Best Laid Plans
Word Count: 7,025
Rating: K+/PG, I think
Warnings: None (just references to what's in canon)
Summary: Kent has been planning this for a year, but he didn't plan on getting sick. Set in the same Detective AU as Things Lost in the Fire.
Author's Note: So I may have mentioned that I wanted to do a side story after my detective AU. And I did, because a while back I said that I could see a headcanon from someone else working in that universe.
That's what this is. I should do a lot of the in between stuff, and will if I end up doing sequels, but for now, this helps with the how unable I was to let these characters go. (Which I'm still not, if people gave me half a reason to write for them again, I would.)
The headcanon will be in the end notes with a link back to the original tumblr post, so as to avoid a bit of spoilers for the fic.
Best Laid Plans
"Are you sure you don't want to head out now?" Ikki asked, eying Ken across the table. He hadn't moved from that spot since they got back, and no amount of paperwork was worth that much concentration, even if they'd just wrapped up another difficult case. "You have big plans for tomorrow, and you look a little worn down."
"I am no more fatigued than any of the rest of you. This case took its toll on everyone, including Waka," Ken said, not looking up from his tablet. "You can stop staring, Ikkyu. I am fine. I did not have any incidents as you are well aware."
"Yeah, actually, that's got everyone worried," Toma said, not even bothering to hide the fact that he wasn't doing his paperwork. Ikki knew Ken was the only one making the attempt. The rest of them were too raw to do it. "Even Shin, while he's trying to deny it. You sure you're okay? Because... that was another nightmare of a case, and while it's good that you and Waka can stay calm during them... it's kind of creepy as well."
"It should have set you off at least once," Shin said. He hadn't ever tried to sit down, too agitated to stay still, his own reaction to things obvious to those who knew him well, which was everyone in this room. "You being numb to it is weird."
"I'm fine. You all hover like over anxious—" Ken broke off and started coughing, setting down his tablet and sighing.
"Oh, now I see," Ikki said, wincing as he realized what this meant. "You're sick, aren't you? You caught that bug that took out half of Orion's school and Kokoa's, didn't you?"
"I am fine," Ken repeated, reaching for his water glass. He took a sip and then another before speaking again. "My throat is just dry. I did do a lot of talking today."
"That's true." Toma turned his head and studied Ken for a long moment. "Where did you get the idea to stall that guy with a speech like that, anyway?"
"Fillabusters are quite famous in movies," Ikki said, thinking of the Hollywood classic he'd been forced to emulate as a child star. "I did one, once, for that show where my character was on trial for crimes against the intergalactic empire of Rika. Mr. Ikki Goes to Clubington. You were my tutor back then, right, Ken? Didn't you have a few choice words to say on the accuracy of the episode?"
"As I recall, I found logical faults with all the episodes of that television show, and I did speak on them at length, but I don't recall that one specifically," Ken said, rubbing his head like it hurt. "None of them were particularly well-written."
"They did get a little better when my parents hired you to be my tutor and you started telling them how dumb they were." Ikki smiled fondly at the memory. His friendship with Ken was still the only good part of that childhood he'd endured. "Wait. Are you avoiding going home because you think she'll figure out what you've got planned tomorrow if you spend the evening with her?"
Ken shook his head. "Even with your constant teasing, her brother assures me she has no idea of these intentions. Even the loud ones had something to say about how I am 'dragging my feet' and 'it might never happen,' to which she apparently responds that she's fine with the way things are at present."
Shin snorted, getting a frown from Ken. "Sure she is."
"Don't start, Shin. You'll make him think he's done something wrong, which isn't true." Ukyo turned to Ken. "Kokoa's very happy. I can prove it with my photographs."
"Yeah, but after a certain point, all women start thinking marriage." Toma leaned back in his seat like an expert preparing for a lecture, though if anyone was an expert on women in this room, it was not Toma. "You've been together a long time, but you've never asked her or discussed it. That's got to make her nervous."
"She was studying to get her degree, one she had previously put on hold to raise her brother. I could not put her in a position where she might think of abandoning her studies again."
"Ah, Ken really is a romantic."
Ken glared at him. "You may have escaped everyone's prying into this part of the matter by eloping, but I will do this properly and without your interference."
