The suit had cost him a pretty penny and now would need to be dry cleaned; but at the same time, Ian couldn't quite find it in himself to care much, because Shiloh was here in his lap, and they were laughing like two little kids, giggling and wiping water from their faces as the ducks quacked loudly and the fish swam hastily away from the two intruders in their pond. Ian wrapped his arms around Shiloh and snickered into his damp hair, curling his fingers against the swell of Shiloh's cheek.
"We certainly did," he said, wiping his eyes, and then leaned back, resting his head against the fountain statue behind him and gazing up at his boyfriend. "What a night it's been, hasn't it?" His heart gave a skitter; then turned into a rapidfire drumbeat against his ribcage, and Ian knew that the moment was here, it was now or never.
"Shiloh," he said, and his voice was a little hoarse as Ian settled his hands on his boyfriend's waist, sitting up a little straighter. He swallowed hard, took a breath, and continued. "This...this whole thing with us...you took me from someone who didn't even want to love anyone, to someone who loves you more than you'll ever know. When I came to Deus, I thought...I thought that I would just do my job, and that was it. I wasn't going to get close to anyone, especially after what happened to Patrick."
Now that he'd started talking, it was easier to continue, and Ian curled his fingers into the wet fabric of Shiloh's suit jacket to hold him in place, and also to steady himself. "But then you came along," he said, and smiled, his heartbeat so loud he thought it might be audible five miles away. "You came along, and you were just...so amazing, and I was swept away, I was breathless because of you, and I..."
Another breath.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Ian continued softly. "You gave me a second chance when I almost ruined the first, and you kept loving me, and I kept loving you, and even when I messed things up, you still loved me, and I can't ever thank you enough for what you've done for me. I can't imagine my life without you, you will always be forever in my heart and forever in my soul. I love you more than I can say, more than I can ever express."
He let go of Shiloh with one hand, fumbling in the pocket of his suit jacket. For a few seconds, he couldn't find it, but then Ian pulled out the small black, velvet box, and he thought he might burst from a lack of oxygen now, his chest so tight it was nearly painful.
Now or never.
"Shiloh Parish," Ian said, and tipped back the lid of the box, which contained a single ring nestled gently into the satin lining. "Would you marry me?"
sammpai
If u want u can switch out the ring for whichever BECAUSE I STILL COULDN'T DECIDE AFTER ALL THIS TIME hi ilu
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 5:22 pm
They were both sopping, but the night was warm and now Shiloh was glad. Common sense dictated that their next move should be to get out of the fountain, but they pair of them had never much listened to reason. But they were already wet and so there was no hurry to get dry, the suits were far beyond simply brushing off now and they certainly were going to need more than just to air dry.
And all that would take into consideration that those thoughts had even crossed Shiloh’s mind, which they hadn’t. He sat against Ian, amid the soft trickling of the fountain and the confused looking fish and he smiled, gazing right back at him.
“Some night,” he mused happily, and he shifted his weight as Ian settled his hands onto him, thinking maybe that was the cue to get off, to find dry land. But such a cue never came and Shiloh was instead left staring at Ian, listening and wondering just what Ian was thinking. He looked so perplexed, smiling but finally Shiloh could sense he was nervous and he sat up a little straighter too, leaning his face in against Ian’s while the other spoke.
He knew it took a lot of guts for Ian to admit what he was saying, to tell his story and Shiloh was so proud, so touched but at the same time, Ian was praising Shiloh and saying things that were making him turn red again, things that made his own heart swell in his chest so that he felt like he might burst himself, unable to contain so much love for a single person.
Ian’s voice was softer now, serious with intent and Shiloh’s heart beat faster and he wanted to open his mouth and tell Ian just how much he cherished him, how much he absolutely and positively loved him beyond all belief. He wanted to throw his arms around him and hug him until their teeth were chattering and the sun had set but he sat frozen as Ian let go of him, as Ian reached into the pocket of his suit jacket.
Shiloh was pretty dense, but he knew a dream coming true when he saw one.
