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Jungwon wakes up to the sun breaking in through the window of the room, although it’s bright enough for it to be well past sunrise. He reaches his free arm up above his head to stretch, his hand lightly bumping the metal bedframe in the process, and then drapes it back over the still-sleeping figure curled up into his side.
He can’t help but smile down at his mate, whose mouth is hanging open slightly to reveal his fangs, and his closed eyes hidden by strands of dark hair. Both of his arms are pulled in close to his chest, like his body still knows it’s a below freezing, albeit special, December morning, even though the temperature itself is lost on him.
Jungwon tilts his head down, pressing a light kiss to Sunghoon’s forehead.
“Hey, birthday boy… good morning…” His voice is still gravelly as he rubs Sunghoon’s back, trying to gently rouse his mate from sleep.
It takes a second, but Sunghoon does eventually blink his eyes open, a sleepy hum turning into a yawn as he wakes. It draws a chuckle out of Jungwon, who goes in for another kiss.
“Good morning, jagi,” Sunghoon murmurs, voice barely there as he presses his nose into Jungwon’s shirt.
Jungwon pulls him ever closer, tangling their legs together under the sheets. “Sleep okay?” he asks, continuing to rub Sunghoon’s back.
He feels Sunghoon nod against his chest. “Still getting used to waking up to the sun, even though it’s been almost a year.”
And Jungwon can’t help but agree. It’s their first time celebrating Sunghoon’s birthday together, and even though it’s been nine months since everything with Ivica happened and most of the coven members have celebrated their own birthdays since, he really misses the Underground on days like these. The manor is so nice and they’ve all really worked hard to make it their own, but it still has yet to feel like home.
No, he tells himself, none of this today. He shoves the thoughts away, giving Sunghoon a light squeeze. “Come on, let’s get up. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”
But Sunghoon doesn’t budge. “Or we could just stay here all day. I’d be okay with that, staying in bed with just you.”
“I know, and we can rot in bed all day whenever you want, but the coven has so much planned for you today. And besides, I’ll never hear the end of it from Sunoo-hyung if we’re both no-shows, so we need to get up.”
Sunghoon grumbles, clearly being dramatic, but does eventually make a move to sit up, with Jungwon following right behind him. They share a kiss when they both get there, Sunghoon letting out a low laugh against Jungwon’s lips as the younger goes in for a second one.
“Happy birthday, jagi,” Jungwon says, still in Sunghoon’s space.
Sunghoon pecks Jungwon’s lips again, using it as punctuation for his “Thank you,” and both vampires slide to the edge of their bed and stand up. Immediately Jungwon heads for the window, looking outside at the manor’s front garden, three stories below. It’s covered in a thick blanket of white, the sun making the snow look impossibly bright.
“It’s so pretty out today,” Sunghoon says, drifting up behind Jungwon and wrapping his arms around Jungwon’s waist.
Jungwon leans his head back on Sunghoon’s shoulder to look up his mate, his hands finding Sunghoon’s own where they’re resting on his waist. “Perfect snow day for my ice prince’s birthday.”
The only thing Sunghoon can say back is a bashful laugh, and Jungwon kisses his jawline. “Come on, we should get dressed.”
He intentionally lets Sunghoon go digging around in their shared closet first, as Jungwon has something hidden to unearth from the back corner of the little room. Eventually Sunghoon emerges dressed in a black sweater and dark jeans, and Jungwon comes to stand right in front of him, attempting to fix the strands of hair that have been messed up from both sleep and changing clothes.
After a minute, Sunghoon lightly takes both of Jungwon’s hands in his own, bringing them down and pressing feather-light kisses to the tops of his hands. “Thank you, jagi. Go get changed, I’ll finish this.”
Jungwon nods, squeezing Sunghoon’s hands before letting go and stepping past him to get to their closet. He pulls the door until it’s cracked; it’s not something he’d usually do, but he doesn’t want Sunghoon to pass by and see him getting out the gift stored in a bag at the back of the closet.
