“Yunho, we’re going to be late for the reservation!” The sound of his boyfriend’s familiar voice causes Yunho’s smile to widen some more as he takes one last glance at his phone.

“Coming!” Grinning to himself, Yunho stores the black gadget in his trouser pocket and gets up to exit the room with a small bounce in his steps.

He looks at the pictures hanging on the walls as he goes, embracing every single memory they are connected to. He reminisces adventurous days and comforting nights; appreciates every single laughter torn out of him and every tear he received help in overcoming.

And as he makes his way down the stairs, every step taking him closer to where his boyfriend is, his heart starts to beat with increasing intensity.

“Yunho,” it’s more of a soft, airy whine than a reprimand and Yunho wonders how Jaejoong still manages to sound this adorable after all these years. It has been a decade and yet, he can still feel his own heart fluttering every time he hears his boyfriend speak.

Not because his boyfriend’s voice is an attractive one, which it definitely is, but rather because it’s the voice which fed his mind and heart with words of love and comfort during bright and glum days alike and hummed sweet lullabies during nights where he lay awake worrying about far away things.

When he has finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Yunho merely smiles a bit wider before approaching Jaejoong to press a soft, placating kiss to the other’s lips. He gets a timid smack to his chest for his efforts before Jaejoong turns around to exit the house without another word and Yunho does not need to see his boyfriend’s face to know that he is blushing.

#

Yunho gives the waitress a small smile as she leads them to their table, his hands intertwined with Jaejoong’s until they are being seated across from each other.

He takes in the atmosphere within the restaurant with a sense of contentment and beautiful familiarity filling his heart. Thinking back to the way his younger self shook with nerves the first time he had taken Jaejoong here makes Yunho’s heart ache in mild sympathy.

#

The sound of joyful chatter which surrounds them barely registers to Yunho as he keeps glancing at Jaejoong nervously, hands getting clammy from moving them so much in an attempt to make them quit shaking.

Not only is this their very first date, but it’s also Jaejoong’s birthday and the knowledge of having the other’s company and time on this special day is, mildly put, absolutely wrecking Yunho’s nerves.

They have known each other for quite a while now, spending the first few months getting to know each other better on a more or less platonic level. While both of them had known that whatever they were building up might one day have the potential of growing beyond friendship, they, more Yunho than Jaejoong, hadn’t been ready to officially go down that path yet until only recently.

To take their time and wait until both of them were ready had been important, he knows that just as well as Jaejoong does. He hadn’t been able to trust himself to take care of someone else’s heart for a long time because he had been unable to mend his own for the majority of it.

And Jaejoong had understood. He never pushed Yunho for anything and was simply there, accepting everything Yunho needed and wanted after Yunho had assured him that having him in his life was something he wanted, though not on an intimate level at first.

“Have you been here before?” Jaejoong takes a look around, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “It’s gorgeous in here.”

Startled out of his thoughts by Jaejoong’s voice, Yunho looks up at him out of reflex before lowering his gaze once more when he realizes that he is looking right into the other’s eyes.

“Yes,” he clears his throat carefully, his fingers fidgeting with the formerly folded napkin. “Once.”

His answer comes out terse and abrupt, the sound of it unpleasant enough to make Yunho flinch the moment it registers in his head and although it is nothing more than the consequence of having nervousness clogging up his throat, it does not make it easier to see Jaejoong’s gaze turn glum as the other hums in recognition to his words.

“I liked it a lot,” he hastens to add. “So I thought you’d enjoy it here as well.”

Jaejoong’s smile does widen a little, but there is still a sense of wariness in his gaze which Yunho absolutely dreads to see.

He is saved from further attempts at bringing out a coherent sentence when the waitress approaches them with the beverages they have ordered earlier. Still very much avoiding Jaejoong’s eyes, the law student grasps his glass of orange juice in a haste and downs half of it in one go; the regret over it hitting him at the same time the mildly bitter aftertaste registers with his senses.

