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 Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2025 3:06 pm
Backdated to Jan 1st, 2025Quote: Life was…good. And it had been for a while now, he noticed, though Dominic had long since contented himself with the lull of a mundane, civilian life. Maybe it was a false security, to some extent, considering what all was actually out there, but still. To have found happiness and been able to maintain it for so many years was a miracle, as far as he was concerned, and he couldn’t ask for too much more beyond that. Today was more of the same. He was coming home after working on site, just a slight change from his usual day-to-day. He was in the middle of a bigger project than he normally took on, but he didn’t mind the occasional excuse to leave his home office. While product design and simulation was a passion and his preferred type of project, it often lended itself to further decaying of his social skills. Luckily, between Danika and his own family prodding him to go outside to do things–a convention here, a fancy company dinner party there–he hadn’t completely lost that ability. “Dani, you home?” he called out as soon as he stepped through the front door. If he didn’t get an immediate answer he could always call her cell, but for the moment he was busying himself with slipping into his slippers and getting out of his coat. He had a vague idea for dinner in mind, though he was waffling a bit about whether he wanted to cook or order delivery… " Baa hrrr!" The garbled whine-shout sounding thing came from the room Danika had claimed as her office-workroom… space. What it's exact use for depended on the season, and whatever her attention had snagged onto for the time being. Usually, the computer desk and drafting table were pretty clear, maybe some design sketches that went along with whatever was adorning a sewing mannequin. The other half of her computer desk was shared with her sewing machine, and various storage containers and shelves with clear drawers were organized around the walls, mostly containing fabrics, threads, trims, needles, fasteners, and really anything else she frequently needed in her projects. Which, currently, Danika was almost literally neck deep in, pins clutched between her teeth as she maneuvered swaths of pink tulle to pin into place against specific spots marked in colored pencil on white and pink polycotton dress base that had been sewn together first and placed on the mannequin. A thick silky white ribbon and a glittery golden filigree ribbon joined overlapping everything, masking the joining points ideally. Excess material from the tulle and ribbons were wound somewhat around Danika currently as she worked, sitting on a stool as she coaxed the to-be floofy skirt into place. A commissioned piece for one of her nieces, a special princess dress for her to wear for her upcoming fifth birthday. Danika had swallowed most of the cost on this, but her sister had insisted on at least covering the cost of materials. Her labor on the project was her gift to her niece… along with the nightgown she was making, and the little matching backpack with so much glittery sequences on it… Yes, she was a glutton for punishment. Probably the exact reason she'd gone back to school of all damn things, got to the academy, joined the force… still kept her fashion designing as a great side-gig and hobby, though. Conventions were her best excuse to break it out, and go all out. Red eyes flicked up from the piece she was fighting with, the normality of the moment enough to make her feel warm and cozy. Just… living life. She didn't really expect that to be possible a few years back. She barely felt alive, just… not even coasting. Just fighting. Who'd'a thunk she'd actually be thriving down the line? She shoved the last of the pins back into the pin cushion, freeing her mouth. "Look who survived the outside world," she teased, a wicked smile on her lips as she glanced towards the open door of her office. No stress, at least… not stress that wasn't normal. And rather amazing reasons to just be happy.... Who'd'a thunk? Quote: The garbled sound got him to pull on an amused, if slightly confused, expression, though judging from where the sound came from it was clear to him that Dani was both home, and probably neck deep in a project of her own. If memory served, a dress for her niece? Or…well, he was sure that it was something for her niece, at least. He took a brief detour to his own office to drop off his bag before making his way over to her door, peeking in just in time to see the grin on her face. He knew that smile, and heard the tone behind it. For all the time he’d known her he never minded her teasing, and in fact had learned to love it over the years. And her, of course, and this quiet life that they managed to slowly build together. There was a playfully defensive look in his