Work Text:
“we should get married.”
kun doesn’t even flinch, just giving a small glance up at ten and then looking back down at his phone. “nice to see you too, ten.”
ten huffs. “i’m serious, kun. let’s get married.”
kun looks up at ten again, seeing the younger standing in front of him with his arms crossed. he still has his clothes and makeup on from work, seeing as he just stepped in the door.
“shouldn’t you change out of your work stuff first? i’m making dinner soon and you promised you’d tell me about how the meeting went with taeyong today.” kun says, choosing to ignore ten’s statement.
when kun gets up from the couch and heads to the kitchen, ten follows him in like a lost puppy. “dinner is gonna take a bit, ten. go shower.”
ten sighs exaggeratedly and makes a point of shutting the bathroom door once he enters it. kun just rolls his eyes, a small smile coming to his face.
ten’s always been dramatic, it’s a trait of his that kun had gotten used to and grown to love over time. kun sees it everyday, it never throws him off anymore like it used to when they first met a few years ago.
kun met ten five years ago when the both of them were still living in seoul. they had crossed paths at a bar, when kun was stressing over his master’s degree and needed a break from pretty much everything. ten had noticed him and bought him a glass of some alcohol he doesn’t remember, not too strong but enough to make him tipsy.
they had talked for a couple hours that night, bonding over the fact they both came from foreign countries to pursue better education in korea. kun himself was pursuing business, while ten was inclined towards fashion design.
despite their personalities being quite different, they clicked quite easily, having exchanged numbers that night. a friendship quickly formed between them, and after a couple years they started living together.
ten was then offered his dream job as a fashion designer, but the offer was from a company all the way in california. obviously, ten would have to move away from seoul for this to happen.
at first, ten wasn’t gonna take the job. he wanted to stay in seoul with kun, and look for jobs that were closer to where they were. kun kept telling ten that he didn’t have to stay for kun’s sake, but ten is nothing if not stubborn.
ten almost declined the offer, but by some odd stroke of luck, kun was offered a position as a marketing assistant that was close to the studio that recruited ten. ten likes to call it fate, kun calls it coincidence and luck (he agrees with ten in his head, though).
two years later, here they are, sharing an apartment in daly city, california. it was the closest to both of their jobs, each of them having around a half an hour commute, plus a majority of the population were also asian americans. it made them feel more included in their community.
kun never really says it much, but he really does love how his life is. he gets to live with his best friend and have a stable job that he enjoys doing. it’s all he could’ve asked for in life.
when ten comes back into the kitchen, his hair is still damp and he’s changed into a black shirt and sweats. “what are you making?” ten asks, taking a seat at the table.
“pad thai.” kun responds, finishing up everything and bringing it to the table.
ten hums, and kun sits down across from him. halfway through eating, kun notices ten is staring at him, and he puts his chopsticks down. “what are you looking at?”
ten grins, tilting his head to the side. “you never answered my question earlier.”
kun sighs. “you also never told me about how the meeting with taeyong went.” kun says, earning a pout from ten.
“the meeting was fine,” ten says, “the designs we worked on together were submitted today. we should know the results of everything by next week.”
kun smiles, taking another bite of pad thai. “the designs you showed me looked really good, ten. i’m sure everything will work out well with them. all of your designs do good.”
ten beams, sitting up a bit straighter in his chair. “how are things at work for you?” ten asks, and it surprises kun a bit. he was expecting ten to jump right into what he wanted to discuss like he normally does.
ah, wait.
“you’re just asking because you have ulterior motives, right?”
ten’s face goes beet red, and kun laughs, knowing he caught the younger.
“what, can i not be nice and ask about your day?” ten says, but it’s a weak excuse, and both of them know it.
kun watches ten finish off his food, humming. “normally i’d believe it, but just earlier you were practically begging me to talk to you about getting married.”
ten grins at the mention, but before he can even say anything kun cuts him off. “since you asked i’ll tell you about my day,” kun says, watching ten’s pout reappear, “taeil hyung told me to show around a new hire today. his name’s yangyang, he just moved here from taiwan and i think i’m three seconds away from adopting him.”
ten rolls his eyes, leaning back in his chair. “didn’t you say the same about renjun?”
“yeah, but sicheng practically stole him from me already.” kun takes the dishes from the table and walks over to the sink, rinsing them off before putting them in the dishwasher.
ten follows close behind, poking kun’s shoulder. “so, yes or no? can we get married?”
kun turns away from the dishwasher, facing ten directly. “i still can’t tell if you’re joking.” kun says, and ten huffs, crossing his arms again.
“it’s not a joke. i swear.” ten says, and his expression looks so serious that kun can’t even argue against it anymore.
ten doesn’t say anything else, so kun takes it as his cue to talk. “why would we even get married in the first place? surely you have reasons.”
ten’s smile returns brightly, and kun almost regrets asking. “well, think about it. people who are married can get a lot of benefits financially, you know. we can combine our incomes and create a joint bank account. when we buy a house, we can get better mortgage rates, as well as insurance rates in general. we can save on taxes, too.”
kun blinks a few times, genuinely surprised that ten has so much of this planned out. “you’ve clearly done your research.” is all kun can get out.
“obviously,” ten says, “but there’s more. people who are in stable and happy marriages tend to live longer, are at a lower risk of depression, and have increased serotonin levels. also, you’ve told me multiple times that you don’t really see yourself dating anyone in the future, right?”
“well, yeah.”
“that means the marriage won’t constrict your dating life, since you don’t even want one. i don’t really want one either, so this is good for both of us, right?” ten says, eyes shining.
“i guess so?”
“we don’t even have to have a wedding.”
kun bites the inside of his cheek. “i can see the benefits, but… we aren’t like, dating, or in love, or anything.”
ten shrugs. “so?”
kun opens his mouth to argue, but his mind goes blank and he can’t think of anything.
as much as kun hates to admit it, ten made some really good points. it would greatly benefit them financially and in a bunch of other aspects. there’s really no solid reason for kun to say no to ten’s proposal, even if randomly marrying your best friend seems a bit outlandish.
plus, it’s not like anything would really change in their dynamic. they already live together and have for the past couple of years, they pretty much already act like a married couple (minus the romance things).
ten is looking at kun with a smug expression, one he sees when ten knows he’s won.
“so, what do you say?”
kun lightly flicks ten’s forehead. “fine. i’ll marry you.”
ten smiles bright enough to blind someone. “how does qian yongqin sound?”
kun laughs, pulling ten into a playful headlock.
-
kun sits at his desk, looking over some files for the conference they have coming up. work has been pretty light on him this week, he’s actually been able to leave work earlier than usual for the past few days.
he notices something out of the corner of his eye. “hey jungwoo.” kun says, looking over at him.
jungwoo smiles, sitting down at his desk, which is right opposite kun’s. “hey, hyung. did you finish looking over the data results yet?” jungwoo asks, taking a sip of the coffee kun left for him.
kun hums, handing one of his files to jungwoo. “yeah. last week was pretty crazy, i’m surprised the work load got so much lighter that fast.”
jungwoo laughs. “yeah. it’s nice, though. wanna go to the lounge together for our lunch break? we haven’t really caught up recently.” jungwoo suggests.
“sure. there’s a lot to catch up on.” kun says.
jungwoo is one of kun’s closest friends at work. they have a lot of the same workload and joined around the same time, so it was quite easy to connect from that.
they tend to go out for lunch every couple weeks, but they haven’t had the chance due to the crazy work load they had recently. even when they did have free time, jungwoo spent it with his boyfriend, and kun normally spent those times relaxing at home.
kun smiles a bit, returning to his work.
