A/N: Just a fluffy little one-shot, the product of a plot bunny that just wouldn't go away and let me enjoy my vacation until I got it down. Reviews would be great :)
He knew that she was confused. Knew that she probably felt led on by all of the promises he'd made her lately. But it wasn't like he was kidding. He was planning on proposing, and soon. It was just that he couldn't seem to get it right for the life of him.
First there had been the great Vineyard ring mishap of 1984. He'd specifically planned their dinner to revolve around the ring; requesting the table they sat at for their first date, tipping the accapella guy extra to sing "Biseme mucho", and preordering her favorite kind of champagne, to slip the ring into, of course. And everything had gone off without a hitch. Except, of course, the fact that he'd forgotten the ring in his other pants.
It had been almost a month now since that incident. The weekend after that, though, he'd tried and failed again. It was Christmas week, and he'd planned it out nicely to wrap up the ring box and put it under the tree. Only problem was that Jackie spotted the small, jewelry-sized package immediately, and had figured it was for her, from Hyde. Long story short, she'd opened it while Donna was in the kitchen, and Eric had snatched it away from her just in the nick of time. He'd had to go with his backup present instead, which was two tickets to the Aerosmith concert, not a bad present by any means, but he could tell she had to work hard to keep the disappointment off her face.
It had been a few days later when she mistakenly found the ring. They were getting ready to go out for the evening, and when she was digging something out of the closet, the ring box had fallen from his shelf. She just looked at it for a long moment before chancing a glance up at Eric, who had gone white. She quirked an eyebrow up at him and leaned down to pick up the box. She didn't open it, but murmured, half playfully, "Is this what I think it is?"
He wasn't sure what else to do, so he simply nodded, taking in a big gulp to calm himself.
Donna just smiled, and strolled over to him. When their faces were just inches apart, she asked him quietly, more seriously, "Were you planning on giving it to me anytime soon?"
He swallowed again, but gained the courage to lean forward and pluck the box from her hand. "Yes," he whispered, his voice failing him, "But not yet." He backtracked when her face fell, "I mean, soon, though." She looked up at him hopefully, and he nodded. "Soon, Donna. I promise."
She just took in a deep breath. "Okay," she murmured, and stepped back. Her voice sounded thin. Unsure.
"I love you," he promised her, bridging the distance between them and wrapping her in a hug. Damn it all to hell, he couldn't help but think. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were already supposed to be engaged by now. She wasn't supposed to be doubting him. She was supposed to be happily planning their wedding. He just squeezed her tighter and kissed the top of her head, choking back the words he so wanted to whisper in her ear right now, just to make her feel better.
But he hadn't done it, and it had now been five days, and counting. He could feel her slipping away, slowly. She wanted a proposal. That's what Jackie had told him yesterday on the phone, point blank.
"Tell her that's coming," he'd told her, trying for confidence.
She'd just replied that if he knew what was good for him, he'd hurry up.
And now here they were, laying in bed together, watching the sun come up through the dip in their blinds. Just like they'd done so many mornings; he closed his eyes in savoring the pure thrill he got from feeling her bare skin on his. His arms wrapped around her waist like tentacles, pressing her back against his chest, letting her know in unspoken terms that he'd never let her go.
Her red hair tickled his face, his chest, as she turned around in his arms, her green eyes smiling as they met his. "Hi," she whispered shyly, the first spoken words of the morning, and he responded by squeezing her tighter.
"Hey, beautiful."
He watched her face light up at his nickname, and she cuddled against him in response. She was kind of handsy this morning, he laughed inwardly, as she trailed her fingers up and down his left leg, and he couldn't contain the satisfied sigh that lifted from his lips.
She started murmuring something about his parents' barbeque this upcoming weekend, and he decided that he'd propose before then. Maybe tonight. Maybe he'd cook for her. Yeah. Her favorite food, spaghetti. It wasn't super romantic, but he'd get Jackie to take her out for the afternoon, and he'd get the apartment ready. Candles, contemporary music. Maybe run them a bubble bath.
He just wanted it to be special. Memorable. She deserved it.
But suddenly she sat up, the covers pooling around her middle as she shifted to straddle him. She was laughing quietly, she must have said something funny while he was zoning out, and for a moment he considered the fact that he should probably laugh too, otherwise she'd figure out what he'd been doing. But he was distracted by her..., well, by her everything.
She was simply gorgeous, sitting there above him, her red hair spread out like a fan, perfect lips curled in a smile, begging to be kissed. Her pale shoulders were going up and down with her giggles, and from here he could see that freckle she had on her collarbone, the one only he was fortunate enough to have ever kissed. Her smile was wide and contagious, and before he knew what was happening, he saw their entire life unfold right before his eyes.
