CHINGUX 2014: to have and to hold (1/1) for jewtaik
Title: to have and to hold
Author: michaelwesten
Recipient: jewtaik
Pairing/Focus: chanyeol/chen
Rating: r
Warnings: language, brief mentions of sex
Length: 3184 words
Summary: there's no way chanyeol would forget to bring the rings to his own wedding. (he totally forgets to bring the rings to his own wedding. jongdae loves him anyway.)
Years later, Chanyeol still maintains that Baekhyun jinxed the whole thing.
It's the evening before Chanyeol's wedding to Jongdae and they're all sitting around the bar. Chanyeol's got the ring box out in his left hand and he keeps opening and shutting it, using his fingertips to pry it up just far enough that it snaps back with a satisfying, crisp sound.
It's driving Kyungsoo nuts.
"Will you quit that and give it to me?" Kyungsoo demands, hands thrusting past the empty bottles of soju. Chanyeol's reflexes are pretty good despite the low level of intoxication he's been working with all night. He snatches it deftly out of Kyungsoo's grasp, just in time.
"No."
"You know, as best man, I really should be the one to hold onto the rings, at least until-"
"You're only one of the best men," Baekhyun promptly interrupts. "We're co-best men, remember?"
"You're certainly something," Kyungsoo says, deadpan.
Baekhyun flashes him a wicked grin with all of his teeth. "Maybe I should hold onto them."
"No," Jongdae says immediately. "Definitely not you."
Kyungsoo and Chanyeol both crack up laughing. Baekhyun's less amused at the stunning lack of confidence in him shown by his best friend. He scowls and elbows Jongdae in the ribs.
"Maybe I've got better things to do tomorrow, then."
"You don't," Chanyeol says, and ruffles Baekhyun's hair. "Look, guys, it's fine. I'm not going to lose them. I've been holding onto the rings for months now. One more night isn't going to make much of a difference."
He sets the ring box in front of him and pats it a few times to convey that they're safe and sound. The conversation barrels on-Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are still arguing about who's the more responsible adult-but Jongdae gets quiet, his eyes soft and sweet. Chanyeol notices just as Jongdae's hand slips under the table to find Chanyeol's.
-
The morning of the wedding, Chanyeol oversleeps. He's usually pretty good about waking up to his alarm, but through a combination of exhaustion and alcohol consumption, he doesn't even realize he's late until Kyungsoo's standing at the foot of his bed banging a couple pots and pans against each other.
"Shit. What. Yeah, I'm up," Chanyeol moans, peeking through his splayed fingers at the very angry face looming over him.
"You were supposed to be at the venue fifteen minutes ago," Kyungsoo says crossly, pulling the comforter and the sheets away from Chanyeol with one swift tug. "Get in the shower. Now."
Chanyeol becomes marginally more awake under the warm spray, but he's clearly not moving quickly enough for Kyungsoo, who stands in the bathroom door, arms akimbo, watching Chanyeol slowly rub shampoo through his hair.
"Faster," Kyungsoo urges, throwing a towel over the tension rod. "If you're late, Baekhyun'll just have to stand in your place."
Chanyeol laughs even though he knows it's not exactly an idle threat. He knows Baekhyun'd do anything for the laugh, up to and including attempting to marry Chanyeol's fiancée just because Chanyeol couldn't get out of bed on time.
He nearly slips on the tiled floor in his haste to get out of the shower.
-
Yura's waiting in the lobby for Chanyeol when he and Kyungsoo finally arrive. She looks at her watch impatiently and shakes her head, curls bouncing around her jawline.
"Mom's mad," she informs him.
"I figured," he says. "How's-"
"Jongdae? Looks amazing. You, on the other hand," she says, brushing lint off the shoulder of his tuxedo with a practiced hand, bracelets jingling, "look like you were in a rush."
"I'm here, aren't I?" Chanyeol shoots back, grinning. "We've still got time. Ceremony's not for another two hours."
"You're supposed to be with the photographer right now," Yura reminds him gently, hands skirting around the edge of his lapels to pull them straight.
"So hurry." Kyungsoo sweeps past and makes a beeline straight for the bathroom. Chanyeol watches the door swing closed behind him.
"Dad's already taken a million pictures," Yura says, snaking an arm around his waist. "I think he's going to fill up the SD card before the ceremony even starts."
"And Mom?" Chanyeol asks, tipping his chin up so Yura can fiddle with his bow tie.
"I bought her some really good waterproof mascara."
