Work Text:
gyuvin has a plan for his life.
he thinks about getting married once he hits thirty, and his idol career is done. he thinks about having two to three kids, and a house by the sea farther in the country. he thinks about leaving his job once he’s feeling like he did enough, and finally enjoying the last years of his life. really, that’s all he can wish for.
gyuvin had a plan for his life.
because his life doesn’t seem so predictable anymore now that he’s in this hotel room, looking at his hand. by his side, there’s an unmoving body, and he’s scared to recognize who that person might be. because it’s not right to think what he thinks about. there are no reasons for it to be this way. although no matter how much he tries to convince himself it’s not true, he can’t deny the obvious evidence.
well, there goes his plan for a quiet and chill life.
he doesn't remember much about last night. he simply knows that for their world tour, zerobaseone went to las vegas as a stop in their journey, to discover the city and film some variety content. of course they didn’t go into the casinos considering gunwook and yujin are still minors according to the american laws, but they spent some good moments all together, giggling and simply walking down the city.
he remembers zhang hao and hanbin walking side by side, attached by the hips and softly laughing together, ignoring the rest of the members. and it reminded gyuvin of their boys planet days, when these two would always seek the other’s presence, without bothering to pay attention to anyone else. and just like everyone else, he thought they would detach once the show was over.
boy how wrong he was.
but it’s not relevant for today’s story. once their outing was done, they went back to their hotel. the room arrangement was easy to remember. jiwoong with zhang hao. taerae with matthew. hanbin with gyuvin. and ricky, yujin, gunwook in the last room. easy. except that the night before, gyuvin spent the whole evening alone because hanbin was too busy spending time with zhang hao in his room.
so, on the second night, gyuvin invited ricky to go out a bit, with their manager, to avoid the loneliness of his room. having an american background, ricky accepted, not without putting conditions. no drinking, no smoking, no doing drugs and absolutely not going to clubs. he knows how dangerous the usa can be when you’re not prepared. innocently, gyuvin said okay.
three hours later found them walking in the same streets, now entirely dark, wobbling and giggling, completely drunk. even their manager gave up on them, trying out different whiskies and vodka shots, forgetting his responsibilities. wakeone would slap them hard, but to be fair, none of them really cared. it was their first time in forever finally acting like people their age.
the rest of the night is a complete blur, but gyuvin remembers the soft touch of fingers against his skin, and that same voice he dreams about whispering words in his ear. until he fell asleep, luckily back in his hotel room. if he recalls well, said room was empty when he came back, meaning hanbin went somewhere else during the evening.
and he’s not sure he wants to know the details.
going back to the present.
gyuvin is still looking at his hand, where, weirdly, there’s a ring now. a very pretty, shiny and silvery ring. it must cost a fortune, and he’s not sure if he’s the one who bought it. if that’s the case, then he has every right to be scared for his bank account. the three part time jobs he did when he was younger won’t really help him this time.
the blanket next to him moves, and he has to force himself to suppress a scream when he notices the blob of blond hair on the pillow. there are only two options left now.
one ; gyuvin came back to the hotel with a stranger, and spent the night with them. surprising, but not really considering he’s a man in his twenties who constantly lives with eight other men. the only problem would be forcing that person to not say anything at all. but in the back of his mind, gyuvin knows that’s probably not the truth.
two ; the person next to him is his bandmate, best friend, platonic soulmate , and partner in crime, shen ricky. and it pains him to admit, but it’s the most believable option out of the two. because that hair tone looks just like ricky’s. and the body pressed next to his own feels oddly familiar.
gyuvin lets out a sigh when he takes into account everything. he’s lying in bed, with ricky by his side, a ring on his finger, and not a single memory of what happened last night. let’s put everything back in the right order.
ricky, in his bed, gyuvin, with a ring on his finger. a night, drunk, in the middle of las vegas. a ring. las vegas. gyuvin jolts out of bed. this couldn’t be worse. this just can’t be worse that what happened. the manager and the members are going to start a riot when they will learn the truth.
ricky and gyuvin got drunkenly married last night in las vegas.
