#nonranghaes.trsr

[nonranghaes]

jihoon whines softly as he shifts, warm cheek pressed against your arm. his fever broke hours ago, and yet he still seems too warm now. if it were junkyu, maybe you'd be a little upset at canceling your plans today to take care of him. but for the birthday boy? you just feel pity, and brush his hair back from his eyes again. he'd fallen in and out of sleep most of today until a few hours ago, and you didn't fight him when he begged for you to watch a movie with him.

"i'm sorry," his voice is soft, and he shuts his eyes as he snuggles against you. maybe he shouldn't get so close to you when he was probably still a little sick, but... neither of you seem to have an issue with it. "i ruined your day."

"hoony, its your day." you smooth his hair down, frowning for a moment. "i wasn't going to abandon you on your birthday."

yoshi and junkyu left the sharehouse hours ago. it's just the two of you, and neither of you seem to mind. jihoon just shuts his eyes again, snuggling in.

"still--"

"hold on, i made you something," you stop him before he can apologize again. you wiggle out of his grasp, and giggle a little when he reaches for you. "i'll be back in a minute, silly. you get whiny when you're sick, you know."

jihoon presses his lips together. once you're out of sight, he speaks up again, "there's actually something i want to tell you. i know this isn't good timing, but--"

and then you've returned with a cake you've clearly made yourself. the icing is messy, and the words are a little wonky, but his heart races all the same.

"happy birthday, jihoon," you say softly. "i hope this makes up for it."

he'll tell you tomorrow. tomorrow, he can kiss you properly if you'll let him. today... he'll just fight back the urge to cry and blame it on being sick.

[nonranghaes]

junghwan's hands steady your own now, and they're warm. he lowers the bag of doughnuts you're holding out for him. "it's okay. you can say it outright."

junghwan's always been the sweetest of the friends you have, and even though you're on the verge of tears now, he's still gentle with you. this was a stupid idea. why did you let jeongwoo talk you into this? you knew of his love of sweets, hence the glazed doughnuts you brought for him.

"i..." your throat is threatening to close up out of anxiety. "happy birthday, junghwan."

he chuckles. "thank you. is that all?"

was this really the shy boy you fell for? he warmed up to you overtime, and now he's lovingly teasing you. you shake your head, but your words won't come out still. why can't you just say it? you said you'd do it today because jeongwoo said you should. which... has to mean that jeongwoo knows something you don't, right? you feel tears brim your eyes, anxiety swallowing you whole, and junghwan gently squeezes your hand.

"it's okay. say it and i'll say it back." his voice is softer now. when did he get so mature, too? you'd heard stories of him getting shy with a girl who confessed to him once. yet he's standing here with you as if it's easy. is it you...? or has he grown? you wish you had the answer.

"how are you so calm right now?" you look up. "you aren't scared to say it?" and when he shakes his head, you take a deep breath. "junghwan... i like you."

"i like you, too." he says as if its the easiest thing in the world. "it's easy because it's you," he says. "can i...?"

you think he's going to kiss you. instead, he leans in, kissing your forehead before accepting the bag from you. they're from his favorite place, and his eyes light up a little with recognition and glee.

he takes one of your hands in his own. "there's a nice place in the park. we can share these, if you want..."

and he's back to being shy, face turning redder by the second. maybe it was the forehead kiss that was too much for him. but you curl your fingers around his palm, and nod. "i'd like that a lot."

[nonranghaes]

"are you sure this is all you want this year?"

asahi's eyes are still shut, his head resting in your lap while you play with his hair. this morning, he went out with his friends to celebrate his birthday. hours later, he came to your place, and this is the third movie you've started since then. his hand rests on your thigh, just in front of his face, and he nods without looking at you.

"it's perfect," he says, voice soft. he sounds like he's about to doze off right here and now. after a moment, he peeks up at you, glasses slightly askew. "... are you uncomfortable? i can move--"

you just gently push him back down, toying with one of his earrings for a moment. "you're perfect," you hum. "i just... felt bad i didn't do more for you, i guess."

