Leaving Finn's newborn was harder than they had thought. Ari had just been born and the three of them had to leave right after.
The world tour had never been better, though. Aiden had expected to have lost many fans, but it seemed that he had instead gained way more with how all of the super big stadiums were filled with them. And then the very best part was having the love of his life by his side on the stage and along the tour. He could barely contain himself from just kissing and squishing the hell out of Edwin the times he was dancing perfectly and with extra sexiness. He had been worried about his boyfriend's reaction to the fans and the times they touched him but in the end, it was him who was quite aware of the way some of the audience ate Edwin up with their eyes or when he wore a very hot outfit on their walks around the city after the concerts and people would check him out from head to toe. Aiden did NOT like that. At all.
***
MISMATCH SQUAD
Ian: What's with all the proposals recently?! Is it some kind of wedding season or something?! Six of my employees are going to get married this year!
Joe: It was Valentine's day a few months ago. The ratio of unplanned children is probably high.
Finn: I was going to say I feel attacked, but then again that IS how I got married in the first place so.
Edwin: At least you and Clara really love each other.
Some people just get married because of that and then completely ruin the kid's life in the process.
Max: But like, when are y'all gonna get married?
Brad: Who exactly are you referring to?
Max: All of you.
Brad: Well, I don't have any plans any time soon.
It's barely half a year since Mia and I know each other.
Don't wanna rush anything. Maybe after 4-5 years. If we were still going strong, that is.
Edwin: Really? I always thought you would be the kind to propose as fast as they could! What a surprise! My personality reading skills are getting weak. Shit.
Brad: That kind of person would be your very own boyfriend actually.
Edwin: Aiden? haha. Very funny.
He doesn't believe in marriage. Says it's just a useless piece of paper that involves the government even further into our personal lives.
Max: Sounds to me more like, in case of a divorce, he doesn't wanna split his money in half.
Ian: :v No one roasts Aiden as bad as his own brother does.
Brad: But what about you Edwin?
Do you wanna get married someday?
Edwin: I don't know. Never really thought about it.
When you're gay and living in a country that doesn't allow same-sex marriage, there's really not much to think about anyway.
Finn: But like, hypothetically, if you could, would you wanna?
Edwin: I mean... would be nice to have a ring that shows you're each other's forever!
Joe: 'each other's forever'
I'd like to use my twitter language knowledge and say UWU
Max: If my brother was here, his response to Edwin's message would be: 'you don't need a ring to know you're someone's forever and vice versa.'
Edwin: Hahaha, that would exactly be it :v I can even hear his voice saying it!
Brad: What about you two? Joe and Ian?
Ian: If he doesn't propose, I'm gonna kick his balls.
Joe: What?! Like, do I have to propose today or something?!
Ian: Not today. But eventually ^^
Joe: Of course baby ^^
Max: Wow. No romance in that whatsoever.
***
Edwin was giggling at his phone screen as he read the messages in their group chat. Joe and Ian had a very strange kind of relationship. None of them seemed to really understand how it worked, but it worked for them, and that was what mattered.
His limbs were all over the king-sized bed as he was lying on his stomach, chatting with his legs spread on the soft white mattress. They had gone out to explore the city a bit and ate at a very good restaurant earlier. They always went out to the city they were having a concert at, before or after the event. Whenever they had free time, actually. Once, when Aiden wasn't in the room with them, Luis had thanked Edwin, telling him how the singer always spent his time in the hotel rooms before. Apparently, his boyfriend never went out into the city and just spent his time in the gym or worked on songs. Which was very sad and wrong and Edwin was so happy when it was Aiden himself who told him to get ready because they were going to go out the very first city they arrived at.
But the result was that, once they were back, Aiden would shower and jump right on the chair, put his headphones on, and start working. Meaning, Edwin had to either sleep, read a book or just play with his phone. Which was fine, really. Just that the whole tour they had only had sex properly 4-5 times, and they'd been on the road for two and a half months now!
"What are you giggling so adorably at?" He heard his lover's soft voice next to his ear as his body was pushed into the mattress with the weight that appeared on top of him.
Aiden pressed him down with his own body gently, his hand on his back and the other caressing along Edwin's arm from his shoulder to his wrist, and finally, the older took his phone out of his hand and put it on the nightstand.