eyes as he stepped inside her workspace. “Small miracles,” he said, piling onto her teasing with a little chuckle of his own. “Aren’t you proud of me?” He stopped just beside her, eyes on the mannequin with the current project underway draped over it. It looked…well. Dominic tilted his head, trying to envision the final product. He wasn’t as good when it came to clothes and fashion, which was why he was eternally grateful that his girlfriend was. “Craving anything for dinner? I was thinking I could throw something together if not, or order in if you are…” To be fair, children's 'princess ball gown' sort of looks could be rather haphazard when putting them together, but Dani knew how to pull it together. Every now and then, she got misty eyed thinking of how she'd absolutely do any Sweet Sixteen or prom attire for her various half-siblings' kids, and really for any younger peoples in her life, which had long since extended off to Dom's siblings. Looked forward to it, really. Hallmark moments to cherish and delight in. Untangling herself from the materials and carefully tucking and folding them into a suitable pause position, she stood, arms slipping up over his shoulders as she hummed. Proud? "Always." And leaned up a little to give him a quick peck, before pulling back with a smirk. "It's amazing not having to drag you out to get some sunlight." If she ever stopped with her teasing and banter, get her to a hospital or make sure it wasn't some imposter. She was legitimately proud of Dominic, though. He'd been through a lot. A lot. In his personal life and… that other life. She was proud of the way he'd built himself back up, made his own success. And yes, she was very happy with the quiet life they shared. She was grateful for it every morning they woke up, and every time he walked back through the door to their home. It could have been so easy for this to have passed them by, never getting that second chance-- She pulled herself from the thoughts before they spiraled, giving him a skeptical look at the mention of him cooking. "Depends on how creative you're trying to be with what you toss together… I'm not against that pizzeria a few blocks over, the one with the stone oven? That was really good." Look. She loved him, she did. She just also liked to have fully edible meals.
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2025 3:08 pm
Quote: Dominic turned his attention away from the piece as she pulled away, and slipped an arm around her waist to keep her from going too far, amusement clear in his eyes. He did take it as some kind of sign that something was off when she wasn’t good-naturedly ribbing him in some kind of way. It was the sort of affection he found odd to be without these days, though that’s not to say that just because she didn’t tease him on sight meant that he immediately jumped to worst case scenarios. As with anything, with time came learning. He learned, and was continuing to learn about her. What her happiness looked like, how to ease her frustrations, how to hold her when it was just one of those days. And he was happy to, thrilled that he was able to after being gifted with a second chance to be with her… And in recent months, he’d come to a very obvious conclusion about her, about them, and had taken steps toward hopefully making that a reality soon. A little velvet-lined box sat quietly inside the bottom drawer of his bedside table–he hardly opened this as it had always been his “I’ll get to this one day” storage space, so it felt safe to stash there without rousing her suspicions–as evidence of that. “Yeah?” he grinned, gently pulling her in closer even as she went on to tease him just a bit more. “And hey, you don’t have to drag me.” Leaning in just so, he gave her just a little kiss before pulling back. “Usually a decent bribe’ll do.” The jab at his cooking pulled a little sigh out of him, and he deflated just a bit despite the steady smile. Even if it was true, and he knew it, he did wish that it wasn’t. “Pizza it is. Actually, I think I saw a coupon for that place at one point. If it’s not where we normally have the coupons, I feel like I might have stashed it in my bedside, if you wanna grab that while I use the bathroom?” A dark brow quirked up and she pressed her lips together tight to not laugh, a silent we'll agree to disagree at his weak correction. She totally had to drag him at times. And yes, that often did result in bribes… but she was happy to see him still socializing, not just becoming some recluse in the home office. It was healthier to mix it up. Strike a good balance. Provided they weren't involving certain people or person in these outings-- Okay, she did feel kinda bad when she saw the deflate, and her smile softened in sympathy. Her fingers laced together behind his neck, enjoying the close proximity. She'd tried a few times to send him recipes she'd find that looked good, hell