Ian held out the little velvet box and Shiloh’s heart nearly stopped completely. When Ian had texted him that morning, he’d expected a fun night out, a romp in the city. But whatever he had expected, none of his wildest dreams had led to this, to Ian gently opening the lid of the box, pushing it back to reveal a ring inside.
A ring. It really was a ring. There was a ring.
Shiloh’s brain was having a hard time computing anything as he looked at the gold band, shining and lined with diamonds. Ian was saying the words, he’d dreamed of, words that he thought he’d never…
He stared at Ian for a split second, his eyes as wide as saucers and his mouth gaped like the fish swimming around them and then it hit him, and it hit him hard and he crumbled, throwing his arms around Ian and crushing him against him as he pressed his face against his neck, letting out an intelligible noise.
“Yes,” he cried, his voice choked up, and no amount of lying would convince anyone the water streaming down his face right now was from the fountain. “Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes, Ian. Yes, yes, yes. Forever yes.”
He couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t believe this was happening, that he was saying those words, that Ian had asked that question, he couldn’t believe that they were both sitting drenched in a fountain in San Francisco and that they had just agreed to get married.
It was, without a single possible doubt, the happiest night of his life.
He'd been planning this for weeks now, months, if he was being honest with himself. From the first time he'd said I love you to Shiloh, Ian's mind had already been working to fill in the missing pieces, already moving in the direction that he'd wanted them to go. Even if it had been hard at first to make up for his mistakes, he at least had understood that he was not going to ever leave Shiloh again; that after that moment, Ian was binding himself one hundred percent, completely and fully, to Shiloh Parish.
The ring had been the result of many months spent saving up and hardly spending any money at all. It hadn't been a fortune, but it hadn't been cheap either, and Ian had spent more than a little amount of time and effort searching for the perfect one. Even now he was unsure of his decision, still wondering if he should have gotten the other one; but seeing the wide-eyed, stunned expression on Shiloh's face only cemented that he'd made the right choice.
For a few seconds there was absolute silence as Shiloh stared at the ring and Ian stared at Shiloh, as though time had frozen, and it was like it was very, very hard to breathe -
- and then it really was hard to breathe, because the force of Shiloh's hug was crushing him, the weight of him pressing against Ian's chest, and he very nearly dropped the ring into the fountain in surprise, his fingers closing around it at the last second. There was a splash as he shifted, and Shiloh's muffled voice came from where his face was buried against Ian's neck.
Yes.
He thought his heart might stop. Ian's mouth opened and then shut and then opened again and then shut once more in a terribly accurate rendition of a fish as pure, sweet relief and joy flooded through him. He reached up and pulled Shiloh back from him so that he could see his face, and Ian's cheeks felt hot, a strange stinging sensation at the corners of his eyes. Blinking rapidly, he took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Wonderful," he breathed out, and fumbled with the ring again, tugging it out of the little box and taking Shiloh's hand so that he could slide it onto the correct finger. Ian's own hands were trembling violently, but he managed, and the ring was there, on Shiloh's hand, and they were getting married and he couldn't quite get it into his head.
"We're - we're getting married," said Ian, in a wondering sort of voice, and then he was laughing and crying and he'd yanked Shiloh toward him, splashing more water all over the place, crushing his mouth in a fierce kiss filled with every ounce of happiness and joy and love that he could muster, and he was trying to kiss every bit of his face because they were getting married.
"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" Ian shouted, as loudly as he could, and some pigeons overhead took off in a startled flight as Ian laughed uproariously, hugging Shiloh so tightly that it was difficult to draw breath.
sammpai
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:13 pm
Shiloh had considered it before, of course he’d thought about it. It was Shiloh, after all, he’d been dreaming of how his first date would go from the minute he knew what a date was. When he was little, his fantasies had quite often been filled with a prince, one who’d take him away from the small town hell he lived in to some magical castle far away.
