The weeks between your somewhat anniversary with Weiss and your actual anniversary date were arduous. Work was busy to the point where you came home every night and worked for a few more hours crunching numbers and looking robotically at data sets. Just to go to sleep so you could wake up and do it all over again the next day.

Never have you been so grateful for five o'clock on a Friday in your entire life. When you finally get home you open the door of your apartment and toss your backpack full of work onto the chair in your living room.

"I guess today wasn't any easier than the others, huh?" Weiss is leaned against the edge of the breakfast bar that separates the kitchen from the living room.

"Nope." You collapse yourself onto the couch. Draping your arm over your face, you take a deep breath and release an equally heavy sigh.

You feel her weight move the cushions as she leans over the back side of the couch. She drags her fingernails over your forearm. And honestly it's the most relaxing thing that's happened to you all day.

"That sucks. But on the up side, you're so close to finishing the study."

"True. I have less than a month. Then I'll be free. Free of the stress and anxiety of handling the department's potentially last study."

"Well, regardless, I'm very proud of you. My little psychologist." She pinches your cheek and you can't help but grimace.

"You know what they say helps with anxiety?" You peek one eye out from behind your forearm. "Placing weight on your body."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Smother yourself with a million pillows?" She quirks her eyebrow.

"I have a better idea." As quickly as possible, you sit up and grab onto Weiss and pull her over the edge of the couch so that she ends up laying across your body. Hugging her against you the best you can, you snuggle down into the couch. "Ah, perfect. I feel so much better already."

"While this is completely ridiculous, I am not opposed." She wraps her arms underneath your back and rests her head on your chest.

You close your eyes and a small hum falls from within your chest.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"The humming. Be quiet."

"Why?" She pulls her arm out from under you and puts her hand over your mouth to hush you once again.

"Because I like listening to your heart beat."

—

The next morning, you wake up and make breakfast for you and Weiss. The two of you get ready and head out for your day of fun at the Vale Botanical Gardens.

You aren't really sure why Weiss wanted to come here, but you were more than willing to go. You enjoy beautiful flowers as much as the next person.

After about an hour of wandering through the majestic indoor gardens, Weiss turns to face you and lets you spin her around so that you can hold her right hand.

"So tell me, Weiss Schnee, why did you want to come here so badly? Not that I'm against it in any way."

"Clearly, I love flowers. Most importantly, I love getting flowers. Like all the ones my beautiful girlfriend sends me. But," she steps out to stand in front of you "I really brought you here to see what you know about flowers."

"Is that so?"

"You aren't always as sneaky as you would like to think you are, Blake Belladonna."

"I have never claimed to be sneaky."

"Then how much do you know about flowers?"

"I mean," you break eye contact with her and look off towards some bright pink flowers behind her "I did take a botany class in college." You shrug. "My mom taught me some stuff when I was younger. She loves to garden."

She boops the end of your nose and lets go of your hand, continuing to walk down the pathway.

"You aren't the only one that knows about the language of flowers, you know." She looks back at you. Obviously, you look away from her, trying to play dumb.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Gardenias."

"Are very pretty and smell nice."

"You gave them to me when you took me to our first cooking class."

"I remember."

"They mean secret love."

"Do they now?" She rolls her eyes dramatically.

"And that time you were worried you were spending too much time at work and not with me?" She looks at you expectedly.

"I brought you white tulips."

"The flowers that say 'I'm sorry."

"I was very sorry." You look at her sympathetically.

"And what about that time we went to your work party and the caterer hit on you the entire night and you were completely oblivious and I had to spell it out for you on the way home in the car?" Now it's your turn to roll your eyes.

"I sent you violets the next day."

"And violets mean what?" She crosses her arms over her chest.

"Loyalty, devotion and faithfulness." She turns to continue walking once again, waving dismissively with one of her hands.

"Then there's the red chrysanthemums, the hibiscus, the calla lilies, the sunflowers, the orchids."

"Okay, okay. I get it. I've been found out."

"And the camellias." She pokes you in the shoulder.

All this time, you thought you were saying things with flowers and no one was any the wiser. Weiss had known exactly what you were up to this entire time.

"So you've let me send you flowers for a year. And you've known what I've been saying but not really saying this whole time. And you said nothing?"

"Part of me just really loves getting flowers and knowing that you were thinking of me. Also, I never once asked you to send me flowers, which made it all the more special. And the other part of me always wanted to know what you had to say, even if you weren't literally telling me."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I've basically funded Ms. Calavera's floral shop this past year."