she got him a cookbook for a past Christmas. She wasn't against him cooking! She just…. Always needed to ask how many liberties he took with making the food that he'd beautifully plated. Amazing for photos, but uh…. "Y'know, the community college often does cooking courses anyone can sign up for. Or the community center's got free ones. We could probably both do with some lessons," she added with a wince, needing to acknowledge her own bad track record with cooking. Rice? Pasta? She could do that! And roast some veggies in the oven, she'd managed to learn that one--from, y'know, following a recipe… But anything more substantial, like chicken or beef, usually ended up horribly overcooked and inedible, or undercooked and absolutely inedible. It left her with minimal food options that she trusted herself with, and she knew he wasn't much better--except on chocolate chip cookies. Those she had full faith in him on. Danika leaned back into him as they spoke, just a light pressure as she relaxed into the warm hold and sweet affection. She could never stop smiling in those moments. A cat laying happy and content in a perfectly warm sunny spot. Almost reluctant to move when he mentioned the coupons. Almost. She was hungry and happened to know the sofa was even better for snuggling up, especially when adding random TV and whatnot after food. "Alright--why'd you keep anything in there though?" She released him, stepping back on bare feet to start heading to the kitchen to first check the obvious spot it should be in. Confused why he'd change such a thing up, but not really pressing it. Hiding away a coupon was hardly a concerning or criminal act--now, if he'd stashed away some salted caramel and chocolate on her, then she'd be more likely to read him his rights… Sifting through the very well organized drawer and couple of mini binders for coupons--her habits to save money, his organizational skills--Danika did frown a bit to see it really wasn't there. Baffled more than anything--why'd he move any of them? Or store them elsewhere? It was so weird. Sighing, she closed up the drawer and headed quietly down towards their room, brows furrowed in pure confusion. Quote: He slipped his other hand around her waist, enjoying their closeness in that moment, as she very gently suggested cooking classes. Her patience with his more scientific approach to cooking (in that not-always-edible-experimentation kind of way) was extraordinary, and that she encouraged his love for cooking was even more so, so he gave a little bobble of his head. “Probably a good idea,” the words came out slowly, as though he had to consider them. He didn’t; at least for himself, he knew he needed more practical knowledge so he could wander away from his tendency to try out new (and probably questionable) ways to cook food. While the presentation was important, the goal was edible food, after all. At her question, he gave a little shrug. “Might have just shoved it in there for organizing later.” That’s the only reason anything went in those drawers anyhow, when he was ready for bed and just going through mail or other such little things to wind down. Dominic glanced back toward the mannequin as she stepped away to grab that coupon at his suggestion. It slipped his mind that having to search in those drawers might lead her to finding something he had hidden away for the moment. Still unable to envision the final piece, he made his way out of her office and to the bathroom, before eventually heading toward the door. “It’s cold but the weather’s great outside,” he called back to her as he was slipping into his shoes. “Grab a coat while you’re in there.” "Just leave it on the counter," she called back, though there was zero heat or even annoyance to her voice. It was a pointless thing to even pick at, and she knew it, but it was a default setting of hers to do some level of (affectionate) harassment. She crouched down, jeans loose enough to not give her any hassle in the process, to pull open the first drawer and begin to rifle through it. Nope. Next drawer. Nope. Danika rolled her eyes as she set what papers and whatnots were in there back into roughly their original spots, moving down to the last drawer. "Got it!" Because yes, third time was always the charm, and the brightly printed paper with a few limited deals and coupons for the restaurant displayed. She reached for it, not really thinking as her gaze wandered over the rest of the contents-- Till she flat out froze mid-movement to pick up the paper. It was small, a little black box tucked away. The glossy exterior and semi-domed shape to the lid gave a very, very specific look, however. There was nothing inconspicuous about that. Paper forgotten, she tentatively reached for it, fingers gently plucking the little thing from its hiding spot. Her pulse was through the roof, sputtering and fluttering around her throat somewhere. Danika