Genre: Fluff, Established relationship

Jihoon and Seungcheol have been together for over six years and they are finally ready to tie the knot.

"Cheers, to our uptight producer's last day of being a bachelor!" Soonyoung screamed amidst the thrumming beat, one hand raising a glass of swirling blue alcohol that was somehow fuller than Jihoon remembered seeing five minutes ago while his other hand found Jihoon's back and gave him a warm pat. Soonyoung's eyes were gleaming under a layer of unmistakeable mirth, his lips curled into a beaming grin as the alcohol flushed his cheeks a faint shade of red. Jihoon knew Soonyoung could hold his alcohol so he wasn't worried the man was drunk yet, but by the way Soonyoung's drinks were disappearing Jihoon made a note at the back of his mind to pick up some painkillers on their way back later for him next morning. Sober Soonyoung was reasonably annoying but hangover Soonyoung was just an insufferable brat. "May he get laid more often after being married and stopped being so bossy to us."

The crowd around him laughed and while Jihoon normally would smack his best friend for the half-hearted insult, he found himself grinning along with them as he took in another sip of his drink. Last day of being a bachelor. The words gave a nice rush of excitement through his whole body. He was getting married. Exposing Soonyoung's -full drawer could wait for a couple of days.

"At least he's getting some, Soonyoung. You are still hopelessly single if I remember correctly." Seungkwan goaded from the side with a slight slur to his words, He and Seokmin - the duo singer - had rushed into their private suite 15 minutes late, draped in all sorts of clothes and masks to hide themselves from the crazed reporters. Seungkwan had shucked his stuffy denim jacket to the side as soon as the metal door clicked shut and poured himself a b cup of sparkling clear liquid, exclaiming "Since stinky Hansol is not here to stop me, I'm going to get wasted today!" with a certainty he usually reserved for more serious things. The younger man was knocking back drinks quicker than Soonyoung himself, finally getting a break after three long weeks of non-stop shows, interviews and insufferable commercials with stuck up co-stars and was determined to drink all his pent up stresses away. As a result, even though they hadn't started for long Seungkwan was already tipsy enough to not notice Soonyoung's playful glare from across the table.

"You're lucky it's Jihoon's bachelor party or I'm so calling Hansol on you."

Seungkwan's eyes widened as he clutched dramatically to his second Death in the Afternoon - Jihoon found himself chuckling at the fitting name - and before anything was to happen Mingyu was quick to interrupt the two with a loud clap. "C'mon guys. It's Jihoon's bachelor party, don't be petty. Cheer up and let's get drunk!"

Seokmin laughed, boisterous and booming. "Yeah, come on. I still can't believe they're getting married already. Do you guys remember the time when they insisted they were strictly platonic?"

"Oh, I do!" Junhui raised a hand, an easy lilt evident in his voice. "I wasn't that close to them then and I still thought they were head over heels for each other. Honestly, the time they spent eye-ing each other was no joke. Imagine my surprise when I asked them how long have they been together and they both denied like their lived depended on it. I believe Seungcheol even asked Minghao to tell me in Chinese that they weren't together."

Oh, how Jihoon remembered. He and Seungcheol had been friends for at least fifteen years, but they only became lovers for a little more than five years ago. It was a tough ride, really, because Seungcheol was an oblivious fool and Jihoon was no better than him in the presence of love.

It took six years of their friendship for Jihoon to realise he was in love with his best friend, but fate was cruel and sarcastic and Seungcheol just had to be in a relationship then, happily enamoured by a brunet who till this day still reminded Jihoon of lonely summer nights and tear-filled fireworks. Doyoon was his name. They lasted for a year after that, but when they broke up it was Jihoon who was in a relationship then.

