Archive of Our Own

It was 5:00 AM when Jeong Yunho had finally come home from his evening shift at the blood bank (which is not an easy job to acquire if you are a vampire, by the way). The fact that he dozed off twice mid-flight and nearly crashed into a tree one of those two times was a testament to how exhausted he was. The man wanted nothing more than to collapse onto his bed and go to sleep.

He walks up to his house and goes to unlock the front door , noticing the decorative bat that hung on the door was crooked, he fixes it before heading inside and closing the door behind him.  

His home sat on the outskirts of the vampiric district. It was painted pastel yellow with white accents and a darker-colored roof. 

No, they didn't all live in houses painted black or very, very dark shades of gray , and they most definitely didn't all live in big extravagant palaces... though, Yunho certainly wouldn't mind living in a palace if he had one.

As soon as the door is opened, his black tabby cat immediately comes over to greet him. He runs his cheek against Yunho's leg and sniffs the man's hand when he bends down to pet the cat.

"H i Tapioca, " Yunho coos, " were you bored without me ?"

He picks the cat up and lets him lie on his shoulder as he walks upstairs to get prepared for a shower.

~

Yunho runs his hands through his hair as he blow-dries it. Absentmindedly, he looks at the blowdryer in the reflection of the mirror in an attempt to keep his eyes from closing shut entirely. 

A noise in the background barely catches his attention , but he dismisses it as Tapioca probably playing with one of his toys. 

He hears the noise again, but this time it's back-to-back in rapid succession. Yunho clicks the power button off and peeks his head out of the bathroom.

The doorbell rings.

He puts down the blow dryer and makes his way downstairs. 

Who could be at his door at such an early hour in the morning? Don't they know this is the time that most vampires are asleep? Or should be sleep?

Despite still being very sleepy and now a little irritated, he opens the door to find his friend Hongjoong on the other side. He's breathing heavily, and Yunho wonders if the fairy had run (or flown, more accurately) all the way over here from his home in the forest.

Any irritation Yunho once had is gone. His brain stumbles through a string of " oh fuck"s and " shit " before finally calming down enough to give an appropriate (and socially acceptable) greeting.

"H ongjoong, hi, " the taller man says as he leans against the doorframe. A shy smile of adoration graces his features. " What, um, wh-what are you doing here ?"

Hongjoong draws in a deep breath. " Hi. I know it's extremely early for you, and I hope I'm not disrupting anything ."

"N o, not at all. I'd drop anything for you. " Yunho's ears immediately heat up, and he mentally bangs his forehead on the doorframe.

Hongjoong chuckles, taking a small, awkward step back as he rubs at his arm. ' Act natural, act natural. ' Hongjoong thinks.

"I want to ask, " Hongjoong puts his hands into the pockets of his jean shorts, " if you... would like to maybe watch the sunrise, " his voice gives out when the last two words come out, and he has to clear his throat before speaking once more.

"W ith me. Do you want to watch the sunset with me ?"

He unconsciously starts bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waits for an answer. (It feels like forever, and the fairy man's heart is going to explode from the if he had to wait any longer.)

Yunho's face forms into a pout as he looks off in another direction. His face scrunches up before it relaxes it looks back at the other man.

"Y ou want me to watch the sunrise with you ?"

Hongjoong knows that Yunho is a vampire... right? Maybe he hit his head? Or maybe he meant to ask someone else-

"Y es. " The fairy confirms.

"S ure. " Yunho smiles and pushes himself up off the doorframe (his shoulder was starting to hurt anyway). " I've never seen the sunrise before, and there's a first time for everything ."

Hongjoong nods as the smile on his face grows. 

" I 'll meet you on the roof, " he says finally.

Yunho gives an ' ok ' hand signal before closing the door, immediately leaning against it as he puts his hands on his warm cheeks. His mind is flooded with Hongjoong and his perfect blonde mullet, with his perfect teeth and perfect smile, and those perfect pointy ears and wings that sparkle under the soft glow of the street light-

A meow brings him back down to earth. Tapioca is sitting in the window sill, peeking out from behind the curtains at his owner .  

Yunho looks at the cat, his hands still on his cheeks (which have gotten even hotter). He repeatedly slaps his cheeks before moving to go to the roof.

Hongjoong is already there when Yunho finishes climbing the ladder. The older man smiles and sits up straighter as he waves him over. 

The vampire takes careful steps as he makes his way over to Hongjoong, eventually taking a seat next to him on the slanted rooftop.

Yunho feels something lightly nudge his shoulder, and turns to find Hongjoong looking back at him. The younger offers a shy smile.

"T hank you for accepting my invite. " Hongjoong looks out at the sky where the sun is slowly starting to rise. " I know it's an odd request since you're a vampire and all ."

Yunho's smile forms into a more genuine one as he looks out at the sky as well. There's a comfortable silence that grows between them as they both watch the sunrise. Yunho's eyes are fixated on the sky as he watches the dark turn to a light shade of blue, all accompanied by hues of orange and yellow. When the sunlight reaches the edges of the roof, Hongjoong stands up and he admires the way the younger's eyes never leave the breathtaking sight before them.

"Y unho, get up, please ."

He stands to his feet but remains in place. Yunho doesn't know when, but at some point, the fairy was holding both of Yunho's arms gently in his hands. Hongjoong slowly guides the younger backward away from the sun's light. 

"W ow, " Yunho breathes out. Is this what he's been missing out on for the past twenty-five years of his life ?

Hongjoong looks at Yunho for a brief moment before quietly asking, " do you like it ?"

"I love it, " Yunho responds just as quietly. 

Hongjoong can't help but stare at Yunho while the vampire watches the sunrise with amazement.

" I t's so beautiful. " 

"Y eah, it is. " Hongjoong agrees. He was not talking about the sunrise in the slightest.

Yunho looks at Hongjoong, who shifts his gaze downward. 

"W e should probably go, " the older suggests.

"W hy? " Yunho's voice holds a tiny bit of disappointment.

" W e're running out of room. " Hongjoong gestures to where they're standing at the very top of the slanted roof. 

Oh... that's unfortunate. Well, all good things must come to an end, he supposes. 

"W ell, thanks for inviting me up here! This was great and I hope we can do it again sometime. " Yunho shoots him a grateful smile . " You're a good friend by the way ."

Hongjoong hides the pain behind a smile that he prays the universe doesn't look fake. "Yup," is all the older can manage to get out. 

Yunho turns around and salutes Hongjoong ' goodbye ' before falling off the roof and transforming into his bat form with ease . Hongjoong watches him fly down to his back door, return to his human form, and give one final wave, which Hongjoong returns, before heading inside for the morning.

Hongjoong sits on the roof a little while longer before flying off to start his own day.

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

The next day... uh, night, Yunho sleeps in a little bit longer than normal . Tapioca, however, refuses to let the man sleep through breakfast. So after he gives the black tabby his food, Yunho crawls back into bed and pulls the sheets up to his nose, enjoying the comfort and warmth for a little while longer. It's his day off (thank Dracula for it), and he planned to spend part of it looking for a gift for a certain fairy... as soon as he gets out of bed. 

~

Yunho officially gets up and ready around 10PM . He gives Tapioca an early lunch and heads out to start his hunt for the perfect gift.

