Special (A Choices Fanfic)
Pairing: Kenji x F!MC (Alex)
Summary: Kenji tries to propose to Alex, but the universe keeps standing in his way.
Words: 3,096 (HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP THIS ONE GOT AWAY FROM ME)
A/N: So I'm still on a bit of a personal break this week (hence the lack of activity these last few days), but I found time to continue a WIP and considering it was a request, I didn't want to wait any longer to post it (since this is overdue already anyway).
This one goes out to my love, @kenkatsaros , who requested for a proposal gone wrong for Kenji x MC. Shoutout to @kenjkats too for this proposal HC (I borrowed a few ideas; you'll see them when you get there lol, no spoilers).
I hope this satisfies, my dears! I'm so sorry for the delay.
P.S. I use a random HC I saw somewhere that Blake (RoE) and Kenji are related btw. You'll see why.
"Alex. From the very first day, I'd known you were special."
Uh. No.
"Alex, you are the most amazing person I've ever met."
"Alex. You make every day of my life better than the last."
"Alex--"
"Kenji!"
Kenji startles to his senses.
"Babe, if you don't come out soon, we're going to lose our reservation."
Kenji tries his best to keep his composure, weeks of practice paying off as his voice comes out calm and collected.
"I'm coming!"
He lets out a puff of breath, fingers stroking the smooth silver band in his hand. A ray of light shines through the bathroom window, and Kenji smiles as it hits the diamond just right, a prism of colors dancing on its surface.
Today's the day, Katsaros. For real this time.
He slips the ring back into its case, giving the velvet lined box a gentle pat before shoving it into his jacket pocket.
He gives himself one last look in the mirror, and the smirk on his lips quickly turns into an embarrassing grin, the thought of finally proposing to the love of his life making him too damn happy.
He slaps his cheeks to calm himself before exiting the bathroom.
"Sorry, babe," he says to an impatient-looking Alex. "You know I love to look extra good for you. Gotta do you justice somehow, right?"
He straightens the lapels of his jacket in front of her, flashing her that classic Kenji Katsaros smirk.
Alex snorts, unable to keep up her annoyed front.
"Right," she says, rolling her eyes as she grabs her clutch. "Tell that to the restaurant manager when we’re eating outside."
He hooks his arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her forehead. "About how hot and sexy my girlfriend is? Gladly."
Alex just laughs as they close the apartment door behind them.
"Kiss ass."
---
One week ago.
"Kenji!"
"What? What?" he asks, his head raised from between her legs.
Alex guides him back down impatiently.
"Don't stop!"
And Kenji helps her find sweet release, her body now spent but sated underneath him.
Kenji continues to pepper sweet kisses along her neck and chest, Alex's fingers twining lazily in his hair.
"Mmm," she moans when he sucks on her pulse point, her legs tangling with his.
"Wish we didn't have to go to work today," she tells him, a soft gasp escaping when he kisses down her stomach.
"We don't have to..." he murmurs against her skin.
Her breathing hitches. "Grayson needs us."
He nips lightly on the skin over her hip. "I need you more."
Her lips twitch into a smirk and she pulls him up to meet her lips, and he responds eagerly, his hands roaming her body appreciatively, lips drawing out the kiss for as long as he can.
"You're terrible," she says, smiling.
"You love it," he retorts, pressing another kiss to her lips.
She chuckles softly. "I do."
And Kenji thinks about doing it right here, right now.
"Hey, uh, there's something I've been meaning to ask you--"
But they're cut off by the sound of Alex's phone vibrating on the nightstand, and Kenji thinks he's never hated anyone so much in his life.
"It's Grayson," Alex says, excusing herself, and Kenji gets off her, laying on his side, watching her as the two discuss their schedule for the morning.
Damn you, Prescott.
"We gotta go," she says after she hangs up, laughing when she sees him pout. "C'mon, bronze boy."
And Kenji groans and sinks back into his pillow, eyes rolling to the back of his head at Grayson Prescott's impeccable timing.
---
Present day.
So far, so good.