"Yes, we know. You've only been planning it for years, and you've got Orion helping you with all the details and running interference so she has no idea what you're up to." Ikki had to smile at that. He knew how meticulous the plan Ken had made was. It would be perfect, had to be, because it was Ken. The day was all mapped out and ready to execute, and Ken would do his best to make it happen according to that plan. He had Orion on board with it and the rest of them, who'd be doing their part in the afternoon for the party.
"You should go home," Waka informed him from the doorway. "The paperwork will wait. The only one in a position to demand it is me, and you all know how I feel about paperwork."
"Hey, does that mean we never have to do it again?"
Waka gave Toma a dark look, and he shrugged. "It was worth a shot, right?"
Orion walked into the kitchen, his yawn at being up this early turning into a frown. He knew Kent had planned on being up early to make breakfast for everyone—try as she might, Neesan had never managed to make omelets as good as Kent's, and they were still just about everyone's favorite of the food he could make, so that was their planned breakfast. That wasn't too special, Neesan wouldn't suspect anything on that matter alone, and that was part of Kent's genius plan.
Only... Kent was not in the kitchen, and no one had made any breakfast at all.
That didn't seem right. Had Kent's alarm not gone off? He should be up and cooking by now. He'd even made a point of making sure that Neesan was asleep on her own last night so that he wouldn't wake her up, so why wasn't he up? Was his big plan going to be spoiled by a forgotten alarm? Was that it? That would be really bad, and Kent had worked hard on this. They both had.
Orion wanted his sister to be happy, and he knew that she loved Kent. She did, so much, and that had only grown since the two of them got together. They were almost inseparable, and Ukyo was constantly taking pictures of them because their love was "just so beautiful." Orion didn't know about that, but he did think Neesan and Kent were happier together than some of his friends' parents even if they weren't something out of a manga where there was a lot of kissing or huge gestures of affection. Kent and Neesan were quieter about things, which was fine by Orion because a bunch of kissing would have been gross to watch.
He sometimes didn't like seeing Neesan snuggling up to Kent the way she did, and while she had an affection for wearing Kent's shirts and laughed every time they matched by accident, Orion didn't think it was that funny. Having his sister date someone after all those years as just the two of them was really weird, even if Kent was a good guy.
A strange guy, but a good one, and Orion liked him. After all this time, he couldn't see Neesan with anyone else, even if she probably could have had her choice of anyone on the task force or even Waka, who had a soft spot for her.
Orion shook that off. He knew what Kent was supposed to be doing, and he wasn't here. He left the kitchen and took the spiral stairs down to the basement floor Kent still preferred. He poked his head into the lab first, a bit concerned when he didn't see Kent there.
Was he really still asleep? After all that time planning today?
Orion crossed the hall and opened Kent's door, peering in. "Kent?"
"Orion?" Neesan asked, only half-awake. "What are you doing? Go back to bed. It's not time to be up yet, and you don't have school today."
"I know that," he said. That was part of the reason they'd settled on today for the whole works. That, and Kent said it had significance for the two of them, though Orion doubted Neesan remembered what it was when Kent explained it to him. "I just... I was hungry and thinking omelets."
"Oh, Kent's omelets would be delicious, but..." Neesan shook her head, reaching over to brush her fingers through Kent's hair. He didn't stir. "He had such a bad case yesterday. I don't think we should push him today."
"Did he have nightmares again last night?"
"Orion, that's private—"
"It's not like I don't know that he does have them, since that's part of why you two started sharing a bed a long time ago, and I've also seen some of those really bad flashbacks he had," Orion reminded her. "I know Kent has PTSD, even if he's better now than he was when I first met him."
She sighed. "Yes, but that doesn't mean he wants us talking about it. That's rude."
"But it was a bad case, and I can fill in the blanks." Orion knew it must have been bad, and Kent had probably been up for most of the night even if Neesan was with him to help him stay calmer.
"I know my omelets are not Kent's, but you know what? Let's go make some for him, okay? When we work together, they're almost as good as his."
Orion shook his head. He didn't know what it was about the way Kent did it because he'd showed them so many times, but the omelets still didn't taste the same if one of them made them.
