PAIRING | bang chan x reader
IDOLS FEATURED | bang chan, hwang hyunjin (mentioned), lee minho (mentioned), lee felix (mentioned)
WC | 2.4k
GENRE | fluff, very slight angst
WARNINGS | explicit language, insecurity in a relationship
SYNOPSIS | chan has a long list of gifts he needs to buy for the kids, and you have an even longer list of possible gifts you could get for the man who already seems to have everything.
"So, how many stores are we planning to go to today?"
"Several. We could be here all day if we can't find what we're looking for." You sigh and cling to your tired boyfriend's arm, nestling your head into his shoulder. He adjusts his gold, wire-rimmed glasses on his tall nose and squints at a wrinkled piece of paper, with several crossed out and messy scrawls written upon it.
"I think we might need a snack before we go on such a long, ambitious trip," you said, wiggling your eyebrows and pointing towards a kiosk selling roasted, sugared nuts. The scent was so enticing; it felt like it was drawing you in, and you felt as if buying a small paper cone full of those nuts wasn't just a request, but a necessary purchase.
Chan pressed a quick kiss to your cheek. "Darling, you know I would love nothing more than to buy you everything you want," he said sweetly, cupping your face in his gloved hands, "but I really need to finish up this last minute shopping. The kids need their presents under the tree."
"Oh, I know," you sigh, a little disappointed. You cast one last, longing look at the kiosk. But you plaster a large smile onto your face, linking your arm with his. "Let's get a move on, then! We've got a lot of shopping to do!"
Chan chuckles. "We only have to buy eight presents," he says, pulling the wrinkled piece of paper out again.
"Nine," you mutter under your breath, "if I'm lucky."
"What was that, darling?"
"Nothing." You smiled sweetly and Chan smiles back, taking you by the hand and guiding you to the nearest store. When he isn't looking, you pull out your own piece of paper, and quickly scan it. Number eighteen. A nice scented candle. You look back up as you reach the store and read the large sign outlined in cheesy, blinking Christmas lights. Kim's Candles.
Perfect.
"Minho said he was running out of candles..." Chan murmured to himself, busying himself with the pet-friendly section. You, on the other hand, slunk away to the seasonal section, eyeing a certain Christmas scented candle that you were sure he would love. You maneuvered around several very tall and impressive, yet possibly dangerous displays of candles to reach the Christmas section, and you quickly picked up the pine scented candle. The wax was a dark green, and upon uncapping it and taking a whiff, you were certain it would be a scent that he would love. Quickly glancing over to make sure he was still occupied, you walked up to the register and paid for it, happily hiding the paper-wrapped candle in your purse. "Let me just pay for this, and then we can go!" Chan said happily, walking past you with two candles in hand. You followed him merrily, but you spotted a very familiar scented candle in his hands. Dark green. Pine scented.
"Are you buying that candle for Minho?" you asked nervously, pointing towards the green candle, as he handed it to the person behind the register.
"Ah, no, I bought it for myself," he said sheepishly, "I needed a candle myself, and I smelled this one and thought it was really nice."
You forced a smile. "Oh, really?"
You both exited the store, Chan oblivious to your embarrassment. "Ready to go to the next store?" he asked, holding out his hand to you again.
"Of course," you replied, voice full of false certainty.
You took his hand, reassuring yourself silently in your mind, saying that you still had all day to find more gifts for him. Chan hummed softly as he squeezed your hand, subconsciously picking up on your wariness. The candle in your purse seemed to weigh ten times as much as you should, and you regretted buying it, eyeing the green wax poking out of the paper bag Chan carried in his other hand, clinking softly against the red candle for Minho. Chan stopped abruptly, shaking you out of your thoughts. "Felix needs some new baking equipment," Chan explained, eyeing you as you cocked your head to the side, looking over everything in the display window. "He's starting to want to make pastries, and he keeps complaining about not having something called a pastry cutter."
"A pastry cutter? What's that even used for?"
