Work Text:
“What is one thing you regret about high school?
♥♥
It’s around 11:30 pm on February 13th when Yunho turns to Mingi and asks a relatively harmless question, “Do we have any plans tomorrow?”
Mingi, having been in a relationship with Yunho for years, doesn’t even question it. He just cuddles into the couch further and yawns before responding, “Nope. Lazy day for us. Do you wanna go get hot pot maybe?”
He should have known that something was off when Yunho didn’t immediately say “YES!” to hot pot. He never passed on a chance to eat good food. But instead, his partner simply grabs his hand and pulls it to his lips to give it a quick kiss. The act is charming, but again, they’re like a fine-tuned machine at this point.
When you’re in a relationship with someone for a few years, sometimes acts of love that once felt life-altering start to feel like something you have always done or were always meant to do. They no longer make your heart pound, although, they do have a tendency to add another firm layer of engrained gratitude to your already solid relationship.
It’s silent for another fifteen minutes as the movie they’re watching finishes up when Yunho speaks again. “I have a surprise for you.”
Mingi can only grin as the credits roll on the television. He glances over at Yunho to find him standing up with a hand outstretched. “Yeah? This late? I’m really sleepy. Can we do it tomorrow?”
Yunho’s smile widens as he pulls Mingi up off the couch and into his arms. He presses a soft kiss to his cheek then leans back to respond to him, “Nope. Afraid this is a one night only kinda thing. That okay?”
Mingi’s face scrunches with discomfort. He really doesn’t like messing with his sleep schedule, but it seems important to Yunho so he nods hesitantly. Besides, who doesn’t like surprises?
“Great. Now put this on.”
In Yunho’s hand is a silky, pink scarf. Mingi stares down at it before plucking it up and placing it around his neck. Yunho laughs under his breath then hurries forward. “Ah ah…not quite.”
His adept hands unloop the scarf from Mingi’s throat to slide it up over his eyes. Mingi can feel his partner’s warm breaths on the back of his neck as his fingers double knot the scarf in place. He can barely see anything save for shadowy figures and shapes beyond the pink silk.
“Uhh…Yunho?” Mingi’s voice is rife with confusion as Yunho directs his body and starts walking them away from the couch.
His body jerks when he feels warm lips against his ear. “Don’t be scared. I’ll take care of you.”
“Okay…” The word falls out of him like a breath. He really does like surprises, so he tries to hold back his body’s immediate reaction to being unexpectedly blindfolded and led on a strange journey in the middle of a Sunday night.
They stops near the door, Mingi assumes, and Yunho takes his time sliding some shoes onto Mingi’s socked feet. Then he wraps a big, fluffy scarf around his neck. Finally, he smothers him in a big jacket and tugs a beanie over his head. Those lips are back at his ear again. “Gotta keep you warm.”
He lets Yunho lead him out the door and down the hallway of their apartment building. “Are we going to be out for long? It’s already so late.”
“It’s okay, Mingi.” Yunho’s soft voice feels like phantom fingers on his skin with the loss of his eyesight. It’s a strangely intimate sensation for a completely non-sexual scenario. He totally understands why blindfolds are utilized during sex now. “We have off tomorrow, and we don’t have any errands to run. Don’t worry so much. I’ll take care of you.”
They somehow manage to make it to the elevator and out to Yunho’s big pickup truck with little to no bumps and bruises. Mingi smiles shyly as Yunho lifts him up to situate him in the passenger seat of the truck. It isn’t really necessary. Mingi is just as tall as Yunho. But he did have to admit that the action did make his heart flutter a little more. It seemed like tonight was going to be full of those little interactions for some reason.
Yunho starts the truck, then leans over to pull Mingi’s seatbelt across him.
“I could’ve done that.” He remarks with an invisible eyeroll. “I can’t see, but my hands work.”
There’s a smile in Yunho’s voice as he leans in to press a soft kiss to Mingi’s lips in apology. “I know. I just wanted to do it for you.”
Mingi snorts but leans against the window and relaxes as their journey continues.
It isn’t too long of a drive. The soft indie music playing on the stereo nearly lulls Mingi to sleep a few times though. When they finally come to a stop, and Yunho leans over to undo his seatbelt, Mingi stretches and yawns before asking, “Can I take this off yet? This is starting to get freaky honestly.”
