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It had been one month and Jonathan still wore that little bracelet around his wrist. He slept with it on, he showered with it on and when he was feeling distressed in any way he would simply rub the thread between his fingers and let it bring him back down to reality. It never failed.

It never failed to make his heart stutter when Evan would play with the thin thread mindlessly as they were curled up together on the couch watching reruns of Parks and Recreation. He loved the feel of his fingertips brushing against the sensitive skin of his wrist and the goose bumps that would rise when those fingers ventured further up his arm to run circles in the crook of his arm.

It was sweet.

He loved the tingle of Evan's breath as he whispered in his ear, the soft brush of lips as they met the spot that made him hot.

It made him burn.

He loved the nights when Evan would pull him up the stairs, looking back at him with a grin that made his fingers shake. Every time his head hit the pillow, his back would arch, his body searching for Evan's touch in the dark and he was always granted small fleeting kisses against his skin.

They didn't talk much those nights. Not when all they wanted was to feel each other. The rush of breath filling the air were conversation enough. Their hands pressed those three words into each other's skin as they moved together in the night, sometimes the day, sometimes on the kitchen floor.

But then there were the nights when Jonathan looked at Evan and he couldn't stop the curling of his toes when his brown eyes started undressing him, making their way down his long body. He always knew what Evan was doing and Evan always knew that Jonathan couldn't bare it, being in a public place, digging his nails into his palms to keep his erection under control. Evan loved it. He loved the way Jonathan would twist and turn in his seat at dinner with Rory and Vanessa, or when they were at the movies, or even at his parents. He loved the desperate wet kiss that was on his lips as soon as they got home, as soon as they shut the front door.

God, Evan loved it, every hot and messy second of it.

Those nights, they didn't take their time. They whispered obscene things it each other's ear, stole each other's breath, broke each other's skin. Sometimes the bed wasn't even the main event, because sometimes Evan couldn't wait that long. He couldn't wait to get up the stairs, so the couch would have to do, or the hardwood floor, but his favorite was the wall. It was the hottest thing pinning him against the drywall as soon as they shut the front door, making a mess of the clothes they couldn't get off all the way. He'd never had so many holes in his shirts.

It had been three months almost and Jonathan was already getting invitations to panels for PAX East and Evan couldn't stop smiling. This is what he'd always dreamed of; finding the love of his life and spending the rest of their time together travelling, and gaming, and just being dorks.

So, there they were walking hand in hand down the snowy white streets of Boston, stopping to take pictures with fans that spotted them.

"Let's go to Dave and Buster's later." Evan grinned over at him.

"Why? So I can kick your ass at arcade games?" Jonathan squeezed his fingers.

"Yeah, and then you can feel bad about it and feel obligated to make it up to me."

"Oh yeah?" Jonathan grinned at him cheekily. "Make it up to you how?"

"I've got some good ideas." Evan pressed a kiss to the side of Jonathan's face, then said in his ear, "I'll tell you all about it tonight when we get back to the hotel."

Jonathan laughed into the cold, "How about we take a detour and go to the hotel now?"

"No, come on!" Evan laughed and pulled him along the sidewalk towards the convention. "The guys are waiting for us."

"Evan, they won't miss us for another thirty minutes. Come onnnn." Jonathan tugged him in the other direction.

"Are you serious, or are you just playing with me? I can never tell." Evan smirked when Jonathan looked back at him.

"Shuch up, you know I'm serious and you know you're making me flustered." Jonathan pulled him toward the hotel faster. "I'm horny as fuck right now."

Evan was too and he had his boyfriend pressed against the elevator wall as soon as the doors slid shut. He was already unbuckling his belt, thumbing the button of his jeans open and the doors gave a ding and they stumbled out into an empty hallway.

"Hurry up, we only have twenty more minutes to spare!" Jonathan whispered loudly as he raced down the hall, fumbling to get the key card out of his back pocket. Evan kissed at the back of his neck while he clumsily slid the card into the door.

