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— "A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN :: TUSCAN SUN

1 DAY BEFORE DEPARTURE

SUNDAY
12:40 PM

There was something wrong with Keigo today and you can't seem to pinpoint the reason why. You were both sitting at a restaurant, eating your lunch but he keeps shaking his leg. Truth is, he's been nervous the whole time because he wanted to finally pop the question. But much to his dismay, most of today's first attempts end up with him backing out due to his nervousness or due to untimely interventions.

"Are you alright?" your voice echoed through Keigo's thoughts making him look up from his food, nodding. "You seem a little out of it. Tell me the truth."

"I do? Am I?" Keigo nervously smiled. "I'm out?"

"Keigo."

"I'm sorry, sunflower. I don't know why I'm nervous as well." he lied but managed to bust out a smile. His forehead was starting to bead with sweat and his breathing was erratic. You raised your brow worriedly to this but proceeded not to push it any further and just continued to eat the food in front of you.

Keigo stared as you ate your food and felt the box in his pocket. It was small but he was sure that it was there, he gave a silent sigh of relief and continued to eat as well. The past few days had been amazing for both of you and it had felt like nothing really changed between how you act towards each other. One thing that was evident though was that both of you know how to handle situations maturely now and you were finally going steady with your lives.

If Keigo could just get his balls together and ask you the fucking question, that is.

Keigo felt himself puke at the thought of himself chickening out at the last minute. 'Wasn't this what you wanted?' his mind would continuously torment him from time to time as if asking why the hell was he still wasting so much time? 

"Keigo, you're doing it again." 

Your voice snapped him out of his daze and noticed that his leg had been shaking again. You placed your hand on his cheek gingerly and caressed it with your thumb. This was enough to make him melt under your touch and calm his racing heart. Maybe there was just fear in him that you would say 'no'. 

Well, it's not like that.

He's just afraid that you might find it weird to propose and then leave the next day. What if you'd overthink because of that? What if you'd think he'd never come back? The thought of you being anxious over the next few weeks would be too much for him to handle and it might end up with him not being able to navigate well. And that's going to end badly.

Not only for him but for a few hundred people too.

SUNDAY
2:30 PM

After lunch, both of you proceeded to walk to the beach. Perfect! Keigo thought that he was just going to propose there when the sun goes down just like his first confession. You took in a deep breath of the saltwater smelling air and sighed happily. It had also been a long time since you went to the beach and you missed it. 

The breeze blowing in just reminded you of how much you have tried to avoid going here for 5 years. Though there were days where you would pass by, you never really stopped to admire its' beauty anymore and that made you sad and upset with yourself. Keigo started fidgeting again and this time, you really can't help but pout at his actions.

"Am I doing something wrong, Keigo?" you ask while holding his hand on yours. "If I'm making you uncomfortable, please tell me?"

Keigo felt the sadness in your tone so he just clutched on to your hand tightly, gently rubbing his thumb over your palm. "No, you're not, baby."

"Then, what's going on in that mind of yours?" You pouted and Keigo pinched the bridge of your nose, making you unable to breathe properly. You lightly pushed him away but admittedly, he was a lot stronger than before considering that he trained for a while to make his body suitable for his job.

"Leth me go~!" You whined with your nasally voice. "I canh't bweathe."

Keigo releases his hold of your nose and smiled. God, you were seeing an angel right now. You smiled back at him while massaging your nose lightly. Keigo then sighs lightly and he swallowed a lump that was slowly forming in his throat. "Look, sunflower, there is something I need to tell you."

"It's about time!" You chirped. "Now, please, what's going on with you today?"

"You know how people often try to...well...uh—" Keigo was at a loss for words. "You see, hm, yeah, the thing is..."

At this point, you were now raising a brow at him, obviously not getting his point. His thoughts were rushing right now and he was forming circles in the air with his hands. What the fuck was going on with Keigo? He opened his mouth again only to close it. He pursed his lips and finally, he said;

"I love you, (your name)."

"I love you too but that doesn't really—" 

Your eyes widened at the object that was approaching the both of you. "Keigo, look out!" But your warning was a little too late and the frisbee had already hit Keigo in the head which made him turn to look at the boy who had accidentally thrown it to him. Much to your surprise, Keigo ended up chasing the kid. 

To you, it looked funny.

For him, he was agitated at the sudden interruption of his proposal.

That was just one of the failed attempts he had over the course of the day, trying to get on one knee and propose to you like the man he is.

SUNDAY
6:30 PM

After almost an hour of chasing the boy and another hour of trying to build up his confidence, Keigo just decided that he wanted to go home. His skin got a bit sunburnt because of the sun exposure he had while running around the sand. You chuckled at how childish Keigo was and agreed that maybe, he just needed to take a break. Besides, he was going to go back to work tomorrow.

