uponinfinity (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
uponinfinity) wrote2013-09-29 11:01 pm
uponinfinity) wrote2013-09-29 11:01 pm
Entry tags:
your heart echoes mine (i think we're meant to be)
Title: your heart echoes mine (i think we're meant to be)
Pairing: Xiumin/Luhan, side!Kai/Kyungsoo (I'm terribly biased), implied!Tao/Kris
Genre: fluff, slight!angst.
Length: 8672w
Warnings: unbeta'd.
Summary: Minseok and Luhan have always been travellers on a voyage to happily ever after.
Pairing: Xiumin/Luhan, side!Kai/Kyungsoo (I'm terribly biased), implied!Tao/Kris
Genre: fluff, slight!angst.
Length: 8672w
Warnings: unbeta'd.
Summary: Minseok and Luhan have always been travellers on a voyage to happily ever after.
they meet on a monday. luhan has his guitar strapped to his back, 'oh fuck i'm going to be so late,' on loop in his mind. he spots his reflection in passing and almost pauses (his hair looks like he'd just rolled out of bed, and not in a good way, and he'd missed a spot during his morning shave) before deciding that his appearance can wait, he's just meeting up with the guys from the band anyway.
his head is a mess of i should have eaten some honey this morning my throat feels raw as fuck and when was the last time i washed this damned jacket and he's really not in the right state of mind to communicate with any other specimen of the human species. which, of course, means that now is when he forgets to look before he walks, promptly crashing into someone smaller. papers and notes and books cascade around him as luhan falls on his butt to the ground, and he's too caught up in the mess he'll have to clean up to take notice of the man (pixie?) he's probably bruised.
'watch where you're going, punk,' the man (or pixie?) mumbles, small hands frantically gathering up papers, shuffling them into haphazard stacks. 'it's going to take me forever to reorganise everything,' and luhan feels guilty, the beginnings of a pout forming on his lips.
'i'm sorry,' he mumbles, picking up a few papers and books to shove back to the man (he's a pixie, luhan's almost sure of it). he gets up and brushes himself off, offering a hand to the stranger, who just glares at it as if it has mortally offended him. luhan sighs. 'i'm luhan, by the way. and i really am sorry,' says luhan, pulling on his best smile, fully aware of the effect it has on other people.
the pixie (man, luhan means) reluctantly takes luhan's hand and lets himself be pulled up, and luhan smiles a little to himself when he takes note of the other man's height. you're just the right size, he thinks, but he doesn’t let himself think for what. 'is... is there any way for me to make it up to you, somehow? any way at all?' luhan asks.
the man (pixie) mulls it over in his head, arms cradling his stack of references. an impish (what is it about this guy that makes luhan think of fairytales?) smile dawns on his face, and luhan doesn't think it's normal for him to want to squish someone's cheeks as much as he does now. 'you could buy me coffee some time. like a huge one. a hugely expensive one. these papers aren't going to rearrange themselves, you know,' says the man. luhan's smile grows wider.
'deal. one hugely expensive cup of coffee to make up for me messing up your life's work, mr...?' luhan's voice trails off into a question, eyebrows raising expectantly as he waits for a reply.
'minseok.' says the other man, and luhan can feel his brain-to-mouth filter switching off. but that doesn’t stop him from speaking.
'minseok? as in m-i-n, in english?' luhan asks. minseok nods. 'why?' minseok asks, and luhan's smile breaks out into a full on grin. 'it's just that you're only one letter away from being mine.'
(minseok groans and turns away, face flushing as he clutches the slip of paper that has luhan's number on it.)
they go on their first date on a tuesday night. it's not ideal because luhan has a 2 500 word paper due for his 8am class the next morning (of which he'd written about five) and minseok has an exam at noon, but shy giggles and fluttering heartbeats can't wait the way academics can.
luhan holds the door open for minseok - 'after you, milady,' 'i'm a goddamned man, luhan,' - and follows after him, choosing the most discreet booth in the corner of the closest off campus diner he could find. the pvc sticks to luhan's pants and he winces when he moves (the sound that results is less than polite) but he thinks it's all worth it because there's that impish smile on minseok's face again.
'so, like - i barely know you,' luhan confesses, and he doesn't know what else he could have expected from minseok other than the blank stare and the blinks that constitute a reply.
'well, yeah - i don't generally give my life story to someone who messes up all my acts and statutes on our first meeting,' minseok teases. luhan grimaces, pulling the bottle of ketchup on their table toward him.
'it was an accident, i already said i'm sorry,' he says. 'and besides, you burnt a hole in my pocket with that drink.' the smile that seems to conjure butterflies in luhan's stomach appears on minseok's face again.
'alright, yeah, that was mean of me. i don't usually order that, i just did it to spite you,' minseok admits. luhan pouts again, completely forgetting his pact to be a proper gentleman tonight. 'it's not like i know much about you, either,' minseok adds. 'tell me about yourself, mr lu.'
luhan purses his lips together as he mulls the question over, at a loss as to where to start. 'um, well,' he begins, stretching his hands out over the tabletop, palms up. 'for starters, i play guitar.' minseok fixes him with the most bemused look luhan's seen in his life, and he has to physically bite back a giggle.
'no shit, sherlock. i totally couldn't tell, it's not as if your guitar didn't almost give me a concussion when we first met,' minseok deadpans. his eyes travel down to the pale skin of luhan's palms though, and he can't help but admire how calloused his fingertips are. they don't take away from his beauty in the slightest. 'tell me something else,' minseok prompts.
'um, well - i'm in a band? and i - i sing,' luhan says, his last words coming out in a rush. his cheeks flush a pretty pink at the look of admiration on minseok's face.
'no way,' minseok breathes, and luhan just shyly nods. 'look at you, so shy all of a sudden,' minseok sneers, and luhan feels himself steadily getting redder, so he hides his face in his hands.
'your turn,' he mumbles, voice muffled as it struggles to seep through the cracks between his fingers. he hears a soft chuckle escape minseok's lips before warm fingers encircle his wrists, drawing his hands away from his face until luhan has nowhere to look but into the other man’s eyes.
'i'm kim minseok, and i spend all my time reading acts and statutes and i can pick out loopholes better than you can pick out notes on that monstrous guitar of yours,' minseok says. luhan can't hide the smile that steadily curls his lips. 'i've also been told that i am horribly straightforward, and that i'm too stubborn to listen when people tell me so,' minseok continues.
'i can see that,' luhan remarks, drily.
'good, because that means you'll understand me perfectly when i'm done saying what i'm about to say next,' minseok says. luhan leans forward, completely absorbed in minseok's gummy smile. 'i quite like you, luhan, even if your hair's always in a mess and your guitar is a death machine.' luhan's about to protest - he loves his guitar more than he loves the microphone and how it consumes his voice and amplifies it, picks out the notes of sorrow he's trying to convey - but then their food arrives, and minseok stuffs a french fry into his gaping mouth.
'you're cute, luhan,' minseok says. the compliment has luhan's head spinning, and he completely misses minseok's lecture about how time moves too fast and that he'll never get out of law school quick enough to properly enjoy his youth. it's only when short fingers snap in front of his eyes that his focus comes back to him. 'did you hear a word i said, or is the law nerd too boring for the cool singer-guitarist of - whatever your band's name is?' minseok asks.
'no - no, of course not, i mean - could you just repeat that last part?' luhan asks, stumbling around in his mind for the right words.
'i said,' minseok drawls, drawing out the last word with purpose, smile never leaving his face - 'let's grow young together.'
they fall in love on a wednesday. 'five more minutes,' echoes through the silent hall, the monotonous sound of the head invigilator's voice sparking a sudden flurry of movement. Pages rustle and whispered curses resound in the relative quiet. 'no talking,' she snaps, and minseok huffs and rolls his eyes. he doesn't notice the dirty look she throws at him, though, too absorbed in rereading his answers and scribbling in conclusions. he’s worked too hard for this.
'two more minutes,' she says, and minseok has to bite his tongue to stop the curse that's waiting to roll off it. he just about manages to write out a final sentence before the time's up, and him and his fellow course mates are instructed to put down their pens. groans can be heard throughout the room, but minseok's voice doesn't join them, retreats instead to the inside of his brain to congratulate himself on a job well done.
they're given the green light to leave once all the papers are accounted for, and minseok has a terrible time trying to restrain himself from running out the hall and bursting into song. his midterms are officially over, and he can finally pay some much-needed attention to his neglected bed. but it becomes apparent that fate has other plans for him, because as soon as he opens the door to his dorm room, he is ambushed by grabby hands and blonde hair.
'you're done!' luhan all but shrieks, yanking the other man into the room and kicking the door closed behind him.
'how long have you been here,' minseok asks, too tired to properly sound a question mark.
'a while. i was waiting for you to finish,' luhan says, an angelic smile plastered on his face. minseok thinks it can't possibly be fair for luhan to be able to soften his heart like this, but he feels his aggression wash away regardless.
'do i want to know how you got in?' minseok asks. luhan's smile grows wider (and more mischievous) and minseok takes that as a no. 'alright. can you let go of me now, i'm tired as fuck and i need to take a nap - on my bed, not in your arms,' minseok adds quickly, before luhan can say anything.
'but my arms are comfy!' luhan protests, a pout threatening to make minseok give in. he doesn’t.
'yes, but your arms are attached to your body and your body is attached to your head and you talk an awful lot more than an average human being,' minseok sighs. he tries to disentangle himself from his boyfriend, and he supposes he shouldn’t be surprised when it doesn’t work.
'that's not nice, minseok!' luhan pouts. 'also, it's just as well, because you're not going to take a nap now. it's almost six, hurry up and take a shower. do you have anything other than a black tshirt and those jeans? you can't wear those. i'll dig something up for you, just get in the shower, minseok.' luhan leaves him no room to protest as he hauls the other man into the bathroom, unceremoniously slamming the door shut in his face when minseok opens his mouth.
half an hour later and they're out the door, minseok wearing a bright blue tshirt and an expression more confused than the one his course mates wore in their exam hours earlier. luhan beams at him as they leave and minseok knows he couldn't have said no even if he tried his best, the grip luhan's got on his hand every bit as firm and as unrelenting as the one he's got on his heart.
this is how minseok finds himself in a cafe of sorts that he'd never set foot in before his whole life, a makeshift stage with a micstand and a few foldable chairs on it at the front of the room. luhan sits him down at a table with a decent view of the stage and doesn't say anything to explain himself, only smiling mischievously whenever minseok asks him a question.
luhan orders him a dish of a burger of some sort and minseok's too confused to question him anymore, so he eats in silence instead. a few people go up to the stage and perform songs that are pleasant enough on the ears, but none that particularly catch minseok's attention.
