A Reunion of Lips

XXXII

Mitch let out a deep breath and sunk further back into the arms encircling him. He closed his eyes and let his head tilt back against Scott's shoulder. He didn't need to watch this sunset. There were so many other ways he could enjoy it.

He could feel the cool metal on Scott's finger underneath his own hand, from where his arms rested against Scott's, holding them to his chest. His finger was cool too, from his own ring.

Scott had been so excited when he had showed it to him for the first time. Two bands of silvery meteorite on the edges encased a band of copper. Copper from the wire ring that Scott had used to propose with, and meteorite to remind him of the moon. It wasn't the giant diamond Mitch had always thought about—it was so much better.

He'd had his fun with the huge, shiny engagement ring for several months. While he was still in the sling and barred access from the studio to heal properly, the flashy ring had been gorgeous and flattering. This ring, the one Scott had put so much thought and care into, was one that Mitch would never have to take off for fear of ruining a piece of fabric. No dainty lace or thin velvet could be torn by this ring. This ring was—well, Mitch would say "perfect", but a better, more meaningful descriptive phrase would be "a material manifestation of their love". Although, it was incomplete without its counterpart on Scott's hand.

Once Scott had nervously proposed his idea of matching rings, Mitch had immediately dumped his other ideas. Scott's ring wasn't matching, per se, but it followed the same format as Mitch's. Two bands of meteorite—same as Mitch's—but instead of a copper band in the middle, Scott had a band of obsidian.

Scott, an absolute wet dream for a sappy poet, in Mitch's words, had been laying nose to nose with him in their bed, (still naked and sweaty and beaming at each other), illustrating with his linguistic genius born from a lifetime of high vocabulary and a professional atmosphere, his appreciation for Mitch's eyes. He had compared the drowning feeling of getting lost in Mitch's pupils to the obsidian night from when they first kissed on the tower balcony, and Mitch had grabbed him and whispered, "That's it. Obsidian." Scott hadn't even waited till morning to call the jeweler.

Now, standing on a different balcony in a distant city, still riding the adrenaline and excitement of the day, Mitch could imagine the sky slowly darkening from the bright, rich oranges and reds back to that same obsidian.

A gentle breeze ruffled Mitch's hair, bringing with it the soft laughter and chatter from farther down the lakeside. They would have to return to the reception at some point before Avi, ever the master of teasing, started spreading rumors about what they might be up to.

They would get up to that later, not while Mitch still needed to be able to stand up long enough to actually have their first dance. Ooh, and eat the cake. All in good time.

Mitch could feel the faint, steady thump, thump of Scott's heart through their suits, and the slight sway as they leaned against each other. He could taste the lingering flavor of the champagne he had sipped at before they had snuck off. He could smell the fresh air off the lake and the woody scent of the trees surrounding the estate, protecting them from the rest of the world, narrowing the world down to just them. He could hear Scott's soft breathing against his own breaths, hear the fabric rustling between them. He could imagine the glow of Scott's face in the golden light, the shimmer of the light caught in his hair, his eyes.

Mitch opened his eyes to take in all the majesty of Scott watching the sun sink down. He was met with two crinkly, blue eyes gazing softly back into his own.

Mitch smiled. 

.......................

And so it ends. 

At some point soon (hehehehehehe) I'll share the extra deleted stuff because you guys are awesome and I love you all!!! Seriously, I cannot express how much you guys reading my stuff and taking the time to say hi or something means to me!! ❤️❤️❤️

This has been so much fun and I credit at least half of the fun to you guys being so sweet or encouraging or just being THERE--literally, I am struggling to say my actual points here because I just want to give you guys virtual hugs. I promise I will be back at some point with a new story (but it may take a while to get anything to my perfectionistic standards due to the amaaaaazing obligations I have to the Great American Education System.) 

Stay safe out there! Stay healthy! Keep fighting! BLM! Black Trans Lives Matter! Love you all!!!!! 🥰