FOTD: Anniversaries
Title: Anniversaries
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (lagniappe: an unexpected or indirect benefit.), malt (eight skirts a-fallin').
Word Count: 1162
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Perfection is where you find it.
Notes: Okay, so technically it's only one skirt, but the idea is there. Askingxalice prompted me with "Ivy and Gina's first year anniversary" over on the headpeople meme, and it turned out to be far too long for one comment, so here it is. Also, if you want the orange blossom thing explained, check out Sensual.
Gina had taken a lot of care, getting dressed. She wore the red dress, because she knew Ivy loved it, and it made her skin look like cream and her hair like gold. Strappy red heels, and sheer stockings that ended in a garter belt, and lingerie that matched the dress, because it paid to be prepared.
Her accessories had been chosen with equal care. Orange blossom perfume-- she didn't know what Ivy liked so much about it, but she could recognize patterns, and she got jumped damn near every time she wore it. Gold for the nail polish, fingers and toes, to match her hair and her jewelry. A gold bangle for each ear, a gold necklace that dipped just low enough to draw attention to her breasts (not that Ivy needed the reminder), the gold hair clips Ivy had given her for her birthday.
She looked, in a word, perfect. Actually, everything was perfect, as flawless as she could make it.
Her apartment had undergone a deep cleaning the day before; every surface sparkled and shone in the dim light of the candles. She'd used the nice china with hand-painted flowers that she'd borrowed from her mother for her birthday and forgotten-on-purpose to give back. The tablecloth was laundered a snowy white, her silverware polished to a high sheen. She'd even made the lasagna recipe that her grandmother had left her, although Grandma Regina would probably have disowned her for using store-bought noodles.
First anniversaries were important, and this was the first relationship Gina had ever been in that had actually made it to a first anniversary. She intended for it to be perfect. It would be perfect.
That particular delusion didn't last any longer than it took Ivy to walk in her front door, or rather to open the door and then stop on the lintel, eyes wide in shock.
She spent at least a minute and a half in utter silence, which gave Gina plenty of time to survey her girlfriend. Ivy looked tired, and a little annoyed under the astonishment, but neither was any surprise; this time of year meant finals and bitchy customers, and Ivy had very little patience for either. She'd clearly made some kind of effort, since her hair was clean and combed, but nothing near the kind of effort Gina had gone to. And that pure surprise...
This didn't bode well. At all. Gina tried not to feel disappointed.
"...whoa," Ivy said, at last, after she'd taken in every inch of the apartment and looked Gina up and down at least twice. "Damn. Um, you look fabulous. What's the occasion?"
Gina smiled, uncertainly, to cover the sinking feeling in her stomach. "Our anniversary, silly."
Ivy frowned. "It isn't our anniversary, our anniversary's Thursday." Her frown became suddenly rather worried. "Isn't it?"
"No, it's today," Gina said, but Ivy was already shaking her head.
"No, it has to be Thursday. I remember because I had a day off before finals so I could stay out as late as I wanted. It was the fifteenth. That's Thursday."
Gina blinked at her. "But that isn't our anniversary, that was just our first date."
Ivy opened her mouth, then shut it again, then came inside and closed the door properly before saying, "So, if that's not our anniversary, what's..." She trailed off, frowning again.
"The subway," Gina said, and grinned. "Remember? You had that hideous cold."
Ivy groaned, and just like that the tense moment was gone. "Oh, don't remind me. I was sneezing all over everything. You must have been so grossed out."
"No," Gina said, thoughtfully, and leaned on the back of the chair she stood behind. Ivy's eyes, she saw with some amusement, went right to her cleavage and stayed there for a good fifteen seconds before she dragged her gaze back up. "No, I wasn't grossed out. Actually I wanted to take you home and wrap you up in blankets and cuddle you."
"Great," Ivy said, and shrugged her coat off. She'd gone to a little more effort than Gina had at first realized; she'd changed out of her grad student slop clothes and was wearing a rather pretty green shirt and slacks. "Caretaking instincts. Well, I guess I couldn't hope for lust."
Gina laughed. "Oh, there was lust, too. I just didn't think it was nice to ravish you while you were sick."
"Hmm," Ivy said, and smiled at her in a way that had her stomach jumping. "I'm not sick now."