Kokoa slipped on one of Kent's shirts and tugged it down to her knees. She actually thought he'd taken to ordering them longer because she did this, but she hadn't ever asked him about it. She liked that he thought of her in small ways like that, even if maybe he was doing it out of jealousy and not wanting his friends to see her leggings under his shirts.
She shrugged, going back to give Kent's forehead a quick kiss before she went upstairs to cook. He seemed a little warm, but then he'd gotten tangled up in most of the blankets again. They tended to end up on him over the course of the night, but she usually used him to stay warm and it was fine. Unless his dreams were bad, he would hold her through it and keep her plenty comfortable.
The nightmares were bad, though, and she'd actually figured he'd get up and work through the night in his lab. She wasn't sure why he hadn't, but she'd let him rest now.
She headed up the stairs to the kitchen, finding Orion already there and halfway through the prep work needed for the omelets. She smiled at him as she went to join him, ruffling his hair and giving him a hug. He stuck out his tongue at her, not as willing to put up with that now that he was older and getting so big. He was going to be so much taller than her when he was done growing.
"We're here," a voice called out to them, and she looked back just in time to see Shin coming into the kitchen, though he hadn't been the one to say anything.
Ukyo was next, and she almost ducked behind Orion to avoid the camera. She didn't need another picture of her before she was ready to have visitors, and she definitely hadn't been expecting anyone this morning.
"What are you doing here?"
"You didn't actually think we'd miss celebrating your degree with you, did you? I know I was only able to photograph a little bit of the ceremony, and we couldn't have a party afterward because we had a case, but we still wanted to cheer you on."
"We brought goodies," Mine cried as she came in, holding up two bags loaded with tissue paper and who knew what else, big enough to scare Kokoa. What was all this? "And presents, right, Sawa?"
Sawa nodded, holding up another two bags of her own, and it looked like Ikki was loaded down with a third. This was crazy.
"I don't need all this." Kokoa looked at Orion, who seemed a bit overwhelmed as well. "It's... We already have everything we need and... Please tell me there isn't a giant stuffed Pikachu coming."
"Oh, now, you don't mean that," Ikki said. "What would a celebration be without a giant Pikachu?"
"This one's even thematic," Toma said, holding it out in front of him, and she blinked. At least it wasn't as big as the one they'd stuck in Waka's office, not from what she'd seen in pictures, but where had they managed to find one with a graduation hat?
"Wow," Orion said. "That's... both awesome and scary at the same time."
"No, that's what you say about our other guest." Ikki looked back at the door in time for Waka to enter. He gave the Pikachu a glance and—was that a smile?
Ukyo snapped a picture, so they'd be able to prove it later, she supposed, but this was still crazy. She hadn't expected them to go to all this trouble.
"You were at the ceremony, even if you had to leave. I didn't need a party."
"Of course you did," Mine said. "Well, some weirdos like Kent graduate with multiple degrees and go back for more, but most of us only get one. If we get one at all, which... some of us didn't, so all the more reason to celebrate."
Kent had been pretty sweet about that, offering to take some courses at the same time as her so that she wasn't the oldest person in her class, and she knew he'd added to the degrees he did have, but he hadn't let them make a fuss over his, so why was this happening to her?
"Wait, that's it." Ikki looked around with a frown. "Where is Ken? He should have been up and... there's no omelets, is there?"
"You guys," she said, not sure when everyone had gotten addicted to the way Kent made omelets and no longer comfortable attempting to make them. "Kent does make more than omelets."
"Yeah, and there should be a cake somewhere, but it's still brunch time, so I think we should stick with omelets." Toma frowned. "We were kind of expecting them, actually."
"You planned a whole surprise party?" Kokoa looked at Orion, who ducked his head. No wonder he'd been acting strange the last few weeks. Though... Kent had been in on it, too, and it wasn't like him to do that. He wasn't much of a liar, and she hadn't thought he would keep something from her, even if he was trying to surprise her.
"Well, Nhil was going to be in town for a bit, and he couldn't make the ceremony, but he wanted to do something nice for you and since everyone else got called away before we could have a real celebration, we all wanted to do something special." Orion smiled at her. "You like it, don't you?"