"She does good work, there's no denying that."

"Oh definitely. She has the best flowers in the city."

"So I figured that now it was my turn."

"Huh?" You look at her questioningly.

As the two of you turn the corner, you see a small sign placed in front of a vast collection of irises. All various shades of purples, blues and yellows. You all but drag Weiss up to the tiny sign placed in front of the flowers so you can read it.

'Happy anniversary. May it be the first of many. Love, Weiss'

Simple, but completely effective.

"You make everything feel absolutely perfect. You know that right?" Her eyes are just so serenely blue you can't help but stare.

"What's the flower for that? Did I get it right?"

The smile on your face grows and you take a page out of Yang's book, grabbing Weiss around the waist and lifting her off the ground, spinning her around as you hug her as close to you as possible. After you spin her around a few times and she finishes laughing, you carefully set her back down. You don't have much to compare it to, but you feel like this is already the best anniversary of all time.

Later that night, the two of you arrive back at Weiss' apartment. As the two of you haphazardly make your way through the obstacle course of furniture, not so carefully trying to pull at each other's clothing between sloppy kisses, you ask Weiss a question.

"So do you still want me to send you flowers, or no?"

She doesn't immediately answer, clearly more distracted or interested in what she's doing. After she manages to pull your shirt over your head, she grabs onto the sides of your face with her hands and presses her forehead to yours.

"How else are you going to tell me that you love me?"

"Pretty sure I can figure out another way." You wiggle your eyebrows before stealing another kiss before kissing your way across her cheek. She begins to laugh and you can feel the laughter leaving her throat when you press a kiss to the side of her neck.

You take the opportunity to slide your hands under the backside of her thighs and lift her off the ground, carrying her down the hallway and into the bedroom. Not bothering to shut the door behind you.

—

The weekend is almost over. Which means you have to go back to work tomorrow morning. So you're spending your last few hours of freedom drinking some hot tea on the lounger in your living room.

This was the best weekend you've ever had. No doubts. None whatsoever.

"Hey Blake, what's up?"

"No Xiao Long puns this evening?"

"Not when you call out of the blue. I didn't have any prep time."

"Ah." Your mind begins to drift off to Weiss. And a thought that you've been having for some time.

"You good?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. How's it going with the guy? What's his name?"

"Mercury? It's going sickeningly well. We are going out again tomorrow."

"Well that's exciting."

"Yeah I'm pretty stoked. I think he's a little scared of me, and I kinda like it."

"Attraction through fear. Interesting."

"Yeah, it's fun for sure. How was your weekend with the Weiss queen?"

It takes your brain a few seconds to pull you back into active consciousness and answer Yang's question. But what you say isn't what you had expected.

"Yang. I think I'm going to ask Weiss to marry me."

"Well shit. Must've been a damn good weekend." After a beat of silence, she continues on. "Are you sure? You've never really struck me as the get married and stuff type of kid."

"It's kinda scary. Because I'm positively sure. There is zero doubt in my mind that I want to marry her."

"Why? If you know man, you just know."

"Maybe it's because I've never really thought about wanting to get married before I met Weiss. And we've been together a year. And I already feel like I can't possibly imagine myself wanting this or anything else with someone that isn't her."

"That's true love, Bellabooty."

"What if she says no?"

"Girl, it is way too early in this process for you to be worried about a rejection. Which is ridiculous by the way. And do you even know when you're planning on asking her? Did you buy a ring?"

"No, and not yet. But I started looking at designs online and some stuff this afternoon. I wouldn't ask her for a few months."

"Well you gotta get a lot of stuff done before you can pretend to worry about that nonsense about her saying no."

"It's not nonsense."

"Yeah it is. Have you seen the way she looks at you? And the way she talks about you is so captivating and disgustingly sweet that it makes me nauseous. There's no way in all of Remnant that she would say no."

"Okay."

"But that doesn't mean you can just slack off because she will definitely say yes. This whole thing has to be perfect. Do it right."

"She deserves nothing less than perfect. Of course I'm going to make sure everything is right down to the last detail." Your mind begins to race. "Guess I've got a lot of planning to do, huh?"

"Get that research study finished first. I can help you plan. We got this. And please for the love of God talk to your mom about it."

"I will. Thanks Yang. I really appreciate it."

"You can't go Xiao wrong with Xiao Long."

"I'm hanging up now."

"Night, Blake."