His relationship with Yoongi lasted for almost half a year. Yoongi was a nice man, the two of them clicked nicely with similar hobbies and interests, but Jihoon soon figured they were together for one similar reason and unfortunately it wasn't because of love. It was on one of their dates that they coincidently met Jimin, Yoongi's best friend, the one that Jihoon had heard so many good things about before. They talked for ten minutes, exchanged polite conversations and as soon as they were out of sight Jihoon had confronted the older man about it, straight-forward but as gentle as he could, because Jihoon knew that gaze, had seen that gaze in the coffee shop's windows for countless times third-wheeling Seungcheol's dates. Jihoon and Yoongi didn't end up together but Jihoon gained himself a good friend nevertheless. They always said friends who get over heartbreaks together stayed together and it was true, in some sad, wicked way. Through time Jihoon reckoned Yoongi was even more like a brother to him, in a sense. And while fate was cruel, it was also truly a miraculous thing, for Jihoon and Yoongi both got together with Seungcheol and Jimin in the end, despite the roller coaster of emotions and dramas they had to go through to get there, especially for Jihoon and Seungcheol who took two long years "dancing around each other", as most of their friends would say.

"What got you smiling to yourself, Jihoonie?" Soonyoung's voice pulled Jihoon out of his thoughts and back into the presence. He looked around, puzzled at his friend's matching mischievous grins.

"What? Can't a man smile around here without being questioned?"

"It's nothing. It's just that we mentioned Seungcheol and you were gone for like, a solid ten minutes." Soonyoung said without a care to Jihoon's sarcastic eye roll at the obvious exaggeration.

"Oh, don't mind him. Please keep on smiling, you look absolutely adorable and smitten. Wonwoo would love to hear this. He just texted me about how Seungcheol is half way drunk and is starting to become a sappy puppy now at the mention of your name." Mingyu giggled as he tapped on his phone furiously. "You two are so whipped for each other." Jihoon frowned at him but let the younger had his fun anyway. He was about to take another drink when a hand stopped him and dragged him to the other side of the table. He turned, a little disorientated from the rough treatment and ready to snap at whoever it was, to see a crimson-faced Seungkwan tittering around his third drink.

"Come on Jihoon, let's get to the fun part of tonight." He sing-song, pulling Jihoon over to the velvety couch on the back of the room. Most of the others were already there, settled in a large, silver blue round couch large enough to fit at least ten people; in the middle was a gleaming black marble table with its surface so vivid and clear it looked like glass placed on top of sloshing ink and glitter. Their drinks were already transferred there, most likely when Jihoon was too absorbed in his own thoughts, and from the corner of his eyes he could see Mingyu and Soonyoung following quietly, lips pulled into amused smiles. He sighed and relent, letting Seungkwan pulled him down in the empty space in middle of the couch.

"So, spill the beans already." Junhui announced excitedly, looking like a child who just woke up on Christmas morning and was waiting for his presents. Too bad Jihoon was no Santa Clause. He reached for a glass of Martini first before fixing his gaze on Junhui.

"What beans? These aren't beans." Jihoon picked up the olive stick and popped on in his mouth, grinning smugly. "You should consider getting some glasses, Junhui. Are you getting old already?"

"We're the same age!" Junhui spluttered. "And you know what I'm talking about. You guys still haven't told us how the proposal went."

"He gave me a ring, I gave him a ring, what else do you need to know?"

"Everything!" Soonyoung opened his arms wide, flailing frantically. "Who asked first? Where was it? How did it come to the proposal? How did it feel?"

The others nodded in unison, all looking at Jihoon expectedly. While Jihoon normally would find excessive meddling with his personal life annoying, they were his friends - almost like his family, and a wedding was a big deal, so he could understand their curiosity. After all, they were under a day away from the actual wedding yet both he and Seungcheol hadn't told anyone exactly how they proposed to each other. Their friends had asked, sure, but he didn't exactly give them a lot of details. Not that he minded, Jihoon just didn't know how to tell them.

"Seungcheol beat me to it. It was at a restaurant, you know, the fancy one down the third district that Chan used to work at."

"The one that connects to that massive ballroom?" Mingyu piped up from his seat, whistling when Jihoon nodded, decidedly impressed. "Fancy indeed."

