Sungjong sighed as he stared on at the line of clothes all hanging in their place in the white wardrobe. He hadn’t been able to sleep well last night. He was much too excited about today to even close his eyes. Even now, he was driven by the pure exhilaration of what today was. Of what today meant for him. For everyone.

So, when he slipped out of bed this morning after getting only a few hours of blissful rest, he immediately went to his closet and had remained there, frozen in front of his clothes as he was now, for over twenty minutes. He couldn’t just wear whatever. Not today. He had to pick carefully, even if those who were seeing him could have cared less if he showed up in the black sweat pants and white shirt he woke up in.

He sighed again, having to resist saying the words “I have nothing to wear” when he so obviously had clean clothes right there, displayed in front of him. And only now did none of them look sufficient. Only now did nothing seem to look right. He reached out, pulling from the wardrobe a light gray jacket with a white collar shirt underneath. He held it up to himself, meticulously checking the length. Mostly checking if he grew at all over the past year.

Did he look different today? Different from how he was before? Was he more mature? More sensible? More charismatic? Or was he just as “pretty” as always?

As he thought more about the latter of these questions, he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t mind being pretty. If he got prettier, even better. Why? Why would he, a male, want to be pretty? Because one certain girl whose face appeared at the forefront of his mind thought he was. She praised him for it. It’s a compliment she wouldn’t give anyone else.

And this light gray jacket and white shirt combo he now held up to his body as he looked at his reflection in the standing mirror in front of him, to him, was anything but pretty.

He placed it down onto the beige lounge chair to his right before turning back to his line of clothes. He took out the striped shirt that was beside it before, holding that up to him instead. He cringed before throwing that to his left, onto the white couch in the room. As he turned back around to face the wardrobe once more, he caught sight of the small, white flakes that were falling outside of the window now. It was snowing. It was snowing here in London on this day in February.

February the 10th to be exact.

And he couldn’t have been more excited. His heart beat pounding hard against his eardrums, his palm growing sweaty as he felt pressure build up within him. The pressure of being one of the youngest. The pressure of no longer being as young. The exciting pressure that affirmed to him once more that today, not just any outfit would suffice.

Today, as the snow fell gently outside the window, his body not affected by the dropping temperatures in the least, Sungjong would finally attain what he believed would make him closer to her. Even if she was human, not at all like him physically, he would share a similarity with her. Even if just until summer came around and she was once more one step ahead of him, he felt it. He felt the sense of catching up. The sense of being so close he could see the dust that flew from her heels as she bounded ahead. And just like that, as he pictured her hair waving wildly in the wind, a smile on her face as she ran forever forward, he wondered something.

If she were here, what would she choose for him to wear? Would she chose something pretty? Would she choose something off the wall looking? He didn’t know. He wanted to know. He wanted her to be there, by his side as he reached into his wardrobe and produced from it another set of clothes before tossing it aside.

And he could hear it, the twinkling of her laugh as though she were there, watching him undergo his current confliction. And he turned, expected her to be there. Expecting her even though he knew she wouldn’t be there.

What did he see sitting there on the rim of the coffee table instead?

A tabby colored, Scottish fold cat.

A cat whose meow he had mistaken for her. Her voice and the sound of the cat’s purr were different. He knew that. But they both held in them something. An air about them. A sort of feeling that made him want to reach out and hold her. So that’s what he did. He turned away from his now ravaged wardrobe and towards the cat that stared at him, it’s yellow eyes piercing him with their gaze. And he picked up the cat, feeling it’s fur beneath his fingertips as lifted it to his face, feeling it's rough tongue go wiping against the side of his nose. He couldn’t help the smile that lit his face and the laugh that bubbled from his throat right after.

“Yuck. Do you even know what she’s been ?”

Sungjong paused, lowering the cat down from his face so as to catch sight of the person who now stood in his doorway. His hair was a faded orange, his provoking smirk there on his face as he caught sight of the clothes strewn across the floor of Sungjong’s room, the room he shared with Sungyeol and U-kwon.

“Someone’s looking forward to today.” He, Park Kyung, flashed Sungjong a grin yet remained with his feet firmly planted at the entrance of the room.

“As if you’re not,” Sungjong mumbled as he rolled his eyes before turning back to say something snappy to Kyung, the werewolf whose relationship with him was so rocky not a one ship had made it through without crashing into bits. But, as he turned back, he remembered. He didn’t need to say something snappy to the carrot haired werewolf. “Isn’t this the part where you walk in, get in close, smile, and make me want to punch you in the face?” Sungjong knew now. He knew now what was so obvious he felt silly for forgetting it. Forgetting what?

“I’m just catching you off guard this time.” Kyung answered back, the small stutter, the hesitation in his voice, apparent as his stance stiffened.

