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"Call me tomorrow!" Fabian yelled after Riz as he ran up the building steps, fumbling with his keys. Riz waved his hand at him irritably and he laughed as he drove the Hangman away.
After a minute of fighting with the poorly cut key in the shitty fucking lock for what he would make sure was the last fucking time, Riz finally yanked his keys back and angrily picked the lock. He twisted hard and broke his pick off inside, permanently forcing it open. Maybe now the fucking manager would actually get the fucking thing replaced.
He raced up the stairs with his heart in his throat, half expecting Adaine to be gone when he got there, or maybe filming him like it was an elaborate prank. Sure it made no sense, but neither did Adaine wanting to marry him.
His hands shook harder as he reached for their doorknob. The ward clicked the lock open at his touch and he burst in, eager to rip the band aid off in case he actually had accidentally completely upended his life.
Everything was normal. Mail and Adaine's keys on the table. A few pairs of shoes scattered by the rack. Her sword and a cardigan on the hooks. Lights and music from the living room. The smell of the apple scented candles she loved to burn when she was alone.
Riz scraped his hands through his hair and tried to catch his breath. Okay, you can do this. You're an idiot. You love her. You're her idiot. He smiled as he stored his shoes and jacket and hung his holster. Then after a second of consideration he went to the bedroom to store his watch and rings and steal one of her sweaters.
He took a deep breath and walked into the living room.
Adaine was curled up on the couch in pajamas, reading a paperback and drinking a glass of wine. Her hair was wrapped in an old t-shirt and cotton balls stuck out between her toes, which had been painted gold. Bottles of moisturizer and nail polish and the remnants of a plate of snacks covered the coffee table. Boggy dozed on her lap.
She looked up at the sound of his footsteps and smiled, holding her place in her book with a finger and leaning her arms on the back of the couch.
"Hey," he said softly, scooting the baggy sleeves up toward his elbows. "I don't want to cut your relaxing evening short."
"I can relax with you here," she said, shrugging and looking him over. "How was the movie?"
Riz came over and leapt the back of the couch to sit at the other end facing her.
"Awful plot. Satisfyingly action packed. The overpriced hot dog will probably give me heartburn later."
"Successful boy's night, then."
"Mostly," he said, with a hint of the nerves dancing through him.
Adaine watched him silently for a few seconds, then seemed to come to a decision. She dog eared her book and put it aside, dismissed Boggy, turned off the music, and turned to blow out the scented candle behind her.
"Okay, come here," she said, smiling gently and holding her arms open for him. "You don't have to keep making that face. Nothing is going to explode."
Riz let out a soft laugh and sighed.
"Alright," he agreed, climbing over her legs. They curled up together with him half on top of her and tucked against the back of the couch.
"Mmm, much better," she sighed happily, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his hair. "So: I obviously misunderstood what you were saying. I want to make it clear that I'm happy with things exactly as they are, and nothing has to change."
He closed his eyes and nodded as he settled comfortably.
"Yeah, I know. It uh, took a minute for me to catch up to what happened, especially with those two laughing at me."
She snickered.
"I figured."
"Um. You...you always said, whenever you mentioned it at all, that you would absolutely never get married. I assumed...when did that change?"
Adaine squeezed him and nodded.
"Fair question. I'm not sure. Originally, it just seemed like a hopeless pointless proposition. I definitely didn't want what my parents had. I wasn't interested in a relationship, and all the healthiest ones I knew were never married anyway."
He hummed and rubbed her side.
"Then later, when I was dating Lei...the thought crossed my mind a few times. Just daydreaming, you know?"
Riz nodded, listening.
"I still didn't want to, but I could see the path someone could take to wanting to." Adaine's left hand stroked up into his hair while she thought. "Then, with you, I...didn't think about it at all. For a long time. I was so happy to be able to...that you wanted to be closer...that I could..." Her voice choked up and she cleared her throat. "With you, things have been so...even when we fight, it feels like we're more irritated at a problem than each other. Even if it's a problem one of us causes, like leaving my clothes on the bathroom floor."
He groaned and laughed.
"I hate that so much, Adaine! I don't get it either—you pass the hamper when you leave! It's right there!"
