Chapter Text
It all starts with Seonghwa saying, “I wish I could get a puppy.”
He’s saying it all softly and sadly, making Hongjoong perk up immediately. They’re sitting at the kitchen table, solving a puzzle to make sure all one thousand pieces are included before next weekend’s mother-in-law gifts it to the married couple. Seonghwa’s eyes are hidden behind black strands as he looks towards the table, unseeing.
“Why can’t you?” Hongjoong questions, sorting all the blue pieces he can find onto one pile.
Seonghwa looks up, incredulous. He points at the puzzle, as if that is enough explanation, but when Hongjoong doesn’t agree, he tries to spell it out. “I’m gone most weekends at some wedding or other. Make it a week for a destination wedding. I can’t take a puppy with me, that’s unprofessional.” His shoulders droop, and he pushes around some of the pieces without looking.
A dog has been his childhood dream, but his parents never had the time for one. He can’t imagine anything better than spending long afternoons walking forest paths, playing fetch, and getting home to cuddle together.
“I’m usually here while you’re gone, and vice versa. If you have to leave for a week, I can take the puppy to work with me.”
“But you can’t stay in every weekend. You would go nuts without your gym time, or going out with the guys.” Even though he is trying to convince Hongjoong how it wouldn’t work, Seonghwa’s voice is tinged with hopefulness.
“I work out in the park or at the lake, too – perfectly acceptable places for a puppy. And if we do need a sitter for a couple of hours, it’s not like your mom doesn’t love any excuse to come over.”
They chuckle, because Seonghwa’s mom finds a reason to come over to their place at least once a week. Seonghwa is glad that Hongjoong doesn’t mind his roommate's mother barging in regularly to make them a home-cooked meal or clean their kitchen appliances.
Sometimes, his mom even drops by when Seonghwa isn’t there, and still stays for coffee and a chat. It makes him feel all kinds of happy feelings to know that two of his favorite people hit it off so well.
He’s only been living with Hongjoong for half a year, after meeting at a wedding where Hongjoong was subbing as DJ and Seonghwa tried to recruit him for a fellow vendor. When they found out they were both looking for an apartment, Hongjoong tentatively suggested rooming together. It was one of the easiest and best decisions ever.
“If a puppy would make you happy, I’m sure we could make it work,” Hongjoong presses. His eyes are dry after working on the puzzle for over an hour already, and he gets up to make coffee. He’s brushing out the tangles in his blond hair with his fingers, shaking his head a little while doing so.
Seonghwa bites his lip, not daring to get his hopes up just yet. “Isn’t your girlfriend allergic to anything but people?” he asks, dimly remembering something about her breaking out in hives after petting a cat.
“Oh. Uh…” Hongjoong busies himself at the coffee machine, refilling the coffee beans. “She broke up with me last week.”
Seonghwa blinks. Last week? He turns to watch Hongjoong, squinting at his roommate. “What? You never said anything. Are you okay?” How does he not know this yet? He would’ve been supportive if he’d known the other was heartbroken.
But Hongjoong just shrugs, busy with the milk foamer. He is an absolute horror when it comes to cooking, but coffee is more of a strong suit for him. The smell of freshly made coffee is already wafting through the apartment. “Yeah, I guess it’s been pretty strained for a while. We left on good terms, though.”
Seonghwa hums. The relationship must have lasted more than a year – he would have expected some late-night crying and ice cream binging, at least. Hongjoong comes over with two cups, the milk foam swirled into leaf shapes. He smiles at that, thanking his friend, who is still standing, his hip leaning against the table.
“The wedding is on Saturday, right? Let’s go to the shelter on Sunday, then.”
He looks up, his eyes big and round. Hongjoong calls them his boba eyes, and whenever they’re in play, Seonghwa usually gets his way. Most of the time, he doesn’t even realize he’s using them.
“Are you actually serious about this?”
“Absolutely. I know we can make it work.”