"S ooo, why am I here, exactly ?"

"F or moral support. And also because you have excellent taste in jewelry ."

The fellow vampire takes his hand and flicks some of his black hair out of his face in a sassy manner (though it lands back in the same position), as he lets out a sound of agreement. " Of course I am ."

He scans the rack of necklaces that sit in front of him, only getting a closer look when one with an emerald jewel catches his eye.

Wait. The man stands up, eyebrows furrowed together as he looks over at Yunho, (who has no clue that his friend is now giving him a perplexed look).

" W ho's the jewelry for ?"

Yunho rubs his ear and continues browsing the bracelets.

'H is ears are turning red. And he just ignored me !'

"J eong Yunho, " the vampire calls a little louder in a ' I know you heard me ' tone.

Yunho turns around , saying his friend's name in the same way. " Jung Wooyoung ."

"W ho are you buying jewelry for? " Wooyoung asks in a quieter volume. " Do I know them ?"

" D on't worry about it ."

Wooyoung gasps excitedly as he bounces over to the taller male happily . " I do know them !"

"D o not! " Yunho responds, still browsing the bracelets.

Wooyoung gasps again as a realization hits him. " You're trying to court them !"

"N o shit. " Yunho mumbles.

His response is met with a fierce punch to his arm, making his face scrunch up in pain as a low " ow " comes out .

"I just pieced two and two together, " Wooyoung says. " Don't be smart with me. " He turns away to browse the necklaces once more.

"O h! " Wooyoung picks up a silver chain necklace with a silver rose design that holds a shimmering ruby in the center. " Look at this one. It's magnificent ."

"T hat one is really pretty , " Yunho agrees, " but I think I want to get him a bracelet ."

Wooyoung puts the necklace back and goes to stand beside his taller friend, browsing the selection of bracelets alongside him.  

Someone comes out from behind an ' employees only ' door and walks up behind the counter.

"H i there, " the man says.

"H i ,"

"H ello ."

"I didn't know there were people out here. I apologize."

" T hat's alright, " Yunho smiles.

"I s there anything I can help you two with ?"

Wooyoung tries not to stare too long than at the man as Yunho kindly declines and says that they're just looking around. 

"O kay, well, if you need anything, just let me know. I'm Yeosang, by the way, " he gestures to his nametag.

"T hank you, Yeosang. I'm Yunho, and this, " he gestures to the other vampire beside him, Wooyoung.

Wooyoung gives a small wave, holding eye contact a little longer than he intended to.

Yeosang waves before leaving the two to continue their browsing.

Wooyoung steps closer to Yunho, pointing at one of the bracelets as he whispers, " I heard nephilims were gorgeous, but damn. " He picks up the piece of jewelry and holds it up at eye level, studying the details of the chain's infinity loops before his gaze shifts to Yeosang. " He's breathtakingly gorgeous ."

Wooyoung puts the bracelet down, and Yunho suggests going to ask for his number.

"I think I'll pass. He's too gorgeous to be single anyway ."

"Y ou never know unless you talk to him ."

" L et's drop it. We're not here to set me up with the employee of a jewelry store , we're here to find you a gift for the person you're courting ."

After some more bro wsing that took longer than it should have, he decides on the gold version (thanks to Yeosang for giving him that piece of information) of the bracelet that Wooyoung had held up earlier. He also purchased a faux topaz charm, a small yellow heart, and finally, a charm in the shape of a sunflower.

"S o, " Wooyoung starts, " when did you plan on giving the bracelet to them? " Wooyoung asks once they've stepped out of the store.

Yunho hums as he thinks it over (he hadn't actually decided on a day yet).

"S oon, " is all he says. Giving himself an actual timeframe would only cause his nerves to become all bundled up and spiral out of control until he's somehow convinced himself to not give Hongjoong the bracelet.

Wooyoung, however, does not find that answer pleasing, but decides not to press his friend to give an actual time.

Unfortunately for the vampire who was borderline down bad and in love with his childhood best friend, ' soon ' would come a lot sooner than he anticipated.

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

Deep in the forest, past the city where the other creatures lived but just before the mountain range and beyond, sits a neighborhood of scattered houses. Each one was made of stone or brick with vines growing up the sides and various flowers scattered about the lawn and edges of the road. They grow from pots and planters as well. Hanging on the outside of the houses, swaying in the gentle breeze.

The smell of red velvet cake wafts from an open window of one of the stone houses. Its front lawn is peppered with deep blue hyacinths and- oh, there's a fairy frantically flying past the window!

"O kay, so , I have red velvet cake, red cabbage coleslaw for the sandwiches, and red wine... " Hongjoong turns to Yeosang, who is sitting at his dining room table eating the rest of some leftover cheesecake , his hands placed together and held up to his face as if he was about to about to pray.

Drawing in a deep breath, his brows furrowed just a little bit, he asks, " what else do vampires like ?"

"I am literally the wrong person to ask this, " Yeosang tells him, indirectly reminding him that he's a half-angel (and despite being raised by his vampire moms, he still doesn't know much about the culture). 

"W ell, that's no help. " Hongjoong pulls out a chair across from his friend as the younger begins to pick up another piece of cheesecake, choosing to eat the crust first before eating the rest.

A beat of silence. 

"D o you think I'm missing anything else ?"

"T he red and black suit with the sparkly bowtie to match ."

Hongjoong's shoulders slump as he sinks back in his seat with an eye roll. " You're not funny, " he states.

Yeosang chuckles. " We both know that's a lie ."

He was right. Hongjoong knew he was right. Yeosang was hilarious.

"W ho is all this for exactly ?"

"Y unho ."

"N o, I don't know, that's why I'm asking ."

"W hat? " Hongjoong's face is visibly confused, but Yeosang is too busy getting another piece of cheesecake to look up and notice. " No. That's - never mind ."

Hongjoong gets up and begins packing up the food in small containers that will fit in the wicker basket later.

"C an you put that away when you're done ?"

Yeosang hums his answer. (In all honesty, he might end up eating the rest of it before it saw the inside of the refrigerator ever again.)

~

2 hours have passed. Yeosang has long finished the leftover cheesecake. Hongjoong is sitting at the table once again, but is now writing up the invitation for Yunho (who Yeosang now understands is a person but doesn't know exactly who he is... or so he thought).

To the vampire I hold dear,

If you are free on Sunday evening, please meet me in the forest for a Valentine's Day treat.

10pm at Sweetheart Lake is where I will be.

KHJ

"N ot bad. " Yeosang nods, leaning over the table a little to read what was written on the napkin. " Kinda romantic ."

This makes Hongjoong smile. 'Kinda romantic' is exactly what he was going for, especially since he didn't consider himself to be a romantic person by nature.

He writes the official mini invitation on a card of off-white paper and puts it in a pastel yellow envelope, sealing it closed with a sunflower sticker. Hongjoong turns it over to write Yunho's name on the front. Suddenly, the thought of Yunho receiving this has his heart rate picking up.

"O h no, " Hongjoong puts the pen down and stares at the envelope. An overwhelming feeling of nervousness washes over him.

" W hat's wrong? " 

Hongjoong's hands start to feel warm and he wipes them on his shorts in an effort to stop them from getting sweaty and ultimately, clammy. Second thoughts start to come to mind and now he's feeling anxious.

