// Guess who's not dead?

Omg, you all are so patient, and Angel and I will never be able to thank you all for that fact

After the epilogue we'll make an update with an explanation of what causes the random 4 month hiatus, that was it doesn't interrupt the rest of the flow of the story. I'm currently working on the next chapter, which will be the final chapter before a time skip to the epilogue, and we have a couple of little 'after stories' kind of things that we want to do, with the intention of having them all complete before the next aniversary of this fic, but life happens (sadly). Anywho, have some Fanxing~

Yifan trailed his hands over the table red cloths draped over one of the few tables, chuckling to himself a little at the silver colored embroidered sheep pattern that faintly sparkled in the light of the room. It was a touch that he had mentioned to his mother, incorporating sheep and stars into the wedding as much as they could without it seeming too corny, and he had to admit that this was a way that he hadn’t expected the instruction to be taken.

“Do you like it?” He looked back, finding his mother standing in the doorway of the reception, his smile growing at the glint he saw enter her eyes as her hand came up to cover . “You look so much like your father did on our wedding day,” she said, her voice cracking a little, Yifan pulling her into a gentle hug. “With how long you spent in Korea, I always thought that you would choose to have a more modern style wedding. It means so much to your father and I that you two decided to take the traditional path instead.”

“We considered it, but a traditional wedding seemed much more suited for us,” Yifan replied, pulling back slowly, stifling a chuckle at she gently wiped the tears from her eyes, and he reached up to adjust the red and blue headdress he wore. He looked back to his mother as she reached out, straightening the short sash that was draped around his shoulders, fingers tracing over the light blue embroidered dragons on each side, tears welling in her eyes once again as Mr. Wu joined them, placing his hands on Mrs. Wu’s shoulders. She carefully pulled her hands back from her son, looking up to her husband, then back.

“Our son’s getting married, can you believe it?” she asked.

“Took him long enough,” Mr. Wu teased, and Yifan joined him in laughing, looking down at his left hand, finding it so empty without the engagement rings he and Yixing had worn, even if their engagement had been one of the shortest among their friends.

“I want to thank the two of you,” He said, a curious look entering his parents’ eyes. “We never spoke about my preference of men over women, so I was hesitant about telling either you about Yixing… and then when I had to come back to China to watch over the company, I thought it was a sign of some sorts… Or karma for being untruthful to you. But when I finally brought the topic up, telling you why I was so unhappy here in China, you offered nothing but support to my relationship with him. I have a friend with parents whom are the complete opposite, and it shows me just how lucky I am to have parents like you,” he continued, bowing his head, reaching up to catch the headdress from falling forward. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done knowing that I had to go through the rest of my life without Yixing by my side.” He felt a hand on his shoulder and another on his chin, nudging his head up to find his father’s hand on his shoulder, his mother’s on his chin, the pair smiling fondly at him.

“I knew the moment you stepped into my room at the hospital that you left a part of your soul in Korea,” his mother said, looking over to the main entrance of the hall as a set of claps caught their attention.

“The ceremony shall begin shortly, please take your places,” the priest called, and the trio nodded, Mr. And Mrs. Wu hugging their son once more before they were guided from the room to their seats in outside the arch of the pagoda. Yifan took a deep breath, his stomach knotting up in a way that he fondly remembered resembling the way it felt when he and Yixing met to stargaze and sip hot cocoa until it became too cold for the two of them to stay without catching colds… A memory that seemed so far away and yet he found himself able to recall even the pattern of the blanket they sat on.

Yifan’s eyes traveled to the stairwell, adjusting his headdress once more, starting his ascension to the room that Yixing was getting ready in. While it was traditional for the groom to go to the bride’s home to collect them, Yixing had insisted that he would just stay in one of the rooms of the building that the celebration would take place in as his parents lived two hours away from the place they had chosen for their wedding. Yifan stopped outside the door, hearing Junmyeon’s voice from the other side, muffled though the chines man assumed what he said was funny as Jongdae’s laughter rang loud and clear. He felt the smile on his lips grow, and he reached out to knock on the door, a silence falling over the room. A few moments passed, then the door opened to reveal the cat like smile of Jongdae’s that he had grown to know, as the brunet leaned against the door frame.

“So, what brings you here?” Jongdae asked, causing Yifan to shake his head a little.

“I’m here to bring Yixing to our wedding.”

“Hmm… Nah, I don’t think today’s a good day for a wedding.”

“Oh my god, Jongdae, let me in.”

“What do I get if I do?”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“You two are the ones who wanted a traditional wedding, and I’m taking my roll of the bride’s friend very seriously.”

“Shouldn’t it be Junmyeon doing that?”

“Oh don’t you worry, you’ll have to go through him too,” Jongdae stated, Yifan rolling his eyes a little as he reached into one of his sleeves, pulling out a long red colored envelope, offering it to the brunet.

