May 6^th 2020

The fifth time they meet, it's because of Jongdae.

After the stress of exams had finally passed, Chanyeol found himself lying in bed more often than not, too mentally exhausted to get anything done. He wasn’t sure how much time he had spent lazing around his apartment, fixing himself instant meals between episodes of a show he had re-watched too many times.

It’s a bright Sunday morning when he gets a call from his friend, squeezing his eyes shut as he nuzzled deeper into his sheets, trying to ignore the incessant vibration. It takes a few moments of unrelenting buzzing before he’s groaning, hand moving wildly against his nightstand to make the sound stop.

He gives his device a weak glare as he gets a look at the caller ID, answering the phone and putting it on speaker as he throws the device next to his pillow. His eyes flutter closed.

“What do you want, Jongdae?” Chanyeol croaked out, voice raspy.

“Did I wake you up, sleeping beauty?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s already noon. What happened to the Chanyeol who used to wake up bright and early at 7am?”

“Exams killed him.”

“Jeez.”

“What did you want?”

“I was just calling to ask if you were coming to dinner on Wednesday.”

Chanyeol furrowed his brow, peeking his eyes open as he tries to adjust to the light spilling in through his windows. “You’re going out to dinner on Wednesday?”

“Yeah? Obviously Baek and I are gonna be there, but Junmyeon, Sehun, Jongin and Kyungsoo should be coming too— You know Junmyeon and Sehun, right? I called some others but they haven’t responded yet.”

“Wait what?”

“I mean, I’m not surprised not that many people RSVP’d, we did only make the plan last night—“  

The giant sits up, grabbing his phone as he absentmindedly rubs at his eyes. “Why are you randomly planning a big dinner in the middle of the week?” he asks in confusion.

“What do you mean ‘randomly’? It’s Baekhyun’s birthday?”

“It’s what?” the giant asked, eyes widening in surprise.

“Did he not tell you? I would’ve thought with how much you two have been hanging out, it would’ve come up eventually.”

“, that’s so soon. I don’t even know what to get him—“

“Calm down, Chanyeol. Baek’s not a materialistic person. You don’t need to get him anything.”

Chanyeol frowned. “But—“

“It’s taken us ages to even get him to agree to us treating him to a meal. I’m pretty sure he’s not gonna mind if you show up empty-handed to a dinner.”

“I still feel like I should bring him something, even if it’s small.”

“I mean, if you wanna do that, go for it.”

“Any ideas for what to get him?”

Jongdae hummed. “He likes practical things.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, like… food? Or like, maybe gaming stuff?”

“I’ll… figure something out.”

“So can I count you in on dinner?”

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Alright, see you then.”  

~~~~~

Chanyeol shifts uncomfortably as he picks up a console game from the shelf, inspecting the box in his hands. It was some title he had seen somewhere in passing, somewhere he couldn’t quite place. He hummed, scanning the cover, almost in hopes that it would give him the answers he needed, barely registering as someone behind him tried to get a game he was standing in front of. He moved to the side, mumbling a quiet apology before putting down the game in resignation.  

He had already spent his morning walking around a mall in search of something to buy the boy, only to find himself empty handed, feeling more unsure than ever.

He had contemplated calling Baekhyun directly a few times just to ask what he wanted, but every time he had pulled his phone out of his pocket, finger poised to make the call, he let out a sigh, putting the device away again.

Chanyeol takes the cashier’s suspicious looks at him as a sign to give up on the store, at least for the time being. He pulls his phone out as he leaves, brows raised as he notices a few new messages on his screen.

Byun Baekhyun
hey chanyeol
you’re coming on wednesday yeah?

Park Chanyeol
yeah i am!
i can’t believe you didn’t tell me your birthday was coming up

Byun Baekhyun
lol its because its not that big of a deal

Park Chanyeol
im gonna fight you omg
this isnt enough time

Byun Baekhyun
enough time for what??
are you trying to get me a gift

Park Chanyeol
…

Byun Baekhyun
dont
dont
dont
i swear park
if you try to get me anything im uninviting you to dinner

Park Chanyeol
…
is it that serious baekhyun

Byun Baekhyun
either you give me a gift or you keep this friendship park
there’s no in between

Park Chanyeol
jeez okay

Byun Baekhyun
awesome!!
see you wednesday chanyeol!!

The giant sighed, pocketing his phone again.

~~~~~

Before he knows it, Wednesday has arrived, and Chanyeol finds himself adjusting and readjusting a jacket on his body, frowning at his reflection in the mirror as he tried to fix his outfit. It wasn’t long before he had to head out, but there was something that felt weird.

He bit his lip, going back to his dresser in hopes of finding something different to change into, digging through the poorly folded clothes when his hand hit something metal. His brows furrowed in confusion as he dug it out, only to have his heart sink as he held a promise ring in his hand. He scoffed, trying to mask an underlying feeling of pain digging away at his heart.

