marriage!au in which jongin keeps the promise to love minseok for 20 years and minseok makes the promise to love jongin for 200 more.

"Could I have this dance?"

Minseok looks up at the hand outstretched before him. His mind had wandered off for a moment, but judging by the empty dance floor and the way the ballroom's lights had dimmed, the way purples and blues of the floor lights cast shadows on Jongin's face, he guesses he just blanked out on the opening speech.

He takes Jongin's hand and hoists himself up from his seat at the front of the room. "I'll have you know that all of my pro dance moves has come from copious amounts of Just Dance training," Minseok jokes, feels nostalgia simmer in his chest. Jongin smiles at him and his heart skips a beat.

"I think I've got enough talent for the both of us," he teases back, earning a weak punch to his shoulder. He just grips Minseok's hand tighter and leads him out to the dance floor where everyone had cleared out space for them.

The music is already going by the time Minseok has settled his hands on Jongin's waist, admiring the way his tux fits him nicely and the setting of their wedding amidst thoughts that have been swirling in his mind for the months of planning for this, thoughts of how the rest of their life will change now that they're married. 

As expected, nothing in his dancing skills had changed through all the time Jongin spent trying to teach him how to waltz- or how to look like he knew how to dance at the least. They spent days in Jongin's studio and nights in their apartment trying to waltz together. Minseok was notorious for two left feet, and it was the source of relentless teasing by his friends that he decided to marry a dancer. He just smiled and commented on how opposites must really attract.

Minseok trips over his feet, feeling his face heat up again. He looks up at Jongin who's smiling down at him, eyes curved prettily and smile blinding in the dark ballroom. The breath gets knocked out of his lungs and he stumbles again, but Jongin's hands around his waist steady him.

"I think you've at least improved since high school," Jongin mutters, pressing his smile to Minseok's cheek. Mortification immediately shoots down Minseok's spine and he drops his head against Jongin's chest, feeling suddenly hot in his tux.

"Don't remind me. I almost forgot."

Jongin chuckles so Minseok can feel the laugh rumble against him. "But it was cute." He leans down and kisses the top of Minseok's head, gentle enough that it's as if the wind had brushed against his forehead, but it sends his heart pounding.

"That's what you think. I made us trip in the middle of the dance floor and I spilled soda on your suit." He exhales, feeling the nerves dissipate where they'd knotted together over his heart. 

He feels the pads of Jongin's fingers brush against his forehead, fixing his bangs that had fallen out of place. "Trust me, you've always been handsome- even when you were seven and didn't get mad at me when I smeared paint all over your face."

That has Minseok laughing, softly enough so that their guests don't hear it over the music but it's enough to have Jongin smiling down at him, hooking his fingers underneath his chin and pulling him up for a breathless kiss.

Minseok sighs into Jongin's mouth, letting his hands rest against the back of Jongin's neck, fingers absently carding through the ends of his hair. He's smiling, he's smiling so wide that it makes their kiss a little awkward and Minseok feels that his face might split in half, but he wouldn't trade the happiness that's exploding in his chest for anything.

They dance to the second verse and the chorus in silence. Minseok slides his hands back down to Jongin's waist where it's comfortable, and he only ever stumbles once. He keeps his eyes locked on Jongin's. He's been with Jongin nearly all his life, he's seen the way those eyes sparkle after he'd won a national ballet competition, how they'd bled red with sleepless nights and welled with tears when his dog had passed. Minseok has seen those eyes smile as they kissed him and darken with lust as Jongin ed into him. Minseok's seen those eyes for over 20 years and they've never looked so heavy with raw emotion than now- so happy, bright with tears and warm with his heart.

"Hey," Jongin whispers, pulling Minseok even closer to himself. The song is starting to wind down on its last run through the chorus. "Do you remember what I promised?"

Minseok stutters in the dance steps but he rebounds quickly. "Was I supposed to remember something?"

Jongin smiles and shakes his head. "No, it was a long time ago anyway." He runs his thumb across Minseok's cheeks and sighs. 

"When we were younger, you must've been ten at the time, I pulled you behind a tree on the playground," he starts, slowing down their dance as the song winds to a close. Minseok's heart stutters- he remembers where this story ends.

"And you pulled out your sister's pink, plastic ring with a flower and a sticker jewel and promised to marry me." Minseok's feet freeze as the last note of the song rings out in the ballroom. As the claps start to resound in the room, Jongin leans down against his ear and kisses his cheek.

"I'm glad I could keep that promise to you."

Minseok can't hear the applause over his heart drumming in his ears. He looks up and Jongin and thinks that if there was ever a time he might cry in his life, now would be it. The tears well up and he tries to swallow them back, he doesn't want to let anyone but Jongin see him like this, and yet a tear still drips down his cheek and Jongin catches it with his thumb.

"I love you," he murmurs against Jongin's lips, kissing him, chasing for his lips when Jongin tries to take a breath because Minseok wants the moment to last just a little longer. Nothing could ever come close to a moment like this.

"I know," Jongin says, enclosing Minseok's hands in his and smiling. "I've felt the same for 20 years and we'll probably still be in love for 200 more."

Minseok sighs, dropping his head against Jongin's chest and just briefly closing his eyes. Two hundred years in love is a promise he can keep.

(And maybe he'll finally learn how to dance by then.)