He opts for just a black shirt and jeans, along with a black and orange jacket. He goes to look in the back for his boots, and while he’s back there, he moves a shoebox to the side and pulls out a tiny white gift bag, setting it on top of the dresser in the closet. He pulls open the top drawer, where they keep their jewelry, and reaches for a matching white box tucked in the back.
When he flips it open, he smiles down at the little crescent moon pendant inside, hanging on a chain, both of which are made of the same white gold as their mating rings. He takes it out of the box and uses the mirror on the wall to slide it around his neck, clipping it together at the back. He runs his hand over the pendant, his mating ring that he’s already wearing looking perfect against the matching necklace, the rubies set inside the band glinting in the warm lights of the closet. He reaches for the gift bag, containing Sunghoon’s matching necklace, and goes to find his mate.
Sunghoon’s in their bathroom, brushing through his hair. Jungwon peeks around the door, unable to hide the grin on his face as he holds the bag.
“Hi, jagi,” Sunghoon says ashe notices Jungwon, setting his brush down and walking back in the bedroom. “You look excited. What you got there?” he continues, resting his hands on Jungwon’s hips.
Jungwon holds the little gift bag up to Sunghoon, smile getting impossibly wider. “Your first birthday gift. I have a couple of other things for you, too, but they’re downstairs with everything else, and I wanted this one to be just us.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to,” Sunghoon says, taking the bag from Jungwon and starting to remove the tissue paper sticking out of the top.
Jungwon takes both the paper and the bag from Sunghoon once he pulls the white velvet covered box out, setting them on the bed. “Well, I wanted to, and I think you’ll really like it.”
Sunghoon flips the lid of the box open, his expression changing to one of surprise when he sees and lifts the little snowflake pendant out of the box. “Jungwonnie, this is so pretty!”
“Look, see, I got one too,” Jungwon tucks the back of his hand under his own necklace, drawing Sunghoon’s attention to it. “You know, because you started calling me your moon, and you’re my ice prince, so when I saw them in a shop the other day, I knew they were meant for us.”
“They’re perfect, jagi, thank you,” Sunghoon says. Then, his face lights up with an idea. “I want to try something, if that’s okay.”
Jungwon’s about to ask what he means, but Sunghoon’s already spinning him around by his waist so now he’s facing the wall away from Sunghoon. He feels his mate unclasp the necklace he’s already wearing, only for him to feel another one being draped over his neck in it’s place. After a second, Sunghoon turns him back around, and Jungwon can now see the necklace he had on earlier around Sunghoon’s own neck, the crescent moon resting just below his collarbones. Sure enough, when Jungwon reaches up, he feels the little points of the snowflake pendant where it sits just above his sternum.
“I know we’re bound together by magic for all eternity and whatnot, but now I get to have a little piece of my moon with me all the time, and you can have a little bit of me.”
The upward lilt in Sunghoon’s voice as he makes the suggestion along with the suggestion itself brings tears to Jungwon’s eyes; the amount of love and endearment swelling in Jungwon’s chest is enough to make him melt.
“I love you so much, hyung,” Jungwon says, hugging Sunghoon tight.
Sunghoon holds him just as close, resting the side of his head against Jungwon’s. “I love you too. The necklaces are so beautiful, thank you so much.”
They stay there for a moment, just enjoying each other’s space, before Jungwon pats Sunghoon’s back. “Come on, before Sunoo-hyung starts hunting us for sport.”
Sunghoon chuckles as he releases Jungwon, leaving a kiss on the younger’s cheek as they go. Jungwon takes his hand and they head for the bedroom door, out into the hallway.
Immediately, the effort that’s been put in to decorating the manor for the hallway is present, with a light dusting of snow that Jungwon can only assume to be thanks to magic along the hall, all-white flowers in the decorative vases along the walls, and the occasional white balloon tied to the small tables the vases are sitting on.
Jungwon can see on Sunghoon’s face that he’s nearly overwhelmed with shock. “They got magical snow in the house ?! How do Sunoo and Riki manage to pull stuff like this off?”