When Seonghwa jumps up in excitement, he hits the table, knocking off some of the puzzle pieces, but he doesn’t care. He hugs Hongjoong excitedly and the other snorts, holding him close. They don’t usually hug, but it’s a nice feeling.
At the wedding, his mood is exhilarated. He watches the bride walk down the aisle after he righted the veil one last time, her white dress almost glowing in the sunlight. No forgotten rings, no late vendors.
The groom is teary-eyed, and many others wipe their eyes when they see the two join hands. Seonghwa feels the same sense of pride he always does when his plans work out. As a wedding planner, it’s his job to make sure the happy couple can enjoy their big day. He is working behind the scenes so everyone is in the right place at the right time.
He sees Yunho fiddle with the camera and make sure he gets the right angle during the vows. They often carpool to weddings when they’re both working the same one, as they’re both expected early and leaving late once everything is winding down.
Yunho also introduced him to some other vendors he often works with – Mingi and Wooyoung, who have their own high-end bakery, and Jongho, who is a fantastic wedding speaker. They became fast friends even outside of weddings, and Seonghwa introduced them to his own friends-turned-employees, San and Yeosang. He hired those two when he couldn’t meet the high demand anymore, and when he wanted to offer more slots for destination weddings. Yeosang loves traveling all over, and San is amazing with the most demanding customers. He has tamed many groomzillas or bridezillas in the last year.
It took them until Hongjoong joined the group to meet up more outside of work, though. Hongjoong established a monthly movie night at his and Seonghwa’s place, and keeps organizing outings for all of them. Now they’re a tight-knit group, even outside of the weddings they often meet at.
When the first dance is over, and the guests start dancing together, Yunho sidles up to him, handing Seonghwa a soda.
“Another successful day,” he says, his eyes twinkling. He’s gotten himself some champagne, sipping on the delicate glass.
“Yup, cheers to us.” They clink glasses, and Seonghwa downs half of it in one gulp. His mouth has been dry as a desert. It usually is by the time his work is done.
Yunho sways a little with the music, and they watch the groom’s parents make fools of themselves on the dancefloor. Yunho takes some covert pictures and then lowers the camera again. “You look really happy today.”
He hums, smiling to himself. “I’m gonna look at puppies with Hongjoong tomorrow.”
“I thought he had a girlfriend?”
“I worried about her allergy, too. But they broke up.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Yunho mumbles, but Seonghwa doesn’t acknowledge him, watching the bride like a hawk. Her bridesmaids are looking around panicky, seemingly searching for something. He walks over, asking what’s up, and finds out the bride has lost an earring, a family heirloom nonetheless. She is close to tears, her eyes already shining. So he gets on his hands and knees and searches the ground, eventually finding the earring under one of the tables.
When the night is well underway, and everyone is already too drunk to take good pictures anymore, Seonghwa and Yunho say their goodbyes. The wedding couple presses generous tips into their hands, thanking them profusely for their hard work.
No matter how many weddings he plans and executes, it’s always a high when they’re done and everyone is happy. It’s the most important day in the life of a couple, and he gives his best for each individual wedding day.
Later, after dropping off Yunho and getting home after midnight, he finds Hongjoong still on the couch, and joins him with a can of rum and coke from the fridge. He never drinks at the actual weddings, but when he gets home afterward, he’s happy when he finds a can stocked just for him. He loosens his tie and folds his jacket over the back of the couch. It’s a dark green suit, one of his favorites. The vest has silver buttons.
“Good day?” Hongjoong supplies, watching him loosen up. He is stretched out on their small couch, his laptop on his lap. Seonghwa takes his legs and drapes them over his own lap. There’s a true crime show running on their TV with the volume turned low since he got home.
“Yeah, real good. We had everyone crying by the end of the ceremony, and the weather kept up, too.” He pulls out his phone, showing some pictures. “I might suggest some of the decorations to the Italy couple, as well. They have a similar color scheme and it came out very beautiful in the raw photos.”
