[FIN] Coming of Age

[Suudonym]

He spoke quietly, but the snowfall silenced the world around them to amplify his voice, if only slightly, "I've been thinking, for this whole… however long its been." He shook his head; that detail wasn't important. "I was thinking about Father and what his motivations are, and about Nicolette and what I could possibly say to her, and somewhere along the way I thought up so many things I wanted to tell you - though you probably already know most of it." She was usually quite perceptive about these kinds of things, after all. He raised inquisitive green eyes do her, "Will you listen?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

It has been a while, she was starting to wonder if he had been out here the whole time in the snow.
She was more focused on his words then how increasingly cold it was. so as finished with a question, she looked back to meet his gaze and replied with a single nod, "Yeah, I'll listen."  

[Suudonym]

"There was a time, not all that long ago, when I thought for sure that I had reached the end of everything," he said, the warmth of the words dissolving in the winter air. "It was the lowest I've ever been in my life. Just dragging myself out of bed felt like a waste of effort, and I gave up so many times that trying stopped meaning much of anything." He shook his head slightly. "In the middle of all of that, at the very bottom of everything I've ever felt, you took the hand that I didn't even bother reaching out with, and you promised that someday it would be okay." There was a smile in his features, a bittersweet nostalgia, "I thought you were insane, but it was a lifeline, so I put my trust in that promise."

He linked his hands at his waist, his eyes on the cold-reddened fingertips. "I can't begin to tell you how much you've done for me and what it all meant to me. When I think back on everything that's happened, I'm just amazed that you're standing here now; I can't even begin to imagine what you saw in me, through all of that mess, that made you want to stay at my side. Not just since my brother died, but even before that. When I was so sick I feared for my life, when Mother passed away, when Mieu was lost, when I lost all sense of identity - I think that was the first time I was ever really aware of it, of really wanting you to be happy, though it was more of a feeling than a thought."

He shook his head, offering a correction, "I say I want you to be happy, but that's only half true - because I want to make you happy. I want to devote everything to your happiness, because you never stopped as long as I couldn't find my own. I want to take this life that you saved so many times and I want to share it with you. There aren't enough words in any language for me to tell you how much I love you. I could take every moment of every day and never have enough time to show you. The more impossible it feels, the more I want you to know. I want to marry you. I want to know if you want to marry me."  

[Blood_Goddess]

The frozen silence around them carried every single one of his words easily and with perfect clarity. As he continued to talk, Rosie did as she said she said she would and listened, having no reason to interject her thoughts, and no real opening to seeing as most of what he said kept her hanging onto his words.

Suddenly, and all at once, it wasn't nearly as cold outside anymore, 'I want to make you happy' sent an internal shiver up her spine, that seemed to spread warmth through her body, blue eyes widening for a moment.

There had never been a time in her life when she understood just how strong the feeling of love toward a person were, until she met Luke, and for as much as Luke was saying he couldn't express how much he loved her, there was no doubt in Rosie's heart that told her that she knew, without having him to use words- that somehow she understood.
She let out a shaky gasp, blinking tears from her eyes and brought a shaking hand up to her mouth, the other closing tightly at her chest.

And then he said it.
'I want to marry you.'
Rosie wasn't even aware that she had stopped breathing.
'I want to know if you want to marry me.'

For a moment Rosie just stood in the silence of the snow, cheeks rosy, lips parted slightly that only added to the stun and awe, a thin collection of snow flakes collecting on her hair.
"M Marry you?" she managed to ask after a moment, clarifying to herself that she had indeed heard herself.
And just like that her words left her, despite how badly she wanted to speak.
She was caught off guard by that and it was hard not to think that maybe she misheard him.
But really, she didn't know how much more clear he could have been, and his question to her still waited on an answer.

