Chapter Text
North woke up without Johan beside him, again, he understood that his boyfriend, well, fiancee's work ethics isn't gonna change anytime soon. The previous night johan proposed to north, which was unexpected.
The ring sat on the stool beside the bed where North put it, North couldn't bring himself to wear it,it cost so much money and was custom made just for him too. It's been over 5 years since him and johan started dating and he still can't easily accept all the expensive gifts that johan gets him.
He reached for his phone beside the ring and his hand lingered for a while, debating whether to call Ter or not, he knows this news was much to big to not tell him right away but he really didn't want Ter to scream him into a coma that morning.
The phone beeped for a while before Ter finally picked up, sounding refreshed and happy as usual.
"My love! How are you?" Ter had started this habit of calling north "his love"...
"I'm good, is hill there with you?"
"Oh, no he went out with johan, to celebrate something, he didn't tell me what, no matter how many times I asked."
North out a little chuckle at Ter's nosiness, it's really never going to change.
"Well, last night, johan proposed to me on our anniversary." He finally admits but suddenly the line went silent. Suspiciously silent.
"HE DID?!!" There its is.
"Yeah...it was really cute, the way he did it."
"How did he do it?!?"
"We went out and when we got back to the bedroom it was all decorated and there was a ring in the middle of the bed.and then he asked if I could marry him."
"Could?"
"I don't know why he said that either, but i cut him some slack cause he looked really nervous and when I held his hand it was like, really sweaty too."
"Poor thing must've been so nervous..."
"Right?"
Their conversation ended when johan got back home, he wanted to call dao and phoon too but he figured Ter can't shut up so they'll find out one way or another, he was also pretty sure that tiger, nao and the others probably know by the time he hung up.
"Was that Ter?" Johan enquired getting under the covers with North.
"Yep, I thought you were at work, he told me you went out with Hill."
Johan made a face that North couldn't quite grasp, it was both dissatisfied and hurt.
"Did you think I'd ask if I could be your husband then wake up the next morning and just leave you here all alone?"
He asked, his gaze on north was unwavering and soft...
"is that why your not wearing your ring?"
North wanted to deny it right away and tell him that's not the reason he's not but seeing johan like this was sort of satisfying so he was going to bask in it.
"Well what else am I supposed to think?, you always leave before I'm awake."
Johan sighs in return, he was about to say something but he decided not to.
"I'm sorry, I know you probably have been lonely without me, but you know I do it all for you right? I work all the time because I like to spend on you, you know that right?"
Johan said reaching for North's hand. He wasn't exactly mad at johan since at least his sleeping habits are much more healthy than 4 years ago and he understands why he has to work all the time.
North slipped his chubby hand into johan's earning a small smile from him.
"Can you wear the ring now?, I made sure it fit perfectly just for you." Johan pleaded.
"How did you get my ring size?" North enquired curiously. "I have my ways."
[Time skip]
"Its beautiful!" His mum beamed as she grabbed his hand.
"Is this a real diamond? What am I talking about? If its johan he probably wouldn't buy you anything that's not real." She joked
"ma, the way your grabbing my hand hurts..." North said wincing.
"Oh, suck it up..." johan let a little chuckle out at their antics.
North's mom turned her attention to him
"Right johan, I was going to ask you, you really don't have to send me money every month, the one you send for one month is already enough for a whole family to use for 5 months, talk less of just little me." She said
"Ma, you must understand that I dont send you money just to get the things you need, but the things you want too." Johan replied curtly.
"Even still...trust me I'm fine." His mom said back. "Are you sur-" johan began.
"Jo, she said she's fine." North said cutting him off, not wanting anymore of this argument.
"Of course" johan said ending it.
After leaving North's mom's house they drove over to johan's...immediately the car pulled up, johan's mum was rushing towards him for a hug. She did this all the time.
"Let me see!" She said grabbing his hand, north isn't used to people being this interested in his fingers.
"Its absolutely amazing!" She beamed almost bright as his own mother.
"I agree, when he asked me and I saw the ring I was really surprised." North replied. Johan's mum quirked an eyebrow
"but it's to your liking right?" She asked enthusiastically.
"Of course, Its beautiful!"
"Well, I'll have you know I was the one who chose this ring..."
"Wait really, you knew he..."
"The day before yesterday he called me and told me "north made me lunch today because he was worried I wasn't eating properly, jeen I want to marry him"...she said chuckling at johan's embarrassed expression.
North slowly turns his head I pure disbelief and amusement.
"You wanted to marry me cos I made you lunch to work?"
Johan scratched his chin dryly before replying. "you make it sound so shallow, of course there are many other reasons, the lunch just made me aware of the lack of ring on your finger..."