bit her lip, unsure if this was… rude or invasive to open it..? It wasn't a gift for his mom or sister or something, he told her about those. He'd never mentioned this. Did he mean for her to find it..? It might not even be what she was thinking, just any ring box! …she pressed her other hand to the lid and carefully pushed up till the spring mechanism in the hinge took over and helped to flick it open the rest of the way. Her breath snagged in her throat, and she just…. stared. She'd never given much thought to marriage before. Her mom never got married--she and her partners were happy with their arrangements, and didn't need the legal title to confirm their connections. Though the legal rights that offered were extremely tempting… especially with Josselyn's job and all. Sure, her mom never pushed the lifestyle on Danika or any of her siblings--they were free to love and choose as they wished. Just be happy and healthy, and safe. She'd been to some weddings for friends, relatives. She knew a little of the work that went into wedding dress design, and was pretty sure anyone who chose to become a wedding planner was a saint. The concept of marriage didn't offend or repel her. It'd just not been a consideration. The gems glittered beautifully in the limited lighting, the facets catching every hint and magnifying it. The smaller ones glimmered and twinkled with each slight movement. Was that white gold..? Crouched there, staring at the ring, Danika let her mind wander. Did she want to get married? She had student loans, a spouse could be on the hook for shared finances--or something like that. She rolled her eyes. She'd never looked into it, and Dom was already offering to help pay things off. That wasn't a huge concern. Benefits were better to a spouse--and hers as a cop were pretty damn nice. If anything did happen, to either of them, it gave them legal rights to be involved in medical concerns and contacts. Did she care if the government was all up in her business concerning her relationship? Not really. Did she mind having such a legal tie to someone? Well. She blinked. To just someone, no. She didn't. But to Dominic... a warmth bloomed in her chest and she just smiled. It didn't sound bad in the slightest. She trusted him, knew she could count on him--and in turn, she wanted to support and help him the best she could. They'd already been through some rough s**t, and the idea of going through any of the worst of it again… terrified her. Regardless of damn near anything else, she wanted Dom in her life and by her side. Partner, friend, lover… adding husband to the list didn't… didn't sound so bad. Changing their legal status wouldn't change much else in their life, or relationship--so why not? She wasn't finding any cons here. Smiling, she stood--though grabbed the coupon paper before she forgot it entirely--and quietly closed the box back up. She carried it with her back out into the main room where Dom was waiting, and leaned against the wall staring at him. Expectantly. Silently. She let that hang for like… five seconds before she wordlessly lifted her hand, the box resting in her palm. She was silent another five seconds before she hummed, "So uh… got anything you wanna talk to me about?" That her voice was so cat-with-the-canary and not a bumble of butterflies was amazing to her. Quote: Dom had shrugged his coat on and was waiting by the door for Dani to join him, his thoughts wandering leisurely from one topic to the next. How cold was it outside? Would the restaurant be busy? Would they eat there or bring a box home to pop into the oven while they snuggled up on the couch and waited? He was fully relaxed and at ease, just…happy and content right where he was, where they were at. A minute of waiting turned to two, and then three, and while he didn’t mind waiting he was curious why she was taking so long. The coupons were nice, but he didn’t think they were so needed that they had to turn the apartment upside-down just to find it. “If you can’t find it,” he called out, already slipping back out of his shoes so he could help her look if the coupons did matter that much to her, “we can always look for them later and use ‘em another time. Not like this’ll be the last time we go.” By then he was already starting to walk toward their room when she came outside and just…stood there. Smiling that beautiful smile of hers, but it felt…different. Expectant, maybe, like he was meant to respond to it somehow. Only with no clue as to how he was meant to respond, Dom sort of just looked at her, a small smile on his lips as he waited for some kind of hint. And then she lifted her hand and showed him that box, and he froze. It was just a second, because he had to rewind and process how she found this box. It was obvious, of course, tracking the how. If not for his suggestion, she probably would have never looked in those drawers for