—
“now tell me exactly why you thought it would be a good idea to spend the night outside when you’re a public personality, and you have a contract.”
hanbin’s voice is stern, flat, nothing like gyuvin is used to hear. this time, it sounds like he’s getting scolded by his father after breaking a flower pot. which he didn’t do ! it was eumppappa who knocked it down ! anyways.
“because i was sick of being alone in the room ! we’ve been rooming since the first day of the world tour, and never have you thought about me… you were always with hao !”
“and i don’t regret it one bit. but gyuvin, you went outside without telling me, you brought a manager with you, got him drunk, and then you wandered around the city with ricky until you came back. tell me how i’m supposed to explain that to the company.”
“just don’t ? if no one knows about it, why would you need to explain ? we’ll just bribe the manager into not saying anything, and boom pow. problem solved.”
as hanbin is about to answer, zhang hao enters the room, panicked, sweating and nervous at the same time. gyuvin has never seen so many emotions on his face. except maybe for that one time in boys planet…
he urges directly to hanbin, who secures him next to him, making sure he doesn’t hurt himself when he flops down on the bed. alright, now it’s gyuvin’s time to third wheel, perfect. not only is he getting scolded, but he also - of course - has to suffer their obvious flirting. nice. when will he be able to go back to his room ?
a room where ricky is sleeping, oblivious to the rumpus going on. well, gyuvin actually doesn’t want to confront ricky now, and explain to him that they got married during the night. he decides zhang hao will do a better job anyway.
“is there a problem ?”
“gyuvin and ricky ! they’re everywhere on twitter !” he shouts. “someone took a picture of them yesterday and since that, they’ve been trending.”
“come on, it can’t be that bad. it’s just like us, we’re always trending, because people love seeing us together, it’s our dynamic.” hanbin tries to reassure him.
“no, it’s not. because you see, these two are making out fully in the picture. in public. in las vegas. and they both have the same ring on their finger. do i need to explain now why it is a problem ?”
there’s a heavy silence in the room, soon followed by the sound of a door slamming. not even two seconds later, it’s jiwoong who enters the bedroom, looking utterly serious. and gyuvin can only think about one thing ; he’s royally fucked.
“we all.. saw it right ?” jiwoong says.
hanbin’s phone ping at the same time. and then again, and again, and again. they all look nervously at the number sending messages. hanbin gulps, and starts reading, one by one. once he’s done, he raises his gaze. he doesn’t even seem angry anymore, but sincerely sorry and terrified of what may happen in the future.
“looks like the ceo will come to tomorrow’s show in atlanta. so we have to welcome him like we should. or else, we can say goodbye to the contract, and our heads.”
gyuvin sighs deeply, hiding his face in his hands. it all became this bad because of his own stupid idea, and now the whole group is in danger. but most importantly, what will ricky say ? him who agreed last night on going out, and who’s now legally married to his bandmate. shen ricky, kpop idol, twenty one, now married to his best friend, who’s - oh - also part of the kpop industry.
they need to make sure everything is fine until dispatch decides to hunt their ass.
“i’m going to wake ricky up. i will talk to him as well, so you all,” zhang hao points to hanbin, gyuvin and jiwoong, “try to find a quick solution, at least until tomorrow.”
and then, zhang hao is gone, down the corridor, right in the direction of gyuvin and hanbin’s original bedroom. the three men stay silent for a long amount of time, until the door opens, revealing matthew, who’s still very much sleepy, considering the bed hair and his half opened eyes.
“why did zhang hao pass by me while screaming his mandarin ? did i do something bad ?”
jiwoong pats his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“oh matthew, if you knew what happened…”
—
ricky opens his eyes to a sudden light and a gentle humming. his head hurts, and his vision has gone all blurry. he can’t remember much about what happened last night, but he knows gyuvin was somewhere in the equation. however, the bed is cold, and he’s all alone.
except for that tall silhouette in the corner of the room.
ricky screams when he realizes someone is watching him. without his glasses, and with the morning fog, he only sees an unknown intruder. he’s ready to call the manager or whatever police is available right now, before a voice calls him.
