Chapter Text
It was Shinwoo’s birthday and Taekyung had stayed awake all night planning. This was going to be their first birthday celebration since they had started dating so he wanted to make sure that he did his best to show Shinwoo how much he loved him. Since they had started 12th grade and become more busy with university exam preparations they had not had much time together. He had the perfect plan to make sure that Shinwoo would get to enjoy some time with the student council and also get some time alone with his boyfriend.
Ever since they had started dating they hadn’t had enough time to go over to each other’s houses again and Taekyung wanted to make sure that he used this opportunity to celebrate and spend time with his boyfriend. And knowing how honest Shinwoo’s ears were Taekyung couldn’t wait until he saw Shinwoo’s reaction when he invited him over the next day.
After waking up the next the morning with barely any sleep Taekyung made sure to text the group he had created with Namgoong and Daon to plan for Shinwoo’s birthday to make sure that everything was going according to plan. After putting on his uniform he made sure to accessorize with all the little gifts that Shinwoo had given him and checked to make sure that he had everything necessary for his surprise in his backpack.
The bus ride to school had never been this slow. Taekyung had realized that thanks to Shinwoo he know actually looked forward to going to school every day and the bus rides that he hoped would never end had now become torturously long. Once he got to school and spotted Shinwoo it took all of the self-control in his body to not run up to him and smother him in kisses, wishing him happy birthday over and over again. But he knew that he wanted this to be a surprise so he held onto the last bits of his dying self-control as he walked up to his boyfriend and linked their hands as they walked to school together instead of celebrating his birthday immediately like he really wanted to.
Seeing the pout on Shinwoo’s lips after Taekyung didn’t immediately celebrate his birthday was playing with Taekyung’s heart in a way that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to handle. It was pure torture to get through the day with Shinwoo’s hurt puppy eyes staring at him all day. He wanted to surprise Shinwoo but the last thing he wanted to do was actually hurt his feelings so he held onto his will all day to set up the surprise.
And it was all worth it when Taekyung saw the smile on Shinwoo’s face as they walked into the student council room after school and Shinwoo who had actually thought his friends had forgotten his birthday was in shock. When Taekyung saw the genuine shock on Shinwoo’s face followed by relief and happiness and the slight redness in his eyes beginning to form tears he pulled Shinwoo into a warm hug and whispered a soft happy birthday into his ears before they made their way inside the student council room.
Taekyung grabbed a blue party hat and placed it on Shinwoo’s head making sure to keep eye contact as he slipped the band beneath his chin to hold the hat in place. Taekyung couldn’t help but let out a little giggle at his boyfriend’s cute eyes staring into his own. “You’re so cute you know. Did you actually think I forgot your birthday” Taekyung said as he placed his hands on both sides of Shinwoo’s face slightly squeezing his cheeks. It wasn’t just Shinwoo that got to squeeze Taekyung’s cheeks. At least not anymore.
“How could I ever forget my boyfriend’s birthday” added Taekyung as Shinwoo shyly looked away. And all Taekyung could do was once again tease his boyfriend about how cute he was and point out how red his ears were getting. It was impossible for Taekyung to stop teasing him, after all how could he when he had a boyfriend that was constantly this adorable. After their little bubble was interrupted by Namgoong's cough and the two left their own world they spent the rest of their time cutting cakes and receiving presents from Namgoong and Daon.
Once the party has died down and the others leave only Shinwoo and Taekyung are left in the room to do the cleaning up. It’s at this point that Taekyung decides to ask him the big question. Knowing that they had not had enough time for Shinwoo to ever come over to his house Taekyung decides that his house is the best place to do everything that he has planned for the rest of Shinwoo’s birthday.
So once they are done cleaning up and dinner time is approaching Taekyung asks Shinwoo if he wants to come over to his house so they can have some dinner and spend the rest of his birthday together. He makes sure to add a little pout when he tells Shinwoo that they haven’t properly spent time together in a while and that he wants to spend more time with his boyfriend. And of course who is Shinwoo to say no.
