Having a broken arm was bad enough, but having a broken arm on his boyfriend’s birthday was even worse. Thankfully, he wasn’t completely alone in his efforts anymore.
Last year on Wonwoo’s birthday, Mingyu was only at the point in which he was first realizing his feelings. It hadn’t been long since they told each other their life stories, and he bought the other boy so many gifts to make up for every birthday that he’d missed up until that point. This year, however, he only had to give for a single birthday, which was this one. Even so, considering last year they were simply best friends and this year they’re best friends and boyfriends, he had so much more that he wanted to do. If he could, he would give Wonwoo the whole entire world. Though, as he thought about it, that seemed a little dangerous for the Earth’s population.
Ever since he returned home the previous night, he’s insisted that Wonwoo stays away from the fridge. The two were spending the entirety of Monday together, so Mingyu went out the night before and stopped by his grandfather’s house. Juyeon is the one who helped Mingyu bake the cake for his boyfriend, since he was pretty useless with only his right arm, plus he didn’t want it to taste too horrible. He had it stashed away, finally removing it from its place and placing it on the counter in the same spot he did last year. He wasn’t as fast at doing things this time around, but he still steadily got it ready and lit all of the candles.
“Wonwoo?” He called the other into the room after making him wait, and as soon as he had approached, Mingyu began singing him happy birthday, which honestly felt like Déjà vu. Once he was finished, he waited for the other to blow out the candles, then with a smile, he leaned in to press a long kiss to his lips. “Happy birthday, baby… Juyeon helped me bake the cake, so if it tastes like shit, it’s not my fault.” He softly laughed, stepping behind him to hug him from behind with his good arm and resting his chin on his shoulder.
A lot can change in a year.
This time exactly 365 days ago, he and Mingyu were just friends — perhaps already well on their way to being more than that, but still, just friends. Since, they’d been through some incredibly dark times and some incredibly bright, kissed a million times (roughly), fought (sadly, but also thankfully, deep down somewhere), learnt more about one another, grown. A lot has changed in this year for them both for the better and Wonwoo can’t wait for all the more years to come by Mingyu’s side, but for now, he focuses on today. Wonwoo day.
(Not that every day isn’t Wonwoo day in their home, but today, it’s officially Wonwoo day, and he’s more excited than usual.)
Stay away from the fridge can only mean cake, so from the night before, Wonwoo’s itching for the day to begin. It’s not quite as intense as Christmas, where he feels as if he could jump out of bed at a ridiculous hour of the morning, but it’s enough that he doesn’t want to sleep in quite as long knowing his favourite ‘cake for breakfast’ is on the table. Still, despite loving the ‘surprise’ he’ll have when the treat is finally revealed to him, Wonwoo wonders if he should offer some assistance given the older’s situation, but when his name is called, he knows everything is ready.
(Maybe it’s a little selfish to be so elated at the prospect of receiving all these gifts and efforts, but Wonwoo wouldn’t be this way with anyone else. He’s excited to do these things with Mingyu, not just at all, and that much is clear when he begins to tear up half way through the birthday song.)
“Thank you.” He mumbles, a bright smile stretching his lips once he’s made his wish. I wish Mingyu and I will be by one another’s sides forever; same as every year. He doesn’t expect that’ll change for a long time, and even then, it’ll only be the inclusion of another name. “I’m sure it’s perfect, baby. Thank you and Juyeon for making it for me, but mostly you.” He laughs softly, stretching his palm over Mingyu’s wrapped around him. “So, we’re having cake for breakfast, right?”
throughout the entirety of his life, choi seungcheol has been rather weak in the gift-giving department. he’s never been one for many material objects, and it shows—the most meaningful gift he’s ever given to anyone is a mirror, and that’s saying something. when it came time for wonwoo’s birthday, someone who coup liked to consider as a friend rather than an associate, he knew that he had to at least try to find something that the other could enjoy.
