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on a certain day in january, two men are practicing their hearts out. although it’s supposed to be a special day for one of them, the other finds himself feeling way more excited. lee minhyuk exits the practice room and leaves the less joyful man alone and since it’s normal for one of them to leave halfway through no questions are asked when the door slams shut.
despite it being chae hyungwon’s birthday, he’s still going to spend the whole day practicing. minhyuk is proud to be friends with someone so hard-working but people need to take breaks eventually, and as his only friend, minhyuk takes it upon himself to celebrate with hyungwon since he had no other plans.
word has it, between all the trainees, that a fairly new bakery opened down the street of their academy the other day, and minhyuk has wanted to try one of their “exceptionally delicious” cakes ever since then.
again, as hyungwon’s one and only close friend in the company, it’s only natural that minhyuk knows all of his personal tastes. hence, upon seeing the chocolate cake on display, minhyuk knows he doesn’t have to look at any of the other choices. the only real decision minhyuk has to make is whether to buy the whole cake, or just a slice. in an instant he’s reminded of everything hyungwon has done to help minhyuk and he has to think no further, he’ll be buying a whole chocolate cake for hyungwon and that’s final.
pointing to the chocolate cake on display, minhyuk briefly considers adding something cheesy in the message that’s to be written on the cake and decides against it. he informs the baker of hyungwon’s name and right before she leaves to write it, she asks him who the cake is for.
without thinking twice, he answers, “my boyfriend.”
when the words leave his mouth, it’s only then does he realize what he said yet he can’t correct himself because the baker has already turned around to write his message. minhyuk is left to stand behind the cash register, with an incredibly red face. there’s no mirror around but with how warm his cheeks feel, he’s certain he has to be as red as the strawberry sitting on the strawberry shortcake inside the display counter.
she returns, cake already placed inside a box and hands it over to minhyuk. after paying for the cake, he sees she’s adorning a fond smile and it makes minhyuk’s whole afternoon knowing he managed to make somebody happy even if it was because of a mistake.
“it’s cute by the way, that you’re buying a cake for your boyfriend.” the baker must know what’s up with the way she drags the word boyfriend, there’s really no way she hasn't found out.
ducking his head in embarrassment, minhyuk thanks her before finally leaving with the cake in hand, not forgetting to leave a tip for the excellent service.
the journey back to the academy consists of minhyuk placing his cold hands on his cheeks, in an attempt to cool his face down followed by light slaps for saying something so embarrassing, and being caught lying. careful as to not mess up the cake, minhyuk climbs the stairs up to the practice room slowly and prays the blood level in his face has decreased back to normal.
outside the practice room, he makes sure to write in marker that the cake is for hyungwon so the other trainees don’t try and steal it before placing it in the mini-refrigerator.
he expects to see hyungwon hard at work, probably sweating but minhyuk is definitely not ready to see that even though it’s a sight he should be accustomed to after all the months of practicing together. the word ‘boyfriend’ constantly ringing in his mind is the main reason why minhyuk feels more hyper aware than usual, and it’s not helping the fact that he has to hide his gift. hyungwon is leaning against the mirror, evidently taking a break from practicing and as soon as the door slams shut, he turns to look at minhyuk.
“where have you been? i thought you went to the restroom, not on a walk in the middle of practice,” hyungwon asks, although he sounds angry it’s just his way of being concerned. hopefully.
if minhyuk hadn't answered so foolishly for the baker’s question, he would have been fine with answering hyungwon’s. alas, minhyuk is a mess, and the concern in his voice only makes things worse for minhyuk. the word ‘boyfriend’ has made its place in minhyuk’s head and it doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.
trying his best to fight an oncoming blush, he blurts out an excuse and changes the topic. “i just needed some fresh air, how has practice been? have you thought about what you’re going to do for our monthly evaluations?”
minhyuk pats himself on the back for being able to reply so smoothly as he sits down next to hyungwon and hands him a bottle of water.
