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Hearts, chocolates, and fat flying babies; today was the cheap Hallmark holiday of love. Despite the exploitation of the amorous emotion Dane couldn't help but be excited. So much had happened over the past few years, but one good thing did spring up, a few months back Lit had finally returned. The reunion was rocky to say the least in the emotional state Dane had been left in yet at the same time the two of them still held onto each other like they were their everythings. Today Dane wanted to celebrate that and had gone a little overboard with gifts, all of which were sitting in the back seat of his SUV wrapped in ridiculous heart themed wrapping paper. Contemplating the evening ahead the green boy cruised to Litural's house loosing all track of time. Pulling into the driveway he parked the car and tugged on his turtleneck to flatten out the wrinkles before walking up to the front door and ringing the bell.

Litural took in a deep breath, fixing his hair in the mirror in his room. He knew Dane was on the way, he just hoped things went well tonight. There was a lot planned...perhaps too much, but ever since coming home there was a path that the Wrath spawn knew he had to walk. Tonight was just one more step, and it was a doosy. So when he heard the doorbell ring, of course there was a small moment of panic as he tried to race down to the door before anyone else could answer...wings almost knocking over a lamp on his way out of the room

"Hey there, Dane." Dammit. Santana beat him to the punch. How did that man always do that?? "Come on in, Lit's gonna be down in a second. LIT! DANE'S HERE!"

Growling a bit to himself, Lit took the extra moment to compose himself again. Straighten his button down shirt, smooth out the wrinkles in his slacks. But that grin, oh that grin, was quick to return as he grabbed the white box with red ribbon and headed down the stairs to meet Dane.

"Hey," he said with a warm smile...stopping short when he saw his boyfriend. "Wow...you...you look great, Dane."~

"Thanks," Dane said with a curt smile to the man who had fathered Lit, "It's good to see you again Santana have you been well?" He asked as he waited the few moments for Lit to come down.

Dane smiled warmly when he saw him come down the stairs, "Thanks," he said, "You look amazing yourself," Dane was used to with Lit's manner of dressing and apperance he thought it was always amazing, and it never became old or dull to him.

"Glad to be back in town, that's for sure," Santana answered...before giving a knowing smile and making a quick exit. He knew the hearts and arrows would soon be flying, and he certainly didn't want to be in the way.

Lit paused in front of Dane, admiring him for a moment and simply enjoying the warm butterflies in his stomach before sweeping Dane up in a one armed hug...hiding the gift behind his back as he squeezed Dane warmly. "Mmf, Happy Valentine's Day, babe." Man, you don't know how great it was to actually hold someone after not seeing them for what felt like forever. "Do you wanna exchange gifts?" Don't push it, Lit...just go with the flow. Don't rush.~

Dane chuckled always surprised at how easily his boyfriend could lift him off the ground, "Happy Valentine's day," He responded hugging Lit back. Dane didn't know what it was but he always got that 'in love for the first time' feeling, every time the two of them went out together. He could never really pinpoint why but he just knew it was special the way they were.
"Sure, I have yours out in the car still," He said still with an arm wrapped around the wrath spawn.


Lit's third eye looked positively bored, narrowed in discontent at all this sap-happy-crappy V-day hullabaloo. You'd never think an un-sleeping eye would look tired...but for as happy as Lit was, his single blue eye was not. It only sparked to life for the second that Lit growled, but soon appeared disappointed as it realized that his "owner" was only playing with his boyfriend. Nibbling on one of Dane's ears, Lit growled in mock frustration.

"Now why did you do that? ..." A pause, he pulled away enough to look at Dane in a distrusting manner with slightly narrowed eyes...save that third one, which still seemed unimpressed. "You didn't go so overboard you couldn't carry them all in, did you?"~

Dane reached up to sling his arms over Lit's shoulders, blushing at the playful nibbling as his ears twitched. He smiled looking up, "Oh come on, you really expected me to do otherwise?" He asked arching a brow and scratching the back of Lit's head. How could he not go overboard, every time Dane went into a store it was all he could do to stop himself from buying everything for Lit that he thought he might like.

Lit sighed, a pointed tooth visible in his smirk as he poked a finger into Dane's perfectly proportioned middle. "I told you not to go overboard," Lit said gruffly, sighing dramatically. "I've been overshadowed again," he almost whined, finally bringing out the one box from behind his back. "What am I going to do? This just won't do," and he went to turn away...slowly. Very slowly.~

Dane rolled his eyes and took hold of Lit's free hand lacing his fingers with his own, "How do you know when you haven't even opened them yet? What if mine are compelete crap and your one thing outshines? It's not the quantity but the quality," He said tugging on Lit's arm to pull him back toward him, "Now come on, you can come open some of yours you drama queen," Dane teased Lit with a grin.

