This'll be kinda long… I just had so many ideas for this X)

-:-

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is this that flower shop in New York?"

"One of the many, sir. How can I help you?"

"Ah, well, you see, there's this girl…"

"One bouquet of roses, coming up!"

"W-Wait, really? Um. Let me explain. I'm from Washington, and –"

"That's no problem sir! I myself was born in California, and – "

"N-No, you don't understand. I'm calling from Washington. The girl I'm in love with lives where you are, in New York."

"Ah, I see. First of all, mister, how do you plan on paying for this here delivery?"

"I'll send you the money if that's okay…"

There was a short silence.

"Sure thing, mister! Whereabouts might this bouquet be headed?"

"Huh? I mean, here's the address…"

"Ookey dokey, sir! I'll be sure to get this to her ASAP!"

"Th-Thank you… And can you do one thing for me?"

"Sure, you loveable oaf!"

"H-Haha…. Well, can you make the card say, 'From Washington'?"

"Aha! Smart one, aintcha? Sure thing! G'bye now!"

"B-"

-:-

There was a knock on Hinata's door. She quickly got up to answer it, absently fixing her hair as she did so. "H-Hello?" She looked outside her door to find a bouquet of roses staring back at her.

"Ma'am, a dear feller you know decided to send you some flowers! I hope you don't mind!"

Perplexed, Hinata accepted. "N-Not at all…" She signed the clipboard the delivery person held out to her. "Oh! And I almost forgot! He told me to give you this, too." He handed her an envelope, which she tucked into the flower's wrapping.

"Ma'am, have a nice day, ya hear?"

"S-Sure… Thank you…" Hinata smiled awkwardly at the person then closed the door, stumbling to put the flowers on the table. She looked around for the card.

From Washington

Her heart skipped a beat when she read that. She quickly moved to open the letter, which she was disappointed to find was only a few words long. However, when she read them, they made the biggest difference.

See you soon!

-Deidara

-:-

Deidara had been saving up for this since Hinata stepped out of his car at the air port. He was going to New York and he was going to – in a very elaborate plan – propose to her. He knew it had only been a year since they last saw each other in real life, but he knew that he wouldn't find any other girl like Hinata anywhere else in the world.

As he stepped out into the parking lot of the bustling air port in New York, his heart began to panic (did he ever mention that he had slight anxiety problems that coupled with his mild claustrophobia?) and he found a place to sit down until the crowd died down.

He said that about two hours ago.

Deidara was just about to fall asleep when someone gently touched his shoulder. He took a peek at who the person was, and his heart skipped a beat.

"I'm sorry about the crowd… Everybody's returning home from vacations and business and stuff… It's always like this."

Her long blue hair never lost its sheen as she tucked it behind her ear. "I'm glad you're here, Deidara." She took his hand in hers and smiled a smile that melted his heart. "Hah… Y-Yeah… Me too… Hinata." Still amongst the mass of people, she stopped and turned, leaning up to give him a kiss on the cheek. It cured him of his claustrophobia and anxiety checks, but it left his lips feeling jealous of the new warmth on his cheek.

They maneuvered their way out of the crowd and stopped at an empty bench, where he sat down and caught his breath. Hinata held his hand tightly – or was it him that was squeezing so tight? He looked up at her and grinned. "I'm so not used to this people thing." He counted – he had bumped into several people, some of which almost dropped his stuff. When he apologized, they didn't hear and when he didn't apologize they gave him a death glare. Humans were confusing.

Hinata laughed, tugging Deidara across the parking lot (which was packed with traffic) and into Hinata's shiny-but-still-rather-old light blue car. The last of Winter 2010-2011 was at its coldest, and it bit Deidara full on after he stepped out of the undoubtedly heated swarm of people. As he sat in the car, Hinata waited for the car to warm up before expertly entering the string of traffic. She looked so concentrated, he didn't dare start a conversation. Instead, he studied her carefully, and slowly her small changes began to surface.

Her hair, of course had grown longer and a bit darker while the look in her eyes – though remaining innocent – held a sense of maturity. Her way of dress was more… professional. A bit different from what he saw her wear when he saw her last. He saw her shift uncomfortably and immediately looked the other way, blushing. How had he changed over the past year? If anything, his way of dress turned even shabbier and his hair had grown longer – in the bad way.

Suddenly self-conscious, he adjusted his ponytail and hair in a way that made him look more groomed. He busied himself with this until they reached Hinata's apartment complex, which reminded him of a hotel building. It made his apartment building look like a ghetto. (Not that it wasn't, but…)

She held his hand the entire way, all the way to the 5th floor. They took the elevators, since Deidara brought his luggage with him.