What did Sungjong forget that ultimately gave him the upper hand on this, this day on February 10th?

That Kyung, the ex-hunter turned werewolf, hated cats.

And as Sungjong turned back to the Scottish fold in his hands, it’s meow signifying as though it agreed with his current train of thought, he smiled. He smiled as he said his next words. “Attack kitty.” And like it knew nothing else, as he leaned down only slightly, his knees barely even bending, the cat went bounding towards the ex-hunter whose eyes metaphorically bulged out of his head at the sight of the small cat that to him, in his own mind, was as ferocious and deadly as a mountain lion.  A high pitched squeal escaped the carrot haired mouth of the werewolf as he went dashing down the hall, quite literally fearing for his life.

Sungjong didn’t even attempt to hold down the smile that formed on his face. “That’s my present to you this year.” He said despite knowing that Kyung was most likely on the other ends of the earth at the current point in time. “Enjoy.” He sang out as he turned back towards the clothes splayed out all around him, a single dress jacket with pale pink ribbon accents catching his eye. The one that had slipped off of the coffee table as the cat went leaping out of Sungjong’s hands and onto it before jumping down to the floor to begin it’s chase of cat and mouse.

And he swore he could hear it. Her light laughter behind him followed by a single prhase.

“That one. That’s the one.”

He gulped down, pivoting on his heel once more as he longed to see her face so much, hear her voice so much, be by her side so much it ached. It ate at him. Devoured him whole. What greeted him was what he expected.

That tabby colored, Scottish fold cat.

Sitting there, staring at him with it’s large eyes.

“I guess my choice is made then.” Sungjong lifted it from the floor, wiping the dust from the shoulders of the ironed beige jacket. “I wonder why this one though?”

And the response to his question was a small meow.

And he laughed.

He laughed because he realized that he didn’t want to impress her with his outfit. He merely wondered which one she would choose so that he could impress them. So that he could impress those who gathered around him, even if he detested one of them in particular. So that he could show them that even if he was pretty, even if he was Smile Boy, he was their pretty Smile Boy. And today, as he gained one more similarity to her, he wanted to show them he was a pretty Smile Boy they could count on.

Was it okay for him to go in? Was he too early? They were all still in there so he must have been. Of course he couldn’t wait. He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t wait for tonight. Tonight when he’d be able to show off what he had been working so hard for the past few weeks to perfect. Tonight when he’d be able to give the embodiment of his hard work to the large group who stood by him now, as close to him as blood-related brother would be. His thirteen brothers.

This was for them, that’s what he told himself. His gift to them on this day would most likely piss everyone off save for a few of them. And he was counting on that. He was counting on their frustrations followed by boisterous complaints followed by arguments followed by smiles all around. Because they were the family he never saw again. Thirteen like him that he wouldn’t trade anything for. And she was a part of that family too even if she wasn’t like them. Even if she wasn’t here today. Today, as he sought out the room whose door he now stood in front of as he contemplated just going in.  Just going in without a single second thought as though he was meant to be there.

Meant to be in that classroom that contained a group of elementary school children. A piano class. He had been told he could use the piano whenever he stopped by by the teacher who worked here. She expressed her fondness of the hard work he was putting in in order to play for his friends.

That’s what his gift was.

A song accompanied by his own fingers playing the keys of an electric piano he had to hide from the others in order to practice on. And today had to be the day that Sungyeol, Sungjong, Kyung, Jaehyo, Dongwoo, and Taeil had to be staying home.

“Woohyun?”

He flinched as he heard someone call his name faintly.

He had been caught.

There was no choice now but to give in and go inside. So that’s what he did, an awkward sentence flowing out of his mouth as bowed to the teacher, “Piano play?” Two words that he was glad no one who would use it against him was around to hear. The teacher understood, albeit she had a frown on her face as he mimicked said instrument, his hands much too stiff at his side so he decided to make himself even more conscious of his movements, and even more embarrassed of himself, through the action.

“Of course you can. It’s right over there as always.” She gestured to it before going back to another black piano in the room, a young student there smashing down onto the keys with her small fingers as a smile splayed across her face. He stifled a laugh at that as he slipped onto the stool in front of the piano. He stared down at it, feeling the pressure of six-year-old eyes boring into him. It was just the thing he needed after trying to feel anything but pressure while preparing this gift of his.

“You can start whenever you like.” The teacher spoke to him, noticing his hesitation to put on a show for a group of children. Mostly because sugar coated words were the last thing he would ever hear from them.

Truthfully?

Honestly?

Woohyun hated kids.