They walk home hand in hand as usual, teasing and jokes along the way. And as they approach Taekyung’s house he can’t help but have a growing smile on his face as he knows exactly how he is going to tease his boyfriend once again. After all he has made sure that everything aligned perfectly to make this work. As they get to the door of his house and Taekyung begins taking out his key he says to Shinwoo “My parents aren’t home today” as if the words that have just left his mouth won’t give his poor boyfriend a heart attack. He turns around once he door unlocks and is met with the sight of Shinwoo looking at him all big eyes and red ears and nodding as a reply to his statement. This time Taekyung himself is also too shy to point out how red Shinwoo’s ears have gotten. The teasing will have to wait for later.
They leave their bags and shoes at the entrance and Taekyung decides to try and make some ramen. But this ultimately ends in disaster as he is so in his own thoughts panicking about Shinwoo being in his house that he leaves the noodles in the pot too long and they spill over. He turns off the stove and begins searching around for towels.
And in his panicked state he hears a soft giggle. He turns around to see Shinwoo giggling as he watches the whole accident unravel. And Taekyung can’t help but pout. How can his boyfriend be teasing him when he was trying his best to make them dinner. But all his worries go away when he hears Shinwoo say “You’re so cute” in between giggles. Oh, so now it’s Shinwoo’s turn to call him cute. Taekyung isn’t sure he knows how to handle this change of events. Calling Shinwoo cute is something but getting called cute in between Shinwoo’s soft giggles might become the new cause of his death. Taekyung can’t help but hide his smile as Shinwoo gets up to help him clean.
They manage to clean up and Shinwoo helps him make a new pot of ramen. And once they are sitting at the table ready to eat Taekyung gives Shinwoo his own birthday present. He pulls out the little box he was hiding in his pocket and gives it to Shinwoo. Shinwoo opens it slowly to see that the tiny box decorated with silver lines contains a custom made bracelet. It matches the keychain that Shinwoo gifted him before.
He takes it out of the box with a smile on his face and Taekyung gently pulls it form his hands to help Shinwoo put his bracelet on. Once Taekyung has put on Shinwoo’s bracelet he rolls up his sleeves to show the matching one that he also has on his wrist. Shinwoo can’t stop smiling to the point that he is sure his cheeks will hurt for at least a couple of days and makes sure that he thanks Taekyung over a hundred times. The rest of their dinner is filled with mindless banter and more cute giggles. Once they are done eating Taekyung takes him to the living room so that they can settle on the couch.
Taekyung places his head on Shinwoo’s shoulder and a comfortable silence settles between them when they find comfort in each other’s presence. Shinwoo is the first to break the silence and he asks a question that must’ve been in his mind for a quite a long time. “Taekyung, do your parents know about us?” Shinwoo immediately panics after his question knowing how hard it is to come out. The last thing he wants to do is bring this question up on Taekyung out of nowhere especially if he doesn’t feel ready yet so he tries to frantically fix the situation.
“I didn’t mean to like push you or anything. If you are not ready yet that’s obviously fine and maybe you won’t be ready any time soon and that’s also fine I don’t want you to feel like I’m press-“ Shinwoo’s tangent is cut off by Taekyung replying with “Yes.” And Shinwoo can’t help but widen his eyes in surprise as somehow that was not the answer that he was expecting. Taekyung adds “I mean not exactly about us but about me. I told them once the rumors started spreading.” Taekyung removes his head from Shinwoo’s shoulder and his eyes look away as he replies. “They said that they always knew there was something wrong with me. That there was a reason why everyone stayed away from me and I had no friends.”
“Fucking assholes” Shinwoo whispers under his breath as he takes Taekyung’s hands in his own as Taekyung keeps talking. “I mean I know there’s nothing wrong with me but I guess it’s just that-“and this time it’s Shinwoo that cuts off Taekyung. “Taekyung, I will never stay away from you. You will have me for as long as you want me and anyone in their right mind can see that you are someone that is amazing and too kind for his own good. And I’m sorry. I had no idea. Everyone was checking up on Daon and making sure he was okay and of course they should’ve but no one stopped to really ask how you were. And I’m sorry but from now on I’m always here. For anything you need. And there is nothing wrong with you and there never will be”
Taekyung leans in as their foreheads touch and Taekyung whispers. “I know and that’s why I’m so lucky to have you. Thank you for loving me and being in my life. Happy birthday.” He puts his head on Shinwoo’s shoulder once again as he relaxes into his warmth.
