a/n: This is the next installment of the Newhaven AU, and honestly, I'm kinda considering this the official noncanon canon because like, no, this universe doesn't actually exist, but it does to me. I had this half-written already and I was in the mood to write something cute today, so take this stupid little one-shot that was supposed to just be a fluffy scene of Elias playing with Kayden's hair, but it got super away from me in the end there. I love them so much, I can't wait for them to actually be together.
It was a quiet Sunday morning in the apartment, one of the rare days when neither of them had work or somewhere to rush off too. Predictably, the one running off to do this or that was usually Elias, but he wasn't as busy as he'd been in high school. That was mostly a result of Kayden convincing him he needed more rest days, or at least days where he could do things for himself, and despite the blond's urge to dismiss that sentiment, he knew Kayden was right.
At the moment, the two of them were on the couch with Kayden laying his head in Elias' lap as he played a game on his phone and Elias holding a book open with one hand, his elbow resting against the top of the couch, and gently running the other through Kayden's red curls. He was halfway through The Song of Achilles, and though he wasn't usually one for modern renditions of classic stories or mythology, Kayden had told him he absolutely needed to read it and he'd been enjoying it more than he expected to.
Elias smiled and glanced down when he felt Kayden lean into the touch. Sometimes, he almost reminded Elias of a cat. Kayden's hair was so soft and, since they'd begun dating, one of Elias' favorite mindless activities was threading his fingers through it and gently twisting the curls around his fingers. Kayden liked how it felt and he enjoyed the little bit of extra sensory stimulus when he was tired but still needed something external for his brain to take in. It also helped to keep him from getting bored when they were cuddling, because he loved the feeling of laying in Elias' arms, but realistically, he needed to be doing something more or he'd get fidgety and restless. These days, he had a fidget ring that Elias had gifted him which always sat on his thumb, so when they were getting settled into bed at night, Elias would play with his hair and Kayden would spin the little inner band of his ring, and all would be right and satisfactory in the world.
When he was in high school, Kayden had imagined these moments thousands of times. When he'd laid in his bed alone at night, he'd imagined Elias wrapping his arms around him so he could fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, and sometimes it seemed almost surreal to him that this was his reality now. With Elias, his life was somehow better than he'd ever thought it could be, even as much of a dreamer as he was. He couldn't imagine being anywhere else, and even if there was somehow a better version of his life somewhere out there, he wasn't sure he wanted it. He was perfectly happy, and as he spun the little band around his finger, he smiled to himself.
"Do you think they make wedding rings like this?" Kayden murmured, letting his phone lay on his chest as he glanced up at Elias who gave him a curious look in response. Kayden loved it when his eyebrow quirked up like that.
"...Why a wedding ring?"
"Oh, well I mean...oh, no, not like that," Kayden said and laughed quietly. "Sorry, I was just thinking that when I get married, I'm going to wear that ring probably for the rest of my life or whatever, and it would suck if every time I looked at it all I could think was that it didn't do the spinny thing."
Elias chuckled softly and ran his hand through Kayden's hair again, wrapping one of the curls around his finger. "Are you saying you plan on marrying someone other than me?" he asked in a teasing tone and Kayden blinked several times, trying to figure out how to respond.
Was Elias asking to marry him? No, that was absurd, they had never talked about marriage before, and Kayden had never even really thought about it in any kind of serious way, but it wasn't like it couldn't happen, well...admittedly, it would probably happen eventually, and maybe they both knew it. Kayden didn't want to be with anyone else, and Elias probably didn't either, and they'd known each other for years, and they loved each other, and Ezra and Grant were married, so...was it really so crazy?
"...no," Kayden said in realization after staring at Elias with wide eyes for far too long.
Elias smiled, tipping Kayden's chin up a bit more to lean down and kiss him.
"Well, I'm sure we can find you a wedding ring that does the spinny thing," he said, laughing softly.
"Well now you're just making fun of me," Kayden murmured, leaning up to kiss Elias again, pulling him closer by his neck.
"Am I?" Elias asked against his lips.
The conversation died out after that as one kiss led to another until the page of Elias' book had been dog-eared and closed to be set on the coffee table and Kayden's phone disappeared between the couch cushions, and soon, their clothes followed suit. Perhaps it wasn't a conversation they were ready for anyway, even if it wasn't such an impossible idea. They had decades to love each other yet, and no desire to rush. Kayden liked it better this way, even if he hated being patient. He didn't mind taking his time if it was with Elias, he didn't feel any of it was wasted. He was savoring all of it, and he was sure one day they'd talk about this moment together, and they wouldn't regret anything.