-
“so, anything fun happen recently? you said there’s a lot to catch up on.” jungwoo says, switching from english to korean in the middle of his sentence. in the office they normally speak english, but they switch languages sometimes when they speak alone.
kun snorts. “yeah. you’ll never guess what ten convinced me to do.” kun says, taking a bite of the leftover pad thai he brought for lunch.
jungwoo laughs a bit, aware of kun and ten’s dynamic by this point. jungwoo has met ten before, quite a few times actually, so he’s familiar with ten’s personality. “what, did he convince you to go to a club or something? get a pet? wear a tank top?” jungwoo teases.
kun glares at jungwoo. “no. actually, i don’t think you’ll believe me.”
“lay it on me, hyung. i’m sure it’s not that crazy.”
kun can only laugh.
“ten and i are getting married.”
jungwoo nearly chokes on his sandwich, and kun watches with a hint of concern as the younger coughs, searching for his water bottle. kun hands his own to jungwoo, who takes it gratefully.
“you’re- you’re getting married?!” jungwoo asks, and kun has to gesture for the other to quiet down. the office is notorious for having extremely thin walls.
kun nods, and jungwoo coughs again. “like, for real?”
“yes, for real.” kun confirms. “we aren’t like, dating or anything. it’s for financial benefits and stuff. i’m surprised he convinced me.”
jungwoo stares at him blankly, seemingly at a loss for words. “so he’s going to be your husband?”
“that’s what getting married means, yes.”
jungwoo furrows his eyebrows, handing the water back to kun. “you always seemed like the more traditional type to me, hyung. i’m surprised he managed to convince you, too.”
kun shrugs, checking his phone. “honestly, i thought he was joking, but he made a lot of valid points so there really wasn’t a reason to say no.”
“do you think if i tried that with doyoungie hyung it would work?” jungwoo asks, tilting his head, almost resembling a puppy.
kun reaches over and ruffles jungwoo’s hair. “you’re already dating. your reasoning wouldn’t be the same. you have been dating for four years now, though. it’s always possible.”
jungwoo’s face turns red, and he hides his face behind his half eaten sandwich.
-
on his way home from work, kun gets a call from ten.
“ten, i’m on my way home right now. what is it?” kun asks, his file folder tucked under his arm. he’s waiting for his bus, which is scheduled to come in around five minutes.
“i’m coming home a bit late, kunnie. i’ve gotta get something on the way back.” ten’s voice easily comes through the speakers of kun’s headphones.
kun adjusts his hold on his folder. “what are you getting?”
there’s silence on the other end for a second. “well, it’s a surprise.”
well, that’s totally reassuring.
kun tugs at his lower lip with his teeth. “you better not be planning anything stupid, yongqin.”
“don’t worry about it. it’s nothing crazy, alright?”
“last time you said that, you came home with three pet goldfish you didn’t know how to take care of.” kun says, cringing when he thinks of that past experience.
ten whines on the other line. “all three of them lived!”
“yeah, because i took care of them and you didn’t help.”
it’s quiet again, for longer this time. kun almost thinks the younger hung up on him, but one glance at his phone tells him the call is still ongoing. “i’m sorry about the goldfish thing.”
kun’s heart swells. “ten, it’s fine. that was a year and a half ago. come home safe, alright?”
“of course, you too. love you.”
“love you too.” kun says, pressing the end call button.
-
“honey, i’m home~”
kun rolls his eyes at the younger’s antics, bookmarking the page he was reading in his book. “engaged for less than 24 hours and you’re already starting the pet names?” kun jokes, placing his book on the coffee table.
ten grins, shutting the door behind him. “close your eyes and hold your hands out.”
kun stares at ten for a few seconds, suspicious. “should i be scared?”
“trust me, kunnie!”
kun sighs, holding out his hands and closing his eyes.
after a few seconds, he hears some shuffling and then something light is placed in his hands. he can’t tell what it is yet.
“open your eyes.”
when kun opens his eyes, he breathes in sharply. “yongqin…”
ten flashes a bright smile. “i know this entire thing isn’t very… traditional, but i do know you like this kind of stuff so i figured i’d go out and get something.” ten says.
kun looks at the small velvet box in his hands, and he opens it slowly. inside is a simple rose gold ring, encasing two small gems. kun recognizes them as garnet and amethyst, his and ten’s birthstones.
he takes the ring out of the box slowly, admiring it for a few seconds before slipping it on the ring finger of his left hand. it fits perfectly.
a hand appears in front of his face. “i have one too!” ten says excitedly, showing off his matching ring.
kun bites the inside of his cheek, eyes burning. “ten, you really didn't have to, these were probably expensive and-”
ten flicks kun’s forehead lightly. “don’t worry about it, kun. i did it because i wanted to, okay? i've been doing good with work recently, we're in a good place. it's fine.” ten says.
kun breathes out slowly, bringing up his hand to admire the ring again. “okay. i love you.”
“i love you too. now go get ready.”
kun blinks at ten, hand dropping to his side. “what? where are we going?”
ten pulls kun off the couch, turning him towards his room. “dinner reservation. we have a lot of things to discuss,” ten says, “but i've also heard the place has really good wine.”
kun laughs a bit, pushing ten away gently. “alright. how formal are we talking?”
“i’m thinking smart casual. nice shirt and a blazer.” ten says, eyeing kun’s current clothing. he's definitely in leisurewear right now.
kun hums, heading off to his room. ten heads to his own.
-
kun ends up deciding on a simple warm beige blazer and a black shirt, paired with black pants, a small necklace and minimal eye makeup.
ten is dressed well as usual, a tan colored shirt paired with a grey plaid blazer. he looks good, and kun notices the subtle eyeliner he put on.
“ready to go?” ten asks, fixing his hair a bit in the wall mirror.
kun pats his pockets to make sure he has everything. he can feel his phone, wallet, and keys, so he exhales and looks over at ten, who's still trying to fix his hair. “your hair looks fine, ten. you look really good.” kun reassures.
ten turns away from the mirror and grins at kun. “you’re not too bad yourself, qian.”
kun hopes his face isn’t as red as it feels.
-
the first part of dinner is relatively silent, as the two of them take in the place’s atmosphere and enjoy their food. the place is fancy but not too much, and kun thinks ten was smart for their outfit choices.
after they finish off their dinner, ten orders two glasses of wine. kun was going to protest, but ten had insisted that they would get an uber home. kun had no real reason to decline the wine, anyway. truthfully, he felt like he needed it.
“so, we haven’t really made any plans.” ten says, swirling the wine in his cup.
kun takes a sip of his own, letting the taste of alcohol flow across his tongue. “we need to find out how to get a marriage license, possibly plan a wedding, and tell our families, right?”
ten nods, and kun watches as ten fiddles with his engagement ring. “do you want a wedding? we don’t have to have one if you don’t want it.” ten says, and kun thinks.
in his mind, kun never really imagined what his future love life would look like. he never really had time for dating, or wanted it, so weddings never really crossed his mind unless it was a friend getting married and he was invited.
kun takes a long drink of his wine, ignoring the burn in the back of his throat. “we could have one,” kun says, “we could do it in jungwoo and doyoung’s backyard.”
ten laughs so hard he throws his head back. a few other patrons stare, but kun is too busy looking at the slope of ten’s neck. he downs the rest of his wine immediately.
“their backyard?” ten asks, cheeks flushed pink from a combination of laughing and the alcohol. “why there? how do you know they’d say yes?”
kun hums. “tennie, their backyard is huge. plus, i could just convince jungwoo by putting a good word in for him with our boss. i’m sure doyoung wouldn’t mind, either.”
before ten talks again, he calls the waiter over to refill their wine, seeing as ten finished his glass too. with fresh glasses, they continue discussing.
