Crushing the Clown [Private]

Riku sighed softly as Satori complemented her and kissed her ear, leaning against her side. Only to stiffen at his next statement.

"T-tori!" Riku practically squeaked at her lover's words. Her face went bright ride and didn't fade when he kissed her cheek. "But we haven't even, we're not, I…" she spluttered, unable to organize her thoughts.

"Don't we have to be married?" she finally asked after a bit more stuttering. "At least so the children will be legitimate." Riku looked up at Satori again, face still red. "Don't tease me like that." The blue-haired teen pouted.

[13]

Satori arched a brow, “Hmm, it doesn’t really matter for me but I guess it does for the rest of politics and such…” contemplating this, he would shrug and smirk as he lowered himself down before stopping them. His hand sliding down to his side as he pulled out a small box casually, before he smiled at her and tilted his head.

“Ne, Riku-chan, be my wife alright?” He stated simply, not appearing to care where they were as they halted a few feet from the Academy entrance. It was early still, the streets were mostly empty, golden light flowing from between the buildings as he looked down into her eyes. He’d been intending to from the start.

Riku had been his choice since their childhood, but he’d always held back, always forced himself to wait due to her emotional insecurities and lack of balance from the loss of her father and hole in her soul. But she had begun to heal that, and he’d made his choice. It hadn’t mattered when he’d ask her. Ryuutei didn’t kneel or make some big show of it; that was for the actual marriage.

He’d intended to wait a bit longer, but he’d only been waiting for a good opportunity. This was a perfect one after what they’d just done. A smile formed on his lips as he cracked the seal of the box, inside was not a ring, but instead a slim necklace that bore a single flawless ruby, set not in gold or silver but instead carved wood.

The Ryuutei held birthstones, and Satori’s family held the ruby as part of their branch. This was the Ryuutei way of claiming one's lover as a wife or husband. The thin chain that supported the carved elegant petrified wood cradling the gemstone was lifted as he showed it to her in full as he smiled softly down to her.

When they stopped, Riku began to feel confused, frowning a bit. But then he asked her to be his wife and her mind just stopped. The blue-haired woman stared at her potential fiance in shock. The two of them had been courting, as Taji called it, for about seven years. He'd said that he would marry her when they were still children in the Academy and Riku hadn't denied it then. It had seemed natural to stay with her first friend and protector. Riku hadn't understood marriage then either.

However, each time Satori gave her space when she needed it and encouragement when she was ready to move forward emotionally and physically, Riku had grown more and more attached. Each time he showed her his trust, held her close, every kiss and nuzzle had built a strong affection for the man within her. Riku didn't know when she realized she wanted to marry Satori because it had happened so gradually. It was like determining the exact moment a sapling became a tree. You could watch it grow and say at some point that the plant had matured, but that final transition was so subtle it was nearly impossible to pin it to a single moment.

Riku blinked rapidly, eyes watering as she threw herself at Satori, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him despite their very public location. Her skin was wet, revealing how much the proposal had affected her. Few things reduced her to a liquid state against her will or got her to be openly vulnerable. Satori asking her the question she had been waiting for was one of them.

She pulled back from the sudden kiss just long enough to say, "Yes," before kissing him again with fervor and flattening herself against him. One leg managed to wrap around the man and she broke away breathlessly and said between soft gasps, "I'm yours, Tori."

[14]

As she flung herself around him, Satori could only smile and wrap his arms around her gently. The small woman clinging to him caused his fingertips to idly trail through her hair even as she turned into her semi-liquid state. He didn’t mind, he’d had no doubt she was going to say yes in the first place. But what he was happy about was how clearly effected she was.

He held her until she claimed his lips in a kiss, pulling her in close and wrapping his arms around her tenderly so she could properly cling to him as their lips molded together for so long her breath became short between her cries and the kisses. Her soft answer of affirmation, combined with her final statement causing him to soften his gaze as he touched his forehead gently against her own.

“I’m yours,” he murmured the reply firmly, lifting the necklace and gently wrapping it around her neck so it fell into place on her chest before he straightened a bit with a smile. Scooping her up into his arms so she could cling to him as much as she wanted, moving toward his home. They had some things to plan, announce, and celebrate after all.

Riku nuzzled her fiance and kissed his cheek as he affirmed that he was also hers. The feel of the necklace's weight around her neck and against her chest felt almost as good as Satori's kisses because of what it represented. Unable to stop herself, she kissed him again while the tall man scooped her up in his arms. Riku wrapped her arms and legs around him as best she could and rested her cheek on his shoulder.

Before, the short teen had always refused to let him carry her around in public, always trying to be restrained and polite. But now, Riku couldn't be bothered to care or bear the idea of separating from Satori. A soft, happy hum resonated in her throat as the young woman clung to her fiance happily as he carried her towards his home.

"I love you," she murmured in her fiance's (the thought of being engaged made her smile) ear.

[15]

[//Exit]

Satori chuckled softly as she clung to him so eagerly, she never let him spoil her like this in public usually. It was overwhelmingly cute. Nuzzling against her briefly as they walked, Satori’s gaze focused toward the road as her soft murmur into his chest caught his ears. His eyes softened.

“I love you,” he murmured in reply, kissing her softly before he slowly broke it and smiled.

“My family is going to drive us insane about the party,” he chuckled before shrugging. He didn’t mind. It was a special event for them as well after all, he’d let them have their fun as long as he got to enjoy the experience with Riku as well.

But that was for later. For now, he fully intended to just enjoy his time with her.

// Thread Exit.