Part V

The wedding is nearly upon them, and Sehun feels like he’s in limbo. He’s so happy for Baekhyun and Jongdae, but at the same time he’s scared for them, too. After the wedding, they’re going away for a month on their honeymoon, and nobody seems to know what’s going to happen to them after that. Will they leave the team and start a new life together, or will they still be a part of the Agency and join them when they get new missions? For that matter, will Sehun still be a part of the team?

Tao is going to rejoin as soon as he’s cleared for duty, so that means Kris is staying too, and he knows Suho will only retire when his body gives up. Minseok, Lu Han, and Yixing are all staying, as are Kyungsoo, Kai, and Chanyeol. But Sehun doesn’t know where he belongs. Right now, he feels like it’s not here. Everyone seems to have moved on from Tao getting shot, and Sehun feels like he’s still stuck in the moment, still looking at his friend lying in the street bleeding.

The door to the balcony opens and Sehun jumps.

“Jeez, it’s cold out here,” Chanyeol mutters. “What are you doing?”

Sehun shrugs. “Wanted some quiet, I guess.”

Chanyeol pauses. “Is it okay if I join you?”

Sehun nods, and Chanyeol sits beside him and puts an arm around his shoulders. Part of why Sehun is okay with him being there is because Chanyeol is so warm, and as soon as Chanyeol sits next to him he begins to feel much better.

“You’re freezing!” Chanyeol exclaims. “Where’s your jacket?”

Sehun doesn’t answer. “Isn’t it pretty?” He asks, looking at the sunset.

Chanyeol sighs. “Yes, it’s lovely. But if you get sick right before the wedding, Jongdae and Baekhyun might actually kill you.”

The mention of the wedding makes Sehun frown, and Chanyeol doesn’t miss it. “What’s going on, kiddo?”

Sehun shrugs again. “It’s just…it’s going to be different now.”

Chanyeol nods. “I know. things are going to change.”

“I don’t want them to change,” Sehun says. “I want everything to go back to how it used to be.”

“You don’t want Baekhyun and Jongdae to get married?”

Sehun shakes his head. “No, no…I’m fine with that part. But everything else is so different. It feels like…we’re losing something.”

Chanyeol sighs. “I know what you mean. I feel that too, like we didn’t even realize what we had. But you know, I wonder if it’s so much everyone else that’s changed as it is me. I’ve changed. You have too, maybe that’s why you feel like this.”

“I have not!” Sehun cries, “I’m exactly the same as I was!”

“No you aren’t,” Chanyeol says. “You’ve grown up, Sehun. You’re starting to realize that maybe you want something different.”

Sehun swallows down a sudden flash of fear. “Are you…are you leaving?” He asks.

Chanyeol shakes his head. “Not now. But someday I will, when I decide that I’ve seen enough, and I want to have time to enjoy my boyfriend’s company without needing to sneak around. But it won’t be for a while yet. Why, are you leaving?”

Sehun pauses. “I don’t know. If I do then…then it really won’t be the same.”

Chanyeol grins. “You know, you say ‘leave’ when you mean to say retire. It’s not the same thing, Sehun-ah. You can retire from the Agency and still live with us. You don’t have to go anywhere.”

“I wouldn’t belong here,” Sehun protests. “I would just sit there and be useless.”

“No, you’d still be our friend. You still be the love of Suho’s life.”

Sehun snorts. “I don’t know about that.”

“He does love you. He wants to protect you, and people like you. That’s why he wants to be a part of the Agency. You know, we probably won’t take on such dangerous work anymore. We’re getting old in Agency terms.”

“No,” Sehun says. “I think we weren’t old enough.”

That makes Chanyeol pause for a few minutes. “Maybe you’re right.”

Sehun sighs heavily. “You know, this really didn’t help me decide what to do.”

“Well, that’s not something for me to help you with,” Chanyeol says cheerfully. “You need to decide that on your own. You can talk to me, but in the end you need to make up your own mind.”

Sehun wants to scream. If he could do that, he wouldn’t be freezing his off on the balcony right now, he’d be inside helping to plan the wedding. But he doesn’t say that. Instead he lets Chanyeol take him back inside, tuck him into bed, and accepts an offer for hot chocolate. He’s just started to warm up again when the door opens and it’s not Chanyeol bringing him hot chocolate.

“Joonmyun.”

Suho smiles at the sound of his real name. “Hi, Sehun. Chanyeol said you’d been out on the balcony.” He hands Sehun the mug. It’s just the right temperature, with four little marshmallows floating at the top and a hint of cinnamon. Suho always makes the best hot chocolate.

