Author's Note: Before I forget - I was remiss in thanking my good friend and net sister Mirai Marron for helping me with Chapter Sixteen. All the great romantic stuff (roses, fancy dinner etc.) was all her idea baby...I'm about as romantic as a stick. :P Thanks again Marron!
***
The quiet romantic mood of Chez Victoria's was destroyed in a single moment. As three photographers crept toward the table where Trunks Briefs sat with his beautiful blonde girlfriend. It seemed they were just in time too as Trunks opened the small velvet box for her and smiled at her dazed expression. They pounced, capturing the moment for several hundred thousand readers as Trunks and Marron's heads snapped up in surprise.
"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL...?" Trunks roared, as the photographers kept taking their pictures and the one lone reporter who managed to bribe his way onto the elevator with the photographers started shouting his own questions. Already envisioning his name on the front-page by-line of this scoop, maybe he'd get a raise and a promotion to more meaty assignments. This was the best thing that had ever happened to him. The reporter was quickly changing his mind however, as he found himself faced with the now enraged President of Capsule Corporation.
Pandemonium reigned as the photographers and journalist all broke and ran for the elevator as Trunks slipped out of the booth and began walking toward them slowly, the expression on his face the cause of their panic. It promised pain, in quantities, and soon. He'd never really actually hurt one of them, despite being sorely tempted for this latest invasion of his privacy, but he wasn't above putting the fear of Kami into them. They crowded their way onto the elevator, frantically pushing the down button as Trunks approached grinning horribly that his quarry was cornered.
"This is a private party. You're not invited." Trunks purred nastily at them as he stood just beyond the elevator doors. "And if you don't get lost, I'll sue you for invasion of privacy." He told them and folded his arms across his muscular chest; he had his foot blocking the elevator door sensor so the doors wouldn't close, despite the desperate pressing of the elevator controls by one of the photographers. The journalist, feeling safer toward the back of the car spoke up.
"You can't do that! Freedom of the press! The people have a right to know!" The reporter said bravely. Trunks scowled thunderously.
"Bullshit! 'The People' don't have a right to know every little thing that happens in my personal life! I'm entitled to privacy too." Trunks snapped. "Now...why don't you boys run along before I decide to go and buy your newspaper companies just to fire your sorry asses." Trunks told them, and removed his foot.
"You can't stop us from printing those pictures Mr. Briefs! But you can still make a statement. Like have you set a date?" The reporter called out. Trunks stuck his foot out to stop the elevator doors then leaned against them, arms still folded.
"I can still make a statement." Trunks repeated. "Now why would I want to go and do that? I mean...there's nothing to make a statement about right now because you fucking idiots just ruined it. You want my statement?" Trunks asked them voice rising, as the photographers shrank back from him. He stepped back from the elevator doors and held out his fist, his middle finger extended. He ginned at them maliciously one last time as the doors slid shut. "And you can quote me."
***
Marron shut her eyes tightly against the flashes as blinding spots of color superimposed themselves on her eyelids. She wanted to scream with frustration and anger at the injustice of having a special private moment in their lives ruined. She felt the velvet box with the ring slide from her grasp as she tried to get her eyes to work again and find out what was going on. She heard Trunks yelling at the photographers as he moved away from her side. She slid out of the booth as well as the photographers and reporter fled from a furious Trunks. She wanted to flee too, but for a very different reason. She moved in the opposite direction from Trunks and the reporters across the restaurant until she came a door marked 'sky walk'.
She rushed through it blindly and suddenly found herself leaning over the railing of the narrow catwalk that circled the tower dome. She grasped the railing white knuckled as she felt all the blood run out of her face and her knees felt rubbery as she was looking straight down into open space. She tried forcing her hands to open, to let go of the railing so she could go back inside, but it seemed she was unable to. Her hands had a mind of their own as they clamped down hard on the metal railing. She closed her eyes against the double whammy of vertigo and nausea and she sagged to the floor of the catwalk. Pressing her forehead to the cold metal of the railing she still clung to. The night wind slightly chilly as it pinkened her cheeks.
