Work Text:
Hearing an irritating, repetitive noise ringing from somewhere in the bedroom, Wen Yuan let out a small groan, turning towards the warm body that was huddled by his side, only to whine when said warmth disappeared from right under his nose.
Letting out a tired grumble, Wen Yuan groggily opened his eyes, watching sleepily as 154 sat on the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes as he blindly reached for the device that was emitting that annoying sound.
Switching the alarm off, his beloved let out a sleepy yawn and stood up, but not before a hand reached out, grabbing onto 154's wrist.
"154?" Wen Yuan blearily mumbled, his hand gently tugging on 154's arm, urging him to come back and cuddle with him.
The younger man looked down at him, his golden eyes gleaming in the dark.
"Go back to sleep." 154 muttered softly, "It's still early, and you're on leave."
If it's so early, then why the fuck are you up too!?
Wen Yuan let out another sleepy whine, hoping that it was enough to convey whatever he was way too tired to say.
"It's 6 in the morning. I've got an early class." 154 whispered as he leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to Wen Yuan's forehead, "You got back really late, so just sleep. I'll be back after my classes."
Fucking hypocrite.
154 said that Wen Yuan should sleep some more, but who was the one who had stayed up until 3 in the morning, waiting patiently for his partner to come back home from their military base, even when he had been forced to work overtime due to an emergency with the Scene Simulator, and ended up coming back 4 hours late?
154, that's who.
"You don't even need the classes." Wen Yuan tugged on 154's arm again, "It's just for the degree and the stupid certification anyways."
"I wish." 154 murmured, nuzzling Wen Yuan's cheek gently, "But there is a class that marks attendance. I'm not about to lose 5% of my grade over that."
Fuck that s tupid teacher and his stupid attendance.
It wasn't like forcing kids to go to classes would suddenly make them understand all the material perfectly.
If not for that, 154 wouldn't be forced to attend a lesson that was taking place at some stupid, ungodly time of 7 in the fucking morning, since the poor man had to take public transport to university.
Wen Yuan would drive 154 there himself, but he didn't think he was in a much better state either, only having slept for three hours himself, and as much as You Huo, Chu Yue, and Qin Jiu tried to pull some strings, there was only so much they could do in trying to expedite the process of 154 getting his own driving license due to his lack of records, all the other tests and documents that came with applying for citizenship, and a myriad of other things that were essential for just living peacefully in China.
Plus, 154 was also only on three hours of sleep, and even if he had a proper license, Wen Yuan wouldn't want him anywhere near the wheel for his own safety; at least he could try to sleep on the train ride to university.
Either way, the main issue was that stupid morning lesson that started at 7 in the morning; that should be fucking illegal.
Without any other arguments, Wen Yuan let his grip on 154's wrist slacken, and the younger man kissed him again before stumbling off the bed and into the bathroom.
...
It wasn't long before 154 came back out, obviously still sleepy and tired, despite having brushed his teeth and washed his face with cold water.
Wen Yuan drowsily gazed at 154's bare, exposed back, admiring the ways his muscles and shoulder blades flexed as the younger languidly pulled off the shirt he went to sleep in, before digging around in the closet for something to wear for the day.
154 still wasn't that physically strong by any means, being nowhere near even Yu Wen or Di Li's level of strength, let alone Wen Yuan or Qin Jiu's, and he was, no doubt, on the skinnier side, but he had been steadily gaining some muscle upon exiting the System, carrying all his books around and constantly getting dragged out by Yu Wen and Di Li to do sports.
From what Wen Yuan's heard, 154 was actually pretty good at most sports in terms of strategy and technique, but his stamina and strength... that could definitely do some work.
Honestly, Wen Yuan couldn't care less about 154's physical capabilities; he would quite willing to do all the heavy lifting for 154, for the rest of his life. He was just happy that 154 was healthier now, instead of being the human incarnation of a wooden toothpick.
Wen Yuan watched as 154 pulled on an oversized shirt (that was definitely not 154's), one of taller's own sweatshirts, and some jeans, and after leaving Wen Yuan with another kiss to the forehead, 154 left the bedroom.
Without anything else to admire, Wen Yuan drifted back to sleep, despite the gnawing feeling that he was forgetting something.
...
A couple hours later, Wen Yuan opened his eyes again, fully refreshed, and realized just what he had forgotten.
Heck, it was the very reason why he, and all the other higher-ups on base, were even on leave in the first place.
September 22nd.
154's birthday.
Well, they didn't exactly know when 154's birthday was, since time was just fucking weird within the System, but since that was the day 154 had somehow managed to escape the confines of the Scene Simulator, with Wen Yuan quite literally tripping over his prone body when he went to visit the machinery room, that was the date that they put down as his birthday.
Heck, they didn't even know how old 154 was, and couldn't figure out when to even begin counting from.
When the System was first operational? When the System was put into You Huo and Chu Yue's eyes? When they somehow managed to get 154 into the real world? Or when 154 originally split off from the System as his own independent entity?
