Lovebirds Taking Flight Again! (for CaptainL)

[Pegasus]

William screamed in excitement jumping up as Astrid extended her left hand as William took the ring out of the box. He looked at the ring seeing the initials to symbolize the future Mrs. Astrid Ostberg-Ashworth. He slipped it on her ring finger and they closed the distance between mouths for a passionate kiss between each other. Some women hugged their husbands and cheering started roaring over the love of the couple. William held her as Astrid gave him a crunching Bearhug as he smiled knowing he could take her strength.

“So, when I called your father for his blessing, he was thrilled. He even helped me decide dates for the wedding and our honeymoon. First, we both know you love Christmas so to make it truly a winter wonderland for both of us, we are having our wedding on Christmas Day 2022 in Stavanger, Norway! It only makes sense. As for our honeymoon, you are taking a two-week hiatus from LAW and the wrestling ring to join me in Fiji!” William exclaimed as he brought a white envelope from his pocket that contained the plane tickets.

William can’t believe this was actually happening! He got to propose to his girlfriend and she said yes. William was for the first time engaged in his life and he was loving every minute of it. He hugged Astrid tight knowing that whatever problems they would face in LAW for the future, they now could face them together as strong partners against their enemies!

[CaptainL]

Astrid was happy enough to receive the news from William. She never expected to be surprised with such an exciting announcement on her arrival back to Japan - but she knew it meant everything to William, and so too did it mean everything to her. Astrid loved William. She wanted nothing more than for him to be happy. And when she saw the work he had put into this - waiting for the right moment, picking out a ring, even getting their initials on it - she knew how deeply she cared. If anyone asked Astrid the day before if she was ready to settle down with William, she wouldn't know how to answer - it all seemed so sudden, and her mind was occupied with other things, like the PPV she was gearing up for or her work promoting LAW around the world. Now, though...everything fit perfectly into place. If nothing else told the two of them they were a perfect match, this certainly did.

The Norwegian's face was aglow with a bright smile as she nestled in against William, and as she let out a sigh that caused her body to relax, her grip around his sides started to ease. Of course, only a moment later, Astrid would hear what else William had planned - and now, William would be greeted with an even harder squeeze, as Astrid pulled him tighter against her chest, all but letting out a squeal of delight. "C-Christmas!? Christmas Day?! Oh my god-!! You really...you really made it all happen, didn't you?! I can just picture it now, going home, seeing all the family-! It's been so long, I need to catch up with them and tell them all about my time as a champion! And with you, it'd be all that much more special! Ah, William...this will be the happiest day of my life-!!"

Tears of pure joy ran down Astrid's face as she squeezed William as tightly as she could, burying her face into his chest, and even shaking him a little. She grinned from ear to ear, and she didn't regret any of it for a moment. Astrid's exhuberance seemed to be more fitting of a little girl than an accomplished Heavyweight Champion, but she just couldn't help herself. Christmas was her favorite time of year - it meant celebration, seeing family, and reveling in happiness! To have a wedding on the same day seemed too good to be true!

It was then that Astrid heard a few chuckles from those watching, reminding her where she was, and causing her to blush just a little. Coming down from the highs of excitement, she began to settle her grip on William. She leaned back from him, but still wiped a tear of joy from her eye. "A-Ah, er...sorry about that, Will. Just got carried away..." She winced as she looked back down to see the sling around his arm, and she hoped she hadn't hurt him in her enthusiasm.

Then, as he went on to announce the rest of the plans, Astrid chuckled. "You've really planned everything out, haven't you? Always thinking ahead...tell me, now, what were you going to do if I said no?"

Then, though, she leaned in to kiss him on the lips, and as she broke away, she looked into his eyes with a warm smile on her face. "Only kidding...you knew I was going to say yes, didn't you?~"

[Pegasus]

William had been on cloud nine for the past few minutes as Astrid nearly squeezed the life out of him, but his body could take it due to his excellent strength and endurance. However, he did feel like his spine would come out of his throat and luckily, Astrid realized how hard she was hugging him. She released him and then he stood there shaking with a goofy grin on his face. He fixed his glasses and winced slightly at his crushed sore arm, but he would manage laughing off the pain.

“No harm done. My spine might be crushed to dust, but at least I’m with you,” William stated as he lightly hugged his new fiancé back.

However, he raised an eyebrow when she asked what would he have done if she said no. “Hey, let’s not-” William began saying before Astrid silenced him with a quick kiss.