"Jesus, Evan. At least let me get out of my pants." He mumbled against his lover's lips when the door fell shut behind them.

"Hey, you're the one that insisted on us coming back here first."

"Yeah, but these are the only pair of jeans I brought. And I'd rather not have to walk around with a mess in my pants." Jonathan fell back onto the bed and held his legs up and watched in amusement as Evan pulled his pants off for him and kissed his way up his cold legs that were getting warmer the longer Evan took.

"Want me to strip for you, baby?" Evan said with a sly grin as he stepped out of his clothes and snorted on a laugh when Jonathan broke down into a fit of contagious giggles.

"Dont even start that with me." He laughed and sat up, reaching for Evan's hands. He pulled him down onto the bed with him. "You know I hate that corny sex talk."

"I know, but you know I gotta mess with you. It's what I do." Evan pulled at Jonathan's shirt until it was gone, tossed carelessly to the floor.

"Mm." Jonathan bit at his lip in anticipation as Evan took his time placing kisses on his skin, running his fingers through his hair, making him shiver, making him feel so fucking wanted. So loved.

Evan always took his time with him even when the sex was desperate and urgent. He took his time letting him know that his body was a temple and he worshipped it and it wasn't something to be rushed or abused.

He nipped at his shoulders letting his teeth run gently across his skin. Then Jonathan whispered in his ear, "Fifteen minutes."

"Where the hell are they?" Marcel was craning his neck, searching through the faces in the crowd for the two guys who were still absent.

"I'll call Jonathan, hang on." Luke pulled out his phone and dailed.

Jonathan was close and he was feeling every inch of Evan as he thrusted into him, so fucking smooth and just barely hitting that spot each time, slowly working him closer and closer to the end.

Then his phone rang beside them and Evan shook his head when he saw the caller id. "It's Luke. Don't answer. You can call him back."

Evan wrapped around him tighter, thrust harder and Jonathan was forgetting all about the call until his phone started ringing again. "Damn it, Luke!"

Jonathan answered and Evan kept going, they were too close to stop, it felt too good. He tried to talk calmly and breathe like a normal human being, "Hey."

"Where are you guys?"

"We're like, ten minutes away. We're coming." Jonathan said.

Evan laughed out loud. "Yeah, we're coming."

"Oh my God, shut up." Jonathan giggled and Evan thrust even harder, cutting off his laugh and turning it into something else, something he never wanted Luke to hear. He held the phone away when the man started yelling in his ear.

"Jonathan! I will fucking end you if you ever pick up the phone again while you guys are having sex!"

They didn't hear what else he said because Evan snatched the phone and hung it up as he kept his hard and heavy pace, losing his fucking thought process as he felt Jonathan coming. His muscles tightening around him and Evan was spent when Jonathan threw his head back and let his breath leave him in a long loud moan. "Fuck."

Evan slowed, letting his own climax flow through him, leaving him dazed and satisfied if only temporarily. But he always had forever to come back for more. They sprawled on bed for a few minutes, letting their bodies cool down.

"Let's get cleaned up, you said we'd be there in ten minutes." Evan grinned down at him when he pushed himself from the bed. He bent down and placed a kiss on his head, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Now get your fine ass up." Evan held his hand out and Jonathan let his tingling fingers slide into his.

"There are the little sluts." Tyler pointed into the crowd. Luke was glaring at both of them as they walked over and Evan was trying not to laugh.

"Never again." Luke said.

"Never." Jonathan nodded. "Got it."

He giggled about it for the next half hour before their panel started and he couldn't stop the flutter of nerves as they sat in their seats in front of the microphones.

"So what is it like working side by side with Vanoss now, first as friends, and now as a couple?"

