“Ow.”

“Sorry,” Chanyeol said with a jump, releasing his grip on Yixing’s hands as he stepped away.

Yixing laughed and chased after his hands, pulling Chanyeol back towards him.  “It’s fine,” He said with a grimace as he flexed his foot, “Just remember that the next step is left.”  He murmured, repositioning one of Chanyeol’s hands on his waist before they began to glide across the floor again.

“I really am sorry,” Chanyeol murmured as he spun Yixing away from his chest.

Yixing was laughing again as he spun back, returning to Chanyeol’s arms as they continued their slow waltz across the dance studio.  “And like I said, it’s fine.  You’re getting better.”  He complimented as they reached the center of the floor, finishing their routine with a small spin into a dip that had Yixing looking up at Chanyeol’s doubtful face.

“Really,” Yixing said with another laugh as he was pulled up, settled back on his feet by Chanyeol’s guiding hands, “or have you forgotten how many times you stepped on me the first time we tried this?”  He asked, moving out of Chanyeol’s grasp to flick off the music playing from the speakers and grab a bottle of water to toss towards Chanyeol.

Chanyeol caught it in one hand as he laughed ruefully.  “Just because I’m not stepping at you at every turn doesn’t mean I’m better at it.”  He murmured, uncapping the bottle and taking a drink as Yixing did the same with another bottle he had grabbed from the floor.

“Baekhyun won’t care even if you step on him,” Yixing said with a smile as he lowered the bottle down, watching as Chanyeol flushed as he did the same.

“I’d still rather not step on him though,” Chanyeol murmured as he screwed the lid back onto his water and tossed it towards Yixing.  Yixing caught it with smile.

“Of course, which is why we’re going to keep practicing,” he said, placing both their bottles of water back on the floor before turning towards the radio.

“Now, from the top,” he murmured, cueing up the track before stepping towards Chanyeol and holding out his arms.

Chanyeol nodded and stepped forward, one hand settling on Yixing’s waist and the other taking his hand as his lips began to count numbers silently, making Yixing smile.

Really, it didn’t matter how many times he stepped on Baekhyun, Yixing was certain the mere fact that Chanyeol had spent over a month trying to learn how to dance from Yixing was going to make Baekhyun smile regardless.  Baekhyun always wanted to dance with Chanyeol, much like Yixing wanted to dance with Joonmyeon, but both of them suffered from having partners blessed with two left feet and little time to devote to correcting it.

Chanyeol himself had readily admitted to Yixing when he’d come and asked Yixing to teach him how to dance with Baekhyun for Christmas that he didn’t even know what he should learn.  He hoped Yixing would, and also that Yixing would be willing to work with his extremely odd fire station schedule.

Yixing had instantly said yes, certain Baekhyun would love this surprise.  Indeed, there was perhaps only one thing Baekhyun would love more, but Yixing held back from suggesting it to Chanyeol as he nodded his head and suggested they practice a couple ballroom dances he and Baekhyun had, had to learn when they’d taken ballroom dancing together in college.

It was best to let some things happen organically.  Even if at nearing three years Yixing wondered if Chanyeol, as kind and loving as he was, would ever take a hint.  Baekhyun wasn’t brave enough to ask for forever, which meant Chanyeol was going to have to be, at some point.

---

“We can stop,” Joonmyeon said as Baekhyun grunted when his foot was crushed for the fifth time that hour.

“Oh hell no,” Baekhyun said with a shake of his head, “Not when I’ve finally got you able to get halfway through this thing.  What kind of friend would I be if we stopped now?”

“The kind that valued his feet?”  Joonmyeon offered with a laugh as he stepped away to let Baekhyun rub his foot against the floor in order to adjust his shoe.

“My feet are fine.”  Baekhyun claimed after a couple seconds, stomping his foot against the floor assertively as he stuck out his hands.  “Now get back here or so help me, I’ll call Yixing and he can finish teaching you.”

“But that’d ruin the surprise.”  Joonmyeon protested, though he didn’t move to reclaim Baekhyun’s hands.  They really could call it quits for the day.  They’d been at it for a while. 

Baekhyun clearly wasn’t done though, hands shaking insistently.  “Exactly, so if you want to surprise your fiancé with your ability to dance you better get back here.”