"you do enough." he settles back in. "i like being here with you. that's all i need this year, okay?"

with a sigh, you relent. asahi's always been the kind of boyfriend who's up front with this kind of thing, a blessing in its own way when you're feeling particularly anxious. you just pat his cheek, only for him to reach up, grabbing your hand before you can go back to playing with his hair.

all too tenderly, he draws your hand to him, pressing a kiss right at the base of your palm where it meets your wrist. and then he lets go, smiling to himself as you go back to playing with his hair, snuggling back in for the third movie of the night.

[nonranghaes]

yoshi's cheeks are burning red as you hold his hand today. the two of you aren't alone, of course--hyunsuk, jihoon, and junkyu are all either a step ahead of lagging behind you. jihoon's studying the map of the amusement park, junkyu's looking for a place with funnel cake (yoshi's request... admittedly because he knows you love it), and you're pulling yoshi along while you and hyunsuk keep pointing out rides to try and go on, with the birthday boy's permission.

now that he's thinking about it, why are you holding his hand? he thinks it's just so you can keep dragging him along to keep up with hyunsuk. but you hold onto it tighter, and he can only think about that and the way you two accidentally wore matching gray shirts while everyone else is in white. jihoon teased you both over it earlier, but you'd laughed it off as a coincidence. it made his heart sink a little, but he couldn't deny how much you'd been doting on him today.

he tells himself you're only doing it because its his birthday. but when he's sitting with jihoon and junkyu after you and hyunsuk drew the shortest straws and went off to get everyone drinks...

"no, they like you," jihoon doesn't look up from his phone. "you should ask them out."

"but--"

junkyu chuckles, lightly elbowing him. "they're convinced you don't like them back." he looks over to where you and hyunsuk are goofing off while waiting for your drinks. then he looks at jihoon, and yoshi can see the gears turning. "you should talk to them right now," he says, grabbing jihoon by the arm.

"wait, but--"

before he can complain any further, junkyu's dragging jihoon over to hyunsuk. he sees the way you do a double take back at him, and then start complaining to the others before you finally walk over to rejoin him.

"they're so rude," you pout, resting one arm on the table as you face him. "leaving you alone on your birthday like this..."

"i'm okay," he says, heart racing in his chest. "but thank you for caring."

"still... you shouldn't be alone on your birthday unless you want to be," your voice is a little softer now. "sorry the drinks are taking a little longer than we thought. the guy had to open a new thing of strawberry syrup because the other one was jammed, and--"

"do you want to go out?" he blurts out, and then he sees the flustered look on your face. "with me?" his voice grows softer and softer, "not today, but--"

"i'd love to." you smile at him, and he thinks he can see galaxies in your eyes from how bright they are. "yoshi?" your hand curls around his again, and it already feels like home in the oddest way. your lips graze his cheek once you're sure the others are looking away. you've done it before, always the affectionate one, but this time it carries a new meaning. "happy birthday."

with you? it already is.

[nonranghaes]

it's early morning when haruto finds you asleep on the couch, and... he's admittedly a little confused because you don't live here. it's not the first time either hyunsuk or yoshi has let you into the apartment, sure, but you're never here this early. but he sees you, slumped onto your side on the couch, eyes shut as you peacefully doze off.

and then yoshi steps out of the kitchen, glass of water in hand as he notices the youngest standing there. "you're awake."

haruto quietly nods toward you. "what are they...?"

then his gaze drifts down to a bag hidden behind your legs, shiny gold with black tissue paper puffing up out of it. it's sleek and cool, but if it's a present from you, then haruto has no idea what it could be. then again, why are you bringing him a present when--oh.

"they wanted to surprise you," yoshi's voice is soft. "happy birthday, by the way." then he pauses, eyes widening for a second, "wait, no, um--just... just pretend i told you later. they wanted to be one of the first..."

haruto just smiles to himself as he looks at you. of course you did. yoshi disappears into his room, and haruto decides to tease you for once. he crouches down next to the couch, reaching forward to poke your cheek once--and then again when it doesn't rouse you fully. you open your eyes after a minute, blinking a few times before you realize he's right in front of you.

