Alright, the Myouis being very well off was common knowledge, just how far their richness goes was something very few knew, and those who did didn’t really mind it. But what even fewer knew was that they were very old money back in Japan, old like back a few dynasties, and families like that had an extensive list of protocols they had to follow, and those were just so dull and draining that most just went through everything with their brain shut down. And that was exactly why Im Nayeon found himself in a lot of trouble.

It happened because one of Mina’s uncles (the boy had no idea if it was really an uncle) was asking him something about his relationship with the young master, to which Nayeon started answering whatever because his japanese was still rather limited and these people spoke with a heavy accent. Mina had been teaching him since they started dating, and the older boy might be a chemistry genius, but he was definitely not gifted in languages, but progress was being made and Nayeon was trying and that is what matters most.

It was during breakfast on the second day of their visit that grandpa Myoui said something about a party and mentioned Nayeon and Mina’s names, the korean boy was honestly trying to communicate but it was just so hard for him, everyone appreciated his efforts, however. Mina also didn’t help much, saying it was just his grandfather and the old man loved throwing parties, this was just another reason for him to get drunk and show grandma around, bragging about how beautiful his wife was and how he got lucky she accepted to marry him. Corny, maybe, but grandpa Myoui never once failed to do it every single time, reason why most people avoided him when they saw him getting tipsy.

After the announcement things moves fast, Nayeon saw himself being manhandled through preparations, Mina laughing each time it happened, and then he was standing in front of Japan’s crème de la crème, wearing a suspiciously intricate kimono, with Mina in a matching one and, if possible, even more intricate, the entire Myoui family sitting in a fixed order, with the two boys in the center. If this was not raising enough alarm bells, I don’t know what to tell Nayeon. A lot of people made speeches, then there was a monk doing a ceremony, and then everyone came around speaking animatedly and throwing happy sounding sentences to the young couple. Mina was absolutely entertained by all of it, and Nayeon really wanted to strangle him, maybe not a good idea at the moment.

It felt like weeks to the older boy until he could, finally, stand up and stretch his legs. Koreans always had a harder time than the japanese sitting on their knees, and Nayeon never understood how that went from punishment to formal posture. Regardless, they were allowed to stand and roam around for a while before dinner, our bunny makes a mad dash to the bathroom, all that tea the monk gave them had been begging to come out for over an hour now, the fact that he had lost sensation on his legs and was mostly stumbling down the hall got Mina heading to the bathroom himself. Fun times.

The celebrations went on through the next day, but the boys were pulled into another part of the monk’s rituals where their family guided them to Mina’s bedroom (Nayeon had been staying in a guest room), they receive a few trinkets from the grandparents, mrs Myoui’s family had also come to attend the party, then some sort of cloth from mrs Myoui and a small pillow from mr Myoui and then they are locked in the room. It seems this was all planned, as the breakfast table had been filled with food and drinks, and the sheets had petals on it. Okay, this was definitely a marriage, and even if Nayeon was certain he never signed anything, he was sure these people didn’t care much about that, and he also didn’t remember most of his day.

“Are you going to move on your own at some point?” Mina asks as he begins to get out of his kimono.

“I- What?” Nayeon still doesn’t move.

“I’m asking if you are alright, hun.” The japanese boy is much softer now, slightly worried even. “You’ve been looking overwhelmed all day.”

“Because I have been!” The resident bunny whines. “I have no idea what’s going on, you don’t help, there is all these people who look like they could buy my entire life with lunch money talking to me, your other grandparents arrived and I didn’t even greet them, I’m wearing this thing which I’m sure costs more than I’ll ever earn my entire life, so I can’t really move and risk ruining it, an-”

“Breathe, love.” Mina decides to stop the rambling. “My grandparents got here minutes before the party started, you don’t have to stress over it, they’ll be here tomorrow for you to greet them. Now, let me help you out of that thing.”

“Mr Myoui, aren’t you being too risky, now?” Nayeon jokes, his go-to deflection.

