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 Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 5:00 pm
Peter was somewhere in the house, Caspian knew, but that didn't stop him from padding down the hall to the living room where Michael was sitting on the couch, reaching out, taking the remote from him, flipping off the TV, and then promptly plunking himself down on his boyfriend's - fiance's - leg.
"We should talk," he said, "About getting married."
He didn't really want to say wedding because Caspian wasn't even entirely sure about one of those things; but marriage was definitely a concept they needed to discuss, especially since it had been several months now. He twisted his hands together in his lap and eased out a breath.
"Uh. Like, you know. Us."
In case Michael needed clarification.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 6:08 pm
Thankfully, Michael wasn’t the type of person to really get into television shows. If anything he would maybe catch up with the sports, and the news usually made him too depressed to even read about, much less watch. So when Caspian took the remote and turned off the television, he simply released a sigh and leaned back against the couch as Caspian made himself comfortable on his leg.
“Alright, what did you want to talk about?” he asked, lifting his arms to cross over his chest, not because he had anything against actually talking about something he’d been the one to suggest, but because he was bracing himself for agreeing to whatever Caspian wanted to do if only to please him. No, it probably wasn’t the best strategy, but it was easier and if Caspian was happy, then he would be happy.
The hand twisting didn’t go unnoticed, and after drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly, Michael uncrossed his arms to take hold of Caspian’s hands, if only to keep him from fidgeting so much. “Let’s start with a date.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:34 pm
He was slightly antsy, but Michael's presence, as ever, helped with that. Caspian let out another breath, feeling warm, familiar hands curl around his own, and cast a brief look of mingled amusement and appreciation towards his fiance. He slid his fingers through Michael's, absently toying with them while he tried to process his thoughts.
"I...don't know, exactly," he admitted, a slight pink tinge to Caspian's cheeks. "I just - I mean, we've been engaged for a few months now. We've been together...longer than I thought, even though I feel like it was just yesterday. I don't really need or want a long engagement, unless you do."
He'd never really seen the point of those year long engagements, or two year long. It just seemed silly, Caspian shifting a little on Michael's leg.
"But, uh, I guess I wanted to ask like - " Caspian glanced uncertainly at Michael.
"Do you...I mean, I would be okay with eloping, but did you...do you want a wedding..?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:49 pm
It was something of a relief to hear that Caspian was okay with just eloping. There was so much involved in a wedding. There was planning, ordering flowers if they were going to have flowers, picking a theme, invitations, looking at different venues, and then having to be criticized for everything they did. People who maybe didn’t agree to them getting married for whatever reason.
Really, it was too stressful to deal with. Michael tried not to seem too intrigued by the idea, giving Caspian’s hand a squeeze.
“I wouldn’t mind eloping, but if you wanted to give having an actual wedding a try, then that’s fine. It would be easier to elope. We’ll just tell people when we’re ready, or when it comes up. Or send everyone a card, I don’t know,” he shrugged, also trying not to make it obvious that he noticed the tinge in Caspian’s cheeks.
In the end, he couldn’t help but pull Caspian’s hand up to his mouth to give it a quick kiss, his eyes shining a little with amusement.
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:56 pm
Caspian was not exactly the most glamorous of people, he knew this. And there was another reason why he was leery of having a full on wedding, though it was a little embarrassing to admit, and he wasn't actually sure that he wanted to admit it out loud.
He twined his fingers through Michael's, returning the squeeze with one of his own.
"Weddings are just - they're so much work," said Caspian. "Like, I mean...I guess if we wanted to have one, I would be okay - if you wanted one," he added quickly, with a glance at Michael. "And don't say you're just going along with my idea 'cause you wanna make me happy, I want it to be both of our decisions."
Because he knew Michael only too well. Caspian felt warm lips against the back of his hand and turned his head towards his fiance, expression softening.
"I still haven't told my sister, or my mother," he mumbled. "I probably should. I mean, Mom knows I'm dating someone, Cassie probably does too, but I haven't exactly...said anything else, but maybe that's a good thing. Not that I'm ashamed of you," he added hastily, Caspian's cheeks flushing redder still. "I'm not, I promise. I just - they'd make a big deal out of it. It's a big deal to me, but I don't want them fawning all over everything."