"I still feel agitated about it..." Keigo confessed as he pouted, holding your waist as both of you walk the street to his hotel. You slapped his shoulder lightly.

"Don't be. He was only a kid."

"Yeah, but then I didn't get to... tell you what I wanted to say." He looked down, gravity seemed to be dragging every inch of his body while he walked.

"You can tell me now, or at the hotel." You smiled while giving him a hug, preventing both of you to walk properly on the sidewalk. Both of you laughed for a while, playfully arguing before deciding that you both really need to get to the hotel now. The walk was peaceful and both of you admired the surroundings. Keigo also had a good feeling about this. 

Maybe he can finally shoot his shot.

Opening the door to his room, you automatically pushed him lightly out of the way and laid flat on his bed. You have been waiting to just lay down and not do anything though you still needed to get up and change into some sleeping clothes. Keigo, however, was still standing near the already closed door.

"Keigo."

"(Your name)."

You sat up and patted the empty space beside you, ushering him to take a seat. Keigo smiled and sat down beside you, his weight making the bed sink even more. You held his hand and looked at him lovingly.

"Darling, please. What has been going on with your mind this whole time?"

"Sunflower, you know..." he grinned. "... life has a weird way of making things go your way and making things go south. For years, I thought that I was living my life in the way I wanted it."

"But?" You tilted your head never letting go of his hand.

"But fate had other plans and it... life... led me to you. And I could have never been more... thankful than I already am." He closed his eyes and held your hand with both his hands, clutching it like it was the first time he held it.

"Keigo, what do you mean?"

"Sunflower. I really do–with all my heart, with all that I am–I love you. Those years I spent far away from you could never fade away what my heart and soul have been screaming for."

"And that is?"

"Being with you."

You felt yourself warm-up and giggle from the confession. Slowly, you wrapped your arms around him and he wrapped his arms around your waist. You rested your chin on his shoulder and he swayed both of you slowly from side to side–all these while sitting. When you pulled away, you opened your mouth to say something but he held a finger on the air telling you to stay quiet.

"I'm not done." He said and chuckled. "(Your name), I have waited all day to say this to you and—"

Suddenly, your phone rang. You quickly fumbled through your sling bag to see that it was Dabi who was calling. Your eyes widened and you excused yourself to answer the call. Keigo groaned in disappointment and laid back on the bed. He reached for his pockets and brought out the box and opened it.

The engagement ring he bought wasn't much of a fancy one but engraved on the silver-colored material was your name and instead of a diamond, it had a yellow heart on the center.

He took in a deep breath and sighed. Fumikage knocked on his door to which he quickly closed the box and threw it in the coffee table beside him, hoping you wouldn't see it later on. Fumikage entered his room.

"Sir, are you ready to leave?" He asked the blonde-haired male who looked agitated and upset. "And were you able to–?"

"There were too many distractions, Fumikage." Keigo ran his hand across his cheek. "I'm running out of confidence to do this, really."

"But..."

"I guess I'll have to wait until I return..." Keigo decided and grabbed the box on the coffee table. "I'll just have to give this to Dabi."

"Give what to Dabi?"

Your voice echoed through the room which shocked both Keigo and Fumikage. Keigo quickly placed the box in his pocket and stared at Fumikage. They hoped you didn't hear anything and Fumikage excused himself out of the hotel room, leaving you and Keigo. As you were about to say something, Keigo stopped you.

"I'll take you home now, sunflower." He said while grabbing his jacket and putting his arm around you. "I have a big day tomorrow and... I need to prepare and get some rest."

You nodded nervously. Little did Keigo know that you did hear about his supposed proposal and you were starting to feel guilty about it. Dabi had called you to ask if you were still with Keigo and wondered what time you were coming home. Despite being old enough now, he still cared for you like he always did. You just didn't expect to eavesdrop on the conversation between Fumikage and Keigo when you came back after the call ended.

You tried to open up the subject but Keigo kept cutting you off with other topics, oblivious to the fact that you wanted to talk to him about what you heard.

It was taking a toll on you.

The more you reached your apartment (where Dabi was waiting), the more you wanted to tell Keigo that you heard but it felt like it would ruin the mood and the romantic aspect of a proposal. You were so conflicted and you hated the idea, making you groan loudly than you had expected to. Keigo looked at you and saw your upset face. 

"I-is everything a-alright, sunflower?" 

You jumped up from the shock and nodded directly. "Yes. I'm good. You?"

"Yeah, I'm good too." Keigo smiled holding on to you tightly. "I'm sorry though."

"For what?"

"A lot. There might be something I'll regret but..." Keigo sighs. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

You knew what he was talking about but you acted obliviously. You just tilted your head while raising your brow. He shook his head and placed his hand on top of your head, patting you while you walked. When you both arrived, Keigo requested that he should talk to Dabi for a while--and privately. You anxiously waited on the couch and after about 10 minutes, Dabi returned inside.

