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The last year had been absolute magic. Reki and Langa had been dating ever since that fateful day in his tattoo shop when Langa first discovered his cat-and-yeti tattoo. He looked around at the boxes in his apartment and smiled; this weekend, they would be moving into a new place together. He would miss this charming little hovel above his shop, but the new apartment was a two-bedroom place downtown and was merely a five-minute skate away. It was beautifully lit by natural light, and he loved walking barefoot on the plushy carpets. He was so excited about it that he could hardly keep focusing on packing, so he gave Langa a quick call.
“Hi, baby. How’re you doing?” Reki held the phone to his ear in one hand and cupped the other over the receiver, happily anticipating Langa’s voice to come through the receiver and soothe his nerves.
“Hey, Reki.” Langa’s voice was soft, and Reki couldn’t help the wide, stupid smile that spread across his face. “I'm okay - these last few days have been pretty brutal with final exams. What about you? I miss you.” Reki’s heart clenched down pleasantly in his chest.
“I miss you, too. I keep trying to pack up more, but you know me, I can’t stay focused for shit, ha! I’m so excited for this weekend, Langa. I can’t even explain it.” He could practically hear the smile in his boyfriend’s voice when he spoke again.
“Me, too. I have a surprise for you since I won’t be able to see you until move-in day.” Reki perked up and bounced on the balls of his feet.
This weekend keeps getting better and better.
“Oh yeah? Wanna give me a clue? Or maybe just tell me? Dude, you know I’m terrible with surprises…” Reki groaned at the thought of having to wait two more days to find out what his surprise was going to be, but he had to trust Langa. He had to accept Langa as the jerkface, rude, exceptional boyfriend he was, considering how he always loved to surprise Reki with little things.
“Oh, I know you are. I think it’s funny.” A tender chuckle floated through the speaker on his cell phone as Reki walked around his apartment again, looking for loose odds and ends he could put in the last few “Literally Random Shit” boxes. Pretty much all that was left at this point was his bed, a few toiletries, and some towels he needed to shower. He would be treating himself to takeout before Saturday morning.
Thankfully, it was a busy Friday. He and Langa didn’t do their usual ritual this week, but considering they would be moving in together (where they could spend every morning and night together), he was okay with that. He worked on a raven tattoo, touched up a tiger at a final appointment, sat down to design a memorial tattoo with a client, and also (unwillingly, he may add) tattooed a name onto someone’s arm. “That’s permanent, dude. As in, that shit isn’t going away even if she does.” Unfortunately, the dude was totally sober, of sound mind, and he had no reason to turn him away. So, he tattooed “Crystal” in swirly letters into his bicep.
I hope it works out for them. That’s…a big deal. And I would know from dumb, stupid experience.
He sighed as the evening waned. He checked a few texts from Langa and smiled at the hearts and articles he sent, more ready than ever to spend every night wrapped up in those long, lean-muscled arms. This was going to be the last night he spent alone, the final night he would no longer have a home together with Langa. Starting tomorrow, they would figure things out together - they would eat breakfast at a small second-hand table, pick out laundry detergent, cook, sleep, and chill in the same space. Reki’s shop was close-by, so if Langa came home between classes, they could even fit in a quickie way more often than they could before.
It was everything Reki could hope for. Well…maybe not everything, but certainly the right direction. Perhaps “everything” would be a permanent tethering, a marital contract or spousal arrangement that would remind him every day that their relationship was true and real. It would remind Reki that, just like they had promised each other all those years ago, they could skate together infinitely.
Sighing, he made his way to the second floor and jingled his keys in the lock. Reki walked through the doorway, set his things down on the table, and smiled again. He had so many memories in this apartment - so many special, fun, and important ones floated through his mind. Just one floor below, he had finally confessed to Langa. The first time they had been intimate with each other, it was right in the other room. The very first time Langa’s nerves eased enough for Reki to tie him up was on the couch a few feet to his left. The talks of moving in together started at his kitchen table, and there were the ghosts of infinite looks, sweet touches, and caresses between these walls that he would never forget. However, with the ending of one adventure comes the bright, beautiful start of another.
It’s another step forward in their relationship, another step in tandem with Langa. Reki couldn’t be more thrilled by anything else in his life right now.
It was late, so he rinsed off quickly in the shower before climbing under the few blankets he left out on the bed. He hugged the second pillow close to his body, imagining it were Langa as he breathed in deep. It still had the scent of that cologne Reki liked so much, even if Langa accidentally spilled a fifth of the bottle on himself one night and didn’t stop smelling like océan bleu for almost two days. Reki’s eyes fluttered softly closed, the excitement thrumming through him conceding to the exhaustion of a long day. It would be another long day tomorrow, and he wanted to be in tip-top shape to help make his new home with Langa. He sighed into the pillow, drifting off easily and dreamily.