"And you never ever make the bed. Ever. Any time that bed is made it's because I did it."
"I always make it on your birthday! After I clean up from the breakfast in bed I also always make you!"
"And I appreciate that, but for the rest of the year it is still deeply annoying to untangle the sheets every goddamn evening when I'm sleepy!"
"You know I toss and turn so much I'm just going to mess them up again when I go to bed," he said.
"Oh? Why bother cleaning the dishes then? They'll just get dirty again."
"I wash our sheets! I just don't straighten them."
"Anyway," she said, gently tugging his hair and kissing his head with a small chuckle. "It's come up a few times at work—students, colleagues, small talk about our lives. Mrs. Hugo down the hall and Bunny down at the corner store? They always call you my husband, and I've given up correcting them."
"Sure, old ladies are a force of nature," he said, "but there's a difference between taking the easy route in small talk and actually...wanting to..."
"That's true," she sighed, thoughtfully playing with his hair. "I suppose I just...got used to the idea. And instead of distaste or dislike or confusion I feel...neutral? At worst. I feel like...it's unnecessary, but I...definitely wouldn't mind it, and we..."
She took a deep breath. He held his, feeling like his balance was teetering.
"We're kind of already..."
Riz scooted and pressed his face into her as his breath hitched. His heart clenched and he clung to her, feeling his claws slide into the fabric of her shirt.
"Yeah," he said hoarsely.
"So I've been...I didn't really consciously decide, but I think I've just been working under the assumption that if you wanted to, you'd say so. And if you did...I would."
"I love you so much," he sighed. Tears threatened behind his eyelids and his breath shuddered.
"Love you, too." Adaine rested her ear against the top of his head and rubbed along his arm.
"I never really let myself think about it, because I knew you didn't want to. I put it in the box of things that will never happen. Like...I'll never be a secret agent like my dad. I wanted it for so long, until I realized I hate the idea of working for the government. I'll never have or be a hundred different things I wanted when I was younger, but right now I'm happy being me, and I'm so happy being me with you."
"Is marriage something you ever wanted?" she asked, tentatively.
Riz sighed and kissed the side of her neck, then settled back onto her shoulder.
"That's a complicated question for me."
"I'm not going anywhere," Adaine said, gently shrugging.
He hummed, thinking.
"When I was little, yeah. I wanted to grow up and catch bad guys like my mom, and I pictured myself living a life like my parents', right? Didn't really consider who I'd marry, other than just...someone. I remember that my parents were happy. I thought that's..." he shrugged. "Sometimes, playing alone, I'd think about how everything would be great when I was a grown up and had it figured out like them. Cuddle on the couch, make dinner together, go out on a date once in a while, whatever that meant. Had this vague idea of staring at a taper candle while sitting across from each other?"
A small laugh puffed out her nose.
"I dunno, I was like seven," he said, shaking his head with a smile. "Um. The point is, that's what happiness looked like to me back then."
Adaine hummed and nodded.
"As I got older and understood more things and started wondering what everyone was talking about, I still figured it'd happen eventually. Until it...didn't? I was in denial about being ace for so long because I still wanted...something. I thought it was friends—and part of it was. I was so lonely until you guys."
"Me too," she said quietly, kissing his hair. He nodded and hugged her.
"By the time we were in college I figured...that was it. I'd be okay. I wouldn't be alone. I still kind of felt a twinge of something once in a while. Like...curious jealousy sometimes, when I'd see a happy couple. I didn't know what to do with it." Riz sighed and tilted his head back to look up with a wry smile. "And you know how good I am at avoiding my feelings until they attack me."
Adaine smiled and reached up to cup his cheek.
"You're an expert at that."
Riz huffed and closed his eyes, rubbing his other cheek on her shoulder.
"And then," he said, "in the biggest stroke of luck anyone has ever had, I fell into you. You're...my counterweight. My safe harbor. My partner." He tightened his arms around her. "Everything else is just details."
Adaine's breath wavered in his hair and she sniffled as she hugged him closer.
"Riz, I think...I do want to get married. In general, the answer is still no, but to you, specifically? Yes. The answer is yes. I want to."
"Holy shit," he gasped, feeling his heart race.
"Will you?" she asked softly.
