don't let me drown

ever since their magical engagement, all hermione had in the forefront of their mind was wedding planning. a stringent type a person, they were hellbent on this being the biggest event of the millennium—even if they were still three years off. collecting books, magazines, and old vision boards from their teen years had become paramount in their organization process. all over their perfect pink apartment were scatterings of torn out and crumpled up papers; sketches for their wedding dress, which they were planning on ethically sourcing from a small business and customizing to fit their personal taste; scribblings of the dinner and dessert menus; and sketches of what the bouquets made by say say's delicate hand would look like. with a little over a month left, hermione didn't let anything else impede their train of thought. this was the most important day of their lives, so, naturally, they were wholeheartedly dedicated to making it flawless.

Like most important dates usually did, Anni felt as though the wedding had snuck up on them--but certainly not in a bad way. Honestly, perhaps if they weren't so married to the aesthetic (pun very much intended), they would've already marched down to the courthouse and tied the knot--they were quite anxious to officially and lovingly refer to the other as their wife. That being said, she could appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that Hermione had put in to making their special day just right. Anni had personally choreographed their dance and they'd been spending time in the studio once a week practicing. She knew that her lover was a bit worried about being up to the task of dancing so she'd promised that she'd do all the work on that end--all Hermione had to do was a simple foxtrot (which sounded much more complicated than it actually was) and look beautiful, which was quite an easy feat for them. Anni had promised to handle all of the spins and step-outs and everything else. While couple dancing certainly wasn't her forte, she'd taken what she'd learned from her years and years of ballet and was no applying it to one of the most memorable dances she'd ever do. There was also the question about first dances, though she wasn't sure how to go about that just yet. Personally, she wanted to share a dance with her mother, but not if Hermione didn't want to dance with someone equally important to them. The last thing she wanted was to remind her wife-to-be of their family's absence. Though it was certainly not the same as having your own family there, Anni did hope that her fiancé felt embraced and welcomed by the large Adler family. They could be a found family, a chosen family of sorts--at least, that's how she hoped Hermione viewed it.

The menu was very important and thankfully, this sort of conversation didn't make her feel nearly as anxious as it might have a few years ago. Still, she knew that her fiancé could be a bit picky, as well as a tad bougie, so it was important that they picked something that they both liked but was also appealing to their guests. Smiling, she said "We can absolutely seafood--what were you thinking?" To be fair, something like lobster might be a little expensive... Then again, if they had their guests order their food ahead of time, they could know exactly how much they needed. "I don't think anyone in my family is allergic to seafood--at least, I'm pretty sure they're not. But we should provide a non-seafood option, just in case one of our guests is allergic to seafood, or even if they just don't like it. Not everyone can have as classy taste as you, love," she said with a light chuckle, playfully teasing of course. "Maybe something like chicken? But that doesn't mean that we'd have to eat it. We can eat whatever we want--we are the brides, after all," she smiled. God, she loved the sound of that. Though she hoped no one else at their wedding would have to deal with anxiety around food, she knew what it felt like to panic about food, especially when one's options were limited. Chicken was a good neutral, she thought.

Though Ava was far from a model student during her high school years, a passing stranger would have never known it, from the sight of the massive binder on the table in front of her. Paired with the fuzzy pink pouch full of pencils and highlighters, anyone that didn't know the blonde well would think that she'd chosen the mall for an impromptu study session with her sister, just two studious young people preparing for a big test. But though she and Anni were doing just that, steeling themselves for the months of preparation ahead of them, the book in front of her wasn't full of academic materials. Ever since she and Anni came home with news of respective engagements, the discarded old binder from her childhood had transformed into a book of ideas, as the two prepared to plan their weddings, just months apart from each other. Flipping to a section with various color schemes, Ava tilted her head in thought, sparing a glance up at her sister.

"Have you and Mione settled on a color story yet? Dina and I have such different tastes. I'm wondering if we should fully embrace it, go all in on the pastels and black, or settle for something in the middle... like a jewel tone or something." Halting the conversation about their nuptials for a moment, the blonde couldn't help the wide, toothy grin automatically blooming across her painted lips. Wedding planning with Anni brought out a childlike joy in the hairdresser. It reminded her of all the fun the two of them used to have as little kids playing pretend and having tea parties, before their lives as pre-teens were colored with so much grief and anger. It was nice to know that they still had the capacity for such youthful mirth, even with all the dark days that littered their past. "You and me getting married in the same year... it's kinda the dream, right? At least, it used to be, when we were little," Ava mused, her heart swelling at the mere thought of those two innocent and carefree siblings, not by blood, but by tremendous luck. How far they had both come since then.