North laughs and his nose scrunched up at the bridge, it always makes johan look at him with such endearing eyes...the look that says "that's my husband"
Talking to Ter after this type of big thing happened wasn't for the weak. It's been an hour and he was still going on and on about wedding preparations, he kept on reminding him that he literally just got engaged the night before.
For Ter, him and hill accidentally proposed on the same day. They are really couples from the movies cause how does that even happen? He thought.
For north he might've forgotten that him and johan aren't even engaged because how used to their relationship he was, he sort of lost the concept of weddings and engagement and things of the sort.
But now that he was actually going to get married to johan, the joy that exploded in his heart was unmistakable. He would always wake up and stare at his ring as it glistend in the sunlight peeking out from the blinds, it was bliss, pure bliss to be engaged, no wonder Ter never shut up when hill proposed to him, he admits it does feel good to have a ring on your finger.
And to make it better, johan took a leave from work for 5 months just so he can spend quality time with North. He said now that they are getting married it's more crucial for their relationship to not stay apart.
But maybe he was going over board. Even when he goes into the bathroom, Johan follows him, he found his clingyness cute at first but now it's just annoying. And he literally has to threaten him with taking the ring off before he let's go, what type of person is this? He thought.
"No way!" North said trying to pry johan's hands away from his waist...
"Why?"
"Its a hangout for me and my friends..."
"Am I not one of your friends?"
"No...don't you have hill and the others, they haven't seen you in a full week!"
"That's irrelevant"
"I'm going on my own jo.."
There was no response, he just held on tighter.
"I'm going to take the ring off..."
Johan immediately let's go and apologizes briefly. It's funny how well this works, north wonders if he can do this for the rest of their life. Though he does feel guilty a little bit.
"How about this?, I bring hill and the guys and we can join you?" Johan suggested.
North rolls his eyes and sighs loudly
"the point of this trip is so we don't see you guys!...we love you guys but our life before we met you is also precious to us, we barely hang out, just the four of us...its just a week vacation, you won't shrivel up and die jo." North explained.
"Fine, I won't nag you anymore..." johan said sighing
"But I will call you every day..."
"No can't do."
"You guys would be blocked, Temporarily of corse... "
"What??"
"We don't need you bothering us..."
Johan sighs and runs a hand through his hair, "I can't believe you're forcing me to spend time with my friends."
[Time skip]
The scenery at the beach where they were spending their time together was beautiful, the palm trees bustled in the wind and the air smelt like salt and relaxation...
"gosh, I really needed this..." north said with a sigh and closed his eyes.
"Was p'jo that insufferable?" Ter joked as he made his way to he hotel suite...
"you don't even know." North replied.
"Isn't it kind of ironic that they are the ones funding our vacation away from them?" Dao joked nudging north on the shoulder.
"We deserve it." North replied dryly.
[At the suite in North's room]
"So? How does it feel to be engaged?" Phoon asked, his voice a little higher than usual.
"It's nice...but jo really doesn't know what personal space means." North replied.
"He's probably just really excited and that's his own way of showing it." Ter added
"Well, I hate it" North deadpanned making everyone erupt in laughter.
"So now I'm the only one who's not getting married or already married?" Dao asked.
"Mmmm, maybe Arthit has something planned...or not, didn't you say that stuff doesn't really matter to you? Phoon enquired.
"Well I guess you're right, but i never told him that...only you guys."
"For fuck's sake, can we not talk about men and anything that has to do with them..." Ter exclaimed finally. While getting the bottle of wine they got earlier that day.
"Yeah...we should just drink and say a bunch of random shit we would probably regret like we always do!" North said bringing out the wine glasses too.
[Time skip]
"Okay, okay" let's play truth or dare. North suggests earnings enthusiastic screaming and cheering from the guys.
"I'll go first, me!, me!" Dao said raising his hands like he was still in school.
"Speak your shit Mr. Daotek" phoon joked, the alchohol getting to him.
"I'll ask Easter...truth or dare?" He added
Ter took a deep breath and one more shot before speaking. "Fuck it, truth...I've got nothing to lose."
Dao smiled mischievously..."is there anything that hill does in bed that he thinks you like but you don't but he doesn't know 'cause you don't have the heart to tell him?" Dao asked holding up an imaginary microphone up to his mouth.
"How the fuck are you so good at asking?" North exclaimed a little too loud.
"Right?, that was such a good one..." phoon admits.
"Okay, well...don't get me wrong I actually do like dirty talk, but sometimes I really want him to shut the fuck up." Ter replied making them laugh, at this point they were all to drunk to understand what was funny or not so they were laughing at everything.
"I'll go next..." Phoon announces, "this one is for our groom to be."
North quirked an eyebrow curiously.
"Truth or dare?" North thought for a while before finally replying.
"Dare" he declared. Earning enthusiastic cheering once more from everyone.