"W hat if he rejects the invite? Or... or what if he only sees me as a friend ?"

"H ongjoong... " Yeosang calls gently.

The man wipes his hands on his shorts a few more times before letting out a small, exhausted breath.

"W as it always this warm in here? " He turns to Yeosang , " are you warm ?"

"H ongjoong. " His voice is a bit more stern.

" I 'm warm... You know what? " Hongjoong pushes the chair back as he stands up. He begins to reach for the envelope. " Maybe I just wo n' - "

Yeosang slams his hand down onto the table. " Hongjoong !"

Hongjoong shrieks.

"B reathe ."

Hongjoong takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out. His breathing is a bit shaky, but it at least helps him calm down a bit . Just a bit.

" Y ou're going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine ."

The fairy sits back down. Something is clearly troubling him as his face holds concern. 

"B ut what if he rejects me? " Hongjoong asks quietly. The thought of Yunho, his childhood friend and longtime crush, rejecting him is not something that he wanted nor was ready for. He has played it safe for years by keeping his feelings to himself... was this worth risking their friendship for?

"T hen... maybe it's not the time. Or, " Yeosang says the next part in a very gentle tone, " maybe he's not the one for you ."

Hongjoong's face becomes visibly saddened when he hears that. The fairy sits back down as he throws the upper half of himself onto the table in the most dramatic way possible, burying his face in his arms in the process.  

Yeosang is slightly taken aback.

Hongjoong wanted Yunho to be the one, with every fiber of his being. He had waited (and let it be reminded that he is, in fact, still waiting) for his friend of eight years to notice him and maybe, preferably, reciprocate those feelings. 

Oh, Hongjoong. The pitiful, lovesick fairy you are.

Yeosang offers some encouraging headpats... Hongjoong is gonna need more than a few pats to potentially cheer him up.

"I was just stating a potential outcome. Plus, anyone who knows you should be prepared to fall in love with you at least a little bit . You're too incredible of a person for people to not like you !"

Homgjoong lifts his head up enough to peek at the half-angel who offers a reassuring smile.

"I f you give him the letter, I will... " he lets out a tired sigh. " I will, do the sexy dance I did a few years ago when I was tipsy. " His face is turning red, and Hongjoong sits up with a wide smile on his face .

He knows exactly which dance the man is referring to, and despite Yeosang wishing, hoping, and praying that his friends would forget, they did not.

"P romise? " Hongjoong asks, holding out his pinky.

Yeosang sighs, already deeply regretting his words. " Promise. " He links his pinky with Hongjoong's .

~

Later that day, Hongjoong flies over to Yunho's house to put the invite into the door's mail slot. Hesitance takes over him and he nearly considers backing out.

'N o. I can do this, ' Hongjoong thinks to himself. ' Even if he rejects me, I'll be fine... maybe .'

Hongjoong opens the mail slot and sticks the envelope in. He inhales slowly, then releases the paper with the exhale that follows.

Hongjoong feels nervous but also giddy. A sense of accomplishment coupled with anxiety.

He had finally moved forward with attempting to get Yunho's attention, and who knew all it took was a little promise from Yeosang.

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

"W ow, " Yunho looks at the invite for the sixth time since he's gotten it almost seven minutes ago, a goofy smile on his face as he turns to Wooyoung.

"I mean, wow, can you believe it ?"

"I can believe it," Wooyoung responds, chin in palm and a smile on his face. Yunho's happiness was infectious.

"W ait! " Wooyoung exclaims with a clap. Yunho stops dead in his tracks, a little startled as he turns to Wooyoung.

"Y ou need an outfit! " He gets up, pulling Yunho along by his wrist up the stairs and into his room.

"B ut I don't even know what the dress code is , " Yunho admits.

"U hh, something nice, " Wooyoung says, like it's obvious.

Wooyoung spends the next forty minutes going through and pulling out various articles of clothing and creating different outfits, just to scrap them a few minutes later.

None of the outfits matched the vision, he had told Yunho picks up a shirt off the side of his bed, folding it once again before sticking it back in his dresser.  

He looks around his room while his friend stands at the entrance of the closet, hands on his hips as he looks from left to right at all of Yunho's shirts. Dang, he has a lot of shirts.

"M aybe you should leave the outfit to me ."

"I can figure this out, I promise ."

"I know you can, " Yunho says, taking a pair of black shorts off one of his bed posts. " But it's starting to look like a tornado ran through here ."

("S tarting " was generous.) Yunho was right, though. Clothes were everywhere. The tornado had a name , and it was currently still looking through his clothes.

"J ust give me one thing you think I should absolutely wear, and I'll work out the rest ."

Wooyoung holds out a mostly black blazer with some off-white at the top , with the flaps of the pocket and buttons being the same color.  

"T his is nice! " Wooyoung compliments as he lays it down on top of more clothes that are strewn about the bed. 

Yunho picks up a black t-shirt and a pair of denim pants to match. Wooyoung tilts his head, giving the outfit a look of skepticism before turning to the man beside him with the same look. Yunho sees this and lets out a small nervous laugh. " Just , trust the pro cess okay ?"

Wooyoung puts his hands up as he takes a few steps back. Yunho goes into his closet, opening a tote and pulling out what looks like a black leather purse.  

"W hat do we think? " He puts it up on his shoulder. " Yes? No ?"

"I wanna say yes, but I think I need to see the outfit in action before deciding ."

Wooyoung leaves the room while Yunho changes, and eight minutes later, Yunho opens the door to present the outfit as a whole.

"O h! " Wooyoung walks back into the room while Yunho goes over to the dresser and picks out some jewelry from a container.

"O kay, hottie. Just know that if Hongjoong doesn't want you, then I'm right here, " he says, biting the tip of his finger.

Yunho turns around, playfully rolling his eyes. " Alright, outfit is complete, I think. What do we think ?"

"A mazing as always ."

Yunho stands a little taller as he smiles at the compliment. A new sense of confidence washes over him. 

"W hat shoes are you wearing with it though ?"

"H mm, no clue but I'll solve that problem when I get to it ."

Now satisfied with the fit, all that was left was to do was to wait for Sunday.

~

The days leading up to Sunday go by excruciatingly slowly. 

Thursday. 

Yunho went to work for half a day. It consisted of logging and organizing the new blood samples that had been donated the day before. After that, he went to hang out with Mingi. The humanoid dragon didn't have much free time with his job as a watch guard, so whenever the chance arose for the two to hang out, Yunho took it.

"H e finally asked you out?! " Mingi asks, nearly choking on his orange juice.

"S HH! Not so loud !"

"D ude, " Mingi coughs and clears his throat, " we're the only ones in this cafe ."

"Y ou never know who's listening though ."

Mingi shakes his head at Yunho's ridiculous, albeit slightly valid, worry.

"B ut anyway, I got him a gift. This was before I got the invite, so the timing of everything is perfect ."

" W hat'd you get him ?"

"A bracelet with four different kinds of charms ."

"F airies don't typically wear jewelry, do they? " 

"I don't think so...? I've seen Hongjoong wear a pair of earrings once or twice before though, so I'm sure he's open to wearing a bracelet."