He chuckled darkly, knowingly, squeezing Dane's hand in his and kissing the green skin of Dane's cheek. "If you insist," he whispered, not moving his lips. "Lead the way?"~

Dane only grinned and shook his head but still gave Lit a peck back. Walking out to the SUV he unlocked the doors stepping up to the back seat he opened the door and inside were four wrapped boxes and a heart shaped box of gourmet chocolates on the top, "Well have at them," He said leaning against his car.

Another sigh, Lit gave that sort of "I told you not to go overboard!" look without actually having to say it. However, before diving in, he did set his own gift back from the reach of his wonderful, giving...overachieving-of-brownie-points boyfriend. "Dane...you really shouldn't have done this much." The chocolates were carefully set away, for later ooh-la-la!, before opening his other presents.~

Dane didn't seem to much mind how Lit figuratively dangled the present in front of his nose. If there was one thing Dane was not, it was greedy. It was in direct contrast of a genetic attribute imbedded deep within him, the green skinned spawn was glad to wait.
Watching Lit open his presents Dane watched him intently hoping he hadn't gotten him something he already had. The first gift had a new lens for his camera, a wide zoom giving him much better range from the sky. The second gift was a stack of books, two cookbooks and a couple of best sellers that Dane thought might be interesting, including The Kite Runner and Wicked. Dane would be lying if he said the fact that the main character of the latter books skin was green wasn't a deciding factor in his purchase. The third was another lens, one that could refract light giving stange exposure effects that looked difficult to master but the resulting images could look amazing. Finally the last present had a new pair of sleek black pants in them and a bomber jacket similar to the vest Lit wore so often but mor insulated for colder weather.

Lit was honestly impressed, and surprised....delighted by his gifts from his over indulging sweetheart. "Dane...these are amazing. This," he said, delicately tapping the box with the most impressive lens. "You really shouldn't have done. These are expensive!" But with a sigh, a defeated sigh, he carefully put the gifts down and hugged Dane tightly...lifting him off his feet in a loving fashion. "Thank you. They're wonderful...and those cookbooks will come in more handy than you know," the red skinned spawn grinned. Pulling away from Dane, he grabbed the white box...looking down at it before glancing up at Dane, offering it to him carefully. Did he actually seem nervous? "Happy Valentine's Day." What was in the box? Well, you know what's in the box.~ (( ok, fine...a few more posts. Lol. I wanna see Dane's reaction to the blindfold! ))

"I'm glad you like it all," Dane said with an 'oof' as he was lifted off the ground but hugged Lit back warmly, "And don't worry, I'd been saving. I just needed an excuse to give you these things," he responded carefully taking the white package as it was handed to him. Untying the bow he took the lid off and reached in, pulling out the strip of cloth and arching an eyebrow at the blindfold, "Oh? And what is this for?" Dane asked with a devilish grin his mind veering off in a completely different direction then Lit had probably intended.

Yep. Completely off in the opposite direction than Lit had ever thought...go, Chastity DNA, go! But this would be a step in the right direction, I promise. Litural seemed super excited, his wings all a bristle and his third eye rolling at the cheese of it all as he carefully took the blindfold from Dane's hands. "Trust," Lit said simply. "Let me have your keys...cause there's no way you're driving with this thing on."~ (( ok...sleepie time. ))

Dane arched a brow a bit, blushing slightly after realizing he had been way off, "Uhm...sure," He said taking the keys out of his pocket and handing them to Lit, "What are you planning though?" He asked curiously. Dane wasn't sure what his boyfriend had up his sleeve.

"A surprise," Lit answered as he took the keys and tucked them in his pocket before moving to stand behind Dane, tying the blindfold on. Tightly, but not *too* tightly...he wanted his boyfriend's eyes in place when they got there. "Come on, I'll help you get in," he leaned down to whisper into Dane's ear, hands holding the smaller Spawn's waist to direct him in the right direction towards the passenger's seat.

