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17

***

"Now, let's hear the couple's best man this time." The emcee announced and gave Fluke a mic. 

"Thank you." He said and sigh deeply before he started. "Good evening, everyone. My name is Fluke, and I am Wayne and Chun Chih's best friend slash travel buddy slash business partner." He smiled at the newlywed couple. "On behalf of my best friends, I would like to thank you for attending this blessed event today! I am honored to act as Best Man tonight and very delighted that I am with these two amazing people as they begin this new chapter in their lives." 

Everyone clapped and cheered for the newlyweds. 

"Thank you to those who helped make this wedding so beautiful. Chun Chih, you look absolutely handsome tonight. Wayne, well, uhm. . . ah. . . yeah. . . Never mind."

"Baby!" Wayne yelled. Everyone laughed including Chun Chih.

"I love you, Baby!" Chun Chih said and smiled at Fluke. "You're the best!" Then he looked at Wayne and gave him a kiss that made the other smile widely and forget why he was sulking.

Fluke shook his head and continued. "But, seriously, I wish you all best. I love you two very much. You know, I met Wayne and Chun Chih when I badly needed someone to lean on. They were there when I was struggling to live a life after leaving my country. I won't go into details anymore, but right then and there, I could really tell that these two were the warmest people I met in my whole life. They treat me as their brother whom they need to protect and take care of. I cannot thank them enough for everything they've done for me. And because of them, I gained not only brothers but also two more sets of parents." Fluke look at Wayne and Chun Chi's parents and smiled lovingly. "I won't make my speech long because Wayne has been giving me signals to end it immediately." Fluke said and chuckled. "Wayne and Chun Chih, tonight we celebrate you. I know your life together will be fantastic. We wish you a lifetime of happiness, success, love, health, and laughter. Continue to find humor in the bad and gratitude for the good. May your relationship continue to grow throughout all the years to come. Now, if you would all join me to give a toast to Wayne and Chun Chih." Fluke raised his glass. "Cheers to the newlyweds!"

He was immediately engulfed in a tight hug from the newlywed couple. "We love you, Baby." Both of them said. 

"You're next in a couple of days." Chun Chih added, "And we are so happy for you."

"Thank you. At least I won't be third-wheeling to you anymore." They all chuckled. 

"Oops. . . Your lover is here." Wayne whispered. 

Fluke looked at his back and there he saw Ohm walking towards them with the brightest smile. He wrapped his arm around Fluke's waist as soon as he reached their spot. 

"Congratulations and best wishes, Wayne. . . Chun Chih." 

"Thank you, Ohm. Take care of our baby, okay?" Chun Chih replied

"Of course. You don't need to tell me that."

Wayne tsk-ed, "Boastful, aren't you?" He said which earned him a hit on the arm from his husband. 

"Honey. . ." Chun Chih warned and Wayne just smiled. Then he looked at Ohm, "I hope you know what we can do if our baby cries again because of you. Hmm?"

Ohm nodded and said yes as he hugged Fluke even tighter. He didn't know why, but Chun Chih's calm voice was much scarier than Wayne's threats when he said that.

"Will you stop scaring my fiancé?" Fluke said sternly, but he pouted and leaned his head on Ohm's chest.

"We're not scaring him, Baby." Chun Chih replied. "Just making sure he knows what we can do."

Ohm caressed Fluke's arm and kissed the crown of his head, "I know you still have doubts, but I promise both of you, I won't make him cry again. I love him with all my heart and I plan to stay by his side till the end of our lives." He said seriously. "You'll know it. We're all gonna be together anyways when the four of us travel, right?" 

They all smiled at that. They all planned to continue traveling when they were free from work. And with the business partnership coming up, Chun Chih and Wayne knew they would be able to monitor not only the business but also their baby's married life. They were both ready to be their support system once they needed it.

***

Fluke opened the door as he heard a knock. There he saw Ohm's father smiling at him sweetly. 

"Hi, Dad!" He greeted. "Ohm's not here yet. He said he would just buy something."

"Oh. No. I'm actually here for you."

"Oh. . ." Fluke then opened the door widely to let the older man inside. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Dad nodded his head and said, "I just want to talk to you, son. How are you? Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

Ohm and Fluke's wedding was set for the next day. 

"Uhm. . . a little?" 

"I understand. I think it's normal. I was nervous too when I got married to my wife." He smiled remembering the past. "I always thought that I wasn't good enough for her and she would run away." Fluke's look of surprise made the older man chuckle. "Yeah. I had insecurities, too. You know Mom had a lot of suitors before, and they were actually rich. I was just a normal guy who worked really hard to make my business successful then. I thought I wasn't doing enough for her to choose me as her life partner." 

Fluke was quiet for a while, but after thinking about it, he decided to tell the older man what he was thinking. "Dad. . . "

However, he was cut off by the older man. "I know, Fluke. The reason why you left was that you were thinking that you weren't good enough for him. . ." Fluke nodded. "and you thought he wouldn't love you because you're a man." Fluke nodded again. "There is nothing wrong with you being in love with a man. You just love, that's a feeling and not a sin."

"Thank you, Dad."

"You know Mom and Dad like you even before. We really felt your genuine and pure soul. But we didn't think about what we would feel if you and our son were a real couple. I mean you were partners in the series and other projects, and you've gone closer every day, but we thought they were just pure friendship. Not until our son went to our home looking so devastated and a crying mess." Fluke couldn't say anything. He felt like crying, too. "We haven't seen him like that before. When he calmed down, we asked him why he was like that, that was the time he told us everything about you and that you left without telling him the reason." 

Fluke's eyes burst into tears, so Dad went near him and wiped them away. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I didn't think about how he would feel then."

"Nope. You shouldn't say sorry. Your reasons were valid. We understand you completely. I just hope everything would be well now that your starting a new chapter in your lives. If you have any problems, don't keep them to yourself. We are here for you. We don't want a runaway Fluke again in the future and I don't want to see an ugly crying Ohm. It was kinda funny and scary, you know." That made Fluke chuckle in his tears. "There. I really love the smiling you. You look really adorable when you smile. If my son makes you cry, tell me, and I will deal with him."

Fluke nodded and hugged the man. "Thank you, Dad. Ohm and I will do it. This time, I will be more open with everything I feel and my worries. I hurt him because I kept everything to myself."

"That's right. Communication is one of the ingredients of having a good relationship with your partner. And don't worry, as I said, we are just here to help both of you."

"Yes, Dad. Thank you so much."

"Come on. Let's enjoy your last day as a single. I'll kidnap you from my son for a few hours. Leave your phone here. I don't want my son to disturb us."

Fluke nodded happily and just wrote a short note he put next to his phone saying he would just be going out with Dad.

***