Cooper would get it back for him if it was the last thing he did. That was his own personal vow that had nothing to do with human matrimony rituals and everything to do with the man Cooper wanted to be for himself, for Park, for their lives together.

He took one last deep breath of night air, feeling energized, purposeful and focused in a way he hadn’t in a while. Up in the sky, only the brightest stars outshone the moonlight, but were no less beautiful for their loneliness.

He hurried inside, giving the floor vase still in its box a fond little pat, and found Park standing at the kitchen counter, just opening the mail.

“Oh, I just—” Park started, quickly shoving what appeared to be an old sea captain’s brass telescope back in the box.

Cooper threw his arms around him, hugging him from behind. Park jerked, clearly surprised, and tried to turn around, but Cooper squeezed his arms tighter to stop him and Park stilled, accepting it. He obviously couldn’t reciprocate like this so he just continued to stand there, staring straight ahead while Cooper buried his face in the divot between Park’s lower shoulder blades and breathed in and out. Memorizing the smell of him. The exact level of heat his body radiated.

Eventually Cooper let go, and Park looked over his shoulder. “That’s the third hug of the day, you know,” he said, curiosity burning in his expression. “My diary entry tonight is going to be rife with exclamation marks and hearts.”

“Maybe it wasn’t a hug,” Cooper said seriously. “Maybe I was just patting you down for any more smuggled antiquities.” He eyed the box that the telescope had disappeared into pointedly, and Park went slightly pink.

“That’s my December purchase,” he said hastily. “But the auction was last week and—well, nautical spyglasses don’t pop up that often. Not in such good condition, anyway. Especially not Victorian, so—”

Cooper felt such a bolt of fondness it knocked his breath out of his chest. “Settle down, Long John Silver, I’m not here to seize your booty. Tonight,” he added after a small pause, and Park’s eyes widened fractionally. “I was just thinking about something and realized I could think about it even better while holding you.”

“Ah,” Park said after a moment, then crossed his arms and adopted a casual stance against the counter, as if he could reclaim some of his dignity after that embarrassing break in character. “Thinking about what?”

“Oh, nothing new. Just how I’m going to love the ever-living fuck out of you for as long as you let me,” Cooper said.

Park blinked, a tiny, pleased smile sneaking into the corners of his lips. “Really?” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of Cooper’s nose. “I had no idea I was with such a poet.”