raise your hand if you didn't think I'd update this soon. well, I didn't expect it either, it just kind of happened. I shuld be studying vikings and beatles and stupid japanese instead I'm writing this. yoo-hoo for me. anyway, it turned sort of angsty how I am not sure. Don't expect regular updates, but since i'm seeing the end of this i write faster, sort of. two tests coming up next week. save me. omg. 

“So Tao, mh?” Baekhyun puts down his glass after the toast, Tao feels under the scrutiny of a very strict teacher the day he left his homework home. “Jongdae has never mentioned you before and now... look at you two! Two lovebirds!” he wears a sweet smile that makes Tao all the more suspicious.

“Well... ” Baekhyun has no plan to let him speak, though.

“Knowing Jongdae I thought he was going to boast around about such a great catch and yet... nothing. Jongdae, what about Chanyeol?”

Jongdae doesn't even bat an eyelash, and what's even more scary is that that smile looks like the result of a seizure. “Chanyeol who?” he asks, letting out a small laugh.

“No talking about the ex-boyfirend in front of the current one? I can respect that”

Jongdae coughs and takes a sip of water, Tao smiles awkwardly and turns to his appetizers for support. They really don't offer him any, but their deliciousness makes up for the unpleasantness of the moment. Aunt Lee chuckles and pats Tao's forearm with a sympathetic look, at least someone understands his pain. Jongdae should have told him about this Chanyeol-guy and not shove him in the arena against lions with a toothpick.

He pours Jongdae some wine and offers some more to Aunt Lee who has already finished hers. She shakes her head. “I'm not really supposed to... with my medications and all”

“Oh” is the only thing Tao can say in front of her disarming smile.

“You two should come visit me at the lake house some time”

Jongdae is about to interject, but Tao stops him squeezing his thigh. “It would be nice” he says and she grins at him.

“Jongdae-yah thinks he's too old to visit his old aunt anymore”

Jongdae munches on some words, but keeps quiet, Tao takes a sip of wine and smiles sweetly. “Weird because I thought his favorite past-time was being a stubborn child”

This time Jongdae looks affronted, but before he can find a proper comeback Baekhyun bursts out laughing, rosy cheeks and twinkling eyes, and Tao needs a moment to regain his composure because he is supposed to be his Jongdae's fiance and they are madly in love. Under his arm, Jongdae squirms uncomfortably. Tao takes pity on him and pecks his cheek, like a real, madly in love fiance would do when his lover is being cute. A hedgehog kind of cute, but still cute.

Baekhyun looks at them with interest and Zitao pats himself on the back for his improvisation abilities.

When they are back in their room, to change for the after dinner entertainment, to say it how Jongdae had explained it “they need to know how much fun we are going to have at the wedding, if someone goes overboard they throw him in the lake”. Impressed, both by the fact that he could picture Jongdae's mother to order someone to be thrown into a lake and by the fact that the mansion also had a lake, Zitao blindly starts to undress. There is not really a point in being shy now.

“Don't worry we are going to see it tomorrow, you'll have to put those arms to use. Now wear this” Jongdae pulls a grey button up from Tao's bag and throws it to him. “And this” he says, throwing a black blazer on the bed.

He disappears in the bathroom with some clothes of his own and Tao quickly dresses himself, making sure to leave the first three buttons of his shirt opened, like Jongdae instructed him to. Looking at the closed bathroom door, he hesitates for a moment, but then goes to knock. He hears some rustling then a muffled “What?”.

“Who's exactly Chanyeol?”

Silence. Tao leans on the wall just beside the door, ears open for any kind of response, but nothing happens for a long minute, after which Jongdae opens the door shirtless and a definitely not happy with Tao's prying.

“I'd say none of your business, but you wouldn't take that as an answer, would you?”

Tao shakes his head and Jongdae sighs. “Can we at least talk about this later?”

“Ok”

Jongdae only then seems to notice Zitao has already changed and looks him up and down with furrowed brows. “Nice” he says winking and retiring inside the bathroom again, without bothering to close the door this time.

To his defense Tao peeks only once and it's only to make things even. Jongdae already saw him in more ways than one.

The after dinner party is hosted by the Happy Groom and Beautiful Bride in the huge ball room on the east wing of the house. There is a live band, a lot of champagne, penguin-waiters and the air is heavy even, or all the more so, with the airy laughs some of the female guests let out at appropriate times, tense.

Tao and Jongdae stand at a comfortable distance near the stage far from the bristling crowd, smiling at each other all through their hushed conversation.

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