"Married for real?" Kyungsoo asks skeptically, although he can't deny the flip his stomach does when he hears the words come out of Jongin's mouth. 

"On the beach. Like a movie, you know?" Jongin says dreamily. Kyungsoo knows he's still barely awake and nods along. 

"Jongin. . . if we're going to get married for real. . . shouldn't your parents and our friends be there?" Kyungsoo questions softly as his eyes turn to gaze into the blackness again. 

Jongin seems to contemplate this for a minute, before sighing loudly. He rests his head on the wheel of the car, groaning at the impact of his head hitting it. 

"I didn't even think about that. . ." Jongin makes a strangled noise and squirms in his seat, "I drove three hours to the ocean for nothing." 

"Nothing? Were you planning on us getting married right now? In the dark?" Kyungsoo asks incredulously. As much as he thought Jongin was sweet for trying to do this, he couldn't believe this had ever been a serious plan to the younger boy. 

"I mean. . . maybe not right away. It wasn't gonna be a big thing, just like us on the beach and we'd say vows or something. We can have a real wedding later. When I get a job I'll buy you a ring." 

Kyungsoo suddenly feels his heart constrict at his husband's words. They were spoken like Jongin always speaks, childishly in his deep voice, like he's on the verge of a smile. Something, though, feels different about these words. The thought of Jongin getting his first job out of college so that he could buy a ring. . . Kyungsoo felt like he wanted to cry. 

"Why don't we go to a gas station and get snacks and we can just go back? This was all kind of a--" Jongin looks up mid-sentence, staring at Kyungsoo in shock.

He'd only ever seen Kyungsoo cry once, and it was an entirely different circumstance. That time he was sad because he knew his coworkers were talking bad about him, and he was probably scared, but now? He'd been disowned and was left depending on someone who thought going to the beach in the dark was the best plan to get married. 

"Are you okay?" Jongin knows he's not okay, and that was a dumb question, but he doesn't know what else to ask. Did you just realize that you made the wrong choice and don't really want to stay with me? Do you regret speaking to your father? Do you want me stop being so shortsighted all the time? All of those sounded like pretty bad choices, and Jongin was scared of all the answers. 

"I'm fine. . ." Kyungsoo insists, wiping the falling tears away. "It's just. . . a stressful day and stuff." 

"Here, I'll drive back. We can sleep at your grandparents' tonight and move our stuff out tomorrow. Just go back to sleep, I know you're worried--" 

Kyungsoo shakes his head, reaching across the car to grab for Jongin's hand. When his soft fingers find Jongin's rough palm they immediately hold tightly. Jongin thanks the darkness of the car for hiding his slight blush as he holds Kyungsoo's hand back, surprised by it's coldness. 

"Let's do what you wanted. The vow thing? And then we can go." Kyungsoo suggests, squeezing Jongin's hand before letting go. He instead reaches for the car door and gets out, leaving Jongin stunned and flushed in the car. 

". . I didn't actually think of any vows, --" Jongin panics and jumps out of the car to follow the older boy. 

He catches up quickly with Kyungsoo and walks as close as he can to the shorter as they make their way to the beach. He's slightly terrified of two things: the steepness of the hill down to the water's edge, and what would happen if he tried to grab Kyungsoo's hand again. 

Luckily, the two of his fears combine and Kyungsoo's stumbles a little, allowing Jongin to smoothly grab his small hand and lead him towards the sounds of the rushing water. Kyungsoo finds himself feeling nervous from the large warm hand enclosing his and the anticipation of what's going to come. 

They reach the actual shore and walk a little further, slightly because of reluctance to let each other's hands go, and slightly to stretch out their legs after the trip. 

"Hello, my name is Jongin. I like dogs and long walks on the beach." It comes out before he can filter it, and he feels embarrassment spread throughout his entire body. 

Kyungsoo laughs, the way that makes Jongin feel like the sun is out even at night.

"That was really bad." Kyungsoo points out with a smile still evident on his face. Jongin notices the way he leans more on him as they walk, and feels like the beach was the best idea he'd ever had. 

"So. . ." Jongin slows his walking down to almost a stop and waits for Kyungsoo to turn to him. "I didn't actually write any of the vows I was talking about." 

"I didn't either. I didn't know it was happening. . ." Kyungsoo responds immediately. Jongin can hear the teasing tone in his voice and relaxes a little about what he should say. 

"I'll just. . . say what I want you to know."

Kyungsoo nods and takes a deep breathe as he waits for Jongin's next words. 

"I thought you. . . were really handsome the first time I saw you. I didn't even know that you were the one I was marrying, but I just kept thinking I hope that's him. And you didn't like me and we fought all the time, but I always thought you were him. I don't know if I started liking you when I first met you, but I know I haven't stopped." 

Jongin feels like throwing himself into the ocean from how embarrassing it was to say all of that. Kyungsoo hadn't liked him that long, probably thought he was weird and annoying for the first two months they'd known each other. He avoids contact with Kyungsoo at all costs before continuing. 

"And for the vow part. . .I'll become something great. Dancer, business man, I don't know. But I'll become something great to make you proud, to make you feel like I'm worthy of being your husband, and I'll help us get a place to live and rings to wear. I promise." 

Kyungsoo is on the verge of tears again, even though he told himself he wasn't going to cry after the first time in the car. He takes a deep breath. 