And did they count his age by the amount of time he had spent experiencing life within the System, or by how much time had actually passed in reality?
And should they consider the time between 154's "death" during the destruction of the System, and Wen Yuan bringing the Scene Simulator back online, or continue counting from when 154 first started glitching the Scene Simulator out before he re-manifested in that examination center, were You Huo and Qin Jiu had first reunited?
It was way too complicated; none of them wanted to think about it, and there really wasn't any way to actually figure it out, so You Huo, Chu Yue, Old Yu, and 154 just agreed that he was somewhere between You Huo and Yu Wen's ages, and just used that to register for his passport and identity card.
Wen Yuan reached out for his phone, instinctively tapping on 154's contact on WeChat, before pausing.
Because Chu Yue had made him swear up and down that he was, under no circumstances, to remind 154 about his birthday.
Wen Yuan hastily tossed his phone aside, as if his phone has physically burned him.
It was killing him inside to not wish 154 a Happy Birthday and pamper him until the end of time, because that was the bare minimum that his precious darling deserved, and the only reason Wen Yuan was even remotely inclined to listen to Chu Yue wasn't even because this was technically a direct order from a higher-up (AKA Chu Yue), and not obeying would be considered insubordination.
No, it was because they all knew for a fact that once 154 was reminded that it was his birthday, he would end up fretting over what gifts to give them.
It was his own birthday, for fucks sake!
Who would be thinking about getting gifts for other people on their own birthday!?
154, apparently.
Because 154 wasn't supposed to exist.
He wasn't brought into this world like normal people, and for most of his life, 154 was only able to exist because the System had practically kidnapped everyone that was trapped within and used them as a shield against the military to prevent itself from being shut down.
In 154's eyes, he had been nothing but a parasite to thousands of people who had wasted their time and lives being stuck in the confines of the System, unable to live their lives to the fullest, or even in the way that they wanted.
With the System's main body being... indisposed due to its creators, 154 had ended up taking responsibility for a mistake that wasn't his doing, "dying" for a sin that wasn't his to bear.
And even after the System's destruction, he knew how much everyone had sacrificed to save him.
Despite everything that had happened to them, Qin Jiu, You Huo and Chu Yue had been more than willing to do anything in their power to protect the remnants of the System for him, and Wen Yuan had put so much time and effort into building the Scene Simulator while making sure no harm came to him as he slumbered, even though he didn't even know if 154 was still "alive" after the destruction of the System...
Pulling him out of the Scene Simulator by some kind of sheer miracle, once again fighting the higher-ups to ensure that 154 wouldn't end up caged like some kind of lab rat for his unique, unnatural existence, making sure that the young man had a proper identity and all his documents in order so he could finally have the freedom to live a proper life...
...
If not for 154's sacrifice, who knows whether they would have been able to take out of the System.
From shielding the great masters from the System's scrutiny, breaking the barrier between examination centers, to helping Chu Yue take out the System's core when they learnt that it was actually inside of her, and whatever other System-superpowers the little program possessed...
Heck, if 154 wasn't so willing to fucking die for the sake of everyone else, You Huo and Qin Jiu probably wouldn't even have met in the first place, and You Huo would have been kicked out of the System again after clearing all his exams effortlessly, with everyone none the wiser.
Even if he hadn't done any of that, he was still a dear friend to Qin Jiu, and was Wen Yuan's partner, so of course they'd do anything to save 154; he deserved all this love and care, and so, so much more.
But 154 didn't really see it that way, felt that he was definitely more trouble than he was worth, and would probably spend the rest of his life trying to repay them for setting him free, even though he had been the one shackled to a gruesome fate; cursed to die as a tool that was only meant to be used and thrown away, where every single outcome led to his demise.
So, in his opinion, since 154 wasn't meant to amount to anything anyways, then his "death" in exchange for the lives of everything else wouldn't be considered much of a sacrifice either, right?
...
Wen Yuan shook his head.
154 had such a big heart, had so much love inside of him, but none of it was for himself, and it had burned him alive, consuming him from the inside out.
No one really blamed 154 for feeling the way he did about himself, for being chained down by his identity and origins, even though he had no say in any of that in all; if they were in his position, they were sure they'd all be somewhat conflicted about how to feel about themselves, if their own existence was the very proof of so many people's suffering.
But they also knew that thoughts like that, reinforced over so many years, could never be changed overnight, and they were only grateful that 154's perception of himself had been steadily improving as he slowly got acclimated to living a normal human life.
Wen Yuan's phone buzzed, and he instantly grabbed reached out to grab it.
154: I'm coming back a little late.
154: YW and DL want to go somewhere and, according to Huo-ge, they need "adult supervision".
154: Im sorry.
154: *I'm
154: Forgot the apostrophe.
Wen Yuan let out a small, amused smile, and texted 154 back, telling him that it was alright.
He had been expecting it, it had been a part of Chu Yue's plan that she had spent a whole two weeks worth of lunch breaks planning... but he really did just want to hug his precious darling and smother him in kisses.
