This was it, Adam was in the strongest version of love he could possibly be in.

Jacob Alexander Olfax was Adam's soulmate. The One, his twin flame, his world or whatever anyone wanted to call it. He was Adam's Forever.

It was their anniversary. They'd been dating for exactly two years today, and truthfully Adam had noticed Jacob seemed quite still lately. When other people got nervous, they fidgeted and couldn't stop moving. When Jacob was distressed, he went completely still. He'd been doing it a lot, Adam could tell he was trying harder though he didn't need to.

He was bringing home black roses, one of Adam's proclaimed top 10 best things in life. He loved black roses, and lately there were almost always fresh roses to replace the dying ones. Jacob was cooking these amazing meals that were so highly classed Adam felt overwhelmed with every bite. More than a few times Jacob had fallen into his most romantic state, nuzzling and kissing the very soul out of him at random like he couldn't control himself enough to fit in the box of masculine conventionality.

And now, just talking to Jacob rang alarm bells that had Adam acting out of character too.

"Are you free in about six months? June 11th, say?" He asked casually, pulling Adam into him.

Adam blushed and settled his arms over his shoulders as they began to sway. "Why? You planning a honeymoon?"

Jacob's eyes flickered with excitement but he said, "Come on, be serious. I need to know nothing important is on that date."

"I do have something important on that date," Adam giggled. "Whatever surprise you're planning happens on that day, so it's free."

He was preparing to marry this goofy motherfucker, and he suspected it was closer and closer yet. Adam was sensing a proposal, and Adam's sixth sense had always been right in the long run. He was ready.

Jacob would lean against the counter in front of him while he talked and Adam cooked. No gestures or shuffling or messing with his hair, even as he told him the depth of his love for him. He was bursting at the seams with it lately, and somehow knowing he was going to propose opened a well of emotion for Adam too. His normally jaded attitude was able to be visibly and undoubtedly in love. He wanted no doubts that he would say yes.

Their anniversary date was incredible, Jacob was such an incredible lover and even Adam couldn't resist melting into his arms for a kiss over the ocean. He adored every facet of this man, it was now more obvious than ever.

But the date ended with him snuggling into Jacob's chest and passing out. No rings, no wedding talk, no nothing.

Adam wanted to be ignorant and tell himself he didn't care, but he knew he wasn't wrong about suspecting and he cared so much more than he could express. Being aware his behavior was changing too didn't make him feel any better as the next two days went by. Maybe Jacob had panicked and would be ready in a few days. Adam could wait, he'd never had problems with patience.

Until another week passed.

Over the next week sometimes he'd notice Jacob watching him brood. He was good at it, and brooding was at least on brand. But something about him catching him in it more often than not started to drive Adam crazy.

He was ready! Wasn't Jacob? Wasn't this more than just a dating kind of relationship? Adam had so much love to give him and only him. Since marriage was on his mind he was finding there was even more of it tucked away to protect his gothic sensibilities, like finding $20 in your jacket pocket. Jacob wasn't stupid, his IQ was 145. So how the fuck didn't he notice Adam wanted to be together forever, starting immediately?

Under the anxiety, Adam could admit that while they'd flirted about it, they'd never sat down and had a real conversation over it. But now that he was getting those vibes, he couldn't bring it up. Jacob would know he knew and mask it perfectly, but tuck the ring away for when he wasn't expecting it.

So that's when he started expecting it.

Every romantic grab of his hand in public set his heart racing. Every kiss swept him off his feet. Jacob's hands were so handsy lately, and he let him explore like he hadn't before. But his British boyfriend never made a peep about getting married.

Despite knowing he was being childish, Adam started to get sad over it. Sure, it was only two years. Some couples waited five, or ten. Some never did get married. Others lost their lovers to death, some never met them until most of their life was behind them. Comparatively, he was lucky and Adam was a logical man who preferred to see all perspectives.

Still, here he was trying not to cry over it at the kitchen table like a little girl. Jacob just wasn't ready, he had to grow up about it and relax again.

Jacob ran in fast and the tears evaporated from Adam's eyes. "Hey, Jack slow down. What's going on?"

His green eyes were bright and wild, but there was a big smile in there somewhere. "I just remembered it's like almost 5 and I ordered a bunch of groceries and I just got a call that they're about to throw them away and we've gotta go!"

Jacob did this to him about every six months. That manic neurodivergent otter high where he spoke a million miles a minute and directly contrasted him was stupid cute, so Adam got up. "We? You want me to come with so you don't leave them there again?" He smiled a little but Jacob nodded bashfully.

