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It’s number forty-three on the list of facts about Win that Team keeps on his phone: Win’s never had a surprise birthday party.
He’s only ever had normal parties, and he claims that he enjoyed those, but late one night, he admitted to Team that he’s always thought a surprise party would be more fun. It was four in the morning during an exam week, so it wasn’t exactly a coherent statement, but when Team remembered it the next day, he made sure to write it down.
The fact that Win’s never mentioned it again all but confirms that he wants one, deep down; he doesn’t ask for what he wants if he thinks it’ll be an inconvenience to anyone. Having the information at all feels like an accomplishment in and of itself.
Unfortunately, the opportunity to throw one passes Team by three times: first, when Win turns twenty-one, View plans a party for Win’s immediate family and insists on all five of them celebrating together. Team and Tul are invited, of course, but they both decline so the Wanichakarnjonkul clan can have their time together. Team doesn’t want to take the wind out of View’s sails, so he settles for getting Win a present.
The next year, Team tells everyone his master plan to deck out the university pool in string lights and surprise Win after practice. It’s Win’s last birthday before graduation, and Win is so fixated on the lead-up to his commencement ceremony that he won’t suspect a thing. But then a professor catches wind of the whole electrical aspect of the party and makes a stink to the club president and vice president, ruining everything.
After Dean breaks it to Team that Win knows, Win corners Team in the locker room with a delighted little grin.
“You’ve been planning a surprise party for me?” He runs his thumbs up and down Team’s biceps, smoothing beads of water across his skin. “How cute do you get? Is there even a limit at this point?”
Team grumbles and shoves halfheartedly at his boyfriend’s hips so as not to completely dislodge Win’s grip.
They have the party anyway without the string lights or the surprise, but it isn’t the same, and Team spends half of it sulking. Win insists it’s the best party anyone has ever thrown for him (“don’t tell View”), comes perilously close to tears when Ae, Bee, and Sea present him with a photo album that the whole club put together for him, full of memories from club meets and events, and when Win and Team get back to Team’s dorm room, Win gives Team an enthusiastic, two-hour-long show of gratitude for planning everything.
But the most recent attempt can’t even be considered as a success by anyone. With Win in London for his graduate program, Team tried to collaborate with Wan and View to try and sneak in a visit. Instead, Win books his own flight home without telling anyone and spends his twenty-third birthday peacefully napping beside his parents’ pool with Team curled up under his arm silently screaming at Manaow and Pharm in their group chat.
•
“I’m a garbage boyfriend,” Team tells Ae, Bee, and Sea. As soon as he says it, he realizes he should have saved this topic for Pharm and Manaow.
“You do scratch his back a lot,” Ae says.
“A lot,” Sea agrees.
“Remember that really long one that went all the way down under his suit?” Bee points out with a chipper nod. “Did you scratch his ass, Team?”
Team slams his locker door and leaves them to decide the answer to that on their own.
So he’s a garbage boyfriend and a horny idiot.
•
The next time it looks like they’re about to have sex, Team says, “Wait,” and pulls a pair of oven mitts from under his pillow.
After Win asks for an explanation and Team provides one, Win can’t (or won’t) stop laughing for four full minutes.
Maybe Win doesn’t deserve a surprise party.
•
Team’s fourth attempt will be his last one. If it doesn’t work this time, he’ll be shipping himself into space to live out the rest of his life as a moon monk.
Team is going to London, he’s going to surprise the fuck out of his boyfriend, and he’s going to feel like the best boyfriend for making Win’s twenty-fourth birthday as special as Win deserves.
Of course, that means taking more precautions this time. From January to April, Team regularly touches base with View, Wan, Dean, Pharm, all of Win’s friends in London, and even Win’s parents. All of them confirm that Win hasn’t mentioned anything about his birthday, and with the end of his two-year program coming to an end, he’s going to be too busy to hop on a plane back home like last time.
He puts together an elaborate ruse with the club, posting a ”closed event” to their Facebook page for the exact number of days he’ll be in London. Win still checks from time to time so he can send Team encouragement before meets, so Team swears excruciating punishments for any member who lets it slip to Win that the event is fake.
He pretends he doesn’t hear them whispering as he walks out of the locker room.
(“Does this mean we’re allowed to know he has a boyfriend now?”