anything… Clearing his throat seemed to knock him back into the present, and he very gently took it from her hand, held it gingerly in his own hands as he sorted through his thoughts. The reasons that brought him to starting to look for and ultimately buying a ring. In simplest terms, it had become absolutely impossible to imagine life without her. And while there was nothing and no one forcing the notion of marriage onto him, nor was it necessary for them to carry on as they had been for the past several years…something about it just felt right. Besides legal status, not much would change. Just rings on their fingers, as loud as it was a subtle, public display of who they were to each, and some legal papers. Besides that, things would, he imagined, remain as they were now. The two of them, side by side, tackling life and all the beauty and chaos that came with it…together. But yes, he rather liked the idea of adding “wife” to her list of titles in his life. The other legal benefits were a nice bonus, too. “I was thinking of asking on your birthday, actually,” he said, a sheepish smile taking its place on his lips as he finally looked up to meet her eye. “Been thinking on this a while. The pros and cons of it, if we even need to, if it’s something you even want…”
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2025 3:10 pm
She couldn't stop smiling. Oh, his reaction made it crystal clear he hadn't intended for her to find the box with assigning her the quest to find the coupons. Welp. Here they were, anyway. An outcome of his own making--in multiple senses. As Dom took the box from her, she fidgeted with a small corner of the paper she held in her other hand. His silence definitely was understandable. She'd found something before he might have been ready to… discuss this. But she couldn't just pretend she'd never seen it, getting more and more anxious until he finally just… told her. It would have driven her batty. So she just kept smiling, staying quiet as he collected whatever thoughts and feelings he needed to reform. A tactic that was rewarded, even if she had to somewhat make a face. Her birthday? Not till March. Her nose wrinkled even as she laughed. "Glad I didn't just pretend I didn't see it. I'd have gone crazy before the end of the month!" His considerations mirrored hers, though, even if she'd speedrun through her internal debate. She tipped her head, resting it against the wall. "I… haven't really found any cons, personally." They'd already been living together for a while, knew some of the worst things to happen to each other, knew the best highs, too. They were on a pretty damn good streak with the latter. "I'm fine with a prenup--don't plan on it even being needed, just one of those… rather get it done and never need it, than don't do it and oops suddenly need it--" And she was babbling, but even as she squinted and glanced off, she was pretty sure that made sense. "My benefits are pretty sweet, so you get to take advantage of that. And I mean…" She trailed off, her grin returning at full force, the happiness just… there. Too much, almost. "I'm down with having yet another way to say you're mine." Quote: Warm laughter bubbled out of him when she made that face, and before she said it he immediately knew what her concern with his initial plan was. It was something of a wait until her birthday, yes, but he had been hoping to plan a special evening on or around her birthday, both to celebrate but also to ask. And that sort of planning often involved time. Moot now, since she found the ring before he could even really get started. But he wasn’t too disappointed about that. In a way, this was…maybe better. More spontaneous, in a sense, and it didn’t put either of them on the spot. It was a quiet moment between just the two of them, pure and honest, without all the pomp and circumstance. Dominic watched her, and waited as she shared her thoughts as well. Not exactly how he imagined it would go, but again it felt…better? More natural, because he would find a way to ruin his own surprise for her. He nodded along in agreement, both with regard to the cons as well as the idea of having a prenup just to have one. “We’re not gonna need one,” he echoed once she finished, “but agreed it’s better to just have one anyway. And at this point what’s mine is already yours as far as I’m concerned, so the rest of it…” He waved a hand as if to dismiss the need to mention any of his side of things. He was sure his a** of a father would disagree, but frankly the man could go suck on a railroad spike for all he cared. His mother and siblings, he knew, already understood his stance on all of that, too. The rest of the legal stuff, and all the technicalities, faded away to the back of his mind, and again he met her eye for just a second before his smile grew and he gently reached for her hands, absently setting the coupon aside. They were