"The guys are being stupid again!" He giggled and turned his head to the back, capturing the soft lips that leaned in. It was a short but pleasant kiss.
Aiden took both of his wrists with his hands lightly and pressed Edwin further into the bed. He tried to move his legs and somehow entangle them with the older's but the position they were in made that somehow impossible. As if Aiden read his thoughts, he let go of his wrists, moved to the side, and lay down on his back with his head on the fluffy pillow. Without a second to spare, the older took Edwin's shoulders and literally dragged him on the mattress, pulling him in, until he was pressed against his body with the muscular arms securely wrapped around him.
"You were perfect today. That dance stage you have with Brad while I go backstage to change leaves me breathless every time." Aiden said in a tired, hoarse voice as he caressed Edwin's back lazily. "Everything about you is perfect." The older said as his voice got quieter.
Edwin raised his head from the older's clothed chest and looked at his face. His eyes were already half-lidded.
"You weren't so bad yourself." He winked and pecked Aiden's lips once. "Sleep, baby. Your body is screaming at you." He rubbed over the older's abdomen, up and down in a soothing way before he placed a kiss on the clothed chest and rest his head on it again right after.
"I'm sorry I can't make love to you tonight, bluewin. My body is shutting down..." The last words were barely a whisper and just like that, Aiden fell asleep. He hadn't slept more than minutes here and there for days now.
DeleteCreated with Sketch.
They had finished their last night in Australia, meaning they only had the encore concert left, which was back in their hometown. But it was in another three days, so while the team went back, Aiden wanted to take Edwin some place to 'have some proper rest in the beauty of nature. The truth was, he had no idea where the older was taking him. He only knew that they got into a helicopter which he had never been in before and it was hella loud, but the view was perfect so he was really happy about this new experience.
The problem was his supposedly strong-willed fighter-like boyfriend who was sitting firmly still, with his hands curled into tight fists that turned his knuckles white because, well, they were in a helicopter and Aiden had acrophobia.
"Baby, why did you get us in here when you're this terrified? You're really pale." Edwin took Aiden's fist between his palms. "Pale AND cold." He had actually never seen him struggling with heights before as the older perfectly avoided any kind of situation the best way he could.
"I-I-I'm okay-" It was obvious how 'okay' he was with the way he stuttered.
"You're not, Den. We should just tell him to land or something." Edwin pursed his lips as he got worried the further they went. Acrophobia wasn't something that could be taken lightly. It could really scare the shit out of the person with the phobia. Which it clearly was.
"We're here." A voice said in the headphones they had on.
Aiden looked out immediately and looked back at Edwin with the brightest smile on his face. "Look outside, baby!" He said without stuttering and put his trembling hand on Edwin's.
He followed suit and looked out. His eyes widened at the view and his breath got hitched. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. They were flying toward a big lake that had PINK water.
With parted lips, Edwin stared out of the window and at the beautifully bubble-gum-colored water in awe.
"This is..." He said, but couldn't finish. "Can we go down?" He asked as he looked at his lover with big, excited eyes.
Aiden wasn't really looking outside. Instead, he was admiring Edwin with a soft smile on his face. He nodded, "Yeah, but we can't go in the water."
A few minutes later, the helicopter landed, and Aiden's fists loosened. His nails were actually printed on his palms. He got out and held his hand for Edwin to take as he helped the younger out as well.
"This is breathtaking! It's so beautiful! So mesmerizing! How did you find this place?!" Edwin suddenly turned to him with his whole body. His eyes were still as wide as they could get and full of child-like excitement.
"It wasn't hard. I just searched 'colorful lakes'" He shrugged while smiling and brushed his fingers through Edwin's blue hair that the wind was messing up.
"I love it. Thank you for taking me here, baby!" The younger jumped into his arms and circled his own around Aiden's neck as he kissed him, not giving a single fuck about anyone seeing them like he normally would.
He wrapped his arms around Edwin's thin waist and pulled him closer to his body as he deepened the kiss. The air smelt like the woods and salt, of course, because the lake had an insane amount of salt in it. But it was very pleasant. They were lost in the kiss like it was just the two of them in the whole world.
After several long minutes, Aiden leaned back and looked deeply into Edwin's eyes as the other looked back into his with the same gaze that screamed 'I love you'.
