I will tell the night

i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks, for never to return

Telescope complete (one for he and Ronin, and one for Aoife even though she was still too young to use hers), the strange little family set out for the fields. With Leafchange upon them, the sky had been blanketed by clouds and residual fog which had hidden the stars for a few evenings in a row. So despite sleepy-protests, Remi had roused both Aoife and Ronin, demanding a midnight picnic accompanied by star-gazing.

With Aoife snuggled up in her carrier on Isla's back (no doubt falling instantly back to sleep), Remi flashed Ronin a rather sheepish sort of smile. "I...may have told a few people we are engaged.." He admitted, his grin crumpling slightly as he tried not to let it grow any further than it already had.

the things we hold are always the first to go

Being woken up in the middle of the night made Ronin grumpy.

The offer of food placated him somewhat.

And strolling out to see the stars with Remi? Fine. He was sold.

He had just checked on Aoife in the carrier before returning to the alchemist's side, Ronin slipping an arm casually around Remi's waist to tug him closer. "Oh is that so?" He grinned.

"You are definitely going to be a blushing bride," he teased, but the glint in his eyes told that Remi wasn't the only one who was excited. "So what have you told them so far? And who have you told?"

i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks, for never to return

Remi's blush was instant, adorable, and complete. It felt strange on the one hand to be told he was strong enough to take down a tyrant like Zariah, and on the other hand be reduced to a twitterpated mess with just one look from Ronin. But that was Remi all over, and he had to look down at the road in front of them with a flustered sort of chuckle to keep from absolutely gushing.

"Oh..just...mostly that I made a bit of a mess of the proposal given that you were concussed at the time I do not believe I said any of the normal things that normally accompany that sort of thing. I don't even think I said I love you." Remi recalled, crinkling his nose and ruffling a hand through his curls.

As for who?

Oh...well..

"Vai..and...Amalia. And Sam. And Phoebe." He said swallowing a lump of nervous energy down. "And..Zariah knew." Remi added, his hand looping around the ex-captain's waist as well with a slight nudge, hoping they wouldn't linger on that last name.

the things we hold are always the first to go

Remi blushed and Ronin smiled roguishly; he never tired of seeing it, in truth, even though his lover had to actually look away to keep a hold of himself. Of course, that meant Ronin definitely leant in to press a kiss to Remi's temple, hoping to fluster the alchemist even more. "I thought, as proposals went, it was perfect," he informed him with a casual shrug. "You didn't have to say I love you. I knew. I'll always know."

They headed towards the hill where, once upon a time, he had placed Vanya upon a pyre and watched her up into the stars. Now they could go and watch her there any time - and where once the place had cut him to the quick, now it seemed to bring him peace. Ronin snorted as Remi reeled off his list of names, the ex-captain raising his eyebrows at him.

"A few huh?" he echoed. "Now they're going to start expecting us to plan things, you know."

i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks, for never to return

Indeed as Ronin's lips pressed against Remi's temple, the alchemist made a sound halfway between a happy moan, and an audible gulp. Exhaling a staccato stream of air, made entirely un-smooth thanks to the overwhelming expansion of joy in the back of the alchemist's throat, Remi shoved his hip against Ronin's making a tsking sound under his breath. "I was just about to say that since it was your only proposal, that does not mean much...but I suppose the fact you haven't been married for does not mean you have not been proposed to." Remi raised a playfully challenging eyebrow. He could imagine a multitude of situations, many with ankles thrown over the guildmaster's shoulders, in which promises of forever had undoubtedly been offered to him.

Biting the inside of his lip and offering Ronin a wince that was far from apologetic, Remi nodded. "They...might have already started planning it.." He admitted with a snort. Untangling his arm from Ronin, Remi reached into the bag nestled behind Aoife and pulled out a large and thick blanket which he spread out in one easy gesture.

the things we hold are always the first to go

Ronin didn't deign to reply to Remi with words at his undoubtedly filthy comment, the hunter merely flashing him a wicked little smile and winking mischievously. He swayed a little as he was nudged, though he did pull Remi with him, unwilling to let his lover go now that they had finally decided to stop dancing around the issue and get on with it.

Letting the other man go and flopping down unceremoniously onto the blanket once it had been laid out, Ronin made no attempt to help Remi with anything. He put it down to the fact that he was busy being shocked and confused by his comments, Ronin raising his eyebrows and tucking his arms behind his head as he lay back.

"Have they now," he said, his smile catching in his voice. "Do tell. When are we getting married, Remi? Who will be doing the honours? What is the colour scheme?"

i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks, for never to return

Ronin was a sight that made the alchemist's stomach turn into some sort of cold liquid that seeped down into his toes making his knees weak on the way. Whatever training his lover had been doing had certainly paid off, and Remi had to all but force his eyes off of the other man as he turned to unbuckle Aoife, who, as he knew she would be, was still fast asleep. Laying down in the grass, Remi tucked the star-eyed child against the darkened unicorn, trusting that Isla would be able to both keep her warm and keep an eye on her for the time being.

"When?" Remi parroted. "As if I would decide such a thing without you."  He added, biting the inside of his cheek to hide his grin. "Definitely not...you know. Before the snows come or anything." With a quick laugh, Remi joined Ronin on the blanket mirroring his friend's posture though tucking a leg over one of Ronin's. "I suppose it does not have to be. I just...what with all the death constantly around us.." Shrugging as he stared up into the sky, Remi hummed a note of contentment. "I just didn't see why we would wait." With an anxious but excited glance, Remi looked towards Ronin, brows raised softly.

the things we hold are always the first to go

Ronin's eyebrows raised further (if that was possible) at Remi's apparently throwaway comment, the hunter laughing to himself and waiting for the other man to settle their daughter and come to join him. When he did, Ronin had at least been given a chance to think on it, and he smiled softly across at Remi.

