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“I’m glad that landed,” he laughed, rolling with the little shove. Honestly, he sort of lucked out in that regard. There was no way Lam was as smooth as Rook seemed to think he was. But Lam loved that about him.[break][break]
They hadn’t met in the most conventional way, sure. But there wasn’t a day that went by that Lam regretted choosing to spend time with him again. The more affectionate part of him liked to think that they would’ve found their way to one another regardless of the fact that he’d caught Rook breaking into that art gallery. In hindsight, he was far from irritated about the mishap of a meetcute than he’d been in the moment. Because first of all, it expedited meeting Rook. And secondly, his boss had turned out to be a colossal dick.[break][break]
Not that he was condoning theft! Mostly. But maybe that gallery owner would’ve deserved it. Just a little bit.[break][break]
“Naw, that’s okay,” he flapped a hand, “It’ll still be good!” A reminder of a good night, a good memory. Even if it was blurry, the good mood shared between them was obvious in the captured still.[break][break]
They ambled down the street, drawing closer to making a full circle back to their own neighborhood.[break][break]
“Yeah? You think so?” Something about that statement made him perk up, smile brightening his face. Maybe he’d picked the right night for this after all, even if he was acting a little like a conspicuous weirdo.[break][break]
The nearer they drew to their house, though, the nerves returned—the reminder that he couldn’t stall any longer than he already had creeping back in. “Oh, look! Looks like we’re gonna meet the delivery guy on the way.”

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"Of course it did, you're so clever."
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Anyone else might have thought he was humoring Lam, but that was pretty far from the truth. There wasn't a day that he didn't enjoy the soft attention that Lam gave him. It was like his partner filled a perfect lam-sized space that loneliness had once left in him. How could he ever not love him for that alone? He leaned against Lam as he walked, cheek resting against his hair.
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Little cold spots tickled at his cheek. "Probably should head back, don't want you to freeze." They did what they had come there to do and Lam had humored him this time. Most of their colder outings were fairly short and that was okay with Rook. He did a much longer walk in the morning with Miss Moony.
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Rook perked up at that, noting the shadow of a person emerging from their car. "Oh good timing. That's great cause I'm starving."

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“You do terrible, awful things to my ego,” he teased, more laughter following. He wasn’t going to complain if Rook wanted to puff him up, and honestly, he enjoyed the fact that he liked his sillier flatteries. Lam had never really considered himself all that good at romantic things, so the fact that Rook turned to putty whenever Lam something dumb?[break][break]
Really made him feel like a million bucks.[break][break]
And really, Rook was just as good at turning the tables on him. Flowering and dramatic and poetic as he was, Lam still enjoyed his dialogues. But there was also something about the way he did little things that made Lam soften immeasurably. The inward shift toward him, head against his, made his heart flutter in his chest. Warmth that seeped through him against the cold.[break][break]
That subtle touch always went further than Rook likely realized. “Mm, yeah. I might really become an ice cube now. This was fun, though.” Though the truth was that pointing at houses and picking out pretty lights and what displays were humorous or clever wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining if he’d been with anyone but Rook.[break][break]
“Me too.” He stepped forward to grab the pizza from the delivery guy, fishing out a tip from his coat pocket. Popping open the lid, he was pretty stoked to see they’d actually humored him. As he met Rook at the door, he turned it toward him. Rather than a standard circle, they’d made the pizza in the shape of a heart. “Aw look, they got creative!”

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"That's what I'm here for," It was his pleasure to even be in that position, honestly. Maybe it sounded simp-ish and ridiculous, but he liked being a source of positivity and boost for his partner. Sometimes, his feelings got a little in the way, but he never wanted to be a source of negativity.
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Lam never complained so, as far as he was concerned, he felt he had nothing to change. Even more so, Lam made him laugh. He made him feel all warm and fuzzy, no matter how chilly the winter was (though that rarely bothered Rook). "Mmm yeah, you are looking fairly cubey, right now. I'm concerned." He grinned at that, taking Lam's hand as if they were suddenly in a rush to evade the chill.
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Rook unlocked the front door while Lam was busy with the pizza delivery guy. He hadn't expected the heart, it made him bust up. "No way, you told them to do that. I know you did." He stifled a laugh in his sleeve, pulling Lam into the warmth of the house.
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"I love it, you dork."