Anni couldn't feel happier if she tried--it was a rather new feeling and something that she was still getting used to but she just felt so grateful as of late. To think that years ago, when they were little girls, they’d dreamt about their wedding day and what it would be like. But after all that they’d been through as a family, there had been many a time where the dancer had all but given up on that dream. For so long, it had seemed so silly and trivial—mostly because Anni had so much else to worry about. But now here she was, sitting with Ava, planning both of their weddings. It was a dream, honestly. Frankly, she’d been rather impressed with her sister’s organization. Between her and her fiancé, it was Hermione that was taking the lead on planning but Anni was trying to do her part.

When Ava asked about the color scheme, she chucked and asked “A color story?… Is that what it’s called?” She thought about it for a moment and while she and Hermione hadn’t chosen a specific color—or rather, shade—she had a pretty good feeling as to what the answer was. “Technically, we haven’t talked about it yet but I can say with almost 100% certainty that it’ll be light pink.” Thinking about her sister’s conundrum, she was secretly thankful that she and Hermione seemed to have such similar tastes. “Hmmm…. I think a jewel tone would be really pretty, like purple or green. That’d be really pretty in fall,” she smiled. She smiled at her sister’s words. “I know, I can’t believe it. I’m so glad that we get to have this experience together.”

it was all a dream hermione prayed with every ounce of their nonreligious body would never end. they couldn't have pictured it going any smoother, any more perfect—it was the beginning of forever, after all. it was supposed to dethrone any other major accomplishment hermione had achieved; and they could certainly say being given the gift of knowing and loving anni adler had been the biggest accomplishment in life they could've strived for. who had known, all this time, their soulmate was waiting across the way for them to find her? it almost made them bitter toward the years before anni, when they had zero inclination to believe someone like her even existed, let alone would pay them the time of day. they had more confidence than most when it concerned their career and personal tastes, but besides that, they had always struggled with fitting in and feeling accepted for who they truly were. anni didn't flinch at any part of hermione, which was more confirmation than anything else that she was the one. "of course she knew. she helped me with the ring, actually. i thought i could use some insight from someone with similarly impeccable taste as us," giggles weren't spared on this occasion, where it felt like hermione couldn't contain the golden joy that glowed from their already blushing cheeks. that was another thing: while hard times came and persisted, one thing that never failed to pull hermione away from the pent up frustration and miscommunicated words was anni's uncanny ability to cheer them. but in a moment like this, angst couldn't have been further away from touching their sphere of existence. "let's call them as soon as we wake up. i wanna soak up all the alone time i can with you before everyone starts running around like chickens with their heads cut off planning the wedding."

She couldn't help but let out a giggle when Mione confirmed that in fact, Say Say had apparently known all along--though, it didn't surprise her. Say Say was excellent at keeping secrets, and not in any sort of bad way but in the best way. After all, that's why if one ever wanted to plan a surprise party for one of their siblings--or any party, really--one should go to Dalisay. "Well, you two did an excellent job," she said, beaming down at her gorgeous ring. "It's perfect." Once again looking at her fiancé, she smiled and said "It's just all so perfect." As much as she wanted to call her family, it was pretty late and Hermione made a good point--this was their private time as a couple, before things got all hectic and chaotic. This was their time to share and frankly, Anni intended on using every last bit of it to her benefit. "Then you've got it--whatever you want. We'll call them after breakfast." Leading her into the bedroom, she lead Mione to the bed and motioned for them to take a seat. Leaning down to whisper in their ear, she smiled and said "I will be right back..."

Traipsing over to the sofa at Anni's behest, he plopped himself down, stretching awkwardly when it afflicted him with a whole-body ache that he had been stewing on for the past few months. He'd assumed it was a relic of the chronic stomach issues that had torn him asunder for years, that perhaps the spasms were hewn to him now. Reading too deeply into the matter didn't seem wise, as he didn't want to pile on Stella's worries over something that was likely frivolous, nothing to be done about it. The tea was left untouched on his end of the table for the moment, propping an arm on the rest and he frowned. "What's this about?" he pressed the former dancer, needling for answers in the way that was their typical push-and-pull ever since their brother had passed, "I don't got any reason to think the mob wants to come after my family right now... I guess we're... kinda on okay terms." The Weiss family notwithstanding, but it sounded as if they had bigger problems to fucking deal with since the papers said that Romi had split. There had been a single phone call from the blonde now ex-heiress thus far, and they'd met up at the NA meeting, and topic exchange was notably closed-off. It wasn't exactly the kind of space to talk about that kind of thing. Plus, as open as his position in an MC was, he wasn't keen on making anyone in the meetings antsy of his presence.

