Who: Florence and Freddie and people there to see it. What: Silly boy, Woman who, I should not have let walk out Where: Complex Lobby When: Half an hour after his comm post Rating: Low with a chance of sappy Status: In Progress
This was probably not one of his brighter plans. It didn't help of course that everyone seemed to have an opinion on just why this latest plan sucked and why he should never attempt it. He was proposing. And of course Florence knew that cause she was going to. Because he'd messed up and half proposed on the internet. Stupid damn computers. He was pretty sure they rotted your brain like his Mom had once said. Between husband three and four of course as surrogate daddy four had been something in business and approved of computers. Then of course all opinions had changed, and had he known computers were smarter at Chess than humans could ever be.
What was he doing?
Freddie very nearly turned his back and ran back to his room. He couldn't get married. He couldn't, it'd end in arguments and stupid recriminations, and if they had a kid, the kid would grow up bitter and angry and...okay practically a genius. But what had the papers always called him, a flawed genius. Insane, finally having flipped. He couldn't be part of a family like that. He was better off alone. He was better not having anyone or anything because that way he couldn't hurt it. Those sixty four squares were all he needed. It had for so long been the reason he knew he existed and now he was supposed to let someone in. Let Florence in. She'd hurt him before though, she'd hurt him badly and now...
Dammit. Dammit dammit.
He'd been about to run when at once two things happened. The White Knight Chess Piece he'd grabbed from one of his sets in liu of a ring until he could buy her one suddenly felt heavier in his hand and he looked up to see what the new arrival magic user had done with the place. He'd made it beautiful, romantic and everything Freddie could have hoped for. And Roger had found a piece of classical he could manage on guitar and the wine Faith had found was laid out and ready. And he had to do it. He had to propose because he realized then and there, he'd asked for this. He'd asked these people to make it special, and not for him. For Florence.
His mother would never have done that, done something for someone other than herself, so maybe he wouldn't turn out like her. Maybe, just maybe, he had a shot at happy.
He looked around at the gathered group and nodded a thank you. For once in his life Freddie wasn't sure he could actually speak. Now it was up to her to show up.