Sana watched over Mina fondly on Christmas morning as the younger girl slept. The tiny black box sat on Mina's chest for the seventh day in a row, the sight of which caused Sana's heart to dip and soar with a spectrum of emotions.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest the moment that Mina started to wake up. Time slowed in that instant and all Sana could hear was the faint rustle of sheets as Mina stirred, the soft breath of amusement as Mina's hands instinctively closed around the tiny black box, and the deafening sound of her own heart beating furiously within her chest.

"Merry Christmas, Sattang," Mina murmured, turning to give Sana a sleepy smile that was radiant enough to melt the snow that covered Osaka. Her gentle voice was laced with softness, affection, and the raspiness of sleep.

With a tender smile, Sana leaned over and nudged her nose against Mina's, silently asking for a morning kiss and receiving permission instantly. She basked in the warmth of Mina's lips for a moment before returning the festive greeting. "Merry Christmas to you too, Mittang."

Today was a slow morning, one of Sana's most favorite things in the world. She loved waking up with Mina and simply enjoying her girlfriend's presence, cuddling with Mina, kissing Mina, letting time slip away from them as though they didn't have a care in the world. Slow mornings were always cozy and relaxing--except for today because Sana was acutely aware of the little black box clutched within Mina's hand.

The younger girl let out a sigh of content as she settled back against her pillow, turning to gaze into Sana's eyes with an affectionate smile on her lips. "So this box," Mina wondered out loud, directing her attention to the box that Sana had placed on her chest for the seventh day straight without fail, "is there something special in here today, or is it another coupon?"

Mina gave the box a light shake that rattled Sana's heart more than it rattled the box's contents, and Sana could only hold her breath and try to keep up her usual air of mischievousness, acting as though there was nothing special about today even though today had the potential to become a major turning point in their relationship.

"I told you in the beginning that there would be seven days of coupons," Sana replied as Mina began to open the box. "So it's just another coupon for today..."

And really, it was just another coupon inside the box for today. But really, it wasn't just another coupon inside the box for today. Mina picked up the piece of paper carefully with both hands before reading it out loud.

[Eternally be in love with Mina. No expiration date.]

"Why no expiration date?" Mina wondered with a curious smile as she looked up from the paper in her hands. "Every other coupon expired within a day. How come this one is different?"

"Because... if you're not ready to use this coupon today, I-I wanted you to be able to hold on to it until you were ready," Sana explained, her voice trembling a bit. She smiled at her girlfriend while feeling shaky and unsteadied, nervous about what was to come.

Mina's eyes softened impossibly as she gazed at Sana, sensing Sana's anxiety and wanting to ease it. "And if I did want to use this coupon today, would YOU be ready for me to use it?"

Sana swallowed deeply, her answer tremulous but sincere. "I think I've been ready for this since the moment I first kissed you."

From the twinkle in Mina's eyes, there was no doubt in Sana's mind that Mina understood what was being implied with today's coupon. Mina was expecting to see an engagement ring when she redeemed her coupon, and she was right to expect it. After all, how could Mina expect anything less when seven days' worth of Christmas coupons had been delivered to her inside an engagement ring box.

The seven day event had been Sana's way of gauging Mina's reaction to her planned proposal. If Mina had panicked at all after seeing the engagement ring box on the first day, Sana would've delivered the remaining coupons without the box and concluded the event with a far less significant coupon on Christmas day. But since Mina had shown no signs of being afraid of the potential commitment, Sana was prepared to go ahead with her original plan.

It had been both easy and hard for Sana to come to the realization that she wanted to marry Mina. Easy was knowing her own heart and trusting in the fact that it beated only for Mina, that she both needed and wanted to love Mina for all eternity. Hard was believing that Mina wanted to love her for all eternity as well. In a way, the seven day coupon event was as much about Sana building up her own courage for the eventual proposal as it was about ensuring that Mina was ready to receive the proposal. And after seeing how increasingly happy Mina became throughout the week as they continued to spend more quality time together, Sana had all the courage she needed to take the next step.

Mina smiled wistfully at Sana before looking back down at the coupon in her hands. Her slender fingers played with the slip of paper for a few silent moments, and Sana could sense that the weight of the tiny coupon was growing heavier by the second.

"It's OK if you're not ready to redeem this today," Sana murmured softly. She placed her hand on top of Mina's reassuringly to convey the same feelings. "Remember, there's no expiration date on this. You can redeem it a decade from now if you wanted to."

"I'm ready, Sattang. I promise you that." A gentle, shaky laugh fell from Mina's lips. "My heart feels more ready for this moment than I ever imagined possible. But it's scary, you know? That transition from not ready to ready and taking our relationship one step further." Mina sighed and looked into Sana's eyes with a troubled expression on her face, her fingers tightening impossibly around the coupon as though she wouldn't be able to place it into Sana's hand. "You were always better than me at pushing our boundaries and keeping our relationship moving forward. Whenever the decision falls to me, I become such a coward."

The older girl smiled, recognizing the obstacle that Mina was up against. She sat up in bed and pulled Mina towards her, turning the younger girl around into a back hug. Then she draped the blanket around their shoulders like a protective cape and held Mina against her in a cozy embrace.

"Do you remember the night when you first told me you loved me?" Sana murmured into Mina's ear. The younger girl laughed instantly, embarrassed by her daring actions at 17 years old.

They were in Sana's room having a sleepover when Mina confessed to Sana just before bedtime. Mina still remembered how the blood in her head was pounding so hard that she was about to pass out, how her heart was beating so furiously that she was on the verge of a heart attack, how she was so deeply in love with Minatozaki Sana that Mina thought she might die if she didn't confess to the older girl right then and there.