Sehun mumbles his thanks and waits for Suho to leave, but he doesn’t. Instead he sits down on the bed and makes himself comfortable, looking at Sehun expectantly. Sehun chugs half the cup, before calming down and taking slow sips. He’s nearly done by the time he finds his voice.

“How’s it going out there?”

“Oh, Jongdae and Baekhyun have a good hold on things. I would never have guessed that this was their first time planning a wedding, they’re both handling it very well.” He puts a hand on Sehun’s knee. “I wish I could say the same for Kai.”

Sehun flinches. He knows that Kai’s been hurt by the news that he can’t carry a baby, but honestly Sehun can’t find it in him to feel sorry. Not the kind of sorry that he ought to feel. It’s awful that Kai’s upset, but he knew this was a possibility, and it’s been a month already. Plus, Sehun’s dealing with his own crisis.

“Joonmyun…”

“Yes, Sehun?”

“I…I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

His hands are shaking so badly that Suho takes the mug from his hands and puts it down so it doesn’t spill. Sehun twists his fingers together and tries not to cry.

“You don’t have to. You’ve always had that choice.”

“What choice?” Sehun asks bitterly. “The choice to stare down the barrel of a gun, or sit in this house and imagine you in my place?!” His voice grows in volume with every word, and he’s so afraid that he’s about to lose his temper completely, so he closes his mouth.

“Is that what this is about?” Suho asks quietly. “Is that why you can’t decide what you want?”

Sehun nods. “I can’t sit here and wait for you to come home. Not when I know that it can get bad, and when I know that Tao almost died. He should have died. It’s only because Kris loves him that he survived. And it could have been me, or you, or anyone else. It could have been worse. He could have been shot in the head.” Bile rises in the back of his throat and he seriously regrets drinking that hot chocolate now.

Suho’s hands his face. “Baby, Tao is safe, and so are you. Try to breathe, try to come back to me.”

Sehun blinks rapidly, trying to clear nightmarish images from his eyes. He shakes his head, but all that does is make his teeth chatter. “W-why is it only me?” He asks quietly.

“It’s not that it’s only you,” Suho says quickly, “It’s just…we’ve been dealing with it differently.”

“By pretending the problem doesn’t exist,” Sehun snaps.

“No that’s not…Sehun, we know it’s there. We’re not ignoring it. Look, maybe you should talk to someone about this, someone who can help you in ways that I can’t.”

“I know what I need,” Sehun growls, “And it’s not a shrink—what I need is to know that my friends are safe, and if it means having to follow you all blindly into danger then so be it, I’d rather die with you than live a day without you.”

Now Suho looks mad. “That’s what I mean. The world is not that black and white, Sehun! Any one of us could walk out of this apartment right now and get hit by a bus, are you going to follow everyone everywhere?”

“That’s not fair. Our job makes our lives short, you know that.”

“And you know that the Agency does everything they can to protect us.”

“Then why did Tao get hurt?” Sehun screams. “Why aren’t you asking these questions? Why doesn’t anyone seem to care? How the did this company keep an entire ing army of robots a secret from the damn Agency?!”

Suho doesn’t have an answer. Sehun slumps over on the mattress, tears trickling from his eyes and onto the sheets.  He feels like he can’t trust anyone aside from his teammates, how could he possibly repay them for their trust by sitting at home while they risk their necks? This act of betrayal by the Agency has only made it worse.

“I don’t know how they didn’t see this,” Suho says after a while, “But Sehun, think of all the things they did warn us about. They can’t know everything but they try. Maybe the bad guys are just getting smarter.”

That’s possibly even scarier than carelessness on the Agency’s part.

“As for why no one seems to care…it’s not that we don’t care, we do and we are thinking about it.”

“But nobody wants to say anything.”

A new voice joins their conversation. “That’s not true either.”

Sehun and Suho both gasp and turn toward the door—Tao is there, with Kris behind him.

“Sorry,” Tao says sheepishly, “But Kris said you two were fighting and…I just knew it was about the mission.” He looks at Sehun sadly. “I know it’s been bothering you. It’s been bothering me, too.”

Sehun sits up and wipes his face, and Tao sits beside him and gives him a hug. “What are we supposed to do?” Sehun asks quietly. “What if the bad guys are getting smarter?”

“Then we’ll need help,” Kris says. “From outside of Earth, maybe. That technology wasn’t of this planet, and now every single planet involved with the Agency knows about what happened. They’re all on this, and I’ll tell you something, my planet especially isn’t happy that Tao got hurt like he did.”