"Of course I do," she said, though it was overwhelming, too, to get this much attention. She pulled her brother close and gave him a big hug. "Though we're going to have a long talk about you keeping stuff from me again. Didn't we promise we weren't doing that anymore?"
"It's a surprise party, so how could I tell you?"
"You didn't even say that he was going to be in town," she said. She would like to see Nhil, but that still didn't change that Orion had kept things from her.
"He wasn't certain when he'd arrive or if he'd be able to come," Kent said. "Informing you seemed premature."
"Damn, Ken," Ikki said. "You look terrible. Were you in the lab all night again?"
Kent shook his head, still looking tired and miserable. Kokoa went over to his side, touching his arm first before wrapping her arms around him.
"You were going to make omelets," Shin said, and Kent sighed. He must have had a really rough night last night, worse than she'd known.
"For Kokoa. And Orion. Not for all of you."
Kokoa laughed. She kind of thought the team's addiction to Kent's omelets was cute, not that they saw it that way.
"Orion and I were going to make some for you instead, but then everyone showed up to surprise me and we didn't get any done."
"There are some frozen ones. I think."
"Well, we can make do, I suppose." Toma went to the freezer and opened it. "So like you to have a back up, even if you don't like to eat them reheated. Oh, well. More for the rest of us."
Kent sighed. She tugged him by the hand over to the table so he could sit down. He didn't have to cook today, not after the long night he'd had. She was not going to make him do anything today, even if they were supposedly here for her.
"Okay, since the food will be a minute, why don't you start by opening some presents?" Toma suggested, setting the containers out on the counter.
"In here?" Mine looked around doubtfully. "It's kind of cramped, and Ukyo will want pictures. And we brought decorations, too. Oh, this would have been so much easier if we weren't having the party at her house."
"Yeah, but Kent has the space for the party unlike everyone else."
"Except Ikki. His place is big."
"Not as big." Ikki frowned. "Why would you think my place would ever compare to Ken's? This is our home away from home as well as our office away from the office. Even after that, he has space."
"Come on," Sawa told Mine. "We can get the decorations ready while Toma's taking care of the food. Ikki, you're helping us, right?"
"Well, far be it from me to disappoint the ladies, but..." He stopped and looked at Kent. "Ken, you... you just overslept, right?"
"That is not like you," Waka observed. "If it is better that we are not present now—"
"If it is Kokoa's wish you remain, I am not going to object."
She frowned. "This isn't my decision alone. This is your house, and they are our friends—but your friends first with the exception of Sawa and Mine, so if you don't want company right now, you should say so. We can always have a party later if you don't feel up to it."
"I'm fine. I did not realize everyone was here, though, so I will return downstairs for a while before any true festivities start."
"Come on in," Ukyo said to Nhil as he opened the door. "You're just in time."
Nhil frowned a little, and Shin almost shoved Ukyo out of the way just so they could get the other man inside the house and finish the party already. Surprising Kokoa didn't seem to have gone over very well, and Kent had somehow forgotten everything he had planned, which made this awkwardness worse.
"Really," Ukyo went on assuring Nhil, "we just settled down in the other room so that she could open her presents. You can give that to her first."
Shin nodded, hoping Toma and Ikki would stay smart about this and not demand to keep their place in the order of things. He walked back in and took his position on the wall as Kokoa lifted up, of all damned things, his present.
She reached into the plain gift bag and pulled out the frame with a smile. Next to her, Orion frowned, noting down the gift in one of Kent's notebooks.
"A frame."
"It's for her degree so she can hang it if she wants." Shin saw everyone looking at him and shrugged. "What? You have a problem with what I got her?"
"No, it's very thoughtful."
"And practical," Kent added, though he hadn't even looked at it. His eyes were closed, and he had started to slump a little over the side of the couch.
"Do mine next," Mine said, excitedly pushing her gift at Kokoa, who took the huge bag from her with a bit of a frown. She clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is so exciting."
Kent grimaced. "Must you be so loud?"
"Oh, this is adorable," Kokoa said, taking out the dress and standing up to hold it against herself. "It's so cute, Mine."
"Girls always need new clothes," Mine said, elbowing Sawa, who frowned but held out her bag for Kokoa to take. "Oh, and don't forget all the special bath salts and stuff. You have a whole set to make you feel like a brand new woman when you get dressed. It's just a shame you don't have much of a man to put it on for."