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 8:26 pm
”My family is going to expect a full wedding, especially after Chris and Paris just went to the courthouse,” Michael explained with a grimace. Sure, there had been a large reception and plenty of people went to that, but he knew everyone would be looking to him to be the one with a grand wedding, even if that really wasn’t what he wanted. Not really. If he was being completely honest with himself, eloping would be the best because that was the least amount of work and least stress and maybe Chris really did have the right idea.
“Against popular belief, my entire family doesn’t know about you yet, either,” he mumbled against the back of Caspian’s hand, not yet lowering it from where he held it against his mouth. “Actually, I’m not sure. But I assume not because I haven’t been harassed by Nana, yet.”
His family really was too much sometimes. He didn’t blame Caspian at all for not telling his family. Michael would have gotten away with not telling his own, but they all kind of found out by themselves.
“Hey, it’s okay, Cas,” he tried to reassure him, knowing he was getting flustered about it. “I don’t mind. I don’t think you’re ashamed of me or whatever.” He drew in another breath as he tried to sort through his thoughts about the whole event, letting his eyes close for a few moments.
“We can maybe try to… get things together. See how crazy it’s going to be, maybe,” he suggested, but only because he felt like he had to explore all options. “But I’m okay with eloping with you.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 8:45 pm
Caspian couldn't help making a little face that probably matched Michael's grimace. "Nothing against your family, they're pretty cool, but - I mean, a grand wedding, with all the bells and whistles and the cake and the dancing and the flowers and the - " He waved a hand "- everything. All of it. I mean, I like cake, just..."
A full wedding sounded exhausting just thinking about it. Caspian's fingers curled a little around Michael's, feeling some of the tension ease as his fiance's lips moved gently along the back of his hand. There were no rings, not yet; but it did nothing to stop the feeling of fluttery warmth every time Caspian thought of being married to Michael.
It was still sort of unbelievable. And amazing.
As ever, Michael could tell when he was flustered, Caspian's nerves slowly unwinding at the tender sound of his voice. "I mean...I mean, a small wedding. Small. Like, not huge or grand. Maybe we could look into that, at least just to, y'know. See." Or something.
He still didn't like the idea of anything huge or extravagant; you could never tell with the Gallo family. Caspian's fingers fluttered a little in Michael's, and he shifted again on Michael's leg, trying to figure out how this was all going to go about. It seemed like too far away.
"They at least know you exist, which is good," said Caspian. "Or that someone does, for me. My family, I mean. And I hope your family at least - " He took a breath. "They know you're happy, right?"
A pause.
"You are happy, right?" he asked, because he couldn't quite help himself. "You're not getting second thoughts or anything? No cold feet?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2017 8:02 pm
”Well, that’s good. They haven’t asked you if you made me up yet, have they?” Michael couldn’t help but tease when Caspian explained that his family knew about him. “Do they ask to see a picture for proof?” he asked as he keep Caspian’s hand to his mouth, but this was more so he could hide the smile that twitched onto his lips.
“My feet are nice and toasty, thanks,” he promised, knowing that there was still the fear that maybe one of them would change their mind about things, but Michael had already made up his. He’d been the one to ask. He’d meant it when he said he wanted to marry Caspian. And that was a lot, since before he’d been a perpetual bachelor with no expectations of settling down. Ever.
It was funny how things worked out sometimes. Caspian somehow managed to find his way into his heart, and now he couldn’t imagine life without him.
“Yes, my family knows I’m happy. Even if they didn’t, it’s none of their business. The people that matter know, at least,” he said, like his parents and siblings. “They’re probably more worried about you being happy with someone like me, you know,” he admitted, hoping Caspian knew that this wasn’t how he felt, but he might as well know.
“Small is fine. We can look at venues or whatever. My mom and Paris suggested hiring a wedding planner so we’re not the ones having to do everything,” he shared, although he wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea. Yes, the planner would probably interview them and see what they liked and disliked, but it was still such a hassle. Caspian reached out his free hand and gently but firmly pushed at Michael’s face, just because he could, and because he knew that he was teasing him, the corners of Caspian’s lips twitching as though he was trying to hide a smile. “Not yet, but I think they probably will soon, knowing them.”
He felt a sense of relief wash through him at Michael’s denial about cold feet; it still felt unreal in a way, and a little incredulous - but at the same time, that night spent on Sessrumnir had done a great deal for Caspian’s nerves and his anxiety, even if it had been overwhelming. He had no intentions of ever running away; no intentions of leaving Michael, no intentions of anything except being together with Michael for the rest of forever, not even just the rest of his life.
