hyunsuk hears the door shut, pulling him out of his nap as he leans up to see you trying to get out of your shoes while holding a package in your arms. he stifles a yawn, blinking a few times as he stretches. "baby?"
"i'm here!" you call out, and then nearly trip over the step into the apartment. he hears the excitement in your quick steps as you cross the room, dropping the box onto the coffee table before going for anything sharp to open the box with. "i was going to wrap it but it's already late and--"
late...? he perks up, running a hand through his hair, already unable to hide a smile. "that's okay. can i break into it?"
you stand in his little kitchenette, a little flustered as you nod. "yeah! yeah, it's not--it's not fragile. they're just... shoes."
just shoes in your words. he knows what you got him: you sheepishly showed him the picture of them, a pair of shoes he'd been eyeing up for a while. he splurged on a new jersey as a birthday gift to himself since it was almost sold out... and passed up on this pair. he rips into the box, careful enough to not ruin the cardboard but the flimsy tape rips easily. bright red, white, and black peeks out of the paper at him, and he's already grinning and blushing.
you listen. you told him when you started dating that you're terrible with presents (you get a little overwhelmed, especially with the added worry of "but what if they hate it?" making the process worse), but you've figured out how to deal with it. making lists when people mention things, sending links to yourself 'to check out later,' keeping an eye out when someone points out certain styles they like...
you settle next to him. "so?"
"i love them." his eyes crinkle when he smiles, leaning over to kiss you. "thank you, baby."
"happy birthday, baby," you tease him a little, kissing his forehead before settling into the couch. "i'm glad you're here."
he is, too. he'll wear them the next time you go out together, just to see you smile.
haruto finds that he curls around you all too easily whenever you're prepping for dinner. sometimes he helps, too (all you have to do is show him what needs doing, and he'll do it), but tonight he's banned from helping. with school and work taking up too much of both of your schedules... you make do with alternate birthday plans. he went out with his friends for lunch the day-of, and now you're standing in his tiny apartment, making him dinner. he'll let you go when you actually start cooking. but for now...
"did you pick a movie already?" you ask out of the blue. for a moment, you stop in chopping ingredients enough to turn, leaning so that you can press a kiss against his cheek. "or are you still off in space?"
will you come get me if i am? he hums a little, holding you a little tighter. "i did," he says, simple as that, and shuts his eyes for a moment. "do you need me to move?"
"in a minute," you go back to work, pulling over the other package of veggies to chop up. "did you like the watch?"
the watch is still in the box it came in, sitting on top of his coffee table next to a mountain of tissue paper and a black bag. "how much did you spend on it?"
you raise a finger to your lips, smiling. "not telling."
he files that away. so we're at the point where we can spend more on each other...? he wasn't entirely sure the two of you hit that point until now. but he's glad you did: he'll save up for your next birthday present (or maybe your next anniversary later this year... maybe both, actually) and spoil you, too.
"hey." you set down the knife, turning so that you can face him for a minute. "i know i said it on the day, but... happy birthday." you peck his lips quickly, hands resting on his shoulders. "i'm really glad you're in my life."
haruto feels his heart skip a beat for a moment, and steals another quick kiss from you. "i'm glad you're here, too," his voice is soft. "i love you."
you always get a little flustered when he says it first, all because he struggled to say it. the words were too big, too heavy, but the minute he found the courage to them out loud before you did, he felt lighter. you just wrap your arms around him, squeezing him tight for a minute. "i love you, too."
another chime from jihoon's phone tells you that someone else has wished him a happy birthday. he tells you not to move as he stretches as best as he can without disturbing you, one arm still curled comfortably around you while you grab onto his laptop to keep it from sliding. it takes a few seconds of trying to snag the bottom of his phone by the protective case from the bedside table where it'd charging, but he pulls it into his grasp, holding it up to see that this time it's asahi, and the message is longer than what you can actually read.
"that's sweet," you hum, head still resting on his shoulder. you avert your eyes back to the laptop screen, tapping to pause the episode of the movie the two of you were watching. "everyone loves our sweet hoonie..."
he chuckles, and you can feel the vibration just barely. "not everyone," he says, typing out a response. a few seconds later, you hear that swish! and he sets his phone aside. "just the people that matter."
you snuggle closer again. the sound of waves crashing against the shore outside your hotel room make you feel drowsy all over again when you're cuddled up next to him, but you'll make it to the credits. today has been long with your beach day, complete with jihoon again trying to teach you how to surfe, but he had told you over cake at his birthday dinner that he wanted to watch a movie with you before the day was over.
"are you falling asleep?" he chuckles, pressing a kiss against your forehead.
"no." you pout a little at the accusation. "i'm fine. we don't have much left."
"it's okay if you fall asleep," he chuckles, patting your head a little before he unpauses the movie. "thank you for planning today."
you settle in, watching the screen despite the way your vision seems to blur, lids heavier than they were before. "of course," you murmur, draping an arm across him. "anything for you. happy birthday, my hoonie."
and he just chuckles, taking your hand so that he can kiss your knuckles. "goodnight, sleepyhead."
this is a big step. usually, you're the one who comes to see him just because it works out that way. but junghwan grips the straps of his carry-on bag as he makes his way through the airport, already craning his neck to look for you once he's close enough to baggage claim to start looking. you were clear with your description of your appearance today: pink hoodie (the one he likes the color of, you proudly boast), very tired undergraduate student who's still very excited for their boyfriend to come see them again. not that he hasn't seen you before. he has, plenty of times. but the airport here is busy at this time of morning, and you picked a color to hopefully help you stand out among anyone else who might be around that has your build... and it gave him the chance to find and wear a matching hoodie.
he doesn't even see you come up beside him while he's waiting for his checked bag. there isn't any fanfare, any sobbing on each other (yet, at least). he just feels the way you step into place beside him, nudging him just enough to get his attention. he wraps an arm around you, fighting back a smile and the urge to say something sappy.
"happy birthday," you mumble to him as you wrap an arm around his waist. you look as tired as he is, and he can't blame you: you said your classes started kicking your ass early this semester. "do you wanna get breakfast? i'm paying."
he debates with himself for a minute as the luggage carousel kicks to life. he watches for his bag, and pulls you a little closer to his side. "i think... we should nap."
"is that what you want for your birthday?" you tease, and then hide a yawn behind your hand. "don't let me change your mind--"
"i'm not." he pulls you in front of him, arms wrapping around you as the two of you sway a little. he's already feeling shy again, but he pushes through it. is it weird to say this out loud...? he's not sure, but his cheeks grow warmer as he finally says what he wants, "i want to take a nap with you."
"then we'll nap," you reach a hand up, squeezing his bicep. "whatever the birthday boy wants."
he just squeezes you closer to his chest. the two of you could stay right here and he'd be happy... but he'll be even happier once the two of you are cuddling again. and if that's all he received for his birthday this year, he thinks it'd be worth it.