'it's open mic night,' luhan explains, when minseok asks him. 'anyone can perform if they like, you don't even have to make a booking or anything because the crowd that comes in is pretty small. people who perform here usually only do it because they just really like performing,' he elaborates. minseok nods in understanding and goes back to inhaling his food, not noticing how luhan's eyes only dart away from him when a certain group of men walk in.
'hey - minseok, i have to go - um, handle a couple of things. do you mind just waiting here for me?' luhan asks. minseok nods. 'but someone will try to hit on you if i leave you alone... oh! kris!' luhan calls. a man the height of rapunzel's tower turns at the sound of luhan's voice, and the hair on the back of minseok's neck stands. to his complete horror, the giant is, in fact, kris and he doesn’t hesitate as he makes his way to their table, stopping right in front of luhan. minseok gawks at the height difference.
'kris, minseok. minseok, this is kris. he's the drummer from my band,' luhan explains.
'um... h-hi, kris,' minseok says weakly. he gets a nod and a grunt in return.
'listen - i have to go do – um – the thing, so could you keep minseok company for a bit? i don't want him to get kidnapped. or picked up,' luhan says. his tone is light and airy and minseok wonders if his boyfriend has balls of steel to be able to speak so casually to someone who looks like kris. kris just nods again and settles himself in the chair luhan's vacated, silence descending once the latter leaves. minseok takes smaller bites of his food and doesn't look up even once, too terrified to meet eyes with the man in front of him.
it's not until he hears a knock on the table and a 'you should look up now,' coming from kris that he lifts his head, eyes darting immediately toward the stage. kris has one long finger pointed at it, and minseok would rather look at whatever irrelevant singer that's about to croon out a song he's never heard of before than look kris in the eye.
but the men who take the stage aren't unfamiliar in the slightest - in fact, and minseok almost gasps, the man seated in front of the microphone with a guitar on his lap is none other than luhan. there's another man next to him, a considerably larger man with even scarier features than kris’, a guitar in hand as well.
'hey guys,' luhan says, and the applause that floats up to greet him tells minseok that it isn't luhan's first time performing here. 'thanks, you guys are great,' luhan chuckles. 'anyway, it's just me and tao tonight, but the other guys are here too.' luhan gestures toward another table, where two juniors - minseok thinks they're called baekhyun and chanyeol - sit, waving at the pairs of eyes suddenly on them.
'so - tonight's song is going to be special, because it's for someone special. it'd be great if you guys could sing along,' luhan says. he looks over at tao, who connects his guitar to the amp, and then luhan plugs his own in and music fills the air, gentle chords strumming and notes being picked out. minseok sits and stares in amazement, heart beating so fast he's almost afraid he won't be able to hear anything for the pounding in his ears.
all his fears evaporate the moment luhan opens his mouth and sings, though, voice clear and soulful and so full of emotion minseok feels his breath get knocked out from his body. luhan sings like he means it, eyes shut as he puts a melody to emotion, and minseok knows he's strumming guitar strings, but it feels like he could be plucking music from his heartstrings instead. minseok watches with his mouth agape.
the song ends and luhan finally opens his eyes, immediately finding minseok's in the crowd. minseok applauds and shouts until his hands and throat are raw, unable to contain the grin that pulls at his lips. luhan bends toward the mic as tao gets up to leave, and the crowd falls silent once more. 'i'd like to introduce you guys to someone who means a lot to me, and who's sitting in the crowd with my man kris. could you come up here, minseok?' luhan says.
minseok freezes in his seat and only moves when kris subtly kicks the leg of his chair, jolting him into movement. he makes his way slowly to the stage, too astonished to notice that luhan's moved another mic in front of the chair next to him. minseok sits down and faces the crowd, cheeks colouring when he sees he has their undivided attention, when he stares down the wiry netting of the microphone head. 'i can't sing,' minseok manages to hiss, but luhan smiles.
'sure you can. just do what i do,' and he starts strumming again, the chords to a song so familiar to minseok's ears - probably because he sings it every time he showers. minseok's voice is shaky and out of practice, nowhere near as smooth as luhan's, but the crowd forgives him because they can see how nervous he is.
the song ends with polite applause, and minseok suddenly misses the thrill he used to get from performing. he looks over to luhan, who smiles at him so fondly he forgets to breathe, and then luhan leads him offstage. 'you were great, minseokkie! i knew you had it in you, the crowd lo-' but minseok doesn't let him finish, swallows his words in a kiss, hands coming up to rest where his neck meets his shoulders. he kisses luhan again and again, pausing minimally, only to take short breaths, because suddenly he just can't get enough of the singer.
he's sure his heart is about to give out, what with how hard it's pounding once he pulls away and presses his forehead to luhan's. 'i love you,' he says, and it's the first time he's ever said it, and he's both terrified and impatient, and all he really wants is an honest reply. luhan moves to press their lips together again, and minseok can feel the smile that's pressed against his. 'i love you too.'
the sands of time represent a force man has tried to control, tried to capture for centuries. they are constant and illusive all at once, and they bring with them change of the most unpredictable kind. youth falls away to make room for age, heartbeats slow and eventually diminish, driftwood floating on bodies of water are destined to drift apart.
the flame that burns in the chest of one man for another grows dimmer and dimmer, before it is nothing but a single glowing ember, fighting to keep itself alive.
it happens on a thursday. minseok and luhan are no longer students living from paper to paper, hanging off lecturers' words as if their lives depended on it. minseok no longer dresses in tshirts far too large for him and jeans that haven't been washed in ages, college attire traded in for a neatly pressed suit and a heavily starched dress shirt. luhan's band has long since taken off, albums screaming luhan's voice and posters plastered with his heavily made up face everywhere.
the band is a local favourite, and they barely ever go on tours, so luhan is home most of the time. of course, his performances are always held some time after dinner into the wee hours of the morning, and he comes home just as minseok gets ready to leave. minseok's day usually runs from 9 to 9, depending on how difficult his client is being, and before they know it, they've become ships that pass each other in the night, quick pecks and 'have a good day, love,' a far cry from the lovestruck days of their youth.
wrinkles line minseok's lips and they aren't the good natured ones born of laughter he'd etched himself back in the day, they're lines of worry and incessant pestering to work harder, be better, climb the career ladder faster.
somewhere along the way he realises he hasn't listened to luhan's latest song, hasn't been to a practice in months to watch his boyfriend sing his heart out. he hasn't gotten the chill only luhan's voice can give him in a long, long time. but he's got other issues to address, 'bigger fish to fry', his seniors would say. of course, none of them have bands around their ring fingers, and minseok wonders if it’s a product of advice that’s been passed on from one heartbroken desk slave to another. he pushes the thought away and delves into his next case with renewed vigour.
he figures that if he was losing the minseok that was only complete with luhan, he might as well lose himself entirely.
that, of course, was his last mistake.
minseok shoves open the door to their apartment and kicks his shoes off, toeing them to the side as he yanks his suit jacket off and loosens his tie. it's gone midnight and he's a little buzzed from the networking session he'd been forced to attend, so he doesn't notice the dim glow of the lamp nearest to the window of their dining room. he makes to head off to the bedroom when a sound stops him.
'minseok,' says luhan, his voice echoing off walls that house memories of the days when minseok was able to tell the story of each of the lines on luhan's face. looking at it now, minseok can't even bring a name to his lips for the line that's made a home for itself between luhan's eyebrows. luhan's never looked as disappointed as he does now, and even in his slightly intoxicated state, minseok knows the new line does not bode well.
he doesn't want to be the cause of its appearance, but he's a lawyer and he's too rational to deny that he is. 'um - hey, lu, sorry i'm late. how come you aren't at the studio?' minseok asks. his words aren't supported by the makeshift pillars of confidence he erects in court, and he knows all too well that it's a sign. he's more afraid of luhan - of the possibility of losing luhan - than he is of a hard-faced judge.
he tries to swallow but his mouth has gone dry; he knows he's facing his worst fear tonight.
'you forgot?' luhan asks, and his tone is softly incredulous, as if he'd just received confirmation of a thing he'd thought impossible. minseok doesn't respond with anything more than a blank stare, and luhan lets out a long breath.
minseok wonders if it's carbon dioxide that escapes luhan, or if it's hope for their future together.
the broken look in luhan's eyes tells him it's the latter.
'this - this is the third time this month, minseok. i can't believe you forgot.'
'i - i had to see to some clients,' minseok mumbles. he knows it's a poor excuse even as the words leave his mouth, but luhan's waiting for a response and minseok feels he owes him one.
'of course. your clients. they're worth more to you than i could ever be, isn't that right?' luhan asks. his voice is still soft, still quiet enough that minseok knows he wouldn't be able to hear him had he not been paying full attention, but his words are laced with venom, with poison that attacks minseok right where it hurts. it’s so bitter and so hopeless, and minseok hates that he’s the cause of something so – so ugly to come out from someone so beautiful.
'no, lu - c'mon, you know that's not tr -' but luhan doesn't let him finish, a calloused hand coming up to silence him.
