That Day

Sehun's been awake for a while, but he has no intention of getting out of bed. He was simply basking in the wonderful sight of Luhan sleeping soundly next to him. His Luhan. Sehun's lips curved at the thought of how lucky he was to be able to enjoy this view for so long.

It was amazing how something as simple as waking up to his beautiful lover made his heart beat so ferociously, so strongly, he was almost breathless.

This was one of the rare mornings in which Sehun was awake before Luhan. He was well aware that Luhan likes to kiss him awake. In fact, sometimes he pretended to be asleep so Luhan would lean over and kiss him softly. Right now, he knew that Luhan was not pretending. Judging from the busy day Luhan had yesterday, he wouldn't be surprised if Luhan could sleep another hour or two.

Sehun's hand reached out and caressed Luhan's cheek. He smiled at how soft Luhan's skin was. All these years, and it still felt the same against Sehun's fingertips. So delicate. So mesmerizing. So Luhan.

Luhan's nose twitched momentarily, but still no sign that he would be waking up soon, and honestly, Sehun didn't want to wake him any sooner than he had to. He knew that Baekhyun would call a few minutes from now to make sure they were both getting ready, but he didn't have the heart to separate Luhan from his peaceful slumber.

And also, he wanted to savor the last morning he would get to spend with Luhan as his boyfriend, his fiancé,because after today, he'll no longer be known as such. Frankly, he was going to miss it.

“Mhm...” Luhan stirred, and Sehun gazed adoringly in his direction. He doesn't say a word as he wait for Luhan to wake up.

It took Luhan about thirty seconds to open his eyes fully since he had a bit of trouble adjusting them thanks to the light of dawn streaming in from their window. Once he realized where he was and who it was he was lying next to, Luhan smiled. He looked up, eyes meeting Sehun's.

“We're getting married today,” he announced with a happy smile. Sehun found himself falling once more.

“We are,” replied Sehun as he brought Luhan's body closer to him. He loved the way Luhan's body folded perfectly into his, like pieces of a puzzle.

Luhan stared at Sehun for awhile before he whispered, more to himself than to Sehun, “I'm going to marry you today...” He sounded starstruck, and Sehun truly felt that he should be the one starstruck.

“You are,” said Sehun as he kissed Luhan's forehead. Luhan quickly responded by kissing his chin. “Are you ready to get up?” Sehun asked, his fingers absently twirling strands of Luhan's strawberry blonde hair.

Luhan hugged him tighter and shook his head. “No, not yet. Just five more minutes?” He pressed his lips on Sehun's neck. “Or maybe ten.”

Sehun grinned. “You know Baek is going to throw a fit, right? I can already hear him screeching in disbelief at our inability to follow orders.”

“He'll be okay,” said Luhan as he smiled, eyes locked on Sehun once more.

“You're staring at me again,” said Sehun. “Not that I am complaining, but is there something on my face?”

Luhan shook his head slightly. “I just – I can't believe I'm going to marry you today. It feels like a dream.”

Sehun's chest swelled with happiness at that comment. “I can't believe I'm marrying you either. Who would have known that the cute little boy from Ms. Cho's kindergarten class would be tricked into marrying the super shy transfer student some twenty years later?”

Luhan laughed. “I wouldn't use the word 'tricked' since I'm pretty sure I wanted to marry you first.”

Sehun nuzzled Luhan's face. “I'll let you keep thinking that since it makes you happy.”

“It's true,” Luhan protested.

“Right.” Sehun kissed Luhan on the lips. “I still love you.”

Luhan beamed. “That's nice to know since we're going to spend forever together. And in case you're wondering, I still love you, too.”

“Oh, I'm well aware of that.”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “Why are you so confident in the morning?”

Sehun pinched Luhan's left ear. “It's the truth, babe.”

“You're impossible, Oh Sehun,” Luhan mumbled, his hand caressing Sehun's face. Affection radiated from his face when he suddenly confessed, “Regardless of how impossible you are sometimes, I'm still thankful that we met. Do you remember the first day we met?”

Sehun smiled. “How could I forget?”

Sehun wasn't sure how he felt about his new school. It was a tall, impressive-looking building with lots of windows. He heard his father say that this was the best elementary school in the district, but he wasn't going to judge that based on the school's appearance alone. His parents had taught him to not judge a book by its cover. He was definitely more interested in what was inside this five-storied building.

