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As always, Namjoon was the last to arrive. The party was being held at Yoongi and Jimin's place this year (because Hoseok had declared a 3-year ban from his home after the rest of them had covered everything in his apartment with wrapping paper), and he could see that their cars were all already outside. He pulled up and turned off the engine, but sat in the car a moment, taking some time to compose himself and figure out what excuse he was going to give this time.
Usually, it didn't matter. Everyone liked to tease him about that one time he'd forgotten to bring everyone's presents, and the time he'd forgotten that they'd left the oven on (in his defense, he was kissing Seokjin on the way out the door, so both of them were distracted), and that time that... well, you get the picture. But this time, he'd forgotten (and had to go back for) something even more important:
Seokjin's engagement ring.
Or, what he hoped was about to become Seokjin's engagement ring.
He couldn't just waltz into Yoongi & Jimin's place and say that, though, so Namjoon spent a few moments sitting in the residual warmth of the car seat and pondering what he should have forgotten this time around. He was finding it hard to settle on an excuse - maybe he was nervous, or maybe he was excited, or maybe a little bit of both - and was mulling over the merits of forgetting the wine or forgetting his keys in the office when he saw the curtain twitch, and a familiar figure peering out at his car. His heart did a little flutter, as it always did, and he knew that he had to stop stalling.
Namjoon looked down at the little box in his lap, flipping it open briefly so that he could see the ring. "Well," he told it, as the front door swung open, "Here goes."
~
The thing about proposals, Namjoon mused after he'd gone through the obligatory round of hugs (some more strangulatory than others) and deposited the wine in the kitchen, was that it was all about timing. The Right Moment was important, he felt, but it was so difficult to find. Should he do it now, just before everything had started, or should he do it at the dinner table? Should he hide it in Seokjin's dessert? He'd been thinking about this for weeks now, and he still didn't have a good answer. He just hoped he'd know the Right Moment when he saw it.
They - and by they, he meant himself, Seokjin, and the other five dorks in their friend group - were currently all sitting in the living room, with its eclectic mix of knitted blankets and unusual Christmas lights (both Yoongi's fault). Seokjin's hand was on his knee and Namjoon's arm was on the sofa behind him. Yoongi and Jimin were sprawled on the carpet nearby, a small pile of beige and black and blonde, and Taehyung was gesticulating about something from the arm of a chair. Namjoon hadn't been paying attention much, honestly, just happy to bask in the company and ponder the Right Moment, along with the way that Seokjin leaned forward and laughed occasionally, squeezing Namjoon's knee companionably as he did so. They'd been dating for years, but Seokjin never failed to make Namjoon stop and think wow, he's so pretty, as if he'd just seen Seokjin for the first time.
"Earth to Namjoon," Seokjin murmured, poking him in the cheek, right in the spot that (Seokjin claimed) a mile-wide dimple occasionally appeared. "Hoseok just made a philosophy pun and you didn't say anything. What's on your mind?"
The other five were now tussling over who got to open the wine, but it was as if they were in another world. Was this the Right Moment? Namjoon swallowed, suddenly nervous. "You," he said truthfully, and Seokjin blinked, a smile curling up his cheeks. "Really," he hummed, in a low tone that only Namjoon could hear, leaning in a bit closer. "What about me?"
Namjoon's hand drifted into his pocket, fingers wrapping around the tiny box. "Well," he started, heart pounding away, "I was thinking that -"
"Yah!" Jungkook declared, finally noticing that Namjoon and Seokjin were practically breathing the same air. "This is a no-kiss zone! Five push ups to anyone who violates the rule!"
"But what if I want to kiss Yoongi? It's my house," Jimin objected, sticking out his lower lip in a pout. Jungkook began to argue ("At least wait until after dinner,") and Seokjin laughed from beside Namjoon, tugging on his sleeve. "You were saying?" he asked, and Namjoon wrinkled his nose thoughtfully. The Moment was gone, he thought, particularly as Jungkook and Jimin started to tussle on the floor, with Hoseok refereeing. "You're perfect," he said simply, and Seokjin ducked his head with a smile.
