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“Oh, just some trash,” Tae answered smoothly.

Yoongi glanced from him to Jimin.  Then he murmured, “Aren’t you guys going to come eat some stew with us?”

Tae responded, “I was going to go get you a coffee.”

“It’ll wait till later.  I’ll have it with my cake.”

His cake.  The cake that had ended up in the trash.  And had yet to be replaced.  Where exactly was that delivery man?

“Okay,” Tae was quick to accept his offer. 

He was even able to ignore the hole that Jimin’s eyes were boring through his head right now.  He stepped out into the hallway and followed Yoongi to the kitchen.  Pretty soon all of them were enjoying their kimchi stew.  Until the doorbell rang.  And Yoongi’s birthday cake arrived.

––

Tae heard the doorbell and jumped up.

“Who’s that?” Yoongi asked.

“Oh, nothing important!” Jimin responded as he flew out of his chair and followed Tae out of the room.

Yoongi glanced at Namjoon.  “If it’s not important, then why are they both racing for the door?”

Namjoon shoved another bite of stew into his mouth so that he didn’t have to answer that question.

Hobi shrugged.  Jungkook and Jin stifled some giggles.

But Yoongi was curious, so he slid out of his chair and followed the boys into the other room.  He watched as Tae tipped the delivery guy and Jimin accepted a big box before turning towards Tae and murmuring darkly, “You still owe me fifty thousand won.”

“And I still think that’s a ridiculous price for a cake,” Tae retorted after they shut the door behind the delivery boy.

“It does sound like a lot for a cake,” Yoongi asserted loudly as they turned around.

Jimin jumped, and this time Tae saved the cake from hitting the floor as it flew up out of Jimin’s hands.  Tae grabbed the box and hugged it to his chest.

Yoongi smiled.  “What is that?”

“Um,” both boys responded.

“Is that my birthday cake?” Yoongi queried.

Jimin finally nodded.

“The ‘nothing important’?” Yoongi continued.

“I didn’t mean that your birthday cake wasn’t important,” Jimin mumbled.

“He meant that you weren’t supposed to be curious about it because we were…”

“…clearly trying to sneak it into the apartment. The question is…why?”  Yoongi frowned.  “I thought you already bought a birthday cake for me.”  He glanced from one boy to the other.  “Did you buy me two birthday cakes?”

“I did,” Jimin admitted, “because Tae hasn’t reimbursed me yet.”

“Why would you buy me two cakes?  And why does Tae need to reimburse you?”

Tae began to whistle as he studied the ceiling. 

“Because Tae is the one who caused me to drop your first cake,” Hobi’s voice sounded from behind Yoongi.

“It wouldn’t have been a problem if you hadn’t lunged for it,” Tae shot him an irritated glance.  “I was just playing around.  I wasn’t really going to eat Yoongles’ cake.”

Yoongi glanced from one to the other.  Then he began to laugh.  “Why didn’t you guys just tell me?” he asked a little breathlessly after enjoying a few seconds of good-hearted laughter.

Tae’s eyebrows shot up as Hobi’s face went blank.

“That’s a really good question,” Jimin finally muttered.  “I mean, it’s not like you don’t know us.”

“And how ridiculous you all are sometimes?” Yoongi grinned.  “Absolutely!”  He turned around and headed for the kitchen.  “Come on.  Let’s finish our stew.  And eat that cake.  Before someone else can smash it.”

After they’d all enjoyed their lunch and Yoongi’s second birthday cake, Tae exclaimed, “I never got you your coffee!”

Yoongi shrugged.  “It’s okay.  You can buy me one later.”

“After you pay me for his second cake,” Jimin cut in.

Namjoon cleared his throat.  “Yoongi, we have a gift for you.”

Jin slipped into the other room and retrieved a box.  He returned and handed it to Yoongi.  The birthday boy glanced around at them all in surprise.  “I just assumed the present outside my door was the only one.”

“Nah.  That was from Jungkook.  But we all got you something,” Hobi responded.

Jimin smiled.  “We know you love the guitar now.  But we all still remember your love affair with the piano.  When we saw this a few months back—”

“When you were recuperating from surgery,” Tae clarified.

“We just knew we had to buy it for you,” Jimin finished.

And Jungkook beamed as Yoongi glanced his way.  Then the birthday boy opened his gift.  He gasped as he pulled the tiny piano out of the folds of black velvet.  He furrowed his brow as he studied its pristine beauty.  Then he found the little key on the back.  He wound it and was astounded when First Love began to tinkle its way out of the lilting mechanism.

Yoongi was stupefied.  He glanced around the table at them all.  “Where on earth did you find a piano music box that plays my song?”

“We created it,” Namjoon replied with a grin that chased his dimples into evidence.

“What?” Yoongi asked, incredulous.

Jin bobbed his head.  “There are companies that create custom music boxes.  We found a piano music box and had the company build a mechanism that plays your song.”

Yoongi turned the key several times so that First Love would play again. 

“It’s so amazing!”  A huge smile was lighting up his sweet face.  “Thanks, guys.  I love it!  Combined with Jungkook’s song – written for me, I assume, Jungkookie?”  He glanced at his “little one,” who nodded at him before Yoongi finished giving them his opinion, “it’s the perfect gift.  This has been the most perfect birthday.”

“Even if we destroyed your first birthday cake,” Hobi muttered.

“Ah, but you all reminded me.”

“Of what?” Jungkook asked.

Yoongi’s lips curved into a wide smile.  “That I might love the guitar now.  But the piano is still my first love.”