He grimaces slightly.

It’s not like orange juice is his favorite beverage to have, but whenever he doesn’t really know what to choose, he automatically goes for orange juice. It’s common enough for every restaurant to have and not as plain as water which people around him always seem to give him weird looks for ordering. Apparently, there is an unwritten rule about never ordering plain things like water when you are eating out. At least when it comes to the group of people he usually goes out with.

“Yunho,” it is not until Jaejoong calls out his name that he notices the way the other is staring at him and the now half-empty glass in wonderment. “I-“

Jaejoong cuts himself off with a sigh and the way his whole form slumps dejectedly is making Yunho’s heart ache.

“If-if you are having second thoughts, we don’t have to do this. We can just go home or just see this is as a nice evening between friends.”

It takes him embarrassingly long to respond. “Second thoughts?”

“Yes,” the paler male leans back a little. “You have avoided looking at me ever since you picked me up, never said more than a maximum of three sentences at once and are always fidgeting like you’d rather be elsewhere. If you are not ready, just be honest with me.”

Unable to do anything else as he repeats each of Jaejoong’s words in his head as he tries to comprehend everything, Yunho merely stares at him for a long while before he lets out a startled laugh.

And the regret is immediate.

He sees Jaejoong’s eyes widen a fraction at his short outburst before a look of hurt crosses his eyes, his lips now void of any trace of a smile as he sinks back into his seat further. It almost looks like he is trying to make himself smaller and hide from the world; from Yunho in particular.

And it absolutely wrecks Yunho.

“I-“ Yunho pauses and closes his eyes, cursing himself silently for messing up before he looks straight back at Jaejoong with every bit of determination he could muster. He needed Jaejoong to understand. “I do not have second thoughts, far from it. It’s just- just please give me a chance. Bear with me a little more and I will show you why I am behaving like this. Please.”

Jaejoong doesn’t say anything for a long while, obviously assessing him with his eyes as Yunho gathers all the bravery he could muster to keep his gaze on the other steady. And when Jaejoong breaks the gaze, he is nodding.

Relief floods Yunho’s veins. “You will not regret it, I promise.”

The smile Jaejoong gives him in return is, despite a little wary, encouraging and gentle.

And it had been enough to keep Yunho going for half a dozen more mental breakdowns until it had been time for dessert which was served to Jaejoong in forms of a birthday cake as well as a box inhabiting Yunho’s birthday present for him.

The look Jaejoong had given him upon realizing why Yunho had been behaving strange all evening long had been so fond that Yunho’s heart had ached with adoration. And seeing Jaejoong’s face glowing in the candlelight on the cake, a radiant smile dancing across his lips, he has never been more aware of how in love he was.

#

Even back then, at the very early stage of their relationship, the mere implication that Yunho could doubt what was between them or had seconds thoughts about it or Jaejoong seemed like something so abstruse to him that he simply let out a startled laugh because he couldn’t really fathom why Jaejoong would even think that.

Letting out a chuckle as he thinks back to how panicked he had been over the expression Jaejoong wore back then, he shakes his head dismissively when his boyfriend looks at him questioningly. “I just had to think of the first time we came here.”

A fond look settles in Jaejoong’s eyes. “Our first date.”

“Yeah,” Yunho breathes out. “And your birthday. I was so nervous back then.”

Jaejoong levels him with a look of amusement, his lips curved up slightly. “Just a little.”

Yunho scrunches his nose and nods, playing along. “A tiny bit, yes.”

The pair chuckles in unison before sharing a small, private smile.

“I never had second thoughts about us,” Yunho admits, his voice gentle yet determined. “Not even once.”

