Title: Diamonds
Summary: While contemplating diamonds and dandelions with Tohru on their weedy front lawn, Yuki decides to ask her a very important question.
Genre: Romance
Rating: K+
Word Count: 1,052
Companion to "Dandelions"
Not necessary to read "Dandelions" before but it's the chapter prior.
Tohru snuggled against Yuki's chest, resting her head against his outstretched arm as she watched the sun sink in the sky, leaving their dandelion-covered lawn basking in a dimming golden glow. They had bought a small house a few months prior after graduating from college, and the first thing they did after they moved in was blow dandelion seeds all over the once clear, green lawn. Nothing brought a grin to her face, besides racing through the yard with him and sending a shower of dandelion seeds across the sky, like lying on their weedy front yard together as the sun set. She loved the soft caress of dandelion petals, the gentle brush of the grass shards, and the warmth of Yuki's arm wrapped around her waist as the night air cooled.
"You know what else reminds me of dandelions?" Yuki inquired suddenly.
"What? Us?" Tohru guessed, supplying his usual answer.
"Well yes, but I was thinking about diamonds. I think that they may be the only things stronger than dandelions, with the exception of us, of course. I mean, each carbon atom is attached to four other carbon atoms in a tetrahedral shape in a complex lattice. Nothing other than another diamond can even break those network covalent bonds," he seemed to ramble as he released her from his grasp.
"Yuki-kun, you know I didn't do very well in chemistry with all those bonds and arrangements. What are you trying to say?"
She shoved herself up to rest on her elbow to peer up at him quizzically and found him propped up on one knee with an open, black, velvet box in his hand. A gold band with a large diamond in the center, surrounded by several tiny ones in a design that reminded her of the yellow weeds adorning her yard, glimmered from the satin cushion that served as its throne. With wide eyes, she stared at the glistening gem and then gawked at her boyfriend. Yet another gift he couldn't afford with the new house and loan payments due, but she couldn't worry about the price for much longer when he removed the ring from the box and presented the jewel, reflecting faint rainbows from the last rays of the fading sun off of smooth facets, to her.
"I'm saying that I want you to marry me. Tohru Honda, ever since I first laid eyes upon you, I knew I had stumbled upon a treasure, a diamond. With your purity, innocence, and kindness, you've helped transform me from something worthless that's undeserving of your love into something that can almost deserve you. You've turned coal into diamond with your warmth. With this, I pray that you can see how I cherish you and how I will continue to do so forever if you'll marry me. I know we don't have much, but we have each other, and I know that together, our bond rivals the strength of diamonds. I don't doubt that we'll be together as long as dandelions roam the earth and that like diamonds, the only thing that can sever our bond is ourselves, but I refuse to ever let that happen, so Honda-san, will you marry me?"
By the time he finished, her own clear crystals were trickling down her face. She could only nod as she choked on her own tears. As soon as he slipped the ring on her finger, she leapt on him, knocking him back down onto their dandelion-coated lawn, and pressed her lips against his. While they rolled around on the weeds and grass, sharing tight embraces and passion filled kisses, Tohru reveled in the cool clasp the band had around her finger and Yuki relished the feel of the ring pressed against his back. When they finally broke apart and gazed each other, they both laughed at the dandelion seeds that clung to their hair and clothes.
"You know my birthday wish came true from a couple of years ago," Tohru told him, interrupting the silence.
"Oh?"
"Yes, you finally decided to propose," she beamed brightly.
"And you actually accepted."
As he lay still in the grass, holding her near, Tohru noticed that the stars had decided to peep out from the sky's dark blanket, and she wondered who needed shooting stars or wishing wells when she had dandelion puffs. Laying her hand across his chest, Tohru admired her new adornment with a grin while Yuki noted that her other hand seemed lonely. Reaching forward, he plucked a yellow dandelion from the lawn and wrapped the flower around her right ring finger. He knotted the green stem and adjusted the floral band with a smile, centering the blossom on her hand. Smiling, Tohru stretched both hands in front of her.
"Which do you prefer?" he asked, gesturing to her two rings.
"I don't know. Which do you think will last longer?"
"I guess we'll see, won't we?"
"Yes. We have all of eternity together to see."
He nodded in agreement, finding the corners of his mouth curving upwards as he planted a ginger kiss on top of her head. Yuki pulled his love closer to him, partially surprised that such an action was even possible, and felt his heart race with euphoria as she leaned into his touch. With a faint red tinge to his cheeks, he wondered idly whether her hand peacefully sitting on his chest could feel the erratic fluttering of his heart while Tohru flushed and hoped that he couldn't feel the twisting and quenching of her stomach pressed against his side or the warmth radiating off her flushed skin.
Next spring, Tohru found herself grinning in a flowing, white, silk dress clutching a bouquet of dandelions in her hands as she walked down the aisle towards where Yuki stood at the altar. The dandelion in the buttonhole of the lapel on his tuxedo matched the vines of entwined dandelion blossoms laced through the arc with goldenrod ribbons above the altar and the aureate bridesmaids' dresses. When the ceremony concluded and Yuki and Tohru exited hand in hand, billows of dandelion puffs cascaded across the sky, rather than a shower of rice, to wish them a happy future, and they both knew that with the blessing of diamonds and dandelions, they'd enjoy the rest of forever together.