Chanyeol laughs. They both know she's still going to cry. Last year, she cried all the way through Yura's wedding to Kyungsoo. Chanyeol's pockets had been full to bursting with crumpled tissues.
At least they'd learned from the experience.
Yura steps back to admire her handiwork. From her expression, she's still not quite satisfied. She studies him for a moment, hands clasped, until she realizes what it is and retrieves her lip balm from her purse.
"Here," she says. "You really should exfoliate your lips, you know."
He raises an eyebrow and uncaps the tube, eyeing it dubiously. It smells cloyingly sweet, like artificial strawberry. "That's a thing?"
The bathroom door swings open and Kyungsoo emerges. "Is he decent?"
"He's never decent," Yura teases, surveying him one last time. "But I think he looks pretty handsome. He's ready to go."
Chanyeol pretends not to notice that Kyungsoo has to push up on the balls of his feet, just slightly, to whisper something in Yura's ear. She leans into him, anticipating, eyes squeezing shut with helpless laughter. They're making fun of him and he doesn't even care because their happiness is infectious. It reminds him of Jongdae so much, from the way Yura's hand cups Kyungsoo's face to the faint blush warming her cheeks when Kyungsoo kisses her, chaste and unabashed, in front of Chanyeol.
"You ready?" Kyungsoo says, turning.
Chanyeol realizes that in just a few short hours, that'll be him. That'll be Jongdae. They'll be that happy. "Can't wait," says Chanyeol.
-
Chanyeol nearly chokes when he lays eyes Jongdae for the first time. He's seen him in a suit dozens of times, but there's just something different about it, like everything's brand new. Jongdae turns and smiles when he sees it's finally Chanyeol.
"Hey, you. Finally. I figured you weren't going to show."
"Hi," Chanyeol croaks, unable to respond to the gentle ribbing. He's too busy taking it all in. He looks so fucking good. Hair coiffed neatly off his forehead. The matching bow tie, the suspenders, jacket draped over an arm. He's wearing the tiny silver earrings Chanyeol'd given him as a birthday present last year.
Baekhyun's voice interrupts the moment. "Look at his face."
A camera flash. Then another.
"A few candids before we begin?" asks the photographer. "Go to each other." Behind her, Chanyeol's father's snapping a lot of the same pictures, using her shoulder as a guide. She seems unperturbed by his hovering.
"Kyungsoo had to wake you up, didn't he?" Jongdae murmurs as Chanyeol crowds into Jongdae's space, hands mapping out the familiar span of Jongdae's shoulders.
"No," Chanyeol says immediately. "I was awake."
Jongdae bursts out laughing, slapping Chanyeol square in the chest. "Sure." Another camera flash.
The photo session is predictably dull. Chanyeol smiles so much his cheeks hurt, smiles until he feels his expression go wooden as they rotate through the entire wedding party-then families-then finally back to just the two of them. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo stand on the sidelines cracking jokes, but it's still tedious, even if Jongdae keeps slipping his hand around Chanyeol's and squeezing it. He knows how antsy Chanyeol can get.
By the time it's over there's a little under ninety minutes left until the ceremony and Chanyeol's already struggling with the way his new loafers are pinching.
"Should've broken them in," Kyungsoo says immediately when he sees the grimace cross Chanyeol's face, like he's some kind of fucking mind reader. Chanyeol shoves him away and then braces himself for the inevitable punch to the bicep in return.
And then Baekhyun's saying something. Chanyeol tunes in just in time to hear, "Rings?"
Instantly, every muscle in Chanyeol's body locks down. The ring box is not in his pocket. He hadn't even given the rings a thought this morning. He was too busy trying to get out the door.
Jongdae swivels to look at Chanyeol. "You brought them, right?"
"Yes. Of course I did," he says nervously, trying to keep his face composed. "I've got to pee," he announces, like this isn't completely suspicious. Still, Chanyeol manages to make it to the bathroom alone and is halfway through searching his pockets when Jongdae comes in, chuckling.
"I knew you forgot to bring them," Jongdae laughs, and pulls Chanyeol's face down to kiss the tip of his nose. "You fucking idiot."
Chanyeol flushes guiltily. "I could've sworn I brought them with me."
Jongdae checks the time on his phone. "There's plenty of time to go back and get them. Where'd you leave them?"
Suddenly, Chanyeol's heart lurches. He doesn't actually remember putting them in his pocket after their conversation at the restaurant. "Shit. Did I leave them at the bar? I was pretty drunk when we left."