“I don’t know, but it sure is incredible. I almost couldn’t believe it when they told me what they had in mind for you last week,” Jungwon says, looking up and down both ends of the hallway. “I didn’t think they were going to do the whole manor either, damn.”
Sunghoon doesn’t say anything else and starts walking down the hall towards the center of the manor and the staircase that leads to the main floor, continuing to gape at the decorations as him and Jungwon walk. On their way, they run into Jen and Chaewon, who wish Sunghoon a happy birthday as they pass. Jungwon’s a little surprised to see them; most of the coven aside from his and Sunghoon’s closest friends had gone out for the day, giving the group the space to celebrate Sunghoon today, as well as Riki on his birthday tomorrow, with a full coven joint party for both of the vampires later in the coming week.
When they reach the staircase that leads to the foyer, it somehow gets even more impressive. Thin white branches form an arch over the entirety of the staircase, with little white lights strung within them. At the bottom of the stairs are Sunoo and Riki themselves, looking a little tired but beyond proud of themselves as they see Sunghoon and Jungwon round the corner.
“Are you two fucking insane?!” Sunghoon gestures to all of the decorations with his free hand, making the other two vampires giggle.
“You’re welcome!” Sunoo calls from the bottom of the stairs in between his laughs.
Sunghoon lets go of Jungwon’s hand and charges down the stairs, pulling Sunoo and Riki in for a massive hug.
“Happy birthday, hyung, I’m glad you like it,” Riki says, “We could’ve done more than this, but Jungwonnie-hyung told us to tone it down a bit so we didn’t give you a heart attack or something.”
“Like it? This is so amazing, guys, I don’t deserve all this,” Sunghoon says, stepping back to look at them.
Sunoo jokingly smacks the side of Sunghoon’s head. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course you deserve this, and we’re more than happy to do it for you.”
Jungwon descends the staircase, his chest filled with warmth at seeing his mate so happy. “How did you manage to do the magic snow, anyways? From what I understood from Jake-hyung, spells like those aren’t exactly easy.” he asks Sunoo and Riki, but they don’t answer.
“You can thank Hongjoong-hyung and Sannie-hyung for that,” Jake himself says, coming out from the formal living room and into the foyer, “They brought me back here last night and stayed to help with the setup.”
Jungwon can see that Sunghoon looks elated at the sight of Jake. “You made it!” he says, to which the blonde puts his hand over his chest.
“I’m offended that you think I wouldn’t,” he says, clearly being dramatic. Sunghoon rolls his eyes, but Jungwon can feel nothing but happiness from his mate as Jake comes up to give Sunghoon a side hug. “Happy birthday, Hoonie, and as much as I love teaching, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Jake had been away for close to a week now, having been at the coastal mages’ house and teaching soon-to-be healers the ins and outs of the work. Jungwon had gotten a letter from Jake the day before, letting him know that the healer would be back at the manor in time for Sunghoon’s birthday, and he’d asked for Jungwon to keep it a secret, wanting to surprise his best friend. The night before, Sunghoon had expressed to Jungwon before bed that he was afraid that Jake wouldn’t make it back in time, although he understood why he couldn’t, and Jungwon was left to reassure his mate with hope, even though he knew already that Jake would make it.
“Thank you, Ikeu. Are Hongjoong and Sannie-hyungs still here?” Sunghoon asks.
Jake shakes his head. “No, they had work to go back to, but they did leave me with a card and gift to give you,” he says, handing Sunghoon a sealed envelope and gift bag.
A smile pulls at Sunghoon’s lips, and he opens the card first. When he gets into the envelope and opens the card, a bit of snow is thrown in his face, making everyone laugh. Jungwon can see over Sunghoon’s shoulder that the card is signed by all eight mages, each wishing him a happy birthday. He then reaches into the gift bag and withdraws a candle, with a note attached saying that the wax is enchanted to replenish itself regularly, so it will never fully burn out.
