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"Ready?" asks Jihoon, standing at the entrance of their apartment.
"Ready," Daniel replies, trying to put on his dress shoes as Jihoon watches. He ends up stepping on the back of them with his heels instead.
It's the day of Jisung's—Jihoon's childhood friend's—wedding, and it’s held all the way in the city he grew up in; a good three-hour drive from their place in the capital. Although Jihoon's invited Daniel as his date to the wedding two months back, it becomes obvious that no amount of time could have sufficiently prepared Daniel for the anxiety and nervousness of having to meet the people Jihoon grew up with—and more importantly, his parents—if the way Daniel's jumped at every single mention of them or the event is anything to go by.
Jihoon is acutely aware of this fact even during the car ride, caressing Daniel's hand gripping the gear stick tighter than usual and occasionally feeding him gummies with the simple goal of distracting Daniel from any unsolicited thoughts he might have. Stories of the playgrounds he used to play in and the schools he studied at are what Jihoon ultimately decides to share with his boyfriend, in the hopes that he can make them anchors of familiarity when they pass through the roads of his hometown.
After grabbing their matching royal blue suit jackets from the back of the car and putting them on, Daniel grabs Jihoon's hand and marches towards the venue, as if telling him I'm okay, I'm totally ready for this, I'm not nervous at all—
"Jihoon!" Someone calls out. "Hey, man, didn't think I'd see you here today."
Jihoon stops in his tracks and looks up to see Sungwoon—one of his seniors in high school—striding towards him and holding his hand out.
"Jisung-hyung would have killed me if I didn't come to his wedding," Jihoon reciprocates, slapping the hand and giving it a firm shake.
"I feel, I feel," he nods, sympathetically, then turns to Daniel. "Who's this, huh? Your escort?"
The insinuation makes Jihoon give him a dirty look but not in bad nature. He definitely feels less out of place with all the excited chatter around them now that Sungwoon's making him feel more comfortable, like he's back in school and all he has to worry about is the homework due in an hour that he hasn't actually started.
Though, noticing the way the person next to him hasn't said anything yet when he's usually so friendly and talkative with new people, Jihoon can't say the same for Daniel.
Sungwoon glances at Daniel, then at their clasped hands, and that's all it takes for him to splutter out, "Um, h-hey. I'm Daniel."
"My boyfriend," supplies Jihoon immediately after, giving Daniel's hand a small squeeze.
Sungwoon makes a sound of approval, giving Daniel a quick once-over. "Sungwoon." He flashes a smile and shakes his hand too. "Well, you sure look nervous."
"A little," admits Daniel, sheepishly. "It's my first time meeting people Jihoon grew up with."
"Including his parents?" Jihoon feels Daniel freeze next to him. "I'm impressed you're putting up with Jihoon, though. He was a real handful back then." Sungwoon shifts his eyes to the mentioned boy. "Probably still is, even."
"I still wouldn't trade him for anyone else in the world though."
Both heads turn to Daniel, one amused, the other embarrassed, before Sungwoon bursts into laughter and smacks Jihoon's forearm.
"Good catch, man," Sungwoon cackles to himself as he walks away.
Face burning red, Jihoon looks at Daniel once he's out of sight and wails, "He was only kidding, Daniel!"
"I kinda figured," hums Daniel, approaching the reception table so they can write their messages in the guestbook. There's a satisfied smile on his face. "I wasn't, though."
✻
Jihoon can hear the huge sigh of relief that comes out of Daniel when they take their seats in the hall and his parents are nowhere to be seen yet.
They had spent the last half hour walkinf around the venue, Jihoon catching up with old friends he hasn't seen in a while and introducing Daniel to them at the same time (who was always met with a look of amazement, or shock—Jihoon couldn't tell) and with every new friend or acquaintance Daniel met, he settled further and further back into his usual over-friendliness.
It's clear to Jihoon that the quick meetings were helpful for Daniel in calming his nerves down somewhat, but he thinks they'll end up coming back in full force when he sees his parents anyway. They're probably stuck in traffic, maybe even lost, since the location of the wedding venue isn't as simple as the trip to the grocery store or the restaurants near their house.
But Jihoon is soon proven wrong when he smells the familiar scent of his mother's perfume out of nowhere and turns around just in time to see the woman he hasn't seen in almost a year beaming at him.
"Jihoon," she calls out lovingly.
"Mom!" Jihoon stands immediately to give her a tight hug, melting in her embrace.
Her hugs were the few things he missed the most in this town, so much so that he almost whines when she lets go first and tilts her head when she notices someone standing behind Jihoon.