Though perhaps “hate” is a strong word. He disliked them. Them, in that stage of helplessness. That stage in which he had to rely on the support of those around him. That stage in which he was much too weak to support those who supported him. He was always awkward around them, his smiles forcing themselves onto his face. That’s why, as he took a deep breath and allowed his reflexes that had formed over the past few weeks to take over, and out from his lips flowed the melodious and on-key Do, Re, Mi, Fa, each key he struck going more and more out of tune by the second, he couldn’t take the feeling of their eyes on him.

Their eager eyes. Their reliant eyes. Their eyes that expected him to do well. That is, until he heard it. That short sentence that the teacher spoke to him, her words a basic statement that was most likely in the teacher’s handbook of “All the Things to Say to a Struggling Student” somewhere. And still, the common phrase comforted him. Still, he felt himself loosen up, his anxiety disappearing within a matter of milliseconds.

“Imagine the person you want to hear it the most is watching. Perform for them. Do your best for them.”

Who did he want to perform for? Well, for Sunggyu, Sungyeol, P.O, Myungsoo, U-kwon, B-bomb, Zico, Taeil, Hoya, Dongwoo, Jaehyo, Kyung, and Sungjong.  He wanted to perform for them. He wanted to do his best for them.

It was his gift to them after all. To them who knew his past. To them who didn’t care for it because even though it made him who he was today, the him that was there with them was who they cared for the most.

And she did too. She said as much to him that day he revealed everything to her about his past. She said it as the ends of her hair that were trapped in her ponytail lightly swayed back and forth, grazing the nape of her neck every time she leaned over to take a bite of the food she had cooked.

And she was an awful cook. And she never did tie her ponytail tight enough to stop it from slipping down as time went by. And she was so simplistic about everything, not caring to fix it in the least. Saying that “if it falls, it falls” with a shrug. And she was who he wished was here now, no matter how embarrassed he was at this very moment as the kids in the classroom booed him while others laughed. As their voices were hushed as he began to play once more, looking forward to tonight. To tomorrow that followed. To each day he would live with the thirteen others he called family. To each day in the future he would hope to spend with her.

He sang that day to a room full of awestruck sixth graders and a smiling piano teacher. This cold February 10th day, he sang his heart out. He sang his heart out hoping it would reach those thirteen pairs of ears he would sing it again to tonight and to a special pair waiting for him back in Springfield.

It was insufferable, Myungsoo decided. It was aggravating to have to go around in circles, staring at the black screen of his phone as though a message would appear there. As though she would call. He kept his old number because of that, unlike the others. Because he wanted to see if she ever would call, wanting to talk to him. Wanting to hear his voice as much as he wanted to hear her own. She had a few times after they first left. The cellphone company told him as much when he went to get a new phone after disposing of his old one. But, she hadn’t called after that. And, it wasn’t as though she knew what today was. What the significance of it was. So, what did he expect?

He had long since found out that admitting his feelings to himself meant having unfulfilled expectations. It meant the yearning would not be abated but instead would increase tenfold. It meant he would do things out of his usual character, his contentment with his current situation so culpable he couldn’t keep it from rising to his face in the form of a grin on his usually passive face.

He had memorized her number. He had committed it to memory before he threw his phone away. Broke it in half to be exact. Sunggyu wanted them to cut off all connections to Springfield. So, when he got his new phone with his old number while the others all received new ones, Sunggyu wasn’t all too pleased. But, he let it go. He let it go because he knew. He knew how hard it was for Myungsoo to resist grabbing hold of the fleeting chance of her contacting him after the woman behind the counter asked him, “Would you like to change your number or would you like to keep your old one?”

He said he would like to keep it without a second’s hesitation. He would like to keep his old number. He would like to keep his connection to her just as she had wanted to keep one to him through the form of his old, black, leather jacket.

“Are you expecting birthday wishes?”

Myungsoo turned away from his phone he held in between his hands which were propped up onto the railing of a bridge above a river on this cold February morning. B-bomb was standing there, a cup of coffee in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. He gestured the warm tea beverage to Myungsoo who took it gratefully before leaning his back against the railing, sighing deeply as he tilted his head back, raising his chin up to the sky that lightly pelted him with snowflakes in response.

Myungsoo held the drink tightly in one hand and his phone in the other, not resigning to put it away just yet. “She doesn’t know about today.” Was his reply as he leaned forward onto the railing again, watching the water below create waves in itself as though it were going through the same turmoil he was as he battled against typing in that number he long memorized.

“But, you’re still staring at you’re phone like you’re waiting for it.” B-bomb pointed out, a smile tugging at his lips.