Jonathan smiled and ducked his head, "Um." He paused and felt Evan's hand on his leg urging him on. He caught his eye before he looked out at everyone, "It's my life and it's awesome. I know we don't normally talk about personal things on our vlog, but it's everything to me. The fact that I get to game and live with this guy and call him my own is something that I never thought I'd get to experience. It's fun and it's how it should be and I think everyone should strive to find that kind of happiness in their lives. It's just . . . yeah."

Evan smiled and Jonathan really didn't remember the rest of the questions or how long they all sat there talking, all he saw was Evan. And all he could think about was spending the rest of his life with him and kissing him until he couldn't feel his own lips.

It had been five months and both of their birthdays were in May. Evan's mother had insisted on them visiting so they could make a big dinner over the weekend for them both.

So there they were filling their bellies with outrageously good food. Evan was on his third helping and could hardly move by the time he was done and laid out on the patio furniture.

"Oh, man. I'm miserable." He mumbled as the warm sun drained his energy and made him drowsy in the summer heat.

Jonathan stretched out beside him and rubbed his stomach, "Poor thing."

"Kiss it and make it better." Evan laughed when Jonathan pulled his shirt up and kissed his stomach. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

Evan pulled him up for a kiss then sat back with his eyes closed, letting the sun lull him asleep. He napped for about an hour and when he woke Jonathan was nowhere to be found.

"Mom!" He called when he walked back in the house.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Where is everyone?" He asked and met her in the kitchen, where she was alone reading a book by the window.

"Cam and Lynn ran to town. Jamie and Jonathan are with your dad out by the old shed." She said without looking up from her pages.

"Okay."

Evan headed outside again and down a little pebbled path that took him to his father's shed where he had an old Mustang frame that had been sat up and rusting for as long as he could remember. His father loved cars but never had the time to get out there and restore it.

He heard Jonathan laughing inside the tin building and he walked in to find him standing there with grease smeared on his hands and Jamie with it on his face.

"Evan!" His dad grinned when he joined them and Evan had never seen his father so dirty. But he looked happy with car parts strewn all over the place getting back into the swing of things.

"Jonathan's helping me find what all I need to put this beauty back together. Want to help?" His dad asked and how could Evan say no? He couldn't. Not with the way Jonathan was smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't have a clue what any of this is, just so you know."

Jonathan held his hand out, "I can teach you. Come here, look."

Evan listened and he learned what Jonathan had to offer and he couldn't stop the desire that kept his jeans feeling a little too tight for the next two hours as his boyfriend showed him the ropes.

Jamie left ten minutes into it, rolling his eyes at his older brother and his obvious gawking admiration every time Jonathan said a big word like, transmission.

It was sexy. The dirt and grit on his hands and his long fingers as he pointed and more attractive words spilled from his lips. Evan kept nodding and as the sun started to fade his father headed back into the house leaving the two of them alone in the shed.

"Keep talking." Evan said and Jonathan happily obliged, digging deeper into the muscle car encyclopedia in his beautiful mind while Evan walked around him. Watching. Listening. Until Jonathan paused and Evan knew he was on to him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked him quietly, smirking when Evan looked him up and down while biting his lip.

"You." Evan said and he stepped closer, placing his hands on the metal on either side of Jonathan's hips. "Thinking about bending you over the hood of this car."

Jonathan's breath left him and Evan's mouth was on his, his body pressing into his. The rusty metal frame beneath him dug into the back of his legs. Evan stifled a moan when Jonathan's hand slid down his pants but lost it when his tongue got caught between his teeth.

"Jonathan -"

"Yeah."

Evan was already helping him undo his jeans, spinning him, running his fingers up his back before pushing him forward onto the hood of the car.

"Come on, Evan. Fuck me."

Evan laughed and placed a kiss on his shoulder as he stuck his fingers in his mouth. Then he was slowly moving against him, moving into him and Jonathan gripped the side of the car like his life depended on it.

"Shh. We've never fucked against a car before, let's take it slow." Evan said against his shoulder as he rocked his hips. Jonathan was obviously horny and had been all day given the way he was pushing back as hard as he could.