Letting out a small sigh, Wen Yuan grabbed a piece of paper, and proceeded to draft his grocery list.
...
"Yi-ge?"
"Shhh, don't wake him, idiot."
154 groggily opened his eyes, and lifted his head.
"Hi." Di Li grinned at him, and 154 blinked, before sitting up, "I- Sorry- I wasn't-"
He had gone to all his classes dutifully, but despite the three cups of coffee he had gotten during the breaks the lecturers had allowed in the middle of class and between his lessons, it was like all of his exhaustion had suddenly hit him at once, and he had fallen asleep during a lecture.
One day of burning the midnight oil was usually manageable, but for some reason, some of his group mates refused to finish their allocated portions of their group assignment, and 154 had no other choice than to complete several of those assignments all on his own.
He had complained to the lecturers about those absolute deadweights... or rather, Di Li helped him write some emails to report them, and Yu Wen had also personally talked to the lecturers on his behalf since Yu Wen was technically 154's senior by two years and he was more than happy to "do his duty of protecting his juniors".
But 154 still had his pride that absolutely refused to allow him to submit assignments that weren't complete, so he had spent several days and nights rushing all those assignments before the deadline... which had resulted in the current 154 barely being able to keep his eyes open.
At the very least, all his efforts seemed worth it; they had another group project to work on for class, with, once again, randomized teammates, and 154 had been fervently searching for the name "Yu Yi" in the spreadsheet before he had fallen asleep, hoping that he hadn't been grouped up with the same old people as before.
Luckily, it seemed like his prayers had been answered, and he had even been paired up with a former groupmate with decent grades from the previous semester who had actually pulled his weight during group assignments.
"Don't worry about it. Who hasn't fallen asleep in class before?" Yu Wen snickered softly, before turning to look at the lecturer, "Oh, I remember this guy. Drones on and on and on... No wonder even you fell asleep."
"Didn't you complain about him before? Something about not actually caring about teaching or something..."
"Yeah, tried to ask a question, and he just told me to read the textbook... I even tried to Baidu it before asking, what makes him think the textbook would help..."
"And that's when you came to me. And you skipped his lessons."
"Well if the textbook is more than enough..."
Listening to the two boys (young adults, actually, already in their third year of university, they grow up so quickly) blabber on, 154 let out a small sigh, and rubbed his eyes.
Well, at the very least, he had already made it through most of his lessons, and this was the last one of the day.
Class was even going to be ending soon, and then, he could finally go home and find Wen Yuan, and sleep a little more in their nice and comfy bed... but Wen Yuan probably had gotten enough sleep by now, so-
"Oh, right, Yi-ge?"
"Hmm?" 154 turned towards Yu Wen, who scratched the back of his head.
"Errr... we... kinda wanna go somewhere later... but Huo-ge said that we need adult supervision... but he's too lazy to leave the house..."
"..." 154 let out a small, tired sigh, "So you want me to chaperone you?"
"Yes, please?" Yu Wen lit up, looking up at him almost like he were pleading, "If it's not too much trouble?"
"... Fine. Let me just message Yuan first..."
But where did Yu Wen and Di Li even want to go to that required "adult supervision"?
...
154 pinched the bridge of his nose, finding himself inside a giant stationery shop, yanking Yu Wen's itchy fingers away from every single pen, notebook, and shiny trinket he could get his hands on.
No wonder You Huo said this child needed adult supervision; if no one was there to reign him in, Yu Wen probably would have ended up spending hundreds of Chinese Yuan on stuff that he'd never use... like sharpeners, notebooks of all colours and sizes, erasers in the shape of food, erasable pens in a variety of colours...
And Di Li was no help at all.
In fact, Di Li was even worse than Yu Wen in this regard; not only did all the multi-coloured stationary catch his eye, but being the more studious one of the duo, Di Li felt that everything he laid his eyes on could be used, from writing notes, filing papers...
Seriously, 154 could neither see how a person needed twenty highlighters of different colours, nor imagine how that would help anyone study; wouldn't that just make the entire piece of paper way too colourful and distracting?
154 couldn't help but wonder if Yu Wen and Di Li were naturally like that, or they had developed a bit of a hoarding issue after the System-
His heart felt heavy, and 154 could not stop that heavy feeling of guilt from rushing through his body.
They were just kids; if he had been able to stop the System earlier... maybe Yu Wen and Di Li could have lived normal lives, didn't have to get thrown into a situation where their lives were at risk, wouldn't have to-
154 shook those thoughts away.
For all the System had done and the suffering it had caused, everyone had made it clear that they didn't even blame the System for all of its wrongdoings, because it wasn't like the System knew any better; it was akin to pinning the blame for cybercrimes on a computer because someone had used it to do some hacking, or blaming a young child for being ordered by their parents to commit crimes.
The blame for this issue lay solely on the System's creators, and 154 was, perhaps, amongst those who had suffered the most under the System's tyrannical rule; there was absolutely no fucking reason, heck, there was a negative number of reasons to blame 154 for this tragedy, considering everything that he had done to save everyone despite the sheer number of risks those very actions brought to himself.