I wonder… Deidara suddenly thought, Why she hasn't kissed me or hugged me yet? There were over a dozen opportunities for her to show that they were in a relationship – kiss, hug – but she didn't do anything and in fact, it looked like she was avoiding such public displays of affection. Deidara looked at her anxiously, wondering if he had done something wrong. When the door closed in her apartment and his bags were stacked at the door, he held her hand tightly as her grip began to loosen. She turned to look at him curiously, and he stared back with a look of worry.

"Deidara – " Suddenly she was pulled to him closely, and he pressed his lips against her forehead. She blushed, and he felt the heat against him rise to a comfortable level. He pulled away to see her face, which was mildly confused but happy. Carefully, he leaned down and kissed her lips, gentle and chaste, then quickly pulled back. She gave him a look that hinted that she wanted to kiss again. He laughed. Nothing had changed about that – he worried over nothing. Confused but willing, she let him kiss her again, only this time taking the never-before-taken step of tongue.

It's okay, Hinata. He didn't know what to do either.

In their confusion, they made their way to a wall with an empty side table – since they felt that their legs were about to give out. Deidara effortlessly picked Hinata up and placed her atop the table, placing a hand on the wall for balance. Her arms wrapped around him and her hands tangled his hair. When he pulled away, he realized that he had an inappropriate banana in his pocket and Hinata, embarrassed, closed her legs.

I didn't know I could do that. Deidara thought, trying to calm himself. He staggered over to the other wall, leaning against it while he regained his balance. I've never had thoughts like that… about Hinata, anyway. He felt himself blush and put a hand on his face. Hinata walked up to him and held his hand. Automatically, his arm went around her waist and pulled her in front of him. "I love you, Hinata. Didja know that?" He closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers.

"Yes… I love you, too."

--

When night time came around, and sleepiness was about them, Deidara came to notice one thing – there was only one bed. Now, thinking logically, Hinata probably figured – since they were going out – that they could just share a bed. She was right, but she had no idea how hard it was to control these sudden urges that he had concerning her and…

She had crawled into bed first, looking at him expectantly. Deidara tried his best to keep his composure. Hinata patted the spot beside her, and he went around, crawling in next to her. He leaned over, propping one arm on her other side, and kissed her softly and teasingly down to her shoulder. "Aah, I missed you so much…" he murmured as he brought his lips back up to kiss her. "I missed you, too. I wish we could stay together like this… forever…" She glanced up at him when he paused from kissing her. Did I say something wrong…? She thought.

In fact, Deidara was in a euphoric state after hearing Hinata's interest in staying with him forever. His cheeks flushed and a strange tingle went through his body. He let his lips fall onto hers, putting his weight into the push. She was pushed back and down, resting her head among the pillows as he kissed her. "I want to stay together forever, too, Hinata."

Deidara got off of her and rolled to her side. He gathered her up in his arms and pulled the blankets over their shoulders.

I'd love nothing more than to be with you forever.

-:-

Deidara's plan was fairly complicated.

On the day that he was supposed to leave, he would actually stake out at Hinata's parent's house, preparing himself for his big proposal night. A couple weeks before, he had taken the time to get to know Hinata's family and gained the courage to ask them for Hinata's hand in marriage. They gladly accepted, to his surprise, and now his plan could take action.

He only had a week to get his money, buy the perfect ring, and set up a cool night out without spending the money he had left (which he was sure would be around $5, aside from his 'going home' ticket budget). It would be a challenge.

-:-

As Hinata hugged him tightly for a very emotional good-bye, he scanned the air port's parking lot for Hinata's parent's car, which was waiting for him in the farthest corner. Mentally he sighed, then focused back on Hinata, who looked up at him, teary eyed.

"Now it's my turn to visit you…" She said softly, clutching his jacket. Deidara smiled, moving to wipe her tears away. "Yeah… I hope you do soon. I get lonely pretty easily." He gave her one 'last' kiss goodbye before walking into the ever-present crowd of people. He glanced back at her – she was waving. He smiled back and waved, disappearing into zoo of loading docks and families.

--

A good two hours later, Deidara made his way back to the parking lot, where the family was still waiting. He hurried over to them, panicked that they spent two hours in a parking lot waiting for him to finish faking a trip back to Washington. He tapped on the window and Neji, the older brother, woke up from his nap and opened the van's door for him and his bags.