still getting pizza, but before that… Gently, he pulled her toward him, his eyes steady on hers as he got down on one knee. The rest of the room melted away as soon as he did. They could have been anywhere else, be it a luxurious hotel or a shabby but delicious little hole in the wall restaurant, but all he saw in that moment was Danika. Just Dani. His smile had traces of laughter in it as he looked up at her, bright and full of joy as he considered his next words. "You're right," he started, "I am yours. Honestly, I think I have been since the day we met. I love you…so, so much…and after everything, the fact that we found each other again is nothing short of a miracle. I said earlier that I've thought a lot about this, just once in a while at first, but more and more each year. And it always came down to something pretty simple. I just...can't picture my life without you in it. The good, the bad...everything life's got to offer, I wanna be with you through all of it. And I know we can do that now, without all of this, but like you," and he chuckled lightly as he said, "I'd love to have another way to say you're mine, too." Pausing then, and letting her hands go, he popped open the ring box and held it out to her as he again met her eye. "So, with all that said. Danika Teresi...will you marry me?" There were jokes about jinxes and 'better safe than sorry's she could have made, whatever her reluctance to use much of his money anyway being. A marriage would have the 'issue' of combining future finances--and her student loan debts, but… those problems felt so… little? Discussions to have eventually, yeah, plans to make, but… so do-able. There were a lot of 'issues' that the worst part of her mind tried to hiss and grumble--would her family be cool with all this? Would his? Well okay so the main concern was one person in particular... She couldn't hide behind her new badge if she punched him in the face, either. But all the problems were solvable. They were do-able. Goosebumps burst across her shoulders and arms, her cheeks damn near hurting from how much she was smiling as she stepped a bit closer and he knelt down. ********. She might actually start crying. She could feel the pressure at her eyes, and was sure they were becoming red-rimmed even as they were crinkled at the corners with her smile. And that was even before he started to talk--! Dani had to squeeze her eyes shut briefly, taking a breath to just… hold out a moment. ********, she was absolutely going to cry. The years of banter and teasing, friendship blooming into more, the pain they'd both gone through… and the slow, careful rebuilding. No, she would have never believed, once upon a time, the guy she pulled back up onto a roof after a mishap would be someone to change her life so drastically. If nothing else… she could thank the Code for that chance, and the many that followed after. She could agree she owed it that. Her hands felt warm, her skin almost feverish in her blush and glee, even without his hands against them. Cold outside? Pft. The warmth she felt now could have cleared out the city into comfy, cozy weather, if she could find a way to manifest it accordingly. Her left hand moved slightly till her fingers brushed his, that tiny bit of awkward because she wasn't sure if she was supposed to grab the ring and put it on, or if he did that… but that tiny little bubble of awkward was floating and bouncing amidst a sea of happy and ******** it. They'd figure it out. "Yes," she breathed, because she wasn't totally confident her voice wouldn't break if she didn't keep it short. "Yes, Dominic, yes, I will." Quote: He’d be lying if he said he absolutely wasn’t nervous. Even though he was confident what her answer would be, between his asking and her answer, Dominic was just a sack of nerves, down on bended knee. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, feel it thundering in his chest, and his cheeks were nearly sore with the way he was smiling as he waited for her answer. He couldn’t help it even if he wanted to. A little shiver made its way up his arm when her fingers brushed his, and he swallowed the quickly growing lump in his throat. It was all of a few seconds, maybe, but somehow it felt particularly long. And then she breathed her answer and the waiting suddenly didn’t matter. Neither did the nerves, nor…anything else, really. At least in that moment, because she said yes and the singular word rang in his ears for a second before it fully processed. His hands shook slightly as he carefully took the ring out of the box, and then just as carefully slipped it onto her finger. Again, it took a second to register the significance of the gesture, of that moment. He stared at it for that second, and then stood up and blinked at his fiancee almost dumbly for another second before his smile slowly came back, and he finally pulled her into his arms, into a kiss.
