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"Hang on--wait a second--Minho!" You call out as the bag you are looking at is suddenly yanked from your hands.
Minho ignores you, as he continues to make his way to the checkout counter. He walks quickly, not quite running or speed walking. You know his pace, this is the fastest you've ever seen him move when he isn't dancing. And yet, he moves swiftly like he's on the stage.
He's already halfway to the checkout counter when you manage to catch up to him. Somehow, one of his steps is two of yours and you're having trouble catching up to him. His eyes keep facing forward, focusing on his end goal. Maybe you're imagining it, but you think he is moving even faster.
The two of you finally reach the front of the store. One other person
"W...what are you doing?" You try to catch your breath from the unexpected jog you just took.
"Buying your birthday presents," Minho responds nonchalantly, finally turning to you.
"I said I didn't want or need anything for my birthday though." You remind him softly.
It's true, Minho has been asking you what you want for your birthday for weeks, and each time, you've told him 'nothing.' You didn't think much of it when he invited you out to lunch. You thought he would settle with just paying for your meal and drop the subject of getting you a gift altogether. So when he suggested going to the mall afterward, it completely slipped your mind.
"Uh huh," He turns forward again, checking to see if the customer who was ahead of you is still finishing his transaction.
"You paid for lunch already. And I don't need anything--" You try to pull the small brown backpack out of his arms to no avail.
"But you want this, right?" He questions, still not looking at you.
"That's not the point--"
Minho cuts you off by walking up to the counter and setting his things down in front of the cashier. You watch in amazement as you realize that all of the things that Minho is buying are things that you were contemplating buying yourself but changed your mind last minute.
"Did you two find everything okay?" The cashier asks cheerfully.
"Actually--"
"We found everything okay," Minho cuts you off. You watch as he pulls his wallet out of his pocket.
Minho makes polite conversation with the cashier as he rings up the items. He's wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black polo shirt that you got him. You can't remember if it was for Christmas or his birthday. His face is covered up with a mask and his hair so he's unrecognizable at first. You know it can't be comfortable. You know how he feels about his hair being in his eyes and how the strings of the face mask always dig into his skin. He's wearing it more for your privacy than his. He doesn't mind running into fans but he knows how some of them can be so he's dressed as inconspicuous as possible.
"When did you grab all of those?" You question as you watch the cashier continuing to bag everything.
"I can be sneaky too." He pats the top of your head without breaking his concentration.
"You don't have to get me anything for my birthday. I already know that you love me." You mumble as he slides his wallet, getting ready to pay.
"You should let people do nice things for you every once in a while. Not everything has a double meaning. I'm buying them for you because you want them and I love you and it's your birthday. I'm not trying to convince you of anything. You deserve nice things so let me give them to you." He hums softly.
You clench your fists, knowing he's right. But you really don't need anything for your birthday. Spending time with him is enough. All the little things he does for you are enough.
Your eyes glance over to the cash register and zero in on the balance.
$358.60
"Hey, Lee Minho!" You quickly grab his wrist to stop him from paying.
Minho turns to you and blinks a few times. You stare at him with pleading eyes, trying to convince him to stop.
"Eh erm," He grunts before taping his card to the card reader, your grip having no obvious effect on him.
Ding
You sigh as you release his arm, defeated. Minho thanks the cashier and takes the back from him. He throws his left arm around your shoulder and leads you out of the store. You can practically imagine the smirk on his face underneath his mask.
"You're going to use the things I got you right? And they'll make you happy?" He asks quietly.
"Yeah," You mumble.
"Then I don't mind spending that much on you. I would spend more but I know that it would make you uncomfortable. But I also want to spoil you because you deserve it." He says loudly as you exit the store. It's not crowded out, there's less of a worry.
"I already feel spoiled dating you so I really don't need much else from you,"
You're not sure how you got lucky to have a boyfriend like Minho. Who, while being a bit more on the quiet side, is the most attentive and caring person you've been around. He always seems to pick up on your moods before it even registers in your brain. And he tends to do little acts of service for you like cook you food for work or pick up a copy of a book that you mentioned being curious about once. He's already given you so much, there genuinely wasn't anything else you could think of to ask from him.
He stops walking, forcing you to slightly jerk back. He holds up the shopping bag in front of you, "Just take this. You can think of me whenever you use the backpack then. Put a little Leebit on it and my photocard or something. That way I'm always with you. You can even use that picture of me with the prop gun so it wards off other guys. And when you tell them that it's a picture of your boyfriend, they'll just think you're a delusional fan and back off. Now say thank you and give me a kiss."
"You're ridiculous," You laugh, taking the back from him.
"What was that?" He teases, pulling down his mask to reveal his infamous mischievous smirk. He stares you down and taps on his lips to give you a hint.
"Thank you, Minho. I love you," You give in, the heat in your body rushing to your cheeks.
"You're forgetting something,"
"Ah, you're a brat," You gently press your lips to his. Only momentarily in case someone spots you.
"No, that's you. Now let's go home and rest, I ran today and I'm tired."
"Yes, yes, I saw. Surprised your old body can move that fast still."
"You want to talk about old? You're the one who aged today."
"Don't start with me."
"Hehe," He giggles, pulling his mask up and dropping his arm to lace your fingers together. "Happy birthday, jagia."