“Are you seriously going to go through with all six dates?” Youngbae asked in a serious tone, rolling onto his side in the bed they so often shared, watching him intently for a reaction. His eyes were especially beautiful when he put so much force into them, narrowing into two dangerously magnificent slits, focusing on him and only him. A man on a mission. Seungri felt like he was being X-rayed, Youngbae scanning the inside of his head for the answers he was looking for. Seungri didn't think either of them would like what he would find, so he pushed the real answers under a rug, stalling. “I've done four already, so it would be very impractical to stage some kind of a protest now, when there are only two left.” he pointed out with honesty.

Youngbae sighed, his finger fiddling with the bed cover, clearly not satisfied with his answer. His finger stopped resolutely and he looked right into his eyes, determination coloring the air around him. “You do realize that for us to be able to be together, you are going to have to stage a protest sooner than later. Your mom won't magically accept me when she doesn't even have the faintest clue of my existence. I want to be with you, to be with all of you and only you. And I'm getting tired of this limbo we are in. It's like we're forever stuck on the waiting list, and no matter how long we wait, we're always in the same place, not able to move any higher up, our goal still a distant star on the clear night sky. It looks beautiful when you gaze at it, sparkling brightly, but in the light of morning you can't really see it anymore. The right time will never come, it's never the right time to go up against one's parents. That's why we have to make now the time, our time. We're ready to shine, you just have to let us.” Youngbae said softly but decisively, sliding his fingers gently over Seungri's cheek.

Seungri knew this was coming, he knew he had been living on borrowed time, and yet he wasn't quite prepared for it. He loved Youngbae, he knew that for sure. But did he love him enough, that was the question. Enough to leave everything he knew behind, having only him to hold on to in the scary unfamiliar world of regular people. He didn't get how people did it, going to work all day everyday, getting paid peanuts, if that, not even being able to afford a proper bottle of wine with which to wash away their troubles. And what would he do in that world? He had no practical skills to speak off, no real world work experience. Would he even be able to get a job? What if he couldn't? Youngbae didn't make enough to support the both of them, and Seungri wasn't particularly fond of the idea of having to move to a homeless shelter. They did love each other a lot, they truly did, but was that enough to build a life on?

Seungri had spent many a night lying in bed, thinking about this very moment. Thinking about how he would react when Youngbae finally gave up on waiting, confronting him with an ultimatum. Would his heart give him the courage to run away with him? He already knew the answer. When push came to shove, he just wasn't cut out for poor life. Given the choice between love or money, he chose money. He wanted both of course, who didn't? But he didn't have the confidence to love without money, fearing his love would only turn into bitter hate and resentment.

As he closed the door to Youngbae's place, a single tear trickled down his cheek. He had left his keys. This door would never open for him again.

“Are you okay? You look sad.” was the first thing Daesung said to him when they met for lunch. His face looked genuinely worried. He really was a decent guy, that Daesung. He was waiting for an answer, but Seungri was too tired and dispirited to come up with some elaborate ruse to cover up the truth. Instead, he decided to tell it like it was. After they had ordered, he took the leap. “The thing is..” he paused, letting out a short sigh. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.” Daesung told him, smiling encouragingly. “Nahh, I kind of do... I should have told you from the start.. the thing is, I've been dating this guy..” he blurted out, not having planned what he was going to say exactly, just wanting it off his chest.

“Yeah, I figured.” Daesung said with dejected understanding. He figured? So the moment he saw him he had painted him as the villain, sticking the cheater label on him without so much as a hint of evidence to back up his story? Seungri couldn't help feeling a bit wronged, even though he had been seeing another guy, but it wasn't quite like that. He wasn't just seeing any guy, he had been in love with Youngbae. He still was. He wasn't some cruel cheater type that got his rocks off by breaking other people's hearts, he was as much a victim of the situation as everyone else. And he had never pretended this was anything more than a simple marriage meeting, he had even told him about the deal he had made with his mom. He had nothing to be ashamed about. Still the guilt creeped up on him, annoying the heck out of him.