“Good,” said Caspian, and then, softer, “Good. I’m glad.”
For both the lack of cold feet and the fact that his family knew Michael was happy. Caspian’s fingers fluttered against Michael’s lips, feeling the words formed against his skin. “And I am happy with you. More happy than I could have ever - “ Caspian took a little breath, and his voice was not quite defensive, but almost surprised sounding. “I liked you for so long, I never thought you would ever look at me that way, and now you’re the one reaching for me, and it feels surreal, but I never want that to end because it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
He scooted back a little, drawing his legs up so that he could curl up sideways in Michael’s lap, making himself comfortable. At least one good thing about his height (or lack thereof) was the ability to fit perfectly against Michael’s body, Caspian letting out a sigh.
“Do you want a wedding planner, or would that be more stressful? It would be kinda nice not having to think of things, though…”The hand pressed against his face made Michael laugh, and he reached up to take hold of the other one to give a kiss as well. “We should photoshop some pictures together, just to mess with them,” he suggested, because why not. If they didn’t believe Caspian, then that was their fault.
He could tell that Caspian was relieved to hear that he didn’t have cold feet, but he didn’t say anything about it. Michael didn’t think there was anything wrong with making sure. It was better than just assuming things were fine when they might not be.
Michael could feel his heart ache as Caspian spoke, explaining to him how he felt, how unreal everything seemed. He could understand, of course. He felt the same way about Caspian sometimes. It seemed like such a short and long time ago when they’d first met, and there was part of him that wondered how his life would be different if he hadn’t stopped to talk to some silly college student spraypainting private property, or maybe it was when he decided to ask Remus of all people for help when he was injured.
He lowered his hands when Caspian shifted to make himself comfortable in his lap, leaning back himself so he could wrap one arm around Caspian’s back, and the other reaching to pull his fiance’s knees up, making it easy for him to lay his head on his shoulder if he wished.
“Probably more stressful. I don’t know. You know me, I don’t really like talking about myself with people, even if they’re supposed to help.” Which he realized a little too late was probably going to prompt a comment about him actually talking to a therapist or something. “Yeah, I mean, we can do it ourselves just fine,” he quickly added to keep the conversation moving along the path of weddings. Caspian found both of his hands trapped, letting out a small snort of amusement. “Perfect. I’ll get one of someone blond haired and blue eyed for you, and you can get someone blond haired and blue eyed for me, and we’ll just let them figure it out for themselves.”
He was putting it off, he knew, but eventually he would tell them.
Eventually. Maybe after the first year of being married.
He curled up in Michael’s arms now, Capsian nudging his head until it came to rest on Michael’s shoulder, nuzzling at the space where neck slid into shoulder. One arm shifted, wedging behind Michael so he could tuck his arm there, Caspian letting Michael pull his legs up until he was very pleasantly cradled.
“Yes, I’ve sorta realized that about you,” he said, with a touch of dryness, but there was amusement there as well, a gentle tease. Caspian found one of Michael’s hands and toyed with it, fingers sliding over fingers, idly picking one up and then the other, more just to have something to do than sit there still.
“A wedding planner would talk more about us, I guess, but I mean, it’d be weird, too,” said Caspian, trying to figure out a solution. “Maybe we could have like, a wedding assistant or something? Is that a thing? Someone to just like, do what we ask or something.”
A pause.
“That sounded better in my head.”Michael leaned his head back against the couch, although he adjusted himself so that Caspian’s arm wasn’t too uncomfortable behind him. It was moments like this that he would never get tired of; sitting and just talking to Caspian, or even not talking at all. He was so enamoured with this man that Michael couldn’t help but love every moment together.
He snorted softly in amusement as Caspian tried to voice his thoughts, letting him play with his fingers as they sat together. They were both very, very inexperienced with the whole… wedding thing. And planning it out was daunting.
“I’m sure there are people who are willing to be paid to do what we ask,” he said, his voice teasing even though he was mostly talking about wedding planning still. “Is there anything you’d really want from a wedding? Like… a certain color. Or type of cake? Or time of the year?” Michael asked, trying to be helpful and bring the conversation back on topic.
It surprised him, how happy he felt these days. It wasn’t too long ago that he wasn’t even sure what being happy felt like, but Caspian changed that for him. One step at a time.