“here you go,” he stated, holding the box in wonwoo’s direction. there’s a somewhat confident smile on his lips, and he can only hope that he isn’t getting the other’s hopes up too high. “don’t go getting too excited—there’s nothing too amazing in there, but i just wanted to give you something on your special day.” was wonwoo even a fan of birthdays? well, seungcheol was sure that he’d soon find out. “happy birthday, wonwoo.”
when he opens the package, he’ll find a single hawaiian shirt, along with a brand new pair of flip flops. it was an odd choice for a present, but both items had managed to catch his eye. it was probably a stupid idea, but it was the only idea that he had.
honestly, wonwoo doesn’t expect gifts from anyone except mingyu and a small birthday bonus from his boss at the cafe, and even then, it’s not (mostly) because he feels he deserves them, but because he knows mingyu certainly wouldn’t ever let his birthday go by without celebrating (and wonwoo is grateful, because he loves birthdays almost as much as christmas) and in the case of the latter, it’s company policy. point is, though, that when coup says he has something for him the day before his birthday, wonwoo’s surprised to find out it’s a gift and not, well, anything else, when really, it would make more sense the other way around. people give gifts on birthdays, of course, but perhaps wonwoo’s just still so used to only receiving them from himself.
“thanks.” it’s not a word he says often, but it’s one he says now with no hesitation. he is thankful; this is something unexpected but no less thoughtful. but what does stump him is what could coup have possibly gotten him? the two of them are friends, yes, but it’s not like wonwoo’s ever confided in him about his love of anything besides noodles and this sure doesn’t feel like noodles.
it seems wonwoo has developed a habit of thinking about gifts too hard when he could just open them, and upon realising this and snapping back to reality, he makes short work of opening the package. once he lays eyes on the pattern of the shirt, he laughs heartily. the flip flops that accompany it only make him smile more. it’s not quite a nose scrunch smile, but it’s easily enough for wonwoo to cover it instinctively. “hey, thanks! perfect for summer.” he’s not sure when he’ll have the opportunity to wear them just yet, but he thinks something’s bound to come along. it is summer, after all. “this means a lot. I’m really grateful. just don’t tell anyone else I said that; I don’t want them getting the wrong idea about me being nice or anything.” he chuckles, the corners of his lips quirking just ever so slightly. he should probably say something else, but instead, he’s making a mental note to start planning soon because… isn’t coup’s birthday coming up soon, too?
Although his way of giving gifts wasn’t as fun or creative as Wonwoo’s, he knew that his boyfriend didn’t mind it either way. He had a lot less to give this year in regards to quantity, but perhaps it would all make up for it in quality. Once the two of them were seated in the living room, Mingyu pulled a small bag from the floor in front of him. “This one isn’t from me. When I went over to my grandfather’s house last night for Juyeon to help me with the cake, he found this and told me to give it to you. Apparently, he found it a few months ago in some of his things and he was keeping it until your birthday since Christmas had already passed.” Honestly speaking, Mingyu didn’t know what it was and he didn’t ask, so the moment that it was pulled from its paper, Mingyu was just as surprised as Wonwoo was, probably. Possibly even more, since he actually recognized it. He stared for a long time before quietly chuckling.
“It’s been… years since I’ve seen that…” He paused, pulling Wonwoo closer against his side as he spoke. “That belonged to me when I was little. I guess when they cleaned out my old house, this was something else that ended up with my grandparents.” He hesitantly pulled his arm from around Wonwoo and reached to brush his fingertips over the plush. “When I was sick or scared, this is what comforted me. My mother used to always bring it with her when she was coming to pick me up from school since I couldn’t take him with me, then I would hold him from the time I got into the car until I fell asleep at night.” He was speaking softly and leaned in to kiss along Wonwoo’s jaw. “I’m glad he found him and gave him to you.” His words were mumbled, and he returned his arm to its place around his boyfriend. “We didn’t know one another back then, but now you have your own little piece of my childhood.”
