Work Text:
If Xu Minghao knew that being the best man for Kim Mingyu, aka his best friend, was this much work, he would’ve said no.
(He was kidding. Well… sort of.)
There was a lot to do for a wedding; it almost made Minghao not want to get married at all (not that he would anymore anyway. The one he considered marrying wanted nothing to do with him). There was shopping for tuxedos and decorations, cake tasting, and figuring out how to shuffle all of the guests into the venue, to name a few.
It was tiring, but Minghao fought through it to help Mingyu and Wonwoo plan for their wedding (because if it was this tiring for him, it must have been ten times more tiring for the engaged couple). Minghao wouldn’t say it outloud, but he hated how stressed the two looked trying to decide between caterers and venues. It made him feel better to see the relieved looks on their faces when he was able to offer a neutral opinion.
And now, it was finally the day.
He and Mingyu were in one of the rooms of the venue, waiting for the ceremony to start. He was sitting on a couch in the room while he watched Mingyu fix his tuxedo in the stand-up mirror once more. Mingyu took a deep breath as he turned around to face Minghao.
“So… how do I look?” Mingyu asked.
Minghao looked up and down Mingyu’s body. He was wearing a black tuxedo, white dress shirt, black bowtie, paired with balck dress shoes. His black hair was gelled up and styled away from his hair.
Minghao gave him an approving nod.
“Good,” he replied.
“Are you sure?” My bowtie isn’t crooked? And my blazer isn’t wrinkled?”
“I’m sure. You’re talking to the group’s fashionista, remember?”
Mingyu let out a small chuckle.
“Right,” he agreed, “I’m just worried, I guess.”
“Don’t worry. Wonwoo would still say ‘I do’ even if you showed up in a tank top and shorts,” Minghao assured him.
Mingyu let out a scoff.
“Yeah, right after scolding me for not wearing the tuxedo we spent days deciding on.”
Minghao laughed, nodding.
“You’re right there.”
“Well, who else knows my future husband better than I do?”
Minghao didn’t reply, and instead caught the sparkle in Mingyu’s eyes. He remembered their days back in college when Mingyu told him about the “handsome upperclassman bookworm” he saw in the library every time he went to study, and how happy Mingyu was when he got home from their first date, and the excitement on his face when they started dating.
From then, Minghao watched their relationship grow fonder and stronger throughout the years, falling deeper in love with each other instead falling apart. Minghao was happy for them when Mingyu told him he wanted to propose, and he was even happier and congratulated them greatly when Wonwoo said yes. It made Minghao’s heart flutter, like a happy ending with someone could be real.
Quickly pushing the thought away, he gave Mingyu a smile.
“Are you ready?” Minghao asked.
Mingyu shyly smiled as his feet shuffled.
“Yeah. I’ve always been, honestly. Even when I saw Wonwoo for the first time back in the university library, and got to know him more as a person, I knew I was going to marry him; it was just a matter of when.”
Mingyu let out a loving sigh.
“I’m just happy that the day is here.”
“That’s good to hear,” Minghao replied, “I’m happy for you, the both of you.”
Mingyu smiled.
“Thanks. Maybe after, we can set up a date for you.”
Minghao let out a scoff before he rolled his eyes.
“No thanks.”
“Why? Is it because you’re still hung up on Jun?”
Minghao froze, his breath getting caught in his throat. He quickly shook his head, instantly pushing all the thoughts of him away.
“I’m not hung up on Jun.”
“I hate to break it to you, Hao, but you’re not fooling anyone. I know, Wonwoo knows, Soonyoung knows, so do Jeonghan and Joshua; even Seokmin knows, and you know how dense he is.”
“I’m not hung up on him,” Minghao repeated, “Besides, it’s your wedding day, remember? You shouldn’t make this about me.”
Mingyu thought for a moment, as if he were debating whether to put his wedding on hold to peel away the layers Minghao had put over to cover his truest and deepest feelings of his past lover.
But it didn’t seem like Mingyu would pursue it (Minghao knew it was because Wonwoo wouldn’t allow it. Thank goodness Mingyu had a fiance who liked to keep a schedule.) because his face showed defeat.
“You’re right, but after Wonwoo and I come back from our honeymoon, we’re setting up a date for you.”
Minghao sighed.
“Fine.”
He then smirked after gently shoved Mingyu’s shoulder.
