My hand slipped and fluff happened... sorrynotsorry.

The blaring sound of the alarm clock made its way to Seunghyun's ears in his sleep. The constant beeping was becoming a nuisance and no matter how far deep he buried his head into his pillow, the sound still seemed to find him. Just as he was lifting his head in defeat, the sound stopped and he collapsed back down onto the bed, letting out a sigh of relief. Curling deeper under the covers, he tried to fall back into the dream that he was having but before he could, the other occupant of the bed rolled over, wedging himself between Seunghyun and his blanket.

"Babe, come on... it's time to wake up," the soft voice said but still had the gruffness of sleep.

"I don't wanna..." Seunghyun moaned back, still refusing to open his eyes.

"Fine, I'll hop in the shower and let you sleep a little bit more, but you better get your out of bed after that."

He nodded in agreement without opening his eyes and felt the mattress dip as Jiyong slipped off the bed. Just as the trickle of water from the shower hit the tiled floor, Seunghyun found himself teetering on the edge of sleep and being awake. Deciding that it was more safe for him to wake up now then feel the wrath of his boyfriend later, he ungracefully rolled out of bed, slipped on a pair of sweat pants and made his way to the kitchen.

~

"Seunghyun, can you pass me those papers," Jiyong asked as he shoved half of his toast into his mouth.

"Are they important?"

"Yeah, I need them for my presentation in class today."

"Well then I'm not going to let you drop jam all over them,” he stated, “I'll hand them to you when you're done eating."

Jiyong gave his boyfriend one of him infamous "are you serious" looks, but the older man retaliated by straightening the papers and placing them on the corner of the table, just out of his reach. Jiyong took another bite of his toast, rather aggressively this time, trying to show he was upset with Seunghyun’s reasoning.

"See I know you too well," Seunghyun said while he threw a napkin at Jiyong and gestured on his own face that the younger man had some jam in the corner of his mouth. Jiyong rolled his eyes but took the napkin and wiped his face clean while Seunghyun picked up his own plate, taking it to the sink to start the dishes.

"Ji it's getting close to 8:45, you should get going."

Checking his watch, Jiyong jumped up. ", you're right." Grabbing his plate as well, he brought it over to Seunghyun and placed it under the running water that was filling up the sink. "Thanks for breakfast. It was good as always," he murmured as he quickly placed a kiss high on his boyfriends’ cheek. The older man leaned into it, humming at the simple touch, but when Jiyong pulled back he reminded him, "Don't forget the papers."

Jiyong who was already walking right passed them, his heel and leaned over the table to grab his paperwork. "I swear I need a new brain. What would I do without you?"

"Probably starve to death because you never even remember to feed yourself." Seunghyun commented while he scrubbed the remnants of fried egg off their plates.

"It's really sad that that’s true, isn't it."

"Yeah but that's why you've got me. Now go. I don't want you to be cursing me for taking up time if you're late for the bus."

Grabbing his coat from the front closet, Jiyong put it on and shoved his feet into his shoes as he yelled into the house, "Love you, see you tonight Hyun."

Seunghyun chuckled at his boyfriend in the now empty apartment while he continued to wash their morning dishes. It had been almost the same morning routine for the past 3 years. Jiyong always wakes up first while Seunghyun still tries to get a few more minutes of sleep, but then while Jiyong takes his shower, Seunghyun rolls out of bed and fixes breakfast for the both of them. It had become rather mundane but Seunghyun wouldn't have it any other way, so long as he got to wake next to the person he loved every morning and know that the little things he does, even if it’s just making breakfast for him, makes him happy and eases some of the stress he knows Jiyong will have during the day.

Remembering the conversation they had years before, when Jiyong told him that he wanted to pursue his master’s degrees in music management, Seunghyun thought that it could have been the biggest obstacle they had encountered in their relationship so far. They had just graduated together and within a couple months of hit and miss job interviews they both found decent paying jobs that would be enough to get them by. But when Jiyong said he actually got into the master’s program, Seunghyun didn't know how they would be able to pay for it, which almost caused them to split up. But after realizing that it was something that meant a great deal to his boyfriend, Seunghyun put his full support behind him and he was able to take up another stay at home job to help Jiyong achieve his dream.

