WHO: Nico di Angelo and Anakin Solo WHEN: evening of April 2 WHERE: lake house rental on Naboo SUMMARY: A question is asked. WARNINGS: fluff and cheese
Nico was trying his best not to be nervous. After all, why should he be nervous? This was just a normal trip to a normal planet with normal activities. Well, their type of normal. Nothing at all to be nervous about. Being nervous would just make it seem like everything wasn’t normal and tip off his boyfriend that something was different. Especially when said boyfriend had Force senses. Luckily the planet had plenty of distractions and he had help with creating more distractions. Plenty to see and plenty to do, enough to fill the time and also let Nico get a few ‘errands’ done.
Like booking this lake house. Ok, really, more of a room considering that he didn’t have unlimited credits here, but calling it just a room felt like a disservice. It was more like how Anakin’s pool house had been before it’d separated from Camp Halfblood. Private. A nice living area and bedroom. A bath. Everything someone would need for an overnight stay. Which also made this follow with that normal trip thing, didn’t it? Because one of the perks of being on a planet and being encouraged to not go back and forth from the ship was the fact they could have some private time that wasn’t an adult themed holodeck or involved possible awkward conversations with roommates. Just some good one on one while on the ground time.
The decor and view sure did help with the romantic atmosphere too. Plus apparently some perks. He gingerly put his bag on one of the lounge chairs before pulling the not-quite-but-close wine-shaped bottle from the chilled bucket. He held it up with a slight wiggle as he raised an eyebrow at Anakin. “Did you ever have this back home?”
"Pretty much no," Anakin grinned at Nico. "I was like 15 the last time I was home, and the last time I was on Naboo was basically never," his gaze glanced to the window, even as he sort of noted that Nico was… there was something maybe, although he couldn't really put a finger on what exactly that something was. Maybe he was just happy to be back on a planet again - a really reasonable happy Anakin couldn't help but think.
The view was incredible. This had been his Grandmother's homeworld, and so in a way it was Anakin's culture too. Even if he hadn't really known that at home, or really learned much about it. Being able to wander the streets here - it was kind of incredible and he was enjoying all of it.
"This place is fantastic. This view Nico," he turned around, and then gave Nico a half grin, gaze falling on his boyfriend. "It's a really good view."
Nico let out a chuckle before he shrugged, both hands going up, one empty, one still with the bottle. “You know, in all the conversations we’ve had, I can’t remember interplanetary drinking age or wine trade routes coming up, so….” His head bobbed to the side. “There was still a possibility.” Ok, maybe there had been a comment somewhere about a ‘first drink’ at some point that would’ve negated that whole comment, but that really wasn’t the point. Especially when, yeah, the landscape part of the view was nice, but then there was that Solo grin. Gods, that Solo grin could be lethal. “Mine’s better.”
Which, yeah, he’d always think that. And this was the moment, wasn’t it? The view. Anakin. A planet from his world with a connection, even if it wasn’t like Coruscant, but who knew what other opportunities this cruise would have. And he knew how the movie script way of this would go. There would be popping open the wine, pouring some glasses. Some sort of romantic something or other. Except in the movies it was always some rogue-ish guy and smitten girl. Plus that was the movies and just the thought put random advice cycling through his head. Just be himself. There was nothing to be worried about. Anakin loved him.
He worried his lip a moment before he raised the bottle. “Do you want to try it now or…” His eyebrows arched up. “... something else?”
It was a question and one that Anakin definitely had to pause on. After all, Nico was really… amazingly attractive and in Anakin's view, he just kept improving with every single day that they were together. He was pretty certain that was just going to continue, and he'd wondered at times whether at some point he and Nico would get tired of each other. After all, they'd been so young when they'd gotten together. But so far it hadn't seemed to happen. They'd been friends first, maybe, and most of the time Anakin couldn't really imagine what his life with the displaced would be like if Nico wasn't there. Even more so than his family at this point, Nico felt impossible to lose.
"I want to try it now," he decided, not losing the smile, even as he sort of swaggered in Nico's direction. "There's time for something else later," fingers wrapped around Nico's free hand, and raised his wrist up to offer a kiss. "We should enjoy… the view for a while?" This was said with a half smirk, as if he could be talking about any view, and he'd leave it up to Nico to decide which view they were going to be enjoying.
Ok, with those looks and touches, how was Nico supposed to focus on any sort of plan? He had a plan. Right? A nebulous plan, but a plan. Sort of. He really should’ve built up some sort of immunity after all these years, especially with having spent nearly a year ignoring what he thought was an unrequited crush, but nope. That grin still made his insides go all melty in a good way.
“I’m getting mixed messages here,” he hummed in mock thoughtfulness. “You say try it now, but then I’d need to open the bottle and find glasses and pour and that requires moving and…” He wiggled the fingers of his captured hand. “... two hands. And I could enjoy this view forever.”