“You know I could just have my mom plan the whole thing. She does that kind of stuff for fun,” he suggested with a laugh and then a grimace, sure that yes, his mother would be thrilled, but that meant his grandmother would likely be involved in the process. And if they weren’t thinking about a grand wedding…
“What would you think of getting married in a castle in Belgium?” he half joked. “My grandmother apparently wants to see it used before she dies. She tried convincing Chris and Paris to have their wedding there,” he explained, rubbing at Caspian’s side in a comforting motion so he wouldn’t get too worked up or flustered about everything. Like he was wont to do. He slid his fingers through Michael’s, pressed them to the joins in between, gently massaging before withdrawing them again to press fingertip to fingertip, the difference in size almost startling. Caspian couldn’t help but wonder how Michael’s hands would look with a ring on them; a wedding band, one to match Caspian’s; he would have to figure that out, eventually, but he wanted it more than he had known. A small symbol of their promised lives together.
“Uh.” Caspian tried to consider the question, bringing Michael’s hand to his mouth and skimming his fingers idly over his lips. “Nothing pink. I mean, I wear pink, I know, but nothing pink. Or orange. I like blues and greens, I know you like gray, but we’re not doing anything gray,” he added, with a stern look at Michael. “Not unless it’s your suit or tuxedo, because that would be hot. As for cake...just...edible?”
He flashed a grin at Michael. “I’m not picky on cake. Sweet is good.”
Caspian did like Michael’s mother, even if he still wasn’t entirely used to the Gallo family as a whole. The mention of a castle, however, momentarily distracted Caspian, and he shot Michael a Look, his brows drawing together even as Michael was rubbing his side reassuringly.
“No castles,” he said, “Unless they wouldn’t mind like, a tiny family, because we are not having some big fanfare of a thing.”
Caspian leaned forward, brushing his lips against Michael’s temple in a fond kiss, their twined hands together in his lap.
“Look, uh, about...time of year.”
He took a breath, leaning back again, Caspian glancing up at Michael uncertainly.
“I don’t have a preference except - except soon. I don’t want to wait. I want to be married to you already.”“You don’t want to wear a full pink tuxedo?” Michael couldn’t help but tease as he let his hand be brought to Caspian’s mouth. He still hadn’t figured out if he liked any particular color, remembering back to the comment he’d made about his favorite color being gray. Back then, he and Caspian had hardly known each other.
“Well, your half can be super sweet,” he said as he made a face at the thought of overly sweet cake. But then he let out a small laugh when he got that look from Caspian about the castle.
“Alright, alright. No castle,” he agreed, figuring that was going to be the answer, anyway.
“Soon is fine with me. We still need to head up to Boston at some point. There’s a family friend who designs jewelry,” Michael explained, leaning down to place a quick peck on Caspian’s forehead as he looked up at him.
“I thought, you know,” he said slowly, and then shrugged because he wasn’t sure if it was too much or if Caspian might not even care.
“I was gonna have something commissioned. So they’ll be unique. Our rings, I mean. If you wanted rings. I mean I know you wear rings and bracelets and earrings, but I didn’t know if you wanted to, you know, match,” he explained, wondering why he was feeling so awkward about something he’d wanted to do, knowing it was probably because he wanted Caspian’s approval and would feel pretty silly if he didn’t want the same thing. Caspian gave a snort that was muffled against Michael’s fingers.
“As a matter of fact, no,” he deadpanned. “I prefer my suits neutral colored; which, I realize, is kind of shocking, but it’s true.”
Even if his wardrobe was a collection of neon colors and bright patterns, he did at least have enough sense to know that he wanted to get married in something a little more serious.
For the most part.
The sweet kiss to his forehead made him smile, as did the reminder that they did need to go to Boston at some point. Caspian gave Michael a reassuring smile that slowly faded into something else, his eyes widening, his throat constricting in spite of all of his efforts not to be emotional again for the next twelve years or so.
Michael’s hand was twisted in his lap, Caspian’s fingers laced through them. For a moment, he was entirely silent, just staring at Michael, and then he leaned forward abruptly, pressing a firm, fierce kiss to Michael’s lips, though it was brief, Caspian drawing away again after a second.
“Yes,” he said forcefully, ”Yes. I want a ring. I want your ring.”
He wanted it so badly it almost hurt, Caspian’s fingers tightening around Michael’s.
“I want that.”The fervor of the kiss was almost startling, but not unwanted, Michael’s own eyes widening as Caspian pulled back, telling him that yes; that was exactly what he wanted. There was a rush of relief as Michael shifted his hand up Caspian’s back, to the back of his head, and practically pulled him against his chest, his fingers sinking into his soft black hair.