“so. a backyard wedding.”
“yes,” kun says, “but we need someone to officiate it.”
ten tugs his lip between his teeth. “i think taeyong has a license to do that, or something.”
kun snorts. “or something? how are you already getting drunk?”
ten laughs in return, skin glowing. “whatever this wine is, it’s strong.” ten says, looking at his cup and then drinking more. kun just rolls his eyes, also taking a sip.
-
almost a full bottle of wine, one argument over a check, and an uber ride later, kun finds himself pushing open the door to their shared apartment. they aren’t too drunk, but it’s enough for both of them to feel the effects.
“ten, let go.” kun says, kicking his shoes off in front of the doorway.
ten keeps a tight grip on kun’s arm. “why should i?”
kun exhales, looking at ten. “why are you such a clingy drunk?” kun asks, trying to pull ten along with him to the couch. it’s difficult, but kun manages.
“i’m not.” ten says, but his statement is contradicted in about three seconds when he manuevers himself onto kun’s lap, hugging him tightly. kun’s used to it at this point, even finds it endearing.
“you do realize we have to get up and change, right?”
ten groans, pushing his face into kun’s shoulder. “i don’t want to. we don’t have work tomorrow, can’t we just lay here?”
“aren’t you having lunch with johnny tomorrow?” kun asks, recalling what ten told him some point that morning.
ten is quiet for a second, before responding. “i was, but i can always cancel.” ten is no longer speaking in english, instead having switched to mandarin. kun blinks, a bit surprised, sinced they normally don’t speak mandarin with each other, instead opting for korean or english.
“why would you cancel?” kun also switches to mandarin, the language feeling a bit odd on his tongue as he speaks with ten. he normally only speaks mandarin casually with sicheng, yangyang, and renjun, and even that is quite rare.
ten doesn’t answer, instead lifting his head and staring at kun. kun’s gaze subconsciously shifts to ten’s lips, which are slightly red from ten’s habit of biting them. kun really wishes he had more wine right now, because he doesn’t think he can handle this while he’s still somewhat sober.
when he looks back up at ten’s eyes, the younger’s gaze is piercing his own. “ten?” kun’s voice is shaky, and he doesn’t trust it.
instead of an answer, ten firmly plants his hands on kun’s shoulders and kisses him.
kun doesn’t even give himself time to think. all he can focus on is the press of ten’s mouth against his own, and he finds himself kissing back without a second of hesitation, almost intrinsically. his hands find purchase on ten’s waist, grounding both himself and ten.
ten’s lips taste like red wine, vanilla chapstick, and something so beautifully ten that he can’t even describe it. all he knows is that he can’t get enough, and he kisses him harder.
kun slowly moves away from ten’s mouth, pressing his lips to ten’s jaw, and then the curve of his neck. ten’s head leans to accommodate, and kun sucks a bruise into the honey skin just below ten’s ear.
he can’t remember when, but at some point they switch and ten mouths at the juncture of kun’s neck and shoulder. it feels good, and he drowns in the feeling, lets himself get drunk off of his best friend. he doesn’t let himself think of the consequences, and he lets go.
-
when kun wakes up the next morning, his head feels heavy and the sunlight filtering through the blinds does nothing good for his developing headache.
he’s still wearing what he wore to dinner last night, except his blazer is somewhere on the floor, as he remembers shrugging it off tiredly before going to sleep.
he sits up, rubbing his eyes before grabbing his phone, looking at the time and seeing the numbers 10:47 at the top of his lockscreen. his lockscreen is a photo of him and ten, one that the younger had insisted he put as his lockscreen, so they could match.
oh. right. ten.
last night’s events come flooding back to his brain, and kun can feel his ears burn.
he glances back at his phone, seeing a few new messages from ten, as well as some others from jungwoo. he decides to check ten’s first, since their apartment seems really quiet.
yongqin: hey, kun. you’re still asleep so i figured i’d text you
yongqin: i left to get brunch with johnny, we had a change of plans
yongqin: sorry about last night.
kun chews on the inside of his cheek, staring at the texts. his fingers hover over his keyboard, and his brain swirls while he tries to formulate a response.
kun: good morning ten
kun: why are you apologizing?
he sends the second message without thinking too hard about it, and he immediately switches to his message thread with jungwoo.
jungwoo: hyung ^_^
jungwoo: wanna meet up for lunch at noon? if you’re not busy, that is
jungwoo: we didn’t really have that much time yesterday
well, it’s not like he has anything better to do.
kun: sure, let’s do it
kun: ten’s having brunch with johnny so i’m not busy
kun: should we go somewhere or do you want me to come over?
jungwoo: you can come over
jungwoo: doyoung’s having a ‘brother bonding day’ or something with jeno, so it’s just me here until doyoung gets back, and i think he’s out til six?
kun: sounds good
kun: so noon?
jungwoo: yep! i’ll order pizza or something
kun: alright, i’ll be over then
jungwoo: see you soon, hyung
when kun exits the chat, he looks back and sees that ten hasn’t responded yet. when he opens the thread, it says ‘read 10:58’ at the bottom of kun’s recent message. he frowns, typing up a new message.
kun: i’m going to jungwoo’s for lunch at noon. when will you be home?
kun doesn’t expect an answer, but he’s quite surprised when only a couple seconds later he sees ten typing in the chat.
yongqin: i dont know, i might be going over to taeyong’s after i’m done with brunch
kun: oh, okay
kun: let me know, alright? love you
yongqin: i will
kun waits for a ‘love you too’ message, but it never comes, and it leaves a weird feeling in the pit of kun’s stomach. he tries to push it away, and he swipes out of the text thread.
-
after getting out of the shower, kun stares at himself in the mirror, towel wrapped around his waist. there’s purple and red bruises littering his neck and shoulders, and it serves as a reminder of what happened last night.
they didn’t go any further than kissing, but it still feels odd. people don’t normally make out with their best friend after a little bit of wine, do they?
the more he thinks about it, the more his stomach swirls, so he shoves the thought to the corner of his mind and slips on a turtleneck. he can deal with this later. he doesn’t know when later is, all he knows is that it’s any time except now.
-
“i’m going to be as honest as possible right now, hyung. you look pathetic.”
kun pushes the door shut behind him, glaring. “i had a… weird night.” kun says, removing his shoes and placing them next to the door.
jungwoo clicks his tongue. “can’t be that weird, right?”
“last time you said that, what i said made you choke on a sandwich.”
jungwoo laughs, sitting on one end of the couch and falling into the cushions. “well, i’m not eating anything right now, so go for it. tell me.” jungwoo says, gesturing for kun to sit down.
kun sits on the other end of the couch, pulling his knees up to his chest. he feels vulnerable, because once he voices it to someone else, that makes it… real. keeping something to yourself allows you to push it away and pretend it isn’t there. telling someone means you have to face it.
“if you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to, kun ge.” jungwoo’s words are sincere, and it calms kun’s nerves slightly when he tags on the mandarin honorific.
“no, i’ll say it.” kun says. “you know how i told you ten and i went for dinner last night?”
jungwoo hums. “yeah, and that he gave you a ring first.”
kun glances at his hand, taking a small look at the purple and red gems. he keeps his gaze on the ring when he speaks. “we, um…”
“did you fuck?” jungwoo interupts.
kun’s eyes shoot up to look at jungwoo, his face and ears burning. “no! no, we didn’t- we didn’t have sex.” kun clarifies, stumbling a bit over his words.
jungwoo giggles. “you’re allowed to say the word fuck, you know.”
kun breathes in, gathering his composure. “ten and i made out on our couch and now i think he’s avoiding me and he texted me apologizing for what happened and i asked him why he apologized but he left me on read and-”
“ge, you need to take a breath.”
kun stops talking, feeling heat rise in his cheeks again. “sorry.”
jungwoo shuffles a bit closer, patting kun’s knee. “how about you start from the beginning, and explain everything that happened, and then we can talk about the solution.” jungwoo suggests.
kun takes a deep breath, nodding. “okay.”
