A frustrated sigh forced from Iahn’s throat as he snatched his phone off the men’s room counter and glared at the instructions for the third time.

 

The device dropped with a heavy clunk on the marble again as he looked back into the mirror and tore at the messy knot hung around his neck until it was loose once more.

 

“Ok.” He pushed a forceful sigh from his lungs as he grabbed the pieces of wrinkled cloth hanging on either side of his neck and tried to smooth them before starting again.

 

“This way, cross, then like this...” he mumbled, trying for the 4th time to tie this dark blue necktie.

 

It felt like a necklace of rope in all honesty, but he always liked how ties looked. Having something around his neck bothered him a little but not enough to deter wearing it.

 

He’s never worn a suit before; not that he remembers at least.

 

He must have when he was younger, his grandpa said he had worn one to grandma’s funeral even though he was only 6. 

 

It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Not to brag or anything but he looks quite good in a suit; stylish. The tie, however… He liked it in theory but in practice, he wasn’t a fan. Building a computer from scratch would be easier.

 

Grandpa said it was just like tying your shoelaces, once you learn how to do it and with a little practice it’s supposed to be easy, but this is ridiculous!

 

It should not be this hard!

 

“Uggggh!” Iahn groaned in frustration as he messed up again. The rough throaty sound echoed off the fancy bathroom walls and deepened the noise like he had suddenly hit puberty.

 

He tore the offensive strip of cloth from his neck and chucked it at the sleek clean mirror with all the force his skinny arm could muster, and the result was a soft ‘thwomp’ followed by the cloth drifting to the fancy sink and falling around it. It was truly photo-worthy if it weren’t for how frustrated the boy in the reflection behind it was, the photographer would be disappointed that he missed it.

 

The door to the bathroom suddenly creaked and Iahn’s eyes flung to it, his entire body going stiff at the voice that entered.

 

“What the Hell is taking you so long?”

 

Yuen’s dark eyes landed on the younger boy and the front of his wrinkled black dress shirt, flipped up collar, and a deep blue silky tie draped around the fancy faucet like a noodle.

 

Iahn’s stomach clenched and dropped like a stone in water. His ears turned a subtle bright red as his stepbrother smirked, eyes glittering and practically purring with amusement.

 

“Pfft.” Yuen laughed. “What? Can’t even tie a tie? How old are you? Didn’t your dad ever teach you?”

 

Iahn froze and a deep ache panged through his chest. His gaze fell to the floor, his throat tightened as if swelling but the only sign of it from the outside was his clenched teeth. A sensation he had thought was long gone, but it became apparent that he was wrong.

 

Yuen closed his eyes, biting his lip in self-reproach.

 

‘So, what? Are we mocking kids for their dead parents now?’ Yuen mentally admonished himself.

 

Even he had to admit that was a low move and he sighed as the beratement continued through the tangible tense silence that descended over the room like cold rain.  

 

After a long time, Yuen stepped forward quietly and reached for the counter.

 

Iahn flinched and backpedaled two steps as the high schooler came towards him but Yuen caught his arm and yanked him back.

 

“Ah-ah-ah. Stay put.” He tutted.

 

Slim pale fingers snatched the draped satin from the faucet and turned Iahn towards him by his shoulders.

 

“Hold still,” Yuen ordered but it was unnecessary. Iahn had frozen the second the older boy had touched him.

 

Even if he wanted to escape, he couldn’t before the cloth was wrapped around his neck and deft fingers held the two pieces in front of him.

 

Yuen clicked his tongue, “I can’t see.”

 

He pushed Iahn’s chin up from where the boy was seemingly trying to bury it in his own throat. As much as he’d love to watch the kid struggle to figure this out — maybe even tie his own fingers into the knots — they don’t have time.

 

Gods, if he could skip this wedding, he would’ve been in the wind hours ago, but his dad’s threats had increased by quite a large degree, he was not messing around, and Yuen wasn’t willing to risk his wrath just to make a statement about this wedding. He knew when to give up. He had already made his stance on it pretty clear, and it had done nothing to stop this day from happening.

 

His car he could live without if he had to, but not his friends or his phone. He doesn’t even let his friends mess with his phone (not that they tried) but if his dad gets ahold of it? It’s the end of him, and if he saw what’s on Yuen’s phone, he’d dig through his computer and his room too, and maybe even kick him out.

 

That was not something he was ready to face. Protecting his privacy from a parent who thought it was ok to dig through someone else’s stuff just because they were the parent, was more important to Yuen than a few hours of mental anguish; aka relatives and formal attire for an event he loathed.

 

His fingers dexterously wrapped and pulled the dark blue silk into an appealing knot, all while Iahn held his breath without even realizing it.

 

Part of him thought Yuen was gonna strangle him “as a joke” but as the knot was woven with unexpected grace, it settled in just the right spot; tasteful and elegant, and not too tight around his throat. Yuen even smoothed the fabric before gently pulling Iahn’s blazer closed and doing up the single button to transform the image of a young boy in front of him, into that of a young man.

 

‘Hmph. I’ll bet he’s popular in his grade.’