And now, now he’d found that prince. Moving to Deus had been like moving from one hell to another, out of the frying pan and into the fire and Shiloh hadn’t expected to meet anyone, though he’d never been against it. He’d just conditioned himself to assume it wasn’t meant to happen for him, for people like him. Ian had changed that from the moment he’d met him, turning everything he knew, everything he had known, upside down.
He was still doing it, as Shiloh sat wrapped as tight as he could possibly be around Ian. He had never expected, had never dreamed that this night, of all nights, of any night… He was completely caught off-guard but it was in the best of ways, and as Ian pulled back he wiped his face with his hand, rubbing at his eyes like a child.
Then Ian was taking his hand and Shiloh inhaled sharply as the ring slid on his finger and then there it was, golden and shining and his. It was a declaration, it was a promise, and above all, it was love. Shiloh moved his hand, watching the ring as it caught the light in different ways and then he was glancing up at Ian, his lower lip threatening to tremble and his eyes welling up again with happy tears.
When he’d considered getting married one day, maybe one day proposing to Ian, or whichever way it happened to fall depending on the daydream, he’d always considered himself more composed. Which was a foolish thing to think, when those daydreams alone had been enough to make him feel emotional. He was anything but composed as Ian pulled him over and was kissing him and then Shiloh, snapped out of his shock, was kissing him back fervent and needy. Their kisses were sloppy and all over the place, both trying to encompass everything they were feeling into a single action, as if it could ever be expressed as such.
One kiss would never be enough to tell Ian just how he felt right now. But it was a start.
It was his turn to yank Ian now, the two of them pressed together so tightly it was a miracle they could move at all and he pulled him upwards out of the water, letting go of him to press his hands to Ian’s cheeks, to meet his eyes.
“Ian Razal-Nahari, you are just… You are a spectacular, stunning, wonderful, amazing, gorgeous individual and I can’t believe we’re getting married!”
He dissolved into laughed with Ian, smiling as Ian shouted the news. He wanted to shout it too, and so he did, echoing Ian.
“WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!” he yelled, and now even the ducks had moved to the outskirts of the courtyard, eyeing them suspiciously. Shiloh was too busy smiling at his boyfriend, at his fiancé, to notice anything but the man in front of him. He felt like he was never going to stop smiling.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you,” Shiloh gushed, looking down at the ring on his finger. “It’s absolutely beautiful, I- I had no idea. We have to get you one!”
He beamed, picking up Ian’s hands and clasping them in his.
“I just, I can’t, there are no words, Ian. I love you so much.”
Just to make sure Ian knew he really meant it, Shiloh leaned in, sealing the deal with another kiss.
Ian had always thought he'd be much smoother and much more put-together when proposing, but as it turned out, that wasn't the case. His fingers were shaking, both of them were drenched in fountain water, the ducks were quacking noisily, the ring was slippery, and the kisses were everywhere that Ian and Shiloh could reach, messy and needy and wonderful and it was perfect.
The water surged around them as Ian allowed himself to be pulled forward, his hands moving to grasp at Shiloh's arms, his face bright, flushed with happiness and awe and wonder at the man in front of him. He'd never seen Shiloh look the way he was before, and he felt like he was drowning in that brightness; Ian drank it greedily in, all of it, and felt almost intoxicated with the heady rush of emotions now pouring into him.
"We're GETTING MARRIED!" Ian yelled as loud as he could, and then laughed again, unable to rid himself of the smile that now practically split his face in two. "And we don't have to get me one yet, at least not until the wedding - we're having a wedding, holy s**t - or if you want, you could get me my own engagement ring, I'd be okay with that."
He was babbling, but there was nothing he could do to stop it, nothing he could do to prevent the flood of sheer joy from spreading throughout him.
"I love you - " Ian started to say, but it was muffled by another kiss, and Ian threaded his fingers through Shiloh's hair, angling his head at a better place so that he could deepen the kiss. His other hand slid along Shiloh's leg to briefly grasp his waist, and then Ian had pulled away, dizzy with affection.
