"Ari?"

Arielle looked up from her notebook to see her future stepfather sitting down next to her. In his hand was a cluster of flashcards. They had set up camp in a forest clearing, and Randy was currently off gathering firewood for the evening. After all, there was a major milestone for all of them to occur in just a few hours after the sun set.

"What is it?" Arielle asked dutifully. "D'you need me to do something?"

Keith smiled, half amused, half pitying. He could remember being Arielle's age, always nervous around adults and figures of authority, even those who were supposed to protect him. He and Randy had been taking care of Arielle for about a year, but of course, the events of her early childhood still affected her greatly.

"Actually, yeah," Keith answered. He held up his flashcards.

"These are my vows to Randy," he said. "I wanna know what you think of 'em."

"'Vows?'" Arielle repeated, seeming confused.

"When people get married, they make vows to each other." Keith explained. "And since Randy and I can't get married legally right now, our vows are gonna be extra important. So I wanna get someone else's opinion. That okay with you?"

Arielle nodded in understanding. As Keith read out what he had written on his flashcards, she found herself having the urge to smile. The idea of romance sounded so wonderful when her parents talked about it, and she couldn't wait to experience it when she was older.

~

Being a sociopath, Randy only truly cared about a few people: Keith was one of them. In fact, Randy wouldn't hesitate to say that he loved Keith more than anyone else in the world. So he wanted his vows to be absolutely perfect. He had already collected enough firewood, but before he returned back to the campsite, he wanted to practice his vows to Keith one last time. Only then did he return to the campsite.

As Randy started the campfire that night, he could feel sweat building up on the crown of his forehead, and it wasn't just because of the heat. This next hour would be the most important of his life. He couldn't screw this up. The sun had set by now, and the crickets were buzzing, almost seeming like they were singing together in anticipation. The atmosphere was set.

Randy felt Keith's hand slowly slink around to the back of his neck, and he turned to see his fiance giving him a sweet, excited smile. The reflection of the flames sparkled in his indigo eyes. It was time.

"Okay," Randy said as he took a deep breath. He looked at Arielle. "You ready, mija?" he asked.

Arielle nodded vigorously, appearing quite eager. She had been isolated from the outside world for most of her life. So a mere pact of love was unfamiliar to her, and to her system.

Randy sat down on a log on the side of the fire opposite of his daughter, and Keith sat next to him as they faced each other. It was already agreed upon that Keith would go first, and he took out his flashcards. Randy could feel his heart pounding with joy even before Keith started reading, and he couldn't help but grin. He had promised himself he wouldn't cry, but he knew he would have to brace himself to hold back tears.

Keith took a deep breath, and Randy could see the blaze of happiness lighting up his pale face. Finally, Keith began reading his vows aloud:

"'I didn't know what love was supposed to be before I met you.'"

Randy could already feel time slowing down and his heart rate speeding up. He couldn't look away from the man sitting beside him.

"'But you taught me,'" Keith went on. "'Without even knowing it, you taught me what love is - what loving you is, Randy. Love is smiling, and meaning it, even when I've had the worst day; love is feeling warmth on my face even in my darkest hour; love is knowing I'm gonna be okay. Love is safety. Love is power. Love is obsession, the most wonderful obsession. I love you recklessly and dangerously, but it's worth it. You are worth it.'"

Keith's voice began to tremble, and Randy could feel his eyes start to burn. He cursed himself for tearing up in front of his daughter, but he took a deep breath. The crickets were singing for them.

"'I was not taught about heaven as a child.'" Keith continued. "'I was taught about hell. But now I see why heaven was something I didn't know about. My love, you are my heaven. You are my heart, and you always will be.

"'You've made your mistakes, and you're far from perfect, but that doesn't change the fact that you've always been and continue to be my savior. If it weren't for you, I would've left this world long ago. All my life and even today, I still struggle to feel happy, but you constantly manage to make my days a little bit brighter just with a smile. You're my beautiful spark of light in a world of darkness. Your love has carried me through every struggle. As twisted as it sounds, I'd gladly watch the world fall apart if it meant keeping you safe.

"'I love you with everything I have, my darling. And I will happily be yours till the day I die and beyond.'"

Randy cleared his throat as his eyes met with Keith's, which were now swimming with tears. Taking out the piece of lined paper in his pocket, he unfolded it to reveal what he had written down. Scuffs of past words were all over the place, proof that he had practiced.

"'I didn't wanna love you at first, Keith,'" Randy began. "'But once we were sixteen, I was head over heels. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with my best friend, but damn it, I don't regret it.'"

Keith could already feel the first tear rolling down his cheek. This was everything he had ever wanted. It might not have come to him how he had expected or hoped, but it was here nonetheless.

"'You know me better than anyone, so you know that I'm not good with speeches. But you also know that I've learned to take my loved ones seriously, so I'm gonna do my best. So, I'll start with this: I'd set a hundred cities ablaze if it meant putting a smile on your handsome face. Ever since the day we met, back on the playground in second grade, I knew you were special, and that you were gonna hold a valuable place in my heart. And despite all the shitty decisions I made as a kid, I was right in every manner to ask you to be my friend.

"'Although I have few true regrets, one of my biggest is not realizing earlier that we belong together in a way that exceeds friendship. Even after nineteen years, you remain my best friend, my greatest love, and my favorite person in the world. I can't possibly thank you enough for still seeing the good in me, even though sometimes I wish you didn't. Your patience and your love mean everything to me.'

"I guess you know what comes after this," Randy finished, and as he looked up, he finally allowed himself to smile. From there, the lovers recited what they both know by heart:

"As long as we both shall live: one last promise, the promise of forever, for eternity and till death do us part."

"Oh, oh!" Arielle suddenly burst out with excitement, right on cue. "Uh, I now pronounce you husband and husband!" A broad smile spread across her face.

Seeing his little girl smile, Randy's grin grew wider. He looked back at Keith, whose eyes were glittering with tears. He had never looked so beautiful.

Randy got to his feet and held out his hand. His heart jumped as Keith took it, and as Randy pulled his new husband up to his feet, he slung his arm around the small of his back. Keith wrapped his arms around Randy's neck, and in less than a moment, their lips collided. Randy felt the tears begin to flow as he leaned to the side, holding Keith tighter than ever as he dipped him. His heart jumped for a second time as he felt the vibration of Keith's tearful giggling against his lips.

Finally, Randy thought. The sound of Arielle's clapping echoed in his ears. The crickets were singing.