Jongdae narrows his eyes. "You really think you did?"
Chanyeol racks his brain. He remembers snatches of things from the end of the evening, including the argument he'd had with Kyungsoo over who was covering the tab, but there's a blank spot every time he tries to recall the rings.
"I-shit," he says. "I really think I did."
"Okay. It's only a few blocks away," Jongdae says. "You have your keys? Let's go."
"Kyungsoo's going to freak out if he realizes both of the grooms have left the building," Chanyeol says.
"Who cares? We'll be back before he notices," Jongdae says, always up for an adventure. Chanyeol falls in love just a little harder.
-
The rings are not at the bar.
The host insists that nothing was turned in at the end of the night but Chanyeol still insists on searching their table himself. Nothing.
"You think somebody stole them?"
"Nah," Jongdae says. "They were obviously very important. They would have been turned in."
"Maybe they fell out of my pocket in the cab," Chanyeol suggests.
"We did pour you into it," Jongdae agrees. But neither of them can remember the cab service, so Chanyeol gets on the phone with his bank to track the charges he'd made last night while Jongdae slides up to the bar and orders a gin and tonic while he waits.
Chanyeol gets the name of the cab company-then calls the cab company to track down the car and ask if any drivers had found a ring box. Jongdae's systematically peeling the lime wedge away from the rind to pop the piece of spent fruit into his mouth when Chanyeol hangs up, groaning.
"Not there, either." He looks morosely at Jongdae's drink. "And you didn't even save me any."
"You took too long," Jongdae says, looking at his phone. "Shit. We've been here half an hour."
As if on cue, Jongdae's phone rings. He stares at the screen for a moment and then swipes across to answer the call. "Baekhyun," he says, holding a finger up at Chanyeol. "Yes, he's with me." A pause. "No, we're not eloping."
"Good idea, though," Chanyeol chimes in. Jongdae waves at him to be quiet.
"I know," he says. Another pause. He laughs. "Yes, you were right. Yes. We'll be back soon."
"Right about what?" Chanyeol asks.
"Tell Kyungsoo to calm down. No, wait-tell Yura to tell Kyungsoo to calm down. He actually listens to her." Jongdae nods a few times at whatever Baekhyun's saying, and then hangs up, chuckling under his breath as he pockets his phone.
"Right about what?" Chanyeol asks again.
"Baekhyun wanted to know if you'd forgotten the rings like he said you would."
"And you told him."
"Of course," Jongdae says, hopping down off the bar stool. "He doesn't get to be right very often. Give him this one."
"He's never going to let me forget it," Chanyeol says defensively. "He was the one who brought up me forgetting the rings in the first place, so really it's his fault."
Jongdae wisely ignores this spectacular lapse in Chanyeol's logic. "Look," he says comfortingly, "they're probably in your pants from last night, or in the laundry hamper. We can swing by your apartment on the way back."
Chanyeol checks the time. They're really cutting it close. But then again, the rings are a pretty fucking important part of today. "Alright," he says. "Let's get going."
They'll be there. They just have to be.
-
They're not there. He finds the jeans he'd been wearing last night in a heap, kicked off at the foot of the bed. The pockets are empty. He tears apart the entire laundry hamper just in case while Jongdae stands back to watch and deal with a phone call from an irate Kyungsoo who'd only just realized Jongdae and Chanyeol had left the venue.
"Well fuck," Chanyeol says, the sick weight of panic rising in his throat. "They're really lost."
Jongdae seems entirely unaffected by the missing rings. He's puttering around Chanyeol's bedroom, picking up pairs of pants from the floor and shaking them just to make sure, then dropping them back. He turns and sees Chanyeol's distraught face.
"Hey. Not having the rings doesn't mean we're not married," Jongdae says soothingly. Chanyeol groans.
"Everyone's going to laugh."
"Yeah," Jongdae says. "But that's okay." He holds up a pair of rubber bands he'd retrieved from Chanyeol's desk. "We can use these for all I care. I'm committing to you either way."
"Rubber bands?"
"Sure." Jongdae slips them into the pocket of his suit jacket. "We're keeping it contemporary."
Chanyeol laughs hollowly, sinking down onto the edge of the bed, head in his hands. "I can't believe I lost the rings."
Jongdae reaches over and loosens Chanyeol's bow tie for him, instantly ruining all of Yura's hard work. It feels like being back at school all those years ago, when Chanyeol was working an internship and came home late every night tired and pissed off and Jongdae was always waiting, ready to cheer him up. Chanyeol closes his eyes. Jongdae's always been a source of comfort.