Mingi hums as he takes another sip of juice. He can't help but feel a scintilla of jealousy. There was a part of him that wished he had received a date invite from Hongjoong too. Though ultimately, he was happier for Yunho than he was jealous. And to be fair, the vampire had a (painfully obvious to everyone else except Hongjoong) crush on the fairy for a lot longer than Mingi had been crushing on their shared friend. The humanoid dragon finishes off his drink and offers to take the vampire to a flower shop to buy a single red rose; gorgeous, classic, and to the point.

~

Friday breezes by without much happening. Yunho goes grocery shopping for the house and picks up some new toys and a pretty bowtie for Tapioca. Early that morning, he's hit with a short-lived wave of nervousness about the date before deciding to do some early-morning exercises to distract himself. 

It barely works.

~

Saturday. 

Yunho meets up with Wooyoung at his home. It smells like cake, and theres white and red icing sitting on the counter with a few heart-shaped conversation candies sitting in a bag.  

" W ho's all this for? " Yunho reaches for the bag of candy, and Wooyoung snatches it away before he can reach it.

" D on't touch. It's for my date on the thirteenth. " Wooyoung casually mentions.

Yunho's brows furrow as he thinks of all the possible candidates (and with his friend being bisexual, there were a lot of potential candidates). He eventually gives up. " Who are you going on a date with? Do I know them ?"

" I t's Yeosang ."

Yunho runs the name through his mind. 'Yeosang Yeosang, Yeosang... Yeosang ?'

It clicks.

"T he jewelry store guy? !"

"M hm, " Wooyoung nods with a wide smile.

"N ice ,"

"I saw him at the store. I was reaching for the last pack of this gummy candy and so was he, but I was so zoned out I didn't recognize there was someone there until our hands touched ."

"T his sounds like something straight out of a fanfic ."

"Get out," Wooyoung jokes. "Anyway, he let me have the candy and as he was walking away, I was debating if I should ask if he's seeing anyone. I almost didn't do it, but after I paid for my stuff I decided that I should ask him cause like, I don't wanna live with regrets you know?"

"M hm, " Yunho nods a fond smile on his face as he imagines the story as Wooyoung tells it.

"S o I ran outside to find him before he left, and when I saw him, I walked up to him and I go -"

"Y ou didn't run up to him? " Yunho interjects, his voice holding a joking undertone.

"Of course not! I can't be seen looking desperate right out of the gate. So I walk up to him and I go, 'excuse me. You're the guy from the jewelry store, right?' I already knew what the answer was, but I didn't want to seem creepy so I had to ask instead of assuming. He goes, 'yeah, I am. I think I remember you. You came in with your friend right' and I said, 'yeah!' he introduces himself, and I introduce myself. And then I tell him, 'so, I think you're really pretty and I was wondering if you were seeing anyone right now.' and HE LITERALLY-!" Wooyoung bends over, banging his fist on the table. "This man is not only fine as hell, Yunho. He's smooth as hell, too!"

Yunho laughs before stating that hell is neither of those things. To which Wooyoung replies with a very hard eye roll.

"Y ou know what I mean ."

"I do, but I couldn't resist. Now finish telling me what happened ."

"S o Yeosang tucks his hair behind his ear, he failed adorably cause none of his hair made it behind his ear, and he turns to me go and goes ' yeah actually, I'm seeing you . '"

"D amn. Somebody who was able to fluster Jung Wooyoung? That's rare ."

"I know, right?! I literally stood there just staring and I stuttered a bit and had to look away- Yunho, I had to LOOK. AWAY ."

Yunho is laughing hard at the image of his friend turning red and looking away from someone who just managed to fluster him.

"S o after that eternity of being confused and unable to form a coherent sentence and my entire face being the color of this darn red icing, " he gestures to the small tub of whipped cream icing sitting on the counter. " I finally managed to ask him out to a restaurant on the thirteenth and he said yes. " 

Yunho pulls on his sleeves, placing the end over his eyes as he wipes away at the tears that started to form from laughing so hard. " I'm happy for you, Wooyoung. Oh! We should do a double date at some point !"

"Y es, that would be so fun! " Wooyoung agrees.

The two continue talking while Wooyoung finishes the cake and eventually they go to get dinner before the sun starts coming up.

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

Sunday.

Yunho's nerves keep him awake way past his bedtime. 9:06 AM , he lies in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as the sun shines down on his house (he could only assume).

Various thoughts and scenarios of how the date go, could play out in his head. He pushes them aside and pulls the covers over his face, shutting his eyes tight and forcing his mind to quiet down as he tries to get some sleep.

~

9:06 AM Hongjoong flies to the closest flower shop, putting in an order for a mini bouquet made up of carnations and peonies.  

"W ould like it to be all red? " the florist asks him .

"C an you make the carnations a mix of orange and red? The peonies can just be red ."

"G ood choice. Pretty and straight to the point ."

Hongjoong rubs at his nape. " Do you think that is too direct ?"

"N othing wrong with being direct, but of course, if you would like something a little more subtle, we can go with different colors or different flowers entirely. "  

Hongjoong thinks about it for a few seconds before deciding to stick with what he's chosen. The florist wraps up the bouquet in white wrapping paper and ties it with a red bow before handing it to the fairy.

"T hank you so much !"

"O f course! Enjoy the rest of your day. " The florist waves with a smile, and Hongjoong returns it before leaving the store and heading back to his home.

He sets the flowers on his counter and opens his fridge to do a count of all the food he's bringing.

't wo, three, four... ' Hongjoong closes the door, suddenly feeling unsatisfied with the food choices sitting in the fridge. 

Glancing at the clock mounted on the wall, it reads 9:33. That's more than enough time to go shopping for new food before starting on his hair and getting ready.

And that's exactly what Hongjoong does.

~

The fairy makes it back home at 10:47 PM (not bad timing) and puts the new food away before gathering everything he needs to wash his hair. Twenty minutes later and Hongjoong is standing in front of the bathroom mirror with a pair of gloves on and a box of hair dye.

Was this a bad time to be changing his hair color? Maybe. But there's nothing like a spur-of-the-moment hair dying session.

~

9:30 PM

Wooyoung pokes his head into the bathroom. " How are you feeling ?"

"I feel the same way I did ten minutes ago when you asked me. " Yunho ruffles his hand through his hair as he blow-dries it.

"S o, nervous ?"

"Y up ."

"E xcited ?"

"M hm ."

"A nxious ?"

Yunho turns off the blow dryer and turns to Wooyoung. " Yes, Wooyoung. I feel all of those things and a few more ."

" D on't worry! Everything will be fine. You almost ready ?"

"J ust about, " Yunho combs his fingers through his hair. " Still a little damp, but it'll dry on my way there. " He leaves the bathroom, grabbing his blazer off the banister on his way down the stairs to put his shoes on. He transforms into his fruit bat form and picks with his hind feet. 

"C an you get the door for me, please ?"

"O h, of course. " Wooyoung quickly moved to open the door. 

"H ave fun! " he shouts as Yunho flies hurriedly down the road.

The air traffic is crazy for a Sunday night , but Yunho manages to navigate through it without hitting anyone with the bag that happens to be roughly the size of his bat form. The further towards the first he goes, the lighter the traffic gets. Eventually, he lands somewhere in the forest and transforms back into his human form. 