"That was much more poetic than whatever the I'm about to say. . ." Kyungsoo laughs tearily, before making his grasp on Jongin's hand a little tighter. 

"I'll use your format, okay?" he nudges shoulders with the taller boy playfully, "When I first met you, I worried about how tall you were. I didn't like that I was short compared to you, and it felt like you had the power in this arranged marriage thing. It scared me. All of it scared me. You just seemed like you handled it so well, and you were younger. You were more mature than me, younger, and taller. I don't think I ever hated you, or even disliked you, really." 

"I just. . .started liking the way you were taller than me, how mature you acted sometimes, and the way you told lame jokes or cooked bad breakfast. I don't know, everything about you changed. My vow is to always like whatever side you show. No matter what you do, I'll stay by your side. You're already something great, you know?" 

Kyungsoo looks up at Jongin for confirmation only to be met with warm lips on his. Before Kyungsoo can register what's happening, Jongin's lips have moved from his lips to his cheeks, up to his forehead, and they end on his nose. Jongin pulls away quickly before Kyungsoo can say anything about what had just happened, he only feels the burn of Jongin's lips all over his face. 

"I don't think I'll ever be great enough," Jongin replies quietly, "not for you." 

Kyungsoo stays quiet, feeling a blush spread from his cheeks all the way to his toes. It's silent before Jongin turns and starts leading both of them back to the car down the beach. Kyungsoo can feel Jongin's heart thumping rapidly through his hand, and holds it tighter until he can't tell which heartbeat is his. 

-- 

Jongin hadn't expected that by the end of the day he'd be so tired, but yet as he pulls into the driveway at 11 p.m., it becomes clear to him that if he doesn't sleep in the next fifteen minutes he might just die. 

Kyungsoo had fallen asleep for the last hour of the trip back home and Jongin didn't want to wake him up and make him drive, so he kept going despite the ache in his shoulders. He regrets this action, though, as he pulls into the driveway and sees Chanyeol sitting in front of their front door, Baekhyun sleepily talking to the taller boy. He puts the car in park and gets out quietly, leaving Kyungsoo in the warmth of the still-running vehicle. 

"Jongin! We thought you guys would never get home!" Chanyeol says as soon as he spots Jongin's figure jogging toward the pair. Jongin notes, though, that Chanyeol doesn't seem very happy to see him here. 

"Where's Mr. Do-- no, Kyungsoo, wait's that's too informal--" Baekhyun shakes his head and closes his mouth instead, waiting for an answer to the question he implied. 

Jongin smiles softly, though the lines in his forehead show that he's still worried about Chanyeol's tone, and points to the car behind him. 

"Ah. . .sleeping. . ." Baekhyun nods with what looks like understanding, though in an instant it's turned to anger at Chanyeol. "I wish someone let me sleep while we were waiting for them." 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes but places a hand on the small of Baekhyun's back, trying to calm him. 

"What's going on? I mean, why have you guys been waiting for us?" 

Chanyeol rubs the back of his neck with his free hand before using the same hand to gesture vaguely at their house. 

"You guys left this morning to go talk to his father. And so I left, too, but then around dinner we came to see how things went. You guys weren't home, but there were a ton of people here." Chanyeol's grip on Baekhyun loosens and he goes towards the front door, kicking it. "They wouldn't let me in because I wasn't the owner of the house. So I told them that I knew the owner, Kyungsoo, and they said that he had no rights to the house anymore." 

As Jongin watches Chanyeol try uselessly to get into the house, he notices for the first time the luggage sitting neatly by the bushes in the lawn. He can't believe what he's seeing or hearing, but it seems as though Kyungsoo's father works faster than he expected. He thought they'd move out voluntarily tomorrow after one last night of their usual housing, but, to Jongin's surprise, they'd already been evicted. 

Jongin sighs and goes to grab their luggage, feeling a flood of emotions released suddenly. He's so scared for what Kyungsoo will feel when he finds out, sad to lose the house he spent all of his time in. He puts both bags in the trunk, and by the time he's closed it, Kyungsoo is getting out of the car. He looks groggy and out of it, but his eyes widen upon seeing Chanyeol and Baekhyun. 

Jongin walks up behind him slowly and touches Kyungsoo's elbow as a way to gain his attention. Kyungsoo turns around immediately, startled, but relaxes when he sees who it is. 

"What's going on?" Kyungsoo asks wearily, looking from Jongin back to the pair by the door. 

Chanyeol explains the situation as Jongin looks for another way in. Kyungsoo shakes his head and explains that theres only one back door, and it's surrounded by a six foot fence. 

After ten minutes of the group standing in the cold outside of their former house, Baekhyun sighs loudly and climbs in the backseat of Jongin's car. He rolls down the window and leans until he's almost completely out of it, yelling, "I guess we're having a sleepover at Chanyeol's tonight!" 

this is so short im sorry its been so long!!! ive just gotten back into town after a long trip to visit family :) merry christmas to those who celebrate it, and happy holidays to all!!!! i hope everyone's having a good time and that this new year will be great! 

comment/upvote/subscribe all that cool stuff!! thank u for reading and i hope this helps hold u over for a week or two ( i PROMISE i will update more frequently, now that finals are over and i have a week off of school stuff!!) love u guys~~~