So close...she had come so close to telling Trunks about his child, just to have the moment ruined. Who knew when she'd ever work up the courage to tell him again? And he'd said he loved her, that part had barely registered in the shock of his proposal. He loved her and wanted her to be his wife...but would he still feel the same when she told him he was going to be a father? What if he didn't want it? What would she do then? She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. To be torn between two such extremes of emotion: Joy and Misery. Joy that she was with Trunks, that she loved him and now he loved her too. Joy that she had all the things she thought she ever wanted. Joy that she was going to have a baby, but misery too. Because she didn't know how Trunks would feel about it.
"He loves me..." She whispered to the night wind as she sat on the cold concrete floor of the catwalk in her beautiful expensive dress. "Everything will be okay...because he loves me and I love him." It became like a mantra to her.
"Marron? Where are you?" She heard Trunks' voice from far away, calling to her from inside the restaurant. She tried to let go of the railing, to get up and go in and join him. She could imagine it clearly in her mind. She would step into his strong arms and press her fingers to his lips, telling him that she loved him too. But she couldn't accept his proposal without telling him something that would change their lives.
"I'm pregnant." She whispered aloud into the sleeve of her dress as she clung with raised arms to the metal railing. And felt the cold clunk of panic set in at admitting it aloud - even to herself - for the first time. She started shaking, even as her mind imagined Trunks swinging her in his arms as he smiled with happiness, tears of joy running down his face. She was going to have a baby. "My God...what am I going to do?" She whined quietly. Not really expecting an answer from Dende. He'd pretty much left her to muddle through on her own so far; she didn't expect him to jump in and save her now that things were tough.
"Marron! Are you all right?" Trunks asked worriedly as he crouched beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "What happened?" She looked up into his handsome concerned face. Her mind replaying a thousand images of him and their life together: smiling at her, laughing with her, slumped in his overstuffed chair asleep with an open book on those nights he tried waiting up for her to come home from a gig, making love to her - his face transported with passion. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes...she loved him so much.
"I can't let go." She said in a small voice, two tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. Trunks put his arms around her, kneeling on the dirty concrete with her in his tuxedo.
"It's all right Marron. I've got you." He told her gently, taking her weight onto himself rather than on her arms. "Hold on to me." He murmured softly into her ear over and over, rubbing her back soothingly until finally her cramped fingers unclenched and she let go of the railing and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. He stood, taking her with him as he held her securely against him. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to go downstairs and kick himself some serious reporter ass for upsetting his girlfriend this much, for ruining his perfect plan.
He'd found her ring on the table when he went back and discovered she was gone, and he pocketed it before going to look for her. When he found her on the catwalk huddled and clinging to the railing he felt his anger renewed. It wasn't fair, just because he was President of Capsule Corporation didn't mean that he had given up his right to a private life. To the reasonable assumption that he and Marron's business was no one's but their own. Not to mention finally getting up the nerve to spit out his feelings as well as his intentions to her and to what end? To have it end up all over the newspapers to be discussed and speculated about before they had even made a decision themselves. Well, he wasn't going to let them take he and Marron's special night away, it wasn't too late for him to still be romantic. To make it special.
"Let's get out of here. You okay if I fly?" He asked her. She pulled her face away from where it had been buried in his shoulder slightly and nodded weakly. He scooped her up in his arms like she was nothing, the velvet of her dress soft and warm. "Just close your eyes, I won't let anything happen to you."
He flew them to the building he'd taken her to the last (and first) time he took her flying. The night he ran into her at the club. It seemed so long ago, yet it was less than two months. Two months ago he hadn't even been sure how he felt about her, only that she had shown back up in his life beautiful and alluring. And now she was everything to him. He landed in the middle of the of the building's observation deck, well away from the railings or the edge. He was reluctant to put her down; he liked holding her in his arms, but set her gently on her feet before folding his arms around her waist. Inhaling the sweet scent of her hair as he held her. He heard her voice softly, muffled in his neck.