He pulled Yu Wen's hand away from some small, impractical rubber bands that could be weaved into bracelets, and yanked a graphics calculator out of Di Li's hands, because that kid had three of them already; 154 could understand wanting back-ups just in case the battery ran out, or for some other unforeseen circumstances, but no one needed four fucking graphics calculators, for fucks sake.
"What are we even here for?" 154 finally asked, already feeling like this shopping trip had gotten way off track, "What do you guys need to buy?"
These two kids were in university; surely if all they needed was stationery, they could have gone to the university bookshop, and didn't have to drag him all the way to some mall that was at least twenty minutes away from university.
"I..." Yu Wen glanced at 154, then at Di Li, then at the floor, "I... kind of broke my laptop charger yesterday? Someone tripped over it in class and it's a little old and it ripped so..."
154 looked at Yu Wen with what the younger Yu would dub the "Disappointed You Huo" gaze... which was an absolutely deadpan, blank expression, "And we ended up in a stationery shop... why?"
Yu Wen, at least, had the decency to look embarrassed and abashed, "... Got distracted while we were walking past?"
"..."
154 let out a small sigh, and dragged the two young men who were also technically his seniors out of the shop, "Where is the computer shop!?"
...
5 minutes later, Yu Wen found himself standing in line at a nearby Luckin Coffee.
They had already bought Yu Wen a new laptop charger, and since they were already at a computer shop, he had been interested in checking out some new computer parts.
Yu Wen felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, and from the way he noticing 154 looking at his phone, his expression turning slightly confused as he fervently typed on his phone, and another vibration, it wasn't too hard to guess that Chu Yue had just announced that they were having dinner at her place, and that she had already dragged Wen Yuan along with her to cook.
Yu Wen turned to Di Li, "You think he's mad at us?"
"Nah." Di Li shook his head as he looked over the menu, "He's probably just a lil tired and grumpy. You know what time they all got back, no doubt that 154-ge stayed up to wait for Wen-ge."
Yu Wen couldn't help but snicker at the mental image.
"I mean... more that we're here to distract him, and burn some time..."
"I don't really see how that's an issue. And it's not like we ended up wasting time on purpose... I really like the colour of that highlighter..." Di Li turned his attention to the cashier, quickly rattling off his and 154's order, and Yu Wen's usual before the other boy could speak up, then glanced at 154, "He can see Wen-ge later. Not really our fault that he's the one that's the best at cooking..."
"We can do take-out. Or a fancy restaurant."
"With who's money? You're gonna pay?" Di Li snorted, "And you want him to feel even more indebted to everyone than he already is?"
"..."
Yu Wen really hadn't considered that.
Knowing 154's history and having hung out with him a lot more, since they went to the same university, he wasn't really surprised that 154 felt that way about himself, but sometimes, he really wished he could just beat up that tiny part of 154 that felt like he didn't deserve all this kindness, which was why he felt like he owed everyone for allowing him to live a normal life.
154 had spent a better part of six years plotting against the System to save everyone, which also meant that he had been spending all that time planning his own demise, his resolve never faltering despite the implications of his tragic fate... and he had been perfectly okay with that.
They should be the ones who owed 154, not the other way around...
"Don't think about it too hard." Di Li pat Yu Wen on the back, shoving Yu Wen's freshly made drink into his hand, before collecting the other two cups, "Go back and look at the computer parts first. I think 154-ge is starting to doze off... We'll join you if he feels up for it."
154 let out a small yawn as he trudged up the steps to Chu Yue's house, with Di Li and Yu Wen right behind him.
The coffee really hadn't done that much to boost his energy levels, but it did prevent him from falling asleep while standing as he trailed after the two young adults who were talking about processors and CPUs and other stuff related to computers that 154, despite being a program that resided within the System for the majority of his life, ironically enough, did not understand.
And as much as he wanted to take a nap, he didn't feel particularly comfortable doing it outside in a shopping mall, and the earlier Di Li and Yu Wen were done with their browsing, the earlier they could head over to Chu Yue's house for dinner.
Knocking on the door, they didn't have to wait too long until the host herself flung open the door, a fresh bottle of beer in her hands.
"Jie." 154 greeted, and Chu Yue grinned, "Yoohoo! The babies are finally here!"
Smiling widely, she grabbed 154's arm, dragging him into her apartment and into the dinning room, where Wen Yuan was laying down several freshly cooked dishes, with Di Li and Yu Wen giggling as they followed along.
"154!" Wen Yuan's face lit up almost immediately, and he hastily put the plates down, before rushing over to 154, untying his apron as he did so.
"How are you?" Wen Yuan enveloped 154 in a hug, and 154 closed his eyes, unable to help himself as he burrowed himself into Wen Yuan's warmth, letting out a tired, non-committal hum, "Hmm... Better now."
Wen Yuan let out a small noise of confusion, but didn't question him any further, pressing a gentle kiss to 154's forehead, "I cooked your favourites."