"I'm not ready to go back and face them," he admits. "Kyungsoo's going to kill me."
"We don't have to just yet," Jongdae murmurs, letting his fingers curl around Chanyeol's jaw, thumb curved to fit Chanyeol's chin. "They won't miss us for a few minutes."
Chanyeol doesn't bother to point out that they've already been gone a lot longer than a few minutes and that they've already been missed. He wants to stretch each second like this out into a lifetime. He leans in and rests his forehead against Jongdae's stomach, lets himself be irresponsible for a moment.
Jongdae waits for a few breaths and then bends over, slides his palm around the back of Chanyeol's neck and pushes him the rest of the way down onto the bed. The first kiss is slow, soft-stretched out, their mouths slanted together. Chanyeol hesitates for a moment before he loses himself and starts grabbing fistfuls of Jongdae's hair, his clothes, rumpling his tuxedo in his haste to pull their bodies together.
This is really fucking stupid, Chanyeol thinks vaguely, head swimming, we need to get back. We can't do this right now, we need to look presentable but then Jongdae's untucking Chanyeol's shirt tails from his tuxedo pants and all coherency goes out the window.
At least Jongdae has the presence of mind to toss their clothes over the night stand instead of leaving them strewn across the comforter to be rolled upon or worse, soiled by lube.
"Aren't we supposed to wait until tonight for this?" Chanyeol asks, chest heaving. "We're spoiling the magic of the wedding night."
"Don't care," says Jongdae. "It'll be special tonight, too. But I want you now, too. Roll over."
Chanyeol turns over on his stomach, chin on his hands, caged in by Jongdae's arms on either side of his elbows. Sometimes he prefers to be flat on his back so he can kiss Jongdae whenever he wants, but there's something about this position that's more intimate, somehow-the way he relinquishes all control and just lets Jongdae hold him, warm from the heat of Jongdae's body, of Jongdae's skin against his own.
Jongdae fucks him with a sense of urgency, heart hammering against his ribcage so hard and fast that Chanyeol feels it every time Jongdae pushes himself to the root and drapes his body across Chanyeol's back, skin to skin. He keeps whispering things into the nape of Chanyeol's neck. Chanyeol can't hear what Jongdae's saying over his own quiet moans but he gets the gist every time Jongdae punctuates it with a kiss. Chanyeol reaches back and runs his hand through Jongdae's hair, wrecking it completely, holding their bodies together as Jongdae shivers and comes, and goes silent.
Afterwards they lie there and try to catch their breath. Chanyeol pulls Jongdae in under his arm and kisses him, mouth trailing lazily across Jongdae's eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, the gentle dip of his philtrum.
"I love you," Jongdae murmurs, turning his face into Chanyeol's sweaty skin. "Come on. Let's go get married. I don't think we can put it off any longer. They're waiting for us."
-
They're very, very late, but Chanyeol doesn't care, not even when Kyungsoo tries to put him in a headlock, not even when Yura catches sight of Jongdae's wilted sex hair and tries to put Chanyeol in a headlock, too. Chanyeol's so far past needing any ceremony or any external trappings to remind him just how important Jongdae is to him and how much they love each other. He lets Jongdae roll the rubber band down his ring finger and he can hear the snickers coming from both sides of the aisle, but all he's really focusing on are the excited tears gathering in the corners of Jongdae's eyes. Chanyeol can't help but lean in and kiss Jongdae on the mouth, just a quick peck, just to reassure him.
"Not yet," the priest chides gently. Laughter breaks out. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Mr Park."
The whole room laughs again.
"Love you," Jongdae mouths.
"Love you too," Chanyeol mouths right back, and in that moment, he's never been more sure of anything in his life.
-
Years later, Jongdae will maintain that he couldn't have planned a more perfect day, missing rings or no. Baekhyun, on the other hand, doesn't ever let Chanyeol forget.
"That's what you get," he tells Chanyeol every time it comes up. "You didn't trust me and you were punished for it."
"Doesn't seem much like punishment to me," Chanyeol says, and then kisses Jongdae for so long that Baekhyun's wrinkling his nose and complaining about married people when they eventually separate.
(The rings do turn up eventually-months later, when they're moving Chanyeol out of his apartment. The ring box had fallen out of his pants and tumbled under his bed. Chanyeol puts it on immediately, but he still keeps the rubber band one in his wallet as a reminder.)
