Work Text:
It’s Xu Qi Zhang’s birthday
Ye Guang found out by accident; he wasn’t supposed to know at all.
If Jian hadn’t asked him; “So, what are you giving Xu Qi Zhang tomorrow?” he probably would’ve never found out.
Jian had noticed his surprise immediately. A big smile started to grow on his face.
“You didn’t know?” he asked again, as if he didn’t already know the answer.
Ye Guang wanted to lightly smack him on the head, but then his boyfriend appeared with a smile that made the rest of the world disappear. Nobody mentioned anything about a birthday after that.
When he got home, Ye Guang’s mind started spinning.
It was his boyfriend’s birthday.
What could he give Xu Qi Zhang?
What could he prepare?
It would be their first birthday together.
Ye Guang buried his face in his pillow and muffled a scream into it, full of excitement. Xu Qi Zhang deserved everything, and Ye Guang wanted to give it to him.
First things first. He turned on his computer and began searching.
“Surprise party ideas.”
“Birthday gifts.”
“How to surprise my boyfriend?”
Each search made his excitement grow, and he regretted not talking to Xu Qi Zhang about it earlier. Would his boyfriend prefer an expensive gift or a homemade meal? A surprise party or something just for the two of them? He groaned in frustration.
The clock read 11:45 p.m. His unorganized notes were still scattered on his desk, and his uniform wasn’t ready for the next day. He felt messier than ever. His phone buzzed, and he rushed to grab it.
He sighed when he saw a message from RayRay asking if he could help with Biology. Just before his disappointment fully settled in, something clicked in his mind. He called his friend immediately.
RayRay answered quickly, still sounding confused.
“Do you… want to study now?”
“Are you with Jian right now?” Silence filled the other side of the line. Ye Guang could practically feel himself crying internally.
“Why are you looking for my boyfriend?”
“So that’s a yes?” RayRay didn’t reply. Instead, another voice came through the line.
“I need to surprise Xu Qi Zhang,” Ye Guang said right away, the seconds on the clock continuing to tick.
11:55 p.m.
Two laughs came from the other side of the call. Ye Guang pouted, no one saw it, thankfully.
“Ye Guang, I’m the perfect person to help with that.”
Those words gave him all the relief he needed. Ye Guang smiled and listened closely to every word Jian said.
Right now, his boyfriend’s birthday was the only thing that mattered.
His alarm went off at 6 a.m. One minute later, an incoming call woke him up completely.
His mother greeted him, asked how he had slept, and reminded him of his responsibilities for the day. Ye Guang answered every question without complaint—until she mentioned his afternoon piano lesson, the last one of the day. That’s when he interrupted her.
“Is something wrong?”
“Mom…” He hesitated. Challenging his parents, even over something small, was still difficult for him, even if things had gotten better. Then, in his mind, he pictured his boyfriend’s smile, and that alone gave him the courage he needed.
“Today is Xu Qi Zhang’s birthday… Can I celebrate with him?”
Ye Guang didn’t have a solid plan yet, but he decided to ask the first thing that came to his mind before he lost his nerve.
“I just want to cancel today’s piano lesson. Just this once.”
His mom stayed silent for a moment, and then he heard his father’s voice on the other side of the line. Ye Guang couldn’t make out what they were saying—and he was too scared to try.
“Honey, you have our permission. We’ll be traveling for a few more days. Take care of yourself, alright?”
Ye Guang smiled, even though his parents couldn’t see it.
“Thank you!” he replied, unable to hide his excitement. He was about to hang up when another voice replaced his mother’s.
“I hope you have a good time, Ye Guang.”
And then the call ended.
His father had said that.
Unbelievable.
Ye Guang lay there, confused and happy at the same time for a few more minutes. Then he got up to start his routine.
At school, RayRay greeted him with a smile clearly meant to make him nervous and it worked.
“Do you have everything ready?”
Ye Guang barely managed to nod before the teacher walked in and everyone rushed to their seats.
The day looked normal to everyone else.
But for Ye Guang, everything felt different. His mind kept creating a detailed schedule of what he would do after school; what he needed to buy, how long the errands would take.
His phone vibrated, and he hurried to check it in secret.
“Do you want to have lunch together today?”
He could hear Xu Qi Zhang’s voice perfectly in his head.
He forced himself to stay serious and not laugh like a lovesick teenager.
“Sorry. I got called into a meeting. Do you have plans for the afternoon?”
An hour later, he received the reply.
“Just helping Mom at the shop.”
Ye Guang immediately remembered his boyfriend’s mom—always greeting him with warmth and a gentle smile.
Should he invite her too?
Before he could overthink it, another message popped up.
“Never mind. Mom says today is my day off, so I’m doing nothing.”
The heavens were on his side.
“Can you come to my house at five?”
“Of course. I’ll be there.”
With that last message, Ye Guang decided he was officially happy.
He put his phone away and tried to focus on class.
Everything was going to be okay.
Nothing was going right.