-
kun ends up explaining pretty much the entirety of last night and his messages with ten this morning, and kun has never been more glad to have a friend like jungwoo. a weight feels like it was lifted off his shoulders.
“you need to have a talk with him.” jungwoo ends up telling him.
kun pulls his knees closer to his chest. “i know.”
“when does he get back?”
kun thinks back to the messages, frowning a bit when no answer comes to his mind. “i don't know. he said he would let me know.” kun says.
jungwoo gestures towards kun’s phone, which is in his hand, since kun explained some of ten’s messages earlier. “has he texted you at all since?”
“i haven't checked.” kun admits.
“what are you waiting for?”
kun bites his lip, turning his phone on and being met with a notification.
new message from yongqin.
jungwoo peeks over at kun’s phone. “open it.”
kun inputs his password quickly (960227) and checks the message.
yongqin: love you too.
kun feels a weight lift off his shoulders, and he sags into jungwoo’s couch cushions. he's unsure why, but a warmth settles in his chest.
jungwoo is awfully silent, so kun looks up from his phone and sees the other with a wide grin on his face. kun furrows his eyebrows and jungwoo just smiles wider.
“why are you smiling like that?” kun asks, and jungwoo just shakes his head, leaning back onto his end of the couch.
“you really need to talk to ten, hyung.” is all jungwoo says.
kun bites his lip. “i will.”
he makes a promise to himself to talk to ten.
-
he doesn't talk to ten.
in his defense, he at least tries to talk to ten.
ten doesn't come home until around eight that night, and when kun tries to talk to him, ten brushes him off and heads off to his own room. kun feels a sharp pain in his chest after that.
instead of overthinking it, kun just makes himself comfortable on the couch and opens up a book, willing away the weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. ten doesn't leave his room for the rest of the night.
-
it's been three days, and kun thinks this entire situation is getting out of hand.
when kun gets up for work in the mornings, ten is already gone, and when ten arrives home, he wordlessly goes to his room. they haven't eaten dinner together, they have only spoken over text, and kun is sick of it.
so, kun made a plan.
he gets out of work earlier than usual, which buys him time to quickly grab some food from a takeout place before his bus comes. upon arriving home, he eats it alone, knowing that ten will eat something on his way home.
upon glancing at his phone, he sees that ten should be back in around ten minutes, so he sets his plan into action. he goes to his own room first, changing into pajamas before he heads to ten’s room.
ten and kun have previously discussed that it's perfectly fine to show up in one another’s rooms unannounced, and they have an agreement that even when one of them is out they're allowed in each other's rooms. kun’s glad they set that rule in place.
five minutes later, kun hears ten enter their apartment, and he takes a deep breath.
when ten enters the room, he locks eyes with kun, and they stare at each other silently for a few seconds. when ten moves to leave the room, kun shoots up from his spot, shutting ten’s door and locking it before he can go.
“ten, we need to talk.”
kun grabs ten’s wrist and pulls him until they're both sitting on the bed. “what's been up with you recently? you've been avoiding me every day.” kun asks.
ten doesn't respond, instead staring quietly at kun. kun frowns, shoving ten's shoulder lightly. “the silent treatment isn't gonna help. i'm not letting you leave until we-”
ten’s lips are on his in less than three seconds.
anything kun was about to say completely leaves his mind, his brain short circuiting as ten’s lips slot against his own. well, so much for his plan.
logically speaking, kun should push him off. logically speaking, kun should be talking to ten right now about the last three days. however, all logic appears to have flown out the window as kun does the exact opposite of what he should be doing.
he kisses ten back.
as he brings a hand up to cup ten's face, his mind zeroes in on all things that have to do with the younger. the softness of his skin beneath kun’s hand, the scent of flowery perfume (ten hates cologne), the sweet artificial taste of ten’s cherry lip gloss. his senses are clouded with ten, ten, ten.
ten’s right hand rests on kun’s shoulder, his left tangled in kun’s hair, occasionally moving down to lightly scratch at the nape of kun’s neck. kun’s teeth graze against ten’s lower lip, and ten sighs into the kiss.
kun pulls back, breathless, reality soon crashing over him like a tidal wave.
he looks at ten, seeing his swollen red lips, flushed cheeks, and messed up hair. kun assumes he's probably in a similar state, and he exhales, gathering his senses.
“i’m sorry.” ten says quietly, running a hand through his hair and shuffling until he's leaned against the bed frame.
kun blinks a few times, staring at the younger. “what? why?”
ten waves his hand in the air in a vague gesture. “all of this. avoiding you, and everything. i was being a bitch with no excuse.” ten clarifies, his voice small.
kun bites the inside of his cheek. “why were you even avoiding me?” kun asks, even though he's pretty sure he already knows the answer.
“i was overthinking,” ten admits, “about the night after dinner. i felt bad, because i kissed you when we had been drinking-”
“i wasn't drunk, ten.”
“me neither.”
ten rubs his face with his hands, and kun watches, waiting for him to continue. “i thought you would've like, hated me or something after that. i'm never one to get insecure, but for some reason i…” ten trails off, and he makes no move to continue his sentence.
“it's okay. you know i'd never hate you, even if you stole my first proper kiss.” kun says.
ten sits up abruptly, looking at kun with wide eyes. “you've never kissed someone like that before?”
when kun shakes his head, ten whistles, sitting back against the bed frame. “damn, qian, for someone with such little experience you kiss like a fucking pro.”
kun’s ears burn and he grabs a pillow, hitting ten with it. ten just laughs, leaning against kun’s shoulder. it makes kun feel warm.
“seriously though, i'm sorry for being childish about this. i should've talked to you.” ten says. “i spent so much time worrying about things being awkward that i made it worse.”
kun hums, draping an arm across ten’s shoulders and gently tugging him into his side. “best friends can kiss each other and not have it be weird, right?” kun questions silently, but it's more rhetoric than anything.
he feels ten cuddle into his side further, and one of his legs comes to rest on kun’s. “yeah. we’re just… best friends who kiss sometimes.”
if anyone else were to hear it, it would probably sound absurd, but not to kun and ten. their friendship has never really been the most conventional, but that's what they like about it.
a few minutes pass, and kun eventually nudges ten softly. “you should probably change into pajamas. i can set up a movie on your laptop.” kun suggests.
ten makes a noise of acknowledgment but makes no move to get up. kun fights back a smile as he nudges ten again. “okay, guess i'll just have to go back to my room and watch a movie without you.”
ten peeks out from his spot under kun’s arm. “you wouldn't.” ten says quietly, eyebrows furrowed.
he's right, but kun continues anyway. “i would.”
at that, ten detaches himself from kun’s side. he stands next to the bed and stretches, cracking his knuckles. “i’m stealing your shirt and pants to sleep in.” ten says casually, and kun doesn't respond, simply watching him leave to change in kun’s room.
a fond feeling settles in his chest, and he searches around the room for ten’s laptop.
ten comes back a few moments later wearing one of kun’s sleep shirts. since it's big on kun, ten is practically swimming in the white cotton fabric, the short sleeves nearly reaching his elbows.
kun settles under the covers with ten's laptop in hand, their shared netflix opened on the screen. “what do you wanna watch?”
ten makes himself comfortable next to kun, pushing his nose against kun’s shoulder. “whatever you want. just nothing in mandarin, i'm too tired for that.” ten says, and kun laughs a bit.
he settles on a new english movie that jungwoo recommended, and he thinks to himself that everything's okay.
