Laurence stood in their parlour – what had once been the games room, when this had been a covert, but had been repurposed for the entertaining of guests and for relaxing together at the end of the day – standing in front of the crackling fire, staring at the painting of autumn leaves that hung above the mantle, hands clasped behind his back to prevent himself from fidgeting, or from fingering the ring that sat, heavy and warm, in his pocket.
He was more nervous than he had any right to be. There was no – or at least, very little – doubt in his mind that Lan Xichen would say yes to him. They’d discussed the matter at length, in fact. He and Lan Xichen had both spoken to Temeraire about it; they’d both spoken to Lan Xichen’s brother about it. Their eventual engagement and then marriage was not some unspoken agreement that they’d come to when they decided to move in with one another: they very much had spoken about it.
That didn’t make his palms less sweaty.
He smiled and turned when Lan Xichen returned with two cups of hot chocolate, and took the cup meant for him with a word of thanks.
“And thank you, too, for this last year,” he said, glancing again at the painting. They’d been friends for longer than a year, but the painting had been given to him last Christmas, and was the first physical manifestation of what would become the great love of Laurence’s life. “It feels as though it has both passed by too quickly, and yet that I’ve known you, that I’ve loved you, my entire life.”
Lan Xichen stepped in beside him, their shoulders just touching, and smiled warmly. He followed Laurence’s eyes to the painting—that one and the portrait of Temeraire were two of Lan Xichen’s favorite pieces he’d ever done, not for the quality of them, but because they meant so much to him. He looked at those chestnut leaves the color of Laurence’s hair and thought fondly of the early days of their courtship; the painting of Temeraire warmed his heart with thoughts of this little family he had become part of and the memory of the hours he’d spent making every scale perfect just for the desire to please the man beside him now.
“I, too, have found that life with you is so pleasant that living in each moment is effortless,” Lan Xichen replied. “I must give you my thanks, as well, for a peace and happiness that I did not think possible.”
Laurence felt the tension ease from his shoulders at Lan Xichen’s words. There was nothing to be nervous about. He leaned forward to kiss Lan Xichen lightly on the lips.
“It’s a beautiful night out,” he said. “Would you care for a walk?”
Curled up near the fireplace where Laurence had thought he’d been sleeping, Blackwall’s head perked up.
“It would seem I am not the only one who would say yes to this suggestion,” Lan Xichen replied with a warmly amused look. Pets were always forbidden at Cloud Recesses in his home world, but he had quite taken to the dogs and cats and even the hellhound that had joined them at the covert. Particularly since his family had departed for other lives, Lan Xichen had come to take great comfort in their presence. He didn’t mind indulging Blackwall with an extra trip around the grounds.
“I should have known better than to say the word in his presence,” Laurence said, but he was smiling when he said it. It didn’t take him long to don his winter coat, the weather proving warm enough that a knitted cap and scarf were unnecessary; he checked to be sure his leather gloves were tucked into a pocket in the coat, but he preferred to take Lan Xichen’s hand in his own then to wear them, just now.
Blackwall darted out in front of them, tearing into the night, and Laurence was more than happy to follow after him, in the direction of the lake, at a more leisurely pace. The evening was quiet – the sheep and the cattle were quiet, somewhere out in the dark, most of them fast asleep – and the stars were bright; it was a pity that the moon wasn’t anything more than a sliver in the sky, he’d always enjoyed seeing Lan Xichen bathed in moon glow.
Lan Xichen wasn’t very cold, having spent all his life before Vallo in the mountain heights of the far north–and of course circulating his chi for warmth was a simple matter–but he liked holding Laurence’s hand anyway. It made a fine accompaniment to the quiet evening and the sparkling wash of stars, so different than the ones he could see in his homeland.
“You were correct,” Lan Xichen said with one of his small, serene smiles. “It is a beautiful evening indeed.”
“I liked to go ice skating on days like this when I was a boy,” Laurence said. The lake was coming into view now. He’d placed some ice skates near the water, the type he was most familiar with, where the blades could simply strap onto one’s shoes. “I thought we might go skating together tonight, if you’ve no objection?” He shot Lan Xichen an impish smile. “I could hold your hands again, if you prefer.”
“I always prefer you holding my hands,” Lan Xichen warmly replied.
He was surprised to see the skates already waiting for them. This had seemed like a random invitation for a walk on a night with good weather, but now it was clear that Laurence had planned this in advance. Lan Xichen found himself pleased all over again to have found someone so thoughtful, who would make a lovely romantic gesture just for the joy of it. Even in the absence of his family, he couldn’t help but feel lucky to be here.
Laurence’s lip twitched as he bent to attach his skates. “Be honest now; that first time we went skating, how much did you really require my assistance?”
Lan Xichen was more than graceful in his day-to-day life, and stood upon a sword for transportation, and Laurence rather suspected that it hadn’t taken him long at all to learn the trick of it, despite how long they’d held hands in the cold that afternoon.
