Work Text:
"I, Jeon Jungkook"
Jeon Jungkook is pretty.
Seokjin thinks. He watches as the man walk into the room shyly, hair combed neatly to the side to reveal his forehead, in a pressed ice blue waistcoat and jacketsuit, holding a small bouquet of flower. He smiles widely and ducks his head to his chest as he slides to his side, embarrassed being the center of attention from the other people in the room. The two nurses openly squeal at the him, being this were the first for them to see him actually dressed dressed.
"Hello, handsome" Jungkook bends down over the side rail to kiss Seokjin forehead, and the older man sighs in content behind the mask he was using.
If anything, Seokjin was no handsome anymore, especially with Jungkook on his side, placed himself on a chair that his sister pushed. His hair is coarse and ashen to Jungkook night black hair, his face is sunken and tired to Jungkook's bright dewy face. There's no longer the broad shoulder that could embraced the younger fully, no longer there muscles that he used to cradle him. To the glow of the golden skin of the younger, what he has is his skin pale and mottled, bruised from all the sticks and the drugs he had to endured.
He wanted to disagree, not because he feel inadequate --he actually feel good enough today, but because to him Jungkook will always be the prettiest.
"You are prettier" his voice coarse.
Jungkook grins oh so wide, teeth proudly in display at the compliment. He did prepared more for today, from his hair to his suit, to his earrings and make up and the soft cologne that Seokjin likes so much. It's their wedding day today, he has to be prepared.
"take you, Kim Seokjin, for my lawful husband"
Like remembering something, Jungkook let a soft gasp of "oh" and reach for his inside pocket. A flower brooch, a small array in dark blue, clipping it on the identical ice blue jacket the older wears, just above the heart. The jacket is loose, a little bit too big even though it was only measured a few week ago. As he smooth the surface on the older chest, Seokjin can see the traces of the younger red eye when he hover above him. The smell of the powdery notes of pear and roses makes him filled with want to rub his cheek on the younger to feel his warm and everythings that Jungkook.
He opted to only held his hand though, not wanting to use too much energy in using all the muscle to sit up and hold him tight.
The younger return the weak squeeze, and bring his knuckles up to pepper it with playful small kisses, making him giggles softly. An action that always earns complains and teasing from their friends, no exception for today, which he secretly likes. Namjoon whoops from the other side of the room, with Taehyung and Jimin snickering besides him. Yoongi look at them fondly as he always do quietly, and Hoseok smiles while looking up to prevent a tear that already threatening to fall. The Jeon oldest son had them all on the camera, while Seokjin's younger sister laugh merily.
He laugh at their friends antics, beacuse a wedding should be a jolly sight.
"to have and to hold from this day forward, "
The priest enter in a bright smile, bringing warmth to the room. Even in the most expensive private room, there only can be so much to decorate to make it less hospital and more of a ceremony. The light is dimmed and in exchange hanging lights stars was installed on the wall, giving the warm tone to the usually too white and too bright room. Seokjin had always said he wants a wedding under the stars, because they shine like the younger's eye, full of hope and wonder. The room was a pale imitation of what he dreamed of, but he already won Jungkook's, so he thinks that's a fair life.
The ceremony was short, not rushed, but compacted enough for the not even twenty attendand seated in the sofa and folded chair, the most number the room can contained without actually asphyxiating Seokjin. The priest is young and friendly, keep making jokes that Seokjin has to fight himself from laughing too much, or risking himself to hyperventilate.
Jungkook keep playing with his cold clammy hands, sometimes seemingly distracted from the ceremony to look at the older face. He will scold him silently and the other will just scrunch and offer his cheeky grin.
Jungkook never cried in front of him after he fell ill. Beside that time he caught him hunched and shaking inside the consultation room with his parents, when the doctor said the tumor had spread and there wasn't so much they can do. He thinks and thinks when he was wheeled out to the garden by one of the nurse, where he briefly met and play with Gureum, the maltese they grew up together. Jungkook's older brother brings him for comfort, but his mind is everywhere else. He doesn't want his sickness to be Jungkook's life.
"for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,"
They argued for weeks when Jungkook proposed to him for the first time, a few weeks after the 2nd surgery and started his adjuvant chemo. The older had cried because of hapiness, fear, guilt and sadness, as he turned it down, over and over again. Not wanting to tie him to himself out of pity, not wanting to be the cause of the embedded "widow" on his id card, if --when he leave.
But Jungkook keep asking. With or without bunch of flower in his hand, when his skin turned yellow and then not anymore, while he was eating his smuggled ramyeon and steak, when it was raining outside and they played cards on his bed, and when he was moved into palliative care. When he finally said yes on his 9th round of chemo, Jungkook smiled so wide and pulled him into an excruciating hug.
They exchange their vow slowly, taking in every feature on each other carefully. Seokjin doesn't want to see if his family sniffling behind their handkerchief, or that Taehyung openly sobbed in Jimin embraces, face equally wet with tears. All he wanted to see and remembers is Jungkook eyes that light like the stars, crinkles forming from his smile when he slipped the golden band on Seokjin's left hand. A giddy boy that Seokjin falls in love with years ago. A man Seokjin still falls in love everyday.
He holds the ring on his hand weakly, as Jungkook pushes his fourth finger through it. When he felt Jungkook's tears on his cheek as he kisses his forehead, he musters all his strength to cup the younger face onto his hands, tugging his oxygen mask down and kiss him on the lips deeply, briefly.
Jungkook complied, smiles and sigh into the kiss, because every of it could be the last time.
"In sickness and health,
until death do us apart."