That surprises Sehun, and Suho too.

“I mean, I know he’s your boyfriend, but why?”

Tao actually looks elated at that. “Well you see, it pays to be the son of a former member of the Council of Elders. A lot of people on the planet remember what Kris’ dad did for them, and when they heard that I had been hurt, they were furious on behalf of the family. They wanted answers for the suffering of their favorite former leader.”

Kris nudges him. “That’s not even the whole story though.”

Tao nods. “The thing is, in the eyes of Kris’ government and people, he and I are actually married.”

Now that is a shock. “But…what?” Suho asks, looking between them. “Did you have a ceremony or something?”

Tao shakes his head. “Things are different there. You have to notify the government when you get married, for economic reasons, but if you want to be married you have to act like it. You have to live together, you have to have mutual respect and love for each other, and each other’s families, and…and you have to make sacrifices.”

“Sacrifices?” Sehun echoes.

“It’s not the most accurate translation,” Kris says. “It’s like giving up on something to better your relationship, or giving something you love very much to your beloved. A lot of it is symbolic, especially in these days, but some of it is real. My father sacrificed his position on the council for my mother, and she in turn also gave up her job supporting the council. But in some cases it’s like, you make up a document that hands ownership of, oh I don’t know, your house, your car, even a pet, to the person you love. Or you give up playing a sport and devote that time to your relationship.”

Tao smiles at Kris and takes his hand. “But the important thing is that you never view it as a burden, and you don’t do it grudgingly. It’s whole hearted, it’s done out of love, and that’s what makes people say, ‘Ah, they’ll make it work. Surely, they must be in love.’”

“Oh,” Suho says softly. “I see.”

Kris finally tears his gaze away from Tao. “So my planet now considers Tao one of us. Even if he hadn’t been hurt and needed organ replacement—that’s not what made him a part of our planet. It was when he started to love me that he became part of my family. And my planet is so protective of their people, they don’t care what lengths they need to go to for answers.”

“So what are they doing to find out about what happened to Tao?” Sehun asks.

Kris rolls his eyes. “Well right now they’re a bit tied up in red tape, but the goal is to send new technologies to the Agency to aide in intelligence gathering. We’ve been trying to give it to them for a while but, well, Earth governments have been reluctant to allow it. Oh yes,” He says, seeing the look of surprise on Sehun’s face, “They get a say, and they’re worried about the technology being stolen by the wrong people, or that the Agency will use it against them. But this incident with these new and terrifying robots should help turn the tide in our favor.”

“And it’ll keep this sort of thing from happening again?” Sehun asks.

At that, Kris’ smile shrinks. “I hope so. At least until the wrong people make more powerful friends.”

Tao takes Sehun’s hand. “And in the meantime, the Agency has promised that they’ll let us test the new technology first. If it works, they’ll give it to all their operatives.”

For the first time in weeks, Sehun begins to feel hopeful. And he begins to feel that this is something he would want to witness, not because he has to, but because he wants to.

Sehun looks between Kris and Tao. “Do you think it will change anything?”

At the same time, they both answer, “Yes.”

Kyungsoo comes to Kris two days later, cornering him in the hallway outside the bedrooms.

“This is a lot to ask,” He says nervously, “And I know that everyone’s been coming to you with their problems lately, and I’m sorry to do this to you. But…I want to ask you about your planet’s medical technology.”

Kris smiles brightly. “I was waiting for that.”

Kyungsoo gives him a confused look. “You were?”

“I wanted you to come to me on your own, when you and Kai were ready.”

Kyungsoo’s heart skips a beat, then goes into overtime. “Can you help us?”

“That depends on what you want,” Kris says. “You too, Kai.”

Kai nervously peeks around the doorframe. “We didn’t want to gang up on you at once,” he says sheepishly.

“It’s okay,” Kris assures. “I get it, and I know this can’t be easy for you. Let’s talk privately, okay?”

Of course, the only privacy they can get in someone’s bedroom, and Kai and Kyungsoo both apologize profusely over the state of their room. Lately, neither of them has cared much about keeping the place neat or putting their dirty clothes in the wash.

“Guys. I’m your friend and roommate, I know what your underwear looks like, I’ve seen it all,” Kris says, clearing a spot on the bed for himself. “Now talk to me. what made you decide to come to me?”