She regards him for a while until something seems to click in her mind. "Daniel?"
"That would be me," he says, more confidently than Jihoon thought he would, although still with a slight tremor in his voice.
No small amount of surprise registers on his mother's face as her eyes widen almost impossibly. "Oh, Daniel! Jihoon has told me so much about you!"
"Really?" he asks in mirrored surprise. His shoulders visibly relax as his eyes crinkle into crescents. "I hope they were nice things he said about me."
"There were definitely nice things, bu—"
Thankfully, the wedding organiser calls for all guests to take their seats before his mother can start running her mouth on the stories Jihoon's told her—including all the small, petty fights they've had—and once his mother takes off to the opposite aisle, this time, it's Jihoon's turn to sigh in relief.
"Your mother is really beautiful."
Jihoon raises his head to see Daniel looking at him fondly, eyes and smile all soft at the edges. "She is, isn't she?"
Daniel hums, tracing the side of Jihoon's face gently with a finger before brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "You have her eyes."
Before Jihoon can snap out of his trance with his heart pounding pleasantly, the music starts to play;the signal for the procession and for the wedding party to begin walking down the aisle.
Jisung walks out after the bride's mother and the best man, still looking a little tense even as he passes by Jihoon's row near the front—but above all, he looks like it's the happiest day of his life. The same can be said for the bride when she comes out at last, looking all gorgeous in her white and frilly dress, each step she's taking getting her closer to the love of her life.
The readings that follow during the ceremony from both the officiator and the best man are resonant of Jisung's personality: funny and verbose, eliciting small bouts of laughter—but also sincere and earnest, causing some people to bring out their tissues once the speeches take an emotional turn.
It's when Jisung and his bride say their wedding vows that Jihoon feels his heart truly begin to move. The genuine love dripping from their eyes reaches all the way to Jihoon as tears begin to form in his eyes, thinking about how one of his oldest childhood friends is the happiest man on the planet right now.
Jihoon feels a hand wrap around his own and he knows it's Daniel, letting him know he's right here next to him, but he doesn't dare to look at him in case the tears really do start to roll down his cheeks.
When the couple exchanges their wedding rings and seals their marriage with a kiss, Jihoon finally allows himself to pat his eyes against his sleeve and claps as the newly married couple leads the recessional back up the aisle.
"Did you cry?" asks Daniel, once the guests have begun to disperse towards the other hall where the buffet is.
"I teared up, but I didn't cry," Jihoon replies, his stomach rumbling because the ceremony actually went a little too long for his tastes.
Daniel chuckles and wraps an arm around his shoulder. "What a shame. I was prepared to have my shirt all grossed-up and wet with your snot and tears if you did."
Giving him a disgusted look, Jihoon pulls his hand towards the buffet. "Not so nervous anymore, hm? Feeling pretty confident now that you've met all my friends and my mother?"
"I think your friends like me," muses Daniel, smiling at the people they've talked to previously that pass by them. "I hope your mother does too. I'm trying to get on her good side, you see."
"And why is that?" Smirking, Jihoon passes a plate at the edge of the long line of steam pans to Daniel and begins to fill his own with the mouth-watering food.
"If you ever get bored or sick of me it'll be harder for us to break up if she likes me too much."
Jihoon doubles up in laughter, drawing attention from those near him to see what's so funny. They turn back around right after when they don't get an answer, but to Jihoon, though, the joke is that Daniel even thinks that he'll ever get bored or sick of him.
✻
It takes a while for Jihoon to find an opportunity to talk to the groom since his friends and family are constantly with him. Or rather, it's Jisung himself who seizes the back of his collar while Jihoon's grabbing his third plate of servings and swings him around with a stern look.
"Park Jihoon! I can't believe it had to take my wedding for you to come visit. After a whole year, too!"
Grinning from ear-to-ear, Jihoon pulls him in for a hug, ignoring his scolding that he's actually missed. "Congratulations on getting married! You looked handsome out there today."
"Thank you." Jisung bows slightly in a mocking way. He shifts his attention to Daniel. "Hi, I'm Jisung. I've known this kid since he was a baby so if you ever need to know all things embarrassing, I'm your guy."
Laughing, Daniel shakes his hand. "I'll definitely take you up on your offer." After having done so many introductions, this time the greeting rolls off Daniel's tongue a lot easier and more naturally. "Congratulations on your marriage! It's nice meeting you—I'm Daniel. Jihoon's, um..."
"Boyfriend, right?" Jisung finishes for him, smiling. "I heard from Mrs Park. Plus, I've been noticing you two flirting in the banquet hall for everyone to gawk at every time I look over."
