RP: Milestones

[avabyrne]

Date: March 27, 2012
Characters: Ava Byrne, Rori Milburn
Location: Ava's place
Status: Private
Summary: Celebrating Rori's birthday.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[avabyrne]

"Not really fair for them to be putting pressure on you then," Ava decided. "You'll do it on your own time, if you want to." It seemed like she really did. Which Ava had already known from things she'd said in the past, but she hadn't known that Rori was feeling down about not having those things yet. Maybe it wasn't even just a birthday malaise, but something more longstanding.

"If you're happy, that's what matters. It's not always easy to separate that from the other stuff, but still." She smiled a little. "Anyway, Cannon's foaling soon, so that's a sort of kid in the meantime. It's almost time, right?" She went back to frosting mostly to keep her hands busy as her mind ran in circles. It was weird for someone as neurotic as her but she didn't think about the future very often, at least not in this--the present was already more than she'd thought she'd have. But there were definitely moments. "I'd kind of like kids," she added after a quiet moment. She was going for a conversational tone, but it still felt like a big thing to say to one's girlfriend, and her heart was beating pretty hard. "I mean, you know. Someday."

Ava couldn't help grinning as she finished frosting the cake and reached for a few candles. "I might've been thinking about it all day."

[rori_milburn]

"They mean well," Rori said quietly, shrugging. At least, she thought they did. But it still didn't mean it was right, Ava was correct about that. "I will, eventually. Just feel like I'm a bit behind or something, sometimes, ya know?" she said, wondering if Ava ever felt that way too. "I'm really not too bad about it all, except when they're nagging. I mean, I want some things, yeah? But I'm also mostly happy with where I'm at now." A girl friend, her horses, a foal on the way.

She grinned happily. "That's gonna be one spoiled foal," she admitted. "And it will be like a kid. You're gonna try to come, if you can, right?" she said, crossing her fingers that Cannon would foal at a time convenient for Ava. If not, it wasn't the end of the world, as Ava would be getting to see the foal as much as she wanted. It was kind of nice to hear Ava say she wanted kids, someday. Like it made it a possibility that Rori might have wtih her, though there wasn't a rush on that, there was no way she would ever push Ava on that. "Yeah, someday. I think it'd be great," she said softly, nodding in agreement.

Her smile was warm as she leaned closer. "Have you now?" she said, licking her lips unconsciously, still tasting the frosting and the fainter taste of Ava. "Sounds promising for me, then."

[avabyrne]

Ava smiled wryly. "I'm in the dictonary next to the phrase 'late bloomer', so I think I know what you mean at least on some level. Always a little bit behind the curve on what I should know and have by now." She watched Rori for a moment then reached for her hand. "I'm happy too," she said, "but wanting things is also good." And good to have someone to want those things with, when she thought about it. Her fingers closed more tightly around Rori's.

"You don't need to tell me how much of a doting mom you're going to be; I can already tell," she laughed, "and of course I want to come." She still remembered when Rori had first told her Cannon was pregnant. It seemed like ages ago, and Ava had been looking forward to it all that time. "Keep me posted, okay? I can't wait to see little him or her." It would be amazing to see the foal being born, and a big thing to be a part of in Rori's life. She wanted to be there.

"Pretty promising." Ava set the candles down again and moved closer as well, turning her body to face her better and effectively fitting herself into the space between Rori and the counter. Her hands rested at Rori's hips as she leaned up to kiss her properly, because she had been thinking about this all day. "I have something for you," she said when she pulled back to breathe and linked her fingers with Rori's again.

[rori_milburn]

Rori giggled. Maybe Ava was a late bloomer, but she didn't see anything wrong with it. It probably would have been better if she'd been a late bloomer, too, but she'd just ended up doing a lot of struggling with things and then keeping it all almost completely secret. "I don't think you're behind the curve," she said honestly. Rori squeezed her fingers back, reassured that it was okay to want more, and she hoped that perhaps someday Ava might want more too.

"I probably will be," she admitted with a smile and a sigh. She'd probably have to be beaten back with a stick from doing everything the wrong way. "I will, I promise. You might be getting a text or call in the middle of the night, though, you know that right?" she warned playfully. It always seemed like such things happened at the most inconvenient of times.

Rori closed the circuit between her and the counter once Ava was between her and it, shifting so she fit closer to her lover. She leaned into the kiss, her kiss lazy and warm and thorough. She'd missed her girlfriend. "Mmm, you do? What is it?" she asked curiously, swinging their joined hands gently.

[avabyrne]

"You mean we can't just schedule a time when we're all free and then let the foal know when to come out?" Ava grinned. "That's like, antithetical to my whole worldview. I hope he and I get along." She broke a laugh. "Middle of the night works for me. I'm not really a deep sleeper."

"Mmhm." She smiled when Rori swung their hands, then leaned forward to kiss her jaw. "It's in the bedroom actually--it's um, well, not how that sounded," she added quickly, not that she imagined Rori would mind if it were. "Not that I--nevermind. That's just where I left it. Come on." She reddened and led Rori back, switching on the light and retrieving the bag where she'd put it by her bed. She pulled the box out, nerves settling in as she fingered the necklace on her neck that Rori had given her on her own birthday.