"oh!" you gasp, sitting up. immediately, you tug the bag closer to you, as if to pull it out of sight. "good morning--" you start, only to get interrupted by a yawn. you stretch, and then sheepishly look at him again. "good morning, haruto. happy birthday."

he just chuckles, settling into the space next to you before he leans in to press a kiss against your temple. "thank you," he says. he'll tease you later, then, about getting up so early to get here first thing. "are you tired? we can go sleep a little more, if you want..."

although it's supposed to be his day, he's worried about you. you giggle, scratching the side of your neck with a flustered grin. "it's that obvious, huh?"

even if he didn't find you snoozing here... he would have known. you're not a morning person. he takes the gift, standing up before offering a hand to you. "one more hour?"

and you just giggle again, taking his hand. "one more hour."

[nonranghaes]

"do you like it?"

hyunsuk's standing in his bedroom, staring at the jacket he's now wearing. it's... nice, certainly. not his exact style nowadays, but its so, so you that he finds himself smiling. it matches one that you wear, at least, and he'd been dropping hints for a while that he'd like to do more cheesy things like matching clothes with you. this is a small step toward that. he'll buy you something nice soon, but...

fuck, he can't stop smiling. he knows you're standing outside, back against his bedroom door. he'd needed to change to go out to dinner with you anyway, so... perfect opportunity to wear the new jacket. he opens the door slowly, giving you enough time to move away. when you turn, your own matching jacket folded over your arms, he sees the way your eyes light up as you smile. then you fight it back.

"do you?" you ask, voice softer than before.

and he just kisses you, smiling against your lips. "i love it. thank you, baby."

you laugh and call him cheesy, but sneak one little peck before moving away. you take his hand, "happy birthday, hyunsuk."

with you there? it always is.

[nonranghaes]

jaehyuk feels the way you press your hand against his forehead, skin still warm to the touch. this is day three of him being sick, and of course it lands right on his birthday. you frown a little, but let out a long sigh a second later.

"good news is you're not as warm as you were before," you say, sinking down in front of him. yet he's still smiling at you like you're everything beautiful within the world. he always does (he blames it on the fact he's so, so enamored with you), but you know he's feeling awful. you start to stand up, trying to remember where you left his medicine, "are you tired? you should go back to bed--"

"no!" he grabs your wrist to stop you from getting too far. "i'm fine--"

he's coughing and hacking into his elbow seconds later, like his body can't stand lying to you now.

"c'mon," you gently pull him up, securing his blanket over his shoulders. "you should take your medicine, honey. when you're better... i'll take you out for dinner, okay?"

despite how gross he's feeling, he smiles that warm smile at you once more. "do you promise?" he's teasing you a little, pinkie interlocking with your own.

"anything for my sunshine," you say. you're careful when you kiss his cheek, far enough back to hopefully be safe from his germs. "c'mon," you tug for him to follow you.

"my medicine makes me tired," he whines just a little. "and i wanted to spend today with you."

"i'll be here when you wake up," you tell him, squeezing his hand. "just take a nap, alright? for me?"

and with that, he gives in. all you have to do is say that sweet "for me?" and he's powerless. so he'll get better. just so he can kiss that cute smile again, as soon as possible.

[nonranghaes]

"how long?" yoshi's eyes are wet as he looks at you, cheeks red. you can't imagine how much of a mess you look like in comparison, but you see so much in his face now. relief, most of all, but a little bit of fear, too. it comes with the territory of confessions you can't take back.

nervously, you lick your lips as you watch him. how long...? when you try to think about it, your heart wants to say since the moment i first saw you. but you don't think that's true, as romantic as it would be. was it that night after work when it was pouring down rain, and he shared an umbrella with you to get you to a taxi? or the hazy afternoon where he quietly refilled your water bottle when he was up refilling his own, just to help you beat the heat a bit more? or the night when you all went drinking after work and he sat with you, so mindful of how out of place you always seemed to feel, and included you in all of his conversations? maybe since the moment i first saw you is true in a way. you can't pinpoint it. you don't remember what you felt for him before you fell.

you swallow hard, and blink back your own tears, that overwhelming feeling pulling you under. but yoshi's hands find your own, squeezing them tight as he leans toward you, kissing your forehead.

