(Daehyun's Perspective)

December 28.

It had once been marked in Daehyun's mental calendar as the day he'd called Zelo and begun the process of turning his life around. Now it was marked as the day he was marrying the love of his life!

To think back on everything he'd been through since that day, how he'd grown as a person and broken away from those shackles that held him down... Daehyun was rather proud of himself! He'd uprooted the hurtful words and actions in his memories and replaced them with things that warmed his heart and never failed to put a smile on his face. The occasional bad day may happen every so often, but he was past the days where he suffered through those alone. Whether it was family or friends, there were people at his side rooting for him.

And now all those people were in one place, ready to happily send him into the next chapter of his life! Well, to celebrate it, at least. He and Youngjae had gotten legally married earlier in the morning at the town hall. What was going on this afternoon was more of a reception!

So here he was, in the room specifically for the bridal side to get ready with his crew. His Umma was running about taking pictures, something he'd fully expected. She loved scrapbooking, and he wasn't going to deny her the pictures for that! She had the common decency to not take pictures of people if they were indecent, so there was no harm in allowing it. All she'd asked was to make sure she was told when the dresses were on, then they'd have their photo time.

Most everything was done at this point. Some light makeup, bridesmaids all ready to go, and making sure his engagement ring was moved over to the ring finger on his right hand in preparation for the wedding ring taking the space on his left ring finger. All he had to do was put on his dress and wig. As such, Zelo was sent to fetch their umma while Hyosung and Jieun helped get the dress out of the bag for him to put on. Given that his brother was there when he'd picked the dress as well as when it'd come in and he'd tried it on to make sure that it fit correctly, he figured it was fine to go ahead and dress up without him there.

Thankfully, he had assistance from his other bridesmaids because otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get it on himself. He'd tried on larger sizes when shopping so he wouldn't have to rely on help, despite Zelo's insistence on helping anyways. Less fabric meant he couldn't maneuver around as well to zip it up all the way like he'd planned when perusing dress styles.

“Don't brides usually have those things on their leg that the groom has to take off?” Hyosung wondered as she helped pull out the fabric of the skirt so it wasn't so bunched up. “What are those called, again?”

“Garters?” Jieun piped up as she fiddled with the back to make sure it was lined up so the fabric wouldn't get caught in the zipper.

“Yeah, those things!” Hyosung looked around. “Do you not have one? Aren't those things like... some sort of tradition?”

Daehyun kept his hands pressed against his chest to hold the dress nice and still so there'd be no problems with the zipping. Considering the type of tradition the garter was, it was something he'd definitely decided against. In fact, he hadn't even brought it up as a possibility! “Hyosung, what about this wedding seems traditional to you?” he wondered amusedly.

“Well, you've got a venue, an altar, a priest, good food, family and guests to witness the wedding...” She held up fingers for each thing she listed. “Then of course there's the groom and his groomsmen with a best man, and the lucky bride with the bridesmaids and maid of honour... There's also going to be vows and rings and a kiss to seal it all...”

Daehyun chuckled. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous, Hyosung.” He let his hands down once he was zipped up and Jieun had come around from behind him.

“Me? Jealous? Not a chance, buddy!” She firmly nodded to punctuate her sentence, but the way she huffed was proof she'd been caught.

“You haven't even thought about what your wedding might be like if you were to have one?” Jieun asked. “I daydreamed about that a lot as a little girl. It helped a lot for planning my wedding this past summer!”

“Who hasn't thought about their dream wedding?” Hyosung countered with a wave of her hand.

Zelo announced his presence in the room with the declaration of, “Me!”

They turned their heads to the door just in time for Umma Choi to snap a picture. “Umma, I don't have my wig on yet,” Daehyun half whined half pouted, but he wasn't actually upset.

“I wasn't about to miss the chance to get a picture of you in the dress without the wig!” she chuckled. Daehyun had thought she'd gotten those when he was trying it on at her place to make sure it fit and didn't need any alterations. Maybe she just wanted more? “I was just finishing up taking pictures for the groom's side when Zelo came and got me. Should I go ahead and start getting some bridesmaid pictures? Or should I wait for you to get your wig on first?”

“You can go on ahead. Just tell me where you'll be and I'll meet you there.”

With the knowledge of where they'd be at, Daehyun turned to the mirror to get to work while Hyosung and Jieun followed after Zelo and his Umma. He didn't register the click of another picture taken due to Hyosung saying she got the impression Zelo would be all about dreaming up his wedding. Zelo denied it again, then they were out of the room with the door closed behind them.

He calmly set to getting his wig properly pinned on. Then it was out to meet up with his entourage for some pictures. Carefully, to make sure he didn't come across the groom's party. They may technically already be married, but Daehyun was insistent that Youngjae wasn't going to spot him in the dress until the altar. It was bad luck, after all!

'Does that count as tradition? Or is it superstition?' he wondered as they returned to their getting ready room from picture taking. 'Maybe it's a mix of both?'

It was nearing time for people to get to their places. Daehyun remained in the room while the bridesmaids filed out one by one.

A thumbs up from Hyosung. “You got this, buddy!”

A smile from Jieun. “I know the two of you will take good care of each other!”

“Look at you, oppa-hyung! Seems just like yesterday we were catching up over cocoa on the couch, huh?” Zelo held Daehyun by the shoulders before bringing him in for a tight hug. “It's nice to see you happy and carefree like this. Don't you dare let anybody take that from you again, got it?”

Daehyun squeezed back as best he could manage. “Don't worry, I won't,” he assured as he pulled away. “You know I'm past those days. You helped me get there.”