"Spying on people is a bad habit to have," quips Jihoon. "Besides, we're not the major flirters here, that title goes to you and your wife."
Before Jisung can get another foot in, which wouldn't be likely considering he's never been one to come up with clever enough comebacks, Jihoon's parents choose to come by at their small gathering. While they're busy exchanging formalities with the groom, Jihoon doesn't miss the way Daniel's arm tenses up all over again next to his.
"Daniel!" his mother coos, reaching a hand out to his elbow and rubbing it gently. "Come on, let's have a talk. I'm sure Jihoon and Jisung have a lot to catch up on by themselves as well."
Jihoon stifles a laugh as Daniel trudges away with his parents, panic-stricken face and looking all too much like a prisoner in tow prepared for execution. Jihoon shuffles a little to his right so he can keep them in sight—just in case Daniel really seems like he's about to suffocate under his parents' scrutiny and needs to be saved.
"You must be serious about him."
Distractedly turning to Jisung, he mumbles, "Hm? You mean Daniel?"
"No, I mean your dog," he deadpans. "Of course I mean Daniel—I have never heard a peep about your crushes while you were in school, and now you come strolling in here all lovey-dovey with a boyfriend—even letting him meet your parents."
"I guess I am," says Jihoon, looking directly into Jisung's eyes with mirth. "You know. Serious about him."
The affirmation seems to have taken Jisung aback, quite literally, as he almost bumps into someone holding a candle behind him.
"As long as you're happy." Jisung shrugs, avoiding his piercing gaze and looking at where Daniel and his parents are sitting instead. "He seems nice. Looks handsome, too."
Jihoon grins, following his gaze. "It's definitely the hairstyle—he looks like a complete child when his bangs are down otherwise."
"Okay, okay, we get it. You think he's cute," Jisung rolls his eyes. "We'll make sure to throw the bouquet to you two later."
"No need for that. We haven't really talked about it yet."
"Yet." Jisung smirks at him. "Which means you're considering it."
Jihoon rolls his eyes and tries to keep a neutral face, but fails utterly when he glances at Daniel at the exact moment he seems to be clearing up a misunderstanding with his parents with the way he's waving his arms around frantically.
"After seeing how happy you looked at the altar, having a wedding is more appealing to me now. Maybe," Jihoon hums, unable to tear his eyes away from watching Daniel and his parents giggling together now.
"Only the wedding part, huh," says Jisung, folding his arms in front of his chest. "You're staying for the long weekend, right? We can catch up later. I think you should help him out—I can feel the distress signals he's sending all the way here."
Jihoon nods as he walks away, but he disagrees with Jisung. It definitely looks like Daniel has gotten more comfortable with his parents since he's smiling and laughing more freely. The only reason why he'd be stealing glances at Jihoon is to check if he's still there and hasn't lost him, and maybe even to persuade him into joining the conversation like he's missing out on something monumental—which he must be, considering it's his boyfriend and his parents conversing.
"Hi," says Jihoon, taking the seat next to Daniel and giving him a look to check if everything's fine. "What are you guys talking about?"
Blatantly interlocking their fingers together, Daniel responds giddily, "Your parents were telling me all about you."
"We were talking about how your dad and I would catch you playing video games way past midnight even when you weren't allowed to," his mother fills him in, reaching out to put a hand on his knee. "And how we'd forgive you for it every time because you were so cute and loved you so much. And you know what Daniel said?"
"What?" asks Jihoon, watching how Daniel raises a hand to his face as his cheeks begin to turn pink.
"He said, 'Oh, then nothing's really changed until now!'" She beams, and then giggles when her son's face heats up too.
Jihoon hits his arm with a tiny, "Daniel!", and tries to pry his hand away from his grasp out of embarrassment—the keyword being try—because it proves to be impossible when Daniel clutches his hand even tighter, stubborn on keeping it like that.
When his mother's eyes flicker downwards with a fond smile on her face, Jihoon knows she notices too.
"Didn't you say earlier that Jihoon's talked a lot about me?" prompts Daniel, leaning forward. "I'd love to hear all about that."
"What. No you wouldn't. Mom—"
"And I'd love to tell you all about it!"
Jihoon shuts up immediately. He's powerless when it comes to his mother—even his father is aware of this as he gives him a knowing look.
His mother looks around at the other wedding guests momentarily before she starts, "There was a time when you got sick and Jihoon took care of you, wasn't there?"
"There was," nods Daniel. "He did a wonderful job, by the way."
