Park’s lips twitched into a slightly smug smile. “Lucky you’ll see me old, hmm?”

“Yeah, well,” Cooper mumbled, and tugged gently on the hair over Park’s temple where he knew bi-annual gray hairs were being plucked out. “Someday alarmingly soon, by the looks of things here.”

Park’s smile only deepened and he practically vibrated satisfaction. “Do you realize, the more tender a truth you think you’ve revealed, the more biting you become immediately after?”

Cooper snapped his teeth a couple of times pointedly, and Park laughed, dodged, and kissed him on the nose. “I’m feeling very lucky I get to spend the rest of my life with you, too, my porcupine,” he whispered, and that was...well. That was okay, then.

They were so accustomed to the fountain mist that neither noticed when it first started to drizzle until the sky fully opened up and released an aggressive downpour. Park quickly tucked the papers under his jacket as they ran for the courthouse, laughing at nothing and everything.

Somewhere within the chaos, they filed with the clerk, collected their certificate and drove home to a small handful of people already drinking their alcohol. In the blur of congratulations, clamoring noise, and far too much attention, Cooper couldn’t help wishing he and Park were back in the rain, again, just the two of them. Or hell, who was he kidding, upstairs in bed fucking until the adrenaline and joy that were the only things keeping them upright well and truly sputtered out.

But they had their whole lives to be selfishly, blissfully alone together. And despite feeling overwhelmed, Cooper was warmed, too, that people had bothered to arrive on bewilderingly short notice. Eli’s charm at work, no doubt. He’d even somehow managed to gather all of Park’s siblings into one video call, and the echoing laughter and soft, surprised pleasure on Park’s face as they teased him were perhaps Cooper’s second favorite part of the day.

Santiago was there and got along like a house on fire with Sophie. Cola had brought her partner, an alarmingly hot but surprisingly goofy man, as well as three children Cooper hadn’t even known she had. Eli had introduced himself to Ed as Park and Cooper’s new live-in Boy Friday, which would doubtless lead to an intensely awkward conversation later, but Cooper couldn’t even find it in himself to be annoyed. Not today. Not when Eli had also accepted Cooper’s embarrassed request to invite Boogie’s old sitter Ava without blinking and then seamlessly got her and her parents comfortably chatting with Cayla and Dean.

After a couple of hours, Cooper escaped outside to the covered front porch, just to get a few moments’ peace. Bent over, forearms propped on the railing, he watched the steady sheets of rain pull bright, twirling leaves to the ground and wondered if it was dangerous to feel so content.