The parking lot at the Velvet Pub was jammed full of vehicles on weekend, and it was hardly a surprise when they walked into the back room to find his brothers since Seungwan volunteerily invited them for the celebration.

He liked the way everyone turned and cheered as he stepped into view, and he loved the way Joohyun leaned into him, pleased with the party she’d put together in his honour.

Seungwan scanned the room, grinning, then did a double-take, because one of the guests actually was unexpected. Leaning against the wall, holding a bottle of beer, was Kyungsoo.

"Is that...Kyungsoo?" he said in surprise.

Joohyun smiled. "I told you I invited a surprise guest, remember? I hope you're not mad."

Seungwan thought for a moment and glanced at her affectionately, then recalled their conversation from the day before. "Of course, I'm not mad, and I was the one said it was cool. I just didn't expect it to be my bestfriend! But how did you…?”

“The internet can be used to search for people and then reach out to them.” Joohyun winked. “Kyungsoo said he’d been thinking of coming home, but couldn’t swing the Christmas break, so a visit now made more sense. We made sure to line the party up with when he could be home.”

"I hoped you'd be pleasantly surprised," she added. "I wanted to invite someone who holds good memories with you."

"You're the best wife ever," Seungwan said, kissing her cheek. "Thank you for thinking of me."

"Now let's go say hi! I'm glad Kyungsoo could make it."

Seungwan grabbed Joohyun's hand and tugged her through the crowd, waving at all his family as they went, then pulled his friend in for a bear hug. “Hey, man.”

Seungwan tapped his chest. “Wow. You guys.” He turned back to Kyungsoo. “How are your folks? Good?”

Kyungsoo nodded.

“Awesome. We’ll catch up later, yeah?” Another nod, and Seungwan wanted to just stand there and lean against the wall with his buddy. “I’ll be back soon. I’ll do a quick loop with my brothers and then—”

“Go.” His friend grinned. “I’ve got my drink. I’m good.”

But when Seungwan moved on, Joohyun hung back, and as he greeted everyone, he noticed her quietly talking to Kyungsoo for some length.

She didn’t leave his friend’s side until he returned, in fact, and when he got back, Kyungsoo was actually grinning.

Seungwan caught Joohyun around the waist, pulling her in for a hug. It felt good to hold her in public and not worry about accidentally crossing a line with her.

She wiggled against him, and he kissed the side of her head, then when she tipped her face up to look at him. “My turn to make the rounds,” she whispered. “Let you guys catch up.”

Kyungsoo watched her walk away for a second, and Seungwan did, too, for a lot longer than a second. Joohyun was wearing a dark purple sweater tonight that made her eyes pop, and the world’s tightest jeans that made his mouth water.

When he looked back at his friend, Kyungsoo had a knowing look in his eye. “Captain Bae, eh?”

Seungwan felt a hard tug in his chest. “Yep.”

“She’s great.” Kyungsoo said.

“You don’t know the half of it, man. I really lucked out.”

“I go out to Busan, and you stumble into a real relationship with her? I’d call that some ing luck.”

Stumble was the right word for it, too. A real relationship by way of a fake one, although that was Seungwan's dirty secret he’d bury forever. “Wait until you taste her baking. Do you want to come over tomorrow? Joohyun has to work, but we can visit the bakery. It’s really great. You remember the cafe? She’s totally re-done it.”

Seungwan spent the next five minutes raving about Joohyun, and when he finally came to a proud, grinning halt, he looked around for his wife.

He found her on the other side of the room, half-listening to something Taeyeon and Baekhyun were talking about. But her attention was focused in his direction, and the soft smile on her face made him feel like a king.

Thank you, Seungwan mouthed, and her cheeks went pink as she quickly nodded.

Best celebration party ever? Without a doubt. It would only get better when he got to tumble into his bed with her at the end of the night.

“Go over there,” Kyungsoo said, nudging him. “I’m going to grab another drink.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I know your other brothers." His friend gave him a lopsided grin. “I’ll be fine. And you look like you’re desperate to get her in your arms again, so…go on. Do it.” He wasn’t wrong.

As he rounded the far pool table, Taeyeon and Baekhyun moved away, and he had a moment alone with Joohyun . “This is amazing,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

____________

The end of the party arrived much later than expected around 9 pm. 

As the crowd began to disperse into the night, Joohyun stretched with a satisfied sigh. “That was perfect. I’m so proud of you.”

Seungwan gazed at her with warmth. “Thank you for making it so special. Your support means everything.” He leaned in for a tender kiss.

When they pulled apart, Joohyun noticed the exhaustion in his eyes. “Let’s relax for a bit before heading home,” she suggested. “I reserved this room until they close.”

Renewed energy filled Seungwan at the thought of quiet time alone with his wife. He took her hand with a smile. 

They snuggled close on the plush couch, exhausted but content. The bottle of beer from the party laid empty on the table.

"Let me grab us a fresh bottle from the bar," Seungwan said softly. He pressed a kiss to Joohyun's forehead before departing.

At the counter downstairs, Seungwan paused when he heard familiar voices. Luna and Sana were chatting nearby, unaware of his presence.

“I feel bad about what we said about Joohyun before,” Sana admitted. “She is so nice when I met her at the bakery.”

Luna sighed. “I know. Hopefully she didn’t get the wrong impression of us completely.”

Curiousity burned inisde Seungwan and he step forward, clearing his throat.

The women jumped, surprised. Seungwan spoke. “What impression did you