Happy Valentine's Day!

It was a quiet though stormy evening, the wind and rain blew and prickled on in its mildly wild abandon. The fire crackled in its comforting warmth in Minnie's fireplace while Minnie herself was working on a cross-stitch project that was going to say 'There's no business like bow business', and Mickey was nestled next to her on the couch with his head in her lap, snoozing away. He hadn't started snoring yet, but he was unconscious enough that his tail was limp.

Technically Mickey was visiting, and had helped Minnie with another round of spring cleaning, the attic tended to take the longest, and before either of them knew it the storm rolled in before Mickey could even think of leaving, and Minnie was not about to turn Mickey out in the rain since he walked over. She didn't mind of course, she loved having Mickey over, and especially loved having his head in her lap when he was asleep. It was flattering to know that she was a sense of comfort to him. It was a sign of trust after all.

Suddenly Mickey stirred enough that he rolled over onto his stomach, with enough consciousness to use his hands to lift himself a smidge so he wouldn't roll off the couch, and his head now faced inwards towards her. He was originally facing completely outwards on his side, and now that he settled, the tip of his tail was curling in and out indicating that he was awake though he kept his eyes closed.

"Did you have a nice nap, sweetie?" Minnie asked, knowing he'd respond if he was truly awake, which he did.

"Mmm-hmm, thanks fer lettin' me nap on yer lap, Min." Mickey replied, sounding quite happy and refreshed after his siesta.

"Any time, Mickey." She told him sweetly. "It's still raining though, so you'll have to stay here a little while longer."

"I could always book it home." He suggested teasingly, knowing how she'd react.

"And risk you getting sick? Absolutely not!" Minnie shot back firmly.

"Just checkin', Min." Mickey snickered, as he peeked one eye open. He always was flattered by her protective side, it was adorable even when she was a little over protective on occasion. Minnie huffed and rolled her eyes at him, defiantly returning to her cross-stitching. Mickey decided to half-tease her a little more as he stealthily dug into his pocket for something. "O' course if ya married me this would all be a hundred times easier 'cause then I wouldn't ever hafta leave." He slowly opened his other eye and by eyes alone he cautiously raised his gaze to gauge her reaction.

Naturally, Minnie paused in her cross-stitching, debating whether or not she heard him correctly. If she did, her heart was already skipping a mile a minute. However, she couldn't quite keep her hopes up because he has fooled her twice into thinking that he was actually going to pop the question. Though she did recall a third time, but that one was more of a missed opportunity of a killed mood than anything, and that was the only instance she forgave even though she did try to pull it from him, he wouldn't budge since the mood was indeed completely killed.

The first time he fooled her was shortly after he came home from resigning his job at the Liberty-Belle Hotel as a bellhop and detective since fishy things were going on at the time, he got down on one knee and sounded like he wanted to ask a very important question, in the end…it was just for another piece of cake, as hopeful as she was then she couldn't stay mad at him since it was a clever trick that even managed to make her laugh. The second time was that awful April Fool's Day prank that she will never forgive him for. If he so much as dared to pull another stunt like that now she really would kick him out and make him book it home. So she tried not to hold her breath.

"I beg your pardon?" Minnie asked coolly though cautiously, not daring to look at him in case it really was another prank, but she did keep him in her peripheral vision. Unfortunately the old memories surfaced into her emotions fully so she couldn't stop the sudden surge of tears pin pricking then welling up in her eyes. She tried to turn her head away fully but it was no use as the rest of her body betrayed her with the shuddering of her shoulders.

Mickey's hidden smirk fell at her tone, and at the pin prick and welling up of tears that he would never guess were from her remembering the sting of the April Fool's Day prank. It made him nix his decision of teasing her since he all but panicked at the sight of her tears. He had no choice but to out himself and his earlier choice of words. As much as he said them to tease her, he meant them too.

