The elevator doors _dinged_ and then nearly exploded off their tracks.
Han stormed out like a furious, sleep-deprived Christmas elf on a vengeance quest. Hoodie, sweatpants, hair sticking up, face red enough to guide Santa's sleigh.
He did not see the fairy lights. He did not see the roses. He did not see the "Marry Me Han?" banner
He saw Taejoon. Standing in the middle of the roof like he owned it.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" Han bellowed, pointing an accusing finger. "WHERE IS THE LADY, TAEJOON?!"
Taejoon blinked. Slowly. Then his mouth twitched.
Behind the AC unit, Hudson slapped a hand over his mouth. Ace was shaking. From the stairwell, Lorenzo was silently wheezing into Harrison's shoulder.
"What lady?" Taejoon asked, fighting a smile and losing.
"Don't 'what lady' me!" Han marched forward, stomping. He'd forgotten about his bad ankle. It twinged. He ignored it. "Jace saw you! You brought her here! To a ROOF—" He finally glanced around. "—to a really… decorated… roof?"
He paused. For half a second. Processed the lights. The candles. The suspiciously romantic number of roses.
Then got madder.
"OH, SO YOU BROUGHT HER HERE FOR _AMBIANCE_?!" he yelled, volume increasing 30%. "THAT'S WORSE!"
"Han," Taejoon started, stepping closer, hands up like he was approaching a feral cat. "Baby, breathe—"
"DON'T BABY ME! I'M NOT YOUR BABY! I'M THE GUY YOU LIED TO!" Han was gesturing wildly now. "I HAD A DREAM! A PROPHETIC DREAM! AND YOU WERE— YOU WERE BEING—" He made a frantic, unhinged gesture at Taejoon's torso. "—INTIMATE! WITH YOUR ARMS!"
Behind the catering table, Caleb bit his tablecloth to keep from screaming.
Taejoon bit his lip. Hard. His shoulders were shaking. "With my arms?"
"YES! YOUR ARMS WERE ON HER! IT WAS VERY REAL!" Han's face was the color of his Santa coat. "AND NOW YOU'RE LAUGHING! THIS IS NOT FUNNY, KIM TAEJOON!"
"I'm not—" Taejoon choked. "Okay I'm a little laughing. Because you're jealous and you showed up to fight me in sweatpants and you look—"
I'M SERIOUS
From behind the maintenance door, Jace whispered, "Oh my god he's gonna propose to him mid-murder."
Kai whispered back, "This is better than Netflix."
"Han," Taejoon sighed. All the amusement bled into something softer. Fond. "There's no lady."
"LIAR!"
Taejoon took one big step and closed the distance. Before Han could reload his lungs for round two, Taejoon's hands landed on his waist. Firm. Warm.
Han's brain short-circuited.
"Let go!" Han yelped, eyes going wide. He shoved at Taejoon's chest. It was like shoving a wall. "I'm serious! I'm mad! I'm not joking, Taejoon, let me—"
Taejoon ignored him. He pulled.
Han stumbled forward with a very undignified squawk and suddenly there was no space between them.
"Taej— mmph!"
Taejoon kissed him.
It was not a polite kiss. It was a _shut up I've been planning this for a month and you're yelling about my arms_ kiss.
Han froze. Full-body system error. His hands were still fisted in Taejoon's shirt, but he wasn't pushing anymore. His brain was screaming _BE MAD. YOU'RE MAD. REMEMBER THE LADY._
His mouth, traitor that it was, did not get the memo.
Two seconds. Three.
Han's eyes fluttered shut. A pissed-off, betrayed little noise came out of his throat. Then he kissed him back.
Aggressively. Like it was also Taejoon's fault.
From the bush, Ace whispered, "Holy shit."
Harrison whispered back, "Told you he was a goner."
Taejoon finally pulled back, just an inch. Han's face was still red, but now it was 40% anger, 60% kissed-stupid. His breath was coming fast.
"There's no lady," Taejoon said, voice low, thumb rubbing Han's waist over his hoodie. "There's never been a lady. There's only been you. Annoying, jealous, prophetic-dream-having you."
Han opened his mouth. Closed it. His brain was still rebooting. "But Jace said—"
"Jace is behind the door with Kai," Taejoon said, tilting his head toward the maintenance door. It rattled suspiciously. "Hi, Jace."
"HI HAN," Jace yelled, then there was a scuffle and a _shut up_.
Han's head whipped around. Then to the AC unit, where Hudson's Birthday Boy hat was visible. Then to the catering table, which was giggling.
His eyes went huge. "Are— are there people—"
"my group members and yours," Taejoon said cheerfully. "They helped. They saw your whole villain monologue about my arms."
Han's soul left his body. "Oh my god."
"Oh my god," Lorenzo mimicked from the stairs. "He said 'with your arms' I'm gonna die—"
"SHUT UP!" Han shrieked, burying his face in Taejoon's shirt. "I hate all of you!"