"What?" He asked. She pulled her face away from him and watched him looking no higher than his mouth. Her eyes were bright and shiny as she gazed at him, her hair tousled from the wind.
"I'm -I..." She whispered, her voice trailing off to nothing. He smiled and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger against hers a moment. "I love you Trunks." She said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I love you too." He replied softly, brushing some stray strands of hair that'd come loose from her clip off her face before kissing her again. "So much Marron. I wanted tonight to be perfect, something for us to remember forever."
"Oh I'll remember it all right." Marron said with an ironic little laugh. Trunks smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers.
"We've kind of hit a bump in the way I had the evening planned, but I was thinking that we could try this again. No interruptions." Trunks said, and swallowed as he reached in his pocket for the small velvet box. Marron's eyes widened as she chewed her lips nervously and put her hand on the arm he had in his pocket.
"No, wait." She said, but Trunks shook his head bringing out her ring and taking her hands again, pressing the ring box into her palm. "Trunks-"
"This isn't any easier the second time, I have to get it out before something happens." Trunks interrupted with a small laugh. Marron was making a low keening sound in the back of her throat as she looked at their clasped hands. "I love you Marron. I know that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You make me happy and I want to make you happy too..." He paused.
"Trunks..." She whispered. He continued on, ignoring her.
"Will you be my wife?" He finished, looking into her beautiful starlit face. It wasn't the candlelight and romantic music he'd hoped for, but he thought he pulled it off fairly well. Marron took a deep breath; she could feel a buzzing in her head as she curled her fist tightly around the ring box. Please let this be okay...
"I'm pregnant." She squeaked, blood rushing to her face as Trunks stared at her.
"I'm sorry?" He queried, like he hadn't understood her.
"I said I'm pregnant." She repeated, her voice a little more steady this time. Trunks looked stunned as he let go of her hands and took a step back.
"What? How...?" He asked absently. She gave him a look and he shook his head as though clearing it. "I know HOW it happened, I mean how long have you known?" She looked down at her own hands still holding the ring box.
"I got my test results today. Harmon got me the weekend off from the band because of it." She said quietly. Trunks ran a hand through his hair, still trying to process the news.
"When?" Marron felt the threat of tears behind her eyes again as she studied the ring box in her hand. This wasn't the reaction she'd wanted or hoped for from Trunks, but she realized it was the one she should have expected. It was after all, quite the bomb she'd just dropped on him.
"Practically the first time we were together." She told him, trying to keep her voice steady. He said nothing and she was afraid to look at him as fat tears started sliding down her cheeks to the corners of her lips. "I'm sorry." She sobbed quietly and held out the ring box to him with her left hand her eyes lowered.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"Giving you your ring back. I knew you'd change your mind if I told you." She said her voice wavering. Trunks took the box from her and opened it. Fishing the ring out of the little slot in the black velvet. He caught her hand as it was dropping to her side and he slipped the ring on her finger before she even knew what was happening. He pulled her toward him and kissed her deeply, holding her head in his hands.
"Nothing has changed. I love you and I want you to marry me, Marron. Now you tell me I'm going to be a father too. I think the only way you could possibly make me happier than I am right now is if you told me I didn't have to be Capsule Corp. President anymore." He said with little laugh.
"You could always quit and be my groupie." She joked through her tears. Trunks pulled her tight against him; he couldn't be close enough to her as he wiped her tears away gently with his thumb.
"I just want to be your husband." He told her, and picked up her left hand where the ring sparkled even in the dim starlight and diffused glow of the city. He twined his fingers with hers, clasping her hand. "Marry me." He asked urgently.
Marron looked at him and promptly burst into new tears, the emotion of the day and her hormones taking over. Trunks hugged her to him tightly lowering his face to her hair. "I would do anything for you." He whispered into her hair, as she sobbed happily against the shoulder of his tuxedo jacket.
"Does this mean yes?" He asked her. She pulled her head back and looked at him, smiling even as tears ran down her face.
