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luke's thumb ran across the stringed up polaroids of both the boys, his tumb lingering on his favourite one of them of them, where both boys were covered in snow after they spent all of their christmas eve building a snowman and peppering each other in kisses in the sharp chill of the day.
the boxes he sat around were filled to brim with old movie tickets from dates and small stuffed toys that the boys won each other. small pieces of confetti and glow sticks also littered the bottom, the vines of memories wrapping their thorns around luke's arms and pulling him into the pit of his younger years.
there was a box of michael's things too, similar to the other boxes, small significant objects that opened up glimpses to his short life. his guitar stood tall at the corner of the window, where ashton's drum-kit had also found home, his drumsticks strewn messily over the still of the sunlit window.
the room that luke had laid under the sheet in tears holding ashton for countless sleepless nights, whispering sweet words that get lost in his cries and lullabies that lull him to sleep. the room where they spend hours laying around intertwining each other togather, and the room had witnessed so many of their firsts togather.
it wasn't just ashton's room, it had become both of theirs.
and now it was time to pack up everything in that room, and put them away.
to start life again.
a new chapter, or even a new story away from the chaos of the first two decades of his life. a time, to look back to and cherish, where he won't have to feel the tears prick and his heart race faster because he would rather see the pitch black he wandered off to during the time between michael and ashton.
"are you crying?"
luke turned his tear streaked face to the sound of the honey haired boy's sweet voice, who made his way through the stacked crooked boxes that surrounded his small figure. ashton crouched down next to him, both lovers equal, steadily holding each other's gaze as his fingertips moved to luke's face, cradling his cheeks and letting his thumbs run across his alluring eyes to catch his tears.
"what's got my beautiful boyfriend crying, on this happy, happy day?"
"fiancé." luke smiled.
"fiancé." ashton redeemed himself, smiling harder as his hand moved down to catch onto the other's grasp, both their rings glinting in the light of the window like the stars of the night that blanketed the nights that luke had grown to love so dearly.
the ring was stacked over another, a promise ring that ashton got him right after his body was wheeled back into the room, back to luke who's hands made way to ashton's fist, opening up to reveal the small vine of silver with the words "strength and hope" engraved on the inside.
the engagement ring, however was luke's favourite, two silver flowers that wrapped around luke's petite finger, with the blood red incandescent diamond embedded in the middle. it's been a week and ashton still caught the dew around the petals of luke's eyes that slipped when he caught glance of the silver loop on his finger, reminding him of those words that slipped through ashton's mouth at the garden of anne marie, crouched down just as he was doing right now.
"my rosebud.
we did not meet on the most perfect of times, like those romantic stories that i read as a teenager reminiscences. we did better than that, we built ourselves a story and carried ourselves through the turquoise ends of the sea, sailing ourselves blindly to the tranquil gardens of flowers within ourselves. we wrote our own conquest, that our children may read to their children, and so on to be lost in time.
my love, i can't ever see myself loving anyone else. i'm so goddamn in love with you, baby. everytime you smile, steal my pancake or cry over the small kittens that could be lost in the winter snow, i fall more and more in love with you. you're the reason i found myself fixing my flaws, yet loving my imperfections. you're the reason my parents still have their oldest son. you're the reason i have hope for the both of us.
and you're the only reason why i would forgive this cruel world for putting us both through so much pain, and it's because all that treaded your broken heart was the reason i found you and was able to love you, luke.
i have no doubt in my mind, that i can love you the way you deserved to be loved for the rest of both our lives.
on the first of june, 2019, i give myself to you, as your boyfriend, your protector,to be your lover for all the future days we have on earth and the future father of our children.
i vow to hold your hand, and always steal your kisses. even when our families are watching. i promise to love you through every fight, every moment of weakness and every victory and to always be loyal and truthful, and to be the most nurturing father to our children and pets, and the most loving husband to you, and i promise, to find no one or nothing more important to myself than you,and to always put our marriage first.
to promise you that i wont stop loving you until the last of life falls out from the cracks of my fingerprints, and my promise that i won't break my promise,
my darling and the light of my life,
for continuing the most euphoric days that i've had with you beside me, will you do the honors of marrying me?"
