𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝔃𝓮

He throws his fist up in victory when Min agrees to letting him pay for the Disney trip. “You have a good point but we can spoil him a little bit, he’s been good this entire trip.” Truth is, it would take a lot more than a Disney trip to dry his bank account. Graeme never went into great detail with Minhyun about the state of finances, not because he didn’t trust his boyfriend–he trusts him more than anybody else–but because he doesn’t touch the money he got from his parents before their son was born. It’s on an account, untouched and will only be used in case of an emergency or later on some will be transferred to Taeil so he can attend a good college, if he chooses to. He scoffs at Minhyun’s words, as if he’s talking nonsense nevertheless he moves even closer and links his arm with his. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course I’m not scared. I just want to be close to you, is that a crime now?” Like a mature adult would do, he sticks his tongue out, doe eyes bright with mirth. 

Shock doesn’t even come close to what he’s feeling as his eyes drop to the box Minhyun takes out of his pocket and what his happening, what his beautiful speech means, finally registers in his brain. Never in a million years did he expect his boyfriend, fiancé, to propose. They’ve talked about marriage on several occasions, Graeme has known from the beginning Min was the love of his life, but he didn’t expect it to happen anytime soon nor did he suspect for a minute the trip was for that purpose. His eyes fill with tears and he’s half laughing half sobbing as he nods his head unable to formulate the words yes yes, of course i’ll marry you. He cradles his boyfriend’s face in his hands, once he’s put the engagement ring on rhis left ring finger, and kisses him with all his might, pouring all his love and happiness in the kiss. He’s so caught up in the moment, he doesn’t realize they’re back at the bottom until an employee taps him on the shoulder impatiently. He takes his boyfriend, fiancé he corrects himself–it’s going to take a while to get used to it–and drags him back to their car. “So, our SON is getting married, uh? I can’t believe I fell for that,” he laughs and wraps his arms around Min’s waist bringing him close. “Yes, I’ll marry,” he finally says, “A million time yes. I don’t, I don’t even know what to say. I’m so — I didn’t suspect a thing but I’m happy, unbelievably so to spend the rest of my life with you.” he brings him in for another kiss, mumbling a litany of I love you against his lips. “And the ring is beautiful, I love it.”

Minhyun’s heart was beating fast, hands shaking a bit as he waited for Graeme’s answer. Ifthis wasn’t such an important moment for them, he’d had found amusement inwatching his boyfriend’s expression change so fast. As their eyes met, he knewwhat the florist’s answer would be before he even said it. Not that the editor hadany doubts before but it felt incredibly amazing to see his positive reaction.Grinning, he picked up the ring and placed it on his now fiancé’ left ring finger. “Don’t cry, you’ll make me cry.” Helet out a small laugh, eyes also tearing up. Leaning into the kiss, Minhyunplaced his hands on the back of Graeme’s neck as he kissed back. It was liketime had stopped and they were on their own private world, where nothing elsemattered. He was so incredibly happy in that moment, knowing he’d get to marry the love of his life. It was exhilarating.

“I don’t think I did,“ he admits. “I wasn’t exposed to fairy tales as a child. My parents wanted to raise business men, not dreamers.” There were a lot of things Graeme was deprived of as a child, his parents too focused on turning his brother and himself into the perfect little heirs to take over the family business. In the end, only one of the brothers turned out the way they expected. Graeme was pushed to the side and forgotten but he was thankful to no longer be part of that toxic environment. Minhyun is right, Taeil will have forgotten about it in two days tops but it doesn’t stop the younger from grumbling under his breath in displeasure. “If you say so.” The florist never thought he’d have this. Someone to love unconditionally and that loved him just as much in return. Minhyun changed his life, and Taeil’s, for the better. Graeme doesn’t open his heart often. He has no trouble telling his boyfriend he loves him, it feels like the most natural thing to do but still to this day, it’s hard for him to put words on just how much he loves the other and everything that he makes him feel. In this moment however, he feels like he’ll drown if he doesn’t speak up. “You changed my life, Min. You’ve made it brighter and you’ve given me hope, something I didn’t have much of before I met you. I’m just – I’m just so thankful you were patient with me and waited for me all these months before I got my head out of my ass and allowed myself to love you. And thank you for loving Tae and for being the best possible father to him. Just, thank you.” He smiles as Minhyun presses a kiss to his lips. “I love you, more than I can ever express. I don’t want you to ever doubt that and how much you mean to me.”