Kai clears his throat. “Well, after seeing what your planet’s doctors did for Tao we wondered just how much more advanced they were than us. And I started to wonder if… if they could help me carry a baby.” He looks even more nervous now. “I know there are other ways to have a family and adoption sounds lovely, it is lovely, and it’s something we want to do, but…but ever since we started talking about kids I always pictured them as being ours, totally ours. I guess it’s selfish but…all I want is one, one baby that’s part me and part Kyungsoo.”

“I’s not selfish,” Kris tells him. “Of course adopting is a wonderful thing, and even that’s not the only avenue you can pursue. But I understand wanting to have a child who comes from both of you, and it’s not a selfish desire.” He takes Kai’s hand. “There are ways that it can happen, but even then you’re not going to get everything you want. My people may be medically advanced but even they can’t give you ovaries. A uterus maybe, but eggs…no, those would need to be yours. However, if you can compromise, then it might be possible for both of you to father the same child. However, you would need an egg donor.”

Kyungsoo and Kai stare at him in disbelief. “But then we, both of us would be the fathers?” Kai asks

Kris nods. “It’s selective genetic combinations. It’s very difficult to figure out how to do, but it can be done. You could even choose how the baby would look, but I’m guessing that in your case, all you would care about is just how much of Kai’s genes get passed on.”

Kyungsoo snaps out of his daze. “That must be so expensive and so selective! How would we ever—?”

“Well,” Kris interrupts, looking uncomfortable, “I have a theory about that.” He looks at Kai. “Your DNA is precious, more than you probably realize. For the doctors of my planet to examine it, even if it’s while they make a child for you, it would be the opportunity of a lifetime. If you were to donate a blood or tissue sample, to be used outside of the creation of the baby, I can only imagine how grateful they would be.”

“They would do this in exchange for my DNA?” Kai clarifies.

“Obviously, I am just guessing,” Kris says quickly. “But I know these people. I think it is a good possibility.”

Kai nods. “I mean, as long as it’s just for research, and they don’t…make something with it…”

“I doubt they would. Probably it would lead to discoveries about shapeshifting, and they wouldn’t have enough to do much more with it.”

Kyungsoo looks at Kai with wide eyes. “Are you considering it?”

Kai squeezes his hand. “We could have a baby,” he says quietly. “Kyungsoo, our own baby! It’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a child. Even if I can’t carry it, to be able to hold a baby and know that we both, that he or she is part of both of us…it would be incredible. I would be willing, if you are.”

Kyungsoo smiles. “Well, we would still need to find an egg donor. But if we can do this, if you’re really okay with it…” he turns to Kris. “Can we talk to someone about it?”

Kris nods. “I can set it up for after the wedding.”

The day arrives suddenly. Baekhyun and Jongdae have been preparing for it for weeks, and now that it’s here, it feels like it snuck up on them.

They wake up within seconds of each other—they rented a hotel room so they could spend the night before their wedding in total seclusion—and wait for the alarm to ring, to remind them that they need to go look at flowers and place settings and menu items, but there’s silence.

“It’s time,” Jongdae says.

Baekhyun wracks his brain and can’t think of a single thing left to do, besides shower, get dressed, and head over to the reception hall. It feels…

“This is too easy,” Baekhyun mutters. “I feel like I should expect something to happen.”

Jongdae rolls on top of him and cuts off Baekhyun’s squeak of surprise with a kiss. Last night they had been too tired to do anything but fall asleep in each other’s arms, but now Baekhyun is awake and it’s starting to hit him. They’re alone, in bed, about to be united in holy matrimony. He’s so happy and so ridiculously that he can hardly think anymore. He arches up into Jongdae’s gentle touches, bites Jongdae’s lip, and pulls him even closer.

Jongdae pulls away and kisses carefully down Baekhyun’s neck, stopping at his collar bones. He leans back and takes Baekhyun’s hand, and kisses the tips of his fingers. He smirks when Baekhyun’s breath hitches, and he presses Baekhyun’s index finger to his lips.

“I would love to ravish you,” Jongdae says, “But I wonder if we should save that for the honeymoon.”

Baekhyun whines petulantly. “Come on, one more time before we’re married.”

But the word ‘married’ sends a jolt through both of them. they look at the clock. They have hours, but now they’re both antsy and eager to get a move on. They need to get their hair and makeup done, get dressed, keep their hands off each other, and get out. They don’t have as much time as they really want.

“In the shower, then?” Baekhyun suggests.

Jongdae gets up and tugs his shirt off. “Race you.”

It feels like one minute, Baekhyun’s in the shower, and the next he’s ready to go, and one second later he’s shaking hands with Park Junhee, the woman who would officiate the ceremony. She’s a member of the Agency, and often called upon for weddings between operatives. Mrs. Park promised something short and sweet, and Baekhyun told her that he doubted he would remember any kind of ceremony, to which she laughed and said that it wouldn’t be the first time.