154 nuzzled into the taller man's chest, fitting comfortably in Wen Yuan's arms, and as much as Wen Yuan wanted to cuddle with his partner, he also needed to make sure that Qin Jiu didn't somehow burn any of the food in the 5 minutes that Wen Yuan had been away.
"I've got to finish plating the dishes." Wen Yuan gave 154 another peck on the cheek, "Hang on a sec, okay?"
"Want me to help?"
"Nah, Boss and Old 1006 can help."
"Who called me old!?"
Wen Yuan let out a small snort at that, and 154 could distinctively hear Yu Wen and Di Li snickering in the background, "You go rest first. Dinner will be ready soon."
...
True to Wen Yuan's words, once 021 and 078 had come back with more canned drinks and sodas, and all the food was brought out, it wasn't long before they had all tucked in, finishing dinner in record time, with the usual of Zhao Jiatong nagged at Gao Qi to stop drinking his liver into an early grave, and You Huo and Qin Jiu fighting over food (or, rather, attempting to shove food down the other person's throat).
154 leaned against Wen Yuan sleepily, full yet content, as Yu Wen and Old Yu cleared the table and deposited the dirty dishes into the sink.
He still didn't know why they were all gathered here, but he supposed that it was normal for people to just have dinner together and hang out... right?
Then, Chu Yue went to the kitchen and brought out a crepe cake.
154 tilted his head in confusion.
There was a cake now, so that meant that this probably wasn't just some family dinner with extended friends and family...
"What occasion is it today?" 154 peered at the cake curiously, wondering what flavour it was, and who else in the family liked crepe cakes, as he went through his mental calendar on all the important dates he could remember.
It definitely wasn't Chu Yue, You Huo, Yu Wen, Qin Jiu, or Wen Yuan's birthdays... and while he was unsure of the dates of the others, he figured that there should be other tells as well, like Gao Qi using his birthday as an excuse to get Zhao Jiatong off his back about getting drunk, and Yu Wen pampering Di Li if it were the grey haired boy's birthday...
Hmm... did he miss some other important date?
He did recall that he had forgotten Valentine's Day before... so maybe it was another holiday?
But they still had classes, as per usual...
"..."
He looked around the room as he noticed several people staring at him, before Zhao Jiatong slapped Gao Qi on the back, "I fucking told you. Pay up."
"Huh?" 154 blinked in confusion, as Chu Yue plopped the cake right in front of 154's face, "Happy Birthday!"
"..."
They could practically see the gears turning in 154's head, even a comical question mark popping up out of thin air, and You Huo and Qin Jiu would have laughed at 154's positively flabbergasted expression if this wasn't so fucking sad.
Wen Yuan pressed his cheek against 154's, "Uh... Surprise?"
"... Me?"
"Yes, you." Qin Jiu strode over, leaning over where 154 was sitting, reaching out to pinch 154's other cheek gently, "Happy Birthday! We got presents!"
"Hey! Eat the cake first! I baked it!"
"You did?" 154 whirled around to look at Wen Yuan, who just beamed and puffed up his chest proudly, "Of course! We had it that one time and you mentioned that you liked it... so, of course I had to learn how to make it!"
"922 spent a long time trying to perfect the recipe." 078 pretended to complain, "We ate crepe cakes at least twice a week on base for a whole three months."
"I won't cook for you next time, then." Wen Yuan half-heartedly threatened, his focus more on how eagerly 154 had reached out for a slice of cake, his eyes lighting up and shimmering like pure gold, with Di Li and Yu Wen waiting patiently on the side as Chu Yue sliced the cake up into even portions for everyone.
154's eyes were shining so brightly, with a small yet tender smile, with genuine happiness and excitement as he tucked into his cake, and Wen Yuan couldn't help the melting of his heart, wanting nothing more than to cherish this smile until the end of time.
Wen Yuan had been with 154 for the majority of the time that he was outside the System, and while he knew that the younger was quite happy and content with his life, it was also obvious that he was still heavily burdened and weighed down by the truth behind his own existence.
But right now, perhaps 154 was too tired to let those dark thoughts cloud his mind, only really processing what was going on in front and around him.
Wen Yuan leaned against 154's back, pulling the younger man closer to himself, and smiled, "Like it?"
"Mhm." He could feel the light tremors through 154's body as he chewed on his cake, "I love it. It's even better than the one we had that time."
"That's great." Wen Yuan had no idea how he was staying so calm, because that one compliment alone just sent a tsunami of pure bliss through his entire body, "Glad you love it."
As long as 154 was happy... everything was worth it.
...
Everyone finished up their cake, and Chu Yue plopped a wrapped package in front of 154, grinning widely, "Present time!"
154 looked at Chu Yue, then at the package, then back at Chu Yue.
She nudged the package towards 154, smiling softly, "Go on. It's for you."
154 gingerly reached out, unwrapping the paper, before pulling out several DIY wooden dioramas ranging from animals to historical buildings. He peered at them curiously, before he looked over at Wen Yuan.