“wait ricky ! it’s me ! hao !”
that mandarin tone with an accent ricky is familiar to makes him relax. he rubs his eyes, and waits a few seconds, until his vision becomes clear again. clearly, it is zhang hao, standing oddly in the middle of the bedroom, fidgeting with the hem of his sweater (hanbin’s sweater) and biting his lip. ok, now this is weird.
“ok..? what are you doing here ? what time is it ?”
“ricky, listen, i have something to tell you.” zhang hao mutters, his voice soft and calm. but somehow, it doesn’t make ricky feel way better. if anything, it stresses him out.
“as long as you don’t tell me you’re pregnant, or worse, i’m pregnant, everything is alright.”
zhang hao scoffs and almost chokes on his own saliva, before coughing and regaining his composure. ricky sits up, his back against the cold wall. at least, he’s not naked, he has his pajamas on, and his body still feels the same. not aching or anything. so why is zhang hao still in the room, looking constipated ?
“listen, ok. and please, don’t panic.”
“you know the fact you’re saying that will make me panic even more.” he raises a brow, but eventually drops the attitude.
“ricky, seriously. do you remember last night ? you went out with the manager and gyuvin, right ?” ricky nods. “ok good. you three went downtown, to get wasted in fact, and you were all terribly drunk. to put it clearly. do you remember that part ?” another shake of his head, in the other direction. “oh lord… well, don’t freak out, ok ?”
“you’re scaring me.”
zhang hao takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and opens them, looking at ricky deeply.
“it seems like you two, gyuvin and you, had the amazing idea of visiting a church in the middle of the night. in vegas. after getting drunk.”
“are you implying that…”
“that you two are now legally married according to the american law ? yes. yes you are. and someone took a pic of you during the night, after the wedding ceremony probably, and it’s literally spreading everywhere on twitter.”
ricky screams a first time. then he checks his hand, sees the shiny ring on his finger. and he screams a second time. he slaps himself, to make sure he’s not stuck in some kind of very realistic dream. but unfortunately, the pain is still there, and nothing changes. which can only mean one thing : this is the real world, and the ring on his finger doesn’t disappear.
he’s legally married. at twenty one years old. with his best friend. marrying your best friend usually doesn’t happen until both of you are old, crusty and single. not when you’re still very young, and in the middle of a promising career.
“no ! no ! that can’t be ! i’m young and- i can’t ! oh my god. what will my parents say about it. i can’t be married this young, or else i’ll be the family’s disgrace. they’re never going to let me set foot in china again… what do i do ?”
zhang hao side eyes him a bit, not understanding his thinking process. if it was him, he would freak out about the fact he’s married to his best friend, more than being married while only being twenty one.
“are you not concerned about being married to gyuvin ? is that not what bothers you ?”
ricky stops in his commotion and looks around. luckily, only the two of them are in the room right now. great, because he wouldn’t accept someone else hearing this conversation. even if these two are the only ones speaking mandarin fluently among the group members.
“i mean, it’s better than finding out i’m married to a stranger, isn’t it ? and i trust gyuvin a lot, he will… he will know how to get us out of this situation.”
“how can you be so calm about it…”
“look, it’s just like.. imagine you’re the one who ended up married, but to hanbin. you wouldn’t be scared because it’s him, you would be scared because we’re not supposed to marry someone overnight. it’s not written in the contract. right ?”
now that zhang hao thinks about it, it seems legit. not that he would mind marrying hanbin… he thought about it once or twice (or thirty five times) since they met, and surely, it doesn’t really disturb him. but the thought of fucking up the group is worst than anything in his opinion.
“that’s not the point. so, considering the problem, the director will come tomorrow, for the show. so… i don’t know, good luck ?”
“that’s definitely not the right thing to say in this situation.”