"Come. Let's go closer to the lake." Aiden smiled gently and took the younger's hand in his as they walked. They stood there admiring the wild scenery for a while in complete silence and took a few pictures.
"Edwin," Aiden rubbed his thumb over the other's hand as he talked. "I was a mess before you. An actual, completely drowned mess. I still am, but you can say you kind of tamed that part of me. The part that wanted to lash out at everyone, throw everything to the side and just hide away. Now I don't even really remember how it must have felt like anymore." He said slowly, looking straight at the lake in front of them while Edwin's head turned to look at him as he spoke. Turning around, he took both of Edwin's hands in his and made him stand completely face to face with him.
"You showed me that one can actually enjoy living. I love every second I spend with you or every second I spend thinking about you while we're not next to each other." He looked back and forth into Edwin's round eyes that were watching him intently. Chuckling, he looked down for a second before looking back at his lover. "If you keep looking at me like that with those beautiful eyes of yours I'll get lost in them and forget all about everything else!" He said as he couldn't help himself but steal a quick kiss from the delicious lips that were quick to respond.
"You're being... weird. What is going on?!" Edwin asked with a nervous chuckle as he leaned back a bit and rubbed his thumbs on the back of Aiden's hands, looking at him with a slight frown on his face.
"You colored my world, bluewin. You colored it with your beautiful voice as you talked to me at night by that fountain. You colored it with your endless emotional support and the shoulder you offered me each time I broke down. You colored it with the trust you put in me when you first told me to touch you." Aiden couldn't keep the eye contact as he remembered all that he had put the other man through in the small amount of time they'd been together. But then he forced himself to look back up and smiled. "You colored my world again and again each time it started to faint."
"What is this? Are you trying to break up with me in a sweet way or something?!" Edwin's face was giving away just how uneasy and confused he was feeling.
"No! Of course not! It's quite the opposite." Aiden shook his head and let go of his lover's hand as he took a small step back.
Taking a small box out of the pocket of his jacket, he got on one knee and held the opened box in front of Edwin. "I know we can't actually put it on paper yet, but... Edwin Evans, will you marry me?"
Edwin's hands were quick to cover his wide-open mouth as he gasped upon seeing the older get on his knee with the box in his hand. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe any of it. Being in a place as beautiful as this, kissing the love of his life on the sand, surrounded by jungle from one side and ocean from the other. He couldn't believe Aiden was proposing to him. Now, just like the older said, they couldn't put it on paper as gay marriage wasn't fully legal in their country but the gesture, the showcase of the full commitment, and the amount of thought the older had put into this was what brought tears into Edwin's eyes.
He got on his knees as well and circled his arms around Aiden as he hugged him as tight as he could while he let his happy tears roll down his cheeks. The older was quick to hug him back, just as tight, and shower him with kisses everywhere he could reach. His cheek, his temple, his eyes, his neck. The final kiss was on his clothed shoulder as he spoke.
"Is that a yes then?" There was a beautiful chuckle after that sentence.
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" He said into his lover's neck and leaned back to look at him. He was met with Aiden's equally wet cheeks and a ridiculously wide smile.
"I love you so goddamn much. I think I'll need a million more lifetimes to be able to get enough of you." The older said as he leaned in and pressed their lips together in a closed mouth, feather-like kiss.
"Just a million lifetimes?" Edwin pouted playfully. "I'll need an eternity, and even then I would want to have you to myself for more." He leaned in and was about to kiss Aiden again when the older pressed his fingers on his lips and stopped him.
"There's some place else we have to go to now. Come on." He said as he stood up and pulled Edwin up as well.
Taking his left hand, Aiden took the ring out and put it on him slowly. Once it was done, the older bent down and kissed his finger where the ring was. Edwin closed his eyes unconsciously at the action as the smile on his face kept still. When his lover was standing straight again, he took the other ring out. Edwin raised his left hand in the air, palm up, and silently asked for Aiden's hand. The older smiled and watched thoroughly as the taller put the ring on him. He kept his left hand next to Aiden's and just stared. It was beautiful. Their ring fingers were now decorated with identical rings that each had the other's name carved on it.
Unfortunately, he couldn't keep the moment for too long as Aiden intertwined their fingers together and started walking back to the helicopter, hand tightening around his the closer they got. The older hid his face in the crook of Edwin's neck the whole time they spent in the air to get to wherever they were going next.
