Work Text:
Halloween night.
It is, by a far margin, the only night it’s acceptable to loudly declare that you are a vampire, and Farah is relishing the opportunity. The detective watches as she bounds up to another stranger, amber eyes gleaming, and cartoonishly flourishes her cape with a “Bluh! I want to suck your blood!”
Ava watches too, face set into a neutral, unmoving expression, but after years together, the detective has learned that the vague disapproval she radiates is in fact intense disappointment. Hell, she’s been on the receiving end of it enough times to recognize the subtle cues in an instant. Just as it seems that Ava has resolved to do something, taking a step forward from her awkward lookout at the edge of the party, the detective speaks up
“Ava, I’ll talk with her.” Ava shoots her back an appraising look, but seems to relent.
“Fine. Ask her to tone it down.” She glances to Farah, who seems to have found her next mark: Verda and his children. ”Quickly,” she urges. While she doesn’t see much harm in it, the detective’s just grateful for the opportunity to save her girlfriend from what would undoubtedly be a long, boring lecture from Ava.
She makes it over just as Farah leans down to Cara, wiggling her fingers. “I’m a spoooooooky vampire!” Cara giggles, ducking behind Verda’s legs, and Farah joins her in laughter, happy and bright. It’s absolutely infectious.
It’s no surprise that the detective finds herself laughing along too. Farah always does seem to have that effect on her. At the sound of her beloved, Farah looks up with a wide grin. “My favorite human!”
“I thought I was your favorite witch.” The detective gestures up to the hat perched on her head. Maybe Ava was a little right to be worried, after all. Cara, fortunately, interjects.
“Witches are magic humans!” Farah nods to her sagely.
“Yeah, witches are magic humans!” The agreement sends them spiraling into giggles yet again, until the detective nudges Farah’s shoulder gently.
“Okay, you got me! I’m a magic, magic human.” She snakes her hand down to grab Farah’s. “But it’s getting late, so maybe we should leave Lacy and Cara to finish getting their candy and head home.” Lacy sleepily nuzzles into Verda’s shoulder and Farah beams.
“Oh no! I have to retire to my coffin before the sun comes out!” With a dramatic flair, Farah makes her cape billow behind her as she follows the detective. As they’re turning to leave, Verda mouths a ‘thank you’ over his shoulder.
Farah’s excitement hasn’t dulled a bit, even if she’s been pulled from her game. No, now she’s focused on her girlfriend as she’s led outside.
“Ava looked like she was going to blow a gasket in there!” The detective snickers into the cool, autumn night air, and this time it’s Farah joining in.
“I could feel it from across the room. Thanks for saving me from her wrath!” Farah smiles at her, and the detective feels her heart race. She’s beautiful like this, excited, vibrant, brightening every little thing around her. The detective tries to temper the sudden lightness that comes to her, but she ends up sounding a little flustered all the same.
“It’s really no problem. I wanted to check in with you anyway.” Not one to miss the opportunity for a little mischief, Farah’s quick to jump in.
“Wanted to get me alone?” She leans in, wiggling an eyebrow suggestively, in just the way she knows will make the detective laugh again. It works.
“Okay, maybe!” The detective lifts a hand to cup her cheek, and Farah leans eagerly into the touch. “It’s the most fun way to keep you out of trouble.” With a cheeky grin, Farah bounces up onto her toes for a peck. Though short, it’s soft and sweet.
“I don’t know, I think we get up to plenty of trouble together.” The detective bows her head to plant a kiss on her cheek.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” The more she thinks on it, the more the detective realizes just how much they’ve been through together. Murphy, Bobby sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong, the Trappers, and countless other trials, both big and small. And they’ve always come out together, strong, and so, so in love. The thought makes her heart swell, and Farah lays a hand gently across her chest.
“You’re so adorable. I love you so much!” She leans in for another kiss and it sends the detective’s heart aflutter once more.
“I love you too, Farah.” With a gentle laugh, she leans in to pepper kisses across Farah’s face. As they’re huddled together there, off to the side of the Wayhaven PD, the detective’s sure that she’s never been happier. And she doesn’t want it to end. She wants Farah by her side now and always, she wants more stolen moments at holiday office parties, she wants to hear her laugh every morning. She wants to marry Farah.
If Farah catches on to the sudden rush of emotions, she doesn’t say anything about it, though she does quietly protest as one of the detective’s hands leaves her back. She digs around in her coat pocket for a moment, desperate for something, anything that will work as a placeholder. She very nearly comes up empty, but then her fingers brush up against crinkled plastic. Candy? She moves to feel it out more properly, and she realizes it’s not just any candy. A ring pop. Out of all the candy she’d shoved into her pockets earlier in the night, the one she manages to find now is a ring pop? Surely it’s a sign that she’s meant to do this now, right? It’s cheesy, she knows, but all she can think about is how she needs Farah in her life forever.
It’s quiet for a moment, and Farah furrows her brow in concern for a brief instant. Before she can crack a joke to ease the mood, however, the detective beams at her in a way that melts all her potential worries.
“Farah, let’s get married.” Stunned and wide-eyed, Farah stares up at the detective and allows her words to sink in. The moment they do, she jumps up and wraps her arms around her, holding her tightly.
“YES! Yes, let’s get married!” Marriage is a concept relatively new to her from the human world, but Farah has already come to understand how deeply meaningful it is for humans… And that the detective would want her? The thought makes her cheeks heat. “Omigosh, this is so exciting! Wait! Isn’t there supposed to be a ring? Maybe we can get one later? One that’s really pretty and-” words rush from her in a flood, hundreds of different thoughts all fighting their way out at once. There’s just so much she wants to say - how much she loves her, how happy she is that they met, how much fun they’re going to have together.
She can’t help starting to babble about it all, even to the point where she doesn’t notice the rustling of plastic packaging. In fact, she doesn’t even notice the detective holding the flimsy, far too small ring with the candy gem until she clears her throat.
“Farah? Um, this is definitely only a placeholder for a real one, but...” Suddenly feeling sheepish, she holds it out.
In a flash, she grabs the candy ring and slides it as far down onto her ring finger as it will go. It threatens to pinch even halfway down, but Farah can’t help grinning down at it anyway, admiring it. “It’s perfect!”
The detective blinks. “I mean, only for now. It’s going to get sticky and-” Farah quiets her worries with another kiss, long and lingering.
“It’s perfect because it’s from you, babe.” She brings her hand up to the detective’s face, ring and all, and strokes the hair away from her eyes.
“You’ll help me pick out a new one later, right?”
“Definitely.” As the giddiness starts to calm into regular exuberance, Farah’s smile curls into something a little more mischievous. “Hey, this is edible, right?” Without waiting for the detective's response, she leans in to take a lick. It’s sweet and vaguely sour all at once and- it’s a little gross. She darts out her tongue, shaking her head as she pulls back. “Tastes like chemicals!”
“Well now it’s definitely going to get sticky.” The two stare at each other for a second, then burst out laughing gleefully. They continue this way even as they head back into the warmth of the party, little snippets of conversation and bets about how shocked Ava’s going to be, interrupted by giggling and chuckling.
Again and again, the detective’s chosen Farah. And she always will.