“After you and Wonwoo tell me about all the fun you and Wonwoo had on your honeymoon, right?”
Mingyu glared at him before shoving him back, as Minghao laughed in reply.
“You wish. You’re just jealous you’re not getting any action.”
“Hey!” Minghao exclaimed. “That’s not true-”
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The two quickly quieted down and straightened themselves out and made themselves presentable.
“Come in,” Mingyu called out.
The door opened, revealing Jeonghan, their friend as well as the wedding planner and coordinator.
“Are you two ready? The room’s full, and it’s almost time for the wedding to begin.”
Mingyu nodded.
“Yes, of course.”
Jeonghan nodded before he left, leaving the door open. The two looked at each other one last time.
“Now, let’s get you and Wonwoo married.”
Mingyu shyly smiled again before he nodded. The two walked out and almost immediately walked in separate directions. Minghao took smaller hallways through the lake house to make it to the front of the venue hall while Mingyu made his wait to the entrance of the aisle. Once he did reach the front, he walked out and stood in front of the wooden altar, which was decorated with fairy lights and flowers in front of a wall of windows that gave a view of the lake.
He looked to the rest of the room and saw lights hanging from the ceiling, flowers decorating the ends of each row of chairs, and a white train lining the middle aisle.
He looked out into the audience, seeing how everyone was wrapped in their own conversations while waiting for the ceremony to start. He could see Seokmin in the third row sitting next to Jeonghan, who had an arm wrapped around Joshua’s waist. He didn’t recognize a lot of the other guests, and Minghao assumed that they were Mingyu’s and Wonwoo’s friends and family.
Minghao then looked across the aisle from him and saw Soonyoung standing on the other side of the altar, who smiled and gave him a single nod, which Minghao returned.
Music started to play, and everyone in the audience quieted down. Everyone stood up and looked towards the room’s entrance.
There, Mingyu walked out with his mom’s arms around his own arm. Once he reached the end of the aisle, he kissed his mom on the cheek. Minghao gave him a small smile before Mingyu stood at his spot in front of him as his mom sat down next to his dad in the front row.
Wonwoo then walked out with his mom, and Minghao caught sight of Mingyu with his eyes locked on Wonwoo.
Wonwoo was wearing a similar tuxedo with a white dress shirt, black bowtie and similar black shoes to the ones Mingyu was wearing. His black hair was also gelled up and away from his forehead.
Minghao could see Mingyu getting teary-eyed, and it made sense why: it was Mingyu’s first time seeing Wonwoo before they got dressed. If Mingyu already thought Wonwoo was “the most beautiful being to ever walk the earth” even when the latter wore something as simple as a pair of joggers and a hoodie, Minghao couldn’t even imagine all of the thoughts going through Mingyu’s head at the moment. Only knowing a fraction of what Mingyu was thinking, he gave his best friend a fond, teasing smile, even though Mingyu would be completely oblivious to it.
Once Wonwoo reached the end of the aisle, his mom gave him kisses on both of his cheeks before he walked up to stand across from Mingyu. Minghao watched as the two locked eyes; while they did so, Minghao could see the fondness in Wonwoo’s eyes. It was the same look that Mingyu had in his eyes whenever he was looking at Wonwoo. It was just another sign that Mingyu and Wonwoo were meant to be together.
The ceremony was beautiful. Mingyu and Wonwoo exchanged rings and vows while their eyes stayed on each other the whole time, as if they forgot about everyone else in the room. Everyone cooed as they recited their vows, with Mingyu shedding a few tears, and did their show of their unity.
As the ceremony reached its end, the preacher smiled at the couple.
“I happily pronounce you as one. You may now kiss.”
Mingyu stepped forward first. He wrapped his arms around Wonwoo’s waist and pulled him into the kiss. Wonwoo smiled before he held Mingyu’s shoulders and kissed back as everyone cheered. They pulled away from the kiss and faced the audience, smiling and raising their hands before they walked back down the aisle together. People continued to cheer for them as they walked back down the aisle while still holding hands.
Once they disappeared out of the room, Minghao and Sooyoung walked towards the middle and walked down the aisle after them.
“Wow… I can’t believe our best friends got married,” Soonyoung whispered.
“Me either,” Minghao replied.
“Thank goodness they did too. If I had to try another kind of wedding cake, I was going to puke.”