He held him there for a few long moments without saying a word, and then slowly released him and twisted his hand to ruffle Caspian’s hair, just because he could.
“Okay, good,” he said quietly, although he couldn’t help but smile, his eyes bright as he looked down at his fiance. “We can talk about it later, but… just start thinking of what material you’d like. We can do anything from gold to platinum to… wood, dinosaur bone, meteorite. Or a combination,” Michael said, trying not to make it too obvious that he’d clearly been looking up different options for their rings.
He was passionate about things, but he tried to keep the enthusiasm toned down. The reassuring brush of Michael’s fingers across Caspian’’s hair was enough to settle his nerves, Caspian relaxing into his fiance’s arms. He could have stayed there forever, but Michael leaned back, arms loosening, and Caspian readjusted himself to be able to see him more clearly, his expression flickering as MIchael tousled the black strands.
He wanted that ring. He wanted it now, just so he could look at it and remind himself that he was going to be Michael’s - but that was jumping the gun, he knew it. Caspian took a breath, snuggling back down into Michael’s arms again.
“Anything?” he said curiously, and then stopped at the choices listed, his eyes widening a little.
“Wait - meteorite? You can get a ring made out of meteorite? Seriously?”Michael’s smile widened in amusement. “Yeah of course. I told you you’ve got a lot of choices. Here, hold on,” he said, trailing off with a mumble as he carefully leaned forward to snatch his phone off the table by the couch without knocking Caspian from his lap. He unlocked it and pulled up a search engine to type in the name of the designer, using his thumb to tap on the gallery page.
“This guy does a lot of work with precious stones, too. Chris got his ring for Paris there. A pink diamond. His ring has a pink diamond too, but obviously much smaller,” he said, once again trying not to sound too invested when he totally was.
He passed his phone to Caspian so he could swipe through the pages himself, taking the opportunity to lean his head down and kiss the top of Caspian’s, breathing him in and relishing in the time they had together.
“Does this help any? Talking about the wedding, I mean. We should plan for early summer, if you’d like. That should give us enough time to get everything ready. Or late spring,” he said after a pause. “Or early spring… or tomorrow. We can just go tomorrow,” he half teased, nuzzling into Caspian’s hair. Caspian got slightly squished in the process of Michael reaching for his phone, but was soon back to being comfortably surrounded by Michael’s arms and his warmth as they settled back together on the couch. Peter would have been rolling his eyes - or complaining in exasperation - if he came home anytime soon, but at least they weren’t making out.
Yet.
Caspian reached out, pressing a finger against the screen of Michael’s phone and swiping the gallery up to see more before the phone was actually passed to him. He was trying not to seem too eager, except he totally was, Michael’s soft kiss to his hair making him shiver a little instinctively.
“I like blue,” he said, half to himself, half to Michael, Caspian engrossed in the ring search. “Uh. Silver...or white gold? Is that the light stuff? I’m not really a gold person...oh, this one is nice. Oh look - I like this one, it’s got chips of meteorite, dude…”
He trailed off, lips slightly parted as he browsed, and it took him a moment to realize what Michael had said. Caspian pulled his attention away from the screen and tilted his head back to look up at Michael, his expression shifting a little. He reached up a hand, trailing the backs of his fingers against Michael’s cheek, sliding along to his stubbled jaw and resting there, Caspian’s lips pressing together.
“It helps,” he said quietly. “But I - do we have to wait until summer? That seems so far away. I don’t want to wait that long. Even early spring…”
He took a breath, Caspian tapping a finger against Michael’s jaw in an unconscious gesture.
“I just want to be married to you already. Is that too desperate?”Michael very much enjoyed watching Caspian as he swiped through the gallery of pictures, unable to stop himself from smiling as he looked over the top of his head. On what was probably a daily basis, Michael wondered how he could have possibly drawn the attention of someone like Caspian, and not just his attention but everything else that came with it.
He knew without any doubt that he wanted Caspian for the rest of forever, and so when his fiance lifted his hand to his face and made the comment about being married to him already, Michael couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
“Are you saying you’d rather elope?” he teased, turning his head slightly to catch Caspian’s finger with his teeth. Gently of course. “If you don’t want to wait, we don’t have to, you know. We can get our rings made and then… just go to the courthouse or something. It’s more economical anyway,” he said with a small shrug.