Joonmyeon sighed as he stepped back towards Baekhyun, hand settling on his waist as he took up Baekhyun’s opposite hand.  “Are you sure he won’t mind being the girl?”  Joonmyeon murmured as they began to slowly glide across the floor, Baekhyun almost leading despite being in the female role.

Baekhyun laughed as he spun away from Joonmyeon, shaking his head.  “Have you seen Fantasia?”  He asked as his hand returned to Joonmyeon’s own.

“Yes?” Joonmyeon said uncertainly, feeling confused.

“Well, Yixing would play one of the dancing hippos in that, so long as he got to do it with you.”  Baekhyun claimed, smirking as Joonmyeon laughed and spun Baekhyun away again, just to see if he could do it as smoothly as he just had.  He did, sending a small wave on confidence through him.  Perhaps he was getting better, not by much, but at least a little bit.

Baekhyun was smiling as he returned to Joonmyeon’s grasp, no doubt aware of what Joonmyeon’s deviation from their usual dance pattern meant.  He was perceptive like that, a dangerous ability to be sure, but one Joonmyeon was grateful for since it had helped him arrive at the perfect Christmas gift for Yixing, a dance at the annual Christmas Eve Gala event they had to attend.

Joonmyeon had already had some inkling that Yixing was disappointed about not dancing together at the event the previous year.  He had stared at the dance floor longingly for the better part of the evening, but he’d never asked Joonmyeon to go out there.  Joonmyeon was certain the reason for that was two-fold.

One, the second they took the floor, all eyes, and cameras, would have been on them, and two, Joonmyeon didn’t know how to dance, at least, not very well.

Of those two problems, the first was something Joonmyeon couldn’t change.  The second though, Joonmyeon had the ability to fix, if he could just find the will and the time, but for several months, he hadn’t even gotten close.  Then Baekhyun had called him near the end of October, voice low and conspiratorial.

“You know, if you want to make Yixing really happy, you should learn how to dance with him for Christmas this year.”

Joonmyeon had blinked in surprise, hand clutching around his phone as his eyes flicked to where Yixing was curled up on the couch watching a weekly music show, no doubt monitoring the dances of a couple groups he had worked with.  “You really think so?”  He murmured softly.

“I know so,” Baekhyun said with a laugh, making Joonmyeon swallow nervously as he imagined pulling Yixing out to the center of the dance floor.

“But how do I—“

“I’ll teach you,” Baekhyun said with a laugh.  “You just have to make time, and show up.”

Joonmyeon chuckled nervously as his eyes flicked to the television screen.  Make time and show up… yeah right.  “It’s going to take a little more than that.”

Baekhyun laughed encouragingly back at Joonmyeon, tone confident.  “Trust me.  I may not be as good as Yixing, but I can make you competent.  We took ballroom together for two semesters to get gym credit.”

“They offered that?”  Joonmyeon asked with a laugh, suddenly wishing he had taken ballroom instead of weightlifting.  Of the two, the former was apparently something that was becoming critical to his life.

“Yup,” Baekhyun said, cheerily, “So I at least kind of know what I’m doing.  Now, about times…”

“Hey, focus,” Baekhyun said, reaching up to direct Joonmyeon’s gaze towards him.  “I know I’m not as pretty as Yixing, but you should still look at me.”  He teased.

Joonmyeon laughed as he redirected his gaze.  “Sorry, lost in thought.” He admitted with a wry smile that Baekhyun mirrored.

“I gathered.  Care to share?”  Baekhyun asked as he and Joonmyeon finished their waltz near the iPhone that was blasting the music from Joonmyeon’s desk.

It wasn’t the first time they’d ended up dancing across the expanse of Joonmyeon’s office in order to accommodate Joonmyeon’s busy schedule.  With the furniture shoved to the walls, it was large enough to work with, and once Jongdae and Sehun understood why Joonmyeon was dancing with one of their PR contacts, they were more than supportive.  Jongdae was quick to point out however that their dancing together was assured to make waves, just like their rings had earlier in the year.

It was that thought Joonmyeon opted to share with Baekhyun as they worked to get his office rearranged.  “Yeah, do you think he’ll be okay?  With the media coverage that is?”  He asked, clarifying as Baekhyun shot him a puzzled look from where he stood with his chair.

Baekhyun’s face scrunched up as he collapsed into his moved chair, letting out an annoyed huff.  “Seriously, you guys are going to be dancing together, what’s the big deal?”