"I was thinking, like, I don't know a really nice riding jacket or gloves or something like that? But it felt too impersonal, or practical, or something. And I know you're not as much of a jewelry person as I am, but I saw it and I thought...well I wanted it to be important," she babbled as she held the box out. In it was a simple celtic ring on a chain, with their initials engraved on the inside. She'd tried to find one that wasn't too girly but wasn't sized for a guy either.

"I figured--well it could be for around your neck," she explained, indicating the chain. She hadn't wanted it to be weird, giving Rori a ring, for quite a few reasons, but particularly if Rori might get questions about it that she didn't want to answer. Not that it looked like that kind of a ring, she supposed. "Which might be more convenient for work and stuff anyway." She bit her lip and tried not to ramble more.

[rori_milburn]

"Goodness knows I sure wish we could," Rori said, slightly rueful. "It's always the worst possible time, whether you're sleeping or in the middle of something or goodness only knows what," she said. She snickered appreciatively at Ava's words, completely amused. "Yeah, but you should also get your sleep," she said.

She giggled faintly as Ava started trying to explain. While her mind had gone there, briefly--most likely due to drink and kisses--she knew that that wasn't what her girlfriend had meant. She followed her willingly, enjoying the blush on her cheeks that she could barely see. She took the gift, perching on the edge of the bed and opening the box. Her smile softened and she fingered the ring, pulling it out and noticing the initials engraved on it. "Oh, it's beautiful, Ava," she said softly. The chain was perfect for when she was working--she rarely wore rings while at the barn simply because of the one time she'd bent one painfully onto her finger and had had to go to the hospital for it.

"Really, it's perfect," she said, moving to pull Ava into a hug. "I can wear it if I want when I'm off," though which finger, she wondered, "and the chain at work so I don't hurt it."

[avabyrne]

As usual Ava felt silly for rambling once she saw Rori's reaction. She could never quite stop herself from feeling anxious about things, but Rori was almost always more chill than Ava expected her to be--more chill than she might be herself, even. She watched Rori touch the ring, looked at her face, then settled a little bit. She seemed to like it.

"I wasn't sure if it'd be too much, or--I mean, I'm really glad you like it," she finished, bringing her arms up and into the hug. There wasn't any reason to worry about moving too fast or going too far, she told herself. She turned her face into Rori's neck and added more quietly, "happy birthday."

She nodded as she pulled back slightly, her mouth curving into a smile. She couldn't deny the pleasure she felt at the thought of Rori wearing the ring on her hand, even if it was only briefly. Though the idea of it being under Rori's shirt, against her skin all the time was nice, too. "Good," she said finally, "I think either way it'll look great on you."

[rori_milburn]

Rori held her close for a long moment, head tucked into Ava's neck briefly. She was very touched by the gift, and yeah, it was a ring, but it wasn't exactly that kind of ring, though it was something she really did like. It didn't give her a feeling of pressure or panic, just the warm glow of happiness that filled her. "Not too much. Just right," she murmured, arms tightening slightly. "Thank you."

Rori spread her fingers toward Ava, wiggling them faintly. "Put it on me?" she said somewhat hopefully. She would admit she didn't know which finger to choose, or which would fit best, though she wasn't really picky which one it ended up on, even if some fingers had more meaning than others. The chain was a very thoughtful addition, given that she did manual labor with her hands all the time, but when she was off she might very well take to wearing it on a finger sometimes.

[avabyrne]

Being in Rori's arms felt good, really good as usual, and Ava sighed a little and smiled, glad that she'd done this whole birthday thing right so far, had given her girlfriend something that made her happy. And they were pretty serious, at this point. It did feel right, giving Rori something that symbolized that.

She smiled and nodded, reaching for the ring and slipping it off the chain, leaving the chain in the box for now. She took Rori's right hand after a slight hesitation and slipped it on the ring finger. She'd researched it a bit, being her, and opinion had been split as to which finger a promise ring should go on, but Rori would likely get fewer questions if it were on her right hand. Much as Ava wanted her to wear it, she didn't want to make things difficult for her either. "Does it fit?" She bit her lip and flicked her gaze up to Rori's. Putting a ring on her girlfriend was a pretty heady feeling, she could admit. "I mean, you could wear it wherever it's most comfortable. I looked it up--of course," she added impishly.

[rori_milburn]

Rori was more than content to let Ava choose which of her fingers to slip the ring on. She didn't know which one would be appropriate at this point, and Ava was more likely to. She liked having a sign that things were serious between them. It wasn't something that just anyone might notice, especially given that the ring wasn't your typical sort of ring, but she loved it and it was perfect between the two of them.

She flexed her hands slightly, getting used to the unfamiliar feel of a ring on her finger. "Yes, it fits very well," she said. Not that she was surprised, to be honest, as Ava was good at getting things like that right. "Of course you did," she said lightly, teasingly. She thought it was cute that Ava researched things so much. "It's perfect, Ava. Thank you," she said again, softly. It felt really right to have something like this to be able to look at and know.

[avabyrne]

Ava nodded, her eyes on Rori's hands as she told her it fit. "Looks good on you," she murmured, her lips tugging up into a smile as she lifted Rori's hand and kissed the finger, then turned it over to press her lips to the palm. She glanced up. "My research always works out for me in the end," she said, raising a brow before she laughed.

When Rori thanked her again, Ava threaded their fingers together, noticing the cool of the metal ring sliding then settling against her own fingers. Different, nice. Theirs. "I love you," she said simply, brushing her thumb over Rori's as she leaned in and touched her lips to hers, brushing gently before pressing closer.