"Jongwoon-ssi, can you carry those boxes into my room?"

"Sure. Just put them on the floor, right?"

"Yes. Then, let me cook dinner as a welcome party. Anything you want to eat?"

"I'm fine with everything as long as it's not too spicy."

"Hm, how about seafood spaghetti and salad? And some soup?"

"Sound good! I can't wait for dinner~"

"Me too."

Kyuhyun and Jongwoon smiled at each other.

"After all..."

"We're living together starting today."

*********************************************************

Two months ago...

"Nice to meet you. I'm Cho Kyuhyun, thirty-four, a family lawyer at SJ law firm."

"Hi, I'm Kim Jongwoon, also thirty-four years old. I own a few cafes and a personal gallery. Glad to meet you too, Kyuhyun-ssi."

Kyuhyun and Jongwoon bowed and exchanged a handshake amidst their parents' pleased expressions. Their families owned a real estate business and they planned to join hands. The Kim Group and the Cho Group wanted to do business together for a long time so they decided to follow the tradition— an arranged marriage between their sons. However, the eldest sons of both families already had families so they settled on the second sons instead— Cho Kyuhyun and Kim Jongwoon. Both men were single and didn't have to inherit their family business. So, they agreed to help with the proposal with ease. Tonight at a joint family dinner, the grooms met for the first time to get to know each other before the wedding and the atmosphere was very pleasant. After the meal, the adults knowingly left the two young men alone. Kyuhyun and Jongwoon agreed to spend time together at a bar, just chatting casually while drinking.

"Kyuhyun-ssi, are you okay with this arrangement? Marriage isn't child play so shouldn't you choose your spouse more carefully?"

"I could ask you the same, Jongwoon-ssi. Are you okay with marrying a stranger you never met before?"

"Well, it's a contractual marriage so just think of it as roommates living together."

"My thought exactly. I can see that we'll get along well."

Both men smiled and clicked their glasses to celebrate the start of their relationship.

**************************************

The wedding day...

"Cho Kyuhyun, will you accept Kim Jongwoon as your spouse? Will you love and cherish him, in happiness and sadness?"

"Yes, I do."

"Kim Jongwoon, will you accept Cho Kyuhyun as your spouse? To love and cherish him until death do you two part?"

"Yes, I do."

"Alright, I pronounce that the two of you are married. The groom may kiss the bride now."

Kyuhyun nervously looked at the pink-haired man before him. Although he had prepared his heart very well, it was still hard to accept that he really married a person he didn't love. After getting to know each other more in the past two months, they had become good friends and even felt at ease joking around. However, a kiss was still too much for them at this stage of the relationship. While he was debating skipping it altogether, his spouse had already closed his eyes and waited for the kiss quietly, but he noticed that the shorter man kept chewing on his bottom lip. Could it be that Jongwoon felt nervous too?

Chu. 

In the end, he decided to just leave a very light peck on his spouse's chubby cheek and hurriedly pulled away. He didn't expect Jongwoon to get startled and opened his eyes in surprise. So, their gazes accidentally met and Kyuhyun felt his ears getting somewhat hotter. He quickly tried to explain and excused his action.

"That was—"

Chu. 

The pink-haired bride kissed his cheek out of nowhere and shocked him to the core. Kyuhyun could only open and close his mouth like a goldfish as the playful bride grinned smugly and winked.

"Now we're even."

"You..."

Kyuhyun shook his head while Jongwoon puffed his cheeks proudly. Then, the newlywed men laughed as their eyes met after doing something silly. And they kept smiling like that until they said goodnight and retired to their own bedrooms at their new house.

'I'm glad that we seem to get along well and I don't mind getting to know him more' 

Coincidentally, both Kyuhyun and Jongwoon shared the same thought about their contractual spouse, not that either of them realized it yet at that time.

******************************************

Present time...

After both men finished their dinner, they cleaned up together with Jongwoon washing the dishes and Kyuhyun drying them. In a vast kitchen where the sound of running tap deafened the room, Kyuhyun spoke up.

"Hey, Jongwoon, let's decide on cohabitation rules."

"Sure. Just say it and I'll write them down later on that whiteboard."

