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Kagami stared at the little box in Alya's hand. She knew what kind of box it was. She really hoped there would be something else inside it than the obvious.
"So," said Alya. She sounded strangely unbothered. If anything, she sounded bored, or at least something close to bored.
"What's this about?" said Kagami. "Why did you call me out here, at..." She checked her clock. "Half past six on a work night?"
"Out here?" said Alya, raising an eyebrow. "We're just in Jardin des Tuileries. It wasn't far from home from any of us."
'Any of us.' Strange. "A park is still outside," Kagami countered.
"Yes." Alya sighed, glanced at a nearby shrubbery. Her fingers clutched the little box extra tight for the time her eyes were on the bush, and then she shook her head and looked back to Kagami. "Anyway, I would like to read you something."
"Read me something?"
"That's correct." Sticking her hand into her pocket, Alya pulled out a folded note. It was — as it turned out when she unwrapped it — a whole A4 sheet. "Give me a moment. I need to be in the right mindset for this."
That sounded very bad. Incredibly bad and not at all promising. Kagami nodded, though, because she had been brought up to be courteous. "Go ahead when you are ready," she said.
"Thank you," said Alya. She breathed in through her nose with the paper sheet in one hand and the box in another, and then she grimaced and said, "Here goes.
"Kagami. You are the light of my life and the warmth in my heart. Whenever I see you my face lights up with pure joy, except when you are sad, because seeing you sad or otherwise upset doesn't make me happy, I promise. I just mean that every part of you makes me feel better, and you should — girl — you should never be sad or upset because then I will also be sad or upset. I care about you so much," Alya smiled for a moment, "and I want you to know that you're always on my mind. You are the loveliest woman I have ever met. I would like to spend every day for the rest of my life with you, if you'll let me. I want to make food with you and do the dishes with you and brush my teeth with you. I want to sleep with you and kiss you and hold you. I want to listen to you talk until you fall asleep, or more likely I fall asleep."
Alya took a deep breath, looked up from the note. She also flipped open the box with the nail of her thumb too, and there were two rings in it. Simple silver bands, without apparent ornamentation: perfect choices, Kagami's dream choice, if not for how theey were coming from the wrong person entirely. "Kagami Tsurugi. Do you want to enter into a civil union with me?"
Briefly, all other thoughts flew out of Kagami's mind. Even the most pressing one. "A... civil partnership? Not marriage?"
"Yes," said Alya, nodding confidently. "It's the same thing, except it's statistically less likely to fail and there won't be any crushing expectations."
"Oh," said Kagami and frowned. "But you know it can't happen, yes?" Alya's face fell. "I can't accept your proposal either way. I'm taken, and I thought you were taken too. With Zoé?"
At that point, Alya's mouth became an 'o' of recognition. "No, no, you misunderstand! I'm not proposing to you."
"It sounded like you were proposing to me."
"I wasn't. I was reading that on behalf of my very good friend," she walked over to the shrubbery she'd glanced at earlier and reached into it, and there was a scream of protest and then an arm came out and then the rest of the arm's person and Alya continued, "your girlfriend, Marinette!"
"Ow! Alya! No! You weren't supposed to —"
But Kagami had heard enough. "I accept," she said, then couldn’t help herself and snorted loudly. "Marinette, you child."
"I know, right?" said Alya, chuckling.
"I'm not a child!" said Marinette, tugging her arm out of Alya's grip and brushing herself off. She was visibly red in the face, and most of that colour was probably not from annoyance. She didn’t even look at Kagami. "I'm a grown adult woman of twenty-four!"
"Then act like it, girl," said Alya, nudging her in the shoulder with a finger.
Kagami thought back to last night. "She does act like an adult sometimes. When she's in the right... headspace."
"Kagami!" squealed Marinette, possibly even redder than before.
"You are better with your mouth than with your words," said Kagami and shrugged. "But... a civil union? You, the hopeless romantic?"
Marinette's eyes fell to the ground. "Well, um... divorce isn't romantic..."
"That's my fault." Alya threw her arms over Marinette's shoulders, a hug from behind of sorts that also seemed planned to add more weight to her. Possibly to stop her from running away. "I told her why I don't want to get married, and she went on a stats website and hasn't been the same since. You can still have a party and cake, though, and a ceremony at the mairie."
"I, um... I would love that," said Marinette. "If you'd like to... get PACSed with me."
Rolling her eyes, Kagami strode up and grabbed Marinette by the wrists. "I already told you I accept. I would love to do the dishes with you, to spend as much of my life with you as possible." She allowed her smile to fall for emphasis. "However. I have one provision."
Marinette blinked in apparent terror. "Um... what provision?"
"If you ever tell Alya to do something this important for you again, I am dissolving our union. Immediately."
"... Okay," said Marinette, audibly gulping.
"Alya... would you give us the rings?"
"Nope," replied Alya, suddenly tugging on Marinette so her wrists popped out of Kagami's grasp. "I'm keeping the rings, and Marinette, for one more hour. And if Marinette flakes on me, you're not getting the rings at all."
Kagami stared at the two of them, and the apparent shared understanding they had of whatever was going on. "Flakes on you? What would she flake on you with?"
The answer came from Marinette, but a little delayed, because she gulped again. "I, um... I have to go propose to Zoé now. On Alya's behalf."
"For making me propose to you for her," interjected Alya.
"Y-yes. I'm sorry. Does that also make you want to dissolve?"
It was hard not to laugh, looking into Marinette's far-too-genuine eyes. She was taking the threat of ending the union way more seriously than it was meant to be, and honestly — if anything, Kagami was going to take that as confirmation that the offer was genuine. Barely containing a cackle, Kagami shook her head. "No, I think this counts as the opposite of getting Alya to tell me important things, so you are in the clear this time. Just make sure to bring those rings back."
"I — I will!" Marinette slammed a fist against her chest. "I'll get the rings for sure!"
"Good! You're motivated," said Alya. She pocketed the box, then threw her arm around Marinette's shoulder in a chummy side hug. "Now let's get to the Eiffel tower, Zoé's done with her shoot a little past seven. You don't wanna miss her."
"Wait!" said Marinette. "Wait, just... a moment, please?"
Alya raised her eyebrows. "Sure? Not too long, though. We have to get there in time."
"I know."
Marinette sighed, breathed in deep — sighed again, breathed in deep again, and then finally she looked at Kagami. Her hand went up, stretching as if to shorten the space between them.
"Come with me? Partner?" she said, and even managed a smile.
Kagami had to take a moment to catch up. Then she said, "Of course," and took the hand.
"Aww," said Alya. "That's sweet. Now let's get going, I have a union of my own that needs to be established."
And off they went, to spread the gospel of unions.