“Yeah…”
In truth, Minghao didn’t mind the (seemingly) endless cake tasting, visiting countless venues, or checking out the many caterers. Through the stress of it all, seeing the joy on his best friends’ faces was worth it.
___
The reception was just as beautiful, which ended up being just outside the lakehouse in an open field by the lake.
When the four got outside and made their dramatic entrance, they sat at a table covered in a white tablecloth with candles that were spaced out across the table and that faced everyone else.
Once they were able to sit, Minghao looked around the place he'd help spent hours helping decorate.
The place was decorated with tables (covered in white table cloths), wooden chairs, fairy lights, flowers, tree branches, with the center pieces being a cluster of candles and white roses. The sun was setting, leaving the sky in soft hues of orange, yellow, and purple and a glimmer on the lake water. The decorations were modern but rustic, just how Mingyu and Wonwoo wanted it to be.
When everyone settled down, Mingyu’s and Wonwoo’s parents gave their speeches, as well as himself and Soonyoung, being the best men and all. The speeches ended with Mingyu and Wonwoo’s, thanking their parents, Minghao and Soonyoung, as well as everyone else that helped with the wedding.
Then finally, it was time to eat. (Which Minghao was thankful for. He was starving .) Everyone started to have their own conversations as caterers started to walk out with plates of food.
As Minghao was checking his phone, he heard the sound of a plate being set on the table.
He looked up.
“Thank-”
His breath got caught in his throat, resting his eyes on the facial features of the man in front of him. He knew those brown eyes and brown hair: the sharp, chiseled nose and the impossibly perfect jawline.
He knew this man.
Their eyes met, and he knew that the feeling was mutual. They stared at each other, the world seemingly slowly down and focusing on the moment between the two. They stayed silent, neither of them unsure of what to do or say to each other.
“Minghao?” He asked.
“J-Jun?” Minghao replied in a shaky voice.
Jun’s breathing became visibly shaky. Neither of them were able to look away; their eyes were stuck on each other (Minghao’s were at least). He noticed that Jun dyed his hair from brown to black and was a bit more muscular. He also looked more tired and matured, as if he aged a few years in the past year, as if that were possible.
They continued to stare at each other as if Jun was a long lost soldier, missing for years, only to show up at his lover’s door, suddenly alive. (At least, that’s how Minghao felt.)
Damn it, Minghao. Say something.
“Yah, Junhui!” Minghao heard someone yell in Mandarin.
The two jumped. Jun quickly balanced the other plate in his hand before he turned his head. Minghao (trying not to be too impressed with how Jun caught himself) followed his eyeline and saw him looking at the other caterer serving Wonwoo and Soonyoung.
“Less standing still, more serving. Auntie doesn’t pay us to stand and stare at guys we think are cute.”
Minghao watched as Jun’s face flushed a faint red.
“Yanan, don’t say things you don’t know,” Jun replied in the same language.
The other guy (who was Yanan, Minghao assumed) gave Jun a cheeky smile before putting down a plate in front of Soonyoung.
At the sudden language shift, Minghao could feel his heart speed up in his chest.
Speaking Mandarin was always his and Jun’s thing. Whenever they were surrounded by their friends, Jun would always lean in and whisper some cheesy pickup line in Mandarin. (It always made Minghao cringe, but now, he couldn’t help but miss them.) When Minghao was feeling down or homesick, Jun always comforted him in Mandarin. When it was just them two, they almost always spoke in Mandarin. It reminded them both of home.
For a second, hearing Jun speak Mandarin made Minghao feel the bit of home he’d been missing.
Jun turned to face Minghao again; Minghao took the opportunity to remember the features that he tried so hard to forget.
After a quick scan, Jun spoke up.
“I… I have to get back to work, or else my aunt is going to yell at me.”
Before Minghao could even try to say anything back, Jun quickly put down a plate in front of Mingyu before he turned around and walked away with Yanan.
Once Jun was gone, Minghao turned to his food, his appetite suddenly gone. He then felt a nudge at his arm. He looked to his right and saw Mingyu looking at him with concern drawn on his face.
“Are you alright?” Mingyu asked in his native language, Korean.
Minghao, a bit shaken at the language change, looked up and saw Jun serving food to another table. He was minding his own business, as if the two hadn’t reunited for the first time in a year.
“Fine,” Minghao replied, the Korean suddenly feeling strange on his tongue.