"Right—oh, I still can't get the tremble in his voice out of my mind to this day—I thought that something terrible had happened to my baby!" His mother turns to Jihoon, sadness on her face. "Jihoon was so worried about how you weren't getting any better and had called me every day to give updates on you and ask about what to do next. I've never seen him like that before."
"Really," Daniel says in amazement, turning to Jihoon who's now refusing to meet his eye. "I don't recall you being all that worried about me back then."
Jihoon shrugs, hoping it looks nonchalant.
"Our son is always like that, hiding his feelings for no reason," his father provides on the side.
"It's true," she sighs, wistfully. "But I do want you to know that that was the moment I figured out how deeply Jihoon cares about you." She smiles at Daniel. "Thank you for being in my son's life."
"What— I—" stutters Daniel, before collecting himself with a hand through his hair. "I'm the one. I'm the one who should be thanking Jihoon for being in my life. And you and Mr Park, for giving birth to such—"
Jihoon pinches Daniel's side, causing him to yelp. There's no way Jihoon will ever let him finish that sentence.
He definitely appreciates the sentiment though, and so he chooses to give Daniel a kiss on the cheek to articulate it, right in front of his parents. The red that blooms rapidly at the spot he's kissed is fascinating to see, to say the least—it's the excuse Jihoon makes for himself to give a kiss on his other cheek too.
When Jihoon pulls back, his boyfriend is looking into his eyes with an expression he can't quite place. Daniel's gaze shifts dangerously downwards where Jihoon is sure he's stopped at his lips, and then he's turning to his parents again before Daniel can do what Jihoon thinks he was about to do.
"Next story?"
✻
"So that's how you're trying to get on my mom's good side?"
His mother clearly enjoyed embarrassing the both of them by exposing what they both have said about each other without the other's presence—though clearly there were more things to say on Jihoon's part.
Music began to blare through the speakers halfway through her anecdote of the time Jihoon had ranted to her about Daniel stealing all his snacks, and that was all Jihoon needed to drag Daniel out of there in the name of wanting to dance with him before she continued with the worse rants he's had.
"Pretty sure I'm already on her good side," Daniel answers as he smirks, his hands on Jihoon's waist as they sway to the indie band's smooth vocals. He pauses to look at Jihoon, and then the smirk fades as he continues, "I didn't know you talked to her about me."
Jihoon hitches a breath, butterflies fluttering in his stomach because of the look in Daniel's eyes. "Of course I do," he says, hands clutching tight onto the back of his shoulders. "I wanted her to like you."
"You told her about all the times I made you cry, though... God, you have no idea how hard I was shitting my pants when she started talking about it."
"To be fair, I told her my share of making you cry too." Jihoon moves his hand to the nape of his neck, stroking it gently. "And even after all of that, she still likes you—us, together."
Daniel hums after consideration, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Jihoon's head. "Thank you."
They stay like that for a while, a comfortable silence between them with each other in their arms, a million words exchanged between them through the looks in their eyes.
This is what Jihoon likes the most about spending time with Daniel—that they both inherently know each other and what they want to say, even if they don't express it in the most perfect of ways.
"Getting to know you through the people you grew up with is... incredible," confesses Daniel out of nowhere, biting his lip as he looks down. Eyes fluttering upwards again, he continues, "There were so many new things I learnt about you today."
"Yeah?" encourages Jihoon, voice down to a whisper as he brings their foreheads together. "What was your favourite one?"
"I don't know... There are too many of them, honestly," Daniel admits, laughing softly. "But I think my favourite part was finding a piece of you in everyone I met today. Your playfulness in Woojin, your quick thinking in your high school teacher, your quiet nature in your dad, your kindness in your mother... Everyone I met today—I couldn't stop seeing you in every single one of them.
"I felt a little jealous, honestly, meeting all these people who've known you for so long," he continues, starting to rub circles on Jihoon's side. "It made me wish I had met you back then—that I grew up with you too so I could know you as easily as they do, and be a part of who you are today too." He sighs, wistfully. "I wonder if they even realise how lucky they are to have grown up with—"
Jihoon tilts his head up and pulls the back of Daniel's neck at the same time to kiss him. He doesn't even care if his friends or family are watching—in fact, they could ogle all they want—because the only thought in his head right now is how he can't believe Daniel is real, that he's holding him in his arms, and that once Jihoon coaxes him into it, he's kissing him back just as good as he is, lips caressing his slowly and tenderly, enough to make Jihoon feel lightheaded in a matter of seconds.
"Jihoon," Daniel breathes, parting their lips with a content smile. "What was that for?"
"I'm finding it very hard to resist you right now." The corners of his mouth are curved upwards. "You look pretty hot today, you know."
