Thump.

From the living room, Daehyun hears the letter as it thuds dully to the floor. The weight it seems to carry is obvious, as though he can feel the effect it is going to have on his future - although right now he is unaware of it's contents. All he knows, as he sits on his worn couch, alone and weary, is that something whispers of a change, a shift.
But for now, he's content to sit and finish his cereal. Life-changing letters can wait.

When the important business is done, he turns to the matter at hand. Steady hands prise open the envelope, and the letter falls onto his lap.
It's an invitation.
A wedding invitation.

Gold gilded edges and a meticulous order to it - the sender can only be Youngjae. A messy scrawl of a signature, and of course it's also from Yongguk.

This is great! Geniune happiness courses through him, and he smiles. They've been through a lot together, and he's glad that they're finally able to settle down.

Now, perhaps you're wondering who he's planning to take as his date? Well, the answer to that is no one. His most recent girlfriend was a good few years ago, and after their mutual split, he's simply stayed single. Sometimes, you do hear about those desperate sods who hire dates for weddings, but he's not one to dabble in that kind of thing. Really, Daehyun doesn't see what the fuss is about. He's been asked to be their best man; he's ecstatic! So what if he's a bachelor? With one happy couple, none of the guests are likely to notice the absence of another.

And so, he resigns himself instead to the fact that they'll all question it. Yongguk and Youngjae, as his best friends since high school, do no doubt have a right to worry - but what is there to worry about? He's happy! Sure, if someone catches his eye - he's not picky. He's just not looking for anything right now, but neither is he adverse to any action.

Now all he has to do is his best man duties. Simple, right?

A quick google later and he is a little concerned. But for Youngjae and Yongguk, he'll do anything.

 

First up, he's gotta organise the suits. He and the other best man, a classy guy named Himchan, have got to round up the groomsmen and make sure they're suitably presentable for a wedding. This could prove to be a difficult task; Himchan is notorious for being very fashion conscious. Perhaps he'll step back and let Himchan organise the whole thing...

Himchan definitely knows what he's doing, Daehyun decides, as he completely takes matters into his own hands. Daehyun simply stands there, looking pretty (if he does say so himself), while Himchan runs the whole show. He's decided that Youngjae and Yongguk are going to have matching silver suits that twinkle just right! when the light catches them at the right angle (his words, not Daehyun's).

To make them individual, though, they're going for a colour scheme. Yongguk's quiet misdemeanor is being contrasted with a deep crimson shirt, and a tie in a much lighter shade. And to set off Youngjae's apple cheeks, his own shirt is a faint cream colour, and his bowtie is a bright, adorable shade of yellow. (He doesn't look best pleased with this description of his cheeks, but Yongguk's subtle squeeze of his other cheeks ;) make the cheeks in question bright red and shut him up). 

The rest of their party consists of Himchan, himself, a quiet guy called Jongup, and a guy that he thinks went by the name Junhong? He looks familiar, but Daehyun can't quite place why. The suits that Himchan picks for them are the opposite of the couple's, with black silken shirts and bright coloured suits. Daehyun's suit consists of a light pink with a slight grey sheen to it, whilst Jongup's is a marvelous deep emerald. Junhong's long figure is complimented by a loose fitting wonderful cobalt blue, and Himchan finishes off the groomsmen in an absolutely fabulous bright pink. He fawns over them, Jongup in particular, but Daehyun manages to escape too much attention. From where he's sat, he can hear Yongguk whispering to Youngjae about how handsome he looks in his suit.

Maybe Daehyun swoons a little.

As the wedding draws closer, Youngjae's nerves seem to elevate, and Daehyun finds himself being Youngjae's therapist. He doesn't mind too much though, but he decides that what Youngjae needs is a bit of fun. And so he decides that it's time for the stag-do!

Yongguk and Youngjae had decided to have a stag-do each, but on separate dates (being as many of their close friends are mutual friends, this could make for a couple of rather awkward stag-dos). So Daehyun, as Youngjae's best man, will organise Youngjae's bachelor party, and Yongguk's best man will handle his. Daehyun's not nervous at all! What could go wrong with organising your best friend's stag-do?!

