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The whole “tradition" had started when Riku turned twenty-one, although he hadn’t even taken it seriously back then.
It had been just another one of Daeyoung’s affectionate and a bit hopeless romantic boyfriend ideas. These were the types of situations where he would come up with an idea while looking at Riku’s face with those bright eyes that made it impossible to tell if he was joking just to make Riku smile. Riku hadn’t been sure if he wasn’t serious or had already planned everything in his head.
They had been sitting on the floor of Riku’s bedroom after the members had finally gone to sleep since it was already late after their night practice. Everyone had given him his presents, pieces of wrapping paper were scattered around their legs and the sweet yummy smell of the cake still lingered on their lips.
Daeyoung had been unusually quiet ever since they had celebrated Riku’s birthday at midnight. He had seemed to be thinking deeply about something, playing with the ribbon from one of Riku’s gifts. Then, he had suddenly looked up and spoke with complete seriousness: “I want to kiss you twenty times today.”
Riku had laughed at him immediately.
Not because he didn’t like the idea, it had been actually cute. He had laughed because Daeyoung had said it like he was announcing an important tradition, like he was teaching him a new Korean culture he needed to be aware of so he wouldn’t be scolded by the general public later on.
The thought of being kissed at least twenty-one times by Daeyoung had made Riku’s stomach fill with butterflies and he hadn’t known how to control these new feelings he had been feeling towards Daeyoung at the time.
“This is so ridiculous,” Riku had told him, trying to sound unimpressed as he picked at the corner of his thumb. “You won’t even remember it after the fifth kiss.”
Daeyoung had frowned, he had looked so young and naive, so so cute. He looked mildly offended. “Of course, I will!”
Instead of defending himself even more, Daeyoung had leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss against Riku’s cheek. It had been so gentle and soft, barely there but Riku had still felt his skin burn after Daeyoung pulled away.
“One,” Daeyoung had said, smiling proudly.
Riku had chuckled at his antics and had whispered something along the lines of “Cut the bullshit,” but Daeyoung hadn’t stopped.
He had counted every single one of their kisses that day.
Even when the others had groaned out in disgust, getting fed up by the lovebirds. Their manager had scolded them for being too clingy to each other in public because why would two close male friends kiss each other constantly, and they had kept on pretending that they were only whispering about something to each other.
By the time Daeyoung had kissed him for the twentieth time, hidden under Daeyoung’s blanket after everyone had gone to sleep, Riku had already memorized every single one of his kisses despite losing the count.
He had thought it was just a one-birthday-time-thing.
Then came his twenty-second birthday.
Once the cake had been gone and the members had headed to their respective hotel rooms, Daeyoung had returned to him, grinning from ear to ear.
He had placed one hand against the headboard of Riku’s bed, had bent down and kissed his lips like it was the most easy thing in the world.
“One,” he had whispered against his lips, still smiling.
Riku’s phone had slipped from his fingers and had disappeared into bedsheets. “W-what… You’re doing this again?”
Daeyoung had looked confused by the question. “Yeah, it’s your birthday, remember? It’s our tradition now.”
Riku had wanted to argue that something happening once didn’t necessarily make it a tradition but Daeyoung was already looking at him with an adornment on his face, he was impossibly cute. Riku could only mutter something about him being annoying and had opened his blanket to him so they could cuddle and kiss even more.
So, when his twenty-third birthday came around, Riku was not exactly proud of how excited he was, waiting for Daeyoung’s kisses.
He woke up before his alarm, his body was still restless from their recent travel but the first thing he did was to search for Daeyoung’s bed outside of his own room. It was… empty, the sheets pushed back carelessly and the pillow dented from where his head had been.
For one hopeful second, Riku wondered if Daeyoung had gotten up early to prepare something for him and that thought suddenly made him feel stupid.
He had barely stepped into the kitchen when everyone shouted at him all at once.
The members had decorated the room with balloons pressed against the ceiling and colorful paper hanging crookedly over the cabinets. Their manager was recording him while Yushi held a huge plate of pancakes decorated with fruits and whipped cream in both hands, already giggling because Riku had flinched at the excited noises they had made.
They had celebrated his birthday last night and he figured his celebration anyway, so Riku thought this was their new way of trying a celebration filled with surprises.