"Indeed you're not," Gina said, and reached for her.
Several minutes later, Ivy pulled out of a kiss to say, "I'm sorry. You went to all this trouble and I ruined it."
Gina caught her breath, pulled the neckline of her dress up a bit and gave her girlfriend a skeptical look. "You call this ruining?"
"In the romance-novel sense, sure," Ivy said. "No, actually I meant... I don't know. You look so amazing, and I'm in my movie date clothes."
"Clothes," Gina said, "are about to not matter so much. Or so I devoutly hope, at any rate."
Ivy smiled at her again. "I think I can make that happen. But you cooked and everything! I feel bad. Even though it's not really our anniversary."
Gina snorted. "It is so our anniversary," she said. "But I'll forgive your miscounting."
"Uh-huh," Ivy said. "Come to my place on our actual anniversary and I'll make this up to you." She leaned in to kiss Gina again, then paused a breath from her lips and added, "Don't wear anything too complicated."
"Wasn't planning on it," Gina said, and leaned forward just as Ivy leaned back. She pulled back and huffed-- Ivy was wearing her thoughtful expression, so the sex wasn't likely to ensue any time soon. "Ivy..."
"I was just thinking..." Ivy began.
"I know," Gina said. "Stop."
That got her a laugh, and a quick kiss pressed to her nose. "Shouldn't we eat first? I mean, you went to all this trouble."
"I made lasagna," Gina said. "It keeps well. Now take your shirt off or you really will ruin our anniversary."
"Anything you say, o mistress," Ivy said, and pulled the green silk over her head. She folded it over a chair, and added, casually, "Even though it's not our anniversary."
It must have looked awfully odd, Gina thought later, to whatever cosmic observer might have been watching; her with her red dress falling off her shoulders, chasing Ivy, in a beige cotton bra and formal black slacks, around the table, both of them laughing like fiends.
But it had ended nicely. Ivy appreciated the lingerie just as Gina had hoped she would, and the lasagna did keep, and Ivy found some creative uses for the raspberries Gina had bought for dessert, and even if it hadn't turned out the way she planned it, what in her life with Ivy ever had?
"Perfect," she sighed, and moaned when Ivy took that as encouragement.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (lagniappe: an unexpected or indirect benefit.), malt (eight skirts a-fallin').
Word Count: 1162
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Perfection is where you find it.
Notes: Okay, so technically it's only one skirt, but the idea is there. Askingxalice prompted me with "Ivy and Gina's first year anniversary" over on the headpeople meme, and it turned out to be far too long for one comment, so here it is. Also, if you want the orange blossom thing explained, check out Sensual.
Gina had taken a lot of care, getting dressed. She wore the red dress, because she knew Ivy loved it, and it made her skin look like cream and her hair like gold. Strappy red heels, and sheer stockings that ended in a garter belt, and lingerie that matched the dress, because it paid to be prepared.
Her accessories had been chosen with equal care. Orange blossom perfume-- she didn't know what Ivy liked so much about it, but she could recognize patterns, and she got jumped damn near every time she wore it. Gold for the nail polish, fingers and toes, to match her hair and her jewelry. A gold bangle for each ear, a gold necklace that dipped just low enough to draw attention to her breasts (not that Ivy needed the reminder), the gold hair clips Ivy had given her for her birthday.
She looked, in a word, perfect. Actually, everything was perfect, as flawless as she could make it.
Her apartment had undergone a deep cleaning the day before; every surface sparkled and shone in the dim light of the candles. She'd used the nice china with hand-painted flowers that she'd borrowed from her mother for her birthday and forgotten-on-purpose to give back. The tablecloth was laundered a snowy white, her silverware polished to a high sheen. She'd even made the lasagna recipe that her grandmother had left her, although Grandma Regina would probably have disowned her for using store-bought noodles.
First anniversaries were important, and this was the first relationship Gina had ever been in that had actually made it to a first anniversary. She intended for it to be perfect. It would be perfect.
That particular delusion didn't last any longer than it took Ivy to walk in her front door, or rather to open the door and then stop on the lintel, eyes wide in shock.
She spent at least a minute and a half in utter silence, which gave Gina plenty of time to survey her girlfriend. Ivy looked tired, and a little annoyed under the astonishment, but neither was any surprise; this time of year meant finals and bitchy customers, and Ivy had very little patience for either. She'd clearly made some kind of effort, since her hair was clean and combed, but nothing near the kind of effort Gina had gone to. And that pure surprise...