"Yeah. Seungcheol was certain Simple was going to win Best OST, so he booked in as soon as he knew it got nominated. Luckily I did win, or otherwise it would've been a waste. But yeah, we went to celebrate, danced a little, and he proposed at the end of the third song. It was.. indescribable."

Much as he tried, Jihoon still came up with an empty mind when trying to explain it; unable to translate the feelings twirling inside of his chest, the no name emotions seizing his heart whenever he thought about his fiancee, about their proposal, about their wedding.

Maybe it was the because he was the person experiencing it. Maybe because of the fact that Seungcheol wasn't the only one who had wanted to propose that day. Jihoon didn't know he would win or not, nor did he really care about the award. Simple was something he had composed since young, and though it might not be the most polished song he had, it was the embodiment of the raw, utmost sincere emotions he had when he first started writing. Jeonghan had asked him one day, mentioning about how the new film he was starring on was in need of a special song. The older showed him the script, just a part, but it drew Jihoon in and made him open up the locked away part of his younger days. The director contacted him personally after he sent them the first draft, excited, and the sound track Simple was born. The song was far off from what Jihoon usually had and it was intentionally so; inexperienced and rough around the edges, the song stayed true to its name, a clean canvas of simple colors and only sincerity shining through, the beauty of a blooming youth learning about life. It brought out the emotions Jihoon didn't expect to feel again, the hardships he had faced when he was younger; he was emotionally exhausted by the end of the composing process. But unlike when he first wrote it when he was alone with his feelings, Seungcheol was there for him, and he was there for Jihoon in every step. So, one night in the week leading the award ceremony, as he curled up against Seungcheol's strong chest, body lax and pliant under the comforting heat seeping through thin fabrics, Jihoon decided it didn't matter if he won or not, he was going to finally make use of the ring that had been hidden away under layers of old clothes for months on end.

He didn't expect to win. It was still a good confident boost, needless to say, so Jihoon donned his best suit and celebrated with Seungcheol with a bottle of red wine, melting beef and expensive desserts. They then opted to the ballroom, where Jihoon pulled Seungcheol in for a tango, passionate and fleeting, and by the time the third song rolled around Seungcheol had Jihoon in his arms, the two easily immersed themselves to a slow, sensual waltz. As the last notes died out, however, instead of making their way back for a much-needed drink and heading back home, Seungcheol dropped down to one knee, pulling out a small black box from under the lapel of his dress jacket and opened it to reveal a thin silver band; Jihoon had to stop himself from crying right then and there because the ring was beautiful but Seungcheol was even more so. Seungcheol had prepared a speech that he carried with ease, doe eyes looking straight at him, only him, and Jihoon felt the first tear came when he finally asked the question. Then the second, the third. He laughed through the tears, unattractively snorting and nodding at the same time before bringing up his own ring in a similar black box. They were soulmates, Jihoon remembered thinking as he slipped the ring into Seungcheol's slender finger, because only soulmates could pull off things like that.

But how would he explain that to his friends? Soulmates didn't exist. They were in movies and children's books, but soulmates weren't real. They wouldn't understand. Jihoon couldn't understand his own feelings at the time. It was strange. There was a tinge of sadness - bittersweet, almost - when Jihoon remembered the past and the things they had to go through, then there was disbelief, happiness, relief, adoration, excitement, fear, all in one concoction of emotions. Words couldn't give the feelings just. So Jihoon settled with the next best thing he could offer.

"It was a once in a lifetime experience, I guess. I really can't describe it, though."

The others looked puzzled but didn't question anymore, seemingly appeased with the splash of red high on Jihoon's check and the dreamy glow in his eyes. Instead they snickered and talked about how sappy Seungcheol must be when proposing and Jihoon grinned, assuring them that yes, Seungcheol's proposal was probably more cheesy than the love declaration from old Korean dramas. The conversation moved on, the drinks slowly disappearing as the night grew old; Jihoon and his group of friends ended up huddled together in a giggling mess, sharing stories after stories about everything and anything, laughing at Seungkwan's and Soonyoung's drunken antics. They bid goodbye when the moon was high up and shining softly, giving Jihoon hugs and pats on his back with gleeful congratulations before piling up in different cabs to get back home and nurse their intoxicated self to health for the important day.

