[TTEOTS] At The Edge - Zero's Route

Familia

The six members of team Phantom Alpha stood in the dark, waiting for the arrival of the birthday boy.

"Who managed to get him to come at this time? Eight whispered in total darkness as he held onto the cake that he made.

"Six did it." Three answered. "He told him that he had left his towel in the training room when he was observing the Team Compatibility Test I had with Seven the day before."

"I asked him for a favour to help find it for me as I was busy." Six explained.

"He agreed to that?" Seven was genuinely surprised for a moment.

"Of course not."

Seven was stumped. "I don't get it."

"He'll come." Eight smiled at her while Nine nods in assurance. Zero was getting impatient and fidgeted with his fingers.

"Where is h-" Zero started when Seven covered his mouth suddenly.

"Shh! He's here."

The door cracks open and Four steps into the dark room and let out a huge sigh. Eight lights up the candles on the cake in one swift move and everyone shouted "Happy Birthday!"

Four turned on the lights and stood there looking at his teammates. Seven could've sworn that she could see Four fighting a smile at the corner of his lips as Eight walked up with his cake. They took turns to wish him happy birthday while Four thanks them all courteously.

"Happy Birthday Hyung!" Zero wished loudly. Four rubbed the top of Zero's head, messing his hair. Zero took this opportunity to catch a hold of Four and lift him to the chair they had placed nearby all the presents. As soon as he plopped Four on it, Six and Seven immediately tied his wrists to the arm rests and his legs to the chair. Though Four held a confused look on his face the whole time, he didn't make an effort to struggle at all. In fact, he just shot a judging look at all of them. While Three turned red from laughter and Nine covered his mouth controlling himself, Eight cut a slice of cake and stuffed it into Four's mouth and laughed before wishing him.

"Whaff ish dish?" He sputtered, his mouth filled with cake.

The members of Team Phantom Alpha then took turns to gift their presents to Four while he was tied up to the chair.

"They took extra precautionary measures to make sure that you can't reject the gifts." Nine explained to him.

Four frowned but there wasn't much he could do. The only way he could escape was to break the chair, but he wouldn't do that. He decided to accept his fate since they went through the trouble to plan this far ahead.

Zero and Seven presented their gifts first. Seven saw Four's eyes light up just a bit from the look of their presents. "Hyung! May you enjoy your baths even more!" Zero shouted and gave his brightest smile. Seven giggled and joined in. "Oppa! May you relax more and enjoy every rest you get." Four swallowed the cake. "Are you guys trying to say that I smell bad?"

Six interrupted and dropped the baby pink bag of candy in between Four's legs. "May your words to us stay sweet forever." He laughed at Four's expression of disgust to his words.

Three placed a wrapped present in Four's hand to hold, to which he surprisingly did, and proceeded to smear the icing of his cake to Four's face. Seven was shocked. Was this really Four? She had never seen him this relaxed when he's not napping or reading a book somewhere.

Nine placed his present in the other hand. By then Four looks like he had completely given up in trying to make sense of his team's strange culture of birthday celebrations. Suddenly the door was kicked open and Five proudly strutted in with the puppy in his arms.

Four's eyes widened the widest Seven has ever seen them been. Five quickly walked up and dropped the puppy on Four's lap before shouting really loudly "HAPPY BIRTHDAY WE LOVE YOU". The puppy started licking on the icing on Four's face. The room went quiet while waiting for Four to react to Five's astonishing gift. Four sat in shock and stared at the puppy on him. A look of disbelief came into his eyes before it returned to their usual sleepy haze as he look down and shook his head in dismal surrender.

Eight immediately felt bad and started to take Four's retrains off. Four reached for the puppy and held it by the scruff of its neck. Everyone held their breath.

"If you want to stay, you'll listen to me; and only to me." He ordered the pup while touching (booping) it on it's wet nose as if emphasizing his threat. As if the puppy understood, it gave the cutest soft bark Seven has ever heard. Four placed the pupper down and smacked the back of Five's neck lightly. "Don't do this next time." he mumbled before picking up his presents and piling them on his arm. Team Phantom Alpha could only watch as Four pass Three's gift to the puppy and walked out the room, giving them a finger heart just has he turned away from view. The adorable puppy picked up Three's gift in its mouth and followed after, disappearing at the corner.

The members let out the huge breath that they were holding.

"TOLD YOU IT'D BE FINE!"

Seven saw a cake flew right into Five's face, followed by Zero tackling Five to the ground. The tension in the room had instantaneously vanished and was replaced with an atmosphere she had only been recently accustomed to.

It was at this moment where Seven realised that even though she had only joined them for less than a year, she felt that this is where she belongs. No more having to be constantly on the move; a place where she can always come back to no matter what, and for that, she is indeed grateful to be have the chance to have them in her life.