"Minnie? Minnie, c'mon, big girls don't cry in baseball." He said gently as he sat up and scooched himself and her so that she'd sit on his lap and lightly rocked her. Because of this movement she put her cross-stitching aside and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as she let the tears flow freely with her sobs. "Minnie, I meant what I said. Of course I wanna marry ya, don'tchya dare ever doubt that." He said firmly, thankful that that seemed to do the trick in quieting her sobs. "I'm just savin' up is all, fer the wedding and the honeymoon…wherever ya wanna go that is, I was thinkin' Paris, France but again, it's entirely up ta you." Then he realized he missed a super important question so he backtracked a little. "If you'll have me that is…" He got down off the couch on one knee but kept her on the other. Then he took a deep breath and finally asked what he should have asked a long time ago. "Minnie, w-!"

Mickey noticed then that she was a little heavier all of a sudden, as if she were dead weight, and her grip on him was slack, and otherwise felt completely limp. He pulled back a little and realized that at some point she had fainted. He sighed in exasperation, muttering a 'fer gosh sakes' because he just knew he'd have to repeat something if not all of it. He checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief that it was still there and she didn't randomly die on him from shock.

Being the gentleman that he was, he laid her down on the couch…or tried to anyway as her grip on him suddenly tightened as if she subconsciously knew her favorite teddy bear was about to be taken away. Mickey mentally groaned that even in her sleep she could be stubborn. Well, there was only one thing to do about it, lifting her back up, he plopped himself down on the couch, making sure she lay comfortably atop him, wiping away her tears while he could. Then he dug into his pocket and brought out the little red ring box and opened it, balancing it on the underside of his muzzle, his nose really, so that when she woke up it would be the first thing she saw.

He also noticed that it had stopped raining finally, or maybe it was just drizzling out now and he couldn't see nor hear the raindrops. He glared out the window for nature's terrible timing. He wanted to blame the universe too, but he didn't want any part of the same curse Donald Duck already had.

About fifteen minutes later Minnie finally stirred, snuggling further into Mickey's chest at first just because she was so comfortable. Then she took notice of the solid body that was underneath her. She squeaked and sat right up, confused as to how she ended up lying on top of Mickey, and then noticed the little red box with a ring in it balancing inconspicuously on his nose.

"Didjya have a nice nap, toots?" Mickey asked mimicking her from earlier up to a point. He spoke mostly through his teeth though so he didn't bounce the ring box, but then he realized that it wasn't necessary to balance it there anymore so he grabbed it and held it out to Minnie. "I was just on one knee when ya fainted on me, an' right now I'm too comfy ta move so I hope ya don't mind me askin' in this position." He then cleared his throat. "Minnie, will ya marry me?"

"Oh, Mickey~!" Minnie squealed so happily and loudly it was a wonder Mickey didn't lose his hearing right then. She lunged at him sinking them both deeper into the couch, and promptly kissing every inch of his face that she could find. "Of course I'll marry you! Oh you're so sweet! Paris sounds lovely!" She gushed between kisses.

"Min-! Hang on-! Ya haven't-! Put the ring on yet!" Mickey sputtered in between the kisses that landed on his mouth. He was impressed with himself for not melting and forgetting about the ring all together, but the kisses on his mouth were fleeting so that was probably why. Though he tried to also not focus on the fact that she did hear his honeymoon idea of going to Paris before she fainted.

Minnie stopped kissing him then as she comprehended what he said, and looked back to the little red ring box in his hand. On the inside of the top part of the box she could make out a Zales brand, and the ring was an 'Ever Us' set of diamonds. Which fit her relationship with Mickey perfectly.

"Oh, Mickey it's beautiful!" She gushed happily as she gingerly took the little box in her hands. "I love it!"

"There's a little inscription on the underside of the ring." Mickey had to mention for the sake of it. Noticing that she held both the box and her left hand out towards him, he took the hint and plucked the ring out of the box then put the ring on her middle/ring finger.