“Happy now?” he asked, the younger opening the envelope to count the small bundle of bills that were inside, his grin growing.

“Always so generous, Yifan-Hyung,” Jongdae replied, pushing himself off the doorframe and moving out of the way to allow the elder into the room. His eyes traveled around the room until they fell onto Junmyeon, who was standing in front of a secondary door inside the room, which he was pretty sure Yixing was behind. He arched an eyebrow at Yifan, who did his best to keep the smile in place on his lips.

“I get the feeling that money won’t please you as easily as it did your husband.”

“You would be correct,” Junmyeon replied, Yifan shifting most of his weight onto one foot as he thought.

“How about a bike? Yixing mentioned that you liked biking down by the Han River.”

“If money isn’t going to sway me, what makes you think that offering to buy me something would?”

“Well, that rules out buying you a sushi restaurant,” Yifan said, fighting a smile when the blond rolled his eyes. “How about this- you can come with us on any and every vacation other than those involving out honey moon or anniversaries?”

“Do birthdays count as an anniversary?” Junmyeon asked, causing the older to let out a soft chuckle.

“No, they don’t count.” Junmyeon stared at him hard for a long moment before giving a dramatic sigh that Yifan was sure he had picked up from Jongdae.

“I guess I’ll allow this,” he stated, turning to face the door he had ben guarding, opening it slowly to reveal the blond inside.

Yixing’s headdress was a little more extravagant, having only a few lines of blue accents, white and red beads hung from it as well, and even though a golden mesh veil hid the details of his face Yifan could still make out the dimple poking into his cheek as he smiled. Yifan took ahold of the younger’s hands, leaning his head forward to press his forehead against the other’s the pair laughing when their headdresses knocked into each other. 

“Are you ready?” Yifan asked, Yixing nodding as he pulled his head back, looking up at the other.

“I’ve been ready for months,” he replied, making Yifan’s smile grow if that was even possible. He released one of the younger’s hands, tightening his hold on the other, leading Yixing from the room with Junmyeon and Jongdae trailing behind them. They stopped at the back exit of the building, allowing Jongdae and Junmyeon to go ahead of them to take their seats, Yifan reaching out to take the veil between his index and thumb, starting to lift it, causing Yixing to giggle and gently bat his hand away.

The music started up a few moments later, Yifan turning to face the walkway, glancing at Yixing once more before they made their way down the red carpet lined isle. They stopped once they reached the front row of seats, Yifan taking the extra step to continue to stand beside the younger as they turned to face Yixing’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Zhang stood from their seats, Yifan and Yixing holding their headdresses as they bowed, Yifan bowing a little lower, and Mr. and Mrs. Zhang bowed their head in response, the four of them straightening after. Yifan took one large step back as Yixing turned forward once more, the pair climbing the few stairs to stand under the pagoda before the priest.

“We are all gathered here to celebrate the joining of Wu Yifan and Zhang Yixing, in everlasting happiness. May they never face despair, and find themselves able to overcome any obstacle and every hardship, finding their bond stronger at the end of the day. Now, please recite your vows.”

“I remember the first time that I saw you, sitting alone in one of the practice rooms of the music hall. I wasn’t the type to spend much time there, with the degree I was going for, but the moment I heard you playing I found myself unable to stay away,” Yifan started, noticing the dimple poking into the side of Yixing’s cheek again.

“Creeper,” Junmyeon whispered under his breath, Jongdae elbowing him in the stomach in response, earning a pout from the blond; not that he saw much of it, his eyes focused on the couple.

“Be nice, there’s no going back now,” Jongdae softly scolded. “And we both know that Yixing-Hyung couldn’t be happier,” he added, the pout fading from Junmyeon’s lips as he turned his gaze back to the ceremony taking place.

“I made a fool out of myself nearly any time that we spoke, was hardly able to focus during the art class we had together. I was sure that you were going to think I was some strange person and only offer polite smiles when you had to interact with me, but the way you smiled at me gave me hope that we would one day grow close to one another. Every time we spent together just brought me more and more happiness, to the point that I was sure that one day my heart wouldn’t be able to take having an angel like you by my side, and it would just give out.” Yifan paused, taking a deep breath, holding the younger’s hands tightly. 

“After everything that I’ve put you through, trying to act as though we weren’t meant to be by each other’s sides forever… And then you showed up in China, refusing to let me deny that we were meant to be together. I know with every fiber of my being that I wouldn’t be happy standing here with anyone other than you, my little star,” Yifan finished, cupping the other’s cheek the best he could through the veil.

“The flowers you gave me when you came to the end of year showcase I was a part of were so beautiful that I almost didn’t know what to do. I didn’t think that anyone was coming to each showcase for me… I even worried that you offered the flowers to me just to be polite after Jongdae pointed them out… But then you accepted my offer to go star gazing and it made me so happy when you showed up.”