“Sehunnie, look!” His mother pointed at the children playing in the snow. “Those must be your new classmates.”

Sehun pulled his red beanie further down and looked to where his mother was pointing. There was a small group of children playing around in the snow. A few of them were building their own snowman, and from what he could tell, they weren't doing a good job. Most of them looked like they were struggling to make the round body of the snowman. Aside from that group, there were about four kids throwing snow at each other. Not snowballs. Just snow. Sehun didn't understand it much.

He was about to turn back to his mother to tell her that he would much rather wait inside for class to start when he spotted a little boy with pink earmuffs making something in the snow. The little boy's cheeks were also pink, tinged from the cold, and Sehun had never seen anyone looking so focused while playing with snow. Intrigued, Sehun slowly walked over to the mysterious boy with the pink earmuffs. His mother quietly watched as he made his way over.

Sehun doesn't say a word when he reached the boy. He simply stared at him and his work. From what Sehun could tell, the boy was packing the snow in his mitten-clad hands, making oddly shaped clumps. Once he was done, he would place the clumps of snow on the red sled. He was in the middle of transferring his sixth lumpy concoction to the sled when he finally noticed Sehun's presence.

“Oh! Hi!” The little boy beamed at Sehun, cute tiny lips curling upwards. His eyes were really big and sparkly, while his nose was as cute as a pink button. He looked like someone from Sehun's bedtime storybook. Maybe one of his fairytales – the ones his mother tend to fond over whenever she reads to him.

Sehun doesn't say anything back. He was unable to classify his feelings toward the new boy, and this left him feeling stumped.

The boy looked confused momentarily before he looked down at his sled. “You want to help me make more snow cookies?”

Cookies? Sehun looked down at the weird clumps of snow and then back at the boy. Those were definitely not cookies. Not even snow cookies – whatever those were.

“They're for the three snowmen over there.” The boy pointed towards the area with the snowmen. “I think after being outside in the cold for so long, they must be feeling hungry, so I'm making snow cookies for them. It's taking me a long time, but if you can help me, we can get it done faster!”

Again, Sehun doesn't say anything. Sadly, the boy mistaken Sehun's silence for confusion and promptly began explaining how these snow cookies were made. It wasn't difficult at all, if Sehun was being honest. The boy was just mushing lumps of snow together. However, Sehun doesn't interrupt the boy as he continued to ramble on about his careful procedure to make edible snow cookies. The boy had a sweet voice, and Sehun didn't want to tell him that his recipe for snow cookies made no sense whatsoever. His parents raised him better than that.

Sehun quietly watched as the boy made more snow cookies. After he had enough, which was about eight snow cookies, he brushed the snow off his mittens and smiled at Sehun. “Do you want to help me pull the sled?”

Sehun said nothing as the boy began pulling his sled towards the group. Without really knowing why, Sehun followed the boy with the pink earmuffs. He had no idea why the boy would even ask for his help if he was going to do it all by himself. Also, why did the boy think eight snow cookies were enough for three snowmen? Again, Sehun was stumped.

As he was transporting the snow cookies to their final destination, the boy kept glancing over at Sehun. His long eyelashes would flutter immediately when Sehun stared back at him.

When they got to the area with the ugly snowmen, the boy began placing three snow cookies in front of the first two snowmen, and for the last one, which Sehun noted was a lot rounder than the first two, he placed the remaining two cookies down. Satisfied with his work, the boy clapped. “Yay! We did it!”

Sehun's attention on the boy was interrupted when he heard his mother calling for him. He looked back and saw that she was standing next to a middle-aged woman, who must have been his new teacher. He turned back to the boy who was now staring at him curiously. Sehun couldn't muster up the words to tell the boy that he had to go, so he doesn't say anything as he turned to walk away. It was strange to admit, but he secretly hoped that the boy with the pretty eyes didn't think he was a weird mute.

“Everyone, meet Sehun! He's our new friend,” announced Ms. Cho as she squeezed Sehun's shoulders. “Sehun is new to the area, so I hope everyone can be extra nice to him on his first day here.”

The class stared at Sehun while he tried his best to look elsewhere. He honestly didn't like being the center of attention.

“Who wants to share a table with Sehun?” Ms. Choi asked as she scanned the classroom, looking for an empty seat. Sehun noticed how most of the tables had two kids sitting side by side. Was there even an empty seat available for him?

A tiny hand shot up in the air. “Ms. Cho, Sehun can sit here with me!”

