Chapter Text
Phearless POV
“You grew up with your parents, right?” Phearless asked his night-colored paramour as they lay entwined on his bed. She stared up at him, eyes half-closed sleepily. He took in her nod and continued. “Weren’t they married? They still live on the compound, don’t they?”
Sky sat up and stared at him with confusion. She shook her head as she responded. “No. Father adopted Mother’s customs. He moved to the Shroud and had the estate built for her to move the entire family in. He never asked her to marry, and she did not see the necessity of doing so. Father’s family was quite cross over the whole matter, and they do not recognize my siblings or I as legitimate heirs. It is why I do not often venture into Kugane, and likely why I experienced so much trouble when I applied for license to sell my Shine.”
“So you’ve never thought about it?” He looked at her through the dim light of the bedroom, trying to make out her facial expression.
“Why would I? It is a custom for Elezen and Hyur, and my hyur family would choose to abandon me and my siblings merely for its lack.” Sky shrugged. Her reaction and words discouraging to hear. He grunted, and mumbled “Hellguards too...” He felt Sky shift above him. “Come again?”
“Hellsguard, too.” He said, louder this time. His voice was strained with emotion, trying not to let on how her words were affecting him at the moment. “I … I did not know.” She spoke softly, reaching up to touch his face gently. “It’s … it’s not exactly a well-known thing. Not like you would have any reason to know. I’d just always assumed that with your hyur dad that you’d, well, want to do that.” Phearless felt his face flush. “It is something you would like?” He ignored her question at first, scooping the small miquo’te to his sideas he settled himself in to sleep.
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Phearless knew that he never wanted to be without his Sky. The time spent together had made him a better man, and she was the only one who could truly tame his inner fire. Perhaps tame is the wrong word. She gives the fire a reason to burn. He decided to propose, to spend the rest of his life with Sky, to never be apart from each other again. He felt nerves for the first time in his life.
Everything had to be perfect. Phearless spent days in thought, going back and forth with himself, even quieter than his normal demeanor. Most that he encountered could not tell the difference, but those that knew him best started to get curious. Opal knew something was on his mind and refused to let it go. When he could take it no longer, Phearless finally confided in his friend. Even after telling her what he planned, and receiving a promise from Opal that she would help him with everything, the nerves didn’t go away.
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Opal POV
Never had she seen her friend so nervous. She sat in a jewelers in Kugane with the large Roegadyn, looking at an assortment of rings, in a variety of colors, sizes, and styles. “Opal I don’t know what she’ll like. What if I pick the wrong one? Or if she hates it. WHAT IF SHE SAYS NO? She has already made it clear it’s not something she believes is necessary.” Phearless’s eyes grew wide in horror as he looked down at his small friend. Opal just rolled her eyes and pat his arm. “She loves you and if it’s something you really want to do, she will suck it up. Plus, who can say no to a beautiful ring?” She winked at him, wiggling her own wedding set for him to see. He noded softly and then they both gazed down at the row of rings. They had narrowed down their choices to 4. An Opal ring in a gold setting with small diamonds circling the stone. A princess cut diamond in white gold, there were no embellishments on this ring, but the diamond was so large, it didn’t need anything else. The next one was an earthy looking ring, the band rose gold vines intertwining into a lovely braid meeting in the middle where a tear drop emerald lay with sapphire accent stones. The last one, though, was Opal’s favorite and she was sure it would be Sky’s as well. Hexagon blue sandstone, in a rose gold setting, two diamond crescent moons sat on either side of the stone and inside each moon was a small alexandrite. The stone LOOKED like the night sky. Luckily, the large man kept looking back at it. She smirked to herself as he picked up the small ring in his large fingers. “It’s so small…will it fit her?” Rolling her eyes again, Opal reached up and plucked the ring from his grasp showing him the size difference in her hand compared to his. “Yes, it will fit. It just looks small in your meaty hands.” Phearless chuckled and nodded at the starry ring. “What do you think? That one?” Opal nodded definitely and smiled at the engagement ring in her hand. “Yeah, this one is perfect.”
Phearless looked funny, the big man carrying the small pink gift bag down the cobblestones of Kugane. He had a dopey but nervous grin as he looked down at her. “Will she say yes, Opal? Am I crazy to think she’d wanna spend the rest of her life with reckless me?” Opal nudged him. “I mean, she’s stuck around this long and we’ve only gotten more reckless.” He chuckled and nodded then looked back down at the little bag. “I guess I need to plan for when now.” The two warriors fell into a comfortable silence as they walked towards the Chocobo stables. They decided to take Onyx, Opal and Myra’s Draught Chocobo for this trip. An easy way to stick together plus the large bird needed some exercise. Phearless pet the bird and then hopped on behind Opal. “I still can’t believe someone gave you a Chocobo as a wedding gift.” Opal chuckled softly as she pushed Onyx into a trot out of the city. “She comes in handy, and now Myra can’t take off without me when we go on outings.”