Mingyu didn’t seem convinced, but he left it alone and started to eat. It made Minghao sigh in relief, and he followed suit, picking up his spoon and fork and starting to eat. While he ate, he couldn’t help but watch Jun work. He watched as Jun set down plates, refilled glasses of champagne, and took away plates. Even with simple tasks like that, Minghao couldn’t keep his eyes off of him. How Jun moved was suave, and Minghao couldn’t get it out of his head.
Once he finished, the reception moved on with the schedule. Minghao moved to sit next to Soonyoung, and they watched as Mingyu and Wonwoo walked over to the desert table, which was holding the cake. People started to gather around them as they grabbed the knife and cut a slice of cake together before feeding it to each other. While they smiled and laughed, with Mingyu nearly missing Wonwoo’s mouth, everyone took pictures. They started to cut more cake for their guests while the caterers were handing out the pieces of cake. Minghao looked away from Mingyu and Wonwoo, who had started kissing once again, and caught a glimpse of Jun again, who was helping serve the pieces of cake.
Jun seemed to sense it because he looked back at Minghao.
Their eyes met again. The first time they saw each other, Jun’s eyes were filled with shock. This time, there was an unreadable expression in his eyes.
It made Minghao wonder. Was Jun as conflicted as he was? Was his heart as torn as Minghao’s? Did he have the urge to run up to Minghao and apologize for who-knows-what? Just to have the chance to be in his life again?
Minghao couldn’t tell. Jun was always good at hiding his emotions.
Minghao started to grow dizzy, realizing he had been in the same room as someone who promised to love him to the end of forever, and, yet, still let him go. Seeing Jun made all of those buried resurface again: the anger, confusion, the heartbreak.
Why did Jun let him go?
His doubt started to pour in. Maybe he had been right all along, and Jun never really did care about him. Maybe, in the past year, Jun had been able to move on, and Minghao was simply a memory from his past. Maybe… Jun never loved him, and wanted nothing to do with him. It wouldn’t be hard to believe if that were the case, because Jun had been skipping around him the entire evening, as if he were purposely avoiding Minghao.
You’re not together anymore, Minghao, and you haven’t been for the past year. You shouldn’t dwell anymore.
And yet, here he was, dwelling, feeling an ocean wave of… well, those feelings over again. They had broken up a year ago; he should’ve been over Jun and those feelings, so why was it overwhelming him to the point it started to choke him? To the point he couldn’t even breathe?
He couldn’t do this anymore. He needed a break.
Minghao then instantly stood up, his chair pushing back.
“I need some space. I’ll be back.”
Soonyoung, worry drawn on his face, nodded before Minghao walked away from the reception. He headed to the dock and walked to the end. He sat down, pulling his legs to his chest, and rested his head on top as he watched the sun set.
Minghao let out a shaky sigh, unable to shake the thought of Jun.
Breathe, Minghao. Breath.
After he took his deep breaths, his breathing calmed, and his thoughts of Jun calmed as well. Feeling better than he had before, he was ready to stand up, walk inside, and face reality, but then a voice brought it to him much sooner than he anticipated.
“Minghao?”
Minghao turned his head; his heart skipped a beat when he saw Jun standing behind him. He was wearing a navy blue dress shirt and gray dress pants: the colors of the wedding. He was wearing a black apron tied at his waist. His black hair, wet with sweat, was styled up and away from his forehead.
Even with sweat dripping down Jun’s face, from the hard toil of working the wedding, Minghao stared. He hadn’t seen Jun in a year, and even then, he was as handsome as Minghao remembered. He didn’t even realize how much he missed looking at Jun until now.
“Jun.”
Jun looked away, embarrassed.
“I can go somewhere else-”
“It’s fine,” Minghao interrupted, “You can sit.”
Despite everything in Minghao telling him to run away, he didn’t move as Jun sat at the end of the dock next to him, only a couple of feet away.
They sat in silence. Minghao felt his palms getting sweaty as his heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. What would anyone say to their ex that they hadn’t seen in a year?
“S-So… Mingyu and Wonwoo finally got married, huh?” Jun asked in Mandarin.
There he went again, speaking Mandarin: their home language, as if they were still home to each other.
Why was Jun doing this to him?
Minghao, pulling out of his thoughts, looked over at Jun. He was still refusing to look at him, his eyes seemingly burning holes into the dock.
