[word count : 1025] [post] - part of a fic relay

“i don’t believe in marriages. its just a piece of expensive paper. why can’t we stay the way we are? we are good now, arent we?” 

 —– 

“mister kim?” jongin felt a slight tap on his shoulders, with his head still leaning back on the wall as he was half-slouching on uncomfortable hospital chair, he slowly opened his eyes, interrupting his thoughts. 

“mister do is still under our observation in the intensive care unit. but everything looks alright now. his family members and next-of-kin have been informed and they are on their way. i suggest that you head home and take a rest, since you have been here since morning” 

jongin nodded in acknowledgment to the nurse’s words, and as he leaned forward with his head dropped low and his hands clasped together, he wondered if it was all his fault. in his hands, was a neatly folded paper boat that kyungsoo had left on the kitchen table, which he found earlier in the morning. 

jongin-ah, 

i am sorry about yesterday. i was unable to sleep but i have given so much thought about this - i want you to know that i love you and i love us. i will not bring up the topic of marriage again, because i really hate it when we get into arguments because of this. 

i thought by making us official, we will be together forever because my greatest fear is losing you. but i realised that i do not want us to be official if it is going to make you unhappy or causing us to drift apart. 

your smiles are my happiness, your happiness is my life. let’s remain the way we are. you are right - why fix something which is not broken? see you later. 

soo. 

 —– 

for the last seven years, life has been really good and they both have been blessed with incredible careers, that they were able to enjoy good food, great travels and they even have several shared properties, allowing a steady stream of passive income. 

on some days, as they sat on their patio, they reminisced about the day they first met, how special paper boats are to them or how their friendship developed into this domesticity that they have comfortably settled into. 

yet each time they discussed about making their relationship official, an argument is inevitable, followed by a day or two of silent or careful communications. usually, apology notes, neatly folded into paper boats, became their unique way of breaking the tension after heated arguments. their understated but deep love for each other was envied by many. although they were not big on public display of affection, anyone could see those stolen glances, talking eyes and subtle touches whenever they were together. 

looking back, they both knew that life is made up of many moments and if that day and that moment of impact, where kyungsoo was in critical condition did not happen, then this day may not come at all and this precious moment, would have been just a fleeting dream. 

kyungsoo looked around the boat deck and amidst the small crowd consisting of their family, close friends and their best men, sehun and luhan, he spotted the one man who never fails to make him smile. he could recognise him even if its just the back of his head and as if jongin knew that someone was looking at him, he stopped his conversation with a friend to turn this head back. 

as they locked eyes, they sheepishly made their way to each other with the natural human magnetic pull they seem to share since they first met. their bodies fit like the perfect puzzle pieces when they came together and swayed, in rhythm with the rocking boat that they are on, to the soft music playing in the background. 

“jongin, three months ago i was fighting to live after the car accident, and today i know why i was fighting so hard. will you do me a favour, and read to me again what you said earlier?” 

jongin smirked and asked “you mean the wedding vow i wrote for you?” kyungsoo immediately nodded. they stopped swaying and jongin took out a piece of paper boat from his pocket and unfolds it carefully. 

soo, 

today is a special day. today, we will be legally married in the eyes of law. 

we spent almost all our lives together - we made paper boats when you can’t play in the rain when we were kids, we had movie marathons and fried chicken nights during our teens, we entered the same college together, we experienced heartbreak when we tried to hide our feelings for each other, we supported both our passion for dancing & singing, i folded 500 paper boats for you, you proposed with 500 more and we have more than we could ever wish for. 

i nearly lost you three months ago, and as much as i am always the captain of your heart, you are always the anchor to my boat. 

standing here today, in front of you and all our loved ones, i want to tell you that i will never want to be sitting outside in the hospital hallway when you need me most. when the medical staff repeatedly told me that “only family and next-of-kin is allowed in the intensive care unit ward”, my heart nearly stopped because it was too painful. 

i vowed that i never want to feel that way again and i vowed never to let you feel the same anguish as i did. 

today, i want to be your family, your next-of-kin, your legal spouse, your lover and your best friend. if being legally married to you means i can hold your hand in good times and bad times and i am not going to cry alone in hospital hallways, then this is what i must do. for you, for me, for us. 

love you with all my heart, jongin. 

indeed lives, are all made up of moments and in that very moment, they looked at each other in silence, held hands and they knew what it meant.