Author: michaelwesten
Recipient: jewtaik
Pairing/Focus: chanyeol/chen
Rating: r
Warnings: language, brief mentions of sex
Length: 3184 words
Summary: there's no way chanyeol would forget to bring the rings to his own wedding. (he totally forgets to bring the rings to his own wedding. jongdae loves him anyway.)
Years later, Chanyeol still maintains that Baekhyun jinxed the whole thing.
It's the evening before Chanyeol's wedding to Jongdae and they're all sitting around the bar. Chanyeol's got the ring box out in his left hand and he keeps opening and shutting it, using his fingertips to pry it up just far enough that it snaps back with a satisfying, crisp sound.
It's driving Kyungsoo nuts.
"Will you quit that and give it to me?" Kyungsoo demands, hands thrusting past the empty bottles of soju. Chanyeol's reflexes are pretty good despite the low level of intoxication he's been working with all night. He snatches it deftly out of Kyungsoo's grasp, just in time.
"No."
"You know, as best man, I really should be the one to hold onto the rings, at least until-"
"You're only one of the best men," Baekhyun promptly interrupts. "We're co-best men, remember?"
"You're certainly something," Kyungsoo says, deadpan.
Baekhyun flashes him a wicked grin with all of his teeth. "Maybe I should hold onto them."
"No," Jongdae says immediately. "Definitely not you."
Kyungsoo and Chanyeol both crack up laughing. Baekhyun's less amused at the stunning lack of confidence in him shown by his best friend. He scowls and elbows Jongdae in the ribs.
"Maybe I've got better things to do tomorrow, then."
"You don't," Chanyeol says, and ruffles Baekhyun's hair. "Look, guys, it's fine. I'm not going to lose them. I've been holding onto the rings for months now. One more night isn't going to make much of a difference."
He sets the ring box in front of him and pats it a few times to convey that they're safe and sound. The conversation barrels on-Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are still arguing about who's the more responsible adult-but Jongdae gets quiet, his eyes soft and sweet. Chanyeol notices just as Jongdae's hand slips under the table to find Chanyeol's.
-
The morning of the wedding, Chanyeol oversleeps. He's usually pretty good about waking up to his alarm, but through a combination of exhaustion and alcohol consumption, he doesn't even realize he's late until Kyungsoo's standing at the foot of his bed banging a couple pots and pans against each other.
"Shit. What. Yeah, I'm up," Chanyeol moans, peeking through his splayed fingers at the very angry face looming over him.
"You were supposed to be at the venue fifteen minutes ago," Kyungsoo says crossly, pulling the comforter and the sheets away from Chanyeol with one swift tug. "Get in the shower. Now."
Chanyeol becomes marginally more awake under the warm spray, but he's clearly not moving quickly enough for Kyungsoo, who stands in the bathroom door, arms akimbo, watching Chanyeol slowly rub shampoo through his hair.
"Faster," Kyungsoo urges, throwing a towel over the tension rod. "If you're late, Baekhyun'll just have to stand in your place."
Chanyeol laughs even though he knows it's not exactly an idle threat. He knows Baekhyun'd do anything for the laugh, up to and including attempting to marry Chanyeol's fiancée just because Chanyeol couldn't get out of bed on time.
He nearly slips on the tiled floor in his haste to get out of the shower.
-
Yura's waiting in the lobby for Chanyeol when he and Kyungsoo finally arrive. She looks at her watch impatiently and shakes her head, curls bouncing around her jawline.
"Mom's mad," she informs him.
"I figured," he says. "How's-"
"Jongdae? Looks amazing. You, on the other hand," she says, brushing lint off the shoulder of his tuxedo with a practiced hand, bracelets jingling, "look like you were in a rush."
"I'm here, aren't I?" Chanyeol shoots back, grinning. "We've still got time. Ceremony's not for another two hours."
"You're supposed to be with the photographer right now," Yura reminds him gently, hands skirting around the edge of his lapels to pull them straight.
"So hurry." Kyungsoo sweeps past and makes a beeline straight for the bathroom. Chanyeol watches the door swing closed behind him.
"Dad's already taken a million pictures," Yura says, snaking an arm around his waist. "I think he's going to fill up the SD card before the ceremony even starts."
"And Mom?" Chanyeol asks, tipping his chin up so Yura can fiddle with his bow tie.
"I bought her some really good waterproof mascara."