“Yeah…,” Minghao replied back in Mandarin, looking back at the dock, “Mingyu proposed back around Wonwoo’s birthday. They’ve been wanting to get married, so they were only engaged for six months.”
“Oh… that’s nice to hear.”
“Yeah…,” Minghao trailed off, “I didn’t know you did catering jobs.”
“I didn’t when we were… together,” Jun replied with hesitancy, “I just started helping my aunt recently. I have a lot of freetime when I’m not at work, so my mom insisted that I help her out. My cousin, Yanan, the one who was teasing me back there, has been begging me to join so it won’t be as “boring,” since he got dragged into it, so I thought… might as well.”
“Ah.”
“It’s not all that bad, really. For every wedding we help with, my aunt gives us a portion of the payment.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yeah…”
Silence filled the air again, and it was starting to suffocate Minghao. Fuck facing reality. He was ready to get up and push those feelings away, and forget that he ever saw Jun, but Jun spoke up again.
“Minghao?”
Minghao turned his head towards Jun. This time, his eyes met with Minghao’s; he could feel himself getting lost in them.
No, Minghao. No. You’re not dating anymore. You can’t do that anymore.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
Minghao was taken by surprise to say the least. Sorry for what?
Unless…
Minghao needed to know.
“Sorry… for what?” Minghao hesitantly asked.
“About… what happened that night.”
And that confirmed it. Minghao’s eyes slightly widened before he turned away.
“You don’t need to.”
“I do. I just…”
Jun groaned.
“I think about that night a lot, you know? I said some hurtful things.”
Minghao thought back to that night and some of the words they exchanged.
“I go to every one of your games! Why are you complaining?”
“Because you make it seem like such a chore. I always do stuff for you. I buy paints for you when you’re stuck at the studio; I bring you dinner when you’re studying for exams, and I bring you your photography equipment you forget at home when you’re at a photoshoot. Why can’t you even pretend that you’re enjoying the game?”
“All I asked is if I could skip the next one. I have a lot of stuff going on, and I don’t want to spend that time I need at your game instead of something important I need to do.”
Minghao then saw that something in Jun’s eyes changed.
“My games aren’t important to you?”
“I didn’t mean it like that-”
“Your photo session with Mingyu wasn’t important to me, and yet I brought that very specific lens you needed because you asked me to. I say I want you at my games, and suddenly it’s the worst thing to ever happen. Why can’t you do the same?”
“That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“That photoshoot was a big part of my grade.”
“And my soccer games are how I have my scholarship.”
“It’s not the same.”
“How?” Jun asked, clearly angry. “When are you going to appreciate me and what I do? Everything in our relationship has revolved around you. Not everything is about you.”
“Jun that’s not true-”
“It fucking is. Don’t deny it.”
It was at that point that Minghao started to get angry, and he also started to add fire to his words.
“It’s because you’re busy doing whatever the fuck else. For the past couple of months, you’ve barely been my boyfriend. When you’re not at class or practice, you’re making every excuse to not be with me. It’s like you’re only with me just so you can say you have a boyfriend. I ask you to do all of those things because it’s the only time I ever get to see you. And honestly, I’ll go as far as saying that’s the only thing keeping our relationship afloat. You’re barely putting in an effort while I’m doing everything to save our relationship.”
“Sorry I’m busy?” Jun asked, baffled. “Sorry I don’t have time to lounge around and do nothing and wait for you like a clingy, needy-ass boyfriend. If anything has been saving this relationship, it’s that I actually am a good boyfriend. I do what you ask because I respect you and want the best for you, and you can’t even do the same for me.”
Needy-ass boyfriend. Jun thought he was needy? It was needy of him to want to spend time with his boyfriend?
Fuck this. He wasn’t going to sit here and be disrespected.
“I’d rather be needy than careless, which, as of late, is all you’ve ever been. If you even cared, we wouldn’t be here. We’ve been having these arguments because you don’t give a fuck, and I’m tired of trying to make this work when it’s clear you’ve given up.”
At that response, Minghao wanted to take his words back. But before he could, he saw an unreadable expression in Jun’s eyes.
“Is that how you see us?”
“What if it is?”
Jun sighed in defeat, looking away.
“Then we shouldn’t be together anymore. You don’t want a careless boyfriend, right?”