The few times it did happen, Jacob had gone on an unrelated tangent or was being a chatterbox and had lost the groceries as little as ten feet from where he needed to be to retrieve them. Jacob was a sunny people person who liked to make people laugh. It was his job so it made sense that sometimes he couldn't switch it off to save his life, or their groceries.

Adam was whisked away and Jacob drove like a madman. Normally he was almost as good of a driver as Adam, but it made sense he might act a bit nutty on the highways.

He let his mind shift back to marriage and decided that he would just bring it up after groceries. Their anniversary had been in February and it was April now, it was going to eat him alive if he didn't say anything. A part of him dared to hope it was all a ruse and Jacob would take him somewhere in public to propose on a whim, but the idea slipped away when Jacob got to the store and it looked boring and normal as always.

Jacob was a cook too, an incredibly talented cook with a taste palate that was scientifically almost perfect. The doofus preferred to cook easy and liked his mac and cheese for sensory reasons, but he had good taste nonetheless.

Adam didn't catch what was in the bags this time, he was distracted by a car he swore up and down looked exactly like his parents' driving down the road. It was going fast, but the passenger was blonde and the man was driving, which was unusual for his parents.

"Oy, Adam?" Jacob had already packed the groceries but noticed Adam staring. "What's up? Are you alright?"

He gathered Adam in his arms and swayed. Adam could've died right then and been plenty content about it. "I'm fine. You know how sometimes you really want something so bad that you start gaslighting yourself into seeing signs?"

Jacob pulled him back suddenly. "Hold on, if you're gonna talk about your feelings, I want you to be somewhere you feel safe. Talk in the car."

God Adam was so in love he couldn't stand it!

So Adam unleashed the storm that had been brewing inside of him for months. He wanted to get married because he'd never known being in love was like this. There had to be a grand ceremony, he got it now. He'd experienced love in all different shades of pink, but this was the richest and most valuable version he possessed. Loving Jacob was so easy, he hadn't known love was supposed to be easy going and so much fun even they weren't doing anything. It was the only feeling he couldn't numb completely. "I know I'm being a childish dick and it's also when you're ready, but I know I'm genuinely going to start acting like a nutcase if I hold it in any longer."

As they were pulling down their driveway, Jacob was quiet for a moment but slammed on the breaks suddenly. His head dropped and he started to choke up. "Sh-shit, I was trying so hard to be a grown up about it but I'm so glad you feel the same way. I love when you talk about your feelings. I'll get on it, I promise." The green eyes looked up at him full of tears of promise so he could see it, and the worry went away. It would happen.

They stayed snuggled up together awkwardly over the center console for 20 minutes before it became painful and they'd decided they'd rather just take a nap.

They got ten feet before Jacob slammed on the breaks again. "What the hell are all these people doing here?" He exclaimed indignantly, even sounding scared. "Are you proposing to me now? Adam! I wanted to do it!"

Adam, startled, protested, "Of course not! I hate having people over! These would have to be your guests!"

"Get your gun," He demanded, reaching into the glovebox to pull out one of his. "This could be dangerous." He even loaded it and pointed. It was sexy as all hell, he looked ready to kill first and ask questions later.

Adam felt buzzing energy in the air, the presence of a lot of people, but even entering the house they weren't there. The backyard was empty and so was upstairs but he double checked the closets growing more disturbed by the second. Jacob was storming around downstairs slamming doors and he could hear clattering.

He snuck back into their bedroom and glanced at the mirror, noting his stoic and dead serious expression before his vision adjusted to notice a note scrawled in Jacob's handwriting.

'My love, you're way too fucking smart and this was impossibly hard. Put away your gun. Come back downstairs.'

He hadn't even tried to find that note, but he unloaded his gun, dropped it and raced downstairs. More accurately he just jumped the railing and landed sure feet in the middle of a downstairs full of people.

He caught the eyes of his parents first, who waved excitedly and his mom was wearing a blonde wig. "Uhm..." He glanced around noting a few relatives and friends, but not his Jacob. Anxiety crawled up his spine at all of these people, whether he knew them well or not, in his home.

Staring at him. Perceiving him.

He took an anxious step backwards.

"Breathe." Arms surrounded him from behind and he raised an eyebrow at Jacob's teasing tone. "Come on, you really thought I'd propose on our anniversary?" He let go and Adam whirled around to find him on one knee. "Come, come now. Do give me some credit."