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“And I definitely love ya for that.” He never minded all of Rook’s emotions and the way they seemed to overflow into much of what he did. It was endearing, and something he’d come to adore about Rook. Or maybe he always had. “Okay, then it’s your very serious and important task now to un-cube me using the best methods you know how. Do you think you can handle it? It’s pretty dire.”[break][break]
He snickered, nudging Rook with his elbow as if to say, I’m gonna hold you to it, as he took care of the pizza situation.[break][break]
“Whhhhhaaaaaaaattt??” His voice went high and squeaky with forced skepticism. Though the shit-eating grin on his face sort of gave it away regardless. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just as surprised as you are.” He couldn’t prevent the dumb giggle that slipped up his throat.[break][break]
He let Rook pull him inside, the warmth of the house immediately hitting his skin and reddening his cheeks as it clashed with the chill there, immediately folded by the flap of greasy cardboard. The pizza lid was still flipped up, obscuring his view.[break][break]
Which sort of gave him an idea. And he scrambled to act on it before he chickened out again. The timing was probably clumsy, given the romantic walk they'd just been on, but it also felt weirdly right. Or maybe it was his nerves driving him to believe there was no time like the present.[break][break]
“Hey, can you take this?” Awkwardly, he’d tried to shuffle out of his coat and failed. But rather than set it down on the counter as he kicked off his shoes, he held it out for Rook to take—something that was suddenly perfectly still by design. He managed to slip the box out of his pocket and he hid it, curled in his hand hidden under the bottom of the box.[break][break]
"Pleeeeeaaaaseee?" With the box lid hiding him away, he handed it off and made an exaggerated mwah of an air kiss. “You get first dibs.”[break][break]
He held up the ring box and popped it open, holding it out as he waited for Rook to slap the lid closed. All of the words immediately fell out of his head, though, so the first thing out of his mouth with a goofy, grinning, “Hi.”

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"Cold like this always makes me want icecream." He admitted, as he seemed to more often eat icecream in the winter than any other time. The trip back was quick enough that Lam likely wasn't going to complain too much. By that point, even Rook was looking forward to get back. The lights were nice, but he could also watch his standard shows on television, which showed a hundred lit houses. Not to mention, that meant he could eat pizza and drink hot cocoa.

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The pizza was stupidly cute. In a way, it was very Lam and he loved him for his goofiness. It hadn't been a long time since he'd taken the leap to transition to vegetarian, but Lam made it easy with the fun foods from time to time. "Yeah sure," He took the box, helping himself to a few spare toppings that had fallen off into the box. Lam hopefully wouldn't mind the topping thievery.

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"Don't mind if I do." He snickered.

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He flicked the box back down, not wanting the pizza to get unnecessarily cold. Only to find Lam kneeling down. "What are you doing?" He laughed, somewhat uncomfortable.

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His mind blanked as he stared at the ring in the box. "Lam?" He squeaked.

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“You’re a madman,” he teased, shaking his head at the idea of ice cream in the middle of winter. “Completely off your rocker with that one.” By that point, his impulsivity had set into motion, but for a moment, he sort of just watched Rook while he wasn’t looking. Completely mundane, everyday sort of behavior as he took the box and picked at the toppings. The way he snickered, playful and entertained, before he noticed what Lam was up to. Effortlessly wrapping Lam further around his finger without even trying.[break][break]

That was what every day felt like. This was his every day. Forever.[break][break]

Even the way he shuffled nervously in reaction made Lam smile–despite the fact that he was realizing that there was no backing out and replanning this now. His stomach dropped but he powered through it.[break][break]

“Surprise?” he replied, the box cradled in his hands as he peered up at Rook’s bewildered expression. “Sorry, I should’ve waited until you put the pizza box down, or when I got closer to the tree. But I already lost my cool once out there when I was actually supposed to do it.”

Hopefully that would make his bizarre behavior outside make more sense.[break][break]

“Just bear with me a second, ‘cause I’m probably gonna ramble like an idiot, and sound really dumb. Well, more than I already have.” he started, unable to help the scoff or laughter or the grin tugging at his mouth at the way Rook squeaked his name out.[break][break]

He shifted on his knee, holding up the box and cracking it open with his thumb. A matching set of white gold rings were nested inside, snug against each other. One with a simple emerald stone embedded flush with the curve of the ring. It wasn’t anything fancy, but he still wasn’t totally used to being able to even afford stuff like this. Inside each, their silly petnames for one another were scrawled into the bands.[break][break]

Lam let out a breath, and looked back up at him. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, figuring out what I’m supposed to say for something like this. I’m not really all that good with words like you are, or I can’t really make them all poetic sounding, but you're my best friend, y’know? Which is kinda funny to think about considering you were trying to rob my boss when we met.” His nose wrinkled.[break][break]

“But he deserved it. And I’m glad you asked me out again after, because reluctantly agreeing to get embarrassingly hammered on a couple pina coladas in front of you was weirdly one of the best decisions I could’ve made. I love you, I love everything about you. You’re dramatic and exaggerative and ridiculous. You’re also compassionate and protective and comforting. And I love it all. You make me better, and I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else–I don’t even want to.[break][break]

I only care about your face being the first thing I see every morning. I want our stupid jokes, and our routines, and our staple takeout dates.I want my life to be your life, and I want it to be our family. I just want you.”[break][break]

“And I know this is super cheesy and dumb to be doing on Christmas Eve, but it’s too late now, and I’ve already said a bunch of really corny things, so..” Lam put on his best, most goofy charming smile, “Marry me, Rookidee?”