"What?" Kokoa asked, frowning. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Mine checked the packages earlier and Kent's is apparently way too big to be a ring, so she's convinced he's never going to propose." Sawa grimaced and pushed her bag forward. "Just forget it, okay? Open mine now."
Kokoa passed the bath salts to Orion. "The one downside to this large family of ours is everyone sticking their nose in our business. I love Kent, Kent loves me, that's all that matters."
"Which is why we know way more than we should about your relationship." Shin shook his head. He didn't want to know, but somehow the conversations even at work would get on the subject, since Kent was the first to have a long term girlfriend, even if Ikki eloped and beat him to the altar.
"Not by any choice of mine." Kent rubbed his head. "Oh. Nhil. No one said you'd come in."
Damn, Shin thought, Kent really was sick. He'd never have missed the arrival of someone new, not between his PTSD and his awkwardness at social gatherings.
"Oh, I didn't want to interrupt the fun, but it's good to see you all again." Nhil lifted up a wrapped box and smiled. "I'm sorry I wasn't in the country for the ceremony."
"It's fine. Everyone's making too big of a deal about missing it." Kokoa took the box from him and untied the ribbon, opening it up and looking inside. "Oh. A fountain pen. It's beautiful, Nhil."
"Your mother had one like it." Nhil gave her a faint smile. "They'd have been so proud of you, both of them. I wish they'd been able to be here."
"Me, too." Kokoa wiped at her eye, and Kent gave her hand a small squeeze before she went back to opening Sawa's gift. Sawa had found her a hat and matching scarf with rose accents. "Oh! It's like the one I used to have."
"You looked so cute in those photos from before the fire," Sawa said. "So I thought if I could find one like that one, you'd like it."
"I love it," Kokoa said, tearing up a little again. "Thank you."
"Hmm. Not sure any of us is going to top that," Toma said, passing her another box. "but here, you can let big brother give it a try."
She shook her head. "Everything is wonderful. I wasn't expecting this much and—oh. These are beautiful, Toma."
He shrugged. "You're always losing your gloves, so it seemed like a good idea. I think they even match Sawa's scarf, though that wasn't planned."
"It's not hard when she likes roses," Orion said. He picked up a small bag and handed it to her. "My turn."
She ruffled his hair and pulled out a small box from inside the bag, opening it up to take out a necklace. The rose pendant was made of gold with a red stone in the center and green gemstones in the leaves. "Orion..."
"I saved some of the allowance I got from Nhil and Kent helped with the rest and picking it out. I'm so proud of you, Neesan. And it... it doesn't make up for what you had to give up to raise me, but I had to try."
"Oh, you. I told you I didn't regret any of that." She kissed his cheek, and he made a show of rubbing it off as she turned to do the same to Kent. "Thank you. Both of you."
Kent shook his head. "Orion knew what he wanted to get you. I just took him to the store and helped him make a budget to acquire it."
She didn't look like she believed him, but Shin wasn't surprised by that at all.
"I'm afraid after all this I've got very little to show for my gift," Ukyo said, holding out a photo album. "I did my best to try and find more of your parents, but for the most part, these are just ones since you became a part of our team."
She flushed. "I'm not. You're all detectives and experts. I'm just—"
"I would like to have an expert on human behavior with a degree in psychology to aid in their efforts. It is a place where we lack expertise," Waka said. He held out a small envelope to her. "And this, of course, is inadequate."
Kokoa was not the only one surprised to see Waka give her a gift. She reached into the envelope and took out the papers inside. "What... Waka, these are plane tickets."
"You will be able to make use of them, I'm sure. Everyone needs a vacation."
"And you can take my gift along with you," Ikki told her. Oh, hell, that was not good. Shin didn't think he wanted to know what was in that box. "And make sure Ken sees plenty of it when you're alone on that trip."
Her cheeks went red. "Ikki, tell me you didn't get me lingerie."
He just smirked in response, daring her to open the box in front of them, which Shin didn't think she would do. His smile fell when he looked over at Kent.
"Ken?"
"Ikkyu, if you tried to get me drunk again..."