'stop. i've heard enough. i've had enough,' luhan says. minseok's vision blurs, and all he can do is stand there and watch as luhan gets up to leave. there's an air of finality that accompanies the whirl of his jacket as he swings it over his shoulder, and minseok's hit with a wave of terror square in his chest because it feels - it feels like it's all ending.
luhan walks out without another word, and minseok has a feeling he's not coming back. he pauses just before he shuts the door and turns around, eyes meeting with the elder's for all of two minutes. he looks like he’s about to say something, that there are a multitude of words just hanging off the tip of his tongue – but he doesn’t say anything more.
and then he shuts the door and he's gone, and minseok crumples to the floor. the look in luhan's eyes as he left reminded him of a period at the end of a sentence, one minseok's not sure he's done writing yet.
he crawls into bed that night and tries to understand, tries to recall anything that could have riled luhan up that badly, and when he does remember he all but suffocates on his own guilt. once upon a time luhan and minseok would agree to take a night out of their lives to be young again, to remember who they were before adulthood thrust their own fates so abruptly into their hands.
they would take luhan's vespa out and have dinner somewhere questionably cheap, followed by a drive along the han river. they'd end the night by watching the sunrise together anywhere that's high enough, and minseok suddenly misses how beautiful luhan looks bathed in early morning light.
he misses the gentle laugh and even gentler kiss that he used to get when luhan caught him staring, and he's so immersed in his thoughts that he's shocked when he feels moisture slip down his cheeks. all he wants to do is escape to the memory, but he knows it's no use, he knows he can't. so he pushes the thought away and curls up in his empty bed, trying to ignore how much emptier it feels with the knowledge that nobody's going to fall into bed just as he wakes up. he resigns himself to the thought for the sake of getting at least a little sleep.
once upon a time has no place in the here and now.
the first spark flies on a friday. it's been almost a year since minseok's laid eyes on luhan, and in regular lawyer terms a year doesn't seem like very much. he wins a majority of his cases and is made junior partner, but none of that seems important to him when he comes home to a hallway of broken promises and untouchable dreams.
when luhan had first left he'd spent as much time as possible out of the apartment, coming home only to crash on the couch (the bedroom... the bedroom was more than he could handle) for a few hours before racing through a shower and heading out again. now it's a habit imbibed into his system, and aside from his bedroom and bathroom, the rest of the apartment sits gathering dust.
yixing thinks it's about time he move out and start anew, but just like the stains luhan's left on their carpets that refuse to wash out, minseok's too stubborn to budge. he tries to avert his gaze from the many photos of a lost love he still has hanging on his walls, only lets his eyes flit over the image of a happy, smiling luhan for a second before he turns away.
it's not like he's still pining for luhan, because he's not. he's grown used to the idea of his apartment becoming nothing short of his own personal solitary confinement unit, used to how his phone never lights up with random messages from luhan anymore. he does not pine for his (and he chokes whenever he thinks the syllable) ex boyfriend anymore, rather, he's haunted by his ghost.
luhan's things still sit in their places in minseok's apartment, and minseok knows the former still has his key, and that's probably what keeps him hoping.
'hey, minseok, do you wanna get a drink with us?' kyungsoo asks. he has his lips curled in a heart shaped smile, and minseok only just stops himself from cooing. it’s just after ten on a friday night, and minseok is in his office, trying to decide which case to attack first.
'us?' minseok asks, amusement cocking his eyebrow and curling his lip. he watches as kyungsoo slowly (but steadily) colours, the blush spreading across his cheeks so reminiscent to someone else's. minseok reminds himself that he can’t think about that right now.
'um, well, i mean - me - me and jongin,' kyungsoo stutters, faltering at every syllable. minseok nods in understanding and shoots a teasing glance at kyungsoo.
'i've suddenly fallen ill and can't possibly join the two of you on your completely platonic not-date. i am terribly sorry and i hope jongin will understand. and no, no, i insist, i don't need you to look after me, i'll be fine on my own,' minseok says, watching as kyungsoo catches on. the blush on the younger’s face grows even deeper.
'alright, thanks minseok,' kyungsoo says, darting out of the office quicker than minseok's ever seen him move. he shakes his head a little to himself, somewhere between amused and not, probably because he's forgotten what it feels like to be young and in new love.
he's about to resign himself to another night of working facts until dawn when a knock comes at his door, and jongin and kyungsoo peek in at him before he motions at them to 'come in, what's wrong with you, why haven't you left yet.'
kyungsoo and jongin exchange a look before the latter pulls out his phone. minseok lets out a heavy sigh. 'look, jongin, i don't know how to tell you this, but maybe you're not meant to touch any kind of machinery, i mean - you keep breaking everything,' minseok says, exasperation clear in his voice. he’s too tired to fix jongin’s electronics tonight.
'that's - that's not what i wanted to show you, hyung,' jongin mumbles. he slides the device across the desk over to minseok, who takes it with curiosity.
'tao - tao and kris are missing?' minseok gasps, eyes flying up to look into his colleagues', as if they held the answer.
'looks like it,' kyungsoo murmurs.
minseok feels his throat close up. he was never particularly close to the chinese members of luhan's band (only because baekhyun and chanyeol seemed to make it a sport to talk his ears off) but they were his friends, and they meant so much more to - 'luhan.' minseok says. he can't imagine the turmoil his ex boyfriend must be going through, but he has no idea how to comfort him. he hates feeling so helpless.
as if on cue his phone lights up, the familiar characters of luhan's name at the top of the display. three pairs of eyes watch as the phone rings and rings and rings, until finally jongin puts his hand on kyungsoo’s and pulls him away, makes to exit the room.
before the door closes behind them, jongin gives minseok one last, long look.
'you might want to get that, hyung.'
minseok runs through pedestrian traffic without really looking, feet pounding against unrelenting pavement and mouth uttering half-hearted apologies. he reaches the bar he'd been racing towards for the past fifteen minutes and pauses to catch his breath just outside the door. his mind replays the call he'd received not half an hour ago.
'tao and kris are not missing,' luhan had relayed calmly. 'they left me a letter. told me they're done with the whole music scene, and they want out, only our lawyers won't let them. so. so they ran.' the sadness is clear in luhan's voice, and minseok wishes even now that he could will it away.
he knows, he knows: he's the only one who can.
so he gathers up every ounce of courage he has and shoves the door open, only to be greeted by a dimly lit room with barely any people in it. he recognises luhan right away.
he wants to rush over to him, to envelope the younger in a hug that'll wash all his worries away. but he can't, because he won't. there is an invisible shield that keeps him from attempting to go anywhere near luhan, and for a terrifying moment he freezes up, wondering if he's made the right choice.
it's at that moment that luhan chooses to look up from the shot glass his fingers are curled around, right into minseok's eyes. his own crinkle at the corners and his lips form a gentle smile, and minseok feels himself melt all over again, especially when he finally hears luhan's voice in person for the first time in what feels like forever –
'hello, stranger.'
days grow into weeks. puzzle pieces are meant to fit together, no matter how long they’ve been apart. the jagged edges of minseok’s being meets with luhan’s again, cracks and lines meeting in perfect harmony.
it doesn’t take long for them to grow back together.
the letter comes on a saturday. minseok wakes up to light flooding in from behind sheer curtains covering their windows, and all he sees are dust motes floating through the air. he reaches out instinctively for luhan, but all his palm seems to find is an empty bed. he sits up, dazed.
'lu?' he calls, but no answer comes his way. 'that's weird,' he mumbles to himself. luhan usually needs to be awoken by trumpets blaring and children screeching, and minseok's long since learned to just let him get up when he feels like it. he figured going solo was going to make it difficult for him to get enough sleep, anyway, which is why, alone in his bed at 9am on a saturday morning, minseok's so confused.
his eyes catch sight of a bright red piece of paper lying in the middle of the luhan's pillow, and his fingers instantly reach out to take it. 'good morning, princess,' the paper reads. minseok can practically hear the words being spoken in luhan's voice. 'surprise surprise, guess who's up before you are. are you up for a game, minseokkie? it doesn't matter, you have to play it no matter what, i've worked hard on it. basically i'm going to be busy this whole day, but i know it's our anniversary - seven years, can you believe it, minseokkie? - and i have something prepared for you. please keep this letter with you at all times today. now, go take a shower.'
minseok shakes his head and clicks his tongue; some things never change. he swings his legs out of bed and takes his time, padding off to the bathroom. he finds a purple post it attached to the mirror above their sink, and he squints at it.
'congratulations, lazy bum, you've finally made it to the bathroom! you have a lunch date with jongin and kyungsoo at 1130, so make sure you wash your hair, it smelled pretty funky last night.'
minseok rips the post it off and tosses it in the bin, huffing as he washes his hair twice. he takes his time and only gets out when it's 10am, towelling off and putting on nice clothes because kyungsoo is a stickler for style. he's about to reach for the fridge when a note stops him.
'don't eat now! i bet you took your time in the shower. if you eat now, you'll lose your appetite, and - oh, did i mention? - jongin and kyungsoo are paying. so. have fun with their wallets and not with our food stock, thanks,' minseok rolls his eyes and huffs, stomping off to sit in front of the television. a note lies next to the remote control, and minseok reaches out to read it. there is a date written at the top, and luhan's written the story of when they'd broken the old tv and had to buy a new one, and minseok laughs.
the next hour whizzes by and then minseok's out the door, going to meet jongin and kyungsoo for lunch. he finds the two huddled together in a corner of the cafe he'd been instructed (by a very bossy-sounding blue note) to make haste to, and he chokes on his own laughter when he clears his throat and the two leap apart.
'oh - er - hi, minseok, didn't see you there,' jongin mutters nervously.
'of course you didn't,' minseok says, amused.
'anyway - anyway, we have strict instructions from this fairy prince-looking character to make sure you stuff yourself and have a good afternoon, so we're going to the bazaar after this,' kyungsoo says, getting right down to business. some habits you just can't leave in the office.
they talk about office things and annoying clients, and minseok amuses himself mainly by watching his colleagues exchange shy glances. he does have a good time that afternoon, well into the evening, in fact, until kyungsoo stops short and makes a show of checking the time. 'fuck,' he breathes, and minseok's taken aback because since when does kyungsoo swear. 'we're late!' kyungsoo exclaims, and minseok's eyes widen as he is being forcefully hustled back to his apartment.