About fifty minutes later, they landed again. Aiden's body was actually trembling a bit, but he was trying his best at hiding it and getting it under control.
The sun was already setting, and the sky was a beautiful mixture of colors as they walked into a beach hotel hand in hand. Edwin was not really paying any attention to his surroundings as he kept glancing at his ring. That was why he didn't realize when they walked inside a wooden cabin and was quite shocked when they were confronted with the loud sound of screaming, clapping, and shouting of their friends.
"What? When did you all get here?!" Edwin asked as he held a hand on his chest due to the surprise. Ian and Max basically jumped and strangled him instantly, causing their hands to fall apart.
Smiling at the scene and nodding to the rest of his friends, Aiden walked to the piano that was placed in the corner and sat behind it. A few seconds later, he cleared his throat in the mic. The two intruders got the point and let go of Edwin. The younger's eyes landed on him right after, and his already smiley face became even brighter.
Without further ado, Aiden put his fingers on the piano keys gently as his eyes were still on his beautiful lover, who was just standing there still.
"This is for you, baby."
He started playing, and the notes filled the air. Edwin was standing on his spot, eyes only locked to his for the first verse, but then he started taking slow steps toward him until he was standing right by the piano, looking down into Aiden's eyes as he sang to him.
'Remember the first time we met?
Oh babe, how we couldn't look each other in the eye
Wasn't it hard, putting up with all the drama?
Mhm, wasn't it hard, waiting for me to open my heart?
Now that we're here, after it all, after the ups and downs and the fall
After I left, after I broke, after no matter what, you never failed
to come back, to me
Oh, You always found a way
You know by now,
These wings I spread in the sky of love is all 'cause of you
I told you when we stood in the sea
No matter what, we'll always make it through
Your blue hair, when it was black, when you thought I didn't give you a glance
Those big eyes, and the long halls, the fountain we spent all our nights by
Oh... I remember it all
Mhm, I do remember it all
I, love, you
It doesn't do justice what it is I feel for you
I, love, you
go ahead, say it back, 'cause I know you love me too
I wanna hear it, forever,
How my name rolls off your tongue
I wanna wake up, forever more
With you in my arms
Mhm, I love you
I won the color blue~'
When the song finished, they were all silently holding their breath. Edwin kept looking into Aiden's eyes as his own sparkled with tears. There was a sea breeze that messed the blue hair up. Aiden turned to the side and reached his hands out for Edwin to take. The younger took them and crawled on top of his lap and, without hesitation, pressed his lips on Aiden's in the sweetest kiss.
After a couple of minutes, when despite not having enough of each other's lips they leaned back, Edwin cupped Aiden's cheeks and put his forehead against the older's, closing his eyes.
"I do love you too." The younger whispered and smiled again.
Just as sudden as the cabin had fallen quiet when Aiden started playing, it was filled with another wave of laughter and their friends shouting their congrats at them. Their group now had four more members. Clara, Mia, Joshua, and their little princess, Ari. That night, with all of them by their side and their rings on their fingers, couldn't get any better.
"Let's make a toast!!!" Joe said loudly as he clicked a small spoon to the champagne he had in his hand.
Everyone raised their glasses.
"Here's to my dear friend, who finally sucked it up and proposed. Seriously man, you've been eating my brain ever since Finn's marriage with all your doubts and 'omg what if he says no's." Joe laughed out loud, looking at Aiden who obviously wanted to jump up and make him shut up.
"Oi! You're not supposed to say that out loud! Shut up!" Aiden threw an olive at him, which Joe ditched perfectly.
"Anyway, to Aiden!" The other said, laughing his ass out.
They all took a sip of their drinks.
"I'd like to make a toast as well." Brad said as he let go of Mia's hand and stood up from the big round table they were all sitting at.
"Here's to Edwin, who didn't give up on our friend despite the many ups and downs. You both deserve to be happy and I'm so glad to see this day. To Edwin." They all drank again.
"What's this? I'm getting goosebumps all over. Stop being cheesy, everyone!" Max said, rubbing his arms with his palms. They all laughed.