They would have to figure out their rings first, though. And then wait for them to be made, which depending on what materials they wanted, could be a while. But he was sure Caspian realized that. It wasn’t as though they needed rings to get married, anyway. They could just get the rings later.
“I don’t mind if you’re desperate,” he mumbled although there was still a smile there. Caspian could have honestly spent several long hours looking at rings. He wasn’t exactly the most fashionable of people, but he did have a tendency towards jewelry in general, and he wanted a ring for the sheer pleasure of being able to look at it and remember what it stood for - the fact that he was going to be Michael Gallo’s husband.
It was still an unbelievable, not quite comprehensible feeling. A part of him felt almost antsy at the thought of getting married, not because he didn’t want to, but because he did. He wanted that reminder, that permanence, that sense of complete and utter wholeness that stemmed from matrimony. Maybe it was a silly thought - or maybe he was just a hopeless romantic underneath all of the snark - but he couldn’t help it.
The laugh took him aback, but Caspian felt his lips tugging into a slightly rueful smile. A flutter of heat coiled in his stomach as Michael’s teeth grazed his finger, Caspian taking a small breath.
“No, I - I mean...what do you want?” he pressed, and half turned, trying to look at Michael better from his position in Michael’s lap.
“I...I want you to be a part of this too, okay? I want you to tell me what you want and not be afraid if you want a big wedding or a wedding at all. If you want something, let me know, okay?”
Caspian glanced down at the phone, then back up at Michael again as another thought struck him.
“Do you, uh. Want me to...change my name?”What he wanted was so insignificant. He already had everything he wanted. He had Caspian and his love and his life and they would be together for the rest of it, and longer if they could. What he wanted was anything Caspian wanted.
“You’d really want to be associated with my family by name? What if I changed my name?” he asked with a soft smile, his expression and voice not at all teasing in any way. “Michael Lyons doesn’t sound too bad, does it?” he wondered as he leaned forward to press another kiss to the top of Caspian’s head as he tilted it to look up at him. “But I think Caspian Gallo is nice too. Or you and or I could hyphenate them together,” he suggested in a mumble against the top of his fiance’s head, closing his eyes for a moment to just breathe.
It was stressful to think about everything. He’d never ever thought he’d be getting married, and yet couldn’t imagine any other outcome from his relationship with Caspian.
“I want to be married to you as soon as possible, Cas,” he said, very much in agreement with his fiance. They didn’t need their whole family there, or to make a huge deal about it. Their lives were pretty private anyway, so why draw attention to themselves now? “If we elope, I would be okay with that. It would probably be the best, anyway. But if we did it, we just might not have our rings yet.”He considered this fact, because - well, Michael wasn’t wrong about his family name. The Gallos, as Caspian had come to learn, were a vast and well-known family in many different circles around Destiny City. Associating with them brought a myriad of things with it, not just curiosity, but the stigma - whatever it was - that Michael was insinuating now was something to consider, nonetheless.
Or it wasn’t, really, because Caspian had known even as he’d asked the question what he’d decided.
“Michael Lyons sounds very nice,” he said softly, as Michael kissed his head, Caspian’s lashes fluttering a little. “But...honestly, I think ‘Caspian Lyons-Gallo’ sounds pretty damn good, wouldn’t you say? You can keep your name, if you want, or you could do ‘Michael Lyons-Gallo,’ too, whatever you want.”
His expression soften, Caspian leaning forward to brush a gentle kiss to Michael’s cheek.
“I like the idea of wearing your name, though. And your ring,” he added, lips quirking up into a smile. He took a breath, Caspian letting it out again after a second.
“Okay. Rings first, then marriage..? I kinda do want the rings there…””I think that sounds pretty good, too,” Michael said with a soft smile, shifting his hand to be able to slide his fingers up Caspian’s arm and to his neck, fingertips barely skimming his skin all the way up to his jaw, just absently touching him because he could.
“Rings first, then marriage. We could always do that thing where we get rings out of a vending machine for place holders,” he half teased as he swept some of Caspian’s dark hair off his cheek, pushing it back behind his ear, and then gently fiddling with the studded earring he wore.
“Or a lollypop ring,” he added with a slightly wider grin, but soon shook his head to make sure Caspian knew he wasn’t being serious. He had been thinking about the rings they would get, so of course he would like to have them when they were married, even if it was just a trip to the court house.