Chan let out a noise that sounded in between an amused chuckle and an exasperated sigh. "I have no idea, but he said he's tired of using forks to blend butter into dough. I'm guessing it has something to do with that?"
You shrugged, eyes still glued onto something in the display window. After Chan set off to find the elusive pastry cutter, you browsed the cookbook area, combing through shelves and shelves of various kinds of recipes. Finally, your fingers grazed across a familiar red cover, and you picked it up off the shelf, a satisfied smile on your face. "Perfect," you sighed to yourself, tucking it under your arm. Just as you had done in the candle store, you made sure Chan wasn't at the checkout area before hurrying over and concealing your purchase in an opaque bag, thanking the cashier before waiting for Chan outside of the store.
"Do you think Felix would be into making cupcakes too?" Chan asked you, walking up to you as he peered into his own bag.
"He's mentioned it a few times to me," you replied, taking a look into the bag as Chan leaned towards you to show you the contents. You spotted a few various types of frosting bag tips along with cupcake liners with cute, sunny patterns that fitted Felix's personality nearly exactly.
"I felt weird just getting him a... pastry cutter."
"Did you ever figure out what it is?"
"Apparently it just cuts butter."
"Why isn't it called a butter cutter then?" You giggled a little at the silly rhyme, and Chan let out a low chuckle, reaching over to pat you on the head endearingly.
"Now I'm wondering that too," he said, amused. "Did you see all of those cookbooks inside? I was thinking of getting one for Minho."
"But you both cook together, right?" You chewed your lip nervously, the cookbook you had bought suddenly seeming extremely out of place as a gift for Chan.
He hummed, "We used to, but now he's really turned into the chef. I barely cook any more. At least that's one thing I don't have to worry about when I'm not home." He smiled a little at the thought, adorable dimples appearing on his squishy cheeks.
"Damn it," you muttered, trying to hide the bag behind your legs. Chan noticed, and eyed the bag, one eyebrow raised.
"What's that?"
"Nothing, just... a gift for Minho, I guess."
"Can I see?" He tried to walk over and peek into the bag, but you quickly pulled it away.
"No way. You might tell him and spoil the surprise," you said quickly, feeling even more discouraged. You supposed the gift would end up going to Minho anyways, now that you knew he would get something out of it at the very least. Chan pouted, and you stuck your tongue out at him playfully. "Come on, let's go to the next store now," you urged, tugging on the sleeve of his coat, beginning to worry that you wouldn't be able to get anything suitable for him before the day ended.
"Why are you suddenly so excited about this?" he asked, but allowed you to begin to drag him to the next location. You didn't respond, scanning the area for stores that would have items catered towards Chan's likes.
But as Chan completed his shopping, checking off the gifts on his list one by one, you got more and more upset with each store you exited, the presents you chose for Chan getting shut down each time. You were beginning to think it wasn't a coincidence, and you felt frazzled, not only worried about getting him a gift worthy of his love, but also fretting about perhaps, not knowing your boyfriend at all. If you couldn't figure out a simple item to get him for Christmas, did you really know him at all?
By the time Chan finished his shopping for the kids, you were sat on a bench by the exit, completely exhausted, and arms heavy with bags full of gifts that Chan didn't need. You could feel your tired eyes burning with potential tears as you watched the outside atmosphere through the glass doors get darker as the sun set, dousing the sidewalk in gray and purple tones as the night sky reigned dominant over the last waning rays of orangey light. "Ready to go?" Chan asked, and you looked up at him. He looked so perfect, even in the unflattering bright lights of the shopping mall. His glasses were slightly askew, and his hair slightly ruffled due to him removing his hat a little while ago, but he was still so incredibly handsome. So perfect. You burst into tears. Chan's expression changed immediately, and he dropped to his knees, engulfing you in his warm, strong arms. He shushed you gently as you pressed your face into his chest, sobs muffled by his sweater. "What's wrong, darling?" he murmured, rubbing your back soothingly.
