Work Text:
*Are you off work?*
*Yes, I am just pulling into the driveway now. I thought our date wasn't till 7…*
*Oh, it is, just making sure you didn't have to work late.*
*Ahhh, nervous about tonight are you?*
*Maybe a little.*
*You are adorable. Everything will be fine. I gotta go get ready. I’ll see you soon.*
*See you soon.*
Abby threw her phone into her purse and slid out of her car with a smile wide enough to crack her face. She couldn't decide what was more adorable, Marcus planning this romantic date for Valentine’s Day or him being nervous about it. They had been dating for a few months now and she couldn't believe how easy he fit into her life. It was as if he had always been there with a quick smile or a cup of tea after a long shift at the hospital. Heading into the house, she found a single red rose waiting on the counter for her and she shook her head at the obvious choice.
I guess he wasn't lying when he said he wanted to do Valentines right.
Taking out her phone, she snapped a quick picture of the rose and sent it to him. Making her way upstairs, she found Clarke in her room, on her phone with one of her friends, so Abby gave her a quick peck on the forehead before heading to her room to get ready. Marcus hadn't divulged much information about the date but she knew enough to know she needed to dig deep in her closet and pull out her secret weapon. From the end of the row on the left, Abby pulled out a slinky white dress with a low enough neckline to keep Marcus’ eyes roaming all night and smiled.
“Hey Clarke, is your mom ready?” Marcus asked, pulling at his shirt sleeves as the young woman came down the stairs and threw herself onto the couch.
He looked out the window at the gathering clouds with a furrowed brow. Willing it not to rain, he checked the time again and then tried to relax against the back of the couch.
The blonde glanced up at him with a smirk, “she should be down shortly dude, just chill. It’s not like it’s your first date.”
Giving the teen a smirk of his own, Marcus shook his head, “I know Clarke but it's our first time celebrating this particular holiday and I want it to be prefect. “
She shrugged her shoulders, “mom isn't picky.”
Having said her piece, Clarke went back to playing on her phone. Standing at the doorway, Marcus frowned at the clouds again but a small cough behind him turned him towards the stairs. Abby was standing at the top of the stairs, and she glowed like sunlight. Gulping at the sight of her, Marcus put his hand on his chest and pretended to fall over from the sight of her.
Abby laughed, “you think you are so funny.”
“You look stunning, I don’t know if I can move,” Marcus replied and then gave her that grin that melted Abby’s heart every time she saw it.
“You guys have fun! I’ll just sit home by myself, not going anywhere for Valentine’s Day and being a total loser,” Clarke called from the living room.
“Don’t ruin this for me Clarke,” Abby called back and then smiled to hear her daughter snickering in response.
Turning to Marcus, she draped her arm in his, “so where are we going Mr. Kane?”
“That’s a surprise,” he said and led her out the door.
They were half way to the car when it started sprinkling. Grabbing Abby’s hand, Marcus rushed them to the vehicle and tucked her into the front seat. He made it to his side before the rain started coming down and shook his head.
“Is controlling the weather something I can sign up to do?” He asked, starting the car and pulling into the street with his windshield wipers beating a rhythm with the rain.
Abby giggled, “I think it’s already taken and Mother Nature doesn't retire.”
“I’m sorry,” Marcus said as he drove, “let's hope this rain doesn't last too long.”
Putting her hand on his, Abby gave him a reassuring smile, “I love the smell of rain. It makes everything seem so fresh even if I know it’s just an illusion.”
“I was hoping we would be able to walk after dinner is all,” Marcus said with a shrug, “it was so nice this afternoon.”
She held his hand for the rest of the drive, talking about work and Clarke’s exploits at school which made Marcus glad he wasn't a truant officer. As he pulled up to the restaurant, Abby gasped.
“Are we going to Medalina’s?”
Marcus laughed at her astonished tone, “yes, we are one of the few couples getting into Medalina’s on Valentine’s Day. Are you pleased?”
Abby responded by grabbing his necktie and pulling him in for a passionate kiss.
