Yunho toed off his shoes and let them collect messily by the front door. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so tired, but with a day that started at 6 in the morning and ended almost 9:30 he couldn’t be happier to finally be home.

It was only after he was in the living room that he remembered that he hadn't seen Hyun Gi’s shoes weren’t by the door which meant he was still at work. Letting out a long sigh, he went into the kitchen and flipped on the lights. Sitting in the middle of the table was a single cupcake topped with a strawberry and candle. Next to it, there was a fork that held down a white card. He smiled and picked it up.

“I know it’s your birthday and I know that I’m not there, but I made that damn cupcake myself( which means a hell of a lot considering I don’t bake). Eat it, make a wish, and think of me. I promise we’ll celebrate properly this weekend. Love you.

-Gi

Yunho placed the card back down and picked up the fork. The cupcake, though it looked harmless enough, fell apart as soon as Yunho poked the fork into it. He laughed to himself and decided that he'd just pretend he ate it when Hyun Gi asked him if he liked it. He cleaned it up and tossed the crumbled cupcake in the trash and left the kitchen.

Once he was in their bedroom, he began to undress and headed for the shower. His stomach was growling and the only thing he wanted to do was get cleaned up and go out to eat. Once he was done with his shower, he got dressed in a pair of jeans and long sleeved t-shirt and headed back out towards the front door. He picked up his phone that he had placed on the table next to the door and frowned. The end of his text conversation with JaeJoong a few nights ago had taken an unexpected turn that left Yunho both confused and frustrated.

JaeJoong has texted him to be kind and check on him after not talking for a week. And what had Yunho done? He had gone and turned into a forced and flirty trip down memory lane. He wouldn’t be surprised if JaeJoong ever texted him again. Sighing, he grabbed his coat and shoved the phone into his pocket before leaving the apartment.

He drove by Junsu’s restaurant and decided against it when he saw the line of cars that were waiting to get into the parking lot. He decided instead to go to a tiny Thai restaurant near downtown. It was intimate and rarely crowded and sounded like the best idea after a long day.

He found a parking space near the restaurant and got out, excited at the idea of stuffing himself to the brim with Pad Thai. The hostess welcomed him and gestured for him to follow her. She showed him to a table near the back next to a few couples who were sharing dinner by candle light. She smiled and placed the menu in front of him, promising to be back in a few minutes.

He didn’t bother with reading the menu since he already knew what he wanted, so he pulled out his phone instead. There were several texts from his friends and family who wished him a happy birthday with promises to spend time with him soon. He smiled at the emoji filled text from his mother.

“Yunho?” The voice quickly dissolved the smile on Yunho’s face and increased his pulse. He looked up from his phone and found JaeJoong smiling down at him, his black hair windswept.

“H-hi, Jae.” He stuttered like an idiot. JaeJoong continues to smile seemingly not having noticed. The waitress looked between them.

“If you know each other you can share a table.” JaeJoong looked at her before looking back at Yunho.

“Would you mind?” Yunho shook his head no quickly, nearly giving himself whiplash.

"No of course not. Please sit." The waitress placed the menu down in front of JaeJoong once he was in his seat and left them alone. JaeJoong unwrapped his large scarf and put on the back of his chair before shrugging out of his jacket.

"I don't mean to crash in on you like this." Yunho smiled to reassure JaeJoong.

"It's no big deal. I was eating alone like a sad sack anyway." JaeJoong chuckled.

"Eating alone doesn't make you sad. It makes you smart!" This time Yunho laughed.

"How so?" JaeJoong tilted his head to the side.

"Well for one you don't have to mind your manners. Chew with your mouth open, burp, make a mess. Nothing is off limits." He finished with a flutter of his hands. Yunho couldn't hold back the smile that stretched across his face. JaeJoong had already been extremely charming when he was young, but he was even more so as an adult. It made him more lovable than Yunho already thought JaeJoong was.

"Then you better get lost. All that sounds great." JaeJoong chuckled, his brown eyes lit with joy.

"Nah. I'll stick around. You can eat like I'm not even here." Yunho shook his head.

"I'll try to maintain some of my manners. So what brings you out tonight?" JaeJoong looked up from the menu at Yunho briefly before looking back down.

"My birthday was a couple of weeks and I never got out to actually do anything for it because of how busy work was. So when I got off work I decided dinner out would be a good start.” Yunho nodded absently, remember when they met for the first time at summer camp and JaeJoong told him that his birthday was in January so Yunho had to call him hyung sometimes.

"My birthday is today and I'm actually doing the same thing. Usually I'd celebrate with my fi-" He stopped short. "My friends. But everyone is busy until the weekend so..." He trailed off, his heart pounding against his ribcage. Why the hell couldn't he tell JaeJoong he was engaged? It was like his brain had an internet ad blocked on it whenever he even attempted to think about telling JaeJoong. He felt ridiculous.

"Well Happy Birthday!" JaeJoong smiled big and clapped his hands together happily. "You're going to have to call me hyung. Not all the time since it's only a couple of weeks of age difference between us." He winked and Yunho felt like someone had kicked him in the chest.

"I'll have to remember that." Yunho finally said when he regained his composure. They were quiet for a brief moment before the waitress came back to take their orders. Because it wasn't busy their food came right away. They ate in silence for a little while until JaeJoong spoke again.

"Were you going to go home after eating?" Yunho took a short sip from his glass of lemonade.

"I planned on it. Why?" JaeJoong shrugged.

"I'm going to go dancing at the club for a while and have a few drinks." He raised his fingers and formed double air quotes. "Let off some steam. My roommate's idea. You're welcome to join me if you're not already over hanging out with me for the night." Yunho turned the idea over in his head. JaeJoong in a club dancing with him. Was this a good idea? Probably not. But friends did things like this all the time and if he couldn't hang out with him in this capacity, then spending time with him in the future was going to be difficult.

"That sounds like