"Alright, first of all, it's both of our duties to keep the house clean."

"That's a given. My turn, don't make a loud noise at night because I'm a very sensitive light sleeper. Don't wake me up before my alarm too."

"Isn't that two rules?"

"Well, you can come up with another two to even it out."

"Hmm... Oh! Leave all the cooking to me and don't step into the kitchen while I'm cooking."

"Are you my mother or what?"

"No, I'm not. But I did hear from your mother that, well, you're a horrible cook and how you almost burned down the house trying to cook."

Jongwoon elbowed the taller man beside him and glared daggers when Kyuhyun threw a smirk in return.

"Hmph! I'll let that one off the hook because the dinner was superb. Anyway, talking about permission reminds me of something. Kyuhyun, I have two Pomeranians named Kkoming and Melo that I plan to bring with me here. However, your mother told me that you're afraid of dogs. So, I want to ask for your permission first. If you're not okay, which I totally understand, I'll leave them at my family house."

"It's fine. As long as you don't let them into my study and bedroom. It's not fair to leave your pets just because your partner doesn't like it."

"Thanks! That means a lot to me because they're more like my little sisters than pets. I promise that I won't let them bother you."

"No worries. In exchange, can you promise me something?"

"Sure! Anything!"

Kyuhyun held the plate that he handed but didn't take it from him. The round brown eyes staring straight into his own looked so serious that Jongwoon didn't dare to look away.

"Absolutely no infidelity. It's okay to fall in love with someone else because our marriage is for our family business's sake only but we must tell each other everything."

"Again, that's a given in all relationships not just ours but I'll promise you if it makes you happy. Anything else? Are we good?"

Kyuhyun finally took the plate and dried them while being deep in thought. After a short pause, the taller man shook his head and put away the clean plate.

"Nothing that I can think of at the moment. But let's make it so that we can always add something else later, as long as both of us are fine with it, of course."

"Good idea. Though I'm a little bit surprised..."

"About what?"

"Well, I thought you'd propose the cliche 'No falling in love with each other' that every other arranged marriage seems to do. Does that mean there's a possibility of us falling in love for real so you didn't want that rule to get in the way?"

"Who knows? There's always room for doubt, right?"

"What— Ah!"

Jongwoon only wanted to tease his spouse but he didn't expect the man to admit it very casually. He was so surprised that his hands slipped and dropped a bowl into the sink. Although it didn't break, the falling impact sent soap water splashing on his t-shirt. Hearing an amused snort, he looked up and found Kyuhyun smirking with a raised brow, and realized that his contractual husband just messed around with him. Jongwoon cursed and scooped a handful of soap bubbles in his hand, before throwing it at the brown-haired man who half-heartedly blocked it with his arm while laughing. Kyuhyun then got back at the annoyed shorter male by putting his hand in the sink and flicking the water at him, starting a silly fight that ended when both men realized that they now had to clean the kitchen on top of the dishes. After quietly cleaning up their own mess, they took a bath in a separate bathroom built into their own bedrooms and called it a night with a simple goodnight message on their phones.

Kyuhyun's and Jongwoon's first marriage night went by uneventfully just like that.

****************************************************

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep... 

Jongwoon got up and threw a pillow that he futilely used to block his head. The annoying alarm from the bedroom opposite his had been ringing for almost five minutes now but it didn't seem to stop soon. He stormed into his spouse's room and not so kindly shook the sleeping man until Kyuhyun pried open one eye to look at him drowsily. Jongwoon showed no mercy and pulled the other man up from the comfort of the bed. While Kyuhyun rubbed his eyes sleepily, he finally turned off the alarm clock and confronted his partner who broke the rules from the second day of their living together.

"Mister Cho Kyuhyun, what did I say about 'Do not disturb me'? Why did you set the alarm so early in the morning?"

"M'ning, Jongwoon..." Kyuhyun yawned. "Sorry for disturbing your sleep. I intentionally set it earlier than my waking hour so that I'll have time to make breakfast for the both of us."

"But I don't eat breakfast. You know it."

"Well, you will, starting today. I won't let my spouse starve himself."

