Mark woke up to the sound of his alarm going off near his ear, a series of swift and jarring vibrations. He groaned, keeping his eyes firmly shut. It was the weekend, so why did he even set an alarm in the first place? Hadn't he earned a few extra hours of sleep with how busy he'd been?

Still, he waited for the traditional Jinyoung nose pinch to force him awake, even though he would have been happy to rest awhile more. The advantage of being awake was actually getting to be conscious of the warm body beside him. Having Jinyoung in his dreams wasn't enough—it had to be him and everything about him in actuality to truly take him over the edge. His soft hair, his softer lips, the crinkles in his eyes, the gentle tone of his voice...

But the nose pinch didn't come. This happened sometimes; Jinyoung dawdled a lot in the morning and occasionally slept through the alarm and needed Mark to administer the nose pinch instead. Mark cracked open an eye. To his surprise, the bed beside him was empty other than a piece of paper left neatly on top of Jinyoung's pillow.

Mark grabbed it, and rubbed his eyes before reading it. “Hope you actually got up with your alarm for once, sleepyhead,” he read to himself. “You have a very important appointment at Lake Park Pavilion with me today, so don't you dare think about going back to sleep because it's the weekend. I'm being a bit traditional and not letting you see me before the ceremony, so get dressed and look forward to getting an eyeful later. I'd normally sign off by saying 'I love you,' but you'll be hearing that later with a forever stamp on it, so for now...Yours, sincerely, Jinyoung.”

Oh.

That would explain why he didn't feel very well rested. He'd tried to get to bed early, but had spent most of the night tossing and turning, nerves excited with the thought of everything that would be happening the next afternoon. Jinyoung had also been restless, but hadn't made Mark's excess of energy any easier. was shot down (“We're supposed to do it on our wedding night, not our pre-wedding night”—not even Mark reminding him that they'd started having around eight months into their relationship so it wasn't anything new to them hadn't changed his mind) and Jinyoung also declined to talk about it with him for the time being (“If I tell you how I'm feeling right now, it'll just swell your ego. Don't ask.”). So they'd both tossed and turned, not falling asleep until their bodies had essentially forced them to.

And now the day was here. Mark propped himself up in bed. Jinyoung had laid out his tux on the dresser, complete with the black bowtie and white pocket handkerchief he apparently wanted Mark to wear with it. He'd also left behind one of the red roses they'd received from their florist to wear on their lapels.

A rush of energy surged through Mark at the sight of it. It was really happening. He was going to marry the boy he'd fallen in love with almost four years ago, the guy who had opened the door to his ex-wife's house with flour on his cheeks and smelling sweetly of cinnamon. It amazed him a little that he hadn't even had the slightest premonition of it back then. He'd even considered never calling the number on the business card Jinyoung had given him and carrying on with his life as usual. But he had called the number, he'd answered when Jinyoung had called the next time, he'd opened the door to him when he was sick, he'd invited him over for Christmas Eve and fallen irreversibly in love. And now he was going to marry him and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Grinning to himself, he went to the kitchen and grabbed himself a quick breakfast before jumping in the shower. As soon as he was clean, he got into his tux and stared at his reflection in the mirror. It all looked nice, but it was an incomplete view without Jinyoung beside him. His eyes and smile wouldn't have the same light to them until Jinyoung was there.

Just then, his doorbell rang. He hurried to the front of the apartment and opened the door to the sight of Jackson and Lou on his stoop. They were both dressed in nice suits. Lou had his hair slicked back a little with gel and looked cute as a button.

“Your limo awaits,” Jackson said, gesturing to his car. “Or, your 2011 Toyota Prius XW30. I washed it just for you, please note.”

“Daddy, you gotta give me the rings,” Lou said, extending his hand. “I practiced with Mommy last night, and I'm ready to go! I'm the lord of the rings!”

Mark took them out of his pocket and placed them in his son's hands. “Take good care of these,” he said solemnly. “If we lose them, Jinyoung and I can't get married.”

Lou's eyes widened. “I'll swear on my life! Cross my heart!”

“Is everyone else at the park?” Mark asked Jackson.

