"John, do you think we'll ever get married?"
You and Jade had been laying on a blanket in the back yard watching the clouds for hours, and this was the first thing either of you had said of any real importance. You sat up on your elbows and looked over at your ecto-sibling. "What do you mean Jade?"
"I mean, you and Jane and Jake and me. Are any of us ever going to get married?" You chewed your bottom lip in thought.
"Are you asking if we'll ever get married to each other?" Jade nodded. "I don't know Jade. I mean, none of us are legally related, so it's not like we couldn't." You stared down between you and Jade, where both of your hands lay, close, just barely touching, your fingers barely connected. "Do you want to get married?" you asked softly.
"I don't know... Maybe in the future." Jade shrugged. "Do you want to get married, John?"
You shrugged. "Sure I guess. Not right now. Like you said, in the future."
"Who would we marry?" She was looking up at the sky, almost as if she was asking the heavens.
"Come again?"
"Like, would you marry me? Or Jane? Or maybe even Jake, if that's legal by the time you get married."
"Gosh I don't know." You laid back down and stared up at the sky. The sky was growing darker and you would have to go in soon.
"If we all paired up and married one of us, would we get our own houses?" Jade looked over at you and the worried wrinkle in her brow matched yours.
You were silent for a moment before you could answer her.
"I like to think we'll all be together forever. I know forever is a long time, and we're still basically just kids, but I can't imagine living without any of you. You or Jake or Jane." That seemed to comfort her and her gaze returned skyward. You were both quiet until the sun set and you went inside. The conversation was not mentioned to your housemates.
For a week or so, that conversation bugged you. You would think of it at random times of the day and be almost overcome with the uncertainty of your situation. Sure, Jane and Jake and Jade were happy now, but what if they weren't in the future? What if someone wanted to move out on their own? What if they all did? Eventually, John had to leave his own house for a while because he couldn't take the constant reminders that everything could come crashing down in an instant.
You found solace at the Strider-Lalondes' house. You would go there for several hours during the day, returning at night so as to not worry your partners. Sometimes you would be able to forget the knot of unease in your stomach.
"John, you can't keep doing this," Rose said one day, almost nonchalantly as she poured you some tea.
"Doing what?"
"Running here to avoid your housemates."
"I am not doing that. That is so not what I'm doing," you stammered.
"You're afraid that your current living arrangements will not last."
"How did you know that?" you asked.
"You have a look, John." Rose didn't even look up from her tea cup.
"A look?"
"A look." She took a small sip, and then looked you in the eyes, her stern lavender gaze more than a little unsettling. "John, you need to talk to them. Right now you aren't doing anything but making yourself sick with worry. You need to discuss this with your partners."
You sighed heavily. Rose was right, and you knew it. Perhaps that was the reason you came to the Strider-Lalondes' in the first place. Perhaps you were just waiting for someone to set you straight.
"Would you like to tell me what brought on this fear?" Rose asked.
You relayed your conversation with Jade, and all the worries that followed while Rose listened attentively. When you were done, you slumped back in your chair (you hadn't realized you had been leaning forward) and waited for a reply. Rose sipped her tea in thoughtful silence. Finally she spoke.
"Do you want to get married, John?"
"I don't know! It's complicated! I just want to live with them forever, and maybe get married, but I can't marry them all!"
"Why don't you tell them that?"
You opened your mouth for a rebuttal, but couldn't find one because Rose was right. You politely excused yourself from the table and left. You couldn't see it, but you were certain Rose was smiling as you left. You already had a plan brewing in your head for how to tell your partners. If you were going to do this, you were going to do it right. You got in your car and drove quickly into town. It was still the middle of the day, but you wanted to be able to pull off your plan when you got home.
Later that evening, you returned home, a small square box tucked in your pocket. You hid it in the hall closet to keep it a surprise for later. Dinner was almost ready, and Jake was in the kitchen offering any help to Jane, who was attempting to shoo him away. You walked into the kitchen and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.
"How good of you to show up for dinner, John," Jane teased.
"I had some stuff to sort out," you said. "Where's Jade?"
"Out watering the garden," Jake said from behind you, having successfully been chased out of the kitchen.
"Will one of you go get her? Dinner will be ready in just a minute."
Jake moved first, so you started setting the table. In a moment the table was set and Jade and Jake were inside.