Kyuhyun stood up and stretched himself before heading to the kitchen on the first floor. Jongwoon was about to follow his spouse but the messy bed stopped him. Sighing, he began to make the bed for his contractual husband. Who would think that the always-composed lawyer Cho would have a side like this? After he was done, he realized that Kyuhyun had yet to prepare his outfit for the day so he took the liberty to do it for the man who was probably busy cooking. He managed to choose a decent suit and a matching necktie for Kyuhyun, even though he had to stop his urge to burn his husband's entire wardrobe. Maybe he should buy a nice suit as a welcome gift for Kyuhyun? He left the bedroom and ran into its owner at the hallway.

"Kyuhyun, I made a bed and chose an outfit for you. Hope you don't mind it."

"Oh, that's very kind of you. Let's freshen up and have breakfast together."

Jongwoon nodded and headed to his own bedroom to wash up since he couldn't go to sleep again anyway. Plus, although it was very faint, his nose picked up a mouth-watering scent from the other man's body just now. Eating a nice breakfast to start a day did sound tempting. He quickly changed out of pajamas and went downstairs where the prime lawyer dressed in the suit he chose waited for him at the dining table. They sat down and had a simple breakfast together. After that, Jongwoon volunteered to do the dishes alone and came to send his contractual husband to work at the door.

"Jongwoon, I have to meet a client today and might come home late so you don't have to wait for me."

"Okay. I'm thinking of hanging out with my friends anyway."

"Have fun then. Oh, I made lunch for you while I was at it. Just leave it in the fridge if you can't come back to eat. I'll take care of it when I come home."

"Don't worry. I'll eat everything before going out and don't leave even a single grain of rice. Anything else?"

Jongwoon asked as he helped the tall lawyer put on a long coat. Kyuhyun picked up his bag and rubbed his chin, before smiling at him sincerely.

"I'm leaving."

"Oh, um, safe trip and do your best at work."

He poked his head out of the door and kept waving until the man and his black car were out of sight. Locking the door behind him, Jongwoon looked around the house that was now in a state of inactivity and suddenly felt lonely. He shook his head with a light chuckle. He couldn't have missed his contractual husband whom he just lived together for a day only, right?

.

.

.

In the evening, Jongwoon found himself waiting for the absent housemate slash spouse despite Kyuhyun's words.

He absolutely didn't miss the lawyer or his amazing cooking. He just thought that it might be rude to go to bed without seeing the other occupant of the house. Sitting alone in the living room, Jongwoon boredly browsed the internet on his phone, thinking to himself that he should get up after waiting for half an hour more. Then, the front door suddenly opened and Kyuhyun walked in with a plastic bag in his hand where a nice fragrance came from. Both of them looked equally surprised to find their spouse where they didn't expect them to be.

"Jongwoon? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, Kyuhyun. Didn't you say that you might come home late?"

"Yes, there was a drinking session after the meeting but I declined it."

"Why? Isn't that a part of your job too?"

"I'm not sure myself... Just thought that it's rude to go home late now that I have someone else at home. You?"

"Well, I was having the same thought..."

Both men went quiet and found themselves unable to speak, as well as feeling their ears slightly getting warmer. Kyuhyun was the first to break the awkward silence and lifted the bag in his hand.

"I bought tteokbokki from my favorite store. Wanna join me and have a few drinks?"

"Sure. How about watching something too? There's a movie that I've been looking forward to."

"Why not? Go ahead and set up the projector while I prepare a snack."

After that, they watched a movie while having a late dinner and soju together. Neither of them say anything but none of their attention was on the screen. Instead, their minds were preoccupied with the way their knees constantly brushed on the couch. When the movie ended, they cleaned quietly and went back to their rooms after exchanging a polite goodnight. Kyuhyun's and Jongwoon's second marriage night went by uneventfully just like that, although their hearts might not be as calm as the peaceful day they had.

Of course, neither of them noticed this slight change yet at the time.

********************************************

One month later...

"Kyuhyun, I'm going to be busy with the upcoming exhibition at my gallery. Can I ask you to feed Kkoming and Melo today?"

"Sure. I'm working from home today anyway."

"Thanks! That'd help me greatly."

"No problem. The least I can do for my spouse, right?"