“And then we’ll have to eventually tell our families, you know. About getting married. As much as you talk about your mom and sister, I really would like to meet them at some point,” he said, although he hoped Caspian didn’t think he was trying to pressure him. He knew why Caspian didn’t want them to meddle, but Michael was feeling particularly up to the challenge, especially since this was going to be the most important thing he’d ever done in his life - get married. He privately repeated it over and over again in his head like a mantra: Caspian Lyons-Gallo, Caspian Lyons-Gallo, Caspian Lyons-Gallo.
It sounded better than he could have ever imagined, half because it was a thrill to even consider it, and half because Caspian wanted very much to be a Gallo, in spite of Michael’s initial rueful reservations about the family name. But Caspian - and Michael - had come a long, long way since their first meeting. He wanted to hold onto that as best he could.
The tender, fleeting brush of Michael’s hand was sending goosebumps along Caspian’s skin where Michael’s fingers touched, a shiver fluttering down Caspian’s spine in instinctive reaction. He tilted his head into the touch, his expression one of nothing but affection as Michael tucked his hair behind his ear, flushing a little at the brush of fingers over his ear.
“We are not getting vending machine rings,” he said dryly, but he couldn’t help fighting the grin that was spreading across his face. “What, like a RingPop? No. I mean - well,” Caspian added, because Michael knew him only too well. “I would do that, you know that, just for fun.”
He let out a sigh, because, well...he couldn’t keep putting off Michael meeting his family forever. It was a tempting thought, if only because Caspian didn’t want to see their reactions, but he couldn’t just go off and get married, especially since he had hardly even told his mother and Cassie that he was even seeing anyone in the first place.
Except he was sort of already going off and getting married, but that was beside the point.
“I know.’ Caspian sighed again. “I promise I’ll tell them soon - and that you’ll meet them, I swear. I’ll figure it out.”
He leaned forward and kissed Michael gently, softly.
“You’re super patient, you know that?”He kept his hand on Caspian’s face, even as Caspian leaned forward to give him a soft kiss, his fingers sliding up to brush along his reddened cheeks, finding the faint blushing super endearing. And he liked being able to touch his face, naturally.
“Whatever it takes,” he mumbled against Caspian’s mouth as he kissed him back. If that meant needing to be more patient than he was used to being, then that’s just what had to be done. “You’re super patient with me, so it’s only fair, I think,” he added as he pulled back enough to lean in for a quick peck of a kiss on the tip of Caspian’s nose.
“I’ll make sure to pick up some RingPops next time I’m out,” he half teased, showing Caspian a small grin because yes of course he knew Caspian wouldn’t mind that just for the fun of it. There were a lot of fun things that they could do if they did have an actual wedding, but the stress of putting everything together was just so… daunting.
“We’ll be okay, Cas. Whatever happens, we’ll be okay,” he promised, sweeping his fingers once more over his fiance’s face, pretty sure his heart couldn’t grow any larger than it had since first meeting Caspian, but there were always new surprises. Michael’s fingers were always so tender for a man who had such strength in them. Caspian knew his strength from firsthand experience, and yet now, as he slid them across Caspian’s cheek, they were as gentle and docile as rose petal, soft and sweet.
As was the quick kiss to the tip of his nose. Caspian wrinkled it in response, face scrunching up into a playful expression before it morphed into something quiet again, and he lifted a hand of his own, gently patting at the scruff on Michael’s jaw, liking the familiar feel of it against the tips of his fingers.
“Sounds good to me,” he said teasingly. “We can just toss RingPops to everyone, how’s that?”
There was so much they still needed to talk about, but it felt almost overwhelming, even if Caspian had been the one to bring the conversation up in the first place. He gave a small nod, biting his lip, then leaned up to give Michael a soft kiss, simply brushing his lips over Michael’s. His hand slid up to frame Michael’s face, and inadvertently, and because he couldn’t quite help himself, Caspian let himself indulge a little longer, deepening the kiss into something more, shifting so that he was sitting facing Michael on his lap, sliding arms around his neck.
He drew back after a few minutes, sighing, and rested his forehead against Michael’s.
“One day,” he mumbled, “Peter’s gonna kill us both dead.”He grinned in response to the RingPop comment, but didn’t have anything to say that was important enough to interrupt Caspian leaning up to kiss him. He kept one hand on Caspian’s face as his finace turned around to sit in his lap, his other hand sliding down along Caspian’s back and almost teasingly tugging at the hem of his shirt so he could push his hand up against his bare skin.