Adam's world tunneled. Every person in the room was mere decoration to his now future husband going from frazzled and wild eyed to calm, dressed up a little and playful. Being far too observant meant two things: he tended to miss the obvious things, but he did recognize the way his mother must have primped his boyfriend. He couldn't tame his hair to save his life (not that Adam wanted him to), but Adam's mother had the magic touch.

Jacob had flipped the script four times total, and he had to have planned this for god knows how long if his British friends were in attendance too.

Adam burst into tears and buried his head in his hands. "This is all formalities now."

Jacob chuckled and groaned. "Please, don't make me start— ugh. Dammit!"

Adam heard a few giggles and encouragement but blew out a sharp breath to reorient himself. "Are you asking me to marry you? I can't answer a question that hasn't been asked yet."

Jacob laughed tearfully, though he went a little pink with embarrassment. "Of course. I'm ridiculously nervous and sweaty, so naturally I forgot." He cleared his throat, eyes locked on his. "Marry me, Adam. Let's have a super gay marriage for the rest of our lives. I was in love day one, and I know because I feel the same way right now. Fuck conventional America and their political standards. I'm going to marry who I want in this lifetime, and the next I'm going to find you again so we can do exactly this all over. You showed me I can love, so let me love you forever."

Adam could only nod at that point, regardless of how heavy it was. He had to compose himself but even his, "Yes," was so shaky and quiet he was certain Jacob had to lip read. As soon as the ring slipped on his finger, Adam just collapsed into his arms and cried.

Every moment in his life, from the first moment he felt alone, to the moment he started self harming, to the moment he had been clinically dead and at his saddest, and to the very last time of all of those, everything compiled into this moment:

Jacob, crying and holding him as close as possible with his fingers running through Adam's hair like he couldn't believe this was real, like he thought Adam was precious; while Adam cried like a baby in front of all of these people and nuzzled into Jacob's chest like it was his home because this man was his home. Jacob had known he'd cry because whatever he wanted to tell him about finding him to be a mystery, Jacob knew Adam inside and out. He knew home was the best option, but he wouldn't settle for anything less than grand.

Only when he was able to take a deep breath did he realize these were people extremely close to them and their relationship, and there wasn't a dry eye as far as the eye could see. His parents, bless their hearts, were sobbing almost as hard as he was.

The evening was so planned that there were people that eventually wandered into the kitchen after congratulating and exchanging hugs to cook the groceries others were gathering from the car.

Adam didn't wander far from Jacob the entire evening, and Jacob didn't let him even try. When they chatted with Jacob's British friends, Adam was leaned against Jacob and wrapped in his arms. At dinner, which was really more of a freeform potluck, Jacob sat on his right as he always did. The closeness was not only because they were excited and in love, but Jacob knew if Adam was this emotional he might have a full on panic attack ending up by himself. The attention to detail made him want to say yes all over again.

Adam's parents pulled him away for a second to ruffle his hair and ultimately embarrass the barely 24 year old man.

His mother, Daun, grinned at Adam despite his moody brush of his hair. "Oh, don't be like that to your father. You're still our baby."

Jacob snorted in the background. "This is great. I treasure every time I get to see this."

"Can it," Adam grumbled before sighing at his weeping father. "Dad, you okay?"

Don nodded. "I'm just so happy. Do I get to give you away still? I-I don't know how this works..."

Adam tried his hardest to be annoyed, but his dad's big doe eyes were breaking his heart. He wanted to so badly, and he wouldn't deny him the pleasure. "Of course, Dad."

His mother spread her arms and he sank into them. "See? You're still my baby boy. Mama loves you."

Adam was a Mamas Boy if anyone had ever seen one. He purred and hugged her tighter. "I love you too, Mom."

Jacob was still cheesing, but then he was pulled into the hug. "Oh, uh...."

"You're my son too now, Jacob," Daun said sternly, planting a kiss to his forehead. "I never wanted girls. I'm so lucky."

Adam felt Jacob's heart pick up so fast he had to pull away and watch the confused flush he was wearing. "Mommy issues."

Don chuckled and joined the hug. "I always got so confused when people said kids with parent issues became LGBTQ cause I had great parents and I was straight as a nail until I—,"

"Ah! Dad! Not that story please!" Adam wiggled out of the hug and adjusted his hair. "It's gross."

"But he was so hot!" He protested too loudly. "It's progress!"

Jacob pulled Adam into another kiss. "Be grateful. For me." His eyes told him so many stories, the longing could've killed Adam right then and there.