He rubbed the younger boy’s back for a moment before realizing that now would be a good time for him to give his own gift, so he removed his hand once again to grab the sketchbook from the floor. “This is for you.” He placed it on Wonwoo’s lap and turned open a page, revealing a drawing of him. He turned the pages, showing many sketches of Wonwoo, one or two of Mingyu himself, a few of Sujin, and then various landscapes from the times they’d go on secret dates. “I haven’t been able to add to it, so the pages at the back are blank. I thought I was going to have more time to fill it up, then this happened.” He gestured to his broken arm and chewed on his lower lip. “But, I didn’t want it to ruin my plans of giving it to you.” His hand trailed up and he stroked Wonwoo’s hair, lovingly watching his face as he did so. “You’re so beautiful. Maybe once this heals, I’ll finish it for you. You’re too perfect for me to leave them blank… I could have more sketches of you in there.” His smile widened and he leaned in to kiss his cheek.
“There’s still one last thing, actually. I got the idea from your birthday gift to me, since we both enjoyed it so much.” He reached down and slid an envelope into Wonwoo’s lap, waiting for him to open it to see what was inside. Mingyu decided that he wanted the two of them to spend an entire week, rather than just the weekend, away together. No one would suspect anything since Mingyu already wasn’t working thanks to his broken arm, so it wasn’t as if they’d both take off at the same time. “I’m guessing you’ve never been to Songjeong Beach in Busan… Well, I hope you are willing to spend a week there with me.”
He reached up and softly grabbed Wonwoo’s chin, turning his face so that he was looking at him. He smiled happily before leaning in and capturing his boyfriend’s upper lip between his, then he slightly pulled away. “I love you. I hope I did a good job with everything… I just really want you to have a happy birthday. I don’t want you to have a bad birthday ever again.”
At each mention of the members of Mingyu’s family and their involvement, Wonwoo’s happy smile grows large enough for his thin fingers to reach up to instinctively cover it. The crinkle of his nose is a giveaway to what’s now hidden, but Mingyu knows him more than well enough by now to know that beneath his palm is a blinding smile, so he consciously moves his hand away, especially so when a bag is handed to him. Two hands carefully holding it are sturdier than one, after all. “Grandfather wants me to have something?” He can’t imagine what it could be. Surely anything he found in their family treasures belonged to Mingyu, but he wouldn’t dare go against grandfather’s wishes.
What’s the point in wondering, however, when he can just found out immediately? So, he does. He carefully pulls away the paper to reveal a soft plush inside, something he probably could’ve guessed from the feel of the gift alone had he realised at the time. He’s gently rubbing his fingers over its ears when Mingyu’s quiet chuckle meets his own ears. He takes his eyes off it for the first time to look into Mingyu’s. Even though Wonwoo knows a lot of his childhood memories could easily bring him pain, the older always has a twinkle in his eye of happiness when he reminisces on times with his mother, and no matter how faint that twinkle may be sometimes, it’s one of the most beautiful things Wonwoo’s ever seen. “You’re so fucking cute.” He chuckles quietly as he nuzzles back in once Mingyu settles close again, humming contently as kisses are pressed to his jaw. Maybe one day we can pass it on ourselves, he wonders, but says nothing. Instead, he simply smiles, wide and blissful, as he rubs his thumb against the plush’s soft tummy.
He almost forgets about the rest of his birthday celebrations as Mingyu gently rubs his back. How couldn’t he when he’s as comfortable as can be and has already received a gift far more than he could’ve ever imagined? One thing Wonwoo always felt upset by was the lack of evidence that Mingyu existed before they met in 2014, so now for the both of them to have something of sentimental value and significance from Mingyu’s childhood in their possession? His very own ‘piece’ of a time he desperately wishes he could’ve been part of? Perfect.