Kenji sighs with relief as they finally get to the restaurant after hours of unforeseen traffic, his hand jittery from the thought of being thrown off schedule. Again.
No, Kenji Katsaros. Do not psych yourself out.
You are proposing to Alex tonight. Complications be damned.
He's nervous when the receptionist asks for their reservation, but he looks at him with an easy smile.
"Right this way, Mr. Katsaros."
Kenji smiles smugly at Alex.
"You're lucky," she tells him, eyes amused.
He gives her hand a gentle squeeze, bringing the back of it to his lips. "Don't question my methods, darling. I've got everything planned to a tee."
They're already sitted and browsing the menu when another sight catches Kenji's eye, his mind suddenly cursing his dumb luck.
No, no, no, no, NO!!
Because sitting at the end of their line of tables, sipping on wine and laughing with another man, was none other than Northbridge's district attorney -- Kenji's mother -- Meiko Katsaros.
---
Two weeks ago.
"Delicious gourmet-quality food, check. Alex's favorite wine, check. Flowers--"
Kenji pulls out a single rose from the giant bouquet he's hiding in the kitchen, a slow smile on his face as he reminisces on the first time he'd given Alex a rose.
"Check."
His hand flies to his jacket pocket, a calm sense of excitement rushing through him as he feels the outline of the velvet box holding his custom-made engagement ring.
Check.
He lets out a deep breath as he admires how he's transformed the dining room, rose petals lining the ends of the table, the candlelights casting a golden glow on the dimly lit room.
Alex should be home any minute now, and she wouldn't be expecting him to be home yet -- he told her he was going away on a business trip (but of course, he really wasn't).
His heart is pounding when he hears the jingling of her keys on the opposite side of the door, fingers fidgeting with the body of the long stemmed rose.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
The door opens slowly to reveal...
"Eva?"
The person in question looks around the dimly lit apartment with a confused look, her head cocked to the side.
Eva’s eyes dart from her surroundings to meet Kenji's. "Uh... yo."
Kenji quickly flips on the lights. "What are you doing here? Where's Alex?"
And as if on cue, Alex appears at the doorway with a seemingly furious Poppy in tow, bags of groceries in their arms.
"I swear to god, Alex, if I have to hear one more 'just a few more minutes, dear', I am going to march down to Prescott Industries myself and drag his goggle-wearing ass home."
The two ladies come to an abrupt stop when they see Kenji.
"Hey!" Alex greets with surprise, walking over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He instinctively wraps an arm around her in response. "What are you doing here?"
But he's completely unprepared for the extra pairs of eyes in the room, his thumb fidgeting with the rose in his hand.
"I, uh, my trip got cancelled..." he explains, handing her the rose and taking the groceries from her in exchange. "I got this on the way home."
Alex smiles, grateful but confused.
Meeting Eva and Poppy's gazes, Kenji asks, trying to keep his cool, "So, what are you ladies up to tonight?"
Eva smirks, a knowing glint in her eyes. "We were supposed to have a girls' night in, but it looks like you've got other things planned..."
She raises her eyebrows at Kenji and he tries to threaten her with a look of his own, but he knows Eva's got him... so he just pleads her to shut up instead.
Eva tries to bite back her smile. (But she fails.)
"Uh huh," Poppy says, observing their weird little exchange. "Anyway, we can do this another time," she tells Alex. "I don't want to ruin your night."
And Kenji is so tempted to just go with it, let the other two ladies leave so that he could keep Alex to himself, propose to her, hopefully have her say yes, and spend the rest of the evening kissing and making sweet love to her...
But he knows Alex would want to be there for her friend.
And he could tell Poppy was upset.
"Hey, no worries, Pops," he says, taking the bag from her hands too. "I was about to head out for dinner with my mom anyway."
He brings the bags of groceries to the kitchen and swipes the candles from the dining table, clearing out the rose petals as fast as he can. He hides the bouquet in the pantry, a reluctant smile on his lips.
"I made some food by the way," he tells them when he steps back out. "Feel free to dig in."
Alex raises an eyebrow in question and he shrugs casually.
"Eh, I got hungry."