The drive wasn't...terribly long, just enough to make a person feel anxious. And who knows how long it really was, Lit was definitely giving off the vibe that he had taken the long way around. Finally, though, the car stopped and Lit nearly vaulted out of his seat, rushing around to help Dane out of the car and lead him...somewhere.~

Dane was pretty anxious during the drive, he'd never been in a car while blindfolded and would be lying if he said he wasn't a little freaked out at every sharp turn.
"You're dragging this out aren't you?" He asked, knowing Lit well enough to get the sneaking suspicion that his boyfriend was excited to show him something. When they finally stopped Dane waited for Lit to direct him, he'd rather not fall flat on his face.
"So what's the big surprise?" He asked his mind exhausting the guesses and possibilities.

“This,“ Lit whispered, taking off the blindfold.

It was an empty restaurant; a broken bar on the far side, a stage in desperate need of repair and booths and tables that sagged not from use but simple rot and age. The place…needed a paint job. Badly. But who could tell when the room was lit with nothing but…what, a hundred candles? At least a hundred candles, definitely more, in reds and whites and pinks. Some arranged in heart shapes, most just stashed anywhere that they could sit and not cause a problematic fire (ie: Lit had gotten tired of trying to arrange them properly).

Romantic music came from the beaten stereo in the corner. Close to that was a single table draped in a white tablecloth…with place settings for two. In the center of the table was a bouquet of roses, stray petals scattered everywhere on the floor. In the air, there was the smell of food. If nothing else in this place worked, Lit had made sure the kitchen was a gem…but that was hidden behind a set of double doors off at the end of the bar. Don’t worry what was back there for now.

Lit waited…holding his breath…for Dane’s reaction.~

When the blindfold was removed Dane looked around the candle-lit room, scanning it multiple times and taking it in. His mouth hang slightly agape as he took a few steps into the run down diner.
"Lit...this must have taken you forever," He said smelling the air and looking at the romantic table, "This is amazing," He said before turning back to face the wrath spawn, he wrapped his arms around him and stood up to give him a grateful kiss, "How did you get the owners to let you use this place?" Dane realized that it was run-down and shoddy but the romantic atmosphere overrode all of it, "It's just...so amazing," He mused grinning, terribly impressed at the lengths that Lit went to.

When Dane came in for that kiss, Lit pulled him close with his embrace, wrapping both arms and wings around Dane in a soft cocoon. It was almost ironic that when Lit opened his wings again that he looked like an angel...one very messed up angel. He couldn't speak for a moment, just happy that Dane liked it all. It was the question about getting the owners "to allow him" to do this. He chuckled, rubbing Dane's back and lightly touching his cheek.

"I...am the owner. As of," he wrinkled his brow, thinking. "Four hours ago, I think?" Which gives you an idea on how long he had exactly to set this whole scene up. "So, it was just a matter of getting up off my a** and doing it." He hugged Dane again, taking his hand and starting to pull his boyfriend towards the table. Dane was gonna need to settle with that idea for a while, Lit knew...meanwhile, there was wine that needed to be poured and a dinner to be served.~ ((brb, smoke break. ))

Dane could never really put words to the way he felt when Lit wrapped them in his wings, it was romantic of course but just so much more than that, "You spent way too much time on this," Was the first thing he said in response, "And how could you afford it?" was the second. He thought Lit had gone a little too above and beyond and yet he could only smile and say, "Thank you," as he was tugged toward the table.
Sitting down Dane looked over the roses and candles, "I've never had a Valentine's day so...Valentinesy before," he snickered.

"Neither have I, but then again I never had a reason to make it so special before," was Lit's reply, sliding the roses out of the center of the table. "And it's amazing what you can when you're old enough and own your own car. I took out a few loans." He settled on his knee at Dane's side.

"It's going to be amazing, Dane. It'll be a space safe for Spawn...away from the facility." He grinned...there was something else he was hiding. But that would come later. Standing again, Lit kissed Dane's forehead. "Sit tight...I'll be right back." And off he went, disappearing behind those doors. When he returned, he had a cart...and all the fixings to make a traditional Caesar salad. There was also bread, somehow still warm and soft, with olive oil to dip it in.~

"You took out loans? Lit..." Dane said realizing this whole place must have meant so much more to him than just a nice Valentines, "If you need any help with it, let me know," he said.
When Lit got down on a knee Danes heart fluttered a bit and his mind short circuited for a moment then he let his breath out when he stood back up. Why the hell did that get him all worked up?
"It sounds like it'll be an amazing place," he smiled and watched Lit head back into the kitchen.
When he came back Dane's eyes widened a bit, "You really went all in no holds barred with this didn't you?" he chuckled, he felt like they had gone to some fancy resturant except for the fact that Lit was a much better cook than any of those places. Dane was definitely excited to see what the main course would be.
"Did you make that bread yourself?" Dane asked as it was wheeled up to the table, "It looks like you just pulled it out of the oven," he was clearly impressed.

