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Michael and Calum’s relationship has always been easy—all twenty years of their relationship (including their friendship since the third grade) has been the easiest form of relationship they’ve ever had. Sure, they’ve had bickers and banters that always end up in kisses and giggles but this is the worst fight they’ve had in years.
(The last one’s a week before Michael proposed, and after that argument, they decided that they couldn’t live a week without each other.)
Calum remembers vividly how this happened, Michael’s being stubborn with his stupid pride and Calum has the biggest fucking ego. It’s a petty argument about work and money matters, usual reasons why couples break up. Calum knows it’s petty but somehow they end up screaming at each other, pointing fingers and almost getting into a physical fight.
And Michael storms out of their room the moment Calum goes under the belt, insulting Michael’s job at the record store. Calum knows it’s low, that he shouldn’t have said that but has been said has been said and he can’t take that back. So now, he’s here in their bedroom, sitting on the edge of their bed with his head in his hands and Michael’s downstairs.
Calum thinks Michael’s done something wrong, because he can’t accept the fact that yes, Calum’s job brings in more money to the household and somehow that small argument about paying the bills gets out of hand and they refuse to speak to each other.
Calum rakes a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath before pushing himself up from the bed. They need to fix this, his mother always taught him to never leave a fight unresolved, that you should never sleep mad at each other because it’ll stretch out to even deeper, unnecessary lengths.
Suddenly, he remembers something they did the day of their marriage.
On the day of their marriage, Luke has brought in a box and a hammer and some nails. Then, he goes on a speech about how there is never a day that they don't bicker (which is true, there is never a day that they don’t bicker but that’s how they work, that’s how this relationship has been working and growing for years). So there is this box, where there is a bottle of wine from Luke and Ashton and love letters from each other, so when the first big bickering comes, they should open this up and remember what this is really all about.
Calum remembers hiding it inside their closet at the top drawer and that’s where he goes. He opens up their closet and reaches for the top most part of the closet where there’s a drawer at the far end. Calum feels for the box and picks it up.
It’s a little dusty and heavy in his hands, he remember putting in a long love letter in a neat envelope on their wedding day those years ago. It’s cheesy and he is laughing as he wrote the love letter but everything in the letter is genuine and real. He might not remember the exact words written on the paper inside the envelope but he is sure that its content speaks of pure love.
Calum heads downstairs with a hammer (that’s left in their bedroom from the last time they hammered a frame on their wall) and the box. He’s nervous and he’s never nervous when he’s around Michael. In fact, it’s the contrary, he’s always comfortable around Michael.
He sees Michael’s red hair stick out from the couch and Calum clears his throat as he nears the living room.
Michael shoots up in reply, turning around and he is surprised when he sees Calum with the box. Michael doesn’t speak but instead, he looks at the box then back at Calum. “I’ll get the glasses.” He says as he gets up, voice barely audible but Calum hears it so he nods in reply.
Calum moves the coffee table away and sets the box in the middle of their living room. He sits down next to it, the hammer in hand and starts taking off the nails to open the box.
Michael returns soon after, with two wine glasses in hand and Calum has already removed half the nails. His spouse, sits across him so that the box is in the middle. Michael puts the glasses beside him and he reaches out for the hammer, still avoiding eye contact. The tension is still there and Calum can feel it on his shoulders. “Give me that.”
Calum hands the hammer to Michael, avoiding any form of contact. He still hasn’t spoken.
Soon enough the box is open and then there’s the bottle of wine in between large envelopes. This time, for the first time since their argument, they look at each other in the eye but they don’t smile. Even through that, they already know what they’re supposed to do.
Calum takes the wine, pops it open and pours the both of them a glass. Michael takes Calum’s love letter and leaves the one he has written before he picks up his glass of wine and heads to the other side of the living room.
The dark-haired man watches his husband’s back, he watches as Michael drinks from the glass before he settles down on the floor with his back to Calum. Calum takes a deep breath and pulls out Michael’s envelope for him. He takes the glass of wine with him and goes back upstairs—but not before giving his husband a second glance and he feels a little heartbroken when he doesn’t see Michael looking at him as he heads back upstairs.
Calum pushes through their bedroom door, flops down on the bed and puts his glass on his nightstand. His fingers brush over the edges of the envelope before he tears it open, he’s already feeling a lump on his throat.
Calum unfolds the letter. He immediately recognizes Michael’s barely legible hand writing. But he reads it.
It goes like this.
Dear Cal,
Ugh. What the hell. How do I even start? First of all, I hate Luke Hemmings. We both know we’re not about the romantic sentimental bullshit but this is our wedding day and I have to do this in case we fight after the marriage. Eh, we always bicker but we somehow always make up after right? So honestly, I don’t get the point of this letter. But yeah, I’m just going on a word vomit because I have no plan to plan for this letter. I’m pretty sure we won’t even get to read this letter until we’re like seventy years old and just curious and yeah, alright. I’ll stop complaining.
I honestly don’t know when I found that I didn’t just feel like you were my best friend. Maybe it’s on our senior year of high school when this chick told me that I should marry someone that I don’t mind sitting next to. And you were always my seatmate. Or was it during seventh grade when Luke started playing with you and I was mad at him because he’s taking your attention away from me and he’s stealing my friend. Or was it during the first year of university when I was drunk out of mind and you were there in our dorm to clean me up and help me. I don’t know when the exact moment was but all I know is that it came as the years with you go on. It’s not falling in love with the fireworks and all that shit but I feel like I walked in love with you, you know?
