Two votes of no confidence aren't the worst thing in the world. Taehyeon only starts to really worry when he's leaving the house on Saturday morning.
"Ask Bada if his mom has any more of those shine muscat things. They were really good," Taeri calls out from the sofa.
"I'm not meeting Bada today. I'm going to hang out with my friend from the basketball team."
Taeri can't even say anything, her lips pressed narrow whilst her forehead creases. She might actually be worried about him. She'd say something annoying and inflammatory otherwise.
Worse still is the fact that Taehyeon turns up early. He doesn't know Minjun well enough to guess why they would meet at this particular park. It's a brisk day and the wind is ruining any effort Taehyeon put into styling his hair.
It serves him right for wanting to look nice. Why would Minjun care what his hair looks like anyway?
Despite making sure he was coming to the right place, and knowing that he's early, he checks the messages from Minjun and tries not to linger too long on the cute sticker dancing beneath the message saying he's on his way.
The park is a big place but Minjun had sent a very detailed explanation of where they should meet: the bus stop by the car park on World Cup-ro. The road with four lanes on this side alone and Taehyeon feels at a loose end whilst waiting under the bus shelter. This place might be exposed enough for a successful prank. Taehyeon tries not to get stuck on that whilst checking twitter. Bada is apparently having fun if the photo of three takeaway coffees and three hands in peace signs are anything to go by. After liking the tweet Taehyeon still needs to think of something obnoxious and dumb to comment. He must be nervous for his brain to be this empty. Or maybe the chill in the air has frozen his brain cells.
"Lee Taehyeon!"
The shout is enough to startle Taehyeon into dropping his phone, despite how distant the voice sounds. By the time Taehyeon has picked up his phone he sees the awkward shuffling of Lee Minjun approaching through the meandering huddle of university students drinking beers as they walk. They must have all been on the same bus but now Minjun is stuck in their midst like an over-excited puppy trying not to trip over its paws. When the loose huddle around Minjun breaks, Taehyeon sees that he isn't the only one who brought something today. Taehyeon glances down at the carrier bag in the seat beside him. Then he looks at the cream paper bag with swirly writing printed on the sides that is impossible to read whilst the bag swings from black cord handles. Taehyeon doesn't like the look of this bag that Minjun has brought along.
"I'm sorry I'm late. There was a delay at the… anyway the bus came late too."
"No. I was just early," Taehyeon says quietly.
If he is honest, Taehyeon did try to look nice today. Unfortunately, he supposes that all of his nice clothes are only appropriate for the summer. The denim shorts are strangely not the mistake because his legs aren't cold at all. The mistake was wearing the loose-fit sweater vest over a t-shirt. His arms are frozen stiff beneath the faint autumn sun. His fingers are too stiff with cold by now to even attempt to fix his hair as the brisk breeze blows in every possible direction at once. He really should have just worn a beanie and been done with it. Minjun was smart enough to make that choice.
Minjun's beanie is the same shade of red as his oversized hoodie which looks about the right size to fit three portly men inside it at the same time. The jeans are very baggy too. Taehyeon won't ask whose clothes these are. He just smiles awkwardly when his pursuit of warmth leads him into Minjun's side so that he can at least try to recapture a memory of being warm.
Maybe Taehyeon is being too obvious about his regret for wearing this outfit. Bada was the one who convinced him he needed to beg his mom to buy him this entire ensemble. Hearing words like 'this outfit was made just for you' was flattering at the time but Taehyeon thinks he should never wear these clothes again. Taehyeon's next suppressed shiver is followed by Minjun's arm settling over his shoulders.
Taehyeon's spinal alignment may never recover. Minjun isn't tall enough to reach all the way across Taehyeon's shoulders comfortably but he's still straining to try.
"Next time I'll use my head and we can meet up somewhere with walls and central heating and stuff."
Taehyeon is too cold to do the polite thing and pretend that's not necessary. In fairness he is still stuck on Minjun talking as though they are going to somehow have plans to meet up outside of school for a second time. That's weird. Taehyeon cannot think of a single reason that would happen. Even if he looks at Minjun through rose-tinted glasses there wouldn't be a possibility of them falling madly in love forever and ever. The best Taehyeon can hope for is not getting beaten up. That's the best case scenario anybody else has suggested to him anyway.