Jihoon went to sleep that night alone in old bed in his and Soonyoung's previously shared apartment, the never ending storm of emotions swirling in his stomach.

"Last night of being a bachelor." He really liked the sound of that.

The air was sizzling with tension. Different people ran around, some carrying blinding white wooden arches with green vines curling around them with spots of pale yellow, pink and red flowers decorated the side, swaying gracefully in the gentle breeze, others rushing to arrange seats for guests. Jihoon watched them from the inside of his preparation room as Jeonghan fussed around with his makeup while Seungkwan styled his hair, both hissing in irritation when Jihoon so much as moved his head for a millimeter.

"Ji, stop squirming around." Jeonghan said with a glare, tapping the brush on the edge of his eye shadow pallet to get rid of the excess ivory shimmer and dabbed them carefully onto Jihoon's eyelids.

"Sorry, it's not my fault that my doesn't like to be stuck on a hard chair for almost half an hour." The younger grumbled but stilled himself when he heard Jeonghan's disapproving huff. "What are you doing with my hair, Boo?"

"We're going to free the forehead today!" Seungkwan exclaimed dramatically, warm hands threading into Jihoon's hair and fluffing it out.

"Free the what?"

"Well, not really. But I'm going to part your bangs a little to the right, then curl it just a bit for a curving effect, and it will show a part of your forehead! You'll look amazing, Lee."

It took another hour for Jihoon to be finally free from the unforgiving chair. Seungkwan tugged him to the mirror and Jihoon turned around reluctantly. He widened his eyes, however, as he caught sight of his own reflection. Jihoon had been to fancy events before, where he had to wear makeup and had his hair done so he wasn't new to it all, but the man staring back at him was almost himself and a stranger at the same time. He caught Jeonghan's and Seungkwan's gaze in the mirror, both looking pleased with themselves.

"I look.. Good?" He didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but it did either way.

Jeonghan beamed at him. "More than good. You look absolutely stunning. Now go try on your suit."

He nodded and walked away. Before he reached the door, however, Jihoon looked back to the two men with an honest smile on his lips. "Thanks, guys. For everything."

Seungkwan's eyes were gleaming as he reached over and enveloped Jihoon in a tight hug, while Jeonghan just squeezed his hands and guided him to the changing room. "Don't worry about it."

The ceremony started at 4, when the sunlight started to soften but not dimmed and the whole ground was cast in a rich golden veil tinted with warm hues of oranges. From behind the gate Jihoon could see the crowd settling down, could see his family in the front next to Seungcheol's family, could see the rows of his and Seungcheol's friends, all familiar faces and voices. Before he knew it Seungkwan was already on stage, acting as the host of the wedding, and the music was sound. His cue was coming, but Jihoon at that moment couldn't will himself to move. He gripped on Soonyoung's hand, feeling queasy as his heart fluttered and flipped in his chest, nerves firing in every inch of his body. Soonyoung placed a hand on his own, heavy but gentle.

"He's in there, Ji. He's waiting for you. Damn, you should've seen him in the preparation. The man was like a bundle of buzzing nerves, almost had to tie him down for him to stop prancing. You ready to get married to that hot mess?"

And Jihoon had to stop himself from laughing out loud, eyes crinkling in delight at Soonyoung's playful words and the image of Seungcheol pacing around like how he always did whenever he was nervous, all worries vanished into thin air because yes, he was ready to get married to that hot mess.

"Yeah, let's go."