"Yes this means yes! A million times over yes!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. "I love you Trunks." She told him and he swung her around a moment smiling before folding her back into his embrace as they stood on the roof. He swayed with her in his arms as they held each other and he couldn't stop smiling.
"Havin' my baby...
What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me."
Trunks sang softly to her as he grinned. Marron groaned. Trunks was the most musically inept man she'd ever met. He couldn't dance because he had no rhythm and he definitely couldn't sing. "Trunks...don't sing." She pleaded. Ignoring her, Trunks kept going in his off key voice.
"Havin' my baby...
What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me..."
He looked down at her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "What? You don't think I can sing?" He asked in mock offense. She smiled and chuckled softly.
"I KNOW you can't sing, Trunks." She said laughing. He returned the smile. He knew he couldn't sing, but now she was smiling and laughing instead of crying and that more than made up for embarrassing himself. He tipped her chin up and brought his lips down on hers softly.
"Then I guess I'll just leave the singing in the family to you then." He teased and rubbed her nose with his. A loud rumbling from Trunks' midsection interrupted them. Trunks looked mildly embarrassed as Marron giggled at him.
"I'm sorry you missed your dinner." She said.
"Not your fault. It's those morons fault. I had the whole evening all planned out for you too. A romantic candlelight dinner, soft music, maybe a little dancing, I was going to sweep you off your feet." Trunks said with a crooked grin. "Or at least try not to step on them. I'd propose. Then I was going to take you home and really pour on the charm." He told her with a wicked grin and raised eyebrows. "I'm sorry it got ruined."
Marron wrapped her arms around his waist under his jacket, tucking her head under his chin. "It's not ruined. You did sweep me off my feet, and as far as the dinner goes...pizza in bed is way more romantic anyway."
"Oh really?" Trunks asked with a slow smile as he picked her up in his arms. She gave him an equally wicked grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Only one way to find out...besides, I want to see that charm." She told him.
***
Author's Note: The song is Paul Anka if anyone cares. O.o Chapter 18 in the works...and we've still got a loonnng way to go. Questions and comments all cheerfully received at: Kinomi@faeriefloss.net Jaa ne! ^__^
***
The quiet romantic mood of Chez Victoria's was destroyed in a single moment. As three photographers crept toward the table where Trunks Briefs sat with his beautiful blonde girlfriend. It seemed they were just in time too as Trunks opened the small velvet box for her and smiled at her dazed expression. They pounced, capturing the moment for several hundred thousand readers as Trunks and Marron's heads snapped up in surprise.
"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL...?" Trunks roared, as the photographers kept taking their pictures and the one lone reporter who managed to bribe his way onto the elevator with the photographers started shouting his own questions. Already envisioning his name on the front-page by-line of this scoop, maybe he'd get a raise and a promotion to more meaty assignments. This was the best thing that had ever happened to him. The reporter was quickly changing his mind however, as he found himself faced with the now enraged President of Capsule Corporation.
Pandemonium reigned as the photographers and journalist all broke and ran for the elevator as Trunks slipped out of the booth and began walking toward them slowly, the expression on his face the cause of their panic. It promised pain, in quantities, and soon. He'd never really actually hurt one of them, despite being sorely tempted for this latest invasion of his privacy, but he wasn't above putting the fear of Kami into them. They crowded their way onto the elevator, frantically pushing the down button as Trunks approached grinning horribly that his quarry was cornered.
"This is a private party. You're not invited." Trunks purred nastily at them as he stood just beyond the elevator doors. "And if you don't get lost, I'll sue you for invasion of privacy." He told them and folded his arms across his muscular chest; he had his foot blocking the elevator door sensor so the doors wouldn't close, despite the desperate pressing of the elevator controls by one of the photographers. The journalist, feeling safer toward the back of the car spoke up.
"You can't do that! Freedom of the press! The people have a right to know!" The reporter said bravely. Trunks scowled thunderously.
