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The note fell out of the cupboard when Adams reached in to grab the coffee one morning, the first of many. A little confused, she unfolded it, a grin spreading across her lips when she read the familiar messy scrawl.
You are the first and last thing on my mind every day.
She re-folded the note, still smiling, and tucked it into the front pocket of her jeans just as she heard Hudson stirring in the bedroom, the low rustling of sheets just carrying across the apartment into the kitchen. It was a surprise - a nice one, but a surprise nonetheless. Hudson wasn't normally the chocolates and roses type of guy, preferring beer and the occasional compliment to big romantic gestures. She supposes it's part of being a marine for so long; romance wasn't exactly priority number one on the Sulaco. Either way, even if he did get it from a book somewhere, or a phone call with Dana (which she deeply suspects he did), it was nice to wake up to.
She hears a muffled grunt from the bedroom, more sheet rustling, and then a thud, and she realises Hudson's rolled out of bed while he was waking up. Another low groan, some shuffling noises, and Hudson appears in the bedroom doorway, rubbing his side. "Morning." He calls across to the kitchen.
"You fell on your ass again?" She asks, pouring herself a mug of coffee.
"Not my ass." He mumbles, coming to stand behind her in the kitchen. "My side. Hurts though."
There's a distinct pause while she pours milk into her coffee, and she feels him lean in a little. She can almost hear the suggestive smile in his voice when he speaks. "Wanna kiss it better?"
"Sorry baby." She picks up her mug and turns to him. "Busy."
The notes keep appearing after that. One after the other, in the most random places she could imagine. They're in the fridge; they're tucked into the back of the TV remote; they're under the cap of the bottle of her shampoo. Dana finds one in Adams' makeup bag when they spend a 'girls night' together and she's rooting around for an eyelash curler. After checking it quickly, she buries it back in the bag with a knowing smile Adams catches in the vanity mirror. Hicks finds one in the cupboard under the bathroom sink when he's looking for the next roll of toilet paper, and comes out of the bathroom shooting Hudson a confused look, which the ex-Private pointedly ignores.
On Adams' birthday they lead in a little trail, with each note saying 'follow me' with a number scrawled in the corner and a short quote. The first one is balanced precariously on top of the snooze button of her alarm clock, so she feels it when she blindly slams her hand down to stop the blaring noise at 6:30. The second note is attached to the door handle of the bedroom with a hairband, asking why she puts sugar in her coffee when she's 'sweet enough already'.
On a hunch, she goes to the kitchen, and sure enough there's a hot cup of coffee pinning the next note to the counter. She takes a sip while she reads the note, her smile widening a little when realises Hudson must have woken up at least twenty minutes before her alarm to set all of these up and make a coffee that would be drinkable at 6:30. For a few moments she just leaned back against the counter with her coffee, picturing a bleary-eyed Hudson stumbling around the dark apartment, trying to lay out each note for her without making any noise.
For a few more minutes she follows the notes around the apartment, going through the living room to the shower, back to the living room and then finally into the bedroom, where Hudson's still laying on his side, his back to her. She can tell from the slight hitch in his breathing when she steps on the creaky floorboard by the doorway that he's awake though. Awake, and waiting for her.
"Morning." She says quietly, putting the collection of notes on the bedside table and crawling across the bed to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for the treasure hunt."
"They usually end with you finding treasure though, right?" He mumbles, voice muffled by the duvet. She's confused until her knee connects with something on the bed as she's moving around. Looking down, she spots a small flat black box.
"This the treasure?" She asks with a smile, picking it up. It's small enough to be a bracelet - maybe that one he spotted her looking at a few months ago, the one Dana kept dropping hints about in front of him.
He doesn't reply, just waits for her to open the box. And when she does, she's surprised. It's not a bracelet, not even a necklace. As she opens the box, the middle section twists out, revealing a small silver ring, with a tiny gem in the centre.
"Oh my god..." She whispers, almost missing Hudson rolling over to face her, caution written across his face as he reads her expression.
"William..." She murmurs, using his full first name. "This is..."
One of his warm hands slides into her free one, and with his other hand he cups her face, makes her look at him, so she can see just how serious he is. "Delilah Adams, will you please marry me?"
"Oh my God yes!" She cries, throwing her arms around his neck.