Work Text:
Ryan waited distractedly while his colleague Jace finished adjusting the camera.
Today they had decided to go to Central Park to film. It was a beautiful spring day, the sun was shining in a clear sky, and a refreshing breeze made it ideal without being too hot. It was the perfect time to chat with people. In his experience, when they went out to film on the street, the nicer the weather, the more cooperative people were, happy to talk and be part of their videos.
“Ready?” he asked the guy next to him. In the distance, he could see a couple walking hand in hand in their direction. They looked happy and carefree. They weren't exactly smiling, but their faces reflected that special peace that characterized people who had found their home, their place in the world, years ago, and which he had learned to detect from meters away.
"Ready," his friend replied.
Ryan composed his features into a calm and polite expression, open but not overwhelming or invasive, and walked briskly toward the couple who were about to pass in front of them. They seemed absorbed in their own thoughts.
“Sorry, excuse me,” he tried to get their attention with a natural tone. Both men immediately seemed to become a little more serious, and their shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly. “Are you two a couple?”
The taller man, with black hair and a few gray strands showing at the roots, wearing glasses, seemed to stiffen automatically and, as if by instinct, shifted slightly in front of his partner, standing firm as if trying to draw attention away from him and hide him from the camera. “Why do you ask?”
Ryan tried to soften his expression and voice even more, reminding himself that this was not personal. “Oh, it's for a video, you know, we go out and ask couples how they met.”
The man seemed to loosen up a little, and his eyes, which for a moment had seemed stormy, had relaxed like a calm sea, controlled but still a little cautious. His partner shifted and settled down beside him. He was half a head shorter, with light brown hair that shone golden in the sunlight and much kinder green eyes surrounded by a few wrinkles. He gave Ryan a sympathetic smile before looking at his partner, who was already looking at him with a question in his eyes. Ryan watched them communicate silently as only two people who knew each other to the core could do. Only a millisecond had passed when the dark-haired man looked at him now openly and with a genuine smile on the corners of his mouth.
“What are your names?” he asked, trying to return to the original script.
“I'm Mike,” said the black-haired man, offering the hand that wasn't holding his partner's.
“Will,” smiled the shorter man, repeating the same action.
Ryan let out the metaphorical breath he was holding and smiled back. “Have you been together long?”
“Together for thirty-five years. Married for twenty-nine,” Mike replied, looking at Will with a dreamy smile, sighing like a teenager and raising their joined hands to show the matching gold bands on their ring fingers.
“Although technically the papers say we've been married for fourteen,” Will replied jokingly.
Mike rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. “Details.”
Ryan hated to interrupt them when these two looked so adorable. “And could you tell us how you met?”
Mike turned his head in his direction and looked at him with bright, excited eyes like a puppy being presented with a treat or his favorite toy.
“Oh no, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into,” Will chuckled. “That's absolutely his favorite question. He loves telling that story.”
Mike gave his husband a mischievous smile before looking back at him and puffing out his chest, preparing as if he were about to tell an epic fantasy story. "It was our first day of kindergarten. I was so anxious and scared about not having any friends during the first few hours that the teachers scolded me for not paying attention and not responding. I felt so lonely and scared... but then it was recess time and I saw him on the swings and he was alone too. I went up to him and asked if he wanted to be my friend and he said yes."
“Of course I said yes” Will whispered incredulously, as if he couldn't even conceive of the idea of ever saying no.
“He said yes. And it's the best thing I ever did." The look he gave his husband was absolutely heartwarming, his eyes wide, sincere, and adoring.
Ryan's heart tightened in his chest at the scene before him, and he glanced at Jace, who was still holding the camera.
“It's a lovely story, I understand why you like to tell it,” he said sincerely. “And when did you go from being friends to a couple?”
“It was in '90, during summer break, when we both returned to our hometown after our first year of college. Although, believe me, if it had been up to me, we would have been together since we were fourteen. He had me pining for him for years before putting me out of my misery,” Will sighed with feigned annoyance, rolling his eyes, though it was clear he was fighting back a smile.
“Hey, I'd been pining for you too, I just didn't know it at the time.” Mike nudged him playfully.
“What's the secret behind thirty-five years together?”
Will looked thoughtful for a minute before answering, "I think it's communication. It sounds simple, I know, but it's not. Loving each other was never difficult; it feels as natural as breathing, but relationships aren't easy. We've literally known each other since we were kids. I can't remember a life without Mike in it. We were both there as we grew up and changed and experienced the horrors of puberty and adulthood. There's no one in this world who knows us better than each other, and although we've always had this special connection where words aren't necessary most of the time, through the years we've learned not to underestimate the value of an open conversation."
“Absolutely,” agreed his husband. “Although I would like to add that if you have the opportunity to fall in love with your best friend, don’t pass it up. It changes your life in the best possible way. It’s magical. Though maybe that last part is just him.” Mike brought Will’s hand, still clasped in his, to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles, causing a slight pink hue to appear on Will’s cheeks.
“I'll consider the advice.” Ryan felt a little heat rise to his neck as he glanced at Jace off-camera. “Can I ask you one last question?” They both nodded. “What do you love most about each other?”
Mike, if it were possible, lit up even more, and Will's smile grew warmer. "What I love most about my husband is that in a world that constantly chooses to be harsh and cruel, he chooses to be good. He is the most kind-hearted person you will ever meet. He is gentle, soft and compassionate, and no matter how others choose to be, he is adamant in not letting what happens around him determine the kind of person he is. He is simply the best person in this damn world," he said, gesturing with his hands as if his words were not enough and he needed to emphasize what he was saying in some way.
“Mike, you're going to make me cry,” he pushed him gently as he blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling. He looked at Ryan. “This is why I love him. He is my heart. He was the one who took care of it all these years, kept it safe, and was brave for both of us even when he himself was terrified. Mike's love is so protective and brave and selfless... Nothing compares to it." He brought a hand to his jaw and caressed his cheek with his thumb. Mike melted at the touch and looked at him with nothing less than absolute devotion.
A shrill, repetitive melody broke the sweet moment, and Will and Mike jumped in surprise.
“Oh, shit,” Mike muttered, pulling his phone out of his pocket and turning off the alarm. “Sorry, we have to go pick up our daughter from her ballet class. We're running late.”
“No problem, it was a pleasure.”
Will and Mike nodded in his direction with friendly smiles and walked quickly away down the same path they had come, still holding hands.