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It felt like his brain had quit working, there was a loose wire or a bad connector. He could hardly even stand to breath or function normally. His legs felt jellified. Every working part of his brain stalled, even though he knew exactly what was going on. It wasn't as if he himself hadn't thought about doing it. Of course, he put it off as bad timing or some other lame excuse. He'd never would have expected Lam to be the one to propose first. Not that Lam was lacking in any regard, but he could be a little slow in his romantic gestures. Luckily, Rook made up for that tenfold in sheer dramatics.
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He nearly dropped the pizza in his surprise, managing to cling onto it with a white-knuckled grip that nearly flattened the cardboard beneath his fingertips.
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"Just bear with me a second."
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"Yes," The word flew out of his mouth before he could even process the vocalization. Of course, it was ill-timed. Lam had an entire speech ready to go, but Rook had never been quite this impatient to answer. As if it had ever been a question of course. With every ounce of grit in his body, he remained patient. Even though the answer was already out there with any sense of dramatic tension. Lam never had anything to worry about from him.
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Every word melted him slowly. Until he imagined that, without physics, he would be no more than a puddle on the ground making their pizza soggy. His heart beat and his lungs twisted up and butterfree fluttered in his chest. He'd never been more certain of anything in his life. Of course, he had his own personal doubts, that couldn't be helped. Surely, Lam would be happier with someone else, someone with their life together.
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He swallowed up selfish doubts, "Yes, of course, Lam. Yes." He could feel the prickle of tears and batted them back with his hands. "It's not cheesy at all, it's perfect. You're perfect and I love you. Now stand up so I can kiss you."

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Yes.[break][break]
The word seemed to fly out of Rook’s mouth without any prompting of Lam’s own. Green eyes flit up to him, and he had to stifle the laugh that threatened to creep up and dismantle all of the words he’d hemmed and hawed over being just right. He carried on, even as something sheepish crept into his expression. All too quickly, he was impatient with himself. It all had to come out, though. Every bit of it, because he meant these words.[break][break]
More than he’d ever meant anything he’d ever said before, up to that moment.[break][break]
There wasn’t any sort of hesitation in the question itself, no matter his earlier anxiety over asking. To Lam, there was no one else he would’ve considered asking a question like this to. He was his happiest when he was with Rook, there was no one but him who could steady him and soothe his panic. No one who could make him laugh so hard his ribs hurt, or make him smile upon waking (a feat, given that Lam was notoriously not a morning person.)[break][break]
“Yeah? Yes?” he echoed dumbly, heart thumping as it set in. He pulled himself up from the floor, nerves buzzing with sudden excitement. Everything in him was buoyant, threatening to carry him up to the ceiling on that high. Lam scooted to the side, allowing him to slide an arm around Rook’s waist without bumping into the pizza box. No hesitation as he leaned up to kiss Rook, stupid big smile plastered to his face.[break][break]
“Here.” Lam untangled and took the pizza, trotting it to the counter before he was back at his boyfriend’s—no, fiancé’s side. He pulled out the ring box again, wiggling one of the two rings loose so that he could take Rook’s hand and slide it onto his ring finger. “Perfect fit,” he observed, obviously pleased with his work before he looked up at the other again, offering Rook the box for the chance to do the same with the other ring.[break][break]
“I thought my heart was gonna fall into my stomach,” he laughed. It was stupid, of course. In hindsight, he wasn’t sure why he’d been so worried in the first place. “Guess it was worth it for the surprise on your face.” Lam pressed another kiss to his lips. “I love you,” he repeated, dopey soft and thrilled.

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As if it had ever been a question. The answer was always going to be yes, in every universe and every situation. There was no reality where Rook wouldn't say yes to Lam. Even though he felt, in that moment, quite dizzy. He was reeling a little with everything that just happened, almost as if he needed a seat. He steeled himself though, forcing himself to find his equilibrium.
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Even then it felt like a dream. He felt like he wasn't sure anymore if this even was reality. Not long ago, he'd been nobody and nothing to anyone. No one had wanted him and then Lam fell into his life. Or, rather, he fell into Lam's. If theft could be called fate, there was no greater example of that.
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Lam slipped away to place the pizza aside and he took the opportunity to compose himself, even if every atom in his body was feeling the distance between them in that second. It felt like he forgot how to exist on his own in that second. His heart thudded against his chest as a ring slotted onto his finger. "Oh Lam, it's perfect." Then again, Lam could have tied a broken rubberband on his finger and he still would have swooned.
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"Why? Did you think I'd say no?" He beamed at that, knowing it wasn't possible. His hands whipped out to grab Lam's. "I love you more." He giggled, knowing it would only provoke Lam to respond in turn until it turned into a competition. He kissed him harder before he had the chance.

