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Chan wandered back and forth between the living room and kitchen of his apartment. His heart pounded quickly, and it somehow felt like it was exploding from his ribcage. He kept on cracking his knuckles and rubbing his sweaty palms on his black ripped jeans. Inhaled, exhaled. Chan was SO damn nervous!
"Sigh. Minho, really. I’m doing this all for you.”
He stood in the middle of the house, checking what he had just done in a span of three hours. He decorated his apartment with heart-shaped purple and blue helium balloons. There was a rose petal walkway from the main door to the living room. He even hung a banner with something written on it;
‘Happy anniversary, my Min.’
For the nth time, Chan took out the small black velvet box from his pocket. He wanted to check if the tiny jewellery he bought for his lover was there—even though it was obviously is, because he never took it out of the box.
"Will Minho like it? He’ll probably like it, right? But what if he didn’t? What if he rejected me?" Chan’s overthinking kicked in his head. He quickly shook his head and put the box back into his pocket again.
He stared at his Rolex, which showed 7:36 in the evening. Minho would arrive in a few. Chan took another long and deep breath and carefully stepped towards the dining table. He prepared steak for his dinner with Minho. Chan isn’t a great cook—because Minho is the one who’s in charge of cooking in their house—but at least he made an effort to follow step by step the recipe he found online, in hopes, Minho wouldn’t make a disgusting face after eating it.
While he was lighting up the candles on the cake he bought earlier that day, his ears caught the sound of someone entering the passcode of his apartment door. Who else could it be other than Lee Minho, who just got back from work?
Chan quickly ran to the switches and turned off the lights. He took the cake, standing in the middle of the apartment, inhaling one last deep breath before meeting his boyfriend.
"I’m home." Minho closed the door. He looked around the dark and quiet apartment. "Hyung? Are you home? Why is it so dark? Channie-hyung?"
Minho frowned as he stepped on something strange to his toes. He turned on the lights and his jaw dropped when he saw Chan standing with all those decorations in his apartment.
"Welcome home, Minho." Chan said with a very warm smile.
"Hyung, what is this?" Minho walked between the rose petals, approaching the love of his life.
"Happy 3rd anniversary, love."
"Hyung." Minho’s heart softened looking at Chan.
"How is it? Do you like it? "
"Very much." Minho took the cake and put it on the coffee table behind Chan.
The ‘tsundere’ and hard-headed Lee Minho immediately threw himself into Chan’s warm embrace. "I like it so much," he mumbled as he snuggled on the older's neck. “Thank you, Hyung. "
"Glad you like it. I got so worried over nothing.”
"Why? Do you think I would hate it if you did all this?" Minho broke the hug but still held onto Chan’s waist.
"Umm.. maybe?"
"Well, yes if you did it in public. But I'm glad you didn't." Minho smiled. "I love you, Hyung."
"I love you too, Minho." Chan pulled Minho into another hug. He felt a little better than before but still nervous because there was a small box inside his pocket that he hadn’t taken out yet.
—
The couple then moved to the dining table to eat. Chan poured the wine into Minho's glass, not forgetting to steal a kiss on the younger's lips before moving to his seat across from him. Minho’s cheeks flushed pink, but THE Lee Minho just rolled his eyes while Chan giggled at him.
"How was it?" Chan asked after Minho took a bite of the steak he cooked by himself.
"Umm..." Minho chewed on it, looking intent on judging his boyfriend's first ever cook (aside from ramyeon). "Good."
"Just good?"
"Yeah. You overcooked the meat. You know I liked it rare, but this is medium rare."
"It’s different?"
"Of course!"
Chan clicked on his tongue and pouted. Minho couldn’t hide his smile when he saw his big boyfriend sulking.
"But it’s good, hyung. I still like it.”
"Really?"
"Yes, look at me." Minho put a tiny piece of steak in his mouth and happily chomped on it. "Umm, very delicious!"
Chan’s pout turned to a giggle.
"You’re cute, you know?"
"I know." Minho proudly replied.
The couple then continued to eat their dinner while Minho talked about his day to Chan.
—
After they finished their food, Chan, who had forgotten about what was inside his pocket, became nervous and mentally panicked again. Minho offered to wash the dishes, and Chan couldn’t say no because the younger insisted on it.
Chan just sat in the living room, eyes glued on Minho’s back who was washing the dishes. His right hand was inside his pocket, gently rubbing the small box. He was thinking about how and when to get on his knee. What should he say to Minho? And what should he do if Minho rejected him?
Ah, snatch that. All Chan knew was he will propose to Minho that night. Rejection is the last thing he will think about. He just wants Minho to know that he is serious about their relationship. He loved Minho with his whole heart and wanted to grow old with him. Chan’s life isn’t perfect without Lee Minho in it.
"Hyung?" Chan snapped into reality when Minho tapped on his shoulder.
"O-Oh. Why, love?"
"Are you okay? I called for you but you just spaced out here."
"Sorry." Chan stood up and faced Minho, who raised his brows to the older.
Chan took both of Minho’s hands, gently holding them in his bigger ones.
"Hyung? Do you have something to say? You’re acting weird."
"I do." Chan looked at Minho deeply in his eyes. "Minho, do you love me?"
"Of course!” Minho answered within one second. Not even stuttering because that was how he genuinely felt for the older, anyway.
"Same goes for me. I love you so much, Lee Minho. I love every moment I spend with you."
"Hyung.. are you okay? Are you sick?” Minho puts a hand on Chan’s forehead to check whether he’s really sick or not.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Chan was still holding onto Minho’s hands, gently.
"Minho, do you remember the time when you confessed to me then you ran away while crying because you were embarrassed?”
“I told you to never mention about that again! It was so embarrassing!” Minho’s face flushed red.
“It was the most unforgettable moment for me because it was the start of us. I don’t regret chasing you after you ran away from me. Minho, I never regretted anything I’ve done to you, for you.”
“Hyung…”
"The first kiss we shared, our first date, the first time we met our parents, and all those first times we had together, I love it all. I still get butterflies whenever I think about the first time I got to hold your hand."
"Oh my goodness. Bang Chan, can you please tell me what this is all about?" Minho’s heart pounded super loudly.
"Minho-ya." Chan got down on one knee, left hand still holding Minho’s hand while the other rummaged in his pocket.
“I am truly, sincerely in love with you." Chan said, taking out the box from his pocket. Minho’s jaws dropped when Chan showed him the content of the box.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
“Channie Hyung…”
“I promise you, no one will work harder to make you happy or cherish you more than I do. You deserve the very best, Minho. You deserve someone who will back you up without limits, someone who will make you forget what sadness feels like and someone who loves you without end. And I want to be that person for you."
“….”
"Lee Minho, will you marry me?"
Minho teared up. In less than a second—well, he didn’t need a long time to think because he was also stupidly, truly, genuinely in love with this Australian guy kneeling in front of him—Minho bent forward and wrapped his arms around Chan’s neck, hugging him tight.
"Yes." Minho said with tears rolling down his cheeks.
"W-What?"
"Yes! I said yes, idiot."
Chan let out a relieved sigh. He hugged Minho’s waist and smiled.
"Thank you, Minho. Thank you. "
"No, I should thank you for loving me, Hyung. You’re the best boyfriend I ever had. I love you so much, Channie-hyung."
"I love you more than everything, Minho."