Sehun looked toward the sound of that familiar voice. Before he could pinpoint the exact location, Ms. Cho was already guiding him towards the table in the back, next to the windows.

Sehun immediately spotted the boy with the pink earmuffs, though he wasn't wearing them anymore since they were inside. The boy was smiling at him.

“Thank you, Luhan,” said Ms. Cho as she pulled the chair back for Sehun. “Sehun, sweetheart, you can sit next to Luhan. If you have any questions, you can ask him. Luhan is a very smart boy, and he would love to make a new friend.”

The boy, Luhan, nodded. Sehun sat down and looked over at his new table mate. Luhan had a pretty name. It wasn't Korean, and it fits his face beautifully. Sehun decided right there that he liked Luhan's name, though he was still unsure about the actual boy.

“I'm Luhan. Nice to meet you, Sehun!” Luhan held out his hand for Sehun to shake, and since he didn't want to be rude, Sehun shook his hand.

“Hi,” he said. This caused Luhan's eyes to widen.

“You can talk!

“Of course.”

Luhan grinned. “We're going to be best friends,” he declared without asking for Sehun's input. And from that statement, Luhan became a sort of guardian to Sehun on his first day of school, giving him guidance throughout the day. After giving Sehun a tour of the room, the boy quickly told Sehun about all the other kids in the class. From how he described them, Sehun could tell which kid Luhan liked and which he didn't. Sehun found it fascinating how Luhan could get so animated when talking about things and people he liked. He has never met anyone quite like Luhan. In addition to that, Luhan was very kind. He even helped Sehun get his paint supplies during Arts and Crafts and his strawberry milk when it was lunch time. Sehun doesn't talk much, but he certainly appreciated the other boy's help.

During nap time, Luhan set his nap mat next to Sehun's and laid down. “We're not supposed to talk during nap time,” Luhan informed him. Sehun was pretty sure he got the concept of nap time without Luhan's help, but he doesn't bother telling the boy otherwise.

Luhan suddenly turned his body to the side to face Sehun directly. He was quiet for a few minutes, his shiny eyes simply staring at Sehun. It looked like he was trying to come up with the right words to say to Sehun, which Sehun found peculiar because Luhan had no trouble whatsoever talking to him the whole day.

“If you,” Luhan began, “feel scared, you can hold my hand.” He stuck out his tiny hand, palm up, and waited for Sehun.

Sehun blinked. He has never held hands with anyone except for his parents and his grandparents. Though Luhan was extremely nice, Sehun didn't see why he would need to hold his hand. He shook his head and turned the other way. Within a minute or two, he fell asleep, but for some reason, he had a hard time staying asleep. He woke up, slightly panicking when he realized that his mother wasn't here with him. He goes back to sleep but after waking up a few more times, Sehun grew tired and turned towards Luhan, who was sound asleep. His hand was still stretched out in front of him, waiting. Sehun bit his bottom lip. He wasn't feeling scared, but he did feel a bit sad that his mother wasn't with him. He was starting to miss her. If she was here, she would undoubtedly hold his hand...

Sehun reached out and clasped his hand with Luhan's. The boy doesn't stir as Sehun gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Luhan's hand was surprisingly soft – softer than his mother's. And for reasons Sehun didn't understand, holding Luhan's hand brought him comfort.

Within seconds, Sehun fell asleep, his hand tightly holding on to Luhan's.

*******

As soon as Luhan and Sehun entered the ceremony hall, Baekhyun came rushing towards them with a glittery clipboard in his hand and a personal headset on his head.

“Please don't tell me that Baek has his own mic,” said Sehun with a small frown.

“I –”

“Everyone, don't panic!” Baekhyun shouts into his headset's microphone. “The two grooms are here. I repeat, the grooms are here!” Baekhyun pressed the mute button on his headset, and immediately glared at Sehun. “What happened to showing up on time for your own wedding?”

“What are you ranting about? We're on time,” replied Sehun, checking his watch.

“No. If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late.”

Sehun shrugged. “We're not going to follow that. My wedding, my rules.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. He pressed a button on the headset and ordered the staff to move faster because they were less than 4 hours away from showtime. Luhan looked around and saw everyone doing their best to meet Baekhyun's demands. The chairs were set up and flowers were being arranged, and everything looked like it was coming together. His vision coming to life – all thanks to Baekhyun.