“Heh….you could say I know you the best,” William replied with a wink. “Actually, there is one more surprise, but we should probably discuss that over dinner. What do you say, Mrs. Ashworth?”

[CaptainL]

Astrid couldn't help but throw her head back in a hearty laugh, listening to William's joke. Her eyes softened, and her smile widened even more. It had been some time since the two of them had last seen each other, but William hadn't changed a bit. These last few minutes had proven that - he was still the same person Astrid had always known so well. Maybe a little bit goofy, maybe not always with the most common sense, and maybe not the most practical, but deep down, he had a big heart, and he cared about the people around him with every bit of it. He had come this far to make sure the moment was perfect for Astrid, and how could she say no to that?

She chuckled a little to herself, too, as she broke away from the kiss, even if her cheeks blushed a little at the thought of being called Mrs. Ashworth. "Hey, now," she cautioned, "that hasn't happened...yet." Still, Astrid winked back at him - and her eyebrow raised as she thought about the surprise he'd promised her. Evidently, William had even more up his sleeve - and Astrid was curious to find out what!

"Is that so?" she asked. "Well, then...I'm all ears. Dinner does sound lovely, though. But I must ask..." She looked him up and down, taking note of the sling around his arm. "Will you be able to eat okay, with..?"

[Pegasus]

William shared the laugh with his fiancé as he held her hands tightly. Astrid had as big hands as he did and seeing the ring on one of her fingers brought a warm genuine smile to his face. He held Astrid’s right hand as he gathered her one luggage bag from the pile of scattered bags and airport security were called in to help assist with getting people their travel bags. Astrid and Will looked at each other as the Norwegian grabbed her carry-on and the engaged couple hurried to the exit doors. They didn’t want to risk getting blamed for it and hopefully none of the passengers held any grudges against them.

They made it to the rental car and got inside the car as William slumped against the driver’s seat. His big meaty hands gripped the steering wheel whistling to die down the awkward silence as he turned to Astrid.

“Well, first day engaged and we proposed in front of a crowd and almost had a brush with airport security. It’s a thing off the bucket list,” Will tried joking about, but Astrid would give him a playful flick on the head. “Ow! What was that for?”

[CaptainL]

Despite Astrid's concerns about his sling getting in the way, William didn't seem to have any worries. At first, the Norsewoman looked back at him with a frown and a raised eyebrow - but soon enough she shrugged her shoulders. If there was anything she knew for sure about her new fiance, it was that William always seemed to get out of trouble...even if he was usually the one to get into trouble in the first place. And when he took her by the hand, grasping it with the firm pressure that reminded her of his strength but also the gentle touch that had endeared him to her, she smiled a little wider, looking back at him with a nod. Whatever happened, she couldn't hold this against him for long.

Of course, they also had to make sure they left the scene before there was any trouble - but, with everything gathered up, William was quick to lead Astrid out to the car, where she loaded her bags in the back before getting into the passenger's seat. "Thank you for driving me," she said; "I like to think I'm used to jet lag by now, but I'll admit that trip took a little bit out of me..." She looked down at his sling again as he gripped the wheel, wondering how it would impact his abilty to drive, but he seemed assured enough. Then again, sometimes that was the problem.

Turning back to William after she'd flicked the side of his temple, Astrid at first said "I'd like to avoid any more fights with security in our future, thank you very much..." - but moments later, the look on her face softened into a smile as she giggled a little to herself. When she'd been greeted with such a surprise, one that marked that the two of them had taken the next step in their relationship, and when they won the hearts of all onlookers in the process, Astrid couldn't be mad. "...but everything else was lovely. Thank you, so much. I know I'm never going to forget this moment for as long as I live...all thanks to your clumsiness," she added with another chuckle.

As the car left the garage and headed out onto the road, Astrid shuffled a little in her seat, getting herself comfortable - though she still did glance back at William from time to time to make sure he was driving okay. "So," she said, "where are we going for dinner?"

[Pegasus]

Sure, William found it a little difficult to drive with one hand, but that wouldn’t stop him from having a good drive with his fiancé. Astrid did glance a look just to make sure Will wouldn’t drive the car into a ditch or anything, but Will settled her nerves with a small friendly smile.

“Doctors say I can have this sling off by next week and I can’t wait. One-handed William will be no more!” William joked, but he let go of the steering wheel quickly correcting his mistake and he quickly resumed looking at the road.

Then, Will blushed as Astrid thanked him for making the engagement really special for her as he smiled and closed his eyes.