"Okay," he said, breathing heavily. "Okay, that's it - "
He shifted out from beneath Shiloh, dragged himself dripping from the fountain, and reached to yank Shiloh out with him, raking a hand through his sodden hair as he pressed yet another kiss, and another, unable to stop himself.
Ian finally dragged himself away and said breathlessly, devilishly, leaning himself against Shiloh purposefully, "There's a hotel right here - what do you say we go celebrate our upcoming nuptials the proper way? Because I'm not sure I can wait until we get back to Deus."
sammpai
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:56 pm
“We’re getting married,” Shiloh said again, softer but no less enthused. He still seemed surprised at the words, as if he couldn’t believe they were coming out of his mouth but it was a happy wonderment, his disbelief a sort of pleasantness that only grew as the words sunk further and further in.
They were getting married.
His head was a whirlwind, but so was the rest of him, so was Ian as he went on, his voice touched with laughter and his words babbling. He was adorable to see, really, and Shiloh’s heart squeezed again looking at him and thinking, this is the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.
The ring gleamed around his finger, shiny and wet and he couldn’t help but keep glancing down at it between tossing adoring looks at Ian and he admired it, holding his hand out.
“I’d like that, to get you your own engagement ring,” he said, turning to brush the wet strands of hair from Ian’s face. His fingers lingered against his damp skin, trailing down over his cheek. “If that’s okay, of course! You just went to so much; you did all this for me… I want you to have one too. You’re my fiancé now, after all.”
The only thing that hushed their incessant chatter was the meeting of their lips and Shiloh smiled against Ian’s, trying to lean in again when Ian pulled away. There would be plenty of time for talking later, and he was sure for more kisses too, but at that moment it was all he could think about doing. He wanted to kiss Ian forever; he wanted to just engrain this moment in his memory for as long as he lived. Even as Ian pulled the two of them from the fountain, Shiloh was already pressing himself back against him and when Ian dipped his face to steal another kiss, he didn’t have to go far.
“Oh, you’re such a sneak,” Shiloh breathed, laughing softly as Ian leaned into him. He welcomed the weight of Ian against him, draping his arms around his waist as they stood. He swayed a bit with Ian, like they had at the restaurant and he grinned, knowing full well he didn’t want to wait either.
“I say hotel, Prince Charming.”
One arm moved upward, sliding around Ian’s shoulder. The other, as he innocently maneuvered himself behind Ian, slid over and past his rear with purpose, scooping beneath Ian’s legs to hoist him up into his arms like one would a princess.
Ian decided that he very much enjoyed the look of the ring on Shiloh's finger. There was just something very satisfying about seeing it there; it was like it was a testament to all they'd been through, and everything they would go through, and it made his stomach twist again, butterflies of giddiness erupting inside of him.
He was getting married. He was getting married to Shiloh Parish and it was the most wonderful thing in the entire world. Ian thought he might float away from sheer happiness, but then he wouldn't have been here, and being here, with Shiloh, was very important.
"I think I'd like that," he said softly, turning his face to kiss the tips of Shiloh's fingertips and then the palm of his hand, which was still damp from the fountain. "I'd like having a ring, and I'd like being able to show that I'm yours, and I most definitely, one hundred percent like you."
The kissing could have gone on for longer, but then they would never make it to the hotel, and that was a problem. Ian was about to say something dramatic, maybe dashing (if he could wrangle it), but his eyes followed Shiloh like a magnet from half-lowered lashes, and the next thing he knew, he was being swept up, Ian giving a shout of surprise. His arms lifted, automatically looping around Shiloh's neck.
"My hero," he said with a laugh, and pressed another kiss to Shiloh's lips before drawing back, eyes glinting with mischief. "Except we can't get very far if you carry me like this, we've got to actually get in the hotel, you know, otherwise, well..."
Ian raised himself up, just a little, and proceeded to whisper something else into Shiloh's ear that was remarkably reminiscent of what he'd whispered to him back on Deus, before they'd even left the island. This was finished with a quick n** to Shiloh's ear before he pulled back, grinning.