Daeyoung stood by the counter with a smile stretching across his face and their eyes met through the chaos. He mouthed a quiet happy birthday before joining the others to sing loudly.
That was it.
Riku told himself, duhh. Their managers were here and the members were in front of them too. Daeyoung had always been careful because it was a big deal and Riku had no interest in creating a scandal before breakfast because his boyfriend decided to kiss him in front of everyone.
He waited until they were getting ready to leave instead, everyone was back to their rooms and Riku was alone in his room to get ready.
Nothing happened.
He then waited for something in the car, their knees touched while the view of Seoul moved past their tinted windows. Daeyoung leaned close once, his breath warm near Riku’s ear and Riku’s stomach tightened with anticipation until the younger man only asked whether he had seen his powerbank.
At their practice room, Daeyoung walked towards him with a focused expression and reached behind his neck. Riku went still tensely only for Daeyoung to pull the microphone wire free from where it had twisted beneath his shirt collar.
“It was about to fall,” Daeyoung whispered before moving away again.
By the afternoon, Riku had started to feel embarrassed.
The day was busy enough that he should not have been thinking about some stupid kisses. They had rehearsals, filmed birthday content and danced even more. He was so happy, genuinely. The sincerity of everyone’s attention stayed with him and every message he had read on Bubble made his chest feel full and emotional.
Still, whenever Daeyoung came near him, Riku’s focus moved towards his mouth before he could stop it.
By the time they left the building, the hope he had carried since the morning had changed into something pitiful. It was not anger exactly, although Riku acted like he was. He became quieter again and turned his face to the window whenever Daeyoung looked at him.
When Daeyoung offered him the last sip of his water, Riku refused it and when their shoulders touched, he shifted away under the excuse of feeling too cornered.
He knew he was being unreasonable but he couldn’t help himself. Daeyoung pampered him too much with extra kisses on his birthday.
Maybe he had forgotten about their tradition. It was possible. Three years of kissing might not mean that it had to continue forever and maybe Riku had been stupid for hoping that it could be.
Somewhere between twenty-one and twenty-three, the kisses had become more than a silly birthday promise. Of course they had been kissing each other for the longest time, they were boyfriends! But the birthday kisses belonged only to this day. It was hidden between schedules and locked doors as it was something that no cameras or fans or staff members knew about. Everyone celebrated Riku’s birthday, but Daeyoung’s kisses had always felt like they were meant for the part of him that existed after everyone else had gone.
When they returned to the dorm, Riku showered quickly and went straight to his bed. He told the others he was tired and hugged them one last time, which was true, and ignored the way Daeyoung watched him from the hallway with raised eyebrows.
The digital clock beside his bed read 11:45.
Fifteen minutes were enough for twenty-three kisses technically, though it was so humiliating for Riku to begin thinking in technicalities at this point.
He climbed beneath his blanket and opened his phone, trying to read through the birthday messages he had not yet answered. The words blurred together while the time continued to slip in the corner of the screen.
At 11:51, his door was knocked.
Riku’s thumb froze above his screen.
“Hyung, can I come in?”
He hated how quickly Daeyoung’s voice was able to melt Riku’s feelings inside.
“What is it?” he answered, hoping he sounded tired rather than desperate and irritated.
The door opened slowly and Daeyoung stepped inside, dressed in loose sweatpants and a dark shirt, his hair still damp from his shower. Riku tried not to bite his lip because the guy looked so damn good.
“Were you sleeping, Hyung?”
“Do I look like I was sleeping?” he sighed.
Daeyoung closed the door but instead of walking towards the bed, he turned back and turned the lock. The small click echoed in the quiet room, drawing Riku’s attention before he could pretend not to care.
“What are you doing?”
“Manager hyung went out,” Daeyoung said, keeping his voice low. “He said he won’t be back for a couple of hours.”
Riku frowned, “And what do I do with this information?”
Daeyoung looked at him with pleading eyes.
There was something different in his expression now. His usual warmth was still there but he looked more confident, calm and collected.
He crossed the room to stop in front of the bed while Riku tried not to react to the way his presence suddenly made the room and his chest feel smaller. He got up from where he laid and stood up, folding his arms in front of his chest.
“You’ve been avoiding me all evening,” Daeyoung said.
