Welcome to Day One/Part One of the 9 Days of Lancaster! As Promised, here comes the first one shot. Little truth to this one as well.

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Italicized – Inner thoughts

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Promise Prompt

Opal

Jaune tugged at his collar once more, finding it difficult to breathe comfortably once more. Truth be told, his whole attire was quite constricting for some reason. Damn fancy clothes.

That was the price you paid if you wanted to dine at such a luxurious and expensive restaurant, he supposed, and that's exactly what it was. It was the most extravagant eatery that the entire cruise had to offer, and one he had to put a reservation in for long before they boarded the ship! But, hopefully by the end of tonight, it would worth the uncomfortable clothes and the punch to the wallet.

Yes, definitely worth it.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Ruby asked from across the table.

"M-Me?" He squeaked in embarrassment, not paying attention to what she had possibly been saying.

"No," Ruby snorted as she sipped her drink. "the other cute blonde behind you, I meant."

Jaune spun around annoyed, ready to have quite the conversation with whoever she meant, only to find no one and Ruby now giggling quietly to herself, but loud enough for him to hear and realize he just fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book.

"Ha ha," He stated, spinning back around to meet the pair of silver eyes and a grin. "your father's humor is really coming out."

Ruby gasped exaggeratedly at the comment Jaune made, acting taken aback slightly. "How rude! My jokes are nothing like his awful puns."

"Now that is the funniest thing you've said so far."

Jaune smirked as the once cocky girl sitting at the table was now pouting. Over the course of the last year or so dating her, he had found the little trigger points to poke at in order to get her to waiver. That being said, she knew all of his as well, and she could poke twice as hard when she wanted to.

Her pout turned back to a giggle as Jaune raised an eyebrow and the girl's sudden attitude change. As much as he loved her, sometimes he just never knew what was going through her head, which might be for the best.

"What's so funny now?" He asked.

"You're finally acting like your goofy self."

"I'm confused."

"As always." She rolled her eyes, sarcasm more evident than ever. "You've been acting uptight since we started getting ready for dinner."

Jaune gulped in response to her statement. "O-Oh, have I? I haven't noticed."

"You have." She stated matter-of-factly while offering a grimace. "Just like you are now… Is something wrong?"

Jaune moved to tug his collar once more, feeling his throat feel more tight than earlier. He wasn't doing well at trying to remain calm, but then again, this situation wasn't something he was used to. He took a deep breath, trying to regain composure, looking back towards Ruby as she waited for an answer. She had become an expert in reading him, so he needed to try and relax.

He coughed into his hand, keeping his eyes on her. "yeah, well, this whole trip is a lot of pressure, you know?"

"It is?" She blinked.

"Y-Yeah, it's our first getaway as a couple and I promised you it would be the best trip ever!"

Ruby thought hard on his comments for a moment. This whole trip was his idea, and she couldn't lie, she hadn't had this much fun since the bakery in Patch decided to offer free treats to all children under the age of ten for a month straight, which being as short as she was at the time, helped a 13 year-old Ruby partake in some mischief.

But yes, the whole trip had been great, sailing along the coast of Vale and throughout the continent of Sanus. They'd docked at some wonderful places and taken in the sights and local cuisine before having some fun in the water. It was definitely a trip she was going to remember for the rest of her life. Initially, she had been against the excursion, just moving in and working to save money, but Jaune had pressed her to do this, and she couldn't resist that pleading face because—well, who could?

She smiled again as she sat there, reviewing their trip until now. It was turning out to be as much fun as he had hoped, and the meal they just enjoyed had been great, but maybe just a little too fancy for them!

"Well, you have definitely kept your promise. This has been the best! I'm so glad you talked me into it!"

"There's still more to come." He replied.

"What do you m—"

"Hello again to both of you."

Ruby was cut off as she looked towards the male server who had tended to the both of them for the night, once again returning to their table. He was a tall man, pale in complexion, but had a nice mustache. He was dressed in all white attire; save for his black vest he wore. Perfect for a restaurant like this Ruby supposed.

"Hello." Ruby spoke, returning a smile towards him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I've brought the dessert you requested."

"But I didn't order any—"

"Thanks again!" Jaune answered for the both of them.

The waiter winked to the boy subtly before placing the plate between them and walking away. Much to Ruby's amazement, it was gigantic chocolate chip cookie sitting before her, freshly baked as she had guessed by the smell alone. Normally after a meal the size that they had just eaten she would stay away from anything else, but she was not about to resist this!

She snatched it up quickly and broke a piece off, leaving more than enough for Jaune to enjoy as well. His promises sure were living up to expectation today.

"So this is what you meant, huh?" She asked with a playful smirk

"Not exactly."

"What else could you possibly—"

As she continued to speak, Jaune stood up and reached deep into his pocket before approaching her. She stared inquisitively at him, unsure of what to make of it. Before she could ask what it was he wanted, he slowly knelt down in front of her, making sure to keep eye contact. The slow realization crept onto Ruby's face as she went from confused to awestruck.

Jaune smiled as he retrieved what he was looking for from his pocket. Slowly, he raised the small box in front of the redhead and popped it open. Inside was a small silver ring with an opal stone that glistened ever-brighter in the sunset as they sat on the deck of the ship.

Ruby took a look around her, noticing the eyes of the other diners around their table now showing a barrage of emotions as they continued to look on. She also noticed their server, now holding what appeared to be Jaune's scroll as it became evermore clear what was about to happen.

"Ahem." Jaune spoke, luring Ruby's attention back to him. "Ruby, I know we haven't been dating that long, and I know that we are pretty young still," He began, seemingly becoming flustered at the situation now. "but I know that there isn't anyone else out there for me. When I think of my future now, the only thing that I am certain of is that I want you by my side for as long as possible."

Ruby listened as Jaune continued speaking, not sure how to feel. So many different emotions flooded her mind. She wasn't sure how she would respond. She had never thought that she would have a boyfriend, let alone a fiancé and eventual husband! Could she be the wife that Jaune would want? Would she be a good mother to any children? What would everyone else think about this happening?

As she sat there pondering the future, there was one thing she did notice that never came to her mind, and that was would she say no? The thought never crossed her mind at all during the flurry of scenarios that now crowded her mind, and for her…

"I don't know what else to say besides… WILL YOU MARRY M—"

It was enough for her.

Before Jaune could finish the full proposal, Ruby leaned forward and captured his lips, catching him off guard. The soft was simple and tender, but passionate in a sense. The crowd around them roared in excitement as the two broke away. Jaune sat there and blinked a few times, still trying to reset himself from what had just happened.

Ruby reached forward with her left hand, moving it in front of Jaune as to signal "I do." Jaune wasted no time, nearly ripping the small object from its contents and dropping the box to the floor, as if she was going to pull away. He held her porcelain hand gently and slowly slid the ring onto her finger. Before reaching the base.

Once that happened, Ruby leaned in once more and kissed him again, this time much longer than before, clasping his face between her hands as the crowd clapped and cheered once more.

Jaune was first to pull away as he felt the tears streaking down her face and splashing onto his. He took in the sight of his future wife as she wiped the tears away unsuccessfully. He knew they were happy tears, full of excitement as evidence by their kiss.

He offered his hand onto her face and wiped a streak of those tears away as she smiled at his actions, finally opening her eyes and looking back at him.

"This is the best trip ever." She stated between small sobs.

"I promised, didn't I?" He replied.

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Based on true events (and hopeful future ones). Kicking off the 9 Days of Lancaster a little early and with a bang! Let's have a great time! Next: Regret

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