Sana's kisses were too good during their private sleepover, an endless stream of marshmallow and lollipop kisses that rendered Mina helpless for most of the evening. When at last Sana pulled away, murmuring something about how they probably should go to bed, Mina was unable to contain the feelings that were threatening to spill out on their own.

Too nervous to look Sana in the eye, Mina pulled Sana into her lap and draped a blanket around them, holding Sana close to her for strength and comfort and to keep Sana from turning around and shattering the tiny bit of confidence that Mina was clinging to.

And then Mina said the words that neither of them had ever said to each other before, whispering a heartfelt and sincere, "I love you more than anything else in this world."

A wave of warmth crashed over Sana as Mina confessed to her so honestly, a raw edge of vulnerability laced through each and every tender word. And Sana felt so lucky that Mina had been brave enough to voice the words that had danced around on the tip of Sana's tongue for months, words that Sana had been unable to say herself.

The older girl turned her head and searched for Mina's lips over her shoulder, kissing Mina softly and easing the tension in their hearts. "I love you more than anything else in this world too, Mittang. No matter what happens, I'll be with you always."

Mina's chest swelled with an immense feeling of relief and joy as she hugged Sana even tighter, grateful that she had mustered up the courage to confess. "Me too, Sattang, I promise I'll be with you always, too."

The night of their first confession was now a four year old memory, one that was ingrained so deeply in Sana's heart that she still remembered it with perfectly clarity as she sat with Mina in her lap on Christmas morning.

"You were so brave the night that you confessed to me, Mittang."

Mina scoffed lightly at herself. "That wasn't brave. I didn't even have the courage to say it to your face."

"It doesn't matter how you said it. The fact is that you said it. I never would've been able to tell you I loved you if you hadn't said it first, so don't ever think that I'm the only one pushing this relationship forward. You are brave, Myoui Mina."

Mina turned around and kissed Sana deeply, a slow kiss that caused Sana's heart to stutter in her chest because something about this kiss was different than usual. Mina slid her hands into Sana's as they kissed, lacing their fingers together and holding on like her life depended on it. And when at last the kiss ended and Mina pulled her hands away, Sana was so dazed that it took her a few moments to register that Mina had slipped the coupon into her palm as they held hands.

"I'd like to redeem this coupon today," Mina said boldly, a confident smile returning to her face.

And that was Sana's cue. There was no need to ask if Mina was ready because Mina's eyes radiated with conviction, her gaze full of the intense bravery that Sana always knew she possessed.

Sana reached into the pocket of her fuzzy pajama bottoms and pulled out a tiny velvet box that was identical to the one that held the Christmas coupons. She carefully opened it with shaky fingers to reveal a diamond engagement ring, her heart soaring when Mina gasped at the sight of it.

"Mittang, I've been in love with you for longer than I can even remember. You make me the happiest person in the world whenever I'm with you, whenever I even think of you, and I know I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I want to be with you forever, Mittang..."

Sana paused mid-proposal, the ring box still held out to the woman she loved, not realizing how truly difficult it was going to be to actually ask the ultimate question. The thought of hearing Mina say "no" was so painful and scary that Sana couldn't help but lose her courage. And Mina, understanding this, leaned in and gave Sana a reassuring marshmallow kiss.

"Ask me your question, Sattang," Mina murmured kindly, urging Sana to be brave. "I promise, it'll be OK." She gave Sana another marshmallow kiss for courage, and then one more for good luck.

Marshmallow kisses were always a magical kind of kiss for Mina and Sana. They were the beginning of every morning, they were the ending of every night. They were the catalyst for their friendship at 9 years old, and now they were the catalyst for their engagement at 21.

Sana smiled and took a deep breath, savoring the hint of warmth that Mina's lips had left on her own. "Mittang, will you marry me?"

And even though Sana was expecting the, "yes" that followed instantly, she was still amazed at how Mina's reply sent shivers down her spine, how that simple "yes" ignited a hundred fireworks inside of her heart all at once. Mina's eyes twinkled with affection and Sana kissed her deeply, wanting to make the fireworks go on forever.

They giggled as they hugged each other and felt the relief wash over their tense and nervous hearts. And then Mina turned her attention over to the ring in Sana's hand, her ring, and examined it closely with muted awe.

"Do you like it?" Sana asked.

Mina nodded. "I love it, I really do. And I really love you, too."

Sana slid the ring onto Mina's finger and Mina was amazed at how much it felt like the ring belonged there, as though this ring existed to be worn by only her. Mina gazed into her fiance's warm eyes and smiled, enjoying the feelings of happiness and excitement and peace, knowing that she had an eternity of Sana's love to look forward to.

------------------

Author's Notes: The end! I hope you enjoyed the final chapter of Cozy Living, the fluffy Misana college AU that was only ever meant to be a one shot. :) Thank you for staying until the end. Please leave votes and comments if you haven't already done so!

Hit me up on Twitter or curious cat if you have any questions:

Twitter: @misamosquito

https://curiouscat.me/ZeroHorizon

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU NOTICED THE SPECIAL MESSAGE HIDDEN IN SANA'S COUPONS. XD

Day 1: [M]ake breakfast in bed for Mina

Day 2: [A]ffectionate shower with Sana

Day 3: [R]ead a book together

Day 4: [R]ent a movie together

Day 5: [Y]our choice!!

Day 6: [M]ake a romantic dinner for Mina

Day 7: [E]ternally be in love with Mina