Archive of Our Own ^beta

Helen knew something was different as soon as she saw John, because he was nervous and unsure, which was a little unusual. Her father lurks outside the door, as if he is now suddenly concerned with the virtue of his spinster daughter.

John offers her a worn book of soft leather and she immediately sees that the title is the one that she has been looking for, the one that is impossible to find except on shelves men do not like to share.

She knows she lights up when she takes it and runs her fingers over the leather and John smiles at her, hopeful and happy.

Helen knows the question he is asking before he even asks and she can barely stop herself from agreeing before he has even finished. The fact that he has chosen a book over the traditional gifts makes this more sincere than any words ever could have.

She has to restrain herself even when he has asked, but the smile he gives her matches the joy in her chest and that is more than she could have ever hoped for.

James is not sure how to respond when Helen offers the gift, that smile he loves so much on her face. He's both thrilled and shocked, momentarily. But he reminds himself that this is Helen and flouting social protocols in ingrained in her being. He's mostly concerned with the fact that she was able to read so well what he thought he was hiding.

Helen is now downright grinning at him as he stalls for time to look down at the pocket watch in his hand, one that she's obviously had made just for him and he hasn't even looked at the inscription on the inside of the lid.

He swallows and smiles, emotions churning in his gut in a not unpleasant way, his chest plate gently whirring as it adjusts to his now pounding-with-excitement-and-hope heart. He never would have asked this of her, no matter how much he's imagined it, and she's done them both an immense favor in this.

He takes the time to properly put the watch through the buttonhole and slide it into his pocket to show his official acceptance of the gift before he takes Helen's hand and allows her to kiss him before he kisses her back.

The flowers are lovely and quite a large bouquet, even though they are simple. They're bright and happy looking and Jeanette looks up to the face of the man above them, which is bright but nervous at the same time.

He's given her a speech--stammering and rambling the whole time and making her smile, because he cited his age like it makes him different from any other man when it doesn't. She thinks it rather nice that he doesn't even realize it.

She looks back to the bouquet, touched by the offering, touched by how traditional it is, and the fact that it's very clear that Nigel has painstakingly put it together himself and tied it with a ribbon.

She gives him a smile and accepts the flowers in one hand, squeezing his now empty ones with the other as his face lights up to match how she's feeling inside.

The stone in her hand speaks volumes, the careful carving of a flower that she has never seen before even more so.

It has been done with precision and care and the fact that it has been done for her rocks Ranna to her core, because no one has ever bothered. No one who she would ever consider has ever offered, let alone made this sort of effort.

He tells her that it can mean whatever she wants it to mean and he will not be hurt by her choice. It has been a very long time since anyone has cared about what she wants and the fact that she has more power in this than she does over her entire city sits oddly but thrills her.

The city is supposed to come first. Not what she wants. But now Gregory, her friend, is offering her something that she hasn't realized how desperately she wants until he asked the question.

She closes her fingers over the carving and says yes, because for once in her life, she wants to be selfish.

She nearly laughs when Will offers the gift to her, because it seems almost stupid, especially with everything that's going on.

And apparently he talked to Magnus about it, somewhere in there, because there's no way that he did this on his own and for some reason it makes Clara feel warm inside in a way she's never felt to know that he did that for her.

Her father never courted her mother and no one ever courted her. All she has is stories of her grandparents and the love that they shared with each other, the love she came from but never saw.

But here Will is, earnestly offering her flowers that have clearly been carefully selected and probably have some stupid meaning, and it makes her think that maybe she is worthy of this after all, that she isn't as invisible as she feels like she is.

She takes the flowers, grinning despite herself, thinking that maybe things have actually gone right for once.

She smelled the blood before Henry had revealed his gift, but she had no idea what he was doing and is flattered and thrilled when he offers the wrapped paper to her.

Erika nearly tears up when she unwraps the meat, freshly slaughtered and a choice piece. She may not know what it is to be a HAP, but she remembers the stories from when her parents were alive, and a gift of meat is the traditional gift of their kind.

Usually, the one offering would go hunting and bring back a whole kill, but she would never expect that of Henry and the fact that he even went this far makes her fling her arms around him and kiss him harder than she's kissed him before.

He is offering more than courtship, he is offering the chance for them to figure out what they are together and that is worth even more and she kisses him again just for that.

Abby has to laugh at Will's awkwardness and flushing when he plonks the plant down and makes his offer. Not because she's rejecting him, but because she finds it cute and there's something endearing about him being so tongue tied.

He tells her that she can keep it either way, but he wanted to ask her and she fully agrees that the earlier he asks the better, because it would be weird for it to go from fun fling to suddenly courting.

It's a nice plant and he's wrapped a big ribbon around the pot and she's touched at the fact that it will last and she can use it instead of having to watch it die in a few days and throw it out.

She picks it up, grinning and teasing, and asks if he trusts her with keeping it alive, shutting him up with a kiss before he can even get the answer out.

All Kate can think as she holds the definitely different necklace, is that at least this is clearly a courting gift. She had thought, when she had gone underground, that she might have not realized that the first one was from the whispers she heard.

Garris laughed and told her that it only was one if he had asked the question and she accepted, and neither of those things happened, so she was in the clear. She hadn't even known they had those traditions in Hollow Earth, let alone in abnormal clans.

He tells her that it's fine that she liked a pretty stone and now he's offering her another one and asking the question, eyes earnest as she studies it.

And damn it, she wants to see what this might be like, because he's nice and interesting and no one has ever offered, let alone asked, they've just taken and left her behind once they've used her.

He's the first one to ask.

He's the first one she would even consider saying yes to.

The feather is simple and definitely not traditional and Helen listens as Nikola makes a little speech, keeping her eyes on the feather.

She has been expecting it, to be quite honest. She knew that the kiss would open things if she survived and now she has to face the fact that she opened that door.

She's not opposed to it and that scares her a bit. She doesn't know if she wants forever with Nikola. But she certainly wants now with him and perhaps that is worth seeing what will happen.

Taking a breath, she reaches forward and plucks the feather from his fingers.