"E xcuse me, " he calls out to a nearby fairy. " Where is Sweetheart Lake ?"

The fairy gives him directions and Yunho nods along , making mental notes of where he is told to go. Several minutes and one mistake later, he finally makes it. He breathes in and out slowly, trying to calm his growing nerves as he looks around for Hongjoong.

"Y unho !"

The man turns around and immediately finds Hongjoong sitting on a rock with his legs criss cross and waving at him with a smile so beautiful that rivaled Aphrodite's beauty. His blonde mullet was no longer blonde but instead had been dyed to resemble the color of cherry tomato.

Yunho holds his breath mid-inhale.

Hongjoong stands up, dusting off his light blue jeans and checking over his blue and green tie-dyed shirt that has a bit of fuzz to it . His blue leather shoes had a platform to them , almost bringing the fairy up to Yunho's height.

"H i, " Yunho breathes out when Hongjoong closes the distance between them. " You look really nice ."

"So do you." Hongjoong smiles. "This way," he leads the way to a spot close to the lake. White tulips sit close to the water's edge, accompanying the reeds that grow out the water. A quilted blanket if various colors sits in the grass under a lamppost. "I brought food," Hongjoong says as he takes off his shoes and sits down, making himself comfortable on the blanket. 

"Y ay. " Yunho takes off his and sits down not long after. 

"I had other food prepared, but I didn't think you'd like it, so I went out and bought more, " he admits. 

He proceeds to pull out a small clear container with different types of cheeses and various fruits, a box of crackers, followed by a bottle of red wine. Yunho picks it up out of curiosity, reading over the label. 

Not his favorite brand of wine, but was he going to complain? 

Hell no!

“I hope you like everything .”

Yunho looks up while simultaneously putting the bottle down and then nodding .  

Hongjoong pulls out a small wooden board from the bottom of the basket and begins setting everything up. Yunho watches him in silence, noticing how he handles it delicately .

“O kay, ” the fairy says finally, breaking the silence that had grown between them. “ Shall we begin? ” 

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

“A plate for you, ” he hands the vampire across from him a miniature plate before signaling for Yunho to go first. Yunho picks what he wants and sets the plate on his lap when he's finished. 

“Let me know how you like it.” Hongjoong says as he pulls out two wine glasses and pours them a generous amount.

Yunho doesn't know how after all these years, he's just noticing how motivated and confirmation-seeking Hongjoong is when it comes to other people and preparing things for them. 

Hongjoong takes some strawberries, cheese and crackers. He raises a toast, “ to us. Our longtime friendship, and… new beginnings, hopefully .”

To be completely honest, Yunho wasn't so sure what “ new beginnings ” meant to Hongjoong, but he certainly knew what it wanted it to mean to him, and silently wished with all his heart that his version of their new beginnings would come true.  

Silence grows between them as they eat, and Yunho, for whatever current but unknown reason, can't bring himself to look at Hongjoong. The silence is growing into an awkward form as the stars twinkle in the sky high above them.  

This certainly isn't how Yunho pictured his first maybe-date with Hongjoong going. 

They're childhood friends, damnit!

There should be no awkward silence between them, even if Yunho has had a crush on him for literal years, they've always found stuff to talk about . Yunho decides to break the ice first.

“S o, how’s work -”

“H ow was your day ?”

Oh. Well. Now it's slightly more awkward.

“O h, sorry .”

“Y ou go -”

Oh, good grief.

Hongjoong puts a whole strawberry in his mouth , leaf and all, to keep himself from interrupting Yunho.

"U m, how was work ?”

Hongjoong shakes his head. Chewing the rest of the red fruit before swallowing (and quickly regretting eating the leaves. “ Don't ask me about work right now .”

Yunho chuckles. “ Fair enough. ” he takes a sip of wine, looking at Hongjoong through the glass. “ What made you decide to dye your hair? ” 

“I wanted to try a new color. Someone once said that I'd look really amazing with red hair. ” 

It was Yunho. Yunho said that four years ago. 

"W ell, whoever said that was right. You do look incredibly amazing. " 

Hongjoong's eyes remained fixed on his plate as Yunho spoke, and he couldn't tell if the man across from him was red in the face because he was blushing or because the wine was getting to him already.

"S top, you're gonna make me nervous, " the fairy half-jokes.

"Y ou make me nervous all the time! " Yunho responds in a joking tone, but he is very much serious.

"W hat does that mean? " Hongjoong raises his eyebrow curiously, waiting for an answer.

Yunho shakes his head. "Nothing. I'm just talking just to talk." He finishes off the rest of his cheese and crackers. 

“B ut, anyway. That aside, ” Hongjoong looks up, smiling. “ I got you a gift! ” He stands up, “ wait here, ” and flies off before coming back promptly with the mini bouquet of flowers he had purchased just a few hours earlier.

Yunho couldn't (and wouldn't ) deny that the red flowers immediately reminded him of Hongjoong’s hair. Both were equally gorgeous in their own right , and while Yunho had no green thumbs, or fingers, or a knack of any sort for taking care of flowers, he appreciated the gift nonetheless and promised to do his best to keep them alive.

“ I 'll hold you to it. ” Hongjoong jokes as he sits back down. “ In flower language, if peonies die, it is said that they can bring bad luck .”

…wonderful.

The unenthusiastic look must've been evident on Yunho's face because Hongjoong quickly tries to reassure him.

“B ut it's not like it's real! Plus, if you can keep Tapioca alive, I'm positive you can keep some flowers alive .”

Yunho gives a hopeful smile. At least one of them was confident enough for him. He puts the flowers down and picks up the bag that had been sitting beside him.

“I got you a gift too .”

Hongjoong takes the bag and peeks inside before looking back at Yunho.

“C an I open this now? I'm curious .”

“Y eah, yeah, of course! ” The vampire leans forward slightly, eagerly waiting for Hongjoong to pull out the box and open it.

“W ow! Yunho, this is gorgeous! ” Hongjoong’s wings vibrate for a second with excitement as he takes the gold chain bracelet out of the box and holds it up to the light, taking his time to look at each of the charms on it.  

“I love the charms. They're so pretty .”

“I know fairies don't really wear much jewelry but I know you like wearing it .”

“I do! I will wear this until the day I die. ” Hongjoong states as he starts undoing the clasps. “ Help me, please? ” he asks when he isn't able to fasten it himself.

Yunho immediately scoots closer and fastens the clasp. His smile matches Hongjoong’s as the fairy admires the bracelet on his arm. 

“T hank you, ” he says, his gaze moving to meet Yunho's .

The vampire scoots back and, unable to form proper words, just nods enthusiastically in response. He busies himself with clearing his plate, and Hongjoong reaches into the basket before turning back to Yunho, a mischievous smile on his face.

“H ave you ever tried red wine and root beer ?”

Yunho looks up as he thinks about the question and, noticing that his friend's hand is hidden inside the basket, gives him a look that says, “ Hongjoong, no ,”.  

This only makes the man’s smile grow even more as he pulls out a can of unopened root beer.

“ I t's good, I swear !”

“I thought you left your drink concoctions in the past! ” Yunho exclaims with a laugh.

"J ust try it, it's good .”

Yunho shakes his head, standing firm in his belief that red wine and root beer should not be mixed together.  