“You know they’ll turn it into some kind of spectacle.”  Joonmyeon said, sitting in his own returned chair with a sigh as he imagined the headlines.  Sure, there would be some that were positive, but there would undoubtedly be numerous articles criticizing them for “flaunting” their relationship.

“It’s ridiculous,” Baekhyun murmured softly, “You guys do nothing and they complain that you aren’t acting like a couple.  You guys so much as hold hands and it’s like you had in the middle of the room.”

“Basically,” Joonmyeon confirmed, tone only mildly exasperated before he continued while settling his eyes on Baekhyun’s face, “So, do you think he’ll be okay?”

Baekhyun pursed his lips for a couple seconds, clearly wanting to say something else, before he nodded.  “Yeah, he’ll be fine.  Yixing has gotten really good at handling the media circus.”

Joonmyeon sighed.  He knew that.  It didn’t necessarily make him happy.  “I wish he didn’t have to.”  Joonmyeon whispered softly.

Baekhyun smiled knowingly.  “Trust me, people are willing to learn how to handle a lot of things for the ones they love.”   He whispered.

Joonmyeon nodded, his own knowing smile in place.  “Yeah, I know.  Tell me, how is Chanyeol?”  He asked.  It’d only been a few months ago Baekhyun had appeared at their apartment in the middle of the night to wait out a bad fire with Yixing on their apartment’s living room floor.

“He’s fine.  No bad ones lately.”  Baekhyun murmured quietly as he looked off towards the wall, mind clearly elsewhere.

Joonmyeon smiled gently as he reached out to pat Baekhyun’s hand reassuringly.  “That’s good.  I hope it stays that way.  Now, any guesses on what he’s getting you?  I know you figured it out last year.”

Baekhyun laughed as he shook his head, mood brightened as he turned back towards Joonmyeon.  “Nope.  He’s been uncharacteristically tightlipped this year.  It’s strange.”

“Sounds like revenge to me.”  Joonmyeon said with a smirk.  Chanyeol had indeed been rather put-out when Baekhyun had found his tickets to Jeju the previous year.

“Perhaps,” Baekhyun said with a smile, “But more importantly, what are you feeding me today?”

“You know, sometimes I think you are just in this for the food.”  Joonmyeon said with a chuckle as he stood up from his chair and held out a hand to Baekhyun to help him up.

“Finally figuring it out aren’t you?”  Baekhyun said playfully as they walked towards the door to head out for their usual after practice meal, making Joonmyeon laugh as worries about the Gala event in two weeks faded away to be replaced by visions of Yixing’s face as Joonmyeon held out his hand.

---

Two weeks later

---

“Which one?”  Joonmyeon asked, stepping beside Yixing where he stood brushing his teeth in front of the bathroom sink with two ties in his grasp, one red and one black.

“Isn’t the one on the left mine?”  Yixing asked after he bent forward to spit, wiping his lips with a handful of water as Joonmyeon hummed in contemplation.

“Perhaps… if you chose it can I borrow it?”  He asked, a charming smile taking over his features as Yixing turned to face him, pulling the red tie Yixing was certain was his from Joonmyeon’s grasp and looping it around his neck.

“And what if I wanted to wear it?”  Yixing asked as he began to knot the tie, making Joonmyeon laugh.

“It’s a little late for that isn’t it?”  He asked as Yixing finished, smoothing the tie down Joonmyeon’s chest a he let out a small chuckle.

“I could always pull it off.” Yixing murmured, fingers curling around center of the red fabric to pull Joonmyeon closer.

“I don’t think I’d mind that.”  Joonmyeon whispered softly, lips brushing past Yixing’s own before Yixing pressed forward, eliminating the remaining, almost nonexistent space between them.

He was feeling slightly nervous.  Attending the really big social events Joonmyeon’s career occasionally required always did that, but kissing Joonmyeon was an excellent way to chase those fears away.  Yixing just couldn’t do that when they were actually at the Gala.  The media would lose it.

Ever since they’d gotten together, getting a picture of the two of them kissing had been at the top of the list of every outlet, but no one had managed it.  Joonmyeon had always been discrete, and Yixing had no problem being equally so, but he still would chase Joonmyeon’s lips in the confines of their apartment where no one else could see.