'strict instructions!' kyungsoo squawks, jongin silently unlocking the door to minseok's apartment. 'mustn't be late!' kyungsoo shrills, pulling minseok's jacket off and shoving him into his bathroom. 'smell good!' kyungsoo says, before slamming the door shut in minseok's face.
minseok sighs and begins to shower, coming out fifteen minutes later to a fresh set of clothes laid out on his bed. there is, of course, a note sitting on top of it. 'kyungsoo and jongin are still here, so don't walk out naked, your buns are mine. you are to put on whatever it is kyungsoo's picked out for you and you are not to protest when he barges in and does wonderfully monstrous things with your hair. when they're done, they're going to kidnap you. with my consent. which means they have your consent, so maybe kidnap isn't the right word... anyway, they're going to bring you somewhere and you'd better be there on time. i'm waiting.'
an hour and lots of blow drying and hair gel later, minseok finds himself back at his old campus. jongin and kyungsoo drop him off without a word, tyres screeching and kyungsoo's hand waving out the window as they leave.
minseok takes a deep breath and reaches for the note kyungsoo's stuffed in his jacket pocket, whipping it out to read by the light of his phone. 'remember this place, minseokkie? this is where i first made you fall for me. fall for me, remember? heh. anyway, i need you to make your way to the rooftop of your old dorm room, don't worry, it's allowed. get up there quick, there's a surprise waiting for you.'
minseok folds the note and puts it away. he finds his old dorm building easily enough, and he notes that the fire escape up to the rooftop has been reinstalled. it's much nicer now, nice enough for him to be able to climb without any difficulty, so he does. the trek up is pretty long, though, and he curses luhan out in his mind. it's so typical of him to be so whimsical, isn't it?
minseok struggles to pull himself over the ledge and onto the rooftop, until a hand shoots out to pull him up. 'need help?' luhan asks, and minseok doesn't expect his irritation to wash away at the sight of his smile, but it... does.
luhan pulls him up almost effortlessly - all the time his company demand he spend in the gym paying off - and minseok finds himself hit with a wave of nostalgia, and of something else. 'what's... lu, what's all this?' he asks, mouth gaping as he takes in the scene before him. there are fairy lights strung up and a table set for two in the middle.
'happy anniversary, love,' luhan says. he pulls minseok towards him and presses a chaste kiss against his lips, and minseok melts in his arms. he loves how he feels like he belongs there.
somewhere in the background he hears a guitar being strummed and a soulful voice he knows but can't quite place. luhan turns him around in his arms, presses minseok's back to his chest and the latter almost keels over in surprise. 'kyungsoo!' is the one singing, and minseok's plenty surprised. he never knew kyungsoo could sing.
but the real surprise comes when he catches sight of the guitarist that's accompanying his colleague. 'tao!' minseok's eyes fill with tears and he doesn't know why, but the sight of tao makes him feel as though he were really coming home. back to the days when he'd spent hours watching the five of them practice, back to the days when him and luhan used to sneak up to this very spot and try to forge constellations out of stars too far dispersed.
he’s come home.
'take out the first note i left you this morning, minseokkie,' luhan whispers, his warmth leaving minseok's back. minseok pulls the note out of his pocket and unfolds it, eyebrows furrowing. there isn't anything else on it.
'minseok,' luhan says, and minseok looks away from the paper only to see luhan in front of him on one knee, and minseok's eyes are rivulets growing into rivers. 'i write songs about love with only you in my mind. i used to write songs about heartbreak only because you weren't there to show me that's not all there is. when i sing about love i close my eyes and imagine that you're the only one in my audience, because you're the only one in this world worth singing to.'
luhan chokes a little on his words and looks down, a finger coming up to brush at his eyes. when he speaks again his voice is thick with emotion, and he can barely get his words out. 'i - i - i, oh fuck, my eyes keep leaking. anyway. kim minseok, i've loved you ever since you skedaddled into my life like the little pixie you are. i've loved you ever since the day i bumped into you. i've never stopped loving you, not even when we spent all that time apart, and - i - i want to spend - the rest - of my days - with, you,' both luhan and minseok are crying rivers now, and luhan offers up a small black box.
'will - you - will you marry me, minseokkie?' minseok snatches the ring box out of luhan's hand and flings his arms around the younger, sobbing in earnest into the crook of his neck.
'yes, yes yes yes yes,' minseok mutters, and he pulls luhan's lips towards his own in a long, long kiss. they break away after what seems like forever, faces both shining with tears. their foreheads are pressed together as luhan takes the box back from minseok, slips the ring on his finger. then he reaches into his fiance's pocket and pulls out the red note.
'open it. turn it over,' luhan whispers, and minseok does as he's told. on the back of the paper is a large, lowercase 'e', and minseok frowns in confusion.
'what -'
'i told you you were only one letter away from being mine.'
we find our epilogue on a sunday. minseok and luhan's individual stories come to an end on a day that dawns bright and pleasantly cool, evening breeze gently running races on their guests' skin. they get to start a new story now – together. all the people they love are present on their special day, and as minseok turns to look at luhan - whose make up is thankfully much lighter than the garish stage stuff they slap on him for performances - he thinks the day couldn't be any more perfect.
'minseok hyung!' kyungsoo calls, grinning from ear to ear. he's in a black suit and tie (in contrast with minseok's head-to-toe white ensemble), and his hand, the elder notes, is tightly intertwined with jongin's.
'hey, kyungsoo, jongin. thanks for coming, i'm so glad you could make it,' minseok says, shaking both their hands in turn. the young couple don't let go of each other, smiles plastered on their faces.
'of course we did, it's your wedding, after all!' jongin drops his voice and checks over his shoulder, 'and you're our favourite hyung from the office, anyway.' he mumbles.
minseok sniggers. 'are you sure i'm your favourite hyung, jongin?' minseok asks, and jongin's blush is barely noticeable when it spreads itself across the planes of his cheeks. 'don't answer that,' minseok adds.
he feels an arm sneak its way around his waist, and he doesn't even have to look to know that it's luhan. his body leans into the other man's out of pure instinct, and his head lands on luhan's shoulder as if it were his home.
(which, he supposes, it is. luhan is his home, after all.)
'hey little pixie, guess who's here to see us?' luhan whispers. minseok doesn't get a chance to respond before he's being forcefully tugged away from his new husband, long arms pulling him into a lanky body and a shriek of 'you'll mess up his hair!' that sounds undeniably like –
'baekhyun! chanyeol!' minseok exclaims, finding himself in a bear hug with the giant, baekhyun tutting disapprovingly by the side. 'i - i'm so glad you guys could come!' says minseok, when luhan finally wrestles him out of chanyeol's hold.
'please, free food and eye candy? wouldn't have missed it if you begged us,' baekhyun smirks. minseok tries - and fails - to fight the stupid smile off his face when he feels someone tap him on the shoulder. it's kris.
'oh! oh - oh, kris, i - it's nice to see you again, thank you so -' but kris doesn't let minseok finish his garbled sentences, just pulls the elder into a bone crushing embrace. when he lets go, minseok notices tao just by his side, cynical smile ever present under tired eyes. he hasn't seen the guitarist since the night luhan proposed, all those months ago, and that's going to be his excuse for how he winds up with tears in his eyes again.
'you're here. all of you,' minseok whimpers, so touched because luhan's former band members - his friends - had all taken the time to come see him again. their presence reassures minseok of friendships he thought long lost, and to get them back, all at once, like this - minseok is at a loss for words.
'i think he means thanks for coming, guys,' luhan says, one corner of his mouth pulled up. minseok manages to nod.
'well, now that all that's done, it's time for us to set up,' baekhyun says, rubbing his hands together. he motions for the other members to go get ready.
'set up? for what?' minseok asks, confused.
'oh, you'll see,' baekhyun winks.
all the members of luhan's former band leaves, and minseok turns toward his husband, who is as confused as he is. five minutes later and the soft music dies down, microphone crackling as baekhyun begins to speak into it.
'ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to announce that it's time - time for the groom and... groom to have their first dance. can i get mr and mr... lu? in the middle of the floor, please?' baekhyun asks, and the crowd parts ways to let the newlyweds take centre stage.
they finally notice that luhan's ex bandmates have taken control of the instruments on stage, and luhan's eyes widen when the realisation dawns on him. 'oh, fuck. they remembered,' luhan mumbles, and minseok looks at him with curiosity.
'remembered what?' minseok asks, but luhan doesn't have time to answer before the chords are struck and music echoes throughout the venue. out of the corner of his eye, minseok can see jongin nervously eyeing kyungsoo. he sends telepathic messages of encouragement to the younger.
baekhyun takes the mic this time, voice rich as he sings one of their oldest, and - luhan hangs his head in shame when he hears the words - mushiest songs. minseok laughs when he recognises it - it's the first song luhan had ever written as his boyfriend.
'well mr kim, may i have this dance?' minseok asks, an impish smile - so reminiscent of the days when the song was written - etched on his features. luhan looks at him with a challenge in his eyes.
'if you insist, mr lu.' their dance is really nothing more than just arms around the other and swaying from side to side, but minseok wouldn't have it any other way. the crowd steadily joins them - jongin and kyungsoo included, and minseok laughs - until the whole venue is a mass of slow dancing and muttered secrets, and he can’t help but feel happiness weave itself into the fabric of his very being.
once the song ends, baekhyun speaks again, and the tone of mischief in his voice has luhan worried. 'we have - a rather unique song up next, and it's going to be the first time our newlyweds will sing together. lu? will you do the honours of introducing the song you're gonna sing with minseok?'
luhan's hand loosens around minseok's, and he hesitates for a mere moment before he makes his way to the stage. the mic is cool metal both familiar and foreign in his palm, but he speaks with the confidence minseok's always envied.
'when - when minseok and i first started dating, i was in a band with these guys back here. the first time,' - luhan finds minseok's eyes in the crowd and his tone audibly softens - 'the first time i told him i loved him, was also the first time he'd ever watched us perform. we did a song together and the very next morning, i told all these guys that i was going to marry him, and we'd sing that same song at our wedding.'
it's minseok's turn to widen his eyes this time, embarrassment colouring his face and neck. 'minseok, love - will you please come up here and sing with me?' luhan holds his hand out in his husband's direction, and all their guests start chanting his name.
minseok chuckles when he realises he doesn't have a choice, and he gets himself up onstage to sing with his husband. the song starts and it's so cheesy and so bad and minseok is embarrassed beyond belief, but, well - he supposes that he's okay with having to sing this stupid song over and over again for the rest of his life - as long as he gets to sing it with luhan.
Author’s Note:
Would you believe – I wrote this entire thing in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
coaled's ask.fm. This entire thing. Can you – just stop and imagine how many messages I sent her omg I owe her my soul.
