(Daehyun's Perspective)

Things were settling in nicely! When they spoke more in depth on wedding plans while cozied up on the couch, both said they wanted things to be done their way and on their time. Which is why they also decided during this discussion that Youngjae's parents were going to be kept in the dark about the engagement and ensuing wedding.

“I saw how they pressured Youngwon and Hyunmi to do things their way and as fast as possible. That's not something I want to go through, so I don't want them involved in our wedding,” Youngjae declared. “Besides, them nosing into our business the way they do would make it more likely they'd find out you're not a woman...”

Daehyun really didn't care for Youngjae's parents, and multiple visits only solidified that! They reminded him of the Jungs in a way, except for the fact that Youngjae's parents actually pretended to care. So Youngjae not wanting his parents to have anything to do with the wedding was no problem for him! “That's fine. Although... we can't exactly hide the fact I'm not a woman from them forever... Can we?” Daehyun glanced up at his fiancé from where he was leaning on his shoulder, only briefly adjusting under the throw blanket.

While Daehyun didn't like the idea of them learning about the truth of it, hiding was clearly sitting poorly with Youngjae. He was the type of guy that was proud of who he was and enjoyed showing it, so not being able to do so and instead having to do the opposite stressed him out.

Youngjae let out a sigh and shook his head, but kept his eyes focused in front of him. “It won't do either one of us any good to keep on hiding...” Absentmindedly, the arm he had wrapped around Daehyun moved so he could run his fingers through his hair, and Daehyun hummed at the soothing action. “I just... I don't like the idea that coming out with it could potentially lead them back to trying to introduce me to women, you know? Especially now...”

“Well, what if we waited until after we were married to tell them?”

He hummed, giving the idea some thought. “Maybe... I don't think they're the type of people who'd try to break up a marriage. So if we approach them after the wedding at some point...” Youngjae's voice trailed off, and when Daehyun adjusted to get a better look at his face, he saw that Youngjae was pulling expressions while he went over scenarios in his head.

“How do you see that going?”

“Best case, they finally support me. Worst case... I'll end up estranged. Of course I'd prefer the best case, but...” After a troubled sigh, he continued, “I can handle it if it's the worst case.”

“You shouldn't have to.” Daehyun wrapped his arms around Youngjae as best he could in this position and squished his cheek further against his shoulder. “You should have parents who support you and love you for the incredible person that you are...”

A quiet chuckle passed through his lips. “It's not like I don't have parental figures outside of my parents,” he said. “Ms. Im and Ms. Choi both treat me as if I were their own. Yongguk's grandparents also consider me a part of the family.”

“Umma's said you can call her Umma Choi, you know.” It was still taking Daehyun some getting used to for him to call Umma Choi just Umma since she'd been Umma Choi to him for so long, but the more he did it, the more it would flow off his tongue better. It already made his heart and mind feel nice to say it, he just had to get his mouth used to it!

“I know. But I'm at least going to wait until after we're married to do that.” Youngjae pressed a kiss to the top of his head before yawning. “How about we get ready for bed? It's getting late.”

With a yawn of his own, Daehyun agreed. So they clambered off the couch and went through their before bed routine. Making sure things were at least semi tidy in the living room and that all the lights were off and the door was locked before heading upstairs, showering, things like that. Before long, they were crawling under the covers and slipping into each other's hold.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” Daehyun pressed a light kiss right above the collar of Youngjae's nightshirt before attempting to curl up against him.

Instead, Youngjae tipped Daehyun's head up gently and joined their lips together in a slow kiss before allowing Daehyun to curl up like he'd been planning. “Sleep well, my love.”

And sleep well he did! When Daehyun's internal clock woke him up, he felt well rested and ready to face the day! Now to just slip out of bed so he could make sure Youngjae would be able to do the same...