The second he walks through the door of the dodgy looking bar they've chosen, he realises the many things that could potentially ruin his best mate's 'last night of freedom'. Daehyun, being rather an introverted recluse, is not so familiar with Youngjae's younger, cooler, more-hip circle of mates. So a guy that Daehyun vaguely knew as Jaebum offered to organise the guys. This lead to another one of 'the lads' suggesting a 'venue', and before he knew it, the whole evening had been planned without his input. And so now, here they are. He's evidently arrived a little late, as they're all crammed into a tiny karaoke booth. Somewhere in the midst of the crush of sweaty, somehow-still-pretty-hot guys is Youngjae, but Daehyun doesn't fancy his chances in there, and so he tucks himself into a corner. 

Surprisingly, they have a pretty good taste in music, as they run through an impressive list of slightly obscure songs. Daehyun ends u singing along despite himself in his little corner, unaware of a set of eyes on him. When one vocally demanding number comes to an end, he pants and smiles to himself, before meeting eyes with a guy who's also managed to escape the well-behaved mosh pit. The guy mouths something at him, but another song has started and Daehyun doesn't catch what he says. His brows furrow, and the dude clearly sees this, getting up and coming over to Daehyun.

"That was amazing! Bro, you've got a sick voice!" Wow, not bad yourself, Daehyun thinks. The guy's got a low voice that sounds like honey, but somehow less innocent, and he has the gall to compliment Daehyun's own voice? 

"Th-thanks!" He's got a nice face too, which Daehyun only realises as he begins to reply, stuttering on his words and mentally slapping himself. Then he takes a closer look at the face of his complimenter, and mentally slaps himself again. It's Junhong! "Junhong, right?"

The guy looks pretty pleased at that. "Yeah! Though my friends tend to call me Zelo."

Oh.

Zelo?

That name was familiar...

"Zelo? Hang on... Oh my- Zelo?! I know you!"

"Yeah, we met when we were sorting the suits?" He sounds - and looks - a little flustered.

"No, before that! We went to highschool together, you- you used to be on the dance team! Yongguk talked about you a lot, I had no idea you guys were still in contact!"

A slight stunned silence from the guy.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, I must have startled you, my friends - well, Youngjae and Yongguk, that is - tell me that I talk too much, and that I tend to ramble, and oh my god I'm doing it again aren't I I'm ramb-"

"Hey, it's fine! I was just a little shocked!" They fall into easy conversation, discovering that they have mutual friends from highschool, and that they share several common interests, including a passion for music. It doesn't take long for the cacophony to fade into the background, as their conversation becomes more heated. They discuss important matters such as the pronunciation of the word 'scone' and where is the best fast-food place to eat. In fact, they could probably talk into next week, but they are interrupted by Youngjae's emergence and announcement that they're going barhopping. They share a glance, shrug their shoulders and tag along to the end of the gaggle of stag-doers. Daehyun thinks that he's a little lost in Junhong, and is surprised to find that he's a little - no, completely okay with it.

 Daehyun orders a cheap beer and downs it in one go, to avoid the terrible taste. He can feel it throbbing through his veins, pulsing to the beat of the bass. Youngjae graps his wrist and pulls him onto the dance floor, and he lets himself be swept away into the crush of dancers, melding into the bodies surrounding him. Closing his eyes, he sways to the beat, content. When he reopens his eyes, he notices that a dance circle has been formed, and a lone man in the middle of it is dancing as if he will never dance again.

Daehyun is captivated, and every single pop of his body draws his attention closer. Finally, the song crashes to an end, and the dancer, too, finishes with an impressive final burst of energy. Too embarrassed to make eye-contact with the mysterious dancer, too worried that it could be Junhong, Daehyun retreats to the bar, and orders a shot. 

"I'll have what he's having." Junhong crashes onto the empty chair beside Daehyun, clearly exhausted.

"You're pretty clichéd, aren't you?"

