Work Text:
1.
The first time Mingyu sent Wonwoo to cover a wedding for him, there was nothing fishy going on. Mingyu frequently worked with this wedding planner and didn’t want to leave them in the lurch when a bride and groom decided that — despite being very clear that they wanted their artsy nephew to do the photos for the first six months of wedding planning, and despite having been told that it would be very, very difficult if they changed their mind — they did in fact want a professional and not a teenager who took a photography class in high school. (Wonwoo saw the engagement shots and…yikes.) So Wonwoo had gone, fallen in love at first sight with the wedding planner’s assistant, taken excellent pictures, and done a significantly better job than the teenager (who sulked in his rented suit until Wonwoo showed him some tricks of the trade for getting great party shots).
2.
The second time Mingyu sent Wonwoo to a wedding, it was a little suspicious. Mingyu really is just better at weddings than Wonwoo, who prefers the more editorial work they get. Mingyu has an easy way with strangers, gets people to laugh and smile, and learns them quickly — he takes pictures that become people’s favourite pictures of themselves, because he sees something in them in that moment he presses the trigger. Wonwoo takes excellent photos, but he hates small talk and reminding groomsmen to take their iPads out of their pockets and he doesn’t quite like children with sticky fingers asking to see his fancy camera. But Mingyu said something about being busy that week and it is Wonwoo’s job after all. So he went, and helped defuse an argument between a bridesmaid and the mother of the groom (or bride?) and learned that the pretty assistant’s name is Chan and got an amazing shot of the ring-bearer dog jumping up into the bride’s arms and everyone at the altar laughing with joy.
3.
The third time Mingyu sent Wonwoo to a wedding, he said “For the love of god, just talk to him this time! I know he’s the prettiest man you’ve ever seen and super competent and friendly and the best thing in your life, but I really can’t take it anymore.” So Wonwoo sidled up to Chan at the bar when everyone was dancing to songs that were cool 10 years ago and said “So, do you come here often?” because he’s an idiot. Chan said, “What?” and Wonwoo looked around like he wasn’t the one who spoke and said, “I said, do you come here often?” and Chan pursed his lips to stifle his laughter. Something crackled over the earpiece the wedding planner uses to keep his army of highly competent employees in the loop, and Chan said “I’ve got to go deal with a cupcake emergency,” and left. Wonwoo got a beautiful picture of the bride dancing on her grandfather’s feet, her new husband doing the same for his niece in the background.
4.
The fourth time Mingyu sent Wonwoo to a wedding, he gave Wonwoo a pep talk: “Look, Joshua says that Chan’s into you — despite your best efforts, I might add — so all you can do is fumble it by trying too hard. Just talk to him like a normal person. Ask him about the music or tell him you like how he arranged the chairs or something.” This wedding was a smaller affair, two grooms celebrating their 20-year anniversary in the drag bar they first met at, with a dress code of wear whatever makes you feel beautiful that does in fact also apply to Wonwoo. He panicked about this for a few days, then picked out pants that made his legs look long and a black turtleneck that was maybe a little bit too tight but showed off his upper body nicely enough, especially with the harness that made Mingyu give him an approving wolf whistle. Chan showed up wearing long black coat over a low v-neck and a long black skirt and it made him look like he stepped out of a fashion magazine and/or Wonwoo’s dreams. Chan smiled widely when Wonwoo gaped at him, and Wonwoo croaked out a “Holy shit you look good,” just as someone called for Chan to deal with the flower delivery. Later, Chan plucked at Wonwoo’s harness and asked him if it was functional, but Wonwoo couldn’t hear him over the sound of his blood rushing through his ears, so he just said “What did you say?” and Chan smiled and patted his chest before being pulled onto the dance floor by one of the grooms, fully decked out in a ball gown and tiara. Wonwoo got a picture of the grooms gazing at each other over a group of their friends dancing (and also several pictures of Chan moving to the music, face serene and limbs graceful as the fabric of the skirt billows around him like an aura).
5.
The fifth time Mingyu sends Wonwoo to a wedding, he tells Wonwoo he’ll fire him if he doesn’t ask for Chan’s phone number. Mingyu can’t fire him, because they’re partners, but Wonwoo gets the sentiment. This wedding is outside, which is always risky and difficult and stressful, so he doesn’t get to talk to Chan all evening, until the very end of the event when all the guests have gone and it’s just Joshua and Chan and a handful of exhausted staff left to take the tent down. Wonwoo’s supposed to leave before teardown, but one of the crises that Chan had to deal with was three of their regular staff coming down with some awful sounding virus that morning, and it doesn’t take much specific wedding planning skill to follow instructions like put all the chair bows in a box. He tries to be helpful and unobtrusive for the hour and a half it takes to turn the dance floor back into a public pavilion and mostly succeeds, with the exception of the moment he spots Chan backing up into a pile of wires as he directs the take-down of the tent. He rushes over to catch Chan as he trips and before falls. Chan’s eyes gaze up at his with surprise, then wonder, then fondness, lips curling into a smile when he realizes that it’s Wonwoo’s arms around his shoulders, Wonwoo’s legs holding him up.
“Can I have your number?” Wonwoo says as his glasses slip dangerously low on his nose.
Chan lifts an arm to push Wonwoo’s glasses back up, then pushes Wonwoo’s bangs out of his eyes.
“Yeah,” he sighs — Joshua, later, calls it swooning — “Sure.”
They stay frozen, Wonwoo’s hands on Chan’s back and Chan’s fingers in his hair, until someone clears their throat and asks them to move so they can pack up the wires around their feet. Wonwoo scrambles to get out of the way, which unbalances Chan who clutches Wonwoo’s biceps to keep himself standing.
“Woah,” Chan says, squeezing his arm. “I can’t believe you’re this hot and nice.”
Wonwoo laughs, because what else is he supposed to say?
Chan grins and drops his arm, digging into his back pocket for his phone, which he taps and and turns towards Wonwoo. “Give me your number, Wonwoo.”
“You know my name?” Wonwoo says, as he types in his phone number.
“Yes?” Chan tilts his head. “We’ve been working weddings together for like, two months.” He pauses. “You know my name, right?”
“Yes,” Wonwoo says, then panics. “Chan.”
Chan stifles his laughter as Wonwoo hands back the phone. He taps at it, which makes Wonwoo’s phone vibrate in his pocket a few seconds later.
[unknown contact]: my name is actually Vernon
Wonwoo’s eyes bug out and he looks up at Chan — Vernon? — only to see his grin shift into a giggle.
“Yes, my name is Chan,” Chan says. “Don’t take two months to ask me out, okay?”
Wonwoo nods. Chan grins and starts to turn back to the tent demolition, which has halted for their little moment.
“Are you free after this?” Wonwoo calls out.
Chan turns around, walking backwards. “Buy me a beer?”
Wonwoo lets out a hasty “Yeah,” then gives Chan a thumb’s up, which makes Chan laugh again.
Joshua sends Mingyu a picture of Wonwoo holding Chan up, and Mingyu prints multiple copies that he hides around their studio for Wonwoo to stumble on. It would be annoying if it didn’t make him so happy to see how happy Chan looks in his arms.
6.
When Mingyu sends Wonwoo on his sixth wedding, Chan will greet him with a kiss on his cheek before running off to put out what is hopefully not a literal fire, but honestly, you never know.
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