Notes: For ReillyJade for the GGE. Also for the Hunger Games Fanfic Style II Competition (Prompts used: Word, emotion, setting, dialogue and weapon.) Unbeta'd.

Reilly: I'm sorry this is shit. I've had this story in my mind for a few weeks now but I had a hard time getting it out. Either way, I really hope you enjoy it!

Eyes Closed

Charlie lands at the peak of a mountain, and I follow him quickly. Fleur and I fly together, and her quiet sighs mean that she's enjoying the view. It's not like she's not a good flier, but this is just the way we enjoy it. As it is, I'm more aware of her chest against my back than the beautiful sights around me.

Once we land, I realize I did well to trust Charlie. This has to be the most beautiful spot in the reserve. The late spring is treating these mountains nicely. From this cliff, the view is mostly rocky, with dashes of green and scattered lakes. It's perfect for dragons. It's even more perfect for a marriage proposal.

I glance at Fleur. She seems to like it as well, because she walks right up to the cliff, deep in silent admiration. Fleur tends to talk a great deal, which suits me just fine. But she's curiously quiet when she's got a lot to say. I can only sense the turmoil inside of her - beauty is something that has haunted her forever, so she's not quick to admire it, but when she does... when she does, she looks so much more beautiful herself.

I have to make a great effort to pay attention to my brother.

"You can't be here for long," Charlie is saying. "I shouldn't even be leaving you alone."

"Thank you for doing this for me."

"Well, it's not every day that your brother proposes to his girlfriend." Charlie smiles. "I'll be doing rounds, just to make sure you're safe and you're not burned to death. Speaking of which.. . will Fleur care for a tour around the reserve tomorrow? Maybe she'll want to see the dragon she-"

"The one that almost burned her to death in the Triwizard Tournament? Trust me, Charlie. She's not going to be happy about that. I had a hard enough time convincing her that this was a good idea altogether."

"I see." He sounds upset, but something tell me it's not my negative. "Just... think about what you're doing. But hey," He smiles. "I'm happy for you."

With that, Charlie leaves us in the middle of nowhere, with only green mountains and blue skies to keep us company. But after such an exchange, my thoughts are now in the conversation I had with Charlie last night.

She's just a girl, he had said.

No, I tell myself. She's a brave nineteen-year-old woman. She moved to a different country so young, not just to learn a language, but to fight a war that she could've stayed away from. Fleur Delacour is no girl.

Are you concerned she's going to leave you for someone else? Charlie's voice interrupts my thoughts again. Is that it, Bill?

No, that's not it. If she wanted someone else, she could have him. She wants me. I'm fortunate.

I sigh. I want to hate him, if only a little, but I can't. It's Charlie's job, after all, to divert my attention away from the clouds, to make sure I don't do something stupid. Everyone else would say, catch her, catch her before she gets away. But not Charlie. Charlie gets it. Fleur Delacour is not a catch - she's a woman of flesh and bone whose affections aren't a prize to be earned.

That's why I love them both.

"What's the matter, love?" Fleur's big blue eyes are seeking mine with a longing gaze. She looks so eerily sweet, it makes me lose my mind.

"You're so beautiful," I say. Fleur smiles, but her smile doesn't really reach her eyes. I feel silly right after speaking. "You know this already. You're tired of hearing that you're beautiful, aren't you? But how could one ignore it? I certainly can't. Would you rather I didn't consider you beautiful?"

"That's a difficult question." This time, she was smiling for real. "Of course I want you to consider me beautiful."

"Well, then please allow me to rejoice on your beauty. If it makes you feel better, if I could never see your face... if I went blind, if we both grow old, if your beauty is stripped from you and doesn't reach me again, I would still love you madly."

"Well, that does make me feel better."

I laugh. How can one not love her? "You brave, stubborn, sneaky lady. I'm yours forever. Even with my eyes closed."

I realize what I said, and I understand that it's now or never. I had prepared a speech, but what good is it now that things have already been said?

If you're going to spend the rest of your life with her, then what's the hurry?

If I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her, Charlie, then what's the point in waiting?

I go down on one knee and pull the velvety blue box out of my cloak. I look straight at Fleur as I open it, taking in her surprised stare. She's got to be pretending. We've discussed marriage. It's our first holiday together. But I still enjoy her incredulous expression as I wait a little longer to speak.

"Miss Fleur Delacour, will you marry me?"

There's a moment frozen in time as she processes my words. And then, before I can react, she falls down to her knees and kisses me harder than ever. It feels like fire all around me, burning my skin and leaving me breathless. I know her answer already - she doesn't need to say anything at this point. But she breaks the kiss, her hands still tenderly caressing my face. It takes me a while to realize that she's crying. Fleur has never cried in front of me. However, I immediately understand she's just as ecstatic as I am, and her tears are made of pure joy.

Nothing makes me happier than to make her happy, and if this is the beginning of the rest of our lives, then I couldn't have asked for better.

"I'm yours forever," she repeats my words. "Even with my eyes closed."