Minhyun and Graeme aren’t like most couples their age. They don’t go out every weekend with friends. They don’t break up and make up every couple of months. The two have been secure in their relationship from the moment they decided to become a couple and their lives, with a child, pets, the house and full time jobs. No wonder, most of their friends refer to them as the old married couple. There is no place for flightiness and impulsiveness in their lives but it’s nice every once in a while to just be Minhyun and Graeme, two young men in love rather than Minhyun and Graeme, two busy and responsible adults in love. “I’m really looking forward to selling the flower shop. I’m not happy to get rid of it, you know how much that place means to me but it’s too much work for lil’ ol’ me and I’d like to spend more time with you and our son. My hours will be a lot more flexible and not as crazy once I open the tattoo shop.” He snuggles closer to his boyfriend, a smile spreading on his face as his fingers card through his locks. It’s been a long time since he’s felt so calm and at peace. The effect Minhyun has on him is unbelievable. “I don’t care, it’s perfect baby.” He assures him before taking a bite of the sandwich he prepared and clings his cup with Minhyun’s. He’s about to snap another picture of his boyfriend, the hundredth of the night — don’t judge him, he likes his boyfriend’s face very much, when he announces there’s somewhere else they needed to be. He’s surprised, pleasantly so when he walks them to the Pacific Park after they tuck away their stuff back in the car. 

Graeme has every plan to take Min on another date soon to thank him for this wonderful evening and pay for everything, no protesting allowed from his boyfriend. “I’ll pay for the Disneyland trip and don’t even think about protesting or i’ll put my stubborn pants on. You know what happens when I put the stubborn pants on,” he half jokes, doe eyes looking around with a child like wonder to the different rides and points to the Ferris Wheel. “Let’s go on the Pacific Wheel. We just ate, going on a fast ride right now won’t end well for either of us.” He steers his boyfriend in the direction of the ride, pressing close close close to him once they’re sitting inside. No, Graeme isn’t scared of heights but he feels more secured on the ground, as any rational person would. It’s dark now and they can’t see much of the ocean but the view his still breathtaking from the top of the Ferris Wheel. Even more so when he looks to his left at his boyfriend. You’re a sap, Kang. “Taeil’ll be jealous we went here without him, best not to tell him. Though, I reckon he’ll forgive us and forget after the trip to Anaheim.” 

His heart went out to Graeme as he was reminded that his boyfriend didn’t have a healthy childhood, with his parents setting out impossibly high expectations for him from the start. It was such a contrast from the way he was raised, Minhyun’s parents were a bit strict but they always supported him. Hearing the florist’s sudden declaration filled Minhyun with warmth and happiness. It meant a lot to him since he knew his boyfriend wasn’t one to talk openly about his feelings. Not often, at least. “Well, you changed mine too. I was a mess when we met, you helped me get back on my feet again. So, there’s no need to thank me. And with Taeil, I love him like a son, was impossible not to fall in love with him. You two are my whole world.” He replied, smiling warmly. “I know, babe. I can feel it even when you don’t say it with words. I love you too, so much.” Minhyun pulled Graeme in for another kiss, letting this one last a bit longer. “I really like the flower shop, we have great memories there. But I know you’ll be much happier with the tattoo studio and if selling the shop means we’ll finally be able to spend the whole day together on Valentine’s Day then I’m all for it.” He said in a playful tone, but it was a bit frustrating that the date was always one of the busier days for the flower shop, so they didn’t usually get to spend much of it together.  “Fine, you won. You can pay for the Disney trip, but we’ll probably have to avoid the shops or you’ll be broke by the end of the day.” He joked, chuckling softly. Knowing Taeil, he would likely ask to get stuffed toys of all of his favorite characters.