-
kun wakes up to ten’s alarm blasting in his ear, the default iphone ringtone hurting his head at this early in the morning.
ten stirs from beside him. “turn it off.” ten whines, making a half-assed attempt at covering his ears.
kun reaches for ten’s phone on the nightstand, squinting against the sunlight coming through the window. he fumbles around a bit before his finger lands on the “stop” button, and the room goes silent.
he glances at ten, who is half asleep on his chest. they had fallen asleep after watching two movies the night prior, kun deciding to just spend the night in ten's bed. their legs are tangled together, ten’s arm resting across kun’s stomach.
“ten, why the hell do you have an alarm set for six in the morning?” kun asks, blinking sleep from his eyes and freeing himself from ten’s limbs.
ten weakly pulls on kun’s shirt. “i was avoiding you, remember? i woke up early to get out of the house before you woke up.”
kun rolls his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips as he sits up. “so dramatic, li.”
“it’s qian to you now, lovely fiancé.”
kun raises an eyebrow. “oh? don't get too ahead of yourself, we aren't even married yet.”
“ugh, don't remind me.” ten rolls over, burying his face into his pillows.
kun pinches ten’s shin, and ten tries to kick him but misses. “want breakfast?” kun questions, already leaving ten’s bed.
“can we eat doughnuts?” ten asks, pushing himself out of bed to join kun.
kun sighs. “we don't even have doughnuts.”
“okay, and who's fault is that? i'm not the one who goes grocery shopping.”
“we both contribute to the list, ten, and i always ask if you want something extra but you say no.”
“there's a bakery down the street from us, we can just go there.”
“at six in the morning?”
“um, duh?”
“we are not going to a bakery to get doughnuts at six in the morning.”
-
kun watches silently as ten eats, a smug grin on the younger’s face. “you're so easy to win over, darling.” ten says, looking proud with his chocolate glazed doughnut.
how the hell was kun supposed to refuse ten when he was standing there in kun’s shirt, eyes shining like a child asking for a new toy? it’s always been difficult to say no to him, even after all these years.
“admit it, you love me too much to say no.” ten says, finishing off the rest of his doughnut with a gleam in his eyes.
kun flicks ten’s forehead, not answering so he doesn't risk inflating ten’s ego even more.
“ignore me all you want, but you literally told me you thought the food was good.”
“shut up, yongqin.”
“make me, sweetheart.”
-
when kun arrives at work, jungwoo gives him one look before bursting into laughter.
“hyung, you look like you've had a fun morning.”
kun sets his bag down at his desk. “ten’s an absolute menace. how is he so fiery that early in the fucking morning?”
“oh, so you do know how to swear!” jungwoo says. “i assume you two are on good terms now?”
“good terms is one way to put it.” kun responds, sliding a couple folders over to jungwoo’s desk. “he convinced me to buy doughnuts at six in the morning. i don't know how he did that.”
jungwoo hums. “have you considered the fact that the reason you do those things is because you have feelings for him?” jungwoo says, and it's so casual that it takes a few seconds for kun to process his words.
“what? no! i don’t- i don't have feelings for ten.”
“you stuttered.”
“you caught me off guard!”
“you're being awfully defensive, hyung.”
kun groans, burying his face in his hands. “there's nothing romantic between me and ten.”
jungwoo clicks his tongue. “listen, kun. have you ever actually taken the time to think about how you feel?”
“of course i-” kun stops, being hit with the realization that no, he never thinks about his own feelings. “no.”
“think about it, hyung.”
-
kun thinks about it.
actually, now that jungwoo has mentioned it, he can’t stop thinking about it.
that's how he finds himself staring at his ceiling at three in the morning, not having slept at all despite going to bed at around eleven.
kun has never struggled with falling asleep, having a consistent sleep schedule was one of his blessings in life. however, his internal clock is apparently broken, since he doesn't feel tired at all.
he eventually gives up, leaving his bed to head to the kitchen to grab something small to eat and maybe get some bits of work done.
what he doesn't expect, however, is to find ten sitting on the kitchen counter, snacking on a bowl of green tea ice cream.
they stare at each other for a moment, not saying anything. ten’s spoon is frozen in his hand, ice cream threatening to melt off of it.
“why are you on the counter?” is what kun ends up asking.
“why are you awake at three in the morning on a wednesday?” ten retorts, taking a bite of his ice cream.
kun walks over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water from the coldest section of it. “you are too.”
ten waves his spoon at kun, gesturing towards him. “yeah, but you’re… you. you aren't the type to even be awake at three, let alone in the kitchen.”
kun sighs, cracking open the water bottle and taking a long sip. “maybe i’m just unpredictable.” kun says, beginning a small hunt around their cupboards for a snack.
“you're the most predictable person i've ever met.”
he ignores ten, continuing on his small snack hunt. ten sighs, putting his bowl down. “seriously though, why are you awake?” ten’s voice is genuine, his tone a bit softer.
“what, you worried about me or something?” kun teases.
“so what if i am?”
the tips of kun’s ears burn, and he gives up on his snack hunt, instead choosing to lean against the kitchen table, looking at ten.
“i've just been thinking a lot,” kun says, “about things i don't normally think about.”
ten hums. “that's understandable. wanna talk about it?”
kun shakes his head. ten doesn't pry, he never does, because privacy will always be respected between the two of them.
“come here.” ten says, beckoning kun over.
kun wordlessly listens, standing in front of ten, who's still perched on the countertop.
“i love you, kun.”
“i love you too.”
ten’s lips are cold and taste like green tea, and kun is so, so fucked.
-
“let's get married in the forest.”
kun glances at ten, who’s looking over color palettes in the paint section. “we came to home depot to buy a desk, not to discuss wedding plans.”
“think about it, kunnie,” ten says, “pinks, golds, greens… plus we don't have to bother doyoung and jungwoo about using their backyard. it'll be really pretty.”
kun tosses the idea around in his head, humming to himself as he looks over the color samples. “so… a forest wedding? should we have it in may?” kun asks.
“that's a month and a half away.” ten comments.
kun tugs on ten’s ear playfully. “i know it is. i feel like it will give us enough time, right?”
ten swats away kun’s hand, smile growing. “right.”
“although, we do need to set an exact date, start sending out invites, set up a location, do all the legal stuff, go tux shoppi-”
ten covers kun’s mouth with his hand, but kun bites it in retaliation. ten yelps, pulling his hand away and wiping it on kun’s shirt. “that's gross.” ten says, nose scrunched up in mock disgust.
“i had my tongue down your throat this morning, ten.”
“touché.”
-
they end up setting up the wedding for may 8th, nothing really special about the date but it's a saturday and they know most of their friends will be available.
it's currently late march, so kun isn't too stressed about it, but now that there's a solid date everything feels a bit more real. he's marrying his best friend in less than two months.
ten is currently out tux shopping with taeyong. kun had wanted to go, but ten insisted that he didn't want kun to see until their actual wedding (which kun found quite endearing) so he left kun alone at their apartment. all kun knows is ten wanted something pink and gold, and that he refuses to rent a tux (he wants to buy it to keep the memories).
kun is attempting to finish the book he started reading a few nights ago, but his phone vibrates on the table and he glances at his screen, seeing an incoming call from renjun.
“hey renjun, what's up?” his thought process quickly switches from english to mandarin.