The fake meeting he had invented to excuse himself from his boyfriend ended up becoming real. Even though he was the first one out the moment the bell rang, he still wasn’t fast enough to avoid being intercepted by the current student council president.
He had said, “I just need to coordinate a few things with you for our next reception for the foreign guests,” but in reality it turned into a full, serious meeting, with members from different clubs and several top-performing students.
Ye Guang wanted to curse someone.
The heavens weren’t exactly on his side anymore.
He checked his phone, hoping to calm down, but instead it made things worse.
2:35 p.m.
At this hour he should’ve been decorating his house, setting up the cake he was supposed to have already bought, and reviewing yet again the noodle recipe Jian had sent him.
“Sorry. I interrupted your lunch, didn’t I?”
The president’s voice pulled him back to the present.
Ye Guang forced a smile.
“Will it take much longer?”
The president smiled politely.
“Maybe another hour. Do you have something urgent to do?”
Ye Guang was a terrible liar, but the president didn’t know that.
“I… have exclusive piano lessons. If I don’t go, my father will get really angry.”
The president understood immediately.
“Then you should go. I’ll update your account with the details. Is that alright?”
Ye Guang nodded quickly and said goodbye without waiting for another word.
2:55 p.m.
He called a taxi and practically sprinted toward it.
On the way, he tried to calm down. Even if everything was pushing him to rush, he couldn’t treat this lightly.
His boyfriend’s birthday was important.
The first stop was the cake shop. He had seen plenty of cakes online, so he already had an idea of what to choose. He placed a reservation for later pickup and moved on to his next destination.
The mall was filled with decorations. He remembered Jian’s advice and went searching for something similar. For once, something good happened, he found the perfect store. The shop assistant was incredibly kind and even explained how to assemble and arrange everything properly.
“Good luck” She said as a farewell, and he bowed slightly in gratitude.
Next, he entered a convenience store, bought all the ingredients, thankfully everything was in stock, and rushed out again.
Now came the most important part.
the gift.
Ye Guang walked. And walked. And walked.
Nothing felt good enough… until he came across a jewelry shop.
In the main display, there were necklaces, chains, all sorts of accessories—
but what caught his eye was a bracelet with musical note charms and similar designs.
His mind screamed Xu Qi Zhang.
“You’re the one”
3:50 p.m.
When he got back home, it was already 4:30.
Ye Guang was nervous. His boyfriend could arrive at any moment and he didn’t have anything ready; he might as well die right there.
First, he set up the cake just the way he had planned; he put the bracelet inside a gift bag along with the letter he had written at midnight, thankfully, and left it in his room.
He started with the decorations at 5, and at the same time he received a message from Xu Qi Zhang. He imagined it would be something like “I’m outside, can I come in?”, so he unlocked his phone with fear… but immediately let out the breath he’d been holding.
“I’m going to be a little late, there’s so much traffic. I’m sorry!”
Ye Guang replied instantly, thanking the heavens that continued to contradict themselves today.
“No rush, please drive safely.”
After releasing another sigh of relief, he got to work.
He finished just in time, stepped back to look at what he’d done… and hated it.
“I’m so bad at this…”
Resigned, he sent RayRay a picture, and RayRay replied with a bunch of laughing emojis.
“The things we do for love don’t always turn out well.”
Ye Guang stuck his tongue out at the phone and headed to his next task, but before he could reach the kitchen, he was interrupted again, this time by a call. He tried to relax his shoulders and answered.
“I’m here. Do you want me to go up or will you come down?”
“Wait for me right where you are.”
He hung up immediately and grabbed a jacket to cover himself.
Ye Guang pushed away his anxious thoughts and smiled to himself. He left the apartment with his nerves on edge.
When he stepped through the main entrance, he saw the person he had missed so much. Ye Guang’s smile grew on its own, and his body moved before he could think —he ran toward Xu Qi Zhang and hugged him tightly.
“Happy birthday.”
He could hear Xu Qi Zhang’s laughter even if he couldn’t see his face. The hug was returned, and that calmed the heart that was beating wildly inside his chest. His boyfriend smelled too good; now he didn’t want to let go… unfortunately, he had to.
“Thank you… but how did you know?”
“Jian gave me a hint yesterday. Do you want to come in?”
Xu Qi Zhang nodded and looked at him with that gentle expression.
Ye Guang felt like he could melt on the spot.
“I didn’t know you could cook.”
Ye Guang looked at his boyfriend, trying to seem offended and failing miserably.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Xu Qi Zhang said quickly, making both of them laugh.
“I know the basics. I just didn’t always like restaurant food.”
His boyfriend nodded, though he looked like he wanted to apologize again. Ye Guang immediately cut him off.
“If you don’t like it, we can order whatever you want.”
Xu Qi Zhang shook his head with a calm smile and reached out to ruffle his hair, making Ye Guang’s heart skip.
He grabbed the spoon, blew on it a few times, and tasted the soup Ye Guang had rushed to make while forcing him to watch a movie.