He nodded. “Both your families left a little bit ago. Allison wanted to walk, so she's pushing Regina in her stroller. The park is right by our house, so she'll be fine. You ready?”

Mark nodded. “More than ready.”

Jackson clapped him on the back. “Since you gave me a pre-wedding lecture, guess it's my turn, huh? All I want to say is don't worry about getting things right or wrong anymore. You're marrying the person you love, and that's all that matters. Just focus on all the amazing living and loving you're going to do, and before you know it you'll have gotten it right without even having to think or try. OK, man? Got it?”

Mark grinned. “I got it.”

“Lou, do you have any advice for your Daddy?”

Lou thought for a moment. “If I can't have a baby brother, another baby sister is OK.”

“Noted,” Mark said dryly. He ruffled his son's hair. “So are you excited to get a new Daddy today?”

He nodded. “He's been my Daddy for awhile, but it's for real now!”

“That's right. It's for real.”

The three of them got into Jackson's Prius and made the short drive to the park. The decorations at the pavilion were minimalist and arranged by Jinyoung himself after a trip to the crafts and fabrics store. He'd tied white tulle around all the pillars and had practiced hard making tulle flowers from a guide on Pinterest and pinned them in the places where the tulle drapes gathered. He'd also borrowed fold out chairs from his school's auditorium and had similarly prettified them with tulle and flowers. A runner scattered with rose petals led up to the pavilion.

Mark glanced over the small crowd. His family, joined by the extended relatives who had arrived the night before, was sitting on the right, along with Allison and Regina, who was sleeping soundly in her stroller. Jinyoung's parents sat on the left joined by Uncle Sangyoon, Kit and BamBam, and a few of Jinyoung's fellow teachers with who he had entrusted knowledge of his relationship. Mark's family smiled eagerly when they saw him emerge from the car, blowing kisses and waving to him and Lou.

Jackson joined Allison with the other guests, and Lou followed Mark up to the gazebo, where the officiant was waiting for them. They'd hired him on BamBam's recommendation—apparently the guy, “Minister” Yugyeom Kim, was one of his best friends and had become “ordained” online after getting drunk and deciding this was something he needed to do in case BamBam needed him to officiate his wedding in the distant future. In spite of his sketchy qualifications, Yugyeom had, in fact, been officiating weddings in the area ever since, and was willing to do so for LGBT weddings on top of it, so Mark and Jinyoung decided to go with it.

“Hey!” Yugyeom said brightly. “Looking nice today! Excited? Nervous?”

“A little bit of everything,” Mark admitted.

“And how about you?” he asked Lou. “Ready for your big ring bearer job?”

Lou nodded seriously. “I crossed my heart that I wouldn't lose them!”

“Then I'm sure you won't.” Yugyeom gave him a light pinch on the cheek before looking back at Mark. “So, are you guys having a reception after this? It's been too long since I got trashed with Bammie, and I'm ready to party.”

Mark grinned. This was so much cooler than having an actual priest. “In the hotel party room. Just follow BamBam there. There's going to be an open bar.”

“Hell yes!” He paused for a moment. “Um, I mean, Heaven yes! May God be with you. May the Holy Spirit...um...glide down on today's proceedings?”

Mark just shook his head in amusement.

After a few minutes, a limo pulled up behind their waiting guests. Mark held his breath, wiping his suddenly sweaty hands on his dress pants. Yugyeom dug out the little speaker set hidden behind some tulle to turn on the wedding song Jinyoung had decided on for his entrance—Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, the same version Jinyoung had played when he'd decorated Mark's house on Christmas Eve, the day of their first kiss. It was a sentimental gesture, but Mark couldn't help his heart fluttering at hearing it.

As the music started, Jinyoung opened the limo door and stepped out. Mark released the breath he'd been holding. Jinyoung looked so handsome in his tux, the bow tie and white handkerchief a mirror match to Mark's. The late summer sun was shining down on him and he looked radiant and perfect in Mark's eyes. When they looked at each other, Jinyoung couldn't hold back his smile, his beautiful eye wrinkles instantly showing. Mark's heart did an exhilarated flip. He didn't even know how it was possible, but whenever he thought he'd reached the peak of love, Jinyoung always managed to take him higher. He was the most in love he'd ever been at that moment, but then another moment came and the feeling only grew, and the moments just kept coming and coming.