Jaejoong’s expression changes into something a lot softer and Yunho sees his whole heart and emotions bared before him. He sees it through the other’s attempts to rid himself of the knot having formed in his throat by gulping repeatedly, in the way he keeps trying to blink away tears threatening to escape and in the way his smile wavers ever so slightly. But instead of yielding to his tears, his boyfriend chooses to blink them away more determinedly before reaching across the table and it only takes Yunho a mere second to oblige and take his boyfriend’s outstretched hand in his; their intertwined hands resting next to the forgotten menus on the table.

“Neither have I.”

#

“I’m so full,” Jaejoong whines as he clings to his boyfriend’s arm with a huff.

Yunho raises his eyebrows at him with a teasing smile on his lips. “One could almost think it has something to do with the three desserts you ordered.”

The comment earns him a sharp pinch to the arm, but his boyfriend remains attached to him nevertheless as they enter their favorite coffee shop. And when the barista closest to the door spots them, his whole face lights up.

“Now if that’s not my favorite pair of lovebirds,” the older male greets them, his golden name tag glistening in the lights of the coffee shop as he moves. “Flutter right in, you two.”

“Hey hyung,” Yunho greets easily as Jaejoong lets go of him to round the counter, much to the other barista’s surprise, and give Hyun Bin a hug. “How have you been?”

The barista doesn’t answer him right away, too busy putting Jaejoong in a headlock to ruffle his perfectly done hair. And although Jaejoong’s fluffy hair does fall back right back into place afterwards, it doesn’t stop his boyfriend from letting out a whine as he makes his way back to hide behind Yunho who turns around to help him fix the last few rebellious strands with a suppressed grin.

“Now that I was able to annoy Jaejoong, I am doing marvelous,” Hyun Bin wiggles his eyebrows as he leans forward and supports himself on the counter with his forearms, completely ignoring the bewildered gaze from his colleague who Yunho assumes to be their newest addition to the team. “So, what would you like to have? The usual?”

“Our usual and one cocoa for me,” Yunho replies for both of them as Jaejoong walks away to greet the waiters and waitresses.

Hyun Bin levels him with a knowing look. “Coming right up, lover boy.”

Yunho sends him a smile before his gaze is once more automatically drawn to Jaejoong as his boyfriend is engaged in a lively conversation with one of the waiters who is currently cleaning a table.

It has been three years since Jaejoong last stepped into this coffee shop as an employee, but his relationship to his former colleagues and bosses hasn’t changed.

Yunho knows how much each of them has done for Jaejoong during his boyfriend’s college years and he will forever be thankful to them for offering Jaejoong another safe haven to turn to during what many people would describe as one of the most trying times in life.

Hyun Bin, in particular, has always treated Jaejoong as a little brother and when Jaejoong and Yunho started dating, he extended the semi-adoption to him as well.

“He has grown a lot since he first stepped in here with that rebellious blond-dyed hair of his,” Hyun Bin chuckles as he takes over the entire preparation of their drinks. A small, private smile takes over his lips before he looks up to meet Yunho’s gaze. “Both of you have.”

“He helped me grow,” Yunho ducks his head timidly as he thinks back to all the times they have disagreed or fought, each of those times having taught a valuable lesson to him. “He made me want to be even better.”

When he is meeting Hyun Bin’s eyes again, the other man is looking at him with a significant sense of fondness and pride. “You two are great for each other. Always have been. I remember the day he properly introduced you to us and you might have not realized, but I could hear snippets of what you were talking about, you know? And you two have been so honest and respectful to each other even at that young age, I really liked that.”

Yunho remembers that day just as vividly as he remembers what they have talked about then.

#

“They seem nice,” Yunho says with one last glance at the employees Jaejoong has introduced him to, his lips curving up in a smile when he catches some of them looking.

“They are,” Jaejoong agrees. “They have grown to be like a second family.”

Yunho’s heart skips a beat at that.

Something about Jaejoong taking him here, sharing not only another safe space to him but also introducing him to people obviously significant to him has Yunho’s heart swell and ache alike.

He loves this. He loves to share this something with Jaejoong and yet, he can’t help but be a little scared.