“Yeonnie, you can’t possibly get out of that alone, most of it is tied behind your back and I know for sure that you don’t stretch that far.” The younger boy shakes his head. “Now be a good boy and come here, let me get you out of that so you have one less thing to panic about.”

Mina pulls his boyfriend to the hangers in the corner of the room, those things looked ancient, very expensive and incredibly frail, and Nayeon absolutely didn’t want to touch them. Once the whole parafernalia is off, both boys feel how much colder the room actually was and turn the A/C back up, and the penguin guides them to the bathroom. He loved Nayeon, but sweaty teenage boy wasn’t exactly something he wanted to smell during his sleep. The bathtub proves the older boy’s suspicions, a bath had already been drawn and the lavender bath bomb had already filled the room with the smell, and there were little flowers in there too, not to mention the classical background music.

They settle into the warm water, Mina always liked being the one being hugged during showers, but was definitely the big spoon whenever they were sleeping. Nayeon can’t ever keep his mouth shut, however.

“Minnie?”

“Hmm?”

“Did we just get married today?”

“Is that what you think happened?”

“That’s what it looked like it happened.”

Mina giggles and cuddles closer.

“Are you gonna answer me at some point?”

“We didn’t get married today, Yeonnie. If we did, your family would be here too.”

“Yeah, I was wondering where they were.”

“But we got somewhat married, tho.”

“What?” 

“This ceremony today, the monk did some sort of engagement thing? I don’t know, grandpa is the one who likes this old stuff. But it’s like our souls get tied to each other forever.”

“And you only think of telling me this now?”

“You are saying you don’t want to be with me?”

“I’m saying I should be consulted in these things, I’m as much part of this relationship as you are, and I never got the chance to say anything about that.”

Nayeon is frustrated, he gets up from the tub and grabs a towel on his way out, not even bothering if he is wetting the whole floor. He was right, though, nobody asked him what his opinion was on his own relationship and not even his boyfriend, who was supposed to be in this with him, talked to him about this whole show imposed upon him. Mina was left in the bath, gritting his teeth and fuming, not at Nayeon, at all, but at everyone else including himself. How did the japanese boy ever think this wasn’t the outcome when Nayeon found out, but grandpa Myoui was always pushy and his grandson grew up giving in to his whims.

Now, Nayeon was betrayed, sure, he never thought about breaking up with Mina, but this was pushing things too far, they were just kids, getting them engaged like this, and Mina going along with it all made him want to jump on the first plane home. Sure enough, he started packing up, intended to be at the airport in the morning and headed back home as soon as possible. The boy was so irritated that he started crying, mostly from anger and being crossed like that, shoving everything into his bag and tripping over his own feet. While all this was happening, Mina was holding a pity party in the bathroom, thinking he had to do something to get his boy to calm down so they could talk.

When Mina did get out of the bathroom, he was met with bags already packed by the bedroom door, the room was a mess, things thrown everywhere, but what worried him the most, was Nayeon curled up into a ball at the edge of the sofa, the big penguin plushie right beside him, making sure Mina couldn’t get close, the comforter thrown over him not showing anything underneath. All that could be heard were the sniffles, there was a clear trembling to the body under the comforter, and the worry skyrocketed. It was never good when Nayeon cried, he was one of the most positive people Mina knew, always trying to not allow himself to be pushed down nor shaken by anything.

This Nayeon, curled up, crying, betrayed, irritated, was something Mina hoped he would never see, and it was all his fault. Well, not all of it, his grandfather was also to blame for even thinking about something like this, and his family for going along, but the heavier burden was on him, he should have put a stop to it as soon as it left his grandfather’s lips. But Mina was a coward when it came to standing up to his family, he always gave in, and now was the time to fix this mess. He was the one who let it happen and kept silent when all Nayeon asked was to know what was happening, he knew his family was using a heavier accent on purpose, fully aware the older boy wouldn’t understand, and grandpa Myoui demanded he kept quiet and now this was the price.