Like, it’s not spontaneous or something, I didn’t trip on my face when I realized that I love you. It was more like, I knew that I was going to love you. I think it’s somewhere between the secrets shared and the cuddles on your bed. Or maybe somewhere in between doing riffs in that music room before Luke was our friend. Or even when we were playing pretend in third grade when we were eight. It could even be the first time we moved in together as roommates and best friends and can you believe how long it has taken us to realize that hey, we love each other, that hey, we’re going to be stuck with each other forever? Because I can’t believe it took me five shots of vodka to tell you that I am in love with you.
You’re my best friend, you’re my partner-in-crime, you’ve always been there for me and I am so glad that I married you. I am so happy to be your forever. I am so happy that my childish jokes of “If I could marry you, I would” finally became reality. You know, you’re the only person that I can stand and I can’t even stand myself. I don’t mind sitting next to you, whether be it plane rides to the other side of the world or at the dinner with your family. I like you as much as I love you even though I always say that you’re annoying—but you should know that you are not and that I love you.
This is the most unromantic love letter but I think that’s alright, because we aren’t the most romantic couple. We are best friends that loved each other, we are best friends that can talk about anything under the sun, we are best friends that share the same music tastes, we are best friends who try to understand each other even though we don’t make sense, we are best friends that share the same bed, we are best friends that share clothes, we are best friends that share kisses and we are best friends that make love a lot, too. So that’s nice, that the person you love is also your best friend. I think that’s amazing.
I’m so sorry if the cause of our fight is my pride and my stubbornness. You’ve known me almost all your life and you’ve always tried to understand my stubbornness and really, I’m so thankful that you are able to keep up with my bullshit after all these years. Because I can’t keep up with myself, too—I’m so glad that you are there to love me even when I don’t love myself at times. I love you more than I love myself and after you’re read this letter, please give me a hug and a bonk on my head for being an idiot.
I love you always, forever. I will never stop saying that I love you and I appreciate you because I do. I love you more than anything in this world and I don’t know what life will be if I hadn’t met you in third grade. I’m thankful to whatever force that made us meet and I’m going to try my best not to just be the best friend you’ve ever had but also the best husband you’ll ever have… hopefully you don’t have a second. Kidding. Love you. And thank you, thank you for saying yes, thank you for sticking with me through whatever, thank you for keeping up with me, thank you for caring for me, thank you. I can never thank you enough for your love but I will try to show you that when we fuck. Yeah?
Love always and your idiot,
Mikey x
Calum’s laughing and wiping the tears that have run down his cheeks from reading the letter. It’s not an emotional letter from a poet, it’s not even a beautifully worded letter but it’s so so Michael. His personality reeks from the ink on the paper and he knows that this is the man he has fallen in love with, this is the man that he has been with for more than 20 years and honestly, he’s ready to spend more years with him.
Calum folds the paper and tucks it back inside the envelope. He pushes himself up, chugs the wine in his glass and heads to the door, ready to face Michael and apologize and kiss the hell out of him but before he even takes the first step to the door, Michael has already pushed the door open and is calling out his name.
“Mikey!” Calum runs to his husband and jumps into his arms. Michael catches him with a slight laugh and buries his face on the hollow of his neck. Calum presses his face against Michael’s hair, hooks his legs around his waist and he misses him so so so much.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for being an idiot.” Michael speaks into his shoulder, voice slightly muffled but Calum understands every word.
Calum kisses the side of his head and pulls back a little to press a kiss to his lips. “I’m sorry, what I said was low and I was being an egoistic asshole. Thank you for still being with me. I’m still a fucking fuck boy after all these years.”
Michael throws his head back laughing as he walks to their bed and he sits down, now, Calum’s sitting on his lap, straddling him. “You are. You are my favourite fuck boy.” Michael says, capturing Calum’s lips in a quick kiss.
Calum smiles widely as he cups Michael’s face in his hands. “I missed you, I’m sorry.” Calum is overflowing with love and feels just like the first time they admitted that they are in love with each other. He looks into Michael’s eyes and sees nothing but galaxies of love and he realises how so far gone he is for this man.
They stop apologizing to each other when they start kissing. Their mouths taste of wine and tears but it’s perfect and they’re laughing into each other’s mouth. Then there are tongues involved and Calum is pushing Michael down on the bed.
It’s messy, but it’s familiar, they know how to work around each other. Calum undresses Michael and Michael undresses Calum. It’s full of giggles and they laugh as they struggle with their clothing and then they kiss again. It’s so them, everything is light and there is no tension. They might be laughing as they make love but it’s them, this is them and this is how this relationship has been working for years.
That night, the wine is left forgotten for tomorrow as they make love and promise to talk about their problems without any of them raising their voices.
(The next morning, Michael sends Luke a thank you text message without any context.)
(The same morning, Michael and Calum talk about sharing the pay with their bills, and somehow, they make it work. Michael continues with his job in the record store and Calum finally tells Michael about his promotion.)
(That night, they drink the rest of the wine in a dinner prepared by Michael to celebrate Calum’s promotion.)
(That night, they make love again. But this time, more passionate and less laughter. But it’s still them. And everything is good.)