The beach was unusually cold for a March morning, the sharp air cutting into Mathias' bare arms as he shivered. He supposed that it was punishment for deciding to go out and about in a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts.

He paused his tracing in the sand to run his hands up and down his arms, letting out a breath. He pulled his phone from his pocket, clicking it open to check the time. Noon. He had about thirty minutes to get this done.

Pushing himself up, Mathias took a few steps back, admiring his work. The words were perfect, matching the draft that he had carefully and painstakingly drawn out the previous evening.

The drawing could use a bit of work, but he wasn't known for his art skills, especially when it came to something he intended to be three-dimensional. He scratched the back of his head, frowning as another breeze came through, pushing the sand.

Walking even farther back, he imagined how the scene would play out, closing his eyes and smiling at the thought of Lukas' face. Another stray thought crossed his mind, and he patted the back of his shorts, just to make sure it was still there, his smile growing wider when he felt that it was.

He pulled out his phone again, beginning to walk around his masterpiece as he punched in the number and waited for the dial tone to drop.

The call picked up almost immediately. "Hello?"

"Vlad!" Mathias kicked the sand as he spoke, careful not to get it in the lettering. "What's going on?"

Vlad sighed through the phone, though Mathias could tell that there was no frustration to it. "Nothing, we're almost done with this little trail you put together for us. Arthur and Lukas are standing in line for coffee. We'll be there shortly."

Mathias nodded even though he knew Vlad couldn't see him, running his fingers through his hair. He opened his mouth, about to ask how long, exactly, shortly was, but Vlad spoke before he could.

"Are you nervous?" He could hear the muffled voices on the other end.

Mathias shrugged, clicking his tongue. "I dunno, should I be?"

Vlad snorted. "No." Mathias ignored the matter-of-fact tone in his words, long having grown used to it from his years of knowing the other. "And even if you do mess it up, at least it won't beat Arthur's."

Mathias couldn't help but laugh. He was there when Arthur had his own version of the situation, watching as his friend drunkenly got on one knee, only to propose to Alfred with an onion ring instead of one out of gold. It was a story they wouldn't let down for a long while, even though Arthur swore that he couldn't remember any of the party and thought that they were lying to him.

"I don't think anyone can beat Arthur's, to be honest. That's some tough competition there. Especially for the comedy factor." Especially when Alfred replied by grabbing another onion ring and got down on his knee with Arthur.

"Oh yeah, man. That was truly a night that'll go down in history." The muffled voices on the other end grew louder, and when Vlad spoke again, it was fast in a hushed tone. "Listen, I gotta go. We'll see you there. Fifteen minutes, tops." Mathias wasn't given a chance to respond before Vlad hung up.

He let his arm fall, gripping the sides of his phone so it wouldn't fall into the sand. Fifteen minutes instead of thirty. Half the time that he had counted on.

Getting back to work, he crouched down, grabbing the nearest bottle of colored sand and uncorking it. He poured some into the grooves of the sand, smoothing it out before repeating the process over and over again.

He worked like that in silence, relishing in the sounds of the ocean. Anything to take his mind off the possibility that Lukas would not be pleased. The possibility that Lukas was not ready for such a commitment.

It would be fine, he told himself. He would stick with him until the end, no matter what. That he would wait as long as he needed to.

Mathias shook his head, willing the bad thoughts away. Everything will be fine, he repeated to himself. Lukas loved him, and he loved Lukas more than anything else, so everything would be fine.

His phone buzzed.

He pulled it out, reading the text message Arthur had sent over and over again. They were here. Mathias let out a breath he didn't know that he was holding, feeling the spiders crawl up his back.

Rising to his feet, Mathias looked over his art for the last time, already knowing that it was as perfect as he could make it. He clasped his hands behind his back as three familiar figures appeared in the distance.

Vlad had his hands over Lukas' eyes, Arthur leading the trio down the sloped decline. Mathias couldn't help but chuckle at how silly they looked, only to remember that he had spent the past two hours playing in the sand.

At the queue of a nod from Arthur, Mathias kneeled, a wide grin already spreading across his face. He ignored the uncomfortable feeling of the sand digging into his knee, not letting his smile falter even the tiniest.

The three stopped before him. Mathias slipped the box from his back pocket, quietly dusting some stray grains of sand from the top before flipping it open.

"Mathias?" Lukas sounded curious, though Mathias could detect a hint of familiar exasperation seeped into it.

Vlad started to lift his hands, only to clamp on tight as Mathias shook his hands. Lukas frowned, crossing his arms and waiting for Mathias' response. "Yes, babe, I'm here."

"What are you doing?"

"Uh…" Mathias scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit he developed in middle school. "Before I answer that, I wanna tell you something." He didn't give Lukas a chance to reply, preventing any possibility of backing out. "Lukas, I've liked you since the fourth grade, I've loved you since high school. You're the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I go to bed."

I cannot imagine a world without you, nor do I want to. So, I have something to ask of you"

Vlad let go, pushing Lukas a step forward.

"Will you give me the honor of marrying you?"

Lukas smiled, and Mathias knew that he was the happiest man in the world.