They ate dinner, and Ari was in Aiden's arms the whole time. Edwin was mostly distracted playing with her than eating his food, but the older made sure he would eat as he fed him from his own plate every time he took a bite himself.
"Are you gonna move to a new place?" Mia asked once they finished eating.
Aiden looked at Edwin with a puzzled expression. "I never actually thought about that. We could move if you want to." He told the younger.
"Why?! What's wrong with the one we're living at?!" He asked back and they both looked like two dumb teenagers at Mia who was just laughing at them for the answer.
"There's nothing wrong with your home. It's just that usually people change their place once they're married." She explained.
Aiden looked at Edwin from the corner of his eyes again. He really didn't have any emotional attachments to the apartment. If his lover wanted to move, then they would. As long as it wasn't some ridiculously big house like Brad and Finn's. He didn't like giant mansions.
"Nah, I like the one we're living in a lot. It has all of our memories in it. I don't wanna move just yet." The younger was his exact opposite when it came to stuff like that. He was apparently very much attached to the place.
Aiden was about to say something when he felt the cute little head getting heavier on his arm. Looking down, he saw Ari had fallen asleep. Biting his lip not to scream out from how soft he was feeling, he looked up at Clara. The girl smiled at him and stood up to take her from Aiden. She put Ari on the couch she was sitting on and put Finn's jacket over her.
"Isn't she gonna wake up if we keep being loud like this?" Joshua asked. Actually talking for the first time that night.
"Nah. She's a deep sleeper. Thank god!" The mother replied.
"Wow. We have two Edwins in this group now." Ian exaggerated and facepalmed comically.
"Actually, make it three." Max chuckled. "I think Joshua and Edwin can compete in who will sleep through any natural disaster."
"Huh! For real?!" Aiden asked with widened eyes, unable to believe there was someone who would be a deeper sleeper than the Edwin™️!
"Yeah. Joshua won't wake up no matter what!" Edwin replied, laughing and shaking his hand.
Aiden wanted to ask how the younger knew, but then recalled the fact that they were both at the hospital.
The rest of the night went by smoothly, with them dancing to the music that was being played in the whole area. Aiden had rented it all for three days from months ago since he didn't want to have any headaches trying to hide from paparazzi or stalker fans with their cameras.
They were having some safe kind of fun until they heard a massive splash of water. Yes, Ian had indeed pushed Joe into the pool by the cabins. As if that had been a cue, the rest of them jumped into the pool as well and started a water war. The whole place was filled with loud laughter and screams. Joshua was sitting on a chair next to the pool with Ari in his arms as he refused to get in the water because he was scared.
Somehow, and it was totally unintentional, Edwin and Aiden ended up kissing in the water with drops falling down their hair. Which didn't last long as all the others started splashing water at them, shouting at them to stop being gross. The younger blushed once he realized he had just kissed him in front of Mia and Clara, and hid his face behind his palms, leaning into Aiden's embrace. The older chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"Then go on and be gross yourselves as well. No one's stopping you!" He said and splashed water back at a few of them.
Edwin ended up playing around in the water with Ian and Max. They were going to compete in who would be able to hold his breath longer underwater.
"Pfft, you will all lose to my bluewin!" Aiden snorted.
They went underwater, but the snakes decided to tickle Edwin to make him lose and it worked, since the younger was extremely ticklish. He came up in a matter of seconds, coughing and laughing like crazy and trying to escape from the evil hands, but of course, failing!
Laughing, Aiden swam to them, took the hand Edwin stretched toward him, and pulled him out of the two devils' reach.
"You lost. Now you gotta do the penalty."
Before they could see what the penalty was, Finn spoke. "Guys, it's getting cold. Do you mind if we head to our room? I'm afraid Ari will catch a cold if we stay longer."
"Of course not! Go ahead." Aiden waved his hand in the air. "And thanks for coming all the way here. It really means a lot to me."
Finn patted him on the shoulder firmly and smiled reassuringly before getting out of the pool and helping his wife out as well. Getting their stuff, Clara took her daughter from Joshua, thanked him, andafter exchanging good nights, they left for their room.
"Okay. Back to the penalty." Joe clapped his hands.
"What penalty? They tickled me! It's not fair!" Edwin whined and pushed his wet hair back, displaying his forehead.
"Let's do a rematch. No tickling this time!" Brad said as he joined the competition as well.