The walk to the front of the wedding altar was a blur to Jihoon. Partly because he was still freaking out, but the main reason was because of the man waiting for him at the end of the walk. Seungcheol was wearing a white jacket and slacks with a black dress shirt inside, opposite to Jihoon's attire which was a black jacket, slacks and a white button-up. Jihoon had never been so glad that he had chosen the high cliff instead of the beach as their wedding location before. Seungcheol looked breathtaking like this, with lights pouring onto his back and lingered around his tall frame, accentuating Seungcheol's figure from the vast azure sky behind him. Seungcheol took Jihoon's hand from Soonyoung to lead him up to the standing platform and Jihoon felt all the air knocked out of his lungs when he finally got a closer look at the older man, from the dark locks with a subtle wave falling close to his eyebrows to the gentle smile painted across glossy pink lips. Jihoon's eyes wandered to the sharp jawlines, the ones he had traced over with thousands of kisses over the last three years; to the thick, long eyelashes that Jihoon had counted over a million times whenever he got home late and Seungcheol was already far in dreamland; and to the sparkling orbs staring straight back at him, glimmering in golden light, no doubt the most exquisite jewels Jihoon had ever seen. Seungcheol was a stunning groom, almost ethereal in his existence.

And Jihoon was going to get married to him. He was getting married to the beautiful, loving, hardworking, patient as a saint Choi Seungcheol who also happened to be his best friend, his first love and his soulmate all at the same time.

"Are you ready?" Seungcheol leaned closer and whispered in his ears.

Jihoon tightened his hold on the other's hand. "As ready as I'll ever be."

And the bright smile Seungcheol gave him in returned was enough to smooth down the jittery nerves dancing under Jihoon's skin.

It went just like normal afterward, Soonyoung and Jeonghan both came up for their short speeches, and in no time it was time for them to exchange vows.

"Marriage is not a legal document. No pastor, priest or justice of the peace can create a marriage because a marriage, truly, is nothing except the promises made and kept by two individuals. Today, Seungcheol and Jihoon stood before us to publicly declare their love and to share with us their marriage promises. Now you two will say a few words that will take you across the threshold of life, for after these vows you shall say to the world: He is my husband. Seungcheol, would you please start first."

Seungcheol held on to the mic passed to him with a little tremor in his hands, clearing his throat a few time before looking back to Jihoon with earnest in his gaze.

"I've known you for a long time, Lee Jihoon, ever since you were this young, angsty teenager who thought he had to carry the burden of the whole world on his shoulders alone. You are the most incredible man I've ever met. You're strong, you have the talents of five men grouped together but you work harder than ten of them combined. I love you, Lee Jihoon. I love everything about you. From the grumpy Jihoon to the cry baby Jihoon, from your handsome face to your beautiful soul. I especially love your smile. All of them, from the evil grin you have whenever you torture poor Mingyu to the shy quirk of your lips whenever I get too cheesy. But most of all, I love your distinctive Lee Jihoon smile. The one you make when you talk about a good day at work, about your family, your friend, the one you made when I dropped to my knees and proposed to you. Yes, that smile right there. That's my favorite smile. Jihoon, I think you're special, Jihoon, and I know, even though you're making a face at me right now, you think that I'm special too. So today, I'm here to take you as my husband, to promise to the world that no matter what happens in life, I'll always treasure you, love you, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you smiling like that for the rest of our eternity."

"And Jihoon, are you ready to state yours?"

Jihoon stared at Seungcheol who already had tears in his eyes, the fire in his chest threatening to burst as each and every single one of Seungcheol's words repeated themselves again and again in his mind. He grabbed the mic slowly, throat suddenly dried out as Seungcheol linked his other hand securely, fingers slotting together in a perfect fit.

"See, this is why I wanted to say my vow first. Now how am I going to top that?" He said with a breathless laugh, causing some of the audience to giggle as well.

