"What do you think, Trowa? The blue tie or the purple?" Duo asked, holding up one, then the other in front of him as he studied his reflection in the mirror.

"Whichever one you're not wearing for the wedding."

"Very helpful," Duo scowled.

"Wear the blue," Catherine interjected from her perch on the end of the bed. "The purple brings out your eyes; you should save that for the wedding."

"Thanks Cathy. And here I thought you were against this whole plan."

"I am. It's a horrible idea, but there's no reason you should look bad doing it."

"I appreciate your consideration," Duo snarked. "Just wait, this will make for the best story to tell my grandkids. Besides, do you know how gorgeous she is? Trowa, tell her how gorgeous Relena is."

"I don't know about gorgeous. She has nice features, and her hair style is very flattering, but you're asking the wrong guy if you want 'gorgeous' as a description for someone who's not a man."

Duo rolled his eyes and glared at Trowa. "Again, very helpful." He put the purple tie aside and looped the blue one around his neck. "Err… do either of you know how to tie a full Windsor? I feel like I should go all out for this but I've always been too lazy to learn that one."

"Not it," Trowa said.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "How do I even know you two? Come here." Duo dutifully followed orders and Catherine quickly tied the knot. "Later, I'm showing you how to do this for yourself. That way you can at least pretend to be an adult."

Duo gave her his most winning smile. "You're the best, Cathy." She rolled her eyes again, failing to suppress a smile.

"Alright you two, wish me luck!"

"Are you kidding?" Catherine exclaimed. "We're coming with you, remember? No way am I missing out on this train wreck." Trowa smirked in agreement.

"Oh ye of little faith. Just wait, this is going to be epic!" Duo cried, leading the way out onto the deck.


Lunch had lasted for quite a while. Dorothy, back from whatever mysterious activities she'd been up to while they shopped for rings, had been full of ideas. Duo was both impressed and amused by her audacity, and was looking forward to her meeting Catherine tonight. Either they'd get along famously or hate each other's guts. He really wasn't sure which.

Relena and Quatre had done their best to talk their friend down from her most outlandish ideas, while Duo egged her on and Trowa simply smirked between bites. The man was plenty talkative around people he knew well, but tended to be rather quiet when meeting new people. Though if Duo weren't mistaken, he'd been checking out Quatre for all he was worth while trying not to be obvious about it. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he'd seen the blonde checking out Trowa in return. That could certainly be fun.

The plan was to meet Relena, her friends and her parents for dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant called The Grotto, and they were heading there now. They rounded a corner and there she was, resplendent in a sapphire blue gown, diamond earrings winking on her earlobes, as planned, and he grinned at her as she waved in their direction.

Butterflies erupted in his stomach as he caught sight of the man and woman who must be her parents. They were clearly very wealthy (which he could have guessed, he supposed, given how unimpressed Relena had been by the cost of the rings), and he began to wonder how he was possibly going to pull this off.

Too late to turn back now, he thought, surreptitiously feeling the outline of the ring box in his pocket. When he looked up, he caught Dorothy's eye, who was looking at him knowingly, smirking all the while. Damn her and her perceptiveness, anyway!

"Duo, Trowa, I'm so glad you could make it," Relena gushed. "And you must be Catherine. I'm Relena."

"Pleased to meet you," Catherine replied, smiling. Dorothy and Quatre stepped forward to introduce themselves as well.

Relena turned to her parents.

"Mother, Father, these are Duo, Trowa and Catherine." She turned to the three of them. "These are my parents. Meet Richard and Margaret Darlian."

Duo swallowed nervously.

"Richard Darlian? As in Vice Foreign Minister Darlian?" Relena had neglected to mention that little detail.

"Why yes," Richard replied. "I take it you follow politics, then?"

"Some. It's an honor to meet you."

Just then, the hostess came and let them know their table was ready, and they followed after her. Duo was reeling. Not only was Relena's family rich, but her father was the Vice Foreign Minister. Would word of his daughter's marriage become public knowledge? Was he going to end up on the cover of a tabloid?

He let none of this show on his face, or at least he thought he didn't. As Relena sat down next to him, however, she looked at him questioningly and mouthed "Okay?" when her parents weren't looking.

He pasted on a grin and winked at her, not wanting her to worry. She smiled and rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. Once again, he was taken aback by that smile. She was so beautiful, and having it aimed directly at him gave him a funny feeling in his chest that he didn't want to examine too closely.

"And for you, sir?" asked the server, whom he hadn't noticed arriving.

"Oh, umm, your house red, please," he said, hoping the man had been taking drink orders.

"Our house red is a 2016 Chianti, will that be alright?"

"Perfect," Duo replied, though he'd never had a Chianti before. Wine really wasn't his thing, but he'd been instructed to order it because that's what would make a good impression.

The server finished taking drink orders, and an awkward silence descended in the wake of his leaving. Duo was opening his mouth to say something when Relena beat him to the punch.

"Mother, Father, do you recognize any of my new friends?" They both looked a little confused.