For now, they are still outdoors with autumn blustering all around them. Minjun happily crosses his legs under his seat when they settle on a bench and Taehyeon holds his breath. There is no telling where the gang of people certain to beat him up will come from. Nothing yet. Taehyeon needs oxygen. He breathes.
"Thank you for lending me your trousers the other day."
Minjun accepts the carrier bag and glances inside for a brief moment before grinning up at Taehyeon. "It's no problem at all."
This is the awkward part. Taehyeon has no idea why they are still hanging around here. He's returned the trousers. Now he needs to get home unscathed.
"So, thanks for meeting up with me," Taehyeon says stiffly. "I guess you must have some other errands to run so—"
"Ah!" Minjun exclaims, his hands waving in the air with a flourish. "Actually I prepared a little surprise for you."
Common sense would dictate this is the part where the popular kid calls out all his thuggish friends to beat up silly little gay Taehyeon.
Minjun puts his fancy paper bag on the bench between them and reaches in to take something out but pauses with his arms in the bag. "Please close your eyes." Taehyeon complies and hears what sounds like a losing fight with the paper bag.
Despite his curiosity, Taehyeon keeps his eyes firmly shut. He hears a different sort of struggle as Minjun keeps clicking something whilst swearing quietly. Then the loud flapping of the paper bag.
"Quickly!" Minjun says. Taehyeon opens his eyes. Minjun's hands are cupped around a candle. On top of a small cake. With a grin, he says, "Happy belated birthday, Taehyeon."
Taehyeon actually wishes he was getting beaten up because he doesn't know how he is supposed to react to this. "Thanks."
"Make a wish before the wind gets the candle. I'll sing to you afterwards."
In truth, the flame has already been blown out by the wind by the time Minjun gives the instruction. Taehyeon awkwardly blows against the palms of Minjun's hands and even more awkwardly suffers through Minjun singing happy birthday to him. The wind isn't so effective when it comes to extinguishing the flames in Taehyeon's face.
"Did you make a wish?" Minjun asks.
He sounds like he is trying to be serious but he isn't doing too well at that with such a wide grin on his face.
Taehyeon absolutely did not make a wish. "I can't tell you what it is."
"Of course. Do you want to eat some now? I know it's stupid but I thought it would be nice to share the cake too. If you just want to take it home, I still have the box so it shouldn't get squished on your way home."
"We can eat some now."
"Great. Here's one fork. Where's the other one? I swear I grabbed two…"
Whilst Minjun searches in the bag, Taehyeon thinks all of his organs are about to rupture. He is about to risk it all, against his better judgement. This is what this situation is asking for, right? If they're going to swap spit by the proxy of a plastic fork, why not cut out the middle man?
"Here it is! That's a relief. I know I got this cake for you but I was so curious about it. You don't need to look so worried. I swear I'll only eat a little tiny bit."
Taehyeon hadn't realised any sort of expression was showing on his face. He's hardly going to cop to being disappointed that they're not about to kiss. He clears his throat and tries to make up a believable excuse.
"I'm not worried. I was just trying to work out what these funny symbols are on the cake."
Minjun laughs, his shoulders hunching near his ears, before he passes a plastic fork to Taehyeon. "In my defence I was trying to write it on the bus. It's a good job I did because if I waited until I got here I would have had to do it in front of you. My sister told me about these cool icing pens and said they were easy to use. I think I need more practice. It is supposed to say 'happy birthday, Taehyeon' but I should have just written the acronym. I know for next time anyway."
Taehyeon tries to laugh but he can't. He really doesn't know how to take this. A surprise birthday cake isn't something that Taehyeon had expected for another eleven months at least. Right now he can't help thinking that this is all very sweet but he doesn't want to be thinking that. Fancying Minjun is one thing but it was never supposed to go beyond distant admiration. Minjun knows Taehyeon's name and got him a birthday cake and everything. This totally isn't normal. Things like this don't happen to Taehyeon. Ever.