Minghao was in now, too far in to take words back, too far in to whip out an apology. Even if he did want to apologize, Jun didn’t even seem to want to try anymore, so why should he keep trying?
“You’re right. I don’t.”
“Then leave. Out of this apartment, and out of my life.”
With those words, Minghao left Jun’s apartment, and left Jun’s life, just like he requested. Thinking about those words still made him feel the same as they did a year ago. He clutched his chest, trying to get rid of the hurt feeling on his heart.
“It’s okay,” Minghao said, his voice faltering, his arm falling to the side.
“No… it’s not.”
Jun let out a shaky breath.
“It was uncalled for. I was just tired… and angry,” he explained, “I missed the winning shot for the game; we lost the chance to go to the championship. And…”
Jun paused.
“I thought you were flirting with the captain of the rival team.”
Minghao furrowed his eyebrows. He looked down at the ground, going through his memories.
When?
After thinking for a moment, he remembered the day: when he accompanied Jun to his semi-finals soccer game, and how he watched Jun’s winning shot be blocked. Although Minghao couldn’t see the expression on Jun’s face, he already knew how much Jun would beat himself up about it, which was why he tried to maneuver himself through the crowds as quickly as possible and comfort him the best he can: tell Jun it wasn’t his fault and that he still played a really good game. His search was halted when a player from the opposite team started talking to him. They talked about the game, and Minghao even laughed when the player joked with him. But then the player called him ‘cute,’ and it was then when Minghao realized that the player was flirting with him. Minghao pushed him, stated he had a boyfriend, and walked away. He didn’t even realize Jun saw it happen.
“I wasn’t,” Minghao clarified, “He was flirting with me.”
“I… I know. One of my teammates and friends, Seungcheol, came over to check on me after you left, since he noticed how angry I was in the locker room after the game. I told him how frustrated I was for missing the shot, and how I saw you flirting with the guy who blocked it. Seungcheol told me he saw it happen, and that you pushed away his advances.”
“Oh…,” Minghao trailed off, “And you didn’t come after me to tell me that?”
“Like I said, I said some hurtful things that night, and… I thought you wouldn’t want anything to do with me after I said those things to you… so I let you go.”
Jun let out a shaky breath.
“I took out all of my pent up emotions on you. With the stress of the semester and the game, the fights we’ve been having, and… and seeing, what I thought was, you flirting with the guy that blocked my winning shot… it only made me angrier. When you asked if you could skip my next game, I lost it, and… I’m sorry.”
Minghao didn’t know what to say after that. He always wondered how things would be if he had just calmed down instead of firing back hurtful words, or if Jun had come back to him and apologized. Because of what had happened that night, Minghao thought he lost Jun forever, and yet, here he was, sitting with Jun, who had just apologized to him. This was a scene that only ever happened in his imagination. He never knew what he’d say back because the scenario never went further than this.
Minghao let out a shaky sigh.
“It’s my fault too… you know,” he replied, “I had a lot going on. I was tired all the time, and I had a million projects to complete. When you snapped at me, I reached the end of my line. I should’ve just calmed down and tried to talk through things instead of snapping back at you like that… and for that… I’m sorry.”
Jun didn’t say anything back, but sighed instead.
“You had every right to snap back at me, you know. If someone said wrong, hurtful things about me… then I’d be mad too.”
Minghao remembered how angry he was hearing Jun say those things about him, but now, it didn’t bother him all that much. If he knew this was where they’d be now, he wouldn’t have been so angry.
Minghao looked at Jun and gave him a small smile.
“If it’s any consolation… I accept your apology.”
Jun smiled back at him.
“I accept yours too.”
They looked away from each other and sat in silence again, processing the words they just exchanged.
Just then, an alarm went off, interrupting the silence. Minghao heard shuffling before he heard Jun standing up.
“My break is done. I should go back in,” Jun told him, “It was nice talking to you again, Minghao. I hope life treats you well.”
Minghao heard the creak of the dock and Jun’s footsteps move further away from him.
Minghao let out a quiet sigh of relief. Okay… Jun was walking away; good. No need to wonder or face the past anymore. He knew now. He had closure; he could move on.
But upon thinking those words to himself, and thinking about his life in the past year, he immediately rolled his eyes and let out a quietly groan.