He gulps. “Thank you for bringing me here and introducing them to me. It means a lot.”

The weight the last bit of his words carries causes mild surprise to flicker in Jaejoong’s eyes before he leans back with a warm, easy smile. “It’s a nice place and they are nice people. I just thought you’d enjoy it here. It doesn’t have to mean more than that.”

He shouldn’t be so surprised about Jaejoong reading his thoughts so easily. Because; of course, he would. If he has learned anything about Jaejoong at all during the past months in which they have grown to spend more time together, it’s how sweet, clumsy, funny, observant and absolutely smart Jaejoong is.

“I-“ he receives more time to sort his thoughts as one of the waitresses brings over their orders, his smile to her a bit wary but thankful.

She offers both of them a gentle smile in return, not missing to give Jaejoong a brief pat on his shoulder before walking away to take more orders.

And instead of prompting Yunho to continue with the sentence he has started earlier, Jaejoong merely takes a bite of the chocolate cake; the small hum of satisfaction he lets out after so adorable that Yunho cannot help but look at him fondly.

“I want it to mean more than that,” he blurts out, slender hands swiftly offering the glass of water he has ordered alongside his cup of coffee to Jaejoong when the other chokes on the cake in what Yunho assumes to be surprise.

His small coughing fit causes some of the staff as well as other customers to look over in slight shock. One of the baristas, named Hyun Bin if Yunho remembers correctly, brings over another glass of water and although he does seem worried at first, it’s not hard to spot the slight amusement in his eyes once Jaejoong is visibly fine again.

It’s Yunho who receives a swift pat on his shoulder this time around. “Good luck with that one. He literally trips on air on a daily basis.”

“Hyung!” Jaejoong, having heard everything, croaks out his protest before getting so surprised by how rough his own voice sounds that he takes another big gulp of water for good measure. “I’m sorry.”

Yunho merely shakes his head in response, a slight chuckle escaping from in between his lips once the shock has subsided. “Are you okay?”

“Peachy,” and he doesn’t sound peachy, but he is at least not coughing anymore, so Yunho easily accepts his answer despite subtly gesturing for Jaejoong to finish the glasses of water he was offered. “I-you said that…I mean, really?”

The hopeful look Jaejoong gives him tugs at his heartstrings, but not as bad as the wariness going along with it does. And Yunho cannot fault him for it.

It has been a while since they’ve met each other for the first time and almost just as long since they have established that Yunho wasn’t ready for anything going beyond friendship just yet and Jaejoong has been nothing but understanding and wonderful about it.

Jaejoong’s feelings have never been a mystery to him while Jaejoong, on the other hand, could never really tell which path they would eventually take together. But he has remained in Yunho’s life, not hoping or asking for anything which Yunho couldn’t give him. And once in a while, Yunho would tell him how much it felt like he was leading Jaejoong on; which the other immediately denied.

Because that was simply not what had been going on between them.

When Jaejoong first revealed his feelings to him by asking him out on a date when they accidentally ran into each other for the second time, Yunho had been conflicted.

While he had been drawn to the other, he hadn’t been ready to open his heart for anyone just yet. And that was exactly what he had told Jaejoong.

And the other had been so accommodating, going as far as to offer keeping his distance if they shall ever meet again in case it made Yunho uncomfortable. But while Yunho didn’t want to take it further than something platonic at that moment, he didn’t want Jaejoong to disappear from his life either. It felt like he was about to lose something which didn’t even have the chance to start yet.

So, he had offered everything he was ready to give at that moment: Friendship.

And that’s all there has been between them.

But falling for Jaejoong had been so easy. And after a long while of taking baby steps in healing himself, he has welcomed his feelings with open arms; hoping that Jaejoong was still willing to give it a try.