The trip home was pleasant, idle chatter between the two old friends made the hour long trip seem pretty quick. And just their luck, Sky was not home when they stabled Onyx. “I guess Sky had some errands of her own.” They entered the front door of their cafe/home. Myra was sitting at the counter, munching on a muffin while she scribbled in her notebook, her legs dangling over the stool edge. She looked up as the two walked in and smiled. Phearless waved at Myra before turning to the pale Miquo’te “I need you to hold onto this. Sky snoops, she will find it in our room.” He all but threw the bag into her hands. Opal laughed and took the bag from him, before walking over and pecking her wife on the lips, receiving an eskimo kiss in return. “You got it big guy. I’ll hide it in Myra’s dresser. Sky would never go in there.” Opal disappeared behind a door for a few minutes.
She reappeared empty handed. “So I guess now we start planning HOW you’re gunna purpose. It’s got to be special. You know how she is.” Phearless’s smile fell again and he groaned. “This is so stressful.” Myra laughed lightly and patted the large man’s arm. It’s not THAT bad. Phearless watched her fingers for a moment. “Yeah, I know. I am just stressed.” Opal walked over and patted him on the shoulder, comfortingly. “You know…I don’t get to see you nervous like this often. I am kind of enjoying it.” Opal winked at her friend as she walked around the cafe counter to pull some stuff out of the ice box. “I think I’ll make some scones today.” The pleasant chatter led into the evening. By the time Sky arrived home late that evening, there was a freshly baked scone waiting for her on the counter of an empty cafe. She smiled to herself as she grabbed it to enjoy as she walked to the room she now shared with Phearless.
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Phearless POV
It seemed a weight had been lifted after securing the ring. His stomach was still turning flips, but he now could focus on the proposal itself. Phearless wanted the day to be perfect, but the event itself would take place under the stars. Sky’s love for astronomy was no secret and Phearless intended to take full advantage of that. There was a particular vantage point he had in mind that would help set the mood. It would be costly to get them there, but he managed to save a hefty amount and she was worth it. Plus he had some strings he could pull to get them there. The tricky part was getting her there without causing suspicion. He had only been to Mare Lamentorum once with Opal on Immortal Flames business but he remembered how to get there. And he remembers the perfect spot too. Just off the main Aetheryt plaza, where the world was just in view among the stars in the distance. The place was desolate, other than the occasional scholar. There was an abundance of dangerous creatures, but as long as he stayed close to the Watcher’s Palace they should be fine. “Phear? You good?” He jumped at the sudden touch of a hand on his shoulder. Sky was now next to him and Opal was looking at him skeptically over the counter of the cafe. He had been so deep in thought, he hadn’t noticed the two women had stopped bickering. “Oh yeah, sorry. Was thinkin.” He locked eyes with Opal, giving her a knowing look. He almost laughed out loud when her eyes grew wide. “Sky, go help Myra was Cinder.” His night skinned miqo bristled at the order and was about to protest when Opal sent her a stern look. “Please.” She huffed and he chuckled as she stomped out of the cafe to the yard. He watched his lifelong friend leap over the counter, landing before him in a seated position.
“Spill.” He explained everything. By the end they were both grinning like school kids. “That’s going to be perfect.” He nodded then narrowed his eyes in thought. “How am I going to get her there though without her asking a million questions? You don’t just go to the moon. Shit, we only went one and it was with the military.” They sat with their heads together trying to think of a sneaky way to get Sky there. After a couple moments passed, Opal spoke up. “Why be sneaky? Just tell her you want to take her somewhere. Blindfold her. And then big reveal of the area. She’s gunna want to explore, so maybe explore a little bit, show her around and then you can make your proclamation of love and then pop the question.” Phearless chuckled, but stopped abruptly. “Proclamation? I have to say more then just ASK?” His eyes grew wide. He hadn’t thought of a speech or anything. He was just going to ask. He guessed a speech made sense, especially since Sky was more than clear on her views. This idea sent his nerves spirally all over again. He felt small hands on his shoulders. He looked up at Opal again. “Nothing fancy. You suck at speeches. Just something meaningful. Sweet. From the heart.” He nodded and she smiled. “You got this big guy.” The bell chimed and the two friends looked up to see a grinning Myra soaked to the bone, and in tow a very grumpy, just as soaked Sky. Phearless could not stop the laughter that burst from his lips as he stood. Sky went to storm past him but with little effort her hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her into the house towards the bathroom for a warm bath.