That didn’t mean, however, that Mingyu couldn’t top it, or that anything Mingyu had gotten him would mean any less. All it meant is that at any given point in the present giving process, one of them would have the plush sitting on their lap, that’s all.
Once the next gift is in his line of sight, he squeaks excitedly (and embarrassingly). Mingyu is a man of endless talents, and art is possibly Wonwoo’s favourite. When times had gotten tough, art was one of few things that kept Mingyu occupied for so long; it helped him cope, de-stress. Even better, Wonwoo could peacefully enjoy it with him without getting in the way, only ever using scissors, a glue stick and a marker pen to work on his photo scrapbook. To be gifted an (almost) entire sketchbook of his favourite artist in the world’s work… Most of which are of him… Jeon Wonwoo is the luckiest man alive. Mingyu flicks through the pages quickly to show him what’s inside, but Wonwoo plans to go through it all carefully later, regardless. Still, he sees endlessly incredible pieces in flutters — him, Mingyu, Sujin, familiar locations. With a small giggle, he leans into Mingyu’s touch against his hair. “I would really love it if you would. We could do it together. I’ll just pose, of course. I won’t be tainting this masterpiece of a sketchbook with anything I draw.” He grins at the kiss pressed to his cheek. “Thank you, Mingyu. This is—” Hiccup. “—so, so perfect. You’re so insanely talented; my man can do everything.”
But it doesn’t stop there. One last thing, he nods, though technically, Wonwoo plans to gift them both with a million kisses before the clock strikes twelve. He got the idea from me? It all becomes clearer once the envelope is slid onto his lap, and with a much louder squeak that follows an obvious gasp, Wonwoo bounces in his seat. Their last trip had been incredibly fun but Wonwoo had felt as if the weekend alone wasn’t anywhere near enough time for them to really enjoy their break, so seeing (and hearing) one week makes his heart soar even further. “I haven’t, I haven’t.” He insists immediately, wiping at the tears starting to finally trickle down his red cheeks, refusing to acknowledge them. “I am more than willing. Heck, I’d pack right this second if I didn’t want to kiss you for the rest of the day more.”
He gets one kiss to satisfy him for the time being, but the beautiful smile that precedes and follows it is more than enough to keep Wonwoo’s heart warm and giggles on the tip of his tongue. “I love you, too. It’s all perfect; you’re perfect. Thank you so much, baby.” He kisses him softly once more. “And I can promise you that every birthday I spend with you is already a happy birthday, no matter what. I love you more than anything else in the world. You are my world. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
seulgi had spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what exactly to buy for wonwoo, but with how often they spent their days, shouldn’t that have been obvious?
literature, reading, books. although that in itself was hard to figure out with how much they had both read, titles that had been mentioned or talked over—probably thousands blurred together. but she wasn’t going to brush off today or give up, even with how much grief she gave wonwoo on a daily basis it was his birthday and she did care about him and adored him and all the normalcy they shared, no matter how obnoxious she tried to convince him that he was.
in the end, she had gathered a silly little birthday card that she had written a personal message in, as well as placing a gift card to their most frequented bookstore worth about 120,000 won. but even with a gift card, she felt as if it wasn’t enough—there had to be something tangible that would make for a perfect ‘now’ gift, leaving him to use the gift card how he wished later.
keeping a keen eye out as she shopped around, she ended up stumbling upon a box of tea and a jar of natural honey, snarky comments coming up in her mind already of how she could lightly jab back at him for his favor of tea (even though she loved it herself) against her favor of coffee that he always seemed to love to pick at her for. needless to say, she hoped it would be perfect. after all it was in the thought of ‘hey, i actually do care about you and want to celebrate you’—without having to outright say it.
the message inside the card;
happy birthday, you giant ass nerd.
i hope this past year has done you well ( i mean, you’ve had me around, it had to be great ) and that the year ahead is even better. in all seriousness, and considering it is your birthday, i do want to let you know that i’m glad to have you around and i appreciate your presence. and maybe i do look forward to helping celebrate plenty more birthdays for you in the future. better get used to the smell of coffee, because i plan on sticking around for a long time.