God, who was he kidding. His friends were right; they were right from the beginning. It was why his friends, especially Mingyu, tried to get him to confront his real feelings about Jun, which Minghao refused to do every time. Minghao had convinced himself that he had moved on, and that Jun was just a part of his past.
But his friends continued to meddle.
“You’re miserable, Minghao.”
“You haven’t been yourself since you and Jun broke up.”
“Say what you want, but you’re not over him.”
“Why don’t you admit to yourself that you made a mistake ending things with him? Everyone can see it.”
After his friends' constant meddling and their claims, he’d gotten better at denying it all as well as denying his own feelings.
“They don’t know anything,” Minghao always told himself, “It’s better that we broke up. I’m doing fine without him.”
But that was all thrown out the window when he saw Jun for the first time in a year and got a year long overdue apology. Talking to the man who stole his heart and held it captive for the first time in a year, it opened his eyes and made him realize: he missed Jun. Not only that, but Jun still had the ability to make his heart race and his knees weak. Jun still made him feel warm and fuzzy, made him believe that love was real and only the thing he saw in books and movies.
For the first time in a year, he was able to admit it himself: He was still in love with Jun, and did not want to go another day without him.
And now, Jun was about to leave it all behind, potentially permanently, again .
And god, he did not want to try to live without Jun, again .
Before he could even think about it, Minghao stood up and turned around. He walked towards Jun and wrapped his hand around Jun’s wrist. Jun stopped walking and turned around to face Minghao, confusion drawn on his face.
“I really have to go back, Hao.”
“No, not until I say everything I’ve been wanting to say to you for the past year.”
Jun’s eyebrows raised, but nonetheless he nodded.
Minghao let out a shaky sigh.
“Everything that happened that night… everything I said… was a mistake. I wish that I had just not let my anger get to me and say all of those things. If I hadn’t been such a jerk, then maybe… we wouldn’t have broken up… and I wouldn’t have spent this last year missing you.”
Jun’s eyes widened, but once he processed Minghao’s words, his features softened. He moved his hand to hold Minghao’s and squeezed it.
“Every day for the past year, I’ve regretted saying those words and regretted that I didn’t fight harder for you… because I can’t move on. I’ve tried so hard to. I’ve tried filling this empty void by going on other dates with other people, but I never pursued a second date with any of them.”
Jun paused.
“With every date I went on, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
Tears started to fill Minghao’s eyes.
“Really?”
Jun nodded, tears starting to fill his own eyes.
“I’m tired of pretending that I’ve moved on, and that everything’s okay… because it isn’t. No one took care of me or cared about me like you did.”
Jun paused.
“No one loved me like you did.”
Minghao choked on sobs, a tear falling down his face.
“I can’t love anyone else the way I loved you either.”
Without hesitation, Jun wrapped an arm around Minghao’s waist and pulled him in, connecting their lips. Minghao gasped, but instantly kissed back. He wrapped his arms around Jun’s neck, gripping his hair as Jun wrapped both his arms around Minghao and pulled him closer. They hungrily kissed each other, remembering what they had tried to forget. Minghao’s skin tingled, feeling Jun’s hands on his back. He had forgotten how much he loved Jun’s touch, and how much he craved it.
Jun pulled away, taking in another breath before he claimed Minghao’s lips again.
The cycle repeated: the two kissing, pulling apart for air, before they leaned in to kiss again.
Jun pulled away, only this time, resting his forehead against Minghao’s, continuing to keep his arms around Minghao’s waist. Minghao moved his arms from Jun’s neck and hooked them underneath Jun’s arms.
Minghao then lifted his head and looked up at Jun, seeing his swollen lips and flushed cheeks. Heat spread throughout Minghao’s chest, knowing and believing that this wasn’t a dream, and that Jun was really this close to him and holding him in his arms. Minghao started to wonder how he had gone a year without this, without Jun.
“I should really go back,” Jun whispered, “Yanan’s gonna be on my ass if I don’t.”
“But I don’t want you too, not when we just made up,” Minghao said with a pout.
“I don’t either,” Jun agreed, “Trust me, I’d rather be here with you than wait on people.”
Jun thought for a moment.
“After the wedding, wait for me. Text me where you are. I’ll meet you there, okay?”
Minghao smiled and nodded.
“Okay.”
“Do you have my number?”
“I never deleted it.”
“Perfect.”
Jun also gave him a smile in response before placing one last kiss on Minghao’s forehead. He pulled away before making his way back to the reception.
