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“Sorry!” Hyunjin apologised yet again as someone bumped into him for the nth time. God, the city was so crowded and people moved so fast, what were they all rushing for? Maybe he shouldn’t have volunteered to help collect Minho’s shipment. Granted, he had been curious about the city but that curiosity was wearing off now that he had to navigate the city streets like a fish trying to swim upstream.
“Ah—!” The contents of his paper bag tumbled onto the sidewalks when another person roughly shoved into him, muttering an unintelligible noise that Hyunjin supposed was meant to be an apology as the person barrelled onwards through the crowd..
“Oh no…” Hyunjin mumbled as he bent down to pick up the scattered packets of herbs. He probably needed a long break from the city after this.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Hyunjin looked up to find a pair of concerned eyes as a man around his age crouched down to help him.
“Yes, I’m alright.” Hyunjin replied, gratefully accepting the man’s help as he packed everything back into the bag. “Thank you for your help.”
“It’s no problem, you didn’t get hurt right?”
“No, just stumbled a bit.” Hyunjin assured as he tucked the stray strands of hair back behind his ear. “The city is a very crowded place, I’m not used to it.”
“It really is, I take it you’re not from around here?” Hyunjin nodded in response. “Are you on the way back now?”
Ah. Hyunjin felt his stomach sink as he thought back to the last hour of wandering bustling streets. One day, he would realise that running around to explore a place he had no idea how to navigate was a bad idea before he got hopelessly lost. But cut him some slack, it’s the first time he had ever been to a human city! Of course, curiosity and excitement were going to win over practicality, even if it meant facing the consequences of his actions right now.
“Ah, I was supposed to… but this is a different area than when I first came and I’m not sure how to get back.” He finally admitted, embarrassed.
“Maybe I can help?” The man offered, gestured towards a bus stop a few metres away. “Where are you headed?”
“As long as I get to the outskirts of the city I can find my way back home.” Hyunjin nervously hovered behind the man as he scanned the directory filled with unfamiliar numbers and names that made him feel dizzy. Portals were something Hyunjin knew how to navigate. Buses in the human realm? Not so much.
“Here, this bus.” The man declared, pointing to the tag 419. “It's ten stops away and the last stop before the bus turns back into the city. If you’re unsure you can alway ask the bus driver.”
Hyunjin could physically feel the anxiety melting away as he let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you so much for your help, seriously you saved me.” He said, bowing in thanks.
The man flashed a big grin. Hyunjin found that it was cute when he smiled like that.
“Glad to be of help! I can wait with you until it comes just in case.”
“Oh that’s really not necessary,” Hyunjin quickly tried to wave him off, trying very hard not to show how much more it would put him at ease. “I don't want to trouble you.”
“It’s no trouble at all, I’m waiting for my bus too.” The man laughed as he plopped down on the bench, patting the space beside him invitingly.
Eventually, Hyunjin’s desire to be at ease in this unfamiliar situation won out against his hesitancy to trouble this man and he took a seat. And well, this man had offered, so it wasn’t an inconvenience, right?
“What’s your name?”
“Hyunjin.”
“Nice to meet you Hyunjin, I’m Seungmin.” Seungmin replied, extending his hand towards him. Hyunjin blinked at the hand in concealed confusion, wondering if Seungmin wanted something from him before putting together the contextual clues to deduce this was probably a greeting of some sort. Or was it? What was he supposed to do? Should he ask? He was quickly reaching the end of an acceptable amount of time to hesitate, he had to respond now or else it would be rude and–
Hyunjin decided just to mirror Seungmin and extend his hand too. Seungmin grasped it and gently shook their hands up and down before withdrawing his so he guessed it was a form of greeting. At least Hyunjin didn’t seem to do anything wrong because Seungmin went back to normal conversation. How interesting, maybe he’d read up on it back home.
“What did you come to the city for?”
“I’m helping someone run some errands.” Hyunjin answered honestly. “Plus,” He leaned back to look at the high buildings surrounding them, lit up with bright lights and still very much alive late into the night. Even if the city was crowded and moved a bit too fast, there was an explainable charm to it that his hometown didn’t have. “I wanted to see what the city was like.”