"Yes?" he laughed. "Holy shit? Yes, I want to. Why am I—" he laughed again and sat up, scooting back. She sat as well, facing him and shaking her hair out of its wrap while she laughed with him.
"I might be a little hysterical right now," Riz said, laughing again, then swallowing hard. "I kind of can't believe this."
"So there are a few problems," Adaine said, grinning widely.
"We can handle them," he said, shrugging.
"We both hate being the center of attention, but if we don't let them throw a big party about this we'll never hear the end of it."
"Oh hell, that's true. I think Fabian is probably already looking up, like...ribbon colors? And...caterers? Whatever people do for weddings."
Adaine laughed while removing the cotton balls from between her toes. She tossed them onto the table with a smile.
"That sounds about right."
"We've got to figure out...how, then," he said. "Even if we want it to be small, we know a lot of people who will want to be there."
"Yeah," she nodded with a deep breath. "We can do that."
"We can. I have the urge to start planning logistics right now, but I am firmly stomping on it," Riz said, smiling at her stupidly. "Because I know it would drive you batshit. So just know that I'm suffering right now. For you."
Adaine kissed his cheek.
"You really do want to," she laughed, delighted.
"I am so surprised by how much I suddenly really do want to marry you," he said, nodding.
"It's not sudden at all, actually," Adaine said, smiling, softer now that the initial giddy shock was fading.
"Yeah, I guess not," he allowed, feeling a small happy flush spread over his cheeks.
She shook her head and picked up her abandoned wine glass, draining it and picking up the rest of her dishes.
"I can't believe we're actually getting married."
"I know!" he laughed, following her. He grabbed the step stool with his mage hand and scooted his sleeves up firmly. "Here, let me wash those. I have to do something with all this nervous energy."
Adaine squeezed his shoulders.
"Tea?" she offered.
"Sure. I. It feels unreal that we can just do this."
"I know what you mean," she chuckled, squeezing in next to him to fill the kettle.
"You know Aelwyn is going to cry when you tell her, so I shouldn't be there."
"Oh my god. We're going to have to tell everyone."
"I mean, we technically don't? We can just go down to city hall and never say anything to them. Then my mom would eventually stumble on the record somehow, because of course she would, and then she'd tell Jawbone, and...yeah okay we have to tell everyone."
"It's the path of least resistance."
Riz hummed and nodded, drying his hands and putting away the stool. He leaned against the counter with a sigh and crossed his arms.
"I wish my dad could be there," he said.
"I know."
Adaine hugged him and rubbed her cheek on the top of his head.
"Mom's going to cry, too."
"So will Jawbone."
"Oh he's gonna be the worst, for sure," Riz laughed. "Well, he's going to cry the most. Fabian is going to be the worst."
"What's—okay so walk me through what happened, actually," she said, turning to their cups.
"I mean, you covered it: I'm an idiot." He hopped up to sit on the counter. Adaine rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrows.
"Alright," he conceded. "Um, we were just chatting and Fabian kept asking when we were getting married, and why we hadn't, and I said we didn't need to because we got our paperwork all squared away. He went on and on about declarations of devotion and celebrations of love." Riz gestured and rolled his eyes. "Gorgug tried to get him to shut up but you know how he his."
"I do," she sighed, handing over his cup.
"So after trying to convince him that you didn't want to, I called you to prove it to him. I expected it to go something like: hey Adaine you wanna get married? Ew no. Cool, love you, bye! And then I'd rub Fabian's nose in it."
"My agreement threw a pretty big wrench into your plans, then," she chuckled, following him back to the couch.
"It did!" he complained, grinning at her as he curled up at the end. Adaine put down her tea and tossed a cushion over, then lay down with her head next to him. Riz delicately combed through her hair with his claws. She smiled and closed her eyes.
"Can you forgive me for making you lose the argument?"
"I could probably be persuaded. Eventually."
She turned out the light with her mage hand and grabbed the TV remote.
"We've got a few new episodes of How It's Crafted recorded, if you're interested."
"You're the perfect woman," Riz gasped as she started the show.
She laughed and rubbed her head against his leg and he settled back with a happy sigh, sipping his tea and playing with her hair.