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Today was the day. Phearless was so nervous. He had went with Opal’s plan, just too flat out tell Sky he wanted to take her somewhere. And she had agreed. So here he was, sitting in the cafe, waiting for Sky. Opal had dragged her off somewhere to fix her hair and makeup. The Seeker was surprisingly good with that type stuff. The two Miquo’tes reappeared half a bell later. Opal had put Sky’s hair into an elegant bun, with a hair pick that matched the engagement ring he bought surprisingly well. There were tiny bits of hair that framed her face that was painted with just a small amount of makeup. His Sky looked stunning. “I do not understand why I had to change my hair.” Sky quipped at Opal, who just rolled her eyes. “You’re so welcome for the stunning hair pick I bought just for you while I was out and about.” Opal hip checked her towards Phearless. He caught her around the waist and pulled her in for a small kiss. “You look beautiful.” He smirked when he heard Opal gag. “Get a room you two.” He released Sky and took her hand, leading her outside. “I need you to close your eyes and promise you won’t open them until I say so. Okay?” Sky raised an eyebrow in question, then nodded and lowered her eyes. Quickly Phearless waved his in front of her face to make sure she wasn’t peaking. When he knew for a fact she wasn’t, he double checked his breast pocket for the ring, then took her hand. Channeling his Aether, he focused on Mare Lamentorum picturing the spot in his mind. He never got used to the feeling of weightlessness as they teleported, he didn’t do it often because it was costly, but he figured it was the stealthiest way to get Sky to the perfect spot without her asking a bunch of questions.
The feeling of solid ground was the first indication they had arrived, after that the smell of ozone and fire. Then the landscape came into view. The deafening silence was jarring. He hated how quiet it was here. But looking out at the black sky, littered with sparkling stars, he knew this was perfect. He was so excited to experience Sky’s first trip to the moon. Any astronomer’s dream. Her eyes were still closed but her nose was twitching, indicating that was smelling something. “Are we on Mare Lamentorum?” He halted at her words. “Ye…how did you know?” Sky opened her eyes and looked around. “I could tell by the smell. And this silence. It’s difficult to forget.” Sky gazed around the area. Well this is unexpected. “I hadn’t realized you’d been here before. Thought I was going to surprise you.” He was disappointed, it was clear in his voice, made obvious by Sky walking over to him, concern clear on her face. “You never asked me. It is beautiful though. I enjoy being here. And being here with you makes it even better.” She smiled softly and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Phearless watched and Sky turned away and began to wonder. 'Okay, so THAT back fired. It’s fine. You got this. Just say your little speech. You have practiced this so many times.' Phearless took a deep breath as he followed behind Sky, fiddling with his pocket trying to get to the ring. He pulled out the small ring and looked at it again. 'Sky, I know that this wasn’t something that you had ever planned on. And I know the idea never occurred to you before but…' He began to recite his prepared words in his head, looking down at the small ring in his hand as he walked.
He hadn’t noticed that Sky stopped suddenly before him. He looked up just in time to crash into the poor unexpecting miquo’te, the two falling into the ground, dust encompassing the couple. “Shit…” He quickly lifted himself off the small woman, helping her into a seated position. They sat there on the ground and stared at each other. Sky’s once pristine bun had shifted to the side, small hairs sticking up out of the style. Her dark skin was covered in white dust. He looked down at himself to see he as well was covered in the white dust. They looked at each other again. Phearless’s heart was in his throat. This is not going the way I wanted it too…Maybe I should try another time… A snort of laughter broke his thought process. He looked up to see a mortified Sky covering her mouth, a small grin peeking through her hands. The noise was so sudden, nothing he had EVER heard from this woman in front of him. He couldn’t help the smile the spread across his face as he began to laugh. And he laughed hard. The whole situation was ridiculous. His heart beamed as Sky’s laughter joined his as they sat on the ground, on the moon, covered in white dust. He looked down at Sky. HIS Sky. “Marry me.” He said through laughs. She looked up at him head tilted in question, obviously trying to contain her giggles but unable to. He held up the small ring that he managed to keep clutched in his hands. “Marry me Sky.”