When her brother confirmed that, as far as he knew, the mob ideally shouldn't be coming after his family, she nodded, though she still felt a little unsure. Their mother's previous line of work also crossed her mind for a brief moment but that had all been so long ago. Surely, the powers that be weren't coming after the Adler children. But if not that, then...what? Why had she been made that target of that...warning? Threat? Scare tactic? It was more than a prank--it was a severed head, after all. Besides, it's not like she knew much about the mob herself. She knew that Cy was...sort of friends with Romi Weiss but did that even matter at this point? The last she'd heard, the blonde had been essentially kicked out of the 'royal' family, never to return. So her main question returned to the forefront of her mind: why?

You never got to read the note? Shaking her gingerly, she said "No, I didn't... I guess I should've but I was way too scared to touch it and someone was coming when we'd first...discovered it." Well, really, she'd been called back to the studio by her frightened friend but that was besides the point. When he asked what had become of the head, she felt a shiver go down her spine and she had to give a small shake of her head to fully let it go. "Uh... We got rid of it..." she said, her voice small, not wanting to relive the moment. "We put in a dumpster in an alley a few blocks down from the studio... I know it's awful, but... What was the alternative? To get caught with a severed head in my locker?... It felt like I was screwed either way, so... I got rid of it." And it had haunted her ever since. She wanted to try her best to focus on wedding dresses and cake but even now, she was still waking up in the middle of the night with the gruesome image in her mind, just as clear as the day that it had happened.

The rodeo always brought in a huge crowd to the Cupid's Arrow. Wolfgang was celebrating his third year of working at the bar, and regulars, friends, and co-workers had all turned out to celebrate. While usually a server, floating around the bar, the owners had him stationed behind bar tonight, dishing out the signature drink - the rodeo clown - as a guest tender. Wolf had dressed the part, more or less; he was wearing his brown boots, a pair of dark blue jeans, a matching cowboy hat, and - of course - a brown leather harness across his otherwise bare chest.

The bar was packed, the music was high and energetic, and a large, muscle-bound bartender named Spike was waving from his seat in the dunk tank. Wolf looked up as another patron approached him at the bar. "Why, hello there!" he said with a bright smile. "Happy rodeo days. Can I get you anything? If you get a 'rodeo clown,' you get to ring the bell. But I won't tell you what's in the drink or what happens when you ring the bell."

Anni and her lovely fiancé had decided to partake in the festivities and they'd made their way down to Cupid's Arrow. The dancer had been sent to the bar to get a couple of drinks for the two of them and naturally, she was looking forward to being back at Hermione's side in no time. When she got to the bar, she appreciated the kind smile from the bartender on the other side. It sounded silly but bars made her nervous--the bartenders always seemed so busy and she hated bothering them. So when he happily spoke to her, she felt a little flood of relief and she even smiled when he mentioned their signature drink. However, when he mentioned that something happened when she rung the bell, she felt unsure. She was certain it was nothing insidious, of course, but something made her worry about the dunk tank that they currently had running and she had a bad feeling about it. The last thing she wanted was to be embarrassed and get her light pink dress soaking wet.

He stared at her for a moment, then narrowed his eyes in mock expression. “August? Are you planning for the wedding?” It was a far throw, but Sunny loved weddings, and he made it his personal mission to be of use or at least be as enthusiastic as could be when friends had them.

The Weiss wedding had been anything but fantastic, and his date had not been amused that Sunny had graced the dancefloor multiple times with random people. He needed a better wedding.

They gave a small smile when they recognized the familiar face--it was Sunny, their neighbor. Still, though, when he said that he was specifically looking for them and that he'd seen them leave, it made them the tiniest bit nervous, though they tried to tell themselves that they had nothing to fear. Sunny was pretty nice, after all. "Oh... Uh... I'm starting to think about florals for the wedding... Honestly, I don't really have much of a vision but I just know I want them to be pretty..." It was really vague but really, it was Hermione that had the grand vision of what they wanted their wedding to look like.

