(Daehyun's Perspective)

Hyosung had been apologizing profusely ever since she realized Daehyun had a manager shift on his birthday that he had no choice but to take. Daehyun tried to tell her that it was fine, that he really didn't mind having to work on his birthday since it wasn't an important day to him, but she was insistent on making up for it somehow. Even though he was constantly telling her that she didn't have to do that...

The way she decided to make up for it was to just give him that weekend off... paid. Daehyun couldn't even talk her down on it at all because when she called him to the office to tell him the other day, she ended with, “And I'm not taking no as an answer for this, buddy!”

But it all worked out for the better, he supposed. Zelo came to him later that day trying to set up a time for them to go visit with his umma since she was wanting to do something for Daehyun's birthday, and he conveniently had a free weekend. He felt apprehensive about seeing her again, but she'd always been a solid maternal figure for him. Reestablishing that connection would be probably be beneficial for Daehyun and his healing process!

The healing process that he'd been even more solidified in trying to enforce since his first therapist appointment the other week.

After he was led down the hallway and into Dr. Lee's office, Daehyun took a seat on the couch while the doctor grabbed some things off her desk. A clipboard and a pen. Then she took her seat in the arm chair across from him and leaned forward a slight bit as she began to go over some introductory things. Namely the policies for the office and payment fees. Daehyun took in the information as best he could since it would definitely be important later on down the line...

Once that had been gone over, she clicked out her pen. “So Daehyun, what's going on in your life that has you seeking out therapy?” she questioned.

“I... I want to work through and... get over the things I've been through so it won't get in the way of my life now.”

“What sort of things do you mean?”

“The... The memories of how my parents and my ex girlfriend treated me,” he responded slowly. “They- My parents raised me to be... very passive. My ex took advantage of that and... and she also... She used her own ways to keep me obedient. My parents encouraged it...” Daehyun gulped down the nervous lump in his throat and stared at his hands in his lap. As he began to fiddle his fingers with each other to combat the nerves, he added on, “I-I'm away from it now, but... it still affects me in ways I don't want it to.”

Dr. Lee scribbled something down and asked, “Will you describe these ways for me?”

Daehyun nodded. “I- Whenever I'm reminded of those times, I- I get... panicky. It's hard to breathe... My ears ring and my vision goes all... staticky?” He tensed at the recollections and reminded himself to breathe as he continued, “And... And if I'm stressed, I-I get... I get nightmares about being back with... her.”

“I see.” There was a pause while she wrote something else down on her clipboard. “How do you normally handle it when these things happen?”

“I... I try to distract myself,” he answered. “By um... busying my hands and focusing on that task, or I uh... I try to find someone to be around and I focus on what they're doing instead.”

“Will you elaborate a bit on your distraction techniques?”

“I- Well, I crochet. And I've uh... I've recently gotten back into making bracelets? When it comes to being around others...” Daehyun his lips nervously, deciding that if she judged him for what he was about to say, then he'd need to search up a new therapist. “I either dress up with my best friend, or I uh... I play the piano with my... boyfriend...”

When he glanced up at her to get a read on her reaction, she appeared just as calm and gentle as she had throughout the entire conversation thus far... No signs of being weirded out or like she was going to scold him for his actions... “What was it like growing up for you, Daehyun?”

Daehyun pressed his lips together and gave the question some thought with a troubled hum. “It was... lonely,” he decided. “My parents were either scolding me or not around because of work... I felt more at home with the babysitters. Especially Ms. Choi. She even let me call her Umma...”

After jotting down a few things to her clipboard, she questioned, “Have you ever used a narcotic or addictive substance for coping?”

He shook his head in denial by instinct, but then he furrowed his brows. “Well, I- There was one instance where me and my best friend got... very drunk because of it, but that was a one time thing and I've only drank once since then and it was a casual setting that had nothing to do with my memories,” he elaborated. “I-I don't have any intentions to become a heavy drinker? Alcohol is... a money investment better used elsewhere. I've never done any... illegal substances, and I haven't smoked either. But...”

“But?”

With a shaky sigh, he brought his attention back to his fiddling hands, which were now occupied with pulling at the bottom hem of his shirt. “But... I've thought about smoking before,” he admitted quietly. “Back when I was with my ex... I never actually did it, and I don't- It's not something I want to do now. Cigarettes are... also a money investment that's better used elsewhere. That's... That's probably the only thing that kept me from it back then...”

“And now?”

