how mina got her a cold drink from the cafeteria
how nayeon paid for her lunch
how dahyun bought her desert after
how momo gave her a thumbs up when she got the choreography down right
how jihyo watched her closely through the mirror, more than she usually would
and how sana would pat her gently on the head whenever they talked, tip toeing and grinning but never saying why
of course they cared
"i love you all," tzuyu mumbles under her breath, sheepish. "don't do this again, though."
"ah,” nayeon hums, taking a step forward to pinch tzuyu's cheeks. “you really are the cutest.”
it sets off a ripple of coos and teases from the other members as well, and she's smothered in hugs and kisses once again
by then, they've created a circle around tzuyu, right in the middle of her apartment
a bubble from the rest of the world
a place for her to whine and complain about not receiving any birthday wishes
a space for her to be the type that cares too much, unashamedly
this is her world — what is there to drop?
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