Blbs 11

 Aizawa coughed, growing more anxious the longer she lay staring at the simple ring he had purchased. He had thought at the time that money meant little in matters like this, rather, it was the intent that made it special. Now he began thinking of all the expensive things she owned - hell, one month's rent in her apartment suite was worth more than most full weddings -- and started to get nauseous.

Elly looked up, and he realized he'd been foolish to second guess himself.

Tears poured down her cheeks and her ears lay so far back, flattened into her purple hair so much he couldn't see them. She was sniffling and hectic patches of color had sprung up all over her pale face and neck.

But she was smiling.

"Don't take this the wrong way," he began in a light tone of voice, wiping at the wet streaks on her face with a free hand. "I love you with all my heart, but holy <i>shit</i> you're an ugly crier."

Elly burst out laughing and threw her arms around his neck.

"Does that mean yes?"

"Yes!" She paused. "You were nervous, though. Weren't you? You had to know I'd say yes, right?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "If you had taken any longer I might have thrown up."

"Oh, baby." She kissed him several times, soft, sweet and open-mouthed all over his face and lingering on his lips. "Put it on me. Please."

Shaking just a little, he slipped the ring on her finger. It fit; he had chosen well and the size was perfect.

"We've got so much to talk about," he wondered, bemused as he watched the simple stone reflecting the light in his small bedroom.

"Plenty of time for that later. In fact, we've got our whole lives ahead of us now," she said.

He closed his eyes, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth to light up his worn features.

"Oh, geez, that sounded so fucking trite, didn't it. Good God, Sho -"

He burst out laughing.

She blinked up at him, watching as he wiped tears out of the corners of his eyes. "Fucking shit, that was perfect. It's so fucked up, it's perfect."

"Like us."

"Like us," he agreed, sinking down into her embrace like it was the very first time.