sincerely and with a little bit of love,
seulgi
honestly, wonwoo didn’t expect anyone but mingyu to even wish him a good day, let alone buy him gifts. it isn’t that he doesn’t have any faith in his friends to be good people, of course not, but more that he didn’t know any of their stances on birthdays. after all, he had celebrated his birthday alone for the first nineteen years of his life. his twentieth last year had been the first time anyone besides himself had bought him anything, and mingyu had gone far beyond wonwoo’s usual spoiling himself with cake, candles, a few new books and a sweater. for all he knew, all his friends hated birthdays with a passion and preferred to pretend they didn’t exist, and he’d completely respect that even if he couldn’t entirely understand. sure, birthdays are just a celebration that you’ve either survived another year or found yourself another year closer to dying of old age (depending on how you look at it), but wonwoo sees them more so as a celebration of the person — a chance to show someone you care for them without it being suspicious, and wonwoo loved that. he loved having excuses for being nice.
still, not everyone knows this about him, so it’s not even as if he could’ve excused their giving actions as them doing it just to please him. it seems that more people genuinely care and like birthdays than he expects, and it honestly leaves him speechless for a few brief moments as he looks between what she had handed over to him and the woman herself.
“thank you,” he eventually answers. they’re two words that don’t too often pass his lips, but between a surprise gift from seungcheol and everything mingyu had spoilt him with, he’s been a little softer than usual over the past couple days. carefully opening the card, he scans his eyes over the handwritten message and lets a warm smile stretch his lips. for possibly the first time in front of the older, it’s big enough to show a few teeth, and with his hands full, he can’t possibly cover it. “I appreciate your presence, too, and I hope you will but know that I will always hate the smell of coffee.” he chuckles gently, low tone barely making any sound. he had caught the gift card between his fingers when he’d began reading, so now he inspects it, warmth flooding over him at the possibility of buying more books to horde on his bookshelves. (technically, he supposes they’re mingyu’s, but considering wonwoo’s the only one who puts books on them and mingyu’s always insisting that they share ownership of everything in the apartment, he can call them so.)
truthfully, he’s more than content with just that, and he wishes he could make it known without seeming ungrateful for whatever else she had spent the time getting for him. for a man who constantly demands to be spoilt, he finds himself a little unsure what to do once it actually happens — at least from seulgi, anyway. he is used to their bickering, after all. he uncovers the box of tea and honey jar next, that quiet, deep laugh spilling past his lips again. venturing into the different flavours of tea isn’t something wonwoo has the opportunity to do often, finding a traditional cup quicker to make and better for when all he wants is to be hydrated as opposed to making a brew to wind down with alongside a good novel, but now he has an entire box at his disposal and he’s excited to try every single one. (at a steady pace, of course. though he could probably easily drink through all of them today alone.) tucking both into his arms, he admires the scuffs on his shoes as he wills away the obvious happiness on his features. it’s not that he doesn’t want her to see him happy, just perhaps not this happy— and only because he expects her to tease him. it’s for his dignity, obviously.
(he’s shy when he’s spoilt like this, but he hesitates to admit it. he hesitates to admit that he’s unfamiliar with the feeling of being loved by anyone besides his boyfriend because I’ve always been the best. I’ve always had everything. I don’t have any weaknesses. I don’t get sentimental; I have a heart of stone.)
(liar.)
“th—” he stops himself, draws in a deep breath and finally looks up to meet her eyes. it’s difficult — not to let the lump in his throat break his voice, but he manages it this time. “thank you. I will be sure to drink every last drop and spend every last won.” he insists softly, allowing himself to smile warmly and fondly, his eyes twinkling. “it means more than you think, so… thank you. with a little bit of love. like— you need a microscope to see it.” (he can’t resist.)