“Freaky?” Yunho asks, his voice bouncy with excited energy.
“Like I know we’ve been dating for years, but maybe…just maybe…you’re taking me to the woods to sacrifice me now.”
Yunho had gotten out of the car as Mingi was speaking and opened Mingi’s door now to help him get down from the high seat in the truck. With a laugh, he pulls Mingi down into his arms. “Sacrifice you? You’ve been watching too many scary movies, Min.” He slams the door shut behind him and loops their hands together securely. “And besides…I haven’t fed you nearly enough special mushrooms yet for you to be beneficial to our most highest God of the forest. Maybe someday though.”
Mingi can only laugh along as he’s led down a street, then into a building, then down a carpeted hallway. It’s all relatively silent, though he assumes the late hour is partially to blame for that. After a few minutes of walking down the carpeted hallway, they come to a stop and Mingi can finally hear something. A soft thumping bassline and familiar lyrics that are just barely audible behind the door in front of them. At least, he assumes it’s a door. His fingers reach out blindly to find a handle in front of them. Yunho drapes his fingers over Mingi’s on the door.
“Mingi.” He starts in a low, emotional voice. Mingi pauses with his hand on the door and turns back to Yunho. “Do you remember on San’s birthday when we played that twenty questions game?”
Mingi wracks his brain, face contorting with confusion, then nods as the images from that night start to come back to him. They had both drank quite a bit , but there were still a few bits and pieces left in his brain from the event. “Yeah…Seonghwa admitted to having a wank to Darth Maul once, right?”
“Yeah,” Yunho snorts in a muted way. His voice sounds strangely wet as he continues. “To be fair, who hasn’t?”
“Uhhhhh…me?” Mingi responds with a soft giggle.
“Ah, yeah…okay. I guess you’re right.”
Mingi can hear the nervousness in Yunho’s voice and actions. He steps forward and feels around until his fingers are trailing down the smooth skin of Yunho’s chilled cheek. “What is it? Is everything okay?
“Better than okay.” Yunho responds cryptically. He takes a deep breath then continues, “We all answered that question…what is one thing you regret about high school?”
Eyes widening, Mingi squeezes Yunho’s hand tighter. His mouth drops open, but no words come out.
“You said that people were pretty awful at your high school, so you avoided most of the normal teenager activities. Like sporting events. And talent shows.” He swallows audibly then clears his throat. “And prom.”
“Yun…” Mingi starts. His heart pounds as the music softly filtering through the door seems to get louder. Some cheesy boy band singing “I do…cherish you.” .
He is suddenly pulled into a tight hug that leaves him gasping for air. His face presses into Yunho’s neck as the hug goes on longer and longer. “We didn’t go to the same school back then. If we did, I would’ve taken you to all those things.”
He stumbles backwards when Yunho releases him from the embrace.
“The past is the past. But I still want to give you something special for all the amazing things you’ve given me.” Yunho grabs Mingi’s hand and places it back on the doorknob again. He feels soft lips against his ear before they turn the knob together. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Min.”
When the door opens, the music fully wraps around him. It’s something corny by Usher, and it honestly makes Mingi’s head swirl with unexpected memories of his youth. It wasn’t the best time. He spent a lot of it alone, angry at his parents who fought all the time. Angry at the people at his school who thought that picking on the quiet kid was the most hilarious pastime. Just plain angry. But really, he was mostly sad. And alone.
As Yunho unties the scarf over his eyes and lets it fall to the ground, Mingi’s eyes fill up with tears immediately. Happy tears, of course. Their entire group of friends are dressed in equally sleepy attire. Mingi isn’t sure if Yunho’s last minute, no planning attitude would ever seem normal to him, but it’s definitely a funny sight to see it in action. Wooyoung and San in matching pajamas grinding up on Yeosang who looks over at Mingi despondently. Seonghwa dressed, as always, in an elegant three-piece suit; sitting on a milk crate watching Hongjoong flip through records trying to decide what to play next. Hongjoong, as always, is dressed like a baby kitten spliced with a sleepwear catalog. Jongho, clad in a hoodie and jeans, is now trying to drag Wooyoung away from Yeosang.