Seungmin hummed in agreement beside him.
“It’s pretty hectic but it has its perks.”
Hyunjin smiled and appreciated that he had found such pleasant company in this big city.
“That's a beautiful bouquet by the way.” Hyunjin nodded to the flowers on Seungmin’s lap. And it really was, red roses, dahlias and delicate daffodils in the peak of their blossoming swaddled in pastel crepe paper and tied together by an elegant satin ribbon. Hyunjin couldn’t help but stare at it and he definitely couldn’t help his brain supplying that the bouquet was exactly how a proposal bouquet crafted for him would look like. Hyunjin muffled the melancholic clench of his heart that reminded him that he wouldn’t be receiving one anytime soon. As much as he was a romantic, there wasn’t anyone trying to court him right now so he’d have to stifle his indulgent fantasies for another day.
“It is, bit of a shame I can’t fully appreciate it. I only know that these are roses” Seungmin chuckled as he turned the bouquet in his hands. “I swear I’ve seen these little white ones before but I can’t place the name.”
“They’re daffodils.”
“Right, right! Thanks, do you like flowers?”
“You could say that,” More accurately I’m literally linked to them. “But daffodils also happen to be my birth flower.” Hyunjin said without thinking and immediately mentally smacked himself. No need to be too obvious about your longing, Hyunjin. Explicitly stating one’s birth flower was always seen as an interest in courtship among forest spirits.
“Really? What a coincidence huh?” Seungmin grinned and Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile back. He was really very cute when he smiled, Hyunjin kind of wanted to ruffle his hair. Like a puppy.
“It’s really a lovely bouquet, are you planning to give it to someone?” He asked, preparing to give his congratulations.
He was not, however, prepared for Seungmin presenting the said bouquet to him .
“You.” Seungmin stated.
Hyunjin went through about a million thoughts and emotions in the span of three seconds.
“Me?” He finally exclaimed in disbelief, blinking rapidly to make sure this wasn’t a dream.
“Why not? I’m sure you’ll appreciate it more than me.”
“Wait- I-I mean I would love to but–” Hold on, Hyunjin was literally lamenting the fact no one was courting him two minutes ago and now he was being proposed to. Gosh, he was stammering wasn’t he? And he was most definitely blushing. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Seungmin assured, placing the bouquet in his hands. “It has your birth flower doesn’t it? Think of it as fate.”
Fate…
Hyunjin’s body moved on its own accord as his hands reached out to wrap around the handle of the bouquet and oh . This was most definitely happening, he could feel the magic bloom the moment his fingers made contact in acceptance. A swirling, tingling warmth that spread through his whole body. He felt the magic settle and saw the thin glimmering thread between him and Seungmin flash for a second before it faded. The marriage pact was officially in place.
“Oh, your bus is here!” Seungmin abruptly getting up to flag down the bus snapped Hyunjin out of his reverie. “You better get home before the buses stop running.”
“I– um,” Hyunjin stuttered, flustered between the bus suddenly appearing and sealing a marriage pact literally within the past five minutes. Hyunjin really wanted to talk more with Seungmin but the bus was already rolling up to the stop and Seungmin was ushering him up.
“Thank you… for the bouquet. And all your help.” was what he managed to gather with the bus doors opening expectantly behind him.
“Your welcome,” Seungmin smiled warmly and oh he’s so cute. “I’m glad the bouquet went to you.”
Hyunjin felt even more heat creep up his neck and ducked behind the bouquet in embarrassment, mumbling another “ thank you ” before boarding the bus. He only dared to peek over the bouquet and offer one last shy wave to Seungmin through the window, his heart still beating like the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings.
“Get home safe!” Seungmin called as the doors closed and the last thing Hyunjin saw was his figure watching the bus drive off, growing smaller and smaller until the bus turned a corner and cut off his line of sight.
Hyunjin gently caressed the bouquet in thought. Was this right? Sure, forest spirits had short courtship periods but he had literally just met Seungmin. And Seungmin was a human! Not that Aetherian-mundane marriages weren’t common, but still.