“Aw, this is so nice! I’ll be sure to send them a thank you card,” Sunghoon says, turning the candle over in his hand, then opening the lid and sniffing it. He looks pleasantly surprised and holds it over his shoulder for Jungwon to smell. It’s really nice, and if someone could capture all the smells of winter--and therefore Sunghoon himself--into a candle, it’d be this one, with the scent being mostly pine and berries, and a little hint of something lightly floral underneath. He might be super sensitive to smells, but Jungwon certainly doesn’t mind this one.
Jungwon goes to say something, but is stopped by another voice at the top of the stairs.
“I see the party’s already gotten started. Sorry for being late,” Heeseung says, a soft smile on his face despite the apology.
Both Jungwon and Sunghoon turn around to look at the other vampire, and Sunghoon waves his hand. “Don’t worry about it, we haven’t really even started anything yet.”
“The house looks great, you two should be proud of yourselves,” Heeseung says, directing it at Sunoo and Riki as he starts down the stairs, limping a little slower than usual and gripping the railing with his free hand.
Jungwon tilts his head. “Can you make it okay, hyung?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Heeseung says, “Jake insisted I use a new cane, but it’s lighter than my other one so I’m just having to get used to it.”
Now that Heeseung’s pointed it out, Jungwon can see the difference in the walking cane Heeseung’s leaning on with his left hand. It’s a bit shorter with a different handle, and this one’s gray, as opposed to the black painted wood of his first one.
“You’ll thank me for it later! That one’s actually the right height for you, the black one was too tall,” Jake says, crossing his arms.
Heeseung finally makes it all the way down the stairs, taking a second to stabilize himself as he leans on his cane, keeping his weight off his right leg. Once he’s settled, he pats Sunghoon on the shoulder. “Happy birthday, Sunghoon-ah.”
“Thank you, hyung,” Sunghoon says simply.
“I hate to be a downer for a second, but Hongjoong-hyung wanted me to tell you that he still hasn’t found any cure for your leg, and that he apologizes,” Jake says, eyes lingering on Heeseung’s lame leg.
Heeseung shakes his head. “I’ll send him a letter and let him know not to worry about it anymore. I appreciate it, but I doubt he’s ever going to find anything and I’ve gotten used to it now. I’m just happy to still be here.”
Jake nods, but doesn’t say anything else. After a moment of silence, Sunoo speaks up, bringing the joy back into the room.
“Let’s go into the formal living room and give Sunghoonie-hyung his gifts, yeah? I’ll have to drag Jay-hyung out of the kitchen, but I’m sure he won’t mind.”
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It doesn’t take long for the formal living room to become a mess of wrapping and tissue paper, and now Jungwon is holding Sunghoon close as he cries happy tears. He’d expressed to Jungwon the night before that they never really did stuff like this back at the old mansion, but since things have changed so much and everyone’s in a much healthier environment, this is the first time in a century he’s gotten gifts from other people for his birthday.
He’d started with Jungwon’s, who had gotten him a new long, gray and white speckled coat that he’d seen Sunghoon eyeballing on one of their more recent shopping trips. Jungwon knew that Sunghoon loved his black overcoat more than anything, but with it being over sixty years old and having been repaired multiple times, he’d finally admitted it was about time for a new one.
His other gifts consisted of a very expensive perfume from Jay, a music box from Heeseung that played the first part of Sunghoon’s favorite symphony--which Heeseung had actually taken him to see in person a few decades ago--and the box itself being beautiful and ornate, a new care kit and bag for his ice skates from Jake, and a photo album from Sunoo and Riki that consisted of photos from the entire past year, including all of Sunghoon and Jungwon’s mating ceremony photos that they didn’t get a chance to do anything with before they lost the Underground, as well as some of the flowers from the ceremony that Riki had pressed himself.
That one even made Jungwon cry, not helped by the fact that Sunoo and Riki didn’t tell him about it either.
“Oh, hyung, it’s okay,” Jungwon says, blinking away his own tears as he rubs Sunghoon’s back, trying to get his mate to settle.
Sunghoon rubs his eyes. “No, I’m not upset, I’m so grateful. All of this means so much, thank you guys.”