“What? Do I look like some two-timer?” he couldn't help himself, the annoyance reverberating through his words. “Eh.. no... no... nothing like that!” Daesung assured him mortified. “It's just.. such a cute and funny guy like yourself.. there's no way he'd be single..” he grinned awkwardly, not daring to meet his eyes. “Oh..” Seungri felt like an idiot. The all too familiar uneasy feeling of the soul crushing silence that followed them everywhere returned.

“So.. you fought.. because of these dates?” Daesung finally enquired, he looked like he wasn't very comfortable in his own skin. “We broke up actually.” he said quietly. Now that he said it out loud it seemed so real. The had broken up. For good. He tried hard to keep his heart afloat, but it was stubbornly sinking to the bottom of the ocean, making him queasy. “You what?” Daesung was horrified, his face pained. “Don't worry, it'd been a long time coming..” he clarified to avoid any misunderstandings.

“Is there anything I can do? Don't feel like you have to stay, you can go work it out with him right now. I will totally understand. I can even talk to him myself if you want, explain that you were forced to participate in these meetings. And I can talk to mom and ask her to cancel the 6^th date.. I'm not sure if it's going to work, she's kind of got her mind set on you, but I can try..” Daesung anxiously offered, clearly wracking his brain for what more he could do for him. How was he still single? He was just about the kindest soul he had met, always thinking about the well-being of others ahead of his own.

Seungri was going to go with a polite 'Thanks. But no thanks.' but the dread of facing the rest of the day terrified him. “Just.. stay with me today. Please. I don't want to be alone.” he whispered, his selfish broken heart not letting him feel sorry for taking advantage of his kindness.

Daesung took his plea a little too seriously, making it his mission to distract him from his sorrows. They spent the whole day together, going for a bike ride along the Han river, the wind in his face so refreshing that it made him feel close to okay for a moment, visiting the aquarium in the 63 building and making fun of all the weird looking fishes, Daesung's laughter infecting his heart with hope, then going to the top to check out the evening view over the entire city, the millions of tiny lights before him helping him put things in perspective. One of those lights out there belonged to Youngbae's place, he wondered what he was doing right at that moment, was he thinking about him? Did he miss him or was he too pissed at him to feel anything but anger?

“Do you have plans tonight?” Seungri asked as they exited the building. “Yeah.” Daesung smiled vaguely like he was glad he did, but when he saw the unintentional frown that took over Seungri's face, he added, “With you, silly!”. He giggled softly, taking his hand. “Come on, I know just the place.”

“You.. you actually frequent this place?!”. They were at an outdoor drinking tent and the ahjumma was treating Daesung like one of the neighborhood regulars. Seungri couldn't put it together in his head, one of the wealthiest men in the country, sitting on a dirty plastic chair at a wobbly table, drinking soju from a cheap shot glass. “Yeah, it's nice, no one knows who I am and it has a nice view over the river.” he grinned happily.

An hour later Seungri found himself drinking with not one, but four Daesungs. He was so wasted he had trouble keeping his balance on the stool on which he was sitting. “Woa!” he laughed as he gave in to gravity. He waited for the harsh embrace of the sidewalk, only to find out he had superpowers. He had stopped himself in mid-air, hovering right over the ground. He could fly!! He grinned, trying to find out how to put himself in first gear, wanting to go for a test drive. Ah, maybe superman had the key. He balled up his fist and punched the air, holding his hand straight out. He heard Daesung snort, “Ya! Babo-ya! I'm going to drop you if you don't help me out a little, let's get you on your feet, shall we?”.

Okay, that made more sense. Daesung had saved him. His knight on a shining white horse. Where would he be without him? Without a doubt intimately kissing the sidewalk by now. Hmm, he wouldn't mind an intimate kiss right about now, but the sidewalk was probably not the best kisser. With difficulty, they managed to get him back up by working together. It wasn't easy, but they did it. Daesung wiped his forehead, panting. Had he been running? Ooh, he was dizzy. That stool wasn't helping, refusing to stay put under his behind. “Oooh, hey hey hey...” Daesung sat down right beside him, putting his hand around him to keep him steady. He felt warm.