But…
Seungmin hadn’t even hesitated to help him, and did way more than help him. He thought about how pleasant it was to just sit and talk about nothing in particular with him under the dim street lights on a musty bus stop bench. He thought about how nice his voice sounded as they talked. And his eyes, his too kind eyes that seemed to catch the lights of the city and sparkle with their own brightness, Hyunjin had caught himself staring more than once. And Seungmin was most definitely handsome, and god was he downright adorable when he grinned that puppy-like grin.
By the time Hyunjin reached his stop, Hyunjin had had more than enough time to completely fall in love with Seungmin.
Hyunjin made the rest of his way home half in a daze, half carefully because he did promise Seungmin he would get home safe and he couldn’t be breaking promises on the first day of their marriage.
“I’m back.” Hyunjin called out more out of habit than anything, setting Minho’s supplies on the counter of their shop before he headed up the stairs to his room. Minho would surely nag him for not putting it away later but Hyunjin had more important things on his mind right now.
He spent a moment to stare reverently at the bouquet, feeling the enchantment dance off the petals of the flowers as he fully registered the fact that he had just been proposed to.
He had just been proposed to. And he had accepted.
“Hyunjin? Are you back?”
“Yeah, hyung?”
“Where are you?”
Hyunjin got up and set the bouquet on his bedside table, promising the flowers he would get a nice vase for them as he went to find his brother.
“There you are, glad you got back safe.” Minho said, casting Hyunjin a glance from where he was tending to some herbs in their greenhouse. “How was the city?”
“Hyung.” Hyunjin said with nothing but complete seriousness. “I’m getting married.”
-
“I can’t believe my own brother won’t accept my marriage!”
“To be fair, it is unexpected. Congratulations though!” Felix grinned from the library table. They were currently trespassing (“It’s not trespassing, I'm an alumni!”) on the grounds of Hyunjin’s old university.
“Thank you! That’s why you’re my best friend.”
“So,” Felix asked as Hyunjin dumped another stack of books on the table. “Why exactly am I here again?”
“Because the books we have here are painfully factual ones,” Hyunjin replied as he flipped through Human Actions and Their Meanings , finding ‘ handshake ’ under the list of greetings. “I need someone with first hand experience!”
“Need I remind you that I went to the human realm to get a degree and not a boyfriend?”
“Well, you were there for four whole years so you should know something about how humans form relationships.” Hyunjin insisted. “I don’t believe for a second that you of all people spent every waking moment there studying .”
“Who would go to a brand new world and only study?” Felix grinned cheekily before humming in thought. “Well for one thing they definitely spend a lot more time courting than forest spirits. Are you sure this guy knew he was proposing to you?”
“Well, kinda? But I'm sure everything will work out. Think of it as fate!”
Realistically, Seungmin being unaware was a highly probable situation but Hyunjin had fantasies, faith and a whole load of fluttery feelings to fuel him forward.
“Do you think he’s expecting something back? Like, should I be proposing to him too? Is there a human custom for it?” Hyunjin fretted as he spread the books he collected as of now. The Politics of the Human Realm… An Anthropology of Humans…Where to Visit in The Mundane Realm… None of them were particularly geared towards relationships, in other words, none of them were particularly useful to him. What kind of useless library was this? (“One meant for learning and not for dating advice.” Felix would say.) “I should, right? I think it would be nice to be married in both customs.”
“Oh yes definitely, that would be so cute!” Felix encouraged, suddenly lighting up. “Oh! If I remember correctly humans do have a specific way to propose.”
Hyunjin’s head snapped up staring at the cat hybrid with large, excited eyes.
“What is it?”
-
Hyunjin was nervous.
It had been pretty easy finding where Seungmin lived. Hyunjin was particularly attuned to his energy now that they were bonded, something like a homing instinct he guessed. He read that humans didn’t have any affinity for magic so Seungmin probably didn’t have the same ability but that just meant he would be in for a surprise!
Now, he was standing outside Seungmin’s apartment door filled with flutters and knots.
Hyunjin took a few moments to compose himself, comb his fingers through his hair again, straighten his shirt, take a deep breath and then finally knock on the door.
No answer.
Strange, Hyunjin could definitely sense him behind the door. He reasoned that Seungmin probably didn’t hear it, trying again with more confidence.