Sometimes it was tiring staying inside their place all day, never leaving his makeshift office for hours on end; and constantly staring at a computer screen. But despite his tendency to slip into cabin fever, he would always remember Jiyong’s face whenever he would walk through the door after a long hard day and have dinner waiting for both of them to dig in. The barely there smile that would cross Jiyong’s lips as he walked into the kitchen smelling whatever Seunghyun decided to cook that night, would make the older man’s heart flutter in ways that Jiyong would never know. That something as simple as a meal could make his boyfriend forget the burdens that he carries every day is enough for Seunghyun to continue doing it for hundreds’ of years if he needed to.

Granted that they didn’t always see eye to eye on things, or their own temperaments would make them say things they didn’t truly mean. No matter the obstacle, they realized that they were stronger together than apart and that knowledge and understanding of each other has been the driving force of their relationship for the past few years.

It’s that understanding of one another that makes them so compatible, for what one of them lacks in personality, the other has. Making them complete opposite of one another, yet coming together to make something whole that only them coming together could make. Whether it’s Jiyong’s constant forgetfulness of small things and Seunghyun’s failure to never forget, or Seunghyun’s incapability of being spontaneous and Jiyong’s ever adventurous spirit, they each bring something to build the impenetrable foundation of their relationship.

And that’s what brings them to this time, this week, this day. The day before Seunghyun’s birthday.

As always it was the same. They woke up, Jiyong took a shower while Seunghyun cooked. Seunghyun yelled at Jiyong for something and in turn Jiyong tried to retaliate. It was the game they constantly played, yet no one ever won. And as Jiyong rushed out the door that morning, Seunghyun felt his heart fall, like it did at the same time every day he left. It was the small spot in his heart that would miss his other half and long to see him for the rest of the day, but as he finished up rinsing off the last dish and putting in on the drying rack, he pushed all depressing thoughts out of his mind and made his way back to their bathroom to take his turn in the shower.

Working at home gave him the freedom to lounge around in whatever he wanted to, which it did even today. Slipping on a fresh pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt that was probably as old as him, he let his towel rest on top of his head as he walked to his computer. Hearing the hum of the machine as it booted up, he rubbed the excess water from his hair and then threw it to the empty hamper in the corner of the room. Running on auto-pilot he opened his email, checking for any new possible jobs to make web pages, but all he saw were spam emails giving him 10, 15, 30% off random things as a special birthday gift from a company or restaurant.

“Dear Seunghyun, In celebration of your birthday we’re giving an extra special gift from us to you!” he read aloud, and stopped as he sneered at the email. “A special gift would be my boyfriend having the day off and wrapped in nothing but a bow for the entire day,” he grumbled as he moved the message to the trash along with the others. After clearing up other spam messages he finally found a new commission project that his boss sent him and as he opened it up and started reading as he settled in, ready to face the day head on.

By the time 6:30 rolled around he found a nice stopping point on his design, saved all his work, and shut down his computer for the night so he could start making dinner. Rummaging through the cabinets and fridge he decided to make a simple stir-fry with their left over from the previous night. He was never one to waste food.

And just like clockwork, Jiyong texted him around 6:55 asking if he could pick anything up for dinner because he had just gotten off the bus and was walking past the market. This time around Seunghyun declined and 10 minutes later, the younger man was walking through the door.

“Hey I’m home.” Jiyong yelled while he threw his things onto the couch. “Smells great. What’s on the menu tonight?” he asked as he snuck up behind Seunghyun who was standing in front of the stove. The younger man wrapped his arms around him, barely stepping on his tiptoes and placed a kiss underneath Seunghyun’s jaw.

“Mmm,” Seunghyun hummed at the embrace. “Stir-fry,” he answered, “from the remnants of last night.”

Jiyong pulled away, but not before he took another whiff and let his hand rub along Seunghyun’s sides for the briefest of seconds while said that he was going in the back to change and wash up.

When Jiyong returned, now clad in similar comfy cloths as his boyfriend, Seunghyun was setting their plates down.

“Ji, grab the cups for me, will ya?”