They nodded when he confirmed that they were here for wedding purposes. "Yeah. I know it's only May but August will be here before I know it so I'm trying to get ahead of everything we need to do before then." To be quite frank, Anni didn't really know much about weddings at all. After all, they'd only been to two: Cyrek and Stella's and their mother's wedding, a few years back. It wasn't until they dove headfirst into wedding planning with their fiancé that they realized there were so many teeny tiny details to attend to and on top of that, the dancer was notoriously bad at making decisions. Thankfully, Hermione already had a pretty good idea of what they wanted and Anni was more than happy to let them take the reigns and support them wherever they could--hence why they were here, struggling to pick out flowers.

A small smile appears on her face as she comes across sunflowers. The year they planted them and the seeds fell, the following summer the stalks taking over the vegetable garden with fury, her mother's panic as she tried to uproot them and pawn the new growth off onto neighbors. Sophia did not pick those ones, they would not dry well, but it made her smile nonetheless. She's browsing through the lillies, trying not to crowd at the gal staring empty at the buckets of peonies next to her.

At her words, she shakes her head, selecting some of her own stems and putting them in her bucket. "No need to apologies, I didn't say anything." She takes a moment, pondering the others question. "Sunflowers... Hydrangeas... Uhm.. God what is the name..." She pinches her eyes closed, trying to remember her mothers garden. "Gladiolus!" She finally beams, smiling once more. "They're beautiful and they have really vibrant color when they're bloomed."

When the redhead confirmed that she hadn't said anything, they felt a flush in their cheeks, a little embarrassed, and they almost muttered 'sorry' again but they resisted the urge to apologize. Everything was fine and just as the stranger had said, there was no need to apologize. Instead, they listened closely as the woman listed off a series of different floral possibilities. With flowers already in her bucket, it was clear that she knew what she was talking about--at least, she knew much more that Anni ever would. Anni wasn't really certain what flowers they wanted for their wedding exactly, they just wanted them to be pretty.

whenever a toast was proposed, hermione sat at attention. their inexplicable happiness could be seen shining in their dark brown eyes and glowing from their glittery pink lips. not only had this gone off without a hitch, but the happy ending that came after had instilled a new sense of confidence within the young seamstress. if they could do this, convince the most beautiful, breathtaking woman on the planet to marry them, then they could do just about anything else they set their mind to. it was still so surreal; after so much war they endured in their lifetime, now, it felt like a time of peace and healing was upon them. it was well-deserved, in their humble opinion. and if not for anni, none of it would've ever been possible, so, needless to say they had much to prove that evening whenever they were in the privacy of their own home. but they didn't dwell too much on what came next, only relishing the moment they were sharing and the sweet speech proclaimed by anni. "here's to us," they echoed after accepting the glass, then indulged in a sip of the almost sickeningly sweet liquid heaven. "i knew you'd love it. it's almost as sweet as you, my dear," as anni expressed her partialness toward hermione's surname, their face lit up. "do you? i can't deny, i've thought about you taking it, too. not that adler is terrible—it's your name after all, which makes it perfect to me—but being darwish-bloods..." they trailed off, unable to wipe the excited smile off their blushing face. "let's not fret too much about it now. now, we get to eat and drink and enjoy the evening. then i get to take you home, my lovely fiancee." the mere thought of calling anni that for the next few months, before the ever so enticing title of wife followed, was enough to invigorate hermione for a lifetime. thankfully enough, they wouldn't have to wait too long for that life to begin, as they had already planned half the wedding out in their head. what could they say? they were a romantic, much less hopeless of one now that they had anni by their side for eternity.

