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ivan’s hand feels warm, safe even, as till tugs at it toward the park he’s rented out for the afternoon. in till’s other hand is a picnic basket, full of food his housemaid informed him was ivan’s favorite.
till’s housemaid, otherwise known as ivan’s mother, had been employed by till’s family for as long as he could remember, but it was only recently that he had met her son, as ivan lived away from the choi residence with his father.
when till reaches a large tree next to the man-made stream, he turns to ivan. “is here okay?”
ivan doesn’t meet till’s eyes, choosing to nod his head just slightly.
till takes it in stride and starts to set up the picnic blanket he’d carried with him. when set up, he gestures for ivan to join him. “sit. are you hungry?”
as if on cue, ivan’s stomach rumbles and the dark-haired boy flushes. he sits down carefully next to till, starts reaching for the picnic basket.
till stops him though, gently pulling the basket out of his grasp. “allow me,” till says kindly, wanting to seem like a gentleman.
he pulls out containers full of small sandwiches, fruit, and some mini desserts that till isn’t familiar with. but by the way ivan’s eyes light up at the sight of them, he definitely is. till chuckles, pleased to see some happiness grace ivan’s expression.
he opens the tupperware with the dessert, picks one up and holds it toward ivan. “wanna be bad and start with dessert?” he teases.
ivan flushes some more, and till can’t help but think how beautiful the pink looks under the glow of the sunlight. “dessert can wait,” ivan says quietly. “let’s eat.”
“mm. let’s. it’s a good day for a picnic.”
and it was. it was the perfect day for a picnic, for a first date between a couple who didn’t know much about each other.
normally, till wouldn’t care about impressing his date, but ivan was different. the moment till saw ivan for the first time, the world shifted under his feet and he knew he had to have the boy. ivan had just been dropping off something for his mother, but till immediately honed in on his every detail, from the curve of his lips, from the snaggletooth that peeked out cheekily, to the long bottom lashes kissing his cheeks, to the starry eyes with comets in the center.
call it fate, call it destiny, call it whatever you want, but till knew ivan was meant for him.
it didn’t take long for till to convince his parents to allow him to be arranged to marry ivan, not when ivan’s mother was excited for them both and his own parents were simply relieved to see him willing to tie the knot with anyone at all. his main issue was convincing ivan himself that till was a worthy husband.
which is why till had suggested this picnic. not only to serve as their first date, but for ivan to get to know till for who he really is, rather than the picture his parents and his mother may have painted for him.
the two munch on their sandwiches in peace, listening to the park’s music. there’s the birds chirping as they fly, the stream water crashing against rocks, there’s leaves rustling in the wind, and ivan humming a beautiful melody.
...wait, what?
till’s eyes widen as ivan hums, seemingly unaware that he was doing so. the tune is lovely, though a little haunting, a little melancholic, as if the song was meant for a rainy sorrowful day rather than the perfect summer’s day they had right now.
when ivan takes another bite of his sandwich, effectively ceasing the song, till speaks up.
“that’s a pretty song. did you write it yourself?”
ivan frowns, swallowing his food before responding. “was i singing?”
“humming, but can you sing too?”
slowly, ivan nods. “i can... but it’s not something i do often. no one really wants to hear me sing.”
“why not?” till leans back on his hands, taking in ivan’s pensive expression. “i want to hear you sing. in fact, i’d love to hear you.”
“you also want to marry me for some reason.”
ivan’s words come out a touch more bitter than till was expecting, but he pays it no mind.
“why is it so bad that i want to marry you?” till asks, probing for the answer. “are you someone i shouldn’t marry?”
ivan sighs. “you shouldn’t want to do anything with someone like me. not this picnic, not this marriage, not anything. i’m not sure why we’re even here. i’m way out of your league.”
this amuses till. “are you? i don’t know about that. i think you’re my type exactly.”
ivan raises a brow. “be serious. we come from different worlds. you don’t know me.”
till leans in toward ivan, brushes the backs of his fingers against ivan’s cheek. when ivan blushes, till smirks. “but i want to know you. i want to know everything about you. i wouldn’t have arranged a match between us if i wasn’t sure.”
“but what about me made you so sure? you’ve never spoken to me before.”
till wants to tell the truth, wants to tell ivan about the dreams he’s had since he was a young boy, dreams that feature a dark-haired boy with the same gorgeous eyes as ivan’s. he wants to tell ivan about the warmth that sparked in his heart upon seeing him for the first time. he wants to tell ivan about the way his eyes couldn’t look away from him when the boy laughed at a joke his mother made.
he was captivating, spellbounding, made by the universe for till.
till wanted to tell ivan all these things, but he also knew he couldn’t scare ivan off. not when this ethereal creature was giving him a chance on this fine day. no, he would secure a ring on ivan’s hand first before confessing all he has to tell, before proving that their lives were entwined by destiny.
instead of saying what he wants to say, till settles for a half-truth.
“love at first sight. the moment i saw you, i knew i had to have you. the gods above told me so.”
ivan looks away, but till easily sees the red climbing up the nape of ivan’s neck. he laughs again, reaching for a grape from the bowl of fruit and popping it in his mouth.
ivan doesn’t meet his eyes for the rest of the picnic, but till doesn’t mind too much. when the two are done eating, done enjoying the park for the day, they pack up and walk toward till’s car, ready to go home.
till considers it a win when ivan doesn’t pull away when till reaches for his hand. it’s another win when till’s allowed to hold his hand during the entirety of the car ride. and it’s a final win when ivan leans into the kiss till places on his cheek upon wishing him goodbye.
it’s a slow start, but it’s one that till hopes will mark the rest of their lives.
he’s already looking forward to their wedding day.
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