"I'm in too!" Mia raised her arm excitedly.
The five of them went underwater with Joshua's signal as he was in charge of the timer.
The first one to get up was none other than Max followed by Ian not even 10 seconds after they went underwater. About a minute later, Brad came up as well. But Mia and Edwin didn't come up for at least another minute.
"God, this is actually getting scary. Someone pull them up, please!" Ian looked at the two boyfriends whose partners were competing.
"Let me check on them." Brad went underwater again.
"Can you believe they're down there smirking at each other?!" The dancer said as he came back up.
Aiden just laughed cause he could perfectly imagine it. In the end, it was Mia who came up first. Edwin came up after that when he was sure he had won. He wiggled his eyebrows and did his signature victory dance move.
Aiden pulled him in his arms and hugged him tightly as he whispered in his ear, "Stop being cute." He paused as Edwin wrapped his arms around him. "Or come be cute in bed. Naked." He added in a breathy voice and bit on the cute earlobe gently right after. He felt how the younger's fingers dug into the muscles of his back through his soaked shirt.
"Take me to bed then." Edwin whispered back and placed a quick kiss on his shoulder before crawling out of the pool.
"Shit! Why is it so cold!" He screamed and curled into himself as soon as he was out.
"I think we should all head inside. It's getting really dark and cold here." Brad said and hugged Mia as he got out of the pool with her in his arms. Aiden and Max followed.
"You guys go ahead. We're gonna stay a bit longer." Joe waved at them.
They were leaving a path of water drops on their way. Edwin was shaking, so he told Aiden to show him their room, and then he grabbed the older's wrist as they ran in its direction.
As soon as the door was closed behind them, the older started taking Edwin's clothes off. His own followed right after and they crawled under the thick blanket, squeezed against each other.
After a while of silently shivering, when it was finally getting warm again, Edwin heard the gentle, deep voice of his man talk
"I'm sorry I can't hold a wedding for us. I would take you to the most beautiful place on earth and have our wedding there with everyone we care about present. I'd give you two little kittens and maybe a dog as your gift and we'd let them play around freely in our backyard." Aiden chuckled, imagining that kind of life. "I'm sorry I can't do any of that right now, Edwin..."
The younger propped on his elbow and stared down right into his eyes with his own big ones.
"You... you fantasized about that?" He asked with a shocked expression. "To have a house and a yard and raise pets with me?"
Aiden smiled. "Of course! I..." He let his hand travel upward on his lover's side and caressed the plump lip with his thumb before letting it land on his own stomach. "I often think about the future. Whether you'd be able to tolerate my lifestyle for a long time. Whether you'd feel lonely if I take the steps that I wanna take in my career a few years from now. Whether you'd get sick of my thing, the way I look at things, by then." He talked slowly as their eyes never left each other.
Edwin moved and sat on his lap. He leaned down until their faces were only a few centimeters apart.
"You don't have to worry about what the future holds. You... everything that makes you you is mine. You're mine. And that will never change." The younger whispered as he got closer bit by bit and pressed his lips on his lover's curved ones for a few seconds.
"Say that again." Aiden said into the touch and looked at Edwin with an eye smile.
The younger smiled widely and pecked his lips. "You," Another peck. "Are," And another. "Mine."
Suddenly the older grabbed his waist tightly and turned them around, hovering over him.
"I am yours? Let's ask your body that. So the answer will be clear." Aiden said with a mischievous smirk as he leaned in to take Edwin's breath away in a hot kiss.
DeleteCreated with Sketch.
The next morning, Joe and Brad came to their room and took Aiden out with them to the beach. Edwin was by no means able to move. The exhaustion of the tour and the hours of lovemaking from last night kept him glued to the bed. He had the perfect view, though, so he wasn't missing much.
Only that his peace and quiet didn't last long as a very wild Ian broke into their room with a bag in his hand.
"Eddieeeeee~" He jumped on the bed, screeching. "Get up, we're gonna do something adventurous." Ian took his wrist and pulled him up into a sitting position.
Edwin whined and stretched his limbs, but knew there was no way he could win against the other, so he just decided to go along with whatever he wanted to do. That was until he got to know what the 'adventurous thing' actually was.
"Fuck no! There's no way in hell I'm dying my hair blond!" He pushed Ian away from himself.
