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somehow, taehyun still hadn’t seen what beomgyu was marrying him in, and it was driving him insane.
the sun had risen high and bright in the clear sky; a perfect morning for the occasion, and yet beomgyu had insisted on letting taehyun sleep in, pushing him back into bed when he tried to follow as beomgyu slipped away. and, well, taehyun knew he was getting (re)married today, but who was he to pass up on more sleep?
when he finally came to and shuffled down the stairs, yeonjun was sitting at their kitchen table with a nonchalance that made it seem like he belonged there. still, taehyun did a double take, rubbing his eyes. he wasn’t sure he’d seen anyone except beomgyu in their house, so seeing yeonjun’s crisp city clothes in the middle of their warm, nature-y cottage was…
“it’s your big day,” yeonjun sang, and taehyun’s head cleared a bit more as he draped his arms around his hyung’s shoulders in a hug. “i brought your suit.”
“where’s gyu?” taehyun mumbled, rubbing his eyes and wandering towards the fridge.
“getting things ready. i’m supposed to keep you from going outside. oh, i brought you your suit, by the way.”
taehyun yawned as he pulled out a cereal box. “he kept getting packages from the post office. wouldn’t let me open them.” his bowl hit the wooden table with a clunk, another yawn squeezing his eyes shut. yeonjun was watching him with an oddly fond expression, so he quickly looked away, cheeks flushing. “where did you guys stay?”
“someone’s renting out their house about forty-five minutes away. it’s so cute, but i kind of wish we’d stayed in a hotel, because now soobin wants to buy it.”
that woke taehyun up. “you should,” he said with a soft smile. “you’d like it.”
he watched as yeonjun’s eyes traveled slowly around his and beomgyu’s home; every little piece of furniture they’d picked out, every art piece and painting, the worn guitar, the old radio, the billowing curtains. “maybe i would,” he whispered, and taehyun leaned over to ruffle his hair, smile growing wider when yeonjun batted at his wrist.
he hadn’t thought to be upset about not seeing beomgyu’s outfit until yeonjun had gotten halfway through helping him get dressed. “wait,” he said, frowning as he stopped with one arm in his suit jacket. “i didn’t see something downstairs for beomgyu.”
“he has something,” yeonjun assured, mischief glinting in his eyes. “you’ll really like it.”
taehyun scrunched his nose up as he squinted at himself in the mirror. “why can’t i just know?” he complained, shrugging the jacket on and letting yeonjun adjust it for him. yeonjun himself had changed into a pretty silk shirt in light, eggshell blue, and he almost would look like the star of the show if taehyun wasn’t in all white.
“kai brought his camera. he thinks you’ll cry during the first look.” yeonjun smoothed over the pearly floral-printed lapels of taehyun’s jacket, then combed the hair out of his face, carefully adjusting his bangs until they fell just right across his forehead.
taehyun fought against the flush rising to his cheeks. “can you blame me? have you seen him?”
“hey, hey. my husband’s outside, don’t make me answer that.”
they’d been told by soobin to stay inside until kai came to summon them, so they ended up getting into a debate about whether or not tomatoes were a fruit. taehyun was in the midst of explaining every detail about the growth process of tomatoes when kai came bursting through the door, looking dashing in a sage green shirt that matched yeonjun’s.
“it’s time,” he announced, then held up a white blindfold, his smile widening. taehyun took a deep breath, then let it out with a shudder, wringing out his hands as kai tied the cloth securely over his eyes.
yeonjun, who’d taken him by the arm, led him out the front door and into their vast yard. by now, taehyun knew the steps by heart, so he thought he had an idea where he was going and began to imagine the path as a way of relieving his nerves.
they finally came to a stop in the middle of where he believed the orange trees were. it was a nice, cool day at the beginning of spring, and a soft breeze made the leaves murmur, accompanying the guitar playing through the speakers someone had brought.
when the blindfold slipped off of his eyes, the light was blinding. there were a lot of things he could’ve processed; the decorations, the people, the scenery. but taehyun’s eyes had been trained to find beomgyu first, and when they did, he felt his heart flutter, his hands instinctively coming up to cover his mouth.
“oh, honey,” he whispered, drinking the sight of him in. beomgyu smiled, absolutely radiant in his ivory suit. tiny embroidered flowers climbed up his low-cut jacket, but the real star was his face: lightly made up, framed by flowers woven into his hair, and shining with the biggest, most beautiful smile.
beomgyu giggled, reaching for his hand to peel it away from his face. “what? you see me every day,” he whispered, his voice teasing. “look at the decorations instead.”
“i can’t. sorry.” taehyun let beomgyu pull him closer, starstruck. “i’m sorry. you’re so beautiful.”
