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Jongdae is okay with this. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have said Yes to Yixing and held on to the elder's heart. If he wasn't okay, he'd have learned to let him go, and eventually found someone else to love, even if it doesn't feel right. Therefore, he never needed anyone’s pity; he never wanted that. Though, he will accept hugs, those are always nice.
Jongdae knew that dating Yixing would have some risks. It meant that the elder might miss special days. Last year, they spent their 3rd anniversary through a video call, since the elder couldn't skip a movie promotion. Jongdae was okay with it because they found other ways to make it special. Plus, Yixing made it up to him, in different ways and different positions.
Luckily, this year, Yixing didn't have to travel much. The elder made money from endorsements and one tv show, but everything was done with the least amount of flights. He spoiled Jongdae, from the anniversary trip in England to touring Japan train rides.
The younger kept looking forward to the next day, and he slowly forgot the risk of having a famous boyfriend. There's always a chance that Yixing might have to leave because of other commitments. Therefore, when his birthday was approaching within a month, Yixing had to break the bad news before the younger could get excited.
Jongdae is never the kind of person to get mad over trivial things. Birthdays will occur every year, so he tried to shrug it off the best he could. There was always lingering sadness in the beginning, but he slowly felt better, and by the end of the week, he said goodbye to Yixing in the airport.
The itinerary said that Yixing would be gone for the month of September, filming a minor role. Jongdae crossed off each day in anticipation, and he started making plans with his friends. There were dinners, drinking sessions, and the occasional clubbing that kept the younger preoccupied. Soon, it was already middle of September, and Jongdae began planning his birthday.
He didn't want anything big this year. Yixing wouldn't be around, so all he wanted was a nice dinner with good friends and good company. Therefore, he put everyone in a group and told them to bring a gift or he'll slam the door on their ugly faces.
(He wasn't that serious, but he did want to slam the door on someone for fun.)
When the day arrives, Jongdae spends the day distracted. He keeps his phone off, to get rid the temptation of staring at his phone for notifications. He knows that Yixing won’t be able to text or call until later tonight. Instead, he focuses on ordering some good chicken for tonight’s feast. They all know that he’s not much of a chef anyway.
Luckily, his friends know him well enough to give him exaggerated compliments. He feels blessed to know each and one of them, especially the ones who gave big presents.
***
Kyungsoo does a better job on keeping Jongdae preoccupied than anyone else. That’s why Yixing gave this task to him, and not Baekhyun, or even Junmyeon.
“Hey! I am a great distractor, okay?!” Baekhyun denies in a slurred speech. “I’d have been able to get him drunk and have him passed out by now.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t bother replying to that nonsense. Baekhyun doesn’t seem focused anyway since he immediately stumbles out of the room, probably looking for more alcohol.
“How am i a bad distractor?” Junmyeon asks. “Jongdae loves my jokes. Like this joke I once told him: I wasn’t going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind. Get it?”
Chanyeol chuckles nervously before looking away, and randomly shouting Coming .
Only Minseok seems to get it as he laughs along. Kyungsoo sometimes wonder on why he didn’t get new friends during university. He doesn't get to ponder much about it as Jongdae enters the room.
“What are you guys doing in the kitchen?” he asks. “Is my party that bad?” he continues in panicked tone.
“Nah, of course not,” Kyungsoo immediately replies. “I just wanted some ice for my drink, and these two are sharing jokes.”
“Oh! Did you hear about…”
“Hyung! What did I ask for my gift again?” Jongdae interrupts Junmyeon before the elder can tell another pun.
“To not make a joke,” the elder sighs.
“Thanks,” the younger says sweetly before running off.
Junmyeon seems to look beaten, until he hears his boyfriend’s singing voice. He should have known that Yifan will end up hogging that stupid karaoke machine again. He rushes off to save the night, and maybe some sensitive eardrums.
“Do you think he’ll be okay tonight?” Minseok asks Kyungsoo once they’re alone.
“I hope so,” the younger replies.
***
Jongdae loves the fact that his friends are sometimes so damn embarrassing, because he manages to record the off key singing, and the drunken dares in his secret camera. He also loves the fact that most of them are keeping him busy with shenanigans and he rarely has time to remember that someone is missing.
It's getting harder though as the clock approaches midnight. Yixing hasn't said anything or left any text messages. The younger is beginning to think that his boyfriend is messing up the dates, or that he forgot accidentally.
Luckily, Kyungsoo notices the forlorn gazes and the quiet sighs, so he grabs Jongdae's arm and forces him to sing a song with him.
He regrets this idea immediately since Jongdae takes the opportunity to sing a happy song, and he's forced to fake a smile for the next 3 minutes. Just as he sighs in relief, Jongdae begs him another song, and he swallows down the whine that threatens to escape.
He relents with another less slightly fake smile and bops along to the beat of Candy.
Despite regretting this choice, he feels great knowing that Jongdae is smiling again, and he hopes that the surprise will come soon. He can't stand being social for longer than few hours.
***
There are a lot of signs that Jongdae should have noticed. Like how he doesn't hear Baekhyun anymore, and usually , you can hear that guy from two rooms away. Then there's the fact that Chanyeol keeps giving him wide, crazy smile, even hours after the party has started. Not to mention Junmyeon keeps hugging him, and ruining his perfectly coiffed hairstyle.
He wonders if they all shared a joint before coming here.
The most obvious sign is when Kyungsoo asks him to sing with him, and that's when he decides that something is definitely wrong. Kyungsoo hates being active in any party, so Jongdae becomes more suspicious when Kyungsoo said yes to a second song.
Though the pieces doesn't click together until he sees everyone gathering in the backyard, and old blankets are placed on the grass. He suddenly remembers another tradition that he'd do with Yixing.
He doesn't expect himself to feel a bit emotional once he notices that it's time for star gazing. He lets out a shaky sigh before brushing off his friends’ concerns.
“I'm fine,” he insists. “Let's see some stars!”
He doesn't want to ruin the last few minutes of his birthday.
He lays down on a faded green blanket and cuddles closer to Jongin’s warm body. He can see from the corner of his eyes that everyone else is laying down, and some of them are just enjoying the peaceful night.
He feels Jongin’s breathing slowing down, and he suspects that the younger has unsurprisingly fallen asleep. He doesn't even mind it, he's happy to have so many people around him.
Though he wonders, for the last time, if the night would have a different feeling if Yixing was around.
He then hears rustling near him, and he assumes that one of his friends is trying to go back inside. He doesn't expect to have his friend’s body to fall on top of him, or that he'd headbutt against Jongin's chest.
The three of them groan together, and Jongin whines over superficial injuries while rubbing his sensitive sternum. Jongdae is about to complain and tease his friend when he suddenly notices the familiar scent of lavender.
His heart skips a beat as he realizes that his friends must have planned it together.
Yixing whines along with Jongin about their injuries, completely forgetting about the birthday boy for a few seconds. Once he finally feels better, his eyes meet Jongdae and there's the familiar dimpled smile that makes the younger's heart beat a little differently.
There's a snap of a photo, as someone claims that this is a good threesome material, and another friend jokes that Yixing should buy dinner before molesting Jongin.
Jongdae doesn't pay attention to any of that. He holds on to his breath before deciding to tackle Yixing to the ground. Happiness blooms rapidly and calamity surrounds him.
“I hate you,” the younger mutters against Yixing's neck. The elder replies with a childish giggle, possibly because he's quite ticklish there.
“Happy birthday, my favorite Dae,” Yixing whispers.
The younger's smiles at the silly pun, and maybe that's the reason why he didn't want anyone else to make jokes tonight. Yixing's words are always his favorite.