gratefully, he accepts the water and downs half the bottle in one shot, and minhyuk has to drag his eyes away from hyungwon’s neck before he accidentally pops a blood vessel. hyungwon stands up, extending a hand to help minhyuk up as well and he tugs a little too hard, almost sending both of them flying back onto the floor.
laughter fills the practice room and when they finally start working on their performance for the monthly evaluations happening in two weeks, they exchange ideas. hyungwon shows minhyuk what he has ready, a simple dance he choreographed and minhyuk can only stare in awe as he dances, movements fluid and natural. after the short dance is done, minhyuk claps enthusiastically. he’ll never get over the fact that hyungwon is so talented even though they’re the same age.
minhyuk regrettably informs hyungwon he doesn’t have a dance prepared, or any dance moves in his head, and before he can think about how different he is compared to hyungwon, he stands behind minhyuk.
to his surprise, hands find their way on minhyuk’s waist and he’s trying his absolute best to not freak out or even worse - blush.
“i can teach you some moves, if you’d like?” hyungwon looks nervous, and his suggestion is spoken in such a soft voice minhyuk’s heart melts. unlike a few seconds ago, his hands are now hovering over minhyuk’s waist, as if he had realized what he’d done and decided to play it safe.
fearing his voice might not come out as he’d like, minhyuk can only nod and watch as hyungwon starts placing his hands all over, guiding his body into different positions. eventually, he must feel that it’s not as effective, and opts to just demonstrate to minhyuk the different yet simple dance moves.
that’s a relief for minhyuk, who’d promptly stopped breathing when hyungwon’s hand accidentally brushed against his thigh.
at the end of the short dance lesson with hyungwon, he learns two things. one being the dance moves hyungwon had taught him and the second being that he has nice hands.
(there’s a secret third that mentions liking hyungwon’s hands on him but he refrains from thinking about that.)
with the amount of original choreography declining, they decide to practice other boy group’s choreography instead, building up their stamina at the same time. they sing along to all of the songs that they’re practicing, trying their best to keep in tune since they can’t afford to fail the monthly evaluations.
aside from the singing, the only sound in the practice room are the squeaks from their sneakers and their harsh breaths. while they practice, minhyuk starts to plan out his secret mission. soon, they’d go for dinner at their usual eatery, the sun has already set which meant that the amount of people having dinner would thin out and they could have the place to themselves - just how they liked it. once they finish their respective meals, they’ll head back to the academy to practice for awhile before heading back home. minhyuk would have to hand the cake over to hyungwon before midnight, which was simple enough.
just like minhyuk had planned, they stop practicing after hyungwon starts complaining about being hungry. their routine was that they’d only stop when hyungwon decided to, which was fine with minhyuk. he’d let hyungwon have one thing at least, in their friendship.
they grab their coats from an abandoned corner of the practice room and minhyuk makes sure he has his wallet with him. giving the room one last glance, minhyuk ensures that nothing of importance is left behind before he switches off the lights and follows hyungwon down the stairs.
the weather in january is harsh, especially so at night and minhyuk wishes he wore something warmer to fight the chill. though, he doesn’t have to wish any longer because when they pass by the bakery from earlier, minhyuk starts to remember everything. blood rushes to his face as he hears himself declare ‘my boyfriend’ over and over again in his head, and minhyuk has to pretend he’s trying to warm his fingers up while he covers his red cheeks in the process.
nothing ever goes unnoticed by hyungwon when it comes to the slight changes in people’s behaviour so he asks minhyuk what’s wrong, voice laced with so much sincerity he finds it hard to lie.
