Baekhyun was concerned. Extremely concerned. Chanyeol hadn’t so much as uttered a word all evening, which Baekhyun thought very unusual. If Chanyeol wasn’t offering Baekhyun one word answers to his endless questions, he was grumbling to himself about some reason or another. But instead, the giant sat with a notepad in his lap, back hunched, on the couch.

Baekhyun watched him silently for a few minutes, intrigued. After shooting a quick glance at his phone, Chanyeol would hastily scribble something down in his notebook or on occasion, he would tap his chin thoughtfully with the tip of the pen, careful so as not to get any ink on his face.

Furrowing his brow, Baekhyun crept along the carpeted lounge as silently as possible, hiding underneath the coffee table. This was the perfect observation spot; Chanyeol couldn’t see him under the table, even if he strained to see him. Baekhyun doubted that he would; Chanyeol seemed too absorbed.

Another hour passed of Chanyeol not so much as muttering something to himself. Baekhyun, torn between observing and watching My Little Pony on the television swapped his attention between the two. He was eager not to miss Pinkie Pie screen time, but he also wanted to see if his Mister Giant was okay without disturbing him.

Waiting for the ending credits to completely finish (he bobbed along in time to the music, perhaps more eagerly than he should), Baekhyun wiggled his way to the end of the coffee table and peered up at Chanyeol, his hands supporting his face.

“Mister Giant?”

Chanyeol glanced up from his notebook. “Huh? Did you want me to re-play the dvd for you?”

Baekhyun grinned from his spot under the coffee table; he could see Chanyeol’s eyes darting this way and that in an attempt to locate him.

“Nope!” He paused for a moment, contemplating telling Chanyeol that he was worried. “Um, what are you doing?”

“Writing something.”

“Can I help?”

“No, Baek.”

Baekhyun frowned. Was it secret? Was Chanyeol writing a letter to somebody? Was it a girl? Baekhyun shook his head. No, absolutely not. He was not sharing his Mister Giant. Not with anybody.

“What are you writing?”

“A list.”

Baekhyun breathed out a sigh of relief, wriggling his way out from the small gap under the coffee table.

“Oh,” he said, giving Chanyeol’s pant leg a sharp tug. With a roll of his eyes, Chanyeol scooped Baekhyun up in one hand and placed him on the couch arm. “What’s it for?”

“Who I want to invite to my birthday,” Chanyeol said simply, fixing his attention back onto the notebook. “It’s only a few days away, so I want to have a party.”

Baekhyun’s eyes lit up. “Party? Can I come?”

“If you want,” Chanyeol said, tapping the notebook with his pen. “Who else did I forget…?” he added, as an after thought.

Clapping his hands together excitedly, Baekhyun climbed his way up into Chanyeol’s lap. “Mister Giant?” he asked, peering at the list Chanyeol was writing – just to make sure it wasn’t actually a letter to a girl. “You need presents to help celebrate your birthday!”

A soft chuckle escaped Chanyeol’s lips. “Presents aren’t necessary to help celebrate, but they are always nice to receive.”

Baekhyun’s brow creased, his stomach churned with panic. “But …” he began. “I don’t have any pockets!”

“Pockets?” Chanyeol asked, closing the notebook and placing it on the arm rest next to him. “What does that have to do with presents?”

Baekhyun threw his hands into the air in exasperation, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I don’t have anywhere to keep my money!”

Chanyeol arched his eyebrows. “You have money?” he asked, surprised. Baekhyun nodded eagerly.

“Yes, I’ve been saving for a long time! I have three silver coins!”

It took all of Chanyeol’s will to stop from smiling. Baekhyun had fifteen cents. That wasn’t going to buy him much – if anything at all.

“You can always make something then,” he suggested. “A handmade gift always means the most.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “But what if you don’t like it?”

Scooping Baekhyun up, Chanyeol placed him on his shoulder. “A present is supposed to come from the heart. It’s something that is meant to make the recipient smile.”

To smile …? Of course! That was it!

The following morning, Baekhyun spent hours gathering everything he would need to make Chanyeol’s birthday present. Pockets or not, this gift was coming from the heart! He was certain Chanyeol would like it!

It took a lot of effort to drag the box of worn crayons from the lounge room into their bedroom; he had decided to set up in the small gap between the dressing table and the wall. Chanyeol wouldn’t accidentally discover it then.

Fighting with the sheet of paper, Baekhyun managed to tug that into the bedroom behind him on what felt like the billionth trip he had made between the bedroom and the lounge room; the paper bending, ripping and creasing each time he would trip over it. But he didn’t seem to notice. Baekhyun’s mind was too set on making Chanyeol the best birthday present he had ever received.

Leaning the paper up against the wall, Baekhyun turned towards the packet of crayons. Pink … Pink … He couldn’t draw Pinkie Pie in any other colour. Where did the pink crayon go?

Puffing his cheeks out in annoyance, Baekhyun slumped his shoulders; he had to make the trek back to the lounge room again. But if it made Chanyeol smile, it’d all be worth it.

“You’re being very secretive,” Chanyeol observed from the kitchen the evening before his birthday. Baekhyun had spent the last few days in the lead up to Chanyeol’s birthday sneaking around the house. Each time Chanyeol would ask what Baekhyun had made for him, Baekhyun would shake his head and shoo him off.

 “No, no!” he would scold. “It’s a secret!”

Baekhyun was caught off guard and almost tripped over his socks. “No I’m not!” he defended, puffing out his chest in an attempt to conceal a roll of sticky tape he had hidden behind him.

