“When will you be back?” 

“Two hours at the latest.” 

Kibum smirked,  his gaze slowly taking Minho in as he shrugged on his jacket. He could feel the twinkle in his eyes when Minho met his gaze. “Hurry back,” he said, smiling sweetly from his cocoon of warmth in bed as Minho bit his lip with a sigh. As he left the room, Kibum inclined his head, listening. He was putting on his shoes...the grabbing his keys...unlocking the door…

“Love you!”

“Love you, too!”

The door slammed shut and locked, and Kibum jumped out of bed. Two hours was more than enough time to find his birthday present. Minho said he hadn’t gotten his present yet, but Kibum didn’t believe him.

He scoured the closet, opening the drawers, looking behind clothes, pulling out their luggage and checking inside. Nothing. Kibum hummed after he had put everything back in its place, his eyes scanning the room before he dropped to check under the bed. It was...surprisingly empty. Hall closet, empty. Pantry, empty. Linen closet, empty. Coat closet by the door? ing empty.

“What the , Choi.”

There was no way he got better at hiding presents in the time they spent apart; he had always been able to find them, even when they were kids. Kibum walked out of the closet after going through it again, sitting down on Minho’s side of the bed to catch his breath. Where could it be? He glanced at the nightstand, then looked again. It could be something small. His eyebrows raised expectantly, Kibum scooted over, slowly opening the drawer.

Was that…He pulled out the small black box, his breath catching as he popped it open.

Minho was going to propose.

The silver ring was cool against his skin as he slid it on his ring finger. Of course, it fit perfectly, why wouldn't it? He held his hand out, inspecting the sparkle of the diamonds in the natural light of the room. Was it too soon? They had only been back together for a year -- well, almost. The day after his birthday would mark a full year.

No, now that he thought about it, the timing was perfect...barring the fact that they legally couldn't get married yet. The trust between them had been established again, almost stronger than it was before their split if that was even possible.

Smiling, Kibum slipped the ring off of his finger and put it back in the box, which he then returned to the drawer as if he had never seen it. Thoroughly satisfied, Kibum slipped back into bed, making himself comfortable before Minho made it back from his meeting.

When his birthday arrived, Kibum's anticipation was high. When would he ask? Over breakfast?...no, but he did get breakfast in bed. Before the other three arrived?...no, but they were making out until the doorbell rang, with the promise of picking it up later. After the candles on his cake were blown out?...no, but Minho did smear frosting across his lips before he started cutting a slice off for him.

Maybe during the actual presents-opening...Kibum decided that must be the case when Minho hurried into their room when Taemin presented the gift from him and Jonghyun.

“What..?” Dog collars? One was a teal and the other a red. He squinted at them, then back up at Taemin and Jonghyun. “I don't know what you guys are into...but…”

Jonghyun snorted. “No, oh my god.”

“They'd be too small, anyway.”

Minho reappeared in the living room, holding a much bigger box than the ring box. Much bigger. And, it barked. Twice.

Momentarily, the ring was forgotten as Minho came around and sat next to him on the couch. “Are you serious?” Kibum asked, his voice several pitches higher than normal as a tiny red poodle poke its head out of the top of the box, followed by an adorable black one. He took them both out, speechless as they started wriggling in their excitement.

“Happy birthday, baby,” Minho said, kissing his cheek before he took the black one out of his arms, so he could focus on the other. For the moment, the ring was forgotten, as they now had Comme Des and Garçons to worry about and take care of.

Their anniversary came and went without a proposal, as did Chuseok...and Halloween...when Christmas rolled around, Kibum was sure it would happen.

It didn't.

There was no change in Minho's behavior, and there hadn't been since Kibum discovered the ring. He acted as though the ring just...didn't exist.

Kibum kept glancing at his phone, checking the time as the seconds ticked by. Surely, he'd propose as the clock struck midnight...Minho loved to do romantic bull like that, because he knew Kibum would eat it up. But, there were two minutes to go and Minho was making no move. Whatsoever. He tapped Kibum's foot and Kibum tucked the foot Minho had been massaging under his thigh and set the other on Minho's lap so he could start on that one.

Maybe he already had the ring in his pocket? He watched him carefully, sighing when Minho’s eyebrows shot up with a smile. “Happy new year!” As he looked over at Kibum, his smile drooped. “Did I do something wrong?”

Huffing, Kibum got up and went into their room, being careful not to disturb the sleeping puppies as he grabbed the box from Minho's drawer. He went back to the couch, holding the ring box up. Minho's eyes widened as he sat down.

“Did you buy this just because you liked how it looks in your drawer?”

“What?” Minho scoffed. “No.” Kibum sighed, and Minho's expression softened. “When did you find it?”

“The day before my birthday.”

“Ah…”

“Were you ever planning on proposing, or..?”

“I mean,” his eyes dropped to the box in Kibum's hands before he met his eyes again. “I bought that a while ago, so it's been at the back of my mind for…”

“When?”

“Hm?”

“When did you buy it?”