When Daehyun first started doing this back when they lived in apartment 104, it'd taken him a bit to get into the routine. He'd never been a chef of any kind, but secret cooking lessons from his and Zelo's umma had helped with that somewhat. Daehyun was way better suited as a kitchen assistant, but his determination to make sure Youngjae had the energy through both good sleep and a good meal to face the day helped Daehyun power through at least to the point that he was competent at cooking breakfast foods.

Now that he'd been doing it for a while, he had the timing down perfectly so that he was just plating things up when Youngjae came downstairs. Right after Daehyun made sure the stove was turned off from brewing his fiancé's morning cup of tea, he felt Youngjae slip his arms around him and rest his chin on his shoulder. “Morning, love...” he mumbled tiredly.

His grasp wasn't so tight that Daehyun couldn't turn around in his arms. “Good morning, sweetheart.” He let out a tiny chuckle at the slight pout of Youngjae's lips from being made to move his chin off Daehyun's shoulder. “Are you ready to eat?” Youngjae nodded happily and took his place at the head of the table while Daehyun brought their plates and drinks out before seating himself to Youngjae's right.

As it was every morning, Youngjae woke up the more he ate. He'd start off with satisfied hums while shoveling food into his mouth. Then he'd graduate into using his words by asking if Daehyun had slept well, and they'd settle into conversation.

Youngjae hummed through his current chew and made sure to swallow before asking, “You're heading out of town with Zelo today, right?”

“Yeah, we're going to do some store hopping.” Which meant that once Youngjae left for work, Daehyun would be dressing up and heading out! It was going to be a more casual outing today, a just for fun kind of thing. Later outings would most likely be for getting the bridal side of wedding things figured out, but knowing Zelo, he'd probably ask today if Daehyun had any ideas or wants that he and Umma could help out with.

“Store hopping, huh. It's been a while since he's had the time to do that. I hope the two of you have fun girling it up today!”

“I'm sure we will since we always do,” he declared. After another bite and washing it down with apple juice, Daehyun wondered, “Is there anything special going on at the bakery today?”

The boss of the patisserie place that Youngjae worked for now loved doing specials and themes. This time of year had all sorts of fall themed baked treats and decorations. Since it was early October, they'd likely be switching to a more Halloween themed thing soon to match the month.

Youngjae narrowed his eyes, a tiny hum in thought sounding out from him as he sipped at his tea. “I don't think we're changing up things until next week?” His face pulled a few expressions before lighting up in recollection. “Oh, that's right! The new intern's supposed to be starting today. Yeosang, I think his name is?” He shrugged and finished up the last bit of his breakfast and tea.

After kissing Daehyun and thanking him for breakfast, Youngjae went back upstairs to get fully ready for the day while Daehyun cleaned up the mess. He was just finishing up the dishes when Youngjae joined him back downstairs. Daehyun leaned his back against the counter while he dried his hands with a hand towel, mainly so he could be looking at his fiancé while they spoke.

Youngjae leaned against the archway separating the kitchen and dining area from the hallway both the front door and stairs were in. He was more casually dressed, as it usually was for him since his place of employment didn't have any sort of dress code like Shortstub's did. Especially since he was usually in the kitchens and not interacting with customers at the counter.

Also, Youngjae had let his hair get pretty untamed. While Daehyun tried to keep his hair well trimmed, he didn't think his lover had his trimmed since last year. The front of it, at least. Youngjae refused to have anything resembling a mullet, so the back of his hair was a bit more close cut but not too much. If he didn't comb it into a middle part, his bangs completely obstructed his vision. It had hit the length where as it fell over his face and pushed slightly off to the side so he could see, the strands were curling...

Not that Daehyun disliked it! He actually liked this style on him quite a bit, and so long as Youngjae was happy with it, Daehyun didn't see a problem.

“Do you think Zelo's going to be over for dinner?” he asked, twirling some of his bang strands with his fingers.