Taejoon just laughed, arms coming around him properly now. "Yeah. But you love me."
"I'm still mad," Han mumbled into his chest.
"Okay."
"And you're sleeping on the couch."
"Noted."
"And you have to explain the dream thing."
"I will."
Han peeked up at him. Eyes still watery and pissed off and completely wrecked. "There really isn't a lady?"
"Han," Taejoon said, reaching into his pocket. "The only person I brought to this roof is you."
He dropped to one knee.
Behind the AC unit, someone dropped something metal. From the bush, someone whispered _oh shit it's happening_.
Han's brain blue-screened again. "What are you— TAEJOON YOU CAN'T— I'M IN SWEATPANTS—"
Taejoon grinned up at him. Crooked. Nervous. Happy. "Good. Means you can't run."
Han stared down at him. At the ring. At the ten idiots slowly crawling out of their hiding spots. At the banner that definitely said _Marry Me Han?_
Then he looked at Taejoon. Just Taejoon.
And sighed the most put-upon, furious, fond sigh in history. "You're an idiot."
The movement was steady. Certain. The ring box was already in his hand — black velvet, a little worn at the edges from how many times he'd opened it over the last month.
Han's breath caught. Loud in the quiet.
Behind the AC unit, Hudson slapped a hand over his mouth. Ace went dead still. Lorenzo, Harrison, Jace, Kai, Caleb, both Adriels, Alexander — all of them froze. Harrison had his phone up. Adriel had his too,
Taejoon looked up at Han. Just Han. Like the rest of the world wasn't there.
"Han"" he said, soft. His voice didn't shake. . "I've been practicing this for weeks. And I still don't think I have the right words."
Han's eyes were already shiny. "Taejoon—"
"Let me," Taejoon said, gentle. "Please. I need to say it."
Han shut his mouth. Nodded.
Taejoon's thumb brushed over Han's knuckles. "You're loud. You're stubborn. You get jealous over dreams and you yell about my arms and you showed up here in one slipper ready to fight me."
A watery laugh burst out of Han.
"And I love it," Taejoon said. "I love you. All of you. The mad parts. The soft parts. The parts that think I'm gonna leave when all I've been doing is trying to figure out how to keep you forever."
Han's lip wobbled.
"I don't want one more day," Taejoon went on. His voice went rougher. Real. "I don't want two. I don't want a year. I want every single day. I want your bad mornings and your good ones. I want your prophetic dreams and your stupid ankle injuries because you danced too hard. I want to be the person you yell at when you're mad and the first person you run to when you're not."
Tears spilled over Han's cheeks. He wasn't even trying to stop them.
"I want to spend my entire life with you, Han," Taejoon said. Simple. True. "Every boring Tuesday. Every comeback. Every New Year. I want you. Only you. Always you."
He opened the box.
The ring was simple. Silver. Small diamond, but it caught the fairy lights and threw them everywhere.
Taejoon looked up. Eyes wet now too. "Han. Will you marry me?"
Silence.
One heartbeat. Two.
Taejoon stayed on his knee. Waiting. Not pushing. Just there. Open.
Han's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. A sob broke out of him, ugly and honest.
Then he nodded. Frantic. Desperate. "Yes," he choked out. "Yes. Yes. A million times yes. Yes—"
He couldn't stop. "Yes, yes, yes—"
Taejoon chuckled. Watery. Relieved. He slid the ring onto Han's finger. It fit. Of course it fit. He'd stolen one of Han's rings weeks ago to check.
The second it was on, the clock tower in the distance chimed.
_12:00 AM._
January 1st.
The sky exploded.
Fireworks. Bangers. Gold and red and white lighting up the whole city. Reflecting in Han's tears. In Taejoon's eyes. In the ring.
Taejoon brought Han's hand to his mouth. Pressed a kiss to his knuckles. To the ring. To the skin right above it. Slow. Reverent.
"Hi, fiancé," he whispered.
Han broke.
He launched himself forward. No grace. No cool. Just a sob and arms and all his weight as he crashed into Taejoon.
Taejoon caught him. Stood in one smooth motion, arms locked around Han like he'd never let go again.
Han buried his face in Taejoon's neck. Crying. Laughing. Shaking. "You idiot. You absolute idiot. I love you. I love you so much."
"I know," Taejoon said into his hair. "I've got you."
Then the roof detonated.
"HE SAID YES!" Hudson screamed, Birthday Boy hat flying off.
"FINALLY!" Ace yelled, bursting out from behind the AC.
"KISS AGAIN!" Lorenzo bellowed.
"WE'RE FREE!" Caleb shouted, throwing rose petals like confetti.
Harrison was crying while videoing. Jace was hugging Kai. Both Adriels were jumping up and down. Alexander was clapping, slow and proud.
Adriel — the Alpha Boys' Adriel — was yelling "I TOLD YOU HE'D SAY YES! PAY UP!" at Harrison.