"Of course I made it myself," Lit scoffed, glancing up as he served the salad. "You think I'm going to let someone else cook in my kitchen?" he winked, settling down to enjoy their meal together. Every so often, he'd get up to go check on something, to clear the table...bring out a new dish. Chicken Parmesan had been the main course, most definitely, as it was Dane's favorite with fresh veggies and warm pasta. He'd pulled out all the stops, that's for sure.

When the chicken was finished, he seemed...on edge. Nervous, perhaps? For the first time since earlier that night, before Dane had shown up, he fumbled in his steps. Getting up, clearing the table...pausing to take a breath and gather himself. "Just dessert." But was he saying it to himself, or to Dane? A last trip into the kitchen, he returned with a heart shaped chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, surrounded by whip cream hearts...and a message written on a card sticking out of the cake. *Look to Your Left*.~

Dane had enjoyed the delicious Itallian meal, quite obviously. He had stuffed himself with as much food as was served to him, the glutton spawn had a problem with eating a lot of food in general but when it was Lit's cooking there was just no stopping him. He complimented Lit on his cooking and the setting, just about everything that had gone into making this date. He thought it was truly perfect.
Dane smiled at Lit when he went to get the dessert though he seemed unaware enough about the nervousness wracking his boyfriend.
When the cake was set in front of him Dane looked at it with the same excited look he had given all of the food so far, "It looks amazing, like usual," he said with a snicker glancing over the dorky whipped cream hearts to complete the festive motif. Noticing the card he plucked it from the chocolate and muttered it outloud to himself, "Look to my left?" He glanced over to see what was going on.

Lit had taken to his knee on the floor again at Dane's side, but this time he was much more...subdued. His wings were folded behind his back, and he was trying his best to keep that third eye from glaring death and hatred at Dane as he held up a black square box.

'Dane, I learned a lot about myself while I was gone. I learned how to separate who I am from what my heritage tells me I have to be, and I realized that who you are is an important part to the man I want to be. I don't want this to just be my place, I want it to be *ours*. Can we make this our life together? " He opened the box, revealing a silver band. "Will you marry me?"~

Dane's heart skipped a beat again, he lost his breath, and it seemed as though his life flashed passed him. A quick reel went through his head, the first time they met when they were children, the at first uncomfortable passing bys, then the butterflies that grew and grew over time. Yes they were both young when they started their adventure but it didn't fade, even after the years that Lit had gone away Dane had to hold onto something and that was the thought that eventually Lit would come back, and he did. It was unnerving being faced with such a question and the young man's head swam as his mouth flapped wordlessly. Taking a deep breath Dane closed his eyes before exhaling and opening them again. His brown eyes twinkled as his mouth drew up a comfortable smile, "Litural, I would like nothing more than to spend every moment of the rest of my life with you," he said kicking the chair out from underneath him to drop to his knees and throw his arms around Lit's back and pull his new fiance into a long kiss.

The poor man's brain literally broke, and nothing mattered besides they two right there in that singular moment. It was like when Lit had come home, but much *much* less bitter and sad. The complete opposite, honestly, with that small exception that Lit never wanted to let go of Dane. Almost forgetting about the ring - almost; he remembered pretty much the last second and gripped the box firmly in his hand - he swung his arms around Dane to return the embrace. He pushed up into a stand, allowing his wings to wrap around him again. Breaking the kiss, he buried his face into Dane's neck, showering him with a flurry of kisses before just holding him. Nothing, nothing ever, had made him so happy.

"I love you," he managed to whisper, squeezing Dane's middle.~

"And I love you," Dane said standing up with Lit. He ran his hand through Lit's hair as he held onto him tight with his other arm. The moment lasted for a while in perfect union savoring each other as they let the concept of their commitment sink in.
"Oh!" Dane said suddenly, "I've got something to show you now," he said excitedly almost forgetting about his final gift from the excitement, "Come on," he snagged Lit's hand and tried to drag him out of the building in a hurry.