—

Anni smiled wide as Hermione--her fiancée--wrapped her up in their loving arms. On the way home, she'd been thinking about what to do with the name situation. And really, they had more than enough time to figure it out. But she did wonder how her mother might feel about it. Would she care if Anni changed her last name? Then again, her mother wasn't the biggest fan of her father, which was more than justified, so maybe it wouldn't matter too much to her. When Hermione asked if they should call her family, she smiled and her eyebrows shot up in surprise, thinking about how excited her sisters would be to hear the news. "Wait, Reina knew!?" she asked, her shock evident in her voice. "That little sneak," she giggled. Mione wasn't wrong about Ava, either--they were two peas in a pod and lord knows if the blonde had known, no doubt she probably would've spilled it over their weekly tea time, a sisterly ritual that they still stuck to even now. "I'd love to call them!" Especially after nearly a lifetime of keeping secrets from her family, Anni had now tried to go by a strict 'honesty is the best policy' mentality. Really, it was the only way she could do her part to keep the peace, especially when it came to her older brother. It crossed her mind to ask about Hermione's family but...would that ruin their bliss? Anni knew a little about their family situation and she knew that Mione didn't like to talk about it so it's not something that she wanted to push. Still... Did Hermione have anyone they wanted to tell?

Today’s mission, however, deviates from the usual psychological warfare. The plan is to organise thank-you arrangements to be sent to his wedding vendors, which is long overdue and, if he’s being completely honest with himself, something he’s been actively avoiding. He can’t say he’s wanted to acknowledge much of anything connected to the wedding, not when Romi’s speech and the subsequent fallout continue to gnaw at him. He’s never handled embarrassment particularly well, but such large-scale embarrassment is a whole different beast.

He could’ve gotten someone else to handle sending the arrangements on his behalf, but it feels less humiliating, weirdly, to just get it over with by himself. Still, he feels entirely out of place at Petal Pals, hiding behind sunglasses in the hopes of getting the orders handled without being recognised - as if the permanently surly disposition doesn’t give it away. Someone's decision paralysis is the last thing he wants to be dealing with - patience is decidedly not a virtue he possesses, but he refrains from sighing. Barely.

“Decision paralysis?” It’s echoed flatly, no eye-roll necessary to convey how ridiculous he finds the notion. “Over flowers? If choosing flowers is this difficult for you, I worry about what the decision-making in the rest of your life looks like, quite frankly.” A beat passes, and then, slightly less bitter: “Dahlias are good for August. Sunflowers too. It’s hardly complicated - for most people.”

To be fair, many things in Anni's life gave them decision-paralysis--anxiety came with every choice they had to make. It always had. But it didn't really help when she had random strangers chastising her for her indecisiveness. If choosing flowers is this difficult for you, I worry about what the decision-making int he rest of your life looks like, quite frankly. He had a point there. Not that that mad them feel any better. Even though they knew logically that it probably wasn't personal--how could it be? They didn't know this person--they still felt their cheeks grow hot and they fought the urge to bolt for the door entirely.

In a small, defeated voice, they said "They're for my wedding..." Part of them felt like they could burst into tears at any moment but they swallowed the lump in their throat. You're not going to cry over flowers, they told themselves. But really, it wasn't the flowers that was making them nervous. It was the way this man was talking to them, as if their problems were stupid. And perhaps they were. But still, they couldn't help but feel like they were being scolded for some reason. God, they wished Hermione was here right now.

was this a dream? hermione could scarcely believe everything they'd done had lead them right inside the palm of anni's hand. and now, there they sat, holding out their own hand so a ring could be carefully slid onto their finger. it caught the light and dazzled brilliantly, almost as gorgeous as anni herself. honestly, hermione didn't think they could've chosen a better ring for themselves. that only spoke to how deeply and innately their lover knew them. it made them giddy, like they were a little kid again, wishing on every falling star to bring them a frog they could kiss and marry when it transformed. back then, the only things that could understand them and their nature had been all things nonverbal. things that couldn't say something wrong and wound their glass heart. now, older and wiser, their heart was calcified—with a hole drilled in the middle, where anni so sneakily wriggled inside. "i love you more. more than all the stars in the sky," and then some, they thought, accepting each kiss as it was placed upon their lips. really, they could've remained there forever, captured in anni's kiss, blissful and content. but unfortunately, oxygen begged passage to their lungs, and they forced themselves away so they could instead admire the glowing features of their bride. "gosh, you look even more beautiful when you're like this. i'm so glad you're happy. it's all i wanted out of today." they could only predict what the rest of their evening would entail; likely hurrying home, tangling in the sheets, waking up after a full night together and sunbathing until it was time for breakfast, which hermione fully intended on ordering from bed. it sounded perfect, though, they'd have liked to stay in that moment, at that picnic, for as long as they could. make time stretch where it otherwise wouldn't.