It took just over three hours for Baekhyun to wrap the tiny cardboard box; the mural he had hidden behind the dresser he had finished a few hours before dinner; two days of hard work, finally complete. He had busied himself with the rest of the evening colouring his own ‘wrapping paper’. Crayon scribbles resembling ducks decorated the plain white paper; the cardboard box was messily wrapped, uneven edges poked out this way and that.

Exhaling loudly, Baekhyun slumped against the box. Making presents was exhausting, but he was satisfied, at least, with what he had achieved. A mural of the two to show their friendship. It came from the heart, yes, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to make Chanyeol smile.

So Baekhyun thought long and hard about what made Chanyeol smile. And that’s when it hit him. He made Chanyeol smile.

All he had to do was sneak into the colourfully wrapped box and then surprise Chanyeol when he opened it in the morning. Baekhyun beamed at the thought of a smiling Chanyeol, grateful for Baekhyun’s heartfelt gifts.

Getting to his feet, Baekhyun dusted his hands triumphantly. And now all he had to do was climb in and … He inspected the box from all angles; it was completely sealed. Maybe if he just wiggled a little this way and … Nope. He couldn’t get in from that side. He had taped it down far too much. Maybe if he tried from the … Nope. Again, he was met with a sticky tape covered box.

Baekhyun began to panic. He couldn’t give Chanyeol an empty box for his birthday.

With his head hung low in shame, Baekhyun tugged the empty box towards where Chanyeol slept. He wanted to get everything organised for the morning. He didn’t want to make Chanyeol wait on his birthday.

Bringing the brightly wrapped box to a rest by Chanyeol’s side, Baekhyun snuggled into Chanyeol’s side; he had given up sleeping in his little box bed. Chanyeol made him feel safe. Baekhyun felt his heart drop at the thought. Chanyeol made him feel safe, Chanyeol filled him with happiness. But he wouldn’t be able to return the favour on Chanyeol’s birthday.

An empty box? What kind of gift was that?

A quiet sigh escaped Baekhyun’s lips as he turned his back to the sleeping giant, studying the gift box intently. He was going to figure out a way to get in it. He was going to make sure Chanyeol really got a birthday surprise.

“Mister Giant!” Baekhyun bellowed as loud as he could, tugging on the sleeve of Chanyeol’s pajama shirt. “Wake up, wake up!”

A low grumble echoed from Chanyeol’s throat and he rubbed his eyes groggily.

“What time is it?” he asked, stifling a yawn.

Baekhyun shot a glance at the small digital alarm clock on the dresser.

“Five thirty in the morning,” he replied happily. “You’ve slept in enough! Today is special, it’s your birthday!”

“It’s no different from any other day, Baek,” Chanyeol mumbled, closing his eyes once more. Shifting on the spot, Baekhyun reached for the frayed hemming of his cape.

“It’s special to me,” he said quietly before giving Chanyeol a sharp jab in the cheek. “Presents! Presents! Open them! Open them!”

He scrambled down from the pillow, pushing the gift box right up to Chanyeol’s side.

“Close your eyes, please!” he commanded. “And when you’ve unwrapped the box, count to ten before opening your eyes!”

Chanyeol shook his head; it didn’t take much of an invitation to close his eyes. Opening them again was going to be the hard part, though. His fingers made quick work of the crayon ducky wrapping paper. Lifting the flaps of the cardboard box, he paused.

“One … Two …”

Balancing on his tip toes, Baekhyun seized the chance to climb into the box. Readjusting his cape and the collar of his pajamas, he waited.

“Ten.”

With a little reluctance, Chanyeol opened his eyes, his brows arching in confusion.

“You got me … A box?”

Panic filled Baekhyun – Chanyeol wasn’t smiling. Did he not like the present?

“No, no,” Baekhyun said quickly, waving his hands in front of his face. “Mister Giant said that a present is supposed to make you smile! I make you smile,” he added quietly, looking down at his socks. Maybe this was a bad idea?

“Oh Baek,” Chanyeol chuckled, scooping the tiny Baekhyun who was on the verge of tears out of the gift box. “You really do make me smile.”

Baekhyun’s eyes lit up, his heart filling with pride. “Really?” he asked, excited. “I’ve prepared another present for you, too! It’s just behind there!” He pointed towards the dresser.

Chanyeol pushed the blankets back, swinging his legs over the side of the bed; his body enveloped in the icy chill. “Really?” he asked in mild surprise. “Behind there? Okay.”

Crossing the distance between the dresser and his bed with a single stride, he pulled the dresser away from the wall with ease. Turning on the lamp that sat atop it, his eyes travelled to the small wall space his dresser had once covered.

There, drawn in crayon was a crude drawing of what Chanyeol could only suspect –judging by the sheer height of the figure – to be him The drawing wore his cape proudly. Around him, various drawings of Pinkie Pie, Mister Byun, Mister Ducky and Baekhyun, all with capes to match Chanyeol’s decorated the mural.

At the very top of the mural – Chanyeol guessed Baekhyun had struggled with this part the most – was the word ‘Friend.’

“Wow,” Baekhyun said, amazed by his own handiwork. “The paper really blends in with the wall! It’s like it’s not even there at all!”

Chanyeol shook his head, a small smile creeping onto his face. “That’s because you did draw on my wall,” he said. “There’s a piece of paper further down behind the dresser, if you meant that.”

“Oh …” Baekhyun said sheepishly. “Er, happy birthday!” 

Thank you to Jee for helping with the idea for this chapter.
I told you I was going to use it! 
I'm going to use the other comment/ideas/conversations/derp in future chapters!~
^^
PS: Congratulations on your k-fest performance!~