“I’m so jealous you’re going over there for a couple of days,” Hongjoong groans, but Seonghwa waves him away.
“I never get to go exploring at destination weddings. The days are packed and there are always some preparations in need of doing.” He takes a long drink from the can, then holds the cold surface to his cheek. It’s heavenly, and he closes his eyes. Most of those late nights, Hongjoong waits up for him. He says he worries about him driving himself home late at night and tired, and he couldn’t fall asleep until he hears him anyway. So they always check in with each other before heading to bed. “Did you go to the gym earlier?”
“Since it was so nice out today, I went to the lake and swam some laps. Your mom came over, too. You didn’t tell her about the puppy?”
“I missed all her calls this week. I guess she knows now?”
“Yeah, she’s super excited. Calls it her grandchild already.” Seonghwa’s eyes crinkle with his answering smile. “I called the shelter earlier. They expect us at noon and I told them a little about us, so they can evaluate which puppies are a good fit.”
“Mh, thanks.” He pats Hongjoong’s ankle softly, then drops his head back to rest on the back of the couch. His eyes close automatically. “I’m excited to see them. It will be so hard to pick just one.”
“If it works well, we can always get another one.”
Seonghwa smiles drowsily, knowing he will fall right asleep after his shower. “You’re the best.”
The puppies are indeed so cute that Seonghwa wants to get them all. One keeps nibbling on his toes, the tiny teeth pricking him through his socks. Another chases his fingers like they’re a toy. A third burrows into Hongjoong’s lap and falls asleep there. He knows even his boba eyes won’t help him here; taking care of one puppy will be enough of a challenge already, so he can’t take them all in.
So they just sit there for an hour, watching and interacting with the dogs, unsure what to do. The one that’s been sleeping on Hongjoong’s legs yawns, looks around, and then proceeds to climb into Seonghwa’s arms. He lifts him up and gets cute little licks on his face in return, giggling at the wet touch. Hongjoong’s eyes are soft. He reaches out automatically and wipes the spots on Seonghwa’s face dry.
“He likes you already.”
Seonghwa melts when the puppy cuddles against his neck, snuffling quietly. They share a look, and both know the decision is made for them. It’s a little white dog with a smattering of black dots over his head and legs. Two of them on his cheeks look like actual dimples, as Hongjoong points out.
He leans into Seonghwa and strokes the puppy between his little floppy ears.
“It’s him,” Seonghwa breathes and they smile at each other. When the employee comes over to check on them after a while, they tell her they’ve made their choice. Hongjoong goes to their car to get the crate they bought before coming here, and Seonghwa takes the puppy and follows the shelter employee into the office.
“I’m glad you found a good fit,” she says, motioning for him to sit down in one of the chairs. The dog burrows into his arms, as if he knows they’re about to go home together. “We just need to fill out some paperwork and then you’re free to go.”
“Yes, whatever you need.”
He fumbles for his ID with one hand and hands it over. She asks for some additional information and fills out her forms. With the warm lump in his arms, Seonghwa finds it difficult to concentrate.
“Did you and your boyfriend pick a name already? I can put it down here or you can just change his registration later on.”
“Boyfriend?” he asks, confused.
“Oh, sorry. Husband? I didn’t see a ring.”
It dawns on him that she’s talking about Hongjoong, and he isn’t sure whether he should find this incredibly funny or just embarrassing. They probably don’t get too many friends adopting dogs together. “Ah, you mean Hongjoong… We didn’t discuss a name, but…” He scrutinizes the dog that’s doing his best to fall asleep on his lap. His eyes linger on the little spots on his cheeks. “Let’s call him Dimples.”
“Cute,” she comments and adds the name to the form. Hongjoong joins them with the crate, and they transfer the dog over. Seonghwa hardly wants to let go of him, even if it’s only for the car ride.
