I Think I Wanna Marry You
Alex walked through the front door at 6 o'clock just like always, office bag weighing down one shoulder and regular lethargy weighing down the other. The gentle aroma of home cooked dinner told him of his boyfriend's presence just as the squeaking hinges alerting the other of his.
"Welcome home min kaere!" Alex wandered into the lounge from where he could see Matthias busy in the kitchen, gliding between simmering a well garnished steak at the stove and portioning out sautéed potatoes with restaurant standard style onto a pair of plates. "I got home early and I picked up some steak from the supermarket so I thought I'd see what I could make out of it for a treat tonight." He moved onto serving up the meat, dashing garnishes and herbs on in a well practiced flurry.
Alex hadn't eaten since midday and even if he had he bet his stomach would still be growling at the smell of the meal Matthias had whipped up. He moved to the cupboard to retrieve their placemats and lay them out on the counter but the Dane kicked the door closed without even looking up. "Already did that. The sun's great tonight so we're eating outside." Matthias grinned at him and Alex could only think he was far too enthusiastic about his work to be normal. But the sun soaked deck did look inviting. "Grab the plates would ya and I'll just clean up a bit," he was instructed and did so without complaint. He had barely set the dishes on the outside table (that breeze felt nice) when he felt arms coiling around his thin waist.
"How's my lille Aleksander today?" he asked, voice dropping lower as he dipped his head down to nuzzle the smaller man's neck. Alex inhaled slowly through his nose, feeling the barely there stubble tickle his collar bone for a moment before he answer.
"Hungry." Matthias laughed, giving him a quick squeeze around the middle before releasing him.
"Then let's eat, love." The pair took their seats and happily dug in to the meal before them. Matthias ate heartily, giving testimony to his own cooking by how fast he inhaled the food, while Alex took it much slower. Not 'picking at it', as he reminded the Dane, simply enjoying the taste at a much slower pace. It wasn't long until Matthias was half done and took the chance to fill the warm air with chatter. It was how they always talked over dinner; Matthias was the one who told most of the stories of the various customers that would come and go through the restaurant he worked at with Alex chiming in comments at whenever the need arose. He had substantially less tales from the work place to tell unless someone in the office had mucked up particularly horribly.
"And you'll never guess what we had come in today," Matthias said with an excited grin. Alex stared, a chunk of steak hanging off his fork as he waited for an answer. "Guess," he was prompted.
"Well I'll obviously never get it, as you say, and since you seem so bursting to tell me I'd better let you before you explode," Alex drawled, purposefully dragging out his sentence.
"It was a wedding reception! No one bothered to tell me before hand, of course, but I sure as hell didn't have the time to complain with all the running around I had to do. I was a waiter today though, so that wasn't so bad. I pity all the shmucks in the kitchen. Being waiter for that many happy people drinking wine by the case is great fun really. Couple of hot bridesmaids in the mix too," he couldn't help but comment. "That best man wasn't hard on the eyes either."
"So more flirting on the job than usual?" Alex asked dryly.
"Yeah, but you know if I ever cheated I'd be imagining it was you," he cooed, smiling wide. To another couple, the comment would've been at least a little bit worrying but Alex knew Matthias was too doggedly loyal to do anything of the like; he built up that trust through the years of their relationship.
"You know that basically defeats the purpose of cheating?"
"Yeah, and you that is why I would never." Alex sunk back into is chair, plate nearing on empty now, and sipped the glass of wine laid out for him. Matthias took a moment to drink from his own beer, both looking lazily off to the setting sun in a brief, calm silence. "The whole place had a happy feeling today." Alex glanced at him to see the dopey smile he already knew was spread across his lips.
"I think all the cheese that place serves has gone to your head." Matthias just laughed it off again.
"That's silly; my hair's always been this blonde." Alex rolled his eyes, ignoring the obvious joke opportunity. "I'm gonna marry you some day." While he didn't choke on his wine and spill it down his front, Alex certainly had to take a moment to recompose himself after that sudden declaration. "Hehe, has all that wine gone to your cheeks?"
"Shut it," Alex mumbled, trying to coolly ignore his flushed cheeks. Seeing his boyfriend's dopey smile, he had to ask to be certain. "Was that a proposal or just you being goofy?"
"What, no! I wasn't proposing!" The Norwegian stared blankly, no longer surprised by his rapidly changing moods but still wanting an explanation. "I mean, yeah I wanna, but you have to propose properly or it's not right. You can't just ask, you have to have a ring and do the whole one knee thing and it needs to be romantic," he rambled. "You know what I mean?"
