Work Text:
one.
channie!
i’m leaving now!! i’ll check in for our reservation because i know you’ll probably be late but don’t keep me waiting too long, okayyyy? [6:43 pm]
i love you so much, happy anniversary bubs [6:43 pm]
yes it’s my fifth time saying it today but i don’t careeeee, happy anniversary my love [6:44 pm]
okay i’m really leaving now, see you soon! [6:44 pm]
Okay, so maybe Minho was a little bit excited for his anniversary date with Chan. Or very excited. Honestly, they haven’t been able to spend too much time together recently. The holiday season was typically a busy time for both of them when it came to work. Chan typically had a lot of businesses he was trying to close deals with before the year ended while Minho was usually stretched thin with his wedding planning and influx of clients. He never really understood why the holiday season was such a popular time for people to get married around here, but as long as he was getting paid he had no room to complain.
As soon as he steps out of the apartment complex, he’s greeted with a harsh gust of wind brushing past his face. He scrunches his nose up at the weather before pushing forward to the cab that he requested. He decided that taking a cab was his best option for the night because he definitely plans on drinking a bit (it’s a celebration, of course he has to drink) and it’ll work out fine in the end because Chan will just bring him home. After he settles into the backseat of the cab and buckles his seatbelt, he smiles kindly at the driver who looks back at him through the mirror. He politely tells him where his destination for the evening is and exhales in content once they begin moving.
Minho glances down at his phone again, checking for any new messages from Chan. The only notification on his screen is a text from his best friend, Hyunjin, begging Minho to bring back an expensive bottle of wine for him. Minho chuckles to himself before responding with a simple ‘No.’ and locking his phone again.
As much as he hates the cold weather that comes with winter, he does have to admit that the city is really beautiful during this time of year. The twinkling lights wrapped around the lamp posts that line the bustling streets accompanied by glowing snowflakes hanging off the top, the various Christmas trees and reindeer and fake wrapped presents on display in the windows of all of the businesses, the bare trees on the sidewalk all lit up with various colored lights. It really did get him excited for the holidays.
His plans were the same as every year. Go home with Chan to spend Christmas with their families. Their families had been celebrating Christmas together since before either of them were born, so it really was a tradition at this point in their lives. Nevertheless, any excuse to go home and see his family was a good excuse, so he supposes that Christmas is in the running for his favorite holiday.
Minho ends up arriving at the restaurant approximately seven minutes before 7:30. While he waits for the hostess to return to the podium, he takes in his surroundings. This is a new restaurant, Apollo, that Chan and Minho decided to try because the reviews were amazing, it was downtown and fairly close to where Chan works, and it was pretty exclusive. They had to make a reservation weeks in advance and something about having their name put on a list to dine at a five-star restaurant had the couple a little bit too excited.
“Hi, how can I help you this evening?” The hostess directs the question to Minho whenever she returns from taking another couple to their reserved table.
Minho takes a shy step forward, suddenly feeling a little bit embarrassed to be checking in alone. “I have a reservation under the name of Bang Chan. It’s for two, my fiancé is still on his way.” He says, quickly tacking on the explanation at the end.
The hostess taps some buttons on the screen in front of her before picking up two menus. “Perfect! If you’ll just follow me this way, I can take you to your table.” She smiles and motions into the restaurant before beginning to walk back to the dining area. Minho trails behind her, offering small smiles every now and then to the strangers that would look up at him whenever he passed by their tables. “Whenever your fiancé arrives, we’ll send him back right away.”
“Thank you.” Minho replies and awkwardly takes a seat. He pulls out his phone once again to check for any kind of message from Chan. Hell, he’ll even take an email at this point. But there’s nothing.
No need to worry, though. It’s only three minutes past time. He has to show up. It’s their anniversary. Not just any anniversary, five years. It’s been five years since they started dating, so Chan has to show up.
It’s not until eight o’clock when Minho begins to get a bit impatient. It’s half an hour past time, for fuck’s sake. Can’t he at least send a fucking text? Minho questions to himself as he continues staring daggers into the menu.
Someone clears their throat from beside him and he glances up to see the waiter standing there like he’d rather be doing anything other than helping the poor guy that has obviously been stood up sitting in the middle of the restaurant. “Um,” he begins awkwardly, his fingers tapping on the back of his notepad. “Are you ready to order yet?”
Minho bites his lip and turns his head to check the door again. Nothing. God, could this be any more humiliating? “Just a few more minutes, please. Traffic must be really crazy.” Minho says so pathetically that he doesn’t even believe his own words. The waiter just nods sympathetically before turning around and heading to another table. As soon as the waiter is gone, Minho picks up his glass of wine and immediately throws his head back to finish it off.
By 8:30, Minho has tossed back two more glasses of wine and become extremely aware of the pitiful looks that people keep throwing his way. He taps on his phone screen to check for messages once again only to be greeted by the picture of Chan sleeping with Dori snuggled up by his side that he has set as his lock screen. Stupid Chan with his stupid cute, forgivable face.
Minho sighs quietly to himself, deciding that it’s time to just swallow his pride and go home when someone that he definitely doesn’t know suddenly sits down across from him. “I’m so sorry,” the stranger says obnoxiously loud as if Minho needs anymore attention pulled to their table. “I had to stay at the office late and traffic was such a mess, I would’ve been here sooner.” He explains in the same loud voice and Minho suddenly feels a bit grateful for the young man saving him from embarrassment. The other man smiles slightly, his eyes searching Minho’s for any signs of being completely weirded out.
“It’s okay, I’m glad you could make it.” Minho eventually replies just as loudly, a small grateful smile taking over his features. “Thank you.” He lowers his voice to thank the other man.
The stranger leans forward slightly, his voice much lower than before. “No need to thank me. I’m Seungmin, by the way.”
“Minho.”
“Very nice to meet you, Minho.” Seungmin smiles genuinely as he picks up his menu.
Minho takes the moment while he’s distracted with his menu to observe his appearance. He seems younger than Minho, not by very much though. And he’s quite handsome. His black hair is styled neatly to cover his eyebrows and he’s dressed up in a black and white tweed jacket with a Chanel rhinestone-embellished brooch attached right over his chest.
The waiter returns to their table to get Seungmin’s drink order and Seungmin lays down his menu whenever he walks away. “You know what you want?” He asks Minho, pretending that he’s unaware of the way that Minho has definitely been staring at him since he sat down.
Minho nods in response to the question. “Yeah, I had quite a while to make a decision.” He jokes and Seungmin offers a small, sympathetic smile.
“I didn’t know how much more I could take. My friends and I were up in the VIP section and you just looked so miserable.” Seungmin explains, tilting his head to the restricted upstairs area.
“Thanks,” Minho says sarcastically.
“You deserve better.” Seungmin says seriously and Minho remains silent for a moment, shocked by the straightforward statement.
He reaches forward for his water glass so he can take a sip, suddenly regretting finishing that last glass of wine so fast. “VIP? You must be either very important or very rich.” Minho changes the subject.
Seungmin shakes his head with a chuckle. “Tonight was the opening night for my small photography exhibit and my friends set all of this up as a congratulations.” He explains.
“You’re a photographer?” Minho asks, eyebrows quirked in curiosity.