They still have a lot of time to kill before heading to bed and after their conversation earlier all Taekyung wants to do is cuddle on the couch and watch a cute movie before he can give Shinwoo his final present and they can head to bed. They pick out a rom com and open it on the TV. Going back to their old position on the couch Taekyung begins to think about how he can get his boyfriend to cuddle him and decides that honesty is still the best policy.
So he looks at Shinwoo and says “I’m tired can we watch while lying down” as he slowly begins to lie down. He is determined to be the little spoon and there is no stopping Taekyung from getting what he wants. Shinwoo lies down as Taekyung also begins to make himself comfortable in front of Shinwoo with his back to his chest. The only bad thing about this position is that he can’t currently see how red Shinwoo’s ears must be and also the fact that there is no hand on his waist. Once they are both comfortable again and trying to focus on the movie Taekyung interlaces his fingers with Shinwoo’s hand that’s behind him and slowly brings it to his waist as they settle down. Shinwoo tries not to make a startled sound and his hand soon relaxes as he begins holding onto Takeyung’s waist.
Throughout the movie Shinwoo tries to focus on anything but how Taekyung is cuddled up against him. But all he can do is stare at his beautiful face; the lines of his jaw, his eyelashes and how they flutter every time he blinks, his lips that slightly part every time he breaths… He knows that he is being obvious while staring but he does not think that he can get himself to stop. Taekyung is also panicking inside as he tries to think about anything but how lovingly Shinwoo is staring at him and the hand on his waist that slightly flexes and tightens randomly spreading warmth to his body.
Both of their thoughts get increasingly harder to ignore especially when a heated kiss scene interrupts the rom com’s plot. Taekyung feels Shinwoo’s hand tighten on his waist and he can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment or something else. And he feels his own breath hitch as he begins to feel Shinwoo’s heartbeat increasing where his chest meets his back. He takes a deep breath trying to not be obvious and in that moment even if there is something to address they both choose not to. Taekyung instead decides to focus on how Shinwoo’s ears must be going crazy right now as a distraction but that doesn’t do much good for his imagination as his mind is very quick to wonder elsewhere.
After another torturous 30 minutes the movie is finally over and if it wasn’t for the fact that they have to head to bed Taekyung never wants to stop being Shinwoo’s little spoon. But everything must come to an end. So Taekyung slightly shifts, turning to face Shinwoo for the first time since they started cuddling. And he is overwhelmed by the amount of emotions flooding Shinwoo’s eyes as he gazes into them.
It takes him what feels like an eternity of gazing into his eyes to fully understand all of them and he is not sure he can handle it. They both look away after what feels like a minute and Taekyung sits up slightly. “We should head to bed” Taekyung says as he slowly peels himself from Shinwoo’s warmth,and a a shiwer travels down his spine at the sudden loss of heat. Taekyung leads Shinwoo towards his bedroom and gives him a spare change of clothes.
Shinwoo who is still trying to process the fact that he is in Taekyung’s bedroom does not realize that Taekyung is preparing his own bed for the two of them and no other bed for Shinwoo. Once Shinwoo is over the initial shock and is done processing the fact that he is in fact currently in his boyfriend’s bedroom he realizes that he will be sharing a bed with Taekyung. He immediately panics and begins to ramble on about how he can sleep on a floor bed or on the couch and that he will feel comfortable either way. Taekyung just calmly responds saying “If you are not ready yet we don’t have to. But if you also want to I would love to share a bed with you” And Shinwoo can do nothing but shyly nod in response as his ears turn extremely red for the millionth time that night.
Once they are done arranging the bed and picking out pajamas Shinwoo heads to the shower first. He puts on the set of pjs that Taekyung gave him and sits on his bed waiting for Taekyung to finish showering. He takes in the room around him. It’s not too big or too small. A nice and tidy desk and a closet that is located next to it. His walls are a light gray color and there is a collection of polaroids with their friends located on his wall. He is still looking around from where he is sitting when Taekyung emerges from the bathroom in a pair of silk pajamas in a light pink shade and Shinwoo is sure that his heart stops beating.