There was shuffling and then footsteps and then the door was swinging open to reveal Seungmin. Hyunjin felt his heart rate accelerate.
He was even cuter than he remembered now that Seungmin was standing in front of him with fluffy hair and an oversized hoodie and gosh even his shocked expression looked like a puppy. Hyunjin was so smitten with him already.
“You’re the guy from the bus stop…” Seungmin’s hesitant voice was enough to snap Hyunjin out of his thoughts. Immediately, heat crept up his neck and he was most definitely blushing because oh gosh this was real .
Hyunjin had the words on the tip of his tongue but the moment he saw Seungmin every thought fizzled out and his mouth forgot how to function and oh no Seungmin was staring at him all confused. In the end, Hyunjin gave up on words and pulled out the little pouch in his pocket to shyly present to Seungmin.
Seungmin took it, thankfully, and Hyunjin watched him expectantly while hiding behind the curtain of his bangs. But when Seungmin continued to look lost at the sight of the ring, Hyunjin figured that maybe he hadn’t followed the custom properly.
“Is this…a ring?”
“Well,” Hyunjin cleared his throat awkwardly. “I did some research and um…” He finally gathered up the courage to look up, cheeks flushed and heart beating fast.
“I thought we should get married in human customs too.”
One beat.
Two beats.
“...what?”
-
“What is your favourite food?”
“My favourite food?” Seungmin questioned, looking up from his work to face a pair of earnest eyes staring back at him. Hyunjin nodded back with enthusiasm.
“I want to cook it for you.”
It had been a couple of weeks since Hyunjin first showed up at Seungmin’s front door, three weeks to be precise. Twenty three days if you wanted to really get down to specifics. Three weeks since Seungmin agreed to let Hyunjin stay before he gave him his final answer on marriage and three weeks of Hyunjin trying to get closer to Seungmin. Which had been…mixed. Hyunjin thought he might have been a bit too bold from the get go so he had been trying to dial it back a couple of notches. Which was extremely hard considering he was growing more and more smitten with Seungmin with each passing day. There was the time when Seungmin rushed over to help Hyunjin load the laundry when the washing machine made menacing beeping sounds at him, the time Seungmin had spent thirty minutes patiently answering questions on microwavable meals, and also the time he had walked him around the area to familiarise him with his surroundings so that Hyunjin wouldn’t get lost if he had to go out himself. (Truthfully, Hyunjin wouldn’t be getting lost anytime soon now that he had an in-built GPS to find Seungmin but who was he to turn down another chance to spend time together?)
Never in his life did Hyunjin think he would be falling in love with a man as he explained the functions of a dryer but here he was with hearts in his eyes and an affection that grew bigger by the day. Seungmin may still be keeping a distance but Hyunjin was a trooper who didn’t mind inching forward.
But…
“You don’t have to, your cooking is already good as it is.”
But there were still times like this when it felt like Seungmin didn’t want that distance to close.
“But…I still want to do it.” Hyunjin insisted, fiddling with his shirt.
I want to do something specially for you. I want to know what you like and what you dislike, what makes you smile that puppy like grin, what makes your brows furrow, what makes your shoulders relax, I want to know you more–
Tone it down Hyunjin.
Seungmin chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. Hyunjin wondered how every little thing he did could be so endearing.
“It’s kimchi stew.”
“Oh…” Hyunjin couldn’t even hide his drop in energy.
“Yeah I know, it’s kinda boring–”
“No, no it’s not that,” Hyunjin quickly corrected with a smile that had potential to be awkward or assuring. He sure hoped it was the latter. “I reacted like that because I’ve never tried that before so I don’t know how to make it. I won’t be able to make it tonight but I’ll look it up and learn how to make it well! Promise!” Hyunjin declared with renewed energy.
“Or if you don’t mind I could try to teach you? We could make it together.” Seungmin offered as he closed the laptop. “I’m definitely not as good a cook as you but kimchi stew is one of the few things I have confidence in cooking.”
Hyunjin swore his heart soared in excitement at that prospect.
“Really?”
“Sure, unless of course you prefer figuring it out yourself–”
“Yes!” Hyunjin blurted out before his cheeks coloured immediately after. So much for toning it down. “As in, yes, let’s cook together.”
