Chapter 36!

It's more Waning Moon.

Anyway, another Rumi and Izumi at 23 and post proposal and chapters 19 and 20 go hand in hand as they're the exact same night.

Enjoy, more notes at the end!

A Piece of You

*Rumi POV*

Rumi could see the apprehension in Midoriya's eyes.

It was late, later than her green haired lover usually stayed up, and the pair gazed at one another while they laid in bed and Rumi waited for the greenette to say what she wanted. Raising one of her hands, Rumi placed it between them and Midoriya raised her own in response and hooked their pinkies together while she seemed to gather her thoughts.

"Marry me, Usagiyama," her partner whispered and Rumi squeezed their little fingers together in response.

"We're already engaged you know," she reminded, wondering just what was on Midoriya's mind to prompt this kind of unnecessary question, but the greenette's eyes cut through the dark to gaze into hers.

"Of course I know that," her partner replied, though she sounded pleased at the words, before returning to a more serious and even tone. "And believe it or not I am not doing this out of 'pettiness'," she emphasized with a hint of amusement but it only served to confuse Rumi further.

"What brought this up then?" she questioned directly, still not seeing Midoriya's angle, and the other woman took a resigned breathe.

"I hadn't expected you to get drunk and demand my hand publicly," the green haired woman confessed, "though perhaps I should have," she added on with a bare chuckle as Rumi grinned alongside her.

"Less filler and more point, Tengu," the rabbit woman urged, now that that still wasn't exactly it, and Midoriya went silent for just a moment.

"I had been planning to ask you," she whispered, "to marry me, that is," the tengu woman clarified but her voice trailed off even more. "Eventually," she added hastily but the reveal had left Rumi somewhat dumbfounded.

"Oh," she managed to respond, having not expected Midoriya to be thinking of that first, and the greenette groaned.

"You're confused," Midoriya realized and Rumi nodded honestly.

"Kinda," the white haired heroine admitted, not feeling the need to act tough here with Midoriya of all people, and her partner shifted their hands so their fingers were entangled with one anothers'.

"Usagiyama, we're only 23," Midoriya reminded, her eyes closing as spoke, and her words carried a firmness to them. "We've both aspired to, and dedicated ourselves to, heroics and have been pro heroes for only around 5 years," she laid out briefly, "this has been our lives yet I so quickly ended up hoping to build a new one with you." Midoriya paused but as she picked back up her voice softened, "How could I ask that, to you, so suddenly?"

Rumi remained silent, knowing that her partner had more to say, and Midoriya took their interlocked hands and drew them to her face as she placed a soft kiss on the back of Rumi's hand. After the greenette finished the action, the white haired woman repeated it back before Midoriya went on.

"I know you were serious but I just want you to really understand this, Usagiyama," her lover urged. "I plan to spend my entire life with you," she stated calmly, squeezing Rumi's hand once more. "You will be-" Midoriya began before pausing and taking a moment to decide precisely what she wanted to say. "You are," she amended, "what I will be devoting myself to, even above my career in heroics," she proclaimed without an ounce more of hesitation. "And I hope that you, want you to, feel similar," Midoriya uttered, "do you understand my apprehension now?"

"Yeah," the rabbit woman whispered back though her gaze drifted down a bit, "I guess I hadn't thought that deep."

It was true. Rumi was someone who thought more of the now rather than pondering about her future so the idea simply hadn't hit her. She knew that she left most of the thinking to Midoriya but apparently she didn't really get what that meant to her partner. If Rumi had to seriously describe what kind of thinker Midoriya was then she'd have said that she was meticulous, almost overly cautious, but never someone who would fret or have self doubt. Maybe the comfort of being with Midoriya for so long, having her be such a large part of her life, had made her treat just what their future would be too lightly.

"I am the 'overly serious' of the two of us for a reason, Usagiyama," the green haired woman said with a hint of playfulness but her voice evened and quieted, "and I'd never ask you to change for me." The declaration was warm and comforting as Midoriya gazed at her. "I simply want you to understand exactly what you mean to me," she confessed and Rumi instead chose to scoot closer and let herself be wrapped in her lover's embrace.

Midoriya welcomed her readily and Rumi let herself be held while she did some thinking for herself, for their shared future, and now the greenette waited patiently. Rumi knew that neither of them had to change, that this was simply about understanding one another, and with that in mind she already had her answer.

"Ask me," Rumi told her, whispering the words against her body, and she felt a hum from Midoriya.

"We're already engaged," the greenette poked from earlier yet paused again. "Are you sure?" she wondered and Rumi nodded.

"Ask me to marry you," she reiterated and she felt another soft peck against her forehead.

"Marry me," Midoriya requested as Rumi let a smile touch her lips.

"Of course," she answered, holding the greenette closer, and an almost invisible sigh of relief left the other woman.

"Thank you," the greenette whispered but Rumi frowned instead.

"You're supposed to say you love me," she reminded, pulling back a little so she could look at Midoriya, but she got a bit of a kick from the tengu's momentarily confused expression.

"That wasn't...never mind," the greenette disregarded. "I do love you however," she replied earnestly and Rumi went back to hugging her.

"I love you too," she hummed while Midoriya embraced her again in return.

"Goodnight, Usagiyama."

"Goodnight, Izumi."

Notes and Stuff

Sometimes I need to throw in a touch of sappiness and vulnerability. Plus, I like good communication.

A little fun fact, when I write for this fic I don't actually listen to the song Waning Moon by Mellow Mellow but instead the song Sweetmoon which is the credits song for Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!