“kun ge, hey! i wanted to talk about your whole wedding plan thing.” renjun’s voice comes from the other line.
kun sets his phone on speaker. “what about it, junnie?”
he can hear shuffling and the sound of paper being flipped through, and kun has to hold back a chuckle because renjun always seems to be over prepared.
after a bit more shuffling, renjun's voice comes through again. “there's like, a small secluded forest next to donghyuck’s place, and his parents own the property. i spoke with him about it and he said he wouldn't mind if you wanted to hold the wedding there.”
kun feels his chest grow warm. “ah, really? that's so amazing, renjun, you're a literal life saver. do you think you could send me donghyuck’s contact, if he doesn't mind?”
“sure, i'll send it over when i can.” renjun pauses for a second. “ah, sorry, jaemin is calling me, i promised to bring him to lunch later. talk to you soon?”
“of course, renjun. seriously, thank you so much for the help.”
“no problem, ge.”
-
kun ends up messaging donghyuck for a bit, discussing the location. from the pictures that he sent, kun can already tell ten will be ecstatic to hear the news. there's a small clearing in the trees that will easily fit an event like this.
when kun glances at the clock, it's nearing four, which means ten should be back soon. ten had told him that he would leave the tux with taeyong, since he has a spacious closet and lives by himself.
kun decides to shoot a quick text to ten, figuring he should ask about dinner plans just in case he had something in mind.
kun: want anything specific for dinner?
his message is read almost right away, which means ten must be on his way back.
yongqin: not really, i was thinking we could order in though. you cook so often i don't want you to get tired lol
kun: i could never get tired of cooking, it's fun
kun: but sure, i'll order something. sushi?
yongqin: you know me so well, qian kun
-
it’s two weeks later when kun finally realizes something, and that realization is had at probably the worst time possible.
it's some point past midnight, and kun should definitely be asleep, but he's got ten pinned against the kitchen counter and sleep is the last thing on his mind.
kun doesn't remember exactly how they got to the situation they're in now, one second he was getting ready for bed and the next his mouth was on ten’s. he doesn't really think it matters, though.
it's right there in the kitchen, with his fingers tangled in ten's hair, that he realizes.
he has feelings for ten.
the realization hits kun like a brick, and his heart drops to the pit of his stomach. he momentarily pulls away from the kiss to catch his breath, keeping his forehead against ten’s.
“you okay?” ten asks, breathless. his cheeks are flushed pink, lips shining and red. kun thinks he looks gorgeous like this- but then again, ten always looks stunning, and holy shit, kun loves him.
instead of responding, kun just connects their lips again, knowing that he can't vocalize how he's feeling in this moment.
ten’s hands sliding under his shirt shouldn't feel this good, not when it's nearing one in the morning and they're illuminated by dim kitchen lights. it shouldn't feel this good, but it does, and he wants.
“you're overthinking.” ten whispers against his lips, and kun would almost laugh if they weren't in this position. ten knows him so well.
ten pulls back, and they make eye contact. it's quiet for a few seconds, just the low buzz of their refrigerator and the combination of their breaths. kun feels a bit vulnerable like this. he feels like he's being analyzed, ten’s sharp gaze tracing over his features, uncovering secrets kun didn’t even know he had.
“what's on your mind?” ten asks quietly, and kun racks his brain for an answer that isn't ‘you.’
“nothing.” is what kun settles on, and ten laughs, gently bumping his nose against kun’s. kun can feel the tips of his ears burning, he's glad ten can’t see it due to their close proximity.
ten playfully tugs on the hem of kun’s shirt, clearly not buying kun’s response. he doesn't say anything, though, instead pushing kun’s shirt up a bit. “off.” ten mumbles, and kun complies.
this is uncharted territory for them. despite the frequency of their unplanned make out sessions, they've never taken it further than just kissing, but right now both their shirts are on the floor and he's unsure of where this is going.
“i’m gonna do something.” ten’s voice is shaky.
“okay.”
-
kun wakes up the next morning to someone shaking him awake.
“kun, wake up.”
“no.” kun mumbles, burying himself under his blanket.
there’s a sudden heavy weight on kun’s chest, slightly blocked by the blanket. “get up. i made breakfast.” ten says, and kun makes the assumption that he’s laying on top of the blanket (and therefore kun as well).
“you made breakfast?” kun asks suspiciously, “you, chittaphon ‘i hate cooking’ leechaiyapornkul, made breakfast?”
ten huffs. “what, can i not do something nice for my fiancé?”
kun pushes his head out from under the blankets, peering at ten. “is this part of some plan you have to get me to do something for you?” kun questions, still suspicious.
ten sits up, moving back until he’s sitting on kun’s shins. “it’s not. i just wanted to make breakfast for you, jagiya.”
the korean pet name causes the tips of kun’s ears to burn, and he doesn’t respond, instead removing himself from his blankets and heading towards the kitchen.
-
“so let me get this straight,” jungwoo says, “you realized you have feelings for ten, but instead of doing anything about it, you let him suck your di-”
kun clamps his hand over jungwoo’s mouth. “shut up!” kun hisses, pointing to his door. kun had invited jungwoo over since it’s the weekend and he really needed to tell someone everything. however, ten is one room away, and jungwoo seems to have no volume control over his voice.
jungwoo pushes kun’s hand off, sighing. “qian kun, you are more hopeless than i thought.”
kun doesn’t even argue, choosing to stay silent and stare at the wall.
“i think he likes you back.” jungwoo says abruptly, and kun whips around to face him.
“what?”
jungwoo shrugs, leaning back on his elbows. “he made breakfast for you this morning. he took you out to dinner and kissed you after. he literally proposed to you, hyung, doesn’t it seem obvious?”
“he’s just being nice.” kun counters, but jungwoo laughs loudly and falls onto the mattress.
“sure, making breakfast is being nice, but getting engaged and making out every day isn’t really something nice someone does for their friends.” jungwoo responds. “besides, when has ten ever done something without a reason for doing so? he’s never ‘just being nice,’ he always has his reasons.”
kun chews on the inside of his cheek. “well what if-”
“there’s no ‘what if’s, hyung!” jungwoo exclaims, sitting up again and looking at kun. “you’re both twenty eight now, yet you’re acting like a teenager with a crush. if you want to handle this like a sixteen year old then fine, whatever, but it’s not getting you anywhere.”
kun stays silent, looking at his ring and twisting it with his other hand.
jungwoo sighs, patting kun’s arm. “i know this whole ordeal seems scary, but listen. you are marrying him next month. do you want to spend the rest of your life worrying over your feelings, or do you want to confess and let yourself be happy with ten hyung?”
-
the wedding is in two weeks, and kun is practically a walking ball of anxiety.
everything is pretty much prepared. all of the legal stuff has been figured out, guests have been invited, catering services hired, etcetra. kun and ten have gone to the location multiple times already to get everything sorted in regards to where decorations will be, the table layout, and all of the other stuff.
one would think that since everything is planned, the anxiety would be gone, right?
wrong.
if anything, kun is more anxious now that everything is planned. he no longer has anything to distract himself with, and now it’s just a waiting game until the eighth.
he isn't doing anything at the moment, simply sitting on the couch with a book in his hands. it’s boring, and he can’t focus, but he really can't think of anything else to do.
as if the universe senses his pain, his phone buzzes on the table, and he glances at it. doyoung texted him, which is odd, since normally they speak in person or over calls, especially with jungwoo.
doyoung: hey kun
doyoung: i know i normally call you, but i don't want jungwoo to eavesdrop
kun: what’s up? anything wrong?
doyoung: nothing’s wrong! far from it, actually
doyoung: i wanted to do something, but i'd need permission from you and ten first.
kun: oh? what is it?
doyoung: i want to propose to jungwoo.
kun: really?? that's so good!! but why would you need my permission?
doyoung: you know the wedding tradition where you throw the bouquet to see who gets married next?
kun: i do, yes
doyoung: i was thinking… maybe we could let everyone in on it (besides jungwoo) so he catches it.
doyoung: and then when he turns around i propose
doyoung: but i don't want to intrude on your wedding or celebration or anything, i know it's your day and all
kun: no worries, doyoung.
kun: it’s a really good idea, and i totally think jungwoo would love it
kun: go for it !! i’ll have someone let everyone know
doyoung: thank you SO much kun
doyoung: i owe you one. seriously.
doyoung: don't stress too much over the wedding, okay? you and ten will be fine. you always are.
kun: thank you, doyoung.