This fic is entirely… Not properly planned and all of it is dedicated to my favourite fish who won’t swim to me. She is the fire of my timeline and fuels all my farts and I love her heh
A side note! Luhan had never sent a letter to Minseok before the red one. He’s never physically written anything as a form of communication because his handwriting sucks and Minseok told him to just Whatsapp him or something it’s so difficult to read your damned handwriting, Lu. So yeah THAT ENTIRE PROPOSAL THING WAS JUST SO I COULD JUSTIFY MY LAME PICKUP LINE sighs the things I think of while queuing up for McDonald’s.
Anyway if you have made it this far thank you for reading!!!! If you wanna drop a comment pls do comments make me happy
G’BYE
twitter | ask.fm
his head is a mess of i should have eaten some honey this morning my throat feels raw as fuck and when was the last time i washed this damned jacket and he's really not in the right state of mind to communicate with any other specimen of the human species. which, of course, means that now is when he forgets to look before he walks, promptly crashing into someone smaller. papers and notes and books cascade around him as luhan falls on his butt to the ground, and he's too caught up in the mess he'll have to clean up to take notice of the man (pixie?) he's probably bruised.
'watch where you're going, punk,' the man (or pixie?) mumbles, small hands frantically gathering up papers, shuffling them into haphazard stacks. 'it's going to take me forever to reorganise everything,' and luhan feels guilty, the beginnings of a pout forming on his lips.
'i'm sorry,' he mumbles, picking up a few papers and books to shove back to the man (he's a pixie, luhan's almost sure of it). he gets up and brushes himself off, offering a hand to the stranger, who just glares at it as if it has mortally offended him. luhan sighs. 'i'm luhan, by the way. and i really am sorry,' says luhan, pulling on his best smile, fully aware of the effect it has on other people.
the pixie (man, luhan means) reluctantly takes luhan's hand and lets himself be pulled up, and luhan smiles a little to himself when he takes note of the other man's height. you're just the right size, he thinks, but he doesn’t let himself think for what. 'is... is there any way for me to make it up to you, somehow? any way at all?' luhan asks.
the man (pixie) mulls it over in his head, arms cradling his stack of references. an impish (what is it about this guy that makes luhan think of fairytales?) smile dawns on his face, and luhan doesn't think it's normal for him to want to squish someone's cheeks as much as he does now. 'you could buy me coffee some time. like a huge one. a hugely expensive one. these papers aren't going to rearrange themselves, you know,' says the man. luhan's smile grows wider.
'deal. one hugely expensive cup of coffee to make up for me messing up your life's work, mr...?' luhan's voice trails off into a question, eyebrows raising expectantly as he waits for a reply.
'minseok.' says the other man, and luhan can feel his brain-to-mouth filter switching off. but that doesn’t stop him from speaking.
'minseok? as in m-i-n, in english?' luhan asks. minseok nods. 'why?' minseok asks, and luhan's smile breaks out into a full on grin. 'it's just that you're only one letter away from being mine.'
(minseok groans and turns away, face flushing as he clutches the slip of paper that has luhan's number on it.)
they go on their first date on a tuesday night. it's not ideal because luhan has a 2 500 word paper due for his 8am class the next morning (of which he'd written about five) and minseok has an exam at noon, but shy giggles and fluttering heartbeats can't wait the way academics can.
luhan holds the door open for minseok - 'after you, milady,' 'i'm a goddamned man, luhan,' - and follows after him, choosing the most discreet booth in the corner of the closest off campus diner he could find. the pvc sticks to luhan's pants and he winces when he moves (the sound that results is less than polite) but he thinks it's all worth it because there's that impish smile on minseok's face again.
'so, like - i barely know you,' luhan confesses, and he doesn't know what else he could have expected from minseok other than the blank stare and the blinks that constitute a reply.
'well, yeah - i don't generally give my life story to someone who messes up all my acts and statutes on our first meeting,' minseok teases. luhan grimaces, pulling the bottle of ketchup on their table toward him.
'it was an accident, i already said i'm sorry,' he says. 'and besides, you burnt a hole in my pocket with that drink.' the smile that seems to conjure butterflies in luhan's stomach appears on minseok's face again.
'alright, yeah, that was mean of me. i don't usually order that, i just did it to spite you,' minseok admits. luhan pouts again, completely forgetting his pact to be a proper gentleman tonight. 'it's not like i know much about you, either,' minseok adds. 'tell me about yourself, mr lu.'
luhan purses his lips together as he mulls the question over, at a loss as to where to start. 'um, well,' he begins, stretching his hands out over the tabletop, palms up. 'for starters, i play guitar.' minseok fixes him with the most bemused look luhan's seen in his life, and he has to physically bite back a giggle.
'no shit, sherlock. i totally couldn't tell, it's not as if your guitar didn't almost give me a concussion when we first met,' minseok deadpans. his eyes travel down to the pale skin of luhan's palms though, and he can't help but admire how calloused his fingertips are. they don't take away from his beauty in the slightest. 'tell me something else,' minseok prompts.
'um, well - i'm in a band? and i - i sing,' luhan says, his last words coming out in a rush. his cheeks flush a pretty pink at the look of admiration on minseok's face.
'no way,' minseok breathes, and luhan just shyly nods. 'look at you, so shy all of a sudden,' minseok sneers, and luhan feels himself steadily getting redder, so he hides his face in his hands.
'your turn,' he mumbles, voice muffled as it struggles to seep through the cracks between his fingers. he hears a soft chuckle escape minseok's lips before warm fingers encircle his wrists, drawing his hands away from his face until luhan has nowhere to look but into the other man’s eyes.
'i'm kim minseok, and i spend all my time reading acts and statutes and i can pick out loopholes better than you can pick out notes on that monstrous guitar of yours,' minseok says. luhan can't hide the smile that steadily curls his lips. 'i've also been told that i am horribly straightforward, and that i'm too stubborn to listen when people tell me so,' minseok continues.
'i can see that,' luhan remarks, drily.
'good, because that means you'll understand me perfectly when i'm done saying what i'm about to say next,' minseok says. luhan leans forward, completely absorbed in minseok's gummy smile. 'i quite like you, luhan, even if your hair's always in a mess and your guitar is a death machine.' luhan's about to protest - he loves his guitar more than he loves the microphone and how it consumes his voice and amplifies it, picks out the notes of sorrow he's trying to convey - but then their food arrives, and minseok stuffs a french fry into his gaping mouth.
'you're cute, luhan,' minseok says. the compliment has luhan's head spinning, and he completely misses minseok's lecture about how time moves too fast and that he'll never get out of law school quick enough to properly enjoy his youth. it's only when short fingers snap in front of his eyes that his focus comes back to him. 'did you hear a word i said, or is the law nerd too boring for the cool singer-guitarist of - whatever your band's name is?' minseok asks.
'no - no, of course not, i mean - could you just repeat that last part?' luhan asks, stumbling around in his mind for the right words.
'i said,' minseok drawls, drawing out the last word with purpose, smile never leaving his face - 'let's grow young together.'
they fall in love on a wednesday. 'five more minutes,' echoes through the silent hall, the monotonous sound of the head invigilator's voice sparking a sudden flurry of movement. Pages rustle and whispered curses resound in the relative quiet. 'no talking,' she snaps, and minseok huffs and rolls his eyes. he doesn't notice the dirty look she throws at him, though, too absorbed in rereading his answers and scribbling in conclusions. he’s worked too hard for this.
'two more minutes,' she says, and minseok has to bite his tongue to stop the curse that's waiting to roll off it. he just about manages to write out a final sentence before the time's up, and him and his fellow course mates are instructed to put down their pens. groans can be heard throughout the room, but minseok's voice doesn't join them, retreats instead to the inside of his brain to congratulate himself on a job well done.
they're given the green light to leave once all the papers are accounted for, and minseok has a terrible time trying to restrain himself from running out the hall and bursting into song. his midterms are officially over, and he can finally pay some much-needed attention to his neglected bed. but it becomes apparent that fate has other plans for him, because as soon as he opens the door to his dorm room, he is ambushed by grabby hands and blonde hair.
'you're done!' luhan all but shrieks, yanking the other man into the room and kicking the door closed behind him.
'how long have you been here,' minseok asks, too tired to properly sound a question mark.
'a while. i was waiting for you to finish,' luhan says, an angelic smile plastered on his face. minseok thinks it can't possibly be fair for luhan to be able to soften his heart like this, but he feels his aggression wash away regardless.
'do i want to know how you got in?' minseok asks. luhan's smile grows wider (and more mischievous) and minseok takes that as a no. 'alright. can you let go of me now, i'm tired as fuck and i need to take a nap - on my bed, not in your arms,' minseok adds quickly, before luhan can say anything.
'but my arms are comfy!' luhan protests, a pout threatening to make minseok give in. he doesn’t.
'yes, but your arms are attached to your body and your body is attached to your head and you talk an awful lot more than an average human being,' minseok sighs. he tries to disentangle himself from his boyfriend, and he supposes he shouldn’t be surprised when it doesn’t work.
'that's not nice, minseok!' luhan pouts. 'also, it's just as well, because you're not going to take a nap now. it's almost six, hurry up and take a shower. do you have anything other than a black tshirt and those jeans? you can't wear those. i'll dig something up for you, just get in the shower, minseok.' luhan leaves him no room to protest as he hauls the other man into the bathroom, unceremoniously slamming the door shut in his face when minseok opens his mouth.
half an hour later and they're out the door, minseok wearing a bright blue tshirt and an expression more confused than the one his course mates wore in their exam hours earlier. luhan beams at him as they leave and minseok knows he couldn't have said no even if he tried his best, the grip luhan's got on his hand every bit as firm and as unrelenting as the one he's got on his heart.
this is how minseok finds himself in a cafe of sorts that he'd never set foot in before his whole life, a makeshift stage with a micstand and a few foldable chairs on it at the front of the room. luhan sits him down at a table with a decent view of the stage and doesn't say anything to explain himself, only smiling mischievously whenever minseok asks him a question.
luhan orders him a dish of a burger of some sort and minseok's too confused to question him anymore, so he eats in silence instead. a few people go up to the stage and perform songs that are pleasant enough on the ears, but none that particularly catch minseok's attention.
'it's open mic night,' luhan explains, when minseok asks him. 'anyone can perform if they like, you don't even have to make a booking or anything because the crowd that comes in is pretty small. people who perform here usually only do it because they just really like performing,' he elaborates. minseok nods in understanding and goes back to inhaling his food, not noticing how luhan's eyes only dart away from him when a certain group of men walk in.