Chanyeol laughs. They both know she's still going to cry. Last year, she cried all the way through Yura's wedding to Kyungsoo. Chanyeol's pockets had been full to bursting with crumpled tissues.
At least they'd learned from the experience.
Yura steps back to admire her handiwork. From her expression, she's still not quite satisfied. She studies him for a moment, hands clasped, until she realizes what it is and retrieves her lip balm from her purse.
"Here," she says. "You really should exfoliate your lips, you know."
He raises an eyebrow and uncaps the tube, eyeing it dubiously. It smells cloyingly sweet, like artificial strawberry. "That's a thing?"
The bathroom door swings open and Kyungsoo emerges. "Is he decent?"
"He's never decent," Yura teases, surveying him one last time. "But I think he looks pretty handsome. He's ready to go."
Chanyeol pretends not to notice that Kyungsoo has to push up on the balls of his feet, just slightly, to whisper something in Yura's ear. She leans into him, anticipating, eyes squeezing shut with helpless laughter. They're making fun of him and he doesn't even care because their happiness is infectious. It reminds him of Jongdae so much, from the way Yura's hand cups Kyungsoo's face to the faint blush warming her cheeks when Kyungsoo kisses her, chaste and unabashed, in front of Chanyeol.
"You ready?" Kyungsoo says, turning.
Chanyeol realizes that in just a few short hours, that'll be him. That'll be Jongdae. They'll be that happy. "Can't wait," says Chanyeol.
-
Chanyeol nearly chokes when he lays eyes Jongdae for the first time. He's seen him in a suit dozens of times, but there's just something different about it, like everything's brand new. Jongdae turns and smiles when he sees it's finally Chanyeol.
"Hey, you. Finally. I figured you weren't going to show."
"Hi," Chanyeol croaks, unable to respond to the gentle ribbing. He's too busy taking it all in. He looks so fucking good. Hair coiffed neatly off his forehead. The matching bow tie, the suspenders, jacket draped over an arm. He's wearing the tiny silver earrings Chanyeol'd given him as a birthday present last year.
Baekhyun's voice interrupts the moment. "Look at his face."
A camera flash. Then another.
"A few candids before we begin?" asks the photographer. "Go to each other." Behind her, Chanyeol's father's snapping a lot of the same pictures, using her shoulder as a guide. She seems unperturbed by his hovering.
"Kyungsoo had to wake you up, didn't he?" Jongdae murmurs as Chanyeol crowds into Jongdae's space, hands mapping out the familiar span of Jongdae's shoulders.
"No," Chanyeol says immediately. "I was awake."
Jongdae bursts out laughing, slapping Chanyeol square in the chest. "Sure." Another camera flash.
The photo session is predictably dull. Chanyeol smiles so much his cheeks hurt, smiles until he feels his expression go wooden as they rotate through the entire wedding party-then families-then finally back to just the two of them. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo stand on the sidelines cracking jokes, but it's still tedious, even if Jongdae keeps slipping his hand around Chanyeol's and squeezing it. He knows how antsy Chanyeol can get.
By the time it's over there's a little under ninety minutes left until the ceremony and Chanyeol's already struggling with the way his new loafers are pinching.
"Should've broken them in," Kyungsoo says immediately when he sees the grimace cross Chanyeol's face, like he's some kind of fucking mind reader. Chanyeol shoves him away and then braces himself for the inevitable punch to the bicep in return.
And then Baekhyun's saying something. Chanyeol tunes in just in time to hear, "Rings?"
Instantly, every muscle in Chanyeol's body locks down. The ring box is not in his pocket. He hadn't even given the rings a thought this morning. He was too busy trying to get out the door.
Jongdae swivels to look at Chanyeol. "You brought them, right?"
"Yes. Of course I did," he says nervously, trying to keep his face composed. "I've got to pee," he announces, like this isn't completely suspicious. Still, Chanyeol manages to make it to the bathroom alone and is halfway through searching his pockets when Jongdae comes in, chuckling.
"I knew you forgot to bring them," Jongdae laughs, and pulls Chanyeol's face down to kiss the tip of his nose. "You fucking idiot."
Chanyeol flushes guiltily. "I could've sworn I brought them with me."
Jongdae checks the time on his phone. "There's plenty of time to go back and get them. Where'd you leave them?"
Suddenly, Chanyeol's heart lurches. He doesn't actually remember putting them in his pocket after their conversation at the restaurant. "Shit. Did I leave them at the bar? I was pretty drunk when we left."