Daehyun thought about Zelo in the recent months of how happy he always looked when they were hanging out and Daehyun was being his test model. He thought of Shortstub's and the coworkers of his who treated him as if he were a part of the family. He thought of Youngjae and the way his dimples showed when he smiled so brightly...

“I'm- Even though I still hurt because of the past, I... I'm still happier than I've ever been. I don't want to do anything that could take that away from me...”

It was determined at that time that he'd likely need quite a few appointments with Dr. Lee in order to get in depth into everything and really work through it, which Daehyun expected going in. He didn't think it'd be one appointment and done. There was just too much bottled in over the years for that to have been an option...

But it was a step in the right direction! Starting this process was a big step, and all he had to do now was continue walking. Even if he stumbled and fell, Daehyun at least had people now who'd take him by the hand and help him up if needed...

Daehyun was so unused to people paying attention to his birthday as anything more than just another day that today had been weird for him. His coworkers on shift with him were wishing him well, and any friends programmed in his contacts also sent birthday wishes Daehyun's way. Despite not actually having Daehyun's number, even Hyunsik managed to get a message sent his way through Jongup.

That was a bit odd for Daehyun's brain considering Hyunsik's prior relation to him, but he did his best to look past that. Hyunsik was just as wronged as he was in that mess, after all.

Daehyun was never the type to like all the attention on him, so everyone treating him this way was low key stressful. What was most worrying was the message he'd gotten from Youngjae. Of course, there was the wish that his birthday would be a good one. That wasn't the problem. The problem came from the rest of the message that asked him to drop by whenever his shift was done.

It wasn't that Daehyun didn't want to. He enjoyed his boyfriend's company, after all! Daehyun was just worried about what might be planned...

This was Youngjae, though. So it likely wasn't anything bad. Realistically, it was related to it being Daehyun's birthday. Even more realistically, his worry about heading out to Umma Choi's this weekend with Zelo was likely at the forefront of Daehyun's brain and mixing with the other things going on up there.

Daehyun got up and did what was likely the last managerial round of the restaurant since it was past the time customers were allowed in. He helped clean up and made sure everything was as it should be before the last of the customers left. After closing hours, he took a few moments in the manager's office to take a few deep breaths. He wanted to be in good sorts when he met up with Youngjae!

Not too much longer, and he was knocking on his boyfriend's door. “Daehyun, hello!” Youngjae beamed. He immediately took Daehyun by the hand and gently pulled him in to sit with him on the couch. “How was your day? Was it alright?”

Daehyun nodded. “It was decent. There weren't any mishaps, and everyone was on their best behavior.”

“That's probably because they didn't want to cause you any trouble on your birthday.”

He hummed in thought. “They don't normally give me any trouble, so I don't think it being my birthday has any bearing on that...”

“Well, it's true that your coworkers are all really nice, but that doesn't mean there isn't importance in the fact that it's your birthday.” Then he pressed a kiss to Daehyun's cheek. “Speaking of... Stay here. I'll be right back!” With a sparkle in his eyes, Youngjae slid off the couch and disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before returning with a candled muffin and the accompaniment of him singing happy birthday. “Ta dah!”

Daehyun couldn't help the panicked little squeak he let out as Youngjae handed the muffin to him. “Eh?”

“Since it's so late in the day, I figured you probably wouldn't want anything big. And since I didn't have enough time to experiment with cake batters, I hope that strawberry muffins like I've made for you before will be a good treat to end the day on.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a bashful grin. “I'll definitely have the cake batter worked out by next year, though...” While Daehyun's brain fully processed those words, Youngjae reached around behind the arm of the couch, pulled out a bag from behind there, and set it on the coffee table. “I also, um... got you something that I hope you'll be able to find use for.”

Daehyun's eyes darted between the present bag on the table, the still warm muffin in his hands, and Youngjae. Out of all the things he could say in this moment, all he could manage out was a quiet, “W-why?

With a slight lean of his head, Youngjae spread into a soft smile. “Because you're important to me, and I want to celebrate you.”

All Daehyun could do was blink, completely baffled because in his now twenty-three years of life, no one had ever outright said that to him before Youngjae. He knew that both Zelo and Umma Choi celebrated him over the years and had plans to do just that the coming up weekend, but any celebration with them was more of an unspoken family thing. Not... this.

Maybe it was a bit silly to find what would come across as a small gesture to most others so meaningful, but it made Daehyun's heart flutter about pleasantly. While he couldn't stop the way tears began to slip from his eyes, he also couldn't stop the grin that overtook him. “Thank you...”

