Proposal
by Banshi
Duo unlocked the front door, only to stop dead in his tracks. There were flowers everywhere. Some were in vases on every table-like surface, petals all over the floor, some hanging up-side-down from hooks in the ceiling. It was like he had walked into an English conservatory… except that he was in his house on L2.
"Trowa?" he called, hoping that the beloved silent-one was home, and had an explanation.
"Duo. I didn't hear you come in." The voice came from the kitchen, and was quickly followed by a tall, disheveled man wearing an apron. He looked like he'd had a fight with an unbaked cake, and the cake had won.
"That must be one mean pastry." Duo laughed as his eyes roamed the flour and batter covered form of his lover.
"It's Greek and involves Philo dough. Catherine said it was good for beginners."
"Philo dough? Tro, you didn't stand a chance." Duo walked up to him and started brushing flour off of his shoulders, nodding in approval at the old work shirt he found underneath. "At least you didn't go to battle in good clothes."
"Never." Trowa was smiling down at him and Duo quirked and eyebrow in question.
"So… what were you doing messing with recipes that your dear sister recommended? We agreed that her 'beginner' was our 'master chef', especially after that thing with the beef stew and broken crock pot." Both Duo and Trowa shuddered at the memory, not so much of the stew, but the clean-up after the stew.
"Wanted to make something special for you, and I thought that you'd like Baklava." Trowa tilted his head, a question in his green eyes. Duo felt his own eyes widen as the implications sunk in. He looked behind him at the potpourri shop that used to be his living room. He pointed at the room and looked back at his lover.
"And all the flowers?"
"You missed flower gardens. With the restrictions on water here, this was the only way to give you one."
Duo's breath caught in his throat as he looked back at the living room, and then at the amazing man standing in the kitchen door-way. He was used to Trowa being more observant that he was, and even used to having that difference in perception used to surprise him. This was still enough to shock him speechless. It was beautiful, and he didn't know how to react, so he fell back into auto-speech.
"Any particular occasion?"
"No. Just, welcome home, and I love you." Trowa shifted nervously, and wouldn't look Duo in the eye.
"Liar." Trowa's head shot up and he glared at Duo, but remained silent. So Duo filled in the void. "If it were no special thing, you would have just made me my favorite macaroni and cheese, popped my favorite movie into the machine and been my cuddle partner. You did all of this instead, so spill. What's up?"
Instead of answering, Trowa took Duo's hand in his, and reached into his pocket with the other one.
"I love you." With those words he put something warm and metal into Duo's palm, then let go to walk back into the kitchen. Duo opened his hand, knowing what he would find. He had watched enough sappy romance movies with Hilde to know what happened next. The metal of the simple ring was warm from Trowa's body-heat, and it gleamed against his skin. It was a plain wedding band, made of yellow gold, and it was the most beautiful thing Duo had ever seen.
He followed his lover into the kitchen, an irrepressible grin on his face and a mist of tears in his eyes.
"So, did this come in a set or am I gonna have'ta go hunting?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Duo paced the full width of the bedroom, his fingers worrying at the metal band on his ring finger, and his mind on the matching ring in his pocket.
It had taken him three weeks, but he had found the perfect ring for Trowa, and he wanted to give it to his love right away. Except that Trowa had to be here in order to get the ring. And Trowa wasn't here.
There had been a note on the 'fridge, telling Duo that Leslie had needed and extra pair of hands, and Trowa had gone to help her. Helping Leslie was all fine and good, except that Duo wanted that particular pair of hands here.
He exhaled loudly, blowing his bangs away from his forehead, then turned to do another circuit of the bedroom floor. His eyes traveled over the candles and the flowers and other romantic touches he had added to their usual grunge-chic decor. He had wracked his brain for all of those lovey-dovey movies he had watched with Hilde while she was recuperating after the first war, and he thought he had gotten all of the best details. Roses, white candles and soft sheets, not silk because neither he nor Trowa were that fancy, but luxurious none-the-less.
All he needed now was Trowa.
Just as he was about to double check everything, he heard the front door open and unlock. He stopped mid-step and held his breath, his ears straining for any sound. He heard soft footfalls head for the kitchen, but there was no opening of the cupboards or clinking of dishes. Then the footfalls were heading towards the bedroom... towards him.
He remembered that he needed to breathe, and tried to quiet his heart. He knew that Trowa felt the same way he did, Trowa had taken this step first, but he still felt his nerves tie themselves into a knot. He couldn't quite catch his breath as everything seemed to go into slow motion.
The door opened, but it seemed an eternity until he saw a pair of beloved green eyes look into the room. As the gaze rested on his face, he broke out into a smile almost too wide for his mouth.
"Do you like it?" he gestured to the room with a sweep of his arm. Trowa looked away from his face and took in the room.
"Yes." Duo felt his world tilt slightly as those green eyes met his again, with an unmistakable glint of humor. "Any particular occasion?" Trowa quoted. Duo snickered, recognizing his own question from when Trowa gave him his ring.
"Same one." Duo answered. Trowa's eyes widened, the humor replaced by surprise, and then joy, and his mouth spread into a wide smile of his own. He walked into the room until they were standing chest to chest. Duo pulled the ring out of his pocket, and mimicked Trowa's action from weeks ago. Slowly closing Trowa's fingers over the ring in his palm, Duo looked his beloved in the eye. "This means you're never getting rid of me Tro. I say this is forever, and I never lie."
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Trowa slid the ring onto his finger, accepting the terms, and Duo's vow. Forever.
When their lips met, each could feel the joy, awe and contentment in the touch of the other. It was intoxicating, and soon they lost themselves in sensation and emotion, uncaring of the universe around them.
Duo only half-remembered to kick the door shut and pray for the automatic lock, before his full attention was on freeing Trowa from the med-camp scrubs he had come home in. They barely made it to the bed.
Candles were lit only after a bath and food ... many hours later. Neither cared, they could try the movie romance thing again later. After all, that's what anniversaries were for, right?