It takes time for them to get used to the idea of dating. It takes a month before Luhan’s comfortable in going to dates with Sehun, and another two or three before he allows Sehun to hold his hand and kiss him in public.

            Two years later, Sehun graduates from college, and Luhan takes him with Junmyeon and Yifan on a double-date. At the dinner, when there’s a lull in the conversation between the main course and dessert, Yifan slides a black box across the table to Junmyeon.     

            “Marry me.”

            Junmyeon was holding a glass of wine, and it clattered to the ground loudly, breaking into millions of tiny pieces. “I…”

            Yifan gets down on one knee, holding the box out dramatically. Junmyeon clears his throat, glancing around the restaurant. Everyone was staring at them. He takes the box with a smile, but pulls Yifan up.

            “Get up,” he hisses. “They’re all staring at us.”

            “Doesn’t matter,” but Yifan sits down, dusting his pants in case any glass shards were on them. “You’re mine now.”

            And that’s as cheesy as Luhan’s ever seen Yifan. Luhan and Sehun are the official witnesses of the engagement, and they’re invited to the coming wedding. For the rest of the dinner, Yifan and Junmyeon are noticeably happier, wrapped up in their own world. Luhan even catches Yifan smiling at one point, something Yifan doesn’t do often (and Luhan is secretly glad he doesn’t because seeing that usually strict, nearly robotic face, stretch into a rare smile is not a pleasing sight to any onlookers—except for Junmyeon, of course). Junmyeon, on the other hand, is literally glowing, his smile five times brighter than it usually is. Luhan shares a secret smile with Sehun.

            Later that evening, Luhan and Sehun walk back to their apartment. Luhan’s tilting his head back, trying to find the stars, when Sehun speaks.

            “Do you want to get married, too?”

            Luhan blinks, surprised. “No. It would be nice, but our parents…” He frowns, thinking back to their parents.

            Even Junmyeon, who has his happy ending now, was disowned by his parents when he revealed his relationship with Yifan. Yifan was lucky; his parents were okay with his personal preference. But Junmyeon had to choose between Yifan and his parents when he’d come over to the States, and it hadn’t been an easy choice for the fragile male. Luhan still remembers seeing Junmyeon in tears after a phone call with his parents, who were convinced that he was wasting his life living with Yifan. Somehow, Luhan isn’t sure he could be as strong as Junmyeon, willing to give up everything and travel halfway across the world to find his happiness. But Luhan’s glad Junmyeon chose Yifan, because he can see the happiness that’s radiating with Junmyeon whenever he’s around Yifan.

            Sehun sighs and Luhan reaches out to take his hand. It’s easy to forget about the world they left behind, but in the end, it’s still a part of them.

            “I was thinking…we should go back,” Luhan says hesitantly. “We have to tell them about us.”

            Sehun’s fingers tighten around Luhan’s.  “But what if they force us to break up? What if they disapprove?”

            Luhan swallows hard, focusing on a small point of light in the distance. He hopes that it’s a star, and not some fake satellite light. “At this point, we’re either staying together, or we break up. There are only two choices.”

            “Don’t you want to stay with me?”

            Luhan chuckles lightly, turning to face Sehun, the brightest star in his life. “Of course.”

            Sehun hugs Luhan tightly. “Good, because I’m never letting you go.”

Author’s note: Thank you so much for the reads and subscriptions.