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The lights were low, the room quiet except for the distant hum of the air conditioning.
Zoe Anders lay sprawled across the mattress, one hand tangled in dark hair beneath the blankets as the other grasped at solid shoulders.
For several moments she gazed blissfully at the ceiling.Until her brain cut back on.
"Hey, Coop?"
"Mmh?" The muffled response vibrated against her core.
Anders thought out loud.. “What if..."
The response beneath the covers was distracted. Happily preoccupied. "What if what?"
"Oh, that’s good. Hang on." Anders lost her train of thought entirely for a moment. Then found it again.
"Wouldn’t it be crazy if...”
"Spit it out, Zo…"
Anders bit her lip at a particularly well placed swipe of the thumb. Then, with all the casualness of someone commenting on the weather, she asked, "Wouldn't it be crazy if we were married?"
Everything under the blankets stopped..
The silence lasted exactly two seconds before Cooper emerged from beneath the sheets, looking thoroughly confused. "What?"
Her dark hair was askew as she licked her lips breathlessly. Anders briefly considered postponing the conversation and letting Cooper finish. But, she forged ahead, as casually as she could.
"You know…" She waved a hand vaguely. "Like, if we were married. It’d be pretty crazy, right?”
Cooper blinked. "Why are you thinking about marriage when my face is between your legs?"
Anders shrugged. Trying very hard to appear casual. "Just a thought."
"You're ‘just saying’ it'd be crazy if we were married?"
"Yeah."
"Right now?"
"Why not?"
Cooper stared at the blonde. Trying to determine whether Anders had suffered some kind of neurological event.
Anders' stomach sank, face reddening as the silence stretched.
Cooper proceeded, tone amused. "I'm just trying to figure out why this particular thought occurred to you at this exact moment."
Anders sighed. "See? This is exactly why I didn't ask."
Cooper narrowed her eyes. "Didn't ask what?"
Anders stopped. She’d already said too much. "I didn't ask anything."
"It absolutely sounded like you were asking something… or ramping up to ask something.”
”I made… a hypothetical statement ."
"A hypothetical statement?” Cooper repeated, eyes narrowed.
"Yes."
"'Wouldn't it be crazy if we were married?'" Cooper repeated slowly.
"Correct."
"That's not a hypothetical statement."
"Sure it is."
"But it’s a question. Not a statement."
“Oh, you know… semantics.” Anders crossed her arms, regretting that she’d said anything.
"Zo."
"What?"
"That sounded dangerously close to a proposal."
"I was speaking hypothetically."
"…About us being married.”
Anders opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Nothing came out.
Cooper scooted closer, eyes narrowed as she assessed the blonde.
That was suspicious. Usually she couldn’t get Anders to shut up.
"Okay," Cooper said mercifully. "I GUESS I’ll cut you a break. It’s not like you pulled out a ring or anything."
”Right…”
There room went quiet.
Cooper’s eyes widened in realization. "Wait…"
Anders smiled uncomfortably. Her face would always betray her. Always.
"DO you have a ring?"
Anders looked everywhere except at Cooper. The ceiling. The wall. The nightstand.
Cooper sat up straighter. Sobered by the idea.
Anders coughed. "I have... rings."
"Rings?”
"Yes."
"Plural?”
"I wear rings all the time, when we go out. It’s like a… gay thing. You know this already.” Anders’ face reddened as she busied herself with a piece of lint on the sheets next to her.
Cooper stared, unconvinced. Anders stared back with the expression of someone attempting to bluff her way through catastrophic failure.
Neither woman spoke.
Then,Cooper's shook her head, tone fond but teasing. “Zoe Anders…"
Anders groaned, sensing Cooper had already put two and two together.
She was right.
"You were feeling me out, weren’t you?" Cooper grinned.
"I wasn't."
"You were." Her smile widened.
"Nope."
"But you have a ring."
"I have RINGS." Anders corrected, defensively.
"You have A RING.”
Anders made a choked sound.
Cooper pointed. “There it is!"
"There what is?"
"That ‘Bambi in the headlights’ look you get, when you’re lying."
“What-,” Anders frowned, latching onto the most unexpected part of that statement. “Bambi?”
"Zoe. Focus.” Cooper laughed. Not that she was against the idea of marrying Anders. Quite the opposite.
She laughed because Anders had apparently been carrying around an engagement ring while somehow convincing herself she wasn’t thinking about marriage.
How had Cooper missed that?
They lived together.
Had lived together for years.
They shared food, clothes, passwords, secrets that would otherwise be carried to the grave, a mortgage, and approximately eighty percent of their free time.
Yet somehow Anders had managed to purchase AND hide an engagement ring. That was honestly impressive.
"Holy shit," Cooper said again, voice softening. "You really have one."
”Just forget I said anything,” The blonde backpedaled, reaching forward to push Cooper back under the covers.