Following the request Jiyong reached into the cabinet, grabbing said cups and turned around to grab the water jug from the fridge. Seunghyun crossed in front of him trying to reach for the chopsticks and they danced around each other in the kitchen, each grabbing miscellaneous things for dinner as if it was a rehearsed ballet; always aware of where the other was and moving accordingly in their confined kitchen. When they finally sat down, each of them released a sigh, leaving the day behind them and ready to enjoy their meal and their time together.

Walking through the typical dinner table conversation, Jiyong confessed that today had been rather stressful because his professor added another assignment on top of the one that he had assigned earlier that week and that he later received a call from his job, asking if it would be ok if he came in a little bit earlier tomorrow morning.

“Do you still want me to make something for breakfast?” Seunghyun asked and put a spoonful of food in his mouth.”

Jiyong took a swig of his water and silently shook his head. “No, it’s ok. I’ll just grab something quick from a coffee shop.”

At hearing that, Seunghyun felt a little dejected that he wouldn’t be able to spend his birthday morning with Jiyong. But he didn’t want to discourage him so he kept it to himself and instead replied with, “Great. Means I can sleep in some.”

“Whoa I’m sorry I take away your precious sleep time mister,” Jiyong playfully said, defending himself.

Seunghyun rolled his eyes, letting his spoon dangle in the air as he retorted to his boyfriends smartass comment, “You know I would rather wake up and see you off, rather than not see you at all during the day until dinner.”

“See that’s why I keep you around…”

“Oh, you keep me around? Is that what you think? Because last time I check, I’m the one who spends most of my time at home,” Seunghyun said, trying to keep a playful tone but Jiyong’s smile upturned at his comment.

“You know I would be home more if I could babe…”

“Ji, I didn’t mean it like that,” he tried to assuage the situation but seeing Jiyong’s dejected look he decided to quickly change the topic to something he saw floating around the news about the TV show that they had been trying to watch together every week. And soon enough the comments were forgotten and they ate the rest of dinner laughing and enjoying each other.

When Jiyong tried to sneak off before doing the dishes, Seunghyun yelled at him and threw the rubber gloves in his direction, saying, “Get your over her mister. I cooked dinner so you can at least help wash the dishes.”

Picking up the gloves off the ground, Jiyong whined like a little kid, “But I’m tired, Hyun.”

“I don’t care. The quicker we finish, the quicker when can watch something on the DVR together.”

“Fine,” Jiyong relented and shuffled his way toward his boyfriend. “But you have to wear the apron.”

“No, ing way am I wear that.” Seunghyun said without even looking to Jiyong. “I don’t even know why you bought it in the first place.” He let the sink finish filling up as he turned to look at Jiyong, arms crossed.

“Because it’s cute,” Jiyong started as he stepped closer and closer to Seunghyun. “And I think you would look like the perfect little house wife in it.” He was now millimeters away from the older man, with the apron clutched in his hand. They had a small staring contest, each trying not to laugh, until Jiyong leaned up and kissed Seunghyun. They both pulled back laughing at their own antics and Seunghyun ripped the piece of cloth from Jiyong.

“Fine. But only because you asked nicely.”

Jiyong kissed him again in appreciation and slipped his own pair of rubber gloves on while Seunghyun begrudgingly put the apron on, murmuring, “The things I do for you.”

Jiyong reached over and turned off the faucet then faced Seunghyun. He wore a serious expression and asked in a gentle voice, “You do know how much I love you right?”

Seunghyun bumped his shoulder against the shorter mans and replied, “Ji, stop being mushy.”

But Jiyong didn’t relent. Instead he reached up and kissed Seunghyun, this time not like the chaste kiss he gave seconds ago, but one where he was trying to show his heart through the pressure and gentleness of their pressed lips. “You mean the world to me,” he confessed as they pulled apart. “I may forget many things throughout the day but I never forget how much you mean to me and how much I love you. And I hope you never forget about me either.”

“Jiyong, you know I could never. I love you too.” Seunghyun leaned down a pressed their lips together once more and then they got to work on washing the dishes.