“I wouldn’t risk it, bro.”)
Win will be coming home for good in autumn after he finishes a brief stint at the London branch of his family’s hotel, so Team decides to bring him some snacks and the red tea he developed a craving for in his first year overseas. By the time he’s finished shopping with View, he has more snacks than he’s ever bought in his life.
As Pharm hangs out on his bed, Team grunts and uses every ounce of his strength to close the suitcase zipper.
When it’s finally closed, Team pants and sits on the floor beside it. He swipes sweat from his forehead and neck and says, “I can’t believe nothing’s gone wrong yet.”
Pharm hums, smiling from behind his phone. “So what did you actually get P’Win for his birthday?” he asks.
“Fuck!”
•
The flight is a nightmare. Turbulence that feels like it’ll bat the plane out of the sky hits four separate times, three screaming babies who are rightfully terrified of their circumstances, and Team forgot the SIM card he always uses in London. As a result, he has to rely on Heathrow’s wifi to download all the information on how to get to Win’s flat, and then he spends the entire journey tired and anxious and rethinking this whole plan.
And because he was rushing in the airport and doesn’t have wifi on the train, he also doesn’t open Instagram or see the row of messages from Win’s friend waiting for him there explaining that Win’s building manager had all the locks changed and the spare key no longer works.
That means Team is baffled when the spare key that friend left him outside the building won’t fit into the keyhole.
And to top it off, Win’s flat is too far above for Team’s phone to connect to the wifi.
Defeated, Team throws himself down onto the front steps and puts his face in his hands.
At least moon monkhood sounds cool. Much better than being a dumbass who can’t even plan a surprise party for his boyfriend.
His plan wasn’t even that elaborate: a few balloons and a broccoli stir-fry he’s been practicing to make with Pharm for months. Some sex, some cuddling. A card he wrote in English. Just some stupid basics. And he couldn’t do any of it.
When a hand surrounds the top of his head, Team sighs.
“Hi, hia,” he says, thoroughly glum. He timed his arrival so he’d be here right around the end of Win’s last seminar for the day. He wouldn’t have even had time to find an alternative way into the flat.
He lifts his head and recoils at the way Win is looking at him. The slow-dawning smile, the soft eyes—the wonder there.
Team thinks, Huh, and then he has no more time to think because Win grabs the front of his sweatshirt and yanks him up into a feverishly tight hug, swaying from side to side. His breathing is quick and labored and hitched in Team’s ear.
“What are you doing here?” he whispers. “You have an event with the club.”
A smile jumps to Team’s lips. He returns the hug with a smug hum. “That’s what you were supposed to think, hia,” he says.
•
Upstairs on Win’s sofa, Win hears all about the horrible trip here—in minute detail. They order food, eat the food, and snuggle up under a throw blanket and in all that time, Win hardly goes ten seconds without smiling or laughing.
When Team has finished complaining about the betrayal of the lock, Win says, “There was a robbery from a former tenant, so they replaced all the locks,” and dusts a few kisses on Team’s scalp. “I’ll get you a new one.”
“But you’re coming home in four months.”
“Mm. What if I want to bring you back again before then?”
Team pinches Win’s thigh mercilessly. “You’re coming to me next, hia.”
Win cackles and flinches away, but then he wrestles Team onto his back and peppers kisses all over his face. “What are you even doing here, idiot?” he says adoringly.
Team huffs out a sigh. “I’ve been trying to throw you a surprise party.”
Win says, “Oh,” and his expression becomes worryingly melt-y.
“For the past three years, hia! But it never works! I’m giving up.” Team prepares the sulk of all sulks, gearing up to it with a deep inhale.
Win kisses his forehead and instantly diffuses it. “But you did surprise me, baby.” he says. “I didn’t know you’d be here. Do you know what I felt like when I saw you on the front stairs?” The next kiss is gently touched to Team’s lips. “Like I’d already come home.”
“But I had balloons,” Team says earnestly.
“My birthday isn’t until tomorrow. Wanna try again then?”
“Hia, shut up.”
“I promise I’ll forget all of this if you suck me off.”
“That was gonna be your present anyway. I forgot to get you a gift.”
“This is gift enough, baby. You are. Every year.”
“Ew, hia.”
“Wow, I didn’t know you could blush all the way down to your neck.”
“Hia!”