There'd be a small backyard wedding. His mother would do up the entire driveway in twinkle lights and white ribbon, but the only thing he'd really remember would be her, and the way she'd look as she'd walked down the aisle. So beautiful. More beautiful than anything he'd ever seen before in his life. Then there'd be a honeymoon to Paris; ever since he'd found out that she'd wanted to visit since she was four, he'd wanted to be the one to take her there. There'd be a small house to buy next, and she'd give him a million home improvement projects both of them knew he'd never really do. Soon after that the babies would come; two, maybe three, they hadn't decided yet. There'd be cribs to set up, Star Wars toys to buy, first words to be spoken, and basketball games to sit through. There'd be blue and pink in the nursery, happy Christmases, family vacations to Disney World, and golden anniversaries.
And there'd be a thousand mornings, just like this one, where he woke up with her in his arms. And Eric Forman may not have known much, but he knew that would be enough for him, for the rest of his life. So before he even knew what he was doing, he found himself mouthing the words.
"What?" She stopped in the middle of her lecture on why they should bring potato salad instead of coleslaw this year; frozen by his actions, her gaze flickering from his mouth to his eyes.
He sat up straighter, taking care to grab her waist and shift her so she wouldn't fall, and grinned. "I said, 'Will you marry me?'"
Immediately her eyes filled with tears, and for a second he mentally slapped himself. Nice one, Romeo. She wanted a proposal, sure, but not in bed, you idiot. She deserves so much better. She deserves something with rose petals, and champagne, and -
"Eric, I swear to God, if you're not being serious right now..." She trailed off, and he looked up at her again. A tear had dribbled out of the corner of her eye and she'd pulled the bed sheet tighter around herself in anticipation, but there was a small smile working it's way onto her face, one that only stretched wider when he grinned and reached around her for his bedside table.
"No, no," he murmured, still smiling slightly as he fumbled to open the box, "I'm serious."
She gave what could only be described as a squeal of delight when he popped the box open and presented her with the ring. She clapped her hands together in front of her mouth. "Oh, Eric, it's beautiful," she cooed, and when she met his gaze again she offered him a watery giggle.
"So," he prompted her, barely able to speak for how wide his smile was, "What do you say?"
She just dissolved into a giggle again, like she just couldn't believe this was actually happening, but she managed to right herself a moment later when he nudged her again. "So?" He couldn't help but smile at how happy she was.
Her giggles were gone when she sat up again, but she still had a small smile stretched across her features, and her eyes were sparkling when she whispered, simply, "Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes."
"Oh my God," he grinned, shifting his weight so that he could wiggle the ring out of it's packaging. "You said yes!"
"I said yes!" She bounced over him excitedly and dabbed at her eyes while he fumbled the ring and reached for her left hand.
Their eyes met when he slipped the ring on her finger. She sniffed and had to choke down another batch of giggles; he was shaking. "Look at that," he murmured when the ring slid right on, "A perfect fit."
They shared a smile, and Donna gave him a hopelessly lovestruck gaze. "Just like us," she whispered softly.
She leaned down to give him a long kiss, their first as an engaged couple, and when they pulled apart, he smiled and stroked the underside of her arm. "That was really corny."
She threw her head back and laughed. "I know. I don't care. I just got engaged!" She shouted it at him excitedly, as if he hadn't been there a minute ago, too, and he just laughed and pulled her to him.
"You know," he murmured, nudging her down into a more horizontal position, splayed across his chest. Their faces were so close together that his breath tickled her face when he whispered, "I kinda love you."
He didn't give her a chance to reply, opting instead to pull her down into a sloppy kiss. He could feel her giggle against his lips, and when he rolled them over a second later so that he was on top of her, her mouth vibrated against his when she hummed, "God, I love you, too, Eric."
He pulled his lips away from hers to grab her hands and hold them above her head gently, successfully stopping her from clawing at his t-shirt. He laughed when she wriggled against her not so unpleasant bonds and, upon discovering that he wasn't letting her go anywhere, leaned up to press her warm lips against his once more.
Eric slowed them down, as he always did, inevitably, and ignored her grunt of annoyance when he took his sweet time undoing her pajama top. But when she looked up at him a second later, her soft green eyes overflowing with love, and the ring on her finger catching the light just right for a moment, he stopped his actions and rolled them over again, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
He pressed kiss after kiss to the little dip in her shoulder blade, and then moved to her jaw, her hairline, her earlobe. "I love you," he murmured against her sweet, sweaty skin. "I love you. I love you." Once he started saying it, he found that he just didn't want to stop.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review ;)