Winter in Seoul had felt longer than usual; Low temperatures, unusual weather and a cold wind that had seemingly lasted forever. But it felt like winter was finally losing to spring, as days were getting both longer and warmer. Minho had even started dropping his scarf and heavy coat and exchanged it with his favorite vintage biker jacket. A birthday present from his sister once, the leather now perfectly worn and soft. It had even earned a thumbs up from Taehyun as the boy spotted him on the way out. Somehow knowing his patient liked it made made him feel a tad bit more confident wearing it too. Naturally, only because someone who only wore the most luxurious brands like Taehyun did would be bound to know when something was good or not.

The coming of spring must also have brought with it some sort of healing powers, because after finally recovering from his cold, Taehyun was healthier than Minho had ever seen him. He’d walk around the apartment for hours as if he was restless about something, would read more books than play his silly TV games, and he spent a whole lot of time hovering around Minho, asking him questions that really seemed none of his business.  Like yesterday, when he had started asking very personal questions about his personal life. Just remembering how the boy had sat on the counter, an apple in hand as he watched his nurse prepare for dinner.

“So do you have a girl you like?”

“I’m not sure that is any of your business?”

“A boy you like, then?”

Minho had been so taken aback by the second question he wasn’t sure if he was blushing out of embarrassment or anger. How could this kid just freely ask a question like that? It didn’t help at all that he was looking over with an expression of childish excitement mixed with teasing. What was his problem?

“I don’t have a girlfriend, if that’s what you want to know. Or a boyfriend, if you were wondering about that too. Geez, do you even have any limits anymore?”

The way the boy shrugged his shoulders made Minho expect him not to even bother answering, but as he turned his attention back to the kimchi jjigae he was boiling, Taehyun said something that made him want to go back in time and swallow his harsh tone.

“Why bother with limits when I am dying anyway?”

However he thought about it, there was not a good answer to that question.. More than that, Minho didn’t want to answer it or even think about it. He hated the fact that there was an undeniable feeling of attachment growing inside of him, and he hated that Taehyun could put him down with his words like never before. “That doesn’t give you the right to be a jerk,” was all he grunted, stirring the boiling soup harder.

There was also one day where Taehyun had started asking about how it felt for Minho to watch the person he was caring for wither away and die. He had been picking at details and feelings so much Minho had gotten so mad he’d just left for a good hour before going back. What had the boy even wondered about so much he would dig around for answers? What business was it of his how it felt to care for someone you knew would never get well? Minho’s father had also asked him that question once, and he hadn’t received an answer either. How did it feel? It felt horrible, sad and it was difficult. But at the same time it was touching and inspiring to see how many of those who knew they were doing but still lived life to its fullest to the very end. Their joy of achieving even the smallest things and their well-spoken words regarding life and death. But what they said was also very private, and Minho didn’t feel like sharing it, even with Taehyun.

Nor did he want to see his current patient go through the same only to close his eyes and never open them again. But he was not quite ready to accept that yet.  Somehow Taehyun was proving to be completely different, to call out feelings inside of Minho that he was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to feel. He quickly shook his head and once again checked the note the boy had written him earlier:

1 can of whipped cream
1 box of strawberries
1 big box of chocopies
1 dark chocolate
1 bag of jelly beans
pick up a package for me at Hottracks

It was, if anything, the weirdest list of things he had gotten from any patient ever, but what could he do about it? What Taehyun wanted, he should get. It was just so completely random. Why would a boy who rarely ever craved sweets suddenly ask for cream, chocolate and strawberries? Minho couldn’t but roll his eyes as he put the strawberries in the shopping cart. No, he would never ever understand Nam Taehyun.

After not too long, Minho had paid for the food, picked up the parcel from a music store (why couldn’t the boy just get it sent to their place?), and was on his way back.  Out of all the things Taehyun had said or done the last weeks, today was clearly the weirdest. Why would he get all this, and refuse to come out himself? Was the promise to go to the cherry blossom festival that important to him?

“You’re late! Just leave the stuff in the kitchen and… uhm… go rest up in your room again.”

“I’m not tired tho? Why would I rest up? You go rest up.”

Taehyun’s brows furrowed and he pointed towards the door to Minho’s room. “Just to what I’m telling you! For once, just give me some time on my own.”

The sudden annoyance in the boy’s voice made Minho lift up his arms in front of himself and he gave him a little not. “Wow, yeah, okay. Calm down, will you? I’m going to my room alright.” What else could he do? No point working Taehyun up to get angry, because his health would have no benefits of getting angry. Still, it did feel weird to be the one to go back to his room.

Minho pulled off his jacket and let himself fall back on his bed. Why in the world was Taehyun acting so weird anyway? Rolling over on his side, his eyes fell on the calendar he had on his small desk there and his eyes widened a bit. Wait, it was Monday today? Monday 30^th of March. “It’s my birthday…” he mumbled, fumbling a bit before he managed to pull his phone out of his back pocket. 14 missed calls and messages from his sister, his parents and a couple of his friends. Oops… He had meant to get today off (on Danah’s request) to spend some time home, but he had completely forgotten all about it. His patient kept him both busy and entertained, and when you lived with your work, days tend to blur into each other.   

