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Sungyoon didn’t know what to expect for his birthday, but he surely wasn’t expecting Daeyeol to wake him up at an ungodly hour, telling him to hurry up and get ready because they were going somewhere.
Birthdays. To Sungyoon, birthdays didn’t have much importance anymore, rather, it was something he dreaded. I’m just getting older and older. What’s so good about that?
Birthdays no longer carried the same excitement they did when Sungyoon was still in the heat of his youth. Birthdays no longer meant gifts nor parties nor growing taller. Growing older no longer meant gaining more respect from the people around you, rather, it elicited more of a "Oh god, he's so old. What's he still doing in the industry?" kind of disrespect - the kind Sungyoon hated most.
Sungyoon hates nothing more than things that he can't do anything about. Things that won't change no matter how hard he works. Things like people looking down on him all because of the constantly increasing number that is his age.
One day he won’t able to dance like he used to. Sing like he used to. He didn’t like getting older. He knew the people’s love would fade away with his youth.
He missed those days when they just debuted, when they were just living in one cramped dorm. The beds may have been small, the desks and shelves too little to contain all their stuff, but that dorm had more than enough space to house all their hope, passion, and dreams. Now that they were all living alone, he felt lonely.
Growing old felt lonely.
But here was Lee Daeyeol, barging into his place at 5 a.m. without prior notice. Sungyoon, though, was more than glad to see him.
Maybe this birthday wouldn’t be so lonely.
Once they got in the car, Sungyoon glanced curiously at Daeyeol. “Where are we going?”
“That’s a secret,” Daeyeol smirks. “It’d be no fun if I told you.”
“Mmm,” Sungyoon can’t help but break into a smile. “Fine then, hurry up and show me this secret place.” He missed Daeyeol sorely - his mischief, his warmth, and the smiles that Sungyoon always hoped were reserved only for him. Sure, there’s video calls and instant messaging, but he’s pretty sure nothing could ever beat seeing that smile as bright as sunrise with your own two naked eyes.
But as much as Sungyoon yearned to see Daeyeol's smile, to hear his voice, and keep him company, he wasn’t really in the right state of mind to do so. He was fighting a constant battle against his eyelids who were forcing themselves shut, and he lost. 5 a.m. was not Sungyoon’s preferred wake-up time. He now regrets making fun of how Daeyeol always used to oversleep during the days they lived together - because now, Sungyoon wakes up much later than Daeyeol ever did.
And when they arrived, Daeyeol woke him up with soft whispers and gentle taps on his shoulder. Sungyoon opens his eyes, and looking around, he realized they were at the beach - the one they used to go to together as trainees on their free days, when all the practice felt too exhausting and they just needed some time to breathe. The beach that welcomed them with its gentle waves and powder-soft sand whenever the rest of the world was pushing them away. The beach that he and the rest of the members once took Daeyeol to on the day before his enlistment.
There was no one there; it was serene, silent. It was as if Daeyeol had deliberately brought him here this early so that there would only be the two of them.
“The ocean,” Daeyeol murmurs. “It’s as beautiful as ever.”
“You know who else is as beautiful as ever?” Sungyoon mischievously asks.
“Me?” Daeyeol says, pouting and pointing his two index fingers at each side of his cheeks, just like the aegyo he always did since they were rookies. This is one thing Sungyoon adores about Daeyeol - he never changes. If he does, it’s always for the better.
And even though Sungyoon would never admit it out loud, he knew Daeyeol quitting aegyo would never have been for the better.
“No, me.” Sungyoon replies, with a big grin on his face, rabbit-like buck teeth as shiny as ever.
The sun’s gentle light and the crystal blue skies, as well as the delicate waves of the ocean, are mesmerizing, but Sungyoon knows where the better view is - right beside him. He could go anywhere, absolutely anywhere in the world, maybe even outside the Earth, but as long as he’s with Daeyeol, he wouldn’t stare at the scenery - he would always stare at this man.
Though, of course, he'd never be able to muster up the courage to tell him that.
And as the quietness was leaving enough space for Sungyoon's mind to be absorbed in scorning himself for his cowardice, Daeyeol breaks the silence.
“Sungyoon, look,” Daeyeol slowly turns to face Sungyoon. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.” Their gazes meet, and the look in Daeyeol’s eyes tells the younger man that he’s serious. “Honestly, it wasn’t just for a while. I’ve waited for years."
Daeyeol dangerously moves closer and closer to Sungyoon, and with each step Daeyeol takes, Sungyoon feels his heart beating faster and faster. Faster than it ever did when he first auditioned to be a trainee. Faster than when he confessed to his first love in middle school. Faster than when the group had their very first debut stage. He feels like his heart is about to rip itself out of his chest, racing as if it were being chased by some sort of flesh-eating zombie.
“Close your eyes.” Daeyeol softly whispers, almost inaudible, if only it weren’t for the fact that their faces were only about a centimeter or two apart by now.
Sungyoon complies, and his pessimistic inner voice starts saying Lee Daeyeol, I swear, if you're gonna pull another uncle gag on me-
Daeyeol’s warm hands take his trembling ones. He feels Daeyeol push something in the shape of a box into his hands, and Sungyoon’s heart races even more as he tries to speculate what this box-shaped object is.
This isn't it. It can't be. Right?
“Open your eyes now.” Happiness is evident even in Daeyeol’s soft, soft voice.
The box in Sungyoon’s hands looked exactly like what he imagined it to be, and he already knew what was inside.
It was a golden ring.
“I know you might have gotten enough rings to fill up all your fingers, but..." Daeyeol says, looking straight to the sand surrounding their feet, avoiding Sungyoon’s gaze. "I didn’t know what else to get.”
Daeyeol, looks up again, and melts into another smile, warmer than any smile Sungyoon’s ever seen before.
“I’ve been waiting for years now, Sungyoon. And I think I don’t need to hide it anymore.”
Tears fill up Sungyoon’s eyes, and his brain gives him no other command than to wrap his arms around the man standing in front of him.
Daeyeol whispers four words into Sungyoon’s ears, while Sungyoon empties his tears into Daeyeol’s shoulder.
Will you be mine?
(And of course, Sungyoon agrees.)