Jongin woke up to find the side of the bed next to him empty; Kyungsoo must've already been awake, doing who knows what in the little cottage they had been gifted as a wedding gift from their parents. It was on the beach, just high enough for the waves not to reach up and grab it, and it was where they'd be spending their two week-long honeymoon.
The previous night, they were meant to get intimate (like all newly wedded couples), but Jongin couldn't bring himself to do it - he liked Kyungsoo, sure, but he just wasn't ready for something like that yet. He was still healing from his broken heart, and unlike some, he didn't turn to as a way to make himself feel better, and certainly not with a stranger he had met just a few hours earlier in the day.
Kyungsoo understood this, and he didn't push Jongin; one way to quickly ruin a new relationship was forcing his partner to do something he was uncomfortable with. He could see a future with Jongin, albeit very murky and unclear, but he wanted to pursue it and see how things went on. Who knew, maybe him and Jongin would fall in love one day.

Jongin sat up a little bit, holding himself up on his one forearm as he observed the beach in front of him - their bedroom had large windows which looked out at the ocean, but they had their privacy with curtains made to fit these windows which were nearly the size of the wall itself. The curtains were opened in a thin slit, just enough for him to see the yellow sand outside, but nothing much more than that. Kyungsoo had maybe left them closed for his husband to sleep without the sun bothering him.

It was the sound of something sizzling that caught Jongin's attention, and he stood from the large bed to investigate. His footsteps were quiet along the carpet and eventually the tiles of the kitchen where he saw Kyungsoo adding a perfectly cooked egg onto one of two plates, completing the meal of two eggs, some green onion spicy kimchi, bacon, and toast. It was a little mixed up considering the side of green onion kimchi and even normal kimchi, but Jongin knew Kyungsoo was trying to keep things as traditional as possible. They had both been around the world throughout their lifetimes, and they had eaten all sorts of exotic foods, but nothing quite measured up to the Korean meals back home with their various side dishes.

“You made breakfast? Thank you,” Jongin smiled while sitting by the counter that served as a table; it was a cottage they were staying in, but everything was modern rather than traditionally old. Thus, Jongin wasn't too surprised by the restaurant quality stove and fridge, nor the marble counters and square shaped plates.
“I thought it might be nice to start off our married life with a pleasant morning, and what better way to do that than to have breakfast together?” Kyungsoo smiled as well. It was small, but Jongin took it as a good sign considering his husband was usually rather serious.
“You're right,” Jongin said, taking a bite of the kimchi first, “did you make this yourself? It's really good!”
He wasn't saying it just to be nice, he meant it. If this was the food he'd be getting for the rest of his life, he'd dismiss the chefs without a second thought.
“I did make it myself, yes. I'm glad you like it,” Kyungsoo said gently; he knew he could cook well since he had gone to a culinary school for it to pursue his hobby, but he wouldn't be arrogant about it.

They were silent mostly, enjoying their meal, when Kyungsoo took a gulp of his orange juice and gingerly approached the subject he had been wondering about ever since the wedding.
“So, what's his name?” He asked, adjusting his glasses - he seemed much kinder now that he had them on and wasn't unintentionally glaring at Jongin like before.
“What?” He frowned, quickly eating more of the spicy kimchi to keep his mouth busy and ultimately avoid the subject for as long as he could. He was only playing half dumb; he had an idea who Kyungsoo was talking about, but he wasn't sure how the elder man knew about it.
“The man you're getting over. There was someone before the wedding, wasn't there?” Kyungsoo said nonchalantly, eating some more of his one egg, “no one can be so reserved unless they're still trying to get over a breakup,”
“Was it that obvious...?” Jongin questioned in an embarrassed tone, avoiding his husband's eyes with red cheeks. He knew he was moping around maybe a little bit too much, but not that much that Kyungsoo could pick up on it.
“Sort of. But your parents seemed to be too busy chatting up the other guests to take note,” Kyungsoo said it matter-of-factly, but he didn't mean it in a crude way. Jongin had learnt this about him rather quickly. Kyungsoo rarely showed his playful side and spoke the same regardless of whether he was joking or not, but Jongin didn't mind it as long as he could understand it.
“I'll put in a good word for you if they ask, even if you spend our honeymoon cooped up in the bedroom day after day,” The elder one continued, and Jongin felt his heart race so much that he nearly dropped his chopsticks.
“You'd really do that? I mean, thank you, but...I don't get why...” He trailed off, a smile growing on his lips regardless of his confusion, “you don't even know me,”
“Well, we're married now, and we're going to stay that way for a long time, right? I don't want to make a bad impression or seem like I'm some terrorist that's going to make your life hell. Besides, I've had a broken heart too before, and I know it's not easy keeping it hidden from your helicopter parents. So I don't want to make it worse,” Kyungsoo explained in a low and calm voice, draining his orange juice, “so take your time, I've got you covered,”
Jongin gulped down his food rather loudly, growing more and more surprised with each sentence that came from Kyungsoo's mouth. How could someone he just met care about him so much? Not even Sehun was this kind on a normal day (not that Jongin would brand him as someone mean-spirited, Sehun just knew that Jongin needed to be put in place for his bad actions or else they'd happen again).
Maybe, just maybe, this marriage would turn out to be something Jongin really loved. Maybe Kyungsoo would be someone he adored. At this rate, something like that was inevitable.

