Marry me
Izzy Hands x Male Reader (Established Relationship, Both Aromantic Asexual)
Contains a small appearance from Lucius Spriggs.
Summary: As a minor lord, you are expected to marry well. But on your birthday celebrations, you confirm that there was only ever one man in your life that you could marry.
No trigger warnings, just lots of fluff and a marriage proposal thrown in.
Word count: 1,432
Fic link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51726328
You stand on a balcony overlooking the gardens at the back of the manor house. The evening has well and truly set in, the fireflies are dancing merrily to a tune of their own making. Behind you is another kind of tune, one strung for your own birthday celebrations.
But you would rather be out here than be inside with the rest of your friends and half the nobles of outlying lands. Celebrating your birthday lavishly has never been your style, but it wouldn't do to have a quiet party with some cake. So you stand out here, thinking.
Another reason why you don't want to be inside is the other main reason for the party: you are expected to make a proposal of marriage tonight.
Your years have crept on, and you have firmly held on to the idea of being single and not marrying for convenience. There has only ever been one man that has caught your eye, and that man is your knight of thorns.
Izzy Hands.
He is the man you live for seeing day to day, the one that constantly walks by your side during daylight hours and takes to your bed during the twilight ones. Yours is a love born of a long friendship and years of mutual trust and respect culminating in a love so tender it makes both of you feel constantly warm. If you were ever going to marry someone, it would be him.
A lord and his husband, doing what they could for the common people and not giving a damn about lineages and gossipy rumours. It sounded divine.
You and Izzy had talked about marriage, about how that might look for you both. You had assured him that if he wanted he could still be your gallant knight as well as your husband, leaving all of the things that you were good at in your safe hands. In the end, Izzy had said that he would just want both of you to be happy, and he would be happy being with you for the rest of your life.
That was all you really wanted too. To never be parted. Izzy would never leave willingly, and you never planned on Izzy needing to leave.
"My lord", you heard a voice call out from behind you. You grinned as you turned to see your knight of thorns, resplendent in his dark armour.
"Izzy."
He instantly looked more relaxed upon seeing you, though he still kept his hand on the pommel of his sword.
"Couldn't stand the gossip circles for much longer, huh?", He asked gently as he came to stand beside you, resting his arms on the decorative wall in front of him.
You shook your head, shooting him a furtive glance.
"Not when the main topic was my future nuptials, no."
Izzy sighed next to you, although it came out as more of a growl. His face was awash with sympathy, as well as a little bit of jealousy thrown in.
"Don't they have anything better to talk about? We're meant to be celebrating you, after all."
You smiled, grateful for Izzy thinking of the smaller picture when all the nobles could see was the landscape. You looped your arm through the crook of his, silently leaning against him and letting him take some of your weight.
"Not even the latest pastries out of Treemede could tempt them. Absolute cretins."
Izzy laughed fondly, gently pushing against you to bring you closer together. You started laughing too, taking solace in the fact that you felt like laughing at all. Oh, Izzy. He really did have a beautiful laugh.
"Are they expecting an answer this evening?", Izzy asked, tone back to serious again. You looked into his eyes and saw curiosity there as well as a bit of fear. Fear of change was something you both shared in equal measure.
You nodded, looking back out to the distant horizon for a moment.
"I won't give it unthinkingly, though."
You felt fingertips graze your chin, and allowed your face to be turned back towards your loyal knight. Your heart skipped a beat as you saw how much love was pouring out of Izzy's expression, his very being. Fuck, sometimes you felt like you didn't deserve him.
"Whatever you decide, I will always be here. They'll have to drag me out of your hall kicking and screaming."
He smiled a little wickedly but fondly.
"Not that you would let them, I know. I'd glower down whoever tried to take you away from me."
You smiled, a true honest smile. You loved him so very, very, very much.
And that in turn was what gave you the answer you sought. Perhaps what had been staring you straight in the face since Izzy came onto the balcony.
Izzy was what mattered most, always. Izzy was who you would always want, forever more. Nobles would come and go and so would your advisors if they disliked your decision. But Izzy would be with you until the end of both of your lives.
Izzy Hands was the answer. Now was the time.
"I won't let anyone take you away from me", you said firmly, turning to face Izzy fully. Now you cupped his face in your hands, smoothing your thumbs over his cheekbones.
"If you would let me, I would want to marry you, just as we have always talked about."
Izzy's eyebrows shot up, but not in anything resembling shock. Maybe it was a surprise in that it had taken them both this long to make the final move.
"Marry me and you can remain my man at arms, but also be my husband and take my name. The lineage of this house can stop here, just as it should do. After we are gone, nature can reclaim this house for all I care. Love conquers all, not treaties and alliances."
Izzy Hands was smiling so proudly as he listened to your words, and his lovely, wonderful eyes also began to cloud over with tears.
"So, what do you say?", You murmured sweetly, brushing away the first few tears to fall.
Izzy breathed out in a loving sigh, hands coming to rest on your hips.
"I would love that more than anything."
You couldn't help the very loud cry of joy that came out of your mouth, and even Izzy laughed loudly with joy. In a move that robbed you of your breath, Izzy linked his arms at your back and picked you up, twirling you round in slow circles. You clung on for dear life, now laughing merrily too as the world spun in magical colours. When Izzy put you down the pair of you were breathless, drunk on love.
"God, I love you", you whispered as you leant in and pressed your foreheads together, needing to touch Izzy somewhere.
"I love you", Izzy whispered back, firm and wondrous in your arms.
As you both stood there, too absorbed in each other to notice the rest of the world around you, one of your firm friends walked out onto the balcony and found you wrapped up in each other.
"My lord!", Lucius called, sending you a furtive but kind glance as you and Izzy turned to look at the man without parting from each other. What was secrecy now when a marriage had been struck?
"Yes?"
"The assembled masses await your speech, my lord. I'd give them what they want before they start eating each other", Lucius muttered, rolling his eyes.
You laugh, trying to stop yourself from snorting but fail miserably.
"Chance would be a fine thing", Izzy added, and that only made you laugh harder.
"Damn you both", you scoff as Izzy pats you on the back to calm you down. Lucius raises an eyebrow and stands there waiting until you have the wherewithal to speak.
"They might not like what I have to say, but they are going to put up with it", you say firmly to Lucius as you feel Izzy take your hand next to you.
Lucius looks between you and Izzy and the joined hands between you and his other eyebrow leapt up to join the first.
"Oh, this is going to be delicious!", he cried, clapping his hands together. "I was wondering when you would finally get there."
"Better late than never", Izzy remarked, squeezing your hand. You turn to him and nod, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"Indeed."
You turned back to Lucius, motioning for him to open the doors to the hall again.
"Time to face the music."
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