"Bullshit! 'The People' don't have a right to know every little thing that happens in my personal life! I'm entitled to privacy too." Trunks snapped. "Now...why don't you boys run along before I decide to go and buy your newspaper companies just to fire your sorry asses." Trunks told them, and removed his foot.
"You can't stop us from printing those pictures Mr. Briefs! But you can still make a statement. Like have you set a date?" The reporter called out. Trunks stuck his foot out to stop the elevator doors then leaned against them, arms still folded.
"I can still make a statement." Trunks repeated. "Now why would I want to go and do that? I mean...there's nothing to make a statement about right now because you fucking idiots just ruined it. You want my statement?" Trunks asked them voice rising, as the photographers shrank back from him. He stepped back from the elevator doors and held out his fist, his middle finger extended. He ginned at them maliciously one last time as the doors slid shut. "And you can quote me."
***
Marron shut her eyes tightly against the flashes as blinding spots of color superimposed themselves on her eyelids. She wanted to scream with frustration and anger at the injustice of having a special private moment in their lives ruined. She felt the velvet box with the ring slide from her grasp as she tried to get her eyes to work again and find out what was going on. She heard Trunks yelling at the photographers as he moved away from her side. She slid out of the booth as well as the photographers and reporter fled from a furious Trunks. She wanted to flee too, but for a very different reason. She moved in the opposite direction from Trunks and the reporters across the restaurant until she came a door marked 'sky walk'.
She rushed through it blindly and suddenly found herself leaning over the railing of the narrow catwalk that circled the tower dome. She grasped the railing white knuckled as she felt all the blood run out of her face and her knees felt rubbery as she was looking straight down into open space. She tried forcing her hands to open, to let go of the railing so she could go back inside, but it seemed she was unable to. Her hands had a mind of their own as they clamped down hard on the metal railing. She closed her eyes against the double whammy of vertigo and nausea and she sagged to the floor of the catwalk. Pressing her forehead to the cold metal of the railing she still clung to. The night wind slightly chilly as it pinkened her cheeks.
So close...she had come so close to telling Trunks about his child, just to have the moment ruined. Who knew when she'd ever work up the courage to tell him again? And he'd said he loved her, that part had barely registered in the shock of his proposal. He loved her and wanted her to be his wife...but would he still feel the same when she told him he was going to be a father? What if he didn't want it? What would she do then? She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. To be torn between two such extremes of emotion: Joy and Misery. Joy that she was with Trunks, that she loved him and now he loved her too. Joy that she had all the things she thought she ever wanted. Joy that she was going to have a baby, but misery too. Because she didn't know how Trunks would feel about it.
"He loves me..." She whispered to the night wind as she sat on the cold concrete floor of the catwalk in her beautiful expensive dress. "Everything will be okay...because he loves me and I love him." It became like a mantra to her.
"Marron? Where are you?" She heard Trunks' voice from far away, calling to her from inside the restaurant. She tried to let go of the railing, to get up and go in and join him. She could imagine it clearly in her mind. She would step into his strong arms and press her fingers to his lips, telling him that she loved him too. But she couldn't accept his proposal without telling him something that would change their lives.
"I'm pregnant." She whispered aloud into the sleeve of her dress as she clung with raised arms to the metal railing. And felt the cold clunk of panic set in at admitting it aloud - even to herself - for the first time. She started shaking, even as her mind imagined Trunks swinging her in his arms as he smiled with happiness, tears of joy running down his face. She was going to have a baby. "My God...what am I going to do?" She whined quietly. Not really expecting an answer from Dende. He'd pretty much left her to muddle through on her own so far; she didn't expect him to jump in and save her now that things were tough.
"Marron! Are you all right?" Trunks asked worriedly as he crouched beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "What happened?" She looked up into his handsome concerned face. Her mind replaying a thousand images of him and their life together: smiling at her, laughing with her, slumped in his overstuffed chair asleep with an open book on those nights he tried waiting up for her to come home from a gig, making love to her - his face transported with passion. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes...she loved him so much.
"I can't let go." She said in a small voice, two tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. Trunks put his arms around her, kneeling on the dirty concrete with her in his tuxedo.
