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He thought he would have a calm day, after all it was his birthday and he told his friends he needed time alone, however, one of them had another idea when he woke Minho up from his sleep. He grumbled as he opened his eyes, surprised to see a tray with breakfast, at least that’s what he thought it was, on top of his bedside table. Of course, Minho wondered who it was when he couldn’t see the other’s face from where he was lying on his bed. That was until one of the members got surprised by Minho waking up, knocking against the tray, almost letting it fall on the ground. No one, except Changbin, would be so taken aback, he would show the clumsy side he owned.
“What are you doing?” Minho sat up on his bed, looking at Changbin who let out a sigh. This wasn’t how he expected to surprise the older man with breakfast on bed, a birthday breakfast, basically. “Happy birthday?” The younger man didn’t know what to do, picking up the tray with food from the bedside table, putting it down on the older man's lap. Minho chuckled, shaking his head, looking down at the orange juice and an attempt at an omelet. It surprised him that Changbin made this without asking anyone else for help. Though he was afraid the taste of this breakfast wouldn’t be the best. “I prefer to eat chocolate with this, but… It’s your breakfast and not mine.” Changbin explained, looking around for a place to sit. There was no chair around, so the only place was Minho’s bed, but he wanted to give the other his personal space. Maybe he would just need to leave the room, Minho would probably prefer to be alone right now. Especially since Changbin woke him up, without consent. “Just sit.” MInho rolled his eyes, making room for Changbin to lay down next to him.
Although he would love to stay alone on his birthday, especially in the morning, he appreciated the company. “You shouldn’t have done this. It’s just my birthday.” The older man said, trying a bite from the omelet, not trusting the taste at all. Until he actually tasted it. Although the food didn’t look as appetizing as the food in those fancy Michelin star-owned restaurants, there was nothing to really complain about. It was more delicious than he thought it would be. So, he gave Changbin a piece as well, knowing the younger wondered if the breakfast he made was actually edible or not. He was relieved it was, he didn’t want to poison his friend on his birthday.
“Maybe, just leave it to our friends who actually know how to cook.” Minho said, not a chuckle hearable on his voice while enjoying the breakfast while Changbin looked in front of him. “I was thinking, we could do some things together today.” The younger man asked, glancing at the older who stopped chewing, thinking if he wanted to or not. This wasn’t how he planned to celebrate his birthday, though he really enjoyed the thought of spending his day with one of his friends. “Just us two.” Changbin mumbled, scared Minho would hate the idea of spending a whole day with him, since it didn't happen a lot.
They never really spend much time together, alone, as most of the time one of their other friends would be with them. “If you thought of something we could do, then sure.” Minho didn’t really care much about what they would do the whole day, as long as it didn’t take him too much energy. He wanted to spend his birthday in a calm way. “We could watch something and then head out for lunch?” Changbin asked, more suggesting the activity as he didn’t really know if Minho enjoyed the idea of leaving the house. Obviously, the rapper hoped the dancer would as he had a few ideas on where they could go, after they had lunch. Fortunately, the older man nodded, letting the younger take his computer so they could choose out a show to watch together.
Time was moving fast while they were watching a few episodes from a murder mystery show, surprising them when it was time for lunch. "We should leave in case the restaurant is fully packed when we get there." Changbin said while picking up the computer, so he could get up from the bed to put it away. Minho sighed, realizing he hadn't gotten ready for the day. "Let me just get dressed. I don't want to be around strangers while wearing this." The older man said, putting on his clothes while the younger man was still around.
Even though the group was used to seeing each other get dressed, whenever they got ready for a performance or award show, Changbin tried not to stare at Minho the whole time. When Changbin accidentally glanced at Minho, a blush creeped on his cheeks as his eyes focused on the dancer's thighs. Once Minho got dressed and took a quick stop towards the bathroom, they left the dorm together with their friends looking at them in confusion. They weren't aware Minho would want to leave the dorm on his birthday, especially since they didn't have a chance to wish him a happy birthday. Though, it confused them more to see Minho leave the dorm with Changbin during lunchtime, without inviting the others.