“There we go, are you okay there pal?” Daesung asked him, patting his arm awkwardly. He turned to face him. Wow, his face was close. Had his face always been so close? He tried to focus, he wanted to see those cute smiling eyes of his. He kept dropping in and out of focus, to the point of being annoying. “Stay put!” he scolded him, grabbing hold of his cheeks, trying to make the world stop spinning. “I'm not going anywhere.” Daesung said, his voice so sweet it gave him a warm feeling in his gut.

After a moment or two he regained his senses, sort of. Daesung was silently looking into his eyes. He wasn't smiling. He had this vulnerability about him, his lips almost quivering, or maybe it was he himself that was quivering, he wasn't sure. He realized he hadn't let go of his face yet, it felt so smooth to the touch. Just like a baby's bottom. Although he had never in his life touched a baby's bottom, what a ridiculous expression. He was basically saying Daesung's face was like someone else's , that wasn't very nice, was it. Well, it depended on the , didn't it.

Seungri could feel he was getting queasy again, so he focused on Daesung's rhythmic breathing. In. Out. In. Out. It was soothing. He kind of envied the air that got to caress his lips. Acting on its own accord, his thumb went to quench his curiosity, exploring what it was like to touch those beautiful, almost heart shaped lips. They looked so soft, like they would be the perfect place on which to rest one's lips. The space between them was shrinking, either Daesung was drawing closer or he was leaning forward. Either way, their lips were set on a collision course, and that was one crash Seungri longed for to happen.

“Closer, come closer.” Seungri thought. Wait. As Daesung's lips got pulled into a small, shy smile, he realized that he had said it out loud. He froze. The kind angel that he was, Daesung did exactly what he had asked of him. He came closer, their lips slowly meeting. They were even softer than he had imagined. It was like kissing a delicate cloud. He could feel his mind drifting in and out of consciousness, wanting to be set free, to get lost in the softness of the cloud.

Seungri opened his eyes. His head felt like it had been sawed in half. He was lying in a bed, but it wasn't his own bed, nor was it Youngbae's bed. Where was he? His first guess had been a hotel room, but it looked too cozy to be a hotel. Fancy cozy. The duvet cover alone looked like it cost about as much as a small family car. That was some thread count.

“Morning sunshine.” Daesung sang brightly as he entered the room with a tray in his hands. “Crap, did we..?” Seungri's voice trailed off. Had they slept together? His memory of last night was spotty at best. He tried to catch hold of those fuzzy glimpses in his head. They had kissed, that much he knew. Mhh. It had been a good kiss though. The kind that got your insides all in a twist, making you long for the next one even if this one wasn't over yet. He realized he was staring at his lips, wishing that second kiss would visit him right now. He tore his eyes away as Daesung nodded, putting the tray on the nightstand as he sat down on the side of the bed.

“Don't worry. I know it was just a one night thing. I know it was just to ease the pain, and I'm fine with it. I was happy to help. Twice.” he said, blushing slightly, his eyes dancing. “Twice?” Seungri repeated. “Mhm.” he giggled as he handed him an aspirin and some water. So considerate and kind-hearted. Most of the ones he had been set up with had been rich spoiled brats that spent their days exploring their own navel, fascinated beyond belief. But not Daesung. He thought of everyone before himself, genuinely wanting the best for you. How had he not been tainted by the hypnotizing smell of money? It defied logic.

Come to think of it, no matter how many marriage meetings he would attend, it was unlikely that he would ever be matched up with anyone as amazing as Daesung. They might not be a match made in heaven, but it wouldn't be the worst union ever made either. He was handsome, cute, compassionate, thoughtful, funny, and not to mention smoking hot. And on top of that, he was rich and of a high stature in society, the highest in fact. It would make everyone happy if they got married, possibly even himself.

The more he thought about it, the clearer it got. It was easy math, everything added up nicely. Considering his recent life choices, this was as good as it would get. He found Daesung's hand, entwining their fingers together. It felt right. He leaned in for a short, sweet kiss. He had made up his mind. And with that, he proposed.

“We might not be made for each other, but life has made us right for each other. Marry me.”

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it  ♥

This story made me fall for both daeri and baeri, aigoo I'm powerless in the face of those cuties >.<

My fanfiction obsessed brain has obviously already come up with a sequel, but with my insane story load right now I can't add on another one, so if it will be written, there will most likely be a long wait for it, so yeah, we'll see :)