'hey - minseok, i have to go - um, handle a couple of things. do you mind just waiting here for me?' luhan asks. minseok nods. 'but someone will try to hit on you if i leave you alone... oh! kris!' luhan calls. a man the height of rapunzel's tower turns at the sound of luhan's voice, and the hair on the back of minseok's neck stands. to his complete horror, the giant is, in fact, kris and he doesn’t hesitate as he makes his way to their table, stopping right in front of luhan. minseok gawks at the height difference.
'kris, minseok. minseok, this is kris. he's the drummer from my band,' luhan explains.
'um... h-hi, kris,' minseok says weakly. he gets a nod and a grunt in return.
'listen - i have to go do – um – the thing, so could you keep minseok company for a bit? i don't want him to get kidnapped. or picked up,' luhan says. his tone is light and airy and minseok wonders if his boyfriend has balls of steel to be able to speak so casually to someone who looks like kris. kris just nods again and settles himself in the chair luhan's vacated, silence descending once the latter leaves. minseok takes smaller bites of his food and doesn't look up even once, too terrified to meet eyes with the man in front of him.
it's not until he hears a knock on the table and a 'you should look up now,' coming from kris that he lifts his head, eyes darting immediately toward the stage. kris has one long finger pointed at it, and minseok would rather look at whatever irrelevant singer that's about to croon out a song he's never heard of before than look kris in the eye.
but the men who take the stage aren't unfamiliar in the slightest - in fact, and minseok almost gasps, the man seated in front of the microphone with a guitar on his lap is none other than luhan. there's another man next to him, a considerably larger man with even scarier features than kris’, a guitar in hand as well.
'hey guys,' luhan says, and the applause that floats up to greet him tells minseok that it isn't luhan's first time performing here. 'thanks, you guys are great,' luhan chuckles. 'anyway, it's just me and tao tonight, but the other guys are here too.' luhan gestures toward another table, where two juniors - minseok thinks they're called baekhyun and chanyeol - sit, waving at the pairs of eyes suddenly on them.
'so - tonight's song is going to be special, because it's for someone special. it'd be great if you guys could sing along,' luhan says. he looks over at tao, who connects his guitar to the amp, and then luhan plugs his own in and music fills the air, gentle chords strumming and notes being picked out. minseok sits and stares in amazement, heart beating so fast he's almost afraid he won't be able to hear anything for the pounding in his ears.
all his fears evaporate the moment luhan opens his mouth and sings, though, voice clear and soulful and so full of emotion minseok feels his breath get knocked out from his body. luhan sings like he means it, eyes shut as he puts a melody to emotion, and minseok knows he's strumming guitar strings, but it feels like he could be plucking music from his heartstrings instead. minseok watches with his mouth agape.
the song ends and luhan finally opens his eyes, immediately finding minseok's in the crowd. minseok applauds and shouts until his hands and throat are raw, unable to contain the grin that pulls at his lips. luhan bends toward the mic as tao gets up to leave, and the crowd falls silent once more. 'i'd like to introduce you guys to someone who means a lot to me, and who's sitting in the crowd with my man kris. could you come up here, minseok?' luhan says.
minseok freezes in his seat and only moves when kris subtly kicks the leg of his chair, jolting him into movement. he makes his way slowly to the stage, too astonished to notice that luhan's moved another mic in front of the chair next to him. minseok sits down and faces the crowd, cheeks colouring when he sees he has their undivided attention, when he stares down the wiry netting of the microphone head. 'i can't sing,' minseok manages to hiss, but luhan smiles.
'sure you can. just do what i do,' and he starts strumming again, the chords to a song so familiar to minseok's ears - probably because he sings it every time he showers. minseok's voice is shaky and out of practice, nowhere near as smooth as luhan's, but the crowd forgives him because they can see how nervous he is.
the song ends with polite applause, and minseok suddenly misses the thrill he used to get from performing. he looks over to luhan, who smiles at him so fondly he forgets to breathe, and then luhan leads him offstage. 'you were great, minseokkie! i knew you had it in you, the crowd lo-' but minseok doesn't let him finish, swallows his words in a kiss, hands coming up to rest where his neck meets his shoulders. he kisses luhan again and again, pausing minimally, only to take short breaths, because suddenly he just can't get enough of the singer.
he's sure his heart is about to give out, what with how hard it's pounding once he pulls away and presses his forehead to luhan's. 'i love you,' he says, and it's the first time he's ever said it, and he's both terrified and impatient, and all he really wants is an honest reply. luhan moves to press their lips together again, and minseok can feel the smile that's pressed against his. 'i love you too.'
the sands of time represent a force man has tried to control, tried to capture for centuries. they are constant and illusive all at once, and they bring with them change of the most unpredictable kind. youth falls away to make room for age, heartbeats slow and eventually diminish, driftwood floating on bodies of water are destined to drift apart.
the flame that burns in the chest of one man for another grows dimmer and dimmer, before it is nothing but a single glowing ember, fighting to keep itself alive.
it happens on a thursday. minseok and luhan are no longer students living from paper to paper, hanging off lecturers' words as if their lives depended on it. minseok no longer dresses in tshirts far too large for him and jeans that haven't been washed in ages, college attire traded in for a neatly pressed suit and a heavily starched dress shirt. luhan's band has long since taken off, albums screaming luhan's voice and posters plastered with his heavily made up face everywhere.
the band is a local favourite, and they barely ever go on tours, so luhan is home most of the time. of course, his performances are always held some time after dinner into the wee hours of the morning, and he comes home just as minseok gets ready to leave. minseok's day usually runs from 9 to 9, depending on how difficult his client is being, and before they know it, they've become ships that pass each other in the night, quick pecks and 'have a good day, love,' a far cry from the lovestruck days of their youth.
wrinkles line minseok's lips and they aren't the good natured ones born of laughter he'd etched himself back in the day, they're lines of worry and incessant pestering to work harder, be better, climb the career ladder faster.
somewhere along the way he realises he hasn't listened to luhan's latest song, hasn't been to a practice in months to watch his boyfriend sing his heart out. he hasn't gotten the chill only luhan's voice can give him in a long, long time. but he's got other issues to address, 'bigger fish to fry', his seniors would say. of course, none of them have bands around their ring fingers, and minseok wonders if it’s a product of advice that’s been passed on from one heartbroken desk slave to another. he pushes the thought away and delves into his next case with renewed vigour.
he figures that if he was losing the minseok that was only complete with luhan, he might as well lose himself entirely.
that, of course, was his last mistake.
minseok shoves open the door to their apartment and kicks his shoes off, toeing them to the side as he yanks his suit jacket off and loosens his tie. it's gone midnight and he's a little buzzed from the networking session he'd been forced to attend, so he doesn't notice the dim glow of the lamp nearest to the window of their dining room. he makes to head off to the bedroom when a sound stops him.
'minseok,' says luhan, his voice echoing off walls that house memories of the days when minseok was able to tell the story of each of the lines on luhan's face. looking at it now, minseok can't even bring a name to his lips for the line that's made a home for itself between luhan's eyebrows. luhan's never looked as disappointed as he does now, and even in his slightly intoxicated state, minseok knows the new line does not bode well.
he doesn't want to be the cause of its appearance, but he's a lawyer and he's too rational to deny that he is. 'um - hey, lu, sorry i'm late. how come you aren't at the studio?' minseok asks. his words aren't supported by the makeshift pillars of confidence he erects in court, and he knows all too well that it's a sign. he's more afraid of luhan - of the possibility of losing luhan - than he is of a hard-faced judge.
he tries to swallow but his mouth has gone dry; he knows he's facing his worst fear tonight.
'you forgot?' luhan asks, and his tone is softly incredulous, as if he'd just received confirmation of a thing he'd thought impossible. minseok doesn't respond with anything more than a blank stare, and luhan lets out a long breath.
minseok wonders if it's carbon dioxide that escapes luhan, or if it's hope for their future together.
the broken look in luhan's eyes tells him it's the latter.
'this - this is the third time this month, minseok. i can't believe you forgot.'
'i - i had to see to some clients,' minseok mumbles. he knows it's a poor excuse even as the words leave his mouth, but luhan's waiting for a response and minseok feels he owes him one.
'of course. your clients. they're worth more to you than i could ever be, isn't that right?' luhan asks. his voice is still soft, still quiet enough that minseok knows he wouldn't be able to hear him had he not been paying full attention, but his words are laced with venom, with poison that attacks minseok right where it hurts. it’s so bitter and so hopeless, and minseok hates that he’s the cause of something so – so ugly to come out from someone so beautiful.
'no, lu - c'mon, you know that's not tr -' but luhan doesn't let him finish, a calloused hand coming up to silence him.
