A wide, genuine smile graced Rex's eyes and made his face light up. His hands were comfortably tucked in his pockets as he walked along with Six. The teen's joy increased with each step they took away from the jewelry store that they had spent an entire hour in.

"The transaction at the store went great!, didn't it, Six? Even the cashier thought that Holiday was incredibly lucky for dating a 'handsome guy' like you. You certainly have a way with people, eh!?"

"And that's something you should never tell Holiday," was his only response as Six continued to stare at the little velvet emerald box in his hands, causing Rex to have to guide him through any obstacles or passersby they encountered.

"If you're planning to take the relationship to the next level, it would be better to use Holiday's full name, you know?" Rex's hands went to the back of his head as he gazed at the sunset above them. "You can't simply ask for her hand and continue to refer to her as Holiday."

Her hand...

Six rarely showed emotions. He had never been one to understand love or the complexities of a woman's mind, yet there he was, walking out of a jewelry store, clutching a small ring box in his hand. His heart racing for the first time ever.

He loved Holiday, despite his cold demeanor said the opposite whenever he was in the same room with her. His heart, hardened by years of suppressing his emotions, now overflowed with an indescribable sensation whenever he thought of her, and there was no denying it.

"Have you thought about the perfect way to ask her to marry you? Bobo and I would love to help you in planning a special evening that she won't be able to resist!"

"Of course, because the two of you aren't precisely a recipe for disaster."

"To be honest, all I want is to know what she will say," Rex said with a shrug as he stepped inside the aircraft. "I mean, you two have been dating for what feels like an eternity. Isn't it time to move on to the next step?" The teenager seemed to have deduced something from his expression, as he rested his legs on the control panel and crossed his arms. He gave Six an incredulous glance and asked, "Aren't you chickening out already, are you?"

Maybe an uneasy sense of anticipation would be a better word to describe it. It didn't matter how much the ring might have cost or whether he had chosen the ideal one for her. Six's mind was filled with questions he dreaded to answer.

That evening was no different for Holiday than any other. She sat at her desk surrounded by stacks of papers that needed to be checked for accuracy. Six, with his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, watched her every move as he usually did.

She was aware of his presence in the room, but he was uncharacteristically quiet, lost in thought. He couldn't stop thinking about the perfect place for a memorable date. Six didn't want Holiday to think that the only reason he had asked her out in the first place was because of Rex's insistence. She had mentioned that at the start of their relationship since he couldn't remember much of his past, but Six didn't need Rex's help. He could handle it on his own.

"Is there something wrong, Six?" she asked, not even bothering to turn and look at him. "You're not usually one to talk a lot, but you seem unusually quiet tonight." She smiled as she finished reading a paper filled with numbers and letters that would have given him a headache. "Normally, you at least talk about your day, like listening to Rex's romantic conquests or Bobo's attempts to beat you in another chess game."

His jammed brain had to think of something quickly before she turned around to look at him, prolonging that awkward interaction.

"I was just thinking for the best place to eat tonight."

"Um... I have something to tell you," Rebecca began, stretching her sore limbs and standing up. The unease feeling resurfacing and causing his heart to skip a beat. "Is it possible for us to reschedule our date night for another day? I'm feeling completely exhausted." He could feel the weight of the ring box in his pocket, almost as if it could create a hole and fall to the ground with a loud thud. As he remained silent, Holiday turned to him with a questioning look, clearly picking up on his strange behavior. Every time she tried to approach him, his odd actions made her raise an eyebrow.

The 'surprise' would be completely ruined if she gave him a hug and found out that he was hiding something.

"Is something bothering you, Six?" The woman sighed as he looked for an excuse that didn't involve saying, 'I'm just not in the mood for a hug right now, that's all'. "I'm truly sorry, I know how much we both enjoy our date nights, but I've been swamped with work and I'm afraid I might end up falling asleep in the middle of the dinner."

Great job for making her feel guilty because of your inability to come up with something clever!

"Then why not just go to bed?"

You idiot!

"That doesn't sound too bad! I'm sure nobody will wonder where we are, since we usually go out to eat together. So, we shouldn't be bothered for at least a couple of hours." The woman yawned, and Six prayed that she would suggest staying in his bedroom that night. He needed to hide the ring from her before it was too late. "I still have so many things to do, so... would you mind if we slept in my room tonight? Is that okay with you?"

Plan B.

Crap.

