Mana's been acting weird ever since I showed up at his place. He invited me over, but he's more nervous than if I invited him directly into my bedroom. I don't know what's gotten into him. He's normally kind of a fidgety dork, but I've honestly really grown to like that about him. I mean, yeah it's not exactly the smooth, gentlemanly thing to do, but it shows to me that he's still worried about trying to look good in front of me even though we've been dating for a while now.
Well... Maybe not a while, but to me it's felt like it at least. After our first date I thought maybe I was just enjoying myself because I was spending time with someone again after not being on a date in... By the alchemy, when was my last date before my first one with him? A good few years, I think. The more dates we went on and the more time we just spent together in general, I realized that wasn't the case. He's not perfect, but I'm not trying to hold him up to that standard. I'm not perfect either, after all. What he is, is caring and sweet. He's always trying to make sure that I'm having a good time, that I'm feeling comfortable even when we're in the middle of nowhere out in the wilderness working together, he tries to make sure that I'm always enjoying myself. Normally I think a guy's doing that just to get in my pants, but he's so sincere with everything he does that I think that's the last thing on his mind. He makes me feel... Loved.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
“...Oh. Y-Yeah. I-I can see why you wanted to keep this a surprise.”
Stars.
There's stars all over the room. I don't know how he did it, but I'm looking up at the ceiling of whatever room this is supposed to be in his lab and all I see is a starry sky.
“How did you even-”
“Magic,” he says with that cheesy grin of his. Damn him. How did this dork have a moment like THIS in him. This is amazing.
He sits down on the floor and I take a seat next to him, sighing and leaning my head on his shoulder. The moment I make contact, I feel him tense up.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” I say as I start to pull my head up.
“N-No, it's fine. Y-You can stay there. I'm just...” He sighs as well and looks up at the stars. “I worked so hard to make this moment magical for you. Um, pun not intended.”
“Mana, the pun's always intended with you. It's the only joke you know how to tell.”
“Point taken. What I meant to say was I put a lot of thought into just how to make this feel special for you.”
“You mean the stars? I mean, it certainly is. How did you even do that?”
“Fire magic. Tiny little embers all floating up near the ceiling.”
“...Okay, that's sweet, but fire and labs tend not to mix in my experience. You've met my sister.”
He laughs and wraps an arm around me. “It's safe. They're so small that they'd just be put out the moment they touched anything.”
“Alright. I'm gonna trust you on this one. I guess the next question I have is why you did this. This feels like... You know, date stuff.”
“And this can't be a date? Just us sitting and looking up at the stars. You loved stargazing with me when we were out camping.”
“You noticed that?”
“It's hard not to notice a smile that big on your face.”
I can't help but blush at that. I'm not normally the blushing and giggling type, but... That was actually really thoughtful of him to remember how much I liked the stars.
“Um... Thank you. I don't know what to say.”
“Then don't say anything. Just enjoy the moment.”
I nod and lie down on my back, pulling Mana down with me since his arm's still around me. Sitting down, on a nice quiet night. Uh... Night type thing? I guess? Whatever. It's just like looking up at the stars with him all over again. Just the two of us.
“It's nice.”
“What is?”
“Huh? Oh, I was thinking to myself. Guess that one came out loud. But um... This. All of this. Just this whole romantic stargazing thing you made for me. It's beautiful.”
“Thanks Mia. I'm glad you like it.”
“When you can string a coherent sentence together past the nervous babbling, you're one hell of a romantic.”
“I try to be. You are so amazing that I feel like I have to be one. You're beautiful, you're funny, you're strong, you're smart, I could go on until it's actually night out listing everything that I love about you and I wouldn't repeat myself.”
“Mana...”
“I'm sorry Kromia, I just... This has been building up for a while. Can I just... Ramble? For a bit?”
“You're good at it,” I say with a gentle chuckle, “So go ahead.”