Jongdae narrows his eyes. "You really think you did?"
Chanyeol racks his brain. He remembers snatches of things from the end of the evening, including the argument he'd had with Kyungsoo over who was covering the tab, but there's a blank spot every time he tries to recall the rings.
"I-shit," he says. "I really think I did."
"Okay. It's only a few blocks away," Jongdae says. "You have your keys? Let's go."
"Kyungsoo's going to freak out if he realizes both of the grooms have left the building," Chanyeol says.
"Who cares? We'll be back before he notices," Jongdae says, always up for an adventure. Chanyeol falls in love just a little harder.
-
The rings are not at the bar.
The host insists that nothing was turned in at the end of the night but Chanyeol still insists on searching their table himself. Nothing.
"You think somebody stole them?"
"Nah," Jongdae says. "They were obviously very important. They would have been turned in."
"Maybe they fell out of my pocket in the cab," Chanyeol suggests.
"We did pour you into it," Jongdae agrees. But neither of them can remember the cab service, so Chanyeol gets on the phone with his bank to track the charges he'd made last night while Jongdae slides up to the bar and orders a gin and tonic while he waits.
Chanyeol gets the name of the cab company-then calls the cab company to track down the car and ask if any drivers had found a ring box. Jongdae's systematically peeling the lime wedge away from the rind to pop the piece of spent fruit into his mouth when Chanyeol hangs up, groaning.
"Not there, either." He looks morosely at Jongdae's drink. "And you didn't even save me any."
"You took too long," Jongdae says, looking at his phone. "Shit. We've been here half an hour."
As if on cue, Jongdae's phone rings. He stares at the screen for a moment and then swipes across to answer the call. "Baekhyun," he says, holding a finger up at Chanyeol. "Yes, he's with me." A pause. "No, we're not eloping."
"Good idea, though," Chanyeol chimes in. Jongdae waves at him to be quiet.
"I know," he says. Another pause. He laughs. "Yes, you were right. Yes. We'll be back soon."
"Right about what?" Chanyeol asks.
"Tell Kyungsoo to calm down. No, wait-tell Yura to tell Kyungsoo to calm down. He actually listens to her." Jongdae nods a few times at whatever Baekhyun's saying, and then hangs up, chuckling under his breath as he pockets his phone.
"Right about what?" Chanyeol asks again.
"Baekhyun wanted to know if you'd forgotten the rings like he said you would."
"And you told him."
"Of course," Jongdae says, hopping down off the bar stool. "He doesn't get to be right very often. Give him this one."
"He's never going to let me forget it," Chanyeol says defensively. "He was the one who brought up me forgetting the rings in the first place, so really it's his fault."
Jongdae wisely ignores this spectacular lapse in Chanyeol's logic. "Look," he says comfortingly, "they're probably in your pants from last night, or in the laundry hamper. We can swing by your apartment on the way back."
Chanyeol checks the time. They're really cutting it close. But then again, the rings are a pretty fucking important part of today. "Alright," he says. "Let's get going."
They'll be there. They just have to be.
-
They're not there. He finds the jeans he'd been wearing last night in a heap, kicked off at the foot of the bed. The pockets are empty. He tears apart the entire laundry hamper just in case while Jongdae stands back to watch and deal with a phone call from an irate Kyungsoo who'd only just realized Jongdae and Chanyeol had left the venue.
"Well fuck," Chanyeol says, the sick weight of panic rising in his throat. "They're really lost."
Jongdae seems entirely unaffected by the missing rings. He's puttering around Chanyeol's bedroom, picking up pairs of pants from the floor and shaking them just to make sure, then dropping them back. He turns and sees Chanyeol's distraught face.
"Hey. Not having the rings doesn't mean we're not married," Jongdae says soothingly. Chanyeol groans.
"Everyone's going to laugh."
"Yeah," Jongdae says. "But that's okay." He holds up a pair of rubber bands he'd retrieved from Chanyeol's desk. "We can use these for all I care. I'm committing to you either way."
"Rubber bands?"
"Sure." Jongdae slips them into the pocket of his suit jacket. "We're keeping it contemporary."
Chanyeol laughs hollowly, sinking down onto the edge of the bed, head in his hands. "I can't believe I lost the rings."
Jongdae reaches over and loosens Chanyeol's bow tie for him, instantly ruining all of Yura's hard work. It feels like being back at school all those years ago, when Chanyeol was working an internship and came home late every night tired and pissed off and Jongdae was always waiting, ready to cheer him up. Chanyeol closes his eyes. Jongdae's always been a source of comfort.
