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"will you be back in time?"
"in time for?"
"you know what for," jeongguk huffs, then softly, "will you?"
"dunno," jimin says simply, and he leaves it at that. "do you want anything from paris?"
"want you back home," jeongguk pouts, even though he knows jimin won't be able to see him. he's gotten so used to getting his way with a simple purse of his lips, knowing full well that jimin has the softest spot for him. "want you here with me."
jimin laughs, and it's no foreign sound by now, but jeongguk's heart still skitters.
"i'm getting you a postcard," jimin hums. "i'll be back soon, baby."
"how soon is soon?" jeongguk's starting to sound whiny, and he almost cringes if not for the way jimin's reply comes back twice as needy and full of longing.
"sooner than you think," jimin says and jeongguk can hear the sincerity in his voice. so he stays quiet and lets jimin talk to him about the eiffel tower and the nightscape and how many croissants he's consumed over the past few days. it almost lulls him to sleep, the way jimin speaks in a lucid baritone, familiar and nuzzling itself against the jimin-shaped crevice in jeongguk's heart.
against his own will, jeongguk yawns and jimin huffs.
"hey, am i making you bored?" jimin teases. "it's nighttime there, isn't it? you should go to bed."
"yeah, it's eleven, i'm just sleepy," jeongguk says. "i worked out today. you should have seen me. i was so hot."
"i'm sure you were, all sweaty and stinky," jimin laughs that honest and open laugh of his and jeongguk's heart skitters. "hey, i'll call you again later, okay? you go to sleep."
"okay," jeongguk's voice falters into a sleepy whisper. "let me know once you've booked tickets home, okay?"
the doorbell rings and jeongguk hums with an air of curiosity. the other hyungs are overseas or with friends or family, hoseok's working in his room, and jeongguk didn't order any takeout, so he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little taken aback.
"was that the bell?" jimin asks, punctuating his question with a hum. "thought you were going to bed. you ordered takeout?"
"no," jeongguk mumbles, shuffling across his bed. "stay on the line while i get it, okay?"
"you're such a baby," jimin laughs, but doesn't hang up. "go answer, i'll wait."
jeongguk hums and shuffles to get the door. he paws at the screen monitor attached to the door, installed to inform the residents the presence of whoever's on the other side of the door. of course, nothing less to expect from the best-selling apartment complex in seoul, lusted after for its top-notch security and reputable status. usually, the high quality device would boast the visitor's figure with colourful wavelengths, but this time there's a grainy grey screen staring back at him.
"i think our intercom is broken," jeongguk tells jimin. he doesn't want to open the door and risk running into a sasaeng, but then again it could just be one of namjoon's delivery packages. their apartment complex wouldn't brag about its world-renowned safety and security system, anyway, if it was actually a sasaeng on the other side of the door. "it's not showing anything."
"let the company know," jimin suggests. "they'll probably get someone to look at it."
the bell rings again. jeongguk presses his ear against the door, but, again, the doors are thick enough to provide abundant security, so he doesn't really hear anything.
"should i open it?"
"yeah, probably just the postman," jimin says. there's a bit of rustling over the phone, and jeongguk gnaws at his bottom lip. "namjoon hyung told me he was planning to get a new pot for his bonsai plant. could be that."
"mm, yeah," jeongguk mumbles. "stay on the line, yeah?"
jimin hums.
his fingers dance against the lever on the door, before curling his fingers against the slim body and tugging it downwards. he's expecting a delivery man clad in blue, hauling a parcel behind him. maybe taehyung, who decides to return to the dorm instead of staying overnight at his parent's house, maybe even manager sejin coming to drop by any mail that got sent to the company building, or perhaps just to check up on them and ensure that none of them have set the dorm on fire, or have been set on fire.
(that had only happened twice. the first time happened because namjoon sheepishly forgot that you're not supposed to put tin foil in the microwave, and the second time was a result of taehyung's boredom and curiosity. needless to say, the microwave stays unplugged and can only be used by seokjin or yoongi.)
so when he yanks the door open, he's certainly not expecting a rosy-cheeked jimin smiling up at him, lit birthday cake held up like a preschooler showing off a crayon artwork, with a face illuminated by candlelight. his cheek is smushed from holding his phone between his ear and shoulder, but the grin painted across his face shines brighter than the flame of the candles and jeongguk's heart leaps.
the normal reaction would be to pull his boyfriend into a hug, cake be damned. perhaps even tell him off through flustered tears for lying to him about still being in paris. but in jeongguk's panicked haste he immediately shuts the door in jimin's face. the door clicks with an automated electronic jingle and jeongguk feels, more than hears, jimin kick at the door from the outside with his boot.
"hey, open the door," jimin laughs gleefully and jeongguk realises they're still on the phone. "c'mon, i've missed you. open up, birthday boy."
"sorry, sorry," jeongguk mumbles into his phone. he runs his fingers through his hair, tugs them back a little just to feel the pain yank at his scalp. just needs a reminder that he isn't in some bittersweet dream. he ends the call, opens the door again and the smile on jimin's face widens tenfold.
"you're home," jeongguk breathes bashfully. "you're not supposed to be home."
"is that all you have to say to me?" jimin steps over the threshold and juts his elbow into jeongguk's gut, carefully juggling the cake on one hand as he retrieves his phone from where it was cushioned against his cheek. "make a wish, sweetheart."
the cake is thrusted into his face and jeongguk has half the mind to clasp his hands together and hope for something good when jimin's just standing there, smiling brightly enough to put the sun and all of the stars to shame. but he does it anyway, wishes for success and happiness and good health for the rest of his life. he blows out the candle and jimin hollers fervently. the front door shuts with another click and hoseok's padding out of his bedroom.
"you're back?" hoseok eyes the cake and reaches over to ruffle jimin's hair. "just in time for jeongguk's birthday."
"wouldn't miss it for the world," jimin says, setting the cake down and leaning into jeongguk's body. he nuzzles his face into his neck and jeongguk instinctively wraps an arm around jimin's waist. with one hand going up to cradle jeongguk's cheek, he pulls gently so that jeongguk's looking down at him. pulls him closer and closer, then, softly, against his lips, he whispers, "happy birthday, baby."
hoseok makes a faux retching noise and jeongguk smiles into the kiss.
*
"you know, i really wasn't expecting you at all," jeongguk says later that night, when hoseok retreats back into his room after a sloppy kiss to jeongguk's cheek and the leftover cake has been piled into the fridge. "i seriously thought it'd be a postman. "
"what postman works this late at night, lovely," jimin mumbles against the curve of jeongguk's collarbone. it's not sardonic, more of endeared and incredibly fond. "i didn't think you'd fall for it, too."
jeongguk giggles bashfully and jimin presses his lips against jeongguk's chest, feeling his heartbeat against his teeth. in the morning, jeongguk knows hoseok is gonna take a picture of the couple cuddling in bed, post-birthday celebration, and send it to the group chat with a myriad of barfing emojis, but in the bone-deep silence of the night jeongguk pulls his lover closer and plants a kiss on the top of his hair. falls in love even more, then falls asleep.