"Of course." Wen Yuan beamed, "We can build them together over the weekend."
Surprisingly, it seemed like You Huo was also mildly curious about them, and Chu Yue turned to her other brother, winking as she snapped her fingers, "I'll get you some on your birthday next year. Maybe... an octopus?"
You Huo's face immediately scrunched up in disgust, and Chu Yue burst into laughter.
"Make that three octopuses." Qin Jiu chimed in, and You Huo lifted his leg, attempting to step on his boyfriend's foot, only for the older man to dance out of the way just in time.
Rolling his eyes at the older man, You Huo pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to 154.
"Not really sure if it's something you'd like." You Huo admitted, "But the experience was nice."
Turns out, it was a pre-paid gift card for a ski resort.
Apparently, despite You Huo's general distaste for the cold, the power couple had gone there before during one of You Huo's birthdays, and since they had first hand experience there, they figured that it might be something that 154 and Wen Yuan would like, in spite of the latter's clumsiness.
They couldn't exactly book a reservation for them, since they weren't sure when 154 and Wen Yuan were free from work and university and didn't have any other plans, so they figured they could get them a gift card, and if it wasn't enough to cover the payment for activities and the accommodations, then You Huo would just give 154 his credit card.
Before 154 could say anything, Qin Jiu snatched the card out of his hands and tucked it into his pocket, "Now now, go have some fun and experience new things. Don't tell me you're already satisfied with that stinky old mountain by Z's Rest Stop?"
154 shuddered at the reminder of the System.
Nope, no thank you. A real icy mountain it was.
"Also, your names are already written on it. No re-gifting it back to us." Qin Jiu added as he winked cheekily, and sure enough, there they were, scribbled messily in GIN's handwriting, were Wen Yuan's name, and the name that they had settled on for 154's new identity.
After all, as comfortable as they all were with their numbers, it wouldn't exactly be practical in the real world, not to mention all the raised eyebrows in 154's direction, should his officially registered name be nothing but a string of numbers.
Making him uncomfortable... that was the very last thing they wanted for 154, and Old Yu had been more than eager to allow them to register him as 154's guardian, despite him being old enough to be an adult.
And while technically 154 could have taken on Wen Yuan's surname, all the extra paperwork that "being partners" brought about would just complicate everything, and things were already complicated enough with the whole human who had practically popped out of nowhere situation.
For now, it was just simpler to have it officially registered that Old Yu had taken 154 in; they could deal with the other nonsensical paperwork at a later date, when 154 had more time to settle in and get comfortable with living a normal, human life.
"Here we go. From 021 and I." 078 smiled, as he handed a bag to Wen Yuan and 154, which turned out to be several mini Lego sets of various buildings from around the world.
154 didn't say a word, just gaping at the presents, but it was obvious enough that he was more than interested in what were considered by most to be for children.
"Told you Lego would be a good present. Who doesn't like Lego?" 078 grinned at 021 smugly, who just rolled her eyes in exasperation, but still pulled out her phone to transfer money to 078's WeChat.
Zhao Jiatong and Gao Qi had gotten 154 a crochet starter kit and a bunch of yarn of various colours, with them admitting that they didn't really know 154 that well, but they did recall him mentioning picking up a new hobby or trying new things while he had been confined to the medical bay while he was on base, sitting around with nothing to do as everyone tried to figure out just what to do with this boy who technically didn't exist up until a few days ago.
As for Old Yu... for some odd reason, he had gotten 154 a rather adorable cat plush.
"Reminds me of you. You'd be this cute if you were a cat. Maybe cuter." Wen Yuan gently patted the plush on the head, and he didn't miss the way 154's cheeks flushed as he clutched the plush slightly harder.
"Well, all kids like stuffed toys. Even Xiao Huo had one when he was a kid..." The "Even though my sister threw it away the first chance she got, don't think I couldn't tell" went practically unsaid, before Old Yu shook his head, and patted 154 on the head, "Well, it's never too late to start. There's no such thing as being too old for stuffed toys, or to enjoy some childhood luxuries you never had the chance to experience."
Wen Yuan wasn't sure how 154 had managed to keep such a straight face, his gaze constantly flickering between Old Yu and the adorable little cat, because he knew 154, and it was more than obvious that he was just about to burst into tears.
Because while everyone else treated him like an adult... Old Yu still saw them, both 154 and You Huo, as children who had been severely neglected by their parents, had been utterly failed by the world, and deserved better.
After all, there was a reason why Chu Yue constantly kept comparing 154 to a kid who had been homeschooled his entire life, and had never actually set foot in the real world until he had been sent off to university; while all the experiences he had accumulated from the System did count for something, it only went as far as emulating his education, and a very cruel, inhumane growing up process where he literally had no one to rely on, until he met Qin Jiu and Wen Yuan.
154 hadn't even considered the fact that, as intelligent and mature as he was, he had practically been dumped into the world as an adult, abandoned, and left to fend for himself.
