a/n: Check out the media attached!

And DO NOT skim and scan.

Song: The Way I Love You - Michal Leah

x x x

What would make two people believe that they already found the other half of their souls?

Is it finding a savior in the midst of every battle...

"I don't think you're a bad person," the other replied.

Baekhyun looks up and stared at the wall between him and the boy. "What made you think that?"

"Because you try your best to be you," Chanyeol muttered as he rested his head on the wall behind him. "I don't think bad people are that honest or that brave."

Is it the very first laugh they shared that seemed incredibly right...

"Hey," Chanyeol very gently stopped Baekhyun by holding his wrist. "I just—I just want to say..."

The smaller is now looking at him expectantly "Yes?"

"I like it," Chanyeol blurted out without even thinking and Baekhyun's eyes went slightly wide.

"W-What?"

"Y-Your singing," Chanyeol clarified and if not for that threatening smile on Baekhyun's lips, he would have felt super embarrassed. "I like it... Very much actually."

"Oh," Baekhyun laughed with a relieved sigh. "Thank you. For a moment there— I thought—"

"Yeah," the taller blushed. "Sorry."

"No," the smaller brushes him off. "It's... It's okay."

And then Chanyeol chuckled.

And soon Baekhyun was already laughing with him.

Is it hearing the most fearless confession one ever witnessed...

"It's true. I did say I'm not into guys and I'm not open to dating guys either," Chanyeol said and Baekhyun obviously flinched. "I like girls. I find them attractive sometimes."

Baek glared. "What the hell..."

"But I'm into you, Byun Baekhyun. I am so into you that I don't know what to do with myself anymore," Chanyeol continued. "I so want to date you that just seeing you with other guys or girls makes me want to take you away. I like you so much that it's impossible for me to let you slip away just like that; It's impossible for me to just stand back and do nothing when you're walking away from me like this.

"You were that dream-come-true for me, Byun Baek. And no matter what the people say or this world dictates, I will continue falling for you."

Or maybe it's the simple things that makes one's heart flutter...

"Really. Then why staying with me doesn't give you wrinkles?" Chanyeol asked.

"Who told you that you don't?" Baekhyun snorted. "You see this?" he pointed a finger to the side of his right eye. "There's a wrinkle there whenever I smile like this." Then he smiled, the kind that reaches his eyes. Chanyeol smiled because Baekhyun's smile is really adorable.

"Come on," Chanyeol said. "There could be something nice you get from staying with me."

Baekhyun pretended to think, pouting, though a smile is pinching the side of his lips. "How about... I get to kiss the most handsome guy I ever met?" he giggled. "And I get to know a lot about him."

"Yeah," Chanyeol smiled in appreciation. "Something like that."

The simple compliments out of nowhere...

"I look at you like this every day," Chanyeol said. "There's no difference."

"No. They differ," Baekhyun pouts. Sometimes, you look at me like I'm the most beautiful person in the world. Other times, it's like I'm some stunning guy you saw in a mall, gawking like an idiot," he grins. "Sometimes, your eyes are so lustful it's like you want to eat me alive. But... I like the look you've been giving me these past few weeks."

Chanyeol frowned. "What look?"

"Like you want to marry me," Baekhyun grins. "I like that look."

"I love your voice, baby, I really do. But I think I love you because you smiled at me when I caught up with you just as you were exiting the stage. I love you because you said, 'Oh, hi. Thank you for listening.' When I complimented about your singing. I love you because you could punch anyone on the face when they call you 'sissy'. I love you because you hate it when your brother fails a subject in school.

"I love you because you are every bit of your true self.

"I love you because you could always love so much more...

"Because you let me love you with every bit of myself. Because you made me feel like I'm the most important person in the world. Because... you changed me, Byun Baekhyun. And now I am striving for the best in me because of you."

"Say my name."

"What--?"

"Just do it," Chanyeol said before gently placing one hand on Baekhyun's head so he could press the side of his face against his chest. Baek could clearly hear Chanyeol's heartbeat and for some reason, it's calming him.