“Hmm, was I?”
A smile bloomed on Daeyoung’s face.
Riku opened his mouth to tell him to stop looking so smug but Daeyoung moved first.
His one hand came to rest against Riku’s waist, pulling him closer to him, while the other held his jaw with a gentleness that did not match the confidence in his actions. Riku barely had time to breathe before Daeyoung leaned down and kissed him.
The force and the quickness of it caught him completely off guard.
It was not one of their usual quick kisses, nor the soft affection Daeyoung often gave him whenever they were alone. This kiss carried the entire day inside it and all the moments Daeyoung had stepped away from him doing nothing. His mouth moved against Riku’s slowly but deeply, giving him enough time to understand what was happening while leaving him no room to pretend he had not wanted it.
A small sound escaped from Riku’s lips before he could help himself.
His hands grabbed the front of Daeyoung’s shirt, fingers tightening in the fabric as his body finally gave in and pulled him closer.
Daeyoung replied to his body immediately, of course he did. His thumb brushed against Riku’s cheek, softening the kiss just enough to make the remaining tension disappear from Riku’s shoulders.
The thing that was the most dangerous thing about Daeyoung was that he could be clumsy and bright and painfully easy to adore but he also paid attention to every single detail of Riku in a way that sometimes made him feel completely exposed, leaving him stunned. He knew when Riku needed him to be gentle and when he needed Daeyoung to stop speaking and simply take the lead for him.
By the time they parted, Riku’s breathing had become embarrassingly uneven.
Daeyoung stayed close to him as his nose brushed against Riku’s as he smiled even wider.
“One,” he whispered.
For a moment, he could only look at Daeyoung’s stupid lips through his lashes.
The heaviness that had sat inside his chest all day disappeared so quickly that it almost made him dizzy. He laughed bitterly.
“You remembered,” he whispered.
Daeyoung’s faint brows moved like he was stating the obvious. “Of course I remember, it’s our tradition!”
“You literally didn’t kiss me all day.”
“We weren’t alone all day.” His hand slid from Riku’s jaw into his hair, pushing it back carefully, caressing him. “I didn’t want to spend your birthday stealing half-second kisses while worrying about someone walking in and putting us in danger.”
“It’s not like you haven’t kissed me like that before,” Riku rolled his eyes at him.
“I know.” Daeyoung’s eyes dropped briefly to his mouth. “This year, I wanted more alone time.”
Riku looked away, suddenly too aware of his own burning face. “You could’ve told me.”
“Then I wouldn’t have seen you sulking cutely the whole day.”
“I wasn’t-”
Daeyoung leaned down and left a wet peck on his lips.
“Two.”
Another kiss landed against his warm cheek, followed by one on his forehead, then the corner of his mouth. Daeyoung counted each one quietly, his voice becoming softer as the number climbed and Riku stopped complaining somewhere around eight.
He had spent the entire day convincing himself that the supposed tradition was stupid, that he had only remembered it out of habit and that twenty-three kisses should not matter this much to someone his grown age. Yet, with Daeyoung’s hand warm at his waist and his lips pressing affection into every place he touched, Riku could no longer pretend it: he loved it.
He loved that Daeyoung had remembered the first foolish promise he made two years ago. He loved that he had waited for privacy instead of rushing through it when Riku wasn’t even in the mood. He even loved the pleased expression on Daeyoung’s face whenever Riku pulled him closer for another kiss.
By the time Daeyoung whispered “twenty-three” against his lips, the clock had already passed midnight. Riku glanced at it over Daeyoung’s shoulder before looking back at him.
“Hmm, that was literally twenty-two.”
Daeyoung blinked in surprise. “No, it wasn’t.”
“You’re terrible at counting, actually.”
A breathy giggle left Daeyoung’s mouth, so warm against Riku’s skin. “You’re lying because you want another kiss.”
Riku tightened his arms around his shoulders and lifted his brows, refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing the truth aloud.
“What’s the use in breaking the birthday boy’s heart? Gimme another one, handsome boy.”
Daeyoung’s smile widened before he kissed him again.
At that moment, Riku decided that next year when Daeyoung owed him twenty-four kisses, he would still call this tradition of theirs ridiculous.
And he also knew he would probably start waiting for it before the clock even hit midnight.