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2025 3:12 pm
Okay so he did it, cool. See? Problem solved. The thought was swiftly thrown out, though, as the heat of his hands engulfed hers. Cool metal slid against her skin, and the weight of it both grounded her in a holy s**t this is real, and made her feel lightheaded and floaty and giddy-- Her hand squeezed his, the diamonds catching the lights of their home blurring in her vision because here come the tears. Even if Danika wasn't much for crying at things, there was just… so much right now, and crying was better than needing to vent on a punching bag. Dom just staring at the ring, and then her, made her laugh, the sound wet as it bubbled and mixed with the tears. She wasn't even sure why she was so emotional, didn't she just tell herself nothing would change? But in a way… it did. He was clearly being affected by it, too, and she didn't blame him for the bewilderment on his face. Her laughter as he pulled her to him was delightfully muffled quickly against his lips, and her hands rose to cup his face, the cool metal of the ring against his skin. Her fiance. Fiance. Never a word she ever figured she'd use, and now it echoed around her head like something couldn't stop jumping for joy. Yes, more tears fell, and when she broke from the kiss, it was really only because of the crying, and she laughed at the ridiculousness of it as her hands shifted down to wrap around his middle, and she pressed her face into his shoulder. So what if his shirt got wet. His fault. "Haaa… ********, do I love you," she laughed, even if her voice was a bit wonky from the crying and also muffled against his shoulder, but she squeezed him briefly in a quick, tight hug, just to add to her point. Quote: He was still smiling when she pulled away. He felt the cool metal of her ring against his cheek, as well as the wetness of her cheeks as they kissed. Both were grounding in a way, sensations that he knew would embed themselves into his mind and contribute to the memory when he thought back to this moment however many years in the future. The gravity of their new reality as an engaged couple had hit them both in very different ways, though none of that made it any less real…or any less amazing and wonderful. Gently, he wiped at her cheeks when she initially pulled back, his blue eyes catching her watery red ones for a second before she shifted to bury her face into his shoulder. Well. It didn’t matter if his shirt got wet. Dominic fully wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, a broad smile settled on his face at her words, and he chuckled when she gave him a squeeze to further make her point. He squeezed her in turn, and even adjusted his hold and playfully lifted her up off the ground for a moment as he replied, “Love you, too.” More than he thought possible, more than he could really, truly understand. And now, with any luck, he could spend the rest of this lifetime trying to show her just how much. It was a long time, or maybe not…before he finally pulled away from her. Time, at least for the moment, was a bit lost on him. Which…oh well. If memory served then the pizza spot closed late, and even if it was already closed by the time they got there they could always head somewhere else. Reaching up, he used his sleeve to dab at her cheeks, amusement and affection clear on his face as he worked. The spot where she had been resting her face was damp, and now very possibly smeared with makeup, but he didn’t really care. He could wear a jacket and worry about it later, if anything. “Did you wanna take a second to clean up, or good to go as is?” Luckily for Dom's attire, she'd taken off most of her makeup already, not being allowed much while on the job and trying to maintain that habit even on her days off. And the light mascara was waterproof. She still felt a bit ridiculous as he gently dried the tears, and Danika took some slow, somewhat steady breaths to start recollecting herself. "Sorry, not sure where the waterworks kicked up from." They clearly weren't sad tears. Maybe it just had been because of how much joy she was feeling, just needing some sort of outlet. She turned her head enough to kiss one of his hands, though, aware she was still beaming and probably looked a tad silly with the red-rimmed eyes and flushed face. But looking up at him, she was over the moon. She loved him--she kept trying his cooking attempts, didn't she?--and never needed such an official display to confirm it. Didn't keep her from appreciating how much it meant that he had decided to take the steps for it. No, she couldn't think of any cons on this, and even if she already was planning on spending the rest of her life with him… Danika genuinely wasn't sure why the proposal felt so big, but it just did. "Need to grab my jacket," she laughed, having forgotten that part of preparation for the outing. "But yeah I'm good to go." She fully released him, pushing her hands up into her hair to pull back her bangs and try to regain better composure. The glinting of the stones on the ring kept catching her attention, though, and her face was going to be hurting like a b***h if she didn't stop smiling so much soon. "Really is beautiful, thank you." Quote: “No worries,” he chuckled, more than understanding why tears could possibly