-
leading up to the wedding, kun has taken solace in sneaking off to the small forest where the venue is located.
at first he would only come a couple times a week, staying for around fifteen minutes just to look around. but minutes turned into hours, and now he finds himself here daily. the time until the wedding turns from weeks to days.
it’s sunday, and there's six days until the wedding. it's roughly ten in the morning, and kun is leaning against a tree, staring at the venue. there’s a half finished chapter book next to him, left abandoned.
kun normally doesn't do too much while he’s here. he tends to busy himself with his thoughts, or half heartedly try to focus on a book. he could easily do this at home, but the nature surrounding him and the fresh air makes him feel like he can breathe again.
he’s not trying to avoid ten. he has no reason to, and that's not why he's here by himself. ten doesn’t know where he is, but he never asked. if he asked, kun would tell him.
“so, this is where you've been going every day?”
the sudden voice shakes kun out of his thoughts, and he turns to the side, meeting eyes with ten. “it is. how'd you find me?”
ten looks around, humming. “i don’t know. i had the sudden urge to come here, so i did.” ten says, a small smile on his face as he walks over and sits himself next to kun.
they sit in silence for a little while, ten leaning against kun's side. their shoulders and thighs touch, and it’s comfortable, familiar.
“is there any reason you come here?” ten asks quietly, and when kun glances over, the younger is looking at the sky.
kun looks away, turning his gaze to the clouds. “it’s nice here, quiet. a good place to think and be alone with yourself. i feel like it's something i needed.”
“am i interrupting your alone time?”
“no.”
kun can’t see ten, but he knows him. knows that there's probably a small smile on his face right now, knows that the sunbeams are reflecting off of his irises, knows that his skin glows under the spring sky.
so, he tells him, because you only live once.
“you’re pretty, yongqin.”
kun sneaks a glance and watches ten’s cheeks flush pink, smiling when he looks back at the sky.
“you aren’t even looking at me.” is ten’s reply, and of course he says that, because he’s ten.
kun keeps his eyes on ten’s features. “i am now, and my previous statement still stands.”
ten huffs, briefly making eye contact with kun before looking at the ground. “since when were you so cheesy?” ten asks, deflecting. “you’re a capricorn, you'd rather die than do things like this.”
kun doesn’t answer, because it’s not a question.
ten chews on his bottom lip, and he sighs. “are you nervous? about the wedding, i mean.” ten’s voice shakes. his veil of confidence is gone, his feelings right out in the open for kun to pick apart.
kun knows he could lie easily, tell ten that he’s fine and there isn't anything to worry about. however, kun isn't a liar, not when it comes to ten. not when they’re out here like this, opening up and vulnerable.
“i am.” kun answers truthfully.
ten breathes out, and kun feels him relax further against his side. “okay. i am too.”
kun pulls his arm out from between himself and ten, moving it to wrap it around the younger and pull him closer. “i think my brain was searching for something every time i came here.” kun whispers.
“did you find what you were looking for?”
kun makes eye contact with ten, and he smiles. “i did.”
when they kiss, it's soft, gentle, intimate. it’s not like their messy make out sessions in the kitchen at night, it's not like the fleeting kisses shared before work, it's not like their first and it doesn't feel like the last.
kun has a feeling things will shift after today.
-
things do shift, but not in the way kun expected.
it’s six in the evening, the wedding is in two days, and that’s when it happens.
“ten, what do you want for dinner? i can make-”
“i’m in love with you.”
kun’s mind goes completely blank for roughly five seconds, and he can hear his heart beating loudly.
“huh?”
good job, kun. very eloquent.
ten looks oddly calm, despite the words that just came out of his mouth. he's standing on the other side of the kitchen counter, leaning with his elbows perched on the surface. “i said i’m in love with you, kun.”
kun nods slowly, trying to piece together his thoughts. “that… that's not on the dinner menu.”
ten laughs, and some of the tension lifts in the room. it stays silent, neither of them saying anything, and all kun can hear is his heart and their combined breathing.
kun turns away from the counter, opening the fridge and taking out ingredients for pork bulgogi. “give me a little while to process this, okay?”
“okay. what are you making?”
“bulgogi. wanna help?”
“sure.”
-
despite ten literally confessing his love last night, nothing really changes between them, and kun is thankful for that. he doesn't think he could handle more unnecessary awkwardness.
the wedding is tomorrow, and kun finds himself back at the venue, taking a look at everything. the trees are adorned with fairy lights, courtesy of donghyuck who happened to find a stash of them in his attic. the tables aren’t too fancy, just regular circular tables with varying pastel shades of tablecloths.
there's different sets of flower arrangements, which kun had picked out with the help of renjun, who knows an absurd amount about flowers. dahlias, which symbolize commitment. cornflowers, prosperity and friendship. lily of the valley, happiness. daffodils, new beginnings.
kun doesn't know how he didn't realize his feelings sooner. maybe he always knew, maybe he didn't. there's no point dwelling on it now, though.
“kun?”
oh, well that’s a voice he hasn't heard in a while.
he turns away from one of the flower arrangements, facing the owner of the voice. “hi. it's been a while, hasn’t it?”
then kun’s being pulled into a hug, and it catches him off guard, but he laughs. “you haven't changed at all, have you, yuta?”
yuta squeezes him tight and then lets go, his signature smile on his face. “one year in japan isn’t enough to change me, and you know that.”
“i do know that,” kun says, “but why did you come back early? how did you find me here?”
yuta hums, pulling out one of the chairs and sitting on it. kun does the same, careful not to disturb anything.
“i went to your place, but it was only ten there. he told me where i would find you.” yuta says, looking around at all of the decorations. “i came back to the states because ten told me to. who would i be to miss my cousin’s wedding, right?”
“we aren't even cousins by blood, yuta. just by your mother’s marriage to my uncle.”
yuta cocks his head to the side. “so? the strongest bonds aren't always formed by blood. you of all people should know that.” yuta says, vaguely gesturing towards the ring on kun’s finger.
kun stares at the ring, closing and opening his fist. “are you still in contact with my parents?” kun asks quietly.
“no.” yuta answers. “well, my mom was, but she got tired of all the homophobic shit they had to say.”
kun stays silent, nodding. he doesn’t really expect much else from them at this point.
yuta hums, tapping his fingers against the table. “i spoke with my parents about letting me move here for good, and they let me.”
kun’s gaze shoots up to meet yuta’s. “really?”
there's a smile on yuta’s face, and he nods. “i always knew i wasn't gonna go back and forth between here, korea, and japan forever.”
“have you found a place to stay?” kun questions.
“yes,” yuta says, “i’m staying with taeil and sicheng until i can find a good place for myself.”
well, that brings kun relief. taeil and sicheng are some of the most trustworthy people he knows.
“is the wedding still ‘platonic,’ kun?” yuta asks suddenly, catching kun off guard.
is it?
kun bites the inside of his cheek. “i don't know.”
“you don't know?”
“ten confessed last night. i haven't given him an answer yet.”
yuta pokes kun’s arm. “typical of you, qian kun. when are you telling him you like him back?”
kun raises an eyebrow. “who said i like him back?”