~

It wasn’t the first time Seunghyun had woken to an empty bed, but on this morning in particular he was more sadden by to cool sheets beside him. He wished for more than anything to hear at this moment, Jiyong slowly waking him up with kisses as he whispered ‘happy birthday’ in between each one. Despite his cool composed exterior (or at least he thought so), he was always a er for the cutesy antics that his boyfriend would do for him and him alone. It melted his heart and he constantly wanted to wrap himself up with the younger man and forget where he begins and Jiyong ends.

Eventually he got out of bed and dragged himself to the shower. When he deemed himself clean he dressed and checked his phone, hoping for a birthday message from Jiyong. When he saw that there were no messages in his inbox; he checked his email. Nothing. His heart fell but he thought that maybe Jiyong didn’t have the time this morning, since his office did call him in early. Slipping the phone into his pocket to await the message he was sure would come soon, he walked into the kitchen and fixed a bowl a cereal, not feeling up to making something big for himself when he didn’t have anyone to share it with.

As the hours passed, his phone stayed silent. And with each minute that went by, his heart ached more and more. He felt like it was a little petty, being upset just because his boyfriend had yet to wish him a happy birthday, but damn it, it was his birthday after all. He can feel whatever he wants.

When 1 o’clock came he was focused so much on his computer that it took him a while to realize that his phone was ringing. Seeing the caller ID, he pressed the answer button in a split second and brought it up to his ear.

“Hey Ji!” he said, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

“… Hey Hyun,” Jiyong answered from the other end. Immediately, Seunghyun felt his stomach drop at the sound of his boyfriend exasperated voice.

“Babe… is something wrong?”

“I’m sorry but one of my coworkers went home sick and we have to finish planning and organizing this upcoming event. So I probably won’t be home till late… maybe not even home in time for dinner.”

“Oh…” Seunghyun whispered.

“Yeah I’m sorry, Hyun. I’ll probably grab something on the way home so don’t worry about me.”

“O-Oh, okay.” Seunghyun let his reply hang in the air, waiting for Jiyong to say something else; the phrase he had been waiting to hear all day.

“I’m sorry babe. But I gotta go now. Love ya.” Jiyong said in a rush and as he heard their call end, Seunghyun felt the sting of tears fighting their way into the corners of his eyes.

He didn’t realize how much it hurt to not hear Jiyong wish him a happy birthday, but now as he sat in his empty apartment, he felt a crippling sadness over come him. He was so pissed off at Jiyong and didn’t want to feel like this, but his emotions were all over the place at the moment. How much had he done for him in these last couple years? How much had he fought for them to work out? How much did he sacrifice for them? How many ing times did he constantly remind him of little things here and there, but now he can’t even remember his boyfriends own birthday?

“That’s the least you can do for me Ji...” he whispered into his hands as they rubbed over his face in an attempt to scrub these trivial feelings away. But deep down he knew that these feeling had been brewing in the pit of his stomach for a while now and that this was the pebble that broke the levy.

Composing himself after a few more minutes of dwelling in self-hate, he went back to work, but nothing seemed to work right from that point on. He gave up after a few more hours of trying to code some things, but it was just adding on to his already growing headache. So he shut off his computer and made his way to the kitchen to fix his birthday dinner for one.

Since he was already wallowing in self-pity, he decided to cheer himself up by making his favorite cream spaghetti dish. He didn’t care if it took longer than usual, he just wanted to do something for him and himself alone. Halfway through making the meal, he accidently spilled sauce on his shirt and because he was too lazy to go change, he took it off and threw it in the corner. His skin rose with goose bumps at the sudden colder air, but when he leaned closer to the stove, he felt better.

After everything finished cook, he put it all together, bringing it over to the table, and just as he pulled the chair out to sit down, he heard the door open. Looking to the Microwave to check the time, he saw that Jiyong was only coming home 20 minutes later than normal. Worried he asked, “Ji? Is everything alright?”

It took a few seconds for Jiyong to reply that everything was fine, but it took him minutes to finally come into the kitchen. During the wait, Seunghyun had the sudden thought that Jiyong must have finally remembered what today was and he was anticipating a possible surprise from the younger man. However when Jiyong entered the kitchen empty handed, Seunghyun felt his face fall, but he quickly tried to hide his disappointment. But Jiyong caught a small glimpse of it and gave him a confused look in return.

