There's Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. And Seungri.

***

“Seungri-ah?”

“Jiyongie!”

Jiyong sighs hearing the response, at this point he’s so used to Seungri’s banmal speech against him—he was actually the one who encouraged the younger to drop the honorifics on him after being on a relationship with him for more than a decade now, “Are you back in Seoul already?”, he receives a small giggle as an answer.

“Yes, I did. Two days ago. I was about to call you but I got caught up with some things with my family. I planned to call you this morning though, but you beat me to it”

“I should be the one named Seungri because at the end of the day I’m the one who always wins”

“Hyung!”

Now it’s Jiyong’s turn to giggle, laugh even. For God’s sake they’re grown men in their 30’s and yet still bicker like 10-year-old boys, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Just wanna ask if you’d like to come over to my apartment today for a dinner”

“Oh?! Of course I would come! What kind of dumb question is that?”

“God I feel like I need to put you in check with the way you speak to me nowadays, Seungri-ah”

“I’m sorry”

“It’s fine”, Jiyong can’t be mad after hearing that familiar soft tone, can he?

“No, I’m sorry, really. I’ve been away for too long it’s still hard for me to put myself in between you and the other hyungs again”

Jiyong curses under his breath, this is not how he imagines the conversation would go, “Hey, hey, hey. It’s fine, okay? I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you feel like this. Sweetheart, you’d always fit in you know that”

“Thanks. So… what time is the dinner? Just in case I can stop by and buy something for you”

“No need to. I actually arranged this for five of us to celebrate your late birthday”

A little aww comes through the phone speaker, “You guys… I hate to admit that I’d probably cry when I see you all later”

“As you should”, Jiyong chuckles.

“Well, then I think I need to go preparing now. See you guys soon! And, Jiyongie hyung?”

“Yes, baby?”

“I love you”

Jiyong almost cries, those words are not new to him but after everything that happened to them, saying I love you to each other is like a reassurance for them to stay together and protect one another.

“I love you too, Seungri-ah. More than anything”

18.00

Seungri walks through the secluded parking lot that heads to Jiyong’s private elevator. Ever since he heard that Jiyong bought the expensive apartment, he never stops teasing the older about it. Jokingly says that he wants marry Jiyong so he’d get the inheritance. Except that one time, the overused joke fired back at him because instead of shyly laughing as Jiyong always did, he actually replied One day you’d be surprised of how many important documents that I signed and things that I bought with your name put on them, and Seungri genuinely got scared. Still doesn’t stop him throwing that tired joke once or twice.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open, revealing a big and luxurious door to Jiyong’s apartment. It’s only the second time he goes visiting this place after he got released earlier this year. Ugh, that feeling again. Seungri hates it. It makes him want to crawl out of his skin because he hates to admit that he’s still ashamed of himself. Part of him learns how to let go of it, but he can’t lie when he still feels that he’s unworthy of getting his life back after what he had done. Not when his hyungs are still so welcoming. Not when his hyungs still hold him in their arms, eventhough he knows somewhere in their hearts they’re upset. But if people think their bond is easily breakable after ton of scandals fell upon them, well then them because they’re wrong.

“Jiyongie? I’m outside”

Click.

“It's unlocked. Come on in”

The room is dark. Not pitch black dark, but dark enough to make Seungri unable to see clearly since he forgot to put his contact lenses on.

“Jiyongie hyung?”, he calls out, “If this is one of your birthday surprises I swear I’m not falling for it. It’s been ten thousand birthdays and five million jumpscares”

And room suddenly lits bright, but no Surprise! jumpscare like Seungri mentions before. Instead, it’s just four men standing by dinner table, with a cake and baby blue balloons in their hands, and also an embarrassingly giant Happy Late Birthday and Welcome Home banner hangs on the big window glass behind.

Seungri palms his face, but a hidden smile forms so big, “You guys should be thankful I’m not on public social media anymore because this moment right here would’ve been on my Instagram and the world would’ve seen four corny ahjussis celebrating a birthday”

“Are you just gonna stand there and be an ungrateful brat or run over here and hug us?”, t