Guilt showed heavy on Adam's face and he nodded, trying to tuck himself away in his chest but being held in place with a stern hand. "What?"

"Nothing. I like to look at you sometimes," He flirted, brushing a hand over his cheek. "You're so handsome, what the fuck, man?"

"Bollocks, he really is gay," Henry, one of Jacob's old school friends exclaimed. "Look at the way he fancies him!"

Jacob flushed as Adam gave him a mischievous smile. "Please don't."

"You know I have to," Adam soothed with a sweet kiss to his cheek. "Just try not to have your legs give out on me."

Adam had a life hack, a trick, to make Jacob melt into his hands like ice cream. It would immediately make the room the gayest place recorded for centuries past and to come.

It was ridiculously simple, and Adam always got an extra kick out of it because his voice would always just naturally deepen to the one Jacob most often probably heard in the bedroom when he was deciding to make it his problem that he was so cute.

He lifted a hand to stroke under Jacob's ear, noting it was already turning red with the impending blush. He made sure he kept the eye contact as his other hand brushed his hair out of his face so he could see his eyes. Jacob blushed and his breathing got a little shaky. "I love you, Jack."

He wrinkled his nose and tried his hardest to respond but he just dropped his head into his shoulder and let out a high pitched curse that everyone only made worse by cheering. "Dammit, Adam! That's not fair!"

Adam giggled and patted his head. "Isn't this love? All's fair in love and war."

Another one of Jacob's British friends bounded up to them, Elizabeth But Just Call Me Liz, and rocked back and forth on her feet. "I have a very straight question to ask you."

Adam quirked a brow. "Shoot."

"What color are your eyes?" She blurted.

Jacob chuckled at Adam's rueful grin. "They're periwinkle. It's a genetic deformity, I didn't get enough melanin for the blue to actually come through. My dad has it too." He pointed him out and he waved, sporting the same dark hair and strange eyes.

She hugged Adam and his dad. "Cheers! I always knew Jacob was gay."

"He's bisexual," Adam corrected quickly.

"Nope, I'm gay." Jacob grinned down at him and hooked an arm around his shoulders. "I could never love a woman the way I love you. It wouldn't be fair to even say I'm homoflexible, I'm just... Yousexual"

Adam blushed. "And when did this happen? You always liked Bi Panic as a phrase."

"You happened." His eyes went up to watch people finishing their desserts and cleared his throat. "Thank you all for helping me surprise my fiancé."

He paused and Adam frowned. "You good?"

"Just basking in the euphoria, dear." He messed up his hair running his hand through it and inwardly Adam sighed in relief. The stillness of anxiety was gone, but now he seemed a little antsier than normal. "You've all got wedding invites, yes?"

Adam's jaw dropped into Hell. "How long have you been planning this!?"

He smirked at him but continued on. "Good. June 11th, 3pm. Receptions at 4:30, we leave June 12th at 8am to Puerto Varallarta. With that, thank you again for coming."

"You're taking me to Mexico?" Adam breathed in disbelief. He'd always wanted to go, but between shows and touring and his music, they just didn't have the time. Being fluent in Spanish and having Mexican roots meant it would be an easier trip too. His Jacob had been taking classes for it ever since Adam had revealed he was fluent in multiple languages.

Jacob nodded surely. "Everything's booked. Only the best for mine."

Adam frowned as people hugged them both and started to clean and disappear. "Wait, you're kicking everyone out? That's rude, you've gotta let them leave at their own pace!"

Jacob laughed heartily and murmured in his ear, "Pick your poison then: I fuck you in front of all of our friends and your parents, or I politely ask them to leave and rail you wherever I'd like to." Adam leaned against him harder, intrigued when he inhaled again. "I'm thinking the bed first, for my gentlemanly side to shut up, then the kitchen counter, perhaps the balcony. Shower. Nap... go again."

Goosebumps broke out on his skin and he drummed his fingers along Jacob's sides. "We've gotta get them out of here. Countdown?"

"Probably three minutes."

Adam hummed and their lips met in quick little kisses that turned into hungrier but still polite ones. "How about now?"

Jacob tipped his head back and forth. "Seconds. I didn't tuck and now you can't move."

Shifting experimentally, his fiancé smirked at him. "I can't take you anywhere."

It was rare, but it seemed to be a day when Jacob was already a step ahead. "Now that we're getting married, you have to take me everywhere." His eyes changed from hazel to a stark green, Adam watched him fill with joy and it stopped his heart. "I'm so glad we're getting married in two months."

Adam smiled broadly at him. "I couldn't have waited another second."