And despite not knowing 154 very well either, despite practically adopting him, it was obvious that Old Yu had also picked up on all his complex feelings, gently patting 154 on the shoulder, "I know that I'm not the smartest or most skilled person... heck, my stupid son has already far surpassed me..."
From the other side of the room, they heard Yu Wen sneeze, and rub his nose, "Who's talking shit about me?"
"Or maybe they're complimenting you?" Di Li replied, "Where did you put the present again?"
"... Uh... Yue-jie, where did you put my present? I left it here this morning..."
Old Yu shook his head, and patted 154's shoulder again, "But I do hope that I can still be someone you can rely on. It must have been hard for you. You and Xiao Huo. So, if you ever need help with anything, or maybe you just want to talk... you can always call me, okay?"
"I..." 154 looked like he was starting to feel a little choked up, and Wen Yuan rubbed his arm gently in reassurance, "I mean... yeah..."
Yu Wen burst back into the room, waving a wrapped present wildly in his hands, "154-ge! My turn!"
In a split second, 154's expression changed, and he reached up to rub the wetness from his eyes, though he did his best to make it look like he was merely tired and not on the verge of crying.
How many people he had managed to fool, Wen Yuan didn't know.
Probably just 078, and maybe Gao Qi, who was borderline drunk.
"Oi! Don't yell, I'm not going deaf just yet!" Old Yu snapped light-heartedly at his son, gripping 154's firmly yet gently as a silent show of support, before stepping aside to let his excitable son hand his gift over to 154.
"Here you go! From Di Li and I!" Yu Wen's eyes were practically sparkling as he urged 154 to unwrap it.
"Uh... thanks?" 154 tilted his head in confusion, pulling out a shirt with the words "I'm Stupid" written on it.
There was another shirt, and 154 pulled that one out as well, only to find that it was another shirt, similar to the first one, except that it was a size bigger and had "I'm Fucking Stupid" written on it instead.
154 wasn't exactly sure how to react to getting a bunch of shirts that were practically insulting him, but he did notice that people in Yu Wen's generation (did 154 also count? Or should he consider himself to be a part of You Huo's generation?) tended to toss around insults as casually as breathing, and Yu Wen and Di Li had definitely swore at each other before without actually hurting anyone's feelings...
"... It's a size too big." 154 idly commented, still at a complete loss for words.
"Oh? My bad, I ordered two of the same size but I guess they delivered one wrongly and I was too excited to wrap it that I didn't check." Yu Wen grinned cheekily, with the barest hint of an apologetic tone that made it more than obvious that Yu Wen wasn't exactly being honest, but 154 was really too tired to consider just what part of that statement Yu Wen had been lying about.
"Try it on!" Di Li urged, and 154 honestly didn't see any harm in doing that, tossing the larger shirt to Wen Yuan.
"Eh?" Wen Yuan jumped from a sudden shirt to the face, and pulled it off, only to realize that 154 had already pulled off Wen Yuan's sweatshirt.
"It's too big for me, and I'm sure Xiao Wen won't mind you wearing it." 154 said, as he slipped the new shirt he had just gotten on top of the shirt he was already wearing, and judging from the way Yu Wen and Di Li were snickered... Wen Yuan had a feeling that this was actually the outcome they wanted.
Either way, it didn't matter to Wen Yuan whether it was 154 or Wen Yuan's shirt, since it was probably going to end up on 154 in some way or another anyways.
Wen Yuan hastily pulled on the shirt he had been handed, before smiling warmly at 154, tugging at the hem gently, "We match."
It was such a small, simply thing, but for some reason, it made Wen Yuan feel giddy all over.
And from the slight blush on 154's cheeks and the way he averted his faze, it was obvious that 154 felt the same way.
It was just an adorable sight, and Wen Yuan couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around 154 and pressing his cheek against the younger's forehead.
"Jie! Look what we got them!" Yu Wen waved over at Chu Yue... who immediately spat out her drink upon seeing 154 and Wen Yuan.
Qin Jiu's eyes grew slightly wider, spluttering, before he gripped the edge of the table for support, looking like he was trying (and failing) to hold back his laughter.
"Come now, let your jie take a picture!" Chu Yue instantly recovered, and walked towards them, already fishing her phone out of her pocket.
"... Do you think they even realize what they're wearing?" 078 whispered to 021, who merely shook her head and closed her eyes in exasperation, "No way, they're as naive as they are stupid."
"... No bets if we're on the same side, I guess."
021 could already see You Huo pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment at just how ridiculously blind these two could be.
154, she could understand, the poor kid had practically been living under a rock his entire existence, so just figuring out social interactions and slang was already a daunting task for him, but surely Wen Yuan could understand just what was going on?
...
Then again, it was Wen Yuan; he was so down bad for 154 that she wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't quite comprehended what was going on beyond the basic situation of him and 154 having matching shirts, and that he was wearing the shirt that insinuated that 154 was smarter than him.
Or maybe they hadn't managed to properly read what was on the shirt so that he could process its actual meaning; she did hear that 154 hadn't gotten enough sleep, and Wen Yuan definitely tired from cooking for so many people.
