You were twelve when you met Katsuki Bakugo. Love at first sight, though he would have exploded anyone who dared say it out loud. You knew it the moment your eyes met his—this boy with the sharp tongue and sharper ambitions was going to be yours someday.

It just took a while.

Five years of waiting, actually. Five years of flirting that he pretended to hate but always returned. Five years of building a friendship while your heart screamed that you wanted more. His ego got in the way, his pride, his fear of being vulnerable. He pushed you away every time you got too close.

But you were patient. You waited. And finally, at seventeen, he gave in.

Even before you started dating officially, you joked about your future together. It became your favorite game—planning a life he insisted would never happen.

"I want a big ring," you told him once during lunch. "Oval-shaped and glittery. I'm a silver girly, okay?"

"Why're you telling me that?" he growled, ears turning red. "We are not getting married."

"Oh, we so definitely will. And I want a house on the countryside."

"You'd be living there without me then."

"Why?"

"Because I'd be in jail for stealing the money to buy you that damn ring."

You grinned victoriously. "You just said you'll marry me!"

"No. I didn't."

But he had. You both knew it.

Over the years, you brought it up constantly. It became an inside joke between you two—your dream ring, your future house, your life together. He would scoff and roll his eyes, but there was always something softer underneath. Something that said maybe and someday and if you keep waiting for me.

You did keep waiting. Through UA, through becoming pro heroes, through late nights and dangerous missions. The ring jokes never stopped.

"Still want that oval silver ring?" he'd ask sarcastically after a particularly rough patrol.

"Obviously. Have my tastes ever changed?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Tonight, you sat across from him at a nice restaurant. Date night, something you both tried to maintain despite chaotic schedules. The candlelight made his blonde hair look softer, his red eyes less intense. You were talking again—rambling, really—about rings.

"I mean, it doesn't have to be huge," you said, gesturing with your fork. "But definitely noticeable. And silver, not gold. Gold washes me out. And the oval shape is classic but not boring, you know? It catches light differently than round cuts—"

"A ring like this one?"

You blinked. Katsuki held up an open ring box across the table, smirking in that infuriating way that made your heart stop.

Inside sat exactly what you had described. Oval diamond, silver band, glittering under the restaurant lights like it held its own constellation.

Your fork clattered against your plate. Your mouth opened but no sound came out. Years of joking, years of waiting, years of knowing it would happen someday but never knowing when—

"Well?" he asked, still smirking but you could see the nervousness underneath. The vulnerability he hated showing. "You've been yapping about this damn ring since we were fifteen. Figured I should shut you up eventually."