“Sometime in 2017, I don't remember exactly.” Kibum deflated a little, and he looked at the ring box. So, before the split. And he kept it that whole time. “I didn't think you'd want to be engaged until we could legally get married. That's why I haven't proposed yet.” Kibum fixed him with a droll glare that made Minho laugh as he leaned forward, taking the box out of Kibum's hands. “I see now that I was wrong.”

He popped the box open, and Kibum instinctively looked down at the ring before he met Minho's eye again. “Kibum…”

“You don't have to if you're not ready, sweetheart, I'm so -- “

“Will you marry me?” he asked, his eyes smiling. “Will you live forever with me?”

Tears stung Kibum's eyes and he sniffed, blinking them away. “I don't know, this is so unexpected.” Minho's face scrunched up as he laughed, leaning into the couch, and Kibum couldn't help but grin. “Of course, I will.”

Minho scooted forward, slipping the ring on Kibum's finger. “I'm sorry I made you wait so long,” he said, leaning forward to kiss him.

Kibum laid back, pulling Minho with him as they relaxed into the couch, their kiss turning lazy as Kibum threaded his fingers thought Minho's hair, his thumb and forefinger lightly rubbing Minho's earlobe. “You know,” he said, turning his head with a sigh as Minho started to kiss him along his jaw. “You could make it up to me.”

Minho chuckled before he pressed a kiss just below his ear. “I'll do my best,” he whispered, his low voice sending a shiver down Kibum’s spine.

- - - - -

It started off as a joke.

They were in the supermarket, shopping for groceries, when Kibum said, “You know, this would be a good place to get married.” Minho had snorted at the time, which made Kibum grin. “Because of the aisles.”

It was a shame they were in public, because Minho would have kissed him for making that stupid joke. Instead, he just laughed and grabbed their favorite wine from off the shelf. It became a running joke, then, whenever they went out to find the perfect place to get married.

Not that they could, or really even would, but it was a nice thought.

Within the week that followed their engagement, Kibum bought a ring for Minho, making it officially official, as he liked to say. It matched Kibum's ring, and he couldn't help but smile every time he looked at it. Like he was doing now.

“Thinking about your husband?” Jonghyun asked as he slid back into his seat across from Minho, passing him his coffee.

“We're not married, Jjong.”

“So?” Minho glanced up at him before he grabbed his coffee. “ the government, honestly.” Minho almost spat his coffee out. “Who cares if you can't be legally married? You guys are more married than my parents are.”

“Yeah, because they're divorced.”

“Taemin's parents, then.” Minho nodded, conceding. “You could always have a ceremony, and then when you legally can do it…”

“Do you think he would go for that?” Jonghyun leveled him with a glare. “Okay, I know, stupid question...I just don't…” Jonghyun's eyebrows raised, and Minho sighed. “I don't want to up again. Or disappoint him. I've…” he twisted the cup around on the table, avoiding Jonghyun's eyes. “I've hurt him so much already -- “

“Hey, look at me.” Jonghyun waited until he did. “If it had been up to you, you never would have left him, right?” Minho shook his head. “And you know he doesn't hold it against you at all?” He nodded. “I totally get why you're anxious about this, but I've never met anyone who rivals your love for each other.”

Minho cleared his throat as he gave Jonghyun a small smile. “Not including you and Taemin, I assume.”

Jonghyun waved his hand between them dismissively. “That goes without saying.”

“Of course.” Minho let out a deep breath before he took a long drink of his coffee. “What if…” Jonghyun perked up, an eyebrow raising in question. “...we surprised him?”

He held up his hand before Minho could say another word. “Leave it to me. I know the perfect place.”

“Oh?”

“What about this Tuesday?” Minho's brow furrowed for a second before he realized what day it would be. Their first anniversary -- May 25th. That would only give them four days to prepare.

“Can you do it by then?”

Jonghyun already had his phone out, checking his and Taemin's schedule, probably. “If you can get Kibum to Yeouido Park by like...seven -- “

“At night, I hope.”

“Twilight is the most romantic time of day. Anyway, yeah, seven...we'll make sure you find us.”

Minho laughed. “You're not even gonna let me in on it?”

Jonghyun gave him a smug smile as he sipped his coffee. “Absolutely not.”

“I assume you’ll want the same treatment when you finally propose to Taemin.”

“Obviously.”

The days until their surprise wedding dragged by, and Minho could barely contain his excitement. He was almost constantly distracted, which did not go unnoticed by his coworkers or Kibum himself, though his fiancé didn’t comment on it. No, he just gave him suspicious looks whenever Minho seemed too cheery or on edge.

On the day of, Jinki called him when he was out taking the kids -- Comme Des and Garcons -- for a run. Both he and Kibum had taken the day off to celebrate their anniversary, but he had left Kibum tucked in bed with a book and a kiss goodbye before he decided to go exercise for a little while. Anything to get rid of his pent-up energy.

“Seven, right? That’s when you’ll be there?”

“Like, at the park at seven? Or at the location by seven?”

“Uh…” he voice trailed off for a second. Probably checking his texts. “The location.”