Jinyoung walked to him across the rose petal strewn runner until he was at Mark's side. Mark gathered his hands together and planted a light kiss on his knuckles. Jinyoung beamed at him, squeezing his hands back. It felt like no one else was there, like it was just them. Like they'd entered a dreamlike reality where they could only see, feel, and hear each other.

Then Yugyeom spoke, not completely breaking the spell, but inviting himself and their loved ones to enter into their beautiful world with them.

“We gather here today for the wedding of Mark Tuan and Jinyoung Park on this beautiful summer day,” Yugyeom began. “One of the most beautiful things about weddings is that they're not just a joining of a couple, but a joining of families as well. Today's families have come from close and far. We have with us Mark's family from Los Angeles, Jinyoung's family from Yangpyeong, South Korea, and their beautiful son Lou and equally beautiful niece Regina who is one week old today. As Jinyoung and Mark give their hearts this afternoon, they would like to sincerely thank you for giving your hearts to them and accepting them with all the warmth and kindness they could have asked for.

“As everyone who has met them agrees, Jinyoung and Mark have been a model of love and devotion from long before this official union. They fell in love while taking care of Mark's then three-year-old son Lou and have ever since given everything they have to being caring fathers and supportive partners to each other. Every one of you I've spoken to has had nothing but glowing things to say about Mark and Jinyoung. 'Their eyes hold a light that shines brightest when they're together'. 'Their love has made them stronger and better people than they were before. It's transformed them and given them a happiness that makes you fulfilled to look at.' 'They're the daddies I love!'— I'll let you guess who said that one. And, this one was said to me in my native language, which I'll translate for you now: 'Happiness has been given as a gift to our son, and in return, a gift of happiness has been given to us in the form of our joy in his happiness'. These are all beautiful things, and today all that beauty will join and form something more beautiful.

“Before we exchange the rings, by the special request of Jinyoung we will have our reading. We already know that love is patient and kind, so our reading today will give a new view on this couple's feeling of the word 'love'. This is a poem called Flower by Kim Chunsu.

Before I spoke his name

he had been

no more than a mere gesture

When I spoke his name,

he came to me

and became a flower.

Now speak my name,

one fitting this color and scent of mine

as I spoke his name

so that I may go to him

and become his flower

We all wish

to become something

You to me and I to you

wish to become an unforgettable gaze.”

Jinyoung hadn't told Mark there would be a poem, but he was all the more moved for it being a surprise. He felt the echo of the first time they'd met in every word, Jinyoung's fledgling feelings from before they'd even met blooming into life when they finally spoke, his own slowly budding affection growing every time he took in Jinyoung's individual and beautiful colors and inhaled that alluring scent that followed him. And with that, they had become something to each other, something still growing with every moment. The unforgettable moment they first laid eyes on each other was still with them, and they were still holding each other in their eyes to this day.

“I love you,” Mark mouthed to Jinyoung. Jinyoung's thumb the back of his hand, a touch as light as a butterfly.

“Wedding rings are a symbol of love, an unbroken circle with no beginning or end,” Yugyeom continued. “Ring bearer, will you please give the grooms their rings?”

Lou dutifully took them out of his pocket, giving the one meant for Jinyoung to Mark and the one meant for Mark to Jinyoung.

“Mark, you will go first. Place this ring on the tip of Jinyoung's finger and repeat these words with me."

Mark held Jinyoung's eyes as he echoed the words. “Jinyoung, take this ring as a sign of my love fidelity.”

Jinyoung did the same, sliding the ring gently onto Mark's finger. “Mark, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.”

Yugyeom smiled at them. “Now that you have sworn your love and fidelity, you are ready to exchange your wedding vows. Mark Tuan, do you take Jinyoung Park to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love and honor him all the days of your life?”

Mark looked into Jinyoung's eyes, giving the easiest answer of his life. “I do.”

“Jinyoung Park, do you take Mark Tuan to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love and honor him all the days of your life?”