“it’s just is partly true, so it’s not like he’s totally lying.
hyungwon, sweet naive hyungwon, believes minhyuk and he breathes out a sigh of relief, expecting the walk to the tiny restaurant to go on. it doesn’t. in fact, everything seems to stop for minhyuk as hyungwon removes the scarf he’s wearing and wraps it around his neck. the scarf being the only one he ever wears due to the fact that it’s from hyungwon’s mother.
minhyuk doesn’t know how to respond, his hands instinctively reach out to hyungwon’s own and stays there, hanging while he attempts to wrap it around minhyuk’s neck properly. if he tilted his head up even the slightest, he’d be able to see the concentration on hyungwon’s face. however, minhyuk isn’t sure he’ll be able to survive seeing it that close so he stares at the lamp post behind him instead.
the scarf does help minhyuk feel warmer, so does his face when more heat rushes to it after hyungwon steps back and minhyuk isn’t even sure if having this much blood in his cheeks is healthy. in an attempt to hide his face, minhyuk buries it in the scarf and is hit with a wave of hyungwon’s scent, which makes his heart race even faster. it’s not a great day for minhyuk’s sanity.
after receiving what was quite possibly the most romantic gesture anyone has ever done for him, he can’t bring himself to start another conversation without choking on his spit. luckily, the atmosphere around them remains comfortable, and it’s something minhyuk is used to. the silence being much better than the one that had graced them the first time hyungwon and him were put in a practice room together. neither of them knew what to say, hence practice commenced in silence and minhyuk was too scared to say anything. looking at them now, minhyuk truly is proud to have helped hyungwon open up.
by the time they reach the restaurant, it’s almost empty, which is great for them. they get to talk as loud as they (it’s mostly minhyuk) want and they can laugh freely without worrying about disturbing others.
“welcome back!” the waitress, chungha greets them cheerfully and waves at them with the tray she’s holding.
minhyuk responds by waving back just as enthusiastically while hyungwon nods in acknowledgement and they drift to the single table in the corner. most of the seats are empty, but right from the start, this spot is where they’ve always sat at and it won’t be changing anytime soon.
chungha places two glasses of water on the table and removes a pen from her pocket to take down their order.
“the usual, i assume?” she grins at them, already writing down their orders before either of them can actually answer.
minhyuk flashes a smile, all teeth and even though chungha had only started a month ago, she already has their orders memorized at the back of her hand since they frequent the restaurant so often.
when the food arrives, they eat in silence. being with hyungwon is always comforting. even if it’s just being in his presence, minhyuk feels at ease whenever hyungwon is around and he knows hyungwon feels the same way with minhyuk.
honestly, the other trainees were shocked when minhyuk and hyungwon entered the practice room deep in conversation. minhyuk had even managed to get hyungwon to crack a smile! as soon as all the trainees saw that, things got chaotic. all of them swarmed around him when he was alone, demanding to know how much he paid to make hyungwon laugh at his lame joke in public. with his head held high, he proudly informed them that he became friends with hyungwon, no money involved. naturally, nobody believed him. minhyuk wouldn’t have either, if his future self told him that he’d become hyungwon’s best friend. they were complete opposites, personality wise and everyone had made a bet saying hyungwon would never become friends with minhyuk. he became a lot richer after that.
thinking about how he was able to become hyungwon’s first friend always makes him smile, and thus he does, without holding back. hyungwon raises his eyebrow, skeptical.
“are you planning something?” hyungwon asks, not trusting minhyuk out of habit.
he would kill minhyuk and then himself if minhyuk doesn’t reveal what’s on his mind, leading to a dramatic recount of the story to hyungwon - who’s surprised that people thought they wouldn’t have become friends. that’s new information to minhyuk, so he begins pestering hyungwon into telling him what’d he first thought of him.
“i thought you were really…,” hyungwon starts, and trails off as he tries to think of a word to describe him. “bright.” is what he ends up with.
minhyuk has his head over his bowl of noodles at this point, as if he’d miss something if he didn’t bring his head as close as possible.