“So…”

“Just take the first right at the fifth entrance and you’ll be able to find us. Taemin is setting up markers for you to follow.”

Minho stopped walking, tugging lightly on the leashes to get the puppies to stop walking for a minute. “I can’t believe you guys are doing this for us.”

“Of course, man. Anything for you two.” Garcons barked at another dog as it passed, Comme Des joining in. Minho shushed them. “Dress nice!” Jinki said as he hung up the phone. Minho pocketed his and finished his run.

“Honey, I’m home!” he called out as he stepped inside, smiling when he heard Kibum snort in the other room. He unclipped the puppies leashes and looked up to find Kibum emerging. “Hey, so I had a thought…”

“Wow, I’m so proud of you.”

“Shut up. What if I told you that I made a reservation at Ole tonight?” Kibum’s eye brightened, and Minho’s smile grew. “It’s for eight, but I was thinking we could walk around the park a little bit before that.”

“That sounds like a ploy to get me to exercise.” Minho laughed, hanging the leashes up on the hook in the coat closet. “I’ll do it, but I’m still on to you.”

“Are you, now…” Kibum inspected him, a small smile gracing his features before he nodded once. It’s a good thing Minho would never cheat because Kibum would catch him within minutes.

When it came time to leave, Minho stopped Kibum at the door, straightening the knot of his tie and kissing his cheek before they walked outside. His palms were sweaty, and he tried to resist the urge to wipe them off on the knees of his Givenchy suit. He knew...he knew he was anxious for no reason, but that didn’t stop him. Kibum seemed to sense his mood since he frequently glanced over to check on him as he drove.

They reached the park with five minutes to spare. Kibum linked his arm through Minho’s and set the pace, walking leisurely down the path through the forest. His eyes were on the sky, and he made a comment about how beautiful the sunset was going to be. As much as Minho wanted to look up and admire it for himself, he couldn’t. Instead, he scanned the bushes and trees and the tiny fences lining the path for any sort of marker that Taemin would have left.

He almost stopped walking when he saw it -- the teal ribbon tied around the branch of a tree. There was another one, just down the path, so Minho guided Kibum toward it and found another a few meters ahead of them.

Just ahead, strings of lights wrapped around the columns of the pavilion overlooking the pond flickered on. It captured both of their attention, Kibum leaning toward Minho to say, “That’s new.” As they drew near, a soft piano song started to play, that Minho soon recognized as Yiruma’s “It’s Your Day.” Minho bit back a smile, glancing over to see if Kibum realized that the shadowy figures in the pavilion were their friends.

When he did, he stopped in his tracks, his grip on Minho’s arm tightening. “What…”

“Come on, come on, hurry,” Jinki said, glancing both ways down the path. They picked up the pace, Taemin passing his phone to Jonghyun for a second -- was he filming this? -- so he could stick bunches of wildflowers in their lapels.

“Stand over here,” Jonghyun said, guiding Minho and Kibum under the pavilion, away from the path. Jinki stood at the far end, keeping watch to make sure they weren’t disturbed, and Taemin took his phone back from Jonghyun, staying at his boyfriend’s side so he could film.

“We’re gathered here tonight -- “ Jonghyun started to say.

Kibum laughed silently, latching onto Minho’s shoulder for support. “Is this what you were planning?” Minho just smiled and reached out to straighten Kibum’s flowers.

“ -- and it may not be official, but when has that ever ing stopped us before.”

“Jjong, honestly,” Jinki murmured behind them, and Taemin started to laugh.”

“Choi Minho.” Jonghyun looked up from the script on his phone at him. “You are becoming the husband of Kim Kibum. Do you promise to love Kibum, to respect him, take care of him, in joyful and in hard times, in healthy times and in sick times, every day, forever?”

Minho swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Yes, I promise.”

The piano music stopped playing, and Jinki quickly fished his phone out of his pocket, starting it again.

“Kim Kibum.” Minho looked over at him, smiling as he brushed away Kibum’s tears with his thumb. Kibum took his hand then, squeezing it tightly. “You are becoming the husband of Choi Minho. Do you promise to love Minho, to respect him, take care of him, in joyful and in hard times, in healthy and in sick times, every day, forever?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Perfect.” Kibum let out a watery chuckle, and Minho stepped a little closer to him, his cheeks starting to hurt from smiling. “Then, by the power vested in me by absolutely nobody, I pronounce you husband and husband.” He gestured between them, tears welling up in his own eyes. “You can kiss each other now.”

“I can’t believe you did this,” Kibum whispered as Minho pulled him into his arms, and he smiled as Kibum wrapped his arms around him, kissing him tenderly. He broke the kiss faster than Minho was expecting, though it could have been because of their small audience, but he didn’t move away. Instead, his arms tightened around him, rubbing Minho’s back.

Minho closed his eyes with a smile, leaning into the embrace. “I love you...so much,” he said, turning his head to kiss Kibum’s cheek. Kibum hummed contentedly, and Minho sighed. He didn’t think he would ever or could ever be this happy in his life.

And yet, he knew this was only the beginning of happier years to come.