"But whyyyy! I'm sick and tired of your Jelal hair." Ian whined and pouted.
"It's Grimmjow's hair and I love it. I don't wanna go blond. What if-" He stopped himself before he could spill any further.
"What if your husband doesn't like it? He will! He's gonna love it!" Ian dragged him to the bathroom and forced him to sit down.
"It's so... weird... calling him my 'husband'." Edwin got lost in his thoughts as he played with the ring on his finger and a smile appeared on his face.
"Awwww, look at you all giggly just because of a ring. You didn't even get the real deal, but you're this happy! Not that you shouldn't be, though. But I wish the world was more LGBTQ+ friendly." Ian started putting the color on his hair.
"Hmm, me too. But... this means a lot to me, Ian. You know how he is. His mindset. For him to do something like this is a big step." He remembered the events of the day before again. His cheeks started burning as a hue of pink appeared on them. Edwin wrapped his arms around himself and wiggled his legs excitedly.
"I loved yesterday! The lake was sooooobeautifuuuuul!! Den was like this adorable little scared bunny, breathing fast and unsteady while we were in the sky. And then he started talking, and I melted but also was thinking 'oh god, no, he's gonna say let's break up after all the sweet talk, isn't he?' and then he got on one knee and-" Edwin couldn't continue as he pretty much squealed for the first time in his entire life and buried his face in his palms, shaking his head repeatedly. "The song was perfect! I loved it so fucking much and his voice and the way he plays the piano and his whole existence! UGH, I just love my husband SO damn MucH!!" He shouted into the spacious bathroom and it echoed and came back to his ear. He giggled and hugged Ian's waist, who was just smiling widely at his stupidity while putting the hair dye on the not-for-much-longer blue hair.
40 minutes later, they washed Edwin's hair and... it was safe to say he looked fine. At least the blond wasn't yellowish, but...
"HE'S GONNA HATE IT." He grabbed fistfuls of his own hair and looked in the mirror with a terrified expression on his face. He looked so different!
"No! He's absolutely gonna love it! You're adorable and a permanent kitten with whatever color, but this blond suits you even better than the Jelal one." Ian caressed his hair and messed it up while blow-drying it for him.
"Perfect! Now that my job's done here, I'm gonna go change my outfit. You change too. They are waiting for us in the garden."
"What?! Waiting for us?! Why are they waiting for us?! To see my hair?! I'm not taking a single step out of here!" He ran to the bed and hid himself under the blanket. "I want my blue hair baaack!" He whined and curled further into the covers.
"Ew, you're so spoiled! Get your ass out and get ready. I'll come pick you up in 15." Ian said laughing and then left.
Edwin took his phone from the nightstand and turned the front camera on. Looking at his hair and how it surrounded his face, he sighed and took a picture, posting it on Twitter with the caption 'I'm scared.'
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Aiden had been thinking about it for a long, long time. Actually, it never really mattered to him. If you loved someone with your whole heart, then that should have been enough. A piece of paper that you wrote your names on with your signature shouldn't have meant anything. Not to straight people, not to any of the individuals from the LGBTQ+ community. He just couldn't understand the whole concept of marriage.
But then Finn's wedding happened. And he still didn't care, but when they were putting the rings on each other, saying their vows, and kissing right after, he suddenly felt how empty Edwin's hand in his was. Rubbing on the younger's ring finger with his thumb, he made his decision to 'put a ring on it'.
At first, he thought they could travel to a foreign country where same-sex marriage was entirely legal and get properly married there. He looked for the best plaza they could hold the ceremony at. He thought about what kind of outfit would best fit them, but it all crashed down in front of his eyes when Hugo, his lawyer, told him they couldn't do it. Their country didn't accept that kind of action, even if it was filed out of the borders. It sucked.
For days, Aiden was considering saying goodbye to his singing career and leaving for a country where they could get married and have a house of their own. Maybe even adopt a kid and some pets. He could always produce music from any other country out there, anyway.
But... but he wouldn't be able to go on the stage anymore. Sure, maybe a number of fans would stick by his side, but it wouldn't be the same as it was now. He loved performing. The feeling, the endorphins, the excitement, he loved it all. So he came up with a solution. He would do his job for as long as he enjoyed it, and then, when they both got enough of the stage, if Edwin wanted it as well, they would leave. But for now, he really really deeply wanted to see a ring on both of their fingers.
