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These days, it is not uncommon for Aventurine to wake up with Ratio’s arm around his waist and his muscular chest pressed against his back.
The room is dim, the window’s thick curtains drawn so that only a few rays of sunlight slip through the gaps in the fabric. It’s quite spacious and its facilities are rather luxurious, befitting of one of the most exorbitant places he’s ever stayed in. It’s not his, nor Ratio’s; it’s that of a high-class resort, in a planet they’ve never been to before, far removed from their usual workplaces. It’s not often that either of them get extended periods of free time, much less a full-blown vacation to a distant star system. It truly begs the question of what the occasion is.
The room is dim, and yet light catches on the ornate golden band around his ring finger. In the same moment, his breath hitches as it, too, catches in his throat.
A honeymoon. Their honeymoon, in particular. The corners of his lips twitch up all too easily. It’s not the practiced diplomatic smile he flashes at potential clients, nor the winning grins he beams after a good gamble paid off, not even the sly smirks he gives when he knows he has the upper hand. No, it’s a small little thing: genuine and filled with fondness and maybe just a little bit of love. Maybe a whole lot of love, actually.
Their honeymoon. It’s already been a few days, yet the word still feels foreign to him. Thick, cloyingly sweet, like a glob of syrup at the tip of his tongue. He hasn’t quite learned how to swallow it.
He really has come a long way, hasn’t he?
It is the quintessential rags to riches story, and he’s lived it through and through. He could recite the whole book from beginning to end, having memorized each line. From a mere slave, to clawing his way up the ranks of the IPC, to being rid of them entirely. He fought so hard for his right to live, his right to agency, his right to everything. And it all paid off. Now, he’s free. Now, he’s married.
Oh Aeons, he’s married.
Marriage should be a simple concept, no matter what form it presents itself in. Whether it be a simple signing of documents, a quiet ceremony, or a grand affair, it all accomplishes the same thing. It is the physical manifestation of a bond so deep that it must see itself be written in reality. A few years back, he would’ve dismissed the concept absentmindedly. For if the bond is genuine, it needs no physical manifestation; for if all it takes is a physical manifestation, then the bond itself can be falsified. Matters of the heart have no place in paperwork and contracts; that which is fickle and fleeting could not be put to a medium so rigid and immutable.
And yet, now his heart soars every time he glances at his wedding ring.
The powers of sentiment, he would say as a cheeky little excuse. The powers of fondness, he would muse as his heart skips a beat. The power of memories, of years of love culminating in a bejeweled accessory, of a singular moment during their ceremony that will never leave him for the rest of his life.
‘For the universe is full of truths, of absolutes, of fundamental laws that cannot be broken.’ Ratio had said during his vows, voice fond and eyes soft as he lays his heart bare at the altar. ‘For one of them is the fact that I love you, and will always love you.’
And Aventurine sheds a tear right before the cross. And Aventurine falls in love all over again, just like that.
“Kakavasha,” comes a low whisper tickling his ear, the arm around him pulling him even closer. “Good morning.”
He lets slip a breathless chuckle. “Good morning, Veritas.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“You.”
The other man hums, amused. “I think we’ve moved past the ‘flattery’ stage a long time ago, dearest.”
Aventurine turns around so that he’s facing his husband. Aeons, his husband. “It’s not flattery if it’s true, darling.”
“Then I cannot blame you.” Ratio looks at him with eyes so full of love that it makes his head spin. “For I, too, think of you in the first moments of waking up.”
He teases, “Only the first moments?”
“And the ones after that. And the stretch of time that goes beyond mere moments, all the way to seconds, and minutes, and hours.” His husband keeps talking in the same tone he said his vows: reverent, sentimental, and loving. “Up until it’s reached a whole day, and my thoughts still linger on you.”
“What an honor it is to catch the attention of such a brilliant mind.”
“That, alongside the feelings of its owner’s heart.”
“Then I hope he won’t mind if I steal more than just his heart.” Aventurine looks up at the other man through his eyelashes, leaning in. “Perhaps a kiss, too.”
Ratio lets out a breathless laugh. “Make it two and you are forgiven.”
You will always be forgiven. It goes unsaid, an unspoken reassurance. It goes unsaid, for their lips press together delicately and it says all that needs to be said.
It’s nothing special. It’s no explosive burst of emotions, no ground-shattering revelation that shakes up the very workings of the universe. It is simple physical contact; it is fleeting, even. It is primarily an action of the flesh, driven by chemical receptors that tell the brain it will feel good. It is two bodies pressed together, hands intertwined, mouths locked in a simple kiss.
It’s nothing special, but oh-so-special.
“Mh…” He whines when they part, chasing the other’s lips. “Just a little longer.”
“As long as you want.” His husband reassures, in between featherlight kisses. “We have all the time in the world.”
“Not with the good weather outside.” Aventurine reminds when he notices the sunlight pouring into the room, a little brighter than it was before. “So, what’s the itinerary for today?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Yes, nothing.” Ratio closes his eyes, burying his nose into messy blonde hair. “To be exact, I want nothing more than to lay here with you for the rest of the day.”
“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow. “If I recall correctly, you were the one that insisted on drafting up a plan for us to follow. Something about making the most of the trip while we’re here, so that we don’t waste our vacation days.”
“A rare miscalculation from my end.” His husband huffs, but he admits it easily. “No day is wasted if it is spent with you.”
“But what about the sights?”
“They can wait.”
“And the unknown?”
“Will be discovered another day, perhaps by a different hand. And I will not mind.”
Aventurine grins. “You’re awfully romantic today.”
“We are married, Kakavasha.” Ratio replies, pulling back so he can look at him. “Is it not a given for me to hold you above all else? You are worth more than the beaches of a distant planet, than clusters of a star system, than all the galaxies of the universe.”
Despite himself, his cheeks flush. “Really?”
His husband’s hand comes up to cup his face, running a thumb along the pink flesh. “The universe could offer to bare all its secrets for me, and I would still prefer to gaze upon your visage rather than the view.”
Then, his fingers brush stray locks of hair behind his ear. And he holds the side of his jaw, tipping it slightly so their eyes meet. And there’s nowhere to hide anymore.
“Like this, even against the boundless constellations of the cosmos, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes upon.”
Preposterous. They’ve just woken up, he hasn’t had time to wash up yet. He probably has drool running down the sides of his mouth, gunk in his eyes, and the imprint of his pillow pressed to his face. His hair is messy and uncombed, his lips most likely dry and his pajamas wrinkled from tossing and turning around. And yet, he finds it in himself to believe what his husband is saying.
“You’re impossible.” Aventurine says, out of instinct. He continues, also out of instinct. “I love you.”
Ratio smiles. It’s not a rare sight, not for him. “And I, you.”
And that is more than enough, isn’t it?