Around Halloween, Cygnet and Trent went to Michaels to look at decorations. She was definitely the kind of Goth who liked using Halloween decorations as regular home decor, and since there wasn't a lot she could do in the home she shared with Clarence and Elior, Trent had volunteered to decorate the second bedroom in his apartment just for her. She had immediately flung her arms round him and told him how sweet he was. Clarence didn't like those kinds of decorations; he thought they were tacky and basic, though Cygnet did have dominion over a couple walls in the living room.

She and Trent got various kinds of black flowers, fake potion jars to put them in, ghouls to hang on the walls, skulls to use as book-ends, and toy bats to hang, among other things. Kids didn't come to the second and third floors, so neither Trent nor Clarence would have to deal with Trick or Treaters. Cygnet liked to dress up, so she and Trent would probably go to a costume party. Clarence wasn't into dressing up, although he had considered putting a little pirate costume on Elior because he found the idea of a toddler in a tricorn hat adorable. Elior wouldn't have worn it long, though; he hated hats.

After Michaels, they went to JoAnn's for various fabrics to pin to the walls and ceiling. Cygnet's intention was to make a cozy little den. Elior would be moving into her craft room at Clarence's, so she would be moving her craft room downstairs to Trent's. But then they got to talking, as she was browsing different patterns.

"Why don't I just buy us a house?" Trent asked. "Something with enough room for all of us, so you don't have to keep going between?"

"Buy us a house?" Cygnet repeated, flabbergasted. "That- do you know what the housing market is like? I can't ask you to do that. It's way too much."

Trent looked put-out. "But we'll be married soon," he pointed out. "It's better if we all live together, isn't it, my love?"

Cygnet could see the logic in that. "Well…. It's very generous of you to offer. Let's look into it later, okay?"

So they decided not to buy fabric for wall hangings after all, since the room of a new house would have different measurements than a room of either of their apartments. They still put up the decorations they'd already bought from Michaels, and Clarence was right, it was a little tacky, but it was cute and she loved it. Once everything was in order, they brought Elior down to play and watched The Nightmare Before Christmas together, sitting on the floor, Elior cuddled into Cygnet cuddled into Trent.

xx

"I just can't get over how amazing you are," Cygnet sighed, after the movie was over and they'd taken Elior back upstairs to put to bed. They'd come back down and nestled into bed together. "You're so romantic, so… hmm. I've actually been having trouble with our vows, because I can't say what I'm really thinking in front of Clarence."

Trent was giddy, like he always was when she praised him. "Thank you," he murmured, calm on the surface as usual.

"You're everything I've ever wanted in a man," Cygnet continued. "Just, between you and me. Sometimes, it's like I'm dreaming, and I don't ever want to wake up."

A boyish grin broke out on Trent's face. "I feel the same way- like I'm in a dream I don't want to wake up from. The last few months have been the best of my life." He was still healing from what had happened before, but she made it so easy for him to relax. He could be himself, fully and completely. She appreciated his eager-to-please nature without taking advantage of him.

She smiled tenderly back at him, and reached up to stroke his hair. "I wish I could say that, you know, the kind of stuff normal brides can say. But I can't deprive Elior of his father or his mother, so we're all in this kind of… situation, and it's not that I don't like Clarence, it's just… he's such a typical guy, you know? His idea of romance is pawing at me and wheedling for sex. Like, I do it to appease him and that's whatever, but until you came into my life, I hadn't had a libido since before Elior was born.

"And when I was working, when it came to dinner, either I was snacking or relying on Uber Eats. I mean, don't get me wrong, I get that taking care of a baby all day is exhausting, and before Elior was born, when we would go camping, Clarence was the one who cooked for us. But, I don't know. I like the way you spoil me. I like that you let me take you swimming even though you have a bad history with pools. I like how you don't complain about everything, and how every experience is exciting to you. We could make love a hundred times, and then a hundred more, and each time you'd be just as thrilled as the first time. You don't grow complacent, you're just… you have this view of life that's so wonderful and fresh."

Trent took in what she was saying as they cuddled up together. His heart swelled: he was truly appreciated. "You see me," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "You're right about making love. It's so different with someone who actually loves you back. I mean, loves me back." He was also gratified by the implication that he was the one who had brought Cygnet's libido back.

"You poor, sweet thing," she cooed. "That's right, you told me… she was bored and used your body to make herself feel better, but for you, it was your first time. I figured she expected you to move on after finding out what it was like, but not everyone's mind works that way."

"It's hard to move on when you're being led on," Trent grumbled, in a rare moment of bitterness.

Cygnet nodded and cupped his cheek. "If it makes you feel any better, every time that we've made love, I've genuinely wanted to. Actually…." She bit her lip. "I kind of really wanted to before we even got to know each other- or I should say, before I got to know you. You're an incredibly good-looking man. And then I got to know you and, well, I wanted to even more. Now here we are!"

Trent smiled again. He had had a lot of women lusting over him, over the years. He kept himself in shape and cultivated unusual interests. But there were only two women he had ever felt close enough to share his body with. Normally when someone told him she wanted to sleep with him at first sight, he was indifferent; this time, he was flattered.

"I can feel your love for me in everything we do together, not just the sex," he said. "You're warm and nurturing. I showed you things that would freak out a lot of other people, and you were nothing but understanding. I never considered that marriage was an option for me until you…"

"You know, we should do a proper proposal. You deserve better than 'Hey let's do this scheme to get back at your ex for being mean'. I really do want to make a commitment to you. I mean, I kind of had my reservations at first, because I'm not used to actual romance or, like, not having to strong-arm my way into keeping a relationship. But you… you're everything."

Trent put his hand on her arm gently. "Hey. As long as we get married, what does it matter how it happened? I get to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you, and being loved by you. That's perfect."

"Perfect," she whispered back, then launched herself at him and kissed him.