His eyebrows pinch together in worry as he watches his boyfriend carefully. Graeme knows him by heart thus can catch mood changes easily. Minhyun seems nervous, extremely so. Grae puts a hand on his thigh and give it a gentle squeeze, a silent offer to talk about what’s on his mind if he feels like it. Graeme doesn’t like to push him to talk, but rather waits for him to open up to him on his own. “I really really like this look on you.” The heated look he throws him shows just how much he does. Now’s not the time to get turned on, Kang. Minhyun always looks out of this world gorgeous. Graeme remembers, as if it was yesterday, the first time he’d set eyes on him. The other had quite literally taken his breath away and for long and very embarrassing minutes, he had stared at him, mouth agape. Still now, Graeme always feels a bit breathless in his boyfriend’s presence. There is something about him wearing casual clothes however that makes him that much more attractive in his eyes. “Has anyone ever told you how unfair it is that you look good in anything? Your perfect face is offensive and very bad for my heart.” He jokes.

“Say what now?” Graeme crosses his arms over his chest, full on pouting and clearly unhappy with the reply he got. He expected someone to be getting married not his son thinking about getting married, what the hell. “Taeil isn’t allowed to get married before he’s at least thirty.” His tone is petulant and attitude utterly ridiculous – Graeme very much resembles his five year old when he throws a tantrum, right now. “Him and I are going to have a serious talk tomorrow and no more fairy tales allowed until he gets that silly idea out of his little head.” His eye lit up at the mention of Disneyland, the marriage debacle all but forgotten. Grae has never been to Disneyland, the place too loud and not sophisticated enough to bring their children to, in Grae’s parents opinion. “Hell yes,” he pumps his fist in the air wit happiness, the smile on his face wide. “I’ve always wanted to go to Disneyland. Bless you and that beautiful brain of yours, my baby,” he presses another kiss to Minhyun’s cheek. “Tae and I are the luckiest people on the planet to have you.” He looks around as they walk towards the beach, his hand firmly clasped with Min’s and taking in their lively surroundings. The atmosphere is joyful and Graeme loves it. They walk for a few minutes until they find a spot secluded enough to give them some privacy. There is a slight breeze, not cold, but cool enough so the night isn’t unbearably hot. “It’s been a while since we’ve done this. You had an amazing idea.” He sits next to Minhyun on the sand, head on his shoulder, thumbs drawing random patterns on the back of his hand and eyes focused on the water. The sound of the waves crashing onto the shore is soothing. “This is really nice.”

Minhyun looked over at his boyfriend as his thigh was squeezed. Noticing Graeme seemed worried about him, the editor sent him a reassuring smile. “I’m okay, was just thinking about work and this meeting I’ll have on Monday, it’s a new client so I don’t know what to expect.” He said in a soft tone, which technically wasn’t a lie as the meeting was very much real. “Oh, really? I haven’t noticed.” Minhyun teased, smirking. He had seen the look Graeme had sent him, it was honestly so distracting. His mind wandered back to what Graeme had whispered to him before they left and that only made it worse. “Tonight’s not about that! Focus on the task at hand.” He had to remind himself. “They haven’t, because it’s not true. There’s a long list of items I can’t pull off, and colors that don’t go well with my skin tone. But I appreciate the thought.” He replied, before chuckling softly at hearing the comment about his face. “Well, your incredibly handsome face is bad for my lungs. You constantly take my breath away.” He joked, sending his boyfriend a playful wink. Minhyun watched with amusement as Graeme seemed to be having a temper tantrum. He thought it was really cute. “Don’t get all grumpy now, kids talk about their future and plan their future weddings all of the time, babe. It’s not a big deal. Haven’t you ever done that when you were little? ” The editor questioned, laughing a bit as Graeme said Taeil wouldn’t be allowed to get married until he was thirty. “It’s not like he’s planning to get married next week, Grae. I bet that in a couple days he’d have already forgotten all about it, that’s how kids are. There’s nothing to worry about.” The editor said in a reassuring tone. He grinned at seeing his boyfriend’s enthusiastic response to his plan of taking them to Disney. “I know, this is for you too. Wanted to give my two favorite boys a gift and well, it seemed like a perfect idea.” Smiling at the kiss to his cheek, Minhyun felt his heart warm up at hearing what this boyfriend said next. “No, I’m the lucky one to have you both in my life.” He said, leaning over to give Grae a quick peck on the lips.