Taking his jacket from the rack and his keys from the counter, he begins to walk towards the door, but not before Eva throws him another knowing look, to which he just rolls his eyes and smirks.
He's already out the door when he hears a pair of footsteps run after him, Alex's arms wrapping around him as she leans in for a kiss.
"I love you," she whispers against his lips, pressing another quick peck before she untangles herself and heads back to the apartment, her smile lingering on his mind.
He's grinning from ear to ear himself, fingers curled together as he shakes his head, entering the elevator when it comes.
Damn you, Poppy and Eva.
---
Present day.
See, Kenji had eliminated all possible interruptions from his plan.
Grayson, Eva, Poppy, Dax -- he'd talked to all of them at this point, and everyone knew the plan -- nobody calls Alex until he says so.
Leave it to his mother to be the one complication he had not expected, and she didn't even realize a damn thing.
"Kenj," Alex calls him, her hand coming over his clenched fist. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation behind this... Maybe they're just friends?"
Kenji can feel himself glaring before he even knows it, his stare burning into the back of the man's head. "They don't look like 'just friends.'"
He hears Alex sigh in defeat. "Okay, maybe not. But, would it really be so bad to see your mom dating again?"
"No, but not in front of me! Especially not when--"
He catches himself before he continues, Alex's eyes expectant on him.
He takes a nervous gulp of wine.
"You know what. You're right," he says, opening his palm to lace her fingers with his. "Let's just enjoy our night."
And they do just that for the next few hours, chatting, enjoying each other's company like they always do.
Seeing his mother in the far corner of his eye still distracts him sometimes, but Alex's laughter always pulls him back in, her easy smile brushing the unpleasant thoughts away.
You are so damn lucky, Kenji.
And he's ready to pop the question before dessert even rolls in, his hand inside his pocket.
"Alex, I--"
... but then Alex's phone vibrates with a notification, and Kenji's eyes widen with dread.
No.
"There's a break in at the Northbridge museum--" Alex reads from her phone. "Precious artifacts and jewels are the presumed targets... Kenji, that's two blocks from here!"
No.
She immediately pulls out her earpiece from her purse, feet ready to go.
"Why hasn't Dax called us about this?" she asks, unamused.
NO.
"Maybe Eva can handle this one--" he offers, but the determined look in her eyes tells him enough.
I'm not proposing tonight, am I?
"... I'll get the bill."
---
One month ago.
"Congrats, man!"
Kenji greets his older cousin with a warm hug, giving him a hearty pat on the back.
"Thanks, man," Blake grins, his gaze directed back at his wife and child.
It was Kenji's nephew's first birthday party, and everyone in the extended family was here, Alex somewhere in the party mingling with his relatives.
"It's surreal," Blake shares, "but I couldn't be happier. Everyday's been a blessing."
Kenji follows his line of sight to see Alex playing with Jess and his now one year old nephew, cooing and making silly faces at him to make him laugh.
The sight tugs at his heartstrings, an uncontrollable smile breaking across his face.
"You seem happy too," Blake teases, nudging him lightly as he takes a sip from his glass of wine. "Thinking about tying the knot soon?"
Kenji almost chokes on his wine, caught off guard by the sudden thought.
"What, me and Alex?" he laughs nervously. "Nah. It's too early to tie ourselves down."
He'd be lying though, if he said the thought hadn't entered his mind in the last few months of their two-year relationship.
But he's convinced himself out of it every time, perfectly content with how they are now.
Blake smirks, unconvinced. "I wouldn't call it tying yourselves down, Kenj. Think of it as starting an adventure with your favorite person, your best friend.
"Trust me. When the person's right for you, nothing's too early or too soon... It's just right."
And he lets his cousin's words ring in his head as he watches her, his nephew crying and puking onto her dress, her face an amusing mix of horror, shock, and embarrassment.
Kenji laughs.
"Thanks, man," he says, clapping Blake on the back. "Just, uh, for future reference, where did you say you got that ring made again?"
---
Present day.
Trust his superhero girlfriend to get alert notifications from the local news.
They finish off the job pretty quickly, Eva having already been at the scene before they arrived.
