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'I can do this.' Cress thought to herself, resisting the urge to scrunch her eyes shut as her legs and knees felt as awkward as a baby fawn's. 'This is an international ice skating competition. You're a graceful athlete and—'
"Ah!" Cress yelped as she felt her knees give out on the ice rink in midtown Neo New York. It was a beautiful time of year, and Thorne—who had actually been to the city a couple of times before—made sure to give Cress the grand tour of the sights he thought she'd enjoy the most. The first of which was in Bryant Park, where a holiday market was erected two years into the 21st Century.
Cress was having a delightful time seeing all the different vendors, eating all different cuisines, and even trying at least three different stalls that specialized in hot chocolate. Thorne had planned everything, and after the ice skating, he'd arranged to take her around the park all the way up to the famous main branch of the New York Public Library.
It was like a dream!
Well, that was, until she came to the stark realization that ice skating wasn't actually as easy as it seemed.
Especially not when she'd nearly fallen flat on her face, not once, not twice, but almost three times! (And no, she was not counting the time she nearly fell on her butt; she had managed to grip the side of the rink and keep herself upright, thank you very much.)
However, that one save didn't negate all the times Thorne had to use his lightning-fast reflexes to tug her backwards into an embrace, saving her from a humiliating fall, all the while chuckling in that way of his, which was somehow both devastatingly endearing and frustratingly insufferable.
"Aces, Cress, you've been on Earth for how long now? And gravity still seems to be against you in comically epic proportions."
"Hey!" Cress huffed.
Thorne winced, "O-or maybe Earth is just very attracted to you and wants you all to itself? Come on, let's take a breather."
Thorne didn't wait for a reply, glided them to the wall of the rink. It was obvious that Cress was getting frustrated, so naturally, he flashed her his most dazzling grin to distract her and buy himself a couple of seconds to formulate a quick pep talk.
He had been working on this little vacation of theirs for months. He wanted it to be perfect; he even outsourced it to the girls to get their opinions about what he'd planned. It mattered that he got their approval. Cress had no one else, and he knew Cinder, Winter, and especially Scarlet wouldn't lead him astray for Cress's sake.
He was stunned when all three gushed over his plan. His eyes felt hot thinking back to them assuring him that his plan wasn't stupid. That he wasn't rushing it.
Thorne was so relieved to have their support and thrilled that they worked through his itinerary's finer details. Hell, even the boys helped—okay, mostly just Wolf and Kai, but Jaycin did throw in a nice idea or two. (He'd done it begrudgingly, but hey, help was help!)
Now, all of his labor and stress were about to bear fruit—He just had to stall for a bit longer before taking Cress to the famous New York Public Library.
"Cress," Thorne's grin widened despite his nerves. Cress always melted away the worst of his doubts and fears. Honestly, how could he not be enamored by her? She truly had no business looking that adorable when she was this put-out and frustrated. "Look around—you're not the only one who is new to skating here. Just relax. It's supposed to be fun, and you know what? If you fall, you fall; it doesn't mean you won't get back up."
Cress did take a glance around and saw at least one child and two adults fall. Suddenly, it was her turn to chuckle, which then made her feel a little bad, because that could have easily been her. It had almost been her, many, many times over. The difference was they didn't have a Thorne, and the thing with Thorne was... he wouldn't ever let her fall.
The thought warmed her even more than the hot chocolate she'd had right before they got on the ice. She sighed happily and reimagined the scene around her.
'This is a lake, Cress,' she said to herself in a low murmur. 'This is a beautiful frozen lake, and you and Thorne are all alone, and you're going to have fun with the man you love who somehow loves you too.'
"Okay." She said with determination. "Let's do this!"
Cress took off without Thorne (who followed her around the rink—just in case). But he hadn't needed to because she finally found her footing. Her newfound confidence boosted her enough to forget about falling, and she just focused on gliding effortlessly across the ice. She started having fun, gliding across the ice with a new kind of grace, laughing as she did so. And if she had looked back, she would have seen Thorne's eyes practically sparkle as he reached his own resolve, and all doubt melted away.
~~~~~~
Thorne and Cress ended up skating a whole half hour more than either would have thought, and Thorne was elated. Partially because Cress was having so much fun, partially because the second part of his big plan was underway, with Cress none the wiser.