Seunghyun finished pulling out his chair and sat down as he said, “I made cream spaghetti and there’s still some on the stove if you haven’t already eaten.”

He felt Jiyong’s eyes on him as he dug his fork into the pasta and twirled it around, not speaking or looking his way. But soon enough he heard his boyfriend pull a plate out of the cabinet and fill it up with the dinner.

When Jiyong sat down, Seunghyun still didn’t talk. He was upset and dejected all at the same time, and honestly, he didn’t trust his voice enough. He was afraid it would really reveal how he was feeling. They ate in silence until finally Jiyong couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “… Seunghyun, are you ok?” He even went so much as to reach across the table and take hold of the older mans’ hand. But as soon as he felt the touch, Seunghyun pulled away and shook his head.

“It’s just…” he started but then after looking at Jiyong for the first time since he got home, he decided to change what he was going to say. “It’s just that I have a headache.” He watched as concern washed over Jiyong’s face, but before his boyfriend could say anything else, he lowered his eyes and saw that he was basically finished with dinner, so he stood up, scraped the remnants into the trash and started to wash the his dishes.

Jiyong probably felt that he wasn’t in the best of mood so he too quickly finished and placed his dishes in the soapy water. Jiyong’s let his now empty hand smooth over his bare bicep, trying to be affectionate but Seunghyun wanted none of it at the moment.

“Your hands are cold,” he said as an excuse to pull away again.

“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt? Not that I’m complaining or anything,” Jiyong added as an attempt to lighten his mood.

“I spilled sauce on it and didn’t feel like putting on another,” he replied as if he was stating an obvious fact.

 “Oh…” Jiyong replied and then followed it up with, “Hyun I’ll be back to help clean up in a minute, Ok?”

“Yeah fine.” Even to his ears he sounded like a pouting child but Jiyong quickly left the room before he could comment further. As soon as the younger man was out of the kitchen, Seunghyun dropped the dish he was washing back into the water and leaned on the edge, using the back of his hands to rest he forehead against.

Everything about today has just been one thing after another and it was driving him insane. Now Jiyong was home, still oblivious to the date, and he wasn’t even trying to get Seunghyun to talk. Yes he was pissed at his boyfriend but he also wanted him to ask every possible question he could think of. He felt like a child who wanted all the attention on himself, because all he could think about was how these past couple months, it’s been nothing but Jiyong, Jiyong, Jiyong and his ing master’s degree. For once he just wanted something to be about him for a day and have Jiyong dote on him, make him breakfast, spend the day with him. Anything, but this.

Wanting to finish up the dishes as quickly as possible so he could disappear under the covers of his bed for the rest of the night, Seunghyun stood back up and resumed cleaning the last few plates and silverware. There were so many soap suds in the sink that he was blinding moving his hand in the water to find some of the hidden forks when just as he grabbed ahold of one of them, he heard Jiyong come back into the room. But yet he still didn’t look at him.

Jiyong had to call out his name twice until he finally caved in and looked in his direction. When his eyes landed on him, he dropped the fork into the water as his jaw went slack.

“Ji-Jiyong-“

“Look okay, I know it’s not much. And I know I’m a horrible human being, and even worse boyfriend for making you wait so long but… well… Happy Birthday, Seunghyun.”

In his boyfriends hands was a small simple cake that he probably bought on his way home but at this moment in time, the cake could have been made by the devil himself and he wouldn’t have cared. All he cared about was the fact that Jiyong did not forget what today was.

“I-I thought you had forgotten…”

“Well it’s not that I forgot, it’s more like I had my days mixed up. I thought today was the 3^rd and it wasn’t until I had to check some shipping information at work, that I realized today was actually the 4th.”

In less than two seconds Seunghyun crossed the room and brought his soap covered hands up to Jiyong’s face, pulling him into a kiss. The younger man chuckled as he maneuvered the cake in his hands to the counter next to them. When his hands were free, he grabbed on to Seunghyun, deepening the kiss.

