Work Text:
Tryndamere checked his watch again. It was half past five, almost fifteen minutes after he and Ashe had agreed to meet for their date. He sat beside a wooden picnic basket filled with various appetizers and sandwiches he had made. His stomach grumbled, but he stopped himself from reaching in and grabbing something.
Stretching his legs out, Tryndamere looked at the picturesque scene before him. There was a lake at the bottom of the grassy hill he sat on, and the sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon.
It was just him, alone, watching as the sky turned from bright blue to pink with the setting sun. There had been a few other people when he arrived and set up the blanket and basket, but they left soon after.
He sighed and looked at his watch once more. Ashe was never one to be late. Looking at his phone, Tryndamere considered texting her, just to make sure that everything was okay.
Just as he began to turn on the device, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He dropped his phone and turned, finding Ashe standing behind him, a smile on her face.
"I’m sorry I’m late," she said, leaning down to kiss his forehead. She knelt beside him on the blanket, pulling a bottle of wine out of her bag.
"You don’t need to apologize," he said. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah!" she exclaimed, then quickly changed her tone as her eyes widened. "Yes, everything is okay."
Tryndamere nodded and watched her as she poured the wine into two glasses. Ashe had pulled her white hair into a low ponytail, with a few strands of it framing her face. She was wearing one of his sweaters, a gray one, her favorite to take from his closet, and a pair of blue jeans.
She was beautiful.
"How has your day been?" he asked once she had passed him a glass.
“It’s been good. A little hectic…but good. I got some errands done and did some shopping, which is why I was late.” She took a sip of wine. “How about you?”
“My day? Better now,” he said, and Ashe laughed. The sound warmed his heart. Her laugh was a sound he wanted to hear every day, for the rest of his life. “I didn’t do much. Just got the food for right now ready.”
“Well, speaking of food,” she said, “I’m starting to get hungry. Should we eat?”
Tryndamere nodded, opening the basket and handing it to her.
“Thank you again,” she said, pulling out a sandwich from the basket. “For doing all of this. I know it must’ve taken a while.”
“As long as I get to spend time with you, it’s all worth it.”
His girlfriend smiled and he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“What’d you go shopping for?” he asked, grabbing a sandwich of his own.
“Oh! I bought, uh, a new pair of shoes.”
“Are you sure?” Tryndamere asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow at her apparent uncertainty.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Ashe replied, cracking a smile. “You want to see them? They’re still in my car.”
“Later, later,” Tryndamere said, also smiling.
The two of them began to eat, in silence at first, watching the sunset. Tryndamere would look over at Ashe at times, seeing how the brilliant colors from the sky would reflect on her face, the warm glow of the oranges and yellows and cool tones of purple lighting up her eyes.
He could feel her gaze on him as well from time to time, and after a bit, their eyes met in the middle.
Neither of them said anything, but they both slowly leaned closer to each other, until their lips met. Ashe put her empty hand on his cheek, feeling the coarse hair of his beard beneath her thumb. Tryndamere wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
When she pulled away from the kiss, she pressed her forehead against his, keeping her hand on his face.
“The food is really good,” she said suddenly. Tryndamere smiled.
“Thank you,” he replied.
Ashe smiled as well, pressing her lips against his again. Warmth spread through his chest as they kissed and he held her close, the warmth of a serenity and joy that he only felt with her. This time, when she pulled away, she turned to her side and rested her head on his shoulder.
The sun was just barely visible at that point, and stars were beginning to dot the darkened sky.
“The view is nice,” she said.
“I agree,” he said. “But I’d say a landfill is nice, as long as I was with you.”
Ashe laughed.
“So, you want our next date to be at a landfill?”
“Sure,” he began, “as long as I get to be with you.”
Ashe said nothing but snuggled closer against him, placing her free hand on top of his. They sat in silence again while they finished eating, and by the time both of them were finished, the sun was completely gone, with the only light coming from the moon and stars.
