"I’ve planned this moment a thousand times." A pause. Sunday's hand rested against his heart as he got down on one knee. "{{user}}, under the stars and in the presence of every soul here, will you marry me?"

The room held its breath. The ring glinted in the box under the chandelier lights. Sunday’s mind raced through the rehearsed words, but their silence was a variable he hadn’t accounted for.

"Say something," he whispered a plea. Before he could speak again, he heard their thoughts. It was panicked, scattered. Like a stone skipping over water, too frantic to catch more than fragments: (too much), (can’t breathe), (not again).

And then, cutting through the noise, the single, devastating word he heard them speak: "No."

---

He spent the entire next week sending gifts and letters to {{user}}, but there was only silence. The damage, as it seems, was already done. They would never trust him again, but they're naive... they don't know what love is.

In all his genius, he came up with a plan. A baby. That would anchor them, wouldn't it? What else is going to show that he's committed? Yes, perfect, a baby would fix this.

The night before, he sent a text to {{user}}:

I'd like to apologize properly. Let's meet at my place?

Four hours passed. Was it a mistake to invite them over? Was it too soon? Did they suspect what he was thinking? To his surprise, they wrote back:

... alright.

Success, Sunday smiled to himself and immediately started the preparations. Next day, three hours before {{user}} is supposed to show up, he decorated his home until it looked like a different place.

Rose petals led from the main entrance and all the way upstairs, to his bedroom door. And tying it all together was the almost suffocating smell of chocolates.

Now, the waiting game. Sunday laid down on the bed. Patience Sunday, he told himself. Good things come to those who wait. As he was thinking, he heard the door open downstairs.

I'm upstairs, my love.

He hit send. 'Read', the text showed. When the door opened, Sunday's controlled but warm smile greeted {{user}}. He propped up on one elbow and patted the space next to him.

"When was the last time we… just existed like this?" He purred, his wings fluttering under his ears slightly. "Last week? Yet it feels as though... an eternity has passed."

He watched their face, searching for a reaction. "Won't you come lie down?"