But instead of reeling back from his buzzing excitement, Seungmin let out a small laugh that Hyunjin thought might be his new favourite sound in the world.
“Alright then, let me just check if we have ingredients.” Seungmin said as he disappeared into the kitchen.
Hyunjin nodded and hoped Seungmin couldn't feel him staring after his back with a goofy smile on his face.
Sometimes, the distance between them felt too big for Hyunjin to traverse on his own but in moments like this, it felt like maybe they were both inching closer at their own pace.
-
Hyunjin was worried.
Seungmin had been extremely stressed the past few days because of work and he wasn’t taking care of himself. He barely left the room except to eat (and even then he would just eat a few mouthfuls then bring another cup of coffee back to the room), he was barely sleeping and he definitely hadn’t taken a proper break.
And Hyunjin had tried to get him to rest. And if Seungmin refused to rest he thought he could at least help him feel refreshed by taking a bath together. But when Hyunjin had asked that Seungmin had rejected, and, well, he had to face it, snapped at him. That had hurt. Seungmin dismissing bathing together as just another weird thing he was copying also hurt. Not gonna lie, Hyunjin was a little annoyed at that assumption.
“Stupid husband,” Hyunjin grumbled to himself as he sulked on the couch, knees drawn up to his chest. And yeah, Hyunjin was an absolute sweetheart but he could get angry too.
But… not for very long he supposed. Because it didn’t take much time for anger to fade and worry to set in again. It was upsetting, yes, but Hyunjin was also concerned about how tired Seungmin must be to lash out like that. At the end of the day, Hyunjin knew that Seungmin didn’t actually mean any of those things. This was the kind, warmhearted Seungmin who always looked after him so carefully from when they were strangers to what they were now. The one that Hyunjin fell head over heels for immediately and happily continued to fall for everyday.
Well, I guess Minnie knows what he’s doing so I should just wait for him to sort it out. Hyunjin sighed as he rested his cheek against his knee. But it was also making him restless just waiting around, he had to do something .
His eyes landed on their proposal bouquet as he thoughtfully stared into space and then a lightbulb went off. He had been building upon the idea for a while but he hadn’t had time to put it into action. And now was as good a time as ever if Hyunjin wanted to surprise Seungmin.
Bubbling with a new excitement, Hyunjin grabbed his things, the bouquet, his coat, what else did he need? His hand froze just before he could turn the knob to Seungmin’s room as he debated going in to say goodbye. In the end he decided against it, after all Seungmin was busy and he wanted this to be a surprise so he should sneak out and sneak back as discreetly as he could. He still left Seungmin a note just in case though.
“Hope your work goes well, love.” He whispered to the closed door, resting his forehead against the wood for a brief moment. That would have to do for now.
And with the soft click of the front door, Hyunjin was off.
-
“Let me get this straight, you want me to cast a shrinking spell on these flowers while there’s already an existing enchantment on them.”
“Yup.” Hyunjin confirmed, staring expectantly at the mage.
“Hell Hyunjin, do you have any idea how hard it is to layer spells?” Jisung sighed in frustration as he examined the bouquet. “If you slip up on something both enchantments might be compromised. Not to mention, this is nature magic. That’s not even within my domain!”
“That’s why I’m asking you! If anyone can do it, it’s gonna be you. No way I’m gonna trust another mage with this.”
“And you trust me ?”
“Of course! You’re the magical prodigy of our generation.” Hyunjin grinned up at him. “A genius as our professors would say.”
“I agree I’m a genius but flattery won’t get you anywhere.” Jisung grumbled although Hyunjin could tell flattery was very much getting him somewhere. Maybe he was laying it on a bit thick but he genuinely meant every word. Han Jisung was a genius, that was a fact.
Jisung stared at Hyunjin, then the bouquet one more time before he finally sighed in defeat.
“Fine. But you owe me for this.”
“And you owe me for sneaking out all those potion ingredients past Minho-hyung when you were up to your little experiments. So now we’re even.”
“Your precious proposal bouquet is literally at my mercy so maybe you should stop acting like a little shit.”
“Maybe you should stop being an asshole and be happy for your friend’s marriage. Gosh, Jisung this is why you’re single.”