On their way home, they stop again at the pet store. As they weren’t sure they would pick a puppy immediately, they hadn’t gotten all supplies beforehand. Now, Seonghwa flies through the aisles, putting anything in his cart that looks remotely useful.
And even though he had spent every free minute since the last wedding researching puppies and their needs, it’s still completely different to finally bring one home.
Dimples immediately pees into their entryway and Seonghwa groans.
“One of many firsts,” Hongjoong says optimistically, and they laugh it off. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end at one time. Whenever Seonghwa has a call he can’t cut short, or doesn’t set a timer, or is too slow to slip into his shoes to take Dimples outside, there’s a puddle.
They start a “Days since the last accident” tally and it stays at zero days for the first three weeks. Seeing that whiteboard on the fridge just puts him in a bad mood nowadays. Hongjoong starts adding little smiley faces or flowers around the zero to make it look less depressing.
“I’m a failure,” Seonghwa laments loudly while wiping down the living room floor. Dimples watches him with great interest, looking to the world like he did nothing wrong. Hongjoong is in the bathroom, loading the washing machine with their rug. “We’ve been back from our walk for five minutes. It’s like he holds it in until we’re here!”
Hongjoong returns, and he pats Seonghwa’s shoulder encouragingly. “It’ll get better. We just need patience, and maybe some better treats.”
“He is a sucker for cheese,” Seonghwa considers.
“Great, he’s in good company, then. Don’t you have a suit fitting you need to go to?”
He groans again. After the unexpected clean-up job, he is now running low on time. Hongjoong assures him he’s got it, after all he is already home from his job for today. So Seonghwa rushes through freshening up, cuddles Dimples for a moment and threatens him to just keep it together for the rest of the day, and then leaves.
His current high maintenance clients are Juliana and Lawrence, whom he dubbed the Italy couple since they are going to Venice for a destination wedding. Juliana has some family over there, and their wedding party doesn’t mind the trip. They are very particular and Seonghwa already had multiple late-night calls from Juliana and her mother, where he has to talk them down. Picking a color scheme was a whole ordeal, but after planning and executing well over two hundred weddings, Seonghwa knows exactly how to handle them.
He gets to the formalwear boutique just on time and sees the groom and his friends lingering in front of the shop. Seonghwa quickly takes the reins, greeting them and leading them inside. The clerk knows him already, and she supplies champagne and water for the groomsmen while the groom is led to the tux selection. Seonghwa follows him to make sure he chooses something the bride will approve of. The best man is trailing him, trying to strike up a conversation, even though Seonghwa is fixated on the groom.
“Hey, I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Law’s Best Man. If there is anything I can help you with, just say the word.” He’s a pale brunette guy with a smattering of freckles that kind of remind Seonghwa of his puppy. Apart from that, there are no similarities, though, since he’s kind of buff and on the taller side.
“You’re Samuel, then.” Seonghwa smiles, but doesn’t make it overly friendly. He’s learned he can’t make friends at every wedding he attends, so he keeps to himself and just focuses on the main couple. “As long as you’re organizing an amazing bachelor party for Lawrence, you’re good.” He steps away, scrutinizing the selection of suits the groom has chosen so far, but Samuel follows after him again, a hand softly touching Seonghwa’s elbow.
“Please call me Sam. And I mean it – I have flexible work hours, so I can come cake tasting or help fold napkins or whatever.”
Seonghwa looks at the hand still carefully cradling his arm, and tilts his head to the side, puzzled. “I’m not the one calling the shots, Sam. If you want to help your friend, talk to him. He can include you in however much of the planning he wants. I don’t do napkins, though.”
He gestures towards one of the suits, and the clerk nods and hangs it back without the groom noticing. Then, he’s standing guard in front of the changing room. Sam is still persisting.
