Shayn hadn't meant to take Simone in his arms. It had just happened. To keep her safe, to make sure she didn't fall in the low visibility that the mist had made.
It wasn't that this was the first time he'd felt truly alone with her since they had returned to Klain. It surely couldn't be that her bright eyes and beautiful hair had been a menace to his sanity since the evacuation began.
Constantly surrounded by others, he didn't have a moment to talk, really talk, with her. To tell her that he'd rather be around her than anyone else in the world. He wanted to tell her now, but his lips were otherwise occupied.
Very pleasantly occupied.
The way she melted against him was wreaking havoc on his ability to think clearly, to say a single word. He poured his feelings into his kisses instead, hoping she understood.
She seemed to.
The woman was driving him utterly mad. He'd lost grip on his self control, and she seemed to be all too eager to kick it further away from his grasp. The way her fingers entwined behind his neck, cutting off his ability to pull back from her, look into her face, and tell her what he wanted to.
That he loved her.
Oh, how he loved her! She was in his soul, she was his soul! When she shivered against him, he smiled, knowing it was delight and not revulsion. Knowing that he made her feel that way.
She tilted her head, stretching her neck and inviting him to pursue that line of effort, and he laughed softly, loving how willing she was to be touched by him. Be held by him. Be kissed by him. It consumed his senses, and he reclaimed her lips, kissing her deeply and thoroughly, driving the breath from them both in his ardor.
Holding her made all his senses sharpen. He could feel the rising breeze more vividly, hear more… Wait, that was wrong. The fog had muted everything hadn't it? His voice had been quiet to his own ears, why could he now–
Opening his eyes, he did not see the white mist clouding his vision any longer.
With a gasp, he pulled away to see his sister's shocked expression, along with a dozen other staring evacuees. He leapt away from Simone so fast that she swayed, and he barely caught her arm to keep her from falling.
"What–" She began, but then froze. Both their faces flamed. She refused eye contact with him, staring guiltily at the grass.
He cleared his throat, knowing he would have to take full responsibility for what everyone had seen. Mayra's expression was the most prominent, a knowing-yet-judgmental expression that hid an underlying triumph. That triumph was heavily overshadowed by censure at the inappropriate display.
"Mayra, I–" He started, but she held up a hand.
"I don't want to hear it," She said.
"You don't?" He asked, confused. She normally wanted to know and hear everything.
"Everyone, go about your business!" Mayra commanded the onlookers as if she were the queen instead of the woman standing next to her. Finn, for her part, eyed the younger woman but remained silent.
The gawkers complied with a grumble. It was likely the most interesting non-frightening thing they'd seen in days.
Shayn's sister stepped closer, eyeing where his hand was at Simone's elbow to stabilize her. He dropped it, shamefaced.
"Now that they're gone, I'm listening," She said quietly. Peter had come with her, rolling his eyes at his wife's nosiness. Finn had also stepped forward with a lightly amused expression.
"Sorry," Shayn said quickly.
"For what, exactly?" Mayra darted a glance between the couple. Simone's face looked redder than Shayn had ever seen it, and he felt suddenly protective.
"For subjecting Simone to the scrutiny and judgment of others with such a display," He said pointedly, standing a bit taller and looking down his nose at his occasionally judgmental older sister.
"Hmm," Mayra said flatly. "That's not a great way to treat the woman you love."
He grimaced when Simone flinched. "I haven't told her that yet."
"You haven't told her you love her?" His sister demanded. "Why not? Don't you?"
"I was going to–trying to—but, well, the mist dissipated, and—why was that exactly?" He tried to change the subject.
Finn glanced over her shoulder, gesturing to the Fae that sat on the ground, recovering. "Gwen summoned a wind to blow it away. It seemed to take a lot out of her. Mayra, perhaps you should see if the halflings have any herbs that might help her recover quickly."
Shayn watched as Mayra opened her mouth, but then the two women seemed to have a silent conversation with facial expressions that resulted in his sister's surprising capitulation.
"Perhaps I should," She conceded. "Since apparently I interrupted Shayn when he was about to say something."
Her parting glance at Shayn held so much intensity that he had trouble holding eye contact. Clearly his sister felt strongly about this and would discuss it with him in detail later. He swallowed, unwilling to back down, and she finally turned away with Finn tugging at her arm. Peter tossed him an apologetic smile before following his wife.
Glancing around, Shayn noted one or two lingering curious looks, but most people had gone about their business. He wished there were somewhere private he could take Simone.
She was still staring at the ground, red as an apple.
"I'm sorry I subjected you to that," He told her quietly. "Can you forgive me?"
"It was easily as much my fault as yours," Simone refused eye contact. "You didn't have to tell Mayra that just to pacify her."
"Tell her what?" He squinted, momentarily confused. Several seconds passed without her looking at him. He wanted to lift her chin, to see into her eyes and find out why she wouldn't look at him, but he didn't dare touch her again.
For one, he might lose his train of thought entirely, and for another, he'd drawn enough attention to the two of them for one day.
"Will you please look at me?" He pleaded. She hesitated before complying, and he smiled at her. "That's better, isn't it?"
She took a deep breath and nodded ever so slightly, but there was still something behind her eyes. He sighed.
"I didn't want you to find out exactly like that," He wanted to reach out and take her hand, but dreaded drawing any more attention than they'd already had.
"Find out?" She blinked at him.
"...That I love you," He said, suddenly extremely nervous. Left to his own, he would have phrased it better, made it sound gentler, prettier, instead of blindsiding her with it at Mayra's announcement.
"Do you?" Simone's eyebrows drew together in worry. "You don't have to say so just because your sister yelled at you."
"You think I could kiss you like that if I didn't love you?" He asked incredulously. What kind of man did she think he was? An utter cad? Didn't she know him better by now?
"Well, you didn't know how you felt… last time," She said sheepishly, dropping her gaze and her voice as her face flushed red anew.
He gulped. That was fair. He deserved that. He'd kissed her passionately then, and couldn't make an honest declaration of love in the wake of all that had happened that day. It wasn't Simone's fault she doubted him now, it was his own.
He didn't bother looking around this time. Avoiding excess attention was far less important than commanding all of hers. He took one of her hands in both of his. Startled, she looked up at him.
"Simone," He said, looking into her eyes. "I love you. Deeply. You've driven me absolutely mad since the moment I met you, and I wouldn't change a second of it. The fact that you wormed your way into my heart despite all the aggravation we caused each other baffles me. I intend to continue aggravating you for the rest of our lives, if you'll let me."
He knelt down in the dirt, still holding her hand, and her other stifled a gasp that escaped her mouth. He frowned slightly.
Was she really so shocked by his declaration? She couldn't guess at all how he felt? He looked into her eyes, shining now with tears, and repeated it so that he was sure she understood.
"I love you, Simone. Even in the midst of everything, even if the world ends, I don't want to waste another second without you. Please marry me." He concluded, swallowing the lump in his throat.
She opened her mouth. Closed it again. Hesitated. His heart stopped until she swallowed and nodded.
"Yes." A hesitant smile bloomed into joy across her face.
He rose to his feet to take her into his arms again, but a burst of applause from perfect strangers gave him pause. A flood of well-wishers surrounded the couple, and Shayn had to content himself with keeping hold of Simone's hand. She seemed dazed as Mayra pushed through to hug her, tears in her eyes, and Shayn chuckled to himself, while sending his future bride a singular message with his eyes.
'Later' he mouthed with a sly smile, renewing Simone's blush once more.