“you’re not too bad yourself.” beomgyu reached out to straighten his tie, blinking at him through his lashes. “sweetheart, are you crying?”
taehyun blinked a few times to dispel the moisture in his eyes. “what? no. that’d be lame.”
“you’re lame. i’m lame.”
“we are,” taehyun agreed, letting his head fall forward as he laughed. beomgyu met him in the middle, his fluffy hair tickling taehyun’s nose.
they broke apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat, twin blushes rising on their cheeks. taehyun finally gave himself a moment to take in the decorations; they were in the orchard, as he’d expected, and small paper lanterns hung from the fronds of the blossoming trees. the decorations were all white, a perfect juxtaposition to the greenery beneath their feet.
and then, past yeonjun, hueningkai, and soobin stood people - so many more people than taehyun could’ve ever expected. all of their friends from college, yeonjun’s mom, and then… no, that couldn’t be. taehyun hadn’t seen anyone from his direct family since he left for university, but there she was, stunning in a fitted yellow suit.
“seulgi?” he called breathlessly, watching his sister push her way to the front of the group of people. “you’re here?”
her face softened into a smile. “when beomgyu mailed me, i knew i couldn’t miss it, no matter what mom and dad would say. i’m so proud of you, tyunnie.”
when she held out her arms, taehyun squeezed beomgyu’s hand tightly. his husband gave him a reassuring look. “go,” he whispered, tilting his head to the side with a grin. that was all it took for him to tackle her in a hug, his body sagging into the familiar embrace.
“you’ve grown up so well,” seulgi whispered, lips pressed to his head, and taehyun made an unintelligible noise into her shoulder, overcome with emotion. “now go marry your husband.”
taehyun laughed, raising his head to meet her eyes. so similar, yet so different to his own. “okay,” he breathed, casting a look behind him. beomgyu had retreated to the end of the row of trees, and he gave taehyun a teasing wave when their eyes met. “okay. okay, i will. are you walking me?”
“sure. i mean, it’s not really structured. we figured that you’re both too gone for each other to sit through an official ceremony.” she offered her arm, and taehyun took it, clinging to her like he still couldn’t believe she was real.
each step felt like he was floating, walking on clouds, ascending higher and higher. when he was halfway down the “aisle,” kai scrambled over to stand behind beomgyu, taking up a solemn stance that made taehyun burst into a fit of laughter so intense that he had to stop walking. “what are you, a priest?” he called, sending a rumble of laughter through the small group standing amongst the trees.
kai stomped his foot on the ground, thumbing at the camera at his side. “let me officiate in peace!”
“oh, fine.” seulgi released him, and taehyun walked over to beomgyu with barely restrained excitement, reaching over to take his outstretched hands.
kai cleared his throat, and taehyun couldn’t help snorting, pressing his and beomgyu’s intertwined hands to his mouth to try to silence himself. sticking his tongue out, kai raised his voice, silencing any murmurs. “thank you all for attending this beautiful wedding with us today. i’ve known these idiots for a long time and i trust their taste, so i know that if you’re here, you’re one of the good ones.”
beomgyu squeezed his hands, his smile bright and giddy. he didn’t say anything while kai continued talking, but his expression told taehyun all he needed to know. once again, taehyun was hit with the reminder that he would do anything to keep that smile on his face.
“anyways,” kai said, “i’ll stop rambling and let these guys get to their vows. i know they want to.”
beomgyu’s eyes never left taehyun as he pulled a stack of notecards out of his pocket. taehyun snorted, shaking his head; it was just like beomgyu to prepare an entire speech then just go off of the top of his head. sure enough, he tossed the notecards aside right as he started speaking.
“taehyunnie, every day i wake up thankful that you sat in my spot under that tree ten years ago. i didn’t realize it was possible to find so much happiness in one person, and i didn’t believe in love, but you… you forced your way past all of my mental blockades and showed me how life is supposed to be. how happy i’m supposed to be.” he paused when he saw the wetness gathering on taehyun’s lower lashes, reaching out to tenderly brush it away as he continued.
“there are a lot of things in my life that i’d change, but the one thing i’d keep is you. it’s only been ten years, my love, and i want to be with you for a hundred more. and i’d like-” his voice broke, and taehyun squeezed his hands harder, feeling a tear trickle down his cheek. “i’d like to think that in every single universe, i’d always choose you.”
taehyun let his head fall, squeezing his eyes shut to keep from breaking down. “you asshole, i should’ve gone first,” he whispered, and beomgyu laughed, taking his face into his hand until taehyun regained some semblance of his composure.