"Oh, God. Thank you so much for waiting. I'm sorry I took so long… there were just so many people and –"

"Don't worry about it, dear! I'm just so excited that you're planning to marry our daughter! It's just so… exciting! Isn't it, honey?" Hinata's mom, at the driver's seat, glanced at Deidara and then looked at Hiashi, who nodded in agreement. "This is a most exciting event." Deidara laughed nervously, tapping absently on the handle of his bag.

"Now, you'll be staying in Hinata's room (before she moved out) since she barely goes there anymore. When Hinata comes to visit, it's extremely crucial (for your plan) that you hide or stay quiet."

Deidara sat on the couch, paying careful attention to the Hyuga parents as they paced in front of him in unison. It was like a military debriefing. They went over other things, like household chores (and how he was to do his own laundry), and cleaning up after yourself when you're in the living room/house in general. He completely understood, and he figured that he'd have done all those things even if they hadn't told him to.

Now his plan could start. And his first order of business was:

Send her roses.

-:-

I wonder why Deidara hasn't responded to my letter yet. Hinata sat at her kitchen table, a cup of hot chocolate (a brand that she recently got addicted to) sitting cold on its surface. What if I did something to him while he was here? I mean… we did make out a couple times… She blushed, of course. Maybe I kissed him wrong? Oh, what if I made it awkward between us?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She slowly got up to answer it, wondering who it could possibly be. Cautiously, the door opened, and a large bouquet of flowers was flopped into her face.

"Hiya there, missy!"

It was the slightly familiar flower delivery boy. There was no envelope, only a small card attached that said,

Roberto's Restaurant
1234 5th AVE SW, Bleeker Street
7:00pm
Dress nicely.

Hinata turned the card over and looked for a name, but didn't find any. "Um… Who sent these?" She asked. The delivery boy grinned. "Oh! A fine feller named D – " he cut himself off, then laughed to himself. "The feller wished to remain a mystery…" He said in a fun tone. Hinata laughed, but for the life of her could not think of any person who could possibly send her flowers and the address of a fancy restaurant. It was a bit unsettling.

"W-Well, thank you." She accepted the flowers and the delivery boy left. Hinata looked at the time and saw that she had about an hour and a half to prepare. She didn't even have a dress.

Would she go? Of course. How rude would it be to keep the person waiting? She'd just ask Neji to spy on her in case it was someone shady… Seemed like a solid plan, right?

Hinata ran over to the nice store down the street and bought a nice simple dress and shoes for the night. She kept the receipt, since she figured it would only be a one-night thing. Then she packed her bag with her wallet, lipstick, pepper spray, Nun-Chucks, and a Swiss Army knife (with a can opener). Just in case, y'know?

It was already 6:30, so she figured she'd just head on down to the restaurant now. She was pretty sure of where the restaurant was – she'd probably passed it a few times.

So, with the mindset of self defense, she made her way down to 1234 5th AVE South West Bleeker Street.

--

"Um… hey. I-I have a question. Deidara self-consciously adjusted his tie and shifted his smooth, clean, black blazer into a more comfortable position. He was sitting alone at a table for two, waiting for his date to maybe-arrive thirty minutes early.

"Yes sir?"

"Well, you see… I-I'm going to as my girlfriend to… m-marry me. And I was wondering…"

"…Yes, sir?"

"Is there a certain routine I have to go through? Like, do I go down on my right knee or my left? And should I hold her hand? Or would I be holding the ring? Do I hold it with both hands? My right? Left? And what if she says no? Does she walk off? Or eat dinner with me still? Because if she walked off, I'd be okay with it (well, not really,) but I'd think it'd be very rude for her to do so. But it'd be awkward between us from now on, right? I mean, she's like, my best friend…"

The waiter laughed, and Deidara sighed, exasperated. "Sir, if she really loves you, and you really love her – " "I do." " – then it'll all work out in your favor." The waiter smiled at him and walked off to serve other customers.

It was a good ten minutes, and Deidara was sitting at his table, fiddling with the ring. He stared at it, wondering if it was good enough. He imagined it on Hinata's left ring finger – her hand holding his, interlaced – and how, later on, their hands would grow wrinkled and worn, but still holding each other in their house by the sea.

……….

Did he really just imagine growing old with Hinata?

He laughed out loud to himself, earning a couple looks from other people. Deidara rested his head in his propped hand, a flushed expression reaching his cheeks. He fingered the ring, letting it roll in his fingers and smiled. He heard the door of the restaurant open and looked up, seeing a wisp of blue hair before feeling the ring fall from his fingertips and onto the floor. Panicked, he ducked under the table to look for it.