The police flock in a few minutes later to help clean up and take away the culprits, Meiko Katsaros following soon after.
"I was in the area," she tells Kenji/Talos when she walks over to them, "I figured I should come and have a look."
Kenji tries his best to hide his distaste.
"Oh, I know," he mutters under his breath, and Alex elbows him forcefully in the gut, turning to Meiko with a bright smile.
"You kids should go about your evenings now," she tells them. "We'll take care of everything here."
Eva thanks Meiko and they all begin to walk off, Eva throwing Kenji another one of her looks.
"Did she say yes?" she mouths to him.
"Haven't asked yet," he mouths back, earning him a punch in the arm from the brunette.
"You are too slow, Katsaros. And that means something coming from me."
She rolls her eyes at him and bids goodbye to Alex, shooting him one last glance that he thinks is supposed to be encouraging before she leaves.
They change back to their regular forms in a closed off alley, Alex's stomach grumbling in the silence of the night.
Kenji laughs.
"Hungry already?" he asks, and Alex brushes off her embarrassment easily, a defensive light in her eyes.
"Hey, those poached lobsters were tiny, okay?"
She slips her arm around his, her head resting on the top of his shoulder.
"What do you say we get some real food?" she asks, and he smiles at her, knowing exactly what she wants.
"Pizza?"
Alex beams. "Pizza."
They order a whole pie and buy a few cans of beer before settling on the top of their lookout hill, the evening sky glittering above them as they ate.
The pizza box lies on the grass beside them, halfway finished along with their cans of beer.
They sit together in comfortable silence, eyes up at the stars, randomly bursting into bits of stories here and there.
Kenji loves looking at her at times like these, when she's too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice him staring, whatever food she has on hand unintentionally smearing somewhere on her face.
And it surprises him how captivated he still gets, just drinking in the sight of her, and he realizes he wants this, everyday, for the rest of his life.
"Hey, marry me."
Alex chokes on her pizza.
"What?!" she asks, coughing, her free hand reaching for her can of beer.
And Kenji stays intentionally quiet until she gets over her coughing fit, her eyes wary on his as if afraid she'd ruined the moment.
Kenji takes her left hand in his, flashing her a warm smile as his thumb strokes the back of her hand.
"I've been figuring out how to say this for a month now... I even had this big crazy speech planned, which you would have loved, by the way."
Alex snorts.
"But none of that matters now.
"I love you, Alex. I want to spend the rest of my days loving you, laughing with you, eating pizza and choking on food with you."
Alex laughs and punches him lightly on the chest, tears welling in her eyes.
"I want to build a life with you, Alex." He pulls out the velvet box from his pocket, opening it and offering his promise to her.
"If you'll have me, of course."
And Alex is nodding before he even asks, a single tear falling down her cheek.
"Alex, darling." They both laugh at the nickname. "Will you marry me?"
"... Yes."
Uncontainable smiles spread on their faces and Alex pulls him in fiercely, Kenji's touch tender as they wrapped around her waist.
"You are way too eager for this," he jokes, "I haven't even put the ring on you yet."
And Alex slaps his back playfully, her super strength causing it to sting a little, but he doesn't care.
In this moment, nothing could make him happier.
---
They continue to sit in their spot until later, Kenji's arms around Alex as she rests against his chest.
"You're telling me you realized you wanted to marry me after seeing me covered in baby puke?" Alex remarks with disbelief, easy smiles on their faces as Kenji tells her about his failed attempts at proposing.
"Oh yeah. Baby puke is hella sexy," he teases, pressing a kiss to her temple as he laughs. "Besides, that just means you've already been marked by family. How was I supposed to not ask you to marry me?"
Alex chuckles against his chest, raising her left hand up to eye level, the diamond glistening under the moonlight.
"I can't believe we're getting married," she says, and Kenji's just looking at her again, a tender smile on his lips.
"I can't either."
And Alex sees what he means without him saying it -- and it never fails to catch him by surprise how lucky he is to have found her.
He doesn't think it ever will.
"I love you, Kenji Katsaros," she says, pressing her lips to his. "Never doubt that."
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