—
“so what do we do now ? do we wait for the hype to die, which will probably not happen, or do we post something, anything, just to say we’re not hiding.” taerae says, obtaining everyone’s attention.
after a difficult morning spent pondering what to do, and how to do it, they all chose to act as if nothing happened, at least their group dynamic hasn’t changed a lot. matthew is still adorable, jiwoong is still their well respected oldest member, yujin sticks to hanbin and zhang hao, taerae is stil a T, and gunwook brings joy to the group.
only ricky and gyuvin are awkwardly throwing glances to each other, while also watching the way their rings match. why didn’t they remove it ? good question. none of them have the answer for it. it’s a silent rule now. they just keep it, and it’s definitely because they paid, and that the ring is too pretty to be removed.
not because they actually secretly enjoy it. not at all.
“first, we need to get through the airport, which will be a hard task in itself, and then, we will see. the flight won’t be too long, but we will have the privacy we need. there, we will talk about it further. but for now, let’s just eat in peace.”
hanbin’s words, as the leader he is, manage to calm them down. ricky sees how his hand finds its way on zhang hao’s thigh, and the contact immediately calms him. he wonders, why did it happen to him and gyuvin ? it would have made much more sense if it was hanbin and zhang hao.
these two who can’t leave each other alone, who spend all their time bickering gently, who remember every single detail about the other. who are linked by the red string of fate, in a way. and somewhow, he feels like he sees himself in zhang hao.
when he watches them argue over every little thing in the dorm, he feels like they’re just the older version of gyuvin and him. but that wouldn’t make sense. because ricky doesn’t like gyuvin the way zhang hao likes hanbin.
right ? right, he doesn’t. he never even imagined exploring the world with him, bringing gyuvin back to his hometown to meet his parents, or even settling down somewhere for a long amount of time, with animals, flowers, and everything nice. no, he never did that. but now that he does, he finds the idea quite pleasing, in fact.
he shakes his head. when he does, he catches gyuvin’s gaze right on him. he immediately turns away, pretending he wasn’t obviously ogling ricky.
ricky blushes.
next to him, yujin raises a brow, patting ricky’s leg to get his attention.
“something’s the matter ?”
“so like… it’s not a joke ? you two really got something going on ?” he suddenly says, catching ricky off guard, and making him choke on his food. he coughs loudly, and wipes off the excess of food with his napkin.
“why are you asking me that ? of course not, it was a… mistake i guess. we’re going to get this sorted out sooner or later. and even if we did, with our contract, we can’t allow this type of thing. you will know when you're an adult.”
“i’m not that young you know.” yujin pouts.
“surely you’re not. but i’m sorry you also have to suffer such a crisis as a group member when you’re not even the one who did it in the first place. i wish the group wouldn’t be affected when it’s only gyuvin and i’s problem.”
yujin considers his words, before shrugging and putting a whole fried chicken piece in his mouth. ricky almost panics, ready to practice cpr if he chokes, but eventually, yujin manages to swallow.
“i just think sometimes, the best opportunities can be found in the worst crisis.”
ricky raises a brow.
“who did you steal the quote from ?”
“i didn’t, it was my own idea. pretty cool uh ?”
—
@dispatch
idols shen ricky and kim gyuvin from the group zerobaseone seen together in las vegas last night. the nature of their relationship is still unknown.
“you’re trending.” hanbin tells gyuvin as the plane is about to take off. this time, the company was able to purchase business class tickets, allowing them more privacy than in the beginning of their contract.
yet, gyuvin still feels watched.
and it’s definitely not linked to the fact ricky is right on the row next to him, stealing glances before avoiding gyuvin the best he can.
“would be the first time it happens.”
“i wish it would have been for another reason…” hanbin sighs. “i can’t believe you two… why did you even think of that ? there are a bajillion other way to spend time together in vegas and yet you decided to get married.”
“i don’t know ! ask my drunk self and maybe you’ll get an answer. because sober me can’t understand either.”
they stay silent for ten long minutes, while the plane takes off. when they’re finally up in the air, gyuvin changes seat, and goes next to zhang hao. he doesn’t do that often, but right now, he feels like he might need his advices. and zhang hao is known to be their emotional support. so he is the right person to talk to when you feel down.
he unplugs his earpods and looks directly into gyuvin’s eyes. and somehow, it’s like zhang hao already knows why he came to him.
