Wen woke up early in the morning after having barely slept that night, and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. May 7th... He sighed. Nightmares plagued him. Again. He knew from experience he wouldn't fall asleep again. It's been months since he's had a good night's sleep...
He got up slowly and dressed himself in whatever clothes his hand landed on, not caring if it was mismatched. He went downstairs without waking Yamato and the others, grabbed an apple from the plate on the counter and left to go outside to get some fresh air.
He walked around the village absentmindedly, enjoying the fact practically no one was up yet. It gave him a sense of peace and rest. Something he really needed but didn't get anymore. After a good two hours of walking around aimlessly, he went back to Mie's Café to see everyone up and ready to start another day of work. He was grateful they didn't decorate the place for his birthday nor congratulate him. He wasn't in the mood, nor did he want to be reminded of his birthday. He didn't miss the sympathetic looks they gave him, but chose to ignore them.
After his shift was over, he went out again. He wandered around the village again, which was now filled with people shopping. He ignored the stares he got from some, only stopped walking when something caught his eye. A bouquet of red roses in a small flower shop. He slowly walked towards it. "...Excuse me, sir. I would like to buy that rose." Wen told the florist, pointing to the bouquet. The man, well in his fifties, stared at him but picked up the bouquet. Wen shook his head. "I don't want the whole bouquet, I just want that rose." He pointed at one of the roses in the bouquet, the prettiest one. The man continued staring at Wen, his right cheek specifically, making Wen look down and try covering it with his hair, self-conscious. "...Alright. Here you go, young man." The man finally gave Wen the rose he wanted after the teen payed for it. "Thanks..." Wen muttered as he took it. He left before the man could say anything or stare longer.
As he continued on his way, he looked at the rose, cringing slightly. "How cliché... But Li loves red, so I guess it's worth it..." A small, sad smile formed on his lips at the thought of his baby brother, and secret lover, telling him to 'stop dicking around' and that he 'wasn't a girl so stop buying flowers' for him. But he had spotted Li smelling the flowers with a secret smile not long afterwards. Not that he had told the younger, he would've beaten the shit out of him...or let him sleep on the couch. Wen wasn't sure which was worse.
They both knew what they were doing, what they were feeling, was wrong and immoral, but it didn't stop them from loving each other in ways they should never have. That's why they had to keep their relationship strictly secret, but easier said than done. They had almost been caught a few times, but luck had been on their side and they had managed to make up excuses the others had believed as to why one had been standing too close to the other, or why they had been holding hands that one time.
When he finally arrived at his destination, tears sprang into his eyes and suppressed memories he didn't want to remember right now. "Hey Li... I came to visit you again..." He whispered, voice cracking as he couldn't keep his tears in anymore. He dropped on his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, and with a trembling hand, he carefully placed the red rose on the white marble stone of Li's grave.
It's been months since he had a good night's sleep. Exactly one year today. May 7th... His birthday...Li's death day...