“Are you going to pay for my food?” Minho asked as they made their way towards the local restaurant, the one where they usually went to whenever they wanted to head out for lunch. Changbin let out a chuckle, knowing Minho wouldn’t take a no as an answer. Besides, it was the older man’s birthday, so of course the younger wouldn’t let him pay. “It’s on me, hyung.” Changbin said, since he would never ask Minho to pay for lunch, especially since it’s the older man's birthday. If Changbin could, he would always pay for his friends' meals, but the others would always beat him to it, especially Chan though it happened with Minho a lot too. Changbin got back to reality when Minho let out a chuckle. “Of course it is.” Minho said as he opened the door to the restaurant, unaware Changbin wanted to hold the door open for the older, as the dancer let the rapper inside first, following behind the latter as they took a seat at one of the booths.
Fortunately, the place was quite empty, so they wouldn’t have to wait too long to be able to eat. Which was perfect since Changbin had a busy day planned for the two. They might have started calm, bit it was never his intention for them to stay in bed and watch a show the whole day. He wanted to do something special. Luckily, he was able to convince the dancer to leave the dorm without any problem, so he'd be able to bring Minho to the places he had in mind. Changbin only hoped Minho would want this, because he didn’t want to force his friend to do something he didn’t want to do. Though he knew Minho would love their next destination they would be going to when they finished lunch. He had the feeling Minho would immediately feel at home once they get there, only Changbin knew he would end up struggling with some allergies when they are at that place.
Once they finished lunch, Minho followed Changbin to wherever the younger man was taking him, knowing they weren’t heading home, since the dorm was a totally different way.He wondered if the younger man planned the whole day this whole time, too afraid to mention that was the case, just in case the older man didn’t want to go at all. “Where are we going?” Minho asked, looking at Changbin who just shook his head. The rapper didn’t want to tell the dancer as it needed to stay a surprise. Minho definitely didn’t like the thought of not knowing where he would be going. Yet, he trusted Changbin to take him to somewhere he would like to go, considering the rapper wouldn’t do anything to ruin his birthday.
After a short walk from the lunch place, they arrived at a small café, a cat café Minho knew existed, though he never took the chance to go there. “I know you miss your cats and although I can’t bring them to you, I thought why not bring you to other cats.” Changbin said, leading Minho inside who didn’t understand what was going on. He knew about the younger man’s allergies, so why would the rapper bring him to a place he’d be allergic to. “I’ll order our drinks.” Changbin wheezed, already feeling a sneeze coming, as he made his way towards the counter where the barista was petting a cat. Before he even could arrive, he sneezed, scaring the cat who immediately left the counter. Minho saw everything happening as he shook his head, taking a seat at one of the tables, where a cat was waiting to be petted, which is exactly what Minho did. After he waited for Changbin to order their drinks, sneezing here and there, the younger man arrived at the table, letting out a big sneeze once more. Changbin eventually put down the drinks, before he took a seat and a tissue, so he could finally blow his nose.
“Are you going to be sneezing and blowing your nose this whole time?” Minho asked, looking around at all the cats that were either napping or walking around the cafe. He should definitely come here often, but preferably with someone who doesn't have any allergies. Mostly because he didn’t want anyone to suffer being here, but also since it would be a lot more cozier without someone having to sneeze every minute. “I’ll be fine.” Changbin said, sounding nasally already. Although it would be hard to be inside the café for a while with all the cats being around, it was worth it because he at least could give Minho some time with a few cats on his birthday.
“You’re scaring the cats away with all your sneezing.” The older man said when a cat who wanted to greet him ran away as soon as the younger had another sneezing fit. It didn’t really make sense as to why a cat cafe would allow someone with allergies to visit, considering the cats would run away. “I’m sorry… I wish I wasn’t allergic.” Changbin said, feeling the need to apologize since he knew the dancer wanted to enjoy giving all the cats attention. Though luckily, he felt less bad when Minho let out a chuckle, reassuring him that everything was fine.
Minho couldn’t blame Changbin for having the allergies and sometimes he wished the younger man didn’t have to deal with them, as it was a shame Changbin couldn’t be around his three cats at all. Minho always joked that Changbin was scared of them, though he was aware that wasn’t the case, he just really loved teasing the rapper in a lot of different ways. “Let’s just drink our hot cocoa and leave before your allergies get worse.” Minho said as Changbin nodded, feeling really bad for not giving Minho enough time to spend his birthday with cats. Of course, his stupid allergies had to ruin everything, but luckily the dancer didn’t seem too bothered by it. since It’s the thought that counts as they always say, and maybe they were right.
