#michael would do diamond or somethin for actual weddings tho

[daddyimmaru]

In which Michael proposes

((Its almost my birthday this is a gift to myself ywy

The Michael in the mirror looks far more confident than he does. He looks good, if only because he put a little extra effort in to look nice, but his hands are sticking to just about everything he touches, and his hair is a bit messy from running sticky hands through it, and- oh, he was stressed and wished he had some better advice than "just go for it," which his cousin promised would work. Most of what Erin said was shit though, so he really ought to stop listening to them.

"You got this," he tells himself. Mirror Michael gives him a look. "You.. probably got this?" He tries again. This time, someone walking into the bathroom gives him a look. He must seem crazy, talking to his reflection and gripping the sink hard enough that his knuckles were changing color. (The sink had given out a crunching sound earlier, and he worried if he moved his fingers, there would be dents.) He takes a breath, let's it out slowly, and eases his grip. Luckily, there was little more than a few spider webbing cracks.

The pub has continued on without him; music hums steadily over the room, and people are laughing while they share drinks- the only difference is that his mozzarella sticks arrived at their table. "You were gone awhile." Kraken looks up at him, pushes a small bowl of marinara sauce over the table. "Had to fix my makeup," he flashes a grin and snags a mozzarella stick. "I can't just wake up looking this good." Kraken snorts and shakes his head. "I've seen you in the morning." He points out before taking a sip from his glass. (Red wine, he notes, as usual.)

"I hate to cut this short," he shoves another stick into his mouth before he finishes. "But I have something I wanna show you. If you're up for it?" His hand sticks to the table, and he takes another breath to relax. "Sure." Matthew gives him a curious look, nearly hidden by his glasses, and he pries his hand off the table to grab his wallet. They both stand- he feels impossibly shaky- and he quickly tosses some cash to the table before they leave.

It's cold out, the air chilled with both the time of night and the snow floating to the ground. Matthew's hand is warm in his own, and he sways their hands between them while they walk. Each breath is a cloud, and his nose is as cold as the tips of his ears. "We're gonna have to, uh, go up." He gestures with his free hand to the rooftops, offering a nearly embarrased smile. (Ah, his hands are sticking, and he quickly tugs his hand away in favor of ducking into an alleyway.) Kraken follows quietly- he can hear the rustle of fabric when the arms move out from under his coat- and Maestro rested his hands on the wall to pull himself up. His feet connect with the wall and he straightens- was it really straightening, if he was horizontal?- and he waits until Matthew is level with him. Two out of four arms dig into the walls, the third on the ground while the fourth chirped by his face and pressed its center against his cheek. They tended to pick up on emotions, seemed aware of his stress. He soothed it with a soft hum and ran his fingers over the cool metal.

It's quiet on the roof. The arms churr quietly when they drop Kraken back onto his feet, and Michael takes a moment to adjust to being vertical again before he leads the criminal over the thin snow. They hop rooftops, until Michael is satisfied with their position in the city. They're up high, above the sounds of traffic and people beneath them. He had set this area up earlier; there's a thick blanket, with small fairy lights keeping everything lit. Despite the layer of snow speckling his set up, it looks nice. Matthew seeks to agree, because a soft smile settles over his face and he makes his way over to the heavy comforter.

Michael is stressed. The Wall Words (he had nicknamed them this, the words that always warned him of trouble ahead. They had saved him more than once) remained silent, leaving him to his anxieties. He shoves a hand into his pocket, thumbs nervously over the heavy box and rocks on his heels. "Uh- Matthew?"

Just go for it.

"Don't tell me you brought me here to break up with me," Kraken turns to face him.

Just go for it.

"What? No, just," he exhales and steps carefully over the snow, stopping just in front of his partner. "Okay. Uh, I think I'm doing this right. Probably? I mean, no one ever told me how to do this." He cringes, knowing he's rambling, before dropping. His knee cracks against the cold ground- roof?- painfully, and he makes face as he shifts to get situated. "Okay, uhm. Matthew. I met you as Maestro, and I fell in love with Kraken." He thinks that Matthew understands what's happening, because his lips part slightly and the pupils on the arms widen like a cat. "I know it's hard to be a villain dating a hero, but I love you, and I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me. I want forever with you. And I'll understand if you say no, or need time- I can wait! I can wait as long as you need me to. I took us up here 'cause I didn't want you to feel pressured in public." He searches Kraken's face, fumbling with the box and exhaling through his teeth.

He had managed to get Erin to help him pick the ring. It had taken over a week until he was satisfied with his decision, unwilling to settle on anything other than perfect. He had thought long and hard before settling on one he deemed suitable; the band was as thick as the ones Kraken usually wore, gold with the inside being black. He had settled on moonstone for the decorations, embedded in the band and glittering softly under the fairy lights. "It's not, it's not diamond, but I looked into different stones, 'n figured out that this one was good for love? I don't know if you believe in stones-" ah, he was rambling again. "I love you," his voice wavers. "And I want to be forever with you."

He falls silent, and waits.

((I dont like leaving on cliffhangers, but I can't finish this one! Kraken belongs to @angerydj , and due to this I won't be finishing this until i know how Kraken would react. Either way, I've been excited ab writing somethin like this for a while!

((Anyway yes almost my birth! I'm excited it's the first year we're not in a bad place so it should be cool and all that, plus it's almost been a year since I cursed the world with Maestro!