"Hey." Dabi greeted while he sat beside you, watching as you pursed your lips and closed your eyes. "What's wrong? Keigo's worried–" 

Dabi was cut off by your sudden outburst. "I may or may not have... known something..." 

"About?"

"Keigo's proposal...that kept...failing."

"Ah, fuck." Dabi spat with his eyes widened. "What? How?"

"Well, after you called me, I overheard him and Fumikage... I didn't mean to--" You shrunk on your position and covered your face. "I don't know. I wanted to tell him but-"

"But?"

"What if he'll think he's stupid for not being able to do it and I learned about it?"

Dabi thought for a moment, crossing his arms across his chest. You stared at the wall in front of you and waited patiently for his answer. He quietly shifted to turn to you. Your mouth fell open when he said what the fuck was going on in his mind.

"Why don't you show him what he needs to do?"

4 HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE

MONDAY
8:30 AM

"You got everything you need, sir?"

Fumikage stood on the doorway with his bag slung over both arms. Keigo took one last look around the hotel room and nodded. There were approximately four hours left before their flight and they had an hour to get to the airport (without all the heavy traffic). They exited the hotel and got into their taxi, wearing their uniforms. 

"You're not going to stop by and say goodbye to (your name)?"

Keigo felt his heart drop at the question and he looked at Fumikage, shaking his head. Keigo literally felt shy to face you. He had a hunch that you overheard them and he didn't want to face his fear of confrontation so he did all he can to change topics whenever you tried to talk. Fumikage placed a hand on his shoulder and Keigo chuckled. "I can wait for 2 months, I guess... I'll have to be more confident soon."

And on their way to the airport, Keigo couldn't help but think if he's gonna regret what he's doing right now.

Meanwhile, you and Dabi had been arguing over the past few hours. Dabi wanted you to follow Keigo to the airport and say something but you didn't want to do Keigo dirty like that. Besides, lots of security would be on your tail and you would end up having to spend days in probation. However, here you both were, riding his car and driving all the way to the airport.

You were wearing the hoodie you wore on the day of Keigo's arrival and some running shoes; you were doing an exercise today. Dabi opened the car radio.

Never was a leader
Never had a thing for fairytales

Dabi watched as traffic became heavier as you both were nearing the airport. You leaned back and prepared yourself for what was going to happen when you arrive. You honestly did not condone to this idea but it was too late, Dabi had already dragged you into the car like a hostage. He tapped the steering wheel and checked the time on his watch. 

2 HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE

MONDAY
10:30 AM

For a moment, you closed your eyes and thought about how this would run. You thought about how Keigo would react or how the airport staff was going to stop you--hell, maybe even arrest you because of this. You opened your eyes as Dabi patted your shoulder and saw that you had fallen asleep. Both of you already arrived at the airport entrance.

You looked at him one more time. "Dabi, I'm not sure if I can--"

"Open that." Dabi cut you off and threw you the box that Keigo had asked for him to take care of until he comes back. "And change your mind."

You quickly caught the box in your hands and slowly opened it to reveal the engagement ring that Keigo was supposed to give you. Your mouth formed an 'o' and you looked back at Dabi with slight tears in your eyes. He quickly wiped them away and smiled. 

Not really a believer, oh-oh
Small voice in the quiet

"Dabi..." you sighed while smiling back. "What am I supposed to do?

"Run."

30 MINUTES BEFORE DEPARTURE

MONDAY
11:30 AM

Keigo was preparing to enter the airplane that would take him away for two months. Fumikage stood beside him, still kind of pushing him to wait a little longer for you. Dabi had texted Fumikage beforehand about his plan on taking you to Keigo. However, Keigo didn't want to keep the people waiting. They needed to get inside the plane so people can board. Fumikage sighed knowing that he cannot stop his decision--he is the captain after all.

"Sir, you need to say goodbye. At least, for her peace of mind."

"Fumikage, please." Keigo stared at him. "I can't..."

For your side though, you were quickly running, pulling your hoodie to your head to keep people from recognizing you. Security was now chasing you and you kept looking back to see if they were trailing behind you and fuck, were they going faster than you expected. You weren't going to let Keigo get inside that plane. Your adrenaline was kicking in and you were jumping from boundary to boundary, more security tailing you down.

"Flight 375 is now preparing for departure."

Guess I never dared to know myself
Can my heart beat quiet? No

"Fuck." You cursed under your breath as you clutched on to the box on your hand and ran till you reached the departure door, opening it. Keigo and Fumikage were making their way to the plane and you shook your head, continuing to run to Keigo. Fumikage turned around to see you but just as you were about to close in, guards caught you by the waist, carrying you away. Fumikage tried to stop Keigo from getting in but he was climbing the stairs to the plane fast.

"KEIGO TAKAMI!"