Myungsoo glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, a single laugh escaping from between his lips. And he looked back forward at the city view in front of him, that is, until he noticed something. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught something. A head of wild hair, bundled up in neutral colored clothing. He did a double take, staring at the figure as she passed. He let himself believe for a single moment that it was her instead. Her slightly red nose poking from above the scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. Her eyes that stared forward with conviction and purpose. Her wide steps as she rushed through the cold morning as fast as she could without looking back. And, the woman who wasn’t her must have felt him watching her, because she turned her head to him, her eyes diverting downwards as soon as she saw him in slight embarrassment.  

Myungsoo bit down onto his bottom lip, suppressing his laugh as he imagined the shy her. The shy Song Hyunjoo. The thing is, no such Hyunjoo existed when she was with him. It was the rebellious Hyunjoo who did. The rebellious Hyunjoo that would ask him if she caught him staring, “What are you looking at?”

And he’d always answer in his head even if he never said anything in response, “At you. Who else?”

Yes, he was insufferable. And on this day, he thought he deserved to be.

“She asked me something once.” Myungsoo spoke up as he stared straight forward, gaining B-bomb’s attention. He looked back to his fellow werewolf, to his fellow werewolf who had become a part of his new family he cherished infinitely, to his werewolf brethren he so easily shared everything with, this moment not being an exception, and his eyes landed on the coffee in B-bomb’s hands, “She asked me what a “Myungsoo thing” was.”

“A “Myungsoo thing”?” B-bomb questioned, not at all getting the sudden look of contentment that spread across Myungsoo’s face.

“If she texts me today, I’ll tell her.” Myungsoo firmly decided as he leaned back onto the railing as well, taking another sip of the hot tea given to him.

“That’s kind of unfair.” B-bomb frowned, too used to Myungsoo’s cryptic way of talking to question him any more, “It’s a rigged game.”

Myungsoo shook his head, a soft hum of denial reverberating from his throat, “Not if I want her to win.”

B-bomb rolled his eyes, dramatically, “Don’t you have class today?”

Myungsoo’s hand froze, his cup only slightly inclined towards his lips as he seemed to only now remember what B-bomb just brought up. He cursed as he promptly ran off, leaving behind a grinning B-bomb.

And all throughout his classes that followed, realizing now it would have been easier if he had simply skipped as everyone else had, and all throughout his classes that followed, he daydreamed. He expected even though he shouldn’t have. Even though the fault in not fulfilling his expectations was anyone’s but her own.

So, what did he expect?

He expected the unexpected.

And when he didn’t get it, he vowed he’d get her into trouble the next time he saw her. He would make it difficult for her for no reason because she had made it difficult for him without even realizing it. As these thoughts swirled in his head, his phone never out of arm’s reach, a slight smile lit his face.

Sungyeol grumbled complaints as he ran his knife underneath the dewy red skin of the apple in his hand. He was alone in the kitchen today. Which, by his standards, was beyond unfair. He woke up later than the others today, perhaps a bit too enthusiastic about his decision to skip school today. Imagine his excitement when he realized he was now the one responsible for cooking for tonight because of that. Imagine his glee when he discovered who else had woken up late today and thus was his partner in his cooking endeavor. Imagine his willingness to supply said partner with a peeled red apple at his request before that same partner departed for the grocery store.

And at this last thought, as the last red skin fell from the apple in his hands, Sungyeol laughed. He laughed in disbelief, “Why am I peeling an apple for Jaehyo anyway?”

He stared at the apple in his hand and soon, an idea sprouted in his mind. He laid it down onto the cutting board, the smile on his face seemingly stretching from ear to ear. He cut it into slices and without a single second’s hesitation, he popped each slice into his mouth, chewing down as though he were chewing down on Jaehyo himself.

And as though he could innately sense when someone was thinking ill of him, said person showed up.

“I assume the one for me is around here somewhere seeing as how you’re eating that one so happily.” Jaehyo spoke up as he walked into the kitchen, bags of groceries in both of his hands. Sungyeol choked on the apple slice in his mouth, buckling over as he pounded onto his chest to make it go down his throat. Jaehyo raised an eyebrow as he laid the groceries down onto the counter, thoroughly amused with Sungyeol despite not letting it show on his face, “Though maybe I shouldn’t assume things?”

Sungyeol had forgotten that the grocer’s was right across the street and thus he should have foreseen Jaehyo’s speedy return. “You can have the rest.” He pushed the cutting board towards Jaehyo, a mere slice and a half of apple left on it; the leftover half being the remnants of the piece Sungyeol had been devouring before Jaehyo surprised him and effectively stopped him from eating whole.

Jaehyo didn’t complain as he picked up the half-eaten piece and the full piece at the same time before they disappeared into his mouth. Sungyeol’s nose wrinkled upwards in slight disgust, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the fox like werewolf. “What? If you didn’t want to share an indirect kiss with me, you shouldn’t have offered it at all.”

“I hate you.”