“Damn right I did!” Zelo pushed the hair that had fallen in front of his face from leaning down to Daehyun's height back. “I know I wasn't the only one, though. Wouldn't be fair of me to take all the ing credit when most of the hard work was on you. And Jae hyung. And your therapist. And-”

“Zelo, dear, it's time you head out with the rest of the wedding party,” their umma urged. “There'll be plenty of time to chat later!”

“Right. See you on the other side, oppa-hyung.” Zelo gave one last thumbs up and a smile before slipping out the door to be with the others.

Miss Choi kept watch at the door to signal when the two of them should come out. Due to there not being a paternal figure in his life, his umma was walking him down the aisle today. The alternative was walking alone, and he'd rather have the . People were going to stare, and it would be easier to ignore with someone by his side. Just like it would be easier to ignore the stares of others once he was up at the altar with Youngjae!

He heard bits of chatter from the entryway. Jieun and Yongguk being teased about being obvious for each other. Zelo cautioning Jaebeom not to trip him up with that cane of his. Hyosung commenting about not expecting Jongup to look good dressed up so nicely. Then the officiant quieting them and stating that it was time.

Daehyun fiddled with the skirt part of his dress as he nervously awaited. Cue after cue, the wedding party made their way into the main room until it was safe for him and his umma to go into the entryway. “Well, dear, are you ready?” His umma held out an arm for him.

“Yeah. Let's go.” He accepted the arm and, as calmly as he could manage, walked by his umma through the door to the main room and down the aisle. With Youngjae up front, it was easier than Daehyun thought to tune out the stares of those around him. All eyes may have been on him, but his eyes were entirely on Youngjae, finely dressed in a tuxedo, and the way he beamed as soon as Daehyun had entered the room.

Up front, Miss Choi released Daehyun's arm after a quick pat. “Go for it, dear,” she whispered in encouragement before going to her seat.

Both reached out a hand once they were within distance of each other. “I knew it,” Youngjae quietly said as he took Daehyun's hands in his, dimpled smile plastered on his face. “You're absolutely stunning, my love.”

Daehyun giggled in delight. “Took the words right out of my mouth, sweetheart.”

For their vows, they followed the lead of the officiant. The vows in their hearts had been spoken between the two of them that morning at the courthouse. A decision made because they didn't want to share their personal vows with all the ears of their family and friends. But the words exchanged between them earlier were still in Daehyun's thoughts as they went through the traditional vows the officiant was giving them.

The officiant spoke. “Youngjae, do you take Daehyun to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honour, cherish, and protect him until death do you part?”

“I do.” Youngjae's vows from earlier rung in Daehyun's head as his husband slipped the titanium wedding band onto his left ring finger.

'Daehyun... From the moment I first heard your voice, I knew I wanted to be a part of your life. As a good memory, as a good friend, and as a good partner. Our journeys before we met each other were rough, and we've definitely hit some bumps since we've been together, but that's okay. Because life is full of ups and downs, of bumps in the road and the scenery beyond them, and there's no one I'd rather experience it all with than you. You support me in the rickety places that I don't let anybody else know about. You care about me in ways I never knew I needed.

Whenever life is too much for you to handle, I vow to be there to help you shoulder it. When the anxiety comes creeping up, I vow to help you manage it with water, reassuring words, and an open ear. I vow to be your constant in this ever-changing world, and I promise to faithfully be by your side as we continue to grow, and love, and support each other for all our years to come. I love you, Daehyun. Now, and into whatever future we share together.'

He'd teared up when he first heard those words, and the recollection had his eyes feeling misty again.

The officiant turned to him. “Daehyun, do you take Youngjae to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honour, cherish, and protect him until death do you part?”

“I do.” As Daehyun carefully put the matching titanium wedding band on Youngjae's left ring finger, he recalled the vows he'd delivered to his partner.

'Youngjae... Two years ago, I made a wish on a shooting star for an answer on what to do. A wish for guidance because I'd lost my way and didn't know how to get back. As terrifying as those first steps were, starting that journey led me to you. While I was scared to fall in love with you, I'm so glad that I did. You've taught me what it feels like to actually be loved and cherished in return. You love me unconditionally, and I'm so grateful to be the one you've chosen to share life with.

For every time you told me I had no reason to apologize, I vow that I'll proudly tell you my feelings with no regrets. For every time you reassured me that my affections weren't unwarranted, I vow to show you that affection and more with no restraint. I'll kiss you whenever I can, even if you didn't cook dinner. Every day, I vow to show you how much you mean to me in my actions because there aren't enough words to properly express that to you. It's a fantasy, as you'd put it, to be marrying you and starting the next chapter of our life together. I love you, Youngjae. With all my being and then some. For as long as I live.'

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and... husband.” Daehyun was glad the officiant was such a good sport about the bride being a man in a dress. “You may kiss the bride.”

Daehyun was nervous with anticipation as Youngjae drew him in closer. “I love you,” Daehyun said softly as Youngjae's hand cupped his cheek.

Youngjae beamed. “I love you, too...” Then he brought their lips together for the kiss that sealed their marriage in the eyes of their guests.

--

A/N:

Well, here we are. The finale! It's weird to be finally marking this story as complete after so long.

In the meantime, you'll either find me over at Eclipse or That Situation Where. I did also set up a drabbled fic for Harmony, too. I'm less vigilant about upkeeping drabbled things as I am stories, but I'll do my best!

To those of you who've been here with me for this journey, thank you. The commenters, the upvoters, the subscribers, and the silent readers. I appreciate y'all, and I hope y'all have enjoyed the journey to get here!