“Hey, Baek,” said Luhan as he gave his best friend a hug. Baekhyun looked a little stressed.

Unsurprisingly, Baekhyun seemed to calm down a bit when Luhan embraced him. “Hey, Lu.”

“It'll be fine. Breathe,” Luhan whispered.

“Trying to.” Baekhyun smiled at him, looking more relaxed now that Luhan was here. “I can't wait for this to be over. I need to get you married and on a plane to your honeymoon ASAP.”

“Something we can agree upon,” Sehun muttered as he picked up the wedding's itinerary.

Baekhyun snatched the gold-foiled card away from Sehun. “You can have a look at that later. Right now, I need the two of you dressed and getting your hair and makeup done.” He looped his arm around Luhan's and tugged him forward. Luhan looked back at Sehun to see if he was following, and found his lover grinning, seemingly amused at Baekhyun's eagerness.

“Lu, my favorite groom, you'll be in the waiting room to the left, which is slightly larger,” announced Baekhyun once they entered an exquisitely decorated corridor. “And Groom #2, you'll be in the room to the right.”

“Did you hear that, babe? I'm Groom #2,” said Sehun. Luhan gave him an apologetic look, but Sehun just shook his head and smiled at him.

“Now, Lu,” Baekhyun stopped walking and released his hold on Luhan, “get your kisses in because you won't be seeing Sehun until it's time.”

“Oh.” Luhan turned to face Sehun, who was waiting with his hands in his pockets. It was hard to imagine that the next time he was going to see Sehun would be when they're both wearing their tuxedos and walking down the aisle. He could feel butterflies starting to form in the pit of his stomach. That nervous anticipation. He took a step closer to Sehun. “I'll see you later?”

Sehun stepped forward, shortening the distance between them. “Yes.”

“I can't wait to see you in your tux,” admitted Luhan.

“And I can't wait for you to steal my breath away.”

“That is definitely my plan,” joked Luhan as he put his arms around Sehun's neck, unable to resist his charm. “I love you.”

Sehun smiled. “I love you, too, Luhan.”

“How about a kiss for good luck?”

“How about two?” Sehun pressed his lips against Luhan's, gently kissing him. “One.” And then Sehun's smile grew wider as he cupped Luhan's face and kissed him deeper, his tongue tracing Luhan's bottom lip in a teasing manner. “Two.”

When Sehun released him, he gave Luhan a smirk before pulling him back towards him and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Another one, just in case.” He gave Luhan a flirty wink. “You must be absolutely swooning over me right now.”

“Maybe,” said Luhan as he too planted a kiss on Sehun's cheek. He wanted to continue kissing Sehun, but he had a feeling that Baekhyun was going to start shouting for them to separate. “See you in a bit.”

“Yeah..” Sehun let Luhan go. He gave Luhan a quick wave before turning to head towards his room.

“You look so lovesick,” commented Baekhyun as he came up beside Luhan. “He's literally across the hall from you.”

“I know..I can't help it.”

“Is Sehun aware that he's stolen more than just your heart? It seems like he got a bit of your soul as well.”

Luhan looked at Baekhyun with glee sparkling in his eyes. “It's only fair since I stole his first kiss.”

Baekhyun raised one of his eyebrows. “So you stole his first kiss and now you're claiming all of his other kisses?”

Luhan nodded. Baekhyun smiled. “And that is why I love you so much. You're not afraid to fight for what you deserve, and honestly, you deserve the world.”

Luhan could hear the emotions bubbling underneath Baekhyun's words. He wanted to reach out and give Baekhyun a hug, but his friend shook his head, as if telling Luhan that he was okay. Baekhyun checked his watch. “Well, enough chatting, it's time for us to get you ready for your wedding!” Baekhyun grabbed Luhan's arm and led him away. “Don't you worry about a thing, Lu. I have everything under control. Kyungsoo and Yixing are in your room waiting for you. Once we get you dressed, I'll have the hair stylist come in and work her magic. Then the makeup team will get started, and by the time they get done, we should have about thirty minutes to spare.”

Baekhyun opened the dark mahogany door and waited for Luhan to enter first. “You ready?”

“I am,” said Luhan confidently.

Once Luhan stepped inside, he was immediately greeted by Yixing and Kyungsoo, who both decided to hug him at the same time. Yixing was babbling about how happy he was for Luhan and Sehun, while Kyungsoo promised Luhan that he would make sure Yixing wasn't a sobbing mess in their wedding photos. Luhan thanked the two of them, and then he noticed the white, perfectly tailored Valentino suit hanging across the room. He took a deep breath. This was really happening. He was going to marry Oh Sehun today. His Oh Sehun.