The smaller smiled despite the curiosity.

"Park Chanyeol," he whispered.

A second flew before Chanyeol chuckled. "See? Only you could do that."

For a moment, Baekhyun was left blank. But then he suddenly realized what his fiancé means.

Chanyeol's heart... It's fluttering.

Or maybe it's the vows and the promises...?

"Maybe sometimes, we can't heal ourselves alone. Maybe sometimes, other people are meant to complete us in one way or another. And I'm more than thankful that you were that someone to me, Park Chanyeol."

"You weren't broken when I met you, Byun Baek. I believe you were perfect in your own way and I think that's the beauty of this love we have right now. We didn't know we're complete ourselves until we meet someone who would make us feel otherwise."

The edges of Baekhyun's lips twisted to a small, pretty smile. "Still. Thanks," he breathed.

Gently, Chanyeol planted his lips against Baekhyun's. "I know," he whispered back. "Thanks, too."

"What we have now... I love it, Park Chanyeol. I love how we are now, and I would never trade it for anything. But maybe... Maybe I would like to ease the burden on you. Maybe—"

"Just love me, Byun Baekhyun," Chanyeol cut him off, pulling the smaller closer to his chest. "Just love me, alright? I ask for nothing more."

"I am romantic?"

"You are!" Baekhyun exclaimed. "And really sweet, too."

"Is that why you fell in love with me?" Chanyeol whispered, opening his eyes so he could look at Baekhyun's brown orbs which soften every time he says something sweet or nice.

Baekhyun gave him a small, warm smile. "I think it's because I knew from the very moment I saw you that you're the one," he murmured, his thumb tracing Chanyeol's lower lip.

"Because you're everything about the kind of love I know, Park Chanyeol, and I don't want to know anything else." 

These were the questions running through Park Chanyeol's mind as he stood there at the end of the aisle, staring expectantly at the unopened oak doors a few long feet from the altar. The small chapel looks grand but cozy and Chanyeol could smell the calming aroma from various scented candles around them. Their families and closest friends are there, too, all with huge smiles on their faces as they watch magic unfold before their very eyes.

Chanyeol has been waiting for this day. He has been dreaming of this day ever since he realized it is Byun Baekhyun he would love to spend the rest of his life with. But then Chanyeol wonders why the gears in his mind won't stop turning.

He is anxious. He is nervous. He is afraid. His heart is pounding furiously in his ribcage. Even when his sister, who looks lovely in her rose-colored flowing gown, gave him the most sympathetic, most loving smile that very moment, his body refuses to calm down.

Park Chanyeol is terrified. Excited. But terrified.

His mind is practically flying as the entourage started, sparing just enough attention to acknowledge the people giving him meaningful looks and catch a four-year-old flower girl when she tripped. Chanyeol chuckled when the little girl gave him a shy smile as she continued throwing flowers everywhere. The encounter made Chanyeol breathe a sigh as he slowly looked around. Everyone in the chapel looks so happy and his parents are fighting back sobs.

And then like a scene from an old romance movie, the music changed, and everyone stood up as the giant oak doors slowly opened. Byun Baekhyun suddenly has all eyes and attention on him, frozen on the spot for a moment as people gasped and cooed politely. He is wearing that simple wedding suit Chanyeol himself already knew from the very first glance his fiancé would pick. Chanyeol wasn't wrong. And now the love of his life is standing right there, looking even more gorgeous and breathtaking than the very first time he saw him wear the suit.

Baekhyun is holding unto his parents in either of his hands and he tried so hard to smile despite the tears streaming down his face. His mother is crying, too, and his father laughs lightly at the sight. They started to walk down the flower-covered aisle and Baekhyun could swear that the very moment he did, everything started to pale against the one person he already has his eyes on. He couldn't hear the music nor his own crying. He didn't care about how beautiful the chapel is or how bright the chandeliers shine over their heads.

He could only see Chanyeol.