"No, but I think it's about time you admitted you came down with that nasty flu thing and have a fever," Ikki told him. He shook his head. "I figured you did yesterday, but you just proved it. Come on. Time to put you back to bed."
"No. I haven't—there's too much to do and I had a whole evening planned and—"
"I don't need anything more—this was plenty and perfect," Kokoa said. She took the last package out and opened it with care, since Kent had been pretty precise when he wrapped it. She gave Kent a look, frowning. "I thought I said you didn't need to spend so much on me."
"You did, and you didn't want it for school, but now that you have finished, you can call it earned." Kent managed a weak smile for her. "I wanted you to have it. It's the best model, and it has more storage than Orion's."
She leaned over and gave his cheek another kiss. "Thank you. It's too much, but... thank you."
Kent just nodded, and she sighed, touching her hand to his forehead. She winced when she lowered it down again.
"Okay. You've all spoiled me rotten, but I think I'm going to have to be the one to do some spoiling myself, since Kent's sick."
"He's not going to be able to ask today, is he?" Orion asked, biting his lip with worry. Ukyo gave him a sad smile, knowing that it wasn't likely Kent would be able to propose to Kokoa as planned. Already the day had altered from that plan, since Kent woke late and hadn't been able to cook for her, and he wasn't going to make the reservations he'd made for dinner, either.
"Ask what?"
"Ken was planning on proposing today. He's been planning it for so long he should have had every variable accounted for... except, apparently, coming down with that flu bug that's going around."
"What?" Mine cried, looking at Sawa. "Kent was proposing today? No one said that."
Shin snorted. "Because everyone knows the two of you have big mouths. No one was going to tell you because you'd blow it and tell her everything."
"Oh. I thought he'd asked her a long time ago," Nhil said. "He really hasn't?"
"No, Kent wanted to wait until she'd gotten her degree," Orion said. He looked worried, and maybe that was because he'd helped Kent do a lot of the planning. "He was so set on today."
"Ah, you already see him as your big brother," Toma said, ruffling Orion's hair. "What's a little ring and ceremony?"
"A lot, to Ken," Ikki said. "It matters. Ken really wanted to have this perfect for her."
"Yeah, but it's Kent asking." Sawa shook her head. "All he has to do is ask, and it will be perfect for her. She just wants him. That should be clear by now."
Ikki sighed. "It should be, but this is Ken. He doesn't see it clearly."
"He would see it a failure on his part if the proposal were improperly handled," Waka said. "What was the rest of his plan besides dinner?"
"Um... he's taking her somewhere special to the two of them and asking her there," Orion said. "He was kind of vague about that part, but I think that's because he was sure if Ukyo knew where it was, he'd be there taking pictures and crying."
"Hey," Ukyo said, though he supposed he might cry, seeing the two of them take that step, though he was not the type to spy on anyone. "I would not... I just... I'd only take pictures if I happened to see them. I wouldn't stalk them for a photograph."
"There's not much we can do now," Ikki said, pacing a little. "It's not like we can do the asking for him or drag him out of bed. We're just going to have to wait and see what happens. I mean... if Ken's fever gets bad enough, he might need to go to the hospital."
"You're not actually planning on waiting around to see if Kent gets back up and tries for the proposal," Shin said, frowning. "What is wrong with you?"
"We are talking about the man who got his best friend's soon-to-be fiancee lingerie, so..."
"You all assumed it was lingerie," Ikki said. "You think I have no shame, I know that, but I'm quite happily married now. I'm not that big of a pervert."
"He says as he plans on embarrassing Kent with a whole package of sex toys when they do take their honeymoon."
"Shh, Sawa. Don't tell them all my secrets."
Shin shook his head. "I'm going home. The rest of you should as well."
"Kent?"
His head was heavy and his whole body ached. He knew that he should move, but he didn't know that he could. He hadn't felt this bad since he was abducted by a serial killer, and he knew that was erroneous, an exaggeration, but he had not been sick in so long and this one came on so quickly he felt more like he'd been ambushed. Again.
"I brought you some broth." Kokoa set a tray next to the bed. "I know how you react to medication, but is it really the same for cold medicine, too?"
"Yes."
She sighed, reaching over to brush back his hair. "I wish there was more I could do for you. You look awful and completely miserable, and you shouldn't have to suffer."
