“Sure thing.”Blake chuckled, allowing himself to be guided so that he was facing Marin.
“That’s perfect.”The merman grinned, smoothing his hands over Blake’s chest.
In the center of the car, the gripman reached down into the space around the lever with something that looked like a fire poker and began to scrape it around with an astringent noise.Moments later, he set the scraper aside and started maneuvering the grips in the center of the car.
Blake pitched forward into Marin, who caught him with ease.
“Jesus!”Blake laughed as the cable car rolled forward.“You planned that, didn’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”Marin shrugged, his amused expression betraying his feigned ignorance.He wrapped one arm around Blake’s waist, tucking his nose into his chest.“But you feel a little more secure now, right?”
Blake opened his mouth to retort, but sucked his lip between his teeth seconds later.He had to admit that being in Marin’s arms made him feelmuchmore secure, for a variety of reasons.
The cable car finished the turn across Beach Street and began to ascend the hill of Hyde Street.As they were approaching North Point, a tourist blaring music out of his Bluetooth speaker cut in front of the cable car, causing the gripman to yank on the breaks with a curse.With his spare hand he gave the car’s bell an irate shake.
“Watch the hell out!”someone aboard the cable car shouted at the man.
The pedestrian raised a single hand in the “I love you” symbol, crying out: “Hey man, love and peace!”as the chorus of the song he was playing continued to blare on.
“Oh man,” Marin remarked, smiling up at Blake.“What is that?It sounds a lot like The Pixies.”
Blake blinked down at him, a little taken aback.“ThatisThe Pixies.Good ear.”
“No shit?”Marin’s eyes grew round as he stared after the man.“I’ve never heard that one before.”
“Makes sense.It’s from one of their newer albums, I think.”Blake frowned, trying to recall.He reached into his pocket, taking out his phone and opening up Spotify.“We can listen to it, if you want—make this moment a little cinematic.”
Marin laughed, pressing his chin into Blake’s shoulder.“Sure, I could go for that.”
Blake groped around his other pocket, pulling out the box of knockoff Airpods he kept on his person.He reached out to tuck a lock of Marin’s hair behind his left ear, pressing the bud inside.Marin tapped it into place as Blake fussed with his own.
“Ready?”Blake asked and pressed the ‘play’ button in response to Marin’s eager nod.
Blake looked up at the heights of Hyde Street, his spare hand winding around Marin’s upper back and pulling him closer.The wind mussed their hair as they rose, tangling it together in a mess of brown and purple-blue.Behind them, the shrill cries of the gulls that flew above Fisherman’s Wharf faded into the distance, replaced by the growl of Muni buses in one ear and the lyrics to “All I Think About Now” streaming into the other.
As they continued to ascend Russian Hill, the melodic sound of an electric guitar filled their ears.Blake watched as Marin closed his eyes when the lyrics began, tipping his face further into Blake’s chest.
What Blake wouldn’t give to have another day like this.Just one.
He selfishly wanted a decade of them—a lifetime even—but a few more like this might have been enough.
Pulling Marin closer, Blake tucked his face into the crown of his head.
Marin put him at ease in a way that settled him down into his bones.How simple it was to fall into a routine with him.Blake never had a romantic partner that he could so easily mesh with in opinions and personality like he did with Marin.Rather than someone he had to constantly try and make up for, or who stoked him to become a worse version of himself, like Matt had been during their relationship—Marin was someone who complemented him, and who he hoped that he complemented in turn.Of all his relationships, Marin was the one person who he felt was his foil.
Four days wasn’t enough.Blake wanted to see every side of himself that Marin could inspire.Wanted to see the shades of Marin’s personality that Blake himself could contrast and make shine.Blake liked the both of them as they were—as individuals—but he couldn’t help but wonder who they could continue to be together, if they had the time to discover it.How could he make Marin smile every day?How could he make him feel like he made Blake feel?If he could accomplish giving Marin even a fraction of the happiness that he brought to Blake’s own life—
Marin pulled away from him, looking melancholy.
“Hey.”Blake frowned, adjusting his grip around Marin’s shoulders and cupping his cheek in concern.“Are you all right?”
Marin forced a watery smile, features still clouded with some sort of sad nostalgia.“I’m fine… I’ll tell you later.I want to enjoy this.”
Blake had no quips about that.He nodded, rubbing his thumb in a reassuring arc below Marin’s eye.Marin sighed, leaning into the hollow of Blake’s palm, face softening and then warming in sincerity.Blake’s chest and stomach glowed with contentment at that gentle expression reserved only for him.
“What is it?”he asked.“You’re looking at me in some sort of way…”
Marin drew Blake in closer, pressing on his lower back.He leaned his mouth forward and the two met for a quick kiss.