“I have a friend who owns a vineyard in Tuscany. If you wanted, we could taste some of the wines and maybe serve them at the wedding.” Sam’s eyes are a piercing blue, standing out on his pale face. He’s surely a hit on Tinder. But he looks genuine and hopeful, so Seonghwa can’t bring himself to be too cold towards him.
“The wine selection is already decided; we’ve had the tasting months ago. Maybe you could gift them some of your friend’s wine as a wedding present, though. It’s nice to have a reminder from their wedding destination after they return.” Lawrence clears his throat, stepping out of the dressing room nervously, and Seonghwa asks Sam to sit with the other groomsmen to help his friend pick the best tux.
It’s not the first time another guest shows interest in him. Of course he’s flattered, but he has to toe a fine line – rejecting someone outright, especially someone with a central role in the wedding party, can lead to hostilities he doesn’t need on the day of.
Being too friendly has gotten him into some awkward situations in the past, though. He still remembers the mother-in-law who asked him to dance right after the couple’s first dance. Yunho was right there, photographing this moment with all its embarrassment, and posting it gleefully into their group chat. Hongjoong has a picture of that moment in his purse to pull out whenever he needs a good laugh.
For this night, he just steers clear of the Best Man, and after they pick the groom’s outfit, he helps the other guys in the party pick their groomsmen fits. They’re a good-looking bunch and he can already picture the wedding photos. They’ll look like a Hollywood party instead of a wedding.
Just before he leaves, his phone vibrates, and he checks it to find a photo from Hongjoong. It’s of Dimples snuggled on his chest, Hongjoong smiling the softest little smile. It warms Seonghwa’s heart. Despite all the accidents over the past weeks, he already loves this little guy so much, and can’t wait to cuddle him close.
The next thing he knew about but didn’t really take seriously was those sharp little puppy teeth. He’s been pierced so many times already, it feels like he’s living with a vampire. His hands are a patchwork of new and old bite marks, and eventually he gets a trainer and they have weekly sessions. Hongjoong always tries to be there as well, to make sure they’re on the same page.
After one of those sessions, they’re seated on the couch, just enough space between the two of them for Dimples to snuggle in there. He loves being close to both of them, and before he falls asleep, he vigorously licks Hongjoong’s knee.
“We’ve gone two days without an accident,” Hongjoong says, suppressing a yawn. They’re both moving sluggishly, because they still have to go for walks at night to make sure Dimples doesn’t make a mess in the morning. Hongjoong is nice enough to take over half of those; otherwise, Seonghwa would probably be a dead man walking during the day.
“Oh God, finally. Progress.” Seonghwa is writing some emails on his phone, while Hongjoong does a little more remote work on his laptop. Since he can’t take Dimples to work yet, he’s been cutting his hours short from time to time when Seonghwa has an early meeting he needs to get to.
“I don’t understand how he can be so smart when it comes to learning commands and tricks, but potty training is just failure after failure.” Hongjoong’s finger gently strokes the puppy’s belly, and they can hear him snore. They smile at each other, eyes happy.
“He’ll get there,” Seonghwa says, petting between the puppy’s floppy ears. Their fingers touch accidentally sometimes, but they don’t pull back. It’s just one of the ways their dog has brought them closer. “Sannie wanted me to discuss something with you. For the wedding in two weeks, the DJ canceled the contract and he can’t find someone good on short notice.”
“You know I already have a job, right? I’m not an actual DJ.”
He lets his eyes rove over Hongjoong’s eccentric clothes, much too cool for a regular office worker. His bleached hair falls past his ears, which Seonghwa knows gets him weird looks from coworkers sometimes – he’s been at the last Christmas party as Hongjoong’s plus one, because his girlfriend had a family thing that night. Hongjoong always stands out there, but he doesn’t like Seonghwa saying so.
“I know, but you’ve done about ten weddings by now, so you’re also not not a DJ.”
“You’re making my head hurt.”
