Shuichi crawled into bed, doing it peacefully, unlike his girlfriend who practically jumped into bed and moved closer to snuggle with her boyfriend. "Finally, I'm in this cozy heaven", said Clair. "Rough day?", asked Shuichi. "No. Just exhausting. This new workout routine is killing me."
Clair had recently decided to engage in exercise. Shuichi often questioned her reasoning for it, and she would simply reply with one of her usual lewd comments about how she wants to keep her body fit and sexy for him.
"If you don't like it then don't do it", said Shuichi. Clair frowned at him. "I know. Stupid suggestion", said Shuichi. "That's right. If I was really someone who stops doing something, I would've broken up with you by now." Shuichi looked to the side. "Would you... really break up with me?" Clair kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again: you are my other half. If you died, then I'll die. I want to be with you and only you."
Shuichi blushed and could swear his heartbeat increased. "Now enough with the sappy stuff. Let's just cuddle. Or we could bone." "I think I'd prefer cuddling. You know, just to cherish the girlfriend I have." Clair smiled and rested her head on Shuichi's chest, staying silent with him and just enjoying one another's presence.
Shuichi looked up at the ceiling, a wave of thoughts going through his head.
. . .
Shuichi sat down on a bench, his leg rapidly hopping up and down from nervousness. "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this", he repeated over and over in his head. "Wait, do I have it?" He fumbled around in his pockets and felt an object in them, making him sigh with relief. "What was that for?" Shuichi jumped and turned to see Clair looking at him with a friendly smile.
"I-I just thought I was sitting on a wet spot! Yeah that! But it's all clear now." Clair sat next to her boyfriend. "It's summer, Shuichi. It hasn't rained in forever." Shuichi wanted to smack his palm on his head for his stupid excuse, but refrained from doing so in order to look less suspicious. Clair looked over her shoulder at the scenery behind them, feeling a sense of nostalgia.
"You know, that place isn't too far from here." Shuichi looked at the girl confused. "That place? What place?" "The place where we met", answered Clair. "Where I set a whole building on fire and you rescued me." Shuichi looked on in thought, remembering the day he met the girl sitting beside him today. The day his life became even more strange and exciting.
"Is that why you called me here?", asked Clair. "To go down memory lane?" Shuichi shook his head. "Really?", Clair asked with a smug grin while she tilted her head. "Because I'll admit, reminiscing is a good feeling. Is your reason for calling me here gonna top that?" Shuichi fidgeted with his thumbs. "That depends. How this turns out really is entirely up to you."
Clair's smile changed into a look of confusion. But she decided to do nothing. Instead, she was just going to sit still and let her boyfriend explain himself.
"See, I've been thinking about something. And I have for a while", began Shuichi. "I just never... acted on them. With the life we're living, I just thought it was pointless. But looking back on our time together, the happy little moments we had together, made me think again."
Clair moved closer and rested her hand on top of Shuichi's. "If this is too much for you, you don't have to say anything, okay?" "But I want to, Clair", said Shuichi. "I have to." He cupped his hands around Clair's hand. "You say I'm your other half, well you are mine. I can't imagine myself even living without you. So I... I...." Shuichi decided to stop speaking, and stood up. He nervously dug into his pockets, but clumsily struggled to take whatever was in them out.
Clair looked at her boyfriend, her eyes widening with realization. Shuichi's talk about their relationship, the frantic scavenging in his pockets. She already put two and two together, but stayed silent, not wanting to jinx the moment.
Finally, Shuichi pulled a tiny black box from his pocket. He turned to Clair, staring at her nervously, before slowly getting down on one knee. "C-Clair, will you... will you...." A huge smile was growing on Clair's face, excitement boiling over in her. Tears were in the corners of her eyes, which Shuichi quickly noticed.
"Crap! This was a bad idea, wasn't it? Dammit!" Shuichi almost stood up, until he was stopped by his girlfriend. "No! Don't stop! Ask the question! Please!", said Clair, fighting back the urge burst into tears of joy.
Shuichi was surprised. "Does this mean she... she wants to...." He shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts. He continued what he wanted to do, opening the box and revealing a ring. "Clair... will you... do you... want to marry me?" Clair remained silent, only responding by taking the ring and sliding onto her finger. "Yes", she said as a tear leaked down her face. Shuichi began to smile, and was tackled to the ground.
Clair held her lover tight in a bear hug, kissing him over and over again on his lips, not giving him a single moment to catch his breath. Who could blame her. The love of her life had just asked for her hand in marriage. All they had to do was decide on a date, and they would become husband and wife on that very day. Clair stopped kissing Shuichi, and only stared deep into his eyes, exchanging a loving smile with him.
"You know we're in public, right?", chuckled Shuichi. "And?", asked Clair. "I don't see anyone. Plus you can't just ask a girl to marry you and not expect her to do that." Shuichi chuckled again. "No arguments here." Clair cupped his face and rested her forehead on his. "And just think, once we're married, we can start a family. You and me. And our kid. Or kids, however many you want." Shuichi sat up. "Let's focus on the present first."
Clair chuckled in embarrassment. "Sorry." Shuichi caressed the side of her face. "But... I would love to start a family with you. And when we do have a kid, I want to give them a better life than we had. I want to love them with my whole entire being." Clair leaned in and gave her new fiancée a kiss. "I want that too. But first we gotta get hitched." The two lovers shared a laugh.
"Can we go home?", asked Shuichi. "But I want to stay like this a bit", said Clair. "We still can. I just thought it'd be better in a bed or on a couch." Clair smiled and stood up, helping her fiancée up. They joined hands and walked back to their house together.