"Should we?" Margaret asked.

"Trowa and Catherine were the performers in the knife-throwing act you went to last night."

Comprehension dawned on their faces.

"Oh how splendid! Richard and I just adored your performance, didn't we dear?"

"Indeed. It was very impressive. How long have you been throwing knives like that, Catherine?"

Everything was going according to plan. Relena's parents had seemed uncertain about them at first, but they became more relaxed and comfortable as the conversation continued. Soon, they had finished their caprese and fried calamari appetizers and were awaiting the main meal.

"So, how did you meet each other?" asked Margaret.

"We met Duo first, at the bar we went to last night," Relena replied. Margaret's eyebrows started climbing toward her hairline.

"At a bar?" she asked weakly.

"He bought her a drink," Dorothy continued, "and after they talked for a while, I invited him to join us. He's really just a delight, don't you think?"

This revelation was not what Relena's mother was hoping for, apparently. But then, they'd warned Duo about that.

"How could I not?" Duo asked, putting on a dazzling smile. "She was the most beautiful woman in the bar. I just couldn't help myself." He reached over and put a hand over hers. "And I'm so glad I did. You have an amazing daughter, Margaret."

Her mouth was working like a fish out of water, and it took all Duo had to keep a straight face. He noticed Quatre coughing into his hand, clearly trying to hide a laugh, while Dorothy didn't even bother to hide her wide smirk – was she always smirking? – looking like the cat that got the cream.

"So what is it that you do?" Richard asked after an awkward pause.

"I'm a dance instructor," Duo said. "Any type of ballroom dance, really. Waltz, Swing, Salsa, Tango, Cha Cha, Jive, you name it and I teach it."

"Do you have a favorite? I'm partial to the waltz myself."

"I enjoy them all, but I'd have to say I like Blues the best. It's very freeform, and I love the flexibility of it."

Next to him, Relena's smile was brightening and she was looking at him consideringly. Somehow, this hadn't come up the night before, or while they were so busy planning over lunch, so this was the first she'd heard about his vocation. He was very pleased to see her reaction.

"I've never tried Blues dancing before," Relena said. "You'll teach me, won't you?"

"I'd love to teach you, Relena. More than you know." She blushed prettily, as he'd hoped she would. When he looked back over the table, he saw Margaret looking at them consideringly. "I'd love to teach you all the dances," he continued as he pushed his chair back. This wasn't quite what they'd planned, but the moment felt right, so he decided to go with it. He got down on one knee and reached into his pocket, bringing out the little box.

"Relena, I want to do so much more than just teach you to dance. I want to do everything with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He opened up the ring box, lifting it closer to her. "Will you marry me?"

To her credit, Relena looked completely surprised as she inhaled sharply and brought her hands to her face, eyes widening.

"Oh Duo, yes! Yes, of course I'll marry you!"

He grinned triumphantly, warmth infusing his entire body. For a second he forgot that this was all an act and just reveled in the fact that she was looking at him like that. Like he was the only person in the room. It hit him like a punch in the gut when he came back to reality, and his smile faltered as he was taking the ring out and placing it on her finger. He caught himself quickly though, pasting a radiant smile back on his face. Certainly nobody had seen that?

"Duo, it's perfect! How did you know I liked white gold?"

"A little birdy told me," he said with a wink.

Her smile widened, eyes sparkling, and then she was pulling him up from the floor. One hand came behind his neck, fingers twining into the base of his braid, urging him toward her. She leaned forward and their lips met, kissing softly at first. He melted into the kiss and brought his own hand to the nape of her neck, pressing closer. His tongue darted out, seeking permission, and she opened for him at once. Their tongues tangled deliciously, and his pants were starting to get tight when there was a discreet cough. He broke the kiss reluctantly, out of breath and completely stunned. What a kiss!

"I do believe congratulations are in order!" Dorothy exclaimed, then signaled the waiter. "Champagne, the best you have!"

"Very good, ma'am," he said, then turned toward the kitchen.

"Yes, congratulations!" Quatre chimed in, followed by everyone except Relena's parents.

Margaret was gaping at them, eyes bulging, while Richard looked like a deer in the headlights. Richard recovered first, coughing discreetly.

"Yes," he said weakly. "Congratulations." He looked over at his wife. "Isn't this lovely dear? Relena is finally engaged." No reaction. "Just as you've hoped," he urged, nudging her under the table.

"Engaged," she stammered. Then her eyes lit up. "Engaged! Oh Relena, dear, congratulations!" Apparently, her earlier misgivings were being overridden by the fact that Relena was finally making progress toward her mother's ultimate goal.

The champaign arrived, and Quatre lifted his champaign flute, tapping it lightly with a spoon.

"To Duo and Relena!"

"To Duo and Relena!" the others echoed, then lifted their glasses in salute. Duo clinked his with Relena's, smiling widely at her before taking a sip. She grinned back, and he felt his stomach flip flop. He was definitely not getting in over his head here, he insisted to himself. Absolutely not.