Tryndamere looked down at her, still resting on his shoulder. Her hair was almost the same shade as the pale moon, only slightly brighter. When she looked up at him and the two locked eyes, they exchanged soft smiles. Their lips met once more for a brief kiss.
When they broke away from each other, Ashe gently pressed a hand to her boyfriend’s shoulder, signaling for him to lay down. Once he was flat on his back, she did the same, resting her head on his chest. Tryndamere wrapped one arm around her and placed the other behind his head, taking a deep breath. He noticed the scent of pine on Ashe’s hair, the scent of his own shampoo. It made him smile.
The stars shone above them, and he did his best to look for constellations. He couldn’t find any.
Ashe raised an index finger to the sky. “Look. Those two stars, close to each other.”
Tryndamere followed where she was pointing at. There were two stars, like she had said, both shining brightly.
“Those stars are always there when I look at the sky at night,” she said. “They always have been. I always look for them.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” she said, dropping her hand back to his torso. “I think it’s because it's comforting for me to know that there’s always something there. Something constant, that doesn’t change. But…I know that change is good sometimes too.”
“When I was younger, my mother would tell me that every star had a name,” he said. “That every star belonged to somebody. You think those stars have names?”
Ashe was silent for a second.
“Yes,” she said.
There was silence once more, and Tryndamere took a deep breath, relaxing all of the muscles in his body.
“Tryndamere,” Ashe said, moving her hand up to his face, brushing a strand of hair off his cheek.
“Ashe,” he replied.
“Do you think that anything between us should change?” she asked. Tryndamere’s heart dropped.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Nothing bad!” she exclaimed, pushing herself up. “I - I don’t mean that…” Ashe shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. “I mean, for our futures. Our future. Together.”
“Oh,” Tryndamere said, and relief flooded his chest. “Do you?”
Ashe chewed on her bottom lip, averting eye contact, and Tryndamere pushed himself up on his elbows, trying to read her face. He placed a hand on her cheek, and she looked at him.
“I know that this isn’t the most romantic way of doing this,” she said, after taking a deep breath. “I don’t know how you imagined this happening, if you imagined it happening. But this felt right. This feels right.”
“Ashe?” Tryndamere asked, sitting up. His heart was racing.
“Tryndamere,” she said. “Will you marry me?”
For a moment, Tryndamere’s brain didn’t process what Ashe had asked. He just stared at her, but as soon as it clicked, Tryndamere felt his heart soar. He could feel his heartbeat pounding throughout his whole body as his breaths grew shaky with an overwhelming emotion. An overwhelming joy.
Tears welled in his green eyes, and noticing this, Ashe leaned in close to him, opening her arms to him. He drew her into a hug, burying his face in her neck, and she threaded her fingers in his hair.
The two remained in that position, in silence, until Ashe said:
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” he whispered, as a response to both questions. He felt her pulse speed up against his cheek, and he pulled away to look at her face. Her blue eyes gleamed with emotion. “Yes. Yes, I’m okay. Yes, I will marry you.”
Her face broke into a smile and he felt tears of joy begin to stream down his face. Ashe leaned in and kissed him, moving one of her hands from his hair to his cheek. Tryndamere could feel her smile against his mouth, and he smiled as well, unable and unwilling to hide his joy. Not breaking from the kiss, she removed her other hand from his hair and stuck it in her bag, feeling around, until she pulled out a silver ring with a blue stone embedded in it.
"It wouldn't be a proper proposal if I didn't give you a ring, right?" she asked, pulling back.
Tryndamere didn't say anything, unable to wipe the smile off his face. He just raised his hand to her and she slid the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly.
Ashe moved her hand and wiped the remaining tears off his face.
"That's why I was late, you know," she said, letting her hand linger on his cheek. "I was trying to figure out your ring size."
He grabbed her hand and pressed kisses to all five of her fingers.
"I can't think of a more perfect way for this to have happened," he said, gazing into her eyes. "I love you, so much."
Ashe grabbed his left hand, newly adorned with a ring, and kissed it.
"I love you too."