It should be illegal for his boyfriend to be this beautiful he thinks to himself. He tries to look away so he doesn’t die from a heart attack but it’s all too late when Taekyung brings up the towel hanging around his neck as he begins to ruffle his hair to dry it. As he is doing so he slightly tilts his head to make eye contact with Shinwoo and Shinwoo is sure that if he didn’t die before he is surely dead and in heaven right now. He feels the immediate urge to break their eye contact as he is flooded by a sudden rush of embarrassment and tension.
No other words are exchanged between them as Taekyung goes on to sit on the bed next to Shinwoo. Taekyung is once again the first to break the silence as he truly understands how panicked his boyfriend must be because he is also in the same situation. Having his boyfriend share a bed with him is too much all at once and Taekyung craves it more than anything else. And he also knows that he has one more surprise left for Shinwoo’s birthday and he is determined to make it happen. So to break the awkward silence settling between them he says “It’s getting quite late we should sleep, right?”. Shinwoo nods with burning ears and lets Taekyung pick which side he wants to sleep on.
After quite a bit of fumbling around they finally manage to settle in bed. They are completely separated from each other and lying down like soldiers neither knowing what to do in this situation. Without having the courage to turn around and face Shinwoo as he speaks Taekyung says “I have one last gift for you.”
“What is it?” Shinwoo replies quietly. “Everything you’ve done is already more than enough. Just having you by my side is more than anything I could ever want.” There it is, the Shinwoo that is so honest that seeing his heart vulnerable like that makes Taekyung’s heart ache knowing he is the one Shinwoo trusts. But it is not the time to think about that right now.
“It’s not something that I bought” says Taekyung. Shinwoo is becoming increasingly confused. “It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a while now” adds Taekyung. And before Shinwoo’s confusion can increase any more Taekyung swiftly moves so that he is on top of Shinwoo.
His knees are on either side of Shinwoo’s waist and his hands are next to his face. He is holding himself up with his arms. And now that he is here staring down at this boyfriend with his big shocked eyes looking up at him and parted lips Taekyung realizes that he really should’ve thought this through because this is too much for him to be able to process. But he has committed to it now. “It’s a kiss. My last surprise, it’s a kiss.” says Taekyung.
Ever since they started dating they’ve only shared pecks and light kisses and Taekyung knows that they are both ready to take things a bit further but neither has the courage to do so, so he decides to take the lead instead. Shinwoo is still staring up at him like he has malfunctioned and his brain is giving errors, like he can't believe this is actully true. Taekyung once again bring his eyes down onto Shinwoo’s slightly parted soft lips as he brings his face down to give him a peck. And then he rises back up and he can see Shinwoo becoming increasingly flustered.
Shinwoo raises his head off the pillow slightly to move up into Taekyung's kiss and Taekyung leans down once again. This time the press of their closed lips is longer against each other before he comes back up. Shinwoo places one of his hands that are still on the bed on Taekyung’s waist and the other on his neck and pulls him in. Taekyung’s knees that had been holding him up buckle underneath him as he falls flush onto Shinwoo, barely holding off a whimper when their chests meet. The hand on his neck pulls him into a kiss. Taekyung’s breath is caught in his throat as he barely holds off another soft whimper.
This is definitely not the reaction he was expecting but he is not complaining. They both slightly part their lips this time. They are both inexperienced, each other’s first. But that doesn’t matter when they feel each other’s warmth mix. They both slightly taste like mint and their lips are soft against each other. Theirs noses bump as they try to change angles. Shinwoo’s hand is slightly moving and grabbing onto Taekyung’s waist making sure that all they can think about is each other. They keep moving their slightly open mouths against each other until they both need to breathe. No words are needed as they separate and Taekyung shift so that he is now lying on Shinwoo’s side. He drapes one of his legs over Shinwoo as he nestles his face onto his chest. They share a few more kisses as they drift off to sleep. And in the dim lights of the room Taekyung thinks to himself that he never wants to stop seeing Shinwoo’s ears red like this. When they wake up the next morning limbs still tangled they both realize that this is what home must feel like.