Work Text:
Happy Birthday.
The sound of the clock with the time's continues tic, even breathing the only company. On the floor sitting, leaning on the foot of the bed is a redhead with his phone in hand. Though if one looked close enough, the emotions within his eyes could be easily read.
Nevertheless, no one does as he was alone. The room dark with its lights turned off.
The lightened screen of his phone was the only bright thing within that dark room, as even his expression was blank and unreadable. The thumb that glides along the screen, his eyes moving between the lines to read each and every word. But that was only to distract himself.
If one listened close enough, the thoughts swirling within his mind would be heard. Though the rhythm of his heart would be silent.
The time runs, and runs, without stop and without wait. And the closer it was getting late, the more he grew entrance with his reading.
Until his phone tinged.
The slow blink of his eyes as he wondered what it was, then he decided to check the notification he had just received.
[The moon is beautiful, isn't it?]
His lips slightly parted.
A light huff of breathe escapes his lips as he was about to turn and check the window if the moon is even visible so he could respond with sarcasm that he couldn't see the moon but then his eyes caught the time on his phone.
11:11
It was 11:11.
He formed his lips to a thin line.
[I didn't forget.]
A new notification arrived.
[I did this on purpose. (⑅˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈ )]
"Ha!"
A disbelief scoff as he pulls his knees closer and buried his face between his arms, accepting the call as soon as it arrived.
["Cale-nim."]
"Does this make you happy?"
The other person laughed lightly.
["Yes, haha did I surprise you?"]
"No." Came the immediate response. Of course he refuse to honestly say that he thought he wouldn't receive anything today.
["I'm sorry, were you anxiously waiting for my greeting?"]
"...No."
His voice grew quiet.
["Cale-nim."]
Choi Han calls out again and Cale responds with a hum.
He heard shifting movements from the other side before the latter spoke again, the smile on his face could be heard from his voice.
["Happy birthday."]
"You bastard." Cale said, though his own lips were slightly curving up. And Choi Han laughs again.
["Yes I love you too."]
Cale straightened his back and rested his head on his mattress so now he was looking up the ceiling whilst still holding his phone to his ear.
"Even if you didn't say it at exactly 11:11?"
Choi Han hummed.
["Its pass 11:11 but I still love you."]
"Shut it."
["Pfft-"]
Cale thinks he was becoming stupid. He was smiling for no reason now when just a minute ago he didn't even had an expression on his face. It only took one phone call from this punk who purposely made him wait to put a smile on his face.
The damn puppy and his cute ways of being affectionate that it was starting to have an effect on Cale.
["Cale-nim."]
"Mm?"
["Meet me outside?"]
Cale sat up straight, instantly turning towards the ticking clock though he couldn't see it through the dark.
"This late at night?"
["Exactly."] He could imagine Choi Han smiling brightly at this moment. ["While its still your birthday, I want to spend the next hour with you."]
Cale scoff.
"Cheesy."
["But you still love me."]
"No I don't."
["Really?"]
Cale hummed as he stood up and crossed his room to step out the door.
"Really."
It didn't take him another minute to finally get out of the house to meet a certain punk of a puppy waiting there with a smile. Cale doesn't run to him and hug him tightly - he's not this dramatic - though it would be hard to deny that Cale still felt like sulking upon seeing that stupidly handsome face.
Choi Han instantly reaches for his hand and Cale thought of pulling away just to seek revenge. And he did. Though instead of a pout, it just made Choi Han smile. No longer reached for his hand and took a step closer and pulled him to a hug instead.
"Yah! What are you doing?"
Cale felt a soft kiss to his ear and he would never admit that it made his heart skip a beat.
"Loving you."
Cale glared at Choi Han, denying that his cheeks were slightly flushing red.
"I hate you."
Cale lightly punches Choi Han's arm and Choi Han titters softly.
"You punk."
He doesn't say that he waited the whole entire day, but Choi Han already knew.
Because even if Cale doesn't talk, Choi Han seems to possess magic powers as he could read Cale's mind rather accurately.
And Cale thinks its not that bad having someone who understands him so well.
"I hate you so much."
Cale punches him again and Choi Han just keeps laughing.
"You... you still dare to show up when its already this late."
Another punch but Choi Han catches his fist before it truly hits him.
"I have exactly an hour to make up for it, right?"
Cale just glares even though his stomach was already full of annoying little pests running wild against his will.
"By the way Cale-nim, you seem to be punching me a lot today. Do you like it?"