'stop. i've heard enough. i've had enough,' luhan says. minseok's vision blurs, and all he can do is stand there and watch as luhan gets up to leave. there's an air of finality that accompanies the whirl of his jacket as he swings it over his shoulder, and minseok's hit with a wave of terror square in his chest because it feels - it feels like it's all ending.
luhan walks out without another word, and minseok has a feeling he's not coming back. he pauses just before he shuts the door and turns around, eyes meeting with the elder's for all of two minutes. he looks like he’s about to say something, that there are a multitude of words just hanging off the tip of his tongue – but he doesn’t say anything more.
and then he shuts the door and he's gone, and minseok crumples to the floor. the look in luhan's eyes as he left reminded him of a period at the end of a sentence, one minseok's not sure he's done writing yet.
he crawls into bed that night and tries to understand, tries to recall anything that could have riled luhan up that badly, and when he does remember he all but suffocates on his own guilt. once upon a time luhan and minseok would agree to take a night out of their lives to be young again, to remember who they were before adulthood thrust their own fates so abruptly into their hands.
they would take luhan's vespa out and have dinner somewhere questionably cheap, followed by a drive along the han river. they'd end the night by watching the sunrise together anywhere that's high enough, and minseok suddenly misses how beautiful luhan looks bathed in early morning light.
he misses the gentle laugh and even gentler kiss that he used to get when luhan caught him staring, and he's so immersed in his thoughts that he's shocked when he feels moisture slip down his cheeks. all he wants to do is escape to the memory, but he knows it's no use, he knows he can't. so he pushes the thought away and curls up in his empty bed, trying to ignore how much emptier it feels with the knowledge that nobody's going to fall into bed just as he wakes up. he resigns himself to the thought for the sake of getting at least a little sleep.
once upon a time has no place in the here and now.
the first spark flies on a friday. it's been almost a year since minseok's laid eyes on luhan, and in regular lawyer terms a year doesn't seem like very much. he wins a majority of his cases and is made junior partner, but none of that seems important to him when he comes home to a hallway of broken promises and untouchable dreams.
when luhan had first left he'd spent as much time as possible out of the apartment, coming home only to crash on the couch (the bedroom... the bedroom was more than he could handle) for a few hours before racing through a shower and heading out again. now it's a habit imbibed into his system, and aside from his bedroom and bathroom, the rest of the apartment sits gathering dust.
yixing thinks it's about time he move out and start anew, but just like the stains luhan's left on their carpets that refuse to wash out, minseok's too stubborn to budge. he tries to avert his gaze from the many photos of a lost love he still has hanging on his walls, only lets his eyes flit over the image of a happy, smiling luhan for a second before he turns away.
it's not like he's still pining for luhan, because he's not. he's grown used to the idea of his apartment becoming nothing short of his own personal solitary confinement unit, used to how his phone never lights up with random messages from luhan anymore. he does not pine for his (and he chokes whenever he thinks the syllable) ex boyfriend anymore, rather, he's haunted by his ghost.
luhan's things still sit in their places in minseok's apartment, and minseok knows the former still has his key, and that's probably what keeps him hoping.
'hey, minseok, do you wanna get a drink with us?' kyungsoo asks. he has his lips curled in a heart shaped smile, and minseok only just stops himself from cooing. it’s just after ten on a friday night, and minseok is in his office, trying to decide which case to attack first.
'us?' minseok asks, amusement cocking his eyebrow and curling his lip. he watches as kyungsoo slowly (but steadily) colours, the blush spreading across his cheeks so reminiscent to someone else's. minseok reminds himself that he can’t think about that right now.
'um, well, i mean - me - me and jongin,' kyungsoo stutters, faltering at every syllable. minseok nods in understanding and shoots a teasing glance at kyungsoo.
'i've suddenly fallen ill and can't possibly join the two of you on your completely platonic not-date. i am terribly sorry and i hope jongin will understand. and no, no, i insist, i don't need you to look after me, i'll be fine on my own,' minseok says, watching as kyungsoo catches on. the blush on the younger’s face grows even deeper.
'alright, thanks minseok,' kyungsoo says, darting out of the office quicker than minseok's ever seen him move. he shakes his head a little to himself, somewhere between amused and not, probably because he's forgotten what it feels like to be young and in new love.
he's about to resign himself to another night of working facts until dawn when a knock comes at his door, and jongin and kyungsoo peek in at him before he motions at them to 'come in, what's wrong with you, why haven't you left yet.'
kyungsoo and jongin exchange a look before the latter pulls out his phone. minseok lets out a heavy sigh. 'look, jongin, i don't know how to tell you this, but maybe you're not meant to touch any kind of machinery, i mean - you keep breaking everything,' minseok says, exasperation clear in his voice. he’s too tired to fix jongin’s electronics tonight.
'that's - that's not what i wanted to show you, hyung,' jongin mumbles. he slides the device across the desk over to minseok, who takes it with curiosity.
'tao - tao and kris are missing?' minseok gasps, eyes flying up to look into his colleagues', as if they held the answer.
'looks like it,' kyungsoo murmurs.
minseok feels his throat close up. he was never particularly close to the chinese members of luhan's band (only because baekhyun and chanyeol seemed to make it a sport to talk his ears off) but they were his friends, and they meant so much more to - 'luhan.' minseok says. he can't imagine the turmoil his ex boyfriend must be going through, but he has no idea how to comfort him. he hates feeling so helpless.
as if on cue his phone lights up, the familiar characters of luhan's name at the top of the display. three pairs of eyes watch as the phone rings and rings and rings, until finally jongin puts his hand on kyungsoo’s and pulls him away, makes to exit the room.
before the door closes behind them, jongin gives minseok one last, long look.
'you might want to get that, hyung.'
minseok runs through pedestrian traffic without really looking, feet pounding against unrelenting pavement and mouth uttering half-hearted apologies. he reaches the bar he'd been racing towards for the past fifteen minutes and pauses to catch his breath just outside the door. his mind replays the call he'd received not half an hour ago.
'tao and kris are not missing,' luhan had relayed calmly. 'they left me a letter. told me they're done with the whole music scene, and they want out, only our lawyers won't let them. so. so they ran.' the sadness is clear in luhan's voice, and minseok wishes even now that he could will it away.
he knows, he knows: he's the only one who can.
so he gathers up every ounce of courage he has and shoves the door open, only to be greeted by a dimly lit room with barely any people in it. he recognises luhan right away.
he wants to rush over to him, to envelope the younger in a hug that'll wash all his worries away. but he can't, because he won't. there is an invisible shield that keeps him from attempting to go anywhere near luhan, and for a terrifying moment he freezes up, wondering if he's made the right choice.
it's at that moment that luhan chooses to look up from the shot glass his fingers are curled around, right into minseok's eyes. his own crinkle at the corners and his lips form a gentle smile, and minseok feels himself melt all over again, especially when he finally hears luhan's voice in person for the first time in what feels like forever –
'hello, stranger.'
days grow into weeks. puzzle pieces are meant to fit together, no matter how long they’ve been apart. the jagged edges of minseok’s being meets with luhan’s again, cracks and lines meeting in perfect harmony.
it doesn’t take long for them to grow back together.
the letter comes on a saturday. minseok wakes up to light flooding in from behind sheer curtains covering their windows, and all he sees are dust motes floating through the air. he reaches out instinctively for luhan, but all his palm seems to find is an empty bed. he sits up, dazed.
'lu?' he calls, but no answer comes his way. 'that's weird,' he mumbles to himself. luhan usually needs to be awoken by trumpets blaring and children screeching, and minseok's long since learned to just let him get up when he feels like it. he figured going solo was going to make it difficult for him to get enough sleep, anyway, which is why, alone in his bed at 9am on a saturday morning, minseok's so confused.
his eyes catch sight of a bright red piece of paper lying in the middle of the luhan's pillow, and his fingers instantly reach out to take it. 'good morning, princess,' the paper reads. minseok can practically hear the words being spoken in luhan's voice. 'surprise surprise, guess who's up before you are. are you up for a game, minseokkie? it doesn't matter, you have to play it no matter what, i've worked hard on it. basically i'm going to be busy this whole day, but i know it's our anniversary - seven years, can you believe it, minseokkie? - and i have something prepared for you. please keep this letter with you at all times today. now, go take a shower.'
minseok shakes his head and clicks his tongue; some things never change. he swings his legs out of bed and takes his time, padding off to the bathroom. he finds a purple post it attached to the mirror above their sink, and he squints at it.
'congratulations, lazy bum, you've finally made it to the bathroom! you have a lunch date with jongin and kyungsoo at 1130, so make sure you wash your hair, it smelled pretty funky last night.'
minseok rips the post it off and tosses it in the bin, huffing as he washes his hair twice. he takes his time and only gets out when it's 10am, towelling off and putting on nice clothes because kyungsoo is a stickler for style. he's about to reach for the fridge when a note stops him.
'don't eat now! i bet you took your time in the shower. if you eat now, you'll lose your appetite, and - oh, did i mention? - jongin and kyungsoo are paying. so. have fun with their wallets and not with our food stock, thanks,' minseok rolls his eyes and huffs, stomping off to sit in front of the television. a note lies next to the remote control, and minseok reaches out to read it. there is a date written at the top, and luhan's written the story of when they'd broken the old tv and had to buy a new one, and minseok laughs.
the next hour whizzes by and then minseok's out the door, going to meet jongin and kyungsoo for lunch. he finds the two huddled together in a corner of the cafe he'd been instructed (by a very bossy-sounding blue note) to make haste to, and he chokes on his own laughter when he clears his throat and the two leap apart.
'oh - er - hi, minseok, didn't see you there,' jongin mutters nervously.
'of course you didn't,' minseok says, amused.
'anyway - anyway, we have strict instructions from this fairy prince-looking character to make sure you stuff yourself and have a good afternoon, so we're going to the bazaar after this,' kyungsoo says, getting right down to business. some habits you just can't leave in the office.
they talk about office things and annoying clients, and minseok amuses himself mainly by watching his colleagues exchange shy glances. he does have a good time that afternoon, well into the evening, in fact, until kyungsoo stops short and makes a show of checking the time. 'fuck,' he breathes, and minseok's taken aback because since when does kyungsoo swear. 'we're late!' kyungsoo exclaims, and minseok's eyes widen as he is being forcefully hustled back to his apartment.
'strict instructions!' kyungsoo squawks, jongin silently unlocking the door to minseok's apartment. 'mustn't be late!' kyungsoo shrills, pulling minseok's jacket off and shoving him into his bathroom. 'smell good!' kyungsoo says, before slamming the door shut in minseok's face.
minseok sighs and begins to shower, coming out fifteen minutes later to a fresh set of clothes laid out on his bed. there is, of course, a note sitting on top of it. 'kyungsoo and jongin are still here, so don't walk out naked, your buns are mine. you are to put on whatever it is kyungsoo's picked out for you and you are not to protest when he barges in and does wonderfully monstrous things with your hair. when they're done, they're going to kidnap you. with my consent. which means they have your consent, so maybe kidnap isn't the right word... anyway, they're going to bring you somewhere and you'd better be there on time. i'm waiting.'
an hour and lots of blow drying and hair gel later, minseok finds himself back at his old campus. jongin and kyungsoo drop him off without a word, tyres screeching and kyungsoo's hand waving out the window as they leave.
minseok takes a deep breath and reaches for the note kyungsoo's stuffed in his jacket pocket, whipping it out to read by the light of his phone. 'remember this place, minseokkie? this is where i first made you fall for me. fall for me, remember? heh. anyway, i need you to make your way to the rooftop of your old dorm room, don't worry, it's allowed. get up there quick, there's a surprise waiting for you.'
minseok folds the note and puts it away. he finds his old dorm building easily enough, and he notes that the fire escape up to the rooftop has been reinstalled. it's much nicer now, nice enough for him to be able to climb without any difficulty, so he does. the trek up is pretty long, though, and he curses luhan out in his mind. it's so typical of him to be so whimsical, isn't it?
minseok struggles to pull himself over the ledge and onto the rooftop, until a hand shoots out to pull him up. 'need help?' luhan asks, and minseok doesn't expect his irritation to wash away at the sight of his smile, but it... does.
luhan pulls him up almost effortlessly - all the time his company demand he spend in the gym paying off - and minseok finds himself hit with a wave of nostalgia, and of something else. 'what's... lu, what's all this?' he asks, mouth gaping as he takes in the scene before him. there are fairy lights strung up and a table set for two in the middle.