“Mhmm, I capture some of the most beautiful moments in life.” Seungmin grins. “What do you do?”
“Wedding planner.” Minho says simply, “I create some of the most beautiful moments in life.” He adds on, making Seungmin’s grin break into a wide smile.
The waiter approaches their table once again with Seungmin’s drink and asks if they’re ready to order. They both place their orders and hand their menus back to the waiter who immediately leaves once they’re finished.
“Well,” Seungmin begins.
“Well…?”
After a few seconds of silence, the two boys both start laughing at the brief moment of awkwardness that quickly disappears. It’s a bit crazy, actually, how easily the two boys get along. The conversation flows between them like they’ve known each other for years. Before either of them can even realize, two hours have passed. Minho sees his phone light up on the table, a text notification from Chan staring back at him before two more roll in.
“I’m sorry to be rude, I should…” Minho trails off and motions to his phone. Seungmin just smiles kindly in understanding, nodding in agreement as he waves the waiter back over to ask for the bill.
channie!
Oh, baby, I am so sorry. [10:48 pm]
Oh my god, I can't believe I got so carried away with work. I cannot possibly say sorry enough. [10:48 pm]
Are you at home? Have you eaten? Do you want me to bring you anything? [10:49 pm]
it’s okay, channie [10:50 pm]
i’m actually with a friend right now but we’re getting ready to leave so i’ll see you at home, okay? [10:51 pm]
make sure to pick up dinner on your way back, i know you haven’t eaten yet [10:51 pm]
I will, my love. Be safe with your friend, alright? Let me know if you need me to pick you up or anything. [10:52 pm]
Happy anniversary, baby. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. [10:52 pm]
Minho sighs quietly and locks his phone, deciding not to answer the last message. He almost forgot that he got stood up by his own fiancé on their five year anniversary.
“Boyfriend?” Seungmin asks carefully, not wanting to pry. Minho made it pretty clear throughout the night that he didn’t really want to talk about whatever upset him tonight, so Seungmin was hesitant to ask about it.
Minho scoffs and sets his phone back on the table. “Fiancé.”
Seungmin lets the silence hang in the air for a brief moment, realizing just how hurt Minho must be feeling tonight. “I’m sorry he couldn’t make it tonight. I’m sure he would’ve rather been here with you than doing whatever he got held up with.” Seungmin offers a sympathetic smile and for the first time tonight, Minho doesn’t mind it.
The waiter returns with the checkbook, handing it to Seungmin who thanks him and slides his credit card back into his wallet. Minho scrunches his eyebrows together, watching as Seungmin writes the tip and signs the receipt. “You paid already? I can pay you back, I thought we would pay separately.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Seungmin assures the older man with a smile before leaning forward to whisper playfully. “The photo exhibit was extremely successful, it’s my treat.”
Minho fails at fighting back a smile. “Thank you. For everything, seriously.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I had a great time and I got to make a new friend.” Seungmin says genuinely, shrugging his jacket back onto his shoulders. Minho follows suit, sliding his jacket on as well before walking over to the door with Seungmin. They step outside together, Minho cringing once he feels the cold air again. “Not a fan of winter?” Seungmin asks, watching Minho pull his jacket tighter around himself with a smile.
“I could do without the cold weather.” Minho shrugs his shoulders lazily, turning to face Seungmin. “I know you said I don’t have to thank you, but I just hope you know how grateful I am for everything you’ve done tonight.”
“Well, I’m happy that I could help you out, Minho.” There’s a moment of silence shared between the two, the only sound being the chattering of Minho’s teeth. “Do you need a ride home?”
“Oh, no! I already requested a taxi.” Minho lies, not wanting to burden Seungmin any more tonight. “You should get back to your friends, they’re celebrating you without you.” He jokes and Seungmin huffs out a chuckle.
“You’re right, they’re probably going to leave soon. I should get back before they try to leave the bill for me to pay.” Seungmin jokes as well, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket. The silence only causes an awkward tension to swell between the two boys. The younger seems like he has something he’s dying to say, so Minho just waits to see if he’ll say it. “Have a good night, Minho. Hopefully we can meet again.” That’s the only thing Seungmin says before offering one last smile and turning around to return into the restaurant.
There’s a dull feeling of disappointment that settles in Minho’s chest as the younger boy walks away, but he decides to just brush it off and pull out his phone to actually request a taxi.
Minho doesn’t make it back home until a little bit past 11:30. The apartment is quiet when he walks in, save for the sound of a keyboard clicking coming from the living room. He has got to be fucking joking. First, he completely bails on his anniversary date with Minho. Now, he’s too occupied with his work to even greet Minho when he gets home.
Minho shrugs off his jacket, irritation bubbling under his skin, and places it on the coat rack by their door. That’s it. He understands that they’re both busy with work, but there comes a point when it’s just too much and this is it. It’s not fair to Minho, he’s putting in the effort even with his busy schedule. Why can’t Chan put in the same effort? All he asked for is one night.
It’s time for Minho to barge right into that living room and give Chan a piece of his mind.
And he fully intends to do so.
Until he sees Chan sitting on the floor slouched over his laptop that’s sitting on the coffee table, hair messy and pajamas ruffled.
He finally looks up from his work whenever he notices Minho walking into the room and throws him a sympathetic smile. Great, another one. Minho wishes he had a dollar for every stupid sympathetic smile he received tonight. “Hey, love.” He mumbles tiredly, voice soft. He motions for Minho to come over and the younger man gives in way too easily for someone that’s supposed to be holding a grudge right now. “I’m really sorry about tonight.” Chan apologizes, gently tugging on Minho’s arm to pull him down into his lap. “I won’t let it happen again. I didn’t mean to get so pulled into my work. There’s so much happening right now and that’s no excuse because you’re just as busy, but I’m really so so sorry.”
Minho sighs quietly, reaching up to brush his fingers through Chan’s hair. Chan leans into his touch, eyes closing contently. He wants to say it’s okay, he really wishes that he could. He wishes that he could just forget about how humiliated he was sitting alone at that table for over an hour . So instead he just says, “Let’s get to bed, alright? You’re so tired.”
Chan hums in agreement and Minho smiles fondly at his tired state. He closes Chan’s laptop for him before standing up from his lap and helping to pull him up off the ground.
Minho follows Chan to their room and smiles whenever his fiancé snuggles into the sheets. He places a gentle kiss on his forehead before heading to their bathroom to get himself ready for bed. While he’s washing his face and changing into his pajamas, his brain can’t help but to think back to his time with Seungmin tonight.
God, what was he thinking? He should’ve just got up and left the restaurant. Was he in the wrong for staying? It’s not like anything happened between them, they just ate together. It’s like going out for dinner with Hyunjin which is something he does quite frequently. It’s fine. It was just dinner with a friend.
With a mind swirling with questions, Minho heads to bed. He assumes that Chan is already sleeping by the time he crawls in beside him, but as soon as he’s settled in, he feels the other man’s arm wrapping securely around his waist. “I love you so much, you know?” Chan mumbles so unintelligibly that Minho is barely able to tell what he’s saying.