When Jun went back to work, Minghao followed, making his way back over to the table. He sat back down next to Soonyoung.
“Is everything alright?” Soonyoung whispered to him.
Minghao smiled to himself, the earlier events playing through his head. He looked over to the caterers, already missing Jun and trying to find him. Once Minghao spotted him, he saw him sorting out dirty dishes with Yanan, who looked to be scolding him. Amid the dirty dishes and scolding, Jun looked up and caught sight of Minghao. He instantly smiled back, and Minghao returned it before he turned back at Soonyoung.
“Better than alright.”
Soonyoung gave him a warm smile before he turned his attention back to the dance floor.
A slow song started to play, and Mingyu and Wonwoo walked to the middle of the setup dance floor to have their first dance. Minghao continued to smile, watching his two friends dance with each other and gaze at each other with love in their eyes.
Once the song was done, upbeat music started to play, and more people started to fill the dance floor. Minghao and Soonyoung enjoyed watching everyone else, especially Mingyu and Wonwoo, having the time of their lives. After a couple of songs, Soonyoung and Minghao left their table to join them. The music was loud, catchy, and fun to dance to; Minghao was enjoying it all.
Then the music slowed down again, the DJ announcing a time for the newly wed couple to dance, as well as any other couples that wanted to join. Minghao and Soonyoung looked around and saw couples starting to take over the dance floor.
Soonyoung, being the most single person Minghao’s ever known, got the sign and started to walk off the floor. Minghao started to follow, knowing the only person he wanted to dance with was too busy to now.
As he started to walk off, a hand wrapped around his wrist. Minghao turned around, his eyes widening when he saw Jun in front of him.
“Can I have this dance?”
“Jun?” Minghao asked, baffled. “You… You don't have to work?”
“My aunt’s been watching me stare at you the entire evening. She asked about you, and I told her everything that happened between us, and how we made up tonight. She wanted me to take a break to share this dance with you and make things right.”
Minghao, tears filling his eyes for the nth time that evening, nodded. Minghao turned back to Soonyoung, who gave him a thumbs up, as Jun led them to the dance floor. Once they found an empty spot, Jun pulled Minghao in, wrapping his arms around Minghao’s waist. Minghao wrapped his arms around Jun’s neck, and they started to move to the music.
“Have I told you that you look incredibly beautiful tonight?” Jun whispered in Mandarin. “I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off of you the entire night.”
There it was again: Jun speaking in their native language. Earlier in the evening, it almost tortured him, knowing Jun only spoke it with love, another way to tell Minghao “I love you.” Now, Minghao found peace and comfort in it all over again, as if he didn’t lose Jun for the past year.
He felt like he was home again.
“You haven’t,” Minghao replied in Mandarin, “but thank you. Courtesy of one of Mingyu’s friends. He’s good with hair.”
“I’ll have to give him my thanks.”
They continued to dance in silence. Minghao looked at Jun, who was already looking at him. Minghao’s face flushed red before he gave Jun a loving smile.
“I missed you so much this past year, you know?” Minghao told him.
“I missed you too, more than words can even describe,” Jun replied, “The days I couldn’t hold your hand or wrap my arms around you were the days I regretted saying those words the most.”
Jun then leaned into Minghao’s ear, as if he only wanted Minghao to hear what he was about to say.
“I won’t ever do that again… well, intentionally. I’ll always treat you with kindness and respect. I promise: I’ll always fight for you.”
Jun paused.
“I’ll always fight for us.”
Minghao pulled away to face Jun; he raised an eyebrow.
“There’s an ‘us’ now?”
“If you’ll allow it.”
Minghao smiled.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Jun smiled back, pulling Minghao even closer. Minghao took the chance to rest his head on Jun’s shoulder while they continued to move. He caught a glimpse of Mingyu and Wonwoo, who were also dancing together. They were grinning and giving them both approving smiles.
Minghao lovingly sighed, closing his eyes as Jun rubbed his back.
“I love you,” Minghao whispered.
“I love you too,” Jun replied in the same, soft whisper, “I never stopped, and honestly, I don’t think I ever will.”
“Me neither.”
Minghao lifted his head up and looked up at Jun again, taking in his handsome yet soft features.
Here, at his best friend’s wedding, dancing with Jun, everything was perfect; nothing could top it.
Especially since the love of his life was his all over again.