"Hey, everyone needs some company on their birthday." He wanted to say something about how Manabu would have made that face at him - the sad one - if he had neglected to make sure Brendan was okay, but --

Couldn't figure out a way to put it that wasn't awful. So he swallowed it down, raising a hand to squeeze Brendan's on his shoulder. "And I'm not about to say no to cake."

It was a lot better to have Brendan invite him to stay than to have had to refuse to leave. Which had. Been his first plan.