Of course the week she went back to work would be Valentine’s Day.
Zari, unlike many would think, was not opposed to the holiday. After all, there was all the candy and, even better, the post-Valentine’s Day candy sales. The mushy stuff definitely wasn’t her forte, but she could put up with it for one day.
It was also her first Valentine’s in…. forever, probably, when she had someone to share it with. Which made her drag her feet more than usual when it was time to head to the Bureau.
Nate pressed a kiss against her cheek as he took Ani out of her arms. Technically, her first day had been Wednesday, but she was only going to the office a few days a week for now. Fridays were usually slow enough that she could slip home early, which made working them a little more bearable. That didn’t mean she wished she couldn’t just stay home with the two of them
“Don’t have too much fun without me,” Zari said, readjusting her blazer.
“No promises,” he told her, readjusting their daughter in his arms.
She leaned over to tickle Ani’s stomach. “And don’t you give your baba too much trouble. That’s my job.”
Zari got a smile back in response, which made her heart soar more than she ever thought possible. It made both of them grin, before she stood up.
“Are you still coming home early?” Nate asked.
“Definitely. It’s Valentine’s Day. And a Friday. No one wants to stay at the office all day,” she said. “Are you planning something?”
He chuckled, shrugging. “You’ll just have to find out.”
“Alright.” She turned around, adjusting the Time Courier on her wrist to open a portal. “See you later.”
Well, at least the commute was easy.
♥️ ♥️
Nate pushed open the door to the pastry shop, relieved to find it wasn’t as crowded as he thought it would be. There was a bit of a line, but he had ordered ahead.
He definitely had planned something. Why wouldn’t he? It wasn’t anything too big - he knew that wasn’t the best way to go - but it was certainly a sweet surprise.
Finally, he got to the counter. “Uh, hi, I’m picking up an order for Heywood? Nate?”
The cashier looked at Ani strapped to his chest, then at the fake wedding band on his finger. “Huh. I thought you were ordering for an office party or something.”
He grinned. “No, my wife just has a big sweet tooth,” Nate said. Although it was second nature to call Zari his wife instead of his girlfriend, that naturalness of it surprised him.
She chuckled. “Big indeed.” With that, she handed him the pink box. “Have a good Valentine’s Day.”
Nate balanced the box with one hand, the other rubbing Ani’s back through the carrier. “You too.”
♥️ ♥️
Zari sighed as she walked through the portal into the house. Eight boring hours at a desk were more tiring than she remembered, though that might just have been the sleepless nights catching up to her. She kicked off her flats and walked into the kitchen, not really taking in how suspiciously quiet it was.
She was about to open up the fridge when she noticed a pink box on the counter. There was no note just… a plain box. Carefully, she started to open the box, when-
“Surprise!”
“Fuck!” Zari turned to where the voice had come from. Nate was in the pantry, a bundle of flowers in one hand and a baby monitor in the other. “Why?”
He grinned. “I was going to just surprise you with the donuts, but-”
“You decided to give me a heart attack?” she asked, crossing her arms.
Nate shrugged. “There wasn’t anywhere else to hide.”
She glanced back at the box. “So you got me donuts and flowers.”
“The surprise is uh, mostly the donuts.” He nodded, motioning to the box and Zari sighed.
As she opened the box, she saw that they were heart-shaped donuts, frosted in pink and white. She picked one up and took a bite.
“Holy shit,” Zari said, mouth full. “These are good.”
He walked over, setting the baby monitor on the counter. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, dude.” She swallowed, and held the donut out to him without a second thought. “Try it.”
Nate let her put it in his mouth before taking a bite. He raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Mm.” Putting his free hand over his mouth, he said, “These are super good.”
She took another bite, smiling. There were still a mostly-full box of donuts to go, and she shut the box. As soon as she finished off the donut, she looked up at him again. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He put the flowers down and slid a hand on her hip. “Whatcha thinking?”
“Just how wonderful my fake husband is to surprise me with donuts,” Zari answered, sliding a hand onto his arm. “Even if they were sappy heart-shaped ones.”
Nate grinned, laughing just a little. “I wanted them to be special. I even skimped out on the chocolate ones.”
“And he knows me so well.” She took his face in her free hand. “Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.”
“Happy Valentine’s.”
Zari leaned up to kiss him when the baby monitor stirred to life. They looked at each other, before she patted his arm.
“I’ll see what’s up.” She stepped away, still smiling. “Thank you.”
He handed her the baby monitor. “Love you.”
She nodded, before heading up the stairs. It had been romantic while it lasted, but…
It was still the best Valentine’s she’d had in a while.