Minho closes his eyes, letting silence settle between the two of them before finally responding. “I love you, too.”
two.
hyunjin -.-
have you left your apartment yet? [11:49 am]
i refuse to arrive first today, last time you were twenty minutes late and the cute waiter kept giving me weird looks [11:49 am]
i was not twenty minutes late, you were twenty minutes early. [11:51 am]
and yes, i left like five minutes ago [11:51 am]
perfect, see you soon! [11:51 am]
Minho rolls his eyes and slides his phone into his back pocket as he continues walking down the busy city street. It’s been a few days since the anniversary incident and things have been going pretty well between Minho and Chan. They rescheduled their date and Chan swore that he would be early for that one. He’s also been getting up for work extra early to make breakfast so the two of them can eat together before leaving for the day.
Hyunjin and Minho liked to meet up together for lunch every week to talk about their lives and anything exciting that happened and Minho is realizing that he will definitely have to talk about that night again. They texted about it a little bit, but Hyunjin told him to save the details for whenever they meet up so here they are.
As much as Minho despises having to navigate around the city in the cold weather, his walks during this time of year were some of his favorites. Although the daytime isn’t as interesting as the nights and it lacks all of the twinkling lights, he still enjoys seeing the decorations spread out around the city. His favorite part was looking into the windows of businesses and seeing how they decorated their displays and inside the stores.
As he’s walking down the sidewalk, peering into the windows of all of the businesses that he passes, he immediately stops whenever he notices a large photo studio with various pictures on display. There’s no way that this is his , right? It’s a small world, but it can’t be that small.
He turns back around to walk over to where the door is located and sees the studio name printed in big, white letters on the center of the door.
Studio 22
Okay, that’s a broad name. That could be anyone.
And then he sees a flyer on display in the window.
Kim Seungmin Photography Exhibition
December 9th - 11th | 6 PM
Alright, Seungmin’s a fairly common name. It could be any Seungmin.
And then he hears a voice from behind him.
“Minho?”
It’s not him. It’s not him.
Minho slowly turns around and there he is. Seungmin. The Seungmin.
He takes it back. The world isn’t small, it’s ridiculously minuscule.
“Hey, Seungmin.” Minho eventually says. He really should go to the restaurant so he doesn’t keep Hyunjin waiting. He knows that he should just turn around and keep walking. But instead, he finds himself starting a conversation. “How have you been? How were the rest of the days of your exhibition?” Minho questions, motioning to the sign hanging in the window.
“Oh, I forgot to take that down.” Seungmin says sheepishly. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his navy blue trench coat and smiles, his eyes squeezing shut. “It was good. It was really good, actually. I sold just about everything so I had to go dig up some of my old photos to hang around the studio.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! From what I can tell, your pictures are really great. I’ll have to come check out your stuff some time.” Minho says, shuffling on his feet awkwardly.
“Well, feel free to stop by anytime. How is work going for you?” Seungmin reciprocates the question. “All the wedding planning going well?”
Minho sighs quietly with a shrug of his shoulders. “Not really. I have a wedding this weekend and the photographer cancelled literally yesterday so I’m heading to the office after I get lunch with my friend to try to find a new one.”
“Well, I don’t mind doing it if you need someone. I’ve photographed events before and my exhibition is done so I have some free time. I’ll even send my portfolio if you need proof of my abilities.” Seungmin offers with a smile.
“Seungmin, I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that.” Minho shakes his head as he speaks. “It’s so last minute and you just finished your exhibition, you must be worn out.”
“It’s fine, really. It’s my job and I love what I do. I’m always willing to help out a friend.”
Minho stands and considers it for a minute. It would make his life much easier. He already has a bunch of other last minute details that he needs to get sorted out and this would be one less thing for him to worry about.
“Okay, fine. As long as you promise you really don’t mind.”
“I promise.” Seungmin says immediately, holding his hand up as if he’s taking an oath.
Minho smiles at the gesture gratefully. “Kim Seungmin, you’re amazing.”
“I can’t say it’s the first time that I’ve been told that.” Seungmin teases. He reaches back into one of the pockets in his bag, pulling out his business card before handing it over to Minho. “Here is my contact information. I’m looking forward to this job opportunity.”
Minho takes the card, quickly running his eyes over all of the contact information. “I’m looking forward to working with you.” He jokes in return and slides the card into his coat pocket. “When I get to my office I’ll email you all of the details.”
“Sounds good! You should probably get to that lunch with your friend now, I didn’t mean to hold you up.” Seungmin advises with a kind smile and Minho nods in agreement. God, he really almost forgot about Hyunjin. He never would’ve heard the end of it if he forgot to show up.
“I’ll see you on Saturday. Bye, Seungmin!” Minho begins to walk backwards in the direction of the restaurant again, finally turning around whenever Seungmin offers a wave goodbye.
Minho eventually arrives at the restaurant that he agreed to meet Hyunjin at and immediately finds him sitting in a back corner. He walks back to the table and Hyunjin looks up at him, glaring before Minho can even make it to the table.
“Unbelievable. I waited for you to leave first and somehow you still got here after I did.” Hyunjin mutters grumpily and Minho takes a seat with a playful smile.
“It’s a talent.” Minho sings, amused by the way that Hyunjin rolls his eyes. “I got caught up talking to a friend on my way here.”
Minho gets cut off from further explanation by the arrival of a waitress. Both of the boys quickly place their orders and the waitress walks away, heading back into the kitchen.
“Which friend?” Hyunjin asks, referring to the conversation that they were having before the waitress showed up.
Minho breathes out an awkward laugh and picks up his straw from the table, unwrapping it while he thinks of where to even begin with this story. “Well, you know how Chan forgot about our anniversary date, right?” Hyunjin nods slowly, not really understanding why this story is relevant but happy to finally get the details. So that’s how Minho ended up spilling absolutely everything that happened in the past week.
“Wait, so he’s going to a wedding with you this weekend?” Hyunjin questions with furrowed brows.
“We’re not going together . He offered to be my replacement photographer because the photographer that I booked flaked. He’s a good person, that’s not my fault.” Minho explains defensively.
“He knows you’re engaged, right?” Hyunjin inquires slowly.
Minho scoffs incredulously at the question. How could Hyunjin even begin to believe that Minho wouldn’t mention that he’s engaged? “Of course he knows. Hyunjin, I’m not going to cheat on my fiancé.”
“I never said you would,” Hyunjin says, hands raised in surrender. “Seriously, I’m just trying to look out for you. Don’t give him the wrong idea.”
“I appreciate it, I really do, but trust me. I've got it all under control.” Minho assures his best friend as their food finally arrives at their table.
He’s got it all under control.
three.
The day of the wedding finally arrives and Minho could not possibly feel more out of control than he does right now. This entire day has been millimeters away from being an absolute disaster. Usually the weddings run fairly smoothly, but Minho swears that the universe is testing him today.
He typically has time to walk around and talk to the guests, talk with the couple, spend his time doing trivial tasks like making sure there are napkins in stock, but he hasn’t been able to do any of that today because he’s been too busy running around to make sure the entire wedding doesn’t fall apart.
At the end of the night once everyone’s gone, Minho falls onto the ground, closes his eyes, and finally takes a second to breathe. He feels like he hasn’t had a single moment to just breathe all day.