Daniel gapes at him for a short second before he lets out a laugh. "Thanks. You're pretty irresistible in this suit too," he says, sliding a hand down to the curve of Jihoon's butt and giving it a small squeeze.
Letting out a noise, Jihoon grabs Daniel's wrist, shoving it away as a blush rapidly makes its way onto his face. Daniel is just full-on laughing right now, not even caring that the mood on the floor is perfect for a slow dance with the romantic music and not an innuendo.
Yeah, Jihoon definitely wouldn't want his friends or family seeing that.
✻
The rest of the wedding goes by without a hitch, maybe apart from the bride throwing the flower bouquet in Jihoon and Daniel's direction deliberately—and Jihoon knows this because Jisung was whispering in her ear and pointing at them only moments before.
But before he or Daniel could let it fall into their hands, someone standing right in front of them jumped up high to catch it instead. Jihoon could only blink when that happened, unsure about the strange mix of emotions he had felt in his gut.
For the rest of the long weekend, they're spending their time at Jihoon's parents' house, with Daniel helping out his mother with the cooking and his father with the chores while Jihoon lazes around on the couch watching TV. He can't help but scoff at his boyfriend's eagerness to please his parents when he barely does anything to clean up in their own home.
In the little free time they have in their short four-day getaway, Jihoon takes him to the places he's always been fond of when he still lived here: the corner candy shop that still carries the sweets he ate as a child; the small clearing he used to go at night to see fireflies and catch bugs; and the dog statue in front of his school that made him wish he owned one because of how cute it was.
And when they're not out or with his parents, they're cuddling under the warm covers of Jihoon's small single bed, not minding at all that they're cramped with no space since it gives them an excuse to hug each other that much tighter. With that, they end up giving each other small kisses, sometimes escalating into longer, more heated ones whenever there's a pause in their meaningless conversations about how they'd try to survive an apocalypse or their most favourite myth—and it's always during these pauses that Jihoon notices the way Daniel looks at him like he can't—or rather, doesn't want to take his eyes off him.
Jihoon eventually recognises it as the same look he had on when they were dancing at the wedding.
✻
It's only when they're back in the comfort of their apartment that Jihoon collapses onto their sofa, the physical and emotional exhaustion from the trip finally catching up to him as he closes his eyes and releases the long exhale he didn't realise he'd been holding the past several days.
"Tired?" asks Daniel after putting their luggage away in their bedroom, joining Jihoon on the sofa.
"Mmm," Jihoon mumbles. He rests his cheek on Daniel's shoulder. "I really don't want to go back to work..."
"Me neither," Daniel groans. "Let's save up for a longer trip next time. We can even go overseas or something!"
Feeling his heart skip at the spontaneous invitation, Jihoon nods shyly. "Did you have fun on this one?"
"Yeah, a lot." Daniel flashes him a grin. "Of course I did. I feel like... like I know you better now." He pauses, thinking. "Plus, your parents totally love me."
"Okay, Daniel," mocks Jihoon, though he's also grinning now too.
Daniel laces their fingers together, bringing his hand up to give it a peck. "Thanks for taking me as your date, Jihoon. And introducing me to your friends and family."
"You say it like I could've brought anyone else as my date."
"You could've just not brought anyone, period. But you did," Daniel turns to him, that same look on his face again, "and for that, I feel very special."
"You make me feel special too, for trying so hard for me," says Jihoon, raising a hand to cup his cheek. "Are you tired?"
Daniel leans into it and makes a pout as if he were waiting for Jihoon to ask him.
"I'm drained," he whines, before giving in and draping himself all over Jihoon's lap. "I couldn't even relax for one second while we were there in case I accidentally made a bad impression on someone."
"Is that even possible for you?" Jihoon laughs, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Don't worry, you did really well."
Humming, Daniel nuzzles his face onto Jihoon's thighs, the tips of his ears growing red. "More."
Jihoon grins, knowing full well what he's asking for. "Those shocked faces my friends were making? It's because they thought I did a good job getting you as a boyfriend."
"More."
"More? Well... My parents are already asking when I'm bringing you home with me next."
"...More."
"Still not enough?" Jihoon's heart is full and he can't stop smiling anymore, can't stop feeling giddy, so it's out of his mouth before he can think twice, "I think I love you so much more now."
Daniel gets up abruptly, startling Jihoon, and looks at him with wonder, eyes sparkling and ears completely red.
And with the way Daniel pulls him into his arms for a long, long kiss that leaves him completely breathless and fully in love by the end of it, Jihoon knows they're the words he's been seeking for the moment he invited him to the wedding.