Anakin couldn't help a grin, like yes, he wanted whatever was in the bottle, but also it was fun to completely distract Nico from whatever he'd had in mind with the wine and the afternoon. "I don't know what you're talking about. My messages are always very clear, very - let's get the bottle, and let's try some of whatever that is that you've got in it." He punctuated this clarity by leaning forward to press a kiss to Nico's cheek. "Don't you think I'm clear?" he added.
Nico let out an amused snort as he shook his head. Although with how close they were, it might’ve been more of a nuzzle into that cheek kiss than an actual shake. “Hazier and hazier really,” he shot back. A smirk tilted his lips as he raised the bottle of wine up to press it against Anakin’s chest. “Maybe you should show instead of tell. Make things a little clearer of how we try out this bottle.” Which also might provide a good distraction so that he could get his plan in order. Even if that plan was also hazy. That whole ‘just be yourself’ advice while helpful also wasn’t considering instinct kept questioning why he wasn’t just throwing something at Anakin or leaving it for Anakin to find and hoping that the other boy would just get the hint and save him from any sort of embarrassment.
"Maybe you're just addled," Anakin suggested with a smirk. "I'm not hazy, you're just addled, if we got that bottle what if you just go more addled?" But also he liked the idea of some of the bottle, regardless of what direction things took after, so he wrapped his fingers around it and slipped just slightly away from Nico. And then because he was feeling fancy, he ignored his Aunt Mara's advice to never do anything with the Force that he could do without, and popped the cork on the whole thing. Sometimes, it was worth being a show-off.
"This then?" He lifted it up, before he turned a glass up so that he could pour some in. "What you had in mind?"
“Addled?” Nico scoffed as he raised an eyebrow. “That’s what you’re going for? Addled?” His tone was joking as he used the opportunity to slip a little farther away. After all, Anakin looked like he had the whole bottle thing under control. Especially with that Jedi trick. He rolled his eyes with a fond, “Show off.” as he drifted towards the lounge chair with his bag, which wasn’t that far, as if to take in the atmosphere again. He kept an eye on Anakin to make sure he was occupied with pouring the wine to take the opportunity to slip an item from his bag and tuck it into the back of his belt.
Smiling at Anakin, he nodded in appreciation, because even if the wine didn’t end up all that good, well, the view was continuing to be really nice. “Yeah, this and maybe more.” He let out a content sigh. “I’m glad this cruise got us onto a planet a lot sooner than the last. On a planet overnight too. Coruscant was nice, but it would’ve been nicer if we’d gotten something like this.” He ducked his head slightly. “Or that jungle planet last time.”
Anakin grinned cheekily, yeah, he'd go for addled if for no other reason than that scoff and eyebrow raise that Nico was passing in his direction. "Hey, you're not going to yell at me for inappropriate use of the Force," he quipped as he poured another and then brought the filled glasses over to where Nico was standing, and handed one over.
"I'm really glad we've had an overnight here. Lots of them, honestly," he knew Nico liked it better when they were planetside, as much as Anakin really genuinely enjoyed space, he couldn't complain about this planet with Nico. Or this planet at all, really. It was weirdly home enough - even if it wasn't a place he'd really ever been before. "Maybe we should see if they have another night available after this one?" he tilted his glass towards Nico.
“Oh, I could,” Nico shot back as he took the glass. “But I’d be a hypocrite.” A really big one considering how often he tended to encourage that ‘inappropriate use’ generally and benefited a whole lot when impatience was part of the motivation. Like that night on the alien jungle planet. Pandora, right? Inappropriate use was definitely the term when it involved not wanting to move, but wanting to take clothing off… His cheeks pinked at the memory, especially with the promise of what the nights here would hold. His smile held fondness though as he tipped his glass enough to clink against Anakin’s. “Let’s see how well this night goes first,” he teased before shrugging. “But I’m sure it could be arranged.”
Anakin grinned, taking that clink against his glass and then leaning forward instead of taking a sip, to instead give Nico a kiss. When he pulled back he lifted the drink and took a quick sip of it before he quipped, knowingly. "I'm pretty certain tonight's gonna be great. But… I'm willing to wait and see."
Nico melted into the kiss, disappointed when it ended and wondering why until Anakin took a sip of his drink. Ah, yes, right. Trying out the complimentary wine. He took a sip of his own wine, his eyes narrowingly slightly. It was an offhand comment, but that damn Solo confidence had him wondering if maybe Anakin knew more about his plans than he let on. Obviously he could just be referring to the usual ‘get a room’ activities, which, yes, that would definitely be great, but he knew the Force well enough to be just a bit wary.
“I’m going to hold you to that certainty,” he shot back before taking another sip to steady himself. “Because, I’ve been thinking. A lot. About last time we were on this space cruise. There were a lot of firsts. Rooming together. Getting to see Coruscant.” His cheeks pinked. “That night on Pandora. Then when we somehow got back, we’d moved in together. Now this time, we’re here.” He gestured at the room with his glass. “On Naboo. And I’m thinking about what other firsts there can be.”