He told Joe about it first. His best friend was so shocked to hear that, asking if he was drunk or something. Aiden kept looking for the perfect ring. They were all very beautiful, but the unfortunate thing was that they couldn't have a fancy and eye-catching ring. It was one of the downsides of his career. He had to keep his sexuality at the lowest, although every goddamn human in the world knew about it.
That was why he ended up keeping it simple. A simple ring in a shade of gold that would match both of their skin tones the perfect way, but he couldn't leave it as simple as that. So he told them to engrave their names on them. It was cheesy and an outdated gesture, but he couldn't help it. Having a ring on him with his lover's name on it would be the perfect ring for him in the whole wide world. He hoped it would be the same for Edwin. They could always change their rings if the younger didn't like them.
He started making plans as soon as he got the tour schedules. In his late-night researches, when Edwin was sleeping in his arms soundly, he had found this very beautiful pink lake in Australia. Knowing that he would have three free days there, he surfed through the web further until he was sure they could get to the lake and land. The rest was easy. He just had to call and reserve the small beach hotel in advance. In addition to reserving a private jet so that their friends could get to the island comfortably.
A month prior to the date, he created a group chat without Edwin and informed them of his plans. They were all showing mixed emotions and couldn't believe it. He himself was panicking, asking them 'what if he says no' and 'would that mean he doesn't wanna stay with me if he says no or that he's just not ready for that yet'. It's safe to say that for the next month, his friends went nuts from his constant messages of worry.
That was until the night they started talking about marriage in their group chat with Edwin. He was sitting by the desk pretending to work while he was really reading their messages. A spark of relief showed up in his heart as he read what Edwin wrote there. And then he couldn't help himself but jump and kiss his beautiful boy.
When he knelt down, he was dying from stress. Edwin was just standing there, looking at him with wide eyes. For a moment, he was sure the answer would be a 'no'.
Singing the song he made just for Edwin with the piano was like a dream. There were 9 other people in there with them, but at that moment, it felt like it was just the two of them. His eyes could only see the model-like boy, and everything else was a blur. They had of course recorded the digital version of the song in Joe's studio because he was going to release it and let the whole world know of the day they finally fully committed to each other, but for now, it was only him and the piano.
He was never a fan of 'I'm yours' and 'you're mine' either. And he still wasn't. Not really. But when the three words rolled on Edwin's tongue, they sounded so delicious that he couldn't help himself anymore. He just wanted to devour this perfect, angelic, aesthetic boy he had to himself.
"I'd much rather go back in my room and accompany Edwin as he's alone in bed than sitting here with you two. You should be with your partners as well and not separating me from my... uh, husband!" Aiden pursed his lips and frowned as he said the word out loud. "It is really weird to call him that! Can't we keep the rings but remain boyfriends?" He looked at the two friends desperately. They both chuckled.
"You're still technically boyfriends, so call yourselves whatever you want!" Brad shrugged.
"Yeah, but I'm sure for Edwin this was just as real as a wedding can get. Although I wish I could do the real thing for him..." He sighed.
"It's fiiiine! It's Edwin we're talking about. He'll understand." Joe patted his back.
They were silent for a few seconds.
"Nope. I miss him. Gonna go back to our room." He huffed as he put his hands on his thighs in an attempt to stand up.
Joe was quick to grab his arm and stop him. "Ian is with him right now. He's not alone. Don't worry. They're gonna join us soon."
While the other was saying that, Mia and Clara appeared on the other side of the table and sat down. One by one the others joined them but there was still no sign of Edwin or Ian and Aiden didn't know why, but he just felt like he was dying to see him for some reason.
He heard the sound of steps getting closer to them from behind, but as soon as he was about to turn around, Brad took his head and hugged it to his chest tightly. He struggled to set himself free, but couldn't. It was of no news that Brad had always been stronger than him.
He heard the others gasping and a lot of 'oooh' and 'aaah' s while he was trapped by the guy.
"Okay. You can let go of him now." He heard Ian's voice saying.
He threw Brad a glare before turning around and freezing on the chair with his eyes and mouth wide open.
Edwin's hair was blond.
EDWIN'S HAIR WAS BLOND!