“You alive down there?” A voice jokes from above him.
Minho’s eyes instantly snap open. He thought everyone had left already, but apparently not. “Seungmin, what are you still doing here?” Minho questions with curious eyes.
“I was about to head out but then I saw you on the ground in here. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” Seungmin says and takes a seat on the floor beside Minho.
Minho sits silently for a moment before letting a dry laugh fall from his lips. “I feel dead inside. Weddings are supposed to be so happy and exciting, why do I feel like I’m on the verge of death?” Seungmin doesn’t respond, he figures that it’s a rhetorical question. “Today was such a disaster, I don’t know how I survived.”
Seungmin tilts his head slightly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Minho speaks. “What do you mean a disaster? Everything was beautiful.”
“Thanks, Seungmin. I’m glad you think so.” Minho mumbles.
“It’s not just me, everyone thought that everything today was amazing. I don’t know if you got to talk to people, but I hear a lot whenever I’m taking pictures. Everyone was very impressed.” Seungmin comforts Minho with his words. Minho smiles slightly in acknowledgment and Seungmin can tell that he’s not really convinced. “I’m serious, I have pictures of everyone being happy and having the time of their lives. The photos don’t lie, I captured some of their most beautiful moments in life.”
Minho snorts at the reference to the conversation they had when they first met. “Thank you. I’m really glad you agreed to be the photographer tonight.”
“I had an amazing time. Weddings are always so fun.” Seungmin smiles genuinely, looking around at the now empty space that was filled with people laughing and dancing less than an hour ago.
“I’m really glad that you enjoyed it. I think weddings are starting to lose their magic for me.” Minho admits, staring at the engagement ring sitting on his finger.
“Why do you say that?” Seungmin questions before he can even think about if it’s an appropriate question to ask.
“I don’t know, really. I love seeing couples being happy and I love being able to make their special day truly special for them, but…” Minho trails off, not really sure where his mini-rant is going. “I guess planning all of these weddings has made me less excited for my own.”
Seungmin doesn’t respond to Minho’s confession. He really doesn’t think that he should. If he was going to respond he would ask if it’s the wedding planning or something else. Or someone else. But it’s not really his place to question his relationship like that.
“I think you’ll get your spark back.” He decides to say instead. “It’s the holiday season, you’re really busy. Maybe you’re just a bit burnt out. Trust me, though, you are amazing at what you do and the pure joy on everyone’s faces all day, they’ll never forget the memories that they made today.”
Minho hums in agreement, a small smile taking over his features. “Have I ever told you about how much I hate winter weddings?” Seungmin immediately shakes his head, even more intrigued in the conversation now. “They just don’t make sense to me. This time of year is already hectic and then some people are just like let’s throw a wedding in as well. Why would you do that? It’s not even worth all the stress and the prices, my god, don’t even get me started on the prices.”
Seungmin giggles as Minho practically gives an entire speech on why winter weddings just don’t make sense. After about fifteen minutes, he finally wraps up and looks down at his watch. “We should probably head out, yeah? I didn’t realize it was so late.”
Seungmin checks his watch as well, eyes bulging when he sees the time. “Yeah, I gotta get home at a semi-decent time. I’m gonna try to upload these pictures tonight so I can edit them tomorrow.” Seungmin explains as both of the boys stand up from the floor. They both pull their jackets on and Seungmin grabs his camera bag from the floor before both of them begin to make their way outside.
As soon as they step out the door, an excited noise leaves Minho’s mouth. “The first snow of the year!” He shouts happily, his face lighting up in a way that Seungmin’s never seen before.
“Lee Minho, I thought you hated cold weather.” Seungmin smiles fondly, watching as Minho spins around in the falling snowflakes.
“I hate cold weather, not the happiness that fills the void in my soul whenever it snows. Who doesn’t like snow?” Minho stops spinning around to defend himself before resuming his childlike play.
Seungmin has to admit, Minho’s happiness while he plays in the snow is contagious because he can’t wipe the smile off his face the entire time. He really didn’t have any intentions of joining him, but he finds it hard to say no when Minho is staring at him with puppy dog eyes and his lower lip jutted out into a pout. So they end up playing in the snow together. They don’t stay outside for very long because the snow begins to pile up and they decide that they want to drive home before the roads get too bad.
But Seungmin leaves the wedding venue with a new beautiful moment in his life and maybe he has some pictures to capture it.
four.
seungmin
do you prefer coffee or tea? [7:42 am]
depends on the day, but usually coffee [7:44 am]
perfect, my friend told me that there’s an amazing cafe downtown, are you free to give it a try? [7:44 am]
absolutely, i need caffeine immediately [7:45 am]
wanna meet up at 8:30? [7:46 am]
that’s perfect, send me the address! [7:46 am]
Minho finally pushes himself out of bed and makes his way into the bathroom. Chan smiles when Minho enters the bathroom, immediately walking over to plant a kiss on his forehead. The older male was pretty much ready to leave for work except for his tie that was hanging around his neck.
“Good morning, you’re up early today.” Chan points out with a playful tone. “Busy day at work?”
Minho walks over to their double vanity and turns on the water, getting ready to wash his face. “I’m actually meeting up with a friend for coffee before I head to the office today.” He informs Chan who’s working on tying his tie properly. Minho assumes that he must have some important meetings today because he usually doesn’t dress this formally for work unless there’s something big happening.
“Ahh, that should be fun. Hyunjin? I haven’t heard from him in a while.” Chan speaks with his attention still mostly on his tie.
“Um, no.” Minho begins, hesitating to respond because he isn’t sure if he should bring up Seungmin. On one hand, Seungmin is just a friend and Chan will understand that, he’s a pretty level headed person. On the other hand, are they finally going to have to have the conversation about Seungmin keeping Minho company at dinner whenever Chan didn’t show up for their date? Minho doesn’t think he’s ready for that conversation, but they have to have it at some point. “I’m meeting up with my friend Seungmin.”
Minho leans forward to splash some water on his face after he speaks, but he notices the way that Chan’s movement halts momentarily. “Seungmin?” He asks, more to himself than to Minho. “I don’t think I’ve heard of this friend.”
“No, I don’t think you have.” Minho says slowly, continuing to wash his face. “We met pretty recently. At Apollo.” He finally admits and glances over at Chan to gauge his reaction while he turns off the water and pats his face dry with a towel.
Chan’s face scrunches up in confusion and Minho can tell that he’s trying to come up with scenarios other than the first one that popped into his head. “At Apollo? On the night of…?”
“Our anniversary, yeah.”
“Oh.” Is the only thing that Chan says at first. “So he’s the reason that you were out until nearly midnight?”
“You could think of it that way, yes. But you could also think of it as if you would’ve shown up for our date then I wouldn’t have met him in the first place.” Minho snaps at his fiancé’s accusatory tone.
“So now it’s my fault?” Chan asks, voice so calm that it frustrates Minho to no end.
“Are you kidding me? Yes, it’s your fault, Chan. It’s always been your fault. I sat alone at that restaurant for an hour before Seungmin was kind enough to come talk to me because my fiancé forgot our five year anniversary!” Minho’s voice steadily continues to rise as he speaks.
“I didn’t forget. I was busy.”