Clearly it had taken longer to return the missed call and reply to the messages than he thought, because when Taehyun finally called his name two hours had passed. How had that happened? Rubbing his eyes, Minho rolled out of bed and headed in direction of the voice. Judging by it, the boy was in his room. A second “MINHO!” confirmed this, and he quickly headed down the hall to Taehyun’s room, pushed the door open and…

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

He blinked. What was going on? Minho took a minute to take in the sight, but when understood just what was going on he almost choked up. There was Taehyun, a silly birthday hat on his head, the parcel from before in his hand only now it was decorated with a big ribbon. On his desk stood what looked like an attempted cake of chocopies and cream. It even had a few candles in it. The boy had even made a big poster with the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MINHO!”  that he’d put up over his bed.

“Y-yah, you…” Minho choked again, just stared at the boy.

“Yah? Aren’t you even a bit surprised? You are surprised, right?”

“Taehyun, you really didn’t have to-…”

“Of course I had! , you didn’t even request a leave on your birthday! I had to do something!”

Minho couldn’t explain what had come over him, but Taehyun’s words touched him too much to stand still. With a few long strides he closed the distance between them and gave the boy a one-armed hug. “You know, a card would have been more than enough,” he managed to say, to which Taehyun pulled out an envelope from his pocket.

“There is a card too, but you’re not allowed to read it now. Read it later, okay? I also got you a present! You desperately need an upgrade from those crappy earphones you use. Where did you even get them? Underground mall in Myeongdong?”

Without another word, the boy showed the present and the letter into Minho’s hand, looking a bit like a puppy waiting for a reward. No point waiting with opening the present too then.  After he had slipped the card into his back pocket, Minho carefully unwrapped the box. The contents left him gaping and he was close to showing it back to Taehyun.

“These are expensive. Like, why would you get me something this expensive?” was all he could say as he looked over the box so painfully obvious containing a wireless beats headset. You shouldn’t just give something like this, least of all to someone who worked for you and received a monthly (rather huge) paycheck.

“You don’t honestly think that counts as expensive for me?”

“So now it’s a gift to boast your wealth?”

Taehyun looked a bit hurt by the comment and reached out his arms. “If you don’t want it, fine! Give it back and get no present on your stupid birthday!” Gosh, how cute the way his eyebrows slanted and his lip tightened was. Minho caught himself in smiling and instantly hugged the box closer. “I was just saying. No way I’m giving it back! It’s the first thing you’ve ever given me. I will see this as a step closer to making you a decent person.”

“I am a decent person.”

“So I can see!”

Minho smiled at Taehyun, then reached past him and whisked up some cream with his finger that he casually smeared onto the boy’s nose. “Now you look like a decent person!”

“Yaah!”

And somehow that was the start of a whipped cream fight that they both kind of regretted later when they had to clean cream off of most things in Taehyun’s room. (Yes, Minho made him help cleaning.) It had been both stupid and childish, but it had left them laughing for a long time after and it had felt more like a silly game between close friends than patient and nurse.

It wasn’t until hours later when Minho sat on his bed, about to lay back for sleep when he remembered the card. This had to count as later, right? He got to his feet and found his jeans to pull the card out, taking it out of its envelope on his way back to sit on the bed again. The card itself was simple, some flowers and a “happy birthday”. To be honest, he didn’t care what kind of card it was. Minho was more curious about what was written there:

Dear To Minho,
Happy birthday! I bed you are surprised to get this card,
but I really hope you will read it and feel… and understand.
First of all, thank you for spending your birthday with me.
You probably don’t even realize you are doing it, but you
are, and I am thankful for it. Gosh, you are an idiot some
times, do you know that? …anyways! Thank you again, and
thank you so much for everything up until now. Somehow
you are making me feel alive again, making me want to live.
It means a lot to me, and I’m not good at showing it, but
thank you. I feel like I should try to hold on just a little longer
just to spend more time with you.

Thank you.

Taehyun.

Minho read the card again, and then a third time. Then he slipped the card back in its envelope and then carefully put it into his nightstand drawer. There was no understanding the boy called Nam Taehyun. But somehow it felt like that boy could perfectly well understand the man called Song Minho.

Author's Note: So I have decided that I will be writing something from Taehyun's point of view, but not quite yet. 

Also, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It is a bit messy and all over the place, and I know I am posting it a bit ahead of Minho's actual birthday, but I'm trying. I will be very busy the next couple of weeks, so to make sure I at least had posted up something, this is what happened. 10 points to whoever finds my Winner TV reference. 

There will also be introduced some new characters in the next chapter, so keep a look-out for that! =D