"it's okay--" he sniffles, dropping one of your hands to wipe at his eyes. "i'm happy. i'm--"

but you just pull him into your arms, hugging him tight. he holds you, letting out a sigh as he decides to let himself fall for you all over again.

and then he speaks, just soft enough that it's a moment for the two of you alone. "i like you a lot, too."

[nonranghaes]

8-bit music greets jeongwoo when he turns on the game you sent him, and he's already fighting back a smile when he sees a pixel person that looks very much like you on the start-up screen, standing near a pixel person that looks very much like him. "what is this?"

"a project for class," you tease. it's late where you are, in another country studying game design, but you managed to carve out some time for him after his birthday to show him your gift... alongside the package that's sitting on the floor next to him. "i passed, by the way."

within minutes, he's already into the groove of this. it's just a simple little fetch quest game, no dangers programmed in, of your character (aptly named "MC") getting the perfect things for his character (just named "PRINCE") because it's his birthday. he wants to tease you about how cutesy this is, but he can't find it in his heart to do so. no one knows it's actually based on you and him, and he's a little relieved... although he knows you'll likely get teased by your friends if you ever show them pictures of him. you walk him through some of the requirements, namely the whole 'get key, open final door' thing, and soon he's arrived at the prince's home.

there's more cutesy dialogue: your character greets him happily with a vibrant "happy birthday!" that you parrot out loud with a laugh. the two of you share cake, and...

"i love you!" your character's text bubble reads out, overly dramatic anime blush galore in the perfect shade to make it pop against your character's skin. "let's spend your next birthday together, okay!?"

there's pre-programmed dialogue in, a surprising twist of events, that allows him to say it back and agree to spending his future birthday with you, or gently let you down. but jeongwoo just looks up, already feeling his face heat up. "what's this?"

"... well?" you aren't looking at the screen or the camera now. "can we?"

and he feels shy all of a sudden, nodding after a moment. "... i'd like that."

[nonranghaes]

"oh... careful."

asahi stops you before you can walk any further, lowering himself down to one knee before you. wordlessly, he pulls your undone shoelaces loose so that he can tie them properly. you watch as he pulls it tight, looking up at you for a second before he stands back up.

"there." he says. for a second, his eyes glimpse down to your lips, and then back to your eyes. he says nothing, though, and instead takes your hand. "sorry for stopping you--"

"its okay," you giggle, intertwining your fingers with his. quickly, you lean in to peck him on the cheek. "thank you for looking for me, honey."

no matter how long you've been together, asahi always gets flustered when you call him by a term of endearment. usually, you just call him by his name... but you like the way he smiles, squeezing your hand a little. he goes on talking about the museum he's taking you to, and you just smile, nodding along and asking questions, happy to see him excited.

[nonranghaes]

“i made you something!”

yoshi looks up as you dig around in your bag with a happy hum, already feeling the heat rising to his cheeks. you... made something? for him? only a few weeks of dating, and he thinks you’re winning his heart even more than before. you tell him to close his eyes and hold up his hand, and he does, feeling the way your fingers curl around his hand for a moment. then he feels your hand pull away, fingers grazing his as you stretch something over his hand before rolling it down to his wrist.

“there.” he can hear the smile in your voice. “you can open them now.”

and he does, heart racing a little faster as he realizes you strung together a little bracelet for him. the multi-color beads spell out you make me happy with smaller beads to separate the letters.

“do you like it?”

he shyly nods, unable to find his words at first. he leans forward, pressing a tiny kiss to your forehead. “i love it. thank you.”

you make him happy, too.

[nonranghaes]

“gimme your hand.”

without looking up, you do. hyunsuk takes it in his own, looking over your nails as you continue to scroll through social media on your phone. he hums to himself for a moment, reaching out vaguely to the small box of nail polish he’d toted out with him.

he smiles at you, eyes twinkling, “baby?” he drags out the word, always so happy to call you any and every term of endearment under the sun. “what color do you want?”

you look up for a moment with a hum, and shrug. “surprise me.”

he smiles wider, and already reaches for the black bottle of nail polish that matches some of his own. and when he starts to look at his own nails so that the two of you match...

well. you aren’t surprised when he’s proudly taking pictures with your hands side by side, blasting it all over his social media while proudly calling you his baby.