He looked taken aback for a moment before settling back into his dimpled smile. “You're welcome, Daehyun. I love you...”

“I love you, too...” Daehyun closed his eyes and made a quick wish in his soul before opening them back up and blowing out the candle. 'Here's to our continued happiness and growth for many years to come, Youngjae...'

--

The drive out to Umma Choi's place felt eternal. Zelo had the radio cranked up most of the way, and the two of them had been singing their hearts out since they'd left the complex around lunch. Daehyun knew it was Zelo's way of distracting him from his worry about meeting Umma Choi again for the first time in almost four years, so Daehyun just went with it.

There was a part of him that felt like he had no right to refer to her that way since it'd been so long, but if Zelo had considered Daehyun his best friend even after so much time had passed, then it was likely Umma Choi would feel the same about him now that she did back in the day. Zelo and his Umma were a lot like the other, after all...

Personality wise, at least. Physical appearance was an entirely different story!

After that eternal drive of singing, they finally pulled into the familiar driveway. While Zelo busied himself with making sure car volume was down and windows were up before turning the car off, Daehyun busied himself with steadying his thoughts. 'I'm not doing this alone. My best friend is with me, and it'll be alright-'

“You good over there?”

Daehyun let out a troubled hum. “I'm just... I'm just preparing myself. That's all.”

Zelo lightly shoved at Daehyun's shoulder. “It'll be fine! Umma's looking forward to seeing you again, so there's not a damn thing to worry about!” he assured.

Daehyun nodded his understanding. 'She also wouldn't have invited me out here if she didn't want to see me...'

After they clambered out of the car and stretched from the long drive, they got their overnight bags and knocked on the door. For Daehyun's comfort since Zelo said he usually just barged into his Umma's house with little regard for anything.

It wasn't too much longer before Umma Choi answered the door. Not really much had changed about her appearance wise. Save for the presence of a few more grey hairs and the fact she somehow looked even shorter than she had before. Either Daehyun had grown, or she'd shrunk. Other than that, she remained the surprisingly short and stout Umma of his tall and lanky best friend.

“There's my boys!” she exclaimed brightly. With an amount of strength surprising for a woman so tiny, she pulled them in and began to fuss over them. “Zelo, have you grown taller? I swear you've grown since the last time I saw you!” she teased, making an exaggerated failed attempt at patting Zelo's head.

“I was just here, like... the other week! And I'm not even wearing heels this ing time!”

A small smile settled on Daehyun's face at the duo. It was nice to see this type of familiar interaction again...

As Zelo took Daehyun's bag from him and said he was going to take their bags to the bedroom part of the house, Umma Choi brought her full attention to Daehyun. “It's so nice to see you again!” she said happily, ruffling his hair out of place. Then she moved to pinching his cheeks. “Look at you! You've grown to be so handsome! That boyfriend of yours sure is lucky!” she cooed. Daehyun wiggled his face around as she brought her hands back to rest on her hips. “Speaking of, he better be treating you right! He is treating you well, right? If you need me to, I'll give him a stern talking to and set him straight! So don't hesitate to let me know!”

Daehyun couldn't decide whether he was embarrassed or overwhelmed at the treatment. It was better than anger, though! “Things are... fine? You don't need to worry... My boyfriend treats me... very well,” he assured her with a nod. He twirled his fingers in front of him as he added, “Besides, he's... very gay. I doubt you could say anything that could actually set him straight.”

Umma Choi cackled at that with a little snort. “The man's got his preferences, huh? Good on him! And good on you that you've found someone who treats you well!” she praised. “I mean it, though. I've always considered you a son, so I won't hesitate to defend your honour if need be!”

“Thank you, Umma Choi.”

--

A/N:

Well howdy again, y'all! It's January 24th, and y'all know what that means! It's Youngjae's birthday! Happy birthday, Youngjae! I wanted to post an update to celebrate that~

At this rate, I'm averaging one update a month, but I finally feel like I've got motivation again! So hopefully y'all will hear from me again before February 24!

The idea that Zelo's Umma is at least a foot shorter than him without him being in heels was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up.

Also, shoutout to the Youngjae photocard I got in the BAP Rose album that came in day before yesterday that gave me the motivation to finish this in time for Youngjae's birthday! (It's gotta be some kind of fate that I got a Youngjae photocard so close to his birthday, right?)

As always, thank y'all for reading and sticking with me! I hope y'all have lovely days~