The walk from 6th to 5th Avenue was short, but Stars Above, Thorne forgot how packed this area got during the holidays. Not to be dramatic, but he was going to be incensed if somehow they got to the infamous public library of Neo New York late. He took a deep breath, praying Cress didn't notice how much he was nervously checking and fidgeting with his pocket. As a former thief, he knew these areas were prime targets for pickpockets, and while he knew he was probably drawing more attention to himself by double and triple-checking that Cress's gift was still there (which it was), Thorne couldn't help it. He knew he wouldn't feel calmer until they entered the library.
~~~~~~
After what felt like ten years, Cress and Thorne finally maneuvered their way through the throng of tourists down the long avenue block. Thorne was wondering if it was really the best idea. He had already taken her to a crowded area, and Cress didn't particularly love crowds, but it was all worth it when he heard her gasp in awe at the two lions guarding the massive library's entrance.
"It's amazing!" Cress squealed. Neo New York had changed so much over the years, but this building hadn't really. The building's bones and facade remained unchanged as demanded by its landmark status. Sure, there were modern updates (like bathrooms, for example), but the inside was like a time capsule, perfectly preserving the charm of the early 20th Century.
"Heh, if you like it this much on the outside, wait'll you see the inside."
"Yeah?" Cress practically bounced up the steps, giggling all the way. "And you've been here before?"
"Once or twice."
Cress frowned. "You didn't steal anything, did you?"
"What?! No! Aces, Cress, I wasn't that much of a scoundrel."
Cress stuck out her tongue and laughed. "Good. I wouldn't think you would be. Not really."
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon, I booked a private tour. We don't want to be late."
Cress paused, looking at him wide-eyed. "Really?"
"Yeah. I know you don't like huge crowds, and I figured you'd be tuckered out."
Cress beamed at him, and Thorne felt his heart melt all over again. Aces, he loved her so much.
"Wow…" Cress twirled around, taking in the sight of the famous Rose Reading Room. She wasn't sure where to start. The beautiful cloud mural? The stacks of books and the tables illuminated by the soft light of the green lamps that the librarians refused to replace? It was breathtaking, and Thorne felt the same, though for an entirely different reason.
He couldn't take his eyes off Cress. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and the ambient lighting, mixed with the natural light from the huge windows, made her blonde locks shimmer in a way that reminded Thorne of both sunshine and moonlight. He guessed the reason for that was because that was what she was to him.
His light in the darkness.
"Cress." Thorne's breath caught as he said her name, and it came out as a choked whisper.
Thankfully, because there wasn't anyone else in the Reading Room, Cress faced him abruptly, giving him the most breathtakingly incandescent smile he'd ever seen.
Thorne made a mental note to thank Kai and especially Cinder for emotionally blackmailing convincing Kai to rent out the Reading Room for Thorne's big and hopefully successful gesture.
"Yes?"
Thorne swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, then coughed. "S-So what do you think?"
"Carswell—" Cress's eyes widened into owlish circles. She spun around, taking in the scene around her. This felt like a dream. She was desperate to summon the words to more aptly describe how much this gesture meant to her, but she was stuck in a daze.
Meanwhile, poor Thorne was panicking. "Cr-Cress? Earth to Cress? Um, is it—is this o-okay?"
The wariness brought Cress back to reality, and she felt a grin bloom across her face. "Do I like it? Carswell! I don't know what to say. I love it! How did you do this?"
"I, uh, called in a couple of favors, heh."
"Carswell, I can't believe you did this for me." Cress was breathless as she twirled around again just to make sure it was real. Her joy quickly shattered by the stark realization that she did not have an adequate gift that rivaled his.
"A-Aces, this—this is your Christmas present to me?! I—H-how can I even attempt to give you something as grand and thoughtful as this?"
Aces, Thorne was pretty sure he was about to pass out, but he didn't come this far just to chicken out—not to mention Cinder, Scarlet, Iko, Kai, and even probably Winter would kill him.
"I-I have one way maybe, if you're up for it?" Thorne's voice wavering sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if it was normal to be sweating this much.
"Oh?" Cress smirked—forget about passing out, Thorne's heart was beating so rapidly, he was sure he'd perish on the spot. He'll never forget the first time he saw that innocent smile morph into a smirk the first time they—nope. No. Bad Carswell. 'You're supposed to be romantic right now, not a scoundrel.'
"I—" He cleared his throat again. "Crescent Moon Darnell. I, uh, don't know if you remember the significance of today, but—" He reached into his pocket. The ring was still there, but it was seemingly snagged on the fabric of said pocket.
"But?"