"So you want a traditional proposal?" Matthias nodded, grinning.
"Yeah, and the bride is swept off her feet and everything is awesome, ya know?" Alex nodded absently, but sent him a sharp look.
"I am not being called the wife," he stated, deadpan. "I refuse."
"Whatever," Matthias grinned, standing to clear away their plates that were both now empty. "You can be the husband; they have to do all the boring stuff anyway like taxes and office jobs. I'll just stay home and cook pastries all day~"
A fair few choice lines about women and kitchens came to mind, but instead Alex simply asked "do you set yourself up for these jokes on purpose or are you truly an idiot?"
"Jokes?"
"I thought so."
Life went on like normal for the pair, dancing between irregular restaurant shifts and monotonous office hours, and neither of them made it a point to mention the conversation again. Alex sauntered through their front door again the same time next week, though instead finding Matthias on the couch watching the news uninterestedly. He hopped up when as soon as Alex wandered over.
"Not making dinner?" Alex asked, moments before a quick 'welcome home' kiss was pressed on his lips.
"Nothing inspiring in our fridge; I just got home and sat down then didn't get up again," he laughed. Alex rolled his eyes and stripped off his jacket, hanging it over the couch.
"Well if you're not doing anything, I think a walk would be nice before it gets dark." Matthias looked up at him questioningly.
"You just got home, aren't you tired?" Alex scoffed.
"Yes Matthias. I've spent eight hours sitting behind a desk and another pressing down on my accelerator and brake pedals. I'm really not sure how much more my legs can take." Matthias continued to smile with a vacant expression. "Get your shoes on; I'm going to get changed."
"Ok!" he chimed, moving off the couch to the door. Alex looked exasperated, but ten minutes later he was the one who entwined their fingers as they walked down the street.
The beach Alex led them to was nearly empty of other people when they got to it (Alex thanked God for that; public displays of affection even as small as hand holding never failed to fluster him) but the beautiful setting was something that shouldn't have been missed. The sun was low in the sky, illuminating the water and sand with an orange hue, and the sand beneath their (now bare) feet was soft and cool. A breeze flicked the grains against their ankle, stinging only slightly, and brushed back their hair. Alex couldn't have asked for a better night to have chosen.
"It's really romantic here around this time of day," Matthias commented as he watched the ocean before turning to smile at the smaller man practically hugging his arm in a rare show of fondness.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, it's like a romantic comedy film or something."
"Good." The Dane looked down at him, slightly confused. His boyfriend was wearing an odd expression, though only slightly different from the norm. Slowly he pulled away, walking around in front and slowly dropping his hand and reaching into his coat pocket. "I brought you here to say something." Matthias adopted his confused expression again, eyes growing almost comically wider as the other kneeled down on one knee, an open ring in hand. "Matthias Køhler, will you marry me?"
Matthias' heart stopped, while Alex could still hear his pounding against his ribs. He honestly didn't know what answer to expect or how long he could hold his expression (strong faced with what he hoped he could call a small smile). He didn't have to for long, since Matthias tackle hugged him with mighty force. "Ma-Matth-"
"Yes! Ja, ja, a million times yes Aleksander," he chanted into Alex's shoulder, arms squeezing nearly too tight. His sudden mood was instantly infectious, Alex found, feeling his heart become more elated by the moment. He (almost) reluctantly pushed him off and held him back, both now on their knees in the golden sand.
"I haven't even put the ring on yet," he muttered, removing the gold band from its box and taking his boyfr- fiancée's hand. He slipped the ring on and brushed his lips over each knuckle, just to see the reaction. Matthias had to widest smile he had ever seen on his face and glistening blue eyes.
"Are you crying?" His breath hitched when he inhaled.
"No-"
"Don't rub your eyes, you'll get sand in them idiot." Matthias swooped in to steal a kiss, holding their hands together, and without complaint Alex kisses back. They ended up on their backs, side by side, listening to the shoreline until the sun had completely disappeared from the sky. There was going to be sand in their hair, sand in their clothes, sand in places it shouldn't have been able to reach, but neither of them cared at that moment. Both felt far too happy to just lie where they were with those smiles on their faces.
(In the weeks to come, Alex would see him sometimes just staring at the ring with the sappiest expression; out of sight, Alex would smile too.)
A/N Because we were studying wedding dresses in sewing class and that made me want a fic with Nor being to one to propose and I was listening to "Marry You" over and over and then Tumblr started telling me to finish this. Enjoy, and R&R please!