~
Eventually, after a few flung pillows and Taehyung's hair being irreparably mussed, the lot of them settled down enough to decide that they were hungry. Somehow, Seokjin ended up in charge (as always), grabbing a hideous Christmas-themed apron and tying it over his button-up and slacks. Namjoon, having lived with Seokjin for several years, rolled up his sleeves and did as he was told, not wanting to face the wrath of a well-aimed spatula. Despite his efforts, it always seemed that someone forgot not to give Seokjin sass when he was handling appetizers, though, because eventually Seokjin was chasing Hoseok around the kitchen with Taehyung and Jungkook egging them on, and Namjoon ended up nearly dropping the cutlery anyways.
After Seokjin had smacked Hoseok in the back of the head and scolded him, they managed to get dinner into some kind of order. The table was heavily laden with food, Jungkook was practically salivating into the potatoes, and Taehyung had been scolded more than once for trying to get the dessert out of the refrigerator first. Namjoon, personally, would not be surprised if they discovered that one of the cupcakes was missing (and that was a conservative estimate). All in all, it was (as always) a happy chaos that descended upon the dining table, with chattering bouncing off the walls and everyone's elbows brushing as they tried to cut their meals.
The conversation had long since diverged from Grown-Up topics like work and traffic to other things, such as the everlasting debate over whether Yoongi and Jimin were going to get a cat or a dog. They'd moved in together 5 years ago - almost as long as Seokjin and Namjoon, but not quite - and still had yet to settle the question. Yoongi wanted a cat, because they were less work and he 'already had an overexcited snuggle fiend in the house'. Jimin, on the other hand, argued that Yoongi took cat naps enough for three, and that a puppy was just what they needed.
"Plus," he said enthusiastically, bouncing slightly in his seat and blinking innocently at Yoongi, "It would get us out of the house! We could go for walks - "
"Me," Yoongi interrupted, deadpan. "Daily walks."
Jimin pouted and kicked Yoongi under the table, resulting in Yoongi assuming a wounded expression. Seokjin, on Namjoon's right, snorted and elbowed him gently in the side, sharing a knowing look before he returned to his food. Namjoon nudged him back, not needing to say anything (or wanting to get between Seokjin and his food).
"Why not get both?" Taehyung pointed out (not for the first time). Yoongi and Jimin's heads both swiveled simultaneously to look at him with matching suspicious eyes. "Get a puppy and a kitten and then I could come play with both of them - "
"Here we go again," Hoseok laughed. "You've got to be careful, or you're going to end up having three pets."
"Taehyung isn't house trained, though," Yoongi objected, and the entire table dissolved into laughter, before Taehyung started to declaim on the merits of having him as a house pet.
"What would you think about a pet?" Seokjin murmured in Namjoon's ear, drawing his attention away from Taehyung explaining how he could be trained to fetch. Namjoon raised an eyebrow at Seokjin, amused.
"You want a pet?" he replied, smiling at Seokjin like he always smiled at Seokjin, inevitably and with great fondness. "You'd be a great parent." Seokjin tsked and tapped Namjoon on the nose, but Namjoon continued. "I, on the other hand, forgot the r- uh. I forget a lot of things," he amended, resisting the urge to have his hand drift towards his pocket to make sure the ring was still there. "I don't know if that's a good quality in a pet owner. They have to be all ...responsible."
"You're responsible, Joonie," Seokjin retorted. "You take care of me, don't you?" He grinned. "I think pet care is a lot easier."
Namjoon opened his mouth and then paused, considering Seokjin thoughtfully. "Really?"
"Really," Seokjin affirmed. The sincerity in his eyes was real, and Namjoon took another moment to feel blessed by Seokjin's presence in his life before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. This was The Moment, he thought, as he drew away from Seokjin's skin, completely unaware of the argument that was now going on at the table about whether a lizard was a good pet or not. Namjoon cleared his throat once more and started, "If that's the case, then how would you feel about -"
"DESSERT!" proclaimed Jimin at the top of his lungs, and Namjoon startled, his nose bumping into Seokjin's face. Seokjin made a soft noise of indignation, and when Namjoon had finally righted himself, everyone was standing, bustling around the table to tidy up the dishes. Rubbing his nose petulantly, Namjoon wondered how he'd ended up messing up this time, and pushed off from the table with an irritated expression.
"Ate too much?" Hoseok asked as he stacked plates, and Namjoon's hand went back to his pocket.
"Something like that," he agreed, and headed back into the kitchen to help out.