“okay,” he breathed out, heart beating at the speed of light. nervousness caught his tongue, but he forced himself to meet beomgyu’s eyes, and the familiarity, the warmth there made all of his nerves drain away. “you know, before i met you, i used to hate telling people i loved them. i thought i would jinx it. but there’s… there’s just something about you, beomie.”
“yeah?” beomgyu whispered, a pretty blush rising on his cheeks.
taehyun felt a smile threaten to split his cheeks open. “mhm. there’s something about you that just makes me want to shower you in love, every second of every day. whenever we go outside to look at the stars, i thank them for bringing you to me, and i want you to know that the words ‘i love you’ are nowhere near enough to express how you make me feel. but i’ll say them, again and again, because nothing makes me happier than the beautiful smile you wear when i say it.”
and there it was, shining brighter than the light of a thousand suns. “i love you,” he whispered, watching a glistening tear snake a trail down his husband’s pale, pristine face. “i love you, i love you, i love you. i loved you then, i love you now, and i’ll love you forever, till death do us part.”
it was only when he reached out to cradle beomgyu’s face in his hands that he noticed kai sniffling. “yeah, fine, whatever,” their officiant was muttering, wiping at his own cheeks. “relationship goals. whatever .”
“you have a line, kai-yah,” yeonjun called, his own voice thick with emotion.
“idiots,” beomgyu muttered, blinking back the tears in his eyes. taehyun offered a smile, holding tight to his hand to keep from just tackling him in a hug. he just couldn’t believe how beautiful beomgyu was. now and always, he shone like a planet among stars, a god among men, a gem among stones. he was beautiful, and he was taehyun’s husband.
kai’s voice shook. “with all of these lovely people as witnesses, i pronounce you husband and husband. you may now-”
taehyun didn’t even give him the chance to finish, throwing his arms around beomgyu’s neck and tiptoeing up to meet him in the middle. faintly, he heard the audience cheer, but all he could think about was how perfectly beomgyu fit in his arms, how his lips were soft and tasted of salt and fruity chewing gum, how he broke away from the kiss to laugh when taehyun lifted him off of the ground.
“i love you,” he whispered, wavy bangs falling over his eyes, gripping tightly to taehyun’s biceps. “forever.”
hours later, taehyun nudged him with an elbow, managing to tear his husband’s eyes away from the sky. “forever, huh?” he asked, curling his toes into the roof tiles. “that’s a long time.”
beomgyu hummed, looking him over with soft, warm eyes. carefully, he shrugged the fluffy blanket off of his shoulders, then draped it over taehyun’s legs, reaching for his hand. “i know.” their fingers latched together, and taehyun laid his head on his shoulder, eyes returning to the sky as a secret smile grew on his lips.
the moon was bright and full tonight, rays cutting through wispy clouds and making their land gleam with white. ribbons and lanterns rustled in the wind, their orchards bare of people; but taehyun could still feel the residual happiness, a warmth burning through him that not even the cool breeze could extinguish. a never-ending flame. was this forever?
“i learned a constellation,” beomgyu whispered. he lifted their intertwined hands, using them to point at a star. “two, actually. cassiopeia and cepheus.”
taehyun chuckled, low and sleepy. “yeah?” he squinted up at the stars, shining bright and proud in the sky. the grass hummed in the breeze. “what’s their deal?”
“cassiopeia was a bitch and got herself flung into the sky… but cepheus, her husband, loved her so much that he begged to be engraved into the stars with her.” beomgyu let out a breath, shaking his hair out. “love is such an awful, beautiful thing.”
taehyun nuzzled into his neck, fondness warming his stomach, cheeks, toes. “they’re just balls of gas, beomie.”
“hm, yeah, and we’re just atoms. we’re not really touching right now, actually.”
“okay, okay, i get it. no science talk.”
beomgyu laughed, the sound echoing. “would you fling yourself into the sky for me, my love?” he asked, and oh, he glowed; with happiness, with moonlight, with good days and hidden smiles and promises of forever. he glowed with everything that was familiar and the few things that weren’t, brighter than the moon, and taehyun could not look away.
“of course,” he whispered. “in a heartbeat.”
life as humans know it is ugly and full of negativity in a way that’s almost impossible to look away from. sometimes, though, all it takes is for us to focus on the small details (the taste of cold water, the sound a page makes when it turns, the differing shades of green on a plant’s leaves) to bring our lives to life again. and then, there is love; so complex, often fleeting, but the most precious of all.
love knows many colors, but in this story, love is white. pure, infallible, a bright beacon of hope when all else seems dull. and if, perhaps, one were to believe in the concept of a “happy ever after,” this would be it: two boys who, against all odds, found true happiness in each other.