You hiccupped, pulling away from him and sniffling as he looked at you with concern. "I wanted to get you the perfect gift," you whispered, arms crossed self-consciously. "But you already have everything you need. And I feel like the worst girlfriend in the world because I don't know what to get you." You felt fresh tears welling up in your eyes again at how silly you sounded, and buried your burning face in your gloved hands, trying to hide your shame.
"Oh, (Y/N)..." Chan said softly, "is that why you're crying?" You nodded, refusing to remove your hands from your face, feeling like you might cry more if you made eye contact with him.
Chan gently took your hands away from your tear-stained face, and you regretted looking into his kind eyes, because it made you feel even more guilty. He deserved the best, and you felt like you couldn't give it to him.
"You don't need to buy me anything," he said sincerely, "just being with you is the greatest gift in the world. Every morning that I wake up next to you, every time I see you smile, every time I'm lucky enough to be in the presence of you, is more than I could ever ask for." He smiled at you, perfect dimples appearing again and making you sniffle shamefully.
"I can't just not buy you anything," you reply mournfully, pulling away from him again and looking down at the ground. You hear a rustling noise and slowly turn back around to see Chan rifling through your bags. "Don't look-"
"A candle," Chan says firmly, "in my favorite scent." He pulled it out and uncapped it, smelling it deeply and making you bite your bottom lip to hold in a laugh. "No one else knows that this is my favorite. I've never told anyone. But you picked up on it." He carefully placed it down before reaching into the next bag. "A cookbook, full of recipes involving classic home meals because you know I miss my parents' cooking." You let out a little sob at this point, and you think you might see a slight sparkle in his eyes as well. "A book that you know I've been wanting to read. New wireless headphones because I broke mine last week. A shirt that I've been wanting. An album from my favorite artist. A hat to match the one that I always steal from you." He looked back up at you and cupped your face in his hands, and you could see now that he was crying too. "(Y/N). You know me better than anyone. All of these gifts show that. I would be grateful no matter what you gave me, but every single little thing you bought me is perfect." He kisses you deeply, his soft lips molding perfectly with yours. When he pulls away he wipes away a tear streaming down your face. "I love you, so much."
You lean into his touch, trying to stop crying. "I love you more. But now you know everything I'm getting you for Christmas. None of it will be a surprise," you laugh. Chan pauses, before standing up and surveying the mess he had made, bags strewn across the floor and items all stacked in a pile.
"Oh... oops." He looks back at you with a worried expression, before packing everything away as fast as he can. He then picks up all the bags in one hand, winking at you. "I didn't see anything. I promise."
You roll your eyes playfully before taking your bags from him, both of you walking towards the exit. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a jewelry store, advertising promise rings. By the time you look back at Chan, he's already at the exit, holding open the door for you. "Wait, I have one more stop to make!" you call, and he lets the door swing shut, a slightly exasperated look on his face. "You go on, I'll be there in just a minute!"
"You're such a shopaholic," he teases, but stands by the door patiently as you wave and enter the store.
"These ones," you say confidently, pointing towards a pair of simple silver rings. As they get boxed up you sigh in relief. At least one gift would be a surprise... you hope. You exit the store, small blue bag in hand, and look around for Chan.
"Surprise," he says softly, and you turn around to see him holding a small paper cone, filled with those sugar-coated nuts you had been craving earlier.
You press a kiss to his cheek while taking the cone. "Thank you," you sigh, popping the warm treats into your mouth. "You know me so well."
Chan just smiles. "According to the presents you bought me, I would think that you're the one who knows me better."
"I thought you said you didn't see anything!"
Chan goes silent. "I didn't! I was kidding. And I definitely didn't see those rings you just bought."
"Liar." But you say this with a smile as you both exit the stifling atmosphere of the shopping mall and into the frosty air, a gust of wind making you shiver. Chan wraps a comforting arm around you, and you lean into him, warmth flooding your body as he presses a kiss to the top of your head. As your heart swelled with love, you thought that perhaps the perfect gift was never meant to be something material, but rather something with feeling and a deeper meaning behind it. And according to Chan, you had achieved that perfectly.