"Evaaaannn, please. What if they come back? We need to hurry."

"I doubt they will, but if you want it that bad -"

"I do, Evan, now move!" Jonathan groaned and pushed back against him again.

"Okay." Evan said calmly, running his hand over Jonathan to relax his tense muscles and once he felt him take a deep breath and go lax against the car he pulled his hips away and slammed back into him.

"Oh shit -" Jonathan gasped out as Evan did what he was so fucking good at, making him come undone.

And as always when they were finished, cleaned up, and weak at the knees as they walked back to the house, Evan took his face in his hands. He always kissed him soft, kissed him wet because he liked watching Jonathan wipe his lips with his thumb and watch the dimples on his cheeks show when he smiled at him.

"Hey, have you guys played that new -" Jamie started to say when they stepped into the patio, but stopped mid sentence when he looked then over. A look of horror spread across his face, "You didn't."

Jonathan winked as Evan laughed and pulled him along through the backdoor. Jamie was still sitting there looking mortified when he called after them.

"You did! Oh my God, I'm never going in that shed again!"

"We didn't make that big of a mess." Jonathan muttered but he looked back in time to see Jamie stick his fingers in his ears and say, "Lalalalalala!"

It had been eight months and the weather was cooling off again in Canada and Jonathan was needing his Luke fix. As they did at least once a month, they flew down to North Carolina to stay with Jonathan's partner in crime and fiance for the weekend. Evan had also convinced Jonathan to start speaking to his sister again and even got him visit her when they came down. He remembered the conversation well.

"I don't want anything to do with her." Jonathan said plainly as they swam in the pool. "We go down there to be with Luke, and I think it should stay that way."

"Jonathan."

"Evan."

"I love you."

"And I love you."

"Just hear me out." Evan swam closer, playing with the strings of Jonathan's swim shorts. "Ally is the only family you have left and you have a niece that would adore you if would just get to know her. If you would just visit, stop by and say hello every once in a while. They don't have family either. Just you."

Jonathan rubbed his lips together, "As long as you go with me. You're my significant other and you're just as much family as I am."

"Deal." Evan smiled and kissed him quickly before ducking under the water again.

So there they were for about the fifth time that year at their childhood home that Allison had completely redecorated and updated. Jonathan knew she didn't want it to feel how it used to when they were kids and she'd done an amazing job at turning it around.

His niece was seven years old and an absolute ball of energy. Once Jonathan had got past her shy barrier it was over and she threw herself at him every time he and Evan came over.

"Uncle J! Uncle Evan!"

"Remi!"

Jonathan gave her a kiss on her pretty forehead and brushed her long blonde hair out of her eyes. Evan picked her up in a hug before she took off running into the house.

"Hey, Ally." Jonathan smiled at his sister when they followed her child inside. She kissed them both on the cheek and grinned warmly at them.

"It's good to see you guys. She's been keeping me on my toes."

Evan sat down on the couch and let Jonathan settle beside him, "How's school going for her?"

"School is great. She's doing really good, better than I ever did." Allison laughed but a small sadness was lingering behind it. "I just wish things had turned out a little different. I wish Remi had grandparents, but I know it's for the best that she never got to meet them. I'm so grateful to you two for coming down here so often. She adores the both of you so much. It just means a lot."

Jonathan gave a small laugh, "It's all on Evan really. He convinced me all those months ago to start visiting you when we came down to see Luke and Genay."

"I know." She smiled and Evan gave him a wink when he cut his eyes at him.

"What else do you guys talk about?" He asked suspiciously and Evan shrugged dramatically.

"You know, normal gossip. Your bad habits, what color your wedding dress is going to be." Evan teased.

"I'm not the woman in this relationship, you are wearing the dress." Jonathan threw his hands up and they all laughed until Remi ran back in the room.