“that’s why i knew i wouldn’t be able to get away from you, kind of like a moth drawn to a flame.” hyungwon adds on as an afterthought and smiles at minhyuk before going back to eating his beef bowl.
minhyuk can’t help the grin that spreads across his face, and he’s smiling into his noodles. hyungwon would never respond to any of the other trainees, those brave enough to talk to him would get ignored hence when minhyuk spoke to him, he was shocked to get a reply from the usually quiet hyungwon. one too many times, minhyuk had doubts about his personality, constantly wondering if he was too enthusiastic. however, hyungwon’s simple words make minhyuk ecstatic and any ounce of insecurity he used to feel disappears in that instant.
as soon as hyungwon puts down his chopsticks, minhyuk stands up, chair screeching across the floor and he runs towards the cashier, card already in hand. contrary to his belief, hyungwon doesn’t even flinch, or move. in reality, it was as if he’d expected minhyuk to pay for both of their meals and even though it was his intention, he still hits hyungwon lightly in the shoulder.
laughing, hyungwon simply adjusts the scarf around minhyuk’s neck, rewrapping it after noticing the sloppy way minhyuk wrapped it around himself. the amount of self-control he forces out in order to stop himself from blushing is so much that if minhyuk applied it to when he was still studying, he’d have probably aced all his examinations.
the same comfortable silence washes over them on the walk back to the academy, they’ll probably practice until the early morning again and minhyuk wishes that one day they’ll be able to watch the sunrise together.
“hey,” minhyuk says, voice unintentionally cracking. “one day, let’s watch the sunrise together.” he continues, sounding way more confident.
thankfully hyungwon replies quickly although minhyuk knows he’ll have nothing to worry about - he’s always following along to all of minhyuk’s impossible demands. nonetheless, he stops breathing for what feels like a whole minute hearing hyungwon's answer.
“sure.” it’s short and sweet, minhyuk feels his shoulders relax and they fall back into the same comfortable silence.
carefully, minhyuk takes his phone out of his pocket to check the time, 9pm, they still have a lot of time left before hyungwon’s birthday ends but minhyuk starts feeling jittery, worrying if his surprise will go as planned. it’s probably the first time hyungwon is celebrating his birthday with someone else so minhyuk wants to make it a memorable day.
he’s absolutely not cheesy, or a romanticist but wishing someone at 11:59pm feels special somehow, thus minhyuk decides that’s when he will bring the cake into the practice room. the whole scene is suddenly easy to imagine, and minhyuk’s nerves are replaced with excitement as soon as he starts thinking about the shock that will appear on hyungwon’s face.
with a plan somewhat formed in his mind, minhyuk starts walking with a spring his step and if hyungwon notices, he doesn’t say anything.
back in the practice room, they sit on the floor cross legged. this time, facing each other. minhyuk had pleaded for a ten minute break before starting despite having a whole hour to rest during dinner and since hyungwon can never say no to his puppy eyes, here they are, on the floor. there, they talk about the littlest things, like how dambi is doing because hyungwon is a sucker for animals smaller than him and minhyuk happily obliges, informing him that she’s still as cute as ever.
just like that ten minutes are up and hyungwon pats minhyuk’s leg before standing up to stretch. he extends a hand in minhyuk’s direction and cheekily asks, “may i have this dance?”
minhyuk’s brain short circuits and as he reaches up to grab hyungwon’s hand, he pulls it away, running it through his hair instead. he’s turned away from minhyuk but he knows that hyungwon is probably grinning to himself for the charming trick. yelling, minhyuk jumps onto his back and with grace, they fall back down onto the floor.
for the second time that day, laughter echoes throughout the room, they’re lying side by side and minhyuk thinks nothing will ever beat this. when he first left whatever life he previously had to become a trainee, minhyuk was upset at the prospect of losing touch with all his friends from high school. now, he feels like he can take on the world with hyungwon by his side.
they compose themselves and start practicing again, hyungwon teasing minhyuk and making sure “he hasn’t forgotten” everything he’d taught him earlier. flawlessly, minhyuk dances to the song they used and gives hyungwon the smuggest look he can muster when he finishes without making a single mistake. proud, all hyungwon can do is clap and minhyuk feels accomplished, taking in all the praise. move over, he thinks, a new dance king is in town.