And for the umpteenth time that day, Luhan smiled.

Luhan glanced over at Sehun's coloring book and immediately picked up his pace. He was currently using the green crayon to color the puppy on his page, and he knew that Sehun was going to need it soon to color his trees. There was only one green crayon in their box, and Luhan liked sharing crayons with Sehun. He actually liked sharing everything with Sehun because, aside from his parents, Sehun was definitely his favorite person. He couldn't be happier to be friends with Sehun, who has been by his side since the first day they met.

He's finally found his best friend, and Luhan knew that he would do anything to keep Sehun as his best friend. And that means he has to hurry up and finish coloring so Sehun could use the green crayon.

“I'm almost done,” Luhan stated as he completed the tail on his dog. He was coloring outside the line thanks to his haste, but he didn't care. “Here!” He held out the green crayon to Sehun as soon as he finished. “All yours.”

Sehun looked up from his coloring sheet and took the crayon from Luhan. “Thanks,” he said quietly, though he didn't immediately use the crayon once he got it. He placed it down on his desk and continued coloring his elephant.

It didn't matter to Luhan because he gave Sehun a wide grin as he said, “You're welcome, Sehun!”

“Blerggh.”

Luhan whipped his head around. On the other side of the room, he could see Yixing making an ugly face as Sunni kissed his cheek.

“It's my birthday, XingXing! I have to give everyone a kiss,” Sunni explained. Even before Yixing could reply, Sunni had moved on to Joohyun, who looked far happier about Sunni's mission than Yixing did. Luhan watched as she continued giving everyone a kiss on the cheek, sometimes the forehead whenever they resisted. Luhan looked back at Sehun, who was too focused on his coloring to notice what was happening around him. He bit his bottom lip. Sehun was not going to like getting a kiss from Sunni.

Luhan looked back and realized that Sunni was just a few feet away now. She was seconds away from reaching their table, and he had to do something quick before she kissed Sehun.

“Sehun!” Luhan called out, causing the other boy to look up. He grabbed Sehun's face and planted his lips directly on Sehun's. With his eyes closed, he pressed his lips on Sehun's lips and breathed out his nose. Once he counted to three in his head, he released Sehun and opened his eyes. Sehun was staring at him, mouth wide opened, confusion all over his face.

“Aw, Luhan, you can't do that!” Sunni complained. She stomp her foot as Luhan stuck his tongue out.

“Too bad, Sunni. I already kissed Sehun. You don't have to come over here.” He watched with satisfaction as Sunni turned around and chose someone else as her next target. He was just about to pat himself on the back when he heard a coughing sound from Sehun. He looked back at Sehun, who was currently wiping his lips with his shirt sleeve.

“What did you do that for?” Sehun asked, sounding a little upset.

“I – I was helping you,” Luhan answered, his eyes blinking rapidly. He didn't expect this response from Sehun. He expected his best friend to thank him for saving him from Sunni's dry lips.

“Helping me from what?”

“Sunni's germs!”

“By giving me your germs?” Sehun's face was riddled with confusion, like he couldn't imagine why Luhan thought it was a good idea to kiss him in place of Sunni.

And honestly, Luhan didn't really know why he did it, but the fact remained – he kissed Sehun. And as his best friend, Sehun should have appreciated his kiss! He doesn't give them out too often.

“What's wrong with my germs?” Luhan fired back, his ears growing red by the second. “It's better to get my germs than to get Sunni's!”

“That makes no sense. Germs are germs,” said Sehun matter-of-factly.

“That's –” Luhan stopped, his mind trying to find a good excuse as to why his germs were better, other than the fact that they were his germs. He found it hard to think of anything with the drumming of his heartbeat pounding against his ears. A strange sense of sadness engulfed Luhan as he realized that Sehun didn't like his kiss. In fact, Sehun looked as though he hated it. He hated Luhan's germs, and to make it all worse, he even said Luhan's germs were the same as Sunni's.

“That's not true,” Luhan said weakly, his vision quickly blurring as tears began to form. “My germs are better than hers.” He stood up and walked away before his tears could fall. He was not going to let Sehun see him cry. Stupid Sehun, who was incapable of seeing how different Luhan's germs were from Sunni's. Stupid Sehun. Stupid Sehun.