They’re in some kind of a conference room in a hotel, and there’s an honest-to-goodness punch bowl on one of the long tables against the wall. The lights are dimmed slightly, but a hastily thrown together lighting rig shows Mingi all kinds of balloons and streamers and other decorations. It’s so cheesy. Almost embarrassing. But when Yunho walks up to him and extends a hand with a bright smile and a whispered, “May I have this dance?”--Mingi can’t help but fall into his arms with a wet laugh.
The evening is magical. As beautiful as a prom in your mid-20’s can be. Though, if Mingi is being honest, he really did enjoy staying home from prom to play Wind Waker all those years ago–it’s the thought that counts. Yunho heard Mingi mention, while wasted at a party, that he wished he could’ve gone to prom. And he gave it to him. Just like he always gave him what he wanted.
When Hongjoong falls asleep under the DJ booth and Seonghwa has to scoop him up to go home, they know it’s time to shut down the party. Mingi can only laugh as Yeosang wraps an arm around both Wooyoung and San to help lead them out of the ball room. That punch was definitely spiked.
“Do you want me to call a Lyft?” Mingi asks with a tipsy smile in Yunho’s direction.
Yunho wraps an arm around his waist and shakes his head before whispering in his ear, “I didn’t drink. And this isn’t the only surprise.”
“What?!” Mingi gasps out. “How…what else could there possibly be?”
With a low laugh, Yunho spins around and grabs Mingi’s hand. “Come with me, and you’ll find out.”
They hurry back to the truck and drive for another thirty minutes. This time, they do talk. One of the reasons why Mingi fell for Yunho in the first place was the way his eyes lit up when he spoke about anything and everything, and how much the pitch changed when he was especially excited about something. There’s something extraordinary about watching the person you love talk about things they are passionate about. For Yunho, it was architecture and fishing.
When they finally arrive at their next destination, Mingi tilts his head with confusion. “The forest?”
Yunho simply nods with a barely restrained grin then pulls his truck into the pitch darkness of the forest. There are no lights to be found except for the stars that shine above them. Though Mingi is no longer wearing a blindfold, he still feels blind amongst the inky maze of trees. But he trusts Yunho. He always has. So he lets the man lead him until they finally break through the treeline and stop at a small sandy beach that overlooks a massive lake. It shines with the light of the moon and stars above it, and Mingi can’t help but stumble out of the truck to stare out across it in awe.
“You like?” Those damn lips are on his neck again. His voice is like slow-churned butter being melted over sweet potatoes. A lick of fire curls its way up from Mingi’s toes to his stomach where it burns there like an ember as strong arms lock around his waist.
“Uhuh.” He mumbles back in response. He fears that if he tries to vocalize his feelings much more than he already has that he just might moan out loud like a girl in a hentai. No exaggeration. Between the liquor in his system, the sight of the lake in front of him, and the hot, hard body wrapped around him–Mingi isn’t sure if his brain and body are up for making any big decisions right now.
“Come with me.” Yunho whispers in his ear. Then he’s being pulled back to the truck before he can register what’s happening. And before he knows it, Yunho is tugging him up into the truck bed with a wild smile on his face. The bed has a nice soft blanket on it and delicious smelling rose petals. There’s also a small, velvet box.
His head whips over in Yunho’s direction. “Shut the fuck up. Jeong Yunho. You didn’t.”
Rubbing his neck nervously, Yunho settles into the truck bed at Mingi’s side and picks up the box. “Ah, well…I didn’t think shut the fuck up would be your first response, but…” He leans back and cracks the box with a muted click . Inside is a rose gold ring engraved with stars and lilies and little peridot stones. It’s unlike any engagement ring that Mingi has ever seen. He almost starts to doubt that it is an engagement ring.
His hands shake as Yunho scoots forward and holds the ring out to him. “It’s unique. Like you. Your favorite stones. Space. There’s even a triforce etched inside. Um…I want…” He stops and sniffles slightly, looking up at the sky for a second, before looking back at Mingi. “You’re my best friend. You’ve been my best friend for all the years that mattered. And I’d like you to stay that way for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”
The stars above them seem to twinkle extra bright as the tears in Mingi’s eyes finally spill over. He rushes forward and pulls Yunho into his arms, lips landing anywhere he can find visible skin. “Yes.” He presses his lips to Yunho’s closed eyelids that are wet with his own tears. “Yes.” He pushes Yunho down onto the bed of the truck and straddles him, placing another firm kiss to his forehead. “God, yes.” He flattens his upper body until he’s chest to chest with Yunho then sucks his lower lip into his mouth like it’s a holy elixir that is there to heal his entire body and soul. He bites down hard and soothes the swollen flesh with his tongue before leaning in to kiss him harder.