Joonmyeon’s lips were soft and supple against his own, parting in response to Yixing’s gentle pressure to allow Yixing to slip his tongue into Joonmyeon’s mouth, the press of his tongue delicate and light as Joonmyeon let out a soft, contented sigh and raised a hand to tangle in Yixing’s hair.  “We could just not go,” he murmured as Yixing pulled away, hovering in front of Joonmyeon’s face as he let a couple soft pants pass his lips.

 Yixing laughed softly as he leaned forward to peck Joonmyeon’s moistened lips before he pulled away entirely to grab foundation from the counter.  “Jongdae would kill us.”  He whispered, referring to Joonmyeon’s public relations manager as he dabbed at Joonmyeon’s nose.

Joonmyeon let out a soft chuckle as he closed his eyes and let Yixing work on his face.  “He’d get over it.”  He murmured softly, making Yixing laugh as he finished his work and set the foundation down on the counter to instead brush off Joonmyeon’s shoulders before squeezing them as Joonmyeon opened his eyes.

“You’ll be staying with me, right?”  He asked softly.

Joonmyeon nodded.  “Of course.  There’s no way I’m letting you navigate this thing by yourself.”

Yixing raised an eyebrow at Joonmyeon’s authoritative tone, which made Joonmyeon’s eyes widen as he began to sputter.  “Not that I don’t think you could—some of those guys are just—”

Yixing chuckled softly as he reached up a finger to halt Joonmyeon’s rambling.  “I know what you meant.  Thank you.”  He whispered, smiling as he kept his finger pressed against Joonmyeon’s lips until he smiled back.

“Really?”   Joonmyeon asked quietly.

Yixing nodded.  “Really.  Now c’mon, if we don’t hurry up, we’re going to be late, and I doubt Jongdae would be any happier with that either.”

“You’re the one who’s been holding things up.”  Joonmyeon accused as Yixing turned back towards the sink to grab his newly gifted green tie from the counter.

“Jongdae would never believe you.”  He quipped as he turned away from the counter, holding the tie out to Joonmyeon, who took it and began to loop it around Yixing’s neck with a soft chuckle.

“You’ve got that right.”  He murmured, lips brushing against Yixing’s cheek as he leaned forward to turn down his collar, making Yixing tremble as he pulled away and turned to the counter to grab Yixing’s foundation and work on Yixing’s face much like Yixing had his.

---

The Gala was much like Yixing had anticipated.  Guests either greeted him with warm smiles and firm handshakes as they congratulated Joonmyeon on his successful campaign and legislative proposals, or with icy grimaces whose curled edges still didn’t create passable smiles as their hands loosely met Yixing’s own, if at all.  Some just acted like he didn’t exist, which always made Joonmyeon bristle.

“,” Joonmyeon muttered under his breath as one such man and his wife walked away from their table, making Yixing sigh as he reached out his hand to take Joonmyeon’s own.

“It’s fine,” he murmured softly, thumb over Joonmyeon’s skin.

“He didn’t have to come find me if he was going to act like that.  He just wanted the photo op.”   Joonmyeon murmured, body trembling right along with the venomous tremor in tone.  Yixing squeezed his hand until Joonmyeon stopped shaking and turned to face him with a smile that was only slightly strained.

“Sorry,” he murmured softly, making Yixing smile as he shook his head.

“It’s fine.” Yixing repeated softly.

Joonmyeon shook his head as he squeezed Yixing’s hand.  “You know it’s not.”  He whispered, releasing Yixing’s hand as he turned to take another bite of their food.

Yixing shrugged as he turned to do the same, muttering to Joonmyeon from the side of his mouth as they ate at a table of couples all more absorbed with talking to each other than to their table buddies.  “You should send him a really big wedding photo.  He hates the rings.”  Yixing muttered, remembering the way the man’s eyes had never really met his, but had studied both their hands for an inordinate amount of time.

“You think?”  Joonmyeon said with a small chuckle, good humor clearly returning.

Yixing nodded.  “I do.  Although that means we have to set a date.”  He whispered quietly.

“We’re going to have to do that soon anyway.  My mom is already breathing down my neck.”  Joonmyeon said, smiling as Yixing laughed in mutual understanding.

“So is mine.”  He admitted, remembering his mom’s nagging voice echoing over the phone from a few weeks ago as she complained about them being engaged for months with no wedding date in sight.