“Well okay then,” he said when the kiss was over and she gave him the laugh that gave him butterflies in his stomach.
Getting out of the car, he cursed the rain and pulled off his jacket to wrap it around her shoulders so her dress wouldn't get drenched. The walk to the restaurant wasn't long but Marcus felt more than a little damp once they escaped the rain. Sliding his jacket on, he made a mental note to put his umbrella back in the car when he got home and then went to give their name to the hostess. Abby looked around the restaurant in awe. She had talked to Clarke about wanting to come here for months but there was such a long waiting list and the owner of the place was picky about her clientele. As Marcus came back from the hostess, his face was a mask of annoyance.
“What’s wrong?” Abby asked, her arms reaching to hold him without a second thought.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong is telling someone that their table won’t be available because of a surprise guest. What’s wrong is that they gave us a voucher for our next visit but refuse to seat us.”
Abby looked behind him to see a couple of servers talking with the hostess and watching them with blatant disrespect. Glaring at the group of snobs, Abby took Marcus by the arm and walked him out the front door.
Marcus glanced up at the sky that was still pouring buckets and sighed, “I’m sorry Abby. I can’t believe how rude they are to new customers. I’ll sic the health inspectors on them.”
“I don’t want to eat their food anymore anyway,” Abby told him, “I don’t care if they have the best food, they have the worst service!”
She yelled the last part back at the building and Marcus grinned at her, “trying to get a noise complaint filed against them?”
“Only if you get to arrest that rude woman.”
“I’m afraid that would fall to Officer Finch.”
“Then it’s not worth it.”
She pointed across the street, “they don’t look all that busy.”
Marcus followed her finger to the place across the street with a large lit up sign reading “All Thai’d Up”.
He wrinkled his nose, “not exactly what I had in mind for a romantic dinner you know.”
“I know, but I bet they will have nicer people,” Abby said and his answering smile was all she needed to see before pulling him across the street and into the rain. The downpour drenched them by the time they reached the door but Marcus held it open for her and Abby entered the bright cheery restaurant with a smile.
“Dine in or carry out?” asked the older woman standing at the cash register.
Abby’s smile grew, “dine in please, and thank you.”
They were soon seated and Abby shook out her hair while Marcus used some of the napkins to soak up the water in his shirt. Abby looked at him over her menu and crossed her eyes at him. He laughed and stuck out his tongue just as the server came over to take their order. With a blush staining his cheeks, he ordered his curry and Abby asked for her usual Pad Thai spicy.
When their food came, Abby groaned at the delicious smell and dug into her noodles with gusto but Marcus stared into his bowl and tried to gather his thoughts. He had planned everything out so well but nothing was happening the way it should.
“Are you alright Marcus?”
He looked up to see Abby staring at him with concern, “I’m okay, I am just, it’s not supposed to be like this.”
Abby grabbed his hand across the table, “I’m enjoying myself Marcus. Don’t worry.”
“You deserve more than this. You deserve to be treated like a queen and I’m not doing a very good job at the moment.”
Giving him a stern look, Abby squeezed his hand, “you stop that. I'm having fun. What are we doing next?”
He looked down at their clasped hands and smiled, “I found a little theater that is playing Practical Magic on their biggest screen. I believe I remember something about you loving that movie?”
Abby squealed her excitement, “I haven’t seen that movie in forever and yeah, it’s my favorite!”
Marcus brightened at her enthusiasm and kissed her hand before finally digging into his food. They talked about work and their favorite rainy day activities and how delicious their food was. They traded funny faces over fried banana ice cream and Abby dabbed some on Marcus’ nose while he was distracted and they left the little restaurant with high spirits renewed.
“Shall we race to the car?” Marcus asked, flinging his jacket over Abby’s white dress so that she wouldn't get soaked.
Grabbing his hand, Abby said, “let’s run together.”
They took off for the car, laughing at the absurdity of the situation and Abby watch Marcus throw his head back with a laugh that made her insides twist in desire. They jumped into the car as fast as they could and Marcus shook his head, flinging droplets around the interior while Abby used his jacket as a shield.