Junhong merely chuckles, and shifts in his seat, just a little closer to Daehyun. His warm, trembling thigh presses close to Daehyun's, and his breath hitches a little in his throat. He orders another shot. Junhong does the same.

By the time they finally catch up with Youngjae and the others (who seem to have lost a couple on the way), a few bars later, all conversation topics seem exhausted, and Junhong seems a lot closer to Daehyun. If this goes on for much longer, Daehyun doesn't think that he'll be able to stand it. Junhong's hand is resting lightly on his thigh, and he's very close to moving it elsewhere. 

Luckily, Youngjae announces that's he's heading home. Daehyun decides to call it a night, and Junhong follows them out. The bar they finished in is in a part of town that none of them are quite familiar with, and so they navigate their way towards the nearest subway station together. However, somewhere along the way, a wrong turn is taken, and they end up in a suspicious-looking alley. Turning to leave , Daehyun's foot snags on an uneven section of path, and he falls - oh crap - into Junhong. Junhong crashes into the wall, bracketed in by Daehyun. By now, all of those shots have caught up with them, and Daehyun's brain feels like it's moving quite slowly. His first thought is how warm and solid Junhong is, and his second thought is how close they are. From here, he can see every little aspect of Junhong's face, but his alcohol-riddled brain chooses to focus specifically on Junhong's lips. On Junhong's luscious, pillowy, thick, soft - and he's rambling again.

Hang on.

Soft?

How would Daehyun know that Junhong's lips...?

Oh.

Junhong's (incredibly) soft lips have somehow made contact with Daehyun's. At first, neither of them move. Then slowly, they shift into action. Daehyun mouths at Junhong's lips, which are indeed soft. Junhong responds with fervour, applying a soft pressure to Daehyun's lips. One large hand comes to grip his jaw almost possessively, and the other tangles itself in his hair. Daehyun nudges his head into Junhong's hand like a cat, and Junhong chuckles into the kiss as he scratches his nails lightly against Daehyun's scalp. Just as Daehyun grabs the front of Junhong's shirt, they break away for air, resting their foreheads against eachother.

Daehyun exhales shakily, his breath hitting Junhong's cheek. His fingers loosen their grip on the other's shirt, as their lips connect again. Junhong is still smiling into the kiss, which Daehyun takes advantage of. He nips lightly on Junhong's lower lip, causing the taller to gasp and allowing Daehyun to take the lip into his mouth. The hand in his hair scratches a little firmer, and Daehyun lets Junhong's lip fall out of his mouth with a 'pop'. This time, Junhong bites on Daehyun's lip, demanding access. Daehyun grants permission, and Junhong wastes no time in straight into his mouth, moving the hand on his jaw down to his hips. In turn, Daehyun releases Junhong's shirt. Junhong whimpers a little at the loss of contact, but when Daehyun grabs his thighs, the whimper is swallowed and replaced by a groan.

At the sound of the moan, Daehyun freezes, as if he's just realized what's he's doing. Underneath him, Junhong stiffens too, and Daehyun realizes this. Quick to reassure him, he calls a cab to take them back to his place. If they were going to go any further, his old couch would still be better than this old alley. Youngjae can get himself home.

 

Sunbeams trickle through the hastily shut curtains, tickling Daehyun's eyelids. A golden hue spills over the room and comes to rest, painting a shimmery sheen over Junhong's . Daehyun smiles to himself and pulls the covers a little higher over his exposed body. Next to him, Junhong shifts and begins to wake up. 

"G'mornin' sleeping beauty!" he whispers, and Junhong wriggles closer to the warm body beside him.

Guess who's got a date for the wedding?

 

As the wedding date rolls closer, and the stag-do is done, Daehyun's best man duties are almost over. All he has to do is write his speech, and make sure the rings are safe. Probably best to check that now, to avoid any awkward situations. He saunters over to the safe in his bedroom, bought specially for this occasion. Humming to himself, he thumbs in the code and pops open the door to the empty safe.

Bollocks.

