[BONUS] RINGS

[Bonus chapter courtesy of Fire2112 (aka Firemonster) <3 6/6]

Aina felt as though time had come to a stop. She had waited so long to hear these words, and they had come so unexpectedly that they hit her like a speeding truck.

Her golden eyes misted over, and her lips trembled. It was taking everything she had to not start an ugly sort of sobbing fit. She didn't want Leonel to see that.

But the longer she tried not to cry, the more time the silence lingered.

And yet, Leonel just lay there on her lap, a bright smile on his face.

He had thought about waiting for a grand occasion, maybe after he had accomplished some amazing feat or maybe after he had eliminated some powerful enemy.

But when he really thought about it, it felt like that tranquil confidence taking control again. He was confident that Aina would always stay by his side, so why rush? He was confident that he'd be at the center of grand feat after grand feat, so why be in a hurry to choose which one of them to propose in?

His mind could think millions of thoughts a second. The number of venues, variations, methods he had thought of just to ask this seemingly simple question were endless.

He could probably construct the marriage proposal heard around the world if he really wanted to. But he had thought of thousands of ways to do exactly that.

He was too obsessed with showy displays, and when that was matched with obsessing over being in control of every detail of every little thing, it manifested in the worst of ways.

He threw himself into life and death situations he should have had no part in; he confessed to the woman he liked in front of wide stairs in front of as many eyes as possible, and he ignored his best friend's plight and decided on cracked ribs instead of throwing a game that was ultimately meaningless to him.

So this time... he threw all of that out of the window.

"Yes..."

The word was so soft and nondescript that even with Leonel's current body, he almost couldn't hear it at all.

"What was that? I can't hear you." Leonel said with an even wider grin.

The tears Aina was trying so hard to hold back unleashed like a torrent.

"Leonel Morales! So help me god, if you make me ugly cry on my wedding day, I will cut it off!"

Aina's crying became somewhat hysterical as she grabbed Leonel's face, not caring as she mixed in her salty tears with the taste of his lips. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Leonel laughed, letting his wife cup his cheeks and assault him with her affection.

The fact Aina called this her wedding day told Leonel all he needed to know. She never cared about the proposal or a fancy wedding; she just wanted to hear those words come out of his mouth.

To her, those ceremonies were unnecessary; she hadn't even asked for a ring.

Leonel pulled himself up through Aina's avalanche of kisses, pushing her down onto the soft grass.

Cupping his face, she finally pulled away. She looked like a mess, her eyes barely able to remain open through her tears. Even so, everything about her expression spilled over with love. She couldn't have roared it any louder.

"I love you, Leonel," she said softly.

"I love you... Aina Morales," Leonel replied, his smile gentle and his gaze maybe more protective than it had ever been.

They stayed like this for a while, each one seemingly trying to memorize the face of the other, the memories enraptured by the moment.

"Hurry up and consummate me," Aina suddenly said, her hips doing a little wiggle. She laughed and giggled as more tears seemed to come from nowhere.

"I don't think that's how you use that word," Leonel laughed.

"This is my day; this has nothing to do with you. I can use any word however I like, thank you very much."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Their clothes became nothing but a distant memory. They intertwined in every way they could, their hands, their tongues, even Aina's legs around his waist.

It was maybe the simplest sex position they had used in a long while, and yet neither of them seemed eager to try something new.

They simply felt every inch of one another, basked in every scent, every sensation. They didn't even want to come up for air.

Aina's soul seemed to move on its own.

Leonel's own consciousness was blurry and he wasn't sure what was happening, and knowing Aina's ability, she probably wasn't conscious of it either. She was lost in her own world... no, their world, feeling Leonel slowly rub every inch there was inside of her.

Even so, Leonel opened himself up to Aina entirely. And in that moment, they were connected not just in body but in soul.

Wise Star Order had told Leonel long ago about what it felt like to be so intertwined with a Spiritual. He had said sex with the soul was the greatest feeling, so much so that the normal thing might never feel the same again.

But while this was common for a pair of Spirituals, for humans, it was much less casual and far more dangerous.

However, when it was between a pair of people with all the mutual trust in the world, none of it seemed to matter.

Leonel ignored the calculations, ignored the memories aside from this one right here, ignored thoughts on what this might mean.

His hands, his tongue, his cock... his soul, were all bonded with the only woman he had ever loved... the only woman he would ever love...

And it was the sort of feeling that was better than any victory he had ever claimed, any enemy he had ever conquered.

At that moment, they seemed to lock into one.

Their left hands suddenly began to radiate a gentle light.

Delicate runes were slowly engraved on their fourth fingers... Aina's like a vine of roses and Leonel's like a ring of black and red.