And suddenly, Park Chanyeol could see it, too.

He could see they're both anxious. They're both nervous and afraid.

They're both terrified.

But behind all the emotions and anxiety, as Baekhyun's dark brown orbs locked with Chanyeol's jet-black ones, they both know how sure they are of where everything led them. They are sure of the man they shared the rarest smiles and the most embarrassing stories with. They are sure of the person they gave their sincerest apologies to... Of the person they confessed the purest "I love you"...

They are sure of where they are this very moment.

They are sure of the past. The now. The future.

And they are sure of how they feel.

Suddenly, Park Chanyeol realized that there is no definite answer to the question of what would make two people believe that they already found the other half of their souls. There is no right reply to the query of how you could be so sure that you found the one. There is no correct response to the question of how you would know it's already love.

Because when Byun Baekhyun's father gently placed his son's hand on Chanyeol's and whispered a gentle, "Please take care of my boy," Chanyeol knew that to define love is anything but possible. He felt lost in Baekhyun's soft gaze and knew that love cannot be rationalized. That it is abstract and indescribable. That it is wrong to listen to how other people try to give love definitions because it can never be contained by words alone. It comes with laughter, stories, and secrets. It comes in many gestures... Emotions... And even colors. It is a bond you share with a person and something you choose to hone every single day of your life.

It is keeping love alive that makes it thrive...

No matter how ineffable it may be.

It would probably take him a million lifetimes to know full well what love exactly is. But Park Chanyeol is willing to go through all that only if it means finding Byun Baekhyun all over again at the end of every journey.

Slowly, he held unto Baekhyun's hand, securing it between his grip, and the smaller has to let out a small laugh as he reached up and wipe Chanyeol's tears with his fingers. "You okay, babe?" he asked in a small voice.

"I'm fine," Chanyeol whispered, suddenly feeling embarrassed enough to try and hide his crying. Then he looked at Baekhyun again and felt his own heart swell. He gently took Baekhyun's face between his hands to wipe his tears. "You look stunning, love," Chanyeol sobbed before leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on Baekhyun's forehead. "So beautiful."

"Thank you, Park," Baekhyun giggled when Chanyeol released him to take his hand instead. "You look handsome yourself, too."

"I do?" Chanyeol raised a brow as they made their way towards the altar.

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes. "Don't make me say it twice."

Park Chanyeol chuckled. "Whatever you say, Byun Baek," and then he stopped and stared at Baekhyun longingly just as the presider opened a thick book probably meant for a wedding. Baekhyun met his glance and he frowned in confusion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked in a whisper.

Chanyeol blinked. "I just realized... I will miss calling you that."

Baekhyun looks even more confused. "Calling me what?"

"Byun Baek."

The smaller answered him with a smile and an amused shake of the head because they both know he could always call him Byun Baek—Well, only if Chanyeol's not feeling too possessive or territorial.

It was just last week when Chanyeol asked his fiancé if he would take his surname after the wedding, making sure that there is no pressure and that he would respect whatever decision Baekhyun arrives to. However, it only took Baekhyun a few minutes to decide. It might be quite hassle, signing and re-signing documents and stuff, but Baekhyun loved the smile on his fiancé's face when he said 'yes', and he liked how the small things made him happy.

The wedding ceremony was quick, only about an hour, but that doesn't mean no significant amount of emotions was shed during the entire hour. The couple's mothers were practically bawling their eyes out when Chanyeol and Baekhyun exchanged vows— vows mimicking the ones they practiced during that lone night in Hawaii. Baekhyun cried more than half of the time he was speaking and even made an offer of just writing the vow down so Chanyeol could read it later. The remark made everyone burst with polite laughter, but he got through the vow with Chanyeol's help and patience.

Baekhyun never saw the rings Chanyeol bought for the wedding so he was pleased to finally see a pair of simple gold rings with diamonds embedded along the periphery. They look like the ones Chanyeol gave him in Hawaii but shinier and definitely more expensive looking.