“So why are we still waiting then?”  Joonmyeon asked, turning to look at Yixing with a smile that Yixing mirrored as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Lack of motivation?  We already live together.”  He teased, making Joonmyeon genuinely laugh as he stood up from his chair.

“That’s not why I’m marrying you.”  He claimed as he held out his hand, making Yixing’s brow furrow in confusion as he reached out to take it.  They’d already made their rounds greeting everyone.  They didn’t need to stand up again.

“It’s not?” he asked as he stood up, noting the twinkle in Joonmyeon’s eyes as he shook his head.

“Nope.  Like you said, you don’t have to be married to live together.”  He murmured, linking his hand with Yixing’s as he began to pull him across the floor.

“Then why?”  Yixing questioned uncertainly as his eyes widened, realizing exactly where Joonmyeon was headed, the dance floor.

Joonmyeon didn’t dance.  Yixing knew that.  He didn’t even bother asking anymore because he knew Joonmyeon would say no, but apparently that was changing because Joonmyeon was smiling at him while looking both embarrassed and excited as he turned to face Yixing at the edge of the wood floor.

“Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and the whole world is going to know that, whether they like it or not.”  He answered, dropping Yixing’s hand from his grasp in order to hold both his hands out in the proper positions as Yixing stepped forward with a disbelieving laugh.

“When’d you learn to do this?” He asked as Joonmyeon’s hand curled naturally around his waist.

Joonmyeon smiled as he pulled Yixing towards him and took a step backwards onto the floor.  “Baekhyun taught me recently.”  He admitted as he began to move, drawing Yixing into a familiar pattern of steps that didn’t quite match the music playing, but that Yixing was more than willing to follow even as he started slightly.

“Baekhyun?”  He asked, feeling surprised.  What were the odds of Joonmyeon asking Baekhyun to teach him to dance at the same time as Chanyeol asked him?

Joonmyeon nodded as he spun Yixing away from him and then pulled him back, making Yixing laugh as he bumped in Joonmyeon when he returned.  “Oops.”  He murmured.

“Having fun?”  Yixing laughed as he pulled back enough that they could continue to move.

Joonmyeon nodded with a small smile.  “Yes.  This is much better than dancing with Baekhyun, who I must admit called me first, although I had been thinking about figuring this out before then.”

Yixing stiffened in surprise, though to his credit, he kept moving in their slow dance across the floor.

“What?”  Joonmyeon whispered after a couple seconds as Yixing said nothing, realization dawning slowly.

After a couple more seconds, Yixing shook his head, reasserting his grip on Joonmyeon’s hand as he spoke.  “They planned it.”  He murmured softly, not surprised when Joonmyeon stiffened, eyes widening in surprise.

“What?” He asked, eyes wide.

“Baekhyun and Chanyeol,” Yixing murmured softly, “They planned this.  I’ve been teaching Chanyeol how to dance for the past two months.”

Joonmyeon’s eyes widened before he laughed as he pulled Yixing closer, surprising him as he rested his head on Yixing’s shoulder.  “I wondered why you remembered this so well.”  He murmured softly as Yixing adjusted, letting his arm slide from Joonmyeon’s shoulder to wrap around his back as he laughed.

“I would have remembered anyways, but yes, the recent waltz practice with Chanyeol helped.”  He admitted.

Joonmyeon nodded against Yixing’s shoulder.  “I’m glad.  This is nice.”  He whispered softly as Yixing laughed again.

They were barely moving at this point, just rocking back and forth as they spun in tiny, slow circle.  “I told you dancing was fun.”  Yixing whispered, making Joonmyeon tremble against him as he chuckled.

“You should have seen the number of times I stepped on Baekhyun’s feet.”

“Chanyeol did the same to me.”  Yixing admitted.

“We’ll have to thank them,” Joonmyeon said, surprising Yixing as he spoke through a yawn.

“Sleepy?” He asked, trying to get a clear look at Joonmyeon’s head against his chest.

Joonmyeon nodded with another yawn as his eyes fluttered closed.  “Just let me stay here for a minute.”  He murmured, nuzzling against Yixing’s chest as he let out a contented sigh.

Yixing blinked before he glanced around the room.  A couple of people were staring, others pointedly weren’t and some seemed to be going on about their evening without a care.  He glanced down at Joonmyeon, whose eyes were still closed in contentment and smiled as he leaned down, pausing momentarily.

