MESSAGES.

二十三

"have i ever told you that you remind me of the sun?"

"i don't think so."

"well, you do."

"how so?"

she turned to look at him, face flushed from the heat and eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. her damp hair stuck to her forehead in a tangled mess and he wished for nothing more than to comb his hands through it like he had done so many times before. was it still as soft, even after being bathed in salt water for hours on end? he glanced down at her lips. still perfect. the sunlight illuminated all of her, and unlike their first meeting, he was sure she was glowing this time.

"you're the warmth i wish i could've experienced every day in my youth—"

"stop talking like you're eighty."

"—and if i look at you for too long, i'm going to go blind because you're so ugly."

he rolled his eyes. "love you, too."

she giggled and rested her hand on top of his; he decided that the warmth of the actual sun paled in comparison to her.

the orange reflection in the ocean was still and the serene vibe it protruded did nothing to calm his erratic heartbeat. it was like the result of a spell only she was capable of casting on him. he eyed the small key that dangled on the chain around her neck—he gave the necklace to her on their first anniversary—and he subconsciously grabbed at the sand. his impatience was at its peak, but he knew it was best to wait until nightfall came around.

she laid down on her towel and started humming the familiar tune of "night moves" by michi, a song she'd dedicated to him a few years back. he followed in suit and listened to her hum the song in its entirety. they stayed there until the sun slipped into hiding and moon's gaze locked on them and the sound of the waves became the only thing they could hear. despite being so tired, neither of them slept, and as the sky grew darker, he felt his pulse throughout his entire body.

there was a particularly bright star that caught his attention. he pointed at it and said, "that's you."

"because i'm full of gas?"

"no, dumbass! because you're beautiful."

that's what she was to him: a star, bringing light to everything around him—even if she was a little bit slow. they always said stars were impossible to reach, yet here she was, lying down next to him. he had a little piece of the heavens to himself, tucked away in the form of a photo in the platinum locket around his neck. how did he manage to get so lucky?

"can you believe we had our first date here?"

he tilted his head to watch her, only to find her already staring at him. "i can't believe i let you convince me to go to the beach."

"we had our stuff in this exact spot."

"and then that kid kicked sand at us and i had to keep you from fighting him."

she stuck her tongue out at him. "you should've just let me go. that little brat deserved it."

"you were nineteen and he was twelve. you were too old to be fighting kids and you still are."

"well now he's sixteen, and if he ever comes and kicks sand at me again, i'm going to kick his ass."

"you're a riot."

"but you love me.

"and that's truly a shame."

the moonlight shone on her like a spotlight, and that's when he knew it was time. he stood up and motioned for her to do the same. "are we leaving?"

"not yet. can i see your necklace real quick?"

she reached her arms behind her neck and undid the clasp, handing him the key. they stood face to face and he took a deep breath. "do you remember four years ago when you texted me and i said that i don't plan on asking you to marry me anytime soon? i think it was our third conversation."

she nodded her head, confused. "of course. i remember almost all of our texts. they're the only things that stick with me."

"what about that time you said platinum was our color?"

"duh."

he pulled a small red box out of his pocket. she watched with curiosity as he stuck the key in the lock. he handed it back to her and waited until it was around her neck before getting down on one knee and opening the box, revealing a platinum ring with a star in the middle encased in diamonds. it wasn't a typical engagement ring, but it glimmered in the moonlight and he never thought he would think that she looked so good looking down on him. "and do you remember how you said that if i wanted to i could change your last name?"

she clasped her hands together and brought them up to her chest, her eyes watering. "y-yes."

"so can i change it?"

she nodded her head rapidly. he smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up. she wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his lips into a passionate kiss. any thoughts he had of the possibility of rejection withered away as he felt the salty taste of his lips on hers. his arms snaked around her waist and the fireworks setting off in his stomach felt surreal.

they pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. "isn't it funny that you were twenty-three when we started talking and now i'm twenty-three and you just proposed to me?"

he let out a huff of air. "stop reminding me that i'm old."

"i love you, kurapika."

"i love you, too, y/n."

y con eso, los dos sabían que eran las únicas estrellas que brillaban en su cielo.

━━━━━━━

[a/n: and thus concludes the end of messages. i'm sorry that this is such a shitty ending but i would like to thank each and every person that read, commented, and/or voted on this story!! i appreciate every single one of y'all with my whole heart and i couldn't be more grateful for the small community that formed around it!! 💗✨❣️💓💝💘💕💞💗💞💝💖💗💖💓💝💓💘💓❣️💕💞💝💖❣️💘💗

higkey super sad that this story is over but it will always hold a special place in my heart!!! ily guys and i'll (maybe) see y'all on some of my other fanfics!! 🥳🥳

ᵘⁿˡᵉˢˢ ʸᵒᵘ ᵍᵘʸˢ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵃⁿ ᵉᵖⁱˡᵒᵍᵘᵉ]