"This time last year I was expecting that Vanya and I would be in it for the long haul," he murmured. "We were looking forward to having our baby, to finding her family... now, not a year later... look at what's happened." Some might see it as a sign that things were moving too fast, but for Ronin he felt more that it showed how important it was to seize the day.

"Before Deepfrost, huh?" He grinned. "Why the fuck not, eh?" Nudging his lover, Ronin rolled to lean up on one of his elbows, brushing his fingertips across Remi's cheek. "That doesn't give us much time, you know."

i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks, for never to return

It wasn't jealousy or anything of the like that suddenly slowed Remi's heart and made his smile falter, but simple grief. It wasn't lost on him at all which hill it was on which they sat, or under which stars. The alchemist would never be the type to try and pull Ronin's mind off and away from his past loves, or to try and obscure what the hunter and the sea-bird had shared together. What it did sound like Ronin was getting at though, was precisely a long engagement.

So it was that Remi pulled in a surprised breath, his lips forming a naive O and not just because Ronin was suddenly much closer with his hands softly on the alchemist's cheek. "Sorry, did you want something big and grand?" Remi tutted softly, his hand rising to land against Ronin's hip hoping it would make it all the more difficult for him to flop back down and away. "In all seriousness though...you are right. This time last year you were with Vanya. If you want to wait, or..." Remi didn't really know what the or was meant to signify, other than generic reasons Ronin may have for wanting to extend their engagement, and so shrugged genuinely. "..we can."

the things we hold are always the first to go

"Pff, absolutely not. Unless you really couldn't live without a big and grand celebration. Only then I might make an exception." Ronin had attended enough pompous weddings in his time in Northwind and Northaven both. By far his favourite had been the humble affair between Ashetta and Alistair... though his heart gave a painful tug at the thought of how that had ended. And at the fact that he just couldn't pin Ashe down.

He smiled warmly, having no intention of flopping to lie back down, his fingers drifting from Remi's cheek so he could rest his hand on the alchemist's chest. "I don't want to wait," he said, his tone sure. "She wouldn't want us to wait, you know that. And the last time I chose to wait, look what happened. No - you are right. Before the snows come."

i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks, for never to return

The alchemist snorted and shook his head. "Considering I thought if I were to ever get married, it would be to a woman all because of the king's laws and my not wanting to be in jail, no, I do not think I need much..." Raising a brow though, Remi's fingers wandered towards the curve of Ronin's hip, easily rounding around the bone with a suggestive smirk on his lips. "I have gotten rather used to big and grand.." He said, laughing immediately at the ridiculousness of his own words.

With a smile that looked pained in its understanding, Remi nodded. Below Ronin's hand he would feel a hammering heart; partially out of respect and remembrance for the loss the hunter had experienced, and partially out of the bigness of their simple requited love. "Any absurd rules you would like to implement for the big day?" Remi asked, his body feeling as though it had entirely relaxed and sunk down into the earth, beneath Ronin's gaze. "Everyone showing up in couples as before, needing a certain number of guests in attendance?"

the things we hold are always the first to go

Ronin seemed puzzled at first, by Remi's comment, until he caught the other man's suggestive smile and offered a filthy grin in return. "Be that as it may, I don't think there's any reason to show it off to our friends and our loved ones, is there?" he said, laughing and brushing his thumb across Remi's chest, able to hear the drumbeat of his heartbeat under his hand. Ronin's smile softened; the simple pleasure of being able to lay here and do this was beyond what he had ever expected for himself after last year, and he promised himself not to waste it.

"Oh obviously - all the absurd rules. Also someone must almost start a fight, and I expect to be judged harshly for our choice of venue and guests," he said haughtily, before the facade broke into a warm grin. "Is it safe to say that you will be doing the lion's share of the planning? I can plan tactics on a battlefield, Remi, but this sort of thing..." He winced and shrugged.

i cut the ties and i jumped the tracks, for never to return

Utterly taken by the blue-eyed man lording his handsomeness over Remi as if were nothing made the alchemist's toes curl slightly in his shoes. In fact, wanting to alleviate at least one constraint on his body, he kicked them off easily allowing the pads of his feet to skirt over the thick weaving of the blanket below.

With a laugh, Remi nodded in happy agreement. "Oh I am sure there will be fights. Especially since given our new laws, either Edy or Zariah must be in attendance for all large gatherings. I wonder what gift they will bring us?"

As Ronin mentioned doing the lion's share, the alchemist gave his friend a flat stare, shaking his head with an unimpressed snort. "Yes yes, I suppose I'll just do it all then. You can just show up the day of." Remi grumbled, his annoyance absolutely transparent. "You are lucky you are so handsome even when you don't try." He added with a playful scowl.

the things we hold are always the first to go

"With any luck, Zariah's gift will be that she stays the fuck away from us," Ronin said, not trying to hide the way his tone darkened or his quick glance across to Aoife asleep with Isla. The woman had threatened his baby - she did not get any free passes, however he was forced to act in public.

Remi's evident annoyance on top of Ronin's already apparent drop in mood had the hunter sitting up properly again. He sighed deeply, able to read all the things that Remi wasn't saying as clearly as if they had been written down. "Or," he suggested quietly, "you could just ask if I wouldn't mind helping more."

Running his fingers through his hair, Ronin gazed up at the stars. "Perhaps we could get married at sunset," he suggested. "When the stars are about to come out. In the Glade, maybe. Or the Woodlands."