Jaehyo ignored the statement that slipped from Sungyeol’s lips that was coupled with a glare that could kill as he leaned over the kitchen island. Why did he ignore it? Because he knew Sungyeol didn’t mean it in the least.

“If you could spend today with anyone, who would it be?” The question Jaehyo posed to him was random to be sure. At least, to anyone who wasn’t either of them, it was. After all, the question was related to a conversation the two had privately just a few days ago. And the answer to such a question was obvious when not taking that conversation into consideration.

Sungyeol would want to spend it just like this. Like this, with the twelve wolves he considered family along with the one wolf for whom he declared his hatred so easily and without even the slightest bit of malice. The one thing that could make today better was the presence of a certain human girl who was hundreds of miles away. Perhaps thousands? And the distance hurt him. The distance was at times too much to bear. It was just as hard to bear as the short distance that was between here, London, and the other answer to Jaehyo’s question. The answer that Sungyeol would give when taking their conversation into consideration.

“My family.” Sungyeol answered as he stared off at the white walls of the kitchen in front of him. And by “family,” he didn’t mean the one made up of fourteen wolves and the girl he cared for the most. Because Sungyeol couldn’t pretend the conversation he shared with Jaehyo never happened. Because Sungyeol couldn’t lie to himself about whom he wanted to be with the most on this day that meant so much for him, for everyone.

“You’re sure then. You’re sure about your decision.” Jaehyo’s rhetorical question needed no answer. Simply from the look on Sungyeol’s face could Jaehyo tell that Sungyeol was sure. That he was more than sure. That Sungyeol was more than sure that next year, he’d be spending this day with his family. His real family. That word “real” stung Jaehyo to think about. It hurt him, but again, he didn’t let his feelings show on his face. “Well, as a member of your current family, I’d like to know what you plan on giving us on this momentous day.” He smirked Sungyeol’s way, receiving an eye roll in return. “How about fortune cookies?”

And at that, Sungyeol stared on at him in wonder of why he would suggest such a thing. Jaehyo pivoted on his heel, turning to the bags of groceries. He began to unpack the contents of the two bags slowly as he explained himself.

“Fortune cookies give advice for the future. In essence, fortune cookies tell us our fate.  And fate brought us together, right? So, fate should be represented here with us for this day too.”

The equation was simple.

Fortune cookies tell your future, your fate. 

Fate had brought them together. The fate that was Song Hyunjoo.

Fate should be represented in some way on this day aka Hyunjoo should be here in some way on this day.

“As for the messages that would go on the inside.” Jaehyo ripped off a piece of the brown paper bag that once held the groceries inside before grabbing a pen from the counter and scribbling something down onto it.

Sungyeol looked over his shoulder, almost choking on his spit when he realized what it was that Jaehyo was writing. He quickly reached around Jaehyo, yanking the paper from him and causing a pen mark to go streaking across the paper.

“If you’re not going to actually be helpful, then just leave.” Sungyeol mumbled as he held his palm up to his face, covering his reddening face from view as his other hand balled the paper up in his clenched fist.

Jaehyo pursed his lips, “It’s not like you’re writing it to fate herself—”

“Shut up!” Sungyeol half shouted for fear of his voice cracking if he went even one decibel higher in pitch. He had turned his back to the clever werewolf completely now, refusing to let him see the look on his face right now. The look of complete and utter embarrassment at the words Jaehyo wrote down. Not because of the words themselves but because he had imagined it.

He had imagined saying those words to fate herself and the result was a smile.

A large, lip-biting smile.

What were the three words? That’s to be left up to your imagination.

Dongwoo trudged up the stairs, holding in his hands a stack of books that balanced themselves against his chest. Each step he took echoed through the stairway until he stopped upon reaching it. Upon reaching the top of the stairs that was the refuge he had created for himself after the two packs of werewolves had settled into this building that belonged to the late grandfather of Kim Sunggyu. Well, he hadn’t created it per say. It already existed. This staircase that ended right before the attic began was already filled with books before they had arrived here.

It seemed to have been set up by Sunggyu’s grandfather who knows how long ago. Books ranging from the mythical Loch Ness monster to the biography of Albert Einstein were stacked high, blocking any and all expeditions into the attic. And Dongwoo had made it his mission to sort things out here before they left, whenever that may be. He had decided he would because the old man always liked organization and would have probably set out to do the same had he still been here to see the state of the staircase.

Now, paintings made with acrylic and watercolor and posters taken from the street or from magazines covered the brownish gray concrete walls of the stairwell. Now, dust had no corner to linger and no place to hide from the vacuum in. Dongwoo had cleaned it well and he was reaching the end of his self-assigned project. It was his gift to the old man on this day, even if he wasn’t here to appreciate it.  As for Dongwoo’s gift to the rest of his family, those thirteen werewolves, two of which were arguing in the kitchen about what seemed to be a fortune cookie recipe, and another two of which were arguing the cleanliness standards of werewolves versus cats, he still had to finish writing those.