“Yes, I want this with you,” he can feel the nerves drumming underneath his skin as he tries to remain composed enough to coherently voice his thoughts. “I’m still a little scared because my last relationship almost ruined me, but being with you makes me feel so unbelievably happy and at ease and I think my head is finally catching up with what I have always known deep down. You are different and I know that things between us will be different; better. If you still want that with me, then I would like for us to try.”

His whole face feels hot like a furnace, but his heart is less heavy now and he can finally take a breath as he sits back a little to wait for Jaejoong’s reply. And at first, he receives none.

But one look at the absolutely loving way in which Jaejoong stares and smiles at him tells Yunho more than thousands of words ever could.

“I want to make something very clear,” Jaejoong’s voice sounds hoarse and smaller than Yunho usually knows it, but the determination in his eyes gives his words so much power. “This is not going to be a no-return ticket kind of situation. I want us to try and if you ever get the feeling that it is too much or that you want to take a step back or want us to fully go back to how we were before this, tell me. There is nothing you cannot discuss with me especially if it concerns your feelings and well-being and if we really want to try this, then we will need to communicate so we won’t end up crossing lines which are not meant to be crossed. That’s all I want.”

As Jaejoong’s words register with him, Yunho can’t help but think that yes, he has made the right choice.

It hasn’t been easy and getting to this stage has taken a lot from not only him but also Jaejoong, but all of it was worth it and he somehow knows that it will continue to be worth it.

He nods, more determined than ever. “I want that. I want it all with you.”

Jaejoong smiles.

#

“Here is your regular,” Hyun Bin says with a grin as he places what Yunho knows to be one cup of Chai Latte for Jaejoong and one cup of Iced Americano onto the counter before another is being offered to Yunho directly. “And your special.”

Yunho grins back and hands him the money for their beverages before picking up Jaejoong’s order to give it to his boyfriend once he sees the other man walking over.

“You are going to get a sugar shock,” Jaejoong admonishes with a glance to the two cups meant for Yunho as he takes a timid sip of his own beverage.

“It’s just for today,” the taller man replies easily before pressing a swift kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead. “You can make me drink your green shake with you for the rest of the week.”

Jaejoong raises his eyebrows at that. “You hate it.”

“I could try to like it for my health’s sake,” Yunho shrugs.

The pale man regards him for a moment and Yunho knows that he is considering to just take Yunho by his word for a split second before he shakes his head with a small grin. “I’ll just make you something else instead.”

“Okay,” he agrees breathily, too busy staring at his boyfriend to notice Hyun Bin watching them until the older man fake gags.

“You both stink of love, get out of here you brats,” and although the wide grin on his lips belies his words, Yunho and Jaejoong do bid their goodbyes with a chuckle and a promise to return soon.

“Today was amazing,” Jaejoong hums in contentment, his drink securely held in between his hands as the two of them walk away from the coffee shop in calm steps. “Didn’t expect you to crave coffee this late. You are so going to regret it in a few hours when you’re trying to fall asleep.”

“That’s fine, I’ll just keep you awake with me,” Yunho raises his eyebrows challengingly when his boyfriend turns to level him with a dark look.

“Don’t you dare.”

Yunho merely grins to himself as he takes a sip from his Iced Americano, his gaze wandering between the lanterns by the street to their left and the dimmed lights of some display windows before they reach the part of the street where there is nothing but trees to their right.

He has parked the car a little further away so they could take a short after-dinner walk to the coffee shop, to which Jaejoong and his full stomach had wholeheartedly agreed.

“So many things have changed on this street,” the smaller man says as he looks back at one of the shops which is currently under construction and obviously about to be replaced by something else. “I loved the music boxes they sold in there. I even got some for my sisters during my first year of college. They each had their own color and symbols; like in that Barbie movie they loved so much as kids. I can’t remember the name.”

“Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses?” He offers. “I think I saw at least 4 copies of it when we went to your parents’ house last year.”

Jaejoong snorts. “Oh yeah, they each had their own copy of it.”