Kyuhyun looked up from his breakfast and smiled, and Jongwoon's chest suddenly felt warm. It had been a month now since they got married and every day was just so peaceful. He got used to waking up in the morning to turn off his husband's alarm clock and woke up the sleepy man. Then, he made a bed and chose an outfit for his husband while Kyuhyun made breakfast for them. After sending off the lawyer to work, he went about his day and so did his housemate. They no longer waited for each other to come home as they had become accustomed to living together separately, although they always made sure to drop by their partner's bedroom or office to exchange "I'm home" and "Welcome back". Occasionally, they enjoyed a late night movie and snacks together.

Jongwoon admitted that this marriage was way better than he expected.

Both of them got along well and respected each other. Moreover, they perfectly filled in a gap that they lacked which made living together benefit them. Jongwoon now got to eat homemade meals almost every day so his health and complexion improved a lot. Kyuhyun's colleagues and clients all praised him for the smart outfits that his spouse chose for him. Their lives significantly got better after getting married and both men were satisfied with their partner, though they never said it out loud.

For example, Jongwoon could pour his heart into his work without worrying about his puppies, knowing that his contractual husband would take care of them. He only went home after he was satisfied with today's progress. On the way home, he kept thinking about which nice restaurant to take the lawyer to for dinner as a thank you. However, he came back to an empty house and a post-it note on a fridge saying that Kyuhyun took the two puppies to walk at the community park. He headed there and found his husband within a second, sitting alone on a bench while his puppies wandered not far from him. Kkoming and Melo barked happily as he picked them up and he sat down beside the brown-haired man.

"You really don't have to do this... I mean, I only asked you to feed them."

"But today is the day you usually walk them, right? The pups were waiting at the door so I thought why not."

"You remember my dog walking schedule?"

"I remember everything about my spouse."

Kyuhyun said it so casually and didn't notice that the shorter man beside him got flustered. In fact, even Jongwoon himself also didn't notice his own reaction. He just knew that his husband's words made him happy for some reason and he couldn't stop smiling. Similarly, Kyuhyun also felt happy seeing his spouse's beautiful smile even though he had no idea why. Both men who didn't realize the effect they had on their partner chatted pleasantly while watching the two Pomeranians roaming around. When the sun began to set, Kyuhyun got up and offered him a hand. Jongwoon tried to calm down his racing heart as he placed his hand on the taller man's palm, frowning when Kyuhyun smirked teasingly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was asking for Melo's leash, Jongwoon," Kyuhyun replied in glee.

"What? S-Sorry! I didn't know what—"

Jongwoon stopped when the warm and larger hand refused to let his smaller one go. Kyuhyun squeezed their connected hands and smirked wider as he took Melo's leash from his free hand.

"Finders keepers~ Anyway, Jongwoon, you probably came here as soon as you saw my note, right? Are you hungry? Anything special you want to eat?"

"... Seafood spaghetti and salad sound good."

"Those are what we had when we first moved into our home, right? Okay! Leave it to me!"

Jongwoon abandoned his plan to ask the other man out to a restaurant when an image of Kyuhyun's back in the kitchen came to his mind, and he found out that he really liked the thought. Sneaking a glance at his husband, he wondered if Kyuhyun also preferred a domestic choice. And whether did Kyuhyun notice that they still held hands...

"Kyuhyun, can we take a longer route home?"

Jongwoon asked without looking at the taller man next to him. At the same time, he slid his fingers in-between the longer ones and brushed them lightly, though not fully intertwining.

"Sure. The weather is perfect for taking a leisure walk too."

Kyuhyun also answered without looking at his spouse. However, he curled his fingers over the shorter ones and fully intertwined them. Their palms clasped firmly with no gap left, allowing their pulses on the wrist to dance against their spouse's warm skin.

Although summer had yet to arrive, both men felt strangely hot in their chests and their faces as they walked back home hand in hand under the glowing orange sunset.

**********************************************

Author's note:

We're still not done yet with the fake marriage au train!!

This one is thoroughly fluff from the beginning to the end as I want you to enjoy some sweet before Halloween   ;)

Hope you're not bored of this au yet!

Take care and love you!   <3