6 months later

seonghwa woke up early that morning, sunlight spilling gently through the cracks in the curtains, painting soft golden lines across the walls of his apartment. spring in new york had a way of making everything feel new again. the fresh air, blooming trees, and a quiet promise of change humming in the distance was all you needed. he blinked a few times, stretched his arms over his head and let out a long yawn before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

it was his birthday.

he padded out of his room, the hardwood floor cool beneath his feet, and made his way into the living room.

"happy birthday!" san screamed with all the force of a firework, causing seonghwa to flinch slightly before bursting into laughter. jongho followed it up with an enthusiastic blow of a kazoo, the sound shrill and ridiculous, but oddly endearing.

"jesus," seonghwa chuckled, hand to his chest. "you guys scared the hell out of me."

"that was the goal," san grinned, already handing him a warm mug of coffee, steam curling up from the rim. "happy birthday, hwa. it's the least we can do for our best friend."

"thank you," seonghwa said softly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he sank into the couch, letting the comfort of the moment settle into his bones.

"so..." jongho raised an eyebrow, leaning against the kitchen doorframe, "you ready to party tonight?"

"hell yeah. i need it," seonghwa replied, taking a grateful sip of the coffee. it tasted like something close to peace.

"don't we all," jongho muttered, letting out a breath that felt heavier than it should have.

there was a pause, the kind that came with careful words.

"it's still okay that i bring wooyoung, right?" san asked, his voice gentler now. "i don't want to overstep or make things uncomfortable."

seonghwa looked down at his coffee for a moment, then back up, eyes steady. it had been months since he and hongjoong had last spoken. months of avoidance, of walking extra blocks just to stay away from the bakery, of silence that weighed more than any argument ever could. meanwhile, san and wooyoung had quietly grown closer as his relationship had fallen apart.

"that's fine with me," seonghwa said after a moment. "wooyoung didn't do anything wrong. there's no reason he shouldn't come."

jongho raised an eyebrow again, clearly amused. "you think he's going to bring yeosang?"

both san and seonghwa laughed.

"yeosang has made it very clear that he does not want your ass," san said, smacking his younger brother on the back with a grin.

"a boy can dream," jongho replied with a dramatic sigh, disappearing into the kitchen with a bounce in his step.

seonghwa shook his head, smiling faintly. the weight in his chest had not fully lifted, but it was his birthday. he had to ignore it.

——

hongjoong was working diligently, hands moving faster than his thoughts could catch up with. the steady hum of the espresso machine and the constant clatter of cups against saucers kept him grounded, even as his mind wandered. the mid-morning rush had hit hard, a line of impatient customers trailing out the door, but hongjoong did not complain. he welcomed the noise, the movement, the distraction.

anything to keep him from thinking too much.

"this rush needs to slow down," wooyoung groaned from behind the pastry case, dramatically flopping a croissant onto a plate. "i want to gossip."

hongjoong laughed under his breath, not looking up from the milk he was steaming. "don't you always want to gossip?"

"yes, but today especially," wooyoung grinned, lowering his voice as he leaned in closer. "i'm going out tonight. seonghwa's birthday."

hongjoong froze, but just for a moment. a pause so small no one would have noticed unless they knew him as well as wooyoung did. the hiss of the milk bubbler filled the silence until he quickly cut it off, focusing instead on the latte art taking shape beneath his hands.

he did not say anything right away.

seonghwa's birthday.

he had spent months avoiding anything that reminded him of seonghwa. he told himself it was for the best. that distance meant healing. that if he kept his head down and stayed quiet, the ache would dull eventually.

but now, hearing it said out loud, seonghwa's birthday... it felt like something sharp pulled in his chest, like a string being yanked too hard.

he wondered what kind of morning seonghwa had. if he woke up to the spring sun brushing his skin. if he smiled when san and jongho made fools of themselves in his living room. he could picture it too clearly; seonghwa in a soft sweater, mug in hand, his laugh echoing against the walls.

he missed that laugh more than he wanted to admit.

"you okay?" wooyoung asked gently, breaking him out of the thought.

"yeah," hongjoong said quickly, setting the cup down on the counter. "just burnt my hand a little. nothing big."

wooyoung gave him a look but did not press. "you should come tonight. everyone would be happy to see you."

hongjoong gave a small, tight smile, already shaking his head. "no, that would not be a good idea."

wooyoung did not argue. he just nodded and turned back to help the next customer.

but hongjoong's thoughts stayed stuck on seonghwa. on the sound of his voice, the way he used to light up when he was excited, the quiet comfort of just existing beside him. it surprised him, how much he still carried; all those feelings buried under layers of silence, still raw and aching when touched.

he glanced out the window, watching spring unfold beyond the glass. he imagined seonghwa somewhere out there, laughing, being loved, maybe even forgetting about him.

and god, he missed him.

but hongjoong just wiped the counter clean and took the next order, burying it all like he always did.

i'm so sorry i didn't update yesterday, i was really busy at work and never got a chance to do it. but now i'm officially done writing this book, so i'll try my best to update as often as possible!

-vic