"What?" Warm fuzzy feeling gone! Replaced with confusion...and mild panic, but that happy kind of panic. "Geez, babe! Wait, I can't leave the candles like this, it's amazing they didn't catch fire while I was waiting for you to come pick me up!" Honestly, he'd really thought the place was going to burn down...but he couldn't take that chance again. "Wait, wait," he said, digging in his heels and pulling Dane in for a quick smooch. "Here, start blowing some of these out, I have to turn off the equipment in the back."~

Dane paused and threw his head back in benign frustration, "Fiiine," he said turning to look at the pitcher of water from the table, being crafty and in a hurry Dane manipulated the water from the pitcher and had it travel around the room, licking the tips of the candles to douse the ********?" he stood silent, watching the water swirl about. If he hadn't been so impressed, he would have been worried about water damage. But this...this was totally new! "When...did you learn to do this?"~

"Huh?" Dane asked exhibiting complete control over the water as he dropped it back into the pitcher, "Oh, I dunno...I've been learning water magic for years," he said. It had just been second nature to him by now, and something like that was so arbitrary for him he didn't grasp the wonder if it.

Almost made Lit wonder if he'd gone back to the facility more often if he would have learned to wield something like that. Maybe fire...or electricity! Yea! .....no. No. that thought was quickly squashed by the reminder that, well...he would have had to go back. Never. Anyway, once the fires were put out, Lit disappeared to turn off everything in the back and returned. He was...well, not skipping. Lit didn't skip, but he definitely seemed to float across the floor to where Dane was.

"Before I forget," he said, taking Dane's hand and pulling the ring from his pocket. Onto Dane's finger the band went, Lit taking the moment to admire it before looking up at his fiance. "Ok, so what is this thing you wanted to show me?"~


"Huh?" Dane asked exhibiting complete control over the water as he dropped it back into the pitcher, "Oh, I dunno...I've been learning water magic for years," he said. It had just been second nature to him by now, and something like that was so arbitrary for him he didn't grasp the wonder if it.

Almost made Lit wonder if he'd gone back to the facility more often if he would have learned to wield something like that. Maybe fire...or electricity! Yea! .....no. No. that thought was quickly squashed by the reminder that, well...he would have had to go back. Never. Anyway, once the fires were put out, Lit disappeared to turn off everything in the back and returned. He was...well, not skipping. Lit didn't skip, but he definitely seemed to float across the floor to where Dane was.

"Before I forget," he said, taking Dane's hand and pulling the ring from his pocket. Onto Dane's finger the band went, Lit taking the moment to admire it before looking up at his fiance. "Ok, so what is this thing you wanted to show me?"~

Dane lifted his hand, looking at the band encompassing his finger. He smiled, it felt so odd; being engaged that is. He had no second thoughts, no remorse, he just had tingles and the oddest sensation of love. Something more entrancing than the usual infatuation he felt for Lit.
"Alright, time for you to wear the blindfold," Dane said with a smirk as he wrapped the cloth around the taller man's eyes, having to sacrifice the fold to cover his third eye. Dane was excited, he wanted to save this surprise for Lit's birthday tomorrow, but after all this there was no way. The green young man led Litural back to the car.

Lit's knees bent slightly to allow for the blindfold to be placed around his head; that pesky third eye almost in a panic about having to be covered. If it could have spoken, it would have let off a very dramatic 'noooooooo!'. Oh well, it would have to deal. Especially considering Lit felt a small bit of apprehension he was having to deal with himself.

"So can I take it off now?" Lit asked once seated and hearing Dane's door shut as well, before they had even moved. He even pulled the blindfold up from his darker dreen eye for a moment, peering around in innocent curiosity.~

Dane laughed, "No, and I don't want you peeking either. This is kind of, our engagement slash your birthday present. I was going to save it but...I figured it would be nice to bring your birthday in with it after our engagement. So just trust me and buckle up alright?" He said with a chuckle as he reached over to hold Lit's hand with his free hand; having no problems steering with a single hand.

Lit snickered, nodding his head and putting the blindfold firmly in place again.

"Okay, okay...no peeking," he swore, buckling up and settling into his seat. He interlaced his fingers with Dane's, squeezing the other's hand tightly before they drove off to...well, he didn't know where they were going, did he?~

The drive was a bit on the longer side, though Dane seemed to constantly reasure Lit that it would be a bit and just to be patient.
When they finally arrived it felt like they had been going off road for a while, and on an incline. Once they stopped, Dane parked and got out, heading over to Lit's side to help him out. The had to walk a little ways before Dane would let him take off the blindfold. Once he finally did they were standing in eyes distance of a cliff, the ocean could be heard at the drop off; and a little ways away from the edge was a little shanty, a cabin that looked new and still a little incomplete.
"Here we are,"

Lit's wings trembled a bit in the breeze that was blowing about them while they walked, trying to piece together what he could from the sounds and smells. But nothing prepared him for when the blindfold came off. He paused midstep, looking around...always taking in extra with three eyes.