Chuckling, Yunho takes another sip of his beverage before gesturing towards rose bushes. “I’m glad they are actually planting something here. It looked too dull.”

Jaejoong’s hum is only meant as an agreement at first, but it soon turns into what Yunho recognizes to be one of his boyfriend’s favorite songs. And Yunho follows him in silence, simply regarding him gently as he goes.

But just before they reach the car, Yunho stops. And it speaks for Jaejoong’s senses that he notices it almost instantly.

Yunho barely has time to loosen one of his shoelaces before his boyfriend turns around to look at him questioningly. “What’s wrong?”

And instead of answering to the question directly, he chooses to simply gesture around them instead. “Do you remember this spot?”

Confusion takes over Jaejoong’s face for a good while as he looks around and Yunho loves the way he can see realization lightening up his boyfriend’s doe eyes.

#

“Give outdoor workout a try, Yunho!” Said male recites his friends’ words from earlier gruffly as he stomps through the rain, head and gaze lowered as if the world is weighing him down. And while that is essentially true, he is currently just trying to avoid getting his glasses wet. “The fresh air is good for you, Yunho! It will be-”

His tirade is rudely interrupted by the worsening downpour which not only manages to make his attempts at hiding his glasses from the rain futile but also succeeds to draw a forlorn sigh out of him. “Yeah, right.”

In hindsight, he should’ve listened to his brother and bring his umbrella along since rainfall had been forecasted that morning. But then again, when has he ever listened to his brother?

Certainly not when his brother first advised him to quit his minimum wage part-time job after the first incident with an aggressive customer shortly during his first year of college.

Or when his brother advised him to not attend a party which ended with a broken nose and broken glasses.

Or when his brother advised him to not get back with the ex-boyfriend who cheated on him before and eventually got caught being unfaithful to him once again only two months after their reconciliation.

He winces slightly at the memories of the latter incident and takes a deep breath in an attempt to rid himself of the unsettling feeling in his chest.

Driven by the newly enhanced urge to simply hide away in his room for the rest of the day, Yunho ducks his head and starts his blind sprint home. But not even ten steps into his planned super run, he finds himself colliding with someone whose stance is solid enough to send him stumbling backwards.

„I’m sorry!“ Yunho hears himself say hastily only to have his own words resonating in a softer, almost airy voice as two hands shoot forward to steady him with a firm grip.

He gets ready to deliver another round of apologetic words and looks up to face the person he has run into only to find himself stunned into silence by the man’s looks.

The man in front of him is, simply put, gorgeous. He instantly thinks back to all the times he’s been envious of the so-called ‘Flower Boys’ at his school and he doesn’t need to know his past to know that this man has definitely been one during his High School days.

While Yunho never understood what some people found so appealing about coloring their hair, he has to admit that the strawberry blond of this man’s hair enhances his beauty well.

But he might be a little bias.

Just a little.

“Are you okay?”

It’s safe to say that Yunho’s heart hadn’t thudded like this for a very long time.

#

Jaejoong grows silent, almost as if reminiscing something, as a subtle smile dances across his lips. “The luckiest day of my life.”

And how can he not fall more in love with this man each day they get to spend together?

Nervousness starts to take over once more and Yunho has to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves, which Jaejoong of course does not fail to notice. He feels his boyfriend’s calculating gaze all over his body and he knows that it’s now or never.

“If you are breaking up with me right now, I’m going to pour your Iced Americano over your head,” Jaejoong threatens with one raised eyebrow.

Slightly taken aback, Yunho looks at the other man with widened eyes. “What about your Chai Latte?”

“It’s hot. I would want to punish you, not get you hospitalized,” the smaller male huffs.

A small, startled laughter bubbles out of him before he locks his gaze with Jaejoong’s. “You are adorable.”

“Yunho, I’m 27 years old. I am not adorable.”