“A Lan cannot lie. He can, however, leave a bit of the truth out,” Lan Xichen admitted with a smile. “I could have let go, but why would I? I hoped that you might see through my extremely transparent ruse and kiss me.”
Now, of course, Lan Xichen knew that what would be an extremely transparent ruse to anyone else might as well be stone walls three feet thick to William Laurence. Counting on him to see through even the most obvious deception was folly, when it came to flirtation. And Lan Xichen wasn’t even good at deception!
“I hope you’ll forgive me for being a little thickheaded,” Laurence said, smiling up at him as he finished with his own blades. He didn’t straighten as he finished, but instead turned to the blades set aside for Lan Xichen and gestured for him to lift his foot so that Laurence might affix them for him. “And I hope I’ve become more wise to your wiley ways since. In truth, I wasn’t too keen then to let go of your hands, either, though I didn’t entirely understand entirely why, just then. I hope that I’ll have cause to continue holding them for the rest of my life.”
It was a fine sentiment, Lan Xichen thought as he let Laurence fasten on his skates, and one that for too long he had thought he might never hear. To have love that would last, that would not be snatched away by death or duty or betrayal, had once seemed impossible. Now he could hear those words and feel no fear, only a warm echo of the same feeling.
“I hope the same, my heart,” he replied with another easy smile. “Whether I need them for balance or not.”
Laurence looked up at Lan Xichen, hands still on his foot, even though he’d already strapped on the skate, his mouth suddenly dry, and before he even knew he was about to speak, he said, “Marry me, A-Huan.” He blinked in surprise at himself – this was not how he’d intended to ask – and dropped his foot. “I have a ring,” he added, patting his pocket for it.
Lan Xichen was briefly struck speechless. He’d thought perhaps Laurence had some bit of romance planned, but he had not imagined this. A marriage proposal under the moonlight! And there was a ring!
“Yes, I will marry you,” he replied, once he remembered how to breathe.
Laurence let his breath out; he hadn’t expected Lan Xichen to refuse him, not really, even the cautious part of him that expected a rejection hadn’t truly believed it possible, yet he still felt lighter at Lan Xichen’s acceptance.
He came to his feet, finding the ring in his pocket as he stood, a band of white gold, set with an emerald surrounded by pale sapphires, and engraved with the words My Heart. “If it’s not to your liking, we can find another,” Laurence assured him.
“It is beautiful, and I would have no other.” Lan Xichen wore little jewelry beyond his hair pieces, but this was exactly what he might have picked if he did. He’d be proud to wear it every day of his life, and forever pleased that the man he loved knew him so well.
“I’d hoped you’d think so,” Laurence said, taking Lan Xichen’s hand so that he might slip the ring onto his finger before he leaned in to kiss him.
Lan Xichen enjoyed the weight of the ring on his hand almost as much as he enjoyed the kiss. He was smiling at both when the kiss broke, but unwilling to move away. “Shall I find you a ring as well? These traditions are different from the ones I know.”
"I would like that," Laurence answered. Back home, he'd not expect to wear a ring until the wedding, but this was a different place and time, and he wanted nothing so much as to have some indication to the world that he was Lan Xichen's. "Or if there is some tradition from your own home that would mark me as yours," he added.
“There is one–more of a family tradition than for my world as a whole.” Lan Xichen let go of Laurence’s hands only to reach up and untie the ribbon that always sat across his forehead. He brought it down and began wrapping it carefully around Laurence’s wrist. “The ribbon is a sacred reminder to practice self-control, but when one has found true love, such control is not necessary. We may give ourselves freely then, as our beloved shares everything with us.”
Laurence held himself very still as Lan Xichen wrapped his ribbon around his wrist, watching first the careful winding around his wrist, and then Lan Xichen’s face as he did it. It was early still in their courtship when Lan Xichen had explained to him the significance of the ribbon – had seen it written on the Wall of Discipline, and while he had occasionally caught his fingers in it in the heat of passion, he’d been very careful to respect the Lan traditions surrounding the headband.
“A-Huan,” Laurence said, voice low and husky, and when Lan Xichen had finished securing it to his wrist, he brought it to his lips.
“Will.” Lan Xichen smiled as softly as he spoke, faintly giddy with the sheer joy of the moment. There had been a time in his life where he had thought that this would never be his, that there would never be a person he loved enough to give that ribbon. He’d even thought once that this man would never be his. And now…now he was engaged. He was going to be married!
Laurence suddenly regretted doing this here at the lake, the warmth of their shared room far in the distance. He caught Lan Xichen’s lips and gave him a kiss filled with warmth, not a kiss meant to ignite passion, but one meant to convey all the affection Laurence held for him. “Would you still care to go skating?”
There was some temptation to proceed right away to a more physical celebration of their expected union. Lan Xichen paused for a few thoughtful seconds to consider the possibility, and chose to err on the side of anticipation.
“I would,” he said with a smile. “If you will hold my hand all the while.”