He was reading an old novel from the 1980s or 90s that was inspired by martial arts, while his jacket was draped over her lab coat on the desk chair. He suspected that she had found the book during one of the scientific conferences she sometimes had to attend, and thought he would enjoy it simply because it mentioned martial arts on the cover. As she rested her head on his chest, Holiday listened to him read the ridiculous dialogues. Six tried to concentrate on the words in the book, but he couldn't help but keep glancing occasionally at his green jacket.

"I can't believe how silly it is..." Rebecca yawned for the fifth time that night. Six couldn't help but wonder when she would finally fall asleep so he could retrieve his coat and return to his room. He needed to hide the box where no one, not even himself, could ever find it again. "Anyways... why don't you get a bit more comfortable?" she suggested, causing Six to fear that the book in his hands might slip and hit him in the face. "I mean, you always do when we go to sleep..."

Right. As if he wasn't going to ask to the most astute woman he had ever met, to become his wife.

Holiday happily snuggled against him and sighed as he worked on untying his tie knot and then on each button of his white shirt, tossing them on the floor before returning under the covers, leaving the book over her bedside table with his glasses. It wasn't weird why he insisted on keeping his pants on when he slept in her bedroom— as they always had to be somewhere else, at all times.

"Are you feeling okay, Six? You've been acting strangely tonight. It's not like your usual self." She asked, grabbing a pillow to place over his chest for added comfort.

He was telling the truth when he said, "Today has been a long day." Rebecca laid her head on the pillow and shrugged. He patiently waited as her breathing gradually eased and settled into a regular rhythm, which meant she was finally asleep.

At that point, he preferred to face each enemy he ever had, at the same time, rather than propose to her and end up making a fool of himself. How would he even manage to move when her entire body was resting limply against his?

Six could imagine the look on Rex's face, as he realized just how badly his initial plan had failed. Perhaps that was a signal that a simple dinner wasn't just enough to impress her, and as Rex suggested once, he had to step up his game for the perfect proposal.

Would Holiday be troubled by that? He was aware that she didn't require fancy dates or expensive gifts, but he wasn't just asking her a mundane question. He wanted to ask her to marry him, and it had to be memorable.

Even though he was tired, he couldn't take his eyes off his coat, as if staring at it would make the ring box vanish and spare him from that awkward situation.

How could she ever want to marry someone like him? Everyone always talked about how lucky she was to be dating a man like him. He was the only one who was lucky enough to have her still interested in him after all these years.

With that thought, somewhat Six managed to fall asleep. His mind still concocting plan after plan on how to propose to her, and dreaming with the same result again and again.

Maybe it wasn't the right moment.

One of her hands shook his bare shoulder as his mouth felt dry, like he had been talking for hours. He couldn't tell what was going on, but her voice was getting louder and louder, and it wasn't in his head. Her voice was clearly audible to him.

"Hmm...? Holiday..."

"You always talk in your sleep when something troubles you." She smiled as her head nuzzled against his neck. Her voice sounded like she was attempting to suppress a laugh, which fully awakened him.

Of course, out of all the things...

"You were talking about a proposal and how quickly I would say no," she said, her finger tracing circles on his chest.

Why not just spill the beans? He didn't want her to keep grinning as if she already knew what he was about to say.

Six felt like impaling himself with his own blades.

Why wasn't Rex kicking down her door or were the alarms in Providence going off because the moon was crashing into the earth or something else that could have prevented that awkward moment?

"May I see the ring?" she asked with a smile. Six wanted to facepalm himself at how unromantic the situation was. As if he even knew how to be romantic.

"The ring?" he pretended not to know what she was talking about, but she finally let out the laugh she had been suppressing.

"Now I understand why you were acting so strangely!" she laughed, as the man wished the earth would swallow him up. "You never express your emotions, so they always end bottled up. And since, usually, nobody is listening, you end up talking in your sleep about whatever is bothering you."

"Nothing bothers me," he insisted.

"That's what you think," she replied with a knowing smile.

Alright, whatever.

Six removed the bed covers from his body and stood up. He went to her desk chair, took his green coat, and examined the pockets to find the velvet emerald ring box. Holiday's smile was as bright as it had never been before, as he went back to bed and sat there, acting like a kid caught by his mother, doing mischief.

"So..." Holiday's words made him ponder whether or not he should kneel down and ask for her hand in the traditional manner.

"Holiday..." Rex's voice was a resounding 'no!' in his head. Quickly, he corrected himself. "Rebecca..."

"Of course I want to marry you, silly man," she laughed, resting her arms on his shoulders and giving him a few kisses before staring down at the box in his hands. He opened it for her to take a look at the ring. "Oh! Emeralds! Is your love for me solely based on my green eyes, which happen to be your favorite color?"