Anakin let the wine settle. It was good, not like Earth wine, and while Anakin didn’t drink a lot, he drank enough to know this had its own thing: similar, but unique. Like home. He set the glass down, his attention turned to Nico, a smile on his lips but the slightest raise to his eyebrow, because he hadn’t been really thinking about anything particularly - at least not consciously.
The smile broadened at the remembrance of those things. “We’ve had a lot of firsts,” he agreed to Nico. “We could find some more still I’m sure. The portal does seem to help with that a lot.”
Nico rolled his eyes with a snort of amusement. “The portal can put its firsts on hold for a bit. As much as I’d love to have my first experience as, I don’t know, a centaur or whatever, I was thinking more just us firsts.” His head ducked as his fingers fidgeted against the glass in his hand. “Maybe it brought you to me at Mount Weather, but it definitely let me keep you all these years. Through all the cruises and battles and weirdness.” A fond smile quirked his lips. “My Knight Protector. You might’ve officially gotten the title after getting the boyfriend title, but we both know you’ve been that for much longer.” He wet his lips and then cleared his throat. “But I’ve been thinking… maybe a change in title’s in order…”
Anakin looked up, curiosity springing to his gaze at that announcement. "Other than your Knight Protector?" He asked, "because I do have some fondness for that one." But he felt as if he might be missing something, because he couldn't really imagine Nico wanting to change that one.
“I do too,” Nico reassured. He’d come up with it after all and even if it’d been the product of teasing, it fit the Jedi well. And it likely would stick around as a term of endearment for a long time, no matter what other titles were added.
Like the new one he had in mind. “You’ll always be my Knight Protector.” His fingers fidgetted with his glass a moment more before he put it down. “And you’re so much more. So… I was thinking… if you’d want…”
He reached behind him to pull the circlet from his belt and cradle it in his hands between the two of them. The piece was obviously from Naboo, not as ornate as a lot of things on the planet, but still intricate. A tangle of dark gold and silver strands. The silver cradled a large violet gem in the center before spiralling out around tiny bright blue stones like a nebula expanding out into space. The dark gold wove through with small stylized leaves poking through that reminded Nico of laurels. On Earth, it would be considered an art nouveau style although with a bit more of the angular bite of art deco in places. He resisted the urge to twist the circlet around in his hands like he often did with his ring when he was nervous. He cleared his throat again, hoping for his voice to come out strong and steady, but not really managing to hit the mark.
“Would you… would you be my king?” A title he thought suited Anakin just as well really. His grandmother a queen, his mom a princess. As much as he was a protector, he also was a leader. Offering strength. Offering guidance. And maybe this was cheesy and maybe he’d need to articulate it better, but… but this was them. It’d taken him awhile to figure it out that whole ‘just be yourself’ advice, but he felt like this was it.
Anakin's gaze was pulled from Nico's face by his pulling the circlet out, and his eyes widened slightly. Any question he might have had about what precisely Nico was asking - was easily answered with the emotion sliding off of him just then, and Anakin looked from the circlet back up to Nico's eyes. He hadn't been expecting this, exactly. Not that he'd never thought about it, or that they'd never talked about it, or that it wasn't a notion, but here… in this place that was his grandmother's home world, his eyes felt suddenly very moist.
"Yes," he told Nico without any further hesitation as his lips formed an automatic lopsided grin, broad and delighted. "Absolutely, yes."
A wave of relief rushed from Nico as a giant grin spread across his face. Sure, the chance of a no had been very slim. Very, very slim really. But there was a difference between knowing it and having it confirmed. Especially confirmed so enthusiastically. So, for a moment, he threw out whatever vague plan he had going and leaned forward to crush his lips against Anakin’s in a kiss filled with love, happiness, gratitude, and excitement.
It probably would’ve been easy to just stay in that kiss, get fully distracted by it, except he still had the circlet in his hands, which really limited his options on what he could do with them. Finally pulling back from the kiss, his cheeks flushed, he cleared his throat. “I thought, maybe, we can get rings together, but for now…” He straightened to a more regal posture as he lifted the circlet to place onto Anakin’s head. “My Knight King.”
Anakin's lips twitched up in a smirk, and he slid his hands around Nico's waist. He hadn't thought about the evening going this direction at all, but now that it had, there was a weightlessness slipping around his heart, buoying it up so that he felt as if it might just float out of his body completely. Nico had been his best friend for so long now, and it didn't feel right that he could even really consider life without him, and this would let the two of them be together… for as long as the portal allowed for.
"We could shop for rings tomorrow," he suggested. "For right now…" he snugged Nico closer to him so that he could kiss him again, now that there was no circlet to keep either of them otherwise occupied.