“If I weren’t a good friend, I wouldn’t be spending the next four hours and all my mana to cast this spell for you.” Jisung shot back as he perched his glasses on his nose. “And I am single by choice .”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll come back and collect them later. I’m going to drop by home.” Hyunjin said cheerfully as he skipped out. “Oh by the way, I’ll put in a good word for you with Minho-hyung so you can start rethinking your choice.”
“You—!”
Hyunjin disappeared out the door before Jisung could finish his sentence with only the sound of his fading cackles left behind.
-
It’s been about three months since Hyunjin moved in with Seungmin and about a month since they had so-called officially become husbands. And while they had technically been married since Seungmin had given him the bouquet, Hyunjin preferred to see the day when Seungmin had asked him to be his husband as another day worth remembering. He was glad he had managed to make their new rings in time to commemorate that day too.
Now, Hyunjin had mostly adjusted to city life. He knew how to get around from place to place, knew where to go to stock up on groceries or borrow books or pick up food he didn’t know how to make. He knew how to take the bus to the photo studio Seungmin often worked at and he knew how to get back to Aetherius on his own. He really liked exploring the area around Seungmin’s apartment. As much as he loved the comfort of their home, he also had a little bit of an excitement that couldn’t be contained within the walls of the apartment.
Today, Seungmin was occupied for the entire day with work which meant that Hyunjin was left to his own devices. His own devices being the urge to run out of the apartment and explore another stretch of road he hadn’t been to before. This time, he didn’t have to worry about getting lost.
So far, Hyunjin has passed a convenience store, a bookstore which he poked his head into for a moment and a cafe. He was just about to head into the cafe when he noticed a small figure out of the corner of his eye.
“Let me help you with that.” Hyunjin offered, quickly rushing over to support the trolley wobbling under the weight of several sacks.
“Thank you so much young man.” The old lady smiled as she let Hyunjin take over.
“It’s really no problem,” Hyunjin assured, returning the smile. “Where are you going?”
“Just down to the end of this stretch, that’s where my flower shop is.”
“I didn’t know there was a flower shop in this area!” Hyunjin visibly perked up in excitement.
“It’s quite a small shop tucked away in the corner but we’ve been around for a while. Are you new to this city?”
In the end, Hyunjin walked her all the way back to her shop and helped to unload the heavy sacks of fertiliser into the back room because how could he just leave like that? The thing about forest spirit strength was that it really came in handy when carrying things, things ranging from bags of an old lady and one’s own spouse (Seungmin was always embarrassed about that but Hyunjin found it cute.). And after that when Mrs Oh had insisted on preparing him a cup of tea in thanks there was no way he could decline such a delightful offer.
So here he was, seated at a lovely little garden table and chair set that had been brought indoors, serenely basking in the tranquillity of the quaint little shop. The shop was small for sure, nothing too fancy but everything in it hummed with a welcoming atmosphere. The interior was cosy and Hyunjin could practically feel the flowers singing praises of the lady’s care for them. The energy was good here.
“Thank you so much.” Hyunjin received the tea with a bow of thanks.
“It’s no problem dear, I should be the one thanking you.” Mrs Oh chuckled as she sat down on the other chair, regarding him with a fond look. “You’re a forest spirit aren’t you?”
“I am! You can tell?”
“Oh yes, magical beings aren’t common in this city but I once had a forest spirit under my care. The best help I’ve ever had and such a sweet girl. She worked here while she studied in university. I do miss her now and then.”
“Did she go back to Aetherius?”
“Not at all,” She smiled. “She was whisked away by my cheeky son to the next city over. I’m rather miffed he went and stole my best worker away from me but I suppose I should be grateful, I now have a lovely daughter-in-law.”
“That’s great, this might be a bit late but congratulations.”
“Well, your congratulations are just in time to welcome the news of my first grandchild.” Mrs Oh chuckled. “So what brings you to this city, my dear?”
Hyunjin was, of course, more than happy to indulge her in his own love story and Mrs Oh was equally as endeared to hear it, being absolutely supportive of every heart fluttering moment and cooing in delight when Hyunjin showed her his ring.