The expression on his face made her laugh again, despiste of being as 'cold' as ever. She had to stop laughing at the poor man and take his proposal seriously.

"Obviously not." In response to her own question, Holiday kissed him tenderly, giving him the impression that he would be unable to turn back if she went on.

Six carefully slipped the ring onto her ring finger while holding her right hand in his. She was surprised by how well it fit.

"Since I have been holding your hands for a while, I can approximate the size of each of your fingers." He gave what could only be described as a gloating smile for Holiday.

"I can't accept anything less from an agent like you, Six..."

Once more, she kissed him and that was it. That was the point of no return, as one of his hands slid through one of her legs, to lay her down in her bed and press his body against her, sucking on her bottom lip. So much so that she quickly felt it get swollen.

"What exactly did I say?" Six whispered in between their kisses. The thought of it was driving him crazy. What other awkward things could he have said?

"You asked me in your sleep if I would marry you," she smiled against his lips.

"I could be just dreaming."

"Six, we have been dating for years now. Do you think I can't tell the difference between your dreams and sleep talking? Usually, when it's just a dream, you don't even say a word. You might toss and turn, but you never talk about it. The ring is really beautiful, so I don't understand why you were so afraid."

She had to be joking, why wouldn't he be afraid? He was doing something completely new for him. Loving someone enough to ask her to share her life with him, despite his past, present, and future.

"It had to be at the right moment," he told her with an arched eyebrow as she smiled again, running her hand through his short hair.

"In your case, any moment would be perfect. You don't need to take me to a fancy restaurant or buy a whole garden of flowers to make it special. Besides, it wouldn't be you if you did all those things. Your own way is always perfect."

She could have said that earlier. He really needed to stop listening to Rex.

"Rex is expecting a marvelous date to be happening right now," Holiday laughed as his lips moved down to her neck, tickling her as she continued to laugh.

"Why? Did you take him with you to shop for the ring?"

"I had an idea in mind, but it's always valuable to get a second opinion, even if it's from a teenager."

He made an effort to stop her laughter as she was laughing with even more intensity, removing her pajama top and pressing his lips against the curve of her breasts. He eventually succeeded in stopping her giggles and turned them into sighs and faint moans.

The ring glimmered under the light of her bedside table, and he couldn't help but wonder if she preferred to remove it during their lovemaking. However, she seemed content wearing it, occasionally glancing at it. It was a simple yet elegant piece of jewelry, featuring a square-shaped diamond flanked by two emeralds set in a silver band. The ring's cold metal gently touched his naked back, creating a new sensation in her hand, tracing every muscle she could find. He was shocked by the way she moved down to his waist and then inside of his pants, groping his ass.

It wasn't as if they made love each time they were together, so that made him wonder how prepared she was. Holiday seemed to understand his concern when she looked at the drawer on her bedside table.

"You will find everything you need in there," Holiday said. She couldn't help but think that it would be easier for her to keep condoms in her drawer than for Six to do so, especially if Rex had already entered his room before.

The most grandiose way to propose to a woman by ripping open a condom package with his mouth while she silently undressed.

"I owe you a date," Six said, his gaze fixed on the buckle of his belt instead of her.

"Of course you do. We could re-enact your proposal on our date night if you wish." The woman sighed, resting her hands and head on the man's closest shoulder, while he busied himself with his pants. "But your ways are always perfect. You have a way with people, you know?"

"That's what the cashier said," Six deadpanned. The woman smiled and relaxed, lying back in bed while he finished undressing and preparing for her.

"It's quite amusing, because you hardly ever speak," Holiday remarked, gently holding his head in her hands and planting a quick kiss on his lips. "It's just your nature..."

"Who can understand women? They always seem to be drawn to the bad guys, anyway."

"Come on, Six. Let's be real, you were never truly a bad guy. Sure, you were a mercenary before, but that wasn't what made me fall in love with you. It was your principles that captured my heart."

He heard something else in the middle of her moans as his fingers held her waist between them to keep her in place.

"You're terribly handsome, too. You know?"

"It could be just you who thinks that."

"The cashier seemed to agree as well, regardless of their gender." Holiday chuckled as he leaned down to silence her with a kiss, his hands exploring every inch of her skin with care and attention.

With a man like him, it never got tiring or repetitive, no matter how many times they made love. Perhaps in a better future, the idea of getting married and living their lives as they pleased seemed very alluring.