He closed his eyes. "I'll be fine... just... had plans..."
"They'll keep," she said, kissing his forehead. He sighed, knowing they wouldn't.
The ceremony for her degree had passed, and most had assumed he'd propose then. However, given the prevalence of college age stupidity accompanying graduation, he was not surprised when they were called off to a case that day. He hadn't really wanted it as that day anyway—this anniversary had more meaning for them, though perhaps he was the only one who thought so.
"Kokoa, would you get my coat? And yours?"
"Kent, we're not going to bother with restaurant reservations. That's not important. I'd much rather you got better."
"What I want to do... is very important," Kent told her, not wanting to blurt it out and ask her as clumsily as he had spoken the words the first time he'd actually said he loved her. That was a pathetic display, as was their first kiss, and he'd wanted this to go well despite that. "Please."
"You should rest."
"If I promised to rest after we get back?"
She sighed. "I don't know why you can't just rest. You have a fever, and you can't take anything for it, and I'm worried about you."
"I will rest properly once I've seen to this. It needs to be today. Please."
"That's not fair. I hate when you say please. It always gets to me—and don't do that. I should never have told you that smile gives me butterflies because you... you're doing it on purpose, aren't you? Oh, my face is all red and I... Fine. I'm getting your coat, but this had better not take long."
He frowned. Was it wrong to ask her if he was angering her so much now? He didn't know. He laid back, waiting for his coat. He wanted to take her to that spot, today, and ask her, as planned, but perhaps holding to the plan was a mistake.
He forced himself up and grabbed the small box just before she came back into the room, taking his coat from her and pulling it on. She gave him another worried glance, but he wrapped the scarf she'd given him around his neck despite the weather, and she laughed, taking his hand without protest that time.
He led her out of the house and up to the corner before he stopped.
"Kent?"
"We have never been entirely certain when the lines were crossed with us," he began, swallowing and coughing a little. She frowned again, but he held up a hand. "No, I have a point to this. Please let me finish. You remember those weekend shifts you'd sneak in so Orion didn't know how bad your financial state was, of course, and how we would often walk this path after those shifts because you stayed out late."
She nodded. "Yes, of course. We still fought then, but I... I secretly liked it, not that I'd ever say so at the time."
"I know," Kent said, touching her cheek. "There was one night we paused here and I... I almost asked you inside my home."
"What?" Her eyes went wide as she stared up at him. "I didn't—you never said—I didn't have any idea that you... ever thought about that."
He smiled slightly. "Well, it was not something I wanted to admit at the time. We still quarreled often then, and I had not yet understood that I... it was, in fact, that night that I realized that something had changed in my reaction to you. I gave a great deal of thought to why I would want to invite you in, and although I initially rejected the hypothesis that I... felt more, that was the first time I knew I did."
She flushed. "Oh. Kent. That's..."
"And nothing else went to plan, but that speech actually came out close to what I wanted it to be, so I can do this." Kent knelt down and took hold of her hand, taking the ring out of the box and holding it in his other hand. "I know we stumbled over this conversation before, but neither of us were quite ready to say it and of course I could not ask you before your degree was finished—"
"What?"
"I did not want to take you away from your studies again. That would not be right, but you have your degree, and I would like to ask now." He swallowed. "It's strange. I always thought if I reached this point, I'd be saying that I thought our pairing would make for genetically suitable children, but that is long since past."
"Love is illogical, and it's not about genetics."
He nodded. "It is, even in my parents' case, though they would hardly see it that way were they alive now. Still... When I think about our time together, every day since you moved in, and how happy I've been even when dealing with... with the past and these... emotions that leave me so weak and pathetic and—"
"You're not. You're so strong. You've come so far from how it was when that man killed your parents and if you think about that and how—"
"No. We agreed not to keep blaming ourselves, and this is... I am not asking you this because I want to punish either of us but because I love you. I have wanted to ask you this for a long time, and all the plans went wrong today, but here you are trying to reassure me again instead of being angry. And I know this is what I want. It's what I hope we both want, though your brother will tell you I was very insecure about it all the same. He will likely laugh telling you of my efforts to make today possible... which of course were a miserable failure in the end."