“What else have you planned for us to do today?” Minho asked, wondering if they would be heading back to the dorm once they finished their drinks. Though by looking at the way Changbin was staring down at the ground, Minho knew the younger man had an idea in mind that the older man wouldn't like at all. “I thought about going to the arcade for the rest of the afternoon. I found out that there’s a climbing wall, so maybe we could use it too.” Changbin carefully had to mention the climbing wall, since he knew how Minho felt about heights. If the dancer truly didn’t want to do it, then the rapper would definitely not force him. Though what better way to spend a birthday than fight one of your phobias. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but sure.” Minho smiled, already feeling anxious by just the thought of looking at the climbing wall. He didn’t know if he would be able to do it, though he knew that having Changbin there with him, he’d be able to feel a bit more at ease.
As soon as they finished their drinks, with Changbin basically sneezing every minute and needing to blow his nose once in a while, they eventually left the cat cafe. Minhho enjoyed being around the cats even though he missed his own cats, he felt grateful Changbin brought him there, not really minding that the younger man had to deal with his allergies the whole time they were there. While making their way towards the arcade, Minho could feel himself growing more nervous the closer they got there. He really didn’t want to climb a wall, but he wanted to at least make Changbin proud. The younger man seemed really excited to help the older fight his fear for heights, so that’s what the dancer wanted to do. Before they arrived, it seemed like Changbin could tell Minho was feeling nervous when he held onto the older man’s hand, squeezing it softly to reassure him everything would be fine since he was there with him, making sure nothing would go wrong.
They entered the arcade as Changbin paid for the both of them, before they made their way to where the climbing wall was located. Someone saw them coming towards the booth, helping them by giving them important information about the ins and outs of climbing, before gearing them up so they could climb safely. Obviously, safety was really important as they wore harnesses and helmets, there were soft mats on the ground as well, to make sure that if you lost your footing, you would be able to fall softly with the help of a rope that made sure you wouldn’t fall fast.
“This looks so dangerous.” Minho sighed, feeling nervous even more, even a bit anxious as he couldn’t run away from the danger that was his phobia anymore. It already was too late for that, besides, he didn’t want Changbin to think he was a scaredy cat. “It’ll be fine, hyung.” Changbin said as Minho looked at him and nodded, letting out a giggle by how the younger man looked. He looked cute with the helmet on, though he had a feeling he looked the same way. “You won’t have to reach the ceiling, just climb as high as you possibly can.” Changbin said as Minho nodded, following the younger man towards the wall. He really hoped everything would be fine as he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Changbin. Minho didn’t want his friend to think he was a coward.
As soon as Minho watched how Changbin carefully started climbing the wall, he noticed how the younger man was struggling a bit. It was quite hard to keep your feet steady, but since the rapper was extremely strong, he was able to hold onto the wall pieces quite well. As Changbin looked down, he smiled at Minho, before focusing back on the wall, giving Minho the strength to try and climb the wall as well. He had to fight his fear, not only for himself, but also to make Changbin proud.
After many attempts trying to at least get from the ground, Minho was able to climb a tiny bit. Unfortunately, he did something stupid by looking down to see how far from the ground he was, which surprisingly was quite a long way down. And so, he started panicking, something Changbin quickly noticed, as he went back down towards the ground, before the older man reached it first.. Minho eventually lost his grip, although he tried his best to keep his balance, only his feet were slipping from the wall pieces, as he soon could feel himself falling.
Just when he expected to hit the mats on the floor, he felt arms around him instead. Someone stopped him from falling on his back.. “Maybe climbing a wall wasn’t such a good idea.” Minho could hear Changbin’s voice nearby, realizing the younger man was the one who had his arms wrapped around the older’s body to be able to catch him “Can’t we just… play some arcade games instead?” Minho asked as Changbin unwrapped his arms from around his friend, as soon as he realized what he was doing. The two were blushing as other people looked at them, whispering about the two friends. They seemed to think the two were dating. Obviously, Minho ignored them since he didn’t care about what others thought about them, only Changbin couldn’t ignore it at all. He wondered if it would be believable to see the two of them be in a relationship together, something he had been thinking about quite a lot the past few weeks.
Because they decided to end the climbing wall session, they went back to the guy that helped them get into the harnesses, to help them get out of them. Once they were free from all the equipment they needed for safety, they handed everything back to the guy working near the climbing wall. Now they could head towards where all the arcade games were at, so they could play a few things together. Minho quickly started to feel more at ease now that he wouldn’t have to deal with his fear of heights, knowing he would enjoy playing these arcade games with Changbin. Since the two of them could get quite competitive during games, Minho knew they would compete against each other, he just needed to make sure he would win against Changbin. Mostly because he knew how whiny the rapper could get after losing a game, he was known to be a sore loser from time to time.