When they pulled apart, Jiyong asked in a small voice, “I have soap suds all over my face don’t I?” Seunghyun nodded but refused to let go. His heart felt like a thousand different weights had been lifted and when he looked into Jiyong’s eyes, seeing the warm familiar brown shining back at him, he couldn’t help but pull him into another kiss. He savored the taste of Jiyong’s lips, with the hint of their dinner left on his tongue. He used his teeth to playfully bite down on Jiyong’s bottom lip, and when he heard a soft moan from him, he pulled him closer wanting once again to forget where he begins and Jiyong ends.

As they pulled apart for the second time, they took turns placing chaste kisses on each other’s lips, until Seunghyun rested his forehead against Jiyong’s.

“You don’t know how much I needed that just now,” Seunghyun confessed, still trying to catch his breath.

“You don’t know how bad I felt when I realized what I had done; I can’t imagine what you must have thought about me all day.”

Seunghyun felt a twinge of guilt rise in the pit of his stomach, but he didn’t tell Jiyong anything about what had truly crossed his mind that day.

“I swear, as soon as I realized, I went straight to my manager and said there was an emergency at home and that I was finished with everything. Then I stopped by this little bakery on the way home and bought you this sad excuse of a cake.”

Seunghyun and Jiyong both turned and looked to the frosted caked sitting on the counter, it couldn’t have been bigger than the size of cup saucer, but no matter how small it was, it was perfect to Seunghyun. “I don’t care. All that matters is that you’re here and I get to finally spend some of my birthday with you.”

Jiyong smiled back. “Oh, right, that reminds me. I know we haven’t really spent that much time together these past couple months, because of our busy schedules, but weeks ago I asked for some vacation time from the office and… they gave it to me. So from today, Friday, at…” he looked at the time, “…8:24 p.m. until Monday at 8:45 a.m.; I am all yours. No papers to get in our way, no business calls, no last minute change of plans. I am officially on vacation.

Seunghyun pulled back and let his hands slide down to rest on Jiyong’s hips. “Really? Are you serious, Ji?”

The younger man smiled and nodded, “Yes.”

Tugging him back into his arms, Seunghyun squeezed Jiyong tight, afraid that he was dream and that if he loosened his grip, his boyfriend would disappear. But to reassure him, Jiyong’s arms wrapped around his larger frame and he felt him nuzzle into his neck.

“I’m sorry it’s not much of a birthday present…” he mumbled against his bare skin.

“No it’s grea-“

“No, Seunghyun, it’s not great. You deserve so much more and I wish I could give it to you right now. But we both know that I can’t. And you don’t know how much it kills me to burden you like this.” Once Jiyong started talking he found that he couldn’t stop and all Seunghyun could do was hold him and listen. “I'm just sorry that all I can give you right now is me having a free weekend when you've been the one person who has been my rock this whole time. I honestly don't know what I would do if it wasn't for you. My life would be total chaos. You keep me grounded and I know that at the end of every day I get to come home to the one person who loves me most in the world. You mean more to me than anything, even myself and I am such a ty boyfriend for mixing up the days. I don't think you will ever know how much strength you've given me over the years, how much of a better person I am because of you.” Jiyong paused and pulled back so he could look at Seunghyun, who wanted to inject but Jiyong stopped him and spoke again. “Do you know why I wanted to get a master’s degree, despite the money troubles we faced? It’s because of you. The whole reason I wanted to do this, to get this degree, was so that you could be proud of me and so that I could support you financially as much as you’ve supported me by being by my side a loving me for all these years.”

As they stood there in the kitchen, Seunghyun shirtless and Jiyong’s face still damp from Seunghyun’s soapy hands, the older man found himself completely speechless at his boyfriends’ confession. He felt awful at all the little thoughts that ran through his mind, about how selfish Jiyong was or how much of a horrid boyfriend he was and how much this was the worst birthday he had ever had. But after hearing everything from Jiyong, hearing how much he means to him and how all of this had been to create a better life for them. He knew that this was the best present he could ever receive.

Having Jiyong by his side, will forever be the greatest gift in his life.

Sorry if that ending is weird. I worte this in a couple hours and now I'm tried but here's the story behind this little tale. My brithday was last week and it was one of the tiest birthdays ever. (none of my friends even sang happy birthday to me or gave me a cake OTL) So I wrote this as a little gift to myself. Because I secretly wish I had someone to swoop in  with a cake like Jiyong did, but it won't ever happen.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed it.