 

The thought flickered across Yuen’s mind as he stepped back to admire his work and double-checked to make sure he was ready to go be a groomsman for Yuen’s father, along with Yuen himself and his father’s best friend (aka the best man and one of his dad’s only real friends that didn’t involve work).

 

Looking at the kid now in the formal attire that suited him (pun not intended), there was no doubt in Yuen’s mind that he wouldn’t have people fighting over him like hungry hyenas competing for a juicy tender prime rib when he’s older. If he didn’t already.

 

A little prick of envy poked at Yuen’s ego. He wasn’t bad-looking himself, but people were just built differently. This kid has some frustratingly good genes.

 

Even though the kid doesn’t look like much right now, there’s no way he won’t become an uncommonly handsome man someday. Yuen had a good eye for these things, ironically, considering he’s the last person who would give a single shit about something like that.

 

“Come on.” Yuen casually jerked his head towards the door, doing up the button on his own suit as he sighed his frustration and discontent away. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

---

Yuen couldn’t help rolling his eyes when he saw certain people turning up. The board members of his father’s company even showed up at his dad’s wedding and it made Yuen’s stomach roll. Vultures.

 

The ceremony was over quickly, not anything like the lengthy ordeals that you usually see. It was short and sweet, but the event was no less extravagant and lavish, and the party started almost as soon as the newly married couple kissed.

 

Iahn and Yuen sat one seat apart at one of the fancy tables layered in a white silk tablecloth in the darkened room as more people arrived at the venue by the minute.

 

Weddings were a weird thing.

 

Iahn had never been to a wedding before so it was a strange experience, but he’d seen enough movies to understand the process.

 

Movies were a little different because they didn’t show the gritty details usually, but it was within most of his expectations, aside from the short ceremony part. He didn’t know that was a thing because he had only ever heard of long ceremonies. 

 

At least the pictures for this wedding were good. The photographer got a picture of a very confused 13-year-old who looked like he didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing or why he was even here, and a picture of a handsome young teenage boy who looked both exhausted, like he was in mild pain trying to endure the even, and like he would rather be doing anything else.

 

Ah, to be young.

 

There was one redeeming factor about the wedding for Iahn though. The best man turned out to be the person who had been the nicest to him since the day he arrived in this city. The man was nicer than Iahn’s own mother.

 

He sat between him and Yuen so that was another bonus, and he was funny. An incredible jokester who was the type of person that could get along with anybody. Even Yuen got along with him like a house on fire and did not hold back his feelings for this wedding. The two of them even had some good jesting about the couple in a way that meant no real harm. Like looking at two of your friends who are a happy couple and saying something like “ugh, disgustingly cute.”

 

Apparently, Yuen grew up with him, he was like his uncle and Yuen even introduced him as such.

 

Sitting at a table at his mother’s wedding, with a man he just met and Yuen of all people, turned out to be the most fun Iahn had had in months.

 

He was even challenged to an abrupt arm-wrestle with the best man for some reason, but it was fun to watch a full-grown man give Iahn a hard time until Iahn really tried to beat him, and ultimately, he let Iahn win, only to turn around and mercilessly defeat Yuen. No trace of any such favoritism.

 

Iahn would dare say, he had a blast so long as the best man was around.

 

Eventually, Iahn’s mother called him over to be an arm ornament to introduce him to her husband’s family and friends (business partners), and just like that, all the joy was sucked out of the young teen within five seconds.

 

Iahn’s awkward smile turned into more of a pained grimace as he thought, ‘Oh goodie, more strangers to call ‘family’.

 

By the time he was done meeting people he would never see again, the best man was DJing and there was no one to talk to anymore.

 

By all accounts, the wedding was a happy occasion for everybody, except Iahn and Yuen.

 

Iahn was at least pretending that he was enjoying himself and smiling for photos and stuff, but he…mostly just felt out of place. A feeling that had become his default over the last few weeks.

 

The only person that made him feel alright was now busy, and he didn’t get to talk to him for as long as he would have liked. It might have been a good day if he could have just stuck to the best man the whole time.

 

His mom didn’t pay much attention to him after she was done showing off that she has a son too. As if also being a single parent made her more credible to her new in-laws — which unfortunately worked — and once released from his shackles, Iahn spent the rest of the evening sitting in the corner, watching a room full of strangers’ dance, and wishing he weren’t wearing a shirt that was legitimately trying to suffocate him.

 

If only he had his sketchbook to pass the time.

 

Yuen wasn’t doing much better than him, aside from the fact that these people weren’t strangers to him. Strangers or not, it wasn’t much better. He wasn’t close with any of these people.

 

So here he was. At a wedding that he wanted to sabotage but couldn’t because legally the two were already married and this whole thing was basically just an excuse to flaunt it. Fanfare and a chance for that woman to spend lots of money on a lavish party. His dad hated things like this, so he knew it had to have been her idea.

 

The only reason Iahn wasn’t as miserable, was because there was cake — excellent cake — and he had eaten about half the sweets on the dessert table all by himself over the last hour of the party, and for once he did not feel guilty about it, because no one else was eating them.

 

It was a good decision to sit next to it while everybody was busy dancing.

 

---

 

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