Chapter Text
Rolling out of the restaurant and sliding down the restaurant’s ramp in front of the doors beside his beloved was such a great, yet nerve racking feeling. They had sat and ate together, talking and joking inside at their table for hours. Gray had made sure they had a great seat next to the window, that they were both able to gaze out of it and look at the stars and stare at the moon in its first quarter as they had sat and ate. A booth further from the other guests, a booth where the two could be in their own world together. It was partially further from the other guests so Gray wouldn’t have to talk very loud but Chuck could still hear them. Chuck appreciated it greatly, especially on a night like this, the night where he had planned the perfect surprise for Gray. The maestro wanted it to be a complete shock! He wanted the opportunity to watch Gray’s jaw drop, to hear the gasp of surprise. He wanted the opportunity to watch Gray smile, to watch them tear up in pure joy and to treasure this night for years to come. It felt almost bad to hold this surprise from Gray for so long, but Chuck knew it’d be worth it, he just wanted to wait until the right moment, and he finally found it. Right before they had entered the restaurant, roughly an hour earlier, Chuck had spotted a beautifully decorated gazebo. It had strings of lights around it, bushes of perfectly cared for flowers surrounding it, and an elegant bench pressed right up against one of the faces of the gazebo’s railing. It was more than perfect, with the lovely view over a nearby pond, and past that small pond they could see the beautifully lit street and shops along with bushes and trees, outdoor seating of benches, chairs, and tables.
He found it hard to contain his excitement, his nerves almost making the hair on his arms stand up, good thing he was wearing a long sleeve shirt, a finely ironed shirt at that, or had it started to wrinkle during their date together? No, it was fine.. Chuck found himself getting in his own head as they made their way to the sidewalk together. Just then, Gray pointed at the gazebo smiling at Chuck as they neared it together.
“We should go there, eh? Seems….Beautiful!”
Chuck felt his cheeks heat up, he was already thinking about each movement he’d make as he would present the surprise to his beloved mime, everything had to be as perfect as possible. He wanted to look elegant for Gray. Walking into the gazebo, Gray looked up at the beautiful light above them, letting out a soft content hum as they made their way to the bench.
Should he present it now?-No no NO, Gray just settled down, let them admire the scenery first. Yeah, yeah, that’d set the mood. He let out a breath, letting his knitted eyebrows relax for a moment, this got Gray’s attention. They lifted their hands and signed to Chuck, “Are you okay?”
The conductor pressed his lips together into a tight line, his cheeks heating up again as he quickly nodded. He just couldn’t let Gray catch onto the surprise! That would ruin the whole point of the.…their perfect date! Rolling his chair backwards, he made sure it was as close to the bench as he could get. His chair was diagonal in front of the bench, he wanted to be able to see Gray and the beautiful landscape. Turning his head even further towards Gray, he heard them snicker. “You’re so red. It’s like your first time around me..” They whispered softly as their hooded eyes looked towards Chuck.
The conductor scoffed playfully,
“Perbacco! Is it wrong for me to be blushing around my love?” He heard Gray giggle at that, it made Chuck smile even wider, he looked like a love stricken fool. Reaching out towards him, Gray placed their hand on Chuck’s, resting it there as they smiled and looked at the foliage, the flowers were just so radiant, the peonies just amplified the whole gazebo’s beauty as they poked out from the shrubs. Practically shuddering, Chuck reached out his free hand, shaky as he took Gray's hand and pulled it towards his lips, pressing a kiss against the mime’s pale hand. It just all made his heart race, he had to surprise them tonight, it was too perfect, but when? Shifting in his chair, Chuck let go of Gray’s hand, letting it return back to the mime. The conductor wished he could simply pick Gray up at once, holding them in his arms, but he couldn't, at least not yet.
“Oh, oh Gray.”
His face displayed all the affection he felt for the mime, he loved them so much it made him feel weak sometimes.
“G-Gray..I uh, I have a question to a-ask yooouuu….” He dragged on that last word for a second or two, running it through back and forth whether or not this was the moment to surprise them. Gray lifted an eyebrow, their smile waning a little, they were starting to get a tad worried about how anxious Chuck seemed. Well, more than usual anyway. The mime tilted their head to the side, looking at Chuck with their glossy eyes, gazing at him. All the awkward fumbling, the excessive stuttering, the way Chuck turned red at a moment's notice, surely this couldn’t be it, could it? Gray felt their pale face slowly redden.
“A-Ahem..” Chuck cleared his throat, he started biting the skin off his lower lip, it's like he was trying to stop himself.
“....Whhhhhhaaaat do you think about t-the weather?! EHEH…!” Staring at him for a moment, Gray sucked on their teeth and squinted slightly as Chuck seemed to have practically blue-screened.
Internally, Chuck was slamming his head against a desk.
Likely, a rich mahogany wooden desk.
A sad little noise escaped Chuck as he turned away from Gray and started babbling off about the cool night breeze and the sunny warm days they had been having. Frankly, Gray was starting to get a bit concerned. Chuck turned in his wheelchair and pushed forward a little, mentioning how wonderfully trimmed he thought the bushes were, Gray just sighed. They stood up and stepped over to Chuck, the bottom on their shoes clicking against the gazebos flooring. Then, they placed their hands on Chuck’s shoulders.
Immediately freezing up, Chuck stopped all kinds of conversation and froze, his face included. Leaning in, Gray whispered gently to Chuck.
“You’re acting so strange. You can tell me what's wrong.”
It was so soft and quiet, yet the loudest Gray had been the entire night, they weren't much of a talker but God, Chuck wanted to crumble into pieces just then and there. A long, drawn out and frankly quite exaggerated and loud sigh. Just how Gray liked him. A chuckle came from the mime, they pinched Chuck’s cheek and smiled. “Tell me?” They cooed, Chuck couldn't keep it from them any longer.
Placing his hands on the wheels of his chair, he let out a soft huff.
“Eh.. Step back a bit and turn around, then I’ll tell you!” It sounded strange, Chuck knew it did, but to be fair that was nothing new for Gray to hear from their beloved conductor.
The film star obliged, removing their hands from Chuck's shoulders, stepping back, and turning around. Chuck cocked his head over his shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief before turning around to face Gray’s back. He rolled forward a little and then rummaged in his coat, taking out a small, sturdy box. A horrible knot formed in his stomach, he chewed on his lower lip for a moment before parting his lips and speaking.
“Gray…Amore mio.. Y-you make me choke up sometimes- eh, but in a good way! Yes, yes..”
A rush of blood was brought up to Gray’s cheeks, their lips started to part, they were shocked, was it really…no, no. It couldn’t be!
“Oh, Gray. Your shows, your smile, the rare times where you sing! It all makes me feel so warm… I never want to lose the opportunity to hear or see those things ever again!” Carefully, Chuck slid out of his wheelchair and settled on his knees, both of them. He opened the small box, a ring.
The actor couldn't help themself at this point, they whipped their head around, looking over their shoulder and tearing up.
The ring, pristine and glistening in the box, a yellow garnet shone and sparkled in the moonlight, it was the brightest thing to Gray in that moment.
“Gray, ti amo. Please, if-if you will..”
Barely holding back tears, the mime was sniffling, looking at their darling, their love, their world.
“Amore, will you marry me?”
Full on sobbing, Gray sprinted towards Chuck, probably scraping their knees as they hit the ground, they’d deal with that later. Gray wrapped their arms around Chuck, sobbing, crying in the ugliest way possible, they loved Chuck so much. Gray held onto the box as they cried and yelled “Yes!” Over and over and over, peppering Chuck’s face in kisses.