“everything about you says it.”
“elaborate.”
yuta sighs, leaning back in his chair. “your whole demeanor shifts when he’s brought up. you say his name and it’s full of unspoken emotions. anyone can see it.” yuta explains.
kun opens his mouth to speak, but his phone buzzes on the table. he adjusts the brightness a bit before looking at the message.
yongqin: that baking show you like is on in fifteen minutes. come watch with me?
“ten texted you, right?”
kun looks up at yuta. “how’d you know?”
yuta smiles. “i can see it in your eyes, kun.”
kun: i'll be home in ten minutes
-
moments like this are probably kun’s favorite.
kun and ten have found themself on the couch, watching some random baking show that kun had gained interest in. ten is curled against his side, snuggled beneath a blanket that he stole from kun’s bed.
(then again, it's not really kun’s bed anymore. more often than not ten’s own bed is left abandoned while the two of them sleep in kun’s room.)
“i’m glad we're here instead of doing some stupid bachelor party.” ten says out of nowhere.
kun blinks, bewildered. ten loves parties. “what?”
ten hums. “i know i like being social, and parties are fun,” ten says, “but i'd much rather be right here with you.”
a blush settles itself on kun’s cheeks, and he keeps his eyes on the tv screen. ten’s confession from yesterday rings through his mind, and he breathes out.
“i’m in love with you too, ten.” kun says quietly.
their eyes meet, and it feels almost silly, to be here like this. to say something so important right here, less than 24 hours before getting married, on an overpriced couch watching a stupid baking show.
yet, it can't get more perfect than this.
kun takes ten’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers gently. “normally this is the part where i'd ask you to be my boyfriend, but i think we’re pretty far past that.” kun jokes.
ten laughs, and it's so genuine and warm that kun’s heart hurts. “we did things in quite a weird order, didn't we?” ten muses.
“i suppose we did.” kun says, leaning in so his and ten’s foreheads are touching. they stay like that for a while, just looking into each other’s eyes, and everything is calm.
“how long has it been?” kun asks quietly.
“what do you mean?”
“when did you realize your feelings?”
ten chuckles, bumping his nose against kun’s. “two years ago.”
kun’s breath catches in his throat. “that long ago?”
“mhm.”
“so your proposal…”
ten shakes his head slightly. “my proposal… it was for the reasons i stated. i assumed you would say no.”
“i can never say no to you, ten.”
ten’s eyes shine. “what about you? when did you realize?”
kun hums, thinking. “recently. jungwoo had to knock some sense into me. i think i’ve been in love for a long time now, though.” kun responds.
ten closes his eyes, laughing softly. “guess i have to thank jungwoo, then.”
“we can write a thank you note.” kun jokes, and ten laughs again, opening his eyes.
“i love you, kun.”
“i love you too, yongqin.”
the world falls away as their lips meet.
-
it's today.
the wedding is today.
a couple months ago, the whole marriage deal never really meant much in kun’s mind, just two best friends settling on an agreement for financial and general life benefits.
except, now it means something, because the two ‘best friends’ fell in love with each other and now they're marrying for real.
there's large tents set up at the venue for preparation before the actual ceremony begins. kun and ten each have their own tent, right next to each other. everyone has pretty much already arrived.
they didn't want to do the whole cliché of walking down the aisle, so they decided they'd walk out at the same time, because they're entering this together. plus, it made some preparation a lot easier.
“i’m nervous.” kun says, pacing back and forth between the walls of the tent.
jungwoo sighs, coming up to rest a hand on kun’s shoulder to stop his pacing. “it's normal to feel nervous. you're getting married.”
“well a while ago this was a best friend thing. we were getting married as best friends.”
“who cares about a while ago!” jungwoo says, grabbing kun’s other shoulder and spinning them to face each other. “that was before. this is now. you have nothing to be worried about, because it's ten out there, ge. you love each other, you always have, no matter what label you put on it.”
kun nods, taking a deep breath. “okay. okay. thank you, jungwoo. for that whole speech. also for being my best man. everything you've done for me.” kun breathes out.
jungwoo smiles, squeezing kun's shoulders. “don't get too emotional yet, you'll cry away your makeup. now get out there and go marry the fuck out of your best friend.”
-
the ceremony goes by pretty quickly.
it feels nice, standing under a flower arch with his best friend in front of him. ten looks absolutely stunning, a light pink suit embroidered with gold embroidery. there's glitter on his eyelids and kun wants to kiss the shine off of his lips.
kun cries over ten’s vows, but he manages to compose himself enough to start his own, and he's excited, because he made them special.
“chittaphon-” kun starts.
“oh, getting fancy with the real name?”
kun rolls his eyes fondly at ten’s interruption. he continues, though.
“honestly, i can’t believe i’m with you here today, but the universe has it’s plans for us, i know that. being here feels like a blessing.” the syllables are foreign on kun’s tongue, a bit harder and sharper than english.
ten’s eyes widen, and he lets out a breath, blinking a few times. kun can see his eyes shining with emotion. originally kun wasn't planning on writing his vows in thai, but he made the decision a month ago, and has been practicing ever since. he knew the basics, but spent a lot of hours perfecting it, going over it, getting used to it.
he continues. “i wanted to make vows that only we would understand, ones that would be special to you. it's your home language, and you're my home.”
there's a few tears rolling down ten’s face, but his smile is so bright and he looks the happiest kun has ever seen him. it fills kun with pride, to know that they can share moments like these, together.
“i don't have much to say now, because words are just words. i could sit up here for hours and go on about how much you mean to me, but those are things i'd rather show you. people have always said actions speak louder than words. not many words could perfectly describe how i feel. there's a few that come close, like kara sevda in turkish, but there's one that i really like. yuánfèn, a word in mandarin which i've grown to love.”
ten sniffs, reaching forward and grabbing kun’s hands. “what does it mean?”
kun takes a second to process the thai question, but when he does, he smiles, squeezing ten’s hands. “it's kind of like, a destined coincidence, a predetermined fateful relationship. that we are here together because the world wanted us to be, that we are innately connected. kind of like, when we met for the first time, or when we got our jobs together.” kun switches between thai and korean while explaining, not really knowing how to explain in only thai.
“it's really pretty.” ten says, laughing a bit and looking at the ground to blink back his tears. “yuánfèn. i love it.”
“i love you, ten. i always have, whether it was platonic or romantic. i'm in love with you, and you're the only person i could ever think of spending my life with like this. so, here's to us, yuánfèn, and our future.”
ten chokes back a sob, not even bothering with wedding formalities and just surging forward to hug kun tightly. kun huffs out a laugh, burying his face into ten’s shoulder and squeezing him tightly.
ten is the first to pull back, resting their foreheads together. “i love you so fucking much, qian kun.”
“i love you so fucking much too, yongqin.”
“it's qian yongqin now.”
kun just laughs and kisses the grin off of his husband’s face.
-
the rest of the wedding goes by quickly, the official ceremony being done, but there's still more things to do.
doyoung’s proposal to jungwoo goes extremely well, jungwoo ended up crying but he quickly composed himself and ran around excitedly to the rest of his friends.
kun and ten don’t drink too much, wanting to be as clear minded as possible for their day. there's a messily made flower crown sitting on each of their heads, gifted by taeil’s niece. the energy is nice, and kun feels peaceful.
“is it weird to say i never want this day to end?” ten says quietly, resting his head on kun’s shoulder.
kun wraps an arm around him. “it's not weird. however, this whole thing, it isn't an end. it's a beginning. there will be many more feelings like this to come.”
ten hums. “you're right. i love you.”
“i love you, too.”