Luhan didn't speak to Sehun for the rest of the day. During nap time, he placed his sleep mat next to Yixing instead of his usual spot next to Sehun. He could feel Sehun's eyes staring at him, but he wasn't going to answer his gaze. Sehun was stupid, and Luhan was mad at him for being stupid. In fact, he was so mad at Sehun, he couldn't even sleep. He tossed and turned the entire hour. Yixing was staring at him with concern in his eyes, but he doesn't say anything. Yixing was kind enough to leave Luhan alone.

When the dismissal bell rang, Luhan's heart dropped. He completely forgot that today Sehun's mother was picking them up, and he was to spend the afternoon at Sehun's house before his mother could pick him up. It became a convenient arrangement for their parents, who quickly became friends when they found Luhan and Sehun holding hands after Sehun's first day – the two of them unwilling to separate. Earlier today, Luhan actually looked forward to hanging out with Sehun at his house, but now, he wanted nothing to do with Sehun.

Once they were out, Luhan sat down on the bench, and Sehun followed. He sat right next to Luhan, and that prompted Luhan to slide farther down the bench, away from him. This time Sehun didn't follow. Thankfully.

“Sehun! Luhan!” Mrs. Oh called out when she arrived. Sehun stood up and ran to his mother. Luhan walked slowly towards her. “How was school?” she asked, after giving Sehun a hug.

“Fine,” Luhan answered as he maintained his distance from Sehun, who was staring at him again.

When they got in the car, Luhan made sure to ignore Sehun and give the outside world his entire attention. The streets were far more interesting than Sehun. That's what he told himself, at least.

“I'll get some fruits ready for you two,” said Mrs. Oh after helping Sehun out of his shoes.

“Okay,” said Luhan as he took a seat at the table. Sehun followed and sat across from him. His usual seat. Luhan wished he sat somewhere else today, but since this was Sehun's house, that meant this was his table, so he could sit wherever he wanted.

Sehun's eyes are on him again, but Luhan refused to meet them.

“Here you go,” said Mrs. Oh as she placed a plate of strawberries and oranges between them. “Make sure you have a bit of both.” She left to go do the laundry, unaware that Luhan and Sehun have not spoken to each other the entire time.

Luhan picked up a strawberry and began eating. Maybe strawberries could heal the hurt that Sehun caused. Strawberries were sweet and never stupid. Not like Sehun.

After eating about ten, Luhan realized that he should eat the oranges too, even though he didn't like them. To his surprise, however, Sehun had grabbed all the orange slices, leaving him with only the strawberries. He gave Sehun a puzzled look. Did Sehun not want any strawberries? Luhan wanted to ask him, but he reminded himself that he was mad at him, so it didn't matter what Sehun wanted to eat.

After eating, Luhan moved to the living room where he flipped the channel to watch his favorite cartoon. Sehun was never a fan of the show about a koala and the friends he meets along the way, but occasionally, he would let Luhan watch it whenever he was over. Luckily, today, Sehun wasn't interested in watching his robot TV show. He quietly sat on the other end of the sofa. Sometimes Luhan could feel Sehun's eyes focusing on him, but he didn't pay it any attention.

“Luhan, sweetheart, your mother is on her way,” announced Mrs. Oh as she stepped into the room, a basket of laundry in her hands.

Luhan got up and made his way to the door, where his shoes were currently. He bent down and put on his shoes, unaware that Sehun was behind him.

“Do – do you want more strawberries?” Sehun asked.

Luhan turned around and found Sehun fiddling with his shirt. He shook his head.

“Uh – what about candy? I think I have some left. I can –”

Luhan shook his head again.

Sehun frowned. “What should I do to get you to talk to me again? I don't want you to stay mad at me.”

Luhan blinked. He didn't think Sehun noticed that he was mad.

When he remained silent, Sehun sighed. “I'm sorry about what I said...”

“You really hurt my feelings, Sehun,” confessed Luhan, his lips turning down in a pout.

“I didn't mean to!” Sehun blurted. “I – I didn't say it to upset you.”

“Do you really think my germs are nasty? Are they like all other germs?”

Sehun took a moment to ponder this. After careful consideration, Sehun shook his head. “No. Your germs are different.”

“Different?”

“Yes. Different. I like different.”

“You like different?”

Sehun nodded. “Don't stay mad at me, Luhan...I don't like it.”