His eyebrows furrowed in frustration—thank the Stars he hadn't gotten down on one knee. Well, at least he could continue his speech while he wrestled the demonic piece of jewelry. "But this is the anniversary of when we first met, and I was mesmerized by your nest of hair, the day we crash landed on, um, Earth, and—Crap. Come on!"
It was Cress's turn to have her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Carswell? What's wrong? Are you okay—"
"Uh. Yeah. One second!" Thorne awkwardly laughed, trying to salvage what was becoming more and more of a disaster.
"O…kay?" Cress was about to ask what on Earth and Luna did he have in his coat's breast pocket? Clearly, he was—almost comically—trying to unearth something from it. "Uh… Carswell? Is there something I can help you with?"
Thorne cursed under his breath.
"N-No, no it's fine!" Thorne angled his body away in the hopes he could get the ring out without her seeing it. Finally, he gave his pocket a brutally strong tug that would haunt him for the rest of his natural born life.
Instantaneously, two things happened. The first was that Thorne felt and heard the fabric of his coat dramatically rip. It was the kind of perfectly horrifying thing you'd only see in net dramas.
The force of the tear caused his arm to jerk outwards, which wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't also caused the ring to fly out of his grasp. It hit the floor, bouncing away from him only to clang its way across the marble floor. The band of titanium, forged from scrap metal he'd salvaged from Cress's Satellite, only stopped when it hit her shoe.
He had been so proud of this glinting, traitorous jewelry. He'd commissioned a custom ring that he actually paid for. The center stone was a deep, brilliant-cut sapphire, which was nice, but the thing he actually cared about was the setting. Keeping the deep space-blue stone in place was a crescent moon inlaid with small diamonds.
Thorne froze.
Cress bent down to pick up the traitorous piece of jewelry. Before Thorne buried his face in his hands in mortification, he watched her expression morph from surprise to confusion into shock. It finally settled on a wide-eyed look of understanding.
Thorne groaned as he felt his cheeks burn against his palms. Well. That was it. He was finished. Why would someone as brilliant and wonderful as Cress marry an absolute buffoon like him?
It was his fault. The day had gone too perfectly. He should have seen this coming. But now he'd messed it all up, and Cress would break up with him and leave the Rampion and—Aces, how could he have messed up this badly?!
"C-Carswell?" She coaxed with a gentle tone.
Thorne refused to look at her but instead mumbled a 'mhmm' loud enough for her to hear.
"Carswell?" She walked forward and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "Is… i-is this for me?"
He groaned out another 'mhmm,' which he would later acknowledge was pathetic, but… given the circumstances, his embarrassment was understandable.
"A-and…" Cress continued, "This is an engagement ring?"
It wasn't really a question, and, after a beat, a muffled 'yes' managed to escape, his face still hidden in his palms.
"Carswell? Can you look at me?"
Thorne took a sharp intake of breath before finally uncovering his face—still, he did not look at Cress. He kept his eyes firmly on the stupid, beautiful original Vermont marble floor.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes."
"How come?"
"Because… When you ask me, I want to see your face." Cress tilted his head up enough to look at her, tucking a stray bit of hair behind his ear. "And when I say 'yes,' I want you to see mine."
Thorne tentatively met Cress's eyes, and he instantly got lost in them—he didn't have a chance to ask her if she genuinely meant it, for Cress gripped the collar of his shirt and tugged it forcefully downwards so that she could get easier access to his lips.
The kiss was soft at first. It reminded them both of the first time they kissed after the war. What both of them called their first real kiss—rather than the hurried one where they were certain they'd both die. This was languid and deliciously slow—until it wasn't.
Thorne deepened the kiss, and Cress responded in kind. She felt herself melting under his touch and against his pillow-soft lips. Had they both been able to talk, they would have confessed that they wished they could freeze this moment in time. That they could bottle it up, drinking it in it over and over for the rest of their lives.
Eventually, the pair had to come up for air.
"Just to be perfectly clear." Thorne panted, "You are agreeing to marry me?"
A grin bloomed across Cress's face as she giggled, "Yes, Carswell Thorne, I take you to be my fiancé and then wife."
Thorne beamed before capturing Cress's lips with his, only stopping when they both needed to breathe.
"Okay. We need to get out of here." Thorne rasped with dark eyes.
"Why?"
"Because" Thorne rested his forehead on Cress's briefly before biting out, "I want to do unspeakable things to and with you which aren't suitable in a historical functioning landmark."
Cress gave a bubbly laugh, "Aye aye, Captain."
"I love you, Cress."
"And I love you too."