“You are so rude,” Abby told him with a laugh and he nodded solemnly in agreement.
“You love it though, admit it,” Marcus said while starting the car.
“Never, at least, not out loud.”
Making Marcus laugh as often as possible was Abby’s goal for the night and she congratulated herself on her accomplishment so far. The theater was just a few streets down, tucked into a strip mall with a pawn shop and a chain sandwich place. Marcus took the closest parking spot to the theater but by the time they reached the door, the rain had done its job one more. His jacket was also looking a little worse for wear.
Shivering from the downpour, they pulled the doors open and a cascade of glittery heart confetti drifted down from the ceiling. Abby shrieked and Marcus stared in horror at the mess of paper and glitter coating their skin and clothes. A man came running from around the counter and then bolted for the back when he caught Marcus’ glare.
“Marcus, what just happened?” Abby asked, wiping at her dress with little affect.
A tall thin man came back from the back room with handfuls of paper towels and an apologetic look on his face.
“Please forgive my staff,” he told them while giving them the towels, “they set this up as a joke for me and didn't realize I was already here.”
Abby looked down at her white dress covered in glitter and red and pink paper hearts and sighed, “they are paying for my dry cleaning.”
Marcus growled in frustration as his attempts to wipe of the pulpy mess only served to spread the glitter around on his shirt. Abby took one look at him and covered her mouth.
“Are you laughing at me?” He asked with flashing eyes.
She nodded before giving in and clutching her sides in laughter at the sight of him. His glare bored into her skull but she only laughed harder. Marcus finally gave in to the sheer hilarity of the moment and joined her with soft chuckles. Wrapping his arms around her, Marcus made sure the front of her dress was as covered as his shirt.
“Let’s just go home, I don’t think I can sit in a theater like this through a whole movie,” Abby told him.
He frowned but nodded his agreement. They took the owners number so they could call with the dry cleaning bill which he was more than happy to cover. Once again, they rushed out into the rain and Abby didn't bother with the jacket because they were both a mess. Tossing the jacket in the back seat, Abby settled into her seat and started giggling as glitter and paper mulch stuck to every surface she touched. Marcus gave her a look full of suffering before climbing into the car.
“Do you think I can send him the bill for cleaning out my car?” He asked as he started the engine and pulled out into the rain.
Abby nodded, “It’s worth a try. We should get home before something else happens.”
Marcus sighed, “I am so sorry Abby. This whole thing has been a complete disaster.”
He sounded serious so Abby didn't laugh and put her hand on his shoulder, “hey, I am sorry for trying to make light of the situation. I know you worked hard on this night.”
Giving her a small smile, Marcus reached out and plucked a damp paper heart out of her hair while they sat at a stop light. She was wonderful and deserved wonderful things. She shouldn't be covered in cheap glitter and soaked to the bone but she was smiling and trying to comfort him. Marcus couldn't understand how he had gotten so lucky but Abby lit up his world with her presence.
“I love you.”
Abby’s eyes glowed with warmth. She knew he loved her but hearing him say it was like heaven to her ears. Marcus watched her face with hope and Abby didn't keep him waiting long.
“I love you too Marcus,” she said with a smile on her lips. She couldn't wait to kiss him and their lips met even as the light turned green. A honk from behind them interrupted their moment and Marcus leaned back to give the impatient driver the finger before pulling forward. They made it to her place without any more interruptions and Abby wasted no time in crawling over and planting herself in Marcus’ lap. Kissing
“That’s our first time saying those words,” she whispered in his ear as his hands caressed her arms.
He nodded, “I wanted it to be perfect but nothing went as planned and I didn't want to risk something else happening before I told you how I felt.”
“It was perfect, trust me,” Abby told him and pulled him in for another kiss. Glitter stuck to her lips and she pulled away with a giggle.
“Let’s go shower, grab a pint of ice cream out of the fridge and invite Clarke to watch a movie with us,” Abby suggested.
“A shared shower and chocolate ice cream?” Marcus asked with his customary smirk.
“Sounds perfect.”