“I really like it,” he said, finally easing Ye Guang’s anxious heart.
“You’re not lying, right? You have to finish it, all of it.”
Xu Qi Zhang made a surprised, terrified face before bursting into laughter.
Ye Guang wrapped him in a tight hug as punishment.
“Okay, okay, I get it.”
After they finished eating, Xu Qi Zhang suggested taking pictures, and Ye Guang agreed with a smile.
They took much longer than expected and ended up with way too many pictures, commenting on each one.
“I like this one.”
“But you barely appear in it.”
“But you do.”
Xu Qi Zhang pouted, and Ye Guang resisted the urge to squish his cheeks.
What he couldn’t resist anymore was kissing his boyfriend.
It was slow, he leaned in carefully, waiting for a rejection that never came.
Xu Qi Zhang moved just as slowly, and in the end, their lips met softly.
The kiss deepened naturally, as if neither of them wanted to be the first to pull back.
Xu Qi Zhang’s hand slid to the back of Ye Guang’s neck, warm and steady, and Ye Guang felt his breath hitch.
He shifted closer, their knees touching, their noses brushing between soft kisses that grew warmer, hungrier.
Xu Qi Zhang smiled against his mouth.
“You’re being bold today…”
“Is that… bad?”
Ye Guang’s voice came out lower than he expected.
“Not at all.”
His boyfriend’s fingers traced his jaw, slow and deliberate, sending a shiver down his spine.
They kissed again, deeper this time —heat rising, breaths mingling, Ye Guang’s hands tightening around Xu Qi Zhang’s shirt—
A phone began to vibrate, its familiar ringtone cutting through the moment.
They froze.
Ye Guang almost groaned in despair.
Xu Qi Zhang let out a tiny laugh on his shoulder.
“You should answer that” he whispered.
Ye Guang forced himself to breathe, grabbed his phone, and stepped aside.
It was Jian.
Of course.
After a very short chaotic call, he hung up and returned to the living room where Xu Qi Zhang was waiting with an amused expression.
“Sorry… he just wanted to know if everything went well.”
“Did it?” Xu Qi Zhang teased softly.
Ye Guang’s cheeks heated.
He took a deep breath, then suddenly brightened.
“Wait here. Don’t move.”
Xu Qi Zhang blinked at him, confused but smiling, and Ye Guang had to force himself to step back before he ended up clinging to him like a koala.
He turned around quickly, almost tripping over his own feet, and hurried down the hallway.
The moment he entered his room, he pressed a hand over his chest.
His heart was out of control.
Only one thing mattered now; the gift bag resting on his bed.
He picked it up carefully, smoothing out the small wrinkles on the paper.
Why was he shaking this much?
It wasn’t even a big gift. Just a bracelet. Just something small.
But giving it to him—that made it feel terrifying.
He took a deep breath.
“Okay… okay, it’s fine. You can do this,” he whispered to himself.
On his way back to the living room, he slowed down.
When he reached the corner, he peeked out.
Xu Qi Zhang was waiting exactly where he left him, hands in his pockets, looking around the apartment with that smile.
Ye Guang’s breath caught.
He stepped out quietly.
Xu Qi Zhang turned toward him immediately.
Ye Guang’s fingers tightened around the gift bag.
He walked up to him, slower than before, every step heavier with nerves.
When he finally stopped in front of him, he lifted the bag with both hands.
“This is… your surprise.”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“Do you… like it?”
Xu Qi Zhang opened it slowly.
Too slowly.
Ye Guang wanted to scream.
When he saw the bracelet, his eyes widened just a bit, then softened in that gentle, devastating way that weakened Ye Guang’s knees.
Xu Qi Zhang didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, Xu Qi Zhang stood up and planted a kiss on Ye Guang's cheek. That made Ye Guang blush.
His eyes were warm, full, overflowing.
“I liked it…but what I like even more…”
His voice dropped to a whisper.
“…is that it was from you.”
Hours later, after their little private celebration had ended,
Ye Guang felt himself melting with love all over again.
“Mom said I can stay over since tomorrow’s Saturday, so…”
Xu Qi Zhang was wearing his clothes.
The jacket Ye Guang usually threw on to lounge around the house was now resting on his boyfriend’s shoulders, covering his skin.
Ye Guang forced himself to stay serious —to not let his thoughts wander somewhere dangerous.
“Can I?”
“What did you say?”
Xu Qi Zhang looked down at himself, then gave him a slightly confused smile before repeating.
“I want to read your letter now. Can I?”
Ye Guang’s mind snapped back to the present instantly.
“NO.”
His boyfriend looked amused at his reaction.
“Save it. Read it when you’re home, then you can.”
The older boy nodded, and Ye Guang felt relief wash over him once again.
A moment later, Xu Qi Zhang curled up against his chest, warm and close.
“Thank you for everything, Ye Guang,”
he murmured, half-asleep.
And Ye Guang was certain that he could die right there, in that moment,
and he would die happy.