"What do you say, hot stuff?"
sammpai
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:11 pm
“How’s that song go? Should have put a ring on it?” He laughed, staring at Ian fondly. “I like you one hundred percent too, so I’m gonna, so everyone knows.”
There was no doubt what he’d be spending his days thinking about the minute they got back, of what sort of ring he’d get Ian, of dates and planning and of the future. They’d be busy planning the future, their future. But for now, it was just the two of them in the courtyard and as Shiloh swept Ian up and into his arms, Ian was all he could think about.
Ian had changed his life, completely. It was hard to believe they’d gone from the shy couple who kissed in private corners, who held hands only when no one was looking to this, lovers kissing in the courtyard, who’d danced at the restaurant without a care, who were engaged. Shiloh had been so meek when they’d first met, hesitant and afraid. But he wasn’t afraid now, and he wanted to shout it to the world that he loved Ian, that they were going to be married. He wanted the world to know just how insanely happy Ian made him every single second, of every single day.
“My prince,” he murmured back, smiling as he dipped his face to meet Ian’s lips, his arms tightening around him. “I’ll put you down when we get to the door then, and not a moment sooner.”
Shiloh went to turn towards the hotel, walking made a little awkward now but before he could take that first step, Ian shifted in his arms and there was a low voice in his ear, whispering words that nearly made Shiloh drop him, his face suddenly very warm. In fact, all of him was very warm, and very aware of the devilish man currently held in his arms.
“I say we go, before I give up and we get arrested for indecent exposure.”
His grin was wide, his eyes dancing as he glanced down at Ian, his intent clear.
“Let’s go celebrate, my most handsome beautiful Ian,” he said, nosing him affectionately before hoisting Ian up a bit, and carrying him towards the hotel doors.
"Gotta love Beyonce, right?" Ian said with a grin, leaning to nuzzle Shiloh's nose with his own. He would have been lying if he'd said he didn't like being carried like this, because although he was taller than Shiloh, neither one of them had really been all too concerned about falling into the stereotypes of many couples.
Besides, there was something to be said about switching to being the one doted on and the one doing the doting. And, after all, they'd gotten this far, hadn't they? They'd gone from awkward friends, to hugging in secret behind closed doors, to sneaking kisses from one another when no one was looking, to practically shouting to the world that they were dating. It had been one hell of a ride, that was for certain; one hell of a journey from start to where they were now, and Ian was only too happy that they had gotten to this point in their lives.
He'd screwed things up, and now everything was right again, and maybe Deus was not the best place to have relationships, maybe their lives were dangerous and scary and confusing, but at least this one thing was good. At least this one thing was right in Ian's life.
He was laughing at the look on Shiloh's face, the flush to his cheeks, which was both adorable and very appealing. Ian's grin grew wider as he was carried to the hotel door, and he pressed a quick kiss to Shiloh's face before he swung his legs down and righted himself.
"Come on, then, handsome prince," he said with a wink, and all but dragged Shiloh into the hotel, fingers laced together tightly.
Inside it was small, but well-lit, with a cozy looking lobby and a few tourists milling about. Ian pulled Shiloh toward the front desk, hardly able to keep himself contained, and spoke in a low voice to the receptionist. After a few minutes of (impatiently) waiting, he slid the money and fake ID across the counter, hastily scribbled onto the paperwork, and finally got the ID back, as well as a key card.
"Have a good day," the receptionist said placidly as Ian nodded, stuffing the things away and pulling his fiance towards the elevators.
"We're on the second floor," he said, "Room 103." And then, once inside the blissfully empty elevator, he dragged Shiloh toward him, pushed him up against the wall of the elevator and kissed him soundly on the mouth, wrapping his arms around his waist as though he couldn't wait any longer.
sammpai
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 9:01 pm
“She tells it like it is,” he laughed, ending his nuzzling with a quick kiss to the tip of Ian’s nose. As far as he concerned, there was no stereotypes or roles for them to fall into. They were equals and they stood on equal footing and as much as Shiloh enjoyed how Ian spoiled him, and doted on him, sometimes he wanted to be the one to sweep Ian off his feet, to carry him princess style to their engagement suite.