Jinyoung nodded, light tears dotting the corners of his eyes. “I do.”

“And now I get to say something everyone here has been awaiting for a long time,” Yugyeom said. “By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss your husband.”

And then, Mark also got to do what he had been awaiting for a long time, and swooped his beloved husband into his arms and covered his lips in a delighted kiss.

There wasn't really much of a moment to rest for awhile after that. Even though they had a small guest list, it was a guest list full of party-lovers. Even Allison, who had been behaving herself very well during her pregnancy, dropped Regina off with her parents so she could enjoy the open bar to full effect. Other than their first dance of the night (John Legend's “All of Me,” another Jinyoung pick), they had to spend most of their time mingling and being thrown into wild family dances and listening to tipsy congratulations from everyone other than Lou and Kit, who were still their crazy little selves in spite of being the only sober people in attendance other than the grooms.

They finally got to come back together for the cake cutting, smiling wide for the photo-op. The CostCo cake tasted surprisingly excellent for how little they had paid for it, Mark noted as Jinyoung affectionately shoved the first piece at his lips, smearing frosting all over them.

Later in the evening, Mark and Jinyoung finally cut off the open bar. Allison, Jackson, and BamBam had to bow out to put the sleepy kids to bed, and Jinyoung's parents decided they were ready for bed themselves. With the party finally thinning out, they were able to leave and take the alone time they'd desperately wanted.

Since they hadn't had too much to drink, they weren't bothering to stay at the hotel with their families. They planned to drive back to spend the night at their apartment, familiar and comfortable territory. As soon as they got into the car, Jinyoung pulled Mark in for a long kiss, one that satisfyingly supplemented the “just married” kiss they'd had to tone down in the pavilion in front of their family and guests. Mark wrapped his arms around Jinyoung, groaning as his annoying car console prevented him from pulling Jinyoung into his lap and bringing them into more contact with each other. He wanted to feel him more than this—he wanted to feel every part of him he could.

Jinyoung gradually pulled away, Mark's face gently. “Good to see you again, my elusive husband,” he whispered. “I had no idea getting married would mean we wouldn't be able to spend most of the night together.”

“Hey there,” Mark whispered back. “Want to make up for that at home?”

“Please.” Jinyoung kissed him again, but they knew they couldn't take it as far as they wanted without releasing each other and actually making the effort to go home. He pulled away slowly with a regretful sigh.

“So,” Mark said as he started to drive. “You never told me you wanted me to call you by a new nickname.”

“What do you mean?” Jinyoung asked, tilting his head.

“My flower?”

Jinyoung flushed a little. “You...didn't mind that, did you?”

“Of course not. I thought it was beautiful.”

“We learned that poem in junior high, and I never understood it. I'd pull it out every few years and try to read it again, but I still couldn't get it. Until I met you. Then I understood every word. And I just wanted to thank you in whatever little way for opening your heart to me and helping me become the most beautiful version of myself.”

“You, too,” Mark said softly. “You were what made me everything I am now. I won't forget that for as long as I live.”

“Me either. This was the happiest day of my life. And tomorrow will only be happier because it's the first day of the rest of my life together with you.”

Mark pulled up to their apartment, and they both walked up to the stoop. Mark grinned, tapping Jinyoung's waist and gesturing for Jinyoung to put an arm around his neck. Jinyoung did so, a quizzical look on his face, and as soon as he was secure, Mark swept him up into his arms in a bridal carry.

“So much ceremony for a house I've already been living in for a year,” Jinyoung said lightly, though Mark could see that his ears were turning red.

“Yes, a little ceremony never hurt anyone,” Mark said, pressing his body closer. “What, are you going to say 'so much ceremony for a guy who's been making love to me for three years' when I get you in bed?”

“It depends. How much ceremony exactly are you planning?”

“Whatever shows you just how seriously I'm going to take the 'love and honor you for all the days of our lives' part.”

“In that case, I won't complain,” Jinyoung playfully nuzzled his nose into Mark's cheek. “I really love you so much. Thanks for giving me a lifetime to show you.”

“No, thank you, my flower,” Mark said, kissing him gently. “For saying my name.”