"Junhong! Junhoooong!" He's been spending a lot of time at Daehyun's, as he is on this particular morning. Junhong skids in with a crash, eyes wide at Daehyun's shout. "The rings are gone! I've lost them!"

Junhong laughs, and Daehyun nearly smacks him. Insolent kid! "Ah, hyung, calm down!"

"Calm down? Calm down?! I've lost their bloody wedding rings, you -"

"Hyung. Hyung! I've got them!"

"- you bas- oh, you've got them?"

"Yes!" It's Junhong's turn to smack his hyung. "I was just polishing them in the sitting room. Look!" Together they traipse into the room, and there indeed is one shiny, polished ring. But...

"Where's the other one?!"

The next few hours are spent in a frantic panic as they turn the living room upside down, but to no avail. Frustrated, Daehyun flops onto the sofa and groans. Junhong jumps onto the couch, throwing his body across Daehyun's and then yelling.

"Yah, I'm not that bony!"

It turns out that the ring had managed to fly onto the sofa and poke out of the crack between the cushions. Both men are relieved, but agree to leave the rings alone till the big day arrives.

And arrive it does. They'd taken Youngjae out for drinks the night before to prevent a nervous breakdown (or, more accurately; to prevent yet another nervous breakdown). Luckily, they'd managed to stop him drinking enough to get drunk; but only by drinking all of the drinks that appeared on their table and getting drunk themselves. So they're both slightly hungover on the morning of the wedding, but they'll pull it off.

They make it to the wedding, early enough to calm Youngjae down (twice), and then take their places. Daehyun spots Jongup chatting amicably to Himchan, and his heart aches a little at how comfortable they look together. So instead he casts his eyes to the decorations around the room. Yongguk and Youngjae's first date was in Japan, and so they've gone for a beautiful cherry blossom theme. Pink petals are scattered down the aisle, and somehow they've managed to bring two gorgeous cherry trees to the altar, where they form a crown above where the couple will stand. Yongguk stands there already, looking a little lost. Himchan smiles at him reassuringly, and as he takes a deep breath, the chatter in the room dies down. A creak of the door announces Youngjae's arrival, and Daehyun feels something rise in his throat. He can't tear his gaze from Yongguk to turn to watch Youngjae's procession. When the two are finally united, Yongguk's nervous, unsure stance is gone, and in it's stead stands a confident man.

Daehyun has to admit that as the couple are finally married, a tear might have sprung to his eye. He won't admit to anything that Junhong might tell you, but legend has it that he sobbed harder than the parents of both Yongguk and Youngjae.

Finally, the ceremony is over, and the celebrations can begin! Daehyun, however, is a little nervous for his speech. Junhong's warm hand on his thigh helps to ground him, and he grins appreciatively at the man. Many of their friends have offered congratulations to them on their relationship; they haven't really  bothered to put a label on it, this thing between them, but they suppose it is rather like dating. For some reason, with every compliment Daehyun's heart seems to constrict, and he feels more and more uncomfortable. But now, it's time for his best man speech!

Daehyun doesn't really remember much of his speech afterwards; he remembers opening with "Well, it's been an emotional night. Even the cake's in tiers!", fitting an embarrassing anecdote in, and ending with an even worse pun to raucous applause. He supposes all of that champagne must have addled his brain.

But he somehow didn't forget his conversation with Junhong. After the couple's first dance, Junhong had danced his heart out, and managed to drag Daehyun up for a slow dance. It was all very romantic until (a rather drunk) Daehyun told Junhong (rather bluntly) that he was actually quite fine with being single, and that Junhong was a "grand lad" with "gorgeous legs" but that perhaps it was better for both of them to stay friends (possible benefits were mentioned, but he's far too drunk to remember that). Junhong assured him that was fine, and that there were no hard feelings.

So long story short, he arrived at the wedding with a date, and left without one.

But maybe that was alright. He'd done just fine by himself for a long time, and perhaps that was all he needed.

So he sits here on his couch, the day after the wedding.

Hungover.

Alone.

Single.

Content.