“I don’t care, Chan. I was humiliated. You stood me up. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me?” Minho asks, voice much softer as he recalls how he felt that night. “I just wanted one night and you couldn’t even give me that.”
“Minho, where is this coming from? We talked about it and you said it was fine. You said that everything was okay.” Chan questions, confusion covering every detail of his face.
“Because I didn’t want you to feel bad! I felt like shit that night, I felt so unwanted and unloved and frustrated and just–” Minho stops himself from continuing, feeling tears beginning to gather at the corners of his eyes. He tries his best to blink them away before he speaks again. “I was so hurt that night, Chan.”
Chan doesn’t respond immediately, taking some time to think about what he wants to say next before actually saying anything. “When did we start lying to each other?”
Minho scoffs out a laugh, shaking his head as he turns away from Chan. “Here I am, trying to finally be honest about how I felt that night and all you have to say is that I’m a liar for not telling you sooner? Instead of, I don’t know, apologizing?”
“You told me everything was fine.” Chan says sternly.
“And now I’m telling you that it wasn’t.” Minho responds firmly. “You should go, you’re gonna be late to work.” Minho deadpans as he continues to get ready for his day.
Chan remains standing in his place for a minute before turning around to walk out without another word.
Minho stands in silence, waiting until he hears the front door close to release a frustrated groan. So much for Chan being level headed. He doesn’t even have time to fully process the argument that they just had because he has to finish getting ready for his day. He tries to hold back his tears as he picks out his outfit and gets dressed, but they end up flowing out of his eyes anyway.
Minho arrives at the cafe a couple of minutes late, but Seungmin doesn’t seem to mind. “Hey!” The younger says excitedly when Minho enters the cafe. Minho forces a smile onto his face, trying not to think about how awful his morning was. “How has your morning been?” Seungmin asks cautiously. He could tell that Minho seemed off, but he didn’t want to pry.
Minho knows how loaded his response would be if he told the truth, so instead he settles on responding with a single word. “Fine. How’s yours going?”
“It’s okay.” Seungmin replies, still watching Minho closely. Minho suddenly feels a bit self-conscious, knowing that Seungmin can probably tell that he had been crying before he showed up. “A lot better now that I’m about to have my coffee.”
Minho smiles and nods in agreement. “I can definitely agree with you on that.” Anything is a lot better than starting your morning with an argument, Minho thinks to himself. “What do you think you want?” Minho asks kindly, beginning to make his way over to the counter with Seungmin to stand in line.
Seungmin hums as he looks at the menu. “I think I want to try the gingerbread latte. It sounds like it would be amazing and I need to get into the Christmas spirit today. What are you getting?”
“Definitely peppermint mocha. It’s my go-to winter drink.” Minho says happily, ready to have the piping hot coffee drink in his hands already. “Why do you need to get into the Christmas spirit today? Are you doing some last minute shopping?”
Seungmin snorts before shaking his head. “I wish. I’ve had this winter exhibition planned for a while. I have a lot to organize in the first place because I invited some local college students to have some of their work on display, but I’m also going to display some of my own stuff. We’re not planning on selling anything, so I thought it would be fun to put some of my pieces out as well. I’m thinking that I might need more photos so I’m going to be out today hoping to find some inspiration and maybe get a few good pictures.”
Minho hums in understanding. “Well, good luck. I’m sure you’ll get some good ones, you could probably photograph anything and it would turn out beautiful.” Minho compliments before moving forward in the line. He orders drinks for both of them and quickly pulls out his card to pay before Seungmin can protest. Of course, Seungmin tries to tell him that he can pay for himself but Minho insists that it’s the beginning of him paying Seungmin back for paying at Apollo.
Somehow, Seungmin and Minho spend an hour talking at the cafe. Minho’s phone lights up with a reminder about an appointment that he has to tour a venue today and as much as he would love to just say and continue talking to Seungmin, he does have to go do his job. Minho sighs, picking up his phone from the table. “Duty calls,” he says simply, waving his phone in the air. “I have to go tour a venue with a couple so I should probably go so I can stop by the office before the tour.”
“Yeah, I should probably get started on getting some photos taken.” Seungmin agrees, standing up from the table that they were sitting at. “I’m glad we got to meet up today, I hope the coffee was worth getting out of the house early.”
“Oh, definitely.” Minho replies happily, shaking his empty cup to show that he finished it. “It was amazing, tell your friend that I will definitely be returning here.”
The two of them throw away their trash and make their way towards the door of the cafe. “Hey,” Seungmin begins to speak right before they part ways. Minho raises an eyebrow as he waits for the younger man to finish his sentence. He hesitates for a moment before finishing his sentence. “If you ever need anything or just need to talk to someone about things, I’m here for you.” He finally says. Minho knows exactly what he means. Seungmin could tell that something was wrong but he didn’t want to push him to talk about it and he’s very appreciative of that.
“Yeah, of course.” Minho replies with a small smile on his face. “Thank you.”
“I’ll see you around, Minho. Have a good rest of your day.” Seungmin smiles and turns around before walking in the direction of his studio.
Minho wishes that it was that easy to just enjoy the rest of his day. It probably would’ve been easier if he didn’t spend the entire day dreading the moment that he has to go back to his apartment.
But here he is now, standing in front of the door and waiting to go inside. His mind wanders back to his argument with Chan this morning, wondering if he would still be angry with Minho. Hell, he doesn’t even know if Chan would be back by now. He wouldn’t put it past him to stay at his office until late into the night if it meant avoiding Minho, but there’s only one way to find out.
Minho finally opens the front door, stepping inside quietly. He slides off his shoes and takes off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack as usual before walking further into the apartment.
He’s kind of surprised to see Chan sitting on the couch in their living room, legs crossed as he looks down at his phone. He looks up whenever he hears Minho clear his throat, locking his phone and setting it on the couch beside him.
“You’re home early.” Minho says, trying to seem disinterested.
“I wanted to be here when you got back.” Chan explains and pats the spot on the couch beside him. Minho sighs at the motion before reluctantly moving forward to go sit beside his fiancé. After he takes a seat, crossing his legs just like Chan, a tension-filled silence settles between them. “I need to apologize. Not just for this morning, but for our anniversary. I was so concerned about myself and insecure because you were calling me out that I wasn’t even paying attention to your feelings and I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you and I never want to hurt you, Minho. I’m really sorry that I’ve been such a shitty fiancé, but once things get back to normal around the office, I promise I’ll do better.”
Minho bites at the skin on his bottom lip. Chan is being sincere, he’s very aware of that, but that doesn’t make everything hurt any less. But Chan did promise that he’ll be better and Minho knows that he really means it. “Thank you for apologizing, it means a lot. I just don’t want to fight like that again, okay? I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you how I was feeling earlier and I will be honest with you from now on. I promise. We’ll get through this together. We always have.”
Chan smiles slightly and reaches forward to take Minho’s hand, bringing it up to his lips and softly pressing a kiss to where his engagement ring rests on his finger. “Together.” He mumbles before intertwining their fingers.
five.
“So, you guys are good now?” Hyunjin asks as he walks down the busy sidewalk with Minho. They had just finished getting lunch together and decided to go for a walk before heading back to work.