Again a shaking hand moved from her chest to her mouth then back down to clasp them together. having every intention of replying to him after her shock had passed, but having no means of speaking at the moment.
So she did the first thing she could think of to relay any kind of response to him in the meantime.
she fell still for a moment, then taking a shaky step toward him, reaching a hand up to place it on his chest she closed the distance that was separating herself and the man she loved, to kiss him.  

[Suudonym]

Whether his face was flushed from the cold of the weather or the heat of his words was an unsolvable mystery, and in the silence that followed, broken momentarily by her voice repeating the essence of his question, his thoughts buzzed with a billion regrets. How many reasons did she have to turn him down? He was still ignorant about so much basic knowledge, the situation with his family was strange and stressful, she disliked his tendency to knowingly put himself into dangerous situations, she disliked his tendency to blame himself for everything that went wrong, and the heavy emotions he often carried in his heart only saddened her. And now, almost impulsively, he had bound her to this decision that had every potential to end their relationship as cold as the snow on the ground.

But instead he was met with wordless warmth, a familiar and tender closeness to which he responded reflexively, a hand raising to cover the one that reached towards him.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Oh god she hoped this was answering his question as loudly as she wanted to answer it. She felt him returning the affection, his hand now on hers and she just melted into the moment.
pulling back enough with a slight gasp and a gentle sob Rosie buried her head into his shoulder, wrapping her other arm around him
"Yes-" She said through now very obvious tears "Yes I want to marry you. I always want you in my life, I always want to make you happy, and I want to be happy with you- by you"  

[Suudonym]

For one sharp moment he was light-headed with anxiety, though it quickly flooded away from him at her response, and he returned her warm embrace enthusiastically. "Arceus," he said, almost laughing through the unintended shakiness in his voice, "say that before you start crying."  

[Blood_Goddess]

A laugh escaped one of her sobs, she pulled back from his shoulder, returning a hand to her face. "I'm sorry." she spoke again through uneven breathing "I can't stop it when it just happens."  

[Suudonym]

He shook his head, lifting his hand to brush her hair from her face, "I know, I know." Adrenaline ebbed away from him, leaving in its wake a quiet elation paired with an appropriate amount of disbelief. "I think I have to take back the 'worst birthday ever' label," he realized.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Another gleeful laugh broke through her crying, helping to start ebbing away her tears as she tried to keep them off of her cheeks.
She paused to think about what he had just said again and a giggled with a little more excitement, lifting her gaze to look at Luke
"Oh- that makes me happy," she said with a gentle smile to him, pausing for a moment before she smiled brighter "This means we're engaged... doesn't it."  

[Suudonym]

"Assuming this is actually happening, yes, I think so," he replied, looking mildly surprised by the idea.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Oh my gosh." she breathed, placing her fingers to her lips as she just stared in delighted awe for a couple of seconds.
After a moment, Rosie gave a slight shiver as more snowflakes sprinkled on her shoulders . "... Luke, Its really cold out here." She said with something like regret, becasue honestly she would love nothing more then to stay out here with him for the rest of the party if she could.  

[Suudonym]

He drew her close again, resting his head beside hers, silently lamenting the idea of going back inside. "I guess this doesn't do but so much good, huh," he surrendered. The power of hugs couldn't conquer below freezing temperatures and snowfall forever. "Here," he took her hand to lead her back into the heated parlor, "I'll track down some towels."  

[Blood_Goddess]

She settled against him, closing her eyes for a moment as she just enjoyed being in his arms. Sadly this kind of weather in this kind of dress, Luke was right, even if she didn't want to admit it.

She followed him back inside, rubbing her hand over her arms once they were back in heat, right now it wasn't doing much good, but it would once the cold clinging to her ebbed away. the clinging snow wasn't helping. "Alright." she replied to his comment to search for towels.  

[Suudonym]

Luke returned before long, unfolding a towel that he wrapped around her like a cloak and pressing a small, warm pouch into her hands. "There were hand warmers," he said, "so I grabbed one. Tea or something would probably be better, but the kitchen is probably busy…"