Work Text:
The doorbell of Gingko had become a comforting sound to you by now, and this morning was no different. You strolled into the cafe, taking in the sights and sounds you’d become accustomed to by now. The warm environment felt like a hug to you, as if the cafe itself was wrapping you in a blanket and sitting you down for a mug of hot chocolate.
And it was only made better by your boyfriend’s presence here.
You and Volo had been officially dating for about a year and a half now, and every moment was bliss. You had expected to grow out of the honeymoon phase relatively quickly, but he always found ways to surprise you and reignite your passion for him. Dates were still few and far between given how busy he was, but each one was a whirlwind in its own way.
You scanned the other side of the counter from where you stood in line, trying to look for him. You found him almost immediately; he was where he usually stood, behind the register speaking to a customer. You caught his eye briefly, and though he didn’t slip in his spiel, you saw his face light up.
The line moved forward at a steady pace, and it wasn’t long before you were face to face with your smiling boyfriend. “Hello there, my darling,” he greeted, already grabbing a coffee cup and writing your name on it. “How are you this fine morning?”
You laughed, fishing your wallet out of your pocket. “Fine. Better now that I’m here. You?”
“Better now that you’re here,” he shot back immediately. He winked at you, and despite the length of your relationship, you found yourself blushing.
He still knew how to disarm you.
“So what am I getting this morning?” you asked, watching as he made your coffee with practiced ease.
Volo pretended to contemplate for a moment before snapping his fingers. “I have just the thing!” He leaned over to access the lowest shelf on the display case; as he did, something fell from his apron’s chest pocket. It glinted under the light before making a light tinkling sound as it hit the floor.
Faster than you’d ever seen him move, Volo snatched up…whatever it was that had fallen and slid it back into his pocket. As if nothing was wrong, he then selected an apple turnover from the case and began to wrap it up. All the while, that signature smile remained in place. “An apple turnover for my beloved,” he said, sliding the pastry towards you.
You raised an eyebrow as you handed him your card. “What was all that about?”
If Volo was surprised by your question, he didn’t show it in his face. That smile stayed securely on his lips, utterly unruffled. “Oh, nothing!” he said. “Just a little something for later.”
He handed you your card, and you shrugged it off, taking your pastry and giving him a kiss goodbye. As you made your way to work, however, you thought on it more; he seemed so quick to pick it up, almost desperate. And you had barely gotten a chance to see the damn thing before it was back in his pocket.
…something small that reflected light and made a tinkling sound that Volo wouldn’t want you to see…
Well, you thought to yourself as you crossed the steps into your workplace, there was one thing you could rule out.
It definitely wasn’t a ring.
You had discussed this with Volo a couple of times; the conclusion the two of you had come to was that Volo was too busy with his thesis to commit to any future plans. You would just have to wait, which you were perfectly content with. You knew Volo was faithful, and you knew the reward would be more than worth the amount of time it took to get there.
But now, back to your present dilemma. What on earth was in his pocket?
And why didn’t he want you to see it?
You sighed and stretched as you sat up in bed, blinking the sleep out of your eyes. Saturday mornings were always relaxing for you, finally being able to sleep in after a long week of work. You reached over to your nightstand and picked up your phone, looking over the notifications as you yawned.
Nothing out of the ordinary…except for a text from Volo.
can i buy you breakfast this morning? i’ll make it especially for you ;)
A bit of time had passed before his next text:
i mean i know i make it for you every morning but this time i’m paying
You laughed, unlocking your phone and typing out a reply. He texted back soon after, and you agreed to meet at Gingko in 20 minutes. You put together an outfit, grabbed your keys, and headed out the door.
True to his word, when you arrived at the cafe, Volo was sitting in your favorite corner of the room. He was dressed casually, and in front of him was a plate with a yellow pastry on it. He looked up at you from where he sat in the armchair, smiling and waving you over. Beside him, his Togekiss sat with a treat of her own in front of her. She peeped at you as you made your way over, sitting in the chair next to your boyfriend.
“Good morning, dearest,” Volo greeted, pressing a kiss to your cheek.
“Morning,” you replied, offering him a smile and squeezing your hand. “Isn’t today your day off?”
“It is, but I couldn’t resist seeing my favorite customer in the place we met.” He winked at you, then slid the plate on the table your way. “Here. A lemon bar for my beloved.”
You raised an eyebrow at him. “Isn’t this technically a dessert?”
He laughed, winking at you. “Maybe, but only because you’re so sweet.”
You rolled your eyes and picked up the lemon bar, taking a bite. As usual, it was delicious; the crust was perfectly buttery, and the lemon curd was delightfully tart. You made sure to tell Volo so before taking another bite.
Suddenly, your teeth hit something…hard.
You frowned, taking the lemon bar out of your mouth. Sure enough, there was a small object embedded into the lemon curd. You fished it out gently, and you found your fingers closing around…
“A ring?” you asked without thinking.
Then it hit you.
A ring.
Your heart leapt into your throat as you turned to face Volo. Gone was the customer service smile; what looked back at you was pure, unadulterated affection. As if he couldn’t help himself, he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to your lips, over as soon as it began.
“Volo,” you said softly. “We talked about…What is this?”
“It’s a promise,” Volo whispered, his lips ghosting over yours. “That once my thesis is done, I will be all yours.” The intensity in his eyes was almost overpowering as he gently grazed his hand over your cheek. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, love. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
A smile broke out across your face as you kissed him again, and again, and again. Togekiss chirped happily beside Volo, reveling in the joy radiating off the two of you. “ Yes,” you finally said, taking his hand where it rested against your cheek. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Volo sighed in relief, smiling brightly back at you. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “Truth be told, it was plaguing me…I–”
“Oh, thank Arceus, did they say yes?” Tuli’s voice broke through the tunnel vision, and you turned to see her standing a couple of feet away from the armchair corner. A playful expression was on her face, and she held a wooden spoon in her hand. She turned to you and winked. “Volo’s been talking our ear off for weeks now, y’know. All ‘what if they say no’ and ‘I’m so nervous’–”
“I don’t think now’s the time, Tuli,” Volo interjected, a blush spreading across his cheeks.
Tuli laughed, walking away. “Whatever. Enjoy your time with your fiancé. ”
Heat rose to your cheeks at the word; the reality of the situation suddenly dawned on you.
You were going to marry Volo.
It seemed that realization hit Volo as well, as he leaned over and kissed you again. “I’m so happy,” he breathed, taking the ring from you and wiping off the bits of lemon bar with a napkin. He slid the ring onto your finger, staring at it lovingly. You both gazed at the ring for a moment, watching as it seemed to glow in the low light of the cafe.
His eyes met yours, and they seemed to glow the exact same way.
You kissed him again, lingering much longer this time. His thumb brushed over the back of your hand, hovering over the ring. He eventually pulled back, leaning his forehead against yours, and sighed contentedly.
“I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”