the sound, settle down [mashton af]

// e p i l o g u e p a r t 2 //

epilogue part 2, tim and calum

TEN YEARS LATER

Tim dumped a dusty box in front of Calum. The 29-year-old glances away from his phone for a quick second, "What's that?"

"We've lived in this apartment since my graduation almost three years ago," Tim responds, "why haven't we unpacked?"

Cal sits up, trying not to disturb the grumpy, old cat on his lap. "Because we're probably going to move to a house one day soon, what's the point of unpacking if we're just gonna pack it back up?"

Tim opened the box, pulling out photos from their youth. He smiled at one from his high school graduation, he and his two fathers standing next to their son looking more proud than they have ever been. "What do you think my dad's are doing right now?"

"Probably fucking."

"Calum!" Tim scrunched up his face, the thought of that making him want to vomit. "That's gross, they're, like, old."

Cal continued to maneuver his body with Patricia still on his lap—that cat does not want to be waken. He leant his chin on Tim's shoulder, pressing his lips to the 25-year-old's neck. "Baby, when we're old and wrinkly, I will bang you into obliviation."

Tim giggled as he pulled out photos of their last few years: photos from the two in Tim's dorm room, their first apartment together, their anniversaries, their travels, days when their outfits were aesthetically pleasing. "I'm gonna dump you when you're old and wrinkly."

Calum watched with his deep, dark eyes as Tim flipped through more photos, making comments about their last few years. "I want to marry you," Calum says for the millionth time.

Tim shrugs, "You know I don't get the point of it. We're happy now, why ruin it?" Somewhere in his subconscious, he took the first fall of his parent's relationship at the fault of their engagement. It didn't get bad until they were originally engaged.

Tim didn't want to ruin what they had. He's so in love, he's so happy.

"I know that, but this is the next step. We have a cat, we have a realtor, you take my socks and I pretend not to notice. I want to make you and I forever, I want to cast it in stone." Patricia left Cal's lap to go leave traces of fur on his pillow case. Cal got up on his knees, sitting behind his boyfriend and wrapping his arms around his waist.

Tim could feel Calum's breath on his neck as he pretended not to listen. He flipped through the photos in his hands, setting a few aside.

Cal's fingers were running circles around Tim's prominent hip bones, "Timmy, come on. Let's talk like adults."

Tim hates when he says that, he hates when his lover patronizes him like a child. "I don't want to, you know how I feel." He got off the bed, shoving photos back into their place. That box would be closed and probably stay that way for another two decades or so.

Cal laid back in their sheets, watching Tim trail around their bedroom. "I want to make you my forever," he says slowly and softly. "I want to make fun of you for those ugly pink shorts you wear, I want to stay in bed with you when you can't find the energy to get up. I want to announce you as my loving husband. I want you to take my last name, I want to have a few kids and I'll get you a few more cats."

Tim slid open the doors of their shared closet, deliberately ignoring Calum. He got like this when they talked about the future—he shut everyone out and pretended his ears were filled with glue.

For a while, Tim couldn't imagine a future. It's not healthy to say that Calum gave him a future, but Calum definitely helped. The anxiety of living sort of washed away as Calum's arms slipped around Tim's waist and never let go.

"I want to be married to you, with matching wedding bands and tuxedos. I want to take you on vacations and probably live a little reckless together. I want to be us, together, forever."

Tim picked out his outfit for the following day. His days as a soccer coach for NYU weren't that hard, though. "You already make fun of my pink shorts and buy me cats."

"But let's do it as a married couple! Let's make the next leap in our lives. Where's the fun in life if we don't risk it all? Look how happy your parents are now! They're married and they are so fucking happy!"

Tim placed Adidas track pants and matching sweatshirt over their chair in the corner. Calum's suit was wrapped in its dry cleaning back on the other side. Everything was a routine and Timothy loved that.

"Tim," Cal said.

The dirty blonde went to their en suite bathroom, tying his hair into a bun and pulling the loose pieces back into a headband. He turned on the sink water, washing his face and getting ready for their night.

"Timmy," Calum dragged out, sitting up until his feet hit the ground."

Tim dried his face and began brushing his teeth.

"Timothy!" He called, louder this time. Patricia jumped from Cal's pillow, jumping off their bed and hitting the ground with a thump.

"She has arthritis, stop scaring her," Tim said.

Calum rolled his eyes, "Let me marry you."

Tim rubbed his eyes and turned, looking at his lover. He is so in love. Every time he looks at Calum, Tim feels like a plane is taking off in his gut. It's that type of feeling, that's how he knows it's love. "Okay."