"I'm not ready to go back and face them," he admits. "Kyungsoo's going to kill me."
"We don't have to just yet," Jongdae murmurs, letting his fingers curl around Chanyeol's jaw, thumb curved to fit Chanyeol's chin. "They won't miss us for a few minutes."
Chanyeol doesn't bother to point out that they've already been gone a lot longer than a few minutes and that they've already been missed. He wants to stretch each second like this out into a lifetime. He leans in and rests his forehead against Jongdae's stomach, lets himself be irresponsible for a moment.
Jongdae waits for a few breaths and then bends over, slides his palm around the back of Chanyeol's neck and pushes him the rest of the way down onto the bed. The first kiss is slow, soft-stretched out, their mouths slanted together. Chanyeol hesitates for a moment before he loses himself and starts grabbing fistfuls of Jongdae's hair, his clothes, rumpling his tuxedo in his haste to pull their bodies together.
This is really fucking stupid, Chanyeol thinks vaguely, head swimming, we need to get back. We can't do this right now, we need to look presentable but then Jongdae's untucking Chanyeol's shirt tails from his tuxedo pants and all coherency goes out the window.
At least Jongdae has the presence of mind to toss their clothes over the night stand instead of leaving them strewn across the comforter to be rolled upon or worse, soiled by lube.
"Aren't we supposed to wait until tonight for this?" Chanyeol asks, chest heaving. "We're spoiling the magic of the wedding night."
"Don't care," says Jongdae. "It'll be special tonight, too. But I want you now, too. Roll over."
Chanyeol turns over on his stomach, chin on his hands, caged in by Jongdae's arms on either side of his elbows. Sometimes he prefers to be flat on his back so he can kiss Jongdae whenever he wants, but there's something about this position that's more intimate, somehow-the way he relinquishes all control and just lets Jongdae hold him, warm from the heat of Jongdae's body, of Jongdae's skin against his own.
Jongdae fucks him with a sense of urgency, heart hammering against his ribcage so hard and fast that Chanyeol feels it every time Jongdae pushes himself to the root and drapes his body across Chanyeol's back, skin to skin. He keeps whispering things into the nape of Chanyeol's neck. Chanyeol can't hear what Jongdae's saying over his own quiet moans but he gets the gist every time Jongdae punctuates it with a kiss. Chanyeol reaches back and runs his hand through Jongdae's hair, wrecking it completely, holding their bodies together as Jongdae shivers and comes, and goes silent.
Afterwards they lie there and try to catch their breath. Chanyeol pulls Jongdae in under his arm and kisses him, mouth trailing lazily across Jongdae's eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, the gentle dip of his philtrum.
"I love you," Jongdae murmurs, turning his face into Chanyeol's sweaty skin. "Come on. Let's go get married. I don't think we can put it off any longer. They're waiting for us."
-
They're very, very late, but Chanyeol doesn't care, not even when Kyungsoo tries to put him in a headlock, not even when Yura catches sight of Jongdae's wilted sex hair and tries to put Chanyeol in a headlock, too. Chanyeol's so far past needing any ceremony or any external trappings to remind him just how important Jongdae is to him and how much they love each other. He lets Jongdae roll the rubber band down his ring finger and he can hear the snickers coming from both sides of the aisle, but all he's really focusing on are the excited tears gathering in the corners of Jongdae's eyes. Chanyeol can't help but lean in and kiss Jongdae on the mouth, just a quick peck, just to reassure him.
"Not yet," the priest chides gently. Laughter breaks out. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Mr Park."
The whole room laughs again.
"Love you," Jongdae mouths.
"Love you too," Chanyeol mouths right back, and in that moment, he's never been more sure of anything in his life.
-
Years later, Jongdae will maintain that he couldn't have planned a more perfect day, missing rings or no. Baekhyun, on the other hand, doesn't ever let Chanyeol forget.
"That's what you get," he tells Chanyeol every time it comes up. "You didn't trust me and you were punished for it."
"Doesn't seem much like punishment to me," Chanyeol says, and then kisses Jongdae for so long that Baekhyun's wrinkling his nose and complaining about married people when they eventually separate.
(The rings do turn up eventually-months later, when they're moving Chanyeol out of his apartment. The ring box had fallen out of his pants and tumbled under his bed. Chanyeol puts it on immediately, but he still keeps the rubber band one in his wallet as a reminder.)