Hongjoong opens the can of soda and pours a tiny bit into his wine before taking a sip. He pauses, then adds a bit more before taking another sip. Yunho looks at the fairy and his drink with skepticism.

“T ry it .”

Yunho shakes his head.

“L ame .”

“W eirdo .”

Hongjoong laughs into his drink before shrugging his shoulders. If a weirdo is what he is, then a weirdo he shall be .

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

10:45 PM

Hongjoong and Yunho lay on the blanket, staring and holding casual conversation.

"I s that the dipper ?"

"N o, that's the Orion's belt. The dipper is over there, " Yunho points to the constellations and Hongjoong huffs.

" T hat's where I pointed, I swear !"

Yunho laughs, and Hongjoong points up to the sky. " Show me ."

Yunho's laughter is gone. " Huh ?"

"S how me, " the fairy repeats.

Yunho's nerves go from zero to seventy-five (not quite reaching one hundred just yet). The man swallows his nerves, or so he likes to believe, as he gently holds Hongjoong's with his own and draws from one star to the next as if he's connecting the dots. The small moment of physical intimacy has Yunho's nerves building up, and his hand starts to shake. He lets go before Hongjoong can realize that he's nervous.

"O h! I see it! Hongjoong exclaims, staring in amazement at the little dipper. Yunho breathes out slowly as he smiles fondly in the other's direction. 

The fairy eventually sits up, his eyes remaining fixed on the stars above. 

"A re you cold, Hongjoong? " Yunho questions, spotting the goosebumps on his arm as his hair stands on end. 

"A little, " Hongjoong responds. 

To be honest, he was more than just " a little " cold, but he didn't want to admit that he was freezing because what if Yunho decided to end the date so Hongjoong could go home and warm up-

"H ere, " Yunho drapes his blazer over his friend's shoulders. " You should've said something sooner ."

All Hongjoong can do is stare at the other man, his gaze slowly making Yunho feel nervous for what felt like the tenth time tonight, until eventually Yunho asks, " what ? What is it ?"

"N othing, " Hongjoong looks back at the sky. " Just that, you're a really great friend ."

Yunho is grateful for the compliment , truly , but being referred to as a ' friend ' while on a date with Hongjoong just invokes a feeling of pain in his chest.

"I don't tell you that enough."

Yunho smiles through his internal pain. "Thank you Hongjoong.

~

Yunho is leaning back on his hands, legs crossed at the ankles, while Hongjoong sits criss-cross beside him with his head on Yunho's shoulder as he sleeps peacefully. The ambience of the park at night is enough to make him want to stay another hour , but alas , he told Wooyoung and Tapioca that he'd be back home by twelve. Hongjoong also needed to go home and sleep in a proper bed, not on his friend's shoulder in the middle of a path at 11:11 at night . Yunho takes the rose that he brought, breaking off most of the stem before placing it in Hongjoong's hair and fastening the stem behind his ear. It was harder than he'd imagined to do it with one hand.

"I really like you, " he says quietly, almost whispering it . " I wish you'd like me back. " 

Hongjoong stirs awake and Yunho's eyes widen at the same time that his heart nearly jumps up his throat. The pounding in his chest is so incredibly hard that Yunho is convinced that Hongjoong can feel the vibrations.

"D id you say something to me? " 

Hongjoong sits up, exposing Yunho's warm shoulder to the cold air. He blinks once as he looks at Yunho, who is holding his breath and shaking his head confidently. 

"U m, " he breathes out , " I think we should go. It's pretty late ."

"R ight, " Hongjoong sits up even straighter. " I didn't realize how late it was ."

Yunho stands up and stretches before offering his hand out to Hongjoong, who takes it and allows himself to be pulled up, only to unexpectedly trip over his own feet and leaves into Yunho's frame. Hongjoong's entire face turns crimson red as he pushes himself off.

"W ow, " he rubs at his arm awkwardly, not entirely sure what to do in the moment. " Um, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean -"

"N o, it's okay. I think I pulled you too hard. " Yunho is looking anywhere but at Hongjoong, his own cheeks having turned red. " Are you alright though ?"

Hongjoong nods, "mhm."

Both men quickly busy themselves with cleaning up. Their faces are still red from the embarrassing moment just a few seconds earlier, and they , (or at least , Yunho,) refuses to look at Hongjoong until it's absolutely necessary.  

With Hongjoong holding the blanket, Yunho carrying the basket, and both parties carrying their respective gifts, they journey towards Hongjoong's home.

~

"Are you okay to go home by yourself?" Hongjoong asks, holding onto the doorknob as he stands outside with Yunho.

"O f course! " Yunho exclaims with a smile. " Your night is my day ."

Hongjoong lets out a small laugh and responds with a light nod, " that's true ."

A small moment of silence follows before Yunho again. 

"T hank you for inviting me out. I had a nice time ."

"M e too. We should do this again sometime ."

Was Hongjoong hinting at another date in the future? A feeling of hope blossoms within Yunho, and he can't contain the wide smile that appears on his face. " I'll look forward to it! " He puts his hands in his pockets as he begins to walk backwards. " Goodnight, Hongjoong, " he waves. " Get some sleep !"

Hongjoong waves back. " Goodnight, Yunho. Hey, watch where you're going ."

Yunho trips over a small rock that very second, but luckily regains his footing. " Don't laugh! " he tells the fairy as he points at him.

Hongjoong puts his hands up in defense as he bites back a laugh. Yunho turns around, walking properly this time down the stone path. 

Now might be a good time to tell him you like him. 

"Y unho !"

The vampire turns back around expectantly, waiting patiently to hear what Hongjoong has to say. Meanwhile, the only sound Hongjoong can hear is the pounding of his heart in his ears. Everything else is muffled, including whatever Yunho had just said to him. 

"U m, just want to say thanks again for the gift. I'll wear it a lot, " he smiles. " Get home safe ."

Yunho returns the smile, " you're welcome, Hongjoong ."

Ah, well, maybe next time? 

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

Early the next morning , Hongjoong is outside doing some gardening when his neighbor comes out of their house. 

"Good morning Hongjoong!"

Hongjoong waves, " morning, San! Are you going to the apiary today ?"

"Y up. I have to reintroduce a new queen to one of the hives and make a lot of deliveries today ."

"S ounds like a long day ."

San sighs, " yep ."

Hongjoong wipes some sweat from his face, and San catches a glimpse of his bracelet. 

"N ice bracelet. Where'd you get it ?"

"O h, uh, " Hongjoong looks at the jewelry , " a friend gave it to me ."

A... friend? San thinks for a minute. Fairies aren't typically known to wear jewelry and they almost certainly weren't gifting it to each other (gifting beads, gems, and other shiny things was different from gifting jewelry).

"I s your friend a fairy ?"

"N o, he's a vampire ."

"O h. Wow, congrats !"

Hongjoong looks up confused, and opens his mouth to ask why San was congratulating him , but the other fairy was already exchanging his parting greetings.  

A few other fairies, including Hongjoong's brother Bumjoong, ask about the bracelet, and he gives them all the same answer. Neither of them congratulates him though. Over the next several days, and unknowingly to Hongjoong, word travels fast within the fairy community, but no one asks him directly. It's considered pretty rude to ask about someone's relationship status if they don't hint at first or openly talk about it first. Most everyone, except for a few others, thinks that Hongjoong has a vampire partner.

