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“Alright, printesa. I’m cutting you off,” Pietro claimed with a smirk as he reached for the half-empty champagne glass in your hand.
“Wha- This is only my third, thank you very much,” you pulled the glass in question away from his reach, feigning offense.
“And we all know how you are with that stuff. Need I remind you of that birthday incident last year?” He raised a brow.
And you knew he was right. You didn’t usually drink at all, so you were quite the lightweight. But tonight was special occasion, which is why you found yourself sipping on some bubbly. It was your dad’s annual Christmas party at the tower, after all. You were allowed to let loose a bit, right?
Your brows furrowed at the silver-haired boy, and in one swift motion, you pulled the glass to your lips and gulped down the rest of the champagne. A smirk played on your featured as you finally handed the glass over to him. He rolled his eyes playfully, taking it.
“Alright, I’m done. But that means you’re cut off too, Sonic.”
“Fast metabolism.” He winked, taking a swig from his own drink.
“Oh please,” you replied, a laugh escaping past your lips.
“So, I was thinking...” he started, his brows raising slightly, “maybe we could slip out of here for a bit. Get some fresh air, no?”
“You know my dad’ll kill us both of we sneak outta here alone.”
He quirked a brow at you, his smirk more prominent now than ever. “Even if it’s to go see Christmas lights?” That definitely got you to change your tone.
“Well, when you put it that way... He’ll get over it.” And even if he didn’t, oh well. Your dad knew that going to see the Christmas lights in the park was one of your favorite things. As a kid, you always got way too excited to walk through the illuminated pathways that danced with colors, and that never changed.
“Lemme go grab my coat, okay?” you said maybe just a tad too excitedly.
“I can get it for you,” Pietro insisted, but before he could speed his way upstairs, you protested.
“No, no. I got it.” You quickly placed a kiss on his cheek. “There’s something else I’ve gotta grab, anyway.”
And with that, you quickly ran to the elevator, rushing toward your room as soon as the doors opened. You grabbed your warm winter coat, slipping it on hastily before making your way over to your desk, opening one of the drawers to grab that little ‘something else’ and tucking it away in your coat’s pocket. You wasted no time in making your way back downstairs, finding that Pietro was already waiting for you by the elevator.
“Ready, printesa mea?” He held a hand out to you, which you took without hesitation.
“Ready when you are.” You smiled, giving his hand a light squeeze.
He stepped into the elevator with you, sneaking in a quick kiss before it started to head down to the main floor. The pair of you stepped out and made your way to the exit. It was fairly brisk outside, but nothing you didn’t expect.
“Alright, hold on tight.” His smirk was back again.
“Piet, we can just walk.”
“We don’t want to waste any time, now do we?”
Before you could even think about arguing, Pietro picked you up and held on securely as he began to sprint toward the direction of the park, a blue streak trailing behind the two of you. Of course, it only took less than a minute to get there, and Pietro gently let you down onto the ground.
“You gotta stop doing that,” you chided, a faux look of annoyance on your face as you steadied yourself.
“What? And miss an opportunity to sweep you off your feet?”
You rolled your eyes so hard at that, you honestly thought for a moment that they might get stuck. “Come on, Prince Charming.” You giggled, taking hold of his hand once more as you started to lead him into the park.
Your eyes were almost instantly fixated on the brightly lit lights that strung across trees, the snow reflecting the colors in a way that made the scene look like a dream, quite frankly.
You had dragged Pietro with you the past two years, but this time was different. He was the one who insisted the two of you go. It was a bit weird, you had to admit, but maybe it was just a sign that you were rubbing off on him. Or maybe he was playing along for you, because he knew how happy it made you. Either way, you weren’t exactly going to complain, were you?
The two of you paced yourselves as you walked along the pathway, your eyes twinkling almost as much as the lights. You couldn’t exactly explain why you loved the lights so much. Maybe it was the nostalgia from your childhood that kept you coming back every year. Maybe it was the way you felt so warm inside while engulfed in the bright aura as you walked through the lights, despite how cold it might be outside. You kept walking through the path, approaching a tunnel of lights that cycled through colors almost rhythmically.
Once you were about halfway through, you stopped, turning yourself around to take in the full view. You inhaled deeply, your mind wondering a bit as you toyed with that little something in your pocket. “ Okay, now or never Y/N ,” you thought.
“Pietro, there’s something I need to-“ You cut yourself off as you turned to him again, your heart suddenly skipping a beat as you saw that he was now kneeling in front of you. “Oh...”
Needless to say, this wasn’t exactly how you’d expected tonight to go. He was actually doing this, and it made an incredibly warm feeling wash over you. You couldn’t be all too surprised, though. You and Pietro had been together for a few years now, after all, and you knew in the back of your mind that you were ready to take this next step. You’d known for a while, actually.
Your eyes flickered to the box he was holding out to you, and you could feel your cheeks heat up a bit. Even from the distance you were standing, you could see the ring that it held was nothing less than beautiful. The way the lights around you shimmered off of it almost took your breath away.
“Huh...” you exhaled with a slight shake, taking a small step toward him. You saw his smile drop at your initial reaction.
“I- ” he stammered, voice suddenly sounding small and just a bit discouraged. You could tell by the expression plastered on his face that he probably felt like he’d completely and utterly messed up just now - except that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
You smiled, slightly shaking your head. “Pietro- I just- Um...” You paused, reaching into your coat pocket, finally retrieving that little something - a small black box of your own. You brought it into his view before slowly opening it to reveal a simple silver band with a thin blue line across the middle. You watched his gaze as it shifted toward it, his brows slightly wrinkling.
“Y/N...” He looked back up to you, eyes widening slightly at the realization.
“What? You didn’t see that coming?”
Your smile widened as he stood to meet you at eye level, and he reached out to place his free hand gently on your cheek.
“So, I take it that’s a yes?” he asked, his icy blue eyes looking deeply into your own.
“What do you think?” A slight laugh escaped you as you leaned in, pressing your lips firmly against his for a moment before pulling away.
Without further hesitation, both of you slipped the rings on each other’s fingers. You couldn’t help but stare at yours, admiring just how gorgeous really it was. The silver band was smooth and sleek, leading up to a unique setting that held a beautiful cut of your birthstone. It was simple, and you loved it. Better yet, you loved what it represented, and you loved the person who gave it to you. Your favorite person, in fact.
You almost couldn’t stand how perfect it all was - and, to be honest, if these Christmas lights didn’t already have a special place in your heart, they certainly did now.