"Uncle J! Come help me beat this level, pleeease!" She begged and he gladly followed her to her room.

Evan sat up, his elbows on his knees. "You're raising her well."

"Thank you. I just want her to be herself. If that means playing games until her hands fall off, then so be it. And now she has two amazing uncles to encourage her."

Evan couldn't think of what to say, but he smiled and everything felt right in the world.

Until that evening when the four of them met with Luke and Genay for a movie and then dinner in downtown Greensboro. They were hand in hand walking through town, enjoying the sights while the sun faded and the cold was nipping at their faces when something just seemed off. Evan couldn't place the feeling, but when Luke glanced back and caught his eye, he knew he wasn't the only one who felt it.

"Ice cream!" Remi shouted and pointed to a shop that was just ahead and she pulled at Jonathan's hand. That's when Evan glanced behind them just for the sake of putting the hairs on the back of his neck at ease. When he did, he saw him. Green eyes and dark hair and way too sketchy for his liking and he knew. He knew who it was without ever having seen the man before with his own eyes. Noah.

Evan didn't want Jonathan to turn around. "Yeah, go get her some ice cream, spoil her. That's what uncles do."

"Alright." Jonathan laughed and kissed his cheek before he took Remi by the hand and led her into the ice cream shop with Genay and Ally.

Then he turned with Luke hot on his heels. Noah stopped dead in his tracks.

Evan took a calm breath, "Is there a reason you're here?"

Noah smirked, "Dude, I don't even know you."

"You must think I'm fucking stupid." Evan stepped closer to him and he could see the hesitation in his green eyes. "You're here for Jonathan because you can't accept the fact that he's perfectly fine without you. If you ever gave a shit about him, you would leave him the fuck alone every time he comes here. But here you are wallowing in self pity, following us around like a washed up piece of trash looking for his attention that you won't fucking get. So grow the fuck up, Noah."

Noah's jaw flexed visibly and Evan dodged the punch he knew was coming before the guy even swung. He moved quick and let his own fist hit Noah square in the jaw, knocking him on his ass. The pavement paid him no mind. He flinched backwards when Evan stepped towards him again, but he felt Luke's hand on his shoulder. So instead of beating him any further he looked down at him and said, "Jonathan is happy with me. I'm happy with him and I'll be damned if I let you try to fuck that up. Not that you could if you tried because he doesn't give two fucks about you anymore. He hasn't for years. Accept that. If I ever see you again . . . if Jonathan ever sees you again, I'll do more than just punch you. Do you understand me? Am I getting through to you?"

Noah wiped at the blood on his face and gave a quick silent nod, picking himself off the sidewalk. He stared at him hard before he turned and walked away for good.

"Man, that was so satisfying to watch." Luke laughed behind him. "I've never seen him speechless before."

Evan grinned when Jonathan came out with two ice creams in hand and handed him one with a kiss. "I got you chocolate."

"Thank you." He took his hand once more and they continued on their merry way with the past behind them even though is fist was throbbing just a little. It was worth it and Jonathan was none the wiser.

It had been one year and he finally worked up the courage to let Jonathan cut his hair.

"Calm down, bitch. I've got this!" Jonathan slapped his head and made him be still. "It's going to be so sexy you won't be able to look at your self in the mirror."

"If you fuck it up, we're both buzzing our heads."

"Deal."

He didn't disappoint. Jonathan stood back and admired his work. He'd shaped Evan's unruly hair into the most attractive faux hawk he'd ever laid eyes on and he congratulated himself by dragging Evan up the the stairs for a round in the sheets. From that day forward Jonathan was his hairdresser and he always paid him with sex.

It had been five years. Evan was twenty-seven and he felt that they had finally reached that point where they could finally live their dream. California.

"Hey, babe?"

"Yeah, sugar-lips?" Jonathan said and stuck his head around the corner to the kitchen and grinned stupidly at him.