"It's all right Marron. I've got you." He told her gently, taking her weight onto himself rather than on her arms. "Hold on to me." He murmured softly into her ear over and over, rubbing her back soothingly until finally her cramped fingers unclenched and she let go of the railing and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. He stood, taking her with him as he held her securely against him. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to go downstairs and kick himself some serious reporter ass for upsetting his girlfriend this much, for ruining his perfect plan.
He'd found her ring on the table when he went back and discovered she was gone, and he pocketed it before going to look for her. When he found her on the catwalk huddled and clinging to the railing he felt his anger renewed. It wasn't fair, just because he was President of Capsule Corporation didn't mean that he had given up his right to a private life. To the reasonable assumption that he and Marron's business was no one's but their own. Not to mention finally getting up the nerve to spit out his feelings as well as his intentions to her and to what end? To have it end up all over the newspapers to be discussed and speculated about before they had even made a decision themselves. Well, he wasn't going to let them take he and Marron's special night away, it wasn't too late for him to still be romantic. To make it special.
"Let's get out of here. You okay if I fly?" He asked her. She pulled her face away from where it had been buried in his shoulder slightly and nodded weakly. He scooped her up in his arms like she was nothing, the velvet of her dress soft and warm. "Just close your eyes, I won't let anything happen to you."
He flew them to the building he'd taken her to the last (and first) time he took her flying. The night he ran into her at the club. It seemed so long ago, yet it was less than two months. Two months ago he hadn't even been sure how he felt about her, only that she had shown back up in his life beautiful and alluring. And now she was everything to him. He landed in the middle of the of the building's observation deck, well away from the railings or the edge. He was reluctant to put her down; he liked holding her in his arms, but set her gently on her feet before folding his arms around her waist. Inhaling the sweet scent of her hair as he held her. He heard her voice softly, muffled in his neck.
"What?" He asked. She pulled her face away from him and watched him looking no higher than his mouth. Her eyes were bright and shiny as she gazed at him, her hair tousled from the wind.
"I'm -I..." She whispered, her voice trailing off to nothing. He smiled and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger against hers a moment. "I love you Trunks." She said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I love you too." He replied softly, brushing some stray strands of hair that'd come loose from her clip off her face before kissing her again. "So much Marron. I wanted tonight to be perfect, something for us to remember forever."
"Oh I'll remember it all right." Marron said with an ironic little laugh. Trunks smiled as he leaned his forehead against hers.
"We've kind of hit a bump in the way I had the evening planned, but I was thinking that we could try this again. No interruptions." Trunks said, and swallowed as he reached in his pocket for the small velvet box. Marron's eyes widened as she chewed her lips nervously and put her hand on the arm he had in his pocket.
"No, wait." She said, but Trunks shook his head bringing out her ring and taking her hands again, pressing the ring box into her palm. "Trunks-"
"This isn't any easier the second time, I have to get it out before something happens." Trunks interrupted with a small laugh. Marron was making a low keening sound in the back of her throat as she looked at their clasped hands. "I love you Marron. I know that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You make me happy and I want to make you happy too..." He paused.
"Trunks..." She whispered. He continued on, ignoring her.
"Will you be my wife?" He finished, looking into her beautiful starlit face. It wasn't the candlelight and romantic music he'd hoped for, but he thought he pulled it off fairly well. Marron took a deep breath; she could feel a buzzing in her head as she curled her fist tightly around the ring box. Please let this be okay...
"I'm pregnant." She squeaked, blood rushing to her face as Trunks stared at her.
"I'm sorry?" He queried, like he hadn't understood her.
"I said I'm pregnant." She repeated, her voice a little more steady this time. Trunks looked stunned as he let go of her hands and took a step back.
"What? How...?" He asked absently. She gave him a look and he shook his head as though clearing it. "I know HOW it happened, I mean how long have you known?" She looked down at her own hands still holding the ring box.
"I got my test results today. Harmon got me the weekend off from the band because of it." She said quietly. Trunks ran a hand through his hair, still trying to process the news.