~
Seokjin had, somehow, convinced the three youngest that they should wait to have their dessert, something about being able to enjoy it more. As such, it was only Namjoon and Seokjin left in the kitchen to wash up, with both their sleeves rolled up past their elbows and Seokjin once more wearing the ugly Christmas apron. Strains of piano music were emerging from the front room - Yoongi, no doubt having been coerced by Jimin to play Christmas carols - and soon enough, a wobbly chorus arose. Namjoon grinned into the bubbles and scrubbed at a plate in time to the music, happy just to be there, surrounded by friends, even if he'd splashed his jacket with suds and he still hadn't found the Right Moment.
Somehow he wound up with no more plates to clean, and so he moved over to help Seokjin dry everything and put it away, working in companionable silence as "Silent Night" wrapped around them like a warm blanket.
Seokjin put down the spoon he was holding and nudged Namjoon's arm, smiling at him with intent, something in his expression that made Namjoon's breath catch in his throat. "Hey," he murmured, voice just carrying to Namjoon under the music, like a secret for him and him alone. He put down the plate he was holding and tucked a hand into his jacket, tracing the box instinctively.
"Hey, you," Namjoon smiled at Seokjin in reply, feeling his heart pounding in his fingertips against the tiny black box. Seokjin's smile widened, and he stepped closer, threading an arm around Namjoon's waist and peering up at him. "Hey, yourself," he returned, now flush against Namjoon's front, warm and happy and beautiful. Namjoon pressed a kiss to his forehead, and then another to his lips, a brief 'hello' just to tease Seokjin, who would start to pout if he didn't kiss him 'properly'.
Sure enough, the pout was appearing, and Namjoon grinned into Seokjin's face before placing his free hand at the small of Jin's back and bending him back in an exaggerated, show-stopping kiss, feeling him smile against his lips. When he brought the two of them out of it (with great reluctance), Seokjin was beaming, cheeks flushed and eyes bright, and Namjoon knew this was The Moment.
"Hey," he started, voice low and serious. "Can we talk-"
Unfortunately for Namjoon's Moment, he hadn't noticed that the music had dissolved into squabbling some time ago. Footsteps were now rapidly approaching the kitchen, culminating in the appearance of Taehyung in the doorway. "Seokjin!" Taehyung whined, ignoring the fact that Namjoon and Seokjin were busy and hurrying over to tug on Seokjin's sweater, making the most adorable face he knew how. Namjoon scowled at him. "Seokjin, you've got to come sing, Hoseok hyung keeps getting the harmonies wrong and Jungkook won't stop making up his own tune."
That was it, Namjoon thought, toying with the small box in his pocket. It was a conspiracy. He was being... being... proposal-blocked. Don't go, he tried to convey to Seokjin with his eyes, but Seokjin was already laughing and agreeing, letting Taehyung tow him away. Namjoon swore that he saw Taehyung wink at him as he kidnapped Namjoon's boyfriend, but there was nothing for it. Next time, Namjoon vowed, he was going to do it, regardless of who else interrupted.
The music started up again, this time bolstered by Seokjin's lovely voice, and Namjoon sighed with longing and turned to put the dishes away.
~
They'd had dessert, Namjoon had been dragged into another round of carols, and they were now all sprawled around the Christmas tree, in a genial sort of half-comatose state. Namjoon's head was pillowed on Seokjin's thigh and he was just enjoying the view and the feeling of Seokjin's fingers occasionally carding through his hair as the conversation wound lazily from topic to topic. He was seriously considering dozing off in Seokjin's lap when Yoongi sat up suddenly, disrupting Jimin's attempt to climb on top of him, and offered a cheerful smile at the group.
"Should we do presents?" he asked, voice clearly eager, which transformed Jimin's pout into something closer to adoration. "Yes," he proclaimed, jumping to his feet and scurrying away, obviously to retrieve his presents from the closet he 'hid' them in every year. Seokjin shifted Namjoon's head off his lap to retrieve his own gifts, and Namjoon made a noise of protest.
"Don't you want your present, Joonie?" Seokjin teased, hand resting on his forehead. Namjoon pretended to consider this.
