Word count: ~2500 words

Saw a post on Tumblr and immediately knew that I had to write it. Basically, human au where Dex and Keefe keep proposing to each other in restaurants so they can get free desserts. Keefe's about like 26, Dex is about like 25?

Enjoy!

"So," Keefe began, his eyes gleaming. Dex already knew that he had some idea, and needed Dex's help to go through with it. "You know how we booked that reservation to that fancy restaurant, right?"

Dex nodded. "And..?"

"How do you feel about getting free desserts?"

There was no way that it was as easy as that. "And how do we do that?"

Keefe clapped his hands together. "Did you know that when a proposal happens in a restaurant, the people doing the proposing get free dessert?"

Dex just looked at him. "You want to propose to me for free desserts?"

Keefe just waved a hand. "Don't be ridiculous. If you want to do the proposing, I'm cool with it!"

"You do know that we're not dating, right?"

If Keefe had made such an offer to him a few years ago, Dex probably would have panicked, would have stuttered and blushed. He still had a crush on Keefe, but their friendship had grown, and he worried less about the possibility of being rejected (though he still had no plans on actually confessing).

Keefe shrugged. "Just a thought, y'know?

Dex rested an arm on his shoulder. "For the record, I didn't say no."

He grinned. "Great!"

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Dex, what are you doing?"

Dex paused and turned towards Keefe, who was standing at his room doorway. "I'm looking for the ring?"

"I feel like if we're gonna be convincing, we'll need a fancy ring. And dude, most of the jewelry you own are stuff that you made, which are kinda plain."

He crossed his arms. "I'm taking the minecraft bee earrings back," he deadpanned.

"No!" Keefe shrieked, taking a step back and cupping his ears dramatically. "These are like the best things I've ever owned, and you gifted them to me. No take backsies!"

He turned back towards his dresser. "And I have two things to say to that. First off, back off, my stuff is cool. Using stuff that we made could be sentimental, and I doubt a waiter actually cares."

"Okay, that's fair. I shall not insult your jewelry again."

"Thank you. Secondly, I'm looking for a very specific ring that I didn't make, actually."

He sorted through a few more things, until he came across a small black case. He opened it, just to confirm what was inside- a silver ring with a gem that gleamed various shades of blue.

"Ooh, that's shiny, how come I've never seen that before?" Keefe asked, suddenly standing right next to him. "I've lived with you for what, six years now?"

"I only received it kinda recently, it was the ring dad proposed to mom with, and she gave it to me a few months ago for future use."

"Ooh, do you have any crushes? Actually- whatever, you don't need to say. I just wanna know if it fits me."

He picked up the ring and slipped it onto his ring finger. Dex noticed that it happened to fit perfectly.

"Give me your hand, I think we have the same ring size, but I wanna see!"

Before Dex could say anything, Keefe had picked up his left hand, and slid the finger on him. That, combined with the soft expression on Keefe's face, made the moment feel more romantic.

"Oh- looks like it fits." Dex had to actively make sure his voice didn't sound like a squeak. Come on, I can't go blushing like this! I usually have better control!

"Yeah, it does. Does that mean we have everything prepared? Who's doing the proposing, me or you?"

"You can do it, probably. Should we practice the speech?"

"Nah, I think it'd be better if it was a surprise."

"Okay, got it."

•~•~•~•~•~•

They were sitting on the couch, watching some romantic drama Dex couldn't remember the name of. It was a pretty standard one- love at first sight, they grow closer, something dramatic would drive them apart (in this case, it was miscommunication and the guy's obsessive ex).

After the couple eventually got back together, there was the proposal scene.

"Better take notes, Keefe," he joked.

They continued watching, as the proposal happened, and after the "Yes!" was squealed, there was a long and passionate kiss.

Both men turned to each other, knowing that there was a problem.

"So... guess who forgot that kisses are super frequent in proposals..?" Dex asked, wincing when his voice cracked.

Seriously, what is happening right now?

"I wouldn't mind," Keefe murmured, the words so light that Dex wasn't sure if he heard it right.

"What did you say?"

Did he just say..?

