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Caesar went home a little later than usual, caught with how hectic his schedules had been lately. As much as he’d tried to wrap them all up early, there were just some matters he couldn’t easily ignore…
He immediately went straight up to his room, wanting to retire for the night. Leewon would be asleep by now, anyway; he’d been just as busy as Caesar was, replying to his text messages a little late more often than not.
Swinging the door open, he paused by the entrance, realizing that there was someone inside.
His Leewon was inside, fast asleep on the couch. It seemed like he’d been waiting for a while; he was still wearing his usual work outfit, two buttons unfastened and his suit jacket draped over the couch. There was some food on the table, albeit untouched, the candles long since extinguished.
For a short moment, Caesar tried to recall if there was any occasion for today. Leewon’s birthday is two days away from now, his own birthday months later. And despite Caesar’s past insistence, Leewon was not one to celebrate anniversaries like most couples do…
Still, he couldn’t help feeling bad about making Leewon wait for so long.
Quietly, so as not to wake Leewon, Caesar ambled towards him. Kneeling, he softly pressed a kiss against Leewon’s forehead, and his eye caught something.
A long, rectangular box, wrapped in velvet dyed maroon, with a thin gold ribbon. It rests not-so-subtly beside the bottle of Dom Perignon, eye-catching despite the simplicity. Intrigued, Caesar got the box and opened it carefully.
Inside was an elegant-looking fountain pen, obviously tailored for a specific person to use. Caesar couldn’t tell the exact colors with the room’s dim lights, but he was sure it had a dark blue sheen on its body and cap. Upon closer inspection, Caesar noticed something engraved on its clip, and on the centerband.
Curious, he placed the pen against the nearest light source, and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest with disbelief and joy.
Engraved on the pen’s clip is Caesar’s name in Korean, and written on the centerband was a quote he’d never forget for the rest of his life.
[ Thee will I love, and with thee lead my life. ] [1]
Caesar glanced back at the still-sleeping Leewon, back at the pen on his hand, and then at Leewon. It hadn’t been long since Leewon proposed to him back at the island, saying the words Caesar least expected to hear from him. To say that he’d been so overjoyed would be an understatement; it had taken all of his self-control—and Leewon’s nagging—to not bring themselves to the nearest chapel and ask a priest to marry them pronto.
And yet, now.
The fountain pen on his hand was perhaps the closest symbol of Leewon’s promise to stay by his side forever, as what once Caesar had asked of him. With the colors Caesar closely associated with his beloved, his name on his beloved’s language, and a quote from one of the plays Caesar enjoyed most…
The urge to pull Leewon’s body against his and kiss him senseless was overwhelming, it nearly drowned what remains of his rationality. The only thing that stopped him was the mental reminder that Leewon was finally having his rest, and waking him was unforgivable.
Instead, Caesar placed the fountain pen back on its box, rose from where he’s sitting, and gently carried Leewon up in his arms to lay him down on his bed. Leewon frowned slightly, as if disturbed from the sudden movement, but made no move to wake. Caesar laid down beside him, pulling off his shoes, and cradled Leewon close to his body.
He remembered something suddenly, and quickly retrieved his suit. He fished out a tiny red box from one of his coat pockets and opened it.
In the dim light the rubies shone brightly against silver, reminding Caesar of the roses he always gifted Leewon each time they met. The ring was a perfect fit as he slipped it on Leewon’s finger, more beautiful than what Caesar had first imagined.
“The half of me is yours, the other half yours—mine own, I would say,” Caesar reverently whispers against Leewon’s hair. “But if mine, then yours, and so all yours.” [2]
He dared not sleep for the rest of the night, his heart singing so blissfully with sweet triumph.
Come early morning, Caesar woke to a Leewon staring at the ring on his hand in shocked wonder, eyes wide with a million more emotions or two. It’s an adorable sight, truly.
The knowledge that it would be like this for the rest of his life, waking next to the man who stole away his heart…
Caesar cuddled Leewon close to his body, sleepily pressing a kiss against the other’s hair.
“You menace of a sneak,” Leewon whispered, no bite in his tone. “Is this your idea of an early birthday surprise now?”
“It’s only a justifiable response,” Caesar murmured, “to the gift I saw, don’t you think?”
Leewon paused, and let out a soft laugh. “Did no one ever teach you not to snoop on someone’s things, Caesar?”
“But that thing is for me,” Caesar gloated. “I see no reason not to snoop at it.”
“Caesar!”
Caesar laughed, pressing another kiss on the crown of Leewon’s head. Held him even closer against his body, if that was even possible, basking in the warmth.
Leewon nuzzled his face against Caesar’s chest. “I take it you like it?” he mumbled rather timidly.
“No,” Caesar answered. “I loved it, lyubov moya. So much that I wanted to move our wedding today.”
“No would do,” Leewon pulled away, frowning. “You promised it would be in the spring!”
Caesar’s smile was playfully teasing, still in his own seventh heaven to be a bit annoyed. “Did I, my love?”
“Oh, come on.”
“A double celebration wouldn’t be so bad,” Caesar mused. “Celebrating your birthday and our wedding seems nice, don’t you think?”
“Then why don’t you make it your birthday and our wedding instead?” Leewon retorted.
Caesar’s grin widened. “Well, it doesn’t seem so bad either…”
Annoyed, Leewon lightly punched Caesar’s chest, scowling even deeper, earning a loud laugh from Caesar. Teasing Leewon had always been a source of entertainment to him, like watching a fluffy cat getting all hissy and annoyed but never actually managing to land a scratch.
“All right, all right,” Caesar pulled Leewon once more back into his embrace, peppering soothing kisses on Leewon’s face. “Spring, it is. The season in between ours.
“The season where flowers gradually bloom,” he cupped Leewon’s cheek, angling his face up, “and where everything begins. Apt, is it not?”
Sparkling, abyss-like eyes met his, and Caesar was reminded once more how he fell so deeply for him. Those eyes, like the endless stretch of stars in the wintry night sky, reeling him in…
“If you say so,” Leewon pressed a kiss against Caesar’s palm, and smiled up at him. Unable to resist, Caesar leaned down for a kiss, and Leewon met him halfway.