And Baekhyun doesn’t remember the ceremony, not at all. He barely even remembers saying hello to the guests (all 20 of them including his mom, dad, and brother), he has no idea who moved him to stand in front of the window, he doesn’t know if someone is recording this, he’s not even sure if he’s even dressed anymore or if he’s standing there in his underwear. It doesn’t matter.

Jongdae is standing right in front of him, and smiling at him. There are tears in his eyes, but the look on his face is anything but sad. Baekhyun doesn’t know when he’s ever seen Jongdae look so happy before. And he thinks he must have a similar expression on his own face, but he feels a little numb, so he’s not sure.

He listens to Mrs. Park with only one ear, all he really hears is when she says, “Baekhyun, if you take Kim Jongdae to be your husband, say I do.”

Baekhyun takes a deep breath and says, “I do.”

And Jongdae’s smile grows even more, and next thing Baekhyun knows, Jongdae is saying “I do.”

Then Baekhyun steps closer, so close that he can feel every one of Jongdae’s exhales on his skin. He takes Jongdae’s hand and Chanyeol, his best man, hands him a gold ring. Baekhyun slides it carefully onto Jongdae’s finger. Suho hands Jongdae the other ring, and Jongdae slips it onto Baekhyun’s finger.

Mrs. Park places her hand on their shoulders. “You stand united in your love for each other. With the authority given to me by the Intergalactic Federation of Matrimony, it is my honor to announce that Kim Jongdae and Byun Baekhyun are lawfully wedded.”

She steps back, and Jongdae and Baekhyun each take one small step closer to each other. It’s all they need for their foreheads to touch. Baekhyun closes his eyes and nuzzles Jongdae’s cheek.

“I love you.”

Jongdae wraps his arms around Baekhyun’s neck. “I love you, too.”

Their first kiss as a married couple is gentle, a soft press of their lips. And so is their second, and their third, by which time they’re both just barely holding back tears. They finally back away and open their eyes, and smile at each other. Then suddenly, they’re both covered in silver confetti.

“Hmm,” Chanyeol says thoughtfully as Baekhyun and Jongdae look at themselves in shock. “I might have used a little too much.”

Then they all laugh, and Baekhyun’s mother comes over to help them brush the confetti off their shoulders and out of their hair. She’s crying and laughing, and she hugs them both tightly.

“My beautiful sons,” she weeps, “Oh, I’m just so happy!”

Baekhyun gets a hug from everyone, and whispers of congratulations and hopes for a bright and happy future. Even when he’s thanking his friends and family, his eyes are drawn to Jongdae. His husband. His husband. He’s so happy he can hardly stand it.

The party passes in a blur. Before too long, it’s time for Jongdae and Baekhyun to leave. They separate reluctantly and change into something more comfortable, and gather the suitcases that they’ve already packed. Then it’s time to say goodbye—only for a little while, but it’s unexpectedly sad. Maybe it’s because it’s so clear how much they will be missed.

Poor Sehun is an absolute mess. He’s actually crying, and Baekhyun has a sneaking suspicion as to why, so when he gives their youngest a hug, he takes a moment to whisper, “We’re coming back, one way or another. We’ll be back in the house before you have time to be grateful for the quiet.”

Sehun laughs a little, and smiles at Baekhyun. “I’ll really miss you. But I hope you have a lot of fun.”

Baekhyun kisses his cheek. “I’ll miss you too, sweetie.” God, Sehun is almost too precious for this world. He gives Suho a stern look. “You take care of him, you hear?”

Suho nods and wraps an arm around Sehun’s shoulders. “I’ve got him,” he promises.

Chanyeol’s on the verge of tears himself, and Baekhyun issues another order to Sungwoo, to look after his best friend for him. Sungwoo nods, and says he’ll do his best.

Baekhyun’s not worried about Kyungsoo or Kai when he hugs them—he knows that they have plans with Kris, to find out about a possible future child. They’re b with happiness. And Tao has been dancing around with Kris all night, Baekhyun knows that there’s no need to worry about either of them. Lu Han, Yixing, and Minseok will be alright too, now that they have each other. His friends have all come such a long way these past few years. They’re all so much happier, now.

Jongdae grabs his hand and kisses his cheek. “Ready?”

Baekhyun nods. “I’m ready.”

He’s ready for everything and anything.

There will be one more part--the epilogue, and then that's it!