“I don’t know if I would say we’re good, but we’re definitely working on it.” Minho shrugs. “It’ll be fine, we can get through it.”
“Okay, but you guys have been trying to get through it a lot recently. What if you’re just not in love like you used to be?” Hyunjin questions. It’s honestly a valid thought. A thought that has crossed Minho’s mind more than once, but he doesn’t want that to be the case. “Don’t stress out about it, I’m just saying that falling out of love is a thing that happens sometimes.”
“I know. It’s just a lot to try to consider.” Minho mutters, hoping that they can just drop the conversation.
As they continue walking together, Minho finds himself in front of a familiar studio. He unintentionally slows down as they walk by, looking through the window to check if Seungmin’s anywhere to be seen. Hyunjin stops walking when he notices that Minho’s steps have slowed down. “See something you like in there?” He jokes, walking back to where Minho is standing and looking into the building as well. “Oh, my god. This is his studio, isn’t it?”
Minho glares at his friend. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s go inside then.” Hyunjin says and Minho even has the opportunity to say no, he’s being pulled over to the door and dragged inside. As soon as they step inside, they’re welcomed with a variety of different wall portraits hung up on the walls. The inside is simplistic with grey matte wooden floors and the walls painted grey and white. “This is pretty fancy,” Hyunjin says, stepping further into the studio to observe some of the pictures on the walls. “He’s good.”
“Welcome to Studio 22, how can I help you today?” A familiar voice comes from further into the building, accompanied by the rhythmic footsteps of someone walking down wooden stairs. “Oh, Minho! What are you doing here?” Seungmin asks politely as soon as he walks into the main area of the studio where Minho and Hyunjin are standing.
“I was just out to lunch with my friend and we were walking by so we decided to stop through,” Minho explains, still not moving from his spot by the door. “This is Hyunjin, by the way. He’s my best friend.” He motions over to where Hyunjin is standing and the boy mentioned turns around, offering a kind wave.
“It’s nice to meet you, Hyunjin.” Seungmin smiles.
“You too, Seungmin. I've heard a lot about you.” Hyunjin says, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.
“All good things, I hope?”
“Well–” Hyunjin begins, but he’s immediately cut off by Minho, finally walking further into the studio.
“Don’t lie, Hwang.” Minho threatens with a glare. “Of course only good things.”
Seungmin smiles at Minho’s kind words before Hyunjin speaks up again. “Your pictures are really good. I’d love to come by again and see more of your stuff.”
“I have another exhibition coming up this weekend, you two should come by if you want.” Seungmin offers.
“Oh, yeah! You told me about that one, I was planning on coming.” Minho admits and Seungmin immediately breaks into a wide smile.
“Really?” He asks curiously, his head tilting to the side slightly.
“Yeah, I’d love to come. I’d be an idiot to not come to see your work.”
Minho swears he can see Seungmin’s cheeks turning a faint shade of pink before their conversation is interrupted by someone else entering the studio. “Oh, I’m sorry. That’s my client. Um, feel free to stick around if you want? If not, I’ll see you this weekend?” Seungmin asks, suddenly feeling a bit flustered.
“Yeah, definitely.” Minho smiles and Seungmin nods abruptly before turning around to go help his client. When Minho turns to look at Hyunjin and tell him that they should head out, he finds his friend staring at him with a knowing look. “Don’t.” Minho says and simply turns to walk out of the studio.
Hyunjin waves to Seungmin a final time before walking out behind Minho. “He likes you, you know.” Hyunjin says whenever he finally catches up to Minho.
“He doesn’t like me. We’re just friends.” Minho denies and continues walking.
“Okay, are you oblivious, stupid, or in denial?” Hyunjin asks and Minho turns to glare at him. “I’m serious! Did you not see the way that he was looking at you in there? Or how he started blushing when you complimented him? Or how excited he was that you’re planning on going to his exhibition? Minho, he likes you.”
“Okay, and?” Minho suddenly asks, Hyunjin jumping slightly in shock from his little outburst. “Hyunjin, I’m engaged . If Seungmin likes me then that’s his problem. He needs to figure out how to make his little crush go away.”
“You’re not happy, though. You haven’t been happy in months, Minho. This has been going on long before you even met Seungmin.” Hyunjin tries to reason. “Look, even if Seungmin wasn’t in the picture, you’re so unhappy with your relationship.” Minho stops walking and turns to face Hyunjin. “Don’t give me that look. You know it’s the truth, Minho. You and Chan have been on the rocks for a while now and it’s not good for either of you. I think it’s time for you to think about why you’re really staying with him and if it’s worth the unhappiness.”
six.
The night of Seungmin’s exhibition arrives and somehow Minho finds himself walking into Studio 22 with his fingers intertwined with Chan’s.
He really wasn’t planning on bringing his fiancé to the event, but he was complaining one night about going alone because Hyunjin couldn’t make it and Chan offered to come with him. He said it would be a good way for them to spend time together and he seemed excited about meeting Seungmin, so of course Minho couldn’t say no.
Whenever they walk in, Chan immediately begins looking around at some of the photos on display. “Are these all Seungmin’s?” He asks with a raised eyebrow, looking intently at the photos.
“No, I think he said all of the work out here is from college students around the area but there’s a section in the back of his stuff. We can head back there when we’re done out here, I’m sure that’s probably where he is if you want to meet him.” Minho explains and Chan hums in understanding.
They spend quite a bit of time walking around the exhibition together, talking every now and then about their favorite pieces. It feels like how things used to be in college when they first started dating. It feels like the days when they were in elementary school and Minho would beg his mom to take him over to Chan’s house because spending more than an hour away from each other was just impossible. For the first time in a while, he feels happy with Chan.
“You wanna head back to see Seungmin’s pictures before we head out?” Chan asks and Minho nods happily.
“I think you’ll really like his pieces, he has a lot of talent with the camera. It’s like you can feel all of his emotions through his pictures.” Minho says while they walk back to Seungmin’s reserved area together.
“Well, if you love them so much then I’m excited to see them.” Chan smiles.
They finally make it to the back of the studio to a closed off room that Minho assumes is probably where Seungmin takes pictures for various appointments. Seungmin stands inside, fairly close to the entrance, talking to someone about one of his portraits. Whenever he sees Minho, he politely excuses himself from his current conversation to go talk to him instead.
“Minho, you made it.” Seungmin says with a smile as he approaches Minho and Chan. He notices their hands clasped together between their bodies, smile almost threatening to fall from his face.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss this.” Minho says sweetly. “Oh, um, this is Chan, by the way. My fiancé.” Minho introduces and Chan immediately holds his free hand out.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Seungmin.” Chan says in the friendliest tone.
Seungmin reaches his hand out as well, giving Chan’s a friendly shake. “You too, Chan.” He replies awkwardly, his eyes shifting between the pair before he finally pulls away from the handshake. “Well, these are some of my favorite winter pieces. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do.” Seungmin explains before motioning into the room. Before either Chan or Minho can reply, Seungmin is walking away to greet another person that had walked in.
“He seems nice.” Chan comments as they continue walking, looking at all of Seungmin’s photos that line the wall.
“You think so?” Minho asks with a small smile.