"I..." He looked nervous, eyes darting everywhere except towards him. "I- I wouldn't mind if you kissed me."

There were so many things that Dex wanted to say, but he had no idea how to say it. So instead, he mustered the courage and leaned forward, planting a quick kiss. He hoped that all the words he wanted to say, all the emotions that he'd been feeling were conveyed.

Keefe smiled, then took his hand. "I'm so glad we got that figured out before we did the fake proposals."

"Oh, yeah. That would have been really confusing."

If there was anything else that needed to be said, they could discuss it later.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Go pretend to use the washroom," Keefe whispered. "I'll tell the waiter that I plan to propose."

Dex went to the washroom, and after a few minutes, he washed his hands (better be safe) and returned. They ate their dinner and chatted. Once they were nearly done, Keefe took his hand.

"Hey, Dex?"

"Yeah?"

"I really love you, you know that, right? We've known each other for twelve years, and we did kinda get off on the wrong foot because of how Wonderboy had acted at first. But I'm so glad that things changed and that I became friends with you. You're also my pranking partner, most of my best pranks only managed to happen because you were right there with me."

Keefe moved from his seat to in front of him, then began to kneel down.

"Living with you has led the some of the best memories in my life, you've shown me the love that I've always wanted. And I want to keep living with you, I want to keep loving you forever. So what I'm asking is, will you marry me, and allow me to become Keefe Dizznee?"

Dex looked at him, and for a brief moment, he forgot all about the fact that this was fake and also only their first date. The words that he'd said were beautiful, and combined with the earnest expression on Keefe's face, it was absolutely awe-inspiring. If this had been a real proposal, he definitely would have accepted without any hesitation.

"Yes," he breathed, smiling with giddiness. "Yes, I'll marry you."

The kiss they shared was more of them smiling against each other than anything else, wrapped in each other's embraces.

It was only after he had pulled away that he realized that the other people in the restaurant were clapping.

The dessert that eventually came their way was sweet, and definitely worth everything it took to get to it.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"So," Keefe began, flopping onto his bed and pulling Dex down beside him. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was fun," Dex agreed. "Are you saying that we should do it again?"

He nodded. "That's exactly what I was planning to say. You can propose next time, I'm totally ready for you to astound me."

Dex knew he wasn't great with words, but he was definitely going to make sure that his engagement speech was perfect.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"So, a friend told me that you proposed to Dex," Fitz's voice said through Keefe's phone (which was left on speaker). "I mean, I wasn't even aware that you two finally got together."

"I'm still calling bullsh*t on that one!" Sophie yelled, her voice somewhat distant.

"It technically did happen though. And we are in fact together," Keefe replied.

"Since when? And why didn't you tell us?" Fitz asked.

Dex was trying to suppress his laughter, but ended up failing. "Uh, we got together a few days ago," he finally said. "I can't believe it's only been a day since the proposal and you've already managed to hear about it."

Fitz sputtered. "What kind of proposal happens on the first date?"

"The kind where we scam everyone and get free desserts," Keefe answered. "It's one of my more brilliant ideas."

"Hey Fitz, can we go scam people for free food too?" Sophie asked, this time sounding a lot closer to the phone than before.

"Back off Foster, that's our idea, you're not allowed to steal it."

Fitz only sighed. "Look Sophie, even if we tried, it wouldn't work because my family is everywhere, and after the first time, nobody's gonna buy it."

Both Dex and Keefe laughed at Sophie's whine.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Dex had offered to buy a different engagement for Keefe, but he insisted that he used the same ring that was used the last time. (He was starting to have suspicions of something, but he wasn't quite sure if he was right yet).

Keefe had left for the restaurant washroom (a different restaurant, neither of them were stupid enough to try it again in the same place), and when the waiter came over to ask questions, Dex told them his plan.

The waiter congratulated him, then asked about what dessert they would want. After that, it was just like last time, where it felt like a normal outing, until it was time to propose.

"Hey Keefe?" Dex asked, reaching for his hand, just like Keefe had done the last time.

"Yeah?"

"I've known you for twelve years, back when I had had really bad self-esteem. After we became friends, I still had myself convinced that everyone didn't actually like me, but like a bright light, you guided me. You helped me come out of my shell, and together, we shared some of my favourite memories."