“The sun is out today, do you want to take a walk with me on the beach?” Kyungsoo asked some time after breakfast, and Jongin glanced up from the book he was reading - or trying to, anyway - with a smile and a nod. He was getting on better with Kyungsoo than he would've thought at first, and it broke down the barriers he had built in case he ended up despising the elder one.

The sand was warm beneath their feet, a sharp contrast to the coldness of the waves that greeted them at the same time. Still, it was nice to enjoy the sunshine on their skin in the comfortable silence. They didn't have to force conversation, both of them knew that, and that's what made them feel quite relaxed in one another's presence. It was a type of calmness that Jongin had only experienced with Sehun, and while this feeling wasn't new, it wasn't that strong either considering Jongin didn't know as much about Kyungsoo as he did about Sehun. He knew the basic info - no siblings, good (enough) relationship with his parents, and the aspiration to be an actor - but he needed to know more to have some ground to connect with his husband on.

“You asked me about my ex,” Jongin started, both of them occasionally stopping to pick up a seashell or two, “do you have one you're still getting over?”
“No. I never had a serious relationship like that, just a few things on the side my parents never knew about,” Kyungsoo answered with a grin when Jongin glanced at him surprised, “I'm keeping your ex a secret, so keep mine a secret too,”
Jongin smiled with a nod.
“What kind of personality do you like in your partner?” He asked afterwards, the sounds of the sea and the seagulls falling away as he listened intently for Kyungsoo's answer. It occurred to him that he had married this man not even knowing what kind of person he liked! To say Jongin went into this marriage blind was an understatement; he wondered if there was such a thing as a blind wedding instead of a blind date.
“I've never really given it much thought, but someone who isn't too boisterous or arrogant seems good to me. Since we're talking someone suited for marriage, someone who isn't difficult to live with is also a must. I wouldn't want to come home to someone constantly nagging me about where I've been or who I've been with,” Kyungsoo said, and although his face was always set in one expression, Jongin could see the small grimace peeking through.
He mulled it over, still pausing to pick up seashells, before he glanced at the elder one.
“Do you think we'll work out?”
Kyungsoo hadn't expected Jongin to ask him about it outright, so his answer was a little delayed.
“...we should as long as we don't step on each other's toes,”
Something told Jongin that wasn't very hard to do to Kyungsoo.

As they walked along the small trail, leaving their footprints behind which would eventually be drowned and filled by the oncoming waves, they talked more about what their likes and dislikes were. Once again, they saw what a good match they were for one another, and they both thought to themselves, 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒.
By the time they had walked to the path leading to the main road, they had learnt so much about each other that they were confident this honeymoon would be better than once expected. Jongin liked Kyungsoo a lot, but it was clear that the elder man liked him more; Kyungsoo hadn't, in fact, been picking up seashells for himself, but rather for Jongin whom he knew would like them, and every time they stopped on the way back to the cottage, Kyungsoo didn't collect anymore shells but waited for Jongin to collect his own instead.

It had been three years since the wedding, and Kyungsoo and Jongin had come to love each other rather deeply. Their parents were thrilled about this for obvious reasons, and they even began expecting grandchildren which didn't seem so far off anymore. Kyungsoo and Jongin both knew that they'd be good parents since the good husband part was already taken care of.

