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Wesley hadn't been able to sleep all night.
It was certainly not from a lack of trying. He'd tossed and counted. He'd sung to himself, and tried every other trick he'd ever heard of. But, every time he managed to drift off, the dreams would start again.
The ring falling down a storm drain.
The ring being eaten by a passing Spearow.
He would get down on one knee, and typhoon would-
Wesley breathed out heavily as he gave up on trying.
As per usual, Daichi didn't have any of the problems that Wesley did. He was perfectly content to be the little spoon, and snore softly like he usually did after a long shift.
It was pretty amazing, really. Their bed wasn't very big, and Wesley was sure his restlessness would have been impossible to ignore. But, as per usual, Daichi managed to make it look effortlessly cool.
Or, rather, 'effortless' was how he'd seen the commander back in his grunt days. But even now, knowing him as a person and realizing how hard he worked to seem cool...
Wesley lifted his head to see over Daichi’s shoulder.
Ever since they'd gotten their finances stabilized, he'd scrimped in secret. He went as cheap as he could get away with as often as possible, and tucked the extra away in a spot he was sure Daichi would never check.
It had taken nearly the entire year of close calls and excuses, but there was finally enough for a decent ring. It'd been purchased and sized, and now sat buried in the sock drawer. Just waiting to be brought out at the festival tomorrow.
He took the millionth glance at the clock since he'd gone to bed.
Make that today.
He'd plotted the whole proposal out like a romance novel, and it made him squirm excitedly.
There were so many opportunities, from the excitement at the entrance to the fireworks at the end of the night. Even if he missed everything, they could still find perfect lighting on the quiet walk home.
All he had to do was keep the ring safe until the best moment showed up.
But… His track record for clumsiness, forgetfulness, and general bad luck made it kind of a guarantee that the worst case scenario would find him. He would miss every opportunity to propose, and lose the ring in the most tragically comedic fashion the universe could cook up.
Wesley hugged Daichi closer to reduce his stress.
He’d need to do something to prevent those nightmares from coming true. And, since he wanted it to be a surprise, he’d have to find a way to be sneaky enough to get around his ridiculously perceptive boyfriend.
Wesley pouted as he thought up, and rejected, one strategy after another. Too impractical, too visible, too-
He lifted his head when he heard a sleepy huff from across the room.
One of his wurmple had settled itself into a more comfortable position with the others in their pillow bed.
Wesley smiled at them, and settled back down to worry before he jolted back up. A wide grin spread over his face as he decided on the perfect plan.
Daichi breathed in the crisp air, laced with the smells of autumn leaves and festival food.
“We really lucked out!” he said, and playfully nudged Wesley’s arm. “It’s been forever since one of my days off was even half this clear.”
Wesley felt his heart skip a beat over how honestly Daichi smiled in the festival lights. It was a side he could have hoped, but never knew, was there inside the brashly confident Commander Saturn. Just the possibility had made his crush stronger back when he was grunt, and now it was aimed right at him.
Wesley swallowed, and managed to get out, “Yeah, it's beautiful.”
“Yeah!” Daichi went on about the night's itinerary before he turned to handle the entrance fee.
There was the slightest change to his tone as he talked to the teller, one that Wesley had come to know as the customer service voice Daichi used at the PokeMart.
That warmth hadn't just been aimed at Wesley, it was only for him. That revelation was enough to make him scrap the whole "waiting" idea, and dice his hand into his jacket pocket to get the ring box.
He froze.
His hand wouldn’t go in.
Wesley looked down in horror. He tried to reach in again, but it was glued shut by what felt very much like a rock.
It was shocking, and terrible, and… all his fault.
He ordered one of his wurmple use string shot on his pocket to keep the ring in place. It was secure, and simple enough to remove if one knew what they were doing. And he certainly had plenty of experience undoing it.
But, in his exhaustion, he’d overlooked that this same silk was also used to create their cocoons. The longer it sat, the more it hardened.
And, considering he’d had this brilliant idea at two in the morning… he was hours and hours past the limit.
“Hey, you okay?”
Wesley’s head snapped up. Daichi had come back from buying the tickets, and now looked at him with worried confusion.
“You look like you’re going to be sick." Daichi came in close, and lifted up Wesley's bangs to feel his forehead.
Wesley caught his hand, and smiled in a way he hoped wasn't suspicious. "I'm fine, really!"
Daichi faltered a bit as he looked Wesley over. “Are you sure? If you’re not feeling well, we can go home-”
“No, no! I’m doing alright, I promise!” He pulled Daichi’s hand back down to hold it properly at their sides. “Let's just have fun. Where'd you say you saw the taiyaki?”
It was a guess, but he was relieved to see he knew Daichi enough to get him to nod.
“Over this way.” He laced their fingers, and tugged Wesley along behind him.
As he let himself be led, Wesley tried to work a finger into the pocket. It was as solid as a rock, and couldn't be budged because fibers of the string shot had intertwined with the fibers of his jacket.
He thought back, as hard as he could, for ways to undo the damage. The most effective method was to dissolve the silk’s glue with hot water, but he could hardly do that here. Not without arousing suspicion, anyway.
Even if he could pry the mass away from the fabric, it would take ages, and could never be done subtly.
Wesley felt sick at the thought of delaying the proposal until he got home and extracted the ring. He would have to miss every single one of his chances at the festival. And proposing here and now was the best idea he’d had in… maybe ever.
It was utterly unacceptable for him not to get it done tonight! He had to-
This time, Wesley didn't manage to catch the hand that reached up to check his forehead.