"It's ours." Evan said and his face split into a huge smile when Jonathan's face went from confused to realization in point two seconds.

"Oh my God . . . I can't . . . I . . . . really?! It's fucking ours?"

Evan laughed, "Yes, it's ours! We can move down there whenever we're ready."

He picked him up in a hug when he ran into his arms laughing happily. They'd had been saving up for years to be able to buy and move into the beach house on the shore of California, and still have plenty of money to be more than comfortable. It was their dream and they were finally getting to live it. Almost all the guys had already moved and settled in Cali and now they were finally going to join them. They were keeping the house in Canada, just for the sake of having another home to come back to if they ever needed a break.

"Hey." He said and Jonathan pulled back long enough for him to say, "I love you so much."

"Of course you do." Jonathan snickered in his arms. "How could you not love this fine ass of mine?"

Evan bit down lightly on the curve of his neck and grabbed at his perfectly shaped butt, "Let's go upstairs and I'll show you how much I love it."

"Hmm. Why don't you just show me right here?"

The next two years were the most fun filled years either of them had ever experienced. From the moment they moved to the beach and sank their toes in the sand where it had all started, where they had first kissed seven years ago and never looked back. It was everything they'd strived for and it was finally in their hands. They hung out with the crew almost on a daily basis, staying at each other houses and apartments, having stupid sleepovers with full grown men, spending sleepless nights in the city.

Until Jonathan had his midlife crisis when May was just around the corner. His birthday was in two days and he was sulking around the beach house with his head in his hands. "I'm so old. I'm turning to dust. Just leave me and find someone else, someone beautiful and young. You deserve that, Evan."

Evan laughed at his dramatic pouting, "Seriously. You are in the best shape of your life. We run on the beach almost every morning, you have the sexiest washboard abs I've ever seen, your skin is the color of coffee, and you told me not too long ago how good you felt. You said you still felt like you were fifteen."

"I do." Jonathan groaned and sank to the couch. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm turning thirty-five in two days."

Evan rolled his eyes and crawled into his lap, taking his face in his hands, looking into his lover's blue eyes, "It doesn't matter how old you are. You were twenty-seven when we first got together. I loved you then and I love you now. Age will never change that. I'm turning thirty this month, but I don't feel it and I don't see it. I don't see us aging. All I see is you. Every day when I wake up I see you and it's all I ever want to see. Even when we're both grey and playing games, complaining about how much our wrists hurt."

Jonathan smiled and Evan could see the small laugh lines in the corners of his eyes and it was beautiful. He eventually got over his crises that day and Evan walked in on him dancing on the bed, blaring music, and Evan simply watched, wondering why Jonathan ever thought he should be with someone else. Then he joined him until they got tangled in the sheets.

They were the face of gaming now with more subscribers then anyone and if they weren't home, or hanging with the guys, or visiting Canada, they were in interviews or at cons on panels. They were undeniably famous and it was strange at first, but they settled in quickly and took it in stride. Everything was as it should be.

And there was one morning that finally made Evan's life come full circle on him.

It was that time of year where Autumn was creeping in and the weather was perfect; not hot enough to make you sweat, but still not cold enough to give you chills. It was that temperature where you could leave the windows open and let the steady breeze rolling off the ocean flow in and make the sheer curtains float steadily in the air like puffs of smoke in the room.

It felt good enough for the two of them to sleep without clothes or blankets. Good enough to just lay there and bathe in the salty air and the sound of the waves as the tide receded with the moon.

Evan could see the silhouette of the man beside him on their kind size bed, his sun kissed skin the color of morning coffee with too much creamer, like smooth mocha. His messy beach hair was being teased by the wind and he could see his stomach rising and falling with each breath he took.

He traced the tattoos that spanned the length of each arm, twists and curves that wrapped around his wrists forming intricate pieces of art that didn't end until they reached his shoulders. Jonathan hummed in his sleep when Evan pressed feather light kisses onto his chest, tasting the salt that had dried to his skin. He didn't wake him as left the bed and pulled his shorts on and Jonathan's jacket before he stepped out onto the beach.