This didn't bode well. At all. Gina tried not to feel disappointed.
"...whoa," Ivy said, at last, after she'd taken in every inch of the apartment and looked Gina up and down at least twice. "Damn. Um, you look fabulous. What's the occasion?"
Gina smiled, uncertainly, to cover the sinking feeling in her stomach. "Our anniversary, silly."
Ivy frowned. "It isn't our anniversary, our anniversary's Thursday." Her frown became suddenly rather worried. "Isn't it?"
"No, it's today," Gina said, but Ivy was already shaking her head.
"No, it has to be Thursday. I remember because I had a day off before finals so I could stay out as late as I wanted. It was the fifteenth. That's Thursday."
Gina blinked at her. "But that isn't our anniversary, that was just our first date."
Ivy opened her mouth, then shut it again, then came inside and closed the door properly before saying, "So, if that's not our anniversary, what's..." She trailed off, frowning again.
"The subway," Gina said, and grinned. "Remember? You had that hideous cold."
Ivy groaned, and just like that the tense moment was gone. "Oh, don't remind me. I was sneezing all over everything. You must have been so grossed out."
"No," Gina said, thoughtfully, and leaned on the back of the chair she stood behind. Ivy's eyes, she saw with some amusement, went right to her cleavage and stayed there for a good fifteen seconds before she dragged her gaze back up. "No, I wasn't grossed out. Actually I wanted to take you home and wrap you up in blankets and cuddle you."
"Great," Ivy said, and shrugged her coat off. She'd gone to a little more effort than Gina had at first realized; she'd changed out of her grad student slop clothes and was wearing a rather pretty green shirt and slacks. "Caretaking instincts. Well, I guess I couldn't hope for lust."
Gina laughed. "Oh, there was lust, too. I just didn't think it was nice to ravish you while you were sick."
"Hmm," Ivy said, and smiled at her in a way that had her stomach jumping. "I'm not sick now."
"Indeed you're not," Gina said, and reached for her.
Several minutes later, Ivy pulled out of a kiss to say, "I'm sorry. You went to all this trouble and I ruined it."
Gina caught her breath, pulled the neckline of her dress up a bit and gave her girlfriend a skeptical look. "You call this ruining?"
"In the romance-novel sense, sure," Ivy said. "No, actually I meant... I don't know. You look so amazing, and I'm in my movie date clothes."
"Clothes," Gina said, "are about to not matter so much. Or so I devoutly hope, at any rate."
Ivy smiled at her again. "I think I can make that happen. But you cooked and everything! I feel bad. Even though it's not really our anniversary."
Gina snorted. "It is so our anniversary," she said. "But I'll forgive your miscounting."
"Uh-huh," Ivy said. "Come to my place on our actual anniversary and I'll make this up to you." She leaned in to kiss Gina again, then paused a breath from her lips and added, "Don't wear anything too complicated."
"Wasn't planning on it," Gina said, and leaned forward just as Ivy leaned back. She pulled back and huffed-- Ivy was wearing her thoughtful expression, so the sex wasn't likely to ensue any time soon. "Ivy..."
"I was just thinking..." Ivy began.
"I know," Gina said. "Stop."
That got her a laugh, and a quick kiss pressed to her nose. "Shouldn't we eat first? I mean, you went to all this trouble."
"I made lasagna," Gina said. "It keeps well. Now take your shirt off or you really will ruin our anniversary."
"Anything you say, o mistress," Ivy said, and pulled the green silk over her head. She folded it over a chair, and added, casually, "Even though it's not our anniversary."
It must have looked awfully odd, Gina thought later, to whatever cosmic observer might have been watching; her with her red dress falling off her shoulders, chasing Ivy, in a beige cotton bra and formal black slacks, around the table, both of them laughing like fiends.
But it had ended nicely. Ivy appreciated the lingerie just as Gina had hoped she would, and the lasagna did keep, and Ivy found some creative uses for the raspberries Gina had bought for dessert, and even if it hadn't turned out the way she planned it, what in her life with Ivy ever had?
"Perfect," she sighed, and moaned when Ivy took that as encouragement.