Gray knew he would win. It was simply a matter of who was better at blacksmithing; and, of course, Gray dedicated his whole being to this trade. There were no hard feelings when he won. And when he had finally had his victory, perhaps a proposal wasn't far off.

Or so he thought.

A scowl was etched into his face as he watched Claire, his opponent, hammer effortlessly at the steel rod. His own steel rod at his workplace didn't look nearly as well curved as her did, glancing back at his own progress glumly. Yes, physical strength was quite a large factor in blacksmithing, and a woman having the same, or even more, muscle than he did was a big blow to his masculinity.

"How's yours coming along, Gray?" Claire inquired cheerfully. Gray narrowed his eyes and deepened his scowl. Naturally, Claire had nearly no idea that this was a contest. He had only asked her to if she wanted to blacksmith with him, anyways, as a part of his little scheme. He didn't really expect her to accept, though.

But, as usual, it had turned into a little competition for him.

In fact, she never knew about the internal battle he always had with her, struggling to win at almost everything they did. Horse racing, mining, cattle wrangling, the works. She would repeatedly outdo him. A scar still adorned his jaw from the cattle wrangling. Cows turned out to be much more fierce than he expected.

Yet they were lovers, and he treasured her deeply. Not quite dating, not quite married, but together. But today, Gray was about to change that.

"I'm fine," he muttered in response. Claire smiled at him sheepishly, brushing her long blond hair out of her face to bring down her hammer for another perfect job.

He had planned to blacksmith a flawless ring to propose with after their little bout. But once again, Gray underestimated Claire's uncanny ability to excel at everything she did.

What Gray certainly didn't expect was his grandfather, Saibara, to observe their handiwork. His small eyes peered over his shoulder to watch him work, which only made him a nervous wreck.

"Put more umph into it, Gray!" The old man bellowed in his ear over the roaring flames. Gray grumbled, hammering again with a little more umph. Claire giggled from her corner while her makeshift ring only looked nicer by the second. How someone who milked cows and threw chickens could be such a natural at blacksmithing, Gray would never know.

"This is pathetic," Gramps Saibara frowned. "All these years I've trained you, and all you can muster is a bent scrap of metal?" Gray glared at his gramps.

"I don't need your criticism right now," he growled. Saibara sniffed and turned his back, exiting the room with a pompous snort.

"I think it looks good," Claire commented solemnly. "If that means anything." He knew she meant it, and she was trying her best to cheer him up. But Gray didn't exactly fancy sympathy.

He also didn't fancy proposing to Claire with a god awful ring.

Gray started to pound furiously at the steel with all his strength. He found the determination to win this little bet with himself. For a bride that deserved the best, making the prettiest ring in the world was the least he could do.

Claire noticed the concentrated look that she loved come over Gray's face, and she grinned, leaning back in her little chair. "Do you remember?" she said. "You took me to the mines on our ridiculous first date to look for ore. I was furious and refused to speak to you for a week." She chuckled as she recounted their memories. "Eventually, after a week, I thought you didn't care anymore. But you showed up at my doorstep with flowers. I thought that was so sweet," Claire mused. The legs of her chair floated in the air as she leaned back.

Gray grunted in response, too focused on his work to give her a proper answer. Claire didn't mind, already used to his little moods and found them to be intriguing.

She scooted her chair a little closer to his until she could feel his body heat, cherishing the little time they had together. Too often were they busy to be with eachother. "And the cattle wrangling," Claire snickered good naturedly. "That was too fun. You still have a scar, don't you?" She reached up to slowly trace the faint mark on his jawline. She drew back and giggled. "I still have nightmares."

If Gray had the attention to spare at the moment, he would have retorted to her previous statement of cow wrangling of being "fun". And if he had any attention to spare after that, his heart would have pounded furiously when she outlined his little wound. And if his hands were free in that instance, he would have certainly batted away her hands and blush indignantly.

Not that he had the time for any of that. His meager steel slab had so far transformed into a much more rounded coil, a surprising result from his furious hammering. He lifted the metal circlet into the air, quietly admiring it. The ring was smooth and had a luscious shine to it. It may well have been one of his greatest works.

Claire whistled softly. "That's a heck of a lot better than what I made." She laid her head on his shoulder, his overalls caked in grime mixed with sweat. Not that she cared. The same grit covered her own clothing, which was, admittedly, nothing close to designer.

Gray's head spinned with a manly sort of pride he couldn't explain (who can explain men anyways?). "It's pretty good, isn't it?" he exclaimed, taking a quick glance at Claire's slightly messily made steel ring. At that, he came to a realization that a proposal was imminent. After all, he had done what he had promised himself.

"Claire?"

"Mmm?"

"I have a question." Gray nervously twirled the ring between his fingers. Here it was. Gray gently lifted Claire's head off his shoulders, noticing the confused look in her eyes. He got down on one knee in the traditional fashion.

Gray presented the ring in his palm, looking up to Claire. "We've been together for a long time; maybe too long. I love being with you. You make me smile and experience things I would never have been able to without you. You might even bring a little fun, competitive aspect into my life." Claire's eyes narrowed, as though trying to deduce the meaning behind his words. A faint blush spread across her cheeks at the same time.

"I can't quite imagine you in the arms of any other man, so I suppose I'll ask you this."

"Will you marry me?"

A mixed blur of expressions crossed her face all at once. Astonishment, bewilderment, disbelief, and finally realization. She covered her gaping mouth with her hands and tears came to her eyes.

"Of course I will!" she gasped, flinging her arms around his neck. Gray stumbled from the impact, almost dropping the oh-so-precious ring. He could hear her sobs of joy dampening his overalls. Gray chuckled and held her in his arms in relief, happiness, in every amazing emotion a human being could have.

"This is amazing," Claire said as she wiped her eyes dischevely. "I had always thought, with the backbone that you don't have, I had to be the one to propose to you, silly," she said, punching his arm playfully.

"You could say I needed a little confidence boost," Gray replied, recounting his recent little competitive experience with Claire.

"Wait 'till Saibara hears about this!" Claire exclaimed. Gray smiled dryly. No doubt would Saibara complain to Claire that he was a weak little sissy who didn't deserve marriage this early in his life.

Gray pulled her cheek teasingly. "Only on one condition."

"What is it?"

"You never take me cattle wrangling again.