come during something like this. At the least he was certain they weren’t sad or frustrated tears, so if not that then he could only imagine the emotions behind them were more of the positive kind. Happy, joyful tears were a thing, too, after all. Dom paused when she kissed his hand, a warmth spreading out from where lips made contact, causing his smile to broaden and his expression to brighten all the more. She didn’t look silly to him at all. No, in that moment all he saw was the beautiful woman that he loved, and in fact he had to fight back the urge to pull her back in for more hugs and kisses because he knew she was hungry, and there would be plenty of time for that when they got back. And for the rest of their lives… The notion was something he had already committed to prior to all of this. Marriage perhaps wasn’t something they discussed because this had become a mutual, if unspoken, understanding between them. But after so many years…after all that they’d been through, from first meeting to that initial separation, reuniting, and slowly rebuilding from there to where they were now… How could he not want to ask? To make that kind of declaration, needed or otherwise? When she said she needed her jacket still he gave a nod and cleared his throat as she stepped back and away from him, and started to fuss with her hair. He reached up to brush a stray strand aside, wondering for a moment after she complimented and thanked him for her ring, if he’d be able to stop smiling. “Glad you like it,” he said, eyes flickering to the band on her finger and his cheeks hurting that much more as he just couldn’t help the smile. So he closed the gap and leaned in for another kiss then, short and sweet and a happy distraction that eased his smile just a bit, a small reprieve for his cheeks. “Go, I’ll wait by the door.” He says go but then kisses her. Danika laughed, deliberately taking a few large steps back after briefly leaning into the kiss in turn. "I'm trying, but someone keeps distracting me." As if she wasn't in a totally clingy, cuddly mood. There was plenty of time for that later--so much time. She made her way quickly to the closet, grabbing the long, sturdy winter coat that reached down to her knees, with zippers, buttons, and a thick belt to keep it snug shut and closed up against the elements. Pushing her arms into it, she again caught sight of the ring. It was going to be a while before that sight stopped jarring her, in the best kind of way. She wiggled her fingers, watching the lights move over the facets and metal. Wouldn't be able to wear it at work, but she could keep it safe in her locker. It occurred to her she'd need to reach out to some folks semi-soon about the update. Not a requirement but just… wanting to share this overwhelming happiness. She hasn't even yet considered there might be wedding planning in her near future… Topics to discuss. Things to figure out. All do-able. With a less intense, but still merry grin, she zipped up and got into her boots, hurrying back to join him at the door. Her hand immediately went to Dom's, squeezing lightly. "...did you grab that coupon page?" Quote: Dominic raised both hands in mock surrender as he took a step back, unabashedly guilty about being that distraction but not wanting to delay her any more than he already had. They had so much time was the thought that settled at the fore of his mind, so he let her go, and once she had gone he grabbed and pocketed the coupon before heading to the door. The emotions from earlier had calmed a bit already, though he didn’t think they would fully subside until…likely days from now, and after slipping into his shoes again he leaned quietly against the wall while he waited for her. His thoughts briefly wandered to what lay ahead for them. They had some calls to make to update the people that mattered most to them first, and then came the planning… His lips had set into a smile again, and before he knew it he felt Dani’s hand slip into his. “Yep, it’s in my pocket.” Stepping to the door, he opened it and followed Dani out, making sure to lock it behind them before they headed toward the elevator. “So when did you wanna let our families know?” Danika heaved a heavy sigh as he mentioned families, but the overdramatic nature and her smile as she hit the button for the elevator dismissed any actual reluctance on the subject. "Sooner might be better, if only to get it over quick if either one of us get interrogated," she teased, not genuinely expecting any pushback on this. Well. No pushback from anyone who mattered, anyway. If that man tried, she'd laugh in his face, since she couldn't legally get away with punching him in the face. As the elevator opened and she stepped in, Dani blinked rapidly a few times when she realized…. the questions that would be asked. At least by her mom to make sure she got necessary time off. "Uh… maybe… after we get some ideas of how we wanna go about this?" A strange, giddy anxiety bubbled in her, and she hit the ground floor button once they were both in. Huh. She never really thought about having a wedding before. This was… both terrifying, and… really, really cool. "Ugh… okay, food, then… all of that, I guess." She was laughing at least. Life was, genuinely and fully, good.
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