“Yeah, maybe we’ll be able to be friends. If he decides that he likes me enough.” Chan says and Minho laughs quietly in response.
Walking through Seungmin’s mini exhibition is about the same as the main exhibition, they admire all of his photos and talk about which ones are their favorites. They’re about to reach the end of the exhibition whenever a certain picture makes both of them stop in their tracks.
Chan’s grip on Minho’s hand tightens a little bit as he continues to stare at the photo. “Is that you?” He asks, walking closer to the picture to get a better look in case his eyes were deceiving him.
Minho feels like his throat is closed up, like he can’t even respond to Chan’s question.
He stares at the photo given the title First Snow . It’s undeniable how happy Minho looks, even though you can only see half his face. He remembers that entire day so vividly. The near-disaster wedding. When he thinks back to that day, he mostly just remembers feeling miserable and having one of the worst days of his life, but obviously Seungmin saw something different. Minho doesn’t even remember feeling as happy as he looks in this picture that day.
The picture had to have been taken before Seungmin joined him in playing in the snow. He thinks it was taken while he was spinning around when he first got outside. His arms are spread wide as he looks up at the sky with the biggest smile on his face, snowflakes falling all around him. He loves it.
“Can we step outside?” Chan suddenly asks, whipping Minho out of his own thoughts. Minho can sense the irritated edge to his voice.
“Uh, sure.” He mumbles quietly. Chan lets go of Minho’s hand and begins moving towards the door, Minho following behind him. He doesn’t say goodbye to Seungmin on his way out, too deep in thoughts because Chan is definitely angry.
Once they make it outside to a secluded area in front of another business that’s already closed, Chan takes a deep breath while he thinks of what he wants to say. “Why–” Chan begins to say but stops to continue gathering his thoughts. “Why did he have a picture of you in his exhibition?”
Minho’s mouth goes dry again. “I don’t know, Chan. It was snowing, he probably just used it because it fit the winter theme. I didn’t ask for him to do that, you could barely even tell that it was me.”
“I could tell.”
“You’re my fiancé .”
“Does he know that?” Chan asks harshly and Minho’s eyebrows furrow, confusion taking over every detail of his face.
“What? Of course he knows that, Chan. He knew that the first night that we ever talked to each other. What are you implying? Are you gonna call me a liar again?” Minho asks in disbelief and Chan rolls his eyes in irritation.
“A liar? No. But maybe you’ve gotten used to keeping things from people. Is it because I’ve been busy with work? You enjoyed the attention so you’d rather run off with him?”
“Chan, what the hell are you even saying right now?” Minho questions, feeling like he could get sick at any moment now.
Chan doesn’t seem to notice how upset Minho is, though. “Why didn’t you want us to meet? Were you afraid that I would figure it out too soon? That you wouldn’t be able to keep sneaking around behind my back?”
Minho freezes at the accusation, tears immediately welling up in his eyes. “What?” Minho breathes, the singular word barely audible. “Are you–” Minho begins, taking a few steps away from Chan. “You think I would cheat on you?”
Chan’s face visibly softens when Minho finishes the question. “Minho, I didn’t–”
Chan tries to take a step towards him, but Minho only takes another step back. “Don’t.” He says firmly, a tear escaping from the corner of his eye. “God, Chan you’ve known me my entire life but somehow you don’t fucking know me at all. If you really think I would do that to anyone , I just–”
“Minho, I didn’t mean it like that.” Chan tries to reason and Minho just lets out a broken laugh. “I’m sorry. Can we please just go home and talk this out?”
“I think I’m gonna stay with Hyunjin tonight.” Minho says with a certain finality to his voice that Chan doesn’t even try to argue.
“Okay. Can I at least drop you off? I want to make sure that you’ll get there safely.” Chan offers and Minho just shakes his head.
“I’ll call him and ask him to pick me up.”
Chan doesn’t move at first, waiting to see if Minho will change his mind about anything. After a few brief seconds, though, it’s clear that he’s made up his mind. “Alright, just text me whenever you’re ready to talk, okay?” He asks, waiting for some kind of confirmation from Minho. When Minho makes it clear that he’s not responding, Chan just sighs and makes his way over to the car.
As soon as he drives off, Minho drops to the ground and lets his tears fall freely while he pulls out his phone to text Hyunjin.
hyunjin -.-
are you still busy? can you please pick me up? [10:13 pm]
of course, i’m on my way [10:13 pm]
did something happen? [10:13 pm]
i thought you were at seungmin’s thing with chan? [10:13 pm]
i’ll fill you in whenever you get here [10:14 pm]
okay, hang tight i’ll be there soon [10:14 pm]
Minho sighs in relief knowing that Hyunjin is going to come pick him up and tries to wipe away the tears that started streaming down his cheeks. “Minho? Are you okay?”
Minho doesn’t know why seeing Seungmin just fuels the anger building up inside him even more, but it does. He doesn’t even waste a second to think about what he’s gonna say before blurting out whatever comes to his mind first. “God, Seungmin, you are the last person that I want to see right now.” Minho spits angrily.
The words cut deep and catch Seungmin off guard, he considers leaving to go back inside at that exact moment but he just wants to make sure that Minho is okay. “I’m sorry,” he mutters quietly, “I just wanted to check up on you and see if you’re okay.”
Minho laughs bitterly, standing up from the spot where he was sitting on the ground. “Do I look okay to you, Seungmin? Was it not enough for you to ruin my relationship? You just had to come out here and make sure that you finished the job?”
“I–what?” Seungmin asks, obviously confused by Minho’s accusations.
“Was this your plan? You were so selfish that you couldn’t just let me be happy in my relationship?”
“Selfish? You think I’m the one that’s selfish?” Seungmin asks in disbelief. “Minho, I’ve done nothing but be a good friend to you this entire time. I left my own exhibition to come out here and check up on you and you have the nerve to call me selfish? You’re the one who walked into my studio with your fiancé, flaunting your relationship even when I thought it was clear that–” Seungmin cuts himself off, squeezing his lips together tightly. “You know what? Just forget it. If you want to be happy with Chan and you think that I’m the reason that you’re not then I’ll leave you alone. Goodbye, Minho.” Seungmin scoffs and walks away without another word.
At that moment, he doesn’t really mind when Seungmin storms away and goes back to his exhibition. The same way he didn’t mind when Chan drove off and left him alone. But as he lays alone in Hyunjin’s spare room that night, he feels a sting in his chest as he thinks about what he lost today. He just doesn’t know which loss is actually causing the pain.
seven.
Minho stays with Hyunjin for a couple of days. He ended up changing his plans for Christmas and decided to just stay in the city instead of going back to his hometown with Chan, which is why now is the perfect opportunity for him to sneak back into his own apartment to get some clothes. If Chan was still following their holiday plans, he should have left to go back home this morning.
Minho quickly finds out, however, that he did not follow their holiday plans. When he walks into their apartment, Chan is standing in the kitchen making coffee. “What are you doing here?” Minho asks, planted firmly in his spot by the entrance of the kitchen.
“I figured that you would try to come back when you thought I was gone so I changed my flight. We really need to talk.” Chan explains, bringing his mug up to his lips to take a sip of his steaming coffee.