And Jungwon can feel that gratitude from his mate, so much so that it’s almost suffocating. He holds Sunghoon tight, trying to soothe him.
“Lunch is ready!” Jay suddenly calls from the kitchen, where he’d gone to check on the food he’d been making all morning.
Sunghoon wipes his face and stands up, everyone else in the room following him. “Do you need any help, Jay-ah?”
“Nope, you don’t worry about it,” Jake says, and points to the glass dors that lead to the back garden. “You, Jungwonnie, and Heeseung-hyung go ahead and go outside, and the rest of us will be out there in just a minute.”
Jake’s tone doesn’t leave any room for argument, and all of them know better than to try, so Jungwon leads Sunghoon outside, with Heeseung bringing up the rear, to the white table set up outside with seven seats; one for each of the vampires. It hasn’t snowed all morning, but it also hasn’t gotten anywhere close to above freezing, so the snow is still a few inches thick on the ground, but dense enough for even Heeseung to walk across it without much issue.
The table itself, as well as the overhang extending from the back of the manor, is decorated with more white flowers, both in a vase at the center of the table and in little strands hanging from the overhang itself.
“Damn, I thought they did a good job with my birthday a couple of months ago, but Sunoo and Riki really blew it out of the water with this one. The all-white theme really is something else,” Heeseung says as he sits down, leaving an empty seat between himself and where Sunghoon’s sitting at the middle of the table for Jake. Jungwon sits to Sunghoon’s left, his arm immediately finding Sunghoon’s shoulders and pulling his mate in to lean against him.
Jungwon hums in agreement. “Yours was great too, hyung, with the whole red and orange color scheme. They have such a knack for capturing the person itself in their decor. Like this is so sleek and elegant, just like my Hoon-hoon.”
Immediately Sunghoon gets bashful, tucking his face into Jungwon’s neck with a shy smile and making both Jungwon and Heeseung laugh.
It’s then that the rest of the group come outside with the food and drinking glasses with blood in them, and Jungwon can barely believe his eyes. It’s got Jay written all over it, with so much meat and perfectly arranged fruit and cooked vegetables that Jungwon has no idea how they’re supposed to eat all of this.
“Holy shit, Jay, you didn’t have to do all of this,” Sunghoon says, sitting up to get a better look at all of the food as its getting placed on the table.
Jay shrugs, setting a plate of beef down in front of Sunghoon and Jungwon. “It’s the best way I know how to show love: feeding people,” he then glares at Sunghoon teasingly, “So you better enjoy it.”
Sunghoon reaches across the table to swat his hand at Jay, smile on his face. “And what if I don’t, huh? Just out of spite.”
Jay just rolls his eyes at Sunghoon's attempt to mess with him, shoving his hand away and walking towards his own seat at the edge of the table.
They all enjoy their meal, spending all afternoon out there talking amongst each other, and as the afternoon turns into evening and the sun starts to go down, they clean up, packing up leftovers and splitting doing the dishes amongst all of them, and eventually end up in the formal living room, with the fireplace lit and all seven of them sitting around it, a record playing softly on the turntable and hot drinks that Jay prepared in each of their hands. Sunghoon and Jungwon are piled up on one couch, Heeseung and Jake on the other (sitting close enough together for Jungwon to silently take notice), Jay curled up in the single chair, and Sunoo and Riki settled on the stonework of the fireplace itself, their backs to the flames.
There, with one hand petting Sunghoon’s hair and the other holding his cup of hot chocolate, with all of the other vampires he feels closest to--no matter how long it took for them to get to that point--all surrounding him, Jungwon sighs in contentment. In that moment, after having celebrated his mate’s birthday both inside the manor and outside in the garden with no anxiety or worries about being snuck up on, it finally clicks for Jungwon. Sure, it’s no Underground, they’ll never have something like that again, but between their leaders’ efforts as well as their own, Jungwon feels at peace. He can feel that from Sunghoon, too, in a wave of calm similar to a blanket washing over him.
Maybe they can make this manor their home, after all.