"Gods, Dane...holy s**t, how did you find this place? Did....are you building that??" his voice rising a bit in amazement, pointing somewhat in the cabin's direction.~

Dad grinned trying to think of how to answer, "Well, I found the place from swimming around in the ocean and coming across this crest of cliffs. And yeah, sorry it isn't finished I wanted to get it done by tomorrow. Doesn't look like that'll happen though," he responded.

Lit turned around and pulled Dane up into his arms again, hugging him. "Don't apologize...this is crazy. Amazing," he laughed, kissing Dane's cheek. "but still crazy." He wrinkled his nose a bit despite the smirk on his face. "I thought I had said you weren't allowed to out-gift me?" He nudged his *fiance's* cheek. "Thank you, babe...this really is something, and you shouldn't have."

Lit knew, had known, that he was going to be saying things like "you shouldn't have" and "what is this for?" from now until his dying breath. But ah, that was the price to pay for being in love with a child of Liberality, yes?~

"I know I just thought we could use this as a little get away. Considering it combines both our favorite pastimes; the sea and the sky," Dane said, as they approached the cabin. It was still missing parts of the walls and was barely big enough to be considered a two room, but Dane had really put in a lot of his time and effort. Every moment of the project, thinking about Lit.
"So, happy birthday, and Valentine's day," he snickered a bit as he opened the door to the little cabin.

So now they had two places to call their own, to fill up with dreams. Lit entered the cabin, taking a look at Dane's craftsmanship, making plans in his head how they could finish building this together, like they'd rebuild the restaurant into something they could be proud of. Lit...wasn't really a man who cried. Actually, if he was remembering correctly, the last time had been when he'd left Dane? But there were definitely tears in his eyes now, short and sweet, which were carefully wiped away on the back of his hand.

"Thank you, hun," he said again, his voice a bit choked, hugging Dane again to him. Not quite as forcibly as he had in the past. It was a tender moment, and Lit took that moment to inhale Dane's scent from his hair. "Best. Birthday. Ever."~

Dane wrapped his arms around Lit slowly and held onto him, more then just hugging him but holding him close to his heart. Taking a moment to feel Lits chest beat against his own.
"I'm glad," he said softly, "It's been the best day since who knows when for me," he remarked. It was a strange miracle, that after all that had happened, to the both of them, that they still held each other now and forever in a place made only for the two of them.

Lit and Dane settled themselves in the cabin, just generally talking about their plans for the future, both for each other, the restaurant, and the cabin. Somewhere in the outside world, time passed...and Lit winced as a small beam peered intently over the sill of one of the finished windows.

"Heh, the last time we watched a sunrise together, things were a lot different," he said, sounding wise for once. Thinking for a moment, he took Dane's hand and stood up from where ever it was that they were sitting.

"Come on, let's change that."~

Dane stood up with Lit. It was odd how quickly time passed when he was around, "Yeah, lets," he agreed, walking towards the door with his fiance. Their last sunrise was filled with sorrow and parting. Dane had taken a tendency to avoiding sunrises since then, now he really didn't have much reason to. Their futures finally looked bright, and Dane was finally relieved about life.

He'd settle on the grass not too far from the cliff's edge, patting the spot next to him as the gray of the morning world gave way to a brighter day. The mist from the ocean disappeared as the crest of the sun turned the sky pale pink, orange, and yellow...rising into a misty blue that just kept getting clearer.~

"I forgot how amazing sunrises could be," Dane said sitting down next to Lit, leaning into his side. He held a steady smile on his face, he hadn't constantly smiled in a long time. However for the first time in ages, he finally felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He could sit there with Lit, HIS fiance, the man he would spend the rest of his life with; and finally just forget about everything else.
"Happy Birthday," he congratulated Lit, taking a hold of his hand and giving it a loving squeeze.

It was strange. As a child, smiles had always looked strange on Lit's face. Lopsided, out of place...just never quite fitting right. As an adult, they still seemed a little strange, especially with that third eye appearing bored with the idea of happiness coming from something other than the pain of others. But, his emotions settling, they were taking more and more of a place in Lit's life. A place shared with Dane, always to be shared by Dane.

As the sun rose, Lit slipped his hand away from Dane's and instead slipped it around his middle, squeezing him. "Here's to our new life together," he said with a smile.