“I – I don't like being mad at you, either.” It was the truth. This whole day has been difficult for Luhan. He was so used to talking and laughing with Sehun that his self-imposed silent treatment had been tortuous. A big part of him felt lonely.

“Can we be friends again?” Sehun asked.

Luhan nodded, a bit vigorously. “I forgive you.”

“Good!” Sehun ran up to him and hugged him. “You have to nap beside me tomorrow and spend the weekend at my house to make up for today.”

“Okay!” Luhan laughed when Sehun squeezed his body. He couldn't help but think that maybe Sehun wasn't entirely stupid...

And frankly, it didn't matter much because Luhan liked Sehun way too much for it to change the way he felt about him.

*******

“Do you need help with that?” asked Jongin from where he sat.

Sehun glanced back at him in surprise. “You know how to tie a tie?”

Jongin rolled his eyes and stood up. “Of course. Who did you think did this?” He pointed at his own black tie.

“Kyungsoo,” said Sehun.

“Well, you're not wrong, but I can definitely tie a tie.”

Sehun smiled. “Considering how I wear a tie to work everyday, and you don't, I think I can manage just fine.”

Jongin shrugged. “Suit yourself. I'm just fulfilling my role as the best groomsman.”

“Second best,” Chanyeol corrected. He gave Jongin a playful wink and earned a scoff in response.

Sehun shook his head. “It's endearing how the two of you are fighting over the title of second best since we all know Tao has earned the top spot.”

Jongin narrowed his eyes. “We don't have Tao's money. Not everyone can afford to give you a weekend at a famous Parisian vineyard as a wedding gift.”

“What did you get them?” Chanyeol asked.

“A state-of-the-art microwave,” Jongin answered, expression radiating with confidence. “It costs a pretty penny.”

“Oh...”

“What did you get them?” Jongin asked in return.

“An ice cream maker.”

Jongin blinked in surprise before he immediately whipped his head around and verbally attacked Sehun. “The hell, Sehun? I'm competing with someone who got you an ice cream maker for a wedding gift?!”

“Hey, it was an expensive ice cream maker,” Chanyeol argued. “Stainless steel.”

“A piece of steel that makes ice cream versus a high-tech microwave. Are you kidding me, Sehun?” Jongin folded his arms. “Do you not need something to heat up your food?”

“Luhan loves ice cream,” Sehun answered simply.

Jongin opened his mouth to argue but instantly shut it once he realized the implication behind that statement. “Still...it heats up food,” he mumbled. “I'm sure Luhan needs to heat up his food sometimes.”

“I'm joking, guys. Luhan and I appreciate both of your gifts.”

Jongin scoffed, but said nothing. Chanyeol, on the other hand, smiled cheerfully at the acknowledgement.

Sehun stared back at his reflection. He looked sharp, sophisticated, and completely ready to walk down the altar in his white with black accents Louis Vuitton tux. Luhan helped him picked it, so he was pretty positive that he was going to love him actually wearing it. He secretly chose the three-piece option because he knew Luhan found vests attractive.

Once he was done with his tie, Sehun turned back to give his groomsmen a look of his completed appearance.

“Breathtaking,” Jongin said sarcastically. Sehun ignored him.

“You look fantastic,” said Chanyeol with more sincerity in his voice. Sehun thanked him.

“Something's wrong,” Jongin suddenly pointed out.

“What?”

Jongin stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at Sehun for a few silent seconds. “You don't look nervous. Why don't you look nervous?”

“Am I supposed to be?”

“I was nervous at my wedding,” said Chanyeol.

“Well, I don't feel nervous,” supplied Sehun as he straightened the lapel of his tux. “I'm marrying Luhan. What is there to be afraid of?”

“Um..” Jongin glanced over at Chanyeol. “Lifetime commitment to one person? Being labeled as someone's husband. Being a husband. Having to wear a ring every single day so long as you both shall live.”

“You sound extremely eager to ask Kyungsoo to marry you,” Sehun joked.

“I'm serious, Sehun.”

Sehun smiled. “I'm not nervous because I am going to marry Luhan, my best friend. The love of my life. It feels right. I'm not going to question it because this is what I want. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him.”

“Wow...” Chanyeol walked over and patted him on the back. “I couldn't be more proud of you for actually saying that aloud.”

“Well, Sehun has always been the most sentimental out of our group of friends,” Jongin added. “Our softest bean.”