It was a fair question. Youngjae was in charge of cooking dinner, so he'd need to know beforehand whether he needed to make more. “I don't think so,” Daehyun responded, setting the hand towel onto the counter. “He said he needed a break from the project he was working on, so once we're done at the mall, he'll need to get back to his apartment so he can work on that.”

“Got it. I'll plan for just us then.” Youngjae pushed himself off the wall and made his way over to Daehyun so he could press a soft kiss against his lips that was happily reciprocated. “Have fun today!”

Daehyun brought their lips back together for another quick kiss. “Drive safely.” Another peck to his lips. “Have a good day at work.” One more tiny kiss, but Daehyun let his lips linger a slight bit. “I'll see you this evening.”

“Of course!” Youngjae beamed, his eyes curving into crescents with the upturn of his lips and the forming of his dimples. “I love you, Daehyun.”

Every time he heard Youngjae say those words, Daehyun's heart leapt, and he spread into an uncontainable smile. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

--

Zelo pouted and looked around frantically. “I have to ing pee, oppa-hyung.”

Daehyun flipped the strands of hair that had fallen in front of him back over his shoulder and sipped at his water. “This is my first time being here. I don't know where the nearest bathroom is, Zelo.” It wasn't false, and despite the fact they'd been there a few hours, Daehyun hadn't kept an eye out for restrooms.

His best friend whined. “I don't know either!” Then his face lit up. “Ah! I think I caught sight of a bathroom sign! I'll be right back!” Then Zelo zipped off with impressive speed for wearing heels. Daehyun noted the direction Zelo went in case he had to relieve himself later.

At current, they were in the mall food court having lunch. They'd slipped into various stores since they'd arrived. Most of them were clothing or accessory stores of some kind because Zelo had seen something on the display that caught his eye, but Daehyun mainly browsed. The stores at the mall were too expensive for his tastes. Even in the clearance section!

Zelo tried to drag him into a bridal store at some point with the excuse that it'd be a good idea to go ahead and look through what was available. Further explanation was so Daehyun could get an idea of pricing. A valid reason, but Daehyun declined and said he didn't want to worry about those things today. Not that he'd been worrying about them beforehand, but he wanted today to be solely for catching up with his best friend!

He'd had a pleasant time so far, even if he was just accompanying his friend on a shopping spree. After Zelo returned, they'd probably check out a few more stores before going their separate ways. Until next time, and there would certainly be a more bridal oriented agenda then!

Earlier during their lunch, Daehyun had brought up the idea of being Maid of Honour to Zelo, and his best friend had been utterly thrilled! There weren't any big responsibilities tied with the title, same with the Best Man, bridesmaids, and groomsmen titles, but Daehyun and Youngjae had still wanted to pick out their close people somehow. People they could rely on for help if need be, but ultimately they wanted to be the ones in control of their wedding.

Something that definitely stemmed from Youngjae's previous experience with his older brother's wedding.

So far, Daehyun had chosen Zelo for Maid of Honour, Hyosung and Jieun as the remaining two bridesmaids, and Umma Choi got special 'Umma of the Bride' privileges. Youngjae picked Jaebeom as his Best Man with Yongguk and Jongup as the other two groomsmen. When it came to the guest list, it was small. But both Daehyun and Youngjae agreed that it was better to have a small ceremony with close people rather than a large ceremony with lots of strangers.

They'd already figured out most of the things. Date, location... Youngjae had even found an officiant willing to marry them at the courthouse the morning of the day they chose, then also be the stand in officiant for the afternoon ceremony in front of friends! All they had to get was wedding ceremony attire and help choose what they wanted their wedding party to wear. And wait for the day to arrive, of course!

He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he barely heard the voice calling out to him.

“Daena, is that you?”

Daehyun nearly choked on his sip of water, having to grab a napkin to wipe his mouth and cough into. That was the voice of Youngjae's umma, and Daehyun reminded himself of that to make sure his vocal pitch was monitored before speaking. “Uh-” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat gently as he turned to look at her. “Miss Minjung?”