Graeme feels guilty for judging the woman, who seems nothing but genuinely kind, so hastily before even giving her a chance to prove herself but he can’t help it. However, Minhyun trusts her therefore, implicitly, so does Graeme so he’ll put his prejudices aside, for one night at least. His fidgety demeanor melts to something softer when his son is mentioned, his lips curling up in a fond smile. Speaking of. “I–I’ll be right back. I need to do something before we leave, yeah–I’ll be right back.” Graeme runs back to the five year old’s room, cheeks a light red in embarrassment for fumbling and so obviously lying. He needs to see his son before leaving, just for a few minutes, to ease his agitated mind. He realises his behavior is utterly ridiculous but the fear of losing his son to her or his parents is constantly with him –– when he leaves his son at school, when he leaves for just a few minutes to run an errand, it’s always at the back of his mind. Your happiness is too good to be true repeating over and over again and feeding his paranoid mind. Daddy loves you more than anything, he whispers in the little boy’s hair before returning to the living room and sending Minhyun an apologetic smile. “Yes, let’s go.” Agitation soothed, the smile on his face is now a real one. Grae feels giddy to spend some alone time with the love of his life. At Min’s question, he looks down at his outfit, shoulders rising in a shrug and as he goes to confirm he’s indeed borrowing one of his shirts, the words die out on his tongue and his eyes fall shut. Damn Minhyun and his games ( that he not so secretly loves ) and for knowing just the way to get him flustered. Two can play this game.

He turns his head and their noses brush together from the proximity. “It’s not nice to tease baby boy,” he purrs, using the nickname he rarely calls his boyfriend outside the bedroom, one of his hand cupping his jaw and angling his face back, lips hovering over his throat. “Now unless you want me to bend you over the front door and fuck you then and there for everyone to see, behave.” He presses the softest kiss against his throat, the soft touch so at odd with his prior words. With a triumphant smirk and laughing lightly under his breath, he walks to the car, settling in the passenger seat and fiddling with the radio while he waits for his boyfriend to recompose himself and join him. For a good chunk of the journey towards whatever place Minhyun is taking them, Graeme stays silent, enjoying the music blasting in the car and staring at his boyfriend, who looks as breathtaking as ever. “You look really good too,” he blurts out. “I didn’t get to tell you before because I was distracted.” He glares mockingly over at him, though he can’t see him, and leans over to the driver seat to press a kiss to the other’s cheek. “So, what were the screams of joy about earlier? Does it have anything to do with Tae’s sleep mumbles about a wedding? Is someone getting married and I’m not aware?”

Minhyun had a mischievous glint on his eyes and a smug smile in place as he watched Graeme’s reaction. But soon enough it was his turn to blush as his boyfriend decided to use the one nickname that always made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. A small groan left his lips at the florist’s accompany words and actions, the heat behind them going straight to his crotch. “That’s not fair.” He mumbled under his breath, taking a minute to compose himself before he could follow Graeme towards his car. Minhyun got settled on the driver’s seat and buckled up his seatbelt before starting to drive. The small black box on his pocket suddenly felt heavier as it hit him that this was it, he’d get to propose to Graeme soon. The editor started to get nervous all over again, coming up with the worst case scenarios on his mind. What if he forgot what he wanted to say or the words just didn’t come out? What if it suddenly started to rain? Or the worst thing that could possibly happen, what if Graeme didn’t think they were ready to take such a big step? Shaking his head slightly, Minhyun tried to keep those thoughts away. They had breached the subject a few times before and it always felt like it was something they both wanted. He was brought back to reality after hearing Graeme’s comment, a warm smile making way into his features instantly at hearing the words. “Thank you, I was going for a casual look.” Giggling at seeing his boyfriend’s playful glare, he grinned. “Sorry, not sorry.”