(right after his display, hyungwon shows off twice as much and minhyuk revokes the dance king title from himself.
as expected, nobody can beat chae hyungwon.)
while hyungwon continues to practice his singing, minhyuk glances at the clock and almost trips. ten more minutes to midnight. that’s cutting it real close and he rushes out of the practice room, a flimsy excuse about needing to go to the restroom is shouted out as he shuts the door behind him.
in the dark, he stumbles for the light switch and turns it on, eyes automatically landing on the mini-refrigerator after adjusting to the sudden brightness. he walks towards the cake before remembering about the handwritten card he was going to give hyungwon. minhyuk’s face pales as he remembers that the card is somewhere in his bag. which is of course in the practice room, where hyungwon is. taking deep breaths, minhyuk tells himself to calm down, it’s just a card. he’ll pass it to hyungwon later, everything will be fine.
he locates the lighter he’d stolen from the academy’s kitchen, sets it on the table and takes the cake out of the refrigerator. the box weighs the same as before, so at least nobody helped themselves to hyungwon’s cake. with another hurried glance, he spots the clock and rushes to open the box. in one minute his birthday will end, and everything will be pointless if he can’t even wish hyungwon on his birthday.
shaking away the nagging feeling that something is off, he creeps towards the door of the practice room, brushing against the light switch in the room he’s currently in, making everything pitch black. clicking his tongue in annoyance, minhyuk leaves it as it is and opens the door with his free hand, making sure it’s just a crack and slides his arm in to switch off the lights.
it’s going well but as he’s about to enter the room with the cake in hand, he finally knows why something feels wrong. there aren’t any candles on the cake, which means hyungwon wouldn’t have anything to blow out after making his wish. if minhyuk wasn’t holding the cake and hastily closing the door with his other hand he would’ve slapped himself.
with panic rising, minhyuk places the cake onto the table and successfully locates the candles in the box. he doesn’t have to check to know it’s well past midnight, and hyungwon’s birthday but as long as he’ll be able to surprise him minhyuk will count it as a success.
scrambling for the lighter in the dark, he grabs it and attempts to light the candles up as fast as possible, before hyungwon exits to investigate the random power outage. the stupid lighter isn’t working and minhyuk is definitely going to demand for a replacement if he’s still alive the next day. he knocks it against the edge of the table, hoping it’ll work. somehow he manages to make the situation worse as the lighter slips out minhyuk’s grasp and clatters onto the floor.
frustrated, minhyuk bends down to pick up the lighter when he hears the door of the practice room open. tears are threatening to form and he prays that hyungwon doesn’t see minhyuk shuffling under the table to hide.
hyungwon turns on the lights, and minhyuk shuts his eyes on instinct, the tears previously in his eyes fall, leaving wet streaks on his cheeks.
"is anybody there?" hyungwon yells out to nobody in particular and if minhyuk wasn't currently having a breakdown under the table he'd laugh at his silliness.
even though there's no point in hiding since it's not hard to miss a man of above average height like minhyuk, he tries his best to stay quiet. hyungwon lets out a soft "ah," immediately upon finding him under the table and minhyuk knows he’s failed.
afraid to see hyungwon's disappointment, minhyuk doesn't dare lift his head. instead, he stares at the floor, wishing to disappear. despite always being known as the optimist in the academy, he can't help it when a million self deprecating thoughts fill his mind as he feels hyungwon step behind him. he's probably looking at the cake, wondering why the candles aren't lit up, and what the point of wishing him when it's already past his birthday.
during the rare occasions minhyuk does feel immense sadness, it always feels like a weight on his shoulders, and he'd never tell anyone about his constant doubts. never wanting to burden anyone, he cries himself to sleep on his worse days, hoping hyungwon won’t hear him through the thin walls of their apartment. with his legs still pressed close to his chest, tears start falling at an uncontrollable pace and minhyuk remembers why he prefers being positive. being sad physically hurts.
although hyungwon has already spotted him, he still tries to make himself as small as possible, as if it'd deter him from approaching. it doesn't, and he feels hyungwon sit behind him, legs spread out on either side of minhyuk. ashamed, he doesn't look at anywhere except at the front, tears still streaming down his face. hiccups continue to burst from his chest while he attempts to calm himself down.