Minjung grinned happily. “It's so nice to see you again, dear! It feels like it's been so long!” At the two other ladies with her, she said, “Go ahead and order you something. I'll join back with you in a bit!”

After they were gone and it was just him and Minjung, he asked, “Shouldn't you stay with your friends instead?”

Minjung held a hand over as she chuckled. “Oh, those girls will be fine!” she declared. “Besides, it's been so long since we've been able to speak! Youngjae hardly talks about you when he calls, and-”

Whatever she'd been about to say was lost, because she took in a sharp intake of breath and cupped her face in her palms. “Is that an engagement ring I see?”

Daehyun froze, unable to find it in him to speak anything because this was exactly what he and Youngjae had been trying to avoid, and now he was facing it alone.

“It is! Ooh, let me see!”

Right as Minjung was reaching out, Daehyun got a hold of himself and snatched his arm away before she could grab it. He held his hand close to his chest with the other. “You can't just grab people without their permission, Miss Minjung!”

“Please, you can just call me Umma! You are going to be marrying into the family, after all!” she beamed.

Daehyun huffed, not appreciating being ignored. “That title is reserved for my umma only,” he firmly declared. 'Youngjae hardly considers her that way, so there's no way I'm going to!'

He was once more ignored. “So, when did that boy finally man up and propose to you, dear?” Minjung wondered with sparkling eyes. At least Daehyun didn't have to answer because Minjung kept on talking. “I'm so happy that he's finally bringing a nice woman like you into the family, Daena! Do you need any help with things, dear? Wedding planning can be stressful, after all!”

Daehyun frowned. “That's something we want to figure out for ourselves, Miss Minjung.”

“Oh, you don't have to be so shy! Youngchul and I are more than willing to help!” she said cheerily. “Now, there's a bridal store here that we can check out for dresses-”

Daehyun was nipping that thought in the bud before it could go further. “I'd rather do dress shopping with my umma and my bridesmaids, Miss Minjung. I'm not even letting Youngjae see what dress I'm choosing.”

“I promise I won't tell him!”

Daehyun was about at wit's end with her, but he couldn't just activate his flight response since he was waiting for his best friend...

Who thankfully returned in the middle of Minjung's rambling that he'd begun to tune out so he wouldn't have his buttons pushed further!

“Uh, what's going on?”

Minjung was taken off guard at someone else's presence, and Daehyun used that as an opportunity to eject himself from the situation. “I was waiting on my friend to get back so we could leave, Miss Minjung,” he declared, gathering the trash from the table together and sending a look to Zelo that hopefully conveyed urgency.

He got the memo and gathered up the bags he'd accumulated from his shopping spree. “Right, sorry... That was probably the longest piss of my natural born life,” Zelo complained, slipping the handles from his bags over his arms.

“Now that she's here, I'll be taking my leave, and you can go catch up with your friends like you said you were going to,” Daehyun said, a bit harsher than intended, but there was a constriction settling in his chest that he hadn't had to deal with for quite some time now, and he needed to get out fast!

She didn't seem offended by it, though. “Alright, take care of yourself, dear! We'll talk more about this later, okay?”

Daehyun ignored that last bit and slightly bowed, food trays in hand. “Goodbye, Miss Minjung.”

Then he zipped out of there fast enough that Zelo was having a hard time keeping up. Daehyun didn't stop his pace after dumping the trash and walking across the entire mall to get to the side they'd parked on.

It wasn't until they'd made it to Zelo's car that his best friend finally got a break. He put on his driving flats after ditching the heels in the trunk with his haul for the day, then he slipped into the car and got the air running while Daehyun focused on taking slow, deep breaths like Youngjae coaxed him through during his more panicky times...

After a few minutes of that, Zelo quietly asked, “What was that all about, oppa hyung?”

Daehyun took another steady breath. “That was Youngjae's umma,” he informed. He felt drained after that interaction with her, and he let out a deep exhale as he leaned his head back on the head rest and closed his eyes.

