Junmyeon flies out of his seat the moment he sees Sehun’s lips meet Jongin’s. He dearly wishes that the two boys could simply enjoy their moment and each other’s company, but he’s acutely aware that the middle of a business party, especially one at which his parents are in attendance, isn’t the appropriate place for something like this. It takes him mere seconds to cross the floor to where Sehun and Jongin are standing, and he’s certain Kris is one step behind him. They reach the center of the dance floor in time to wrap their arms around Jongin protectively as Sehun is unceremoniously removed from the room.

“Come on,” Junmyeon murmurs in Jongin’s ear. “Let’s get you out of here.” Kris keeps his arms around Jongin’s shoulders as Junmyeon gently takes Jongin’s hand and leads him out the door towards where Kris’s car is parked.

Jongin looks understandably shaken, trembling slightly as he tries to hold back his tears. His grip on Junmyeon’s hand is vice-like. “Junmyeon-hyung, what’s - what’s gonna happen to him?”

Junmyeon exchanges an uneasy look with Kris. “I’m not sure, Jonginnie,” he admits softly. “But I promise you, I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.” He makes sure to sit in the backseat with Jongin during the drive to Jongin’s house, letting the younger boy rest his head on his shoulder and his hair soothingly. When they reach, Kris and Junmyeon both walk Jongin inside with reassurances that they’ll keep him updated and that they’ll definitely see him tomorrow.

Kris’s grip on the steering wheel is tighter than usual, Junmyeon notices as they pull out of Jongin’s driveway. He instinctively reaches out a hand to touch Kris’s gently, and Kris’s grip eases as he exhales deeply. “Junmyeon, Sehun will be okay, right? Should we go back to the party just in case?”

It’s times like this when Junmyeon is reminded of how Sehun is just as much Kris’s family as his own; it shouldn’t be so surprising to him that Kris is as worried about Sehun’s well-being as Junmyeon himself is. “I don’t think us being there will make things easier for him,” Junmyeon sighs resignedly. “It’s probably best if we just go home.”

“Home,” Kris repeats, his voice slightly awed. It makes Junmyeon smile a little, that even with most of Junmyeon’s belongings permanently residing in Kris’s apartment, Kris is still affected by Junmyeon referring to it as home. “Okay.”

Somewhere along the drive, Junmyeon becomes distracted by a message from his father. Sehun is forbidden from attending that dance class ever again, it reads, and Junmyeon can’t help but feel relieved that the punishment wasn’t more severe. “Sehun’s banned from the class,” he informs Kris as he opens a new message to Jongin. “I thought it was gonna be a lot worse, this will be pretty easy to get around.” Indeed, ideas are already flying around his head on how to help Sehun continue preparing for his showcase.

“That’s good,” Kris replies, sounding a little preoccupied, but Junmyeon is too focused on telling Jongin not to worry too much to really notice.

When the car stops, Junmyeon finally looks up from Jongin’s grateful reply, and the first thing he registers is that they’re definitely not home. He instead recognizes the location as the field he and Kris come to for stargazing every Tuesday. Kris, meanwhile, has opened the door for him, patiently waiting for him to step out of the car. He wordlessly offers his arm to Junmyeon, who takes it readily but with some confusion. “What are we doing here, Kris?”

They walk a short distance before Kris suddenly stops and looks down at Junmyeon. “You know I love you, right?”

Junmyeon raises an eyebrow. “I mean, unless you’ve been lying for the past five years, which hopefully you haven’t, then yes, I am aware of that.” It comes out more like a question, because Junmyeon is feeling more and more bewildered by the second.

“Sometimes, I ask myself how I managed to get someone like you,” Kris says matter-of-factly. He isn’t looking at Junmyeon anymore; instead, he’s observing the night sky with quiet intensity. “You’re - you’re so put-together and eloquent and beautiful and understanding and genuinely kind, and you have to deal with my disorganization and awkwardness and the general mess of a person that I am. How do two people that are so completely different end up like us?”

Junmyeon brings up his free hand to cup Kris’s face and gently turns it to face him. “Well, maybe it’s our differences that keep us together. Maybe those differences are what make us deserve each other.”

Kris covers Junmyeon’s hand with his own and closes his eyes, breathing deeply. “You’re my best friend in the world, you know. I don’t know why the four-year-old you decided that we should be friends even after I got paint all over your hair, but I’m grateful for it every day.” He’s looking at Junmyeon intently now. “I think about how you put up with everything your parents ever said about us being friends and I wonder how you could ever think I’m worth all that. And then when we finally started dating, you risked even more just to keep being with me. It makes me feel guilty sometimes, you know, that Sehun is the only other member of your family that I respect or even remotely like, but then I remember that there was always a very real possibility of your parents locking you in your room or something if they ever found out about us, which is why it’s probably completely crazy that I even considered doing this, and yet here I am, about to actually do it, and -”

He’s started to ramble, Junmyeon notes, which he only does when he’s feeling anxious. “Kris.” Junmyeon silences him with one soft word. “What’s wrong?”

Kris is silent for a moment, his eyes raking over Junmyeon’s face like he’s drinking in the sight. Junmyeon gazes back at him, affection for the man in front of him bubbling up inside him even through his concern. Slowly, suddenly, Kris reaches into his back pocket and sinks down onto his knee. “I - I had a bunch of other things I was going to say, but you know how terrible I am with stuff like this, and anyway, I think I kind of covered everything before, so I’ll just - Junmyeon, will you marry me?”

It feels like all the air in Junmyeon’s lungs escaped the second Kris’s knee touched the ground, and it’s all Junmyeon can do to nod numbly, tears welling up in his eyes. It’s not like this is a surprise, not really. They’ve been sure of each other, wanted no one but each other for too long for Junmyeon to have any doubts that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Kris, his best friend since he was four years old, the only person he’s ever been in love with. “Kris, of course, yes, of course I’ll marry you.” Kris embraces him with a ferocity that fully lifts Junmyeon off his feet; Junmyeon just giggles as he leans in to kiss Kris properly, feeling lighter than he has in a long time.

The thin gold ring is stunning. Junmyeon can see tiny words engraved on it, and he’s sure it says something cheesy and typically Kris, and he already loves it. There’s a chain in the box, which Junmyeon knows Kris included to be considerate about Junmyeon keeping the relationship quiet from his parents. But Junmyeon wants to do this right, wants to give Kris what he deserves, so he holds out his hand, beaming giddily at the love of his life. And Junmyeon has seen some beautiful constellations lying out here in this very field, but as Kris reverently slides the ring onto Junmyeon’s finger, nothing compares to the radiant beauty of his smile.