“You mean a lot to me, Astrid. That day my crush got spilled to you, I didn’t really know what you would think. Sure, I’m an accomplished wrestler, sure, I’m an old school powerhouse, sure, I got impressive acolytes for my wrestling career. At the end of the day, though, I’m just William. A former country boy that lived on his family’s farm and did chores most of his days. A guy with no interesting backstory. A guy who practically lived at the gym. You took a chance on that. Made me believe I could be loved. I can’t thank you enough for at least trying and getting this far with me,” William stated.

William held her free hand for a spilt second to kiss it before pondering on his reservations he made earlier in the week.

“A steakhouse. The cheapest place I could find so suddenly. Nothing too special in Tokyo so it had to do,” William answered with a shrug.

[CaptainL]

"That's good, that's good..." Astrid nodded her head as she listened to William discuss getting his sling off, but she still let out a huff, glancing around to keep an eye on the road. She was glad that it wouldn't take much longer...but that didn't make it any less worrying that someone who could be as clueless as William was would have to do things with just one arm, let alone that he had the confidence to assure himself that it wouldn't hold him back. Her fears were only confirmed as he released the steering wheel, and the car began to swerve out of control!

Her eyes going wide, Astrid jumped up in her seat, moving to grab onto the wheel with one of her own hands to steady it. "C-CAREFUL..!!" she cried out. After William had taken back control, she sunk back in her seat, rubbing at her head; it was going to take some time for her heart to calm back down after that. "Maybe...I should take care of these things until you get it off..."

But, as much as William could be a handful, it didn't change the fact that he had a good heart. And deep down, Astrid loved him. He was strong, he was committed, but he was humble at heart, and the only thing that mattered to him was being the best that he could be, at wrestling and at life. In a sport known for its out-of-control egos, Astrid felt as though in William she had someone who truly had a good head on his shoulders. And that meant that when he loved her, he did so with the utmost sincerety. He wasn't trying to build himself up, or to go out of his way to impress her - he could just be himself. She smiled a little as she thought about it; her posture relaxed, and she drifted just a little closer against his side in the car. There really needed to be more people like him in the world, she thought...

And that honesty and humility was nowhere more apparent than when William announced that he had arranged reservations for them at a humble steakhouse. Astrid chuckled a little, giving him a playful elbow in the arm. "A steakhouse, hmm? So, tell me, did you have this planned out, or did you throw everything together at the last minute?"

Despite all the teasing, though, Astrid still looked back at William with a nod and a warm smile. "Don't worry. That you're doing this for me at all is wonderful. And I'm sure it'll be good, no matter what."

[Pegasus]

William pulled over to the side of the road as he opened his door and got out wincing as he blushed a little. He went around the rental car to help let his girlfriend out so they could trade places while he would take the place as passenger and Astrid would get behind the wheel. William sat comfortably in his seat as he got his safety belt on and heard it click as Astrid would put on the turn signal in order to get back on the highway.

“That’s definitely for the best then,” William stated with a nod at how she’ll take over things like driving for him until the sling is off.

William then got teased on the steakhouse and planning of the proposal as he cleared his throat.

“Well, I bought the ring ahead of time and was going to plan to propose at the restaurant. That has to count as planning ahead,” William defended as Astrid silenced him with another kiss on the lips.

Good god, he loved that about Astrid. She could be serious and rather playful when she wanted to be. He scooped up her free hand returning the favor with two kisses on her hand and her engagement ring.

“You’re stuck with me forever. You’re getting used to this loving!” William exclaimed with a teasing smile.

[CaptainL]

With William hopping out of the drivers' seat to let Astrid take his place, the Norsewoman breathed a sigh of relief. Even if she was tired, she had come to realize that it was probably safer for her to drive tired than for William to drive one-armed. When she started the car back up and pulled onto the road, she drove at a more steady and controlled pace, taking care to avoid trouble. When William took her hand to plant a kiss against it, she let out a sigh, the corners of her lip turning up into a smile as she leaned in against him just a little more...though, she was still driving, and she knew there was a time and place for that.

"Very sweet of you as always, Will..." she said, a little dreamily, "...but I do have to drive here. Let's save it for when we get to the steakhouse, yeah? After all, we've got all the time in the world..." She winked to William as she brought both hands to the wheel. "Besides, while we're driving, I'm sure there's a lot to catch up on. I'm sure you've heard about the last few title defenses..."

As she came to an intersection, Astrid took a pause, realizing she didn't know where they were headed. "...Er, you may need to give me directions..."