“Can I?”

Joonmyeon nodded and Yixing smiled as he leaned down the rest of the way, pressing his lips to Joonmyeon’s brow as they swayed on the floor.

The newspapers could have their headline.

Yixing was going to have his moment.  He was loving every second of it.

---

“So, how do you think it’s going?”  Baekhyun asked as he reached for a piece of fried chicken from the box between him and Chanyeol on the studio floor.  Yixing had created a rather convoluted story about needing Baekhyun to pick something up from the studio to get him there, which Baekhyun had struggled not to laugh through considering he already knew about Chanyeol’s dance lessons.  He’d been the one to mastermind the entire plan after all, hoping to kill their mutual non-dancing boyfriend problems in one go.

Across from him Chanyeol shrugged as he finished off his own piece of chicken.  “If Joonmyeon dances as well as me, Yixing might still have his feet.”  He said with a small laugh.

Baekhyun laughed back as he reached out to lightly smack Chanyeol’s arm.  “Hey, you weren’t that bad.”  He teased.  Chanyeol had been nothing but critical of his dancing since they’d finished a little while ago.

“Please.  I stepped on you at least twice.”  Chanyeol countered, making Baekhyun laugh again as he stretched out his legs to wiggle his feet.

“Looks like my feet survived.”  He teased, stretching one out to nudge Chanyeol’s side.

“I wasn’t trying to kill them.”  Chanyeol argued, reaching out to lightly shove Baekhyun’s foot away.

“Want to?”  Baekhyun countered, pushing Chanyeol with his toes again.

Chanyeol laughed and wrapped his hand around Baekhyun’s ankle, dragging him forward across the floor.  “There are easier ways to ask for me to dance with you again.”  He accused when Baekhyun was about a foot away, and Chanyeol released his grip on Baekhyun’s ankle to reach for his hand instead.

“Yeah, but it was effective wasn’t it?”  Baekhyun teased as Chanyeol stood, hauling Baekhyun up from the floor as well.

“I suppose.”  Chanyeol conceded as Baekhyun reached down to hit play on the remote tucked into his pocket, starting the radio as Chanyeol wrapped a hand around Baekhyun’s waist.

Baekhyun reached up to take his opposite hand, “And, one-two-three…”  Baekhyun began to count as they went across the floor, working through motions that Chanyeol had almost perfected.

They had just about finished without a single incident when suddenly, Chanyeol stumbled, bumping into Baekhyun as he tripped on his own feet and fell rather dramatically to the floor with a shout.

“Are you alright?”  Baekhyun asked with a startled laugh as he looked down at where Chanyeol was on his knees, trying to understand how Chanyeol had ended up down there in the first place.

Chanyeol didn’t respond, keeping his face towards the floor as he reached one arm back to dig into one of his pockets.

Baekhyun froze, watching as Chanyeol pulled out a box as he transitioned to one knee, popping the box open as Baekhyun raised a hand to his mouth in shock.

“Chanyeol you…”  His voice trailed off as Chanyeol laughed and reached out with his free hand to squeeze Baekhyun’s dangling forearm, grounding him.

“You’re really hard to surprise, you know.”  He teased quietly, smiling up at Baekhyun as he stood there, trying not to cry.

He’d wanted Chanyeol to propose.  He’d really, really wanted Chanyeol to propose, as stupid and unnecessary as it was.  They already lived together.  They’d already basically promised each other forever, and yet somehow, seeing Chanyeol down there with a ring box in his hand was everything Baekhyun had ever wanted and more.

Baekhyun took a deep breath as he turned his arm in Chanyeol’s grasp, maneuvering it so they were holding hands.

“How did you know?”  He whispered, reaching up to push at his nose as he sniffed loudly.  He was fairly certain he hadn’t dropped too many hints, save perhaps staring at Yixing and Joonmyeon’s hands a little longer than could be considered reasonable a couple times.

Chanyeol laughed lightly as he squeezed Baekhyun’s hand, a self-deprecating smile on his face.  “My mom is smarter than me sometimes.”  He admitted, making Baekhyun jump before he laughed as well.