"But I already have everything I want," he replied, ignoring the gagging noises that Jungkook was making from the cushion nearby. Jungkook might have been sickened, but Seokjin kissed Namjoon's forehead before sliding away to get the presents, eyes fond. Namjoon considered feeling sorry for himself, but at the sight of the quickly-massing presents under the tree he decided against it. He could feel sorry for himself after he opened his gifts.
Once everyone had piled their presents under the tree, the space dissolved into happy chaos once more, with people throwing gifts at each other and chattering thanks. Taehyung squeaked in joy at the entire series of manga that everyone had pitched in to get and tackled the person nearest (Jungkook) to express his gratitude, Yoongi bashfully handed Jimin a tiny hand-wrapped package containing couple phone charms and then grinned at Jimin's furrowed brow before pulling out a pair of plane tickets, and Hoseok announced everything in a radio host voice before Seokjin smacked him over the back of the head. Namjoon grabbed a present at random and started to unwrap it, noting that it was from Seokjin before he popped open the lid and blinked at the necklace inside. There was something tiny engraved on the inside of the curved metal and Namjoon peered at it thoughtfully before jerking his head up and narrowing his eyes at Seokjin, who was smiling expectantly.
"Do you like it?" Seokjin asked, and Namjoon looked back down at the necklace and smiled.
"It's perfect," he said to his lap, tracing the words with one gentle fingertip, only to have Seokjin reach across the wrapping paper-strewn floor and gently tug it out of his hands. "Here," he said, holding it up to Namjoon's neck, fingers gently adjusting the chain against his throat. Namjoon looked at him, really looked at him, and felt his cheeks being pulled up by an unstoppable smile, felt Seokjin's hands carefully pressed against him, and knew that even if this wasn’t it, he couldn’t wait for the Right Moment.
Seokjin was saying something, but Namjoon didn't hear him, too focused on taking in the details of his face. He never got tired of looking at Seokjin, Namjoon mused once more, and he knew that he wanted to look at him like this - just like this, with Seokjin as his whole world, present to the exclusion of everything else - for the rest of his life. And with that, he didn't feel nervous any more - just calm. This was the best decision he'd ever make, and all he had to do was step forward and do it. One little question, that's all it was, in exchange for a lifetime of happiness. He couldn't believe he'd waited this long.
"Hey," Seokjin said for the fourth time, expression amused. "Earth to Namjoon?"
"Hey," Namjoon replied automatically, and took Seokjin's hand, gently plucking the necklace from his fingers and tucking it in the box. "I have something to say."
Seokjin's expression shifted to one of confusion. "Joon?"
He took a deep breath. "I think we should get married," he said, suddenly aware of the silence and the five sets of eyes on him, holding various stages of shock. Namjoon focused on the gaze that mattered. "I love you," he stated firmly, "And I love the way you boss everyone around and the way that you take care of everyone and the way that you put up with me and how we fit together. And I think -" he swallowed- "that I want to keep being bossed around and taken care of and put up with for the rest of my life. And maybe... I can support you and take care of you and make you smile for the rest of yours."
Seokjin's smile was looking a little wobbly around the edges, and Namjoon paused, brow furrowed, looking across at him with concern. Was this how proposals were supposed to go? He wasn't sure. Maybe it wasn't the Moment after all. "So, um," he said, and then remembered the ring. "Oh! Shoot. I have a ring," he rushed out, and pulled it out of his pocket, offering the box to Seokjin, who had his free hand pressed to his lips and was looking suspiciously teary. "And I love you. So." It was hard to open a ring box with one hand, Namjoon was discovering. Seokjin took pity on him and helped, revealing the ring to an expectant audience. "So," Namjoon repeated. "Will you marry me?"
There was a moment of silence. Had he said something wrong? Should he have waited? Namjoon bit his lip thoughtfully, trying not to overthink and unable to look away from Seokjin as he waited for an answer.
"Dammit, Kim Namjoon," Seokjin said finally, eyes shining and lips curling up into a smile, "I thought I was going to propose first."
And then he was kissing him, so Namjoon - one hand wrapped around Seokjin's waist, the other awkwardly holding a ring - decided that this meant 'yes'.
~
(Soon after, Namjoon discovered that Taehyung, Jimin, Hoseok and Jungkook had all bet on Seokjin proposing first. When he thanked Yoongi for his faith in him, Yoongi snorted.
"Faith?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "More like excellent odds.")