The sand was soft and cold beneath Evan's feet and the wind chapped his face as he walked along the beach in the pale light of the early morning sun. It hadn't quite made it to the horizon yet but it was turning a nice shade of pastel blue and it made him feel so inexplicably content. He felt it couldn't be any better than this, even if it was a little cold at the moment and he was pulling Jonathan's blue hoodie around him a little tighter.

He was wrong though. Of course it could be better. Jonathan could be standing there with him and when he felt a warm hand slide into his. He looked over and smiled. Now it couldn't get any better.

"What are you doing out here so early?" His love asked and kissed his shoulder. He felt his warm breath through the thick fabric of his jacket.

Evan leaned over and let his lips kiss softly at his face until he caught his warm mouth, still swollen and warm with sleep and he couldn't resist turning, pulling him in, running his hands up his neck, and kissing the life out of him until he was putty in his hands. When he finally pulled back to see the misty blue look in his eyes he smiled, "Just taking a walk. Care to join me?"

Jonathan grinned under Evan's touch when he stroked a thumb across his face, sending chills over his body that had nothing to do with the weather. "I'd love to."

So they walked. Evan's arm over his shoulder and Jonathan's arm wrapped around his waist. They didn't say a word because they didn't need to. They simply walked, enjoying each other's silent comfortable presence as the waves slowly beat down on the shore sending mist into the air. The smell was intoxicating, the salt filling their senses as it stuck to their skin.

Jonathan sighed beside him and Evan didn't know what he was waiting for. He didn't know why he hadn't done it sooner, or why he ever thought against it. But he stopped walking and took Jonathan's hand pulling him to a halt in the sand.

"What is it?"

Evan just grinned and shook his head, playing with the thin thread of that small red and blue bracelet that Jonathan still wore after so many years. He wrapped his arms around the man that was everything to him, the man that ruled his world and never failed to send his heart into fits. The man that woke up early on Mondays out of habit just to roll over and tell him 'good morning, bitch'.

They glanced out at the ocean as the sky turned a brilliant shade of orange and Evan said, "What would you say if I asked you to marry me?"

Jonathan's eyes flicked to his before he broke into a gorgeous wide smile that would never cease to make the butterflies go crazy in Evan's gut. He let a small giggle escape before he said, "I'd say, hell yes."

"Okay." Evan smiled. "Jonathan, will you marry me?"

"Hell yes."

He didn't have a ring to give but he knew Jonathan didn't want one, not until they were saying 'I do'.

"I don't need fifteen different rings to symbolize the steps we take. I just need one." He had said one day and Evan agreed wholeheartedly. They didn't need rings when they had each other and ever since then, he thought about it. He pictured a shining piece of silver glinting off Jonathan's hand in the daylight. Sometimes he would hold his fingers up in the light while they lazed around the house and he would admire the slender curves of his hand, his knuckles, and the empty expanse of his ring finger. He'd pretend.

But he didn't want to pretend anymore. Now, they didn't have to.

And that's where they said their vows a month later, toes buried in the sand, with their friends and family surrounding them. It was a shorts and t-shirt kind of deal and they even live-streamed it for the world to see. They even had cheeseburgers and fries to celebrate afterwards and everything was as it should be.

It had been nine years and Evan was sprawled out on a blanket, getting baked by the sun. The guys were in the ocean cooling off and he sat up on his elbows looking out at the sight before him, one he'd never tire of, one that completed his soul.

"Jane!"

Evan smiled as he watched his best friend, his husband, running after their daughter as she high tailed it across the shore with her eighteen month old legs. He scooped her up into his arms and held her above his head as she laughed. "You're getting so fast, baby girl."

Evan pushed himself to his feet and walked out to join his family.

And everything was right in the world.

Everything was as it should be.

-END-