COSMOS | seongjoong

chapter 18.

as time passed by, the date got closer and closer to april 3rd— the date that had been established for the spring festival.

to hongjoong's advantage, it was also seonghwa's birthday.

the date read april 2nd— hongjoong had less than 24 hours before he could celebrate his favorite person's day; which is why he was currently shopping for him. he would've gone with wooyoung and san, as they always picked out the best gifts— but they decided to go on a date; leaving hongjoong to shop alone.

thankfully, the trio made up rather quickly after the incident. hongjoong didn't have it in him to be upset with them for too long, and they definitely showed that they felt horrible for how the older was treated at the party they attended. the couple made sure to spend as much time with hongjoong as possible, almost as if they were trying to make up for how lacking their presence was for the older at the party they attended. it seemed to have worked, as hongjoong was quick to forgive them.

hongjoong's pov

if i was being honest, i would definitely be able to say i'm entirely content with my life right now— t was nice when i didn't have anything to worry about or be upset over. seonghwa played a huge part in this of course. my final worry was about how he would like the surprise i prepared for tomorrow, as well as the gift i was currently shopping for.

i browsed each storefront as i walked through the halls of the mall. i wanted to get something meaningful; something he would be constantly reminded of, and something that would never leave his mind. i stepped inside a jewelry store— it was obviously a small business, and it had an elegant yet comfy vibe to it. the woman behind the counter greeted me with a beaming smile before asking me a few questions.

"hello! do you need help finding anything today?"

i smiled back at the kinda woman, "actually, yes— do you do personalized engraved rings? i was thinking of a silver ring with... a cosmos flower engraved in the middle," i paused, almost blushing right at the thought that i was buying this gift for seonghwa.

it seemed that over the past few months, he became just as obsessed with the flower as i was— he seemed to love the meaning, and how much i thought he resembled one. he's my cosmos, i guess i could say.

"ah, yes, we do engraved rings! are you looking for something like promise rings?" she asked as she scrambled to look for her list and selection of bands and ring sizes.

"actually, yes, that's exactly what i'm looking for."

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after exiting the jewelry shop with the matching rings i bought, i headed towards a cute cafe i had spotted in the mall earlier. why not pick him up some food while i'm out?

the cafe had an amazing aroma to it— the smell of freshly baked bread and coffee, with a tinge of strawberries mixed into the air. seonghwa would love this place.

once i placed my order, i noticed two familiar faces in the corner of my eye; wooyoung and san decided to have a date here?

i picked up my food from the counter and walked to their table, standing there until they both noticed me.

"wowww, you guys planned to have a date in the same mall i asked you guys to help me shop at, i see how it is," i joked with a hurt expression.

"I'M SORRY JOONGGG, this places bread is so good i couldn't pass the opportunity!" wooyoung dramatically responded with the same amount of energy as i did. "that's a lie, he wanted to come here because he knew you'd run into us and wanted to see what gifts you were able to find for hwa yourself," san exposed the younger.

"OKAY, san is right. i have a good reason okay! i thought it'd be more meaningful if you picked put his gift. alone," wooyoung took a short pause before continuing, "so what'd you get him? please say a wedding ring, it's about time y'all get married!"

"wooyoung, i've been dating hwa for literally less than 6 months. but you're kind of close? i got us promise rings! they have cosmos engraved on them," i took one out to show the couple, who looked in awe. "awh, you're so romantic joong. i would definitely marry you if i were him," san spoke earning a playful slap from his boyfriend.

"oh my god, these are PROMISE RINGS! anyways, i've got to go now, i don't want this to be cold when it gets to seonghwa, so bye-bye, enjoy the rest of your date," i smiled at the two and waved before exiting the cafe.

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when i made it home, seonghwa was taking a nap on my bed— he seemed to do that whenever i'm gone for long periods of time; he's so cute...

"seonghwa, wake up babe, i brought you food!" i said softly as i gently shook the younger's shoulder.

"oh hi joong, when did you get back? i missed you," he said with a frown before wrapping his arms around my waist tightly. "i just got back; let's eat okay? this cafe i came across seems to have great food... i think you'll like it," i smiled at the male before slightly ruffling his hair.

for the rest of the evening, we were basically inseparable— we decided to read comics together, and afterward headed to the roof of our dorm to watch the sunset.

my head sat on seonghwa's shoulder as the sky slowly got darker. i reached my hand out to grab his, intertwining our fingers before i started to speak.

"i love moments like these so much. i love you, seonghwa. this might sound cringy, but thank you for allowing me to have moments like these... since i've met you i've been in such a better place, both mentally and physically. i couldn't ask for anyone more perfect to be by my side, i love you so much..." i trailed off looking at the time.

my watch read 11:58 pm— it would officially be his birthday in 2 minutes.

"it's definitely not cringy, i completely understand love, i feel the same way. i'm definitely in a happier place than in my last relationship... and then i guess you could say we both changed each other for the better, i'm definitely a lot less anxious and more comfortable now that you're always here for me. i love you joong, so much, you make me the happiest ever," seonghwa placed a chaste kiss on my lips, putting his free hand on my shoulder.

as i pulled away from the kiss, i let out a tiny giggle before leaning into the crook of his neck once again.

"happy birthday, hwa."

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very short filler chapter for valentines day, i hope u guys liked it ! i can confirm that the next chapter is going to be the last 🥺

— iya 🌼