Our new life together starts tomorrow.
Langa knocked on Reki’s door bright and early the next morning. He opened the door with a wide smile, tugged Langa into him by the collar, laughed at the small yelp, and locked their lips together. Lacing his fingers up through Langa’s hair, he gripped the soft locks and pulled Langa harder to him as he added a bit of tongue. Langa groaned softly into his mouth and pulled away pouting. “Jerk.” Reki’s eyes sparkled as he laughed, the pout growing deeper and more adorable by the minute. They both grabbed their skateboards, dropped them to the ground, and headed off toward their new apartment.
The entryway was nice, and the rest of their extended family was there to help them move in. It was a beautiful, pleasantly cool winter day in Okinawa, almost one year later after first confessing their love for each other. Reki noticed that Joe and Cherry were missing when he felt a small buzz in his pocket. He pulled out his phone, saw a text from Cherry, and snorted.
Only Joe would trip into a large bucket of tomato sauce at his restaurant before they had to leave. Oh well, he should probably know better than to taunt Cherry, anyway. Their ETA is only about five to ten minutes away, but I guess we’re not getting that complimentary lasagna tonight…
Langa held out his hand and smiled, a little flash of nervousness crossing his face. Reki found it incredibly endearing as he reached out to grasp his slender fingers.
“Oh, yeah. I asked the others to stay back for a second so we could have a moment alone. You know, before we introduce the chaos of boxes, unpacking, and all that awful stuff.” Langa smiled and took Reki’s hands in his, swinging them lightly between them like a small child might. It warmed his heart.
Langa eyed Reki in his peripheral vision on the elevator ride up. Reki noticed, looked over, and raised one eyebrow. “We can get into a lot of trouble in this elevator. Maybe we can make a Sexy Elevator Time bingo card. Whoever loses gets tied up in it.” His grin was dazzling, and Reki laughed so full and joyfully.
“Perv. You’re on!” They stepped into the fourth floor hallway together and strolled to their front door. It was similar to the others - painted white and unassuming, the little silver door handle with the keypad above it polished off with a satin finish. Langa fumbled for a moment, looking puzzled. “Bro, did you forget the keys? Come on, that’s so predictable of you.” Reki’s hands dove into Langa's pockets, searching playfully for the keys. Langa looked panicked for a moment, it quickly passed, and then realization struck. He set his backpack down on the floor and clipped the carabiner off, jingling two small silver keys in the process. He grinned, wiped his brow, and didn’t seem to quite recover from the jitters when they entered their new home.
They both walked in slowly, taking their shoes off so they wouldn’t get their new carpets dirty. They looked up, down, and all around them, soaking in the fresh canvas they were about to paint with the vibrant colors of their new life together. They looked at each other and grinned, squeezing their hands tightly together in disbelief. Langa’s face sparkled, and he left a quick peck on Reki’s cheek. “By the way, I had that thing to show you.” Reki quirked an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah, what’s up, Langa?” Reki reached his arms up and rested them on Langa’s shoulders as he smiled.
“Look, Reki! I got an infinity symbol tattoo, just like yours. Now we match.” Langa’s brilliant smile was brighter than the sunlight streaming in the huge, floor-to-ceiling breakfast nook windows.
Oh.
Reki’s face fell slightly despite the expectant sparkle in Langa’s eyes. It was cool that he wanted to surprise Reki with matching tattoos and all, but he’d always secretly wanted to be the one to design Langa’s first one. He also really wanted to be the artist to do it, and he’d be able to give premium, V.I.P. aftercare and love at home as it healed. He leaned in to touch their foreheads together, trying to put on a happier smile, as he could see how excited and nervous Langa seemed about showing him. He picked up Langa’s hand and splayed his fingers out gently, the symbol plain, simple, and mostly healed already.
He must have gotten this done a few days ago if it already looks like this.
He looked up into Langa’s eyes, and they looked so happy that Reki reached out a hand to cup his cheek. With a gentle brush of his thumb across Langa’s cheek, he smiled softly back. He slid that hand back down to hold Langa’s, their matching infinity symbols crisp and bright. “I love it, babe. Now we can match infinitely.” A small, shy smirk lifted the corner of his mouth as he looked away from Langa. He felt his long, slender hands toying with his calloused palms and fingers for a moment before Langa spoke again.