"I would have gone for that pretty eighteen carats," Chanyeol mused after he slipped the ring into Baekhyun's slender ring finger. "But I got the feeling you wouldn't wear it every day, so I went with the prettiest but simplest ones."

"It's good that you know," Baekhyun grinned. "I don't want a robber cutting my finger off just for a gigantic diamond on a ring."

Chanyeol nodded thoughtfully as he inspected Baekhyun's hand. "It looks good on you," he murmured, then he looked at Baekhyun like what he just said was stupid. "What am I saying? Anything looks gorgeous on you anyway, so."

Baekhyun hid a blush.

But he definitely couldn't hide a crying feat when the presider finally announced them 'married'. Park Chanyeol gave him a gentle, affectionate kiss and everyone swooned at how the stoic billionaire softens when it comes to Baekhyun. Their friends were cheering loudly, and their parents are crying more than ever. Baekhyun has his arms wrapped around Chanyeol's waist as he buried his face against his husband's chest because he doesn't want others to see the mess of tears on his face. Chanyeol held him close and he chuckles as he ran his hand across Baekhyun's back, soothing him until he calms down.

When people finally approached them for a photoshoot, crybaby Baekhyun still couldn't handle everything so the picture-taking was quick, and he continued begging Chanyeol right after every shot to take him home already so he could finally cry in peace. After saying goodbye to and sharing tight hugs with their families and friends, the newly wedded couple rode Park Chanyeol's newest black Porsche and headed to the place they could finally call their home.

The wedding reception isn't until seven in the evening but Baekhyun spent the four hours they got transitioning from an overjoyed child to a crying ball of sunshine to sleep regression then back—if that's even possible. Park Chanyeol stayed beside him through all that, patient and empathetic. Even when the makeup artists and camera crew came to prepare them for the grand reception, Chanyeol never left Baekhyun's side.

In any point of their lives, he never did anyway.

If the wedding ceremony only consisted of their families and closest friends, the wedding reception is probably the biggest one yet— Attended by all their business partners, shareholders, executives, and extended acquaintances. Park Yura prepared everything perfectly and made sure every single detail fall into their places accordingly.

Park Chanyeol and Baekhyun arrived at the events place in no time and the smaller has to cling to Chanyeol's arm every second because he would most probably be dragged to someplace else if he doesn't. Everyone wants to talk to them and get their attention. Everyone suddenly wants Baekhyun's handshake. Everyone is suddenly looking at him—in awe or in a glare, he cannot pinpoint who does what.

But for some reason, fear doesn't come anymore.

Park Baekhyun looks at his free hand and wonder why it isn't shaking.

Then his gaze traveled to where Park Chanyeol's hand is intertwined with his.

And that's when he realized he isn't afraid anymore. Because he is not alone.

From the very start, he was never alone.

As his husband talks to some old man deemed high and mighty by the way his trophy wife keeps glaring at him, Baekhyun was snatched right away by Kim Jongin and their other friends. Chanyeol gave them a sharp glance before slowly loosening his hold around Baekhyun, letting them borrow him for a while. The girls wanted to see Baekhyun's ring up close and the guys wanted him to drink with them because apparently, the wine is divine.

Choi Sulli and Choi Minho were the emcees for that night and the couple almost regretted the idea because the two obviously wouldn't let anyone rest that night. There were games and auctions and an undying buffet. Who would have thought that Mrs. Park's old diamond ring will be auctioned for nine million dollars and the sales donated to charity? Or Taemin's vinyl record collection for two million? Only Park Yura could have thought of these events in a wedding reception.

All was good and peaceful at where Chanyeol and Baekhyun are sitting and watching until Sulli went on-stage and teased Baekhyun for delivering the most non-understandable wedding vow ever. Park Baekhyun wanted to whine at Chanyeol but his husband is definitely amused.