“I thought she lived way the out there, though?”

“She does,” he sighed. “But she came to the mall with friends and decided to stop and talk to me...” Daehyun rubbed his temples. “Youngjae and I didn't want her to know about the fact we were getting married, but now she does and... and... There was nothing I could do about it? She just... saw the ring and honed in on it, and there's no way he's not going to be upset that she knows...”

Zelo was silent for a few beats. “Are you going to call him?”

That sounded like a pleasant thought, even with the worry that Youngjae would be upset. Daehyun could at least recognize that his fiancé wouldn't be upset at him and would be more upset at his umma. He'd rather him not be upset at all, though...

But then again, Youngjae was at work, and it was already past his break time. “He's working, so he's not going to answer. But I'll at least leave him a voicemail,” Daehyun mumbled, pulling out his phone and shakily clicking to call Youngjae while Zelo pulled out of the parking lot to begin the drive back to Daehyun's.

Even though he wouldn't answer, Daehyun thought it was best to get this out now rather than wait until later, and he didn't trust his trembling hands to type a cohesive message. They could discuss it more further once Youngjae got home from work.

Daehyun patiently waited for the voicemail message to pop up, but it never came. “Daehyun, is everything alright?”

“You... you answered?”

“Of course I did! You never call while I'm at work, so if you're calling now...” Youngjae worriedly sighed. “Did something happen?”

Daehyun gulped, and after a nod of reassurance from Zelo, stammered out, “So uh... I ran into your umma at the mall today.” When he got no immediate response, he continued with a strained voice, “She knows. She saw the ring...”

A noise of realization sounded from the other side of the line. “That must be why I have so many missed calls from her,” Youngjae groaned.

Daehyun felt a sob rise up in his throat, but he tried his best to swallow it down. That tone wasn't meant for him! “I-I'm sorry,” he choked out.

“What? No no, this isn't your fault, love!” Youngjae assured hurriedly. “I'm sure it was completely out of your control knowing her. I wish I could've been there with you so you wouldn't have faced it alone. Where was Zelo?”

“He was in the bathroom...”

“Right...” Youngjae sighed. “Umma knowing doesn't change anything, Daehyun. We're still going to do things our way and on our time. Okay?”

Daehyun sniffled. “But she's already started to hound you about it...”

“That doesn't matter,” he declared. “She can hound me about it all she wants. But this is our wedding, and we've got things figured out the way we want it. Her knowing about us being engaged won't change that. So try not to worry about it, alright?”

Daehyun could see the reassuring way Youngjae was smiling on the other side of the line in his mind, and he nodded to himself. “Alright, I'll do my best not to,” he said quietly.

“Do you still plan on doing things with Zelo, or is he driving you home?”

Daehyun glanced over at Zelo, who was focusing on the road as he was driving. “Um, he's driving me home.”

“Alright. I'll see you when I get home from work then. Everything will be just fine, okay? I love you, Daehyun.”

His heart skipped a beat, and despite the situation, a little smile tugged up the corners of his lips. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

--

A/N:

Howdy y'all, back at it again with Harmony! Y'all may have noticed that now the story is in 3rd person (limited to either Daehyun or Youngjae depending on the chapter). After a few weeks, I finally finished the 3rd person edit of Harmony, so now every chapter has been edited! Plot wise, things are still the same, and even with the lessened word count, I still added in a few things! I hope that things are a cohesive read!

Also during my editing, in light of Himchan's recent sentencing, I changed his character to be named Hyunsik (BTOB). I hope y'all understand and respect my decision.

In other news, I'm also starting to crosspost Harmony on AO3! I do intend to put my other things there as well. Yes, I am still going to be on AFF. AFF is a home for me, after all.

And another thing, back in late November, Youngjae was growing his hair out (for Mr. Queen, I think?) and I enjoyed it, so uh... I decided to make it Harmony canon?