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Lam grinned, unwilling to let his eyes drift anywhere away from Rook. “Yeah?” He chewed his lip, playful tease creeping up. “Thought about using ringpops, but then I figured those wouldn’t last long, so I went with the next best thing.” He was quite proud of his choice in the matching set, though, really.[break][break]
His nose scrunched up “No, of course not,” he answered immediately, “though, I dunno. I guess I didn’t know what you’d say, or if it’d be not what you were expecting, or… I dunno. It was just nerve wracking!” he tried to justify his silly anxieties, laughter spilling between his words and the stupid big smile stuck to his mouth.
He could’ve floated up to the ceiling, he thought, if Rook hadn’t tethered him with the hands that curled around his. Instinctively, he squeezed them back. True to Rook’s guess, his mouth opened to argue that that was not, in fact, possible because he loved him even more. But before he could get a word in edgewise, lips crashed into his and Lam was fully distracted by the heart pounding rush it brought.[break][break]
Eagerly, he pressed back, exhilaration mingling with contentment as it curled tight around his bones. Hoenn was a tumultuous place to be. The more enmeshed he became in the strata of gym leadership and responsibility, the more uncertain he felt about his place amid all of it. But if there was ever a thing he felt certain of, it was this. Of Rook and his ability to bring him back down to earth, remind him of who he was, who they were.[break][break]
There was no one more important, nothing that could ever take precedence. Strip away all the rest, and it wouldn’t matter. He would be supremely, undeniably happy with just this. Just him. The wily little thief who’d snuck into his life and stolen more of him in one night than he’d probably realized. He hadn’t actually left empty handed that night, not really. He’d had a piece of Lam, even then.[break][break]
Always had. Always would.[break][break]
One of his hands slipped free, crawling up to cup the back of Rook’s neck. His thumb flirted along the line of his jaw. Even when he retreated, he was reluctant to. Emphasizing that fact with shorter follow-up kisses–despite being the one to come up for air first, before leaning their foreheads together. Any lack of contact was too much just then. “Got another surprise for you, if you want.” A breathless laugh followed. “Orrrr it can wait.”

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"Well I mean, it was far from what I was expecting, but it's sweet. You're sweet. I love you." He sighed, feeling like he was on cloud nine. This didn't feel real. He felt like maybe he should pinch himself, but he didn't want to threaten this reality. If he was to spontaneously wake and this moment prove illusory, he wasn't sure what he'd do.
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Admittedly, it was unexpected because Lam wasn't exactly the most romantic guy in the world. He had his moments, clearly. But for the most part, Rook was fine with being the one to provide the romantic moves in the pair. To have Lam be the one to surprise him with a proposal was beyond perfect. "You know, it's funny though cause I thought I was gonna be the one to ask. Even considered looking for rings, myself."
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He'd been too slow, but that wasn't a sour thing. Especially not now.
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"Another surprise??"

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Lam gifted him with another swift kiss. “What would you have expected?” he asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. “I love you too.” It wasn’t any surprise that of the two of them, he was less adept at big gestures. But for once, he felt a bit proud of himself.[break][break]
He’d kept it a surprise (extra difficult for him,) and he’d managed to throw Rook for a loop. He’d take the win, because yeah, he could acknowledge that he was worse with the big, romantic stuff. “Yeah? Well look at me, beating you to the punch,” he laughed, “Though it would’ve been pretty funny if we’d somehow managed to spring it on each other.”[break][break]
If anything, this just proved they were on the same wavelength.[break][break]
“Just a little one,” he replied, shuffling them from the hallway and into their living room where the tree actually was. If he hadn’t been so impatient and panicked in the heat of the moment, maybe he could’ve, y’know, actually proposed under it.[break][break]
But he wasn’t about to do a whole re-do of the ultra mushy speech he’d just given. Already, he was replaying it in his head and cringing at himself a little for how cheesy he’d been, but Rook was thrilled with it. And that was all that mattered.[break][break]
Untangling himself, he stooped to snag a small box from where he’d tucked it under the branches the night prior. “For you.” He presented it with a little flourish, excited for the other to see the love ball tucked inside.[break][break]
He’d actually become pretty fond of the bright, raspberry pink stunky in the last few months he’d been caring for her. She had a far sweeter, mellower nature than his own stunky had. Plus, her fur was far from coarse like a typical stunky’s. She really liked being brushed.[break][break]
But he withheld any commentary, waiting for Rook to actually find what was inside.

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