"Are you ready yet?" Jimin calls out to his boyfriend, knocking gently on the door to their bedroom.
"Almost."
A few moments later, the door opens, and Jimin instantly frowns. The brunet's wearing light blue jeans and a pastel yellow t-shirt, as well as a brown braided belt that's pulled tight around his small waist.
"What happened to that cute skirt we bought last week, baby? I thought you were gonna wear it today..."
"I can't." Joon replies bluntly, clearing his throat as he tucks his shirt into his jeans, then puts one foot on the nearest surface so he can fold the cuffs. "Skirts aren't for men. At least, not manly men."
"Who told you that?"
"My parents." the elder speaks quickly, trying to hide the fact his voice is breaking as tears threaten to escape. "I'm either a man or a pussy, that's what my appa told me."
"He's wrong." Jimin cups his chin, tilting his head down so he's looking at him. "Just because you break a gender stereotype, that doesn't make you any less masculine. Men are told they're not meant to cry, but why not? They're human, aren't they? And skirts are fine - I mean, in Scotland, it's traditional dress for a man."
"But not Korea."
"It doesn't matter about geography. You can cry, wear skirts, put on makeup, and still consider yourself a man. Being manly isn't about fitness and sports and beers with the guys. It's about respect, kindness, care - everything you have. Masculinity is a mindset, not a look."
Tears still glistening in his eyes, the elder nods. "You're right." he mumbles, voice breaking slightly. "I shouldn't be doing what other people expect of me. I should be doing what I want."
"Exactly." the blond wipes his eyes for him, standing on his tiptoes so he can press a gentle kiss to his lips. "Go on, you've got just enough time to get changed before we go."
"Where are we going again? You never told me."
"You'll see."
45 minutes later, the car's pulling up outside a little row of shut-down buildings. Jimin parks and, with his boyfriend's hand in his own, walks over to a single isolated one. Unlike the others, it's been repaired - the crumbling bricks replaced with fresh ones - and given a fresh lick of ivory paint, and the missing or broken panels of glass in the door now look like nothing ever happened to them.
"We were talking about opening a bookshop together," Jimin says, opening the front door using a key his boyfriend's never seen before, "so I bought us one. It's not much at the minute, but once we decorate it, it'll be nice."
"Jimi..." the taller male looks at him with a grin, dimples prominent. "You remembered."
"Of course, I did. If we're gonna get married, we need something that's not just yours and not just mine - something that's ours. This is it."
Still holding his partner's hand, the blond enters the shop. It's empty, a heavy coating of dust on the windowsills, yet the two of them know where they want everything. Bookshelves lining the walls, potted plants on the windowsills and in the back corner, a cute little desk just in front of the door upstairs - it's all so perfect.
"I have one more thing to show you." he says, squeezing Namjoon's hand and taking him through said door, up the narrow staircase, and onto the second floor. He covers the latter's eyes. "The best bit is that we don't have to leave home to tend to the shop."
"What do you m- o-oh, my God..." gasps the other once he can see again. "Baby, tell me you're not fucking with me."
"I'm not." Jimin promises. "Remember when I told you I wanted to clear some stuff out of the apartment? And when we went to IKEA a couple months ago and picked out all that stuff? All of that lead up to this - our own little space, right on top of the shop."
"So, does this mean we're moving?"
"Eventually. I think we should sort things out downstairs first - paint, flooring, furniture, et cetera - and then we can look at moving out. We can go through all our stuff and pick what we wanna keep, then sell the rest or donate it to charity."
"This feels like a dream..."
"It does, doesn't it?" chuckles the shorter, letting go of his fiancé and taking a seat on the bed that barely fits into their bedroom space. "Some of our clothes are already in the closet, so I was thinking we could spend the night here, hm? It'd be nice to get used to the area a little."
"I like that idea." Joon sits beside him, pecking his lips softly. "Thanks for talking me into getting changed, MinMin. I feel a lot more comfortable in this than in those jeans."
"You're welcome, hyungie. Don't worry about what other people think - you can be as manly as you want, in whatever way you want. Skirts, makeup, nail polish - still manly, as long as you have all the qualities you need."
Lying back against the pillows, the brunet looks at him with a bashful smile on his face. "Cuddling's manly, right?"
"Super manly." the younger nods, lying beside him and wrapping his arms around him. One hand finds its way to Joon's hair, carding through it, and the other rests on his waist. "You and me, Joonie - we're men. We might not look like it to certain people - what with all the makeup and the skirts and the jewellery we wear - but we are. We're perfectly masculine men."