~

"W ait, so a vampire gifting jewelry to someone else is one of your courting rituals? " Mingi repeats.

Yunho and Wooyoung both nod their heads. The three of them were out getting something to eat, and Wooyoung (who officially met Mingi today in all his deep , red-colored dragon glory with the hair that mimicked fire to match) was explaining to the dragon how vampire courting works.

"D o you think Hongjoong knows? " Mingi questions, turning to Yunho.

Yunho shakes his head. " In all history, I don't think he likes me at all . I'm just waiting for devastating blue at this point ."

"I keep telling him to just ask! " Wooyoung exclaims, slightly frustrated.

"I value my eight-plus years of friendship too much to make it awkward with that question ."

"H e just went on a date! " Wooyoung reminds him.

"O nly because it's close to Valentine's Day and he was just doing it to be nice !"

Wooyoung groans into his hands. He has a gut feeling that Hongjoong likes Yunho, but there was just no way of making the other see it. 

The next day, around 6:30 PM, when Yunho comes home from work, a mysterious object outside his house catches his eye. When he gets close enough to examine it, he finds that it's a carefully wrapped vinyl with a note taped to it. Who still listens to vinyls, he didn't know... well, that was a partial lie. He knew exactly who still listened to vinyls, but the handwriting on the note didn't match his handwriting, so he technically still had no clue who would be listening to vinyls besides his fairy friend.

The note reads: in the next few days, you'll receive many different gifts. i hope you like them all. and in case the lyrics aren't clear, i really like you and i would make 1,000 wishes if it meant we'd be more than friends

Bold. Whoever this person was, they were certainly not afraid to take their shot in a very creative way. 

The song is ' dandelions ' by Ruth B., a song that Yunho will soon find is right up his alley. He would've dismissed it as belonging to someone else except for the fact that it was addressed to Jeong Yunho, which means it must've come from a person who knew him fairly well (which could so many people).

Just like the note said, the gifts continue to span over the next few days. After the vinyl for day one, day two brings him bottles of rose petal-infused beer.

"W hoever is sending these gifts must really like you, " Wooyoung said while looking over the label of one of the bottles. " Like, flower beer ? This stuff is not cheap ."

"I know!" Yunho agrees. "I feel like I should repay them somehow, or maybe tell them that I'm not interested before this keeps going on."

"You could do that... but also, what if it's Hongjoong?" Wooyoung suggests, with a teasing smile on his face.

Yunho sighs. " Fuck you for making me delusional ."

Wooyoung laughs, feeling highly accomplished. 

"A nd ya know, speaking of the fairy, how was your date with him ?"

"It was good! I mean, we didn't do anything super special, but it's a date with Hongjoong, so that by itself made it really. We could've just met at his house and talked and it would've been special. He planned a picnic and it was cute and the lake was really pretty. We were the only ones there, so it was nice and quiet, oh, and he dyed his hair red! I thought it looked amazing before but good lord, I almost wanted to punch a tree from the amount of hot aggression I was experiencing, which isn't a thing, but in that moment it was a thing for me."

Wooyoung smiles as his friend tells him about the date with Hongjoong. 

"Y ou are so smitten ."

Yunho can't help the bashful smile on his face. " He also bought me flowers, " he gestures to the vase of red flowers.

"O h gosh ,"

"I know. I don't think they're staying alive for very long, but I promised him I'd do my best to keep them alive. Especially since he said that it's believed that they'd bring bad luck if the peony dries out."

"H ow fun, " Wooyoung says in a not-fun tone.

Yunho turns to the other vampire, " well, let's hope there's no actual bad luck in the near future ."

Wooyoung knocks on the wood of Yunho's table.

~

Day three, Yunho comes home to find three jars full of pennies with the note taped to one of them .

a jar full of pennies. each one represents a day that I've been crushing on you.

Yunho's eyes go wide as he looks at the jars, trying to asses just how many pennies are in the jars total .

"W hat the hell is that? " Wooyoung asks when Yunho came to his house the next day.

"T hree jars full of pennies ."

" T hat's the next gift? " he asks, taking a swig of soda. 

"U h-huh. Read the note. " 

Wooyoung takes another sip of his drink, only for it to come up through his nose and spray out all over his dining room table. He covers his nose and mouth with his hand, squeezing his eyes as he stomps his feet on the ground. He goes to grab some paper towels and wipes his nose and mouth. 

"A re you okay‽ " Yunho asks, slightly alarmed, although the image of liquid coming up through his friend's nose is slightly funny.

Wooyoung coughs before nodding and clearing his throat. 

"W hat happened ?"

"T he note. I was not prepared to see three years' worth of crushing on someone in the form of pennies ."

Yunho gets more paper towels and begins cleaning the table while Wooyoung does a few more rounds of clearing out his airways.

"D o you know how many are in there ?"

"N o, but that's what I'm going to find out. " Yunho takes the jars and sets them on the floor with him. Writing joins him as copper is being spilled out. 

Three and a half hours later, they're finally done. 

"H ow many do you have? " Yunho asks, stretching his arms above and slightly back behind him. 

"O ne-thousand-and-three. You ?"

"One-thousand-and-five."

Wooyoung whistles. " Two thousand and eight pennies is a lot ."

"Y eah, or fine years and one hundred eighty-three days ."

And after counting all these coins with hands that now smell like copper, Yunho is starting to think that maybe, possibly, these coming from Hongjoong. The arrival of these gifts is always before he comes home from work , and besides Wooyoung, Hongjoong is the only other one of his friends who would know exactly when he gets off. He smiles at the possibility of the gifts coming from his friend, who he's been crushing on since high school, only for him to mentally slap himself and remind himself not to expect much from a possibility.

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

Yunho ends up spending the day at Wooyoung's house since the sun had risen fully by the time they finished counting all the coins. Much later that day, he gets up and heads home to work. The hours pass by like normal , and around 6:45 AM , Mingi can be seen making his daily security rounds when he spots someone walking up to Yunho's house. 

That's not Yunho , he knows that for sure. Also, person has wings in their human form. Even though Mingi wasn't picking up any weird or dangerous vibes from this stranger, it's his duty as the security and lookout of the neighborhood to make sure that everyone and everything stays safe.

"H ey! " He lands and starts walking up to the stranger, folding his wings in so as not to appear very intimidating. " Excuse me, " he calls.

"A h! " The man turns around, holding a bouquet of flowers in a medium-sized clear vase. " I'm not doing anything weird, I swear !"

"H ongjoong? " 

The fairy waves.

'W hat is he doing here? And when did he dye his hair red? ' Mingi thinks to himself. " I didn't realize it was you! Wh- what are you doing here ?"

Hongjoong shifts his weight from one foot to the other. " If I tell you why I'm here, you have to promise not to tell Yunho ."

"I promise not to tell Yunho why I saw you here ."

Hongjoong searches the humanoid dragons face for any possible hint that he could be lying. When's he's sure he can trust him he says, "I've been leaving gifts for Yunho over the last few days. I don't think he's figured out that I'm the one leaving leaving them. I want to finish my plan of giving him the rest of the gifts with me being the final gift."