The first arcade game they decided to try out was one of Changbin’s favorite ones, the basketball arcade game. Since he knew he was quite good at this game, he was confident he would be able to beat Minho. “I know it’s your birthday, but I’m not going to let you win.” Changbin said as Minho just glared at him, letting out a chuckle when they started playing the game. They threw the basketballs, or at least tried their hardest to throw them, into the basketball ring so they would be able to get their scores going up. Changbin started perfectly, feeling more confident he would be able to win, when Minho suddenly caught up. This made the younger man nervous as he soon lost faith and eventually, the dancer won against the one who was known to be quite good at playing basketball. “I’m so sure you cheated.” Changbin whined as Minho chuckled, suggesting they would play again to see who would win the next round. In case the younger man won, they would play one more game, best out of three, basically. Changbin agreed, hoping he would be able to win against Minho.
After a few more games, which they didn’t plan at all, Changbin eventually won most of them against Minho. As they were forgetting about how fast time could move by while having fun, they quickly realized they played the basketball arcade game for at least an hour, which meant they only had time for one more arcade game before they would have to head back to the dorm so they could have dinner with the rest of their friends. Although MInho would love to go out for dinner with only Changbin, they already planned the dinner a few weeks before. Besides, their friends probably wanted to be able to celebrate Minho’s birthday as well.
“We should play dance revolution.” Minho suggested as Changbin nodded, knowing the older man chose the dancing game as he knew he would be able to win against the rapper. And although the latter was quite a good dancer as well, Minho was a lot better and played the dance revolution game a lot when he was still a trainee whenever they were free to do whatever they wanted. It was his way to still practice yet enjoy dancing. Yet, Changbin knew that even though you weren’t as good at something as someone else, there was always a chance you could win. So he knew that he had to try his best to beat Minho, the same way the dancer beat the rapper with the basketball arcade game.
Unfortunately, they only had time to play three songs, since they really needed to head back to the dorm. Chan wouldn’t want them to be late to dinner at all and even though it was Minho’s birthday, he’d still be mad at him for not being on time. Fortunately, this meant they were able to play enough games to see who would win. Eventually, after enjoying the game and being competitive against each other as usual, with no surprise, Minho won the dance revolution game against Changbin. The younger man was just glad they didn’t make a bet before they competed against each other.
While making their way back to the dorm, they talked about the day they had spent together. Minho mentioned he really enjoyed his day, even when he tried the climbing wall, though he also told Changbin that he was glad the younger man didn’t expect him to climb for too long. The rapper made sure the dancer knew that it wasn’t his intention to make the older man uncomfortable by doing something he didn’t want to do at all, which Minho was grateful for. He always knew how caring Changbin could be, which is why he sometimes felt bad whenever he teased the younger man with something.
Once they arrived back at the dorm, Minho was surprised to see the place decorated as his friends surprised him with a small birthday party with the eight of them. At first he thought that was why Changbin wanted him to leave the dorm that day, but his friends told him that the younger man texted them only a few hours ago with the idea of planning a party last minute, which is what they did. Minho looked at Changbin, wondering why the younger man did all of this for him as the older man didn’t even do anything special for the rapper’s birthday. Sure, he treated Changbin with Korean barbecue, but he would always do that whenever it was the younger man’s birthday.
“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble to give me a great birthday. Being able to spend this day with you was special enough already.” Minho said, ignoring the other friends immediately. Although he was grateful that they wanted to help Changbin out at the last minute by getting this birthday party ready, he didn’t really care about them right now. At that moment, Changbin wanted to tell Minho why he did all of this, but he started to feel insecure since he knew their friends were looking at them, wondering what was going on. He just wasn’t ready yet to tell him. “You don’t have to say it, I already know.” Minho said, confusing Changbin who didn’t know what was happening anymore, when he could feel the dancer’s lips against his own.
Of course, this made their friends squeal out noises of disgust, only Chan and Felix didn’t as they instead made whistle noises. The two of them always knew that Changbin had feelings for Minho, so they were extremely happy to find out that Minho knew as well and decided to take the chance to show Changbin he felt the same. Obviously, Changbin was taken by surprise, though he immediately melted into the kiss as he could feel Minho cup his cheeks to deepen the kiss a little, before pulling away. “Best birthday ever.”