What woke him up first wasn’t the slivers of sun peeking through the blinds, nor the warm waft of pancakes and syrup traveling up the stairs. What made him slowly open his eyes were the tiny tickles to his nose and cheek. Daehyun opened one eye and saw white. At his small movement, the kitten that was sniffing his face stopped and sat back on its hunches.

            “Good morning to you too, baby.” He inhaled and with great effort, reached a hand out to pet the soft fur. Somewhere in the back of his still sleep infused mind, he tried to calculate the time. Judging by the soft rays of sun, he figured it wasn’t that late. And yet, it had to be one of the better nights of sleep that he had gotten in a long time.

            Daehyun rolled onto his back and stretched, feeling his joints crack and his muscles loosen. The kitten, startled by his actions, had hopped down from the bed with an indignant snarl and was trotting its way downstairs.

            Pancakes, chocolate and strawberry, he noted. The sweetness cut through the savory bacon and eggs that must be on top of a lightly toasted slice of bread, spread with peanut butter. His mouth watered but laziness still ran through his veins. He flopped back onto his stomach and buried his face into the pillow.

            “Did Daddy anger baby?” A laughing voice appeared in the background. Despite how tired he still was, Daehyun smiled. His favorite person had finally made her appearance. He heard a tiny mewl. Even the cat knew who to play up the aegyo with.

            “You awake?” He heard her place something on the dresser. It has to be a tray laden with food. It took all his self-control to not smile. Instead, he focused on keeping his breathing steady. There was nothing better than hearing her talk to him when she thought he was asleep. Sure enough, he felt the bed shift as she sat down. Her hand his head and he almost wanted to purr right then and there. Unconsciously, he snuggled his head closer to her touch.

            “My poor Daehyunnie. It’s so rare for you to be home. You must be tired.” Her voice was a lullaby. Her fingers strayed to his nose, her touch soft as she traced his features. “So handsome,” and he could hear the pride in her voice.

            The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile and then he slowly opened his eyes. He saw his girlfriend lying down next to him, her gaze concentrated on him. The smile grew larger as his eyes fluttered closed. He let out a contented sigh. This made all the hard work all worth it.

            She was quiet as she waited for him to take the initiative. Daehyun freed his arm from the covers and reached for her hand. Their fingers naturally curled towards one another. He didn’t need to look to know the look of absolute adoration she was giving him. It was his favorite expression on her, and made him want to kiss her, tiny, breathless kisses, light gossamer kisses, marshmallow on top of whipped cream.

            His hand crept up her arm until he managed to curl it around her waist. She shifted so that she was in his space and his nostrils filled with her familiar scent. “Thank you,” he whispered.

            She swallowed and he smiled again. It was so typical of her to be feeling emotional when he was the one who was utterly touched. “Daehyun-ah,” she began and he opened his eyes.

            “Hmm?” From such close proximity, she was breathtaking. There was a light blush that spread across her cheeks and her hair curled lethargically around his arm.

            “Happy birthday.”

            Ah. In the midst of his hectic schedule, Daehyun had honestly forgotten it was his birthday. He was only grateful, and pleasantly surprised, that the company had given them a random week off. Even though he knew that she would be the last one on earth to forget his birthday, he was still touched by the amount of preparation she had gone through just for him.

            “Thank you,” he said again and smiled. She giggled as she snuggled into his shoulder.

            “I’m so happy you’re back.”

            It had been a busy few months with their world tour not yet fully concluded, and then his solo promotions and now his musical. Even though they texted every day, it wasn’t the same. Sometimes he could only stay at the tiny apartment close to the company to make going to practice less painful.

            “I’m sorry. It must be so hard for you.”

            She pressed her lips against his throat. “Shh. I still have my job, and my friends. And I get decent hours of sleep every night. It’s nothing compared to what you have to go through.” He felt her squeeze him harder, as if she could not get enough of him. “But it is hard when you’re not here. I miss this. I miss you.”

            Daehyun dropped a kiss on the top of her head. He allowed them to stay together until there was an interruption. The kitten, wise enough to give his parents alone time, had decided that enough was enough. It hopped up to Daehyun and perched its paws on his back.

            “Uh oh, looks like Snowball is sick of our sweetness.” His girlfriend reluctantly moved away and picked up the cat.

            The two of them sat up and he pointed his chin at the feast she had prepared. “So are you going to feed me breakfast today?”

            Obediently, she let the kitten go and balanced the tray on her lap. He watched her deftly scoop up the eggs onto the toast, and beamed to see that he had gotten it right. She always makes it the way he likes it. “Open up.”

            Daehyun took a massive bite and closed his eyes as he savored the flavors bursting in his mouth. “Mmm, as expected of my sweetheart.” When she raised the forkful of pancakes to his lips, he pushed her hand towards her instead. “Eat with me.”

            He watched her finish chewing and swallow. Daehyun leaned forward and kissed the side of , off a drop of syrup that had clung on stubbornly. “Sweet,” he commented, “Just like you.” He loved watching her blush. The pink rose to her cheekbones and her eyes would dart this way and that as she tried to avoid his gaze. But even the embarrassment doesn’t take away her smile.

            After the food was cleared away, Daehyun widened his arms so they could stay in each other’s embrace. “Let’s just stay like this the whole day.”

            “You don’t want to go out and celebrate with the members? What about we go do something?”

            Daehyun shook his head. “I just want to spend my birthday with you.” He inhaled deeply and tilted her chin upwards to him. The kiss they shared washed all the fatigue away and he finally was able to truly relax. Her hands cupped his face to hold him closer. He ran his fingers through her hair and secured her neck. Their tongues danced as he nibbled on her bottom lip.

            As Daehyun started to turn and push her under him, he felt something heavy land on his lap. Simultaneously, they laughed. He scrunched his nose as he reluctantly pulled away. “I suppose this one also wanted in on the love,” he chuckled as he picked up the kitten who was now contently purring in his arms.

            Even though they were interrupted, Daehyun was happy. He leaned against the headboard and craned his neck so he could kiss her cheek. It was a simple birthday. But sometimes simple was what he needed the most.

Happy birthday to my ultimate bias, to my favorite, to the one who I love to pieces.

Thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for bringing out the soft in me ♥