"Hmmm, well I dare you to kiss Ter!" Phoon said giggling uncontrollably.
"Pshh...easy." North replied. Before cupping Ter's face in his palms and giving him a small peck on the lips that barely lasted a second.
"Alright! He did it!" Dao cheered.
"Okay, okay your turn Dao." Ter said taking another sip from his glass that was already almost finished.
"Truth or dare?..." Dao put a finger on his chin thoughtfully...
"truth, I ain't kissing any of ya." He joked.
"Okay, okay...is there anything you're not telling us?"
Dao craned his head in confusion...
"I don't know what you're talking about." He answered briefly.
"Hey, that question sucked! North protested.
"I agree" Phoon added.
Ter shrugged his shoulders before finishing his glass
"I'll ask phoon." North said loudly.
"Truth or dare?"...
"Dare!" Phoon declared proudly.
"Okay, I dare you to dance."..."but there's no music." He replied.
"That's the point." North explained.
Phoon stood up awkwardly, but nevertheless he danced confidently with them cheering and whistling for him loudly. After he was done he sat back down and downed his entire glass while everyone else was laughing.
[Time skip]
North rested his head on Dao's shoulder, really feeling the consequences of his actions, it was still worth it though.
"You okay?" Dao enquired with no answer. Then suddenly Dao felt his shoulder damp up more and more by the second.
"North, are you crying?" He exclaimed.
"Why the fuck are you crying?" Phoon asked while laughing, he's been laughing at everything for the past hour.
"I'm crying?" North asked touching the tears on his face.
"Seriously...are you okay?" Ter asked placing a hand on his shoulder. But it seemed like this gesture just drew more sobs from him.
There was tears everywhere and hiccups now.
"North? What the fuck happened?" Phoon asks hurriedly finally feeling concerned.
"I don't know...I think I'm fucking getting the wedding blues." He replied laughing although it sounded rather sad.
"Why all of a sudden?" Ter asks as he pulls him into his arms for a tight hug followed by Dao and Phoon.
North reciprocated the hug just tighter. "Oh you poor thing, you're just now allowing it all to sink in huh?" Phoon cooed, he understood completely how North was feeling, the day before he was to get married to Tonfah, he had also gotten blackout drunk and cried on North, funny how the exact same thing is happening just reversed.
"I can't believe I'm *hic* getting married..." North choked out between sobs.
"Aww, just let it out hun... " Ter soothes quietly.
"I'm sorry, I was the one who suggested this hang out, and blocking the guys but now I miss jo..." North admits.
"It's okay, do you really want to call him? We can if you really want to."
...the line rang for a few moments before it was answered.
"Are guys okay? What's wrong?"
It was Hill that had picked up.
"You're not p'jo..." North replied, his words slurred.
North heard a light chuckle on the other side before Hill spoke again.
"You're right, I'm not, jo is working out."
Ter grabbed the phone from North and spoke "its almost 12 am, why the fuck is he working out huh?"
There was no reply until they heard another voice.
Arthit.
"Are you guys drunk?"he asked, earning a reply from Dao from across the room.
"Well that's not your fucking business, is it?"
The three turned to him wide eyed. Their not going to ever get over how Dao speaks to him, its even worse now that he's drunk or maybe he was mad? they could never tell.
Arthit sighs in defeat.
"Jo is working out in the middle of the night because he misses his. Fiance and said he needed a distraction." He explained.
"Isn't the gym in the house? Just give him the phone then." Ter enquired...
"um, well the thing is he went jogging." Tonfah added.
"Then jog after him and give him the damn phone the fuck?"
Dao shouted again. Phoon quickly ran over to cover his mouth so he'll stop cussing people out.
"I'll tell him you called when he's back" Arthit said curtly, his voice carried some form of hurt.
"Okay, thank you Arthit." Ter said ending the call.
"Why'd you thank him? He likes was no help at all."
Dao enquired attempting to take another glass of wine but phoon stopped him.
"Dao I can't help but get the feeling that you're drinking to distract yourself from something." Phoon admits, saying exactly what everyone else was thinking.
"Yeah, and I think it has to do with Arthit."
Ter added. North on the other hand was way too drunk to form a coherent sentence so he fell asleep instead with Ter patting his hair softly.
"Did you guys fight?"Phoon added.
"No, we didn't." Dao said swiftly and drinking more wine since they didn't bother to stop him anymore.
"Are you lying?" Ter asked.
"No, I'm not."
Phoon gave a look of concern to Ter before Turing back to look at Dao.
"Are you mad at him?"
Dao swallowed thickly, that was enough answer they needed.
"Well...yes." he admits.
"What happened?" Ter enquired...
"I'm mad at him 'cause he won't give me an answer.
"To what?" Phoon asked curiously.
"Why he won't marry me."