Cooper dodged, stuck on the idea of Anders having a ring. For her, specifically. After years of being best friends. Roommates with benefits. Who never seemed to bring anyone else home…
"Show it to me.” The veteran grinned. Her smile mischievous but entirely genuine.
Anders froze, eyes wide.
"You have to show it to me." Cooper wouldn’t budge on this.
"Sam."
"Zoe."
For a few seconds they stared at each other.
Then, Cooper saw the exact moment Anders realized she wasn't getting out of this. The Australian sighed dramatically. "You’re the worst."
"So I’ve been told..."
Anders slid out of bed.
Cooper moved to sit against the headboard, folding her arms as she watched, the smile never leaving her face. Anders crossed to the nightstand and opened a drawer.
Then, she slammed it shut as a nervous laugh escaped her. "Not in there!"
Cooper barked a laugh. "Liar."
"I guess it’s gone." Anders shrugged innocently.
"You just looked DIRECTLY at something in that drawer.”
"I was checking."
"Checking what?"
Anders pointed vaguely. "Things."
"Come on, Zoe. Let me see it."
Anders muttered something under her breath. Why wasn’t Cooper letting this go? It was bordering on being mean, now.
Eventually she reopened the drawer and pulled out a small box. The second Cooper saw it, her grin widened.
Anders held up the box then moved to toss it back in the drawer.
"Hold on… If you're showing me the ring, you're doing it properly."
Anders hesitated.
"One knee. Let’s go."
Anders was unamused. "You’re kidding."
"I’m not."
"Can we just forget I said anything?”
"Forget you’ve secretly been carrying around an engagement ring?”
"Allegedly. This could be an empty box.” Anders defended slyly.
The whole thing was ridiculous. She was standing in the middle of her bedroom in a t-shirt and underwear. Like Tommy Pickles.
Meanwhile Cooper was lounging against the pillows watching her in only a bra and boxers. Relaxed. Comfortable. Unfairly chiseled.
Like some smug, dark-haired goddess presiding over Anders' humiliation. Cooper made a gracious gesture toward the floor. "On your knees, Doe Eyes."
"Fine." Anders lowered herself down to one knee, muttering the whole way.
The instant her knee touched the floor…
“Yes."
Anders froze. "…What?"
"Yes." Cooper said simply.
"You didn't even see it." Anders blinked.
Cooper stayed where she was. Watching her. Smug. Amused. Entirely unbothered.
The silence stretched.
Anders stared, trying to figure out what just happened.
Cooper stared back. Like she was waiting for Anders to catch up.
"Wait."
"Mm?" Cooper bit back a smile.
Anders frowned. Her brain was clearly working through several things at once. "What just...?"
Cooper's smile softened. "Take your time."
Anders looked down at the box. Then at Cooper. Then back at the box. Like she was trying to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. "You said yes."
Cooper laughed, warm and affectionate. "You’re almost there."
"Sam, I’m being serious.”
"So am I. You asked."
"I didn't."
"You were on one knee. I don’t make the rules.” Cooper threw up her hands innocently.
The heat spreading across Anders' face became unbearable. Cooper's grin only widened. Still she waited. No pressure. Just fond amusement.
And beneath it, something unmistakably softer. Something that made Anders' chest tighten.
Eventually the truth caught up to her. Cooper had said yes.
Without a second thought. Without even looking at the ring.
And suddenly the joke wasn't quite a joke anymore.
"Do you really mean that?" Anders asked, something hopeful in her voice.
The answer came without hesitation. "What do you think?”
Anders swallowed.
Cooper tilted her head. Looking at her like the answer should have been obvious all along. "Did you really think I'd say no?"
Years.
Years of uncertainty.
Years of wondering.
Years of never asking for clarification, because asking might change everything.
Apparently all of that was written across Anders' face. Because Cooper's smile turned gentle.
"No," Anders admitted quietly. "But the chances of something happening are never TRULY zero.”
Cooper laughed, holding out her hand. "Come here."
Anders obeyed immediately. Interlacing their fingers as she plopped down on the bed next to her.
Then Cooper extended her left hand. And suddenly the room felt very quiet. Anders hesitated. Not because she didn't want to. Because she'd imagined this moment far too many times.
"Well?"
Anders looked up, skeptical. "Are you fucking with me?"
"Put the ring on my finger."
Her hands weren't completely steady. Neither of them mentioned it. The ring slid into place. For a moment Cooper simply stared at it. Turning her hand slightly. Watching the light catch on the metal.
Then she looked back at Anders.
Sitting beside her on the bed. Still stunned. Still unable to believe she'd proposed to her best friend. Still unable to believe she’d said yes. The sight was so endearing that Cooper nearly said yes again.
Instead, she reached forward and took Anders' chin between her fingers, kissing her soundly. Silencing every doubt in the Scientist’s mind.
When she pulled back, she was smiling again. "For the record, you could've just asked.”
"Please don’t ruin this for me."
"Sorry."