minhyuk senses hyungwon's presence behind him and feels even worse knowing he probably doesn't know what to do to help him burying his face into his knees, minhyuk wishes he still had hyungwon's scarf on.
a whole minute must have passed, bitterly, minhyuk imagines hyungwon has already left the room - probably to go onto naver to search 'how to cheer your sad friend up'. minhyuk appreciates the sentiment but wishes he'd just leave him alone.
when he least expects it, he feels arms around his waist and minhyuk feels himself getting pulled towards hyungwon's body until he's fully pressed up against him. hyungwon never initiated any form of affection, every hug shared between them all because of minhyuk and if he still had it in him, he'd be beaming over the fact that chae hyungwon, resident lone wolf is currently hugging him. the opposite happens, knowing that the birthday boy has to comfort him when they should've been celebrating.
minhyuk still hates himself, but he hates knowing that hyungwon was never able to truly celebrate on his birthday - which has long well passed, even more. therefore, with a sudden burst of motivation, he grabs the lighter lying on the floor and attempts to relight the candles after breaking free from hyungwon's hold.
at last, fire appears and it makes minhyuk feel a little better seeing things finally go his way. he lights up the candles carefully, all three of them. why the odd number, he doesn't know but the more the merrier as they always say.
out of the corner of his eye, he sees hyungwon still seated on the floor, looking up at minhyuk, mouth agape. it's funny enough to make minhyuk chuckle, and slowly he feels his spirit recovering.
the candles are finally lit up and even though they're both trying to suppress smiles of their own, the atmosphere is still awkward in minhyuk's opinion. it's hard to start talking and he has to swallow five times before speaking.
"let's pretend it's still hyungwon day, actually. let's mark everyday as hyungwon day. due to that new rule, it's still your birthday. technically we're celebrating it early!" minhyuk says, starting off unsure but by the end of his sentence, the excitement he had felt earlier returns.
hyungwon stands up, grin fully on display now and it makes minhyuk's empty and hurting heart feel a little better. at least he's managed to make hyungwon happy.
glad that everything is going well, minhyuk cheerfully pushes the cake in hyungwon's direction and softly starts singing happy birthday. at this point, he can't hide anything even if he wanted to, hyungwon's head moves along to the soft tune of minhyuk's voice and he can't help it when he starts singing along.
minhyuk claps as the song ends and gestures towards the candles, careful to not blow them out. hyungwon closes his eyes, catching on and blows the candles out not a second later. quietly, minhyuk cheers and resists the urge to ask him what he had wished for, he wants his wish to be granted. checking his phone, his heart sinks when he sees the numbers flash boldly in white, 12:30am. refusing to let his own mistakes get to him again, minhyuk looks to hyungwon who's already cutting up the cake.
it’s never too late to eat dessert and when hyungwon shoves the knife with the cake on it in his direction, minhyuk’s heart grows ten times in size. as dangerous as it was, minhyuk would never say no to being fed by hyungwon, especially so if it was dessert.
they’re about one quarters through with the cake when an elderly lady who must be locking up approaches them and politely informs them that they should be heading home. they agree, minhyuk offers a slice of cake before she leaves and she declines, telling him about her bad health. frowning, minhyuk thanks her for her hard work and makes a mental note to buy her some healthy snacks the next time they go grocery shopping.
hyungwon helps minhyuk wrap the scarf around his neck and whispers, “promise to tell me about it when we’re home?” his face is full of concern, and minhyuk feels guilty for making hyungwon worry. wordlessly, he nods and hyungwon smiles and gently pats minhyuk on the head, satisfied with both his answer and the scarf.
on the walk back home, it’s freezing, perfect for the cake which they decided to bring home with them, but terrible for their immune system. however, like the genius he is, minhyuk thinks of an idea. he rummages around his bag as hyungwon stares at him and takes out the card that had been hiding. it’s still in his handmade envelope, decorated by yours truly and minhyuk shoves it into hyungwon’s free hand before running away.
