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Minhyung has had a rough few days, but despite everything, he tries to see the bright side.
There are only a few minutes left until midnight—the moment when he’ll add another year to his life. He should be excited, feeling the joy that usually comes with birthdays, but a sense of melancholy lingers. It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate the date or that it doesn’t matter to him, but certain things have been weighing on his mind.
He sighs, leaning against the headboard of his bed, watching the clock as if hoping that, along with the change in time, his mood will shift too. Maybe, once the day truly begins, he’ll find a reason to smile.
When the clock strikes midnight, his phone starts vibrating nonstop. Messages flood in one after another—his siblings, parents and friends, sending their birthday wishes, filling his screen with kind words.
As he scrolls through the messages, he starts to feel like maybe this day could turn out better than he expected.
He’s so absorbed in checking his notifications that he almost doesn’t notice the soft knock on his door. Blinking in surprise, he gets up to answer. When he opens it, he finds Minseok standing there, holding a small cake with a lit candle.
“Happy birthday,” Minseok says with a smile.
Minhyung blinks, still a little startled, before his gaze settles on the small flame flickering atop the candle. It’s a simple gesture, yet for the first time since the day began, he truly feels like it’s his birthday.
A warm feeling spreads through his chest, and he smiles.
“Thanks,” he says, grinning widely.
“Don’t forget to make your wishes before blowing it out.”
Minhyung nodded with mock seriousness, closing his eyes for a few seconds before blowing out the candle with a gentle breath. The flame went out instantly, leaving behind a faint wisp of smoke in the air.
“So, what did you wish for?” Minseok asked curiously.
“If I tell you, they won’t come true,” Minhyung replied with a mysterious expression.
Minseok narrowed his eyes, as if deciding whether it was worth insisting, but Minhyung didn’t give him the chance.
“Come on, let’s try it,” he said suddenly, stepping away from the door.
When they reached the kitchen, Minhyung grabbed a fork and cut a piece of the cake. It was so small he could’ve eaten it in one bite, but he wanted to share it with Minseok.
He brought the piece to his mouth, chewing slowly, savoring the taste.
“How is it?” Minseok asked.
Minhyung nodded in satisfaction, and Minseok couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked with his cheeks full—like a hamster hoarding food.
Once Minhyung swallowed, he picked up the other half of the piece and held it out to Minseok. He reached out to take the fork, but Minhyung pulled it back swiftly, raising an eyebrow with a playful smirk.
Minseok sighed, understanding the message. Without arguing, he just opened his mouth, and Minhyung, still smiling, fed him the bite.
“It’s good,” Minhyung commented as he watched him chew.
Minseok nodded silently, enjoying the cake.
When they finished cleaning up, Minseok stood still for a moment, looking at his hands as if unsure what to do with them. He glanced at Minhyung, who was finishing up putting something away, and figured this was probably the right time to call it a night.
“Well… goodnight, get some rest,” Minseok said, already turning toward the hallway, ready to head back to his room.
At his words, Minhyung looked up, his expression shifting into exaggerated sadness as he stared at him.
“You’re really gonna leave me alone on my birthday night?” he asked, pausing dramatically, letting the supposed tragedy sink in.
Minseok shot him a knowing look, fully aware that he was just messing around, but he still responded.
“It’s past midnight, and it’s snowing. We can’t exactly go anywhere.”
“We don’t have to go anywhere.”
“So what do you suggest?” Minseok asked.
Minhyung shrugged.
“Let’s watch a movie.”
Minseok looked at him with suspicion.
“As long as it’s not one of those Disney movies you like.”
Minhyung put on an exaggeratedly shocked expression, as if he had just heard the most outrageous comment of the year.
“So, not Tangled, then,” he said, pouting slightly.
Minseok laughed.
“Alright, since it’s your birthday, I’m willing to watch it,” he said, exaggerating his tone just a little.
Minhyung smiled softly.
“No, it’s fine. You pick. I’ll like it either way.”
Minseok thought for a few seconds.
“Do you like Zootopia?”
Minhyung’s face lit up the moment he heard the title.
“It’s in my top five,” he replied.
Minseok was a little surprised.
“Really? I’ve never seen it.”
Minhyung looked at him, horrified, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
“Minseokie, you’re missing out on real cinema,” he said, dragging him to his room.
Minhyung lay down on the bed, adjusting his laptop and lowering the screen brightness before pressing play. Next to him, Minseok settled against the pillows, sinking into the softness of the mattress while covering himself with the blanket Minhyung had pulled over to them.
“You alright?” Minhyung asked, barely turning his face toward him.
Minseok nodded.
“Yeah. You?”
Minhyung nodded too, shifting a bit more on the mattress before letting himself relax and lean back fully.
“Yeah.”
The glow of the screen cast a soft light on their faces, projecting gentle shadows on the walls of the room. Minhyung lowered the movie volume a little, making sure it was at a comfortable level for both of them. Outside, the snow continued falling silently.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Only the movie and the occasional sound of the wind against the glass could be heard.
The light from the screen continued casting soft shadows across the room as the movie played. The quiet between them felt natural only interrupted by the quiet murmur of the audio and the occasional creak of the snow against the window.
“Don’t you have any plushies here?” Minseok suddenly asked, his eyes still on the screen.
Minhyung shook his head absentmindedly before turning to him with curiosity.
“No. Why?”
“Pause it for a sec, I’m gonna grab one from my room. I need to hold something,” Minseok said, stretching a little as if he was already preparing to get up.