"Oh well, too late to change anything now. Seungcheol. I never told you this, but I knew I was in love with you ever since our sixth year of friendship. You're one of the best things that have ever happened to me, and I really don't know where I would be right now without you. Granted, I'd probably still be making music, but I would be a lot more miserable and sleep-deprived. I'm not any good with my emotions but you never push me to do anything I'm not comfortable with. You are always so patient with me, you understand me sometimes even more than how I understand myself. I still remember, long before we were even together, we had this big fight and I was so frustrated because I couldn't tell you my honest feelings that I ran away from you; but you came to my house later that day and before I could even apologise for my cowardly behaviour you only said "Don't worry. No words' needed for this relationship between you and me", and it was honestly the first time someone had ever been so understanding towards me. I love you, even if you're the cheesiest person on this planet - and you are. You're my muse, my soulmate, and I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you as my husband."

Seungcheol's nephew brought up to them the rings, identical golden bands lying on top of a small ivory pillow. Jihoon slipped the ring to Seungcheol's hand first, then it was Seungcheol's turn. The older man held his hand like he was made of glass, carefully sliding the ring down Jihoon's fingers. For the first time in the whole ceremony his eyes left Jihoon's as he stared at their intertwined hands, a mixture of emotions flashed in topaz eyes. Astonishment, excitement, reverence, and raw, unadulterated love. The announcement of their successful marriage hadn't even finished when Seungcheol tugged him in for a kiss, soft and slow, a kiss of warm Saturday mornings and unspoken promises. "My husband", Seungcheol whispered to Jihoon's lips.

"And you're mine." Jihoon sighed, contented. "All mine."

The evening passed in a quick flurry of events. There was a cocktail after party, then they all went for an early dinner. It was half past nine when Jihoon and Seungcheol got back to their shared house, giggling and laughing as they pushed past the door, Jihoon following his husband slowly behind. Seungcheol's hair was sticking everywhere, his suit jacket got thrown away hastily as the heat of the apartment wrapped around them. Jihoon leaned back on the living room's door frame and watched with a dark smile as Seungcheol settled on the couch, rolling up the cuffs of his sleeves and kicked the leather shoes away. Darting his eyes downward, Jihoon found himself staring at the way the front of Seungcheol's dress shirt stretched deliciously across his broad chest and the way his thighs filled out the white slacks - imagining how much better his husband would look without the offending clothes. Seungcheol turned to him then, puzzled by Jihoon's sudden silence. When he caught the younger dragging his eyes across his body, scorching gaze peeling off the fabric piece by piece, the puzzled look in his eyes melted into one of smug amusement.

"Like what you're seeing?" He said, beckoning Jihoon closer with a quirk of two fingers in a come-hither motion. Jihoon scowled but walked over nevertheless, easily bringing himself up to straddle Seungcheol's lap.

"Not really. This," Jihoon mumbled, toying with the hem of Seungcheol's shirt "Needs to be off. Then I'll enjoy it a lot more."

Seungcheol threw his head back with a laugh, hands coming up to settle as a habit on Jihoon's waist. "Be patient, Ji. We have the whole night to us. Let's get a shower first, yeah?"

Jihoon shook his head and grinded down on Seungcheol harder with a grin on his face. "Why shower when we're going to get dirty later?"

Seungcheol groaned, tightening his hold on his husband's waist as a warning. "Shower first. Anything else later." His voice was dripping with authority, an unspoken challenge for Jihoon to defy him. Jihoon grumbled in disagreement but still chose to put his arms around Seungcheol's neck.

"If you want your damn shower so much, you take me there. I'm too tired to stand up." He said and yelped when Seungcheol gathered him in his arm and stood with ease, walking to the bathroom in quick strides.

"I love you." Seungcheol said when they were both immersed in the warm tub, Jihoon's back to Seungcheol's chest as he played with Jihoon's hair.

"I love you too. But we're still ing after this. Don't think you can lull me to sleep with a warm bath and some sappy love declarations." Seungcheol crackled and Jihoon felt the rumbling of his chest resonating through his back, causing a smile to bloom on his lips despite himself.

"Don't worry, Ji. The night's still young. And we've got the rest of our lives for that, too,"