He raises his hand between Hongjoong’s eyebrows, stroking down towards his nose a couple of times, the other letting his eyes fall closed, leaning into the touch. It’s helped him with headaches in the past. “You know I was just kidding,” Hongjoong mumbles, but doesn’t pull away.
“If you’d seen more weddings, you could appreciate yourself much more, I promise you that. You’re a natural with it. Also, it’s a pretty young couple, you would totally fit the party’s vibe. When it’s you at that booth, everyone ends up dancing.”
Hongjoong hums, still enjoying Seonghwa’s care. After long days at work, he often comes home with migraines, lowering the blinds on their windows and agonizing on the couch. Stroking his forehead like this is something Seonghwa’s mother has always done for him in his youth, and he was happy to find out it gives Hongjoong some relief.
“You’re really buttering me up, huh? You’ll be here to watch Dee?” The nickname came quickly, and they keep inventing new ones every day.
“Yes, I’m here. San is at the venue, so you won’t be on your own. I have a Sunday wedding that weekend, though.”
When Hongjoong opens his eyes, Seonghwa retracts his hand. “Alright, tell him I’ll do it for however much the other DJ was supposed to get. And if they have any complaints, that’s on you guys.”
“They won’t. I haven’t met anyone who didn’t love you immediately.”
Hongjoong’s smile is small and lopsided. “Did you?”
At their monthly movie night, their friends fawn over the puppy. Dimples just rolls onto his back, intimidated by all the tall men crowding close to him.
“Oh my God, I want one,” Wooyoung whines, but San shoots him down right away. “Sannie, you’re so mean! A kitten, then? A black one. Please?!” They continue bickering until their takeout arrives and everyone gathers around the kitchen table.
It’s always difficult to fit them all, even with the four folding chairs Seonghwa got recently. They jostle each other to fit around the table, digging into the dishes spread out on the tabletop. Dimples sits at Hongjoong’s feet, whining, but Seonghwa narrows his eyes. “He knows you’re the weakest link. I don’t want him begging at the dinner table, so no feeding him scraps. That goes for you, too, Wooyo.”
Wooyoung pulls his hand up, looking to the side guiltily. There’s a piece of chicken still in his fingers, and Dimples yips in disappointment.
“Man, you’re so strict, Hwa,” San comments, stealing the piece of chicken and flicking it into his own mouth.
“I need him to be well-behaved if we ever want to take him to work.”
“Let’s make him a ring-bearer,” Yeosang suggests drily.
Seonghwa just looks at him, unimpressed, but Jongho adds, “You wouldn’t believe how many couples do that. Once, we held the ceremony on a pier and their lab just jumped into the water to go after a duck, rings and all.” They all laugh, and start into chaotic stories of the weddings they attended. It’s not too long before Yunho shows that picture of Seonghwa and the mother-in-law again, and Mingi starts choking on his food, crying both from loss of air and laughing too hard.
After they’re done with dinner, everyone migrates to the couch to pick a movie, while Seonghwa busies himself with cleaning the table and storing away the leftovers. He takes Dimples for a short walk and when he’s back, his friends have spread out across the living room and queued up Parasite on the TV. Hongjoong scoots closer to Mingi to make room for him, and the puppy settles between the two of them.
In hushed tones, they discuss when they will have to take him for a walk in the night and whose turn it is, only to notice the others watching them with bemused expressions when they’re done.
“I love this,” Wooyoung just says, trading a loaded look with San.
“Do you call yourselves Mom and Dad?” Mingi asks innocently.
“It would be weird to call Hongjoong Mom,” Seonghwa says, his lip curled at the question.
“Yeah, Hongjoong totally has daddy energy,” Wooyoung snickers and is hit by a pillow from San, while Hongjoong just ignores them all, and starts the movie without another word.
“Are they saying I’m the Mom?” Seonghwa hisses, but the other just smiles, his eyes crinkling. After a while, Hongjoong replies, “Don’t let them mess with you. We’re good the way we are.”