"why would i ever laugh at you? it's terribly sweet," hermione insisted, a thumb stroking anni's cheekbone. "i've had your ring for two months. you know me, i'm a planner—i had to make sure all the pieces fit together perfectly before i brought you out here." they wouldn't have settled for any less when it concerned anni. she deserved the world served to her on a silver platter, which is precisely what the young seamstress had in mind when arranging the scene, their speech, and as they painstakingly crafted the ring with the help of a jeweler. "so did i! but i think this is as perfect as it gets, honestly," they said, admiring the ring snug on their left hand with an intense stare. the realization that all of this was happening had finally begun washing over them. they were getting married, they were a bride, too, they would be planning a wedding—with anni! their best friend, their soulmate, their twin star! "we'll be wives! married! mrs. and mrs... uh, what are we going to be called, actually?" they asked with blithe laughter the more they percolated on it. "i suppose we have plenty of time to think about it. but just so you know, i'm okay with whatever you feel comfortable doing. i won't force you take my name—i mean, if you did, i wouldn't protest, but—"

Gosh, you look even more beautiful when you're like this. I'm so glad you're happy. It's all I wanted out of today. The compliment was even more meaningful than Hermione knew and it made Anni smile even wider. Because it was true. She'd spent a lot of her life being unhappy, trying so hard to be perfect, wanting nothing more than to disappear into nothingness. Especially after the death of her brother, the dancer had seen no way forward. How could she? She'd spiraled into self-sabotage, turned her loved ones away, and had let a parasite take over her brain, a parasite that told her she was worthless and ugly and disgusting and unlovable. Things had gotten dark. And they'd stayed dark for a very long time. But then, slowly, with support and hard work, she'd climbed back out of the grave that she'd prematurely dug for herself and started to become a person again. She'd gone to therapy and done the work and had stopped lying to those around her. She'd already been in recovery for a few years when she'd met Hermione. Had the timing been different, had she not gotten the help she'd needed, they might not be here right here, right now, newly engaged and blissfully, stupidly happy. But they were. And she couldn't be more grateful for all the tiny steps that had led them to this very moment.

She giggled when her fiancé admitted that they'd had her ring for two months but honestly, she wasn't the least bit surprised. The seamstress was meticulous and she was certain that they had been extra thorough with as something as major as a proposal. After all, look at this picnic--every single thing was picked out with care and love, right down to the strawberry wine. Smiling, she picked up the bottle of wine and said "I think we should make a toast. A toast to our future." Grabbing one of the glasses next to the bottle, she poured some pink strawberry wine for her love, handed them the glass, and then poured one for herself. Holding up the glass, she searched for just the right words to say. "Here's to...you and I making a life together. May we have many days of love, joy, laughter, and kisses and cuddles to last us our lifetimes!" She gently clinked her glass against Mione's before taking a sip. "Oh my god, this is delicious---it's really perfect," she said with a smile, looking at her partner in awe. When the question of their names came up, she gave it some thought. What would they be called? Hermione's last name was already hyphenated. Were they really going to go by Darwish-Blood-Adler? That was certainly a mouthful. Then again, Adler was technically her father's name, someone that she really didn't care for. Anni Darwish-Blood sort of had a ring to it. "Honestly, I don't know... But I kind of love the idea of taking your name."

laughter bubbled like sodapop from their lips at anni's reply. their relationship had been embellished with moments exactly like the one they were experiencing; endless giggles exchanged in between suggestive quips. it was more than hermione could say from the not-so serious relationships they'd had before. it seemed, back then, the people they involved themselves with weren't too aware of the fact that hermione was more than their differences. they could joke about sex, they could desire others, they could want someone a little too desperately. but anni never second guessed that, and she always welcomed the seamstress' flirty side. it was unprecedented, in truth. for once, they felt like an adult, and not a child playing dress-up with 'real people'. whatever that was supposed to mean. with anni, they were their full, uncensored self, something they treasured above all else.

their speech had prompted a spike in their heart rate, in truth. do not hook them up to a machine—the sheer force of their blood pressure would destroy it. though they could predict the outcome, that didn't stop the obsessive, irrational thoughts wondering if it would go as planned. still, they persevered, ignoring all the high-pitched screaming and combative voices in their head that insisted the fairytale couldn't last forever. no, it could. it would. hermione willed it so, and she knew anni did as well. they were soulmates, it was kismet, it was everything they'd dreamed of and more. nothing could ruin this moment; this was their time, signified by a gold and pink ring that they couldn't wait for anni to show off to all of las vegas. the thought of it alone was enough to send them into a joyful spiral, but they refrained for the time being until they received a definitive answer. when they did, their fast-beating heart quickly met a dead halt. eyebrows flicked upwards, almost like they hadn't known anni would agree, their smile doubling as they couldn't resist shaking their hands out from the sheer excitement threading through their once tightly wound veins. in truth, the stress coupled with adrenaline had certainly done a number on their nervous system. in the end, it was all worth it just so they could hear anni's eager yes. it was music to their ears, something they'd be replaying in their head until they were on their death bed.

