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It was freezing one day, and I was simply walking to Damian’s house. It was only—what? —a ten-minute walk from my own apartment, and I was already getting stiff with cold. I shivered in the snow after knocking on Damian’s door, and he threw it open quickly, pulling me into the warm house.

“Aria, what are you doing?” he asked as I shed my jacket, sweater and hat. I rolled my eyes at him, but Damian disappeared for a few seconds and came back with a fluffy throw—that I’m pretty sure was mine—and threw it on my head. I pulled it off, and all of the loose hairs in my long braid flew up with static electricity. Damian immediately rewrapped me with the blanket and shoved me into the living room, while saying, “I’ll get you some hot chocolate.”

I smiled at his mother-hen-ness. Damian was extremely protective of me, which I didn’t mind. Ever since we came back into his world from the experience with the other people and those other villains, he had been that way. I was glad to be away from my entrapment of an old world, though, and here I had chosen to leave my wings behind to stay with Damian. I rolled my shoulders at the sensitivity of my scars on my shoulder blades where my wings used to be. The little lines of scar tissue never seem to heal, so I constantly had to move them, dimming the pain just a little.

“Dami?” I asked, walking through the living room and into the kitchen. The warmth of the stove rushed up at me as I strode in, and I stopped, drinking it in for a second. Damian was hunched over the stove with a pan of popcorn in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. He looked up at me with a big grin.

“Are you warmer now?” He asked as I settled down on a stool. I smiled back at him warmly, but graciously took the mug off hot chocolate I was given. Damian opened his mouth to say something, and suddenly the popcorn started to pop loudly, cutting him off.

“Yes, Damian, I’m fine,” I said, laying my hand on his, “the doctor says my back will heal with time and my body will get used to not having my wings anymore.”

Damian blew a big breath of air out of his mouth, looking relieved, “Good, I was starting to worry about that.”

“Starting to?” I snorted, “You’ve been worried about them since we came here!”

Damian sighed again, “I know, Bird, you’ve just been worrying me a lot lately.”

I rolled my eyes at him and took a sip of my hot chocolate, “Just because I take night classes doesn’t mean you have to worry about me. I have a bat that I take everywhere and my keys can be used as a very painful weapon.”

He nodded, but I knew he was thinking about the villains we had to face, “Hey, we can’t let people like Storm and Jefe ruin our lives,” I told him, playing with my braid, “The reason I keep my hair long is so I remember, but I don’t let it control me. Damian, we need to move on.”

Damian nodded slowly, then looked up at me, his blue eyes caring, “I have to go get something.”

He raced away quickly, and I watched him as he entered his room. Damian stayed in there for a while, making bumps and thumps, but I let him find what he needed to. I simply sipped on my hot chocolate, patiently waiting. After a while, Damian exited his room and turned towards the front door.

I furrowed my eyebrows, following. When he came into sight, I saw him pulling on his favorite leather jacket, scarf and beanie.

“Dami, where are you going?” I asked, wrapping the blanket further around me. He smiled softly at me, then held up my jacket.

“I need to take you somewhere,” he said, and my eyebrows dipped lower. I didn’t ask questions, though they were stirring in my mind. I only pulled on my outerwear and followed him outside into the snowy cold.

Damian pulled me along for a little, and my back started to hurt, “Damian, what are we doing?”

He didn’t answer, but pulled be farther into town. Soon, we were standing in front of the River’s outlet mall and he was stopping in the middle of a big crowd of strangers. I opened my mouth to repeat my previous question, but he pressed a finger to my lips.

“I’ve wanted to ask this question for a very, very long time,” he said, pulling a small velvet box out of his jacket and getting on one knee, “and I wanted everyone possible to see it. Aria LeeAnne, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

My eyes seemed to pop out of my head and my mouth dropped open, “Yes! YES YES YES!”

I wrapped Damian in a hug and he placed his chin on top of my head as people cheered. We hugged for a long time until I spoke up.

“Hey Damian?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we go inside? It’s cold.”

He smiled and pulled me inside the mall.