"Look out, hot stuff coming through!" Jane said, carrying a steaming bowl of vegetable stir-fry.
"You're darn right it's hot stuff," you say, giving Jane an exaggerated wink. She rolls her eyes but can't keep the smile off her lips.
You sit down to eat, Jade on one side, Jane on the other, Jake across from you. It's delicious, as usual, and while you're eating, you can't help but look around at your partners and smile. They were having light-hearted conversation, and you listened, smiling to yourself all the while at how pleasant this was, and how happy you all were. You and Jake cleared the table when everyone was done eating and put away all the left-overs. Jade and Jane stood up to start serving dessert, but you held up a hand and asked them to go stand by the table with Jake and wait a minute. They did, and you hurried to the front closet and retrieved your box.
"John, what is this about?" Jade asked.
You said nothing, which was good because you were so nervous your voice probably would have cracked. Your palms were sweating and to say you had butterflies in your stomach would be a drastic understatement. You stared down at your shoes and took a few deep breaths to calm yourself.
"John, old boy, what are you doing?" Jake asked as you got down on one knee in front of them. You held the box in front of you and your fingers were shaking as you removed the top and slid it under the box. In the box were 4 simple golden bands, shining in the light.
Jane gasped, Jake's jaw dropped, and Jade covered her mouth with her hands. You looked up at them, a twitchy, nervous smile on your face.
"Jade, Jane, Jake; you guys already know that you mean the world to me. I love you more than anything in this universe. More than anything in any other universe, for that matter." You chuckled a bit before continuing. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you guys. We're all God Tier, so that means forever." You took a small, shaky breath. "I would love to marry you, but I can't marry all three of you. But I got these rings and I got down on one knee to ask if you guys would spend forever with me."
There was a moment of silence and you looked at everyone. Jake still seemed to be in shock, and Jane had tears in the corners of her eyes, and Jade still had her hands over her mouth.
"I will!" Jade said, stepping forward, her hands falling to her sides.
"Yes," Jane said simply, a bright smile crossing her face.
"Of course, mate." Jake had managed to shake off his stunned look and now wore a huge grin.
Relief washed over you like cold water, followed by glowing happiness. Your trembling hands struggled to get the rings out of the box, and you put them, one by one, on everyone's fingers. They fit surprisingly well, considering you guessed on the sizes. You slid yours on last and it fit perfectly on your left ring finger.
"John, this is..." Jane started talking as you stood up but couldn't finish her sentence. "This is..."
"Perfect," Jade said. She slid under your right arm and gave you a tight hug. Jane tossed her arms around your neck, and Jake wrapped his long arms around you and Jane, managing to make it all the way around to grasp Jade's arms. With one arm around Jade's shoulders and the other around Jake's back, Jane's head tucked under your chin, you all stood for a moment, grinning like fools and practically glowing with joy.
The next day, there was a knock on the door and you weren't exactly surprised to see the Strider-Lalondes at your door.
"John has been in our house for the better part of the week, so we figured we'd stop by and see if everything is ok," Rose said, walking right past you and addressing your housemates.
"Everything's fine, Rose," you said, rolling your eyes.
"Where'd you get the bling?" Dave asked, holding up your hand to show off your new ring.
"I got it yesterday," you replied, pulling your hand back.
"Why?"
You walked over to your housemates. "Well, since we're basically married, I thought I'd get rings. As a symbol of our commitment."
"Wow, that is lame." Dirk punched Dave in the shoulder.
"I think it's nice," Dirk said.
"It's a beautiful sentiment," Rose added.
"Are you guys gonna get married?" Roxy asked, her eyes widening in wonder.
"Well, we can't all marry each other." You looked at your partners for a moment before turning back to the Strider-Lalondes. "I don't think it would be fair to marry just one, since I love them all."
Roxy faked a swooning motion. "That is so sweet!" She leaned back into Dirk. "Are we gonna do something like that?"
"Maybe."
"We should. God, can you just imagine us, being all domestic and shit?"
You sat back on the couch as Roxy and Dave debated on who would make the better housewife (they both ended up agreeing Dirk would) and smiled as you felt Jade's fingers slip into yours. Your partners (could you start calling them spouses now?) might not always be easy to live with, and sometimes things got complicated, but you wouldn't have it any other way.