Cale hums.
"Though I like you more."
Choi Han was caught off guard at that remark and was stunned. Then in the next second, blood rushed to his cheeks painting his face red.
And Cale smirks, triumphally.
Choi Han raised a hand to cover his face.
"...I admit defeat."
Cale smiles and leaned forward to steal a kiss from Choi Han's cheek that couldn't be covered by his hand. His face turning even redder that Cale was now the one laughing.
"So easy."
"Cale-nim!"
Cale continues to laugh.
The moment was broken at the 'Ting'! sound that Choi Han's phone made. He took it out while still feeling flustered at Cale's earlier antics, though he was able to recover after reading the message.
"Cale-nim, Jung Soo said happy birthday and he's asking for your cake."
"Hmm?" Cale peaked on Choi Han's phone who immediately adjusted his hold so both of them could see.
"Ask him if he wants the box."
"huh?"
Cale stared at him with an eyebrow raised, "That's the only thing left."
Choi Han tries his best not to laugh as he typed out what Cale had just said, seeing that contagious reaction, Cale smiles as well.
"He said he's full," Cale peaks on the message and saw what it was exactly that Jung Soo sent.
[Tell him I said thanks 🙂🔪]
"Why is there a knife?"
"He said he's going to use that to stab you."
Choi Han was now cackling up.
"What? Why is he blaming me for this? He asked for the cake." Cale asked incredulous.
"Hahaha-!" Choi Han was clutching on his stomach and was close to doubling over because of too much laughing.
Cale stared between Choi Han and the phone, tilting his head to the side.
"But why does he not like the box?"
"Cale-nim stop!"
Cale couldn't help but finally smile when Choi Han crouched down and tried his best to stop laughing but failed miserably.
Cale also moved down so now it was both of them sitting down on the middle of the road with no one else but them. No other unnecessary noise nor presence, only the stars above that twinkled to accompany them so that their night wouldn't be lonely and dark.
"Which reminds me, I haven't done my essay yet."
Choi Han moved from his crouching position to sitting down beside Cale, wiping a tear away that fell from too much tittering.
"Why? You should do it now, I'll help you."
"Don't want to." Cale stared up the sky with his hands touching the ground to support him up while he leans back. "The others didn't do it anyway so why should I?"
Choi Han stared blankly at him.
"...I don't know if I should laugh or scold you."
Cale turned towards him.
"Kiss me instead."
This time, Choi Han was able to control his reaction. He leaned forward and only left a few distance between them.
"Should I close this 15 centimeters gap between us?"
Cale arched an eyebrow.
"Did you really just measure that out?"
Choi Han smiles and leaned back. Cale made sure to keep to himself the disappointment he felt.
"What if someone suddenly appears and stab one of us, then said 'oh sorry I got the wrong person'?"
"What's with that?" Cale gave Choi Han a weird gaze before looking behind them to check, making Choi Han chuckle.
"It was just a thought."
"Your thought reminded me of something," Cale averted his gaze towards Choi Han. " 'He was penetrated by something thick and long.' "
Choi Han choked on nothing.
"...Excuse me?"
Cale nonchalantly repeated himself.
" 'He was penetrated by something thick and long.' "
Cale noticed how Choi Han seems to be stopping himself from laughing by putting a hand to his mouth. "What? Why are you reacting like that?"
Choi Han shook his head.
"Nothing."
A beat.
"Who and by who?"
Cale gave Choi Han a confused gaze.
"...By a spear..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I'm—"
Cale grabbed Choi Han's shoulder before he could even turn around, "What did you think I was talking about?"
"Nothing."
"No you were thinking something inappropriate!"
"I wasn't!!" Choi Han shook his head and Cale pointed an accusing finger at him while stopping himself from laughing, "You did, you pervert!"
"I'm sorry!" Choi Han raised both of his hands up to surrender while cackling, "I didn't know what you are talking about and thought it was like that."
"It was a murder case." Cale lightly hit Choi Han's arm, both of them laughing. "Gosh why are you like this?"
"On my defense, its Jung Soo's fault."
Cale stared at him blankly.
"The 'Its better to read than to watch'?"
Choi Han nodded his head, chuckling. "The 'Its better to read so you can imagine than to watch and see'."
"That damn pervert."
"But he does watch though, I caught him one time."
Cale placed a hand to his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.
"He does?!"
