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Epel wasn't sure if he was making a big mistake. He invited you to his hometown, The Village of Harvest, during the holidays to introduce you to his grandmother. For him, introducing you to his grandmother was a huge step he was willing to take with you. You've been with him long enough for him to consider life changing decisions with you. Taking a huge breath, Epel knocked on the door gently with you by his side.
Epel's breath hitched as he heard the door unlock it's gears. His hands were sweaty from nervousness, you noticed his state and gently took a hold of his hand, entwining them with yours. His tense face became more relaxed as he gave you a gentle smile, thanking you silently. His grandmother appeared on the other side of the door the same time it was opened. An old woman with grey hair greeted you, 'She has Epel's eyes' you thought, staring at her for a while before bowing quickly, trying to hide your embarrassment. "Epel! I'm glad you're home." His grandmother wrapped her arms around him and gave him a bone-crushing hug.
"M-Meemaw! I can't breathe!" Epel struggled free from her iron grip. She realized what she was doing and reluctantly let Epel go. Epel breathed a sigh of relief as he tried to catch his breath. His grandmother offered to let the both of you inside, and you happily obliged. You were nervous to actually talk to his grandmother, what if she doesn't like you? Would she try to separate the two of you? Who knows. All of you sat down by the table out in the garden and were offered tea. (or whatever your preference is)
"So Epel, do you mind introducing me to the pretty lady ya got here?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows a bit as she let out a heart laugh. The tension you were feeling all along was suddenly replaced with overwhelming relief. Maybe, this could work out. Before you could introduce yourself, Epel went ahead and did it for you. "Ah, She's (Y/N) (L/N). My um, girlfriend." Epel flushed at the last few words. Even after all this time, it was still embarrassing for him. He wasn't used to it.
His Grandma's grin grew wider. A girlfriend? This is the first time, she knew Epel wouldn't just bring home anybody, so she knew that the girl must be very special to him. Special enough to make Epel think seriously about their future together. Though his grandmother was a bit worried for him. Would he be making a wise decision? Or was he going too fast? Grandma tried to talk to you as much as she could, her questions are often about your relationship with him. What was your relationship like while studying in NRC? After that? How did you manage to stay together despite all the hardships life threw at the both of you? You answered them all patiently, with a gentle smile covering your features, remembering all the memories the two of you shared.
When it was time for you to leave, his grandmother grabbed you by the wrist gently. Tugging you towards a more private room where Epel can't hear you. She whispered something in your ear that made you as red as a tomato. When you returned to Epel's side, he could only wonder what the two of you talked about.
"Epel-kun! Could you tell me a bit about your hometown?" You suddenly asked, Epel has caught your attention lately. He seemed like a gentle natured pretty boy from Pomefiore, but you were proven dead wrong. You found him amusing whenever you hung out together and eventually wanted to know more and more about him.
"My hometown? Well- I came from the Village of Harvest. Long story short, there are a lotta farms and gardens there. Meemaw- I mean, My grandmother sent me these apples from our farm. Would you like some?" It was cute to see him trying to correct himself with the whole meemaw thing- you found it cute! He handed you a beautifully carved apple, you wondered whose skillful hands made such a masterpiece when you noticed that Epel was holding a small knife.
"Epel-kun, don't tell me you carved these…!?" Epel's face had a look of confusion as you gave him a shocked look. "Yes…? I did." Reluctantly, he continued carving the apple he was holding. "You're amazing!" Epel almost cut his finger when he heard you say that, "W-Whaddya mean amazing?!" He became as red as the apple he was holding.
"It's getting a bit late but I want to show you something before we leave, is it alright?" Epel was right, dusk was falling rapidly. Even if you preferred going home immediately, you wouldn't pass up the chance to spend more time with your lover. You wondered where he was taking you as the both of you stopped by a river with stepping stones. "We're gonna have to use the stepping stones to cross the river, can you do it?" The stones seemed stable enough for you to nod. Epel went first, holding your hand as you followed along. You almost tripped several times, had it not been for Epel clutching your hand tightly, afraid of the possibility that you might fall and injure yourself.
After crossing the river successfully, both of you had to walk a bit more- there was no path, you couldn't tell if Epel knew where he was going or the both of you were lost. The more you walked, more flowers kept on appearing. "Epel! Are we there yet?" You were growing excited but at the same time, impatient. You couldn't wait to see what Epel had in store for you. "We're almost there."
You finally spotted something in the distance, your pace went faster as you went towards it with Epel. It looked like an old rickety door without a look. Moss and vines camouflaged it well, you were lucky you're with Epel or else you wouldn't have noticed it. Epel took hold of the doorknob and turned it, opening the door.
You entered through the door and there you saw what seems like a Secret Garden. Flowers and Vines adorned the hedges, in the middle was a small pond with a small stone stool besides it. It was gorgeous. The night sky tinted the hues of the flowers while the pond illuminated the moonlight. "Do you like it?" Epel asked you, a small pink tinting his cheeks. You nodded eagerly and sat down on the stone stool and admired the view further.
"You wanna know more about my hometown? Well- there isn't anything that interesting about us except for how our marriage proposals work." Epel tried to quench your curiosity with the stories and traditions of his village. "Instead of rings, we use a blue feather to propose. And don't you dare try to think about freaking me out by giving me one!"
Epel took a deep breath. He pulled out a blue feather and held it tightly with both of his hands. You didn't notice this as you were too mesmerized by the reflection of the moon in the pond but when you did- you forgot to breathe for a moment. Clutching a blue feather under the moonlit night, Epel looked ethereal. You wondered how someone as beautiful as him could exist. You hadn't paid attention to what he was holding, but when you did, your eyes widened. You remembered what his grandmother told you "I bet he'd make you his wife."
Epel glanced towards you and gave you a beautiful smile. He held out the blue feather towards you and asked you something in a serious tone. "Would you accept someone like me as your husband?"