Or, at the very least, to the door to the hotel.
Ian swung himself down and Shiloh let him, not without a few choice movements of his hands and a pinch or two in just the right places. He was trying to contain his giggles as Ian tugged him through the doors and through the foyer.
It was a miracle he managed to hold it together while Ian spoke in hushed tones towards the receptionist, even more so while they waited for them to return with their key card. He was red in the face, from laughing, from smiling, from the butterflies that floated around in his stomach, his heart pounding in his chest.
This was it, was all he could keep thinking; Ian was it, Ian was the one. He knew it was true, he knew it down to the very marrow of his bones and his eyes fixed with an unabashed adoration on Ian’s back as he led Shiloh to the elevators, wasting no time. Still caught in the whirlwind, Shiloh’s words caught in his throat and he had left all the talking to Ian.
Until they got to the elevator, and the door closed with a gentle click behind them, and there was suddenly no need for talking. Their mouths met in a hurried frenzy, and Shiloh knew they had to wait, that their room was only minutes away but his heart and his body wanted Ian now. Pushed up against the elevator wall, Ian left him breathless, arms wrapped around his waist and Shiloh pressed against him, sliding his leg between Ian’s and kissing him back with the ferocity of not being able to get enough, it wasn’t nearly enough.
It would never be enough, he was sure. He needed a lifetime of Ian, and now, now he intended to have it. He could have it, Ian dangling in front of him like the sweetest desserts and he tugged at his lip, gently with his teeth before plastering his mouth against Ian’s again, nearly missing the slow beep announcing their arrival.
He wanted to ignore it, there were more floors, they could ride it to the top and then some, he was sure.
“Better go,” he breathed with the last of his resolve and it was he that dragged Ian this time, down the hallway. It was hard to see the numbers, mostly because he was still all over Ian, grateful for a vacant hall and soundproof walls. Somehow, some way, they managed to make it to Room 103 and Shiloh finally let go, hopping from foot to foot impatiently.
He’d never been particularly good at waiting, especially not when he knew he was about to get something he really, really wanted. He'd already gotten it, of course, the love of his life, his fiancé, but he absolutely could not wait to celebrate that fact.
kuroopu
*nyan cat emote of me floating away into the sunset*
He supposed that, if he cared at all about appearances, he would not be heavily making out in a public elevator, with Shiloh plastered against him and Ian's own arms so tightly around him that it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. But they were in a random hotel, in a random city, away from everyone and everything that they knew, and they were newly engaged and that was reason enough for Ian to not care as much as he should have.
"Don't wanna," Ian muttered against Shiloh's lips, but he allowed himself to be dragged out of the elevator and into the hallway, Ian pressing little kisses to his boyfriend - fiance's - face, and it wasn't enough, it would never be enough, he could never really truly say how much this meant to him. How much Shiloh meant to him, how much they meant to each other, because there would never be the right words to adequately explain anything.
He wanted to wrap himself around Shiloh, to whisper his name against his skin, imprint it there, let the words and the emotions and the sound of Shiloh's voice envelope him. He wanted to bury himself in the moment, let it surround him, because with their lives the way they were, there were precious few times where Ian had ever felt truly content and this was one of them.
Ian pushed a hand into his pocket, and fumbled around until he found the key card, impatiently shoving it in the slot and waiting until it turned green. Pushing the handle down, Ian staggered into the room, wrapped a hand around Shiloh's tie, and dragged him in after, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Now," Ian said, a devilish grin spreading over his face as he twined Shiloh's tie around his fingers. He stepped forward until Shiloh was against the bed, and then Ian shoved him down onto it, falling on top of him and pressing their hips firmly together, and then his fingers were impatiently tugging at the suit jacket, yanking it, hands moving greedily everywhere. "Where were we, hmmm?"
And then there was no more time for talking, because Ian closed the distance between them crushed his mouth against Shiloh's, and there would be time for talking later - much later - after the celebrations were done.