"How about we give my best friend another chance?" Sulli asked the audience and Baekhyun basically froze. Even Chanyeol looked around in question, probably contemplating right away if making Baekhyun talk in public is a good idea. Sulli on the other hand is just staring at Baekhyun, her gaze unwavering but soft. She looks at her friend, understanding everything Baekhyun had gone through to be where he is now. The Byun Baekhyun she knew has changed so much. And she could see that.

A small smile slowly spread across Baekhyun's face as he met Sulli's meaningful look. And when he stood up, Park Chanyeol held his wrist, stopping him. "You don't have to," he said, worry lacing his voice.

But Baekhyun beamed at him and said, "I'm going to be fine."

The center stage was huge, like a ballroom dancefloor, and Park Baekhyun is suddenly standing in the middle with a spotlight hitting him full-on. When Sulli handed him a microphone, Baekhyun is surprised then again to realize how steady his hands are. He could feel all eyes on him that very moment and the quietness is definitely deafening but his mind is clear, his heart is calm.

But when he turned to look at Park Chanyeol and see him sitting with his complete focus only drawn to him, he felt that familiar tug in his chest again. He suddenly wanted to run to him and feel the comfort of his chest against his face. He wanted his strong arms wrapped around his body and for him to never let go. He isn't afraid now. He isn't trembling anymore.

But he is madly in love.

And that's enough for everything inside him to come alive.

"Did I ever tell you..." Park Baekhyun started with a small smile. "How terrified I was the day I decided to cut ties with you? When I thought you were just messing with me and didn't really like me? I pretended to be tough when I confronted you, but I was practically dying inside, Park Chan." Chanyeol smiled back at the confession, shaking his head amused but also relieved with how his husband is handling things right now.

Baekhyun took a deep breath before he spoke again, "And then you found me in that beach volleyball court sulking and mad. But you told me things I never thought I would hear from you and you asked the questions no one ever dared throw before," he continued, the smile on his lips faltering as he fought back tears. "You admitted your feelings drove you crazy, too. You questioned yourself—what you are, what you really like, what makes you truly happy. You questioned society and asked why it is necessary to put labels on what we are and who we love. You told me it's not important because there are should be no categories we must try so hard to classify ourselves into...

"You told me I was your dream-come-true, Park Chan," Baekhyun whispered and that's when the first sob came. "You told me you're so into me you don't know what to do with yourself anymore. That you want to date me so bad you're ready to take me away from anyone. And right then..." he breathes through the tears. "Right then I was falling so, so hard for you, love. Because you were different... You were sincere and undoubting. Because you helped me see the things I should have appreciated the very first time.

"You created this world around me where I could be myself in the most comfortable way possible; Where I am not afraid to make mistakes just because people might say some bad things; Where I am not afraid to love and be loved... because you told me I deserve nothing else from the world."

Baekhyun cocked his head to one side, smiling brightly despite the tears. "Have I ever told you how thankful I am for that, babe?" he asked and Chanyeol answered by nodding slowly, lips pursed to fight back sobs. "So, thank you, Park Chan... For being eternally consistent—from the very first time we met to now that we're finally married," Baekhyun grinned. "Thank you for the being the gentleman; For the gentlest forehead kisses; For the bizarre stories about the dreams that wake you up at night; For the midnight snacks I receive every working day... For being exactly like the male protagonist from a famous fluff fiction," he added which made everyone, including Chanyeol, laugh.

"And thank you..." Baekhyun whispered more seriously this time. "For falling in love with me and for how we worked so hard to keep that love alive for nine long years. Thank you for helping me grow as a person and for never limiting all the things I could learn and acquire. I vow to forever make you my muse in this beautiful artwork we call life and to fall in love with you over and over again.

"You're the love of my life, Park Chanyeol," Baekhyun said. "And I am blessed to be forever yours."

The moment Baekhyun finished and feel his hand fall beside him, Park Chanyeol is already on his feet, walking calmly to him before immediately wrapping both arms around his husband's trembling figure. Park Baekhyun is crying his heart out. But not of fear or nervousness.

Not of that anymore.