“Thanks. Um... I've just been thinking a lot about us. I know that seems like maybe I'm rushing things since we haven't been together for a long, long time, but the time I have spent with you has been the best of my life. For the longest time I've just had my nose buried in my work and putting up with my sisters and... It's not like I hate my life or anything, but when I'm with you I feel something amazing. Like... Like I'm a new person. I don't know what word to use for it, but it's like everything that happens when I'm with you is something new and amazing.”
“I... Know the feeling.”
“Y-You... You do?”
“I mean, not in so many words? I'm not as... As good with words as you. But... It's like... If I compare what things feel like now and what it was like before we were together, it's like... Colors weren't as bright. Like the world was just a little quieter. Like... Like I was just existing, but with you I feel like I'm actually living.”
“Yes! Exactly! I know I'm already plenty cheesy around you and what I'm about to say feels bad even by those standards, but I feel like when we're together we're in our own little world.”
I couldn't help myself, and I feel bad for doing it, but I burst out into laughter at that. Laughter that's probably a little too loud. Looking at him, I see him start to frown, so I try and cut him off.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you! It's just... You're right, that was so bad! But even if it was bad, it was really sweet and I totally get what you mean. Just... Could you have picked words that didn't sound like they were ripped from a ten-copper romance novel?”
“I thought you said I was good with words!”
I laugh even more and pull him into a hug. “You are, but you're also a giant dork. Alchemy help me though, I love that about you.” That causes him to blush and try and say something, but at this point I think words would just make things even worse with how both of us are acting, so I pull him into a kiss to shut him up and bring back that romantic silence.
After feeling confident that we're both back under control, I let him go and rest my head on his chest, nuzzling close to him, smiling like crazy. “You good now?”
“Y-Yeah... I'm good.”
“Then continue. You were being romantic until we went off the rails.”
“Right... Um... What I was trying to say is that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I want to keep being with you. I love being with you... No, I love you.”
“I love you too, Mana.” It came out so easily it surprised me, but it felt right. He may be a dork, he may not know when to shut up sometimes, and he tries way too hard to impress me, but he makes me feel loved and I love him for it.
“Then let's stay together. I don't want anyone but you.”
“It sounds like you're trying to propose to me.”
That immediately causes him to freeze and straighten up stiff as a board. “Um, I-I didn't mean... Was I laying it on too thick? I'm so sorry if I'm making you feel pressured into anything or-”
I laugh again. Not the loud laughter from earlier, but a soft laughter that causes him to stop and look at me curiously. “Relax. I was just teasing you. It's just... You do this big romantic gesture to tell me how much you love me, talk about how want to stay with me forever, we already have a kid.”
“We what!?”
I laugh even more. “Tsubaki. She calls me mom, she calls you dad. Why can't she be our kid?”
“I mean...”
I roll over so I'm straddling his waist now and I look down at him with a smile. Now that the thought is in my head... You know what? Fuck it. “Mana. I love you, you love me, we basically have a kid already. I mean why not? Marry me.”
“Mia! Are-are you serious!?”
“Yes, yes I am. I've been with you long enough to know that I love you and that you're an absolutely amazing man I'd love to spend my life with. So... Why not? Let's get married.”
“Are you sure about this? We don't have to get married. We can keep dating and-”
“We were going to keep dating anyway, right? I'm not asking you to marry me right now or tomorrow but it's just gonna end in us getting married anyway at this rate. Why not just ask you now instead of beating around the bush for years?”
“I... Mia... You really are serious.”
“I love you Mana. I wouldn't joke about this. I'm going to ask you again, and I want a yes or no answer on this one. Will you marry me?”
He takes a deep breath...
Thinks about it...
Takes another deep breath...
And then smiles.
“Yes, Kromia. I will marry you.”
I don't even know what noise I made. I don't think it had a word, but it's whatever a cry of pure joy sounds like. I pull him up into a hug and kiss him again. I'm sitting under a starry sky, showing the man I love just how happy he's made me.
I wasn't expecting anything when Mana came over to my place and asked me to check something out at his lab today, but I'm glad he did. What happened was the best day of my life.