"There we go! Looking good!" Chu Yue smiled, sending the picture to Wen Yuan, who immediately dug his phone out of his pocket.
"Probably can do with better lighting." 154 commented, peering at Wen Yuan's phone.
"It's night time. Can't do much about that."
...
"Next time I have an exam, I'll wear it." 154 looked up at Wen Yuan, "You wear it too."
021 spat out her drink, and coughed.
"For what?"
"To double reverse-jinx it, in case bad luck is contagious."
"Is that how it works?" Wen Yuan looked at 154 with genuine confusion, as Qin Jiu waved his arms, "Oi, making fun of your boss now? What do you mean, bad luck is contagious!?"
078 gently patted her on the back as 021 did her best to try to remove any fluids from her airway.
Nope, those shirts were accurate; they were both fucking stupid, in the literal way.
Definitely not the way that she was sure Yu Wen and Di Li were insinuating, like the cheeky little brats they were.
"Go shower first." Wen Yuan hugged 154, pressing a gentle kiss to his nape, as he gently pushed him towards the bathroom, "I'll deal with your presents."
It didn't take long before everyone decided that it was late enough, especially considering the time that most of them managed to get home after leaving their base, and that they should start getting home before they were all too tired to drive.
You Huo had already been half asleep by the time Qin Jiu dragged him out the door, and 154 was also on the verge of passing out from sheer exhaustion as Wen Yuan ushered him to the car and bundled him up in the passenger's seat before dealing with 154's birthday presents.
His poor darling had barely gotten much sleep at all; hopefully a warm shower would do him some good, and then, they could sleep in over the weekend.
"Mhm." 154 muttered sleepily, putting his book bag on the floor, the plush cat still clutched tightly in his grasp, and Wen Yuan nuzzled his cheek gently before heading back out to the car.
...
By the time Wen Yuan had moved everything in (it wasn't much, though Wen Yuan had gotten his keys stuck in the lock), 154 was already done with his shower, sitting by the edge of the bed, ruffling his hair dry, with the cat plush perched neatly on his bedside table, next to his phone.
He looked up at the taller man sleepily as he hung his towel around his neck, "Yuan?"
"Lemme shower, first. You're clean, I'm not." Wen Yuan smiled, already knowing what 154 wanted, "Then we can cuddle, okay?"
154 let out a drowsy hum, and Wen Yuan raced into the bathroom, taking the fastest shower in his entire life (while still making sure he had cleaned himself properly), drying his hair, before shuffling towards the closet to grab his sleepwear.
Wen Yuan's head snapped up upon hearing some light snickering form the only man in the room as he hopped around on one foot, trying to put his other leg into his pants, before feeling two cooler arms wrapping themselves around his torso, steadying him, as 154 pressed his face against Wen Yuan's back, letting out a quiet, tired yet content sigh.
"Sleepy." He muttered, followed by some more incoherent mumbling, and Wen Yuan couldn't help but smile at that.
Finally managing to pull his pants up properly, Wen Yuan gently grabbed one of 154's delicate wrists to loosen his grip around his body. Turning around in the younger man's grasp, Wen Yuan pressed a kiss to 154's forehead, slowly guiding him backwards.
They both tumbled into bed, and after flicking off the lights, 154 immediately curled up by Wen Yuan's side as the taller man tucked them both under the blanket.
...
"I think I'm gonna call him Yuan Yi." 154's sleepy mutterings rang out in the quiet of the empty darkness, before burying his face into Wen Yuan's chest.
"... Who?"
"The cat."
"Oh?" Wen Yuan reached out, gently cupping 154's cool cheek with a warm hand, "What's your thought process?"
"Your "Yuan", and my "Yi"." 154 leaned into his touch, gently nuzzling into Wen Yuan's hand. The older felt his heartbeat spike, and could only hope that 154 couldn't feel it despite their close proximity.
154 shuffled closer to Wen Yuan.
"Did anyone tell you that I'm bad at names?" He admitted as he let out a tired laugh, and it was the most adorable thing that Wen Yuan had heard all day.
"Tell me about it, Yu Yi." Wen Yuan bumps his nose into 154's, "You totally gave up on picking names. Old Yu had to pick it for you, and it ended up as a homonym for another subject."
"I still prefer 154. Using "Yu Yi" just raises less questions." 154 muttered, and Wen Yuan gently ran his finger through his beloved's hair, pulling them together even closer, "It was the name I got... when I met you."
Wen Yuan didn't think his heart could take this anymore, and he leaned forward to kiss 154, who melted into the kiss like it was as natural as breathing.
"But even if we don't need it... a new name is still the representation of a new beginning."
A new life beyond "death", where 154 was no longer a program shackled with the sins of its creators and his own humanity.
A new beginning, where 154 was free to do as he desired, to live as 154.
A new future, where there was no such thing as making a wrong choice when making decisions... because it was something that 154 decided for himself.
"Happy Birthday, 154."