Hongjoong is so cute and sweet , it's sickening and almost makes Mingi want to vomit.

"I see, " the dragon says. " Well, your secret is safe with me, " he mimics a zipping motion over his mouth. 

Hongjoong breathes a sigh of relief. " Thank you so much, Mingi. " 

"O f course! Anything for you ."

Hongjoong looks at him with a slight tilt.

"K ay then bye! " Mingi takes off upward towards the sky before any questions can be asked. 

~

The time is 7 AM. The sun had already started to rise when Yunho was walking back to his house from work. Thankfully, a coworker who was working all day let him borrow his shadow-casting umbrella to get home. The gift for day four is sitting in front of his door and he would be lying if he said he wasn't anticipating what it would be. 

Four sets of flowers, twelve yellow flowers in total and four roses for each group, sit in a clear vase with some water on his doorstep. 

He picks up the vase and carries it into the house, taking off his shoes before bringing the base into the dining room and removing the note so he can read it ; yellow flowers for the one who brightens up my life . Roses because I deeply adore you beyond imagination. I wish to one bring bring you fraction of the happiness that you've unknowingly brought me.

He puts the card on the table and closes the umbrella, setting it down on the floor beside his chair. Could Wooyoung be right about the secret admirer being Hongjoong? The suspense was starting to eat away at him and he had to figure out the answer tomorrow morning.

11:12 PM

Yunho decides not to go to work tonight and spends most of his night at home with Tapioca, only leaving out to run a quick errand before returning home with the items he had bought.

He sits at the dining room table with a clear box that holds a crème brûlée, a wrapping bow in the shape of a flower, and a blank note of his own. Once he gets the bow on the cake box, he puts it into the fridge and goes back to the table to think about what he wants to write on his note.

7:07 PM

Yunho checks the clock (his tenth time checking in the past five minutes) and continues pacing back and forth. 7:10 is taking forever to get here , but Yunho is also experiencing the patience level of a labrador who currently can't sit still (the level is at zero).

Three minutes finally pass, and Yunho goes to take the box out of the fridge. He tapes his note onto it and dashes to the windows at the front of his house, checking up and down the street and in the skies thoroughly before opening his front door and placing his gift just outside of it . His heart pounds from excitement and the thought of a possibility being real. He goes back to the living room and tries to find something to do while he waits .

~

Yunho, who is sitting on his couch upside down, looks up from the book he's reading and glances at the clock.

" I t's only been ten minutes‽ " He looks at the page number of the book, " and I'm still on the same page ‽"

Groaning, he lets his arms go limp, allowing the book to fall to the floor as he slides down the chair dramatically. Tapioca sits at the other end of the couch, ears perked forward as he watches his human make uncommon noises and do uncommon movements.

"W hy is time going by so slowly ?"

~

Hongjoong walks up the pathway to Yunho's house , the fifth gift in hand is a bottle of honey from the apiary where San works at and a note that says something about how sweet Yunho is.  

Hongjoong notices the box in front of the door and picks it up, reading the note that sits on top.

I heard you like sweet things, and this crème brûlée deeply reminds me of you: sweet and tart, tough , yet soft. If you are who I think you are, ring the doorbell and let's meet halfway.

~ 

Yunho does a back walkover off the couch and shakes his head, trying to get his hair to fall back into place before he opens the door. He nervous go from 20 - 70. He places his hand on the doorknob and takes a deep inhale before letting it out.

'B e calm. No matter who is on the other side of that door, ' he tells himself.

He opens it, and on the other side stands Hongjoong. Their eyes meet. Hongjoong smiles and gives a small wave. Yunho panics and slams the door. He punches the air multiple times before the realization sets in that he slammed the door in Hongjoong's face.

"O h shit! " He opens it to find Hongjoong a little confused but still smiling.

"H ello ."

"H i ."

They both stand there for a few seconds, switching between stealing glances and looking anywhere else .

"U m -"

"I ha -"

"S orry, you go first. " Yunho tells him.

"T his is for you, " he hands Yunho the jar of honey . " Um... if it isn't clear, which I'm , I'm pretty sure it is at this point . I- uh, I like you. A lot. I've liked for-

"T wo-thousand-and-eight days? I counted the pennies ."

Hongjoong's eyes meet Yunho's , and he nods slowly. " Yeah ."

"W ell, I guess that makes -"

"W ait! I have one more gift tomorrow, and this one is really important . Could you tell me then ?"

Yunho nods enthusiastically. " Thank you for the gift. All the gifts. " He adds, " I'll see you tomorrow ?"

"D efinitely! You'll see me tomorrow ."

"G oodnight ,"

Hongjoong waves as he turns around, focusing his attention as he flies back to his home in the forest. 

Yunho closes the door as he tries to calm down from the neurological overstimulation that his brain just and is still going through.

His smile grows, and he sits down, recalling everything that's happened in the past few days. He can't believe he was so blinded by doubt that he didn't see the signs were right there in his face! His crush of nine years just confessed that he likes him... and this wasn't a dream. Wooyoung was definitely bread about knowing it all along. 

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★

The next night, Hongjoong shows up one final time to deliver his final gift. He steps up to the door, fixing his clothes one last time before ringing the doorbell, and it doesn't take Yunho longer than ten seconds to open it.

Hongjoong hands Yunho the note as soon as he opens the door.

my final gift to you is; me. i don't know if you feel the same way i do, but if you do, i hope you'll let me be your boyfriend so i can love you properly.

Yunho looks up from the message and nods. " Yes, Hongjoong. I like you back. " His cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much, but he didn't mind. They could hurt all day for all he cared. 

Hongjoong holds out his hand, " boyfriends ?"

"B oyfriends, " Yunho confirms, sliding his hand into Hongjoong's and interlocking their fingers. 

"W hy does this feel so nerve-wracking ?"

"I don't know," Hongjoong admits.

Yunho swings their arms back and forth, feeling a sense of euphoria. He turns to look at Hongjoong, his eyes saying everything that he physically couldn't .

Hongjoong matches Yunho's smile. " Thank you for waiting for me, too ."

~

"S ee, I knew it! " Wooyoung exclaims, tossing down his plastic fork as he stands up from his seat. " It only took like, eight fucking years ."

Hongjoong and Yunho had planned a small get-together at Hongjoong's house about a week after their confession to announce their relationship to their friends.

"I see that Woo-tuition never fails, " Mingi comments from his spot next to Hongjoong.

"H ell yeah, it doesn't . Let this be a lesson, Jeong Yunho ."

"I know, I know. I'll listen to you sooner next time ."

"Y ou actually could've listened to any one of us, " Mingi states. " It was so painfully obvious that both of your crushes were mutual ."

"D amn. That obvious? " Yunho asks, rubbing behind his ear.

Everyone (except Hongjoong) agrees.

"B ut the important thing is that you guys are together now, " Yeosang reminds them, " so now you can finally put this chapter of your relationship behind you ."

Wooyoung picks up his glass cup of half drunken orange juice and raises it into the air enthusiastically, " to Hongho ! "

Everyone turns to him, looks ranging from confused to mildly entertained.

" I t's their ship name. " Wooyoung clarifies.

The room erupts into a chorus of ' ohhs ' before everyone else is also raising their glasses in support of Hongho.

★*°•·.★*.·°•*.·★