Graeme takes his time in the shower to scrub off all the grim from the day spent at the beach. The sand is the hardest to get rid of, it’s in places Grae didn’t think sand could get stuck in. As he walks over to the second bedroom, Taeil’s scream of joy and happy babbling catches his attention. He can’t hear what his two favourite people are discussing in the room and despite his curiosity, resumes his journey back to the bedroom. For a good few minutes, he stares blankly at his luggage. Min didn’t inform him he’d take him out prior to leaving therefore Grae had only brought one decent pair of jeans ( blue jeans ! ), boardshorts and shirts, nothing appropriate for a date. Resigned, he puts on the keans and rummages through Min’s clothes for a random shirt–he gets a white oversized button-down. The fabric is thin, he realises after he puts it on, so thin in fact, the defined planes of his torso and tattoos that litter his skin are on full display. Oh well. He laughs as his boyfriend tells him about their energizer bunny son. “He got that from me. I never ran out of energy as a kid. It used to drive my nanny nuts.” He looks over his shoulder at his boyfriend, a light smile on his lips. It’s rare for Graeme to talk about his childhood but the memory is one of the few fond ones he has. He opens his mouth to ask Min what caused the loud cheering he heard earlier from the five year old but is interrupted by the doorbell ringing. “Go let your friend in baby, I’ll be right down.” He presses a kiss to the top of his head and goes to his son’s room, where he unsurprisingly finds Bowie cuddled against Taeil’s chest, to kiss him goodnight.

He stays with his son for a few minutes, to give his boyfriend a chance to catch up with his friend, just watching him sleep peacefully and mumbling about prince charming, julie and kate and weddings much to his bafflement. He would lie if he said it doesn’t freak him out a little, which is irrational, he admits. Taeil is only five years old. Graeme has a few years to go before he has to worry about his son falling in love and leaving the nest to marry someone. With a last kiss to the forehead, Graeme makes his way to the living room where he finds his boyfriend and Sophie, that he greets shyly hands fumbling at his sides, chatting. Graeme never felt at ease around Minhuyun’s colleagues. They were too sophisticated, too superficial and too similar to the people he was raised around and wanted to forget about. Being around them made his insecurities rear their ugly heads —- the disdainful stares he caught from time to time made him feel unworthy to breathe around these people, unworthy to be loved by someone like Minhyun who deserved better than a disowned single dad that had the fashion sense of an emo monkey. With a shake of his head, he clears his mind from his negative thoughts, tonight is supposed to be a fun night. He walks over to the duo and puts and arm around Minhyun’s waist. “Thank you for looking after Taeil.” To say Graeme isn’t a fan of leaving his son, even for a few hours, would be an understatement but after hours of pleading, his boyfriend had wore him down. “If he wakes up and gets scared, bring Thumper to his room,” he motions to the bunny munching happily on raw vegetables in his cage. “And the colouring book on the kitchen table. Doodling helps him relax.” Like father, like son.

“I can definitely see that, you’re still very energetic now. Guess it’s a good thing that you don’t like coffee, an overly caffeinated Grae would be too much to handle.” Minhyun joked, sending his boyfriend a playful smile. He noticed the florist was aboutto ask him something before the doorbell rang but knew that if it was something important Grae would bring it up later. Getting downstairs, the editor smiled as he opened the door and let his friend in. They greeted each other and talked for a while, Sophie explained how everything was after the move and they gossiped about their colleagues at work. But after a while, she whispered. “So, are you nervous?” Minhyun smiled softly before nodding and replying in a hushed tone. “A little bit, yes. But I guess that’s to be expected.” Sophie smiled, taking one of his hands on hers and squeezing softly for support. “It’ll be fine, just try to relax. I’m really happy for you, Min.” Squeezing her hand back, he nodded. “Thank you, not only for that but for staying with Taeil tonight. He’s asleep right now and he usually sleeps through the whole night but in case he wakes up, reading from one of his bedtime story books would help. There’s a few on his nightstand.” Sophie assured him she was actually looking forward to meeting Taeil, as she had only seen pictures of him before and that she’d remember to look for the books.