Title: Taking the cake
Author name: JustAKitty
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None - this is very much a non-hellmouth setting.
Summary: Oneshot. A brief snapshot into the lives of a slightly older Willow and Tara couple. No monsters or Hellmouth, just W&T goodness….
Disclaimer: Willow and Tara belong to Mutant Enemy (sadly). The alarm clock is real (and commercially available), but everything else is a product of my imagination. Any resemblances to things alive, dead, owned by your aunty, etc. is purely coincidental.
Notes: Many thanks to wayland for the invaluable help and advice, to BeMyDeputy for the encouragement, and to the rest of the kittens for making this board feel like my second home.
* * * * *
The sunlight streaming through the window settled on the lone occupant of the double bed, causing her eyelids to flutter in protest.
Still, Tara - even in her only-just-waking state of low awareness - quickly realised something was missing this morning. The very comfortable pillow was still there, as was the kitten-covered duvet (her purchase) and the old rainbow blanket with iron-on patches from states visited, but something was definitely missing…
“…..Willow….no comfortable, warm and oh-so-delightfully-soft Willowy wife….”Tara sat bolt upright, quickly rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Weekend snuggling was very important to both of them, and it normally took something important to divert her beloved from their traditional arrangement - waking up closely intertwined and enjoying the process of discovering which leg belonged to whom.
Tara snatched the glasses on the nightstand, narrowly missing the R2D2 Projection Alarm Clock (Willow’s acquisition) whose whistles and beeps normally woke them each morning. Then, the duvet and blanket were pushed back and her feet slipped under the bed to find her fleece-lined slippers (these were green and stowed neatly under the bed each night so she could easily locate them, whereas Willow’s were blue and usually ended up kicked off somewhere that necessitated a hurried search each morning).
Familiar padding footsteps in the corridor outside interrupted her quest, and Tara listened with increasing confusion until the slightly ajar door was pushed inwards by a rather pert backside, followed by the rest of the redhead-in-question. The figure turned around bearing a heavily laden tray of fruit, tea, muffins and
….is that a cupcake with a candle in it? “Morning,” chattered Willow, “I made you breakfast in bed. Well breakfast half-in-half-outta-bed I guess since you aren’t fully in bed, and, and, why are you getting out of bed, I thought you were asleep? Did I wake you, I didn’t wake you did I, I did didn’t I, I’m sooo sorry I didn’t mean to make any noise but you know me - all large with the clumsiness and…. ”
Tara gently interrupted the verbal torrent and, with an ease born of long practice, addressed the important points:
“You didn’t wake me baby; I just woke up missing you. Breakfast in bed is very thoughtful, but - not sound all miss unappreciative here – why?”
“Birthday.” Willow said succinctly, quickly clearing the nightstand and setting down the tray.
“Sweetie, my birthday was two months ago.”
“I know, but…gah,” flopping onto the comfortable contours of their bed, Willow buried her face in a pillow, “it’s dumb. Really dumb, now I actually think about it.”
“You’re never dumb. Quirky and loveable, yes. Dumb, never. Now come here,” Tara patted the spot immediately next to her, “and talk to me.”
"No response…hmm, how to bring back Willow-smile? Ahh, got it..."“These strawberries look delicious,” murmured Tara huskily, selecting a juicy target, “mmm, tastes better than they look. But, oh dear,” she paused theatrically, “now I’ve got juice all over my fingers.”
"Uh huh, that made her twitch, now to reel in the big guns…"“If only I had some nice, hot, lesbian lover to lick them clean. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to sit here and - mmmph….”
Her half-joking, half-earnest seductive spiel was abruptly broken off when two lips pressed themselves firmly against hers. A few moments later, foreheads resting against each other:
“So, now I’ve got your attention again,”
“Har, har,” interjected Willow, sardonically,
“perhaps I can get your not-dumb-and-probably-adorably-sweet explanation, hmmm?”
“It’s just, I was watching you put up those new twinkly lights I got you.” *pause* “And I..got to thinking…we’ve only celebrated your birthdays since we met, not all of the ones you had without me.”
“I didn't have
that many before I met you.”
A red eyebrow quirked, and Tara mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key.
“As I was saying, so I thought maybe I could start at the beginning with you, and work our way through the ones I missed. Hence the one-candle cupcake…..dumb, huh?”
“No,” replied Tara, lips quirking up, “that’s very thoughtful, and a very, very Willowy thing to do.” She kissed her wife gently on the cheek.
“How come you always know how to make me feel better?” asked Willow softly.
“The same reason you know how to make me feel loved.”
“’Cos we’re in love?”
“’Cos we’re in love,” agreed Tara, leaning back.
Green eyes met blue, and sparkled with mischief.
“Soooo, about those sticky fingers of yours….”
Soft, gentle kisses rapidly turned passionate.
“Mmmmmm.”
“Mmm…baby…..”
And Tara’s last coherent thought of the morning, flashed through her mind.
Happy birthday, to me…..
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