“You are adorable,” Yunho insists before giving Jaejoong the cup with his special order, subtly opening the lid with his thumb nail as he goes. “And I’m not breaking up with you, but if I don’t fix my shoelaces and end up face-planting so hard that it ruins my face, you might break up with me anyways.” Jaejoong narrows his eyes at him. “Are you calling me shallow?”

Yunho doesn’t say anything as he goes down on one knee, his Iced Americano now placed on the floor as he starts to work on his tying his shoelaces; his eyes never leaving Jaejoong’s face.

His boyfriend clicks his tongue once before he discovers that the lid of the cup Yunho has popped off halfway. Carefully clamping his own beverage between his upper arm and his upper body, Jaejoong gently peels off the whole lid to put it back on properly; going rigid as he discovers the content the cup harbors.

His eyes flick to Yunho for a brief second before he looks back into the cup.

Instead of finding himself looking at the cocoa his boyfriend has supposedly ordered earlier, the sight of a red, velvet box resting atop of a ocean of red rose petals greets him instead and he can feel his whole body heating up as his heart starts to beat so fast that it almost scares him.

“Yunho,” he speaks no further, too stunned to say anything.

And when Yunho timidly stretches out one hand with his palm facing upwards, Jaejoong wordlessly hands him the cup before getting a grip of his own which he has almost forgotten about. Unable to do anything else, he merely stands there and watches on as Yunho takes the velvet box out before placing its former paper habitat aside in favor of opening the jewelry box and show it’s content to Jaejoong in all its beauty.

It’s a wide silver band with its two diadem-shaped, diamond encrusted ends meeting in the middle to form something akin to a set of wings. It’s breathtaking in its simple beauty and Jaejoong just knows that his boyfriend has chosen this specific design as a tribute to the wings Jaejoong has tattooed on his back.

“When we first met, I hadn’t been ready for everything that you and your beautiful heart had to offer just yet. But even back then, I knew that I wanted you to be part of my life,” Yunho starts, his voice wavering a little as he looks straight at Jaejoong. “And as time went by, you grew to be my friend; my companion who kept me safe and made me see that it was alright to take my time and heal myself. You showed me that having bad days was alright and that I can let myself have those days where I do not want to get up and face the world. But you also taught me to not let my demons destroy me.”

Jaejoong feels tears welling up in his eyes, but he can’t bring himself to care as he continues to look down at Yunho. His Yunho.

His Yunho who had so many demons to fight when they first met and still found the strength to smile. His Yunho who had his heart broken into a million pieces and was still brave enough to give love another chance. His Yunho who has always appreciated his good sides, embraced his imperfections and helped him grow out of his shortcomings.

“When we started dating, you showed me how it is like to be loved wholeheartedly; embracing me with all of my fears and pains before healing all the cuts and bruises my soul had with utmost patience. You made me smile during the darkest days, praised me when I needed encouragement, called me out on my wrong doings and helped me grow as a person. And I kept falling for you. Even right now, in this moment, I keep falling in love with you.”

Yunho’s slender hands shake slightly, tongue peeking out for a brief moment to wet lips which now feel way too dry. “Kim Jaejoong, will you allow me to keep the home I found in you?”

Jaejoong never thought it was possible, but he could actually feel his heart skipping a beat and he wants to shout out to the whole world that yes, he will. For eternity if Yunho will have him. But the enormous wave of emotions hitting him right that instant makes it impossible for him to speak and so, he finds himself nodding furiously as tears blur his vision.

Jaejoong feels more than sees the ring being slid onto his ring finger and before he has time to do more than let out a choked sob, Yunho is already pulling him into a tight embrace.

He closes his eyes then; taking in the warmth of Yunho’s body as it seeps through to him and allowing for his senses to be engulfed by his fiancé’s familiar, comforting scent. And once he finds his voice back, he will tell Yunho that he has found a home in Yunho just as much as Yunho has found one in him.

But for now, he is simply going to cling onto his fiancé tightly, looking forward to their forever together.

end.