Before he could move, Minhyung spoke without thinking too much about it.
“You can use my arm.”
Minseok froze, blinking a couple of times as he processed what he had just heard. His brain short-circuited for a moment when an inexplicable wave of excitement grew inside him. He cleared his throat, trying to sound indifferent.
“Alright… but stay still,” he said, attempting to keep his tone casual, though inside, it felt like his emotions were pressing all the buttons and running in circles.
“You’ll see, I’m better than a plushie.”
Minseok gave him a small nod and slowly wrapped his arm around Minhyung’s, resting it against his chest. The warmth of his skin seeped through the fabric of his sleeve, and Minseok forced himself not to think too much about it.
“Have you been working out?”
“Can you tell?” Minhyung asked, a hint of pride in his voice.
“No,” Minseok replied flatly.
Minhyung let out a small laugh and turned his attention back to the movie.
The room fell back into the same peaceful silence as before, with Minseok holding onto Minhyung’s arm more than was probably necessary. The movie kept playing, but at some point, the weight on Minhyung’s arm became noticeably heavier.
“If you fall asleep before it ends, I’ll wake you up,” Minhyung murmured, amusement in his tone.
Minseok, still watching the screen, let a small smile slip.
“I’m not gonna fall asleep.”
Minhyung raised an eyebrow at him.
“You always say that.”
There was a brief pause where Minseok didn’t respond, but after a few seconds, he sighed in defeat.
“Alright, if I do, wake me up.”
As the movie went on, the flickering of the screen became dimmer in Minhyung’s perception. His eyelashes felt heavy, and the soothing heat of the room, combined with the weight of Minseok leaning against him, was lulling him to sleep more than he’d like to admit.
Minseok, on the other hand, had gone still, focused on the movie—or at least that’s what he thought. He couldn’t ignore how Minhyung’s body relaxed more and more beside him, how his breathing became slow and deep. At first, he didn’t think much of it, but then he felt a slight weight on his shoulder. When he looked over, he found Minhyung completely asleep, his head resting against him.
Minseok let out a quiet sigh, somewhere between fondness and resignation.
“Weren’t you supposed to be better than a plushie?” he murmured softly, not really expecting an answer.
Minhyung only mumbled something incoherent in his sleep, shifting a little closer to him. Minseok waited a few minutes, but eventually decided it’d be better to move so Minhyung could rest more peacefully.
Carefully, Minseok tried to pull away, releasing his hold on Minhyung’s arm, but as soon as he did, he felt a gentle tug.
“Mm… don’t go…” Minhyung mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.
Minseok froze in place.
“If I stay, you won’t sleep well,” he whispered, though even he wasn’t convinced by his own words.
Minhyung barely cracked his eyes open, squinting in a way that showed just how drowsy he was, too lost in sleep to be fully aware of what he was doing.
“I’m fine like this…” he murmured, his voice just shy of pleading.
Minseok felt his resolve crumble instantly.
“…Alright. I’ll stay,” he said quietly.
Carefully, he closed the laptop and set it aside, making sure not to make too much noise.
For a moment, he just watched him. The dim light in the room highlighted the soft lines of his features, the steady rhythm of his breathing rising and falling with quiet ease. Minhyung looked completely at peace.
Then, Minseok shifted carefully on the bed, stretching out his legs and rolling slightly onto his side to avoid disturbing Minhyung. He kept a respectful distance, resting his head on the pillow without intruding too much into the other’s space.
Beside him, Minhyung breathed steadily, his face relaxed in sleep. His arm rested idly on the bed, but the moment he sensed the mattress shift under Minseok’s weight, his body reacted on its own.
In his sleep, he reached out and gently grabbed the sleeve of Minseok’s hoodie, as if his subconscious feared he might leave at any moment. Without opening his eyes, in a lazy motion, he gave the faintest tug, seeking more closeness.
Minseok felt the slight pull and, without thinking too much about it, let himself move closer. Slowly, Minhyung slid his arm over his waist, clinging to him the way someone might hold onto warmth in the middle of a dream.
Minseok swallowed hard, feeling Minhyung’s breath against his neck. He was completely curled up against him, his face resting near his shoulder.
“…Comfy,” Minhyung mumbled, his voice thick with sleep, almost a sigh.
The room was shrouded in dimness. Outside, the city slept under the cold night, but inside that space, everything felt warm and still.
Minseok let out a barely audible breath and closed his eyes, allowing peace and sleep to overtake him.
Maybe by morning, Minhyung wouldn’t even remember this.
But he would.
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Minhyung woke up with a strange feeling—not unpleasant, just unfamiliar.
The room was still dark. He wasn’t sure what had woken him—maybe the shift in temperature, or maybe the sensation of something warm and soft against him.
He blinked slowly, his mind still clouded with sleep, until it finally registered what was happening.
Minseok was there, curled up against him, his breathing slow and steady. His head rested right against Minhyung’s chest, and one of his hands was gripping the fabric of his hoodie, as if he had unconsciously held onto him sometime during the night.
Minhyung swallowed, his heartbeat a little faster than usual.
A tremor coursed through him—not from the cold, but from the unsettling realization of just how close he was.
Minseok murmured something in his sleep and snuggled even closer, seeking warmth.
Minhyung held his breath.
Should he move? But he didn’t want to wake him—not when he looked so peaceful, so at ease.
So he sighed, sinking his head back into the pillow, and closed his eyes again.
After all, it was his birthday, and one of his wishes had already come true.