“race you home!” minhyuk yells over his shoulder, effectively ensuring his red face won’t be seen by hyungwon as the distance between them grows further and further.
running helps to clear minhyuk’s mind as he starts to think about what he’ll say when they get home. the cool wind brushing against his cheeks and his hair as he picks up speed upon seeing their tall apartment building. outside, minhyuk digs through his pockets only to be met with a single coin and pocket lint - the keys were with hyungwon. rolling his eyes at his own forgetfulness, minhyuk sinks down and leans against the door, catching his breath.
during the wait for hyungwon, minhyuk installs the filter in his brain and tries to sort out any love related ideas he has involving hyungwon and tosses them to his imaginary trash can. he hears hyungwon before he sees him. his footsteps are loud and and angrier than usual, causing minhyuk to giggle. the cake box is being held with both of hyungwon’s hands and minhyuk looks past him to check if the card was dropped along the way. the walkway is clear, there’s nothing on the ground and minhyuk briefly wonders if hyungwon had trashed the card similar to how he’d thrown away every romantic thought he had involving hyungwon.
“firstly, i hate you.” hyungwon mutters, out of breath as he kicks minhyuk in the side, forcing him to move away from the door.
he passes the cake to minhyuk and as he opens the door he assures that the card is safely placed in his bag. minhyuk opens his mouth to ask if he’d read the card, but closes it when hyungwon steps into their apartment, he’d just have to find out later.
“secondly,” hyungwon pauses, causing minhyuk to curse him internally. “thank you.”
speechless, he takes a minute too long to respond. “yeah. it was nothing, don’t worry about it! happy birthday, hyungwon.” it’s only after those words leave his mouth does he realize he had yet to wish him a happy birthday.
hyungwon thanks him again and minhyuk finally unfreezes, removes his scarf and hangs it up nicely on one of the wall hooks they bought because he was tired of seeing hyungwon’s coats strewn all over the apartment.
just as hyungwon is about to step into the bathroom, minhyuk jumps in front of him and enters before he can, the first person to shower always gets the warmer water and minhyuk isn’t ready to be drenched in freezing water - even if it’s unofficial hyungwon day.
still, minhyuk makes sure to use as little hot water as possible, not wanting hyungwon to catch a cold in the chilly morning of january and steps out, steam rising and exiting the room with him. the sweater he’d stolen from hyungwon is insanely comfortable and he collapses onto the sofa, letting his muscles finally relax after the long and tiring day of practicing.
similarly, his mind is exhausted from running wild, accidentally calling hyungwon his boyfriend really took a toll on him. so much so that he’s still thinking about it. had he not thrown those thoughts away previously? at this point, he’s become one with the sofa with the way he’s slouching. the towel is still in his hair, his hair still damp but he’s having a hyungwon crisis in his head, his hair can wait.
minhyuk feels another wave of heat enter the living room and sits up because he literally stared at the television for fifteen minutes, replaying the same scene in his head. he tries to get past hyungwon and into his own room, unfortunately for minhyuk, he stretches out his long arm and stops minhyuk from going any further. a sound between a squawk of confusion and squeak in embarrassment leaves his mouth, that’s when he notices the hairdryer in hyungwon’s left hand.
silently, he directs him onto a chair and plugs in the hairdryer. minhyuk snaps out of it as soon as a wave of artificial heat hits him and he gasps when he feels hyungwon’s hand start to untangle his wet locks.
minhyuk has to subtly take several breaths to calm his nerves, though that isn’t what calms him. instead, it’s the feeling of hyungwon carefully threading his fingers through minhyuk’s hair and he almost falls asleep after relaxing into his touch.
for the first time after leaving the comfort of his family’s home, he feels completely at peace and minhyuk could get used to more calming days with hyungwon, and if possible, the occasional intimate or domestic moment with him. however, he knows it’s practically impossible and takes what he can get at that moment and leans against hyungwon.
once minhyuk’s hair is fluffier and dryer, he sits hyungwon down so he can return the favour. at times, he lets his fingers linger in hyungwon’s hair for a second longer than necessary and feels unconditional love for his best friend.