'happy anniversary, love,' luhan says. he pulls minseok towards him and presses a chaste kiss against his lips, and minseok melts in his arms. he loves how he feels like he belongs there.
somewhere in the background he hears a guitar being strummed and a soulful voice he knows but can't quite place. luhan turns him around in his arms, presses minseok's back to his chest and the latter almost keels over in surprise. 'kyungsoo!' is the one singing, and minseok's plenty surprised. he never knew kyungsoo could sing.
but the real surprise comes when he catches sight of the guitarist that's accompanying his colleague. 'tao!' minseok's eyes fill with tears and he doesn't know why, but the sight of tao makes him feel as though he were really coming home. back to the days when he'd spent hours watching the five of them practice, back to the days when him and luhan used to sneak up to this very spot and try to forge constellations out of stars too far dispersed.
he’s come home.
'take out the first note i left you this morning, minseokkie,' luhan whispers, his warmth leaving minseok's back. minseok pulls the note out of his pocket and unfolds it, eyebrows furrowing. there isn't anything else on it.
'minseok,' luhan says, and minseok looks away from the paper only to see luhan in front of him on one knee, and minseok's eyes are rivulets growing into rivers. 'i write songs about love with only you in my mind. i used to write songs about heartbreak only because you weren't there to show me that's not all there is. when i sing about love i close my eyes and imagine that you're the only one in my audience, because you're the only one in this world worth singing to.'
luhan chokes a little on his words and looks down, a finger coming up to brush at his eyes. when he speaks again his voice is thick with emotion, and he can barely get his words out. 'i - i - i, oh fuck, my eyes keep leaking. anyway. kim minseok, i've loved you ever since you skedaddled into my life like the little pixie you are. i've loved you ever since the day i bumped into you. i've never stopped loving you, not even when we spent all that time apart, and - i - i want to spend - the rest - of my days - with, you,' both luhan and minseok are crying rivers now, and luhan offers up a small black box.
'will - you - will you marry me, minseokkie?' minseok snatches the ring box out of luhan's hand and flings his arms around the younger, sobbing in earnest into the crook of his neck.
'yes, yes yes yes yes,' minseok mutters, and he pulls luhan's lips towards his own in a long, long kiss. they break away after what seems like forever, faces both shining with tears. their foreheads are pressed together as luhan takes the box back from minseok, slips the ring on his finger. then he reaches into his fiance's pocket and pulls out the red note.
'open it. turn it over,' luhan whispers, and minseok does as he's told. on the back of the paper is a large, lowercase 'e', and minseok frowns in confusion.
'what -'
'i told you you were only one letter away from being mine.'
we find our epilogue on a sunday. minseok and luhan's individual stories come to an end on a day that dawns bright and pleasantly cool, evening breeze gently running races on their guests' skin. they get to start a new story now – together. all the people they love are present on their special day, and as minseok turns to look at luhan - whose make up is thankfully much lighter than the garish stage stuff they slap on him for performances - he thinks the day couldn't be any more perfect.
'minseok hyung!' kyungsoo calls, grinning from ear to ear. he's in a black suit and tie (in contrast with minseok's head-to-toe white ensemble), and his hand, the elder notes, is tightly intertwined with jongin's.
'hey, kyungsoo, jongin. thanks for coming, i'm so glad you could make it,' minseok says, shaking both their hands in turn. the young couple don't let go of each other, smiles plastered on their faces.
'of course we did, it's your wedding, after all!' jongin drops his voice and checks over his shoulder, 'and you're our favourite hyung from the office, anyway.' he mumbles.
minseok sniggers. 'are you sure i'm your favourite hyung, jongin?' minseok asks, and jongin's blush is barely noticeable when it spreads itself across the planes of his cheeks. 'don't answer that,' minseok adds.
he feels an arm sneak its way around his waist, and he doesn't even have to look to know that it's luhan. his body leans into the other man's out of pure instinct, and his head lands on luhan's shoulder as if it were his home.
(which, he supposes, it is. luhan is his home, after all.)
'hey little pixie, guess who's here to see us?' luhan whispers. minseok doesn't get a chance to respond before he's being forcefully tugged away from his new husband, long arms pulling him into a lanky body and a shriek of 'you'll mess up his hair!' that sounds undeniably like –
'baekhyun! chanyeol!' minseok exclaims, finding himself in a bear hug with the giant, baekhyun tutting disapprovingly by the side. 'i - i'm so glad you guys could come!' says minseok, when luhan finally wrestles him out of chanyeol's hold.
'please, free food and eye candy? wouldn't have missed it if you begged us,' baekhyun smirks. minseok tries - and fails - to fight the stupid smile off his face when he feels someone tap him on the shoulder. it's kris.
'oh! oh - oh, kris, i - it's nice to see you again, thank you so -' but kris doesn't let minseok finish his garbled sentences, just pulls the elder into a bone crushing embrace. when he lets go, minseok notices tao just by his side, cynical smile ever present under tired eyes. he hasn't seen the guitarist since the night luhan proposed, all those months ago, and that's going to be his excuse for how he winds up with tears in his eyes again.
'you're here. all of you,' minseok whimpers, so touched because luhan's former band members - his friends - had all taken the time to come see him again. their presence reassures minseok of friendships he thought long lost, and to get them back, all at once, like this - minseok is at a loss for words.
'i think he means thanks for coming, guys,' luhan says, one corner of his mouth pulled up. minseok manages to nod.
'well, now that all that's done, it's time for us to set up,' baekhyun says, rubbing his hands together. he motions for the other members to go get ready.
'set up? for what?' minseok asks, confused.
'oh, you'll see,' baekhyun winks.
all the members of luhan's former band leaves, and minseok turns toward his husband, who is as confused as he is. five minutes later and the soft music dies down, microphone crackling as baekhyun begins to speak into it.
'ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to announce that it's time - time for the groom and... groom to have their first dance. can i get mr and mr... lu? in the middle of the floor, please?' baekhyun asks, and the crowd parts ways to let the newlyweds take centre stage.
they finally notice that luhan's ex bandmates have taken control of the instruments on stage, and luhan's eyes widen when the realisation dawns on him. 'oh, fuck. they remembered,' luhan mumbles, and minseok looks at him with curiosity.
'remembered what?' minseok asks, but luhan doesn't have time to answer before the chords are struck and music echoes throughout the venue. out of the corner of his eye, minseok can see jongin nervously eyeing kyungsoo. he sends telepathic messages of encouragement to the younger.
baekhyun takes the mic this time, voice rich as he sings one of their oldest, and - luhan hangs his head in shame when he hears the words - mushiest songs. minseok laughs when he recognises it - it's the first song luhan had ever written as his boyfriend.
'well mr kim, may i have this dance?' minseok asks, an impish smile - so reminiscent of the days when the song was written - etched on his features. luhan looks at him with a challenge in his eyes.
'if you insist, mr lu.' their dance is really nothing more than just arms around the other and swaying from side to side, but minseok wouldn't have it any other way. the crowd steadily joins them - jongin and kyungsoo included, and minseok laughs - until the whole venue is a mass of slow dancing and muttered secrets, and he can’t help but feel happiness weave itself into the fabric of his very being.
once the song ends, baekhyun speaks again, and the tone of mischief in his voice has luhan worried. 'we have - a rather unique song up next, and it's going to be the first time our newlyweds will sing together. lu? will you do the honours of introducing the song you're gonna sing with minseok?'
luhan's hand loosens around minseok's, and he hesitates for a mere moment before he makes his way to the stage. the mic is cool metal both familiar and foreign in his palm, but he speaks with the confidence minseok's always envied.
'when - when minseok and i first started dating, i was in a band with these guys back here. the first time,' - luhan finds minseok's eyes in the crowd and his tone audibly softens - 'the first time i told him i loved him, was also the first time he'd ever watched us perform. we did a song together and the very next morning, i told all these guys that i was going to marry him, and we'd sing that same song at our wedding.'
it's minseok's turn to widen his eyes this time, embarrassment colouring his face and neck. 'minseok, love - will you please come up here and sing with me?' luhan holds his hand out in his husband's direction, and all their guests start chanting his name.
minseok chuckles when he realises he doesn't have a choice, and he gets himself up onstage to sing with his husband. the song starts and it's so cheesy and so bad and minseok is embarrassed beyond belief, but, well - he supposes that he's okay with having to sing this stupid song over and over again for the rest of his life - as long as he gets to sing it with luhan.
Author’s Note:
Would you believe – I wrote this entire thing in
coaled's ask.fm. This entire thing. Can you – just stop and imagine how many messages I sent her omg I owe her my soul.This fic is entirely… Not properly planned and all of it is dedicated to my favourite fish who won’t swim to me. She is the fire of my timeline and fuels all my farts and I love her heh
A side note! Luhan had never sent a letter to Minseok before the red one. He’s never physically written anything as a form of communication because his handwriting sucks and Minseok told him to just Whatsapp him or something it’s so difficult to read your damned handwriting, Lu. So yeah THAT ENTIRE PROPOSAL THING WAS JUST SO I COULD JUSTIFY MY LAME PICKUP LINE sighs the things I think of while queuing up for McDonald’s.
Anyway if you have made it this far thank you for reading!!!! If you wanna drop a comment pls do comments make me happy
G’BYE
twitter | ask.fm
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i almost chocked when luhan first said the pick up line xp
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You did such a wonderful job with this fic. ♥
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it was the best!!!
I love the story.. really really love it!
it's great~
and fluff!! <3 *throws cookies*
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hehe thank you for reading!