He didn't turn around. This son of a bitch was really just being hard to get right now.

"HAWKS, GOD DAMN IT!" 

Keigo stopped in his tracks and looked back from the last step of the stairs. The guards were still taking you away from the plane and you were struggling free from his grasp. Keigo quickly ran down the stairs and gave the captain's hat to Fumikage to hold. Fumikage tried to speak but Keigo silenced him and thanked him. Keigo ran to the guard holding you with you still squirming away. 

"Hey, it's okay." Keigo grabbed the guard on the shoulder and turned him around so the guard was facing him. "She's someone I know."

The guards turned to glare at you and told Keigo that you were trespassing and once again, Keigo gave the same reason that he knew you. The guards placed you back on the ground before you scoffed at one of them for carrying you like a potato sack. You faced Keigo and he put his arms across his chest.

"What the hell was that for, (your name)?"

"No, I should be the one asking you that," you say confidently. 

But then there was you.
Yeah, then there was you.

Keigo tilted his head and raised his brow. "This better be important, sunflower. I have people waiting for me" He looked at the passengers now crowding the departure door at the abrupt interruption of their boarding. 

"I love you so much, Keigo." You say while shaking your arms around you, feeling the ache that your feet had earned from that running. The adrenaline was making your heart beat faster than usual and you just wanted to puke. You caught your breath and you smiled at him. "I'm sorry for doing this but I have to tell you that I'm willing to wait for you."

"What?"

"I'm willing to wait for how long it takes for you to gain that confidence you need. I overheard your conversation last night with Fumikage and--" you stopped. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop though, it just happened."

The crowd was starting to listen to you and of course, they started whispering to one another. They didn't know what the fuck was going on either but both of you clearly know why this was happening.

Pull me out of the crowd
You were telling the truth

"O-oh. I-- I should be the one--"

"Shut up, let me finish!" you glared at him while slightly holding your sides that were aching. "There's no way I couldn't go. There is nothing I couldn't do. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me for quite a long time now and I want you to continue being the best thing for me until the end of my life. As much as you like to overthink these situations, I really need to say this to you, Keigo. "

"I don't--"

I want to get louder
I got to get louder

Keigo was cut off by you bending on the knee and screaming the words;

"Keigo Takami, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

The crowd gasped and most covered their mouths. The whisperings started turning into cheers and others started talking loudly. Keigo was still in shock and he kept opening and closing his mouth, blinking his eyes while trying to hold in a blush. You still stayed on the bending position, holding out your hand and he grabbed it, making you stand up.

"Sunflower, honestly, I don't know who's more of an idiot right now..." He said while chuckling, shaking his head. You tilted your head, clearly confused, and not expecting this to be his response to your proposal. "... I mean, am I the idiot for not proposing to you the night before?"

"Or?"

"Are you the idiot for proposing to me and delaying the flight of 500 people?"

Your eyes widened and Keigo just let out a big laugh, dragging you into a big hug. The crowd roared and watched as your story progresses. You hugged him back, finally feeling the loss of air and exhaustion of your body from all that rush. Keigo pulled away from the hug and looked at you straight in the eye.

"Yes, sunflower. I will marry you."

Your eyes started to tear up and you pulled him by his tie and smashed your lips against his. This surprised him but soon, he melted into the kiss and pulled you closer to him. The crowd, knowing and satisfied with the answer (but annoyed over the delay), cheered and clapped as the couple kissed in front of them.

We're blowing out speakers
Our hearts a little clearer

"But... you need to promise me something, Keigo."

"What is it?"

You pulled out the box and gave it to him.

"Promise me when you come back... you need to propose to me like a real man."

For worse or for better
Gonna give it to you
In capital letters.

He chuckled as he pulled you in for another kiss after grabbing the box from your hand. "But you need to promise me your answer would be a yes." You chuckled as you pulled away. 

"Depends on how you do it."

2 MONTHS AFTER

Two months pass by quickly and as promised, Keigo returned to Japan proposing to you. Of course, with no hesitation, and without second thoughts, you said 'yes'. The two of you are happily engaged and both of you can finally say that you did believe in fate. Fate brought the two of you together and separated you both, twice. 

But now, fate had finally decided.

And so did both of you.

Two weeks after Keigo's proposal, there stood a beautiful yellow-colored invitation on top of your parent's grave. The world may never know but the two of them smiled as both you and Keigo left the cemetery to prepare for your wedding.

Fate works in many wonders and her endings may be happy or sad.

But aren't you glad this turned out to be the one you just needed?

THE END

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A/N: Epilogue will be up a little later. :) I hope you enjoyed reading this. I want to thank people for the 3k reads! I'm grateful! I appreciate each and every one of y'all! I don't know how to express my happiness over this and ah, I want to scream. Each chapter was filled with much happiness or sadness and finally, you all get the happiness you deserve. <3