“Are you sure you're ok?” Daichi asked, his voice more pressing. “I promise I don’t mind going home. So if you’re holding out for-”
“I'm fine, I swear,” Wesley insisted. Gently as his nerves would allow, he pulled the hand down and squeezed it. “I’ve just been putting in too many hours at work, so I'm kind of out of it. But this is my time off, too, so can we please just have fun?”
Daichi didn’t seem terribly convinced, but he knew how stubborn Wesley was when he was set on something. After another look over, he nodded. “Alright. The stall is this way.”
Despite his stress, it was a wonderful festival. One after another, moments presented themselves as Wesley had hoped they would.
Daichi tucked himself up against Wesley to block a hard breeze.
Wesley won one of the carnival games, and far more importantly got a kiss for his efforts.
Daichi affectionately used his thumb to clean a stray bit of sauce off Wesley’s mouth.
Each one made the ring burn against his stomach. And, no matter how he tugged and stretched, the hardened webbing didn’t budge.
At the entrance, it'd been frustrating. It only grew worse as the night drew on, and his efforts became more desperate to match. Wesley felt like he might die if he didn’t get to the ring, and---
"Wesley?"
He blinked out of his panic, "Yeah?"
Daichi raised an eyebrow, but hitched his thumb in the direction of the crowd movement. "Fireworks are starting soon, we should get a spot."
"Oh, right, well..." He looked around for something, anything. "It's getting cold, how about you get some tea?"
Daichi blinked, his confusion overriding his concern for the moment, as he turned to see the stand Wesley pointed out. "Oh, uh... yeah, great idea."
As soon as he had turned away, Wesley tugged harder at his pocket.
If nothing else, he had more respect for cascoon and silcoon. This stuff was incredible at staying exactly where, and how, it'd been sprayed.
“Hey.” Daichi motioned with the cup that he held gingerly to reduce the heat on his hand. “They had green tea with- hey!”
“Sorry!” Wesley yelped as he deliberately fell into him. He did his best to angle his body so that the tea would splash all over his pocket and dissolve the glue.
Tragically, he had an uncharacteristic bout of good luck. Daichi lurched from the impact, but he didn’t spill a single drop.
“Seriously, what's wrong with you tonight?” He asked. Daichi’s face was screwed in concern as he placed a firm hand on Wesley’s shoulder. “You’ve been acting so weird."
Wesley laughed to hide his disappointment at being completely dry. "You say that like I'm not always clumsy."
“I mean…" Daichi's face twitched. "I know, but-”
“And I’m awkward a lot,” he continued, with a lightly resigned shrug. "Tonight is super normal for me."
"I hate you talking about yourself like that," he huffed.
Wesley felt himself melt a bit inside, and he had to force himself back together. "I know... but hey, everyone's going over that way. We should go, too."
“Yeah, you're right." He took firm hold of Wesley's hand. “Think the hill should be nice.”
“Sounds good.”
The two of them slipped into the flow of the crowd.
"I still think you're up to something... But this was a really fun night,” Daichi said as he idly bopped their new plush kricketot on its nose.
Wesley’s stomach tightened a bit. “Yeah, it was amazing… We need to go out like this more.”
“Definitley,” he said. He tilted his head as he rethought. ”I mean, not that crashing on the couch with a movie isn't my favorite thing, but still."
“I get it,” Welsey agreed, softly. His mouth was bone dry. “It's the best part of work days…”
“Yeah… oh, there's a good spot here!” He pointed up the grass hill, and had to let go to balance himself as he climbed.
Wesley desperately looked down at his pocket, and the ring that stayed as trapped as ever. Bitter tears began to sting at his eyes, he gritted his teeth. He growled as grabbed the jacket, and what little of the pocket was loose, and yanked them apart as hard as he could.
The coat, not the silk, gave way.
He now had the makeshift cocoon in his hand, and the strips of fabric dangled off almost grotesquely. But it hardly mattered. Now that it was loose, Wesley flipped it over to reveal the ring box, and smiled wryly when he managed to force it open.
In a single-minded frenzy, he dropped hard to one knee and offered it up, fabric and cocoon and all.
Daichi, and everyone around them, looked on in bewilderment.
The seconds crawled by, and Wesley was ready to cry from the stress.
Daichi's eyes widened in realization as the fireworks began to light up the sky behind them.
He covered his mouth, and managed the herculean task of stiffing the laugh that would definitely make things worse. There was time for that later, when they were safely back in their apartment without any onlookers. And, Daichi decided, even better to wait until they were wrapped in a tight hug to insist that the laughter was, in fact, affectionate.
And then afterward, he could curl up on the couch and watch the monologue of a proposal that he absolutely knew Wesley had prepared but suddenly forgotten.
For right then, went over to squat down beside him. He ran an affectionate hand over his cheek, and slipped the perfectly fitted ring onto his finger.
“Absolutely.”
Wesley’s entire body loosened in relief. "Really?"
"Really."
They shared a lingering kiss as Daichi took his hands and helped him back up. There were still some fireworks left, after all.
“I knew you were up to something,” Daichi grinned as he admired how the ring glistened in the changing light. “Mars is going to go crazy for this story when I tell her.”
“Yeah she will. Think everyone’s gonna.” He put an arm around Daichi and pulled him in closer. And, with a tragic sigh, added, “Just wish I hadn’t ruined my favorite jacket for it…”
Daichi waved his non-ring hand dismissively. “The perfect proposals make for really boring stories." He looked over with a smirk. "Can't wait to watch you act it out next time there’s a party.”
Wesley considered this as they leaned their heads together. Grunt him, so deeply in awe of Saturn, could never have believed he could get here. That he would have his foibles not only understood, but both forgiven and loved.
He squeezed his superior, then boyfriend, and now fiance closer as the fireworks display headed for the finale. "It'll be perfect."