Of course.  Of course Mrs. Park had noticed.  She’d been at Yixing and Joonmyeon’s Halloween party when Baekhyun had stared at Yixing’s hand long enough Yixing had noticed, not that he’d said anything.  He’d just shot Baekhyun a knowing smile and waved his hand in Chanyeol’s direction, at which point Baekhyun had shook his head.  As certain as he was of Chanyeol’s answer, asking for that final all important string to bind them together was something Baekhyun needed more time to prepare for, perhaps even a lifetime, considering what had happened the last time Baekhyun had, had a family.

It would seem he wouldn’t have to prepare a lifetime to ask though, because Chanyeol was still kneeling in front of him with a wide, slightly teasing smile on his face.  “So, are you going to say yes?”  He asked.

Baekhyun laughed through a held back sob.  “You have to ask first.”  He argued stubbornly, wiping away tears as Chanyeol smiled and scooted closer to help brush a few aside.

“Isn’t the question obvious?”  He murmured, fingers lingering on Baekhyun’s cheeks, wiping off each new tear as Baekhyun’s nose wrinkled in annoyance.

“Chanyeol.”  He whined.  Sure, the question was obvious, but Baekhyun still wanted, no needed, to hear it anyway.  He need to hear Chanyeol ask to marry him, in exactly that many words.

“Alright, alright,” Chanyeol said with a playful laugh, fingers Baekhyun’s cheek as he smiled up at him while his own cheeks flushed.  He took a deep breath before he looked up at Baekhyun’s eyes and spoke, tone surprisingly deep and steady, certain.  It was the kind of voice that would have made Baekhyun’s heart skip a beat even without the accompanying words.  Coupled with those, it made Baekhyun’s heart pound.

“Byun Baekhyun, will you marry me?”

Baekhyun nodded wordlessly as he held out his hand, making Chanyeol laugh as he lowered his hand down from Baekhyun’s cheek to pull the black and silver band from its box.  It had three diamond accents that sparkled as Chanyeol slid the ring onto his finger where it fit perfectly, making Baekhyun laugh through a few more tears as Chanyeol pulled his hand forward to kiss it gently.  Clearly Chanyeol had measured his fingers, somehow.

“There’s one for you to put on too.”  He whispered against Baekhyun’s fingers, startling him out of his euphoria.

He pulled his hand out of Chanyeol’s grasp, forcefully cleaning off his face before he stuck out his hand between them.  “Give it to me.”  He said, voice shaky, but firm enough, all things considered.

Chanyeol nodded as he stood up, fishing another box from his pocket that he pressed into Baekhyun’s grasp.  “Here you go.”  He murmured, watching wordlessly as Baekhyun opened the box to reveal the same ring in a slightly larger size.

Baekhyun pulled it out with trembling fingers as Chanyeol stuck out his hand for him.  Baekhyun slid the ring on slowly, settling it against the base of Chanyeol’s finger with a final firm push before he just held Chanyeol’s hand and stared.

After a couple seconds, Chanyeol moved, entwining the fingers of their left hands.

“Happy?”  He questioned softly as Baekhyun stared at their linked fingers, marveling at the matching bands upon them and all they entailed.

He nodded, for once not quite able to find words as he stepped closer to Chanyeol, climbing onto his feet as he released his grip on Chanyeol’s hand in order to wrap his arms around him.

“I’m glad.”  Chanyeol murmured, looking down at Baekhyun where he stood on his feet with a smile, arms wrapping around his back to hold him close.

“I…”  Baekhyun’s voice trailed off as he got lost in Chanyeol’s eyes.  They were so wide, and happy, undeniably happy.

Chanyeol smiled.  “I know.” He whispered, leaning down to kiss Baekhyun gently, pulling away too soon in order to speak again. “Merry Christmas.”

Baekhyun laughed disbelievingly as he moved a hand to Chanyeol’s hair in order to pull him back down.  “And a Happy New Year,” he mumbled as he crashed their lips back together, swallowing up Chanyeol’s answering laughter in a wet slide of lips on lips as Chanyeol leaned back and hoisted him off the floor.

For the rest of his life, Baekhyun would never forget how he felt then with his feet dangling in the air as Chanyeol kissed him until he was breathless.  It was almost as if his heart had burst, and the only person who could put it back together was the person who had already been doing just that for years, and who would continue doing it for years to come.

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Merry Christmas (or Happy Holidays if Christmas isn't for you ^^)

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