Sehun was strolling through the supermarket one day - the maids could buy the groceries themselves, but he offered to do it so he'd have some time away from his wife - when he noticed someone struggling to get some flour down from the shelf. He used to be an arrogant, somewhat selfish kid, but he had since matured very much, and he silently went to get the packet of flour down for the stranger.

“Thank you...Sehun!” Jongin exclaimed when he saw who brought the flour down for him, and Sehun's eyes widened; they hadn't spoken at all in three years, and in fact pretended like the other didn't exist at all to move on with their lives. Neither had changed much physically, but it was clear their personalities were different from the college kids they once were together.
“Jongin,” Sehun was so stunned, he didn't know what to say, “what are you doing here?”
“I came to pick up some things for the anniversary party tonight!” Jongin said with a grin that still made Sehun's heart race. Only this time, it thumped to its own sad rhythm.
“Anniversary party?” He asked with a small smile; Jongin's excitement and bubbly smile was hard not to be attracted to and hard to resist.
“Yes. It's Kyungsoo's and my anniversary today. Three years! We got our own place and everything, and we don't have maids or chefs so we do everything ourselves,” Jongin explained. He seemed so in love, so happy, it felt like Sehun was talking to the same old boy he always knew...just married to someone else.
“I'm happy for you, really,” He answered solemnly but genuinely, and Jongin placed the flour he'd use for the cake in his shopping cart, “what about you? Since when do you go grocery shopping?”
It surprised Jongin to know how much he remembered about Sehun even after this long time.
“Oh...” Sehun sighed. He had lied to mostly everyone about what a “great” relationship he had, how happy he was with his wife when that wasn't it at all.
“Honestly, I just use it as a time to get away from my wife,” He admitted sheepishly; he never lied to Jongin before because he knew the shorter man would never judge him, and he was sure that part of Jongin hadn't changed.
“Oh,” Jongin's lips pulled down slightly, “I'm sorry. Are you two having problems?”
“When are we 𝑛𝑜𝑡 having problems is what the question should be. If I don't report to her where I've been and what I've been doing and who I've been doing it with, we get into an argument. I can't leave unless she gives me permission, or we fight too. She's just a spoiled brat who doesn't think of anyone but herself,” Sehun hadn't admitted it so blatantly before, so it felt good to get if off his chest, “no matter what I do, it's never grand enough or expensive enough for her,”
“I'm sorry. I know that must be difficult,” Jongin apologized again. He knew Sehun wasn't one who wanted to be chained down, especially not to someone who would undermine everything he did and give him living hell for it.

“Jongin, what are you doing? If we don't get home soon, we won't have enough time for the cupcakes!” Kyungsoo rounded the corner with a bag of sugar and a few other small items, glancing at Sehun curiously, “who's this?”
“An old friend. Sehun, this is Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, Sehun,” Jongin introduced them. The sparkles in his eyes was unmistakable, and it was obvious from the way they looked at each other that they really adored one another. Sehun felt himself sigh silently - when last had he felt like that? He didn't know. His face felt weird when he smiled, and he was used to sighing and grimacing and frowning more than anything else these days - just who had he become? Where had Jongin's Sehun gone?

He shook the thought out of his head. 𝐽𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛'𝑠 𝑆𝑒ℎ𝑢𝑛 vanished three years ago.

“Pleased to meet you. Well, since you two seem to be in a rush, I should let you get back to your shopping. I should be getting home myself anyway,” Sehun answered, and the way Kyungsoo affectionately held his husband's waist  was difficult to miss. He remembered when he used to be like that with Jongin, and he missed it. He'd give anything to go back to those times instead of the place he was in right now. Jongin was truly happy, and Sehun was the one that was miserable - something about that didn't seem fair, but at the end of the day, Jongin's happiness was all Sehun had wanted. The pair seemed permanent, and Sehun was sure news of them adopting children would happen eventually; all he hoped was that he'd have forgotten Jongin entirely by then.

“Where did you know him from?” Kyungsoo asked curiously as he placed his items in the cart, and Jongin watched Sehun disappear around the corner. Something about the way he left felt final; maybe they wouldn't meet again.
“He was an old college friend. No one to remember,” Jongin said, then turned to his husband with a smile, “let's get going so we can be ready for everyone!”

Though, deep inside, he still hoped for Sehun to find a way to be happy. They would always love each other, but it wasn't as strong as Kyungsoo and Jongin's love; that's what Sehun hated the most, but he couldn't do anything about it except try to find a way to be happy with his wife too.