And then he kissed him, slow and tender and indulging, settling back against the couch to enjoy the feel of Caspian’s arms around his neck, of Caspian’s long legs bent on either side of his as he sat in his lap.
“Peter will get over it,” he promised, leaning closer to catch a quick kiss, sucking lightly on Caspian’s bottom lip. “Maybe he’ll move out. That would be nice, right?” Not that he wanted his brother kicked out, but it would definitely make things easier for all of them. Michael pushed a little closer to Caspian, pressing his lips against his jaw, giving him pecks of kisses, his hand that was still on Caspian’s face gently guiding his chin up with his thumb to expose his neck to him.
“In a couple weeks or so,” he mumbled against Caspian’s neck, “We’ll go to Boston and get our rings ordered. And then we’ll get married when they’re done.” Caspian shivered a little under Michael’s ministrations, his eyes falling half-lidded. He would never really ever get sick of just this - the simple intimacies of a relationship. Of knowing that he could reach for Michael and Michael would reach for him back, because they were committed to one another. He wouldn’t have to draw his hand back at the last second, afraid he would give a touch that was unwelcomed.
A small laugh escaped, Caspian’s head falling back to allow Michael access to his throat, a flush deepening on his cheeks. He ran his fingers affectionately through Michael’s hair, twining in the mahogany strands.
“It’d be nice to just...have our own place,” he admitted, slightly breathlessly, and then let out a small laugh, biting his lip.
“Rings, then marriage,” he said softly. “It has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Pun not intended.”
He tilted hs head back down and brushed lips over MIchael’s ear.
“I can’t wait to be married to you.”Michael wasted little time in leaning forward to kiss Caspian’s neck, his hand sliding back to tangle his fingers in his black and colored hair, his fingers gently scratching his scalp in a soothing motion. He would have happily continued playfully biting at his fiance’s neck had Caspian not tilted his head back so he could whisper into his ear. Shivers ran down Michael’s spine and he also let out a breathless laugh.
And then guided himself and Caspian down onto the couch, Caspian’s back and head against the pillows as Michael leaned over him, showering his face with little kisses.
“I can’t wait, either,” he promised and kissed him full on his mouth, deep and wonderful and dramatically interrupted by the disgruntled shout from his younger brother.
“Will you please at least go to your room to do that?? Out! Both of you! I need to use the living room!” Peter demanded, pointing at the direction of the bedrooms. “You two are the worst.” He was getting a little - a lot - worked up like this, Michael’s kisses making him flush, the sweep of his hand through Caspian’s hair sending shivers down his spine. He let out another laugh as they fell back together on the couch, Caspian catching Michael’s face between his hands, legs braced on either side of his fiance’s. The tiny kisses were making him giddy, his heart hammering hard in his chest.
“Good,” he murmured, and then surged up into the kiss, fingers tightening in Michael’s hair, Caspian losing himself to the utter heat and familiarity and sweetness of it.
At least until they were interrupted - for what was probably the dozenth time by now - by Peter.
Caspian’s groan was muffled against Michael’s mouth, but he tore himself away to turn his head to look at Peter, arms still looped around Michael’s neck.
“You know, one day,” he said delicately, without moving from where he was sprawled on the couch. “You’re gonna get yourself a nice girlfriend - or boyfriend - and we’re gonna walk in and find you making out and then you’ll feel what it’s like.””No, because I know discretion and self control,” Peter shot back, stalking over to the other couch where he picked up a pillow from it and wielded it above his head in Michael and Caspian’s direction. “Now out.”
Michael knew Peter probably didn’t even need to use the living room. He probably just wanted to give him and Caspian hell for actually enjoying each other’s time, along with everything else. When Peter lifted the pillow, Michael shot him a warning glare, to which Peter glared back, and then flung the pillow down at both Michael and Caspian.
“Knock it off,” Michael hissed, using his arm to keep the pillow from hitting Caspian, and grumbling as he carefully pushed himself up from where he’d been over top of his fiance, reaching out to try and help him up as well.
“You knock it off,” Peter shot back, clearly regressing in maturity in his frustration at the two of them.
Michael shook his head, stood to his feet, and scooped Caspian off the couch before he could argue, carrying him bridal style towards the bedroom as Peter had instructed. It would be more comfortable in there, anyway.
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