again [✓]

twelve - epilogue, part 1

it had been about 5 years.

5 years since junhui  had asked the one question that started it all.

"hey minghao, do you want sour patch kids for the movie?"

minghao nodded, before laughing to himself, realizing that junhui couldnt see him through the phone.

chuckling as well, junhui asks, "whats so funny?"

 "i nodded, but you cant see me, because this is a phone call and thats not how phone calls work."

junhui smiles wide to himself, probably looking like an idiot, as hes smiling as big as he can in the middle of a supermarket.

"so do you want sour patch kids? anything else?"

"yes! also get some of that caramel popcorn we had when we were at soonyoungs house, that was really fucking good."

junhui hums in response, taking the snacks off the shelf and into the cart, and heads for the checkout.

"im going to go home now, bye sunshine, ill be home soon. i love you."

"i love you too, drive safe."

junhui hangs up, then goes through the self checkout to make things faster, and heads home.

once he arrives in the parking lot of their apartment complex, he takes a few deep breaths, and gives himself a small peptalk.

he then reaches into the glovebox of his car, pulling out a small velvety box, putting it in the right pocket of his sweatpants, and takes the key out of the ignition, leaving the car.

he fixes his shirt to hide the small bulge in his sweatpants pocket, and makes his way up the apartment. he comes into the apartment, putting the sour patch kids into a big bowl and the popcorn into the microwave to pop.

once the snacks are ready, he and minghao cuddle up on the couch, minghao leaning on junhui's left side and his chest, holding his hand. the movie of choice on this particular night was one of junhuis favorites, your name.

but this time, junhui just couldnt pay attention to the movie.

the box in his pocket was nagging at him, whisper-yelling in his ear to just do it.

so he does.

he gets his phone out, and texts minghao.

junhui:

baby

junhui:
pay attention to me for a second

minghao:
junhui youre literally right next to me

minghao puts his phone down, looking up at junhui.

junhui smiles at him, and gets up carefully, to not let minghao fall.

"you know i love you, right? w-"

"you're not breaking up with me, are you?"

junhui laughs, shaking his head. 

"i would never, but can you help me a little?"

minghao nods, letting junhui continue.

"can you let me talk for 5 minutes? just stay quiet, i promise it's important."

minghao nods again, biting his lip, a nervous habit junhui had learned that he had.

"five years ago, to the day, i was sitting at a train station, right after work, waiting for my train home. i hadn't eaten since the morning, so before heading to the train station, i stopped at a corner store and bought myself a packet of sour patch kids.

my train was late that day, so while waiting, i unintentionally started over-analyzing the concept of a sour patch kid. i had read a couple weeks before that a red sour patch kid isnt cherry, or strawberry, but that it's actually raspberry. and for some goddamned reason, this bothered me so much.

i had opened my kik to rant about how mad this made me to my best friend and roommate, mr kim mingyu. but turns out, it wasn't him. i talked to this guy who seemed like he didnt want me there, and he probably didn't. i mean, i was the one who kept flirting because i found him cute, but obviously he didnt seem like he cared much for me.

that didnt stop me though. i was set on at least being friends with him. but somehow, for some reason, he started opening up to me. and we met for the first time. well, actually we met once before, at starbucks, you took my order, but we had met once more after our first arranged meeting. you went on a date when i got there, so i hung out with soonyoung, but i obviously didnt come for him.

i came to confess to you. to tell you that for the six months that we've been friends, i had been so hopelessly in love with you, and still am. i asked you to be my boyfriend. and then i fucked it up. i ended it before falling off the face of the earth, which is by far my biggest regret. but i got you back. and im so, so, damn thankful that i did. 

you mean the absolute world to me. i've always had trouble romantically, even more so after.. you know.. but you changed that. you slowly made me a different person, starting from the first message i ever sent you. ever since i met you, ive starting seeing things differently, as fucking cheesy as that sounds. and its all because of you.

its all because of you, xu minghao. 

and with that being said, i have an important question for you."

and minghao is close to tears, he had never heard things like this from junhui. he's heard junhui talking about how much he has done for him when he thought he was asleep, and has seen the notes in his phone about his undying love for him, but never something like this.

junhui clears his throat, trying to calm his nerves, and gets down on one knee, pulling a specific box out of his pocket. opening it, he looks at it, before looking up at minghao, who has let his first tear fall.

"so i was wondering, would you do the honor of marrying me?"

and minghao let the rest of his tears fall, as well as a sob, before getting up, and making junhui get up onto his feet. he wraps his arms around his neck, and presses his lips to the taller's.

the kiss had an odd taste of caramel corn, sour patch kids, and tears, but it was the kiss that meant the most to both, for now.

"yes, of course, yes."