He was up by then, moving in front of Keefe.

"I've had many doubts about my life, but loving you? I've never had any doubts, because loving you has always felt natural, and I can't ever see myself wanting to choose someone who isn't you. We've been partners for so long, and now I'm asking if you can be my partner in marriage. So Keefe, will you marry me and become Keefe Dizznee?"

He took great delight in Keefe's wide eyes, his parted lips and the flush on his face.

"I wouldn't want anything more than to marry you," Keefe said with a smile.

Dex had a feeling that they would be doing this quite often, but he had no problems with that.

•~•~•~•~•~•

They continued to do their fake proposals. Even after they did it over a dozen times, they still didn't get caught.

"Hey Keefe?" Dex asked, during the middle of one of their cuddling sessions.

"What is it?" Keefe asked, rolling around to face him.

"So when it comes to an actual proposal, do you want me to be the one proposing to you?"

He had his suspicions- Keefe had an attachment to the engagement ring (he remembered Keefe's eagerness to wear it when he first saw it), how Keefe was going to become a Dizznee, and each time Dex proposed to him, he always looked awestruck.

"You do it," Keefe replied, confirming what Dex had thought. "Also, don't tell me beforehand, I want it to be a surprise."

"But-"

"It'll feel even more real, because now I won't know which one's the fake one. You can always tell me afterward if it was meant to be the real one. Okay?"

"Okay."

•~•~•~•~•~•

For the most part, their engagement speeches for each of the proposals had been mostly similar. They were never the same, but the general idea had been the same. So if Dex wanted to actually propose, he wanted to make sure that this time, it was something special.

He paced back and forth in his room, hoping that his footsteps weren't loud enough for Keefe to hear.

I've done this so many times, I don't need to be this nervous!

At this point, it was going to be obvious  that it was real.

Deep breaths. Think about how casual your relationship has been. It'll be fine.

In the past, he might not have been as willing to believe his words as he was now. He trusted Keefe, and he trusted himself to make sure that everything went right.

Something special... something special doesn't always mean something fancy...

That thought calmed him down even more. They then went to the restaurant and ate, just like always.

The waiter looked confused, eyes darting between the two of them on multiple occasions. Before Dex could ask about it, the waiter asked to take their orders, and then he forgot all about it.

It began to feel just like their usual routine again, where they ate and just spoke about whatever they felt like doing.

"Y'know, sometimes," Dex began. "I think a lot about how we've come together. We became friends over teasing Sophie and Fitz, along with pranking. We just came together, and it was natural, and my feelings came just as casually.

"Even us getting together, it just happened. Sure, it took something that got us to actually say something, but neither of us actually worried about it. All these dinner dates, it's just like how we've always been. We've come so far together, and I'd like to ask if you'd continue this path with me. Will you marry me?" Then, he dropped his voice to a low whisper. "There's free desserts."

Just like always, there was a soft smile on Keefe's face, his eyes wide and face flushed, always glad to be able to hear that.

"Of course," Keefe replied. "I've chosen to be with you this far, and that's the way it'll continue." Then he grinned, before whispering, "Though the free desserts definitely help a lot."

Dex laughed as he put the ring on Keefe's finger, and Dex wasn't sure if it was just the lighting, but the ring seemed to be shining more than usual.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"That's the actual proposal, right?" Keefe asked during one of their cuddling sessions. "It felt a little different."

"Yeah, it was."

He took a hold of Keefe's left hand, relishing its warmth as light thumps of Keefe's heartbeat lulled him to sleep.

•~•~•~•~•~•

It probably would have been assumed that after they got married, they would have stopped with their fake proposals- but they didn't do that. They continued on and on, until they began to run out of places to go without the risk of repeating restaurants (they actually did manage to get exposed once, somehow, so they had no intention of doing that again).

Dex smiled as he fed Keefe a piece of the dessert, feeling glad that everything turned out that way.

Fun fact, I actually have a friend that made his own minecraft bee earrings

Also this kinda feels a bit rushed at the end, but i didn't know how to end it so whatever