"No, today was wonderful. Everyone was so thoughtful, I got so many nice things I wasn't expecting, and we were together as a family. The only thing I wish was different was you being sick like you are. We should get you back inside before you start coughing again. I think you need to be under a mountain of blankets and in my arms."
She blushed at the end of her speech, and he smiled at her. That helped, he supposed.
"I think I made it obvious what I'm trying to ask, but as you'll just get mad if I don't actually say the words... Will you stay with me forever?"
"I have no plans to move out now that I've got my degree. I haven't got a job yet, and Orion is very happy here in our home. I want it to be our home forever."
Kent frowned. "You would make this difficult."
"I am not! I just told you that I want to be with you forever."
"Yes, but... No, I have to ask it. In those words," Kent said, forcing himself to say them. "Will you... marry me?"
She swallowed as he put the ring on her finger, looking at him with tears in her eyes. "You didn't have to do this because of what Mine said."
He shook his head. "I have been planning this for a year. I wasn't doing it a moment before the degree was done, but after that... I almost did it that day in front of everyone, but I had this plan, and then we had a case—and you have not actually answered me."
"Oh, Kent," she said, tugging him up so he could stand. "Yes. I know we did this all backwards because we ended up living in the same house before we actually dated, and it never really seemed like that had to change, and you are such a gentleman you never pushed for more and this, making sure I finished my degree first... You're so good to me, and I don't deserve it, but I love you. I want to marry you. I've wanted it for a while now, but what we had was good, and I didn't want to ruin it, so I never said anything."
He leaned his head against hers. "I thought you were working on being honest about your feelings."
"Well... yes, but... You kept it from me for a year that you were going to propose. You can't say you were being completely honest, either, even if it was just a lie of omission and you're really bad at any lies that aren't lies of omission and—mph."
He cut her off with a kiss, something he felt compelled to do more often than he should, but she was so enticing when she was worked up over something, which was part of why he'd been attracted to her in the first place.
She pulled back and let her head rest against his chest for a moment. "I love you even when we're fighting."
"That hardly qualifies as a fight."
"It will if you don't get back inside and rest because you're sick," she warned him, taking hold of his hand. He could feel the metal around her finger now, and it was strange but somehow comforting as well. He was glad he'd managed to ask today in spite of everything.
"What is it?"
"Oh," she said, looking around him. "We've been around Ukyo so much I almost expected to hear a camera go off as soon as I said yes. Or hear Ikki teasing us or Toma lecturng or Shin getting annoyed by us being romantic or Orion getting odd about it or Sawa and Mine squealing with excitement."
"Hmm," Kent said. "Maybe there was a good reason my plan went wrong after all."
She laughed and pulled him back toward the house.
This is the headcanon from head-cans on tumblr that this is loosely based on. I couldn't do a lot of it the same, since a lot of things were different, but the general concept is the same and owes everything to this headcanon.
Kent would plan it meticulously. It takes him almost a year to have his plan completely ready. He waits about six years into their relationship to propose and he does it in the winter on Christmas day. His plan goes nothing like planned at all, his idea was to wake up early and make breakfast for her, then they would open gifts together, next they would go out around twelve to his parents house for lunch and exchange gifts there. Since her parents live too far, they would video chat them at about five after they had gotten back to her apartment. They would proceed to go out to dinner at a restaurant that he made a reservation for at seven. After that they would walk the town and when they reached the center, where the giant Christmas tree is set up for the holiday and that is where he would propose. That was the plan until he woke up at eleven with a fever of 102(°f) and had to rush himself and her out of the door to make it to his parents home. By the time they get there, it has hit him how miserable he feels. Thankfully, his s/o had remembered all of the things they needed for he had forgotten about all of it. They eat and he ends up falling asleep on the couch for the next two hours. They have to hurry back to the apartment at five and they exchange gifts while speaking to her parents, who are quite busy and end up having to go within the hour, leaving them to their own devices. She had obviously caught onto his fever and gives him medicine and forces him to get some rest. He sleeps through their reservations and when he wakes it's nearly ten o'clock. Determined to salvage the night, he manages to drag himself out, insisting that it's important and they have to go out only for a little while. He had bundled up in a big jacket and they wound up at the tree by eleven that night where he finally gets down on one knee and proposes to her.