Yunho wraps his arms around Mingi’s waist and flips them until he’s flat on his back. Their eyes meet with the help of the moon that has agreed to serve as their spotlight for the evening. The shining glow that highlights their love like only a celestial body can do. He moans as Yunho rushes forward and kisses him again, it's low and raw and choppy from tears. Happy tears. Always happy tears. His fingers dig into Yunho’s clothed ass as he wiggles his way between Mingi’s thighs. “You will? You’ll marry me?”
His voice sounds almost scared as he sucks Mingi’s earlobe into his mouth and ruts against him desperately. He’s unsure of himself, but he also can’t hold his body back from showing Mingi how much he wants him. Mingi’s response is a happy sigh as his hands grip at Yunho’s shoulders desperately. “God, yes…are you kidding me?” He squeezes Yunho so tight then rolls them onto their sides. “Can’t wait to be your husband. And to tell people that. Oh, him? That’s my husband! The ole ball and chain–mmphh–”
Mingi’s words are abruptly cut off as Yunho leans forward to kiss him again. It’s soft and sweet this time. It tastes a bit like Mt. Dew and pretzels. Mingi loves him so much. When he was a teenager, he never thought he would get a life like this. When he was younger, people like him weren’t even allowed to get married. But now he could…and thanks to Yunho, he would. His lips are salty again as he deepens the kiss. Their chests rub together smoothly, the tempo slow and calm. It feels like their hearts are syncing up, their breaths a single breath. He feels Yunho’s words against his lips as one of his hands trails down his stomach. “May I?”
He can only nod as Yunho’s fingers deftly undo his pants and tug them down only slightly. It’s still quite chilly outside, but Mingi really couldn’t care less. Yunho must be worried though, because he shuffles even closer and pulls his jacket off to layer over both of them. Leaning forward, he presses a tender kiss to Mingi’s chilly nose as he tugs Mingi’s length from his boxers. The night air is frosty, but the tight grip Yunho has on him makes it all fade away.
He rolls over onto his back as Yunho spits into his hand discretely and continues stroking him. It’s hot and wet and maybe too slow for Mingi’s liking, but the sight of the moon and stars above him watching down as he bucks and moans in Yunho’s grasp is enough to make it perfect. He reaches a hand out under the jacket to touch Yunho in return.
“No…not tonight. This is for you. I want this for you.” His voice is raw. There’s still tears on his cheeks as he leans forward to capture Mingi’s lips in another slow-like-honey kiss that leaves his head spinning. Falling back against the truck bed again, he stares at the tree branches that wave in the chilled evening air. Their movement makes the stars look like they’re swaying back and forth along with him as he pants and gasps with each flick of Yunho’s agile wrist. “It feel good? You like that?”
Mingi can only nod, his teeth digging into his lips as Yunho stares at him with full focus. He speeds up the pace and moves even closer, his lips trailing along Mingi’s neck sweetly. Soft and pure, whispers and promises burnt into his flesh like psalms. “Does my husband like it when I touch him like this?”
The heat that had been dancing like sweet, swirling embers in his gut for most of the evening bursts like a supernova in his gut as the words surround him. His fingers dig into the blanket below him, his eyes still skyward watching the stars and all the planets as they move in time with the evening breeze. Yunho’s hand stills, covered in his release, as Mingi continues twitching. Despite the cold of the evening, his chest feels aflame with love and lust and longing.
He lets Yunho wipe him down with the same scarf from earlier and rolls into his arms with a happy sniffle. He never really cries, but his cheeks had rarely been dry tonight. It was a special occasion after all. It wasn’t every day that you gave your younger self the one gift that they had always wanted. True love and lifelong partnership made so much more real by the state and country you lived in.
He feels Yunho’s arms tighten around him as he cries, and he knows his partner is crying too. That man cries when he watches laundry detergent commercials. Soft words float from Yunho’s lips to Mingi’s heart as Yunho reassures him over and over that he will take care of him. That he will always take care of him.
It was a sentiment Yunho had made clear many times tonight. And many nights before. But it was like Mingi could finally hear him now when he said it.
Yunho would always take care of him, and in turn, Mingi would do the same.