although, said best friend is drifting asleep and close to falling off the chair so minhyuk turns off the hairdryer and puts it back in its original location. in hyungwon’s sleepy state, his arms find their place around minhyuk’s waist and slowly drags both of them to his room.
minhyuk is losing his mind while he tries to prevent hyungwon from falling down as they stumble into his room.
when hyungwon flops onto his bed, his hand leaves minhyuk’s waist and travels towards his wrist. overthinking might become his second nature if he doesn’t stop doing misleading things to minhyuk. it’s great to have a second crisis at 1am, and he does his absolutely best to move away from the bed but hyungwon ends up pulling minhyuk onto the bed.
neither of them had bothered to turn on the lights, however minhyuk wishes they had so he can see hyungwon’s face. he feels how warm his face in and thinks that maybe it’s for the best. furthermore, his heart rate is currently speeding up and he hopes hyungwon doesn’t have sharp ears or he’d hear how nervous minhyuk is, being in bed with him.
(there’s no way hyungwon will be able to hear minhyuk’s heartbeat, with how they’re pressed against each other.
minhyuk is the one listening to hyungwon’s, and to his foolish disappointment - it isn’t racing.)
it’s way too dark to see anything, his eyes haven’t adjusted yet but he feels the way hyungwon’s arms find their way back around minhyuk’s waist and he convinces himself to enjoy the moment again while it lasts.
feeling contented, he shifts closer to hyungwon, head now resting in the space between his shoulder and neck, feeling like it’s his birthday (because hyungwon is the best present he could’ve ever received).
before minhyuk drifts off to sleep, he feels a hand run through his hair, similar to when it was getting dried off and he grins into hyungwon’s neck.
just like that, they fall asleep. their legs tangled together and even though it’s bitterly cold outside, they both wake up feeling warmer than the sun.
10 months later, a certain man is making his way to a popular bakery nearby in the early morning, before the sun has even risen. he enters with a confident stride and immediately points to the strawberry shortcake on display and asks for a simple birthday message to be written on it.
the baker behind the counter asks a question that every customer will have to answer if they buy a cake from them. "who is it for?" she's smiling sweetly, and the man is reminded of his mother back in gwangju.
she notes how he doesn't hesitate when he replies, "my boyfriend," and with the shy smile after mentioning the two words, the baker knows he's not lying.
nodding, and informing the man about how cute it is of him to buy a cake for his loved one, she gets to writing the birthday message with icing.
months before, a man of similar intentions had come and bought a chocolate cake. sneakily, she had written an additional 'my beloved' between happy birthday and a name she can no longer recall. she wonders how they're doing now, knowing that the previous man was most definitely not actually boyfriends with whoever he was buying a cake for.
smiling to herself, she gets to writing the message: happy birthday lee minhyuk, my sunshine.
it was generally unexpected for customers to come in with a message prepared beforehand. this particular message being notably cheesy, she writes it anyway, making sure to do a little heart at the end.
the young man pays and bows his head in appreciation after receiving the cake that's securely placed in a box. the baker waves goodbye and wishes him a good day considering it's always nice to see youths in love.
half an hour later, the same man is being smothered with kisses as the cake sits long forgotten on the coffee table. the man in his lap is grinning and with each kiss, the man getting attacked - known as chae hyungwon feels incredibly in love with his other half, lee minhyuk.
they both go in for another kiss, maybe their thirtieth, at the same time and giggle as their lips touch and their eyes flutter close.
lee minhyuk bumps his forehead against chae hyungwon's own.
ever so quietly, he whispers, "i love you,”
another kiss.
“and thank you.”
reaching up to minhyuk's neck, hyungwon lightly rests his hand there, playing with the hair at the back of his head before gently pushing minhyuk's head downwards, where hyungwon's lips meet his. admittedly, there aren't any fireworks, or butterflies in his tummy. yet, hyungwon feels like he's on fire - and he wouldn't mind burning everyday just to touch and be with minhyuk.
"i love you too."
behind them, the sun rises.