"Yeah," Choi Han on the other hand, wasn't even suppressing his laughter, "Because of that I know someone—"
Cale slapped his arm and pointed at him, "You—!"
"I didn't watch!" Choi Han raised his hands up to surrender again, "It was Jung Soo who told me!"
"That's it, I'm cancelling Jung Soo."
Choi Han crackled.
"And there was a manga he read," Choi Han reached for Cale's hand to hold.
"I actually don't want to know." Choi Han smiled at Cale's serious words.
"Too bad. I'm telling you."
Cale attempted to raise his hands to cover his ears but Choi Han was holding his right so he failed, Choi Han chuckling at him while Cale glared.
"The ending left me traumatized."
"I don't want to know!"
"He forced me to read the last chapter so now I want you to be traumatized with me."
"Argh!" Cale buried his face on the crook of Choi Han's shoulder, punching him again, "I hate you so much!"
Choi Han just laughed and still continued to talk.
"She was pregnant and overdosed in drugs."
Cale stopped.
"You can tell it didn't end well and..." Cale slowly pushed himself up and stared at Choi Han, Choi Han staring back, "Delirium. That's what happened. She hallucinated and saw herself years later with her daughter beside her, they lived happily but the truth was that she died."
"Because of the drugs?"
Choi Han hummed.
"Because of the drugs."
Cale furrowed his eyebrows.
"...Why does this story sound so familiar...."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"You-" Choi Han pulled their intertwined hands when Cale attempted to turned around, "You read that story?" He couldn't help but laugh while asking.
"I didn't!"
But Choi Han didn't believe him.
"It was hyung who told me about it!"
"Aha. And earlier you were just about to get mad at me."
Cale formed his lips to a thin line.
"It was hyung's fault, not mine."
Choi Han pulled Cale closer so he could hug him.
"You haven't told me how your day went."
"You didn't ask."
Choi Han placed a chaste kiss on Cale's crown, "I'm asking you now."
"I just spent the day reading."
Choi Han raised an eyebrow. He remembered too clearly last November 15, telling Rosalyn about his plan of greeting Cale at exactly 11:11 in the evening and make sure Cale is happy the entire time Choi Han would ghost him. Rosalyn was even teasing him about this surprise which Choi Han didn't know if he should do or not in fear of Cale crying while looking for him and Rosalyn laughed while saying, 'If it happens I'm taking a video!'.
"Did you enjoy your reading?"
Cale hummed and nuzzled closer. It was already late at night and they were both sitting in the middle of the road, the cold low temperature blowing to hit their bodies every now and then. Though Cale was just using the cold night as an excuse to hug Choi Han even more.
"Reading is never boring."
At that, Choi Han finally smiles, resting his chin on top of Cale's head.
"What was the story about?"
"I told you just now, it was the 'He was penetrated by something thick and long.'"
"...Oh."
Cale looks up without breaking the hug. "We're not going back to that topic."
Choi Han stops a smile and nods.
"You said it was a murder case?"
Cale hummed then returned on resting his head on Choi Han's shoulder, "They were investigating the death."
"Detective?"
"Something like that."
"So anyway..."
00:31
To the person I loved most,
Whom I can not find.
Whom will never be replaced,
In the heart that continues to beat.
I wanted to say a million words,
But I ended up crying the pain away.
When words can't be heard,
Thoughts ran loud.
Darling, where are you?
Where can you be found?
Everyday I am reminded,
Of your soft titter and beautifully curved smile.
Of bittersweet moments,
We can never return to.
Because we were broken into tiny shards,
Of yesterday's happy memories.
And If I were to love you as I wish,
Isn't that mere selfishness?
I do not want to be greedy.
Because if I were to keep you by my side,
You will only be in sorrow and pain.
What was that future we spoke of?
It is now so out of reach.
Even from the start it was evident.
Yet I feigned ignorance to claim this short-lived happiness.
It was our best 'Once Upon a Time',
But it was never a 'Happily Ever After'.
And now I have no else choice,
But to slowly let you go.
Though my heart remained stubborn,
It wants to choose you still.
I hate that I loved you.
Because I love you and now I hate myself.
I am a fool.
And I've made a promise as proof of that idiocy.
Which is that I'm forever yours.
No regret shall it make to my heart,
For my own selfishness,
Deciding for our own future,
And putting an end to it all.
And I told you,
no regret it will be,
To the story that belonged to us,
To the story that had been concluded,
To an 'us' that no longer exist.
And I truly don't.
Though would you believe me if I said it was for you?