“What a precious relationship you have, you’re very lucky to have found each other. Now it’s my turn to offer some belated blessings.”
Needless to say, the companionship between the two hardly needed any additional time to blossom with them already absorbed in chatter of this and that and nothing and everything.
“You’re most welcome to come and play here whenever you’d like.” Mrs Oh said when Hyunjin pointed out he might need to return home soon. By this point, Hyunjin had already been adopted into her care. “I would love the company.”
“I definitely will, please let me know if you need any help here too!” Hyunjin promised as he gathered his things. He wondered if he should buy back some more seeds for his balcony garden.
That is, until the twinkle of the door chime pulled him out of his thoughts and suddenly Hyunjin was staring at the surprised features of his husband.
“Minnie?” Hyunjin asked in surprise as the door swung close behind him. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask the same question to you, I thought you were staying home for today.” Seungmin replied amused.
“I got bored and decided to explore.” Hyunjin grinned. “I left a note.”
“We should really get you a phone one of these days.”
“Your husband, I presume?” Mrs Oh asked with a warm smile.
“Yes, this is Seungmin. Seungmin, this is Mrs Oh.” Hyunjin introduced and Seungmin quickly offered a bow.
“Seungmin? Ah, I see. You’re the one who placed an order this morning.” Mrs Oh said with a twinkle in her eye, looking back and forth between the two before fixing on Hyunjin with a giggle. “You’ve got a real keeper here, dear.”
“Order?” Hyunjin tilted his head quizzically, looking back to find Seungmin looking away and with bright red ears.
“Can you wait outside while I get them? I want it to be a surprise.” Seungmin mumbled, still avoiding eye contact. Hyunjin thought he might either faint or explode on the spot.
“You’re so cute.” Hyunjin gushed as he pecked a kiss to Seungmin’s flushed cheeks before obliging, making sure to call out a last goodbye to Mrs Oh.
Hyunjin did his best not to peek behind him when he heard the door chime ring again followed by Seungmin’s footsteps behind him.
“Hi.”
He could hear the smile in Seungmin’s voice.
“Hi.”
“You can turn around now.”
Hyunjin swivled around, kept his eyes closed for a while longer before opening them and seeing his husband standing before him, smiling shyly at him holding a bouquet of purple tulips in his hands.
“Happy anniversary Hyunjin.” Seungmin said as he passed him the bouquet. “It’s been a hundred days since we first met.”
Hyunjin took the flowers in awe, stared at them, then at Seungmin, then the flutters and fireworks take over and the next thing Seungmin’s knew, he had an armful of Hyunjin and warm lips smashed against his.
“Thank you, my love.” Hyunjin said giddily once they separated, resisting the urge to hug his husband to pieces. “I love them, I love you .”
“I love you too.” Seungmin pressed one more kiss to his lips before he separated them and intertwined their hands.
“Are you free tomorrow?” Seungmin asked as they slowly made their way back home under the setting sun.
“I should be, why?”
“I was thinking, do you,” Seungmin cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes. “Do you want to go on a date? For our anniversary.”
“I mean if you don't want to that’s okay too, we can just stay home and celebrate but I thought since we technically haven’t been on a date before it might be nice to go on our anniversary.” Seungmin quickly added on as his ears turned red again. Hyunjin wanted to reach forward and pinch them.
“I would love to, my cute husband.” Hyunjin giggled, indulging himself to reach out and play with Seungmin’s burning ears teasingly. “Do humans only go on dates to celebrate anniversaries?”
“No, we can go on dates whenever we want.” Seungmin smiled back, holding his hand just a tad bit tighter.
“Let’s go on many dates.”
“Let’s.”
“By the way, you– um, know the meaning of those flowers right?” Seungmin asked again a while later.
Hyunjin took a moment to stare at the flowers again, the delicate purple petals swaddled in soft crepe paper. Some were in full bloom, some were still buds. That must have been an intentional request by Seungmin since he knew how much Hyunjin loved to watch flowers blossom. He smiled to himself as a warm feeling he knew was love spread from deep within his chest and thrummed throughout his body. Hyunjin gave Seungmin’s hand a soft squeeze. It was enough to convey what he was feeling.
“I know.”
-
purple tulips
— eternal love.