Dimensional Descent

[Bonus chapter courtesy of Fire2112 (aka Firemonster) <3 6/6]

Aina felt as though time had come to a stop. She had waited so long to hear these words, and they had come so unexpectedly that they hit her like a speeding truck.

Her golden eyes misted over, and her lips trembled. It was taking everything she had to not start an ugly sort of sobbing fit. She didn't want Leonel to see that.

But the longer she tried not to cry, the more time the silence lingered.

And yet, Leonel just lay there on her lap, a bright smile on his face.

He had thought about waiting for a grand occasion, maybe after he had accomplished some amazing feat or maybe after he had eliminated some powerful enemy.

But when he really thought about it, it felt like that tranquil confidence taking control again. He was confident that Aina would always stay by his side, so why rush? He was confident that he'd be at the center of grand feat after grand feat, so why be in a hurry to choose which one of them to propose in?

His mind could think millions of thoughts a second. The number of venues, variations, methods he had thought of just to ask this seemingly simple question were endless.

He could probably construct the marriage proposal heard around the world if he really wanted to. But he had thought of thousands of ways to do exactly that.

He was too obsessed with showy displays, and when that was matched with obsessing over being in control of every detail of every little thing, it manifested in the worst of ways.

He threw himself into life and death situations he should have had no part in; he confessed to the woman he liked in front of wide stairs in front of as many eyes as possible, and he ignored his best friend's plight and decided on cracked ribs instead of throwing a game that was ultimately meaningless to him.

So this time... he threw all of that out of the window.

"Yes..."

soft and nondescript that even with Leonel's current body,

I can't hear you." Leonel

hard to hold

So help me god, if you make me ugly cry on my wedding day, I will cut

she grabbed Leonel's face, not caring as she mixed in her salty tears

laughed, letting his wife cup his cheeks and

told Leonel all he needed to know. She never cared about the proposal or a fancy

those ceremonies were unnecessary; she hadn't even asked for a

pulled himself up through Aina's avalanche of

to remain open through her tears. Even so, everything about her expression spilled over with love. She couldn't have roared it

you, Leonel," she

replied, his smile gentle and

this for a while, each one seemingly trying to memorize the

doing a little wiggle.

think that's how you use that word," Leonel

I

"Yes, ma'am!"

became nothing but a distant memory. They intertwined in every way they could, their hands, their tongues, even Aina's

had used in a long while, and yet neither of them seemed eager to try

scent, every sensation. They didn't even