“everything’s alright ?”
“do you think i did it because of some subconscious thoughts i’ve been ignoring for months ? because it’s weird to suddenly, you know… marry your best friend.”
zhang hao quirks a brow, but doesn’t say anything. he simply smiles and looks over, to where ricky is peacefully sleeping, eye mask half falling on his face.
“where did you get that from?”
“i read an article before taking off. it was talking about releasing your true feelings when you’re drunk, and apparently, that’s when you’re the most honest.” he mumbles. “do you think i asked ricky to marry me because i’ve been dying to do it already ?”
“that’s an interesting interpretation. maybe you did.”
“but then… does that mean i’m in love with ricky ?”
gyuvin feels his own heartbeat speeding up, so much that his heart is about to get out of his chest, and leave his body once and for all. his cheeks are probably pink by now, and he’s shivering just thinking about how he shamelessly acted last night.
wait. if they got married. does that mean…
“oh my god, i kissed ricky.”
“how do you feel about that ?” zhang hao asks, suddenly really interested in the conversation.
“i wish i wasn’t that drunk yesterday, because now i don’t even remember it ! it would have been so much better if we did it while still being sober.”
seeing gyuvin sulking and pouting makes zhang hao snort, and even if he tries to not show it, it’s already too late. even yujin, who’s on the parallel row, hears them.
“does that mean you would have done it if you were sober ?”
“i don’t know. yes. no. maybe ? how am i supposed to know ? do i just randomly go and ask myself if i would kiss him ? because the answer is yes, have you seen how smooth and glossy his lips look ? it probably tastes like honey.”
“ok gyuvin, i agree to help you with your feeling issues, but i’m not here to hear you talk about how much you want to kiss your friend.” zhang hao cuts him in his words, plugging back an earphone.
“if it were you talking about hanbin you would like me to listen.”
zhang hao rolls his eyes and adjusts the face mask he has kept since boarding. they still have three hours before landing, and he would rather use that precious moment to rest instead of having to deal with his bandmates' love affair. even if, technically, as the second oldest, he should listen and help them.
everyone has their own issues at the end of the day, and it’s only fair wanting to focus on himself.
gyuvin eventually comes back to hanbin, who has been watching them both. he tries his best to be supportive, although he doesn’t know how he should help them. maybe if he helps himself first, he will be able to guide them through their love quarrels.
“how did it go ?”
“maybe if you sorted your bullshit with hao first, we wouldn’t all be so stressed.”
gyuvin puts his airpods in, closes his eyes, and clenches on the blanket. if everyone can have a rest, then he might as well take a moment for himself. since the morning, everything has been so hectic that he finally allows some time to breath.
—
#1 trending on twitter - worldwide
#gyuricky
@#######
so like, r they something or r they not ? because they were seen together in VEGAS, mf VEGAS, known as the city where people make stupid decisions
and like, have u seen their hands ? they both have rings now, and if i remember correctly it didnt exist before. so call me delulu or shit but
what if they got drunk and eventually married ?
replies :
@######
yall delulus r making me hate the fandom
die
@######
chill bro u can disagree without being an asshole
@######
dont yall find it weird that neither the group or the company made a statement about it ? like we definitely saw them together and the pics r everywhere but they havent said anything :/
@#####
leave them alone
ricky sighs, turning his phone off. he has seen enough of this bullshit already, and he doesn’t know if he can handle it anymore. the situation is hard enough for them, but if the public starts messing with it too, then how are they supposed to clear the misunderstanding ? are they going to lie about it ? it’s true that they are now legally married.
hanbin even found a marriage certificate in gyuvin’s pocket during the flight. which also meant all their hopes about it being an inside joke and actually not a real engagement disappeared. now, it’s impossible to back off. according to the american laws, they have to wait at least a year of marriage before being able to divorce.
which would mean a whole year of living married with gyuvin until they can break it. and honestly, it still feels like a very vivid lucid dream, and ricky will probably wake up at some point. right ? there’s no reason this would be entirely real. come on, he has more common sense than to suddenly marry his best friend.
best friend he might or might not have undeniable feelings for. but that’s another story.