“Some promise that was,” he muttered to himself. He had almost forgotten he had hidden it away a few months ago, not even giving himself the time to be sad when he had school to worry about. He let out a sigh, twirling it around in his fingers, watching the small jewels gleam. He let out a breathy chuckle. He honestly found the old thing objectively ugly, but she liked it so he always made sure to wear it.

Not that it mattered anymore.

The sound of his ringtone snapped him back to reality, the boy pulling out his phone as he gripped the ring in his other hand.

“Hello?”

“Hey, have you left yet?” Jongdae asked.

“Uh, no not yet. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget about dinner. I know Baek’s been a little worried about it too, so I was wondering if you could just meet up with him and head over together. You guys live near each other, right?”

“Uh… yeah sure no problem.”

There was a pause on the line.

“Hey, Yeol, are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Chanyeol bit his lip, putting the ring down on his dresser.

“Yeah. I’m heading out so I’ll meet you at the restaurant?”

“Alright. See you soon then.”

~~~~~

True to his word, he calls Baekhyun on his way out of the apartment. They agree to meet up around the convenience store as usual, Chanyeol quickly pocketing a small wrapped object before heading out.

Even before he arrives, he can see Baekhyun’s figure by the store, waving the giant over as he closed the distance between them.

“Happy birthday,” Chanyeol said before Baekhyun could get a word out.

“Ugh don’t even remind me. I can feel myself aging and it’s terrible.”

Chanyeol let out a good-natured laugh. “Get used to it. It only goes downhill from here, you senior citizen.”

The subway station isn’t a far walk from the store, and the pair quickly find themselves in a quiet subway car. The rush of commuters had just recently calmed by the looks of it, the subway carts feeling strangely empty as they rode it down the line. It’s when Baekhyun is nudging him to get off the subway that Chanyeol realizes belatedly that he actually hadn’t a clue where they were meeting, relying solely on Baekhyun to get them where they needed to be.

He trails after Baekhyun like a lost puppy, watching him glance from his phone to the street, biting his lip as he took unsure steps forward. Chanyeol suppressed the chuckle about to escape his throat as the smaller boy furiously shook his head, fingers moving to zoom in whatever was on his screen.

“Having some trouble?” Chanyeol asked, a lilt in his tone as he peered over Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“I swear the restaurant was somewhere on this block,” the small boy said, furrowing his brow at the phone. “Where…?”

“Mind if I give it a try, birthday boy?”

Baekhyun sighed, giving his phone to the giant before the taller smiled, nodding his head in the opposite direction. “I know the place, just follow me.”

~~~~~

It isn’t long until they’re settled into the restaurant where the rest of the group were already waiting for them, teasing Baekhyun for his lack of directional skills.

It’s comfortable, Chanyeol thinks. Much more so than he expects.

He hadn’t realized that it had been so long since he had seen all his friends together. The last time he had seen them all at once had been at Jongdae’s New Year’s party, and that had been a whole semester ago.

He finds himself smiling as his friends all laugh together, and he belatedly realizes how sorely he had missed spending time with everyone.

Their meal ends with the servers bringing Baekhyun a slice of cake, lit with a single candle as the group sang him an off-key ‘happy birthday’.

“You guys are too much,” Baekhyun laughed, cheeks red in embarrassment but his eyes were filled with adoration.

They leave the restaurant red faced and elated, each of them just a few drinks from tipsy. They bid each other goodbye, splitting off into pairs as they staggered home, hearts full and smiles on their faces.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol walk back to the subway station together, the small boy not hesitating to lace their fingers together as they walked back. The giant could feel his cheeks warm at the action, not bothering to separate their hands.

They stayed like this from the restaurant all the way back to the convenience store between their apartments.

“Thanks for coming out tonight,” Baekhyun said, smile shining through his voice. “It was a lot of fun.”

“Thanks for inviting me out.”

“Get home safely, alright?” Baekhyun asked, pulling his hand back slowly. He let out a giggle when Chanyeol’s fingers stayed holding on tightly.

“Wait…” Chanyeol said before letting go of the smaller’s hand. “I… uh…” he started, pulling a small package from the pocket of his jacket.

“Chanyeol…” Baekhyun said, tone warning.

“I know you said no gifts, but since dinner is over, you can’t uninvite me! Plus, if you don’t take it, it would really hurt my feelings.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, smile still on his face. Chanyeol beamed back, putting the small gift into Baekhyun’s hands. The small boy made quick work of unwrapping it, brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before he lets out a laugh.

“I wasn’t sure what else to get you—“

“So artisanal strawberry jam was your answer?” Baekhyun said, still laughing good-naturedly.

“Well, you got strawberry ice cream that one time, so I figured you liked strawberry-flavoured things enough! And it’s diverse in use! You can… you can eat it on bread! I realize in hindsight how stupid that sounds—“

“Chanyeol—“

“, I don’t even know if you like bread. Do you like bread?”

“Yes, Chanyeol. I do like bread. And strawberries. Thank you for this. Really.”

The tall boy turned pink, all the way to the tips of his ears. Baekhyun reached for his hand again, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Chanyeol smiled. “Happy birthday, Baek.”