Handwritten letters. That was his gift. He had gotten the idea after spending so long organizing the books in the staircase. How so? Well, even after so long, the books remained in tact. The words they held recorded on paper remained precious even if only to a myth hunter or someone writing a report on the insane mind of a scientist. And in the same way, he wanted his letters to remain precious to the person it was written for, written towards.

He sat down on the stairs, pulling a notebook he had left there yesterday down from a stack of books and revealing from beneath it a book about the best vacation spots in Germany. He flipped the notebook open, grabbing from a tin container that rested by his other side a red lead pencil. He had one last letter to write today, having finished thirteen by now.

One last letter that he had yet to figure out what he was going to write in it.

He begun to write then, to brainstorm, in the hardback notebook that rested in his lap now. Multiple words found themselves on the page.

The first ones being “To Song Hyunjoo on February 10th.”

Followed by “Hopes” and “Dreams” and “Wishes.”

And “Thank you.”

And one last one he hadn’t realized he had written until it was there on the page, staring straight at him.

“Love.”

“Ready for tonight?”

Dongwoo looked up from his notebook, placing his red pencil in between the pages he was writing on yet not even making a single move to shut it and hide the words he was writing. Taeil was there, looking up at him from a flight of stairs below him.

“Are you?” Dongwoo asked back, receiving a smile from Taeil in response that he reciprocated.

“It’ll be the first time we’ll all be spending it together and I honestly hope it’s not the last.” Taeil exhaled deeply, not quite feeling so at home anywhere than he did here, with everyone.

“Me too.” Dongwoo murmured, wondering if this is what the old man wanted all along. If he wanted them all to be together even if it took fighting each other before it could happen. Even if some of them were still fighting each other. “Though I don’t think that’s the response you got from those four currently yelling at each other downstairs?”

Taeil groaned just thinking about the reaction he received earlier from the pairs of Kyung and Sungjong and Jaehyo and Sungyeol. “Speaking of which, I really should get down there before one of them ends up poisoning the food out of spite.”

And just like that, Taeil descended the stairs and Dongwoo found that despite the older wolf’s efforts, the arguing only got louder. And just like that, Dongwoo knew what he would write into the last letter. And when he finished, his smile so wide on his face that his gums protruded from beneath his full lips, he took it with him as he ascended the stairs further into the attic. And from the attic he went even higher, creaking open a door that led to the very top of the building, to the roof.

He folded the letter then as he sat down onto the ledge of the rooftop, tightly creasing the edges of each fold he made. When he was finished, the end result was an aerodynamic, triangular shape. A paper plane. With one last blow on it for good luck, for it’s own good luck to fly far and travel a distance whose exact measurement he didn’t know, he sent it flying through the air. Flying until he could spot it no longer amongst the going-ons of the city below.

Never did he expect to receive back as his gift that same night so that he may properly pass it on in the future.

Hoya was in quite the conundrum at the current point in time. He had gone shopping for presents long ago. He had bought a dress shirt for Sungjong, a scarf for Myungsoo, a new leather belt for Zico, and the list goes on. But today of all days, she had to show up. She had to show up and throw off his plans of taking the day off to enjoy being with his fellow wolves.

She as in Jiyeon.

B-bomb’s beloved older sister.

Surely no one else even gave her a second thought when it came to today. That’s what he thought and he would be right in thinking it. She was supposed to leave last weekend yet here she was, strolling down the street next to him as he tried to block out her entire existence due to the extreme amount of stress her presence brought upon him.

“How about a tie?”

“I don’t like wearing ties.” P.O answered Jiyeon’s question as the two lovebirds strolled beside Hoya. He attempted to blot them out, to ignore their lovey dovey atmosphere that spewed off of them so strongly he thought he could actually smell its pungency.

“Then how about a pair of dress shoes?” Jiyeon skipped forward, pointing excitedly at the display that shone underneath florescent lights in a small store they were passing by.

“I don’t have anything to dress up for.” P.O answered coolly in the face of her livid expression. She was getting frustrated with him and Hoya was getting frustrated with the both of them.

“Makes you want to gag, doesn’t it?” U-kwon hooked his arm around Hoya’s shoulder, sticking out his tongue as he fake threw up all of the gooey hearts that the couple were force feeding him as they continued on with their back and forth banter.