“There’s, ah. One more thing I wanted to show you before we brought the others up.” Reki thought he felt a slight tremble as Langa lifted his hand away quickly. There was something slightly higher-pitched and nervous in his voice, and Reki looked into his eyes, his concern growing. Langa was being unusually fidgety this morning, brushing his hair back, scratching his wrist, fixing his sleeves…it was just odd, considering how most of the time, he could stand and stare off into space like a statue. “It’s right here.” Langa sucked in a sharp breath, turned, and lifted the hem of his shirt slightly. Reki barked out a disbelieving laugh.
Is that a yeti? Did he seriously get something on his ass for me, too? Adorable, stupid idiot.
Reki grinned as he moved forward to see if it was the same one he had on his own cheek. He reached out to touch Langa, and his boyfriend shivered under the touch, eyes wide and waiting. Reki cocked his head curiously but continued to investigate the new tattoo.
The lines look pretty good - he must have had this planned out for a while. It wasn’t just some fresh artist looking for their first customers.
He looked up at Langa with a mischievous grin as he tugged at his waistband with his pinky. Langa chewed the inside of his cheek and nodded slowly in permission. Reki shook his head fondly and tugged down to see.
He smiled. It was most certainly the cat and the yeti, but he peered closer to see what they were doing, as it wasn’t a replica of his, after all.
Oh.
Wait…
OH.
Reki’s eyes flew open wide as his hands came up to quickly cover his mouth, which had dropped open in shock. Langa’s eyes looked wide and afraid, unsure of how to take this initial reaction.
On Langa’s behind was a tattoo of the yeti proposing to the cat.
Reki’s head swam, and he took a deep breath in as Langa turned to face him. Reki watched the bob of his Adam’s apple all the way down his throat as he flattened his button-up short sleeve with the palms of his hands. In the time between Reki’s heartbeats, Langa had knelt down in front of him on one knee, fishing around in his sock. Hands shaking, he pulled out a small box and held it out in front of him. He looked at the ground, took one last deep breath in, and cerulean eyes lifted to his.
They were always the most beautiful thing Reki had ever seen.
“I-I want to make a home with you. I want to come back to you every day for the rest of my life. I always want to skate with you, to eat with you, to laugh with you…but most of all, I want you to be mine, and I want to let the whole world know that I’m yours. You are the single most amazing thing that's ever happened to me in my life. You've taught me so much, and the most important thing you might have ever shown me is how to love." Langa blinked hard, holding his eyes closed for a moment before opening them. They shined in determination. "Reki, my love...will you marry me?” He struggled slightly to open the box because of the slight nervous tremors running through his hands and body. Reki’s eyes turned misty almost immediately, and he had to blink it away several times before he could see Langa clearly again. He huffed out a small, disbelieving laugh as the tears fell from his eyes, and he nodded. He fell to his own knees, meeting Langa where he was, and looked into his frightened eyes.
“Yes, Langa. Over and over again, yes.” His boyfriend - fiancé?! - nearly deflated in relief, and Reki laughed happily as he went to take the ring out of the box with a small smile. It was a sturdy, simple black band, an infinity symbol etched into the shiny surface. It was something Reki would have picked for himself if he had chosen his wedding band. It slid onto his finger perfectly, and as soon as it was secure on his ring finger, Reki jumped into Langa’s arms and knocked him backwards. “You sneaky, sneaky bastard. You know that tattoo is permanent, right? Like, it’s not coming off.” Reki chuckled and smiled into the crook of Langa’s neck as he drew a hand up his chest. Langa giggled nervously.
“Yeah, they thought I was out of my damn mind when I asked them to do a ‘reiteration’ of yours. Once I told them what it was for, though, they wanted pictures of when you hopefully said yes. Because like you said, a tattoo is quite permanent.” Langa grinned wide and sweet. “But I also plan on making you quite permanent, especially now that you’ve said yes.” Reki giggled and wrestled Langa to the floor beneath him. Looking down, Langa’s hair splayed out on the plush white carpet. His cheeks were tinged pink, and his eyes crinkled in just the cutest, subtlest way from the small, happy smile he wore. It filled Reki’s heart to overflowing, and he dove in for the kiss.
Their lips pressed gently together and their tongues danced, the promise of a new kind of infinity filling them with a euphoric high. Reki pressed Langa into the floor as he ran a hand up along his side, dipping below his shirt to touch the soft skin underneath. Reki closed his eyes as he moved his lips to Langa’s neck, nipping playfully as Langa squirmed beneath him. “Reki?” He ran his hands under Langa’s shirt again, savoring the feel of his sturdy chest. He sidled his body right above Langa’s, their legs tangled together. Reki propped himself up on his forearms and looked into sky blue eyes.
“Yeah, baby?” Langa reached his arms and cupped Reki’s face in his hands. The pink flush on his cheeks deepened, and his eyes grew misty.
“I love you, and I can’t wait to spend infinity with you.”