“ricky… are you ok ?”
caught up in his thoughts, ricky didn’t realize he had been crying for the past few minutes, back against the bathroom door. his cheeks are wet, and his eyes red with blood. he must look pathetic, and if there is one person he didn’t want to see while in such a condition, it’s precisely kim gyuvin.
kim gyuvin who’s watching him, worry painted over his face.
“yeah… just a bit shaken by everything happening. you know… first time getting married i guess.”
“at least we’re together in this.” he tries to reassure ricky, and weirdly, it works. he chuckles lightly, drying his tears with the sleeve of his sweater. “i’m sorry you have to go through this.. if i didn’t get this stupid idea, everything would have been fine.”
“you don’t have to apologize, i agreed to it in the first place. and honestly, it relieves me that it happened with you. if it had been a stranger or anyone else in the group, i would have felt way worse.”
gyuvin laughs nervously, pretending he isn’t affected by ricky’s words. he thought about it, too. the fact it was them two, and not anyone else, and that maybe, it was a sign from fate or something. that maybe, just maybe, he should be a man for once, and admit things he’s been hiding for years. since he has started stuttering over how handsome ricky was in the over me performance.
gyuvin should have known at that time, that it wasn’t very platonic friendly to say that about another contestant, and even less to think about him every night before going to sleep. but was he able to stop ? absolutely not.
if he’s totally honest with himself, gyuvin knows it started even before boys planet, when they were practicing in the yuehua dance rooms. they knew eight of them would go to boys planet, and ended up rehearsing together. and even though, objectively speaking, zhang hao was the best among them all, gyuvin couldn’t help but look at ricky. there was something in his aura that was just so endearing.
and as the show went on, his adoration for ricky grew bigger and bigger. until he couldn’t repress it. he just had to accept something : he was deeply in love with his fellow bandmate. not just a simple crush, no. gyuvin was in love and desperate . the worst case scenario when you’re an idol. and the fact his drunken self decided not only to flirt with ricky, but to marry him proves how much he loves him.
this is terrible, a terrible situation.
“gyuvin, are you okay ? you don’t seem well… you’ve been spacing out for quite some time now. is it because of me ?”
“yes. i mean no !” gyuvin panics. “in a way yes but ! it’s not in a bad way, so you don’t need to worry. in fact, it’s only me, i’m the problem. i’m the only one at fault here.”
“hey, calm down. if something happened you can just… sit down and explain it to me. you know, it’s just us in the room tonight so… don’t be scared of someone walking in.”
gyuvin sighs, hiding his blushing face with his hands. there is nothing to do anymore now. except accepting the truth and maybe revealing those hidden feelings. if there’s a right moment to do so, it’s now. considering their career will end in about two months, if something bad happens, it won’t really be as awful as if the contract just started.
they can handle two months of awkwardness. well, gyuvin thinks so, at least.
he raises his eyes, falling hopelessly into ricky’s deep gaze, still as beautiful and entrancing as well. and sometimes, when gyuvin looks at him, he wonders how such a pretty human was born. did the gods give birth to him themselves ? it’s not even fair for all the other men in the world to have shen ricky as their competition.
“i don’t know how i’m supposed to say it because it’s so sudden and everything that happened was kind of wrong. because… we’re young and idols, and getting married in the middle of vegas during our career isn’t supposed to be the best decision. and the worst part is that… i’m not even sad, i’m worried for our teammates, but i’m just happy it was with you !”
“what do you even mean..?” ricky asks, breathless.
“i’ve been in love with you for years, and that’s precisely why i asked for your hand in marriage when we were wasted ! my brain decided it was the best i could come up with to express my feelings !”
there’s a weird silence among them in the bedroom. gyuvin didn’t really measure how loud he was talking, and now he’s pretty sure even yujin and taerae, in the room next to theirs, can follow the conversation without much struggle. well, too bad for them.