Hoya was the only one who was going out of his way to prepare a gift of some kind for Jiyeon, everyone else having thought that her arrival was so short notice a simple congratulations would suffice. Yet, what he got in exchange for his thoughtfulness was a shopping trip consisting of himself, U-kwon, P.O, and Jiyeon. A shopping trip he wanted to escape from. A sentiment U-kwon shared and was willing to act in favor of.

“What do you say to me getting these two off your back so you can finish off this shopping trip on a peaceful note?” He whispered to Hoya as Jiyeon animatedly gestured to a men’s clothing store to a less then animated P.O.

“I’d say why do you even have to ask when you could be doing?” Hoya answered back, to which U-kwon laughed before nudging him.

“Just don’t say I didn’t get you anything today.”

And off went U-kwon who had failed to buy a present for Hoya, using this opportune moment to make sure he didn’t hear any complaints later tonight. Off went U-kwon, pointing in the direction of a vintage record shop that caused P.O’s eyes to light up as he followed him off across the street with Jiyeon straggling behind as she now finally knew what to get the object of her affection on this special day.

Hoya didn’t at all mind Jiyeon. Sure, she was bad tempered, stubborn, a potty mouth, prone to throw punches if she didn’t get her way, but overall level headed when it came to conflict. So, she essentially shared two traits with the girl he found himself falling for even more every single time he saw her. And since it had been so long since he had seen her, he couldn’t even fathom how much farther he’d fall. So, while he in no way felt towards Jiyeon the same thing he did towards the one girl he cared for, he didn’t dislike Jiyeon. He could tell that P.O felt the same.

As in, P.O didn’t dislike Jiyeon in the least.

The truth was the farthest thing from that it seemed. Yet, Jiyeon’s inability to pick up on it despite how drastically his demeanor changed in her presence was frustrating to watch. He wanted the two of them to just hurry up and get together. If they did, then Hoya wouldn’t even have to fret over buying her a gift for today because there would be no doubt in his mind that P.O would have already done so. And his gift would be all that she would need, right? Now that he thought about it, what if P.O had gotten her something already? His entire stress filled venture would then be even more pointless.

But, he found himself in a women’s clothing store never the less. He found himself there not because of his thoughts about Jiyeon and P.O. No. He found himself there because his mind had wandered. It had wandered onto the couch of that living room back in Springfield as his head rested on her lap, the fire in the fireplace crackling as the faint sound of the television was drowned out by it, fading into the background.

He had asked what her birthday was once.

She had said “during the Summer” vaguely, dismissing the question as though she didn’t want to bother him with a date and end up pressuring him to get her something.

And even though Summer was far into the future, his eyes presently scanned the racks of clothes as he felt the eyes of the other customers in the store boring holes into the back of his head. He felt awkward. He felt awkward as he lifted up a purse and wondered if it would look good when she carried it, only to realize that she rarely carried a purse. He felt awkward as he wondered what size shoe she had and tried a pair of women’s shoes on himself because he remembered how big her foot was compared to his own. He felt awkward as he meandered around the store for the fifth time, only now seeing it.

Only now seeing that silver necklace on a black display stand. That silver necklace with an infinity symbol hanging from it. And as he picked it up in his hands, seeing it shine underneath the store light, feeling how light, how right it felt in between his fingers and on his palm, he decided on that.

And despite leaving the store with an expectant smile on his face, he was reminded once more that he was still a gentlemen. That he still had to buy a present for Jiyeon.

His problem was solved for him however as something white went flying past him, landing on the sidewalk a ways in front of him. His problem was solved as he picked it up, realizing that it was a paper airplane. A paper airplane that had written on it in handwriting he recognized “To Song Hyunjoo.” And he wondered briefly if Jiyeon’s feet were around the same size as Dongwoo’s because even if they weren’t, she would now be receiving a new pair of high tops today.

With one last screwing in of one last light bulb, he was done. Kim Sunggyu was finally done preparing for tonight. He took one last look around the dark rooftop before taking around seven steps back, his keen eyesight proving useful at this point in time as he spotted the breaker switch right beside his right foot. He leaned down, took one deep breath, and flipped the switch. All at once, rows of light bulbs wrapped around the railings that lined the rooftop lit up, setting the whole area aglow. The concrete rooftop now shone as brightly as the bustling streets below.

Sunggyu considered it a job well done.

This was his gift to them.

To all of them on this day, February 10^th, the day that marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year. The day that represented the birthday of all werewolves across the globe.

And his gift was giving them a place to celebrate it.

And yet, he didn’t think it was quite adequate enough for them. Nothing would be enough to express the gratitude he felt towards the six wolves who joined him despite himself being lacking and the seven other wolves who joined him despite only a few months ago wanting to end him. They were his family now. A family that stayed together even though there was a squabble or two here and there. A family that he would support no matter the circumstances they faced. A family he couldn’t be more thankful for.