Sehun shrugged. “It's not that hard to display emotions when I'm up against Mr. Never Settling Down and Mr. I'm Too Fabulous.”

Jongin grinned. “I don't think I'm fabulous at all.”

“Neither do I,” Sehun deadpanned.

“Speaking of fabulous, when is Tao coming?” Chanyeol asked. “I hate to see him miss this wonderful bonding moment.”

“He's probably in the air now. His flight boarded a few minutes ago,” answered Sehun. “He'll get here in time for the reception. Hopefully.”

“Can I make my speech before him?” asked Chanyeol.

“Why?” asked Jongin.

“I have a feeling it's going to be hard to top Tao's speech.”

Jongin took a second to think this over before he nodded in understanding. “I'm with him on this. Let me go after Chanyeol.”

“Fine,” said Sehun, though he was sure Luhan (and Baekhyun) had more control over the proceedings of the wedding than he did. They'll figure something out.

He took a look at his cell phone and smiled at the new message from Tao.

“I'll be there soon, so don't you dare cut the cake without me!”

“He's smiling to himself again,” said Chanyeol.

“At which point should we call Yixing in for a medical evaluation?” asked Jongin.

“I'm fine,” said Sehun, and he really was.

He was more than fine, actually. He was bursting with excitement. A few minutes from now, he'll be marrying Luhan in front of his friends and family, and he couldn't be happier. His dream was slowly becoming a reality, and Sehun just wanted to soak in the moment.

Sehun was not one to be easily impressed, but as he sat watching the skinny boy with spiky black hair demonstrate a difficult kick, he found it hard not to be. The boy, named Tao, from what Sehun recalled during their first day of Taekwondo class, was a natural. Apparently, he does other kinds of martial arts and excelled in each of them. He was the star student, and Sehun wanted to be at his level, despite his beginner white belt status.

Honestly, the last time Sehun was this impressed by someone was when Luhan managed to get his father to buy him a new bike for Christmas by simply pouting and batting his lashes. Luhan could get anything he wanted with that trick, and Sehun was acutely aware of this, being a frequent victim himself.

“He's really good,” said a boy Sehun's age with sun-kissed skin and a messy head of hair. Sehun reads the name on his white uniform – Kim Jongin. The boy sat down next to Sehun, his eyes focused on Tao. Sehun recognized the boy from school, but he never caught his name.

“Yeah. He's at least a red belt. Don't know why he's in our class.”

“Looks like he's trying to collect a black belt for every discipline.” The boy looked at him finally and smiled. “My name is Jongin, by the way.”

“I'm Sehun.”

Jongin looked around the class. “Where's your best friend? The cute one with the pretty eyes. I haven't seen him since the first day?”

Sehun knew that Jongin was referring to Luhan, but he wasn't sure how he felt about someone else calling Luhan cute. Is that how other people saw his best friend?

“Luhan isn't really interested in Taekwondo. He was only here during the first day to check it out with me. He's taking theater now.”

“Oh.” Jongin looked contemplative. “So it's just you?”

“Yup.”

“Well, maybe we can be each other's partner since I don't have any friends here.”

Sehun considered the offer. It was true that he didn't have Luhan here with him, and he definitely needed a sparring partner. Maybe partnering up with Jongin won't be so bad.

“Sure,” he said finally. Jongin gave him a relieved smile, and Sehun wondered if he was afraid Sehun would reject him.

Sehun was about to ask Jongin if he wanted to go get water with him when Tao came over and plopped down next to him.

“I get that I'm good, but why does the teacher keep calling me out?” said Tao, sweat dripping down the side of his face.

“Because you're the only one who doesn't look stupid doing those kicks?” Jongin offered.

Tao looked over at Jongin, and after considering his statement, he smiled. “That's very true.”

Jongin rolled his eyes. “You're a lot more humble than I imagined.” Sehun caught his sarcastic tone and grinned.

“I was raised right,” said Tao. Sehun doesn't know if he was deflecting Jongin's sarcastic statement or if he really thought Jongin was genuine. “I'm Tao.” He held out his hand for Jongin to shake. The other boy shook his hand firmly.

“Jongin.”

Tao held out his hand for Sehun. “And you are?”

“Sehun.”

“Hi, Sehun. Nice to meet you.” Tao looked around the classroom. “Where's the little one that's always with you? The one with the sparkly eyes and angel face.”

Sehun was beginning to wonder if everyone th