“gyuvin… it’s not something to joke with.”
“i’m not joking. never when it comes to you and to my feelings. i mean everything that i said. and if you don’t feel the same, it’s ok, i know how overwhelming it might be to deal with such a sudden confession. i just hope it doesn’t make things awkward between us. if our friendship dies, i think i’m going to jump off a bridge because after all that happened, you’re still my best friend and the person i trust the most in my whole li-”
gyuvin stops talking. in fact, he doesn’t willingly stop, he is forced to. by a pair of soft lips against his own. it tastes like strawberry milk and spring flowers. like… lilies and roses somehow. or maybe gyuvin thinks that because it’s the only flowers he knows.
ricky immediately pulls away, his cheeks as red as tomatoes and breathless. he looks around, absolutely avoiding eye contact, completely terrified of what he just did. maybe gyuvin didn’t mean it like that, or didn’t want to touch him yet. or maybe he assumed weird things, and now their whole friendship will collaps-
gyuvin is kissing him back.
“please tell me you won’t run away after.” gyuvin pleads against his lips, his words laced with agony and adoration.
“i won’t. i never will.”
“good. because i’m not letting you go. i put a ring on your finger, and i’m not ready to remove it.”
the innocent kissing soon turns into a heavy make-out session, ending up with ricky pressed against the wall, at his mercy. the atmosphere is hot, steamy, and if it wasn’t for the door opening in the middle, who knows how far they would have gone. jiwoong stands in the entrance, blinking rapidly and trying to erase the memory from his brain.
“good. perfect. i will tell hanbin to not worry about you two then.”
he slams the door when he walks away, and both of them hear him complaining to matthew in the corridor. for a man from the previous century, gyuvin thinks he talks a lot. shouldn’t he simply be happy for his younger members ?
“we should sleep. it’s late anyway, and we have a concert tomorrow.” ricky mumbles, hiding his face in the crook of gyuvin’s neck.
“we… we should, yeah. do you want to.. put the beds together ?”
“you sound like you’re asking me to put my minecraft bed next to yours. how romantic.”
gyuvin only smiles when he starts arranging the room, just enough to make sure there won’t be a hole between the beds. he doesn’t want ricky to fall overnight because of his stupidity. gyuvin receives a text message from hanbin around twenty minutes later, but he vows himself to not read until the next morning. right now is about ricky, and also getting the rest he needs.
tomorrow is another day.
—
“care to explain exactly what happened ? you have a concert in less than three hours, and we have to deal with the rumors of you two having an affair. so tell me, what should we do ? considering the fans are most likely going to be all over the place because of it.”
the meeting room is filled with such a strange air that even the staff members are feeling under pressure. although none of this is related to them. gyuvin, particularly, nervously moves around on his seat, unable to stay still.
“apparently, it’s a real certificate, and it can’t be undone before a year of marriage. unless we engage in some really complicated procedures which will cost way too much. sir, i’m sorry, but for now, there is nothing we can legally do, except waiting for a year.”
their ceo sighs deeply, rubbing his temples. he never imagined having to come over to the usa because two of the members got married. he had imagined every single scenario, yet, this one was never even an idea. because he really thought they would be mature and smart enough to not end up in this situation.
“so… gyuvin and ricky. wait, have you even checked the certificate ? maybe something changed in your identity and you didn’t even notice it.”
hanbin, as their responsible leader, get the certificate from a folder. he reads over the usual information, telling them that they are legally married by the vows of god, and that they should cherish their union bla bla bla. he sees their signatures at the bottom, and a small line written under it.
and hanbin nearly faints.
