"Well, you're right that all of my previous partners left. I could list their names for you if you want but the story's always the same. I'm too apathetic, I'm only interested in the sex, I'm boring, I don't care about anything." He shrugs. "They varied in how polite they were when they were telling me how much I sucked as a partner."

"...I don't think you suck."

"That's because with you I'm more guided than I've been in literal years. I told you, didn't I? I'm inventing myself again for you."

This is not, objectively speaking, "romantic", he thinks, but he's still getting butterflies.

Jaeha grins then grabs the shampoo to wash Tae-gun's hair. He doesn't remember when or why he started doing it but he kind of likes it now; it feels like taking care of Tae-gun, who doesn't really need anyone taking care of him and furthermore objects to the concept. It's a small thing but that's something Jaeha's getting back, is his appreciation for small things. His, just... feeling like his day-to-day existence is good rather than neutral or tolerable.

Well, whatever Jaeha's reason is, Tae-gun finds it very nice to be on the receiving end of.

"You're very cute."

And now he's scowling. "I'm the most powerful esper in Korea."

"The most powerful esper in Korea is very cute."

He hopes Kang Jaeha can tell that he's being glared at despite the fact that Tae-gun is not actually turning around to do so. Having his hair washed is more important than glaring, just barely.

Oh, he can hear that glare loud and clear. He rinses Tae-gun's hair then turns him around and pulls him into a hug, resting his chin on Tae-gun's shoulder and sighing contentedly. "Happy birthday, Tae-gun-ah."

...Tae-gun's maybe starting to understand why people like birthdays.

(Oh why is his heart hammering so fast all of a sudden. That's just cruel.)

But he wraps his arms around Jaeha, too, and mumbles a "Thank you."

"And I bought you something."

...?

"As a gift. Because it's your birthday. Come on, Tae-gun-ah, keep up."

Oh. Right. Those are a thing.

"You didn't need to," he says, a bit uncomfortable, but... he's actually kind of curious.

"No, but I wanted to. I want to make you happy, and I know material things aren't happiness but they're just... a small way I have of showing you that I care about you. And so that you can remember that."

See, that logic almost makes sense, at least compared to what his friends said the other day. It's also not helping with the butterflies or the hammering heart.

...but he's still a bit concerned. The other thing about presents is that—what if he doesn't like them? Is he going to have to lie to Jaeha and say he liked them? That'd be so awkward, and furthermore he doesn't want to lie to his boyfriend. He has no idea how to navigate that! Would it be okay for him to just say so? Does he say a polite "thank you" and then never use—whatever it is?

It doesn't take a psychic to guess some of what's going on in Tae-gun's head and being a psychic lets him figure out the rest. "I'm not going to be hurt if you don't like it. It's fine if you never use it. You can see it as a selfish thing I did for myself, if you want, you're not obligated to feel any way about it."

He grumbles into Jaeha's skin then pulls away and looks up at him. "It's unfair that you can read my mind like that."

Tae-gun doesn't mean it literally, because Tae-gun doesn't know that Jaeha does receive feedback.

(For some reason Jaeha is... uncomfortable with that.)

"I know you pretty well, and you're very easy to read," he says, trying to push that discomfort away.

(He knows what he'll see if he looks at it. He doesn't want to look. It's... scary.)

"Everyone says that. That I'm easy to read. I dunno why."

"It's your eyebrows. They're very expressive. I could write entire books about the stuff they're saying."

"You weren't even looking at me."

"But I could feel the eyebrows," he says, booping one of them with a finger. Then he pulls away from the hug and starts soaping himself.