And today was the birthday of each member of his family, of his brothers and his brother’s sister. He didn’t have much more to give but a place for them to be. To celebrate. To be at ease. To strive.

And thus today, he felt like it was a job well done.

He wasn’t the only one who thought this apparently as someone came walking through the doorway from the attic below and said person caught sight of Sunggyu’s gift, “You’re making my gift look ty.”

Zico came to a stop beside Sunggyu, the two werewolf leaders so different yet meshing together so well amidst the starry night sky. “Happy Birthday, Woo Jiho.” Sunggyu breathed a sigh of relief as he shifted his hands into his pockets, using Zico’s real name just for today.

“I feel so special to receive your congrats first.” Zico lifted his hands up, his fingers wiggling back and forth, “I can feel the cheesiness coursing through my veins.” He glanced at Sunggyu whose eyes were closed, a smile on his face as his head remained tilted upwards slightly towards the sky. Zico reached out, patting him on the back, “Keep it coming though. Both today and for the rest of this upcoming year.” And then, Zico straightened up, he himself taking a deep breath as Sunggyu watched him in return, “Happy Birthday to you too, Kim Sunggyu.”

They stood like that, side by side for a good while. A good while before Zico spoke up again, the sentiments of today taking him over as he believed solely in the truth of his next words.

“You’ve done too much, you know? For all of us. What do you want for your birthday in return?”

Sunggyu wanted what he was sure others did as well. Who he was sure others did as well. But, he wouldn’t voice it. He wouldn’t voice that the greatest gift he could have received would be the human girl, Song Hyunjoo, exiting the attic and coming to a halt here, on this very rooftop, standing beside him even if she didn’t say a single word.

No words had to be said after all, on such a great day as this.

No words had to be said as just then, Sungjong came walking up the stairs, a tabby colored, Scottish fold cat at his heels along with a seething Kyung. As the two were followed by none other than Woohyun carrying an electric piano no one else had seen before, B-bomb and Myungsoo behind him as they helped him carry the stand and the electrical plug for said piano. As these Three Wolfketeers were followed by a cake carrying Jaehyo and a fortune cookie platter holding Sungyeol. As Taeil, Dongwoo, and Hoya all brought up the steps the practical gifts Hoya had bought for everyone. And as an eye rolling U-kwon was followed by the duo of Jiyeon and P.O who seemed in a much better mood after their visit to the record store. 

No words has to be said at all as for a few moments, the bickering and the banter stopped and everyone stared on in awe at the sight displayed in front of them.

Today was February 10^th.

The birthday of Jiyeon, P.O, Sungjong, Zico, Myungsoo, Kyung, Sungyeol, Yukwon, Howon, Jaehyo, Woohyun, Minhyuk, Dongwoo, Taeil, and Sunggyu.

Let’s make a wish. A wish that they spend this special day together next year as well. 

A/N:

I promised you all a bonus chapter and here it is! It's a long one too! As to why it's late and why there is no other update for this week coming, click here. I followed the music video "Man in Love" by Infinite closely, as I'm sure you noticed. Though I put my own spin on it as always. I hope you all enjoyed this long (almost 8k words) chapter! I definitely did. 

As for the contents of the chapter itself (skip if you feel like it), it is revealed that the New Lunar Year is the Birthday of all Werewolves (cause it's like, the beginning of the moon's new cycle. Get it. Get it?) First off, we got to see Sungjong! Sungjong + Kitty + Scared Kyung makes for an entertaining combination to be sure. (Note: I don't know if Kyung is scared of cats in real life. If he is, call me psychic.) Secondly, there was Woohyun playing piano and if that's not enough of a picturesque image for you to imagine then too bad! Thirdly, we have Myungsoo and B-bomb, B-soo, Myungbomb, whatever you like to call them, plus delusions of Hyunjoo simply making Myungsoo's day. Fourthly, we have the Jaeyeol couple, the Sunghyo couple? The SungJae couple? (WOW!) Anyway, we have them talking more about Sungyeol's decision to leave the group! If you read, then you know why now! I think it's a very good reason. Cue nods of approval from me. Fifthly, we have Dongwoo! Dongwoo and Books and Letters and Aww. Don't tell me you all didn't "Aw" at that! Sixthly, Hoya shopping, being awkward, and Jiyeon/P.O forcing U-kwon to be a third wheel. That necklace will make it's second appearance in the future, of that I can assure you. And lastly, the eternally loved Zico/Sunggyu share a moment before they are joined by everyone. The family came together on this day, the only person missing the person these werewolf men are in love with. 

Which scene did you like the most? All of them perhaps? Liking more than one is okay too! (I know I like all of them. Three cheers for Bromance!) 

Happy Birthday to the family of Infinite and Block B!