“what does it say ?” gunwook asks, but it’s zhang hao who gets the paper in his hands. after his reading session, he has almost the same reaction as hanbin,
“hmm… how do i say that. it’s very weird that we never noticed it before it should have our first reflex.” zhang hao sighs. “ricky, you’re gonna be a kim for at least a year. you wrote, it’s your writing i swear : i, shen ricky, recognize kim gyuvin as my husband, and wish to take his last name. thus, i, will live with the name kim ricky from now on.”
the whole room falls into a huge silence, as everyone is avoiding eye contact with their neighbor. ricky, especially, only has one desire : to be buried alive and never see the light ever again.
yujin snorts. he can’t control himself anymore and lets out a little laugh. thanks to his youngest member privilege, no one gets mad at him, even more, it helps relax the atmosphere. everything goes relatively well,the ceo and manager talking about legal actions, when he gets an idea. a very good idea, if you ask him.
“why don’t we just let them show it ?”
everyone turns towards yujin.
“what ? is it that crazy ? when you think about it, the group is close to disbanding, as much as it hurts me, so it wouldn’t affect the reputation too much. it’s time for things to change things in the industry. and it would be a first step !”
“that’s a gigantic first step here, han yujin. you do realize no one ever admitted being in a gay relationship, and even less in a gay marriage all at once.”
“people have been talking about them for years anyways.” jiwoong shrugs. “it’s like announcing something about hao and hanbin, everyone already knows, and i’m pretty sure they would be supportive. if you knew the number of people who decided to watch boys planet because of that.”
the next two hours of preparation for the show are spent in utter nervousness. hanbin and zhang hao are on the side, biting their nails and wishing for the best to happen. they don’t know how their ceo will react, and what he will decide to do. because some people are unpredictable, and that man has been for the past years.
it’s ten minutes before the opening ceremony when he steps towards them, his poker face still in place, as every single time they talk to him. ricky and gyuvin trail next to him, fidgeting with their clothes. whatever he will say, will seal their fate as artists.
he opens his mouth, and everyone around them holds their breath.
“you can announce it, do as you please. the company will make a public statement in the evening. good luck, and have fun performing.”
they all thank him while bowing. it must have been a tough decision to take as well, considering everything related to the group is on the line. but eventually, it led to a good ending. ricky almost stopped hoping for it when he took into consideration all the consequences. but now, it’s just him, his teammates, and gyuvin.
kim gyuvin. and kim ricky.
—
the concert is amazing, as expected from their fans. they perform every song with enthusiasm, as if it was their first show ever. when it’s time to say goodbye, they drop the news, they cry, they shout with their fans, and they leave.
the hotel waits for them. ricky and gyuvin isolate themselves as soon as they can, biding good nights to their friends. jiwoong sighs, complaining once again to matthew about how they’re going to be neighbors with the married couple, and that they should go to sleep the quickest possible to even imagine getting some rest.
hanbin scolds them all one last time, before going to his own room, shared with none other than zhang hao. if you ask ricky, these two are probably the worst among them all. but he knows he can’t say that aloud, so he keeps quiet.
at precisely ten in the evening, usa time, the group's official twitter account releases a statement. it says, in big letters : ‘idols gyuvin and ricky are now officially married, congratulations to them, and we hope they will continue to adore each other, happily ever after.’
they laugh at it for three minutes, before finally calming down. the comments are burning, everyone is mostly praising them and overall, the public reacts in a good way. ricky releases a sigh, breathing now way better than before. he closes his eyes, and let himself fall into the soft mattress. ten seconds later, another body presses on the bed, right next to him.
“i can’t believe it all happened in two days. it’s like i’m dreaming…”
“aren’t you happy ? you’re officially a kim now. after all this time i spent making a fool of myself by calling you kim ricky. it’s now a hundred percent true !”
“i hate you…” ricky mutters, but it’s empty of any anger or resentment. if anything, he sounds even more fond than ever. “you’re such an idiot.”
“too bad, you’re stuck with me now. i’ll be your idiot, but forever.”
gyuvin has a plan for his life. he imagines himself living by the sea, with a cat, and a dog, if he can. he thinks he might get a small job, to pay the bills, and maybe take piano lessons, just for fun. he thinks about opening a flower shop, because why not ? and when he comes back home, he finds his husband painting in the conservatory, sunset light shining on his blond hair.
gyuvin has a plan for his life, and in every single thought, he sees a man named kim ricky.
Fin.