This moment didn't even feel real--Anni almost had to pinch herself to double check that this truly was happening. It was like a fairy tale had come to life. If you had told her five years ago that she'd be getting engaged to the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful soul she'd ever met, a practical real-life Disney princess, she wouldn't have believed it. Five years ago, she'd been a shell of herself. Now, here she was, healed, loved, in the arms of someone who she'd be able to call her spouse in the near future. It was more than she could've ever asked for. And for just one moment, when Hermione said You're joking, she got a little nervous--but it was so serendipitous that they'd both purchased rings for one another and had been planning to ask for the other's hand in marriage. Yes! Yes, a thousand times yes! I can't believe this. We really are the same soul in different bodies, aren't we? With loving care, she gently slid the ring onto Hermione's left ring finger and then held out her left hand so they could do the same. She was laughing and crying at the same time, overwhelmed with sheer joy. She didn't think she'd ever felt this happy before. "Oh my god," she said, gazing down at the ring on her hand and then back up at Hermione. "God, I love you so, so much," she said, pulling them in for another kiss. Honestly, at this rate, perhaps they should pack up and go home--an engagement called for all sorts of celebration and she just wanted to be close to her lover.

But before she could suggest it, her curiosity got the better of her. Giggling, she asked "How long have you had this planned? Because I... You're gonna' laugh at me, but... I've had this ring for over a month now. And... There's been so many times where I wanted to ask you but I was just...so nervous. And I know I had nothing to be nervous about, but you get it, it's...scary and exciting and... Every time I thought about popping the question, I chickened out, not because I didn't want to, of course, but because I wanted it to be...perfect." It wasn't the first time Anni's perfectionism had gotten the better of her and it probably wouldn't be the last. But it wasn't until now that she realized any of those moments would've been perfect. Because all they needed was one another. Looking around at the gorgeous picnic, she was not surprised that Hermione had had a lot more luck with putting this all together than Anni ever would have. "But this is so perfect... Because you're here with me. I just love you so much, Mione." And she'd never tire of saying that. "God, I can't believe I'm gonna' be your wife! And you're going to be mine!" she squealed, her excitement overtaking her.

It had been some time since the siblings had gotten an opportunity to spend time together and honestly, she would take what she could get because soon, Cyrek's life was going to get a lot busier with a newborn on board. They'd been talking more frequently about the things going on in town--after all, when she'd found that severed head in her locker, she knew that Cy was probably the only person she could talk to about it. And while she'd been trying to distract herself with wedding plans, with each new murder, she found herself becoming more and more paranoid. After all, it wasn't even a question of if there was someone out there anymore. It's not like some anonymous person had been leaving her creepy notes or calling just to breathe heavily on the other line. There had been a severed head in her locker. Someone had gone out of their way to murder someone and place their head in her locker, just for her. At best, it was a warning. At worst, it was a threat. So she'd called Cy over to talk, making sure that Mione was out at work.

For the most part, Anni had been on cloud nine ever since they and Hermione had officially gotten engaged--for the most part. While their head was full of wedding plans and dresses and cakes, they still couldn't help but feel like they needed to look over their shoulder, especially ever since Astrid had called them late one night and requested that they come to the studio to check out the horror that had been left in one of the lockers--their locker, to be specific. In fact, the only person they'd actually told about it was their brother--at least for now. They didn't want to keep Hermione in the dark forever but they also wanted to protect them and they didn't want to divulge information that they didn't yet understand. So when they stepped into the locker room and locked eyes on, of all people, Salem, they felt their stomach become a ball of nerves. Once upon a time, in another life, they'd been rivals. And perhaps if Anni hadn't been so busy fucking spiraling out, things would've ended differently. But not things were awkward and it was equally apparent that neither ballerina cared for the other. Anni didn't do any sort of confrontation well.