“You mean I agreed to meet you super late at night, in a dark secluded place, when I was still convinced that Junmyeon was plotting my death,” Yifan playfully corrected, and there was a soft murmur of giggles through the crowd as Yixing’s smile grew.

“Yes. Even though Junmyeon continued to make you feel uneasy, you still chose to make me happy above your own comfort. You tried to put me before yourself in so many different situations… I found myself wondering how anyone could think awful things about you, or spread the rumors that caused us to have a bit of a… supervised beginning of our relationship. But before long that didn’t matter to me, because I knew that I wanted you and as long as you wanted me too that was all I cared about.” Yixing giggled, his eyes flickering down for a moment, returning to Yifan’s a moment later.

“And then we talked about being engaged and I assumed that was all there was going to be between dating and being engaged… Then you went through the trouble to spread rose petals everywhere and get down on one knee to propose to me. You’re always surprising me and giving me more than I could think to ask for. I’m so lucky to have you in my life from this day on.”

“To have and to hold, to cherish, until death do us part,” Yifan said, Yixing nodding.

“To have and to hold, to cherish until death do us part,” Yixing echoed, the priest clearing his throat after.

“I now pronounce you Wu Yifan and Wu Yixing. You may now kiss your groom,” the priest announce, a toothy smile crossing Yifan’s lips before he raised Yixing’s veil, cupped his cheeks and they pressed their lips together, the crowd erupting in a bunch of cheers and whistles.

~

“I’ll be right back,” Yifan whispered into Yixing’s ear, the younger nodding, and Yifan let go of his hand slowly, wandering over to where he saw Minseok standing. He was leaning back against one of the walls, ZiTao nowhere in sight

“Is there a reason you’re over here, standing by yourself?” Yifan asked, leaning to rest his back against the wall, looking to the older male whose lips quirked up into a smile. “You never struck me as the type to need a break from a group of people this size,” he added, looking back over at the tables where most of the guests were nibbling on the meal offered.

“Usually I’m not, I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About how to propose to ZiTao,” Minseok replied simply, Yifan choking on his drink, and Minseok let out a single laugh. “Considering we’ve been together for nearly as long as Yixing and you have, that shouldn’t surprise you,” Minseok pointed out, looking to the light brown haired male.

“I-I guess it isn’t, it’s just… he…” Yifan bit at his lip; he had sworn not to tell, but what if he had to in order to keep Minseok from proposing first? Would the older still be able to act surprised if-

“It’s just that he’s your platonic soulmate,” Minseok filled in, Yifan relaxing a little.

“Y-yeah.”

“And he’s been like a little brother to you, if not acting more like a child under your care than anything,” the older continued, Yifan deciding to keep quiet. “It’s because of you being like a father figure to him that I… I wanted to ask for your blessing,” Minseok added, looking over at Yifan who looked back at him. A few moments of silence passed between them before Minseok arched an eyebrow and Yifan took another sip of his drink. “So?”

“So?” Yifan echoed, Minseok’s smile drooping a little.

“Will you give your blessing?” Yifan took another drink, Minseok shaking his head. “I’m sure it’s seen as a little rude to ask for this while we’re attending your own wedding, but that doesn’t mean you should give me the silent treatment,” he stated crossing his arms loosely over his chest as Yifan remained silent. “Will you or will you not offer your-”

“No.” Minseok paused, processing the response.

“No?”

“I won’t give my blessing.” Minseok squinted a little at the taller male.

“And why not? Junmyeon didn’t fight you when you wanted to marry Yixing even though we all know the history that the two of you have had with him trying to keep you from so much as speaking with Yixing. And he had every right to oppose your wedding after everything that’s happened. What reason do you have to tell me no?”

“ZiTao and you have had your issues,” Yifan said carefully, trying to find a way out of the conversation without angering the older. It didn’t appear like it was going to be a successful plan though with the way Minseok was almost puffing up.

“We have made it through the obstacles that we’ve ran into,” he argued before huffing a sigh. “Fine. I revoke my request for your blessing. ZiTao’s a grown adult, neither of us need your permission to get married,” he replied, moving to walk past the light brown haired male, shooting him a sharp look when Yifan caught a hold of his arm.

“We both know how highly ZiTao holds my opinion. He won’t say yes if he knows that I don’t approve of your wedding.”

“You may be his soulmate, but don’t forget that I’m one of his as well,” Minseok all but growled before stepping past the taller male, returning to the table ZiTao was sitting at and Yifan sighed, shaking his head.

ZiTao, please hurry, before your soulmate starts to hate me for this, he thought, taking a deep breath to push the instance from his mind and make his way over to back hug Yixing.