Minnie gazed lovingly at it and slowly turned over her hand to look at the inscription Mickey had mentioned. It was their names and a cute little '4 Ever'. It was adorable. Minnie couldn't help the tears welling up in her eyes again, but at least they were happy tears this time. She plopped onto Mickey again and hugged him tightly. "I love you so much." She murmured happily with a short, sweet kiss to his lips.

"Aw, I love ya too Minnie, with all my heart." Mickey replied happily, kissing her lips back, but slightly longer than she had. When he eventually pulled away, she pecked him again before snuggling into him again.

"Sooo, any ideas for a date to aim for?" Minnie asked cutely, wording it the way she did because they had to save up for it after all.

"Just one, but I won't be insulted if ya don't agree with me." He hummed in suggestive thought. "I was thinking our anniversary of our very first date, that way it could be our anniversary period."

"Oh-ho Mickey, that's perfect! May 15th it is." She agreed happily. "Who should we tell first?"

Mickey snorted a little, and quickly apologized for it before he answered her with a question. "How fast do ya think Clarabelle is at getting the word around?"

"You're not honestly suggesting…"

"Of course I am, with luck she'll scream like a banshee about it in the streets and everyone in Mouseton will know even if they don't know us personally. Makes our lives easier about getting the word out." Mickey lightly scoffed.

"Ten bucks says she lets all our friends know within three days." Minnie challenged.

"Yer on, I bet she'll let everyone know in two days." Mickey shot back playfully.

"Fair enough." She accepted his terms easily. Then she noticed the sun pop out outside. "Oh! It stopped raining!" Then she looked down at him worriedly.

"I'll stay a little while longer if ya want me ta." He told her, knowing what she was thinking easily.

"Thank you, I want you all to myself for a lot while longer." She cooed at him before indulging in kissing his face more, though a lot more slowly this time.

"Happy ta oblige." Mickey quipped cheerfully, just before she reached his mouth again.

"Mickey?" Minnie started to ask suddenly as she had thought of something, a something which concerned the third time he almost proposed, a real proposal too but the opportunity was missed because of the timing of interruptions, but she wanted to know for sure now that they were officially engaged.

"Yeah, Min?"

"Were you trying to propose to me after Cinderella's ball? Before the Duke interrupted us?"

"Caught me red handed, Minnie. Yes I was, and I know ya really wanted ta know what I was gonna ask ya even when we were finally alone on the way home but the mood was totally killed. An' I wasn't sure if ya'd forgive me fer proposing in a less romantic setting such as that carriage. Sorry I lied about not remembering what I wanted ta ask ya back then, but...y'know... If given the choice ta go back ta that moment, I would've stopped time just so I could spit out my proposal before the Duke even came near us." Mickey admitted.

"Oh, Mickey. That's so sweet~! But for the record, I wouldn't have minded if you had proposed to me in the carriage, since it would've made you mine faster." She told him sweetly.

"Oh-ho~! That's why ya kept pestering me about it fer the next couple of days." Mickey replied in amusement as he put two and two together.

"Now, now, 'pester' is too strong of a word and you know it." Minnie countered lightly.

"Yer right, it's more like ya tried ta 'seduce' it out of me fer the next couple of days. Not that I'm complainin' about yer method choice of really long and juicy kisses outta nowhere, but I had good reasons ta not budge." Mickey countered back playfully.

"I'm still surprised you didn't let up." Minnie sighed in awe wistfully and in reminiscence.

"Ta be perfectly honest, so am I, but I was determined ta ask ya properly darn it."

"And you certainly did, in the only way you absolutely would have done in the first place. Sneakily as always, but regardless, you're mine now and I wouldn't have it any other way." She said, pursing her lips in amusement before closing the distance between their lips again.

"I'll always be yours forever, toots." He replied once she pulled away, and then returned her kiss in kind.

Neither had been happier than this in a long time, and in the end, Minnie owed Mickey ten dollars for Clarabelle getting the news across that quickly.