"When?" Marron felt the threat of tears behind her eyes again as she studied the ring box in her hand. This wasn't the reaction she'd wanted or hoped for from Trunks, but she realized it was the one she should have expected. It was after all, quite the bomb she'd just dropped on him.
"Practically the first time we were together." She told him, trying to keep her voice steady. He said nothing and she was afraid to look at him as fat tears started sliding down her cheeks to the corners of her lips. "I'm sorry." She sobbed quietly and held out the ring box to him with her left hand her eyes lowered.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"Giving you your ring back. I knew you'd change your mind if I told you." She said her voice wavering. Trunks took the box from her and opened it. Fishing the ring out of the little slot in the black velvet. He caught her hand as it was dropping to her side and he slipped the ring on her finger before she even knew what was happening. He pulled her toward him and kissed her deeply, holding her head in his hands.
"Nothing has changed. I love you and I want you to marry me, Marron. Now you tell me I'm going to be a father too. I think the only way you could possibly make me happier than I am right now is if you told me I didn't have to be Capsule Corp. President anymore." He said with little laugh.
"You could always quit and be my groupie." She joked through her tears. Trunks pulled her tight against him; he couldn't be close enough to her as he wiped her tears away gently with his thumb.
"I just want to be your husband." He told her, and picked up her left hand where the ring sparkled even in the dim starlight and diffused glow of the city. He twined his fingers with hers, clasping her hand. "Marry me." He asked urgently.
Marron looked at him and promptly burst into new tears, the emotion of the day and her hormones taking over. Trunks hugged her to him tightly lowering his face to her hair. "I would do anything for you." He whispered into her hair, as she sobbed happily against the shoulder of his tuxedo jacket.
"Does this mean yes?" He asked her. She pulled her head back and looked at him, smiling even as tears ran down her face.
"Yes this means yes! A million times over yes!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. "I love you Trunks." She told him and he swung her around a moment smiling before folding her back into his embrace as they stood on the roof. He swayed with her in his arms as they held each other and he couldn't stop smiling.
"Havin' my baby...
What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me."
Trunks sang softly to her as he grinned. Marron groaned. Trunks was the most musically inept man she'd ever met. He couldn't dance because he had no rhythm and he definitely couldn't sing. "Trunks...don't sing." She pleaded. Ignoring her, Trunks kept going in his off key voice.
"Havin' my baby...
What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me..."
He looked down at her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "What? You don't think I can sing?" He asked in mock offense. She smiled and chuckled softly.
"I KNOW you can't sing, Trunks." She said laughing. He returned the smile. He knew he couldn't sing, but now she was smiling and laughing instead of crying and that more than made up for embarrassing himself. He tipped her chin up and brought his lips down on hers softly.
"Then I guess I'll just leave the singing in the family to you then." He teased and rubbed her nose with his. A loud rumbling from Trunks' midsection interrupted them. Trunks looked mildly embarrassed as Marron giggled at him.
"I'm sorry you missed your dinner." She said.
"Not your fault. It's those morons fault. I had the whole evening all planned out for you too. A romantic candlelight dinner, soft music, maybe a little dancing, I was going to sweep you off your feet." Trunks said with a crooked grin. "Or at least try not to step on them. I'd propose. Then I was going to take you home and really pour on the charm." He told her with a wicked grin and raised eyebrows. "I'm sorry it got ruined."
Marron wrapped her arms around his waist under his jacket, tucking her head under his chin. "It's not ruined. You did sweep me off my feet, and as far as the dinner goes...pizza in bed is way more romantic anyway."
"Oh really?" Trunks asked with a slow smile as he picked her up in his arms. She gave him an equally wicked grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Only one way to find out...besides, I want to see that charm." She told him.
***
Author's Note: The song is Paul Anka if anyone cares. O.o Chapter 18 in the works...and we've still got a loonnng way to go. Questions and comments all cheerfully received at: Kinomi@faeriefloss.net Jaa ne! ^__^