“Yeah, I guess we should.” Minho agrees and finally steps further into the kitchen, sitting on one of the stools at their island across from Chan.
He takes in Chan’s appearance in that moment, his heart squeezing when he realizes how much of a mess he is right now. Chan’s usually pretty well put together, even when they’re just at home so it’s difficult to see him like this. The bags under his eyes were even darker than usual, like he hadn't been sleeping well. His hair is messy as if it was too much for him to even run a brush through it. He’s still in his pajamas at this point in the day even though he’s the type to change out of his pajamas as soon as he gets out of bed because it makes him feel ready for the day.
“Minho, I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have even implied that you would ever cheat on me because I know you better than that. I was just angry and I wasn’t thinking, it’s a stupid excuse, but I’m just so sorry. I don’t think I could ever say it enough to express how much I really mean it.” Chan rambles. Minho can tell that it’s probably been on his mind the entire time that they’ve been apart.
The younger man sighs, shoulders deflating slightly. “Thank you for apologizing. I can’t say that it’s okay because it isn’t, you hurt me and it still hurts that you thought that I would do that for even a second.” Chan nods in understanding while he fidgets with his mug. There’s a long moment of silence between the two, both men waiting for the other one to speak up first. “Have you ever thought about why we’ve been staying together?”
Chan’s eyebrows shoot up at the question, obviously not expecting that from Minho. “Because we love each other?” He says, but it sounds more like a question.
Minho laughs quietly and looks down at his hands for a brief moment before speaking up again. “I think we do. I just don’t know if we’re in love like we used to be.”
“Oh.” Chan says quietly. “I never really thought about that.”
“I didn’t either until Hyunjin asked me about it. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” Minho admits, playing with his fingers in his lap. “Do you ever feel like we’re just together because it’s all that we know? We grew up together and it’s almost like we were expected to be together. Of course, we really were in love at some point but I just think that that’s not us anymore.”
“It’s what we’ve gotten used to.” Chan chimes in and Minho slowly nods in agreement. “Yeah, I can feel that. Maybe this was all that we knew, so we were afraid to let go of it.”
“But we’re not anymore, right?” Minho questions hesitantly. He finds himself returning to old habits in this moment of vulnerability. He needs Chan’s guidance. He needs Chan to tell him that this isn’t a mistake. He needs Chan to confirm that they’re making the right decision.
Chan hums quietly, taking his engagement ring off and setting it down on the marble countertop in front of them. “I don’t think we are.”
Minho feels a certain sadness building up in his chest at the action. He knows what this means for them and while he’s ready to move on, he still feels like he’s letting go of a huge piece of himself when he slides his ring off as well and sets it right beside Chan’s.
eight.
Christmas is lonely, as expected. Hyunjin offered to stay at his apartment with Minho instead of going home, but Minho insisted that he should go see his family. Chan left shortly after he and Minho decided to break up. He hasn’t spoken to Seungmin since the night of his exhibition.
He tries not to let it bother him, though. It’s snowing and he has an endless supply of peppermint hot chocolate that Hyunjin bought just for him. Honestly, that’s good enough to get him through the day.
Right whenever he settles in on Hyunjin’s couch dressed in his favorite ugly Christmas sweater and ready to start his Christmas movie marathon, there’s a knock on the door. It must be some kind of delivery for Hyunjin that his friend forgot to tell him about. He groans in frustration before standing up from his spot and walking over to the door.
When he opens the door, he’s shocked to find that it’s definitely not a delivery for Hyunjin. “Seungmin?” Minho breathes out, face immediately scrunching up in confusion. “I thought–I thought you were mad at me. I thought you were going out of town for Christmas? How did you get Hyunjin’s address?”
Seungmin chuckles at the rush of questions leaving Minho’s mouth. “Uh, yeah. I was mad at you, my flight got canceled, and Hyunjin gave it to me.”
“Oh. How did you know I was here?” Minho asks.
“I felt really bad about our argument and I was going to just text you but I felt like that wasn’t right and then Hyunjin came to my exhibition and I asked him for advice and he told me that you weren’t going home for Christmas anymore and then he told me that you were staying here and I might be able to come talk to you this way and yeah. Feel free to yell at me and tell me to leave if you want to but I just needed you to hear me say that I’m sorry.” Seungmin rambles.
Minho smiles fondly as Seungmin speaks so fast it looks like he could pass out. “No, I actually really appreciate it. I should apologize, too. My relationship was on the rocks long before I ever met you and I shouldn’t have blamed that on you and I shouldn’t have called you selfish. I was awful to you, Seungmin, and I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, really. I understand.”
“Well, Merry Christmas.” Minho says awkwardly, chuckling quietly.
“Merry Christmas.” Seungmin replies with a smile. “I was going to go around the city today, maybe take some pictures and stuff. You can join me if you’d like.”
Minho immediately nods his head in agreement. “I would love to. Lonely Christmas is not for me.”
And that’s how Minho and Seungmin end up spending Christmas together. They make some hot chocolate together before they leave to go enjoy the city. Seungmin takes a lot of pictures that day, but Minho can’t blame him. Everything was beautiful in the city: the lights, the snow, the other people out enjoying their day. But Minho didn’t know that the most beautiful thing Kim Seungmin photographed that day was him.
nine.
It’s nearly three years later when Minho finds himself stressed out over another holiday wedding. Has he ever mentioned how stupid he thinks they are?
“What are you working on?” A voice asks from behind him, arms wrapping firmly around his waist.
Minho relaxes into the touch, humming in content. “Final touches. What do you think? Powder blue or Tiffany blue?” Minho asks, holding up the two different swatches.
Seungmin hums as he looks at the two swatches that barely look any different to him. “I don’t know, you’re the wedding planner.” Seungmin whines, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Minho’s neck.
“Baby, it’s your wedding, too. I want your opinions on these things.” Minho pouts and Seungmin lets out a dramatic sigh.
“Fine, I like the Tiffany blue.” He says, pointing at the swatch.
“That’s powder blue, my love.” Minho corrects, amusement lacing his voice.
“This is why you’re the wedding planner.” Seungmin smiles and kisses Minho’s neck one more time before standing up straight again. “Also, what happened to ‘I hate holiday season weddings, they’re so stupid’?” Seungmin asks in a mocking tone and Minho turns around to glare playfully at him.
“I do hate them and think they’re stupid, just not ours.” He coos and stands up as well, poking Seungmin’s nose.
“How sweet.” Seungmin deadpans, wrapping his arms around Minho’s waist again and pulling him closer. “I can’t wait to call you my husband.” He says sweetly, bringing a hand up to gently cup Minho’s face.
Minho clicks his tongue, shaking his head dramatically. “So impatient, really.”
“Not impatient, just eager.” Seungmin replies, pressing forward to peck Minho’s lips. “And happy.” He mumbles and leans forward to kiss his fiancé again. “And lucky.” And another kiss.
Minho hums happily from the kisses, a fond smile finding home on his face. “I am so in love with you.”
“Well, with how much I love you, I sure would hope so.” Seungmin teases before pressing a kiss to Minho’s nose.
Minho gladly returns the kiss, heart swelling with happiness before he speaks.
“Kim Seungmin, you’re my most beautiful moment in life.”