"Here is your table, madam. Your waiter will be with you shortly." The man escorting Hinata pulled her chair out for her to sit, and Deidara froze under the table. He saw her legs tuck themselves under the tablecloth. Those sexy, sexy legs wearing cute black flats. He didn't realize it until she kicked him in the face. Apparently, he brushed against her leg the wrong way, and she reacted accordingly.

When he sat up, she sprayed pepper spray in his eyes.

"Yaaagh!!" Deidara fell sideways, back on the floor. Briefly he wanted to search for the ring he hadn't found yet, but decided against it – he lost his engagement ring. His heart was heavy as he felt Hinata help him up.

"D-Deidara!?" She shrieked, panicked.

When everything cleared out, Deidara decided to leave the restaurant. He secretly told the manager that if they found a ring to send it to Hinata's parent's address (which he gave). He felt depressed, but still had a whole night to explain to Hinata why he was there.

They held hands as they walked to a nearby park bench. Hinata was still a bit angry with him, but he still couldn't see due to the – erm – pepper spray. They sat down, under the bright light of the moon and clear sky's stars. Hinata eventually let go of her anger, realizing that she was more happy that he was here at all. Though she was still confused, she felt bad for making him partially blind from the pepper spray. She looked up at him; his eyes seemed to have recovered. However, he looked rather depressed, and naturally she wondered why.

Gently, she nudged him, and he looked at her and smiled. He didn't really feel like talking, but always felt like being next to her. For a moment, he thought of them, their hands wrinkled and worn, sitting in this very same park bench in the springtime. As he focused on his legs, he noticed something sparkle in the crevice of his right pant leg. Slowly, he analyzed it, wondering what it could possibly be. The eye of God telling him he was a failure? A jewel that fell from another person's purse into the fold? No… wait, he knew what it was…!

It was the ring!

Suddenly, a large smile spread across his face. He paid no mind to the strange look on Hinata's face. He glanced around – the setting was as perfect as it could have been. He looked at Hinata and held her hand tightly as he slid down on one knee. Oh, the look on her face. She had no idea what was going on. "Hinata…" All of his previous planning was forgotten. His brain was functioning naturally – it was as if his body knew what to do from the start.

"We've been writing to each other for a good… three years now. That's a pretty long time, you know."He paused. She giggled, blushing. He chuckled a little. He reached into his pant leg and pulled out the ring, shiny and gold. Her laughter faded into a gasp as he held it out in front of her. "And, Hinata," he sighed, feeling a bit wistful in the moment. "I think it's safe to say that I've fallen for you. I mean, you're only the most amazing, beautiful, awesome person I've ever met…" He was quiet for a little while. Hinata was struggling to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest. Deidara lifted her left hand and kissed her ring finger.

"Hinata Hyuga, I love you. Will you… marry me?"

It seemed to take her a moment to respond. He felt something wet fall onto his hand – a tear. She was crying. Frantic, he held her hand tightly. "I-I'm sorry! Did I do something wrong?" He looked at her with absolute worry. What had he done wrong?

Hinata shook her head, covering her face with her hand. "Y-You're perfect, Deidara. Nothing's wrong, but…" But? Deidara stared at her, extremely worried. "It's just… I… I-I love you so much! I… I don't know how to respond…" She choked a sob. Confused, he started, "Is that… a yes?"

She took a deep breath and calmed herself. She reached out and kissed his forehead. "Yes, Deidara. I will marry you."

Now it took him a minute to respond. When the words sunk in, he jumped up, howled in happiness and picked Hinata up from the waist. "Hinata!" He yelled her name to the heavens, putting her down and kissing her as hard as he could without hurting her. She smiled and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him.

The ring he slipped on her finger glistened in the moonlight.

-:-

So, Hinata and Deidara got married. Sasori was the best man, and Hinata decided to move to Washington. It surprised everyone, believe me. However, her family was glad that she was going out to see the world, even though it was only in Washington. They were happy to have him as a Son-In-Law.

Hinata and Deidara had twins (oddly). Yuki and Tsuki. The couple loved them to death. Sasori did, too.

Every year, for summer vacation or Christmas holiday, the five of them would visit Hinata's family in New York.

And, most importantly, Hinata and Deidara grew old together, holding their hands, withered and worn.

-:-

So long!

Farewell!

Thanks so much for reading, everyone! I had as much fun writing this story as you did reading it! (Well, at least I HOPE you had fun with this story…)

I love you all! Goodbyeee…..

-TWA